Chapter Text
What once had been and what now has become have crossed uncanny paths. With Meteor threatening the planet, it brought the entirety of the Lifestream to rise against it and the resulting clash could have gone either way. Just this once, the Lifestream was able to band together at the last minute and hold off Meteor from descending too far into the planet’s core, pressing back against it like a natural cushion that greatly slowed its momentum. And then, like an unknown magic spell was cast, it was “dismissed” in an instant and the world was restored to its last viable state.
However, it is not to say that there was no consequence. Ultimately, Meteor did crash into the planet, and much of the surrounding landscape of the Far North was devastated by the initial impact. While the vast black crater itself did not appear to change much at a glance – aside from looking a little wider and deeper than before – all signs of life that once was flourishing in its depths have come to a sudden halt. In the planet’s attempt to push back the collective threat, it exhausted much of its internal strength. There would be nothing to stop the ensuing waves of avalanches that followed the massive quakes, and a certain Great Glacier would be buried in even more ice and snow that barred any reasonable entry. Even much of the surrounding wildlife at the outskirts of the impact was eradicated by the shockwaves, and only the most resilient that hid away would be able to weather the ensuing drought of life. By some miracle, the residents of Icicle Inn narrowly avoided the worst, being just at the outskirts of the destruction, but they too soon found themselves cut off from the rest of the world as well.
The repercussions were felt all over and to immediate effect. Mass-sweeping blackouts hit all towns that depended on Shinra Company’s mako reactors. Many of these towns faced energy panics trying to restore backup reserves and even other more unfortunate ones would be left with little choice but to fend for themselves. Furthermore, the resulting EMP-like blast from the impact also knocked out much of the global network of cell towers and if still somehow viable, they would require manual input to be restarted. That alone wouldn’t be such a tall order if not for the withdrawal of troops from many small towns due to the increased aggression of fiends elsewhere, and many of these towns once safely shielded by Shinra instead found themselves completely vulnerable for the first time since their establishment. Even in the ever resilient city of Midgar, though well equipped with plenty of backup generators to alleviate the worst of the emergency, it was clear to the company executives that they just met an unprecedented shortage that painted a grim future ahead if they did not seek new sources. And yet, switching to an alternative source would bring its own host of complications that most of them seem less than inclined to accept.
But a little global blackout wouldn’t even be the worst problem humanity would have to face. In a desperate bid to restore what was lost, the last of the planet’s diminished cries woke the fated Weapons from their deep slumber. Five juggernauts in all – the planet’s most destructive power barring Meteor itself – hence arose from the depths of the great reopened wound and prepared to launch a global-scale attack on the rest of the planet’s surface. They were aided and abetted by many lesser Weapons that sprouted from the depths of the oceans and even the center of certain abandoned reactors. Even the lands that once resisted Shinra would not be spared and those that once communed with nature would flee in fear of the wrath of the planet. Too much was lost too fast, and the planet demanded the price be paid. The roars of the Weapons rang out and echoed across the world; their outcry to signify the beginning of the end.
In ancient times, even when the world was once brought to its proverbial knees, there were heroes that rose to legend who fended off the greatest threats and restored a lasting peace. However, in this new timeline, the world’s long awaited heroes – the ones that could have been – have all vanished.
~
It came as a shock to most of the residents of Midgar living topside that their very world would seem to flip upside-down in a single week’s series of events. One day, there was simply a tense silence from the city’s authorities immediately following a certain disaster up north, but everyone was advised to carry on as usual as if nothing happened, despite the fact that everyone would be subject to sporadic blackouts from time to time without explanation. Then, after six whole days of uncomfortable silence on the matter, the mayor finally came out to declare the city would be put in a state of emergency. He shortly appeared on Shinra’s central news network, SNN, to announce the results of closed-door deliberations that the city council had with the Shinra executives on short notice. There were a number of changes that would be made to city policies, and though they were deemed necessary measures, none would be welcome news.
For starters, the city would hence undergo a city-wide lockdown and the outer gates barred for an indeterminate length of time, where no one but those granted express permission from the municipal government would be allowed to enter or leave – though it would be obvious to anyone that the heads of Shinra would have free reign to decide for themselves regardless. Exceptions could be made for certain professions and trades, especially those that manage and facilitate the distribution of public goods and services in and out between Midgar and its neighboring allied countries. This would include the mobilization of troops as well as Soldier operatives out of Midgar to various towns that were reported to be in crisis. Thus, the lockdown was justified as a public safety measure while the scant Soldier operatives that would remain were determined to be the “best of the best” to ensure the city would be safe. (But no one was informed that these Soldiers would be the very reason why no mere commoner would be able to leave.) For another, the city would have to undergo energy rationing. In other words, at periodic times during the day, each sector would be scheduled for temporary blackouts to help curb “excessive” consumption. And least popular of all, there would indeed be a supposedly temporary tax hike in the meantime to help cover for any other unaccounted costs or damages. Needless to say, the sudden news drop didn’t give the people much time to prepare, but before dissidents could rally together following the mayor’s declaration, President Rufus then shortly appeared onscreen to address everyone’s concerns.
“Citizens of Midgar. This is the president of Shinra Energy Company speaking. As you’ve just heard from the mayor, this city will be undergoing a lockdown and strict rationing. I understand that these will be trying times. Rest assured that we at Shinra will continue to serve everyone dutifully to the best extent within reason. Though this may be the worst energy shortage that this company has come to face in recent history, this city is well-equipped with plenty of reserves that will let us hold off the worst for another year while we sort out the situation. No matter the circumstances, the Shinra Company, together with the faithful and resilient people of Midgar, will continue to strive for greatness and thrive despite adversity.”
While he would move on to address other issues and details to the policy changes to be enacted, with a very vague mention of some perceived “outside threat”, an uneasy crowd of Shinra employees, both currently active and retired, began to form outside the lobby of their company HQ. Given all the secrecy behind the deliberations between the city council and the company, a number of concerned citizens gathered at the front steps to protest the lack of transparency and bring up various issues that were yet being overlooked – such as the current blackout of communication lines coming from and going outside of Midgar. Among them would be some residents of Sector 7’s topside. While their sector was ultimately spared a horrific fate that would instead beset their neighboring Sector 8, most of the crisis from that time was swept under the rug following the disaster. Though most chose to remain quiet and turn the other way, a number of residents began to openly suspect that Shinra’s silence on the incident spoke way more to the precariousness of their own situation.
One among the crowd happens to be a woman of middle age with short brunette hair, who bears a solemn expression on her face as she listens to the news. This is Jessie’s mother, one among several disenfranchised Shinra employees who considered leaving the company in the past, but decided to stay as they were still living in Midgar. Ever since her husband fell ill due to overexposure to mako while working in one of the reactors, she’s been holding a quiet grudge that she’s tried her best to keep suppressed. The man has been comatose ever since, and they weren’t issued any due compensation aside from a half-hearted corporate apology letter. And while Jessie hadn’t spoken out much, especially since she seems to be busy out of town as of late, even the mother could tell at a glance that her daughter was definitely harboring ill feelings toward this company. The least she could do as a mother is stand up for her family and speak out when given the chance.
After a momentary pause, though, Rufus’ speech now takes a different turn: “Incidentally, while they are still ongoing, our private investigations have led us to a few probable causes – all of which may have unfortunate implications. There is a real possibility that the series of events that recently struck our city may in fact not be simple coincidence.”
The crowd begins to murmur amongst themselves. Not coincidence? So, were those things actually planned? By whom? Where is the president going with this?
“For starters, various terrorist activities have been linked to one particular group that call themselves ‘Avalanche’. I’m sure many of you have heard of the terrible Sector 8 plate collapse in the news not too long ago. At the heart of the incident was a certain white dragon that had previously been sighted at the 7-6 Annex explosion, and though it appears it has vanished altogether over this past week, we nonetheless have to conclude that it was also responsible for the plate collapse. However, even more recently, Avalanche has taken full advantage of the tragedy and only continued to stir violence and riots in the streets. Fortunately, with our agents’ quick response, most of the inciting parties have been detained, though a few scattered fugitives seem to have fled out of town. We’re currently looking into the matter and will bring updates as they arrive.”
Now the murmurs grow loud enough that people are speaking aloud and sharing their suspicions. It’s true that ever since the appearance of the white dragon that once terrorized the skies, Avalanche seems to have only gotten more and more rowdy, almost like they had something to do with it. But it’s odd to think about: dragons aren’t usually known to be friendly to humans in the first place. How could some slipshod rebel group control something like that?
“While these incidents may appear to be unrelated at first, the truth is that Avalanche didn’t work alone. They had both military and financial backing by agents from another country over the past several years. While Shinra has no intention to contribute to rising international tensions, we have little choice but to conclude that there was involvement from this country… the Republic of Wutai.”
There are audible gasps, and a few excited “I knew it!” exclamations from some people who were already inclined in that direction. However, even others remain doubtful or unsure of what this may imply. Surely, Wutai’s government wouldn’t be so brazen as to back a terrorist group of all things? They’re still under ceasefire from the war some years back. What do they expect to gain from this?
“We have sent envoys to Wutai to inform and discuss the issue, but they were denied entry without a reason given. Even now, the Wutai government has refused to explain themselves or cooperate with our investigations into Avalanche. It may be unfortunate, but this breakdown in communications leaves us with little choice but to assume the worst. We have thus deployed a second team of envoys along with Soldier to their borders. I sincerely hope that practical minds will prevail in the end and we may yet come to a peaceful negotiation. But if they still refuse to comply, we may have to recall the ceasefire.”
