It had taken Tseng some time to calm down after talking to Rufus. He had not told Tseng anything new, not really. It was well-known that Rufus disapproved of some company projects. And he had shown that he could find drastic words to utter his criticism ever since his clandestine activities were exposed. He was not hiding anymore. And he was not afraid of insulting people either because he knew nothing would happen to him, no matter how rude he was. Even his serious transgressions so far had had no consequences other than getting him locked up in a relatively comfortable room. Which was bad enough, considering his usual standard of living, but certainly not the worst thing that could have happened.
Tseng was a little surprised that Rufus had been able to deduce so much just based on his tracking information, but Rufus Shinra was generally considered a genius, so he should probably expected something like that. There was a rumor that Rufus was the most intelligent of the president's many children, and that is why he was chosen as a successor. Tseng's agitation started to die down when he reminded himself that Rufus was wrong about one thing; spying on Aerith was not what excited him.
He pressed a button on the panel on the desk in front of him and the video feed from Rufus' room appeared on his screen. Rufus Shinra was being monitored in his cell 24/7, but he was not actually watched most of the time. Only Tseng, Chief Veld and a select few other people had clearance to enter this room, so there was no way he could escape. He had not shown any signs of self-destructive behavior either, so there simply was no need to watch him all day. Tseng only checked up on him through the video feed when there was a good reason to do so. His food was delivered through an electronic delivery system, and the room was cleaned every other day by one the lower-ranking Turks who could be trusted to keep Rufus' captivity a secret. The Shinra successor was not doing anything unexpected as Tseng was watching either. He was looking at security feeds from his tablet as usual. Nothing special there. Or was there?
Tseng zoomed in closer to examine which feed he was watching when he realized that he was looking at himself through the monitor. Rufus was looking at the surveillance feed of Tseng's office! Just when he realized that, Rufus turned around and waved at him. Tseng stared at him through the screen, not sure if he was supposed to react. Rufus looked back at his tablet, but when Tseng did not move, he shrugged and closed the feed to watch something else. Tseng leaned back in his chair and turned off the monitor. Why was Rufus watching him? Why would anyone watch another person, really? Tseng should have known the answer to this question, but he simply was not imaginative enough, or perhaps too imaginative, because his mind went to all sorts of things except the most obvious thing. But then, even intelligent people can sometimes be really dense.
He breathed deeply in and out, trying not to show any emotion in case Rufus was watching again. Then he got up and grabbed his gun from the desk. He had to stop by at the SOLDIER quarters to check up on Zack and Sephiroth before going home. He left the Turks' HQ via the helipad and was taken to the SOLDIER quarters by the air shuttle. He felt uneasy since his conversation with Rufus, but he could not put his finger on why. Tseng was not normally bothered about having his movements tracked or being under video surveillance while on Shinra premises. But something about the way Rufus did it, what he was able to deduce from it, and the fact that he went the mile to do so, was unsettling. Perhaps he was just bored, and Tseng could not be mad about that. But he wished the Vice President would find some other way to spend his time.
Tseng arrived at the SOLDIER quarters within a few minutes and made his way to the class 1st floor. There was only one floor assigned to class 1st SOLDIERS now, and only few rooms and apartments were in use because SOLDIER had been in decline ever since the mass desertion instigated by Genesis. Since then, only one of the spacious apartments reserved for the most prestigious SOLDIER members had been in use by Sephiroth, and Zack occupied a regular room. Aside from these two, all other rooms on the floor were vacant, and so he did not run into anyone as he made his way to Zack's room. After no response came upon his knocking the door, he unlocked it, letting himself in quietly.
There was no sound to be heard in Zack's room and the light was off. The sun had not set yet, so it was still light enough to find his way easily. Zack was rolled up in his blanket and only his messy black hair showed up from underneath. For some reason, he had removed the linens and dropped them on the floor. Tseng could only guess why he would do that, but he picked up the covers and bunched them up in his arm. He would get a new set for Zack. But for now, it seemed as if he was better left alone. As he turned around to leave, his eyes fell on Zack's uniform that was piled up on the floor in the bathroom. He picked it up as well and carried it out. He hoped that would remove all visible traces of today's events from Zack's room allowing him to focus on other important issues after he woke up.
