By Ian Jenkins

(Author's Note: This story was written late at night whilst I was caffinated. It's kind of an alternate thingy. Aeris is alive for one thing. Whoopee! Enjoy!)

Part 1: Provocation

Chapter 1: The First Bombing

No one in Shinra was as loyal as they should be. Actually...there were only a few with extremely high morale in the entire corporation, the big wigs. Otherwise, no one was truly as devoted. Such was the case for Martinez Lopez.

Martinez checked his watch again. Nearly midnight, Midgar Standard Time...

"Hmmm..." he said to himself, "I should be arriving at the #1 reactor shortly."

Right after he said that, the train stopped. An announcement flooded the area, "Now hear this...now hear this...all who are heading for the Sector 1 reactor, please step off the train at this time. I repeat, all who are heading for the Sector 1 Mako Reactor, please step off the train at this time."

He smiled, "Finally...about damn time, too."

He stepped off the train, flashing his security badge to the red guards. As he entered the reactor, he thought he heard gunfire. He shrugged it off but went a little faster.

He checked his document. His job: inspect the Mako reactors. Tonight would be #1. Tomorrow morning would be #5. Now he was running. If he didn't inspect the reactor within 10 minutes, he would probably be fired or shot to death by Shinra.

As he got closer to the reactor, he could hear its loud humming. The whole reactor smelt of mako. It was kind of a combination of burning leaves and the smoke from a recently fired gun. It really wasn't that great. No time to enjoy the 'scenery' as he remembered his job.

He approached the reactor, checked around and its gauge. Seemed to be normal...with that report, he put his clipboard under his arm and walked to the elevator. When he reached the top, he nodded a goodbye to the two red guards and headed for Sector 8 to catch the train back to Sector 7.

As he turned the corner of the street, past the slummy alleyways, he saw an absolutely beautiful girl holding a basket of flowers. He licked his lips cautiously and walked up to her, "Uh, excuse me..."

She looked at him, "Yes?" Her voice was heavenly.

He cleared his throat; "Uh...I don't see too many flowers around here..."

She smiled at him, "Really? Would you like one? They're only a gil..."

How could he say no to such a pretty face, "S-sure..."

He handed her a gil and she handed him a flower. She smiled at him again as he left.

The train station was just ahead. As he stepped into the train, he turned to see a huge explosion where the #1 reactor was. He gawked at it, "WHAT THE HELL???"

Everyone was looking. He growled as he clenched his fist, "Must be AVALANCHE again..."

Going into the last car, he leaned against the wall and shook as the train started off. As he stared out the window, his Codec beeped. He sighed and received it, "Martinez Lopez here."

"Mr. Lopez, this is Reeve of Shinra Urban Development."

"What can I do for you, Mr. Reeve?"

"As you might have guessed, AVALANCHE has just destroyed the #1 reactor."

"Yes...I am aware. The explosion was big enough to be seen from Sector 6."

"True...anyway...we believe they will target another reactor. That is why you must be armed when you inspect the #5 reactor tomorrow morning."

"Armed with what?"

"We will supply you with a sub-machine gun and a pistol, in case the #5 reactor is next."

"Yes sir."

"You ARE authorized to use force to stop AVALANCHE from bombing #5, of course."

"Uh...yes sir."

As the Codec went dead, he had a strange feeling like it was planned that #5 would be next.

"Hey, handsome."

He turned to see his smiling girlfriend, Rebecca, standing in the doorway. He smiled and hugged her, "Hoo-boy...some day."

"Yeah, I heard. #1 got blown to hell right after your inspection. Got out just in time, babe."

"Tell me about it. God...doesn't AVALANCHE get it? I mean, due to their actions, WE'RE the ones suffering!"

As if on cue, five people stepped into the car. Martinez looked. A fat guy named Wedge, a thinner man named Biggs, a young woman named Jessie and their gun-arm toting leader, Barret Wallace. Behind him was a spiky/yellow-haired dude. Martinez recognized him. He was Cloud Strife, rumored to be formerly in SOLDIER.

He spent no time greeting them. He backed away with Rebecca. They weren't just punks or hoodlums. They were the rebel group called AVALANCHE. The next car was empty. Martinez sat on a bench next to Rebecca. He sighed, "Dammit. I'm getting sick of these guys."

Rebecca shrugged, "Well, they're fighting the Shinra to save the planet. Pretty noble, if you ask me."

The Shinra manager from the last car, and one of Martinez's good friends, Bill Markowitz, came in, muttering something about a hoodlum infestation on the train. Martinez chuckled at this but he knew it was true. He sighed again and leaned back on the bench, waiting until they got Sector 7.

Didn't take long. About another ten minutes later, they arrived in Sector 7. As the two stepped off the train, Rebecca smiled and kissed Martinez, who promptly kissed back, "See ya tomorrow." She stepped away from him and towards the slums.

Looking at his watch, Martinez shrugged, "I have time for a cold one..."

With that in mind, he headed towards the only bar in the Sector 7 slums, Tifa's 7th Heaven. The bar wasn't bad, for a bunch of pieces of scrap metal and wood. He opened the door. Place was busy this time of night. Martinez looked about and grinned as he sat at the bar.

He saw the owner, Tifa Lockheart, step out from the back room and behind the bar. She smiled at him, "Hey, there. Want your usual?"

Martinez chuckled, "Yeah. You know me..."

"That I do," she said as she made his drink. Once she was finished, she slid the brew over to Martinez, who downed it quickly and flipped a 50-gil piece for it and headed out. From the bar, he stepped lightly to his home, another piece of scrap metal. He heard gunshots again and turned back to the bar. The usual patrons were running like crazy to get out of there. After them was the man with a gun-arm, Barret Wallace. Martinez rolled his eyes and went into his house.

