Shinra record T-7299 2.43 - Intercepted Communication Transcript
[Start transcript]
Caller 1: You've made contact then? With the asset.
Caller 2: I wouldn't be reporting if I hadn't. He is good on his promises. Boss thinks he will deliver.
Caller 1: Shiva's tits. I didn't think it would happen. We need to get the rats in position.
[Audible click]
Caller 1: Fucking h -
[Static] [End Transmission]
Forensic memo: Calls were both logged from inside Midgar. It appears a tap was detected causing callers to end the call. Caller 1 mobile was found in Sector 3 slums at a resale stall. Fingerprints and data were wiped. Attempts to retrieve wiped data were unsuccessful.
III. Revolving Situations
Elena looked around. The classroom was empty except for Cloud, who was once again gazing out of the windows down into Midgar. The classroom remained split in two, but today the divide was more apparent. The same tables they had practiced on were pushed against the wall and the entire expense of the concrete practice floor was left exposed. Looking at the previously ignored targets lining the opposite wall apprehensively, Elena realized what their third and last lesson was going to encompass.
She wedged herself through the gaps between the desks to reach Cloud who was seated on the window sill, one leg extended up onto it and the other hanging off, foot flat on the floor to keep his balance. The window was open wide and the blond perched like a bird precariously on the sill.
She took a precious moment to examine her – can she call him a friend? She had only known him for two weeks and only saw him in class- she examined Cloud. His hair was overgrown and he had taken to messily tying the locks back into a small low tail to keep it out of the way. One hand came up to play with an errant lock at his cheek absently. The other elbow was resting on a raised knee. The open window let in gusts of wind that blew the blond hair back and forth and whistled in the room. She called Cloud's name softly, but he didn't acknowledge her. Careful not to startle him off the sill, Elena leaned forward and looked out the window as well.
The sky looked the same as always. It was grey and sooty. A layer of smoke perpetually covered the city. Since Midgar's eight Sectors were split into the below plate slums and the above plate, only the Plate residents ever got to see the sky. Not that it made a difference. Midgar was eternally cloaked in a veil of smog that only worsened below plate. It never rains, or snows, or hails. That was a good thing too. Any rain would be acid rain. There was no wind either, to blow the smog away. It just settled like sewage sludge down into the slums.
"Cloud," she called again. No response. She huffed.
"It looks like it's going to rain," Cloud mused suddenly. She looked out again.
"It never rains," she contradicted impetuously. Cloud turned around to look at her. Elena was hit then by how young Cloud looked. He was cleanshaven, and Elena thought he probably couldn't grow a beard anyway. He had high cheekbones and a pointed chin. No baby fat anywhere. And that tuft of feathery golden hair. But his eyes were so shaded now. Weary. They were still bluer than the sky that Elena had almost never known. Elena shivered.
Elena almost opened her mouth again though she had no idea what she'd have said when the rest of the class trickled in. The moment was lost. Cloud rose from the sill and closed the window, abruptly silencing the whispers of the wind.
"So it doesn't." He replied and sat back down at one of the tables, eyes still staring at the sky.
Elena does not see him for a long time after their last class. In that span of time, it did not rain in Midgar.
"I'm afraid our troubles have increased," Lazard said without preamble as Sephiroth stepped into the briefing room, and pulled up the reconnaissance report.
"I reviewed the reports," Sephiroth answered, "It appears we have multiple evolving situations." As usual, instead of pulling up a chair, Sephiroth leaned against one wall with a good view of the door and frosted glass separating the room from the hall.
"Wutai hasn't been going well in Heidegger's hands. The president still thinks it is a waste of resources to re-deploy Soldier but I think we all know it is a matter of time." Sephiroth frowned at Lazard's words.
The Wutai war hadn't been popular with the Soldiers, most who joined with an overly romantic view of heroism in the service. A stint in Wutai tended to bring a swift end to that illusion when men are ordered to confront a nation willing to die to the last man woman and child to defend their land.
Sephiroth, who earned his fame in the war as a teenager, understood that more than most and argued against continued incursion into Wutai. Unfortunately, General title he may have but the decision rested in the President's hands, and they all knew where his motivations lay.
