Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Spooling the Threads of Fate ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 20: Spooling the threads of fate

The room was tense as Reeve stirred some sugar and cream into a cup of coffee. They were waiting for the secretary to phone Chris and Eric before they could start. He had beenreunited with his wife and daughter for less than an hour before he had to attend a meeting to discuss the future of Midgar and the world. The Turks stood menacingly behind him while his wife and daughter sat close by within the perimeter of the Turks' invisible bubble of protection.

The new head of ShinRa's banks, Mr. Baker, sat nervously as he loosened his tie and stole passing glances over at his assistant. Next to him was General Matthews who sat rigidly as he looked over some papers. Melissa anxiously tapped her fingers on the large oak table as she kept her eyes on a peculiar spot that didn't interest her, but was more comforting than the tension in the room. Even the Turks were on the edge probably due to either lack of sleep, the recent assassination attempt, or both.

The only one in the room who didn't appear fazed by the built-up stress was little Sara who played with Kate Sith on the floor under the table. Reeve remembered that Sara had told him about Rude fixing her mechanical toy. He had forgotten to ask what sort of repairs were made and was slightly surprised that the Turk understood how to build electronics. Stealing a moment, he looked down underneath the table and smiled as he heard the whirring of gears as Sara moved Kate Sith around with her remote control. Sara smiled back and waved at her father as she continued to crawl on the floor.

“President Anderson! We have a connection.”

“That's great Mrs. Smith. Eric, Chris? Can you hear me over there?”

“Loud and clear Re, um, I mean Mr. President, sir!”

“No need for formalities now Chris. I have in the room Mark Baker, General Matthews, and the Turks here so we can all update ourselves on the current situation. Let's start with you both.”

“Well, currently the evacuation efforts of able bodied citizens is going well. There are unfortunately not as many evacuees as we had hoped for so the housing in Old Midgar is still fairly crowded. The MPs have quelled any riots and currently our supplies are stable.”

“That's good to hear, Eric. How about the injured?”

“According to the doctors, there are a few critically injured that are in need of more medical help than what the makeshift hospital down here can provide. There are some volunteer miners here working on trying to speed up the process of digging us out. Mr. Randy Lawson is leading a group of men down here with Eric's guidance.”

“Do you think we'll need to replenish supplies soon?” Reeve asked.

“Probably in a week.”

“General Matthews. How are our supplies?”

“Not adequate enough. We've dwindled a large portion of our supplies when we sent the Manifest down with the 5th infantry division. Right now Junon's army is holding stable with what we have, but if we donate the same amount of supplies to support Midgar, Junon won't be able to support itself,” the General sighed.

“I see. How about our finances?” Reeve turned to Mark Baker.

“Oh boy, I guess that means I'm up,” Mark ran his hand through his hair as he picked up some papers. “As you can guess, the state of ShinRa's finances are in disarray since all of the banks in Midgar have been destroyed. Now the provisions provided in the Security Agreement and Operating Agreement do have instructions for building emergency funds to support the company in times of need so we do have emergency funds to work off of for the time being, . . .”

Mark nervously looked around the room as he felt everyone's eyes watching him waiting for his last remarks.

“And, well. You see . . . ShinRa's accounts are very peculiar in that they aren't split between private personal accounts and the business accounts and well,” Mark breathed deeply. “We don't have access to ShinRa, Inc's money without the former President Rufus ShinRa's pass codes. The only financial resources we're running on right now are the emergency funds and that will probably last us about a month at the most, if we're frugal.”

“Is that factoring in funds to purchase supplies for Midgar?” Reeve tensed.

Mark gazed down at his notes and stole a glance at his secretary Cathy who urged him to continue with a supportive look.

“I'm afraid that these calculations only deal with Junon's financial needs. If we were to factor in Midgar's finances, we're looking at depleting our supply of funds in two weeks.”

“Chris and Eric, do you think we'll be able to get those citizens out of Midgar in less than two weeks?”

“I'm not going to guarantee it, but according to what I've heard from Thomas in Kalm and Randy Lawson here, it could be done in two weeks. Though the hardest thing will be figuring out where all these people are going to relocate.”

