FFVII.lost.angels.1.sign (REVISED)

Third draft. Final Fantasy VII characters & references, © Square Enix. Original plot and characters, Dr. Adele and Monet, © to me, J.K. Hinther, 1997, 2012 & Beyond.
This is a work in progress and also a writing exercise for me, which is why I'm being so obsessive about it. Trying to get my writing skills up to par before I begin working on my original works set in a world I've been developing for over fifteen years. So with this I'm looking for technical and fair critique! Constructive criticism!

chapter.one.sign

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January 10th, 0009

The melancholy piano melody played quietly through the spacious office. The sun had begun to descend below the sky line, leaving an otherworldly vermillion glow on the landscape. The sole occupant of the sparsely decorated space failed to notice the beauty on the other side of the enormous glass pane windows that lined wall behind him. His eyes were cast down; focused.

He was tall statured, but slender. He sat behind the large wooden desk with files lying open, the contents before him: photograph and reports spread out, blanketing the surface of the desk. A glass of an amber liquid just within reach to his right was all but forgotten; to his left, a slender black cell phone.

Stills from camera footage, reports and charts: all at his fingertips. He stared down at them, his eyes scanning them over and over as he tapped his finger on the glass; his mind was racing, trying to take it all in. He wrapped his fingers around the glass and swirled the contents before he brought it to his lips, taking a quick but deep drink of the contents. It burned as it went down.

What had he gotten himself into? It all started with… he shook his head, chuckling as he pushed the papers away and set the glass down. He stood and brushed his pale blonde hair away from his sapphire eyes before turning around. His pushed his hands into his pockets as he approached the glass, stopping only inches away.

He peered out over the cliff to the waters below, his eyes taking in the sight before him; but it never truly registered: the beauty of nature was lost on him. His eyes glazed over as the sun had all but disappeared behind the snow dusted tree line, stealing what little light remained as the river raged tirelessly on its path.

The snaking water inspired him. The project would move forward. Even with the upsets.

So many failures.

So many cover-ups.

It was business as usual.

After the explosion in Midgar that nearly claimed his life, the President had escaped to one of many Shin-Ra strongholds south of the city. Safe and far away from prying eyes. Many believed he was dead… and that suited him just fine.

For the time being.

Rufus Shin-Ra had plans. Plans that were best carried out far away from resistance factions such as AVALANCHE, or any others who might oppose the corporation and their practices.

And there were many. Few that held any real power, but there were enough to keep him in hiding.

His thoughts drifted back to the reports that lay abandoned on his desk. Another one lost. This Project was becoming more difficult than he originally anticipated. Who knew? He smirked inwardly and shook his head.

They would keep trying. There would be success. The project would not drown in a sea of failures and uncertainties.

Losing Hojo was a large blow to any project Shin-Ra would take on; even through his madness, his Project was the most successful endeavor, despite the catastrophic outcome.

It had been difficult finding an ample replacement for him when the President decided to begin Projects once more, but he believed the Project leader he had recruited, even with her unlimited questions surrounding his goals: she was the one to do the job.

Rufus turned to sit once more at his desk when the sound of an incoming video call shrieked overhead. The shrill sound induced the already looming headache. Now what?  He frowned. Reluctant and releasing a growl, he went to answer. He pressed the enter key to accept the call: the screen before him illuminated and the face of a woman appeared.

She was attractive with high cheek bones and soft, rounded features. Doctor Adele Weiz: she appeared to be in her mid-to-late thirties, with ashen brown hair and striking amber eyes hidden behind her rimless glasses. The dark circles beneath her eyes revealed she had little rest, or perhaps too much restless sleep.

“I recall saying I didn’t want to be disturbed. Even by you, Doctor Adele.” Rufus barked.  Displeasure marred his attractive and chiseled features; he did not care for interruptions.

“I apologize,” her tone was unapologetic, “But there’s something that Doctor Chamberlin and I felt should be brought to your attention.” She continued and glanced down at her keyboard to press a series of keys, shifting the screen to an image from a Shin-Ra satellite in the atmosphere. 

