TALES FROM THE SLUMS
'Rufus Shinra's Day Off'
It was Rufus' second day back in Midgar and he was already bored out of his mind. The 16-year-old had just spent the last two and a half years in Junon learning the fundamentals. His father's plan was to have him officially overseeing the Junon base in another year or two then a promotion to vice-president in an additional two to three years tops. It's not that Rufus disagreed with his father's career aspirations for him; he was just getting sick of the same old day to day routine. All he wanted was just one day away from all of it.
He arrived in Midgar the night before last for what he thought was a five-day break, but to call it a break would be an embellishment. At first, he was excited about the thought of returning home after being away for so long, then he realized his father expected him to be confined to the Shinra Headquarters all day doing paperwork, shadowing his father, and attending meetings. Luckily, he knew his old man enough to suspect that this break was going to be just another week of work. Rufus realized that if he was going to take a real day off, he would have to take one without his father's permission, so he decided to strategically plan one in advance.
Having lived most of his life in Midgar he knew everything the upper plate had to offer and none of it interested him. He knew very few people his own age and there was no one in the Shinra building he could call upon to do something with.
Knowing he was coming back to this crowded city after being gone for so long, there were two people around his own age he was hoping to see, but they lived somewhere Rufus had never travelled to before; the slums. It's not that Rufus was afraid to travel below the city, in fact, he was looking forward to it. He just never had a reason to go down there. For the president's son, a trip to the slums would make him a target for every lowlife who wanted to make a quick buck, not to mention the many people down there who just hated Shinra. He knew if he was going to do this he would have to go incognito, and this meant completely changing his appearance.
In order to avoid standing out down there he decided to dress as simple as possible wearing only a plain black T-shirt, an old pair of baggie jeans, running shoes, and a black baseball cap. He also didn't shower for the last two days so his hair was a little greasy.
He knew if he was going into the slums, he would need protection. He couldn't bring his favorite shotgun due to its size, so he opted for his lucky revolver and a few grenades. Based on his last experience with Reno and Rude, he knew there was a good chance he was going to need it.
This day off was a long time in the making. He knew he was only going to get twelve to twenty-four hours away without getting into too much trouble, not that he really cared, he just wanted to avoid his father tightening his security on him. He had arranged a few months ago to have his friends meet him at the Sector 7 train station. In order to contact his friends, he had arranged for a Shinra employee he trusted to hand deliver a message to the youths since they didn't have phone or a functional postal service in the slums. Hopefully they received the message and will be waiting at the specified location because he would have no way of finding them otherwise.
Rufus looked at himself in the mirror admiring the plain looking boy staring back at him. He was happy with his apparel, he looked more like a young thug than any Shinra employee or the president's son. After admiring himself, Rufus grabbed the large bag of gil on the table next to him and took one last look around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He then quickly exited his residence, eager to make his way towards train station before the company car arrived to bring him to work.
Outside the Sector 7 train station two boys stood next to a lamp post near the platform. The redhead leaned on the lamppost looking half asleep with his friend standing next to him. Most of the people around them were business looking or in a uniform of some sort. Some of them were hurrying by on their way to work while others waited patiently for the train.
"I don't know why he had us meet him this early," the redhead yawned.
It was almost nine in the morning and Reno couldn't remember the last time he had to wake up this early. The 14-year-old was not fond of early rises, but he owed Rufus for his help a few years ago and he figured a day with him was going to be entertaining. He hadn't seen Rufus since that day he first met him in the Shinra building. He was told that after that eventful day, Rufus was shipped off to some private school or something. The letter they received last month was the only time they had heard from him since.
"I wonder what he wants to do in the slums?" Rude asked his friend while gazing at the crowd of people. He was keeping a lookout for him since he figured Rufus would be dressed in more normal attire.
"He probably wants to get out of that stuffy building and have some fun. I would go nuts if I was stuck working at a desk all day," Reno commented, starting to sound more awake. "Rather be dead than one of those pencil pushers jammed in an office day."
"I couldn't agree more," came a voice from behind them.
Reno and Rude turned around to see Rufus dressed in plain clothes and a black hat.
"About time," said Reno, pushing himself off the lamppost. "So where do you want to go first?" he asked the young blond.
"I have a few ideas. But first, we should get out of here," Rufus informed the two quietly as he looked around at the many people waiting for the train.
Following Rufus' advise, the three boys left the train platform. As Rufus walked through the slums for the first time, it was exactly what he had expected from listing to others describe it. It was dark, dirty and many of the people he came across looked tired and worn out.
When the three boys arrived in the Sector 4 slums it was late morning and they were starting to get hungry.
"Where's a good place to eat around here?" Rufus inquired, hoping they knew of a restaurant that served real food.
"There's a decent diner in Sector 6," Rude suggested.
The three made their way to the diner in the Wall Market and walked in to find the place a little busy since it was close to eleven and the lunch rush was just beginning. There were no tables, only a long counter and some stools. They found three stools next to each other and sat down.
"Well at least you can see the food being cook from here," Rufus thought to himself. He had low expectations for this meal, but the diner smelled good and the counters looked clean enough.
"Don't get the Sushi platter," Rude advised Rufus. "It's not that fresh…"
"What do you recommend?" Rufus asked his friends.
There was no menu and he couldn't make out the scribbles on the chalkboard hanging on the wall. He glanced around at the food on the plates of the people surrounding him and couldn't make out exactly what it was.