“I agree. Junon is already filled to capacity with all the refuges that have been sent from Midgar. I can only imagine that Kalm is already being stretched to its limits. I think we're going to have to form a new town or settlement to temporarily house these people until they can figure out where to go,” General Matthews proposed.

“We'll probably have to set up a camp outside of Fort Condor for when the refugees finally get out. I know the Fort's been hit pretty hard already with their attack from Chaos, but it's either there or the swamps and I'm not going to ask anyone to fight off a few Midgar Zolems to get some people across the swamps. Mr. Baker, do you know if we can get any financial assistance from Wutai or any of the other major nations?” Reeve asked.

“We're currently getting donations of supplies from Dio at Gold Saucer and Icicle Inn. Talks haven't been established yet at Wutai, though we have received their support. Eric and I are going to continue any sort of talks from where we are, but there were a lot of places that were hit hard from the events leading up to Meteor that we're not sure how much assistance we can get from other nations.”

“Understood. Mr. Baker, is there any remedy for this situation?”

“Well, the only way to get full access to ShinRa's accounts is to either have the pass codes that only Rufus ShinRa knows, have proof of his death or wait a year from the date of his disappearance before a complete transfer of power is allowed.”

“One year! Damn, I knew that the ShinRa's were control freaks but one fucking year!” Reno sputtered.

“Reno, unless you have some suggestions for how to find Rufus or save the citizens of Midgar, I suggest you reserve your complaints to yourself and remember to watch your language. My daughter is in the room with us.”

“Sure, whatever boss,” Reno shrugged.

“But since I have your attention now anyway, what is the status of your ongoing investigations?”

“Elena, the report,” Reno haughtily bowed as he made room for his comrade.

Elena rolled her eyes as she stepped towards the table and held her report on her hands. Clearing her throat, she straightened up the papers before giving the Turks' report.

“Well, Mr. President. So far we have had several calls into the hotline with clues and even people claiming to be John ShinRa, Rufus ShinRa or any ShinRa for that matter, but all of those calls have been confirmed false and there have been no concrete leads to the whereabouts of former president ShinRa.

“We believe that Rufus ShinRa is still alive and in hiding or lost in the confusion of the events that have been happening surrounding Meteor. Though we do not have any leads as to where Rufus may be hiding, we're reasonably certain that he will eventually report to ShinRa or be found.”

“That's good, and what about the assassins? Any leads as to who hired them?” Reeve interrupted.

“Well, sir,” Elena shifted through her papers. “I hacked through the laptop of the assassin in Costa Del Sol and only discovered a posting that was made through an online BBS by someone with the handle `The King.' Of course, that leads us to the strongest possibility that the post was made by someone in the ShinRa-King Organization. The most recent attack this morning was most likely requested by the same organization. I haven't found the request yet, but the request could have been made privately via email or telephone. Unfortunately, we have no leads as to who is leading the organization and making these requests.

“We've checked every record of citizens with the last name King, but there are over 1,000 names listed and with the current situation in Midgar, there's no telling where they are, if they're alive or anything for that matter.”

“Hmmm . . . any clues or ideas as to where they'll strike next?”

“It's assured that they will continue to request assassination attempts on your life and possibly on, well,” Elena coughed as she tilted her head towards Melissa and Sara.

Reeve nodded, “How about you General Matthews? Any leads?”

“None, sir. We still haven't caught the assassin from this morning though we're working diligently with the Junon police force to find the perpetrator.”

“Good to hear. Elena, what threat do you think the ShinRa-King Organization is to ShinRa?” Reeve asked.

“Though the company isn't well known and has only recently appeared, it's apparent that they have the cutthroat nature to strike against yourself and the current administration. One probable threat is for them to try and assassinate your current executives who are leading Midgar. If the organization were to cripple Midgar's leadership and with you here in Junon, it would be easy for them to take over the city, especially if they are still in Midgar.”

“Mr. President, sir, if I may,” General Matthews interjected.

“Proceed.”

“I've already assigned loyal soldiers in Midgar to protect Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rivers as well as Mr. Wheeler in Kalm.”

“General Matthews is correct. Chris and I have had constant protection so there's no need to worry about us over here.”

