Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Genesis sighed, brushing the sweat off his forehead. Sephiroth looked up at him. Genesis hadn’t knocked, but he didn’t really mind. Genesis collapsed right onto Spehiroth’s bed, falling asleep almost instantly--a clear sign that he’s exhausted. Sephiroth looked down on him in pity, brushing a lock of his auburn hair out of his face. Genesis’ eyes flew open, fluttering slightly. Sephiroth smiled at him. 

“Well, the beautiful prince awakes from his slumber now, doesn’t he?” Sephiroth chuckled.

“How do you have so much free time? Aren’t you the hero?” Genesis asked him, stretching and standing up, stumbling out of Sephiroth’s first class SOLDIER quarters. Sephiroth’s were extra nice, with a full size bathroom and bathtub, which Genesis’ didn’t have. Genesis walked to the room right next door, his own. Sephiroth walked over to his kitchenette, where a kettle of tea was boiling. He looked over to his bed, and noticed the book. Loveless. Genesis will want it back. He walked out into the hallway. As he did, he noticed Angeal, who was walking out of his room, the large Buster sword sitting spotless on his back. 

“Alright, I’m off on a mission to Wutai.” Angeal said. “I’ll be back in a couple days.” Sephiroth nodded to him as he passed. He knocked on Genesis’ door. There was no response. He sighed, and walked into the room. Genesis’ coat was hanging halfway off a chair, and he was sleeping facedown on the floor. Sephiroth sighed, placing Loveless carefully on his nightstand. He crouched down, and grabbed Genesis in his arms, setting him carefully on his bed. He tucks Genesis in and then sat in a chair nearby. He grabbed Genesis’ copy of Loveless, opening it and reading from the very beginning. The prologue was wordy, but Sephiroth could instantly understand why Genesis liked it so much. “When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end…” He read aloud.

 And as the hours passed, Sephiroth made occasional trips back to his room to get something with caffeine in it to stay awake, though he could probably do without it. He just liked the taste, mostly. As he absentmindedly sipped on a mug of coffee, he continued reading. “Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess…” He continued reading. As he delved further into the book, Genesis began to stir. Sephiroth made a mental note of the page he was on, then set Loveless down. Sephiroth stood up to go, but in a half-awake voice, Genesis called softly to him. 

“Sephiroth…Can you stay? Keep reading, it only gets better.” Sephiroth turned to him, smiled, sat down, and started reading. 

“Do you want me to read it out loud?” Sephiroth asked teasingly. He was secretly hoping Genesis would agree. His wish would be granted as Genesis nodded. Sephiroth paused for a moment. He had always wanted to appreciate literature with people, but was a bit anxious to do so. He cleared his throat and began to read in a loud, but controlled, voice. 

“Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul…” Sephiroth said. Genesis smiled. He clearly approved. 

“You have a wonderful reading voice, Sephiroth.” Genesis said softly, reaching up to brush the corner of his hair. Sephiroth tensed up at the sudden movement, but relaxed.

***

Every day, they would read a bit more of Loveless. Then, Genesis handed Sephiroth a copy of it, with a large bow on it.

“Surprise, Sephi.” He said. “I got you your own copy of Loveless. ” 

“Thank you.” Sephiroth said quietly, seeming unsure about how to thank him other than to say the words. Later that night, he would open his own copy, to find a letter. There was an ornate looking seal on it. He popped it open. 

Sephiroth. You mean much to me. More than you could know. Perhaps we could meet in Junon after your mission? At night? On the cannon. We love to take risks, after all. It’ll just be you and I, and the sea. 

Genesis Rhapsodos

Sephiroth blinked at the letter, reading it over and over. 

“SOLDIER First class Sephiroth, you are wanted in Director Lazard’s at once!” A Shinra grunt yelled from outside his door. “SOLDIERs first class Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley, you are needed in the board room! Tseng and Reno of the Turks are waiting for you there. Sephiroth grabbed his bag, thinking. Then, at the last second, he grabbed his copy of Loveless , stuffing it into his bag, running out of his room, right past Angeal, nearly knocking him off his feet. 

“Well, someone’s in a rush.” Angeal said.

“I wonder why that could be.” Genesis said knowingly. Him and Angeal began walking to the board room.

***

Sephiroth opened the door. Inside sat Rufus Shinra, the president’s son. He was talking to Director Lazard. 

“Ah, Sephiroth. You’ve made it. Rufus Shinra will be accompanying you for business purposes. You will be his bodyguard.” Lazard explained. Sephiroth nodded. 

“Shouldn’t be difficult then, since the kid knows a thing or two about fighting too.” Sephiroth said.

“‘A thing or two?’ That is insulting. You speak to me, the son of the president. My power is second only to yours.” Rufus explained. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

“Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley do surpass you in strength levels, Rufus.” Lazard interjected. 

“Whatever you say.” Rufus muttered. He rolled his eyes and stepped behind Sephiroth, who nodded curtly to Lazard before leaving for the convoy, ready to ‘put his life on the line’ for Rufus Shinra, though there would be no threat to his life. As they made it to the Convoy, he gestured to the nice seat for Rufus, then sat down in the seat across from that, unsheathing his Masamune and setting it up to lean against his shoulder. Then, he sighed. There were a load of elite Shinra troopers in there, along with a single Turk, one with semi-short blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a pistol holstered at her side and her arms crossed, looking at Sephiroth curiously. 

“So…you are?” He asked her. She looked around at the others. “At ease, troopers. Rest for the journey, the Turk and I can handle Rufus Shinra.” The troopers, originally alert, sitting upright, all began to relax. 

