Summary: Set in Before Crisis era, this is a one-shot (okay...more like a two shot, at this point!) which details Rufus Shinra's betrayal in funding AVALANCHE, his subsequent imprisonment in Junon, as well as his interactions with the Department of Administrative Research, aka Turks.
Rated T at present for language; rating may be bumped up to M if necessary.
"So what's the real story with Rufus, Boss? I thought the old man was gonna have a fuckin' coronary when he found out where the leak was coming from." Reno's eyes narrowed as he sipped his coffee – cold by now, he'd let it sit too long while he chatted up one of the locals at the nearby diner where they'd met for coffee. Tseng wanted to meet with Reno outside of Headquarters, away from the ears and eyes within those walls.
Reno joked and flirted with customers and waitresses alike, trying to procure the latest in gossip – company gossip, and otherwise. What seemed to many – including Tseng – like a colossal waste of time, Reno's socializing, slacking off and flirting was one of many ways Reno kept his finger on the pulse of the worker bees of Shinra, and the areas just outside of HQ. To Reno, everyone was a potential source, a possible informant. He had a reputation as one of the Turks' best profilers, and that reputation was not for nothing.
"Hey, thanks for the refill, Gracie," Reno amped up the charm as a smiling blonde waitress stopped by their table to warm up his coffee. "You're looking good, yeah? Nice and tan. Just get back from vacation?"
"I was just over in Junon for a bit, actually – how did you ever guess?" Gracie beamed, pleased at the attention. "My sister still has a place in the harbor. The beach isn't what it used to be." She leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"Seems like something was going on there," Gracie reported, nodding enthusiastically as she snapped her gum. "Lot of Shinra troops over there. More'n usual. I hope it's not anything bad going on?"
"Huh, innerestin'," Reno murmured, catching Tseng's eye. "No, don't you worry now, Gracie. They're probably just going through drill, yeah? Oh – here ya go, sweetheart." Reno pulled out a ten gil note and tucked it into Gracie's apron. "No, no, you go on and take it – " he insisted, after Gracie thanked him, saying it was too much, too generous. "You bust your tail here, Gracie, just showin' my appreciation."
Gracie blushed, thanked Reno profusely, and left to return to the kitchen, the coffee pot now empty and needing to be refilled. Tseng rolled his eyes slightly and bit back a small grin.
"Quite the charmer, aren't you," Tseng observed. Reno shrugged his shoulders in response.
"It's nothin'." Reno drank deeply from his newly-warmed coffee, closing his eyes. Tseng, Reno was sure, probably thought he was just trying to get into another pretty girl's pants.
Well, it's not like I would mind that at all, Reno thought, staring a bit at Gracie's departing posterior. "Anyway. Guess we'd better get down to business." Talking to the Boss is like pullin' teeth sometimes, I swear to Minerva, Reno silently groused.
Tseng was someone even Reno had trouble reading, though damned if he wasn't constantly trying to crack that unreadable exterior. In response to Reno's initial inquiry, Tseng merely quirked an eyebrow, his expression fixed in its usual impassive mask of indifference.
Reno drank another long swallow of coffee, made a face, and leaned forward in the booth, his elbows on the table. "So…guess we're lucky to be alive, huh."
"We are, Reno. How Rufus was able to convince his father otherwise – " Tseng paused, sipped his own tea, then went on. "We owe him a great deal." Tseng had always been loyal to Shinra, Inc, and by extension, President Shinra. Now, he found his loyalties shifting to Rufus; not only out of gratitude for his intervention, but also out of self-preservation It seemed that the President was now heavily influenced by Scarlet, and to a lesser extent - Heidegger. Scarlet, Tseng felt, had her eye on the brass ring, and she'd mow down anyone standing in her way. Including Rufus Shinra himself.
Indeed, the Turks were lucky, as the Turks had barely escaped being executed – by order of the President – were it not for Rufus's intervention, and Tseng proving his trustworthiness by shooting Veld. As far as President Shinra was concerned – and, to the seeming satisfaction of Scarlet and the executive board – Veld was dead, though in reality, he was on the run, in hiding, having deserted the Turks in pursuit of his daughter.
Apparently, Veld being 'presumed dead' was good enough for President Shinra to go about his business, and he'd reluctantly reinstated Tseng as the Director of the Turks, although he'd also given the entire Department of Administrative Research to Heidegger's command, as a way to keep a watchful eye over them all. Heidegger, of course, ran his new division like a rampaging bull, sending the Shinra military in to do the jobs that had once been under the auspices of the Turks. They were soon discovering that as well-trained as the Shinra infantry was, they were not trained to conduct black ops and espionage as the Turks were.
The Department of Administrative Research was in relative shambles following Veld's presumed death and Tseng was doing his best to keep his own head above water, and all of his subordinates in line, in spite of Heidegger's bumbling overreach, and the inexperience of his infantrymen who were now forced into roles they were ill-prepared for. The Turks were now under extreme scrutiny by Heidegger - and by extension, Scarlet, who was privy to everything Heidegger was.
