Day Three
6:15 a.m. Outside Junon harbor.
Sephiroth sat in silence. Aeris was asleep on the bench beside him, her head in his lap and his coat as a blanket. He watched her in her slumber, and smiled contentedly. For the first time in his life, he felt true tranquility with himself and the world around him. The smile vanished, replaced by a miserable frown, when he realized just how short-lived that peace was to be. Cloud and Aeris's other friends would never consent to his newly established relationship with her; in fact, they would most likely do everything in their power to keep him from her.
Then there was always the matter of what he was going to do with his life. Spending every waking moment with Aeris, tempting as it was, was not an option. But, due to his limited field of expertise, there wasn't much he could do. Being a soldier was all he knew, all he ever wanted to be. He'd reached the highest achievement of his dream when he had become general at the age of twenty-three. *Not as if I earned it, though,* he thought bitterly. *The only reason I got the position was because the previous general died.* He winced as the memory of that dear man's death surfaced in his mind.
He absently stroked Aeris's hair; she sighed in response to his touch, and nuzzled her cheek against his leg. He wanted to refrain from bringing her any more grief and pain than he already had. He wondered if there was anything he could do that wouldn't cause problems. Most of the world wouldn't trust him, and the rest would want to kill him. Other than total seclusion, he couldn't see any options that would allow him to live peacefully. Not that he wanted that anyway; he had a violent nature, and without some outlet for it he would probably lapse into a psychotic delirium. Besides, he wanted to be with Aeris, *needed* to be with her, but his presence would only bring her trouble. *What am I going to do? I just don't know.*
There was a glimmer of light on the horizon. Sephiroth looked to the east; the first rays of the sunrise were peeking over the plains of the eastern continent. He could see Junon silhouetted by the morning light. The sky slowly turned from its midnight blues and blacks to shades of fiery red. The water was tinted with its color, giving it the appearance of a sea of lava. The sky and water merged into a single mass of red-orange, disturbed only by the grassy plains.
The ship docked at Junon harbor. Sephiroth ran his finger down Aeris's cheek, and whispered her name. She stirred beneath the heavy leather of his trench coat, rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Time to go," he said. He helped her stand, and after stretching, she returned his coat to him. He pulled it on, picked up Masamune, and strapped it to his back. They stepped out onto the docking bay. Exiting through the bay doors, they entered Main Street.
There were no people up and about yet, leaving the street deserted, save for the occasional stray dog or cat. Sephiroth felt a knot in his gut loosen. They were safe from confrontation for now. They walked in silence, the only sound coming from their shoes on the pavement. They passed under the elevator; there were soldiers training in the underpass, but they didn't notice the two. On the other side of the lift they collided with Rufus.
The young President winced at the newly restored pain in his ribs, but he recovered before Sephiroth or Aeris noticed. Straightening his hair, he regarded the two. "Never thought I'd see you two again. According to Reeves, you're both dead. What happened?"
"Not quite sure," Sephiroth responded. Next to him, Aeris remained quiet.
Rufus nodded as if to say, *You either don't want to talk about it, or you really don't know, so I won't press.* "Didn't feel like staying on the northern continent?"
"How did you know we came from the northern continent?" Aeris asked.
"You were heading away from the dock, and the only ship in this early today is from the north."
"We're trying to find her friends," Sephiroth told him in response to his previous question.
Rufus gave a questioning look. *We?* He watched the two for a moment - analyzing them, weighing their words - and then winked. "Ah." He understood what was between Aeris and Sephiroth, and knew exactly what complications would arise. "Well, if you wait here long enough, I'm sure they'll pop up. It shouldn't take too long."
Though he showed no external surprise, Sephiroth couldn't help but be amazed at how casually Rufus was taking the situation. It was as though nothing bothered the man, but that had always been the rumor; apparently there was some truth to it. "How do you know?"
"They sent someone to try and kill me just the other day." He paused, and then corrected himself. "Sorry. *Some* of your friends hired someone. I'm not exactly sure who, but I have a general idea. Two of your pals were with me, and managed to protect me."
Aeris stepped forward. "Who?"
"Who saved me? Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind." He motioned to the elevator. "Would you like to see them?"
Aeris smiled. "Yes, please."
Rufus allowed Aeris to climb in, and Sephiroth after. He started the lift; it lurched into motion with a loud hum. To Sephiroth, he asked. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," was the response.
"Soldier is still in need of a general. There aren't any wars, but they'll serve well as police, and I've got the feeling they'll be put to good use." He turned to Aeris. "No offense, but I just don't trust some of your friends to behave themselves, and I'm sure they won't be the only ones." The lift came to a halt. Rufus got off, waving a hand for them to follow. "The position is yours if you want it," he continued. He began walking down a stretch of hallway.
"Why do you want me?"
"You're the most qualified, and I'd prefer to have the best on the job. More than anyone, you'll know how to handle those, shall we say, unruly situations."
"Rather unorthodox interview."
"Yeah. Well, since my near-death experience at Diamond Weapon's blasters I've been doing a lot of things that are non-standard. So do you want the job? ShinRa could really use your expertise. Especially now, when things are so rough on everyone."
Sephiroth was silent. He contemplated the decision before him. *Back to my old job, just with a little twist? It's almost too good to hope for. I'd have to talk about it with Aeris. I can't make this decision without her.*
She knew him too well already. Aeris laid a hand on his shoulder, her own silent consent.
"All right, I'll do it. I just hope you don't regret it.
Rufus stopped his brisk pace. He turned his head, and smiled. "I regret nothing, dear General. Welcome back to ShinRa Inc." He resumed his walk, and stopped in front of a set of double-doors. He pushed them open, and stepped inside. After a quick glance over the room, he pointed to a far corner. "There he is." He led Aeris and Sephiroth through the maze of workstations and scattered cubicles. "Cid!" he called.
The scruffy pilot looked up upon hearing his name.
"You've got a visitor."
Aeris waved her hand in the air. She ran to him, and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy to see you. How have you been?"
Cid pushed her back, and held her at a distance. He studied her with a dumbfounded expression. "Aeris? You're alive? How?"
"I don't know."
He gave her his customary warm-hearted smile. "Well, it's good to have you back, kid." He spotted Sephiroth. The smile faded, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're here, too?"
The soldier nodded.
"You still gonna try to @%#^ over the world?"
"No," came the answer.
Cid laughed. "So, Vince was right. That's nice to know." His words raised confusion in Sephiroth, which the soldier did nothing to hide. "Aw, Vince mentioned something about you not being evil. He's not a very good judge of character, but he still tends to be right on a lot of things. I'm beginning to wonder if he's psychic."
"Where is Vincent, anyway?" Aeris gazed about the room, half-expecting him to walk through the door.
"Yeah, where is Vince?" Cid addressed the question toward Rufus.
"More like *who* is Vincent?'" Sephiroth mumbled. No one heard him.
"He's at the hospital having his arm checked. He may be a while. Apparently the doctor wanted to talk to him about something."
"About what?"
Rufus shrugged, as if to say, *How the heck am I supposed to know?*
7:19 a.m. Junon hospital.
Vincent rolled his sleeve back down. The doctor had finished his inspection of the bullet wound, and had been quite surprised to find it healing at an advanced pace. At its current rate of regeneration, it would be completely healed within a week. Where the injury would have partially crippled another man, Vincent would regain full use of his arm. The physician jotted notes down in Vincent's medical records, which had been pulled from the archives.
"Mr. Valentine, when you first became a Turk, a blood sample had been taken for the medical purposes of testing for the possibility of genetic variations or diseases that could cause problems."
Vincent nodded. He remembered the standard procedures.
"When I received word from the President that you were to become a Turk once more, I pulled your file and placed it back on record. Now, I took another blood sample from your initial visit in regards to your wound. Upon inspecting your current DNA template and comparing it with the previous one, I found vast variations in your genetic sequence. It's almost as if someone went in, and scrambled your genetic code."
"Actually, Doctor, that's precisely what happened."
"What?"
"It's a story I'm not at liberty to repeat just yet."
"Whatever," the doctor muttered. Louder, "From what I can tell, a foreign strand of DNA has been spliced with your own. While most of it's fairly easy to discern from your human DNA, there are some segments that have bonded more thoroughly. I am unable to identify exactly what species the foreign DNA is from; it's like none I've ever seen before. I'm wondering how this has affected you. Have there been any vast changes in you since you were last with ShinRa? Physical or otherwise."
Vincent stared at a chair across the room, his eyes blank and a superior eyebrow raised. "I would say so."
"Such as?"
He looked at the doctor. "Something else I'm not at liberty to say, just yet."
"All right," the doctor sighed, though he was obviously discontented with the denial of information.
"Is there anything else?"
"Actually, yes, there is." He went over to the file cabinets, and pulled two transparencies. "I've been the head physician here at Junon for some time. As such, I meet many people, and there was one person in particular I remember. Not for any irregularities in his DNA, though there were some, but rather the boy himself. Quite the handsome young man, and upon looking at you, I was suddenly reminded of him. I didn't know what it was at first, but it came to me. The two of you share many physical features. You're about the same height, same complexion. You have the same facial structure. I wondered if there was a connection. So, to sate my curiosity, I compared your DNA templates." He pointed to one transparency; it was a series of black bars, interspersed with those of a dark gray. "This is your DNA template. The darker bars are your human DNA, while the lighter are those of the foreign." He showed Vincent the second sheet. "Now look at this template. Do you notice the similarities?" When Vincent didn't answer, the doctor overlapped the two pages, and held them up so the vampire could see. Numerous bars on the second template lined up with the darker bars on his own. "Mr. Valentine, do you have any children?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because according to this" - he shook the transparencies - "you're the father of the person this second template belongs to."
Vincent blanched. "What? Who is it?"
"Did you ever know a young man named Sephiroth?"
Vincent's face went five shades paler than it already was. His entire body began to tremble. "Sephiroth? It can't be. Oh, my word." He put his hand to his forehead. "It all makes sense now. So that's why." He sat down in a chair, his legs no longer able to support him, and buried his face in his hands. He fought to stem the tide of emotions surging to take hold of him, and release the beast that lurked within his frame. "Lucrecia, why." He choked on his own words. He sifted through the emotions burning within him, tried to settle on love and understanding; hatred and bitterness broke through instead.
"Mr. Valentine, are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right." He stood suddenly, his expression stern, and faced the physician. "Doctor, I thank you for these revelations. They have helped me come to terms with my past. While I know that you don't understand what I'm talking about, please take assurance in the knowledge that you have aided me in self-revelation. Now if you'll excuse me, there is something I must attend to."
7:47 a.m. Junon Developmental Department.
The door to the engineering department opened just as Vincent walked up to it. It slammed into his face, drawing blood. The door opened again, this time more slowly, and Rufus peeked around it. Vincent had removed a handkerchief from his pocket, and was holding it to his nose. "Are you all right?"
Vincent nodded.
"Anything broken?"
Vincent massaged his nose, and then shook his head. "Just some bruised cartilage, I think, but nothing's broken."
Aeris's head appeared beside Rufus's shoulder. Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, are you all right?" She took the blood-soaked cloth from him, and checked his face.
"Hello, Aeris." He retrieved his handkerchief from her, and placed it back under his nose, which was now dripping blood down his chin. "It is unfortunate that our reunion should be under such circumstances. I hope we can find time for a more appropriate one later. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go clean up."
Sephiroth had been watching from behind Rufus. He stepped out, his eyes trailing Vincent's retreating form. "Who was that?"
"Vincent. He's a friend of mine," she said. She looked at him; there was a strange expression on his face, as though he was trying to remember something long forgotten. "What is it?"
"He seems. familiar somehow."
Aeris became confused. Sephiroth had no knowledge of how he truly came into existence, and she knew very well that he was too young to remember Vincent. She watched her boyfriend for a moment, wondering what it could possibly be that he sensed in the vampire. Then she saw it: Vincent's face was reflected in Sephiroth's own. The two were so similar; she was amazed she hadn't seen it before. She recalled everything Vincent had said about his past, about Lucrecia, about Hojo, and she realized what had happened. She wondered if Vincent knew, as well. "Perhaps you should talk to him," she recommended, trying to sound casual. "I'm sure there are many things he would like to tell you."
