Wishing Against Fate
by the infamous and notorious tocasia
10/10/2017
24. no time for Seph&Zack Friendship 100 Themes
"That'll keep the Planet going, at least a little longer."
In which Sephiroth makes a snap decision based on very little evidence.
tags: Bugenhagen, AU, Sephiroth and Zack friendship, soap operas, science is important, communication is important, insanity, interior monologues, dark, black cape, ecoterrorism, that playground in Sector 6 that's still there, saving the world
'Everyday Mako reactors suck up Spirit energy, diminishing it.
Spirit energy gets compressed in the reactors and processed into Mako energy. All living things are being used up and thrown away.
In other words, Mako energy will only destroy the Planet...' - Bugenhagen, FFVII
Zack came into his office to check on him.
"Hey Seph, whatcha doing?"
"Studying the enemy."
Zack looked at him quizzically, so he held up the pamphlet he was reading.
"AVALANCHE's report gives the Planet's remaining lifespan as 50 years at the current Mako generation rate, and further notes that even if production is cut in half, it won't exceed 100."
"AVALANCHE? Didn't you wipe them out?"
Sephiroth sighed. "It's what they call the newsletter now."
"Oh."
"I wonder if there's any truth to it? 50 years..."
"No way! It's just fear mongering to recruit for their cause. It has to be."
"That's what I always thought, but..."
"I know, you need a break!" Zack grabbed his arm and, to his amazement, playfully tried to haul him out of the chair. "You know that show we've been watching?"
Actually, it was mostly Zack who watched it. Mostly.
"Next episode is on soon! The tv guide says..." Zack thumbed through it.
'She looks for love, but not any sort of love, it must be the pure and perfect kind. The search will probably take a long time.'
"Come on, Seph!"
Zack seemed determined to distract him. Well, alright. He swatted his friend's hand away and stood up on his own to follow.
Later in the evening, the day's paperwork dealt with...
Not wanting an audience, Sephiroth went farther from Midgar than usual for his practice. He dismounted and patted the chocobo, a signal for the bird to run back to the stables.
50 years left! It was all he could think about. The injustice. So much would go undiscovered. Everything humanity had done, wasted...
He took a step forward and brought Masamune down in a vertical slice.
Was it true? How would he find out? This was not Hojo's area of expertise.
He pictured a summoner across the field, well-defended. He'd cut a swath to them and draw their fire since he could safely take more damage than the rest of his troops.
He shouldn't involve more people than necessary in his potentially treasonous investigation. He was untouchable, but Shinra might hurt the others.
Now he visualized a hallway in a command center, a tight space limiting the angles of his swings with Masamune. But it could still stab, like this, or slash mortal wounds, despite the short distance, with a slight flick of his wrist. Speed and strength and sharpness. Were he approached from behind, he'd turn and cast. Bolt was often a good choice.
50 years left and he had to keep his pursuit of knowledge secret due to petty politics! Infuriating did not even begin to cover it.
Sephiroth decapitated another imaginary opponent.
There were no peer-reviewed journals on the Study of Planet Life. It was a fringe theory. The only reputable scientist of note who espoused the idea that the Planet was something that could die was Bugenhagen in Cosmo Canyon.
If the wind was blowing this way, he'd set the fire here...
Perhaps he'd talk to Bugenhagen if his own anti-Shinra sentiment ever reached a breaking point. At the moment, he didn't have time to entertain doomsday scenarios.
Mother had never laughed at him louder than she did then. It gave him pause. She didn't explain, so he had to guess what she meant.
...yes, she was right. The Planet's death was a foolish thing to consider at all, and he should be embarrassed that he'd allowed it as much thought as he had. He would not let it distract him any longer.
But he'd consult Bugenhagen anyway, for curiosity's sake.
The red sandstone was wet and warm. A strong breeze was swiftly carrying the humidity away through the spinning blades of windmills. It had rained recently, torrentially, and the desert was in bloom. Zack would like to see this, he could make a dramatic photograph of the landscape under that bluest of skies for sure.
Sephiroth rode his chocobo up to the gate. He'd grown fond of it during the journey. It warked at the guard.
Unsure of the proper title (Professor? Doctor? Mr.? Elder?) but willing to be corrected, he left it off. "I wish to speak with Bugenhagen."
The guard denied him entry.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "It's nothing to do with Shinra, if that's the concern. I'm here on personal business to learn about the Study of Planet Life."
Apparently that was not enough.