Most of the people in the restaurant were men he assumed were blue collar workers on their lunch break. They were all quietly eating while looking down at their food, oblivious to everything around them. In the corner by the door were two older looking women smoking cigarettes and dressed like prostitutes in mini skirts and low-cut tops. They weren't eating, just quietly talking to each other over drinks. Rufus thought it was a little early to be drinking beer but considering the atmosphere, it only seemed natural.
"Not much choice here," Reno explained. "The only options are Korean BBQ, sushi, and the house special." Reno raised his hand trying to get the server's attention. "They never tell you what's in the special, so I'd stick with the BBQ." The server walked up to the three boys on the other side of the counter. "Three beers and three Korean BBQ's," he told the waitress. The waitress nodded and walked away to get their drinks.
A few minutes later the waitress brought over the food and put it down in front of the boys. Rufus picked up his fork and poked the burnt piece of meat on his plate. "Whatever it is, at least it's overcooked," he thought to himself.
"What is Korean BBQ anyways?" Reno contemplated out loud while stuffing his face with the charred meat. "Like, is Korean a place, a type of meat, or is it the way it's cooked?"
"I think BBQ is the way it's cooked so that can't be why it's called Korean," Rude replied not really knowing the answer. He always assumed the meat was chocobo but wasn't certain.
Rufus didn't have an answer to the redhead's question, so he remained silent while slowly picking at his food. It wasn't bad if you washed it down with the beer.
After the three finished eating, the waitress brought over the bill prompting Reno and Rude to reach into their pockets for their half.
"It's on me," Rufus said taking a hand full of gil from his pocket and placing it on the counter.
Rufus was normally not the type of person to throw his money around and pay for others, but he asked the two out today and knew they didn't have much money. Reno and Rude both nodded thanks and finished the last few sips of their drinks.
Rufus noticed one of the women by the entrance watching him as soon as he went to pay for the bill. Just as he spotted her, she walked over and sat down next to him, putting her hand gently on his shoulder.
"You want to party?" she whispered, leaning in close to his ear.
Rufus frowned at her. "Not with you," he replied, jerking his shoulder away from her hand.
He shivered inwardly at the thought of a diseased ridden whore wanting to party with him. She would have been good looking had she not looked like a worn-out drug addict. Rufus figured she was probably only in her late-twenties but looked older from the ravages of living a hard life in the slums. Her light blue eyes were glazed over and looked gray and soulless. You could tell she was probably high on drugs or coming down off something by the size of her pupils and the fact her hands were shaking a bit.
After hearing Rufus' rejection, she frowned at him and stood up. She walked over at her friend who got up from her seat and the two quietly left.
"Consider yourself lucky," Reno said, leaning back in his seat to get a good look at Rufus who was sitting next to Rude. "Some of them will make a big scene if they're rejected like that. At least she didn't yell or try to hit you." Reno took the last swig of his drink and slammed his empty beer glass on the counter. "Shall we go?" he asked his two friends.
The three of them stood up and proceeded to leave the diner. It was around noon when they walked out into the busy Wall Market.
"What should we do now?" Reno asked as they walked out of the diner. "We could go play pool, or the bar, and there's always the honey bee?" Reno joked at Rufus who frowned thinking about the whore.
"What else do they have in this Wall Market?" Rufus asked the redhead.
"Nothing much, there's shops, a bar, some inns, a gym…" Reno trailed off when he realized that Rufus was no longer paying attention as he gazed off into the distance. "What's wrong?" he asked the blond.
"There's a guy over there watching us," he informed the two, not taking his eyes off the man.
Reno and Rude look over to see a man standing by the item shop gazing at them.
"Let's go," Rufus suggested to the others walking north away from the man.
The other two follow and after walking some distance, Rude peeked back to see if the man was following them. When he looked back, he noticed that the man wasn't anywhere to be seen so he stopped walking.
"I don't think he is following us," Rude explained to the others. "Should we go back? The only thing up this way is Don's place."
Rufus and the others were about to start walking back when a dark shadow came out of the ally next to them. Two large arms quickly grabbed Rufus from behind while holding a knife close to his throat. Reno and Rude recognize Rufus' attacker as the man who was watching them outside the diner.
"That's the one Mike," said a female voice coming from the dark ally. The prostitute from inside the diner walked out from the ally with her arms crossed. "I just know the little prick has a bunch of gil on him."
A look of anger crossed over Rufus face. "Little prick?" he repeated.
Suddenly Rufus elbowed the guy in the side causing the man to move the knife away from his neck. He then took the guys arm and threw him over his shoulder. Still holding his attacker's arm, Rufus took the man's hand and twisted it back causing the man to yell in pain while dropping the knife.
"Mike!" the girl yelled before trying to run away. Reno and Rude blocked her escape ensuring she had nowhere to run.
"Who do you work for?" Rufus asked, standing over the man as he forced his wrist into an awkward position.
"Why do you want to know?" the man asked, trying not to scream in pain from his wrist being twisted back.
"Because I want to know who I might be making enemies with if I decide to kill you," Rufus explained. He twisted the man's wrist slightly causing him to let out a scream. "So are you going to answer my question?"
"The Zoloms," the man yelled.
Confused by the response, Rufus turned to Reno and Rude for clarifications.
