4. The Aftermath; A Story

CFile 07: Wallace, Barrett: the commander of AVALANCHE in Midgar. Wanted by Shin-Ra for acts of terrorism. Enhanced with a gun-arm. Listed as a serious public enemy.

Cfile 08: ??, Reno: member of Turk. Second-in-command.

IFile 07: Turk: the unit of personal guards to the President. There are only four members at present, but all of these have received intensive training as well as mako enhancement.

IFile 08: EMR: electro-mag rod. The weapon of choice for Reno of Turk. Various settings allow for various voltages.

3 hours earlier...

"How are the preparations going?" the President of the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company asked, smiling to himself in a way that was most unpleasant. His hands were folded on top of his great belly as he lounged in his soft chair, swiveling it absently back and forth.

His Director of Public Safety Maintenance, Heidigger, returned the nasty smirk, barking out a laugh. "Very smoothly! I hope you don't mind, I assigned your Turks to this. There must be no foul-ups."

"They'll get the job done," the President mused, stroking his mustache. "We'll crush AVALANCHE... literally. At least in Midgar."

"Mr. President!" the third man in the office said, dark eyes somber. "Are we really going to do this? AVALANCHE has very few members. This is like using a sledgehammer to kill an ant..."

"What's the matter, Reeve?" the President interrupted, leaning as far forward as his great bulk would allow. "You want out?"

His beady eyes challenged the other man. Reeve Tuesti was a cunning politician who had fought tooth and nail for his powerful position as one of the Board of Directors. But unlike the other Directors, he was possessed of a strong sense of responsibility and empathy for the people of Midgar. More than anything, he wanted to speak his thoughts, to throw his true opinions into the President's face like acid.

Think, Tuesti, think. How can you help Ansem without this position?

"...No," he said at last, hating himself for giving in so soon. "But, as Head of the Urban Development Department, I have been involved with the building and running of Midgar." That was true enough... he had overseen the original designs for the city. It was something like a child to him, and all the people his grandchildren. "That's the only reason..."

"Save your personal problems," Heidigger cut in, sneering. "We have a job to do."

"The mayor is against this..."

"Mayor?" Heidigger laughed. "He sits here all day stuffing his face! You think he knows what's best for this city? Now, sir, if you'll excuse me."

He turned and strode out. Reeve made as though to follow, but the President called him back.

"You're tired," the large man said. Although his voice was kind, his piggy eyes never left Reeve's, still searching him. "Why don't you take a couple of days off? Go somewhere nice and sunny, and stop worrying."

Reeve straightened his back. "That's generous of you, sir, but I'm afraid I have a duty to the city. Good night, Mr. President."

He stalked away, but paused just outside. The President was prone to talking to himself and could let something slip, something more he could pass on to Ansem. He heard the President chuckle softly.

"We'll destroy Sector Seven and make it look like AVALANCHE did it. Then we'll send in the rescue party... care of Shin-Ra, Inc. It's brilliant!"

Present.

The Plate had destroyed everything below it. Where Sector 7 had once been was a huge spread of rubble, half-crushed buildings standing out here and there. A haze of dust and smoke lingered in the air. People had flooded to the scene in their pajamas, jackets and boots thrown on hastily. Some were armed with shovels. Others dug at the ruins with their bare hands, searching desperately for anyone who had somehow survived the crushing pressure of the Plate. Some stood or sat at the rim of the destruction, just staring. Screams of pain and grief rose from everywhere. Even above, on top of the neighboring Plates, the people were shocked, staring at the place where their friends and colleagues had been just minutes before.

The Shin-Ra rescue operation had already begun. Ambulances were scattered here and there. Men and women in uniform worked methodically to lift rubble. Civilians waiting for news of a family member or friend stood clustered nearby. Each time a new body was discovered, a mournful cry went up from someone.

Yuffie walked through the destruction, stunned with disbelief. There was an impassable lump in her throat as she looked around. How many children lay under the tons of metal? How many people had died in their beds, sleeping soundly, unaware that their lives were about to be snuffed out in an instant?

A low moan dragged her attention to her feet. She looked down and saw a woman there, half-crushed by the remains of her house. Horrified, Yuffie knelt and tried to drag the wooden slats off.

