Chapter 1: Writing on the Wall
Averls had always known that staying in Midgar would be a really bad idea, she wasn’t entirely sure why, but something kept her there. It just felt right. Of course, Meteor proved her wrong, but by some obscene miracle she survived the incident.
If written down it would seem impossible. She had seen a bright light, then woken up some time later, in the ruins of Midgar. It was strange, seeing Midgar destroyed like it was. It seemed so powerful, invincible, but only to be levelled by Meteor. She had also felt strange when she saw the Shinra HQ explode, like a part of her was being ripped away. She had never had anything to do with Shinra, which made it even more confusing. She had stayed in Midgar, even after Meteor, for a while desperately looking for survivors. It seemed there were none. She had been upset by the fact that her tiny shrine, her small proof of existence, her name, spray painted on a concrete wall, was destroyed. For some reason that wall was important to her. When she saw her name written there, she felt like she really existed. Other times she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t think other people were like her. She felt like she wasn’t complete, like she was never sure she could be truly alive. That name that name that was written there changed all that. Hell, she didn’t even know what Averls was supposed to mean. She didn’t even spray the name on the wall herself. When she was 7, she had seen the name and loved how it looked, so she started copying it down. One time a boy with red hair asked her a question. She didn’t know what it meant and so wrote the word down with her finger in a patch of dirt. The boy studied her for a moment then bent over and wrote ‘Reno’ in the dirt. She never saw him again, but always remembered him. After that she would write Reno as well as Averls. She had never left Midgar, even if she had wanted to she wouldn’t know how. She’d grown up with no family, no friends. She had learnt to fight for her life everyday, and how to use magic, however weak the spells she knew and materia she had. But now the only thing she loved, the wall which bore proof of her existence, was gone. Now she spent her time sitting alone in a large collapsed pipe which had a hole in the side, her home. It was one of the couple of partially intact places of Midgar. She didn’t know how it had survived Meteor, but it had. And in that respect, the dwelling was like her, and she felt safe there. She had lost all sense of time, and had no idea what day it was. If she could leave Midgar, she could see people again, have something to live for. But she couldn’t. Every morning she would look out to check for Fangs or other monsters that had strayed into the city, then convince herself to leave Midgar. She would start to walk, then suddenly, at no particular time or place, she would stop, and reconsider, and then go back. This went on for a long time, until the day which would change her life.
15th July, 1AM (1 year After Meteor, 9: 25pm)
Reno looked into the still night from the warmth of his high rise office in Junon. Junon was acting as a base for the replacement of Shinra, which was named Eden Inc, the corporation that would rebuild Midgar thanks to hydro-electric power, rather than lifestream power.
Reeve was the president, with the members of AVALANCHE taking roles as well. Cloud was vice-president, Tifa his wife now. The Kisaragi girl, Yuffie, had become mayor of Wutai. Barrett was leading the Jackhammer Project, an attempt to rebuild Corel back to it’s former glory. He even set up an AVALANCHE memorial in memory of Jesse, Biggs and Wedge. Cid had married Shera, who was now pregnant, and ran the Space Dept. of Eden Inc. Nanaki had taken up teaching people about the Planet and the Lifestream. Vincent had even become the representative of Nibelheim for Eden Inc. It seemed sometimes as though Meteor had done a lot of good, as well as bad. Midgar would be restored in all its former glory and then some, being renamed Midgar 2. Reno breathed in deeply, then sighed. Where did he fit in in all this? What about the Turks? Tseng was dead, he hadn’t seen Elena since Meteor, and Rude had drunk himself into a slump, barely able to get out of bed each day. That left Reno. He stared at his reflection in the glass. He had even asked Reeve about his future. Reeve had brushed him off, and set him up in this little office in Junon, overlooking the ocean. It was pretty nice, but Reno felt... incomplete. He needed to do something. Was that why he joined the Turks? Because they made a difference?
He didn’t remember anything about joining the ranks of Shinra Inc., about his parents, his life. Although he did remember a strange little girl. It was a long time ago, but he had never forgotten. He had finished a mission with the Turks, and he saw a peculiar little girl staring up at a wall in the Wall Market. He asked the girl her name, to which she wrote ‘Averls’ in the dirt. The same word was on the wall. Reno had leant over and written his own name. Then he left. Reno had no idea for the life of him why the event stuck out so much in his memory, something that seemed so.. unimportant.
A knock on the door broke his thoughts.
"Hello? Reno? It’s Reeve."
"Come in."
Reno walked over to a cabinet, taking out a bottle of Vodka, pouring Reeve and himself a glass.
"Take a seat, and have a vodka."
"I will."
"Listen, Reeve, I know you’ve been real busy and all with Eden Inc, but could you tell me what will be happening to me."
Reeve smiled and studied his glass.
"That’s exactly what I came to talk to you about, Reno."
Reno looked up and ran his hand through his hair.
"You’re going to reassemble the Turks?"
"No."
Reno’s face darkened. "What then?"
"I want you to head the Midgar 2 assignment."
Reno, trying not to show emotion in true Turk fashion, stood up slowly.
"I would be honoured to be a part of the Midgar 2 assignment, sir."
"Great. You start tomorrow. You’re going to the Midgar Ruins and start getting some plans ready."
"Yes sir."
"It’s nice to finally get to talk to you again Reno. And call me Reeve, you dickhead."
Reno couldn’t help but laugh.
"Ok, I’ll call you Reeve, you dickhead."
Reeve smiled and punched Reno in the shoulder, then headed towards the door.
"By the way Reno, you’ll be working with a partner."
"Who?"
"Your old buddy. Tseng. See ya."
Reno sat down, hard, in disbelief. Tseng was dead. He must’ve been. Impaled by the Masamune. How could he have survived that? He hadn’t seen him since Meteor, a year ago. Where had he been?
Reno reached for the phone. No, he wasn’t ready to call Tseng yet. It would be so.... strange, hearing his voice again. Reno smiled. He would finally get to see his old friend. Not to mention being in charge of the Midgar 2 assignment. This was the greatest thing that had happened to him in a long time, and it hadn’t even sunk in yet. Finally he could do something rather than sit inside this office and watch the ocean all day.
"Reno, you are back in business..."
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Chapter 2