"Bugenhagen will teach me, I hope." The guard tensed. He sighed. "...No it is not a threat, I'm merely curious. You must have heard of my interest in such things?"
"I'll let him know."
A messenger was sent.
Bugenhagen was an old man with a spiky white beard. Dressed in a blue robe, he balanced on a hovering green ball, probably some sort of materia.
"Ho Ho Hoooo!" His whole body shook. "I wondered when you'd come."
What an odd laugh. But...
The greatest glint of knowledge shone in this man's eyes, bookended by crow's feet as they were. Here was wisdom and mirth, the valuable memories of a long life... Deserving of respect.
Sephiroth gave the guard the chocobo's reins. The bird would enjoy getting some water and shade.
Bugenhagen led the way, floating above the stairs carved into the rock and through the pleasantly cool caves and up the ladder to the observatory at the top, which also sported a radio dish. Inside, beyond the ship's wheel on the wall, the lift mechanism whirred, transporting them to where 3D holographic models of the planets hung in their orbits.
"This is my laboratory."
Sephiroth was impressed. It was the most intricate apparatus of its kind he'd ever seen! He said so with enthusiasm. Bugenhagen accepted the compliment with grace.
"From this room, we can hear the sounds of the stars in the heavens. While this goes on, planets are born, and die."
Sephiroth listened attentively.
Then...
A savage wind, muted by rhythmic breaths like radar pulses, the piercing, drifting, dopplering... song. Its resonance was felt more than heard.
Bugenhagen spoke as soon as the noise faded. "That..."
Sephiroth interrupted, "That was the cry of this Planet." The idea prickled in his mind.
"Ho Ho Hoooo. Very good. Are you sure you haven't studied this before?"
He shook his head. Bugenhagen continued the lecture.
Sephiroth was distracted. He couldn't explain, not really. The sound was hauntingly familiar... but he couldn't quite place it... why? It was like the screams in the Mako but more... intense? It made those seem flat by comparison. They weren't the same. He'd definitely heard it somewhere. Or maybe he was simply tired? He tried to clear the deja vu and concentrate on what Bugenhagen was saying.
"...But it's not long off."
"I think you're right. I believe you."
"Ho Ho Hoooo. How do you know? I never figured you'd be one for belief."
Good question, but not currently important. Instead he asked, "When?"
Bugenhagen's uncertainty lacked optimism. "It may be tomorrow, or 100 years from now... "
"And if Shinra's reactors are shut down?"
"What percent?"
"All of them."
Sephiroth expected a startled response to his bold statement. Incredibly, Bugenhagen was unfazed.
"The farther out it goes, the less accurate the model, but at best estimate? It could be more than 500 years. The margin of error is 18% with the scarce data we have."
500 years would make a big difference. "They've come here too. The anti-Shinra factions. Don't deny it."
"They say they are trying to save the Planet. Honestly, I don't think it can be done. For even if they stop every reactor on the planet, it's only going to postpone the inevitable."
"I see. Thank you."
At his request, he was shown several other simulations, and was reluctant to leave. When Bugenhagen sadly informed him that the regular telescope's clock drive mechanism needed repair, Sephiroth pledged a donation to fix it, frustrated he couldn't do it himself.
He stayed the night at the Shildra Inn, declined to taste their famous 'Lifestream' cocktail, and in the morning asked if the townsfolk wanted help with anything. They insisted that the bonfire hadn't gone out in the recent rains. No, there were no local monsters to exterminate. "We're fine, thanks." There were some letters to be delivered since Cosmo Canyon had been cut off from the postal system because the mail vehicles kept breaking down.
He agreed to the task while reflecting on his newfound conviction that the Planet was alive. His recognition of its cries made him uneasy. More disturbing was how he felt about it. Soon, oh so very soon, it should and would, fall silent. Should? But... that didn't have to be morbid. Perhaps, if the Planet were saved it wouldn't have to scream anymore.
Sephiroth's return trip to Shinra HQ was uneventful, although he'd recommended that chocobo for the races. He trusted his intuition that it would make A Rank.
He'd already languished in the office for two hours without interruption. Where was Zack? Sephiroth poured a cup of the rapidly cooling coffee for his second-in-command and went to find him. How Zack could stand lukewarm coffee was a mystery, but he never complained about it. Maybe he put ice in it and drank it chilled.
Zack was working hard. Ah, so he'd been too busy to bother him.
"Thanks for the coffee, Seph."
Zack handed him a mission file from his overcrowded desk.
"Thought you'd want this one."
