Midgar lay in ruins. Hampered by a lack of funding, the Shinra Electric Power Company had postponed the city's reconstruction indefinitely. Despite this, there was still a heavy Shinra presence in Midgar, as the few people who chose to remain there needed some sort of local government and law enforcement. This made the work of the Nexus agents a bit harder, but not so much so that they wouldn't be able to carry out their mission. After a week of exploration, they managed to find the files that Reeve had alluded to in his confidential letter to BlueJay. These were documents that held the key to getting Cloud back, for they were the plans for the Ivalice Project, an experiment in long-range matter transference that was abandoned by Shinra before any working prototypes could be built. A disguised Cait Sith was with the agents as they made their discovery, and though they barely had enough time just to sneak in and out of the remains of Shinra's corporate library, he could see that there were many more company papers that had remained intact. Perhaps, his controller mused, the rest of Sith files would be there as well? On this particular trip, he wouldn't get the chance to find out. Time was short, and besides, this mission was completely focused on getting the necessary information for the retrieval of Cloud.
       After the job was finished, Cait Sith and the agents went their separate ways. Cait rode away from Midgar on a black Chocobo, heading out toward the grasslands near Fort Condor. Soon, he could see the former Mako Reactor come into view, and watched as the young condor, who had grown quite a bit since he witnessed her hatching, swooped down to land by her nest atop the fort. It was then that Cait noticed a tall man, with long pale hair, standing beside the nest. Cait drew his Chocobo to a halt and, for a moment, he and the man stared at each other. Finally, the man turned his attention back to the condor, and Cait continued riding toward the fort's main entrance.
       The locals greeted Cait with open arms, and they told him stories of the condor's growth since he and his AVALANCHE friends helped them to protect the egg. Cait patiently listened to their tales, then finally asked them, "Who's that man on the roof, by the condor's nest?"
       One of the men leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "That's Sephiroth up there. I heard he's not so crazy any more, but I have my doubts."
       "Mind if I go up to see him?"
       "But didn't you once fight against him? You looking for trouble?"
       "Nope. Don't worry about me… I'll be fine!"
       Cait climbed up the stairs to the nest, taking note of Jung, the man the Choco Siths had seen in the Southern Islands with Sephiroth, gazing out of the window in the fort's topmost room. Cait and Jung exchanged nods, the latter doing a double-take upon noticing Cait's unusual appearance. The cat and moogle walked outside to where Sephiroth was standing; he was dressed in a white button-down shirt and black pants, and his long silvery hair flowed freely in the breeze. He looked Cait up and down before asking him, "May I help you?"
       "I'm sure you recognize me. I was with Cloud and his friends in the Crater."
       "Oh yes… the strange dancing creature with the megaphone."
       The cat laughed. "More like strange dancing device! I'm Cait Sith," he said as the large moogle extended a hand.
       Sephiroth quietly shook it. "So, what brings you here?"
       "Some business. Seeing you up here was just an unexpected side-bonus. You see, my controller would like to meet you."
       "And who is your 'controller'?"
       "Reeve, sir. Formerly the chairman of Shinra Urban Development, and currently the President of the Blue Shinra Utility Company."
       "Blue Shinra, eh? I've heard of them… I would like to meet Reeve myself. Blue Shinra is headquartered in Nibelheim, correct?"
       "Yep. If you're ever on the Great Continent, just drop on by! Now if you excuse me, I really have to get going."
       With a small wave back to Sephiroth, Cait left Fort Condor and galloped away on his Chocobo. Sephiroth watched as a small plane, a crop duster, landed to meet Cait Sith. The black Chocobo was left alone on the ground as the plane took off over the vast ocean.

*****

       "Thank you ever so much for your assistance, Reeve. With the Ivalice documents, we have our best chance of bringing Cloud home."
       "Are you sure the Nexus will be able to build the transporter detailed in the blueprints? And will it work?"
       "There's only one way to find out, of course. I anticipate that building this device will take a little bit of time, but we at the Nexus are giving it our top priority. For I look forward to the glorious day when Cloud Strife, who saved us all from Armageddon, returns to our world."
       Reeve smiled. "So do we all, BlueJay."
       A little while later, Reeve ended the call and leaned back in his chair. Aside from the uncertainty surrounding Tseng and the Huge Materias' whereabouts, things were starting to look up; Sephiroth had returned, purified of any of Jenova's evil influence, and now it looked like Cloud would be the next to come back. Out of the original crew aboard the Highwind, Vincent and Tifa were the only ones left who were, to the best of his knowledge, still missing. It was time to get to work, but first he'd have to retrieve his laptop, which he'd left upstairs earlier that morning. Reeve stood up, already planning out in his mind the celebration he'd throw for Cloud's return, and walked out of the office. He was met at the top of the stairs by Saber, his recently hired Head of Security. The younger man's face was white.
       "Saber, are you all right?" Reeve inquired.
       "I was asked to get you… it's really urgent."
       Reeve followed Saber downstairs and into the ballroom, where the Turks and some of his military staff was gathered, along with various members of the press. Elena came forward bearing a printout of an electronic message. "I didn't believe he'd go this far," she whispered, handing the President the note, which read:

