The Fifth Act, Chapter 9
Title: The Fifth Act
Rating: T for violence.
Summary: FFVII Time-travel. Gen. Cloud has an accident with a Time Materia.
Author's Note: Rather talky chapter, this one. Hopefully it does not bore. And as always, this is un-beta'd, so if you find any typos or mistakes please feel free to point them out so they can be fixed!
Previous Chapter
__________________
The Fifth Act
Chapter 9
__________________
Thankfully, Vincent took care of covering their tracks - erasing the security footage, turning off the lights, locking the door behind them, and even going so far as to smother their footprints leading up to the reactor. Cloud wasn’t capable of much more than standing guard. It never once occurred to him that Jenova could at any point be somewhere other than Nibelheim. After her discovery in the Northern Crater, hadn’t Gast brought her to these desolate mountains? Wasn’t this where Lucrecia Crescent performed her experiments, where Sephiroth grew up? If Jenova wasn’t at the Nibelheim Reactor, then where else could she be?
They stopped on the edge of town, just out of view of ShinRa manor.
“What are you going to do now?” Vincent asked.
Cloud shrugged, though there was nothing casual about the jerky motion. “Find Jenova. Find Hojo. One will lead to the other.” It had to. Hojo must have moved her temporarily - maybe brought her with him to Midgar, or stored her in some other out-of-the-way reactor. Maybe one of Gast’s laboratories. Only Hojo would know.
“And kill them.”
He nodded.
“And Sephiroth?”
Scowling, Cloud turned his attention back to the path. Vincent refused to let it go. He’d never met ShinRa’s famed Silver General, hadn’t so much as seen a photograph before. Did Lucrecia’s child matter so much to him?
Of course he did. Anything of Lucrecia’s was sacred. In the original timeline, Vincent had been just as reluctant to accompany them, even with Sephiroth on his wild, world-destroying crusade, and it wasn’t until they discovered Lucrecia’s cave that he truly committed himself to their quest. A Sephiroth not yet in the midst of planning genocide might as well be Lucrecia herself.
Cloud sometimes thought his relationships were messed up, but Vincent had cornered the market on dysfunctional, and then made a brand name out of unhealthy devotion.
“You’re so certain he’ll try to destroy the planet.”
“He will,” Cloud stated. “He thinks Jenova is his mother. He has so many of her cells in him, she might as well be. He’ll try to follow in her footsteps. That’s the kind of person Sephiroth is.”
“And yet, if you destroy Jenova, what risk is there of that happening?”
Cloud clenched his teeth, lest the unfair retorts escape.
Vincent had a point - without Jenova as a catalyst, or Hojo pulling strings in the background, Sephiroth might not have a psychotic break. Just finding a way to keep his heritage a secret would possibly be enough - Jenova couldn't gain a foothold in a host who wasn't at least partially willing. If she could, Cloud never would have been able to lift a sword against her or her 'son'.
'Sephiroth controlled you', a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind. 'You nearly killed Aeris, and then stood by and did nothing while she died. You handed over the Black Materia.'
He shook his head to clear those thoughts away. Sephiroth couldn't control him to that extent anymore, not since he regained his proper identity. Caught by surprise, he might slip for a few seconds, but he was not a puppet. He'd fought the call for Reunion twice. He was nothing like the other clones.
As far as he was concerned, it changed nothing. Removing Hojo and Jenova from the picture might delay matters, but Sephiroth would always be only one breakdown away from destroying the world.
Vincent must have read his expression. "You still intend to kill him then."
Cloud looked away.
"I don't think it's the right way. You cannot punish a man for what he might do."
Except in his life, he'd already done it. But he doubted Vincent would believe his tall time-travelling tale, and frankly speaking, people had enough reasons to doubt his sanity already. He preferred not to load that cart any higher.
“At least promise me you’ll take care of Jenova and Hojo first. And that you’ll talk to me before making a move against Lucrecia’s son.”
“I’m sticking to the plan. If I take out Sephiroth first, Hojo will just make another one.” Vincent no doubt heard the absence of a promise in his words, but he remained silent behind his collar.
Cloud took the opportunity to ignore those piercing red eyes, focusing instead on what to do next. He wanted out of Nibelheim as fast as possible - he’d walk down the mountain on foot rather than wait for Bradley’s next run. He wasn’t looking forward to getting back on the road, though, memories aside. Proper meals, proper beds, and proper facilities were easy to get used to. Cloud might be accustomed to roughing it thanks to his days on the run from ShinRa, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed sleeping in the wild with one eye open.
Before anything else, though, he needed to ditch Vincent. They’d established a hasty and tenuous alliance as far as Jenova and Hojo were concerned, but it was apparent that when it came to Sephiroth, he could soon find himself on the wrong end of that gun. As much as it hurt to admit it, this Vincent didn’t trust him, and so Cloud couldn’t trust his former ally, either. And after he’d gone to all that trouble soliciting the former Turk’s assistance, too.
