Final Fantasy2
Chapter Thirty-Six: "This Is Your King"
"This way, sir."
"Thank you, Miss." The attendant blushed as Edgar flashed her a charming smile, and she led him to the Shin-ra company’s broadcasting studio. Several more aids were already there, and as he approached they set upon fixing his suit and arranging his hair. He made no complaints—this wouldn’t be the first time he’d been put through this treatment. "If there’s anything a king’s good for," he joked to Reeve, "it’s looking good in front of a camera."
The older man nodded, standing back from the commotion. "I wish I knew what this was all about," he said, noting that two men had just entered: the first was a tall blond man in the uniform of a general; the second was none other than the black Avalanche leader, Barret Wallace. He stared at the pair in bewilderment. "Edgar, what is—"
"Edgar," the black man grunted, "Rufus is here. He’s on his way."
"Good. He’ll have an excellent seat." He shoed the aids away. "We’re just about to start."
The camera men scurried about, uneasily preparing as they had yet to understand their leader’s intent in making this announcement. He had only alerted their superiors, whose orders were now to continue the broadcast no matter what went on until told otherwise. Never the less they prepped the cameras and adjusted the lights, and Edgar took his seat behind the white desk. He straightened his tie. "Are we set?"
"Just a moment, your highness."
The blond man moved to stand just beside the camera, while Barret took up a position next to the door. Reeve watched the scene with fascination. What was going on? He recognized the blonde as one of Shin-ra’s generals—General Leo Christophe, one of the heroes of the Western War. But why would he be following Edgar?
"We’re on in thirty seconds, sir."
Edgar sat rigidly in his chair; Reeve had to admit that the man had a way of carrying himself that gathered attention, and inspired them to listen. His air of self-confidence and charm made him an impressive king.
"Fifteen seconds."
The door burst open, and in marched Rufus with Dark Nation at this heels and Scarlet and Nadia trailing behind. But the moment he stepped inside Barret snatched him by the collar and dragged him away from the door. "Keep yur pet quiet," he growled, pressing the barrel of his gun arm into the front of the President’s white suit. "We don’ want no trouble."
Scarlet began to curse as she was also deterred by several armed soldiers. "What’s the meaning of this?" she demanded. "You people work for us!"
"Shut up," Barret snapped, wrenching the shot gun out of Rufus’s grasp. He handed it to one of the soldiers. "Jus’ keep yer big mouth shut."
"Three…two…"
Rufus muttered under his breath, his cold glare landing on Edgar. The King met his gaze only briefly before focusing on the camera ahead of him. The camera man nodded.
"Good evening citizens of Midgar," the King began, ignoring the many pairs of eyes on him. Naturally he had caught sight of Nadia when she entered, but he refused to let his attention falter for an instant. What he was about to say would change both their lives forever. "This is your King. It is with regret that I come before you tonight, for I have become the bearer of terrible and shocking news. For several weeks I have been investigating the Shin-ra Company, and recently my operatives came across some startling information; that the Shin-ra Company has been involved for several years in illegal and potentially dangerous experiments involving genetic mutation. To put it plainly, degrading the very essence of humanity. The company has been proved to be the prominent cause of the release of the being known as Lavos which was reported earlier this morning."
"That’s—" Rufus started to protest, but Barret jabbed the barrel of his gun fiercely into his chest, forcing him silent. He growled in frustration.
"The proof of this," Edgar continued, "is contained in a number of documents and footage tapes that were recently released to several media companies around the city. In light of this discovery, I am severing all ties with the Shin-ra Company as Midgar’s primary power source." The technicians and soldiers all glanced at each other uneasily, but he kept going, and none of them were inclined to protest. "As of midnight tonight the Shin-ra company will be officially disbanded. All Shin-ra employees will be assured jobs as part of the city’s new line of power plants that will soon be in operation just outside each of Midgar’s eight sectors. I can imagine that this news is rather shocking, but I make the assurance to all of you now that none of you have lost your jobs or livelihood.
"However, there is also a more pressing matter at hand. The creature Lavos is, despite our best efforts, continuing its course toward this city. My leading technicians are working non-stop to prepare a defense, but even so, I have ordered the evacuation of the city. All citizens not involved in the defense effort are to leave with their belongings as soon as possible; this is not a test of any kind. The safety of Midgar’s populace is my top priority, and I give you my word that you will all have homes to come back to once this catastrophe has found its solution. Shelters have already been prepared in Kalm and Truce, as well as transportation for those families lacking it. I urge you all to leave as swiftly as possible for your own sakes.
