Author's Note:
Reno: So let me get this straight. Not only did Tyramir pretend like Rufus never died....
Rufus: What's wrong with that?
Reno: ... and bring back Aeris...
Aeris: Hey, I happen to like living.
Reno: ... but he also decided to bring back Hojo.
Hojo: I know. Cool, eh?
Reno: Wait. Where's Reeve?
Elena: He refuses to be in the same room as Hojo. You know, since he stole his body and all.
Reno: Oh right. Makes sense. Hey, Hojo, wanna be my new best friend?
Hojo: Only if I get to experiment on you and discover how a creature with no mental capacity can possess verbal skills.
Reno: Sounds cool. I'll even say the disclaimer, just to ease you into things. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. See? Easy. Next chapter, you do it.
Hojo: Oh, I will. Right after I destroy the world!!
Reno: .... Riiiiight. On with the story.
Chapter Thirteen
Tending To The Wounded
Rufus felt a wave of satisfaction fill him as he subtly put Reno under his thumb. Offers of a permanent salary had permanently put the Turk under his control. The red-haired mercenary was loyal only to gil, and knowing it would be in steady supply would keep him from straying like he had in Midgar during the fight against Jenova. Rufus needed Reno for now, that much was for certain. The newly reborn Shinra was still in its infancy, barely capable of supporting itself. To grow, it would need competent people in its employ. And despite Reno's many bad habits, he was competent.
For a brief moment, he was allowed a happy reverie, a moment of contentment. And then, with all such things, it was forced to end, shattered on the floor.
The door clicked open, and Elena walked in. She closed it behind her. She was alone. Where was Reeve?
He didn't realize he had spoken the question aloud until Elena answered, "About that, sir, I think we have a bit of a problem."
His eyes narrowed, and he focused his full attention on her, noting her stance, her gestures, her expression. She was trying to stay calm, trying to stay still, but there was definitely the feeling of it being forced. Every part of her wanted to fidget, to squirm beneath his gaze. He found that he frequently had that affect on people now, ever since his Mako enhancement. But usually not from trained warriors, even ones as green as Elena.
"Problem? What kind of problem?"
"Did Reeve blow up another electric doo-hickey or something?" Reno asked, a smile coming across his lips. He stopped, then eyes Rufus specatively, as if unsure whether or not the joke would be considered as disrespect. Rufus let it slide.
"I couldn't find him at first, sir. He wasn't in his office, like I thought he would be, so I phoned the company apartments and found he wasn't seen entering his condo, either. I asked the front desk if he had checked out, and they claimed that he hadn't."
"But you did find him," the President said. Her wording had already confirmed his suspicions, but he found himself asking the question anyway. Was he really that worried about Reeve leaving him and Shinra? His vision had told him that he would need him in the time to come.
"Yes, sir. It didn't take me that long. A guard commented to me that he had seen Reeve enter the sublevels in the Underwater Reactor, accessing the storage area."
"The storage area?" he asked, confused. "What would he want in there?"
"Maybe the Cait Sith junk," Reno supplied. "It's the only stuff down there that's directly connected to him, I think. I mean, what else is there?"
"Don't be absurd. There's nothing Reeve is afraid of more than those dolls. They robbed him of his memory. He's so terrified of them deep down that his own mind locked away all memories pertaining to them because of the way the implant damaged him."
"Actually, sir," Elena said, nearly interrupting him. "That's where he went. Apparently after your last meeting with him, he went down there and stayed in the room for almost a day straight, working on something. We're still not sure what, but there was an accident."
Rufus found himself standing straight up, suddenly out of his chair with the speed of a rocket launched into the air. "What do you mean accident? What happened?"
Elena shook her head. "We don't know exactly. We do know that one of the Cait Sith units were activated, however, and then began to somehow act independantly from Reeve. It ordered its mog counterpart to attack him and two guards while it fled. The mog was destroyed, but the Cait Sith portion managed to escape."
Rufus felt a sudden pain in his fist. He looked down, and saw that he had managed to strike his desk, cracking the hard oak surface of it. His knuckles were bloodied, and his note were scattered about. How had that happened?
"Is Reeve all right?" he asked.
The Turk shook her head. "The mog focused all of its attacks on him. That's how the guards were able to destroy it. It completely disregarded them while it attacked Reeve. Both of his arms and legs were broken during the battle. He's being taken to the infirmary now."
Rufus was aware of striking the desk again, but this time he felt no pain accompany it. Right now, he desperately wanted to feel something other than what he felt right then. For a moment, it had been like his heart was in his throat, attempting to escape his body in fear. He disliked the sensation.
Gritting his teeth, Rufus said, "I want all of the Cait Sith units and their mog counterparts disassembled right now until we find out what happened. And I want the one responsible for this found. Today. Put all of my soldiers to work on it. I even want you two to look for it as well. Put aside recruiting, Reno, and focus your attention on this."
"What's the bounty?" Reno asked.
Rufus thought about it for a moment. Standard Turk commission was generally forty thousand gil per contract. Fifty if the circumstances were considered dangerous. He thought about Reeve for a moment, and remembered how he owed the man for lying to him. Lying to a man who had shown nothing but loyalty.
"Five hundred thousand gil each if one of you brings me that doll's head. I want this done. Now."
Both Reno and Elena saluted smartly, with a, "Yes, sir!" then left the room quickly. Odd how quickly Reno could fall into military patterns when offered such a ridiculously high sum of money. Given enough time, he would be made into a useful tool, instead of just an adequete tool.
What to do now? The Turks are on their way to being complete once more. Soon, a new line of Shinra weaponry will be completed. My Empire will be made. But for now... I have to see Reeve.
Abandoning the financial papers, military plans and weapons schematics on his desk, leaving behind all worries of whether or not he was a lesser or greater man for becoming part Cetra, Rufus left to see the closest man he had ever considered a friend.
Author's Note:
Yeah, so not much happened. I'm into that whole character development thing. So sue me. Next up will be Aeris, followed by Barret. Stick with this. There'll be action coming up soon. Trust me on this.