Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Counterfeit God; Part I ❯ Chapter 14
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Shiratori-Strife Inc 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.08.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 167 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.08.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 167 | Status: Completed
14
---
Cloud sighed at the questions. He couldn’t answer them any better than anyone else could. He knew Sirius was trying to comfort Reno in Morghann’s absence. Truth be said, the outcome of the situation didn’t look good. Their flight in the chopper, as frenzied as it may have been, still took them some time to get Morghann from Rocket Town back to Midgar. It was hard to say what other damage she’d taken by the time they’d gotten there.
Sirius rested her hand on Cloud’s arm for a moment, the look on her face softening. As he gave her a knowing nod, she moved to where Reno was sitting by himself. The redhead had his head hidden his face in his hands to hide his tears from all the others that were in the room. The white-haired woman shook her head. He knew better than to try and hide anything from her. She could sense his distress. Taking a seat beside him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. Sirius wasn’t surprised when he jumped at the sudden touch.
“Relax a little, Reno. You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm.” She said in a soft joking manner.
Reno gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was crazy. “How do you expect me to do that, Sirius? My wife and my child are in the OR and I don’t know what’s going on in there!”
“You said wife.” Sirius said, a smile forming on her lips. “So you’re planning to pop the question?”
The redhead flushed at this. “I love Morghann and I do want to ask her to marry me when all this dies down.” He admitted, pulling a small black box from his pocket. “With all of our arguments lately though, I was afraid she’d turn me down.”
“Morghann loves you, Reno. I know you two have been having problems, but she’s loved you through all of it.” She told him, pulling him into a reassuring embrace. “I can feel that she’s weak in a medical sense right now, but Morghann won’t give up. It’s not her style to give up. You have to believe in her.”
“I do! I do believe in her.” Reno exclaimed. “I would give my own life if it meant that she and the baby would live. Sirius, there have been so many times when I’ve wanted to give up. My life without Morghann isn’t worth living.”
Sirius released him to see fresh tears falling from his eyes. “Reno Shiratori, you’d better not give up! You were kicking my ass around before I was even a teenager when you were assigned to my compound. I’ll return the favor if you try anything stupid, yo.”
Reno gave a small smile at Sirius’s use of his favorite word to make a point. She was right. He had to be strong for Morghann and their son. He couldn’t help but wonder why Morghann hadn’t used the Lifestream to free herself. Was she protecting the baby? Or, perhaps, had it refused to do her bidding this time?
---
So, Morghann Matthews was the one who could control the Lifestream. It appeared to have disregarded her summons this time. That wouldn’t do for his experiment. The child, however, had potential. Eko knew that Shiratori wouldn’t leave her to die. He’d have to wait until the child was older before it could be used. Now, Sirius Maelstrom would be the problem. Strife was well aware of his presence and, therefore, wouldn’t leave her alone. Eko knew that he’d have to acquire some more help to do the physical part of his plan, being the fights.
Fights would the inevitable, especially if he was going to capture Sirius. He knew she’d put up a struggle. Eko also knew that his main problem would be a confrontation with Sirius would also mean a confrontation with Cloud. Cloud was the last person he wanted to mess with. He’d defeated Sephiroth. Twice. Therefore, he’d have to lay a carefully thought out trap for Sirius and catch her alone. There was also the minor detail of her transformation. Eko came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to tire her out. Then, even with that damn wing, she’d be too exhausted to fight a mass onslaught of men. A wicked smile crossed his face. It was time to make contact with Shinra. Having worked for the once illustrious company, Eko knew a trick or two to keep his hiding place secret. He’d jammed all manner of communication or at least anything that sent out a signal. Since Sheena was still in Midgar, he could have her deliver this disc to Rufus Shinra’s office. Oh how he wished he could see the look on his face when he watched it. Besides, who would think to look for him and all that missing Materia and Mako energy in Mideel?
---
Rufus Shinra sat at his desk staring at his laptop with a perplexed look on his face. He’d just finished watching the disc that had been delivered to his office that morning. Apparently, Nobunaga Eko wanted to make a statement. Considering that he’d been thought to be dead for the past eleven years, he’d definitely made one. Eko’s cocky attitude meant he knew something they didn’t or he’d just figured something out. If there was one thing Rufus Shinra hated, it was being left in the dark when it came to something of dire importance. Even watching the video again didn’t give him any major clues.
“Greetings, President Shinra. I’m sure you already know who this is.” Eko sneered. “I’ve sent you this disc as an indication that I now intend to make good on the promise I made to your father eleven years ago. My experiment is near completion. All it is lacking is its two main components. I’m aware of Sirius Maelstrom and her glorious transformation. I must say, Hojo did an excellent job on her. The mere cell count of the Geostigma that taints her blood is enough by itself to complete that portion of the experiment. I will tell you now that she is no longer safe. 55690 can’t run from me. I’ll find her. As for Miss Matthews, it’s a shame that she couldn’t call the Lifestream in Rocket Town. My experiment would’ve been complete if she had. Not to worry. I’ve already explored my other options and found one. You’ll just have to wait and see what my surprise is, Shinra.”