"Disappointing but not surprising," he answered after a pause, "but also not what you want to speak to me about."
"No," Lazard shook his head, "there have been a number of reports regarding aggressive monster encounters in several areas overlapping Shinra operations." He clicked a button on his computer and projected the file he had opened onto a monitor mounted to the wall. Sephiroth scanned the information quickly in silence and then turned back to Lazard.
"There are a fair number of additional sightings than the one you previously shared with me, Lazard, and not monsters typically spotted in those habitats," Sephiroth remarked, crossing his arms.
Lazard sighed and rubbed his brow, where the tension sat heavy for a week now without any sign it would disperse anytime soon. He enjoyed working with the General, despite his general air of aloofness. The man was thorough and always came prepared and Lazard was glad they could get straight to the point.
"My apologies, this is why I needed to discuss with you first," Lazard explained, "Let me first show you this." A map appeared on the screen showing monster sightings marked along with strategic Shinra bases and storage depots. "At first glance, we thought the uptick was random. When we mapped both sightings and confirmed encounters, however, there was a disturbing trend as you can see." Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the screen. After a pause, he tapped on one location.
"I believe a number of these are classified," he realized, "Even I do not know all of these." Lazard nodded.
"Hence why I couldn't put any of this in the report. A number of these locations are highly classified labs and Shinra black sites. Some are even locations such as safe houses," Lazard folded his hands together and leaned back. "I don't have to tell you how bad of a breach of security this is if it is no coincidence."
Sephiroth continued to examine the map. The artificial light cast the man's pale skin in blue. Paired with the silver hair, lightly reflecting the ambient light in the briefing room, he looked bleached of color, looking to Lazard more like a statue than a man. The illusion ended when Sephiroth shifted where he stood, his long hair brushing the side of his face.
"There have been clusters of sightings in areas with no known Shinra installations," Sephiroth observed and raised a brow as he looked back at Lazard.
"Yet," Lazard shook his head, "I thought I had full clearance, but either these are indeed random or there is plenty someone isn't sharing."
"If this is intentional," Sephiroth said, tone confident that it was, "Someone has information to higher clearance than even you… and has the means to control these monsters."
Lazard grimaced, "Quite possible. We only started tracking reports and attacks once we realized a trend. It is hard to say before that since monster attacks are not unheard of and usually left to local authorities to handle." Sephiroth hummed in thought.
"What do we know about the initial ones?"
Lazard gestured on the map, "Well, we had one attack right here near Midgar. There was also a report in Junon but no confirmation, and we suspect more on the west continent had gone unreported."
They sat for a short moment in silence. Sephiroth's face was impassable, and Lazard imagined he was contemplating the suspects, as Lazard had been. Then a calendar notification popped up on Lazard's screen.
"Time for another board meeting," Lazard explained, shutting down his terminal and then standing up. Sephiroth followed him toward the elevator.
Reno only half listened to the board meeting as he leaned lazily against the door, ignoring the glares that Tseng was giving him and the silent reminders of "Stand up straight, Reno!" Fuck that, yo.
The Turks already have enough on their plate between terrorist cells beneath the plate, the monster attack investigations, and now cyber attacks from within the Tower. They left the compromised computer in the hands of the geek squad and were tracking down leads inside the Tower and in the slums. Veld had already briefed the President and the board on progress, which is disappointingly little for weeks of work. So why in hell were they still here when the topic changed to this useless Wutai War briefing?
"It's one step forward, and two steps back," Lazard was saying with a frustrated sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Next to him, the screen showed pictures of several charred army vehicles, still smoldering. More pictures showed army grunts being carried out on stretchers from a camp that had been hit by Wutai explosives. Reno whistled under his breath. Whatever was in that explosive? Powerful stuff. Reno would love to get that bomb maker into his interrogation cell.
"Their scouts were able to find army supply routes and set up several improvised homemade explosives." Pictures of burnt-out trucks were pulled up on the side of a gravel road, already blackened hollow shells. "Since the war started, we have been surprised by their strong response, but lately we have seen even more departure from the norm."
That's true, Reno thought, their tactics sounded distinctly un-Wutaian. Infiltration, precision strikes, cut off supplies.