"It's a Sector 3 gang," Rude informed him.
"See, it wasn't that hard," Rufus informed the man as he released his hand. Before the man could retaliate, Rufus kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. "So are you with these Zoloms?" Rufus asked the woman.
"No, I work for Corneo," the girl replied, not wanting to end up like Mike. "If you touch me you are going to have to answer to him."
Rufus looked curious. "So, what is this guy, your boyfriend or something?" Rufus asked the woman as he nudged the unconscious man with his foot.
"No," she replied looking a little annoyed. "I scout out targets with money for him to mug and he provides protection when I need it. Are you going to knock me out too?"
"I don't think your boss would be happy to hear that you are assisting a rival organization obtain gil," Rufus said matter-of-factly. "Shouldn't you be out making money for him instead?"
A wave of fear rushed over the girl's face. "You won't tell him, will you?" For the first time she actually looked afraid. "He'll kill me if he finds out, but it's the only way I can get protection from the bad johns, Corneo doesn't look after us…"
Rufus rolls his eyes, not wanting to hear the girl's sob story. "I'm not going to make any promises," Rufus informed the woman bluntly before turning to Reno and Rude. "Let's get out of here, I need a drink," he explained, turning his back to the girl and walking away with Reno and Rude trailing behind.
"So where do you want to go drink?" Reno asked as they walk south towards the entrance of the Wall Market.
"Where do you normally go?" Rufus inquired.
"Well, around here we would go to the Wall Market Pub," Rude answered. "But the Turks sometimes go there in the evenings."
"It's probably best if I avoid anything Shinra today," Rufus explained. "Where can we find a bar that is least likely to be visited by a Turk?"
"Well there is a bar in Sector 1 that is owned by the local gang," Reno suggested. "It's low key and they have pool tables."
"Lead the way," Rufus said as he followed Reno and Rude out of the Wall Market towards Sector 1.
Sector 1 was like every other sector in the slums; full run-down buildings and various essential businesses including bars, inns, and eateries.
The three youth walked up to the busiest bar in the sector full of people standing outside drinking and talking loudly. On top of the bar was a sign with the words 'The Behemoths' written crudely in red paint. Well, Rufus hoped it was paint, but given the number of the people standing outside wearing more leather and spikes then should be allowed, he wouldn't be surprised if the sign was written in blood.
When they walked into the bar it wasn't as bad as Rufus anticipated taking into consideration the character of people outside. Many of the patrons in the bar were obviously the local gang members full of piercings and tattoos but they were confined to one big group in the back corner of the room occupying three pool tables. The rest of the bar contained more typical looking folk playing pool or drinking at the bar.
Reno and Rude went to go set up the last available pool table while Rufus walked over to the bar to get the first round of drinks. Rufus couldn't help but notice one of the gang members eyeing him. Considering the guy had the most amount of leather, piercings, and the spikiest red hair out of the whole group, he assumed the guy was the leader or senior member. Rufus decided to just ignore the guy's threatening glare so he could enjoy his drink and play some pool.
Four beer and one game of pool later, it was becoming easier for Rufus to ignore the loud group in the corner. Rude lost to Rufus on the first game so it was Reno's turn to play against him.
Rufus couldn't help but notice how much louder and lively Reno became the more he drank. Rude on the other had become quieter with each drink and Rufus couldn't help but wonder if it was from the alcohol or from Reno growing increasingly annoying.
Rufus was just about to suggest another round of drinks to Rude, as it was his turn to buy, when the door opened and two girls walked in. From the way they were dressed Rufus could tell they weren't part of the local gang. They reminded him of the two girls from the diner earlier but younger and more vibrant. One girl had short light brown hair and was wearing a short jean skirt with a pink tank top. The other girl had jet back hair and dark tanned skin, she was wearing a pair of skimpy pink shorts and a black tank top. The two girls stopped at the door and scanned the room before locking eyes on Rufus' small group. The girl with the long hair said something to the other girl and walked towards their pool table.
"Hey!" the tanned girl said to Rude as she walked up to their table. Reno looked up from taking his shot as soon as he noticed the two girls walk by.
"Hey, Sam," Rude says to the girl, then he turned to Rufus. "This is Sam, she was my next-door neighbour growing up until her family moved to Sector 6," he explained then turned back to Sam. "Who's your friend?"
Before Sam could answer she was interrupted by Reno. "Hey ya, Sam!" the redhead yelled at the girl starting to sound a little drunk.
"Hey ya, Reno!" Sam replied jokingly, imitating the redhead. She turned her attention back to Rude. "This is Kim, she works with me." Sam motioned to her friend who smiled at the two boys. "Who is your friend?" she asked, looking at Rufus with a smile while blushing a little.
Rude went silent; he wasn't sure if Rufus wanted to use his real name. Rufus, noticing Rude's hesitation, decides to answer for him.
"I'm John," Rufus replied with the first common name he could think of.
"What are you doing in Sector 1?" Rude asked, drawing Sam's attention away from Rufus.
"We just finished up with two clients in the area and wanted to kill some time before heading back to Sector 6," Sam explained.
"Yeah," Kim continued, "the boss usually picks his bride around this time and we wanted to avoid getting picked so we figured we would hide out here for a bit."
"Bride?" Rufus asked, a little confused. He was familiar with a lot of slang terminology, but he never heard of bride before.
