It was Elena's first day on the job. She had been promoted after Reno got injured in a fight against Avalanche. She was so nervous that she would screw up on her first day that she didn't sleep at all last night, and she really should have. She had a meeting with Tseng first thing and he started his day early.

She walked into Turk headquarters, which was located on the top level of Shinra HQ right below the President's offices. Just being this high up, figuratively and literally, was enough to scare any cadet shitless. Just hold it together. She repeated over and over again.

The Turk members were real busybodies. She had heard rumors, from Reno mostly, of a former Turk named Cissnei who deserted not too long ago. She had to wonder if this had anything to do with her promotion. They told her it was because of Reno's injuries, she was to start on trial basis, but she was barely finished with her training, and besides that she was not the best in her class, not even third best.

She checked in with security and made her slow ride up the elevators to the top floors. She kept checking her watch. These elevators really took too long. She was going to be late. She huffed and puffed, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped in this glass cage for another 5 minutes at least. She should have managed her time better. She felt a migraine coming on and saw tiny specs in the corner of her eye.

When she got off on her floor, she only had 2 minutes until her meeting with Tseng. She had never really talked to him before, only saw him when he came by the Academy to train cadets. But Tseng was a very busy man and most of her training was under Rude. Reno came by often too, but mostly only to flirt with the female cadets. It gave her migraines remembering him on campus, surrounded by all those girls and having the time of his life, acting like he ruled the world. He really annoyed her sometimes, well most times actually.

She walked right in, too busy to check in and started to run as she looked for Tseng's office. She'd never been up this high before and the halls were wide and confusing. Nothing was labeled, or even numbered. Shit! She couldn't just open every door to see if one of them was Tseng's. As she was running down the hall she plowed right into someone who just came from a door. She fell flat on her butt and it made a loud cracking sound. Shit! That would be the phone in her back pocket. Turk issued she only got it yesterday. Now she would have to ask for another one.

It felt like she ran into a brick wall. Oh yes, here came one of her migraines again. She looked up to see what she hit and her vision was a little blurry. "Elena," a hand reached out to help her up. A strong hand! She was pulled up in one sweeping motion to her feet. She felt dizzy, trying to get her vision back. "Are you okay?"

She recognized that voice. "Rude?" she asked looking at the blurry figure in front of her. She then remembered he was her superior. "Ah, I mean, Rude, Sir."

"Wow, you're in a hurry!" he remarked.

Oh no! Her meeting. "I have to get to Tseng's office," she yelped, clearly in panic mode. "Please, please," she was begging him, pulling on his jacket, not remembering her position. "Tell me where it is."

"Calm down," he straightened her out. "It's right here." He pointed to the door he had just come from.

"Oh," she sighed. She then felt embarrassed over her outburst. "I see, thank you." She tried to make herself sound as professional as she could.

"He's expecting you." Rude told her. "Go straight in."

She saluted him and he smirked at her under his glasses. She felt like an even bigger idiot. He opened the door for her and she walked in.

Tseng's office was huge and intimidating. It was bare except for a large desk at the end. Tseng was sitting behind it, writing something on his desk. Behind him the entire wall was a window overlooking Midgar and everything in his office was green tinted from the view.

He didn't stop writing, or even look up to acknowledge her presence, and she didn't know if she should sit down or introduce herself or wait for him, so she just stood there mulling the choices over in her head.

He then stopped writing and looked up at her, his face was not welcoming. "You're 2 minutes late," he remarked, eyeing her like a hawk.

"Sorry, Sir," she spoke; her voice was a little too high. "Won't happen again, Sir." Damn, she was fidgeting.

He placed his hand on the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He looked annoyed, or maybe that was how he always looked she'd never seen him, you know … normal. "Just sit," he commanded her. She sat in the chair in front of him, wincing when she felt the pieces of her broken phone in her back pocket.

"Now," he began in his usual 'work voice,' it was voice that was calm and collected, but had within it a tinge of hostility warning you not to fuck with him. "I'm sure you've been briefed on all the basics at the Academy, but his is not the Academy. This is the real thing," he eyed her suspiciously as he said that.

"Yes, Sir!" Elena piped up. "I know, Sir, that is why I am here. I placed …"

He just nodded stopping her from continuing. "I know of your records," he said. "But I need to explicate to you that things are different out in the field. In the Academy you follow rules, but here you follow me. Whatever it is I tell you to do, you do. What I say goes, so to speak, even if it is in direct conflict with other orders. You obey my commands above all others."

Elena stared at his mouth as he said those words. A thought formed in her mind, what about Heidegger? Wasn't he head of the Turks? If she followed Tseng's orders over his …

"Are you clear on this?" He asked and his voice sounded more commandeering than usual.

"Yes," she then replied plainly as her head cleared.

He looked her over for a moment. "Good," he then said. "You may go."

"Thank you, Sir," Elena stood up and saluted him. He just waved her off.

"Oh wait, before you go."

"Yes," Elena turned around.

"Keep your phone on you always, even when you sleep, keep it next to your bed. Don't forget it, ever. I will need to contact you at any and all times."

About that …

Elena held her breath and then exhaled slowly. "Sir, about that," she began.

He glared at her, "Is there a problem?"

"Well," she reached into her back pocket bringing out the broken phone pieces, "there's been an accident."

