Why Am I Wasting My Time Here? [Rufus]

[Zack Fair]

Standing and staring at the building in front of him, Zack stopped walking and just rested there, his body relaxed, mako blue eyes staring. What was he doing here? Well...okay so he knew what he was doing here. But what was he really doing here? Rufus Shinra had asked him to come yes, but did that mean he had had to come? No. It meant no such thing. Still, the message had been brief and uninformative, but had asked for a meeting. Zack couldn't help but be curious as to why he had been 'summoned'. Did Rufus Shinra not realize that his own father had ordered his death years before? Of course he had to be aware of that. How could he not be? He had every right to hate ShinRa and never want any part of it again, so why was he going back now? What really was this about? It wasn't that he actually wanted to talk to Rufus ShinRa. Zack held no grudge, yet he wanted ShinRa in no part of his life.

'Tough luck'

Yeah, that was basically impossible now. Turning his head, Zack stared down at his brand, blinking a few times, before rubbing the back of his neck. Sighing slightly, he felt his heart beat increase. He was a l'cie. That he had come to accept. Yes, he was going to have to complete his focus. That he knew, but what exactly was his focus? His vision...that grey dream he had had, that was his focus. So why was it that the ShinRa building had been in that vision? Zack wasn't sure, but that was the reason he had responded and was actually coming for this meeting. Somehow his focus involved Shinra. But how? How did the ruined ShinRa building have anything to do with anything in his vision? What was its meaning? He...didn't understand.

Yet he would not tell Rufus about this. No matter what, Zack did not desire for Rufus to get on him about what he was a l'cie for. Or even what a l'cie was. Or his focus. Knowing his luck, Rufus ShinRa would order the entire army on his butt again. Zack did not need the army breathing down his neck yet again. Everyone knew how that had worked out for him the last time. Not so hot. So yeah, he didn't need that, nor did he want it. Zack was perfectly content to walk in, see what the hell the guy wanted, and then flee as fast as he could. Yup, sounded like a perfectly good plan to him. Well what was he waiting for then?

Straitening his shoulders, Zack trudged toward the building. Walking in the front doors, Zack looked around, before heading to the front desk. Pulling the sleeve of his shirt down slightly on his bicep so that he covered his brand, Zack was ready. Standing at the front desk, he nodded, easily getting the attention of the young woman behind, who instantly perked up and tried to look as appealing as possible. The other women to turned to look. Clearing his throat, Zack smiled at her, before his eyes moved around the room. It felt...weird being here, but almost as if he was coming home. ShinRa had been his home for so long... "I need to speak with Rufus Shinra." "Okay Sir, do you have an appointment?" She gave him another sparkling smile, but he laid his hands flat against the counter and gave her a one shoulder shrug. "I don't believe so, he knows I'm comin' though ma'am." She studied him for a moment, before waving him closer with her finger to try and draw him in closer. With another shrug, Zack came an inch closer, raising his eyebrow. "I'm not supposed to do this, but I'll let you by." She gave him a wink as she whispered obnoxiously. Zack gave her a forced smile and nodded, not in the mood for anything but going in and then getting the hell out of here. "Thank you." She proceeded to give him instructions, and then wrote them down on a piece of paper. Nodding his thanks, he started off the way she had told him, going through some doors, down the hallway, and then into the elevator. Fingering the paper she had written the room number down on, he suddenly on instinct turned it around, and sure enough, there was a number on the other side. Quirking his brow, Zack shrugged and waited for the elevator to stop. When it did, he stepped out and made his way down to where Rufus' office was. Standing there, Zack hesitated a moment before reaching up and rapping on the door, waiting for confirmation to step inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 968
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Rufus!
Location:; ShinRa Building
Outfit:; Click here!
Notes:; huzzah!
Listening to:; Her diamonds - Rob Thomas

[rufus]

Rufus sat at his desk, eyes focused on the surface and his hands doing their task. Dark Nation sat on the floor next to him, and he would occasionally, and unconsciously, reach down to give her a scratch behind the ears. He was waiting for something, or rather someone to come along. Zack Fair, the ex-SOLDIER. He had called out the young man to discuss something that would involve him. Simply, Rufus had been thinking about bringing back the SOLDIER Project. While his Turks could very well get a job done, a good amount of them used skills to do what they were asked, and only a select few used strength. By bringing back the SOLDIERs, it would allow a back-up force, once again, and add more strength to the ShinRa Electric Power Company. Rufus' enemies were getting stronger, so he needed to fight even stronger. The SOLDIER Project was his solution.

