The first change Cloud makes as President (CEO) of Shinra, is to shut the mako reactors down.

It doesn't go as planned.

And we find out how Cloud ended up falling into the reactor.

(When the crack turns to plot).

-o0o-

So . . . somehow we went from crack to actual plot. It surprised me quite a bit.

And also, it got a little emotional, just a warning.

Disclaimer: Any character that you recognize, belong to their respective owners.

I don't know how we got plot from crack, I really don't. Ah well, if it's entertaining, then that's all that matters.

-o0o-

Chapter 10: A New President

It had taken a week for the fact, that SHINRA had a new President, to finally sink in.

As such, a company wide freak out was foreseeable.

The first change that occurred was the name.

The Shinra Electric Power Company was rebranded as Ultima Services, a vast majority of the SOLDIER department easily accepted the change (they had gained a far higher salary than what SHINRA had allotted them), while only a few of the secretarial staff were ecstatic.

It was hell to assign missions to specific SOLDIERs, the task in itself took up about 40% of their work and caused many to run overtime, a reason why the SOLDIER department had the second largest issue regarding overtime pay (the Urban Development department was the first as there were very few employees meaning they all went overtime). The quest desk system was a far superior system, as it allowed the SOLDIERs themselves to choose what mission they wanted, to fit their skill set and their current situation.

It was a problem that had hardly been addressed during President Shinra's time, many SOLDIERs being sent on missions that were either above what they could currently do, or so much a waste of talent that could have been better use elsewhere (like on a mission that someone that DIDN'T have that skill set was assigned).

Not to mention the SOLDIERs who had families. Everyone in the SOLDIER department could recall when a 2nd Class SOLDIER was sent out to Mideel when his wife needed him to be with her for the week looking after their children who were at the fussy stage of entering school for the first time. There had been a huge public outcry at THAT particular debacle, and it was only when Sephiroth stepped in and addressed the matter did Lazard allow the SOLDIER parental leave even though it cost him a lot in paperwork to assign it to another SOLDIER who was available at the time (Commander Phelps was so grateful that he managed to convince several lab assistants to conveniently 'lose' the paperwork for a whole host of tests that had been ordered by the President for Hollander to do to Sephiroth).

If Lazard hadn't listened to Sephiroth, Keith had been very willing to step in and get the man to change his mind on the matter.

So a decent majority of the company were delighted about the change, and once the rest of the company realised that THIS president would actually listen to the common worker, they changed their tune very quickly.

Except the ones who were caught embezzling company funds. Cloud threw them out on their asses in a heartbeat.

Two months after the initial rebranding, some workers still stumbled over the name change, typing or writing SHINRA onto documents, but it was mostly the older workers who had been in the company for a good number of years.

However, the biggest shock was when CEO Strife (he refused to be called President) decided to tweak their biggest source of income.

The new President had called a press conference in the lobby for all the workers, and had publicly announced that the Mako-Reactors were being shut down in favour of Green Energies, such as Solar and Wind, that caused the biggest shock.

When asked by the press, the reason given was actually rather straightforward and shocking enough to cause many to open their eyes and really look around.

It was only a simple speech, but one that shook the world.

"Migar has top quality soil, some of the most fertile in the entire continent according to the lab results. Yet nothing grows in Midgar. The only two people that have managed to grow plants in this town have Cetra blood. Midgar was known for it's farmland, before the Reactors went up, and the soil is still the same quality. Why did nothing grow when the reactors went up? Why did the plants die when they had everything needed to grow their best? The only births in Midgar were those that were conceived elsewhere and Midgar has one of the highest rates of miscarriage in the entire world. Why? There is only one thing different from those days of Midgar farmland."

Once the General and Keith returned from their vacation (the General sporting very . . . colourful hair), did the CEO begin to shut down the first reactor.

The Gongaga reactor was the first to be shut down, put on the high priority list due to its condition and considering the environment around it, it would deteriorate faster than the rest. The Nibelheim reactor would be the second, but because of its frigid environment, mako spillages would be easy to handle as the mako froze immediately (according to Omael and no one dared to try and correct him on the matter, he was the head scientist).

Omael had already gone and done some preliminary tests on the mako in the Gongaga reactor, Zack accompanying him with a team of his assistants and Cloud. If someone got to have a quick home visit, no one mentioned it when they returned to Midgar.

Once the results of the mako testing had come out, Cloud, Reeve and Omael began to analyse them to ensure the mako would be stable enough if they stopped the reactor's production, and put the new energy options into play. As the Gongaga locals relied solely on the mako reactor for their power, they would have to first set the new energy source up before slowly weaning them off mako power.