       All is ready. I've finished the four Huge Materia bombs. I'm sure you can imagine of what one of these is capable of. I might be one man working alone, but I can produce a worthy ode to the massive Lifestream uprising that rocked Meteor and blinded the Planet with its radiance. I may have been hasty, I may not have had the best resources to work with, but soon, you will bear witness to what one of these can do. By 11PM tomorrow night, death and fire will be borne unto the world.
       --H. Tseng

       As he lowered the note, his breathing suddenly heavy, the reporters and their cameramen surrounded Reeve, asking all sorts of questions, and taking pictures of his paled visage. The President backed away, holding his hands out. "Gentlemen, please, one at a time!"
       The reporters looked at each other for a moment, then one of them raised his hand.
       "All right, you first," Reeve said, pointing at the man.
       "What would be your reply to Tseng in this situation?"
       Reeve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment, he opened them again and looked around at the cameras. "Tseng, if you're watching or listening to this somewhere, I only have this to ask of you. What is it that you want?"

       As it turned out, Tseng had delivered his missive, not just to Reeve, but to all of the world's leaders, major news agencies, and others of importance. It was sent via a carefully encrypted electronic messaging account, which BlueJay and his team immediately tried to trace, only to come up empty-handed. Nibelheim, Bone Village, Cosmo Canyon, Wutai Village, and Junon were all put on high alert, and temporary curfews and security checks were implemented. Multiple Choco Siths, Nexus Agents, Wutai ninja, and SOLDIERs were deployed throughout the world, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Tseng before the day was out.

*****

       At approximately 10:20 the following evening, Reeve started to call back his Choco Siths, realizing that his search had been fruitless. None of the other factions had had any luck either; Tseng had evaded them all. After delivering the return commands to most of the Choco Siths, he switched them back to autopilot. Then he turned his attention to the last three Siths, which were roaming around the Nibelheim area. He changed their ocular input devices to Night Vision mode, and toggled back and forth between the three, looking for any sign of the former Turk or his bombs.
       Suddenly, a loud explosion reverberated from far away, and every electrical object in the Mansion, including the lights, shut off. Reeve, who was still manually connected to those last three Choco Siths, fell to the floor, gripping his head and screaming. Bluish-white sparks of electricity rippled over his skull and up and down his arms for a few minutes. When the sparks subsided, the President was unconscious, smoke rising from his body.
       A few hours later, he came to, opening his eyes to see Rude, Reno, Elena, and Baker staring down at him. He was laying on a couch in the ballroom, which was dimly lit by a number of candelabras. He rubbed his head, and asked everyone what was going on.
       "We sent out a couple of scouts to investigate," Baker said. "They came back just a few moments ago, saying that the Gold Saucer had been blown up. Some of the debris fell as far as Mt. Nibel. What we can't understand is why all the electricity is out."
       Reeve struggled to sit up, but the others insisted that he should continue lying down. "When I was at Shinra, Scarlett once told me about a side effect of certain large-scale bombs called an 'electromagnetic pulse'. It's a wave that disrupts all electrical devices within a certain radius from the point of impact. I'm afraid that our friend Tseng's Huge Materia bombs are really that powerful to have caused such an occurrence… How is Nibelheim?"
       "Fine, as far as we can tell. We have some SOLDIERs and MPs out, trying to keep the locals calm. I think that everyone is just stunned… and relieved that it wasn't us."
       The ballroom fell silent for a moment, as they all reflected on the recent tragedy. Then Reeve asked, "Where's Saber?"
       "I'm over here," he replied, his voice coming from the other side of the room.
       "Saber, are you all right?"
       He shook his lowered head. "No."
       Elena gently called out to him. "Saber, you've been sitting by yourself like that for hours. Why don't you come over here?"
       Reeve began to protest, "Elena, I don't think--" but was stopped by her hand pressing his arm back down to the couch.
       Saber walked over to the others and stood before them. His eyes were red, and moist. "I just… can't believe that it's gone. Gone. And that means that everyone who worked there is gone too. Dio… Ester… Joe…"
       Reno stood up and clutched the young man's shoulder. "Listen, kid. Everything's going to be all right. They were our friends too. Hell, Reeve designed the damn place. Just be glad that you weren't there with them, and honor their memories as best as you can, all right?"
       Saber released from Reno's grip and sunk down to the side of the couch. "I know how I'd honor their memories-- with Tseng strapped to stakes in the Corel Desert, while sandworms pick at the remains of his--"
       "Saber, that's enough," Reeve cut in, an exhausted tone in his voice. "Violence won't solve anything, especially in this situation. All we can do right now is wait and see what will happen next…"

