Rude and Reno examined a steel panel that had a slightly different color than the rest.

“It’s just a wall, Rude.”

Before Reno could finish, the wall shook slightly. A steel panel approximately one meter squared disappeared into the floor. Rude and Reno looked at each other before rushing over to the hole left behind in the wall. They could see a white wall through the hole. It looked like a small room.

“Anyone there?” Reno went to look inside, but just as he was about to peep inside, Rufus’ face appeared through the hole.

“Good work,”

The young Shin-Ra Company President suddenly collapsed.

“Boss!”

While Reno looked after Rufus, Rude slid past him and entered the white room. It was immediately clear that this was a shelter.

Taking a quick glance around, he spotted that four of the buttons on the keypad were still lit up but were quickly dimming again. Rude didn’t know it, but the late President had always used the same digits on any equipment that needed a numerical code. It was made up of numbers he would never forget, it was the birthday of his son.

“Rude, go find a doctor. And check outside while you’re at it.”

“How’s the Boss?”

“He’s sound asleep.”

Just as Reno said, a deep, quiet breathing could be heard.

“Looks like he’s relieved that we found him,” Reno tried to joke but failed.

“He’s lucky,”

Rude went to take a look outside.

* * *

Rude stood in the darkness at the back entrance of the Shin-Ra building. The rain and harsh winds blasting against him. Everywhere lay beams and rubble from the outer wall which had fallen down. Floodlights were set up on the ground to aid the rescue teams, as well as powerful search lights from the helicopter hovering above. They glistened off the shattered glass scattered everywhere. Rude took a good look around, but remained calm. The fact that Rufus was alive had given all hope he needed. Rufus himself was the Shin-Ra Company after all. Whether for good or bad, the company would live on. And this in turn meant, so would the Turks. Rude could hardly imagine a life without the Turks.

The powerful gusts from a low-flying helicopter sent a fist-sized chunk of wood flying, grazing off Rude’s cheek. Rude smirked. He loved thrills. And Rufus always guaranteed to provide them.

Taking care where he stepped, Rude made his way toward the front of the building. Everywhere people were huddled on the ground. Arms and legs sticking out from under the rubble were common sights here. He wasn’t sure whether they were dead or alive. Most people looked at Rude with blatant fear in their eyes. Perhaps this wasn’t surprising with his shaved head and dark sunglasses. He didn’t exactly inspire confidence. he just reeked of violence. Rude actually felt a sense of satisfaction with the reaction he usually got.

Busily rushing around were the rescue teams, made up of hospital staff funded by the Shin-Ra Company. Rude grabbed one of them and told him where he needed help. He didn’t know how he would react if he heard Rufus’ name so he made no mention of it.

“Is he a member of Shin-Ra?”

“Yeah.”

“Then he has priority.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The man nodded and called over to his colleagues who were carrying a stretcher, then headed towards the back of the building. As Rude looked at them, he figured he should take the lead and went after them. Just then, a young woman speaking over a radio caught his eye.

She was one of Cloud’s companions. They were part of a group that fought against, but for now, there was no reason to fight them. A confrontation was only necessary if they were ordered to, or if they stood in the way of an operation.

Rude quickly hid in the shadows and watched as she nervously paced up and down.

* * *

Reno watched the rescue team as they moved Rufus onto a stretcher,

“Where are you taking him?”

“We’ll take him to the hospital, but after that… I can’t say.”

“Can’t say? What the hell does that mean?”

“I mean, Meteor is on its way. What can we do when the planet’s about to be destroyed?”

“Well, that’s true. Come on, this way.”

Reno lead the rescue team through a small door to the lobby.

“This place is really messed up. That bald guy could have told us about this shortcut.”

“It’s a passageway for executives only. Don’t tell anyone.”

“—Yes, sir.”

Reno nodded, satisfied with the answer and lead them towards the main entrance. He was about to step outside when he saw a familiar figure. She stood with her back to him and hadn’t seen him yet. He turned to the rescue team.

“Could I leave the rest to you guys? Something just come up,”

“Of course. He’ll be in good hands. By the way, what is the patient’s name?”

“He’ll tell you himself once he wakes up. Put him inside a good hospital room like you should.”

“Could he be— Rufus Shin-Ra?”

The paramedic holding the other end of the stretcher asked timidly.

“Shh!”

