Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Massacre at Fort Condor: Part I ( Chapter 15 )

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Chapter 15: Massacre at Fort Condor: Part I

 

“Elly, hand me the bucket of worms over there.”

 

“Got it Dad,” a young teenage girl in overalls replied.

 

She watched as her father slipped on a large apron and put on a specially made glove that was in the shape of a condor's head. She loved helping her father feed the baby condor ever since it hatched less than a month ago, but there were so many things that her father did to take care of the condor that she never really understood.

 

“Dad?”

 

“Yes, dear?” the man asked as he put a few worms into his condor-shaped glove.

 

“Why do you have to feed the baby condor with that weird looking glove anyway?”

 

“Even though we're taking care of the baby condor, he's not our pet. He's a wild animal and we don't want to domesticate him because he's one of the last of his kind.”

 

“Yeah, I know that's why you never want me to hold him or anything, but I still don't get the thing with the glove,” Elly said scrunching her nose at the offending glove. “It looks so ugly!”

 

The man laughed as he heard his daughter, “Yeah, I know it looks ugly, but it's supposed to look like another condor so the baby will think he's being fed by his own kind and not humans. It's really a shame that the mother condor passed away before she could see her egg hatch.”

 

“Because of what ShinRa did, right?” Elly said sadly.

 

“Yep. Those corporate bastards didn't care if an endangered animal was killed in order to deepen their pockets. I'm glad that Meteor fell on Midgar. They got what they deserved,” the man spat as he fed the baby condor.

 

“What do you think is going to happen to ShinRa now Dad?”

 

“Not really sure pumpkin. I just hope that someone with a heart takes over the company or that it never rises again. Lord knows that we did a lot to keep this baby safe when he was just in his egg, now he's even more helpless since he doesn't have his mother to protect him. We're the only ones now,” the man said gently scratching the baby condor's head with his specialized condor glove.

 

The baby condor chirped with delight as Elly's father tended to it. The young teenager watched her father with a faint smile as she thought about the events a few months ago when ShinRa was here. She remembered her mixed feelings of anger and sadness for the death of the mother condor, but the feeling of anger was quickly abated by the realization that Midgar was doomed to the fate of Meteor.

 

Elly had silently prayed for the safety of everyone in Midgar, even if they belonged with ShinRa and were the cause of the pain many residents of Fort Condor felt. Perhaps it was her innocence and naïveté that kept her from holding a grudge against the mega-corporation, but Elly didn't think that her father and many other of the elders at Fort Condor had the right to scoff at ShinRa after Meteor destroyed the city. Many told her that Midgar had finally got what it deserved, but Elly saw Midgar's fate as a tragedy: thoughts she could never share with her father.

 

“Ok, Elly! The baby's already gotten its share of worms for the day. Can you get some fresh hay for me for the nest?”

 

“Coming right up, Dad,” Elly said as she quickly walked over to the shed near the nest.

 

As Elly opened the shed to grab a bale of hay, suddenly the loud screeching whirlwind of roars cut through the air. The baby condor started squawking and flapping its wings frantically at the horrid sounds. Elly looked up into the sky and saw a black anthropomorphic creature heading straight for the top of Fort Condor. Large bat-like wings flapped feverously as the creature flew towards the condor nest.

 

“Elly, get down!”

 

Elly watched as her father picked up a pitchfork and motioned for her to hide behind the baby condor's nest. She quickly bolted for the small nest startling the baby condor even more as she kept her eyes fixed on her father from behind the mess of hay and condor droppings. As the black creature flew closer to the top of the Fort, she could see it's glowing red eyes hungry for blood. Her heart froze at the sight of the fearsome demon that was only a few feet from where she stood.

 

She would have probably stood in that same spot forever in fear of the towering creature if it weren't for the horrible screams she heard: her father's screams. Elly quickly turned her head and covered her ears as the last thing she saw was the creature descending upon her father. She tried to block out the noise of the creature as it murdered her father, but the sounds seeped through her fingers and found their way into her thoughts. She knew that she was going to die if the monster were to find her.

