Give Me a Hand
Chapter Three: Lost Little Toymaker

You'd think that helping save the planet would get someone respect, or perhaps just a little dignity. You'd be wrong. People see a Mako glow and that is all they know, I'm "ShinRa"- a call back to all that was wrong in the world, a scapegoat.

If I were younger, maybe I'd be angry about it.

In my life I've been many things. A tinkerer, a whore, a ShinRa Executive, a member of AVALANCHE, a Turk… but I mentioned the whore thing once already. Through all of that, one person has known me.

Scarlet. I only joined the Turks because I wanted to be with her. I think that she's the only person that can spell my name… could spell it.

Scarlet's dead, and for once, I can't come to grips.

She'd been left lame after the Proud Clod explosion, but that had never really bothered me, it hadn't bothered her either. For once, she had the attention of the person she wanted and only that. I thought that maybe we could just slide away; maybe even have a family, settle down and never fight again. Being handy with machines almost secured me a job that could support us.

When I found her, I didn't believe it was her. She put up one hell of a fight from the looks of things, and even though her left side wasn't exactly up to par, she was still a Turk. I've seen things get messy before, but when a Turk fights for their life, that's the height of violent.

I sunk to the floor, still watching her as if she'd move. I was in shock, she couldn't just be dead. Not now, not after we finally had something that resembled freedom. We didn't have to fight anymore.

The blood was thick from her wrist before I got up off the floor. I didn't bother to think about why someone would want her hand and I didn't cry for her, I don't think she'd have appreciated that anyway. She always said I was too nice, too easy; she never liked me as a Turk.

But Scarlet's dead now.

I dug my Death Penalties out of our closet and took the time to glance over at Cait from where he sat on that stuffed moogle. Both were collecting dust, part of me felt bad that my avatar didn't get much use anymore. It was pointless to pretend to be someone else. Everyone in AVALANCHE knew who was behind it. The world didn't care about a cute kitty cat on a moogle when there was a Turk to tear down behind it.

There was only one person in AVALANCHE that I would have bothered hanging around with anyway. But Vincent had long ago done the first thing he taught me never to do. He gave up. He didn't have the lust for life that I thought we all shared, he didn't want to spend time with his old roots. Maybe he was embarrassed, but I doubted it. I think he was too preoccupied with his over grandeurized sins.

Oh well, I had other friends and other old habits. The world wanted to paint me as a ShinRa man all the way. Fine with me. This person wanted to hack off ShinRa Execs? Also fine, I'd just make myself a better target. And when I found whoever did that to her, I was going to make them see just how I climbed the corporate ladder. It sure as hell wasn't on my charming personality and quirky nature.

The first thing I did was call those other friends: Rude, Reno and Elena. They offered as much sympathy as Turks can, meaning they told me to watch my ass and they would watch theirs. There was a moment before Reno asked if I wanted them to swing by, but I declined.

Maybe I was worried I was rusty, and didn't want them to see. I trained them all personally, and maybe pack mentality told me that the old Alpha couldn't limp back into the pack. That fear left me all on my own.

I figured I'd run into trouble in Rocket Town, but the only place I knew of to find any other "ShinRa" person was here. Shera and Cid – as much as he was forced into it – were ShinRa. So if this person was after ShinRa, they may already be in Rocket Town, waiting.

I wasn't there two minutes before Cid stormed in. He looked for all the world like someone smashed his favorite toy and pissed on it. Of course, he'd probably like to think he looked intimidating. I hadn't been in the mood, and he had to press the issue.

Though I was happy to lean that I wasn't rusty, I didn't need that stupid bar fight. It blew my cover. My still unknown target was now tipped off on two things. That I knew he was out there and that I hadn't forgotten how to fight. I left Cid on the floor, another testament to my age – ten years ago I would have killed him for getting in my way like that. Using my jacket to toss over the burning bar and vault over it. I flicked glass to the floor. People were running all over in chaos.

All of them running, save one figure that slid very deliberately out a window. I ran to the door as the figure ducked outside.

The wind blew drips of everclear into my eyes, prompting them closed. Damn Cid, I really had the urge to drag his ass outside and kick it properly without his barrage of glass weaponry.

But there were more important matters at hand…

… my keen powers of deduction told me the most important matter was the car racing right towards me.