He had actually mulled over this decision quite a bit. He knew and understood the disaster that had occurred back with Zack and Sephiroth and the other First- Class SOLDIER candidates. He had been Vice President at that time, and thus knew what had occurred with Sephiroth practically going insane from what he had learned. Mayhem had ensued, but luckily destruction had been averted. Knowing all of this, Rufus knew the risk he was taking. The same thing that had happened all those years ago could ver well happen again. He would have to be careful throughout the entire process. He could only hope this would work.

He would also have to be careful dealing with Zack. Rufus was sure at the mention of it bad memories would arise and he would be against it for sure. After all, history is bound to repeat itself. What were the odds of a disaster like Sephiroth happening again? There was a good chance. A very good chance. And Rufus ShinRa was going to take that chance. He usually didn't like to take chances, unless he knew they were in his favor or he could make them that way. But, this was different. This was something that had to be done. Repercussions and everything. And he knew that if it failed, all of the blame would be placed on him. But he would do his best to keep that from happening. He had studied what had gone wrong all those years ago very carefully. And he had a plan on how to tackle that. But chance could only ensure it would work.

Looking at the time on his computer, and giving Dark Nation another scratch behind the ears, he saw that it was about time for Zack to arrive at his office. After all, Rufus had been the one to call on the young man. He knew what time to expect him and it would be any second right now. And speak of the devil, there was the knock. Standing up from his office seat, Rufus put his hands behind his back as he called out, "come in. Take a seat."

~~~

Words: 541
Muse: Good
Notes: Hope it is alright and sorry for the wait. ^^

[Zack Fair]

Well hell, was the guy ever going to come to the door? Zack tapped his foot against the ground, before running a hand through his thick spiky black hair. This was going to be fun. oh so fun. Yeah…right. Zack didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be anywhere near this place. Anywhere near ShinRa, or the President. Of course, Rufus was different from the President that had killed him. Well, ordered his death. If you didn’t have the strength to do it yourself then you ordered the death of someone else with just a few simple words. How could someone do that? To take a life yourself…well that was one thing. But to order the death of someone you didn’t know, nor had you ever met or cared to meet? What had he ever done to this place except be the perfect SOLDIER? He had followed orders damn it! Followed them until he had realized the corruption. When he had spoken out at all, had resisted at all, they’d killed him. Had him killed. Sent the whole damned army after him. Hell! This wasn’t a good idea! Why had he even come?! Turning around to leave, he was stopped by the voice on the other side.

"Come in. Take a seat."

Hell!

Muttering under his breath, the tall young man opened the door with a twist of his wrist and stepped inside, blue eyes scanning the room before settling on the blonde sitting at his desk. Stepping toward the desk, Zack’s eyes went from the cold, professional eyes looking at him, down to what obviously had to be a…family pet staring back at him. Hell, they weren’t kidding when they said that dogs turned out like their owners. The dog looked like it would rather maul his face off then get pets. Well…the blonde didn’t look any happier in all honesty. So this was going to be such a fun time.

He really shouldn’t have come. Taking a seat across from him, mako eyes glanced at the dog again, judging just how mean it looked, before settling into the seat. Draping one arm behind him, Zack took off the buster sword hanging from his back and rested it on the floor, leaning it against his knee. Sitting there across from the blonde that was watching him, Zack cleared his throat, wondering what he wanted. Hopefully he got some answers here. This corporation owed him a lot, more then they knew. They owed him life, owed him everything he had given them, only for them to tear his life away from him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Zack tapped his foot, turning his gaze toward the man sitting there. He wondered if he was anything like his old man. If so, then he was in for a real treat. His old man had never done things himself though, never shown his face out of that fancy office. Tseng got most of his orders, but other then that people didn’t really interact with him. He hadn’t been alive when this man had been running things though, so he really had no idea. “Well I’m here! If ya wanted to kill me again, ya’ probably shoulda kept more then a mutt to do the job.” Smirking at him, Zack relaxed and sat back against the chair, waiting for the President to start speaking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 735
Muse:; Good!
Tagged:; Rufus!
Location:; ShinRa HQ
Outfit:; Tada!
Notes:; ^_^
Listening to:; Sugar Ray - Fly

[rufus]

Rufus stood proud and straight, Dark Nation at his side as he called out for Zack to come in. He looked like the image of professionalism, as he always did, as he watched Zack, the ex-SOLDIER, walk into his office and sit down in one of the fine, leather chairs that was provided for meetings such as this. It was unusual to see him again after all of these years. Back then, he had only been the Vice President, his father still alive. He knew that he looked older, but Zack still looked about the same. He still had his mako-infused eyes and the Buster Sword was strapped to his back, until he removed it to lean against his leg. It still astounded him how someone could lift such a piece of weaponry. It had taken a good amount of training himself to be able to shoot his Shotgun with one hand. But, that...that was overcompensating. It must have been the mako infusion. It allowed extra strength, which made the SOLDIERs that much stronger.

He nodded in acknowledgement before sitting down in his own office chair. Dark Nation continued to watch Zack carefully, eyeing the Buster Sword, but laid back down, her head on her paws. She was ready to pop back up, though, if any sign of a threat appeared. Rufus put his hand lightly on her head, calming her down slightly, and got himself comfortable. Watching Zack as he did so he noticed the young man was quite nervous. He had cleared his throat and was now tapping his foot. He would have to move this along quickly then, so that he didn't start to suspect something. Taking his hand off of Dark Nation's head, he put his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together, smirking slightly as Zack spoke up. So, he thought that he was going to kill him. Well, he was about to get the shock of a lifetime. Besides, coming back to life from the Lifestream.

"It is good to see you again, Zack. It has been quite awhile. But, no. I did not call you hear to kill you. If that is what I wished for, then I would have just sent out my Turks to do the job."

He was sure that Zack would be able to take on his Turks, but not all of them. But, hopefully, he wouldn't have to worry about that. He didn't want to lose any of his Turks. They all had their special and unique qualities that could be not found anywhere else on the planet Gaia. Getting back on to the stream of things, Rufus allowed his face to become serious, as he knew the conversation was about to take its own serious turn.

"The real reason why I called you here, Zack, was because I wanted to reinitiate the SOLDIER Project. I understand the horrific events that occurred last time with Sephiroth, but I am willing to take the necessary precautions to keep that from happening. However, I will need your assistance on this if you can provide it."

Rufus sat there and waited for the more than likely outburst that would come from the ex-Soldier. He, himself, was on edge, Dark Nation was on edge, and Zack was also probably edge. The air was thick with tension that it could be cut with a butter knife. This had to go right. Rufus needed the extra fire power that the SOLDIER Project would bring forth for his company. If not that, then he would need to come up with some sort of back-up plan that would work almost, if not just, as well. He would also have to watch that Buster Sword. He hoped he wouldn't lose a desk during this important conversation. He liked the one he had very much so.

