Taking Care of Reno: Nibelheim
Chapter 3: Just a Typical Day at Work
It was getting dark. The… thing… that had been stalking him seemed to have gone. Either he’d somehow managed to lose it, or it had just gotten bored of him. Frankly, he didn’t care which, as long as it didn’t come back. That had left him with a new problem, however. In the process of evading the unseen creature, he’d taken any number of twists and turns on the mountain paths. In fact, a few of the areas he’d traversed in his panic could hardly be called paths at all. Weston felt as though he’d been wandering in circles for hours.
As the sun sank lower in the sky, the unsettling reality that he was well and truly lost somewhere in the Hades-be-damned Nibel Mountains began to creep into his mind. Ai was the one who knew the way back to town… and she was very dead at the moment. By now, he didn’t even know how far from the reactor he’d come… and thus had no way of knowing whether or not anyone sent to search for the two missing interns would ever stumble across him. For all he knew, he’d been going the wrong direction since he’d lost his fellow intern to… whatever it was that had attacked them. He had literally no idea where he was.
Weston groaned in defeat and leaned back against the rocks, slowly sinking to the ground. What in the Nine Hells was he going to do? The sun was going down. It was getting cold. He had nothing to eat or drink. No shelter. No way to call for help.
And of course… that thing could always come back…
This wasn’t what he’d signed up for. He’d come to Nibelheim to further his career… not to be torn limb from limb by some science experiment. And he was absolutely certain that’s what it was. It had to be. There were absolutely predators in these mountains, but nothing that would have sent Ai running like that. He could still remember the look on her face, and the terrified tone of her voice when she’d emerged from the pod chamber of the reactor. It had to have been something that had… escaped. And now it was loose somewhere on the mountain. The whole town would be in danger if it wasn’t recaptured, and he couldn’t even warn his superiors.
But though he was moderately concerned for the townsfolk, his primary focus was on his own well-being. Weston was not taking the fall for this. Not that it was even his fault to begin with, but Shinra Company didn’t like shouldering the blame for their mistakes. There was always a scapegoat… and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be him. Fortunately, if it came down to it, he could lay the blame plainly at Ai’s feet. It’s not as if she was going to contradict him… and all the camera back at the reactor would show, were anyone to bother looking at the footage, was her running out of the pod chamber in a panic. His backside was covered, at least.
Assuming he made it back to town alive, that is…
The sun had slipped below the tops of the mountain by the time the transport arrived at Healin Lodge. The only evidence that it was still in the sky at all was a faint pinkish glow that still managed to peek above the range, and even that was fading fast. Tseng stood up and picked up Reno’s suitcase, carrying it towards the exit, and the redhead hurried to follow. They stepped out into a cool, early spring evening.
The entrance to the executive retreat was surprisingly lush, and somewhere in the distance, the redhead could hear the sound of rushing water. In the twilight, he spotted the silhouettes of several low buildings, some lit up from within, others dark. Tseng passed the suitcase over to him, and then held out an expectant hand.
“Phone,” the Turk leader calmly requested.
“Tch… seriously?” Reno muttered, but obediently fished it out of his pocket and handed it over. He flashed his mentor a teasing grin before adding, “What if there’s an emergency? Like… the whole city burns down or somethin’?”
“You’re here to relax. If I let you keep it, you’ll be texting Rude the entire time asking for updates… and don’t bother trying to tell me you won’t. Better to simply remove the temptation. In the highly unlikely event of a spontaneous, city-wide incineration, I’ll simple have you paged by the staff.”
“Yeah, yeah… okay” he snickered. Tseng wasn’t wrong. He probably would have done just that, simply because, orders or not, he still wasn’t real comfortable with the thought of leaving his mentor to fend for himself for a week.
“Everything will be fine,” Tseng assured him. “I’ve already spoken to Remy, and she will cover the majority of your administrative duties while you’re gone. Kai was only too happy to assist with the rookies’ training, and I plan to have Rude try and make some sense of your backlog of paperwork…” He smirked slightly, and teasingly added, “… though I have my doubts on his success. Your handwriting has actually gotten far worse since your promotion. Something I was certain was utterly impossible.”
