Days of Exile

Chapter 11 – Questioning

12 December 0007

Upper Plates, Midgar.

It was early in the morning when the telephone in a particular residence rang.

"Elena!" A woman in her mid-twenties called out to her younger sister. "Answer the telephone, please!"

A young blonde groaned, reaching her hand out of her bed for the telephone. Inwardly, she grumbled endlessly on why her older sister couldn't answer the telephone. But Elena knew the reason was because her older sister had to be hidden.

When Alana came back unannounced weeks ago, her father welcomed her with open arms. Alana was, and has always been, the family favourite. Alana was exemplary in her academics and martial expertise. Being a teacher in the Shinra Military Academy, of course her father was proud to see his daughter set an excellent example for his other students.

Alana never mentioned what had happened that caused Shinra to hunt her, her father didn't ask. Elena could not come to a conclusion on why Alana left Shinra, but she figured that it wasn't any honourable reason that was worth mentioning.

"Hello?" She greeted grumpily into the phone.

"May I speak to Elena, please?" A polite greeting responded, but the voice of the caller made Elena instantly awake. She sat straighter on her bed and answered that she was Elena. "This is Tseng, from Shinra Electric Company. I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be a Turk."

"Thank you." Elena said gratefully. Inside her, she was whooping in joy and ecstasy. Not that she needed to let Tseng know. No, now that she is a Turk, she needs to be cool, calm and collected at all times. Now that she is a Turk... Elena smiled to herself.

She had never wanted to be one. But ever since she met that Turk... The Turk with long dark hair and hazel eyes. She was the inspiration behind Elena's desire to be a Turk. Elena would never forget how that Turk risked failing her mission so that she could save her. Alana never leaked any information regarding being a Turk, another reason why Elena disliked her snooty attitude. However, Elena was no fool. She had a pretty clear idea how important doing the Turk job was and what will entail after, should there be failure. Elena never bothered to ask Alana about that Turk who saved her life, because she knew her sister would not reveal anything. Despite the fact that Elena had met almost all of them during her high school days, while working in the bar that they often frequent, Alana never mentioned anything more than their names.

Tseng's voice interrupted her thoughts. "There is no time for orientation. I'm afraid we have more pressing issues at hand. Are you able to report to the headquarters in an hour's time?"

"Yes! No problem!" Elena answered, grinning. "I'll be there in an hour!"

When she put down the phone, she saw her older sister standing by the door. "You will lose your job soon," she said lightly, but Elena sensed the arrogance in her voice. "If you immerse yourself in such joy this easily."

"Shut up, Alana." Elena said darkly. "It's none of your business." She jumped out of her bed and immediately prepared herself for her new job. "Dad won't be back till evening, so you're on your own for meals." She commented casually, hoping that the information was enough to send her meticulous, perfectionist sister away. Elena frowned as she figured out what to wear.

"White shirt and black pants will suffice." Alana said coolly, still not leaving the spot where she was standing on. "It doesn't matter what you wear."

Elena groaned. "Just get out already!" She complained. "All you do is pick on me and compare your superiority against me!" Elena turned to Alana. "I'm not going to be like you and leave the company for no reason, alright?" Alana tensed at Elena's words. "I'm going to stick to this job and do it well. I'll surpass you and no one will ever compare me to you anymore. So just..." Elena stopped, for she did not know what to say.

"..." Her older sister said nothing. She did, however, walk towards Elena and, taking her hand, placed an orb in her hands.

"Alana?" Elena stared at the orb. "Isn't that your mastered Enemy Skill Materia?" She stared in wonder at Alana, who nodded. "The one that you've been training and collecting all sorts of monster skills with since you were 8?"

"Funny how you remember the least significant of things, Elena." Alana said expressionlessly. "It's yours now."

Elena stared at the Materia, admiring the swirls and magical glow. "No, sis." She said sheepishly, returning it to Alana. "I can't have it."

"I won't need it anymore." Alana insisted. She took Elena's gloves and equipped the Enemy Skill Materia into it. "You will use this Materia to serve the Turks." To Elena's surprise, Alana smiled. "Congratulations on becoming a Turk... Surpassing me wouldn't be an issue if it was you... You're my little sister after all."

Elena stared at Alana, then at the Materia. "... Make sure you eat your meals." She mumbled, before grabbing her coat and leaving the house.

Meia woke up and groggily walked towards the kitchen. A simple meal of cereal and milk did nothing to her stomach, but it wasn't like she was hungry anyway.

