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 Fourteen
The outlines of each continent had bright glow lines against the backdrop of the map. Sephiroth stared intently up at the wall behind Lazard's desk, contemplating each location that was currently labeled. Desiring more information from it he turned slightly to touch the surface of what used to be Lazard Deusericus' desk. An image of the map suddenly lit up on the opaque surface and by spreading his thumb and forefinger across the screen, Sephiroth was able to make the image zoom in considerably. The effect was mirrored on the large version of it on the wall, and soon enough Sephiroth was staring at the highly rugged topography of the Corel region.
The map simulated the elevated terrain, and a fair distance away from the thriving mining town of North Corel was a glowing dot labeled 'Corel Reactor.' Sephiroth glared at it for a moment.
With the company currently having a strained relationship with the local miners, it's unlikely Genesis could operate there and be left unnoticed, Sephiroth thought. Without being able to ask Genesis directly, he could only postulate what his dissident friend's current agenda might be. There was a large portion of North Corel's population that protested the building of the newest Mako reactor, which made it a perfect place for Genesis to recruit. However, in order to copy his genetics onto his followers he would need men of SOLDIER stock, so Sephiroth thought it unlikely that Genesis would operate from Corel for that reason.
The Corel reactor was also the newest reactor to be built by Shin-Ra and was under considerable surveillance and protection. The company feared that the protesters might take example from AVALANCHE and attempt to destroy the reactor as the terrorists had recently done to the one in Zack's hometown, Gongaga, but no matter how well guarded it was, Sephiroth knew from Genesis' past actions against Shin-Ra that he was not against attacking such sensitive areas, having had attacked Midgar twice and Junon just within the last few months.
However, Sephiroth pondered, if Genesis' body was still degrading he would need an unoccupied reactor for Hollander to work with, one that was isolated like in Modeoheim, but still active and ready to harvest enough Mako for his uses. Corel, with both the Shin-Ra security and the nearby population, would not suit those purposes.
That only leaves Fort Condor and Mt. Nibel, he realized.
Sephiroth instinctively reached into his coat pocket as a ringing filled the air, but then he realized that it was the office phone on the desk. He hesitated a moment before answering, wondering if there was anyone in Shin-Ra that was not yet aware of Lazard's departure from the company, but he picked it up nonetheless, pressing the handset to his ear.
"Yes?" he said.
"General Sephiroth?" inquired a female voice that was unfamiliar to him.
"Speaking."
"This is Cissnei with the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department." Her voice was soft and reserved and youthful, and suddenly Sephiroth recalled seeing her about with the Turks before. "I have the intel that you requested, but it seems that an urgent response is needed at one of the locations you requested information on."
Sephiroth straightened. "Explain," he commanded, making sure to keep the enthusiasm he was feeling out of his tone.
"We've just received emergency requests from the operatives that were sent to investigate the Mt. Nibel reactor, but we haven't been able to establish contact with them since then."
"What else do you know?" Sephiroth asked.
"Before this incident, we were receiving reports of monsters appearing in the Nibel region, occasionally attacking the main settlement there. These appearances also coincide with reports of the reactor malfunctioning."
Sephiroth leaned over the desk to activate the computer there. "Send me all the reports relevant to the incident."
"Of course," she happily replied.
"Is there anything else?"
"Actually," she began, her cheerful tone instantly becoming serious, "the President is ordering an investigation by SOLDIER for the Mako reactor and has labeled it a top priority."
Sephiroth removed the phone from his ear to stare at it in stunned surprise. A malfunctioning reactor was top priority? Returning the phone to his ear he said, "Send me everything you have then."
"Certainly," she answered, returning back to her cheerful tone. Sephiroth hung up without saying anything else to the young Turk and then sat down to read the computer screen. His list of unread emails appeared and as then his phone chimed just as the ones Cissnei sent showed up at the top of the list. Sephiroth ignored his phone, knowing it was just alerting him of the new emails.
