Reeve returned to Midgar about a week later. He had been due back earlier than that, but, as he'd hastily explained to Reno over the phone, there had been some problems with the Highwind during the return trip and it had to stop in Junon. The following evening, Reno was in the Turks' communal office in the Shinra Building, taking care of some documents on Tseng's behalf. He had been back at work since yesterday, and had already completed three-quarters of the paperwork that had accumulated on the Turks' desks since his comrades left on their mission to track Sephiroth.
         Reno straightened a stack of completed documents and leaned back in his chair. He was now feeling very little pain from the Buster sword wound. His eyes roved over to the new weapon he was in the middle of assembling, a lightning materia-powered nightstick he called the Electro-Prod, sitting atop the filing cabinet. Payback was a bitch, but he'd already sent the message via Rude that he would be prepared to dish it out with Cloud if they ever crossed paths again.
         That familiar knock came at the door; a moot gesture since it was already wide open, but Reno wasn't one to complain. He turned his head to see Reeve leaning against the doorframe. Reno broke out into a smile.
         "Welcome back."
         "I could say the same to you," Reeve replied as he walked into the room and over to Reno's desk. "How does it feel to be working again?"
         "Weird, but in a good way," Reno laughed. "It's like coming back from a long trip."
         Reeve nodded. "Yeah. I don't think mine was nearly long enough. So, can you spare a couple hours?"
         "Sure. I'm just about done here. Why'd you ask?"
         "I was thinking we can visit our usual spot a little early this week, seeing as how you'll be leaving for Junon tomorrow," Reeve answered. "Seems like it's been too long..."
         Reno smiled. "I'm up for that. You aren't busy yourself, are you?"
         "Not as much as a few weeks ago. Still, you'd be amazed at how the work piles up while you're gone."
         "I know what you mean, but I don't want to keep you from your work if you have a lot to do."
         "Time management, Reno. I made this time specifically to hang out with you."
         Reno was taken aback at first, then he smiled knowingly. Reeve was always so organized, even when it came to personal time. It was just one of the many things he liked about his friend.
         "Well, if you went to all that trouble…" Reno understated, knowing that for Reeve, it was no trouble at all, "…I suppose I could join you for a smoke."

         Aside from the altered view of Sector Seven, Reactor #6 was the same as it had always been. Reeve and Reno climbed up to the small platform attached to the right side of the massive tower and gazed out over the city. It was around ten at night, and throughout all the sectors, small yellowish-white lights twinkled through the thick evening smog.
         From beneath the folds of his jacket, Reeve drew out a plastic zipper bag filled with dried, crushed leaves and pressed it into Reno's hands. "Zeio… the real shit. Grown and cultivated on Goblin Island, just the way you like it."
         "Reeve, you're the best. How much do I owe you?"
         "Don't worry about it. Just consider it a little souvenir that I brought back for you."
         "No, I mean it. I know this shit doesn't come cheap."
         The executive chuckled. "Reno, I'm not exactly poor."
         "Yeah, but you're not a billionaire, either."
         "Oh, really?" Reeve replied, a cryptic smile spreading across his face.
         Reno's eyes bulged. "You don't mean… you…"
         "Kramler gave me the news when I arrived in Costa del Sol. My net worth is now in the ten-digit range."
         They shook hands, but this action quickly degenerated into a hug. "Congratulations, man!"
         "Yes, well, it's still a drop in the bucket compared to what the Shinra family is worth."
         "Still, its pretty impressive for your first year."
         Reeve clapped his hands on Reno's shoulders. "It is a start, isn't it? Well, let's light up and I'll tell you about the rest of my trip."
         "Zeio?" Reno asked brightly.
         "Of course," Reeve replied as he sat on the small platform, leaning his back against the reactor itself; the better to avoid the view of Sector Seven, Reno thought. The Turk started to open the bag of weed when Reeve stopped him.
         "Don't bother opening that up," Reeve continued, pulling out a joint and lighter. "I came prepared."
         "Damn, Reeve! You think of everything."
         "I just hate to waste time, that's all."
         "I can tell. You're a real planner." As Reno sat down beside his friend, Reeve lit the Zeio joint and took a hit. He passed it to Reno, and for a few long, relaxing minutes, they just sat there in silence, letting their minds go.
