Started: February 4, 2005
Finished: March 1, 2005
A Sleepless Night
Her phone was ringing.
She muttered and rolled over, dragging her pillow with her to cover her ears grumpily. She had stopped reading safety reports and thrown herself into bed with every intention of sleeping until Tseng arrived to wake her up. Everyone that was anyone in her department - in the company - knew that disturbing her while she was trying to rest was a foolish idea.
The phone, however, was apparently not aware of her reputation.
Stop ringing… Stop ringing…
Two minutes later, the phone was still ringing and she was too awake to ignore the incessant sound. She opened her eyes and stared blearily at the glaring red numbers of her bedside clock. 11:14. Just great. Less than an hour of sleep. With a frustrated sigh, she crawled across the bed and picked up the phone.
"This sure as hell better be important-"
"Scarlet? This is Rufus Shinra."
The end of her sentence died in her throat at the Vice President's no-nonsense greeting. "Mr. Vice President? What is it, sir?"
"There's been an incident in Midgar. The President is asking for all department heads to report back to Midgar; Hojo is heading back from Nibelheim as we speak." Rufus' professional tone was disconcerting at such an early hour.
"An … incident?" Scarlet was already climbing out of bed, fumbling for the lights.
"A Mako reactor exploded. AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility."
The blonde woman paused at the familiar name, then shook her head and hurried to get something to wear. "… Let me just call Tseng, sir, and we'll be on our way."
AVALANCHE? That was six years ago…
"I expect the helicopter to be on the helipad within the next half hour."
"Yes, sir."
His body ached. His legs ached. His eyelids ached. He twitched something - he was not quite sure what - slightly, and that ached.
"Malloy?"
Blue eyes opened at the faintly familiar voice. Wren coughed and winced as his vision focused, finding himself staring up at the ceiling and a redhead that was leaning over him. It took a moment for a name to register. "Reno?"
Reno did not look all that happy, though it was more likely because of his lack of sleep than seeing his former coworker "What the hell were you doing running away from an exploding Mako reactor?"
Wren blinked. "Nice to see you, too."
"Yeah, well, you can tell me if this reunion's gonna be nice or not by answering my question, Malloy." Reno straightened, disappearing from Wren's line of sight for a moment. Wren tilted his head to watch the redhead lean back in a seat next to the bed, frowning slightly. "C'mon now. Spill it."
The younger man grunted as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. Reno eyed him critically, not attempting to stop Wren from sitting up. "It was Sears," he managed, hissing as he rested his lower back against the pillows. "Damn, I feel like…"
"Shit? You're not looking very hot, either," Reno muttered. "… Sears, huh? Fuck, I wasn't expecting to hear that name ever again. The news is all over it; apparently it's AVALANCHE's handiwork." He shifted, resting his chin on the palm of one hand. "But Sears? … He must have nine lives."
"What are we gonna do?"
There was a long moment of silence as Reno appeared to contemplate Wren's question. "We're supposed to do something?" he finally asked.
That was definitely not the response Wren had expected; it took him a few seconds for Reno's reasoning to click in his head. "Fuck…"
"Yeah, that's right: it's not our job anymore." Emerald eyes glinted as Reno stood up, and he went to stand by the window. "The reactor's still burning. I don't think they'll be able to stop the fire completely tonight."
Wren sighed, looking away from Reno and the window angrily. He could only assume they were still in Sector 5, as the bright glow of the raging fire filled the windows completely. "So how long am I supposed to be in here?"
Reno turned around and shrugged his shoulders, burying his hands in his jacket pockets. "Until they give you the okay, I guess. You weren't badly hurt, considering you were so close to the reactor when it blew. Must be your damned luck." Wren Malloy had a strange history of good luck, and his miraculous survival was just another chip on the pile. When he had chased down a prime AVALANCHE operative six years ago, the brunette had gotten away from the scuffle with only a broken arm.
"Good luck would've been catching that bastard and his accomplice," Wren stated bitterly. "I can't believe AVALANCHE is back."
"Again, not our job anymore," Reno said, feigning nonchalance. In many ways, he felt compelled to agree with Wren that they should do something. However, there were many factors that stopped him from doing something rash like hunt down AVALANCHE; money, equipment, and good reason had all been factors that led to his version of a good work ethic.
