This was a special day in Reno's life; he had been promoted from his dull, dead-end job in Peace Preservation to the title of Turk. Though he would still be working under Heidegger's authority, being a Turk meant better pay, assignments that were actually interesting, and a more flexible schedule. It was this last item on the list that he was currently taking advantage of; on this particular evening, during which he'd normally be working, he was off-duty, idling around at a bar in Midgar's Sector Six slums.
       After a couple of drinks, Reno decided it was time to move on to the place where he wanted to spend the rest of the evening: the exclusive Honeybee Inn. This "inn", if one could truly call it that, was a house of carnal pleasures open only to those who possessed a Member's Card. Reno didn't have one, but he wasn't worried, having heard that with the right combination of pressure and status-flaunting, any of Shinra's elite could gain entry. As he was now a Turk—one of Shinra's privileged few special agents—he decided it was worth a shot.
       A grey-suited man with a ridiculous hairstyle stood at the entrance; before him were several other men, none of which had either Member's Cards or influence. Reno eyed the doorman coolly as he approached, which caused the latter to eye him back.
       "Got a Member's Card, buddy?" the doorman asked. "Can't let you in if you don't got one."
       "I've got your Member's Card right here, my man," Reno replied, whipping out the special Shinra-issued card that identified him as a Turk.
       "A Turk, huh? Couldn't tell at first," said the doorman, eyeing Reno's brand-new, but already sloppy, uniform. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to do better than that. Got anything else?"
       Reno reached down to his belt and drew his similarly new Electro-Prod up to the doorman's chin. "Will twelve thousand volts do?" he asked, grinning wickedly.
       "J—just fine, sir. Right this way."

       Reno looked all around him as he entered the main lobby. Waiting for him in the center of the room was a busty brunette in a revealing honeybee costume. She eyed Reno with a contemptuous look on her face, then told him, "I'm sorry sir, but all of our rooms are occupied right now. If you can wait a little while, I'm sure—"
       "This is bullshit," Reno replied, relaxing his stance and resting his nightstick over one shoulder. "Listen, that stupid doorman of yours obviously thought there was room for me here, so he let me in."
       "Well I'm sorry our doorman's a moron, but there's not much I can do about that."
       "Listen lady, do you have any idea who I am? I'm a fuckin' Turk. I kill bitches like you on my lunch break."
       The bee girl sighed. "Yeah, whatever. Hold on a sec and I'll see what I can do." She then promptly disappeared into the employee dressing room.
       Reno watched her go, then decided to take matters into his own hands. One by one he peeked through the keyholes in each of the doors, hoping to find a room he could hijack. There was some pretty steamy action going on in the first couple of rooms, but he didn't come here to watch other people get laid. Then, he peeked into the "Lover's Room"; inside, there only seemed to be one person, a man with slicked-back hair reading a newspaper and idly clicking on a retractable pen. This is it, he decided, and opened the door. The room's lone occupant looked up from the paper he was reading—one of those sleazy Lower City tabloids—and at Reno. He bolted up from his chair.
       "Who the hell're you? I'm waitin' for my girl to show up. Git out!"
       "Why don't you get out, hick?" Reno said. "I'm taking control of this room on behalf of the Turks."
       "'Turks'? Who're they? And where're the rest of 'em? I see just one 'a you."
       "You're obviously new around here. Here's the deal: I'm one of the best of the best when it comes to fucking people up," replied Reno, raising his nightstick. "You want a demonstration?"
       "Not really. An' what's that yer holdin' there? Ain't never seen a billy club like that before."
       Reno was dumbfounded by this man; he didn't find the Turk threatening at all. "It's, um… it's custom-made."
       "Is that materia on it?" he asked, pointing to the Electro-Prod's handle.
       "Yeah. Bolt materia."
       The man nodded. "I see. You'll pardon me for askin' alla these questions, but there ain't much materia where I'm from."
       "Where are you from, anyway?"
       "Corel. I run a lil' weapon shop there."
       "Corel, huh?" Reno had no idea why he was now idly conversing with this man; maybe it was that he found him kind of cute, despite his backwater accent. Just then, a sinister thought crossed his mind; certainly, he had found a decent room, but perhaps he wouldn't be needing a girl after all. Nor would he be pushing this hick out in order to get some action; in fact, if all went well, his presence would be solving that very problem. "So, what's your name?"
       "Jim. And you are?"
       "Reno."
       "Well, it's nice to meet you Reno. So when're you gonna git th' hell outta my room?"
       "I don't think you understand, Jim," Reno replied, grinning slyly and stepping toward Jim. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."
       "What th' hell's that s'posed to mean? I got here first."
       "Yeah, I know. Still, who's to say that us guys can't have a little fun on our own?"
       "Uh, I dunno 'bout that…"
       Reno's grin grew larger as he sensed Jim's defenses crumbling. He seized Jim's chin and pulled it to within a hair's breadth of his face. "What's the matter? I won't bite."
       "I-I was warned 'bout th' big city, that there'd be guys like you."
       "Guys like me exist everywhere, Jim," Reno replied, his voice low and smooth. "The big city doesn't have a monopoly on this sort of thing."
       "I don't believe that for a s-second."
       "And what about you?"
       "What 'bout me?"
       "You haven't pushed me away yet."
       "Well, you jus' caught me by surprise."
       "Un-huh." Reno let go of Jim's chin, shoving him back into the latter's chair as he did so. "So, how about it? Wanna fuck?"
       "Y-you're a blunt one, ain'tcha?"
       "Oh, I'm blunt all right, in more ways than one."
       Jim said nothing, and instead lowered his head, as if pondering his predicament. An impatient Reno paced around the room, awaiting his answer.
       Finally, after a couple of minutes that had felt quite a bit longer than that, Jim looked at Reno once more and spoke up. "All right. Do what'cha want, but only if we can git a girl in here as well."