~~~

Words: 680
Muse: Good
Notes: Sorry for the wait. ^^

[Zack Fair]

Perhaps he was a cocky devil, but Zack just raised his eyebrow when Rufus mentioned that it was nice to see him again. Zack honestly hadn’t seen this man, a kid the same as him, for a long while. The last time he had known, the kid had just been promoted to vice president. He’d figured, as most of them in ShinRa had, that he was just a spoiled brat that had gotten the position because of his fathers power. Well whatever, any way you could get yourself some power, go for it he supposed. “I’d say the same for you, but I’d be lying if I said It was nice to see you or be here.” Zack was just being honest. Perhaps he shouldn’t be smarting off to the ShinRa president, but as far as he was concerned, he had the right to be an ass. Keeping his arms crossed over his chest, Zack sunk down a bit in the chair, waiting for the rest of what he was saying to be said. The Turks? Hell. Zack could take them if he wanted to, but the Turks he had known had all been pretty decent people. Though he could attack and harm them if he was protecting himself or those he was close to, he wouldn’t generally have anything against them. They had done their job, and he his, and that was that. “Right, send your babysitters, I’d forgotten about them.”

Settling back and waiting for him to get to the real reason why he was here, Zack’s eyes wandered around the office. Clean, neat, as much as he would expect from Rufus. He always had seemed to be a very clean, neatly dressed man. Then again, Zack doubted he had had to worry about the conditions they’d had to go out in. No extreme heat or cold, no sweaty missions where you’d trade your right arm for a fan or some food. No, he had sat behind the desks and ruined peoples lives from there, just like his father had. If he had to say, he’d say they were cut from the same mold…but maybe that wasn’t the case. He didn’t, after all, know the son all that well. Not that he had had a big knowledge of the father either, but at least he’d been a tad more familiar with him. Sephiroth, Lazard, Tseng, they had all been closer. He’d been really a nobody until he had been promoted to a first. As he looked around the room, he propped himself up on one foot, the front two chair feet off the ground.

At his explanation, Zack’s hackles rose. For a moment he remained where he was, hovering slightly in the air while sitting on his chair. His initial reaction came spewing out of his mouth before he could stop it or think about it at all.

“Over my dead rotting body.”

