Chapter X
In the Conference room, Professor Loire clicked the small controller in his hand and the slide projector clicked to another image of the insignia on the amulet. For the past ten minutes, the Professor had been lecturing over the history of the dragon legend. Although he used many long and drawn out explanations and antiquated phrases, the quick summary to what he said was simple to follow.
Apparently, the Ryuujin Brotherhood had been formed nearly a thousand years ago in the past, and was made up of devout worshipers of the Great Dragons that had ruled the Planet long before man or the Ancients that were now extinct. The Brotherhood was awaiting the return of the Dragon God, who was said to bring about the end of the world. Though the information was different than what they were used to hearing, the attention spans of the executives were still drifting.
"So as you can see," Professor Loire said in conclusion, "this amulet belongs to a member of the Ryuujin Brotherhood, which proves that they are no longer defunct as was previously believed." The lights in the conference room returned to normal and the executives readjusted themselves in their seats. Heidegger was now asleep, but since he never added anything interesting to the conversation, no one decided to wake him.
"Thank you Professor, that was most informative," President Shinra said as he stifled a yawn. "If we have any more questions, we'll reach you at your office." Professor Loire smiled and nodded, and then took the queue to leave the conference room. Once he was gone, the President finally let out his yawn and addressed the members gathered.
"Now, what exactly was the purpose for that boring lecture?" Sephiroth was about to answer, but Veld leaned forward and took the question.
"What we know now sir, is that the troops encountered by Sephiroth and his squad at the cave were not Wutai soldiers, but were members of this Brotherhood. I can also say that we have confirmed that the person who broke into the library was also a member of the same group."
"So is this a terrorist group?" Shinra asked. Veld looked over to Heidegger, who was now lightly snoring, and nudged him awake. Heidegger started in his chair, and looked around quickly as if he did not know where he was. President Shinra only looked at him with an icy glare, but Veld whispered the question into his ear. Heidegger listened and raised his head when he understood what he was asked for.
"Ah, no sir, we don't think so," Heidegger said in a manner as if he had never been caught asleep. "A terrorist group would have no use for this Huge Materia thing on their own. I believe it would be more accurate to say that this cult has allied themselves with Wutai and are locating these Huge Materia for them." Sephiroth opened his eyes in shock at what seemed to be the first intelligent thing that Heidegger had ever said. Before this meeting, he had been thinking the same thing. After all, Sephiroth had fought Wutai soldiers before, but the ninja that he saw in that cave were different in many ways.
"Hmm, well that's interesting. Hojo, have you made any progress on locating where the other crystals may be?" Hojo nodded and pulled a rolled up map from beneath his chair. He stood and quickly unrolled it along the conference table.
"Now, I had to consult several different maps and geological surveys concerning the ebb and flow of Mako energy, but I've isolated the regions by locating spots of Mako concentration. I've indicated each spot on the map with a circle," Hojo said as he pointed out the location for the first recovered Huge Materia. The executives and Sephiroth's squad moved closer so they could see the map.
Besides the spot where they had all ready discovered one, there were four other areas. One was located on the Western Continent north of the Corel Mountains in the badlands. One was located south of the North Pole at the large crater surrounded by the Gaia Cliffs. Another was shown to be at a small island north east from the Central Continent. The island was basically uncharted, so the map just showed a featureless land mass in the shape of a circle. The fifth point was causing the murmuring among the executives; it was located in the center of the Wutai Continent.
Hojo allowed everyone to see it before he spoke again. "Obviously the one located on the Wutai Continent is inaccessible, and it would be safe to assume that Wutai all ready has found that one. It could also explain how they are able to make their Leviathan summon remain on constant patrol of their shores." President Shinra agreed, and took his seat. The other executives did as well and Sephiroth and his squad stood back from the table.
"Now that we know where these things are at, and now that we have a clearer picture of who is trying to get these things, I want to make sure that we get them first. Sephiroth, I want you and your squad, along with Captain Mortis, to recover these Huge Materia. I don't think you're going to have to try and do this clandestinely, so you have the full support of the Shinra resources. If you encounter any more of these Brotherhood members, I can trust that you will deal with them effectively," the President put extra emphasis on the word 'effectively'.
"Yes sir," Sephiroth said and then made his way out of the conference room. While he was heading to the stairs to return to their dorm rooms to retrieve their weapons, Mortis asked Sephiroth a question.
"Do you believe that stuff about a dragon cult?" Sephiroth shrugged and continued on his walk.
"I don't care who they are, but if they stand in my way I'll deal with them." Mortis smirked and continued to walk beside him.
"So which one are you planning on going after next?"
