By a Fraction of a Degree

A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129

Rated T for Violence and Language.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spinoffs. That honor goes to Square-Enix.

A note of appreciation for HCloudXIII over on Youtube and Dark Angel from the website, Gunshot Romance for their efforts to translate the Before Crisis game text and make the gameplay viewable.

A short chapter this time. I debated whether or not to combine it with the next one, but in the end, I decided it worked better this way. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Part I: Crossfire

Chapter 10, Rufus's Proposal

October 4th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007, 11:30 PM

Rufus was waiting patiently at the desk where his computer equipment was set up in his locked quarters as he listened to the noise outside his door. It wouldn't be long now before the technicians his father had sent got the door open. But it didn't matter. He had the Turks in the palm of his hand, and soon, the company would follow. Even if his father didn't know it yet, the chips had been played, the die had been cast, and he knew the victory would be his.

He glanced out the spacious picture window that overlooked the city with a confident smirk. Before this room had been set up for his use and containment, it had been a spacious private office, but now it was more of a studio apartment. From here, he could observe the outside world while no one knew he was anywhere but across the continent in Junon. Two of the city's mako reactors glowed green on the city walls against the dark, star-studded sky, as though standing bastion to a gate of opportunity, his opportunity, which he knew would soon be in sight.

He heard metallic sounds by the door. Someone had brought in heavy machinery. The Turks had done a number on the lock, and the technicians were having a heck of a time getting through without the appropriate passcodes. He saw a high-powered blade begin to cut through the door and it wasn't long before someone pushed it open. Just outside, standing in the deserted main hall of what had been the Turk headquarters, stood his father and the president of the Shinra Electric Power Company. The most powerful man in the world, for now…

Rufus took note of the extra lines on his father's face and the extra pounds that now encircled his girth. Neither man showed any outward sign of emotion at the moment of his release, but as Rufus walked calmly out of the room that had been his cell, his face carefully blank, the president spoke. "It has been a long time."

"That it has," Rufus agreed. The two of them walked out to the main foyer of headquarters and to the window overlooking the other side of the city. There was a bright light hanging over the area near Sector 6. Whatever it was, the Turks were dealing with it. He had matters of his own to contend with.

"Now, why don't you tell me? What was your four year of penitence under the Turk's care like?" the president asked.

Rufus answered honestly. "I hated you for what you'd done at first, but now, I daresay, I'm grateful." He looked out the window rather than at his father. "It's really thanks to you that my view of the world has changed. I've learned so much in my time alone." And it had brought him here. That was more than worth the four years' seclusion.

His father looked out over the city at the light that had gained Rufus' attention. "It's unusually bright outside tonight. The light that shines out there is like the future of the Shinra Company."

Rufus saw that his opportunity was now and he seized it. "Father… er… no, Mr. President, I have a proposal for you; one that will surely guarantee the glory of this company." He'd slipped up on purpose. Better to let his father think that he still valued the ties of that relationship.

"I'm listening," the president answered, still watching the light. It was reflected in his eyes as a greed-fueled fire that could not be extinguished…

October 5th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007, 12:00 AM

When Zack and the Turks had stepped through the portal they soon found themselves beset by a problem. It seemed there were four paths to take, and Fuhito could have gone down any one of them. After a short discussion, Freya and Zack had taken the forward path with Liz, the female martial artist. The other Turks divided into three groups to search the other paths and they parted ways, descending into the maze. It was an incredible place; unlike anything Zack had ever seen when he'd fought summons before. The path hung suspended in the air, surrounded by a green mist that reminded him eerily of mako fog, and as they got further in, they discovered it was paved with giant blocks of stone. Bright lights glittered out of the mist like stars, though he had no idea of their origin.

Just ahead, the three of them spotted what looked like a ring of light on the path. They didn't think anything of it at first, except once they had passed through it, they found themselves transported to the center of a platform with four other lighted circles on it. They ended up losing a bit of time trying to figure out how the things worked before eventually landing on a path that seemed to go deeper in.

Soon they started getting the impression that they were headed in the right direction. Mainly because strange creatures were appearing on the path. Zack didn't know what they were, but it was like they were made of shadows. Fortunately they weren't too difficult to fight, but for the most part, they decided it would be better not to fight them if it could be avoided. Time was of the essence. It was after the path began to get a little more linear that Freya got a call from one of the other teams. It seemed none of the others were having any luck finding Fuhito yet but that they had found a way out of the maze and were waiting for them on the other end.