Martinez was glad to be home. He relaxed in his recliner, the only piece of sitting furniture he had. As soon as he started to doze off, a knock came at the door. He groaned. After a minute, the knocking continued and got louder. Finally, after 5 minutes of constant banging, he had had enough, "OK! OK, I'm coming! Geez...who the hell would be bothering me at this time of..."

It wasn't until he opened the door that he groaned, "Me and my big mouth..."

He backed away to allow Reno and Rude of the Turks to step inside. He folded his arms, "Well...here's some trouble...what do you want with me?"

Reno nodded to Rude, who pulled a silenced pistol from his jacket. Martinez seemed to be abrasive, "You here to shoot me or something?"

Without any words, Rude handed the gun to Martinez. Martinez looked from the gun to the Turks, "For tomorrow?"

Reno nodded, "That's not all."

He gripped what looked like an uzi and tossed it to him. Martinez nodded, satisfied with the goods. With no more speaking, the Turks left. Martinez wiped sweat from his brow, "Whew..."

He went to sleep in the chair once again.

Chapter 2: The Second Bombing

Before he thought he had enough sleep, it was morning, about 9:45 AM. He yawned sleepily as he awoke. There wasn't any sun to shine, just smog. Even so, Martinez slid out of his chair and grabbed the weapons the Turks had given him the night before. Keeping the pistol in his pocket and the uzi in his jacket. As he walked onto the train, he met Bill, once again, dressed as a Shinra manager, "Oh, hey, man. Another inspection?"

Martinez nodded, "Yep. Inspection of the #5 reactor."

Bill seemed to stare at a bulge in Martinez's pocket. He grinned at him, "Hey, Martinez, is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Martinez smacked Bill behind the head and pulled out the gun, "Nope. Silenced 9mm. Kills with one shot."

Bill whistled, impressed, "What're you carrying a gun around for if you're inspecting reactors?"

"To tell you the truth, it's if those AVALANCHE guys get in my way."

"Ah...oh no..."

Martinez turned to see Barret Wallace, Cloud Strife and a familiar-looking girl enter the car. It took all of Martinez's will power not to gasp. It was Tifa! Tifa Lockheart, the barkeep of Tifa's 7th Heaven! What was SHE doing with AVALANCHE?

He heard Bill moan, "Hoodlums again...God, don't I get all the luck..."

Bill plopped down on a bench. Barret came down the aisle towards me. He didn't look at me but he spoke, "You say sumthin'?"

Bill didn't answer. Barret spoke again, "I said, 'You say sumthin'?' "

He looked around and then stood in front of Bill, "Car's gotten empty all of a sudden. Why is that?"

Bill muttered under his breath, "Damn..." He looked up at the big man, trembling, "It's because of g-guys like you. Only a dedicated employee, like me, would be out today..."

The big man suddenly brought his gun-arm to train on Bill, "YOU WORKIN' FOR SHINRA?"

Bill was terrified. Martinez jumped out of his seat quickly. Either he was brave, foolhardy or wasn't thinking at all. Whatever it was, he had enough guts to clench his fist and give Barret a punch in his face that sent him sprawling.

Martinez just stood there. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He saw Barret get up and, boy, was he pissed off!

Barret grunted, "So...you want to try me on for size?"

Martinez quickly pulled his uzi out of his jacket, "Don't try it, Wallace."

For about 45 seconds, they were locked in a staring contest, their guns both trained on each other.

"All right, boys, knock it off!" that came from Tifa. Barret lowered his gun-arm and Martinez put his uzi away and simply walked to the other car. As soon as he got there, Bill came through the door and grabbed onto his leg, "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou..."

Martinez was dumbfounded, "W-what? Hey! Get off me! Bill!"

"THANK YOU!!!"

"AGH! Thank me by getting off of my leg! You're cutting off my circulation!"

Bill let go and dropped to the floor. Martinez shook his leg, "To tell you the truth, I was scared stiff. I can't believe what I just did!"

As he spoke, the ID alarm went off. Martinez scratched his head, "That's odd...it was supposed to be further down..."

Bill stood, "Because of AVALANCHE, probably."

Jessie from AVALANCHE rushed passed them. Martinez quirked an eyebrow, "Speak of the she-devil..."

Bill whispered, "Listen...I think it's because of your ID. Shinra's on to you, man."

Martinez grunted, "Fine...get the helicopter. Meet me out of the Sector 5 reactor."

The alarm blared and Martinez kicked the door of the train, "Bill! Don't forget the helicopter!"

As a man in a black trenchcoat and a Shinra guard ran towards him, he jumped off the train into the subway.

****

The subway was brightly lit up with different colored lights. Martinez ran. He knew that the reactor wasn't that far ahead. As he ran, he groaned when he saw the light sensors. He put a hand to his chin, "Hm...security sensors..."

He checked his badge and walked through. The alarm didn't sound. As he continued through, he recognized, at once, a Shinra elevator. He didn't care where it led. He ran towards it. As he did so, someone shot a gatling gun at him. He turned quick to see Barret Wallace's smoking gun-hand shooting at him. He was close to the elevator. As the doors opened, he jumped in, grabbing his uzi and shot at the three, Barret, Cloud and Tifa. The doors closed and he was on his way down to the reactor.

As luck would have it, he ended up in front of the inner reactor. He charged ahead, not waiting to flash the badge to the guards. He looked it over and gave it a perfect 10. He turned and pushed the button for the elevator. At that moment, the loudspeaker blared, "Intruders detected in reactor! Elevators to the subway will be shut down!"

