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The Path to Redemption	By : Nakkinomiko Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1095 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. SquareEnix does. I make no money from this…I just like to play with them.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. SquareEnix does. I make no money from this…I just like to play with them.
A/N: Warnings for this chapter: angst, angst, angst. Muci and Kayla, thanks so much for your reviews! Yes, that evil witch Jenova is back! But I don’t things are going to go quite the way she thinks . . .heh heh heh.
*****
Chapter 19
By the time Maggie was finished with her tale, Rufus was more than convinced that Jenova once again walked among them. He sat on the couch for several long moments when she was finished and just stared into his fire place. It was his worst fear come to life, and for a moment hysteria nearly overtook him. And then he remembered that there were lives at stake, and that a great many of those were the lives of people he loved. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he steeled his resolve and reminded himself that he was the President of Shinra Corp. His company had caused this problem, and his company would fix it.
Rufus stood from the couch and went to stand at the picture window. He stared out at the lights of Midgar, and then turned to face the room. Maggie was sitting in one of the chairs, a half drunk gin and tonic in her hands. She had finally calmed herself and was watching him with expectant eyes. Reno sat on the arm of her chair, and he, too was watching Rufus with expectant eyes. Rude stood guard at the door, and Tseng and Elena were on the first floor guarding the entrance to the elevator. Rufus regarded Maggie and Reno for a few more moments before he spoke in his most commanding voice.
“Reno.”
Reno’s head snapped up at the command in his voice, and he sat up straight. “Sir?”
“Take Maggie and go to the Hospital,” Rufus said. “Call Dr. Graham on your way over there and have him meet you there. If he asks why, tell him it’s a code black. He’ll understand.”
“What about you?” Maggie asked. She set her drink on the coffee table and stood.
“I’ve a few phone calls to make, and then I must tell Kadaj what has happened,” Rufus said.
“Promise me you’ll have Tseng and Elena up here when you do,” Reno said with a frown.
“I know,” Rufus said. He didn’t like to think it, but the knowledge that Jenova was still alive might just ruin all the progress that Kadaj had made. There was a chance that the man would turn on them, and as much as Rufus loved him, it would be stupid to not be prepared to defend against such a circumstance.
“Okay,” Reno said. “Maggie, ready to go?”
“Yes,” Maggie murmured.
“And don’t say anything to Sephiroth yet,” Rufus commanded.
Maggie looked miserable.
“I know, Maggie, and I’m sorry, but surely you must understand that Cloud needs to be there before he is told,” Rufus said, his tone more gentle.
Maggie bit her lower lip and nodded once, and then followed Reno from the apartment.
Rufus’ next line of business was to call Cloud at the orphanage. He relayed all the information Maggie had given him, and then asked something of the man Rufus had never wanted to ask of him again.
“Will you help us?”
“Yes,” came the unhesitant reply.
Rufus released a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. Suddenly, he was feeling much better about the whole situation.
“Good,” Rufus said. “This is what I need from you, then. Vincent and Yuffie are staying with you, right?”
“Yes?”
“Please tell them what has happened, and then I need you to bring yourself and anyone willing to help down to the hospital. Go directly to the floor Sephiroth is on and wait in the waiting room. I’ll meet you there in about half an hour.”
“What then?”
“I’ll explain when I get there,” Rufus said. “Please trust me, Cloud.”
A pause, and then: “I do. We’ll be there soon.” Cloud disconnected the call.
Rufus turned to look out the window again, and froze when he realized Kadaj’s reflection was there. He sighed and turned to face Kadaj as he tentatively stepped further into the living room.
“Rufus?” Kadaj looked and sounded frightened.
“You heard.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” Kadaj whispered. His voice was barely audible. “Is it true, is she alive?”
The ding of the elevator heralded the arrival of Tseng and Elena. Both froze at the sight of Kadaj confronting Rufus in front of the window. Rufus shook his head slightly when he saw them reach for their weapons.
“Yes, it’s true,” Rufus replied. “I was just coming to tell you. I didn’t want you to find out like that.”
“Jenova is alive,” Kadaj repeated, his voice suddenly flat.
“Yes,” Rufus replied.