Given it was an area exposed to the sun almost all of the year, they set up solar panels as the new alternative energy source. And Cloud was happy to get his hands dirty.

It was when Cloud was walking around the town, and saw something very familiar to him, that the fecal matter hit the ventilation device.

"Fucking… ZACK, OMAEL! GET TSENG ON THE FUCKING PHONE IMMEDIATELY!"

It seemed that JENOVA wasn't taking the new changes very well, and decided to speed things up.

Geostigma wasn't to be trifled with, Cloud knew all too well how much damage it could inflict.

Since Omeal had been told about the plague, and how it was spread by Mako pollution, no-one was going to take any chances after he began swearing.

The Turks quickly arranged a First Class escort for Aerith, consisting of the three First Class, and had her brought out to Gongaga.

It hadn't started in Gongaga the last time, but given how it was going to be the first to be shut down, it was no surprise that the effects would first show up here.

Several of the ground and transport crew had alerted of recognised symptoms in other villagers, and took it upon themselves to round everyone up for a Great Gospel shower.

It was only after everything was settled that it was discovered that the ones to recognise the illness actually knew the new CEO.

It seemed that Cloud needed to check on his 'old comrades'.

Perhaps he, Cait Sith and Reeve weren't the only ones that remembered . . .

-o0o-

Getting the crew back together took a lot less time than Cloud had anticipated.

Although, perhaps he shouldn't have sent Keith to pick up Yuffie, the girl exclaiming that Cloud had a twin. Keith had barely even blinked at this, having been told by Cloud how . . . well the closest comparison he could come up with was that Yuffie was much like an energy drink combined with several kilograms of candy in regards to her personality.

The moment the crew were assembled in one of the many conference rooms in the higher levels of the building, did they ask why things were different.

Tifa was the first to ask why her memories of Nibelheim from their timeline differed greatly to what memories the Tifa of this timeline possessed.

Each of the team (excusing Reeve and Cait Sith) had all noticed how there was one other player in the SHINRA power struggle that hadn't been there in their timeline.

And how this Hojo seemed to be . . . not Hojo.

Cloud decided to start at the beginning.

The very beginning.

Cloud was finally asked the question he had been anticipating since the crew had gotten together and shared their stories of their memory gain.

Most of them had involved Mako in some way (Yuffie had ended up in the Spring under the Palace when the floor above it had given way, an assassin had tried to kill her mother before her brother had been born).

Cloud though, didn't stumble into a natural spring. No, Cloud had a much more interesting story than the others.

"I was about two and decided to follow my foster brother up the Nibel Mountain to the Reactor…"

*FLASHBACK*

"Cloud, I promise it's okay. Uncle Omael's been up here plenty of times." Keith gave the small two year old Cloud a bright smile, helping the child through the thick snow.

Cloud had insisted on knowing where Keith went all the time when he wasn't busy with his cousin Sephiroth, and Omael had needed a sample of the mako from the reactor . Omael couldn't leave his lab unattended; he had some very important tests running that he couldn't leave supervised by anyone else in case something went wrong.

Mum had finally given into Cloud's pleading, letting him accompany the eighteen year old who had sort of become like a brother to him. Even if they weren't blood related . . . Keith promised to tell him how he came to live in Nibelheim in the future, when he was older.

But it seemed that he wouldn't be getting that answer anytime soon, as what would occur in a few hours, would make him forget that promise entirely.

-o0o-

Cloud had gotten bored. He was a two year old, it was bound to happen.

The reactor was cold, dimly lit and completely grey in colour. Keith had asked him to wait by the door while he went and collected the sample. He should only be a few minutes, he had said, before he disappeared down a ladder underneath the main platform.

But that had felt like ages ago to a two year old.

The only thing that was different was that statue in the middle of the room. It was of an angel, and looked really pretty.

No-one would blame him for what happened next.

The Statue had a security system on it, to stop thieves and monsters from getting it, and the poor boy had no idea.

The electric shock Cloud got was enough to send him jerking backwards.

The railing he fell against snapped, rusted from age and the highly toxic Mako fumes, and the boy was sent plummeting down into the bright green pool with a scream.

Everything became a blur as he sunk into the green ocean, whispering voices and fleeting touches were all he could hear and feel. He was adrift in a sea of faded images and dream-like memories. A canvas that had been eroded by powers beyond his comprehension.

The peaceful shades of green white abruptly darkened.