"Hmm. Maybe I will."
Behind her, Rufus moved aside, and allowed Cid to exit the room. "I'm sure Highwind can handle anything else you'll need. I have a meeting to get to, so I'll excuse myself." He left without another word, and stalked off down the hall.
"Do you two want any breakfast, or anything?" Cid asked.
"Oh, yes," Aeris replied enthusiastically. "Breakfast would be wonderful."
"I'll catch up with you." Sephiroth took off down the hall after Vincent. He walked into the restroom, and found the man in front of a sink, wringing water from his handkerchief. He'd managed to stem the tide of blood gushing from his nose. The soldier felt a sudden apprehension at approaching the man. *What am I supposed to say?*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than Vincent noticed he was there. The pale man appeared startled at first, but he quickly regained his composure. "Hello, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth tried to respond, but he found the words wouldn't come.
Vincent finished cleaning up. "I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you about something." There was a nervous edge to his voice.
"Aeris said as much," he managed.
He gave Sephiroth a questioning look. *What is Aeris doing talking to you?* It seemed to say. Vincent gave his nose one final wipe. He went up to Sephiroth. "Shall we find somewhere to talk?" He left the restroom, and Sephiroth followed. He walked slowly down the hall, turned a corner, and opened the first door to his right. It put the two men out on a balcony overlooking the ocean. The sun was midway between the horizon and its zenith, and the city below was alive with people.
Sephiroth could see a storm of emotions in Vincent's eyes, an internal struggle taking place. Inside him, Sephiroth was confused and lost. He felt as though his innards were turning to jelly, and he couldn't understand why. Why did this one man have such a profound effect on him? He delved into his mind, his heart, his soul, searching for the answer. It crept up on him, and took hold of his thoughts. "I don't think we've met before."
Vincent waited, then shook his head.
"And yet, you seem very familiar to me, as though I've known you my entire life." He crossed his arms. His eyes became unfocused, as though he was deep in thought, and not holding a conversation. "Throughout my life, I've had this dream. It's come to me so many times that it feels more like a distant memory. I." He stopped, not believing he was about to tell a stranger such a precious secret, but at the same time knowing that the man wasn't really a stranger at all. He continued. "In my dream, I'm just a child, a newborn. I lie in my crib, and I see the visage of a man. He watches me with such melancholy warmth. He seems so sad, and yet there's such love in his eyes. I feel safe when he's there. I can hear him talking to me, but I can't understand what he's saying." He paused to study Vincent's face. "He looked like you. Well, there are a few differences. His hair was shorter, and his eyes were a different shade." He laughed without humor. "I always thought it was just my imagination conjuring up the father I never had, but then I saw you in the hall back there, and suddenly I wasn't so sure. Did I remember it, or is it still just a dream?"
Vincent stood in shock. He hadn't known that Sephiroth would remember something from when he was so young, but he had just clearly described Vincent's visit to him prior to being shot by Hojo. In his mind, he searched for the right words. He wanted to make sure he said everything perfectly, though he realized how foolish the thought was; any words he could find would be inadequate to truly expressing what he needed to say. *Just say it, fool. The longer you hold out, the harder it will be later.* "Sephiroth, that was no dream. I had no idea you had those memories, but that's all the more reason for me to tell you what you need to know. Ah, where to start. The beginning, of course. You are well aware of the Jenova Project and its intentions."
Sephiroth nodded slowly. He was hanging on Vincent's every word.
"I was a Turk assigned to oversee that project. During that time, I fell in love with a scientist named Lucrecia, your mother. We were happy for a time. Unbeknownst to me, she had been seeing both Hojo and myself at the same time, and she eventually left me for him entirely. I was. devastated, but I didn't care about my own misery so long as she was happy. A week later she announced that she was pregnant with you. She told everyone that you were Hojo's child."
Sephiroth recoiled upon hearing this; he felt the bile rise in his throat, but made no move to interrupt.
"They revealed their plans to inject you with Jenova cells. I objected, but my opinion was overruled. They continued with the project.
"After you were born, Lucrecia fell ill. She died. At least, we believed she had. Her body disappeared before it was to be buried. I visited you afterwards. I swore to myself that I would not allow Hojo to use you to further his mad purposes. Knowing that Hojo would never provide you with the care you truly needed, I swore to care for you myself.
"The day after your mother disappeared, I received a message from Hojo asking me to meet with him in the basement lab. I went down there, intending to inform him that I was going to quit the project, but not to tell him of my plans to take you with me. He was in a rage when I met with him. He ranted about how Lucrecia had gone to him, but had always loved me. He said she rather you had been *my* child. During his delirium, he shot me. He then used my body for various experiments, and put me to sleep in the basement of the mansion."
Sephiroth shuddered. "So. So Lucrecia was my mother. And Hojo was my father." He leaned against the railing. He wanted to throw himself over, rather than live with the knowledge that he was the spawn of such a despicable man. "How revolting. Through my veins runs the blood of the man I despise the most."
"No," Vincent corrected him.
He looked up, confusion in his face. "But you just said."
Vincent bowed his head. "I know. Until recently, I, too, had believed Hojo to be your father, but he is not. Since your birth, I have always felt there was a connection between you and I. I now know what that connection is. Oh, I was such a fool back then! I had thought that Hojo's actions against me were made from jealousy, instilled by his beliefs that Lucrecia loved me more than him. Now I know that there was more to it. He knew that Lucrecia had lied to him, to everyone. He knew that you were not his child."
Sephiroth held his breath. He didn't dare to hope that what Vincent was about to say was what he wanted to hear. Was Vincent his real father?
"For reasons of his own, the head physician at Junon hospital performed a DNA analysis of you and I. He compared the results, and it was revealed that I am your biological father."
Sephiroth's heart leapt. *Yes!* Despite his glee, he kept his calm. His rational mind struggled to maintain a grip on his composure. *Just because he's your father doesn't mean he actually loves you. What makes you think that being his son means a world of difference to him? . But he is telling me all this, isn't he? Would he bother to tell me the truth if he didn't care? And he did say he was going to adopt me when he thought that I wasn't his child. What does it all mean?* He had to put ease to his apprehensions. "Vincent?"
"Yes?"
"If you had known that I was your son." He couldn't bring himself to finish the question, too afraid of the answer it might bring.
Vincent answered it all the same. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Had I known, then nothing in this world would have kept me from being with you. I'm just sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."
"Knowing that's enough." He received a warm smile, and he felt an empty space in his heart fill. His father loved him. His mother he wasn't so sure about. "What happened to my mother? You said she was *believed* dead."
The smile faded, and Vincent's face became a mask of indifference. "Traveling with Cloud and his companions, we found a cave on the western continent. Lucrecia was inside. She was greatly depressed because she had been unable to watch you grow. She was especially despondent that she had never even had the chance to hold you even once. She asked about you, having heard that you were dead. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Cloud planned on killing you, so I told her that what she had heard was true. We returned later, and she wasn't there. I don't know where she is now, or if she's still alive." Vincent relayed this particular information without emotion.
"Oh."
"If you wish to know whether or not she loved you, you can take solace in the fact that she did."
"Did she love *you*?"
Vincent felt a fresh wave of anger rush through him. He barely managed to keep it held at bay, not wanting to subject Sephiroth's fragile soul to his own inner beasts. "I used to think so, but now I doubt it." He calmed himself, and renewed his previous smile. "No matter. The important thing is that you now know the truth."
Elsewhere.
Rufus walked into the conference room. Scarlet and Palmer were already there. He sat down at the end of the table. Heideger waddled in shortly after, followed by Reeves. "Reconstruction is going to be a costly long- term effort," the President began without preamble. "We all know the current situation, and we know how difficult things are going to get."
"Mr. President, why even start reconstruction?" Palmer wheezed. "If it's going to cost so much and take so much time, why not just leave things the way they are?"
Rufus almost slapped him. No, throttled him. "Palmer, the economy is in the dumps, and its getting worse. If it keeps up, the world will soon slip into a depression. How do you think that will affect us?"
The fat man stared dumbly at his boss.
Rufus sighed. "Scarlet, explain to this ignoramus the effects of such a depression."
She happily complied with the request. "ShinRa Inc. has sustained massive damage: financially and resourcefully. We are down in manpower, equipment, location, and capital. As the economy drops, these symptoms will get worse. Prices will skyrocket, people won't be able to feed themselves, the death toll will rise, the company will lose workers, and then the company will lose money. *We'll* lose money. If something isn't done now, while we're capable, it'll turn into a downward spiral, and the world will fall into economic ruin." She gave Palmer a smug look.
"Thank you," Rufus said. "So the question is: What is the most expeditious way to go about preventing an economic downfall?"
"We've managed to replace half of the soldiers that were lost during the attacks made by Weapon, but that still leaves our forces at a third of what they were. We simply lost too many due to other varying. circumstances," Scarlet informed the group.
"Civilian casualties are in the thousands," Reeves added.
"How many?" Rufus wanted to know.
"Approximately six hundred thousand."
Rufus whistled, but his voice was emotionless. "That's a lot of people."
"It's mainly a combination of Midgar's population and a fourth of Junon's. The other cities and towns suffered few losses."
"Were there any survivors in Midgar?"
"We haven't looked."
Rufus waited a moment, chewing over his options, then, "Send a small regiment of troops to Midgar's ruins, and have them search for survivors."
"May I ask why, sir?" the female executive voiced.
"To lure the people into thinking that ShinRa actually cares whether or not they live. The more they think we care, the more pliable they are to our own purposes." His lips twisted into a wicked smile. "If you get my drift."
Scarlet laughed. "This is so much more fun than it would have been with your father."
"Back to the previous subject. What's the world's population?"
"About seven hundred thousand," Reeves supplied.
"You're telling me nearly half the world's population is dead?"
Reeves nodded.
"Great," the President said absently. "The world can throw one giant wake for all the idiots that died. All right. We know the world's population, and we've already employed some of that in Soldier. What else?" he asked, as if he didn't know.
Heideger continued the information relay. "The cost of damages to the company itself is about seventeen trillion Gil. Civilian damages are around six trillion."
"Ouch. How's commerce?"
"What commerce?" Heideger said without humor.
Rufus sighed again, this time more heavily. "Okay, first thing's first. Get that regiment to Midgar. Then, we need to get commerce going again. Start with the basics: food, water, and the like. Those will be the most in demand. Set construction teams to repairing that which is salvageable. Once that's done, we'll move on to rebuilding."
"What about the people?" Reeves asked.
"Well, how quickly we help them rebuild and repair depends on a few circumstances. They could work for us, in which case we'd have more manpower to get things done; this would also give them money to help themselves. Taxes are another issue to take into consideration. Higher taxes means we have more money to put into reconstruction, and so things move along faster; lower taxes means slower going. We could try to find a happy medium, but we all know that'll never happen. If the people don't like what we're doing, then screw them; they're usually the ones who're never satisfied no matter how things are, anyway."
Scarlet spoke. "Mr. President, do you want me to send Sephiroth with the regiment to Midgar?"
"Hmm. No, I don't think they'll need him."
The other executives became shocked. They had known nothing of Sephiroth's return. Reeves was the one to speak against it. "Sephiroth?! As in, 'call down Meteor and destroy the world' Sephiroth? Are you out of your mind?! What kind of insanity would posses you to hire that guy?"
"Watch your tone, Reeves." Rufus's voice was sharp, and his eyes narrowed. "Remember who you're talking to. Sephiroth's reenlistment is not open for debate, but I have no qualms about replacing *you*."
"Who would you have to run the developmental department?"
"I'm sure I can find someone capable of the position, and whoever that person is, I'm sure they'll be far more trustworthy."
"You don't trust me?"
"Honestly, I'd place more trust in a compulsive liar. I'll warn you only this once, Reeves. Betray me, and the consequences will be dire. I'll have no sympathy or mercy for any in this company who work against it. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," the executive whimpered. "If you'll excuse me." He stood, and left the room.
Rufus waited until he knew Reeves was gone. "All right, immediately after this meeting is adjourned I want Reeves's access to all confidential files denied. He is not to be allowed any information that can be used against the company. He is not to be given the opportunity to help Cloud and his pals work against us. I also want a man on him at all times." He paused to allow the orders to sink in. "Now, unless anyone has anything else they want to bring up."
