As Elena walked down the long hallway to Tseng's office… she couldn't stop the nervous energy pumping through her veins, setting her capillaries on fire.
A sudden call to the Department –a single order of her PHS to return promptly– but not a word, or warning, of what for. While secrets were the bread and butter of all Turks, –and discretion a well worn tool in their arsenal– all this pomp and mystery was causing her heart to beat at an unhealthy rate. And it was getting faster with every step that took her deeper into Shinra HQ, her lonely walk though the most avoided section of the building allowed her negative thoughts to run rampant.
And it caused an unrestrained bout of jitters to shoot down her hands, forcing her fingers to twitch and tingle...
In anger!
Elena had just graduated! What could she have done wrong already?
The teen had only done like two jobs for the Company, so far!
...and a few self-imposed extracurriculars, she amended. But it was just in her nature to shoot for the stars!
And that shouldn't have gotten her in trouble! If anything, the Company should be giving her a pat on the shoulder, a handshake from the President, and a plaque immortalizing her hard work! An Employee of the Month accommodation, at the very least…and Employee of the Year if they took the time to understand how much effort she put into upholding Shinra's reputation, even in her personal life!
After all, how was she gonna outshine her sister in the Turks if she didn't at least do that much!?
Besides, being an overachiever should be rewarded, not punished!
That gripe caused the blonde to stop dead in her tracks… if only to truly consider that line of thought.
Perhaps… that was it? Maybe she was thinking about this all wrong… assuming things with too little information?
The message she received didn't flat out say she was in trouble, she had only assumed the worst case…
Maybe, just maybe -on the off chance she was wrong- it was actually something good? Mayhaps…this unscheduled meeting with her superior was a long overdue praise for not only following her assigned tasks to the "t"...but for going above and beyond by taking on all those personal projects? Could it be…that her beautiful boss was actually planning to congratulate her on her hard work this past week? And all this secrecy was his way of showing recognition without causing jealousy among the other Turks?
…possibly.
The blonde had been extremely diligent in her duties since putting on the black suit… it was only right that such effort as her's be recognized.
Yes, yes! That made sense!
But the question stood… which ones?
Maybe for catching those thieving accountants from payroll when she discovered them skimming money from the budget? Combined, those criminals stole at least a thousand Gils! That was a whole payroll period for some of their lower managers at Shinra! Combined! And it certainly was not some "margin of error" like they claimed. Those nerds hadn't been punished like she wanted when she took her discovery to Tseng…but now everyone knew of their greed! And more importantly, they were on her short-list. One more slip up and she'd pounce, dragging them before the full might of the law!
Could it be for that time when she cleared out those teenagers who were spray painting the maintenance tunnels during her off hours? Those little miscreants were causing Midgar to waste good taxpayer money to clean up the mess! If only she hadn't been wearing sandals at the time…she could've caught those delinquents and given their parents an earful! Thankfully, her weekly patrol around the area kept any repeat episodes from happening.
Perhaps when she managed to enforce a "three items only" rule for the Turks shared refrigerator in their Department? It had gone a long way in making sure all her coworkers had equal space for any personal items or foods they wanted to store…and it kept Reno from clogging up the freezer with his disgusting cantaloupe sorbet dessert! Why couldn't the man eat ice cream like a normal person!?
There was a chance that it was about her unapproved investigation into the Avalanche terrorist group…but that turned out alright! When Tseng told her that particular assignment would be headed by Rude, with Reno as backup… she couldn't help but stick her nose in. Because she had a hunch! One developed when she went over the files of all known –or at least suspected– dissidents and all the potential criminal activity related to them. All clues pointed to sector 6…and considering she had time to spare…she had to strike while the iron was hot! Which led her to doing some unauthorized field work in Wall Market, hoping to crack some eggs and see what spilled out.
While it didn't get her any new leads on the terrorists –or let her catch any bodies with her gun– it did allow her to shake down some of the more unsavory types. Not exactly what she had intended, but it was still a net good, making Midgar and Shinra better for your average citizen!
More than worthy of praise, in her humble opinion…and that was just all the stuff off the top of her head!
