Days of Exile

Chapter 9 – Breakfast With A Detective

12 December 0007

When Reeve Tuesti opened his eyes, his first question was, Has it happened yet?

But he couldn't make himself switch on the television. Normally, switching on to the Shinra news will be the last thing a Shinra employee on a vacation does. However, his reluctance was more than just to avoid reminders of his ending vacation.

Reeve stared at the clock above him in the Shinra Villa. It was only ten in the morning. He supposed that he still had some time to work on his mini project, grab lunch, walk by the beautiful beach of Costa del Sol…

Maybe by then he'll be able to bring himself to switch on the television.

He sat up from the bed, wondering just how many days in a year did President Shinra actually use his villa in Costa del Sol. Mostly, they were used for in-house functions, family gatherings (that was a thing of the past) and…

"You're tired. Why don't you take a couple of days off and go somewhere?"

With a roar, Reeve grabbed something nearest to him, which happened to be a lampstand, and flung it onto the floor. The metal bars bent and the lightbulbs shattered upon impact, but Reeve didn't care. Let the caretaker deal with it.

Reeve stopped himself before other possessions in the villa face the same predicament as the lampstand. He gave an exasperated grunt and stood up. He had kept his emotions to himself yesterday, releasing his emotions on creating that metal toy bird instead. "It's a slip of emotion." Reeve told himself. "A very rare slip." He mentally instructed himself not to do it again.

So what if Shinra uses the villa to keep their protesting but valuable employees at bay? So what if Reeve was one of those employees that Shinra was trying to get rid of while they execute their plans? There was absolutely nothing he could do. He walked away from the situation, he didn't protest further after President Shinra announced the dropping of the Plate. Reeve was a man of goodness... but not a man of justice...

Reeve sighed. Maybe eating will help him push the thoughts out of his head… for now. "I should get some breakfast…" He slipped on a shirt and locked the door of the villa. "Or maybe something to drink…"

The Costa del Sol sun hit his face like a megawatt lamp, like those that the Turks used in their interrogations. Excited shrieks of children echoed in the distance, muffled slightly by the gentle tide. Suddenly he felt like returning to the villa again, but his growling stomach protested. I need to eat something. He told himself. Reeve kept his head low and walked briskly towards the bar.

When Reeve entered the bar, there was only one more person apart from the innkeeper. A man sat by the triangular bar counter, looking too big and burly for the small barstool. He recognised him, and looking at the stunned and then wary expression on the other man's face, the burly man recognised him as well. The two men stared at each other, sizing each other up. Reeve knew exactly what the man was thinking and weighed out the pros and cons of the situation. Finally, Reeve decided to walk towards the man. "Is this seat taken?"

The man replied stiffly. "I don't have much of a choice to refuse, do I? You bunch of-" He stopped himself before he could let his emotional words become a disadvantage.

Smiling in spite of himself, Reeve sat next to the man and ordered scrambled eggs and toast. The man peered at him sideways through the entire order, anticipating Reeve to do something. Finally, Reeve looked at the man. "Mason… that's your name right?" He asked. "You were a Turk."

Mason scoffed. "Why ask if you had already known?" He paused to take a sip of juice. "Why is the head of Urban Development looking for me in Costa del Sol? I'm not going back to Midgar, no matter what you say."

"You flatter yourself." Reeve said mildly. "I am here on a vacation."

The sandy-haired man looked at Reeve curiously, but soon he understood the implications of Reeve's words. "I see." He said finally. He knew about the 'strategies' of Shinra. He was a Turk, after all. "So what did you do, save a lonely kid along the streets?" Mason finally smirked a little. "You actually seem like the sort, even though we've never directly met before."

"The actions of the company are kept confidential." Blurted Reeve before he could stop himself. Ingrained. Every single word was ingrained into him since his first day in the Shinra Building.

"Of course you wouldn't tell me." Mason scoffed sarcastically. "Wouldn't have thought you as a good guy any other way." Reeve kept quiet, so Mason continued. "What about Cait Sith?"

