He was there, at the Temple of the Ancients. The Keystone sat in its socket at the altar. Below it, Tseng lay there, slowly bleeding to death.

       He was there. Not Cait Sith, but himself. And he was looking at Aeris. Not the green-and-black heat sensor image tagged as Aeris by Cait's visual receptors, but Aeris Gainsborough herself, in a pink dress, red jacket, and brown boots.
       This scene was especially strange considering that he had never laid his own eyes on the Ancient. Not even so much as a photograph. Dealing with Ancients wasn't his department, after all, and therefore, none of his business.
       She was trying to tell him something, but there was an inexplicably loud noise that prevented him from hearing anything that she had to say. He looked up at what he believed was the source of the noise, and saw that the Temple was gone, Tseng was gone. In their place were the crystal walls of the Forgotten Capital, and a man dressed in black, with flowing silver hair, holding a black sphere in one hand, and a long sword in the other.
       Sephiroth.
       Unlike with Aeris, he knew the former SOLDIER Commander's image quite well.
       The silver-haired warrior pointed the sword downward and descended, red and orange flames trailing from behind him. Aeris knelt before Reeve and began praying.
       The small white bauble in the Ancient's hair began glowing a pale green, and she looked up at Cait Sith's master, staring. Her green eyes locked with his brown ones as a new sound came into his awareness…it was a voice, ringing as clear as the waters of Lucrecia's Lake.
       "My love is with Zack, my passion is with Cloud, my--"
       The voice was interrupted by the thunderous sound of a blade cutting through flesh.
       He was broken out of his trance, and he looked before him, expecting to see Aeris and Sephiroth, but all he saw was red flames being absorbed by green light.
       Then, this vision was replaced by the jet black heavens melding into a pure white earth.

       Reeve awoke with a start. It had been awhile since he'd last had that dream. When was the previous time? Oh yes… the night after Meteor's summoning. The new Blue Shinra President groaned and buried himself in the sheets, trying to catch one more wink of sleep before the day began.
       The past few weeks had been very productive for his fledgling corporation. Work was beginning on a wind farm in the Nibel Mountains, and in the meantime, the Mako reactor there was running on the last of its fuel, just enough before the scheduled transition over to wind-generated power. The Proud Clod from the Gold Saucer's Battle Arena had been delivered to Nibelheim and was being retrofitted by Rocket Town's finest engineers. Later that day, Reeve would travel to Cosmo Canyon to meet with Cid, who had finally left Wutai in his newly-crafted plane, the Seagull.
       A knock came at the bedroom door. Reeve opened his eyes and sat up. "Come in."
       The door opened and Rude strode in. "Sir, I don't mean to wake you this early, but a message has arrived from President Shinra. I think you should see it."
       "Very well, I'll be downstairs in a moment."
       Rude nodded and left the room.

       As Elena and Rude sat at the nearby dining table eating breakfast, Reeve fumed over the videotape that was sent to him by his former employer. In the tape, President Shinra sat at a huge steel desk, in front of a large window overlooking the Bay of Junon. Shinra, wearing a jovial expression, spoke:
       "Hello Reeve…I have been observing your recent operations and I must say, now I finally have an opponent worthy of battling. You see, I have been a businessman for over fifty years, while you were a mere architect for twenty and were only very recently pushed up to the Shinra Executive Community. Lest you forget, I destroyed ALL the companies that rivaled against me! It's a shame you took my Turks though…I trusted them with my life."
       At this comment, Reeve's lip curled. 'Take them' my ass. If you were a better President, they would've stayed with you…
       On the tape, President Shinra continued; "OH! And Reeve, I forgot to mention… so you think Scarlett and Heidegger are… dead? Think again! HAHAHAHA…" President Shinra motioned to the left with his hand and the camera pulled back… to reveal Scarlett and Heidegger!
       The trio at the breakfast table froze in place, their eyes wide with disbelief.
       President Shinra grinned in triumph. "MWAHAHAHA! You see Reeve, the Scarlett and Heidegger that Cloud and AVALANCHE killed when they took on the Proud Clod were only…CLONES! Why do you think we had more SOLDIERs than we had in the total population of Midgar, Junon, and Wutai put together? That's because we cloned them!"
       Reeve gritted his teeth. "The Phoenix Project… I should've known…"
       Heidegger laughed. "GYAHAHAHA! That's right Mr. President. Reeve, you may have thought me to be a psychopath and Scarlett to be a whore, but neither of us were stupid!"
       Scarlett chimed in, "That's right! And with the Proud Clod mobile suit production to be started soon, we will secure our operations! Soon, Shinra will rise to power and prominence once more! KYAHAHAHAHA!"
       The camera zoomed in on President Shinra once more. "So Reeve, do you still think that the 'good old-fashioned way' to do business still works?! PLEASE! In these times, business is a war to find out who's more powerful! Also Reeve, don't end your sentences with how I end mine…have a wonderful day and remember, the Shinra Electric Power Company is the future! More Mako Reactors means a brighter future!"
       The tape ended with a black screen, emblazoned with the red and white Shinra logo. Reeve downed the rest of his coffee. "Damn Shinra… they're out to crush us… I just know it…"
       Rude sighed heavily upon seeing Reeve's temper start to flare. Elena picked at her fingers nervously. Reeve took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, chin resting against his hand. After a tension-filled moment of silence, Reeve broke it with, "How are the Proud Clod modifications going?"
       Elena replied, "On schedule. However, we currently don't have the means for mass production--"
       "Doesn't matter," Reeve replied. "As long as the upgrade is proven to be superior to whatever Shinra has to offer, our other means of defense should be more than enough."
       Rude looked up. "What 'other means of defense'?"
       Reeve replied, "I found something the other day, a little remnant of Automatama, which may be of some use to us…"