It's too... heavy...

"My sister... in Kalm..." the woman gasped.

"I'll tell her," Yuffie promised, tears stinging in her eyes. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. Everything's fine..."

The woman shuddered and went still. Yuffie murmured a quick prayer to Leviathan and staggered away.

She stumbled on Barrett purely by chance. He sat on a pile of shattered metal slabs, staring at the ground. His muscular shoulders were drooped, his dark eyes filled with pain. He barely looked up when she approached. Tifa stood near him, tear tracks staining her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from weeping.

"Yuffie," she whispered. "Oh, Yuffie..."

Tears flooded her eyes again. Barrett's head shook back and forth.

"Biggs... Wedge... Jessie..." he murmured. "God damn... all these people..."

He leapt to his feet, eyes wild. "What's it all for?" he screamed. "What the hell's it all for? Damn it all! Biggs! Wedge! Jessie!"

His gun-arm sparked and he whirled, firing at the ruins.

"Barrett!" Tifa cried. "Barrett, please!"

"What the hell... what's it all for?!" he repeated, and now Yuffie could see the tears on his face, too. "Damn Shin-Ra... damn..."

He sat down again, burying his face in his normal hand. His powerful shoulders shook with sobs.

"Damn it..." he whispered.

"Thank the gods Marlene is still safe..." Tifa whispered, trying to console him. "Oh, Yuffie, how could they?"

"They're Shin-Ra," Yuffie said, her voice choked with sobs she refused to let out. "They killed a whole sector just to get at us."

"Damn Shin-Ra," Barrett choked out. "Damned evil Shin-Ra, destroying our Planet... gonna kill everything... everyone!"

His fist slammed down on the heap of metal. Yuffie put her arms around Tifa, burying her face in the taller woman's shoulder.

"Barret... Tifa... Yuffie... you're all okay."

Tifa gave a little sobbing cry and tore free of Yuffie, running to Braig's arms.

"How could they do this?!" she screamed. "How... how?!"

"They're Shin-Ra," Even answered hoarsely. His face was pale, his eyes glowing with fury.

"You... you shouldn't be here," Tifa muttered. "Braig, why'd you come? He... he should be resting... and Xehanort, he shouldn't need to... to see something like... this..."

Braig held her closer, shushing her. She was only trying to distract herself. He glanced back at Xehanort, who was looking around with the same sort of blank shock as everyone around them, and at Even, who was swaying on his feet.

"I wanted to come," Even whispered. "I had to... I couldn't... there must be something I can do..."

Barrett was on his feet in an instant, slamming Even into the nearest pile of rubble. "Do? What can you do? What more can you or your pals at Shin-Ra possibly do?!"

"Barrett!" Tifa cried, going to him and trying fruitlessly to pull him off of Even.

"I'll tell you what you can do. You can go and die in a corner somewhere," Barrett growled. "You and all the rest of the Shin-Ra trash."

"Barrett, stop it," Braig snapped, joining Tifa. "You know that's not right! You know perfectly well that he hates Shin-Ra just as much as you!"

"Once Shin-Ra, always Shin-Ra, isn't that right, Officer?!" Barrett roared.

"That's enough!"

Barrett was on his back in an instant, blinking in shock. They all stared at Xehanort, who had just been trying to get the big man to release Even. He looked as amazed as they did, but pressed on.

"Braig told me Even doesn't work for Shin-Ra anymore," he said. "I know how you feel. You just want to take it out on something. The whole world's gone crazy and you just need someone to pound into the floor. Take it out on Shin-Ra."

He offered Barrett a hand, which the black man took and used to help pull himself up.

"He's right," someone said, and they all turned. Cloud Strife's face was closed. He kept any emotions he had to himself as he looked around. "This is Shin-Ra's fault. But right now we need to concentrate on finding survivors. Keep away from Shin-Ra troops. They'll recognize you."

He turned to start sifting through the rubble, moving huge girders that even Barrett's mechanical arm couldn't have managed. "I just got orders from Ansem," he added. "Today we help the rescue operation. Tomorrow, we have to prepare. In a few days Barrett, Tifa and I are going to climb this stuff and infiltrate Shin-Ra headquarters. Yuffie is to return the the Garden with Xehanort as soon as possible."

