Chapter IV: Realization

Tseng sat in his office, his desk completely clear except for one piece of paper. It was the same thing he had always been charged with; making the executive decision. So why was he delaying now?

The phone in his office rang, waking him from his trance. He answered with slight trepidation, "This is Tseng."

"Have you taken care of it?" The caller, President Shinra, asked.

"Yes sir. Just need to sign and seal it. I'll have it up to your office in a moment," Tseng replied.

"What is the current status of the mission?" Shinra asked.

"Sir, the Shinra military has made contact with the targets. They are two samples of Hojo's. One of them is a formidably armed SOLDIER first class. I just passed the order onto my Turks, we'll take it from here," Tseng replied.

"Understood," Shinra replied. "Carry on."

Shinra hung up the phone, and Tseng slowly set it down. Why is this so different?

Tseng knew the targets. Not necessarily on a personal level, but it was that incident. Five years ago, in Nibelheim.

A knock came at his door. "Come in," was Tseng's automatic response.

In walked Reno, who looked even more coy than usual. "I heard we're hunting down SOLDIERs nowadays."

Tseng laughed. "Yes, well. Apparently, the President believes that these two are somehow related to the incident five years ago."

Reno smiled, but it was strictly labial; Reno was not amused. "The Nibelheim incident. Sephiroth wiped out an entire town of people and left almost everyone dead. Are you telling me the connection isn't obvious?"

Tseng sighed and turned away from Reno, facing out the window onto the city of Midgar.

"They were samples in one of Hojo's experiments," Tseng replied.

Reno nodded. "Oh yeah. Well that makes sense. Don't want two guys pumped up on Mako running freely now do we?" Reno cocked his head and closed his eyes, as if thinking carefully. "He's no Dr. Gast, but he tries."

Tseng laughed again, more to keep himself focused than anything else. "You and Rude can take care of this situation, I trust?"

"I want the 'players' in on this situation," Reno replied.

"What? Two Turks can't handle one SOLDIER? Since when?" Tseng asked.

Reno shook his head. "All I know is that this guy just took on an entire company of Shinra Special Operations Troops. They may as well be 3rd Class SOLDIERs for their track record. I want to make sure this goes down quickly."

"Fine," Tseng replied. "Take a chopper and a company with you. I'll send Agent D and Agent G to assist you."

"Thank you kindly," Reno bowed and left the room.

Tseng turned back to the piece of paper on his desk. He sighed, and signed his name on it, and then sealed it with a drop of wax, stamped with the seal of the Turks. He set it in his outgoing box and paged his secretary to pick it up.

I guess because of what happened, I'm related to these targets, Tseng thought.

Tseng felt ridiculous. He had taken away countless lives before. He had removed anyone that was a threat to Shinra. Underworlders from Junon, mobs and terrorist groups within Midgar. But he knew these men. They weren't threats.

He shook his head. He had to think of them as targets. That is all they were now. Zack, a SOLDIER 1st Class, Cloud a Corporal in the Shinra Military. They were now considered a threat by President Shinra, and the President had just given him a direct order, which he had just signed.

Tseng's eyes were now fixated on the black tip of the letter. Tonight, he would be doing the same thing as every other night. Shedding innocent blood.

Am I to take away their freedom again? Tseng thought sadly.

The weight of his murders, the sudden realization of his work; they hit him like a jackhammer to the chest. He sat down quickly as the echoes of thousands of crying voices rang in his ears.

The images flooded through his mind. He had ruthlessly slaughtered countless in the name of Shinra. All this he had done in Shinra's name.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted.

The secretary who had just walked in was startled. "I-I'm sorry, Director. I just came for the letter."

Tseng shook his head and snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry. I think I dozed off there for a moment. Please take this letter to President Shinra."

"Yes, sir. Are you alright?" She asked.

Tseng lied, "I'm fine."

The secretary took the letter and then left his office. As she left, the phone rang, and Tseng answered it, using all the energy he had left to pick up the phone.

"This is Tseng," Tseng answered.

"Director," came the voice of Shisune. "We have received reports that the targets have just gotten in the area."

"I understand," Tseng replied. "I'll be there in a moment."

Tseng walked out of his office and turned off the lights. The time had come to add two more souls to his record. He felt the chains that awaited him bear him down as he walked down the hall.