Chapter 3 - Cetra Pie
When I woke up, I don't remember what happened to me. I remembered everything up until I blacked out, and it seems like one of the Turk henchmen must've put me out with black smoke or something. Anyway, I woke up on a cold hard iron floor, I woke up to the face of a big ugly man.
"Yo, Aerith, you awake yet?"
I shook my head, stunned by the voice, and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Who are you?"
"Damn girl, don't you remember me?" The voice asked.
I blinked and shook my head again. Then I narrowed my eyes and got a better look at the man's face. "B.Barret?!?!?"
I stood up quickly, and leaped into the air. "Barret! Barret! Barret!" I cried.
"Jeez girl, you don't need to get so frisky." Barret shrugged.
I brushed myself off, calming down, then spun around to look for a mirror. Instead, I found Cloud leaning on a wall behind me.
"Oh hi Cloud!" I ran a few steps to him and hugged him. He smiled halfway, but his eyes looked glazed over in thought.
I leaned back. "Cloud, what's wrong?"
"Shin-Ra is what's wrong. Rufus is what's wrong. Everything is wrong, yet I can't give up."
I looked around. "Hey, security is so lax around here, it'd be easy to break out. Especially with Barret's strength, and Cloud's sword." I trailed off, losing it.
".and your.hey! Where's your staff? And materia?" Barret interrupted.
I paused. "Ahhh.uhh..well, you see, I was kidnapped by the Turks, and Reno stole my materia..and my staff got broken." I almost felt the heat rush to my face again.
"......" even Cloud couldn't say a word.
"C'mon guys, I can get new materia! I think."
Barret laughed. "Heh, planning to steal some from Rufus's treasury?"
I stopped. "Treasury?" Then my eyes lit up. "Aha! That's where he keeps those billions of Gil!"
Cloud stood up. "Don't get greedy now, Aerith." He moved over to the wall in front of me and stood in the backdrop behind Barret. "Maybe all you need is a new staff, but we're not here to break into Rufus's bank. We're here to stop him from committing crimes around the world. We're here to save the earth."
"I'm here to take over the earth," I said quickly.
Cloud and Barret looked up. In the sudden silence all I could hear was the wheezing and snoring coming from nearby. I looked over to the iron bed, and underneath it was a sleeping Red XIII. I lowered my voice and continued. "I met Sephiroth and since we are both Ancients, we came to an agreement. We'll both do our parts to save the earth from Rufus Shinra and then take it back for Mother and the Promised Land. But I don't know where he is; I'm looking for him right now."
Cloud shuddered. "He could be anywhere. He has that ability."
I nodded. "But something's wrong. I've been calling to him the way he told me to, and nothing happened. Either he's blacked out or he's doing something without my permission."
"Well you're sure as hell not his boss," Barret said.
"I know that," I frowned. I sighed. What was the world coming to? I was getting a headache, and sitting down was the only option.
"Ya know what I think about Rufus?" said Barret out of the blue.
"What?" Said Cloud and I at the same time.
"I think Rufus is gonna use you, Aerith. You're the only Ancient that's easy to get his greedy hands on, and he's got you in his jail. But I think he doesn't want you for science experiments. He's going to be nice to you to get your help. He only wants a piece of the Cetra Pie."
"Cetra Pie? Where'd that come from?" I asked.
"Ya know, he wants to get in on the Promised Land business. After all that fighting, he probably figured that trying to stop us isn't gonna work, so he's gonna try negotiating. Sounds like Rufus Shinra to me." Barret crossed his arms and leaned against the wall again, falling into silence.
I thought about it in my head. Perhaps Barret was right; after this night Rufus would treat me like a queen just to get his hands in on the Promised Land. After all, who knew? The Promised Land might have mounds and mounds of Mako just waiting to be sucked up by the greedy Rufus Shinra and his corps. But there was something I could do - I could resist, and if I was Rufus's only hope, I could get power from him. Gain power.money and power on earth, then use it just as he and his father did to get my hands on the Promised Land. Afterwards I'd dump Rufus out like old shoes and keep it all to myself.
I told this plan to Cloud, and he nearly blew up going ballistic.
"WHAT are you TALKING about??!!?" he cried, swinging his sword around. "You know what killed the former president of Shin-Ra? GREED! His power and money equaled greed, and once he got into that power and money it never stopped! He couldn't stop being evil and greedy and look where he is now - DEAD! Aerith, I care too much about you to let you do this. If that's what you're going to do, then I'll have to kill you now. You'll get in the way of saving the world by doing your own thing." I watched Cloud's face as tears filled his eyes, then I shook my head, lowering it so all I could look at were my sorry feet.
"I'm sorry, Cloud, I didn't realize." I stopped and looked up at Barret. His face was twisted like he was thinking "What the hell is she up to?" but I didn't say anything. I just kept looking at my feet. ".I know, it was just an idea, I won't carry through with it, of course."
Cloud nodded, not lifting his own head, then turned away so his side and most of his back was facing me. I sighed, turning away, and sat down by the iron bed in thought. After a while I went to sleep thinking about what I was going to do about my obviously obtuse predicament.