Sighing, Rufus it the page button on his phone. He hated to do this, but Sirius would thank him later. Within five minutes, Rude stood before his desk, his face devoid of all emotion. Shinra couldn’t help but smirk at this. How ironic was it that he should get this duty?
“Rude, I have a job for you.”
“Yes, sir?”
Rufus ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Do you think you could baby-sit little miss Sirius one last time?”
Rude’s controlled mask crumbled before Rufus’s eyes. A look of disbelief quickly replaced it. “Sir, you can’t be serious.”
“I am, Rude. Eko just sent me a disc with a message. He’s going to be after Sirius. Tseng and Elena are looking for him as we speak. I automatically gave Reno a leave of absence after the incident in Rocket Town. You’re the only one left.” Rufus explained logically.
The Turk sighed in defeat. He wasn’t getting out of this at all. Shaking his head, the mask returned to his face. “When do I report for duty, sir?”
“Immediately. I believe she’s currently at Edge’s hospital.”
---
This was the first time in her life that she’d ever contemplated stealing one of Cid’s cigarettes. In fact, she held the paper-rolled tobacco in her fingers as she stared down at it. After Reno had fallen apart in the waiting room, she felt like she needed one. Holding the filter between her lips, Sirius lit the end and inhaled, choking on the smoke as it entered her lungs. How could Cid do this every day? She sighed as the smoke curled into the cold air outside the hospital.
“You’d better not be doing what I think you’re doing.”
Cloud’s voice made her jump. She shot him a quick glare before looking up at sun as it was peaking over the horizon. “I’m just stressed.”
The blonde yanked the cigarette from her fingers before taking a puff of it himself. When he didn’t cough, Sirius studied him. “What? I used to smoke some with Cid. Besides, you’re not the only one who’s stressed.”
“What happened in Rocket Town?” she asked, taking back the cigarette, inhaling again and passing it back. “I got some of the story from Reno, but not much.”
“Eko was gone with all the Materia and Mako by the time we got to Morghann. He knew we were coming, so he was prepared.” Cloud told her, seeing the tremor run through her body. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek. “He figured out everything with Morghann.”
Sirius was quiet. “That means he already knows about me. It’s only a matter of time, Cloud.”
“Time until what?” he asked, staring at her intently.
“Eko’s going to get tired of biding his time. He’ll come after me eventually. It’s only a matter of when.” She explained.
“Let him come.” Cloud stated boldly. “There’s a whole slew of us he’ll have to get through to get to you. I’ll kick his ass personally.”
She let out a soft giggle. “I know you will. Just don’t make too much of a mess when you do it.”
Cloud pouted cutely, if such a thing were possible for him to do. “Sure, take away all the fun in it.”
---
The florescent lights caused his scowl to look more prominent. Cleaning agents and liquid sterilizers were the smells that reached him as he made his way down the drab looking hallway. Nurses passed him both coming and going. He didn’t like hospitals. They were his least favorite place to be. When he came to the waiting room, it was Yuffie’s eye that spotted him standing by the doors silently and frowning.
“What are you doing here?”
All eyes shifted to him. Great. Reno looked up and some unknown emotion flickered in his eyes. “Rude! What are you doing here, yo?”
“Boss’s orders, Reno.” Rude replied stoically.
Cid was surely going to blow up at this. “You get your ass out of here, Turk! Shinra’s caused enough problems without you being here too!”
Rude’s scowl deepened. “I’m not here about Morghann. The president got a message from Eko earlier this morning. We can’t trace it. It’s not Morghann he’s after, it’s Sirius.”
“What does he want with Siri?” Yuffie shouted, jumping to her feet.
“We don’t know that yet.” Rude replied. “I was sent to look after her. He told me that it would be my last time babysitting little miss Sirius.”
“It must be that damn experiment that he was talking about.” Cid growled. “If he can’t get Morghann, he’ll settle for Sirius.”
“He needs them both to complete his experiment.” Vincent said cryptically. “Eko just sees Sirius as the easier target at the moment.”
“Cloud won’t let him near her, yo. He’s way over protective when it comes to Sirius.” Reno stated, meeting Rude’s eyes.
The Turk shrugged. “I’m just following orders. Now, where can I find that little white-haired computer hacking menace?”
“Outside, I do believe.” Tifa offered. “Cloud’s with her.”
Without another word, Rude turned on heel and was headed out the doors. If he had to watch Sirius again, he’d make sure that he watched her every move. She’d be tired of him by the time he was through with this job.