Tseng sighed in frustration, and adjusted his necktie. Everything was a bloody mess; Tseng needed to regroup, and keep the Turks motivated as well as he could under Heidegger's shadow. Now, feeling a certain sense of loyalty toward the younger Shinra, Tseng decided to focus his efforts on Rufus, and keeping the lines of communication open between Rufus and the Turks. "You're my Turks, Tseng," Rufus had told him before turning himself in, ready to face his father's wrath, disappointment, and sentencing. "Never forget that. I've gone to bat for you more than once, and I'd do it again." Tseng had been in Shinra's employ for most of his adult life, and his bond with Rufus had gone well beyond that of a bodyguard and his charge.
President Shinra had decided that for Rufus's role in the deception, he'd be sentenced to house arrest in Junon, for an indeterminate amount of time. "Clip his wings," the President had ordered, "and keep him in Junon. Cut him off. For as long as it takes, until he has some sense knocked into him." Heidegger and Scarlet were only too happy to arrest the young Shinra heir, ordering the military to escort him out to the Shinra compound in Junon. The President knew that limiting his son's movements in this fashion – and, keeping him out of the company loop - would be just as punishing to him as a prison sentence was, perhaps more so with the lack of communication. Besides, the last thing President Shinra wanted, was the bad press that would inevitably come if it was revealed that his own son had betrayed him.
"Officially, Rufus will be in Junon on an extended business trip - " Tseng began, before Reno cut in, impatiently interrupting him.
"And unofficially?" Reno pressed.
"Unofficially," Tseng went on, unblinking, "that is up to us. For all he's done for us, Rufus deserves better. Granted, the President does want to make him suffer for his betrayal – and he plans to do so by keeping Rufus in complete isolation." Tseng's calm expression suddenly transformed into an angry frown. "Reno…I know Rufus better than anyone, and this has the potential to crush his spirit. Which is exactly what the President wants. Not to mention, Scarlet."
"Oh, fuck that bitch, anyway," Reno snarled. "So…we're not exactly in the inner circle anymore, Boss. Like, what can we do, other than keep our eyes and ears sharp, and stay frosty?"
"I'm assigning you to Junon," Tseng replied crisply. "And you'll be relieving the Shinra guard who is currently on duty. If there is any problem, or any sort of resistance, have them contact me. I've already cleared this with the president, by the way." Tseng's face finally gave way to a smile – slight and subtle, so typically Tseng, but it was there. "You'll be staying at the compound in Junon, until I give you the signal to move Rufus. I'll have another Turk out there in a week's time – "
"Watch over him for an entire week?" Reno sputtered, interrupting. "Boss…I'm not in the mood to babysit a trust fund baby, " he groused, though both he and Tseng knew full well he'd follow whatever orders he was given – grudgingly, but he'd follow the Director's command. Though any Turk, if pressed, would tell you their loyalty was to Shinra first, last, and always – there was an unspoken brotherhood among the Turks. They were family – maladjusted and dysfunctional at times, but any one of them would lay down their life for a comrade. It was simply the way things were, the way Veld had held all of them together during his command, was by fostering this sense of family, and of loyalty.
Tseng's expression darkened at Reno's ill-conceived jibe, and he frowned. "This arrangement is as much for our benefit as it is for Rufus's," he replied in that maddeningly vague fashion that Reno abhorred.
"Our benefit?" Reno pressed on, not willing to concede the point just yet. "You mean the Turks?"
"Precisely." The Director's response was so typically Tseng – tight-lipped and perfunctory, no embellishments or long-drawn explanations. Reno, however, chose to read between the lines. Sometimes he was way off in his suppositions; but sometimes, he was right on the money.
"Okay, so…that's that, I guess." Reno shrugged; he knew he wasn't going to get any further with Tseng than this, and now that he had an assignment, he figured it was time to start packin . "So…this 'business trip bullshit' is just a crock, yeah? We both know this is house arrest, the prez made that pretty clear. Cover story to satisfy the paparazzi, yeah?"
"Who will likely not be satisfied for very long," Tseng replied tersely. The paparazzi were camped out in their usual spots outside Headquarters, waiting for anyone to exit the building so that they could pounce on them to get a comment. "They've been following him everywhere," Reno continued, clearly not pleased at this development.
Tseng shifted slightly and reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket to grab an item, pressing it into Reno's hand. "This transponder corresponds to Rufus's ankle bracelet. As you have probably surmised, Rufus is being punished for his…recent indiscretions."
Reno laughed. "Didn't think the old man would let this go. Actually, I'm surprised he didn't ask one of us to grease him – "
Tseng glared openly at Reno, then sighed, resigned. Bluntness, not tact, was entirely too typical of Reno. "Once again. He's at the compound in Junon. The bunker below the holding cells on Sublevel three – you know the area, yes?"