He groaned, "Dammit! Looks like I'll have to take the hard way back up." He climbed onto the ladder and climbed up fast. He had to go carefully on the pipe. Nearly slipping off once, he went slowly and jumped at the ladder. Instead of that he fell. He grabbed the pipe again and held it, trying to get back up. At once, he heard people coming down the ladder he was trying to get to. He moved his head to the side to see the three members of AVALANCHE walking past him. Quietly, he slid back onto the pipe and waited until they were out of sight. Then, he scrambled up the ladder and ran for the elevator. Pushing the button frantically, he ran in as soon as it got there.

As it got to the top floor, he heard the alarm sound again, "Warning! Bomb placed on reactor! Detonation in 10 minutes! Evacuate this reactor!"

Martinez didn't even bother to curse. He just ran. At the door, he found a bunch of guards. The door was obviously locked. He sighed, "You two! C'mere!"

Two guards went with him to the other room. He got behind one switch and they got behind the other two. Martinez counted, "1...2...3!"

At once, they pushed the switches. The doors opened and the guards and Martinez ran through.

As he ran, he heard the doors close. Looks like they weren't going back in...not like there'd be anything to go back to. The guards in red ran to the left. Martinez stopped dead cold when the doors opened again.

"There he is!" he heard Barret's voice echo through to him. Machine gunfire flew at him and he dived for the floor. As the three came through, Barret pointed to the left, "That's our way out of here!"

He ran...only to be stopped by the red guards.

Tifa stepped forward, "It's a trap!"

Martinez slowly got to his feet. As the three and him faced each other, it seemed like a battle would ensue. Suddenly, footsteps approached them. All four turned. Barret stuttered, "Presi-President Shinra?"

Tifa was shocked, "Why is the President here?"

Martinez shrugged, "Who cares what questions you have...?"

Shinra looked to him, "The inspector...it would appear that you're fired."

Martinez moved in front of the other 3, "What? Why?"

"Simple. The reactors explode just minutes after you inspect them and get paid for it. Tells me something, doesn't it, hm?"

"Wait a minute! Are you saying you think I am in AVALANCHE?"

Barret shoved him aside, "This scrawny jackass isn't in with us!"

"Hey!" Martinez shoved Barret right back. A punch to the face from the big man sent him over the catwalk. Tifa put her hand on her hips, "Barret!"

"Sorry, Tifa. I don't know my own strength...""Yeah, right."

Chapter 3: Awakening in the Church

Martinez felt as if he had a headache in his whole body. He slowly opened his eyes to see a pair of eyes staring at him. He screamed.

The eyes' owner screamed.

They both screamed.

This went on for about 45 seconds until the eyes stopped, "So, we meet again..."

Martinez shook his head and looked at the person standing over him. It was the flower girl from the slums. He smiled with relief. He stood. He was glad he didn't land in the flowerbed. Flowers didn't usually grow in Midgar. He was surprised that these were so resilient. He looked to the girl again, "My name is Martinez Lopez, miss..."

She smiled at him again, "Aeris. My name is Aeris, the flower girl. Good to meet you...um...can you please leave?"

He quirked an eyebrow, "Why?"

She nodded to the badge he wore. He looked down at it, "Oh...you think I'm with Shinra...don't worry. That moron of a president just fired me. He thought I was in with AVALANCHE." He took the badge off his shirt and tossed it out the window. He smiled at Aeris again, "Better?"

He stopped and looked at her and then handed her the flower back, "Here...you keep this. It's safer with you than with me."

At that moment, there was an explosion. Martinez looked up only to see a body falling on top of him, knocking him down. On the ground, he looked up at Aeris, grinning weakly, "See what I mean?" Then he passed out.

It seemed like an eternity of blackness to Martinez. When he woke up, he was still on the floor, the guy who fell, still on top of him. He managed to crawl out from under him. As he turned around, he was shocked to see it was Cloud Strife. Aeris seemed to be trying to wake him. Cloud moved slowly.

"Oh!" Aeris said, happily, "It moved! Hello, hello! Hello, hello! Wake up!"

Cloud's eyes blinked open. Martinez moved to the rear. He couldn't hear the conversation but he saw them talking. He cautiously stepped out of hiding to see Reno of the Turks walking into the church. It took them a while to notice him.

Cloud nodded, "Oh yeah, I know you. That uniform..."

Reno folded his arms, "Hey, sis. This one's a little weird."

Cloud bared his teeth, angrily, "Shut up, you Shinra spy!"

One of Reno's soldiers stepped up to him, "Hey, Reno, you want him taken out?"

Reno shrugged, "I haven't decided."

Martinez stepped forward. Cloud glared at him, "You!"

Martinez stared at Reno but spoke to Cloud, "Shut it."

Now he folded his arms, "So...did Shinra send you to finish me off?"

Reno shook his head, "No...but I will get a bonus if I turn you in."

Martinez smirked, "You know you won't be able to do that."

"We'll see."

Martinez turned to see Cloud and Aeris fleeing through the back. This momentary distraction was all Reno needed. With quick reflexes, he zapped Martinez with an electro-rod. Martinez fell to his knees and then fell to the floor again.

Chapter 4: Encounter With Sephiroth

Martinez awoke with a start. Looking around, he groaned. Shinra. He had been captured and brought to the Shinra building. But...he wasn't alone. He almost gasped. They got Aeris. That Turk bastard grabbed Aeris. She was asleep, knocked out or...gulp...dead. He walked over to her and shook her lightly. She gave a sleepy sigh, "Uh...? Who is it?"

"Aeris?"

"Martinez?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you had died."

"No...I was captured by Tseng..."

"Tseng? The leader of the Turks? Where did he come from?"

"He was in a helicopter. I was taking Barret's daughter, Marlene, to safety. But, he caught me."

Martinez was confused, "Wait a minute...the last time I saw you, you were fleeing from the Turks in the slums."