---
End chapter
---
Cloud sighed at the questions. He couldn’t answer them any better than anyone else could. He knew Sirius was trying to comfort Reno in Morghann’s absence. Truth be said, the outcome of the situation didn’t look good. Their flight in the chopper, as frenzied as it may have been, still took them some time to get Morghann from Rocket Town back to Midgar. It was hard to say what other damage she’d taken by the time they’d gotten there.
Sirius rested her hand on Cloud’s arm for a moment, the look on her face softening. As he gave her a knowing nod, she moved to where Reno was sitting by himself. The redhead had his head hidden his face in his hands to hide his tears from all the others that were in the room. The white-haired woman shook her head. He knew better than to try and hide anything from her. She could sense his distress. Taking a seat beside him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. Sirius wasn’t surprised when he jumped at the sudden touch.
“Relax a little, Reno. You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm.” She said in a soft joking manner.
Reno gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was crazy. “How do you expect me to do that, Sirius? My wife and my child are in the OR and I don’t know what’s going on in there!”
“You said wife.” Sirius said, a smile forming on her lips. “So you’re planning to pop the question?”
The redhead flushed at this. “I love Morghann and I do want to ask her to marry me when all this dies down.” He admitted, pulling a small black box from his pocket. “With all of our arguments lately though, I was afraid she’d turn me down.”
“Morghann loves you, Reno. I know you two have been having problems, but she’s loved you through all of it.” She told him, pulling him into a reassuring embrace. “I can feel that she’s weak in a medical sense right now, but Morghann won’t give up. It’s not her style to give up. You have to believe in her.”
“I do! I do believe in her.” Reno exclaimed. “I would give my own life if it meant that she and the baby would live. Sirius, there have been so many times when I’ve wanted to give up. My life without Morghann isn’t worth living.”
Sirius released him to see fresh tears falling from his eyes. “Reno Shiratori, you’d better not give up! You were kicking my ass around before I was even a teenager when you were assigned to my compound. I’ll return the favor if you try anything stupid, yo.”
Reno gave a small smile at Sirius’s use of his favorite word to make a point. She was right. He had to be strong for Morghann and their son. He couldn’t help but wonder why Morghann hadn’t used the Lifestream to free herself. Was she protecting the baby? Or, perhaps, had it refused to do her bidding this time?
---
So, Morghann Matthews was the one who could control the Lifestream. It appeared to have disregarded her summons this time. That wouldn’t do for his experiment. The child, however, had potential. Eko knew that Shiratori wouldn’t leave her to die. He’d have to wait until the child was older before it could be used. Now, Sirius Maelstrom would be the problem. Strife was well aware of his presence and, therefore, wouldn’t leave her alone. Eko knew that he’d have to acquire some more help to do the physical part of his plan, being the fights.
Fights would the inevitable, especially if he was going to capture Sirius. He knew she’d put up a struggle. Eko also knew that his main problem would be a confrontation with Sirius would also mean a confrontation with Cloud. Cloud was the last person he wanted to mess with. He’d defeated Sephiroth. Twice. Therefore, he’d have to lay a carefully thought out trap for Sirius and catch her alone. There was also the minor detail of her transformation. Eko came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to tire her out. Then, even with that damn wing, she’d be too exhausted to fight a mass onslaught of men. A wicked smile crossed his face. It was time to make contact with Shinra. Having worked for the once illustrious company, Eko knew a trick or two to keep his hiding place secret. He’d jammed all manner of communication or at least anything that sent out a signal. Since Sheena was still in Midgar, he could have her deliver this disc to Rufus Shinra’s office. Oh how he wished he could see the look on his face when he watched it. Besides, who would think to look for him and all that missing Materia and Mako energy in Mideel?
---
Rufus Shinra sat at his desk staring at his laptop with a perplexed look on his face. He’d just finished watching the disc that had been delivered to his office that morning. Apparently, Nobunaga Eko wanted to make a statement. Considering that he’d been thought to be dead for the past eleven years, he’d definitely made one. Eko’s cocky attitude meant he knew something they didn’t or he’d just figured something out. If there was one thing Rufus Shinra hated, it was being left in the dark when it came to something of dire importance. Even watching the video again didn’t give him any major clues.
“Greetings, President Shinra. I’m sure you already know who this is.” Eko sneered. “I’ve sent you this disc as an indication that I now intend to make good on the promise I made to your father eleven years ago. My experiment is near completion. All it is lacking is its two main components. I’m aware of Sirius Maelstrom and her glorious transformation. I must say, Hojo did an excellent job on her. The mere cell count of the Geostigma that taints her blood is enough by itself to complete that portion of the experiment. I will tell you now that she is no longer safe. 55690 can’t run from me. I’ll find her. As for Miss Matthews, it’s a shame that she couldn’t call the Lifestream in Rocket Town. My experiment would’ve been complete if she had. Not to worry. I’ve already explored my other options and found one. You’ll just have to wait and see what my surprise is, Shinra.”