As the footage of something on a collision course with the planet appeared on his screen, his interest piqued. The object was something cylindrical and oval shaped at once, its surface reflecting the space around it.

“An unidentified object entered our orbit at about 12:00 hours.” She spoke as the footage showed the object soaring through the sky before crash landing into the earth, creating a large crater. “It entered the atmosphere and fell at 16:00 hours, falling at an immeasurable speed. Just one hour ago.” She appeared on the screen again, absent her glasses. “President, it landed not 20 kilometer’s east of your present location. Did you want to send the Space team to investigate?”

He stared at the screen, gathering his thoughts on the present situation. He was quiet for a short period of time before he straightened up, placing his hands on either side of the computer on his desk. “Yes. But I will be sending the Turks with them.” He reached inside his white suit coat for his phone, “I want a team I can trust on this.”

“Very well, sir.” Adele nodded and reached to terminate the call, but stopped when he continued.

“Get your Science team together as well. I’ll have Reno fly the chopper to come get you.” He looked away from the screen and pressed speed dial on his key pad, the text “Director” scrolled across the small illuminated window on the sleek black piece of technology.

On the screen, the Doctor blinked as she tried to mask her expression of surprise, but then nodded in compliance, “Yes, sir, Mr. President. But, may I ask, why the Science team? I do know your preference is for us to remain inside the lab.” She asked cautiously.

Rufus chuckled softly and gave what could be seen as a sinister smile. “I want all of Shin-Ra’s best hands on deck for this.” He responded, lifting the phone to his ear. “Now, go.” He tapped his keyboard, ending the video call. The screen faded to black before the Shin-Ra logo screen returned.

A smirk began to etch on his lips. Rufus had no idea what they would find, but he had a feeling it would change the way the outcome of this dangerous game he played.

*  *  *  *

The phone flipped shut as he pulled it away from his ear and set it down. Tseng: the Director of the Turks, Rufus’ personal group of errand boys. They were the ones he called on when he needed something taken care of. Wet works, deliveries, networking, pick-ups; you name it. They did it. No questions asked.

At least not in the President’s presence.

There were many questions to be had, but all were shared amongst themselves.

Tseng leaned forward in his chair, elbows propped up on his desk and fingers woven in front of his face. “Reno.” He spoke suddenly, “That was the President. He has a job for you: apparently something fell to the planet from space, imbedding not too far from this location. The Space and Science department teams being sent to investigate. He’s asked specifically for you and Rude to escort them VIA chopper.” He informed the irreverently lounging red-head.

Reno pushed himself up to sit straight in the black leather arm chair, his vibrant red hair tousled and a mess, but held away from his eyes by the sunglasses he wore pushed back on his forehead.

“A UFO, huh?” He ran his fingers through his fly away spikes. “This should be interesting, yo.” He commented as a huge grin found a home on his face. He drummed his slender fingers on the arms of the chair before pushing himself into a standing position. He pulled his phone out and searched through his contacts, finding Rude’s profile. “We’re on the way.” He then turned to exit the room; the sound of the door echoing in the small room as it shut behind him.

*  *  *  *

“So, what is it we’re looking for?” Reno’s voice called loudly over the whirring of the helicopter blades as they cut through sky, carrying the teams to the sight of the unidentified object.

“You’ll know it when you see it, I’m sure.” Dr. Adele called back. The doctor held fast to one of the straps along the open doorway, craning her neck out to get a good view of the ground. So far they weren’t close. She pulled back inside and looked into the cockpit where the redheaded Turk navigated the chopper, with the quiet one, Rude, at his side. She was uncomfortable with being escorted by President Rufus’ errand boys, but she pushed those feelings down and focused on the task at hand.

Suppressing a shiver from the rush of cool air, she looked back into the chopper’s bay; select members of the Science Department and Space Department sat with their touch pads in hand, scanning their notes and setting up files. They were preparing to take footage and notes of whatever is was they might discover.

It wasn’t every day such an event took place: maybe this strange falling object could prove to be a worthy distraction for her superior.