       Back when he worked at Shinra, in addition to being Urban Development Chair, Reeve was also on the Automatama Group's Board of Directors. The Automatama Group was a highly-renowned research and development firm that specialized in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. This firm was mostly owned by Shinra, and a number of that company's top management held positions within Automatama. Scarlett was on the Advisory Board. Before his retirement from Shinra, Bugenhagen served as an honorary Chair of the short-lived Division of Organic Machinery.
       Reeve's position in Automatama was an unusually high one for a full-time Shinra employee, and with good reason: he was the firm's first test subject, as well as their biggest success. He served in the Sith Project some twenty years ago, which resulted in his ability to control special surveillance automata known as Siths. Not long after his promotion to the head of Urban Development, Reeve decided to return to Automatama, this time, as a Director. It was in this way that he was able to integrate his own Urban Dev. Projects with the high technology of Automatama; for example, the Gold Saucer's virtual Chocobo track, Midgar's computer-controlled streetlights, and so much more. It was also thanks to his position in Automatama that Reeve managed to obtain knowledge of their final project, a devastating new weapon that very few knew about. In fact, this special experiment was so top secret that not even Scarlett and Heidegger had knowledge of it.
       After breakfast, Reeve headed to his basement office to make last minute preparations for his meeting with Cid later that afternoon. Stopping in front of his desk, he reached in his satchel and dug out a small glass vial. It was actually a casing made of three vials, each inside the other; with the innermost vial half-filled with a bright red powder. As Reeve examined the substance, the phone rang. He picked up the receiver.
       "Reeve here."
       "Mr. President, this is Dr. Edmonds. I believe we spoke yesterday about Automatamon Number 40983."
       "Yes, the Scarlett Nanos. I wish to have a full supply of them."
       "Sir?"
       "Would it be possible for you to come to Nibelheim so we can discuss this futher? All expenses paid, of course."
       "Of course sir. My main concern is lack of equipment-"
       "Don't worry about that… it will be taken care of. Our resources are better than many people think."
       "Yes sir. So, when did you want me to come?"