As the old propaganda machine is being oiled up again, the gears begin to turn once more. By now, more and more people in the crowd are growing restless, and many are desperate to find someone responsible to blame for their current plight. Jessie’s mother grows wary and worried about this crowd around her. Though they’re all her fellow employees who likewise have a few things to protest about, they aren’t nearly as united as they initially looked. The president’s words, whether truthful or otherwise, are already enough to sway the fence-sitters, and before anyone knows what’s actually going on, an argument breaks out in the back.
“Are you kidding me? Those damn Wutaians again! They’re just a bunch of sore losers, huh?” one man grumbles aloud.
“Yeah. Ever since we clearly crushed them during the war, they sued for peace. And now they’re just trying to get around the ceasefire by pulling this terrorist crap!” another man beside him joins in. “Do they have no shame?”
A woman next to them shakes her head with a disappointed frown. “Unbelievable. To think this silly war was started just because they don’t like foreigners coming into their country. And they call us the racists?”
“I always knew those suckers were trouble! That’s it, I’m getting my shotgun!” a certain feisty old woman declares.
“Wait, Grandma. I don’t think they’re gonna be coming around here…” another young woman whispers to her.
Meanwhile, a certain middle-aged man who happens to be of Wutaian descent visibly grows nervous and tries to slip away and out of the crowd, but then a black prickly-bearded man who was standing beside him notices.
“Hey, Yamazaki! Where are you going?”
“H-huh? Uh, don’t mind me. I’m just going home.”
“Really? You were so gung-ho about coming out to protest and you’re just gonna leave? Come on, man. I don’t wanna point fingers, but that makes you look real suspicious.”
“Er, I don’t mean to be suspicious, but I dunno if I wanna stick around here…”
Then, another smart aleck in the crowd points out, “Tch. He already looks the part. Sketchy just like the rest of them.”
“H-hey! Come on, let’s not go there,” Yamazaki pleads. “I’ve been working at this company for a long time.”
But try as he might to ease the tensions, rumors run rampant among the rest of the crowd.
“But how would Wutai even be able to help Avalanche all the way over here? They’ve been around in this city for a while, right?” another woman asks her coworkers.
“Yeah, that is suspicious… Almost like they got some secret agents planted,” her male coworker replies with a frown.
“But I thought the city’s under lockdown. How would they even get outside help?” yet another man asks.
“Don’t forget the lockdown only happened the other day,” that coworker reminds him. “Who knows how long they’ve been hiding…”
And like a powder keg ready to be set off, all it takes is one loud voice.
“Hey! Wait a sec! What are we doing gathered around here?” another paranoid man shouts. “Who knows if some of those bastards are hiding among us?”
“Wait, what? You mean they’re here!?” another panicked man yells.
Panic runs free throughout the crowd as people grow agitated and fearful, eyeing each other up as if wondering who the potential mole among them could be. Unfortunately for the man named Yamazaki, he so happens to be an easy target as he stands out among his fellow employees. As he tries to leave, he soon finds the bearded man beside him holding him up again, and when he tries to pull free, chaos thus erupts. All of a sudden, people are hounding him and one other man tackles him to restrain him. A woman gasps in horror, and even others who are confused push and pull their way to see what the fuss is about. He isn’t the only one targeted; a few others who also look just a bit Wutaian are also held back and forced to be interrogated, to little result other than further confusion.
Another white couple among the crowd have been standing by, looking ever so lost and concerned at the angry mob, but are too scared to leave just yet, as to not make themselves suspicious too. The man then takes out his phone and means to make an important call while he anticipates worse things to come. Meanwhile, their lone son, a well-dressed boy around the age of 7 who happened to tag along because they didn’t want to leave him alone in the house, is much less concerned about how they look and more about just getting out of this place. He looks around for an opening, but before he can lead his parents away, the commotion at the outskirts stirs the crowd into panic. The pushing and roughhousing begins and his exit is blocked, and he quickly finds himself separated.
“Mom! Dad!” he calls out, but the noise of the mob drowns out his voice.
Eventually the crowd becomes loud and raucous enough that the police finally arrive, blowing very shrill whistles and yelling through a megaphone to disperse them. But by now, the mob has grown so chaotic that they’re not ready to listen to reason. What at first started as just some stand-ups and angry arguments shortly turn to actual fist fights, and the police are forced to set off a warning shot. Unfortunately, this only stirs the mob even further into panic and the crowd scatters in all directions. The poor boy who was just trying to find his way back is shoved aside to the ground, while he helplessly scans the crowd for his parents, he’s already lost them. Where did they go?
Before he is nearly trampled by the frenetic crowd, he is pulled out of the way and helped back to his feet by another woman who had been watching. It’s Jessie’ mother; she had a bad feeling as soon as she spotted a child among them and hurried closer just in case.
“Mom! Dad!” the boy cries again. “I’m over here!”
“Excuse me! Did someone miss their boy!?” the woman calls out too.
She also looks around to see if there’s anyone who is coming back around, but before they can find a response, the police who lack any patience whatsoever quickly shove them away and proceed to bar the entrance to Shinra HQ. Despite her protests, the woman and boy can’t argue with the officers, who dismiss their complaints without further thought. At least one of the them suggests they can take a cab to detour back to whichever sector they came from, but that’s about it. This area has thus been cordoned off from the public until “further notice”.
Jessie’s mother swears under her breath, but takes the boy along with her to find another open road. By now, the boy is a shivering mess, looking like he’s trying his best to hold back tears of frustration. The woman offers him her sympathies and reassures him that she’ll find his parents.
“Where do you live?” she asks. “Which sector, I mean?”
The boy takes a moment to calm down and then answers, “Um… Sector 7, topside.”
She gives an encouraging smile. “Oh. That’s where I’m from too. I know the way back.”
“…”
“Say, what’s your name? We might even be neighbors.”
“…Denzel.”
“Denzel, huh?” She nods back. “Have you ever met a young woman named Jessie?”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. My parents are pretty strict about keeping me from talking with strangers, so I don’t know that many people outside of school.”
“Ah. Well, don’t worry. When we get back, I’m taking you straight to the office of Child Protection Services. I’m sure your parents will be looking for you there.”
He nods back. “Okay… Thank you, ma’am. Um, can I get your name too?”
She smiles again. “It’s Rose. Rose Raspberry.”
“Thank you, Ms. Raspberry.”
She chuckles. “Well, I’m a little old to be named ‘Miss’ these days.”
“Oh. Mrs. Raspberry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I appreciate the thought, Denzel. Now let’s get you home.”
~
This isn’t right. They’re currently facing an unimaginable existential threat outside their doors and in many other places around the world, and even now this company is being led by incredibly petty ideologues that simply refuse to drop their politically motivated squabbles for even a second. As he listened to the public announcement broadcast live as it happened, Reeve was aghast to realize that there was an unnecessary amount of propaganda dropped when it was just supposed to be a general news update on the city’s situation. Surely, this wasn’t the president’s own decision to stir up controversy. Gya-ha-ha and Kya-ha-ha most definitely played a part in that judgment. Unfortunately, though he hurried off to the president’s office as soon as the broadcast ended, he would find that he’s not the only one present to speak with him.
“Hahahaha!” Heidegger lets out a delighted bellow. “Those Wutaians really make it too easy! To think that they’d actually be worshipping that demented beast like a god. Might as well have shown a giant ‘WE DID IT’ sign over their entire country!”
Scarlet scoffs back, waving a dismissive hand. “Is it any surprise? They’re all so backwater they’re still living in the Dark Ages! It’s a wonder how they even managed to set up a new government at all.”
Reeve stops short at the door and his hands ball up into fists. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to see the president alone. One way or another, these two always seem to rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune times. Even Palmer is here, sitting on the side with a cup of tea, but it looks like Hojo is nowhere to be seen. In fact, ever since the jailbreak incident, it seems no one has been able to get in contact with him. Reeve can only assume he’d disappeared off into some other lab again, but it leaves a sour feeling in his gut knowing that he might be up to no good as always. Well, don’t mind that now. He has more important issues to address at the moment.
“Mr. President, if I may interject for a brief meeting… in private, preferably?” Reeve suggests, trying to keep his cool as best he can.
Rufus sits in his seat, leaning over the desk, as he stares with a troubled, almost weary expression at the computer screen before him. He’s been reading over several reports that Tseng had compiled for him over the recent investigations into Avalanche and Wutai as he was previously notified. The truth was: the envoys he sent earlier were actually admitted into the country as per international protocol, but Wutai’s Parliament suddenly changed their decision and refused to meet them for due to “unforeseen circumstances” that were not elaborated upon. These envoys intended to investigate the situation themselves, but were shunned out of the city by the populace that found them extremely unwelcome. Tried as they did to appeal to reason, the envoys were instead pelted with rocks and other debris as they were expelled out of the city. Forced to call it quits, they were going to report back when communication lines suddenly went down. This was likely due to Meteor’s impact, which released a giant EMP-like shockwave that knocked out the lines of many cell towers of theirs across the world. While these towers would normally be resilient enough to withstand outages from a variety of potential causes, these are certainly not normal circumstances. Now they’re gonna have to send survey-and-repair teams all over to find out which ones can still be manually fixed and rebooted.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, many reactors outside of Midgar likewise ran into their own issues. The unprecedented energy shortage aside, even in the areas that were once supposed to have been rich with natural mako, there have been reports that certain giant mecha-like monsters were seen around them and laying waste to them instead. He’s already deployed Soldier and the relevant forces to various towns and posts to inspect and defend them, but clearly they’re gonna be stuck with this mess for some time. Most annoying of all, as president of this global conglomerate, it leaves him in the awkward position to have to stall and present the public with some kind of explanation in the meantime. Though he hesitated to start up the propaganda machine when their own resources and manpower were being stretched thin, he ceded to Heidegger’s suggestion to pick a scapegoat to at least keep the masses distracted.
