Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII
Triad: I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much for reading.
Hanpolo: thank you so very kindly for both of your reviews. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far!
The minute he'd set eyes on Midgard, Genesis had vowed to spend as little time below plate as possible.
It wasn't that he had any disdain for the homeless and destitute-not anymore in any case-it was the fact that the mere idea of being so far from the sun was terrifying. In Banora, he and Angeal had wiled away their time under blue skies and white clouds. The fact that some people in the slums went their entire lives without seeing the sky was baffling. That being said, he sometimes considered it a miracle that some of the populace witnessed daylight at all. Criminal syndicates charged hefty 'ascendance' fees, and Shinra did little to stop them beyond weekly 'fines.' Slummers caught on the Upper Plate were usually arrested 'on suspicion of criminal activity' and returned forthwith. Genesis loved being a SOLDIER but some of Shinra's policies were just plain nasty.
Surveying the dilapidated park Tseng had led them to, he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the sate of Midgar at present. SOLDIER was ultimately the reason the company's heads were still alive, and Firsts like Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth were major figurehead's in Shinra's agenda. It didn't do much good to dwell on it, and if he ever confessed such thoughts to Angeal the man would smugly comment that he was 'growing up' or some similar trash. No, a job was a ob, and he'd worked hard to get where he was. No matter how he felt about the management, he still had his pride. Removing himself from his thoughts with effort, Genesis was mildly disconcerted to catch Sephiroth eyeing him oddly. It wasn't a malevolent or mocking look, merely considering. Catching the General's attention while on duty was no small thing, and he didn't like to consider what it might entail. Turning his attention to the park, Genesis pushed the ingrained disgust he felt at its obviously dilapidated state to the wayside. Instead, he concentrated on the chalk lines marking where each child had been found.
"Body" he reminded himself mentally. "Not a child, a body."
For a brief moment, he was glad Angeal was speaking with the populace instead of him; he cleared his throat.
"Evidence?"
"None" Tseing replied tonelessly. "The areas around each body were cleared and cleaned with top-grade disinfectant; enough to scour but not enough to launch an inquiry with purveyors. Each victim was groomed and washed to a point of sanitation they could never have achieved at home, and no hair was found on the bodies but their own. One individual had mako residue coalescing in a mutation but it is unclear if this a natural or unnatural occurrence."
"It rains mako here?" Genesis asked incredulously.
"Atmospheric phenomenon from the reactors release small amounts of processed mako, yes."
"And the chalk?"
"What of it?"
The redheaded soldier frowned and worried his lip.
"They're...accurate markings?"
For the first time, Tseng's mask slipped from one of detached professionalism to that of weariness.
"I wish I could speculate otherwise" he said heavily.
"This is your field, isn't it?" Sephiroth said, a thin veil of irritation lacing his tone. "We're trained for combat and I see none."
"Lazard wants our departments working in tangent to solve this, we're making no headway" Tseng countered, his tone once more distant and cold. "The Science Department is equally involved."
"Well that's a first" Genesis commented. "A Turk admitting defeat."
"There is a difference between defeat and needing extra manpower" was the frigid response. "If I must sink so low as to flatter you, I would remind you that your mental capacity is greatly enhance by mako and would therefore make processing information far swifter a task."
"Flattery won't help you here" Sephiroth replied, already turning on heel. "Inform the director I have resigned from his...mission." He spat the last word out like a curse before casting a somewhat derisive but mostly pained look back at the playground. "Who kidnaps a child from on top of a slide?"
For once at a loss for words, Genesis mouthed incredulously at the General's back as he disappeared behind towering piles of scrap metal and was gone. He'd never seen the man have such a visceral response to anything. Under different circumstance in a different time he might have assumed Sephiroth was pulling rank and leaving the job to this 'beneath' him. He knew better now, of course. By his side, Tseng was equally silent, but it was an observant and calculating silence, not a surprised or disbelieving one. This wasn't particularly unusual. High-ranking Shinra operatives always seemed to know more about Sephiroth than they were willing to say. The man in question was equally close-mouthed as to why, and Genesis suspected that he knew little more than what tabloids and administration demanded...he had learned quickly not to pry. Sephiroth rarely showed any strong emotions; as far as his track history went, this had been a veritable shouting match.
"Unless you had something to add, I think I'll see how Angeal is doing" Genesis muttered, casting a sidelong glance at Tseng, who jerked his head in a noncommittal manner.
"If you could attempt to sway the General, it would be greatly appreciated."
The redhead snorted.
"Nothing's going to change Sephiroth's mind but Sephiroth. I'd be better off repeatedly running myself into the Plate supports and hoping the city collapsed."
Tseng's lip twitched.
"Treasonous talk that is, but the mental picture makes up for it." He turned and began to walk away. "Thank you for your time, Commander."
"Yeah, sure" he replied, watching as the Turk melted into the darkness.
Casting another glance over the playground, Genesis couldn't help but feel uneasy. The shadows that collected under and around the swing-set seemed ominous and resentful, as if conscious of the fact they never saw sunlight. The park was devoid of color, a stark contrast to fact that it had obviously been built for children. Crudely yet surely painstakingly shaped animal caricatures only added to the dismal mockery of things meant for youth. Reno had once explained to him that children born in the slums were rarely allowed a childhood. The only ways to proceed were 'up, crooked, or dead.' He'd been lucky to catch the eye of the Turks young, and while there were plenty of things in his line of work he didn't agree with, it was better than being stuck a hood rat.