Reno couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “Yeah, okay… I get it. You got things covered.” He grinned widely. “Ya know… I’m actually a little flattered that you think it’s gonna take three people to make up for me not bein’ there…”
Tseng snorted a quiet laugh.
“Enjoy yourself,” he said, smiling slightly, before stepping back onto the transport. Reno watched it disappear back down the little road that had led into the place and then turned and made his way up to, what he could only assume, was the main building. It was the one with the most lights on, and seemed oddly welcoming in the growing darkness. He stepped inside… and was almost immediately rushed by two female members of staff.
“Welcome to Healin Lodge!” one of them merrily chirped while the other insistently wrestled the suitcase from his hands. “Name please?”
“Uh…” the redhead stammered, blinking in surprise, “Reno. Donovan.”
She was a petite woman with a slender build and black hair with a single pale pink streak beginning above her right eye… a look he’d seen around Midgar more and more often of late. Apparently it was a new trend.
“Wonderful… We’ve been expecting you,” she continued with a smile so wide he was mildly concerned her face might split, “I’m Kara, your personal concierge for your stay. Anything you need, you just let me know. I’m always immediately reachable by dialing two-two from any phoneline at the Lodge. Let’s just get you checked in, and then I’ll show you to your cabin.”
She led him over to the main reception desk before he could answer, where a very posh and sophisticated-looking older gentleman was waiting for them. Within five minutes, he’d been checked in, handed a keycard for his “cabin”, and had his dinner order taken… before being whisked back out into the night and personally escorted to where he’d be staying, with the assurance that food would be arriving in fifteen minutes or less.
Kara then left him to his own devices, and Reno discovered that his luggage had arrived well ahead of him and was waiting just inside the door. Finally having a moment to process things, his jaw dropped slightly as he took in the room he was presently standing in.
When she’d said “cabin”, he’d expected something a little more… rustic. Instead, he was greeted by plush deep-blue carpeting, soft gray walls, and modern furniture. A massive TV took up nearly half of one wall, and on another, a large picture window looked out over a waterfall that he could only just make out in the moonlight. Weirdly enough, though, he couldn’t hear it. Like at all. Curious, he made his way over to a sliding glass door on the far side of the room, and opened it. He was met with the roar of water and the sight of a very welcoming patio that sat just beside the falls, overlooking the dropoff into a dark and misty abyss below. He closed the door again, and everything was silence.
“Heh… Man. Wish my apartment had that kinda soundproofing…” he mused.
He wandered back across the room to another door, and found a small kitchen and dining space. The fridge was pre-stocked with a few snacks and several bottles of beer.
“Holy crap…” he breathed, recognizing the label as the pricey-but-worth-every-gil Ultima Ale. His personal favorite, even though he wasn’t quite willing to splurge on it for anything other than special occasions. He grinned and nabbed one, popping the top off with the convenient bottle opener on the counter, and took a drink, turning as he did so… and very nearly choked. The back wall of the kitchen was a fucking mini-bar on steroids. Tiny bottles of just about every variety of spirit he could name. And he could name a lot of alcohol.
“Okay… I’m definitely gonna like this place.”
His next stop was the bedroom, where he realized that Tseng had to have made a few requests on his behalf, because there was no way in hell he’d gotten lucky enough to score a room that came with both his favorite beer and a giant waterbed. He laughed and set the Ultima Ale on the nightstand before flopping onto the bed and enjoying the gentle undulation of the mattress.
He suddenly wished Tseng hadn’t taken his phone, because he was sorely tempted to send him a quick text letting him know he was staying here forever. Healin Lodge really was the definition of executive luxury. After a few minutes, Reno forced himself from the comfort of the bed, his curiosity getting the better of him as he realized that he hadn’t finished exploring quite yet. The Turk made his way into the bathroom next, and let out a low whistle when he flipped the light switch.
He had a fucking jacuzzi. In. His. Bathroom.
“Yeah… totally never goin’ home again…” he chuckled.
Friday morning found Tseng in the office early. Well… earlier, given that his normal arrival time was about an hour before the day officially commenced. He already knew he was going to have a lot on his plate for the next several days, with Reno out of town. Might as well get a jump on things.