“I’m Gun. Well, my real name is Emma, but most people just call me Gun.” She explained. “And you’re Sephiroth. Strongest SOLDIER, right?” She asked. Sephiroth nodded. 

“That’s what they say. I’ve not heard of you. Then again, I typically only work with Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Verdot.” 

“I don’t talk about myself a whole lot, I just do the Turk job. Those four just outshine and go beyond their position in one way or another.”

“One way or another, I think Reno Sinclair is ‘another’, if you ask me.” Sephiroth said, making Gun chuckle. Rufus himself cracked a smile after Sephiroth said that.

“But Reno is strong. Stronger than you think. He’s just a bit strange, you know?” Rufus said. The two nodded. Rufus sighed, stretching out. “Ah, you two definitely make me feel safer. There’s no danger, even if something giant attacked the convoy.” The three pause for a moment, holding their breath. However, the convoy doesn’t stop, and no inconsistencies or irregularities happen. Sephiroth pulls out his copy of Loveless , reading it again and letting his mind wander to the Junon cannon, to the stars, to the sea. To Genesis.

Chapter Text

Sephiroth gets to his feet, sheathing the long blade carefully, his eyes never leaving Rufus Shinra. Rufus eventually left the convoy, the elite Shinra troopers remaining in their seats, all asleep. Emma, however, was still wide awake and alert, staying physically close to Rufus.

“I will scout out the path ahead. Stay with the convoy during this stop and protect Rufus.” Sephiroth said. Emma nodded, her body language changing to more of a guarding pose, her eyes looking around, observing the environment and everything in it. She rolled her eyes at the sleeping troopers.

“Looks like it’s up to me, then. Better keep that gun on you, Rufus.” Emma said, smirking. Rufus glared at her, then drew his gun, waiting, making sure he was prepared. He was no idiot. He was wide awake, alert, ready for a fight if need be. 

However, there won’t be any need for that. Sephiroth thought. He stood at the overgrown entrance, blocked off by a mass of branches and vines. He sliced through with his blade, pushing the rusted, creaky gate open. He stepped onto the path, which was hidden beneath a mass of plants, leaves, grass. A path reclaimed by nature. Reclaimed by the planet. Sephiroth paused, admiring it. He was interested in the planet, and always ever so slightly guilty. After all, he worked for Shinra. Then, there was rustling in the bushes nearby.

Sephiroth drew his blade, ready to defend himself or strike against whatever foe would dare to attack. He took a deep breath, letting himself calm down, focus. A monster he hadn’t seen jumped out of the bushes, attacking him. He was going to block, but decided at the last second that it would be smarter to dodge. He rolled aside, slashing his blade three times, watching the thing make a guttural noise of pain. It got to its feet, dripping some sort of liquid with blood-like consistency, though a dark, sticky purple. Sephiroth waited for the thing to strike, blocking the attack, leaving the thing wide open. 

“You’re finished!” He yelled, with a heavy finishing blow. The thing died, laying there. Sephiroth examined it for a moment before it vanished. 

“Never seen anything like that before. Perhaps I ought to get the others.” He says aloud. He walks back to the convoy, where two of the elite Shinra troopers have come to, wearily replacing or readjusting their helmets and loading their guns.

“It doesn’t take that long, dammit. Just get your weapons ready and do your job.” Rufus was saying. Sephiroth reemerged, catching both Rufus’s and Emma’s attention.

“Hey, what’s that purple stuff?” Emma asked.

“Hm?” Sephiroth asked. He looked. It seemed like some of the purple…blood (?) had found its way onto him. “It’s what I need to warn about. Something unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It moved incredibly quickly.” This catches their attention. 

“The great SOLDIER Sephiroth saying that a fiend moves nearly as fast as him, Ha!” Rufus chuckles. Sephiroth, still slightly socially naive and inept, doesn’t quite understand that Rufus is trying to be rude.

“Yes, it did. We’d best be on our guard.” The two elite troopers look at each other wearily, then back at Sephiroth.

“Dude, what do we do?” One of the guards mutters. 

“What do you mean, what do we do? We wake the others and do our duty!” The other whisper-replies, his voice just barely audible to Rufus, who nods approvingly, smirking.

“Nah, that’s way too much work, man.” The soldier whispered, replying back. “You can go if you want but I’m staying guard at the convoy.” The other trooper stands at attention, standing on the opposite side of Rufus as Emma. Rufus sighs. 

“I mean, you don’t really think either of you being here is going to make any of a difference with Sephiroth here?” He asked. 

“How can you say that? I’m a Turk. I had to work for all this.” Emma said. 

“And I’m the president’s son, what’s your point? I don’t feel like I’m lying, am I?” 

“A bit, Rufus.” Sephiroth said. Rufus sighed.

“Alright. Lead the way, SOLDIER, oh great and powerful war hero.” Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

I wonder what Genesis is up to.

***

In the board room, Genesis sat next to Angeal. Lazard was bent over his computer, clearly stressing over something. The board room door opened up, and Tseng walked in. His hair was tied up in a ponytail. 

“Genesis, Angeal.” Tseng said. 

“Thanks for the roll call. Are you finished?” Genesis asked. Tseng raised an eyebrow. 

“I haven’t even started. Please listen for a moment.” 

“Do I have to?” Genesis asked. “I mean, I don’t take orders from you.” 

