Prologue
T minus six days until Meteor strikes.
Outskirts of Midgar
A thunderous blast could be heard for miles.In the middle of the battle, an Ultima spell roared,consuming all around it,except for the caster,a young blond man with a huge sword.The inmense beast was hurt,but it was nothing considering its size.Too big it could block the sun,it´s skin shinning as diamonds,and as hard as them.The Weapon was about to blast them to oblivion,when it heard the voice of the Planet,warning they were not the enemy.The Weapon turned and saw the source of the Planet´s pain, the huge city know as midgar.Slowly turning around,it went against the new menace.
"What´s happenning?." a young woman with brown hair asked.
"It senses murder." the blond man said.
"To my ship!." shouted a man dressed as a pilot.
They boarded the airship,and while observing the Weapon,they could see it was charging a devastating attack.But at Midgar,a giant cannon was being charged,ready to destroy the Weapon and Sephiroth,the culprit of this madness.As they both finished charging the energy,they unleasheaded it and both connected.
The Weapon falled into the ground,with a huge hole in it´s chest.But it had unleashed it´s attack succesfully,so it wasn´t defeated.As the Weapon fell,the airship leaved to the north.
"Sir,the bird has left the nest." A soldier said.It had been observing the recent events from a nearby hill and was speaking to a radio.
"Excellent!.Proceed with operation "Diamond burglar"." the radio crakled. Out of nowhere,giant helicopters appeared,and inside of them,soldiers with a single objective.As the helicopters delivered them,they were securing the body of the massive monster,hooking it to the choppers,and with a sign,they left,carrying with them the Weapon and going without a trace.
20 hours after Meteor strike.
Midgar slums.
The young man was happy.Not because the Meteor strike had destroyed the upper plates of Midgar,killing thousands who didn´t get to the slums on time,or because the survivors were broken,if not in body,in spirit.He was happy because this represented an opportunity.He now would make his dreams true and this was the right time and the right moment to execute his plans.As he walked trough the devatated slums,the people looked at him.Wearing a white as snow tunic,sandals and with a handsome face with long dark hair,he was quite a sight in the middle of the devastation.He irradiated an aura of confidence and power.A nearby man was in the floor,with both legs broken and his face was completely desfigurated,begging for someone to end his pain.The young man got close to him,and put his hands over the man.A wave of energy runned from the young man to the injured one.In moments,the man had ceased to yell,and was standing on his feet,his restaured face turned to the young man.A puzzled look on his eyes,he talked.
"Who are you?."
"My name is Joshua Garelk and I´m your savior."
"How do you do that?." asked someone from the group of people that was forming around them,attracted by the miracleously recovery of the man.
"Does it matter?.The important thing is that I can help your injured, your homeless,your families.I have the power to do it as you have seen. The only thing I´m asking in return is you follow me,and together we will make our dreams come true,this place will be a paradise on earth and all you have to do is follow me."
"I´m with you,bro!." a man from the now giant multitude said.Many other joined him,the questions of the more prudent silenced by the sounds of the people attracted by the savior,their hero.Joshua smiled.Everything was going to work.
2 days after Meteor incident.
Kalm town.
"Medic!." Tifa shouted.Suddenly,the young man she was taking care of had started having convulsions.The man,in his mid-twenties,brown hair and somewhat short,had been in the care center for the Meteor victims after being unburied from beneath a building.He was in bad shape,his left leg broken,a injury on his head running from his right temple to behind his head.The paramedics that brought him said he may had internal injuries and he wouldn´t survive.Tifa had been at his side from that moment,since the others went to help at Midgar.Due to the inmense catasthrophe,there were many victims,and not enogh people to help them. At the moment she had lost hopes of anyone showing up to help the young man,Joshua appeared.
"What´s the problem?." he asked.
"He´s having convulsions and I don´t know what to do."
"Let me give it a try."