Kadaj was silent and still for a very long moment, and then he looked up at Rufus and swallowed convulsively. “Please . . .please keep her away from me.” His green eyes filled with tears as he sunk to his knees on the hardwood floor and hid his face in his hands. “Please!”
Rufus rushed to him and lifted him from the floor and wrapped Kadaj in a fierce embrace. Kadaj’s form was trembling, and he clutched at Rufus’ robe as he wept.
“She can’t have you,” Rufus murmured into his hair. “You’re mine, and she can’t have you!” He looked over Kadaj’s shoulder and almost smirked at the relieved expressions on Tseng and Elena’s faces. “Tseng, give us a few minutes, and then we’re headed to the hospital. She’ll go there, simply because that’s the only place Jenova will know where to look for Maggie. She’s the only connection to Kadaj that the bitch has right now. We’ll make our base of operations there.”
Tseng nodded. “Yes, sir!”
*****
Vincent strode into the hospital waiting room, somewhat disappointed to find that Rufus Shinra had not yet arrived. He resisted the urge to growl an obscenity, and instead began to pace the small room.
“Vincent. . .” Yuffie began.
“Leave it, Yuffie,” Cloud interrupted. “There’s no help for him when he’s like that, and you know it.”
Vincent shot Cloud a grateful look before he turned and paced back the way he’d come from. He wouldn’t be happy until he knew Kadaj and Sephiroth were going to be safe from Jenova.
“When did Rufus say they were getting here?” Tifa asked.
“Should be any time now,” Cloud said. “He said he was bringing the Turks and Kadaj with him.”
“And he’ll be here,” Reno said as he entered the room. He had his arm wrapped around a very distraught Maggie’s shoulder, and he led her to a chair and made her take a seat. “Last I heard he was breaking the bad news to the kid.”
“And?” Vincent said.
“I’ve not gotten a call from Tseng and Elena asking for backup yet,” Reno said with a half hearted grin.
“Kadaj won’t betray us,” Maggie said quietly.
“I wish I was as sure as you,” Reno mumbled.
“He won’t betray us,” Vincent found himself repeating. He stopped pacing and went to stare out one of the small windows. It was dark, and he really couldn’t see beyond his own reflection in the glass.
“And what of Sephiroth?” Cloud asked.
A soft sob escaped Maggie at the mention on his name. Vincent turned his head slightly to look at her. She had her arms wrapped around herself and her expression was stricken.
“Rufus wouldn’t let me tell him,” Maggie finally said. Her voice was tearful. Vincent’s heart went out to her. No doubt all the girl wanted was to go curl up in Sephiroth’s arms and cry herself out, and she simply couldn’t, not until they were sure the general would remain on their side.
“Soon enough,” Vincent said quietly. He didn’t offer her any reassurances, because he wasn’t sure himself that Sephiroth wouldn’t betray them. He hoped the man wouldn’t. It would hurt entirely too much to have gained a son and then lose him to that bitch again. A noise in the doorway drew his attention away from his own thoughts.
Kadaj stood there, with Rufus right behind him. The kid looked utterly terrified, and it was obvious by his bloodshot eyes that he’d been crying long and hard. His green eyes seemed to search the room, and when they found Vincent’s gaze, they locked on. The fear was tangible in those green depths, and Vincent saw precious little hope there. The kid was just this side of despair. Vincent inwardly cursed Jenova for not staying dead, and then strode across the room and wrapped his youngest son in a fierce embrace.
“She can’t have you,” Vincent said fiercely, and not caring one whit that there were a roomful of people around him. “You are my son!”
*****
Dr. Graham and Penelope Winterfell arrived shortly thereafter, and the little waiting room was suddenly crowded. Cloud, who had been quiet during the whole exchange between Vincent and Kadaj, finally spoke.
“Besides the obvious, why have you brought us all here, Rufus?”
Rufus gave Cloud a wry smile. Somehow, the man always knew when he had unspoken plans. Rufus was beginning to think that Cloud had another purpose on the Planet--to keep him honest.
“Dr. Graham, do you have the vaccine?”