"More information will be given as it is received. Until then, this broadcast will be repeated on the hour. I guarantee you a peaceful end to this dilemma with your cooperation. Thank you, and good night."
"We’re off the air."
The room remained silent for several moments after the broadcast had ended; except for Edgar. He let out a deep sigh of relief, straightened his tie, and chuckled softly to himself. Accompanied by the stillness he pushed back from the desk and stood. A satisfied grin gently curled on is lips.
But the moment their eyes met again Rufus’s temper erupted, and he pushed out of Barret’s grip. Edgar signaled for no move to be made. "How dare you!" the President shouted furiously. "What the hell are you doing? This is my company!"
"This is my city," the King replied calmly. "Did you expect me to not fight for it?"
"These—" he gestured to everyone in the room "—are my employees. They get their money from me. You can’t expect half of this city’s working class to simply—"
"As I said," Edgar interrupted, "all of them still have their jobs. They were notified of this hours ago. Think of this as…a hostile takeover." All the arguments were already preplanned in his mind, the result of hours—perhaps years—of what he liked to call "constructive day-dreaming." He smiled. I just hope Rufus follows all of my expectations.
Rufus scowled, and retorted—as Edgar knew he would, "What about the soldiers? They’re—"
"All under the royal budget. You see, your great-grandfather was very careful when he took over from the start." He waved Christophe over. "I’m sure you know General Leo Christophe. His father served my father, and his father before that. Military orders have always carried a royal code—think of it as a seal. At first your men didn’t even know you weren’t giving the orders. The only reason your control ever worked was because the past Kings were willing to do as you said. I’m simply taking back what’s mine."
By now the President was shaking with rage, so utterly in shock and dragged down by frustration that he couldn’t force any words through. This couldn’t possibly be happening to him, not after all he’d been through already. It didn’t seem fair.
"I’m sorry about this," Edgar said. "But this is the way it has to be. I still need your help to keep this together, though."
"Bull shit."
Scarlet was tired of their arguing back and forth, and finally decided on a cause of action. She jabbed her elbow into the soldier behind her, snatching the President’s shot gun. "Rufus!"
But at the same time Nadia had become aware of the crossbow slung over her back, which intuition had insisted she bring. Without so much as a thought she shrugged the weapon off. "Edgar!"
Both women tossed at the same time, and in a blur of movement the King and President snatched the weapons form flight and leveled them at each other’s throats. There they stopped, eyes and actions locked with that of their enemy. For several silently anxious moments time stopped.
Edgar grinned, breaking the line of intense glare between them. When he spoke, his voice was distorted from the shotgun barrel digging into his neck. "What are you going to do, Rufus?" he asked, perfectly confident. "You can’t get it back."
"I can kill you," he hissed, his grip on the wooden handle constantly shifting, "and get it all back just like that. This is still my company."
"That’s where you’re wrong." The King’s face grew serious. "I transferred all your accounts in Shin-ra into my own account—the Royal Account, where it should be. Billions of dollars of profit now all belong to me." He kept his demeanor cold even as a grin threatened to overtake him. "And it’s coded, naturally, so unless I take it out, it’s not going anywhere."
Rufus ground his teeth together. "You son of a bitch. Who do you think owns the goddamned bank anyway?" His eyes narrowed, and his finger curled around the trigger. "I can get it whenever I want, with minimal force. I may as well kill you."
"You could." Edgar could hear Nadia’s swift intake of breath, but he dared not avert his gaze. "But if you or I pull the trigger first, we’ll both be just as dead." To prove his point he tapped the point of the crossbow’s arrow against his enemy’s neck. "Your shot gun might make a bigger mess, though." The President hesitated, and he continued. "Don’t be a fool, Rufus. You don’t have to do this. Neither of us wants to die, right? You’re too young for that."
"Older than you, you pompous son of a—"
"I know, I know. But does that really matter now anyway?"
Rufus glared at him, expecting some trick. He waited to see the King’s finger curl, pulling the trigger with the slightest of movements, but the man remained still and straight. The President was at a loss. The possibility of killing his rival caused the muscles along his arm to tense, ready to end the miserable life.
He never pulled the trigger. Very slowly, he lowered his gun, shoulders sagging in defeat.
Edgar let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He also lowered his weapon. "Thank you."
"This isn’t over," Rufus retorted. "I’ll kill you someday for this."
"Agreed. But until then I need your help. The cannon is here?"
"Yes. Miss Rannel is supervising its connection."