*****

       Later that same night, Tseng, the head of the Turks, was working in the Shinra Building when a knock came at his office door. From the particular rhythm of the knocks, he knew it to be one of his most invaluable and trustworthy allies, and invited him in.
       "The door's open, Reeve."
       "Saw your light was on. I'm a little surprised that you're still here," Reeve replied, entering the office and closing the door behind him.
       "Well, the President wants this whole Don Corneo matter taken care of as soon as possible, or at least before his next visit to the Honeybee Inn. I wanted to get this out of the way today, while it's still fresh on my mind."
       "Yes, well, sorry I took so long. Something unexpected happened tonight, so I had a bit of a delay."
       "Your time at the Inn didn't go smoothly, I take it?"
       "To say the least. At any rate, here you go—one complimentary illegal newspaper from the Honeybee Inn, plus some photos of the room I got it from."
       Reeve pulled a broadsheet from the folds of his coat and dropped it on Tseng's desk, followed with a thick ball-point pen. Tseng picked up the pen and unscrewed the top part of the barrel, from which he carefully pulled a microchip out. He then inserted this microchip into a special reader attached to his computer and began sifting through the photographic images that it contained.
       "This is fantastic. Your work is very thorough, as usual."
       "Thanks."
       "I still lament the fact that you never became a Turk."
       "There's other things I'm more interested in pursuing. You know that."
       "Yes, and more's the pity." Tseng paused when he came to one of the last pictures in the set. It was slightly blurry, and at the edge of the photo where the door was stood a figure who looked more than a little familiar. From where he sat, he looked up at Reeve.
       "Reno, my newest subordinate, is in this photo. How did he get there?"
       "He was at the Honeybee Inn tonight, looking for a room."
       "Was this the 'something unexpected' that you mentioned?"
       "Yes it was."
       Tseng eyed Reeve carefully. There was something Reeve wasn't telling him, but whatever it was, Tseng didn't feel like pressing the matter. Still, Reno's presence at the Honeybee Inn did worry Tseng; not only was he a newcomer to the Turks, but he was also young, and filled with all the brashness and bravado characteristic of young men.
       "I hope he didn't cause too much a disruption. We can't have him sabotage this mission, even inadvertently."
       "He just gave the staff a little trouble. Nothing they couldn't handle."
       "Ah. Well, thank you again for your time."
       "Not a problem."
       "Are you ready for the next phase?"
       Reeve nodded. "Just let me know where to plant the wiretaps once you've examined those pictures, and I'll get right on it."
       Tseng nodded and stood up, turning his computer off as he did so. "Very well. Now I don't know about you, but I'm ready to pack it in for the evening."
       "Same here. It's been a long day. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
       Tseng returned the goodbye, and Reeve left the office.


