Chapter Four: The Turks
Tseng had a majestic sight every time he used the elevator in the Shinra HQ.
The Shinra HQ was a high tower that looked out over the whole of Midgar. Unlike every other place, it was not built on a pillar. Rather, it had been a large palace built for the King of Midgar. Over time, more and more had been built on top of it as Shinra grew greater.
Eventually, it had gotten so tall that President Shinra built an overhang above the towns. Its purpose had been to hold stores and entertainment. It was intended to cater to his employees, but more and more had been added on. Soon apartment complexes were added to it, and supports were created. And so Midgar was born, and it grew and grew.
Now it was a city in the sky, overlooking the lands all around. They were a bit more barren than before. But as Cissnei looked out at the rising sun and a green country in the distance, she thought it was still amazing. It was like the Tower of Babel of old, and yet it was more than that.
The Tower of Babel, constructed by the will of Kefka, had been a monument to his malice. But Midgar was a place where factories worked to provide tools for farming and fishing. Here thousands of ordinary people could work their way up from nothing. President Shinra was no madman bent on destruction. He desired only efficiency and profit. And his method of achieving it was to provide the supply where there was demand.
Of course, there were problems, like with any other society.
Yes, there was corruption.
Yes, there was waste.
But overall, things were pretty good, and now that the wars were over, they would get even better. Assuming they could deal with the few terrorist groups left over. History would likely regard these days as a mopping-up period—one for rooting out the few remaining problems. From there, there would be a revolution of reason and humanism.
Or so it was said.
It wasn't said as much lately.
But Tseng knew the truth. Once all this terrorism was dealt with, peace and prosperity would be. Neo-Midgar would become real. They had only to remove those who opposed them.
Checking the map, he saw Reno open the door for the one on the other side. The red-haired man was clad in the usual black suit, and his stun stick was at his side. Cissnei, pink-haired, walked through, holding her chakrams.
"Cissnei, you're here," said Reno, smoking a cigarette. "Nice timing."
"Reno, I came as soon as I could. What's the situation?" asked Cissnei.
"Right this way," said Reno, motioning to the table. Rude was already there, getting out of his chair and pulling it back for a lady.
"Tseng, what's the situation?" asked Cissnei.
"A terrorist group has blown up the No. 7 Midgar reactor," said Tseng, nodding to her. "They entered by train, killed dozens of guards, and set a bomb inside. Our operatives managed to enter after they left, but we were unable to disable it.
"The entire reactor was blown sky-high."
"What's the damage?" asked Cissnei, looking concerned.
"No deaths," said Tseng. "The blast was mostly directed upwards, and the shielding Reeve set up barred it. Mako energy, fortunately, is only dangerous in extremely high density. Some people may get a headache or feel delirious, but nobody is going to die.
"We are reporting the damages as one billion in our official news. In reality, the price tag is ten billion. This is ignoring the additional cost from the shutdowns of the factories: that and the disruption to work schedule. The loss of power to various nonessential materials.
"The stock has dropped.
"We've received reports that a similar explosion happened near Gongaga."
"Zack's hometown?" asked Cissnei.
"Yes," said Tseng. "We're not sure if it was the same group or a copycat. That Mako Reactor was guarded, and it has been several days. It's possible someone with an axe to grind with Shinra decided to do the same as our enemy.
"We've had to increase security on all reactors."
"President Shinra isn't happy about the price increase," said Reno.
"Did the hospitals go down?" asked Cissnei.
"Reeve designed Midgar in such a way so that buildings lose power in the order of importance," said Tseng. "A few hospitals were on emergency power for a minute, but no harm done.
"Another hit like that, though, and it might be a different story."
"Who would do such a thing?" asked Cissnei. "Is this Genesis."
"No," said Tseng. "Genesis never attacked civilian targets. He always went after military personnel. Granted, he did kill quite a few civilians, his parents included. However, that was a personal vendetta, and Lazard kept him focused on military targets.
"Whoever this person is, they've done more damage to Shinra in a week than Wutai, and the Genesis army did together."
"Do we know who they are?" asked Cissnei.
"Some graffiti claimed it was Avalanche," said Reno. "Probably a splinter group. I'm pretty sure we wiped out the main enemy."
"Do we know of anyone?" asked Cissnei.
"The camera footage obviously went up when the building was blown to bits," said Tseng. "We've put in security systems on the trains, but we do have eyes on one of them." Drawing up a remote, he turned on the screen. "You might know him."
A camera showed a spiky-haired, blonde man. He was buying a flower in the midst of flaming wreckage from an inebriated young woman. From there, he walked down the street. The women called soldiers and directed them after him. Even as they came near him, however, he turned and fought.