Dr. Graham nodded towards the small briefcase he’d set on a table just inside the door. “It’s in there. There’s enough to vaccinate the entire staff and all the patients presently in our care. I’ve already got the nurses on the first and second floors administering it to the patients there. As soon as this meeting is over, I’ll see to getting this and the fourth and fifth floors taken care of. Most of the staff has already been taken care of.”
“Excellent,” Rufus said.
“Vaccine?” Cloud was frowning, which was never a good sign. “What vaccine?”
“Allow me to explain,” Dr. Graham said. “You see, I was head of the Bio division at the time Rufus came into power, and the president gave me and my staff one final task to achieve before shutting down the labs for good.”
“And what was that?” Vincent asked.
“To develop a vaccine that would annihilate Jenova cells.”
If anyone had dropped a pin in that moment, the sound would have been deafening in the stunned silence that followed Dr. Graham’s announcement.
“And did you succeed?” Kadaj asked.
“Oh, yes,” Dr. Graham said. “It is, to date, the greatest achievement of my career. It wasn’t easy, and took me and my staff nearly a year and a half, but the end results were gratifying. The vaccine, once introduced into the system, aggressively attacks any living Jenova cells in the body. It only takes one dose, and the patient is fully protected within half an hour of the injection.”
“Then maybe, Daniel . . .” Maggie started in a hopeful tone.
“No,” Rufus said, his tone colored with regret. “The vaccine is only beneficial when introduced into a system that is less than thirty percent infected. At any higher concentrations, the vaccine is lethal. If we injected Daniel with the vaccine now, it would most certainly kill him.”
“However, if we inject all of you now, she will not be able to infect any of you,” Dr. Graham continued.
“What about the rest of Midgar?” Cloud asked sharply.
“It’s already being taken care of,” Rufus said. “At this very moment, Tseng and Elena, along with several of Dr. Graham’s research staff, are lacing the city’s water supply with an ingestible version of the vaccine as we speak. It’s not as fast acting as the injections, but it will serve its purpose. Fairly soon every person and animal in this city will be vaccinated, and those that are already too far gone will be dead.”
“That’s . . .” Yuffie’s voice trailed off. Her expression was horrified.
“Ruthless? Cold? An action worthy of my father?” Rufus supplied, his tone bitter.
“Necessary,” Cloud said quietly. He met Rufus’ gaze from across the room. “If there were any other way, Rufus wouldn’t be doing this, Yuffie.”
“No, no I wouldn’t be,” Rufus said. He sounded as unhappy as he felt. This was the kind of thing his father would have done without a second thought, but Rufus didn’t find it so easy. People were most certainly going to die this evening, and would do so as a direct result of his orders. It was too easy to hope that Daniel was the only person Jenova had infected.
“Then I suppose we should take our shots then,” Tifa said quietly. “Because she’s coming here, isn’t she?” She wrapped her arms around the shoulders of Marlene and Denzel and hugged them close to her side. She had insisted on bringing the children with them when she had heard about Jenova being free in the city. The children wore somber expressions, but said nothing. Rufus was impressed with their courage--they were more than aware of the havoc Jenova was capable of wreaking, and yet they remained calm. “She’s still after Kadaj.”
“I’m afraid so, yes,” Rufus said. “The only link she has to Kadaj right now is Maggie, and this is the most logical place to start looking for her. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Then I want to go first,” Kadaj said quietly. His lithe frame shuddered visibly. “I never want to be under her influence again!”
“And what of Sephiroth?” Cloud asked. “He needs to be told.”
“Yes, he does,” Rufus said quietly. “I was hoping you would accompany me, Cloud.”
Cloud expression was grim as he nodded silent agreement.
“I’m going too,” Maggie said suddenly.
“Maggie, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Rufus said.
“I don’t care what you think, Rufus Shinra,” Maggie said. Her expression was determined and she stood from the chair and wiped tears from her eyes. “I love him! I can’t stay out here when you’re about to turn his world upside down! He’ll need me!”
“And what will you do if he betrays us?” Rufus demanded.
Tears filled her eyes, and Rufus hated himself for asking the question, because he could see her answer in her expression. He wasn’t overly surprised by her answer when she gave it.
