Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII: The Fallout ❯ Everything Comes Together ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

Everything Comes Together

 

She sat, with her back to the big glass windows, nodding off little by little beyond the security of a huge, wooden desk. A console in front of her, embedded in the wood-grain of the huge wrap around desk. A metallic panel that controlled the world basically and it could turn the planet on its head at any second. It had wonderfully labeled buttons that she could use to mess with the heads of the common man. She loved that power, that feeling of knowing that at any second she could press a button and a whole power grid would go down or flowing water would run dry. She could bring the entire population to its knees in the flip of a couple switches, and what could the people do? Riot? No, they would be squelched immediately by the awesome Shinra army. Her adopted father once told her Shinra was evil, and maybe so, but 15 years have passed since he tried to take Shinra down and nothing has changed. People grow old, people die ... Shinra is eternal. She learned that a long time ago and so did her father. It didn't even take 15 years, the Shinra building was gone one day and resurrected from its own ashes the next. Nothing changes, just faces.

 

My god how long ago it was. He was saddened, but she didn't know why, but now she does. Shinra had beaten him, no matter how hard he tried. He worked in the mines just outside of Corel for 5 years after the fall of the very building in which she now sat, trying to free the world of Mako power and offering a solution, but it didn't work. Coal was inefficient and people clamored for Mako power again. What was destroying the planet? As far as people were concerned, mining for coal was just as damaging. What the difference between sucking the life blood out of a planet and taking chunks of it? You take blood out of peoples' bodies in small amount and it always replenishes, but if you hack that same person's finger off, they lose blood anyway and the finger never comes back. No one wanted to hear about the planet's problems, they have problems of their own that are much more prevalent. The planet was an afterthought to most people and was dismissed without prejudice.

 

She still thought about her dad often, just maybe not often enough. She remembered him coming home one day when she was sick; cursing himself that he had to take her to the one place he didn't ever want to go again, where she was just now. Barret carried her the whole way, trying to make her smile at every pass and corner. The place was very modern looking from the outside and the inside as well. She didn't remember what the old building looked like, but was told the new one had the exact same layout. When they hit the doors, they were greeted harshly, possibly because of her father's past. Two men took Barret from her while one other ushered her into a white room. She was screaming at him that she loved him, but doubted he heard. She looked back one more time, before the door was closed as her father was down on the ground, convulsing, as a man in a suit hit him with a sparking stick. Both men wore suits, tailored perfectly for their every curve. One had red, spiky hair and the other was completely bald. She didn't really get a good look at their faces, but she now knew them as the outlaws, Reno and Rude, who seven years ago blew up three Mako reactors and disappeared. People sight them from time to time, but they're just ghosts as far as Shinra is concerned. Shinra wasted far too many resources tracking them, only to turn up nothing.

 

She was told the shocking was necessary to calm her father down and to not worry, but he looked to be in too much pain to be calm. There he lay on the floor in a pile, steam still rising from his body from the shock. The two men quickly scooped him up and carried him up the winding staircase of the lobby gingerly.

 

The room was huge, but separated into segments by a couple of dividing curtains. She heard faint screaming corning from the far corner, but was told to ignore it when she asked. A spat against the thin, flimsy curtain came next along with some crimson coloring staining the sparkling, white tile floor and filling the grooves between as it fell from the curtain due to gravity. All of a sudden the screaming silenced and she looked up slightly, but was blinded by the spot florescent lights in the ceiling. Each was about the size of a headlight, spaced about 8 inches apart on all sides. Between the curtains it felt like a jail cell or another confined area. The sheer whiteness of everything made the room sterile looking, but almost maddening at the same time. She kept staring at the little bit of blood on the floor, still dipping little by little, as if trying to keep her senses about her with the little bit of color she saw there. The room, or rather little cell, was small and only contained a chair, which was white of course and bolted to the ground. The chair had a metallic tray table attached to its side on a swivel base for easier access with a few miscellaneous things on it. The only other thing the room contained was a small metallic stool with black plastic wheels on the bottom. All at once, she didn't feel overwhelmed by the whiteness anymore.

