A/N - I feel I should explain something beforehand. I've been harboring the idea for this for years but I've never had the nerve to write it until now. One of the things I was more concerned about was the use of a certain OC whose background is vaguely hinted at throughout this story. Their name might also have influenced the name of my account however I couldn't think of a better name to use for it.

I've tried to stick true to most of the lore and character personalities but I'm sure if I stray someone will politely let me know. Enjoy it.

Chapter 1

SIX MONTHS EARLIER

The ShinRa Manor had been a mess to clear out. The Turks had their work cut out for them when Rufus had given the task of clearing it out with their small team of former infantrymen. It took a week for them to take out all the remnant Deepground soldiers and the Sahagin in the sewers beneath the town. In that time, they lost three soldiers to Deepground sneak attacks. Reno and Rude were nearly killed by an exploding barrel left over from one of Professor Hojo's experiments. After all this Rufus dedicated himself to looking through Hojo's research and for two days he stayed locked up constantly searching.

"The president's starting to worry me guys." Reno said laid back on a bed outside the staircase leading downwards to the underground laboratory, wearing his standard uniform of an unbuttoned shirt, and jacket. Flight goggles strapped to his head and above a mane of spiked fire red hair.

"He'll be fine, Reno. The president knows what he's doing." Tseng replied, sat at the circular table at the centre of the room. He also wore his Turk uniform, a dark navy blue suit and raven black hair stretching down his back and a black dot at the centre of his forehead.

"Are you sure, Tseng? He's been down there a long time you know." Elena piped up sitting across from Tseng, she wore the same uniform as Tseng but her hair was blonde and cut to shoulder length.

"I'd hardly call two days a 'long time'. Besides, we know he's fine." Rude said leaning against the wall adjacent to the staircase. He was a bald man with olive skin and a multitude of rings in his right ear. He was also never seen without his dark shades and standard Turk uniform.

"You know what I mean, Rude. I'm just worried is all." Elena trailed off.

Tseng stood up from his chair, "If you're both so worried, I'll check on him. But I think you're both being ridiculous. "

The leader of the Turks made his way down the staircase to the eerie cave that connected the mansion above to the laboratory where Hojo conducted his experiments and created Sephiroth and turned former Turk, Vincent Valentine into another one of his twisted human creations. The cave was wet and dark, the only thing he could see were the dim electric lamps built into the cave walls. The rooms to either side of the cave that were once filled with coffins were now home to the bodies of the enemies that had been killed in their attempts to clear out the ShinRa Manor. Tseng found it curious why Rufus had wanted to come to this place, it was pretty much the place where ShinRa's downfall had begun when the experiments that had created Sephiroth took place and where the 1st class SOLDIER found out about them and went mad. What could Rufus want from this accursed place that he would need to come here and clear it out? Tseng pushed the thoughts from his mind as he neared the door to the lab. It was not his place to question the president, he was there to serve the president as Rufus saw fit.

Tseng entered the main room of the laboratory and saw the president nowhere in sight. All he found was the president's coat on the table in the centre of the room and a computer on at the other side of the room. The Turk made his way around the table to the computer to see what Rufus had been up to and caught a glimpse of what his boss had been looking for. The system file had only been labelled 'Project: Rebirth'. Rebirth? What was that? One of Hojo's forgotten or discontinued projects? Before he could contemplate it any further, Tseng heard footsteps and wheeled around to see Rufus in his black suit vest and rolled up sleeves standing before him. "Tseng, did you need something?" Rufus asked with bags under his eyes.

Tseng straightened himself out before answering. "Er, no sir. The others were just worried, so I came to check up on you."

"Well then, you ought to call them down. I think you'll want to see this." He replied and turned around to leave.

"Is this to do with...'Rebirth' sir?"

Rufus stopped for a moment and turned his head slightly, "Heh, you noticed that then? Yes, Rebirth is involved and I think you might find the results interesting."

After Rufus left, the Turk leader returned to his subordinates and led them back down into the depths of the mansion. "Rebirth? Sounds like raising the dead or something." Reno mused.

"Don't be stupid, Reno. People can't return from the dead." Elena snapped.

"Explain Phoenix Down's then." Reno replied.

"Well...they're...I mean...that's not the point!" Elena said punching Reno's arm.

They made their way through the dark catacombs and into lab where Rufus stood waiting. "Ah, you're here." Rufus said.

"So boss, what's this talk about Rebirth?" Rude asked crossing his arms.

Rufus leant on the table, "Rebirth is an older project that was design to bring the dead back to life. Phoenix Down's only serve to revive the life-force of a person shortly after they are dead and thus act as way to restart a person's heart."

Elena looked at Reno with a smug look on her face.

"Project Rebirth was created by Professor Hojo to rip those who return to the lifestream out of it and back into the land of living. He got it to work, but my father rejected the idea. It was one of the few ideas he actually deemed as immoral and one that he wouldn't pursue." Rufus turned away from them and stared at the computer screen on the other side of the room.

