The Future Imperfect

AN – Wow, I can't believe I made it to the end. This is one of two final chapters I drafted – I may someday post the second 'option' as an additional chapter if anyone wants to read it. I'm sad to have finished – the sequel has been started but I've also been trying to make some progress on my other works so it isn't going very quickly!

Thank you for all the support, I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing and sharing it.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rufus Shinra watched from the Presidential office as the ghostly figures that had encircled the building all shrieked before writhing and eventually fading away, dissipating into small particles that shone like glitter in the early sunbeams. He waited, half expecting them to return, but all that remained was the stillness of the dawn above the city of Midgar.

The single whisper that was valiantly trying to reattach Hojo's head back to his body - not an easy task for an entity with no hands, especially when the head had been kicked some distance away by a vindictive SOLDIER - let out a soft yet frustrated sigh as it too disappeared, its task left abandoned. The whispers swirling around the collapsed Sector Seven plate, choosing who should live and who should die, disintegrated into the morning light as though they were shadows.

A young girl looked out of the window of a house in the Sector Five slums, watching the sunlight streaming into the pretty garden filled with flowers. She touched a yellow lily gently, smiling as she thought of her daddy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tseng leant forwards in his chair, his elbows resting on the desk in front of him and his fingers steepled underneath his chin.

"What do you have for me?"

Rude and Reno were sitting on the far side of the conference table in their office, ready to report on their lengthy trawl through the internal cameras.

"Well," Reno tilted his chair backwards, rocking on the back legs while he waved a remote in his hand. "Gotta tell you this was a pretty shit job. Also, someone has been messing with the cameras, we didn't see anywhere near as much as we should have. They went all over this building, but you'd never know it. We did find a few things for you though." Tseng didn't say anything, but one eyebrow rose. Reno coughed and pressed a button on the remote.

"First there's this." Reno gestured towards a large video screen, which was showing a view from a camera in the ceiling of the President's office. The former President was standing at his desk, evidently talking to someone the camera didn't catch, who was presumably standing behind his chair. He then reached underneath his desk, probably to pick up his trademark golden gun, but as he did so a tall figure with distinctive silver hair stepped forwards and skewered him with a long, katana style blade.

Reno paused the video as the figure turned, smirking slightly at the camera. His face was now in view and it was not one Tseng could have forgotten. "That is no copycat, I can tell you that."

"Indeed."

"So not a lot happens for a few minutes." Reno fast-forwarded the video. The silver-haired figure left the screen and the President lay slumped in the chair. Reno started playing it again after about ten minutes had passed. "But this is where it gets interesting. See?" A motley group had entered the room, stopping in evident shock at what they saw in front of them. Reno paused it again and pointed at a figure on the screen. "That is who was on the rooftop. A man dressed as an elite trooper, holding that katana."

Reno played the video once more and Tseng watched as Aerith ran forwards, her slumped shoulders and shaking head telling them exactly what she had found. A brunette woman looked terrified, staring at the scene. The dog-cat thing then led them all off screen, towards the doors to the rooftop.

"Pause it." Tseng said suddenly. Reno complied without question. Tseng stood from his seat and walked to the screen, staring intently at the people on it. There were only three left now; the stragglers of the group. They were the trooper wielding the katana, the blond who was supposedly a SOLDIER First Class, and a SOLDIER in a Third Class uniform. Except, the sword on the Third's back was very familiar. Tseng sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Reno was leaning forward eagerly. "What is it?"

"Given the evidence before us," Tseng gestured to the screen. "I strongly suspect that the Third Class in their party is Zack Fair."

Rude's eyebrows raised and Reno let out a low whistle as he rocked back in his seat again. "How do you figure that?"

"The sword is distinctive, and the height looks about right." Tseng then enlarged the image of the blond. "And if that is Fair, it is safe to assume this is the infantryman he was travelling with."

"Well shit. I got beat up by a grunt?"

Rude snorted. "Not just you. He doesn't fight like an infantryman."