In the living area, the television blared the morning news. "Leon Shinra, President of the Shinra Electric Company, passed away peacefully this morning. Doctors are puzzled with the sudden occurrence. In his place, the young and talented Rufus Shinra will be rising to the occasion and stepping up to be the new President of Shinra. More information as we come back…"

Meia cocked her head a little and made a face at the television. She had clearly heard Reno say last night that it was murder, not dying peacefully. She immediately concluded that it was a media coverup. The television company was controlled by Shinra, after all.

There was some time before Meia needed to report for work, which was within her plans. Meia dialled Reno's number. When she heard Reno's drowsy greeting on the other side, she knew that Reno had a sleepless night doing work. Meia was pretty sure that cleaning up the entire company and arranging the place to look as if nothing had ever happened would take a whole night. In the past, there was a troop of Turks coordinating and helping with the coverup. Now that it was only Tseng, Rude and Reno, a lot more work had to be done. Of course sleep would be compromised, a Turk was never fully 'off-duty'.

"Hey Meia." Reno croaked.

Definitely a lack of sleep. She thought. From the sound of his voice, he probably didn't drink enough water either. "Sorry for disturbing you." Meia said sheepishly, suddenly feeling a little apologetic for depriving Reno even the precious few hours. "Didn't sleep the whole night?"

"Not really. I had a few hours." She heard Reno struggling to sit up on his bed.

Meia quickly continued. "I really would like to meet you, if that's okay. I have something to say."

To her surprise, Reno quickly agreed. It sounded like he had something to say as well. They quickly decided on a venue and time to meet. Then, they hung up. Meia got up from her couch and placed her mug of milk into the sink. It was then that she caught a particular comment from the news anchor.

"Midgar is suffering a great loss indeed. Following the disaster of Sector 7, now citizens mourn for the loss of President Leon Shinra…"

Meia stared at the television for a moment. Then she realised something.

"It was the Turks who did it, right?"

Meia saw Reno almost doing a double-take at her words, and she knew that she had guessed it correctly. She pushed her luck a little further. "It was the Turks who orchestrated the entire destruction of Sector 7... right?"

Reno stuck his hands into his pockets to protect against the cold December air. He didn't answer right away, staring at the scenery around him instead. Not that it was much of a scenery – they were in the Sector 4 slums, at the destroyed pavilion where Meia used to grow up in.

Meia wasn't that patient. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him. "Well?"

The redhead stared at her. "What about it?"

"I knew it!" She exclaimed angrily. "I didn't think too much about it when… when I heard about it." She laughed dryly. "Then again, no prizes for guessing, huh? What else is Shinra capable of?"

"Meia." Reno said solemnly. "You know that we don't have a say in the tasks that are given to us."

"But killing the entire Sector, Upper and Lower Plates? Just to kill a few measly terrorists?" Meia questioned fiercely.

"Actually, it's six." Reno corrected. "But three of them esca-"

"I don't give a hoot about the exact number!" Meia said hotly. "What matters is that the Turks killed hundreds of people in one day! Innocent people who had nothing to do with your plans!" She paused briefly to pull her coat closer. "Who did it?"

"Meia please!" Reno protested. "Knowing who did it isn't going to help!"

Meia looked up and stared at Reno. "Was… Was it you?" She asked softly. Reno felt his heart sink. Her voice was full of disappointment and fear that what she suspected was true, but she wasn't wrong. Reno kept quiet and did not meet her eyes. Meia stared at Reno in utter shock. "It was you, wasn't it? How could you, Reno?" She asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "How could you?" She repeated again, pulling his sleeve and prompting him to look at her. "Your own parents were killed by falling debris in the slums. Is this how you want to remember your parents?"

"Do not bring my parents into this." Reno growled.

"Yeah, I shouldn't," agreed Meia. "Because it'll make them so upset to see what a fine young man their son has become!" She shot back sarcastically.

"You!" Reno grabbed her arm and glared at her. Meia stared defiantly back. Finally, Reno released her arm and growled, "Don't talk to me as if you don't know what being a Turk is like."

"Yeah," replied Meia, also shrugging his touch off as if it was contagious. She spat back with equal venom. "But at least I know when to draw the line."

"Oh is that so?" taunted Reno fiercely. Meia raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms. Reno shook his head to himself. "Look at you," He mocked cruelly. "Gotten out of Shinra by sheer dumb luck, and you think you're so high and mighty now." He snorted.

