Prologue
Tseng looked out over the rooftops of Midgar. In the five years since the Wutai war, he had grown into the blue suit. He'd become one of the most respected and senior of the Turks, for one simple reason.
He survived.
Being a Turk was a dangerous job, so if you could keep your head when all about you are losing theirs (often in interesting and violent ways), then you'd go far. And Tseng had. He was now a 'Field Leader', second only to Moore. 'A long way from Hojo's dogsbody. Even further from being cannon fodder on the fields of Wutai.'
Footsteps behind him jerked him out of his reverie. "Admiring the view Tseng?"
Tseng turned to see David Moore, the leader of the Turks. "Not really, just thinking."
"Do your thinking on your own time Field Leader. The great professor Hojo has a job for us."
Tseng winced. "What is it this time? Another kidnapping?" Moore nodded. "Get someone else to do it then."
Moore frowned. "When I said 'us', I meant us. The bastard specifically asked for you and me."
Tseng sighed. "Let's find out what he wants then."
They walked up to Hojo's laboratory in silence. Moore finally said, "We've been asked to work with one of the new Turks. One of the president's blue-eyed-boys."
"Who?"
"His name's Reno."
"That young redhead?"
"That's the one. He's impulsive, but he's bright. He could go far."
"Well, as long as he won't get in the way."
"He seems to have the most sense of the new lot. Initiative too, which is rare enough nowadays. He actually reminds me of you Tseng."
"That good?" Tseng asked with a grin.
"And that's why you'll never be a sniper Tseng."
"Why?"
"That head of yours is just too big a target."
Tseng barked a laugh "What about the rest of the newbies? What are the odds in the office?"
Moore closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Not that bad actually. Apart from Mathews, 10 will get you one that he doesn't last the month."
The two Turks carried on in silence. They reached Hojo's lab and went inside.
***
"Ah Moore, Tseng. Come in."
The wiry little scientist always put Tseng in mind of a rat, with his sharp nose and beady eyes. To one side was Reno, a young redhead whose blue suit was slightly to big for him.
"Reno, these are Field Leader Tseng and Turks Leader Moore. Moore, Tseng, this is one of our bright young stars, Reno."
Reno, looking about to swallow his tongue, threw a sloppy salute. "Er, sirs. Erm, pleased to be working with you sirs."
Tseng gave him a terse nod, but Moore shook him warmly by the hand with a direction to "Get a smaller suit."
Hojo looked amused, and left Reno stammering for a few minutes. Finally he got up, drew some sheets out his desk, and handed them to the Turks.
Moore looked down at the sheets, but Hojo was already talking.
"You may or may not be aware that roughly seven years ago, during the Wutai war, we captured two Cetra. A mother and daughter. Sadly, Professor Gast lost his life in the capture."
"A great shame to lose such a great scientist." Moore said.
Hojo nodded "It was a sad day for ShinRa." His eyes said something else though. Satisfaction. Tseng made a mental note to look up the field reports for the capture.
"Unfortunately, both Cetra escaped with one of our most valuable recovered Ancient artifacts into the slums. We didn't know what happened to them after that, until now. Apparently, the mother died, and a woman waiting for her husband to come back from the front line found the daughter at the station."
Tseng pushed a few buttons on his desk, and the face of a young woman came up on the screen.
"This is the Cetra, ten years on. We've managed to find out who adopted her. The woman's name was Elmyra Gainsborough…yes Tseng?"
Tseng regained his composure. It couldn't be, not after all these years, it was impossible, it couldn't be. A voice came back from seven years ago "I've got a daughter I haven't even seen yet." It was. The daughter of a man he had murdered, he knew it was murder in his heart, however his head tried to justify it.
"Tseng?"
"I'm fine sir. Just had a…a funny turn."
Everyone was looking at him strangely, but Hojo carried on.
"The girl's name is Aeris Gainsborough. It's your job to find her, and bring her here in tact. I do not want this specimen damaged, understood."
"Understood sir." Moore said, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.
"Good. I'll make sure all files on her and her adopted family are available, and I'll expect a status report from you in three days time. Erm…dismissed."
Moore saluted sharply and walked out, Tseng and Reno following him. After Reno had gone his own way, Moore took Tseng to one side.
"Are you sure you're okay with this mission? I can find a replacement, god knows it's easy enough to find one with these rookies flooding in."
"No, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine."
Moore gave him a sceptical glance and walked off, while Tseng turned his gaze again over the rooftops of Midgar. 'I'm fine. Oh gods, I murdered him. I took that little girl's father away. How can I live with myself?'
"How can any Turks live with themselves?" Tseng did not realise he had been speaking out loud until he heard the deep, rich voice of Sephiroth behind him. He turned and bowed slightly.
"Great General."
"No need to call me that Tseng, we're not in Wutai any more. Job getting on top of you?"
"Something like that. Hojo's new job for us."
Sephiroth's mouth curled in disgust. "A poor excuse for a scientist. Gast was twice the professor he is."
"You knew professor Gast?"
"Yes, he was a…friend of mine when I was growing up. Of course, after he left ShinRa and moved to the Northern Continent ShinRa wouldn't recognize any of his research. That's why Hojo's credited with as much as he is."
Tseng's brow furrowed in confusion. "But if he left ShinRa how was he killed in the capture of the Ancient?"
Sephiroth put a finger to his lips, pointed to his ear, and then to the wall. Tseng understood. 'Can't talk. Bugs.' ShinRa didn't officially bug it's HQ, but anyone who reached the upper ranks of ShinRa had both a healthy level of paranoia, and a profound scepticism in anything ShinRa said 'officially'. "You'd have to look through the records for that." Sephiroth said once he was sure Tseng understood.
"Thank you Great General." Tseng said with a smile. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He shook his head and walked off.
