Author's Note: For readers of my previous story, Sacrifice, you'll see two OC's from that story popping up here! ^_^ For those who haven't read Sacrifice, I hope you enjoy Gail and Raeven!

Both myself and my beta, Sephiroth Owa13 were battling terrible headaches, so please have mercy on us with any errors in grammar or missing words! :)

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy VII and all its characters (damn). I just play with them every now and then! :D

Chapter 38: Propaganda

Cloud could feel Genesis' glare boring into his back. He didn't even need to see him to know he was in the same room as him. "Are you here to toss a fire spell at me, or are you just content to glare holes in the back of my head?"

"You better not fuck this up, Chocobo Head."

Cloud sighed irritably and turned away from his packing to face Genesis. "What good would fucking this up do me? I could be killed and so could Tifa if I drop the ball."

Genesis narrowed his eyes and pushed himself away from the door frame, nudging the door closed with his foot. "You think you're in love with her, but you're not."

Cloud sneered and folded his arms across his chest. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know your type," Genesis countered. "I was your type. I, too, admired Sephiroth, but my jealousy of everything he had consumed me to the point where my admiration for him was lost in a sea of bitterness and hatred. You admired him once…until you realized he had romantic intentions toward your childhood sweetheart. Then, you began to hate him."

Cloud turned away, pretending he thought very little of Genesis' theory, but in reality, he was disturbed by the accurate description Genesis had given of the evolution of his feelings regarding Sephiroth. He had always looked up to Sephiroth; he had always wanted to be like Sephiroth. But he had wanted to be a hero for Tifa. He went to Midgar to become SOLDIER, just like Sephiroth, so he could return to Nibelheim a hero…a hero worthy of Tifa.

"Nothing to say?"

Cloud turned and met Genesis' glare head on. "I have plenty to say, I just know better. You've chosen your side, so me trying to make you see it my way would be pointless. Besides, I don't need any validation of my feelings from a pathetic ex-SOLDIER like you."

Genesis' Rapier was at Cloud's neck before the sound of it being unsheathed even registered in his mind. Despite not having been exposed to mako recently, Genesis' eyes seem to glow, though partially hidden by his hair. He pushed forward until Cloud felt a trickle of blood traveling down his neck from where Genesis' Rapier had pierced his flesh.

Cloud lips parted in a mocking grin. "What's wrong, sir? Did I hit a nerve?"

The wheels were turning behind Genesis' glare, probably assessing the possible outcomes from the various actions he could take. Eventually, he lowered his sword, but his eyes never lost their ferocity and he kept his eyes on Cloud. "I believe I am beginning to understand why Sephiroth seems to view you as a mere annoyance and not a threat. There is no way in hell Tifa could ever fall in love a pitiful excuse of man like you."

Cloud narrowed his eyes and watched Genesis take a few steps back before turning away from him. Cloud refused to let him have the last word. "She doesn't have to fall in love with me for her to see Sephiroth for what he really is."

Again, Genesis stopped then looked over his shoulder at Cloud. "I thought I would forever be alone in my utter abuse of someone I called 'friend'. It's nice to know I'll have some company in my shame…even if that company is you."

Sephiroth sat on the side of his bed he had already come to see as her side of the bed. Gods, he was going to miss her. They had only just been reunited and tomorrow she would be on her way back to Midgar.

A knock on his door distracted him from his thoughts. Reluctant to really speak with anyone, he took his time getting to the door. He would never admit it, but he was kind of hoping whomever it was would just assume he wasn't there and just leave. Of course, when he opened the door, he was glad the person on the other side of the door didn't leave.

"I was beginning to think you weren't here," Tifa said, a bright smile curved her lips up…lips that Sephiroth wanted to feel pressed against his again very much.

He stepped aside so she could enter before shutting the door behind her. He silently watched her move further into the room before moving up behind her and wrapping his right arm around her waist. Using his left hand, he brushed her hair over her left shoulder before he began kissing the sensitive flesh on her neck. "I didn't want to be disturbed, but I'm glad I answered the door."

Tifa sighed and leaned back in his embrace. She even went so far as to reach behind her and rub her hand across the front of his pants. "We're easily becoming a pair of sex maniacs."

