REVOLUCION CALIENTE
The clock read ten minutes till eight. Cloud pieced together materials that flowed down the manufacturing line while awaiting the end of his shift. He worked absentmindedly, his hands doing one thing while his mind wandered into untrodden territories of the human psyche.
The job at the factory was hard to come by. He managed to get it just barely, passing the countless others who needed it as much as he did, whose economic stability were shattered long ago when the new leader ascended to power and took control of the government with his military corporation Shinra Inc. The gap between the haves and have-nots widened like a valley dividing the earth, its deepness spanning indefinitely as if there were no bottom. Chances of bridging this valley seemed slim to none.
It was already dark when Cloud left the factory. The gray sky was enveloped with the smoke rising from the chimney pipes, making the scene desolate. Staring into it seemed to drain a person's sanity and sense of hope, replacing it with a feeling of melancholy or extreme depression. Disgusted, Cloud turned his back from it and headed for home.
He passed the paved streets and glossy windows of the shopping centers and the mansions of the economic elites. He saw the carefully decorated street lamps and the high rising black fences that seemed to scream, "Keep the fuck out!" to people of his societal caliber. He saw the nicely trimmed lawns, one of which he had worked on the same morning, and the cars parked into the driveways gleaming under the street lamps. It was the domain of the few who benefited during a time when everyone else suffered.
From afar, he spotted the familiar flashing red lights of a police car, making him tense. He prepared himself for the possibility of a beatdown by a flurry of nightsticks and flashlights. The car drove slowly towards him. Cloud kept on walking, until he involuntarily glimpsed at the policemen. The two officers in the car gave the usual glare, the cold, suspicious eyes that bred hatred and anger in the hearts of their victims. Startled, Cloud turned away and hastened his pace. When he saw the car drive away, he did not hesitate to stick up the finger towards it.
The paved streets slowly turned into cracked pavements, and the shopping centers changed into closed down liquor stores and deserted fields. All around him now stood the material remains of abandoned hopes and dreams of past generations. From the distance he saw the factory pipes spewing smoke into the sky. On the streets he walked past a homeless woman who was covering herself desperately from the cold. He avoided a drunkard begging for change and passed little children scavenging for food from a trash bin.
The hallways of the housing complex he dwelled in reeked of urine. The fluorescent lights flickered on and off while making a disturbing buzzing sound. Hanging around the halls was a junkie strung on drugs, his eyes staring into emptiness without purpose. Near the stairs were several teens from the neighborhood gang, most of them getting high off of MAKO, a scientifically engineered drug distributed onto the streets from Shinra. Some of these kids he saw as children, and it deeply troubled him to see them follow up on the wrong path. He knew that there was nothing but death or prison at the end of the road.
Cloud finally arrived home. His mother lay on the sofa with a light blanket. He went to give her an embrace and a light pat on the chick, then soaked a towel in cold water and placed it on her forehead.
"How was work Cloud?" his mother asked.
"Well, it wasn't too bad. Is Zack home yet?"
"No...He's been off running around somewhere these days...hope he stays out of trouble..."
"What he needs to do is find himself a job." his older brother Zack had been laid off a few months earlier in his workplace. The lack of the income was taking a toll on the household.
"If your father was still alive...it would've been different..."
"Maybe...maybe so..."
"I know so."
"You know, let's just not talk about that again. Please. You still got me and Zack, so don't worry about it too much, all right?"
She nodded slightly.
Cloud's father had been murdered by a mugger's bullet on his way home a few years ago. It was during the beginning of the economic depression that hit the city of Midgar. Since then, both the emotional and financial crisis jumbled up together into a huge problem and hit the family hard. His mother soon fell victim to an illness, not long after dealing with the stress and anguish accompanying her husband's untimely passing. The medical bill for the treatment of the illness was unreasonably high, but Cloud was determined to better the situation.
Later into the night, there was a knock on the door. Cloud peeped through the little hole to identify the person. It was Zack.