“Genesis, quiet.” Lazard said, not taking his eyes off the screen, putting a pen up to his mouth, nibbling on the edge of it subconsciously. 

“Yes, sir.” Genesis said, putting a finger to his lips with a smirk. Tseng paused for a moment, then began,

“There’s apparently been some people from the slums causing trouble topside. You two will be with me and Reno in the helicopter, watching from above. Worst case scenario, you two get deployed with him.

“I understand. What are we looking for?” Angeal asked, his face serious. 

“Multiple people, some of whom appear to be in SOLDIER outfits, with very slight inconsistencies. No first class outfits, but a few third class outfits. That’s why all SOLDIERS have been called to retreat, besides you two.” Tseng explained. Angeal nodded.

“Got it. Are we ready?” Angeal asked.

“Almost.” Lazard interjected, finally looking up for a moment. “Do you think I could get your assistance with this?” He gestures to a computer. Tseng, Angeal, and Genesis lean over to look at Lazard’s screen. “These spreadsheets aren’t making any sense.” Lazard said. Tseng chuckled. 

“I’ll call Reeve down, he can assist. Now just where is Reno?” Tseng muttered.

“Right here!” A loud voice said. The door to the board room flew wide open. “Spreadsheets are boring. Let’s go catch these SOLDIER impostors.” He cracked his knuckles, then his neck. “Oooooh, that was a nice neck crack.” Angeal and Genesis exchanged a look. Tseng took a deep breath. 

“Remember, we only get involved if we have to, and there’s no guarantee we’ll even find any of them.” 

“Well, yeah, but if we see anybody in a SOLDIER third or second class uniform, at least we know they’re fake!” Reno said. “And as for the grunts, well, those helmets will look something different, thanks to some help from some other people.” 

“We should still be careful. If they were able to infiltrate Shinra and get topside, then they’re definitely at least a little dangerous.” Angeal said.

“Aw come on, Angeal. You’re young, younger than me, you can handle it.” Reno said.

“I’m only three years younger than you, Reno.” Angeal said.

“So, slick? What’s your point?” Reno asked.

“So quit being so damn patronizing. Have some honor.” Angeal said. Reno sighed.

“You and your ‘honor’.” Reno said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Angeal asked, taking a breath to compose himself.

“Yes, what are you implying?” Genesis asked with a raised eyebrow. Tseng just turned away, exasperated. 

“What does implying mean?” Reno asked.

“Enough bickering!” Lazard yelled. They went quiet. “Go. This is serious. Quit wasting time.” He gestures them all out of the board room. Then he breathes a sigh of relief. “Now I can do this spreadsheet uninterrupted.” The door opens behind him. “Oh come o-”

***

Sephiroth pushed open the rusty gate again, the birds melodic chirping feeling oddly otherworldly combined with the loud creak of the gate. Rufus turned his lip up, looking at it. 

“These shoes are going to be ruined.” 

“Your father is the president, I don’t think that’s an issue.” Sephiroth said. Rufus shrugged. 

“This place is really overgrown.” Emma said.

“Brillaint observation.” Rufus said, clapping his hands slowly. “Do you want a medal, Turk?” Rufus sneered. Emma turned to Sephiroth, and he looked back at her. There was definitely something passed between that look. He’s being an asshole. We’re going to talk about it whenever we aren’t around him. Sephiroth thought. He had a feeling his thoughts were passed along. Then, two sounds of rustling. Two more creatures jump out of the brush. Emma kicks one back while Sephiroth impales one. A third one hops down from a branch, about to get Rufus. Rufus shot it, and it fell to the ground along with the impaled one, seemingly dead. Emma grabbed the third one, kicking it hard enough into a tree to kill it. 

“There appears to be a colony of them. We should try and keep one alive so Hojo can-” He was cut off.

“No. We’re eliminating those fiends.” Sephiroth said. “We’re not giving Hojo any more ideas.” 

“You aren’t a fan of him either, then?” Emma asked Sephiroth.

“I am not, no. I don’t like him at all.” Rufus chuckled. “What’re you laughing at, Vice president?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?” Rufus asked with a sneer on his face.

“What?” Sephiroth asked blankly. “Weather boy?” 

“Nevermind. But we should bring a sample back to learn more about-” 

“I’m not saying this again, Vice President. We’re not letting Hojo have access to these. Let’s fight too, elite trooper.” Sephiroth said. The elite trooper nods and salutes, loading his gun and aiming it toward the nest. He grabbed a hand grenade from his belt. 

“I say we hit it with everything we’ve got at once!” The elite trooper said.

“Sounds like a good idea, trooper. Say, what is your goal to do after being an elite trooper?” Sephiroth asked him. He turns away, his face red.

“I wanna…” His voice trailed off into silence

“What?” Sephiroth asked, confused. The trooper remained abashed. 

“I wanna become a SOLDIER.” He said. 

“Ah.”

“Yes, I know it isn’t achievable.” 

“Oh, it very much is. In fact, I’ll put in a good word to Director Lazard if you keep up your hard work. You’re better than the others in your squad already, so I say we promote you to general of the squad for now.” The trooper looked shocked.

“You--You’re serious?” 

“I am. You’ve definitely proven better than your general, who is still passed out asleep as far as we know. Rufus?”

“Yes, yes. He can be promoted. Er…welcome, general…Uh…” Rufus blanked.

“Alphons, sir. I won’t let you down!” He saluted, then aimed his gun at the nest, in a kneeling position. Unmoving. His aim seems precise, his handling of the gun perfect. His breaths were controlled. Rufus sighed. 