       Before he had left the Honeybee Inn that first night, Reno and Jim had arranged to meet again a couple evenings later, and yet again the following week. Jim always reserved the Lover's Room for them, and was typically the first one there. When Reno arrived for their second meeting, Jim was busy examining the décor of the room; an hour later, the blankets on the neatly-made bed were in disarray, with the two men and a bee girl beneath them. For their third meeting, Reno entered the Lover's Room to find Jim getting head from one of the bee girls; without uttering a word, Reno quietly slipped out of his pants and joined the pair on the bed. Roughly a couple of hours later, and only a few minutes after the girl had left, a stark-naked Reno leaned back on the bed as Jim fished around for his clothes.
       "Thanks for another enjoyable evening, Jim. So, what're you doing in a couple of days?"
       "You're somethin' else, you know that? You ever get sick of fuckin'?"
       "Well, you're going back to Corel soon, right? Gotta take advantage of these meetings while I can," Reno replied, smirking.
       "Why? What makes all this so special, huh?"
       For a moment, Reno stared at Jim. Throughout the course of all of their meetings, Jim had not so much as allowed Reno to touch him when either one of them was at least partially undressed. It was frustrating to be sure, especially once Reno learned that Jim's body was as attractive as his face. Reno shrugged; "Just haven't had this good a time in awhile."
       "That's it?"
       "What, you want some deeper answer than that? Sorry, but I don't have one."
       Jim sighed and shook his head as he fastened his belt. "City boys."
       "Whatever."
       Just then, a knock came at the door. Jim went over to answer it, and a bee girl poked her head through.
       "Jim Spencer? Don Corneo's agreed to meet with you. Just bring this to his mansion at seven tomorrow evening and his men'll let you through," the girl said, handing a folded sheet of paper to Jim. She left, and Jim closed the door back up again. As he returned to where Reno was laying, he opened up the paper and scanned it with his eyes.
       "What's that?" Reno asked, looking over Jim's shoulder.
       "Letter'a introduction. You see, I came all this way to Midgar to try an' do business with Mr. Don Corneo. Thing is, he ain't too easy to get a meetin' with, 'less you got a curvy waist an' a pair of nice-lookin' tits."
       Reno nodded, recalling something Jim had mentioned awhile ago about being a weapons merchant. "Well, if he's agreed to meet with you, the shit you have for sale must be good."
       "Better'n the garbage they peddle here in Midgar, I can tell ya that much. Hopefully I can get 'im to make me his exclusive weapon supplier. I hear he buys a shitload of weapons every year."
       "I've heard as much myself," Reno replied, lying through his teeth.
       Jim finished buttoning up his shirt, then shrugged on his coat. "Well, looks like this is goodbye, Reno. Can't say it ain't been fun, but maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."
       Reno sat up. "So this is it, then?"
       "Yep. 'Fraid I have to go straight back to Corel after my business is done here. My little shop needs me."
       "Can I at least have your contact info so I can look you up in the future?"
       "Not sure I'd be too comfortable with that. How 'bout this—next time I'm in Midgar, which will be soon if I get this deal with Corneo, I'll look you up. You in the phone book, right?"
       "Yeah, but—"
       "Reno, I'm real sorry, but that's how it gotta be." Jim walked toward the door, then turned around and looked back at Reno, an apologetic look on his face. "Well, take care'a yourself, y'hear?"
       The Turk nodded. "You too."
       With that, Jim left the room. As the door closed shut behind him, Reno collapsed back onto the bed. He was starting to feel cold from the air conditioning, but instead of getting dressed, he remained prone and stared at the ceiling.

*****

       Dressed in a black trenchcoat and matching hat, Tseng had managed to conceal his Turk uniform, but still stood out like a sore thumb in the dirty streets of Wall Market. In all his time working as a Turk, Tseng never had to deal directly with Don Corneo before; still, he was a bit apprehensive about this mission and hoped that he wouldn't be recognized prematurely.
       Shortly before Tseng reached his destination, he happened to see Reno idling near the entrance of the gym, his hands shoved in his trouser pockets. He was looking around him, as though he was waiting for someone. Tseng took a quick glance ahead of him to the Don's mansion; no one was outside. He then approached Reno and leaned toward him.
       "Reno," he said in a low voice, "it's me. What are you doing here?"
       "Oh, hey boss. I'm just waiting for someone. He should be here any time now."
       "Why here?"
       Reno rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, actually, he doesn't know I'm waiting for him. He has an appointment with Corneo at seven, but is leaving town shortly after that. I… kind of want to see him before that happens."
       All of a sudden, Tseng understood what was going on. Reno had somehow gotten involved with his spy while the latter was carrying out his duties at the Honeybee Inn. "Listen, I didn't see anyone coming this way," Tseng said, "and I'm on some important business myself. By any chance, do you recognize this?" He held up the letter of introduction that Reeve had passed on to him earlier that day.
       Reno's eyes widened. "Where did you get that?" he whispered.
       "From one of Shinra's most skilled double agents, who also happens to be an associate of mine," Tseng replied, tucking the letter back into the folds of his coat. "I'll explain things in greater detail later. Now get out of here, before Corneo's men see you."
       Still in a state of bafflement, Reno did as he was ordered and walked back into the heart of Wall Market.

