Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII Compilation belongs rightfully to Square-Enix. This amateur effort at fan-based fiction is in no way making profit off of the licensed characters described therein, nor is it associating any new original characters to Square-Enix either.
Chapter Six
Sephiroth's eyes watched the screen before him. Zack Fair raced forward on the top of a speeding Midgar train, deflecting a whir of bullets that came his way. The training video was dated just before the Fort Tamblin takeover mission. His green eyes narrowed slightly as Angeal came into view, giving Zack brief instructions. The man's lips moved without sound - in fact the entire video lacked audio, as it was difficult to record while trying to capture the intense virtual graphics of the company training room. The viewers, who were usually SOLDIERs watching the videos to recognize their mistakes, often did not mind the inconvenience. Sephiroth on the other hand, was very inconvenienced. The video would be the only proof should Angeal have used the time to convince Zack to ally with Genesis.
He could only just barely read lips, but Sephiroth was certain that nothing concerning Genesis came from Angeal's mouth. His expression was stern, an example of discipline for his rather enthusiastic pupil. Sephiroth guessed, '…shouldn't have chosen this program. The kid has the attention span of a cactaur.' The corner of Sephiroth's lip lifted slightly.
Behind him the door hissed open, but Sephiroth continued to patiently watch the video, his arms folded across his chest. Footsteps clicked softly towards him and then stopped directly behind his chair.
"I thought you were on some kind of business trip," Sephiroth said, not turning around. On the screen Zack vaulted over a group of troops, impressively dodging an explosion from a rocket launcher.
"I was…" replied the familiar drawl of Shinra's only son. "Your return from the Ancient Forest called me back. I invested a lot in that research project you know."
Glaring, Sephiroth turned the chair around to the young man's direction. Rufus Shinra, his stark white suit a polar contrast to Sephiroth's black, seemed to have a permanent sneer set on his young arrogant face. Strands of blond were combed stylishly over his forehead in front of his eyes, icy blue in opposition to Sephiroth's fierce green.
"I had heard somewhere that you were working close with Scarlet from Weapons Development," Sephiroth answered as conversationally as he could. "You expected Dahlia Cuddy to come home bearing gifts didn't you? Materia left behind by the Ancients, perhaps?"
"All gone now, taken by the defectors you allowed to escape." Rufus was frowning now, his displeasure taking over the cool politician's visage he often practiced. "My father had no doubt as to your loyalties, as it was you who condemned Angeal Hewley, but now he's not so sure."
Sephiroth turned to pause the video, freezing it on Zack's triumphant face, for he had made it off the train successfully. Critically he eyed the president's son, the one who would no doubt be named the vice-president of Shin-Ra Electric and Power Company in a few days time. In the face of Rufus' bold accusation, Sephiroth only impassively stared.
"You were expecting this, weren't you?" Rufus muttered, flicking some of the hairs away from his eyes. "Then you've probably already heard that the Board wants to put you under surveillance, and limit some of your privileges."
"If that makes them feel better…" Sephiroth answered, shrugging. He turned back to the computer screen, but Rufus then joined him at his side, sitting on the briefing room's table to look at Sephiroth.
"I told them that would be a pointless gesture," Rufus replied. "It's not as if following him around and ceasing the delivery of his favorite shampoo would make the Great Sephiroth feel threatened." All the while Rufus gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Not Shin-Ra's most powerful weapon, no… I told them that if Sephiroth had the intention to rebel like his friends, he'd have done it by now, and there would be no doubt in any of our minds that he was against us. He'd be an enemy of the world…"
Sephiroth resumed the silent video. "Should I be thanking you?"
Rufus shook his head. "Not at all. I wasn't there to defend you, I was only stating the obvious, what they should have been thinking all along." Rufus then visibly sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "I think it is my father's short-sightedness that prompted Genesis and Angeal to betray us in the first place. I would never have allowed such-,"
Suddenly, Sephiroth started to laugh, Rufus turning a surprised and cautious glance towards him. His mirth, not at all cheerful, was like a slap to young Rufus' face.