Meia flushed painfully at his taunt. "I do not think I'm high and mighty." She corrected.

"Of all the Turks that can judge me," Reno continued. "You are the least of them."

"Excuse me?"

"No offence." He spread his hands towards Meia. "You have never done any terrible missions."

"I do take offence." Meia glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "It's not like I've been twiddling my thumbs in there for the past seven years!"

"True, but come on, let's be honest. Did you ever take any task that required you to make a decision against your own morals?" Meia looked like she was going to argue, but Reno waved her off immediately. "Forget it. You'll never know what all of us go through to be who we are today. For all we know, Jasper might have made more important decisions in his life than you ever did."

"Don't treat me like a child!" She roared at him. "I may not have gone through the terrible things everyone else did, but I know how all of you feel! I'm not an unfeeling machine! But making decisions against your own moral standards is NOT an excuse." Meia's voice softened. "So many people were killed… All those families that were taken away… Your own family was killed by the debris of the Upper Plate when you are a child. Don't you realise that you're doing the same?"

"It was a job."

Meia shook her head. "It's more than a job, it's a responsibility. And the fact here is simple: you DID these things. Don't you feel the tug in your heart when you pushed the button?" She pointed her index finger up. "One button that determines the lives of hundreds. In your hands. And you pushed the button. The nightmares will eat you alive!"

"It's fine." Reno said expressionlessly. "It's not as if I've never gotten them before."

Meia groaned. "You. Are. Exasperating!" She stamped her foot angrily like a child denied. Finally, she threw her ultimatum. She knew she was heartless and insensitive to do so, but she couldn't help but make a final jab. "If you knew that I was in Sector 7 that morning… would you have destroyed the plate?"

Reno's eyes flashed angrily. "Enough!" He shouted. "I am not going to stand here and let a girl lecture me about right and wrong!" He stuck his hands in his pockets. "If you've nothing else to tell me, then I'm leaving!"

When he turned away, Meia realised that justice and responsibility aside, she had crossed the line. "Reno... Reno!" She ran after him, grabbing his arm tightly. Reno flinched, startling Meia. "What... What happened?" She asked sharply.

Reno turned and said coldly. "Injured in a recent battle," he said. "Your 'tackle' aggravated my injuries."

"I'm... I'm sorry." She apologised, her grip became a slight caress on his arm. "I know that what you've done was out of your control." She took a deep breath. "I still wish that you could've done things better, but I know that it takes more than just defiance to end this. ... Please don't leave like this."

Reno sighed. He turned and they stared at each other. "I'm tired of needing to explain myself." He said, brushing away a piece of fringe from Meia's hair. "All I want is to spend time with you. And I hope that with the time we have, we can have fun, not quarrel." His fingers ran across her soft cheek. "We don't have time anymore." Reno thumbed her ears and felt his heart skip a beat when he felt earrings... his earrings. She had been wearing them all this time.

"W- What do you mean?" Asked Meia warily.

"Once my wounds are healed, I'll be going away from Midgar on a long-term mission." He explained. "With Tseng, Rude and our newest addition, Elena."

"Elena?" Meia broke into a smile and Reno, in a distracted moment, noticed how her cheeks were adorably pink against the chilly air. "You mean, Alana's sister, Elena?"

"The very same."

Meia chuckled at the thought of the girl, but soon she was quiet again as she digested his words. "Does this have anything to do with Shinra's death?" She asked. When Reno did not reply, she looked at Reno with a worried expression. "Please," She implored. "Tell me what happened last night."

The redhead's expression darkened as he recalled the incidents of last night. Meia clearly saw that Reno was weighing his options and consequences of telling such confidential details. Meia did not press further, she simply stood where she was and waited patiently for Reno to decide if she was trustworthy enough.

Reno gave a slight nod to himself and pulled Meia closer. Bending down close to her ear, he said, "President Shinra was assassinated last night... by Sephiroth."

His answer chilled her. "Seph-" Her words were muffled as Reno placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shh, you wouldn't want people to hear about this." Reno warned. Meia nodded and he uncovered her mouth. Meia frowned and asked if they were sure that it was 'him'. "According to Palmer, he saw it with his own eyes." Reno ran his fingers through his hair quickly. "I honestly don't give too much of my brain cells to concern myself with Palmer, but in this situation... anything counts as information." Reno stared into the distance, briefly thinking about his situation.