How, though? No matter how fast he ran, Vincent would follow. Once the caped marksman made a decision, he could be more stubborn than a dual horn, in his own quiet way. He’d stalk the shadows, watching to make sure Cloud didn’t step out of line. Would interfere with his plans, slow him down, create obstacles. And if he still charged ahead anyway, shoot him in the back.
They hadn’t even left the mountain, and Cloud already felt hunted.
“To Midgar, then,” Vincent murmured.
What on the Planet mattered more to Vincent than Lucrecia’s legacy?
Inspiration struck him like a bolt of lightning. “Wait. There’s something you should know.”
Vincent paused, and waited patiently as Cloud wet his lips and gathered his thoughts. If he played this right, he might not only get the quiet marksman out of his hair, but also on to his side. “About Lucrecia - she’s not dead, not exactly.”
The reaction was immediate - red eyes snapping to his face, and crimson cloak flaring as though it possessed a mind of its own. “Lucrecia is still alive? Where-” His normally velvety tones turned hoarse.
“She tried to kill herself, but Jenova’s cells make that difficult. She sealed herself away instead. There’s a crystal cave in this mountain range, behind a waterfall. You have to go through a lagoon to get to it.” Thinking back on it, Cloud found it hard to believe they’d stumbled across it by chance.
“Suicide? What happened to you?” Vincent murmured, words whisked away by the wind. “Lucrecia…” Blood-red eyes turned his way. “I’m sorry… but…”
“Do what you need to do,” Cloud offered softly. “I understand.”
“I take it you’ll be going ahead, then?”
He nodded. Hopefully Lucrecia would ask Vincent to destroy Sephiroth again, but if she didn’t, he was better off having the former Turk out of his way for a while. “Staying here any longer would be… awkward, for me.”
“And if I need to contact you?”
He flipped open his PHS and displayed the number. "You can reach me here."
"I don't have a phone."
"Use a public one." Cloud shrugged. "If that doesn’t work, you can find me in Midgar, eventually. Or maybe Junon. Hojo has a lab there too I think." Or maybe the Junon lab was Hollander's. He couldn't remember. The Junon mission was one of the hazy ones.
Vincent inspected the PHS momentarily before handing it back. "And if you need to contact me?"
He didn't plan to - not until Sephiroth had been taken care of. "I'll figure something out."
Somehow, it worked out. The most important details taken care of, they shared a nod, and turned and walked in opposite directions. He could only hope Lucrecia’s feelings regarding Sephiroth remained the same. It was earlier than last time - a lot earlier. But it had been the only card left to play.
A cold, empty wind whistled across the desolate mountain path, chilling his bare arms. Struck by a brief bout of loneliness and nostalgia, Cloud turned and looked back.
Predictably, his old friend had already vanished.
A shame. Having Vincent along would have been a breath of familiarity he desperately craved, but until the former Turk came around, they were better off going separate ways.
Just another sacrifice to save the world.
……………………………
“Is everyone here?” Lazard asked mildly.
“Sorry, Genesis is late.” Angeal grimaced, and shot a look at his friend sitting across the way. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t known the newly appointed Director of SOLDIER planned on attending either.
On cue, the door crashed open, and the surly, auburn-haired SOLDIER First stalked in, looking as though someone had just dared decry Loveless in his presence. Always a possibility, though most SOLDIERs knew better by now.
“So good of you to join us, Genesis,” Lazard greeted. Nobody could tell if he were being sarcastic. The Director was a more dangerous man for it.
Genesis threw himself into the chair next to Angeal with a huff, awfully put out considering that as far as the General could tell, it was his machinations that resulted in this meeting. “This better not take long. I’m a busy man.”
Reading Loveless for the thousandth time did not, in Sephiroth’s opinion, qualify as ‘busy’. “Everyone is present now. Tseng?”
“Thank you, General.” The Turk adjusted the sleeves of his suit and carefully set the papers he’d been reviewing on the table. “As most of you should already know, the topic of today’s meeting is an unusual individual who recently made himself known to ShinRa. In the folders in front of you is a more detailed briefing, but for the sake of moving matters along, I will summarise.
“During the Wutai conflict, Commander Rhapsodis encountered a man who appeared to be SOLDIER, yet lacked any ShinRa affiliation.” The admitted the lack of affiliation made Sephiroth narrow his eyes. So much for his theory of the stranger being one of the science department’s rumoured experiments. “He introduced himself only as ‘Strife’ - whether or not this is his true name, a code name, or an alias remains to be determined. Commander Rhapsodis reported a short fight with Strife, until the misunderstanding was cleared and he ordered his men to ignore him thereafter, reasoning he was no threat to the camp.”
