Chapter 22: The Second Debate: Cosmo Canyon
March 6, 0008
Tifa Strife and Jack Balen stepped out from the left and right sides of the stage, respectively. They didn't shake hands; they simply acknowledged the crowd. They didn't have to, either. The animosity between them was obvious to everyone.
I was at this one, too. I sat next to Cloud. Reeve and Parker were seated on the other side. Also there were Barret and Jessie, along with Tseng and Elena, and Yuffie, all by her lonesome.
Jack Balen had his supporters there as well. Sumner could be seen in the audience, as well as several Downings.
Tobin…I'll explain where he was later.
This time, it was different. There were no bright lights. The moderator was none other than Red XIII. There were several complaints that only a human moderate, but they all fell on deaf ears. Tifa did, however, request him to be fair.
Like the last time, I won't really go into details. That said, there were two or three questions that decided the debate, again much like the other time.
One of these was the first one.
"You have been labeled a terrorist," Red XIII began, facing Tifa. "You have been accused of destroying two Mako reactors, for example. How do you respond to that?"
"The late Arthur Bugenhagen, from right here in Cosmo Canyon, suggested that humanity might do significant harm to the Planet," Tifa answered. "The Mako reactors that we destroyed were draining the life out of the Planet. Slowly but surely, the Planet was starting to die."
"People come first," Jack Balen interjected.
That was against the rules, but even Tifa ignored that.
"I actually agree," Tifa replied. "Which is why I'm happy this is our debate venue."
The lights suddenly dimmed.
A hologram of the Planet appeared over Tifa. A familiar green glow was surrounding it.
"I think we all know what the green stuff is," Tifa continued. "This is the Lifestream we saw pop up out of the ground and destroy Meteor a few weeks ago. We all know that it saved us from certain doom. But what's less widely known is that the Planet depends on it to stay alive. And if that energy were to disappear…"
She raised her left hand and appeared to absorb the Lifestream with it. The lush Planet turned a sickly brown and broke apart.
The audience gasped in shock.
The lights were then restored to normal.
"There have been a lot of people who thought the Lifestream was a myth," Tifa continued. "I didn't believe in it myself when Bugenhagen first told me. But it's real. It's there. We all saw what we saw a few weeks ago. Some of us didn't know what to make of it. Some of felt it might be the end. My thought was that it was the end. Bugenhagen told us that, when we did save the world, the Planet might choose to eliminate us, as we might be bad for the world. I sat on Nibelheim's well next to Cloud, clutching his hand and waiting for the both of us to disappear. I think it was one of the few times I was genuinely frightened. Of course I'm happy the Planet gave us a second chance, but I can't bank on a third one. It is for this reason why I will strive to protect the environment."
The funny thing was that Jack Balen didn't really have a response.
"It's pure superstition," he retorted, but he failed to elaborate.
His fate was almost sealed already.
And he knew it.
And it showed he knew it during the second highlight of the night.
It was when Tifa was announcing her plan for military defense, and he found it less than impressive.
"So this is what happens when a woman abandons her natural duty in the home for something masculine," he interrupted.
Tifa ignored him and kept on going. She was mainly discussing benefits for veterans.
"She doesn't want to devote her life to being a wife and mother," Balen continued.
This time, Tifa dignified it with a response.
"I can do both at the same time," she insisted.
She then continued explaining her defense plan, which had, by this point, become lost in the disruption.
"I know she can give a better answer than that!" Sumner called from the crowd.
Now he had jumped in.
"She's not planning on building up the military," Jack Balen continued.
"She needs to build up breakfast!" Sumner called from the crowd. "She needs to build up a home-cooked meal by six every day! She needs to build up her baby bump!"
That did it.
And, before she could change her mind, Tifa shouted it.
"Shut the hell up!"
The audience was silent. There were a few gasps.
Then, seconds later, almost everyone applauded.
I was surprised and relieved; I had thought she had ruined her campaign for sure.
The last highlight occurred near the end of the night. Red XIII had asked what side endeavor each would pursue if the budget permitted.
"I would say we'd build a wall around the coastline," Balen replied. "And around the teleporter. We have no idea of what might happen on the Eastern and Northern Continents. Anyone could come to power. The last thing we want is to be defenseless against a hostile government's attack."
The was some applause in the audience, but not much.
Then, it was his opponent's turn.
"My choice would be to explore the Southern Continent," Tifa replied.
There was murmur in the crowd. Not only did nobody see it coming, nobody had personally considered it, either. They all found the answer intriguing.
"Several people important to me explored the Southern Continent," Tifa continued. "First, they encountered an extreme socialist society with mass surveillance. Then, after traveling south through a forest, they came upon what I can describe as a homestead for everyone. A perfect, tolerant, and accepting society. To the south of that was a cave with interesting murals, and further south was a nomadic village. An ancient temple was south of that. And south of the temple was the intercontinental teleporter. What's south of that remains a mystery. But, as president, I would certainly finance an expedition to find out."
At first, there was silence.
Then, all of a sudden, a thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
Tifa did her best to avoid smiling, but, eventually, it overtook her.
She had won the debate.
MINUTES LATER…
Tifa now stood alone in her dressing room. The debate was over, and, although she had won, she felt a great relief she could now go home.
Two down, one to go, she thought. 1-1.
She stripped out of her pant suit, and briefly paced around the room in her underwear.
The third debate will be in Rocket Town, she thought. Enemy territory. But I'll have a few friends check to make sure there are no shenanigans.
She cracked her knuckles, then her neck.
I'll make sure the lights are not blazing in my face. I'll prepare myself to answer any difficult question he might throw at me.
"I'll come of with a defense for anything in my background he might try to use against me," she said aloud.
Hopefully, the odds will be even.
She cracked her neck again. She realized she could use a massage, hopefully from Cloud when she got home. The would be one reason not to keep him waiting.
She slipped on a pair of jeans and her blue baby tee. Then her sneakers.
Hopefully, I'll blend in with the crowd.
She opened the door, and stepped out of the dressing room.
What a great night, she thought with a smile.
She turned, and began walking toward the side exit.
I really hope Cloud is waiting for me on the other side. Or maybe he's in here?
And then, Tifa suddenly felt a pair of a man's hands around her neck.
"Cloud?" she asked, with a somewhat nervous tone in her voice.
The hands began to squeeze.
It's definitely not Cloud, she realized as she struggled to breathe.