Chapter 68: The Clouds Approach
Tifa was right, by the way.
Rufus had transformed the old Shinra Building back into the Shinra Building. He was now standing in his office, gazing out over Midgar. The city, along with the Eastern Continent, was at his command.
Officially, the Eastern Continent was a democracy. In practice, Rufus Shinra was the dictator. There was a legislature and a Supreme Court, but he controlled them both.
It was almost as if he had never left power. When the Geostigma Crisis hit in the original timeline, he remained a private citizen. Not this time around.
And yet, despite the security, someone managed to bypass it.
Sephiroth suddenly appeared next to Rufus.
"Good evening, Mr. President," he greeted politely.
"Have you come to kill me?" Rufus inquired.
"I haven't decided yet," Sephiroth replied. "As of right now, I believe I have a use for you."
"Really?" Rufus inquired. "When I came back to this timeline two years ago, I found a different world than the one I left."
"How so?" Sephiroth inquired.
"To begin," Rufus continued, "where I can from, Cloud killed you at the Northern Crater. Meteor subsequently hit Midgar and virtually destroyed it. A town called Edge replaced it. But in this timeline, you never died. Meteor struck the Western Continent. And Midgar continued as if nothing happened."
"I know this," Sephiroth said. "Your point being?"
"In my timeline," Rufus said, "the remnants were used to bring you back. But if you didn't die in this timeline, why do you still need them?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Sephiroth said.
"What do you want?" Rufus inquired.
"I want to know the future," Sephiroth replied.
"You mean the old timeline?" Rufus clarified. "The remnants fused and you were resurrected. But Cloud defeated you a second time. In other words, you failed again."
"Not this time," Sephiroth dismissed. "This time, it will be different."
"How?" Rufus inquired.
"I repeat, that's for you to know and me to find out," Sephiroth declared.
"You obviously want something of me," Rufus inferred. "Or you wouldn't have appeared here tonight."
"Keep my remnants safe," Sephiroth commanded.
"Easy task," Rufus agreed. "Cloud and Tifa are more or less out of commission. And they're in for one hell of a distraction."
"What about Zack?" Sephiroth demanded. "In this timeline, he seems to be filling Cloud's role. And Yuffie seems to be filling Tifa's."
"They're not Cloud and Tifa," Rufus assured him. "They're much weaker."
"I hope you're right," Sephiroth said.
"How could I not be?" Rufus continued. "Zack failed to single-handedly foil any of your schemes. Besides, everyone's gone their separate ways. The Geostigma of this timeline is contagious. Nobody's safe from it."
"What about Eros Nova?" Sephiroth then inquired.
Rufus looked at him skeptically.
"They're affected by the pandemic as much as everyone else," he answered. "Even the nudist and hedonist areas require a mask. But it doesn't matter. Eros Nova's not under our jurisdiction anyway."
Sephiroth gave a smirk.
"Wait a minute," Rufus said. "You're not planning on doing what I think you're planning on doing to that island?"
"Not at the moment," Sephiroth replied. "The time has to be right. If this scheme fails, I'll reconsider."
"I'll be staying off that island, just in case," Rufus said.
A moment later, Sephiroth was gone.
Rufus wiped the sweat from his forehead; he was well aware Sephiroth had killed his father, and would not hesitate to kill him.
A moment later, his cell phone rang, which he duly answered.
"Hello?" he greeted.
"Mr. President," greeted the woman on the other line. "I received an intelligence report. Tifa left the Presidential Palace. Now is the perfect time."
"Go ahead," Rufus commanded.
He hung up the phone.
He then sent a text to both Jack and Sumner Balen.
"It's time," Rufus texted.
Then he stood, and he waited.
His phone buzzed.
It was Jack.
"We're on our way to Nibelheim," Jack texted.
MEANWHILE...
The woman Rufus had just spoken to sat in front of her computer.
On the screen, a box read "Balen Presidency."
Inside the box was a bar that read: "EXECUTE."
She clicked the bar.
MEANWHILE...
Ada ran playfully through the playroom as Cloud sat exhausted in a chair. She was fourteen months old now, and full of energy. Cloud, now twenty-three, was completely drained.
He and Tifa didn't plan on having kids when they did, but life happened. So there he was, drained by his daughter, and awaiting for her energy to run out.
Ada most definitely took after her father. Her hair was blond, and she couldn't be contained. She would often run and jump through the Presidential Palace, and sometimes even try to escape, though either Cloud or security would catch her. Strangely enough, she knew better than to go into her mother's office.
Tifa, meanwhile, found the whole situation somewhat amusing, except for when she wanted sex and Cloud was too tired.
So Ada continued to run through the playroom, making Cloud almost dizzy just to watch her.
And then, her running became walking. A moment later, she sat down, and went to sleep.
Cloud stood up and scanned his daughter. She went to bed at night just like every other fourteen-month-old. But it wasn't usual for her to pass out so quickly in a matter of seconds, let alone after being so full of energy just minutes before.
He then heard two thuds outdoors.
He curiously went to the window, and noticed that the security guards were passed out as well.
And then, he passed out himself.