The power emanated from his hands,slowly covering the man and stopping his convulsions,and healing the injuries.Tifa was marveled at this,seeing how the man had beginning to breathe more slowly, and how he was beginning to awake.She then saw how a flow of people had begun to fill the center of the town.She turned to thank Joshua,and saw him going to the director of the victims center.She could hear them talking,and she saw among the people many familiar faces,people from the slums,who had been given for death.She heard Joshua offering their help to the director,and he,grateful,told the multitude what to do.The people began to disperse,ready to do as they were told.Tifa then saw Joshua was going outside the town and followed him.
As Joshua was going away,Tifa reached him.
"Hey,wait!."
"What can I do for you?." Joshua said,smiling and showing a perfect smile.
"I want to thank you for helping that man over there.It was impressive.Did you used materia?."
"Something like that." Joshua said,dodging the question.
"Why are you going?.We could use your help back there you now."
"There´s still many people in Midgar who need me,and could not be able to get here on time.I´m going to help them.This people you saw were as bad,if not worse than that man,I healed them and brought them here to help."
"Well,I think you should wait.My friends will be here in an hour and could take you there in the Highwind."
"Thanks for the offer,but I have my own mediums.Goodbye."
"Well,then see you later." Tifa said.
She began to walk towards Kalm,and turned her head to see the young man again.She then saw that he was nowhere to be found.She searched for him briefly with a look,but then an old woman called her to go back to the medic center,wondering what happened to the young man.
At the Highwind.
Somewhere between Midgar and Kalm.
Cloud was at the bridge,seeing through the cockpit´s window.The recent events were still very fresh in his memory,and because they had to help the Meteor victims,he and the others didn´t had time to think about their battle against Sephiroth.Cloud remembered his final battle against Sephiroth. It was just the two of them,without materia,without armor,just they,their swords and their fury. Although it had happened inside his mind,it had felt so real.He hadn´t told anyone about this,except for Tifa.Even after revenging himself,his mother,his friends and stopped Meteor,something was still bothering him.
He was too weak.
He tough Sephiroth was stronger.Although no living being could withstand his Omnislash limit,he tough it would had taken a lot more than his fury to take him down.And he couldn´t forget the look in his icy blue mako eyes.It was a look of sorrow,as he felt...sorry?.How it was possible that after all the horrors he had commited,he still could feel bad about them?.As his conscience, after having slept for years,had finally awakened and made him realize all the horrors he had done.Lost in his thoughts,he couldn´t see Red XIII aproaching him.
"It´s beautiful,isn´t it?."
"Huh? what?."
"All.The sky,the plains,the sea,the mountains.It doesn´t seem as Meteor almost crashed on the Planet."
"Yes,you´re right.I think Aeris was thinking about it all when she sacrificed herself to save the Planet.She must have thought her life was a small price to pay to save all of this."
"Indeed.The recent events had made me see how valuable life is.Maybe I should think more about my influence in the world and how may I can do it a better place.Grandpa told me once that to change the world,first I had to change myself.I think he wanted me to go outside the canyon so I could change and become a better person."
"That´s good to hear Red."
"Nanaki,my name is Nanaki,have you forgot?."
"Sorry,I just have grew accustomed to call you Red.But tell me one thing,how are you going to tell the people at the canyon Bugenhagen died?."
"What!?.Did you knew?." asked a very surprised Nanaki.
"Did you really though we believed Bugenhagen had gone in a travel?.We knew you didn´t wanted to make the people at the canyon be sad,since they had to worry about the Meteor.But now,what are you going to do?." Cloud said,waiting for Nanaki´s answer.Nanaki was very worried.He hadn´t though about it.What would the people think of him when they discovered he had lied to them?.It had been for a good cause,but still,a lie was a lie.
"I tell them the truth.I´ll explain them my motives to do it and they will understand it.I still think it was for the better." Nanaki said.
"Well,I hope they understand.They loved Bugenhagen,and altough they will be hurt because of his dead,they will understand it was for their own good."