Everyone else in the room stared, mystified, as the two began to share information and strategy, going over all the plans they would have to put into action by the time Lavos reached them. No one understood the change that had taken place, nor the sudden bond of alliance that had formed before their eyes. Nadia and Scarlet exchanged baffled looks.
"I’ll leave you in charge of all that," Edgar was saying. "I'll devote my efforts to getting the city evacuated. We’ve got a lot of people to account for, and I want them all taken care of."
Rufus nodded. "The cannon will be ready by the time Mana Weapon reaches us. We’ll find a way to hold it off."
"Good luck."
The President left, motioning for Scarlet and his pet to follow. Once they were gone the King gave orders to Barret and Christophe, who also departed. The technicians and aids milled about for a time before returning to their jobs.
Reeve came up to his friend and clapped him on the shoulder. "I don’t know how you did it," he said, grinning, "but you did. That was…impressive, I hate to say."
Edgar laughed, then noticed that Nadia was staring at him. "Why don’t you help Barret with the evacuation," he suggested deliberately. "I’ll catch up."
The executive nodded, understanding. "I still wish you would have told me about this earlier," he said as he moved away.
"That would have ruined the surprise."
Reeve left with a shake of his head. Which left only Nadia. Edgar turned his gaze toward the girl and smiled, his hazel eyes relieved and soft. He set the crossbow on the desk and held his arms out to her.
Nadia only stared, unable to move or even think straight. She was in shock. The speech, the showdown, not to mention everything else that had happened to her in the last week was enough to freeze her nerves completely. Her legs felt weak. Yet despite all this there was only one thing left that mattered: whether or not he could forgive her. She’d done nothing wrong, but in the same she wanted to run to him, to beg his forgiveness even knowing she didn’t owe him anything.
His raised his eyebrows in question. "Are you gonna give me a hug," he asked brightly, "or am I gonna have to stand here all night with my arms out?"
"I…" Nadia started forward hesitantly, and then all at once her fear shattered and she flung her arms around him. His grin softened as he hugged her warmly. "I’m sorry," she said, hiding her face in the front of his suit as tears seeped through her tightly closed eyelids. "I didn’t know. I…"
"Shh. Don’t worry about that." He pushed her back gently and kissed her forehead. "I’m just glad to see you."
After that Nadia hugged him even more fiercely than before. "You should have told me," she half cried. "I missed you so much. You have no idea."
Edgar chuckled. "I’m sorry. I won’t lie to you again."
"You’d better not." She twisted her fingers in the fabric of his blue jacket, finally feeling a bit at peace as she stood there with him. They stayed that way for a long time.
Cid awoke slowly, yawning off the remnants of his sleep. The moment his eyes opened he was met by a young man—one of the bridge officers. He was given a cup of coffee. "From the Captain," the youth explained.
"Damn Daryl." Cid stretched and sat up. He was on the bridge of the Highwind as a makeshift bed had been set up for him in the corner. He drank the coffee quickly, frowning at the taste. "This shit’s cold," he objected.
"Sorry, Mr. Highwind—I mean, sir." The boy could not have been older than twenty—awful young for a bridge officer. "We don’t usually even get this much, sir."
He nodded, handing back the cup. "Yeah. I know, I know." He plucked out a cigarette and lit it."
"Hey," a woman’s voice barked from the helm. "None of that on my bridge."
Cid snorted, blowing a ring of smoke just to annoy her. "No smokes and I ain’t taking over for you."
Daryl rolled her eyes, but didn’t press the point. She and Cid had agreed to take turns as Captain during the journey, hoping to cut down their flight time. The affects of steering all night were already apparent in her bloodshot eyes, and she didn’t want to antagonize her replacement so quickly. "Whatever, Cid," she shot back. "Go ahead."
"I will." He struggled into his jacket, which had been used as his crude pillow during the night. "How we doing?"
"We’ve made excellent time," Daryl replied, waving him forward. "Especially if you steer while I sleep. If this wind keeps up we could make it a day faster than planned."
"Shit, not bad." Cid checked all the monitor readings, glanced about at the crew, and finally rested his hands on the steering wheel. His gloved hands tightened around it tentatively.
His sister smiled at him. "You miss it, don’t you?"
"Yeah." He chuckled a bit. "Damn, it feels good to be back here. Never thought I’d steer this thing again."
Daryl backed off, glad to see her brother’s content. "Take care of her," she advised, "or you’ll have hell to pay. I’m going to sleep."
"Go ahead. I’ll be careful with her."