Slamming the feet of the chair down, Zack rose in one swift movement, his face taunt, hands came down on his desk and he leaned slightly forward as he said that. ShinRa had ruined his damned life, and now they had the audacity to ask him to come back to the damned program that had been the reason for his death? Taking in a deep breath, Zack calmed down a bit and removed his hands from the mans desk. One more move and the hound would probably come after him for all he knew. Turning around, Zack started walking out, before a slight burning in his arm suddenly snapped his attention to his bicep. Turning his head down, Zack stared at it, saw the arrows that were forming, and stopped walking for a moment. He…he had to take down ShinRa. What better way then from the inside? As much as he hated thinking about it, he just…he should take this opportunity.

“Oh hell.”

Turning around then, Zack tapped his foot before walking back and plopping back in his seat. Glaring at him slightly, he finally sighed and then ran his hands through his hair. “Why the hell are you reviving this program? The problems it caused the last time…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 871
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Rufus! ^_^
Location:; ShinRa office
Outfit:; Click!
Notes:; None :3
Listening to:; Paper Jesus - Staind

[rufus]

Rufus kept his guard up and his alert high as the ex-SOLDIER sat across from him in his very own office. He knew the feelings that Zack had towards him and his company; of course he couldn’t blame him. The ShinRa Company had done a lot of bad things in the past, all decisions made by his father. But, Rufus knew he wasn’t like his father, and as such had to make up for all of those decisions. Sure, maybe bringing back the SOLDIER Project would bring forth more terror and destruction just as it had all of those years ago, but he had looked over all of the data from those experiences while he had mulled over this decision. He was sure he could keep all of that from happening.

Rufus didn’t pay any attention to the comment Zack made about his Turks. He was used to such things. After all, the President got a lot of bashing from the public and the media a good amount of time. It was all part of the job. So, when Zack called his elite force “babysitters” he didn’t even bat an eye. He didn’t even shrug. He just continued to keep his eyes on the SOLDIER and his hand on Dark Nation. And once that was over, he began to explain. He watched Zack carefully as he started his explanation of his plans and why he had called him in here. Rufus knew that such a subject would not go over well with Zack and he was ready to have a fist aimed for his head.

And it seemed that that was what was going to happen. Once he was finished he watched as Zack stood up quickly and placed his hands hard against the wood of Rufus’ desk. A few of the papers he had placed around him went flying at the force of the wind. Rufus didn’t flinch again, though he did lean back in his chair as Dark Nation stood up and growled at the force placed against her master. Rufus put a hand on her head to calm her down, and she sat back down, albeit reluctantly. She was ready to jump again, her haunches set to jump. Rufus stared down the SOLDIER as he turned around and walked towards the door. He waited. Zack stopped and looked down at something. Rufus raised an eyebrow, though he couldn’t see the mark that was burned into Zack’s bicep. He murmured something and then turned back around and sat back down. Rufus had to hold back a grin. Perfect.