         "So," Reno said suddenly, "how was your trip?"
         "It was good. Costa del Sol hasn't changed much. It's still the same corrupt little town it's always been. Kramler returns your greetings, by the way. The weather was good… went to the beach a couple of times."
         "Yeah, I noticed earlier that you have a slight tan."
         "Do I? I couldn't tell."
         Reno nodded. "Yeah, you do. If you don't mind my saying, it looks good on you."
         Reeve cleared his throat. "Thanks."
         A thick awkwardness was materializing, one which Reno realized he had to drive away as quickly as possible. "So, you said you'd tell me about that snitch once you got back."
         Reeve took the joint from Reno and sucked on it deeply, then blew out a thin tendril of smoke from between his two front teeth.
         "Yeah," he answered, drawing his hand across his neck in a swift cutting motion. "The Gabbianis were kind enough to arrange a little 'accident'. Involved a speedboat, an anchor, and a misplaced length of rope; that's all I'll say."
         "Right, right." It was as Reno had suspected: a carefully orchestrated mob hit. "You don't feel guilty about it, do you?"
         Reeve lowered his gaze. "Not guilty, no. Uncomfortable, perhaps. There must've been a better way to deal with that guy."
         "This is just my opinion as a Turk, but I can kind of see where the Gabbianis are coming from," said Reno. "If you were ever found out, then not only would you be ruined, but the western markets would be destabilized, and who knows how many legitimate businesses would go under."
         "Legitimate? Only if you don't factor in some of these companies' 'creative bookkeeping'…"
         "Yeah, but—ahh, you know what I mean."
         "So then—hypothetical question: what would you do about Scarlet since she also knows of my investments? Would you off her as well?"
         "You mean you wouldn't?"
         "No…"
         Reno scowled at Reeve's hypocrisy.
         "Look. it's not for the reasons you might be thinking," Reeve countered. "If she was killed in some accidental manner, it would immediately draw suspicion. A no-name snitch in Costa del Sol is one thing, the chair of Shinra Weapons Development is another."
         Reno leaned his head back against the reactor's outer wall and stared at the sky. It was one of those rare "almost clear" nights in Midgar when the cloud cover was just thin enough to make out the tiny pinpoints of nearby stars. He idly twirled the joint between his thumb and index finger.
         "Do you think she'll ever reveal what she knows?"
         Reeve was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head and answered, "Probably not. So long as I continue doing what she wants, which—thankfully—isn't much, I think I'll be all right."
         "Hmm. Do you still have feelings for her?"
         "I'm… really not sure. I'm not sure if I ever did… Hey, can I get some more of that?"
         Reno passed the joint back to Reeve. The two of them finished it off in silence, heading back down to the city streets a few minutes before midnight.

*****

         The next morning, Rufus left his penthouse, dressed in his favorite white trenchcoat and black turtleneck, and toting a suitcase in each hand. He sighed wearily, dreading the day's events. He was to fly to Junon via helicopter, to oversee final preparations for his Welcoming Ceremony, but he was not dreading the trip itself. Rather, it was certain particulars of the trip he wasn't looking forward to; more specifically, his traveling companions.
         "Good morning, Mister President," Reno greeted as Rufus stepped out of the elevator and into the main lobby. "I thought you'd have moved into the Presidential Mansion by now, but apparently you haven't. I wonder why not?"
         "That's my fucking business," Rufus sneered. Actually, the truth was Rufus preferred the familiarity of his penthouse, and saw fit to visit the mansion only when necessary, but he wasn't in the mood for explanations.
         "My, aren't we testy this morning."
         "Don't cross me today, Reno."
         The Turk removed himself from the marble pillar he had been leaning against, idly tapping the end of his gleaming new nightstick on the polished floor. Small lightning bolts rippled down the weapon's long shaft with each tap. "Wouldn't dream of it, Mister President. When's Heidegger supposed to get here?"
         "Actually, we are supposed to meet him at the helipad atop the Shinra Building. In the future, be sure to read your memos more thoroughly."
         "Sure, okay."