*****

       A few nerve-wracking weeks passed with nary an incident. During that time, the base of the Gold Saucer had finally stopped smoldering, and a group of volunteers from towns near and far gathered to coordinate a cleanup effort. One afternoon, Presidents Shinra and Reeve came to the site to see the damage for themselves, as well as assist with the cleanup; on that same day, technicians in a secret lab were putting the finishing touches on the Ivalice MDT-01, the matter transporter originally designed by Bugenhagen to cross the boundaries of time and space.
       After the last panel on the machine was closed, the lead scientist brought out the fake Huge Materia that had been used to open the portal with Cloud's raft. When the raft exploded, it had etched a Zodiac sign, Cancer, onto the Materia's surface. The scientist placed the crystal in a special slot on the main control panel of the matter transporter. The Materia glowed, and a blinding light filled the room.
       When the light subsided, all was as it was before, save for the smoke eminating from the machine. A disgruntled silence hung thick in the air. Obviously, they had miscalculated the transporter's coordinates, and must try once more; however, it would be a full day before the machine would be cool enough to use again. The lead scientist shook his head and turned to leave. As he walked toward the door, he noticed a frog laying on the counter. He stared at the frog for a minute, then a thought struck him. Taking the limp frog in his hands, he got up on a stool and addressed his colleagues.
       "Does anyone have any Maiden's Kiss?" he asked, holding up the frog.
       Almost immediately, everyone understood what was going on and scattered around the lab to look for the item. Finally, the Ivalice Project's assistant coordinator brought some forward. A hush fell over the lab as the frog was set on the floor. The Maiden's Kiss was poured over the small creature, causing it to glow. The creature grew larger and changed form; when it stopped glowing, it was no longer a frog. Instead, it was a young man in an old SOLDIER uniform, with piercing blue eyes and blond spiky hair. He was on his hands and knees, gasping for air.
       "Ramza… Alma…" he whispered.
       The lead scientist knelt down beside the young man. "Cloud?"
       "Yes… I am Cloud."
       The room burst with celebratory cries and shouts.
       "Cloud," the scientist replied, smiling. "Welcome home."