Heideger interrupted him. "Uh, sir, actually there is something I'd like to discuss with you."
Rufus leaned back in his chair, signaling for him to continue.
"I've been informed that you've hired one Vincent Valentine as a Turk." Palmer shuddered at hearing the name.
"Yes. You have a problem with that?" He smiled mischievously; he knew Heideger had a problem, and he knew why.
"Well, sir, he was a Turk once before."
"I know."
"Palmer and I had difficulties with him."
"I know."
"We would prefer he wasn't a Turk. In fact, we'd prefer he wasn't a ShinRa employee at all."
"And I really don't care what you prefer. He's a Turk, and if you don't like it, then you can quit." He slapped a hand on the table. "This meeting is adjourned."
10:56 a.m. Outside Wutai.
Yuffie was at the Highwind before the crew even had a chance to drop the ladder. She jumped up and down, ecstatic to see her companions again. Since she left their company and gone home, she couldn't have been more bored. Wutai may have been a tourist town, but as far as she was concerned it might have well have been a retirement home. She missed the excitement of traveling with Cloud and the others. She even missed the motion sickness; at least that meant she was going somewhere, doing something.
The moment the ladder was within her reach, Yuffie raced up onto the deck of the large airship. Cloud was waiting at the top. She didn't give him the chance to greet her, but instead began to rant, her words slurring together as fast as they could come out.
"CloudthankGAWDyou'rehereIwasgettingsoboredIthinkI'dgoinsaneifIst
ayedhereanotherdaythere'sabsolutelynothingtodohereexcepttositarou
ndandtwiddlemythumbshopingsomethingwillhappenbutnothingeverdoesbe
causethisplaceissodullandeveryonehereiseithertoooldortooyoungandI
don'twanttohangaroundhereanymoresowherearewegoing?"
Cloud blanched. "Huh? Slow down, Yuffie. I can't understand anything you're saying."
"I asked you where we're going." She began to jump up and down. "Please tell me we're going to find some Materia. That would be the best!"
Cloud shook his head. "Sorry. We're not going after Materia."
"So what are we doing? . Or did you come here for a vacation?" she groaned.
"No. We need your help with a bad situation." His voice became grim, his expression severe. "Rufus is still alive. That means ShinRa hasn't been taken care of yet. But it gets worse. Vincent and Cid have defected. They're working for ShinRa Inc."
"What?! But why? How could they just turn on us like that? I thought they were on our side."
"So did the rest of us. We've decided we're going to go and take Rufus out once and for all. We're also going to confront Cid and Vincent. We're going to find out exactly what's going on."
"So, let's go! Is everyone else here?"
"Everyone except for Cait Sith. He's in Junon attending a meeting, but he'll join us when we get there. It could cost him, though, to side with us. Come on. Let's get going." He turned and entered the Highwind.
Yuffie stayed out on the deck for a few minutes. A few precious moments to allow her tears of rage to go unnoticed. She wiped them away, and followed Cloud below deck.
12:50 p.m. Junon Developmental Department.
Cid took a long drag on his cigarette and tapped his fingers on the table. He stared at the schematics of the old reactors, as if waiting for a new solution to jump out and slap him in the face.
The entire project reeked of complications. Time - or rather, the lack thereof - was not the least of them. The longer the old reactors were used, the more Mako that would be sucked out, the closer the planet would be to death, and the more Cloud and the others would be putting on the heat. That would simply add to the already staggering stress level. Then there was always the most urgent matter of actually coming up with a new reactor. One that meets the high standards set for it. *I don't know if I can make this happen. There's just so much to take into consideration: power input, power output, materials, location, manpower, maintenance.* He allowed his mind to trail off for a brief instant, but quickly brought it back to the matter at hand.
He took another drag and flicked the butt out an open window. A disgruntled "Hey!" drifted up from below. Cid merely grunted and picked up the phone. When an assistant's voice answered on the other end, he began talking. "Henry, I need you to gather some stuff for me. I'll need all the information you can find on energy production and conversion. I want *everything*. If we're going to do this, we better see where the other methods went wrong." He hung up the phone. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Have to start somewhere."
2:20 p.m. Two miles outside Junon.
Cloud was the last to exit the Highwind. When his feet were firmly on the ground, he addressed his friends. "All right. When we get to Junon, we'll split up and scour the city. If you see Rufus, kill him. If you see Cid or Vincent, try to find out what they're doing with ShinRa. Follow them. Ask them yourselves. Bring them back to the Highwind. It doesn't matter. We'll meet back here at six o'clock p.m. If you can't get here, call. If anyone's missing, we'll assume they were caught. Everyone catch all that?"
Everyone nodded.
"Okay. Let's go."
3:00 p.m. Junon.
Cloud walked down the street toward the lift. If Rufus were here, he would probably be in the ShinRa's main building. The hard part would be getting around without being noticed. So far he hadn't been worried about being spotted. It was still early in the morning, so there weren't many people out and about. If he was lucky, and didn't start any trouble himself until he got to where he was going, then none of the soldiers would recognize him.
He noticed something on the ground, and stopped. He knelt down to inspect it. There were metal fragments and drops of blood on the ground. He looked up at the building he was in front of and, yes, it was the same one their hired hit man had been staked out in. His eyes passed over the rest of his surroundings. A few feet into the street he saw some more blood. It was too far from the building to have belonged to their hired man. He wondered whose it could be. The watchman had said Vincent was there protecting Rufus. Could it be his? A part of him hoped it was, while another prayed his friend hadn't been seriously injured.
Cloud stood and continued walking. The lift was just up ahead. He didn't have the time to contemplate Vincent's health. He thought about Vincent's betrayal, and wondered why he cared. *Because he's your friend.* He told himself. *Because you don't want to lose that friendship, whether from his siding with the enemy or to death. You want him to be safe, because you want him to explain his reasoning. You want him to tell you that everything is all right, and that he was never really with ShinRa.* What could cause Vincent to go back to ShinRa? And Cid, for that matter? There were too many questions that needed answered. He pushed them to the back of his mind. He was confident that someone would find Cid and Vincent and get the answers from them.
He reached the lift. *Keep your mind on the task at hand.* He glanced around him quickly, making sure no one was watching, and then boarded. He pressed the appropriate buttons, setting the elevator into motion. *All right, Rufus. Here I come. And this time, you're not getting away from me.*
Elsewhere.
Barret's face was one gigantic frown. He inspected Vincent from a distance; the vampire was leaning against the wall of a building, thoughtfully sipping a cup of coffee. He almost hadn't recognized the man, the simple changes standing out like a beacon. He now donned the Turks' dark uniform, including the black sunglasses, which hid his demon-red eyes from view. His long, unruly hair no longer hung about his shoulders, but was tied back at the nape of his neck. The clawed gauntlet that normally adorned his left arm had been abandoned, replaced by a black glove.
Barret gathered his resolve, made his way toward his friend. The tall, thin man seemed to pay no heed to the bigger man's obvious approach. He remained silent, his eyes closed and one hand in his blazer pocket. When Barret reached him, he waited to be noticed; after a few minutes of discontented silence, it became obvious that Vincent wasn't going to start the conversation. Perhaps he knew just what was coming? *Or maybe he doesn't care,* Barret thought bitterly.
"Hey, Vincent!" He barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Taking a coffee break," he replied bluntly.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it, you pale-faced bastard!"
Vincent tipped his head slightly. Yes, he knew. "But I refuse to speak with you when you're in such an irrational state. Anything I said would fall on deaf ears. or you would take it the wrong way."
"Irrational?! Who you calling 'irrational'? I'd say you're the one being irrational, going off and hooking up with ShinRa."
"This is precisely what I meant."
Barret clenched and unclenched his one fist in an attempt to keep his anger under control. Something had changed in the man. An icy mask, now replaced where there once had simply been a cool and calm exterior, and had Barret not traveled with him for so long, he might not have noticed. "You just tell me why you're with ShinRa. Then we'll see how irrational I can get."
"No."
"What?!" Barret's anger was growing with every word Vincent said. Was he making fun of him, or did he not trust him? "Why won't you tell me?"
"Because you're not very composed right now." Vincent checked his watch and finished his coffee. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."
He made to leave, but Barret grabbed his arm. "Hold it. You ain't leaving until I get an explanation."
The pale man turned back and briefly met the eyes of his larger companion. Only a moment, but it was enough to allow Barret to see what was there. A crack in the mask through which Barret could see a whirlpool of emotions, not the least of which was pain. Then the crack was gone, and all was unreadable once again. Barret's hand loosened its grip and fell from Vincent's arm. Quietly, ever so calmly, Vincent said, "I'll meet with everyone at the Highwind later tonight. I'll bring Cid. When everyone is there, then you can receive some explanation. Only then." Wordlessly, the vampire turned and departed.
Barret stood in the street for long moments after his colleague had departed. Finally, with a muttered curse, he left the scene and began his walk back to the Highwind.
At that same moment.
Tifa gathered her courage and her anger, and prepared for the confrontation to come. He was alive. That bastard Sephiroth was still alive. But how? Her and the others had killed him back at the Northern Crater more than three weeks ago. She had watched him die. She had felt his blood coat her hands, had watched it drip from her knuckles. She had watched and waited as the last of his life had drained away to stain the ground of the crater. Unless. Unless it wasn't Sephiroth they had fought. Unless it was actually one his clones that had died, and not him.
With clenched fists, she stalked out to where Sephiroth stood. There was a regiment of soldiers lined up before him. Their faces were a mixture of awe and fear as they looked upon the legend before them. Some of them trembled as they stood in his shadow. Tifa still wondered at how she could share those emotions, but her strength and courage were born of pure rage, and so drowned out everything else in her heart.
She walked up to Sephiroth. The man ignored her presence and continued to brief the soldiers on their mission. "All right. President's orders. Go to Midgar and search the rubble for survivors. If you find any, take them in for emergency medical care, even if they look like they're fine. Though, if there are any, they probably won't be. You are not to leave the Midgar limits until it has been twice confirmed that there are no survivors left in its ruins. Understood?"
A unified, "Yes, sir, general sir!" rose from the group.
"Good. Move out!" The soldiers quickly departed, and Tifa couldn't help but wonder if it was because Sephiroth ordered them to, or because they wanted to get away from him. Only after the last soldier had gone did Sephiroth acknowledge the young woman's presence. As he turned to face her, Tifa's open hand shot out and connected with his cheek before he had a chance to react. He stood there for a moment, utterly stunned, and unable to even speak. He blinked twice. Then, "What the hell was that?" He looked down at her disapprovingly. "You swear to avenge your father, and so you *slap* me? Yeah, I've really learned my lesson. I'm sure your old man's proud of you. You really put me in my place."
Tifa felt a fresh wave of anger flood her frame. Tears rimmed her eyes, and broke free to roll down her cheeks. "You." She couldn't get the words out. Her rage flowed off her in almost palpable force. She managed to relax her tightened throat enough to speak. Her voice trembled with the power of her emotions. "You bastard. You don't care! Papa. The townspeople. Aeris. The thought that you've caused so much suffering doesn't bother you in the least. How can you be so inhuman?"
In response, he gave her a wicked smile, devoid of any true humor or joy. "You know me so well. So why does it surprise you?" There was a tone in his voice she couldn't identify, a hint of emotion too masked by venom to be named. "Now," he stated coolly, "if you have nothing of importance to bring up, I'll be on my way. I have things to do, after all." With a swirl of silver hair and black leather, he left her to contemplate just what it was she had heard in his voice that so deeply disturbed her.
4:31 p.m. Junon docks.
She walked the streets timidly, fearfully. People bustled about, busying themselves with the duties of their everyday lives. The flow of people carried her away from the docks toward the mercantile district of the city.
Where was it she needed to go? She had to find him, but where would he be? The Turks were his life, so he would probably be with them. *Even after so long?* She remembered seeing him at the cave. He didn't look a day older, but things about him had changed, and the subtlety of them frightened her. Was he still the same man she had once loved? The man she *still* loved?
