Chapter Three
"Field Leader Tseng." He looked up to see one of the new Turks, a tall man with a shaven head, standing in the door. "Turk Leader Moore and General Sephiroth want to see you sir."
Tseng sighed and put the paperwork to one side. "Rude, isn't it?" the newbie nodded. "Well, go and tell Moore I'm coming." Rude walked back the way he came.
Tseng sighed again and shrugged his jacket on. As if he didn't have enough on his plate with this Gainsborough thing.
***
"Ah, Tseng, good to see you." Sephiroth greeted him as he walked into Moore's office.
"General." Tseng nodded a greeting and looked over to Moore. He was sitting at his desk, turning his poniard over in his hands. Tseng stood there in silence for a moment, and Moore just sat there, turning the dagger over and over. Finally he spoke, his voice hoarse with pain and anger.
"Crole died last night Tseng."
"Crole?" Tseng sank back into his chair. "What happened?"
Moore looked up, his eyes sunken and dead. "He was murdered Tseng. Shot in the back of a head like…like an animal."
Tseng gaped, stunned. "But…who? Why?"
Moore shook his head wordlessly and looked back down at the dagger slowly turning in his hands. Sephiroth got up and removed a red file from Moore's desk. Flipping it open to the last page, he handed it to Tseng. Tseng looked down at a grainy photograph of man standing on the platform of Sector 8 Station.
"That is Airgad Stanidge. He's a member of Green Planet, a revolutionary group based in Sector 8." Sephiroth reached for an identical file and flipped through the pages while he spoke. "Stanidge approached one of our operatives last week about the possibility of spying for us. For the right price, of course."
"Obviously." Tseng muttered, flipping through the pages on Green Planet. An average group, started in Gongaga. Wanted to bring down ShinRa, save the planet… 'yada, yada, yada. Seen it all before. And better done, too…'
"Crole was sent to talk with him. He's had experience in this area before."
Tseng chucked the papers back down on the desk. There was nothing in them. It was a small time operation… Tseng frowned. "Why were you so eager to have him? This Green Planet hasn't even got weapons, according to that."
Moore sat up and flung a black file over at Tseng. "Well according to this, they have!" The file scattered across the office floor. A photograph drifted out, a stark black and white image of Crole's head, with a clean hole at the base of his skull. Dried blood, grey in the monochrome picture, stained the old man's white hair. Moore threw the dagger across the room, where it buried itself, quivering, in the wall. Moore looked back to Tseng. "I'm taking you off the Gainsborough case, Tseng. You should never have been put on it in the first place. Reno can cover for you. If there's someone in this group skilled enough to take down someone as experienced as Crole, I want them found, and I want them eliminated. As painfully as possible. Dismissed."
Tseng, his eyes still fixed on the knife that was still quivering in the wall, nodded slightly and walked out.
***
"I thought I'd find you here."
Tseng turned away from the window to see Sephiroth stood in the door to the balcony. Tseng shrugged. "Why did you want me?"
Sephiroth walked out onto the narrow steel walkway and joined Tseng, leaning on the railings and looking out over Midgar. The general stood in silence, but finally spoke. "Crole was Moore's year mate Tseng. They entered the ShinRa guards together, they were chosen for the Turks together. They graduated to Full Turk status within a week of each other. We nearly had the first joint Turk Leaders. For Crole to be taken down like that…well, it's hit Moore hard."
Tseng nodded slowly. "Thanks general." He turned and walked back down the walkway when a thought struck him. "General?"
Sephiroth looked back over to Tseng. "Yes?"
"Just in case this is bigger than some third rate revolutionaries…could you have a quiet guard put around Moore? And class C security round our floor."
Sephiroth nodded slowly "I'll see what I can do Tseng. So you think this is more to do with Crole being a Turk than him being ShinRa?"
Tseng paused as he reached the door. "I don't know what it is Sephiroth. All I know is that something feels…wrong about this."