Aeris was surprised, "You've been out a long time. That was two days ago."

"What happened? Why did you take Marlene to safety? What was going on?"

Aeris looked down, "Shinra...destroyed the Sector 7 slums."

Martinez went silent in shock. He stumbled away from her, "N-no...th-that can't be...God, no...Rebecca...the people of the slums...oh, God...how could this happen?"

"I know how you feel. I heard that three members of AVALANCHE were killed, too."

He turned to face her, "Barret, Cloud and Tifa?"

She shook her head, "No...Biggs, Wedge and Jessie."

He clenched his fist, "This is screwed up. They destroyed an entire Sector! WHY?"

"To get AVALANCHE..."

He slammed his fist into the wall, making Aeris jump, "DAMMIT! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!"

Martinez was overcome with sadness and rage, "Rebecca...I'm sorry..."

"Martinez? MARTINEZ?"

His head snapped up, "Re-Rebecca???"

"Martinez!"

He stood and ran to the door, "Where are you?"

"I'm in the cell right in front of yours."

Martinez looked out the little slit of a window he had. His eyes met hers, "God, Rebecca, how did you make it?"

"Martinez...there's something...I haven't told you yet..."

"You're not pregnant are you?"

"No...it-it's about my job."

"What about it?"

"I wasn't a shopkeeper, like I said..."

"What? But...you were behind the counter at the 'Materia Mountain' Materia shop in Sector 7."

"During the day...yes I was. At night...I was a spy within the Shinra building."

Martinez's eyes went wide, "Y-you were a spy? For who?"

"...AVALANCHE."

Martinez felt his knees get weaker and weaker, "Y-you were lying to me...you were working with the same organization that nearly killed me..."

"Martinez, try to understand, we're trying to..."

"Save the planet! I've heard it time upon time!"

Rebecca was silent. Martinez sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor, "I...I'm speechless. This was unexpected, Becca."

"I'm sorry."

Martinez didn't answer. Instead, he backed himself into a corner, away from Aeris and the door, falling asleep.

Once Martinez awoke, he immediately knew something was wrong. Aeris was asleep. He just had that feeling. He looked out the slit and saw the guard in red walking back and forth, up and down the corridor. All of a sudden, a man with a black cloak, gray hair and piercing green eyes took out what seemed to be a gigantic sword and thrusted it forward. He heard the guard moan and then there was the unmistakable sound of something smashing against a wall. The man in black stopped outside the cell next to him and then walked past Martinez's looking inside. His green eyes seemed to pierce into Martinez's soul.

Martinez was terrified, "W-who are you...?"

"One whom you do not wish to know."

The man waved his hand and Martinez fell back, somehow knocked out by some unknown blow.

"Martinez? Martinez, wake up!"

Martinez opened his eyes to see Rebecca, Aeris and Tifa in his cell. He sat up instantly, "What happened?"

"Look outside, you'll see."

He stepped outside...into the path of some lion thing. He didn't want to rouse any tempers so he let him go first. After him came Barret, a glare at Martinez as he passed. As soon as Barret's back was turned, Martinez flipped him off. He looked down the hall, to where Cloud, Barret and the lion were gathered around the body of the dead Red Guard. He shook his head, "Oh, man...what the hell happened?"

Aeris shook her head, "I don't have a clue..."

The lion thing growled, "Murder...it's a very deep wound."

Martinez quirked a brow, "And just who are you?"

It turned about in a circle, "These humans are calling me Red XIII."

He nodded in greeting, "The name's Martinez Lopez."

Cloud sighed, "This is not the time for introductions. Barret, you clean up back here. We'll head towards the 70th floor."

Barret nodded, "Awright, no problem. I'll take care of it."

Martinez ran after Cloud and the Red XIII, with Rebecca, Tifa and Aeris close behind.

Chapter 5: The New President

Martinez ran behind Cloud and into an elevator. Stepping out on the 69th floor, he noticed the blood all over the ground. He nearly hurled, "God! Who could've done this and killed all these people?"

Cloud sighed, "I'm not sure."

"Oh..."

As they ran up the fancy staircase to the 70th floor, Martinez was greeted with a horrifying sight, "President Shinra!" It was indeed the president of Shinra. However, he was slumped over on his desk with a huge sword extruding from his back.

Barret came up right behind him, pointed his gun at the president but then lowered it in shock, "He's dead...the leader of Shinra Inc. is dead."

Tifa ran behind Shinra and gestured to the sword, "Then this sword must be..."

"Sephiroth's!" Cloud said, shocked.

Tifa blinked, "Sephiroth is ALIVE?"

"It seems that way..." Cloud mused.

A fat guy, who had been hiding behind a pillar groaned, "Ugh!"

Cloud snapped his head toward him, Palmer. Once Palmer realized he had been discovered, he made a break for it but was caught by Cloud and Barret.

He pleaded, "P-p-please...don't kill me..."

"What happened?" Cloud demanded.

Palmer spoke as if he didn't believe what he was saying, "Sephiroth! Sephiroth came!"

"Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth?"

Palmer nodded quickly, "Yeah, I saw him! I saw him with my own two eyes!"

Cloud quirked a brow, suspiciously, "Did you really see him?"

Palmer looked back to him, "Ugh! Would I lie to you at a time like this? And I heard his voice too! Um...he said something about not letting Shinra have the Promised Land."

Tifa put her hands on her hips, "What, then? Does that mean that the Promised Land exists and Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?"

Barret shrugged, "So...he's a good guy then?"

Cloud shook his head, "Save it from Shinra? A good guy? No way! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different!"

Martinez had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Who was Sephiroth? What was the Promised Land?