*****

       Although Elena had returned from Wutai without incident, Reno hadn't come back with her. This particular circumstance weighed heavily on Reeve's mind as he mounted a white Chocobo, ready to ride toward Cosmo Canyon. Elena had said that Reno stayed on his own accord, saying that the job was over and he'd return to Nibelheim in his own time; however, an extra week in Wutai was a bit too long, even for Reno. Intelligence sources turned up nothing that would cause him to doubt Reno's safety or loyalty. Blue Shinra's President shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he snapped the Chocobo's reins, knowing that now was not the time to be dwelling on the unknown. Instead, it was time to see an old friend.
       Reeve arrived at Cosmo Canyon village at sundown, against a magnificent backdrop of red and orange cliffs and skies. Dismounting from the bird, and climbing the steps into the village, Reeve half-expected to see Nanaki rush up to greet him. However, this was not the case. As with some of the others who were aboard the Highwind, Nanaki was still missing.
       Upon entering town, Reeve managed to spot Cid Highwind warming himself in front of the great flame, which the locals called the Cosmo Candle. He walked up behind Cid and said, "Mr. Highwind?" Cid immediately turned around and stood up. Reeve started to hold his hand out for a handshake, but much to his surprise, Cid gripped him in a friendly hug right after getting to his feet. Cid let Reeve go, and once the former Shinra executive caught his breath, he faced the bright-eyed pilot standing before him wearing a mischievous grin.
       "Heh, I never thought I'd be meeting the Mog King in the flesh!"
       "The… Mog King?"
       "Hell, that's what I always thought Cait Sith was. Never called him that to his face though."
       Reeve felt like he should be insulted, but he wasn't. "Well, you just did, if you know what I mean. Now, shall we get to business?"
       "Never thought you'd ask!" Cid walked away from Cosmo Candle and led Reeve toward the Starlet Pub. After being seated in a separate area away from the rest of the crowd, Cid and Reeve began their conversation, speaking in low voices.
       "So, I hear you have your own company now. Finally dumped those &*$% Shinra, eh?"
       Reeve nodded, and told Cid about his and the Turks' escape from the East Continent, and the formation of Blue Shinra.
       Cid leaned back in his chair. "So President Shinra's alive and back in business, eh?" He pondered this for a moment, then leaned in close to Reeve. "Well, I've got plans of my own…"
       "Such as?"
       "I'm restarting AVALANCHE."
       An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Cid continued, "I know what you're thinking Reeve, you're thinking, 'Oh, they're going to go around and blow up some more reactors and #%^@', right?"
       "One would hope that that isn't your intention. You know I don't have a very high opinion of AVALANCHE's past doings."
       "I know, I know. I remember how your cat would argue with Barret all the time, but hear me out. This AVALANCHE will still be devoted to the Planet, but our approaches will be different. We've already got a few ideas of what we can do."
       "'We'? So I suppose you already have some others working with you on this?"
       "Actually, only one person for right now, besides Barret of course-- oh, and here he is."
       Reeve looked in the direction of Cid's gaze. Entering the Starlet was a man in his late twenties with long black hair, which was slightly spiky in some places. He was dressed in a well-worn SOLDIER uniform. As the man approached the table, he smiled and said, "Sorry I'm late." He then extended his hand before Reeve.
       "Zack… Zack Nadine."
       Cid broke in. "I found him in Wutai… he was nearly comatose. At the time, all he could remember was something about Cloud stealing his identity. He's a nice enough guy though. Used to be in SOLDIER, too."
       Reeve took the outstretched hand into his own and gripped it in a firm shake. "Just call me Reeve." He felt a bit puzzled by Zack's presence, but he wasn't entirely certain why.

       The rest of the meeting went relatively well; Cid, Zack, and Barret planned to set up a base on the Northern Continent. They would also be allies of Blue Shinra. In return for their support, Reeve pledged to aid the new AVALANCHE in starting up. After awhile, Zack left and eventually the original topic of conversation was lost. Now instead they started talking about their missing friends, and the adventures that all of them shared before Meteor struck. As Cid fished around for yet another cigarette, he said, "Getting pretty late. There's s'posed to be a nice, clear sky tonight, too. I was thinkin'… maybe we can check out that telescope in Bugenhagen's observatory. I always wanted to look through the &*#$ thing…" Reeve nodded, and the two of them left the Starlet, and made the climb upward through the Canyon tunnels to Bugenhagen's home, located atop the highest peak in the Canyon.
       It was quiet inside, and a thin layer of dust covered the furniture and machinery. Cid and Reeve lit whatever lamps they could find, then they each made for different areas of the house. Cid climbed the ladder up to the giant telescope, while Reeve entered the study, naturally lit by a multicolored glow. Reeve looked up, and saw the four Huge Materias, hovering above him. Each one shone with its own inner light, be it blue, green, red, or yellow; and the brilliant natural-cut facets of each stone disbursed this light even further. A small smile crossed Reeve's face as he took in the sight; somehow, the Huge Materias seemed to belong here. As magical wonders of the Planet, they were the perfect monuments to Bugenhagen's revolutionary work. And moreover, they would never be exploited ever again.

