CHAPTER 23: THIS TRAIN WE'RE ON
In which Aviva sees more than is good for her, and plans must be changed at short notice

Extract from Aviva's Diary

3rd June, 2002

…. Shooting competition down at the range today. It just kind of happened. Roz was coaching me, and Hunter and Cavs showed up for practice. Cavs said, 'let's do best of thirty, winner buys a round'. Hunter says, 'I don't drink', and Cavs says, 'even if you don't raise your wrist you can still open your wallet, can't you?' So she gets huffy and says 'bring it on'.

It was pistols. Roz won. Nobody's better than her, not even Mr Tseng. She awes me. It was kind of silly, though, because they're all amazing in their own way. Hunter is the best with a rifle and Cavs can hit two targets at the same time with two different shotguns while he's moving, even if he doesn't hit the bullseyes.

I wasn't in the running, of course, though I'm pretty handy with a pistol now. I'm still the best with the knives. On the other hand, I don't exactly have a lot of competition.

I kind of hoped Hunter and me would become friends. But she's let us all know that she doesn't need friends. If she made friends with anyone it would be Cavs. They can talk about guns until you want to go stick your head in the toilet and flush it. But she rubs him up the wrong way because she always has to know best. So they end up arguing.

R has a nickname for her. He calls her 'Honey'. She can't stand it. He knows; that's why he does it. If she were friendlier I'd tell her not to let him see that he gets under her skin. I'm quite the expert on that subject….

.

Tseng said no more to Reno about his suggestion regarding Charlie. Although it came hard to him, Reno resisted the urge to ask. On the eighth of June his patience was rewarded, when he slid his hand into his pigeonhole and pulled out another postcard.

Mission concluded. I'll be home in a week. Looking forward to seeing you. Let's find some time to talk.

.

Extracts from Aviva's diary

15th June, 2002

…He's been acting kind of odd all week. Restless – I mean, more so than usual. Jumpy and distracted. Years ago when I was really small I remember having a birthday and being so excited about it, I couldn't wait. That's how R is now. I wonder why….

.

16th June, 2002

Dear Diary,

A new girl started in the office today…. Except she's not a new girl, she's been with the Department for years, they said. Knox, Moe, Roz, Rude, they all know her really well and were so happy to see her. Break out the champagne! And so on. We, I mean us noobs, never even knew she existed. Of course we'll never know why she was kept a secret. All this wondering and not knowing does my head in sometimes….

.

Cissnei returned to the office like a ray of spring sunshine shining alike on the just and the unjust, sharing her smiles equally among them all. She accepted a hug from Mozo, and laid the back of her hand gently against Knox's scarred face; she stood on tip-toe to kiss Rude's cheek, threw her arms around Rosalind, and laughingly pretended to straighten Tseng's tie.

Reno she held at arm's length, clasping his hands loosely.

Why did she insist on this distance? What was she afraid of?

I forgive you. I miss you. I dreamed of you. Had she written those words, or had he dreamt them?

"It's getting so crowded in here!" she laughed, going round and shaking the hands of all the new ones. "And Reno, my god, your cat's still here!"

Then she was summoned upstairs to debrief, and he didn't see her for the rest of the morning.

Rude took him aside. "Be careful."

'What?" Reno jittered. "What are you talking about?"

"You know." Rude gave him a look over the tops of his sunglasses. "You want the Chief to fry your ass?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"I'm just saying."

He couldn't sit still. He found excuses to run around the building, doing errands. When that palled, he spent half an hour on the treadmill. In the afternoon she came back to the office, and he managed, at last, to catch her alone in the kitchen.

"Tonight," he said, "Come for a drink. We can talk."

She folded her arms across her chest in that way she had, and wouldn't meet his eyes. "We're all going to the Goblins tonight. First round's on me. I'm looking forward to getting to know the new guys. I shouldn't really call them the new guys, though, should I? To them, I must be the new guy. So much has changed – "

"Not me."

Was it his imagination, or did she actually look at him for a split second, before her glance slid away onto the innocuous coffee pot? "No," she said, "You never change, do you? I mean, look at you – "

Aviva limped in through the doorway, saw them, turned red and stammered, "Oh, excuse me – "

"It's OK, you're not interrupting anything," Cissnei smiled. "You want coffee? Give me your mug, I'll be mother. Sugar? Three? Oh, you've got a wicked sweet tooth, just like me. Milk? Say when. Hey, I like those earrings. Where did you get them?..."

