Loveless: Ato 1 – Cena 5

Desculpem a demora, tive que me ausentar durante esse fim de semana, daí não pude postar nada. >___<

Pois bem, voltei, e aí vai mais uma parte de Loveless.

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Act I: The Ruby Dragon

Scene Five

About an hour before sunrise, Elena strode through the quiet corridors of Reactor #5, her black military boots giving off a muted clop with each step. She was dressed entirely in black; her black vest and black fatigues accented with a shoulder holster, and her black canvas bag filled with all manner of tools. She looked around her as she walked, on guard for any suspicious activity, but everything seemed normal. Finally, she reached a narrow, T-shaped catwalk, which crossed over the front of the reactor. Ahead of her was an intersection leading into the core, and at the opposite end was a doorway, in front of which two uniformed figures were standing.
Elena walked toward these two MPs and nodded. She followed them through the doorway, down a long corridor and to a large room. This was the router control center, where the flow of the reactor’s output was divvied up. It was filled with at least a dozen technicians in white coats, all scrambling around in an effort to divert the outgoing routes to Midgar’s other mako reactors. In one corner of the room, a tired-looking Reeve furiously typed into his jacked-in laptop. Standing in another corner was Heidegger, who turned his attention to the new arrival.
“Gya ha ha! So you must be Elena! Glad to see you could make it!”
Reeve looked up, craning his neck to get a better view from behind the computer consoles. He and Elena exchanged nods before she turned back to Heidegger and he to his work.
“Is there anything I should know before starting my mission, sir?” Elena asked Heidegger.
“The plan has gone unchanged since yesterday. Let’s go over it again, shall we?”
“Yes sir.”
“On my mark, you are to conceal yourself within the reactor’s core. After AVALANCHE plants the bomb and leaves, you will then approach and disarm it. Their previous bomb came with a twenty-minute timer, so keep that in mind.”
“Yes sir.”
“Oh, and one more thing. Those two grunts standing behind you,” Heidegger said, indicating the MPs, “will be your escorts. They are trained to provide you with whatever assistance you may need. Also, there will be a meeting in the main control room later this morning, which you are expected to attend. In the meantime, you’ll want to get yourself acquainted with the central mako chamber.”
Elena took a quick glance back at the MPs and nodded. “Understood. I’ll go check out my post now.”
“Just a second, Elena.”
She turned to the corner from which Reeve had addressed her. He was now standing up, stretching his legs as he did so. Reeve continued, “You might want to pick up a headset on your way out. It’s so we can check in on your mission, and, of course, be in touch with each other in case of an emergency. Be sure to test it while you’re checking out the core. The star channel’s set to the PHS conference signals of all of the executives.”
“What about the Turks? Are they going to be a part of this mission?”
“I’m afraid not. They all had other assignments today.”
Taking a PHS headset unit from one of the workers, Elena replied, “Okay. Thanks, Reeve.”
As she left the room, this time with the two MPs following her, she heard Heidegger’s sneer, “Friend of yours?”
Reeve deadpanned, “So what if she is?” shortly before Elena moved out of earshot.

In the reactor’s main control room a few hours later, Rufus, Scarlet, Heidegger, Reeve, and Elena all watched the images being patched through from the Midgar Railway’s security cameras. A group of about a half-dozen people had set off the train’s security system with false ID cards. Among these people were a large, dark-skinned man with a gun attachment where his right hand should’ve been, a girl in a tank top and short skirt, and another girl wearing a red bandanna. Scarlet recognized the latter immediately.
“So Jessie is involved with AVALANCHE,” the Weapons Dev. chair mused.
The other figures included two rebellious-looking young men, one fat and one thin, and a third young man, who had spiky blond hair and wore a SOLDIER uniform.
“And that’s our renegade SOLDIER,” Rufus said, tapping on one of the monitors. “Doesn’t look familiar, though.”
“The Turks might know who he is,” Reeve offered. “Too bad we can’t get a clear shot of his eyes to scan for mako infusion.”
Heidegger shook his head. “I doubt he’s a SOLDIER. He’s too short and wiry. And I don’t recognize him either.”
The figures were seen rushing through the cars; three of them even stole other passengers’ clothes to wear as disguises. Shortly after, the other three jumped off the train. “They’re in the tunnels, on their way here,” Rufus said, turning away from the monitors. “Reeve, is the reactor ready to go offline?”
“Yes it is. And Scarlet’s Airbuster is in position. Speaking of which, I should get back to router control before our guests arrive. Excuse me.”
Rufus watched as Reeve left the room, then turned to Scarlet and Heidegger. “We should start heading back to the Shinra Building. Between Reeve, this technician Elena, and my father, I’m sure the reactor’s in capable hands.”
“Your father? What’s President Shinra got planned?” Scarlet asked.
“Something special,” Rufus replied with a sly grin. “I wish I could stick around to see the looks on those AVALANCHE goons’ faces when he arrives.”
Elena wondered about Rufus’ last statement as Heidegger ordered her to her post. She did a quick check of her supplies and left the room to rendezvous with her MP escorts, who were waiting for her elsewhere inside the reactor.

As the tense minutes passed while waiting for AVALANCHE to arrive, Elena stood perched on the outer railing of a high, shadow-drenched catwalk in Reactor #5’s central mako chamber. The grappling hook that wound out from her belt was attached to a nearby rail post, and her most important tools were stuffed into her vest pockets. With the two MPs standing guard on either side of the railing, Elena watched as three figures far below entered the chamber and approached the main valve. Suddenly, the blond one in the middle collapsed to the ground, gripping his head as though a spike was being driven into it. Elena’s gaped at the strange scene, while the taller MP quietly leaned over to get a better look. Their catwalk creaked slightly, and they all froze in place. Fortunately, the three intruders down below did not so much as notice, as the loud hum of the reactor overwhelmed any sounds Elena and the MPs made.
The first intruder, the girl in the short skirt, pulled a device out of her satchel and affixed it to the main valve. She pressed a few buttons then signaled to her companions, whereupon they all immediately began to retreat. Elena watched the three of them exit, then waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps before lowering herself to the main catwalk, while her MP escorts took the long way down, via a set of stairs hidden behind a large bank of pipes.
She landed softly, cut the line from her belt, and crouched before the bomb, thoroughly analyzing it with her eyes. Elena smiled to herself as she drew a pair of needlenose pliers from one pocket and a socket wrench from another. Piece of cake, she thought. I’ll have this thing disarmed in no time.

Five minutes later, Elena was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Although she had managed to disable the bomb’s Shiva charge, she could not figure out how to deactivate the Fire one. There were five types of wires used in the bomb’s configuration instead of the standard three, and—worse yet—all of these wires were the same color. She looked down at the bomb’s still-ticking clock. Twelve minutes, twenty-three seconds and counting. Elena reached in her pocket and pressed the star key on her PHS. Almost simultaneously, two voices cut in.
“Left server storage, President here.”
“Router control. Urban Dev. speaking.”
“Sirs! This is Unit 01 in the central core,” Elena said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I can’t disarm the bomb!”
“What?” exclaimed Reeve and President Shinra.
“Shiva’s out, but fire’s loaded!”
“Unit 01, are you sure—” Reeve started, before being interrupted by the President.
“Unit 01, can you get that thing out of there to a place where it would do less damage?”
“Yes sir—I’ll do my best!”
“Excellent.”
Elena disconnected and picked up the bomb, running past the two MPs as they came down the catwalk to meet her. They froze for a minute and looked in her direction. In the back of her mind, she was sure that beneath their helmets, their eyes were bulging in shock. She glanced over her shoulder to look at them.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Elena ran down the hallways of the reactor, sending the MPs on ahead to open any locked doors that were on the way to the main outer catwalk. Reaching in her left trouser pocket, she again pressed the star key.
“Router control, Urban Dev.”
“Unit 01 here! Where’s President Shinra?”
“Boarding a helicopter. The Airbuster has intercepted AVALANCHE. Where are you?”
“Sector 24G.”
“Right. I’ll have all personnel evacuated from that area. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Elena hung up and entered the last room before the outer catwalk. She looked down at the bomb tucked under her right arm. The digital timer read three minutes, zero seconds and counting. Elena took the bomb into her hands and tossed it across the floor, where it bumped up against some water pipes. Then she turned back to the doorway from which she came, signaling to the two MPs that they should follow her. The three of them ran back inside the reactor, aiming to get as far away from the bomb as they could in those three minutes. As they made their way up a set of stairs, a loud explosion shook the air, and they all gripped tightly to the railing as the shockwave passed over them.
Once everything became still again, Elena opened her eyes. On the lower steps, the MPs had already stood up and were dusting off their uniforms. She sat on the stairs and looked down at them.
“Well, do you guys think I’m so crazy now?”
The MPs looked at each other before turning back to her. Finally, the taller one said, “It takes guts to be that crazy.” The other MP nodded.
Elena froze, suddenly sensing that there was something strange about these two.
“Who are you?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
The taller MP took off his helmet, revealing a bald scalp, cobalt blue eyes, and a left ear with one too many piercings. Elena gasped.
Rude turned to the second MP. “How about it, Tseng? Think she’s cut out to be a Turk?”
As he pulled off his own helmet, Tseng’s hair flowed out from beneath it in one large wave. He smoothed some stray black strands from his face. “Perhaps. I admit that it would be interesting to have an explosives specialist on the team.” He looked at Elena with his usual stoic expression; she simply stared and hoped that her blushing wasn’t too obvious in the cold light of the reactor. Finally, Tseng turned away.
“Elena, I hope we didn’t give you too much of a shock. I know that this may seem like an unconventional way to monitor you on a mission, but we need some idea of how you might do in the field if you are to become a Turk.”
“S—so you guys do this sort of thing all the time?”
“Only for our top candidates,” Rude replied.
Tseng nodded. “That’s right. Besides, Reno thought you might do well as a Turk, and I trust his judgment.”
Elena lowered her head, trying to keep herself from grinning too hard. “So what happens now?”
“We go over your records again and make our final review,” Tseng replied. “However, there’s something I must tell you right now, that you have to keep in mind.”
“What’s that?” Elena asked, looking up.
“Unless one of us happens to be taken out of service for some reason, there are currently no open positions in the Turks.”
Elena’s smile evaporated. “I understand.”
Tseng nodded once. “Now, we should get out of here, before they have to come looking for us.”
Elena stood up and started to follow the two Turks back down the stairs. Along the way, she asked Tseng, “Excuse me, sir? Where’s Reno today?”
Tseng replied, “He’s on a mission for the Science Department. I’m afraid I can’t give you any details other than those. This assignment of his is strictly classified.”

*****

Rufus stared at his watch. When for once he had managed to arrive early to an executive meeting, leave it to his father and Reeve to run late. As President Shinra finally entered the room, he announced, “My apologies for the delay. I just got a call from Reeve, who’s still at Reactor #5. Something went wrong with the bomb deactivation, and he insisted on staying behind to assist with the cleanup effort. Therefore, he won’t be able to make it to this meeting.”
Scarlet asked, “What happened?”
“Only half of the bomb’s materia charges could be disarmed, so the entire device was moved as far away from the core as possible before it exploded. Reeve says the reactor’s damaged, but operational, and that he personally witnessed one of the terrorists fall, while the other two escaped.”
Rufus pondered, “So, AVALANCHE is still at large…”
President Shinra nodded solemnly as he walked to his chair at the head of the table. Heidegger rubbed his chin.
“Well Mr. President, I have some information that will make our next move a bit easier.”
The President looked over at his Peace Preservation chairman. “And that would be…?”
“I had a contact of mine in Wall Market find out where AVALANCHE is headquartered.”
“And?”
“One of his men discovered their base of operations: a small bar in the Sector Seven slums. Now, I thought about this piece of information, and came up with an idea.”
Everyone in the conference room focused on Heidegger. Rufus said, “Well, let’s have it, then.”
“Gya ha ha… very well. My idea is this: we drop the Sector Seven plate, and blame the deed on AVALANCHE! Not only will we destroy the group itself, but we will also crush the growing wave of sentiment toward them.”
President Shinra leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, his head slightly lowered and hands folded before his chin. Finally, he burst out laughing.
“What a brilliant idea! I wonder why I didn’t think of it myself! Excellent… how soon can we carry out with this plan?”
“Tomorrow morning, sir, if that’s not too early.”
“No, no. Considering the timing of AVALANCHE’s actions up until now, that will be perfect. Just make sure that word of this plan doesn’t travel too far. We don’t want to have to deal with any saboteurs.”
Rufus leaned back in his chair. “Perhaps we should consult with the Urban Development Chair before going ahead with this. After all, this is a matter which concerns the city’s infrastructure.”
The President turned to his son. “I’m well aware of that, but we’re short on time and resources as it is. The longer we wait, the more opportunities we’d be giving to AVALANCHE to wreak havoc on Midgar.”
Rufus looked into his father’s eyes. It appeared that he was dead set on Heidegger’s plan; any efforts to convince him to use an alternative measure would be fruitless at this point.
“Very well,” the Vice President sighed. “It looks like we’ll be going with this plan.”

