Inception: Book 1 (FFVII Remake)

Ch.28

The first thing Sara felt was coldness as if someone had dunked her in a tub of ice. Sara tried to move but felt a sharp pain in her shoulder; she remembered that the president had shot her. Ignoring the pain, Sara tried to move again, but felt her wrists were bound by something.

Slowly, opening her eyes, Sara found herself in an empty metal room. She looks at her wrists and notices they are chained to the wall, preventing her from moving. She was sitting on the floor in a kneeling position while her wrists were bound to the wall behind her. Sara looked around, finding no window or anything to tell how long it had been since she lost consciousness.

Suddenly the door to her cell opened and walking in was Rufus. He looked at her with a slightly chuckle as he shook his head.

"To think that the best SOLDIER and only woman is locked up here in Junon," Rufus said, "I was surprised to hear that my old man wanted you confined. All because you were ranting out your grief over Sephiroth, who is no more."

Sara didn't like Rufus's words, she spoke coldly, "What the hell you want, Rufus? Surely you didn't come here to comfort me?"

Rufus chuckled, "No, I'm not."

"Then what?" Sara questioned.

Rufus walks over to her, bends on one knee, and holds her chin, forcing her to look at him. Sara looked at him with a cold glare as Rufus began to speak.

"To inform you that I've informed a small rat of your location," Rufus answered.

Sara looked at him confused, "What?"

"My father has no reason to have you," Rufus said as he stood up having his back facing her, "SOLDIER has already begun to fall apart and its time to begin with a new order."

"But you're not the president," Sara pointed out, "You're only the vice president, you can't control SOLDIER yet."

"True," Rufus replied, "But I can disassemble it piece by piece, and you are a piece to be dismantled."

Sara felt an ominous feeling in her gut and asked curiously, "And how do you plan to do that?"

"By seeing, how you and the rat will escape," Rufus answered.

"What?" Sara blinked.

"If you and the rat manage to escape the army," Rufus explained, "Then I will make sure that you are rewarded by granting you freedom. But if you get caught then it's farewell."

Sara glared at him, "You are trying to push your father, aren't you?"

Rufus smiled, "It's long overdue for my father to retire, and I plan to make Shinra my own. I'm doing this because my father will surely go crazy that his second precious SOLDIER has escaped or worse..."

When Rufus's voice trailed off, Sara had already guessed what was the other half of the sentence. But she couldn't help but let out a question.

"Why is your father so keen on keeping me?" Sara asked.

Rufus looked over his shoulder and shrugged, "No idea, even my own father has kept many secrets from his son. Not that I've cared to know; all that matters to me is to see the day when I've overthrown him and I become the new president. You're just a piece of the puzzle to my plan."

After that, Rufus left the cell, leaving Sara alone. Sara couldn't help but feel rather uneasy and disgusted. She didn't like that Rufus was using her as a tool for his own plans, but then again, ever since, she had been working for Shinra. Being a tool is all that she knew, at least she had a normal childhood, unlike Sephiroth who perhaps had no childhood at all. Yet, just thinking about her lover made her feel sad. There was just no way that Sephiroth was gone; it was impossible to believe. She knew that Shinra was good at keeping secrets and spreading lies. There was no way that they would let him be gone that easily. After all, Shinra publicly declared Angeal and Genesis dead, but they were alive.