Drawing up his hood, Genesis turned away from the seemingly eternally bright halogen park lights and made a swift path into the late-night streets. Shinra was rather notorious for recruiting those from less-fortunate backgrounds. People who were grateful were less-likely to ask questions and carried and almost unshakable loyalty to their 'saviors.' Individuals with nondescript backgrounds were also easier to...'dismiss' should they get nosy. The rich elitists had their ins and outs too, of course, but access came with mountains of privacy contracts and legal bindings. Genesis had lost count of the amount of paperwork he'd had to wade through to become a SOLDIER. He still got the occasional legal notice every few weeks and his Discrepency Contract renewed every six months. He was also pretty sure his likeness was copyrighted for the duration of his service, but that was to be expected as a First.
Sidestepping a puddle of some unnameable substance, Genesis vaulted over a large sewage intake pipe; landing in a balanced crouch over-top a modest but very empty water distribution tank. It made a hollow, bereft sort of resonance under his boots as he stood to somewhat gather his bearings. It was easy to get turned around below pate, even with mako enhancements and years of training. The layout of the slums constantly changed; houses made of scrap metal and refuse were easy to move, and hazardous living conditions made it nearly impossible to set up permanent residence. Even above plate the reactors gave off an immense amount of noise and heat; here, without dampeners and shields, the air was cloyingly rank and buzzing with irradiated energy. Disorientation was common among non-natives...for SOLDIERS it was rather worse.
Just when he was considering scaling a support beam to the surface, his phone recieved a text from Angeal with specified coordinates. The missive included a rather mournfal statement indicating that while the populace wasn't happy they were, for the moment, mollified. A small transport chopper was waiting for them not far from either of their locations, but the pilot refused to wait very long due to the late hour and the 'hazards of the environment.' The cry of an approaching Allemagne gave Genesis pause, but he ignored the sound in favor of haste. Monsters that strayed into the slums were supposedly 'law enforcement' responsibility, but dispatch often fell to civilian or street gangs. SOLDIER was only called out for Behemoths, Golems, Dragons, or worse. An Allemagne was a considerable threat, but not enough to warrant SOLDIER intervention, let alone the intervention of a First.
The pilot was irritable and jumpy when Genesis arrived, and it took him drawing Rapier and prowling around the chopper like some murderous beast before he'd even consider waiting for Angeal. This earned him a hairy eyebrow when the man in question jogged up five minutes later.
"Waiting on a Marlboro?" he asked casually.
Genesis cursed and gestured for Angeal to climb up as the pilot went white and started to ascend without preamble. His friend muttered an apology as he settled into his seat after a near-miss grab for the landing skids. Waving his contrition away, the redhead sheathed Rapier and watched the slums disappear into a smoky, lumpy mass of shapes beneath them. They were flown to the Easternmost airway exit and given clearance to proceed by an exhausted-looking trio of Thirds. Genesis was startled to see the sun rising over HQ in a blaze of chrome and Scarlet; he hadn't thought they were gone that long.
"Took us forver to get down there" Angeal grumbled as if reading his thoughts. "Lucky they sent a bird to pick us up."
Genesis managed to voice an inarticulate sound of assent, his insides shriveling as he considered the mountain of work waiting on his desk. He was surprised to see Sephiroth waiting for them on the landing pad, looking for all the world like he hadn't spent the night in the slums. The pilot-having failed to offer nothing even-so-much as his name-took off the minute the disembarked.
"Tseng wants you back on the mission" Genesis remarked as the sound of rotors faded away.
A silver brow rose sardonically as the three of them turned in unison to head back into HQ. Angeal shot a confused glance at Genesis behind Sephiroth's back.
'Temper tantrum' the redhead mouthed.
"I heard that" the General muttered. "I don't see how my skills will aid in an investigation of this caliber" he said in a tone that brokered no further questions.
Genesis shrugged as his childhood friend rolled his eyes in a despairing sort of way.
"Do you think we'll get the morning off?" he asked idly, redirecting the conversation.
"Unlikely" Angeal chuckled, palming the access doors that would take them up to Residential.
The lift doors clattered to a halt and Genesis sighed resignedly as the doors shut behind them. A pre-recorded notice began to play on a loop; informing them of staff rotation and wage forms that were due the next day. The overhead lights flickered as the lift began to move and Genesis jumped as Sephiroth cleared his throat.
"I finished the report you sent up" he informed Angeal.
"Zack told me you fielded half of it to Gen" the dark-haired man said confusedly.
If Genesis hadn't been so tired he was pretty sure he'd have fallen over at the General's reply.
"Genesis was kind enough to stay behind to complete our meeting with Tseing while I dealt with an...urgent matter. The least I could do was complete the report."
The elevator chimed as the lift stopped in front of a hallway that led into Business and Accounting, and Sephiroth spared them both a nod before walking out. There was complete silence save for when their phones went off in unison with a message from Lazard. As Residential came into view, Angeal spoke.
"When you've pulled your chin off the floor, you'll be happy to know we have the morning off." Genesis swallowed and blinked as the doors slid open and his friend began to step through before pausing. "For what it's worth, I think he really considers you a friend."
Watching as the Buster Sword retreated down the hallway...Genesis couldn't help but wonder if he might be right.
A/N: I want to apologize for the long break between chapters. I take care of a child with special needs seven days a week and it is hard to find time to write. That being said, we are working on a school integration system now that the new year has begun, and my schedule will slowly start to free up, though when that will be is unclear.
In regards to the story. You are going to notice a few things. For one; Sephiroth views Genesis as his friend already, but Genesis doesn't know it. This is mostly because Sephiroth is a very bad communicator and Genesis is not a good listener. This is honestly something I thought I saw in-game, but I could have fabricated it entirely.
You're also not going to see alot of Genesis quoting Loveless, and this is due to the fact that while Genesis chronically quoted the play close to before and during his degradation, I like to think he was somewhat saner earlier on.
This chapter is approximately 997 words short and it bothers me but I'll fix that by adding 997 words to the next chapter.