Before Crisis: The Beginning
By DarkAngel
Disclaimer: If I owned Square-Enix, Gackt would be in every FF title, never mind the Compilation, in the manner of a leather-pantsed, faux-French Cid. :D
…Rejoice, for I do not own a thing. XD (And rejoice also, for the Gackt thing was a joke)
Chapter 11: The Assassination of President Shinra (Rosalind)
Rosalind accompanied the president closely inside the branch office. If the past few hours had taught her anything, it was that letting one's guard down even in safe zones like this one was a deadly mistake. The President didn't seem to appreciate her company, however. No sooner had they entered the building than he told her to back off.
"You're dismissed. I'll call you again when I need you."
"But sir –" Rosalind had been given orders to escort the President. Technically her duty ended here, but leaving him here was just as dangerous as it had been out there.
"Listen, you! I'm the one that gives you your orders and signs your paycheques and I'm telling you I don't need a nursemaid hovering over me. Now go! I'll call for you when I need you."
What could she say to that? "…yes sir." She watched him go. Her PHS rang, and she picked up, still feeling as if she was doing something wrong.
"What's your current status?" Veld.
Rosalind explained what had happened since leaving the hotel – the bombing of the road, how Reno had left to deal with it, the numerous attempts made by AVALANCHE to get to the President. "-and we've made it to the branch office but he's insisting on being left alone. Sir, what should I -"
"Don't leave him alone," Veld said firmly. "Not until this press event is over."
Rosalind winced. "Yes sir." She'd likely get an earful from the President, but an order was an order.
"Don't worry," Veld said, as if he'd read her mind. "You can tell President Shinra that you're following my direct orders. If he has a problem, he can take it up with me."
"Thank you, sir." She hung up. Now, where had President Shinra gone?
She caught up with him just as he was about to enter the press room. A pair of guards waited at the end of the hall.
"This way, please."
They came to the conference room. The guards stopped and saluted. "The conference room is just beyond this point, Mr. President."
President Shinra grunted. He entered the room. Rosalind made to follow, but one of the guards held out a hand, stopping her.
"I've got a message from your boss," he said. "He wants you to watch the entrance to the building to make sure nobody gets in."
But Veld had just phoned her and told her to stay with the President. Could he mean Tseng? She frowned. "Really? I was told the guard the President."
"We just got the message ourselves, ma'am," the guard said apologetically.
"…I understand," Rosalind said. She turned, coming back the way she had come.
In the corridors, Rosalind was just reaching for her PHS when she spotted someone crumpled on the ground. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a Junon guardsman. Rushing to his side, she knelt down.
"Are you all right?"
The guard groaned. His face was bruised – he'd taken a hit. "Who did this to you?"
The guard grimaced. "They're fakes… The President is in danger…"
Oh no… Veld and Tseng hadn't given separate orders. Those guards -! Leaving the guardsman where he was, she tore back down the hall. Damn it!
Whipping out her gun, she turned the corner. She didn't even bother to slow down as she encountered AVALANCHE operatives. The ones that she could avoid, she did; the ones that stood in her way, she gunned down. She banged her way into the conference room, taking the operatives by surprise.
The fight was short but brutal. When it was over, there was blood everywhere, one man's throat ripped open and spilling blood freely.
The door opened, and Rosalind spun, ready to take care of whoever it was.
"Sorry I'm late," Reno said, grinning at them, holding up his hands in mock surrender. Rosalind put her weapon down.
"Reno! Thank goodness…" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."
"Huh?" He looked down. "Oh. Gotcha. Sorry." He waved to the President. "Looks like everything's set, huh?"
President Shinra gave a derisive snort. "What were you doing this whole time? Get someone to clean this mess up," he said, jerking his head at the corpses.
Half an hour later, President Shinra was standing in front of a podium that had been set up, addressing the cameras that would feed his speech to every news channel for the six o'clock report. Rosalind and Reno stood off to the side, out of the view of the cameras.
"Looks like everything is gonna be all right," Reno whispered.
"That's a relief," Rosalind whispered back. She hoped that things would settle down once the conference was over. Due to the attacks made on his life, a helicopter had been called, which would take the President straight back to Midgar. Essentially, the Turks' job would be over after the press conference ended.
