Lying on my back, in my bed, in my apartment, I look through the files. It's not anything too hard from the looks of it; in fact it looks rather easy. I'm to be flown to Bone Village and interrogate a man called Dimitri. He's been spreading the word that he knows Shinra secrets. I need to find out if he actually does know something. If I come to believe that he does know something I'm to apprehend him and take him back to Tseng to see how he knows company secrets. If he doesn't I take him in anyway so they can silence him and stop ruining Shinra's name. What I'm really doing is saving time for the higher ups
I don't think about what they'll do to him when I bring him in. I block it out. I don't think of what'll happen to him. I have to remember that it'll be his own fault and there'll be nothing I can do about it. It makes me wonder for a second if I was cut out to be a Turk after all.
With a sigh, sit up and tuck the papers away. From my bed I crawl over to the window, cross my arms on the ledge and look out. Midgar is brighter here than where I lived with my parents. I can hear people out and about still, even though it's late. Midgar's a funny place. Not funny as in 'haha' funny, but more… strange. Something I couldn't put my finger on.
I close my window and decide to get some rest for the day ahead.
I know that Tseng had told me to be in his office at 6 am, but I'm early. Half an hour early, actually. I'd been worried about getting lost that I'd be late but because next to no one was in the building at this time of the morning it was easier. There were a few secretaries here and there. The security was as tight as ever, but it was easier to find my way this time. I still got a little lost, but it was nowhere near as bad as the day before.
Looking around I see that Tseng has left some papers on his desk. They're neat and orderly, just as they were yesterday. I bite my lower lip. I want to know who my partners will be, and it wouldn't hurt to look would it?
Checking over my shoulder briefly I quietly walk around to the other side of the desk and look at the papers. The first is nothing interesting and the second is the same. On the third I find that Tseng is from Wutai, which I find a little strange considering we were just at war with them. But there's no reason to not trust the man and I'm sure Rufus knew what he was doing when Tseng hired on.
I continue to flip through the files not seeing anything about myself or about another Turk. I saw some notes Tseng had written to remind himself that he has some business with Professor Hojo and to notify Rufus about current Turk affairs. I frown. Nothing looks like it'll tell me who I've been assigned to.
I clean the mess I've made quickly and make sure that everything is how it was before. I stand by the door and I wait for Tseng.
"Oh, Cecilia, you're here already?" comes Tseng's voice.
"Yes," I say, "I wanted to be early."
"Good, good," he says. "This means we can get started early, which is perfect. Alright, follow me."
He leads me out of his office and just from how he holds himself and how he looks that he doesn't think I went through his papers. I know I shouldn't've but I couldn't help it. I decide that I won't do it again. I don't want to get in trouble.
He tells me how to get on and off the helicopter safely because I've never been in one before, wishes me good luck and sends me off.
It's really something to take off in a helicopter. It's surprisingly smooth and to see the land below me move like it did it. It's almost like you're falling upwards away from it. I couldn't help but watch the ground rush by as we flew along to Bone Village. I'd never left Midgar before.
(I haven't done a lot of things)
There's a little village that looks like a quaint little place. Calm and peaceful. I don't have long to look though because we're flying away from that. The next thing I see is the ocean. It's vast and I feel like it's going to swallow me whole. I've never seen anything like it before. My breathing catches for a second as I look on. It stretches out for what looks like forever and ever. I can't stop looking.
"Almost there," my pilot tells me.
"Oh," I say, sort of disappointed that it's ending so quickly. "Thanks," I tell him and just like the guard I'd said thank you to he looked rather shocked that I thanked him. I smile at him briefly, but he refuses to look me in the eye now.
We touch down just outside of Bone Village. It's a little scary getting off a helicopter but I manage. I say thanks to my pilot again and wave as he lifts off. I'll call him when I need him.
The first thing I notice as I get to Bone Village is that the air is clean. I've never breathed in anything like it. I always thought that Midgar was clean, but I guess not. It's crisp and smells fresh. I notice that I don't feel as congested like I must when I'm in Midgar and never realized. It's almost like breathing for the first time.