         Rufus looked over Reno with an air of derision as the Turk shouldered his duffel and took the former's luggage. The young President was flawless, with unblemished skin, golden hair that was neither too thick nor too thin, and immaculately pressed clothing. In contrast, Reno was simply sloppy. What could Reeve possibly see in such an unkempt slob? He smiled to himself as he thought about all this; surely, in this arena at least, the advantage was his.
         Rufus carefully brushed a few loose strands of hair out of his face, then turned to face the Turk. "Well, aren't you coming?"
         "Yeah, yeah," Reno answered, following Rufus out to the latter's waiting car. Neither of them said a word during the entire trip to the Shinra Building.

         Heidegger stood at attention in the President's office, saluting as Rufus strode in, while the luggage-laden Reno trailed behind. Rufus hated these formalities, hated the circumstances of this trip, hated Reno, and hated Heidegger. The only reason he kept these two jackasses around was that in Heidegger's case, he had no time to hire a replacement; besides, it would be advantageous to Rufus to keep Scarlet's main distraction around. As for Reno, the only person who had the final authority to hire and fire Turks was Tseng, leaving the young President with essentially no choice in the matter.
         Rufus glared at his Chair of Peace Preservation. "Take your god-damned hand down from your forehead and just let me know if you're ready or not."
         "I'm ready, sir," Heidegger answered, visibly deflated by Rufus' words. "As is the helicopter. It's parked just outside. There's just one bit of bad news, sir. The pilot who was scheduled to fly us to Junon has come down with the flu and I've had trouble arranging a replacement for this particular time."
         "So we have no pilot?"
         "There won't be another one available for at least a couple of hours."
         "Damn it," Rufus fumed, collapsing into his desk chair. "Very well. I guess we'll just have to wait."
         "Actually, I could fly the helicopter," Reno offered. "That is, if it wouldn't be too much trouble." Heidegger gave Reno a gracious smile, while Rufus raised a supercilious eyebrow.
         "No, not at all! I can even arrange you some overtime pay—with the President's approval, of course," Heidegger replied, before turning back to Rufus. "What do you think, sir? Our options are quite limited at the moment."
         Rufus rubbed his chin. He wasn't too crazy about the idea of traveling with just these two dumbfucks for company, but the sooner they got this ordeal over and done with, the better. He stood up.
         "Very well. Reno, you'll be our pilot. Now let's get out of here."

         As the helicopter lifted off from the Shinra Building's rooftop, Rufus drew out the envelope his secretary had handed him on the way up to his office. Heidegger, who was sitting next to the President, caught a glimpse of the envelope and said, "Don't bother opening it, sir."
         "Why not? Do you know what it is?"
         "It's Hojo's resignation letter. I got a copy this morning along with you and the other executives."
         Ignoring Heidegger's initial suggestion, Rufus tore off one of the short sides of the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was, as Heidegger had noted, a resignation letter from Hojo. Rufus read it over twice; it was short on details, but long on enigmas. There seemed to be some kind of hidden meaning in Hojo's words; he mentioned the upcoming "completion of the Jenova Project" as being one of the deciding factors for his leaving Shinra. Very little of it made sense to Rufus, but he didn't care. To him, the Jenova Project was one of the biggest wastes of Shinra's time and money, and the Company would be much better off without Hojo's little obsession constantly burning a hole in the annual budget. However, Heidegger didn't see things this way.
         "This is surely a disaster for Shinra," Heidegger said once Rufus had tucked the letter back into his coat's inner pocket. "Hojo has done so much for the Company."
         "Aside from some of the mako infusion experiments, I can't think of a single project of his that has truly benefited Shinra."
         "How about the Jenova Project, to create people with the powers of the Ancients?"
         "Which resulted in the creation of Sephiroth and sowed the seeds for the Nibelheim Incident," Rufus curtly replied.
         "Yes, well… Sephiroth was a tremendous asset to this company, especially during the Wutai War."
         "In my opinion, Shinra could've won that war without Sephrioth. Despite anything you might say to the contrary, I believe the Jenova Project was and is more liability than asset. This past week has been proof of that. With that said, I, for one, will be more than happy to see Hojo leave once his precious Project is finished."