"Our boss is Corneo and every night he picks one of us to be his bride for the night," Kim explained with a disgusting look on her face. "Usually he picks new girls but when there're none, he'll pick one of his regulars."
"It sucks because we don't get any money for it and he keeps us there for the whole night!" Sam said, growing more agitated. "He's so gross!" She shivered at the thought. "It's disgusting!"
"If it's wasn't for the fact that he is the best paying pimp in the slums and runs the honey bee, we wouldn't work for him," Kim continued ranting. "But unless you can get a permanent job at the honey bee, this is the next best thing."
After that rant, Rufus was wishing he hadn't asked them about the whole bride thing, it obviously hit a nerve.
"That sucks Sam," Rude said, not really showing much sympathy for the two girls. "It's my turn to buy the rounds, let me get you two a drink." He walked over to the bar to order drinks for everyone. Talking with the two girls was the most Rude had said since they had entered the bar.
"Rufus, it's your turn," Reno called out to the blond from the other side of the pool table.
Rufus rolled his eyes at Reno's stupidity. He figured the redhead didn't hear to the conversation he had with the girls about his name being John, or if he did, he had already forgotten because he was drunk.
"Rufus?" Sam asked. "I though your name was John?"
"Rufus is my last name," the blond explained nonchalantly. "It's what my friends call me."
He walked over towards the redhead who was leaning on his pool sick giving Rufus a confused look. As Rufus took his shot Rude walked back towards the group balancing the five mugs of beer.
"Thanks," everyone said to Rude as they grab their beer.
Rufus missed so Reno put down his drink to take his shot knocking his ball in the pocket. Rufus was surprised that Reno was still playing so well considering he was talking and walking like he was two sheets to the wind. He walked around the table attentively looking for his next shot but not without stopping to take a few more gulps of his beer. Reno had two solid balls left to land and Rufus only had the one striped ball.
"Watch this," Reno told the girls who were sitting down near the pool table talking to each other.
They look over to watch Reno. He hit the cue ball, sending one of his balls into the corner pocket, the cue ball then spun back and hit his second ball sending it into the side pocket. The girls clapped at the successful double shot. Reno then hit the cue ball towards the eight ball which was sitting in front of a corner pocket, he landed it, winning the game.
"Nice game," Rufus told the redhead. He handed his cue stick to Rude who walked over to rack the balls.
Reno walked over to his drink and chugged it.
"It's my turn to buy," he said, slamming his empty glass on the table. "I'm going to get a round of shots for everyone," he said before heading towards the bar.
Rufus looked around and noticed that all their drinks, except for Reno's, were more than half full. He looks over to Rude to say something but noticed him looking towards the bar with a worried expression on his face.
Rufus looked behind him to see Reno at the bar talking to some young girl with long blond hair dressed in tight leather pants and a leather top. Based on all the leather the girl was wearing, he assumed she was with the gang. Rufus quickly glanced over to the other side of the bar and was relieved to see that none of the gang members have noticed Reno talking to one of their own. He looked back to Reno who now had his arm around the girl and was whispering something into her ear. She giggled and playfully nudged him away causing him to pull her in closer.
"I got a bad feeling about this," Rude mentioned to Rufus.
Reno walked back towards them with a tray full of shots balanced on one hand and his free arm around the girl. "This is Roxy," Reno informed the group.
She was around their age and didn't really look like the other gang members except for the leather, a small tattoo on her arm, and a few piercings in her ears. Roxy waved hello to the group and whispered something in Reno's ear causing him to smile and slap her on the ass. She then giggled and playfully pushed the redhead.
"Reno…" Rude started to say but before he could finish his sentence a huge tattooed covered man with a big green mohawk walked into the bar along with two other men covered in tattoos and piercings.
The two men walked straight towards the group of gang members in the back of the bar without noticing their small group in the corner. The guy with the green mohawk walked over and started talking to the guy with the red spiky hair who pointed over towards them. The guy with the green mohawk then gazed over at them and glared furiously.
"Uh oh…" Rude uttered after seeing what was going on behind Reno's back. "Reno look behind you," he advised his friend.
"What's wrong Rude?" Reno asked not paying attention to what Rude said.
The redhead put the tray of shots on the table, then picked up a shot glass and handed it to Roxy. He then took one for himself and downed it in one gulp, but before he could lay the shot glass down, he was picked up and thrown a few feet across the room. Reno hit his side against the wall before crashing to the ground. He looked up to see a big guy with a green mohawk standing over him.
"What did you do that for?" he ask the man while rubbing his head.
"What're you doin' with my girl?!" the man yelled in Reno's face.
He lifted Reno up by the collar of his shirt and slammed his head and back against the wall.
"Enough!" Rufus yelled at the man.
Shifting his attention to Rufus, the green haired man dropped Reno causing him to fall on the ground.
The green haired man turned to Rufus and glared. "Who're you?" he asked. He took a few steps toward Rufus, trying to intimidate the blond, but Rufus didn't budge and continued to glare back at him.
"John," Rufus replied, not fazed by the man's intimidation tactics. "Why don't you leave my friend alone?"
By now the whole bar was standing around focusing on them with the gang members outnumbering the three boys 5 to 1.
"No," the green haired man responded bluntly. "We're goin' to mess you guys up."
"How about a fair fight?" Rufus proposed. "Just you and me."
