A/N: I had another oneshot under the same title. I started typing with the intention of just tweaking it, but decided to do this instead :)

Months had passed since Deepground had waged war on the planet and its people, yet the legacy of tirade still played on his mind. Rufus had purposefully taken a back seat role in the fight against Deepground. ShinRa had been linked to far too many travesties without being implicated in Deepground's crusade.

Rufus had chosen to fund Reeve's organization, seeing it as a suitable replacement for ShinRa's presence in the fight. Regardless of his will to remain uninvolved with Deepground, he somehow got dragged into it either way. It was another fine example of his father's handiwork. In the past, he wouldn't have thought twice about the experiments his father had sanctioned, but his eyes had been opened by Meteorfall.

He couldn't ignore the looming shadow any more. The WRO had unearthed files regarding a SOLDIER 'G'. He may have been misbehaving, leaking information and being put under house arrest for most of his adolescent years, but Rufus knew exactly who the singular letter referred to. All information regarding Genesis Rhapsodos had been deleted following his defection from ShinRa. Even if any of the WRO or AVALANCHE found out who exactly the 'G' was, he was listed as deceased.

Rufus wasn't certain if Cloud knew about the SOLDIER, but he found it hard to believe that the man didn't, considering his childhood aspiration to become a member of SOLDIER. That wasn't what the CEO was worried about - did Cloud recall running into the rogue SOLDIER after escaping from the ShinRa mansion? All records and released information had stated that the man had died years previously.

The last thing the people of Gaia needed was the thread of yet another 1st Class roaming around, waiting for his chance to strike back.

ShinRa was still trying to piece itself back together. They had established a headquarters building in Edge and were in negotiations with Reeve regarding an alliance. Reeve still wasn't aware that the majority of his financial support - the anonymous benefactor - came from ShinRa. Rufus had decided to keep that good deed hidden from public knowledge - what would the people of Edge think if they knew the President of ShinRa was financially supporting the WRO? They would see Midgar happening all over again. Rufus had played that game before - ruling the world and its people by money and fear alone had failed, and failed spectacularly. He had a responsibility not to allow this particular part of history repeat itself.

Not that he could even do that, given ShinRa's current state; no board of executives, no ranks of armed infantry, very few remaining choppers and weaponry, even fewer Turks. Several of the Turks who had disappeared along with Veld had suddenly come out of hiding and returned to the company following Deepground, though it was still nothing compared to the numbers ShinRa had employed in Midgar.

No SOLDIERs, that was another point. ShinRa no longer employed any member of SOLDIER, nor did they support the reinstallation of the department. All previous members of the force were deceased or listed as deceased. Sephiroth was, hopefully, dead. Though none of them felt sure enough to claim his return was impossible. They had thought the man was dealt with after Meteor, but Geostigma and the Remnants had proven them wrong.

Was Genesis simply another ticking time-bomb? Just waiting until they had fallen back into their comfortable lives before making his move? Would he have a precursor like Geostigma, or simply strike when their guard was down?

Angeal Hewley was deceased, of that he was certain. The man had forced his pupil's hand in the matter; Zack Fair had taken no honour or pride in his job that day. The majority of the 3rd Classes had vanished when Genesis had defected, he could only assume the Genesis-copies had been what they'd become. Following Angeal's death and Sephiroth's supposed demise at Nibelheim, the only prominent 1st Class remaining had been Zack.

Several members of the force had managed to slip through the cracks during the collapse of SOLDIER, Kunsel was one they'd never managed to get a location on. Others had been sighted across the planet, though none of them voiced their previous connections with the once revered force; all honour had been lost through the actions of others.

What a fall from grace. SOLDIER had been the job that all young boys had wanted; promotional posters, articles full of praise, riveting accounts of successful missions and even fan clubs. But for what? Had SOLDIER truly been all they now thought? It had been the whip ShinRa could crack - it made sure that ShinRa got what it wanted and ensured the safety of the company. All opposition was removed either via SOLDIER or through the Turks.

But young boys no longer dreamed of making it into the ranks of SOLDIER. The very mention of the force instilled fear and anger in people, not the respect and admiration it had once commanded. It was no longer an honourable career of the select few - the elite … a modern myth, that's all it was now.

A/N: It's short, I know, sorry. And thanks for reading ;)