The Shinra Headquarters was without question the most impressive development in Midgar. Designed exactly in accordance with the Presidents' wishes, it towered far above any of the other buildings in the city. Metallic hued windows shimmered like quicksilver, reaching up over sixty storeys and dwarfing everything for miles, shining out like a beacon proclaiming Shinras' influence.
A sleek, black saloon pulled up outside the front entrance. A few passers-by attempted to peek inside, but the tinted windscreens prevented their eager eyes from seeing anything they should not. The engine ground to a halt, and three men dressed in immaculate dark blue suits climbed out, slamming the doors behind them. Striding up to the Headquarters' main entrance, the more curious pedestrians quickly moved aside to let the Turks through, a little in awe of the world renowned men, but mostly afraid – part of their renown was the grisly reputation they carried with them.
A pair of pristine glass doors slid open to admit the Turks to the building. Inside, a vast array of wood, chrome and potted plants made up the reception area. The whole place had been designed to impress, and the interior décor was no exception. The President had obviously spared little expense in his quest for opulence. Some long serving employees joked that you could generally spot people who had never been inside before by the way they stood wide eyed and open mouthed in the reception for ten minutes before doing anything else.
Not so the Turks.
Walking purposefully as if they owned the HQ, the triangle of suited men went straight up to the main desk, ignoring their palatial surroundings. The secretary on duty looked up from her paperwork and smiled, recognising them instantly.
"Good afternoon, Mr Valentine, sir " she cooed. "What can I do for you?"
Behind him, Vincent heard Linden mumbling something vaguely obscene, catching only the words "on your knees". He could just imagine the twin smirks on their faces. Excellent Turks, but their minds were permanently stuck in the proverbial gutter. Keeping his fingers crossed that the young lady in question hadn't heard the remark, he ignored his colleagues and continued to address the secretary.
"I'd like to see the President, please" he said calmly, moving a few stray locks of hair from his face.
She smiled again and reached for the phone, fluttering her eyelashes up at him. Only a select few were powerful enough within the company to request a personal audience with Shinra, and Vincent was one of them. "Certainly, if you'll hold on just one moment?" He acquiesced with a slight incline of his head, and turned round to lean against the desk while he waited. Eyes flickering briskly round the room (a habit formed after many years of being a Turk) they inevitably came to light upon his two colleagues, both wearing the looks of what can only be described as 'naughty schoolboys'.
Having caught his superiors' eye, Linden gave an exaggerated nod towards the pretty little secretary and made an overtly sexual gesture, mouthing the words "gagging for it". Vincent kept studiously silent, but gave a quick reprimanding scowl in reply. Deacon took up the bait and made encouraging hand motions along the lines of 'go get her', to the accompaniment of Lindens' less than subtle suggestions. Finding it increasingly more difficult to control their juvenile antics, Vincent tried directing furious glares at each of them. "Pack it in!" he hissed under his breath. "Quiet! The pair of you! Just…"
"Mr Valentine?"
Vincent, engrossed in telling off his two Turks, jumped at the sound of her voice, his head whipping round and somewhat startling the secretary. Thankfully she had not been witness to the charade going on at her desk and continued to smile at the group.
"The President is in a meeting with General Freeman at the moment, but if you go on up, I'm sure he'll see you at the same time."
"Thank you" replied Vincent, turning on his heel and heading for the nearest lift. Deacon fell in line behind him, but Linden lagged behind a moment, to flash a pearly white smile at the young lady and tip an imaginary hat. "Catch you later" he said, winking lewdly and hurrying off after the others.
oOo
Dr Lucrecia Crescent was one of the many people standing in the Reception area as the Turks walked in. Recently transferred from Mideel, she was in the middle of a conversation with her fellow scientist Christa Fallon, when the three men breezed into the room. She immediately noticed a hush descend for a few seconds as everyone looked and registered their arrival, before the noise picked up again. A little confused, she turned to Christa, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Who are they?" she enquired. "Why's everyone gawking at them?"
Christa looked surprised. "You mean you've never seen the Turks before?" she asked incredulously. A look of understanding suddenly passed over Lucrecia's face. "Ah, I'm guessing that expression means you've heard of them at least" the woman continued.
"Well they've never come to Mideel before" answered Lucrecia by way of explanation for her naiveté. "Or if they have then they've never popped into the Science department to say hello."
"Oh they'll have been to Mideel alright" Christa promised. "You just won't have seen them. They tend to keep to themselves, you know. Only appearing when they have to do their job." She gave a derogatory sniff. "Ha! Shinra's bully boys are all they are."
"Bully boys?"
Christa nodded sagely. "Without question" she answered distastefully. "Common street thugs and no more."
Lucrecia turned to look at the three men once more. Immaculate in their dark blue suits, she thought they seemed more like businessmen than street brawlers, even if she couldn't see them clearly from this distance. "They don't look like it" she protested. "They seem just like everyone else in here…"
"Don't let the sharp dressing fool you" warned Christa. "When you get right down to it, a Turk is an assassin, no matter what pretty clothes he wears. The President says shoot and they do it. Bully boys." She saw Lucrecia gazing at the three, just in time to catch one making a lewd gesture to another, behind the third ones' back. "Immature bully boys" she amended. "Oh sure, they've got charm, so I'm told…" A second glance revealed two Turks sniggering. "Well, maybe some of them have, but you'd do best to keep clear of them." Christa dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "You ready to go now?"