”The reason that I am bringing back the SOLDIER Project is to allow more protection for the city. Life may be peaceful with Sephiroth now gone, but what are the chances of him coming back? Very well, I would say since you are sitting right in front of me and I know for a fact that you died fighting against the ShinRa army. With the SOLDIERs back, that would allow a force against Sephiroth or anyone powerful enough to come, to fight back. My Turks may be strong, but they all know of Sephiroth, and each of them knows that they wouldn’t be able to take him down. The SOLDIERS are the perfect solution to protect this city even more. After all, sins must be atoned for.”

~~~

Words: 596
Muse: Good
Notes: Rufus finally cooperates.

[Zack Fair]

Standing there, hands spread over the table before him, Zack glared at the president, mouth drawn in a firm line. He couldn’t believe that he had the balls to sit there, looking at a man who ShinRa had tracked down and killed for no reason, and ask him to rejoin a program that had just been a den of monsters the last time it had been active. He thought about his good friends, Sephiroth, Angeal, Cloud, Tifa. They’d all had their lives messed up because of this company right here. Zack’s gut twisted in anger which was reflected on his features. He just couldn’t believe that he was right here, dealing with this now. They never should have had to deal with the crap they’d been dealt in life. Cloud and Tifa should still have their home town. Tifa should still have her dad, and he should still have his mentor and hero. He should still have them, damn it! Scowling at the man an then hearing the growling of the hound that had risen to it’s feet, Zack turned his gaze down toward the animal, eyes glittering. “Oh come off it, damned dog.”, he muttered out, running a hand through his hair before turning away from Rufus and stalking toward the door.

When he reached it though, the burning brought him to a stop. Gritting his teeth, he stared down at the brand that covered part of his upper arm. A scowl once again reached his mouth and face. Hell, this was…just hell. He should take this opportunity. Really he should. How else was he going to get into ShinRa and destroy it? With a heavy sigh, Zack pressed his hands against the doorframe, before slamming a fist gently into it and turning. Muttering out a curse, he stomped back toward the seat he had just left. It didn’t feel right, taking the position. Hell, it didn’t feel right at all. He didn’t feel like he was keeping his SOLDIER honor by taking a job just to get inside and destroy the company. But…there was no other way. No other way to turn to crystal instead of becoming a monster. He wanted to help Tifa to do the same, but so far he didn’t know what the hell her focus was. With a heavy sigh, and an even heavier burden resting on his shoulders, Zack settled back in the chair and stared at the president, asking him why the hell he had even thought to reopen the project was a good start in figuring out what the hell was going on here.

Settling back in his chair, Zack waited for Rufus to start talking about what it was that he was actually going to do. Crossing his arms over his chest, he returned to his previous relaxed state, going from glaring at the dog to Rufus to the dog and then back again, not quite sure which one he should glare at more. More protection for the city? Drumming his fingers against the armrest, he met the eyes of the president, the glare softening from his eyes. “What about your Turks? Don’t they do a good enough job at protect-...oh…Sephiroth.” Rubbing his eyes with his hands, Zack turned his face up to stare at the ceiling, not sure what he should do about this situation. He was sure there was plenty of young bucks out there, willing and ready to jump at the opportunity to be part of the new SOLDIER. He could also have respect for Rufus for actually realizing the situation.

“Sephiroth, that’s your mess president, or your fathers. Why should innocent men get killed just because ShinRa messed up?” Why should they indeed? Zack knew he wasn’t as strong as Sephiroth, at least not without a little backup. With the powers added as a l’cie, being able to free wield magic, as well as his summon, he would have more of a chance against the insane Ex-SOLDIER. “I never was as strong as Sephiroth,” he mentioned, glancing up at the man. “He had Jenova genes. I guess you could say I had them too, after that last experiment, but I was just enhanced with Mako, not infused with Jenova like he was. I might be able to hold my own for awhile, but he's stronger.” Zack was trying to be practical and explain to Rufus what he should know. “Hell, he’s stronger then anyone, even if Cloud has defeated him. Don’t let that fool you, Sephiroth can unleash hell if he wants to. If he’d stop that toying act and just get it over with, no one normal man could stop him. Then again…I don’t suppose any of us SOLDIERS were ever what you might call normal.” Rubbing his face with his hands again, he finally looked up and asked the question he really wanted to know. “If I do this, and figure out some dirty little secret you have hidden away, are you gonna send your lapdogs to try and kill me again?” Blue eyes pierced Rufus’, mouth held in a firm line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 1026
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Rufus
Location:; Rufus' office
Outfit:; That one I linked
Notes:; --
Listening to:; Frontline - Pillar

[rufus]

Rufus knew it was going to be a difficult job to get Zack to cooperate with his plans to bring back the SOLDIER Project. The ex-SOLDIER knew firsthand what had occurred with the deterioration process in both Angeal and Genesis. Rufus knew as well. He had been Vice President at the time, and thus had to know what was going on in the company. His father had told him to do as such. But, at that point he had tried to stay out of that problem and had focused on the other projects that were going on and leaving the rest to the company. A possible mistake, but, unfortunately, that was now in the past. He had preparation to do to prepare himself for taking on the company presidency at that time. But, now that he was the President, he had to look back on what had gone wrong, and fix those problems. and he could only do that if the Project was reinstated. But, he would need an ex-SOLDIER. Zack had been the best one for the job.

Rufus watched Zack carefully as Zack glared at him. obviously angered by the proposition that he had just given. He had expected this. Well, actually he had expected for Zack to practically jump out of his chair at the mere thought of bringing back the SOLDIER Project and leave Rufus’ office without a word. The fact that he had stayed this long was an achievement in his book, albeit a small achievement, but an achievement nonetheless. And with one under his belt so far, that meant more could possibly come. And that was always good news to the president. He put a hand against Dark Nation’s head, calming her down as she glared at Zack, and also ignoring the comment that he heard Zack say under his breath as he finally turned away. Rufus watched him leave, and leaned back in his chair, watching, waiting. An eyebrow arched as he saw Zack stop at the door, at first to open it, but when he didn’t make a move to push it open Rufus couldn’t help but get curious and slightly hopeful. He was considering it, or at least, so he thought. Ample, but perfect.

He continued to watch as Zack turned around once more, and sat back down in the chair that he had previously been occupying, and asked him a simple question, one he was completely willing to answer. As such, Rufus leaned forward once more and placed his now folded hands on top of his desk, as he explained his reasoning. He thought it to be pure logic for what he was doing. A crisis had occurred only a little while ago in the past, one that he could have easily fell victim to, but hadn’t. Cloud and his companions had been able to avert it, thus bringing peace back to the planet, but the terror could still return. Sephiroth could come back. That had been evident the moment the Remnants had arrived. Once again, and still, Sephiroth was a major threat to this world. But, the thought that maybe they would be able to bring back the force that Sephiroth had been a part of was a reality. He just had to make sure that all of the pieces fit together, and that everything went according to the plan he had created. With that, the threat of Sephiroth’s return could possibly be lessened. And that was a breakthrough.

He listened intently as Zack asked his questions and made his points. And they were quite good as well. Sephiroth was a product of the company, and as such, that also made him the company’s business, thus he was Rufus’ problem. Something he was not quite proud of to know. He didn’t say anything as Zack continued to speak about what he knew, and what he had come to know. All of it was true, there was no denying it. Sephiroth was strong. Much stronger than any other being on this planet. It was by a pure miracle that he had been defeated by Cloud. But, they might not have a miracle the next time. His attention was snapped back by Zack’s final question and Rufus studied him. He was serious, though he had been the entire time. So, he did the same. He answered truthfully.

“I pray that it doesn’t come to that.”

