Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews again! It's been a pleasure to read them and they really got me motivated to write on – even if, due to university and the reluctance of my muse – it took me until now to finish this chapter.
This chapter is mainly addressing the stolen vial and its circumstances.
I hope you will enjoy.
Chapter 43: Elena: A Stolen Vial
16. April, Wednesday
Elena was still shocked. It was not that Rufus looked particularly bad (not that he looked very well, either); he would live even if it had been a rather close call. It was also not because Rufus had almost been killed by an icicle (lots of people had and quite a few by materia icicles) but that one of the Shin-Ra employees had tried to kill him, serving him with poisoned food on top. That just... could not be. War, terrorists, had always been so far away. Not – not directly in their living quarters.
Tseng, of course, was furious.
Elena was just shocked. They had not found out anything about this group of terrorists, yet, and the terrorists had almost managed to murder Rufus while they had been completely unprepared and helpless to react... well, almost helpless. They did not even know whom that woman had been in contact with. Rufus had been so thorough with knocking her unconscious that she was not likely to wake for quite a few days – especially because she was only reacting marginally to materia... Maybe, if anything, the little radio in her room would give up a little about the people she had been in contact with. Or, maybe, they would be able to solve that book she had been keeping in code.
At least, the woman was still alive, even with quite a severe concussion. Hopefully, they would be able to interview her soon enough.
Rufus had barely said anything this morning, only looked even paler than over the last few days. His throat sported a new, ugly potion scar that would certainly fade in the next few days. It must have been a close call, indeed. No wonder Tseng was in such a bad mood and so very downcast.
Elena was worried. Both about Rufus and Tseng. Both of them were working ever so furiously and even she who did not work almost as much felt dead tired on her feet when she ended work in the evening.
Just like the night before. When she had been sitting in the common room and had tried not to fall asleep over a book and suddenly, Tseng had been there. She still could not believe, still thought it a dream, that he had actually put his arm around her and that she had been stupid enough to fall asleep against his shoulder when there had been so many questions she wanted to ask.
How she had awoken from the ring of Tseng's phone and how Tseng had turned out his mobile, saying that, even if Rufus thought he needed to work the night through, he was welcome to, but Tseng certainly did not need to.
How her own mobile had rung only moments later and she had picked up, automatically, almost falling from the couch in shock. The guilt on Tseng's face still hurt her when she only thought about it.
How Tseng had heard her message only moments later, and the entire evening dissolved into chaos. Now, Elena was just happy to close the door to her office and shut out all the craziness on the other side. All the craziness that had invaded her life.
Craziness that included falling asleep against Tseng's warm chest, hearing him breath so close to her ear, feeling him so close, his arm around her, how he had laid his head against hers... how she had never felt so secure and happy before.
She could not stop smiling when she stared at the computer screen. Despite everything horrible that had happened – despite the fact that they had invaded the building and almost killed Rufus, despite that her heart was hammering with mad happiness.
The telephone rang and dreamily, she picked it up.
"Elena of the Turks?" she replied.
"Yo, Reno oftheTurks – honestly, Sis! Do you still use thatto answer the phone? Gaia, when will you stop being a rookie?"
"Reno...," she gave a sigh. "What do you want?"
"We're meetin' in the common room in half an hour!"
"I'm sorry, I think I don't..."
"Nar, it's not for fun, though I wish we would meet for fun again, 't's 'bout everything. Shachou, the terrorists, y' know?"
"Oh! Well, yes, I'll be there, of course! Good idea! - Is, um – do you know, is Shachou any better?"
"Terrorists ain't killed 'm, he'll be as good as can be, me thinks... well, as good as the circumstances, anyway. It's just so... fucked up. First Meteor, then them silly Geostigma-doctors, Geostigma, Kadaj, Deep Ground... NG and now the terrorists... I mean, it just feels like we keep f***in up..."
"Yeah, I know," Elena whispered back. "Do you think it will get any better?"
"Any time soon?"
"Well... any when would be a start..."
Reno sniggered. "At least if it comes before we've all gone crazy! No, you ask me, there's a quid for every quod. - So, you comin'?"
Elena nodded. "Sure thing!"
"Great. She ya!"