They traveled further along the path, trying to hurry without barreling into anything dangerous when up ahead they saw something none of them wanted to see.

"Behemoths?" Liz exclaimed.

Zack went for his sword as he saw the two beasts moving around up ahead. "What are those doing here?"

"We'll just have to fight our way through," Freya said, checking her shotgun. "Are we ready?" she asked. Zack nodded and held his sword ready. It was just in time as one of the hulking beasts looked up and spotted them. It crouched down like it was ready to pounce and then rushed them. Freya let loose with a shotgun shell and then moved to get out of the way as Liz raced to the left, preparing to strike. Zack took the right and charged, going after the monster's foreleg and then cutting a gash along it's right flank. He ducked, just in time to evade the monster's tail as he heard several more gunshots near the front of the monster. Once the tail had gone the other direction, he brought the Buster Sword around again, this time going for one of the beast's powerful rear legs, crippling it as tendons snapped under the blade. The monster roared and tried to get around to swipe at him, but at that point, Freya had shot at it several times and it was in its death throes. Zack backed away as it gave out a final death rattle and started toward the other Behemoth.

By now, the other one had noticed and was moving into a charge. Liz was already racing ahead of him and he followed. As the second Behemoth pounced, he rolled to avoid being clawed and brought his sword upward. The Behemoth snarled as the Buster Sword tore into its gut, but as Zack pulled away to the side, it toppled over and lay still. He'd pierced its heart.

He stood, taking a moment to catch his breath and wipe away the droplets of sweat that were trickling over his brow. That had been a little close for his liking.

"Are you okay?" Freya asked as she and Liz approached.

"Of course I am." He offered the Turk a grin. "I was a worried that big one would fall on me there for a second, but I managed."

Liz glanced at the monster before speaking. "Hey, what do you think will happen to us when this is all over?" The three of them took that moment to continue down the path.

"We'll be all right. We're here now, and there's definitely going to be something waiting for us when it's all said and done." Freya asserted.

"So what are you going to do? When this is over?" Liz asked.

"I'll probably stay with the Turks," Freya said. "There's still a lot that we need to do, and it's the only place I've had where I've felt alive."

"Haha, same here." Liz agreed. "They're about all I have too."

"Once they've seen why we've done what we've done, I'm sure the company'll have to take us back."

"Then we'll have to give it our all here and now," Liz agreed, cracking her knuckles.

"Good luck with that one," Zack said quietly.

Freya looked troubled. "What do you mean?"

Zack pulled ahead of the two women, keeping an eye out for more monsters as they walked. "Well, I'm just saying that if I were you, I'd think very carefully about going back to Shinra is all. I mean, stopping Sephiroth didn't really help me and Cloud with the company very much, now did it." Having said his piece, he was about to continue down the path when something behind them caught his attention. A third Behemoth had lumbered into sight on the path behind them. He was about to go for his sword again when Liz turned around and assumed a fighting stance.

"You two go on ahead," she said.

"You sure?" Zack asked.

"I can take care of this one in my sleep. You guys go catch up with the others."

"Okay, but you'd better be right behind us," Freya said.

"Of course." Liz readied herself to fight as the other two hurried down the path.

October 5th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007, 1:00 AM

Zack and Freya had been traveling on this particular path for quite a while when they both looked up ahead and their eyes widened. In the middle of their path stood a King Behemoth, and boy did he look mad.

"Oh no, we're not doing this right now!" Zack growled, going for his materia.

"Do we have a choice?" Freya asked.

"We do if I have anything to say about it," he started casting just as the Behemoth started showing interest in them. It looked like it might be getting ready to charge but Zack got there first, and the gold-furred monster froze in mid-crouch.

"Stop?" Freya asked.

Zack nodded as he moved to put a finishing blow to the monstrosity before it could recover. A Behemoth blocking the way out of this place was just as bad as a Behemoth blocking the way in (if not worse), and he did not want to have to worry about an angry King Behemoth after dealing with whatever nastiness this Zirconiaide thing had in its arsenal.

The lady Turk looked behind them with concern. "I'm surprised Liz hasn't caught up with us yet."

"Well, she is taking on one of these things with her bare hands, I think I'd cut her a little slack," Zack said. "Besides, we need to keep moving."