"My apologies…" Sephiroth said, his unkind laughter dying down. "It just that I never thought you saw me as a confidant."
"I don't," Rufus insisted. "You seem to have caught me in a rant, however. My apologies then."
Zack ran up a flight of steps. Soon enough he stood in the business district of Sector 1. Everything seemed normal enough, until a giant behemoth materialized into the training room. Sephiroth's hand hovered over a key, ready to end the video, but the playback indicated that the recording wasn't even half way finished. Intrigued, Sephiroth removed his hand from the keyboard and leant back in the chair to watch some more.
"Perhaps you should reconsider your nomination," Rufus suggested, watching the screen as well. Surprisingly, the 2nd Class SOLDIER fared well against the virtual data monster, executing a flurry of attacks with his fists that Sephiroth recognized as one of Angeal's signature moves.
"I am," Sephiroth stated, his words sounding distant to his ears as he watched Zack's battle.
"Not that Naomi Posada wasn't a good choice," Rufus added as he studied his clean fingernails. "But I've never known any SOLDIER who could mimic Angeal like that."
Sephiroth exchanged a brief glance with him. "That may or may not necessarily be a good thing."
Zack performed his little victory fanfare, spinning his sword about around his head. At that Rufus stood from the table, flicking away his hair once more. "It's been a pleasure as always, Sephiroth. I should warn you though… my father doesn't like the idea of sending Zack Fair to Banora, for obvious reasons. You should make your decision soon."
Sephiroth glared at the screen as Rufus departed from the briefing room. They didn't need to remind him… of course Zack's loyalties were in question, but what did they think Sephiroth was doing watching training videos anyhow? It certainly wasn't for his own entertainment.
"Your back is to the enemy…" Sephiroth muttered, and in that instant, the tip of his very own Masamune found the back of Zack's neck. Sephiroth straightened in his chair, surprised by the sudden change in programming. Zack turned to face a virtual copy of Sephiroth himself, who in only seconds broke Zack's blade in half and threw him to the floor. His virtual self stood tall over the exhausted Zack Fair, the thin blade of the Masamune lingering dangerously close to Zack's trachea.
What is all this, Angeal? Sephiroth wondered. What were you trying to accomplish here?
The virtual Sephiroth thrust his blade down for the killing blow, but it did not meet flesh. Without the familiar clang of metal, the broken half of Zack's sword met Masamune before it could destroy the young man. Angeal stood hunched over Zack's form, holding the broken sword out to block Masamune's path. The virtual copy did not retaliate. It only stood there, every detail incredibly similar to the real thing, from the strands of silver on its head to the slight scuffing of it's black boots. Angeal studied the program for a moment with an expressionless face before producing his mobile device from his back pocket. As soon as his thumb hit the appropriate button, the recording ceased, turning the screen black.
Sephiroth leaned back in his chair and sighed. Nothing. The video revealed nothing about Angeal's intentions before Fort Tamblin. There was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary about his demeanor either. Annoyed, Sephiroth searched the training room's other files for any other recordings of the same date. To his satisfaction, an audio file came up with a time stamp that indicated it was recorded barely a minute after the training program.
"…was just getting warmed up!" came Zack's indignant voice after some static.
Silence came next, save for some footsteps and the hissing of the training room door. "Zack…" murmured Angeal's tenor tone. "Embrace your dreams."
"Huh?"
"If you want to be a hero you need to have dreams… and honor."
Sephiroth shut off the computer. Nothing out of the ordinary for Angeal Hewley. He himself had received many of Angeal's lectures on subjects such as honor. With the training session dated just one day before the Fort Tamblin mission, it almost seemed absurd that Angeal would discard his pride for SOLDIER at all.