Reeve thought about his robotic cat that he controlled for spy activities. Cait Sith had briefly met the Turks before they left the company and that was how he knew Mason. "Cait Sith has gotten an additional part, a Moogle, to help him fight. I suppose it would be easier to fight now." Talking about one of his favourite creations made him feel a little better. "However, I had to reconfigure him to be able to ride on the Moogle, so I'm afraid he dropped the rhyming speech pattern."

Mason finally laughed, a warm hearty laugh that made Reeve remember that the Turks weren't as unfeeling as he thought. Then again, this was Mason he's talking to. "What a relief! But I think Meia would be-" Again, he stopped himself before he could say more.

"Relax. I'm not going to probe you for the whereabouts of the renegade Turks."

"So Mr Tuesti..." Mason struggled to find the correct words to say.

"Call me Reeve."

"Alrighty. Reeve... I suppose if you were sent here to take a forced vacation, it must be them stopping you from doing something that will hinder them right?"

"And you would suppose that I'm on a 'forced vacation because...?"

Mason shrugged. "Isn't it normal for Shinra to do that to their employees? No one takes a vacation that easily unless they are forced to. A particular SOLDIER First Class was forced to take a vacation here as well, years ago, so that he cannot affect others' mood with his thoughts of his deceased mentor."

They fell silent as they thought of Zack Fair. Reeve shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You know these things very well, don't you?"

Mason grinned. "I am from the Department of Administrative Research. Rather, I was."

A short silence fell upon them before Mason spoke again. "Reeve, sir. Of all the people in Shinra, the Turks aside, I believe that you are the only one who thinks logically and most importantly, your thoughts are of concern for a better life. Not just for Shinra and yourself, but for the slums." The martial artist gave a sheepish grin. "Across the department, all of us thought that you were the most decent man of the lot."

Reeve bowed his head slightly. "I'm flattered."

"No, you don't need to be." Mason stared at his drink, half-empty. "You were the only one who gives a care about what happened to the people outside Shinra. The others only worry about promotion and licking the boots of the President. But you, you actually walk to the slums to look at the living conditions there."

Reeve wanted to correct Mason by saying that he was walking in the slums mainly to visit his mother when he realised that all these years, he was followed by Turks whenever he visited the slums. Hiding both amusement and irritation behind his face, Reeve shook his head. "Be careful what you say."

It was then that Mason realised that he made his habitual mistake again – allowing his emotions control his mouth. Quickly apologising, he spoke quietly. "The Turks, at least the one who left... We have been doing the dirty work for Shinra for years. But when we left the company, it was probably a sign that we've reached the limit of our compromise."

Suddenly, Reeve felt even more awkward. Inside, he was wondering when the food will be served, so that he could quickly eat it and leave Mason before he could say anything that will affect him more. However, there was a tiny tug in his heart that made him ask, "What were you doing before you became a Turk?"

"A detective around here." Mason shrugged. "Never thought that I'll be alive to say it, but now that I'm no longer a Turk, I'm back in the detective business."

Indeed. Reeve thought. No Turk has ever left Shinra alive. In the contract it was written that the Turk will serve the company for as long as the company require his services. By common understanding, it meant until the day the Turk dies, or loses his identity.

"As you may know…" Mason continued, but in a slightly sheepish tone now. "I have a bad problem with keeping my emotions to myself. That got me into massive trouble in my last detective assignment."

"What happened?"

"I realised that the suspect whom I was investigating on was innocent, but no one believed me."

Reeve nodded, know where that led to. "I suppose being a Turk helped you with your emotion handling better?"

"Naw." Mason replied. "I'm still pretty much the same. Some things can be negotiated. But there are things that you believe in that you must follow and abide by. For me, I cannot work against justice."

"Pretty ironic coming from a Turk."

