The Future Imperfect
AN – So we spend some time with Genesis and Sephiroth. A bit of a later update to make up for the quick one last time, but I was away over the weekend on a much needed break
Chapter Fifteen
Genesis lounged against a marble pillar, one hand resting on his hip by the hilt of his sword and the other tapping idly against his left thigh. Waiting was decidedly boring, the only point of interest so far being when Angeal was chewed out by a disgruntled employee after informing him politely that the bathroom was out of service. Genesis could almost feel the irritation coming off his friend! But other than that, the meeting rooms were infuriatingly soundproofed so he couldn't even eavesdrop. He huffed out a deep sigh, hiding a smirk as Sephiroth shifted next to him. His friend hated inaction, if Genesis thought this was boring then to Sephiroth it was probably a form of torture. Not to mention he had been temporarily separated from his Cloud. Not that the SOLDIER was acknowledging that particular facet, but Genesis wasn't an idiot and he had eyes.
Another sigh, more tapping, another irritated shift from Sephiroth. Genesis wondered what else he could do to annoy him, moving slightly as he straightened only to bite back a curse as his shoulder knocked against the pillar. It sent a throbbing pain through his back and down his left arm. The effect of Aerith's earlier healing was definitely wearing off and he really hoped they found her soon. But instead of looking, he was just standing here and waiting. Bored.
Luckily, his boredom was soon eased when the conference doors opened. Perhaps predictably, given that he headed up Urban Development and one of the eight Midgar plates had just fallen, Tuesti was the first one out. Genesis didn't know the man well, but he knew he was the youngest of the directors and quite possibly the only sane one amongst them. He looked harried, striding quickly away and turning into a smaller conference room where a few workers were already gathered. Scarlet came next, sashaying swiftly across the floor with her heels clicking imperiously and disappearing down an elevator.
Heidegger was next, but to Genesis's surprise the large man made a beeline for where he and Sephiroth were standing instead of the elevators.
"You! And you!"
Genesis saluted crisply, nudging Sephiroth with his toe until he did the same. Heidegger looked them over, sniffing. "You'll do." He muttered quietly, then barked "Come with me!"
"Sir!" Genesis replied, falling in step just behind and to the side of Heidegger. He shot a worried look towards Angeal, who was watching them going with alarm, but was forced to return his attention to Heidegger when the Director of Public Security started talking.
"There have been reports that Sephiroth has been seen in the building. The report came from Palmer, so it is likely nonsense, but I need you to accompany me back to my office just in case. Then you can organise a search party to find Palmer's hallucination." Heidegger guffawed here, missing the false step that Sephiroth took at his words. Genesis nudged him again, looking at him in concern. "Honestly, the man is pathetic! Kicking off additional demand for guards when we already have to keep an eye out for Avalanche. Does he think I have unlimited personnel at my disposal?" This tirade was all directed at Sephiroth, who was wearing the outfit of an elite officer and therefore supposedly the senior of the two. Genesis tried to work out if it was possible that they had been seen and identified by anyone during their ascent of the tower, but they hadn't been anywhere near Palmer. Which begged the question of who exactly Palmer had seen and could it really just be a coincidence?
The approached the elevators, large glass cylinders that travelled up the outside of the building in transparent tubes. Genesis had always appreciated the view of the city you got from them, but at the same time their entire purpose was to emphasise and reinforce the power structure within Shinra. Namely, that the President was at the top and everyone else was beneath him. After all, they only ran between floors fifty-nine and floor sixty-eight and you needed to have an exclusive keycard to access any of those floors. A keycard that Genesis was in possession of, but he was under no illusion that his access to the recreational facilities and the conference rooms was subject to anything other than the President's whims. From floor sixty-eight, there were two flights of stairs that took you past the presidential suite on floor sixty-nine to the President's office on the seventieth, and final, floor of the Shinra tower. Even Genesis had barely been into the President's office, so hallowed was that ground.
Heidegger immediately sent the elevator down to floor fifty-nine. Reluctantly, Genesis tore his gaze from the view to stand behind the director with his back to it. Sephiroth stood next to him, his hand tight where he gripped the hilt of Masamune. Genesis frowned slightly at this sign of stress on his friend, normally Sephiroth had such tight control of his emotions that he never gave any outward indication of what he was actually feeling. However, Genesis had to acknowledge that the outlandish events of the last two days would be enough to make anyone start to lose their grip on their emotions, maybe even their sanity.
From the executive elevator they had a short walk across the Sky View hall to the regular elevators, Heidegger huffing complaints continuously about the pointlessness of two separate elevators. Genesis watched him with amusement, the man was large and evidently quite unfit judging by the amount he was puffing as they strode across the hall. Though that could also be related to the number of cigars he chain-smoked daily.