His face hardened she thought he was going to blow up like a bomb monster. "You will be issued another phone immediately, talk to Joanne at the front desk. And nothing better happen to this one," he warned. She felt like digging herself a hole to crawl into and die.

"Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir. I won't happen again, it was a one-time thing. Usually I never …"

"Elena," he interrupted. He looked irritated and tired; she hoped it wasn't because of her. Shit! She never knew how to hold her tongue. "That will be all, you are dismissed," he finished and went back to his paper.

"Yes, Sir," Elena saluted and walked out the door feeling mortified. At least she didn't get fired on her first day. She had that to be grateful for, but her head was killing her. It was a migraine. She had to go to the Infirmary, fast. She past the front desk and then stopped, turning back around. Priorities, Elena! She needed to find Joanne and get a new phone.

After Elena had left Rude stood in Tseng's office, casually leaning against the wall, looking out onto Midgar below. "You think she's right for this?" he asked glancing over at Tseng sitting at his desk.

"Honestly, if she were any other cadet I would have fired her right then and there," Tseng growled.

Rude smirked. "She does have a certain charm."

Tseng shrugged, feeling weary. "She's the only one …capable of this job," he said and looked over at Rude, his face serious.

"If she were smarter she would figure us out you mean," Rude responded.

Tseng shot his hand up to his mouth, signaling Rude to be quiet. Rude just nodded. "I'll call you with the details later." Rude just nodded again and left. When he was gone, Tseng looked out into Midgar. No matter how hard he searched, he knew Aerith wasn't in it anymore. She'd fled with Avalanche out of the city overnight. Even more distressing, the President was murdered by Sephiroth late last night and they had told no one yet. Waiting for the right chance to introduce the successor, Rufus. He hadn't slept at all and he needed time to think.

She arrived at the Infirmary just in time. Her head was pounding. She took the pills the nurse had given her. She just needed to rest her head for a little while. She lay down on a spare bed in the middle of the room. She could only lie on her side and tried her best not to move her head – any movement only made it worse.

Tseng, he was different than what she had expected. What he had said about taking orders from him, what about Heidegger? She figured it was because he got his orders from Heidegger; maybe Heidegger couldn't be trifled with to deal with the underlings? It was strange, but in truth she didn't mind taking her orders directly from Tseng one bit. Oh, she thought, he's so handsome.

She closed her eyes and became lost in a fantasy. She was standing on a balcony overlooking the sea. The wind was blowing through her head. Tseng walked up behind her and placed his hand on the back of her neck. She turned to look up at him. He leaned down, his lips …

"Well, well, lookie what we have here." She flashed her eyes open, rudely awakened from her lovely daydream. She couldn't turn her head to look at whom it was but she didn't have to. In front of her, with the curtains around his bed pulled back was a grimacing Reno.

Oh, great! Just what her migraine needed.

"The new recruit," his aqua eyes sparked at her. "I just love fresh meat."

Ugh – God! Couldn't he see that she was in pain and just wanted to sleep? She wanted to tell him off, but reminded herself that he was her superior. She just glared at him. "I have a headache," she replied, hoping he would get her drift and leave her alone. He didn't seem to regard her and just kept going.

"Yes sirrie, the nurses have been very kind to me, and I mean very kind indeed. I get jello whenever I want it." He winked at her.

God, gag me! She couldn't move she'd become numb from the pain. She watched him suck on a plastic dessertspoon trying to get all of the jello he could out of the little jello cup they'd given him. She watched him and wondered how he ever became a Turk. She noticed that he had a bandage on his arm and a splint on his leg, elevated by the gurney. Those Avalanche people must have roughed him up pretty bad.

"So what are you in for?" He asked swinging his head over in her direction.

"Headache," she replied curtly.

"Hah!" he snorted. "Headache? Take an aspirin, no need to be here."

"Oh, I see you've never had migraines before," she snapped at him. She was irritable right now.

"Ooh," he howled at her and pointed his plastic spoon at her. "That attitude won't get you far around here, sweet thing."

She calmed her temper. "I just need to lie down for a little while, then I'll be fine, back to work in no time." She tried to give him a little smile.

"Rest while you can," he just shrugged, "I'm not Tseng."

I noticed. "Thank you," she just responded weakly.

"Hey, cheer up," he leaned in closer to her. "I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Hmm?"

"Last night," he spoke in a voice just above a whisper, and looked around to see if there was anyone in the room. "Sephiroth reappeared – he broke in and killed the President."

She was shocked but all she could do as lay there. Wow, what a shock.

"They're getting Rufus ready right now for his 'big debut.' I'd watch out around here if I were you, sweet thing," he shook his head at her as he told her that.

She couldn't say anything; she was numb both physically and mentally. All of the sudden her newly issued phone rang. It was Tseng. "Yes," she answered.

"I'll meet you in 5 minutes, Sir," but before she could say goodbye he had hung up on her.

"That'd be Tseng," Reno laughed, "the man with no use for platitudes."

She sat up but not without great pain and effort.

"Welcome aboard," Reno saluted her. "Enjoy being Tseng's lapdog."

As much as she was thrilled at the prospect his words didn't sound comforting. Her head was pounding as she left the Infirmary to meet Tseng.