LYDIA DEETZ AND FINAL FANTASY 7
Capítulo 2: Shinra Building
After a couple of days, Tifa's anguish continued, as Cloud still did not appear. Wedge always offered to keep looking for Cloud at the suggestion of Percy, who still insisted on the "Now Is When" or N.I.W. tactic as he called it.
“Tifa...” Barret began to say nervously. “Still no word from Cloud, and we must continue our mission to destroy Shinra.”
“Please, Barrett, leave her alone," said Jesse, who also apparently had feelings for Cloud for the way she lamented the former soldier's absence.
“It turns out that this guy named Don Corneo has valuable information that we can use against Shinra," Barrett began to say.
“Don Corneo?” Lydia asked.
“He's the mob boss of the "pink zone" of the city, he controls all the illegal activity regarding...” Biggs stopped when he saw Lydia.
“Oh... I understand.” Lydia understood, and frowned.
“And how will we get that information?” wanted to know Wedge.
“Well.... You see, it seems that Don Corneo wants to settle down, that's why he has invited all the young ladies of age to get married to be "interviewed" with him, in order to decide who his future wife will be.” Barret explained to them.
“Interviewed?” Jesse hissed with a disgusted hiss.
“Yes, and well... I think you girls could infiltrate and get the information out of Corneo," Barrett said, looking at Tifa and Jesse nervously.
“Barret, you must be joking!” shouted Biggs.
“It's true, they can't do that," Wedge criticized.
“All right, Barrett, I'll do it," said Tifa suddenly and everyone looked at her in amazement.
“Tifa, you're not thinking clearly," whispered Jesse.
“Cloud, he sacrificed himself for us, this is the least I can do," said Tifa nodding her head. “Jesse, you don't have to come, just one of us is enough to get the information out of him.”
Jesse and Lydia tried to talk some sense into their friend, but Tifa was stubborn. In the end, Tifa was ready to go to the corneo wearing a flashy red suit.
“You're not going to that place alone.” Decided Wedge.
“But Don Corneo only accepts girls entering his house," said Tifa.
“I don't care, I'll walk you to Corneo's house, and if I see anything wrong I'll come to your aid," said Wedge with aplomb.
“Thanks Wedge, I didn't really want to go there alone," Tifa confessed, and they both took a carriage and headed for Don Corneo's house.
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“I hope Tifa is all right," said Percy after a while.
“Don't worry, Wedge is with her," said Lydia.
“I hate this wait, we should have gone with them," complained Percy.
“I'm also anxious, too, what if we're going to train with the Materia we bought," suggested Lydia and they both went to Barrett and the others, and asked them to go with them.
“That's a good idea," said Jesse.
“This is a good time to practice, are you sure you want to give us your Materia?” Biggs asked her.
“Yes, I am very sure, the more we practice, the more powerful the Materia will become, and I prefer to use the Healing Materia, you stay with the others," Lydia said resolutely.
“Thanks Lydia, well, what are you waiting for? To practice!” Barrett ordered.
Lydia and the others began to train carefully and thus managed to increase their levels of fighting and healing, when they suddenly saw how several of Shinra's soldiers were heading for the pillar of Sector 7 of the city.
“I wonder what they're up to?” asked Biggs.
“That doesn't matter, we must stop them," Barrett ordered and they all went after the Shinra.
The first soldiers they faced were no challenge, however, all were frightened to learn of Shinra's plans for sector 7.
“They can't do that! They'd kill thousands of people!” Lydia shouted in amazement at the macabre plan.
“I think they're capable of it and they're planning to blame us for it," Percy hissed, his hair bristling with fury, as did his tail.
“Well, you heard the man, let's go!” Barrett yelled at them, but he stopped Lydia and Percy with a wave of his hand.
“You're too young, you'd better wait here," Barrett told them.
“But we want to help!” The two boys insisted, but Barrett gave them a look that indicated very clearly that he would not tolerate any disobedience.
“Okay, but at least take my Healing Materia," Lydia requested and everyone received the gifts.
Barrett, Biggs and Jesse climbed up the pillar of Sector 7 and clashed with Shinra's soldiers, who were reportedly very numerous.
Lydia and Percy watched the fights with great concern when they heard someone shouting their names.