As Reeve approaches his desk, Rufus gives him a stern and very disappointed scowl. After all was said and done, this current mess is what the company was left with. He was honestly hoping that Cloud and party would be able to handle Sephiroth and prevent such a disaster, but it seems it was a lost cause from the get-go. At the very least, the planet wasn’t bombed to the brink of collapse, but whatever they accomplished has left the rest of the world in another great mess. If anything, Rufus doesn’t really want to speak to Reeve right now, but recognizes that he may have something important to share.
“If you have something to report, say it now. I don’t have time to set up another appointment just for you.” Rufus then follows up with the looming question: “Have you uncovered the whereabouts of Cloud and company yet?”
Reeve feels something in his gut jerk uncomfortably and has to answer honestly, “No, sir.”
Rufus lets off an audible sigh, though he suspected as much. “Then what do you want to talk about?”
Nonetheless determined to stand his ground, Reeve suggests with a serious face, “Sir, I request that you make another public service announcement with corrections to the record.”
“Another announcement? For what?”
“Regarding the situation with Wutai, of course. This isn’t the time we should be bringing up controversy when there’s-”
But before he can finish, Heidegger makes a loud clearing of his throat as if to interrupt him. He then turns to the president himself with a stiff upper lip. “Pardon me. Mr. President, if I may interject with a quick word?”
Rufus rolls his eyes, but obliges him. “What is it?”
“Regarding the situation with the Weapons, I can reassure everyone that our forces are more than capable enough to stamp down any resistance. Even with 1st Class deployed out there, we still have plenty more from Soldier in reserve, namely our 2nd and 3rd classes, ready to be mobilized at any given time.”
“Yes, I’m aware. You brought it up last meeting.”
Heidegger now turns back to Reeve with a disgusted frown. “Unfortunately, even though we were all in attendance, it seems one of us has yet to realize this obvious fact.”
Reeve feels a slight nerve twitch in his head, but he tries to keep it cool. “This isn’t about that. It’s about prioritizing what matters! We shouldn’t start conflicts when we already have plenty of other issues!”
“Oh, here we go again,” he groans to himself. He taps the side of his head with a mocking harrumph. “After all this time, you still haven’t gotten it through your thick skull?” He balls up a fist. “Wutai is and has always been the enemy! They never signed a treaty to end the war, so it’s still on! We would have no reason to oblige this ceasefire they begged us for if they resort to underhanded tactics and shielding terrorists!”
Reeve argues back, “Heidegger, stop stoking conspiracies and think about what you’ve started! Right now we’re facing a crisis with the entire planet on the line! Those ancient Weapons are still out there causing havoc! We don’t have time to waste on another war!”
“And whose fault was it that we got into this crisis?” he snaps back. “If you and your merry band of terrorists hadn’t screwed up everything with Sephiroth, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now!”
He winces a little to that, but still stands his ground. “I’m sorry that we didn’t do enough, but sending our troops back to Wutai will just make things worse! What we should be doing is sending aid. I heard even their people have been facing issues with the Weapons by their shores.”
“Ha! Serves them right! If their defenses are so poor that they can’t even handle even one of them, then they were doomed from the start!” He sticks his nose up at the whole affair. “Their sad excuse of a government is barely keeping themselves together, especially after the whole ARC debacle. They’ve been cannabilizing their own officials to the point they didn’t have an envoy to match ours. It’s just sad to watch. No wonder they wouldn’t know what to do once a real threat starts chomping at them.” He then gives a dismissive handwave. “You know what, forget sending troops! Just a few Turks could dismantle that flimsy house of cards!”
Reeve shakes his head with a sigh. “I’m not going to argue about what’s going on there, since I don’t know much. But shouldn’t that be even more reason why we shouldn’t bother them?” He also turns back to Rufus to continue pleading his case. “Sir, I am asking with all due respect that you please reconsider. We don’t have anything to gain from stirring up old feuds. As for Avalanche, we can try a diplomatic approach and work out a better deal so they wouldn’t have any reason to keep covering for them.”
“Listen to people other than yourself for once, Tuesti! If you haven’t heard, we tried diplomacy and got rejected! How do you expect us to work peacefully with a warmongering government like theirs?” Heidegger demands without a hint of irony.
By now, Rufus has largely tuned out the argument as it’s the same old stuff that he’s heard plenty of times before, especially given that it’s these two. Still, he has been keeping up with the gist of things. He now looks up from his computer again and calmly replies to Reeve, “While I understand your concerns, Reeve, it’s a little too late to be pulling back and giving apologies. The fact of the matter is that this company has been put under a strain we haven’t seen since the earliest days, and I don’t think a lot of people living in this city now still remember how things used to be. It’d just be more trouble for us if they start rioting in the streets again. At this point, we might as well cut our losses and preserve what we can, and there’s no better scapegoat than Wutai. Like Heidegger said, they practically set themselves up by worshiping a being like Ruby.”
Reeve’s face visibly sinks as he grows disheartened. “But then what are we going to do if Wutai actually responds by going to war? Even if our forces can easily match or overwhelm theirs, that’s some unnecessary loss of life to be had.”
To which, Rufus retorts rather wittily: “Well, since the planet has been weakened enough that it’s sent out the Weapons to help itself recover its losses, why not serve them what they want?”
Reeve stares in abject horror and disbelief at what he just said. Unfortunately, around him are voices that don’t share his reaction. Heidegger and Scarlet begin to snicker among themselves, and even Palmer, who hadn’t really been listening that carefully, makes his own nervous chuckle as if he didn’t want to be left out.
“Sir… This isn’t the time for jokes,” Reeve replies.
“Hahahahaha!” Heidegger then bursts aloud with a hearty laugh. “Well said, Mr. President! If those Wutaians are always so happy to be living with nature, then why not let them have it? I’m sure they’ll love to meet the planet on its own terms!”
“Oh, my,” Scarlet quips along, “With how pathetic their forces are, they might need help even getting there. Fortunately, Weapons Development would be happy to lend them a hand… or plenty of mechs, while we’re at it. It’ll be quick work to put them out of their misery.”
Reeve ignores those two and continues to plead, “Mr. President. I realize we may be short on options at the moment, but our immediate solution shouldn’t be sacrificing other people, especially that most of them are still innocent lives.”
“Innocent? Are we still talking about the same thing here?” Heidegger cuts in again. “Those Wutaians literally worship a humanity-ending mythical beast and you still think they’ve done nothing wrong? Whose side are you on!?”
“Regardless of our differences, we should by all means find a way out of this crisis together!” he insists. “What hope for humanity is there if we resort to killing each other when times are tough? I would think this company at least stood for scientific advancement and progress for the betterment of everyone!”
Scarlet rolls her eyes. “Clearly we have very different definitions of ‘everyone’…”
“Honestly, why are we still letting him ramble on like this?” Heidegger agrees with contempt.
As the argument finally settles back into silence, Rufus dismisses the reports he was reviewing, sets his computer to recede back into its place within his desk, and now turns to face them all with his full undivided attention.
“Speaking of which… This may just be a formality, but Reeve, I have to inform you. Following the incident in the Northern Crater, you’ve been put under investigation for potential charges of criminal negligence and conspiracy to treason.”
Reeve’s jaw drops and he goes speechless. The other two crack up to hear it, but shortly silence themselves when Rufus passes them his same stern expression. He looks back to Reeve and continues explaining himself.
“I understand that you may want to defend yourself. It would be a pain to have to take this matter to court, so I figured we can instead skip all the paperwork and arrange a different deal under the table.”
Reeve feels his feet grow cold as a chill runs through the rest of him. He gulps nervously and then answers meekly, “…Yes, sir? What kind of deal?”
Rufus sits forward and brings his hands together, saying with a completely straight face, “If you manage to weed out Avalanche’s hiding spots in Wutai or locate any of the missing fugitives anywhere else, I’ll be happy to dismiss all charges and we can pretend you never failed your mission.”
“W-what…?”
“You still have extras of the cat, right? Should be simple for you to send him over.”
“…”
“Otherwise, if that isn’t suitable for you, then a viable alternative would be to make your own PSA admitting to how you conspired with members of Avalanche and government agents of Wutai, leading to the inevitable conclusion that brought the giant meteor to threaten our planet. After that, you will be free to resign from your position and I’ll drop the charges.”
“…”
Rufus now sits back in his seat to relax. “Of course, it’d probably be hell on Gaia for you if you did. In comparison, the first option really isn’t that bad.”
Reeve hangs his head as a familiar creeping dread returns to him. Once again, one among many times now, he’s been caught between a rock and a hard place. He is forced to choose between his duty to the welfare of the people of this city, the home he’s always known, and his morality as a person in general. If he takes the job, he’ll be free from criminality, but instead heavily monitored to make sure that he keeps to the “mission”. He’d be forced to betray his friends again, and this time he won’t have an excuse that Ruby would have anything to do with it. Even if he dearly wants to find them, he won’t be able to face Cloud and the others ever again. After all they’ve been through together, it just seems like a ludicrous possibility to even humor.
But he doesn’t dare take the second option either. Like Rufus said, it would just be a different hell – to be labeled the “traitor” of Midgar and hated by everyone for basically bringing Armageddon to this planet. Maybe at the very least, he’d still earn the respect of Avalanche, but his options for shelter have already grown scarce. Though Wutai may be the enemy of Shinra, they would not be happy to house him either, especially given what had happened with Ruby that one time, and tensions would only be worse now after this latest disaster. The people of Cosmo Canyon may be gracious hosts, but they wouldn’t be able to do anything if Shinra came knocking with a warrant for his arrest. And saddest of all, no one else would know the truth behind the disappearance of the planet’s lost heroes. The world out there is fraught with many more dangers he can’t even imagine. His cat and moogle friend aside, he himself is no combatant. It’s just as ludicrous a possibility to humor.
