Chapter 25: When Consultants Attack
Brooke Hampton, the premier image consultant on the Shinra Electric Power Company's PR staff, leaned back in her comfortable office chair. She tapped her fingers on her stylish desk as she reviewed the dossier of her latest involuntary client before their interview.
Her computer screen displayed information and a promo photo of Angeal Hewley, SOLDIER First Class. Most notable companions being Sephiroth and Genesis Rhapsodos. The SOLDIER "matched set of three" to their more sneering detractors.
It wasn't intended as a compliment, but that was only because some people lacked imagination or simply disliked them too much to see the appeal the trio represented.
Brooke had more than enough imagination, a necessity in her profession, and rather liked the phrase. In fact, despite the three SOLDIER Firsts' disparate looks, they really were a matched set. Their differing appearances and personalities made them perfect for Shinra's PR purposes, and that they seemed to be genuine friends made the public love them all the more. Brooke had observed a great deal of gushing online about "the power of brotherly bonding" and "beautiful male friendships," along with a lot of less innocent speculation. She found it all quite entertaining.
The fact that all three were possessed of an otherworldly, almost inhuman beauty, each in his own way, made them a publicist's dream.
Officially, she was only getting Angeal Hewley. But as it turned out, the Head of the Turks had sent her an email the night before warning her that while Angeal was her actual client, the other two might find ways to insinuate themselves into the process. And that all three were in "a mood."
Turks, she thought with amused exasperation. Always seeing nothing but possible threats and danger, never the appeal or potential. She supposed chronic suspicion was just part of a Turk's natural mindset. Her job was image and promotion for Shinra, and nothing would make her happier than to get her hands on those three SOLDIERs, mood or no mood. Sephiroth and Genesis wanted to join the party? Fine with her. She'd handled worse during her fourteen-year career than three attractive young guys in "a mood." To have all three for her campaign, even if two were just part-timers, was a pretty nice benefit.
She smiled and pulled up the dossiers for Sephiroth and Genesis on her computer. These files were significantly larger than Angeal's, with more publicity articles and pictures, and even included a number of glamor shots.
Though their folders didn't contain anything quite as interesting as that centerfold from The Midgar Mirror.
She gave it a glance, amused by the rather unremarkable pseudonym. Michael Stevens. Such a mundane name. He should have jazzed it up a bit. She'd have expected a fifteen-year-old to come up with an outrageously silly fake name, not something so...boring.
Her PHS rang. Still smiling, she answered.
"Hey, Brooke," said Hinata Sato, the chief publicist. "You know why I'm calling. What's the score?"
"Hi, Hinata. Just reviewing dossiers so far," Brooke answered. "Haven't gotten to talk to our budding new star yet. Though I do have a nice little tidbit for you."
"Oh, yeah?"
"How do you feel about working Sephiroth and Genesis into the campaign, too? Veld sent me an email warning me that they're bound to find ways to, as he put it, insinuate themselves. I'm guessing that was his polite way of saying they'll make nuisances of themselves. Sounds like they're worried about their buddy's lack of experience swimming with sharks like us." She laughed brightly.
Hinata snorted. "I've got no problem including them, but I doubt we'll get much of their time. They haven't been excused from their regular duties like Angeal."
"But if we get them for a little while here and there?"
"We can always pose all three of them with puppies or something. It'll keep our two would-be pests out of trouble and might even chase them off."
Brooke laughed again. "Sephiroth and Genesis holding puppies? Oh, we have got to do that! Angeal'll love it, according to his file. Anyway, I haven't talked to our prime suspect just yet, so I don't have much more to tell you that you don't already know. He's scheduled to arrive at nine, though. You can drop by a little later if you want. Just give me an hour or two alone with him first. Don't want to frighten him too much on his first day."
"Big bad scary SOLDIERs," Hinata scoffed. "He's friends with Genesis and Sephiroth. You'd think he'd know what to expect."
"That might be part of the problem. Angeal hasn't done much with PR except for those recruitment promotions and a few group shots. He probably only knows what they've told him, and Genesis is prone to drama and exaggeration. Who knows what kinds of horror stories he's heard?"