"What the-," Sephiroth uttered, learning forward to glare at the content in front of him. "Unconventional equipment at reactor…?" Sephiroth leaned back in his chair and released an exasperated exhale before reaching for the phone again. Once he heard Zack's voice answer on the other end of the line, he quickly stated, "There are new developments."
"What?" Zack responded, clearly caught off guard.
"Headquarters. Now."
Sephiroth hung up before Zack could respond and then closed his eyes in order to digest all the information he had just absorbed. The fact that the mission docket had called for both members of First Class for what seemed like such a simple enough assignment was especially telling. The Nibel reactor was in the middle of no where, shoved into the face of a mountain that would be incredibly difficult for any normal human being to traverse, if not outright impossible without a guide and the proper equipment. Also, the only population center of any note was hundreds of miles away in Cosmo Canyon. Only villages scattered in between the two areas would be affected by the outbreak of monsters, and not enough of them to really concern the President himself…
…unless of course there was something up there for him to hide.
Weapons manufacturing was usually near the top of President Shinra's list of priorities. Sephiroth guessed that perhaps something top secret was being developed in the Nibel region that Shinra wouldn't want any insurgent forces getting their hands on. Rightly so, Sephiroth thought. With Hollander having escaped with the remnants of Genesis' army, the result of Hollander getting his hands on such a development might prove to be disastrous.
Sephiroth accessed the files that were attached to the mission report. It contained information on the region of Nibel, including some facts and statistics on its biggest settlement, a secluded country town by the name of Nibelheim. After reviewing all the information he then began a database search for any missions recently undertaken or finished by SOLDIER in the region. What he discovered was most promising; a lead by the Turks which had since gone cold.
"Lazard…" he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing at the screen.
"What about him?"
Sephiroth looked up at the sound of Zack's voice, who had entered and was approaching the former director's desk. Sephiroth stood and joined the younger SOLDIER in front of the office furniture.
"Good, you're here," he said.
Zack shrugged. "Caught the train on time at least. What's going on?"
Pleased that Zack didn't waste any time with further pleasantries, Sephiroth explained, "Legions of monsters have spawned near a regional Mako reactor. The workers have all gone missing. Local SOLDIER operatives have also vanished. The company is dispatching additional operatives to investigate the matter… you and I, that is."
Zack barely flinched from his position where he had been leaning against a counter with his arms crossed. "Roger that," he replied, sounding unenthused.
"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, not knowing Zack to be a usually despondent person, especially when it came to receiving new assignments. The youth usually jumped at every opportunity to prove himself, even with missions as mundane as the one Sephiroth described.
"Well, you know," said Zack as he turned to face him. "I thought you found something about… that other matter."
Sephiroth was careful not to convey that he specifically chose Zack for the mission for that very reason, lest he excite the younger operative. It was best to keep everything as quiet as possible, as to not alert the company that both members of First Class new more than they let on. "The missing operatives were the ones tracking Lazard," he began. "Also, they had reported a strange pod like device in the area."
Zack gave a start. "Is that… Hollander's?"
"Probably the same device that was stolen in Modeoheim," Sephiroth speculated.
"Meaning…?"
"Lazard, Hollander…"
"And Genesis?" Zack wondered.
"We'll have to go see them in order to be sure," Sephiroth decided. He was fairly certain that whatever the President was trying to hide in the Nibel reactor held the answers they were seeking.
Zack nodded in agreement. "Let's go," he said, his Mako-eyes looking steely and resolute.
"First, go to the SOLDIER floor," Sephiroth instructed. "We'll depart as soon as you and the rest of the men are ready to go."
"Understood," he answered, turning around to hurry towards the door.
"Our orders are to investigate the reactor," Sephiroth called out at him, successfully halting the youth. "They mention nothing of… old friends." Sephiroth stared pensively at the floor while Zack watched him. "Depending on what happens, I may abandon Shin-Ra," he admitted.
Zack appeared a bit stunned and didn't say anything. "Until then," Sephiroth clarified, "I'll remain loyal to SOLDIER."