In that moment,Barret got into the cockpit and saw Cloud and Red talking,and Cid piloting.Vincent was in his usual corner,watching everything and everybody.Barret then got close to Cid.
"Wassup?."
"I think we should reach Kalm in another fifteen minutes or so,if the wind doesn´t changes.How´s everybody at the cargo area?."
"The doctors said the most ill will survive until we reach the help center.But some of them look very weak,I dunno if they will pass after dis night."
"Humpff!.This is Sephiroth´s fault.I´m glad that psycho is now dead."
"What´re you going to do from now on,foo?."
"Dunno.Maybe I will start working on a new rocket,or make a new plane."
"What ´bout Shera?."
"I´ve already apologized for all those years I treated her bad.Isn´t that enough?."
"I though yo foo were going to propose to her."
"HA!.Of course not,I´m not crazy."
"I´ll not said so."
"And what´re you going to do?."
"I´m going back to Corel.I´ll help put the town back on it´s feet."
"That´s good.Those poor fellas have suffered enough already.You know Barret,I have a question."
"Shoot."
"How did you,well,you know,proposed to your wife?." Cid had lowered his voice until it was only a whisper.Barret then grinned and saw Cid embarrased.That guy isn´t very bright at doing casual questions, Barret though.
"Why,are you going to propose to Shera?." Barret said with a big smile.
"Of course not!.Heck,can´t I do a little question about your past?." Cid said,trying to hide the obvious.
At that moment,Kalm appeared over the horizont,making Cid cut his talk with Barret and focusing on landing the ship.It was more difficult now that it was like a plane,but Cid wasn´t the best pilot for nothing.It landed smoothly outside the town.At the moment,the people that had accompannied Joshua helped with the victims.Cloud and the others were surprised,they didn´t had seen that people when they left.Cloud then saw Tifa waving at them,and ran to her encounter.
"Tifa,where do this people come from?."
"They were brought here by a strange guy.He healed a guy with some kind of power,and when he left,he dissapeared in the thin air."
"I had heard rumors of some kind of prophet among the people at Midgar.Could it be this guy?."
"I don´t know.But I´m sure we will meet him again."
"Let´s help the others and tell them what has happened."
At Midgar
That night
Reeve was very tired.Coordinating the efforts of the rescue teams was no easy task,but someone had to do it.That day´s work had finished to him,and now he could turn to other business.He sat in a rock,took out his laptop,and started to look to some files he had managed to rescue from the Shinra building.He was intrigued by the dissapearance of all the SOLDIERS and regular forces of Shinra.Where would they be?.They were almost 1500 SOLDIERS,5000 officials,50000 infantery corps,3000 pilots and 5000 navy marines.They just couldn´t dissapear suddenly,they should be somewhere.Reeve began to search through a list of Shinra´s secret bases,thinking they had hide from the Meteor there.The word "Access denied" appeared on the screen. It was protected by a password,and the only two people who knew it were dead.But he wouldn´t give up. He though he knew the guy who designed the system,and would eventually find a backdoor.He turned his attention to more inmediate affairs.Thanks to a quick response,almost everybody had been saved, except for the ones who stayed in the plates and were crushed by the pressure of the energies the Meteor unleashed.He lifted his head towards before were the plates and saw the starry sky,and wondered what the future would hold for all of them.
Chapter One
The stage is set
Vincent opened his eyes and got up the bed.He was at one of the rooms of the Shinra Mansion,having moved there shortly after the fight with Sephiroth.After being inside a coffin in a wet basement for twenty years,he didn´t mind sleeping at a normal bed.He dressed and headed to the street.Today he and Cloud were going to have a business meeting with someone who wanted to hire them,and in the letter he sent it said he wanted to talk to them about the job in person.Since Cloud was without a job after the battle at the Northern Crater,he decided to be a mercenary again,and the job just came to him,maybe because defeating Sephiroth and saving the world was a good proof enough to anyone that he was the best at what he does.In ocassions,Vincent would go with him,not only to gain a little money,but also to have the excitement that he wouldn´t have any other way.He headed to the inn,now "Tifa´s Heaven on Earth" where you could have a good beer and an excellent dinner for just 200 gil.He opened the door and entered."Good morning.Is Cloud here yet?"