“What made you reach that decision, Genesis?” Lazard questioned.
He shrugged, careless in his response. “He only defended himself, and insisted repeatedly he had no intention of fighting me. Two days later, one of our scouts reported that Wutai forces attacked his camp, believing him to be one of us. Proof enough, as far as I was concerned.”
Lazard shuffled through the papers in his folder. “And yet, in this briefing the patrols reported he kept pace with you as you moved north. You didn’t find that suspicious?” A sharp man, their new Director. Sephiroth studied him quietly from across the table. He supposed he could see the resemblance to the President in there after all - though the comparative leanness of his face and the thin glasses hid it well.
“Of course I found it suspicious. That’s why I called in Sephiroth.”
“Who then went to Wutai against orders,” Lazard remarked, tone so mild nobody could hope to guess his opinion on the action.
“I wasn’t busy doing anything else. And I wasn’t deploying, exactly. Simply assisting Genesis in an investigation he didn’t have the resources for,” he replied in an equally neutral manner.
Tseng cleared his throat. “If I may, investigations of such a nature are normally within the Turks’ jurisdiction. In this case, we’ve decided to let the matter slide, as the man in question does appear to resemble a SOLDIER, and we understand the confusion.”
“Duly noted,” Sephiroth acknowledged the gentle reprimand. They were within rights to have both him and Genesis court-marshalled, after all - though such an action would have been meaningless, as everybody in the room knew ShinRa would never risk the public relations fiasco.
Tseng continued, “Regardless, General Sephiroth then accompanied the first supply of relief to Wutai. Soon after his arrival, he encountered Strife, and engaged in combat. Drawn by the commotion, Commander Rhapsodis interrupted, and the battle ended without a clear victor. This time, Strife made overt threats to General Sephiroth, yet was allowed to walk away.” Sephiroth frowned. So the Turks already knew about the threat, then. Perhaps that was what had Genesis in a foul mood.
“A serious breach in protocol,” Lazard observed.
“We were in the middle of a war. As commander of the effort, I made a practical decision. We didn’t have the resources to spend on an individual on a personal crusade.” Genesis recited the excuses like a cadet bored stiff in materia theory.
“He could have been a terrorist. A particularly dangerous one, if I am to believe the reports he fought General Sephiroth evenly.”
“I agree.” Angeal spoke up for the first time. “But something about it troubles me. Why threaten Sephiroth, yet avoid fighting Genesis? It doesn’t make any sense. He might be ShinRa’s enemy, he might not be, but at the very least, he's conflicted."
"General?" Tseng deferred. “Your opinion?”
Sephiroth folded his arms and stared at the table intently. "I believe his argument was with me personally, and not the company as a whole. He has issues with individuals."
“And what issues does he have with you?” Lazard asked.
“I’ve given the matter some thought, but as of yet, don’t have an definite answer. My only conclusion is that I may have killed a loved one in the line of duty.”
“And you consider this explanation reason enough to recommend against a follow-up?”
“If I may interrupt, Director,” Tseng interjected, “We are getting off track. The Wutai conflict was resolved over two months ago. The intention of this briefing was not to bring up already dismissed matters of protocol breaches.” At the collection of curious glances, he added, “You honestly think we Turks didn’t hear about it before now?”
Sephiroth inclined his head slightly, conceding the point. The Turks were good.
“So what is the point of this meeting then?” Angeal asked.
Tseng didn’t pause a beat before dropping his bombshell. “We want to recruit him. Strife.”
The reactions varied dramatically across the board - Genesis pleased, Angeal worried, and Lazard cautious.
Angeal recovered first. “Recruit him! Isn’t that a bit risky?”
Lazard nodded, adjusting his glasses as he did so. “I agree with Angeal. We may not have any proof of an agenda, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. We could be letting a spy into our midst. The secrets of SOLDIER are highly sought after by our enemies.”
"If I may," Tseng began. "As he appears to already possess mako enhancements, we will not be needing to divulge any of SOLDIER's secrets to him. And if he is within ShinRa's fold, we don't need to worry about him being hired by a competitive faction, and can keep a close eye on him at the same time."
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," Angeal commented, a wry smile on his lips.
The Turk nodded. "Precisely."
"I still don’t know. What do you think, Genesis?"
"Ripples form on the water's surface
The wandering soul knows no rest."
"Loveless, Act I." Sephiroth was bemused. "You don't believe he'll agree."
"Why would such a man tether himself to ShinRa? He evidently has goals we are unaware of."
"It is up to ShinRa to provide incentive," Tseng reminded them. "And respectfully, we have seen little purpose to his movements since he left Wutai. From what we’ve seen, he's been killing monsters for money and appears to have made no political or personal ties."