She was herded toward a large lift with the ShinRa logo on it. no, a new logo that bared ShinRa's trademark. Rufus. Strange. When had that happened? She could think of no one in the company by that name. Had things changed so much in the last thirty years?
She entered the lift; another three people followed her. One of the passengers pressed a button, and the contraption began its climb to the building above. It stopped and it cargo spilled forth, eager to go about their business.
Looking around, she saw that much had indeed been changed. The interior of the building had been completely altered. The halls were wider, and the ceiling higher. The rooms she could see were bigger. And was that fresh paint she smelled?
She jumped as a door unexpectedly opened to her right. She could hear the voices of a man and a woman before she could see the people they belonged to, and what she heard made her breath catch in her throat: a voice so familiar, so beautiful to her ears that it could only belong to one man. And then she saw him. Vincent. He wore the Turk uniform, and not the travel garb he had been wearing in the cave. His hair was tied back, its unruly locks drawn from his face.
She wanted to call out to him, but the words wouldn't come. His name hung on her lips, lacking the strength to be voiced. She wanted to move to him, to throw herself into his arms and feel his warm embrace once more, but her body refused to move. It was frozen in place by the force of the same desire that cried out for its action. She routed all her strength and will and love into her voice, so that she might speak his name; it came out no more than a whisper, but that was enough.
Vincent stiffened at the sound of his name. The voice was quiet; so quiet, but oh so familiar. He dared to turn and look at her. The sight of her set loose a flood of emotions he had been holding at bay for far too long: joy and sadness, hope and despair, love and hate. Where did one end and the other begin? Were they ever separate? He didn't know anymore. The muscles along his jaw tightened, even as he forced himself to respond to her presence. "Lucrecia." Giddiness and revulsion swelled inside him as her name passed his lips. He swallowed hard on the bile rising in his throat, and tried to calm the tympani of his heart.
There was a long moment of silence, interrupted when the woman, Scarlet, suggested, "Perhaps I should leave. We can discuss this problem later."
The executive turned to go, but was stopped by Vincent. "No," the vampire said quickly, on the verge of utter panic. "Please. stay." His exterior remained stone cold, but Scarlet could feel the grip on her arm tighten slightly, making it all too clear that Vincent was anything but calm. He didn't want to be left alone with her.
Scarlet shrugged. "All right. If you insist."
Lucrecia became nervous. "I'd rather we speak alone."
"And I'd rather we didn't," Vincent replied with utter control.
"I'm not very comfortable with speaking around strangers. You know that."
"Fine. Lucrecia, this is Miss Scarlet, the executive for ShinRa's Weapons Development Department. Miss Scarlet, this is Lucrecia. my ex-girlfriend."
Scarlet gave a slight nod accompanied with a look of utter superiority.
"Vincent, please. Can't we talk privately?"
"I'd rather not be left alone with you." His voice was cold.
"Why?" she asked.
Vincent hesitated to respond.
"Vincent, why don't you want to be alone with me? Please tell me," she begged.
"I don't trust you." The words were difficult for him. He had to force them out. Oh, how it hurt to be so cruel to her! But he didn't feel he could trust her anymore, and - above all - he didn't think he could trust himself. He might lose control, and bring physical harm to her when his beast got loose. Or he might go back to her. Would that be so wrong? He simply couldn't risk it. He might not survive a second heartbreak of that magnitude.
"You don't trust me?"
Vincent shook his head.
"Why? Don't you love me anymore? Is what we shared nothing now?" Tears began to roll down her face.
Vincent winced. Then nodded. "I still love you. But as for what we had. you tell me." He met her eyes. Big mistake. The full force of the pain he was causing her glared back at him from their depths. He swallowed hard and managed not to look away. "Was it nothing? I used to think it mattered, but now I just don't know."
"Why? Why would you doubt my love for you? You know I would do anything for you. Vincent, I love you. I would die for you."
Suddenly, he felt all the anger and hatred inside him welling to the surface. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them; they poured out, demanding to be said - refusing to be kept silent any longer. "Really? Is that what you were doing when you abandoned Sephiroth? Is that why you chose not to tell me that Sephiroth is my son, and not Hojo's? Is that why you left me and went to him? Was that all for your *love*?"
Lucrecia flinched. "How- how did you know?"
The vampire sneered. "The doctor at the hospital told me. Sephiroth has my DNA. Hojo's own actions against me only confirm it."
She became more confused. "What?"
"After you *died*, Hojo shot me and then genetically altered my body. Because of your boyfriend, I'm losing my humanity. He did it because he knew you had lied to him about Sephiroth's parentage." Inside him, Vincent could feel his beast burning, raging to be set loose. He fought it back. Now wasn't the time. Besides, despite his hatred for the woman, he indeed still loved her. How could it be that those two contradictory emotions could exist together with such unity?
"Vincent," she pleaded, her voice muffled by sobs. "Please let me explain."
He waved a hand through the air. "There's nothing you could say," he snapped. "Nothing that would help me understand how you could possibly do those things and still love me."
"Vincent."
"You made your choice, Lucrecia. Now I'm making mine." His voice was venomous. "Stay away from me. I don't want anything to do with you. I can't pretend like nothing happened. And I can't be with you if I don't trust you." She made to speak, to beg him to listen to her and her pleas of love, but he refused to hear them. "Just go," he ordered as he turned his back to her.
Lucrecia waited, and then ran back toward the lift. She entered it and was gone.
Vincent didn't look back. He stayed where he stood, even as the tears came to his eyes; he let them come. They were tears of pain thirty years in the making, and he now lacked the will to hold them back.
Scarlet remained silent and watched as the Turk cried. There was something oddly disturbing with the sight. Sure, she'd seen men cry before. She'd even been the cause of some, much to her delight. But this was different for some reason. It wasn't pathetic like the others had been. There was a strange dignity to his tears, which raised unfamiliar feelings in her. What was so different about this man? *This guy has some serious issues,* she mused. *She puts him through Hell, and he still doesn't want to hurt her. Hard to find guys that devoted nowadays. Hmph. That gal must have even worse issues if she let a guy like that go. What a twit.* After many long moments of awkward silence, Scarlet reached into the front of her dress and pulled out a handkerchief. She offered it to him. "Come on," she said. "Quit that before someone sees you."
He accepted her offer, but made no move to dry his eyes.
"Hey, if she did all that to you, then you're probably better off without the %$#&@." A rare moment of compassion on her part, but something inside her said it was proper. No, not proper. More like her duty.
"I wish I felt the same."
"Well, at least you were smart enough to get rid of her while you could. Most men are too gutless."
"Are you always so empathetic?" he asked dryly.
"Consider yourself one of the lucky ones." She gave him a wink, and - despite himself - Vincent smiled.
5:11 p.m. Rufus's office in Junon.
Rufus nearly fell out of his chair. Though he managed to stay seated, he failed at stemming his hysterical laughter. A sharp pain in his ribs brought him under control, but it didn't banish his wickedly bemused smile; a smile that remained even as Reeves leveled a gun at his heart. "Ah, Reeves," he sighed. "I knew from the start that you'd betray this company and help Cloud, but I never - *never* - thought that they would send *you* to kill me. I'm genuinely impressed. Really. They must think highly of you if they sent a gutless, writhing worm like yourself to do something so foolhardy."
Reeves held the gun tighter to steady his shaking hands. He tried to keep his voice calm and forceful. "The tyranny of the ShinRa line ends here. Today." His comment simply raised another tide of laughter. "Stop that! Aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"
"Of course. Why else would I be laughing?"
"You're not afraid of dying?"
"Nah. I have to go sometime. but not today."
"Why's that?"
"Because you can't kill me with that gun."
"So you're bullet proof now?'
"No." The young president rose from his seat and came to stand directly before the barrel of the firearm. "You can't shoot me with it, because the safety's on." He motioned to the safety latch on the side of the gun. With a shaky thumb, Reeves flipped it into the opposite position, at which point Rufus promptly took the gun from him. He replaced the switch and aimed the barrel at the executive's head. "The safety wasn't on." With his free hand, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He dialed a number and raised the phone to his ear. "Reno, get up to my office *now*." He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
There soon was the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. A moment later, Reno walked through the door. "You called, sir?" he panted.
"Yes. What the hell are you doing with the security in this building?! Having everyone take tea-time?"
"No, sir."
"Then how did this snivelly little traitor get into my office with a weapon?" He shook the gun. "Huh? Tell me that."
"Didn't think to search him when he came in."
"Di- Didn't think to search him?"
Reno nodded.
"I ordered to have this maggot tailed and given no opportunity to help Cloud, and you don't think to search him?" His face betrayed a mixture of rage and disappointment. "What else did you not think to do? Set up guards? Turn on the security system? Hell, Cloud and the rest of his buddies are probably in the cafeteria right now having lunch. Why don't you go join them? But before you do, take weasel-boy here and throw him in a cell. And don't forget to lock the door and take the keys with you when you leave him there."
"Yes, sir."
"Get out." Rufus jabbed a finger at the door. "Now."
Reno grabbed Reeves and cuffed him. The Turk then led the executive to the door. "By the way, Reeves," Rufus interrupted. "In case you're too dense to think of it: you're fired." He looked at Reno. "Don't just stand there. Get him out of my office and get back to work. This time, don't screw up." His underling quickly complied, and removed the prisoner and himself from sight.
Rufus turned the safety on before he laid the gun on his desk. He stared at it, and muttered to himself, "Why do I surround myself with idiots? It can't be to make myself feel smarter, because I feel dumber just for being in the same room with them." He shook his head sadly. "I really need a vacation."
8:39 p.m. Still in Rufus's office.
Rufus looked up from the explosion of paperwork on his desk to glance at the clock on the wall. He should have been home by now. The nightshift had started hours ago, so why was he still here doing what could be left to others? *Because you don't trust those morons to do it right,* he told himself. *Why does the world have to be populated by idiots? And why do they all have to congregate around me?*
Pushing his chair away from his desk, the young president stood and stretched, causing several pops down his spine and along his shoulders. He turned and looked out the window behind him to the street below. They were practically empty now, the people having gone home to their families to bask in their warmth and love. Rufus sighed, not a sigh of longing, but one of relief. *At least that's one headache I don't have to deal with. Marital devotions and siblings and parents. Children. Ugh! I can feel my hair going gray just thinking about it.*
"Huh?" His attention was drawn from his mental griping back to the street; he could see Valentine speaking with a young girl. She looked familiar. Who was she? Short brown hair. Green shirt. Shorts. Oversized shiruken. One of Cloud's friends? Yes, that was it. Or was it? There was something else. Something more. It was the way she held her weapon. The stance she took as she confronted Vincent. It reminded him of the Wutai ninjas.
She turned a little, giving Rufus a clearer view of her face. He recognized her then; she was Godo's daughter. What was her name? Yuppie? Yukkie? Yuffie! That was it. What was she doing in Junon? Trying to find Vincent and Cid, no doubt. *And to kill me in the meantime,* the young man mused.
Rufus absently watched the pair, the well-greased gears of his mind set into motion. *I suppose it's a good way to see just where Valentine's loyalties lie. As for Cid, I'm not so sure. No matter. I won't let Avalanche succeed this time. But what to do with them? Can't have them running around causing trouble. Can't kill them. yet.* A cold smile crossed his lips. *Use them. Take it a step farther than father did. Don't just make them out to be terrorists. Even terrorists have sympathizers. No. Make them the focus for the people's hatred. Make them the bad guys. How?*
Back on the street, Yuffie was waving her arms at Vincent. She seemed to be in a fury. He could just imagine what she was yelling at the vampire. *How could you go back to ShinRa? I thought you were on our side? What are you doing? What are you thinking?*
Rufus sneered - a normally ugly gesture made gracious by his face alone - as he realized what would happen if Yuffie was harmed or used by the ShinRa: Wutai would start a war. True, he could twist the entire thing to his own ends, but wars were costly, and ShinRa couldn't afford it right now. What to do? In the end, Wutai would have to be crushed, but how to go about it? They would see a full frontal assault half the world away.
Down below, Vincent turned and walked away, leaving Yuffie alone in the street.
Yuffie. Yuffie was the key. Now, what was the lock she fit into? Which lock would open the door to Wutai? Rufus wondered.
Enough wondering. Rufus plotted.