Mason grinned. "… That would be the reason why I'm always getting such a bad performance bonus in Shinra." As they chuckled, Mason spoke quietly. "Reeve, you cannot deny it. You are here because you protested against something that fell upon deaf ears. If what you believe in is the truth, then follow your heart and don't let anyone take that away."

The head of Urban Development sat listening quietly to a subordinate who was talking as if he was some philosopher. However, Reeve cannot deny that there was truth, a lot of it, in the martial artist's simple words. Reeve smiled.

When the food arrived, Mason and Reeve were talking comfortably, avoiding the sensitive questions neatly and cautiously. Anyone sitting near them would've have thought that they were two newly acquainted strangers, and not previous colleagues in a company called Shinra.

When Reeve returned to his villa, he went back to working on his metal bird but he didn't have to take long. By noon the bird is complete. Reeve took a deep breath and looked at the metal bird sitting on his palm, the thoughts of everything that had happened simmering to a gentle buzz behind his head. The ringing of Reeve's PHS made him jump. It was a message from someone in Public Safety – a helicopter will pick him up at three sharp. Reeve took the bird to the little wooden veranda behind the villa and stared at the bright expanse of pure blue sky.

It was time to let go.


When Meia woke up, she almost couldn't recognize the place that she was in. It was the first time that she was in Rod and Cassie's house, a fairly well-maintained garage in the Sector 2 slums. It used to be Rod's biker gang's hideout, but apparently it was abandoned shortly after Rod became a Turk. Back in Kalm, Rod tossed Meia his extra set of keys in case she needed a place to stay. Of course she did. The only other residence for Meia was the streets of the Sector 4 slums.

It took Meia some time to get used to the switches and appliances in the garage but she managed. Life had been much easier when she was just a slum kid, but that was eight years ago. She giggled to herself, thinking about her former-comrade Jasper. Now that he had returned to Bone Village to inherit his father's business, he must be really irritated with the lack of independence to even dress himself. Meia considered texting Jasper to tease him and ask how he was coping with his new troop of servants, but soon the thought disappeared. If she wanted to catch up, she should at least wait till the untrackable PHSes arrive.

The garage had enough space for a large number of people; three small bedrooms, a decent bathroom and a kitchenette. Rod's biker gang must've enjoyed their hideout a lot. The garage was currently empty; Rod and Cassie were not back since they've parted ways at Kalm. The couple had gone to meet their supplier, the one who will give them the untrackable PHSes.

There wasn't much time for Meia to think any further. She quickly donned her disguise and slipped on her wig. This time, she had her own clothes to mix and match and Meia was inwardly glad that she didn't have to wear clothing that were much too long for her. A brief check in the mirror told Meia that she was ready for a new day in Shinra.

Better get some breakfast before work. Meia thought. A long day awaits.


Reeve felt himself fidgeting in the helicopter. Lou, the army pilot who came to Costa del Sol to pick him up, must've noticed. He kept talking to Reeve, as if he could ease the tension. Reeve didn't bother to rebuke him; he was a rookie after all. What did he know?

As the helicopter neared Midgar, he looked at the city that he helped – no, created. Just like how a gardener knows every root and shoot in each plant, Reeve knows every pipe and tile placed in this metropolis. He didn't need to look at the city, he knew where everything was and how they looked like.

But he made himself look at the destruction.

No, he did not make the destruction with his own hands, but by walking away, there was no difference.

As the helicopter landed on the helipad, Reeve numbly thanked Lou and walked back to his office, his mind clearing up bit by bit. As soon as he's back at his desk, Reeve began to draw up plans for a new Sector Seven. He will deliver a grand proposal by the executive meeting this evening. He has enough time to draw a rough sketch, but one that clearly showed the new Sector 7. He will rebuild Sector 7... and in his own way, put an end to the suffering of the slums.

The sides of his mouth lifted slightly. President Shinra must know of this plan. He will support it, the citizens of Midgar will support it. Then Reeve will no longer need to worry, no longer need to compromise.