Genesis slanted him a glance, and Sephiroth looked away. He refused to acknowledge his annoyance at the blond stranger. Threaten to come after him, and then spend two months dallying in the countryside, killing monsters?
“Your logic is sound,” Lazard agreed, “But I’m uncomfortable with the decision. The SOLDIER program is something the cadets and regular army aspire to. Hiring from outside, instead of going through internal promotion, might cause friction among the ranks.”
“Civilians are allowed to take the exam,” Tseng countered. “It’s simply uncommon, because it’s difficult for someone who hasn’t spent at least a few months as a cadet to pass.”
“So we’ll be lying about it, then?” Angeal asked, not looking particularly impressed by the idea either. He and Lazard were both by-the-book types.
“Not at all. We’ll run Strife through a basic version of the exam, minus, of course, the mako sensitivity test. If he fails, we’ll find another solution to the issue. Will that satisfy you, Director?”
Lazard looked doubtful, but didn’t push the issue any further. “I suppose. There’s been an increase in monster activity in recent months, and we’re still short-handed after the losses in Wutai. We can always use more SOLDIERs.”
“Very good.” Tseng began straightening and tidying his papers - a sure sign he considered the discussion closed. “We’ll induct him as a Third, but if the reports I’ve read are true, I imagine he’ll rise through the ranks quickly.”
“You are, of course, assuming he’ll agree,” Sephiroth pointed out.
Tseng smiled, though it was a paltry little gesture, as though his facial muscles had grown weak from the lack of it. “He’ll agree. ShinRa can be very persuasive. Does anyone have any further objections?”
Sephiroth didn’t have any - he was eager to solve the mystery. Genesis seemed impatient too.
Angeal, however, grumbled, “Am I the only one still worried about the death threat?”
“Most death threats are made in the heat of a moment. Strife may not intend on following through.” Tseng paused. “However, if you don’t think you could hold him off in such a situation…”
“It will be fine,” Sephiroth dismissed. “Should he… lose his head-” It wouldn’t do to inform the others of his certainty that Strife’s intentions were not so shallow. “-I will be more than capable of keeping him at bay long enough for reinforcements.”
“Then we’re decided. The President will be pleased. When he heard news of a warrior of the General’s calibre on the loose, he wanted him either destroyed or in our employ. It’s a relief not to be signing a death warrant.”
Angeal had the good grace to look guilty over his opposition. As SOLDIERs, they were sometimes forced to fight other humans in the line of duty, such as the case in Wutai, but his old friend preferred to simply knock his opponents out when possible. Lazard appeared discomfited also, but then, he’d only been Director of SOLDIER for a short while. Such unpleasantness would still be new to him.
“When can we expect our newest member to arrive?” Genesis asked, foot tapping audibly on the floor, creating a restless beat.
“Our last sighting of him had him two weeks outside Midgar. That’s assuming he’s still on foot.”
“He’s come from the Junon Coast on foot?” Angeal blanched.
“He must really want to kill you, Sephiroth,” Genesis quipped, only to be greeted with a warning glance. It appeared they barely avoided Strife being put on ShinRa’s blacklist, and Sephiroth had no desire to see him perish before he could solve the man’s mysteries. If nothing else, he at least wanted to be the one to do the deed.
Of course, he was worrying over nothing. The Turks couldn’t take Strife out any more than they could him. Though it might be entertaining to see them try. Air strikes, perhaps?
Either way, things looked set to become interesting soon. Once ShinRa had you in their sights, you couldn’t escape.
……………………………
The echo of his beeping PHS rang loudly across the grassy plains.
Cloud froze, and his heart started hammering in his chest. Mail?
His PHS had sat silent since the accident with the Time Materia. Nobody in this period had his number. Nobody except Vincent. But the quiet marksman couldn't possibly need to get in contact again so soon. They'd parted less than a fortnight ago. By Vincent standards, that was being positively clingy.
Who else could call him, though? Who else would want to call him? ShinRa? Did somebody notice him poking around the Mansion and Reactor after all? They still owned the communications grid. Who knew what kind of strings they could pull.
Tentatively, he withdrew the PHS, weighing it in his hands as he considered the implications.
Which was worse? If it was Vincent, then something had gone horribly wrong. But if it wasn't Vincent...
Then he heard Tifa's impatient rebuke of 'just pick up already' in the back of his mind, and flipped it open.
The message had gone to the Spam folder. An unlisted number, then. His palms were getting sweaty. He wasn't ready to take on the Turks yet. It would be too hard to accomplish his goals.
Wait... 'Treasure Princess'?
He flicked through the anonymous message, eyes scanning the screen intently, then scoffed and slipped his PHS back into his pocket.
