Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 1: Descent

FIVE

A month or so after the destruction of Corel, I was driving quietly through Sector 3 in my new car when my life and what I knew received another blow. I had gotten the car—a newer model Shinra sedan—as a birthday gift earlier that year from my mom, and sometimes I liked to just take it out and drive, not really knowing where I was going or why, only that I wanted to see more of the city and just explore. It was a goal of mine to visit every one of Midgar's eight sectors sooner or later, but I hadn't gotten there just yet. Still a few left to go.

Sector 3 was more of an industrial place with a lot of factories and warehouses and not much in the way of traffic. So I was startled to see a virtual army of sirens flashing in the direction of the reactor. I wasn't far from it, just down the road, in fact. If I'd been driving anywhere else in the sector, I might not have seen the lights at all. But I did, flashes of red and blue bright against the gloom.

I turned onto the street that Reactor 3 was located at, going slowly as I did, but as I got closer to the place, I saw there was a crowd outside it along with all the emergency vehicles. I couldn't go much further, so I found a place to park and went the rest of the way on foot. What was going on? What could have happened here?

The reactor entrance was blocked off with crime scene tape, and a news crew was busy reporting on whatever it was that had caused all of this commotion. Unease filled my gut, a nagging sense that I should've had some idea of what was going on. But I didn't know much about the reactors aside from what Marissa had told me and the enhancements I had made to the roboguards that patrolled the interior of the place and prevented intruders from damaging it.

I froze at that last thought, my blood running cold. It couldn't be. I raced toward the reporter, trying to hear what she had to say, but it was over by the time I got to her. But I did manage to catch up to her before she and her crew got back into their van. I had to know what had gone on here, if my work had been responsible for another atrocity. I just... I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

"Excuse me," I took her arm. "Can I ask you something?"

The reporter shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we've got to get going. We... we've already made our broadcast."

I showed her my Shinra ID. "Look, I'm Jessica Heidegger, Assistant Director of Shinra's Systems Operation Division. I need some answers, and I need them now. So talk. I also work directly for Scarlet, Director of the Weapons Design Division. And I don't think she'd much like it if she heard you were giving her protégé a hard time."

The woman gaped at me, her eyes wide, and I had to admit, it was pretty satisfying seeing her stunned reaction to finding out exactly who she was dealing with. I'd never had to pull rank before, but it did have a certain appeal. And I knew it would get me the information I needed. I stared icily at the reporter the way Scarlet would sometimes stare down a lab tech who had dared to question her orders.

"S-Sorry, ma'am," the reporter stammered. "I didn't know."

I didn't move. "Now you do. Talk."

She swallowed, glanced around, and motioned for me to follow her behind the van. "It'll be safer over here, I think."

"Fine. Now what happened here?"

"About half an hour ago at 9:00am, most of the workers in Reactor 3 carried out a nonviolent protest along with the supervisor. They were trying to bring attention to the terrible conditions there."

I frowned. "What kind of conditions?"

"Working in the reactors carries many health risks including mako poisoning, electrical shocks, and more. The fumes that are often found in the lower levels are also highly toxic."