Something happened after the surrender when the copies arrived, Sephiroth realized. Genesis must have told Angeal something about Shin-Ra or SOLDIER that disturbed him greatly.
They'd seen a lot together, the three of them, enough to be aware that the company they served was far from perfect, but Zack had been right that day in Wutai: Angeal valued his SOLDIER honor above all else, even in the face of some of Shin-Ra's more obvious flaws. The only explanation Sephiroth could establish was that Angeal felt betrayed by SOLDIER somehow and found no reason to stay. Sephiroth felt disillusioned that Angeal couldn't trust him enough to talk about it.
As he habitually made his way through the Shin-Ra building to his private quarters, the disheartenment gradually became resentment. Sephiroth was angry and brooding by the time he reached the right floor, some twenty levels above the SOLDIER level. How dare he not tell Sephiroth anything? What made his two friends think that Sephiroth was not worthy of sharing in on the mysterious awful truth they discovered?
It's because they don't trust you, said some doubtful reasoning in the back of his mind, and then the feeling of bitterness and dejection increased. Any passerby would have concluded that the scowl on his face was for the large bundle of mail he furiously pulled from the box mounted next to his door, as though the Great Sephiroth disliked monthly bills more than anyone.
His nose caught the familiar scent of a recently cleaned room, the strong pine and ammonia-based chemicals, but he did not bother to study the state of his spacious quarters, accustomed as he was to the regularly cleanings made by the company's janitorial staff while he was away on lengthy assignments. There was not much to tell about Sephiroth's living space anyhow, as he barely spent much time in it. Less form than function, it was relatively Spartan in design, lacking any kind of furnishings that took up unnecessary space or served no use to him. The door opened to a modest living room, a charcoal gray couch with no intense or bright colors anywhere else to stand out within the room. A great portion of empty wall space directly across from the door was for a large shelf long ago, but Dahlia had taken that with her when they divorced three years ago, along with most of the books they owned.
The door automatically hissed closed behind him, and Sephiroth passed the empty space to find the nearby table where he tossed the mail. In the bundle was a small cardboard box, heavy enough to harbor either an electronic device or even some new materia. Remembering that the company had commissioned a new phone for him, Sephiroth went about opening the box. Preoccupied with his own thoughts, he had almost forgotten all about it, though it had been a nice reprieve not to hear a single ear-piercing ringtone for the past few days.
It took only a few moments to program the shiny new device, as per the instructions included in the box. Within minutes his message inbox was already filled with all of the calls he missed while his old phone sat at the bottom of the lake he and Dahlia fell into. His coat was down there too, and until it could be replaced Sephiroth had to settle for more casual wear; namely a black sport coat and collared shirt. Sighing, Sephiroth sat on the couch and began the tedious process of deleting the useless messages and catching up on the important ones.
General Sephiroth:
Some of the villagers have reported to have seen Genesis Rhapsodos in the outskirts of the town. However, the sightings have been brief, and the witnesses themselves remain doubtful, making their claims inconclusive. Genesis' parents still insist that they are ignorant as to their son's whereabouts.
We still have no lead on our agent who has disappeared. The Turks that remain in Banora send me hourly updates and reports. If you need me to relay these to Director Lazard or yourself I will do so.
- Tseng
Sephiroth saved Tseng's message and proceeded to the next one, a forwarded message from an anonymous sender, sent to hundreds of employees in the Shin-Ra database. It was not uncommon, but Sephiroth hated the chain letters that claimed if he did not forward it to ten more people he would either be cursed in love or in life.
Sardonically he thought, Well that's one done already. Let's see about life. The message read:
Loveless on stage is as popular as ever. This year's production retains the love story from the female's point of view, with the focus on Acts II and III as usual. Fans of the story can't wait to behold the new interpretation, and critics are giving it widely acclaimed reviews, some calling the love story portion "a different and refreshing take on romance in a classic drama."