* * *

That “fateful day” – by many it was just called “that day”. Rufus witnessed the miraculous events in the small town of Kalm, which was not very far from Midgar. Midgar’s hospitals would soon be besieged by crowds of people, and it would be impossible to guarantee Rufus’ safety. So when Rufus barely regained consciousness, Reno suggested that he should be moved to a small house in Kalm, which belonged to the Shin-Ra Company. He was being transported by helicopter, so he could be taken as far away as they wanted, but Rufus insisted on Kalm. He respected the opinion of his subordinates, so he agreed to relocate to Kalm, but he refused to just continue fleeing from one place to the next, in the face of the impending destruction of the planet.

Meteor was so close that you would think you could reach out and touch it. With such a surreal situation before them, the four Turks patrolled Midgar. They had taken care of Rufus’s safety, but with Meteor’s imminent impact, that was quite a contradiction in terms. They decided to carry out their order until the very end.

“There is no point in thinking about what happens after the Meteor impacts. We will keep working and assume the planet will overcome this disaster,”

With those words, Tseng before he ordered his subordinates to assist in the evacuation of Midgar’s population. The city was now under the influence of Meteor. The increasingly strong storms and the violent earthquakes brought down the first of the buildings. The city of steel screamed as though it were caught in surprise.

“It’s just like the chief to use his last orders for good deeds,” muttered Rude.

“What about it?”

“Atonement.”

“I see.”how true

Finally, even the former leader of the Turks, Veld, and their old colleagues arrived in Midgar. Reno thought this must be a mirage, conjured by Meteor.

Once long ago, the Turks had acted in a manner which was not in the best interests of the company. They had saved the world, and at the same time also Veld and his daughter, who had got caught in the crossfire. Now that Reno thought about it, the cohesion among the Turks had probably never been as strong as at that time. As he helped them to evacuate the inhabitants of the Midgar, Reno couldn’t help but feel a certain nostalgia.

After the incident, President Shin-Ra and the executives ordered the Turks to be disbanded – or rather, killed. It was the Vice President, Rufus, who had rescued them from their predicament. And now they had just saved Rufus.

Reno had a feeling that he had done all that could be done. Now might come the end of the world. Rufus was their patron and now that Reno has helped secure his safety and reunited with the colleagues who he never thought he would see again, Reno was glad that he will have no regrets to leave behind any more.

* * *

On that fated day, Meteor was destroyed just before it’s impact with Midgar, the destruction of the Planet was averted at the last second. It was the power of the lifestream bursting out of the Planet that saved it. The Ultimate White Magic “Holy” had triumphed against the Ultimate Black Magic “Meteor”. Cloud and his comrades had played a significant role in saving the world, but the majority of the population would never know. Rather, the general perception was that the planet had saved himself.

Reno and rude had experienced the critical moment not with their colleagues, but in the Shin-Ra building, directly in the shadow of Meteor.

“Why does it have to happen now?”

The building trembled with the impact of the lifestream. Through the numerous Windows, it burst into the Interior of the building, raging like a wild snake of light through the rooms and hallways and destroyed everything in its path. The two fled to a safe place, namely two cubicles in the staff toilet, and talked to each other through the partition.

“This is my fault.”

“What is?”

“If I didn’t suggest we come back to collect the tool box then— ” Rude began with a sorry face.

“Forget it, man. Now’s not the time to feel sorry.”

Rude noticed an unusual tone in Reno’s voice, and stayed silent.

“Rude?”

Reno couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“What is it?”

“We’ve known eachother for a long time, right.”

“You could say that.”

“We’re buddies, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then, buddy!”

Rude noticed that Reno was back to his usual self. He could hear him opening the door of his cubicle and walking out. The next moment Rude’s cubicle door was kicked, the door on Rude’s cubicle got kicked down. Rude caught it and kicked it back with full force.

“What the hell!”

“My last present to my best partner.”

“A door?”

“A thrill. The sort of thing you like.”

“—Not enough,” Rude replied as he got out of his cubicle.

“What do you say we take a look outside? I bet it’s exciting.”

“It’s a festival.”

The two walked out of front entrance, and were greeted by strong winds, whirled up by the Lifestream. Just then, a dazzling ray of light whipped past them.

“Woah!! That was the Lifestream wasn’t it?”

“Reno.”

“What?”

“This is the best.”

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