I walk into the village. It looks to be a sort of excavation site. A small little place and rather out of the way. A perfect spot for hiding away where no one would think of looking. I notice the looks I get. It's my uniform they're looking at. Of course it is. Who doesn't know the Turk uniform?
I have to admit. I rather like it. It fit me nicely and I feel like I'm doing something when I wear it.
The files said Dimitri was held up in the most lavish looking place around and wouldn't be hard to find. I spot it right away. It stood out like a sore thumb. While everything around it are tents and tarps this thing was made from a combination of what looks like dyed mud and bones.
I go up the little rickety ladder that leads up to Dimitri's camp out. I get eyed some more as more people start to notice me, but ignore them and keep on my way. They don't like me, I can tell that much, but they're not going to attack. I can see it. They're not going to attack a Turk. I may not look it, but I'm just as skilled as any of them.
"Hello?" I call walking in. "Dimitri? Are you here?" I pause for a second. I have to choose my words carefully. "I hear you know of something's. They have, how you'd say… caught my interest."
"Has it now?" comes a voice from a fat little man. He's balding but trying to hide it with a terrible comb over. His suit is greasy, dirty, and the most hideous shade of green I've ever seen. He looks the type to be trying to impress, but it's probably to just fool himself. "Who might you be?"
"Claire," I say. I don't trust him with my real name. I flick my eyes over the room looking for anything that could pose an immediate threat, but nothing. I give him a once over too. He looks safe enough.
"And what can I help you with, Claire?" He asks, inviting me to sit across a small table with him.
"Shinra," I tell him. "I've been hearing that you know some secrets about the electric company, and I'm interested."
He leans back in his chair and I don't like how he's looking at me. Like I'm some sort of prize that he can win, like I'm something he can own. I do my best not to frown at him. "Well," he says lazily, "I do know some secrets. I worked hard to get them. I put myself through hell and high water to get them, you know."
"Did you now?" I ask raising my eyebrows up high trying my best to look impressed. "Please, go on."
He licks his lips and I can see a thin film of sweat on him start to form. He's guilty of something. I'm not sure of what yet, but he is. He's either nervous because he's lying to me about what he knows, or he doesn't know if he should share what he knows with me. He looks to me, and I look back, trying to look impressed. Waiting.
"They're top secret these things I know," he says.
I sit up straight and look at him, watching his every move. "Really? Then do tell me," I say, "it mustn't be a problem for you to tell me if you tell near everyone that you know such things."
Dimitri won't look at me now. His eyes are searching for a way out. Any way out. He dosne't like how straight forward I'm being. He's wondering who I am. What I'm doing here, why I'm so intent on hearing these things, he wants to tell the story of how he found out, not the secret. The only thing he hasn't seemed to pick up is my uniform. He doesn't recognize it.
"Come now," I say quickly and he looks at me trying to look composed but failing. I can see right through him. "I'm not going to hurt you," I smile softly, "tell me."
"Are you sure you want to hear? Its grim."
I frown, having lost my patience with the man. He doesn't know anything it was a show. He just wanted to look cool. He'd tell me a story of how he slipped through all of the security, how he'd almost died and I'd be so impressed he could do what ever he wanted without ever telling a so called secret.
I see him watch the change in my face and he realizes I know he doesn't know anything. He realizes that I mean business and that he's in trouble.
He gets up quick throwing the table up with him. I'm fast too. I jump around the table as Dimitri tries to stumble out the back. Taking long strides I leap, grabbing the fat man around his spare tire of a waist. We tumble to the ground head over heels into the dirt. Some people near us look on but they don't move still. I have Dimitri under me, pinned to the ground. We're both breathing hard. Despite my size and weight he knows not to move or I'll slash his throat with the knife I have to his neck.
"I need that helicopter," I say into my hidden earpiece, "I need now."
I don't relax but I let out a sigh. I'm lucky this guy was so fat and that it was an easy capture.