Everything went black as he saw a blonde-haired man wielding a large sword, the scar on his brow the same as the one he had gotten recently from falling off the porch into the barb wire fence at the side of the house.

The man seemed surprised as he was, blue eyes so like his own wide with confusion, something inside him screamed that this spectre before him was very, very real. Nothing like the images he had seen before in this dark landscape. This man was important and needed to stay with him.

He reached out.

And knew no more.

-o0o-

The Cloud that woke up, wasn't exactly the same Cloud that had fallen into the coma.

But, that wouldn't be discovered until he tried to lunge at Omeal, and fell to the floor as a large sword fell onto him out of nowhere.

As he tried to take in his surroundings, he was quite surprised to see a blonde, blue eyed teen standing near his mother, his expression torn between panic and relief as he look at Cloud.

But why was his mother so much taller than him? Why was Hojo in his childhood house?! And, for that matter, why was First Tsurugi so damn huge?!

"I told you Omael! I told you that Mako was glowing weird!" The teen was screeching at Hojo, who was staring at Cloud in a perplexed manner, similar to how Hojo had looked at him as a specimen. But this gaze held kindness, and that was an emotion he had never associated with the crazed scientist.

"Which one of you bastards hit me with a Mini?" came the frustrated squeak that stopped all conversation.

His mother gasped at his words, Hojo was taken aback, but the teen . . .

"Cloud, you are two years old! Where did you learn that word?"

"You're more concerned about his language?" Hojo asked with a bemused tone, the teen rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Two? I'm nearly Fifty fucking Eight! I've saved the world about three times now from that crazy bastard Sephiroth, been one of the only survivors of the Geostigma before the cure was found, and I've been the only one capable of traversing the land when the Monsters went out of control after SHINRA fell. I think I can fucking well swear if I want to!"

Apparently the teen wasn't happy with him swearing, striding over and (with some significant effort) lifting First Tsurugi off him, plucked Cloud off the floor like a stuffed toy.

"Cloud, you will calm down. You will stop swearing. You just came out of a mako coma, and we are all freaking out. So let's all be civil adults, and talk this out."

"Why should I calm down? So you can give me back to the crazy Scientist for another six years of torture and experiments?"

"I can assure you, the craziest thing Omael has done, was dating that witch Lucrecia. Otherwise, he's a man who's very passionate about his job, and would never run tests on any sentient being without their permission."

The teen had such a calming voice, that Cloud felt the tension seep out of his shoulders. And seeing how he lifted Cloud's very heavy sword, this person had more strength than the average. Given his current state, Cloud wasn't sure if he even had the strength to overpower this person.

And somehow this person's touch was soothing, like a comrades . . like . . . a brother.

It looked like he hadn't just gone back in time.

He had slipped into a completely different alternative timeline.

. . . .

Why didn't he listen to Aerith's explanation lecture on the Lifestream more attentively?

-o0o-

The 'teen' turned out to be called Keith, and had been living in Nibelheim for a good number of years. He was in fact good friends with Hojo, and babysat Sephiroth who was six years old. Almost seven.

Keith explained to him how about 6 or 7 weeks ago, he had gone up with Keith to the reactor, and had fallen into the mako after triggering the security system on a decorative statue.

He hadn't been under the mako for too long, but enough that he slipped into a coma. Keith had fished him out, and run all the way down to the village with Cloud in his arms, promptly freaking the hell out of the townsfolk. He had gone straight to Omael, who began treatment and was able to stabilize Cloud, leaving them to wait for him to wake up.

Keith had been so preoccupied with Cloud's condition, that he hadn't washed the mako residue off his arms, so there had been a decent amount of mako that had dried up on his skin and left him with a slight case of Mako poisoning. Omael had been so focused on Cloud, he hadn't noticed Keith peeling the mako off his skin, causing the substance to leak into the cuts and entering his bloodstream.

Once Cloud had been sorted out, a lot of Omael's assistants panicked when Keith collapsed onto the floor with a loud crash, taking out a metal cart on the way down.

He had recovered quickly, but had felt extremely guilty, believing it was his fault that Cloud had fallen into a coma.

Cloud felt rather touched knowing he had more than his mother who cared about him this time, his childhood in Nibelheim was a sore subject for him, and he very rarely talked about it with the team.

Now that he knew the circumstances, he began to explain his version of the story.

"That decorative statue that caused my fall? Yeah, not so decorative after all….."

Keith jumped out his seat, a finger pointed at Omael with a triumphant grin.

