- AKA
- MJ Gallagher
This is something that I basically did out of sheer boredom over the last couple of hours, but thought it might be worth posting as I haven't posted anything here in a while. To be honest with you, if I saw this concept posted anywhere else I probably wouldn't give it a second glance, but for anyone who thinks they are hardcore (or even as bored as I am) feel free to have a read. Please do give feedback.
Anyway, the concept is this:
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to wake up as Cloud did, with no memory of the last five years, and be dumped in the middle of AVALANCHE's war on Shinra? This is what would be going through my head if I was in that situation. This is just a short piece so far. Enjoy.
So there I was, crouched on the roof of a cargo train as it slowly pulled into a vacant industrial depot. The entire locomotive shuddered as it drew to a halt, emitting a low hiss as pressure was released from the engine. I looked around, unsure what to make of the dark station, lit only by a few flickering lights under a cloudless midnight sky. Two station attendants waited on the platform, clad in tidy red uniforms.
Suddenly, one of the young boys of my party appeared from the nose of the train and was upon the first guard in a flash, knocking him unconscious with a devastating punch. The second attendant turned in confusion, oblivious to the girl, Jessie, as she burst from the shadows of the carriage, dealing a punishing blow of her own. She was quickly followed by the lumbering fat kid that completed the trio of youngsters and together, they sped off towards the exit.
I watched with nervous anticipation as finally the leader of our group, Barret, emerged from beneath me. He turned and looked up in my direction, his dark features laden with thunder as he beckoned me from my position. In the heat of the moment, I coolly lunged forward, launching myself from the roof. I landed hard on the concrete platform, my knees buckling as I staggered under my own weight and the weight of the enormous sword on my back, causing me to clumsily stumble to the ground. Barret frowned as he watched me pick myself up, brushing my hands against my combat trousers.
“C’mon, newcomer.” he ordered, shaking his head, his tone hiding a sense of mystification. “Follow me.”
The man charged along the platform, his hulking body disappearing into the shadows of the night. Grimacing with the throbbing pain of where my knees had impacted on the ground, I limped after him, only to halt in my tracks as I saw two infantrymen come into view from the entrance to the station. They were dressed in metallic blue outfits, carrying military rifles, their faces concealed beneath their helmets. They approached me swiftly, my mind racing as it sought a reasonable explanation for my presence in the depot at this late hour. The first soldier stepped forward, his golden visor reflecting my confused expression and, with a wild flail of his right arm, punched me on the mouth.
“Aargh!” I moaned, clasping my jaw. “What the fuck, man?”
“Your turn.” he replied, standing perfectly still before me.
“What?” I spat, completely bewildered.
“It’s your turn.” he repeated without a hint of humour. “We’re having a turn-based battle. I’ve hit you. Now it’s your turn to attack me.”
“Wha…?” I stammered, struggling desperately to make sense of the situation.
“Come on, hurry up.” the man urged. “If you don’t take your turn, then my partner might take his.”
“But, I…” I snorted, fighting back bemused laughter. I glanced away, taking a moment to gather my thoughts, then it all became so clear.
Fuck this.
I swung my leg as hard as I could, my heavy army boots smashing into his groin with an agonising force. The infantryman yelped with anguish, clutching his genitals as he toppled to the floor. The second man took a pace forward, his attack already prepared. Reaching up, I wrapped my fingers around the long handle of my sword and brought it over my shoulder. The soldier hesitated briefly but continued towards me. Exhaling deeply, I waited until he was but a few feet away, then struck him as hard as I could with the blunt side of my weapon. The power of the hit sent him careering against the side of the train, crumpling in a heap. Surprised by my own strength, I couldn’t help but grin proudly, giving the silver blade an approving nod.
Turn-based, my arse. What was that all about?
