Fic: After the World's End - Chapter 16
Title: After the World’s End
Chapter: 16/19
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: ~4200
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: adventure, hurt/comfort, alpha/omega
Warnings: non-con
Chapter 1
Summary: Offered up as payment to an alpha for ridding the town of monsters, Cloud discovers that the outside world is vastly different than he expected, and that he could play a role in changing it.
Sephiroth never wanted to mate, preferring his independence as a SOLDIER that allows him to travel the world at his leisure. When he finds himself caring for a traumatized omega, however, his values start to shift.
***
Cloud heaved an exhausted sigh as he put the finishing touches on his presentation. He hadn't stayed in Midgar for so long since he did his initial classroom training with the Turks. Two months' worth of gathering data and evidence to make his case had him feeling like his ass had fused to his chair. And poor Sephiroth, stuck at a desk and training recruits just to accommodate him. But now he was ready. Rufus would approve his proposal, he was certain, and then he and Sephiroth could get back out in the field where they belonged. The irony that they had spent so much effort making their new apartment just the way they liked it only for their campsites to feel more like home wasn’t lost on him.
He brushed the lint off his suit and straightened his tie, then gathered up his materials and headed for the conference room. He placed a handout and a pen in front of every seat and was in the process of figuring out the projector when there was a tap on the door.
"Can we come in early?" Tifa hovered in the doorway, looking nervous.
"Yeah, grab a seat. Hey, Cid."
"Cloud." The beta in charge of Tifa's training fixed a cup of tea at the sideboard and sat down, gesturing for Tifa to sit as well.
"Do you need help with anything?" Tifa asked.
"Lend me some courage?" he asked jokingly. "Public speaking is the worst."
She laughed and held her hand to her heart, then made a tossing motion towards him. "You can't have it all because I got told I had to go to a big executive meeting and that's pretty scary too."
"Thanks for sharing. I promise to not put you on the spot."
Sephiroth was the next to arrive, and Cloud got a kiss from him before he took his seat. He hovered near his mate to calm his nerves until everyone else had arrived, then headed up to the podium.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for coming. Today I'd like to share the results of the investigation I've been working on and extend a proposal for action. Please feel free to interrupt with questions or comments. I'll start with some background information. If you open your handouts to the first page, it's got the data I'm talking about so you can follow along and take notes.
"So, we're looking at the approximate alpha and omega population numbers starting from when record-keeping picked up after the calamity. This is when the omega gene was introduced to the general population through first the cure, and then the vaccine for geostigma. Omegas were no longer being created by the old Shinra, but they began to be born naturally because of the gene.
“As you can see, that while the population has fluctuated, the balance between the two was initially fairly stable, with approximately 20 to 30 percent fewer recorded omegas than alphas. According to the scientists at the gender research institute, it is believed that the omega birthrate naturally balances itself to ensure that they don't end up without a mate and should be about equal to the alpha population. The fewer number of omegas we see can be explained by the fact that we simply do not find them all.”
Cloud paused and took a drink, and Sephiroth caught his eye to give him an encouraging smile.
"But what happened twenty-three years ago?" Rufus asked. "Things were getting better-I assume because our mobility was improving and the auction was becoming well known, but then the omega numbers suddenly drop off and keep going lower. Last year's stats say that they’re barely more than half of the alpha population."
"That's what I've been trying to find out. If you turn to the next page, you'll see that the number of omegas brought to auction has been steadily decreasing as well. Despite increasing the prices we pay and expanding the auction to the Gold Saucer to make it easier for betas on the Western continent to bring them, it didn't have much effect on the overall numbers. I began to suspect that something else was happening to omegas and obtained permission from Tseng to look into it. I was at a dead-end, however, until meeting the omega, Luke."
He turned to the next slide, which had a brief outline of Luke’s rescue and the situation they had found him in. "Getting information from Luke has been difficult due to his trauma and subsequent poor memory. However, Doctor Aerith and I were, over the course of numerous interviews, able to piece together a bit of a background. Luke is approximately sixteen years old. He was sold to the miners in the town of Ellismere shortly after his first heat when he was around fourteen or fifteen.
“I wondered, at the time of his rescue, how they were able to afford an omega. It is not a wealthy town by any stretch of the imagination, and I am certain that, even with pooling their money, they wouldn't have been able to pay more than what Shinra would have on average, even if he had been mistreated. So why would someone sell an omega at a discount? We think that Luke was in that mine for a year or two, and the auction at the Gold Saucer was well established by then. It wouldn't have been difficult to get him there."
Murmuring broke out at the table, and Cloud took another drink while he waited for everyone to settle down.