Sephiroth took it and surreptitiously glanced at the open tv guide hiding underneath a lilting pile of forms.
'He's torn between a night out on the town or a quiet evening at home. Yes, love certainly is grand, but intense attraction isn't too bad either.'
"I'll be back before 1900 hours then."
Zack grinned. "Sure, but if you can't, don't worry, I'll record it and we can watch later."
This would be an interesting challenge. He found his sentiment changed by what he'd learned, so now his plan for them was different. He'd even considered burning the file. The ecoterrorist organization, TORNADO, was his target. Their hideout was rumored to be somewhere in Sector 6.
Grateful for his disguise, Sephiroth stalked his way through the crowded alleys of Wall Market, selectively treading on the toes of would-be pickpockets, his black cape trailing behind him. No one would recognize him like this; he'd avoid his usual quota of curious-but-afraid looks and amusingly fearless catcalls from the gym.
There was the restaurant he sometimes went to, and the shadiest pharmacy, and the reputable innkeeper standing outside trying desperately to compete with the "lodgings" at the Honeybee. Across from that was the domed building with the bright white glowing ITEM sign. Sephiroth observed it for a while. No one entered or left that shop. In fact, it was completely ignored by passersby. Suspicious.
Dusty shelves crammed with unlabeled bottles circled the walls. Beneath a painted yellow and black caution bar was a panel with a screen and two claw-grabbing robot arms, an automated vending machine of deprecated design. That explained the lack of interest. As he approached it, his footsteps on the steel grating sounded hollow. Hmm.
"...Beeeeeep... blipppp..."
Bursting light, and he dodged the three nonlethal bullets from a concealed multi-barreled gun on the ceiling. So. Intruders were meant to think it was broken. Clever. He searched by sight, and by touch. Here was the button to lower the platform. He took the lift down, unarmed and intending to remain so.
An angry male voice, "Who are you? How'd you get down here?"
"Consider me a friend," Sephiroth replied.
...yes, these people matched the descriptions in the file.
He immediately identified the leader, the woman with the white top. A decent martial artist, from her wary stance, and those were steel-toed boots and the gloves had hidden metal sewn into the knuckles.
The one with red-brown hair was their bomb expert. She had defiant eyes.
And two run-of-the-mill civilians who believed their cause to be righteous. They were pointing their guns at him. Their aim wasn't too bad.
"I want to join."
He removed the pamphlet from his shirt pocket and held it out for them to see.
They glanced at him suspiciously and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"We're really hurting for help, right?"
The guy in green hesitated. "It's probably a trap..."
"Something about him, he's military, or ex military."
"They're probably with Shinra."
"Does it matter?" said the shorter, rounder man.
Sephiroth smiled.
The leader made her decision. "Alright, we do need the help, but we want to know who we're working with."
He took off the black cape.
"You're...!"
"Relax. I'm not here to kill you." He kept his empty palms visible and his posture as nonthreatening as he could manage.
They didn't lower their weapons.
He laughed. "Okay, then. Pretend you've taken me captive. Now what?"
Sephiroth watched them try to come up with an answer and got a little tired of waiting.
"If I join you, do I get a headband, too?"
Tifa, it might not be her real name, figured it out. "...you're not joining us, are you. That's not what this is, not really. We're your hostages..."
"Yes. But I do sincerely wish to save this Planet."
Sephiroth walked over to the table and looked at the plans, uninvited.
"What's our next target?"
"No. We will go at night, to minimize casualties. The people who work here aren't to blame."
It was Wedge who stammered, "...we've only been able to acquire the daytime access codes..."
"That will not be a problem." Sephiroth let his smooth, dark tone convince them to the fullest. "While I am with you, nothing will be."
He wore the cape to obscure his hair from the cameras. He felt invisible. Ridiculous.
"Take the phoenix downs from the supply chests. No point in wasting them."
Out of habit, he keyed the sequences in faster than the others could see. The heavy electronic doors accepted his override, as did the elevator.
"Watch your step!" the leader warned. TORNADO endured the vertigo admirably and made no mistakes crossing the narrow pipelines and catwalks.
She ordered him to set the bomb. A laughable trial of loyalty, but he indulged them.
How much time? It was just a normal reactor; he was familiar with the layout. It should take him no more than... Wait. He wasn't alone on this mission, so...
Sephiroth set the timer for 10 minutes.
"Now, everyone, escape before security comes!" Tifa said.
"Go first. I'll cover you."
She nodded, and they ran for the exit.
