"It's too late Avalanche," Tseng said.
"Why did you kill Jessie!" A young girl who Tseng thought he recognised came up beside Barret.
Cloud stepped forward, a sneer on his face. "Well, if it isn't the nutty bitch from the train," he muttered.
"You fucking bastard!" Tifa exclaimed and took a step forward but was stopped by Cloud's pistol pointing right at her, causing her to retreat.
"Don't shoot her!" Came a new voice. The two Turks raised an eye brow in surprise too see Jinette coming up beside Tifa.
"Jinette. What are you doing here?" Tseng said.
"Tseng, Cloud, don't drop the plate, please. It's insane!" The woman exclaimed.
Tifa and Barret both turned towards her. "You know them?" Barret exclaimed suspicious.
"I work at Shinra..." Jinnette replied.
"You work at Shinra!" Tifa shouted incredulously.
"You mean you used to." Tseng corrected. "Should've known really, after the way you behaved at the meeting," He muttered.
"It doesn't really matter right now!" Jinette snapped. She looked back at the two Turks. Her eyes focused on Cloud. He's too damn young to go round killing people... "Cloud! Don't do this. C'mon, even you know this is insane! Do you have any idea how many people will die? C'mon Cloud, why? Tell me why should these people die?"
The young Turk stood silent. Yes, even he had to admit that dropping the plate was quite insane but, it was his job.
"We don't have time for this. Jinette, you have betrayed Shinra, I suggest you come with us," Tseng said coldly.
"No!" She exclaimed. "Cloud, don't. Come on Cloud, we both know your father's an Asshole!"
As she said this, a helicopter hovered by beside the tower. The hatch opened to reveal a blond woman in a dark blue suit sticking her head out. Jinette recognised her as Elena.
"Tseng, Cloud c'mon."
Tseng nodded. "Cloud, press the button," Tseng said. Cloud nodded slowly and walked towards the machine behind him, where the big red button lay. He hesitated.
"Don't do it!" Tifa screamed. "Please!"
Cloud didn't listen. He reached out his hand, only a few inches away from the button which would put an end to hundreds of lives...
"Nooooo!" Barret yelled.
His hand was on the button now and all he had to do was push.
"Hurry up Cloud!" Tseng shouted.
The spiky hared boy paused. Hundreds of lives... Yes, he was a Turk and had killed quite a few before but... He shook his head and slowly turned around. "This is insane," He said flatly.
"Cloud press the button, we don't have much time before the system shuts down," Tseng said irratably.
Cloud stood still.
"Cloud follow orders!" Tseng bellowed.
The youth shook his head, his eyes on the ground
Jinette smiled.
Tseng shook his head and quickly went towards the red button and hastily pushed it himself. The clock on the device instantly read two minutes remaining.
Jinette's smile disappeared. "Tseng..."
"No!" Barret and Tifa both screamed. Zack just shook his head slowly.
(yes i know, where did suddenly zack appear from? well just pretend
he was there all along. he was meant to be the new recruit, but i really
couldn't be bothered to write his entrance...)
Barret ran over to the mechanism. "We have to disarm it somehow!" Her hands frantically scanning the buttons on the machine. Jinette ran up beside her and quickly examined it.
"It's not a usual time bomb," Jinette said calmly.
"Can't you stop the damn thing?" Barret bellowed.
"Like I said, it's not a normal time bomb and it would take me hours to disarm it," the woman replied.
"We don't have that much time," Zack said.
"That's right," Tseng said. He turned around with a frown on his face and the helicopter came down. "Farewell Avalanche," he said. He glared at Cloud. "Come on," He said slowly. Cloud came forward and got on without saying a word. Tseng looked briefly at Jinette. "Would you like to die now, or wait for Shinra to personally execute you?"
The lady stood still next to Tifa. Her eyes were locked on to Tseng's. There was a long silence for a moment but then she finally spoke, her face solemn.
"Send Reeve my love," she replied.
Tseng didn't say anything, but just turned and got on the plane. Then shut the hatch. The helicopter then lifted into the air and hovered away.
Jinette turned to face Barret and Tifa. "I know a way down. We can get out of here."
They followed the ex Shinra employee down a wire beside the pillar before it collapsed on top of the sector.
--