I
“Ready to go, young sir?”
“Rufus. The name is Rufus. And give me a minute.”
White shirt. Red trousers. Red tie. Red suit jacket, the exact shade that his father loved so much.
He grimaced at the mirror. In its depths, a blond twelve year old in a red suit grimaced back.
”I hate this color,” he whispered
vehemently, and his reflection tugged irritably at the tie, trying to
straighten it out. “Just because the public thinks it’s cute
to have us dressed alike. Like I’m a miniature version of
you. Like I serve as nothing but a reminder that you’re human and you
were young once.” He tugged sharply on the tie, and hissed as the knot went
askew. “Because,” Rufus continued ranting to his reflection as he viciously
re-tied the tie, “the public loves kids. Especially small sized, vulnerable
looking ones.”
But it doesn’t matter, he thought, as he triumphantly yanked the tie through the last fold. It won’t matter any more.
White gloves. His leather wallet, slipped into an inner pocket. And last but not least, the most important part of his attire, a tiny Shinra handgun, custom made for him, tucked into a waist holster. The jacket buttoned over it, concealing any sign of its presence. Rufus smiled grimly, cast one last look at the mirror, and turned for the door. The heels of his polished black shoes clicked against the floor.
The man waiting for him was perhaps in his mid twenties, just a few years out of college. Clad in navy trousers and a white shirt, he lounged against a wall, a matching suit jacket slung carelessly over one shoulder. When he saw Rufus, he straightened with a smile.
“Tuesti,” Rufus nodded in acknowledgement. “I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“Reeve,” the man said. “The name is Reeve.”
Rufus smiled, a polished and trained gesture calculated to charm the masses, and one that had been hammered into him by his tutors. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Shall we go?”
“Certainly.”
“I’d like to see the park today.” His footsteps quickened, real enthusiasm making him impatient. At last, at last, at long long last…
*
“Father…”
President Shinra
looked up, to see his only son hovering shyly in front of the massive console
that was the President’s desk.
“What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“I’m sorry.” The words were a whisper. “But
I was wondering if I could…” Rufus shuffled his feet, and, evidently reciting
some long rehearsed speech, said carefully: “My tutors think that I should go
and visit the rest of Midgar.”
“Visit Midgar? Whatever for?” the President turned his attention back to his work,
scowling at the reports on the screen in front of him.
“Well, sir… they said that maybe I could
visit some of the reactors and see how the city layout is and how the power
distribution is… especially before the new layout proposals go into effect…”
Rufus’ features displayed a cautious amount of hope.
“What a waste of time. You can get that from
any schematic diagram.”
Rufus’ face fell. “They said that it was
better to get first hand experience. And Mr Tuesti offered to show me around… it’ll be a practical
lesson, hands on experience… Mr Karn
said that he forwarded a proposal to you earlier…”
The President scowled, unable to recall any
such proposal amidst the massive piles of reports he had read that day. It was
late, he was tired… and the brat had a point, actually. Some things were better
envisioned after you had actually seen them. He waved a dismissing hand. “Fine then. But this isn’t going to be a substitute for your
study time.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“Now get lost. I have work
to do.”
He didn’t see the small victorious smile on
his son’s face as Rufus retreated.
*
That had been the first step in a plan a long time in conceiving. The first plan he had seriously executed, actually, and his biggest by far. Since then, there had been a number of trips outside the confines of the Shinra Headquarters. He had visited the mako reactors, toured the upper plate, familiarized himself with the layout of upper Midgar. He had learnt the way each street ran into the next, and by night he would hunch over street maps on his bed, carefully tracing routes.
They had never visited the Slums. That much of a concession would have been impossible to wring from his father, and he hadn’t even bothered to try.
“The park, eh?” Reeve asked.
“It’s amazing,” Rufus gushed. “That they can actually grow plants here in Midgar… even if it is under controlled conditions.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two grunts that were his bodyguards every time he left the building falling in step behind. He ignored their presence as Reeve opened a door to the limo to allow him to climb in.
“We could make a quick visit, I suppose,” Reeve conceded. “Your father rather thinks that botany is a useless subject.”
Rufus shared a conspiratorial grimace with his tutor. “Father thinks that anything not related to mako and accordingly to money is a useless subject.” They exchanged grins.
The morning spiraled by in a haze of heady flowery
scents and splashes of bright color. Time flew, marked by the opening and
closing of the blooms on the flower clock. And the artificial sun, simulating
the summer that Midgar would have known if not for
the dark clouds above, inched towards its zenith.
I have to make a move soon. Can’t afford to waste too much daylight.
Rufus glanced covertly at a delicate flower clock near the exit of the park, noting that it was almost midday. They had spent rather more time than expected here, but he really did enjoy this place, with its gardens and groves and water features.
It was a pity that this was the last time he would ever see it.
He excused himself to the bathroom, to which Reeve acknowledged with a slightly distracted air, too busy admiring the newest exhibits displayed in their full glory nearby. Specimens from Gongaga. Rufus grinned to himself. He had counted on new exhibits claiming Reeve’s attention, but stuff from Reeve’s hometown? That was a stroke of luck indeed.
The bathroom had been designed around an open air concept, with plants screening off one end of the stalls. Rufus strode into a stall, shutting the wooden door behind him, and locking it. And took a deep breath.
This is it.
He was almost trembling with anticipation, butterflies fluttering his stomach. He had to stuff his hands into his pockets to stop them from shaking. Months of careful planning and orchestration come to a head…
At last.
He smiled, a genuine smile of pure joy. Goodbye, Shinra.
And he shoved his way through the potted plants and ran for dear life. Away. As far away from the curse that was his birthright as he could go.