"Is Ma asleep yet?" he asked as he came in. His voice was low and tense.
"Yea, she's asleep. But where the hell have you been all this time?"
"All right...sit down, I gotta talk to you for a sec." They both proceeded to sit.
"Now listen, what I'm about to tell you will have some information that should never leave this house. Do you swear you'll keep this conversation a secret?"
"Sure..." Cloud was becoming suspicious of his brother's behaviors.
Zack edged closer toward Cloud and spoke quietly, as if he expected others to be listening in.
"All right, look. I know you're upset that I'm without a job, but I had some other businesses to take of."
"Like what?" Cloud replied, half angrily.
"Well, it began a couple months ago. You know, after I got laid off, I was thinking about our lives. And I realized that, no matter what we do, trying to save up our money, getting a job, or whatever else that we do to survive, is not going to improve our current situation."
"...And how did you arrive at this conclusion might I ask."
"See, the logic behind my argument is, we're no better than slaves. Sure we don't have the chains on our wrists, but we have it in terms of financial situations, or we have it up here," Zack pointed at his head. "Right here in our minds."
This caught Cloud's attention.
"I read about it in some books, and seems we're under what some scholars call 'wage slavery'. Basically, it's what sums up our situation. What we make is never going to amount to a surplus, because our wages equal to all the basic necessities of our livelihood. And thus, we'll never be able to save up the hospital bills for mom, or buy a better house to live in, or, hell, even get that bide for our toilet."
"Well, technically, bides are sort of a luxury-"
"That's not the point here!" Zack cut off. "The point is, how did we end up in this situation? I'll tell you how. We're put into this position because those at the top of the societal pyramid are exploiting us to the maximum capabilities. We don't get our labor's worth. They're giving us as little as possible so they could maximize their profits. They don't care if the ones at the bottom suffer, because we don't mean shit to them. This has to change."
"And how do you propose we do that? You know, if you're plotting to overthrow the government or something like that, I'll tell you we don't stand a goddamn chance. They'll just hire some assassins to kill our whole family."
"No, by ourselves we don't stand a chance. But if we unite all the population against Shinra Inc and its puppet government, we could start a revolution that could topple this regime! Listen, this could really happen! What you don't realize is that there is a whole web of underground fighters ready to unite the population…and I'm now one of them." Zack had a look of fierce determination when he uttered these words. Cloud was taken aback.
"What do mean you're now one of them? You're telling me-"
"Yes. A few months ago, I joined the underground revolutionary organization Avalanche. This group has the goal of ousting the greedy pigs at the top and creating a democratic government. I wanted to ask you Cloud. Join Avalanche."
Cloud had to ponder about this sudden proposition. It was not a matter to be treated lightly.
"I...I don't know. I'm just not sure of anything right now...Let's say that, hypothetically, this Avalanche, does assume control and topple the government and Shinra. How do you know that this group itself wont assert a totalitarian rule akin to that of Shinra? How can we even be sure it's going to set a democratic government? Are you even positive of that?"
Zack hesitated to answer. He was, in fact, unsure of that himself.
"Honestly, I don't know. But when I saw the leader of Avalanche, he's a giant of a man called Barret, I just knew from his eyes that he was a man of his words...He gave you that feeling of confidence. If Avalanche was to replace Shinra as the new dictatorial government, I know Barret will be the first one to do something about it. And, I know that we have to take a chance. I'm sick and tired of living like this, like a goddamn slave!"
Cloud had to agree. Their lives were miserable.
"I'll...I'll think about it Zack. I'm not too sure right now, is just too much to take in for one day. Just give me some time, and I'll get back to you."
Zack was slightly disappointed, but it was an expected reply.
"Is all right man. Don't sweat it."
Cloud prepared to change from his work attire to his regular clothing, when suddenly the speaker boomed out a notice for the workers in Sector 9 to assemble. Knowing that this included him, he hastened to change and quickly went in anxiety.
