XXVII) The Last One

                                    

                                          
"Where have you been?"
                          
I think I pee a little when I hear his voice. My shoulders tense and I cringe, closing my eyes. Flexing my fingers into fists, I take a deep breath before turning to face Rufus.
                          
"Security like I said."
                          
"#$%^&*%^." The word coming from his mouth is almost as shocking as him catching me here. "You helped them escape."
                          
"No, I—"
                          
"There is footage, Kat." Rufus lifts his chin, colder than before, if that's even possible. "Don't lie to me. You left witnesses in your wake."
                          
"I must have a doppelganger," I argue, laughing awkwardly. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Rufus—"
                          
"My office."
                          
"But—"
                          
"Now."
                          
Defeated, I hang my head and push my hands into my pockets, following like a kicked puppy. I'm screwed. Even the guards look smug when I step past them. Rufus walks behind his desk, hands clasped behind his back, and I stop before it, heart pounding.
                          
"Kat, do you know what happens to traitors in Shinra?"
                          
"I guess."
                          
"Then why—" Rufus slams his palms down on his desk and I jump, terrified.
                          
Defend yourself.
                          
He can't hurt you.
                          
I won't let him.
                          
Stop.
                          
"Why," he repeats, "did you so publicly undermine my authority?"
                          
"Because I know what happens to the traitors that have the President on their side," I retort, though my voice isn't as strong as I hoped it would be. Rufus's eyes are on fire. He's angry. I should be afraid of what he's going to do, but I'm more concerned about keeping myself under control.
                          
"How many times must I explain that I'm not my father?"
                          
"And I'm not your son." I sigh. "Look, Rufus. That irritating clown crew is our only hope in surviving this mess. Have you looked at the sky? It's only right."
                          
"That's not my point. The people I need to control don't understand that Avalanche is their only hope." My blood runs cold when his eyes meet mine. I've never seen him this angry. "Don't lecture me on what's right. I decide that for myself."
                          
It would take half a second.
                          
"Yeah, and for the rest of the world!" I snap, irritated. "This isn't just about you!"
                          
"Kat."
                          
"Oh, sorry. Forgot I'm—what was it? Slum scum? I don't matter, right? Is that how you think of the people you control?"
                          
"In order for us to defeat Sephiroth, we need the support of the people. Avalanche was the perfect scapegoat," he explains, staring hard at his desk as he tries to calm himself.
                          
"Shinra can't defeat him with the people's support. Money is for building dreamworlds, not killing magical psychopaths." Rufus glances up at me, shaking his head and straightening before wandering around to the front of his desk. This is it. This is where I die. 
                          
"Shinra ruined your life before you were born. You came back anyway."
                          
We're in control of our fate.
                          
"And? It's not like you'd get it," I retort. He raises an eyebrow, the look on his face chilling.
                          
"I don't get it?" Standing straighter, he tilts his head ever so slightly to the side. "I watched my mother bleed out after a severe punishment from my father. My half-brother suffered a slow, painful death at the hands of science as a failed cloning experiment. My father was slaughtered like an animal by a monster he paid to create. And I don't get it..." He shakes his head, his lips twitching into a bitter smile. "At least you have the luxury of forgetting." For a moment, I can't breathe. No wonder he's so screwed in the head... Still, determined to justify my actions, I lift my chin, trying to hide my pity.