It was night time at Midgar. While the city never sleeps, everyone was either returning home from work or working the night shift. The people use the trains of Midgar to get around the city. Some do use their cars but living in the city. Many prefer to use the trains. Some trains are used to carry Shinra cargo, and one train, in particular, begins to stop near Mako Reactor One.

As the train stops, two Shinra infantrymen begin to inspect the train making sure there are no intruders or bombs. Something or someone jumps from the top of the train and lands near the infantrymen that startles them.

One raises his rifle and shouts, "Halt! Put your hands up!"

Sara chuckles and dashes towards them before they could even shot her. The two infantrymen plopped down on the ground like flies. Sara lowers her hand and then turns to three people who came out of the train, followed by Barret, who nodded, and they left.

Barret turns to Sara, "Well done."

Sara nodded, then Barret looks at the train and shouts, "Get down here, merc."

After those words, Cloud jumps down from the top of the train then looks at the two with a poker face. Simultaneously, two Shinra security officers rush to them.

"Halt!"

"Who goes there?!"

Barret turns to Cloud and says, "You're up." and leaves avoiding the officers.

The security officers turn their focus on Cloud and Sara, pointing their guns at them.

"You're coming with us!"

Sara smiles, "Sorry, we're not interested."

Cloud immediately charges at the officers and swings his sword knocking the officers out. Cloud put his sword behind his back as Sara heads towards the train station entrance. The moment Sara and Cloud went into the station, two officers spot them.

Security officer, "Who in the hell?!"

The two security officers raise their rifles and rush towards Cloud and Sara. One of them shouted, "Drop your weapons!"

But little did the two officers knew that Barret and the three members of Avalanche sneaked behind them, avoiding combat, and continued to go through the station.

A young brunette girl named Jessie looks back and winks at Cloud, "Have fun!"

Cloud pays no attention to her but looks at Sara, who already draws her katana. Both of them dash towards the security officers; in no time, Cloud and Sara took down the officers. However, the noise they made alert the other security officers. Just as Sara predicted, more security officers came down the stairs aiming their weapons at them.

"Hands up!"

The officers were still unaware of the other intruders that were right behind them. As the coast was clear, Barret leads the group to the stairs. It was not before a young man with a red bandana named Biggs, followed by a big fat boy behind him named Wedge, both turned to Cloud and Sara.

Biggs smiled, "You two got this!"

Wedge exclaimed, "Yeah, what he said!"

Suddenly an elevator door nearby opened, and four more security officers rushed into the scene. All officers aimed their weapons and shouted.

"You two are coming with us!"

"Try anything funny, and we will shoot!"

Seeing that they were surrounded, Cloud turns to Sara, "You take that side."

Sara nods, "You got it!"

They both charge at the officers. Sara draws her katana and swings her weapon with quick precision. In no time, the officers were already on the ground. Sara looks over her shoulder and sees a similar scene where Cloud is.

Cloud looks over to her and raises his brows, "Not bad."

Sara nods, "Same to you."

Clouds, "Let's catch up to the others."

Sara, "Right!"

Both of them ran up the stairs and spotted the others in front of a steel door. A yellow sign above the door that reads Restricted Zone. Jessie and Biggs were at the control panel of the door, working on getting the door open. Wedge and Barret kept a watchful eye around the streets of Sector One, making sure no more security officers or other suspicious people came over.

Jessie began to talk to Biggs, "So what's SOLDIER boy's deal? Is he one of us now, like Sara? He's got balls, this, uh...uh...what was his name again?"

Biggs replied, "Cloud. Cloud Strife."

Jessie, "Right."

Biggs, "And he isn't a SOLDIER anymore. Still, he's a professional-unlike the rest of us. I'm glad to have him."

Jessie asked, "And what about Sara? You got to admit she's about as strong as Cloud? And she's quite a beauty, right?"

Biggs's cheeks turned slightly red, "Err, she is a hottie. I'll give her that. But I don't want to be on her wrong side since she carries that sword of hers."

Wedge smiles at Cloud, giving him the thumbs up. But, Cloud gives him the cold shoulder and says, "This is a one-time gig. When it's done, we're done."

Hearing that, both Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs had shocking looks on their faces. Sara clicked her tongue and crossed her arms while looking at the night sky. Jessie and Biggs continued working on opening the door. Barret starts to grow impatient and walks over to the door while pushing Cloud to the side.

