"The Shinra war machine has ground to a screeching halt in their Wutai campaign. After devastating casualties in the recent failure to hold the bridge at Kyuryu River the Shinra Army had to retreat, losing significant ground that was paid for with countless lives. The spring rains in Wutai have saturated the southern lowlands, making it treacherous for troops and motorized vehicles alike, and frequent flash flooding has become a serious barrier to progress.
Statements from Shinra headquarters assure the public that Shinra is revising its strategy to deal with what they have dubbed guerrilla warfare on Wutai's part and have called the acts 'atrocious' and 'blatant breaches of war conduct'.
The men here at camp are disheartened by the series of losses they have seen. It is a sharp contrast to the general atmosphere in this camp mere months ago when Shinra had been on the precipice of a decisive victory in Wutai.
Detractors of Shinra say that Wutai has acted no worse than the tactics Shinra has employed. Many people of Midgar just want this war to end and their children to come home. This is Anabelle Lee, reporting live at the Shinra base camp in Crescent Bay. Back to you, Robert."
VII. Resource Reallocation
Angeal stepped off his transport helicopter onto the rooftop of the auxiliary Shinra building that housed additional Soldier facilities. It was attached to the Tower and served as a secondary command center and hangar. His mission was cut short when he was called back in the middle of it. On the helideck, both Sephiroth and Genesis greeted him, serious expressions on their faces.
Angeal raised a hand in greeting as all three men headed back into the building. Behind him, the copper powered up again, generating a powerful down-thrust that whipped their hair back and forth as it took off again. As the blast door closed behind them, Angeal turned to Sephiroth.
"Not good news I take it?"
"On neither front," Sephiroth replied. "The attack on headquarters has diverted a sizable amount of deployable troops. The president has called for lockdowns to come into effect in Midgar."
"Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest," Genesis quoted, no doubt from Loveless. "What other ripples will we see, I wonder. A calm surface belies monsters stirring in the depth."
Long used to Genesis's seeming nonsequiturs, Angeal simply nodded. "Shinra is being stretched too thin. It feels coordinated, but how is that possible? Who could muster this much all at once?"
"The arrow has left the bow of the goddess. Now we need to see how it all plays out … then deal with the consequences." Sephiroth shook his head.
"No Genesis, I refuse to believe in predestined fate. Come, we will talk where it is more private."
The three boarded the freight elevator, the cage closing with a loud clank. It opened shortly after into a bare hallway, a sharp contrast from the well adorned halls of the Tower. Where there were gathering places, seats were bare metal. The entire complex was utilitarian. Sephiroth led the trio to a nondescript door. The facility was old enough that instead of sliding on electronics, Sephiroth instead keyed in a code and twisted the knob to let them in. The office itself was clearly hastily converted and screamed temporary, with several desks pushed to the walls of the room and utterly lacking any creature comforts.
As Genesis closed the door behind them, Angeal pulled over one of the office chairs and collapsed into it, back protesting after hours of sitting on barely padded seats in the helicopter.
"So I got the gist. What else did I miss?"
Genesis and Sephiroth shared a look. "We think there is a mole at the highest levels of Shinra."
It wasn't what Angeal expected to hear, even with the chaos that had happened lately. A hand came up to rub his temple. "Come again?"
"This does not spread beyond this room," Sephiroth said, "Lazard showed me the full intel." Sephiroth continued explaining the full extent of the investigation thus far.
"Connection with the bomber? The lab? Wutai?"
"Unknown. Possibly none." Suddenly a chill ran down Angeal's spine.
"And the mission Zack was sent on?" Both other men froze and turned to each other at the same time.
"Zack."
"Sir," The lieutenant saluted nervously at the three Firsts, "We are trying to get in contact. None of the teams sent to Junon have reported in." Angeal's expression turned thunderous.
"How is that possible?"
"The base in Junon has lost all radio contact with them as of two days ago." Sephiroth raised a brow.
"And no one thought that was worth reporting?"