"He spent years enjoying Hojo's hospitality, I think it is safe to assume he is no longer a mere trooper."

Tseng returned to his seat, thinking of the box of letters that was still in his safe under his desk. Letters that he had promised to deliver, but did it really matter now if Aerith was travelling with Fair anyway?

"Same can be said for that one." Reno gestured to the man dressed as a trooper on the screen. "He took out a helicopter with one strike. And his sword looks very familiar…"

Tseng closed his eyes for a moment. He'd been awake now since the previous morning and definitely hadn't drunk enough coffee for these revelations.

"Is it at all possible that Sephiroth doubled back to rejoin their party?"

"Well," Reno leant forwards again. "That's what I thought. But then I looked at the videos from the labs and at almost exactly the same time that the President was skewered, this happened." He changed the video to one that showed the inside of Hojo's office. Hojo was in there, gleefully watching something on a bank of monitors. The doors slid open and two troopers entered, one of which was clearly the one wielding the katana. There was a moment where the other trooper led the talking, before the trooper with the katana drew it and sliced off Hojo's head.

Tseng had to resist letting his head hit the desk. Instead, he let out a quiet sigh. "Has the President been informed of Professor Hojo's demise?"

"Not yet." Rude interjected. "We thought you should see this first."

Tseng nodded, deep in thought. "So we have a Sephiroth that is in multiple places simultaneously, presumably copies such as Genesis and Hollander created, a renegade SOLDIER that hasn't been seen for a considerable amount of time unless he too is an advanced copy, a supposedly dead SOLDIER First Class masquerading as a Third and an infantryman that should by accounts be dead as well playing as a First. Anything else I should know about before I brief the President?"

"Just one last thing, boss. We couldn't track their progress through the building because someone interfered with our cameras, but we managed to get the recordings from the prof's laboratories as they were on a different circuit. The Sephiroth copy that took out the President also stole one of Hojo's main experiments, something called Jenova. It's pretty freaky shit."

Tseng steepled his hands again. "Look into who has been playing with our surveillance cameras, it is likely to be someone on the inside. I also want to know everything that Hojo was working on, especially if it concerns Sephiroth copies or this Jenova. Lockdown the whole science department while you are at it, I want everyone in for questioning. Find out what they know through any means possible. For replicas of three of the four elite First Class SOLDIERs to materialise in this building suggests to me that our late Professor has been working on something unauthorised and that probably poses a significant risk to the Shinra Corporation. I want to know exactly what he was up to, starting right back with Sephiroth's creation."

"Right." Reno stood and stretched out his back with a loud crack, leaving the office. Rude simply nodded once at Tseng before following his partner out.

Tseng rubbed the bridge between his eyes again before picking up the phone. "Sir? Yes, the tapes were enlightening. I am preparing a briefing now. Just to forewarn you, it appears that you will need to find a replacement for the head of Research and Development. Professor Hojo has had an… unfortunate accident."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Marlene…" Barret reached back towards the city, closing his hand as he made a promise. "I'll come back to you, baby girl."

A feather slowly drifted on the wind towards them. Cloud caught it carefully, watching it disintegrate in his palm. The memory of his final meeting with Sephiroth drifted back to him.

"Careful now," Sephiroth held his wrist gently, much as his Sephiroth had in the laboratories underneath Sector Seven. "That which lies ahead, does not yet exist."

Cloud wrenched his arm free and jumped backwards. Sephiroth didn't seem to care, he turned to look out at the expanse behind him. In the distance there was bright lights, twisted into shapes. All around were pinpricks of stars and colourful formations of hot gas. The breeding grounds for new planets, not that Cloud was aware of that fact.

"Our world will become a part of it, one day. But I… will not end. Nor will I have you end."

"This is…?"

Sephiroth turned back to Cloud. "The edge of creation." He stepped towards Cloud, extending his hand to him. "Cloud, lend me your strength. Let us defy destiny, together."