“Luke describes his life before Ellismere as such: he lived in a dormitory with about fifty other omegas. The dormitory had no windows, and in fact, until his rescue, Luke had never been outside. They were kept well fed, relatively healthy, and were given a basic education. They were taught that betas are superior and that they must always follow orders from them. The teachers were strict, and would often test their obedience by making them perform painful, difficult, or humiliating tasks and doling out severe punishments if they failed.
“When he reached puberty, he was castrated and transferred to a new dormitory, where his true 'training' began. Luke won't talk much about what happened there, but Doctor Aerith and I believe that this was when the sexual abuse and rape began. That they were basically training him to be a sex slave for whoever bought him.”
Angry rumbling started up among the alphas and omegas present, and even the betas were whispering angrily.
“Puberty!? Fucking puberty!?” Tifa hissed. “He was just a child! He’s still just a child!”
Cloud gave her a small smile, feeling appreciative of her outrage. She was a good person, despite her background, and he was glad they had met again.
“Luke says that the place he lived was called the Honeybee Inn and it was run by someone the omegas knew only as the Don. While I have no concrete evidence, it is my belief that this Don is breeding omegas for the express intent of selling or renting them to betas.”
“How do you breed omegas?” Cid asked. “I thought it was pretty random now that we all have the genes.”
“The data is limited, but studies have shown that women who give birth to an omega once are likely to do so again. I suspect that, rather than killing or sterilizing mothers of omegas, which is common in many beta communities, they are being impregnated again in order to produce more. Omegas impregnated by betas will also produce omegas approximately 65 percent of the time. If the Honeybee Inn is what I think it is, it would account for the decrease in omegas born both here in Midgar and in other communities.”
“We just don't know where it is,” Sephiroth said bluntly.
“No. I have some ideas, but so far, if it really exists, I don't know where.”
“So let's find it.” Rufus looked pissed off and determined. “You said you have a proposal for action?”
“Yes, sir, I do.” Cloud switched slides to show the places he was most interested in. “I looked at where the omegas we had got at the auction came from around the time of the initial drop off 23 years ago and looked for gaps. I suspect that the people who started it took or bought omegas located nearest them to get the operation running, so to speak. I also looked at historical SOLDIER and Turk movements, trying to pinpoint places where they could fly under the radar. Based on the results of both approaches, I've identified a few possible locations. One on the northern continent, here, one on the western, and one here, around Junon.”
“So close?” Cid said.
“It’s a possibility. Our alliance with Junon means that we don’t actually patrol there as frequently as we do other areas. My proposal involves three stages. The first is sending Turks to each location that I’ve identified as a possibility. Betas who aren’t known to be a part of Shinra are the better choice for that job, as it seems that these people are actively trying to avoid our attention. At each location, they will attempt to infiltrate the population’s underground community. Research has shown that, apart from small communities where the leader is also an abuser, the majority of betas do not normally condone the mistreatment of omegas, and often protest against it. Something on a large scale like this is most certainly not out in the open, not just to hide it from Shinra.
“I would like the beta Turks to attempt to make contact with, or at least establish the location or the identity of someone associated with the Honeybee Inn. I have come up with several possible methods for doing so that I can discuss in further detail later on. When contact is made and a specific location determined, again, I have several possible options based on the circumstances, but I believe that a combination of both infiltration and a direct SOLDIER assault will be the most effective. It is clear that the Honeybee Inn and the Don do not have the best interests of omegas at heart, and that it is essentially a sex trafficking ring. Based on the evidence, they are not interested in money or other benefits the people of Midgar could offer them in exchange for the omegas. Negotiation could cost valuable lives.
“If my theory is correct and we do expose an omega breeding program, Midgar will have to brace itself for an influx of omegas as well as female betas, who would have most likely been used as unwilling incubators. I think we’ll need to start working as soon as possible to ensure that we have both the resources and personnel to care for them. Based on the population data and Luke’s descriptions, I estimate that there are approximately five hundred omegas of varying ages held there, and perhaps one hundred female betas.”
“Five hundred?” Rufus sputtered.
“Yes. That number takes into account both the current alpha population and the omegas that we historically haven’t been able to find. My budget for the proposal is outlined over the next few pages of the handout.”
Rufus flipped through the pages while Cloud waited nervously.
Finally, Rufus closed his handout. “I’m approving it. What are your initial orders?”
"Me?"
Rufus looked up and stared him straight in the eyes. "Ask for help and advice when you need it, but this is your operation, Cloud. You're more than capable of running it."
He took a deep breath. Well, he had come up with suggestions in case whoever was put in charge wanted his input. “Yes, sir. Thank you. Reeve, begin forming a plan for the increased population and how we’d move such a large number of people. Tseng, start coming up with strategies for how we'll re-organize the support system and make sure people are cared for. Cid, you’re in charge of organizing the betas that we’ll send to the potential locations. I’ll meet with you to discuss the strategies I've come up with for making contact. Sephiroth and Lazard, work with Cid to give him the martial support he’ll need to keep the beta agents safe. I’ll also give you the description of the Honeybee that we got from Luke so you can begin thinking about plans of attack. I want everyone checking in regularly so I can adjust my plans as we gain information.”