He clenches up his fists with a burning frustration. Why must it always come down to this? Why is there never an easy answer out of the dilemma, where he doesn’t have to sacrifice someone or something? Is there a third option he’s missing? Can he just pretend to take the job, but then actively sabotage the mission to fight back against this immoral company? Well, for a while, he did play as Ruby’s “Shinra insider”, but it was just a part of his cover as a spy. And yet, she always knew that it would eventually stop being just a cover. If only he safely could turn things around and become fit to be that insider that Ruby named…
Now that he thinks about it, what really happened to Ruby? It’s true that they all witnessed Sephiroth slaying her, but technically it would have been Rubia’s body that was struck. But Cloud said she may have disappeared for good, since she and Rubia aren’t exactly identical in all respects. But if Ruby isn’t really Rubia, then who or even what is she, really? There’s so much they don’t know about her; about what she is. Would it be possible that she could still exist without Rubia? If there’s any chance of that, then maybe that missing third option can be a reality after all. But this is all just guesswork and speculation. And why would he want to have to rely on her yet again? Look where all that led them.
“…Reeve. If you don’t answer, I’ll just go ahead and file the charges,” Rufus speaks up again.
Reeve snaps out of his thoughts and blinks a few more times. No, but that’s exactly the point, isn’t it? Ruby didn’t always have the best route forward, but she brought everyone together because she believed in them. She had this unwavering faith of a “good ending” from the start before any of them knew who she was. She had a specific goal in mind and put in the work herself, and they should strive to do the same. Even if she isn’t here anymore, not everything is lost. There’s still that faith she held and while he’s still alive, he can bear the torch and keep it going; even see it through to the end. In the meantime, he will do what he must to stay afloat and more importantly stay connected. With his face hardened with renewed resolve, he lifts his head again and gives his answer.
“I’ll do it. Send me to Wutai.”
Rufus makes a somewhat intrigued look, curious how he came to that conclusion after all the inner turmoil that was obvious from his face. Nevertheless, it is the logical option to take, so he’s not too surprised. Heidegger and Scarlet, meanwhile, remain unimpressed as they very much expected him to save his own skin. And Palmer in the back remains blank-eyed and sipping his tea because he has no bet in this proverbial race.
“Alright. Glad we can set all that aside.” Rufus then hints another button behind his desk to activate an intercom. “Tseng.”
The response comes promptly, “Yes, sir?”
“Change of plans. There’s one more that will join Reno, Rude, and Elena to Wutai. Tell them to get the helicopter ready for a black cat and its stuffed moogle.”
“Yes, sir.” There’s a momentary pause before Tseng asks out of curiosity, “By the way, sir, may I ask for what reason that this change was made?”
“Reeve was the insider in Cloud’s group. Even if he doesn’t know where they are now, he would still be useful to keep around. Don’t ever let his cat out of your sights.”
“Understood.”
The intercom goes silent and Rufus releases his hold on the button. He then turns back to the others standing by with a cool look in his eyes.
“As for the rest of you, I expect further updates on the situation with the ancient Weapons. Heidegger, has anyone been able to reach out to Hojo?”
He frowns. “Unfortunately, no. But I believe R&D has confirmed that the Immortals are combat-ready. We should run into no other issues with them.”
“Alright. Have them deployed, one each to face each of the largest Weapons as they appear. I await to hear the results.” To which, Heidegger answers with a salute and Rufus turns to the other. “Scarlet, how is the cannon?”
She smiles and nods graciously. “Ready and willing to be operated. We didn’t have it moved all this way just to decorate the place.”
“If any Weapon comes our way, see to it that it’s in position.”
“Of course, sir.”
And with business settled for now, he finally pulls up and gets out of his seat. “Alright. You’re all dismissed.”
But as the three he addressed take their leave, Palmer remains in the room a little more. Now presented with the opportunity to ask, he meets with the president before the latter takes his leave as well.
“Um, Mr. President?”
“Yes?”
“I know we have quite a bit on our plate as is… but by any chance, could we still see any additional funding to the Space Division in the foreseeable future, perhaps?”
“…” Rufus turns away for the door, but then replies, “Bring it up next meeting and I’ll consider something. Investing into a defense system against meteors wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
And with that, Palmer’s face lights up with delight. He’s so happy he even does a little jiggle and a hop for joy, while Rufus ignores him once again and disappears out the door. While things are being arranged here in Midgar, there’s actually one other thing he has to attend to personally that isn’t to do with Avalanche, Wutai, or even the ongoing crisis of the planet. But what that entails may have to be saved for another time.
~
Elsewhere, safely away from the constant rigid surveillance within Midgar’s walls, the town of Kalm has more or less remained as peaceful as it always has been, albeit now with an obvious increase of Shinra presence in town. The company offered the town additional defense forces to help combat the increasing scourge of fiends that have become more aggressive in recent times, as well as to caution against the looming dangers of planetary mechs that have been reported attacking many other places. Nonethless, the mayor of Kalm happily acquiesced to the new arrangements, as it was a much better alternative than having to fend for themselves.
However, it isn’t to say that everyone in town is welcoming to Shinra’s encroachment. While most people here still see Shinra as a dependable ally to have, others can’t help but notice the town has seen a bit of unease and tension in the air now that they have a regular patrol of blue uniforms out in the streets. The troops here are technically working on company time, but because of the recent lockdown in Midgar, their local supplies have seen some difficulties coming in on time. As a result, many of the soldiers here have simply made themselves at home in the residents’ places, and basically strongarms their way with everyone to do favors for them. After all, they’re the ones who are protecting this town, so it’s the least the townsfolk can do. As the people here generally are non-confrontational, most have had little choice but to let the troops be. Not to mention, no one would dare bat an eye to the lone silent Soldier who has been recently stationed here – an odd fellow who has never once taken off his helmet since his arrival, so no one even knows who he is or how he sounds.
Off by the south end of town, some Shinra troops on patrol forcibly entered a certain man’s house to investigate into some recent reports from his neighbors of some “strange tinkering noises in the night”. The tall but lanky man with black wavy hair tied up in a short tail met with the officers, who interrogated him about the matter. The man insisted that he had just been working on something in his workshop in the back – a very useful transmuter that would be able to craft various items given the right materials – but admitted he was running short on certain materials and asked a few friends over to help him. After a cursory survey of his home and the workshop he mentioned, the troops eventually relented and excused themselves with barely a word of apology for bothering him.
The moment the troops take their leave, the man then lets off an exhausted sigh, his already pale face looking a little gaunter than usual. He shakes his head and heads inside back to the workshop, then calls out to those “friends” that had been hiding around here. Suddenly, a familiar pair of refugees – Wedge, followed by Biggs – squeeze themselves out of the cramped space in one storage closet with sighs of relief.
“Whew!” Wedge pats himself down of dust. “That was close!”
“Oof… Tell me about it. Another second later and we might’ve been done for,” Biggs mutters, flicking off a loose cobweb off his shoulder.
Unlike with the two guys, Jessie was fortunate enough to have a hiding place behind some wooden crates covered by a burlap sack. Though the troops initially intended to kick around the crates to check behind them, one glance at the rather large cobweb in the area seemed to convince them otherwise. Now with the coast clear, she takes her modified gun and switches it to a miniature vacuum to suck up the giant web and hops back out without hassle.
She smiles proudly to herself, twirling the gun around her finger before she slips it back in place on her belt. “Knew this thing would come in handy. Good thing Ruby got us some spider’s silk early on. Was a cinch to recreate the stuff with a proper reference.”
“When you said these guns can fire ‘anything’, who knew it even included materials? Your inventions get so wacky sometimes,” Biggs replies.
“It’s only wacky if it doesn’t work! I told you we’d be fine,” she insists.
“I dunno about ‘fine’. They nearly had us in their sights, you know.” He gives the lanky man with an appreciative glance. “Good thing Broden thought fast and gave them a distraction, though for a moment there, I thought those guys were gonna confiscate the transmuter.”
Broden waves a hand to that and explains, “Nah, don’t worry about it. That old thing was mine from back when I was still in Soldier. Even if they took it, it wouldn’t have anything important. I haven’t even seen Jessie’s new one yet.”
“Well, of course. It is still top-secret while I’m on it,” Jessie declares matter-of-factly. “But I promise, I’m almost done. There’s just one last material I need before I can put it all together.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You still need more material? I thought you said you had all the parts.”
“For the base device, yeah. But right now there’s not much differentiating it from your average transmuter. I need something special to make it really pop.”
“Something special?”
Biggs frowns. “What are you thinking now? You’re not about to turn that thing into a gun too, are you?”
“Ha. Ha. Ha,” she forces a sarcastic laugh and argues back, “Sorry, but no. It’s gonna be way better than that. You know how most transmuters can forge different things with certain particular materials?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s what a transmuter does.”
“Right. But what happens if you don’t have enough or can’t get the right stuff? Then you’re basically outta luck.”
“Uh-huh… but that goes without saying. Transmuters craft things. They don’t make things out of thin air.”
Jessie throws up a determined fist with a proud smile. “Which is why mine is gonna be different! No more worries about missing materials when you can just substitute them!”
By now, all three of the men around her are just staring blankly back. Biggs also shows a look somewhere between unamused and puzzled. “…Come again?”
“Substitute them?” Wedge scratches his head. “But how? If you don’t have the right stuff, it only makes sense that you can’t make a thing, right?”