She and Aviva went out of the kitchen together, with Cissnei doing all the talking.

That night Reno arrived at the Goblins early and kept the seat beside him free, but when Cissnei finally arrived she cheerfully insisted on drawing up a chair between Mink and Skeeter. Fine; it didn't matter; he could wait. Sooner or later, when everyone else had gone home, he would have her to himself. And if she tried to outsmart him by leaving early, he would follow her, tail her through the streets of Midgar until he found where she was staying, and he would knock on her door, and if she didn't answer, that wouldn't matter either, because there wasn't a lock made that could keep Reno of the Turks out of any place he wanted to be. And then they would talk. He just wanted to talk to her.

But eventually, as the evening wore on, he had to excuse himself to use the washrooms, and though he was as fast as he could be, when he returned to their table, she was gone.

"She said she's worn out," Mozo told him. "And I can't say I blame her. It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, who's for another round? Come on, Reno – sit down and chip in."

They were all looking at him expectantly.

And even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he sat back down, thinking, never mind, never mind. Stay cool. There's always tomorrow.

.

Extract from Aviva's diary

16th June, 2002, continued

…It's so unfair. She's so beautiful, and she doesn't even have to try. She wears the same suit as the rest of us, and she doesn't have any make-up, and she doesn't do anything with her hair, just lets it part in the middle and fall sort of straggly either side of her face, and she's still so gorgeous I feel sick just thinking about it. She isn't even all that much taller than me, and she's kind of skinny, and she's got no hips, but it doesn't matter, because she has It – she's the girl everyone turns to look at when she walks into a room.

And she's nice. She's really nice. I wish she wasn't. I wish I could loathe her guts. But I can't.

He looks at her the way Phil looks at Roz. Like Rude used to look at Chelsey.

I don't know who else sees this. Rude does, I think. I catch him looking at the two of them, and when he sees me, he quickly looks somewhere else.

I'm watching all of them, and no one's watching me.

.

When Reno came into work the next morning she was already there, head bent over her paperwork as if she'd never been away. For a little while he was content merely to watch her out of the corner of his eye. Even the sound of her pen scratching across the forms was sweet, when he had missed it for so long. Only now did he fully realize how empty the office had been without her – like a lamp without a bulb. Like an unmade bed growing cold in the morning…

By 11.30 he had had enough of waiting. It was time to take the initiative. Rolling his chair across the floor, he slid a pile of papers under Cissnei's elbow. "For your earliest attention," he said.

Rolling back to his desk, he watched her as she leafed through them. They were printouts of old mission reports from two, three years ago, missions they'd carried out together. At the bottom of the last one he'd written, in pencil, 'why are you avoiding me?'

Private email

Subject: Back off

From: Cissnei

To: Reno

Date: 2002/06/17 11.46 am

I just got back! Let me catch my breath, OK?

Having read this, he looked up and saw her putting the old mission reports through the shredder. The only other person in the office was Rosalind, deeply engrossed in something on her computer screen. Reno cleared his throat loudly. Rosalind ignored him, but Cissnei glanced up. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Score! She started giggling; she couldn't help herself. Just like old times.

Fuckwit, she mouthed at him, smiling.

He held up his hands as if to say, what can I do about it? Then he pointed at her, at himself, made a talking hand sign, and mouthed the question, When?

She mimed the action of someone screwing his thumb down too hard.

Me? he gestured, all innocence.

She tapped her watch, put her hands on either side of her head, and danced around in a little circle. He had no idea what she was trying to convey, but it was fun to watch her.

"Ahem," said Rosalind, who had looked up and was observing this foolery with some amusement.

Cissnei acted out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes and slumping her shoulders. Then she said, "Saturday," and turned back to her desk.

"Saturday what?" asked Rosalind.

"Big date," said Cissnei.

"That's nice," said Rosalind absently, returning to her emails, and to dreams of a big date of her own.

.

Later that same day, an awkward moment…

At 12.00 noon exactly, Cissnei and Rosalind were called to the Commander's office, leaving Reno alone. Rosalind returned about an hour later, and told him that Cissnei had gone for lunch. He hurried out after her, but the trail was cold; he had to content himself with a sandwich and a plastic cup of beer, bought from a mobile stall under the Clock Arch and eaten standing up. It was one of those rare days when the clouds above Midgar briefly parted, allowing glimpses of the blue sky beyond. People had seated themselves all around the fountain and on the steps leading to the upper streets; they tipped their heads back, basking in the sun's rays. Dusty golden fingers of light touched the roof of the Shinra building. Reno felt absurdly happy.