6:15 a.m. Outside Junon harbor.
Sephiroth sat in silence. Aeris was asleep on the bench beside him, her head in his lap and his coat as a blanket. He watched her in her slumber, and smiled contentedly. For the first time in his life, he felt true tranquility with himself and the world around him. The smile vanished, replaced by a miserable frown, when he realized just how short-lived that peace was to be. Cloud and Aeris's other friends would never consent to his newly established relationship with her; in fact, they would most likely do everything in their power to keep him from her.
Then there was always the matter of what he was going to do with his life. Spending every waking moment with Aeris, tempting as it was, was not an option. But, due to his limited field of expertise, there wasn't much he could do. Being a soldier was all he knew, all he ever wanted to be. He'd reached the highest achievement of his dream when he had become general at the age of twenty-three. *Not as if I earned it, though,* he thought bitterly. *The only reason I got the position was because the previous general died.* He winced as the memory of that dear man's death surfaced in his mind.
He absently stroked Aeris's hair; she sighed in response to his touch, and nuzzled her cheek against his leg. He wanted to refrain from bringing her any more grief and pain than he already had. He wondered if there was anything he could do that wouldn't cause problems. Most of the world wouldn't trust him, and the rest would want to kill him. Other than total seclusion, he couldn't see any options that would allow him to live peacefully. Not that he wanted that anyway; he had a violent nature, and without some outlet for it he would probably lapse into a psychotic delirium. Besides, he wanted to be with Aeris, *needed* to be with her, but his presence would only bring her trouble. *What am I going to do? I just don't know.*
There was a glimmer of light on the horizon. Sephiroth looked to the east; the first rays of the sunrise were peeking over the plains of the eastern continent. He could see Junon silhouetted by the morning light. The sky slowly turned from its midnight blues and blacks to shades of fiery red. The water was tinted with its color, giving it the appearance of a sea of lava. The sky and water merged into a single mass of red-orange, disturbed only by the grassy plains.
The ship docked at Junon harbor. Sephiroth ran his finger down Aeris's cheek, and whispered her name. She stirred beneath the heavy leather of his trench coat, rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Time to go," he said. He helped her stand, and after stretching, she returned his coat to him. He pulled it on, picked up Masamune, and strapped it to his back. They stepped out onto the docking bay. Exiting through the bay doors, they entered Main Street.
There were no people up and about yet, leaving the street deserted, save for the occasional stray dog or cat. Sephiroth felt a knot in his gut loosen. They were safe from confrontation for now. They walked in silence, the only sound coming from their shoes on the pavement. They passed under the elevator; there were soldiers training in the underpass, but they didn't notice the two. On the other side of the lift they collided with Rufus.
The young President winced at the newly restored pain in his ribs, but he recovered before Sephiroth or Aeris noticed. Straightening his hair, he regarded the two. "Never thought I'd see you two again. According to Reeves, you're both dead. What happened?"
"Not quite sure," Sephiroth responded. Next to him, Aeris remained quiet.
Rufus nodded as if to say, *You either don't want to talk about it, or you really don't know, so I won't press.* "Didn't feel like staying on the northern continent?"
"How did you know we came from the northern continent?" Aeris asked.
"You were heading away from the dock, and the only ship in this early today is from the north."
"We're trying to find her friends," Sephiroth told him in response to his previous question.
Rufus gave a questioning look. *We?* He watched the two for a moment - analyzing them, weighing their words - and then winked. "Ah." He understood what was between Aeris and Sephiroth, and knew exactly what complications would arise. "Well, if you wait here long enough, I'm sure they'll pop up. It shouldn't take too long."
Though he showed no external surprise, Sephiroth couldn't help but be amazed at how casually Rufus was taking the situation. It was as though nothing bothered the man, but that had always been the rumor; apparently there was some truth to it. "How do you know?"
"They sent someone to try and kill me just the other day." He paused, and then corrected himself. "Sorry. *Some* of your friends hired someone. I'm not exactly sure who, but I have a general idea. Two of your pals were with me, and managed to protect me."
Aeris stepped forward. "Who?"
"Who saved me? Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind." He motioned to the elevator. "Would you like to see them?"
Aeris smiled. "Yes, please."
Rufus allowed Aeris to climb in, and Sephiroth after. He started the lift; it lurched into motion with a loud hum. To Sephiroth, he asked. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," was the response.
"Soldier is still in need of a general. There aren't any wars, but they'll serve well as police, and I've got the feeling they'll be put to good use." He turned to Aeris. "No offense, but I just don't trust some of your friends to behave themselves, and I'm sure they won't be the only ones." The lift came to a halt. Rufus got off, waving a hand for them to follow. "The position is yours if you want it," he continued. He began walking down a stretch of hallway.
"Why do you want me?"
"You're the most qualified, and I'd prefer to have the best on the job. More than anyone, you'll know how to handle those, shall we say, unruly situations."
"Rather unorthodox interview."
"Yeah. Well, since my near-death experience at Diamond Weapon's blasters I've been doing a lot of things that are non-standard. So do you want the job? ShinRa could really use your expertise. Especially now, when things are so rough on everyone."
Sephiroth was silent. He contemplated the decision before him. *Back to my old job, just with a little twist? It's almost too good to hope for. I'd have to talk about it with Aeris. I can't make this decision without her.*
She knew him too well already. Aeris laid a hand on his shoulder, her own silent consent.
"All right, I'll do it. I just hope you don't regret it.
Rufus stopped his brisk pace. He turned his head, and smiled. "I regret nothing, dear General. Welcome back to ShinRa Inc." He resumed his walk, and stopped in front of a set of double-doors. He pushed them open, and stepped inside. After a quick glance over the room, he pointed to a far corner. "There he is." He led Aeris and Sephiroth through the maze of workstations and scattered cubicles. "Cid!" he called.
The scruffy pilot looked up upon hearing his name.
"You've got a visitor."
Aeris waved her hand in the air. She ran to him, and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy to see you. How have you been?"
Cid pushed her back, and held her at a distance. He studied her with a dumbfounded expression. "Aeris? You're alive? How?"
"I don't know."
He gave her his customary warm-hearted smile. "Well, it's good to have you back, kid." He spotted Sephiroth. The smile faded, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're here, too?"
The soldier nodded.
"You still gonna try to @%#^ over the world?"
"No," came the answer.
Cid laughed. "So, Vince was right. That's nice to know." His words raised confusion in Sephiroth, which the soldier did nothing to hide. "Aw, Vince mentioned something about you not being evil. He's not a very good judge of character, but he still tends to be right on a lot of things. I'm beginning to wonder if he's psychic."
"Where is Vincent, anyway?" Aeris gazed about the room, half-expecting him to walk through the door.
"Yeah, where is Vince?" Cid addressed the question toward Rufus.
"More like *who* is Vincent?'" Sephiroth mumbled. No one heard him.
"He's at the hospital having his arm checked. He may be a while. Apparently the doctor wanted to talk to him about something."
"About what?"
Rufus shrugged, as if to say, *How the heck am I supposed to know?*
7:19 a.m. Junon hospital.
Vincent rolled his sleeve back down. The doctor had finished his inspection of the bullet wound, and had been quite surprised to find it healing at an advanced pace. At its current rate of regeneration, it would be completely healed within a week. Where the injury would have partially crippled another man, Vincent would regain full use of his arm. The physician jotted notes down in Vincent's medical records, which had been pulled from the archives.
"Mr. Valentine, when you first became a Turk, a blood sample had been taken for the medical purposes of testing for the possibility of genetic variations or diseases that could cause problems."
Vincent nodded. He remembered the standard procedures.
"When I received word from the President that you were to become a Turk once more, I pulled your file and placed it back on record. Now, I took another blood sample from your initial visit in regards to your wound. Upon inspecting your current DNA template and comparing it with the previous one, I found vast variations in your genetic sequence. It's almost as if someone went in, and scrambled your genetic code."
"Actually, Doctor, that's precisely what happened."
"What?"
"It's a story I'm not at liberty to repeat just yet."
"Whatever," the doctor muttered. Louder, "From what I can tell, a foreign strand of DNA has been spliced with your own. While most of it's fairly easy to discern from your human DNA, there are some segments that have bonded more thoroughly. I am unable to identify exactly what species the foreign DNA is from; it's like none I've ever seen before. I'm wondering how this has affected you. Have there been any vast changes in you since you were last with ShinRa? Physical or otherwise."
Vincent stared at a chair across the room, his eyes blank and a superior eyebrow raised. "I would say so."
"Such as?"
He looked at the doctor. "Something else I'm not at liberty to say, just yet."
"All right," the doctor sighed, though he was obviously discontented with the denial of information.
"Is there anything else?"
"Actually, yes, there is." He went over to the file cabinets, and pulled two transparencies. "I've been the head physician here at Junon for some time. As such, I meet many people, and there was one person in particular I remember. Not for any irregularities in his DNA, though there were some, but rather the boy himself. Quite the handsome young man, and upon looking at you, I was suddenly reminded of him. I didn't know what it was at first, but it came to me. The two of you share many physical features. You're about the same height, same complexion. You have the same facial structure. I wondered if there was a connection. So, to sate my curiosity, I compared your DNA templates." He pointed to one transparency; it was a series of black bars, interspersed with those of a dark gray. "This is your DNA template. The darker bars are your human DNA, while the lighter are those of the foreign." He showed Vincent the second sheet. "Now look at this template. Do you notice the similarities?" When Vincent didn't answer, the doctor overlapped the two pages, and held them up so the vampire could see. Numerous bars on the second template lined up with the darker bars on his own. "Mr. Valentine, do you have any children?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because according to this" - he shook the transparencies - "you're the father of the person this second template belongs to."
Vincent blanched. "What? Who is it?"
"Did you ever know a young man named Sephiroth?"
Vincent's face went five shades paler than it already was. His entire body began to tremble. "Sephiroth? It can't be. Oh, my word." He put his hand to his forehead. "It all makes sense now. So that's why." He sat down in a chair, his legs no longer able to support him, and buried his face in his hands. He fought to stem the tide of emotions surging to take hold of him, and release the beast that lurked within his frame. "Lucrecia, why." He choked on his own words. He sifted through the emotions burning within him, tried to settle on love and understanding; hatred and bitterness broke through instead.
"Mr. Valentine, are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right." He stood suddenly, his expression stern, and faced the physician. "Doctor, I thank you for these revelations. They have helped me come to terms with my past. While I know that you don't understand what I'm talking about, please take assurance in the knowledge that you have aided me in self-revelation. Now if you'll excuse me, there is something I must attend to."
7:47 a.m. Junon Developmental Department.
The door to the engineering department opened just as Vincent walked up to it. It slammed into his face, drawing blood. The door opened again, this time more slowly, and Rufus peeked around it. Vincent had removed a handkerchief from his pocket, and was holding it to his nose. "Are you all right?"
Vincent nodded.
"Anything broken?"
Vincent massaged his nose, and then shook his head. "Just some bruised cartilage, I think, but nothing's broken."
Aeris's head appeared beside Rufus's shoulder. Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, are you all right?" She took the blood-soaked cloth from him, and checked his face.
"Hello, Aeris." He retrieved his handkerchief from her, and placed it back under his nose, which was now dripping blood down his chin. "It is unfortunate that our reunion should be under such circumstances. I hope we can find time for a more appropriate one later. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go clean up."
Sephiroth had been watching from behind Rufus. He stepped out, his eyes trailing Vincent's retreating form. "Who was that?"
"Vincent. He's a friend of mine," she said. She looked at him; there was a strange expression on his face, as though he was trying to remember something long forgotten. "What is it?"
"He seems. familiar somehow."
Aeris became confused. Sephiroth had no knowledge of how he truly came into existence, and she knew very well that he was too young to remember Vincent. She watched her boyfriend for a moment, wondering what it could possibly be that he sensed in the vampire. Then she saw it: Vincent's face was reflected in Sephiroth's own. The two were so similar; she was amazed she hadn't seen it before. She recalled everything Vincent had said about his past, about Lucrecia, about Hojo, and she realized what had happened. She wondered if Vincent knew, as well. "Perhaps you should talk to him," she recommended, trying to sound casual. "I'm sure there are many things he would like to tell you."