“Excellent foresight General Matthews. Chris and Eric, I still want you two to be careful and be wary of anything. Do we have any idea or thoughts as to how we're going to track down either Rufus ShinRa or the ShinRa-King Organization?” Reeve returned his attention to Elena.

“We're still weighing our options Mr. President, sir. And we were thinking—”

“Actually, I have an idea how to get the ShinRa-King Organization,” Reno rudely interrupted Elena as he tapped his magrod on the oak table.

“Reno, I was about to tell everyone—” Elena huffed.

“Chill, Elena. This is something I just thought up so it's not in your papers,” Reno waved his hand at his comrade to shoo her away.

“And what's your suggestion Reno?” Reeve asked.

“I think I might know who's leading the ShinRa-King Organization,” Reno smirked.

General Matthews and Reeve both froze in place as they waited for Reno to mention their name, or any name that would give them an indication of who was going against ShinRa.

“The only problem is that I don't know where they are this exact minute. I have a feeling that they're in Junon but I'll need some time and a few days to scour through the city to pinpoint their location.”

“You think they're in Junon? But how can you be so certain that they aren't in Midgar waiting to kill off Mr. Johnson or Mr. Rivers in order to lead a coup?” General Matthews asked as he stood up in his seat.

“You gotta think about it this way . . . ya see, the dude who's going around starting this organization is using some laptop, cellphone or something electronic and gadgety to send messages around to any and every assassin within pissing distance. Now last time I was in Midgar, which was this morning now mind you, they weren't providing any power to the common citizens to power up any of their personal belongings. It's really pissing off a lot of those spoiled teens on the upper plates since they can't talk to their friends on the phone no more, but that's when the entire `Hey, let's leave for Junon cause we can and there's power and stuff,' plan that ole' Reevey here cooked up comes into play.

“The dude knows that he's gotta stay incognito otherwise he's toast so the best plan is to keep his means of secrecy and go to where there's an outlet he can use and plenty of hotels he can stay at to boot. Junon's about as big as Midgar and when you get all down to the nitty gritty, what's a more better place to start up a coup than where all the money is, am I right Mr. Barker?”

“Um, that's Baker,” Mark corrected the smiling Reno.

“Barker, Baker . . . whatever. But you see what I mean?”

“Well, yeah. It definitely makes sense. All the banks in Midgar have been destroyed or abandoned and the ShinRa-King Organization has been trying to claim a stake at ShinRa's frozen assets,” Mark answered thoughtfully.

“So, as I see it, I go undercover, find the culprit and then do my job as a Turk. Whadaya say?” Reno shouldered his magrod confidently.

The room was silent as Reeve readjusted his tie in agitation and Melissa sat rigidly rubbing her arms. No one wanted to ask what part of his job as a Turk he was referring to, but everyone knew it had to deal with either a bottle of whiskey or the death of the man behind the ShinRa-King Organization.

“Reno, I'll consider your request but let's move on to the topic of how to find Rufus ShinRa,” Reeve gulped down some coffee to calm his nerves.

“Oh, I don't have any answers to that,” Reno stepped back from the table. “Elena.”

Elena glared at Reno daring him to make eye contact so he could see exactly how pissed she was. Her fingers were gripping the report so tightly in an attempt to contain her anger that her nails dug into the paper. Everyone in the room could see the ends tearing at the pressure the Turk was exerting on her report and everybody was grateful that they weren't on the receiving end of her wraith.

“Elena, if you could,” Reeve sighed.

“Sorry Mister President. As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” Elena venomously directed at Reno.

“Taking into consideration ShinRa, Inc.'s reputation as well as previous efforts to contact Rufus ShinRa through the guise, John ShinRa, we've determined that Rufus ShinRa will more than likely contact us in a few days. Mr. ShinRa has always been actively involved with current events and will certainly conclude that the corporation wishes for his safe return.

“We've considered broadcasting an announcement for the search of Mr. ShinRa, but fear that might jeopardize his safety. The ShinRa name isn't the most welcomed in this day and age so it is best to keep the media away from any news of Rufus ShinRa's disappearance until he is safely in Junon,” Elena said between clenched teeth.

“Very well. General Matthews, do you have anything to add to that report?”