How by the Planet did Yuffie get his number?
Next chapter
Rating: T for violence.
Summary: FFVII Time-travel. Gen. Cloud has an accident with a Time Materia.
Author's Note: Rather talky chapter, this one. Hopefully it does not bore. And as always, this is un-beta'd, so if you find any typos or mistakes please feel free to point them out so they can be fixed!
Previous Chapter
__________________
The Fifth Act
Chapter 9
__________________
Thankfully, Vincent took care of covering their tracks - erasing the security footage, turning off the lights, locking the door behind them, and even going so far as to smother their footprints leading up to the reactor. Cloud wasn’t capable of much more than standing guard. It never once occurred to him that Jenova could at any point be somewhere other than Nibelheim. After her discovery in the Northern Crater, hadn’t Gast brought her to these desolate mountains? Wasn’t this where Lucrecia Crescent performed her experiments, where Sephiroth grew up? If Jenova wasn’t at the Nibelheim Reactor, then where else could she be?
They stopped on the edge of town, just out of view of ShinRa manor.
“What are you going to do now?” Vincent asked.
Cloud shrugged, though there was nothing casual about the jerky motion. “Find Jenova. Find Hojo. One will lead to the other.” It had to. Hojo must have moved her temporarily - maybe brought her with him to Midgar, or stored her in some other out-of-the-way reactor. Maybe one of Gast’s laboratories. Only Hojo would know.
“And kill them.”
He nodded.
“And Sephiroth?”
Scowling, Cloud turned his attention back to the path. Vincent refused to let it go. He’d never met ShinRa’s famed Silver General, hadn’t so much as seen a photograph before. Did Lucrecia’s child matter so much to him?
Of course he did. Anything of Lucrecia’s was sacred. In the original timeline, Vincent had been just as reluctant to accompany them, even with Sephiroth on his wild, world-destroying crusade, and it wasn’t until they discovered Lucrecia’s cave that he truly committed himself to their quest. A Sephiroth not yet in the midst of planning genocide might as well be Lucrecia herself.
Cloud sometimes thought his relationships were messed up, but Vincent had cornered the market on dysfunctional, and then made a brand name out of unhealthy devotion.
“You’re so certain he’ll try to destroy the planet.”
“He will,” Cloud stated. “He thinks Jenova is his mother. He has so many of her cells in him, she might as well be. He’ll try to follow in her footsteps. That’s the kind of person Sephiroth is.”
“And yet, if you destroy Jenova, what risk is there of that happening?”
Cloud clenched his teeth, lest the unfair retorts escape.
Vincent had a point - without Jenova as a catalyst, or Hojo pulling strings in the background, Sephiroth might not have a psychotic break. Just finding a way to keep his heritage a secret would possibly be enough - Jenova couldn't gain a foothold in a host who wasn't at least partially willing. If she could, Cloud never would have been able to lift a sword against her or her 'son'.
'Sephiroth controlled you', a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind. 'You nearly killed Aeris, and then stood by and did nothing while she died. You handed over the Black Materia.'
He shook his head to clear those thoughts away. Sephiroth couldn't control him to that extent anymore, not since he regained his proper identity. Caught by surprise, he might slip for a few seconds, but he was not a puppet. He'd fought the call for Reunion twice. He was nothing like the other clones.
As far as he was concerned, it changed nothing. Removing Hojo and Jenova from the picture might delay matters, but Sephiroth would always be only one breakdown away from destroying the world.
Vincent must have read his expression. "You still intend to kill him then."
Cloud looked away.
"I don't think it's the right way. You cannot punish a man for what he might do."
Except in his life, he'd already done it. But he doubted Vincent would believe his tall time-travelling tale, and frankly speaking, people had enough reasons to doubt his sanity already. He preferred not to load that cart any higher.
“At least promise me you’ll take care of Jenova and Hojo first. And that you’ll talk to me before making a move against Lucrecia’s son.”
“I’m sticking to the plan. If I take out Sephiroth first, Hojo will just make another one.” Vincent no doubt heard the absence of a promise in his words, but he remained silent behind his collar.
Cloud took the opportunity to ignore those piercing red eyes, focusing instead on what to do next. He wanted out of Nibelheim as fast as possible - he’d walk down the mountain on foot rather than wait for Bradley’s next run. He wasn’t looking forward to getting back on the road, though, memories aside. Proper meals, proper beds, and proper facilities were easy to get used to. Cloud might be accustomed to roughing it thanks to his days on the run from ShinRa, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed sleeping in the wild with one eye open.
Before anything else, though, he needed to ditch Vincent. They’d established a hasty and tenuous alliance as far as Jenova and Hojo were concerned, but it was apparent that when it came to Sephiroth, he could soon find himself on the wrong end of that gun. As much as it hurt to admit it, this Vincent didn’t trust him, and so Cloud couldn’t trust his former ally, either. And after he’d gone to all that trouble soliciting the former Turk’s assistance, too.