The phone went dead on her and she stared at it. Reno was right. It was like a maelstrom their were fighting, swimming upstream. Every time they seemed to have accomplished something something else happened that threw them back... almost drowned them. She hated it. It hurt deep down in her bones and it had to hurt Tseng even more. Most likely, it was that what was eating on him... and what was wearing Rufus down more than anything else. She could not agree with Reno's optimism. If there was a quid for every quod, maybe, they were just paying for before Meteor now. Would only be fair. But then – would things ever get better?
Anyway, they had to do something. Shin-Ra, that was not just Rufus or Tseng, perhaps, Shin-Ra, that was them. It was time she, Reno and Rude did something, too. Something that was not working themselves dead in front of their screens as they followed orders. Something that involved thinking up own solutions.
She sat down and took out a piece of paper and started taking notes – ideas that had crossed her mind over the last few weeks.
Half an hour later, she hasted into the common room, the last to come.
Much to her surprise, Tseng was also part of the gathering. He was standing with his back to the window and gave her the tiniest hint of a smile as she entered that let her heart throb higher. She smiled slightly back but stopped where she was standing. Reno and Rude were both sitting on the sofas.
Tseng looked around. "I'm sure you've noticed that things are getting out of hand," he started, calmly. He looked tired.
Elena bit her lip. How could they not have noticed? It was getting worse with every day.
Reno nodded. "Thought we could get someone under cover..."
"Maybe, we should first make sure we're really safe," Elena interrupted, realising only a moment later that she was indeed interrupting. "I mean, I'm sorry, Reno, but – even if we get someone under cover, it won't be much use if we aren't safe."
Rude nodded. "Good point."
Tseng smiled a little, his smile irritated and taunt. "How? We couldn't stop that woman tonight and security is already very tight. After Rufus' account, the woman who attacked him yesterday night is most likely a New Geostigma terrorist. That she tried to kill him in his own room only underlines that they don't seem to fear much for their own lives. Until now, there wasn't much they weren't afraid to do. I would like to tighten security, but we don't even know whom we are fighting. It could be anyone. And she can't tell us much since Rufus was a bit overzealous with knocking her unconscious." Tseng, Elena thought, seemed angry, almost helpless, and to see him like that hurt her deeply. "She knew that Rufus was infected and had had the vial from Tifa – or rather Cloud – which she termed 'stolen'." He looked around tiredly. "I don't know how to tighten security against people who know things about us nobody but us can have told them!"
"We ain't talked to anybody 'bout it, yo!"
Tseng shook his head. "I don't think you did. I don't even think Tifa has, however she behaved."
Elena nodded vehemently and felt herself blush. Of course, they had talked to nobody. Rufus' life depended on it that no one knew that he had been infected. There were still enough people around on the street who just waited for another opportunity to kill anyone who sported white spots.
"Then, Cloud talked," Rude stated.
A dark pause filled the room. Tseng was standing with his back to the window in the radiant sunshine, the naked metal of his arm on the window sill. Reno was sprawled over his chair, Elena stopped in her train of walking up and down the room while Rude sat just calmly on one of the chairs. He was most likely right, of course. Cloud would have wanted to know where the phial had gone to and judging by his appearance only the night before, he most likely knew or at least had guessed. The problem with Cloud was that he was not entirely as stupid as he seemed, so, if Tifa did not lie about it, he would have most likely guessed whom the vial had gone to. And told someone.
Elena turned back to Tseng, with another thing that bothered her: "Doesn't 'stolen' make it likely that, - uh – this terrorist from yesterday night belongs to the party from whom she feels it was stolen from? I mean... I'm sure none of us would have ever called it 'stolen'... I mean, Tifa didn't steal it, did she?"
Tseng looked at her and she almost fringed under his cold, tired coal eyes. "Unlikely. Reeve handed it to me from Tifa. I don't think Tifa would make him convey stolen goods, and Reeve wouldn't steal anything for Rufus' sake."
"So, then, Cloud stole it," Reno shrugged.
The room was silent again, before Tseng nodded, slowly. "Maybe."
"Cloud knows something, then!" Elena whirled. "He either stole the vial from someone or he told someone about Rufus! Or both! We need to talk to him!" In the same moment, it occurred to her how likely that was going to happen.
"So not gonna happen," Reno made.
