It was a commander's duty to be up first, to lead the way into any adventure, including a new day. Elfe sighed, listening to the birds though the sun had not yet risen. Early in the morning was the only part of the day she had time to herself. Even Zirconiade was quiet, as she often was after helping in battle. Elfe's right hand ached, but she ignored it. The pain wasn't so bad that she needed to bother about it yet. There were other things to think about: the upcoming negotiations with Rufus Shinra of all people, hashing out a further truce of sorts with General Sephiroth, making sure the troops didn't get too jumpy, but she wouldn't be able to think through each of those concerns until she'd addressed one in particular that loomed over all others- her father.

As a child she had hoped and dreamed he would come and carry her home like a prince to a princess in a story book. She had been sad and hurt then, and later angry as a teenager. Now... She was glad he was alive, that much was true. She was also curious as to what the hell he'd been doing the last twenty-odd years? Why had it taken him so long to find her? Perhaps, like herself, he had at last presumed her to be dead? But then he had told her he had never stopped looking. How did a Turk- the head of the Turks no less- manage to let one little girl evade him for so long? Okay, maybe she was still a little bit upset about that, but it wasn't worth wasting energy on being angry. Letting her emotions get the better of her only agitated the still-healing wound around the materia shard in her hand, and she didn't want to have to be treated again so soon. She could not afford to appear weak in front of what until very recently had been the enemy.

"You're awfully quiet," her father observed, sitting down next to her. Elfe shrugged without looking up from her breakfast.

"It's how I am," she she replied. "I'm thinking, also eating."

"That's not what I mean. You took me showing up after twenty years with no contact really well."

"What did you expect?" she asked, turning to look at him. "Did you think I'd start shouting? Punch you in the face?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

Elfe smiled. "Daddy, I love you, but I don't know you. For a long time I missed you, and I wondered why you didn't come, but when I finally figured out who I belonged to, you'd been pronounced dead and I was well on my way to being an adult."

He nodded slowly. Elfe went on.

"I was angry for a while, but I'm not anymore. If anything I'm confused as to how you're still alive."

He paused, took a sip of coffee, clearly trying to figure out how they'd managed to keep missing each other.

"I lost you when you were three," he began. "You would have been six when I became head of the Turks. Believe me I used every resource I had. Most of them were even legal, but we couldn't find you."

"I would have been transferred to the orphanage by then," Elfe supplied. "Before that, I was at the Old Midgar General Hospital."

Veld blinked. "Wait, you mean Deepground?"

She nodded. "Yes, that's what it came to be called. Shinra built their new corporate office right on top of it. Once New Midgar General was built, they closed it down."

Veld had his doubts about that if what Vincent had told him about the red-headed woman was anything to go by. Tseng and Lazard were digging around in the company database as well as the old archives, but apparently Hojo wasn't the only one to disappear sensitive information.

"Well that explains a few things," he mused. "Everyone who was a victim of the bombing was under quarantine due to risk of infection. It lasted for years. Hell, I'm not sure it was ever lifted."

"It wasn't," she confirmed. "Quarantine remained in place until Old Midgar General closed down. Those of us who had recovered enough were released back into the wild, as it were. I wasn't the only kid there. They had trouble treating me, but they finally figured it out. Once we had healed enough, Shrina saw that we were taken care of. A couple of us were Fostered, but most of us were put in an orphanage, more of a group home, really. It wasn't terrible, as such things go. The matrons were nice enough. We had food, clothes, toys, education, more than most kids in Midgar ever got. Once we were old enough, Shinra made sure we all had jobs too. Compensation, I guess."

"Still doesn't explain why I never found you," Veld said, sounding annoyed, though the anger was directed at himself.

"Well, you remember I called myself 'Elfe' when I was little, and how many kids know their parents names when they're that young? I didn't discover my ties to you until much later. It wasn't until after DNA testing became common that they were able to identify mom's remains and by association, myself and you."

Veld nodded. "Yeah, I finally got the notice years later. Fourteen to be exact."

"There's another question answered," Elfe remarked. Veld tilted his head curiously.

"By that time I was working as part of building security," she explained. "I was sent on assignment as a nerd-wrangler to Cosmo Canyon. Fuhito and a few others went there to study, I went with them to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble and...we never came back. I would have been eighteen. He and I joined Avalanche later that same year."

"So you defected. Which meant even though Shinra had identified you, they wouldn't have been able to find you," Veld finished. Elfe nodded.