Sephiroth smiled against her skin. "I don't necessarily see that as something bad, especially when you're touching me like that." He turned her in his arms so she was facing him. His smile faded when he saw a distinct sadness in her eyes. "Tifa, what's wrong?"

"I just…I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you."

He understood that feeling, all too well. "Hopefully, it won't be too long before the war ends. Then I'll be able to join you in Midgar."

"And then what?"

He sighed, a smile tilting his lips up at the corners. "Then forever is ours." He leaned in to kiss her once more, but he stopped at the sound of his PHS coming to life. "When this war is over, I'm burning this phone." He flipped the offensive device open. "General Sephiroth speaking."

"It's me," Vincent said. "We have a problem."

The noise in the background and the heavy static on the line made it difficult for Sephiroth to hear him. "Vincent? What's going on? I can barely hear you."

"The Corel mako reactor has been destroyed," Vincent answered. "And according to some locals, ShinRa is claiming AVALANCHE has taken responsibility for the explosion."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "The president is upping his game."

"Corel's populace is ready to take up arms against Wutai," Vincent paused for a moment. "I think it may be a good idea to come and assess the damage yourself. If you come, you might be able to persuade them to see the truth behind this tragedy."

"I'll come immediately," Sephiroth said.

"Elena is on her way back to pick up," Vincent said. "The helicopter should arrive within the hour. Yuffie and I will continue to assist with the rescue operations. There were people in there when the explosion occurred and some are still trapped."

"I'll contact you when we arrive."

"What happened?" Tifa asked when Sephiroth snapped his phone shut.

"ShinRa blew up the Corel mako reactor and they're claiming AVALANCHE has taken responsibility for the explosion," Sephiroth answered. "I'm going to Corel."

"Seph, let me come, too. I'm part of AVALANCHE and I want to assure them that we had nothing to do with it. If nothing else…I know what it's like to experience incredible loss at ShinRa's hands."

He didn't want her anywhere near a possible angry mob of survivors, but she had the face of an angel and if the population of Corel could come to associate Tifa's gentle nature with AVALANCHE, it may make it easier for the survivors to accept ShinRa as the culprits behind such a devastating attack. "If you come with me, I want you to promise me you will do exactly as I say. I need you to trust my judgment when it comes to your safety."

She nodded; the solemn expression on her face convinced him she understood why he would make such a demand. "I trust you, Seph, and I'll listen to whatever you say."

Sephiroth nodded and took her hand. "I have to find Lazard and tell him of this development."

Vincent shook his head. So many people were dead; so many families destroyed. If ever anyone doubted they were doing the wrong thing in opposing ShinRa, all they had to do was look at the destruction and death that surrounded them.

"This is…awful," Yuffie whispered.

"This is ShinRa," Vincent answered.

"What the fuck are y'all doin' here?"

Vincent turned and faced the man behind them. "Mr. Wallace, I cannot stress this enough, but AVALANCHE had nothing to do with this."

"We want to help," Yuffie added. "Please, tell us how to help you."

Barret Wallace narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuffie. "Yeah, like some snot-nosed spoiled princess knows what the fuck we common folk need!"

Vincent waited for the inevitable outburst that was bound to come after such a cold response and he couldn't say he had much sympathy for the man when it came to dealing with Yuffie's probable response. His answer had been cruel and he was obviously trying to bait the young girl. But to Vincent's surprise, Yuffie met the intimidating man's stare head on and stood her ground.

"You're right," she said evenly. "I don't know what you need from me, so please tell me."

Barret was obviously taken aback by her response, or lack thereof. He was about to say something, but he looked past them and narrowed his eyes. "The fuck is he doin' here?"

Vincent turned and saw Sephiroth stepping out of a helicopter. He was a little surprised when he saw Sephiroth reach up and lift Tifa from the helicopter as well before setting her on the ground beside him, leading her toward them. Vincent could tell by the look on her face that Tifa was reliving the nightmare of seeing her hometown burn. The fires around Corel were still burning; the smell of death, burnt building material, and raw mako still hung in the air around them. It must be triggering memories for her and Vincent felt an enormous amount of sympathy for her.

