Chapter 32: Jenova

"I’ve secured the testimony from the Urban Development Department... but why do you look so utterly drained?"

"I was caught in the middle of Tifa, Elena, and my mother. Once they all got together, there was nothing left for me to do."

"Ah... I see."

I had been waiting for Vincent in front of my childhood home, and when he finally joined me, his first reaction was one of genuine concern. Inside, the three women had started a tea party. Sensing my mental fortitude was about to crumble, I opted to wait for Vincent outside alone.

After leaving the Mayor's house, I had headed to my own home. For some reason, Tifa insisted on coming along, so the three of us ended up stepping through the front door together. Throughout the walk, Elena never left my side, and Tifa seemed to be sticking closer than usual, too. I asked them to give me a little space, but that only led to the two of them hitting it off in conversation—mostly by bombarding me with questions.

"So, Cloud, did you ever get a girlfriend at Shinra?"

"No... right now I’m prioritizing my career. I haven't really thought about finding someone like that."

"Exactly! Work comes first. We train together, travel together... why, we even went to a sweets buffet together the other day!"

Elena rattled this off at high speed. She wasn't lying, but she was definitely being selective with the details. The "training together" was my responsibility as the person who scouted her; I had to ensure my adjutant was capable. While it's true we spend a lot of time together, it’s not just the two of us—Zack and Vincent often join, or we’re busy tackling simulations set up by Chadley.

As for the "travel," those were strictly missions—inspections of areas with Mako Reactors, such as Corel and Gongaga. We were simply sent out as a duo to act as backup for Vincent's operations in areas where Avalanche was suspected to be hiding.

The inspections themselves are fine, but when we need to hide our Shinra affiliation, we use aliases. We usually pose as travelers or freelance technicians. Because we travel as a pair, we need a believable reason for our partnership, so we occasionally use the "lovers" cover story. It's just a setup for when people ask, but Elena seems strangely fond of the role. She’s started acting the part even in casual conversation, which, frankly, is a bit embarrassing.

I warned her once that she was overdoing it, but Vincent—who joined us later—simply said:

"It is best to maintain the persona at all times, especially during undercover operations."

"See?! Even Vincent-senpai, a former Turk, says we should be meticulous about the details!"

I was completely outvoted.

As for the meals, it’s a reward for how hard she works during training. Lately, it also serves as data collection for Chadley’s research into local cuisine.

Still, looking at it objectively, I suppose this is what a young couple looks like. I always have the danger of the job on my mind, but when you summarize our activities for someone outside the company like Tifa... I guess we really do look like we’re dating.

If that’s the case, meeting my mother is going to be incredibly awkward. If Elena tells her everything she can, she’ll definitely talk me up, but she tends to be a bit... blindly loyal. She trusts me far too much. How did it come to this?

"W-well, I have a promise too! You promised that if I was ever in a pinch, you'd come save me!" Tifa stammered.

"I have a promise from the Senior too! He said if I’m ever in trouble, he’ll come to my rescue!" Elena countered with a triumphant grin.

Tifa began recounting stories of our childhood interactions to regain ground, to which Elena could only grimace.

"S-so this is the power of a childhood friend... she knows way too many sides of the Senior that I don't!"

I didn't even have the energy to interject. Putting those two together with my mother... the result was more predictable than a Materia chemical reaction. Why are women so obsessed with romance? It was embarrassing enough when Director Scarlet talked to my mother last time, but this felt even more suffocating.

"Think of it as an act of filial piety and give up," Vincent said. "More importantly, let's talk business. Things are starting to smell like trouble."

"Did something happen?"

"An emergency contact came in from a Turk infiltrating Avalanche. Because of this, the Jenova Extermination has been upgraded to Shinra’s highest priority mission. In the worst-case scenario, they may burn this entire sector to the ground—including the Reactor and Nibelheim."

"What?!"

As I recoiled in shock, the terminal in my breast pocket began blaring a high-pitched alert.

"What is it?"

"Cloud! Emergency contact!" a voice shouted through the speaker. It was Elena’s older sister, a high-ranking member of the Turks I had met several times. "Grotesque monsters are descending from the mountain! These aren't natural fauna... they’re likely organisms mutated by Jenova’s influence!"

"Understood. We'll leave the monsters coming down the mountain to the Turks. The Experimental Unit will head for the Jenova specimen in the Mako Reactor!"

"Leave the village to us. And take care of my sister!"

As I cut the connection, Elena came charging out of my house.

"Senior! Was that the emergency alarm?!"

"Yeah. We don't have the luxury of a leisurely guided hike anymore. The three of us are heading to the Reactor at full speed. Move out!"

Since entrusting the Jenova mission to Cloud’s team, Rufus and I have been in constant meetings.

This operation is an extremely delicate matter for the Shinra Electric Power Company. Shinra has built its fortune by utilizing Jenova, but if that same entity bared its fangs at humanity, the company would lose all the profit and social standing it has painstakingly constructed. At this stage, we judged that extermination was possible and believed the Advanced Weaponry Division's Experimental Unit and the Turks could handle it. However...

An urgent transmission from Elfe, who is currently embedded within Avalanche, came through to Rufus’s terminal. Her voice echoed through the speaker, tight with tension.

"Director Rufus, this is an emergency, so I’ll be brief. Based on documents left behind by Hollander, we have uncovered a secret plan Avalanche was orchestrating using Jenova."