Long after the meeting had ended, Rufus made his way to the central control room of Reactor #5. Finding the door left ajar, he quietly slipped in. The room was filled with technicians and plant managers, all trying to restore the damaged reactor to some semblance of normalcy. In the middle of it all was Reeve, serving as a processor for the information that the various men and women fired at him. He knew more about Shinra’s mako reactors than nearly anyone else, and in this time of emergency, his knowledge and expertise were needed more than ever.
A few minutes had passed before Reeve caught sight of Rufus standing near the doorway. The Urban Dev. chair did a double take.
“Vice President!” he exclaimed. “What brings you here?”
“Since you couldn’t make it to the meeting, I came to tell you the information that was discussed there.”
Reeve walked over to Rufus and escorted him toward a small office in the back. He closed the door behind them as Rufus settled into a chair.
“Rufus, you didn’t have to come all this way just for that,” Reeve replied, sitting at the desk. “You could’ve called, or told me about the meeting once I returned to headquarters.”
“I had some spare time,” Rufus said carelessly, running his hand back through his hair. “But first, how did things go here? I heard you had some problems.”
“Yes, well… apparently the bomb had been designed so as to make it impossible to disable the fire materia charge. Your father ordered Elena to get it away from the core, so she brought it to the area near the main outer catwalk.”
Rufus nodded. “I saw the scoring marks from my helicopter.”
“You should’ve seen your old man, though. After AVALANCHE had been cornered, he just calmly walked out before them… they were shocked, to say the least. He gave quite a performance.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“So, what happened at the meeting? Did you all discuss another plan to stop AVALANCHE?”
“You could say that. Actually, the President went with one that Heidegger proposed.”
“Heidegger…”
“I swear he looked a little disappointed when my father announced that you wouldn’t be able to make it to the meeting. Almost like he wanted to see the look on your face when he revealed his plan.”
“Rufus, what is this plan?”
The Vice President stood and looked around the empty room. He leaned across the desk and motioned for Reeve to do the same. Their faces came to within a few inches of each other. Captivated, Rufus examined Reeve’s eyes, his cheeks, his nose, his lips. He was well aware of the sound of his own heart, pounding, beating with great urgency. It was almost too much to bear.
“Rufus?”
“Essentially,” Rufus said in a conspiratorial tone, having momentarily snapped out of his trance, “the plan is to drop the Sector Seven plate, and blame AVALANCHE for the deed.”
“Shinra is going to drop the plate for Sector Seven of their own city, and point fingers at a small terrorist group.”
“Yes. The group is based in the Sector Seven slums, so bringing that segment of the plate down would destroy them as–”
“Rufus,” Reeve growled, “there are only a half-dozen individuals confirmed to be in AVALANCHE, with practically no indicators that there are any more. The entire population of the Sector Seven slums is in the range of forty thousand. Forty-fucking-thousand people. And that’s not even taking into account all those who live on top of the plate. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Although Rufus found Reeve’s physical proximity to be a most welcome distraction, he did his best to keep focused on their conversation. The Vice President nodded. “Yes, I understand. All those people…”
“Yes. All those people are going to be murdered by the very company they’ve had to trust—but they’re not going to know that. No. History will dictate that Shinra is a great benefactor that would never condone such acts. I suppose the President intends to send out rescue crews after the plate falls?”
“He will indeed. It’s all part of the plan.”
“Thought so. He wants to make Shinra look as good as possible in the eyes of the masses.”
“Reeve, I asked my father to consult you on this matter before he decided on anything, but he wouldn’t listen. When he’s set on a plan, nothing can sway him.”
Reeve leaned back in his chair and muttered, “If only we didn’t have to deal with this AVALANCHE bullshit in the first place, none of this would be happening.”
“Still, AVALANCHE is terrorizing Midgar and we must deal with them.”
“Rufus, you know something?” Reeve said, looking directly into the Vice President’s eyes. Rufus noted that Reeve had deep, concealing eyes, but not without a bright spark of passion. “I really hate those bastards. Those fucking bastards, sabotaging my reactors and forcing the further destruction of my city.”
Rufus smiled and shook his head. He wanted to move closer to Reeve, to encircle him with his arms and soothe his rage, but he knew that the timing would be all wrong. “You’re quite attached to this city you helped construct.”
“Damned right I am.”
“There’s still time, you know. The plate hasn’t fallen yet.”
“Is your father in his office now?”
“He’s in meetings for the rest of the day, I’m afraid, but he’ll be in early tomorrow.”
“To oversee the event as it unfolds.”
Rufus nodded affirmatively.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk him out of it,” Reeve said, “but I must at least make an attempt.” He pulled out his PHS and called the President’s secretary, to make an appointment with him for the following morning.

*****

In the Turks’ Audio/Visual lab, Tseng watched the Midgar Railway and Reactor #5 security tapes over and over. There was something familiar about one of the people in the video—specifically, the young man with the spiky blond hair—that Tseng couldn’t quite place a finger on. It wasn’t just the SOLDIER uniform or the Mako glow of his eyes, though those things made it seem all the more ironic. It was in his stance, his mannerisms, and the way he spoke.
As Tseng scanned through a piece of footage that had been taken in the reactor’s central core, a knock came from the open door, causing the Turk leader to look up from his work. It was Reno.
“Hello, Reno. How’d it go with Aeris?”
“Actually,” he replied, closing the door behind him, “that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Tseng froze. “What happened?”
“Don’t worry, she escaped, but something unexpected happened. You see, there was someone with her when me and the troops arrived. He helped her get away.”
“Was it anyone we’d know about?”
“That’s the thing—I’d never seen him before in my life, and yet, I felt like I knew him from somewhere. Hey… wait a minute…”
The redhead leaned in to get a better look at the still image the security video was paused on, finally pointing at one of the figures on the screen.
“That’s the guy I saw. Goes by ‘Cloud’. Don’t tell me he’s in AVALANCHE…”
Tseng nodded. “Yes he is. In fact, he’s the traitorous SOLDIER that I suspected earlier.” He paused, then turned to look at the video again. “He… didn’t do anything to hurt Aeris, did he?”
“Nope,” Reno replied. “In fact, she was downright sweet with him.”
Tseng swiveled around in his chair to face Reno, hands folded and with a flat expression on his face. “Oh, really. Well, I’m sure she knew what she was getting into. Besides, she’s always been a bit flirtatious.”
“There’s more to it than that. Not only did I see him, he came up and spoke to me. He acted a little bit loopy, but other than that, the way he talked and moved reminded me a helluva lot of Zack.”
Silence. Tseng lowered his eyes.
“Zack disappeared five years ago during the Nibelheim incident, along with Sephiroth and a couple of MPs. No one has either seen or heard from him since.” He swiveled back to look at the video monitor. “That can’t possibly be Zack. He looks a little too young, for one thing.”
“I don’t think it is either. But I swear, when I was in the church, the resemblance was definitely there.”
Tseng stood up and asked, “Have you reported back to Hojo?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. I’ll go in your place. Heidegger wants you for a special mission for early tomorrow morning, so you should see him, then go home and get some sleep. I think you’re going to need the rest.”
“You know anything about this mission of Heidegger’s?”
“I know that it’ll be better if he tells you the details himself.”
Reno sighed and scratched the back of his head. “That bad, eh?”
The Turk leader simply nodded and walked toward the door.

Tseng was not at all surprised to see that look on Hojo’s face once he strode into the Science Department’s main lab on the 68th floor; after all, he was walking in there empty-handed, with nary an Ancient in sight. Hojo pushed his glasses back into place on the bridge of his nose and came before Tseng.
“What’s wrong? Reno couldn’t report here himself?”
Tseng cleared his throat. “I’m afraid not, Professor. Chairman Heidegger wanted to see Reno immediately, concerning tomorrow’s mission in Sector Seven.”
“Ah yes, the dropping of the plate,” Hojo mused. “A frivolous waste of time if I do say so myself, chasing after these AVALANCHE fools.”
“Yes, well, I’m here in his place to report that—”
“You didn’t capture the Ancient. No surprise there.”
“Professor, once we have this AVALANCHE crisis out of the way, the Turks and I—”
“Enough!” Hojo snapped, cutting Tseng off with a sharp wave of his hand. “I have had enough of you Turks and your lame excuses! What could possibly be so difficult about capturing one young woman? I don’t understand it—even the elder Tseng never had this much trouble, and he never captured her either!”
Tseng was silent. On the one hand, he was glad that Hojo hadn’t managed to see through to his ulterior motive of protecting his dearest friend; on the other, this criticism of his job performance really stung, especially with the scientist comparing him to his deceased father. Shifting his gaze away from Hojo for a moment, Tseng happened to see a new specimen laying in the laboratory’s main observation enclosure. It was a reddish-orange beast, something like a cross between a large wildcat and a wolf; the end of its tail was aflame and there was a large scar where its right eye should have been.
Hojo began to pace about the floor. “And why are you using AVALANCHE as an excuse? It isn’t like all of you are working on that case all the time! So who else is going on this mission of Heidegger’s?”
“Out of the Turks, I believe its just Reno. If you want to send someone else after the Ancient, Rude should be avail—”
“Actually, I want you to go out and capture her.”
Tseng paused. He had not been expecting this. “Me, Professor?”
Hojo looked up at the Turk with one eyebrow raised. “You sound surprised by this request.”
“I hardly ever do this type of field work anymore, Professor. You are aware of that.”
“Yes I am, but that’s not what I was getting at. At any rate, you will retrieve the Ancient for me, and if you fail, I won’t merely overlook it as I have done in the past. I’ll see to it that the President has you demoted.”
Tseng clenched his teeth. Even though he knew the demotion of a Turk was next to impossible, he nevertheless wanted to grab Hojo by his coat collar and watch the skinny scientist’s Adam’s apple bob in a gulp as he hissed into his glasses, The hell you will; but he couldn’t, and didn’t. Instead, he merely muttered, “Very well,” then calmly started to leave, but not without taking another look at the beast in the enclosure. What Tseng found the most curious about it was neither the tail nor the scar, but its tattoos; aside from the Roman numeral XIII that Hojo had obviously given it, its markings were similar to the tattoos that Reno had. Is this beast from Cosmo Canyon, then? Tseng wondered. Suddenly, the beast opened its good eye and looked at Tseng. The Turk was struck by the tired, unhappy expression the eye conveyed.
“Will you please stop staring at Red XIII?” Hojo snapped from behind the Turk. “The last things my specimens need are distractions!” With Hojo’s back facing it, the beast glared at the scientist before closing its eye again.
Without another word, Tseng turned away from the enclosure and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying his best to keep his cool as he finally left the lab.
Walking down the halls toward the stairwell, Tseng steered his thoughts back to the information that Reno had given him earlier. Aeris had befriended Cloud, a member of AVALANCHE. Shinra was dropping the Sector Seven plate tomorrow morning; AVALANCHE would be bound to find out about it before then. It was highly likely that Cloud would be with them at the time… Aeris might be as well. Tseng continued to think about all of this long after he left the 68th floor.

Now back in the Turks’ office, Tseng pulled a key from one of his trouser pockets and unlocked a large drawer on the right side of his desk. From this drawer, he drew out a small toy: a miniature giant moogle with a crowned and caped cat perched up behind its head. He set the toy on the floor and turned his desktop computer on. After opening a certain program on the computer, the toy started to move across the floor, sending real-time video signals back to the program. Tseng maneuvered the toy all over the room, sometimes making it punch an imaginary foe, or roll a pair of dice, or change the amount of zoom on the moogle’s tiny hidden camera. He smiled as he manipulated the device; with each new addition, this toy, the prototype for a life-size model called Cait Sith, was one step closer to perfection. Tseng guided the toy back to the side of the desk and quit the program. He felt that the time was right for a field test, and he knew just the place: the Honeybee Inn, the Wall Market “gentlemen’s club” owned by Heidegger’s favorite informant, Don Corneo.

*****

On a rocky hillside a few miles outside of Midgar, the sun shone down on the prone body of a SOLDIER. Shot to death by the Shinra only a couple of weeks before, this young man had been en route to the city, hoping to make a living as a mercenary. Now he was nothing more than a corpse, albeit one that refused to decompose. His body bore the evidence of experimentation– bandages, needle marks, and the like– and on the back of his exposed left hand was a tattoo of the Roman numeral I. Indeed, he had escaped from a lab, where he had been injected with all kinds of strange chemicals and biological materials. It was a secret lab located in an old mansion in Nibelheim, the mountainside village on the Great Continent this young SOLDIER had once traveled to, on a mission with Commander Sephiroth.
The wind blew over his long black hair in a whisper. It had come from the direction of Midgar, and whistled right past his ears. It seemed to be saying something.
“My body… is trapped. My cells… are scattered. I must become whole… as I once was… before his discovery.”
The SOLDIER’s body didn’t stir.
“The Reunion begins with you. Your dear friends, residing in this great city… do you wish to see them?”
For the first time in weeks, the SOLDIER’s lips moved, but no sound came from them. Still, the voice carried on the wind seemed to understand him.
“With the sliver of my power that has been placed inside of you, I will grant you life so that you may see your friends. In return, you must do something for me.”
“…Yes…” he whispered in a tiny speck of a voice.
“Very well. I will assist you, guide you in your every move. Now, rise once more.”
Almost instantly, the wind shifted in a different direction. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath of polluted air. The SOLDIER, Zack, was alive.

“O RPG arruinou a minha vida…” Desabafo de um jogador.

Já que os preconceituosos aceitam apenas isso como verdade, vamos lá. Contarei aqui como esse jogo arruinou minha vida.

O RPG arruinou meus estudos!

Antes eu estudava algumas horas por dia, para conseguir notas como 5 e 6 na escola. Assistia às aulas de má vontade, não encontrava motivações para permanecer estudando.

Depois que comecei a jogar RPG, percebi que seria mais fácil e divertido inventar histórias se tivesse conhecimento para tanto. Queria entender Política para escrever sobre tratados entre reinos, Biologia para imaginar monstros plausíveis, Geografia para traçar mapas, Inglês para ter acesso à jogos importantes. Queria saber História, Física, Matemática, Química, Literatura…

Passei à ler livros de historiadores e cientistas, me esforçando para aprender tudo. Queria estar ciente das coisas, por isso parei de estudar com o intuito de passar de ano e passei a estudar para me divertir. Li dezenas de livros para vestibular, que muitos jovens de hoje torcem o nariz, estudei com gosto, entendendo a serventia de todas as matérias.

Agora estudo para me divertir. Como resultado, passei nos melhores vestibulares do país nas primeiras posições, e hoje sou um dos melhores alunos de meu curso.

O RPG arruinou meus estudos. O jogo me fez pegar gosto por leitura e por aprender, algo inconcebível! Talvez eu devesse largar minhas altas notas e o jogo, para voltar às intermináveis horas de estudo sem vontade e notas medíocres. Meus pais ficariam orgulhosos.

O RPG criou-me um problema com álcool!

Antes de jogar RPG, divertia-me saindo com os amigos, bebendo até cair nas boates e recuperando o dinheiro de todas as festas em cerveja. Arriscava minha vida e de outros, dirigindo alcoolizado, e toda semana tinha um bafão. Ficava fora a noite toda, deixava meus pais aflitos por hora (ou dias), sem saber quando voltaria, e se eu estava bem.

Depois que comecei jogar RPG, passei a rejeitar o álcool. É impossível jogar sem estar com a mente limpa e ativa, uma vez que o jogo é um exercício de inteligência e imaginação. O jogo me ensinou ser possível se divertir e socializar sem estar sob efeito de nenhum tipo de droga, mesmo algo ‘inocente’ como o álcool.

O RPG criou-me um problema com o álcool. Agora não bebo e suponho que isso seja um problema para a indústria de bebidas. Um jovem consciente e inteligente não deveria ficar em casa, rolando dados com amigos, sem causar preocupações aos pais ou evitar dirigir alcoolizado, sem colocar em risco as vidas das pessoas.

Não! Ele deveria se embebedar e sair por aí cometendo barbaridades.

O RPG arruinou minha religião!

Antes de jogar RPG, eu odiava religião, blasfemava como um jovem revoltado. Achava um tédio mortal qualquer tipo de cerimônia religiosa, sequer tinha idéia do que era a Bíblia. Taxava como idiotas e ignorantes todos que acreditavam.

Depois que comecei a jogar RPG, me interessei por religião, pois meus personagens favoritos em jogos eram clérigos. Passei a perguntar sobre o assunto para pessoas entendidas, acabei me sentindo motivado a ler o Livro Sagrado, bem como assistir cerimônias religiosas para entender seu funcionamento. Nunca mais blasfemei, agora me sinto uma pessoa mais culta.

O RPG arruinou minha religião. Isto é, deve ser bem mais saudável rejeitar a fé alheia, hostilizar devotos e blasfemar contra aquilo que não se entende, em vez de procurar aprender, respeitar e até mesmo se interessar por seus credos. Obviamente, interesse por religião é algo profano – afinal, os Livros Sagrados estão repletos de citações à demônios, assim como muitos manuais de RPG! Não é possível, portanto, que tragam qualquer ensinamento santo!

O RPG me mostrou a violência!

Antes de jogar RPG, eu testemunhava todos tipos de violência na TV e cinema, e achava tudo bastante normal. Praticava maldades infantis com animais, brigava muito na escola, mesmo sem motivo. Às vezes discutia com as pessoas por nada, buscando pretexto para violência. Em baladas e estádios de futebol, era sempre o primeiro a começar um tumulto.

