Prologue “The crisis was over, and the planet had been saved from Sephiroth. Cloud Strife moved back into his old house in Nibelheim, where he had grown up, and where he has first met Tifa, and heard of Sephiroth. Tifa moved back to Nibelheim also. She lived next to Cloud, in her old house. Barret lived in Kalm with Marlene. Reeve ran Midgar, which now used solar energy, instead of Mako energy. Cid lived in Rocket town with his new wife, Shera. Vincent lived in Gongaga with Lucrecia. But, he never told Lucrecia the truth about her son, Sephiroth. Red XIII, or Nanaki, lived in Cosmo Canyon, and continued to protect it.
Yuffie lived in Wutai with her dad, Godo. Wutai had turned into the #1 tourist site in the world. The Turks disappeared into the underworld of Midgar. Three weeks has passed since Meteor"s destruction. The Shinra building didn"t look like it had once housed the most powerful corporation in the world. The first 60 floors weren"t that bad, but from floor 60 and up, it was a wreck. Scavengers raided the building, and took everything worth a dollar. Broken computers were strewn everywhere. Pieces of scrap metal hung from the ceiling, and littered the floor.
Shinra executive"s bodies were found everywhere. Meteor and Diamond Weapon had hit this part of the building the hardest. Although, no one could get past the 68th floor. The door was sealed, and only a few certain people knew the code. Most of those people were dead. Rufus"s body was never found, nor was Heidegger"s. It was peculiar though, because Scarlet"s body was found, but not Heidegger"s. Both of them were in the Proud Clod when it was destroyed. After Heidegger, the next in line to be President of Shinra was Reeve. Reeve dismantled Shinra, and created a new company, Avalanche, Inc. named after the group of people who had saved the planet. The old Shinra building was left to rust. The cannon, though, could still be seen hanging above Avalanche, Inc. "s new headquarters. It was left to show that Shinra was truly evil, and that people should never have trusted President Shinra, nor Rufus. The only high-ranking Shinra exec left was Palmer. Palmer, though, went insane after Heidegger"s death. Palmer lived the Sector 5 Slums. He got to be close friends with Elmyra, Aeris"s foster mother. Corel was rebuilt. Junon was still controlled by the remnants of the Shinra army.
Former SOLDIER members lead small battle groups that fought against each other for control of Junon harbor. Other than Junon, the world was a safe and peaceful place. But things were about to take a turn of the worse….. " Chapter 1” Reno of the Turks kicked some debris out of the way. He couldn"t believe what had happened to the Shinra building in just three weeks. This place used to be the headquarters of the most powerful company in the world. Now, it wasn"t even good enough for the people of the slums. Reno stood on the 68th floor, next to Rude, who was using a door decoder.
They were trying to get to the top two floors of the Shinra building. No one had seen the 69th and 70th floors since Heidegger"s death. Elena was at a computer, which Reno was amazed still worked, trying to figure out the amount of damage done, and how much it would cost to repair it. Rude was sweating as he worked at the door decoder. He had always been loyal to Shinra, but to see the company in this much disarray scared him. The most powerful corporation in the world had been reduced to a bunch of pitiful warlords, fighting each other to see who controlled Shinra.
None of them control Shinra, Rude thought, Shinra doesn"t exist anymore. Elena was also sweating. She had been working for hours now. Shinra computers systems were not easily broken into. Her fingers were aching with cramps, but she worked as if she was possessed. She glanced at Reno. Reno had sat down against a wall, and was dozing off. “Reno! Wake up! ” she yelled. Reno jumped up with a start. “Sorry,” he said, “I-I must have fallen asleep. This is pretty boring. ” “Then get up here and type! ” Elena yelled, “My fingers are about to fall off! ” Just then, the computer beeped.