This seemed to relieve the other man as he released a bit of an exhale. This amused Sephiroth a but, imaging that Zack for a moment thought he might defect to Genesis' side and pick up where his friend left off – everyone's worst fear. Alas, however, he would not join any faction, anyone's cause that wasn't his own. Sephiroth smiled to himself as Zack left the room, greatly anticipating the change that would surely come as a result of their mission.
In the meantime, there were other matters to take care of. Sephiroth spent the next few minutes typing up a formal letter to the Board of Directors, in which he recommended Naomi Posada for the rank of First Class, as well as heir apparent of his leadership role in the event of his discharge, resignation or unlikely demise. Sephiroth had also considered Zack for the position, but in the end he felt more confident of Naomi's leadership capabilities and maturity in the field, even though Zack outmatched her in physical ability. It was the perfect time to announce such a promotion, considering that the Board was still squabbling with Heideggar over the merging of his department with SOLDIER's.
With that take care of, he phoned Dahlia.
"Well, this is a surprise," she drawled. "Wait. Don't tell me. The world's ending again."
He chuckled a bit, appreciative of her dry humor. "Not quite."
"You're in a good mood," she remarked. "What's the occasion?"
"Dinner," he said. "Tonight."
"What?" she uttered quietly, sounding genuinely shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"Come to dinner with me tonight," he repeated.
"Are you drunk?"
Sephiroth laughed, a genuine bark of mirth and amusement. "You know I don't get drunk, Dahlia."
"Then what's going on with you?" In a sudden tone of anger she said, "I swear, if you're just calling to mock me-,"
"Why would I do that?"
"We've been divorced for three years! Is this your idea a joke?"
Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "I promise you my intentions are pure." There was a pause, and then in a more serious tone he explained, "I haven't lived for myself, not in a very long time. When I had the opportunity to do that, I let duty and work destroy our marriage."
"So did I," she softly admitted, "but we were young. What's done is done."
"True," he said, "but I've realized a lot in the past few months. You're the only friend I have left, Dahlia."
There was another stagnant pause and then Dahlia's voice cracked through the receiver. "You've just always been so good at hiding your emotions. I guess I just failed to realize how much this whole Genesis and Angeal thing had actually taken its toll on you."
"If nothing else they've taught me a valuable lesson: Live, and be no one else's pawn. I've been doing this for far too long." Sephiroth's eyes wandered back to the holographic world map to display behind Lazard's desk. He began trying to search it for places he had been in the world when not on Shin-Ra's agenda. Needless to say there were very few.
"I-I don't know what to say," she answered. "SOLDIER is your life."
"Then perhaps its time to find something new," Sephiroth decided. "You're always travelling. Maybe you can help me find it."
"Umm… okay," Dahlia responded, sounding bewildered. "Let's see… I'm going to start an excavation in Bone Village in a few weeks. Not that they need any more excavators, but I have reason to believe that we can actually find the Forgotten City of the Ancients."
"You mean you can actually find the Lunar Harp?" Sephiroth asked. "You do realize you won't be the first or last researcher to attempt such a futile task."
"No, forget the harp," she said. "That may be just a story taken out of its original context after so many centuries. If an advanced civilization really did live out there and out of reach, they would've needed more practical means of accessing the city. There's just no logic to having a single object be the means of access for an entire population, especially when the loss of such an artifact could very well trap the people in their own city."
"That's a reasonable point," Sephiroth answered. "So, dinner tonight, then?"
Dahlia sighed. "I'd love to, but I can't. I'm not even in Midgar right now."
"Ah," he replied, hiding the disappointment in his voice. "No matter. I'm going on a mission myself. I should be back in time for your expedition."
"Looking forward to it," she said in a light, flirty tone before hanging up. It was one he hadn't heard from her in years.
With his dinner plans squashed however, Sephiroth decided to move the departure time for the mission ahead by a few hours. After sending the instructions to Zack he made his way to the SOLDIER floor where he found the other First Class SOLDIER addressing a group of three Shin-Ra security officers, one of which who had yet to don his helmet. They each stood at attention upon Sephiroth's approach. The one without the helmet, whose hair stuck out in random blond spikes, gaped at him in apparent awe.