 

She fell at that moment, too weak to stand from the fever that wouldn't break. She felt hot, like she was burning up and no sweat permeated her skin to cool her down. She figured that's why her father brought her here. The doctor in Corel ran out of options, and told Barret she was incurable. He was a proud and stubborn man, and wouldn't take `no' for an answer. Even with Hojo gone, Shinra still had the top scientists and doctors around the globe. The doctor came over in a flash and scooped her up without a word and placed her on the chair gently. He said a few things to calm her nerves, but nothing really memorable. He injected her arm and gave her a pill following. The needle he jabbed into her arm stayed there for awhile, filled with what looked like green serum. He took his time squeezing the needle dry, but she didn't even wince. The pressure felt weird to her, but it didn't hurt like all the other needles she'd gotten in her life. When he gave her the pill, it was purple. She stared at it for a minute while the doctor went around the curtain and returned with a glass of water. She downed the pill and was informed she could go see her dad now, but only if she could walk to see him. She looked down to where the pool of blood was just minutes before and saw strings of a wet mop coming through from the other side, wiping it away, little by little.

 

She felt queasy, because she didn't want to fall again. She didn't know the penalty for falling and didn't want to find out. Sweat formed on her palms and head as a chill struck her for the first time in weeks. She stood up, wobbly at first, and grabbed the doctor for balance. The doctor was a meek man, but surprisingly strong. He was older and not that tall. His gray hair was pulled back into a ponytail from a slightly receding start point. He wore a lab coat and tan khakis. Under the coat, she could see the outline of a tie. He just smiled at her, a warm, sensible smile, and informed her that her fever had broken. She smiled back and let go, walking on her own and feeling stronger with each step. She walked behind the doctor, up the stairs. The building was huge and lavish and with each floor they went up, it got more and more ornate and elaborate. She didn't know how far they had gone, but it was a certain bet they had gone up a long way. She was led to a room where her father lay, passed out on a bed, face down. She tried to wake him, but then thought better, and let him sleep.

 

She turned her chair around and faced the city through the glass like an exhibit at the zoo, right there but behind the safety of glass. She looked up at the half crescent moon shedding its pale, faded light on an artificially illuminated city. She was taken aback by how beautiful this city could be in the right light. She loved it in the office at night. The only light that cast on the room was the light of the moon, casting eerie shadows around it. She closed her eyes and thought back again. It was a night like tonight, she was staring out the window when her father woke up, cursing Reno's name. She saw him and he saw her at that instant and she ran to him, hugging him tightly. Her cool, clammy arms wrapped around his neck and they both smiled. At that instant they knew Shinra had done it. The company he hated for controlling the world had done what no one else could do. He looked disappointed and relieved at the same time. She felt around his back and found the wound from the taser rod. It was small and circular and there were about three or four. The smell of burnt flesh still radiated from him, almost like a tire fire. Burnt rubber and burnt flesh smell remarkably similar to her nose.

 

The room was like a little apartment with all the amenities you'd expect. A kitchen, bathroom, table area, bed, etc. It was rather small for such a big corporation she noticed. No noticeable dividers between rooms accept the bathroom, which was through a door and was adjoined to the other room that was unoccupied at the moment. A small microwave was the only way to heat food that sat on a small counter next to the sink. The metal sink was a corner unit that had cheap counters made of what looked like wood on either side. Above the sink was a few cabinets and along the one side of the counter there was a small, college dorm beer fridge filled with food and drink. Barret cooked dinner for them in the microwave, which was good, because he'd of been lost with an oven. About when he was halfway done preparing the food, there was a knock at the door. Her father cracked the door and she heard him say something to the effect of “that's ok, I know I was acting crazy down there, I'm fine and she's fine too … Thank you for the hospitality, we'll only stay a day,” and closed the door. They ate almost everything in the tiny refrigerator that night and her dad said to not wash the dishes and silverware. She guessed he was still sore about the past. So, they left them right there on the table, which was positioned parallel to the sink, and went to bed. There was only one bed in the unit and it was kind of hard and lumpy. She guessed it was a foam “egg carton” mattress. The pillows were feather and pricked her cheeks several times through the pillow case with the opposite end of the feathers. They felt like needles against her skin till she worked it out so that only the soft end of each feather would touch her. They slept where they fell basically, not even bothering to unmake the bed. She later found out the room she stayed in that night were the economy, cookie cutter rooms that were down a few floors from were she now stayed.