Truly, her achievements –since becoming a fully fledged Turk a month ago– were too many to count.
And Shinra wouldn't have gotten to where they were today if didn't take the time to encourage the talented and driven!
Seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, the investigator couldn't help but grin as she resumed her journey to Tseng's office, lighter then when she started. Elena's mind was a buzz of anticipation, anxiety…and now even a bit of growing hope! Scratch that…a whole lot of hope! She couldn't wait to see what they had in store for her!
Despite the skip in her step, there was a bit of a nagging doubt in the back of her mind, a…little prick of worry that she might be getting ahead of herself again. That it might be exactly what she had first assumed…that a hammer was coming down on her for some unknown failure. Though what, she couldn't even fathom. But the thought forced Elena to consider once again the worst case scenarios, causing a jumbled mess of potential outcomes and what-ifs to flit through her subconscious. It was scary to think she might be wrong –there were so many things this impromptu meeting with Tseng could be for– but she squashed those ugly thoughts quickly, trying to think positive.
Winners don't doubt themselves! Cause if you don't believe in yourself, why should anybody else?
'Believe, and you can achieve!' Or so her mother was fond of saying.
And believe she did…because the teen could practically feel the phantom edges of a reward medal in her hands!
Seeing Tseng's blackwood door only ten steps away, Elena took a deep breath as she approached, and knocked three times.
"Enter."
She stepped into the office –making sure to quietly close the door behind her– and approached the wide desk in front of her, stopping at a respectable distance.
"You made good time, but I unfortunately need just a few moments. Pull up a chair."
Tseng nodded for her to take a seat as he finished signing a few bits of papers, which Elena was more than happy to oblige, taking the chance to get a good peek at her boss as she moved.
Gods, why was he so beautiful? Delicate Wutain features, soft long hair, smooth skin as pale as milk, long limbs, on and on…the works.
She would never admit this out loud, lest it be used against her, but she had an embarrassing weakness for pretty men. Not handsome, but pretty. The borderline feminine ones, that made her want to see them in a dress. The kind that made you want to show them off to your friends and bask in the jealous glares. (Not that she had many of those.) The ones that made you have to fight the impulse to corner them when they were alone…
They were like high class porcelain she wanted to run her hands across, admiring the fragile beauty.
Even when Elena was studying to become a Turk through the public applicant exams, with no time for frivolous activities like dating…she couldn't help but admire some of her classmates at the military academy that met her criteria. It was a distraction…but one she couldn't work up the energy to regret. Of course, she later found some of them were just very androgynous women –spoiling some of those daydreams– but that there was one that was the genuine article.
As per usual, thinking about him caused a spike of anger to warm the back of her neck.
It almost made Elena mad thinking about her former classmate… men like that should be at home learning how to take care of the house and kids, not shamelessly walking around public campuses trying to get an education… practically defenseless. Maybe if he had shown some level of high intelligence or aptitude in some skill it might have been acceptable, like her boss before her…but outside of his face, he was painfully average in anything important…so all moot.
As her father would say, everyone should know their lane…and stick with it.
Why, had she been a less scrupulous citizen of Midgar, she might have–
"-Elena!"
The stern voice snapped her out of her reverie, forcing her to make eye contact with the disapproving stare of Tseng.
'Shit…'
Definitely not how she wanted this meeting to start.
"S-sorry Tseng, you were saying?"
For a long, and excruciating moment, the older man only looked at her… sizing her up as he artfully reformed the mask of cool indifference on his face.
"I was saying… I might have an assignment for you."
'Oh!?'
That caused her to sit up straighter in her seat as she regarded her boss eagerly.
"Whatever you need, sir!"
"I said might." Tseng lightly rebuked her, waving a hand as if to stop the rising tide of excitement building in her chest. "Let's see if you're prepared to handle the particulars of the mission first though." He opened his desk to pull out a file, handing it to her. "What do you remember of Aerith Gainsborough?"
The question took her by surprise, causing her to scramble for an answer…even looking down at the file folder to buy herself a few sweet seconds.
Aerith Gainsborough: The half Centran
Person of interest for the "The Promise Land Project: Neo-Midgar."