~~~

Words: 737
Muse: Good
Notes: FINALLY! *kicks Rufus back into the muse closet* Now stay!

[Zack Fair]

Zack wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. Internally he was torn. Zack knew that he had to complete this focus, destroy ShinRa, but he didn’t really want anything to do with the company that had tracked him down out of cold blood, despite what he had done for them, just to shoot him down and let him lay there, drowning in his own pool of blood. How merciless could one human be toward another? Yet as ever, there was those thoughts in the back of his head. Angeal’s voice asking him what had happened to his SOLDIER honor, Sephiroth’s grating voice, spurring him to desire to help the president and his plight. And of course…the whisper of what would happen to himself if he didn’t complete this focus. So where did that leave him? Right smack dab between a rock and a hard place, that was for sure. With a groan, Zack just rubbed his hands together and wished that he could avoid all of this. The last thing he wanted was dealing with ShinRa again.

But the war raged within him. Staring straight at the blonde that sat behind the desk, patting the head of his damned dog, Zack wished he could peer into the mans soul. But he couldn’t, unfortunately. Instead he ranted on about the problems that ShinRa had caused everyone, how much bad they had done and how it really could only be their faults. They had themselves to blame, and now they had a mess to clean up. Unfortunately, they hadn’t thought of a way to clean up their mess other then to get the help of the people they had tried screwing over. Himself, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith. All of them. And here they sat, with the president asking something of Zack that he just shouldn’t. Zack wanted for the president to admit to him that they had been wrong. Wanted him to admit all the mistakes of the company. Wanted an apology, not only for himself, but his friends as well.

Too much to ask for, but one could dream.

When the president respond to anything Zack said, he paused, allowing the man time to speak if he was going to. But the silence just told him that he was going to get no answer. Some day…perhaps some day he would get an apology for the sins that this man, or his father, his company, had done. Doubtful, but it would still be nice. It was never too late to get a little bit of humility. Then again, he was one to talk. The silence finally had to be broken again, so he asked the question that was really on his mind. Scowling at the man, Zack ran a hand through his hair and waited.

This time he got an answer. But it wasn’t the answer he wanted. “God damn it all Rufus, that wasn’t what I asked.” Rubbing his eyes with a hand then, Zack sighed heavily, feeling the gnawing at his forearm again. His brand was helping him to make this decision. “So far, ShinRa’s only managed to piss off some pretty damn powerful people. I don’t know why I’m even thinking about doing this, Rufus, but if I do…if I become employed by your company again, I need a guarantee, as little as your word means to me, that you’ll leave those I care about alone. I don’t give a damn what you do to me, but if you touch them, Cloud, Tifa, I’ll hunt you down.” With a steady voice and controlled features that was so unlike him, Zack leaned forward slightly, mako blue eyes piercing. “And this time, Shinra, I wont be the one to die. So you can pray it wont come to that all you want to.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 795
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Rufus!
Location:; Rufus' office
Outfit:; That one!
Notes:; Menacing Zack o.o
Listening to:; Normal - The Exies