On the way back, he bumped into Cissnei in the mezzanine. She looked a little distracted, but when she saw him her expression cleared and she smiled. "Going up?" she said. They had the elevator to themselves. The doors were just closing, when someone on the other side pressed the button. Reno inwardly cursed. The lift juddered, and the doors slid open again.

It was Zack.

He stared at them both with those monstrous blue eyes, and took a step backwards.

"Oh, don't be an ass," said Cissnei. "Get in."

They had to shuffle round to accommodate the sword he was wearing on his back. The doors closed, and the elevator began its ascent.

"Hey. Cissnei. Reno," said Zack a little stiffly, and much too late.

"How are you?" said Cissnei.

"Well, you know," he said. "Same as usual."

"And how's Aerith?"

He gave her a wary glance. "She's OK."

"Lazard keeping you busy?"

She was making a brave job of it, but Reno could hear the tiny quiver in her voice. He put a hand on the small of her back, just to steady her – though from Zack's perspective the gesture might well look a little possessive, he acknowledged, noting with satisfaction how those blue eyes narrowed. Cissnei made no move to brush Reno's hand away; in fact, he could have sworn he felt her lean into his touch, just a fraction.

"The Executive Director's been out of the office all week," Zack told them. "It's been kind of quiet. I'm going down with one of your guys to Mideel tomorrow, and then next week I'm off on furlough."

"Nice," said Cissnei. "You and Aerith going somewhere?"

"Just me," said Zack. "I was kind of told to take my holiday now. Not really in the mood, to be honest."

"I wouldn't complain," said Reno. "At least you get one."

"Here's our floor," said Cissnei. She stepped out of the elevator, with Reno right behind, his hand still pressing against her back. She stopped, turned round, and said, "Nice talking with you, Zack. See you sometime, maybe."

Zack rubbed his spiky shock of black hair. "Yeah. Sure," he said as the doors closed in front of his face. Then he was gone.

Cissnei shook her head. "He never learns, does he?"

"What?" asked Reno.

"To keep his big gob shut." She drew a long, ragged breath. "Well, that's over. You can take your hand off me now."

Reluctantly, he did so. "You OK, Ciss?"

"Yeah. It was a shock, but not the way you think." She'd turned to face him, arms crossed, one hand touching her chin thoughtfully. "He's like a big kid, isn't he? You know what they used to call him, Angeal and the others? The puppy, falling over his own feet. He is kind of dopey looking, really, isn't he? And he's two years younger than I am. What did I ever see in him? I must have been certifiably insane."

He wanted so badly to believe her that he wasn't sure he dared to.

"About Saturday – " he began.

"Oh, yeah. About that. Listen, Reno – I have to go away tomorrow. That's what the Commander was seeing Roz and me about. He's sending us on a mission."

"Uh-huh," said Reno, wondering what the truth was. "What mission?"

"It's Lazard," she said. "He's not just 'out of the office'. He's gone and done a runner, and he's taken all the SOLDIER data with him."

.

Form /REP:2S

SHINRA ELECTRIC COMPANY

Department of Administrative Research

Incident Report

Date: 17th/18th June 2002

Time: c. 23.00 pm -2.00 am

Location: Shinra Headquarters, Midgar

Report filed by: Tseng

Summary: AVALANCHE attack: HQ security breached, labs invaded, classified samples released. Turks mobilized. Professor Hojo abducted, rescued by Sephiroth.

Analysis:

A small group of AVALANCHE operatives (approx.10-12) breached HQ security at around 23.00 hours on the night of the 17th June 2002; a subsequent body search of dead operatives revealed they were carrying forged key cards. Enemy made their way directly to the laboratories on the 66th floor, demonstrating an in-depth knowledge of the layout of the high security areas of the building. They killed the guards and the scientists on duty and released a number of classified research samples, the intention evidently being to tie up the Turks in the recapture and/or elimination of said samples. All Turks were immediately mobilized. Evacuation of upper floors was initiated, and the Executive Boardroom was put into lockdown.

AVALANCHE operatives, including their leader Fuhito, escaped with Professor Hojo via the roof, stealing a helicopter. The Turk who witnessed the event states that Professor Hojo did not appear to go unwillingly. The President ordered that Sephiroth be called out to deal with the problem.