Sighing, Rufus it the page button on his phone. He hated to do this, but Sirius would thank him later. Within five minutes, Rude stood before his desk, his face devoid of all emotion. Shinra couldn’t help but smirk at this. How ironic was it that he should get this duty?
“Rude, I have a job for you.”
“Yes, sir?”
Rufus ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Do you think you could baby-sit little miss Sirius one last time?”
Rude’s controlled mask crumbled before Rufus’s eyes. A look of disbelief quickly replaced it. “Sir, you can’t be serious.”
“I am, Rude. Eko just sent me a disc with a message. He’s going to be after Sirius. Tseng and Elena are looking for him as we speak. I automatically gave Reno a leave of absence after the incident in Rocket Town. You’re the only one left.” Rufus explained logically.
The Turk sighed in defeat. He wasn’t getting out of this at all. Shaking his head, the mask returned to his face. “When do I report for duty, sir?”
“Immediately. I believe she’s currently at Edge’s hospital.”
---
This was the first time in her life that she’d ever contemplated stealing one of Cid’s cigarettes. In fact, she held the paper-rolled tobacco in her fingers as she stared down at it. After Reno had fallen apart in the waiting room, she felt like she needed one. Holding the filter between her lips, Sirius lit the end and inhaled, choking on the smoke as it entered her lungs. How could Cid do this every day? She sighed as the smoke curled into the cold air outside the hospital.
“You’d better not be doing what I think you’re doing.”
Cloud’s voice made her jump. She shot him a quick glare before looking up at sun as it was peaking over the horizon. “I’m just stressed.”
The blonde yanked the cigarette from her fingers before taking a puff of it himself. When he didn’t cough, Sirius studied him. “What? I used to smoke some with Cid. Besides, you’re not the only one who’s stressed.”
“What happened in Rocket Town?” she asked, taking back the cigarette, inhaling again and passing it back. “I got some of the story from Reno, but not much.”
“Eko was gone with all the Materia and Mako by the time we got to Morghann. He knew we were coming, so he was prepared.” Cloud told her, seeing the tremor run through her body. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek. “He figured out everything with Morghann.”
Sirius was quiet. “That means he already knows about me. It’s only a matter of time, Cloud.”
“Time until what?” he asked, staring at her intently.
“Eko’s going to get tired of biding his time. He’ll come after me eventually. It’s only a matter of when.” She explained.
“Let him come.” Cloud stated boldly. “There’s a whole slew of us he’ll have to get through to get to you. I’ll kick his ass personally.”
She let out a soft giggle. “I know you will. Just don’t make too much of a mess when you do it.”
Cloud pouted cutely, if such a thing were possible for him to do. “Sure, take away all the fun in it.”
---
The florescent lights caused his scowl to look more prominent. Cleaning agents and liquid sterilizers were the smells that reached him as he made his way down the drab looking hallway. Nurses passed him both coming and going. He didn’t like hospitals. They were his least favorite place to be. When he came to the waiting room, it was Yuffie’s eye that spotted him standing by the doors silently and frowning.
“What are you doing here?”
All eyes shifted to him. Great. Reno looked up and some unknown emotion flickered in his eyes. “Rude! What are you doing here, yo?”
“Boss’s orders, Reno.” Rude replied stoically.
Cid was surely going to blow up at this. “You get your ass out of here, Turk! Shinra’s caused enough problems without you being here too!”
Rude’s scowl deepened. “I’m not here about Morghann. The president got a message from Eko earlier this morning. We can’t trace it. It’s not Morghann he’s after, it’s Sirius.”
“What does he want with Siri?” Yuffie shouted, jumping to her feet.
“We don’t know that yet.” Rude replied. “I was sent to look after her. He told me that it would be my last time babysitting little miss Sirius.”
“It must be that damn experiment that he was talking about.” Cid growled. “If he can’t get Morghann, he’ll settle for Sirius.”
“He needs them both to complete his experiment.” Vincent said cryptically. “Eko just sees Sirius as the easier target at the moment.”
“Cloud won’t let him near her, yo. He’s way over protective when it comes to Sirius.” Reno stated, meeting Rude’s eyes.
The Turk shrugged. “I’m just following orders. Now, where can I find that little white-haired computer hacking menace?”
“Outside, I do believe.” Tifa offered. “Cloud’s with her.”
Without another word, Rude turned on heel and was headed out the doors. If he had to watch Sirius again, he’d make sure that he watched her every move. She’d be tired of him by the time he was through with this job.
---
End chapter