Freya nodded. "Right." The two of them hurried faster down the path, and as they continued further in, they started noticing the lights getting brighter and the mist began to spill eerily onto the edges. It was not long after that Zack spotted a wider platform up ahead, and a familiar looking lunatic in a white AVALANCHE uniform.

"Fuhito!" Freya shouted after the man as they reached the edge of the platform.

He stopped when he saw them. "You? I suppose I ought to thank you for making the summoning of Zirconiaide possible."

Freya scowled at him. "Shut up. As if we would cooperate with you." She aimed her shotgun at him, daring him to move.

Fuhito stayed where he was, smiling calmly as though they were talking in someone's living room over a cup of tea as opposed to the dimensional rift of a summon built to destroy the world. "Zirconiaide is in the process of waking from its slumber just ahead. The rejuvenation of this planet is mere moments away. To prolong the life of this planet, all living things must return to its bosom once more. The Planet will be able to breathe easy when this is all over, and I won't let anyone interfere." In a movement that was almost quicker than Zack could catch, he raised his hand and shot an energy blast in Freya's direction. There was no time for Zack to move to block it, but someone else appeared and knocked her to the ground just as it flew by overhead.

"What's wrong? You guys finished already?" A glance behind him revealed that Shears had caught up with them.

"I thought you were looking after Elfe," Zack commented.

"She wanted to come herself. She wouldn't stay in the truck to rest until I told her I'd take care of it," Shears admitted. "It was the only thing I could do to keep her from getting herself killed."

"Did you see Liz on the way in?" Freya asked as the two of them picked themselves up under the cover Zack provided with his sword.

"She's all right, but after you left, two more of those Behemoths showed up and she'd taken a beating when I got there. She'll catch up after she's taken a breather."

"Thank you for saving her."

Shears shook his head. "Forget it. It's only thanks to you guys I was able to find Elfe again." He gave a rueful smile. "She's been through more than enough, I'm not gonna let her suffer anymore. So let's take care of this!" Fuhito was pulling out a gun and looked like he might be ready to open fire.

Zack brought his sword up as the bullet ricocheted off the blade and then charged as Shears dodged to the left and Freya went right. Fuhito shot at him again and he rolled to avoid a bullet that was probably aimed at his heart. Another one whizzed by his ear before Shears moved in and distracted him with a stunning blow to the side of his head. Fuhito only just barely stepped back enough as Zack attempted to swing the Buster Sword at him once Shears was clear but that was when Freya cast a Blizzara over top of him. The ice shards tumbled down over the man, but he stayed up, jumping away from them as he prepared another energy blast. In order to surprise him, Zack let loose a Firaga before charging again, pressing the offensive. There was no margin for error here. As the flames cleared, he weaved to the side to avoid the blast before Shears jumped in again, with a flying kick to Fuhito's ribs, knocking his gun askew as the materia flew from his shirt pocket.

Fuhito collapsed at that point and Zack dived forward. Before Fuhito could recover himself, he plucked the small crystal orb from the ground and backed away.

"One obstacle after another in the way of Zirconiaide's awakening… I won't stand for it!" Fuhito growled.

Shears walked up to the prone form of his former comrade, with a look of absolute disgust. "You caused the brunt of Elfe's pain, Fuhito. For that, I'm personally sending you back to the Planet." Before anyone could say anything, he picked up the gun, aimed it at his head, and fired. The AVALANCHE leader lay dead, blood from the wound pooling on the flagstones.

The echo of the gunshot seemed lost in the green mists as Shears leaned back, breathing in and letting it out in a long sigh. "It had to be done," he said at last.

Freya walked over to Zack and took the materia from him before walking up to Shears. "Take this thing out of here, and find a way to destroy it if you can. That way no one else can use it."

"What about that partially constructed summon up ahead?" Shears asked. "Aren't you going to need help with that?"

"It's much more risky to take the materia with us. It's better if it's as far from here as possible. Go back to Elfe." Freya took the man's hand and gently placed the materia into it.

Shears smiled grimly and then looked over at Zack. "How about it SOLDIER? Do you think you can take on that summon?"

"You bet I can. I could do this all night if I had to." Normally, he would have cracked a grin over his own boast, but the moment felt wrong. Instead, the two shook hands, and without another word, Shears turned back the way he had come. As he left, Zack and Freya walked further down the path, hoping the other Turks had made it, and knowing they were headed towards the eye of the storm.