Xehanort turned uncertainly to Braig, but the older man was glaring daggers at Barrett.

"Wallace," Braig growled, but Even pulled him away.

"Don't," he murmured. "It's fine."

"No, it isn't," Braig said, not keeping Even's quiet tone. "You deserve better. Maybe he's just forgotten what you did for him."

He turned his anger to moving the ruins, but not without a last glare in Barrett's direction. The big man reached up unconsciously to run his gun-arm. Xehanort found himself working between Cloud and Even.

"Thank you," Even said quietly. "Barrett... I don't think he's gotten used to me yet."

"That was SOLDIER strength, back there," Cloud said, and Xehanort shook his head.

"I just wanted to push him away. He was already off balance, I suppose," he said. Cloud smirked, watching him with raised eyebrows.

"Really. Have you noticed that you're helping Even and me lift something three times our weight combined?"

Unsettled, Xehanort moved away, only to find himself next to Barett. The man used his mechanical arm to shift the rubble. They weren't alone in the effort; nameless people surrounded them, faces identically bleak, assisting the rescue effort.

"No hard feelings," Barrett grunted at last. "I deserved to get knocked on my ass. I was out of my mind. Just Shin-Ra... damn Shin-Ra, pulling a move like this. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie... they were my friends." He sighed. "Doc Winter's done a lot for AVALANCHE, and for me." He rubbed his arm again. "I shouldn'ta snapped on him like that."

"How..." Xehanort began, then balked. Perhaps it was too personal a question. Barrett followed his gaze to the mechanical arm and smiled grimly.

"Shin-Ra. It's always Shin-Ra, kid. The reactor blew in North Corel, my hometown. Took most of the city with it. Shin-Ra sent in a team to... 'clean up.'"

"It seems as though many people have some sort of grudge against Shin-Ra," Xehanort said. Both of them surreptitiously hid their faces as a helicopter flew overhead. "Um... Barrett, what do you know about Cloud?"

Barrett glanced over his shoulder. "Spiky? Not much. No one really does. He used to be a SOLDIER, apparently. Showed up nine years ago, around the time Byron came." The name was familiar to Xehanort. Byron was a friend of Ansem's and one of the leading members of AVALANCHE. "Same time Winter left Shin-Ra, too. Yeah, we got lucky that year. Well, at least with Byron. Spike's a great fighter... that's the power of SOLDIER... but he went all to pieces after Aeris died. Doc Winter's the best geneticist you're gonna find anywhere, but I don't..."

He stopped short, and Xehanort finished the statement. "You don't trust him."

"I oughta," Barrett muttered. "After nine years, I oughta. Everyone else does. Even Braig, and Braig don't trust anyone or anything with a whiff of Shin-Ra on it."

"You've lost a great deal to Shin-Ra," Xehanort acknowledged. "That's understandable." He paused. "I keep hearing her name. Who is... was... Aeris?"

Barrett's hand twitched. "Aeris... oh man, kid, ask someone else."

Xehanort frowned. Would no one tell him about the mysterious flower girl whose church had captivated him? Why was it so painful for everyone who mentioned her name?

How strange. He could hear Tifa's strangled sobs, and even Barrett flinched whenever they uncovered a new body. Braig's frown deepened with each corpse, Yuffie's shoulders drooped... but Xehanort felt nothing. He should feel something, whether it be pain or grief or hatred. It reminded him eerily of Cloud and Even, who were both just as expressionless. They had seen too much death to be affected by it now. What did this say about Xehanort's forgotten past? He didn't want to think on it.

At last Barrett called them off. Cloud had to gently pull Tifa away, ignoring how she beat her bloody hands on his chest, begging to be released. Even looked exhausted, but walked on his own. Xehanort, strangely, felt as though he could keep at it for hours. When he mentioned this to Braig, the other man smiled mirthlessly.

"Don't think so, kid. Ansem wants you back as soon as possible. Says it's too dangerous, since Shin-Ra's looking for you and all." He gave Xehanort an appraising glance. "But from what I've seen so far, I think you'd be just fine on your own."