"Tifa mentioned that Cloud met a radical group up north," Tseng interjected, his face dark. "Tifa isn't exactly stupid. If she sees a connection between the group up north about which Cloud told her and what is happening here, it would be smart to consider such a link, too. Especially after yesterday's events."
"But – doesn't that mean Cloud isn't involved with the group? He wouldn't have to steal anything if he were... oh...," Elena made. "Cloud has all the reasons, doesn't he?" If Cloud knew that Rufus had been interested in Tifa, and if he also was aware that they were trying to recover Shin-Ra – which Elena was sure Cloud did – Cloud did have all the reasons. His wife to keep, and the future for his children to save. But... was that not a little jumping to conclusions? Was it even adding up?
"I wouldn't go as far as to say he's involved apart from stealing that vial," Tseng uttered carefully. "But I am rather sure he knows something about it."
Elena blushed.
"So, we're gonna talk to Tifa?" Reno asked. "Shachou's gonna hate that, if he ever finds out!"
Tseng shook his head. "I actually think that Elena's idea isn't too bad and we should talk to Cloud." His face was darkening even more. "However, Cloud threatened to kill Rufus if he ever gets close to Tifa again."
"I could go," Elena offered. "I mean... I would be the most likely of us to whom he'd talk, wouldn't I? I mean... I'm not a threat and..." But the problem was rather that Cloud would not trust her enough to tell her anything. Tseng had told her about what had happened on the roof. Most likely, Cloud thought of them as his enemy. She was well aware that she did not possess enough rhetorical skill to – well, lie and tell Cloud that the world was at stake and that they needed his information to save the world and that everything depended on him. Even more so because, perhaps, Cloud knew a little more about that group, maybe about their aims, and maybe, that nothing but Shin-Ra was at stake. Her eyes ran to Tseng. However much perfect Tseng might have been, she knew that he was not exactly rhetorically skilled. Certainly not persuasive. Rufus was the only one of them five who possessed such skills but – well, Cloud was not likely to talk to Rufus about anything, not to mention trusting him with information.
Tseng shook his head. "No, we need you here."
"Couldn't we ask Reeve?" she suggested. But Reeve was not such a good choice, either. He needed Shin-Ra, but he did not like them. He might not want terrorism, but would he share information with them? He had, after all, not stopped the storming of Shin-Ra tower. And, much more importantly, could he make Cloud talk? Elena was not sure, but doubted it a little. After all, she would not trust anyone enough to tell that person secrets if she knew that that one was on – not too bad terms with her enemies, and might tell them if he thought it a good idea. Or, worse, Reeve was an honest person. If Cloud made him promise not to tell them, he would not. … so, Reeve was not much of a choice, either.
"I could talk to Tifa," Rude said silently.
"I think if Tifa knew more she would tell us. She's too honest not to, however badly she treated Rufus," Elena shook her head. "I mean, if Cloud made such a show of things yesterday, we can be almost sure he wouldn't tell her anything because he'd think she'd go babbling everything to us, right?"
Tseng gave a short nod.
"Might the children know anything? - I mean, we aren't on speaking terms with anyone else from Avalanche?"
Reno laughed. "Sis, you don't think Cloud's telling his children more 'bout terrorists than his girlfriend!"
"We are not going to involve the children," Tseng shook his head.
Silence. Everyone was avoiding each others gazes.
"We could always ask Vincent," Reno said after a few moments. "I mean, he's old Turk and all..."
"After what Shin-Ra did to him?"
"Well... Rude 'n' me have seen him from time to time... so, what if we were to tell him that... well, people 're dying and stuff?"
"We'd owe him." Tseng rubbed his prosthesis, the dark metal reflecting the brilliant light. Elena had seen him doing that a lot, especially when he was worried. "But, yes, he would most likely talk to us. If we were to explain the situation to him, he might be even willing to ask Cloud. If he thinks we can do something about it, he would tell us, too."
Reno nodded. "I'm gonna ask him, then. 'xplain 'bout stuff n everything."
"I'll come with you," Rude determined, obviously much to Tseng's relief.
"Don't get us obliged before we know its worth it."
Reno grinned. "Course not, Senpai."
Tseng nodded. "Good. One more thing. I am going to get Rufus back to his old quarters."
The room fell silent.
"Old quarters?" Elena echoed, intrigued by the silence.
"Rufus used to be locked away here," Rude informed her.