Into the next elevator they went and down a few more floors, finally alighting at floor fifty-one. This made Genesis frown, Heidegger had never before had an office on this floor. To his knowledge, the only director that had in his time was Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER. But when Heidegger started striding towards a particularly familiar outer office, it was evident that the SOLDIERs themselves was not the only thing the large man had taken from Lazard.
Heidegger scanned his keycard and the doors slid open, startling a group of troopers that were standing by the entrance in a group. Lazard's outer office, once an informal meeting room due to the kitchenette it contained, had apparently undergone a substantial refurbishment and been transformed into a large, open plan office with a suite of smaller conference rooms running off one side. The colour scheme had also changed, now the gleaming black granite with green accents that the rest of the tower had been decorated. Lazard had always kept the space more functional, steel surfaces contrasting with the plasma screens and the occasional Shinra logo had been the only ornamentation.
"You there!" The head of Public Security barked at one of the troopers sat at a desk terminal as soon as he entered. "Look through the security logs and find out if there are any reported sightings of Sephiroth in the building."
"S-Sephiroth?" The security guard in question stammered.
"Am I not making myself clear enough? Do it! Now!" The guard sat down at the nearest desk and quickly logged in, immediately pulling up tabs full of information. Heidegger stalked through the room with Genesis and Sephiroth in tow. He stopped in front of a guard dressed in the same red elite outfit that Sephiroth was wearing, who snapped to a crisp salute. Just behind the guard was an office, one that Sephiroth and Genesis were very familiar with as it had been Lazard's.
"Sir!" The guard cast a puzzled glance at Genesis and Sephiroth before turning his attention back to Heidegger. "How can I help you, sir?"
"My office." Heidegger barked. "I have a task for you."
Heidegger opened the door to his office with his keycard, turning to the pair following him. "Go and make yourselves useful," he told them dismissively, waving a large paw in their direction. "You aren't needed here anymore." With that he disappeared into the room, the door sliding shut behind him and the guard. Genesis huffed and turned around, surveying the room they were in. It was a large space, full of desks and terminals. Numerous helmeted troopers sat beavering away despite the late hour, a couple of the closest watching Sephiroth and Genesis curiously but most absorbed in their work or talking on their radios animatedly. From what Genesis could overhear, they were coordinating troops around the tower as they seemed to be expecting something to happen.
"This way," Genesis murmured at last, leading Sephiroth over to one of the small conference rooms that edged the open plan office. These rooms had glass walls and a couple of terminals on the central table, perfect for the idea Genesis had suddenly come up with.
Pulling the door most of the way closed behind Sephiroth, Genesis checked subtly for cameras. It was much easier to do with the ridiculous trooper helmet on as it obscured his eyes from view, behind the three infrared lights that were wreaking havoc with his vision. His enhancements made them completely unnecessary, and in fact they were giving him quite the headache. Goddess only knew how Sephiroth was faring.
Talking of, Genesis ushered Sephiroth into the seat in front of one of the terminals that was in the blind spot of the camera. "You saw the guard's credentials?" Genesis asked in a low voice that only another enhanced SOLDIER would be able to hear, and that wouldn't be able to be picked up by any microphones over the ambient noise of the main office. Genesis had conveniently left the door ajar for that very reason.
Sephiroth looked up at Genesis from his seated position. "We need to go back and find the others." He reminded the redhead. Genesis tapped his hand on the top of the terminal.
"You can't tell me you aren't desperate to know what has been going on for the last seven years?" He demanded, still at a volume only Sephiroth would be able to hear. "This is our opportunity. I know you have a near eidetic memory, so logging into this won't be a challenge for you." He looked back at the office Heidegger was standing in, issuing orders animatedly. "At least we know what happened to SOLDIER now, Heidegger must have taken it over."
Sephiroth let out a noise that might have been a growl before his fingers flew over the screen in front of him. "What do you want to look for first?" He murmured.
Genesis drummed the table thoughtfully. "Call me egotistical, but I want to know what has happened to me."
Sephiroth's fingers froze, hovering over the screen. "Are you sure?" Genesis glared at him, although the full effect was diminished due to the helmet. Sephiroth duly performed the search.
"It says you… are killed in action."
Genesis's eyebrows rose under the helmet. "Well I think we had guessed that much. Anything more?"
Sephiroth scanned the data quickly. "Your whole file has been redacted. Including everything you achieved before you went MIA. It is almost as though you didn't exist. It simply states the date you were recorded as missing, prior to being killed."
"Which was?"
Sephiroth paused, glancing up at Genesis who gestured for him to get on with it. Eventually, Sephiroth sighed. "October of year zero."
Genesis almost sat down in shock. "W-what? But… that's only a couple of months away." Sephiroth just looked at him steadily, so Genesis jerked his hand towards Sephiroth. "Right, no other information?"
"None."