“Yes, sir,” the room replied as one.
***
“Impressive show tonight, Tina.” One of the regular patrons of the club sat down at Tifa’s table and pushed a drink over to her.
She shrugged. “It was okay, I suppose.”
“You sell yourself short. I’ve never seen anyone bring out a performance like that one from him.” The man hooked his foot between the legs of the beta she had kneeling at her feet and bounced his red and swollen balls. He gave a soft whimper but didn’t protest the treatment. “The way you can make them beg is truly an art form.”
Tifa fought the urge to cringe and kept her face carefully neutral. She absolutely hated the shows she put on in the various underground sex clubs in Junon, pretending to get off on torturing people. She forced herself to give a long-suffering sigh. “I don’t know. Betas are fine, but compared to the omega I took care of back home … have you ever seen one in heat? You can do absolutely anything to them and they’ll not only still beg you to fuck them, but also come from it.”
“Right, I’d heard you used to have an omega. You miss it?”
She scoffed. “Miss it? I’d sell my own mother for the chance to play with another one.”
“Really?” The man shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trailing his fingers over her breast. “It just so happens that I could perhaps arrange such a thing.”
“Oh?” Tifa cast her mind to the meditation techniques she had been taught, attempting to disconnect herself from the situation as the man slipped his hand into her top and groped her.
“I can’t say I’m terribly interested in your mother as payment for making the arrangements, however.” He licked the shell of her ear and slipped a card into her cleavage before sitting back. “You won’t get in without a referral, but my personal number is on the back if you’re interested.”
The man excused himself and disappeared into the crowd, and Tifa pulled out the card. The Honeybee Inn. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and she gathered up her things, leaving the sub with a bouncer who would rent him out to someone else for the rest of the night.
She had calmed down slightly by the time she got back to the tiny apartment she rented, and she stared at the card in her hands. There wasn’t much information on it. Just the name and a number, but it was proof that it actually existed. She turned it over and looked at the handwritten number on the back. His name was apparently Kotch. Would he really get her in? Her stomach turned at the thought of the payment he wanted. Could she do it?
She left the card on her bed and poured herself a glass of whiskey. If she didn’t, the card was probably useless. Maybe the number could be traced, but she rather doubted it. Maybe they could take Kotch into custody and get the information out of him, but that held the risk of tipping them off. She knew that no one at Shinra would make her do it, or even ask her to. She knew that they’d try to find another way. But this was their best chance, she was sure.
“It’s not like you haven’t fucked randos to get this far,” she muttered to herself, deliberately ignoring the fact that she had been the one in control during those situations. There was no other choice if she truly intended to help. She downed the whiskey and slammed the glass onto the counter, then grabbed her phone. First things first, she had to update Cid. There was no way in hell she was going to meet with that guy without a SOLDIER nearby who would get her out if it went bad.
***
“Luke, it’s me, Tifa. May I come in?” Tifa tapped on Luke’s door. Moments later, there was a thudding of feet and the door was flung open.
“Tifa! You’re back!” Luke wrapped his still thin arms around her and squeezed tightly. “I missed you so much!”
“I missed you too!” She hugged him back and ruffled his hair.
“How long can you stay?”
“Just three days,” she said, “but it’s going to be over soon, and then I’ll be able to come back and see you every day again.”
Luke let go and looked up at her with wide eyes. “Really?”
She nodded. Just seeing his hopeful expression was enough to know that it had all been worth it. “I have an appointment at the Honeybee Inn when I go back to Junon. I’ll find out where it is and get as much information about it as I can, then Cloud will finalize a plan and we’ll take it down. We’re going to save them, Luke.”
“Wow …” Luke backed up and let her come into his small apartment. Luke had chosen to live alone once his health had stabilized, and had rejected the offers of an unmated omega roommate, as well as the possibility of living with a mated pair. He was doing okay adjusting, but not well, and Tifa hoped that success in the mission might help give him the closure he needed in order to move on. “I can’t believe it’s real. I had friends … I hope I can see them again.”
“We’ll do our best to find them. Even if they got sold too, that place must be keeping records of some sort. We’ll track them down. So how are you? I need a distraction from how nervous I am, so tell me something interesting.”
They sat down on the couch and Luke curled up next to her with his head in her lap. It amazed a lot of people how attached Luke had become to a beta, but it made sense to her. She didn’t have a job when she first arrived, and so had spent all her time with Luke in the hospital so he didn’t have to be alone or with strangers. Cloud and Sephiroth hadn’t been able to spend that much time with him, and he had been so nervous around other people. They had bonded well.