(Redacted)
(Redacted)
(Redacted)
Elena blinked hard as her long hours of studying finally paid off, the relevant information about the airheaded flower girl came rushing into her mind.
"The supposedly last humanoid Ancient." The blonde started, letting her mouth run on autopilot as she wondered what kind of trouble the girl had gotten herself into. "Daughter of the scientist Gast Faremis and the Centran priest Ifalna, both recorded as officially dead. Was adopted and currently lives with Elmyra Gainsborough in sector 5 –a former associate of Gainsborough Real Estate through her husband– and frequent volunteer of the Leaf House orphanage."
The opening was met only with silence, forcing the blonde to try and dig up more half remembered information about the girl.
"...likes growing flowers in that sector 5 church of hers, and selling the harvest on the plate. Without a permit." Elena couldn't help but grumble about that last part. "Has been observed exceptionally with magic, but doesn't seem inclined to use it for anything other than basic house chores. Used to have a boyfriend in the MIA First-Class Soldier Zack Fair that was never officially documented… but her social life outside of that incident is considered almost non-existent, even friendless if I'm being uncharitable."
…not that Elena could cast stones at having a small friend group.
"Although…a lot of that is second hand knowledge." She admitted, even as she was keenly aware that everything she was saying was already known to the man before her. "I haven't actually done any guard duty for the girl yet and met her."
"Good." Tseng said, nodding in approval at her summary. Steepling his fingers before him, he leaned back casually as he observed his subordinate. "Especially the last two bits…it's actually part of why I called you in from your patrol."
"Really?" She asked, feeling a little dumbfounded. "If you don't mind me asking sir…why?"
Elena had thought it was time to bring the Cetran in and force her to find the Promise Land… or that she already did know something and a bit of light torture was in the books… or that the mage was an irritation that needed rubbing out, and the teen was to be given the kill order…
All reasonable, and possible… at least till Tseng turns her notions upside down. But why would the fact that Aerith was a friendless loser be relevant? Or her never having met her personally important?
"Because Aerith has been making friends… " Tseng began, hand rummaging once again on his desk, before pulling out two other files and offering them to her. "Normally I wouldn't mind... unfortunately, she's associating with the wrong sort of people. "
Looking at the new folders, she was surprised to see one was the list and profiles of suspected Avalanche members that she had spent many sleepless nights trying to memorize, and the other was… was her.
In disguise!
"Usually I would send you all in force to deal with them." Tseng said in amusement, no doubt noting the shocked expression she had on her face. "But Aerith is a special case… and thus any situation with her at the center must be treated with delicacy. Especially after the disastrous results from her mother's treatment. By order of the President, of course. " He added on, but she wasn't fooled. For some inexplicable reason, this beautiful man had a fondness for the pseudo-Ancent. Even if it wasn't a standing order by Rigel Shinra, the expatriate Wutain would still treat the mage with kitty gloves. "But her new camaraderie does allow us an unexpected opportunity… a way to kill two birds with one stone, as it were."
Already Elena could feel dread at what the man was about to say.
"You will make contact with Aerith, become a companion of her's –protect her from any harm if needed– and integrate yourself into the greater group. All the while you will try to discover if their suspected individuals are actual members of Avalanche. And if so, ply them for information into their inner working –spies, operatives, any potential breach into Shinra– and in time…eliminate them."
There was a long pause of silence as Elena digested the terrible things she had to do.
'I have to make friends!?' The teen thought in horror at having to apply the least practice of her considerable skills, the weight of her assignment crushing her like a mountain. 'Why can't I just shoot them!?'
000
As Scarlet stared out the skyline window of her apartment and sipped on her third glass of wine –a butler close by, holding a bottle with shaky hands– her mild annoyance was starting to morph into real irritation.
Her servants shivered slightly in the corner, left to imagine the worst if something didn't happen soon.
'She's late! Again!'
Time was of the essence, and her sister was ruining her plans with every second she wasted!
Just because it was Ginger's first day back in the city, didn't mean she should shirk her commitments!