Out in the hallway, he left Zack's door unlocked and dropped the textiles into a nearby laundry chute. As he raised his glance, his eyes fell on a security camera. He wondered if Rufus was watching again. What would he think if he saw Tseng taking care of the laundry? He was certain that Rufus had never had to any housework, but the Turks really did everything that was necessary for the company. Laundry was not normally part of that, but today was different; Zack needed to get back on his feet as soon as possible. Or so he told himself. Although he refused to call any of his coworkers 'friends', Zack was his friend for all intents and purposes, and he wanted the SOLDIER to feel better as soon as possible.
Tseng himself had grown up in the slums, as had most of the current Turks members. He was therefore no stranger to dirt and grime, and even now as he lived in a nice apartment on top of the plate, he could not afford a housekeeper despite his generous income. And he would not get married any time soon either, so he would have to continue to do his own housework for a while longer, and he did not at all mind to do his friend, or rather, coworker, this favor. Tseng entered a supplies room, got a fresh set of linens for Zack and returned to his room where he was still snoring lightly.
He picked up Zack's phone lying on the bedside table, put the linens down quietly and placed the phone on top. In doing so, he noticed that the phone was off. It was a compliance violation because SOLDIER members were supposed to be on stand-by at all times. Tseng would ignore and not report this transgression, because it was not his job to watch over SOLDIER compliance. However… Tseng picked up the phone and turned it back on. He could not log in to Zack's phone, but it would be able to receive calls. He wondered why Zack had turned off his phone in the first place, but perhaps being disconnected from the rest of the world gave him piece of mind.
Tseng had not tried to contact him since the few messages he had sent from Wall Market, so the only thing he could imagine was that Aerith may have tried to call him again. He felt a pang of jealousy. Zack was so lucky to be with her and she tried her very hardest to help, despite her disdain for Tseng, who had asked her to do this. Tseng knew that she had the kindest soul, although he was one of the people to never be allowed to experience that kindness. He placed the phone back on the stack of linens. He wanted to apologize to her for putting her through such hardships, but he knew it would only hurt her more if he showed up at her house again. He was certain she would call again, and a small, mean little voice inside of him hoped that she would wake up Zack from his sleep. Served him right for shutting her out.
He left Zack's room and walked past a few doors until he reached Sephiroth's apartment. Outside the door, he paused for a moment with his arms folded. He really was not the right person to do this. And thinking about it again, it was not really his job either. The only reason he was even debating it was because Sephiroth, too, was something like his friend, although he would never openly say it. What he was doing was just for the good of the company, but with the SOLDIER department being separate from the Turks, he was technically disregarding the chain of command by taking care of SOLDIER members' personal concerns without orders. SOLDIER had been in disarray for some time, even though Tseng did not understand how it could have gotten to this point. It could not all be just because of the mass desertion. Heidegger had always questioned the suitability of Lazard as the director of the SOLDIER department; although Lazard appeared to be doing his job, he would not remain in his position much longer with the situation being as it was.
Tseng scratched his head. His eyes fell on the security camera hanging from the ceiling across Sephiroth's apartment door. He straightened himself and continued to look at the camera for a few seconds. He had had no idea that being watched by someone he knew could be so exhilarating. He knew that Rufus was just bored and harassing his caretakers was just a pastime for him. But why did he make it so obvious? He shook his head, unfolded his arms and turned to walk on. He really did not want to check on Sephiroth. He had no orders to do so and he was not even convinced that he would be of any help. Sephiroth barely tolerated him in his personal space, but the idea of entering Sephiroth's room without a good excuse while he was possibly asleep or not in a good mental state sent shivers down his spine. Although he had clearance to do so if it was necessary, their personal history made it feel as if he was violating not only Sephiroth's but also his own boundaries.
He left the SOLDIER quarters for the helipad and had the pilot drop him off at the Turks HQ. He had not received any new orders for today, but he had a detailed report to write on the events at Modeoheim, and he might as well finish that today.