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.