AN: After thinking about it, I decided to do Rufus's pov. After all, he was with the Turks for three years and he definitely is on their side as opposed to say, Scarlet's. He's also a lot of fun to write.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5
So Much For Security...

Rufus crossed his arms and shifted in his seat as the Shin-Ra Building came into view. He did not like the situation and almost none of it had to do with his father's death. Rather, it had to do with the fact that he had been woken up by Scarlet's people and had had no time to contact the Turks, the only people he could actually trust. Rufus fingered his shotgun. Until he was back with them, he was going to have to watch his back.

The black animal at his feet bumped against him and Rufus eyed it. It was a "gift" from Hojo and had been waiting for him in the helicopter. Rufus didn't trust it either. Over the course of the three years he had spent with the Turks he had heard their stories about Hojo. The things that man could do... His research is going to be looked into by the Turks.

When the helicopter reached the 70th floor balcony, Rufus saw Palmer rush out of the door of the President's office. "Sephiroth killed the President!" he panicked. "Sephiroth killed the President!"

Rufus stepped out of the helicopter. The black beast followed him. "Are you sure? !"

"I saw it with my own eyes!" Palmer blubbered.

"So..." Rufus said to himself. "So Sephiroth was actually here." He glanced up to see the most diverse group of people he had ever seen run up. "...By the way," Palmer dashed past him and into the helicopter. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER 1st Class!" said the only blond in the group. He had extremely spiky hair, mako blue eyes and wore a slightly modified SOLDIER 1st Class uniform complete with a sword. Rufus thought the name sounded familiar and added it to his growing list of things to ask the Turks to look into.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" shouted the large black man with a gun on his arms instead of a hand. That threw Rufus for a loop. The Turks had spectacularly shut down AVALANCHE and covered up all his past connections with the group.

"Same here!" announced the well endowed woman with long dark brown hair. Rufus had no clue who she was.

"...a flower girl from the slums," said the Ancient. Rufus knew exactly who she was.

"...a research specimen," said the red lion-like animal. Rufus glanced at the black animal Hojo had given him. They were not alike at all.

Rufus ran his eyes across the group. "What a crew." It looked like they wouldn't be a serious threat to Shin-Ra compared to the old AVALANCHE. That was a good thing for him. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shin-Ra, Inc."

"You only President, 'cause yer old man died," the man with the gun accused.

"That's right." I don't deny it and I'm glad he died sooner rather then later; he was running the company into the ground. Rufus turned around and eyed the helicopter. It wouldn't surprise him if Heidegger and Scarlet were recording this. "I'll let you hear my new appointment speech." And that way, Scarlet and Heidegger will have no reason to go poking into my activities for the last couple of years. If they did, it would be all too easy for them to take over the company and permanently deal with him.

He turned around and started walking over to the woman with long dark brown hair. Hojo's black animal silently followed him. "...Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working." It's just money can't control everyone. He walked over to the Ancient."The population thought that Shin-Ra would protect them." Yeah, right. He walked over to the man with the gun. "Work at Shin-Ra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shin-Ra army will help you." If Heidegger can figure out how to oversee the army efficiently, which is never going to happen. "It looks perfect on the outside," Rufus told the man. "But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man." And like Heidegger and like Scarlet. He walked over to the railing and looked over Midgar. "A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

"He likes to make speeches just like his father." It was the woman with dark brown hair.

"Get outta this building with Aerith!" shouted Cloud at the man with the gun. Rufus didn't care if Aerith got away or not; the Ancient was not important to him, but to his father.

"What?" the other man said.

"I'll explain later! Barret! This is the real crisis of the Planet!" Cloud pleaded.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Barret shouted back. Rufus wondered what he was talking about as well.

Cloud looked annoyed. "I'll tell you later! Just take my word for it now! I'll go after I take care of him!" Rufus tensed at that and felt for his shotgun. Three years with the Turks had toughened him considerably, but he was nowhere near the level of a SOLDIER 1st Class.

Barret nodded. "Awright, Cloud!" He, Aerith, the dark haired woman and the lion-like animal ran off down the balcony.

"Why do you want to fight me?" Rufus asked Cloud. It wasn't like he would have stopped them.

"You seek the Promised Land and Sephiroth," Cloud answered.

"Hm, exactly." At least as far as Sephiroth goes. The Promised Land... Che, I don't chase after things that don't exist. Rufus's eyes narrowed and he walked over to Cloud. Now how much do you know about Sephiroth? "Mm? Did you know that Sephiroth is an Ancient?"

Cloud paused before speaking. "...A lot has happened. Anyway, I can't let either you or Sephiroth have the Promised Land!"

"I see." Rufus looked coolly at Cloud and "I guess this means we won't become friends." You assume too much.

"Definitely not!" Cloud yelled as he drew his sword and charged Rufus.

It wasn't so much a fight as it was a waiting game. It turned out the the dog-like animal Hojo had given Rufus could cast Barrier and Mbarrier spells on him. While Rufus didn't mind the spells, it unnerved him that the creature had that much intelligence. He did not mind it when Cloud took it out with a Limit Break.

What he did mind was that his helicopter was not coming close enough to pick him up and it looked like the pilot was doing it on purpose. Probably Scarlet's man, he thought. She always was sharper and more ambitious then Heidegger and would have no problem with letting me know she still suspects I was behind AVALANCHE. Especially now that it's reared it's head again.

It was only after Cloud had Poisoned him with a Bio spell that the helicopter dropped close enough for Rufus to grab a hold of the bottom strut as it pulled away. "Heh... That's all for today," he shot back at Cloud before pulling himself up into the helicopter. Once in the helicopter, Rufus drank a Remedy and looked at the pilot. "Fly me to the hanger."

End

AN: This is the last Midgar chapter. Thanks for reading!