Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sanctuary ❯ Chapter Five: Reflections ( Chapter 5 )
Sanctuary
A fanfic by Iridal
Reflections
Break, break, break
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
Break, Break, Break - by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Silver-capped waves lapped musically at the bow of the Junon ferry, its dulcet tune and the starlit night leaving Aislinn with thoughts of sleep. Despite the rookie Turk's assurances that the day of celebration for Rufus' assumption as President would be a lazy one, to the young artist it seemed like an unending string of boisterous public events and tedious ceremonies. From the time she was awakened by an assistant's soft, courteous knock until the time tensely Rufus ordered them to board the ferry, just as the velvety blanket of dusk rolled over the marine horizon, it was nothing but non-stop activity.
A formal media luncheon, where the flashing bulbs and carefully worded questions of cowed journalists ate up Rufus' time...an afternoon military parade, where the booming sounds of the marching brass bands accompanied the rank-and-file as he inspected the troops...the evening inaugural ball, where the demure trophy wives and vixen-like mistresses of each of the execs were put on display like some petty contest. At each of the events, Rufus barely acknowledged her, and she contented herself to the faceless backdrop of his periphery - near enough to be of service, but far enough to step out of the light of his reflected glory.
Once the festivities ended, Aislinn gratefully boarded the all-night ferry. Upon finding a quiet spot at the bow, she divided her time between watching the pale waves lap at the ship's edge and smiling at the amusing antics of a marine who seemed to be a bit tipsy (or so she thought from the way he stumbled about on the bridge).
Her gaze wandered to another marine on the lower deck. His ill-fitting cap was pulled low over his face, and he seemed to cast furtive glances over his shoulder. As she watched, the counterfeit marine raised his eyes to meet her own, a shiver of recognition running down the length of her spine as she realized who it was...
"Is everything alright, Aislinn? You're shaking."
She whirled to meet Rufus' serious gaze. "Oh no, I'm quite fine, Pres...I mean Rufus. It's just that the wind is kind of chilly..." She faltered a bit under his unwavering stare. In the short time she had worked for him, Aislinn hadn't grown comfortable to those cerulean eyes...the cold orbs never seemed to sparkle with any warmth.
He frowned slightly, but the intensity in his eyes lightened just a fraction. That was an obvious stretch of the truth; the air had gotten steadily warmer as they neared the resort harbor at Costa del Sol. "Perhaps it might be best if you go inside with me, then. It is not so...frigid there."
"Yes...I...think I will..." As she turned to follow him, Aislinn glanced back over her shoulder, hoping to again see the shadowy figure and confirm it was merely her overactive imagination that made him seem so sinister.
The deck was empty.
"Reno...why are we wandering around the bottom of this icky ferry for? There's nothing to worry about."
It had been like this since the night ferry left port in Junon harbor. The slightly nasal whining of the newest Turk drifted gratingly on the nerves of her partners as they walked below decks. Already on edge from the dozens of worries that invaded his sense of security, Reno almost envied Elena's naivete.
"For the last time, Elena, we're PATROLLING...not just wandering around for no reason." The redhead sighed and swung the beam from his flashlight into another dark corner. "An' we're doing this because there were reports of several enemies of Shinra on the loose in Junon. I know AVALANCHE was in the city, and Sephiroth's around here somewhere. We're just double-checking to make sure the ship is secure, or we're gonna have loads of trouble waiting for us."
The young blond pouted, but nonetheless shut her mouth and continued looking. Although their search had so far uncovered no more than a few stowaway rats and boxes upon boxes of cargo, Elena knew that around any corner could be something dangerous and unexpected...something that would require the Turks quick thinking and professional expertise to take care of it.
Lost in her own images of blue-suited glory, she almost missed growing puddle of congealing scarlet fluid that trickled down from the shadowy recesses of the iron catwalk. "Um...guys..."
Reno gave an almost imperceptible growl. "Elena...I told you to stop your whinin'!"
"But...but...look!" She caught Rude by the sleeve, and he too trained his flashlight on the steadily growing crimson pool. His beam of light slowly followed the trail up to its source, throwing back the inky darkness of the walkway, to reveal a slain Shinra Marine. The unfortunate individual lay facedown on the grating, his body nearly dissected in two as something long and sharp sheared through his torso from the junction of his shoulder and neck down clear to his pelvic bone.