The man laughed, glancing up at his fellow members before turning his attention back to Rufus.
"Why would I fight fair?" the man asked. "You're on my turf."
Rufus looked around and as far as he could tell, none of the gang members had any large weapons or guns on their person. He knew his revolver and two grenades were not going to be enough given the size of the group. But he might be able to use his weapon to gain a little leverage. He pulled his shirt up slowly to show the man the revolver stuffed in his belt.
"How about a little wager?" Rufus offered. He knew they were horribly outnumbered, and he had to think of something to try to get out of this predicament. "If you win, it'll be worth your while."
Rufus figured the thought of possibly being shot might be enough to persuade this guy to accept his offer. Having a weapon, he felt he could have an upper hand. Even if he couldn't take down the whole gang with his gun, he knew he could shoot this guy and the guy was probably thinking the same thing.
"What?" the man asked, noticing the gun sticking out of his pants.
"It's a game for someone dangerous like you and the stakes are high," Rufus explained with a smile. "If you win, you have to let my friends go, but you can have this." Rufus pulled 4000 gil out of his pocket and placed it on the table next to him. The man became fixated on the money, that much gil in one place is a rarity. The man was no longer paying attention to Rufus as he continued talking. "But if I win, you have to agree in front of all your comrades here that we get control of this bar."
The man, hearing the last few words Rufus said, took his attention away from the gil and focused on the blond. Rufus did not know the cost of real estate in the slums but considering everything down here was run down, he figured 4000 gil was more than enough to buy the bar and their freedom. Rufus just wondered if this man would be stupid enough to risk his life for it.
"What are the stakes?" the man asked curiously.
"It's a game of life and death," Rufus explained. "In order to win one of us has to die."
"Let me get this straight," the man said, struggling trying to understand the deal. "If you win, you get my bar, but if I win, you get to leave, and I can keep the money?"
"Well, if you win, I won't be leaving because I'll be dead. It's a game of life and death, remember?" Rufus clarified, realizing this guy was an idiot. "But if you win you have to let my friends go."
"What's the game?" the man asked.
Rufus motioned for the two of them to sit at the table he put the money on. Rufus sat on one side with Reno, Rude and the two girls standing behind him. The green haired man sat on the other side of the table with his whole gang standing behind him.
"Have you ever heard of Midgar roulette?" Rufus asked as he took out his revolver and removed all six bullets. He placed the bullets on the table and then took one bullet holding it up to show the man. Without taking his eyes off the man he put the lone bullet in the cylinder of the empty revolver and spun the chamber and quickly closed it with a flick of his wrist as soon as it stopped spinning.
"Are we going to play?" Rufus asked.
The green-haired man nodded in agreement as he glared at Rufus. He assumed this was all a bluff, he didn't think this rich kid would go through with it and at this point he didn't want to look like a wimp in front of his fellow gang members.
With his eyes still fixated on the man, Rufus put the revolver to his temple and slowly pulled the trigger, click. Rufus could hear his friends behind him breathe a sigh of relief when the gun did not go off. He laid the revolver on the table and pushed it over to the man. As he picked it up, Rufus could see a bead of sweat starting to build on the man's forehead. The guy took a deep breath and put the revolver up to his temple, quickly pulling the trigger as he closed his eyes—Click—the man let out a big sigh of relief. He laid the gun down and pushed it over to the blond.
Rufus slowly picked up the revolver and put the gun to his temple. His cold eyes showed no emotion as they stare through the man. Rufus could sense that this was starting to unnerve him. He pulled the trigger, click.
Rufus pushed the gun back over to the man who slowly picked it up, his hands now starting to shake. Rufus could see the sweat on his forehead accumulating as it poured down the side of the man's face. He was about to put the gun to his temple, but finally unnerved from the game, he frowned and pointing the gun at Rufus.
A look of anger appeared on the man's face. "This is bullshit!" he yelled at the blond, realizing how stupid this was. "How about I just take the money and shoot you right now?"
Rufus didn't react to the man's threat. He just continued to sit in his seat with his hands under the table looking calmly at the man who had a gun pointed at his head.
"That's not a good idea," Rufus informed the man with a smirk.
"Why?" the guy asked looking uneasy. There was something about Rufus smirk that worried him. That's when he noticed Rufus' hands under the table. "Let me see your hands," the man demanded as the gun started to shake a bit.
Rufus' slowly raised his hands above the table. In one hand was a grenade with his fingers clasped over the trigger and in the hand was the grenade's pin clearly visible.
"Because if you shoot me, we'll all die," Rufus explained with a malicious smile. The gang members behind the man gasped in fear noticing the grenade separated from its pin.
Realizing he was cornered, the man's hand started to shake in fear. Rufus could sense the man's mind was racing trying to think of his next move. Suddenly, the man dropped the gun on the table and stood up, grabbing the money before running out of the bar as fast as he could.
As soon as the man left the bar Rufus put the pin back in the grenade and released the handle safely. This was not his first time playing this game and the results were always the same: they never take the second shot and they always grab the money and run.
The other gang members gawk at Rufus with a dumbfounded expression on their faces, not exactly sure what to do.
"I guess he forfeits," Rufus informed the group calmly.
He could hear Reno and Rude let out a big sigh of relief behind him. The blond picked up his revolver and loaded the remaining five bullets.
There was silence in the bar as the gang members continued to watch in shock.