News of Sector Seven's destruction filled all of the channels that Reno clicked through. All reports pointed fingers at AVALANCHE and praised Shin-Ra's "quick and noble actions."

The red-haired man finally shut the T.V. off, putting his feet up on the coffee table. He was a Turk, trained to do the President's dirty work, to kill without batting an eyelash. He wore the black suit with pride, despite its messy appearance. He wielded his electro-mag rod with confidence and skill.

He had pressed the button that dropped the Plate, and he had no regrets.

Reno liked explosions. Something about a powerful blast of smoke and fire left him breathless. Fireworks were a true delight. Dynamite, grenades, cherry bombs, he didn't care how large or how small. Reno just liked to blow things up.

He had watched the explosion again and again on every channel, staring with rapt attention as the support pillar collapsed on itself, setting off dozens of minor bursts of flame as the section of the Plate tore away from the rest. The noise, the heat, the light left Reno giddy with delight.

Then there had been silence, as the city realized what had happened.

Then the screams set in, the sirens, the shouting. The T.V. reports had shown the rescue effort, the rows of uncovered bodies, the survivors desperately searching for loved ones. Reno ignored these parts. He was Turk. He was just doing his job.

What did he care that hundreds had died?

What did he care that scores of children were now orphans?

What did he care?

Reno had pressed the button that dropped the Plate, and he had no regrets...

Yeah. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that.

Everyone was awake at Ansem's home. The news of the Plate's fall had roused everyone. Braig dropped Xehanort off and returned to Midgar after speaking briefly with Ansem. The governor watched him go, then turned back to Xehanort. It pained him to see that the young man was covered in dirt, blood, and other unidentifiable substances. How sad, that Xehanort's first impression of Midgar had been marred by such a tragedy.

"It wasn't an accident," Xehanort said. "Cloud told us that Shin-Ra did it."

Ansem nodded, taking him by the arm. "He told me everything. Come, you should get cleaned up and get some sleep. You must be exhausted."

To his surprise, Xehanort shook his head. "I'm not at all tired. But cleaning up sounds wonderful."

Xehanort returned in fresh clothes borrowed from someone or other, his hair wet and his skin practically glowing. He still didn't look tired. Ansem told himself that it was just adrenaline and would wear off soon enough. Xehanort found him in his office, at the tail end of a call to Reeve. Ansem motioned for him to sit down, and he did.

"But you don't know where Shin-Ra learned this?" he went on. Over the line, he heard Reeve's sigh.

"No. They didn't tell me. I'm only a public servant, why should they tell me?"

"I understand. Thank you."

They finished their talk soon after, and Ansem rubbed a palm against his forehead as soon as he replaced the receiver.

"Reeve says that Shin-Ra learned that AVALANCHE in Midgar was based in Sector 7. He doesn't know how they learned it."

The man in the chair beside Xehanort's spoke in a low voice. "Shin-Ra's spies aren't good enough to discover that. Seventh Heaven was out primary base there, and we took all the possible precautions."

Byron was a tall and thin man with large hands. Like Ansem, he was a high-ranking member of AVALANCHE. His hair may once have been blond, but was going prematurely grey. His eyes were bright, electric blue. Xehanort often felt pinned at the other end of that piercing stare, and now he recognized that both Ansem's and Even's gazes were very much like that as well. Perhaps it was because they were all scientists.

Ansem shook his head. "Either Shin-Ra's spies have gotten better, or somebody betrayed us."

He shared a long look with Byron. Again, Xehanort felt as though he were on the outside of an understanding. He knew that Ansem and Byron had been friends since childhood. Byron, like many of AVALANCHE's members, held a deep hatred of Shin-Ra, though Xehanort didn't know Byron's individual circumstances.

Finally, they turned to him.

"How did it go?" Ansem asked. "Before... what happened."

"Braig took me to a church in the slums," Xehanort recalled first. The place stood out clearly in his mind. "And to Seventh Heaven... I had no idea that it was the base. I met Tifa and Cloud, and of course Dr. Winter. He examined me."

"What did you think of him?" Byron asked, smiling.

A few unlikely adjectives caught in Xehanort's throat as he struggled to find the right words. Both Ansem and Byron laughed.

"He has that impression on most people," Ansem said.