"You ain't got no business bein' here," Barret said as he stormed toward Sephiroth. "This is your fault! How could you order the killin' of families 'cause we didn't want no trouble by gettin' involved?"

Sephiroth remained calm, despite Barret being so close to him. "I assure you that neither Wutai nor AVALANCHE had any hand in this disaster."

"You think I'm some kinda idiot?" Barret narrowed his eyes. "These two came to us not four damn days ago, askin' us to join your little revolution, and when we say no, this fuckin' happens!"

"Excuse me," Tifa said quietly.

Barret turned his glare on Tifa. "What?"

"My name is Tifa Lockhart. I'm a member of AVALANCHE and I swear to you I would never agree to this kind of action."

Barret glared at her. "Right. And why would I believe you, The Demon of Wutai's little groupie, huh?"

Vincent felt a surge of pride to see Tifa maintain her grace and dignity in the face of such a pained and unreasonable anger. She met his stare with understanding and compassion.

"Because I'm from Nibelheim," she answered. "And I saw my home burn because of ShinRa. They killed my friends, my neighbors, and they killed my father. They took everything from me and destroyed my life. They even tried to kill me, but the man you call "Demon", saved my life and has protected me ever since that day. Trust me when I say AVALANCHE didn't do this and neither did Wutai."

"She speaks the truth," Vincent interjected.

Barret looked at Vincent and then Sephiroth, before turning his gaze to Tifa once more. "How can I believe you?"

Tifa shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know how to make you believe me. All I can say is you know ShinRa and how they bully small towns into becoming sites for their reactors, then try to control the mayors with promises of money and power, only to take it away when they disobey ShinRa. You know what they did in Wutai. All of us in these small towns saw the troops on their way through our towns to Wutai…and the careless celebration of most troops on their way back from Wutai, boasting about their prowess as killers."

Vincent could tell Barret felt sorry for Tifa and could understand her pain, but when he looked at Sephiroth, he still couldn't see how he fit into this revolution.

"Okay, I get the girl's investment in this whole thing," Barret said. "But where do you fit in, Demon?"

"Genesis Rhapsodos discovered some…ugly truths regarding the creation of SOLDIER, in particular, how I was created," Sephiroth answered. "The truth of their methods convinced me that the company I had served all my life would use me and cast me aside the minute they created a new 'perfect' creation."

Barret's eyes widened slightly. "You don't mean all them rumors about them experimentin' on humans is true, do ya?"

Vincent lifted his golden claw, flexing the metal fingers now permanently fused with his body. "Mr. Wallace, you are looking at two of ShinRa's living experiments and there are at least four more fighting against ShinRa, more if you include former clones."

"We really do just want to help," Yuffie added.

Barret appeared to weigh his options while making eye contact with all of them, though his gaze lingered Tifa. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. We have to clear the town…get everyone into the mountains."

Sephiroth nodded and looked at Tifa. "I want you and the princess to see to that."

Tifa nodded. "Sure."

"Wait." Barret gently grasped Tifa by her arm. "My best friend died in the explosion. His little girl ain't got nobody, now…'cept me. Look after her, okay?"

"I'll guard her with my life," Tifa assured him. "What's her name and where can I find her?"

"Her name's Marlene and you can find her with the other survivors." Barret pulled out his phone. "I'll let them know you can take her. The Wutai kid can point her out for ya."

Yuffie cocked an eyebrow. "I'll let it go this time, but if you're gonna be one of us, I'm not 'that Wutai kid'. My name is Yuffie, big guy. Use it."

Once Yuffie and Tifa were on their way to the survivors, Sephiroth turned and looked at Barret. "I want to see the reactor."

Tifa looked at all the survivors and felt her heart clench. The scene was all too familiar. The smell was the same and the panic was the same. Everyone looked terrified and so…lost.

"Bad memories, huh?"

Tifa looked at Yuffie and nodded. "These people have lost everything and it's all because of ShinRa."

Yuffie's face tightened and at that moment, she looked more mature than her fourteen years. "We are so going to make those bastards pay for what they did to Wutai, Nibelheim, Corel, and what they plan to do to the rest of Gaia!"

"How many more lives have to be destroyed for the rest of the planet to move against ShinRa?" Tifa asked, the question not meant for anyone in particular.