Elena looked over at it, and saw that she has successfully broken into the network. “Nevermind,” she said. She sat down, and looked at the screen. The screen was fuzzy, probably the result of loose cables. “Oh man. It"ll take atleast 107 million gil to repair this place. We don"t have that kind of money. ” “Elena, who said we were going to repair it? I have no intention of rebuilding Shinra, and I doubt Rude does either,” Reno said. “But…. ” Elena said, “But what about us? What are we going to do? ” “I don"t know what we"re gonna do,” Reno said, “But I hope to maybe find some clues on these top two floors. “Yes sir,” Elena said. Reno could tell that she was not a happy camper. But, there was nothing he could do. He had no intention of leading Shinra. He hadn"t the money or the skills. He was a Turk, and he enjoyed this work. “Almost got it! ” Rude called from the door. Rude paused. He wasn"t exactly sure if he wanted to see the top two floors. He had been up there only twice. Once was when he and Reno were instated into the Turks. The second time was when they had captured Cloud, Barret, Aeris, Tifa, and Red XIII. Back when Shinra was the top corporation in the world, back when President Shinra ran things.
He thought Rufus had been a good president, but not as good as his father. President Shinra had led Shinra for nearly 20 years before his death. Rufus had been President Shinra"s Vice President since Rufus turned 18. Rufus had been only 28 when he became President. His inexperience had showed. Rufus did come closer to killing Sephiroth than President Shinra ever had. In fact, if it weren"t for Rufus"s Mako Cannon, Cloud and the other would"ve never been able to get inside the Crater and defeat Sephiroth. But that was the past. Rude had to concentrate on the present. The door decoded beeped.
The code had been deciphered. “Door unlocked! ” Rude called out. “Excellent work, Rude,” Reno said, “Let"s see what"s left of the 69th and 70th floors. ” “Wait for me,” Elena said. She shut down the computer and hurried to the door. Rude pushed against the door. “It"s stuck,” he said. “Here, let me help you,” Reno said. They both pushed against the door. The door creaked, and slowly they opened it. About halfway, they stopped to take a break. Then, they continued to push it open. Elena watched on, trying not to laugh as two grown men tried desperately hard to open a door.
Elena had found the switch that would open the door automatically, but she was enjoying watching Reno and Rude try to open it. Finally, they gave it one last shove, and entered the 69th floor. Reno stood in the doorway in absolute shock. He remember the top floors when Sephiroth had killed President Shinra. This was far worse. The place was an absolute wreck. Computer monitors were everywhere, most of them smashed. Desks were fried, and split into giant splinters. A few dead Shinra executives lied on the floor. The expensive carpet was burnt and full of holes. Diamond Weapon had hit this part of the building the hardest.
Chunks of metal and concrete were missing for the walls. One wall had a person-sized hole blown into it. “Wow, this is bad,” Elena said. “You said it,” Reno said. Rude didn"t say anything. He just stood there in shock. “Hey, look at this,” Reno said. He pointed to a piece of red metal. “It came from the Proud Clod! ” Elena said. “Yeah, it did,” Reno said, “Did Weapon destroy it? ” “Must"ve,” Rude said, breaking his silence, “Either that, or Cloud and his friends. ” “No way,” Reno said, “Cloud and his friends couldn"t have destroyed it. The Proud Clod had enough power to stop Weapon. “Yeah,” Elena shot back, “And Cloud and his friends defeated Diamond Weapon. ” “They didn"t destroy it, Rufus used the Sister Ray to destroy it. ” “Maybe the Proud Clod wasn"t as powerful as we thought it was. ” “Will you two stop it! ” Rude yelled. It was the first time Reno or Elena had ever heard Rude yell. “Let"s just check the 70th floor, okay? ” Rude asked. “Alright, let"s check the 70th floor. ” Elena just gazed at Rude with a surprised look on her face. And they thought the 69th floor was bad. The 70th floor was twice as bad as the 69th. Huge chunks of the wall were missing.
A cold breeze was blowing into the room through the holes in the wall. The glass window behind Rufus"s desk was shattered, and glass was all over the room. Most of the balcony outside was blown away. All that was left of the balcony was jagged edges, and a large chunk near the door. Rufus"s desk lied in two pieces on the floor. Rude went outside on the remains of the balcony. Reno and Elena lifted up Rufus"s desk. Underneath it was Rufus. Rufus"s clothes were completely black, and full of burns. Blood was dried on Rufus"s arms and head. Reno leaned closer. He grabbed Rufus"s arm.