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant explained as quickly as his mouth would let him, hoping that the pissed off looking commanders were not about to shoot the messenger, literally or metaphorically, "The team had been in charge of exploring sea cliffs to the south, and it was an area of heavy radio interference so it was normal to lose radio contact for days. When the team failed to report in yesterday during their scheduled return, the base decided to contact Midgar but action was delayed due to the attack on headquarters." Silence.
Genesis sighed. Trouble came in threes and there it was. The three made their way to the auxiliary command center only to hear the worst news possible. Three squads disappeared. Angeal immediately ordered.
"Get me the first flight out to Junon."
"Yes, sir!" the man said in relief and nearly fled from the room where a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing. Angeal flipped open his phone and sent a message, Genesis imagined to Lazard to retroactively sanction the mission. Then the dark harried Soldier made for the blast doors that separated the command center and the main hall.
"'My friend, why do you fly away now'?" Genesis asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Angeal said, "I'm going to find Zack." Genesis sighed.
"You don't even know where to look. I'm coming with you."
Genesis could see Sephiroth watching them as they argued. Sephiroth stayed silent, watching the exchange with shuttered eyes. When they looked up, Sephiroth averted his gaze.
"No," Angeal frowned as he ended their discussion, "You need to stay here. The last two explosions and all the security breaches are making the executive board twitchy. We won't hear the end of it if two first class Soldiers left on 'nonessential' missions." Genesis huffed but stayed put when Angeal turned and left.
"Three friends go into battle. One is captured, one flees, and the one that is left becomes a hero," He leaned back into the wall and tilted his head up, eyes gazing sightlessly at the ceiling. "If we were the trio, who would be the hero?"
"None," Sephiroth answered as he too swept out of the room, "Men like us don't become heroes."
Zack groaned and blearily opened his eyes. It was still dark. The only source of light came from cracks above the door, but it was enough for Zack's enhanced vision. He could make out the crumpled figures of the rest of his team barely in the dark and he frowned when he realized that the entire squad was here.
Portions of another squad were here too, looking to be intact though their Soldier was missing. Zack wondered which Third it was.
Moving his hands and feet, Zack realized he was bound tightly with thick rope. Normally, that wasn't enough to hold a Soldier for long, and he didn't think his captors were prepared for Soldiers. However, he felt sluggish. Sore all over and still extremely dizzy. What was in that sleeping gas?
"Sir," a voice croaked to the right, "Are you awake?"
"Lee," Zack said relieved, turning his body this way and that, but unable to get the corporal in his field of vision, "What happened?"
"The same thing that happened to you, sir."
"Sit rep?"
"They say they are an environmental activist group, but nothing makes sense, sir. They've been taking the men one by one. None of them are back. They got really excited when they saw Ludbrok." Zack cursed.
"Can't do much about eyeshine, corporal. You said the men aren't back?"
There was a pause. Then the other man responded softly, "They've already taken half the squad since I woke up. Now they have Chip and - I mean, Adams and Thomas."
Zack sighed into the ground, then assured Lee, "Don't worry we will get them back."
The reassurance rang hollow.
With so many of them, there wasn't a lot of reason to keep everyone alive. The Third may have had a chance. If they are looking for information, they can just keep the killing guys in front of the commander or interrogate them until they die. But for what?
Zack looked around for means of escape. The chamber was surprisingly spacious. Metal walls formed the perimeter, looking almost seamless while the ceiling showed jagged rock. Probably part of the same cave system. They weren't taken far. It just had one door on one end. He fingered around his binds. Did they…?
"They've taken all our equipment, sir."
Well, there goes that idea. No bangle, no sword, no helmets. Not even the knife Zack concealed in his boot. In fact, their footwear was gone along with the rest of it. Whoever these guys are, they had some knowledge of Shinra troopers at least. Zack could feel himself thinking more clearly though, and his drug-induced weakness was leaving him as time passed.
At least, it was just a matter of time before I could slip the bonds, Zack thought as he wiggled his hands and feet, trying to get blood and feeling back into them.
"Shit. Corporal, considering the situation we're in, feel free to call me Zack."
"Yes, sir- I mean, Zack. I'm Scott."