"Good morning Vincent.He must be training at the forest as usual,he should get here at any moment."
"I´ll wait for him."
Vincent took a chair and headed to the darkest corner he could find.He couldn´t explain it,but he feeled more comfortable in the dark than in the light.Maybe is a side effect of being twenty years in a coffin,he thought.
At a forest near Nibel mountains,Cloud was before a large tree,his sword resting in the floor.
"C´mon,I can do it,I have to do it."
He grabbed his sword and tried to lift it.He couldn´t .He tried again, with all the strength he was capable of.Nothing.He seated next to the sword,his Ultima Weapon,the letters in the handle laughing at him:"To the one who defeats the Ultimate Weapon." Cloud snorted.Months ago,he could swing his sword over his head as it were a stick.Now he couldn´t even lift it.He noticed it a couple of months ago,and with each day his strenght diminished.He didn´t wanted to worry Tifa,so he always got up early in the morning to train in the forest,so she couldn´t see him struggling to carry his sword.How long could he hide the truth from her?
"Maybe I need help"
Maybe it was time to ask for help.But not Tifa.He couldn´t tell her he was a weakling again.Then he thought of Vincent.He was a person he could trust wouldn´t say anything to anyone.Maybe he could have the same problems,since their powers came from Mako and Jenova cells.He reclined the sword in a tree and tied it to his back.He made an effort to get up and tried to go back at the town as quckly as he could.It was time to ask for help.
"Please,I beg you,give me another chance!"
"Is useless,Reeve,you´re finished."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!."
Reeve just watched helplesly as the nuke falled on top of his command center,the last building he had.Then the words "You lose" apeared on his computer screen.He clicked the button and appeared in a chat room.
"How could you do that?" he writed.
"Well,you´re so bad I can´t just not do it." Wood_elf writed.
"Yes I haven´t seen a worst Starcraft player in all my life." the Captain said.
"Shut up! I have a job,I can´t play all the day as you guys."
"Why don´t you just do your job instead of playing with us?"
"That´s what I´m going to do.Goodbye."
Reeve exited Battlenet and entered the company´s files.Since the Shinra was finished,he was without a job,but then he saw it as an oportunity.He gathered all the talented (and honest) people he knew from Shinra and started a new company."Reeve Responses" not only gave assesory to other companies,but also developed new technologies and products.It wasn´t a very big company,but Reeve was already a wealthy man,thanks to the hard work he and his employees did all the days.He turned his attention to his little project.Searching the missing Shinra Army was no easy task,even considering an army can´t just dissapear, but he hadn´t any success working on his own.Maybe he should talk to Cloud and the others about this,he though.Maybe a little help wouldn´t hurt.
The man descended from the car,and entered the town.It seemed almost without a change,but many people from Midgar had stablished themselves here,after the Meteor destroyed the upper plates of the city. From a ghost town,Nibelheim had become a noisy and busy town,a point of meeting to various mercancies from Wutai to Junon.He held his suitcase in his right hand and headed to the place of the meeting.In his letter, he had only said his boss wanted to hire them because of their abilities. It was not entirely false,he thought,only that maybe they wouldn´t be interested in the job.But as his boss had said "I want to do it quietly if possible,if not then we will use other ways."
The door opened at Tifa´s bar and Tifa got up to greet the costumer.He looked like a business man,if not for the black glasses,that made him look like a mafia hitman.Well,Tifa thought,a costumer is a costumer.
"Welcome,do you want a table?"