"I told you that statue was freaky! A reactor doesn't need some fancy decoration! Plus Hollander was really weird about it . . ." He muttered under his breath, the scientist letting out a sigh and rubbing his forehead.

"I'm not in charge of construction, I'm just the guy who tests the mako and reports the results. I'll ask Veld to look into it."

"It's not the statue that you need to worry about. It's the remains of the last host body to a semi-sentient hive-minded Virus from outer space, that's hidden BEHIND it, that you need to worry about."

Hojo looked as if he was going to speak again, but was cut off when there was a loud growl.

It turned out it came from Cloud's stomach.

Yeah, he hadn't eaten in a couple of weeks . . .

Keith was snorting behind his hand, but wore a grin as he rose to his feet.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation after lunch?"

It really was a no brainer that Cloud chose the food.

And that was how he became acquainted with his 'big brother' and his 'Uncle Omael'.

*FLASHBACK END*

"So . . . you just accepted that you had a new brother and an Uncle?" Yuffie questioned from where her arms were flopped on the table, a pout on her face as the others were still trying to comprehend what they had just been told.

"Crazier things have happened."

"From what this timeline's memories show, this Keith isn't that bad of a dude." Tifa shrugged, resting her cheek in one palm. "He scared off Cloud's bullies and basically said 'F U' to the villagers, he didn't care that this timeline's Tifa was the mayor's daughter, just treated her like any normal kid."

"Keith is . . ." Reeve trailed off, trying to find a word to sum up what exactly the Head Janitor of Shinra is like.

"He's the outlier. He is one of the reasons why this timeline is different." Aerith's voice broke the silence, causing them to all glance to the flower girl.

"Omael is another factor, but it's Keith who makes the most impact. He was Sephiroth's stability, someone to go to when he needed, and with his strong moral compass, he's been a lifeline for SHINRA employees. Even if Genesis and Angeal began to degrade, he would be able to shut JENOVA's attempts down. He knows Sephiroth too well, and if she tried anything, it would be fruitless."

"Not to mention that he's a part of a pretty big web of fate lines. The only bigger web is that of the SOLDIER hive-mind overlay, and I'm in charge of that. JENOVA didn't even realise I took it off of her until I started shutting the reactors down. Probably why she's sent out the Geostigma so early." Cloud shrugged, like he hadn't just admitted something rather profound.

"My brain hurts." Cid muttered from behind his cup of tea, this was a bit much to take in all in one go.

"Perhaps we should adjoin this meeting? Pick it up tomorrow?" Nanaki offered, and given how many of the team nodded in answer, it looked like they all needed a break.

"Tomorrow then. I think we all need rest before tackling the Geostigma problem again." Cloud replied, letting out a sigh as he got up from his chair.

Being CEO wasn't that hard, but now with JENOVA up and about again . . .

It was going to make his job a whole lot harder.

But at least he had more people to help him than last time.

The fact that Keith had been eavesdropping just outside the door was unknown to everyone.

-o0o-

OMAKE

-o0o-

"So . . . what's this about a 'hive-mind'?"

Cloud almost jumped when Keith's voice came out of nowhere, a hand held over Tsurugi's main handle as he saw his big brother leaning against the door frame.

"I swear; you must have been a Turk in another life." Cloud muttered under his breath, receiving a vague hum in reply as Keith slipped into the room, hands tucked into his pants pockets.

"I know you're not the same Cloud that used to follow me around as a kid, but I'm still your brother. You can tell me things that you can't tell others. And I know that this team are people you trust, people you've known longer than me, but I'm still sad that you couldn't tell me about that 'little' detail." Keith wore a smile, but Cloud could see that the older man was genuinely hurt, that he hadn't told him about the 'hive-mind'.

"I had only finished taking the damn thing over during your vacation. I didn't . . . want to put all that pressure on you again. You deserved some time off. Besides, if I had told you, it would have spoiled the surprise I had for you."

Keith didn't seem to actually register the 'surprise' part of Cloud's sentence, stalking forward and fisting Cloud's shirt in his hand. Cloud did nothing as Keith tugged him close, almost face to face with the taller man, eyes shining with anger.

"I don't give a damn about vacations. You're my little brother. You, you're someone I want to protect, even if it's hurts me in the process. You're irreplaceable, and if I can ease your burden, just by a little bit, then that's all I need."

Cloud did feel bad about keeping this big a secret from Keith, but he knew that his brother was reckless when it came to him and his safety. The scars that Keith had accumulated over the years because of Cloud's mistakes or stumbles, were permanent reminders of that.

"Cloud, I just, I just want to know that you trust me."

