revivalproject | June-July and Calibrations

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June-July and Calibrations

WHO: Reeve Tuesti, OTA
WHERE: Arriving In Tunnel, Calibrations Waiting Room, Reeve’s Calibration Room
WHAT: The lead up to and time around Calibrations
WHEN: June 2nd to July 10th
WARNINGS: CW: Reeve’s Calibration room may contain references to kidnapping and confinement, including of children

Man and Cat OTA
When they arrive it’s near the end of the thirty-six hour period. There had been much to do for preparation, things to pack, and honestly, he wanted to see the storm as it brewed up. It wasn’t like he’d seen it the first time, having arrived just days after the last blew itself away. But that means the man arrives with quite a bundle in his arms. Packs and papers and the few kits and tools he’s gotten himself from the replicator.

And at his side, a foot and a half tall stuffed animal of a black and white, tuxedo-cat, its own arms wrapped around coiled up papers. Was it possible for a stuffed animal to look proud of itself? Perhaps it should, because it’s got a very smart looking, dark green cape tied around its neck and a whole load of responsibility, so why wouldn’t it be happy?

“Does anyone know how long these storms typically last?” Reeve asks of anyone who comes near. And Mini stops every few steps to readjust the papers. It’s a lot harder to carry things when you don’t have fingers.

Calibrations Waiting Room

here

Calibrations [CW: Referenced (nothing explicitly depicted) kidnapping and confinement, including of children]

It’s not a bedroom, it’s an office. A rather dark one at that, most of the light coming either from the scattering of monitors, some recessed lighting high above, or two lights pointed at the rather oversized Shinra corporate logo behind the desk. The desk itself is cluttered, covered with files and papers and reports. This is clearly the desk of someone far too busy with their life. Someone who isn’t fully organized.

On it there are a few things of notable interest, like architectural reports and diagrams, a few reports on small hinges with one bearing a sticky note of ‘but why would you want them’, and there’s even a box filled with several glowing green and blue orbs. Materia. Further along, in a corner, is a framed picture of a couple that look vaguely like Reeve, his parents no doubt, and Reeve as a boy, all of them smiling in front of what looks like a farm house. The computer monitors scroll through a number of images of Midgar in various stages of being built.

Of course most of that only matters if you didn’t sit in the very comfortable office chair. Hope you like boring board meetings.

Reeve himself lounges on one of the couches in the room, looking tired. Very tired. Like he wishes he could just sleep in peace. But, if engaged, he will indeed talk.

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“I’m quite comfortable, Cloud. I know you wouldn’t talk about it, or comment in an unneeded fashion. And after... after all that you’ve been through, after all our team has been through, I feel that I need no secrets. Besides, they keep me honest.”

And given Reeve could easily do damage to the world, that’s important.

"I know we've been through a lot. But memories can tell different stories if you're not careful." Cloud knows about that but if his friend wants to be honest he won't hold back from that. He walks over to the desk going to the office chair.

There's a pause as he reaches out for the chair as if the last time he did it something went wrong. Cloud grabs hold of the armrest of the chair acting as if he's pulling it away from the desk to sit in it.

Well, at least Cloud knows to be wary of seats. Unfortunately the caution comes too late for this one, for no sooner has Cloud touched it than they're not in Reeve's office. Instead they're standing near the door at the far end of the Shinra Executive Board room. And it's a very different meeting than the one Cloud had spied upon. For one thing, every person at the table is at least a decade younger. Palmer still has hair, Heidegger has less of a paunch, Scarlet... still looks like Scarlet. Reeve himself is clearly the youngest at the table. Except he isn't at the table. He's standing at the foot of it, opposite President Shinra.

And the Reeve next to Cloud groans as looks at it all, shaking his head. Because there are faces in the room that he hasn't seen in a very long while and that places this for him.

"I'm going to seem like an idealistic idiot," he grumbles to Cloud, before gesturing to the people present that Cloud might not know.