But what did she expect out of the woman!? You would think decades of military service –and an officer's command of the greatest army in the world– would hammer out those bad habits. Or at least teach her punctuality! One would hope that weeks of the sisters not seeing each other would light a bit of urgency under her big butt… but no! Ginger was just as much of an inconsiderate layabout at 38 as she was at 18! Just like when they were kids! That tomboy had no consideration for the effort she put in to set this dinner…for the time constraints of her older sibling's position!
There were some people who waited weeks, if not months, for the brilliant engineer to grace them with a simple meeting.
She still remembered that one fool who committed career suicide in an attempt to get 15 minutes of her attention.
And the thing he sacrificed his job for? Trying to show her blueprints for a jetpack of all things. And a shoddily designed one at that!
All that effort got him, was a firing and banishment from Midgar.
Scarlet was a goddamn Executive of Shinra's Board! She would not be treated like this! By her own little sister! The Director had had people whipped for lesser offenses! Dragged off for a few days of prison time even!
Only the fact that this meeting was of vital importance, kept the scientist's temper in check.
Still… when she got her hand on that big boned bitch–
Whoosh!
The beautiful blonde snapped her head in the direction of her front door, watching as her sister stumbled through the metal entrance and into the foyer.
A very tall woman at 6ft, muscular build for decades of military service and –Scarlet begrudgingly admitted to herself– attractive blonde with hair cut just below the ears, and sapphire for eyes. A surprisingly clean and unblemished appearance overall, in face and body, –almost youthful one could argue– despite having fought in wars and battles for Shinra over many years.
Strong family genetics, Scarlett thought with no small amount of vanity, reminiscing on her own stunning looks.
But of course her sister had to muddy the almost envious appearance, by wearing her goddam uniform…
This was supposed to be a dress only occasion!
"Where the hell–"
"Sorry, sorry." Ginger cut in casually, waving away the doorman who tried to help as she shrugged off her red officer's coat and hat, placing both on the rack by the door as she shook her blonde hair straight. "I got called in last minute for an incident as I was leaving the checkpoint… there was some jurisdiction dispute between the infantry units and the highway patrol over in sector 3. Something or other about equipment usage. Still can't make heads or tails of it even after I got everyone settled."
Well... better late than never, the engineer supposed. Besides, the clock was ticking! She instead forced her anger down, gesturing for her sister to follow.
"...and they needed a Commander to step in?" Scarlet asked in disbelief as she turned to lead them to the dining room. As they walked down the long hallway to their destination, she snapped her fingers for the servants to get off their lazy butts and set the table ahead of them. Idly, she wondered if her sister was on someone's shitlist. Or if this was a roundabout attack at the Director herself. Because her internal danger alarms were ringing loud and clear. "Seems more like grunt work for a sergeant…or a particularly useless lieutenant. Not a decorated officer…"
Otherwise, this reeked of political bullshit… or at the very least, pettiness from higher up the food chain.
Despite her many acculades, Ginger had an unconscionable amount of people who were of a more senior rank than her. People who, for all intents and purposes, had the legal authority to push her little sister around out of malice or envy. Especially once they knew of the familial relationship she had with the Head of Advanced Weaponry and Development. And once they knew, they smelled blood. Typical of vultures and weaklings. After all, just because Scarlet was untouchable, didn't mean the people around her were… and that invited a lot of bad actors. And despite all reason, many saw that as enough justification to throw their weight around and poke the Tonberry… as if she wasn't going to make them pay for it a hundred fold.
Maybe she had been too relaxed recently? Allowed too many slights and barbs to go unanswered and unpunished? Perhaps a few mysterious disappearances were in order to set the record straight again?
To draw a very red line in the sand, if needed.
The Director might have to crack down on quite a few idiots… if this incident turned out to be anything less than coincidental.
"Typically…no." Her sister replied easily, pushing through the double doors and kicking off her boots to the side. 'Ugh, the neanderthal'.She ambled over to the dinning table where all the food laid, hot and ready as if they hadn't been sealed in the last hour due to her tardiness. It was a delicious selection of prime meat cuts and seafood, each favored by the other respectfully. And of course, a dozen different flavors of cake for later for them to enjoy. After all, what was the point of being rich if you couldn't indulge in what you wanted. "But it was such a…unexpected emergency that they didn't have anyone of appropriate rank to help arbitrate the situation. So of course, I answered the call."