Meia blinked at him and coughed a little. Her story of how she saw Sephiroth in Icicle Inn now burned at the back of her throat. "So you are going to... what? Chase after him or something?"

"Funny you suggested that." Reno shrugged. "That's the best solution that the higher ups could come up with. Beats doing nothing." Reno immediately noticed how awkward Meia behaved and narrowed his eyes at her. "If you have something important, you better tell me." When Meia hesitated, Reno sighed. "Please, Meia. This is really important for us. We need any piece of information, regardless if it's true or mere rumours. It's hard to find him if you don't even know where to begin."

Meia decided that Reno was right. Besides, Reno did her a favour by revealing the real events of last night. Quickly, Meia related the incident of spotting Sephiroth in Icicle Inn. "That was the real reason why I returned." Meia ended shyly.

Reno pondered on the new information for a moment. He did not question Meia as to why she did not reveal this information to him the first time they met, much to her relief. "Sounds pretty farfetched, because Sephiroth was reported missing in Nibelheim. But we won't strike that as impossible." Reno ruffled her hair. "Thanks a lot." Meia beamed warmly under his affectionate touch. "Well then, I'm going, I guess."

"For how long will you be away from Midgar?"

"Days... Months... Who knows?" Reno shrugged. "As long as it takes to find Sephiroth."

Meia nodded sadly. "Please stay safe while you're away."

"Could say the same to you, yo?" Reno grinned and adjusted his goggles. "Meia..." He hesitated slightly but decided to complete his sentence. "I'm still curious. You owe me an answer from a few days ago."

Meia gave a sheepish smile as she remembered, but nodded. "I-"

"No pressure, buddy," interrupted Reno before Meia could finish. "I'm just wondering if, IF, we have a chance. I mean... It's just that... I don't know about you," Reno scratched his head. "When you were a child, it's understandable that you idolise me and all."

Meia narrowed her eyes at his words. "I didn't idol-"

"But then you grew up. I couldn't tell as easily now if it's adoration or true feelings." Reno looked very uncomfortable as he said these things. "Then there were the many years of not seeing each other, and we quarrelled many times in between-"

"Reno-"

"I know you said you want to give us some time." Reno continued. "But honestly? I couldn't be stuffed with all that thinking." Reno shook his head. "I rather have you by my side and handle the consequences if things don't work out, than to think and think and regret when the opportunity passes."

"Can you-"

"I'm just waiting for you, Meia." Reno gave a curt nod at her. "I know we didn't start this off well, with me being an ass and running away back then. If we have a chance, things will be different." Reno paced up and down, fidgeting. "Maybe we can end this well?" He quickly stuck his hands into his pockets and added, "I guess if you need more time I can ask another-"

"Oh for Gaia's sake, could you just let me say something?" Meia groaned and grabbed Reno's shoulders.

Only then did Reno still his fidgeting and looked at Meia. "Sorry." He declared, raising his hands in surrender sheepishly. "Random babbling."

Meia took a deep breath and to Reno's surprise, smiled at him. "Oh Reno." She laughed. "Look at you. Uncharacteristically nervous? That's not what a Turk is known for." Reno made a face but soon raised his eyebrows at her when she took his cold hand with both of hers. "I've always had feelings for you, Reno." She said shyly. "Despite what I said to you years ago about taking it slow, nothing that happened between us has changed anything about my feelings towards you."

Reno stared at her, stunned. "… Really?" He asked.

"I should be the one more uncertain about your feelings, instead of the other way round." Meia frowned. "So if everything is merely my hot-headedness in thinking you might have feelings for me, then…" She trailed off, not knowing how to end her sentence.

Reno didn't need her to finish her sentence. He pulled her into a tight hug and rested his chin on her head. "You don't need to worry about that anymore, little Meia." He said joyfully. "We will make it through this, together."

Meia nodded happily, smiling as she buried her face in the fresh scent of his clean but crumpled uniform. Being this close to him warmed her on the inside, like a fireplace in Leia's Icicle Inn home in the middle of winter, yet different. She smoothened his back with her hands childishly, like petting a dog. All she could feel was the texture of the high quality Turk uniform and she giggled, as if amused by that very action.

"Oh great."

"What is it?" asked Meia, looking up at Reno.

"Now I don't feel like leaving Midgar."

Meia snorted, reluctantly releasing her hug with him. "It's about time you go, Reno." She said.

"Yeah…" Reno answered awkwardly. "So…"

"Be safe."

"Yeah, you will. I mean… I will, you too."