"Do you have a suggestion?" Sephiroth asked.
"I have one, how about we don't take a fishing boat this time," Loran said from the back of the group.
"Well, I don't think we'll be taking a fishing boat, but at least we could take a full on ship or something," Locke added.
"I think we should head to the closest one," Mortis said. Sephiroth nodded in agreement.
"That would be the one north of Corel. We'll have to take a ship from Junon to Costa del Sol. From there we can cross the mountains and get to the rocky lands north of the Corel River. From there, we'll just have to keep our eyes open for a cave or something similar."
Once they were back in Building C, Sephiroth gave them five minutes to retrieve their weapons and any other supplies they needed before meeting back up in the lounge area.
"Everyone ready? We're heading out for Junon," Sephiroth said as he surveyed his squad. Everyone nodded, and they all fell in line behind him. As they rode the elevator down, Bakusa voiced his concern.
"So exactly how are we getting to Junon?" Sephiroth looked at him blankly and answered.
"How do you think we're going to get there? We're going to take the transcontinental railroad." The railroad in question was a new feature to Midgar. While it had been in development for several years, it was only recently opened. Before the railroad was opened, people had to take a ferry from Midgar to Junon, which took nearly eighteen hours. With the train, the trip now only took eight hours. The train exited Midgar and headed south until it reached the Mythril Mountains, where it then ran through a series of tunnels and winding paths until it reached the Junon River. From there, the train crossed the river and eventually arrived in an underground station in Junon.
Sephiroth and the others exited the Shinra Complex and entered the large truck that was waiting for them. As they rode to the station, Sephiroth lightly laughed at the idea of all of Shinra's resources being at their disposal, and yet they were still riding in a typical military truck. Once they reached the station in Sector 7, Sephiroth exited the truck and looked at the ornately designed train station. The architecture was supposed to showcase the glory of Shinra's realm of influence, but Sephiroth doubted that anyone even thought about it being anything other than a fancy train station.
Though it was on the upper plate, many of the people seen entering the station were of mixed social classes. All sorts of people utilized the railroad and were keeping the newly constructed line busy. Sephiroth even wondered if the Company had all ready recouped it's losses from constructing the railroad.
After they each received their tickets, again free, they entered the train and found the small cabin that they were going to be staying in. The cabin was quaint, but it would serve its purpose. While there were no beds on the train, the two benches were rather long and comfortable looking. Before anyone else entered the cabin, Loran jumped in and took a seat at the window. Sephiroth stowed his sword in the overhead compartment and held the compartment door open for Mortis to place his spear there as well.
Bakusa made a fake yawn and tried to sit down next to Loran while placing his arm around her. But before he fully sat down, she got up and moved to the other bench. Bakusa slumped down on the bench and looked dejected. Locke laughed, and bumped him on the shoulder to move over. Bakusa slid over and leaned his head on the window. After Mortis placed his spear in the compartment, he took his seat next to Locke. Sephiroth then sat next to Loran, which made Locke smirk and he tried to share his thoughts with Bakusa, but a sharp glare from Sephiroth made him drop the idea.
The train ride was pleasant, which to Sephiroth meant that it was uneventful. Loran stared out of the window most of the time, briefly turning around to point something out to Sephiroth, who lightly looked out of the window and either nodded or gave a non committal sound. Locke disassembled his pistols and cleaned them about three times, which was his usual routine when he became bored. Bakusa slept against the glass and occasionally woke up when the train would move just enough to cause his head to bump into the window. Mortis constantly looked over a small version of the map that Hojo had made, and scribbled notes to himself in the margins. Sephiroth sat with his eyes closed, not trying to sleep but was merely resting. Of course the occasional disturbance from Loran interrupted this, but it did not happen enough to irritate him.
The sky above them was a clear crisp blue, with only a small trace of clouds gently whisking across the sky. The Mythril Mountains were an earthy tone of brown, with snow still on their caps even this late into the year. The Junon River was a deep rich blue, much unlike the putrid brown of the waters near Midgar.
Once the train passed over the river, it entered a tunnel that ran the entire width of a mountain and entered the underground facility of Junon. From there, the ride was much like a train ride through Midgar, with bright colored lights streaking by the contrasting dark metal as the train sped on. As the train came to a stop, Sephiroth and the others stood, retrieved their items, and made their way to the outer platform.