"If there is one thing I've learned during my time with Vincent about people in general, it's that they're all dicks," Yuffie said. "Nobody cares about anybody else. Everyone on this damn planet only looks out for number one and it is a damn sad commentary on the world's populace when a guy known as The Demon of Wutai turns out to be the one guy in the world who seems to care the most!"

Yuffie was right. The one man on Gaia everyone assumed to be a heartless killing machine was the one most invested in this fight. Yes, everyone fighting ShinRa had their own axe to grind with the company, but for Sephiroth, the fight was extremely personal.

"Yuffie!"

Tifa watched a small girl, no more than two or three run up to Yuffie, who bent over and scooped her up in her arms.

"Hey, Marlene! Your dad's mean old friend finally said we could hang out!" Yuffie said with a grin. "And guess what? I brought someone else with me. This is my friend Tifa!"

The young girl smiled shyly and waved. "Hi, Tifa! Are you here to help us?"

Tifa smiled brightly. "You bet I am!"

"Is the Demon with you?" she asked.

Tifa smiled and glanced at Yuffie, whom she assumed was the one who had called Sephiroth that in front of the child. "Stop calling him that."

Yuffie blushed. "Sorry, bad habit." She turned and looked at Marlene. "Thanks a lot, kid, you got me into trouble."

"It's not nice to call people names," Marlene countered.

"She's got you there, Yuffie." Tifa laughed softly. "Come on. Mr. Wallace said he wanted us to keep you safe."

All the youthful playfulness disappeared from Marlene's face, making her appear much older. "My daddy said if he went bye-bye, Barret would be my new daddy…is he my new daddy?"

Yuffie winced and looked at Tifa.

Tifa stared at the young girl in the arms of her friend and sighed. It had been hell to lose her father at the age of fifteen and this poor child had suffered the same tragic loss at a much younger age. Tifa's heart broke for the girl.

"I swear to Leviathan, ShinRa will pay," Yuffie vowed on a whisper, stroking Marlene's back.

Tifa nodded and put her arm around Yuffie and Marlene. "So help me God, we'll make sure ShinRa pays for this."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. The main entrance to the reactor was blocked by debris, but the secondary access entrance seemed to be clear.

"Why the hell you wanna go in there?"

Sephiroth turned and looked at Barret. "I want to confirm the method ShinRa used to destroy this reactor. If nothing else, we may be able to recover visual proof that it was ShinRa who set of this explosion."

"Wouldn't that equipment be destroyed in the explosion, or even the heat from the fire?" Vincent asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "Planes, helicopters, and most other airships have something called 'black boxes'. Mako reactors have something very similar to that. Outside of the feeds that the Turks used to watch of the reactors, all security recordings are held in metal boxes specifically designed to withstand temperatures of one thousand degrees Celsius and impacts of thirty-four hundred g's, in the case of an explosion. If the fire isn't as concentrated near the housing unit of this 'black box', the recordings may still be intact."

"You want us to believe ShinRa's that stupid they'd allow their guys to get caught on camera doin' this shit?" Barret asked.

"Not stupid, just arrogant," Sephiroth said. He led them through the access tunnel and along the metal catwalk into the heart of the reactor. "ShinRa would most likely assume you wouldn't bother looking for evidence against them. Besides, these reactors fall under military jurisdiction. The mere existence of those black boxes wouldn't be something you would even be aware of and there would be no danger of civilians hunting them down for information, never mind having the knowledge as to how to retrieve the data."

Barret frowned. "Wouldn't they think you'd get your ass over here in a hurry?"

"ShinRa would assume that I would convince Emperor Godo to cut his losses with Corel and move on, never addressing their assertion that AVALANCHE caused this explosion," Sephiroth explained. "Their arrogance knows no limit."

Barret grunted. "You're tellin' me."

As they proceeded through the reactor, Sephiroth noticed there wasn't very much damage and not a lot of smoke the further into the reactor they went. The lack of damage or indication of massive fires, which would be the result if an explosive had been used, made it clear the intention here was to cause havoc and destroy the town, but leave the reactor salvageable.

"The state of the reactor perturbs you," Vincent observed.