“Doctor Gast says I can go off the heat blocking medicine if I want. I’m healthy enough now to handle it.”
“Oh! That’s big news. What do you think you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess I should, but I don’t want someone seeing me like that. I know it wouldn’t be like before, but …”
“If you don’t want it, you shouldn’t try to force yourself to do it.” Tifa ran her fingers through Luke’s hair, gently scratching his scalp. “Cloud told me that he wished they had that medicine when he was rescued. He said he would have taken it for a couple years, at least.”
“He would have? But he loves Sephiroth!”
“He does. He’s happy, and I know he enjoys being mated, but he wasn’t ready to mate when he did. I think he’s still pretty angry that he had to. Sephiroth would have waited for him.”
Luke nodded. “He would have.”
“And any alpha who’s worth a second thought will wait for you. You’re still so young. There’s no need for you to do something you’re not certain about yet. I know that the medicine can’t put off the need to mate indefinitely, but it will for a time. Maybe instead of starting your heats again, you could work on getting out more and meeting people. Once I’m back in Midgar, I’d love to join a club or something with you. We could meet new people together.”
“You’d want to?”
“Sure. I barely had a chance to meet anyone outside of the Turks while I was training, and then I got sent to Junon. And there … well, the people I’ve been meeting aren't the sort of people I actually want to know. Besides, it’s easier to try new things when you already have a friend. What do you say? Will you be my going out buddy?”
Luke sat up and bobbed his head. “I’ll ask about clubs so I can have some ideas when you get back.”
“That sounds fantastic! So, are you making me dinner tonight, or are you taking me out?”
***
“This is clothes?” Cloud held up the dress Tifa planned to wear to the Honeybee. She snatched it out of his hands and threw it to Scarlet.
“Yes, it’s clothes. In a very, very technical sense of the word. Can you work with it?”
Scarlet looked over the tiny garment. “Yes. I’ll need you to put it on for me so I can make sure I’m putting the tracker somewhere it won’t be noticeable. It will be fragile because of the size it will need to be, however, so don’t put all your faith in it. Your boots are your best bet. I’ll put a sturdier tracker in each heel. I haven’t managed to make a radio small enough that we can hide it, though. It’s frustrating, I know there must be a way of making batteries small enough without mako, but I can’t figure it out. We’ll have to risk a larger radio hidden in with your other stuff and hope nobody notices it.”
“No,” Tifa said. “That’s too big a risk. I’m certain they’ll search my stuff, and I’m not risking this operation for that.”
Several people started speaking at once, protesting the idea of her going in silent.
“It’s Tifa’s decision,” Cloud said over them. “Are you certain? The emergency transmitters don’t work without a radio nearby. You wouldn’t be able to contact us for help, so we’d be risking-”
“I’m certain. I’m the only person who’s managed to get an invitation. I am not risking not getting in. I’ll have the trackers, so you’ll know where to find me if I don’t come out on time.”
Cloud looked her in the eyes and nodded firmly. “Okay. You go in silent. Now, you’ve asked for an omega in heat, right?”
“Yes. I know it probably would have been better to not, but-”
“No, wanting one in heat fits the persona you’ve established better. Tseng, do you have-”
“Here.” Tseng slid a small case across the table to her. “Emergency heat suppressants. Unlike the inhibitors, they can be administered even mid-heat and will diminish the effects of it. The omega will still need to be knotted, but he should be a lot more aware and able to help you if he’s willing.”
“How do I smuggle them in?”
For the first time since she met him, Tseng blushed, and Scarlet rolled her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, “but, vaginally. I designed a silicon capsule to hold the pills. It can’t be picked up by the scanning technology we have, so anything they might have won’t be able to either. It’s placed inside a tampon, which you’ll wet with fake blood in case they force you to have an inspection.”
Tifa opened the case and looked at the capsule containing two tiny pills, a tampon with an opening in the tip, and a little red vial. “No problem. I’ve done plenty of scenes while on my period and have established it as a kink of mine, so it won’t seem odd that I’d be on it then. Do I give him both pills at the same time? And how long will it take to have an effect?”
"Both at the same time" Tseng answered. "They should work within an hour and last for four days. Are you sure-"
"I am completely sure."
"Thank you, Tifa," Cloud said. "Words can't express how much I appreciate what you're doing. Whatever support you need, now, or after the mission, just ask and we'll give it to you."
"Thanks. I … I'm definitely going to need a shoulder to cry on. I’ve done some awful things to get that invitation. But let's get those omegas home first."
There was a murmur of agreement, and Cloud turned to Sephiroth. "Can you go over the security plan again now that we've got all the details of the infiltration worked out?"
Sephiroth gave a solemn nod. “Of course. Tifa, we’re going to do absolutely everything in our power to keep you safe.”