"That gruff looking man in the black suit? Veld, the former Executive in charge of the General Affairs department. Head of the Turks, of course. Opposite him in the horrid violet number? Riordan, the executive responsible for Soldier, seeing as they never deigned to let Sephiroth actually be in control. And of course..."

Well, Cloud would know the others at the table. The executives of his time ringing the table, as well as a FAR younger Sephiroth, merely a teen and wearing a proper Soldier uniform, his long silver hair in a braid down his back, seated between Riordan and Hojo. And at the head of the table, President Shinra and at his side, a very young Rufus.

The table is far more people than Cloud would have seen, the whole thing full save for one seat. The one clearly meant for Reeve.

"I was so scared they'd see right through me that day. Years of service, and I didn't know what I'd been called up for."

Cloud remembers seeing the meeting from an air vent. There had been many other rooms they had spied on prior to the main event. He looks over at Reeve as he groans out loud. "What's so wrong about that?" A tilt of his head since Cloud's not sure why he would care.

But he turns his attention back to the meeting in general. He pays close attention to the people that Reeve talks out about. Cloud looks at everyone with a bit of wide eyed wonder. It is a bit strange to see everyone younger.

Cloud could feel himself starting to grow anxious by realizing how many eyes would be all focused on Reeve alone.

"I'm to guess that not many people get called in, in such a way?"

"No, they don't," Reeve sighs, arms crossed over his chest. "This is reserved for really bad situations or the very rare senior level promotions. Which are rare."

The younger Reeve shifts nervously from foot to foot, and the tension is overwhelming.

"Or, you know, you could be called up if you were being called out as hiding something. Like natural magic. You know how Shinra is about native magic users."

It was a poorly kept company secret. Turks didn't just recruit for Shinra, they 'gathered' natural magic users to support the company. But as Cloud and his team had learned, those people, like Aerith, were experimented upon. There had been some theory that those people were of Cetra blood, which hadn't been true.

"Mister Tuesti, do you know why you were called here today?" President Shinra asked, and Reeve watches himself look at the floor nervously.

"No sir."

Cloud's eyes dart immediately over at Reeve at the mention of being called here for finding out your secret. He watches the younger Reeve wondering if they would question him a certain way anyway. Shinra knew how to play mind games with anyone if they wanted.

There's unease knowing that this could go in so many different directions for the young Reeve. The memory would be hard to forget for anyone. Reeve could have been in serious danger yet, he was a smart man. Cloud wouldn't know if he had caused some trouble prior to this or if Shinra sniffed him out.

"I do know how they are about magic users. It's not right and no one should ever have to go through that."

He can't help but glance back to the President waiting for him to continue while gripping the chair a bit.

Does he? How can he know how much worse it is for Reeve in his world? How much more terrifying? How what Hojo had done with Aerith was in some ways kind?

"I was half afraid that the Soldier and Turk representatives would just grab me and let Hojo knock me out right then and there. There were rumors that leaked down to even my level," Reeve sighs.

And the President is nodding to then-Reeve.

"Your work has been brought to my attention frequently, these last months, young Mister Tuesti. And I must say..."

The pause is weighty.

"I'm impressed."

He doesn't know the differences in Reeve's world but Hojo wanted to have SOLDIERs breed with Aerith. Cloud had an inkling of an idea but not the in depth of Reeve's. Once he finds out though he will have a better understanding on what Reeve meant. He winces at the mention of what they could have done and the fear that the other was currently reliving.

"I may have been too hasty in my response." He goes silent for a moment. "I don't know anything about your world. I know how Hojo can be in mine and what they had plans to do with Aerith. What kind of rumors?" Cloud didn't really think about how the people in Reeve's world could be different from his or the fears that the other truly faced.

The tension in the air of the memory make everything seem slow. The quiet had been broken by a simple word of impression. He tilts his head but doesn't say anything. Cloud's attention drifts to the young Reeve watching him for his reaction.

"My world?" Reeve asks, clearly confused.

The reactions on the younger Reeve's face are... multiple. Confusion. Pride. Relief. They all warred on his face and there were a few chuckles around the table, some mean spirited, others merely amused.

