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In association with OZ PICTURES El queso es viejo y mohoso ~Sector 3 Slums~ A legion of young men and women milled around the vast underground building. One young man with near white-blond hair pushed his way through them, his violet eyes shifting nervously from side to side as he cleared his way toward a room in the back of the great hall. He knocked on the door. ''Yes, you can come in,'' a muffled male voice from within called out. He pushed open the door, ''Th-'' ''Please close the door first.'' He closed it and turned back, ''They're asking for you to start. Please...I don't think its a good idea to keep them waiting much longer.'' ''I know Cassio. I'll be right there. Tell them?'' the teen seated at a table requested of his blond friend and then watched as he departed. He ran his fingers through his chocolate locks and blew out an anxious breath before standing and straightening his clothes as best he could. He wore mud colored pants that looked a size too large on his compact, yet muscular body. An ocean blue shirt with long sleeves and laces up the front was covering his torso, but the gauzy material was so thin that it barely kept out a harsh wind or a light breeze. Draped over his shoulders was a long, dark black cloak, much thicker then his shirt, that fell to the back of his knees when he stood. The hood of the cloak was hanging down against his back while the cloak itself clasped in the front with a heavy silver buckle just below his neck. Smoothing out a last imagined wrinkle from his dark pants, he walked out the door and up to a podium that was in the front of the room. He cleared his throat and looked over the room. He gazed at the faceless mass, trying to soothe his pounding heart, silently focusing on the people around him until some of them started to yell impatiently, He closed his eyes for a minute and took a deep breath....then exhaled. ''My brothers...sisters...family of the slums,'' eh began, hushed - forcing them quiet to listen, ''I asked you here today to help me understand something. I'd like to know why?'' They stared, ''Why do we live like this?'' The seconds stretched on, ''...I'll tell you why. It's because of Shin-Ra.'' He stated with disgust while the young crowd murmured in agreement, ''They have us locked down here like animals. Is that what we are? ANIMALS?!'' The crowd was yelling now, whooping and crying out in support and displeasure as years of oppression and hate surfaced. He raised his hands to silence them, ''Shin-Ra forced us to the slums. They took the sun, grass, trees, water...life itself from us. They still take our families, force us to fight our own! To fight for their cause! A war that has never been our own! They play with out lives like cards in a game. This has to end! Shin-Ra must be defeated! Shin-Ra,'' he paused, ''Shin-Ra, and Avalanche a like!'' The crowd screamed in protest at this - his treasonous words at their heroes. Their only hope. He shouted to be heard, ''AVALANCHE TOLD US THEY WOULD SAVE US FROM SHIN-RA! WELL!? DID THEY!? DID THEY SAVE US!?'' The crowd hushed once more. Cassio stepped out of the ranks from behind him, shouting in approval, ''HELL NO!'' Murmurs burned through the crowd like a match struck that will not be put out. ''That's right! They left us! Once they left the slums they left us behind! They forgot about us! About where they came from! They said they'd save us and they said they'd stop Shin-Ra, and they even said they'd help us have lives outside these walls! Did they do that!? Tell me! Wasn't it Avalanche who blew up the #1 reactor? They KILLED all those people! And where were they when Shin-Ra dropped the sector 7 plate?! What about how Shin-Ra takes our family and uses them in the cruel experiments their scientists do!? We can't even recognize our own flesh and blood! They become monsters! Die! Tortured and in pain!'' He paused while the crowd nodded and responded with approving cries, He held up his hand again, bringing silence with it, and let his luminescent blue eyes rove the massive group before continuing, ''We have to take a stand. We MUST stop this NOW! Are you with me!?'' The crowd was screaming for him louder than ever before, ''I asked you, ARE YOU WITH ME!?'' They grew even louder, screaming, yelling, crying in agreement as they were won. The young, dark teen closed his eyes and listened to the crowd call his name and beg for him to tell them more...... He could remember a time, mere weeks ago, when some of the present gangs wouldn't dare enter the same sector as others - let alone share a room with each other. 