The current project the President had her and her team working on was not one she would have chosen for herself. Too many risks. Too many possibilities for dangerous outcomes. 

Adele squinted, holding her free hand above her eyes as she spotted something ahead. Realization struck her; she cried out, “There!” Pointing to a sizable crater in the middle of a mountain area, she began to feel butterflies in her stomach, excitement claiming her. “Get us as close as you can!” She ordered, motioning to Reno, unable to pull her eyes away from the discovery.

“We’ll do what we can!” The redhead shouted back his response and gave a sideways glance at Rude. “Science types.” He rolled his eyes, but made all effort to get as close to the site as he could. He set the chopper down and she immediately jumped out, the blades still humming above her.  Behind her, a few of the team members followed suit, holding their pads before them, capturing video.

Doctor Adele made her way to the well sized crater, heat still emanating from the fallen object. She pulled off her glasses and dropped them to the ground, stepping closer to the edge of broken earth. When she reached the small jagged peaks formed from impact, she stopped, her eyes growing wide. A sight she never expected was before her. “My God…” She whispered, her hand covering her mouth as she looked down.

“Doctor Ellison,” Adele spoke to the doctor who stepped up beside her, his touch pad held before him as his expression matched her own. “Are you getting this?” She whispered; the shock bleeding into her tone as her hand fell to her side.

Her companion swallowed hard, “You bet I am…”

“What is it?” Reno asked, coming up beside the two, but once at the edge, he stumbled to a stop. “Holy shit!” He exclaimed, his blue eyes widening at the sight. He began to fumble around the inside of his coat before finally pulling out his cell phone out of the inner pocket, flipping it open to take a photo of the scene before them. “The President is going to want to see this…” He said as he snapped the photo.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rude: pulling off his sunglasses as he shared the same reaction as his counterpart. “I know.” Reno nodded to him, “Not something you see every day, huh?” He commented as he sent the image, flipping his phone shut and returning it to its resting place, tucked inside the lining pocket of his suit coat.

Doctor Adele still couldn’t believe her eyes. She wanted to get closer. She needed to get closer. This was the discovery of a lifetime, and it was hers. Excitement swelled within her, but she knew her finding would go unheard: Shin-Ra still wasn’t in good graces with the planets population. She shook her head; she wouldn’t let that stop her. This was the most incredible thing to happen to her.

“I need to get down there. And we need an excavation crew. We’re going to have to cut it out of the rock face.” She had regained her composure and turned to the two teams. “Let’s hurry and get this back to the lab before anyone gets curious.” Her gaze shifted upwards to the sky, “The last thing we need is outside involvement.”

Reno and Rude exchanged looks. “Should we call in reinforcements?” The red head queried.

“I don’t know if that will be necessary…” Adele turned her attention back to the crater, her mind continuing to race. “On second thought: if we are unable to complete the excavation by dawn and this gets out, civilians might get curious and anti-Shin-Ra remnants may decide to investigate. Reinforcements may not be such a bad idea after all. Go ahead and make the call.”

*  *  *  *

The chiming of his cellphone interrupted his thoughts.

Rufus pawed around on the coffee table blindly as he relaxed on the sofa, reaching for his phone and flipped the screen open as he brought it to his line of sight. An envelope flashed across the screen, notifying him of the multimedia message he had received from Reno. “What’s this…” He murmured quietly as he pressed ‘accept’.

A progress bar appeared on the screen, blinking as it filled with a bright green color. The screen went black before the image loaded. His sapphire eyes narrowed as he looked over the media message. He could see the crater where he had sent the Turks and the teams, but it was too small for the image to be seen clearly.

He pushed himself up off the couch and made his way to the computer. He pulled a data transfer cable out from one of the desk’s drawers and proceeded to connect his phone to the tower.

After a few key strokes and clicks with the mouse, the image loaded onto the large screen.

The picture before him left him speechless as realization began to overcome him; what this picture was of that he had been sent. A smirk began to etch across his face.

The game was changing. And the odds would finally be in his favor.