"Avalanche and Shinra spent a lot of time spying on each other. I knew my last name, but I didn't know who you were. Besides, everyone was still pretty taken up with Wutai until a couple of years ago. It wasn't until we learned that someone new had been installed as head of the Turks that I saw your photo and put two and two together. By then it was too late. Everyone knows Turks don't retire, they disappear."

"By and large that's true," Veld agreed. "For all intents and purposes, I am dead. Tseng's a good kid. Mentored him myself. He agreed to look the other way so long as I kept out of sight and out of trouble."

"And so we kept missing each other," Elfe concluded.

"Felicia, I'm sorry…"

"I know you are," she said gently, waving the apology away. "But it doesn't matter now. I grew up without you and it could have been worse. I didn't have a problem with Shinra until much later; after I learned what makou power was doing to the Planet, to its people, and after I thought they'd killed you."

For a long moment Veld was silent, contemplating the battered wood of the table. "I wouldn't blame you for being angry."

"Look daddy, it's okay, really."

He shook his head, smiling at her. "I'm amazed you even call me that."

Elfe shrugged. "Well, that's what you are. Unless you'd rather I call you something else? We're strangers to each other, after all. I stopped being angry or even sad ages ago. Until yesterday, you were just a memory to me. Now you're here, and I don't see the point of getting angry again. We didn't get to be together as father and daughter. Why not try to get to know each other as adults?"

Veld thought about this and then nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Shears and Fuhito were ready when she buckled her sword belt and headed across their camp toward the town hall. Her father came along as well, bringing up the rear while Shears and Fuhito walked a half-step behind her on either side. General Sephiroth was already there with his own entourage and several Turks who were placed strategically around the room. Vice-President- well, President, now- Rufus was chatting with a couple of men from the Corel town council. To her mild surprise, both President and General greeted her politely.

"Miss Verdot," the President said with a smile. "Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."

"It's 'Commander', please," she told him before moving to the offered seat. "I made Captain before branching out on my own."

"Excuse me, Commander," he said with a nod. Elfe returned it and sat down. She was immediately across from the General, his spiky-haired second and another man with with similar coloring but much smoother tresses pulled back in a loose ponytail sitting across from Fuhito and Shears. Why he was there, she was not entirely sure. He was not dressed in a military uniform, but a suit of Turk blue. About then he noticed her looking at him. On the point of turning away, Elfe's eyes widened and she froze for a moment. The man stared back, eyes an eerie shade of blood red. He offered her a polite nod and then turned his attention elsewhere. Giving herself a mental slap, Elfe did the same.

Colored contacts, she told herself, annoyed. Turks employed all sorts of underhanded tricks to disarm and intimidate. She might trust her father, but that didn't mean she trusted the rest of them.

"I appreciate everyone's willingness to cooperate," Rufus began. "I apologize for the earlier rudeness on the part of my own delegation. It won't be happening again. I don't agree with the way my father or the company presently does business. The Corel council and myself have already forged an agreement. What we're here to discuss is how to proceed. I doubt my father will be too happy with me, and I don't want to put the citizens at further risk. General Sephiroth, any suggestions?"

"If the citizens are agreeable, I suggest we stay here," the general said, straight-faced. "Shinra hasn't got much of an army left now that I, the remaining SOLDIERs, and most of the infantry are here. However, we have reason to believe Shinra's resources have not been completely exhausted. If we pull out now, Corel may suffer. I would suggest at the very least leaving a detachment here to defend the town; preferably composed of both my troops and Commander Verdot's."

Elfe blinked, having not expected that. To her left, Fuhito seemed equally surprised. Farther down, Shears simply nodded.

"What they still got back in the broom closet?" he asked.

"Colonel Fair, Mr. Valentine, and myself encountered a Shinra operative who claimed to be from a branch we were not familiar with," the General said, nodding to the two dark-haired men next to him. "I've spoken with sources that I trust and we have reason to believe that she is not the only soldier with such training."

"So there's more a' you?"

Sephiroth, surprisingly, seemed slightly chagrinned at this remark, but shook his head. "She wasn't a SOLDIER. If she was, I would have known. She's something else; something different, but not far off."

"Okay. But there's more of her?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Probably. How many more, I don't know and I'd rather not take a chance on finding out. I don't want to leave Corel open to retaliation because of what we've done."

"Mighty decent of you," Shears remarked, an unmistakable note of sarcasm in his voice.