The underground facility of Junon was much like that of Midgar; cold lifeless steel with a hint of over advertisement and the smell of grease. Junon was not as dirty as Midgar, or at least it was not yet. People were all over the platform carrying their possessions and scurrying away to the small room they rented above one of the many small proprietors all over Junon. Much like Midgar, Junon was faced with an over population issue, but where Junon was also built above the old town, the people there were not forced to live in a cesspool of a slum. The difference here was that many of the people that still wanted to live in the lower districts were there because they were still living in the past. Old people who were still clinging to the memory of the thriving fishing town of old. Sephiroth looked over to Locke and knew that his parents were like those people. In all honestly, Sephiroth could not blame them or feel for them. He had never known a single place that he would call home. Midgar was close, but it held no special meaning for him.
Sephiroth brushed away the thought and made sure that his entire squad was ready, and then moved out, following the signs that pointed the way to the main harbor. They had to ride an elevator that was more like a rising platform to the upper city, and then it was a simple walk down the avenue to the harbor.
When they arrived at the docked ship, the Prima Vista, the Captain of the ship quickly saluted and welcomed them.
"Welcome to the Prima Vista. We were informed of your intention to going to Costa del Sol, and we were ordered to take you there. If you'll make your way aboard, we'll be underway shortly." Sephiroth nodded and boarded the ship. Within five minutes, the Prima Vista began to move.
The Prima Vista slowly began to make her way out of the Junon harbor. Sailors were busily running over her metal decking, making last minute checks and final preparations. Sephiroth took the opportunity to check on the cabin that they were to be using. The cabin was fairly good sized, with two separate rooms with three bunks in each. He noted that there might be an issue with the sleeping arrangements, but he would worry about that when the time came. The trip to the Western Continent would take 17 hours give or take, depending on the weather. He did not foresee any danger aboard the ship, so he placed his sword on one of the beds and went back out onto the deck.
His unit had split up, like usual, so he decided to see where everyone was at. The first person he found was Loran, again on the bow. But instead of looking down into the break, she was staring up at the tarnished brass edifice of Junon's metal plating in the orange glow of the sunset. She noticed Sephiroth approaching, so with wide eyes, she pointed up.
"What is that thing!?!" Sephiroth followed her finger and saw the massive form of the Mako Cannon. Scaffolding was still entirely covering the weapon and work crews could be seen climbing all over it's massive length.
"That's the Mako Cannon, brain child of the former Weapons Development Department. After Wutai had conquered nearly all of the Western Continent during the first phase of the war, the Shinra wanted the ultimate weapon to defend them. That monstrosity is what they came up with."
"How long have they been working on it?" Loran asked as the enormous shadow of the cannon passed over the ship.
"About seven years. After Wutai was turned back, production began to slow and the funds were allocated to other projects. It should be complete within the year though. Don't really know what good it'll do, unless the shot can find a way to curve around the Planet and reach Wutai."
"Do you think it could actually do that?"
I don't know," Sephiroth said as he shrugged. "I've never cared for artillery. I prefer a more direct approach." Loran took her eyes off of the cannon and looked at Sephiroth, who was still watching the cannon pass over head. As she looked at him, she wondered just how many of the stories she had heard were true. Was the one about him single handedly taking out an entire Wutai battalion true? Or what about the one where he burned an entire Southern Wutai village to the ground just to find a single Corporal who may have been carrying an important communiqué? From what she had seen of him, he was a great fighter, but nothing of the legendary caliber that all the stories said he possessed. As she looked at him, she began to feel that maybe he was just the victim of exaggeration on behalf of the Shinra Propaganda department. When she thought about that truth, she began to see him not as a mysterious figure, but a lonely soldier who could never escape his reputation. She wanted to place her hand on his shoulder and let him know that she understood, but she decided not to follow her impulse.
Sephiroth looked back at Loran, who was now looking at him as if he had something on his face. She smiled warmly to him, but he only raised his brow in confusion. "Is there something on my face?" Loran looked confused for a moment, and then shook her head.
"No, I was only thinking about something. It's not important." Sephiroth nodded, still not totally in comprehension, and changed the subject.
"The cabin we got has two rooms, each with three beds. Looks like you're going to have to share a room with someone. I'll let you choose." Loran nodded and then began to think out loud.
"Well, I definitely don't want to share it with Bakusa. Nothing against him, but he sort of creeps me out with his constant come ons." Sephiroth laughed lightly and nodded his head.
"You don't have to make up your mind yet. I'm going to go see where everyone else is." Loran nodded and Sephiroth made his way back towards the crates that were piled up on the deck. There he found Locke twirling both of his pistols and randomly aiming at sea gulls as they passed by over head. Locke saw Sephiroth walking up, so he holstered his guns and nodded to his captain.
"What's up boss?" Sephiroth looked at him with a mocking glance and then looked out at the foaming sea.