***
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter: 16/19
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: ~4200
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: adventure, hurt/comfort, alpha/omega
Warnings: non-con
Chapter 1
Summary: Offered up as payment to an alpha for ridding the town of monsters, Cloud discovers that the outside world is vastly different than he expected, and that he could play a role in changing it.
Sephiroth never wanted to mate, preferring his independence as a SOLDIER that allows him to travel the world at his leisure. When he finds himself caring for a traumatized omega, however, his values start to shift.
***
Cloud heaved an exhausted sigh as he put the finishing touches on his presentation. He hadn't stayed in Midgar for so long since he did his initial classroom training with the Turks. Two months' worth of gathering data and evidence to make his case had him feeling like his ass had fused to his chair. And poor Sephiroth, stuck at a desk and training recruits just to accommodate him. But now he was ready. Rufus would approve his proposal, he was certain, and then he and Sephiroth could get back out in the field where they belonged. The irony that they had spent so much effort making their new apartment just the way they liked it only for their campsites to feel more like home wasn’t lost on him.
He brushed the lint off his suit and straightened his tie, then gathered up his materials and headed for the conference room. He placed a handout and a pen in front of every seat and was in the process of figuring out the projector when there was a tap on the door.
"Can we come in early?" Tifa hovered in the doorway, looking nervous.
"Yeah, grab a seat. Hey, Cid."
"Cloud." The beta in charge of Tifa's training fixed a cup of tea at the sideboard and sat down, gesturing for Tifa to sit as well.
"Do you need help with anything?" Tifa asked.
"Lend me some courage?" he asked jokingly. "Public speaking is the worst."
She laughed and held her hand to her heart, then made a tossing motion towards him. "You can't have it all because I got told I had to go to a big executive meeting and that's pretty scary too."
"Thanks for sharing. I promise to not put you on the spot."
Sephiroth was the next to arrive, and Cloud got a kiss from him before he took his seat. He hovered near his mate to calm his nerves until everyone else had arrived, then headed up to the podium.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for coming. Today I'd like to share the results of the investigation I've been working on and extend a proposal for action. Please feel free to interrupt with questions or comments. I'll start with some background information. If you open your handouts to the first page, it's got the data I'm talking about so you can follow along and take notes.
"So, we're looking at the approximate alpha and omega population numbers starting from when record-keeping picked up after the calamity. This is when the omega gene was introduced to the general population through first the cure, and then the vaccine for geostigma. Omegas were no longer being created by the old Shinra, but they began to be born naturally because of the gene.
“As you can see, that while the population has fluctuated, the balance between the two was initially fairly stable, with approximately 20 to 30 percent fewer recorded omegas than alphas. According to the scientists at the gender research institute, it is believed that the omega birthrate naturally balances itself to ensure that they don't end up without a mate and should be about equal to the alpha population. The fewer number of omegas we see can be explained by the fact that we simply do not find them all.”
Cloud paused and took a drink, and Sephiroth caught his eye to give him an encouraging smile.
"But what happened twenty-three years ago?" Rufus asked. "Things were getting better-I assume because our mobility was improving and the auction was becoming well known, but then the omega numbers suddenly drop off and keep going lower. Last year's stats say that they’re barely more than half of the alpha population."
"That's what I've been trying to find out. If you turn to the next page, you'll see that the number of omegas brought to auction has been steadily decreasing as well. Despite increasing the prices we pay and expanding the auction to the Gold Saucer to make it easier for betas on the Western continent to bring them, it didn't have much effect on the overall numbers. I began to suspect that something else was happening to omegas and obtained permission from Tseng to look into it. I was at a dead-end, however, until meeting the omega, Luke."
He turned to the next slide, which had a brief outline of Luke’s rescue and the situation they had found him in. "Getting information from Luke has been difficult due to his trauma and subsequent poor memory. However, Doctor Aerith and I were, over the course of numerous interviews, able to piece together a bit of a background. Luke is approximately sixteen years old. He was sold to the miners in the town of Ellismere shortly after his first heat when he was around fourteen or fifteen.
“I wondered, at the time of his rescue, how they were able to afford an omega. It is not a wealthy town by any stretch of the imagination, and I am certain that, even with pooling their money, they wouldn't have been able to pay more than what Shinra would have on average, even if he had been mistreated. So why would someone sell an omega at a discount? We think that Luke was in that mine for a year or two, and the auction at the Gold Saucer was well established by then. It wouldn't have been difficult to get him there."
Murmuring broke out at the table, and Cloud took another drink while he waited for everyone to settle down.