'Now,' he thought, 'They'll fight together, for their freedom.' Yes, he could remember a time, just seven days previous, that he had talked to the first gang. Ten children, forced by the life the slums provided them to become men too soon, had brought about this rally. They had been the first. The first bit of hope that his dream could be real. Six people sat around a table. Two were seated on the floor near a corner, and one leaned against a wall. They all had twin scars on their faces, one under each eye. And the dark red hair that accompanied becoming a Jackal. ''So, who is this ''Tybalt'' that Rayon's bringing here?'' ''He wants to talk to us about some things to do with Shin-Ra...and something about Avalanche.'' The door opened, ''Hey guys. This is Tybalt,'' a hulking red headed teen - barely more than a boy - entered the room with a quiet figure trailing behind him. He stepped to the side, allowing the nine in the room to view his visitor. The dark-haired boy moved forward while they examined him. He had a lithe, muscular set, proportionate to his 5'11'' body. His head was topped off with trimmed, but messy chestnut colored hair and his gaze was downcast as he studied them through half closed azure eyes. ''I would like,'' he began, nervously running his tongue over his lips, ''to talk with you about some things.'' One, the leader of this group of red heads, stood up from the table and let the stranger sit down. ''You see...Shin-Ra. They have to be stopped. And now!'' he started building confidence in his voice, but was cut down by the leader who was standing and watching him carefully, ''And you came to us why?'' The dark-haired boy gazed at him while he chose his next words, ''The best fighters in Midgar are in the gangs. And the people that deserve freedom the most are in the gangs. They've been kicked out of their homes, abandoned by their mothers and fathers because no one can afford to support children in Midgar, forced to steal food and clothing just to survive, and - worst of all - Shin-Ra takes them for their experiments or uses them to fight their wars and kill each other. And still, the people of Shin-Ra think that we're just going to take it,'' he had their attention now. They were regarding him with respect...faith even. He couldn't lost them now, ''It has to stop. We MUST unite! All the gangs of Midgar. Together, fighting as one, we can best them.'' The others were watching him, a new expression crossing their features, one that had long been lost - hope. Again, their leader broke in, his coive bordering boredom, but an underlying threat of one who had the weight of responsibility for the lives of those he would put in danger there, ''So, who would lead them? You? You talk pretty, but if you're talking revolution...pretty talking isn't going to win us a war. We need a strong leader, '' he watched the dark-haired boy rise from his seat to look him in the eye, ''One that won't run. One that would stand and fight with us. One that would die with us. Die for the pretty talking that led us there.'' There was a pause while he waited. ''I would die for this. But I won't. I'll fight. I'll never run away. won't die for this...WE won't die for this. We'll make THEM,'' he said savagely, ''I'm not saying that I think I'm a God...But I will win. If I die to get there...to get out of here...If I have to die to save our lives...Others' lives, and others' futures...then I will. I will NEVER run away,'' stopped again and looked for some sign he was reaching him. The red head looked around at his group before he returned his gaze to this stranger with his foreign promises of hope. ''Suppose we do? Suppose you have OUR support. How could that possibly be enough?'' The dark-haired boy smiled inwardly. He had won them over. ''Not just you. Not just us. All of Midgar. I need you to help me talk to the others. The other gangs. If we want to win, we need to fight. To fight, we need the strongest. The others will follow.'' ''OK. Fine. We can get to the other gangs. Make 'em listen. But that's all we can do. You have to do the talkin'.'' The dark-haired boy held out his hand and they were joined. He opened his eyes again and looked at the crowd, ''The time to strike is now. We must attack Shin-Ra. Destroy its leaders! EndĖ its reign of terror! Everyone that's with us, everyone willing to fight...everyone willing to DIE for their freedom! Come with us to Sector 6 tomorrow night. We attack then. We stop this. End our suffering once and for all. Tomorrow we start. And by starting we end this.'' He stepped back and pushed his way to the other room with Cassio following. He pulled the door shut behind he and Cassio. ''I just hope they're ready......'' |