Meia giggled.

As they left, they walked away with no promises, no declarations. However, there was a mutual belief – faith that no matter where they go, they will have each other in their minds.

It was indeed a wonderful morning, because she finally had her long endured feelings reciprocated. For such an amazing encounter, Meia wished to say that nothing could wipe off the goofy smile on her face. It didn't happen, because the minute she entered the Shinra Building, she was immediately whisked away by security into Floor 38.

"Tell me what happened."

Meia resisted the urge to roll her eyes and subdued her groan to a slight cough. "How many times must I tell you, Mr. Questioner." She gritted her teeth and stared at the man in front of her. "I saw a pile of dummies on the floor in a pool of blood. Then, Mr. Reno the Turk came and escorted me out. He told me it's just a drill."

The man observed her reaction with small, beady brown eyes. He ran his fingers through his receding hair and asked, "Did you see anything else?"

Meia heaved a big sigh. "No, I didn't."

"I see..." The man wrote something in his notepad and asked, "Tell me, truthfully, what happened last night."

This time, Meia did groan really loudly. She placed her palms on the table and said in an annoyed voice, "Mister, we have gone through this a million times in the past fifteen minutes! I do not have any other answers for you! Stop asking me the same things!"

The man said nothing, except to scribble some notes. "Did you see anything else?" He asked.

Meia narrowed her eyes at the man. "At the rate you're questioning me, you're making me wonder if there IS something that is going on."

She saw the man's eyes glittered so slightly with satisfaction that his questioning was going somewhere. "Is there?" He asked cautiously.

"I don't know! You tell me!" Meia cried angrily.

Sighing softly, the man fell back to writing his notes. When he was done, he asked, "All I'm asking, Miss Matilda Ederfeld, is for you to tell me what happened in Floor 67 last night."

That was how it was. The minute Meia clocked in her hours in the Shinra Building, a pair of SOLDIERs brought her to Floor 38, a corridor of small rooms. Meia recognised the place. When she was a young Turk, she conducted her interrogation of an anti-Shinra terrorist group, Wutai Wings, in this very same place. She brutally (under the influence of "Berserk") killed the leader of the Wutai Wings, disguised as a man she once knew.

Meia knew immediately what was happening. The Turks often had to do a post-mortem damage control. Most of the biggest attacks and invasions happened after Shinra office hours, but there were some times that certain unrelated Shinra employees were accidentally involved. The Turks had to weed them out from the pool of people... either to bribe or force them into silence. She did her fair share of interrogations while she was still a Turk and now mused on the irony of the questioner being questioned now.

She did not recognise the interrogator. In fact, she was very sure that she had never seen the man in her days as a Turk. Seems like the Turks became short-handed. She thought. No wonder they had to employ again. The man did not wear the standard Turk uniform – he did not even wear the standard Shinra employee uniform. Just a simple shirt and tie, yet on his breast pocket was a tag stating "Shinra Temp" and the documents on the table had Tseng's elaborate signature... Meia knew that the Turks had to employ external help for their investigation. There was never such a problem when everyone was present.

The interrogator did not offer his name – no interrogator will. He simply walked into the room where Meia was sitting, sat there and began asking his questions. He kept reverting to the same question, with variation, wearing Meia down mentally. That was the very same tactic that she used on Mr. Dexter, leader of the Wutai Wings. She wasn't going to let the interrogator manipulate her that easily.

So she acted the best she could. Once a Turk, always a Turk. An agent of deception, Meia put up a stunning performance of being annoyed that her time was being wasted, and then meek when the interrogator decided to be harsher in his tactic. It was mentally tedious and many times, Meia almost wanted to give up just so that she could be out of the stupid room but she persevered. Finally, Meia triumphed. In the end, she was allowed to leave. On her way out she peeked the notes of her interrogator and saw that the bottom of the list, a small 'Cleared' was written. Hiding the smile to herself, she quickly left the small, immaculately whitewashed room and returned to her Science Archives.

Guess what? It's going to be my birthday in December! Many of you have been such wonderful reviewers and supporters since the beginning of Days of Exile (and earlier!). So as a treat, "Days of Exile" will be uploaded WEEKLY for the whole of December! Yeah, I can't treat you guys to KFC or something, but this is the least I can do!

Reno saying "couldn't be stuffed" was a quote from reader TWA, thought that it was cute to use such a phrase so in it went!

Well, that's all the important things I've got to say for now, please continue to support this little (LONG) story of mine!