"Thanks.Yes I do.I´m waiting for two people to come here shortly. Haven´t you seen them? I expected they would be here now."
"Are you looking for Vincent and Cloud?"
"Yes,Mr.Valentine and Mr. Strife.Are they here?"
Vincent stepped out of the corner towards the visitor.
"I´m Valentine.Vincent Valentine."
"Good day Mr.Valentine.I´m Jacob Marley.I think you and Mr. Strife have received my proposition."
"Yes we have.What´s this business proposition you wanted to made?"
"I would prefer Mr. Strife accompanied us before I told you about it." The door opened,and a very tired Cloud entered the bar.He was sweating and breathing heavily.He leaned against the wall and untied the sword.
"Cloud,are you alright?" Tifa asked.
"Yes,nothing a couple of your beers can´t solve."
"Maybe you should stop training so hard.You´re already very strong."
Cloud just smiled,thinking how "strong" he was now.Then he noticed the man and seated in a table signing them to accompany him.Vincent and Jacob seated with Cloud,and Jacob took some papers from his suitcase. "Hello,Mr. Strife,I´m Jacob Marley,and as I was telling Mr.Valentine shortly before you arrived I,I mean,my boss wants to hire you."
"As long as it´s nothing illegal." Cloud said.
"Oh no,no! It´s something legal I assure you.I come in name of Rexcon Weapons,Inc. We want to hire you as assesors."
"But we don´t know nothing about weapons manufacturing." Vincent said.
"We now that.We basically want you to be in charge of testing the weapons in real life combat conditions.We would provide the weapons to you and you would use them in your "jobs".Of course,you will be paid a generous amount of money,and in addition to testing them,you would be required to do some secret operations for the corporation."
"What kind of secret operations?" Vincent asked.
"Simply secret." Jacob smiled."Are you interested?"
"Well,frankly,Mr. Marley,we´re not interested in that kind of job.We like being mercenaries,and we don´t like to be obliged to do "secret operations" for a company."
"We can offer you the double of the highest amount you have earned as a mercenary."
"Sorry,but our answer it´s no." Cloud finished.
"Well,in case any of you change your opinion here´s my card.Goodbye"
Jacob then exited the bar.when he was in the street,he took his cel phone and dialed a number.
"It´s Jacob.Let me talk with the General."
"Yes?"
"Sir,it´s Marley.They didn´t accepted the job.What we´ll do now?"
"Well,too bad.I guess we´ll have to get those Jenova cells in a more "direct" manner.Get back to the headquarters inmediately."
"Yes,sir." Jacob then turned off the phone and got in the car,to go out of Nibelheim.
"Well,what do you think about it,Vincent?"
"He was lying.Every word he said was a lie.His body language,his breathing...He was lying from the beginning,except when he said he sent the letter."
"What can he want with you guys?"
"I dunno.But whatever it is,is not a good thing.We better be more careful from now on."
"Well,I´ll be heading back to the mansion.I´ll see you tomorrow."
"I´ll go with you Vincent,there´s something I want to talk with you."
Vincent and Cloud got out of the bar and walked towards the mansion. Vincent saw Cloud was worried about something,and altough he had his own share of problems,it didn´t meant he couldn´t help a friend.
"Vincent,have you felt alright this past months?"
"Yes,Why do you ask?"
"Well,remember that lately I´ve been using materia more and more in the past missions we have had?"
"It seemed strange you almost didn´t used your sword.After all it´s one of the most powerful things in the planet."
"It´s because..." this wasn´t going to be easy to say "I´ve lost all my strenght.In the past months,I´ve been becoming more and more weak and now I´m not even capable of lifting it.Maybe it´s because it´s happening to the Jenova cells that gives me,you,and every member of SOLDIER it´s power.That´s because I´m asking you if you are still the same."
"Hmm.Now that you mention it,I have noticed that it takes me longer to transform into the monsters.It´s like I need to be really furious to make the change."
