DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. This is a spin-off series with some different settings which were essential for the
story.
Chapter 1: The Dystopian Hero
(1st September 0001)
The delivery by Shinra Electric Power Company was here. It contained a box of custom made shampoo and conditioner that were scented with thirteen different kinds of perfumes. Sephiroth would go through a whole bottle of each whenever he washed his hair.
It had been 6 months since his encounter with the leader of AVALANCHE, Elfé. AVALANCHE was an eco-terrorist group opposing the actions of Shinra Company. While Sephiroth had complimented Elfé's strength, Elfé had asked Sephiroth for his motivation for fighting. As Sephiroth pondered the question Elfé had ordered AVALANCHE to withdraw from Junon and escaped. Back at Shinra headquarters, the memory of his friends had made Sephiroth ponder the question again. His friends had long ago deserted the company, leaving the General alone. Despite his social nature, he was left in isolation.
Stepping out of the shower and getting back into one of his long coats, Sephiroth headed towards the virtual reality system.
Shinra used the resources it found to generate maximum capital and gather as much knowledge as it could. This would lead to advancement, both in technology and in living standards. The solution to every problem lied in more capital and technological advancement. Therefore, he was fighting to make lives easier, or so he thought.
Looking around the Virtual Reality system, Sephiroth was reminded of the damage he had done last year, with Genesis and Angeal. It was equivalent to an average 1st class SOLDIER's two-year salary since the system was full of highly specialized equipment. As they were no longer around here, Sephiroth no longer had anyone capable of showing his rank of combat abilities. Therefore, Sephiroth used nothing but the stimulation of a different environment.
Taking a deep breath, he thought about what he planned on doing in the future. He had been entrusted the responsibility of eliminating Genesis and Angeal, something the company didn't trust Zack with due to the latter's emotions. When Zack addressed this, Sephiroth had just smiled.
He could only think of chuckling at the idea that someone would think he would kill them. Seeing someone with the same goal of not killing them was somewhat comforting to him.
"The idea of settling down at Cosmo Canyon won't sound so bad,'' he thought to himself.
He would have to lie low due to Turks, but he would still be able to live a quiet life and learn about the universe. Perhaps under Bugenhagen's guidance.
Despite his enhanced physical and mental attributes, he had never been able to talk to the planet, something Professor Ghast wished Sephiroth could do.
If he learned or found some way to do so, would he find the answers to all the questions that he sought?
Am I a Hero? A Prisoner? Or perhaps a Wanderer?
He felt like he couldn't be any without simultaneously also being the other two.
Loveless talked about three friends on an adventure. Perhaps that story didn't really involve him or at least didn't seem as such in the current circumstance.
He had been avoiding missions that involved Genesis and Angeal, perhaps it would be better if he would retire soon. Shinra won't be happy losing their poster Silver Soldier, so he would have to come up with a peaceful solution. Perhaps he somehow could change fields from military might to a leading mind in research.
The ecological crisis was seen not seen as the result of individual choices, such as taking too long showers or failing to turn off the lights when one leaves the room. Instead, the blame was placed squarely on Shinra's relentless search of resources and technological advancement.
He could work towards making sure that Shinra's policies weren't just based on constant expansion, profit but with short term outlooks, which would be at odds with environmental sustainability.
Avalanche had launched a secret attack and bombing campaign against Shinra instead of working towards raising public awareness and rousing the residents to keep checks on the corporation. Violence practised by individuals or small group was always incapable of creating large scale- permanent change. All it could do was create a short-lived sensation that would indirectly lead to apathy or passive waiting.
People didn't want to sacrifice their convenience, therefore they would rather have Shinra make resources cheaper and greater in number since limited resources would only create more difficulty for them. Hence it wasn't just Shinra but also the people that he needed to change.
Perhaps he could be the figure who would lead people into a better world, but he would have to sacrifice his comforts to do so and lead by example.
Time Till Nibelheim investigation: 21 days.
A/N: This is one of the earlier drafts which accidentally overwrote the original during the process of publishing. An update would be made soon.