As he made his way down the hallway, however, he was a little surprised to note that he, apparently, wasn’t the only one. The light in Rude’s office was on. Curious, he detoured slightly and knocked on the door. Receiving no answer, he peered inside anyway, and found the younger man, headphones covering his ears, typing relentlessly into his computer… apparently transcribing whatever he was listening to. He shook his head slightly and slipped fully into the room. Rude never looked up. When he was close enough, he lightly tapped the bald Turk on the shoulder.
Rude startled violently at the unexpected interruption, eyes going wide as his focus immediately shifted to the Turk leader.
“For Hades’ sake…” he breathed, pulling the headphones off, and setting them on the desk. Tseng smirked.
“I did knock,” he said.
Rude snorted softly and leaned back in his chair, before glancing at his watch.
“You’re here early…” he noted.
“And it seems I’m not the only one,” Tseng agreed.
“Hmph… Figured I’d get the transcript for yesterday’s interrogation out of the way before you assigned me half of Reno’s schedule for the week…” Rude chuckled, and the Turk leader couldn’t help but crack a small smile.
“Ah… You’ve already heard, then. I suppose I shouldn’t be particularly shocked.”
Rude merely shrugged.
“Well… since it seems I don’t need to explain where he is at the moment, I’ll jump straight to your assignment. Reno has a fair amount of paperwork he’s rather… behind on. I would greatly appreciate it if you could try and whittle down the pile a bit. When it doesn’t interfere too much with your own duties, of course.”
“That’s it?” the younger Turk asked, sounding somewhat surprised.
“Remy has already agreed to handle the lion’s share of his daily tasks. And Kai is managing the rookies. Though if you’d like to contribute further…” Tseng said, teasingly. Rude snorted a soft laugh.
“No, sir… I’m good,” he chuckled. “How’d Reno take being sent on a mandatory vacation, anyway? I haven’t heard from him.”
A mischievous smile crept across Tseng’s face. “And you won’t be. I’ve confiscated his phone for the duration of his stay.” He shook his head. “But he took it quite well, all things considered. There were, of course, some minor protests… but I think he knows as well as I do just how close to a burnout he was getting. And I’m sure once he saw his accommodations, any misgivings he may have had about being sidelined for a week very quickly evaporated. I… requested a few extra amenities when I made his reservation.”
“Booze?” Rude queried, knowingly, and Tseng laughed softly.
“Among other things. Suffice it to say, he will be extremely comfortable while he’s there.”
Ryu dropped to his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath. The gauntlet run had been bad enough, but taking one of those Leviathan-be-cursed rubber balls directly to his solar plexus had knocked the wind out of him. He was just lucky he’d been close to the finish line when it had happened. Otherwise, he’d probably still be getting pummeled by the damned things.
“Still alive there, rookie?” Kai asked, far too casually for his taste, as she meandered up to him. Ryu let out a wheeze that sounded vaguely like an answer in the affirmative. Yes, he was most certainly still alive – as he was fairly positive that being dead would hurt far less – though he couldn’t make a particularly reliable guess as to how long he might stay that way at the moment.
“Good,” she said, grinning widely, “Alright, Turklings… ten minute break, and then we’re doing it again!”
There was a collective groan from just outside of Ryu’s line of sight, and a moment later, his fellow rookies had joined him on the floor in varying states of exhaustion.
“Hey… You alright, Ryu?” Victor asked, chuckling faintly.
“I will answer that question… when I can… b-breathe normally again…” the Wutaiian Turk managed between gasping coughs. He groaned and let himself flop onto his back on the floor, staring up at the high ceiling of their practice space.
“So… now that we’ve got a moment to breathe…” Zephyr began, only to glance over at Ryu, “Well… most of us, anyway… anyone know why we’re doing gauntlet runs with Kai again when we just did them yesterday? Where’s Reno?”
It hadn’t come up during the morning briefing. They’d simply been informed that they were with Kai today. The redhead hadn’t even been present at the meeting.
“Must be on assignment,” Victor said with a shrug before reaching for the water bottle he’d stowed nearby and and taking a swig. “Or he’s got some kind of training, again, maybe.”