"Does twirling your guns improve your aim?" Locke shrugged and scratched his head.
"It kills the time. Hey boss, what do you think about Mortis? He seem a little distant to you?" Sephiroth shrugged and leaned against one of the crates.
"To me he seems as if he doesn't know why he's here. He quit the program years ago because he didn't like taking orders, but now he's back to bring an end to the war. I don't see how one man could do something like that. If you ask me he seems confused, and that's sad considering his abilities." Locke nodded, though he was not expecting that detailed of an answer.
"Yeah, but he's still a nice guy I guess." Sephiroth nodded and made a noncommittal sound.
"The cabin we have has two rooms and three beds in each, so Loran gets to pick who she shares a room with. So far she said she doesn't want to share it with Bakusa." Locke laughed and rolled the toothpick in his mouth.
"Yeah, I could have seen that one coming. My guess is you want to share the room with her, right?" Locke asked as he pressed his tongue to his cheek to keep from laughing. Sephiroth looked at Locke and blinked a few times before he responded.
"It doesn't matter to me either way." Locke let out a quick breath in laughter and rolled the toothpick back to the other side of his mouth.
"Well, whatever you want to say, your secret's safe with me." Sephiroth shook his head and turned around.
"You're worse than a bunch of little girls. You know where the others are at?" Locke let out a laugh and pointed towards the bridge.
"Last I saw, Bakusa and Mortis were in there." Sephiroth did not bother to say anything more and made his way to the bridge. Locke laughed again, finding the awkwardness of his captain to be humorous.
Sephiroth climbed the metal stairway that led up to the bridge and entered the small room. Several sailors were manning their posts, watching the instrumentation with well trained eyes. In a smaller room at the rear of the bridge, he found Mortis and Bakusa looking over sea charts of the world. He entered the room and looked down at the maps. Bakusa was trying his best to keep a look of intelligence on his face, but the quick notations that Mortis was making and the seafaring lingo that he was using was obviously passing right over Bakusa's dense head. Mortis looked up when Sephiroth entered and nodded to the silver haired SOLDIER.
"I looked over our cabin. Loran has to share a room with someone, so she's going to pick." Bakusa stood tall and polished his knuckles on his shirt.
"Obviously it's going to be me. Women find me irresistible." Sephiroth smirked and shook his head.
"Actually, you're the only one that she said she didn't want to share a room with." Mortis let out a sound that was a hybrid between a cough and a laugh and continued to try to calculate routes on the map. Bakusa deflated himself and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I'll be in the cabin if anyone needs me, but I doubt that anyone will," Bakusa said as he left the map room in an overly dramatic walk. After the door had closed, Mortis went back to doing the calculations on the map. Sephiroth looked at the map that was spread over the table and recognized the inarticulate land mass that was northwest of the Central Continent. Though the sea chart had no definition to the island, there was a name for it.
"Round Island? Sounds almost as inventive as Huge Materia," Sephiroth said as he let a smirk come across his face. Mortis let out a grunt and placed his small notebook into his vest pocket. He looked at Sephiroth with his one good eye and asked a question that had been on his mind for some time.
"Tell me, do you ever feel like you're being used by Shinra?" Sephiroth let out a light laugh and nodded.
"All the time, but then that's just part of being in SOLDIER." Mortis shook his head and turned to face the window in the door that looked out into the bridge.
"You're okay with carrying out the nefarious deeds of those who never get to see the destruction they bring to the world? You're okay with being a tool for destruction?" Sephiroth thought about the question for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.
"We're told to do a lot of things, some of them without honor, I'll admit to that. That doesn't mean I find enjoyment in it. What I enjoy is the thrill of the fight. Being in SOLDIER gives me that, so that's all I care about." Mortis let out a sigh and shook his head.
"That's the sins of youth talking. I should know, I was young once." Sephiroth let out a non committing sound and left it at that. He could see that the old SOLDIER had entered a nostalgic regretful mood, so he left him to his thoughts and went to the officer's galley to eat a quick meal.
When he was done there, he went to the cabin where he found everyone else getting ready to get to sleep. He noticed that Bakusa was in the far bunk, with Locke in the one next to him and Mortis in the last one. He raised a brow at the arrangement, and a big grin came across Locke's face.
"No need to worry anymore boss, she chose to share the room with you," Locke said and started to laugh. Bakusa and Locke both exchanged a few quick nudges between each other and even Mortis chuckled at the situation. Sephiroth shook his head in annoyance and entered the adjoining room. When he left, both Locke and Bakusa began to laugh even harder. Mortis turned the lights off in the room and let them continue for only a moment.
"All right that's enough. Damn kids…"