"So we both are losing our powers.What are we going to do?"
"I don´t mind losing the capability of changing into those beasts.But it matters to you,isn´t it?"
"Yes,it´s just I can´t deal with being weak again.What if Tifa finds out? Will she treat me the same or will she look at me with sorrow? I can´t stand the thought of it."
Vincent putted his claw in Cloud´s shoulder.
"Cloud,listen to me.Tifa loves you,and would never think less of you just because you aren´t capable of fighting like before.And remember, you even defeated Sephiroth before having the Jenova cells injected.Your strenght doesn´t comes from Mako or alien cells." Vincent then pointed to Cloud´s chest "it comes from here.Believe me,you´re the strongest person I have met,and that includes me."
"Thanks Vincent,I needed to hear that.But even so,I want to see what´s going on.Maybe it´s a symptom of something bigger."
"You´re right.Let´s go with Reeve,I think he could help us.Tomorrow we´ll go to Rocket Town and ask Cid to take us to Junon.He should tell us what´s happening to our bodies."
"Good idea.I´ll go pack right away." Cloud the turned to go to his house."And Vincent..."
"I won´t say anything to Tifa."
"Thanks."
Chapter Two
Shards of truth
Everywhere was bright.Everywhere you looked,you would find the same pale green light.At the Lifestream,altough the vital energy was used to create more life,the personalities,the consciences remained,until moving...forward.They looked like the bodies they had formerly inhabited,maybe in an unconscious effort of trying to linger on their former lives.But,it doesn´t mattered how hard you wished,you only could go one way.Two of them were arguing.
"Aeris,you know it´s impossible! No one can go back,no matter how hard you try."
"But I MUST go back! You and me know that my friends will need me.Have you forgotten what we saw?"
"It´s just one of millions of possibilities,of futures! I told you this before you asked The Conscience."
The Conscience.Aeris remembered how,upon her arrival,her mother had explained to her everything she had only guessed until then.The Conscience could be called the soul of the Planet.It was alive,and, contrary to what anybody believed,it didn´t reacted on instinct like an animal,it was aware of every posible treat to its safety and it manipulated the events so the treats would never come true.That was until Jenova came.An entity so powerful,the Planet had to use direct action,namely,the Weapons.They were used only as a last resoure,since unleashing them meant a great expense of spirit energy.But Jenova, sensing their power,interfered with the bond the Weapons had with the Planet,transforming them in mindless destruction agents.But thanks to the efforts of Avalanche,they were destroyed,along with Jenova.The Conscience decided to spare the human race,since Jenova was the treat to it,and it were humans who defeated it.
"But what if this comes true!? I just don´t want to stay here while what we saw becomes a reality."
"Aeris,there´s no way we can tell that for sure.And even if it became true,you can´t go back,you only can retard it.You will eventually go with me and the others into the Promised Land."
"Then I just accept it?"
"As hard as it may be...yes."
Aeris turned away from her mother.She remembered when she arrived where The Conscience is.She was an Ancient,and that meant The Conscience would treat her with certain deference.She only asked to see what would the future would bring to her friends.The Conscience then showed her images of the near future,how they defeated Sephiroth,and how Holy stopped the Meteor from destroying all life.Then,it showed her the far future.
It was her worst nightmare.The earth was burned by the energies unleashed against it,death and destruction everywhere.Then she saw her friends,Cloud,Tifa,Cid...all of them lying in the ground,without life. And above them,the monster responsible for all of this.She ran away from those visions of death,crying for her friends.Since then,she had decided something.She had to go back.
"I can´t.They are my friends,there must be something I can do."
Ifalna saw how decided her daughter was.She had the look of someone who wouldn´t stop against anything to accomplish her goals.
"Maybe there is a way."