The man fought like a berserker, carving a bloody swath through the troops who went after him. Until, at last, he was cornered above a train tunnel. He leaped onto the train, just as it surged under him, and rode it away.
"That's Zacks friend, the one who went with him to Nibelheim. He has Zacks sword," said Cissnei. "I uh... I remember I worked with him briefly against Avalanche. He didn't talk much, but he was very efficient.
"Why is he here?"
"His name is Cloud Strife," said Tseng. "And I agree, he was an extraordinary soldier. Quiet, but very intelligent and extremely ruthless. Apparently, he idolized Sephiroth. He handled himself well on missions I assigned him and had extremely ambitious goals.
"However, he was just too psychologically unstable to undergo the Mako treatment. He sometimes spoke with people when he didn't think anyone was looking. And sometimes, he would take extreme risks very suddenly.
"Usually, the result was a major victory when he did it. And he was one of the best swordsmen in the infantry. However, he doesn't give that impression when you meet him.
"That's what makes him dangerous.
"A lot of people who see him take him to be weak-willed or to have poor self-esteem. Zack seemed to take that view on him. In reality, Cloud has the opposite problem. He believed he was destined for greatness and obsessively pursued that goal.
"However, as reality failed to meet up with his expectations, he became more unstable. His inability to reach his goals caused him to work for them harder. I sent him on a mission with Sephiroth because I thought it might help.
"That led to the Nibelheim incident, which is, of course, what this is all about. You see, Nibelheim was his hometown, Sephiroth was his idol, and Zack was his only friend."
"Oh," said Cissnei, eyes widening. "Oh shit."
"Yeah," said Reno. "Based on this, my guess is that after Zack died, he emerged from hiding, picked up his sword, and came to Midgar. From there, he likely joined a terrorist group.
The following is his revenge, taken from a rooftop by an observer who sent it in."
"He's not even running from them," mused Cissnei, rewatching the tape. "The guy is deliberately killing as many people as humanly possible on his way out. And he's having the time of his life. Look there; he's smiling like he's watching an action movie."
Tseng took the point. "...Cloud Strife never smiled. Ever.
"In the entire time I worked with him, he remained stoic given that he's lost his home and all his friends. This was to say nothing of his dream; this does not add up. By all accounts, he should be on a nihilistic rampage of self-destruction."
"He may have snapped," said Reno.
"What I want to know is how he got into Avalanche," said Reno. "You can't just apply for a job in a terrorist outfit. It doesn't work that way.
"Most of them operate by only recruiting people who they grew up with. This guy is a nobody, not someone you'd make an exception for. And he was in a coma a few weeks ago."
"Reno is right, Tseng," said Cissnei, shaking her head. "I saw him.
"He was a vegetable when I talked to Zack in Gongaga. We figured that he'd never wake up and that he was an empty shell. That was the whole reason we wanted to trade him to Hojo for Zack.
"It seemed like the perfect solution.
"Hojo gets an empty shell that died a long time ago, and we get Zack back. Meanwhile, Shinra gets their best soldier remaining.
"For him to be here asks us to believe that Cloud Strife went from a vegetable to a killing machine in a week or two. And he did so on his own, having woken up just as Zack died, or else he'd have been fighting with him. Then he walks on his own to Midgar, survives the slums, gets into a terrorist cell.
"And having done all this doesn't know enough to avoid the cameras."
"It just poses too many questions," said Rude.
"One of these things would be amazing, Tseng," noted Cissnei. "All of them is just insane.
"Something else is going on here." She rewound the video to where he was buying the flower. "...Look here.
"Who is that?"
"That's Aerith, Zack's girlfriend," said Reno. "He ran into her on the way, walking away from the explosion. Then he stopped, talked to her briefly, and bought a flower. Once done, he started killing cops."
At that moment, Elena burst into the room, her large chest bouncing despite her suit. She carried a cardboard tray with coffee cups in it. "Alright, Mr. Tseng! I've got that coffee you wanted!
"I've got a mocha cappuccino, a grande white latte, and a black."
"Grande is large, right?" asked Reno.
"Nope. Grande is small," said Elena, brushing aside her hair.
"Whatever, just give it to me," said Reno taking his coffee.
Coffee was undisputedly the greatest invention in the history of mankind—one work taking a moment to save. As Tseng did, Elena leaned forward and looked at the screen. "Hmm, he's cute."
"What?" said Cissnei.
"What? He's fighting really well," said Elena. "Do you see how he cut that guy in?"
"He's massacring our people," said Tseng.
"Eh, Shinra does that all the time. No big deal," said Elena. "Hey, he holds that sword just like Zack."
"What?" said Cissnei.
"Oh yeah, well, I am part of the Zack Fair fan-club," said Elena. "So I know the specific way he holds his sword; he always takes that stance.
"Is he a student or something?"