       The very next morning, Nibelheim was packed with people from all over the world, all there to watch the ticker-tape parade being held in honor of Cloud Strife. Blue Shinra troops and cloaked BlueJay Nexus agents led the procession, followed by Reeve and a helmeted BlueJay riding white Chocobos. Behind them, Cloud Strife stood from the back seat of a Shinra-made convertible, the Ultima Weapon slung on his back. The car stopped near the inn, where Cloud jumped out and opened the trunk. From the thick of the crowd, Zack and Cid approached the car as Cloud pulled the Buster Sword out of the trunk. After handing the sword to Zack, the old friends gripped each other in a tight embrace. Cloud let go of Zack to hug Cid, then the three of them got in the convertible and followed the rest of the parade to the narrow alley that lead to the back of the Shinra Mansion.
       Once the parade was over, BlueJay and his agents bid the others farewell. Reeve dismissed the Blue Shinra troops, then turned to Cloud, a huge smile on his face.
       "Man, I can't believe you're back!"
       Cid was grinning as well. "I know what he means, Cloud. We thought you were a goner."
       The four men stood in the back garden, relishing in the moment, when Saber ran up to Reeve from the Mansion.
       "We're all ready, sir."
       Reeve nodded and turned to the others. "Come on inside. The day's celebrations aren't over yet." Cid and Zack gave each other a knowing glance; Cloud blinked and asked Reeve, "What's going on?"
       "You'll see."
       They went up to one of the Mansion's back doors, where the Turks were standing at attention. Cloud quietly shook all of their hands and followed Reeve into the hallway.
       "They work for you?" Cloud asked.
       "Yeah", replied Reeve. "They didn't want to go back to Shinra after the whole Meteor incident."
       Cloud nodded as Cid and Zack, who were just ahead of them, entered the ballroom. Reeve and Cloud followed, just as Cid announced, "Look who's back everyone!"
       They all rushed up to him at once; Barret, Nanaki, Yuffie, Elmyra, and Marlene. They shook his hand, hugged him, and kissed him. As the friends reveled in their reunion, Cloud caught something out of the corner of his eye. The double doors at one end of the ballroom were ajar, and in the space between them stood a tall man in a dark suit. He had short black hair, combed in such a way so that only one of his crimson eyes was visible. Cloud and the man stared at each other for a moment in grim silence. Finally, the man at the door displayed a small smile and left. Cid looked to where Cloud had been gazing and asked him, "Hey, Cloud, you all right?"
       Cloud, remembering where he was, said, "Yeah… I was just staring into space, that's all…" His eyes roamed around the room. "Tifa's not here…"
       Nanaki shook his head. "No she isn't… she hasn't been found yet."
       "Nor has Vincent," Reeve added.
       Without saying a word, Cloud looked back at the doors. This time, all he could see through them was the empty hallway. Barret snapped him out of his trance. "Hey Cloud! Ain't ya gonna tell us 'bout your adventure in the other dimension?"
       Cloud smiled. He'd already told his story to the scientists who brought him back, but now he had the chance to tell the same story to his friends, including the one part he had been afraid to share with the Nexus.
       "…I ran away from Besrodio's house and wandered on my own for a few weeks in this strange land, wondering if I could ever find… her…"
       For a moment, a somber silence fell over the room.
       "Finally, I wound up in a city called Zarghidas, where I ran into a girl selling flowers. She was dressed differently, but otherwise she looked exactly like her! There were bandits and thieves that chased her away, and one of them called her by name… he called her Aeris."
       Cloud looked around the circle of friends. They were all focused on him, captivated by this strange new twist in his story, and fondly remembering the girl they had known by that name. After another silence, Zack spoke up.
       "I once saw a play about a man who gets sucked into a parallel existance, where everything is slightly different from our own world." Resting his chin in his hands, he stared at Cloud. "I really envy you. I haven't seen her, or even just someone who looks like her, in many years. I miss her…very much…"
       Cloud lay down on the couch he was sitting on. "It's almost like someone's playing tricks with my mind, tempting me with the idea that she really can come back…"
       "That reminds me. Cloud, I have something important to tell you, a bit of information that, as I was informed, the Nexus didn't give to you," Reeve said. He gazed around at the others, reading the looks on their faces; they all knew what the Blue Shinra President was about to say and were calmly prepared for Cloud's reaction.
       "What is it, Reeve?"
       "Cloud… Sephiroth's alive."

*****

       Tseng delivered his second public ultimatum a few days later, a message that was broadcast through every news channel on the Planet:

       I've learned from the first explosion, Reeve. God only knows how much more powerful the next one will be. So, as your last chance to prevent the world from going to an apocalyptic grave, I present you with a simple demand.
       I want to see Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, and Lord Godo executed by your own hand on worldwide television. I also want their corpses, so I can be sure that you're not trying to trick me. Then, and only then, will I turn over to you the remaining Huge Materia.
       If you don't comply, I'll be forced to execute them myself, with the bombs; and however many countless innocents I take out in the process will die because of you alone.
       --H. Tseng

       After reading and rereading this missive numerous times, Reeve was on edge, and for the first time in quite a while, he honestly didn't know what to do. That afternoon, he called an emergency meeting with the Turks in his office in the basement's library. Also present was Saber, who stood guard in the library's main corridor. Reno, Rude, Elena, and Reeve discussed Tseng's demands for many hours as the slightly bored security guard paced back and forth, occasionally stealing glances at the titles on the bookcases. Eventually, he succumbed to his curiosity and started pulling books off the shelves to flip through them. There was one volume in particular that held his interest with its elaborate diagrams and formulas. After carefully examining many of the book's pages, he snapped it shut; the resulting sound was loud enough to interrupt the conference and cause all heads to turn toward him.
       "Saber," Reeve scolded. "We're trying to concentrate here!"
       "I know sir, and I'm sorry," Saber replied. "It's just that I've got an idea…"

