Chapter Six: Plots within Plots

Everything was going pretty much as Vice President Rufus Shinra had reasonably hoped. Granted, zero casualties and little property damage would have been nice. But he'd been prepared to lose the whole place, if necessary.

Two reactors had been destroyed in Midgar. The construction crews were running across the city twenty-four seven—one in Gongaga by Genesis, another by Barret Wallace and his team. The unexpected addition of Cloud Strife had been a last-minute alteration, but it could be turned to a bonus.

Of course, he insisted on looking at the bodies.

No civilians had been killed. But the mangled corpses of many guards were inside the Mako Reactor. Even now, machines were moving the rubble away. The bodies, meanwhile, were mostly mangled beyond recognition.

Unzipping one of the black body bags, Rufus eyed it. Within, he saw a better-preserved corpse with a guy his age. His face was burned and scarred, and his chest was riddled with bullet holes. Zipping it back up, he turned to Scarlet.

"I have a list of their names if you're interested," said Scarlet.

She was a tall, blonde-haired woman with hair tied up above her head. She wore a red dress that was split at her hide hips. Black thigh-highs were on her long legs, and her ample cleavage showed off very large breasts. She had a deliberate way of standing meant to emphasize her sex appeal, and she looked no more than twenty. There was a vainglorious air to her, and her hair was parted to the side.

One would never guess that she was double her apparent age. Scarlet definitely didn't I know it. She was the sort of person who never stopped thinking of herself as an eighteen-year-old looker, even when she was closer to forty.

"I don't care about their names," said Rufus with a shrug. "I'm to understand the human cost and get a personal experience with the aftermath of a bombing. That is what I need to understand.

"The time you'd have me waste on their life story could be used for something productive."

It was a very simple calculation.

Wutai was done; the world was Shinra's. King Godo had been smart enough to see the writing on the wall and surrendered. The terrorist and resistance were beaten back, and the Genesis War was done. Lazard was dead, as was Genesis. And yet Shinra was still industrializing because doing so made more money for a rich few. Father had known about his machines' destructive effect on the planet. This was all decades ago, of course. He and the Shinra board had made a conscious effort to hide it. They'd been kicking the can to become the next generation's problem.

Learning that was the moment that led Rufus Shinra to lose all respect for his Father. Once, when Mom had been alive, he'd loved him. When he'd learned about the terrible things he'd done, Rufus had still respected him. Neo-Midgar's ideals, humanism, and the eternal rise to power. Of mankind shaking off the roots of the earth and ascending into heaven...

It had been a beautiful dream.

But it was all nonsense.

Father was only interested in feeling like a great man more than being one. He'd been great once. Once, he could have done anything he wanted with the world, and that was when the invitations came in. After that, he came back homeless and less.

Father was a good teacher.

Rufus had learned a lot from him. But he could no longer admire or support the man.

Not that he had said anything, he needed the nepotism. Instead, he'd focus on educating himself and training. When he became President, he could fix this mess. Unfortunately, the death of the planet didn't look like it was going to wait.

"Cloud is a potential problem that needs attending," said Scarlet, somewhat wistfully.

"Do you have something in mind?" asked Rufus.

"He's been working with the daughter of a former business associate," said Scarlet. "Tifa Lockhart, she owns a bar."

"I know," said Rufus.

"They've been monster hunting together," said Scarlet. "Apparently, they are delaying their next operation."

"Why?" asked Rufus.

"Cloud argued that an escape would be impossible. He said that your Father might napalm bomb the slums," said Scarlet. Was she really so jaded? Of course, she was. "He's quite correct. The President is quite annoyed at the loss in profits and prestige."

"This Cloud," said Rufus. "Is he good?" That name seemed familiar? Wasn't there some kind of ancient war god with that name? Well, there were people named Arthur, so it made sense.

"Brilliant," said Scarlet. "Though a bit on the sensitive side. His psychological profile was too unstable for SOLDIER; I recommended him several times.