Silence. They looked at one another. And Tseng realized it was correct.
"Tseng..." said Cissnei. "You don't suppose that's Zack, do you?"
"How is that possible?" asked Tseng.
"Look, Mako conditioning is weird," said Reno. "Mako is connected to the planet, and psychic bonds between people are quite possible. That's the whole reason the Genesis army worked."
"Are you suggesting that Cloud is a Zack copy?" asked Tseng.
"Maybe Cloud had his mind completely destroyed in... whatever happened," said Cissnei a little too hopefully. "And Zack ended up connecting to it. If so, maybe after Zack died, his consciousness transferred into Cloud.
"If that happened, he'd be able to utilize all of his old contacts as long as he could come up with a good enough story."
"That's ridiculous," said Tseng.
"We have three fallen angels on speed dial, Tseng. I think it's worth investigating," said Rude.
"Well then, why would he do all this stuff?!" asked Cissnei.
"Maybe he's pissed," said Reno. "He's been experimented on by Hojo without any protection from the company. Then he hiked across the world while running from them. All while carrying my best friend, only to be murdered within sight of Midgar, I'd would.
"Even more pissed if I'd only survived by possessing Cloud. Maybe I think that he could have recovered, eventually."
"In which case, I would believe that the Turk's had gotten me killed," surmised Rude. "This is bad. Zack Fair killed nearly an entire army before he was taken down, and now he's our enemy."
"He isn't nearly on the level he was before," said Tseng, replaying the fight. "These movements are sloppy. I don't think muscle memory matches up."
"Or Cloud's own skillset might be messing with him," noted Reno.
"Are we sure that is Zack?" asked Rude suddenly. "It could be just that Zack's consciousness jumpstarted Cloud a bit. It might not even be either."
"Well, that's better," said Cissnei. "It means we can get Zack back.
"It's possible that he doesn't really know where he is or what he's doing. He wakes up, gets taken in by the wrong crowd, and they give him a story about an evil empire or something."
"The specifics are irrelevant; we cannot know without more information," said Tseng. "If this is true, however, it may be possible to use this to destroy this group. Or learn more about it."
"Maybe we could have him reunite with Aerith Gainsborough," said Elena. "It could be like a whole reincarnation romance thing! Oh, that'll be so great! Especially if some of them end up with broken hearts!"
"...That could work perfectly," mused Tseng.
"What?" said Cissnei.
"Aerith Gainsborough is necessary for the Neo-Midgar plan," said Tseng. "It's a complete no-go unless she helps us."
"Didn't Reeve have some weird plan that you'd trick her into going off on her own? Then you'd snatch the thing gummi you wanted after she got it," said Elena.
"The period where that would have happened without outside interference," said Tseng. "Aerith Gainsborough does not seem to have any plans to go out there at all. Most of her time is spent making granola, growing flowers, and doing drugs.
"If the plan is going to work, something has to happen to get to do the plan. And Cloud here...
"He's the key. The key we need to open up the door to Neo-Midgar.
"I need to make some calls. Cissnei, Reno, get down there and scout the No 7 slums out. He'll probably have attracted some attention. Zack was a hero, and he has his sword.
"And the most likely way he can make money is monster hunting.
"If you run into him, use discretion. Going too far too fast could get messy."
"Yes, sir," They said.
Tseng made his way to an elevator and began to descend. Taking in the sight of Midgar, the dream which he served, he sighed. Then drawing out a phone, he made a call. It rang several times, and someone picked up.
There was an incoherent mumbling on the other side.
"Aerith?" asked Tseng.
"Tseng?" asked the voice on the other end. "Oh, you're here? I uh... I'll level with you; I have a massive hangover. So can you explain your evil plan later?"
"I'm afraid not," said Tseng. "I think Zack might have returned."
"Zack? Where is he?!" asked Aerith, sounding more alive than ever.
"I can't explain over a phone," said Tseng. "Meet me at the Falafel Stand as soon as you can. The one we all really love."
"Fine, but you're paying," said Aerith, and she hung up.
Tseng made his way there and decided not to buy any Falafel until Aerith arrived. She did arrive this time, early. "So, Tseng, I heard that Shinra is going to be getting the insurance money on the Mako Reactor. From the insurance, they own themselves. After it was destroyed using equipment, they made themselves.
"Because of the hole, they dug themselves into."
"Very cute, Ms. Gainsborough," said Tseng. He pointed to two things on the money and paying exact change he'd prepared ahead of time. "Do you remember that blonde swordsman who came up to you?"
"You mean the guy who was wielding Zack's sword?" asked Aerith. "Yeah, I was drunk; I thought I'd hallucinated the whole thing."
"I'm afraid not," said Tseng. "Your quest for self-destruction and oblivion may soon be unnecessary." He took the Falafel and handed it on to Aerith. "Over this way, please."