"You did a good job," Reno said, leaning further into the wall. "Old Man Shinra isn't easy to handle."
"I'll agree with you on that," Rosalind muttered.
They watched the President give his speech. He was just launching into the budgetary plans for the next fiscal period when all the lights shut down.
"Huh? A blackout?! Stay close to the President, rookie!" Beside her, she could hear Reno take out his EMR. She clicked the safety off her own weapon. Blinking a few times, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
A PHS went off. A moment later, Rosalind heard Reno respond. "Everything's all right on this end," he was saying. Rosalind began making her way toward the podium.
"Hey!" Reno said. "There's a problem with the generators. The boss man wants you to go and check it out. I'll stay here with Old Man Shinra."
"Yes sir." Rosalind said, moving back to the entrance. Her eyes by now had adjusted fairly well. She could make out people and objects to within a few feet. Still, this pitch blackness was unsettling. Walking carefully, she felt her way toward the door. Rosalind's PHS went off.
"It's me," Veld said. "I'm going to guide you to the generators."
"Sir, I can't see anything," Rosalind protested.
"I can trace your signal from your PHS and overlay it with the map of the building. Don't worry – I'll guide your steps. Switch to your earpiece – you won't be able to talk and look at the map at the same time."
With Veld's help she navigated the corridors, checking her position on her PHS every now and then. Occasionally she ran into an AVALANCHE operative. Fighting in the dark wasn't easy, but somehow she managed to get through it. Finally, she was at the entrance to the generator room. She hit the switch. The sudden wash of light hurt after being in the dark for so long, and Rosalind had to blink a few times.
"What was the problem?" Veld asked.
Rosalind cocked her head, looking at the breaker switch. A quick glance at the control panel told her that there hadn't been a malfunction. Someone had just switched off the power. None of the breakers had been switched off except for the one on this floor.
"It looks like AVALANCHE cut the power to this floor."
"Get back to the President as quickly as you can." Veld's gruff voice cut tersely into her ear.
For what felt like the hundredth that time day, Rosalind found herself running to beat the clock. What was AVALANCHE really up to? Why did they want to destroy the Shin-Ra Company? How the heck had they gotten this many people and resources in the first place? It boggled the mind.
By the time she reached the press room, she was out of breath.
President Shinra was safe, that much she could see. So was Reno. Her eyes flickered from him, to his brandished EMR, to the other man in the room. A man in light coloured fatigues, short brown hair and glasses. He smiled pleasantly at Rosalind as she stepped inside.
"Good timing," Reno muttered. In a louder voice he addressed Rosalind. "I'm going to take the President somewhere safe. You keep Fuhito busy."
Fuhito? He must have meant this bespectacled man. She nodded, still somewhat breathless. "All right. I'll try my best."
Reno had been backing away, leading President Shinra steadily toward the back of the room. With his elbow, he hit the wall, which slid away to reveal a secret passage. The man – Fuhito merely watched them, that same pleasant smile never leaving his face. When they were gone, he turned his attention to Rosalind.
"Well, that was certainly unexpected. No matter. They will be caught in due time." He bowed. "Greetings, Miss Turk. I am Fuhito."
Rosalind raised her weapon. "Are you one of those AVALANCHE people too?"
"Correct." He drew his own weapon. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to live. It's nothing personal, I assure you. For the sake of the Planet, however…"
He'd moved before she could get a lock on him. Her eyes widened.
"How do you expect to lay a finger on me with that kind of speed?" Fuhito asked, reappearing at her side. He was still smiling, but there was a cold menace in his eyes. Rosalind gasped. She tried to dodge, but Fuhito merely chuckled and leapt back. Raising his arm, he fired his gun.
Rosalind was thrown from her position by the force of – What had that been? She hissed. Getting up on her knees, she felt something warm and sticky. She raised her hand. It was blood. Looking down, she saw that there was a sizzling wound at her side, blood running freely from it. What had that been? She looked up through glassy eyes at Fuhito.
Standing up, ignoring the pain at her side, she took aim with her weapon. Fuhito laughed again.
"Well, I will give you credit. You're much more stubborn – and foolish – than I expected."