Depois que comecei a jogar RPG, passei a pensar mais nos fatos do dia a dia e conclui quão grave é a violência no mundo. O jogo me mostrou algo que a TV não conseguia – a diferença entre violência real e ficcional. Passei a fazer partes de movimentos pela paz. Hoje prefiro dialogar, mesmo que sendo ofendido e não compreendido, do que partir para a ignorância.

Não vejo muitos filmes de ação, por considerá-los pouco profundos em história, apenas pretexto para sangue e morte.

O RPG me mostrou a violência. Com certeza, em vez de apenas fingir matar orcs e dragões, eu deveria praticar violência real como fazem tantos outros jovens. Deveria ser influenciado pela mídia e quem sabe cometer algum crime? Ser pacifista e prezar pela vida é, com certeza, um defeito que este jogo me causou.

O RPG destruiu minha vida social!

Antes de jogar RPG, eu participava de festas e encontros em que as pessoas degradavam umas às outras, bêbadas e drogadas, encenando um eterno teatro de falsidade. Muitas vezes fazíamos coisas dignas de bandidos – sempre prontos à humilhar e hostilizar aqueles diferentes de nós. Preconceito era meu nome do meio.

Eu era aficionado por estar sempre na moda, beber mais que os outros, ter o melhor carro, ver todos os programas da TV, tirar notas baixas na escola, apostar rachas. O tipo de coisa que os jovens fazem em suas vidas sociais.

Depois que comecei a jogar RPG, passei a ver quão infantil e idiota era meu antigo comportamento – porque o jogo é povoado de seres diferentes da raça humana, como elfos, anões e goblins, podendo ser todos bons ou maus. Seus atos não sua aparência, dizem que você é.

Passei a encontrar-me com amigos mais saudáveis – não para beber e ficar, mas para conversar amigavelmente, aumentar meus horizontes, me sentir menos enganado. Passei a conhecer as pessoas pelo que elas realmente são, nunca mais fui levado por aparência ou preconceitos. Tenho uma vida social mais ativa e estável, tenho a amizade de pessoas que pensam como eu e não me desejam mal.

O RPG destruiu minha vida social. É indiscutível que as barbaridades sexistas das festas, o consumo pesado de drogas e a pronta capacidade de humilhar alguém é algo totalmente necessário para a formação de um indivíduo íntegro. Pessoas que preferem encontrar os amigos em cinemas, livrarias ou restaurantes – ao invés de boates, clubes e botecos – com certeza são a escória da sociedade.

Divertir-se lendo livros, onde já se viu? Jogar RPG contribui para tornar um adolescente revoltado em um adulto estudioso, esforçado, amistoso e aberto à novas idéias. É um jogo sobre grupos de amigos colaborando para realizar um grande objetivo, um jogo sobre heróis sacrificando-se pelo bem de outros. É sobre tolerância à outras raças e crenças. Sobre trabalho de equipe, confiança, amizade e justiça.

Obviamente, tudo isso é um grande problema. Como uma pessoa íntegra poderia ser útil no mundo de hoje?

Bem amigos, pela minha história de vida, que acredito ser semelhante à de muitos de vocês, eu acredito: se um jogo de RPG foi responsável por tudo isso, com certeza deveria ser proibido.

‘Claro, a menos que você não entenda ironia…’

Assinado: Um RPGista (ou todos).

O relato não é meu. ‘-’

Loveless: Ato 1 – Cena 4

Act I: The Ruby Dragon

Scene Four

It all started when Reeve first found out about Scarlet’s affair. Hanging out on Reactor #6’s small outer platform, he recounted the incident to Reno the very evening that it happened.
“It was getting late, and the last thing I had to do before heading home was drop off some blueprints to Scarlet. Weapons Dev. was working on the North Corel reactor’s security system, and they wanted their floor-mounted rifles to blend in with the architecture. So I headed to Scarlet’s office, a document tube under my arm. As I approached her door, I heard some… moaning sounds. There was definitely something going on in there.
“Carefully, I took off my shoes and sneaked up to the door. I opened it a crack to see Scarlet in Heidegger’s lap… err, having… They were…”
Reno’s facial expression contorted. “Say no more. I’m getting all these disturbing mental images now.”
Reeve clenched his hands into fists, in an apparent attempt to contain his anger. “At least you weren’t there.”
The Turk didn’t know what else to say. Obviously, he had never been in this situation himself, and therefore felt that he couldn’t fully understand what his friend was going through. He took his arm and placed it across Reeve’s shoulders. To his surprise, Reeve leaned into the impromptu hug, moving closer to Reno.
“C’mon, Reeve. Can’t be moping around here all night. Let’s go hit a bar or something… work it out of your system.”
The executive shook his head. “No, not tonight. Thanks for being here for me, though.”
Reno smiled. “Sure thing. What’re friends for, right?”
Moving out of Reno’s grip, Reeve rubbed his eyes with his palms and leaned his back against the flat metal of the Reactor’s outer wall. He closed his eyes, taking deep, evenly-paced breaths as he fished around in his coat pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. A tired, sad smile was on his face; his eyes were red and moist.
Reeve wedged a cigarette between his lips and lit it before handing the goods to Reno. “I’m glad I have a friend like you.”
“Really?” Reno replied as he lit his own.
“Yeah. You’re a real good friend.”
“Thanks.”

That all happened late on a Monday night. The rest of the week rolled on without incident. The few times he saw Reeve on that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, their conversations were limited to Shinra business and small talk. Then on Friday morning, just as Reno was getting dressed, a knock came at his apartment door. Yawning, he buttoned his shirt as he trudged toward it. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Reeve standing there, in his regular blue suit and red tie, a suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other.
“Reeve! What the hell are you doing here?”
The executive smirked. “What, no ‘good morning’?”
“All right. ‘Good morning’,” Reno said, rolling his eyes.
“Good morning, Reno. I’m here to give you an assignment. I’ve already cleared it with Tseng, so don’t worry about that end of things.”
“What? I’m going to be working for you?” Although the Turks were generally at the disposal of all of the department heads, Reeve utilized their services very rarely, if ever.
“Depends on your definition of ‘work’,” Reeve replied. “May I come in?”
Seated across from each other at Reno’s kitchen table, Reeve revealed his plan: a weekend trip for the both of them to the Gold Saucer, and he’d pick up the tab. He explained that he really needed to get out of Midgar for awhile, especially after what had happened on Monday. He was taking today off as a personal day, and had no pressing obligations for the weekend. He invited Reno, he said, because he didn’t want to go alone. Misery loves company, after all. The situation had been explained to Tseng, and the head Turk made arrangements for Reno to be “assigned” to Reeve for the next few days; Tseng had also helped Reeve secure passage on the long-range airship over the weekend. All of this information left Reno’s head spinning.
“Wait a minute. So what you’re saying is you want me to leave for the Gold Saucer. With you. Right now.”
“Yes.”
Reno looked into Reeve’s eyes. He was serious. After a moment, the Turk answered, “Give me a few minutes to get packed.”

Their helicopter landed at Junon Airport a few hours later. Stepping out onto the runway, both of them stared up at the elegant airship Highwind, hovering over the deck with its rope ladder dangling. They heard a gruff-sounding voice address them from behind.
“I guess you’re the guys who want to go to the Great Continent?”
They turned around to see a pilot with dirty blond hair and a cigarette firmly wedged between his lips. He was Cid Highwind, the captain of the airship as well as its namesake. Behind him were a small group of crewmen in blue coveralls, who immediately picked up Reeve and Reno’s bags and started carrying them toward the ship. After examining the paperwork that Reeve handed him, Cid finished his cigarette and immediately lit another.
“All right then, let’s get going. Haven’t got all fuckin’ day.”
Reeve and Reno followed Cid to the airship. Soon, they were flying high over the ocean. During the journey, Reno noticed that Cid seemed to be upset about something. What that was, the captain didn’t say, and neither Reeve nor Reno bothered to ask.

After Cid dropped them off in Costa del Sol, Reeve and Reno split up to gather some “supplies” for their trip to the Gold Saucer. Reeve left for a nearby chocobo stable, while Reno headed for Bar del Sol. It was still fairly early in the day, and the lunchtime crowd was only just starting to trickle in. The Turk gazed around the barroom for a moment, a hardened look on his face, when he spotted the person he was looking for, cowering in the corner.
Reno walked over to the man, whose expression grew even more fearful as the Turk came closer. Stuttering, the man said, “Goo—good morning, sir! M—m—may I help you today?”
Forcefully grabbing him by the shirt collar, Reno hissed, “Didn’t think I’d see you again, scumbag. You know, if any of the Shinra brass were here, they’d skin me for letting a notorious dealer like yourself go free.”
“R—Reno, I—”
“Can it, Mikey. Consider yourself lucky, since I’m not going to kill you today. That is, if you help me out.”
“A—and if I d—d—don’t?’
“Well then, I’d just have to send you where I sent your partner three years ago—on a one way trip, if you know what I’m sayin’.”
“F—fine. Let’s go to my room upstairs.”
“All right. I’ll take you there, since I don’t want you pulling anything funny.”
Reno dragged Mikey to the back stairs and up to a small room, where their deal took place. The Turk watched as Mikey presented his wares—narcotics in all forms and potencies—and explained each one. Reno examined, sniffed, and even tasted some of the drugs, before settling on some white powder and some dried, crumpled leaves. He circled a small bag filled with these leaves under his nose, testing its aroma.
“You sure this is Goblin Island zeio?” Reno asked. “I don’t want none of that Bone Village hippie shit. I know how similar those leaves smell.”
“It’s Goblin, all right. P—please trust me on this.”
Reno nodded. “It’ll do. And as for the ‘white materia’…” he said, pointing at the powder, “…gimme five measures of it.”
“Just five?”
“You’re pressing your luck today, you know that?”
“All right,” Mikey answered, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Five it is.”
Reno watched carefully as the dealer measured out the white materia into a bag. The Turk took this bag and, along with the zeio, tucked it into an inner pocket in his suit coat. His hand came back out with a wad of bills; cash Reeve had given him. “One last thing. Got any rolling papers?”
“I—I’ll throw them in for free.”
The Turk grinned wickedly as he counted the money. “Good boy. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
A little while later, Reno rejoined Reeve at the edge of town. Reeve had managed to score a pair of gold chocobos for their trip south, and had also gotten the latest tips on the Chocobo Racing odds at the Gold Saucer. Reno and Reeve secured their bags to the birds before riding away from Costa del Sol. Some time later, when there was nothing behind them but fields, and nothing ahead save for mountains, Reeve asked Reno how the deal went.
“Pretty smoothly, I must say.”
“You didn’t have to threaten the poor guy, did you?”
Reno gave Reeve one of his custom sidelong glances and smirked. “Naaaah.“
Both of them burst out laughing. Reno looked over at his friend, and noticed his smile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that… He snapped out of his trance when Reeve caught him staring.
“You’re probably wondering about the white, right?” the executive asked.
Reno blinked. “Uhh… yeah, I was.” Actually, now that Reeve had brought it up, his initial request for white materia did seem a bit odd…
“I haven’t done the stuff in years. Not since college.”
“What, you run with some kind of hardcore party crowd back then?”
“Not quite, but some of the people I did hang out with were into that stuff.”
“What kinds of people would those be?”
“Del Sol University business majors.”
Reno laughed, knowing exactly what Reeve was talking about. “Yeah, I can kind of see that.”
“I was never quite as into it as those guys were.”
The Turk felt a bit relieved upon hearing this. He’d only touched white twice in his entire life—it was an incredibly potent, and dangerous, drug. “So why are you doing this stuff again now?”
“What other reason is there, Reno? Think about the old legend it was named after. White materia has the power to make all bad things disappear.”
Reno smiled thinly and nodded. He’s taking Scarlet’s affair a lot harder than I thought…

When they arrived at North Corel’s Ropeway Station late in the afternoon, a bellhop and a chocobo handler were already waiting for them. The handler took Reeve and Reno’s birds away, while the bellhop took their bags. The three of them rode the ropeway up to the Gold Saucer, then took a back elevator up to the lavish Executive Suite. After the bellhop dropped their bags off and left, Reeve disappeared into one of the suite’s rooms with the bag of white, while Reno surveyed their surroundings. The suite consisted of five rooms; a living room, two bedrooms, an office, and a bathroom, all of which were large and luxuriant. After having a look around, Reno sat on the sofa, taking out the bag of Zeio and the rolling papers. Around that time, Reeve came back into the living room, wiping away stray white particles from his mustache with the back of his hand, just as Reno started preparing himself a joint. Grinning, the Turk said, “Now this is a pimpin’ pad if I ever saw one! Maybe we should go to Event Square tonight and scout out some curvaceous young chickens.”
Reeve, who started taking off his shoes and his jacket, smirked and answered, “You can pluck all the chicks you want, Reno. I’m not so sure about myself.”
“What do you mean? I thought that was part of the reason why you came here.”
“Perhaps initially, but now that I think about it, there’s something nagging in the back of my mind, and I know it’s going to pester me all weekend.”
“Fuck that! Let’s just have some fun, okay?”
Reeve shrugged. “We’ll see. Besides, it’s not like I said something wasn’t going to happen.”
“Well, that’s good.” Reno paused for a minute. Wait a minute… what exactly did he mean by that? He turned to look at Reeve, who was walking toward the couch, undoing the knot in his tie.
Oh shit…
“You almost done rolling that joint?”
“Oh—yeah.” Reno licked the edge of the paper and sealed it, then twisted the ends. He took out his lighter and held it and the joint out to Reeve. “Here. Since you’re paying for this little vacation, you take the first hit.”
Reeve waved them away. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Reno nodded and lit the joint, his hands trembling nervously as, a few feet away from him, Reeve turned his attention to the buttons on his shirt. The Turk breathed in deeply, prompting a small coughing fit.
“Damn you, Mikey!”
“Something wrong with the zeio?”
“I told him not to give me the Bone Village hippie shit!”
“He gave you Lunar Harp instead of Goblin?”
Reno shook his head. “Yeah. I suppose it’ll have to do. Lunar’s not all that bad, but it’s not the best.”
“You’re so picky,” Reeve snickered.
“Heh,” Reno replied. “Do me a favor, will you? Remind me to kill him next time I’m in Costa del Sol.”
“Will do,” Reeve said as he pulled off his shirt. Reno raised an eyebrow upon seeing his friend’s bare chest; feeling the hastened pounding within his own, he made a conscious effort to maintain his casual exterior.
“Been working out?”
“A little.” After taking a hit from Reno’s joint, Reeve started for the master bedroom. “I’m going to finish changing, then soak in the hot tub for awhile… try and get rid of some of this tension that’s built up inside of me.”
Tension…
“You’re welcome to join me, of course,” Reeve continued.
“I didn’t know there was a hot tub in the bathroom.”
“What did you expect? This is the Executive Suite.”
Reno took another hit and nodded. “True. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be joining you. I just want to sit here for awhile… to think about things.”
“Suit yourself,” Reeve said as he entered the bedroom and closed the door. Reno stared at that door for a long time.