"...but of course." Scarlet answered nonchalantly, casually taking her own seat at the head of the table, even as she waved a dismissive hand for the servants to get the fuck out and give them privacy. Only a few of the…"trusted" servants were allowed to stay and serve them. She wasn't going to cater for herself, after all. " …and who did give the call? Which of our illustrious military leaders sent you… to handle things."
Because anyone less than Heidegaer was going to wake up to a decidedly less stellar day tomorrow.
Ginger stopped mid-cut from where she had been portioning her steak, placing her utensils down gently and looking up to give her older sister a very unimpressed look.
"Stop." The woman said firmly, inflecting her "Commander" voice, as if that at all affected the beautiful scientist.
"What?" Scarlet asked innocently, forking a bit of lobster and bringing the morsel to her lips.
Very casual like.
"Not every inconvenience or incident is a play against you." Ginger said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and tossing it onto the table as she stared her sister down, cutting right into the meat of it all, as usual. Absolutely no subtlety this one. "Sometimes a situation is just that…a situation. A thousand of them happen everyday, to everyone big and small. And if, for some inconceivable reason it's exactly as you believe, not every slight demands a response. Or in your case, an over violent action. Sometimes… you can be the bigger woman and let things go."
The two beautiful women stared at each other for a long time –one in tired challenge over an argument never resolved, the other in defiance at being reprimanded– a never ending battle of wills that harkened back to their childhoods.
A clash that could last hours if needed. Had run for hours over many arguments through their decades of familial love.
At least, till Scarlet cracked a smile.
"That fact that you truly believe that little sister…" The Executive began jovially, barely holding her chuckle back as she pointed upwards. "Is why I get to make decisions…" She gestured out towards the Commander, palm up as she sipped on her wine. "And you take orders. Like you always do."
Ginger only grunted in response, clearly unfazed by the jab.
"Not every battle is fought in the trenches, covered in mud and blood, wishing you were anywhere but there." Scarlet continued, crossing her legs and leaning back, idly wondering if she truly should skip the pleasantries and into why she wanted to meet with her sister so urgently. "A thousand wars are fought, and won, everyday in a humble office. Without a single bullet ever being fired. Why–"
"Enough of you fake sophistry." The Commander cut in, already bored with the scientist's speech, and wanting to get on with it. Waving her hand at the plate in front of her, she continued. "Every second you waste, my meal gets colder… so just get on with whatever it is you're trying to ask me. And spare us both the circus."
Once again the sisters stared each other down –blue vs blue– before Scarlet snapped her fingers, dismissing the rest of her servants from the dining room.
"...and what makes you think this isn't a casual dinner between sisters who haven't seen each other in a while?" She asked, somewhat rhetorically, as she watched the last of the interlopers shuffle out of the room.
"I could believe that… if you didn't all but demand I meet you the very hour I stepped into the city." Ginger answered with a tilt of her head, as if to say it was obvious. Scarlet suppose it was –credit where credit was due– her sister wasn't stupid. Far from it. Just very disinclined to use it for something truly worthwhile… like science and weapons! "And the fact that my unit, and several others, were pulled out of our post in Junon and told to return to Midgar… all without a real explanation other than "you're needed." has caused an irritable itch in the back of my head." Settling back in her chair to regard her older sister, as if to suss out from her expression alone, she continued. "A somewhat reasonable response to the reactor bombing, I suppose… if it hadn't happened months ago and not a single finger was lifted then. So care to fill in the blanks for why now?"
"No." Scarlet said simply, draining her glass and reaching for the bottle of wine. Looking at her little sister seriously as she uncorked the vintage, she said. "Like I said, when you spend your whole life taking orders, you don't get to know why decisions are being made."
"...then why am I here?"
"Because I need you."
"Really? That's it?" Ginger could only narrow her eyes at the vague response, arms crossed as she considered her word. "Care to elaborate?"