 

Elly probably would have cowered behind the condor's nest until the monster made its way towards her if the panicked squawks of the baby condor didn't waken her sense. The baby condor was defenseless against the creature and she was the only one who could possibly save it. Without thinking, Elly jumped up from behind the nest and reached for the baby condor. She didn't even look to see where the creature was as she ran for the door. Her father's last screams still echoed through her ears as tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't have time to wipe them away or think as she cradled the frightened bird in her arms and sprinted for the door.

 

Elly felt a sharp pain in her back as she ran past the creature, but she couldn't let the pain stop her from trying to save the baby condor and herself. Several men ran out from the door and the expressions on their faces frightened Elly, because she knew they saw the creature running straight towards them. She didn't remember if she screamed or not because of the loud yelling and rustling from the creature reverberated over everything, even the sound of the many men being ripped apart by the winged-monster.

 

Her legs kept on running down the stairs as more men ran past her. Her heart was racing as the warmth of the baby condor was the only calming thing admits the chaos. She saw the confusion on many of the men's faces and heard the panic in their voices, trying to remember it all knowing that it was probably going to be the last time she ever saw them if they were to go to the top of Fort Condor. After was seemed like an eternity of running, Elly finally made it to the living area where several people quickly rushed to her side. She didn't remember what happened next as everything fell into darkness.

 

* * *

 

Reno checked his compass making sure that he was heading toward Midgar across the expansive stretch of ocean. The flight was very quiet and uneventful without Rude or Elena accompanying him, which is why he hated flying alone. However, flying across the ocean suited him much better than sailing across it.

 

He had heard that AVALANCHE killed Emerald Weapon, but Reno still didn't want to get close to the water after he and Rude got to see it up close and in person while they were checking out the sunken Gelnika. The mission wouldn't have been as bad if they had actually found something on the sunken plane, but it was only a waste of time.

 

Out over the horizon, Reno could finally see the outline of land and what was left of Midgar. As soon as he was close enough to see the ruined city, he spotted all the new activity that had been brewing since his departure. Recklessly, Reno landed the helicopter near a few ShinRa soldiers who were sitting on the ground resting.

 

The loud buzz of the helicopter and rough winds the machine made eluded many curses from the soldiers who had to quickly get out of the way before Reno crushed them. Reno only smirked as he saw the angered looks on the various soldiers. He quickly put his sunglasses on and kicked the door open to the helicopter before making his grand entrance.

 

“Hey buddy, what do you think you're doing landing that thing right here?” a soldier asked Reno before he fully stepped out of the helicopter.

 

Reno stepped out and stood to his full height as he slung his magrod over his shoulders and gave the soldier an evil grin. He could noticeably see the fear etched in the young soldier's eyes as the once angry man slunk back and put both his hands out in a friendly, yet defensive manner.

 

“Oh, sir. Sorry, I didn't realize that it was you. Please, feel free to land your helicopter here. My buddies and I were just leaving anyway,” the soldier said panicked as he slowly backed away.

 

Pleased at the soldiers' reaction, Reno was content to know that he still had it. Reno retained his egotistical smirk as he walked towards the entrance to Old Midgar where many of the soldiers were busy carrying crates up the makeshift path. All the other soldiers had the same reaction as the first while Reno leisurely made his way up the path gloating over his intimidation. Reno of the Turks was back in Midgar and no one was going to get in his way.

 

He finally made it over to where the entrance was located, but frowned slightly when he saw a large crane lifting a wooden crate over to the place he needed to go. A few men were around the crane guiding the crane-operator as he moved the crate over the entrance. Reno knew exactly where that crate was headed and leisurely walked up to it and climbed on top, despite the protests from the men working around the crane.

 

“Hey you! You can't climb up there! It's dangerous!”

 

Reno wasn't in the mood to talk and was upset that his presence wasn't enough to alert the men to who he was. Reno glared at the man who spoke to him, slightly lowering his shades so he would see Reno's mako-enhanced eyes. The man stopped in his tracks after seeing Reno's glowing blue eyes and he quickly backed up to where he was originally standing before motioning to the crane-operator to continue lowering the crate.