"What about Angeal?"
After a few moments, Sephiroth responded. "He is listed as missing in… October year zero, as well. Then upgraded to killed in action in April of year one. Before you ask, it is the same as you. His file has also been completely redacted and the credentials I am using do not have the clearance to see them."
"And yourself?"
Sephiroth spent a few more minutes searching for information before pursing his lips and looking up at Genesis. "I am listed as missing in action, in October of year two. Again, the rest of the file is above the clearance levels I have access to, although that doesn't surprise me given my history."
"Well, that throws up more questions than answers. What next?"
Sephiroth's fingers hovered over the keys a moment, before typing in another search. "Cloud Strife, infantry private. Junon Regiment of the First Division."
"So he really wasn't a SOLDIER! But how did a mere grunt in the infantry get the level of enhancement he has?"
"He is… listed as killed in action." Sephiroth read off, sitting back heavily into his chair. "In October of year two."
Genesis started before glaring at the screen. "The same as you… could this be the Nibelheim incident they have referred to?"
"I am certain of it."
"What about Angeal's Zack? He will want to know."
This time, after searching for the information, Sephiroth dropped his head into his hands. Genesis frowned at the uncharacteristic display of emotion.
"It can't be that bad, surely?"
"Killed in action, October of year two." Sephiroth stated tonelessly.
Genesis exhaled. "I had hoped… Angeal will be devastated." His friend was so proud of his young protégé, convinced that Zack had the talent to go a long way once he matured a little. To lose him at such a young age… that would truly hurt Angeal. Genesis thought that Zack was about sixteen now, meaning that he was listed as killed at only eighteen years old.
Sephiroth stood up and turned away from the monitor to face the wall, staring at a picture of Midgar. Genesis slipped into his vacated seat and stared at the image of Zack on the screen. Genesis had never met Zack, but somehow the image lined up with the mental image formed from what Angeal had told him about his personality. Interestingly, he was also wearing a First Class uniform. Genesis stored that titbit up for Angeal, regardless of everything else his friend would be pleased to hear that Zack had made First Class and at such a young age.
Thinking about what else he felt they needed to know, he quickly looked up the organisational structure. As expected, SOLDIER now came under Heidegger's jurisdiction. As an afterthought, Genesis looked up Lazard to find another redacted file, this time listed as missing in May of year two. He sighed and turned to Sephiroth.
"What on Gaia happens over the next couple of years?"
Sephiroth didn't answer. Genesis turned to see him still staring at the photograph of Midgar. "Is that photograph really so interesting? It must be a sight you have seen hundreds of times."
Sephiroth turned to face him and despite the helmet it was clear his expression was distraught, more so than Genesis had ever seen. "The incident in October of year two… I was the cause. I lost my mind and slaughtered a village. I caused Zack's death, and Cloud…" Sephiroth's voice nearly broke on Cloud's name and he trailed into pained silence.
Genesis gaped in surprise, wondering how Sephiroth had leapt from a scant few words on the screen to being the instigator of it. There must be something he was missing. Eventually, he managed to get his voice working again. "And you have deduced this how?"
"I spoke to Cloud." Sephiroth was staring at the picture again, but Genesis thought he wasn't seeing anything. "He explained a little about what happened. The rest… the dates cannot be a coincidence."
Genesis actually took a moment to choose his words carefully, for once. "I think that until we get the whole story straight from the chocobo's mouth, you cannot blame yourself or anyone else. We are still flying blind here, with small pieces of information that could easily be misinterpreted."
A shaky exhale followed by a curt nod of the head from Sephiroth.
"Well," Genesis stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles above his head. "Why don't we take your mind off things with a little mayhem?"
"Genesis," Sephiroth warned, but his tone lacked his usual bite.
Genesis turned to face his friend, deadly serious. "Angeal is always telling me not to mess with the IT, but this does seem as good a time as any. There must be something we can do to help ourselves whilst causing as much irritation to Shinra as possible. You are the strategic one, what do you suggest?"
Half a smile ghosted Sephiroth's lips before dropping back into his usual stoic expression. "Something that may ease our passage away from here."
Genesis drummed his fingers on the keyboard. "Complicated… as I don't know how we intend to leave. I don't believe our dear Cloud has a plan for it. Still… overwriting the vehicle access codes would be a good start then." His fingers flew across the keyboard and in spite of himself Sephiroth drew closer, interested.
"This is a talent you have been hiding, Genesis."
"I had a lot of free time on one of the Wutai tours and a particularly useful Third Class aide de camp that knew his way around computers. I managed to pick up a few pointers. The ability to hack into the Shinra supply and equipment network to make sure we actually obtain the items we needed saved several of my men." Genesis glowered at the remembrance. Heidegger had been in charge of supplies to the front, mainly because the number of regular infantry troopers significantly outnumbered the SOLDIERs. But he was notoriously stingy, even for his own troopers, and the supplies they were sent were both inferior quality and insufficient quantity. The access Genesis had was limited to supplies and equipment within Public Security, but that might be enough.