Just then, the door slammed open, shining light into the dark cavern. Zack could see a man stride in with square glasses and dark hair. He looked fairly young, but Zack couldn't really make out much more. The contrast of the light in the hallway behind him cast his face into a dark void.
"Well look at that," the man paused when he caught sight of Zack and gave the struggling third class a smug smirk, "Another Soldier. The first one screamed delightfully… but, I think I will keep you for last…you always need baseline controls for every good experiment." He turned to the men behind him. Both had visors and masks on and uniforms that almost mirrored the uniform of Soldiers.
The pair moved forward and dragged one of the unconscious men out.
"What are you doing?" Zack cried weakly, "He's unconscious! He can't tell you anything."
"I don't need them conscious," Zack heard before he was knocked unconscious again with a sharp knock to the head.
"We have cleared the Tower top to bottom, Mr. President," Veld reassured the other man, "Soldiers and Turks have been called back, doubling our capacity on site. Your office has been restored to proper working order."
On the screen, the president leaned back, cigar in hand, and eyes narrowed flintily.
The monitor faced a long conference table, on one side occupied by Rufus, arms crossed and at whose feet rested his pet hound, whose presence the president vehemently disallowed when in person, opposed to any uncaged beasts roaming around in his presence. On the other side sat Veld and Tseng, both turned to look at the screen. Tseng saw the deep furrows on Veld's face. It felt like he watched the man age years in the last few days.
Days after the attack, everyone was still rattled. Never had an attack of this scale affected Shinra's headquarters before and the president made his displeasure known even through the grainy screen.
"I disagree," the president said, "The last few days have shown complete incompetence by you and your men Veld. None of what has happened gives me any confidence in my safety or the building's security."
"We will ensure that doesn't happen again," Veld promised confidently. The president harrumphed derisively. There was an uncomfortable silence and the man took a drag of his cigar, exhaling the smoke at the screen.
"I want these terrorists found."
"We will, sir. It would be faster if we can protect you better and consolidate our forces-"
"I agree with Veld, father," Rufus spoke up. Tseng shifted in his seat, instantly suspicious. Rufus Shinra had been disparaging the Tower security and Turks since this whole thing began. Agreeing with Veld - just what was his angle?
"Oh, Rufus?" The president raised his bros his askance, also shocked Rufus was siding with Veld.
"The Tower isn't safe, but your current location isn't much better."
This much was true.
When the attack happened, the Turks swiftly evacuated the president to a safe house in Sector Two. As one of the older safe houses, it was built more like a bunker. What it lacked in amenities, it made up for in reinforced concrete and steel. However, it was not designed with the president's comfort in mind, and barely fit more than a squad's worth of people. It was not designed for long term stays either. To accommodate, Heidegger had emptied out a few surrounding buildings and stationed a small army there.
Hardly discrete.
Tseng was too professional to facepalm when he found out.
The president seemed to know too, his face turned considering. For all that the staff tried to make his stay comfortable, the man was visibly less well-coiffed and groomed than was typical.
"Let's hear it then. What do you suggest?"
"If I cannot convince you to shelter in Junon, let's arrange a more comfortable suite at the Palace del Monte."
Tseng couldn't recognize the name, but he watched Veld's gaze turn incredulous while the president's gaze turned contemplative.
"I quite like their decor and service," the president said. Then Tseng realized what they were talking about. A luxury hotel.
"There are taller buildings around it where we can station security and sniper. The penthouse will be under constant surveillance," Rufus continued to explain. Veld shook his head.
"It's a hotel. We have a network of safe houses and military bases. Even if not the tower, Mr. Pres-"
"I thank the director for allowing me to finish," Rufus smoothly directed the conversation back. "The hotel is a converted bank building. The walls are a foot thick and stonework. If the Turks do their jobs, it would be difficult for even a mouse to sneak in."
The president's eyes narrowed. "Thank you, Rufus. I will consider it." Tseng could tell that the meeting was concluded, for now.
Genesis didn't hide the triumphant smirk on his face when Cloud slid the signed paperwork back toward him.
"Excellent choice," Genesis said, "I have already put in the requisition form for materia. Most cadets don't get the privilege until they make Third, but no need to thank me." Cloud sighed but didn't say anything else. Genesis scanned the form and noted that everything was in order before nodding to Cloud.