“No sir, Mister President. I've interviewed the guards assigned to who we thought was John ShinRa and none of them know where he went after he was released.”

“Is there any other order of business that needs to be addressed?”

Everyone looked at each other before shaking their heads.

“Alright then, I'd like do go ahead and adjourn this meeting for now. Reno, please stay behind so we can discuss your request,” Reeve spoke with an agitated look on his face.

“Understood. We'll keep you informed if there's anything important on our end here in Midgar.” Chris and Eric both said.

As everyone began to rise from their chairs and move out of the room, Reno felt a sharp sting on his bicep as he turned to meet Elena's angry face.

“What the fuck was that all about?” Elena seethed.

“Just doin' my job as a Turk. Why'd ya have to punch me in the arm? Damn woman, you've got a wicked punch,” as Reno rubbed his arm.

“Don't you give me that shit! You know damn well why I hit you. You told me to analyze Black Adder's laptop, develop our strategy and write the report for today's meeting making sure that I take into account every option and then you pull that shit with me!”

“Elena, Elena, Elena. How long have you been a Turk again?” Reno sighed.

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” Elena spat.

“Everything! You still don't know how we work. You're green Elena, a sapling.”

“But I'm still a Turk and Turks always stick together. You fucking left me at Costa Del Sol and now you're putting your ass on the line again!”

“Listen, who did Tseng appoint as leader of the Turks?” Reno said seriously.

Elena's eyes flared as she reared back to punch Reno again as he caught her fist before it made contact with his face.

“I saw that one coming,” Reno whispered into her ear.

“That was a low blow Reno and you fucking know it,” Elena breathed lowly.

Rude shook his head as he watched the argument between the two Turks. The stoic Turk silently chuckled as he watched Melissa lead her daughter quickly out the room with her hands over the little girl's ears. He knew that if he didn't intervene, the pair would tear each other apart in a few minutes.

“You know that if it were Tseng going off on this life-threatening job you wouldn't be yapping at me like some fucking prissy dog. You'd be lapping at my feet and hopping on my lap as if I had a bone for you that you really wanted,” Reno fired back.

“You fucking prick! I should—ow! What the fuck?” Elena turned in time to see Rude pulled a syringe out of her body.

Her head started to spin as the effects of the sleeping drug quickly pumped through her veins. The last thing she saw before passing out was the toothy grin of Reno as she finally fell back into Rude's arms.

“Hey, thanks there buddy. I owe you one.” Reno gave Rude a thumbs-up.

“You're gonna owe me big time once she wake's up,” Rude grunted as he lifted Elena over his shoulders and left the room.

Reno snorted as he watched Elena be dragged away.

“Reno, your lack of charm never ceases to amaze me,” Reeve sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hey, what do you expect from me. I wasn't exactly brought up in charm school or anything like that,” as Reno lit a cigarette.

“I know. But that's not my main concern right now,” Reeve sighed. “I want to hear a straight answer from you now Reno. Are you planning on murdering the head of the ShinRa-King Organization?”

“Well, I'm not trying to find him so I can ask for his hand in marriage, that's for damn sure.”

“Reno, I want you to be serious with me for a few minutes as I discuss this issue with you. I know what the Turks are accustomed to doing in the past for ShinRa, but I want to make something very clear.”

“Let me guess,” Reno held his hand up to silence Reeve. “You don't want me to kill him.”

Reeve ran his fingers down his goatee as he nodded in compliance.

“I hear ya. So I guess you want me to do it the `right way' and turn him in to the authorities.”

“Yes.”

“I'll see what I can do,” Reno said as he walked towards the door.

“I mean it Reno. I'm not running this company on the same ill reputation that the late Augustus ShinRa embellished himself in.”

Reno stopped at the door and turned to face Reeve as he took a long drag before finally responding, “I said that I heard ya and I mean it when I say that. Trust me, I'm going to do my job and I'll do it your way. After all, you're the boss.”

“Boss by default. But if you're going to listen to my orders based on that, then I'm not going to complain. Stay safe, Reno.”

“Yes, sir,” Reno lazily saluted before leaving the conference room.