The following afternoon, the two of them headed down to Battle Square, where Reeve, armed with his materia and a borrowed sword, took out his frustrations on the monsters in the Arena. As Reno watched from the surrounding amphitheater, a man with slicked back hair and a sophisticated demeanor sat down next to him. Despite the whitish-grey color of his hair, he looked to be around Reeve’s age. The Turk took a couple of glances at the man before turning back to the match.
“He a friend of yours?” the man said, pointing to Reeve, who was lunging his Murasame at a Ho-Chu.
“Yeah. My best friend.”
“Good luck to him, though I know he doesn’t need it.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Reeve’s just lucky like that.”
Reno raised both his eyebrows. “You know him?”
“Yeah. Went to school with him. Oh, my apologies. I haven’t introduced myself,” the man said, extending a hand. “I’m E.G. Kramler—just call me Kramler.”
“Reno Cerise,” replied the redhead, completing the handshake. “Just Reno’s fine.”
“Reno… you’re one of the Shinra Corporation’s Turks, right?”
“That’s right. What do you do?”
“I don’t think you need to concern yourself with that…” Kramler answered, a thin smile on his lips.
Narrowing his eyes at the man, Reno replied, “Don’t press your luck.”
The ending bell rang out from the Battle Arena, when Reeve had voluntarily ended the match. It wasn’t long before he was able to rejoin Reno at the Arena’s entrance, with Kramler following the Turk from close behind. The light armor Reeve had worn in the Arena was gone, replaced with a maroon suit and black shirt with the top three buttons undone. Reno slid on the jacket for his own white suit, the tails of his turquoise shirt left casually untucked. Kramler, sharply dressed in a black suit and black shirt, grinned at Reeve as the executive caught sight of him.
“Been a long time.”
Reeve’s jaw dropped. “Kramler?” He immediately rushed up to the man and greeted him. Suddenly, Kramler drew Reeve aside, just enough so Reno couldn’t overhear anything they said. A moment later, they came back.
“You guys hungry at all?” Kramler asked.
“Well, we haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Reeve replied. “How about we go to the restaurant in Chocobo Square, maybe lay down some money on the birds while we’re at it.”
Reno shrugged. “Fine with me.”
“All right,” said Kramler. “It’s decided then.”
Reeve and Reno walked behind Kramler as they left the Battle Arena. While they were walking down the steps, Reno whispered to Reeve, “What were you guys talking about when he pulled you aside?”
“He wanted to verify that you were cool… that he won’t have any problems with you.”
“Who is he, really?”
Reeve leaned a little closer to Reno’s ear, his voice lowered conspiratorially. “Ever hear of the Gabbiani family?”
Reno had. Taking another look at Kramler’s slick mode of dress, he wasn’t a bit surprised.
They finally reached the bottom of the steps. One by one, they entered the chute that led to Chocobo Square; the Turk, the executive, and the mobster.

While waiting for their chocobo steaks to arrive, Reno idly watched the races while Reeve and Edgar Gabbiani-Kramler carried on a lively conversation, discussing old times in Costa del Sol– back when Reeve was studying architecture and engineering and Kramler accounting– as well as their lives since then. Catching snippets of their banter here and there, Reno learned that Kramler had known the Gabbianis for a while, and eventually married the Don’s niece, but didn’t consider himself to be a part of the mob. Rather, he dabbled extensively in investing, and playing the Great Continent’s emerging money markets. Entrepreneurship was more prevalent on the Great Continent that it was on the Shinra-dominated East Continent, and Kramler had wanted a piece of the action. On his side of things, Reeve told Kramler about his crumbling marriage and his job and responsibilities at Shinra. At one point, the conversation took a different turn.
“So how did you guys get here anyway? By sea? Air?”
“Took the airship Highwind,” Reeve answered, cutting into his chocobo steak. “We executives have that kind of access.”
“Who was piloting, may I ask?”
Reeve gave Kramler a strange look. “Who else? Cid Highwind.”
Kramler took a sip of wine and pondered for a moment. “You know, they’re taking the airship away from him.”
At this point, Reno felt compelled to cut in. “They can’t do that. Cid owns that ship.”
“I know,” Kramler replied. “I helped him finance the building of it.”
Reno and Reeve both paused in their eating to glance at Kramler.
“He called me last week,” the grey-haired man continued. “Said that the Shinra wasn’t satisfied with merely leasing the airship and they forced him to sell it. Didn’t say how they forced him; I’m guessing they made him some sort of deal where they breathe new life into the Space Program.”
“The Company’s not really interested in that sort of thing these days,” said Reeve.
“I figured as much. At any rate, it’s a done deal. Starting next week, I’ll be receiving the Highwind’s loan payments from the Shinra, not from Cid.”
“No wonder he looked so pissed off during our flight,” Reno mused.
“You better watch out, Reeve,” Kramler continued. “I hear you own something like a third of this place, correct?”
Reeve nodded. “That’s right. Dio and Shinra split the other two-thirds. The Gold Saucer was something of a pet project of mine. My share of it cost me a lot of money, and Scarlet was against my financing such a large portion, but I’m happy I did it.”
“With the kind of gil this place generates, the Shinra’s going to want to buy your percentage off of you. Just like they bought the Highwind off of Cid.”
“We’ll see what happens when the time comes—that is, if it comes.”
Reno turned to Reeve. “You mean you’d actually consider selling your part of the Saucer?”
“Honestly, that’s one of the last things I’d want to do, but you know me. I’m not the type to speculate.”
Kramler said to Reno, “He’s probably also told you he doesn’t believe in luck, right?”
“Numerous times,” the Turk replied with a smile.
At that moment, the fanfare sounded on the racetrack. A black chocobo by the name of Teioh had come in first. Reeve flashed his winning ticket.
“Teioh and his jockey Joe are rising stars on the Chocobo Racing circuit. I’ve been watching them for awhile now.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Kramler replied. “So I should bet on them now while the winning’s good, eh?”
Reeve nodded. “Definitely.”
Reno smirked at Reeve, then caught Kramler looking at them from his side of the table, arms folded.
“I should get going now,” he said. “I have to be in North Corel early tomorrow morning. Got some business to take care of there.” Standing up, he extended his hand out to Reeve, who promptly shook it.
“Reeve, be sure to get in touch with my office once you get back to Midgar. I’d like to introduce you to the markets over here. Reno,” Kramler said, his hand moving toward the Turk. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Take care of Lucky for me, all right?” he said with a wink.
Reno shook Kramler’s hand and nodded. “Sure thing.” He looked over at Reeve. “‘Lucky’, eh? An old nickname of yours?”
“Unfortunately,” the executive sighed.

On Sunday, their last night together on this mini-vacation, Reeve and Reno came into their room after a long, eventful day of enjoying the Saucer’s amusements. Both were a little bit drunk, but by this time, they were to the point that the alcohol was just starting to wear off. After making himself a drink, Reeve prepared a line of white materia on the glass coffee table. He offered some to Reno; he declined, and instead pulled the small bag of zeio and rolling papers out from under his jacket. Using a rolled-up thousand-gil note, Reeve snorted the white powder up one of his nostrils and looked up to Reno, his eyes catching sight of the zeio.
“Where’ve you been hiding that stuff? I didn’t know you still had some.”
Reno spread a silly grin across his face and stuck his tongue out at Reeve.
“Fine, be that way.” Reeve took off his jacket, undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt, picked up his vodka martini from the coffee table, and plopped down on the couch. Trying not to stare at Reeve’s exposed chest, Reno walked over to the bar. Reeve gave his friend a funny look.
“I thought you weren’t going to drink any more tonight.”
Reno didn’t answer, didn’t want to tell him that he needed a drink. Instead, he took a swig of brandy, straight from the bottle, and said, “We should get some girls up here tonight, this being our last real chance to do so.”
“What are you implying?” Reeve asked. Reno knew perfectly well that Reeve knew what he was implying.
“C’mon. Neither of us has gotten any all weekend.”
“Well, you had your chance. As for me, I know I’d just feel like a total hypocrite afterwards.”
“Yeah, whatever. Are you absolutely sure about this? C’mon, man, think it over.”
“I’m too busy getting fucked up to think anything over, Reno. The answer’s no. No girls.”
Reno took a couple of hits from the zeio joint before parking it in a nearby ashtray. He then drew both hands to his shirt buttons and struck a mock-sexy pose, flicking the buttons loose of their eyelets one by one.
“C’mon. We’ll get some hot tanned bitch from Costa del Sol, have her perform a little striptease for us…” Reno said, slowly pulling off his shirt, as Reeve chuckled at his parody. Two bracelet-style tribal tattoos ringed the upper part of Reno’s right arm, dark patterns against his otherwise pale skin.
“And then, one at a time, she’ll come on to us, slide on top of our laps…” Reno continued, perching himself on the edge of the couch, and slowly leaning in over Reeve. Their eyes were locked, and Reno noticed a certain dullness in his friend’s irises. No doubt from the white, he thought.
“…and do what-ever-the-fuck-we-want-her-to-do…” Reno finished, his voice simmering down to a whisper as his face leaned in closer to Reeve’s. The older man blinked as Reno, who was now entirely aware of the dry and lonely surface of his own lips, felt his heart race with an intensity that he had previously only imagined.
“Reno… what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The redhead’s bottom lip trembled as he tentatively leaned in closer. Reeve turned his head to one side as Reno’s lips dove for his. They met his cheek instead.
“Get off of me. What the fuck’s gotten into you?”
Reno didn’t answer, and instead pressed his chest against Reeve’s, sliding his legs onto the couch as he did so. Not caring about having missed his initial target, he closed his eyes and moved his mouth up to Reeve’s ear, tracing the inner curve of it with his tongue and teeth, his heavy, lustful breathing against Reeve’s ear.
“That’s it,” Reeve said, before forcefully pushing Reno off of him and into the glass coffee table. Without another word, Reeve stood and stomped off to his bedroom. He not once stopped to look back at the shattered table while Reno quietly slipped into unconsciousness, a pool of blood slowly collecting beneath him.

A few hours later, Reno awoke to find himself laying in a completely different room from the one he had passed out in. All he could see above him was a bright fluorescent light. His body was bare, save for bandages around his torso, left shoulder, and head, as well as white sheets covering him up to his waist. He heard a small gasp, then saw the silhouette of a man looming over him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, the figure became recognizable to Reno, and he suddenly became very tense. It was Reeve, completely sober, his face was wracked with… worry? Remorse? Exhaustion? Reno couldn’t really tell.
After a long silence, Reeve finally said, “Just so you know… they aren’t serious. Your injuries, I mean.”
“My injuries…”
“You—The doctors said you’d be out for awhile, though.”
“Oh well. Where exactly am I, anyway?”
“The infirmary in Battle Square.”
“Okay.”
“Fortunately they didn’t ask too many questions about how you got injured. Don’t know how we’re going to explain this to Tseng, though…”
“Eh? Explai—ahh…”
Reno replayed the evening’s events in his mind as best as he could, finally lowering his eyes when he realized the mistake he had made.
“Listen,” Reeve started, “I’m very sorry I did that. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. Still, you know how my temper can get… and you were crossing certain lines…”
Reno tried to nod, but found he lacked the strength. “I know, but deep in my heart I was hoping– there isn’t anyone else here, is there?”
Reeve shook his head. Reno continued.
“Well, anyway, I was hoping that you would go along…”
Reeve looked away from Reno and idly scratched the back of his neck. “No. That… would not have been possible.”
“I understand that now.”
There was a long silence. Reeve pulled up a chair from somewhere in the room and sat down next to Reno’s bed.
“Obviously there’s been some sort of miscommunication that’s been going on between us.”
“Reeve, no, that wasn’t it. You’ve been such a good friend to me. I just wanted you to be something more. It’s my fault. I was foisting my own desires onto you–”
“And now you’ve discovered that I can’t be your ’something more’.”
Another long silence. Finally, Reno asked, “How do you feel about me? How do you see our relationship?”
After a small hesitation, Reeve answered, “Reno, you… you’re my best friend.”
“Even now?”
“…Yes. Even now. Even through all this bullshit. Reno, why did you do it?”
“I had to. I couldn’t keep my feelings bottled up anymore. Besides, I didn’t think you’d mind… since you like to take chances and all.”
Reeve shook his head. “Not those kind of chances. Evidently, we don’t know each other as well as we think we do. In my case, I certainly didn’t expect you to… well, you know…”
Reno nodded, and lowered his eyes. “What time is it, anyway? Don’t we have to fly back to Midgar tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry about it. Both of us will be staying here for another couple of days.”
“You’re staying too? But why?”
“To take care of you, obviously,” Reeve said. “I do have to look out for you, you know.”
Reno smiled, “Of course. What are best friends for?”
In return, a small smile broke out from Reeve’s concerned face. “Exactly. Now get some rest. I’ll be back later.”
Reeve stood up and turned out the light as Reno let his head sink deeper into the pillow. The last thing Reno heard before falling asleep was the door closing behind Reeve as he left the room.

The Highwind came to pick them on Wednesday morning, landing in the grassy valley near North Corel. Cid was piloting, and with him was a woman in a long white coat, who he introduced to Reno and Reeve as his assistant Shera. During their journey across the ocean, Cid and Shera spent very little time on the bridge; instead, they wandered all over the airship, apparently savoring the trip while it lasted. When they arrived at Junon’s airport, Reeve shook the pilot’s hand and said, “I met a mutual friend of ours while I was at the Saucer. He told me about the Highwind. I’m sorry you’re being forced to let her go.”
Cid gave him a strange look. “Funny. Never thought I’d hear that from a goddamned Shinra executive, of all people. But yeah… this was my last official trip aboard Lady Luck. Now all I have left is her,” he said, thumbing back to a small seaplane parked near the hangers. “That’s the Tiny Bronco. Shera flew ‘er here so we’d have some way to get home.”
“Well, at least you still have something, right?”
“Ain’t the Highwind, though. It’s like they say, ‘You never know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone’. Words to live by if I ever heard ‘em.”
Reeve nodded. “We should get going. Thanks again for the ride.”
Cid said nothing. As Reeve and Reno walked to the Airport’s platform elevator, the latter looked back at where Cid and Shera were standing. Cid gripped on to Shera tightly, his head leaning against hers and his sky-blue eyes focused on the hovering Highwind.

In the months that followed, Kramler’s prediction came true, in a manner of speaking: Reeve was made a proposal by the Shinra to sell a part of his share of the Gold Saucer. After two months of negotiations, Reeve sold a part of his stake to the Shinra Electric Power Company, giving them a fifty percent majority share of the Saucer’s ownership. In the meantime, Reeve had also begun his business affiliation with Kramler, investing in promising companies located on the Great Continent and making a good deal on the returns.
As for Cid, the manned rocket Shinra No. 26 finally received a launch date, with him as the astronaut, as had been planned from the start. However, the disastrous combination of a rushed schedule and a prolonged safety check led to the launch being aborted at the last minute; afterwards, a proposed relaunch was postponed indefinately.
Finally, in all those months, up until their most recent meeting the day after the Reactor #1 bombing, neither Reeve nor Reno so much as mentioned that trip of theirs to the Gold Saucer.