"You can start tomorrow at nine. Forward me your schedule for what time you will be blocked off. You can see the admin department for your phone and computer setup." Cloud nodded back. "If that's all, see you tomorrow." Cloud blinked at Genesis's simple dismissal. It made Genesis chuckle inside to himself, as the boy seemed to hesitate about leaving. It's always much too fun to keep little chocobos on their toes.
"Anything you want me to do before tomorrow?" Cloud asked. Genesis grinned almost evilly back and wagged a finger at him.
"No need to get so eager. We'll put you through your paces soon enough." Cloud paled at the words. "Better rest up-"
Suddenly, another alarm blared through the building. Genesis's hand flew to his phone. The notification wasn't immediate, but the message was clear.
"SHINRA EMERGENCY ALERTING SYSTEM (ALL): EXPLOSION IN STREET LEVEL GARAGE. SHELTER IN PLACE." There was a second message in his inbox, addressed to a much shorter distribution list.
"TO: SHINRA_MGMT, SHINRA_SDLR Damage to the first floor and lobby areas. Shattered glass and light shrapnel damage. Requesting Soldier presence for crowd control and securing the perimeter. Suspected car bomb. Garage currently inaccessible."
"Oh what now? We just cleaned up the last mess." Genesis growled. They were already strapped for resourcing and couldn't afford another crisis.
There weren't many Soldiers left in the building between the ones sent out on missions, the ones rotating into security detail for the President, and those working shifts with Public Security to lock down Midgar. It was a miracle any Soldiers were still left in the Tower. Thankfully resourcing wasn't Genesis's problem. Troop allocations were a headache for Lazard, or perhaps Sephiroth.
At Cloud's curious look, Genesis simply showed his phone to the boy. The bright screen reflected white rectangles on the boy's glasses. Another thing they will need to fix up soon, whether with contact lenses or with some other treatments.
Without another word, both men turned towards the hall. Cloud walked through first when the door slid open, only to run face-first into a firm, leather-clad chest. Genesis raised a hand to his mouth, hiding his grin from sight. Instead, after getting his face under control, he called over the alarm.
"Sephiroth."
The silver haired general turned his gaze, unblinking and piercing from the top of Genesis's new assistant's head to Genesis. Cloud back up, the tip of his ears visibly red.
"Genesis, you saw the alert." Instead of dignifying the obvious with a response, Genesis simply held his phone up instead.
"Heading down now." Sephiroth nodded. Genesis tilted his eyes down at Cloud. "You stay put." When the blond opened his mouth to protest, Genesis shook his head. "First order as your commander."
As he and Sephiroth left the blond behind them, Genesis snuck a glance at his friend. The man was quieter than usual and there was a confused look on his face. As they stepped into the elevator, Sephiroth turned to face him.
"Who…"
"Ah, you met my new assistant," Genesis said gleefully, "I'll introduce you two properly next time."
When Zack woke up again, he winced, thankful that the cave was dark. Shifting slightly, he realized a light pull on the skin of his forehead. Dried blood then. They kicked him with more force than he thought. He was lying chest down on an uncomfortable bit of rock. They must have moved him when he was knocked out. He shifted to his side, taking in the pressure of the rock stabbing into his ribs.
Surveying the dark cell again, he performed a mental count and frowned to himself.
Anders was gone. So was Hartwig. At least, he couldn't see them from his vantage. Those were the men under his command. Of the other squad, only two were left and in pretty bad shape. For the first time, Zack also noticed a few civilians in the cave. Were they there before? They looked emaciated to the point of skeletal and Zack estimated that they were probably held captive for at least a month, if not more, depending on the food supply.
Zack didn't like that he couldn't account for all the men. Where were they? Just how long was he out for?
He stretched against his bonds and realized that the ropes were groaning against his movements, knots lubricated by warm blood oozing from cuts along his forearm that must have opened when he was dragged along the floor of the cave. Zack grinned to himself through the pain. Just a little more time and he will have himself loose.