Reeve exhaled as he slumped down in the nearest chair to rub his temples. The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful and Reeve couldn't quite remember the last time he had a quiet moment to himself. The only thing he wanted to do right now was to put his head on the table and take a nap and he would have done it if it wasn't for the light knock on the conference room doors.

“Come in.”

“Reeve? Are you busy right now?” Melissa sheepishly asked as she poked her head into the room.

“Oh, Mel!” Reeve sat up surprised. “No, I'm not busy. Come in.”

The two gazed at each other with a mixture of hesitation and anticipation, waiting for one or the other to begin speaking. Melissa had slowly closed the distance between them as the large conference room felt too spacious and formal for the intimacy that the pair once held for each other. Reeve fidgeted with his hands as he tired to decide whether to put his hands on the table, in his pocket or just keep them at his side rigidly to express how nervous he was.

“So, did you and Sara have a safe trip from Costa Del Sol?” Reeve asked, resigning to putting one hand in his pocket and one to his side.

“Yes, we did,” Melissa smiled slightly. “The Turks were very nice and helpful. I think Rude has taken a liking to being a babysitter.”

“I never would have thought that he was good with kids,” Reeve chuckled.

“I wouldn't have either, but he is. Sara's really happy to see you again.”

“She's really grown into a beautiful girl in a year. I'm just glad that she gets her charm and good looks from her mother.”

“Though she's just as smart as her father.”

Reeve blushed as he looked at Melissa's soft features as she was smiling at him. She still held that same beauty that captivated him when he first met her. She still wore her hair up in a ponytail like she did when they started dating. Soft strands gently graced her face like angel's breath faintly blowing against her cheeks.

He had always noticed how her hair swept against her face from the first time they met at the coffee shop on campus. She was standing in line and reading a book about art history while he was hoping to stop in for a quick cup of coffee. A quick coffee run would have typically taken Reeve straight to the counter without delay, order his coffee, then leave without giving anyone in the shop a second glance or thought. But fate had other ideas up her sleeve that day.

If it wasn't for Melissa dropping her bookmark on the floor while she stood in line, if it wasn't for Reeve's alertness and politeness to return the dropped bookmark, and if it wasn't for Melissa's captivating beauty or for Reeve choking on his words after finally laying eyes on the woman of his dreams; then he would have never known the charm and chemistry that an artist and computer geek could have together. Reeve would have also never realized how much love hurt more than just your personal feelings until he made the mistake of choosing a career with ShinRa over his family: love hurt the body and soul.

Reeve had always been a smart man, but even the smartest of men make stupid decisions. But despite that, he was now standing in front of the women who he married and was still technically married to. He never knew how such a beautiful woman could have fallen in love with a man like him and he was afraid that he would never know. But how he wanted to know and he was going to try his damnedest to keep her affectionate gaze on him so one day he would find out.

“You had a café au lait that day,” Reeve stated simply.

“What?”

“That day we first met, in the small coffee shop on campus. You dropped your bookmark so I picked it up for you.”

“Yes, and I treated you to some coffee. You just had a plain cup of joe. I don't even think you put cream or sugar in it, did you?”

“Not back then I didn't. I use a little bit of cream and sugar now, but not back then I didn't,” Reeve smiled.

“I guess, we all change while time goes by,” Melissa nervously said as she rubbed her arms.

“You don't look like you've changed a bit. You're just as beautiful as when we first met,” Reeve whispered. “I can still see the smart, funny, and beautiful woman who stole my heart over a cup of coffee.”

“You were always a flatterer, you know that,” Melissa's eyes shone with unshed tears as her lips quivered.

“I only flatter because the compliments are true.”

“Are they still true, even today? Even after all the arguments and the times I got mad at you for doing what you do best?”

“Yes. Even if you told me you hated me, I'd still think of you as the most beautiful woman I'd ever met and I'd still love you.”

“Oh, Reeve. You have no idea how much that means to me,” Melissa sobbed as she desperately wanted to run into Reeve's arms and feel his comforting touch.

Slowly, Melissa reached her quivering hands out to touch the man she fell in love with and hold him in her arms again. Her hand found his as she felt strong arms envelope her in a warm embrace: an embrace that calmed her nervous heart.