“That’s why I said mine’s different. Let me give an example…” She lowers her hand again and gives them a point. “Say you want to craft a Mega Potion, so you’d need some extra ‘Essence of the Planet’ and such lying around. Well, given that we’re kinda short on that stuff these days, it’d be tricky to get anything working.”
“Right.” Biggs raises an eyebrow too. “But you’re saying you have something that can ‘substitute’ for it?”
“Not for what the planet makes, mind you, but I like to think there’s actually a shortcut we can take to the crafting process. After all, what is the stuff that makes up materia? The planet’s energy, of course.”
“Huh?” He blinks and stares back. “Wait. You’re saying we can substitute materia for the materials instead?”
“Uh, Jessie. Would that really be a good trade? Materia’s super precious too, you know,” Wedge likewise points out.
“I’m not saying to load up your magic materia in it. I’m just saying that I can add a piece of materia in it like how I worked it into our PHS’s. It’s basically gonna act as the intermediary to the process and makes it way easier.”
“Oh.” He blinks too. “Wait, you can do that?”
“Huh…” Broden puts a hand to his chin. “I know materia is capable of a lot of different things, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of using it like that.”
Jessie answers, “It’s some esoteric knowledge that I gained from studying up at the home of planetology. You ever been to Cosmo Canyon?”
He shakes his head. “No. I would like to, but…”
“What’s up?”
Though he would like to explain, he suddenly feels the words caught up in his throat. No, rather, it’s not the words themselves that did. He feels his throat get scratched up and lets out an uncomfortable cough. He turns away, but as he tries to clear it up again, he instead meets with even more coughs.
“Uh… You good, man?” Biggs asks.
Broden takes a moment to settle down again and clears his throat once last time before speaking, though his voice comes out a little raspy. “…Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
“That doesn’t sound ‘fine’, though,” Wedge remarks with a concerned frown. “Are you sick?”
“I thought I heard coughing from time to time, but at first I thought it was just allergies from all the dust back here,” Biggs admits, likewise growing concerned.
Broden waves it away. “Don’t worry about it. Just a bad cold.”
“You sure? Maybe it’d be a good idea to see a doctor.”
He shakes his head. “Nah. Forget it. No doctor would be able to help my problem anyway…”
“Hmm…” But seeing how troubled he looks, Biggs decides not to keep pressing.
“Anyway,” Broden turns back to Jessie to ask, “what was that about adding materia? What kind of materia are we talking about?”
“Not your average kind. I was trying out the stuff that was plugged into my phone, but unfortunately they’re too small of shards to get much mileage out of. But then again, your average orb is way too big, and like Wedge said, it’d be a waste of some good materia. If only we had some kind that is part of the way formed, like a chip off of those big crystals you’d find at Lifesprings…”
He blinks in surprise. “Lifesprings? I’d think you’d be better off chipping away at Shinra-made artificial ones. I don’t think those springs do well if you disturb them.”
“I know, but I mean, just a little sliver wouldn’t hurt it much, right?”
He frowns, looking unsure. “Well, I can’t say I’m an expert there, but at least I’ve never heard of anyone doing something like that. Maybe if it’s just a little piece, but would that be enough? Like, if you’re working on this new transmuter, you might end up exhausting smaller shards real fast if you’re crafting a lot.”
Jessie’s hopeful look gradually fades away. “Ah, yeah… That could be a real issue too.”
Biggs folds his arms, looking disappointed. “In other words, your transmuter is probably just a pipe dream at this point. People are already have trouble getting power in some places. I doubt we’d be able to find a Lifespring that’s still plentiful and not endangered.”
“There’s that too…” She sighs to herself. “Man, if only we had something that could fit all the criteria… then we’d basically be unstoppable!”
“Jessie, I know you wanna dream big and all, but maybe while we’re still fugitives on the run, we try to be a little more considerate about what we have in our reach?”
“…” Though she would normally have some feisty comeback to argue with him, right now even she’s short on ideas of what to do.
Broden looks around at the other three, who now share worried and discouraged looks, and shares his sympathies too. It’s been about a week since he took them under his wing since they escaped Midgar. Unfortunately, given their former history with Wutai, it was unfeasible for them to join Nayo and the rest there. Not to mention, Jessie’s gang has long been caught live on Shinra’s cameras before, so their faces are way too easily recognizable. Even the security aboard cruise vessels crossing the Meridian Ocean have been tightened considerably. So, at Billy’s suggestion, they disguised themselves among a cohort of Shinra troops that were due to be sent to Kalm, where they’ve been holed up to wait out the storm. But even here has become a difficult stay. Broden has been a gracious host, being a well-reputed fellow with the locals himself as a very well-connected everyman for the town’s resources, and has been savvy to send the occasional officers away. However, the longer he has to keep watch of their paranoid neighbors, who have likewise been repeatedly harassed by the troops, it’s only gonna get harder and harder to keep secrets. Though he’s loathe to have to say it, he must bring it up.
Clearing his throat again, he speaks up, “Hey, guys? I know this might not be the best thing to hear, but we really need to talk.”
“What’s up, Broden?” Wedge asks.
He crosses his arms. “Look. As much as I like you guys, I can’t keep you all here much longer. Of course, I’m all for helping any way I can. I’ve already talked with a few people here who can make an exit route for you if things come to it. And that transmuter idea you’re working on would be amazing, but unless you’re able to pull it off really soon, you might wanna save it for another time. We can’t wait until our neighbors complain again. We got lucky this time, but who knows what will happen if they come back?”
Biggs, who had been worried about this from the beginning, nods back. “Yeah. Broden, we really appreciate everything, but you’re right. The sooner we get outta here, the better.”
Jessie frowns. “But where do we go? Just about any town on the same continent as Midgar might as well be under Shinra too.”
Wedge wagers, “There’s still Cosmo Canyon at least, but they’re so far away. We’d have to go through Junon to reach Costa del Sol, and that’s just asking for trouble.”
“Ugh. Yeah. If only we could just get a quick ride over there…”
“If we go by air, we’re definitely getting shot down,” Biggs warns.
“But if we go by land and sea, it’ll take too long. They’d have troops stationed at every major stop.” Jessie crosses her arms. “Is there some other way we can just… I dunno, warp?”
He slumps a little. “What? You think you can reverse-engineer Ruby’s powers or something? We don’t even have her materia with us, remember?”
“Yeah, didn’t Cloud take it with him?” Wedge recalls.
“I didn’t forget.” Jessie lets go and gives a sigh. “But it sucks that there isn’t another one…”
But at that moment, she remembers something. Wait a second. Isn’t there another one? Technically, the one they swiped from their ally in Wutai was a different one, wasn’t it? That wasn’t the one they saw Ruby make the first time she did it. In other words…
“Wait! There is another one!”
“Huh?”
“Guys, did we all forget or something? Ruby gave one to Marlene, remember?”
And to that, Biggs and Wedge’s jaws drop in unison. “Oh, yeah!”
“She did, didn’t she?” Wedge says with his grin back and his eyes twinkling.
Biggs lightly slaps his own head. “Doh! How did we forget? It wasn’t that long ago, was it?”
Jessie nods as she recalls futher, “Yeah. Thinking about it, we left Marlene with Aerith’s mom, but Ruby said she took them off to another town… Wasn’t it Kalm?” She blinks and raises a determined fist. “We can totally go look for them!”
He blinks. “Wait, right now?”
“Of course right now! We need that materia pronto! In fact, it might just be the miracle stuff I need for my thing too!”
Biggs stares back, stunned. “What? Are you kidding me?”
“What?”
“Jessie, come on! That’s the most unique and precious materia of all! You wouldn’t use something that powerful just for a transmuter, would you?”
“Oh, don’t be silly! I’m not gonna use the whole thing! But maybe if I can extract some magic from it and transfer it to our materia shards, then maybe…”
He shakes his head. “Man. I knew you were crazy sometimes, but not like this…”
“It’s not even that big a stretch!” she snaps back. “Besides, Ruby’s worked miracles for us before. What’s wrong with borrowing a bit of her power?”
Biggs frowns, disappointed. “Jessie. Just ‘a bit’ of her power was able to help us destroy all those abominations in Midgar’s underground. You might as well be making a death ray with that thing attached.”
“Well, at least the power it’ll supply won’t leave us hanging dry any time soon.”
Biggs rolls his eyes, but gives up arguing. “I guess… if you can make it work.”
“You know I’d give anything a try when it comes to my gadgets. They don’t call me the tech wiz for no reason!”
“Yeah, yeah…”
While they were busy arguing, Wedge was recalling fond memories of the first time they met Ruby and she introduced her magic for them to witness. Now that he thinks it over again, though, he wonders aloud, “Though, will it be okay if we ask Marlene for it? I thought it was Ruby’s gift to her for her protection.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jessie nods as she remembers it too. “She did say it was like a good-luck charm.” She frowns to herself, now feeling a tinge of guilt. “Maybe I was a little hasty to resort to it.”
Biggs shrugs. “Well, we’re not doing too hot right now, so I don’t think she’ll mind lending it to us. You can just give it back later, right?”
“Yeah.” She nods again, muttering to reassure herself, “I’d only need a little magic, after all. This is still gonna be a transmuter and not a bomb.”
“Alright, then what are we waiting for?” Wedge suggests, “Let’s get our disguises up and let’s go!”
But before he can hurry off, Broden steps in with a hand. “Whoa! Wait a sec.”
“Huh?”
He also shakes his head. “Sorry, but that might not be a good idea. Last time you were out, I overheard some neighbors who tried reporting you.”
Wedge is taken aback. “What? You mean they actually knew?”
“Nah. Seems like there was some kind of misunderstanding because they thought you three were some other troops that they said had stolen something from them.”
“Stolen?” Biggs asks.
