Hi guys... Quick note to say if you're reading this story for the first time, there's a slightly updated version over on my Ao3 :) I also use the same name over there, but if you google "archive of our own 24178546" you should find it. Thanks!
"This situation is unacceptable."
He slouched in his chair, long legs crossed at the ankles and tried not to fidget too much. The Director made it clear that he would've much preferred Elena accompany him, and that scenario was fine by Reno too. She would have sat there nicely looking bright and awake, hanging off the President's every word without tapping her boots on the leg of the desk or rifling through her pockets looking for things to play with.
He stopped doing that when the Director fixed him with a look that promised days of being relegated to desk-duty if he didn't. Tseng could communicate more with one coolly raised eyebrow than most people could in a whole conversation.
"I agree," Tseng replied. "Rest-assured it will not happen again."
"The bastards had us outgunned," Reno added.
That was another thing with Elena, she could deliver bad news a hell of a lot better than he could too. She used fancy words.
Tseng held up a gloved hand in warning. Unlike Reno his black suit and white shirt were immaculate and he was wearing a tie. Reno hadn't seen his tie since he signed on for the job way back when, and the number of buttons he left undone on his shirt bordered on indecent. If the President took offence at his dishevelled appearance or his blunt assessment of the situation he didn't express it, apart from a slight narrowing of his pale eyes.
"Happen again?" Rufus echoed, tilting his head. "I didn't realise that was an option."
Reno started tapping his boot on the leg of the desk again. "We'll sort it out, sir. Don't worry about it."
"And why would I be worried?" His voice took on a far icier tone.
"You've got us to handle it.," said Reno. "Chill out."
Tseng stared at him pointedly, as though daring him to make another sound. "What Reno means to say is that we will deal with this."
He cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms above his head, not one to take a hint. "Yeah, we don't make a habit of getting our asses handed to us."
"Perhaps I should give Cloud Strife a call and ask him to jog your memory," said Rufus.
Reno realised, a little too late, just how angry the President was. It wasn't the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last. He could remember the first time he was hauled up to the top floor to be dealt with by Rufus Shinra, and whilst the suave blond man might not look it, he was far more hot-tempered than his father was and a lot less forgiving. His years of being the President might have been turbulent but that did nothing to dent the ego that lay beneath the expensive white suit. As the years passed they reached an understanding of sorts, mainly down to the fact that as irritating as Reno liked to be he was incredibly good at his job. He still wasn't the President's favourite Turk.
"I can assure you that won't be necessary, sir. We were misinformed. The protest is small but far better armed than we anticipated," said Tseng.
Reno glanced around the vast office, magnanimously deciding to let Tseng take over. The atmosphere was far too serious for his liking and years of conversations just like this had finally taught him to be more selective in his insubordination. Besides, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the new HQ allowed for stunning views of Edge, heralding the return of the Shinra Electric Power Company to something of its former glory. It was late now, well past the time he should've clocked off, and he was itching to get away from work.
Reno's office didn't have vast windows or interesting views. His seniority meant he needed one, but he hardly spent any time in it. The broom closet with his name on the door was selected for him by Tseng, who pointed out that architecture was wasted on him when he spent most of his time perched on the corner of Rude's desk.
Rufus slammed his fist down, snapping Reno's attention away from the scarlet sun as it set over the city.
"I've worked too hard to rebuild this company. I will not allow anybody to destroy it."
"They're receiving outside help from somewhere. Rude is looking into it." Tseng straightened up slightly, smoothing out a crease in the leg of his trousers. "Their funds far exceed our expectations."
"Avalanche?" asked Rufus.
Reno's disdainful snort earnt him a frown from the President. "Fucking amateurs. No chance."
"They're too well organised," said Tseng. "Avalanche lacked finesse."
"Doesn't smell like them anyway. They'd have slapped their name all over this shit if they were starting again. Whoever's getting involved in North Corel is trying to stay off our radar."
"Director…" Rufus drummed his fingers lightly, and whilst his face slipped into its usual bored expression, Reno knew the gears were working hard as he mulled it over. "What do you suggest?"
"Let us run re-con," said Reno. "We'll find the threat and neutralise it."
Tseng tilted his head in agreement.
"What makes you so certain Avalanche isn't a threat?" asked Rufus. "Barret Wallace has always been vocal in his opposition to our rebuild."
"Load of hot air," said Reno.
"We've had the bar under surveillance," said Tseng smoothly. "We've no reason to believe they're involved."
A glance at Tseng told Reno everything he needed to know, the subtle tick in his jaw gave him away. If the Turks were running surveillance on Seventh Heaven it was news to him. The Director was lying through his teeth.
"I see." Rufus' eyes narrowed slightly. "Bring the bartender in for questioning. And I'm sending troops to North Corel."
"Yes, sir." Tseng nodded and stood up. "Reno. Come."