When he arrived, there was already a large gathering of people standing around, all workers from Sector 9. After a while, a man in a nicely tailored suit came and addressed the audience for silence. This was the general manager of all the sectors of the factory, Mr. Edward Palmer. Although he did not belong to the elite few, he dressed mightily hard to look like one.
Cloud could not hide the nervous cramping feeling he had. He was anxious for a raise, yet the sudden assembly somehow did not point to that direction. He waited restlessly for words to come out of Mr. Palmer.
"Gentlemen, I'm here to tell you one thing only. I am very sorry to say, that,"
A sentence beginning with "very sorry to say" never ended in a good way.
"-You have all been...fired."
The last word rang through his head over and over again. Then, he replayed it in his mind as if it was a broken documentary tape.
The place exploded into screaming and protests by the outraged workers. They screamed and spat at Mr. Palmer, who was trying desperately to defend his case.
"Hey, I wasn't the one that decided on this. You have all been fired because, Sector 9 produced the least amount of work, and there were people who offered to do the job for cheaper, and-"
This time, Cloud took charge. "Fucking pig! I got a family to feed! How about our salary!"
"Well, since you all didn't work till the end of this term, the contract only guarantees payment by the end of the term, but I'm sure we could work something out-"
"Enough of your lies! Let's burn this fucking place down!!" Mr. Edward escape just in the nick of time before the workers of Sector 9 began seizing pipes and destroying the factory. The fury and anger of the workers had to be let out, and there was no way of stopping it. Cloud grabbed a pipe himself and smashed it against the assembly line. His brother was right. He received nothing for his labor, only exploited to the fullest extent until he was replaced by new hands from the always-available pool of workers. The thought made him bitter, so bitter that almost a tear rolled down his cheeks. Was there no justice, no hope?
Cloud managed to escape before the police cracked down on the enraged workers. He breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he did not have to be beaten by the shields and nightsticks. However, a wave of melancholy swept him when he realized that he was now without employment.
He wondered around the streets absentmindedly. He saw some women come out of an expensive clothes store with huge amounts of shopping bags. They placed it all on a red convertible, but decided to sit and chat instead of starting the car.
"Wow...a perfect chance for a robbery. Even I could do this..." Cloud edged closer to the car, when he suddenly realized what he was about to do. "Jesus Christ! Now I'm thinking of robbing people? What the hell am I becoming?" Desperation seemed to make people perform erratic behaviors.
He wandered around the rich neighborhood, with the high rising fences and the mansions it were guarding. He imagined what would it be like to live in a house that big, with the huge front porch and a garage with at least five or six cars. Cloud grabbed the fences and tried to take a peek inside.
"Cloud?"
The voice was familiar. Turning around he saw Zack staring back at him.
"Cloud, what you doing out here man?"
"Oh, you know, just, uh...nothing...where were you all day?"
"I'm sorry man. I just can't tell you about it."
"Right...right...that Avalanche business."
"Hey, what happened to you?" Zack said, noticing the obvious depression of his brother. "What's going on?"
And so Cloud told him about everything, of how he became a victim of a lay-off, and how they incited a riot inside the factory. He told him the troubles, the fear of becoming homeless and starving without a job. Zack assured him that things were going to get better, as long as you fight for it. Soon, they became engaged in a discussion concerning the politics and state of the world. Previous to their plunge to the depths of poverty, they had been educated and had their share of knowledge.
Their political discussion during the middle of the night in the center of the wealthy neighborhood brought them unwanted attention from the police car patrolling the area. The car stopped slowly near where Cloud and Zack were walking, and two, large bulking policeman came out of the car. From the beginning they exerted an imposing impression.
"What the hell are people like you doing here in this kind of neighborhood?"
"Wait, what did you say?" Cloud replied angrily. He always despised the condescending tone of these law enforcers.
"I'll have to check what's in your pockets and in your little bag." The policemen saw a small pendant hanging from Zack's neck. "Hey! Did you steal this shit?" the cop said as he examined it with his hands. "You can't afford a shit like this! Where'd you get this?"