"I'd like to have him when this is over. Him and Tifa." She seemed far too excited for it.

"Why do you want Lockhart?" asked Rufus.

"Well, obviously because she is taking something that is mine," said Scarlet. "I am the one who provided Hojo with authorization and funding to enhance him. Just like he always wanted. He'd certainly not have made such an experiment; otherwise, he had no appreciation for Cloud's talents.

"I was looking forward to piecing him back together. Tifa has stolen that pleasure from me, so I want to do that to him both."

"That is probably not an option," said Rufus. "The Turks have their own plan. They want to get Zack Fair back." Rufus thought that a few regiments of coordinated infantry would be more useful. And cheaper too.

Then again, this seemed more like reclaiming lost property and would be a low-cost exercise.

"Oh yes, 'the puppy'," said Scarlet. "Because what this world really needs is yet another, happy-go-lucky imbecile. As if that trope has not been done to death already."

"This is beside the point," said Rufus. "Elena has given information. Their plan to reawaken Zack is to stimulate his residual memories within Cloud.

"For obvious reasons, this cannot be allowed to happen.

"If Zack Fair comes back, he might be a Shinra loyalist. That could doom all our plans outright. The man fought like a God. In a few years, he might have been stronger than Sephiroth."

"Don't fool yourself," said Scarlet. "Sephiroth was far more powerful than you ever realized. If Zack had surpassed him, Sephiroth would have become motivated and beat him again.

"He did not cease to increase in power because he peaked. He did it because there was nothing left to conquer. It was his suggestion to create the space program."

"Yes," said Rufus. "And what exactly is happening to the billions and billions of Gil we spend on it a year?"

"Palmer embezzles all of it," said Scarlet. "Cid managed to create a working rocket on a shoe-string budget. He's quite talented, you know.

"But, his idiot wife got herself in the path of the rocket when it was about to launch.

"He shut it down at the last minute, and Palmer used it as an excuse to pull the rest of the funding. Now he has 'research groups' that get paid to sit around and drink coffee."

"It's a waste of time," said Rufus. "A space program is no magic bullet. Even if we get the ability to reach other planets, we'd have to terraform them. Going to space is no escape.

"Unless we get ourselves out of this mess on our own, the human race is going to go extinct before we achieve anything. How is the Junon Cannon going?"

"The project should be able to kill a Weapon," said Scarlet. "Assuming you can hit it. I've researched the imagery and stories of their coming. At least a few of them are slow enough and stupid enough to gun down with it.

"Airships, properly armed, would be able to contend with the flyers, if there are any. As for the ones that patrol the seas, we could hit them with the canon if they surface. Submarines might be able to deal with those below.

"Not a perfect solution, but no one has seen the Weapons in ages. But I can say with some confidence that we have a fighting chance."

Rufus considered this. "Good.

"Why did you destroy North Corel?"

"They were sheltering terrorists," said Scarlet. "It was a relatively small community, a hundred or so. In villages like that, everyone knows everyone. Someone had tried to blow up a Mako Reactor.

"If I'd arrested them, it would have radicalized the rest. And I'd already told them to hand over those responsible. They ignored me, so an example had to be set. You can't afford to make exceptions when dealing with the lower classes.

"You let one situation get out of hand, and they all start rebelling. Then it's nothing but work, work, work.

"Burning North Corel shut all rebellions immediately. Wutai was no longer able to infiltrate the place. Their agents were all turned in immediately because they knew the whole town would be burned. Unpleasant, but it worked, and we were in a time of war.

"And I didn't expect anyone to do something I wouldn't do myself."

Rufus paused as a large segment of metal was pulled away by a truck. "...Let me see.

"Genesis took out the Gongaga reactor. That should put a halt to all operations out there. We're buying stock, so we have a lot more control. The problem is the army.

"Where does Heidegger stand?"