October 5th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007, 2:30 AM

Tseng and the others hurried through the slums under the outer plate of Sector 6 for quite some time before coming to the meeting point. Just as Freya had promised, the truck was waiting for them. As they approached, they heard the sound of someone moving around in the back. Eventually the person climbed out, and Veld's eyes widened in recognition. "Felicia!"

The woman with short brown hair stood hunched against the truck even as she offered him a weak smile. She had been a fierce swordswoman once, augmented by the power of the materia that had formerly rested within her body, but now, she seemed pale and delicate. "Father…" He put his arms around her as she struggled to stay up. "I finally… got to see you…"

"You look terrible. Don't overdo it," Veld said gently. "Here, let's take care of those wounds…"

She shook her head. "Dad… don't. I don't deserve to live."

"What are you saying?"

The woman's expression was rife with sadness and guilt. "I… have put the world through a lot of trouble."

"Don't think about that now. You can atone later, when you're healed." He held her up as Tseng approached, holding his Cure materia.

"We'll help," Tseng answered as he cast the spell.

At that point, Reno spoke up. "That's great and all, but the army's still after us."

Rude nodded. "We should leave while we can."

Everyone moved to board the truck, however, suddenly they all heard a shout from nearby.

"Don't move!" The Turks and the AVALANCHE leader all looked up to see that they were already surrounded by troopers. "For the crimes of providing support to the anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE, along with protecting the criminal Veld, President Shinra has declared the Turks outlaws." The trooper continued. "By orders directly from the President, they shall hereby be executed!"

Tseng remained his stoic self as the troopers closed in, their guns ready to fire. There was no way he could fight the entire squad even with Reno, Rude, and Veld helping him. A couple of them pushed Reno and Rude closer into the group so they'd be easier to shoot.

"Persistent bastards, aren't they," Reno commented, still keeping up his cool swagger even in the face of their situation.

The troopers didn't comment but instead raised their guns, about to open fire on them…

A moment passed as though eternity were trying to squeeze itself through it and then out of the corner of his eye, Tseng saw a messenger approaching the trooper in charge. They conferred for a moment and then the leader raised his hand to tell the squad to lower their weapons.

The trooper, whom Tseng could see held the rank of sergeant, walked to the forefront of his men. "It seems the president has had a change of heart." Reno and Rude looked around suspiciously, though Tseng remained calm as he listened. "The charges against the Turks will be overlooked."

"What's going on?" Reno demanded.

"However, this stands only on one condition," the sergeant intoned, and Tseng tasted the relish in his voice as he named it. "The AVALANCHE leader and Veld will still be executed."

Reno and Rude looked back at Veld and Elfe and then Reno turned to the sergeant. "There's no way we can accept those terms."

Tseng took a slow breath. He knew the time had come. He was no longer a player in this game. Rufus had trumped him before this hand had even been played, and all that was left at this moment was to carry out his part. He could do nothing for anyone outside of those who now stood with him by the truck, but at the very least, he could still save the Turks…

He pulled out his gun.

"Tseng!" Veld called out to him.

Reno and Rude looked completely bewildered. "Boss!" Reno exclaimed. "What are you…?"

"I see you've made your decision," the sergeant observed.

"That's right," Tseng said quietly. "This is my decision as the Director of the Turks." He turned his gun on Elfe. "This is my decision!" The woman looked up at him in surprise, and yet also with the eerie calmness of one who had accepted their fate a long time ago. "Soldiers," he continued. "Reno! Rude! Watch carefully! You are about to witness the end of an era!" He fired twice, and Elfe collapsed face down on the pavement. Reno's eyes widened in horror and it could only be assumed Rude's had done the same behind his sunglasses as Tseng turned his gun on Veld. "Sir, I'm sorry… I don't have any other choice."

Veld gazed on his daughter's fallen form for only a mere moment of surprise and shock before he gave him a tired smile. "Tseng… You've… made the right decision. By doing this… the Turks will… This is what a Turk should be."

"I knew you would understand. Director… thank you, for everything." Another eternity flew by in a heartbeat as he stood across the barrel of his gun from the man who had taught him everything he knew. Then once more, he fired twice. Veld was still smiling as he fell to the ground. He understood the situation all too well.

"Tseng!" Reno exclaimed. "No!" He dropped to his knees as Tseng lowered his gun.