“You have no idea how you can still affect me. From the moment when you handed me my bookmark to now, you still make me feel like a squealing teenager. I've just missed you Reeve,” Melissa cried. “I want to try again. I want a second chance.”

“And you'll get a second chance cause I've missed you too Mel. I missed hearing your voice and feeling your soft skin. Heck, I've even missed arguing with you over not moving to Costa Del Sol with you and Sara. How the hell did you ever fall for a guy like me?”

“I just did, Reeve. I just did. And I know that I couldn't bear living without you. Not after everything that's happened. Sara misses her Daddy and I miss my husband,” Melissa said softly as she wiped away her tears.

Reeve smiled and breathed a content sigh of relief with his wife in his arms. He brushed some of her hair out of her face as he stared at her glimmering brown eyes. He was tempted to kiss her and rekindle those feelings of love and passion that they had shared many times before in the past. But it was too early. He settled for a soft kiss on her forehead, which she relished. They both needed this comfortable and familiar feeling.

“What's going to happen now?” Melissa asked worriedly.

“I don't know. But I swear to you that I'm not going to leave you or Sara again. I made a huge mistake when I did that.”

“Good, because I don't want to leave you.”

“Everything's going to be okay. I promise you. And after everything with Midgar is finally over and the government is back on track, I'll resign as President if it means being together with you and Sara again.”

“I . . . I don't know what to say,” Melissa stood shocked.

“Say anything,” Reeve smiled.

“Thank you,” Melissa smiled as she tightened her embrace.

Sara Anderson giggled as she watched her mother and father hug each other through the small video feed Rude had attached to her Kate Sith doll. She was glad that her parents hadn't found the doll resting quietly underneath the table.

“Hey, kiddo. Whatcha up to?” Rude walked over to Sara as she knelt on the floor.

“I'm just watching Mommy and Daddy,” Sara smiled at her new Uncle.

Rude looked at the video feed as Sara gasped and giggled some more after seeing her parents slowly close in for a passionate kiss. Rude smiled as he shook his head in amusement.

“Come on Sara, let's not spy on your parents anymore. I think they need their privacy.”

“Oh, but I want to see!” Sara softly whined.

“How about we go and wake-up Auntie Elena? I bet that'll be more fun,” Rude picked the girl up and took the remote from the scheming child.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” the girl smiled brightly.

“It's a good thing I didn't equip Kate Sith with that audio feed. I bet you'd make a great Turk when you grow up.”

“Do you think Mommy and Daddy will let me be a Turk and then work with you and Uncle Reno and Auntie Elena?”

“Maybe, but I wouldn't ask them until you're a bit bigger.”

“Okay,” Sara nodded her head shaking her brown hair everywhere.

Rude smiled as he held Sara and walked down the hall of the Junon office. He was grateful that Sara had agreed to come with him to wake Elena up. He knew that she was going to be a spit-fire once she woke-up and hoped that the presence of a young child in the room would weaken her wrathful bite.

“Well, ain't that just the sweetest sight you've ever seen,” a sarcastically gruff voice echoed down the hall.

“Uncle Reno!” Sara yelped.

“Hey there sweetie-pie. Give Uncle Reno a kiss,” Reno pointed to his cheek where Sara gave him a quick peck. “That's a good girl.”

“You heading out?” Rude asked flatly as he noticed the dirty pair of jeans and black T-shirt Reno was wearing.

“Yeah, duty calls.”

“You stay alive.”

“Gotcha bud. Bye-bye Sara. Uncle Reno's gotta go out to work. Be good around Uncle Rude and Auntie Elena.”

“I will. We're going to go wake-up Auntie Elena right now.”

“Oh, I'm glad that I'm heading out to town now. Good luck Rude, you'll need it,” Reno laughed as he walked down the halls whistling a tune.

Rude shook his head as he continued down the hall to the room where Elena was resting. As he was about to open the door, the shrill shriek of an awake and highly pissed off Elena could be heard through the doors. Rude could slightly decipher the sounds of “Where the fuck is he?” and “I'm gonna rip that son-of-a-bitch's testicles off,” echoing through the door.

Rude's face twitched as he hesitantly grabbed the handle for the door, “Reno, you owe me big time.”