"We should get going," Sam anxiously informed Rude, breaking the silence. They sounded a little upset by the near-death experience. Before Rude could even answer, the two girls quickly fled the bar.
"This is awesome," Reno said, slapping Rufus on the back. "You won us a bar!"
"Who says we're goin' to give you our bar?" the spikey red-haired gang member corrected Reno.
"You don't think I won it fairly?" Rufus inquired while shooting the man a grin. "You're leader lost and still took my money."
The man paused for a moment matching Rufus gaze. When he realized that Rufus was not going to back down, he put his hands up in defence and smiled. "Any guy as crazy as you is perfect for the Behemoths," he said to Rufus. "Jeff was a jerk anyways, but we thought he was a tough leader, so we tolerated him. He knew he wasn't as well liked as the last leader so that's probably what motivated him to take the money and run."
After that, the tension in the bar subsided as everyone went back to drinking and conversing. The guy with the spiky red hair stayed near Rufus and the others talking. Rufus and some of the gang members sat at one table talking while Reno, Rude, and Roxy sat at a table next to them.
"Let me get ya a round of drinks," the red-haired man said waiving over to a female gang member who carried over a full tray of beverages.
Reno, Rude, and Roxy grabbed a drink and started talking amongst themselves.
After talking with the spiky haired guy, Rufus determined that he was a decent guy and appeared more intelligent than the idiot who took the gil.
"What are you anyways?" the gang member asked Rufus out of the blue. "Some rich kid from the plate?"
"No, I'm just some gambler from out of town. I'm from the Junon slums," Rufus lied. It was the only excuse he could think of explaining why he would have that kind of money. "What's your name?" Rufus asked the man, trying to change the subject.
"My names Adarious," the man informed Rufus. "But everyone calls me Spike."
Before Rufus could ask another question, the door to the bar opened and a boy entered. He looked like slightly younger than Reno and Rude's and was wearing jeans and a ripped-up jean jacket with patches. He stood by the door frantically looking around the bar for someone.
"What do you want?" Spike asked the boy abruptly, as he if knew him.
"I'm just here to get Don's girls," the young man replied to Spike. "I was told they walked in here after they finished with a client."
"They're not here," Spike informed him. "Now get out, you know you're not welcomed here."
The boy, ignoring Spike, looked around the bar again and stopped at Rude.
"Hey, you," he yelled at Rude, getting his attention. The boy walked past Rufus and Spike's table and stopped in front of Rude's table. "I know you are friends with Kim, where is she? Her boss wants her."
Before Rude could say anything, Reno got up from his seat and stepped in the young man's line of sight, blocking his view of Rude.
"Didn't you hear Spike?" Reno asked him, slurring his words a little. "You're not welcome here, get out!"
Rufus walked up besides Reno, standing next to him with his arms crossed.
"Who are you?" the youth asked, eyeing Rufus.
"I'm John, I own this place," he replied bluntly.
"Well, I'm not leaving until you tell me where the girls are," the man pulled out a gun and pointed it a Rufus and then Reno. His hands were a little shaky and he had a nervous look in his eyes. "Now, tell me where the girls are, and no one gets hurt."
Rufus smirked at the boy, not appearing threated by the gun.
"You really think pulling a gun out is a wise move where you're this outnumbered?" he asked the boy.
"I don't give a shit if it's a good idea or not!" the young man yelled, starting to sound frustrated. "I have to get those girls to my boss and I don't care who I have to go through to get them!" The boy's voice cracked nervously as he spoke. He was so busy talking to Reno and Rufus he didn't see Spike walk up behind him.
"Listen here Rodney," Spike said from behind the boy, grabbing his shoulder to defuse the situation.
The boy was startled by the contact and nervously jumped around to face Spike, but a as soon as he turned his gun discharged and hit the side of Spike's torso. The force of the bullet causes Spike to fall down grabbing his side. The boy dropped the gun fearfully, realizing he just shot an unarmed gang member inside his own bar. All of the other gang members' stood up and rushed towards Rodney enraged.
"I'm sorry!" Rodney yelled, shielding his face with his hands trying to protect himself from the crowd. "I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident!"
A few of the female gang members rush over to help Spike who was groaning in pain on the floor. The other gang members held Rodney, preventing him from fleeing. They all watched Rufus who kneeling next to Spike on the floor.
"Luckily, it's a through and through," Rufus commented as he looked at Spike's wound. "Get him to someone who has a cure materia," he ordered the girls helping Spike. They nodded and helped their injured comrade up and out of the bar.
Rufus turned to Rodney and glared at him.
"I'm so sorry!" Rodney exclaimed, sounding like he was about to cry. "The boss threatened to kill me if I didn't bring the girls to him, he told me to do whatever's necessary!"
Rufus shook his head in disappointment. "Unfortunately for you Spike is well liked around here, you're going to pay for this," Rufus informed the boy then stopped for a moment to think.
Rufus knew this kid was a fool, but he didn't deserve to die. He felt some pity for this boy but knew the gang would want retribution for the assault on a fellow member. After everything he had seen and heard today, Rufus really wanted to teach Corneo a lesson and decided that he would be the ideal scapegoat. As far as Rufus was concerned, it was just as much Corneo's fault for sending the kid. An evil grin appeared on the Rufus's face as he started to formulate a plan. He had to find a way to take the gang's attention away from Rodney and make Corneo the focus of their anger. Luckily Rufus was good at convincing people to see things his way.