Reno saluted lazily and followed the Director from the office, glad that the meeting was over. Rufus was rattled; sending troops into North Corel had the potential to be a publicity nightmare and felt a little too old-school Shinra. Rude's party was small enough that it should've been inconspicuous, but tongues started wagging from the moment the company chopper landed. The mission went balls-up fairly quickly. Sending the cavalry in now was a terrible idea.
If Reno was being totally honest he wasn't feeling a trip to the shithole of a town either. Tseng would likely want the Turks to have a continued presence, and he didn't much like the idea of babysitting Shinra infantrymen. They were too keen to impress and he couldn't stomach all of the ass-kissing that was certain to ensue. Give him Rude or Elena and somebody else could deal with the grunts.
As they passed the President's secretary's desk they heard his voice barking through the intercom. Reno flashed the pretty blonde a consoling grin as she listened to his instructions, and she returned it with a weak smile. He considered asking her out for a much-needed drink when she clocked off but the notion was fleeting. Whilst he wasn't usually one to miss an opportunity, Tseng dangled a carrot in front of him and he was determined to bite it.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
Reno tried his hardest to keep his expression neutral. "We're running surveillance on Seventh Heaven?"
"You drink there, don't you?"
"Sometimes," he conceded, picking his next words carefully. "Can't help but feel like you just lied to the President."
Tseng stared at him. "I didn't lie, I bent the truth. You'll thank me when you get paid."
The smirk crept over his face then, and he shook his head slowly as they entered the lift. "You lied."
"Perhaps next time we meet with the President you could keep your mouth shut." Whilst Tseng's tone barely changed, Reno knew he was annoyed. "And make yourself presentable."
They'd worked together for a very long time. Reno knew exactly when to push a little harder, and when he should keep his insubordinate comments to himself. Tseng was a proud man and didn't enjoy being chewed up and spat out by Rufus Shinra any more than he did. Reno decided it was safe to poke the hornets' nest a little.
"Well, maybe next time you could warn me." He jabbed the button for their floor and the doors slid smoothly shut. "And if you wanted presentable you should've brought dear, sweet Elena. You know how much she gets off on sitting in the President's office."
Tseng's eyes narrowed at the taunt and Reno only raised his eyebrows in response. Elena was a tricky subject where Tseng was involved.
"I wanted your perspective," he said eventually, turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. "You've seen the files."
"Fine," Reno replied. "You don't think we should be focusing on Avalanche."
Knowing how Tseng's mind operated, Reno knew he wouldn't have dismissed their involvement so readily if he didn't have a valid reason to do so. For all Reno's joking around there was some justification for his seniority and he didn't believe it either. Avalanche wasn't a threat anymore and they hadn't been for a long time. They resumed their scattered lives across Gaia soon after dispatching of the remnants, Tifa Lockhart the only one still clinging to life in Midgar's shadow.
"Barret Wallace was a concern," Tseng admitted. "I spoke to Reeve. He believes Wallace could be convinced to side against us if the opportunity arose but he's no more a leader now than he was back then. He's not a threat."
"The man couldn't organise an orgy at the Honey Bee Inn."
Tseng raised an eyebrow at Reno's chosen phrase. "I agree."
"Avalanche ain't shit." Reno leaned against the side of the lift, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Soldier Boy stuck it out for a couple of months but looks like he's back out of the picture. The only reason that gun-armed psychopath is still on the scene is the brat he's got Lockhart looking after. They're nothing."
"What else can you tell me about her?"
He shrugged, trying to keep his tone in check. He knew far more about Tifa Lockhart than he dared admit to Tseng. "She runs the bar. Still up to all that goody-goody shit. That woman is a sucker for a goddamn sob-story."
Tseng shot him a look and he ran his fingers sheepishly through his hair.
"I've seen it a couple of times," he explained. "She doesn't turn the tramps away. Gives them free meals and lets them talk her ear off. Patience of a fucking saint."
Tifa was a saint, he realised, fairly quickly. The dregs of Edge seemed to gravitate towards her door and she welcomed them with open arms. He found he was drawn in too, a moth to the flame, more debris for her to collect and she did, though her eyes watched him suspiciously and her demeanour remained carefully professional. She fascinated him.
"Does she trust you?"
He laughed, the sound short and filled with derision. "What do you think?"
"Wallace has been in North Corel recently. She may have heard something. We need that information."
"Look boss... we're not exactly friends. I guess after all that shit with the remnants she's less likely to hand my ass to me on a plate but I'm not high on her list of favourite people." His hands returned to his pockets, jiggling the loose change in them noisily. "We dumped the plate on her backyard. So no... I don't think she trusts me."
Tseng smiled. It was a wolfish expression that dropped a lead weight into Reno's stomach. "Perhaps you should come up with a better sob-story."
The lift stopped and Tseng exited without a backwards glance. Reno watched him, the unspoken order heavy on his shoulders. He'd walked straight into the Director's trap, as he assumed Tseng knew he would. Suddenly North Corel seemed a far safer option.
"So we're not bringing her in then?" he asked, seeking clarification.
Tseng didn't stop. "I doubt that will be necessary. Go to the bar. See what you can find out."