Zack turned to face Sephiroth, his demeanor a lot less formal than his astonished recruits. "By the way," he asked, "where are we going?"
Sephiroth looked over at him. "To Nibelheim."
The blonde recruit gave a look of surprise before Sephiroth left the group to make the transport arrangements. On a typical mission they would simply be taken by helicopter to the mission site, but Sephiroth planned a more covert operation, one that wouldn't likely attract unwanted attention. The five of them were flown to Cosmo Canyon that night, and from there they boarded a single supply truck, packed with ordinary military provisions.
The preceding morning was a miserable one as the truck drove on through relentless sheets of rain. The sky made the day seem as if it were night instead, and thunder shook the frame of the truck as they rolled along on the bumpy road.
The windshield wipers did little to defend against the pounding rain. Sephiroth kept an impassive watch on Zack and the three security troops, one of which who was driving. Zack stood at the back, watching the lightning through the slightly opened canvas flap while the blonde sat away from them, hunched over and looking pale with motion sickness.
"It sure is raining hard," Zack murmured, the first words spoken in hours. He looked to the blonde infantryman with concern and approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, how are you doing?"
The blonde looked up at Zack. He was a young thing, probably no older than sixteen. "I'm all right," he said unconvincingly as he sunk lower to the ground.
"I wouldn't know," Zack replied, appearing sympathetic. "I've never had motion sickness."
The blonde nodded and then shut his eyes, leaning his head against a crate in his discomfort. Zack stared for a while, rubbing the back of his neck and looking unsure. He then paced about the truck for a while.
"Everything okay?" he asked the other officer. After the man nodded, Zack started pacing again.
"Hey," Sephiroth said, causing Zack to turn around. "Settle down."
Zack stopped in the very middle of the space they occupied and began performing squats. Restlessness exuded off of him in waves, enough to make Sephiroth stiffen in irritation from his spot in the corner where had been sitting perfectly still.
"They gave me new materia," Zack announced as he continued his exercise. "I can't wait to use it."
Sephiroth shook his head. "Just like a kid."
Zack stood back up and sheepishly smoothed back his hair as if reconsidering his own maturity level and composure. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Are you going to brief us about this mission?"
Sephiroth glanced over at the two others. Though the blonde had his eyes closed and was grimacing with nausea, the other one's head had perked up to pay attention to the conversation. After a pause, he warned, "Despite what the company may have you believe, this isn't a typical mission."
"Good!" Zack replied, looking perky.
"Why do you say that?" Sephiroth asked. Zack knew full well that he and Sephiroth had an unofficial mission to accomplish.
Zack turned to watch the lightning through the flap again. "It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I joined SOLDIER so that I could be like you. But the war was practically over by the time I made First Class, and so my big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with it." He sheepishly smiled. "That's why I sign up for whatever mission is available, big or small… kind of a way to prove myself."
Sephiorth said nothing in response, having expected as much of him. Zack's nervousness was probably a result of his anticipation to settle the score with Genesis once and for all, without company interference.
"So… umm… how's everything going for you, Mister Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth gave him an incredulous look. The kid was even more anxious than he thought. "I thought you wanted a briefing."
Zack looked sheepish again as he smoothed his hair once more in that telling effort to recompose himself.
"As you know, our mission is to investigate an old Mako reactor," Sephiroth began. "There have been reports of it malfunctioning and producing brutal creatures. First, we will dispose of these creatures. Then we'll locate the problem and neutralize it."
Zack had begun tapping his foot in contemplation. It seemed to go in rhythm with the pattering of rain against the canvas. "You mentioned we were going to the reactor near Nibelheim, right?"
The blonde infantryman looked up. "Nibelheim," he moaned. "That's where I'm from."
"Oh, yeah!" Zack remarked. "I almost forgot!"