It was still warm. Reno put his ear up against Rufus"s mouth. A small breath escaped Rufus"s lips. “He"s, He"s….. alive…. ,” Reno"s voice trailed off. “What! ” Elena yelled. “He"s breathing. ” “Impossible! ” “Elena, come here and see for yourself. ” She walked over to Reno. Elena placed her hand on Rufus"s arm. It was warm. “He is alive,” she said. * It was cold on the balcony. Rude wanted to go back inside. He turned for the door, when a patch of green caught his eye. Rude threw some rocks out of the way, and hopped over to the patch of green.
It was cloth, from someone"s clothing. Rude heard a quiet moan. He lifted a large rock, and saw Heidegger underneath it. Heidegger was sitting in the remains of a chair. The back of the chair was half-gone, and most of the padding on it was gone. Heidegger"s left leg was bent at an odd angle. It was probably broken. Dried blood covered Heidegger"s forehead. The chair teetered about eight inches from the edge of the balcony. Rude spotted a canteen near his feet. A candy bar wrapper lay next to the canteen. Heidegger moved slightly. “Heidegger’sir? ” Rude said. “Rude? ” Heidegger said.
Then, Heidegger"s eyes closed, and he sent into unconsciousness. Rude ran back inside the building. Reno and Elena were looking at Rufus"s body. “Reno! Elena! It;quot;s Heidegger! He;quot;s out on the balcony! ” Rude said. “Rude, shut up! Rufus is alive! ” Elena said. “He is? ” Rude asked. “Yep,” Reno answered, “Just barely alive. ” “Well, that;quot;s not all the good news you;quot;ll hear today,” Rude said, “Outside, on the balcony, Heidegger is there. And he;quot;s alive, too! ” “Heidegger;quot;s alive! ” Reno said. “Yes,” Rude answered. “Well don;quot;t just stand there,” Elena said, “Get some paramedics!
Get medical help! We need to get Rufus and Heidegger to the nearest hospital! ” * Reno, Elena, and Rude arrived at a hospital in Midgar about twenty minutes later. They drove one of Shinra"s trucks. Heidegger and Rufus were carefully placed in the back. Reno was afraid that he had accidentally broken Rufus"s arm when they loaded him onto the truck. Reno got out of the truck, and entered the lobby. He rang the bell several times, before an attendant got to him. “Can I help you, sir? ” she said. “Yes, I need some medical help. I;quot;ve got two seriously injured people in my truck outside! “Okay, sir. I"ll need you to fill out these forms. ” She handed Reno a thin stack of papers. “Look, you don"t get it. These people are severely wounded. If you don"t get to them right away, there will be trouble. ” “Sir, it is required by law that you fill out these forms. ” “Whose law is that? ” Reno asked angrily. “Why, it"s Shinra"s law. We don"t follow the rules of Reeve"s new company. We still go by old Shinra law. ” “Well, these two injured people happen to be President Rufus, and Heidegger, the Head of Shinra Public Safety Maintenance! ” “Ha, good one.
Lying won"t get you into the emergency room any faster. ” “Do you know who I am? I"m Reno, of the Turks! If you don"t get me some medical help, I"m authorized to take things into my own hands! ” “Reno of the Turks? ” She gazed at him for a few seconds. “You are Reno of the Turks! ” she said. “Yes, I am. Now get me a medical team! ” “Yes sir, right away! ” Within twenty minutes, Rufus and Heidegger were each given medical care and put in hospital rooms. Reno, Rude, and Elena oversaw all that was happening. Heidegger;quot;s condition was stable, and he was expected to live.
Rufus, on the other hand, was in critical condition. Rufus was suffering from hypothermia, and lack of water. Rufus had broken his left ankle and leg, his right arm, and had almost fractured his skull. One of Rufus;quot;s ribs had also punctured his lung. Heidegger was suffering from mild exhaustion, and had a broken left leg, a broken right wrist, and had broken a few ribs. * Reno stood over Heidegger. Heidegger had been slipping in and out of consciousness these past few hours, and Reno hoped to catch him when he woke up. Elena and Rude were exhausted, and they had called it a day.