Wedge walked over to Cloud and spoke, "C'mon, nobody does something this crazy just for money. They may think you're not a true believer, but you know what I think?"

Cloud cuts him, "Not interested."

At that moment, the door finally opens, and Jessie and Biggs go in. Barret begins to walk in but looks over his shoulder and calls out, "Wedge!"

Wedge nods and then follows the others. Barret starts to follow but halts his tracks and looks at Cloud with a stern look.

Barret, "You'd better be worth it, merc. Every last, gil." and then he leaves.

Sara sighs and turns to Cloud, "Let's just get this over with; the sooner, the better."

Cloud, "Yeah."

Both of them look at the vast Mako Reactor that towers over Sector One. The mission is to destroy that reactor; one would think that doing something like this is crazy even for money. But, Sara believed that if you've got the guts and skill to do it. Then, it doesn't matter if you're doing it for money or not. People have their reasons, and Sara believed that Cloud has his reasons for joining this mission.

After going through specific corridors, the group made it to the entrance of the reactor. Wedge was ordered to stay behind and guard the door while Sara and the others enter the reactor. Biggs begins to work on the computer near the entrance to get it open. While the others start to wait, Barret turns to Cloud with a suspicious look.

Barret, "SOLDIERs may attack on command, but I hear that they make good guard dogs too. Bet you've seen a few reactors."

Barret wasn't wrong. SOLDIERs were not only experts in combat but also useful at guarding reactors outside of Midgar. Barret figured that Cloud might know a thing or two about the reactors since he was in SOLIDER.

Barret questioned, "So how do we get to the bridge above mako storage?"

Cloud winces a bit but doesn't answer. Barret begins to doubt him and asks, "Ain't holding out on me, are you? Stamp scared to bite the hand that fed him? Or is he a loyal little doggie?!"

But, Cloud ignores him and holds the temple of his head as if he was feeling a sharp pain. Sara notices the unusual behavior on Cloud, but she doesn't question him. Perhaps Cloud was just rather annoyed at Barret's interrogation, at least to Sara.

Barret, "Have it your way, mutt. We can do this with you or without you!"

Cloud sighs, "Different Reactor, different layout. It depends on when it was built. Never seen one like this, but I'll manage."

Even though that sounded reasonable, but Barret wasn't convinced. He gives the former SOLIDER a warning, "I'm watching you."

Sara rolled her eyes and walked over to Jessie, who smiled at her, "Don't you worry. Biggs'll have that door open soon."

Sara nodded, "Good because the sooner we get this over with, the better."

Jessie asked, "Feeling edgy?"

Sara replied, "Let's just say that being here does put me at risk."

Jessie smiled, "We're all at risk here, so lighten up. We've got your back, newbie!"

Sara smiled even though she knew that Jessie said that to make her feel better. But, Sara wasn't thinking about the risks they have to face. She was thinking of something else.

Sara muttered, "Let's hope that they don't know that I'm here."

Jessie tilted her head, "You said something?"

Sara shook her head, "No, it's nothing."

Biggs began to speak up, "In three, two....damn, I'm good."

After Biggs's words, the door opens, but inside there were already security officers. Cloud and Sara strolled in, which alarmed the officers.

One of the officers turns to his fellow member and orders, "Close the door!"

The door closes before the others walk in. Sara sighs as the officers begin to attack.

"It's over!"

Cloud, "That's my line."

Sara rolls her eyes, "And mine too."

Cloud and Sara both draw their swords and begin to attack the officers. One of the officers begins to toss a grenade towards them; they both dodge it avoiding the explosion. However, Cloud gets shot in the shoulder while Sara trounces the officers in one swift strike from her sword. Cloud shakes off the pain in his shoulder, and the door opens again with the others coming in.

Jessie, "We're back!"

Cloud, "Then let's move it."

Jessie smiles, "He always knows just what to say."

Barret glares at her, "Cut it out!"

Sara shook her head; after all, a young girl like Jessie can't resist commenting on a hotshot like Cloud. Jessie begins to work on the computer to open the next door, while Biggs stands near the other doorway.

Sara walks over to Biggs, "You staying here?"

Biggs nods, "I've got this place covered. You continue to go on with the others."

Sara nods while she walks over to Jessie, who is still working on the computer.