Sephiroth nodded. "So far, all the signs point to ShinRa wanting the town destroyed with as few survivors as possible, yet leave the reactor itself intact, for the most part."

"Those fuckers," Barret mumbled.

Sephiroth exhaled. "Indeed. We're close to the security rooms."

"And what'll you do if your so-called evidence proves ShinRa ain't the ones you claim are responsible?"

Sephiroth shrugged, his steps never faltering. "I don't know. What would you like?" He didn't flinch at the click near his ear, but the click a little further back made him take notice. He turned slowly and found himself staring at the barrel of a gun Barret was holding. Just behind Barret, he saw Vincent holding his gun to Barret's head, just behind his ear. "You want my life?"

"Seems only fair," Barret said, lifting his right arm. "I lost my hand 'cause o' all this shit."

"Are you prepared to suffer the same fate?" Sephiroth asked, nodding his head in Vincent's direction.

"My wife's dead." Barret's voice was hollow. "My best friend and his wife are dead. So are a lot of my other friends, too. I ain't got nothin' to live for."

"What about Marlene?" Vincent asked.

Barret smiled wryly. "I ain't the kinda dad she needs. 'Sides, that Tifa girl seems to know where Marlene's comin' from, what with all the loss she carries with her. Marlene would have a better life with her."

"Even though she's a terrorist for AVALANCHE?" Sephiroth asked. "If ShinRa didn't do this, isn't that going to prove to you that AVALANCHE and Wutai's allies are the responsible parties?"

"That girl's different," Barret answered. "You can see the love that girl has in her eyes."

Sephiroth couldn't agree more. Anything a person wanted to know about Tifa, they would find in her eyes. "You're right, Mr. Wallace." He reached up and rested his hand on the barrel of the gun, slowly pushing it lower. "If I'm wrong, my life is yours." He glanced at Vincent. "My life is his."

He could tell Vincent didn't approve, but like a good father, he seemed to understand that it was his son's choice to make and lowered his gun as well.

With that out of the way, Sephiroth turned and continued to lead them to the control room. He had no doubt about what they were going to see on the screen when they finally got there…more proof of what he had been too stupid to see. ShinRa was ruthless and would do anything to achieve their goals. They would kill anyone who stood in their way, including civilians and ShinRa personnel. Why had he never seen it before? The company's reaction to Genesis' defection alone should have raised red flags for him. Their desire to kill two high-ranking SOLDIER operatives without the attempt to bring them back and rehabilitate them should have been even more proof that the company would screw them all over if it meant a bigger profit or securing more control. He should have seen it all and if he had, maybe Corel would still be in one piece and Barret and Marlene would still have their families. Maybe Nibelheim wouldn't have been razed…and Tifa would still have her father; Cloud would still have his mother. Maybe Genesis and Angeal wouldn't be burdened with the guilt and shame of what degradation had done to them and made them do to others…and maybe Sephiroth would be happier with the man in the mirror who stared back at him every day.

"What are those?" Barret asked, cutting across Sephiroth's thoughts.

Not here, too, Sephiroth thought to himself when he saw the rows of pods lining the staircase leading to the control room.

Vincent rested his hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "You've seen these before, haven't you?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I saw these same devices in the Nibelheim reactor. They're incubation pods."

Barret cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? And just what are they incubatin'?"

Sephiroth stepped closer to a pod and looked inside. "Mako monsters."

"The hell? Are ya tellin' me ShinRa's the ones been creatin' those damn things? Shiva, that company is worse than I thought!" Barret shook his head. "How the hell do they keep this shit secret?"

"The Science Division is more protected than even SOLDIER," Sephiroth said. "All their information was classified as President's Eyes Only. It's too easy for them to hide things…no matter how grotesque they may be."

"Should we destroy them?" Vincent asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "Their mako supply was cut of during the explosion. They're dead."

"But, they're monsters," Barret said.

Sephiroth turned and looked at one of the mako monsters. "Has anyone in Corel ever gone missing for no reason?"

Barret frowned. "Of course! Killed by these damn monsters!"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No, they're not always killed by the monsters. Sometimes they become the monsters." He looked at Barret over his shoulder. "Once we view these tapes, we should consider burying these monsters. They were human once."

