Reeve stared back at the screen. "Electronic Field Agents? BlueJay Nexus? What is all of this?" A loading message appeared on the screen, followed by a whole new page of text. Reeve read on.
The EFA update detailed the current state of Shinra: the destruction caused by Meteor, rioting in various cities, and Reeve and the Turks' own exodus from Midgar. Then, Reeve came across the following statement: President Shinra has left the medical facility in Upper Junon. Assasination attempt has failed. He plans to restore order and restart Shinra.
Reeve reread that last statement in disbelief. So, if what this report says is true, that President Shinra survived his stabbing by Sephiroth, then that means…
Reeve shook his head. He had too much to think about as it was. He continued reading, about the Highwind's crashing, Cloud's disappearance, and a sighting of Cait Sith by the Chocobo Farm. So that's where he got off to, Reeve thought. He stared out across the countryside toward the Chocobo fields. He tried again to connect to Cait Sith, but failed. Reno caught sight of Reeve and walked up to him. The Turk asked, "I suppose you've heard about President Shinra?"
Reeve was taken aback by Reno's knowledge. "How did you know?"
"Ahh, you know how fast all the rumors get around in Kalm," Reno replied. "So what are you going to do now?"
Reeve shut down his laptop and stood up. "Whatever I can so that President Shinra doesn't get back in power. Things have got to change, and if he would be the one to rebuild the company, we'll all be back in the dark ages. We have to leave soon… for Junon. I don't suppose that you and the other Turks would be willing to join me?"
Reno leaned in closer toward Reeve. "Listen… just before Diamond WEAPON attacked, we started having our own second thoughts about Shinra. Of course, we've always been about just doing our jobs, but… times change." On this last statement, Reno turned and looked back across the valley at the Midgar's ruins.
Reeve gave Reno a curious look, which the Turk noticed. A small smile crossed Reno's face. "We'll be with you, Reeve. The way things are now… it's too late to turn back. You can count on us."
Reeve stood up and nodded. "Thanks. Now, we should head back into town, to prepare for our journey…"
That afternoon, Reeve gathered together a large group of Midgar's former residents, who stood before him in Kalm's town square. With the Turks keeping guard at the perimeter, Reeve stood on top of a low wall, and spoke to the people.
"I have received news that the honorable President Shinra has fully recovered and is in Junon, making preliminary plans to restart the Shinra Corporation. During my time at Shinra, I witnessed many of the Company's successes-- and failures. I have my own ideas about Shinra's future, but I need your support. I know we can make Shinra a better company… one that will really fulfill its promises. I will be heading out to Junon tomorrow to present my proposal to President Shinra. Anyone who wishes to join me can meet me at the front gate tomorrow morning at 7AM. Thank you and good day."
Reeve listened to the murmurs of the crowd as he stepped down from the wall and made his way back to his summer home, located at the edge of town. Elena and Rude were waiting for him at the front door, and followed him as he walked inside. From the hallway, Marlene timidly looked up at the executive with questioning eyes. Reeve smiled awkwardly at the little girl.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about your daddy yet."
Marlene lowered her head and walked down the hallway, toward the room where Elmyra was staying. Reeve, saddened by the disappointment on the girl's face, turned back to face Rude and Elena. Just then, Reno burst through the door, dragging behind him a large Moogle, covered in moss. There was a small grey and white figure lying on top of the Moogle's head, which Reeve recognized immediately.
"Cait Sith! Reno, where did you find it?"
Reno shrugged. "One of the local miners found it on his way back from the Mythrill Caves."
As Reeve bent down to examine the Toysaurus, Rude asked, somewhat rhetorically, "I wonder how many people are going to follow us tomorrow?"
Reno jumped in. "Well, from what I've overheard, I'd say at least half of them. Reeve's a popular executive, and many have heard rumors about his involvement with AVALANCHE, but others just don't trust anyone from Shinra, or AVALANCHE, for that matter."
In the meantime, Reeve was carefully examining his beloved machine. Both the Moogle and the cat had damaged transmission receptors-nothing Reeve couldn't fix. He gingerly picked up the Starlight Phone and polished the dulled metal. Even though it appeared to be in good condition, there was something that just wasn't right about the megaphone. Unfortunately, Reeve couldn't place his finger on it…
Early the next morning, Reeve awoke to the sounds of busy bustling in the streets below. Still half-asleep, he made his way to the kitchen to find Elena, Elmyra, and Marlene eating breakfast. They greeted the tired executive as he poured himself a mug of coffee and looked out the window. Reeve yawned, and seated himself at the breakfast table. He asked Elmyra, "I don't suppose that you and Marlene will be joining us?"