Jessie, "It's a good thing that I know someone who can get us the passcodes. Pity, no one at command will talk to us, but what can you do?" She pushes another button and exclaims, "And we're good!"

The door opens, and Jessie goes in, while Biggs gives her a thumbs up, "Be careful in there."

She smirks at his comment and goes inside the next room. Sara pushes the button to the large door that happens to be an elevator. While everyone waits for the door to open, Jessie turns to Cloud with a curious look.

Jessie, "So you know Tifa, right? It's not any of my business, but are you guys close?"

Before Cloud answers, he could vaguely recall some memories of his childhood. He remembered being in a small town walking around and seeing a pretty girl in a white dress with long black hair.

Cloud turns to Jessie, "Tifa and I..."

Before he finishes, the elevator door opens, and Barret is the first to go in. Cloud doesn't finish his answer and proceeds to go in followed by Jessie and Sara. The door closes, and the elevator goes down.

Meanwhile, at Shinra Headquarters, a large man enters the president's office. He dresses in a green suit with red and gold details. His hair and bushy beard are black, and his eyes are brown. He has a large scar on the right side of his face. His name is Heidegger, head of public safety in Shinra. Despite his position, Heidegger is nothing but a cruel man uncaring of both the lives of the ordinary people who become oppressed by Shinra, as well as the people who work for the Shinra military, treating his underlings as disposable pawns. He enjoys his position of authority within Shinra and the power it grants him.

An hour ago, Heidegger received worried that intruders have infiltrated Mako Reactor One. He proceeded to investigate and decided to report to the president of Shinra personally. Heidegger walks on a red carpet leads to the President's desk in front of tall windows at the back. The room has black wooden pillars, and electric candlelights hung on the side. The President's black metal desk is elevated and has a golden Shinra logo at the front, and blue screens in front of the President's chair.

Heidegger walks over to the large desk where a short, reasonably thin man with thinning blond hair and mustache sits on the chair. The man wears a burgundy suit, white shirt, and purple tie. This is the man that rules Midgar, the one and only President Shinra.

Heidegger looks at President Shinra, who watches the security cameras where it shows four people using the elevator to go further down in Mako Reactor One.

Heidegger speaks, "These sewer rats appear to call themselves Avalanche, sir. We are currently investigating whether they belong to the same group that attempted your life. Rest assured, our inquiries will not take much longer."

While President Shinra was listening to Heidegger's report, he focused on the young woman who carried a katana. Even though she seemed like someone from the slums, but something about her seemed familiar to him.

President Shinra rubbed his chin, "Interesting..."

Heidegger asked, "Sir?"

President Shinra, "Does the young girl who has the katana seem familiar to you?"

Heidegger looked at the screen and shook his head, "No, sir, I've never seen her."

President Shinra humphed, "Perhaps, it's my imagination."

Meanwhile, Cloud and the others were unaware that Shinra was watching them. Barret decides to give out his pep talk.

Barret, "This pump's sole purpose is to drain the planet dry. While you sleep, while you eat, while you shit-it's here, sucking up mako. It doesn't rest, and it doesn't care! You do realize what mako is, don't you? Mako is the lifeblood of our world."

Cloud let's out a tiring sigh while looking at Jessie, who shrugs her shoulders—telling him to bear with it, while Sara tries to not yawn in the middle of Barret's talk.

Barret raises his voice, "The planet bleeds green like you and me bleed red. The hell you think is gonna happen when it's all gone, huh?! Answer me! You gonna stand there and pretend you can't hear the planet crying out in pain? I know you can!"

Cloud asks, "You really hear that?"

Barret, "Damn, straight, I do!"

Cloud looks away, "Get help."

Jessie gasps in shock while Barret walks right in front of Cloud with an angry look, "Say that again!"

Just then, the elevator stops, and Cloud looks at Barret with a calm look, "I'd worry less about the planet and more about the next five seconds. Save the screaming for later."

Sara adds, "He's right; we need to focus on keeping each other alive and hope we can do this successfully."

Barret looks at Sara with a calm look; it seemed her words somehow managed to calm his temper down. As the door opens, Jessie is the first to walk out, followed by the others. Barret stops his tracks and begins to speak directly to Cloud.

Barret, "Our lives are on the line now."