Lucca sank into the closest chair, exhausted from having spent the entire night working. The huge cannon had been set into place—all that remained was to connect it to the power supply. It had been Rufus’s idea to link the cannon to the city’s Mako reactors, now that they weren’t being used to power Midgar itself. Most of the populace had been successfully evacuated. Despite her own fatigue she had to admit that things were going better than any of them had expected. How long that luck would last, however, was yet to be seen.
"Ms. Rannel," a technician called, "we could use your help here."
"So much for a break," she muttered, climbing back to her feet. With a sigh she moved to see what the problem was.
Locke had spent most of the time alone in the room assigned to him, confused and trying to cope with the effects of Celes’s actions that still lingered in his memory. He found several times during the morning that his limbs had fallen into a habit of periodically losing motion: an arm would refuse to lift, or his foot would become numb. It was because of this that he decided not to aid in the preparation.
And then there was the Phoenix Materia that still weighed heavily in his pocket.
At approximately 7:20 p.m. that night Edgar, Rufus, Nadia, Locke, and Scarlet were all gathered on the Shin-ra building’s top executive floor: the 71st floor, used only in the most dire emergencies. From there they could control every one of Midgar’s citywide systems, from the water and electricity to the stabilization of the eight plates. But now the worlds largest and most advanced city in the world was all but empty due to the evacuation. The lights that had one glowed so brilliantly were now dead and dark. All that remained where those aiding and controlling the forces that would help protect Midgar from the beast that was speeding towards it. Lucca was in the control room for the cannon, which was located near the to of the weapon itself. The young engineer had devoted all her energies to the device, and her expertise in the field of electronics and Mako had given them much needed extra time in configuring the cannon. They were about to see whether or not all their hard work had paid off.
"There it is," Nadia said, pointing to a dark spot on the horizon that was quickly growing. "Almost due west. We won’t be able to hit it, will we?"
Edgar and Rufus had each taken one of the counsels monitoring the cannon’s capacity and trajectory, leaving Locke by the fire button. "Remember what we decided," the King reminded him. "Both of us have to give the okay, then you fire, got it? We might have only one shot at this."
Locke nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the pressure. "Got it."
The intercom that connected them to the cannon’s control room sparked to life. "We’re all set over here," came Lucca’s voice. "We’ll only be able to get about 70% capacity out of it, though, and even less after each shot fired."
"It’ll have to be enough," Edgar replied. "Just hold it together and we’ll handle the rest."
"Gotcha."
Nadia stood by the immense glass windows and pulled out some binoculars. "That’s definitely what came out of the crater," she reported; the Mana Weapon resembled a dragon, with powerful limbs, a long, scaled body, narrow snout and leathery wings. Its flight was almost majestic in a way. But then something else caught her eye: another form just as large, trailing behind it. She squinted and adjusted her view, trying to be certain. "Uh, Edgar," she said after a moment. "There’s something else out there."
"What?" Scarlet snatched the binoculars away from her and look for herself. "I don’t see anything."
"But it’s there—behind the Mana Weapon. Could it be the missing Weapon?"
Edgar abandoned his post to check the radar. "It’s not showing up."
"Just like before," Rufus murmured darkly. "In Junon, that damn Hojo used the Weapon as a decoy for his own attack."
The King relayed the news to Lucca, who could be heard muttering on the other end. "This, I don’t need," she said, calculating the options in her head. "It’d be hard enough to get one in front of the cannon, let alone two without a decoy…"
"Then we can only depend on chance." He returned to his station. "How much time until they get here?"
"Five minutes," Rufus reported.
"We’ll have to come up with something by then."
Nadia grabbed her binoculars back from Scarlet. "Wait a minute," she called over her shoulder. "The second one is catching up. It’s—" Her eyelids beat rapidly in shock. "They just collided. It looks like they’re fighting."
This time it was Rufus who confiscated her device. "She’s right," he confirmed. "It’s as if it’s keeping the Weapon away from us. What the hell is it up to?"
By now everyone was at the window, bewildered. Edgar ordered for the cannon to be held on standby. "Why would one of the Angels help us?" He questioned to no one in particular.
"Maybe it’s not protecting us," suggested Locke. "It may be in Lavos’s best interests to keep Midgar in tact, or maybe it’s only trying to destroy the Weapon and doesn’t care about us."
Edgar pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Let’s wait. If it can beat Mana Weapon, that’s one less enemy for us. We’ll wait."
They all agreed, but as time passed the dual showed no signs of letting up. The two beats were matched in their strength, and continued to battle back and forth for hours. Meanwhile, the audience waited. Baffled by the circumstances they could only sit back and watch until a conclusion was reached. None came. The showdown continued deep into the night.