"Hmmm." Sephiroth's expression didn't exactly change, but Genesis preened slightly at the fact he had managed to achieve something that actually impressed his friend. Somehow, the tricks that the Third had taught him still worked and he was able to change all the vehicle access codes, making it far harder for anyone to use one of the newer models. Any of the older models that still used physical keys wouldn't be affected, but even in their time only half the vehicles were the older type. Genesis assumed most would have been phased out by now. For good measure, he also diverted the refuelling supplies, further limiting Shinra's ability to pursue them.
Having finished that, he paused. What else could they do with the access he had? With a malicious grin, he changed the supply requirements for floor fifty-one to increase demand tenfold at a minimum. Genesis sniggered as he thought about the expression on Heidegger's face when he exited his office to be faced with fifty thousand rolls of toilet paper.
"Satisfied?" Sephiroth asked dryly.
"Very." Genesis replied, smug grin still in place. "It's amazing what you can achieve with just a few tweaks to logistics." He stood, shutting off the terminal after making sure that it would be very difficult to track the changes back to him. "We now need to work out how we are going to get back up to the others, who should be finished with Hojo's laboratory. Provided nothing has gone wrong, of course."
"Famous last words."
But before they could go anywhere, the building suddenly shook around them. Both SOLDIERs immediately crouched to maintain balance, looking at each other warily. "That felt like an explosion." Sephiroth stated quietly. A siren wailed as red lights flashed around the room; troopers that had been previously sat at their desks were scrambling for weapons and equipment.
"Finding the rest of our party becomes a more urgent priority," Genesis replied. He strode out from the small room into the cacophony of noise that was the main office, Sephiroth at his shoulder. Together, they headed for the exit to find a way up the building. "I do have my keycard, but I am reluctant to use it unless we have to."
"It is unlikely to still be activated," Sephiroth replied in the same low tone. "It has been several years now since you were recorded as killed, they are likely to have removed any trace of it from their systems."
"Hmm," It was something Genesis hadn't even thought about and he was annoyed with himself for the oversight. He hadn't wanted to use his card with the concern that they might track his presence by doing so but on reflection Sephiroth was likely to be correct. Maintaining access for a person that was KIA was an easily remedied security breach and one he knew the turks would not allow.
"Hey!" An officer strode up to them both and thrust something into Sephiroth's hand, whilst Genesis snapped to attention as any grunt would. "Professor Hojo has requested some more soldiers on floor sixty-six. This keycard will get you up there and has some permissions for the lab, goodness knows what happened to the forces we sent only an hour ago. You know how to access the upper floors?" Sephiroth nodded, so the officer continued. "OK, well get moving. We don't have enough troops here to be dealing with random requests as well as the situation downstairs." With that, the officer was gone as quickly as he had arrived, having deposited the precious keycard in Sephiroth's waiting hand.
"Ask the Goddess and ye shall receive." Genesis murmured. "She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."
Sephiroth sighed. "Not everything in life deserves a Loveless quotation." He looked down at the keycard he held in his glove. "Although, just this once, I will allow that this is particularly convenient."
They strode out of the office and towards the main elevators. Genesis fumbled with his uniform before producing another keycard, this one a standard version.
"Thank you, Private Danvers," he muttered as he read the name off the side, that of the ill-fated trooper the uniform once belonged to. "You'll help us get back to the fifty-ninth floor, at least."
Their passage through to the executive elevators was smooth, none of the lingering employees wanted to disturb the troopers marching through the Sky View hall. The glass elevators were free, and Sephiroth scanned the pass to the sixty-sixth floor. Genesis released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as the elevator accepted it and they began to move. Once they arrived, they entered into a hallway with only one large steel door ahead of them. With a quick glance at Sephiroth, Genesis pushed an intercom to the right of the door.
"Yes?" Came the unmistakeable nasally tones of Professor Hojo through the small speaker. Sephiroth's hands clenched tightly into fists so Genesis took it upon himself to answer.
"Private Danvers and Corporal Bennet here as requested, sir."
"What? Oh, the troopers I requested. Well, come in. Report to my office, at the end of the hall on the right. And for goodness sake don't touch anything!" His voice lowered. "If they ruin my precious experim-" The speaker cut off. Genesis looked over at Sephiroth, trying to gauge his emotions, but it was near impossible. Difficult any day, but even harder with half his face obscured.
"The wind sails over the water's surface… are you ready?"
Sephiroth took a deep breath and clenched his jaw, nodding once curtly.
"Very well then." Genesis stepped through as the door slid open. "Once more unto the breach, dear friend, once more."