Cloud looked at the outstretched hand, fighting his impulse to take it. Aerith's words came to mind. 'He'd tell you he wants to protect the planet… but there is no greater threat to the planet than him'. His gaze moved upwards, to the earnest entreating eyes. But… they weren't right. There was an unfamiliar hint of darkness in them, remind him this was not the Sephiroth he had begun to know. Cloud shook his head and reached for his sword. He stepped backwards, drawing it in front of him.

"Never."

Sephiroth slowly lowered his hand, looking up at Cloud between his eyelashes and smiled as he drew Masamune and held it aloft. Cloud charged forwards, only to be met in a clash of steel.

Cloud used all his fighting prowess and enhanced strength but couldn't land a blow on Sephiroth who met each one effortlessly. Eventually, as their blades locked together, Sephiroth smiled again. "Not yet." He threw Cloud backwards, then rushed in and disarmed him with a twist of his blade. Cloud's trusty Buster Sword flew through the air and landed point down in the ground, quivering under the force.

Cloud turned to stare at his sword, dismayed and expecting to be run through at any moment. But Sephiroth merely stepped up behind him and bent down to speak into his ear. "Do not forget what it is that I am to you. Do not let the sharp edge of your hatred be dulled by pale imitations, hold onto it. Keep it burning bright. Use it to become strong."

And then, he was gone. A falling feather the only sign that he had ever been there.

"Hey, Cloud!" He turned to see Aerith walking up with a smile. She looked past his shoulder at the city beyond. Midgar gleamed in the bright morning light, the distance masking more of the unsavoury elements.

"So, what now?" Tifa asked.

Aerith shook her head and turned to Cloud. He frowned, staring into space.

"That Sephiroth… he's still out there. I…"

"I thought you beat him?" Barret stated, stomping up to them. Cloud simply shook his head.

"Well then," a new voice interrupted. "We need to give you the requisite training to make sure that next time you do." Genesis was standing furthest away, the light coming from behind him causing his hair to almost glow. Cloud somehow thought he may have done that deliberately, although the striking effect was somewhat marred by his obvious injury.

"Yes! Because we can. We will!" Aerith punched the air.

"Count me in." Tifa added, flexing her fingers. The leather on her gloves creaked ominously.

"We will, of course, be coming with you." Genesis stated, gesturing to Angeal and Sephiroth. "After all, it seems pointless to choose to remain in the future and yet not travel with the one person that seems to hold the answers to our pasts." He looked pointedly at Cloud, who shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't think…"

"Even if you do not, we will accompany you regardless provided you will have us." Sephiroth reassured him. "After all, I seek answers from this mockery of myself as well."

"If it's to be a hunt, you could use a nose like mine." Red looked at them with his good eye, nodding to them.

Barret was still looking at the city, clearly torn. Tifa gently placed her hand on his arm. "We understand if you don't-"

"Now don't you be putting words in my mouth." Barret faced them all. "That thing wants to end the planet, don't it? Avalanche is about saving the planet. How can I look my little girl in the eye if I leave it to other people?"

"Alright then." Cloud smiled at Barret, who grunted and shrugged. He turned his back on the city and headed towards the three SOLDIERs.

"Quick question," Aerith started, jogging up to stand next to Cloud. "But where are we going?"

"Kalm would be a good place to head to," Angeal suggested, pointing along the road they were standing on. "It's about a day's walk, we can rest up there and get supplies."

"Maybe even a long overdue conversation," Genesis added. Cloud merely sighed.

"I guess."

"Kalm it is then," Tifa said with a smile, striding down the road. When she reached Genesis he picked up stride next to her, saying something to her that made her laugh. Cloud smiled at the sight of them both before he took one last look back at the city of Midgar.

"It's funny," Aerith said next to him. "I never thought I'd miss it, but I do."

"Midgar?"

"The steel sky." She looked up at the clouds above, a few droplets of rain beginning to fall. Cloud sent her a soft smile before starting to walk after the others.

To Be Continued…