Loveless: Ato 1 – Cena 3

Act I: The Ruby Dragon

Scene Three

As was typical for him whenever a meeting demanded his presence, Rufus T. Shinra was running late. It was never his fault, of course; there was always something cropping up beforehand that demanded his attention. As he mentally ticked off the numbers from the digital display, he felt his elevator slow down, and finally stop, on the 62nd Floor.
“Shit,” he swore to himself as the doors opened. He imagined a huge crowd waiting to board, or perhaps some other thing that would trim precious seconds from his trip up to the 66th Floor. Instead, he was surprised to see Reeve, laptop case in hand, step into the elevator and press the “close doors” button. Soon, the lift was once again on the rise. Reeve nodded to the flaxen-haired Vice President by way of a greeting, then straightened the knot in his red tie.
“You’re running late as well?” Rufus asked. “Funny, that’s not like you.”
Reeve sighed. “You wouldn’t believe how busy I’ve been lately because of those AVALANCHE bastards.”
“I can imagine. The maintenance of this city is your responsibility, after all.”
The elevator doors opened again on the 66th floor. The two men stepped out and began briskly walking toward the executive conference room.
“It’s not just the reactor, either,” Reeve continued. “There were a fair number of buildings in the area that were either heavily damaged or completely destroyed. And then there’s the aftermath of last night’s riots to deal with, not to mention all of the people who died…”
They stopped outside of the conference room and faced each other. Rufus placed a hand on Reeve’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t believe my father is going to be stingy about this. These matters will be resolved, Reeve. There’s plenty of money in the budget.”
“The fiscal end of it is the least of my concerns.”
“Then don’t worry about the money at all. Like I said, it’ll be taken care of.”
Reeve nodded and gripped one of the door handles. “If you say so. Now, shall we get this formality out of the way?”
With a knowing grin, Rufus took hold of the other handle and replied, “Let’s.”
They opened the doors simultaneously, causing everyone in the room to turn their heads. President Shinra, Baron Heidegger, and Scarlet were all there, awaiting their arrival. Palmer was out sick, but that was forgivable, since this meeting didn’t concern his division. The two latecomers took their seats; Reeve next to Scarlet, and Rufus near the head of the table, with his father. Rufus flashed a small grin to Reeve as soon as he was settled in. Reeve folded his hands in front of his chin, sneaking a smile of his own from behind them. The meeting got underway.

After presenting his report on the bombing’s impact on the city, Reeve hooked his laptop up to a projector and switched it on. Images of Reactor #1’s ruined interior flashed onto a screen at the head of the room. “As you can see from these photographs, the damage inside of the reactor was severe, not to mention extensive. Apparently, the bomb released liquid nitrogen, forcing the mako to crystallize and destroying many of the special mythril-lined pipes that served as the backbone of the reactor’s distribution system. If we want to get the reactor back online, these pipes must be replaced. This task alone would take six months.”
President Shinra rubbed his chin. “Liquid nitrogen, eh? Have you looked into the exact construction of this bomb?”
Reeve turned to his right. “Scarlet?”
“Thank you Reeve,” she curtly replied before standing up. Reeve pressed a key on his laptop and a new image showed up on the screen, a wide shot of the damaged reactor’s central chamber. Scarlet walked to the head of the table and addressed the other executives.
“Using the information Urban Dev. and Tseng collected, coupled with our own team’s findings, I came to the conclusion that this was a bomb of an extremely sophisticated design. It consisted of two charges: a primary fire materia charge—nothing out of the ordinary—and a secondary Shiva materia charge, which, when coupled with the liquid nitrogen, froze all of the Mako within three hundred feet of the explosive. It’s an ingenious design and, I might add, one I distinctly remember rejecting only a couple of years ago.”
The room fell silent with a palatable tension. Scarlet wore a grim smile.
“I’m afraid our AVALANCHE bomb builder may be one of my former technicians,” she continued. “Namely Jessie Kaufman, the very inventor of this particular device.”
“Unbelievable,” said Rufus.
“That reminds me,” Reeve added. “Tseng found Buster sword markings on a guard mecha inside the reactor. From this evidence, he deduced that a member of SOLDIER has defected to AVALANCHE. We currently have no information on the identity of this rogue SOLDIER.”
Rufus found these pieces of information to be troubling; the very idea of two of Shinra’s once-loyal employees turning against the Company placed an unpleasant feeling in the pit of their stomach. From the looks on the others’ faces, he could tell that they felt the same way he did. Finally, Reeve broke the tense silence.
“Mr. President, can we please move on to the agenda for what to do about AVALANCHE?”
The elder Shinra nodded. “Yes, of course. Now Heidegger, as I understand it, Mr. Cerise and Mr. Powers received some information regarding AVALANCHE’s next target?”
Heidegger answered, “They did indeed. The terrorists plan to hit Reactor #5.”
“Do you know the estimated time for their operation?”
“Gya ha ha! Estimated? We know exactly when they plan to strike! We can expect them in the reactor’s core at eleven AM, tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?” Reeve exclaimed, rising from his seat. “Mr. President, with all due respect, do you think we can really stop them this time, especially when we have less than twenty-four hours to do so?”
President Shinra shifted his gaze across the table. “…Heidegger?”
“Well, Scarlet and I briefly discussed the situation before this meeting. Sir, we would like to send one of Weapons Dev’s field mecha out there.”
Rufus noticed that Reeve’s brows had narrowed on Heidegger’s mention of Scarlet. The Vice President coolly asked Heidegger, “What sort of mecha are you considering?”
“Kya ha ha!” replied Scarlet. “An Airbuster—one of our newest models.”
Still standing, Reeve asked, “And what do you plan on doing about the bomb, if they do manage to plant it? I don’t want another disaster on my hands.”
Heidegger glared at Reeve, but not without grinning. “Well, that’s your problem, isn’t it, Mr. Urban Development Chairman?”
Rufus gave Heidegger a sidelong glance. “Actually, it’s yours, Mr. Peace Preservation officer.”
Heidegger looked at the annoyed Rufus, and then over at the young man’s father, who was wearing a serious expression of his own.
“The Vice President is right. This is a job for Peace Preservation,” President Shinra concluded. “Heidegger, I expect a bomb squad to be assembled by six AM tomorrow morning. Perhaps you can borrow some of Scarlet’s people for this mission.”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Heidegger replied. Reeve sat back down.
“Reeve,” the President continued.
“Yes sir?”
“Will you be able to divert Sector Five’s supply lines to the other reactors within the next twelve hours?”
“I’ll get my people right on it, sir. By tomorrow morning, we’ll be able to completely shut down Reactor #5 with the flick of a switch.”
“Excellent—that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now then, I trust that I’ll have everyone’s cooperation in stopping AVALANCHE tomorrow?”
The Vice President and executives all nodded affirmatively. Rufus sneaked a quick glance at Reeve; much to his relief, the Urban Dev. Chair now seemed to be a bit calmer.
“Mwa ha ha,” President Shinra laughed. “Wonderful. Everyone, be sure to give me a progress report at least once an hour until daybreak. Meeting adjourned.”
As the executives got up to leave, Reeve’s PHS rang. He picked it up and began speaking.
“Hello?… Yes, I was just in a meeting. We’ll be right there.”
He hung up and caught Scarlet by the arm as she walked past him.
“Scarlet, can you come by my office for a moment?”
She smiled that false smile of hers. “Of course, Reeve. Will this take very long?”
“Not at all.”
“All right. I just have a couple of things to take care of beforehand. How about in fifteen minutes?”
“That should be fine.”
Scarlet nodded. “Then it’s settled. See you soon.”
She left the room. Having watched the whole scene, Rufus came up behind Reeve.
“What was that all about?”
“That was my lawyer who just called. He brought the papers.”
“Does Scarlet know that?”
“I think so, but you know how image-conscious she is at the office. Didn’t want to make a scene about it in front of all the other executives.”
Rufus smirked. “But of course. Well, good luck with the divorce.”
“Thanks. I’m going to need it.”
Reeve left the conference room. Rufus brushed back an idle lock of hair and returned to his place at the conference table to collect his papers. Yes Reeve, he thought. I really do wish you all of the luck in the world. After all, the sooner you divorce Scarlet, the better it will be for me…

Soon, Rufus was back by the elevators. In the first one to arrive, Reno leaned against the glass wall of the lift, chatting away on his PHS.
“Yeah, just had to see Professor Hojo about something… nah, can’t tell you what. Hold on.”
As Rufus entered the elevator, Reno palmed the receiver and greeted him. Rufus simply nodded and pressed the button for his floor as Reno resumed his phone conversation.
“Sorry about that. The Vice President just got on board… yeah. Anyway, I’ll see you at the Kirman in a couple of hours… Later.”
Reno ended the call and put away his PHS. The elevator descended in silence, then stopped at the 54th floor. Reno nodded a goodbye to Rufus and left the elevator. As Reno started down the hall, Rufus stared hard at the Turk, attempting to penetrate him from behind. Despite this, Reno seemed not to notice, much to the displeasure of the Vice President. The elevator doors soon closed, and with it, Reno’s presence vanished.

*****

Reno arrived at the Kirman Bean Café not long after Elena did. After exchanging hellos and being seated on the café’s rooftop patio, they placed their orders and took in their surroundings. The early evening sky was a hazy indigo, and the city’s lights shone through the smog like glowing particles of Mako. Elena looked around the patio, which was decorated with silk vines along the walls and parapets.
“How tacky,” she sniffed. “Why couldn’t they use real vines?”
“It’s because they wouldn’t be able to grow in Midgar,” Reno answered matter-of-factly. “The land just isn’t fertile enough to support them. Not even weeds can grow here.”
“That’s too bad. I think this city would look wonderful with some real foliage.”
“‘Foliage’? Is that what they have where you’re from?”
“Well, certainly not in Kalm, though it’s not hard to find fresh flowers and other plants. I hear trees grow on street corners in a lot of the Great Continent’s towns.”
“So you’re a Kalm girl, eh? And have you ever actually been to the Great Continent?”
“…No.”
Reno reclined back in his chair. “That’s where I’m from. Got lots of towns, all different from each other. No big cities like Midgar, though.”
A waitress arrived with their iced coffees. Reno took a sip of his and steered the conversation in another direction. “So whaddya think of the other Turks? Not a bad bunch of guys, eh?”
“No, not at all,” Elena replied, smiling.
At that moment, Reno leaned across the table and smirked at Elena. “You were blushing something fierce when Tseng spoke to you. What’s up with that?”
As her ears started to flush a bright pink, she replied, “It’s just because—well, he’s going to be the person who ultimately decides whether or not I’ll be a Turk, right?”
“Yeah, more or less.”
“Well I was just nervous, that’s all. I was worried that I would make a bad first impression.”
Reno chuckled and reclined back in his chair once more. “If you say so.”
“It’s the truth!”
“I believe you.”
With an irritated “hmph”, Elena sank back into her chair and sipped her drink. Reno stifled a laugh as he gazed out over the rooftops. He could sense Elena watching him as he took in Midgar’s lights, in particular the fringe edges of the incomplete Sector Six. Finally, Reno shifted his eyes back toward her, his sly, mischievous grin having died down a little.
“Rude asked about you today, while we were on our mission.”
Elena replied, “He did?”
“Yeah. Just basic questions, like where you were from and what sort of job you had. There were a few I couldn’t answer.”
“He was so quiet this morning at the disaster area.”
“He’s something of an introvert, plus there’s his monk training. Monks are generally quiet—supposedly they concentrate, and fight, better that way.”
“Err… ‘monk training’?”
“Yeah. It’s a very strict discipline. Rude was taught under a famous martial arts master named Zangan many years ago, so hand-to-hand combat’s a bit something have such specialties?”
“You could say that.”
Elena propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin across her hands. “What would yours be?”
“I don’t know. I guess black magic. Always been fascinated by the stuff, especially lightning magic. I try to learn from my adversaries as well, like the old Blue Mages did. Picked up some neat tricks that way. It’s not the only thing I’m into, but it is something that interests me a lot.”
“And what about Tseng?”
“Tseng’s more of a generalist than the rest of us. He’s capable of using all kinds of weapons, especially swords and guns. Not too good with polearms from what I hear, though he can hold his own against a lancer. He’s also really smart—got a background in intelligence work. I think that’s why he doesn’t fight much nowadays—the Shinra would rather take advantage of his brain than his strength.”
Elena nodded.
“So if you were a Turk,” Reno asked, “what would your specialty be?”
“Aren’t these things determined with my training?”
“Well yeah, to some extent. However, the deal is, if anything happens to Tseng, I’ll be the one you have to impress.”
There was a brief pause before Elena replied, “What do you mean?”
“I’m second in command. You know, next in line to become leader?”
“I—I didn’t know that.”
Reno’s smirk returned for an encore. “Funny, you aren’t blushing much at all now.”
“Well, it’s not like I haven’t been talking casually to you this whole time,.”
“That’s true. All right, I won’t pick on you anymore.”
“Somehow I don’t think I can take your word on that—” Just then, Elena was interrupted by the ringing of her PHS. She apologized to Reno before taking the call. “Hello? Oh! What—yes… All right… I understand… Four? All right… Yes sir… Goodbye, sir.”
After she ended the call, Reno asked, “Who was that?”
“It was… Heidegger.”
“What?”
“Apparently, Scarlet referred me to him for some sort of mission.”
“Oh yeah? Can you tell me what it is?”
Elena grinned devilishly. “I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Heh. Keeping secrets, eh?” he replied, flashing her a wry smile. “Just like a true Turk.”