Cloud and Vincent started their journey to Rocket Town.Cloud was carrying his Murasame,the lighter of his swords altough not the most powerful.Vincent had his Outsider strapped to his belt,since he liked traveling light,and his Death Penalty,altough powerful,was very hard to carry with comfort,and this was just going to be an easy travel.Both of them were riding black chocoboes.Since they had almost no use for the gold one since defeating Sephiroth,they leaved it at the Chocobo Farm,as a gift for the help they had gotten there.The last they had heard it was that ChocoBill was breeding it,and selling the new gold chocobos for big amounts of gil to rich people and racers.Since then,the chocobo races were more exciting than ever.
"We should arrive in five hours at this rate." Vincent said.
"Yes.Hope Cid isn´t very busy.Wonder if he is building another rocket?"
"I don´t know,we haven´t kept on touch lately,but it seems he found the Tiny Bronco and fixed it,so I guess he will give us a ride to Junon."
A fist smashed the clock,the beeping it made silenced.Then Cid turned around to sleep a bit more.
"Good morning Captain!"
Shera entered the room and opened the curtains.The light entered trough the window and fell in the bed.A handful of curses were heard.
"C´mon Cid,it´s time to wake up! It´s nine o´clock already."
"Dammit woman! When will you understand that for me,any hour before eleven it´s too early!?"
"C´mon Cid,today it´s your date with the guy who says that he wants to fund the new rocket."
"Why didn´t you waked me earlier!!? He will be here at ten! I have to bath and eat breakfast and arrange the schematics!"
Cid ran to the bathroom,and a string of curses were heard as he noticed he had opened the cold water.Shera just sighed,even after all those years ,he was the same.No,she corrected,he was more kind to her,since he discovered the malfunction on tank no.8.Since his return from the Northern Crater,he had apologized to her repeteadly.But he wouldn´t tell her what she wanted to hear more than anything.
He hadn´t told her he loved her.
It could be guessed in the way he looked at her,how he talked to her. Sometimes,when they were alone,he seemed like he would take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her,but at the last minute he would hesitate and would get away from her.Why?,Shera asked herself.She didn´t knew the answer but maybe it was her fault,maybe he was unsure of himself, or maybe...
"Shera,where´re my clothes?"
She stopped thinking and came back to the real world,telling herself she would talk with him later.
"It´s in the closet.It´s near your sweaters."
Shera then went to the kitchen.Cid then got out dressed in his usual clothes.Shera just saw at him and let escape a sigh.
"What? What´s wrong?"
"Well,I though you would dress in a more formal way to meet with the man who wants to fund the rocket.You don´t want to make a wrong impression on him,do you?"
"Ah,dammit,I won´t dress in one of them monkey suits.And I feel more comfortable this way."
"At least use a lab coat to make yourself look more like a scientist instead of a mechanic."
"Hell,I´ll dress the way I want,and if he just sees my appearance and doesn´t listen to me,he can go with his funds to other part."
"Cid,he is the only one who has expressed any interest in funding a new rocket.Or do you have the money to make a rocket by yourself?"
Cid mumbled.He was rich,richer than a normal person because he had sold a good deal of his share of materia,but to build a rocket you needed a lot of money.After a couple of weeks seeking funds in his own,he saw that companies weren´t too interested in space exploration, or the ones who did,didn´t had enough money to fund it.Until three weeks ago,when Cid got a letter from a man telling him he would be glad to talk to him about the rocket.He said his client was very interested in that project,and would like to talk with him about it.
"Maybe you´re right.I´ll use the goddamn lab coat."
An hour later,Jacob entered Cid´s house.Shera greeted him and told him Cid would be there shortly. Then Cid appeared,with the lab coat on.It was one of Shera´s,the biggest he had found,and even so he felt like any sudden movement would rip it.He invited Jacob to seat and took out his schematics. He spent the next half hour talking about the new rocket and answering the questions of Jacob.Then Jacob raised his hand to stop Cid´s exposition.
"Well,Mr. Highwind,you have convinced me.I´m sure my client will be more than willing to fund this project.But we want to know something."