"Field Leader Tseng." He looked up to see one of the new Turks, a tall man with a shaven head, standing in the door. "Turk Leader Moore and General Sephiroth want to see you sir."
Tseng sighed and put the paperwork to one side. "Rude, isn't it?" the newbie nodded. "Well, go and tell Moore I'm coming." Rude walked back the way he came.
Tseng sighed again and shrugged his jacket on. As if he didn't have enough on his plate with this Gainsborough thing.
***
"Ah, Tseng, good to see you." Sephiroth greeted him as he walked into Moore's office.
"General." Tseng nodded a greeting and looked over to Moore. He was sitting at his desk, turning his poniard over in his hands. Tseng stood there in silence for a moment, and Moore just sat there, turning the dagger over and over. Finally he spoke, his voice hoarse with pain and anger.
"Crole died last night Tseng."
"Crole?" Tseng sank back into his chair. "What happened?"
Moore looked up, his eyes sunken and dead. "He was murdered Tseng. Shot in the back of a head like…like an animal."
Tseng gaped, stunned. "But…who? Why?"
Moore shook his head wordlessly and looked back down at the dagger slowly turning in his hands. Sephiroth got up and removed a red file from Moore's desk. Flipping it open to the last page, he handed it to Tseng. Tseng looked down at a grainy photograph of man standing on the platform of Sector 8 Station.
"That is Airgad Stanidge. He's a member of Green Planet, a revolutionary group based in Sector 8." Sephiroth reached for an identical file and flipped through the pages while he spoke. "Stanidge approached one of our operatives last week about the possibility of spying for us. For the right price, of course."
"Obviously." Tseng muttered, flipping through the pages on Green Planet. An average group, started in Gongaga. Wanted to bring down ShinRa, save the planet… 'yada, yada, yada. Seen it all before. And better done, too…'
"Crole was sent to talk with him. He's had experience in this area before."
Tseng chucked the papers back down on the desk. There was nothing in them. It was a small time operation… Tseng frowned. "Why were you so eager to have him? This Green Planet hasn't even got weapons, according to that."
Moore sat up and flung a black file over at Tseng. "Well according to this, they have!" The file scattered across the office floor. A photograph drifted out, a stark black and white image of Crole's head, with a clean hole at the base of his skull. Dried blood, grey in the monochrome picture, stained the old man's white hair. Moore threw the dagger across the room, where it buried itself, quivering, in the wall. Moore looked back to Tseng. "I'm taking you off the Gainsborough case, Tseng. You should never have been put on it in the first place. Reno can cover for you. If there's someone in this group skilled enough to take down someone as experienced as Crole, I want them found, and I want them eliminated. As painfully as possible. Dismissed."
Tseng, his eyes still fixed on the knife that was still quivering in the wall, nodded slightly and walked out.
***
"I thought I'd find you here."
Tseng turned away from the window to see Sephiroth stood in the door to the balcony. Tseng shrugged. "Why did you want me?"
Sephiroth walked out onto the narrow steel walkway and joined Tseng, leaning on the railings and looking out over Midgar. The general stood in silence, but finally spoke. "Crole was Moore's year mate Tseng. They entered the ShinRa guards together, they were chosen for the Turks together. They graduated to Full Turk status within a week of each other. We nearly had the first joint Turk Leaders. For Crole to be taken down like that…well, it's hit Moore hard."
Tseng nodded slowly. "Thanks general." He turned and walked back down the walkway when a thought struck him. "General?"
Sephiroth looked back over to Tseng. "Yes?"
"Just in case this is bigger than some third rate revolutionaries…could you have a quiet guard put around Moore? And class C security round our floor."
Sephiroth nodded slowly "I'll see what I can do Tseng. So you think this is more to do with Crole being a Turk than him being ShinRa?"
Tseng paused as he reached the door. "I don't know what it is Sephiroth. All I know is that something feels…wrong about this."