On Floor 66, Reeve looked at his colleagues and wondered how the meeting would end today. Every department head wanted the meeting to end in their favour, their conditions. It was clear in their small talk, their forced laughs, the way their eyes lit up when the President of Shinra walked in. Reeve knew that in their minds, they cared nothing but themselves. There was a slight smell that seemed to have come from the toilets as well. Reeve put a mental note in his mind to ask the plumbers to do a check later.

He vaguely heard the President mumble something to everyone in the boardroom in general and suddenly, his name. Pushing unnecessary thoughts to the back of his mind, Reeve stood up and regarded everyone with confidence. "We have the damage estimates for Sector 7." He clicked on his powerpoint remote, and slides that he had just created when he returned from Costa del Sol flashed across the screen. "Considering those factories we've already set up and all the investments, the damage is estimated at approximately 10 billion gil..." Reeve paused for effect, but in vain. None of the executives looked the least bit interested. Scarlet was even checking her nails as he spoke. Reeve cleared his throat; there was no way he was going to back down now. "The estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is…"

President Shinra cuts him off. "We're not rebuilding." He said firmly.

"... What?" Reeve asked weakly. He almost dropped his remote control, but his proposal did fall from his hands and land on the table in a mess. Reeve barely noticed.

Everyone turned their heads towards the President at the shocking news, giving the President the effect he wanted. "We're leaving Sector 7 as it is." The blond said. "And restarting the Neo-Midgar plan."

The name hadn't been mentioned for such a long time, Reeve almost forgotten what it was. The Neo-Midgar Project was conceptualised around the same time the Shinra Electric Company did. President Shinra envisioned a future for Midgar, situated in the Mako-rich land located somewhere on the Planet, the natives called it the Promised Land. There he will build a new Midgar who will live on endless supply of Mako. The Promised Land was a land sacred to the ancient beings of the Planet, the Cetra, and has been elusive for the past few centuries since the slow extinction of the Cetra. It was because of this that Shinra had been tracking down the last Ancient, Aerith Gainsborough, for decades, hoping that she would lead them there.

Reeve felt his confidence and strength ebb by the second. He spread his hands towards the President. "... then the Ancients?" He asked lamely. The last time he checked, the Ancient was less than willing to meet Shinra, much less cooperate with them.

"The Promised Land will soon be ours," was his only answer. Turning to Reeve, Leon Shinra said, "I want you to raise the Mako rates by 15% in every area."

"Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra, la, la!" sang Palmer with a coarse voice, the head of the Space Program. He literally jumped up and down without the maturity and etiquette of an adult. Reeve hid a flash of irritation by narrowing his eyes at the balding man. "And please include our Space Program in the budget!" He almost snorted at President Shinra hopefully.

Ignoring the animated behaviour of his subordinate, President Shinra continued. "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase."

Beside Reeve, Scarlet almost laughed with joy. She quickly hid it under a civilised cough and smiled at the President sweetly. Only the other executives knew her gloats will outlast her actual triumph.

On the other hand, Palmer knelt on his chair and smacked his head on the polished table, not caring if he was rubbing his receding hairline against the mahogany. "Oh man!" He moaned. Reeve wanted to remind him that they were in a board meeting but he didn't have to. With a swift hand, Heidegger pulled the stout man up against his seat and control was restored again.

"Sir." Reeve argued. "If you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence…"

"It'll be all right." President Shinra assured him. "The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence, they'll trust Shinra, Inc. even more."

Finally, Heidegger burst into a hearty laugh at the comment. "After all, we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!"

A surge of irritation rose within Reeve again but he kept it cool. It was common – to do things and then push the blame to others. It was a dog-eat-dog world and people strove to climb the ladder, even if it means pushing away others to reach the goal. Reeve drew a deep breath and looked at President Shinra. There had to be another way to show the President that his decision was a bad one... but he saw President Shinra's expression. It was one where Reeve knew that Shinra's decision was final.