"He's a loyalist," said Scarlet. "Heideggar owes his position to President Shinra and has done very well by staying loyal. Reeve doesn't care; he doesn't like any of us and mostly just wants to do his job. I expect he'll try to reign in violence, but he'll side with whoever wins. And Palmer is a corrupt old relic.

"Kyahahaha! Everything is falling into place, Mr. President."

"Don't celebrate yet," said Rufus. "We must disrupt the Turk's plan. However, it can't be done in a way that directly starts a conflict."

"What exactly is their plan?" asked Scarlet.

"They mean to use Aerith Gainsborough as a means of motivation," said Rufus. "To draw out his true nature, so to speak."

"Well then," said Scarlet. "I think I might have a solution that will get us the best of both worlds..." And then she told him her plan.

Sephiroth had to admit; he liked Tifa.

And it wasn't just because of her beauty or grace or any other superficial reason. She was intelligent and beautiful, and also kind. Her actions had probably given him his best chance to win this thing. All of the options were controlled by Hojo. But she'd managed to conjure enough of Cloud into being to cut his control.

Of course, Sephiroth could manipulate him by other means. But Hojo had no knack for manipulation. Only crude compulsion by chemicals and dopamine. Zack also had power, but he had not been in this state for as long. He had yet to fully regain his mind. Much of his memory and abilities were being drawn on by Cloud.

Tifa was... nice. It helped that she was not one of his fangirls. Once, he'd been chased by an entire horde of them proclaiming their love for him. And since he couldn't kill them all, he'd had to make an escape via helicopter. Not one of them had ever known him, but... Tifa didn't need to.

Even if she was using Cloud for her own ends, she'd had no way of knowing she could have done that. For all she knew, he'd be a cripple for life. That was why he'd pushed Cloud to give the flower to her instead of Marlene; the child was insignificant.

Sephiroth made a mental note to find Tifa after he won.

Even he could use a Goddess. He wished he could have spoken to her before all this. It might have averted his psychopathic break.

But, for now, there were other matters to attend to.

His next move would be an important one. As things currently stood, Shinra would eventually win. So, the balance of power would have to be destabilized somehow. Avalanche had to keep operating. Happily, the Turk's were trying to recruit Cloud as part of an elaborate plan to do... something.

Personally, Sephiroth Neo-Midgar was nothing but a pet project. President Shinra threw money at them to make himself able to sleep at night. But, if it slowed things down a bit, so much the better.

How to do it?

Well, Sephiroth was almost certain he could get what he wanted without even coming here. Hojo had already released the subjects, and they were wandering around doing... nothing really. Some were going through the motions of their old lives without understanding why. Others were simply wandering across the wastes.

For the moment, Sephiroth had directed a number of them to a functioning train. He ordered them to refurbish it. He had an idea they could do it, but that would be a valuable test in itself. Even so, he strongly suspected that they would be useless to him.

Mother meant well.

But she didn't quite understand his own nature. In the world she was from, there was no individuality. Her original arrival in Gaia had been very destructive. Neither she nor the people of this world could comprehend the other. Mother had viewed Gaia as a separate organism, but a singular organism in complete chaos.

She had attempted to calm unhealthy chaos and bring order. However, it had been a nightmarish assimilation plot to individuals in that place.

Sephiroth had come to understand her point of view and especially combined with Hojo's enlightened upbringing. That and the expectations of Shinra, he had been very unwise. Sephiroth had been party to burned villages before, of course. However, Shinra preferred to keep his hands clean. So he wasn't in possession of the empathy necessary to hold himself back.

Ironically, that was probably why he was able to understand Mother.

Nibelheim had been a small town in any event, and there were much larger things at stake here. So there was no use crying over spilled milk when there was work to be done.

And that was how he had come up onto the Shinra building. At present, he has used materia to hide himself. If memory served, Scarlet's office was on the west wing. Sephiroth took the side stairs and headed up them, scaling higher and higher. For the present, needless bloodshed needed to be avoided.

With any luck, he would find a happier hour.