“They all say that.”

“But I mean it.” He said, not taking his eyes off the nest. “Ready, Sephiroth, Emma?”

“Let’s go.” They said in unison. 

“Ready.” Emma said. Alphons pulled the pin.

“Aim.” Sephiroth said. Alphons threw the grenade into the nest, hearing the things inside making noises of upset.

“Fire.” General Alphons said. Right as he pulled the trigger, the grenade exploded, knocking multiple things toward Sephiroth who sliced them up as Emma began kicking one after the other back. They began to die and fade away, one after the other, the gunfire being consistent, the slices and sounds of Turk boots impacting also pierce the air. After a few moments, the nest is empty. The three of them are covered in purple blood, though Rufus had ducked behind a rock, having only a very small stain on his left arm sleeve. He looked at it disappointedly.

“This outfit is very expensive…It would be terrible if I took a sample of this from my sleeve and gave it to Hojo, wouldn’t it?” He asked. Sephiroth turned to him.

“You know what kinds of things he’d do with that. I’m not going to do that. If you want to attempt to find a living sample and die in the process, that’s your choice. Emma, General Alphons, and I will push on.” Rufus sighed.
“You know, I think you’ve got it handled. Why don’t I head back to the convoy?” He asked.

“Alone? When our orders are to protect you? You want us to leave you with those incompetent people?” Sephiroth asked.

“No, no, I’ll be heading up front to the secure area to update my father, Verdot, Reeve, Heidegger. In a fully bulletproof and explosion proof mobile conference room.” He said. Then he waved goodbye to them and headed off. “Oh, wait, before I go.” He ripped off the stained sleeve, tossing it to them. “I’d rather get this nice thing fixed at a tailor’s than try and clean that stain out. Bye now.”

“What an ass.” Emma said the second he was out of earshot.

“He can definitely be one sometimes, yeah. But Rufus Shinra is smart. Dangerously so, at times.” Sephiroth explained darkly.

“Alright, are we pushing on now?” General Alphons asked.

“Yes, but we’d best rest. Who knows what else or who else we could face.”

***

Verdot sat attentively as Rufus appeared on the screen. 

“There were some other creatures, things unknown. Sephiroth said he didn’t want to bring any samples back for Hojo, but I think we could. It’d be fine, I’m sure.” Rufus said.

“No.” Verdot said simply.

“Why not? He won’t know.”

“Sephiroth is shrewd. He probably assumes you’re planning on doing it. And either way, I don’t like Hojo either.”

“Well, you’re very blunt.”

“Would you rather I tiptoe around the issue when my Turks are out fighting for this? Hell, I just sent out Tseng and Reno with two first class SOLDIERs to deal with the fakes. Not to mention Emma. How is she, by the way?” Verdot asked. Rufus blinked. 

“That’s a lot to say in two sentences. Reno? Why him? Why would you choose tha-” 

“We don’t have time to wait. We need this mission to succeed and you’re sitting there.” Verdot said.

“I’m briefing you.” 

“Well, quit briefing me. As long as Emma’s doing good. I got the feeling she might find a way to get along with Sephiroth.” He said. Then, he left. He sighed, getting up from his desk to look over at some maps. The helicopter that contained Genesis, Angeal, Tseng, and Reno was visible as a little blinking dot on the map.

***

The wind blew Genesis’s hair as they flew above the plate, circling Shinra HQ in a spiral motion, slowly moving out more and more, expanding their search. They hadn’t seen anything yet, but it was only a matter of time before they did. Even if it wasn’t something nearly as exciting as they were hoping, they were bound to encounter some sort of trouble, surely. Genesis looked out the window, his blue eyes sweeping over the nice looking houses, modern and clean seeming. But really, his eyes weren’t seeing any of that. He was thinking of a tall person with long, silver hair. Someone handsome and attractive. Genesis shook his head, trying to focus on the mission. He had more important things to worry about. But Sephiroth is important. But he’s fine. He’s completely fine, I’m sure. 

“Down there, Shinra grunts! We gotta see if they’re clear. Tseng, fly lower!” Reno yelled. Tseng obliged at once, taking them lower quickly but smoothly. The two SOLDIERS held on to the railings on the top just for balance’s sake, looking down at the grunts below. Reno grabbed a pair of binoculars and smacked himself in the face with them in his haste to look through them. Genesis and Angeal exchanged a look and a chuckle, then Reno said, “False alarm, I think. Those guys are real. Wait.” He holds up a hand. “Are they? Check this out.” He passes the binoculars to Angeal, who handles them much more gracefully than Reno, staring through them. 

“Those are fakes. Tseng, fly up and provide recon, tell us if they call any sort of reinforcements!” Angeal said. Genesis stretched out his arms, then him and Genesis dove off the helicopter, with Reno still in it.

“Do I have to?” He asked.

“Verdot said you do.” 

“Fineeee.” He drew his baton and then dove sideways out the window with a yell.

Genesis landed first, rolling and then kicking himself up to his feet. Angeal lands in a kneeling position, standing up. 

“Finally going to use that sword of yours?” Genesis asked.

“Nope. Wear, tear, and rust, remember?” Angeal reminded him.

“Right.” 

“-AAAAAAAAGHHHHH!” Reno’s yell was heard as he smacked into the ground. “Ouch. Didn’t stick the landing, huh?” He gets to his feet, brushing himself off. One of the Shinra fakes charged at Genesis, and he yelled,

“DIE!” But Genesis dodged, burning the fake, knocking it back. 