       Tseng continued on his way to the Don's mansion. Just inside the door, a pair of thugs stood guard. From the information he had on file back in his office, Tseng recognized these two as being Kotch and Scotch, Don Corneo's right-hand men. He presented the letter to Kotch.
       "I am Toma, Mr. Jim Spencer's liaison in Kalm. I'm here on his behalf to see Mr. Corneo. Mr. Spencer had to rush back to Corel this afternoon due to a family emergency."
       Kotch eyed Tseng suspiciously. "Sorry to hear that, buddy, but the Don specified that he would meet with Jim himself, not any business partners."
       "Please! If you could just call Jim and verify my identity that way, I'm sure we can straighten things out."
       "Ahh, just let him on through," said Scotch. "He does have the letter. I think that's good enough."
       "Yeah, I guess you're right," Kotch replied, still glaring at Tseng. He pointed toward the doors behind him. "Through there, then up the stairs and to your left. The Don's office is behind the red and gold double-doors."
       "My thanks, sirs," Tseng replied, with a slight bow. He then followed Kotch's directions to Corneo's office.

       Don Corneo himself was a rather disgusting creature; a short, balding, and just plain ugly troll of a man. Sitting on his lap was a scantily-clad girl who obviously didn't want to be there, and an open bottle of cheap red wine sat atop his desk, next to a half-empty glass. Upon seeing all this, Tseng realized why the Don had the reputation that he did.
       "Let's get down to business, Mr. Corneo. I can make you some very good deals on some of the Corel region's finest weapons and armor."
       "So I've heard. If you can provide me with anything better than what I can already get in Midgar, I'm all ears. What have you got available?"
       "…However, that's not the real reason why I'm here," Tseng continued, pulling his pistol, complete with silencer, out from the folds of his coat and pointing it at Corneo. The girl in his lap screamed; Tseng waved the gun at her. "Shut her up. Now."
       Corneo whispered something to the girl and she calmed down, but still wore an anxious look on her face. From outside, Kotch called, "We heard something. Is everything all right?"
       "E—everything's fine, Kotch," said Corneo. "Missy just saw a spider. She's deathly afraid of them."
       "If you say so, boss…"
       Tseng listened as Kotch's steps retreated, then unbuttoned his coat to reveal the uniform he wore underneath, while keeping his gun pointed at the Don and his plaything. "I am Tseng, head of the Shinra Turk Alliance. You are aware of the Turks' reputation, of course."
       The Don shivered. "W-what do you want?"
       "On behalf of the Company, I want you and your people to quit telling the underground papers about the Shinra employees who patronize your Honeybee Inn. It's sleazy, disgusting, and doesn't reflect well on the Company at all."
       "You don't have any proof that I've been doing this."
       "On the contrary, I have all the proof I need. One of my associates wired one of the Inn's rooms last week, and has also planted bugs on a number of your girls over the course of several weeks. Needless to say, we've heard a lot of interesting conversations through those bugs. And we even know which papers you've been selling your stories to."
       "Okay, so maybe I did pass on a couple juicy bits of gossip! So what happens if I don't decide to stop? After all, it's not my fault the Shinra like my Honeybee Inn so much! If Shinra's employees are so worried about their images, they should stop going there!"
       By way of a reply, Tseng fired his gun at Corneo. The bullet singed the Don's hair as it sailed overhead and through the folding screen at the back of the office.
       "If you don't stop committing these acts against Shinra, then next time," Tseng said, coming closer to the desk and lowering his gun so it was aimed between Corneo's legs, "I'll shoot it off."
       Corneo was trembling uncontrollably now. Tseng smiled, taking comfort in the knowledge that he had emerged as the victor.


