Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

TWELVE

A man was waiting for us as soon as we got off the elevator. He was older, with his short, graying hair pulled back from his face and a wide, matching beard covering his jaw styled into three points over his chin. He wore a crisp, cream-colored suit jacket, a dark blue buttoned vest, a white collared shirt, and a deep red tie. On his legs were a pair of olive green pants and brown leather boots.

"Greetings and welcome," he said, bowing as he spoke. "Avalanche, I presume? We've been expecting you. My name is Hart, Deputy Mayor of Midgar, and it's a pleasure to meet you. I've come here to escort you to Mayor Domino himself, per his request."

I exchanged a surprised glance with Cloud and Barret, then looked back at Hart. "The mayor? He's Marissa's contact?"

"Yes, that's correct," Hart said.

"That empty suit?" Barret scowled. "He's jus' a mouthpiece spewin' Shinra's bullshit. You sayin' he's really with us?"

Then it hit me. "Mr. D! That's him! From the note!"

"D for Domino," Cloud realized.

"Indeed," Hart said. "Your instincts are sound. He's a friend, after a fashion. And the mayor of our dear Midgar, the most magnificent city ever built. He is also your only means of rescuing the Ancient. But he'll want to discuss that with you himself."

Cloud nodded. "Lead on."

We went left and followed Hart down a long hallway past a pair of doors on our right, then turned at an intersection and went up another corridor. It looked like there were several different rooms on this floor, but unlike the lower levels, the walls were made of polished wood, and the floor was covered in soft, dark red carpet. It was so quiet here that I could easily believe this was a library.

The halls were lined with shelves and shelves of books, and I knew there had to be even more in the rooms themselves. As we passed a few more intersections, I glanced at some of the titles and saw they covered a wide variety of subjects, everything from history and science to mako energy and even space travel.

Barret scratched his head. "Look at this place! So the mayor's some kinda crazy bookworm or somethin'?"

"Seems that way," I agreed.

Hart led us through a small alcove on our left tucked away toward the back and then to another door just inside. The words "Office of the Mayor" were imprinted on the dark metal in stark, black letters. As we approached it, Hart tapped a few buttons on a panel mounted onto the wall, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.

He gestured to us. "Please enter. The mayor is waiting."

We did, and as soon as we were inside, the door closed behind us. I looked around, surprised at how small the place was. I'd thought that a mayor's office would've been much bigger, but this was practically tiny. A bit high-tech for a library, too. The walls here were metal, and above a thicket of computer monitors and blinking control panels, the Shinra logo frowned down at us. There was also a desk nearby covered with a stack of papers and a fountain pen.

Domino turned away from his assorted computer screens when he heard us come in. He wore a light brown business suit, a white collared shirt, a black tie, a red vest with two rows of round gold buttons, and a pair of polished black shoes. In his right hand, he held an elegant cane, a black shaft with a silver top and bottom.

He was totally bald, and the only hair I could see on his head came from his pointed gray beard and wide, sweeping moustache, which he stroked thoughtfully as he looked at us with his dark eyes. Not exactly what I'd expected. He seemed... a little odd.

"So you finally made it," he greeted us. "Wonderful! I am Cornelius Domino, mayor of Midgar, the great mako metropolis, at your service. I must say, however, that the three of you haven't exactly been discreet on your way here. That's where I come in."