*****

       The next morning, Reeve rode his Chocobo back to Nibelheim, where Dr. Edmonds was waiting. Standing behind the scientist in the town square was the newly-enhanced Proud Clod, now painted blue. No sign of Reno, however.
       Reeve greeted the Automatama scientist, then escorted him inside the Mansion, and down to the basement lab. As Edmonds examined the equipment, Reeve headed back upstairs to meet with Rude and Elena.
       "I see you have the Proud Clod ready. Please make sure everything else is in place for the shoot this afternoon."
       Elena replied, "Yes sir", then marched to her office to make some last minute phone calls.
       "And Rude, I need you to unload another few thousand shares of my Shinra stock. The Costa Del Sol markets should be pretty active today, and I want to sell the shares before they dip in price."
       Rude gave the President a knowing smirk, then briskly walked off to another room to call Reeve's broker.
       After everyone left, Reeve walked into the pantry and plopped down on a large chair in the corner, for a moment of peace and quiet before the afternoon media circus.

       The videotape arrived on President Shinra's desk that evening, hand delivered by a small automated Mog with large purple wings. After handing the tape to the President's assistant, the Mog bowed politely, then flew out of an open window, heading southeast from Junon. It promptly disappeared from Shinra radar in a matter of minutes. The President, amused by Reeve's quaint little messenger, had the assistant play the video for him.
       In the video, Reeve stood in Nibelheim's central square. Flanked at his sides were two giant robotic Moogle Siths, and directly behind him was an enormous blue mecha, which President Shinra immediately recognized as a Proud Clod. The Blue Shinra logo flashed on the screen for a brief moment, then Reeve spoke:
       "My dear former employer… I am not here because I'm power-hungry like you are, nor am I here because I want to rule the world. I am here because I had an epiphany while my alter ego, Cait Sith, was in the Temple of the Ancients. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. Yes, depite all of the power and benefits Shinra offered to me, I was not happy. Now, thanks to Cloud, Aeris, and all of the other friends I have made, I know what I want to do. I don't wish rule the world, but do want to change it. Thus, the Blue Shinra Utility Company.
       "I am… pleased to hear of my former co-executives' well being." At this statement, a small shiver visibly ran down Reeve's back. He continued, "And if you think I am not prepared for a possible war, then think again. This Proud Clod you see behind me, right now the only one of its kind in the world, was transported to me by my allies at the Gold Saucer Battle Arena. The engineers of Cosmo Canyon are refitting the Proud Clod with solar cells as we speak, not to mention fixing the obvious flaws in Scarlett's design. And, lest we forget, my dear President Shinra, I held a chair at Automatama, and was heavily involved with the Sith Project. So if you want to fight with clones, then I'll have no choice but to unleash my Moogle Siths.
       "We have recently regained contact with Captain Highwind, who is restarting AVALANCHE, with Blue Shinra's full support. We are also still searching for the rest of our original party, in hopes that they will also join us. Soon, you and your company will see us as a force to be reckoned with.
       "I'm sure to you, I was just another talented executive, but you failed to motivate me to use any untapped potential I might have had. In my eyes, as an employer, you have already failed. Also, I must admit that you're right, I do need to be a bit more creative with my closing statement, so how about have a MARVELOUS day. Take care and goodnight."
       As the tape ended, President Shinra burst into peals of laughter and called for his men to ready a helicopter. "So, Reeve, you think you can one up me, can you," the President mused. "Well, we shall see who will come out on top!" A few hours later, a helicopter, carrying the President and his top executives, left the Junon Airport and headed east, toward the mountains. Meanwhile, a few miles off the coast of Junon, an unusual ripple in the waters went unnoticed.

