While Cloud spoke to a Blue Shinra officer on the path below, Tifa stood on Mount Nibel's summit, taking in the cool mountain air. It had been months since she had last visited her hometown, and many times during their walk, she stopped to take a closer look at something that had changed. Tifa smiled; Nibelheim had undergone an enormous transformation-- for the better-- during her absence, in no small part due to Reeve and his Blue Shinra corporation. She bent down to examine some weeds growing out of a crack in the rocks. Even though Mako energy was no longer being used in this part of the world, the Nibel Mountains were slow to recover from the old Reactor's effects.
       Cloud called up to her; "Hey, Tifa? Are you ready to head back to town?"
       "Yes I am. I'll be right there."
       Tifa carefully climbed down the craggy mountainside, to meet Cloud below. He took her hand and they started to walk down the path. Still looking around at the surrounding terrain, Tifa breathed, "This place sure has changed a lot, hasn't it? It's no longer the Nibelheim we once knew."
       Cloud nodded. "Yeah, but even when we were chasing after Sephiroth, it wasn't the same town. Shinra chose to act as if nothing happened, but we knew better…"
       "The Shinra did a remarkable job of rebuilding the place after Sephiroth destroyed it. I remember when we first came here with Barret, Nanaki, and the others… it was so eerie."
       "A perfect replica… to hide a horrible secret. And even so, the flaws ended up revealing themselves…"

       That same afternoon, Reeve led Elena into the basement of the Shinra Mansion, with Cait following from behind, carrying the Sith Compendium in the Moogle's large hands. As Reeve sat at his desk in the back office, Elena watched as Cait directed the Moogle to open the cardboard box. She never gave it much thought before, but seeing Cait and Reeve working together in the same room was truly a strange sight.
       Reeve pressed a few keys on his open laptop and Cait shut down, falling face forward atop the Moogle's head. He then pulled Professor Sith's three notebooks out of the cardboard box and set them on the desk in front of him, one next to the other. He looked up to Elena and motioned for her to come closer. She did, and he took her hand. Looking into his eyes, she could see that they were filled with curiosity, as well as doubt.
       He sighed with finality. "Well, this is it. You're going to see for yourself how I operate all these Chocobos and Moogles… and Cait too, of course."
       "Are you sure about this?"
       "What do you mean?"
       "You seem hesitant…"
       Reeve stared at the three notebooks. Save for identifying volume numbers, the covers were blank. "I've been thinking about that third chip ever since I sent Cait on this mission. I want to know what it is, and at the same time, I'm worried about what it might be."
       Elena's thumb rubbed the back of Reeve's hand reassuringly as she shared his gaze to the books. Reeve slowly pulled Elena closer to him.
       "Still, in the end, I must know."
       He invited her to sit in his lap, which she did. He picked up the first notebook and started flipping through it. Every page was filled with words and drawings, all executed in the same black ink, by the same hand. Somewhere in the first third of the book, he came across a series of drawings of a human head and three oddly shaped microchips.
       Reeve gasped, "Here it is! The main chip diagrams and specifications." He started reading aloud:
       "Overview of Central Processing Unit for Sith Protosensory Infrastructure: Analytical Engine, or 'Left Brain Chip', primarily composed with Manipulate Materia."
       He paused in his reading to turn to Elena. "That's the chip that controls the 'subconscious' aspects of the Siths. Things like reflexes, motor skills, et cetera. Nowadays I only use this chip for Cait, since the newer Siths have their own built-in artificial intelligence to handle these things." Reeve looked back at the book and continued reading.
       "Emotion Engine, or 'Right Brain Chip', primarily composed of Mime Materia. Used for maintaining individual personalities of Sith Animatronics and to provide means for communication and tactical defense." Reeve skimmed the remaining paragraphs and turned the page. "Ah! Here we are… the third chip…"
       Reeve's eyes scanned the page. This passage was blacked out in marker, but by holding the book up at a certain angle, he could see the indentations that Professor Sith's pen made. As he read, his eyebrows slowly edged higher and higher up his brow. In a near whisper, he recited, "Reality Engine, or 'Cortex Chip', full list of components in Volume Three. Intended for the purpose of memory suppression."
       Without another word, he dropped the first notebook on the desktop and picked up the third one. He nervously flipped through the pages, finding that every single word was marked out in the same manner as the paragraph in the first volume. Holding various pages up to the light, he could make out some of the passages. Some mentioned the Wutai War, others detailed plastic surgery procedures, and still others seemed to be Professor Sith's own ambivalent feelings about this project. Finally, toward the back, Reeve came across a paragraph, censored like everything else in the book, which gave emergency instructions for accessing the Reality Engine. He started to get up; Elena slid off his lap and stood before him.
       "What are you going to do now?"
       "I need to find out just what it is I've been forced to forget."
       She threw her arms around him. "Are you sure about this? I mean, maybe there's a good reason why these memories are being kept from you."
       "You mean, maybe there was something traumatic that happened to me in the past?"
       "Yes… something like that."
       Reeve stroked Elena's hair. "This is no ordinary suppression… and sooner or later, I have to know these things anyway. The better to confront them now and get them out of the way."
       "Please… at least wait a little while before you make up your mind… I'm just not sure about all of this…"
       "Neither am I, but this newfound curiosity of mine is just as bad…" Reeve stared into space, then answered, "Very well. I'll sleep on it."