Taking aim, she fired a shot. Fuhito easily dodged, firing off a shot of his own. Rosalind barely got away. She gasped harshly as her sudden movement aggravated her wound. There was the sound of air being displaced, and with violent force, Rosalind skidded along the floor. Coughing, she tried to lift her head, blinking away the spots swimming before her eyes.
"What's this?" Fuhito asked, his tone like that of a cat who had caught a mouse and was now contemplating just how to toy with it. "Are you tired already?"
Frustrated, Rosalind tried to get up again, but immediately sank back down again as pain stabbed through her. The spots were getting thicker, stubbornly refusing to leave her field of vision.
Fuhito obviously judged that she'd had enough. "Well, if you'll excuse me then, I'll take my leave."
"Wait," she rasped, hands clawing at the ground. She had to get up. She had to!
Fuhito chuckled again, amused at her efforts. "Please, don't fret. The day you take your last breath surely approaches. I will ensure that." There was a shifting somewhere beyond her, and Rosalind thought he might be lining up the shot that would deliver her final blow.
"In the meantime, please, enjoy the fireworks show we've got planned for you all. I'm sure you'll find it most delightful."
"Fireworks… show?" What was he talking about? Wasn't he going to finish her off? She pushed herself up a little, ignoring the pain. Fuhito was standing at the entrance to the hidden passage Reno had taken President Shinra through.
"Please understand that that I only have the very best of intentions." He tipped his head courteously. "Well, do take care."
Rosalind growled. The smarmy bastard.
Breathing deeply, she tried to get a hold of herself. Getting angry wouldn't do her any favours. As it was, she was pretty badly wounded. She had to do something about that before she could follow him.
She fumbled in her pocket for something. She felt it – a hard plastic container. Taking it out from her pocket, she squinted at it. This would do. Undoing the cap with some difficulty, she stuck an orb in her mouth, feeling the substance melt and make its way down her throat. In an instant, she felt a warm tingling sensation. Searching her pockets again, she came up with another one of the potions and swallowed this one too. Within moments, she felt much better than she had before.
Her PHS rang. Rosalind grimaced. Okay, so it would take more than a couple of potions to get rid of the headache.
"We've got an emergency situation," Veld said, his voice tight. "AVALANCHE has seized the mako cannon."
Her headache had just gotten worse.
"If they fire the cannon, they'll destroy Midgar in one shot."
That got her attention. So that was what Fuhito had meant by the 'fireworks show'. She had to stop them!
When she got outside, the city was in chaos. It was as if all the people that had been in hiding before had come out, and were pouring in all different directions. Klaxons blared. A couple of storefront windows were broken. The Junon army was nowhere to be seen. What had happened?
The PHS rang again.
"Rosalind, I've sent Reno to your location. Meet up with him and head to the mako cannon."
"Understood."
"One more thing. President Shinra has been shot and left for dead by AVALANCHE."
"What?!"
"We've sent the paramedics to deal with the situation, so you don't need to worry. Just deal with the cannon."
"Yes sir."
Things were going from bad to worse. Had it only been this time last week when she'd been doing training exercises, wishing to go on her first real mission?
Bet you didn't expect anything like this, Rosalind thought. She looked up when she heard Reno's voice. He looked rather haggard, though he was still holding up well – whether he really had that much energy or he was forcing himself like she was, it was hard to say. She wondered if he knew about the President. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. They would deal with the AVALANCHE problem first. Midgar was at stake.
AVALANCHE… what are they thinking?
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Whew. There'll be a change of pace in the next chapter. A few changes of pace, really. You'll just have to see what I mean, and really, it's not that big a deal.
To the anonymous reviewer who would have named Rosalind something else: What do you mean you'd have picked something to match up with Elena's name? (Is dead curious) Actually, I'm pretty happy with the way things have worked out. In my mind Rosalind is an acceptable name put next to Elena's. If I'd named her something far out there, e.g. Bubbles, or Rainbow, it would have left this horrible gap in my mind where I try to rationalize why their parents would name one child normally, and gave the other one a hippie name. (x.X) Like Cloud. Not that I dislike him or his name, but yeah. Not exactly matching pairs, Bubbles and Elena.