       As the sun set over the Nibel Mountains, Reeve stood on the Mansion's front porch, taking a break after a long day of work. He looked out over the whole town, which was fairly easy, as the blue Proud Clod was gone. On top of the overhang above him stood the Messenger Mog, wings spread, looking like an all-too-cute gargoyle. It was not long before the relaxing peace was broken by a Shinra courier, noisily running up to the front gate of the Mansion. Reeve knew what the package was even before he had signed the delivery confirmation. He called the Turks to the basement office, and the three of them watched yet another tape featuring their former employer.
       After the Shinra theme and logo appeared on the screen, the interior of a military helicopter was shown. President Shinra was seen sitting in the front cockpit along with Scarlett and Heidegger. Shinra bellowed, "HAHAHA! Reeve, you never cease to amaze me! A militia of Moogles?! That's creative, Reeve, let me tell you! But, you say you have only one Proud Clod, certainly! Well, I must say, that's a shame…"
       At this point, the camera zoomed in on the landscape beyond the window: a large open-air warehouse where thousands of Proud Clod mobile suit units were being constructed.
       The camera swung back around to face Heidegger. "Gyahahaha! Reeve, I know what your thinking…'Where is that place?' isn't that right? WELL FORGET ABOUT THAT! You'll never be able to find it! It's in an uncharted region!"
       Scarlett pushed Heidegger aside to continue. "And those design flaws you spoke of…have you ever heard the phrase, 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me'? Well, I saw what happened to the original Proud Clod and I took note of all the problems, so I perfected the design. This new design features double-thick armor, LARGE gatling guns that shoot Mythrill capped bullets, and much more! Kyahahahahaha!"
       At this point, Elena and Rude overheard Reeve mutter, "And it still wouldn't have been able to take out AVALANCHE… needless to say the WEAPONs which they were designed for…"
       The camera swung to President Shinra. "I wouldn't try getting into Midgar to go through files either. Since the Shinra Corporation doesn't yet have complete control of the Great and Western continents, I moved many of the guards that were currently spread out over these lands to Junon, Midgar and the various missile and military bases. Remember Reeve, I'm not just an old codger, but I'm also the most powerful man in the world. Power-hungry is such a bad way to say 'megalomaniac' as well. So, you see Reeve, the old Shinra, Inc. is also a force to be reckoned with."
       As the tape ended with a proudly-emblazoned Shinra logo, Reeve casually picked up the phone and dialed. After the other line picked up, Reeve said, "Commander, you may fire when ready."

*****

       The next day, Nibelheim was under a state of watchful emergency. Sentries were posted at various strategic points throughout the town. Blue Shinra troops were sent to Rocket Town and Cosmo Canyon as well. This was all done shortly after an explosion rocked Junon Harbor, sending a stream of Mako flying high into the air. Off the coast of Junon, Shinra radar detected a large unidentified object in the water, speeding away from the freshly-hit Underwater Reactor at a speed of thirty knots. Unfortunately, by the time the Shinra MPs had managed to send out their submarine fleet, the large object had vanished. The following day, Blue Shinra posted the sentries as a formality against any similar attacks… or counterattacks.
       Meanwhile, back in Nibelheim, Cait Sith bounded out of the Mansion and across the mountains toward Rocket Town, armed with a Crystal Megaphone and a load of Materia. The battles he had to face along the way were tough, but nothing he couldn't handle. And at least the Materia Keeper was dead.
       Upon his arrival in Rocket Town, he immediately headed for Cid and Shera's house. He knocked, and after not getting any sort of reply, opened the front door. It appeared that no one was home. He walked inside, looking around, when the back door opened and Shera stepped in, her white coat smeared with oil and grease.
       "Cid's not here right now, but he asked me to show you the plane." Cait nodded and followed Shera out into the backyard. There, amidst numerous parts and tools, stood a newly-constructed crop duster. "There are a few minor modifications and safety checks I still have to run this morning," said Shera. "She should be ready to go in a few hours."
       "Take your time," the cat replied. "Shinra should be plenty preoccupied with the first warning I left him… we should have more than enough time to carry out our other measures…"
       "I see," said Shera. "Some top secret stuff going on?"
       "You might say that. But, first things first-- this plane's gotta be fully operational by tomorrow afternoon."
       "Will do!"
       "Very good. Let's get to it!" Reeve shut down his vocal controls for Cait Sith and ran his fingers along the edge of the seamless metal box that sat atop the large desk in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. Pulling his hand away from the box, he looked to his computer screen, rereading the message he received from the BlueJay Nexus that very morning. Something about Nanaki being held prisoner in Gongaga, and the Nexus conducting a mission to rescue him. There was also a report detailing the destruction at the Corel reactor. Reeve grinned and shook his head. He didn't know how these Nexus guys did it, and he admired them for it.
       Underneath his desk, a creature stirred. Its golden body shimmering in the dim light, the creature stood up on its claws, and crawled out from under the desk. Reeve backed away, to allow the animal out, stroking its downy head as it emerged. It cooed softly as Reeve caressed it. The creature then ran down the corridor and up the stairs; and soon, out of the Mansion and away from Nibelheim, to parts unknown. Reeve leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest.
       "Now, lets see if I can be just as efficient a spy as BlueJay. I hope I have enough time…"