Lucrecia shrugged indifferently. She'd heard all about the Turks. When she was little in Mideel, they had been the local equivalent of the boogeyman – "Go to bed or the Turks will come!" – but despite having worked in a Shinra base since she was sixteen, she had never before seen any of them. Of course, she rationalised, science wasn't exactly an area that involved much in the way of their particular line of work. She watched the three men leave, an undeniable swagger in their step, and walk into one of the new glass elevators. Shrugging again, she collected her paperwork. "OK, let's get out of here. Science awaits."
oOo
Vincent walked onto the Presidential floor, Deacon and Linden trailing behind him. A brief word with the assistant on duty confirmed that Shinra was in a meeting with the General of the armed forces.
Appropriate, he thought, considering the news be brought with him. He looked at his two Turks, both of whom seemed a little uncomfortable this close to the President. Vincent couldn't really blame them. He had been in awe of Shinra for years, until an unfortunate accident on the part of his superior had seen him promoted to the exalted position of leader of the Turks. Since then, he had to meet with the President on a more or less daily basis, and had overcome his initial awkwardness. Linden and Deacon still had a way to go however. Remembering how he used to feel, he ordered the pair to wait outside. "I'll talk to the President myself" he explained. "If he wants to hear your opinions, then I'll buzz you through." They smiled (did he detect a slight sense of relief in their expressions?) and sat themselves down in one of the comfy sofas nearby. Vincent himself straightened his tie, adjusted his jacket and flicked some hair out of his face before pushing open the main doors and walking into the Presidents' inner sanctum.
"Ah, Vincent" bellowed the President, as the Turk stepped in and closed the doors behind him. "Vincent, come in my boy." Inwardly cringing at the term "boy" (a nickname earned by being the youngest Turk ever to become their leader) he strode over to greet his employer.
"Sir" he said formally, and turned to acknowledge the rooms' other occupant, General Clifton Freeman. Snapping off a sharp salute and receiving a mirror copy from the seated man, he turned his attention back to Shinra. "I've completed the appraisal of Wutai as requested. You ordered me to report back immediately upon my return."
The President motioned towards a spare chair next to the General, which Vincent accepted without comment. "I did indeed" he said as Vincent sat down. "I'd received word from the helipad that you were back, so I took the liberty of calling this little get together." He leaned back in his own chair, the deep wine leather creaking as he did so. "So, what's your assessment then? Quick now. Out with it."
Vincent took a deep breath. "In a word, sir? Unstable. The Wutaians are… resistant… of any enterprise that threatens their more traditional way of living." He decided to choose his words carefully, fully aware of Shinras' volatile temperament. "The town elders refuse to enter into any form of negotiations. They say they have no need of power stations or disruptions to their heritage and I believe they would not take such an attempt in a peaceable fashion. I have gathered much information about their defensive capability. Wutai is known for its' line of Ninja fighters." He paused, waiting for a reaction, but Shinra let him continue. "They do however have sizeable amounts of raw Materia. They pride themselves on it, in fact. I was able to acquire one or two samples; I think you'll agree that they're of the highest quality." He pulled a small revolver from its holster at his side and carefully prised two glowing green orbs from the side. Replacing the gun, he offered the orbs to the President, who took them eagerly.
"Where did you find these?" Shinra demanded.
"Not all of the people of Wutai are as resistant as the elders" Vincent answered. "One or two of them were willing to deal. These particular specimens I obtained from a rogue trader."
Shinras' eyes lit up as he pushed the small Materia around in the palm of his hand. Looking up, he gave Vincent a hard stare. "These specimens? How many more do you have?"
Vincent smiled. "Enough to prove our case. And I believe that we have sufficient contacts now to arrange for the delivery of more."
Shinra chuckled. "Excellent." He tore his eyes of the Materia for a minute to stare at his prized Turk. "You're from Wutai yourself, aren't you?"
"No sir." Vincent gave a slight shake of his head. "I was born in Icicle Village. Although my mother was originally from Wutai."
Shinra noted this, and then carried on, as if there had been no digression. "Now, you mentioned some… resistance?"
"Some of the younger inhabitants mainly, as well as a few small splinter groups who disagree with the direction the ruling house is taking" replied the Turk. "I have noticed that those who voice their displeasure with the elders' edicts are often…let's say, inspired to visit other continents."
"You mean they kick 'em out at the first sign of trouble?"
"Essentially correct"
President Shinra nodded. "About what I was expecting" he said gruffly. "They won't give in to progress without a fight." He turned to the General, who had remained silent up to this point. "What do you think, Freeman?"
General Freeman cleared his throat. "Well… If what Valentine here has told us is correct, then it'll come to a stand-off regardless. Of course, we should easily outnumber them; the important thing is that they aren't able to close off the Materia supply before we can get to it. And once we have, that they don't get any of it back." He looked at the Turk. "I'm assuming you've brought some figures back with you? Maps, plans, that kind of thing?"
"Of course."
"Excellent" interrupted Shinra. "Good work. I want a plan of action drawn up by the end of the week. We'll keep with the softly softly approach for the moment, then hit 'em hard if they haven't fallen in line. It'll be a good chance to test out some of the Weapons Departments' latest prototypes, if nothing else." He leaned over his desk and picked up a cigar. Lighting it, he began to puff away contentedly. "Ahhh" he sighed. "Marvellous." He pushed the two Materia back towards Vincent. "Take these down to the labs. I want them analysed." Grinning, he blew a smoke ring high into the air. "Wutai will be mine by the end of the year."
A/N: Just a quick one. There's generally a reasonably large time jump between chapters. So events in one don't always immediately precede events in the next.