“Lydia, look, it's Tifa and Wedge. Cloud's going with them!” Percy shouted happily.
Wedge and the others asked Lydia to update them and then decided to go up and help their friends.
“Please Lydia, you and Percy go to the "Seventh Heaven" and take Marlene to Aerith's house.” Tifa asked them and both of them led the florist to her friend's bar.
“Marlene, Marlene!” Lydia shouted and went looking for the little girl.
“Marlene, your father asked us to take you to a good friend of his named Aerith, don't worry that he will be coming soon after he has a delivery to make.” She explained to the girl so as not to scare her and then introduced her to Aerith.
The woman led the two friends and Marlene home. After leaving the girl in the care of Aerith and her mother, Lydia and Percy hurried up to the pillar of Sector 7 and up it. As they climbed the steps they saw the bodies of several of Shinra's soldiers, fortunately, there was no sign that their friends had been injured.
When they reached the control platform of the pillar, they saw how Barrett was already sliding down the hill with the help of a cable, Tifa and Jesse were fastened to him.
“Wedge, what's wrong!” Lydia shouted.
“Lydia, Percy, what are you doing here!” Wedge was surprised.
“We left Marlene at Aerith's and came to help you.”
“You shouldn't have come, the pillar is about to collapse," Cloud told them.
“Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," Percy said, and then he turned into a house cat and began to levitate.
“Hurry up and hold on to Percy!” Lydia ordered them and they all held the cat's legs.
“Percy, can you make it?” Lydia asked her worried.
“Unshoo... You're very heavy," complained Percy, but somehow he moved all four of them to a safe place in Sector 6, just before the whole of Sector 7 collapsed, crushing everyone living below.
“Uf... Lydia, are you okay?” Percy asked in the form of a cat and very exhausted.
“I'm fine, Percy," said Lydia and held her friend tight against her, "we're all safe because of you.”
All the men thanked him, but then told Lydia that Aerith had been kidnapped by the Turks.
Lydia and the others went to the suburban park in Sector 6 and found Barrett and the girls. Barrett thanked Percy for saving his men and then they went to Aerith's house.
It was Cloud who led the group to Aerith's house as it seemed that Lydia did not feel strong enough to lead the group.
“How could they, how could they do it.” Cried Lydia, and Percy was trying to comfort her.
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When they arrived at the house they were relieved to see that Marlene was safe and sound, according to Aerith's mother, her daughter was captured as long as they left the little girl alone. Barret apologized to the lady, and confessed to them that Aerith was not really her daughter, but that she was the last of her kind, beings called the Elders and they called themselves the Cetra.
Barrett asked the lady to keep looking after Marlene, while they went to rescue Aerith.
“How are we going to get to Shinra's barracks?” Tifa asked. “All roads must be guarded.”
“We can go through the market on the wall, if we go up the abandoned wires we can go up," Wedge suggested and everyone looked at him in amazement.
“Wedge, you're a genius!” Tifa praised him and the man blushed and looked down.
“Let's hurry up," Cloud rushed to the marketplace on the wall with everyone following him as fast as they could.
Faced with the blond man's interest in Aerith, Tifa and Jesse frowned, as did Lydia, although she did so for different reasons, as did Percy.
"This looks bad for Wedge," thought Lydia and Percy.
When they arrived at the market of the wall, they went up some cables and saw the damage caused by the collapse of sector 7 on the city.
Lydia turned her face when she couldn't stand the sight of such a horrible scene and Percy embraced her.
The cat boy frowned at Wedge, nodding his head to Tifa and telling him to take comfort too, as she too was apparently affected.
Wedge patted Tifa's arm affectionately and the woman smiled sadly at him.
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They arrived at Shinra's building and Lydia was impressed, the architecture of the building was intended to intimidate anyone who saw it and was afraid of the aggressive multinational.
“Well, let's go in at once," Barrett ordered, but Lydia and the other girls gave him a hard look.
“Barrett, how do you think of it," Tifa said angrily, "that's the main entrance.”
“We have to make a plan," said Jesse.
“I have one," Cloud said laconically, and Tifa and Jesse looked at the blond man with admiration.
“What's your plan, Cloud?” Lydia wanted to know a little doubtful that her friend had a decent plan.