       The next day, President Shinra stood by the large window overlooking Junon, a massive frown on his face. The brackish green-black spot in the ocean before him spoke volumes. Two days had passed, and his investigative teams were working around the clock, trying to figure out who-- or what-- had struck the reactor. As he gazed out to sea, a knock came at the door. It was the President's assistant, bearing an envelope. Shinra walked to the front door and asked who it was from, although he already knew the answer; out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small Mog with unusually large wings flying over the ocean. Shinra immediately took the envelope and opened it. As expected, it was a letter written on Blue Shinra stationary… from the desk of President Reeve.

       My dear President Shinra and former fellow executives,
       Thousands of Proud Clod units? Hyperbole if I ever heard it. Word is from some of my allies in Kalm are that Shinra troops are busy scouring the continent, looking for Materia to run your precious Prod Clods. And improvements? How lovely Scarlett, but is your beta-version Proud Clod… waterproof? You may have heard an explosion recently in Junon Harbor. That was my newly-modified amphibious Proud Clod unit, taking out the underwater reactor. We have been pleased with this prototype's success and more units are well on their way. And yes, waterproofing isn't the only new-and-improved feature on my Proud Clods-- or, rather, Raging Storms-- you may discover more in future encounters! And if you ask yourself how I'm funding all of this wonderful development, let's just say, thank you President for the stock options I enjoyed while I was at Shinra!
       Yes, you moved a bunch of guards back to Midgar and Junon, the ones that didn't defect to Blue Shinra, anyway. By the way, here's today's fortune: A Moogle is a Moogle in name only…
       Regards,
       Reeve
       President, Blue Shinra Utility Company

       Shinra fumed, "That upstart Reeve! I'll get the better of him… especially since he had the gall to make the first move! Yes, Reeve, you may have hit me in a sore spot, but our Proud Clods will soon be ready to go! Deployment begins at sundown! Prepare to be crushed, my dear Reeve… hahahahaha!"

*****

       Late that afternoon, inside the Proud Clod factory, a young gold Chocobo broke through the forest canopy that covered the site. Startled by the sudden change in scenery, the diminutive bird let out a "Waark!" and ran around frantically, trying to find a way out. The factory's workers soon spotted the bird-- some tried to catch it, while others just ignored it and went on with their business. Eventually, the Chocobo found its own way out, through a side door, connected to a cavern-- the secret entrance to the factory.
       At that moment, a green biplane flew inconspicuously over the location of the Proud Clod factory, completely hidden from view by a forest canopy in a small valley in the Mythrill Mountains. A compact, tightly sealed Mythrill box was released from the plane's bottom hatch to fall into the canopy. From inside the plane, a small, catlike figure, who sat atop another, larger figure, commanded the pilot sitting behind him: "Open." The plane flew south as the pilot pushed a switch. The box's six sides came apart, releasing a fine, red dust onto the forest canopy. Within moments, the dust disappeared beneath the canopy. Soon, the loud and terrible sounds of failing machinery echoed throughout the valley. As the plane circled over Mideel, the sound of a million tiny yet powerful explosions reverberated through the air. The plane swung back over the mountains. The canopy was gone; and on the ground below sat the remains of the Proud Clod factory, a heaping, charred mess.
       "Looks like our little experiment was a success," said the cat. "Let's see if any of the Scarlett Nanos malfunctioned." The cat scanned the area with a strange device. "Not one of them remains," the cat exclaimed. "Great! All of our Materia nanobots worked perfectly! Mission completed!" The small plane flew off into the early evening sky.