"That does not sound like the Wutai we have fought against in the past," Sephiroth said, "They are not known for subterfuge and prefer to die fighting to protect their honor. It is something to be respected and feared." The First would know. Even Reno heard of his exploits in the war, living as he had been in the slums.
"They are feeling cornered," Heidegger asserted, "It appears Godo has changed tactics. They are desperate. It is only a matter of time now." Sephiroth shook his head.
"I disagree. Now that the Wutai army has vanished entirely into the bush, we have no idea where to strike. The last two encounters have both been traps." Lazard nodded and started tapping keys on his computer terminal to pull up an annotated map of the Wutai Archipelago, a chain of islands off the Wutai mainland.
"I think they have more resources than our intelligence suggests. The Wutaians have also been launching attacks far afield. It has cut off several supply lines. The water routes here are complex and we have no dedicated navy to root them out of hiding."
"Has the aerial reconnaissance turned up anything concrete?" Sephiroth asked.
"No," Scarlet answered, crossing her arms across her revealing dress, as always in her namesake red, the color matching the bright lipstick she wore like warpaint, "The natural caves and lava formations make it almost impossible to have reliable aerial intelligence. The volcano on top of Da Chao mountain has also been more active recently, and the rising ash is obscuring our cameras and making air travel dangerous."
Scarlet was one hell of a mean bitch, but also the bitch that supplies Shinra with its helicopters and fancy gadgets. So Reno wasn't gonna complain. Mean as she was, the woman was deviously competent, and Reno gave her a wide berth. The way Reno heard, her climb to the upper echelons of the company was a path bathed in proverbial blood and dirty interdepartmental politics.
"The cliffs around the main continent make it impossible to flank the Wutaian forces and are causing us to bottleneck through only the southern beachfront when landing our troops. Right now, even our hold on that is quite tenuous."
"This is all old intelligence," Veld finally grimaced, pushing the Wutai reports in front of him to one side and resting his elbows on the desk in front of him fingers crossed, "Which leads me to ask why the Turks are necessary here. For the past two years, we have been more focused on anti-Shinra movements around Midgar."
"Because," Lazard answered carefully from across the table, "The Wutaians have been displaying great skill in espionage and surprise attacks. Reminiscent of Turk tactics."
"Are you suggesting we had anything to do with Wutai's increased resistance?" Veld growled.
"You misunderstand, Director Veld," Sephiroth interrupted coolly, "I believe Director Deusericus is asking for your expertise in this matter." Veld sighed and leaned back.
"Our tactics work for us in an urban jungle, General Sephiroth. That is quite different from fighting in the Wutai jungle. All of our agents rely on blending in with people when needed, not trees." Veld finally responded after some thinking, a hint of admiration in his voice Reno could pick up. "Their so-called ninja divisions are highly highly coordinated. They have a homefield advantage on the Wutai continent and know the land well and thus can vanish and strike at our troops easily."
"Can you think of any ways to counter these tactics?"
"We are severely handicapped from fighting in forest settings. I can only say restructure the training with greater emphasis on survival and small group maneuvers, rather than frontal assaults. Make sure all gear is camouflaged and weatherproofed. In addition, we must quickly find and disable their command centers. The Wutaian military is notoriously disciplined and organized, but still requires competent command to remain a cohesive fighting unit."
Lazard nodded. "It is imperative that we keep this fight contained in Wutai. If any of them have managed to get into Shinra cities, the fight can easily come to Shinra soil. Then, no man, woman, or child in Midgar is safe."
Reno watched as President Shinra leaned back and glanced at the folder in front of him. "Now that we have settled the Wutai discussion, I look forward to hearing good news from the front soon. Moving to our next topic - it has been brought to my attention that Midgar itself has been less than secure. This is insulting to the company."
"Yes, President," Scarlet jumped in, "Soldier and Turk presence both has been wholly inadequate of late. Monsters making it as far as the plate and terrorists under our very noses." Lazard and Veld both wore scowls at what Scarlet was implying but Shinra spoke before either voiced any protest.
"Heidegger," Shinra commanded, "Increase security in and out of Midgar. We do not want these insurgents to strike here."
