The Last of an Elite

Chapter Fifteen: Shift that Knee!

By InterfaceLeader

-~-~-~-

Reeve compared the figures again. Even on the third go they still didn't match each other.

He was sat in his office, the large space that had become cramped simply because of the amount of room his equipment took up. Large blueprints for the redevelopment of Sector Seven lay on one table, the traditional ring where a cup of coffee had sat marring the otherwise pristine surface. Reeve was hoping he could talk the new President round to agreeing to rebuild the destroyed sector. Large amounts of paper were scattered around the room, along with reference books, wires, pieces of plastic and wood, and the occasional model of a building or a reactor. There was an ordinary computer as well as a system for reading the output of the Mako Reactors and measuring the amount of power being used or stored in Midgar.

He was studying the latter computer with a puzzled expression. He had just worked out how much power the remaining six Mako Reactors could put out – and the figure was significantly more than what they were getting.

Where's it going? Is someone tapping into the power supply? Who could do that without being noticed?

"Should I tell the President....?" He wondered aloud.

"Kya-ha-ha! Tell the preshi - president what Reeve?" The high-pitched voice came suddenly from the door, sounding slightly slurred.

"Scarlet..." he said. Again, he added in his head, why does she keep visiting me?

"Correct again! Kya-ha-ha!"

Reeve turned round in his chair and appraised the woman stood in his doorway. Her blonde curls were falling down in chunks, her makeup was smeared, one of the suspenders holding up her stockings had come loose and she was clutching a brown bottle. Reeve, barely able to handle the woman even when she was sober, swallowed.

"We should.. should tell the new President that he shucks! Shtupid little boy!"

"Umm... Scarlet I think you should go home" Reeve said.

"Home? Home? What'sh for me at home? I'll tell you what'sh for me at home" Scarlet swayed forward into the room "A cold empty bed that'sh what! Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Reeve backed away from her, wishing desperately he was somewhere – anywhere – else.

"Shtupid little boys! Do they think I don't hear what they shay? Time was, I could have my pick of them! Kya-ha-ha! My bed wash never empty then!" She stopped and glared at Reeve, pinning him to one spot as she swept her icy-hard gaze up and down him. "Now they laugh at me! They shay I'm an ugly old whore!"

"I – I'm sure they don't mean it." Reeve stammered.

"You don't shay it though do you?" Scarlet took another step forward, taking a gulp from the bottle she held. "You don't shay I'm an ugly old whore?"

"Of – of course not"

"Am I ugly?" Scarlet reached one hand up behind her back and pulled the hook that held her dress up loose. Reeve clapped his hands over his eyes as the material fell away revealing her thin pale body clad in black underwear. "Look at me Reeve! Am I ugly? Ish thish the body of an ugly old whore?"

"Scarlet... you're drunk. Go home for both our sakes!"

"Look at me Reeve! Tell me I'm ugly!"

Reeve stood with his hands over his eyes, shaking slightly. His mind had gone numb, he couldn't think of anything to say that would rid himself of the drunk and raving Scarlet.

"Reeve....." Her voice was shaking, whether with anger or sorrow he didn't know. He took his hands away from his eyes, and forced himself to look at her.

She wasn't beautiful. But nor was she particularly ugly. Flesh had started to sag in places, but not so much it spoiled the lines of her body. The underwear detracted from her, clearly made for someone younger and slimmer.

"You're not ugly Scarlet." Reeve turned his head away, knowing he was flushed with embarrassment.

Scarlet stared at the man. He wasn't looking at her, some sense of modesty drove his eyes away from her. But that was Reeve all over wasn't it? Always polite, always proper, never allowing his eyes to wander or his tongue to wag.

"You poor shweet innocent lucky bashtard" she said, somewhat incoherently. "You could do anything you wanted to me in the shtate I'm in."

She saw him frown. He didn't answer her, just continued looking at the ground.

From somewhere deep in her soul Scarlet found a sense of respect and awe. She had known many men – and all of them would have reacted by either screwing her silly or throwing her out. She felt tears come to her eyes as she compared him against them.

Why couldn't I have known someone like him when I was young? Someone who actually cares about people...

Her first harsh sob startled Reeve into looking back up. Scarlet was weeping, her makeup running in streaks down her cheeks. Reeve watched her in shock as she sank to the ground, a horrible choked wailing noise coming from her.