Casually returning the sword to its magnetic holder on my back, I started after the others. A chilled breeze swept over me as I exited onto the cobbled street beyond the depot. Our orders had been to head north through the industrial district towards the Reactor facility, so I turned left in what I hoped was that direction. Tracking the lamp-lit road past blackened warehouses and quiet factories, I eventually found the young trio huddled around the main gateway to the complex. The slimmer of the two boys turned as I approached, offering me a bit of camp wave.
“You used to be in SOLDIER, right?” he asked, folding his arms.
“Excuse me?” I responded. It was a miracle I could remember my own name never mind who or what I was. What the hell is SOLDIER?
“Not every day you find someone like you in a group like AVALANCHE.”
“SOLDIER?” gulped the girl, Jessie, gazing up from the screen of the laptop she had connected to the gateway’s control panel. “Biggs, aren’t they the enemy? What’s he doing with us in AVALANCHE?”
In the name of the wee man…what’s happened now? Am I playing for the wrong side?
“He was in SOLDIER.” answered Biggs, staring at me. “He quit and is now one of us. Isn’t that right?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. For all I knew, I may as well have been there for a laugh or to make up the numbers.
“So, you’re Mo, huh?” he said, holding out a hand. “I’m…”
“Listen, mate, I don’t mean to be a dick or anything,” I responded blankly, “but I have no idea what I’m doing here. As far as I’m concerned, once we get paid for this job, I’m gone.”
“I…” Biggs spluttered.
“What the hell’re y’all doin’?” came a booming voice from an adjacent pathway, closely followed by the reverberating sound of heavy footsteps. I looked up to see Barret, AVALANCHE’s leader, storming along the street towards us. He was a tall, muscular man, over seven feet in height, with a six-barrelled chain gun attached to his right elbow where his forearm had once been. It had been the first weaponised limb I had ever seen, or at least the only one I had seen in the last week. Maybe I have seen many before? Who knows…?
“Sir…” mumbled the robust boy, cowering as Barret neared them.
“Shut the hell up, Wedge!” Barret barked. “I told you never to move as a group! Jessie, what’s our status?”
“I’m almost…” she replied, entering a final code into the laptop as there came a faint bing on the panel and the colour of the electronic lock turned from red to blue, “done.”
Anyway, the concept is this:
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to wake up as Cloud did, with no memory of the last five years, and be dumped in the middle of AVALANCHE's war on Shinra? This is what would be going through my head if I was in that situation. This is just a short piece so far. Enjoy.
So there I was, crouched on the roof of a cargo train as it slowly pulled into a vacant industrial depot. The entire locomotive shuddered as it drew to a halt, emitting a low hiss as pressure was released from the engine. I looked around, unsure what to make of the dark station, lit only by a few flickering lights under a cloudless midnight sky. Two station attendants waited on the platform, clad in tidy red uniforms.
Suddenly, one of the young boys of my party appeared from the nose of the train and was upon the first guard in a flash, knocking him unconscious with a devastating punch. The second attendant turned in confusion, oblivious to the girl, Jessie, as she burst from the shadows of the carriage, dealing a punishing blow of her own. She was quickly followed by the lumbering fat kid that completed the trio of youngsters and together, they sped off towards the exit.
I watched with nervous anticipation as finally the leader of our group, Barret, emerged from beneath me. He turned and looked up in my direction, his dark features laden with thunder as he beckoned me from my position. In the heat of the moment, I coolly lunged forward, launching myself from the roof. I landed hard on the concrete platform, my knees buckling as I staggered under my own weight and the weight of the enormous sword on my back, causing me to clumsily stumble to the ground. Barret frowned as he watched me pick myself up, brushing my hands against my combat trousers.
“C’mon, newcomer.” he ordered, shaking his head, his tone hiding a sense of mystification. “Follow me.”