"Hmm. Maybe I will."
Behind her, Rufus moved aside, and allowed Cid to exit the room. "I'm sure Highwind can handle anything else you'll need. I have a meeting to get to, so I'll excuse myself." He left without another word, and stalked off down the hall.
"Do you two want any breakfast, or anything?" Cid asked.
"Oh, yes," Aeris replied enthusiastically. "Breakfast would be wonderful."
"I'll catch up with you." Sephiroth took off down the hall after Vincent. He walked into the restroom, and found the man in front of a sink, wringing water from his handkerchief. He'd managed to stem the tide of blood gushing from his nose. The soldier felt a sudden apprehension at approaching the man. *What am I supposed to say?*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than Vincent noticed he was there. The pale man appeared startled at first, but he quickly regained his composure. "Hello, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth tried to respond, but he found the words wouldn't come.
Vincent finished cleaning up. "I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you about something." There was a nervous edge to his voice.
"Aeris said as much," he managed.
He gave Sephiroth a questioning look. *What is Aeris doing talking to you?* It seemed to say. Vincent gave his nose one final wipe. He went up to Sephiroth. "Shall we find somewhere to talk?" He left the restroom, and Sephiroth followed. He walked slowly down the hall, turned a corner, and opened the first door to his right. It put the two men out on a balcony overlooking the ocean. The sun was midway between the horizon and its zenith, and the city below was alive with people.
Sephiroth could see a storm of emotions in Vincent's eyes, an internal struggle taking place. Inside him, Sephiroth was confused and lost. He felt as though his innards were turning to jelly, and he couldn't understand why. Why did this one man have such a profound effect on him? He delved into his mind, his heart, his soul, searching for the answer. It crept up on him, and took hold of his thoughts. "I don't think we've met before."
Vincent waited, then shook his head.
"And yet, you seem very familiar to me, as though I've known you my entire life." He crossed his arms. His eyes became unfocused, as though he was deep in thought, and not holding a conversation. "Throughout my life, I've had this dream. It's come to me so many times that it feels more like a distant memory. I." He stopped, not believing he was about to tell a stranger such a precious secret, but at the same time knowing that the man wasn't really a stranger at all. He continued. "In my dream, I'm just a child, a newborn. I lie in my crib, and I see the visage of a man. He watches me with such melancholy warmth. He seems so sad, and yet there's such love in his eyes. I feel safe when he's there. I can hear him talking to me, but I can't understand what he's saying." He paused to study Vincent's face. "He looked like you. Well, there are a few differences. His hair was shorter, and his eyes were a different shade." He laughed without humor. "I always thought it was just my imagination conjuring up the father I never had, but then I saw you in the hall back there, and suddenly I wasn't so sure. Did I remember it, or is it still just a dream?"
Vincent stood in shock. He hadn't known that Sephiroth would remember something from when he was so young, but he had just clearly described Vincent's visit to him prior to being shot by Hojo. In his mind, he searched for the right words. He wanted to make sure he said everything perfectly, though he realized how foolish the thought was; any words he could find would be inadequate to truly expressing what he needed to say. *Just say it, fool. The longer you hold out, the harder it will be later.* "Sephiroth, that was no dream. I had no idea you had those memories, but that's all the more reason for me to tell you what you need to know. Ah, where to start. The beginning, of course. You are well aware of the Jenova Project and its intentions."
Sephiroth nodded slowly. He was hanging on Vincent's every word.
"I was a Turk assigned to oversee that project. During that time, I fell in love with a scientist named Lucrecia, your mother. We were happy for a time. Unbeknownst to me, she had been seeing both Hojo and myself at the same time, and she eventually left me for him entirely. I was. devastated, but I didn't care about my own misery so long as she was happy. A week later she announced that she was pregnant with you. She told everyone that you were Hojo's child."
Sephiroth recoiled upon hearing this; he felt the bile rise in his throat, but made no move to interrupt.
"They revealed their plans to inject you with Jenova cells. I objected, but my opinion was overruled. They continued with the project.
"After you were born, Lucrecia fell ill. She died. At least, we believed she had. Her body disappeared before it was to be buried. I visited you afterwards. I swore to myself that I would not allow Hojo to use you to further his mad purposes. Knowing that Hojo would never provide you with the care you truly needed, I swore to care for you myself.
"The day after your mother disappeared, I received a message from Hojo asking me to meet with him in the basement lab. I went down there, intending to inform him that I was going to quit the project, but not to tell him of my plans to take you with me. He was in a rage when I met with him. He ranted about how Lucrecia had gone to him, but had always loved me. He said she rather you had been *my* child. During his delirium, he shot me. He then used my body for various experiments, and put me to sleep in the basement of the mansion."
Sephiroth shuddered. "So. So Lucrecia was my mother. And Hojo was my father." He leaned against the railing. He wanted to throw himself over, rather than live with the knowledge that he was the spawn of such a despicable man. "How revolting. Through my veins runs the blood of the man I despise the most."
"No," Vincent corrected him.
He looked up, confusion in his face. "But you just said."
Vincent bowed his head. "I know. Until recently, I, too, had believed Hojo to be your father, but he is not. Since your birth, I have always felt there was a connection between you and I. I now know what that connection is. Oh, I was such a fool back then! I had thought that Hojo's actions against me were made from jealousy, instilled by his beliefs that Lucrecia loved me more than him. Now I know that there was more to it. He knew that Lucrecia had lied to him, to everyone. He knew that you were not his child."
Sephiroth held his breath. He didn't dare to hope that what Vincent was about to say was what he wanted to hear. Was Vincent his real father?
"For reasons of his own, the head physician at Junon hospital performed a DNA analysis of you and I. He compared the results, and it was revealed that I am your biological father."
Sephiroth's heart leapt. *Yes!* Despite his glee, he kept his calm. His rational mind struggled to maintain a grip on his composure. *Just because he's your father doesn't mean he actually loves you. What makes you think that being his son means a world of difference to him? . But he is telling me all this, isn't he? Would he bother to tell me the truth if he didn't care? And he did say he was going to adopt me when he thought that I wasn't his child. What does it all mean?* He had to put ease to his apprehensions. "Vincent?"
"Yes?"
"If you had known that I was your son." He couldn't bring himself to finish the question, too afraid of the answer it might bring.
Vincent answered it all the same. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Had I known, then nothing in this world would have kept me from being with you. I'm just sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."
"Knowing that's enough." He received a warm smile, and he felt an empty space in his heart fill. His father loved him. His mother he wasn't so sure about. "What happened to my mother? You said she was *believed* dead."
The smile faded, and Vincent's face became a mask of indifference. "Traveling with Cloud and his companions, we found a cave on the western continent. Lucrecia was inside. She was greatly depressed because she had been unable to watch you grow. She was especially despondent that she had never even had the chance to hold you even once. She asked about you, having heard that you were dead. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Cloud planned on killing you, so I told her that what she had heard was true. We returned later, and she wasn't there. I don't know where she is now, or if she's still alive." Vincent relayed this particular information without emotion.
"Oh."
"If you wish to know whether or not she loved you, you can take solace in the fact that she did."
"Did she love *you*?"
Vincent felt a fresh wave of anger rush through him. He barely managed to keep it held at bay, not wanting to subject Sephiroth's fragile soul to his own inner beasts. "I used to think so, but now I doubt it." He calmed himself, and renewed his previous smile. "No matter. The important thing is that you now know the truth."
Elsewhere.
Rufus walked into the conference room. Scarlet and Palmer were already there. He sat down at the end of the table. Heideger waddled in shortly after, followed by Reeves. "Reconstruction is going to be a costly long- term effort," the President began without preamble. "We all know the current situation, and we know how difficult things are going to get."
"Mr. President, why even start reconstruction?" Palmer wheezed. "If it's going to cost so much and take so much time, why not just leave things the way they are?"
Rufus almost slapped him. No, throttled him. "Palmer, the economy is in the dumps, and its getting worse. If it keeps up, the world will soon slip into a depression. How do you think that will affect us?"
The fat man stared dumbly at his boss.
Rufus sighed. "Scarlet, explain to this ignoramus the effects of such a depression."
She happily complied with the request. "ShinRa Inc. has sustained massive damage: financially and resourcefully. We are down in manpower, equipment, location, and capital. As the economy drops, these symptoms will get worse. Prices will skyrocket, people won't be able to feed themselves, the death toll will rise, the company will lose workers, and then the company will lose money. *We'll* lose money. If something isn't done now, while we're capable, it'll turn into a downward spiral, and the world will fall into economic ruin." She gave Palmer a smug look.
"Thank you," Rufus said. "So the question is: What is the most expeditious way to go about preventing an economic downfall?"
"We've managed to replace half of the soldiers that were lost during the attacks made by Weapon, but that still leaves our forces at a third of what they were. We simply lost too many due to other varying. circumstances," Scarlet informed the group.
"Civilian casualties are in the thousands," Reeves added.
"How many?" Rufus wanted to know.
"Approximately six hundred thousand."
Rufus whistled, but his voice was emotionless. "That's a lot of people."
"It's mainly a combination of Midgar's population and a fourth of Junon's. The other cities and towns suffered few losses."
"Were there any survivors in Midgar?"
"We haven't looked."
Rufus waited a moment, chewing over his options, then, "Send a small regiment of troops to Midgar's ruins, and have them search for survivors."
"May I ask why, sir?" the female executive voiced.
"To lure the people into thinking that ShinRa actually cares whether or not they live. The more they think we care, the more pliable they are to our own purposes." His lips twisted into a wicked smile. "If you get my drift."
Scarlet laughed. "This is so much more fun than it would have been with your father."
"Back to the previous subject. What's the world's population?"
"About seven hundred thousand," Reeves supplied.
"You're telling me nearly half the world's population is dead?"
Reeves nodded.
"Great," the President said absently. "The world can throw one giant wake for all the idiots that died. All right. We know the world's population, and we've already employed some of that in Soldier. What else?" he asked, as if he didn't know.
Heideger continued the information relay. "The cost of damages to the company itself is about seventeen trillion Gil. Civilian damages are around six trillion."
"Ouch. How's commerce?"
"What commerce?" Heideger said without humor.
Rufus sighed again, this time more heavily. "Okay, first thing's first. Get that regiment to Midgar. Then, we need to get commerce going again. Start with the basics: food, water, and the like. Those will be the most in demand. Set construction teams to repairing that which is salvageable. Once that's done, we'll move on to rebuilding."
"What about the people?" Reeves asked.
"Well, how quickly we help them rebuild and repair depends on a few circumstances. They could work for us, in which case we'd have more manpower to get things done; this would also give them money to help themselves. Taxes are another issue to take into consideration. Higher taxes means we have more money to put into reconstruction, and so things move along faster; lower taxes means slower going. We could try to find a happy medium, but we all know that'll never happen. If the people don't like what we're doing, then screw them; they're usually the ones who're never satisfied no matter how things are, anyway."
Scarlet spoke. "Mr. President, do you want me to send Sephiroth with the regiment to Midgar?"
"Hmm. No, I don't think they'll need him."
The other executives became shocked. They had known nothing of Sephiroth's return. Reeves was the one to speak against it. "Sephiroth?! As in, 'call down Meteor and destroy the world' Sephiroth? Are you out of your mind?! What kind of insanity would posses you to hire that guy?"
"Watch your tone, Reeves." Rufus's voice was sharp, and his eyes narrowed. "Remember who you're talking to. Sephiroth's reenlistment is not open for debate, but I have no qualms about replacing *you*."
"Who would you have to run the developmental department?"
"I'm sure I can find someone capable of the position, and whoever that person is, I'm sure they'll be far more trustworthy."
"You don't trust me?"
"Honestly, I'd place more trust in a compulsive liar. I'll warn you only this once, Reeves. Betray me, and the consequences will be dire. I'll have no sympathy or mercy for any in this company who work against it. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," the executive whimpered. "If you'll excuse me." He stood, and left the room.
Rufus waited until he knew Reeves was gone. "All right, immediately after this meeting is adjourned I want Reeves's access to all confidential files denied. He is not to be allowed any information that can be used against the company. He is not to be given the opportunity to help Cloud and his pals work against us. I also want a man on him at all times." He paused to allow the orders to sink in. "Now, unless anyone has anything else they want to bring up."