“Luke describes his life before Ellismere as such: he lived in a dormitory with about fifty other omegas. The dormitory had no windows, and in fact, until his rescue, Luke had never been outside. They were kept well fed, relatively healthy, and were given a basic education. They were taught that betas are superior and that they must always follow orders from them. The teachers were strict, and would often test their obedience by making them perform painful, difficult, or humiliating tasks and doling out severe punishments if they failed.
“When he reached puberty, he was castrated and transferred to a new dormitory, where his true 'training' began. Luke won't talk much about what happened there, but Doctor Aerith and I believe that this was when the sexual abuse and rape began. That they were basically training him to be a sex slave for whoever bought him.”
Angry rumbling started up among the alphas and omegas present, and even the betas were whispering angrily.
“Puberty!? Fucking puberty!?” Tifa hissed. “He was just a child! He’s still just a child!”
Cloud gave her a small smile, feeling appreciative of her outrage. She was a good person, despite her background, and he was glad they had met again.
“Luke says that the place he lived was called the Honeybee Inn and it was run by someone the omegas knew only as the Don. While I have no concrete evidence, it is my belief that this Don is breeding omegas for the express intent of selling or renting them to betas.”
“How do you breed omegas?” Cid asked. “I thought it was pretty random now that we all have the genes.”
“The data is limited, but studies have shown that women who give birth to an omega once are likely to do so again. I suspect that, rather than killing or sterilizing mothers of omegas, which is common in many beta communities, they are being impregnated again in order to produce more. Omegas impregnated by betas will also produce omegas approximately 65 percent of the time. If the Honeybee Inn is what I think it is, it would account for the decrease in omegas born both here in Midgar and in other communities.”
“We just don't know where it is,” Sephiroth said bluntly.
“No. I have some ideas, but so far, if it really exists, I don't know where.”
“So let's find it.” Rufus looked pissed off and determined. “You said you have a proposal for action?”
“Yes, sir, I do.” Cloud switched slides to show the places he was most interested in. “I looked at where the omegas we had got at the auction came from around the time of the initial drop off 23 years ago and looked for gaps. I suspect that the people who started it took or bought omegas located nearest them to get the operation running, so to speak. I also looked at historical SOLDIER and Turk movements, trying to pinpoint places where they could fly under the radar. Based on the results of both approaches, I've identified a few possible locations. One on the northern continent, here, one on the western, and one here, around Junon.”
“So close?” Cid said.
“It’s a possibility. Our alliance with Junon means that we don’t actually patrol there as frequently as we do other areas. My proposal involves three stages. The first is sending Turks to each location that I’ve identified as a possibility. Betas who aren’t known to be a part of Shinra are the better choice for that job, as it seems that these people are actively trying to avoid our attention. At each location, they will attempt to infiltrate the population’s underground community. Research has shown that, apart from small communities where the leader is also an abuser, the majority of betas do not normally condone the mistreatment of omegas, and often protest against it. Something on a large scale like this is most certainly not out in the open, not just to hide it from Shinra.
“I would like the beta Turks to attempt to make contact with, or at least establish the location or the identity of someone associated with the Honeybee Inn. I have come up with several possible methods for doing so that I can discuss in further detail later on. When contact is made and a specific location determined, again, I have several possible options based on the circumstances, but I believe that a combination of both infiltration and a direct SOLDIER assault will be the most effective. It is clear that the Honeybee Inn and the Don do not have the best interests of omegas at heart, and that it is essentially a sex trafficking ring. Based on the evidence, they are not interested in money or other benefits the people of Midgar could offer them in exchange for the omegas. Negotiation could cost valuable lives.
“If my theory is correct and we do expose an omega breeding program, Midgar will have to brace itself for an influx of omegas as well as female betas, who would have most likely been used as unwilling incubators. I think we’ll need to start working as soon as possible to ensure that we have both the resources and personnel to care for them. Based on the population data and Luke’s descriptions, I estimate that there are approximately five hundred omegas of varying ages held there, and perhaps one hundred female betas.”
“Five hundred?” Rufus sputtered.
“Yes. That number takes into account both the current alpha population and the omegas that we historically haven’t been able to find. My budget for the proposal is outlined over the next few pages of the handout.”
Rufus flipped through the pages while Cloud waited nervously.
Finally, Rufus closed his handout. “I’m approving it. What are your initial orders?”
"Me?"
Rufus looked up and stared him straight in the eyes. "Ask for help and advice when you need it, but this is your operation, Cloud. You're more than capable of running it."
He took a deep breath. Well, he had come up with suggestions in case whoever was put in charge wanted his input. “Yes, sir. Thank you. Reeve, begin forming a plan for the increased population and how we’d move such a large number of people. Tseng, start coming up with strategies for how we'll re-organize the support system and make sure people are cared for. Cid, you’re in charge of organizing the betas that we’ll send to the potential locations. I’ll meet with you to discuss the strategies I've come up with for making contact. Sephiroth and Lazard, work with Cid to give him the martial support he’ll need to keep the beta agents safe. I’ll also give you the description of the Honeybee that we got from Luke so you can begin thinking about plans of attack. I want everyone checking in regularly so I can adjust my plans as we gain information.”