"I intend to use this machine to bring my father back."

All four Turks stood there, stunned. Not a one of them knew what to say because it sounded insane. A machine that could bring the dead back to life? That sounded farfetched at best but to say he'd use the machine to return a man that died five years ago back to the land of the living sounded completely of the chart of insanity. Still, not a one of them could object. Rufus ShinRa was still indeed the president of the ShinRa Corporation, whatever power that held anymore. The president led the four Turks through to another room where a large machine stood. In its centre a circular tube with metal rings at regular intervals while above it, three large Mako barrels feeding power into the tube. On the right side of the machine a console sat with green lines of code and programming language scrolling up the screen. Rufus gestured towards the machine, "This is project Rebirth, Hojo's forcefully abandoned project." He announced proudly.

"And this will bring your father back?" asked Elena, curiously looking at the machine.

"That's what we're about to see, Elena." Rufus replied, a smirk appearing on his face.

"But why, sir? Why would you need to bring him back?" Tseng asked.

"Because, Tseng, the company is falling into decline. We don't have the resources to rebuild it and we need someone who can. Someone, who built the company into what it was." Rufus said

"I'm not sure he's gonna like what he finds if this works, boss." Reno said, cautiously.

Rufus moved to the console and began to input commands, "That'll be something he'll have to deal with. "

He finished the final command, and the machine began to whirl into life. The Mako barrels began emptying the precious power source into the tube. The whirring soon became louder as the Mako started to glow with each passing moment and the light started to become blinding as it continued its process. Rufus could barely see a figure in the tube through the light and hoped that the machine was doing as Hojo had predicted. Soon the whirring was almost deafening and the machine itself started to shudder and then, silence.

The Rebirth machine slowly came to a wind down as the Turks and their president uncovered their eyes and saw in the tube before them a rotund man sitting in the glass tube. Around his mid-sixties and thinning blonde hair much like Rufus' with a thick blonde moustache covering is upper lip. Rufus grabbed a suit case from a nearby table and opened the glass tube as the man was just waking up. He opened his eyes to reveal brilliant green eyes and managed to utter Rufus' name before passing out. Rufus turned to his subordinates, "Help my father to a side room and leave this case for him."

All four Turks were still shocked, although Elena had to cover her eyes because although the machine had worked, the former president was stark naked. Reno and Rude set to work with helping the president to another room, Reno all the while complaining 'the president's heavier than Strife'. Rufus sat at the table in the main room of the lab with a smile on his face. "Well, that's phase one of the plan complete. Phase two is where the real work will begin."

"Are you sure this was a sound plan, Mr. President? People might not take well to seeing the former president alive." Tseng asked.

"We'll keep my father in the shadows while we rebuild. He should be fine here of we keep the security high enough." Rufus replied getting up, "Now then, I need to sleep. Wake me in an hour or so alright?"

"Sir." Both Elena and Tseng answered.

When the next day came, President ShinRa had finally awoken. He sat at the main table in the main room of the laboratory, waiting for Rufus. He wore his signature burgundy suit and had combed his blonde hair back. The president held a lit cigar in one hand and brought it up to take a drag from it as Rufus entered the room. "Father, do you have to smoke that in here?"

"This is my facility, young man, and I'll smoke here if I want to. Now explain to me how you screwed up my entire company in the span of five years."

Rufus sat down opposite his father and began to explain everything. The Jenova Wars, Sephiroth's clones and finally the Deepground incident. All the while the former president sat and took it all in. Finally, he closed his eyes for a while and sat there, cigar in his mouth and his fingers interlaced with each other. Then he started, "So then, you brought me back because you can't do it. This is the kind of reason we labelled those buttons in ShinRa Tower 'loser'."

"They still helped me out during the WEAPONS attack."

"Apparently, but now we've been reduced to this," he said gesturing around, "the ShinRa Manor in Nibelheim, the backend of Gaia."

Rufus sat back in his chair, "Not so true. We've been rebuilding ShinRa Tower since the end of the Deepground Incident."

"Then why do you need me? Clearly you have your priorities straight."

"Because the business is going downhill, Father. Having the tower is one thing, but we actually need to make money."

"Then start producing potions, hi-potions, ethers and weapons again. We still have blueprints for those, right?"

Rufus shifted uncomfortably, "Well a lot of information was lost during the WEAPON raid… in fact most of the top floors above sixty were nearly totally destroyed."

President ShinRa looked as if he was about to smack his head into the table. "It took me over forty years to build this company and in a few weeks it gets destroyed." He sighed; there was one more plan he had in mind. "Well then, if it has come to this then we have a last resort. It's an idea that came to me in death."

That piqued Rufus' interest, "What last resort?"

A charismatic grin worked its way across the old president's face, "I've some friends who can help."