"I'm afraid that we can't," she replied. "The trip sounds a bit long and dangerous, and I'm really not up to traveling. Besides, there's still so much to be done here." Reeve smiled; "I understand. Still, we're going to miss you. And if we run into Barret or any of the others, I'll be sure to let you know."
A few hours later, Reeve, the Turks, and hundreds of Midgar's residents were crossing the grassy fields of the Western Continent, toward the Junon military complex. Reeve, Elena, and Reno rode ahead of the main group on Chocobos, while the others followed behind in Shinra motorcars, in Chocobo-drawn wagons, on Chocobo-back, and on foot. Rude was riding far ahead of everyone else, scouting out the terrain and giving Reeve updates via PHS.
They traveled along at a steady pace, passing the Chocobo Ranch by mid afternoon. When they came to the Midgar Swamp, Reeve and the Turks ventured into the stagnant waters, along with some SOLDIERs and Shinra troops that had originally come with them from Midgar. They drew off the giant Zoloms that lurked in the swamp in order to clear the way for others to pass safely.
Reeve and Reno found themselves in a party with a SOLDIER named Baker. A Zolom rose from the waters to tower high above them. It attempted to toss Reno out of the fight, but the Turk dodged the monster's tail just in time. Baker rushed forth with his Hardedge, cutting a sizable gash into the beast, and Reeve, armed with Materia, cast Ice 3 in the waters around the Zolom, freezing the monster in place. Reeve nodded to Reno and Baker, and the three of them escaped, leaving the Zolom trapped in the frozen water.
They managed to rejoin the main group before the Zolom could break free. By this time, the others had successfully crossed the swamp and were now making their way through the mines. Now that they were following from behind, Reeve kept an eye on the stragglers and kept in touch with Rude and Elena, who were still at the head of the pack, via PHS. Once completing a call to Elena, Reeve turned to see the SOLDIER, Baker, looking at him inquisitively. Reeve smiled and said, "Thanks for your help with the Zoloms."
"Hey sure, it was nothing. I have a question though, if you don't mind my asking."
"Not at all. What is it?"
"What are you going to do, if we get to Junon, and Shinra doesn't agree to step down?"
"I don't anticipating him agreeing with such a direct request. At the very least, I think we can convince him to hold an election."
At this, Baker laughed. "An election, eh? For President of Shinra? Now that I'd like to see!"
"Believe me, if I know President Shinra, he will bend his will toward what the people want. He doesn't want to lose customers, after all…"
"But will 'the people' agree to it?"
"I don't know… and that's what I'm afraid of."
*****
By sundown, the massive group had reached the base of Fort Condor, with Junon looming on the horizon. The hillsides surrounding the Fort were transformed into a giant encampment, but the Condor residents didn't seem to mind. They had remembered the assistance that Reeve's Cait Sith unit provided to them back when Shinra was collecting the Huge Materia, so loaning him their hillsides was merely paying him a small favor. As twilight settled in, Reeve and Reno rode their Chocobos ahead to Junon to see what state it was in.The town of Lower Junon was as quiet and dismal as ever, yet there was also a certain excitement in the air as Reeve and Reno entered. In particular, they saw a number of villagers congregating around one of the houses. Curious, Reeve dismounted from his bird and headed toward the house. Some of the villagers recognized him as a Shinra executive and let him pass. There, inside the house, was Pricilla; behind her, Barret Wallace lay on the bed.
"I found him on the seashore… he must've washed up from somewhere," the little girl explained, as Reeve walked up to the bed. "Is he all right?" the executive asked.
Barret stirred. "Hmmph… that voice. I know… that voice," he said, as he opened his eyes ever so slightly. "How're you doing, Mr. Shinra Manager?"
Reeve smiled. "Not bad. How're you, Mr. AVALANCHE terrorist?"
"Damn… I don't know. After the Lifestream flowed up toward Meteor, something happened to the Highwind… and we all had to abandon ship. Next thing I know, I'm laying here. So, what brings you here? I know you didn't come all this way just to pay me a visit."