Elena nearly gagged as she realized that the fact that the body was still draining blood - albeit in trickles now - meant that the murder must have been done fairly recently...and that the killer might be reeking havoc somewhere else on the ship. Judging by the apprehensive looks her partners sported, they must have realized that fact too.
Reno ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Well Turks...we got an emergency."
Rufus sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, silently wondering what compelled him to leave the apparent sanctity of dry land without his bottle of antacid handy. From the moment he had entered the main cabin of the ferry with Ms. Corliss, Heidigger had been hounding him about one thing or another. Right now, it was about stopping over a night or two at their destination port.
Right now, he envied lesser beings and their non-scrutinized lives.
"But sir, I think it would be prudent for you to stay for a night or two in Costa del Sol!" Heidigger tugged nervously at the medals on his uniform, obviously uncomfortable with his suggestion, but doggedly pursuing it further. "Your mother's beachfront villa's there. You could spend time there until we know the rest of your inspection tour is secured."
Rufus opened his eyes long enough to fix a cold stare at his general. "No. There is no reason for me to cower in some resort town just because a few upstarts are loose in the countryside." His cerulean stare ceased as he shifted his gaze out the porthole. "Besides, you know as well as I do that I put the villa up for sale since my mother passed on."
"Sir...I think General Heidigger raises a good point about the safety issues." Tseng's soft, smooth voice broke in from the shadows where he stood. "What better place for your protection then in the middle of a popular tourist town? AVALANCHE may be terrorists, but they are a group supposedly working for the good of the people, and I doubt they would risk the lives of innocent bystanders to get to you."
"AVALANCHE perhaps, but not Sephiroth," the blond leader disagreed.
"Sephiroth would hold none of those qualms about killing innocents to get to his quarry. No...I believe I'm just as safe in Corel as in Costa del Sol, and we shall fly there immediately upon docking."
"But sir!" the fat general whined.
Rufus clenched his teeth in an effort to keep his temper. "We are going to the Mt. Corel reactor, Heidigger. That is final."
The general sputtered for a moment, but, with a slightly crestfallen look, wisely continued on a different track, spouting meaningless drivel about military formations and mako estimates, which Rufus tuned out. His gaze shifted to his secretary, who sat by the port window. The low conversation between the men did not seem to register, as she continued to stare thoughtfully out at the moon touched waves. She reminded him a bit of his mother in that respect: in his youth, he often observed her staring out a window, lost to her environment as she privately sought a solution to her the turbulent life she was thrust in.
That again was another reason why he did not want to stay long in Costa del Sol, though he'd never share it with his executives. That town - where he had been raised after his parent's separation until his father recalled him a few years past to serve as VP - painfully reminded him of his mother and the sadness she had to endure the entire time she lived there. She just sat up in her room, gazing out the window, too melancholy to even sketch anymore...and she died shortly after Rufus left for service, still in her prime but devoid of that spark of life that made her the bright, vibrant woman he remembered from his childhood.
Rufus mentally shook his head to clear away such depressive thoughts. No...this was definitely not a stop he wanted to linger at.
"Emergency alert!" An officious sounding voice drew him from his thoughts as the message crackled across the intercom. "Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!"
Everyone in the cabin stiffened in alarm, dozens of possible 'suspicious characters' flashing through each of their heads - and all of them very dangerous individuals. Rufus glanced quickly at Tseng to note that he had immediately flipped out his cell phone to contact the rest of the Turks to obtain their status and report. His frosty stare then settled on Heidigger.
"I thought you said you had this ship totally secured for our send off?"
The startled general tried to stammer out an answer, but the Turk leader slipped his ended his terse phone conversation in time to smoothly cut across his blubbering. "Sir, Reno reports that they found several dead bodies in the cargo hold, and more than a few throughout the rest of the ship as they came up...each bearing unique sword wounds that point directly to Sephiroth being aboard."
The new president swore softly under his breath and lightly rubbed his temples. This was definitely becoming a trying night....