Tseng looked out over the rooftops of Midgar. In the five years since the Wutai war, he had grown into the blue suit. He'd become one of the most respected and senior of the Turks, for one simple reason.
He survived.
Being a Turk was a dangerous job, so if you could keep your head when all about you are losing theirs (often in interesting and violent ways), then you'd go far. And Tseng had. He was now a 'Field Leader', second only to Moore. 'A long way from Hojo's dogsbody. Even further from being cannon fodder on the fields of Wutai.'
Footsteps behind him jerked him out of his reverie. "Admiring the view Tseng?"
Tseng turned to see David Moore, the leader of the Turks. "Not really, just thinking."
"Do your thinking on your own time Field Leader. The great professor Hojo has a job for us."
Tseng winced. "What is it this time? Another kidnapping?" Moore nodded. "Get someone else to do it then."
Moore frowned. "When I said 'us', I meant us. The bastard specifically asked for you and me."
Tseng sighed. "Let's find out what he wants then."
They walked up to Hojo's laboratory in silence. Moore finally said, "We've been asked to work with one of the new Turks. One of the president's blue-eyed-boys."
"Who?"
"His name's Reno."
"That young redhead?"
"That's the one. He's impulsive, but he's bright. He could go far."
"Well, as long as he won't get in the way."
"He seems to have the most sense of the new lot. Initiative too, which is rare enough nowadays. He actually reminds me of you Tseng."
"That good?" Tseng asked with a grin.
"And that's why you'll never be a sniper Tseng."
"Why?"
"That head of yours is just too big a target."
Tseng barked a laugh "What about the rest of the newbies? What are the odds in the office?"
Moore closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Not that bad actually. Apart from Mathews, 10 will get you one that he doesn't last the month."
The two Turks carried on in silence. They reached Hojo's lab and went inside.
***
"Ah Moore, Tseng. Come in."
The wiry little scientist always put Tseng in mind of a rat, with his sharp nose and beady eyes. To one side was Reno, a young redhead whose blue suit was slightly to big for him.
"Reno, these are Field Leader Tseng and Turks Leader Moore. Moore, Tseng, this is one of our bright young stars, Reno."
Reno, looking about to swallow his tongue, threw a sloppy salute. "Er, sirs. Erm, pleased to be working with you sirs."
Tseng gave him a terse nod, but Moore shook him warmly by the hand with a direction to "Get a smaller suit."
Hojo looked amused, and left Reno stammering for a few minutes. Finally he got up, drew some sheets out his desk, and handed them to the Turks.
Moore looked down at the sheets, but Hojo was already talking.
"You may or may not be aware that roughly seven years ago, during the Wutai war, we captured two Cetra. A mother and daughter. Sadly, Professor Gast lost his life in the capture."
"A great shame to lose such a great scientist." Moore said.
Hojo nodded "It was a sad day for ShinRa." His eyes said something else though. Satisfaction. Tseng made a mental note to look up the field reports for the capture.
"Unfortunately, both Cetra escaped with one of our most valuable recovered Ancient artifacts into the slums. We didn't know what happened to them after that, until now. Apparently, the mother died, and a woman waiting for her husband to come back from the front line found the daughter at the station."
Tseng pushed a few buttons on his desk, and the face of a young woman came up on the screen.
"This is the Cetra, ten years on. We've managed to find out who adopted her. The woman's name was Elmyra Gainsborough…yes Tseng?"
Tseng regained his composure. It couldn't be, not after all these years, it was impossible, it couldn't be. A voice came back from seven years ago "I've got a daughter I haven't even seen yet." It was. The daughter of a man he had murdered, he knew it was murder in his heart, however his head tried to justify it.
"Tseng?"
"I'm fine sir. Just had a…a funny turn."
Everyone was looking at him strangely, but Hojo carried on.
"The girl's name is Aeris Gainsborough. It's your job to find her, and bring her here in tact. I do not want this specimen damaged, understood."
"Understood sir." Moore said, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.
"Good. I'll make sure all files on her and her adopted family are available, and I'll expect a status report from you in three days time. Erm…dismissed."
Moore saluted sharply and walked out, Tseng and Reno following him. After Reno had gone his own way, Moore took Tseng to one side.
"Are you sure you're okay with this mission? I can find a replacement, god knows it's easy enough to find one with these rookies flooding in."
"No, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine."
Moore gave him a sceptical glance and walked off, while Tseng turned his gaze again over the rooftops of Midgar. 'I'm fine. Oh gods, I murdered him. I took that little girl's father away. How can I live with myself?'
"How can any Turks live with themselves?" Tseng did not realise he had been speaking out loud until he heard the deep, rich voice of Sephiroth behind him. He turned and bowed slightly.
"Great General."
"No need to call me that Tseng, we're not in Wutai any more. Job getting on top of you?"
"Something like that. Hojo's new job for us."
Sephiroth's mouth curled in disgust. "A poor excuse for a scientist. Gast was twice the professor he is."
"You knew professor Gast?"
"Yes, he was a…friend of mine when I was growing up. Of course, after he left ShinRa and moved to the Northern Continent ShinRa wouldn't recognize any of his research. That's why Hojo's credited with as much as he is."
Tseng's brow furrowed in confusion. "But if he left ShinRa how was he killed in the capture of the Ancient?"
Sephiroth put a finger to his lips, pointed to his ear, and then to the wall. Tseng understood. 'Can't talk. Bugs.' ShinRa didn't officially bug it's HQ, but anyone who reached the upper ranks of ShinRa had both a healthy level of paranoia, and a profound scepticism in anything ShinRa said 'officially'. "You'd have to look through the records for that." Sephiroth said once he was sure Tseng understood.
"Thank you Great General." Tseng said with a smile. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He shook his head and walked off.