Reno and Elena continued talking and drinking iced coffee for another hour, leaving the Kirman just after the evening moon rose in the hazy, darkened sky. After dropping Elena home, Reno’s next stop was someplace completely different; namely, a small maintenance platform halfway up the side of Reactor #6. It was at this unlikely locale that he and Reeve met at least once a week, to smoke and talk about whatever was on their minds. Reeve was the one who initially chose Reactor #6 as their meeting place—it was the “coolest” of Midgar’s eight Mako reactors and boasted one of the better views of the Shinra Building. Plus, on the rare clear night, one could just barely see the vast ocean that lay many miles to the west.
Reno climbed the tall metal ladder that led up to the platform. Up above, he could make out Reeve’s dark silhouette leaning forward on the railing, the orange glow of a lit cigarette near one of his dangling hands. As Reno pulled himself up to the platform’s grated steel floor, he heard Reeve say, “Glad you could make it.” With his left hand, the executive dug in his right jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes and a lighter. He handed them to Reno, who had just joined his friend at the railing. Reno lit himself a cigarette, then held out the pack and lighter for Reeve to take back. He did, again using his left hand. Reeve was right-handed. The executive must’ve noticed Reno’s puzzled expression, for Reeve then pulled his right hand out of his trouser pocket and held it up before the Turk’s face.
“See this?”
Reno did. On the second-to-last finger sat a simple gold ring; Reeve’s wedding band.
“So what happened?” the Turk asked.
Reeve sighed heavily, and leaned in closer to Reno, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “She knows about Costa del Sol.”
“The money…”
“Yeah. The investments, that big venture in Corel, the repossessed Gold Saucer stock…”
“The backroom deals? The insider trading?”
“All of that as well, yes. I don’t know how she found out, but I’ll roast the bastard who told her, when I find him.”
“So what were the terms of her blackmail?”
“Jumping ahead of things, are we?”
“I’m a Turk; it’s my specialty.”
Reeve nodded, and continued. “Yes, she did blackmail me. Anyway, the deal is that I get along with her—all the time, not just at work—and ‘hold off’ on the divorce. What I get in return is, simply, being able to keep all of my money and stay out of prison.”
“How long does she want you to delay the divorce? Until hell freezes over?”
“I don’t know. Strangely enough, she mentioned nothing about me moving back in with her.”
Reno stared at the lit beacon of the Shinra Building for a moment before asking, “Reeve, why is she so concerned about saving a marriage that obviously isn’t working? I mean, it can’t be for her image alone…”
“I have no idea.”
“Do you think that maybe, in some weird way, she does care about what happens to you? Maybe she just thinks you’re going through some kind of phase.”
Reeve was obviously irritated by this idea. “If she cares about me, then why would she sleep with Heidegger?”
Reno bit his bottom lip and turned his attention back to the Shinra Building. “Well this is just my opinion, but I’d say she’s giving you your own chance to do some screwing around.”
“I’m not like that, Reno.”
The Turk left Reeve’s side and paced around on the platform. “For fuck’s sake, what the hell do you care about Scarlet for anyway?”
“I just wouldn’t feel right about it.”
“Heh. You and your damn morals.”
“What do you know about my morals…”
Plopping down against the side of the reactor, Reno simply said, “Too much.”
Reeve sucked the last bit of life out of his cigarette and dropped it onto the platform, where he extinguished it with the toe of his shoe. He stepped a little bit away from the cigarette butt and sat down by the railing, allowing his legs to dangle over the side of the deck. Reno’s cigarette was long gone. Neither of them so much as looked at the other.
“I took Elena out tonight,” Reno finally said after a long silence.
“Oh yeah? How was it?”
“We had a good time. She’s pretty cool. Not my type, though.”
“Oh well.”
“I can see what you like in her, though.”
Reeve turned around to look at Reno, one of his eyebrows arched slightly higher than the other. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing,” Reno replied, idly shaking his head. “Just that… I can see how you’d be attracted to someone like her.”
“What makes you think that I am?”
“There was just something about how you were acting the other night. Little things, like the way you talked to her, how you treated her…”
Using his hands pressed flat against the floor, Reeve pushed himself up against the side of the reactor to sit next to Reno. He offered his friend another cigarette; soon, the air was once again filled with wafts of tobacco smoke. “She’s a nice girl—not bad looking either—but I’d just…”
“Feel weird, I know. I wouldn’t worry too much about it anyway. She likes Tseng.”
“Really.”
“I’m pretty sure she does. And I think Rude likes her.”
“Huh.”
“Well, it’s too bad you’d feel weird about her. Just like it’s too bad you feel weird about… me.”
Reeve gave Reno a sidelong glance. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
Reno averted his eyes for a moment, knowing that his most vulnerable side, the one he never revealed to anyone else, was starting to show through. “We have to sometime. Listen, I might as well just say it now and get it over and done with.”
“You don’t have to. I know exactly what you’re going to say.”
Reno looked back at Reeve; the executive’s eyes were dark and impenetrable compared to his own opaque, aquamarine irises. “I know you know. And I’m sorry for bringing it up, but—”
“I’m just glad you’re talking about it instead of… doing something like what you did a year ago.”
“That was different. I was stoned as a boulder, you were as high as the stars.”
For a moment, the city lights shone through the dark layers of Reeve’s eyes, revealing something somber and mysterious hidden within them. “It was a horrible night, Reno. We were both acting out of line. I don’t ever want to relive that scenario ever again.”
Reeve took a long drag from his cigarette and slumped up against the side of the reactor. They finished smoking in silence before Reeve stood up to leave.
“I have to get back to the office. Still have some things to do.”
“Not going home tonight?”
“I don’t think any of us are.”
Reno nodded and watched as Reeve disappeared down the metal stepladder. He then gazed at the brightly lit Shinra Building, recalling a place with even brighter lights—a tall golden tree in the desert, where he and Reeve spent an ill-fated weekend roughly a year ago. It was a shiny palace decorated in candy hues, laden with amusements, distractions, and temptations; a wonderland of fractured dreams called the Gold Saucer.

Loveless: Ato 1 – Cena 2

Act I: The Ruby Dragon

Scene Two

She was awakened from her slumber by a loud yet unmistakable ringing. It was Saturday morning, and still very early at that; she grumbled this latter fact to herself while reaching for the phone housed on the adjacent side table.
“Hello?” she grumbled, her vocal cords doing every bit to express her exhaustion.
“May I speak to Elena?”
“Speaking. Who’s this?”
“Merrill, chief of security for Sector One. I’m calling on behalf of Chairwoman Hanover. We need as many of Shinra’s top explosives experts as possible to come and help examine the Reactor #1 wreckage.”
“The…? Oh, right.” She sat up and looked out the window, where an enormous black cloud rose in a pillar from the edge of Sector One. So it wasn’t just a bad dream…
Elena continued, “Please let her know that I can be there within an hour.”
She hung up the phone and slowly stood up, taking one more look outside the window before heading to the bathroom.

Dozens of people were on the scene when she arrived, including rescue workers, firemen, military police and investigators, and a handful of top-level officials. After getting past a small crowd of civilian onlookers, she entered the disaster area and began her search for Scarlet. Instead, the first recognizable person she encountered was Reno, who was walking with two other men; all three of them were dressed in dark blue suits, though Reno’s was far sloppier than the others’. As for the others, the first man was tall and bald, and his eyes were completely obscured by dark glasses. The second one had long black hair; stern, penetrating eyes; and a small mark in the middle of his forehead. Upon laying eyes on this last man, Elena was awestruck. For a moment she stood there, staring at him, before shaking herself back to reality and walking toward Reno.
She tapped him lightly on the back. “Umm… sir?”
Reno turned around. “Oh, hi Elena. What brings you to this mess?”
“I got a call—my boss, Scarlet, needs me here. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell me exactly where she would be, and I get a busy signal whenever I try to call her PHS line. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
“‘Fraid not. By the way, while you’re here, let me introduce you to these guys,” Reno said, thumbing back at his companions. “This is Rude, one of my fellow Turks.”
The bald man nodded a hello and silently shook Elena’s hand.
“And this,” Reno continued, clapping a hand on the dark-haired man’s shoulder, “is Tseng. He’s the head of the Turks. You want to be real nice to him if you ever want to be anything more than just a cadet.”
Tseng shook her hand. “So you’re one of our cadets, eh?”
Elena stammered, “Y—yes sir.”
“Well, good luck to you.” Tseng turned to face the other Turks. “Gentlemen, we must get going.”
As the Turks left, Reno stopped to whisper to Elena, “You’ve probably heard already that AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility for the bombing of the reactor.”
“AVALANCHE? You mean that terrorist group that sprays that ‘Protect the Planet’ graffiti everywhere?”
“Yeah. Seems like they’re going big time. Anyway, don’t let anyone know, but Rude got a hot tip about their next target. We’re heading to the slums to investigate. Wish us luck!”
“Reno,” Tseng called, “are you coming?”
“Yeah, yeah, be right there!” He turned back to Elena. “One last thing: in the future, you probably don’t want to look at Tseng like that. He might get the wrong idea.”
“Look at him like what?”
“Elena, your face was as red as a fuckin’ tomato! Look, I’ve gotta get going. See you around.”
She said nothing as Reno ran to catch up with the other Turks.

*****

Tseng didn’t have to spend long briefing Reno and Rude about their mission; with an air of strict professionalism, both men took what little instructions their leader had given them and went to work immediately. He watched them leave, then started back to the disaster site. Just ahead of him, he happened to notice Elena standing in the same area where he had first met her, still asking people if they knew where to find Scarlet. He came up from behind the young cadet and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned. When she saw who it was, she stammered, “H-hello sir! I thought you left with the others!”
“They have their assignment, and I have mine, which requires me to be here.” Tseng paused, eyeing Elena carefully. “Are you still looking for Scarlet? You haven’t been able to find her yet?”
She nodded, her head slightly lowered.
Tseng hunched down a little so he could look into Elena’s eyes. She shivered in his probing gaze.
“Wh-what are you doing, sir?”
The Turk stood straight again, but continued to stare at her. “You do realize that you’re approaching this little problem in exactly the wrong way. Cadet, look over there; what do you see?”
Elena’s line of vision followed Tseng’s extended index finger. “There’s a bunch of MPs, some military vehicles…”
“And over there?”
“Some parked helicopters, pilots, men in lab coats, construction workers…”
“And there?”
“SOLDIERs, officers, some people I can’t identify…”
Tseng lowered his arm and looked back at Elena. “So, based on your observations, where is Scarlet’s most probable location?”
“Er, maybe in the direction of the helicopters?”
“And why is that?”
“Only highly-ranked Shinra personnel are allowed to use helicopters within city limits. Still, one would assume that she’s been here for hours already. She could be anywhere by now.”
Tseng replied, “Very good. Chances are, you won’t be able to find Scarlet there now, but it’s likely you’ll find somebody who knows where she has gone to. You’d have better luck asking someone there for her whereabouts than you would here.”
Elena nodded.
“Remember, a Turk asks as few questions as possible, and relies on their own intuition and deductive reasoning to take them as far as they can possibly go. They must give the impression that they know anything and everything, for above all else, it is this appearance which strikes fear into the hearts of a Turk’s victim.”
She mused on this before muttering, “I’ll never make it as a Turk, will I.”
Tseng answered, “We shall see.” He glanced down at his watch. “I have to go, and so do you. You still have to find Scarlet, correct?”
Elena nodded affirmatively and headed for the parked helicopters. Tseng continued in the opposite direction, toward two men who were going over some papers attached to a clipboard.
“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Reeves,” he said, bowing his head in greeting. “Reno and Rude have gone to the Lower City to follow some leads regarding AVALANCHE’s next move.”
“Tseng…” Reeve said, glaring at the Turk. A smile almost crossed Tseng’s face.
“My apologies, Reeve. It is merely a formality.”
“And one I can do without. Now, as for your own mission—Rufus?”
Vice President Rufus Shinra, a blue-eyed young man dressed in a white leather trenchcoat, addressed the Turk. “Tseng, you are to accompany Reeve and his engineers into the remains of the reactor core. We believe that the full scope of the damage can be better ascertained with a more hands-on investigation.”
“Very well. Reeve, when will your team be ready to go?”
“Within the hour. Rufus, are you sure you won’t join us?”
The Vice President shook his head. “I’d rather not, as I’d only be in the way. You’re well aware that I know very little about how these reactors work.” He smoothed back a few idle strands of golden hair with his fingers, then took a step toward the Turk.
“Tseng, keep an eye on him, will you?” Rufus said, thumbing back at Reeve with a small smile. “He’s a good friend of mine, but he has a bit of a tendency to get himself into trouble.”
“What was that?” Reeve chuckled. “And how many times have I had to bail you out?”
Rufus replied with a smirk and a “Hmph”, then turned to leave. “See you back at the office.”
Reeve nodded an affirmative, then flipped open his PHS and started making calls. In the meantime, Tseng stared at the retreating Vice President through narrowed eyes.

The damage inside of the reactor was far worse than Tseng had anticipated. The solid steel walls bulged outward, dented with shrapnel, and many of the metal pipes and catwalks had melted and fused together in a disarrayed web. Crystallized mako—materia—had formed on every surface. As the group neared the heart of the reactor, the air grew hotter. Beneath his yellow HAZMAT suit, Tseng blinked away the sweat that had dripped down into his eyes and scanned the large central chamber. At his side, a slightly shorter figure in an identical yellow suit spoke to him.
“It’s bad enough the reactor blew up—we didn’t need all of this materia clogging the pipes as well. What a waste of mako…” Reeve sighed. Turning to Tseng, he said, “Judging by the way the mako crystallized, it looks like some sort of extreme cooling agent was involved. However, I’ve never heard of a bomb that could do this sort of damage. What do you think?”
“It definitely wasn’t your average bomb. My guess is that after the initial charge went off, a secondary charge released the coolant into the distribution pipes, freezing the mako within them and causing an enormous buildup of pressure. Far more damaging than an ordinary explosive, and very ingenious. Of course, we won’t know anything for certain until the Weapons Dev. technicians complete their own evaluation.”
Reeve nodded, then pointed to the other end of the room. “Out there—by the mako pump controls—is that a robot of some sort?”
A few of the engineers shone their flashlight beams in the direction the executive was pointing. Tseng squinted his eyes to get a better look. What he saw was a massive machine that appeared to be heavily damaged.
“A Guard Scorpion, by the looks of it. Standard security mecha for a central mako chamber.”
“Look at the surrounding walls. The black marks on them seem to radiate from somewhere behind the robot.”
“It’s likely that that’s where the bomb was planted. I doubt that any remains of the device would still be there.”
“Right. I’d like to get a better look at the Scorpion, though. Come with me.”
The footbridge that had originally linked the two ends of the reactor core was gone, and in its place was a tangled mess of pipes, metal, and materia. Before Tseng could stop him, Reeve was already traversing across the impromptu bridge, toward the large mechanical corpse. Without a word, the Turk followed him. By the time he reached the other end, Reeve was already examining the Guard Scorpion, whose outer casing had bulged and rippled like wet paper.
“What do you think?” Tseng asked.
Reeve looked up. “Eh?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Oh—nothing.”
Tseng sighed; Reeve’s mind was obviously somewhere else. The Turk turned his attention to the mecha before them. Although much of its outer armor had melted, there were some scoring marks and bullet holes visible here and there. Upon closer examination of one particularly deep gash on the underside of the wrecked Scorpion, he backed away, shaking his head. He called Reeve over to where he was kneeling and asked him to take a look at the mark. They both crawled underneath the large mecha and stared at the scarred underbelly. After a moment, Reeve replied, “It looks like a sword made this.”
Tseng nodded. “Precisely. However, what is especially interesting about this scar is the type of blade that made it.”
“You can tell these sorts of things?”
“Of course, and in this case, it’s unmistakable. The angle of the cut, the depth and length of it—I am absolutely certain that a standard-issue Buster sword did this damage.”
“A Buster sword. But then that means—”
“Yes, Reeve. A member, or former member, of SOLDIER was probably involved in this incident. The President is not going to like this one bit.”
“I don’t like it.” Reeve examined the mecha’s underside some more before speaking again. “All right, let’s head back. I’ve seen enough for today.”
“Very well,” the Turk replied.
As the two men started shuffling out from underneath the Guard Scorpion, they heard a short creaking sound from above. Both of them froze for a moment, then quickened their pace. Just as Tseng emerged from under the mecha, another creak, longer and louder than the first, sounded. Reeve was still partially under the machine. Instinctively, Tseng grabbed the executive’s arm and pulled him away, just as the Guard Scorpion’s six legs slid outward, causing it to collapse to its belly with an echoing, metallic crash.
Tseng let go of Reeve’s arm once the executive had managed to regain his balance. From underneath his HASMAT hood, he could hear Reeve gasping. Silently, they walked back across the tangled mass of metal and rejoined the group of engineers. No one said a word until they were well outside of the reactor.