"Shears," Elfe said sternly. Her subordinate flushed and shut his mouth with a snap. "I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with General Sephiroth. It would be wise to establish a camp here of both Shinra and Avalanche troops. However, before we agree to anything further, I'd like to know what your plans are for the Shinra Electric Power Company, Mr. President."

Rufus blushed minutely. "Considering I've had roughly forty-eight hours to establish a new corporate policy, there are still quite a few details to hammer out," he said politely, but with an unmistakable edge of exasperation. "I realize you'll have many suggestions and I look forward to hearing them."

That was more than she'd hoped for. "I realize makou power is your bread and butter, but it cannot continue. Any and all makou reactors must be shut down. I realize it's not only impractical but impossible to deactivate them all today, but I need to know that you have steps in place for the eventual replacement of makou power."

"I thought as much," Rufus nodded. "I need to check with the research and development team in order to come up with a substitute. Indeed, I'd like to concentrate more on energy and less on military development from here on out. We do have a couple of leads on a much more efficient method of makou power that is far less draining to the Planet. I realize that's not a permanent solution, but it's the best I can do at the moment. No more reactors will be built, I can promise you that. Once things settle down, I plan to overhaul the remaining reactors and then focus on replacing them entirely with a more long-term solution."

It sounded good, he even seemed as if he mean it. "I'd like that in writing. I'd also prefer a timetable with deadlines as to when you plan to accomplish all of this. You're asking us to take an awful lot on faith, Mr. President."

Rufus lowered his head and spread his hands. "Until my father steps down, or the rest of the company recognizes me as its new head, my power is limited. Believe me, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt because of the bad decisions Shinra has made. If you promise not to blow anything else up, I promise not to be a douche. How does that sound.?"

A vague murmur of shock rippled around the room. Her father snorted, the General was coughing, apparently trying not to laugh. It was hardly the pronouncement of a corporate mogul, but it was more genuine than anything Rufus had said so far. Allowing herself a grin, Elfe reached out a hand which the President grasped and shook.

"Sounds alright to me."

"I can't believe you agreed to that," Fuhito told her once the bulk of negotiations had been hashed out. He didn't seem annoyed so much as baffled.

"The idea, as I've told you, is to shut down makou reactors," Elfe reminded him. "I know we'd all love to throttle the former President, but this is a much more civilized way to achieve our goals. We're all adults here. If we can come to terms and agree on at least a few things without drawing steel, we should."

"I don't disagree," Fuhito replied, shifting uncomfortably, "but how can you trust them? Any of them? And now you're to join forces with General Sephiroth?"

"He's head of their military, I'm head of ours," she told him flatly. "I don't have to like him, I just have to work with him and make sure our troops don't start shooting each other just for spite. Shears is already selecting people to stay here along with the contingent of Shinra troops."

"Some of them are whispering that you've sold them out, that you've been seduced by the enemy."

Elfe could not avoid rolling her eyes. "Sephiroth has many fans. I am not one of them. I should think after watching us fight they'd realize I'm more likely to kill him than kiss him."

Fuhito shrugged. "Be that as it may, I'm worried."

"I know you are," she told him kindly, "and I appreciate it, but I can handle myself. I'll have a word with the troops."

"And your hand?"

She froze briefly. She had thought no one had noticed. "It's fine," she assured him perhaps too quickly for he frowned.

"If you say so," he said dubiously. "Please, if you're in pain, don't ignore it. You know no one will think less of you for it. Need I remind you what happened last time?"

"I know that. It's not our troops I'm worried about."

"They don't need to know. They won't know, so long as you take care of yourself. Please, at least let me look at it?"

Elfe sighed heavily. "Oh alright."

Fuhito turned toward their camp and the coal shed, and Elfe took a step to follow him, immediately jumping back as a bolt of plasma struck the earth just in front of her.

"What the hell?" she demanded, drawing her sword. A second bolt smote the street, shattering a cobblestone and sending shards flying in all directions. "WHO GAVE THE ORDER TO FIRE?!"

"It's not us." General Sephiroth had appeared at her elbow. "Look."

She did look, eyes widening in disbelief then horror. A wall of people and machines was descending upon the village, scurrying down the mountainside like so many insects.

"I thought you said you took the whole damn army with you?!"

"I thought I did too…"

The quaver in his voice was almost undetectable, but Elfe heard it and swallowed hard.

"So this isn't a double-cross?" she asked, looking at him askance.

He shook his head. "Not on you."