Hinata laughed and Brooke went on: "Angeal's pretty publicity-shy anyway, despite that centerfold he did when he was fifteen. I think he's been finding ways to avoid us, the sneak. We need to start out gentle."
"Okay, gentle it is. I can do gentle."
Brooke guffawed loudly.
"Fine, so I'm bossy and overbearing," Hinata admitted. "It's almost nine, so I'll see you in, what, about an hour? Hour and a half?"
"Yeah, hour and a half's probably good. I hope to have him in hair and makeup trials by then. Show up at the holoimaging studio, okay? Remember, gentle. Don't make a production out of things just yet and don't bring anyone along. Just you. It's gonna be a long day as it is."
"Gotcha. Bye." Hinata hung up.
Just in time, too. A few minutes later there was a quick rap on Brooke's office door. "Come on in," she called.
Her secretary poked his head in. "Your nine o'clock is here," he announced.
"Send him in, Dave."
"Them, Brooke. Three." He grinned at her, and she grinned back. Veld had certainly called it. Dave opened the door wider, and there they all were, two uninvited but present, just as the Turks' boss had predicted.
As Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos, and Sephiroth filed into her office, she surreptitiously checked the time. Nine exactly. Prompt, but she hadn't expected anything less. Angeal Hewley was renowned for punctuality and reliability, along with his mania for what he termed "SOLDIER honor," and he'd probably made sure his buddies were equally punctual. Genesis, at least, was not known for being able to tell time.
As always, she was all but arrested by seeing them in person. Genesis and Sephiroth she'd worked with before, yet she'd never gotten desensitized and their mere presence worked its usual magic. She was pleased to see that the third was just as beguiling in his own, unique way.
Angeal Hewley, the "normal" one, or so the company publicity went. Normal my ass, she thought, biting back a grin. Like all First Class SOLDIERs who'd been repeatedly infused with mako since their early teenaged years, he was too tall, too broad-shouldered, too chiseled and sculpted, too perfectly muscled, too ideally proportioned in form, too graceful in movement. His raven dark hair was thick, shining, and looked unnaturally soft and feathery, and his magnetic blue eyes held the same subtle, magical glow as those of his peers.
Angeal was only normal by comparison to his two companions, both of whom added to a similar list of captivating attributes faces that were far too androgynous and flat-out pretty for their own good. Many women would kill to have the kind of looks sported by those two men.
All First Class SOLDIERs were too perfect in general, but these three? They had something extra. They oozed danger and unreal charisma from every pore, but it was more than that. They had an inner light, an aura of...something...she couldn't define, something more, something extra, something compelling. Some strange magic? Maybe. They were so far beyond everyone else that it sometimes seemed they didn't really belong on the same planet as even the other SOLDIERs, let alone ordinary, mundane humans. They were special, and the Shinra Company knew it and exploited it.
She rose and came around her desk, hand extended. "Angeal, it's a pleasure to work with you." Finally, she added mentally as Angeal clasped her hand in a firm grip and mumbled a somewhat hoarse greeting. His palm was dry, not clammy. Good; he wasn't too disturbed despite not wanting to be here. Sometimes an involuntary company client would sweat buckets and damn near faint at the first word, but experienced SOLDIERs were accustomed to controlling their emotions under fire. What was an image consultant compared to real violence? "Please, call me Brooke. I'm certain we'll have a productive experience together."
None of them wore their trademark swords, though they were in their standard day uniforms including armor. Probably just as well. It wouldn't do for them to meet her prepared for actual battle, though the armor did imply a certain amount of defensiveness. Besides, Angeal's gigantic Buster Sword would have been a pain to deal with in the office. However, she wanted it to appear in at least a few pictures. She made a mental note to remind him to bring it along from now on.
"Have a seat," she said when Angeal remained silent. She indicated the comfortable chair in a central position before her desk. From the wild-eyed look she received in response to that innocuous invitation, she guessed he'd be bolting if he didn't have his two friends along. Apparently she'd been wrong that image consultants were less intimidating than enemy fire.
What a virgin, she thought humorously. He really needed to be dragged into PR more often. He might lose that deer-in-headlights look once he gained more experience.