* * *

All she could hear was the fast-paced beating of her heart as she ran along the rooftops in Junon. She knew was that the ShinRa Army was out looking for her. She had to think fast. She quickly hid behind an air duct as she removed the sniper rifle from her side and placed it on the hook she had placed in the air duct hours earlier. If they were to catch her, they would never catch her with her weapon.

She could easily blend in like a regular Junon citizen by getting rid of the black cloak that masked her auburn hair and green eyes. Running to the edge of the rooftop, she slid down the escape ladder until she was well hidden, deep in one of the many alleyways in the seaside city. Ditching her cloak in a nearby dumpster, all she needed to do now was to act casually as if nothing had happened and pretend to stroll along the city streets. It was all too easy.

Walking along the sidewalk keeping her eyes forward, she quickly spotted a café and slipped inside looking for an empty table so she could begin her work. Luckily for her, the lunch rush was over and Angel walked over to the quiet table in the corner making sure to sit against the wall so she could see everything in the small café. She was certain no one knew whom she was or what she just tried to do, but she could never be too certain. A life of an assassin has only one certainty and that's death. It was kill or be killed and today Angel was not in the mood to be on the receiving end of death; after all, she was much more adept at giving it.

Calmly scanning the menu, Angel ordered a double espresso and croissant while keeping her eyes over the menu on the entrance to the café. The Junon police could be seen running around outside questioning random people on the streets. Angel nibbled nervously on her nails as she watched the police and soldiers march past the café. None of them had paid any attention to the tiny eatery and Angel hoped they never would.

“Did you hear about the assassination attempt against President Anderson?”

“What?” Angel looked up to see the waitress who took her order hovering over her with her food. “Oh yeah. I heard about it on the streets.”

“News really travels fast, don't it?”

“Yeah, real fast,” Angel said, keeping her eyes on the door.

“Hey, did ya hear the rumor that President ShinRa ain't dead?”

“No, I can't say I have.”

“Well, it's just a rumor. Can't say I'm thrilled, but what can you do?”

Angel merely shrugged as she pulled the hot espresso toward her.

“But I'll let you go now so you can enjoy your food.”

“Thanks,” Angel sighed, relieved that the waitress had left.

The espresso helped relax Angel as she sipped on the bitter drink. Her nerves were frayed and all she wanted right now was to savor her croissant and espresso, but she knew that she had work to do. This moment wouldn't have been such a burden if she had succeeded in her mission. Angel always hated the uncertainty of how a client would react to her failure. She took pride in her work and sometimes that pride led her to make mistakes, like today.

Tearing a small piece of her croissant, she silently replayed how she was waiting on top of the rooftop near the airfield. She was in a great spot where she could practically see the entire city of Junon. She had seen the airship carrying the President touch down and taxi down the runway closer towards where she was sitting and waiting. Angel remembered having the blue-suited President in her sight as he debarked the plane and walked down the runway. The only thing she hadn't accounted for was the moment when a soldier pushed her target out of the sight just as she had pulled the trigger.

Her face sagged in disappointment as she replayed that scene in her mind, trying to determine what went wrong. There were no noises she made that the soldier could have heard since she was over 100 yards away. It was impossible for him to have reacted to the sound of her sniper rifle firing. Nobody is that quick. She was in front of a coolant system that hid her from anyone on top of the roof. The sun was positioned so it would be behind her when she fired, so what could it have been?

Recalling the instant she fled the scene, she remembered hitting her head against the coolant system as she shot up to run away. She remembered glancing at the damn machinery and inspecting her visage quickly in the shiny metal before making a full sprint to the edge of the rooftop and jumping. Angel caught her breath as she flashbacked to when she saw her reflection on the coolant system. The damn machine that she hit her head on gave away her position to that one soldier on the airstrip.

Grabbing her croissant and angrily biting off a huge chunk. She chewed heavily on the buttery bread to suppress her desire to scream at the top of her lungs. A simple mistake caused by her inability to see the dangers behind the large reflective sheet of metal that was behind her, giving away her position. A mistake that could very well destroy her reputation as one of the top female assassins in the world. That wasn't something she needed right now.

