The Realization of his Dream
"What's happened!? Is everyone okay!?" The guards stormed the room, marching passed the bodies as they pressed onwards to the staircase leading to the presidential office. "Sir! Are you alright Sir!?" There was no replyfor the men frombehind the door. A battery ram was brought up the stairs and used to force the double-doors open, which had unintentionally been barricaded by a desk; the president's desk, more than eight feet away from where it should have stood.
President Rufus lay dead in the far corner of the room. Young for his position, the boy had only been welcomed to office about two months ago. A face once full of life lay there, staring at the soldiers who had come too late. They rushed his body out of the office; the blistering cold seeping in through the gaping hole in the window. Minutes ago, the Rufus had waged war against WEAPON; now neither of them remained. The corporation was doomed without its president. Before this, the people of Midgar had been divided in either their support or hatred of ShinRa. After the collapse of Sector 7 the ratio shifted evenmore against them. And now what would they think, with Meteor mere hours away from impact?
They rested the president on the ground floor lobby; one of the only floors completely unaffected by the blast. As they lay his body down on one of the couches, a manila folder fell from his clutch, remarkably firm for that of a deceased man. The folder was marked "Classified." No one had ever seen this folder before. Many had the feeling that Rufus had never seen this folder before either. The folder was put away for protection. No one in the room had the clearance to even know of its existence, no less read it.
Upon further examination of the president's destroyed office, a small tape recorder was found. Maybe they would hear the president's final words; maybe before the president died, he had said who should be his successor! The recorder was played loudly for all to hear in the lobby. It jumped across many different recordings from various events in his office.
--"What do I care that he's dead? He didn't know how to properly take care of people. Money will only get you so far. Fear, my friend, is what controls."
--"And what of the party that attacked you?"
--"They may prove useful. That Cloud person….He has Mako infused eyes. Is he one of yours?"
--"Yes…a failure. Nothing like the original."
--"Still, I await to see what becomes of him. He may still surprise you Hojo.
The room was silent. No one knew what Hojo and the president were talking about, but it incited their anger to think about Hojo. That psycho had threatened everything atop the ShinRa building with his Mako Cannon. The tape sped forward, as the president spent the rest of his time with Hojo on the search for Sephiroth, The Promised Land, and the Huge Materia. Rufus and not returned from Junon for almost six months from the time that the recording was taken. But now, it had reached the present.
"Please, if you find this recorder, read the files in the folder that I will continue to hold until I am no longer able. These are the documents of our dear Hojo, the man who is, as we speak, on the roof of our corporate offices with the Mako cannon. Hojo is not the man I thought him to be. Likewise, he may just be the most insane person I have ever met, lusting for the power of a God. Please, you have the clearance. I want you all to read the files and know the truth about this company. It is especially important to me that all of our current members of SOLDIER know about their pasts and why they are so elite. I have been a wicked man, and I am so sorry. We are the cause of all this chaos; we are the cause of Sephiroth. And if there is any time left before Meteor hits, I want you all to know the disgusting truth. Please, I want you all to"… and then, the shattering of glass. And then, nothingness.