How, though? No matter how fast he ran, Vincent would follow. Once the caped marksman made a decision, he could be more stubborn than a dual horn, in his own quiet way. He’d stalk the shadows, watching to make sure Cloud didn’t step out of line. Would interfere with his plans, slow him down, create obstacles. And if he still charged ahead anyway, shoot him in the back.
They hadn’t even left the mountain, and Cloud already felt hunted.
“To Midgar, then,” Vincent murmured.
What on the Planet mattered more to Vincent than Lucrecia’s legacy?
Inspiration struck him like a bolt of lightning. “Wait. There’s something you should know.”
Vincent paused, and waited patiently as Cloud wet his lips and gathered his thoughts. If he played this right, he might not only get the quiet marksman out of his hair, but also on to his side. “About Lucrecia - she’s not dead, not exactly.”
The reaction was immediate - red eyes snapping to his face, and crimson cloak flaring as though it possessed a mind of its own. “Lucrecia is still alive? Where-” His normally velvety tones turned hoarse.
“She tried to kill herself, but Jenova’s cells make that difficult. She sealed herself away instead. There’s a crystal cave in this mountain range, behind a waterfall. You have to go through a lagoon to get to it.” Thinking back on it, Cloud found it hard to believe they’d stumbled across it by chance.
“Suicide? What happened to you?” Vincent murmured, words whisked away by the wind. “Lucrecia…” Blood-red eyes turned his way. “I’m sorry… but…”
“Do what you need to do,” Cloud offered softly. “I understand.”
“I take it you’ll be going ahead, then?”
He nodded. Hopefully Lucrecia would ask Vincent to destroy Sephiroth again, but if she didn’t, he was better off having the former Turk out of his way for a while. “Staying here any longer would be… awkward, for me.”
“And if I need to contact you?”
He flipped open his PHS and displayed the number. "You can reach me here."
"I don't have a phone."
"Use a public one." Cloud shrugged. "If that doesn’t work, you can find me in Midgar, eventually. Or maybe Junon. Hojo has a lab there too I think." Or maybe the Junon lab was Hollander's. He couldn't remember. The Junon mission was one of the hazy ones.
Vincent inspected the PHS momentarily before handing it back. "And if you need to contact me?"
He didn't plan to - not until Sephiroth had been taken care of. "I'll figure something out."
Somehow, it worked out. The most important details taken care of, they shared a nod, and turned and walked in opposite directions. He could only hope Lucrecia’s feelings regarding Sephiroth remained the same. It was earlier than last time - a lot earlier. But it had been the only card left to play.
A cold, empty wind whistled across the desolate mountain path, chilling his bare arms. Struck by a brief bout of loneliness and nostalgia, Cloud turned and looked back.
Predictably, his old friend had already vanished.
A shame. Having Vincent along would have been a breath of familiarity he desperately craved, but until the former Turk came around, they were better off going separate ways.
Just another sacrifice to save the world.
……………………………
“Is everyone here?” Lazard asked mildly.
“Sorry, Genesis is late.” Angeal grimaced, and shot a look at his friend sitting across the way. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t known the newly appointed Director of SOLDIER planned on attending either.
On cue, the door crashed open, and the surly, auburn-haired SOLDIER First stalked in, looking as though someone had just dared decry Loveless in his presence. Always a possibility, though most SOLDIERs knew better by now.
“So good of you to join us, Genesis,” Lazard greeted. Nobody could tell if he were being sarcastic. The Director was a more dangerous man for it.
Genesis threw himself into the chair next to Angeal with a huff, awfully put out considering that as far as the General could tell, it was his machinations that resulted in this meeting. “This better not take long. I’m a busy man.”
Reading Loveless for the thousandth time did not, in Sephiroth’s opinion, qualify as ‘busy’. “Everyone is present now. Tseng?”
“Thank you, General.” The Turk adjusted the sleeves of his suit and carefully set the papers he’d been reviewing on the table. “As most of you should already know, the topic of today’s meeting is an unusual individual who recently made himself known to ShinRa. In the folders in front of you is a more detailed briefing, but for the sake of moving matters along, I will summarise.
“During the Wutai conflict, Commander Rhapsodis encountered a man who appeared to be SOLDIER, yet lacked any ShinRa affiliation.” The admitted the lack of affiliation made Sephiroth narrow his eyes. So much for his theory of the stranger being one of the science department’s rumoured experiments. “He introduced himself only as ‘Strife’ - whether or not this is his true name, a code name, or an alias remains to be determined. Commander Rhapsodis reported a short fight with Strife, until the misunderstanding was cleared and he ordered his men to ignore him thereafter, reasoning he was no threat to the camp.”