“We shall enter like beasts.” The blond man let go and Lydia squinted at him because of the disappointment while the other girls opened their mouths in shock.
“I like your plan," said Biggs.
“Take things seriously," Jesse criticized.
“Jesse is right, we can't enter through the front door, all of Shinra's soldiers would come at us," Tifa scolded them.
“But we have to make them pay for kidnapping Aerith.” Cloud barked at them.
“Cloud, you can't go around attacking like a bull, you have to have a strategy," said Lydia and then looked at Percy.
“All right," Percy understood, turning into a cat and went out to explore the place.
After a couple of minutes Percy returned and told the group that he had found an unguarded side entrance, but they would have to climb several stairs.
“We better vote," Barrett said and he, Biggs and Cloud voted to enter the main entrance, while Lydia, Tifa and Jesse voted to find another entrance.
Everyone looked to Percy and Wedge to break the tie, but as expected the two boys voted in support of the women.
“I understand Percy voted for Lydia," said Biggs, "but why did you have to turn your back on us?”
“It seems to me that Tifa is right, if we enter through the front door, the whole army of Shinra will come upon us," Wedge said and Tifa smiled in gratitude.
Barrett rolled his eyes and gave up so the group had to go through the side entrance.
The group climbed the stairs at the side entrance and after several minutes the forces began to abandon them.
“Would you like a ride Lydia?” Percy offered himself as he was the only one who showed no signs of tiredness.
Lydia initially wanted to continue but was so exhausted that she finally agreed to be carried by Percy.
“Cloud, can you give me a lift?” said Tifa and Jesse at the same time, and then there was an awkward silence from the women, as for Cloud, he didn't seem to have the slightest interest in taking any of the girls.
Percy wanted to suggest to Wedge that he offer to carry Tifa, but as soon as he saw him and knew that he would be useless, of all the group, he was the most exhausted.
"Lydia and Percy are right, I must get in shape," thought Wedge who was on the verge of collapse.
The group continued up the stairs when Tifa, who was in front of the others, shouted.
“Kyaaaa!”
“What's wrong, Tifa!” Jesse shouted and everyone saw how Tifa was as red as a tomato and tried to pull down her skirt to cover her legs, an impossible task because of the short length of Tifa's dress.
“What's going on, Tifa?” Wedge asked him worried.
“Why, why wasn't I told?”
“Tell you what woman?” Biggs asked him.
“...If... you... see... do...”
“Tifa?” Jesse said somewhat hesitantly.
“You can see me.... You can see EVERYTHING!” Cloud, you guys go ahead!
“Hey, nobody was looking at you!” Barrett told her.
“I don't care about that! All the boys go ahead!” Tifa ordered them very blushing and all the men agreed to go ahead of the steep stairs.
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The group arrived at the top of the stairs and decided after taking a break to carefully enter the building.
The building was huge and several areas of it were restricted, fortunately they received help from someone unexpected. It turns out that the mayor of the city had his'offices' inside the building, this was because the mayor was actually a prisoner of Shinra and they kept him under control.
The mayor gave them several passes so that they could move around the building more safely, but it took them a long time to walk through the labyrinthine corridors trying to find out Aerith's whereabouts.
“Take cover!” Cloud ordered them to when he saw Shinra's president and other top executives of the multinational, including a man who appeared to be a scientist.
“I hope for a good report this time, Professor Hojo," said the president and both men got lost in the corridor.
The group tried to follow the two men but were frustrated by their attempts at a couple of massive doors, so Cloud went to one of the bathrooms on the floor where they were and decided to go through the air duct to see if he could find out anything.
“Cloud, let Percy go, in his cat-like form he is much lighter and more agile than you," insisted Lydia, but Cloud wanted to go to find out where Aerith might be at first hand.
“Girls, I think Cloud really likes that girl Aerith," Percy told Tifa and Jesse, pretending he was innocent, but deep down he was doing it so that Tifa would stop taking an interest in the blond guy and focus more on Wedge.
Tifa and Jesse frowned but said nothing. After a few minutes Cloud returned and informed them of everything he had seen and heard.
All were shocked by the lack of morale on the part of these men, who were celebrating the profits they would make from the plan to have killed thousands of people with the collapse of Sector 7.
CONTINUARÁ...
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