Frustrated, she pulled out her cellphone and began to punch in a series of numbers and letters in a message to be sent to her client. Staring at the message, Angel scanned the text to make sure that all that needed to be said was stated. Pushing the send button, she closed her eyes and breathed, knowing that the minutes or even hours she had to wait for a reply would be excruciating.

Putting the phone down, she reached for her espresso and sighed as she stared outside to watch the Junon police and soldiers scurrying around the town like mice in a maze. Angel was going to have to wait in the café for a long time until the streets were cleared of all the military and law enforcement. All that she could do now was order another espresso and perhaps a danish instead of a croissant.

* * *

“Oh, we're finally out of that cramped airship. I was afraid I was going to suffocate if we didn't land soon,” Matilda complained as she fanned herself with her purse.

“It wouldn't have been so unbearable if you weren't bickering constantly. But come on now mother. We need to find a hotel to stay at and I need to start planning the next phase of our future.”

“Planning. What more is there for you to plan. You've been typing away on your little hand-held phone throughout the entire flight.”

“I was busy working to make sure that we get rid of obstacles that are in our way of getting me to the Presidential office. Now shut-up and just enjoy the salty ocean air while we're here,” Nick grumbled.

“The salty air stings my nose. I can't see how people get used to this.”

Nicholas King merely rolled his eyes as he carried the luggage off the airship and led the way towards the center of town. The batteries in his cellphone were dying and needed to be recharged before he could begin searching for a willing assassin to go into Midgar and kill off the two executives that President Anderson put in charge. He had been having difficultly finding anyone willing to go into Midgar and an even harder time finding someone willing to do it without any money upfront.

His mother's constant bickering wasn't really helping matters either. He knew all too well about his mother's past and her acting like a prima donna only strained his patience. The brusque walk and his need to find a hotel were helping to focus his anger to the more physical task of carrying the two suitcases in his arms. Once he was President of ShinRa, the first thing he was going to do was ban bitter old women and outlaw suitcases without wheels.

He didn't know how long he had walked lugging the two large suitcases, but Nick finally found a small patch of paradise by the name of “The Seaside Inn.” The prices were cheap and the rooms were clean and that was all that he needed right now. Nick blocked out any of his mother's complaints as he paid for the room and quickly walked down the hall to where the room was located. He had barely noticed that she was following him until they had finally gotten into the room.

“Air conditioning. Thank goodness,” Matilda sighed as she lay down on one of the beds.

Nick sat down in the nearest chair as he wiped the sweat off of his brow and stared at the two offending pieces of luggage. In one of them contained his cellphone charger that he needed to get. His arms were aching from lifting the two suitcases for what seemed like miles. He didn't want to have to stand up if he didn't have to and pulled out his cellphone only to moan in exhausted frustration. He had one message and his cellphone had barely enough power to open it.

Agitated and tired, Nick groaned as he walked the short distance to the suitcases and shuffled through the contents. He sifted through clothes and personal items until he finally found the charger hidden in the bottom of one of the suitcases. It was almost a painstaking effort to finally find a plug and attach it to the phone. Nick King swore than when he became President of ShinRa, he wouldn't have to do any more physical labor than necessary.

Pushing a few buttons, Nick opened up the message and scanned the text as his frowned at what he saw:

MISSION FAILED. WILL DO HIT AGAIN, NO EXTRA CHARGE. MESSAGE ME.

The assassin he had hired to kill President Anderson hadn't followed through as he had expected. Nick knew that another attempt on the President would also fail given the high alertness in the city after this failure. He tapped his fingers on a nearby table as he stared at the message hoping that the words would warp and change to the words “Mission Accomplished.”

The ambitious man mulled over the message for a few minutes before finally opening his eyes to the potential this assassin had. Quickly punching a series of buttons on his phone, he typed:

GO TO MIDGAR. TARGET C. JOHNSON AND E. RIVERS. USE ALL MEANS POSSIBLE. DO NOT FAIL. END OF LINE.

Nick smirked as he pushed the send button and reclined in his chair. He still had a lot to do if he wanted to begin building his empire, but there was at least one matter he had finally resolved. Soon, very soon, his name would be plastered on every wall and spoken by any and everyone who lived on this planet.

(continued…)