 

The men around the crane all watched curiously and fearfully as the Turk was slowly lowered down to Old Midgar. Even the crane-operator took extra care to make sure the crate wasn't being lowered too quickly. The last thing the men saw of Reno of the Turks was when he gave a quick salute and then followed up with a flash of his middle finger. The men knew that the Turk wasn't happy, but they were glad to know that he wasn't pissed.

 

The crane gently descended down the shaft as Reno stifled a yawn. He hadn't slept much in the past week and knew that anytime that he could sleep was going to be worth every second. He knew that he could easily stroll over to the barracks and take a nap before talking to Reeve, but Reeve needed to know what he knew.

 

After a few minutes, the crate finally made it's way down to the bottom and a few men were surprised to see the Turk standing on top of the box they were supposed to unload. Rather than impeding their work, Reno casually walked off the box and started heading towards Reeve's office. He ignored the questions and murmurs of the men as they asked themselves why a Turk was in Old Midgar.

 

As Reno walked around towards Reeve's office, he couldn't help but notice the differences that were made to the underground city while he was away. He could sense the despair and fear replaced by hope and excitement. There were so many mixed emotions he could sense in the air; many that he was sure were caused by the intuitive thinking on Reeve's part to remedy this disastrous situation.

 

However, those emotions weren't the ones that Reno was looking for as he scanned his eyes across the various people walking around the underground city. The emotions that he was sensing were the ones Tseng had taught him to look for as an essential skill for a Turk: anger and desperation. Unfortunately, those were emotions that Reeve hadn't been able to quell as Reno smirked. This was the main reason why he had to return to Old Midgar. He knew that Reeve's life was in danger.

 

He finally made his way up the long staircase that led to Reeve's office. Two ShinRa guards quickly stepped aside to give Reno access to the door. Reno didn't acknowledge their presence and didn't even knock as he opened the door and walked in as Chris, Eric and Reeve were having a meeting.

 

“Hey guys! Miss me?”

 

“Reno! Where the hell have you been?” Reeve asked agitated that he had interrupted their meeting. “And where's Elena and Rude?”

 

“Oh, don't worry about them, they're babysitting right now. But don't you want to hear my mission report?” Reno said as he sat down in a chair and propped his legs up on the table.

 

“Can this wait until later? Chris and I were discussing what to do with all the citizens of Midgar and where they should go.”

 

“You've got five minutes. No more. Trust me Reeve, you're going to want to hear my report,” Reno said as he propped back on the chair and motioned for Chris and Eric to continue their meeting.

 

Reeve merely shook his head at the insolent Turk and turned his attention back to Chris and Eric. “But what were you saying again, Eric?”

 

“I was thinking that we could call Captain Highwind and see if he could transport any of the citizens to Junon. The Manifest isn't large enough to fit the amount of people that potentially want to leave and I know that Kalm doesn't have the resources to accommodate all these people.”

 

“Chris, what are your suggestions?” Reeve asked as he sat pensively.

 

“I don't have too much to add sir except that with Midgar gone, it's pretty apparent that the new base of operations for ShinRa is going to have to be Junon and I was hoping that you would go with the Manifest along with her crew to Junon in the morning. I've been assured by Eric that Junon's soldiers will take extra precautions to keep you safe and a base of operations is ready for you courtesy of General Matthews.”

 

“Smashing idea Chris! I give that one two thumbs up,” Reno said mocking a snobby accent.

 

Reeve sighed as he listened to Reno and turned his attention back to the issue at hand, “Right now as the situation stands, I don't think I can leave Midgar. I do like your idea on moving any capable bodies interested over to Junon on the Highwind. Go ahead and make those arrangements and call Cid to make sure we can get the Highwind here to head out to Junon in the morning. Are there any other outstanding issues?”

 

“No sir,” Chris said sounding a bit disappointed that Reeve didn't follow his advice.

 

“If that's the case, than you two are dismissed.”

 

Chris and Eric quickly shuffled out of the room while trying to avoid the any eye contact with Reno. The pair didn't know what report he was about to give Reeve and they weren't going to stick around to find out. Everyone knew that wherever a Turk went, trouble followed.