         This shut Heidegger up, but only momentarily. "That reminds me, sir. Some of our men fighting in the Condor Reactor region have sighted a man fitting Sephiroth's description heading in the direction of Junon. I've got the Turks looking into this, and I'm having security beefed up even more for the Welcoming Ceremony."
         "Very good," Rufus replied. "I'm glad to see that you can do something right."
         Just then, Rufus thought he heard the pilot snicker.
         "Do you have something to add, Reno?"
         "Heh, no sir. By the way, we should reach Junon Airport in less than an hour."
         "All right… Good work, Reno."
         Reno turned to face the back seat, wearing an expression that seemed to be a combination of confusion and amusement. "Did I hear that right? Did you just complement me?"
         "Treasure it while you can," Rufus deadpanned.
         As Reno returned his focus on the skies ahead of them, Rufus caught Heidegger splitting glances between the two younger men.
         "What?" Rufus snapped.
         Heidegger asked, "What was that about?"
         "None of your business," Rufus replied as he leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes.

*****

         Tseng didn't utter a word after he and his fellow Turks left the Mythrill Mines. While there, they encountered some members of AVALANCHE; namely, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. Aeris was not with them; when prompted by Tseng, Cloud told him that she was "with the others." Tseng knew that Cloud and his friends cared about the Cetra, so he took it to mean she was safe. However, he couldn't trust AVALANCHE entirely. He had to find out for himself just how Aeris was doing, but before he could do that, he had to catch up with Rude and Elena, who were waiting for him on the other side of the mines.
         The three Turks were traveling on foot now, which meant that they had to stop frequently to rest or fight monsters that happened to get in their way. Tseng glanced over at Elena, who had fallen slightly out of step with him and Rude. He knew he had been harsh in his various reprimands, especially those that he gave when she revealed certain details of their mission to Cloud and his friends, but she had to learn discipline somehow. As the sun began to set, they entered a thick growth of forest and soon found a small, secluded clearing.
         "We'll stop here for the night," Tseng said as he set his baggage on the ground. "It looks like AVALANCHE hasn't made it this far, so we should get to Junon before them."
         "They've headed toward Fort Condor," Rude cut in as he took his binoculars from around his neck. "I watched their movements as they left the mines."
         "Excellent. Now let's set up camp."

         Once they had their small tents pitched and a fire going, the three Turks settled into what had become their regular evening routine, except this time they were in the wild, not in an inn or farmhouse. After dinner, Rude left the campsite to practice his martial arts, while Tseng meditated and Elena read a book. Aside from the occasional light rustling of branches swaying in the breeze, the woods were completely silent.
         After a moment, Tseng asked, without moving from his position, "Pardon me, but what are you reading?"
         He could sense Elena look up to him. "Oh… nothing."
         "Funny," Tseng replied in a light tone, "I've never heard of a book by that title."
         A soft clap sounded as Elena closed the book. Was she upset with him? He opened his eyes, and found her as she had settled in after dinner: nestled inside her tent, with her head and shoulders peeking out, perched up on a pillow. She propped up her chin with her right arm, facing away from Tseng. The book was nowhere to be seen.
         He thought for awhile about what he should say, or even if he should say anything at all. Finally, he broke the silence with, "How do you like being a Turk so far?"
         Elena's arm shifted, and her head tilted down. After a moment, she let her arm fall, and her head raise. Tseng could now just barely make out her profile from behind a mass of straight blonde hair.
         "It's… more than I ever thought it would be."
         "More what? Responsibility?"
         "That's part of it. It's all just so… overwhelming."
         "I think I understand."
         Elena's head turned, and Tseng was able to see her left eye. "You do?"
         "I imagine it's a lot to have to deal with all at once. Your hiring was a bit more short-notice than I would've liked, but this whole Sephiroth matter is quite urgent. For your benefit and ours, I wish your training had been more complete. You were the most qualified candidate we had at the time, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough."
         Elena nodded, her head lowered once more.
         "Just know this," Tseng continued. "Your inexperience is not your fault. Also, don't take any of my reprimands personally. I'm only trying to help you."