       The following morning, Reno went to Tseng's office as soon as he arrived at work. The head of the Turks was already knee-deep in paperwork when Reno arrived, but noticed his subordinate's entrance right away.
       "Hold on a minute, Reno. I'll be right with you," Tseng said, picking up his phone and pressing in a number.
       Reno nodded and remained where he was, thinking over his encounter with Tseng the other night and what it all meant. So Jim was a Shinra spy this entire time? And he was working with Tseng?
       While Reno was pondering all this, the door opened and a man entered the office. He was of average height, and despite the slightly tousled hair and unshaven face, Reno recognized him right away.
       "Jim?"
       "Reeve," the man said, taking a seat in one of the chairs facing Tseng's desk, where he stared straight ahead of him. "My name is Reeve."
       "Your real name, you mean."
       "Yes. So now you realize what's been going on, I hope."
       Tseng said, "I gave him plenty of hints last night. So I take it something happened between you two at the Honeybee Inn?"
       Neither Reno nor Reeve said anything.
       "Very well," Tseng sighed. "I suppose it's none of my business anyway. Reno, Reeve here is a longtime employee with Shinra's Urban Development division. Several years ago, he was recruited for the Turks, but turned us down."
       "And that's when he began spying for you?" Reno asked.
       "Yes, around that time," Reeve replied. "However, this Honeybee Inn mission was my last. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but I'm slated to be promoted to head of my division next month when the current chairman retires. I'll be in the public eye from that point on, a condition which wouldn't serve me very well as a spy."
       "I see."
       Tseng stood up from his chair. "Gentlemen, I have to go present my report to the President. If you two would like to stay here and talk…"
       Reno didn't reply, but could feel Reeve's eyes on him. The latter said, "Yes, I think we'll stay here for a little while."
       "All right. I'll be back shortly."
       Tseng left the office.

       "Maybe we should check the place for wiretaps before we get down to business," Reno replied, scanning the room suspiciously.
       Reeve looked at Reno, frowning. "You don't trust Tseng? You really are new to the Turks."
       "Well, with all I've gone through lately, do you blame me?"
       "You're being irrational. Listen," Reeve said, leaning in a bit closer. "I know how you felt about 'Jim', and I sincerely apologize for deceiving you like that."
       "Mrrgh…" Reno grumbled.
       "The company's reputation was at risk. I'm just glad you didn't jeopardize our mission."
       "I didn't even know there was a mission. How was I supposed to know that you were a spy?"
       Reeve said nothing.
       "I mean, no ordinary spy would've done half the shit you did."
       "That only goes to show what little you know about spying. It's a dirty business sometimes."
       Reno punched the wall closest to him out of frustration; it was hard, but he still managed to leave a small dent in it. Reeve stood up from his chair, a concerned look on his face. "Reno…" he sighed, visibly exasperated.
       "I just feel conned, you know?"
       Reeve nodded. "I know."
       "So 'keeping me preoccupied' was just part of your job, huh?"
       "An unexpected one, yes. Still, you knew the circumstances 'Jim' was under. It's not his fault that you formed an emotional attachment to him."
       "I did what?"
       "Don't play dumb with me. You came to like Jim, even though he was straight."
       "So tell me again, why shouldn't I be pissed off at you?"
       "Because, Reno… I've come to like you."
       Reno stared at Reeve, not believing what he had just heard. "What?"
       "I like you, Reno, and furthermore, I'd like the opportunity to show you the real me."
       "I don't know about that…"
       "You won't give me a chance?"
       "How different from 'Jim' is the 'real you'?"
       "Quite different, but I hope that wouldn't be a problem."
       "Depends. How about in bed?"
       "We're very different," Reeve laughed. "At the very least, I'm starting to get rather sick of threesomes."
       Reno raised an eyebrow. This could be interesting, he thought. "All right… So what're you doing for lunch?"
       "Nothing. You?"
       "Got no plans. Do you want to talk some more then? You know, so I can start to get to know this 'real you' of yours?"
       With a nod, Reeve replied, "Sounds good. What time?"

*****

       Later that day, now back in his office, Tseng sighed wistfully. Shinra's top spy had taken his last job, and was now a normal employee again, growing his beard back for the last time and easing in to a more predictable life. Reeve would've made a fine Turk once upon a time, but his heart was with Midgar, its construction, and its care.
       By the time Tseng had gotten back from the President's office that morning, both Reeve and Reno were gone, and left on his desk was a single note signed by the both of them, telling him that they've gone back to work. He happened to see them again around lunchtime, sitting at a table together talking, but didn't go over to say hello, figuring that they didn't want to be interrupted.
       For a moment, he wondered again just what had happened between them at the Honeybee Inn. The particulars were none of his business, certainly, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel that this Don Corneo mission had resulted in consequences he could never have anticipated. Naturally, only time would tell if these consequences would have any lasting meaning, but Tseng's gut instinct told him there was a very strong chance that they would.

---

Written March 2007 | Copyright 2007, Reeve.