He stopped short when he saw a helicopter approaching. Palmer took the opportunity to get out of there. It landed and a young man, about the age of Cloud and himself stepped out, dressed in white with blond hair.

Martinez walked out onto the balcony. However, when he saw who it was, he started backing away, "V-vice President Rufus!"

Rufus brushed his hair back with his hand, "Yes...but, the title is Rufus Shinra, President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only President 'cause your old man died!" Barret's voice echoed out onto the balcony. Martinez turned to see the rest of them running out. Rufus was interested as well, "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Cloud, SOLDIER 1st class!" Cloud took a fighting pose.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret aimed his gun at Rufus.

"Same here!" Tifa clenched her fists.

"A flower girl from the slums." Aeris put her hands on her hips.

"A research specimen." The Red XIII said.

Martinez shrugged, "A former Mako Reactor inspector."

Rebecca grinned, "A spy for AVALANCHE."

Rufus shook his head, "Geez. What a crew. Well, as long you all are here, I'll let you here my acceptance speech..."

There was a shot and Rufus grabbed his shoulder, blood dripping to ground from it, "ARGH!"

Martinez held his smoking pistol, "Shut your hole, Rufus. No one gives a damn about what'll happen. You're no different than your father."

"Except I'll control the world with fear...it costs too much to do it like my old man."

Martinez cocked his gun, "Don't make me hurt you..."

Cloud pointed to the door, "Everyone else leave. I'll deal with him."

Another helicopter suddenly hummed up. A voice called out, "C'mon Martinez! Let's go!"

Bill! He had come! Rufus turned and shot his shotgun four times; missing Martinez every time but all four caught Rebecca straight in the chest. She screamed and reached for Martinez's hand. He tried to grab her but another shot from the shotgun blasted her over the edge of the 70th floor. She screamed Martinez's name as she plummeted to her death. Overcome with rage, Martinez grabbed his uzi and started spraying the deck with it. All of them took cover.

Bill, the only sensible one, piloted the copter away. Martinez screamed, "NO, GODDAMMIT!! GO BACK!"

"No! You're gonna end up dead!"

"No better off than Rebecca! She survived the Sector 7 disaster just to be killed by this son of a bitch!"

He fell back, weeping bitterly. His breathing was shuddery. He growled, "Mark my words...I am going to take revenge on Shinra for this, I swear it. Drop me off at Wutai."

"Wutai? Why?"

"I need a vacation. It's one of the best resort towns in the world."

"Why not Costa del Sol?"

"Shinra occupies most of the world, Bill. That includes Costa del Sol..."

"Oh..."

"Besides...the Shinra haven't been around Wutai for years. This'll be a nice change."

"All right..."

"I'll keep in touch with my Codec. Since Shinra knows I'm their enemy, they'll probably tap into my calls. My new frequency is 140.00."

"All right..."

"What's wrong, man? You've grown all quiet."

"Martinez...they executed most of the Sector 7 survivors...including Jessica..."

"Your fianc�e?"

With a sniffle, Bill nodded. Martinez groaned, "It's the damn Shinra! It's been no one but the Shinra!"

"I know..."

"I'll get 'em, Bill. For me and for you! I promise."

"Thanks, Martinez. ~Sniffle~"

Chapter 6: 3 Months Later...

Martinez went through the fourth exercise routine of the day. He had gotten somewhat out of shape since leaving Midgar and he wanted to look his best. Shinra had been around once or twice in Wutai but not often. Even when it was Shinra, it was just a few soldiers, none of the execs and they never found him. He didn't really care one way or the other. Either way, here he could train and prepare for his final battle with the Shinra. As he finished the routine, the alarm on his watch beeped. Time to get to the Turtle's Paradise Bar, he guessed. He grabbed his coat and walked out of his training area.

As he headed towards the bar, he wondered what happened to Yuffie. She had disappeared right after the two decided to start going out a week after he had gotten there. He pushed open the door.

He entered the bar to a sight he hoped he'd never have to see again. Sitting at the center table in the bar were the Turks, Reno, Rude and Elena. He stopped short in the doorway and then started for the bar. As he sat on a stool, he ordered a bottle of liquor. Minutes later, he felt a tapping on the shoulder and heard a voice, "Look what the rats pulled in..."

He rolled his eyes and spun around on his stool to face Elena, "That's the greeting I get after not seeing you for three months? I'm hurt..." he said in a mocking tone.

"So...after 3 long months here you are, showing up in Wutai. Too bad we're on vacation and can't kick your ass right now."

"Sure, Elena...I don't know how you got into the Turks anyway. Was it just because Shinra was your father?"

"Oh, shut up! It's no thanks to you that he's dead!"

"MY fault??? How is it MY fault?"

She didn't answer but went for a punch to the face. He moved aside, having her fall behind the counter, instead. He sighed and laughed at the same time. She was still the same Elena. He looked down at her, "Heh-heh. You should try the Midgar Zoomi. It's quite good."

Reno shook his head, "Elena...now is not the time."

He looked sharply at Martinez, "Listen, kid. You can be sure that we will have to take you out after we're back on duty so I suggest that you find a new place to hide out. Shinra knows you're here and I'm sure that President Rufus will not hesitate to order a full strike to move in, occupy and burn down Wutai."

"Why? Just to get me?"

Elena pulled herself up from the floor behind the counter, "That's right. My brother will take swift action against you."

Martinez rolled his eyes, "Goodbye, Turks."

He strolled right past the three only to bump into Yuffie, who was panting furiously. He fell back, "Ack! Hey! Oh, hey, Yuffie! Long time no see!

She jumped up, "Martinez! There you are! I need your help now!"

"Why's that?"

At that moment, Cloud, Barret and Tifa came in. Yuffie shrieked, "ACK! THAT'S WHY!"