"Of course, President Shinra. We have already installed security scanners on all trains in and out of the slums."
"Security robots are also in place on most Shinra floors," Scarlet added, "Professor Hojo, however, has objected to any surveillance."
"They are unnecessary in my labs," Hojo rebuked, speaking for the first time since the meeting started, "and in light of the recent security leaks we are experiencing, I do not think I will ever feel safe with my experiments being watched. I had already made large concessions when I allowed the science department to move to sharing a common server with the rest of headquarters and then look at what happened."
"Yes," Shinra interjected before Hojo began ranting, "I am sure we all appreciate your cooperation in this matter. Speaking of the leak, what is the progress in improving security on the plate?"
"Slowly," Veld answered. "Perhaps Director Tuesti can provide more details?"
"Oh, yes." Tuesti sat up. Reno had been wondering what this man was doing at a war council. Guess the Head of Urban Development does mean something. "We have added security measures to all Reactor access points. Each one now requires two people with the proper codes to enter the inside chamber. We have also reprogrammed the system so that each floor above floor sixty now requires a different keycard. After reviewing the plate building codes, I detected vulnerability in the plate design and I would recommend reinforcing the pillar-"
"That will not be necessary," Shinra cut in, "I only need to know that the topmost floors of the headquarters are secure."
"Father," Rufus cut in, "Should we also not consider your relocation? The Headquarters is a Shinra landmark and paints an uncomfortable target. In addition, we still have only tenuous control over organized crime on the lower level, never mind all these other unsavory factors. Perhaps Junon-"
"That is unnecessary, Rufus." The older Shinra replied, "The Headquarters is the most secure place in the world right now." He took a moment to cut and light a cigar.
"Lazard, Scarlet, approve the development and shipment of more terrain worthy supplies to Wutai immediately. Heidegger, brief your men. Does anyone else have anything to add?"
The board looked at each other silently.
"Good. I have an appointment for dinner." Shinra stood up and exited with his son. Veld nodded to Reno and Tseng, a clear dismissal, and Reno slouched and exited the door as well. A hand already came up to tug down the knot of his tie and untuck his shirt tails.
"I hate getting stuck in those meetings, yo," He whined as soon as the door closed behind them, "It always stinks in there. Must be all the cigars and assholes."
"Be more professional." Tseng chided. Reno clicked his teeth.
"I'm off duty, yeah?"
"Don't get into trouble." Reno scoffed and pressed a button. The elevator doors opened with a "ding" and he stepped in and turned around.
"You know me, yo!" He saw Tseng turn around as Veld exited the conference room. The doors shut on their conversation.
In the lobby, as he headed out of the building, Reno dug his PHS out of his pocket and dialed a number that was quickly becoming familiar.
"Oi, Cloud!" Reno yelled into the cell as soon as the call was picked up on the other end. "Wanna go grab that drink now?...Whaddaya mean 'you've got plans'?"
"Sorry I'm late, mom. Meeting ran over again," Reeve called as he hung his blue suit jacket on the hanger and closed the closet door behind him, pausing only long enough to kick off his loafers before turning into his mother's kitchen. To his surprise, no one was in. It smelled delicious, and a peek into the pot warming on the stove top told him his mother made beef casserole. However, the house was silent.
"My, it's such a beautiful color- I don't know where best to plant it!" He heard his mother say from the gardens, and he walked up to the open door next to the refrigerator that separated his mother's modest kitchen from the backyard. Watching from the screen door, he watched as his mother marveled at something shown to her by a blond kid whose back was turned to him, messy hair barely tamed in a loose tail. "Where did you say you got this again?"
"A flower girl from the slums. She can somehow make flowers grow down there."
"Oh! Your girlfriend!" The kid sputtered.
"No!" Ruvie's laughter reached Reeve's ears.
"Haha, I'm just teasing, dear," she comforted, lightly patting the boy's shoulder.
"Mother!" Reeve finally interrupted.
Both Ruvie and the blond kid spun around, and Reeve saw that the kid was hugging a flower pot to himself. In it, shockingly bright orange geraniums seem to be trying to burst out of the confining little pot. Overcast as the sky was, some rays of sun turned the blond a golden hue, making it hard to decide whether the mop of hair or the flowers were the brighter spots of color in the garden.