That had been happening a lot lately, Ryu silently noted. The transition in leadership had been… more than a little rocky… and though the senior Turks tended not to discuss the minute details of it, the rookie had overheard enough conversations to pick up on the fact that Tseng had originally planned for a much longer training period for his new second in command than Veld’s unfortunate run-in with a random slum rat had afforded him. Reno had been extraordinarily busy since his promotion. If he wasn’t training them, then he was usually in some sort of training himself… and it seemed that his training took priority, as multiple times over the past several weeks, he’d been replaced by one of the other senior Turks even though he was the trainer on the schedule.
And… frankly, Ryu’s respect for the man had gone up significantly because of it. When he’d first met the senior Turk, he’d immediately written him off as a slacker. And even after he’d gotten to know him a little better, he’d still kind of regarded him as such, at least to some extent. Since they’d lost Veld, though… he’d seen first hand just how seriously Reno took his job, and how hard he was working to learn what he needed to know to be effective in his new role. Ryu was pretty sure that he’d have already given up if he’d been putting in the hours Reno was lately.
“Think he’ll be back later today?” Zephyr inquired, “I’d… really kind of prefer to do my flight training with him, instead of Remy this week…”
Victor snickered, a faint grin turning up the corners of his lips. “What’s the matter Zeph? Still scared of her?”
“Absolutely,” the young rookie intoned, with slight shudder, “Don’t get me wrong… I like Remy. I just feel like everything I do is completely and totally wrong when she’s the one I’m working with. It’s bad enough in the training hall. I do not need that kind of paranoia hanging over me seven hundred feet off the ground.”
Victor laughed, and even Ryu managed a harsh wheeze in response. The latter sat up as his diaphragm finally stopped spasming and allowed him to take a full, if somewhat shaky, breath.
“Just because she’s by the book –” the Wutaiian Turk began, only to be cut off.
“Ryu, if Remy were any more ‘by the book’, she’d have us doing book reports every week,” a new voice proclaimed, snickering. Zephyr groaned and rolled her eyes, turning to the newcomer.
“You know, Reno’s jokes are bad… but yours are terrible, Liam,” she said, shaking her head. Victor barked an amused laugh.
“She’s right, ya know…” he agreed, teasingly. Liam flushed slightly.
“I thought it was funny…” he mumbled, “Hey, Victor… you were military. You must have gone through something like this before. How long does the whole leadership transition thing usually last?”
Victor frowned slightly. “Not sure it’s really comparable. I mean… in Junon, when you got a new CO, it was pretty seamless. They already know the job. They’re just commanding new people. Unless you get stuck with a really shit CO.” He paused a moment, looking unsure. “Thing is… I kind of get the feeling Reno wasn’t really supposed to take over anytime soon. But Veld died… and he just didn’t have a choice.”
“He could have turned down the promotion…” Ryu, having finally caught his breath again, opined, “What’s the point of promoting someone who’s blatantly not ready for the job?”
“You turn down a promotion in the Turks, you’re not likely to get offered another one,” Liam pointed out, “There aren’t that many opportunities for it. If you want it, someone literally has to die.”
“He does have a point, though,” Zephyr chimed in, “I mean… technically, don’t both Remy and Kai have more seniority than Reno? Shouldn’t one of them have been next in line? Especially if Reno is as far from being trained for it as it seems like he is?”
“That’s nepotism for you,” Ryu shrugged.
“Whoa, wait a minute,” Victor cut in, “That’s not what I meant.”
“But it’s true, don’t you think?” Ryu challenged him, “Reno is Tseng’s protege. That’s even how he was first introduced to us at the training center before the three of us were promoted. He was clearly earmarked for the job early on in his career, and even when things didn’t happen the way they were expected to, he still got it. Over two more experienced Turks.”
The group fell silent for a moment. Eventually Liam shook his head.
“Come on, guys, face it… we’re just lowly, lowly rookies. We don’t have any idea as to what kind of thought and discussion went into the decision to promote Reno. Tseng obviously thought he’d be best for the job. Period.”
“Well… some of us are just lowly rookies,” Zephyr giggled, “Or did you forget? Again?”
Liam flushed slightly and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “Uh… actually, yeah. For a second there I kinda did,” he laughed, “Give me a break, Zeph… I’m still getting used to this whole promotion thing.”
“Hmph… the rest of us may be lowly rookies alright,” Ryu agreed, ignoring the tangent in the conversation, “But just in point of fact, we do make up nearly a third of the team. Maybe we should be privy to things like that.”