Barret aimed his gun at Yuffie, "Give us back our materia, you bitch!"

Martinez stepped forward, "Hey! Shut up and put your goddamn gun down, you techno-freak!"

Barret shook his head in surprise, "You...you're the one from the train...and the Shinra building three months ago..."

Cloud unsheathed his sword, "So...THIS is where you've been hiding..."

"Oh, you're the swift bunch, ain't ya?" Martinez retorted

Barret looked over to the Turks and then back at Martinez, "And you're here with the Turks, eh? I think we got a little Shinra weasel here, guys..."

"Oh, HELL no! I'm not workin' for Shinra no more..."

He aimed the gun at Martinez's head, "Shaddup, you asshole!"

Martinez quickly pulled out an uzi and shot Barret in the gun arm's barrel.

With them distracted momentarily, Martinez grabbed Yuffie's arm and ran out of the establishment.

Managing to hide in the basement of Yuffie's house, the two evaded capture by Cloud. Martinez stood, "Yuffie...I have to leave Wutai."

She was distraught, "What? Why?"

"Both Shinra and that AVALANCHE group know I'm here. The worst part is...Shinra threatened to invade Wutai. The Turks said that if I didn't leave now, Shinra would move in, take over and burn down Wutai. I need to stop that."

Yuffie grabbed onto his arm, "Martinez...please. The Wutai army can fight back, I know it! Please...please don't go!"

Martinez turned to her, "Yuffie...why don't you come with me? Give Wutai the materia you've collected and come with me."

Yuffie looked to the ground, "I...can't."

"Why not?"

"I didn't...collect the materia. I...stole it from Cloud and the others."

"Oh, Yuffie..."

"I was desperate, Martinez! I finally seized my chance when the others stopped at a cliff near Wutai. I grabbed the materia and ran."

"...It's alright. By the way...where have you been, hm?"

Yuffie scratched the back of her neck, "Eh...well...I was...with them."

"With THEM? Cloud's group?"

"Yeah...I was only there for their materia, I swear!"

He smiled at her, "That's my girl..."

She grinned in that devious way of hers as he took her in his arms, bent her back and kissed her deeply on the lips.

Chapter 7: Escape From Wutai

Martinez stepped outside into the sunlight and ran for the exit from Wutai. He heard the sound of flying bullets and dived to the ground. When he picked his head up, he saw Barret firing at him with his gun-arm.

He pulled out his uzi and started firing again. Looking frantically for an exit, he saw three motorcycles with Shinra symbols on them. He grinned. These were official Shinra motorcycles.

'Time to leave...' he thought.

He hopped onto the bike and revved the engine. Oh, how he LOVED to hear the sound of a motorcycle's engine. He hit the pedal and headed straight...back into Wutai.

"Oops..." he muttered as he almost ran over Reno as he was coming out of the bar. He didn't run him over but knocked him down. He looked over his shoulder, "SORRY!"

He continued onward, heading towards the pagoda at the north end of Wutai. Needless to say, the residents were a bit shocked to see a man riding a Shinra motorcycle past. He made a sharp turn right where it seemed he was about to smash right into the pagoda and headed into the opposite direction.

"You OK, Reno?" Elena said as she helped him up.

Reno groaned, "Yeah. Just wait 'till I get my hands on that son of a HOLY SH--!"

He was knocked down again as Martinez zoomed past.

Barret took aim and unleashed more gunfire on Martinez. Martinez had barely enough time to dodge the firings of the gun-arm and zoomed out of Wutai.

With the town of Wutai behind him, Martinez looked out into the world. The day was young. He slowly puttered along on the motorcycle. From what he saw, it didn't look like there were any towns besides Wutai on this part of the world. He sighed. The only safe haven here was Wutai and it wasn't a safe haven anymore, thanks to the Shinra and the Turks.

He drummed his fingers on his head and ears. Beeping suddenly sounded. He stood, "What the hell?"

It was coming from his right ear. He sighed in relief, "Oh...just my Codec."

He stopped short and grinned, "My Codec! Bill can get me out of here!"

Martinez hid the motorcycle in a forest, cancelled the incoming call and dialed up Bill's Codec number.

A few minutes later, a rather annoyed voice yelled, "Yeah...whaddya want?"

"Bill? That you?"

There was a pause then, "Martinez???"

"Yeah, it's me! I need help!"

"Oh...ooh...uh...a bit of bad luck, friend."

"What? What do you mean 'bad luck'?"

"Uh...a few weeks ago, I was captured by the Shinra. My helicopter was confiscated and I was placed on the airship Highwind.

Martinez's eyes went wide, "You mean...the famous Highwind owned by Cid Highwind????"

"The same."

"Whoa...well, I have myself a problem here. Shinra's found me and I have to leave. However, I'm trapped near Wutai. AVALANCHE is closing in on me, too."

"Oh, man...that IS a problem. I'll try to do something."

"Thanks...I owe ya one."

"Hopefully, I'll see ya soon..."

The connection cut-off. Martinez sighed. He figured that he would have to stay the night in the forest. With the luck he had been having lately, he knew Bill probably wouldn't be successful in getting the Highwind to him so he didn't get his hopes up.

Hours passed. Still, nothing from Bill or Shinra or AVALANCHE, for that matter. He was glad about AVALANCHE. They must not have found him and went off, he figured.

"Hey, there!" a familiar voice spoke behind him. He turned and saw Yuffie - upside-down, hanging from a tree. He yelped and fell back. She grinned and flipped off the tree.

"Ugh...what're you doing here?"

"I just came to give ya this, Martinez!"

She opened her hand and inside was a red materia. He took it and stared at it for a minute, "What is it?"

"The Command Materia Choco-Mog."