*****

       Cait Sith returned from yet another mission to the East Continent late one evening, carrying an oblong wooden box. Saber was waiting at the front of the mansion, ready to receive the package. The previous day, only 36 hours after receiving the ultimatum, Reeve announced that he would meet Tseng's demands, on the sole condition that the former Turk come to Nibelheim to pick up the bodies himself. At the moment, the Blue Shinra President was awaiting Tseng's response.
       Once they were inside of the Mansion, Cait lay the box on the ground in front of Saber, then watched while the guard opened it with a crowbar. Inside was a large, elaborate sword named the Force Stealer. Saber lifted it by the hilt and peered down at the packing material inside the box.
       "They in here?" he asked the cat.
       "All we require."
       Saber nodded and put the sword back, then replaced the lid and carried the box downstairs to the basement.

       Meanwhile, Reeve was out on the second floor balcony, which was undergoing some much-needed renovations. He paced among the workmen, talking to President Shinra on his PHS.
       "I'm really not sure about rebuilding the Gold Saucer so soon after the explosion."
       On the other end of the line, President Shinra laughed. "Reeve, you're always so cautious! I share your sentiment, of course, but rest assured, my intention is to start reconstruction only after Tseng has been caught!"
       Reeve chuckled nervously. "What makes you so sure that he will be caught?"
       "I have confidence in you… I know you'll think of something."
       "Heh… it always comes down to me, doesn't it?"
       "Under other circumstances, I would assist you… but in this case…"
       "I know. Tseng singled me out. Can we get back to the Saucer?"
       "Yes, of course. So, can I count on your assistance in the reconstruction of the Gold Saucer?"
       "Absolutely. We'll make it a joint effort. There will have to be a few meetings to iron out the details…"
       "Yes, yes. We can't rush into such projects, after all. But for now, we must celebrate this new chapter in our alliance! A grand celebration!"
       "Actually, I was thinking the same thing. And to show my good intentions, I offer to act as host. When shall we schedule it for?"
       His call was interrupted by Saber's entrance onto the balcony; "Excuse me for a moment, President Shinra."
       Palming the phone's receiver, Reeve walked over to Saber and whispered, "You got the package."
       "Yes. You were there, remember?"
       Reeve smiled knowingly. "Of course. And you took it to my… assistants in the basement?"
       "Yes. They were happy to receive it."
       "You gave them everything?"
       "Everything."
       Reeve nodded. "Excellent. I hope this idea of yours works."
       Saber nervously replied, "Yeah… me too."
       Reeve dismissed the guard and resumed his call.

       Tseng's reply came that evening; he agreed to Reeve's stipulation, and further demanded that the Blue Shinra president schedule an execution date within the next twelve hours. Eleven hours later, Reeve responded that he would conduct the public executions of Cloud, Sephiroth, and Godo two weeks from then, on the day after the formal party that he and President Shinra had planned.
       Cloud came to the Mansion once he'd heard the news. Since his return, he'd moved back into the house where he'd grown up. Reeve offered him a job with Blue Shinra, but Cloud decided to delay going back to work, and instead spent his days reacquainting himself with his surroundings, and coming to terms with his feelings, especially regarding Sephiroth's return. Cloud's friends had told him everything that had changed with the great warrior, but even so, he was having trouble believing what he had heard. Now, he found himself facing a new concern; Reeve hadn't said a word to him about Tseng's unusual request since the second ultimatum went out.
       Reno met Cloud at the front door; he knew exactly what the young man wanted.
       "Reeve's in the basement. I'll go get him for you."
       Cloud quietly nodded and waited on the porch. A few minutes later, Reeve came to the door.
       "Cloud, I was just thinking of you. I talked to Sephiroth and Godo about the current situation this afternoon. Come inside and I'll explain to you what's going on…"
       Cloud looked Reeve straight in the eyes. There was a bright glint in them, which caused a small, cautious smile to cross his face. "I don't know what you have planned, but I'm all ears."
       "I just wish that none of us had to go through this…" Reeve sighed. "Fortunately I was able to get Sephiroth and Godo to… participate. All of the other world leaders have been contacted as well; hopefully they won't interfere with the execution… if they do, I fear Tseng might retaliate…"
       Cloud's smile disappeared. "What exactly do you mean by 'participate'?"
       Reeve said nothing as he ushered Cloud inside the Mansion. The door closed behind them.

---

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

No special notes this time, as this chapter is pretty much a continuation of previous events. BUT… I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's written to me to tell me their thoughts on the story (so far); I really appreciate the feedback ^_^

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