Reeve replied, "Actually, I'm here with a bunch of folks from Midgar. We're here to meet with President Shinra… to see about having a proper election."
Barret groaned at this. "Why do you want to deal with that damn fool, Reeve? I know you, and you're smarter than that. Hell, if anything, you should run Shinra! Forget the election-- just take it over!"
Reeve just shook his head and turned away. "I don't know, Barret." Then, he thought of something and turned back to him; "One more thing… Marlene's in Kalm with Elmyra. They're both safe. Just thought you should know."
Barret nodded and closed his eyes. Reeve started to leave the house when he heard Barret calling his name from behind. Reeve turned around to see Barret sitting up, staring at him. "One thing I forgot. My Materia's gone." Barret raised his gun-arm; sure enough, all eight of the Materia slots were empty. Likewise with the Mystile on his other arm.
Reeve raised an eyebrow. "You mean, when you woke up, you had no Materia?"
"Damn, Reeve! What else did you think I meant?!"
Reeve remembered Cait's Starlight Phone, finally realizing what had been wrong with it. Like Barret's gun-arm, the megaphone was found stripped clean of all Materia. Suddenly, a thought popped into the former executive's head. "You haven't heard anything about Yuffie, have you?"
"What I do remember is that no one could find her when we bailed out of the Highwind."
"Yeah, I remember now… shortly after we jumped, Cait's parachute tore and he crashed. I lost contact with everyone."
"I don't know where anyone else landed either…"
Reeve turned to leave. As he got to the door, Barret exclaimed, "Hey Reeve, you don't think that little #@$% stole all our Materia again, do you?"
Reeve's expression turned grim. "With the unstable nature that the world's in right now, I sure hope not…"
The next morning, Reeve's SOLDIERs easily overtook the few security guards who were stationed around the elevator that led up to Junon, then they herded as many people as they could onto the elevator platform. They managed to get a few hundred people into the city in only a few shifts, and soon, Reeve and the Turks were leading a massive group of Midgar's citizenry down the Airport Path toward the central building, the home of Shinra's Junon headquarters.
The Shinra SOLDIERs and troops stationed inside the fortress were startled by the Midgarites' entry and approach. They maintained a cautious, battle-ready stance, but let the people go peacefully on their way. Reeve attempted to get through to President Shinra via PHS, but kept getting a busy signal. Suddenly, a shot rang out, which was followed by a scream coming from somewhere in the crowd. Reeve turned back to see one of the former Midgar residents lying dead on the pavement, shot by the Junon commander he was taunting. It was hard to discern what exactly happened next, as the crowd dissolved and Junon's troops rushed in. Reeve broke away from the main group, clutching the Starlight Phone, and with the fully repaired Cait Sith following from behind with his new Crystal Megaphone. Reno, Rude, and Elena backed them up, taking care of the Shinra from behind. They managed to make it to a dimly lit alley, where they caught their breath and took stock of the situation. While Cait blocked the four of them from the riot raging on outside, Reeve's PHS suddenly rang. He picked it up.
"Reeve speaking."
"This is President-- yes, President-- Shinra. My dear Reeve, your behavior of late has both astounded and amused me. On the one hand, I'm impressed by your rescuing everyone from Midgar. Yet on the other, did you honestly think I would step down so you could 'elect' yourself President? Ha ha ha--"
Reeve didn't hear anything else, for he had thrown the phone against the ground, smashing it to bits. The Turks stared at him, a little bit taken aback. They'd heard of Reeve's legendary temper, but had never seen it in action. Reeve looked up at the Turks and quickly apologized once he realized that he'd startled them. Then, Rude's PHS rang. The stoic Turk quietly answered it, listened for a moment, then handed the phone to Reeve.
"Sir, it's for you. I really think you should listen to this."
Reeve reluctantly took the PHS from Rude and listened. He was surprised to hear an electronically disguised voice. It said, "BlueJay Nexus EFA System brings urgent news. Rioting in North Corel. North Corel reactor operational. Over and out." Then a click was heard, followed by a dial tone.
Reeve sighed. "Whoever these Nexus guys are, they appear to be on our side. Let's go."
Elena said, "Go? Where are we going?"
"The Underwater Reactor… then the submarine dock. We have to get the hell out of Junon."
The Turks nodded, and Cait moved away from the alley's entrance, so they could leave. Crossing the Airport Path toward the lower roads that led to the Underwater Reactor, they ran into Baker.