"He was good to me," Xehanort said. "So was Braig. Oh, and Tron, too."

"Did Even mention when he would have any information?"

Xehanort shook his head. "He didn't say." He wasn't sure whether or not he should ask, but he couldn't restrain his curiosity. Perhaps if he didn't exactly ask, he could still learn something. "I don't know how much time he'll have to work on it. He... he didn't look up to much when we left... I think he injected something."

Ansem's and Byron's faces clouded somewhat.

"I wonder what it was this time," Ansem murmured.

"Mako," Byron answered. His expression was impossible to read, no matter how hard Xehanort tried. "Every two weeks. If he can get his hands on some J-cells, which he always does, that will be next week."

"Did Braig tell you that Even used to work for Shin-Ra?" Ansem asked Xehanort, who straightened in his chair and nodded. "He was Dr. Hojo's favorite assistant, and his brightest student. He's been a ward of Shin-Ra all his life. He was raised to be a scientist, and at thirteen, he entered the company proper. He left six years later."

"Why did he leave?" Xehanort asked.

"Because I talked with him," Ansem said. "It was difficult to arrange a conversation with him, but with some help from my fellow AVALANCHE members, we... er... persuaded him to come and talk to me. It was no easy feat, trust me, but eventually he listened to me."

"And when he left, he took all the test subjects with him," Byron added. His smile held a touch of pride, and Xehanort resolved to discover the cause later. "Myself included."

"I'm afraid that many of our members still don't trust him," Ansem said. "I would trust him with my life."

He changed the subject, choosing instead to discuss with Byron tomorrow's infiltration of Shin-Ra. Xehanort listened for some time, hoping to learn something more, but nothing that they were saying seemed interesting or important. Finally, Byron took his leave, and Xehanort took the opportunity to ask another question.

"Ansem, I was wondering... who was Aeris?"

Ansem's face darkened. Xehanort recognized the same pain he had seen in the others' faces when he had asked.

"Aeris was the last of the Cetra," he said. "The Cetra, or the Ancients, inhabited this planet long ago. They were said to have special powers. For example, they were supposedly able to speak to the Planet itself. Shin-Ra learned of an old Cetra legend regarding a 'Promised Land.' The President thought that such a place would be brimming with mako power. Aeris and her mother were captured by Shin-Ra. Eventually they managed to escape, but the lady died in the attempt. Aeris lived in the slums for years. She sold the flowers she picked in that church.

"Cloud met Aeris nine years ago. When she learned of our cause, she joined us. She was a very kind woman... she hated to fight, but she was an accomplished healer. We all loved her. She was the heart of AVALANCHE.

"And then, three years ago, the Planet spoke to her. She went off on her own... She was killed."

"Who could do such a thing?" Xehanort asked softly. Ansem closed his eyes.

"Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" Xehanort repeated. The name seemed familiar.

"The nightmare. The mighty SOLDIER general, created by a terrible experiment." Ansem's face was drawn. "At a young age he was the strongest man in the world, and the most feared. But he found out about his creation and went insane, destroying the town of Nibelheim. It was assumed that Sephiroth had died that day, but he's back."

"What does he want?"

"To destroy everything. Nobody knows where he is right now... there are only rumors. There is another with him."

"Who?"

"No one knows his true name, or where he came from. No one in AVALANCHE, at least." Ansem smiled humorlessly. "He calls himself Ansem, and he controls a great darkness. Together, they could destroy the Planet... are you all right?"

Xehanort's heart had made a sudden, painful leap in his chest. "I'm fine," he said, confused. "So Aeris was killed by Sephiroth?"

"Before Cloud's very eyes."

"That's why he seemed to be in such pain when he was in the church," Xehanort reflected. "Was he in love with her?"

"They were very close," Ansem answered. "Whether he loved her or not is for Cloud alone to know. He is obsessed with finding Sephiroth at all costs to avenge Aeris and his hometown."

"What?"

"Nibelheim was Cloud's and Tifa's home. He was apparently there when it happened." Ansem stood. "What happened between Cloud and Sephiroth is Cloud's business," he went on. "But now, I must insist that you go to bed, tired or not. Nothing more will happen tonight."

A/N: Don't forget to review!