As he'd foreseen, the majority of the night shift guards were robotic, granting him the additional satisfaction of achieving his objective with as few casualties as possible. And with the whole structure scheduled for demolition, restraint was optional. Bolt 3's fully unleashed crackling radiance arced and split the air and melted the walls.
Freed to fight for the greater good... it was... exhilarating.
He made his way out at a leisurely pace.
Up ahead. Why wasn't she moving? Was she stuck? It wasn't his concern. Except...
"Aren't you Scarlet's friend? The one who likes bombs and monitors and flashy stuff?"
She was terrified.
"Does Scarlet know of your affiliation?"
Why had he asked that? What would he do with the information? Betray them? Nonsense. He had the same secret; their situations were similar. What if... What if she was for Scarlet what Zack was for him?
"Don't worry, it's not important." He pulled her gently to her feet.
She hadn't expected his action. "Why did you join us? Clearly, you don't need our help."
"Because I thought you needed mine. Come on."
From street level it was difficult to tell exactly how glorious the explosion was, but Scarlet probably liked it.
Sephiroth didn't rendezvous with TORNADO for the celebration of their small victory. Instead, he went to his office. Zack hadn't waited up for him. He looked at the clock. No wonder.
Morning brought with it clarity.
He should have known he'd quickly become disenchanted with TORNADO.
Their methods were inadequate, and it was obvious that their real motivation was hatred for Shinra. TORNADO didn't care about the Planet. He could operate on a far grander scale than they and, as Jessie had reminded him, had no need of their help. Whether they lived or died didn't matter anymore. It was their lucky day.
Was there another way to accomplish his goal? Possibly. He dialed the number.
"Reeve, I have a question."
"General. What a pleasure to hear from you! What is it?"
"Can a Mako reactor be shut down safely, or will it always fail catastrophically?"
There was a pause. Reeve was probably suppressing questions of his own.
"No, sir. There isn't a way to shut them down. The reaction, once begun, can't be safely stopped, only contained. That's why the maintenance is so critical."
Well. That was unfortunate.
"Then, perhaps we should conduct inspections to modernize the existing facilities. I can offer SOLDIER aid. They will finish the job in a fifth of the time that civilians would, and it will not significantly hamper our defenses, so the President will not object."
"Thank you, sir! That would be wonderful! But... if I may, why did you want them shut down? Mako is the cleanest energy source known to humanity, and so far it's infinite..."
Sephiroth hung up.
He wrote the missions. On the surface, the Firsts would be assigned to maintenance. In reality, their orders were quite different.
The reactors would all blow simultaneously.
That was the easy part. Now to prevent their reconstruction...
Seph hadn't been answering his phone, so Zack was surprised when he finally got him on the line.
"Seph! Where the hell have you been?"
"Busy."
"...is it something classified? Like maybe... the plans for the new submarine dock north of Costa del Sol?"
"No, not that."
Zack took a deep breath. "Something to do with Wutai?"
"No, not that, either."
Seph didn't seem mad, just exhausted. Weird.
"I heard a bunch of the other Firsts complaining about reactor repair missions."
"It's a new policy, Zack. Are you saying you want to do one, too?"
"Nah, I'll pass. So, what is it that you can't tell me about?"
"Saving the world."
Wow, Seph sounded serious!
"That's pretty dramatic even for you, Seph."
There was the slightest delay.
"Meet me in Sector 6 at 'the place that's still there' for a briefing."
"Yessir."
Once in the slums, Zack sauntered to the dingy gray playground and gravitated towards the swings. He flipped the flat wooden seat over because it was wet, and sat down idly to listen, legs dangling. Sephiroth was standing by the slide, his expression impossible to read.
"I am leaving Shinra for a greater cause, one that requires the Mako reactors to be destroyed and never rebuilt. I see no way to accomplish it peaceably. My orders to that end are being carried out as we speak."
Zack stopped swinging. It took a while for the rope's creaking to subside.
"That's what those missions were? Kjata's thundering hooves, Seph! We could've found another way, together, if you'd told me! Now there's no time to organize a relief effort! Millions will lose power. There'll be panic, and riots, and looting, and no more clean water... Innocent people will die!"
"Those are secondary concerns that we will deal with later, after the reactors are neutralized."
"There must be a better way!"
The General ignored him. "I have studied how the reactors are made and traced the materials back to their likely production sites. Those will be my next targets. With that as my goal, there is no reason to stay with Shinra."