"Oh," she said and felt stupid. Of course, she knew about that. Knowing Rufus, he would most certainly like it, to berth that close with the Turks again... They would like it, too. Another person added quite a bit of activity. And Tseng would be happy about it. He liked to talk to Rufus, Elena had observed, late in the evenings. Although that made her a little doubtful. For, if Rufus talked so much with Tseng, would Tseng still have time for her? He rarely had time, even now. On the other hand, if Tseng felt he had to talk to Rufus, that was certainly alright with her. It made Tseng happy and he had been so very worried about Rufus and about everything in the last few months. No, she would feel much better if Tseng felt good. Maybe, very much maybe, they would let her even listen a bit to their conversations and perhaps add a word or two... well, if Rufus let her. If Tseng even wanted her around, then. She could understand very well if he wanted to talk to Rufus on his own, but... well... - what was she wishing for? Was she not getting everything she had ever wished for just now?
Tseng nodded. "Back to work, then."
"Work, work, work...," Reno complained, getting up. "Where are the times when being a Turk meant skulking through back alleys, all relaxed?"
Nobody answered him, only Rude pushed him out of the room a little quicker. Maybe, Elena thought, because they were all asking themselves the same question.
Tseng looked at her with tired eyes, smiled.
"Is everything alright, Tseng-s... Tseng?" she asked. He looked so awfully worried.
He smiled again, crossed the room. "I can't say it is... Yesterday, it shouldn't have happened."
Elena smiled back, tried to draw up all her courage and stepped a little further towards him, taking his hand. "A lot shouldn't have happened, Tseng, and... I mean... if things, well, by rights, we should not be alive anymore. And..."
Tseng nodded, closing his hand around hers and she felt so very warm inside. So very insanely happy to be standing so close to him. "I know what you're saying. I'm just worried about Rufus, you see. He had enough on his plate already, and you know how it turns into a different matter, knowing about terrorists and being threatened with death by them. I'm really worried. There's only so much a man can shoulder and I think Shachou is driving too close to that limit. Or maybe even on the other side of it."
"Isn't there anything we can do? I mean, after all, we are the Turks. We should protect him from harm! Can't we share any of his work?" And was Tseng not too working too much?
Tseng smiled. "Share? Elena, do you have room to work more? Does Reno or Rude? We are all heading for that limit."
"If – if we were to catch the terrorists, that would solve things, wouldn't it?"
Tseng shrugged. "It would make them much better. Then, we might actually be able to even save Shin-Ra."
Elena closed her hands tighter around Tsengs'. "Then, we'll just do that. And... now that Reeve's sending some of his people, we don't need to fear attacks as badly anymore, not presently, anyway. I'll do my best." She hesitated a moment. "There was something else I was thinking. I mean... I know it sounds crazy, but... if we just were to go on vacation?"
Tseng blinked, then laughed. "Vacation? Elena! Have you looked around, we can't just..."
Elena felt a stab inside her, stubbornly pressed her lips together. "One week. What's to happen in one week? I mean – don't tell me that in two weeks, this company would fall. We've got decent people working below us. They aren't all idiots and... well... I mean, I'm sure even those people that aren't Turks in Sulfur are highly motivated. It's time to trust them. Most businesses run even if you're slack with the paper... I mean, look at old Shin-Ra! It ran over years and even through the war in Wutai. Even if things would go further downhill... it would be much better than – all of this! We'd all be much better off, much more reposed and... Shachou could forget about that unfortunate business with Tifa..." Her voice trailed off. "We needn't go far. Just... get a new focus on things. Be reachable in case something happens. I mean..."
Suddenly, Tseng placed his index finger on her lips. "You're right. Maybe, it is time to rely a little more on the people below us. Just... don't mention the vacations to Rufus."
Elena did not even nod for fear of losing contact to his finger. "I wasn't only talking about Shachou... I was also thinking of you," she mumbled against the finger, enjoyed every motion of her lips against it, his proximity. "I don't want anything to happen to any of you, you know?" She blinked, furiously, did not want him to see how worried she truly was. "I mean... sometimes, it feels like we are all lost in the woods, and can't find the way back home, because... well, home's dead, only, we haven't noticed, yet."