Having freed himself from the confining yellow suit, Tseng smoothed back his hair, now slightly damp with sweat, with his palm. Reeve wasn’t looking much better; the executive’s shirt was soaked through at the back and under the arms, and his entire head appeared to be covered with a thin, slick layer of moisture. Reeve undid the knot in his tie and freed his shirttails from the waistband of his trousers. Some of the less seasoned Shinra employees regarded the Urban Dev. Chair’s actions with a bit of curiosity. Tseng, on the other hand, nearly smiled in the knowledge that he was witnessing Reno’s subconscious influence on the redhead’s own best friend.
As he stood off to the side away from the others, straightening his tie, Tseng heard footsteps approach him.
“Thanks for helping me out back there,” said Reeve.
Tseng smoothed out the black silk and zipped up his jacket, not once looking at the executive. “I was only doing my job.”
“Just your job? You saved my life!”
“As I said, all in a day’s work. Now, if you will please excuse me…” Tseng began to step away, but Reeve moved just ahead of him.
“No, stay right here and listen.”
Tseng was starting to grow impatient, but tried not to let this show. “I accompanied you into the reactor. My work here is done. My day is over.”
“I’m familiar with the Turk work ethic, but please, just spare me a moment. I have to tell you something.”
“Well then, go ahead.”
“To cut to the chase, I owe you one.”
“Eh?”
“If you ever need a favor of me, just name it.”
Tseng stared at the executive in disbelief. At first he thought it was a joke, but the look on Reeve’s face insisted that it wasn’t.
“You’re serious about this. You are going to personally repay me for merely doing my job.”
“No, for saving me.”
The Turk pinched his eyebrows and stared off to the side, thinking over Reeve’s words. Finally, he replied, “Very well. I’ll give your generous offer some consideration.”
Reeve nodded and stepped out of Tseng’s way. The Turk started to leave, when he turned back to face the executive.
“Thank you, Reeve.”
The Urban Dev. Chair smiled. “No need to thank me just yet! You’re the one deserving of thanks right now.”
Tseng stopped. Reeve gave him a small nod and turned to walk toward a waiting helicopter, pulling his PHS out of his trouser pocket as he did so. Finally, Tseng turned away and continued walking. As his feet drew him into the bustling city streets, he mused over the recent exchange and wondered why someone with such a great sense of integrity was working for the Shinra Electric Power Company.

With no other assignments for the rest of the day, Tseng went to a small delicatessen on the Sector Seven plate and ordered lunch. Rude came in about ten minutes later and took the seat opposite Tseng’s, at the deli’s far left corner table. Tseng took a bite of his pastrami sandwich before leaning in to hear what Rude had to say. In a low voice, almost a whisper, Rude muttered, “We found out where they’re going to hit next. Reno had some other business to take care of at HQ, so he volunteered to deliver the information to the execs.”
“Very good. Now the next step will be to locate their base of operations. I expect that will be our next set of orders from Heidegger, at any rate.”
Rude nodded.
Tseng took another bite of his sandwich. “So what’s this ‘business’ that Reno had to do at the Shinra Building? It seems like they’re really working him today.”
“Has to do with Hojo… a kidnapping job,” the bald man said. Then, peering over the rim of his sunglasses, he added, “I’m sure you know what that implies.”
“Indeed I do,” Tseng replied, polishing off the last of his meal. He stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t try to contact me for the rest of the day.”
Rude nodded once, then went over to the counter to order his own lunch while Tseng left the deli.

He found her right where he expected her to be around this time of day: in the busy marketplace of the Sector Six slums. This strip, known as Wall Market, was a vile place with a bad reputation. At all times of day, any number of illegal wares—and services—could be found for sale on its streets. However, despite the illicit nature of Wall Market, the locals had little to fear from either the Turks or the Shinra military. It was common knowledge that “Top-Platers” generally held little interest in the day-to-day activities of those who lived in the slums beneath their feet.
Tseng wandered past the various stores and booths, keeping both eyes peeled for his oldest friend. He finally spotted her on a street corner near the tailor’s shop, selling flowers out of a basket.
“Fresh flowers, only one gil!” she called out. As Tseng approached, she turned her head in his direction. “Oh, hello Tseng.”
“Hello Aeris. I trust you’re doing well?”
“Yes I am. Would you like to go somewhere to talk?”
“Read my mind,” Tseng replied, as he led Aeris out of Wall Market.
They ended up in a small, dusty park outside of the Sector Seven gate, the very place where they’d first met as children. Aeris explored all of the playground equipment before finally sitting down on one of the swings, setting her flower basket on the other.
“It hasn’t changed much at all, hasn’t it Tseng?”
Standing opposite of her with his hands in his pockets, he glanced around. “No, it hasn’t. Funny how that never ceases to amaze you.”
“Well, that’s because so much else has changed…” Aeris trailed off, then changed the subject. “I remember one time when we were younger, when the Turks chased me all the way here from Sector Five, and you hid me in that little utility shed.”
“Yes…” Tseng replied, slipping into the memory himself. “You know, my father never did find out about that.”
“He didn’t?”
Tseng smiled. “No. Of course, he would’ve punished me severely if he found out that I was interfering with his work. Good thing he didn’t, eh?”
“Your father was a clever Turk, but you were even more sneaky!”
A silence descended between them. Tseng glanced down at his shoes, ponderously.
“I just hope that he’s in a better place now.”
Aeris gave him a reassuring look. “He is. He’s returned to the Planet.”
“It’s been four years and I still can’t accept his death.”
“I understand. Don’t be sad.”
“I try not to be. I remained with the Turks, like he would’ve wanted me to, and in general, I’ve have a good life, despite certain… events. You’ve helped me tremendously, of course.”
“So have you! I mean, in helping me. If you had never become a Turk, the Shinra would have me by now for sure!”
“I wouldn’t know about that, but I’m glad that I can do that much for you.”
Tseng and Aeris glanced at each other and exchanged smiles. Then, Tseng continued, “Speaking of which, I just got word today: Hojo will be sending one of us after you soon.”
“Who will it be this time?”
“Reno. Make sure to be on your guard; I don’t know if he’ll have a chance to pick his own MP escort this time. The Professor has been growing rather suspicious of the Turks lately.”
“Oh, but isn’t he suspicious all the time?”
“These days, moreso than usual. Please Aeris, be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” Tseng pulled his hands loose from his pockets and laid them on her shoulders.
“I’m glad that you worry about me, but please don’t do it too much.”
Kneeling down before her, he replied, “Never do. I have faith in your strength and resilience. But you know me, I have to be at least a little bit worried.”
Aeris smiled; a little sadly, Tseng thought. He looked her straight in the eyes.
“I shouldn’t be here much longer. I have to go.”
“All right Yoshiro,” she said, giggling.
Tseng suppressed an amused grin. “That’s not my name anymore. You know that.”
“I know, but you will always be Yoshiro to me.”
Still sitting on the swing, Aeris leaned forward to hug Tseng. They held each other tightly before letting go. The Turk smiled and gave a small wave goodbye as Aeris retrieved her basket and stood up. Aeris returned both the smile and the wave, then dusted off the front of her dress and left the playground, going to her home deep in the Sector Five slums. Tseng watched her go, and when he could see her no more, he turned in the opposite direction and headed back to Wall Market.

Loveless: Ato 1 – Cena 1

Edit: Descobri que ana verdade, Loveless trata sobre a história de Final Fantasy VII do ponto de vista da Shinra corporation.

Bem, eu vi uns trechos disso em Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, e achei muito interessante, por isso deixo aqui o original em inglês para que leiam.

Publicarei algumas partes sempre que puder, enjoy.

———————-

“Beware the cunning wrath of the Ruby Dragon! Try to deceive her outright, and your affronts will come back to haunt you. Subvert her own trickery with careful timing, and yet you may defeat her.” —Loveless; Act I, Scene 7, Verses 25-27

Scene One

They came sometime that Thursday, while she was away at work, moving various things into the vacant apartment next door to hers, on the eighth floor of an unremarkable apartment building located on the upper plate of Midgar’s second sector. She first encountered them on her way home, as she stepped out of the building’s elevator and into the hallway.
As she approached one of them, a square-jawed worker wielding a clipboard and pen, she asked, “Is someone moving in?”
“What do you think? That we lugged these crates all the way up here for our health?”
She rolled her eyes. “I was just asking a question. Who’s the new tenant?”
“Works for Shinra, that’s all I know.”
She nodded and continued on to her own door, the next one over. “Hope it’s not another boring office drone,” she muttered under her breath.
Taking no further notice of her, the movers finished their job and walked back down the hallway. Just as she started working on the finicky top lock of her door, she heard the elevator open. She instinctively turned her head, expecting to see one of her dull neighbors, and did a double take. It was someone entirely new to her, and he was stopping to talk to the movers. Her latest next-door neighbor perhaps?
Sure enough, when this newcomer came down the hallway, he stopped in front of the door of the apartment the movers had just left. He appeared to be in his thirties; his exhausted slouch and the small bags under his eyes hinted at a long, tough week at the office. His blue suit was rumpled, and looked like it needed pressing, and his otherwise impeccable brown hair and beard showed some small signs of neglect. As he sorted through his keys, he looked over at her. She froze, realizing for the first time that she had been staring.
“Am I really all that interesting?” he asked.
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“I mean, me, standing here, going through my keys.”
“Well, it’s just that it’s been awhile since anyone new moved in…”
“Ah, I see,” he replied, a small smile forming on his face. “A welcoming committee.” He walked over to her and held out his hand. “Forrest Reeves, but everyone just calls me Reeve.”
“Elena Terry,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it. “Um, I guess ‘Elena’ is fine.”
Reeve nodded. “All right, Elena. It’s nice to meet you, but I can’t stick around and chat. Must start unpacking, you understand.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but thanks.”
Elena started to retreat into her apartment, when a spark of recognition struck her. She turned back to her new neighbor and looked at him quizzically. Reeve raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s something familiar about you, but I’m not sure what it is…”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Good night.”
“Good night,” Elena said, closing the door behind her. Strange, she thought. Where have I seen him before?

While she was at work the following day, Elena had to go to the office of her supervisor, one Scarlet Hanover, the Shinra Electric Power Company’s Chair of Weapons Development. Elena worked in the Explosives subdivision as a technician and did some training on the side as a Turk cadet. That afternoon, she and another technician were in Scarlet’s office to receive a set of blueprints for a new projectile-launching mecha that was currently in the design phase; Elena’s task was to create custom grenades for this machine. It was a fairly routine assignment, but one made special by the fact that this particular mecha was of Scarlet’s own design.
During this meeting, something on Scarlet’s desk caught Elena’s eye. It was a framed photograph, obviously a studio portrait, of a younger-looking Scarlet and a brown-haired, clean-shaven man in wedding finery. Careful not to let her gaze look too suspicious, she only spent an idle moment’s attention on the photo, before turning away to gaze blankly at the bookshelf behind Scarlet’s desk.
“Elena! Do you understand the assignment?”
Elena was broken out of her trance. “Y-yes ma’am!” Looking at Scarlet, she noted that her boss appeared to be a little bit more high-strung than usual.
“Very well,” Scarlet replied. “I expect a report on the grenade specs to be turned in to my office a week from today. You two are dismissed.”

After work, Elena took the train back to her building, her mind swarming with speculation; she had so many questions to ask him. Upon walking out of the elevator onto the eighth floor, she spotted him down the hall, jimmying his key in an effort to get the door to his apartment to open. She strode toward him briskly, finding herself right in front of him just as he turned the knob on his now-unlocked door.
“Oh, hi Elena. Do these locks always take five minutes to open?”
“Um, Reeve? Remember when I said that there was something familiar about you?”
“Yes. Ever figure out what it was?”
“Actually, I did. You’re in a wedding portrait sitting on my boss’ desk. You see, my supervisor is—”
Cutting her off sharply, Reeve’s tone became more ominous. “Don’t say her name. Please. I don’t want to hear it.”
“I almost asked her—”
“You didn’t tell her I was here, did you?”
“No.”
“Good. Don’t.”
Elena looked at Reeve’s face; the tumultuous emotions displayed on it were too numerous to name, but they all seemed to be connected by a single thread of agony. He leaned back against the doorjamb.
“Listen. One day, maybe I’ll tell you the story of what happened between me and my…”
“Wife? Ex-wife?” Elena offered.
“As far as I’m concerned, I never had a wife.”
Elena paused in thought before quietly replying, “I’m sorry if I—”
“No, no, that’s all right. You don’t know what’s going on, so I can’t fault you for a simple faux pas.”
Elena nodded. For a moment, they stood there in silence. Then, Reeve spoke up.
“Hey, I’m going out for a drink about an hour from now. Would you like to join me?”
Finding herself on the spot, and with no idea of what she was getting into, she replied, “Uh, sure!”
“All right. I’ll come by and knock on your door when I’m ready to go.”
“Okay.”
Reeve nodded and smiled, then started to enter his apartment.
“Oh, one last thing,” Elena said quickly, before Reeve could close his door. “Which bar are we going to?”
“McAllister’s, two sectors over. It’s a dive, but at least it’s friendly.”
Elena gave her new neighbor a sidelong glance. “We’re going to a dive bar?“
“If that’s not a problem,” Reeve replied. “There’ll be someone there that I want you to meet.”