The meeting progressed without much interruption, but Reeve's attention drifted. He barely noticed Professor Hojo walking in and talking. He did catch something about experimenting on the Ancient and again he frowned, but this time, he did what he always did. Reeve kept quiet.

When the meeting came to an end, Reeve barely remembered walking back to his office. Whatever that happened to him and that detective during breakfast seemed like a lot of bullcrap now. All he knew, as he slumped at his desk and threw his stack of drawings into the paper shredder, was that he compromised. Again.


Tseng's report was simple. He had reported that he had captured the Ancient, Aerith Gainsborough. After sending Aerith to Professor Hojo, Tseng quickly discovered that the new AVALANCHE, the same group who successfully bombed Mako Reactor 1, had infiltrated the Shinra Building and was making their way up Floor 60. The President of Shinra had sent orders to capture AVALANCHE because he would like to meet them.

Rude has never met the new AVALANCHE, so Reno filled him in on the description of the people in AVALANCHE…

"Well, first of all, there's this huge dude who substituted his arm for a Gatling Gun." Reno had said, acting out a man who shot things out of his arm crazily. "Then this chicken head whom I saw talking to Aerith yesterday. He had this sword strapped on his back, that kinda looked like the slick's. Really weird. How did he find it?" Reno looked at Rude. "Oh yeah, and one more. Tifa Lockhart."

Tifa. Rude furrowed his brows deeper. Why Tifa? Why is she in Midgar?

Of course she had to be in Midgar. She couldn't possibly be in Nibelheim, not when Sephiroth burned it to the floor. Even though Shinra had covered it up by sending its employees to act as Nibelheim citizens, there was no way Tifa could've stayed in Nibelheim. Rude wished he could speak with Tifa, explain to her everything that had happened. But he knew it was impossible. Firstly, because Rude knew his place in Shinra better than Reno did. He wouldn't say anything that will jeopardize Shinra. Secondly, he knew that talking to Tifa would be futile. In her heart she hated Shinra – wasn't that the reason why she joined AVALANCHE?

Rude took a deep breath and pushed his sunglasses against his nose. Whether he liked it or not, he will nab the intruders and send them to the President.

They were outside the headquarters, having dinner when the call came. Rude remembered how excited Reno was about finding them, but he didn't get far. Reno' stomach acted up once they entered the Shinra Building and they visited the infirmary. It was then that they discovered that Reno's fight with AVALANCHE landed Reno with more than just external injuries – Reno suffered some internal damage in his stomach. The nurse immediately sent the sulking redhead to rest and Rude was left to search for AVALANCHE.

The Shinra Building was a majestic structure of winding corridors and levels of different offices and laboratories. Finding people in Shinra Building was just like finding a needle in a haystack. It's near impossible to find anyone in the building without relying on their PHSes.

So Rude must have been really lucky when he spotted a suspicious character on Floor 66. A blond man who carried a sword. Zack Fair's sword. Rude did a double take when he saw that. He remembered Zack Fair's sword very well. How did this 'impostor' (as coined by Reno), dressed in SOLDIER First Class uniform, have Zack Fair's sword? It almost seemed as if Zack had revived… just with different hair.

The blond man turned towards the elevator, and Rude stealthily followed him. As he entered the lift, Rude followed. Upon realizing an extra presence, he turned and started when he saw Rude. "H, Hey! What is it?" Cloud stammered. Rude almost took a step back in surprise. It even almost sounded like Zack Fair.

Controlling his emotions, Rude pointed up. "Would you press 'Up' please?" Rude asked politely.

"Turks? Must be a trap…"

Rude smirked. Behind him, he felt a familiar presence and stepped aside. Tseng stepped into the lift as well. Rude jammed the 'Door Close' button, trapping him inside.

"It must have been a real thrill for you…" Tseng said mockingly, looking at the man. He surely caused lots of trouble these few days "Did you enjoy it?" Cloud glared at them and growled in response.