“Something tells me this is gonna be a long fight.” Reno said.
“Indeed it will. But we will win. 

‘My soul, corrupted by vengeance

Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey

In my own salvation

And your eternal slumber’. These words are ever so important.”

Chapter Text

Sephiroth, Gun, and General Alphons made their way deeper into the overgrown forest, finding a large, abandoned shack that was on no Shinra radars. 

“What is this place?” Gun muttered. She drew her pistol, stepping up to the door. She went to push it open, and it fell right off the hinges with a defiant thud . And then, to increase the irony, the door simply broke in two as it fell onto the ground. 

“Uh…that might be a sign that this place isn’t structurally stable.” General Alphons said. “But I’d hate to jump to conclusions.” He grinned. Gun let out a giggle, but Sephiroth turned back and looked confused.

“What?” He asked. Gun and Alphons exchanged a look. “Was there a joke I missed?” Sephiroth asked.

“Yeah.” Gun said.

“Oh, sorry. I’m not always the best with that.” He turned his eyes slightly, standing awkwardly. He shifted on his feet.

“The joke is-” General Alphons began.

“Wait. I’ve heard that explaining a joke allegedly makes it no longer funny. That is what the Turk Reno said.” Gun rolled her eyes.

“That’s Reno for ya. It’s okay, we'll explore that joke later. We should explore this house now.” Sephiroth nods, agreeing with Gun. Then, he steps over the broken-in-two door, turning to the dingy but large house. The stairs seem to be collapsing in on themselves. Sephiroth tentatively steps to a closed door, carefully trying to open it without it falling. However, it does. It immediately falls. An odd looking humanoid creature is standing on the other side, and it knocks the door backward into Sephiroth’s face. He draws his sword, but before he can even swing it, the thing is being hit by one bullet, two, three, four, five. Gun unloads an entire magazine onto the thing, and it collapses. 

“Heh, that was pretty easy. Just magdump on a random creature.” 

“We should keep looking.” Sephiroth said. “But we must be cautious, since we know we aren’t alone now.” He steps forward, kicking open another door, which absolutely shatters against his boot. There is nothing in any of the other rooms on the first floor. They’re all pretty empty, aside from some old moth-eaten clothing. 

“I guess we need to find a way upstairs. After we clear this house, we should head back to the convoy.” Gun says.

“You know, I like you two.” Sephiroth says awkwardly. “You don’t do things halfway, and I appreciate that.” 

“Thank you, that really means a lot, Sir.” General Alphons says.

“Please, don’t call me sir. It doesn’t really suit me.” Sephiroth says.

“Thanks, Sephiroth.” Gun says. 

“Now, any ideas on how to get upstairs?” Sephiroth asks.

***

Genesis strikes the Rapier against one of the fake SOLDIERs, surprised by their strength and durability.

“You’re much more powerful than I had realized. You know, why not just join SOLDIER?” Genesis asked.

“Like I’d ever tell you anything about myself!” He yelled.

“It may be your last chance to do that, so I’d recommend it if you want anyone else to hear your story. If you’d rather go without sharing, that is fine too, but you might as well, right?

“I WON’T! I have to kill you all! I have to do this for my family! Even if I die!” 

“Then you will die with honor.” Angeal said calmly. He jumped up, flipping behind the false SOLDIER, grabbing the sword right from his hands, and hitting him with it.

“What? Don’t tell me that big sword is all just for show! You’re gonna take my weapon? That’s a low blow, pal.” The false SOLDIER covers his face, then yells in anger. He pulls out a vial with some sort of liquid and injects his throat. He begins twitching and shaking, his veins pulsing and bulging out of his head.

“What the hell is happening?! Is he tweaking?!” Reno yelled, blocking an oncoming attack from a few other people dressed as Shinra grunts before smacking one hard with a baton. 

“You think we know?!” Angeal yelled. “It’s something dangerous, clearly! Assess the damage! Tseng, how’s it looking?!”

***

From the helicopter above, Tseng flies, getting a metal bird’s-eye-view of the chaos below. 

“Damage assessment can wait! Reinforcements are coming, they stole Shinra tanks! They have a truck full of armed foes!” He pauses as he turns to get another view, then listens to the radio as Reno yells over it,

“A LITTLE BUSY HERE, THIS ONE INJECTED SOMETHING INTO HIS NECK AND NOW HE’S TEN TIMES STRONGER AND MORE DURABLE! HIS SKIN MIGHT AS WELL BE MADE OF STEEL NOW! WE NEED MORE SUPPORT!” 

“Calm down, I’m figuring something out. Well, I’m trying to, anyway. Just hold out for a bit longer! Verdot is trying to get us air support! Don’t worry about the scale of destruction, just go all-out! There’s a demolitionist squad over there, Reno, go take care of them! Looks like there’s a few other ground operatives in the area! There’s another operative down there, meet up with them and be careful because of the sheer amount of explosives they’re carrying. You should be able to reach them before they--” Tseng is cut off as a large explosion happens. The bombs planted set off a chain reaction of explosives and gasoline, and Tseng could only watch as buildings collapsed all around him, and the smoke from the debris obscured Tseng’s view from the helicopter.

***

Below, as the rubble collapses, Reno is separate from Angeal and Genesis, and Angeal is buried under rubble. Genesis’ eyes widen. 

“Friend! Angeal!” He yelled.

“I’m okay, Genesis, don’t worry.”

“The goddess protected you.”

“Yeah, whatever you say. I’ll meet up with you, just fight that odd guy, you’re strong enough to hold out.” Angeal said.

