Sex and Politics

CHAPTER 5

Mornings in the town of Edge were the best part of the day. Traffic was heavy, but energy and hopes were high. Every resident started a new life each morning, hoping to leave the nightmares behind. Tifa and Barrett did their part to help in that process. Seventh Haven was a booming business now that the town drunks actually had cash and Tifa’s tiny orphanage was quickly becoming a small Mecca for orphans seeking a home.

“How’s the new building for the orphanage?” Vincent asked, handing Tifa and Barrett cups of steaming jasmine tea. It pleased him to no end that Tifa was with Barrett now. They were practical and well-grounded people and Vincent could think of no two human beings that belonged together better than these two. Cloud was a lovable kid, but he lived in his own world and Tifa was tired of waiting.

“Same as it was before,” Barrett sounded irritated, “won’t issue us a damn permit to build. That whole street has a four-story minimum height on all buildings. Can’t afford an orphan house that large. Yet.” Vincent nodded empathetically. “But things’ll get better.”

“The other day, Barrett, when you guys dragged Cid back in here, you said something about dealing with the old man first. Care to elaborate?” Vincent felt strange tension in the room. Barrett played with a ball of bread he made out of his toast. He looked at Tifa, then back to Vincent.

“My guys from the Wutai network told me old lady Shinra was living in a villa there, way the hell up in the mountains where only crazy old locals know how to get to. Rumor had it she lost her marbles when Midgar went to hell and she thought her boy got deep fried. I figured it made sense, told them to leave the poor woman alone, but Yuffie didn’t buy it. She met Mrs. Shinra a few years back, said the woman wasn’t the type to go crazy with grief. So she told our guys to keep digging. What do ya know? Looks like old man Shinra’s alive and almost well. Bastard’s in a wheelchair, but he’s been pulling strings with his old cronies to get Shinra back under his control and it doesn’t look like Rufus is aware of this.”

Vincent frowned to keep his jaw from dropping open. He lived for a very long time and was not an easily impressionable man anymore, but this news proved that he could still be amazed.

“It’s been almost three years, how in the hell is this possible?” he finally asked.

“Guess back at Midgar when Sephiroth made kebab out of the old man, he didn’t actually kill him all the way. Hey, the guy was fat and wide as a sofa, you could skewer him a hundred ways without doing him in. And my guess is that Rufus was too eager to sit his ass in the President’s chair to bother checking that his old man was actually dead. Nobody knows when or how the body was disposed off. But now the kid’s gonna pay for his mistake. My guys tell me the old man got somebody to take Rufus out.”

“It must suck to be Rufus Shinra. He just turned twenty-three and everybody’s got a price on his head already,” Vincent sighed.

“Hold it,” Tifa suddenly straightened up, her forehead developed a slight wrinkle as she considered something in her mind. “Vincent, you said that Sazar Valdi was an ex-Shinra military major. He doesn’t seem like a very idealistic guy, so what turned him into a rebel?”

“Don’t know,” Vincent shrugged, “last we met he was pretty loyal to the old man Shinra.”

“I think he still is! That shithead is fucking with us!” Barrett slammed his metal fist onto the table. “I knew something wasn’t straight about him first time I laid my damn eyes on the SOB! It’s clear as day what he’s doing. The old man Shinra paid Valdi to take his kid out and make it look like AVALANCH assassinated Rufus in the course of a rebellion. Valdi is using us and our network like suckers to do his dirty work. Two-faced traitor vermin! I’m gonna kill’m myself!”

“I suspected the man was bad news too,” Vincent stood up. “That villain nearly got Cid killed yesterday, trying to get to Rufus!”

“Well, best defense is attack,” said Barret, straightening up to his full intimidating height. “Vince, let’s go catch the son-of-a-bitch. My gun arm and I would like to ask him a few questions. Tifa, find that fool Yuffie and tell her to pass the word on. And tell Cid to stay his ass in bed ‘cos he isn’t playing personal pilot for that asshole anymore.”

“I will call Reno and give him a heads up on-”

“No!” Barrett cut her off without hesitation. He was still the commander of AVALANCH and he was in the mode of issuing orders. “If daddy and his boy want to cannibalize each other, that’s none of our damn business. We got our own problems!”

Tifa swallowed hard to suffocate her anger. It seemed that no matter how much she accomplished in life there was always a man to order her around. She nodded, watching the men head out the door and dialing Reno’s number. Rufus may have been a rich cocky asshole at one point, but the Rufus she spoke to last time had the most charming smile and he wrote her a personal check to help support the children she cared for. Tifa didn’t hold grudges and she wanted to return the favor.

“Reno?”

“It’s Elena. Reno’s out,” barked an irritated female voice. “This number is private, how did you get it?”

“It’s Tifa Lockhart. Think Seventh Haven, Blue Moon Martini special?” Tifa could picture the female Turk loosen up. No, she hasn’t forgotten her last birthday bash. “It’s about your boss, Rufus Shinra. Martini on the house, if you come without the boys. I am not in a mood to deal with any more testosterone today.”