"Of course,ask about anything."
"Well,we expect that you will develop new technology exclusively for this project,and we want to have the rights to commercialize it."
"Are you saying that anything we invent for the rocket will be automatically yours?" Shera asked.
"Well,yes.We are going to spend a lot of money in this,and we want to take out of this as much profit we can."
Cid frowned.He remembered how the first rocket got built by Shinra,and when he acted to save Shera,they said it wouldn´t be "profitable" to prepare another launch.Finally,the rocket only lifted off because of the Meteor.Cid didn´t want to pass all that again,just because someone said it was more interested in the profits that anything else.
"Well,Mr.Highwind,do you accept?"
"Frankly,Mr.Marley,I don´t like the idea of your client using our technology to make money."
"I knew you would said that,so I bring here a contract that will make everyone participating in the project have a good share of the utilities coming from the comercialization of anything you develop."
Cid stared with his mouth open.This was better than he tought! A new rocket and a good incoming of money from it! Shera touched him to make him react and then Cid took a pen.
"Where do I sign?"
"Right here please."
Maybe it was fate,or just luck,but before Cid signed,he saw in the upper part of the contract,in big black bold letters the name of the company "Rexcon Weapons".
"Wait a goddamn minute! Are you working for a weapons company!?"
"Well,altough our company has also interests in construction and pharmaceuticals,the weapons manufacturing is still the biggest of our interests."
Cid just got past Jacob and opened the door.
"I don´t want anything to do with death dealers like you and your company! And I´ll be damned if I let any of you money mongers get close to MY rocket! Get out of here now!"
"Well,Mr.Highwind,if you change your mind,you can call me,here´s my card."
Jacob took his suitcase and got out of Cid´s house.
Joshua took a long look at his surroundings.The church seemed like new,after his followers cleaned and repaired it.It was located in the former sector 5 of Midgar.A year had passed since he apeared in Midgar,healing the wounded and organizing the people.Now,Midgar looked better than when Meteor almost crushed it,the plates having dissapeared,letting the people see the sky whenever they wanted.The slums now looked more like a well organized city,clean and peaceful, everybody busy,since Joshua allowed companies establish there,but with the condition they weren´t weapons or chemicals companies.A young blond woman went towards him.
"Joshua! It´time for your preach,what are you doing here?"
Joshua turned around to see the woman.Her name was Julia,and he remembered she was in a very bad shape when he found her.A huge piece of debris had fell on top of her,and all under her neck was crushed.When he arrived to where she was,she couldn´t breath.He kneeled and used his power to cure her.Since then she had become one of his most loyal followers.
"I was thinking.We have done so much thanks to everyone´s work."
"Yes,but it´s almost time for your preaching,the people it´s coming."
Joshua then walked towards a podium with microphone.He touched it to see if the speakers were on and saw how the people filled the church.Everyone wanted to come to hear him,and those who couldn´t get in heard him through speakers colocated in the outside.
Joshua waited until the last person had entered and then began.
"My dear friends,today,as always,we are here to thank a higher power from saving us from the disaster and death.That power prevented the Meteor called by the forces of evil from killing us and destroying our planet.That same power makes possible to everyone of us to be,and makes everything come to life.And that power just aks to us to take care of its creation.So when the time comes,we will be ascended to the place that is rigthfully ours,as the true heirs of this planet,and then we will be truly in our promised land."
Joshua stopped to see the reaction on everyones faces.All the eyes were fixed on him.He took a breath and continued.
"So again I tell to you,be prepared,because soon the time will come when we will have to reclaim what it´s rigthfully ours from those who don´t want to see the truth.They were given the same chances that you,to come to us and accompany us,but they prefer to be stuck in their evil ways.Don´t forget my words,and be ever vigilant of those who don´t want to hear the words of the Mother."
Joshua then signed and a chorus began to sing,he smiled.Everything was going as planned.