Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

TWO

"And that's my report, sir," Kunsel said.

I stood behind my desk, gazing out the window at what was left of Sector 7. Fires still burned all across the ruined district that was now a gaping hole in the city. A mountain of debris sloped downward toward the ground and the outer rim. I could only imagine how much worse it would look in a few hours when the sun rose.

In spite of all my efforts, the plate had still fallen. I had suspected it would, but still... I'd hoped that somehow, we might've stopped it, kept the Turks and Heidegger from dropping it. But I'd failed. And so many lives had been lost. Far too many. The survivors were all injured, tired, and homeless. What was it all for?

Off to one side, Cait Sith sat quietly in a chair, asleep—or rather, in shutdown mode. But I preferred to think of it as sleep, just as I liked to think of him as a real cat instead of the animatronic, high-tech puppet that he really was. I hadn't finished the second one yet, and it would be a little while before he was ready. But even when he was, I didn't intend for him to replace the first Cait.

They would both look, act, and sound a lot alike—this would help in their skills as infiltrators and information gatherers—but they would be very different in other ways. Their AI was built upon an interactive, adaptive learning system that was capable of growth and expansion. In other words, their memories and experiences would each be unique to them and distinct from each other.

I had told Kunsel before sending him down into Sector 7 that Cait was expendable. And, compared to Jessica, he certainly was. But it still would have been a loss, even so. Any Cait that came after him wouldn't have the same relationship with her or me or anyone else that he did. It was the hardest part of making him an individual.

I sighed. "Thank you, Kunsel."

"Director," he said. "About Jessie, I..."

"You made the right decision. Those people needed your help, and if another SOLDIER was indeed already in the tower looking after her, then there wasn't much more you could've done had you joined them. I saw everything Cait did, and between the two of you, I know just about all that happened with your mission."

I saw him look away when I turned around. "I suppose so. It's just, it was hard. I went down there to save her. And now... we don't know if she's even... still alive..."

"It's too soon to jump to conclusions," I reminded him. "Jessica still has the transmitter I gave her when she first started working here. And she'll contact me if she's able. Even if she doesn't, there's no need for us to assume the worst. Any number of things could've happened, Kunsel. Try not to worry. She'll be fine."

"Are you sure, sir?" he wondered.

Now I was the one looking away. "I hope so..."

Kunsel nodded. "What's our next move? Tseng knows I was trying to stop them from dropping the plate. Heidegger too, no doubt—that's why I had to fight my way down there through the tunnel. And I stood against the Turks as well. Reno and Rude would keep things quiet, but not Tseng. So what's our next step, Director?"

"Once Cait is back online, I'll have him do some snooping around and see if I can find out what exactly happened up on the platform and how they were able to bypass the emergency override. If Heidegger had the console tampered with, there would be a record of it here. But aside from that, there's little else we can do for now."

"Understood," Kunsel said. Then he winced, holding his side. "I... I should get going, sir. Before Tseng and Heidegger find out I'm here. If there's nothing else you need me to do."

I shook my head. "No, that's all, but... are you alright?"

He brushed off my concern. "I'm fine. Just a scratch. I'll get it seen to soon enough. Thanks, though."