Barret snorted. "Ya almost sound like you care."

"I'm not very different from these monsters, Mr. Wallace," Sephiroth said, unable to keep his eyes away from the imprisoned monsters. "I nearly embraced this side of myself until I was reminded of my humanity. Mako monsters who were once human are people that never had that chance to remember being a human being. They deserve the dignity in death that was stolen from them in life."

Barret grunted, but said nothing.

Sephiroth continued up the stairs and opened the door to the security room. The controls had been destroyed, but it wasn't from the explosion. His experience with the various weapons ShinRa trained him with allowed him to see the bullet holes that the sword slashes were meant to disguise as damage done by shrapnel coming off the reactor during the explosion. The sword was definitely the same shape and width as a standard issue SOLDIER sword.

He crouched down in front of one of the panels and opened it. A quick visual inspection confirmed the black box was still intact. He got to his feet and went to another small access panel with a number pad beside it. He entered the standard code and the panel flipped down, revealing a view screen and a small keyboard.

Barret moved up beside him. "So? What's the verdict, huh? We gonna be able to see what those bastards did?"

Sephiroth nodded. "This unit will allow us to access the security camera footage stored in the black box."

In only a matter of minutes, the screen came to life. Everything seemed normal; people were going about their business. People were checking readouts and recording data…until there was a flash. It was from rifles discharging quickly and people fell to the ground instantly. If Sephiroth had to guess, the assailants were infantry, disguised as scientists.

"Was your reactor scheduled for maintenance?" Sephiroth asked.

Barret shook his head. "Nah. We thought is was strange, them comin' early like that."

The footage continued and two figures appeared below the camera. Sephiroth paused the image. "Those two are SOLDIERs. One's a 2nd and that one's a 1st." He typed in the command to print the screen. "That 1st is very familiar, but he wasn't a 1st when I was with ShinRa. He must be new and I didn't know all the 2nds and 3rds, unless I had a mission with them or some other one-on-one interaction with them. Zack will probably know who this is." He allowed the recording to continue and just as he thought, the 1st Class SOLDIER programmed the reactor to overload, which triggered the explosion.

"Goddamned bastards," Barret muttered. "Why did they do this? We told you we were gonna remain loyal to ShinRa!"

"Are you sure everyone felt that way?" Vincent asked. "If ShinRa suspected that even one person felt differently, they may have thought this was the best course of action. If Sephiroth hadn't come here and found this recording for you, no one would have had any reason to doubt their account of what happened."

"Well, he did come and I did see it," Barret said. "You can count what's left of Corel as your allies."

"I'm sorry this happened," Sephiroth said.

Barret clenched his jaw. "Me, too."

Gail stepped off the elevator on the SOLDIER floor and had to force herself not to roll her eyes when she saw some of the 1sts celebrating the completion of their mission. The drinks were flowing and that meant every SOLDIER had triple the hands they were born with. Hopefully she could find her brother before anyone could notice her.

"Gail! Come join us for a drink!"

Gail took a deep breath and forced herself to not flip off Luxiere. She plastered her very best fake smile on her face and faced him. "No, thanks. I'm just meeting my brother for lunch."

"Aw, come on! It's just one drink!" Luxiere insisted.

"I really can't," Gail said more firmly.

"I'm kind of important, you know," he said before grabbing her arm. "When an important guy like me asks you to join him for a drink, you should be flattered and happy to accept the invitation."

"Hey, Gail. There a problem here?"

She smiled when she saw Kunsel approaching them. She knew she could trust Kunsel to get her out of this mess. "I'm not sure. Do we have a problem, Luxiere?"

Luxiere's smile was thin and clearly forced, but he released her arm. "No way. I was just offering her a drink. I'll see you around, Gail."

"Not if I can help it," she muttered under her breath.

Kunsel put his hand on her back and lead her down the hall. "Sorry about that. Ever since making 1st, Luxiere's become almost unbearable. Thinks he's the next Sephiroth."

"Say what you want about General Sephiroth, but he never made my skin crawl like that!" Gail shuddered at the memory of Luxiere's hand on her arm. "What are they celebrating anyway? The last time I looked, Wutai was gaining ground."