"Not if you want to wake up an only child tomorrow."
"...that serious?"
"You never know who's listening."
Scarlet only shrugged her shoulders casually, but the implied severity of the situation was clear to both women.
"I will give you this though." The Director offered, taping her fingers in rhythm along the wood of the table. "By the end of this week, your troops may be seeing a lot of action. So make sure you men are well supplied and cared for. Because there may be a… considerable amount of chaos that follows. I don't suspect anything unsightly will happen to us, or anymore we care about, but just in case… I need to know you'll have my back, no matter how the wind blows. That if I gave you an order, you'd follow through, no questions asked. "
"That's… a lot to take in…" The Commander said slowly, imitating her sister's motion with her own tap of a single finger. "You think you or mom might be in danger? If so… you need to tell who and how, so I can intervene–"
"Oh please, Ginger." Scarlet said with an eye roll in exasperation. "I am the danger… so don't worry your pretty little head about the details. And I could give two flying hoots about that crusty old cougar, so settle down." Ignoring her sister's grimace, she continued. "Depending on how my Board meetings with the other Executives go leading up… I might make a move."
The Commander's eyes widened in surprise.
"You can't… seriously be trying to make a power play against the Old Man, are you? Cause no matter how you personally feel, I'm still loyal–"
"Of course not." Scarlet said dismissively, swatting the concern away with a wave of her hand. "Trying to take that crown from the old buzzard, with anything less than a hundred Sephiroth's at your back, is hazardous for your health. I like living, and plan to do so for many years, so don't get your hopes up."
The joke only got a scoff in response.
"But your thoughts are in the right direction." She continued, smiling slightly and she internally salivated at the thoughts of putting those fools in their place. "Aim a little lower… and you just might hit bullseye."
Silence as Scarlet's words sunk in.
"That… is a very dangerous game you're playing." Ginger said slowly, the implication sending her reeling. "And why now? Why would this "chaos" make you think you can get away with it?"
She let long and unbearable silence be her response, the time for details was over.
"So…" Scarlet began, running a thumb along the edge of her wine glass, heart thruming in opposition to her calm expression. "Can I rely on you?"
For a third time that evening, a staring match of clashing wills. A hardlock of eyes as each woman sized each other up, trying to gain just a bit more information from the other.
"...were sisters, do you really have to ask?"
Scarlet could only smile as the pieces of her plan began falling into place. Time and people were starting to move perfectly into a tune, already letting her imagine the perfect moment when all of it would bear fruition. One that she longed for since becoming the Head of Advance Weaponry, and forced to tolerate the presence of her lessers.
And if her plan met some resistance? Forced her to take things to their logical conclusion? Well... who would blink at a couple of bodies turning up?
After all, there was a madman killing Directors… what was a few more?
000
Jenova was getting impatient!
She wanted to know what her girls' were up to!
And yet…here Cloud was, just laying in bed and decidedly not using his super hearing to eavesdrop on the room of beautiful women next door. The goddang doofus. He was just staring at some hole in their ceiling like some schmuck–debating with himself if he should go out and buy some materials to fix it– but otherwise just twiddling his thumbs, waiting for their girls to return. What was the point of being enhanced if you didn't use your powers here and there for a little self-indulgent fun?
Just because Jessie said it was a private meeting, didn't mean they couldn't listen in on a word or two.
(I wonder what they're talking about… and why Aerith, Kyrie, and Nellie are there?)
Yes!
Even his thick skull was wondering what was happening, yet frustratingly, he was still not doing anything about it!
Cloud was lucky Jenova couldn't just take control of his body and make him do stuff…that would solve so many of her problems if she could. Unfortunately, she was stuck in his head as a back seat passenger, trying to gingerly step around the shattered glass that was his psyche and cleaning up the mess. She couldn't exactly get comfortable up here when every time she tried to relax, she got stabbed by some random bits of trauma from Cloud's past.
Cause, goddam, Hojo did a number on her Chosen.
Seriously, she was glad Red killed the madman…because that loon really messed with her boy's head. Even now, almost every memory centered around the dead professor was still locked behind some mental vault that even with all of her power, she couldn't open!