Reno told them he would be staying the night in the hospital. Heidegger mumbled something Reno couldn;quot;t understand. Then, his eyes open, and he gazed at Reno for a second. “Reno….? ” Heidegger;quot;s voice sounded weak. “Hello, sir. You feel up for some news and a few questions? ” “I suppose so, Reno. Let me hear the news first. ” “All right then,” Reno began, “Meteor has been destroyed and Sephiroth is dead. Shinra is on the brink of total collapse. No new government has been formed yet, and each city is running under it"s own terms. Cloud Strife and his team were the ones who defeated Sephiroth.
We"ve been keeping tabs on them, and they seem to be trying to lead quiet, new lives. ” “Hmm…. well, when I recover, that will change. ” Heidegger managed a small smile. “Sir, may I ask a few questions? ” “Go ahead, Reno. ” “Okay, question number one: How did the Proud Clod get destroyed? ” “Well,” Heidegger began, “Scarlet and I drastically underestimated Cloud and his friends. They destroyed the Proud Clod. ” Reno was a little surprised, but not much. “Okay, question number two: How did you survive the Proud Clod"s destruction? ” “Heh, Scarlet and I were cocky, but not insane.
We installed an ejection seat incase the Proud Clod was ever defeated. After the Proud Clod"s systems went critical, Scarlet went nuts. She screamed, and pounded on the computers. Meanwhile, I snuck into the ejection seat and escaped. I didn"t know how far the ejector seat would take me, and I was surprised that it took me to the top of the Shinra building. When Meteor struck Midgar, a huge chunk of rock smashed my leg. It snapped the bone instantly, but it also kept me from being blown off the Shinra building. ” “Oh yes, I have some more good news,” Reno said, “President Rufus is alive. ” “Rufus is alive? “Yes, we found him alive in the Shinra building, along with you. ” “What;quot;s his condition? ” “He;quot;s pretty bad, he might not pull through. If he doesn;quot;t, you;quot;ll be leading Shinra. ” “Well,” Heidegger was unsure on the thought of becoming President, “If I have to do it, then I will. ” Reno smiled. “I knew you would do it, sir. ” “Have Elena and Rude gone home? ” Heidegger asked. “Yeah, they were tired. ” “You should do the same, Reno. You;quot;re a mess. You;quot;ve done nothing but watch over me all day. Go get some rest. ” “Very well, sir. Good night. ” Reno turned to leave. Oh Reno, one more thing. ” “Yes, sir? ” Heidegger;quot;s eyes narrowed, and he suddenly seemed very, very serious. “I have an assignment for you. ” “That is…? ” Reno asked. Heidegger pronounced his next words slowly and clearly. “Kill Cloud,” he said, with a mark of vengeance in his voice. ;quot; Chapter 2″ Cloud Strife stepped out of his home in Nibelheim. For the first time in his life, there was no Mako smell in Nibelheim. Reeve had shut down the Nibelheim reactor. Cloud also finally felt free of the shadow of Sephiroth and Hojo. For the first time in his life, Cloud felt free from his past.