“What made you reach that decision, Genesis?” Lazard questioned.
He shrugged, careless in his response. “He only defended himself, and insisted repeatedly he had no intention of fighting me. Two days later, one of our scouts reported that Wutai forces attacked his camp, believing him to be one of us. Proof enough, as far as I was concerned.”
Lazard shuffled through the papers in his folder. “And yet, in this briefing the patrols reported he kept pace with you as you moved north. You didn’t find that suspicious?” A sharp man, their new Director. Sephiroth studied him quietly from across the table. He supposed he could see the resemblance to the President in there after all - though the comparative leanness of his face and the thin glasses hid it well.
“Of course I found it suspicious. That’s why I called in Sephiroth.”
“Who then went to Wutai against orders,” Lazard remarked, tone so mild nobody could hope to guess his opinion on the action.
“I wasn’t busy doing anything else. And I wasn’t deploying, exactly. Simply assisting Genesis in an investigation he didn’t have the resources for,” he replied in an equally neutral manner.
Tseng cleared his throat. “If I may, investigations of such a nature are normally within the Turks’ jurisdiction. In this case, we’ve decided to let the matter slide, as the man in question does appear to resemble a SOLDIER, and we understand the confusion.”
“Duly noted,” Sephiroth acknowledged the gentle reprimand. They were within rights to have both him and Genesis court-marshalled, after all - though such an action would have been meaningless, as everybody in the room knew ShinRa would never risk the public relations fiasco.
Tseng continued, “Regardless, General Sephiroth then accompanied the first supply of relief to Wutai. Soon after his arrival, he encountered Strife, and engaged in combat. Drawn by the commotion, Commander Rhapsodis interrupted, and the battle ended without a clear victor. This time, Strife made overt threats to General Sephiroth, yet was allowed to walk away.” Sephiroth frowned. So the Turks already knew about the threat, then. Perhaps that was what had Genesis in a foul mood.
“A serious breach in protocol,” Lazard observed.
“We were in the middle of a war. As commander of the effort, I made a practical decision. We didn’t have the resources to spend on an individual on a personal crusade.” Genesis recited the excuses like a cadet bored stiff in materia theory.
“He could have been a terrorist. A particularly dangerous one, if I am to believe the reports he fought General Sephiroth evenly.”
“I agree.” Angeal spoke up for the first time. “But something about it troubles me. Why threaten Sephiroth, yet avoid fighting Genesis? It doesn’t make any sense. He might be ShinRa’s enemy, he might not be, but at the very least, he's conflicted."
"General?" Tseng deferred. “Your opinion?”
Sephiroth folded his arms and stared at the table intently. "I believe his argument was with me personally, and not the company as a whole. He has issues with individuals."
“And what issues does he have with you?” Lazard asked.
“I’ve given the matter some thought, but as of yet, don’t have an definite answer. My only conclusion is that I may have killed a loved one in the line of duty.”
“And you consider this explanation reason enough to recommend against a follow-up?”
“If I may interrupt, Director,” Tseng interjected, “We are getting off track. The Wutai conflict was resolved over two months ago. The intention of this briefing was not to bring up already dismissed matters of protocol breaches.” At the collection of curious glances, he added, “You honestly think we Turks didn’t hear about it before now?”
Sephiroth inclined his head slightly, conceding the point. The Turks were good.
“So what is the point of this meeting then?” Angeal asked.
Tseng didn’t pause a beat before dropping his bombshell. “We want to recruit him. Strife.”
The reactions varied dramatically across the board - Genesis pleased, Angeal worried, and Lazard cautious.
Angeal recovered first. “Recruit him! Isn’t that a bit risky?”
Lazard nodded, adjusting his glasses as he did so. “I agree with Angeal. We may not have any proof of an agenda, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. We could be letting a spy into our midst. The secrets of SOLDIER are highly sought after by our enemies.”
"If I may," Tseng began. "As he appears to already possess mako enhancements, we will not be needing to divulge any of SOLDIER's secrets to him. And if he is within ShinRa's fold, we don't need to worry about him being hired by a competitive faction, and can keep a close eye on him at the same time."
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," Angeal commented, a wry smile on his lips.
The Turk nodded. "Precisely."
"I still don’t know. What do you think, Genesis?"
"Ripples form on the water's surface
The wandering soul knows no rest."
"Loveless, Act I." Sephiroth was bemused. "You don't believe he'll agree."
"Why would such a man tether himself to ShinRa? He evidently has goals we are unaware of."
"It is up to ShinRa to provide incentive," Tseng reminded them. "And respectfully, we have seen little purpose to his movements since he left Wutai. From what we’ve seen, he's been killing monsters for money and appears to have made no political or personal ties."