Kunsel shrugged. "Some top secret mission. One of those ones where you only know what's going if you're a part of it. I've come to hate those missions…ever since Zack went to Nibelheim and fell off the face of the planet."

"At least you know he's alive. That's something."

Kunsel shrugged. "I've sent him a few texts, but nothing. I guess he doesn't trust anybody on this side anymore, not that I can blame him."

"Sorry I'm late, sis." Raeven Storm smiled and embraced his older sister. "I had a meeting that ran late. ShinRa's getting its ass kicked, but we still have time for meetings to chew us out for not filing the proper paperwork after a mission."

Kunsel grimaced slightly. "You, too, huh? Heidegger is way more uptight than Lazard or even Genesis and Sephiroth!"

"Genesis just didn't like doing all our paperwork corrections," Raeven said with a grin. "And I have the burn scars to prove it!" He turned and looked at Gail. "I don't know how you survived an entire week with him, sis."

"He was actually very charming," Gail answered. "I didn't have any problems with him."

"The fairer sex has always been Genesis' specialty," Kunsel teased.

They stepped into the elevator and before the doors could close, Luxiere appeared and smirked. "Nice talking with you, Gail. See you later."

When the doors closed, Raeven made a face and looked at Gail. "What was up with that?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Just a SOLDIER unable to understand that some women don't think all SOLDIERs are drop dead sexy."

"We're not?" Kunsel asked.

Gail laughed and hugged him, then her brother. "Well, except you two, of course!" She groaned when her PHS came to life. "Yes, Mr. Tuesti? Right now? But I…yes, sir."

"What's up?" Raeven asked.

"The reactor in Corel blew up," she said. "Reeve needs me back at the office, so no lunch for me."

"Damn," Raeven muttered. "I hardly get to see you anymore."

Gail selected the floor for Urban Planning and smiled at her brother. "Well, you can bring my lunch to me and we can catch up in my office." The doors slid open and she stepped out. "See you later, guys."

Raeven stared out of the window of the small café he and Kunsel were sitting in. Everything was so fucked up.

"A gil for your thoughts?"

Raeven turned his gaze back to Kunsel. "What the hell is happening to SOLDIER? Where's the honor? Where's the camaraderie?"

"The honor died when Angeal 'died'," Kunsel said. "Zack did his best to keep it going, but then, he's gone too and man, do I miss him."

Raeven nodded. "He was a good guy and made people want to be good, too."

"Now, guys like Luxiere are climbing the SOLDIER ladder and stepping on anyone who gets in their way." Kunsel shook his head. "The old days of SOLDIER are gone and buried. We can either learn to survive in the new world order, or…"

Raeven let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "Would you do it? Would you ever abandon ShinRa?"

Kunsel leaned back in his chair. "Man, I never ask myself that question. It presents a too-enticing scenario that begs exploring."

"I don't like it," Raeven said. "Luxiere was bragging about being sent somewhere for a top secret mission and that 'somewhere' was near enemy lines. Then, Gail gets a call to report back to work because a reactor in Corel blew up? How much you wanna bet they say AVALANCHE or Wutai is responsible for that?"

A wry smile curled around Kunsel's lips. "No one in their right mind would take that bet. Not when ShinRa habitually reports the deaths of SOLDIERs who miraculously end up very much alive and facing you on the battlefield. I don't know about you, but when I came face-to-face with Genesis on the battlefield, I nearly shit my pants. I didn't want to cross him when we were on the same side! Facing him as an enemy…no thank you."

Raeven smiled at that. "I know the feeling." He looked at his food and absently pushed it around his plate. "I just…I don't know how to feel. I used to face the day knowing I was on the right path. Now…I just don't know."

Kunsel shrugged. "I know the feeling. But all we can do is keep doing our thing and make sure that no matter what goes on around us, we always act with honor. We may regret being SOLDIER one day, but at least we'll still have our honor."

Raeven nodded and made a non-committal noise. Kunsel was right. Unless he was ready to leave ShinRa, all he could do was make sure his honor was never compromised. But with the very real possibility that ShinRa had sent its SOLDIERs to destroy a reactor, causing civilians to lose their lives for no other reason than to make themselves look better in the public's eye, he had to wonder: in the end, would his honor really mean a damn thing?