 

Reeve waited until Chris and Eric had left before returning his attention to Reno. The Turk still sat on the table with his legs propped as if he was leisurely sitting and listening to some music or taking a nap. Reeve figured it was the later since Reno's shades were still down and he couldn't tell if the Turk's eyes were open or not.

 

“So Reno. What's your report?” Reeve asked impatiently as he stood at the head of the table.

 

Reno turned his head towards Reeve as he brought his legs back down and took his shades off and placed them in his pocket. He then flattened out his suit as the Turk stood up attentively and looked at Reeve directly in the eye before speaking.

 

“When was the last time you spoke with your wife?”

 

Reno watched impassively as Reeve's eyes squinted in confusion and then widened in horror as he stammered to answer: to speak.

 

“What, what happened Reno? Just cut the bullshit and tell me if my wife and daughter are safe?”

 

“Rude and Elena found a request for a hit on your wife and daughter yesterday. It was supposed to be carried out this morning, but thanks to the Turks, the mission was a failure. Right now Rude and Elena are taking your wife and kid to Junon where they'll stay with them until you join them.”

 

“You knew what was going on and you didn't tell me?” Reeve screamed.

 

“Would you have wanted to know?” Reno said as he glared at the quivering man before him.

 

“Yes . . . no. I don't know. I . . . I didn't think that they would ever be in danger. I never thought that I would have to worry about them if they were as far away from Midgar as they were,” Reeve said as he sat down defeated.

 

“You can never predict what the enemy will do. That's why the Turks are here,” Reno snorted. “That's something Tseng told me when I first started up.”

 

“Thanks Reno. But how are they? Are they alright?” Reeve said with panic still in his voice.

 

“Don't worry. They're fine. Your wife's worried about you and your daughter is playing with her little doll-thing,” Reno said casually to try and lighten up the mood. “She even gave it a sex change.”

 

“Sara's still playing with Cait, um, I mean Kate Sith? That's good. I didn't think Mel would let her play with it. She thought it was going to be too dangerous. Mel was always afraid that the robots I made were too dangerous. It's good to know that Sara likes it,” Reeve smiled as he thought about his daughter.

 

“Yeah, so why didn't you equip that toy you gave your kid with heat-seeking missiles or something.”

 

“Reno, I'm not giving my daughter a weapon. The Cait Sith doll I used wasn't exactly in the `suitable for ages 7 and up' category. Besides, it was a prototype that can only move through remote control,” Reeve said in disbelief at Reno's suggestion.

 

“Yeah, but it would have been cool. So if you're so smart and able to make all these . . . things. How come you're only the head of city stuff or whatever your official title was?”

 

“Well, I wanted to be the head of Weapons, but Scarlet somehow got the job over me. The only other opening was for Urban Development and that was something I wasn't unfamiliar with, so I decided to try it out.”

 

“Oh, so you got seconds over a good lay,” Reno laughed.

 

“Yeah, I think that is how Scarlet got her job. She always seemed to have a smile on her face before the late-President ShinRa was killed by Sephiroth.”

 

“Yeah, after that she was the crankiest old bitch in Midgar. You know she wasn't getting any from Rufus.”

 

“I don't blame him,” Reeve said as he shuddered.

 

“I think she had the hots for you ya know,” Reno said with a glint in his eye.

 

Reeve's faced paled as he heard Reno's words. He never liked Scarlet and didn't even want to think about her having an attraction to him.

 

“I'm not going to think about that and I don't want to hear another word about it from you either. I'm sure Scarlet knew that I had a wife and daughter.”

 

“Don't you want to see them?” Reno said seriously as he abruptly changed his mood.

 

Reeve paused for a moment as he looked passively up at Reno, “Yes, I desperately want to see them.”

 

“Then hop on that airship in the morning to Junon. I'm sure your geeks can take care of arranging a nice family reunion.”

 

“I can't do that right now Reno. There are too many things to do here. I swore to myself that I wouldn't leave Midgar until the last man, woman and child was out of here because it's my job to them as the President.”

 

“No job is more important then your family. Rude and Elena are there to protect them, but that doesn't mean they're completely safe from harm. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you decide to stay here any longer,” Reno said staring straight into Reeve's eyes.