And the few that got out? Cra~zy stuff. Some of those things were liable to give her nightmares.
(You know what? I'll fix that ceiling before they get back.)
'...son of a bitch.' Jenova groused in disbelief.
And he was making good on his word, as the merc slipped on his boot and attached his sword to its holster.
Cloud was getting further and further away from the action! What kind of man walked away from the room full of beautiful women!? That was practically an orgy waiting to happen! He should be doing everything in his power to get in there, like a fox in a hen house!
'...'
…did she just use a farming analogy? Gods why did her Chosen Vessel have to be from the sticks? He was infecting her mind with all these small town values, superstitions, and catchphrases… seriously, what the fuck!? She was an alien, she shouldn't be getting bombarded with this stuff! The moment she had enough power to make her own body, she was going to give this chocobo head a piece of her mind!
...after their celebration orgy for her revival, of course. Jenova had to keep her priorities straight even in anger, after all.
That being said, she could only watch glumly as Cloud opened the front of the apartment door –to go buy plaster coating of all things–...only to run head first into a robed figure! The force of their collision knocking the poor soul to the ground as if he weighed no more than a feather. The mystery man laid practically unmoving on the floor, weakingly gasping for air as merc stood shocked by their uninvited guest.
'Holy shit, we're gonna get sued!'
"R-Reunion…" The robed figure gasped out, stretching a shaky hand out towards the pseudo-goddess and her Vessel.
'Oh gross, this guy needs some sunlight.' Jenova quipped, noting how pale and veiny the outstretched limb was. 'Or a clinic! Do the rulers of this era not take care of their people anymore or something?'
"Marco?" Cloud asked in surprise, already reaching a hand to pull the fallen man back on his up…only for the other man to scramble back onto his feet almost frantically. "Whoa! Are you alright? Where have you been? Tifa and Marle were about ready to send a search party for you."
The only response was a raspy breath as the man –now standing on his unsteady feet– clung to the Blonde's shoulder pauldron.
"R-Reunion…" Marco whispered once again.
"Right…" Cloud said slowly, rubbing his forehead a little, only now remembering that the robed man could only say the one word. "Let's just get you back to your apartment and I'll tell Marle where you are…and we'll let her make a decision on what to do with you. C'mon."
'Reunion? Where have I heard that before?' Jenova pondered as she watched the merc try to herd the mystery man. 'Now that I got a good look at this guy…he seems kind of familiar. Wait! Is he one of my Chosen!? Hey Cloud you need to–'
Unfortunately, before this moment the alien had no time to truly ponder the implications of being so close to another of her Children, especially those with a mutated version of her Cells…nor was she able to warn her Vessel away until she had time to think and consider the potential repercussions of these bastardized genomes absorbing her energy.
Because the most extraordinary thing happened.
As the ex-Soldeir tried to guide the other man back to his apartment –a one-in-a-million chance instance had occurred– a slip of the robe's sleeve down Marco's arm, Cloud reaching out absentmindedly to direct his neighbor towards room 203. It was only after they stepped past the door –the heavy metal swing shut to lock in the frame, thus shutting them from the eyes of the world– that it happened. It was brief, it was unintended, but for an innocuous moment…the two Soldiers made skin contact.
Time froze, and three minds collided.
And four things happened…
The first was a sudden pulse of psionic energy that jumped out from where Marco touched Cloud. An invisible dome that grew bigger and faster, the entire thing imperceptible to the human eye, yet rolling out in relentless waves under the plate, bouncing of every individual who bore the proof of Hojo's brialliance and strenthening the "signal". The wave spread throughout all of Midgar…throughout all of the Eastern Continent…throughout all of Gaia.
On and on it went, the shimmering force covering the planet. Most unaware of what was happening…and a select few who couldn't ignore the burst of power even if they tried. It was the general populace, it was no more noticable than a breeze but for those with a connection to the mysterious alien…it was like a sledgehammer to the skull.
And among those…the most notable was the enigmatic blacked robed men –who, for the first time in years– turned away from the Northern Crater…and back towards Midgar.
