My Vietnam
26 May 2014
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This is a FFVII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVII canon because this is an alternate universe fic (in case you haven't figured that out already.) That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?
"My Vietnam" (henceforth shortened to MYV) is a continuation of "Put Your Lights On" (PYLO), but it is not necessary to have read PYLO before reading this story. Whenever PYLO-specific events are referenced, the pertinent chapter will be indexed in the author's note.
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Daddy was a soldier
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Finally, hours of sending "sleep, sleep" into Rufus's head proved effective. Stupid chronic insomnia. Toriko appreciated Rufus's concern, but right now it was just annoying. Perhaps she'd played the part of a grieving orphan too well, but she didn't have a frame of reference. Contrary to all the lies, Mother was still alive and Sephiroth was too. Somewhere. She was starting to think Sephiroth wasn't in Midgar anymore...
"No. Father plotted my escape for a month. I can look for him at least that long."
In the time since Sephiroth's death announcement, Toriko had never once been left alone. The constant surveillance was something she was semi-used to because of her position, but with so many eyes watching her, she could not search for her father as effectively as she wanted. Continuous mental calls were met with silence, so it was time to look for Sephiroth the ordinary way.
Toriko padded through the living room and up to her father's study. In all the time she'd lived here, she'd only visited the study about three or four times; there was simply nothing for her up here since Sephiroth used it for work, and frankly, the dark and overwhelmingly masculine décor made her slightly uncomfortable. In any case, Sephiroth had a secure line into the Shin-Ra Armed Forces's database from his home office and Toriko hoped that the connection was still intact. With all the hullabaloo about the funeral and the taping of the tv biography, perhaps no one had gotten around to cutting it off.
It was encouraging that the computer was hibernating instead of off, and though Toriko hadn't known much about Sephiroth's business, she did know his login information for the databases. He hadn't meant for her to know it, but the same stream of thoughts went through his head whenever he logged on, which was most nights. After years of hearing the same set of instructions, Toriko had unconsciously picked them up. Nevertheless, she still breathed a sigh of relief when she allowed the memory of Sephiroth's routine type in a password (98754174186239571, whatever that meant) and it went without a problem.
"Someone's going to notice me using a dead man's login," she thought. "I have to go quickly."
Easier said than done. When the interface popped up, a series of nonsensical files and folders all jumbled together, Toriko realizeed that did not know how to navigate the Shin-Ra Army's database. What a stupid roadblock! She stifled the completely idiotic impulse to start clicking on everything and forced herself to calmly read the fine-printed columns of folders and documents. It looked almost insultingly basic considering that this was the brain of the most powerful army in the world, but looks were deceiving. Everything was coded in numbers, and clicking on sequential numbers yielded results that were totally unrelated. What was the pattern? Where was the information she needed?
Toriko was so focused on trying to understand the code that she wasn't aware of someone standing behind her until he said, "You're not going to find what you're looking for."
The familiar voice cut through the instinct to hurl the useless computer at the intruder and run. Turning slowly, she glared up at Tseng of the Turks.
"He died on his last mission," said Tseng softly. "There was no one to make and file a report."
Gently, Tseng reached across Toriko's arms and logged her out of the system. Toriko looked away, trying to fight the sinking, burning feeling in her chest. Of course all that unlimited access information just couldn't be at a fourteen-year-old's fingertips. She'd blown it, spectacularly.
"Whatever report was filed, I want to see it," she said.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Tseng, I order you—" Toriko clamped her lips shut. Tseng looked impassively at her, his silence more effective than any reminder that she had no power in the Company anymore. Everything she had become used to was because of Sephiroth.
"They can call me the Shin-Ra Princess all they like, but I have about as much individual power as one of Palmer's farts."
Briefly she considered running away. Maybe even joining AVALANCHE, though she discarded that notion immediately; they were into a bit too much blood and mayhem for her tastes. But how else could she get what she wanted?
"By trickery, of course."
She burst into tears. It wasn't hard, she was already furious at having been found out so quickly and at not having discovered anything useful. Tseng's expression never changed, but she felt his emotions cracking with chagrin.
This was going to be a very slow game. It would have to be, to get as much information without arousing suspicion. Let Tseng and the Turks think she was defeated now. She'd find a way to get what she wanted.
"I'll have to make Rufus find the information for me," Toriko decided. "As Vice President, he surely has the credentials to get into even the most classified of files. And if not, President Shin-Ra does."
By the time Toriko stopped sobbing, Tseng had disappeared. More than likely he hadn't left, but was lurking somewhere around the apartment to watch both her and Rufus. Slowly Toriko stood up, wiped the tears off her face, and walked downstairs. She did not look at Rufus though she thought about him very intensely.
"How do I make him want to help me? Lying about President Shin-Ra raping me was good enough to earn his protection and I know he's concerned for me, but that doesn't translate into doing whatever I want. I'll have to do something he wants, first..."
What did Rufus want? Power. That was an open secret. But while everyone agreed he was cunning, no one seemed sure about the extent to which he wanted to take over.
Toriko knew. And moreover, she knew she could make it work for her.
"I'll just have to help him overthrow President Shin-Ra."
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a/n: This may be one of the shortest chapters I've ever written.
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