As he gingerly sat down (was he expecting spikes hidden in the premium leather cushions?), Brooke turned her attention to his friends. "Genesis, darling!" she gushed. The brilliant redhead was her favorite SOLDIER client, in no small part because he was such a natural. He was easily the most engaging of the three, and that he enjoyed the process and loved the attention and exposure also didn't hurt.
"Brooke, it's wonderful to see you again," Genesis said. He bent down to accommodate her height, and they gave each other a quick hug.
She turned to the silver-haired wonder boy. "And Sephiroth. Good to see you again, as well." She didn't make the mistake of trying to hug him or even shake his hand. Sephiroth nodded back silently. Mister Aloof wasn't easy to work with nor very communicative, but he followed instructions and no matter how grumpy he felt or how apathetically he posed, the cameras loved him. She didn't think it possible to get a bad shot of him. It was no wonder Shinra promoted him so aggressively as the Face of SOLDIER.
"I told Angeal you were the best and that he has nothing to worry about," Genesis said. "You see, Angeal, it's like I said. She'll do wonders for you. Trust me."
"You've been saying that since you found out who my image consultant was," Angeal grumbled in a deep, masculine voice. He looked like he was attempting to relax and failing utterly. At least he wasn't crushing the armrests into shredded leather and crumpled metal as Brooke had half expected.
"Brooke, do you mind if we hang around for a while?" Genesis wheedled her with a flirtatious smile. "Just to keep Angeal from running away." He received a glare from his dark-haired friend for that shot, but it matched Brooke's own opinion. He added, "You'll barely notice we're here."
Brooke rather doubted that. Thanking Veld mentally for the advance warning, she grinned and said, "Pull up a chair, gentlemen." She gestured at the spare chairs against the wall. They were typical ergonomic chairs that she'd had the presence of mind to drag into her office right after she'd read Veld's note.
Sephiroth and Genesis seated themselves, flanking their friend like guard dogs. Brooke returned to her own seat behind her desk. "So," she began, folding her hands in front of her, "I expect you're curious about what we plan to do?"
"He's been positively dreading it," Genesis said gaily. Angeal scowled at him again.
"I see," said Brooke. Not very flattering, but expected of an unwilling novice who obviously would rather dive headfirst into a reactor's mako pool than pose for holocameras or give bland, insipid interviews.
"We are his moral support," Sephiroth told her seriously, sitting so rigidly straight and upright that her own back hurt in sympathy. His posture was always perfect, like the rest of him.
"Of course." She wanted to laugh at all three. Instead, she leaned forward. "So, then, let's get to work. Now, we all know why we're here, and we all know that the President and the Turks want to bury this problem. We'll let the Turks handle the actual mechanics of the cover-up. That's not our job."
"It's not?" Angeal asked quietly.
Brooke shook her head. "Our job is to control and direct the narrative to our best advantage. We're going to own it. It's still early days and PR matters aren't as settled as the Turks may have led you to believe. I'm not going to lie to you. No matter what we do, and no matter how well the Turks eliminate the evidence, the fact is that the centerfold is public now. Practically the whole world knows about it. It's never going to go away entirely, but we can manipulate public sentiment to minimize the damage and restore the positive opinion of you."
Angeal had winced and then seemed to fold into himself during that speech, making no verbal response. Sephiroth patted his shoulder awkwardly. Genesis crossed his arms and said, "C'mon, Brooke, that was blunt. You could lie just a little."
"Lying won't do us any good. I want us all on the same page." She caught Angeal's mako-blue eyes and held them. "Your life and reputation are not ruined forever, but you will have to work with us to repair them. We'll need one hundred percent cooperation. Understood?"
He grimaced and nodded wordlessly.
He was shaping up to be as difficult a client as Sephiroth. Brooke had rather hoped he'd be at least a little more talkative, even if he wasn't as chatty as Genesis. Maybe he just needed more time to warm up.
She asked, "Look, do you know anything about marketing?" She only got a shrug in return, which was what she expected from this SOLDIER. "PR is very similar to marketing, except that it focuses on maintaining a positive image for the client. Many of the techniques are the same. In this case, we're, in essence, going to be marketing your positive image to the public. We'll absolutely control how they perceive you, how they relate to you, what they expect when they read your name, hear you speak, or see your picture. We're going to maximize your exposure and yet on the surface it will seem like we're pushing you out of the limelight. From the public's point of view, it will be almost on a subliminal level, but you'll probably be surprised by how much effort all that subtlety is going to take. It's an art form, choreographed as tightly as a Wutaian opera."