        Reeve was stunned by what happened that very next morning, as he prepared himself a cup of coffee. It wasn't so much the morning's news about Nanaki's rescue by an unintended joint Blue Shinra/Nexus team as what happened next. Not long after Reeve got off the phone with Commander Baker, the line rang again. Rude, who was now closest to the phone, picked up the receiver, as Reeve watched the toaster. Suddenly, Rude handed the phone to Reeve.
       "Sir, it's President Shinra."
       Reeve's eyes widened, not so much with surprise as with disbelief. The toaster popped as Rude silently left the kitchen. Reeve held the receiver up to his ear. "Hello?"
       "Hello Reeve, this is Shinra. Now, I know you must think this is some kind of threat message, but it is not. I simply wanted to talk to you."
       Reeve recognized the voice immediately; this was not just some sort of cruel prank… it was worse. It really was President Shinra. "All right… what is it you wish to talk about?"
       "I must say your first speech was very touching, but would you like to know something? 'Shinra will work to ensure the well-being of the Planet while providing you with the finest electricity at the lowest rates. We are committed to truly building toward a better future' is the EXACT same thing I said twenty years ago when Shinra, Inc. became a government influence and major company."
       "Go on…"
       "In other words…the more you fight me, the more you become like me. So, pretty much, if you defeat me and Blue Shinra takes over the world…you'll start to become power-hungry and work overtime every night, which could make you look like you aged forty years in a month."
       "I see…"
       "And also, what WOULD you do to me? Would you really hurt an eighty year-old man, a beautiful young woman and a jolly fat man?"
       Reeve silently snickered. Beautiful? Jolly? Is he kidding?!
       "And please, what did we ever do to you? I know Scarlett and Heidegger had you arrested, but that's still no reason to hurt them… Come on, don't you remember your April Fool's joke when you had me arrested for embezzlement?"
       "Heh, yeah, that was a good joke… I remember the MPs bursting into your office… 'Mr. President, uhh… you're under arrest!'"
       President Shinra remained stoic. "Reeve, it would bring my old heart some excitement to hear what you would do. So, what do you have planned for Blue Shinra?"
       Reeve took a deep breath. "Well, let's just say that after seeing all that went on behind the scenes at Shinra, I wanted to reinstate the company's original mission. Mako is not and will not be the way of the future, not if I can help it. If you want a state of neutrality, fine. I do not like fighting that much but I will do what I have to in order to keep the Planet going."
       President Shinra replied, "I see…"
       "As for your remaining Executives, Kya Ha Ha, I could never, ever stand her and her offensive demeanor. As for Gya Ha Ha, well, he was not quite as annoying; but the three of you bragging and boasting all the time got on my nerves. Oh, we're going to do this, we're going to do that. Money, power, ad infinitum. It's too bad Rufus is dead. Aside from that whole 'ruling by fear' thing, he was a pretty decent guy. I wonder sometimes why you never had him cloned. Or maybe you did and just aren't telling anyone."
       There was a noticeable silence on the other end of the line. After a brief pause, Reeve continued:
       "And more like you? Yes, if you are speaking of the President Shinra I first encountered twenty years ago. The main reason I joined the company in the first place was because you were my role model at the time. Then came your victory in the Wutai War and, along with it, your extreme delusions of power and wealth. I am here-- Blue Shinra is here-- because I want to remake the Shinra Electric Power Company to fit YOUR original vision."
       President Shinra continued on, but Reeve was no longer listening, for his concentration was broken by a loud exclamation from Elena, who was in the central hallway. Reeve hastily completed the call, asking President Shinra if they could continue the conversation later that afternoon. Shinra agreed, and they said their goodbyes, Reeve hastily hanging up the phone when all was said and done. When Reeve finally entered the front hallway, he saw what it was that had gotten Elena so excited. Standing near the front door was Reno, who had finally returned from Wutai.

*****

       The next day, in the Gold Saucer, Saber idly flipped through the Del Sol Courier News, reading about the small war that had been going on between Shinra and Blue Shinra. Yesterday, a truce had been called by the two factions; yet any chance of permanent peace was still very much up in the air. Tossing aside the front page, Saber started flipping through the Local section. There, an article on page two caught his eye.
       Apparently, late last night, a small Sparrow-model seaplane was stolen by a man with long black hair. It seemed that the man had needed to cross the ocean, and only took the plane after finding out that all overseas traffic had been halted because of the recent military actions. The Shinra troops who were based at the neutral port city were unable to stop him as he hotwired the plane and flew off into the starlit sky.
       Saber shook his head. Stupid Shinra. At that moment, he decided that it was time for him to get out of the Gold Saucer. Ester, Dio, and the others would understand. He walked away from his post at Chocobo Square and headed to the main office, to turn in his resignation.

---

Completed January 2002 | Revised January 2003 | Copyright 2002-2003, The Blue Shinra Project.

This (really long) chapter's dedicated to (and practically coauthored by!) the one and only President Shinra (aka Zack)! Take a bow, Prez ^_^

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