It went without saying that the drive to do that kind of job well was there. If there was one thing in the world that he excelled at, it was being a Turk.
Rufus Shinra wrapped his coat around himself as he stepped out of the helicopter, one hand reaching up to shield his eyes as he strode towards shelter. Lydia Scarlet was hot on his heels, looking back past the helicopter at the smoke that billowed up into the burning sky. Both of the executives were too preoccupied to pay attention to the helicopter as it took off, stepping into the President's office and following the escorts that awaited them to the boarding room.
Azul Shinra sat at the head of the long table, his chin resting on one clenched fist as he averted his gaze to the new arrivals. The expression on his face was one of weary anger as he cleared his throat. "We have many things to discuss, so take a seat," he said grimly, giving the two little more than a professional nod in greeting.
Scarlet took a seat next to General Miles Heidegger, Head of Public Safety and Peace Preservation, with a thoughtful frown on her face. Rufus sat near the head of the table next to his father, folding his hands on the tabletop as he waited for someone to begin the meeting. All of the departmental heads looked understandably frazzled and tired (considering it was only one in the morning), but Reeve looked quite sick as he anxiously shuffled through several reports he had sitting in front of him.
"As I am sure you are aware by now, Mako Reactor No. 4 was blown up at approximately nine PM last night," President Shinra began, blue eyes scanning the faces of his department heads. "I have already made a public statement on the matter, but I will be redirecting all future statements to Rufus for the time being." Rufus nodded once at his father's right, not at all surprised; when soothing the population, it was better to have someone who appeared trustworthy and was charismatic fielding questions. "Reeve, what is the status on the reactor?"
Reeve practically jumped as his name was uttered, clutching at his papers as if they were a lifeline. "I can't give you a full report until the fire's out, sir," he managed, "but it appears the base of the reactor was spared, since the entire sector did not blow. I have people working on cutting off the Mako flow to the reactor to help stave the fire as we speak."
The President nodded tersely. "I want a full report by tomorrow morning; I want the reactor up and running as soon as possible." He ignored the meek acknowledgment from the Head of Urban Development, averting his attention once again. "What are your SOLDIERs doing, Heidegger?"
"It's been difficult trying to pin where the terrorists came from, sir," Heidegger reported in his heavy, northern accent. "Questioning civilians hasn't given us anything, either. They slipped out of sight as soon as they blew up the reactor."
"And what about the confession? I heard it was sent through e-mail."
The scarred general openly grimaced, knowing he had to deliver more bad news. "Encryptions of the worst kind, sir. My best crackers can't trace it."
"Fuhito."
President Shinra, as well as the other executives, looked at Rufus at the one-word utterance. "What was that?" inquired the older Shinra.
"Fuhito," Rufus repeated, meeting his father's gaze coolly, "was a cracker in the AVALANCHE ranks. We ran into the same problem of encrypted data during the uprising six years ago, but one of the Turks managed to trace the an e-mail back to a Sector 3 warehouse."
There was a brief silence as everyone allowed this to sink in. "A Turk," Shinra muttered aloud, eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he recalled the 'preemptive counterattack' task force of Shinra Incorporated. "And where is this Turk now?"
Hojo spoke up, leaning against his high-backed seat and pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Miss Carver is currently working for me," he drawled. "I can have her come down from Nibelheim if she's needed."
President Shinra nodded. "Do so, and tell me when she's arrived," he said to the scientist. "Heidegger, step up surveillance and send patrols into the slums. The rats are probably hiding down there. Reeve, again, I want a full report by tomorrow morning - nine AM, sharp. Dismissed."
Scarlet looked suitably resentful that she had not been given an assignment, but decided that she would rather not deal with the amount of stress Reeve was undoubtedly suffering from. She was prepared to follow Hojo, Palmer, and Reeve out of the room when she noticed neither Rufus or the President moving from their seats. Even Heidegger had kept his seat, looking at the two blonde men in turn.
Rufus noticed Scarlet hanging back, glancing at his father before speaking. "Close the door and come sit down, Scarlet. I believe we will need a Turk's perspective on this matter."
She straightened slightly at the mentioning of her past occupation, then moved to shut the door.
His watch read 6:50 AM as he walked through Sector 5, and he could not help but feel that it was too early to be up. He had gotten only four hours of sleep the night before, and that fact alone would usually be enough to keep him in bed.