“I’ll go with him,” she whispered. The tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Gods help me, I’ll go with him.”
“Rufus, enough.” Cloud’s expression was dark as he frowned up at him. “We don’t know that he will, and I’m going to have faith in him, because right now, it’s all we have. Let her come, because you know as well as I that her love could make all the difference in the world.”
Cloud was right, of course. Rufus refused to allow the self-hate he suddenly felt overwhelm him. Instead he turned his attention back to Maggie. “Maggie, I’m sorry,” he murmured as he held his hand out for her. “That was unfair.”
Maggie took his hand, and then stepped closer to hug him. Rufus wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close. He felt horrible for dragging the confession from her before even knowing if it were even necessary. Real friends were few and far between in Rufus’ life, and he’d caused one of them undue pain.
“It’s okay,” she said. She pulled away and smiled wryly at him. “It was a legitimate question.”
“I shouldn’t have asked,” Rufus said. He took her hand again. “Let’s go talk to Sephiroth.”
Maggie squeezed his hand. “I’m ready.”
*****
It startled Sephiroth when Maggie came into his room and all but crawled into his lap and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She’d been crying--it was obvious by the redness of her eyes--and she trembled in his embrace. He gave the two men that had followed her into the room a questioning look. He bit down on the sudden anger he felt, because something or someone had obviously upset Maggie a great deal, and the gods help the person that had. He’d find them and make them regret it.
“What happened?” Sephiroth demanded when it became apparent that neither Rufus or Cloud were in any rush to explain. The hesitance radiating from them made Sephiroth nervous, because it meant that whatever they were going to say wasn’t good, especially if they didn’t want to tell him. And it was obvious that they did not want to tell him at all.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Cloud said.
Cloud was armed. Sephiroth felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end as he made note of the buster sword strapped to his back. Cloud had not been armed on any of his previous visits. Why would the man bring a sword to the hospital?
“Then just tell me,” Sephiroth said. He met Cloud’s azure gaze and held it, his own eyes pleading for the truth
“Jenova is back.”
Maggie shuddered in his arms and pressed herself closer to him. He tightened his embrace and brushed a kiss across her temple. It all made sense now, Maggie’s mood and the fact that Cloud was there with Rufus. He knew what they feared, and he could not fault them for it. It was a legitimate fear.
“Are you sure?” Sephiroth asked. He made a soothing sound in the back of his throat and ran his hand over Maggie’s hair.
“She infected Daniel,” Maggie murmured against his neck. “She came to my apartment. . .” her words trailed off and she emitted a soft sob. “Daniel is dead . . .and she’s after Kadaj.”
“Sephiroth, what are you going to do?” Rufus’ gaze was steady, but his tone told Sephiroth that he wanted an answer yesterday.
Sephiroth closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the crown of Maggie’s head. “Worried that I will go back to her, Rufus?”
Maggie went very still in his arms, and he could feel that she was holding her breath. What would she do, if he betrayed them? The thought of Maggie walking out of his life made his gut twist painfully with anxiety, and even if he had been entertaining the thought of taking up his sword for Jenova again--which he was not--the threat of losing Maggie would have made him think twice about it.
“It is a fear I have, yes,” Rufus said slowly.
“Then lay it to rest,” Sephiroth said. He felt Maggie relax in his arms, and her tears of relief were hot against his skin. He opened his eyes and gave Rufus a dark smile. “I will fight her, Rufus. I will fight her until my dying breath if need be, for there is nothing that bitch can offer me to make me turn from my family.”
Rufus gave a weak laugh. “I don’t think I even need to tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that.”
Sephiroth smirked and shook his head. “Do we have a game plan?”
“Yes, but first, Maggie? Do you think you can let him go long enough to go get a dose of the vaccine for him?”
Maggie hugged him hard before she carefully moved out of his lap and gave Rufus a nod. “I’ll be right back.”
“What vaccine?”
Rufus gave him a dark smile. “The vaccine is the one good thing Shinra bio division created. It’s lethal to Jenova cells, and it’s the ace up our sleeve. Once you are vaccinated, she will never be able to get her claws into you again.”
*****
TBC
- 18
- 19
- 20
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The Path to Redemption