Broden nods back with a frown. “Unfortunately, not all the soldiers here are following protocol. They’re supposed to have a warrant to be able to search people’s homes, but it sounds like some have done illegal searches and confiscated items they deemed ‘dangerous’ or whatever. Weapons are one thing, but I heard someone even had their jewelry taken because it was claimed to have been ‘illegally obtained’… Ironic.”
Now he looks a little ticked off. “You gotta be kidding me. Figures Shinra wouldn’t bat an eye at corrupt cops, but this is ridiculous! They’re in a totally different city! Does the mayor know about this?”
Broden shakes his head. “I’m sure people have reported it, but sadly the mayor’s turned a blind eye too. Sounds like they cracked some kind of deal under the table. As long as there’s still some ‘threat’ outside, the troops will stay. It sucks, but that’s just how things have been.”
Wedge frowns too. “Man… And here I thought Kalm would at least be doing a little better than Midgar, but guess not.”
“It’s ’cause they’re so close. Shinra could always drop by at a moment’s notice.” Jessie shakes her head with a sigh. “Too bad we didn’t have any choice but to come here.”
“Well, at least Avalanche still has sympathizers living here, so it’s not all bad.”
“Yeah…” She passes a concerned glance toward Broden. “But I still feel bad for putting him up to all this just to cover for us.”
Broden shakes his head. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself…” His voice is getting a little raspy again and he clears his throat. “But we’ll all be in hot water if you guys get reported again. I don’t think you should head out right now.”
“Yeah, fair enough…” Biggs nods along in agreement, but remains troubled. “But what do we do, then? We won’t be able to get anything done sitting around here.”
At this point, Broden is still a bit unsure about what all the fuss is about some materia, but it must be pretty important if these three are all onboard. He then offers, “Leave it to me.”
“Huh?” Biggs blinks. “Wait, really? You’ll do it for us?”
He nods. “Sure, I don’t mind.”
“But what if you get in trouble too?” Wedge worries. “We don’t wanna put you through that.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He now reveals a reassuring smile of his own. “I’ve served the community here long enough that everyone more or less knows me. They won’t suspect a thing if I visit someone on the other side of town.”
“Broden! You really are a bro!” Wedge cheers. “Thanks, man!”
Biggs agrees, “Yeah, seriously, thanks! Let us know what we can do to make it up to you.”
“It’s fine, guys, really.” Broden then asks, “But, just wondering: what’s this materia you guys keep talking about? Is it really something special?”
“Oh, yeah. Like you wouldn’t believe!” Jessie declares with a proud smirk.
“It’s no ordinary materia we’re talking. This thing can work miracles. We’ve seen it firsthand,” Biggs follows suit. “Saved us and our pals out of a few serious jams in the past.”
“And it’s so pretty! Pure white like snow, and you can even make out a particular swirl to all the energy inside. Looks different from most materia too,” she adds further.
Broden blinks in surprise. “A white materia? I didn’t know something like that existed.”
“Yeah, that’s why it’s special.” Jessie leans in with a cheeky grin. “And who knows, maybe it’ll even be able to help you too.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Of course! Even if it really is just a ‘bad cold’, just one touch of this thing and your problems will be gone!”
“W-what!? That’s not… There’s no such…” The surprise hits him hard enough that he’s caught off-guard, and he’s suddenly having another awkward coughing fit. After another moment to ease his nerves, he lets out a tired sigh.
Jessie’s smile fades as she gets serious. “…I mean it, Broden. Ruby’s power is the real deal. She could be your ticket out of whatever illness you have. She’s not a doctor; she’s better. An actual miracle worker.”
He blinks, a little taken aback by how earnest she sounds. Though still unsure, he asks again, “You really think so…?”
“Definitely. And if not, well, at least she can help relieve the worst.” She looks off as she recalls another man who may need that kind of help too. “If there’s anyone who can save even the most sickly of patients, it would be her. She promised, after all.”
“…” He takes another moment to take a few easy breaths, just to be sure he won’t start up another fit while he’s out there. “Okay, I’m good. So, where should I start looking?”
“For Marlene? She should be living with Elmyra right now,” Biggs suggests, but then he scratches his head. “I wouldn’t know where they live, though.”
“Elmyra… What’s her last name?”
“Uh…” He pauses. “You know, I don’t think we ever asked her.”
“Well, Aerith’s last name is Gainsborough. I’d think they’d share the same name,” Jessie answers.
Biggs turns to her. “Huh? How’d you know that?”
“Of course I’d know. I’ve done the research.” Jessie flicks a finger point to her head. “Before I made those PHS’s for everyone, I made sure to log everyone’s names. I didn’t remember what Ruby’s last name was, though she was tuned in to all of them anyway, so it didn’t matter.”
“Huh.” He shrugs and turns back to Broden. “Well, there you go.”
Broden nods back. “Alright. I’ll ask around about ‘Elmyra Gainsborough’. You guys said she came here from Midgar, right? I think the town hall’s housing and residence department should have a record.”
“Yep! Thanks a bunch, Broden!” Jessie answers with a grin. “You’re a real one, alright. Letting us stay here and even helping us with this or that. Hope we haven’t been overstaying your hospitality!”
He handwaves it. “Don’t worry about it. Avalanche was the reason why I’m even here. And besides…” He also reveals a smirk. “Normally, I wouldn’t be so quick to be sold on something like a ‘miracle cure’, but by the way you guys talked about her, this Ruby person seems pretty amazing.”
“Heh. Maybe when we catch up with her again, we’ll introduce you!”
He nods back and with a quick salute, he takes his leave. Now left alone to this workshop, though, Biggs looks around at the mess.
“So, uh, what do we do now?”
Wedge follows suit and turns back to him. “I dunno. Help him clean up around here?”
Jessie waves a dismissive hand and whips out a certain handheld device she was keeping in her bag. “You guys go do that. I’m gonna get back to work on this thing. Gotta make sure these shards are ready for the magic transfer…”
Biggs gives her an annoyed stare as she leaves again to fetch her tools and lets off a sigh. He joins Wedge, who is already starting to help put the mess of items back in the closet they were using.
~
Though the town certainly has seen its fair share of people immigrating here from Midgar, since the lockdown went into play, that trend has come to a sudden halt. Thanks to the help from some locals who have been keeping an eye out for the newest residents of Kalm – more out of tradition rather than any real paranoia, but the latest events have certainly added some – it doesn’t take Broden too long to find out where one Elmyra Gainsborough resides. It’s an inconspicuous double-storied house by the southwest end of town, where many of the residents there likewise happen to be immigrants from other places around the world, whether recent or from way back. Kalm is generally a very peaceful and equitable place to live, so no one judges any part of town as more or less “affluent” than another, though there were always rumors about some of the people who live there, especially if they came from the underside of Midgar. While the neighborhood is normally fairly lively, given the recent turn of events, people have been more cautious about staying outside for too long, lest they have to run into the usual Shinra patrol. Needless to say, tensions haven’t been the easiest around here as far as the former Midgardians are concerned.
Nevertheless, as Broden comes up to the house in question, he can’t help but feel a sort of welcome to it. What a quaint and homely place they have here. Given the limited space in this neighborhood, there’s not much room for front lawns or spacious backyards, though the house is still decorated with plenty of vibrant colors from the greenery set upon window sills and hanging from the rafters above. Even in another town altogether, it seems the Gainsboroughs just can’t go without surrounding themselves with nature’s ample beauty. A good sign these days, all things considered.
He steps up, taking a quick moment to make himself look a bit more presentable and make sure his throat isn’t gonna act up on him again, and gives a knock on the door. It’s just a little wait before someone comes to open it.
A middle-aged blond woman dressed in an apron looks a little weary herself, but greets him with the usual courtesy. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am. I’m looking for an Elmyra Gainsborough, who recently moved here from Midgar.”
“That would be me, yes.”
“Ah, excellent.” He offers a kind smile and sets a hand upon his chest for a casual bow as he introduces himself. “My name is Broden, and I come on behalf of a certain group. Given recent developments, it would be difficult for their names to be revealed, but perhaps you may be familiar with someone by the name of ‘Ruby’?”
Elmyra’s eyes shoot wide open as soon as he mentions it. She steps back and hurriedly beckons him inside. “Come in. Let’s talk in private.”
He steps inside and she quickly closes the door. “Sorry about the bit of mess here. We haven’t been expecting any visitors as of late.”
Though she describes it as a “mess”, he finds the home as quaint on the inside as it looked outside. There is certainly a bit of clutter here and there, especially by the kitchen and dining table that shares a space with the living room to the side. There’s also a staircase in the back that leads up to the next story, where the bedrooms are assumed to be. But here, there are also a number of lovely flowers propped up in sleek, elegant vases.
She guides him toward the sofa by the living room side of the floor. “Please, make yourself at home. Would you like something to drink in the meantime?”
“No. It’s fine. I don’t plan to stay too long.” He explains, “You see, I’m actually looking for someone by the name of Marlene. A few friends from Avalanche informed me that she may have a particular materia that would be useful for a device they’re working on.”
Elmyra makes a worried look, but nods along. “I see. Marlene is here. She’s upstairs right now. But truth be told, she hasn’t been feeling very well these past few days. Seems like something has been bothering her. She’s been keeping that materia close.”
“Hmm. I see.” He makes an uncomfortable frown. “I don’t intend to pry, but it would be incredibly helpful if she could lend it to us. We’ll be sure to return it once they’re finished.”
“Yes, well, I believe you’ll have to ask her. But just to be sure, may I ask who these friends of yours are? We do know a few members of Avalanche, but she might not open up to just any stranger.”
“I only know them by first name, but they’re Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge.”
“Hmm…” Elmyra makes an unsure look, but somehow those names do sound familiar, like she did hear of them at some point. “And pardon me again, but how do you know about Ruby?”