Reno nodded. "I know it pretty well. We held some of those guys there last year – remember the ones operating that illegal mako still outside of Mideel?" He shrugged his shoulders, pausing to give Tseng a quizzical look. "So he's keeping him in in the bunker, huh? Pretty harsh…"
"The President had nothing to do with Rufus's placement," Tseng replied cryptically. "He knows few of the details of his son's confinement, and does not need to know the specifics. I've not told him of Rufus's exact location in Junon. And, we will be moving Rufus periodically, to throw off the scent, as it were. Let us just say, for now – Rufus is making an appearance in Junon, mostly to satisfy his father's sense of justice."
Now Reno began to grow suspicious. "Why…are we hiding Rufus like that? Someone after him? Besides the usual, I mean," Reno quickly added. He wondered now, given what Tseng had revealed – the secrecy, and President Shinra not even knowing where his son was being kept – was the old man himself gunning for his only son? It could be anyone, though, Reno reasoned to himself. Lots of people got a beef with Shinra.
The first attempt on Rufus Shinra's life had happened when he was all of ten years old, in broad daylight, and in the middle of an ice cream parlor. That day, Veld had been the one to gun down the would-be assassin. Reno knew, as did all of the Turks, that President Shinra had garnered many enemies during the course of his career; and many of them wouldn't hesitate to bring harm to the oligarch's only known child.
"Because there are those who would like to make him pay dearly – with his life - for his indiscretions with AVALANCHE." Tseng leaned in and dropped his voice even more, ever aware that even in this diner, they could be eavesdropped on, and things had a way of getting around the neighborhood grapevine – which sometimes extended up to the upper echelons of Shinra.
"Like who?" Reno pressed Tseng yet again; he instinctively knew that Tseng was feeding him the details in drips and drabs, and it frustrated the hell out of him. "Tseng – just give it to me straight, okay? And why are we moving Rufus around, anyway? I thought he'd just be staying put in Junon for a while. Where we taking him?"
Tseng blinked once, then stared at Reno, trying to gauge what his reaction might be. "I have reason to believe certain members of the executive board may be hatching a plan of some sort. Therefore, it's crucial that we keep moving Rufus around, throw them off the scent. The official story is that Rufus is on business in Junon, and I've given the President a way to reach his son, if needed. As far as the President is concerned, he believes Rufus will be spending his entire….sentence, confined to the Junon compound. "
"So you're not even letting the old man in on this? Shit," Reno muttered, beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation. A sudden realization struck Reno, and his eyes went wide and unblinking, fear clutching his gut like an icy hand in the darkness.
"Boss…you don't think – he'd try to off his own kid, now do ya?" Reno knew tensions between the elder Shinra and his son had been strained, particularly after the 'leak' had been found to be none other than Rufus himself. The President had roared and sputtered about 'teaching that boy a lesson' never really taking the matter seriously. To him, they were merely the actions of an idealistic and rebellious teenager, bound and determined to rock the boat. President Shinra hadn't quite grasped that the entire purpose of Rufus's little act of rebellion, was to wrest power away from his father eventually. As well as the company itself.
"N-o-o…" Tseng's voice drew out slowly, a dubious note creeping into his tone. He shook his head firmly in the negative, as though trying to reassure himself somewhat. "I really don't think he'd go that far. However, with Scarlet and Heidegger goading him? Who knows." Tseng's shoulders drooped slightly, and he sighed.
"I've already got a Turk in the vicinity – he's going to pop in, try to get a feel of things," Tseng went on. "He knows Junon inside and out, it's his hometown. When you arrive, Reno, you will relieve the Shinra guard on duty, but the Turk who will be stationed out there shall remain. I know Rufus may be angry with me for being overly cautious, but – " Tseng's eyes narrowed as a deep, angry furrow grew in his brow.
"Well. Not on our watch. You understand, yes, Reno?"
"Yeah…I understand. Sure, of course.," Reno chewed on a toothpick, gnawing thoughtfully. "Wait a sec. What Turk is out there already?"
Tseng smiled and, draining the rest of his tea, calmly set the cup back in its saucer.
"Legend is out there right now. Rufus is quite fond of him, even though I find some of his methods…disagreeable."
"No shit, so you're calling in the big guns?" Reno's grin was enthusiastic; the legendary Turk, also known as the Death God or the Grim Reaper of the battlefield, was something of a folk hero among Turks. Reno had met and worked with him only briefly, but quickly came to see exactly how the Turk came to earn his fearsome reputation. Knowing Legend was on the scene, Reno felt a little more at ease, The icy finger unwound themselves from where they'd been gripping around his gut, and he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Looks like I gotta pack, Boss," Reno noted, finally noticing the time. "Want me to check in when I get there?"
"Yes, please," Tseng replied, nodding. "And do use the secure channel – speak in code, whenever possible. You have the code and the cipher I gave you?"
"I do," Reno answered, tapping his temple and grinning. "Got it up here, all memorized."
Tseng smiled. "Then I guess we are done here. Have a safe flight, Reno."
Author's note: Chapter two will introduce an imprisoned Rufus, along with his bodyguard - Legend of the Turks.