When I woke up, I don't remember what happened to me. I remembered everything up until I blacked out, and it seems like one of the Turk henchmen must've put me out with black smoke or something. Anyway, I woke up on a cold hard iron floor, I woke up to the face of a big ugly man.
"Yo, Aerith, you awake yet?"
I shook my head, stunned by the voice, and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Who are you?"
"Damn girl, don't you remember me?" The voice asked.
I blinked and shook my head again. Then I narrowed my eyes and got a better look at the man's face. "B.Barret?!?!?"
I stood up quickly, and leaped into the air. "Barret! Barret! Barret!" I cried.
"Jeez girl, you don't need to get so frisky." Barret shrugged.
I brushed myself off, calming down, then spun around to look for a mirror. Instead, I found Cloud leaning on a wall behind me.
"Oh hi Cloud!" I ran a few steps to him and hugged him. He smiled halfway, but his eyes looked glazed over in thought.
I leaned back. "Cloud, what's wrong?"
"Shin-Ra is what's wrong. Rufus is what's wrong. Everything is wrong, yet I can't give up."
I looked around. "Hey, security is so lax around here, it'd be easy to break out. Especially with Barret's strength, and Cloud's sword." I trailed off, losing it.
".and your.hey! Where's your staff? And materia?" Barret interrupted.
I paused. "Ahhh.uhh..well, you see, I was kidnapped by the Turks, and Reno stole my materia..and my staff got broken." I almost felt the heat rush to my face again.
"......" even Cloud couldn't say a word.
"C'mon guys, I can get new materia! I think."
Barret laughed. "Heh, planning to steal some from Rufus's treasury?"
I stopped. "Treasury?" Then my eyes lit up. "Aha! That's where he keeps those billions of Gil!"
Cloud stood up. "Don't get greedy now, Aerith." He moved over to the wall in front of me and stood in the backdrop behind Barret. "Maybe all you need is a new staff, but we're not here to break into Rufus's bank. We're here to stop him from committing crimes around the world. We're here to save the earth."
"I'm here to take over the earth," I said quickly.
Cloud and Barret looked up. In the sudden silence all I could hear was the wheezing and snoring coming from nearby. I looked over to the iron bed, and underneath it was a sleeping Red XIII. I lowered my voice and continued. "I met Sephiroth and since we are both Ancients, we came to an agreement. We'll both do our parts to save the earth from Rufus Shinra and then take it back for Mother and the Promised Land. But I don't know where he is; I'm looking for him right now."
Cloud shuddered. "He could be anywhere. He has that ability."
I nodded. "But something's wrong. I've been calling to him the way he told me to, and nothing happened. Either he's blacked out or he's doing something without my permission."
"Well you're sure as hell not his boss," Barret said.
"I know that," I frowned. I sighed. What was the world coming to? I was getting a headache, and sitting down was the only option.
"Ya know what I think about Rufus?" said Barret out of the blue.
"What?" Said Cloud and I at the same time.
"I think Rufus is gonna use you, Aerith. You're the only Ancient that's easy to get his greedy hands on, and he's got you in his jail. But I think he doesn't want you for science experiments. He's going to be nice to you to get your help. He only wants a piece of the Cetra Pie."
"Cetra Pie? Where'd that come from?" I asked.
"Ya know, he wants to get in on the Promised Land business. After all that fighting, he probably figured that trying to stop us isn't gonna work, so he's gonna try negotiating. Sounds like Rufus Shinra to me." Barret crossed his arms and leaned against the wall again, falling into silence.
I thought about it in my head. Perhaps Barret was right; after this night Rufus would treat me like a queen just to get his hands in on the Promised Land. After all, who knew? The Promised Land might have mounds and mounds of Mako just waiting to be sucked up by the greedy Rufus Shinra and his corps. But there was something I could do - I could resist, and if I was Rufus's only hope, I could get power from him. Gain power.money and power on earth, then use it just as he and his father did to get my hands on the Promised Land. Afterwards I'd dump Rufus out like old shoes and keep it all to myself.
I told this plan to Cloud, and he nearly blew up going ballistic.
"WHAT are you TALKING about??!!?" he cried, swinging his sword around. "You know what killed the former president of Shin-Ra? GREED! His power and money equaled greed, and once he got into that power and money it never stopped! He couldn't stop being evil and greedy and look where he is now - DEAD! Aerith, I care too much about you to let you do this. If that's what you're going to do, then I'll have to kill you now. You'll get in the way of saving the world by doing your own thing." I watched Cloud's face as tears filled his eyes, then I shook my head, lowering it so all I could look at were my sorry feet.
"I'm sorry, Cloud, I didn't realize." I stopped and looked up at Barret. His face was twisted like he was thinking "What the hell is she up to?" but I didn't say anything. I just kept looking at my feet. ".I know, it was just an idea, I won't carry through with it, of course."
Cloud nodded, not lifting his own head, then turned away so his side and most of his back was facing me. I sighed, turning away, and sat down by the iron bed in thought. After a while I went to sleep thinking about what I was going to do about my obviously obtuse predicament.