The other helicopters having been disabled, I continued the pursuit by jeep, accompanied by agents Rosalind, Cavour, and Hunter. The enemy agent known as 'Shears' bombed the highway; jeep crashed. Rosalind unconscious; Cavour's arm broken. I fought Shears. Helicopter returned and picked him up. Large dragon-type monster manifested itself – it remains unclear if this was the result of enemy action or if its lair was under the highway, in which case the bomb must have woken it.

Team undertook attack on dragon. Dragon was exceedingly powerful. All attempts to subdue it were unsuccessful. Sephiroth arrived -

Tseng's fingers paused on the keyboard. A formal incident report was not the place to put into words the feelings experienced by himself and the other Turks at the sight of Sephiroth in action. Yet no matter how he phrased it, the sequence of events that followed would seem unbelievable to anyone who had not seen it with their own eyes:

Sephiroth killed the dragon with one stroke. He disabled the helicopter from a distance of about one mile using Fire materia and then brought it safely to ground using Gravity….

At times like this Tseng was compelled to wonder why somebody with Sephiroth's powers was, apparently, content to go through life taking orders from Shinra. Fighting never seemed to give him any pleasure. He manifested neither excitement at the prospect of battle nor satisfaction when he had won, but merely came in, did his stuff, and left, leaving awe and fear in his wake. His strength was such that, had he chosen to, he could have taken over the company by barely lifting a finger. Yet this thought had apparently never occurred to the Old Man, who trusted Sephiroth in a way that he'd never trusted either of his own sons. It was as if… As if the President took it for granted that Sephiroth was incapable of wanting anything that Shinra did not choose to give him; as if he had no desires of his own. The human lightning bolt –

But that was the question, wasn't it?

A question it was not Tseng's business to ask. Either way, what did it matter? Man or monster, as long as Sephiroth worked for Shinra, he was an ally, and if the day ever came when he decided to follow in Genesis' footsteps and turn against Shinra, he would be dealt with.

The Turks always found a way. During this very attack, Skeeter had worked out how to destroy AVALANCHE's respawning black Ravens: he'd pushed the one he'd found in Hojo's lab into the incinerator, and that had finished it off. They key, then, was to completely destroy their physical bodies before they had time to regenerate. Skeeter had shown commendable resourcefulness; Tseng reminded himself not to forget to mention it. First, though, he'd finish this report –

Professor Hojo recovered unharmed from downed helicopter. No sign of Shears or other AVALANCHE operatives. Professor Hojo said they parachuted from the helicopter shortly before Sephiroth appeared. I called for transport, and escorted the Professor back to HQ. Supervised clean-up of labs.

Casualties: Injured. The following Turks sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries: Skeeter, Rosalind, Hunter, Cavour, Rude.

Casualities: Dead. Sergeant Caulfield; Warrant Officer Strang; Private Lee; Dr. Samira Rayleigh; Dr Philip Harper; Angela Nomura, lab asst. The bodies of seven AVALANCHE operatives were also recovered.

"Good work," said the Commander, as he counter-signed the report. "They may have got past our security, but they left with empty hands. I suppose it's a victory for us that Hojo is back. So was he our mole, do you think?"

"It looks that way," said Tseng. "But I don't think he'll be leaking any more information to them. He seemed quite… disappointed in their whole operation. He said he had been misled into believing their achievements were more significant than they turned out to be. And of course he was delighted with Sephiroth's performance."

"Rufus was spitting fury in the Boardroom," Veld told him. "I've never seen the boy so angry. "

"He thought it was Hojo all along," Tseng pointed out.

"How many of the samples did you have to kill?"

"All of them."

"Well, it'll keep Hojo busy, making some more." Veld paused. "It's a shame about Dr Harper. He seemed like a decent guy. How's Rosalind?"

"Too concussed to take it in."

"Poor girl. It's a damned tragedy. Bloody AVALANCHE. They'll pay for all this one day, Tseng, we'll make sure of that. Not that that will bring her man back. We must do whatever is necessary to help her get through this. She's going to need to take some time off."

"I'll offer it, sir. But my guess is she'll prefer to work."

"Well, we'll let her set the pace. In the meantime, someone will have to replace her on the Lazard mission. Send Reno. He's been down in the bowels of the plate for the last five months; he deserves some fly time. And he works well with Cissnei, doesn't he?"

"I think he's very glad she's back. Reno's not always the easiest man to work with, as you know, sir, but he's completely loyal to his partners."

"Yes, they always made a good team. It's settled then. Make the arrangements." Veld stood up. "I'm going to go sit with Rosalind for a while."