icedark_elf | OGToF: Chapter Four-Plans Begin

Looky, looky, we're back to current timeline. Whee!

This chapter: 2,640 words.

Chapter One: Escape
Interlude One
Chapter Two: Clean Up
Interlude Two
Chapter Three: On The Run
Interlude Three: Part One
Interlude Three: Part Two
Interlude Three: Part Three
Interlude Three: Part Four

Chapter Four: Plans Begin
September, 1994

They arrived in Midgar and found themselves settled into one of the nicer suites of rooms that were in the main headquarters of Shinra. Tifa had been in awe, having never seen so many things like this. Nibelheim was not known for the size of its buildings, or its level of civilization. Especially when the small town was compared to Midgar.

Nidara was used to the big city and the almost dizzying array of lights, sounds, and people that the city could produce. She watched Tifa’s reactions and smiled, mumbling about what the girl might think of the city under the Plate. Completely different from what Midgar was above the Plate, but still some completely fascinating and unique compared to Nibelheim.

It took three days before there was a bit of an opening in either the schedule of the President or the newly installed Vice-President. Given how hard it was to get on President Shinra’s schedule, even with Professor Hojo’s assistance, Nidara and Tifa ended up meeting with Rufus Shinra instead, Vice President of Shinra Electrical Company.

It had taken a bit of work, but they had been able to find decent clothing for both Tifa and Nidara that was rather classic and timeless, and to get them ready for a meeting with Rufus. The trip over had not been fun, not to mention the bit of recovery that they had to do in the days they had. The fire had been bad, and everything they had was smoke scented and filthy. So shopping had been required, and Hojo had listened to Jenova’s wishes and funded, discretely, the shopping trip. The woman had looked at both Nidara and Tifa with her alien eyes and whispered to Hojo that they must look their best.

She did have a plan after all.

So, three days after they came to the city, and after a day of shopping to find proper outfits, as well as time to recover, Nidara Strife and Tifa Lockhart were ushered into the office of Rufus Shinra.

In the pale room, the two women stood out, clad in the dark, rich colors of their clothing. That right there got Rufus’s attention right away and more than one of his Turks wondered if that wasn’t why the ladies had picked the colors they had, to stand out. Not the bright colors favored by the only other woman Rufus dealt with on a regular basis, but rich teals and burgundies. Things that really stood out in the white of the office.

From the look in Rufus’s eye, he was wondering the same, and most likely applauding the move. It was an impressive and, most importantly, subtle play, and if Rufus appreciated anything, it was something subtle. Too many years being chased by people who were anything but, most likely.

So, after a moment of study, the man smiled politely, and Nidara smiled right back, just as politely.

Then the duel of words started.

///

He was also in the room, standing in the corner by the door, watching all of this quietly. It was at Jenova’s request, though Nidara had also requested it, claiming that he was a familiar face in the city and she would prefer to have him nearby with such a potentially stressful situation going on.

Hojo wondered just how much control of Nidara Jenova had been able to get over the years. The woman had been injected with the cells at the birth of Specimen C, and had been living near the reactor for years. Hojo wondered if she heard the same whispers he did at times, he hear them even then as Jenova stared out from his eyes. She could not attend this meeting, but she wanted to keep track of how it was progressing anyway.

The more Hojo watched, the more he wondered what kind of prompts the ancient being was able to pass along. He knew she could pass pain and pleasure and speak in silent, slithering words. Knew all of that from personal, first hand experience. Now, watching Nidara and Rufus circle each other verbally, he wondered how much of it was the blond woman, and how much of it was the cells he had injected eighteen years ago.

Of course, Nidara was a brilliant woman in her own right, and had easily dealt with the rather swim or die world of the Shinra long before the situation with her and her husband had come to Hojo’s attention. Shinra was not kind to its female workers, either. To be above a certain rank in the company, one must have a rather vicious and predatory manner, a trait far too easy to see in its few high level women. And the labs were even worse than the regular executive workers.

Still, watching all of this, Hojo had to wonder if there weren’t problems lingering that he couldn’t see. How could Jenova trust this woman, who was very capable of having her own agenda and plot in the making? It would be far too easy for the blonde to simply be playing along with Jenova just until she reached her own ends.