I suppose I am alone now. Goddess, be with me.  

The drugged-up false SOLDIER attacks Genesis, he blocks, feeling the momentum of each of the attacks. But still, he holds out. Then, he sees an opening. He takes a deep breath, then he swings his sword, counterattacking with just enough strength to knock the enemy back, who gets smashed in the ground. However, he jumps right back up. Genesis dodges this time. 

“FIRAGA!” Genesis yells, using his high-power Materia. The flames cover the false SOLDIER’s body, and he yells in pain. Genesis doesn’t wait for anything else. 

I’M BREAKING MY LIMIT!

“Apocalypse!” Genesis yells. His powerful attack is enough to finish off this thing, and he collapses to the ground, unmoving. “Tseng, the drugged-out one is finished! The tanks are rapidly approac-” Genesis was cut off as a tank fires directly at him, slamming him into the ground, He groans, faintly moving his arm. He might be a superpowered SOLDIER, but he wasn’t immune to a point-blank tank shot. He moved in the rubble, assessing the damage.

I need to check if bones are broken before the infantry attacks. The property damage is gonna be hell to deal with, but first I have to focus on moving my body. I cannot fall here. I need to make it to Junon. But my body just hurts so much. What can I do? I refuse to fall. 

Genesis managed to reach into his red jacket, pulling out a green Materia.

“Curaga.” He breathed faintly. The sound alerted the squad to his location, but he drew his rapier in one hand and a summoning Materia in the other. I’d like to use other things, but since the damage is enough, I’ll summon Bahamut. He tossed the summoning Materia in the air, and as he got up from the rubble, the squad yelled in fear, running from Bahamut, but multiple get knocked back, and several lie unmoving. 

“Hit them with a Megaflare.” Genesis said calmly. As the tank prepared to fire, the Megaflare finished charging. 

“Even if the morrow is barren of promises

Nothing shall forestall my return

To become the dew that quenches the land

To spare the sands, the seas, the skies

I offer thee this silent sacrifice.” Genesis quoted. Then, the megaflare blew the tank up. Genesis turned his back, ready to meet up with Angeal. 

“Good job, Genesis.” Tseng said over the radio.

***

Reno ran quickly into the damaged, partially-collapsed building with no hesitation. 

“Help us! We can’t get down from up here, the way out’s blocked!” Someone cried out. There were multiple voices up there.

Trapped people. Get serious, Reno. There are more lives involved. I couldn’t save the ones who went in the initial blast, but I won’t let these survivors die. Reno runs forward, trying to find a way to the third floor, where the survivors were trapped. He managed to jump up on the second floor, and he crouched and inched through that partially collapsed doorway, feeling the cold stone on his fingertips. Not his fingers, just his fingertips. 

Because I got sick-ass fingerless gloves. He thought to himself. He ran up the partially collapsed stairs, about to turn the final corner where the blocked exit was, when he physically ran into someone else. Someone with a broad frame, wide shoulders, a shiny bald head, and wearing sunglasses inside-perhaps the only non-douchebag to ever do that.

“Rude! You’re down here too! This is bad, huh?” Reno asked.

“Yes.”

“There’s some survivors trapped behind here. The demo team is nearby, and they might have some C4. We should’ve brought a bunch more equipment. We’ll have to beat the demo team without blowing up their explosives. I think we could do that. If we get up close, they won’t blow anything up, right? Unless they’re committed to death.” Reno says.

“I’ve never heard you be so rational. Where’s my Reno?” Rude asked.

“He’s on break.” Reno grinned. “Let’s track them down. Go up to the fourth floor, where it’s essentially the roof with the amount of the skyscraper that’s gone. There’s a real good view up there, we might be able to see them, but we gotta be ready to take cover and get the hell away from the building before they start shooting rockets at us.” 

“Sounds good to me, Reno. Let’s take them down.” 

***

Sephiroth, Gun, and General Alphons tried to go up the stairs, but the rotted wooden step collapsed beneath Sephiroth, and he went tumbling down. He landed on his back, but got to his feet quickly, drawing Masamune at once.

“This part down here feels different, some sort of sub-basement under the stairs. It’s very dark down here, I can’t see a whole lot.” Sephiroth feels around, and his hand brushes something. Something cold. 

“I have a flashlight! Want me to toss it down? I’ll turn it on first so you can find it in the dark.” Gun said.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll find a way out, and then we’ll see if we can find another way.” Sephiroth replied.
“General Alphons started looking for a rope! We’ll toss one down and pull you up.”

“I’m pretty heavy, and these pauldrons don’t help.”

“I’m a Turk, I’m trained for this. And I have General Alphons too. We’re the strongest thing in the house. Anything else would break trying to lift you.” Gun explained.

“Got it.” Gun dropped down the flashlight, and Sephiroth stumbled his way over to it, picking it up and shining it down where his hand brushed the cold. He gasped, immediately horrified. Lying there, on the ground, was a body. What Sephiroth had brushed wasn’t a cold stone wall. It was a dead person’s hand. There was no sign of any blood, blunt trauma, or anything along those lines, so he couldn’t immediately figure out a cause of death. He relayed his findings to Gun, who was still standing above. 

“We should try and figure it out, maybe starvation?” 

“No sign of malnourishment. That one’s out. It could be some sort of poisoning, something like that. But we can’t rule out that he was killed by someone else, even if there aren't any physical injuries.” Sephiroth said.