“Yes, sir,” the room replied as one.
***
“Impressive show tonight, Tina.” One of the regular patrons of the club sat down at Tifa’s table and pushed a drink over to her.
She shrugged. “It was okay, I suppose.”
“You sell yourself short. I’ve never seen anyone bring out a performance like that one from him.” The man hooked his foot between the legs of the beta she had kneeling at her feet and bounced his red and swollen balls. He gave a soft whimper but didn’t protest the treatment. “The way you can make them beg is truly an art form.”
Tifa fought the urge to cringe and kept her face carefully neutral. She absolutely hated the shows she put on in the various underground sex clubs in Junon, pretending to get off on torturing people. She forced herself to give a long-suffering sigh. “I don’t know. Betas are fine, but compared to the omega I took care of back home … have you ever seen one in heat? You can do absolutely anything to them and they’ll not only still beg you to fuck them, but also come from it.”
“Right, I’d heard you used to have an omega. You miss it?”
She scoffed. “Miss it? I’d sell my own mother for the chance to play with another one.”
“Really?” The man shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trailing his fingers over her breast. “It just so happens that I could perhaps arrange such a thing.”
“Oh?” Tifa cast her mind to the meditation techniques she had been taught, attempting to disconnect herself from the situation as the man slipped his hand into her top and groped her.
“I can’t say I’m terribly interested in your mother as payment for making the arrangements, however.” He licked the shell of her ear and slipped a card into her cleavage before sitting back. “You won’t get in without a referral, but my personal number is on the back if you’re interested.”
The man excused himself and disappeared into the crowd, and Tifa pulled out the card. The Honeybee Inn. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and she gathered up her things, leaving the sub with a bouncer who would rent him out to someone else for the rest of the night.
She had calmed down slightly by the time she got back to the tiny apartment she rented, and she stared at the card in her hands. There wasn’t much information on it. Just the name and a number, but it was proof that it actually existed. She turned it over and looked at the handwritten number on the back. His name was apparently Kotch. Would he really get her in? Her stomach turned at the thought of the payment he wanted. Could she do it?
She left the card on her bed and poured herself a glass of whiskey. If she didn’t, the card was probably useless. Maybe the number could be traced, but she rather doubted it. Maybe they could take Kotch into custody and get the information out of him, but that held the risk of tipping them off. She knew that no one at Shinra would make her do it, or even ask her to. She knew that they’d try to find another way. But this was their best chance, she was sure.
“It’s not like you haven’t fucked randos to get this far,” she muttered to herself, deliberately ignoring the fact that she had been the one in control during those situations. There was no other choice if she truly intended to help. She downed the whiskey and slammed the glass onto the counter, then grabbed her phone. First things first, she had to update Cid. There was no way in hell she was going to meet with that guy without a SOLDIER nearby who would get her out if it went bad.
***
“Luke, it’s me, Tifa. May I come in?” Tifa tapped on Luke’s door. Moments later, there was a thudding of feet and the door was flung open.
“Tifa! You’re back!” Luke wrapped his still thin arms around her and squeezed tightly. “I missed you so much!”
“I missed you too!” She hugged him back and ruffled his hair.
“How long can you stay?”
“Just three days,” she said, “but it’s going to be over soon, and then I’ll be able to come back and see you every day again.”
Luke let go and looked up at her with wide eyes. “Really?”
She nodded. Just seeing his hopeful expression was enough to know that it had all been worth it. “I have an appointment at the Honeybee Inn when I go back to Junon. I’ll find out where it is and get as much information about it as I can, then Cloud will finalize a plan and we’ll take it down. We’re going to save them, Luke.”
“Wow …” Luke backed up and let her come into his small apartment. Luke had chosen to live alone once his health had stabilized, and had rejected the offers of an unmated omega roommate, as well as the possibility of living with a mated pair. He was doing okay adjusting, but not well, and Tifa hoped that success in the mission might help give him the closure he needed in order to move on. “I can’t believe it’s real. I had friends … I hope I can see them again.”
“We’ll do our best to find them. Even if they got sold too, that place must be keeping records of some sort. We’ll track them down. So how are you? I need a distraction from how nervous I am, so tell me something interesting.”
They sat down on the couch and Luke curled up next to her with his head in her lap. It amazed a lot of people how attached Luke had become to a beta, but it made sense to her. She didn’t have a job when she first arrived, and so had spent all her time with Luke in the hospital so he didn’t have to be alone or with strangers. Cloud and Sephiroth hadn’t been able to spend that much time with him, and he had been so nervous around other people. They had bonded well.