However, it was not every day when he was given the opportunity to have breakfast with the Gainsboroughs.
Tseng Hideyuki was considered a family friend despite previous orders as a Turk to capture Aeris and bring her back to Shinra, and was with the two women that he found himself at peace as of late. He was uncomfortable with the idea of settling down and starting a family, seeing as he had never had much of a family of his own, and he took to the Gainsboroughs as a surrogate family of sorts. He had known the two for over a decade now - longer than he had known any of his business associates.
Aeris was out in her garden despite the early hour, and she rose to greet him as he walked through the front gate. He allowed a brief smile as the young woman walked over, embracing her. "I'm still surprised you knew I was in the city," he stated in greeting.
"I had a feeling," Aeris replied with a sad smile, taking his hand and leading him into the house. Elmyra was at the stove, cooking. "Mom, Tseng's here."
"Hello, Tseng," greeted the woman, turning long enough to wave at the Wutaiian. "How are you doing?"
"Fine, Elmyra, considering the recent turn of events," he said wryly, standing near the door while Aeris went to wash up.
"When did you get into the city?" Elmyra inquired, turning back to the stove as she asked the question.
"About ten minutes to one," Tseng replied. "We left Junon before midnight; for whatever reason, the Junon branch was left in the dark for hours after the explosion."
"Reno was with me when the reactor blew up," Aeris commented, drying off her hands and heading for the kitchen table. Tseng pulled a chair out for the young woman and took a seat once the brunette had sat down. "He went up to the reactor, but I haven't heard from him since there."
Tseng pulled his PHS from his jacket pocket, looking at it thoughtfully. "He would have called if something bad had happened, so he's either safe or dead." Aeris looked amused by his reasoning, and he shared a chuckle with her. "From your expression, I think it's safe to assume he's alive."
With that said, he dialed Reno's number.
Reno cursed as he heard his PHS ring, muttering crossly to himself as he reached for the small device. He had finally gotten back to his apartment from the hospital, and according to the bleary numbers on his PHS, he had gotten a full 52 minutes of sleep before he was so rudely awoken.
"This better be fu- Oh, hey, Tseng," the redhead groaned, not bothering to keep his eyes open as he mumbled into the phone. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… No, 'wasn't anywhere near the bloody reactor when he blew up." He blearily decided to not mention Wren's presence at the reactor to Tseng, as the two men did not get along. "Yeah, it was them. Uh huh… No, they didn't see me." Technically, I didn't see them, either.
They continued talking for a few more moments before Tseng finally let him go, and Reno grumbled as he set his PHS back on the bedside table. Mumbling incoherently, the redhead blindly groped for his pillow and buried his face in it, intent on falling asleep again. After such an ungodly long day, all he wanted to do was sleep…
And then his PHS rang again.
Bloodshot eyes opened deliriously, and it took all of Reno's self-control not to scream.
With a vehemence that belied his sheer weariness, Reno reached for his PHS and answered the call. "I don't know who the gave you this fucking number-"
"Gya ha ha… Don't even start, Nevada." Due to his current state, it took Reno a full moment to place the telltale laugh. He cursed to himself, forcing himself to keep his eyes open. "It's been a long night for everyone, so you're no better off than anyone. This isn't a social call, anyway."
"No fucking kidding."
"Don't talk to superior like that," Heidegger said firmly, calling upon his army background to sound more authoritative. "I am calling you personally to tell you about a recent development."
Reno sat up, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly as he tried to stay awake. "If you're talking about the burning reactor outside, I think I've heard about it already."
There was a grumble of irritation on the other end of the phone. "No, you sarcastic prick, it's more than that. Since AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility, we're doing something unprecedented to deal with the threat. We're reinstating the Turks, and Shinra would like to rehire you as one."
Reno straightened at the declaration. He suddenly wasn't that tired anymore.
Geez, that last scene took me weeks. I could've had this done a long time ago, but … well, I suck like that. -.-;; Anyway, please review if you're reading. Thanks, and I'll get to the next chapter as soon as my last few weeks of the quarter are cleared up.
… And Reno really seems to be taking over this fic. Weird. O.o; I wasn't intending on him getting so many scenes, but he makes a great medium for getting between events and scenes.