The second event was when Third-Class Soldier Marco Salazar felt an indescribable amount of energy pulse through his body, searing every nerve-ending and cell till it felt like his body was dipped in lava! And it grew hotter and hotter still. The burning feeling rending every inch of flesh on his bone till he was sure that he was going to go mad from pain or meet sweet oblivion...
...only for it to stop an instant later –no more time than it took to snap your fingers– skin and marrow undamaged as if the pain had been a figment of his imagination. Like he had fallen asleep standing up…and was only just waking from a nightmare.
No, that wasn't true.
Because Marco felt strong.
Stronger than he had in years. As if the last four years of his shattered mind being trapped in his decaying body hadn't happened.
Like the diseased G-Cells in his body, that had been killing him slowly, had suddenly been pulled out of his body…and replaced with something even better.
The ex-Soldier could only stare in disbelief as he looked down at his hands –whole and healthy, once again– the white pigment of his hair returning to it's natural crimson, and the silent thrumming of mako in his veins healing residual damage and malnourishment of his Soldier Decay.
The third was the alien God-Queen Jenova, who, with the sudden surge of energy…she remembered. A lot.
And none of it was hers.
A premature Reunion event with people…who were distinctly not her Chosen.
It was as if the spirits of her fake Children suddenly fought to fill her head –like bits of iron ore to a super magnet– with as much of their life experience as they could. Some of them were physically next to her…some long dead, their essence by happenstance, close by. The memories of the Third-Class Soldier before her came flooding into her head –giving her the memories of his time in Shinra, the process used to turn him superhuman with her cells (which had been very hamfisted), the Wutai War, etc– but it didn't stop there…the memories of other pseudo-Chosen kept flooding her head till she was able to force the influx closed.
She only managed to stop at seven.
So many memories…so many emotions, wants, dreams…anger.
Especially towards Shinra.
Experience upon experience merged into her mind. An almost overwhelming amount that would have driven a mortal insane…but settled quite peacefully into her psychic.
She loved it…
Because the sudden flood of information? It gave her possibilities, and a plan...one that was going to net her a whole lot of cuties.
The fourth event was a strange mix of two and three, a sudden spike of energy and power…not the physical kind that burned through Marco's veins…but a psychic one, as if Cloud's mind had expanded beyond its metaphysical borders. The merc bearing the full brunt of the three minds clashing.
And…if only for a brief moment, his mind had connected with an abstract being beyond human understanding.
The sudden contact with this otherworldly being shattered Cloud's already broken mind…only for the physic energy to rebuild it stronger and whole. For the first time in months…his thoughts and feelings were his own.
And somehow during that painful process…in an accidental twist of fate, he managed to steal some of this Ancient creature's secrets.
But which ones?
The blonde couldn't even begin to comprehend, not now at least…because he had bigger things to worry about. Such as the flooding of memories in his skull. But this wasn't the animus of fallen Soldiers suddenly invading his mind like it was with Jenova. No…this was smaller, but much more important…much more precious.
They were his memories.
In that instant, in that moment of forced enlightenment for the room's three occupants….Cloud remembered everything.
He remembered Nibelheim.
000000
Oh god... why did I make Elena sort of sexist? Lol
Originally this chapter was called "The Ballad of Blondes and Redheads" but everyone's POV started taking a life of their own so I focused up on the blondes. And you'll all will hopefully get introduce the redheads in part 2.
Fun Fact: Elena having a sister and father is canon. Like, her sister is potentially the protagonist of Before Crisis, as the female Turk player-character. And apparently they have a bit of a rivalry, although kind of one sided on Elena's part. Scarlet and the Commander are not sisters as far as I know, but their both buxom blonde women in their middle years and high ranking Shinra employees... seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up. And it saved me some effort in having to create detailed backstories for both hahaha.
Thank you for the revierws:
Writing for Improvment, thank you for the kind words, stuff like that alwasy warms my heart.
Shucia, I don't really say... sometimes story beats doen't always jell with readers, but hopefully you'll stick around.
mgibs, also thank you for the kind words.
petrogradAN, glad your liking the story so far... and yeah, the seach function on this site is such a pain lol