       Early the next morning, about an hour before sunrise, Reeve sat on the examination table in the old lab in the Shinra Mansion basement. As he had anticipated, no one else was up yet, with the possible exception of Reno, and he was probably out on the front porch. Reeve opened the third notebook in his lap, going over the instructions once more as Cait Sith #3 ran its fingers through Reeve's hair. With its visual receptors on their highest setting, it scanned the back of Reeve's head for a small tattoo of a bullseye. Finally, after a thorough search, it found the tattoo. Reeve loosened the grip on the yellow cable he held in his right hand as Cait Sith #3 took it from him, plunging the needle tip at a thirty-degree angle through the center of the bullseye, as was specified in the instructions. A new, unfamiliar window popped up on the screen of Reeve's laptop; it was the command prompt for the Reality Engine. Reeve typed a few lines of code and closed his eyes, waiting for the Reality Engine to process the set of instructions he had given it. Less than a minute later, Reeve's eyes shot open, as memories he could have never imagined flooded into his consciousness.
       "Wakatta… wakatta…" Reeve broke out into nervous laugher. "Now I get it… you bastards…"

*****

       With the long-expected death of the elderly Shogun, Ryoga Amano ascended to the lordship of Wutai at the age of eleven. For a time, the young lord ruled over the peaceful land with nary an incident; however, he kept his samurai in constant training in preparation for the unexpected. A few years into his reign, a team of merchants and ninja came to him asking for his blessing in a journey to the eastern continents. Wutai had been closed off from the east for many years, and young Ryoga saw this as a good opportunity to reestablish contact with the rest of the world. His retainer, one Hotaka Tseng, saw things a bit differently.
       "My Lord, I do not think it is a good idea to carry out this expedition."
       "Why is that, Tseng?"
       "It is too soon for Wutai. We need to be better prepared before we venture into foreign lands. Also, I am concerned about the ninja… don't you think it would be better to send samurai?"
       "Godo Kisaragi and his ninja are better suited for this job than even my most hardened soldiers."
       The two of them, ruler and servant, debated over the merits of the proposed expedition for well over an hour, but Ryoga could not be swayed. The expedition team left for the Great Continent the following month. They would not return for well over half a year, catching Wutai by surprise when they did.
       On that night, a searing heat awakened Ryoga. He opened his eyes to find that his palace was in flames; he heard the feet of his servants rushing around on the lower levels, desperately trying to put the fire out. The door to his bedroom slid open and Hotaka stepped inside. He was carrying a sleeping child on his back. It was his son Hiroshi; Ryoga recognized him by the small birthmark on his forehead. Hotaka came before the young Shogun and said, "Sir, we have finally managed to reach you! Are you all right?"
       "Yes, I am fine. Can you tell me what's going on?"
       "Of course, sir, but first I must get you out of here."
       Ryoga nodded. There was no time to change clothes, so he took his sword, the Leviathan Blade, from its place near the door and followed Hotaka outside in his yukata, up into the Da-Chao Mountains. Separating themselves from various servants and guards who had come to escape the blaze; Hotaka, Hiroshi, and Ryoga sat down in the palm of a giant stone hand.
       As they silently watched the burning palace below them, Hotaka stroked his dozing son's head and told Ryoga about how the expedition had returned. None of the merchants had come back, only the ninja; and they came wielding a magical weapon that was plentiful in the larger continents-- small gemstones called Materia. A spell from one of these Materia, a red one that contained the power of the deity Ifrit, had been unleashed upon the palace, setting it ablaze. Apparently, the ninja, led by Godo Kisaragi, were using their newly found magical power to take over Wutai.
       Thus began a long and bloody civil war between the Amano clan of samurai and the Kisaragi clan of ninja.

