Meeting of the Bored

"I'm telling you, I saw him! With my own eyes! Sauntering down the corridor!" Palmer cried out.

"We don't have time for this nonsense!" Heidegger responded, waving his hand. Palmer literally tsked him.

"He was as close to me as you are now! The shock of it made me spill my tea!"

"Enough already! If there are intruders in the building, my men will deal with them."

"But Mister President! Sir! I swear to you—" Shinra sighed, turning away from the fat man. If it was true, nothing could save them from Sephiroth. But his survival ... improbable. He turned to Reeve.

"Sir. I have the damage assessment for Sector 7, and I'm afraid the figures are catastrophic—"

"Spare us the doom and gloom. Was there anything else?"

"Well sir, I've also drafted a reconstruction plan—"

"That will not be needed. Not with the Ancient in our custody once more."

"Uh… with respect, sir, I don't see how—"

"Two words, Reeve: 'Neo Midgar,'" Scarlet said, her eyes glittering.

"Mister President! We still don't know for sure that the promised land even--" Shinra silenced Reeve with a mere raised hand, turning to Hojo.

"The test results were within expectations. The specimen is somewhat lacking compared to her pure-blood mother, but for our purposes she should more than suffice."

"So, she can lead us to the promised land?"

"Well, Mister President, that remains to be seen. I would like your permission to secure her cooperation through more "forceful" means. Forceful yet gentle. She is a precious resource that must be handled with care."

"Personally, I've never had a problem with ****," Scarlet purred.

"My armory is at your disposal, should you require anything," Heidegger added, pounding the table with his fist.

"I… had something more psychological in mind. Better to scar the psyche than mar the flesh," Hojo said, steepling his fingers. Palmer giggled, covering his mouth. "If I may, Mister President, I have an idea how we might mitigate the risks. Simply put, we could have the Ancient reproduce. In the absence of a second specimen, we would need to identify an alternative mate. I would start with candidates from SOLDIER. These would of course include S and G types. Quite frankly, there's no telling what kind of properties a crossbred specimen might possess. So—What say you all?" Scarlet looked intrigued by the suggestion. Heidegger muttered something noncommittal.

"If there is nothing else," Shinra said, "Meeting adjourned. Scarlet, I'll need you in my private office in ten."

"Mister President!" Reeve protested. "Please, sir!"

Scarlet nodded, reapplying her lipstick before casting a glance up to the vent where Cloud was listening intently.

"Something stinks."