"Commander Reeve! You're safe! Some of us have been looking for you."
Reeve replied, "Tell the others I appreciate the effort. Listen, we're getting out of here. I want you and the other SOLDIERs to get as many of the Midgar residents out of Junon as soon as possible. I won't have them die in a losing battle."
"Yes sir. Is there anything else?"
"Just to retreat back to Fort Condor and await my next set of orders. It appears that our plans… have to be changed."
Baker nodded, and a slight smile crept onto his face. "We have the utmost faith in you sir! Don't let us down!"
Reeve responded with a quick "Thank you", then ran down the corridors with Cait and his Turks.
The Underwater Reactor was heavily guarded, but with some stealth, and a good deal of fighting, Reeve, Cait, and the Turks, managed to make it to the Central Control Room. This room contained manual override switches for every Mako reactor in the world, in case one of them malfunctioned and there wasn't enough time to get to the reactor itself. Of course, with the riots, this was an entirely different situation. Some wayward Shinra personnel looked on as Reeve and Cait threw the heavy switches for the Corel reactor. One of them, a quality control specialist, asked Reeve as he left the Control Room, "Are you going to come back to Shinra?"
Without looking back, Reeve answered, "I kind of doubt it." Then he and Cait boarded a large grey submarine, which the Turks had secured in the meantime.
The sub decended into the murky depths, and soon, they were gone.
*****
Late that evening, the camp around Fort Condor had sprung up again; sadly, it was a little smaller this time, as many who had gone to Junon hadn't come back. Around one in the morning, a large, dark shape emerged from the nearby waters. Five figures climbed out and quietly made their way toward the small camp, where they were stopped by an armed sentry who was stationed at the foot of the hill.
"Who goes there?"
"It's us."
Baker loosened up a little on hearing the familiar voice. "How did it go?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"We got mostly everyone out of Junon safely. Did lose some folks though…"
"Well… unfortunately, that was to be expected. Listen, we have to leave, tonight."
"Who, everyone?"
Reeve sighed. "I wish."
Reno added, "Just military personnel for right now. We can arrange to pick up whoever else we need later on."
Reeve continued, "Of course, a submarine isn't the most ideal form of transportation, but it's all we have at the moment…"
Baker grinned, and thumbed back at a massive black shape sitting on the meadow just outside of the encampment. "Then why don't we use that Gelnika instead? We swiped 'er from the Shinra Air Force to help us get people out of Junon faster."
Reeve and the Turks looked at the cargo plane, almost dumbfounded. Finally, Reeve took Baker's hand in both of his in a congratulatory shake. "Remind me to get you a promotion when we get to where we're going."
"Promotion? What, are you going back to Shinra or something?"
Reeve smirked. "Not quite…"
Within an hour, Reeve and the Turks were high in the skies, along with Cait and various SOLDIERs, troops, and a few civilians. Rude's PHS still in his possession, Reeve activated the callback command in an attempt to reach the BlueJay Nexus.
"Hello? This is Reeve. I managed to use the manual override in the Underwater Reactor to shut down the Mako reactor in Corel. Also, there's been some rioting in Junon-- the Turks and I barely escaped with our lives. Listen, I'm concerned about Wutai. If Yuffie has all of AVALANCHE's Materia, it could pose a serious threat to the world at large, especially in this chaotic--"
Just then, a voice broke through, but it wasn't the same electronically disguised voice as before. It was a clear, commanding voice. "Reeve, this is BlueJay, Welcome to the EFA."
Reeve was silent for a moment, then continued. "Barret was found, with all of his Materia gone. Cait Sith was found in a similar state. We believe a possible conflict with Wutai is imminent--"
"Reeve, I do not understand your intentions. I do what is best for the Planet though. So, regardless if your plan makes me an Emperor or not, if this is not right for the planet, I will not help. Please specify your intentions. Also, the rebels have overridden your shutdown. The Corel reactor is up. The agent there has not reported in for some time. I believe he is dead. Further info cannot be obtained for the time being. Other revolts across the planet are causing havoc everywhere."
"That's precisely why I'm--"
Reeve stopped. The line had gone dead.
Completed September 2001 | Revised January 2003 | Copyright 2001-2003, The Blue Shinra Project.
Yet another one for BlueJay, tho' I had to add a LOT of detail to flesh out this part of the story…
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