Pre-order your tickets today and avoid the long lines. VIP guests include Rufus Shinra, up and coming roller coaster tycoon Dio (owner of the infinitely successful Gold Saucer theme park) and long-time fan SOLDIER First Class Genesis Rhapsodos. See you at the premiere!
Sephiroth deleted the old advertisement, slightly amused by the notion of those who would be awaiting Genesis' arrival at the premiere, when it was probably very likely that he wouldn't be attending. Or perhaps he would, in keeping with his devotion to the play? Sephiroth wondered if Genesis would have the gall… would he attend the play and then proceed to attack Midgar? He resolved himself to letting Lazard know of his friend's possible intentions. After all, he had followed Sephiroth all the way to the Ancient Forest simply because of Loveless' presence in the Tomb of Those Who Still Fight.
General Sephiroth:
I was informed that mobile communication with you would be impossible for the next few days, but for the sake of consistency I will continue to send you reports, forwarding a copy to Director Lazard incase you wanted the reports immediately. Otherwise, I apologize for the backlog of messages.
We've lost contact with two more Turks. They were last seen investigating the Banora White factory, and considering that it is owned in part by Genesis' family, we have strong reasons to believe that Genesis and the defectors may be using it as a base of operations. Some of the villagers have begun disappearing as well. The President is pushing for a direct assault on Banora unless we can resolve the situation here by the end of this month. To prevent the loss of any more agents, I've pulled out the remaining Turks who were involved in the investigation.
If you have any suggestions that would prove more efficient than the President's proposal, please do no hesitate to call me.
- Tseng
Sephiroth imagined a bomb falling on Gillian Hewley's house, and it was enough to make him reconsider his decision to personally avoid Banora. With urgent speed, his fingers tapped the keys on his new phone, dialing for his contact in the Turks.
"Tseng here."
"It's Sephiroth," he replied into the mobile.
"General," Tseng answered respectfully.
"I received your message a little late. Is there still time to change the situation in Banora?"
There was a moment's pause. "This morning Genesis' parents disappeared. I contacted Director Lazard and updated him, and he said that he would call you in later today about it."
"I see." Sephiroth gazed in thought up at the white ceiling. "I'll talk to Lazard now. In the meantime Tseng, call Zack Fair. Send him to the briefing room to see the Director."
"Will do."
"And Tseng?"
"Yes, General?"
Sephiroth closed his eyes. He didn't want to regret his decision in the morning. "I want you to go with Zack to the village."
Tseng was silent, apparently surprised by the request.
"You want me to keep him an eye on him," Tseng guessed.
"Find your men, Tseng," Sephiroth said. "Have Zack take care of the rest."
"I understand."
At that Sephiroth ended the call. Half an hour later, Zack Fair, while doing squatting exercises in the lobby of the SOLDIER floor, received a phone call from a man he didn't know.
Author's Note: Unfortunately, I've come across a bit of a snag regarding Crisis Core's timeline... there's no real indication as to how much time passes in between Zack's missions, and to make matters more complicated, the time that passes between the first mission in Wutai and the visit to Nibelheim is a whole TWO YEARS! If anyone has any ideas or theories, please, PLEASE let me know!!! I would greatly appreciate the help. I've gone to the forums about it, but so far, no such luck.
Here's the timeline I've come up with so far:
One month in between Wutai and Banora missions.
Unknown in between Banora and Genesis' first attack on Midgar. (I'm guessing a few days to a few weeks)
Unknown in between Banora and Modeoheim
Unknown in between Modeoheim and Junon (this is probably the longest gap in between missions)
Unknown in between Junon and Nibelheim
Four years Zack and Cloud are in Nibelheim
Roughly one year to travel from Nibelheim to Midgar (due to being slowed down by the vegetative state Cloud is in, and the stops to Gongaga and Banora)
Basically, I have to account for all of the seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, when Crisis Core is known to begin. If Nibelheim happens five years before FFVII, there's a whole two years that aren't accounted for, which gives me a massive headache!!!!