"Choco-Mog? The Chocobo and a Mog?"

"Yep! Kinda funny. Sometimes you get a really fat Chocobo when ya use it."

He grinned, "You don't say...thanks, Yuffie."

She winked at him and then jumped back into the trees.

Chapter 8: Bill's Rescue

Bill followed the technician, "Sir, you've got to understand! If we don't help him, he's gonna get his goose cooked by Shinra!"

"Shinra...they've been screwing everything up lately...but YOU have to understand, the captain don't command the Highwind no more."

"What do you mean?"

"I MEAN that Shinra took the thing away from him...just to serve their own damn purposes. Now, all he's got left is the Tiny Bronco...and he practically STOLE that from Shinra."

The technician turned to Bill, "Listen, I feel bad for your friend but we can't go anywhere. The Tiny Bronco, even if it were repaired, would not be used to rescue anything! It's the only piece of sky the captain's got left since Shinra also double-crossed the Space Program..."

"Oh...I see..."

"You're gonna have to rescue him on your own..."

As the hatch to the rocket closed, Bill shook his head, leaving.

He stopped and knocked on the hatch, "Uh, sir. One more question..."

The hatch opened and the guy poked his head out, "Yeah????"

"Uh...where...exactly was the Highwind where he left it?"

The tech tapped his foot on the ground and put his hand to his chin, thinking, "Hmmm...I think...Junon...why?"

Bill smiled, "No reason..."

Grinning, the tech fished out a automatic pistol from his pocket, "If you're gonna try to liberate the ship, you might need this to get past the guards. If you do, I'm sure HE will be grateful."

"Yes, sir!!!!"

The hatch closed again and Bill gripped the pistol in his hand. It was time to do some saboteur work...

Bill stared at the Highwind as he made his way to the landing pad. It was just sitting there, guards walking patrols around it as usual. He crept forward, looking like he was inspecting it.

"Hey! You!"

He turned to see three guards with their weapons aimed at him. One of them spoke, "What are you doing here? This is a restricted area!"

He stuttered, "Uh...I have been ordered by...President Rufus to inspect the Highwind and make sure no damage has come to it."

The guards lowered their weapons. The head one spoke, "Yeah, fine. Just don't do anything stupid."

Bill laughed nervously, "Of course not, sir! I'll be done soon, sir!"

The guards went about their business and Bill slipped inside, keeping a hand in his inside trenchcoat pocket in case he needed the automatic pistol. There weren't many guards ON the ship. Mainly just the flight crew was onboard. They were startled when he pulled out a gun.

One of them stood back, "W-wait! I-I can explain this! We're only doing this for the CAPTAIN!"

Bill laughed, "So am I! I need to 'hijack' this ship to save a buddy of mine who's being chased by Shinra."

"Hoo...I don't know...does the captain know about this?"

"Of COURSE I do!" someone's voice echoed down the corridor.

The flight crew turned around, "Captain???"

Bill's eyes nearly bugged out, "C-Captain Cid Highwind????"

In walked Cid Highwind, the famous and legendary pilot, along with AVALANCHE. Bill gulped, "Uh-oh..."

Cid laughed, "Don't worry, Bill. The technician told me about your friend. We just got back from Wutai."

"Oh...good. Thank you, sir!"

Barret folded his arms, "I don't like this, though...we saw him with the Turks. He's workin' for Shinra! I know he is!"

Tifa shook her head, "I'm not too sure about that. They seemed to be pretty angry with him."

Yuffie jumped up and down, "He told me that Shinra was gonna burn down Wutai if he didn't leave. So he did."

Cid looked at her, "Why would he tell YOU that?"

She grinned large, "Because I am his girlfriend!"

Bill muttered, "I feel bad for him..."

Yuffie glared at him, "Did you say something?"

Bill shook his head, "Not a thing. So...should we get going?"

Cid looked out into the sky, "Let's go!"

With a shudder, the Highwind sprung to life, shuddering the ground.

Needless to say, the guards were startled and started firing like crazy at it. Bill thrust his hand in the air, "Yee-ha!"

He aimed downwards and started firing his automatic pistol, non-stop, "YEAH! YEAH! THIS IS FOR JESSICA, YOU BASTARDS!!!! I HOPE THIS SENDS A MESSAGE TO YOUR PRESIDENT!!!!"

All ten guards were dead with seven seconds later.

The group stared at the bodies in shock and, slowly all turned to Bill. He just quirked a brow, "WHAT??? CAN'T A GUY BE ANGRY AT SHINRA???"

Barret folded his arms, "Damn, man! You must've be pretty pissed off..."

"Well, killing everyone in Sector 7 really didn't sit too well. I lost a good number of friends and family in that..."

"And who is Jessica?"

"She WAS my fianc�e. Enough about this, already. Let's go find Martinez!"

The ship continued onwards towards Wutai.

Chapter 9: Rescue!

Martinez snoozed as the day turned to night. There was a rather rude awakening as he heard the sound of propellers hovering overhead. He opened his eyes to see the legendary airship Highwind fluttering overhead. He grabbed his uzi and was about to fire it when he saw Barret. He stopped when he heard a familiar voice yell, "Hey, Martinez!!!!"

He looked even closer and saw Bill waving to him, grinning, "I TOLD you I'd do something!"

"Nice work, Bill! You got the Highwind...I owe ya five!"

"Damn straight ya do!"

"Let me onboard, will ya???"

A rope was lowered down and Martinez grabbed onto it. The ship took off again with a rush as Cid piloted the airship towards the continent of Midgar...

Martinez climbed up and jumped up on deck. He slapped Bill on the back and caught Yuffie as she jumped into his arms, kissing her deeply. He set Yuffie back down and looked at the group, "I think I can forgive your attempts to kill me back in Wutai..."