Moving to one side, Aerith began to wolf down the food like someone who had been starving. She had not, of course. Then she looked up. "Yes?"
"You know how the Mako treatments sometimes affect memories?" asked Tseng.
"Yes," said Aerith.
"Well, Zack Fair and Cloud Strife were both seized by Hojo after the Nibelheim incident," said Tseng.
"Why you do something about it?" asked Aerith, an edge in her tone.
"I did not know until very recently," said Tseng. "As far I knew, Zack was dead, and so was everyone else. Hojo covered his tracks well, and I wasn't permitted to investigate. I only realized I had been lied to when Zack Fair escaped imprisonment with Cloud. I didn't tell you because it couldn't have helped."
"I could have gone to him," said Aerith.
"No," said Tseng. "You could not.
"Even if you have slipped out of the city, you have no experience traveling the wild. And you are addicted to at least three substances. Only your heritage prevents it from seriously hurting you.
"Without any kind of assistance, you would probably have died. And that wouldn't have done Zack any good if he'd come back here to find out you were dead."
Aerith flinched at that. "What happened?"
"Cloud was comatose, but Zack may have established a psychic connection with him. It might have something to do with the experiments," said Tseng. "Hojo and Heidegger mercenaries pursued Cloud and Zack across most of the world.
"I tried to get Zack to safety, and I was able to pull some strings. However, Hojo insisted that he get at least one specimen. And since Cloud was braindead, he agreed to the compromise.
"Zack refused to give Cloud up.
"I attempted to run interference on the military, and I was successful to a degree. Zack Fair would have gotten back here a week ago if things had gone well. It was intended to be a surprise, or, at least, not a disappointment.
"Unfortunately, Heidegger's men found him first. The closer he got to Midgar, the less area Shinra had to cover to form an effective search. I could do little but hope that he could make it to the slums and take cover there.
"But he never got that far.
"An entire army of infantry corned him, and he fought them alone while hiding Cloud. Zack died, but he took most of the army with him."
"So. you think Zack transferred his consciousness into this Cloud?" asked Aerith.
Tseng was reminded that Aerith was quite intelligent. It was not a lack of drive or ability that held her back, but simply a refusal to help Shinra. Perhaps he could change that. "We noticed a similar fighting style, and the fact that he stopped to greet you is...
"Well, unheard of.
"If Cloud Strife had woken up and was going on a rampage of revenge to avenge Zack, he would not have stopped to meet you. He did not know you, and you were just the slum drunk to him.
"Why would he stop to buy a flower from you?"
"You think part of Zack is still in there?" asked Aerith.
"Yes," said Tseng. "It is a longshot, but yes. Unfortunately, we don't think that Zack is fully in control. And if he manifests his personality by himself, you wouldn't even recognize him.
"Whatever causes these terrorists represent, they are willing to target civilian buildings. You've already seen what 'Cloud' did to those soldiers. Imagine what would happen if he regained his full abilities. And then imagine if he came into his own with his friends a bunch of ruthless terrorists?
"People are shaped by those around them.
"As far as he would know, he'd be a glorious freedom fighter."
Aerith bit her lip and wolfed down some more Falafel. "What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to use the power of love the break the evil enchantment on your Prince Charming," said Tseng.
Aerith laughed. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor."
"I can multitask," said Tseng. "In all seriousness, Zack came all the way up here for you. If you weren't in Midgar, he could have just settled down in a remote place.
"Which means you are the only person important enough to him to bring out the real him."
Aerith paused. "This is way too good to be true."
Tseng sighed. "I was hoping to manipulate you into fulfilling your destiny. And I will admit, it is quite possible Zack is gone for good. We may be grasping at straws.
"President Shinra will leverage a pardon for Zack in exchange for your assistance. However, this is really the best that can be done in the circumstances.
"I had planned to provide you and Zack an escape route. However, if this project works, there will be way too much attention for you to walk. You're almost certainly going to have to play along if this works."
"Almost certainly?" asked Aerith.
Tseng nodded. "Anything is possible.
"No professional ever knowingly operates on the assumption that a variable can't change. But you're in a simple situation;
"You can help us found Neo-Midgar in exchange for getting Zack back.
"Or you can overdose on narcotics and meet him in the afterlife.
"It's your choice."
"...I'm thinking," said Aerith.
Tseng nodded. "Don't take too long to come to a decision." He drew out a card. "Here's my card.
"Also, I'm sending agents to remove all drugs and alcohol from your residence. I'm gonna have someone come down to help you quit cold turkey."
"But-" began Aerith.
"Sobriety is not optional," said Tseng simply. "People could die if we screw this up. Have a nice day." And he moved off.
Now time to look into other options and clear with President Shinra.