[rufus]

Rufus couldn’t help but wonder...just moments ago Zack had seemed livid about the idea of bringing back the SOLDIER project. He had even gotten up and made it to the door, and Rufus had believed that would be that and the matter would be through and he would have to think of another alternative. But, Zack had stopped, almost as if he was now thinking about, mulling over the thought in his head. Rufus’ eyes narrowed. He couldn’t possibly...he had calculated, figured, that there would be a slim, almost nonexistent, chance that Zack would accept the offer of returning to what had destroyed his life, literally. That was not something that any normal human being could easily do. But, thinking over his own thoughts, Rufus realized that Zack was no ordinary human being. Even if he didn’t know the whole truth about the real matter.

To even more of Rufus’ unseen shock, Zack turned around and walked back to sit in his chair once more, a look on his face that Rufus couldn’t quite describe and didn’t really feel like doing so. So long as they got to the matter at hand. And all cards seemed to be in his favor. He liked those odds. He always did.

He spoke what needed to be said. It was the truth. Rufus may be powerful but he wasn’t omniscient. He didn’t know everything and he knew for a fact that he couldn’t read minds. He could read people, as that was a part of the job when dealing with competitors and people such as Zack, but that wasn’t the point. Sometimes, the truth had to be hidden from the world and from others. Sometimes it was a success, and sometimes it was a failure. You just had to bet on the right acts and the right people. If only it was that easy.

He listened carefully, taking in every word. This was crucial. Zack was actually considering going back into the project. This was what people called a miracle. To Rufus, it was a correctly moved piece of the game. From what the ex-SOLDIER was saying, all Rufus had to do was leave people alone. As easy as it sounded, he knew it would be more than difficult to keep those kind of people out of the problem. People like Cloud and tifa didn’t just ignore an issue and let it continue to move on its course. No, they were the type to face it head on or die trying. But, still, a lot was riding on whether or not Zack would join. Rufus needed Zack to join. All he had to do was hide as much as he could, pray to whatever deity or greater being was out there that Reno would keep his big trap shut, and not let Zack die. With Sephiroth gone for now, that didn’t seem hard at all. A small business like smile appeared on Rufus’ face as he stood up and outstretched his hand.

“We have a deal.”

~~~

Words: 508
Muse: It cooperated! Huzzah! \o/
Notes: We may have to end it soon, I think. >>

[Zack Fair]

Why exactly was he agreeing to this? As soon as he had actually agreed Zack felt like backing out. After all, he didn’t want to get involved in ShinRa again. He really, really didn’t want to. His experience with this company had been nothing but a den full of wolves, waiting to pounce at the first chance. And that was exactly what had happened. The first chance that they had to lock him and Cloud into tubes to test on them, they had taken. Zack couldn’t believe the amount of loyalty that the company had shown when it came to them. He had watched the same thing happen to them that had happened to Genesis, Angeal, and then finally Sephiroth. He hated that they simply slapped ‘killed in action’ stickers on files as soon as they learned something against the company and fled the scene. He hated that so much…

But then again, it wasn’t this man that had been ruling as president of the company back then. Could he blame this man for the sins that his father had committed? Yes. Yes he could. Why? Because this man had been just as much of a tyrant as his father, if not more so because he used fear where his father had used money. Zack hated people that used intimidation of those weaker than them to get what they wanted. That might be what he was doing now, but hell, at least he had a reason for slamming his hands on Rufus’ desk and making demands. This man had taken advantage of those weaker than him for way too long while hiding behind that desk and his army, including the Turks. Unfortunately, Zack found it hard to hold any sort of grudge, especially when he found that he liked every Turk he had met.

So he cut out his deal. Standing there, Zack almost expected him to say no to his demands. In a surprising turn of events though, Rufus extended his hand and said that he agreed to it. Zack stood back a little bit then, taking his hands off from face down on the table and leaning over the man before him. Wait…damn it, now Zack actually had to take the deal? With one more glance toward the door, Zack almost did just that. All he had to do was turn around and head for the door. He would be out of this office and no longer have to worry in the slightest bit that ShinRa could hold any ties over him. He was very tempted to do so, but he stopped himself. After all, what else could he do but accept this?

“I want it in paper,” he said, more calm then he had been moments before. While he did so, he extended his hand to clasp the others. In what was perhaps a childish moment, Zack squeezed Rufus’ hand much harder then he would have had to, wringing the death out of it, before he withdrew, a glint in his eyes. “You have some uniform you want me to wear while I go on missions? Or some new phone programmed to call me when you want me to be somewhere?” That was it; Zack was sure as hell not going to be spending his entire life in ShinRa. No, he was going to have his life, and ShinRa was going to be a damn small part of that life. Or…what was left of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 725
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Rufus
Location:; Office
Outfit:; That one I linked!
Notes:; None!
Listening to:; Already Over - Red

[rufus]

The conditions had been made. Now all that needed to be done was make sure the deal was done and get to work kickstarting the new project. If Zack didn’t second guess all of this and walk out of the door for real this time. Rufus was planning on it to happen. He was one to always think of every possible move that a person was going to take. Right now, it was either agree to the deal, walk out of the door, or start a fist fight. Rufus was hoping for the two first ones. He didn’t want his office getting messy.

He had outstretched his hand and was waiting for Zack to do the same, so that the deal could be made without having to say a word. But, the SOLDER hesitated, and the President noticed the slight glance back at the door. He didn’t make a move, nor made it seem like he had noticed with his facial expression, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to leave. Zack had been pretty adamant about not joining up only moments earlier and yet here he was, ready to become a part of the thing that had ruined his life once more. It all seemed slightly unrealistic, but a lot of unrealistic things had happened to Rufus before. He always factored unrealistic ideas into his equations now. They always seemed to pop up whenever he didn’t factor them in. He wasn’t going to make that same mistake with something so crucial as this moment.

Zack finally said something, wanting this whole agreement in writing, before clasping his hand with Rufus’. The grip was unusually strong, practically to the point of pain, but he didn’t make a show of it phasing him at any moment. He just gave a slight nod, before releasing Zack’s hand and placing it behind his hand, gripping it into a fist a couple of times secretly so as to get the blood flowing back into it. Obviously, Zack had a grudge against him, but he knew that that was an understatement. Still, the agreement had been made and that was all that mattered at this point. He cocked an eyebrow when Zack asked about the uniform and cell phone, and then shook his head. “No, there is no uniform that you are required to wear. But, I would like to be able to get into contact with you whenever it is necessary. I assure you, the mobile device shall be not be bugged.” Rufus sat down in his chair once more, and placed his hands back on his desk, adjusting back into his normal posture. “I shall write up the agreement myself and send it to you as soon as it is finished so that you may look over it and make sure that everything is in order. Thank you for your cooperation, Zack Fair. May we work well in the future.” And with that, the meeting was over, at least by Rufus’ standards.