Zack pushed the hand out of the way. "All right look, we're not doing anything or causing anybody harm, so, how about you just let us go?"
The two policemen stared at each other and laughed mockingly. "Look at these kids. Don't know what the fuck he's talking about." The other policeman stepped in and ordered, "Put your hands against the car." The two officers patted them up and down to check for possessions of any illegal objects. "Don't make any sudden moves, 'cause we don't wanna have to hit you." Said the cop as he did so routinely. Along the way, one of them quietly sneaked a bag containing a small dose of cocaine into Cloud's pockets.
"Huh? Oh, now what the hell is this?" The cop put on an act when he pulled out the bag of cocaine that he inserted.
"What the, hey! You put that shit in my pocket! That's not my shit!" Cloud was appalled beyond belief.
"Shut the fuck up kid. You're under arrest for possessing illegal drugs. You have the right to remain silent, anything that you say could be used against you in the court of law-"
"Wait. Stop."
The two policemen turned to face Zack. "I saw you, sneaking that bag of crack in. Thought we be dumb enough for your dumb little joke pig?"
The tension escalated.
"What did you just call me?" One of the cops approached him and slowly took out his gun. "Do you know what this is?" the cop asked arrogantly. "This will end your life, and since your life is controlled by me, it makes you my btch. Do you understand that?" The officer pistol-whipped Zack across the face.
"Hey, do that again and I'll kill you!" Cloud screamed out.
"You just shut your mouth little man." The cop kicked Cloud in the stomach and pushed him against the car.
This action had finally pushed Zack over the ledge. He grabbed the head of the policeman who had pistol whipped him and rammed it against his knee. He gave the cop several blows to the face and finally chugged him through the car window.
"Son of a-!!" The other officer pulled out his gun and aimed it at Zack, but Zack was already too close within the range. A scuffle ensued. It wasn't clear what was going on, except that the gun was thrown into street. The policeman got to it first. He closed one eye to take aim, and shot, five times in total. One missed but four hit Zack in his chest. Blood spewed out. Cloud could not differentiate if whether it was dream or reality as he laid on the ground watching. It was as if time had stopped momentarily when he heard those gunshots and saw the blood come out of Zack's chest.
The policeman quickly got inside the car, moved the body of his unconscious partner through the window and drove off into the night with the tires screeching.
Cloud rushed to the body of his dying brother. He leaned Zack against one of the fences and stared wide-eyed into the wounds. He could not hold the tears back as it drizzled down his face. He grabbed Zack's hands, drenched in blood, and prayed for the first time in his life to a god he didn't know.
"Fuck...can't believe I'm going out like this..."
"No! Don't say that man! Hold on man, please!" Cloud looked futilely around him. There was only the darkness of the night and the decorated street lamps. Out of frustration, he screamed.
"Somebody! Please! Please help me!!" He banged on the door of the nearest mansion, but it was to no avail. He screamed for help as loud as he could, but nothing came. When he returned to Zack, only a small tint of conscience remained within him.
"...Peace...Cloud..."
With those words said, Zack was no longer of the earth.
Cloud stood there on the same spot, with his head low. Tears would not stop dropping onto the cemented floor.
He realized that the time of conforming to a system of injustice was over.
It was time for a change.
It was time, for revolution.
Thousands of people stood outside Midgar's capital building, some armed and some not. There were men, women, teens, senior citizens; human beings from all walk of life. They had their fists raised into the air, demanding justice and equality. They shouted through the fences, and through the armored police squads, for their voices had no limit but the sky itself.
In front of all the people stood a man. He was a man sculpted from the hardships of his past, one who had learned to act in any means necessary in the face of injustice. His right hand held onto a pendant that once belonged to someone very close to him. His left hand held onto the smooth, glossy neck of a Molotov cocktail.
Author's Short Rambling: Well, I tried to take a more realistic approach to Final Fantasy VII, and to the situation of Midgar itself in the game. Hope you liked it. If you did, make sure to leave a review, and if you didn't, that's ok too.