“We should investigate upstairs.” Gun said. “General Alphons found a rope.” Gun drops the rope over the edge, down to the pit below. Sephiroth’s gloved hands wrap around the frayed rope. He looked down to see that the end of the rope was tied in a familiar shape. 

“The end of this being in a noose doesn’t bear well.” Sephiroth said.

“Yeah, I had to untie the rope from a pair of gallows that were falling apart.” General Alphons explained. Gun and General Alphons began grunting and pulling until Sephiroth was able to wrap his hands around the rim of the pit under the stairs, pulling himself to his feet. He handed the flashlight back to Gun, saying,

“Thank you for that. Let’s investigate upstairs.” 

The three begin making their way upstairs, weapons drawn. As they get to the top, they head down a hall, where Gun leans against the corner, and cautiously peaks around the corner with her pistol. However, the long hallway ahead was clear.

“It’s clear, but we’ll have to clear the rooms on the way.” Gun said. Sephiroth nodded to indicate he understands. General Alphons brought up the rear, gun drawn, facing behind them. Sephiroth pushed open the first door, and saw a room that was abandoned, but the clothes seemed much, much newer. And there was trash that didn’t appear to be old or weathered or yellowed.

“See that? That indicates we might have either squatters on our hands or some sort of murderer.” 

“Well that escalates pretty fast.” Gun says.

“Yes, one must always be prepared for the worst in this job.” Sephiroth explained.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” Gun said. “But that means we might have more people up here, even run into an occupant?” 

“It does.” 

“Guys!” General Alphons yelled, his cry falling on deaf ears.

“But what do we do if we find one?” Gun asked.

“We can try and resolve things if we can.” Sephiroth explained. “But if we have to, we’ll fight.” 

“Got it, I understand.” 

“GUYS! THERE’S A GUY WITH A KNIFE!” General Alphons yelled. When Gun and Sephiroth turn around, sure enough, General Alphons was blocking a charging man with a ragged gray beard and one glassy eye. He had wrinkles and scars and his skin was pockmarked and dirty. He wore a dirty, stained pair of overalls. He stabbed the knife into General Alphons’ chest. General Alphons let out a horrid cry of pain. Sephiroth moved quickly, and with two slashes, Sephiroth ducked right as Gun pulled her trigger. The bullet made contact with him, and he crumpled at once. Sephiroth kneeled by General Alphons, taking a breath. 

“Check his pulse.” Sephiroth said. He didn’t even wait before beginning to check the stab wound. 

“I feel a pulse, but we don’t have long. He’s bleeding way too much.” Gun said. “Do you have any potions?” She asked. 

“No, I don’t have any. I have this, though.” He pulled out a green Materia. “Cura,” he muttered. At once, a small flash of green light partially healed his wounds. “That should help him out. I stopped the bleeding, but a single Cura materia isn’t going to do a whole lot, especially from an inexperienced healer like myself. He’s still lost a ton of blood, we need to get him back as soon as we can.” Sephiroth said. Gun nodded, understanding. She helped as Sephiroth hoisted General Alphons over his shoulder.

“I’m going to have you lead the way this time. Forget about searching the place, we can always come back. For now, we need to focus on getting General Alphons there ASAP,” Sephiroth said. “Understand?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Gun says, drawing her pistol. She keeps it prepared as Sephiroth carries general Alphons back to the convoy. His mind wanders. Genesis should be doing alright, hopefully the patrol went well. For Sephiroth had been kept uninformed of what was really going on. Or of the danger Genesis could be in. I can’t think about that. I have to focus on this ahead of me. Why can’t I stop thinking about Genesis? My mind shouldn’t wander, I have to focus on the path ahead of me, but I can’t stop thinking about him. Sephiroth trips over a particularly large and nasty root and smacks hard into the jungle-like floor. Emma holds out a hand to lift Sephiroth up. He pauses, looking at it, then gracefully accepts it, a rare warm smile crossing his face. 

“Thank you for the assistance. My apologies, my mind was wandering.” Sephiroth said.

***

Genesis hopped up onto the rubble, surveying the area. There was no sign of Angeal, but no sign of any fake SOLDIERs or Shinra grunts anywhere. Genesis ran a bit further, up to a building that was still standing, but appeared to be barely standing. He ran inside, looking for anyone else who was alive. He only saw bodies, more and more bodies. 

“No sign of survivors, Tseng.” He said over the radio.

“Got it. Move on, Genesis. The debris is clearing enough that I can see Angeal, he’s down the block from you, near Loveless Theater-" Tseng said.

“The theater is in danger?” Genesis asked.

“Yes. There appears to be a squad inside, holding some people hostage and standing onstage. Angeal is heading over, but you’re much closer.” 

“THEY’RE DISGRACING LOVELESS!” Genesis yelled angrily, sprinting over to the theater. 

“Verdot knew that would get you going.” Tseng chuckled over the radio.

***

Angeal was headed for Loveless theater. 

“Angeal, Genesis has it handled. I want you to reroute to the warehouse filled with Shinra weaponry they’re launching a raid on right now. We’re planning on launching second-class SOLDIER battalions, but Verdot has discussed with Lazard and thinks it might be a bit too dangerous, considering the fakes.” Tseng explained.

“Got it. I’m on my way now.” Angeal said. As he stood outside the warehouse, listening to gunfire coming from outside, he drew the sword he took from the false SOLDIER they had fought earlier. He held it up. 