Barret stepped forward, "Yeah, well, we seem to be in the same boat with Shinra."

Bill nodded, "Yeah, they understand the situation completely now."

Martinez nodded, "Oh...good."

Aeris stepped forward, smiling, "I'm glad I got to see you again, Mr. Lopez."

"Aeris? It's been a while, hm?"

"A bit too long, I think."

"Yeah..."

Yuffie glared at her, "He's mine! Stay away!"

Martinez looked at Yuffie with disdain, "What are you talking about? We only met three times. One, when I bought a flower from her, the next was when this big bozo knocked me off of the catwalk at the reactor..." He shot a look at Barret, who grinned, "...and the last was at the Shinra building...all three months ago."

"Ohhhh...I see...just a friendly relationship?"

"Right."

She grinned, "Ok, then. The next question is, where to?"

Cid tapped his foot on the ground, thinking. He finally said, "Well, let's see we could always go back to Midgar"

"Only problem is..." Tifa sighed, "...Midgar is under martial law. I doubt we can get in very easily..."

Martinez folded his arms, "If we find some way in, I'm goin' to the Shinra building. That bastard Rufus is going DOWN!"

Bill nodded, "I'm with him. Whoever else wants a little revenge on Shinra can come with us..."

"You two are insane!" Aeris protested, "If Midgar is under martial law by Shinra then that ought to be the most heavily guarded, right?"

"Tch...probably..." Martinez said, shrugging, "So we gotta do something do something fast. Maybe this piece of junk you call an airship can get be of some use."

Cid glared at him, "What the @#$% you callin' a 'piece of junk'?? You @$&^#$! We just SAVED your ass!"

"Take it easy, pops. Didn't mean it." Martinez grinned.

"POPS?????"

"What do you mean, anyway?" Tifa asked, "What are we going to do? Land the Highwind in Midgar?"

"Nope..." Martinez grinned, "We oughta drop in right above them."

"Parachute in?" Cloud asked, "Are you suicidal or something?"

Martinez rubbed his chin, "Mmmm...no...the last time I checked, I was perfectly sane."

"Could have fooled me, buster." Aeris muttered.

Martinez stood in front of the group, "All right, guys, c'mon. Give me a LITTLE bit of credit, here. It's a plan. If we can get into Midgar, we can get to Shinra and kick some ass!"

"That's the best damn plan I've heard for the past three goddamn months!" Barret seemed to agree. Then again, he WOULD.

Bill raised his hand, "Uh, s'cuse me but I'd just like to know...who's flying the ship? We're moving and the pilots are with us."

There was complete and utter silence for about five seconds. Then, all hell broke loose.

"GET YOUR ASSES TO THOSE CONTROLS BEFORE WE CRASH INTO ANYTHING!!!!!" Cid screamed as the pilots ran off to their stations. Moments later, there was a tilting to the side and everyone and everything fell to the right.

"WHAT ARE YOU MORONS DOING????" Cid screamed again.

"Sir!" the call came back, "Someone else is flying the ship!"

"WHO????"

"Um...well...uh...I don't know! It's a cat on a Mog!"

Everyone was silent again. Cid spoke up, "A WHAT???"

"A cat on a Mog, sir."

Martinez blinked. Was that guy serious?

Cloud sighed as he tried to go for the cockpit, "What is that moron doing now...?"

"Huh???" Martinez asked, "Which moron? There are plenty of morons on this ship."

"Must be." Cloud said, "I'm talking with one."

"Har-har-har..."

"That's Cait Sith." Aeris explained, "Quite a shifty-eyed character."

"Uh-huh...well, somebody get him away from the controls and get us to Midgar! This plan oughta go smoothly..."

Heading away from the group, he watched closely as the tilted view slowly upturned to the right way. Looked like Cloud had managed to keep Sith away from the airship controls.

"Why are you so steamed with Shinra all of a sudden, anyway?" Yuffie asked, coming up beside him.

"I thought I told you why." Martinez said, still looking ahead.

"Remind me. Refresh my memory."

Martinez sighed, "All right. Three months ago, the Shinra blew the Sector 7 Slums. My family was killed except for my first girlfriend. She had already been captured by the Shinra for spying for AVALANCHE."

"I see...so you want to get Rufus back for that?"

Martinez shook his head, "No...Shinra already paid with his life for what he did to Sector 7." He swallowed hard, "I want to kill Rufus for killing Rebecca."

"Rebecca?" Yuffie asked, "Oh...your first girlfriend, right?"

Martinez nodded, "Yes...a few blasts from the shotgun he had and she fell off the 70th floor of the Shinra Building."

"JEEZUS!" Yuffie yelped, "I can see why you want to kill him so badly."

"Yeah...payback is a bitch," he said, darkly, "and he's gonna find that out soon enough."

He sighed and turned to face Yuffie, "You coming too?"

"Yeah. They don't invade Wutai and get away with it!" she grinned.

"You and me...we'll get 'em back for everything they've done..."

"Damn straight!" she exclaimed, jumping into his arms and causing him to fall down.

"Oof!" he said, "Heh-heh...you've put on a little weight, haven't you?"

"WHAT?"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Save your anger for the attack on Shinra. Always remember...with your shuriken, aim for the..."

"Crown Jewels...I know." She said, helping him up and kissing him.

At that moment, the ship rocked forward quickly and Cid's voice was heard, "Next stop, Midgar! Everyone buckled in?"

"We have buckles on this thing???" he heard Cloud yell.

"We're not equipped with seat belts???" Cid sounded confused, "Well, then, hold onto something or someone!"

The two of them looked at each other and held on tight. This was going to be hell...but it was gonna be worth it!

(To be continued in Part 2)