I had a very bad feeling about this. Neither Hollander’s defection nor Avalanche’s terrorist activities were as "finished" as we had hoped.

"Contact Professor Hojo immediately. And request cooperation from the Public Security Division."

"Is it truly that severe?" Rufus asked.

Elfe’s voice was heavy with gravity. "Yes. This is more dangerous than any organization we have ever faced."

"An emergency assembly? How tiresome."

I had only agreed to accompany the group to Nibelheim at the Vice President's request to ensure 'safety,' and yet here they were, dragging in more trouble. Honestly, if the Experimental Unit and the Turks are on-site, the Jenova matter should be handled without issue.

Supposedly, the "pseudo-SOLDIERs" Hollander left behind and the dregs of Avalanche are plotting something, but Shinra’s military might isn't so fragile that it can't handle some remnants.

"See?! I told you! The real threat comes from outer space!" Director Palmer shouted.

"Director Palmer, please calm yourself. Your doctor mentioned your blood pressure during your last physical," Reeve noted calmly.

Honestly, the Space Program and Urban Development heads are far too relaxed. This should have been a closed matter for the Turks and Advanced Weaponry, but if Jenova is involved, my participation is inevitable. Still, was it necessary to call everyone?

"Gwahaha! As the young Master requested, I’ve already sent our fastest units to Nibelheim. Bombardment preparations are underway as a final resort," Heidegger barked.

"Naturally. But we must be prepared for every contingency," Rufus replied.

It seems Public Security was briefed ahead of the rest of us. I don’t follow. Even if Jenova’s will has awakened and it seeks to escape our control, the most it could do is influence degraded SOLDIERs or the crude imitations Avalanche produced. Shinra’s forces can handle that.

To account for the possibility of SOLDIERs being compromised, we’ve already deployed the full strength of the Experimental Unit and the Turks.

I turned toward the woman who was effectively managing the extermination force to get a clear picture.

"So, what exactly is happening?"

"Jenova has officially raised the flag of rebellion," Scarlet replied.

Hmph. An ancient fossil managed in a Reactor for years is finally deciding to move now?

"We expected some resistance."

"Resistance isn't the word for it. It’s far beyond that."

"I see. But no matter how much Mako it siphons from the Reactor, it cannot possibly manifest an army out of thin air."

I’ve analyzed the data on Jenova’s unauthorized siphoning of Mako energy. At most, dispersing that energy would drive local monsters into a frenzy and slightly empower them. Even if it buffed Avalanche’s fake SOLDIERs, they’d reach the level of a 2nd Class at best.

"That was our mistake. We didn't realize Hollander had continued this specific research within Avalanche," Scarlet said.

She handed over research materials printed on physical paper—evidently, information too sensitive to even keep as digital data.

"The Turks inside Avalanche pulled this. It seems the research continued independently even after Hollander’s death."

"Nonsense," I scoffed. "No matter how much one researches G-cells, they can never rival a SOLDIER created with S-cells. The cellular degradation caused by the 'Copy' process is a fatal flaw."

Hollander’s approach always focused on the "Copy" ability as an advantage. The very premise was flawed. The more you copy, the faster the cells degrade. It doesn't actually increase your military strength in the long run.

"Ooh! But but! if you can increase your numbers by copying, wouldn't that be super strong?" Palmer interjected. "Soldiers have individual differences in strength, right? If you just keep copying a strong soldier onto a weak one, you could make an army instantly!"

"Indeed," Heidegger added. "Training soldiers takes time and money. If we could continuously produce elite troops, we’d have an invincible army."

"Good grief. This is why laymen who don't understand science are a headache. The advantage of the 'Copy' ability that Hollander preached is a mere facade. It has a fundamental flaw."

The heads of the Space Program and Public Security were trying to join the conversation with their limited intellects. On paper, it might sound appealing, but it isn't that simple.

"The issue is the host body after the copy. The more you copy, the more the cells degrade and weaken. Eventually, the recipients become nothing more than wretched, decaying husks."

"I see... like making a photocopy of a photocopy until the text is unreadable?" Reeve, the Urban Development head, suggested. A layman's analogy, but closer to the truth.

"Precisely. If you copy a strong warrior, you just end up with two 'formerly strong' warriors who are now weaker. If you continue, you just get a mass of degrading fakes."

"It’s more like division than copying," Scarlet added. "You’re splitting your power. You might make one side strong for a moment, but the original source withers. You can have the numbers, but you'll never create a truly 'strong' warrior that way."

This isn't a factory where you can mass-produce standardized parts for inorganic weaponry.

"My research has already made it possible to supply SOLDIERs with stable specs," I stated firmly. "If you require unsurpassed individual prowess, I recommend Sephiroth—the crowning achievement of the SOLDIER project."

"You certainly have a lot of faith in Sephiroth," Rufus noted.

"Of course. As the head of the Science Research Division that birthed the SOLDIERs, I have absolute confidence. Surely you, as the Vice President who oversees their deployment, are aware of his value?"

"Certainly. If I had to name our company’s greatest asset, I would answer 'Sephiroth' without hesitation."

Unlike the President, Rufus recognizes Sephiroth’s true value and doesn't hesitate to invest in the Science Division. It makes him a much easier sponsor to deal with; it saves me the trouble of explaining things to commoners who don't understand science.

"Then let me ask you, Professor Hojo, as Sephiroth’s creator," Rufus said, his eyes narrowing. "In the event that Sephiroth were to become an enemy... would our company's current forces be capable of taking him down?"