It was about noon, and he was supposed to meet Tifa for lunch in the Nibelheim diner. Cloud stepped into the Nibelheim diner, and saw Tifa sitting with Barret at a table near the wall. “Over here Cloud! ” Tifa called out to him. Cloud walked over and sat down. “Barret, I didn;quot;t know you;quot;d be here,” Cloud said. “Neither did I, until two hours ago,” Barret said, “We;quot;ve got trouble. ” “What? ” Cloud said “It;quot;s Reeve. He;quot;s been kidnapped. ” “Kidnapped? By who? ” Cloud almost shouted. “If I knew, don;quot;t you think I;quot;d be hunting them down right now? Barret said “Who"s running Midgar now? ” Tifa asked, speaking for the first time. “Reeve"s friend Drayson. Drayson is also Vice-President of Avalanche, Inc. ” Barret replied. “At least Midgar is in good hands. ” Cloud said, “But who would want to kidnap Reeve? ” “You got me,” Barret said, “But whoever kidnapped him was good. They knew what they were doing. My guess is that the person or persons who kidnapped him are still loyal to Shinra. And who do we know that is still loyal to Shinra, and specializes in this sort of thing? ” Tifa and Cloud both looked at each other and said,” The Turks. * * * Reeve sat with his hands tied behind his back and his mouth tapped with duct tape. He sat in a small cell, surrounded by concrete walls with a door made out of steel bars. Outside his cell, he heard two men talking. Reeve inched closer to the wall so he could hear what they were saying. “So, you think we pulled it off? ” “Oh yeah! Cloud and his friends will never find Reeve. They spent all their time looking for the Turks! ” “Ha! We sure pulled off a great stunt here! Ha ha! ” Reeve could tell that both of them had a little too much to drink. “So, do you think Waylon will give us a raise? “He better, cause if he don"t, he"ll have to find a better pair of kidnappers. ” “Yeah! We"re gonna be rolling in the cash for pulling offa… ” His voice trailed off. Reeve peeked out of his cell and saw both men had collapsed on the floor. “WAY to many martinis,” Reeve thought. Reeve wiggled at his bonds and tried to get a hand free. Reeve stretched the rope with one hand, and tried to bring the other one up. When that didn;quot;t work, he tried to bring his other hand down. That worked. He slid his hand down and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small remote control.
It was the controls to the stuffed Cait Sith. He had to tell Cloud and the other where he was, and Cait was the best way to do it. He turned on the stuffed toy, and directed it towards Nibelheim. * “You are so wonderful,” Cid Highwind said, “I love you! ” He kissed his airship, the Highwind, again. “You look so good with your new paint job! Yes you do! ” Cid ran his fingers along the Highwind;quot;s silver plating. “Cid, what are you doing! ” Shera called from behind him. Cid spat out his cigarette in surprised, and turned around, almost slipping and falling as he did. Oh, uh, hi Shera. ” “Were you kissing the Highwind again? ” “Oh no,” Cid said, scratching his head, “I was, uh, just checking for, um, scratches. ” “Well, whatever you were doing, it can wait. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret are here. They want to talk with you. ” Cid stepped into his house and saw Cloud, Tifa, and Barret sitting around his kitchen table. “Hey Cid, we;quot;ve got trouble,” Cloud said. “Do we ever not have trouble? ” Cid replied. He took a seat next to Barret. “Reeve;quot;s been kidnapped,” Cloud said. Cid fell out of his chair. “Kidnapped! By who? “We think it"s the Turks. Drayson, Reeve"s Vice-President in Midgar, told us about it,” Barret answered. “Turks, huh? I knew we should have finished them. ” Cid righted his chair, and sat down again. “We"d like to use the Highwind on our search,” Cloud said. “Sure, I"d love to assist in the fight, but I"m afraid I can only spare a few hours of my time. Shera and I are about to go on our second honeymoon. We"ll be spending a week in Costa Del Sol with no worries, and no problems. I"d really like to help, but you three can handle the Turks. “Alright then,” Cloud said, “We;quot;d love your help, but we should be fine on our own. It;quot;s just three Turks. ” “Yeah, your right,” Cid said, “Let me get my gear and we;quot;ll be on our way! Oh by way Cloud, where are we flying too? ” “The only place I could think of to start. Shinra Headquarters in Midgar. ” * Heidegger limped off the 69th floor elevator on his crutches. He wasn"t exactly a dangerous looking person, but he was in charge of Shinra now, nonetheless. The work on the Shinra building was coming along great. The 69th and 70th floors were totally refinished.
The 68th, 66th, and 62nd floors still needed lots of work done to them. Every other floor was good enough to work in. Reno, Rude, and Elena stood before Heidegger desk on the 70th floor, along with several other Shinra employees. “Well, things are looking very good,” Heidegger said, “Rufus is scheduled to be released from the hospital in three days. The Shinra building is almost repaired, and Reeve has disappeared. This day marks the beginning of Shinra;quot;s new glory! ” Heidegger picked up a champagne glass. “A toast,” Heidegger said, “To Shinra Reborn! ” The room exploded into applause.