“Doctor Gast says I can go off the heat blocking medicine if I want. I’m healthy enough now to handle it.”
“Oh! That’s big news. What do you think you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess I should, but I don’t want someone seeing me like that. I know it wouldn’t be like before, but …”
“If you don’t want it, you shouldn’t try to force yourself to do it.” Tifa ran her fingers through Luke’s hair, gently scratching his scalp. “Cloud told me that he wished they had that medicine when he was rescued. He said he would have taken it for a couple years, at least.”
“He would have? But he loves Sephiroth!”
“He does. He’s happy, and I know he enjoys being mated, but he wasn’t ready to mate when he did. I think he’s still pretty angry that he had to. Sephiroth would have waited for him.”
Luke nodded. “He would have.”
“And any alpha who’s worth a second thought will wait for you. You’re still so young. There’s no need for you to do something you’re not certain about yet. I know that the medicine can’t put off the need to mate indefinitely, but it will for a time. Maybe instead of starting your heats again, you could work on getting out more and meeting people. Once I’m back in Midgar, I’d love to join a club or something with you. We could meet new people together.”
“You’d want to?”
“Sure. I barely had a chance to meet anyone outside of the Turks while I was training, and then I got sent to Junon. And there … well, the people I’ve been meeting aren't the sort of people I actually want to know. Besides, it’s easier to try new things when you already have a friend. What do you say? Will you be my going out buddy?”
Luke sat up and bobbed his head. “I’ll ask about clubs so I can have some ideas when you get back.”
“That sounds fantastic! So, are you making me dinner tonight, or are you taking me out?”
***
“This is clothes?” Cloud held up the dress Tifa planned to wear to the Honeybee. She snatched it out of his hands and threw it to Scarlet.
“Yes, it’s clothes. In a very, very technical sense of the word. Can you work with it?”
Scarlet looked over the tiny garment. “Yes. I’ll need you to put it on for me so I can make sure I’m putting the tracker somewhere it won’t be noticeable. It will be fragile because of the size it will need to be, however, so don’t put all your faith in it. Your boots are your best bet. I’ll put a sturdier tracker in each heel. I haven’t managed to make a radio small enough that we can hide it, though. It’s frustrating, I know there must be a way of making batteries small enough without mako, but I can’t figure it out. We’ll have to risk a larger radio hidden in with your other stuff and hope nobody notices it.”
“No,” Tifa said. “That’s too big a risk. I’m certain they’ll search my stuff, and I’m not risking this operation for that.”
Several people started speaking at once, protesting the idea of her going in silent.
“It’s Tifa’s decision,” Cloud said over them. “Are you certain? The emergency transmitters don’t work without a radio nearby. You wouldn’t be able to contact us for help, so we’d be risking-”
“I’m certain. I’m the only person who’s managed to get an invitation. I am not risking not getting in. I’ll have the trackers, so you’ll know where to find me if I don’t come out on time.”
Cloud looked her in the eyes and nodded firmly. “Okay. You go in silent. Now, you’ve asked for an omega in heat, right?”
“Yes. I know it probably would have been better to not, but-”
“No, wanting one in heat fits the persona you’ve established better. Tseng, do you have-”
“Here.” Tseng slid a small case across the table to her. “Emergency heat suppressants. Unlike the inhibitors, they can be administered even mid-heat and will diminish the effects of it. The omega will still need to be knotted, but he should be a lot more aware and able to help you if he’s willing.”
“How do I smuggle them in?”
For the first time since she met him, Tseng blushed, and Scarlet rolled her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, “but, vaginally. I designed a silicon capsule to hold the pills. It can’t be picked up by the scanning technology we have, so anything they might have won’t be able to either. It’s placed inside a tampon, which you’ll wet with fake blood in case they force you to have an inspection.”
Tifa opened the case and looked at the capsule containing two tiny pills, a tampon with an opening in the tip, and a little red vial. “No problem. I’ve done plenty of scenes while on my period and have established it as a kink of mine, so it won’t seem odd that I’d be on it then. Do I give him both pills at the same time? And how long will it take to have an effect?”
"Both at the same time" Tseng answered. "They should work within an hour and last for four days. Are you sure-"
"I am completely sure."
"Thank you, Tifa," Cloud said. "Words can't express how much I appreciate what you're doing. Whatever support you need, now, or after the mission, just ask and we'll give it to you."
"Thanks. I … I'm definitely going to need a shoulder to cry on. I’ve done some awful things to get that invitation. But let's get those omegas home first."
There was a murmur of agreement, and Cloud turned to Sephiroth. "Can you go over the security plan again now that we've got all the details of the infiltration worked out?"
Sephiroth gave a solemn nod. “Of course. Tifa, we’re going to do absolutely everything in our power to keep you safe.”
***
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