Tseng suddenly just looked at her and she could not read his stern expression, not the deep darkness in his eyes, not the frown in his face. His hand had slipped from her lips to her shoulder, lay there warm and heavy, as if it could protect her when she knew perfectly well that, ever since Meteor, both Tseng and Rufus had stopped being omnipotent. "Maybe, we just need to find ourselves a new home, then," he replied slowly. Elena noticed his voice was quite a bit deeper than usual and he was looking at her in a strange way. "Only, we must not leave any of us behind."
She smiled. The Head of the Turks speaking again. She stepped a bit closer, dared not, then dared to put her head against him. "I promise we will. I'll... I'll try to talk to Tifa. She owes us and she knows she does, I'm sure. She'll help us, I should think. But – don't tell Shachou."
She could feel Tseng smile. She had never thought that possible – she had never thought to see him smile as much as she had seen him in the last few weeks. But now, when he closed his arms around her, she could hear his quick pulse in his neck, the strange warmth his body emitted that so utterly contradicted his cold demeanour, felt the heaviness of his prosthesis on her back and tasted that warm, warm smell. She had rarely felt any safer.
Elena was still gliding on soft clouds of fluffy happiness when she returned to her office, her heart still hammering with the thought of having been daring enough to embrace Tseng of all people and that Tseng had indeed replied the embrace, that they had stood for eternal, beautiful minutes and how insanely happy she still felt even at the thought, still bustling with wallowing happiness.
But the happiness was quickly staunched, for it was not long after she had closed the door – swaying on that cloud of happiness – that the telephone rang.
"Security department. I – ah – well, we've got a breach in security," the man at the other end of the phone said. He sounded – befuddled.
"Yes?" Elena inquired sharply and equally puzzled. She had been about to find out where she could possibly find Tifa to call in – favours she hoped existed. "Can't you deal with it on your own?"
"Well, Ma'am, we've tried but... - it's two children."
"Well, call their parents and sent them home," Elena gave back, irritated to be disturbed in her happy thoughts by something trivial like that. Two children indeed! "Make sure their parents teach them not to play on our grounds!"
"Well, that is the problem...," the man said. He sounded awkward. "They claim they are, well... they are the children of President Rufus..."
"What?" Elena barked into the phone, then frowned. "Have you searched them for explosives?" She asked carefully. She knew how... perfidious some people could be, turning children into bombs. Reno had told her about the war in Wutai, after all.
"Yes, Ma'am. We had a doctor check them. They are clean."
"Don't they carry anything with them that might give a hint who they are?"
"No, Ma'am."
"Any letters addressed to the president?"
"No, Ma'am. They just have bags with a few clothes and toys."
Why on Gaia did such things always happen to her? She was starting to feel very, very uncomfortable. "How old are they?"
"Well, the girl thinks she's seven and the boy says he's twelve."
Twelve, Elena did some quick calculations. Rufus would have been about seventeen twelve years ago. Notgood. But he would have been twenty-two seven years ago, and to all accounts he had been very much locked up at that time... Or perhaps not. He had been locked up at the age of 21 and, well, that did lay within a nine month range.
"I'll... I'll be there in a moment!"
"Gate seven, Ma'am."
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes!" She felt herself sweating, breathing heavily, put on her jacket. What on Gaia was going on? She left the office. She was certain Reno would have gossiped something if Rufus had been visited by a woman while locked up. - Would Rufus had not taken responsibility if he had fathered a child? She thought for a moment. Probably not. Most likely, he would have paid for the abortion, and made dead sure it took place. But Rufus was way too controlled. She could not believe that even as a youth he would not have taken precautions to father a child... or have the Turks deal with the matter afterwards... If the children arrived together, did that not signify they had the same mother? Or was someone trying to palm off his father's bastard children on him? Gaia! Why now?
She hurried down the corridor towards the elevator, strapping her gun into her holster. She pushed the next door open, hoping very much that it were not illegitimate children of either Rufus or his damn father. But what would they do if the children turned out to be Rufus'? What would they even do if they turned out to be his siblings?
And why, on Gaia, were they bothered with such things now of all times?
Thank you very much for reading again and I hope you enjoyed.
I will try to post the next chapter a bit sooner, however, since I'm very busy with university at the moment and my muse still stressed out, it might still take a while. Again: I have every intention in the world to finish the story, even if it may take a bit.
Please review.