 

She spun back around in her chair and opened her eyes and smiled. She was gazing upon the glass case, 15' wide and 5' high glass case with a small black velvet pedestal in the center, which housed the greatest sword of the greatest warrior ever. Sephiroth's Masamune. She loved that sword, the shear brilliance of the man that must have wielded it was astounding to her. The moonlight was the only lighting in the room, which was cast directly on the blade like a spotlight made specifically for the sword, making it gleam. Two stairways on either side led down to the living area and further down to the corporate offices. The carpeting felt great to her bare feet, very high end. Lush and velvety textured. She got up and walked to it, stroking the case idlely as she remembered what happened next.

 

She had awoken next to her father and her eyes grew wide with horror. She looked down at her blood soaked hands and clothes, she started to tremble as she looked at Barret. She noticed her clothes were tattered and torn. Her once purple dress was nothing more then a red loincloth now. Puncture wounds wound around his body like a bandage, blood still spurting from some. She glanced around the room and noticed that the door was ajar and the serrated steak knife, which once lay on the table covered in food morsels, now was dyed crimson and stuck out of the wall near the door, three feet above the floor. She screamed in horror as she turned her father over gently and yelled incessantly for him to get up. Blood had leaked from his mouth, his eyes bulging. He had more stab wounds then she could count, all over his body. The walls, once a subtle peach color looked like a painting of ocean waves at sundown, right at the time the water catches that burgundy tinge from the setting sun. His body, the bed, her body, the walls; all dyed red like someone had doused the room in paint as a sick joke.

 

“Marlene? Are you still awake dear?” A voice rounded the stairs to her ears. She knew who it was instantly and snapped out of her dream world.

“Oh … yes hun. I'll be to bed in a second. I just was admiring the view from your office,” she said, pulling her hand away from the case as Rufus rounded the corner, and smiled.

“I knew something was missing when I woke up next to a cold and empty side of the bed. I don't know what fascinates you so much about my office.” He looked around quickly and looked back at her, almost concerned.

Marlene noted this and smiled, “I like the view. It's so peaceful up here at night, it's where I come to think.”

“It's ok, but how bout coming back to bed? We've got a big day tomorrow.” He grabbed her hand and tugged softly, trying to move her.

 

The first time she didn't budge, glancing back at the sword. She felt her heart drop and succumbed to his wishes on the second pull. He let go as she started walking, kissed her gently and said that she should go to bed and he'll be in after a relaxing bath. He started walking ahead of her and she stopped as she reached the top of the stairs and walked back to the case. She put her hand on the glass again gently and stared at the blade, gleaming in the moonlight. She heard the water running through the pipes above her head, which broke her concentration. She walked to the windows and opened them outward slightly, a splendid breeze shot past her face and into halls. Marlene closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the wind wisping by her head, sounding in her ears and making her pulse quicken. All at once though, she got cold. She felt a chill run up her spine and grasped the sill of the window with both hands to support her weight as her knees gave out, she breathed hard for a split second and a smile crept across her face. She turned around and started walking after regaining her balance, but left the windows open so the breeze could creep down into the living quarters while she slept. She looked at the sword once more while passing it and called it a night.