As the lift travelled up, Rude peeked at him. President Shinra ordered to see all of them upon capture. He knew that some SOLDIERs are trying to catch the other people in the party as well. It will be without a doubt that President Shinra will toss them into confinement and then it'll be up to the Turks for further questioning.

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose. He could imagine Reno's enthusiasm to break some noses and bones for interrogation. This time, Rude wouldn't stop him. The blonde impostor was simply too curious to let him be.


There wasn't anything important for Meia to do today. Professor Hojo refused to let Meia participate in any of his research, since Meia was a greenhorn in Science research. So Meia spent another day clearing the files in his private Archives. Meia had been reading random documents here and there, but she could find nothing on Project S… until she found an unmarked document, slipped in between the folders named 'Animal Genes' and 'Animating Shinra Sweepers'.

To her delight, they were the earliest notes on the inception of Project S. Forgetting her task to organize the room, Meia sat down and started reading. Her joy vaporised quickly when she discovered that the report was only a thin file which revealed absolutely nothing of interest. The report only stated a brief outline about a lot of scientific terms and jargon that made Meia's head ache.

Meia set the report down with a groan and finally concluded that Professor Hojo left nothing of importance, which meant that the real reports were kept in the actual venue of experimentation – the Shinra Mansion. But how can I ever access those files? She thought in despair.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get to a conclusion, Meia contented herself by reading a large stack of files relating to Sephiroth ever since he joined Shinra. It was unexpectedly an easy read. Meia enjoyed reading the details about Sephiroth, his training results and his multiple victories in combat examinations. Even at the young age of 8, Sephiroth had shown incredible potential that quickly allowed him to rise among the ranks to become SOLDIER First Class by the tender age of 15.

Meia soon finished all the papers on Sephiroth, which barely helped her with what she was looking for. I'll search again tomorrow. She decided. Then, she went to look for something that Veld had told her to do. Since that thing was not as confidential as Sephiroth, Meia found it easily.

Hours must have passed since she started reading, but Meia did not stop. She was growing tired and hungry, but she pressed on. Meia was determined to finish everything that was documented on Sephiroth and the issue that Veld had told her to find. Meia found what she was looking for easily, but what she read in the reports greatly troubled her.

"No way…" She muttered to herself. Her tired eyes scanned across the report again, but there was no mistaking whatever that she had read. Meia sat on the floor in distress. "Who can ever stop it?"

Just as she uttered those words, a loud blast occurred somewhere above the floors.


Aloha! I have been really sick the past week, thank goodness for backup chapters! I'm sure you guys know where my story is according to the main FF7 plot right? Psst... Cloud and gang are infiltrating Shinra Building to rescue Aerith... Wait, do you guys even know the FF7 story?

Okay guys, I know that once again, my story is kinda slow and draggy. I promise you, you will not need to wait 20 chapters before things get exciting, alright? Just… stay in there and don't give up on me! *hopeful face*

Now for review replies, because I've been too sick to even reply!

Takara: You'll see soon enough :)

TWA: Security cameras? My dear, there are no cameras in the Turk Floors. They are extremely confidential. No one in Shinra knows where the Turk offices are (because it is not reflected in the Shinra directory!). I did mention somewhere in "I Want To Be A Turk!" that the Turks cannot be found easily. Due to their confidential job nature, they don't need surveillance cameras. The only ones who could possibly have access to them is the President and Heidegger. Let's just assume that they can't be bothered with the Turks, huh? But true, I totally did NOT consider security cameras. No one really wants to see a bunch of half-naked men in the pantry drinking beer and stuff, honestly :P

IceQueen69: Precisely because they are villain protagonists, I feel I'm not doing a good job making them evil enough, hehe!

Rachel: So flattered by your review! You better pay attention in Maths lessons!

Cloudstrifefinalfantasy and Don'tgotaclue88: thank you and hope you liked this chapter!

Jefri: Wahaha, thanks Jef! :D But I'm too lazy to change the mistake!