Heideger interrupted him. "Uh, sir, actually there is something I'd like to discuss with you."
Rufus leaned back in his chair, signaling for him to continue.
"I've been informed that you've hired one Vincent Valentine as a Turk." Palmer shuddered at hearing the name.
"Yes. You have a problem with that?" He smiled mischievously; he knew Heideger had a problem, and he knew why.
"Well, sir, he was a Turk once before."
"I know."
"Palmer and I had difficulties with him."
"I know."
"We would prefer he wasn't a Turk. In fact, we'd prefer he wasn't a ShinRa employee at all."
"And I really don't care what you prefer. He's a Turk, and if you don't like it, then you can quit." He slapped a hand on the table. "This meeting is adjourned."
10:56 a.m. Outside Wutai.
Yuffie was at the Highwind before the crew even had a chance to drop the ladder. She jumped up and down, ecstatic to see her companions again. Since she left their company and gone home, she couldn't have been more bored. Wutai may have been a tourist town, but as far as she was concerned it might have well have been a retirement home. She missed the excitement of traveling with Cloud and the others. She even missed the motion sickness; at least that meant she was going somewhere, doing something.
The moment the ladder was within her reach, Yuffie raced up onto the deck of the large airship. Cloud was waiting at the top. She didn't give him the chance to greet her, but instead began to rant, her words slurring together as fast as they could come out.
"CloudthankGAWDyou'rehereIwasgettingsoboredIthinkI'dgoinsaneifIst
ayedhereanotherdaythere'sabsolutelynothingtodohereexcepttositarou
ndandtwiddlemythumbshopingsomethingwillhappenbutnothingeverdoesbe
causethisplaceissodullandeveryonehereiseithertoooldortooyoungandI
don'twanttohangaroundhereanymoresowherearewegoing?"
Cloud blanched. "Huh? Slow down, Yuffie. I can't understand anything you're saying."
"I asked you where we're going." She began to jump up and down. "Please tell me we're going to find some Materia. That would be the best!"
Cloud shook his head. "Sorry. We're not going after Materia."
"So what are we doing? . Or did you come here for a vacation?" she groaned.
"No. We need your help with a bad situation." His voice became grim, his expression severe. "Rufus is still alive. That means ShinRa hasn't been taken care of yet. But it gets worse. Vincent and Cid have defected. They're working for ShinRa Inc."
"What?! But why? How could they just turn on us like that? I thought they were on our side."
"So did the rest of us. We've decided we're going to go and take Rufus out once and for all. We're also going to confront Cid and Vincent. We're going to find out exactly what's going on."
"So, let's go! Is everyone else here?"
"Everyone except for Cait Sith. He's in Junon attending a meeting, but he'll join us when we get there. It could cost him, though, to side with us. Come on. Let's get going." He turned and entered the Highwind.
Yuffie stayed out on the deck for a few minutes. A few precious moments to allow her tears of rage to go unnoticed. She wiped them away, and followed Cloud below deck.
12:50 p.m. Junon Developmental Department.
Cid took a long drag on his cigarette and tapped his fingers on the table. He stared at the schematics of the old reactors, as if waiting for a new solution to jump out and slap him in the face.
The entire project reeked of complications. Time - or rather, the lack thereof - was not the least of them. The longer the old reactors were used, the more Mako that would be sucked out, the closer the planet would be to death, and the more Cloud and the others would be putting on the heat. That would simply add to the already staggering stress level. Then there was always the most urgent matter of actually coming up with a new reactor. One that meets the high standards set for it. *I don't know if I can make this happen. There's just so much to take into consideration: power input, power output, materials, location, manpower, maintenance.* He allowed his mind to trail off for a brief instant, but quickly brought it back to the matter at hand.
He took another drag and flicked the butt out an open window. A disgruntled "Hey!" drifted up from below. Cid merely grunted and picked up the phone. When an assistant's voice answered on the other end, he began talking. "Henry, I need you to gather some stuff for me. I'll need all the information you can find on energy production and conversion. I want *everything*. If we're going to do this, we better see where the other methods went wrong." He hung up the phone. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Have to start somewhere."
2:20 p.m. Two miles outside Junon.
Cloud was the last to exit the Highwind. When his feet were firmly on the ground, he addressed his friends. "All right. When we get to Junon, we'll split up and scour the city. If you see Rufus, kill him. If you see Cid or Vincent, try to find out what they're doing with ShinRa. Follow them. Ask them yourselves. Bring them back to the Highwind. It doesn't matter. We'll meet back here at six o'clock p.m. If you can't get here, call. If anyone's missing, we'll assume they were caught. Everyone catch all that?"
Everyone nodded.
"Okay. Let's go."
3:00 p.m. Junon.
Cloud walked down the street toward the lift. If Rufus were here, he would probably be in the ShinRa's main building. The hard part would be getting around without being noticed. So far he hadn't been worried about being spotted. It was still early in the morning, so there weren't many people out and about. If he was lucky, and didn't start any trouble himself until he got to where he was going, then none of the soldiers would recognize him.
He noticed something on the ground, and stopped. He knelt down to inspect it. There were metal fragments and drops of blood on the ground. He looked up at the building he was in front of and, yes, it was the same one their hired hit man had been staked out in. His eyes passed over the rest of his surroundings. A few feet into the street he saw some more blood. It was too far from the building to have belonged to their hired man. He wondered whose it could be. The watchman had said Vincent was there protecting Rufus. Could it be his? A part of him hoped it was, while another prayed his friend hadn't been seriously injured.
Cloud stood and continued walking. The lift was just up ahead. He didn't have the time to contemplate Vincent's health. He thought about Vincent's betrayal, and wondered why he cared. *Because he's your friend.* He told himself. *Because you don't want to lose that friendship, whether from his siding with the enemy or to death. You want him to be safe, because you want him to explain his reasoning. You want him to tell you that everything is all right, and that he was never really with ShinRa.* What could cause Vincent to go back to ShinRa? And Cid, for that matter? There were too many questions that needed answered. He pushed them to the back of his mind. He was confident that someone would find Cid and Vincent and get the answers from them.
He reached the lift. *Keep your mind on the task at hand.* He glanced around him quickly, making sure no one was watching, and then boarded. He pressed the appropriate buttons, setting the elevator into motion. *All right, Rufus. Here I come. And this time, you're not getting away from me.*
Elsewhere.
Barret's face was one gigantic frown. He inspected Vincent from a distance; the vampire was leaning against the wall of a building, thoughtfully sipping a cup of coffee. He almost hadn't recognized the man, the simple changes standing out like a beacon. He now donned the Turks' dark uniform, including the black sunglasses, which hid his demon-red eyes from view. His long, unruly hair no longer hung about his shoulders, but was tied back at the nape of his neck. The clawed gauntlet that normally adorned his left arm had been abandoned, replaced by a black glove.
Barret gathered his resolve, made his way toward his friend. The tall, thin man seemed to pay no heed to the bigger man's obvious approach. He remained silent, his eyes closed and one hand in his blazer pocket. When Barret reached him, he waited to be noticed; after a few minutes of discontented silence, it became obvious that Vincent wasn't going to start the conversation. Perhaps he knew just what was coming? *Or maybe he doesn't care,* Barret thought bitterly.
"Hey, Vincent!" He barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Taking a coffee break," he replied bluntly.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it, you pale-faced bastard!"
Vincent tipped his head slightly. Yes, he knew. "But I refuse to speak with you when you're in such an irrational state. Anything I said would fall on deaf ears. or you would take it the wrong way."
"Irrational?! Who you calling 'irrational'? I'd say you're the one being irrational, going off and hooking up with ShinRa."
"This is precisely what I meant."
Barret clenched and unclenched his one fist in an attempt to keep his anger under control. Something had changed in the man. An icy mask, now replaced where there once had simply been a cool and calm exterior, and had Barret not traveled with him for so long, he might not have noticed. "You just tell me why you're with ShinRa. Then we'll see how irrational I can get."
"No."
"What?!" Barret's anger was growing with every word Vincent said. Was he making fun of him, or did he not trust him? "Why won't you tell me?"
"Because you're not very composed right now." Vincent checked his watch and finished his coffee. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."
He made to leave, but Barret grabbed his arm. "Hold it. You ain't leaving until I get an explanation."
The pale man turned back and briefly met the eyes of his larger companion. Only a moment, but it was enough to allow Barret to see what was there. A crack in the mask through which Barret could see a whirlpool of emotions, not the least of which was pain. Then the crack was gone, and all was unreadable once again. Barret's hand loosened its grip and fell from Vincent's arm. Quietly, ever so calmly, Vincent said, "I'll meet with everyone at the Highwind later tonight. I'll bring Cid. When everyone is there, then you can receive some explanation. Only then." Wordlessly, the vampire turned and departed.
Barret stood in the street for long moments after his colleague had departed. Finally, with a muttered curse, he left the scene and began his walk back to the Highwind.
At that same moment.
Tifa gathered her courage and her anger, and prepared for the confrontation to come. He was alive. That bastard Sephiroth was still alive. But how? Her and the others had killed him back at the Northern Crater more than three weeks ago. She had watched him die. She had felt his blood coat her hands, had watched it drip from her knuckles. She had watched and waited as the last of his life had drained away to stain the ground of the crater. Unless. Unless it wasn't Sephiroth they had fought. Unless it was actually one his clones that had died, and not him.
With clenched fists, she stalked out to where Sephiroth stood. There was a regiment of soldiers lined up before him. Their faces were a mixture of awe and fear as they looked upon the legend before them. Some of them trembled as they stood in his shadow. Tifa still wondered at how she could share those emotions, but her strength and courage were born of pure rage, and so drowned out everything else in her heart.
She walked up to Sephiroth. The man ignored her presence and continued to brief the soldiers on their mission. "All right. President's orders. Go to Midgar and search the rubble for survivors. If you find any, take them in for emergency medical care, even if they look like they're fine. Though, if there are any, they probably won't be. You are not to leave the Midgar limits until it has been twice confirmed that there are no survivors left in its ruins. Understood?"
A unified, "Yes, sir, general sir!" rose from the group.
"Good. Move out!" The soldiers quickly departed, and Tifa couldn't help but wonder if it was because Sephiroth ordered them to, or because they wanted to get away from him. Only after the last soldier had gone did Sephiroth acknowledge the young woman's presence. As he turned to face her, Tifa's open hand shot out and connected with his cheek before he had a chance to react. He stood there for a moment, utterly stunned, and unable to even speak. He blinked twice. Then, "What the hell was that?" He looked down at her disapprovingly. "You swear to avenge your father, and so you *slap* me? Yeah, I've really learned my lesson. I'm sure your old man's proud of you. You really put me in my place."
Tifa felt a fresh wave of anger flood her frame. Tears rimmed her eyes, and broke free to roll down her cheeks. "You." She couldn't get the words out. Her rage flowed off her in almost palpable force. She managed to relax her tightened throat enough to speak. Her voice trembled with the power of her emotions. "You bastard. You don't care! Papa. The townspeople. Aeris. The thought that you've caused so much suffering doesn't bother you in the least. How can you be so inhuman?"
In response, he gave her a wicked smile, devoid of any true humor or joy. "You know me so well. So why does it surprise you?" There was a tone in his voice she couldn't identify, a hint of emotion too masked by venom to be named. "Now," he stated coolly, "if you have nothing of importance to bring up, I'll be on my way. I have things to do, after all." With a swirl of silver hair and black leather, he left her to contemplate just what it was she had heard in his voice that so deeply disturbed her.
4:31 p.m. Junon docks.
She walked the streets timidly, fearfully. People bustled about, busying themselves with the duties of their everyday lives. The flow of people carried her away from the docks toward the mercantile district of the city.
Where was it she needed to go? She had to find him, but where would he be? The Turks were his life, so he would probably be with them. *Even after so long?* She remembered seeing him at the cave. He didn't look a day older, but things about him had changed, and the subtlety of them frightened her. Was he still the same man she had once loved? The man she *still* loved?