“Not very well, unfortunately. I only just heard about her from those three, but they seem indebted to her. Even calling her some kind of ‘miracle worker’?”
“Oh.” Hearing that seems to put her at a little more ease and she nods back with a gentle smile. “Alright, then. Please wait a moment. I’ll ask Marlene and let her know.”
Elmyra quickly shuffles away and Broden is left alone for a moment of quiet introspection. While it’s understandable that this woman would be very cautious to talk about Avalanche, it seems even she knows something about this Ruby person. Who is she anyway, for her name alone to spark such reactions? His quiet is however shortly interrupted when he hears the rushed shuffling of feet from upstairs. A little girl in a pink dress comes bounding down as fast as her little feet can take her the moment she heard some familiar names dropped. Elmyra likewise comes down after, taking a much more easy pace.
The little girl runs right up to him with a driven look in her eyes. “Excuse me, Mister!”
“Y-yes? Are you Marlene, by any chance?”
She nods. “I am. Ms. Elmyra just told me you know Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge?”
“Yeah. In fact, they’re currently staying with me in the meantime.”
Her face lightens up immediately and she claps her hands. “Oh!” She also gives a formal bow in respect and recites a line she may have memorized a while back, “Thank you very much! On behalf of Avalanche, sorry to bother you with the trouble!”
He nervously backs up a little, raising his hands in the air. “Um, it’s okay. I’m happy to work with Avalanche, so it’s not too much of a bother.”
She looks back up with a smile. “So how are they doing? What have they been up to? And how is Daddy doing?”
“Uh…”
Elmyra now comes up to help the poor guy who’s a little overwhelmed with questions. “Marlene, take it easy. I’m sure you have lots of questions, but let’s not press our guest too hard.”
Marlene shuts her mouth and more meekly answers, “Oh, um, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. Um…” Broden rubs his head awkwardly. “Sorry, but I’ve only seen those three so far. They’re doing alright, but I’m worried that they might not be able to stay for too long.”
“What’s wrong?”
“With all the Shinra presence in this town, even our neighbors have started to grow suspicious about any strangers they see. They’ve been quick to report even the slightest noise they hear, and while I’ve been able to keep any attention off of us for now, it might be difficult to keep up charades if they keep barging in.”
She sinks a little. “Oh… That’s not good.”
“Yeah. I do have a few associates who are happy to help set up an exit route for them just in case, but it might not be so safe for them even if they do leave town. So, it’s really important that they borrow the special materia you have. Sounds like they have a plan to be able to use its power.”
But, the moment he mentions the materia, Marlene looks visibly upset. Sensing trouble, he quickly backs off.
“Uh, sorry. I can understand if you don’t want to part with it. It seems like it’s really important to you.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. It is really important, but I don’t mind giving it to Jessie and them.” She lowers it again, feeling a tinge of shame. “But I’m not sure if it has much power left.”
He blinks. “Pardon?”
She now draws out the materia in question. Though it is still a pale white color, the brilliance that it once showed has now all but petered out into a dim glow that is barely visible in the daytime. The great swirling power that was held within it is barely moving either, almost as if it has stagnated. When Elmyra sees it too, she feels her heart sink along with the girl’s.
Marlene admits quietly, “I think something happened to Ruby. She’s not feeling well, and her materia is showing it.”
“…” Elmyra lets off a sigh. “I see… So that’s what was bothering you.”
Marlene turns to her with a sad frown. “I’m sorry, Ms. Elmyra. I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from you.” She looks back down. “I just didn’t want to bother you with bad news.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure whatever happened, Ruby will be okay. She has Aerith and the others looking after her, after all.”
“…”
Though he catches on that something is indeed wrong here, Broden is still a little lost. He asks the little girl, “Sorry to ask, but what’s this about Ruby? I was only told that she has some unique materia, but you say it’s actually connected to her well-being?”
Marlene nods. “Because it’s made with her magic. This materia is like a window that opens up to her heart. But… then at some point, her heart got sick and now it’s gone quiet too.”
“…” He’s starting to understand and nods along solemnly. “I see. Ruby seems to be quite the person to have so many believe in her.”
“She really is amazing!” Marlene gets a little impassioned to talk about it when she’s reminded. “She’s helped Daddy and his friends so much up to now. She even brought Ms. Elmyra and me here so we wouldn’t get caught up in their war on Shinra!”
“Oh, wow.” Now that he’s reminded, he also recalls some old news reports about a certain white dragon that had been witnessed at various times around the city. “Wait. I’ve only heard rumors about it, but by any chance, does this Ruby have any connection to the dragon we’ve heard about lately?”
“Yes. She is the dragon.”
He was not expecting that answer. “W-what?”
“Really! She’s even the daughter of Bahamut and she’s super strong! But she’s also super nice and smart and thinks about others all the time!”
“…”
And just like that, a lot of the missing pieces begin to fall into place. So the reason why Shinra has been in such disarray isn’t just because of Avalanche or Wutai, but also because some members of Avalanche somehow allied themselves with an actual magical dragon deity with her own personalized materia. Unbelievable… how did those guys ever manage to find an ally like that!?
Marlene then realizes she might be pressing a bit too much on him again and backs off. “Um, sorry. I just wanted to tell the truth. Not many people believe me when I say that Ruby’s not a bad person…”
“Oh, I believe you. Now it all makes sense.” He puts a hand to his chin for a thinking face. “So she’s basically a magical entity, huh? Jessie even told me she’s able to heal people.”
She looks relieved. “Really? Thank goodness.” She also nods back. “And I think so! There’s so much that Ruby can do.” But then she pauses for a moment and looks back down to the materia, and she sinks a little. “Well… at least, she can for other people. But I don’t know if there’s anyone who can help heal her if she gets sick.”
“Hmm…” As the issue is well beyond his field of knowledge, he can’t say much to that. But at least now even he has a good reason to try to help somehow. Trying from a different angle, he offers, “Well, even if this materia isn’t at its strongest right now, I’m sure Jessie may be able to work with it. They’re short on options, so any amount of Ruby’s power would still be a big help.”
“Oh. Well, if it’s Jessie who needs it…” Marlene then offers up the materia in her hand. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He accepts it graciously. “I’ll give it back as soon as they’re finished. Will you be alright without it in the meantime?”
She nods. “I’m okay. I’m with Ms. Elmyra, after all.” To which, Elmyra turns away with a slight blush, but can’t help but crack a smile too. Marlene then adds, “Besides, I’m sure Ruby wants to be with her friends. Maybe there’s something they can do to help her too.”
Broden smiles back. “Yeah. Let’s hope.”
He takes another moment to feel the orb now in his hand. It’s certainly smaller than the usual materia he’s seen being sold or used around town, but he’s surprised at how almost weightless it feels, almost like it’s barely keeping itself from floating off if it weren’t in anyone’s grasp. And while that glow is faint, it doesn’t seem to be fading any further, so maybe there’s still a chance that it can recover.
To think that this little thing would be his “ticket” out of this mess that his body has been left in. But at this point, he doesn’t have many options either. If not for some recent abrupt turn of events, he was ready to just accept defeat and give up, leave town and disappear somewhere so no one would have to see him degrade further. But then he heard from an associate in town who dropped a hint that Avalanche would be stopping by soon. Laden with a new responsibility and sense of duty to set the record right, he waited a little longer and sure enough, those three showed up out in the open and he hurried to bring them inside before they were found. Who knows how things will go from here on out, but above all, he doesn’t want to leave without taking care of some old regrets.
He now takes the orb in a firm grasp and slips it into a pocket, and turns back to the other two. “Thank you, ladies. You’re a lifesaver in more ways than one.”
“Oh. We didn’t do much, but we’re happy to help,” Elmyra replies politely. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
“No, that’ll be all. In fact, if things go well, maybe I’ll be able to return the favor sometime.”
“Return the favor?”
He gives a confident smirk. “I’m fairly well known around these parts. If there’s anything you need from me or my associates, feel free to ask. I live on the eastern end of town, past the market square. If you ever hear anyone mention the word ‘tremolo’, you can ask for me and if they know, they’ll be able to help.”
“‘Tremolo’…?” She nods slowly. “I see. It’s a code word.” She returns a smile. “Well, I think we’re well situated here for now, but if anything comes up, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Will do.”
He gives them a quick handwave before he starts off again, but Marlene still looks at him with a little bit of concern. He gives her a reassuring smile and turns for the door.
But then the little girl asks, “Will you be okay, Mister?”
“Huh?” He turns back to her.
“For a moment there, you looked a little sad when you were looking at Ruby’s materia. Did anything come to you?”
Broden blinks in surprise. Though he didn’t think much into it at first, he severely underestimated just how perceptive this girl is. Without a single word uttered or gesture made, she seems to have caught onto what he was thinking. Truth be told, he isn’t really sure if he’s just latching himself onto false hope that things will be alright. But he also really, really wants to believe that this hope exists. Maybe there isn’t all that much left in this broken world to salvage, but what little good there is that remains, it should be protected. Though he used to think that he wouldn’t ever need to mind any kids, as he never got to be with a certain woman he once loved, but now that he sees this little girl before him, he’s reminded of the reason why he joined Soldier in the past. Not everyone joins Soldier gets to be a hero, of course, but you can be damn sure that anyone worth their salt would try their hardest to defend those they want to protect.
He gives her a grateful smile. “Well, something did come up, but it wasn’t the materia that spoke to me. Thanks for your concern. I’ll be fine.”
“Hmm… okay.” She lightens up again with a cute smile of her own and waves goodbye. “Thanks for coming, Mister! Hope to see you soon!”
“Heh. No need to thank me.”