Sephiroth leaned back. "Hmm… hometown." He thought about what he felt back in Wutai as he watched Masamune's life force return to the Planet. That urge, that calling that was summoning him home. He could feel traces of it now, lingering within him. But there was no home for him to go to. Midgar was just a place where he lived. Sleeping and eating there regularly made no impact on his personal associations with the place. In fact, most of the time Midgar felt incredibly foreign to him, as if he didn't belong. He wasn't sure if it was the noise, the smog or the steel, but he never felt a desire to call Midgar 'home.' Or anywhere for that matter.
The blonde recruit… Zack… people in general did not feel the way Sephiroth did. Everyone had a hometown, some place they could return to when the rest of the world stopped being impressive or grand. There were shops and families and neighbors and childhood friends from school…
Sephiroth had just always been too different for all of that. Separate, apart… even amongst his old friends. They too at least had Banora to go back to in the end. It had just never occurred to Sephiroth that he needed a home in the first place.
His eyes found the motion-sick blonde who was hunched over, sweating and trying not to empty the contents of his stomach. Even through his illness and all around physical weakness, Sephiroth could detect the concern in his eyes, and overabundance of worry, probably for the safety and well-being of his home.
A home can be something to fight for, Sephiroth realized, but before the implication of such an idea could actually set in he was knocked forward by a tremendous force. The truck shook violently and came to a halt as crates and bags fell all around them. The blonde suddenly heaved, losing his lunch.
"What the hell was that!?" screamed the driver. Zack's head popped up among the fallen supplied and he stared around in confusion with the other two recruits.
An animalistic roar joined the thunderclap that erupted outside and Sephiroth stood. "That would be our monster," he declared.
Zack scrambled to his feet and reached out for Angeal's Buster Sword. He waved to the infantrymen, screaming, "C'mon!" The blonde wiped and his mouth and stared fearfully at the canvas flap as Zack jumped through, but to the weak teenager's credit he took hold of his assault rifle and followed the others.
Sephiroth stepped out of the truck and into the rain. Ahead of him were the silhouettes of the others, searching for the monster but it was no where to be found. The road was darkness and rain and mud. Sephiroth held out his hand and called silently for Masamune. Like an extension of his very being it was there, the steel humming its familiar song of greeting. He joined Zack at the front of the line who turned to him and said, "That noise it made. It's gotta be huge." The black-haired man held the Buster Sword out in front of him in a defensive stance, his glowing eyes searching the dark.
"There," Sephiroth whispered, but he didn't wait for Zack to respond. He plunged into the dark and made a wide upwards arc with Masamune. The agonized cry of the creature pierced his eardrums as the sword sliced cleanly through its flesh. Lightning flashed and he caught a glimpse of the thing's face, lizard-like and large with a mouth big enough to fit a human being inside.
A huge claw came towards him, attached to a thick and scaly limb. Sephiroth leapt back and it missed but now he had drawn the creature out into the open for the others to see .Someone opened fire at it immediately, but the bullets barely fazed the thing while in its rage and desire to tear Sephiorth apart.
Zack charged upon seeing it and jumped high into the air, intending to cleave its head off with Angeal's sword. The monster simply reached up and swatted Zack away as if he were a bug. It was easily the size of a small building and towered over them all.
"Zack!" called the blonde as he ran to his comrade's aid. For the moment the creature still had its sight set on Sephiroth. As it stepped toward them in thundering steps that shook the road, Sephiroth noted with some astonishment that the monster resembled something like a dragon, with giant leathery wings attached to its back. It glared at Sephiroth and then let out a huge stream of flames from its mouth. Rather than jump out of the fire's way, Sephiroth went ran towards it, his body passing so quickly through the stream that the heat did not have a chance to touch him.
He shoved Masamune straight up through the dragon's chin, instantly cutting off the fire that it was spewing forth. The blade stuck straight up through its brain and out of the creature's skull, and soon its body was limp and sinking to the ground. Sephiroth pushed his wet hair out of his face and pried the blade back out from between the thick scales. As if on cue with the entire situation, the rain seemed to let up a bit.