Rufus turned to look at the gang members standing behind Rodney. The boy looked terrified as two of the male members were holding him tightly by the shirt.
"Who does this Corneo think he is sending his men on your turf?" Rufus asked the group.
Already upset from the incident with Spike, the gang members called out in agreement before Rufus continued.
"So, what are we going to do about it? If you let him get away with this once, you're essentially giving him permission to do it again. You need to teach him that this is Behemoth territory and that you don't mess with the Behemoths!" Rufus said, prompting all the gang members to shout in agreement. "Who wants to go teach this Don Corneo a lesson?" he asked as the whole group roared in excitement.
Rufus paused waiting for the crowd to stop cheering before he continued.
"So what do we do with little Rodney here?" Rufus asked, turning to the young boy who was still being restrained by two gang members. He looked frightened to death that all the attention was back on him.
"Kill him!" yelled someone from the back of the crowd.
"Hmm," Rufus said, thinking out loud. "I think we should hold on to him for a little bit first; you never know when we might need someone who has knowledge of the enemy's headquarters." Rufus leaned in next to the young man's ear. "If you help us, we'll let you live," he informed the young boy who nodded in agreement.
"Does anyone have any weapons?" Rufus asked the crowed.
One of the gang members closest to the bar walked over and reached behind it. He must have pressed a switch because Rufus heard a click and three large wood panels on the front of the bar opened, revealing several secret compartments. He reached down and opened the panel exposing multiple hand guns, offensive materia, grenades, two shotguns, and a few different rifles, along with several boxes of ammunition.
Rufus smiled wickedly at the sight. "That should do," he said before beginning to explain his plan to the group.
It was 9 PM and Peter was beginning to get anxious, The Don wanted his girls here over an hour ago and so far only one of the three women he requested had shown up. Peter knew if his boss didn't have three to choose from, he was a dead man.
Rodney was sent to get two of them and he still wasn't back yet. Peter knew if Rodney didn't show up soon, he was the one who was going to have to endure his boss' wrath. The last guy to piss the boss off was sent down to the sewer to 'feed' his pet Aps and Peter didn't want to risk joining him.
"Is Rodney back yet?" Tony asked as soon as he walked outside the front of the mansion where Peter was pacing frantically. "Everyone is starting to worry, and just a heads up, the boss is looking for you."
"Shit," Peter cringed.
"Hey, is that Rodney?" Tony asked, gesturing down the street.
Peter looked to see Rodney walking a few feet ahead of two dark figures who were still too far away to identify.
"The kid must have found the girls after all," Tony commented to Peter.
Suddenly, Rodney and the two cloaked figures stopped in their tracks. Tony took two steps towards Rodney to see what was wrong, but he stopped in his tracks and collapsed just as Peter heard a faint noise. Before Peter could react, another faint noise was heard, and he fell to the ground sleeping.
The two men behind Rodney removed their cloaks and put away their materia. They pushed Rodney past the sleeping bodies towards the entrance. Reaching for their weapons, one of the men watched the entrance while the other man whistled loudly. Hearing the whistle, a half-dozen men including Rufus walked out of the shadows towards the entrance.
"How many more men should be inside?" Rufus asked Rodney.
"Usually between four and eight," Rodney replied. "Plus Corneo and any girls that might be inside."
"Okay, everyone, follow my lead and stick to the plan," Rufus informed to the group as he pulled out his revolver. Rufus gave the signal and they stormed the mansion, progressing into the front lobby. They branched off into two groups. Rufus could hear gunshots as two of the gang members ran into the first-floor back room while the rest of them ran up the stairs to the second floor.
Hearing the commotion downstairs, one of Corneo's men ran out of the room at the top of the stairs and came face to face with Rufus's group. Being unarmed, the man raised his hands up in the air, surrendering as soon as Rufus' pointed the gun at his head.
"Take this guy and Rodney down to the basement," Rufus ordered two of the gang members leaving only him and one other male.
The two walked cautiously towards the room the man emerged from. Rufus quickly peeked inside and was unable to see anyone. He signaled to the other man and with their guns drawn they entered a room full of empty bottles and chairs.
As they walked into the lounge, Rufus heard a loud gunshot as the bullet whizzed across the room, just missing his ally. They turned to see a man standing in the right corner of the room holding a gun. Rufus returned the shot hitting one man then quickly turned to his left, aiming his gun at another man he spotted hiding behind a TV. Rufus' associate aimed his gun at a third man hiding underneath a poker table.
"Get out!" Rufus yelled at the two men, prompting them to withdraw from their hiding places with their hands raised.
"Listen to me and you might get out of this alive," Rufus informed the hostages.
Rufus was about to turn to his associate to say something when one of the hostages reached into his pocket for a weapon, but before the crony could brandish it, the window behind him shattered. The hostages were startled as Reno, Rude and three more gang members flew through the window with Reno landing on the armed man.
"Don't even think about it," Reno whispered, spotting the knife. He stood up on the guy's wrist, prying the weapon out of his hand then brushed himself off. "Well, that was fun," he told the group. "Where's Corneo?" he asked Rufus while looking around.
"Haven't found him yet," Rufus informed the redhead. He looked at the three remaining gang members. "Take these three down to the basement with the others."