Now all three were giving her that deer-in-headlights look. In truth, she couldn't remember ever subjecting Sephiroth or Genesis to such a long-winded explanation, but they had been given harder, sharper, flashier public images where a little scandal once in a while was expected. Angeal had no such thing. His was little more than the slogans on recruitment ads and all that heroic warrior blather about dreams, honor, and pride. His entire brand—such as it was—revolved around wholesomeness, practicality, loyalty, duty, discipline, and responsibility. Totally unlike how his friends were marketed. Totally inconsistent with a centerfold in a dirty magazine.
This time there was a lot of work to do. A few flattering pictures or friendly interviews weren't going to cut it. Rehabilitating Angeal's image after the whole world had seen a barely censored nude picture of him was going to be a real challenge.
Brooke loved a challenge. She knew SOLDIERs' whole lives centered on challenges, but she recognized that her latest client did not appreciate this particular kind of challenge. Well, that was just too bad for him. He'd have to sink or swim, and Brooke would make damn sure that he swam.
Genesis recovered first, naturally. "So, Brooke, I've been thinking. What you said about controlling the narrative? I have an idea."
"It better not be what you suggested last night about coming clean," Sephiroth rumbled. "I told you that was an awful plan."
Angeal's eyes suddenly widened with recognition. He banged the back of his head against the chair's headrest and groaned piteously.
"I still think it could work," Genesis said.
"It will backfire," Sephiroth insisted.
"No, if handled properly—"
"You're wrong. There's no way to keep it from getting out of hand—"
"Gentlemen!" Brooke interrupted, not quite shouting over them. They shut up and stared at her. Goodness, this must be what Veld had meant when he'd claimed they were in "a mood." Were they always like this when they got the least bit riled? She took a deep breath to fortify herself. "Genesis, please explain what you're talking about."
Sephiroth glowered but held his tongue. Angeal stared up at the ceiling a moment, then dropped his gaze and stared to the side, keeping his expression neutral. His eyes slid sideways to her face once then fixed on a spot over her shoulder. Brooke tapped her chin, wondering what was going through his head.
Genesis said, "Look, Angeal only did that centerfold to help out his family financially. What if he just came clean about it? He'd look like a hero, right? It wouldn't even need any spin. It's got 'self-sacrificial, dutiful son' written all over it. Fits perfectly with his honor and pride image."
Angeal rolled his eyes, then gave her another side-eye look.
Brooke didn't entirely disagree with Genesis's assessment, though she could see all the pitfalls—and there were too many, really. It might work as something that could be leaked as a rumor, but it also would almost certainly destroy Angeal's privacy and that of his family. Sephiroth was correct that the repercussions would be hard to control and that it could get away from them in a hurry. Reporters were ruthless when they got on the scent of a juicy story, whether they worked for tabloids, legitimate news outlets, or even for The Shinra News itself.
"What do you think of Genesis's idea, Angeal? I already know what Sephiroth thinks of it, but you're the one it'll affect the most," she queried her actual client, while feeling oddly like some kind of weird, three-way marriage counselor. "It goes against the Turks' plan to discredit and bury the story, and it's certain to draw in your family. They'd have to consent to an interview, at least. All your family's neighbors are likely to be interviewed, as well. Maybe everyone who lives in your hometown, whether they knew you or not."
Angeal looked horrified by the idea. Genesis's jaw dropped a little, as though he were shocked and had never considered the negative consequences. Knowing Genesis, he probably hadn't. Sephiroth sat back and laced his fingers together across his stomach, radiating smug satisfaction.
Angeal took a harsh breath, composing himself, and said flatly, "I don't have any family left but my mother, and I absolutely do not want her involved in this mess. Honestly, the Turks' cover-up scheme sounds best to me. I don't want Banora swarmed with lunatic reporters all trying to get a quote from my mom or anyone else."