He walks over to Cloud and points his gun right at him, "You listening merc? One false move..."'

He shoots a couple of bullets and destroys one of the robotic guns, and finishes his sentence, "And that happens."

Jessie sighs, "Well, so much for Cloud and Sara doing all the fighting. There are some places a sword just can't reach."

She runs over to Cloud, looking at him with a pleaded look, "Just...bear with him for me, would you?"

Barret chuckles as if he was ready to join the fighting party. Sara didn't seem to mind it, but Cloud, on the other hand. He could only say, "Should've asked for more money."

That left Barret and Jessie a little stunned while Sara muttered, "You're one greedy bastard, all right."

After she said that another sentry ray robot starts shooting bullets, Barret joins in and begins to shut down the sentry robot.

Barret exclaims, "Gonna throw your swords at 'em? Let the man with the gun go to work!"

After his word, a few more robots were flying around but were still reachable for Cloud and Sara to take them out.

Sara turns to Barret with a smile, "Then we'll leave you to those!"

She dashes towards one of the robots, jumps up at least four feet in the air, and slashes the robot with her sword. Cloud jumps up and swings his large sword upwards, cutting down the other robot. After they were done taking down a few robots, they went down a flight of stairs and came across something that Cloud didn't like.

Cloud spoke annoyingly, "A laser security system...Great."

Ahead of them was another floor that had several lasers going on and off in a pattern. A laser security system was mostly used in areas that were near a restricted location. If the robots failed to take down the intruders, then the laser security system would sure take the intruders out.

Jessie, "Those things will hurt more than your pride if you're careless. They'll cut you down to size and then some." She turned to Cloud, "But...I'm guessing you've done this kind of thing before."

Cloud replied, "Yeah. Figure out the timing of the lasers. Then make a move when they cycle off."

If there was one fault thing about the lasers, they have to turn off to cool down every few seconds. The lasers will automatically go off for a certain period and come back on. The floor had at least five sets of lasers that went off at different times. The only way to make it through is to go through the floor when the lasers go off.

Jessie smiles at Cloud, satisfied with his answer, "Exactly! I'll go first. Nothing like a little danger to get the blood pumping!"

After her words, she makes a run and easily avoids the lasers. But, she wasn't alone, Sara also runs with her.

Cloud shouts, "Hey!"

Jessie hollers, "Just keep those baby blues of yours on me!"

Sara rolls her eyes while Jessie smiles back at her and comments, "You're a natural too! Avoiding all the lasers!"

Sara, "This is nothing."

The two girls made it through the floor without a scratch. While the guys also came out with no cuts or scrapes on them. Cloud just looks annoyed, ready to take on anything else. As they make it down another flight of stairs, Jessie stops her tracks and says, "Look!"

Ahead of them down the other side of the large warehouse space is a large robot that stood on two metal legs that looked like a sizeable walking cannon with arms that look like guns. The name of this robot is a sweeper.

Jessie, "They don't call those things sweepers for nothing. They can wipe out a whole squad in seconds."

Cloud humphed, "Not if you wipe them out first."

Sara started to walk out in the opening, first casually. Noticing her movement, Cloud scolds her, "Hey! Get back here!"

Sara smiled, "Let me handle this."

The sweeper senses an intruder and immediately rolls over to Sara like a train. Sara sides steps avoiding the sweeper inches away from it. Drawing her sword, the sweeper starts shooting flames at her. But, she dodges it and stabs the side of the sweeper in which the blade penetrates the engine of the robot causing it to explode.

Sara smirks, "Easy peasy!"

Jessie's eyes widen in shock, "Woah! That was impressive!"

Cloud narrows his eyes in suspicion and begins to question Sara, "How did you know the weakness that easily?"

Cloud knew that Shinra keeps its secrets well within and without the company. Not even regular employees know everything about the dark secrets of the company. Only higher rank employees or those who've worked closely with the president know.

Sara replied with a raised brow, "I'd worry less about what I know and more about what's next. Save the suspicion for later."

It seemed Sara wasn't willing to give in, so Cloud decided to save the suspicion for later. Barret gave Cloud a questioned look.

Barret, "What are you, twenty or something?"

Cloud replied, "First."

Barret looked at him, confused, "Huh?"

Cloud, "SOLDIER: First-Class. Doesn't go into the twenties."