"Scarlet..." He took a step towards her, unsure of what to do. "Calm down... please calm down."

She continued crying, her face hidden in her hands. Reeve couldn't stand it, if she was upset he had to comfort her.

Sinking down next to her he put his arm around her thin shoulders, feeling them jerk with the force of sobs. She turned her head, pressing it into his chest, soaking it with tears and mascara. He stroked her back, making a soft wordless comforting noise he used on the stray cats he took to his apartment on cold nights. He could smell her, a mixture of alcohol, cigarettes and cheap perfume.

Even after she had cried herself out she couldn't make herself leave the warm comfort of his arms.

-~-~-~-

"What did he say?" Rude asked.

Elena sniffed, reaching for her coat. "Noth – nothing important."

"Why are you crying?" Damn you Reno, couldn't you even give her one chance?

"I'm not." Elena struggled into the thick jacket. "It's hay-fever."

"..........." Rude watched as she buttoned up her coat, pausing only to wipe her eyes on the back of her hand.

Elena did up the last button and headed towards the door. Just as she was about to step through it Rude spoke again.

"If you run away now you'll prove him right."

-~-~-~-

Reno yawned. The interlude with Elena had been highly amusing but she was unlikely to return and the rest of the evening stretched out before him like...

....Like a time desert. Yeah. A great empty sandy beach of time. With lemonade stands and girls in bikini's. Or something... maybe not lemonade stands actually. Damn meta-whatsits, and similie-thingys.

Reno shook his head. I've definitely been here too long if I'm thinking up crap like that! At least I get out of here tomorrow. Dammit, I'm even looking forward to work.....

The door slammed open, bouncing off the wall with a bang. Reno jumped, his hand going automatically to his electro-mag rod. Elena stood in the doorway, her eyes flashing and her fists clenched.

"I demand an apology for the things you said earlier!" Her voice was louder than normal.

Reno crossed his arms and smirked. "Why should I? Every word was the gospel truth."

"It was not!" Elena marched into the room, and up to the hospital bed, leaning down so that her face was a couple of inches away from Reno's. "It was mean and nasty and completely wrong! So apologise or else!"

Reno narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me, little miss rookie?"

Elena's hands grabbed Reno by the front of the hospital shirt and yanked him even closer, so that their noses were almost touching. Unfortunately her elbow hit the button that controlled the angle of the bed, and with a sudden click of machinery the whole thing folded up, with the two Turks inside.

"OW! £$%!@ my rib! You bitch!" Reno's voice, suddenly high-pitched with a mix of pain and fury emitted from the tangle.

"Owowowowowow! Move your elbow! Move your elbow!" Elena's voice, similar in tone to Reno's also came.

"I can't! Get your knee out of my ribcage!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!"

There was a burst of muttered curses and creaking noises and then Reno screamed.

"Not there! Don't move it there!"

"Sorry!"

There was more creaking and then the bed sprang back outwards, catapulting them both off the bed and onto the floor. Elena stood up, pink with embarrassment and stuttering apologies. Reno curled up on the ground, one hand on his rib and the other clasped protectively round his more sensitive area.

"Oh Reno I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Neo-Turk Light" Reno said through gritted teeth.

"Wha- Aaaaaah!"

The electrical spell slammed into the blonde and threw her up against the wall which crumbled under the force of the magic. Bits of rubble sprayed across the outside corridor and Elena landed and skidded through the mess.

She ended up sliding to a halt at the feet of the new President, Rufus Shinra.

-~-~-~-

Rude left the building, heading to the spot where his car was parked. He was tired, his broken night and the subsequent investigation into the events of that night had taken their toll. This, combined with his sense of confusion over his feelings about Tifa and the knowledge that he would now be considered a "traitor" if his part in Avalanche's escape came out, left him looking forward to the solitude of his apartment.

He pulled out his keys, and sorted through them, barely aware of his surroundings.

"Sleep" The voice – Joanna's voice – came from directly behind him. He started to turn but the spell worked quickly and before he could face her it released a rush of melatonin into his brain and he slept.

-~-~-~-

A/N: A short chapter again – but I think I covered a lot of ground. I did mention I wasn't very experienced at writing romance and I'm not entirely happy with the Reeve/Scarlet section (I like the idea I'm just not sure I carried it off right ^_^).

Blatant Plug http://showcasecomics.co.uk/turks/. Worth a look if you like the Turks. Seriously ^_~