"Mister Tuesti, are you aware that the current head of your department is retiring for medical reasons?" President Shinra continued.

"Yes sir. He will be sorely missed. His work with..."

"You will be his replacement."

The culture of walking right over anything important Reeve had to say had apparently started quickly. And he's left staring in open shock, his mouth hanging open.

"You say things that make sense to me. But you've been really concerned on magic users. The Shinra I know are way more interested in those connected with the Cetra." Cloud tilts his head while looking over at Reeve. "Are you going to reveal that you are?" He asks with some confusion.

The scene playing out in front of Cloud makes him feel a bit uneasy. Cloud's been in these situations before with his unit or within Shinra when he went for his SOLDIER screening. They were truly brutal in their ways. Cloud frowns as Reeve tries to speak for his previous department head.

He dislikes how this is going seeing something similar before with Reeve trying to speak up for the city damages. Cloud knew he was a good man, a good smart man that most likely achieved a goal he always wanted. Anyone would be jealous of that.

"How did you put up with their behavior? Is it a city thing?" Cloud would always be confused by that. He tried to do his best to fit in somewhere himself.

"Reveal?" Reeve asks, looking at Cloud in horror. "Never. You..."

He gets it. He's had this conversation back home. And if Cloud doesn't remember that... it really is different worlds.

"If they knew what I could do, they would give me to Hojo, Cloud. My life would literally over. But I stayed for the people.

"Sir, I'm not certain..." young-Reeve started to say, only to be cut off again.

"Are you suggesting that you do not want the position?" President Shinra asked, his eyes narrowed.

"No sir," Reeve says, stepping forward. "I'll take the position."

"Then sit. We've got real business to get to."

Cloud frowns sadly at the look not ever really wanting to see that on his friend's face. "We're still friends. Doesn't matter where we came from." He needed to say it.

"You're a good man for wanting to stay for the people knowing the risk. Not many others would have done that." As the young-Reeve chimes in he tries to remain focused on the memory.

Cloud watches as Reeve taking up the position before any confusion could be done and he waits for him to sit as the President had directed.

"What else was I supposed to do? Leaving would mark me as hunted," Reeve points out. For a lot of reasons.

Younger-Reeve walks around the room and takes the seat and he sighs.

"Now, for the first order of business..."

CLearly the man is going to get plowed over, and the young man was thus going to experience his first board meeting. And with that they were back in Reeve's office.

"I was scared Hojo was going to notice me," Reeve admits. "Cait Sith... he's not a robot. He's magic. I gave him a soul. Imagine what Shinra would do with my magic and Scarlet's robots?"

"You did what you needed to." Cloud knew that Reeve was stuck with it because consequences would follow him. The board meeting had been exactly that and he had been thankful that it had ended. At least this had been better than giving a statement to Jon when he had sat in a chair last.

He steps away from the chair then while focusing his attention on Reeve. "Cait Sith has a personality to him." There's a small smile at that, he knows that Cait Sith means well. His expression then turns a bit more serious. "They would be able to use them to take over what they want."

"Yes, he has his own personality. Some based on my intention, most of it his own choice," Reeve sighs, rubbing at his temple. "Yes, he annoys me a touch too. But I love him."

He gestured toward a wall where the door out had returned. "You can go now, if you wish."

"If there's nothing else you wish to show me here, I'll go on my way."

He slowly starts to head towards the door while looking back over at Reeve. "I'm sure we'll be able to talk about certain topics better out there." It would be more personal too. He doesn't want to glance at something that his friend doesn't want to relive again either.

"Thank you, Cloud. You've given me much to think of."

And what more can he say beyond that?

"You're a good friend."

"You've done the same for me too. You're welcome."

Cloud opens the door while looking back over to Reeve.

"You are too." He'll walk out then as long as the room will let him.

"So we keep telling each other. Hopefully we get better at being friendly with others too," Reeve smiles and offers a wave.

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June-July and Calibrations

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