~~~

Words: 502
Muse: Good
Notes: Nothing.

[Zack Fair]

Zack was already cursing this decision that he had made. Why had he done this again? Rubbing at his face with his hands, Zack then dropped them to his side and once again peered at Rufus. He had never thought that he would be back in ShinRa, accepting another position as a SOLDIER, ever again. Hell, he had been tracked down and killed by this organization. And he wasn’t forgetting that either, he just…had to do this. Well, he didn’t have to, but it would make his focus a whole heck of a lot easier to do then if he didn’t accept this position. Which was really the only reason he was doing this…right? Yeah, of course it was…

And at least he could wear whatever he wanted instead of some purple suit thing. He could have worn anything as a first though, come to think of it, and he never had. Probably because he didn’t have time to even get himself an outfit before all hell had broken loose. There wasn’t really any time to do so. “Alright, I can deal with that.” He could do more than just deal with it. Zack would rather enjoy being able to wear whatever the heck he wanted to. And about the bugged phone…Zack wouldn’t stand for that. If there was any thinking that this was going sour, Zack was cutting loose and doing what he had failed to do the last time he had been in the situation, except this time he would win.

And he hadn’t even argued about the written contract about it. Zack had to say that he was mildly surprised about that. With a shrug, he nodded reluctantly. “Alright, sent it to the shop, I’ll look it over and be more than happy to send it back if something fishy is there.”, he warned. He thought that Rufus might be smart enough to figure out that he really meant what he said about shit happening if Rufus tried to screw him over. He wasn’t going to stand for it. Though wasn’t he doing that same thing with his focus? Well whatever, he couldn’t help what his focus was.

And now the meeting was over. Nodding, Zack drew back from the desk and turned to leave. Opening the door, Zack glanced over his shoulder once more to look at the blonde that sat at the desk, before his eyes dropped to his mutt. “And a word of advice. Lock that damned dog up, it growls too much for its own good.” A moment later he had stepped out of the office and was making his way down the hallway.

Well, that must be what it was like, sealing your fate with the devil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:; 613
Muse:; Good!
Tagged:; Rufus
Location:; Rufus' office
Outfit:; That one I linked
Notes:; THE END
Listening to:; Your disease - Saliva