Genesis slanted him a glance, and Sephiroth looked away. He refused to acknowledge his annoyance at the blond stranger. Threaten to come after him, and then spend two months dallying in the countryside, killing monsters?
“Your logic is sound,” Lazard agreed, “But I’m uncomfortable with the decision. The SOLDIER program is something the cadets and regular army aspire to. Hiring from outside, instead of going through internal promotion, might cause friction among the ranks.”
“Civilians are allowed to take the exam,” Tseng countered. “It’s simply uncommon, because it’s difficult for someone who hasn’t spent at least a few months as a cadet to pass.”
“So we’ll be lying about it, then?” Angeal asked, not looking particularly impressed by the idea either. He and Lazard were both by-the-book types.
“Not at all. We’ll run Strife through a basic version of the exam, minus, of course, the mako sensitivity test. If he fails, we’ll find another solution to the issue. Will that satisfy you, Director?”
Lazard looked doubtful, but didn’t push the issue any further. “I suppose. There’s been an increase in monster activity in recent months, and we’re still short-handed after the losses in Wutai. We can always use more SOLDIERs.”
“Very good.” Tseng began straightening and tidying his papers - a sure sign he considered the discussion closed. “We’ll induct him as a Third, but if the reports I’ve read are true, I imagine he’ll rise through the ranks quickly.”
“You are, of course, assuming he’ll agree,” Sephiroth pointed out.
Tseng smiled, though it was a paltry little gesture, as though his facial muscles had grown weak from the lack of it. “He’ll agree. ShinRa can be very persuasive. Does anyone have any further objections?”
Sephiroth didn’t have any - he was eager to solve the mystery. Genesis seemed impatient too.
Angeal, however, grumbled, “Am I the only one still worried about the death threat?”
“Most death threats are made in the heat of a moment. Strife may not intend on following through.” Tseng paused. “However, if you don’t think you could hold him off in such a situation…”
“It will be fine,” Sephiroth dismissed. “Should he… lose his head-” It wouldn’t do to inform the others of his certainty that Strife’s intentions were not so shallow. “-I will be more than capable of keeping him at bay long enough for reinforcements.”
“Then we’re decided. The President will be pleased. When he heard news of a warrior of the General’s calibre on the loose, he wanted him either destroyed or in our employ. It’s a relief not to be signing a death warrant.”
Angeal had the good grace to look guilty over his opposition. As SOLDIERs, they were sometimes forced to fight other humans in the line of duty, such as the case in Wutai, but his old friend preferred to simply knock his opponents out when possible. Lazard appeared discomfited also, but then, he’d only been Director of SOLDIER for a short while. Such unpleasantness would still be new to him.
“When can we expect our newest member to arrive?” Genesis asked, foot tapping audibly on the floor, creating a restless beat.
“Our last sighting of him had him two weeks outside Midgar. That’s assuming he’s still on foot.”
“He’s come from the Junon Coast on foot?” Angeal blanched.
“He must really want to kill you, Sephiroth,” Genesis quipped, only to be greeted with a warning glance. It appeared they barely avoided Strife being put on ShinRa’s blacklist, and Sephiroth had no desire to see him perish before he could solve the man’s mysteries. If nothing else, he at least wanted to be the one to do the deed.
Of course, he was worrying over nothing. The Turks couldn’t take Strife out any more than they could him. Though it might be entertaining to see them try. Air strikes, perhaps?
Either way, things looked set to become interesting soon. Once ShinRa had you in their sights, you couldn’t escape.
……………………………
The echo of his beeping PHS rang loudly across the grassy plains.
Cloud froze, and his heart started hammering in his chest. Mail?
His PHS had sat silent since the accident with the Time Materia. Nobody in this period had his number. Nobody except Vincent. But the quiet marksman couldn't possibly need to get in contact again so soon. They'd parted less than a fortnight ago. By Vincent standards, that was being positively clingy.
Who else could call him, though? Who else would want to call him? ShinRa? Did somebody notice him poking around the Mansion and Reactor after all? They still owned the communications grid. Who knew what kind of strings they could pull.
Tentatively, he withdrew the PHS, weighing it in his hands as he considered the implications.
Which was worse? If it was Vincent, then something had gone horribly wrong. But if it wasn't Vincent...
Then he heard Tifa's impatient rebuke of 'just pick up already' in the back of his mind, and flipped it open.
The message had gone to the Spam folder. An unlisted number, then. His palms were getting sweaty. He wasn't ready to take on the Turks yet. It would be too hard to accomplish his goals.
Wait... 'Treasure Princess'?
He flicked through the anonymous message, eyes scanning the screen intently, then scoffed and slipped his PHS back into his pocket.
How by the Planet did Yuffie get his number?
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