He wiggled his fingers feeling digits less numb than before. He needed to break free as soon as possible. If their captors were not feeding them, the longer he waited, the less energy he had to get his men to safety.
Not for a second did Zack even consider leaving his squad there. Angeal's disappointed face would be the only lesser punishment compared to Zack's own guilt.
Zack rolled so that he was on his back, lifting his hips as his fingers searched for that bit of rock that was giving him grievances.
"Sir?" The voice next to his ear asked softly.
"Scott," Zack grinned grimly, "Glad to know you are still with us and sounding better." Indeed, Lee sounded more alert. The drugs were wearing off. The sound of Zack's voice caused the other men to stir.
"Glad to know you're back in the land of the living, Sir," one of his men- Ramirez? - added from below Zack's bound feet. "We weren't too sure. They kicked you hard, and then you were out for quite a while." Zack finally frowned.
"What's the status?" he asked, a serious voice back on. There was a pause. As if reluctant to speak. Zack was instantly alarmed.
"They took Anders, Hartwig, and Bree," Lee finally answered, "And a few of the civilians. So far, none of them are back." There was an uneasy silence as they all contemplated what that could mean.
As part of the same squad, these men were close and had probably gone through basic training together. Closer than they were with him anyway.
"What about the other squad?" Zack asked thoughtfully as he shifted more and his hand closed around the jagged piece of rock. He bent his wrist as far as he could, maneuvering it in place. The thick ropes would take forever to cut through- time he didn't have. Thankfully, he just needed to cut some of the fibers to loosen the knots. He hoped.
"Only me an' Corp'ral Dego left, Sir," a trooper groaned.
Frowning, Zack continued to saw at his ropes.
"Wh-" Zack had opened his mouth to ask for a cave layout when the heavy metal door slammed open with a thud. Zack realized that other than Scott, he was the next closest to the door.
"Just take that one," the hulking silhouette at the door grunted. Both captives blinked blearily at the exit, blinded by the sudden bright light of the hallway.
"Shit," Zack cursed, "Hey! Don't take him! Take me!" He scrambled into a fetal position, trying to rise to his knees.
"What a fucking hero," the man growled as he aimed a swift kick into Zack's side, sending him tumbling back, "Boss says to save you for last, Soldier."
"Don't worry about me, sir," the corporal said stiffly, as the grunt stooped down and grabbed his bound legs, "Just get everyone out."
"I'm not leaving you."
The soldier offered no response as he was dragged into the light and Zack could see a stony face and eyes wide with terror.
The man dragging him away was more beast than human, bulging with muscles so taught veins could be seen running up and down his arms, giving off a faintly blue tinge. Most troubling was a pair of glowing green eyes peering back at him before total darkness fell again with a scrape of metal on rock.
"Sir, the sun is setting. We need to go back and refuel."
Angeal sighed and looked at his pilot.
"How much fuel do we have?"
"Enough to make it back to Junon, sir. Only just."
"Okay." Angeal looked out past the cliffs and knolls below. Just hold on for one day more, Zack.
When the chopper landed on the Junon base, a uniformed trooper ran to him.
"Sir," he saluted, "Message from Midgar arrived while you were gone." Angeal looked down at the screen of the communicator in the man's hand.
"HQ BOMBED. YOU ARE RECALLED. EMERGENCY STATUS THROUGHOUT MIDGAR." Angeal growled. There is only one man who requires an escort from Angeal. President Shinra. That dishonorable-
"Sir," the man continued nervously, "We have transport to Midgar. We can leave as soon as you are ready."
"When did that message come?"
"Sir?"
"When. Did. That. Message. Come?"
"Two hours ago, Sir." Angeal grimaced.
"Corporal, that message was delayed due to an unfortunate signal interference over the lines. Unfortunately, I will not receive it until tomorrow. Understood?"
"Ye-Yes, Sir."
"Good, schedule me for one last aerial survey."
"Yes, sir."
Angeal sighed at the man's retreating back. He had violated his own code of honor, but the life of his student was more important than the life of a man who would be guarded by two generals of Shinra, and the entire Turk contingent. He was needed here. But one day did not give him much time at all.