A brief burst of pain flared as Jenova sensed the tone of his thoughts.

Do not doubt me. I am far betterwonderfulmore than any pitiful human will ever be, even one who carries me in their blood. I am better than you, I am better than her and I better than my children. All except Sephiroth. And this will gain me Sephiroth. Do not doubt my control or my plans. Even if I cannot be there in the flesh, I can control her if need be. However…she does admirably, for a human. Almost as good as you.

Those words send a shiver of worry down Hojo’s spine, one he concealed from the others, just as he had concealed the pain from them. He would not fail Jenova, nor be the cause of any of her plans to fail. He would not. His goal was to prove to everyone else that he was better than Gast, and Jenova was a fine example of how foolish the man had been, abandoning something so wonderful for mere physical pleasure like Gast had done.

He would not.

Sending his apologies mentally, Hojo focused on the meeting again and watched the dance. Both players where expert. Even lab rats had to know how to get their needed supplies and funding, and Rufus had been trained by the best.

He did not know what to think of this, and the niggle of a doubt still rested in the very back of his mind, but he would not act on it. Jenova said that she had a plan. And she was the closest thing to being a goddess that Hojo had ever seen.

He would trust her, and be ready to aid her any way he could.

///

The meeting with Nidara Strife and Tifa Lockhart had lasted over two hours, and Rufus did have to admit he was impressed with both women. Tifa was nowhere as well trained at holding in her reactions, and that had given him some barometer of where to go, though Nidara seemed to have some idea of how the girl would react and always managed to offset it.

Given the rumors he had heard about the blonde having been a lover of Hojo, as distasteful as the idea might be, Rufus thought that if there was any training ground for learning to control what and how much you gave, it would be Hojo’s bed. How the man ever had children, Rufus would never know.

And children were the rumor, as well. Everyone knew that Sephiroth was Hojo’s son, and the idea that the man had been married was also something mind boggling. Especially to someone as pretty as his wife. However, after her death, there had been quiet until Nidara Strife had popped out of nowhere.

Like any good businessman, when the meeting had been arranged, Rufus had had his Turks quietly gather what information that they could find on Mrs. Strife and Ms. Lockhart. Ms. Lockhart was easy enough. Never left Nibelheim, was a pupil of Zangan, daughter of the town’s now former mayor. All very simple details.

Mrs. Strife was completely different. Born and raised near Gongaga, she still had family out that way. She came to Midgar for schooling after passing aptitude tests, given to her by the reactor scientists at the reactor there, with amazingly high scores.

In school, she met her husband, Orrin Strife, and they married just before entering Shinra’s science sector. After several years, and several lost children, it was rumored that she had gotten pregnant with Hojo’s by-blow. Interesting news, indeed. She and her husband had been assigned to Nibelheim, with her husband dying on the trip there. The child, just a few months younger than Rufus himself, had been born there, and eventually entered the military as a SOLDIER candidate. He had died on a mission two years ago, according to the files.

Now the woman had returned.

The meeting had been interesting, and there had been a great deal of back and forth. Then Rufus had left them and gone to a second, secret meeting.

Staring into the green, cat-slit eyes, he felt as if he was being watched by something that wanted nothing more than to eat him.

“Hello, Jenova,” he said lightly, as if she didn’t send shivers of fear up his spine.

“Hello,” she purred at him. “I have a business proposition for you. I can get you the leadership of this company within days, with no cry of foul play, with no doubt that your father died of natural causes. And, later, I will give you the world to rule without having to hide behind your company.”

That…was unexpected. And unexpected tended to have unusually high costs as well.

“I’ll get the company soon enough, and I would rule just as easy through it as I would without it,” he said easily. “Why should I pay whatever price you are wanting just for something that will be mine anyway?”

Lounging back in her chair, Jenova smiled.

“Your father lives as long as I will it. My blood runs in his veins, put there of his own free will. I am the reason he has lived for so long, and he will live as long as I let him. If I so choose, he will survive the next hundred years. Then you would never see the leadership of this company.”