         Elena opened her mouth to say something, then stopped partway. Tseng froze as well, his ears picking up the same sound Elena must have heard. They were footsteps, too light and soft to be Rude's, and they were steadily drawing nearer. Tseng rose from his kneeling position and stood up on his bare feet. The soft footfalls stopped. Still wearing his shoulder holster, Tseng slowly and silently pulled out his pistol and perched it over his shoulder. After a moment's concentration, he pulled the trigger. Some rustling sounds and a girl's scream could be heard right after the bang.
         "Come out, whoever you are!" Tseng demanded.
         A spinning shuriken flew out of the woods. Tseng just barely managed to duck as the shuriken swooped over the tents and boomeranged back to where it had come from.
         "What's going on?" Elena whispered as she got out of her tent.
         "Judging by our attacker's weapon, I believe we're dealing with a Wutaiese ninja—"
         "And right you are!" piped up a voice. Both Turks looked in the direction of the voice to see a sprightly teenage girl, wearing shorts, a green sleeveless top, and a large arm guard. In her right hand, she held the shuriken that had been thrown at them. "I saw your friend out there—the bald guy—but I figured he'd be too tough for me to handle."
         "What makes you think that we aren't?" Elena blurted out.
         "Now there's the fighting spirit! How 'bout we go another round?"
         "I don't think so," Tseng answered, still gripping his pistol. "We have no time to deal with little brats."
         The ninja looked shocked and offended. "Little bra—Oh! How dare you!" She raised her shuriken for another throw when her arm was grabbed from behind. She looked up to see "the bald guy" staring down at her through his dark glasses. Rude addressed his companions.
         "I see you've been having some problems."
         "We have indeed," Tseng replied. "Looks like we'll have to camp out in the fields now."
         "Shall I get rid of this girl first?"
         "Oh Bald Guy, don't bother," the ninja quipped. "I can escape perfectly fine on my own." With that, she slid loose from Rude's grip and immediately disappeared into the trees.
         As Tseng and Elena started to break camp, Rude lowered his arm and stared at his battle glove; the two materia that had been slotted there were now gone. "Damn ninja," he muttered. "Hope we don't run into the likes of her again."

         The following morning, they awoke on a grassy hillside, their new camping spot after the run-in with the mischievous ninja. The three Turks broke camp and started walking toward Junon, whose massive mako cannon was just starting to come into view. By that afternoon, they had come to the small fishing town under Junon. The locals shied away from the three suited figures as they headed directly toward the freight elevator at the far end of the village. The Shinra MP who was stationed there immediately opened the elevator doors and waved them on ahead.
         As he made a quick call via PHS, Tseng watched his newest subordinate; he could tell Elena had never been to Junon before by the way she turned her head around ever since their arrival, taking in everything. Along the Airport Path, Tseng stopped and leaned against the outer railing.
         "It's an impressive structure, isn't it?" Tseng asked Elena.
         "Yeah. Reeve once told me his predecessor designed this place."
         "Juno? Yes he did," Rude replied. "I worked under him some years ago. The man was a genius."
         Elena smiled at Rude. "Do you know a lot about Junon?"
         "A bit, yeah."
         "Then maybe you could show me around later?"
         Rude cleared his throat, then nodded.
         Tseng smiled knowingly for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the vast, sparkling ocean.
         "Hey Tseng, why are we stopping here?" Rude asked. "Don't we have work to do?"
         "All in good time. I promised someone we'd meet him here the moment we arrived in Junon."
         Elena leaned in and whispered, "You didn't arrange a meeting with Sephiroth, did you?"
         Tseng chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. He may be in Junon as well, but that doesn't mean I currently have any dealings with the man."
         She looked hurt. Tseng had taken Elena's comment to be a joke, but apparently, he had been wrong to do so. He cleared his throat. "My apologies. I didn't realize that it was a serious question."
         Elena nodded.
         The calming ambience of the breaking waves was soon interrupted by the sound of a single pair of feet pounding against asphalt. Tseng and his traveling companions turned around to see Reno running toward them from the opposite side of the Airport Path, chest heaving through his partially unbuttoned shirt and red ponytail flailing behind him. He jumped toward them, attacking all three with a massive embrace.
         "Man, is it good to be back!" Reno panted. "Let me just say this: being in a hospital bed for as long as I have can really fuck up your metabolism!"