Barret, "The hell you talking about, I meant your age, not your goddamn rank!"

Cloud was stumped at those words, "I, uh.."

Barret chuckled, "Though, for all I know, a SOLDIER's rank could be the same as his age. Mh-hmm, guess that makes you a one-year-old, huh? Live and Learn!"

Sara busted out laughing that made Cloud glowered at her. But, somehow, Sara found that rather funny. The group continues until they reach another room that seemed rather vast. Pipes, ranging from large to immense, and fans, which regulate temperature, fill the large storage area walls. Large circular vents, located on the level of the penultimately highest platform and green like smoke coming upwards from below this room, is where Shinra stores mako. Jessie looks down from the venue where they were standing.

Jessie, "That's our target. The reactor core."

Down several platforms is a large, tubular structure built into a wall and a set of pipes leading to a valve at the bottom. Surrounding it along with a large platform in front of it is a green lake. That lake is nothing but mako. If a person were to swim in it, they would die in an instant.

Sara asked, "So the plan is to set the bomb at the bottom, right?"

Jessie nodded, "Right!"

Sara, "Then let's move it!"

She dashes the end of the platform and descends by a ladder. The others followed her. Sara wrinkles her nose at the stench of mako. Needless to say that the smell of mako was not pleasant to the nose. Barret couldn't help but comment about the smell.

Barret, "Goddamn, I can practically taste the mako in here. Hurry it up!"

Sara laughed and decided to change the subject, "Bet you are excited now?"

Barret smiled, "My heart is pounding like a jackhammer! I've been dreaming about this for years!"

After descending a few more ladders, Jessie decides to stay at the last platform above the bottom.

Jessie, "Head's up, you guys; the end is in-sight. I leave the rest in your capable hands. Good luck!"

Sara, Cloud, and Barret descend the last ladder. Once, they walked over to the reactor core. Barret pulls out a bomb from his small pack and looks at Cloud with a smirk.

Barret, "All right, let's see if little Stamp really can bite the hand that feeds..." He presents the bomb to Cloud, "Go on, do the honors. Prove to me you're the man that Tifa says you are. That you're one of us."

Cloud, "Never said I was. I'm just here for the paycheck."

Barret bellowed, "THEN DO THE DAMN JOB!"

Cloud clicks his tongue and grabs the bomb walking over to the reactor core and setting up the bomb. Barret chuckles while Sara let's out a tiring sigh.

Suddenly Cloud starts to have another headache and presses his forehead. At the corner of his eye, a black feather falls before crumbling to the ground. At the same time, Sara looks at Cloud and notices the feather. Her eyes widen as if she had known the meaning behind the feather.

She looks at Cloud and calls out, "Cloud?"

He looks over his shoulder with a questioned look. Sara asks, "You okay?"

Cloud continues setting the bomb, "I'm fine. What about the timer?"

Barret answers, "Your call, merc?"

Since the merc was eagerly ready to get out of this place and be done with the job, Cloud sets the timer to twenty minutes.

Barret comments, "Pretty cocky, ain'tcha?"

Sara's ears perked, hearing some sounds that sounded like something was climbing on the walls. She places her hands on her sword and looks around.

Sara warns, "Heads up, boys, something is coming."

Right on cue, a gigantic robot with six legs and a large tail seemed to have resembled a scorpion and raised its tail, shooting out a lazer beam. Luckily the group manages to dodge it in time.

Barret shouts, "The hell?! How are we supposed to fight this thing?!"

Cloud answers quickly, "It's got reinforced armor plating-but we can overload the internals. Do you guys have any lighting materia?"

Materia is a crystallized mako that allows anyone to use magic. There are many types of materia, from casting elements to stop or poison enemies or even adding protection to oneself. There are rare ones that can summon creatures to come to aid. Though materia can be sold in market places and can be rather expensive, the higher the materia level, the stronger the caster can be. A low-level materia will cost in the one-hundred gil range, but a higher-level materia will go for a thousand. People will mostly use materia if they hunt down monsters or if they work for Shinra. Regular citizens don't own materia.

Sara replied, "I do! And it's a high-level one!"

Cloud nodded, "Perfect! Use it went we overrun the internals!"

Barret began shooting at the robot, "I'm not gonna die by a goddamn scorpion!"