"Reeve!" Ruvie laughed, "Come down here and say hi to Cloud!"
Reeve opened the screen door and walked outside. He offered his hand to Cloud, who set the flower pot down and wiped his hands on his ragged jeans. He took Reeve's hand and shook it once with an amazingly strong grip before dropping it and nodding once to him.
"Now Reeve here is my son," Ruvie introduced. Cloud gave him a small smile.
"Pleasure to finally meet you, sir. M- I mean, Ruvie talks a great deal about you."
Reeve chuckled and looked at his mother, who was looking at the two of them, hands on her waist. "And my mother has said nothing much about you."
"Oh Reeve," Ruvie answered for Cloud, "He's the nice boy I told you about- the one who helped me with groceries and fixed the cart last month. You keep missing each other every time you come to visit this old woman." Reeve's eyebrows rose.
"That was a good piece of work, Cloud." He complimented the slightly blushing youth, "I hadn't thought to motorize the cart." Cloud shrugged and didn't say much. It was nice to find a kindred spirit and fellow tinkerer, Reeve mused, though he couldn't reveal some of his own projects. He had seen the upgraded cart and thought it quite inspired. As a son, he was also ashamed he hadn't been checking in on how his mother had been getting on, as he should have, that a stranger could solve her unsaid problems better. Tilting his head toward the boy, Reeve asked, "Where did you go to school, again?"
"I'm studying mako science right now at the Shinra Academy, sir," Cloud answered. Reeve's estimation shot up- it wasn't exactly an easy track and Shinra Academy was much more selective than any of its military programs.
"And the cart?"
"A side hobby, sir."
"Well don't stand there!" Ruvie interrupted impatiently, "Reeve, help me decide where we should plant this. Then we can all go have dinner." Reeve sighed and resigned himself to getting dirt on his dress shirt and pants. Cloud simply laughed at his put-upon expression, feeling some sympathy as Ruvie conned both men into more work.
"You are not using enough strength," Sephiroth said as he sheathed his sword and turned his back on the monster he just slashed. The virtual behemoth he fought listed to one side, and then fell over with a grunt. Its bulk dissolved back into code. Morning found the two Soldiers once again in the training room.
"Oh, give me some credit, Sephiroth!" Zack bit back from where he fended off a wyerd, only to slash back at the two guard hounds that remained. They spawned with his larger foe and had served as a nuisance and a distraction. To be fair (ha), this was a simulation for handling large numbers of enemies at once.
One hound was caught in his wild slashing and was thrown back with a whimper before dissolving back into the program as well. "I'm getting ganged up on here!" The dual horned bull, in the meanwhile had gotten back up, stamping its feet and lowering its head so that the two hard skewers and its bone plated head were the only things Zack could see.
"Shit," The third class Soldier cursed, "Fire!"
The fireball hurled at the beast glanced harmlessly off its armored head. Rearing itself up once, the bull charged.
Zack threw his sword up like a shield and braced himself as it locked with the horns. The sharp tip came precariously close to his chest. He struggled as he could feel himself being pushed back little by little but the muscled bull and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other guard hound circling behind him.
Just then, the wyerd reared up again and threw Zack over its head. The sword still locked between its horns ripped itself out of Zack's grip. The hound slammed itself into the wyerd with a strangled yelp. Zack flipped in the air and got a cast of Fire off before landing unsteadily on his feet behind the two creatures, now weaponless. The wyerd easily shrugged off the weak spell and turned again to face Zack.
"You should remember- wyerds and their ilk are immune to magic," Sephiroth stated calmly as he approached the last two monsters left. "Which is all the more reason to keep a good grip on your sword, Fair." He slashed diagonally. In a single strike, the monsters died. Then, the general pulled out his phone and clicked a few buttons. "I believe we should end here today."
The simulation began to collapse around them.
"Aw, man! I almost had it that time!" Zack whined, but contritely picked his sword back up from where it had fallen on the ground of the VR room. "I did not see that," Sephiroth retorted, "In such a battle, understanding the enemy you face could be the difference between living to tell of it …or death." Zack pouted. Sephiroth let out a short chuckle. "Or you can get strong enough to kill everything in one hit."