He used the card he'd had a custom maid to come to the door. Programming a weakness into the reader had required a great deal of effort. He'd had to learn an entirely new skillset but had done it. He'd wanted a way to enter and exit the Shinra Building without authorization, just in case.

All for reasons which by this point were too obvious.

Sephiroth had never trusted Shinra, but it had been a distant and unimportant detail. In those days, he'd still liked the idea of being a hero. He'd watched lots of anime and movies and made notes about those he saw. Then he compared their popularity and how they rose and fell. He'd decided learning what people liked in a hero might help him craft his image.

Long Shounen Anime were something of an interesting experiment.

They were a fictional example of the Great Man theory, with a few exceptions. Yes, there were twist endings and such. However, the fundamental basis of a Shounen Anime was its protagonist. Granted, most Shounen Protagonists were tolerable at best. But they were often the most popular characters. Everyone wrote fanfiction where they had harems of willing women.

Nobody cared about the Shounen Anime protagonist. Nobody questioned why anyone would follow such an antisocial and sociopathic individual. And they were always sociopathic. Sometimes they flat out did not care about anything but themselves. That and their excuse of a motive and whatever archenemy they were fighting this week.

But that was the point, wasn't it?

Shounen Anime protagonists were not meant to be great. They were meant to be jerks, slightly unsympathetic, but with a basic sense of decency. For which they were continually rewarded with friends, riches, and love interest. While characters who were far more professional and hardworking and had to be saved.

It was a loser's wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Don't aspire to be like a great man or go your own way. Just pick an arbitrary goal and recite a code you don't even follow. Never plan things out, and you'll live happily ever after. And your friends will never betray you, even if you trade them up for the person who murdered their fault.

It been a disgusting revelation that people did not want heroes to inspire them.

They wanted ciphers to project their own inadequacies onto. All in order to feel like everything would be okay. They didn't want to fix their problems; they wanted to forget them.

Well, Sephiroth would take care of that.

Scarlet's wing was a very nice one and was hardly used these days. Most of her operations had been moved to Junon. However, to his luck, she was there and in her office, reading through books as she used to.

Then she shot up and did not go for a weapon.

Slowly, she stood up.

"...Sephiroth," said Scarlet. "I was... given to understand you were dead."

"Something to that effect, yes," said Sephiroth. "I require your assistance in a matter of some importance."

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Scarlet, afraid.

"Free will," said Sephiroth. "Not as a concept, just in its implementation. People have been given, and they've done nothing but wreck it.

"I feel some restrictions on its use ought to be in order."

"Well," Scarlet halted. "I'm afraid that's a bit out of my jurisdiction.

"Is it really?" asked Sephiroth. "Didn't you have Hojo install certain commands into a Cloud Strife?"

Scarlet adjusted her hair. "Yes, well, it was a better use for him than killing him off. And that was the only alternative.

"Tseng would have killed him in a coverup."

"Perhaps," said Sephiroth, having his doubts. "I am going to need someone to act as a lieutenant in the coming order. While I can take power by myself, it will be easier if I have a party within Shinra.

"The post-war situation will require a government. Though the sense of governance will have changed."

"Why me?" asked Scarlet.

"I have no faith in Heidegger as an administrator," said Sephiroth. "Tseng is a consummate professional and would never turn on Shinra. Reeve is invested in industries that will not be a priority. Palmer is an imbecile, and President Shinra will be dead very soon.

"Hojo is already an ally, for the moment. But he is no leader and would never be able to administer anything."

"Then," said Scarlet. "From the sounds of things, I am your only option. What are you offering me in return?"

"Eternal life," said Sephiroth. "The Mako Treatment you underwent has extended your youth. But it won't last forever.

"Mother will be able to help you with that."

"What do you want?" asked Scarlet, leaning back in her chair.

"Your blood for a start," said Sephiroth. "It's needed."

"As you wish," said Scarlet. "Give me a syringe."

Now for the next stage.