“I’m with Liam,” Victor said. “When you’re low man on the totem pole, you shut up, get in line, and follow orders… and trust that the higher ups know what they’re doing.”
“Zephyr?” Ryu prodded after a few silent moments. The younger rookie shifted uncomfortably.
“I… kind of think you both have a point,” she admitted, and Ryu huffed in irritation.
“Neutrality…” he said in distaste, “The bane of progress.”
“What’s your problem, now, Ryu? I thought, after that whole fiasco with Vice President Shinra, you’d finally decided that Reno was good guy…” Victor asked, curious, and the younger man rolled his eyes.
“I admit, when we first met, I let some of my own… prejudices… cloud my judgment of him. I was wrong in my initial assessment. That doesn’t necessarily mean I think he’s qualified to be Second in Command… particularly when there are others who may be more suited for it. I’m only trying to consider what’s best for the team. We can’t afford to think solely about ourselves. That was my mistake the first time around, and one I don’t intend to repeat.”
Victor snorted softly. “There’s such a thing as going too far towards the other extreme, you know…”
A loud handclap interrupted the conversation has Kai descended upon them, grinning.
“Time’s up my little Turklings! Break’s over… Everyone back to the starting line,” she declared. She paused upon spotting Liam. “What’s up? Need something?”
“Oh!” Liam cried, eyes going wide, “I got so caught up in the conversation I forgot the whole reason I came down here. Tseng says there’s a ‘small scheduling conflict’ and he’s going to be a little late for the next training period. He wanted me to tell you that you can either carry on with what you’re doing, or just let everyone do free training until he’s done.”
Kai grinned maniacally. “Oh, goodie! Extra gauntlet time! That means we should be able to get two more runs in, instead of just one!” she declared.
The three rookie Turks collectively groaned, as the prior conversation was almost immediately pushed from their minds at the prospect of more physical torture.
“Sir,” a voice greeted him from the open doorway of his office. Tseng glanced up from the memo he’d just received, eyes briefly moving to his watch and noting that it was nine-thirty. He smiled slightly. Remy was nothing if not punctual. A trait they generally shared.
“Ah… good. Please, have a seat,” he said in response, and his temporary Second closed the door behind her before settling herself in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I… have to admit, I’m not entirely clear on the procedure for these meetings. When I filled in for you a few years ago… well…”
Tseng chuckled softly. “I assume Veld simply commandeered you whenever he had the need for a chat rather than having a scheduled meeting time and an agenda.” Remy nodded. “I was never… fond… of that method, to be honest. I always found it rather disruptive to my day. And I prefer Reno to have a bit more structure, regardless, considering how much is on his plate at the moment.”
“If it’s not out of line for me to ask… how’s his training going? Beyond the fact that he’s spent the last week looking like he was dead on his feet…” she asked.
The Turk leader sighed. “There’s been… progress. But he has a long way to go, yet. He’s been trying so hard, but there’s so much we’ve had to cover. No one should have to learn the ropes like this. If it’s not high-level company procedures, it’s bureaucracy. If it’s not bureaucracy, it’s diplomacy. If it’s not diplomacy, it’s the somewhat ridiculous amount of minutia we’re expected to not only know about but keep passingly up to date on… this meeting, for instance. It seems it entirely slipped his mind when he wrote up the schedule for the week. Nevermind the fact that I don’t think I’d had a non-work related conversation with him in week, up until the drive to Healin last night.” He shook his head. “And, remarkably… stressed as he’s been, he’s lasted far longer than I believe I could have, had I been in his shoes.”
“I have to admit… I was a little surprised when you told me he’d agreed to go and take a break,” Remy noted.
“There was no agreement to be made. I didn’t give him a choice,” Tseng replied, “You know how relentlessly driven he can be at times. He’ll take on a task and simply won’t stop until it is either completed, or he drops. I still quite clearly remember the materia training incident. I will not allow things to deteriorate to that point a second time. Not even if it puts us further behind schedule than we already are.”
“Just what is your timeline to have him fully trained, anyway?”