       Ryoga Amano stared out of the large glass window. He was in the war room of a military base in Junon Harbor, a base that was, at the time, undergoing the final phases of construction. He shook his head sadly. He had never expected things to come to this.
       Five years ago, when the young samurai was fourteen, the ninja clan Kisaragi succeeded in removing him from the Wutaiese Shogunate. Two years later, Wutai declared war on the Great Continent. What would eventually be known as the Wutai War would drag on for seventeen long years, but at the time, no one on either side of the fighting knew that. Now, the exiled lord had sided with Wutai's greatest threat, the fledgling Shinra Electric Power Company. He was there alone; he had invited his closest aide, Hotaka Tseng, to join him, but the older man declined, saying that he was sick of war and wanted to devote his energy to supporting his wife and son.
       "Sorry to keep you waiting, former Lord Amano," said a voice from behind him.
       "Just 'Amano' is fine," the samurai replied, turning around on the balls of his feet. Before him stood the company's namesake, James Shinra himself.
       The President nodded. "Very well, Amano. I can't tell you how pleased we are to have you on board."
       Ryoga nodded. "Hopefully, with our combined efforts, we can suppress the ninja and restore honor to Wutai." He narrowed his eyes at the president. There was something about him that he didn't entirely trust. "Just as long as each party conforms to their part of the contract…"
       "Don't worry about a thing," President Shinra answered as he lit up a cigar. He offered one to Ryoga, who waved it away. "Our company just wants to be left alone to conduct business in the Great Continent. We have no inherent interest in Wutai, other than getting those ninja out of our Materia deposits."
       "I see," replied Ryoga. "So once I am restored to Wutai's throne, you will not seek out any commercial ventures in Wutai?"
       "Not at all."
       "I understand, what with my country's lack of Materia."
       President Shinra seemed unfazed by this comment. Ryoga continued.
       "Still, I'm sure such matters can be discussed after this war is over."
       "Yes, that's true…"
       Ryoga started toward the door. "I'm afraid I must leave soon. I am accompanying your General Heidegger as an intelligence officer on a mission tomorrow."
       "Ahh yes… in the forest near Gongaga, right?"
       "Yes, I believe so."
       "Well, I wish you luck."
       "Thank you, President Shinra."
       Ryoga bowed and left the room.

       The Cosmo Forest, which lay between Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon, was rapidly becoming a favorite meeting place for Wutaiese ninja on the Great Continent. Using information that Ryoga had obtained from his loyalists, Heidegger's scouts were able to find the ninja camps. Unfortunately, the ninja happened to be one step ahead of them and ambushed the scouts, slaughtering every single last one of them. The ninja followed the trail the scouts had taken and attacked the rest of Heidegger's unit, catching them off-guard. In the midst of the fighting, Amano, who was dressed in civilian clothes and a cloak so the ninja wouldn't recognize him, was pulled away from the battle by Heidegger. In a loud voice, the general bellowed, "What is the meaning of this? You set us up, didn't you?"
       "Of course not! Somehow the ninja caught wind of what we were doing. I thought I had warned you of their sneaky ways at the briefing!"
       Heidegger pulled the samurai closer, flashing a mean-spirited grin. "I have no doubt that you're right," he said in a considerably quieter voice. "However, someone is going to have to take the blame for this… and unfortunately, it has to be you."
       "What is the meaning of this?" Ryoga hissed. "You do realize this violates the pact I made with your employer!"
       "Bwa ha ha! Don't tell me you actually trusted the President! You fool!"
       Ryoga heard a muffled bang, then felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He pressed his hand against the bullet wound Heidegger had given him. Blood gushed out from between his fingers.
       The general loosened his grip, letting Ryoga collapse to the ground. "Even though Wutai is Materia poor, we're very interested in those Mythrill-rich mountains near the main village. If we were to help put you back into power, it would only… complicate matters."
       "So… that's what you Shinra people really want," Ryoga gasped. "To violate our sacred Da-Chao Mountains!" He instinctively reached for his sword, but it was too late.
       Heidegger raised his pistol and shot Ryoga again, this time at his head. The last thing the samurai saw before blacking out was the general's back, striding confidently back into the battle.