He looked towards where Zack's pained groans were coming from to find the other SOLDIER eventually getting to his feet with the help of the blonde recruit.
"Did you break anything?" Sephiroth asked.
The blonde looked at him with concern. "I think he has a bruised rib or two, but I don't think anything's broken."
"Step aside for a moment," Sephiroth ordered. The blonde hesitated but did as he was told, allowing Zack to stand on his own two feet, leaning against the Buster Sword. He looked up at Sephiroth with embarrassed eyes as he clutched his left side.
"I'm totally useless when I'm around you, huh?" he said. "I don't think I'll ever get the chance to show off as long as the Great Sephiroth is in town."
"Don't worry about it," Sephiroth replied as he searched his coat pockets.
"No, seriously, that was amazing," Zack said. "Has anyone told you how amazing you are in a fight?"
Sephiroth looked at him wryly. "You must be delirious. Don't embarrass yourself further, Zack. Just be quiet."
Zack let out a pained laugh. "Nope, I think you're the one that's embarrassed. All the praise embarrasses you, doesn't it?"
Sephiroth pulled out a green materia from his pocket and held out it towards his injured rib cage. "It's not something I necessarily seek out."
"Everyone deserves to feel appreciated every once in a while," Zack said.
Sephiroth concentrated a little bit as the green energy seeped out from the materia and through Zack's body. The younger SOLDIER sighed in relief as the waves of healing magic cooled the inflammation that was certain to be around his wound. "Appreciation is not the same as blind idolization," Sephiroth explained. "You'll understand what I mean when you get your chance at fame."
Zack smile was weak but genuine. "Thanks, Sephiroth, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."
"When I'm gone, you'll be the only First Class SOLDIER left," Sephiroth said. He replaced the materia back in his coat. "Try moving a little."
"I'm gonna have a helluva reputation to live up to, that's for sure." Zack grimaced but for the most part he was able to move his upper body without issue. "Alright, not bad. Let's get this show on the road."
The clouds departed within the hour to let the morning sun shine through. Even so, the autumn winds that drifted down from the mountains made it a bit difficult for them to get comfortable in the truck now that they were all thoroughly soaked from the rain. Zack, much to Sephiroth's annoyance, spent the next hour or so doing squats in order to keep warm.
Still, the driver found Nibelheim without any further issue. The four of them stepped out of the truck once more to approach the town entrance while the driver stayed behind with the vehicle to find a proper place to park it off the side of the road. As they approached, the blonde hastily shoved his helmet over his head, something Sephiroth found a bit odd considering that Nibelheim was his hometown.
There was a simple wrought iron archway and ahead of it was a humble town square with an old well sitting in the middle of the cobblestoned courtyard. Looming above the town was Mount Nibel itself, and somewhere near its peak waited the Mako reactor.
Nibelheim itself was silent.
Author's Note: Hey all, hope you haven't given up on me just yet. Here's an update after many grueling months of life in general. I've been in and out of the hospital for kidney failure since last November, but now that I'm finally recovered I'd say it's time to get some writing done, don't you agree?
Next chapter Sephiroth meets the residents of Nibelheim, including the young and pretty guide who will inevitably be linked to his fate as well as the fate of a certain blonde boy with a penchant for identity issues.
Thank you all for your reviews thus far. I'm sincerely sorry that I didn't get to reply to them. Some of you have inquired about my original story. Unfortunately, due to my surgery, that was put on hold as well. Hopefully now I'll be able to get it published at some point this year. When I get closer to that date I'll let you know more details. In the meantime you should know that's it going to be a horror story set in our present time in reaction to some present circumstances. ^_~ I know very that's very vague. There'll be a website eventually I think though.
Also, some of you also expressed interest in seeing the Masamune spin-off story. I'm considering including it as bonus chapters as I don't imagine it'll be very long. Thank you all again for reading, I hope you continue to enjoy.