She was herded toward a large lift with the ShinRa logo on it. no, a new logo that bared ShinRa's trademark. Rufus. Strange. When had that happened? She could think of no one in the company by that name. Had things changed so much in the last thirty years?
She entered the lift; another three people followed her. One of the passengers pressed a button, and the contraption began its climb to the building above. It stopped and it cargo spilled forth, eager to go about their business.
Looking around, she saw that much had indeed been changed. The interior of the building had been completely altered. The halls were wider, and the ceiling higher. The rooms she could see were bigger. And was that fresh paint she smelled?
She jumped as a door unexpectedly opened to her right. She could hear the voices of a man and a woman before she could see the people they belonged to, and what she heard made her breath catch in her throat: a voice so familiar, so beautiful to her ears that it could only belong to one man. And then she saw him. Vincent. He wore the Turk uniform, and not the travel garb he had been wearing in the cave. His hair was tied back, its unruly locks drawn from his face.
She wanted to call out to him, but the words wouldn't come. His name hung on her lips, lacking the strength to be voiced. She wanted to move to him, to throw herself into his arms and feel his warm embrace once more, but her body refused to move. It was frozen in place by the force of the same desire that cried out for its action. She routed all her strength and will and love into her voice, so that she might speak his name; it came out no more than a whisper, but that was enough.
Vincent stiffened at the sound of his name. The voice was quiet; so quiet, but oh so familiar. He dared to turn and look at her. The sight of her set loose a flood of emotions he had been holding at bay for far too long: joy and sadness, hope and despair, love and hate. Where did one end and the other begin? Were they ever separate? He didn't know anymore. The muscles along his jaw tightened, even as he forced himself to respond to her presence. "Lucrecia." Giddiness and revulsion swelled inside him as her name passed his lips. He swallowed hard on the bile rising in his throat, and tried to calm the tympani of his heart.
There was a long moment of silence, interrupted when the woman, Scarlet, suggested, "Perhaps I should leave. We can discuss this problem later."
The executive turned to go, but was stopped by Vincent. "No," the vampire said quickly, on the verge of utter panic. "Please. stay." His exterior remained stone cold, but Scarlet could feel the grip on her arm tighten slightly, making it all too clear that Vincent was anything but calm. He didn't want to be left alone with her.
Scarlet shrugged. "All right. If you insist."
Lucrecia became nervous. "I'd rather we speak alone."
"And I'd rather we didn't," Vincent replied with utter control.
"I'm not very comfortable with speaking around strangers. You know that."
"Fine. Lucrecia, this is Miss Scarlet, the executive for ShinRa's Weapons Development Department. Miss Scarlet, this is Lucrecia. my ex-girlfriend."
Scarlet gave a slight nod accompanied with a look of utter superiority.
"Vincent, please. Can't we talk privately?"
"I'd rather not be left alone with you." His voice was cold.
"Why?" she asked.
Vincent hesitated to respond.
"Vincent, why don't you want to be alone with me? Please tell me," she begged.
"I don't trust you." The words were difficult for him. He had to force them out. Oh, how it hurt to be so cruel to her! But he didn't feel he could trust her anymore, and - above all - he didn't think he could trust himself. He might lose control, and bring physical harm to her when his beast got loose. Or he might go back to her. Would that be so wrong? He simply couldn't risk it. He might not survive a second heartbreak of that magnitude.
"You don't trust me?"
Vincent shook his head.
"Why? Don't you love me anymore? Is what we shared nothing now?" Tears began to roll down her face.
Vincent winced. Then nodded. "I still love you. But as for what we had. you tell me." He met her eyes. Big mistake. The full force of the pain he was causing her glared back at him from their depths. He swallowed hard and managed not to look away. "Was it nothing? I used to think it mattered, but now I just don't know."
"Why? Why would you doubt my love for you? You know I would do anything for you. Vincent, I love you. I would die for you."
Suddenly, he felt all the anger and hatred inside him welling to the surface. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them; they poured out, demanding to be said - refusing to be kept silent any longer. "Really? Is that what you were doing when you abandoned Sephiroth? Is that why you chose not to tell me that Sephiroth is my son, and not Hojo's? Is that why you left me and went to him? Was that all for your *love*?"
Lucrecia flinched. "How- how did you know?"
The vampire sneered. "The doctor at the hospital told me. Sephiroth has my DNA. Hojo's own actions against me only confirm it."
She became more confused. "What?"
"After you *died*, Hojo shot me and then genetically altered my body. Because of your boyfriend, I'm losing my humanity. He did it because he knew you had lied to him about Sephiroth's parentage." Inside him, Vincent could feel his beast burning, raging to be set loose. He fought it back. Now wasn't the time. Besides, despite his hatred for the woman, he indeed still loved her. How could it be that those two contradictory emotions could exist together with such unity?
"Vincent," she pleaded, her voice muffled by sobs. "Please let me explain."
He waved a hand through the air. "There's nothing you could say," he snapped. "Nothing that would help me understand how you could possibly do those things and still love me."
"Vincent."
"You made your choice, Lucrecia. Now I'm making mine." His voice was venomous. "Stay away from me. I don't want anything to do with you. I can't pretend like nothing happened. And I can't be with you if I don't trust you." She made to speak, to beg him to listen to her and her pleas of love, but he refused to hear them. "Just go," he ordered as he turned his back to her.
Lucrecia waited, and then ran back toward the lift. She entered it and was gone.
Vincent didn't look back. He stayed where he stood, even as the tears came to his eyes; he let them come. They were tears of pain thirty years in the making, and he now lacked the will to hold them back.
Scarlet remained silent and watched as the Turk cried. There was something oddly disturbing with the sight. Sure, she'd seen men cry before. She'd even been the cause of some, much to her delight. But this was different for some reason. It wasn't pathetic like the others had been. There was a strange dignity to his tears, which raised unfamiliar feelings in her. What was so different about this man? *This guy has some serious issues,* she mused. *She puts him through Hell, and he still doesn't want to hurt her. Hard to find guys that devoted nowadays. Hmph. That gal must have even worse issues if she let a guy like that go. What a twit.* After many long moments of awkward silence, Scarlet reached into the front of her dress and pulled out a handkerchief. She offered it to him. "Come on," she said. "Quit that before someone sees you."
He accepted her offer, but made no move to dry his eyes.
"Hey, if she did all that to you, then you're probably better off without the %$#&@." A rare moment of compassion on her part, but something inside her said it was proper. No, not proper. More like her duty.
"I wish I felt the same."
"Well, at least you were smart enough to get rid of her while you could. Most men are too gutless."
"Are you always so empathetic?" he asked dryly.
"Consider yourself one of the lucky ones." She gave him a wink, and - despite himself - Vincent smiled.
5:11 p.m. Rufus's office in Junon.
Rufus nearly fell out of his chair. Though he managed to stay seated, he failed at stemming his hysterical laughter. A sharp pain in his ribs brought him under control, but it didn't banish his wickedly bemused smile; a smile that remained even as Reeves leveled a gun at his heart. "Ah, Reeves," he sighed. "I knew from the start that you'd betray this company and help Cloud, but I never - *never* - thought that they would send *you* to kill me. I'm genuinely impressed. Really. They must think highly of you if they sent a gutless, writhing worm like yourself to do something so foolhardy."
Reeves held the gun tighter to steady his shaking hands. He tried to keep his voice calm and forceful. "The tyranny of the ShinRa line ends here. Today." His comment simply raised another tide of laughter. "Stop that! Aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"
"Of course. Why else would I be laughing?"
"You're not afraid of dying?"
"Nah. I have to go sometime. but not today."
"Why's that?"
"Because you can't kill me with that gun."
"So you're bullet proof now?'
"No." The young president rose from his seat and came to stand directly before the barrel of the firearm. "You can't shoot me with it, because the safety's on." He motioned to the safety latch on the side of the gun. With a shaky thumb, Reeves flipped it into the opposite position, at which point Rufus promptly took the gun from him. He replaced the switch and aimed the barrel at the executive's head. "The safety wasn't on." With his free hand, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He dialed a number and raised the phone to his ear. "Reno, get up to my office *now*." He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
There soon was the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. A moment later, Reno walked through the door. "You called, sir?" he panted.
"Yes. What the hell are you doing with the security in this building?! Having everyone take tea-time?"
"No, sir."
"Then how did this snivelly little traitor get into my office with a weapon?" He shook the gun. "Huh? Tell me that."
"Didn't think to search him when he came in."
"Di- Didn't think to search him?"
Reno nodded.
"I ordered to have this maggot tailed and given no opportunity to help Cloud, and you don't think to search him?" His face betrayed a mixture of rage and disappointment. "What else did you not think to do? Set up guards? Turn on the security system? Hell, Cloud and the rest of his buddies are probably in the cafeteria right now having lunch. Why don't you go join them? But before you do, take weasel-boy here and throw him in a cell. And don't forget to lock the door and take the keys with you when you leave him there."
"Yes, sir."
"Get out." Rufus jabbed a finger at the door. "Now."
Reno grabbed Reeves and cuffed him. The Turk then led the executive to the door. "By the way, Reeves," Rufus interrupted. "In case you're too dense to think of it: you're fired." He looked at Reno. "Don't just stand there. Get him out of my office and get back to work. This time, don't screw up." His underling quickly complied, and removed the prisoner and himself from sight.
Rufus turned the safety on before he laid the gun on his desk. He stared at it, and muttered to himself, "Why do I surround myself with idiots? It can't be to make myself feel smarter, because I feel dumber just for being in the same room with them." He shook his head sadly. "I really need a vacation."
8:39 p.m. Still in Rufus's office.
Rufus looked up from the explosion of paperwork on his desk to glance at the clock on the wall. He should have been home by now. The nightshift had started hours ago, so why was he still here doing what could be left to others? *Because you don't trust those morons to do it right,* he told himself. *Why does the world have to be populated by idiots? And why do they all have to congregate around me?*
Pushing his chair away from his desk, the young president stood and stretched, causing several pops down his spine and along his shoulders. He turned and looked out the window behind him to the street below. They were practically empty now, the people having gone home to their families to bask in their warmth and love. Rufus sighed, not a sigh of longing, but one of relief. *At least that's one headache I don't have to deal with. Marital devotions and siblings and parents. Children. Ugh! I can feel my hair going gray just thinking about it.*
"Huh?" His attention was drawn from his mental griping back to the street; he could see Valentine speaking with a young girl. She looked familiar. Who was she? Short brown hair. Green shirt. Shorts. Oversized shiruken. One of Cloud's friends? Yes, that was it. Or was it? There was something else. Something more. It was the way she held her weapon. The stance she took as she confronted Vincent. It reminded him of the Wutai ninjas.
She turned a little, giving Rufus a clearer view of her face. He recognized her then; she was Godo's daughter. What was her name? Yuppie? Yukkie? Yuffie! That was it. What was she doing in Junon? Trying to find Vincent and Cid, no doubt. *And to kill me in the meantime,* the young man mused.
Rufus absently watched the pair, the well-greased gears of his mind set into motion. *I suppose it's a good way to see just where Valentine's loyalties lie. As for Cid, I'm not so sure. No matter. I won't let Avalanche succeed this time. But what to do with them? Can't have them running around causing trouble. Can't kill them. yet.* A cold smile crossed his lips. *Use them. Take it a step farther than father did. Don't just make them out to be terrorists. Even terrorists have sympathizers. No. Make them the focus for the people's hatred. Make them the bad guys. How?*
Back on the street, Yuffie was waving her arms at Vincent. She seemed to be in a fury. He could just imagine what she was yelling at the vampire. *How could you go back to ShinRa? I thought you were on our side? What are you doing? What are you thinking?*
Rufus sneered - a normally ugly gesture made gracious by his face alone - as he realized what would happen if Yuffie was harmed or used by the ShinRa: Wutai would start a war. True, he could twist the entire thing to his own ends, but wars were costly, and ShinRa couldn't afford it right now. What to do? In the end, Wutai would have to be crushed, but how to go about it? They would see a full frontal assault half the world away.
Down below, Vincent turned and walked away, leaving Yuffie alone in the street.
Yuffie. Yuffie was the key. Now, what was the lock she fit into? Which lock would open the door to Wutai? Rufus wondered.
Enough wondering. Rufus plotted.