“Embrace your dreams,” He began. “And, whatever happens, protect your honor, AS SOLDIER!” Angeal yelled, kicking the door open. The five raiding inside grabbed weapons from off the wall, but Angeal rolled behind cover, waiting for opening, creeping closer and closer, until he was right behind one of them, where he took him down. He went around the rest of the place, taking them down, before reinforcements entered the warehouse from two separate sides, sandwiching Angeal in the middle. Angeal jumped up to the rafters of the warehouse, then jumped down below, skewering two with the blade, kicking back, swinging at one behind him before pulling out a Materia. 

“Thundaga.” He said. The large, powerful bolts of pure electricity zapped through the others, leaving Angeal standing alone. He wipes his brow, then says over the radio,

***

“It’s done, Tseng. The warehouse is clear.” Angeal’s voice came through the radio. 

“Okay, standby for next orders.” He replied, turning to the monitor that Verdot’s face was on. “Where do you want to send Angeal next?” Tseng asked. His other laptop went off with a notification as well, ringing loudly.

“It looks like they’re starting to retreat. Have Angeal go after them, try and take one alive if he can, and if he can’t, have him track them to a hideout.” Verdot said. Tseng accepted the other incoming video call, and SOLDIER Director Lazard’s face came into view. He had tired eyes and appeared bored.

“How are my SOLDIERs doing, Tseng?” Lazard asked. 

“They’re doing well, but they’re gonna be requiring some R&R. I’d get planning on that.” Tseng said.

“Ah, an excuse to avoid these spreadsheets for a bit. Of course.” Lazard said. “I’ll get working on some sort of retreat for them. And Tseng, we’ll be including you, Reno, and Rude as well, for your hard work.” Lazard said.

“Thank you, Director Lazard. I’ll brief you later.” Tseng hung up on the call. Tseng reached for the radio, about to inform Angeal, when another video call appeared. One directly from President Shinra. Tseng answered it at once. As the video feed loaded, President Shinra’s mustached face came into view.

“Sir.” Tseng said immediately.

“We may have to give you other authorities.” President Shinra said.

“Sorry, sir?” Tseng asked,

“The chopper you have is armed, but the weapons are all hidden. Look under the cyclic stick, there’s a hidden small button there that we hid for emergencies.” President Shinra explained. “You have full authority to use any of the weapons there. I have to go.” Without another word, or waiting even a second, President Shinra had hung up. Tseng took a deep breath, sweat beginning to drip down his brow. He grabbed the radio, saying into it,

“Angeal. Chase after the retreating troops, and try to take one alive. Not all the troops are retreating, but we need to try and capture one.” Tseng said.

“Understood.” Angeal said at once.

“Angeal really is a no-nonsense SOLDIER, hm?” Verdot asked, trying to make small talk. Tseng gave a noncommittal “mmm” as a response, his finger tracing under the cyclic stick until he found the button.

“EVERYONE BELOW AND EVERYONE WHO CAN HEAR ME! WE ARE WEAPONS FREE ON THE CHOPPER WITH AIR SUPPORT, I REPEAT, AIR SUPPORT IS WEAPONS FREE!” He pressed the button, and a whole bunch of new overlays appeared, including a spot to aim. He grabbed that, and started scanning the ground below. He saw a group of about 17 fake SOLDIERs, laughing and cheering upon the bodies of several squads of Shinra grunts. Tseng looked, and he flew the helicopter over them, dropping the bombs below before quickly flying away, seeing the large explosion below. 

“Hey, I’ve got three vehicles on me over here! One of them has an MG turret! We can’t get over to the demo squad unless these guys get outta our way!” Reno yelled over the radio. 

“Send the coordinates.” Tseng said. Reno sent them, and Tseng immediately rerouted course, making it over. Then, he saw the MG. Or rather, he saw the bullets as they started hitting the metal side of the chopper. Tseng aimed the helicopter’s guns down at them, and then  he let loose, watching the vehicles below explode, giving Reno and Rude enough cover to sneak by. He flew up, looking around and around, firing at any survivors he saw. Then, he saw a reflective glare bounce off the windshield of the helicopter. He swept the ground, and saw nothing. Then, the windshield shattered. He looked up, and saw where the glare was coming from. Sure enough, it was coming from a sniper, who was sitting with a bunch of teammates on a roof. Tseng flew a little higher, than fired his remote missile, expertly controlling it to hit the building right underneath the sniper and his squad, watching them all fall to their deaths below. Then…

“TSENG, LOOK OUT!” Reno yelled over the radio. The rocket from the RPG hit the helicopter, sending it spiraling. 

“I’ve lost control! Take them out!” 

“TSENG!” Verdot yelled over the computer. A second Rocket hit the helicopter, and then they watched it fall to the ground like a rock.

Boom.

***

Verdot was breathing heavily, his hands running through his hair. He might’ve just lost one of his best operatives.

“TSENG, DO YOU COPY?!” He yelled. But there was no response.

***

Reno and Rude stared at the man with the RPG in his hand. Then, they nodded. Rude ran forward, and Reno flanked from behind. Once the guy with the RPG was gone, it was easy enough for them to clear the rest out. But even clearing out the demolition team wouldn’t bring Tseng back, if he really was dead. 

“Tseng…” Reno said faintly, staring in the distance where a large plume of smoke was rising from.

“We can’t worry about him now, we have lives to save! The scale of destruction is unprecedented. We don’t want to lose any more lives.” Rude said.

“What about Tseng’s life? What if Tseng lived that and us not going there could be the reason he died?” 

“If Tseng lives, he will find a way to save himself. You know who he is.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s fight, then.”