Those cat-eyes never left his, and Rufus almost shuddered at the predatory look in them. He hid it, though, and waited for her to continue.

“As for the company itself, how long would you rule if you didn’t have it, hmm? What I offer is rulership, without need for such props and toys as this company. You would rule it with only the gods to answer to.”

“And what,” he asked just as lightly as she had given her answers, “is the price for such wonderful things, might I ask?”

“I want you to marry Nidara Strife. I need her in a place where I can put her to use, and the best place for that is by your side and above the pitiful rules you humans call laws.”

Marriage. That was somewhat unexpected. “And why not to you?”

Jenova waved the idea away. “I do not wish to be in the public eye. But you need an heir, and I need her to have children.” A slow, sly smile. “And you get your company without a hitch.”

Rufus paused to think this over. There were pros and cons, but the pro side was winning. He already knew that Nidara was a brilliant woman for all her bias against people she thought slighted her. He was the same way, so he really couldn’t consider that a character flaw. The larger concern for him, however, was the fact that Jenova seemed to have control of the woman’s strings. He did not want a puppet at his side.

“I would not interfere in her life. My concern is the children,” Jenova suddenly informed him, and he wondered how much of what he thought had shown on his face, or if she had simply guessed. Either way, it was somewhat disturbing that she had been able to answer the question so well.

It was all a matter of lose and gain. Nidara was still a very attractive woman, despite being old enough to be his mother. She was one of those who seemed to age more slowly once they hit their maturity. That was good. No questions on why he was marrying if he chose to do so. She was attractive, she was smart, and she was a proven breeder. All requisites for being the spouse of a Shinra.

He had nothing to lose, really, though he would have to keep a close eye on her.

“And if she says no when I ask?”

“She won’t.”

Well, he was starting to like this partnership already.

“When will my father die?”

“Within days of your wedding.”

That, he decided, was that. “Deal. Just remember,” he said with a sharp smile, “I have more power than you can imagine if you try to betray me.”

“I will,” she purred, smile as sharp as his. “Just remember that I am the same.”

///

Reno wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew something was wrong. And he knew he wasn’t the only one. Tseng was looking uncomfortable here and there, never in a really visible way, as things began to shift behind the scenes.

The biggest news was the wedding.

The fact that Rufus Shinra, heir apparent to the company that was currently ruling the world, was getting married was boggling enough. The fact that it was to a woman he had literally met just days before just added to it. Not to mention that fact she was old enough to be his mother. She actually was. It boggled Reno’s mind personally to know that she was Cloud’s mom.

Cloud’s mom was marrying Rufus Shinra.

Yep, still brain breaking.

Reno could see Cloud in her, and it was enough to make him grimace a bit when he wasn’t being looked at. Didn’t know what had caused this, but….

There hadn’t been a courtship; there hadn’t been anything, really. One day, she had come in and asked for aid for Nibelheim, and the next, Rufus and his father were arguing over the fact that he was getting married.

Still, as hurried as the wedding was being prepared, it was still Rufus Shinra getting married, and there were all sorts of ceremonies and details that had to be done for it.

And, on top of all of that, there was a funeral.

Apparently, according to the doctors, the stress of all of this had finally made old man Shinra pop something and he had collapsed in his rooms two nights after the wedding announcement. It was completely natural, which meant a lot of bets under Plate were being lost and paid off. Nobody figured Shinra would go without someone assisting the process along.

So a wedding and a funeral. Sounded like a bad movie, actually.

Reno didn’t trust any of it. Something was up.

Now, just had to figure out what was going on.

A lazy grin. Maybe he should go have a chat with that girl Cloud’s mom had brought with her. What’s her name? Tiffi, Tifa, Tipha, something like that. Pretty thing. Reno could think of worse ways to get information.

Whistling, Reno wandered down the hall. He was off shift right now. Might as well go have a chat with her now.

Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

Wordcounts:
Nov 13: 2,640
Nano: 28,035
November so far: 42,393
OGToF: 36,425

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Date: 2006-11-13 06:40 pm (UTC)

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