*****

       His eyes opened ever so slightly. He was in a darkened room, lying on his back against a cold metal table. He could feel numerous bandages and tubes attached to his bare body, but could not move a muscle. Just then he felt something warm leap up beside him and rub against his body. He could not see it, but judging by its size and furry, nimble body, he guessed that it was a cat. A low rumbling purr escaped from the animal's vocal cords, which further confirmed his theory.
       Just then, he heard faint footsteps, followed by the creaking of a door's hinges. He quickly shut his eyes again as a man's voice exclaimed, "Cait! What are you doing up there?"
       The warm, furry body rose away from him. He guessed that the man had picked it up. The cat meowed, and the man began speaking again.
       "Sometimes I wonder, Cait, if I did the right thing. I mean, he was just lying there in the woods, left to die… maybe I should have left him alone. When you consider his stature and all, it would have been better off that way."
       The cat meowed in a different tone, as if it were asking a question.
       "Still… this is too good an opportunity… the perfect chance to see if my theories really hold up. Who knows? Maybe by the time all of this is over, our friend here will be better off as well. What do you think, Cait?"
       The cat didn't make a sound.
       "Ahh well. We'll see how things turn out in the end. I just hope that nothing bad comes out of this… I remember when Gast told me how shocked he was when his fiancée revealed the true story behind Jenova…" The man paused, then murmured thoughtfully, "I just hope he's in a better place right now… maybe in that 'Promised Land' of the Cetra…"
       The man sighed, and fell silent. A voice from somewhere outside the room called, "Professor Sith? When do you want me to test that Cortex Chip?"
       "You can come down and look at it now," the man, Professor Sith, called back. "Make sure to run it through the stability tests at least three times. It's critical to our efforts that that chip is flawless. The other two we need not worry about so much, but if the Reality Engine fails, then all of this will be for naught."
       "Yes sir," the voice outside the room replied.
       "Now," said Professor Sith, apparently addressing his subject laying on the steel table. "Let's make sure your Lordship stays relaxed. Wouldn't want you to get away before the surgery."
       He felt a needle plunge into a vein in his arm; Professor Sith was giving him a strong drug that would continue to keep him in the same suspended animation that he had been in for numerous weeks. One of the effects of the drug was a severe drowsiness; within a few minutes, he was asleep.

*****

       Reeve leaned forward on the examination table; not the same one Professor Sith had used in Gongaga almost twenty years ago, but one that was similar nonetheless. He took a deep breath, trying to let these memories settle into his brain, but not having much success. In unlocking the Reality Engine, he had allowed an alternate history of the first twenty years of his life to invade his consciousness. The quiet boyhood in Gongaga and the university training in architecture remained, but he now regarded these memories with the utmost skepticism. His hand slowly moved up to the corner of his right eye. Along with the artificial sensor that had replaced his cornea, the eyelids had been surgically altered so as to remove any outward appearance of Wutaiese heritage. His hair and skin tone underwent similar genetic modifications. He lowered his hand back to the keyboard of his laptop, and with a few strokes, turned the machine off. Cait Sith #3 fell limp behind him as he unplugged all the cables from his body. After sealing off the ports on his scalp and arm, and returning his right eye to "normal" mode, he climbed off the examination table and put on his shirt and tie. His laptop under one arm, and the third volume of the Sith Compendium under the other, he walked to his desk in the back and collapsed in the seat. He picked up his PHS and turned it on, hesitating for a moment before finally dialing a number. The man on the other end answered after the second ring.
       "Hello?"
       "Baker, this is Reeve. I want you to have all Blue Shinra personnel in the East Continent and Wutai to return to the Great Continent as soon as possible. Also, have all Blue Shinra employees working on the Gold Saucer's reconstruction returned to Nibelheim. No questions asked."
       "Are you sure, sir?"
       "Absolutely. I expect that it will be carried out with minimal delay?"
       "…As you wish, sir."
       "Very good."
       Reeve turned off the phone and placed it on top of his desk. He folded his hands and stared out into the hallway, concentrating on the plan forming in his mind.

*****

       In Lucrecia's cave, Vincent walked toward the waterfall, never once looking back.
       "Darling, the time has come. I have to go."
       Lucrecia didn't make a sound, but Vincent could sense her almost painful acknowledgement. He took the metal glove from his right hand and tore it off, revealing a deeply scarred arm underneath. The skin was pale, almost a purple color, and radiated with an intense power. Leaving the glove on the floor of the cave, Vincent walked onto the pathway at the right side of the waterfall and was gone.

---

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

For this chapter, I saw a good opportunity to flesh out the story I had merely outlined in the original roleplay. Thanks again to my editors, especially Cyrus for use of his computer the weekend I worked on the final edit. Some cultural notes (since I used Japanese as a stand-in language for Wutaiese): "Wakatta" means "I understand", a "yukata" is a summer kimono (often worn around the house), and "Shogun" were Japanese feudal lords. Happy Holidays, everyone!

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