Brooke shrugged away that overly optimistic declaration. "Well, that might happen anyway, but at least the particular circumstances can be kept quiet. All she has to do is say 'no comment' though that won't get rid of the reporters for a while. Not until they get bored and public interest cools off. It also won't do anything about your neighbors. Anyone dislike you? The reporters will go straight for those people."
"It might happen anyway—?" Angeal began, appalled. He stared hard at her.
Sephiroth spoke over the top of him: "Mrs. Hewley didn't mention anything about reporters last night."
Genesis said, "She might have been hiding that information so Angeal wouldn't worry. I mean, she did keep secret that she knew about the centerfold for all these years."
"The press might not be there yet. It's only been a day since it went public."
"Maybe Shinra can do something to keep them away from Banora?"
"We should talk to Veld and Lazard—"
Brooke interrupted again, "Gentlemen!" and again they shut up and stared at her. She gazed back with her best poker face. This wasn't going to work. Her actual client wasn't getting to say two words for himself. His friends were doing all the talking and he was just letting them. She'd heard on the grapevine that Angeal sometimes acted as referee between Sephiroth and Genesis during sparring matches both physical and verbal, but he wasn't making any attempt to interfere with them now. Was he letting them yammer nonsense while he floundered and struggled to find his footing?
She noticed him staring over her shoulder again. His expression this time seemed calculating. She had the strangest feeling that he was analyzing her own responses to the ideas being proposed. Well, it made sense. An interview went two ways and it seemed she was being judged.
She really wanted to talk to him alone. Helping him through this disaster was her job. She needed to evict Sephiroth and Genesis if she ever wanted to make any progress with Angeal.
And to think, she'd originally been delighted by the prospect of having all three of them. Hah! She'd been an idiot.
"Hey," said Genesis, blithely unaware of how unwelcome he was making himself. "What we really need is a new scandal. The media's fickle. A new scandal would distract everyone's attention."
"Any suggestions?" said Sephiroth, but he looked alarmingly intrigued.
"We could leak something about the President. Doesn't even have to be true. How about something like how he orders Scarlet to tie him up on his big fancy desk and paddle his oversized naked butt while he begs for more? We could say that's how Scarlet got her very high ranking job, too—all the little extras she does for him." He uttered a particularly evil laugh. "That's sure to shove Angeal's problem right out of the news cycle and into obscurity. He'll be yesterday's news in no time!"
Sephiroth's eyes lit and he smiled as maliciously as Genesis. "It does have potential. Is there any way to throw Hojo in there, as well?"
"We could always claim that he's having a secret affair with Hollander, and that sometimes they all have a four-way in the labs." Genesis sounded dead serious.
And that was the outside of enough, Brooke decided. As though she'd engineer a fake scandal about the President of the Shinra Electric Power Company, the company's two most notable bio-scientists, and the executive in charge of Weapons Development! Were the SOLDIERs insane? She inspected each of them. Genesis was pleased with himself, Sephiroth appeared entirely too interested, and Angeal was staring over her shoulder again and shaking his head. He was smiling at last, though, for the first time since he'd come through her door, so perhaps Genesis's proposal and Sephiroth's support of it hadn't really been in earnest. They had claimed they were "moral support," hadn't they?
But one could never know for sure with either of them when it came to their true intentions.
Brooke rose. The three men rose with her. How courteous, she thought, amused.
And how helpful. She walked around her desk and took Genesis's arm, drawing him toward Sephiroth. She took his arm as well, and guided the two men to the exit. They went along easily and compliantly, even though she—accounted a woman of average height, even when not wearing heels—only came up to a spot somewhere between their shoulders and their chins. More courtesy, she assumed, likely honed by long awareness of their differences from regular, ordinary people.
The fact that they'd both worked with her in the past and had become accustomed to following her instructions in PR matters helped—probably more than any acknowledgement that they were giants in comparison to most humans. Everyone knew better than to irritate their image consultant. Her position and power over their official images meant she'd always been able to boss them around, from the very first day of their acquaintance.
"This has been a fascinating conversation, gentlemen," she said to them, smiling cheerfully, "but I really need some time alone with my client now. Part of this process is a private interview. I'm sure you understand. Thank you for your time. It's been truly enlightening."
With no further discussion, she released Sephiroth and opened the door, shoved both SOLDIERs out, closed the door firmly, and locked it.