"Dammit Seph! 'Secondary concerns' aside," Zack spat, "What will happen to SOLDIER? If you go, they'll put Heidegger in charge, and you know how horrible he is."
Sephiroth said nothing.
"The people they'll send after you will be the same SOLDIERS you trained! It would be a waste to kill them, right?"
"..."
"None of that means anything to you?" Zack stood up and snarled, "Shinra will hunt you down! How many bullets do you think you can take and live? What about whatever concoction Hojo will dream up to stop you?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!"
"Then what do you suggest I do?" Sephiroth said, quietly.
"Talk to Reeve? We can develop other energy sources, get something set up to fall back on."
"Reeve is powerless, and there's no time. Only 50 years, Zack! Our soldiers fought in Wutai so they and their descendants could have a future, not to enable through ignorance the premature death of an entire world!"
"So this is the future you're giving them? And you're just going to leave me to deal with it? Ha! And to think, I looked up to you for being responsible!"
"I wasn't intending to leave you, no. You will accompany me."
"Seph, please. Call it off. I'm begging you here."
"Enough!" Sephiroth was having none of it. "Make your choice, Fair. Come with me."
It was an order. The 'or else' did not need to be enunciated; it was made perfectly clear when Masamune appeared in Sephiroth's hand out of nowhere.
Zack's heart sank. There wasn't anything he could do! Negotiation had failed. He'd be sent to kill the General anyway, and having heard Sephiroth's plans it'd be tough to refuse, because he knew Sephiroth never did anything by halves and would indeed destroy the world if he thought that would somehow save it. Why did it have to be like this?
"No, sir. It's wrong, your methods are wrong." Zack drew his own sword, and settled into his stance without shaking. "I won't let you do this."
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "'Let'? You can't 'let' something happen when you cannot prevent it."
Sephiroth flew at him, lightning fast. He blocked, just barely.
Zack blocked his initial attack, but not the next seven. Still, the two of them had fought in practice many times, and Zack knew his reach and maintained proper spacing. They were only light hits.
His foe's footwork was faultless. Zack didn't get tangled in the swing's ropes or trip on any of the playground equipment, even when the sand turned red. But Sephiroth kept him on the defensive, with no hope of a moment's respite.
"Such a pity, the choice you have made. Don't you realize your sacrifice will save no one?"
Zack parried and pushed him back. He allowed it, and waited at range for the charge that, yes, came as predicted. Sephiroth twisted to the side, and caught Zack's blade with his own so that Zack's inertia drove a sparking trail between, carrying Masamune along the edge towards his opponent's grip, biting into Zack's hands and causing them to jerk reflexively, flinging the Buster Sword spinning to the ground.
Zack was exposed, off-balance. A slash to the shoulder made him stumble. Sephiroth shoved him hard, sending him falling face first, then rolled him over with a kick, and with another cut, opened his chest to the sky.
His blood was no different than the rest. Zack's SOLDIER healing was struggling to keep up. It would end cleanly, with only moderate suffering.
No, it was different, somehow. The fate of the world was at stake, and yet...
"I don't want to kill you." Sephiroth had to laugh at his disbelief, a deep, throaty laugh that must have sounded truly deranged, but he didn't care. "You're in my way, and yet I don't want you to die."
Hilarious. The irony of this situation!
"I would rather... I would rather the Planet died than lose you before then."
"...it certainly would, after," he continued, softly, mostly to himself, "I would make sure of it, for you. But... you wouldn't want that, would you? You're not like me. You don't measure love in terms of revenge."
They were both staring at nothing. There wasn't much time.
"Zack, if you were dead, what would you want me to do?"
Zack choked. "...uh, bring me back? So, put the sword away, please?"
Sephiroth dismissed Masamune and threw back his head and laughed tears.
Zack was bleeding heavily, close to blacking out. At some point there, Sephiroth had wanted to kill him. He was getting dizzy, feeling hot and cold at once.
His ...General (he couldn't be 'friend' right now) stopped his insane laughter, and knelt by his side and propped him up and stared at him with turquoise eyes that were for an instant the whole world. It was more than a little creepy. With one warm hand supporting his neck, Sephiroth came closer until their foreheads touched, as close as you can get to someone else's face without kissing them... and Sephiroth's other hand was on his chest. There was an orange glow. Regen.
Sephiroth's breath smelled like Mako when he said, "Then that is how it shall be. I will always bring you back. We'll be together, when the Planet dies."
Gently, he stroked some of the sand out of Zack's hair. "I won't leave you behind."
"I promise."