Oh shit.

Keith was crying.

Cloud was frozen, he had never seen Keith cry before. Well, from laughter yes, but like this . . .

These tears were from pain.

Emotional pain.

And he was the cause of it.

He didn't know how to respond.

"Keith, I was hoping you could -"

Omael was at the doorway, his eyes wide behind his glasses as he took in the sight. Keith openly crying and a guilty looking Cloud completely frozen from shock.

Keith quickly wiped away his tears, a broken smile thrown onto his face as he turned to the scientist.

"What did you need me for Omael?" He sniffled, quickly walking over the door as he let go of Cloud's shirt, shoving trembling hands into his pockets.

"Ah, one of Hollanders leftover specimens. I was hoping you could have a look at it."

"Sure! I can do that!" Keith grinned, his voice cracking as he headed down the hallway with the scientist.

All Cloud could do was stare at the wet droplets on carpet, wondering how on earth he was going to apologize to Keith.

He had really screwed up this time.

-o0o-

"Keith, can I talk to you?"

Cloud was nervous, he hadn't told anyone this, even Tifa hadn't known how bad it truly was.

"I want to tell you something, something no one else knows."

"My mother, in my timeline at least, wasn't all there. She had her good days, and her bad days, but she only ever had clear eyes when it came to dealing with the village. I was on my own, completely on my own since she never remembered she even had a kid unless the villagers reminded her. You have no idea what it meant to have someone completely in my corner, to have someone care about me. Someone that I didn't have any memories of, to taint my perception of them. My mother might not have been as bad in this timeline, but she was clearly getting there. I had to feed both of us, she often forgot to eat unless you reminded her, and I had to endure her tantrums when she couldn't remember me. The scars you bear from my folly, are something I hoped you would never have to bear."

"I didn't tell you about the hive-mind because it really isn't that big a deal. It's like holding the channel toggle between the two channels on a radio kit in order to create a third. It is hard to use, and even harder to recognise sometimes. Not many SOLDIERs can 'call-out' with it, only listen in. I've been trying to set up a surprise birthday party for you with it, which is why many of the SOLDIERs have been a little distracted. I know you didn't like it when I told you about being forced to be a 'puppet' for the crazy bastard, and I was scared you'd make the connection that I could do that as well even though my set is different."

"I'll just leave you alone then. You clearly don't want anything to do with me, anymore."

Cloud turned to leave, but the door slammed opened behind him and he could hear the steel creaking.

"Cloud . . ."

He couldn't bear to turn around, he couldn't face Keith, not after everything he had just said.

"You fucking idiot."

He felt Keith's hand on his shoulder, and didn't resist when he was pulled back inside the office.

But instead of receiving a blow like he expected, he found himself in an almost suffocating embrace.

"K-Keith?" Cloud wasn't sure of what to do, Keith had his face buried in Cloud's shoulder, and his whole body was stiff as a board.

"You're my little brother, nothing will ever change that."

He heard Keith mumble, and he felt tears on his shirt.

"Damnit." He found himself muttering, unable to hold back the floodgates as tears started rolling down his cheeks, the two of them weeping as they finally let all the emotional turmoil of the years out, sliding to the floor and clinging to each other like they were afraid of the other disappearing forever.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed there, silently crying in each other's arms until all their tears ran dry.

"Why do I have such a idiot little brother?" Keith muttered with a huff, his tone full of fond amusement as he ruffled Cloud's hair.

Cloud snorted at this, letting out a breath against Keith's collarbone as he slumped against the older man.

"Why do I have such a reckless older brother?" He retorted, causing Keith to chuckle in reply.

Vincent found them five minutes later, tears stains on their cheeks that were red from laughter curled up against each other on the couch with their arms wrapped firmly around each other, dead fast asleep.

He said nothing, only placing a blanket over the two, locking the door behind him and leaving a 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign on the handle.

Only those who were familiar with both blonde individuals would know how long that talk had been due.

But now, all was done and dusted.

There would be no more secrets between them.

That's all Keith wanted.

-o0o-

A/N: Yeah . . . it went there.

Just an update, there probably won't be many updates anytime soon, as I landed a house keeping job at a lodge. Meaning I have no idea about my schedule and probably won't have much time to write. So just a warning if anyone is expecting updates in like the next two months.

But at least I'm going to get an idea of what Keith has to deal with, at least in regards of cleaning, so maybe I'll get ideas from the experience . . .

LiulrLokison out! :3

Hooo, boy I'm am going to be so bored without any work...

ChaosBalance Signing Out!