"Who?" Rufus asked, inquisitively

"You start up that machine again, and you'll meet them." The president replied, putting out the cigar.

PRESENT DAY

Cloud Strife stood on the street outside Seventh Heaven, looking up at the completed ShinRa Tower. "I can't believe Rufus moved back into that place again." He muttered to himself as he went through the number of packages he had to deliver that day. It was slow compared to others as he only needed to go as far as Kalm and the rest were within the city of Edge. After checking the list off, he got on Fenrir, his motorcycle but just before he started the engine. His childhood friend, Tifa, ran out from the bar in normal attire of a black short sleeved jacket and shorts with a small cape coming off them. "Cloud, there's an extra pickup just come in. It's in the warehouse district, warehouse 35. I don't like it Cloud. Be careful."

Cloud nodded back, "I will. Did the client say who they were?"

Tifa shook her head, "No, sorry. But it just makes it more suspicious."

The swordsman thought for a moment, "I'll see what this person wants, but if they intend to fight they'll be sorry."

"Alright, have a good day and try not to fall off your cycle."

Cloud chuckled and set off out to Kalm to do his rounds for the day and all through the time he was out, he couldn't stop thinking about this last minute pickup. Everything about it seemed odd. No specifics involved or anything. Cloud knew he shouldn't go but something at the back of his mind was telling him that he should, that something would happen that would explain the ShinRa's recent rise. In the past two months, ShinRa had started producing normal items and weapons again. Despite people being against them after all that had happened, people still bought their products because although people had hated ShinRa, their products had been at least good quality and their weapons had been well enough produced to do monster hunting out in the Kalm plains. At the same time, people had started re-enlisting for the ShinRa military and their newly built factories in Midgar which had now been re-purposed as a ShinRa facility. Rufus' company was doing good business it was surprising to see ShinRa do so well.

As he finished his last delivery in Edge, Cloud began to make his way towards the warehouse district. It was quiet and had been since DeepGround's attack on Edge. Taking his fusion sword, Cloud entered the warehouse with one hand on the its grip. Inside, a man sat at a table in the middle of the room. He wore a navy blue suit and tie but his hair was jet black and combed back, the man looked up at Cloud, "Mr Strife, you actually came. I'm quite surprised." He said, standing up.

Cloud tightened his grip on the sword he had sheathed. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well for one, our invitation came at such short notice and we didn't leave any kind of identification. Surely that must off set off some alarms in your mind?"

Cloud looked around at the rest of the warehouse. There were boxes and supplies piled high all around him, too many places for people to hide. "It did, it sets off more alarms when you say we, Mr...?"

"Miles, and yes I said we. There are a few of my agents hiding in this room, but you can relax they won't strike unless I give the order." Miles gestured to the table, "Please, sit."

The swordsman slowly stepped towards the chair, rested his sword against the table and sat. "So why d'you bring me out here like this? I'm a delivery man; only thing I can offer you is a courier service."

Miles chuckled, "Mr Strife, we both know that is bull. My superiors have a fat file on you and all your exploits. Nibelhiem, the reactor bombings, everything." He took off the pair of glasses he was wearing to clean them, "We need you for a certain mission, something that extends beyond this world."

Cloud sat back, "If you want someone to go into outer space, you might wanna try Cid Highwind. He's the one who has the space dreams."

"Mr Highwind doesn't qualify for this mission. We need the Hero. We need you, Cloud."

For a moment, Cloud genuinely laughed, "Hero? Sorry pal, but I'm no hero, just a guy with a large sword."

The mysterious man chuckled himself, "Heh, unfortunately 'hero' is a political correctness thing. You are the Hero of this world by the decree of the Council."

"What Council?"

"The Venatus Council, Mr Strife, the people who run this universe from the shadows. But now we need to step out from the shadows to collect the four Heroes who can save it."

Cloud was genuinely stumped. This was a man who, by just looking at him, you could tell was a respectable gentleman. Yet here he was, talking of heroes and councils hiding in the shadows, running an entire universe. It all seemed mad, and Cloud had just about enough of it. The delivery man, stood up to leave and as he did, he found himself confronted by two men in soldier's navy blue soldier uniforms. Miles put his glasses back on, "Sorry, Mr Strife. But we need you to come with us, all will be explained soon."

"Don't think s-"was all Cloud could say as he went for his sword and just before he could bring it out, he found a needle in his neck. Slowly, Cloud stumbled around for a few moments before dropping his sword which seemingly became much heavier than normal and another few moments later he found himself face down on the floor as everything went black.

"Sorry Mr Strife, but I was told to bring you along by any means." Miles said as he discarded the syringe. He looked towards the two soldiers, "Load him up, Lord Magnavox is waiting."

Well there it is, my first dip into fan fiction writing. First and probably last. Hell, maybe someone will get a kick out of this. I did writing this at least. More to come soon.