“I’m… currently re-evaluating that,” Tseng said, in a somewhat embarrassed voice. “And that’s actually one topic I wanted to cover today. It’s clear now that I’ve been far too aggressive in this, and my original tentative deadline of three months was obscenely arrogant on my part and just plain unrealistic. I’m going to wear him down to nothing at this rate, and frankly, there’s just no need for it. I have resources… I would be foolish not to use them. Assuming you’re willing to pitch in as Second as well, while he’s still learning, that is?”
“Absolutely, sir,” Remy replied, and Tseng couldn’t help but chuckle again at her obvious excitement at the prospect of taking the reigns, so to speak, for a slightly longer duration. She frowned thoughtfully. “Isn’t that a bit unprecedented, though, sir?”
“Temporarily having what essentially amounts to two Second in Commands, you mean?” he said with a quiet laugh. “Oh, it’s unprecedented, alright. But so is trying to train one in three months. So, for that matter, is recruiting a sixteen year old and training him in the field. Reno is quite literally the definition of unprecedented… so as long as I’m setting precedents left and right anyway, I’d prefer this be one that doesn’t result in the Second I’m training winding up in a mental institution on account.”
“I… would strongly prefer that as well, sir,” Remy said in a serious tone.
“I’ll see to raising your security clearance to the necessary level later this afternoon… and you may as well add this meeting to your calendar for the foreseeable future. We’ll sort out the actual division of duties when Reno is back from his trip. He can reclaim responsibilities from you as he feels ready to do so. Ideally, I would still like to have him fully trained by the end of the summer or perhaps mid-fall… and I think allowing him to learn in more digestible portions will give him a better chance of reaching that goal.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I also wish to make it clear just how much I appreciate this. If… you’re still interested… once Reno is more capable in his new role, I’d like to revisit the Junon branch of the Turks with you. It was promised to you, after all.”
Remy blinked in surprise. “I… I don’t know what to say,” she said, somewhat breathlessly before a smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Tseng.”
The Turk leader nodded. “Well… now that that’s settled. I received a rather interesting report from Nibelheim shortly before you arrived. It seems a pair of interns have gone missing. They were sent up to the reactor a day ago to reactivate our old monitoring equipment and have yet to return.”
“Are they asking us to investigate?” Remy asked, but Tseng shook his head.
“No. It was merely an update on our request for the technical assistance and an apology for the delay with our cameras. They’re sending someone else up to finish the task and look for the interns. It may be nothing more than a simple case of two inexperienced employees losing their way on the mountain. Still… I think it best to at least keep an eye on the situation until we hear otherwise. There’s always the possibility that the animal attacks the town was experiencing over the winter may not be as resolved as was assumed, and if that’s the case it may require our intervention at some point.”
“I thought the Board had decided to deploy SOLDIER, if there was still an issue,” Remy remarked.
“They have. But knowing SOLDIER and how they tend to do things, there may be some cleanup needed when they’re done,” Tseng said, rolling his eyes, “Hopefully, they won’t make too big of a mess.”
He’d never been a fan of SOLDIER’s somewhat cavalier approach to… well, pretty much everything they did. While they certainly got the job done when they were sent in, they tended to be loud, disruptive, and had a generally blasé attitude when it came to collateral damage. And they seldom stuck around long enough to clean up their own messes… which meant that if anything classified – like an experimental reactor, for example – was involved, that task would almost certainly fall to the Turks to ensure that it remained classified.
“Understood, sir.”
“In the mean time –” he began, only to be unceremoniously cut off by the sudden blaring of an alarm. Less than a second later, both his phone and Remy’s began to emit a similar screeching din. The younger Turk looked at the screen in alarm.
“Containment breach in Bio Lab Seven,” she stated, reading the alert. “One of the low security labs on Thirty-Nine… The floor is on a level one lockdown. Building security is responding.”
“Wonderful…” Tseng groaned, getting to his feet. “Petra has already left for Mideel with Rufus, but Sykes, Liam, and Rude should still be in the building. You get them. I’ll round up Kai and the rookies, and we’ll meet on Thirty-Nine to back up Building Security.”
“Yes, sir,” Remy replied, before hurrying from his office in search of her fellow Turks. Tseng sighed and shook his head.
“I really am beginning to wish I’d stayed with Reno instead of returning to Midgar…”
~end chapter 3~
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