Tucked away on one of Sector Eight’s side streets, McAllister’s was dark and dimly-lit, but as Reeve said, it was also somewhat friendly. Reeve and Elena made their way through the crowd to sit down at a well-worn booth along the back wall. Reeve ordered their drinks, then momentarily glanced at the Chocobo Races on the television before continuing his conversation with Elena. Soon, a man in a rumpled grey suit came by their booth, where he leaned in close to Reeve and whispered something. Reeve nodded, and the man handed him a small piece of paper. Reeve looked at it, giving out a low whistle as he did.
“Nice. I’m definitely selling now. Now if only the IPO would get under way.”
The man in grey gave Elena a suspicious glance, then said, “They’re still delaying that, eh?”
“For yet another month. The whole thing’s been a big pain in the ass.” Reeve slipped something out of his pocket and into the man’s palm. “I’ll contact him later. Thanks for the information.”
The man nodded, then disappeared back into the crowd.
Completely clueless as to what had just happened, Elena leaned toward Reeve from her side of the table. “What was that all about? That wasn’t the guy you wanted me to meet, was it?”
“To answer your first question: I can’t tell you,” he said with a smile. “And to answer your second question: No, that wasn’t him. ‘He’ will be here shortly. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I have to make a call.”
With PHS cellular phone in hand, Reeve walked over to a remote corner of the bar, away from the other patrons. While he was gone, Elena sat patiently and waited, only to find herself being pushed further into the booth by a tall young man with fiery red hair.
“Hey, watch it!”
The redhead gave her a sidelong glance and smirked. Without saying a word, he lit a cigarette and offered one to Elena.
“No thank you,” she replied coldly.
At this moment, Reeve came back to the booth. Elena started to feel a little relieved.
“Reeve, can you tell this guy to get lost?”
“I would, but he’s the person I wanted to introduce you to.”
“Reno Cerise,” the newcomer said, holding his hand out to her. “Sorry if I startled you.”
Elena stared at him in disbelief. “You—you aren’t—the Reno Cerise… of the Shinra Turks?”
“I might be. And who are you?”
“E-Elena Terry, sir!”
“Elena Terry…” Reno murmured, rubbing his chin. Then all of a sudden, he burst out into a peal of laughter. “Elena Terry! No kidding! I think I’ve heard of you—you’re a cadet, right?” Leaning over to Reeve, he whispered, “These cadets always get so nervous when they meet real Turks!”
Reeve laughed, then presented the note to Reno. “Check this out. Not bad, eh?”
“No shit…” Reno said, taking the note and scanning it with his eyes. Then, he suddenly pulled out a cell phone. “I have to call Del Sol.”
“Too late. I called the office just as they were closing up for the day, while you were busy annoying Elena.”
“Damn. You didn’t, by any chance, tell them that I’d be interested too?”
“Reno, who do I look like, your fucking secretary?” he said, before catching Elena out of the corner of his eyes. “Oh, excuse my—”
She waved it off. “It’s all right. I’m not that easily offended.”
Reno leaned back and deadpanned, “Fuck, shit, ass, bitch.” He took one look at the amused Elena, then back at Reeve. “Nope, she’s right. She’s not offended at all. Hell, maybe she is cut out to be a Turk.”
Elena beamed.
“So anyway, Reeve, why did you want me to meet her, anyway? You think she has any more skills for Turkdom besides a tolerance for cussing?”
“Actually, I didn’t even know she was a Turk cadet until you mentioned it. I just thought I’d introduce you to her, that’s all. I know you’ve been looking.”
“Like hell I’ve been,” Reno scowled.
Elena raised an eyebrow at Reeve. “How did you know I was single?”
“Educated guess,” he said, shrugging. “There was just something about you. You just seemed like you were, so…”
Reno cut in, “Pphht, yeah right. ‘Educated guess’ my ass.”
“Okay,” Reeve countered, “so it was more like intuition.”
“You know, you’ve gotta be pretty bold to outright assume that she’s single without so much as asking beforehand,” Reno said, offering Reeve a smoke.
Reeve took the cigarette and lighter from Reno, he then wedged the former between his lips and lit it. “I thought I’d take my chances.”
Reno leaned in close to Elena and whispered, “You better watch this guy; he’s a bit of a gambler.”
Elena replied, “He relies on his luck, eh?”
A thin smile emerged on Reeve’s face. “What Reno said may be true, but that doesn’t mean I believe in luck. The more you know about how the world works, the more you realize that what we call ‘luck’ is simply just a matter of coincidence.”
Reno took a puff from his cigarette and stared into space for a moment before changing the subject. “So. What are you going to do now that you’ve finally managed to sneak away from the Ruby Dragon’s lair?”
“I haven’t completely sneaked away yet, Reno. There’s still a few more steps I need to take before I can truly call myself a free man.”

The three of them left McAllister’s about an hour later and strolled out into the streets of Sector Eight. They soon found themselves in the heart of the city’s theater district, where large billboards for Loveless and other plays loomed over their heads.
“Hey Elena,” Reno said. “Ever see Loveless?”
She shook her head, causing her two male companions to stop dead in their tracks.
“You’ve never seen Loveless?” Reeve asked her in disbelief. “How long have you been living in Midgar?”
Elena laughed. “Not long enough, it seems. I’ve heard it’s quite popular, but I’m not much of a theatergoer to begin with.”
Reeve started to reply, but paused, his gaze now fixed on something just ahead of them. By this time, they were near the Palace Theater, which was letting out after a performance; among those in the Palace’s crowd was Scarlet. Apparently, she had spotted Reeve as well, as she was now walking toward them.
Reno put a hand on Reeve’s shoulder and murmured, “Let’s get out of here,” but Reeve continued staring straight ahead as Scarlet approached. She was dressed in a black satin evening gown, diamond jewelry, and a cold smile.
“Reeve, dear, I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you,” Scarlet said in a seemingly false tone. “I had to go to tonight’s performance all by myself.”
His eyebrows pinched close together, the scowling Reeve said nothing in reply.
“Oh, by the way, when you… vacated… you forgot something.” Scarlet reached in her purse and pulled out a solid gold ring.
Reeve crossed his arms. “I don’t want it. It means nothing to me.”
His wife frowned and shoved the ring back into her purse. “It really is over, isn’t it?”
“I’m meeting with my lawyer tomorrow to complete the paperwork, so it will be official.”
It was then that she took her eyes off of her husband to take note of his companions, arching an eyebrow upon seeing Elena. Scarlet sniffed; not a surprising gesture, as all three of them reeked of beer and tobacco smoke.
“So, you’ve met one of my technicians.”
“Yes. I just met her yesterday.”
“I see,” Scarlet said. “Well, I better be going. Our—my chauffeur’s waiting.” She turned, but not without first giving a suspicious glance to Elena, and disappeared back into the crowd.
When she was gone, Reeve heaved a heavy sigh. “That slimy bitch…”
“But doesn’t it seem like she wants you back?” Elena asked.
“She doesn’t love me. What she loves is the illusion of a successful marriage.”
Elena pondered this for a moment. “I don’t get it.”
“Neither do I. We should get going.”

Reeve, Reno, and Elena rounded the next corner, toward the avenue that would take them back to Sectors One and Two. Just ahead of them was a girl in a pink dress, selling flowers out of a wicker basket.
“What’s she doing out here at this time of night?” Elena wondered.
“The after-theater business is good for her,” Reno replied.
“You know her?”
“Sort of.”
The flower girl looked up from her basket and saw the three. When her eyes lit on Reno, she pulled a long metal staff out from behind her and got in a defensive pose. The redheaded Turk lit himself a fresh cigarette and held out his empty hands.
“Aeris, chill. I’m off-duty. And if you don’t know my off-duty policy by now, then maybe you should.”
The flower girl, Aeris, lowered her staff. “That’s a relief. I thought you would have had me this time.”
As Reno walked closer to the girl, Elena whispered to Reeve, “What’s going on here?”
“Long story—and highly classified, I’m afraid. You’ll probably find out all the details if you ever do become a Turk.”
Elena nodded, and patiently waited alongside Reeve as Reno conversed with Aeris in hushed tones. After about a minute of conversation, the flower girl smiled and bid Reno farewell before continuing on her way.

They reached Sector Two an hour before midnight. Reno left Reeve and Elena at the front door of their apartment complex, then continued further along the street; his own building was another four blocks away. Reeve and Elena rode the elevator up to the eighth floor in silence. Once Reeve reached his door, he turned to Elena and asked her, “Would you like to know the story behind me and Scarlet?”
She stood there, blinking. “Are you sure you want to tell it to me now?”
“I think…” Reeve started, “…I think it might be beneficial for you to know the whole story before you go back into work on Monday morning. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me, and you should gain a different perspective on your boss. It might help to avoid some potentially unpleasant situations.”
Elena nodded. “How she looked at me tonight…”
“That whole incident was completely unjustified, you know that.” Reeve unlocked his door and held it open. “Come inside?”

With Elena sitting on the couch, listening attentively, Reeve leaned against his broad window ledge and told her about how he came to be married to Scarlet Hanover.
“It was an arranged marriage,” he started. “I was born into an upper-middle class family of merchants. We were quite well off, but lacked any sort of social standing. Scarlet’s family wasn’t much wealthier than ours, but they had real status. To this day, the Hanovers hobnob with all sorts of important people from around the world.”
“They’re socialites, in other words.”
“Exactly. Anyway, after I graduated college with an engineering degree, I was married off to Scarlet. I had only met her a few times previous to the wedding, but I had no objection to it. You see, my parents were an arranged couple themselves and lived very happily together for many years. I thought that the same would hold true for Scarlet and I, but it didn’t. I think the trouble started when she wanted to keep her last name, for professional reasons. I originally agreed to this idea in principle, but thinking back on it now…”
Reeve stepped away from the window and walked over to the sofa. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, opposite of Elena, where he took a deep breath.
“Are you all right?” she asked him.
“I’m fine. Now, to continue…
“We did our best to get along with each other during those first few years, but after awhile, it seemed like instead of being a husband and wife, we were just roommates who happened to sleep in the same bed and go out together every so often. We both worked at Shinra, but because of her social connections, she rose higher in the company faster than I did. I always knew that she was talented in her field, but she was never that talented. On the other end of things, whenever I got a promotion, she attributed it solely to her connections, and not to any of my actual work.”
“But which was it, really?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did her connections really help you get promoted?”
“I doubt it. I’ve been an acquaintance of the Vice President’s for a couple of years now, but he’s never gone beyond a simple recommendation on my behalf. As for her own social circle, they could hardly care less about me.”
“So, what happened next?”
“Many things. We tried to have children, but she miscarried twice. A couple of years later, I mentioned adoption to her but she was against the idea, so we never had any kids. At our parents’ urging, we sought counseling a few times. I tried psychiatry on my own. Then two things occurred: I got promoted to Senior Planner, which is the second-highest post in my department, and I met Reno for the first time.
“The Urban Development Chair at the time was a man named Juno; the Junon Military Complex, which he designed, was named after him. It was while working under him that I took over the Midgar Regional Redevelopment Project. The city was only half-built at the time, but once I came on board, I saw to it that that was changed. I managed to get done in four years what took previous Planners more than three times as long.”
For the first time since they had left the bar, Reeve broke out into a smile. He stood up and walked back to the window. “My work on Midgar, though its construction is ongoing, is my crowning achievement.”
“And what about Reno?”
“Oh yes. I met Reno entirely by chance, and somehow we ended up becoming good friends. There was just something about hanging out with him that all those therapy sessions couldn’t replicate. Because of Reno, I began to enjoy life again.
“As it turned out, for some reason or another, Scarlet wasn’t too happy with either my most recent promotion or my new friend. At the time I simply assumed she felt that I had no right to be happy if she wasn’t involved. Then, two years ago, when Juno retired, I was promoted to his post, as Chair of Urban Development, which is the title I currently hold. By that time, Scarlet had been Chair of Weapons Development for the past year. As a result of my promotion, we started to see a lot more of each other at the office. Her behavior, both at home and at work, started to change. Then one evening, I accidentally found out exactly what was going on with her. You see, Scarlet was… she was…”
Reeve found that he was unable to continue. Elena lowered her head and finished his sentence. “Having an affair?”
“…Yes. And evidentially she had been for quite some time…”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry… if you don’t want to go on—”
“No, no. I have to. If you don’t mind.”
Elena eyed him worriedly. “All right, if you say so…”
“I mean, even though we didn’t really see things eye to eye, she was still my wife. Naturally, I felt violated, insulted. That was about a year ago.”
“That long? Why did you wait until recently to leave her?”
“Planning. I needed to make various personal arrangements before setting out on my own.”
“And Scarlet never found out about your plans?”
“We’d always had separate bank accounts in addition to separate names, so certain expenses of mine were never an issue. As for her affair, she never gave any hint that she knew what I knew, but I got the impression that she was at least suspicious. Then yesterday, after I had this furnished apartment purchased and all my other personal arrangements made, I had some movers pack and bring all of my belongings— except for my wedding band, of course—from the penthouse Scarlet and I shared to here, my new home.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it. The short version, anyway.” Reeve stood up and looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. Sorry if I rambled on for too long.”
“No, that’s all right”, Elena said, stifling a yawn. She stood up and stretched. “I should really get going though.”
“All right. I’ll see you to the doo—”
His words were cut off by a loud explosion coming from outside. Bright light streamed into the living room. Reeve rushed to the window and slid it open. A blast of warm air rushed into the room as he leaned out of the window, staring at the giant fireball that was formerly the Sector One mako reactor. Elena stood behind him, clinging to the arm of the sofa, frozen in shock. As the noise subsided, they continued standing where they were while the reactor smoldered. Then, a shrill ringing broke the silence; Reeve closed the window and pulled a PHS cell phone out of his front trouser pocket, answering it on the second ring.
“Hello? Yes Mr. President… Yes, I saw what happened… Yes… Will you excuse me for a moment?”
Putting one hand over the receiver, Reeve looked at Elena, who whispered, “Is that really President Shinra?”
“Yes, and you should go home now. This call is going to take some time.”
He quickly walked her to the door and bade her good night. After he had shut the door, she could hear him resuming his conversation with the President of the Shinra Electric Power Company. Still stunned by what had just happened, Elena walked to her own door and unlocked it. Upon entering her apartment, she collapsed on her couch, where she lay awake for an hour or so before finally drifting off to sleep. For her, it had been a long night, but for her new neighbor, the night was surely just beginning.

MGS4 Poderá vender mai PS3’s do que GTAIV

“Metal Gear Solid 4 venderá muito mais consoles do que o GTAIV já vendeu”, dia um analista industrial, e isso levando em consideração o fato de que GTAIV foi o jogo que mais vendeu mais cópias no dia de seu lançamento, na história do universo.

As vendas do PS3 subiram em 150% desde o ano passado, e de acordo com Eedar’s Jesse Divnich, mar’de sucesso não acabará, muito pelo contrário, ela poderá acelerar com o lnçamento do Metal Gear Online.

“O Playstation 3 da Sony pode celebrar uma pequena vitória já que suas vendas cresceram em 150% desde o ano passado, e com isso, eles pretendem tomar a dianteira do seu rival mais próximo, o Xbx 360, da microsoft.”, ainda diz Divnich.

“Isso vai continuar no mês de Junho (lançamento de MGS4), já que se espera que o PS3 funcione como um catalisador gigante em termos de venda de consoles, assim como foi com o lançamento de GTA IV”
, acrescentou ele.

Isso tudo é devido ao fato de MGS4 ser exclusivo para o PS3, assim como todos os jogos lançados que tiveram esse mesmo efeito na história da Sony.

Divinich também destaca o interessante fato de que os jogos exclusivos da Sony, vendem 45% mais, através do seu “tempo de vida”, do que jogos multi-plataforma para PS3. Isso enquanto é o PS3 “Vs” o Xbox 360. Na disputa entre o este e o Nintendo Wii, há apenas um pequeno aumento no “tempo de vida” das vendas destes jogos multi-plataforma.

Fonte: Computer and Videogames

Algumas screens do jogo. o/

Bem, um post sobre jogos, enjoy.

Ozzy: 2 meses. ;-;

Bem, semana passada fez-se dois meses desde aquele maravilhoso show de Ozzy Osbourne em São Paulo… E eu estava lá. ç_ç

Sinto saudades, foi maravilhoso. ._.

Não fiquei muito perto, na verdade até um tanto longe, mas só de saber que ali era ele, eu já estava feliz. 8D

Mais um sonho realizado. ._.’

Algumas fotinhas. 8D

Quarenta mil pessoas cantando iron man foi lindo. =)

Ozzy lova o Brasil. /o/

” Bleed for me, I’ve bled for you” |D

Bem…Ozzy disse em ‘95 que voltaria…demorou mas cumpriu…disse que vai voltar de novo…espero que se cumpra. 8D

E será melhor ainda se for a Reunion do Sabbath. ‘-’/

Meu primeiro post no meu primeiro Blog. ._.

Well, não sei por onde começar. ._.’

Que tal uma pequena apresentação? XD

Me chamo Gabriel Teixeira Guimarães, gosto de animes, me considero otaku (vide alguns de meus emoticons ê_e), me considero nerd, e gosto de rock clássico, Heavy Metal entre alguns outros estilos, portanto, esperem que a maioria dos posts serão relacionados à isso. ._.’

Acho que para uma apresentação isso tá bom. ^^