With a lighter mood in the air, he sets off again. But as he steps away from the quaint, homely house and it disappears around the bend, the grim reality of the situation presents itself once again. The streets are so quiet, aside from the pounding boots of Shinra troops nearby. He can even hear some shouting going on. There’s some kind of commotion and he stops by behind a corner to eavesdrop.
“All units, head to the north end! There’s been a report of a threat coming from the coast!”
His eyes open wide. From the coast? He’s only heard rumors from passing travelers prior to the cell tower crash that they’d been witnessing some disturbances coming from the seas. For whatever reason, the sea life would go into a frenzy as soon as some great threat drew near, but people almost never got to see anything come up from the watery depths. But there’s no doubt that there would be something out there. Even as far as Junon’s sonars had picked up similar activity before. It’s like Mother Nature herself were giving warning signs that something big would be coming, but for the longest time, everyone just ignored them and pretended nothing was wrong.
This isn’t good. He has to hurry back to Jessie and them and hand over the materia. Even if Shinra forces are enough to handle the threat for now, there’s no telling what may happen in the aftermath. Besides, if those three need an exit route, there won’t be a better chance than now.
~
“Hey, guys. I’m back.”
“Yo, Broden! The man of the hour!” Wedge greets him with a raised hand.
Broden returns home to find a surprising lift in spirits. In fact, Biggs and Wedge are sitting comfortably in his living room engaged in a battle of cards. While Jessie isn’t here, presumed to still be in the back working on her project, these two were so bored out of their minds that they took up a few rounds of Queen’s Blood. Though the TV and radio are still operational, due to the ongoing issues with the cell towers, news has been slow and limited to local events and happenings, but given that the Shinra troops have largely taken over those things, it’s been nothing but Shinra-centric news and propaganda that these guys have little interest in partaking.
Biggs exchanges a few cards in his hand for a few others in his deck, but looks disappointed at his current hand. He shakes his head with a sigh, places yet another Grassland Wolf card down in the only slot he has remaining, and passes his turn. To which, Wedge grins and lays out not one, not two, but three different creature cards that all ultimately help boost a very proud-looking Dio on the field. It’s a clean sweep. Wedge has taken control of all three lanes. He cheers while Biggs sits back with a groan. How did this happen? He had a great win streak going, but then Wedge somehow came back around and took the last three matches out of five.
Broden gives them both a suspect look, but decides not to press it. “…I see you guys are doing alright. Where’s Jessie?”
“In the workshop as usual. Kicked us out for being ‘too noisy’,” Biggs replies.
“She also took our phones, so we haven’t been doing much,” Wedge complains. “So, uh, hope you don’t mind that we took your cards.”
Broden shakes his head. “It’s fine. Anyway, as promised, I got what I said I’d get.” He walks up, draws out the special materia from his pocket, and presents it to them. “Here it is.”
But rather than be ecstatic, the other two look confused. “What the?” Biggs asks, staring at the orb, as he accepts it from him.
Wedge scoots over in a hurry. “Wait. Is that really Ruby’s materia?”
“I think so? But it’s so pale now. Like it’s weak.”
“What? Why? Did something happen?”
The two turn back to Broden, who returns a solemn sigh. He explains, “It was like that when I found Marlene. She thinks Ruby isn’t feeling well, though I’m not sure what actually happened.”
“Oh, no.” Wedge starts to fidget and turns to Biggs. “You think something really did happen with her? I mean, it has been a while since we heard from Cloud and them…”
Biggs hastily waves it away. “No way! I’m sure they’re doing fine. Jessie said she ran into interference when she tried calling before, but at the time everyone was having issues with communication. It probably had something to do with what hit the towers everywhere.”
“But our phones aren’t connected to the towers. They’re powered by materia, remember?”
“I know. But that huge meteor wasn’t just some rock, so who knows what it actually did?” Biggs folds his arms with a puzzled frown. “Weird how it vanished just before it was gonna hit… but doesn’t that mean Cloud and them actually won? They beat back Sephiroth, didn’t they? That must have been why.”
“I guess…?” Wedge scratches his head. “Weird that they haven’t called back, though. I wonder where they went?”
In the ensuing silence and confusion as the three men rack their heads to little avail, they’re shortly interrupted when Jessie comes bouncing out from the back room.
“Guys, I hit a breakthrough! You won’t believe – oh, hey, Broden – I finally got the transmuter to work with those materia shards! They just needed a little more juice, but I’m glad I had an extra Lightning materia on hand.”
“Uh… great?” Biggs shrugs.
“Of course it’s great! That means my theory wasn’t total bunk!” She marches right up to Broden with a cheerful grin. “So, how’d it go? Did you find them and get the materia?”
“Yeah, but…” He points to the orb in question now in Biggs’ hand. “It doesn’t look like it’s in good condition.”
“Huh?” Now Jessie zips up to take the materia from him and inspect it closer for herself. “What happened? It wasn’t always this pale.”
“That’s what we were saying,” Biggs replies with his own concerned frown. “Think something happened to Ruby? It’s not like her to disappear on us, and even her materia has grown weak.”
“Don’t be silly. This is Ruby we’re talking about. How is she ever ‘weak’? Maybe…” Jessie takes a moment to consider other possibilities. “She somehow turned down her presence? Like, switched to a power-saving mode?”
Biggs’ face contorts into a little cringe. “What are you talking about? She’s not a computer, Jessie.”
“Yeah, but whatever is going on, she’s not able to reach out as far.” She frowns, growing serious. “The battle they had with Sephiroth must have taken a serious toll on them. That might explain why we haven’t been able to hear from Cloud or anyone else.”
“Uh… wait. So are they really in trouble or not?” Wedge asks, growing more confused.
“If Ruby’s with them, they ought to be okay. We’ll just have to wait until they can reach out again.” Jessie now leaves the orb be and slips it into her pocket, but then strikes a thinking face as she resumes her mental calculations. “Then again, this may be a good chance. I wouldn’t need much of her power for this, so if I link it up now, could it be just enough? I need to check.”
“Uh, Jessie?” Biggs calls out, but she’s already gone back in. He shakes his head. “Man… I know this is some crazy useful stuff she’s working on, but it’s like she’s obsessed with it.”
“She is the tech wiz, after all,” Wedge casually compliments. “If there’s anyone who can make that stuff work, it’s her.”
He sits back with a sigh. “But it leaves us out of all the fun.”
Wedge sighs too. “Yeah… I wish we could do more. Lately, it feels like we’ve just been running around without much of a point.”
They enter into another uncomfortable silence, and even Broden is unsure of what he can do for them at this point. But they don’t have to wait long before they suddenly hear Jessie’s shriek that makes them freeze up.
“What?”
“Jessie!?”
The three of them rush into the workshop to see what happened. Jessie’s still at her workbench as usual, but she is now panicking. It looks like aside from the transmuter itself, it’s been connected up to another device that can hold full-sized materia, akin to the equipment that they’ve been using, but this one is specifically designed to be linked to the three materia shards she collected from their respective PHS phones. However, as soon as she hooked up Ruby’s pale materia to the setup and gave it a test, she was met with a horrifying realization. The once white materia flickered for a little bit and just like that, its inner light faded entirely, leaving behind a completely transparent empty shell.
Jessie is frantically trying to flick the switch on the device to reverse the transfer, but it doesn’t seem to do anything. “Oh, no. No no no no…”
“Jessie, what happened?” Broden calls out.
“Uh…” She freezes up when she realizes she’s not alone in the room and slowly turns back to them with a nervous face, her teeth grit tightly, looking like she was just caught red-handed. “Guys? Problem.”
Just by her reaction alone, Biggs feels a sinking feeling in his gut. “Oh, God… What happened to Ruby’s materia?”
“Eh heh…” She is forced to detach the orb from her device to show it to them. “I think it’s… dead?”
The room goes dead silent as if her words alone were enough to cast some sort of immobilizing spell on everyone. And the next moment, Biggs and Wedge start to freak out.
“It’s WHAT!?” Wedge squeals.
“Jessie, what did you do!?” Biggs cries, clasping his head in both hands.
“I-I dunno! It was just fine a moment ago!” Jessie stammers.
“WHAT!? HOW!? WHY!?” Wedge wails, his feet jittering so much he looks like he’s dancing.
“Then put it back!” Biggs yells desperately.
“That doesn’t do anything!” Jessie whines.
“What do you MEAN it doesn’t!?”
“It just doesn’t, okay! I tried!”
“AAAAAAHHH!!” Wedge screams, now running back and forth.
And amid all the wailing and panic, Broden is still dead silent. He goes pale as a sheet and feels faint, like he’d just lost a great amount of blood all at once. The last wisp of whatever hope he still held has just fluttered away in the wind, gone like it was never there to stay. Maybe it was false hope after all. Feels like whatever they try is just going to backfire and they’d end up even worse than they started. Why did he let himself get suckered in?
But at this point, Jessie is way too deep into the process to call it quits. In desperation, she tries to turn on the transmuter to see if it still works as intended. For just a moment, the screen flickers on and appears to be normal. But then she witnesses a most curious thing: even though she never programmed it to display any other messages than just the standard “processing…” or “transmutation complete” ones, there is now a completely different message that pops up. Her jaw drops and she goes silent for a minute, but then yells at the other guys to shut up.
“HEY! Be quiet and check this out!” she yells, shoving the transmuter in their faces.
Biggs and Wedge immediately stop trembling and stare wide-eyed at the screen before them. Even Broden snaps out of his daze and his jaw drops too. Even Jessie who had been panicking just moments ago has settled down again and gives a relieved grin.
Displayed on the screen of the transmuter is just a single line of text that reads: “Thanks, guys. I’m in. (・ڡ＜) - Ruby”