Zack knew he messed up. He definitely didn't do his homework and did know there were multiple monsters with surprising immunities, and worse, poisons. Sephiroth was right and also echoed much of what Angeal had been trying to drill into him. Zack was grateful Angeal's friend was also taking the time to teach him like this, especially since some kind of tension had settled over the Firsts. There have been rumors of large scale mobilization soon.
"I will get stronger and study up!" He promised seriously, then he reached up to scratch his head, "But no one is as strong as you, Sephiroth! Don't give me crazy expectations like that!"
The glass door separating the simulation room and the observation deck slid open letting in Angeal and Genesis.
"Angeal!" cried Zack and bounded to his mentor, "You are the teacher, man! I'd follow you forever! I don't know how I survived when you were away." Angeal chuckled.
"Sephiroth's coaching skills leave something to be desired, I take it."
"Hm," Sephiroth grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, "I supposed Genesis will have to take over next time Angeal leaves on a mission." Zack looked at him horrified.
"No! I'd rather have you, Sephiroth!".
"What's this? In what way am I inferior to Sephiroth?" Genesis fumed, one hand settled on the hilt of his rapier, "I'll train him when you are gone, Angeal!" Angeal chuckled.
"Genesis, we all know you lack the patience to be a teacher." Zack nodded earnestly to support his mentor's statement.
"Yeah, like the time you threw your class of cadets into a razor weed patch, or that time you kicked the paratrooper out of the helicopter because he wasn't moving fast enough, or the time you called Heidegger a-"
"I think Genesis gets the idea." Angeal counseled gently as he slapped Zack on the back of the head. Zack closed his mouth with a click, reminded that Genesis in a foul mood was much worse than a charging wyerd. If not careful, Genesis might just complete the wyerd's work.
"My friend, the fates are cruel!"
Angeal ignored the dramatics with the air of a long suffering partner and turned to Zack. "It's good you are done. We both need to report for mission briefings with Lazard." Genesis frowned, while Zack bounced on his feet excitedly. Finally! He appreciated more time with his mentor but Zack had been looking forward to stretching his legs after weeks of simulation fights and milk runs in the slums.
"They are sending you back out so soon?" Angeal shrugged.
"The war in Wutai left Shinra shorthanded, I suppose." He answered as he prodded Zack toward the door and in the process saved his pupil from death by rapier, "If it's any consolation, I do not believe it is another assignment there."
Genesis frowned at Sephiroth as the door hissed closed, cutting off Angeal's reprimand to Zack to "have more focus!"
"My lord, the Shinra Army has reached Nanzen village." Godo sighed from where he sat at the head of the council, the remaining members of the Wusheng around him. Seven years at war felt like a lifetime and left much of Wutai in ruins. The Wusheng is now also down to only three. Godo felt a pang as he looked at the empty seats and thought of his lost comrades, but now was not the time to dwell.
"That holds the imperial granary! We must defend it at all costs!" Goriki said from his right, the oldest remaining member of the council.
"No," Godo contradicted, "To defend it would cost us countless warriors."
"Then what do you propose we do? The granary in Nanzen holds enough food to resupply them for weeks."
"Lord Kisaragi?"
"…" Godo looked down, never feeling all his years of leadership as he did then. If they wanted to secure a future for Wutai, they needed to make difficult choices. Godo's thoughts turned to his daughter, only nine years old and already knowing so much loss, never having a memory from when Wutai wasn't at war. This needs to end, and if Godo can help it, it will not end with Wutai on its knees.
"We burn it. We must burn the village down to the ground, and leave nothing in our retreat."
"But my lord! Our people will also starve!"
"We are left with no choice." Godo cannot have the granary sustain Shinra's forward march. It would set back months of work cutting off supply lines in the south.
"...We will send word to Nanzen."
"Evacuate the women, children, and wounded first. Any able-bodied man must join the fight. Shinra has made their move. We must make ours."
"Understood, Lord Kisaragi."
Godo closed his eyes wearily and hoped he had chosen correctly.