 

“And you would know from experience Reno?” Reeve answered trying not to let the Turk intimidation get to him.

Reno stayed silent as he cast his eyes down toward the ground as spoke softly, “Yes.”

 

Reeve looked at the Turk shocked, “You have a wife and kid?”

 

“Had. I wasn't exactly married to the girl, but I never was one of those dead-beat Dads either. I always sent Kelly and Mary money whenever I could. Mary was my little girl, she was about four,” Reno said as fixed his gaze on Reeve.

 

“What . . . what happened to them?”

 

“Only what happens to most people in Midgar. When you cross ShinRa, you end up dead,” Reno snorted. “But then, I was also the one who killed them.”

 

“How could you do that?”

 

“They weren't the only ones I killed that day. Remember the Sector Seven plate? Yeah, they were down there when I set the bomb up to destroy the upper plate. I knew what I was doing and I tried to warn Kelly, tell her to leave the area and take Mary far away. But she didn't believe me. I guess if I were a girl I'd hold some resentment toward a guy who knocked me up and didn't marry me,” Reno said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“I'm sorry Reno. I truly am. I guess Turks don't really get to have a say in the orders they're given.”

 

“You have no idea. I was so close to backing out, but . . . I couldn't. Tseng would have done it if I refused.”

 

“Could you have told him that you had your daughter down there?”

 

“You really don't know how we Turks work, do you?”

 

Reeve only nodded in acknowledgement.

 

“Turks are free to roam anywhere in world and get anything they want, except they can't be tied down with a family. It's in the Turk code somewhere next to some clause stating how we aren't allowed to have pets or some shit like that. Bottom line, if Tseng knew I had a kid, then he would have personally made sure that I didn't.”

 

“You're more loyal to the company if you don't have a loved-one or family to divide that loyalty, correct?” Reeve said remembering how he made that decision with his wife and daughter through their separation.

 

“Yeah, that bullshit that ShinRa force feeds you.”

 

“If you hate ShinRa that much, why are you helping me? I still work for ShinRa,” Reeve asked.

 

“Because you're not a cold-hearted bastard like my other bosses. You know what it's like to live for your family; fuck you're even a sappy tree-hugger. Plus, I also think I need to help you to remind myself that I'm still human.”

 

“Reno, I know it must have been hard for you to tell me all of that, but thanks. I think I understand you a bit more.”

 

“Well, don't get used to it. I act like a jackass most of the time because I am one.”

 

“Bitterness will do that to you, won't it?”

 

“Damn straight. You better pack your things now and get on that airship to Junon,” Reno said as he started to walk away.

 

“Where are you going?”

“I haven't slept in god knows how long and I need to take a dump; wake me before we fly out,” Reno said as he haphazardly saluted.

 

Reeve stood pensively as he stared at the door that Reno had gone through. After making sure that the Turk was nowhere in sight, Reeve pulled out his picture of Sara and stared at it with a wry smile. He then pulled another picture out that was behind Sara's to reveal the slightly aged photograph of Reeve and his wife on their wedding day. He was so young and in love that the only thing that mattered in the world were himself and Melissa. The early days of his marriage were his happiest, before he started to become too ambitious at work and before he joined ShinRa.

 

There was no question that Reeve wanted nothing more than to see his wife and daughter. He put the pictures back in their place as he thought about what he had to do. He wasn't sure if he could go back on his silent promise to wait for everyone to leave Midgar before he left, but Reno's words were effective and they had left their mark. Work had consumed him like it had Reno, but unlike Reno, he knew he had a choice. Reeve now had another mission to add to his great mission of saving Midgar; he had to also save his marriage.

 

The serene moment was interrupted by Eric and Reno as the pair frantically opened the door and entered the room with a grave look on their faces. Reeve looked at the two and knew that something horribly wrong had happened. The first thought that came to his head was that something had happened to the ship carrying his wife and daughter or that the ceiling in Old Midgar was starting to give under the weight of Midgar's destruction. He wasn't sure what the pair was about to tell him, but all he knew was that it wasn't going to be good.

(continued…)