The man charged along the platform, his hulking body disappearing into the shadows of the night. Grimacing with the throbbing pain of where my knees had impacted on the ground, I limped after him, only to halt in my tracks as I saw two infantrymen come into view from the entrance to the station. They were dressed in metallic blue outfits, carrying military rifles, their faces concealed beneath their helmets. They approached me swiftly, my mind racing as it sought a reasonable explanation for my presence in the depot at this late hour. The first soldier stepped forward, his golden visor reflecting my confused expression and, with a wild flail of his right arm, punched me on the mouth.
“Aargh!” I moaned, clasping my jaw. “What the fuck, man?”
“Your turn.” he replied, standing perfectly still before me.
“What?” I spat, completely bewildered.
“It’s your turn.” he repeated without a hint of humour. “We’re having a turn-based battle. I’ve hit you. Now it’s your turn to attack me.”
“Wha…?” I stammered, struggling desperately to make sense of the situation.
“Come on, hurry up.” the man urged. “If you don’t take your turn, then my partner might take his.”
“But, I…” I snorted, fighting back bemused laughter. I glanced away, taking a moment to gather my thoughts, then it all became so clear.
Fuck this.
I swung my leg as hard as I could, my heavy army boots smashing into his groin with an agonising force. The infantryman yelped with anguish, clutching his genitals as he toppled to the floor. The second man took a pace forward, his attack already prepared. Reaching up, I wrapped my fingers around the long handle of my sword and brought it over my shoulder. The soldier hesitated briefly but continued towards me. Exhaling deeply, I waited until he was but a few feet away, then struck him as hard as I could with the blunt side of my weapon. The power of the hit sent him careering against the side of the train, crumpling in a heap. Surprised by my own strength, I couldn’t help but grin proudly, giving the silver blade an approving nod.
Turn-based, my arse. What was that all about?
Casually returning the sword to its magnetic holder on my back, I started after the others. A chilled breeze swept over me as I exited onto the cobbled street beyond the depot. Our orders had been to head north through the industrial district towards the Reactor facility, so I turned left in what I hoped was that direction. Tracking the lamp-lit road past blackened warehouses and quiet factories, I eventually found the young trio huddled around the main gateway to the complex. The slimmer of the two boys turned as I approached, offering me a bit of camp wave.
“You used to be in SOLDIER, right?” he asked, folding his arms.
“Excuse me?” I responded. It was a miracle I could remember my own name never mind who or what I was. What the hell is SOLDIER?
“Not every day you find someone like you in a group like AVALANCHE.”
“SOLDIER?” gulped the girl, Jessie, gazing up from the screen of the laptop she had connected to the gateway’s control panel. “Biggs, aren’t they the enemy? What’s he doing with us in AVALANCHE?”
In the name of the wee man…what’s happened now? Am I playing for the wrong side?
“He was in SOLDIER.” answered Biggs, staring at me. “He quit and is now one of us. Isn’t that right?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. For all I knew, I may as well have been there for a laugh or to make up the numbers.
“So, you’re Mo, huh?” he said, holding out a hand. “I’m…”
“Listen, mate, I don’t mean to be a dick or anything,” I responded blankly, “but I have no idea what I’m doing here. As far as I’m concerned, once we get paid for this job, I’m gone.”
“I…” Biggs spluttered.
“What the hell’re y’all doin’?” came a booming voice from an adjacent pathway, closely followed by the reverberating sound of heavy footsteps. I looked up to see Barret, AVALANCHE’s leader, storming along the street towards us. He was a tall, muscular man, over seven feet in height, with a six-barrelled chain gun attached to his right elbow where his forearm had once been. It had been the first weaponised limb I had ever seen, or at least the only one I had seen in the last week. Maybe I have seen many before? Who knows…?
“Sir…” mumbled the robust boy, cowering as Barret neared them.
“Shut the hell up, Wedge!” Barret barked. “I told you never to move as a group! Jessie, what’s our status?”
“I’m almost…” she replied, entering a final code into the laptop as there came a faint bing on the panel and the colour of the electronic lock turned from red to blue, “done.”