Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Glass Tower ❯ Burn ( Chapter 17 )

#4 Burn

 

Cloud followed Rufus Shinra down numerous stairs, deep into the basement bowels of Junon's military compound. It was hard to believe that a few months ago Rufus had been wheelchair ridden.

 

He led Cloud to a giant incinerator. In front of it was many boxes filled with Hojo's and Gast's research diaries. They had been taken from the Shinra Manor as a joint effort between Cloud, Vincent, and the Turks.

 

“What's going on here?” Cloud asked the pristine President of Shinra.

 

The gaze that Rufus leveled upon him chilled Cloud to the bone. Intense blue eyes pinned him down and Cloud found the urge to look away.

 

“Burn them,” Rufus ordered softly.

 

“What?!” Cloud exclaimed, mildly taken aback, “Why did you insist we go to so much trouble retrieving and cataloguing them if all you were going to do was destroy them? Wouldn't it have been easier to just…blow the whole basement level? I'm sure Reno and Rude wouldn't have complained.”

 

Rufus made a dismissive gesture, his eyes cold as Cloud had ever seen them. “I am no longer interested in pointless destruction. The sabotage of Hojo's lab and the confiscation of these research materials are sufficient enough.”

 

Cloud nodded as he remembered the pure, ecstatic joy on Reno's face as he had smashed, kicked, and generally wreaked havoc all over that delicate machinery. He had only joined the crazed red-head when it had come to the pod that had stolen so much of his life and memories.

 

“Fair enough,” Cloud replied warily, “So why have me do this?”

 

Rufus's lips curled into a small, enigmatic smile, though his eyes had not lost their chilling intensity. “Come now, if I had told you that Reno and Rude were doing to burn these journals would you have believed me?”

 

“Of course not,” Cloud snorted, “Those notebooks contain details on the SOLDIER and Jenova project. Why would you have them incinerated?”

 

“I have no interest in Hojo's mad experiments. We have seen that there is more at risk than the well-being of its subjects, and I have no desire to repeat history.”

 

“And how do I know this isn't one big ruse to win my favour? You could have the information that's in these journals filed away in some database.”

 

“It's true that you will have no way of knowing,” Rufus conceded. “I'm afraid you'll just have to trust me on this matter.”

 

Cloud scoffed incredulously, “Really? You expect me to have faith in your integrity?”

 

“I do,” Rufus's small smile turned triumphant, “Don't you see that the only way to rebuild the world is for everyone to pull together and put aside their differences? We are not exempt from this, no matter how we once antagonized each other. I am no longer thinking on what is good for Shinra but what is good for the entire planet.”

 

Cloud sighed softly, already weary of trying to fight Rufus's will. Anyway, much as he hated to admit it, Rufus had a very valid point.

 

“Okay, I'll do it.”

 

“Wonderful,” Rufus nodded, “When you're done, contact Reno to receive your compensation.”

 

As Cloud watched him go, he wondered if Rufus Shinra really had turned over such a vastly new leaf or if he had just discovered a new way to manipulate and spin his web of lies?