Following Rufus' instructions, the three men accompanied the hostages out of the room.
"Let's find Corneo," Rufus said and the three of them exited the room.
The next door they came across was in the middle of the hallway and looked more extravagant than the rest. Rufus pushed on the door but it didn't budge. Rufus looked at Rude who, despite being two years younger than him, was taller and more muscular than the blond. Taking his cue, Rude kicked the door open with little effort.
As soon as the three entered the room, they came face to face with a man holding a gun. He pointed it at Rufus' head only to be repaid with Reno and Rude each aiming their weapons back at him. Realizing he was outnumbered, the man dropped his gun and surrendered with his hands up. Reno motioned towards the exit with his weapon, prompting the man to quickly flee from the room.
Reno looked around the tacky office. "He has to be in here somewhere," the redhead commented then started to walk around the room. Reno walked up to a privacy screen located in the top right corner of the room. "Over here!" he called out to the others.
Rufus and Rude followed him into the back room hidden behind the screen. Inside was Don Cornier hiding behind his bed with a half-naked girl standing in the corner.
"Get out of here!" Reno ordered the girl who obeyed, quickly exiting the room.
"Get up Corneo," Rufus ordered the Sector 6 kingpin.
Corneo stood up from behind the bed looking terrified. He studied the three boys nervously. "Do I know you?" he asked Rufus, focusing on the blond.
"No, but I know you," Rufus informed the man with a grin. "I must say Corneo, I am very disappointed with how you are running things down here."
"Your Shinra's boy," Corneo said, now recognizing the blond.
Rufus continued with his speech ignoring Corneo's dim-witted look. "You are paid a lot of money to monitor the slums and report back to Shinra. But what I see is a man who can't even control his own organization or run an effective business. How can you provide Shinra with accurate intel when you don't even know what's happening within your own organization, let alone the slums? Not to mention your security is substandard at best, look how easy it was for us the infiltrate this place…"
"I…" Corneo was just about to talk before being cut off by Rufus.
Rufus could see that Corneo was trying to think of a response but continued his lecture before the man could say anything. "Did you know that your own girls are working with rival gangs helping THEM make money instead of making money for you?" Rufus asked Corneo, not really caring enough to listen for an answer. "If you want to stay on top for much longer, I suggest you start running a tighter ship."
"Rufus, you are right," Corneo says, gobbling at his feet. "Please don't tell your father, I'll do anything you say. I don't want to get cut off!"
"Here's what I'm going to do," Rufus responded. "I won't tell my father about how poorly you run things down here, but you have to do something for me."
This was Rufus first time face to face with Don Corneo and now he understood why he always heard vile things about him. Being around the sleazy man was making him sick and Rufus told himself that as soon as he became president, Corneo would be first on the chopping block.
"I want you to give me 4000 gil and I want you to ensure that the Behemoth's, who generously assisted me today, have a free pass in Sector 6, make sure your men understand that they are untouchable."
"Yes," Corneo answered shaking his head vigorously. "Whatever you say." Corneo crawled over to the chest beside his bed and pulled out a sack of gil. "Here take it all!" he told the three. Rufus picked the gil up and walked towards the exit followed by Reno and Rude.
"Oh, and all your men are in the basement," Reno mentioned to Corneo before exiting the room.
As they entered the main walkway, they found a gang member guarding the top of the stairs leading to the basement. Seeing Rufus, he gestured to his fellow members down below prompting them to come up and exit the residence.
The whole group was riled up by the time they returned to the Sector 1 bar.
After giving Reno and Rude 1000 gil each, a gift for sticking with him the whole day, Rufus threw the bag containing 4351 gil on the table. Luckily for them, Corneo didn't count the gil and gave them 2351 more than requested.
"Any update on Spike?" Rufus asked the group.
"I think I'll live," a voice said from across the room.
Rufus turned to smile at Spike standing in the doorway. The rest of the crowd's eyes follow Spike as he walked towards the group a little slowly but with no visible injuries.
"I heard you guys had some fun tonight," he mentioned to Rufus.
"And for all our trouble raiding his abode, Corneo was kind enough to give us this," Rufus opened the bag to show everyone the mound of gil.
Hearing that, the crowd exploded in cheers.
Rufus handed the bag to Spike. "Well, I think it's time for me to go," he informed his new acquaintance.
"Go?" Spike asks, "I thought you are a Behemoth now?"
"Nah, I'm just passing through," he informed his spikey haired acquaintance. "Just make sure my friends here are treated well if they happened to come by Sector 1 for drinks," he motions to Reno and Rude.
"No problem," Spike replied. "We'll treat them like one of our own."
The three boys say their goodbyes and exited the bar.
"Well, Rufus, there's never a dull moment when you're around," Reno said to the blond as they left Sector 1 heading towards the train station.
It was early hours in the morning and the streets were almost deserted with the odd person walking by. Rufus said goodbye to his two friends and was about to walk away when Reno called out to him,
"Hey Rufus, maybe next time we'll come visit you," the redhead joked. "The people up top won't know what hit them."
"Sure, anytime," Rufus replied before turning and walking away.
As the two boys walked home, Reno turned to Rude.
"Do you think Rufus' gun was rigged when he was playing Midgar Roulette or is he just that crazy?" he asked his friend.
Rude took a second to think before answering. "Donno," he replied. "And he'll probably never tell if you ask."
END