Sara and Cloud start to slash the robot at its legs while avoiding incoming missiles from the robot's back. Unlike the sweeper, this scorpion robot is highly mobile due to its multiple legs and armored with an array of heavy weapons. It was probably put here at the reactor core to protect and guard it. On top of the heavy weapons, it had something else that made it difficult to defeat—several glowing plates formed around the legs and the robot's body.

Barret noticed it, "The hell is that?!"

Cloud's eyes widen in surprise, "A barrier? Never seen this defensive system before."

Barret, "Thought you were the expert!"

Cloud asked sarcastically, "So what's your brilliant plan, genius?"

Barret chuckled, "Hehe, my time to shine!"

The robot shoots a few more missiles at Barret that lands on the platform, leaving flames. Cloud chuckled, "Or go down in flames."

Barret gritted his teeth, "Shut up!"

Sara yells, "Cut it out, you two! And watch out here comes my lighting!"

Several sparks of lighting form around Sara's arm, and she reaches her hand out, then lighting shoots out from her hand. The lighting was powerful enough to overload the robot till it started to malfunction. Cloud immediately jumps up and cuts the tail, followed by Sara, who stabs it at the front. The robot begins to shoot out more missiles and bullets, causing them to shoot at the ceiling having beams fall. Flames were all over the place, on the platforms, the walls, and the roof. It seemed that the whole place was on fire. Cloud and Sara managed to cut and stab the robot, some green light formed around it that made their attacks fail.

"Shit, an auto-repair unit!" Sara curses.

"An auto-what?!" Barret asks.

"It's repairing itself." Cloud explains, "If we don't take it out quick, we're screwed!"

In the past, Shinra made many robots that were built for many purposes. For a giant robot like this one to have an auto-repair unit would cost a fortune. But, Shinra has the money to develop and buy the parts for one.

Barret laughs, "Oh, I am way ahead of you, merc. I'm gonna blow this bastard up, and that's a promise!"

The giant robot raised its tail and shot a powerful lazer going everywhere the platform, the walls creating a mess. More and more debris fall, landing near the bomb. Barret notices this and becomes worried.

Barret, "Shit, the bomb!"

The bomb starts its timer, which means they have twenty minutes to evacuate from the reactor. With the robot going haywire, Sara knew there was no time to waste.

Sara shouted, "Let's move out! The robot is already malfunctioning!"

The three of them head up the ladder, and as Sara said, the robot immediately walks over to the mako lake, destroying itself.

Barret smiled, "Haha! Damn, thing showed us how it's done!"

Cloud puts his sword behind his back, "Come on, we got to move."

The three of them climb up the ladder. However, a vast steel pipe falls straight towards them. Jessie quickly moves away to avoid the incoming pipe, but when the line crashes near her, a large rock falls right on her ankle, preventing her from moving. Simultaneously, Cloud rushes to aid her, but the pipe falls directly on the bridge he and the others were on. Cloud manages to grab on a long bar and slowly moves towards Jessie.

Once he reaches the platform, Cloud asks Jessie, "You okay?"

Jessie groans as she tries to move, "Do I look okay? Help a girl out, would you?!"

Cloud lifts the large rock, and Jessie moves her ankle from underneath the stone. She looks at Cloud with a smile, "My hero!"

Barret shouts out to them with Sara right behind him, "Hey! We'll link up over there! Look after Jessie!"

Barret points at the highest platform where they first entered the room. Once he made his statement, Barret began to run while Sara follows behind. While both of them continued to avoid debris, Cloud and Jessie also made it when they reached the highest platform. But, more infantrymen started to enter at the entrance of the room.

"I don't think so," Sara smirked; in a flash, the infantrymen were down like daisies with Sara standing in the middle of the entryway.

Even though the others wanted to comment on Sara's swift attack, they continued moving since the clock was ticking. Retracing their steps, the four of them made it to the elevator and took it, heading up.

At the same time, the bomb Cloud had placed already exploded. Watching the explosion from the security camera was Heidegger and the President. The President gave Heidegger a look, and the latter nodded.

Heidegger, "Sir."

Heidegger pulled out his smartphone and pressed the screen. Simultaneously in the reactor core room, the sentry robots and sweepers began to shoot at the reactor core, destroying it. When that happened outside of the reactor, the vast pillar exploded, and the entire Sector 1's power went out—leaving many innocent civilians without power to their homes.