         "We're going to need to whip you back into shape, then!" Tseng replied. "Are you ready to return to full-time work?"
         "As long as they're low-profile gigs, yeah. The bandages are gone but the wound's still healing."
         "When did you get here?" Rude asked.
         "Not long after you guys did… about a couple hours ago." Reno shook his head, "Man, I gotta tell you guys, the rumors about Sephiroth have been flying like crazy, and it's got all the troops on edge. And as if they didn't have enough to stress over, their new President is here."
         "Have you seen anything suspicious?" asked Tseng.
         "No, can't say that I have. I wouldn't be surprised if ol' Sephy's keeping a low profile these days."
         "True. Still, someone like him is hard to miss."
         Reno shrugged. "I'm only telling you what I know. Oh, by the way," he said, clapping a hand on Elena's shoulder. "Congrats on becoming a Turk!"
         "Thanks, Reno!"
         "Hey, can I see your scars?"
         "What, here?" Elena replied, her face rapidly turning a bright shade of red.
         "What, are they in some sensitive area or something?"
         Elena didn't reply. Tseng leaned over to Reno's ear and whispered, "Small of her back." Reno nodded and smirked.
         "The small of your back, eh? Just above your ass, right? Aww, c'mon… go to Costa del Sol and you'll see chicks who expose way more than that in public!"
         "This isn't Costa del Sol," Elena hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll show 'em to you later, okay?"
         "You're not annoyed at me, are you?" Reno asked. "I mean, it's not like you to be annoyed."
         "I think she feels embarrassed," Tseng whispered. "She's had a tough time adjusting to her new job, so lay off on the joking for awhile."
         Reno whispered back, "All right, but I've never seen her like this before. Did something happen during your trip?"
         Tseng sighed. It wasn't any one thing, really; rather it was a bunch of little things scattered throughout their travels like nonpareils spilled on a countertop.
         "I'll tell you about it later." Tseng pulled away from Reno and continued in a normal tone, "By the way, now might be a good time to do the other Turk indoctrination tradition, the unofficial one."
         "Shit, you guys haven't done that yet?" Reno asked.
         "There wasn't time, and besides, Rude and I wanted you to be with us as well."
         "What tradition is this?" Elena asked.
         "The Turk Indoctrination Shot," Rude answered. "Is that basement bar still around? We could do it there…"
         Reno replied, "I think so, yeah. But before we do that, Rufus wants to see the three of you. He just wants to let you know of his plans for the Welcoming Ceremony."
         "Very well," Tseng replied. "I wasn't about to do any more initiation rituals during working hours, anyway—especially informal ones. Where is Rufus?"
         "In the main offices. I'll come along with you guys if that's cool."
         The four Turks started walking toward the center of the complex, and the lift that would take them up to Shinra's Junon headquarters. Reno and Rude, both fast walkers, strayed on ahead while Tseng walked alongside Elena. Catching snippets of their conversation, Tseng overheard the two men talking about what kind of shots they should get.
         "We usually do 'Three Wise Men', or 'Three's Company'," said Reno. "But there's four of us now."
         After a moment, Rude replied, "Hmm… 'Four Horsemen', maybe?"
         "Yeah, maybe."
         Tseng listened to their words, within them sensing the truth in his warning to Rufus. Having four active Turks around was indeed a bad omen. He looked over at Elena, who caught his glance and smiled nervously.
         "You know, I never got a chance to thank you…" she said. "I mean, I know how hard it is to get into the Turks, and believe me, I really feel honored to join your ranks."
         Tseng found himself touched by her words. "Don't thank me, thank yourself. It was due to your talent and ambition that you made the cut."
         Elena smiled, a bit larger this time, and replied, "If that's the case, then I promise not to let you down!" She ran a little ways ahead toward the others. Reno threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. He glanced back at Tseng, his smile fading away once he saw his leader's grim face.
         Tseng was upset because he knew that there was no going back. As the Head Turk, he'd just committed himself to having Elena on their team, and because of that, he couldn't possibly fire her now, the group's luck be damned. Out of earshot from the others, he cursed under his breath.
         "Shit."