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A Cause
To Die For
by Shell
Part one: Rude the boy
“Hey Rude.”
The voice was tired, impatient even.
“Hey Rude.”
It took the young man a handful of heartbeats for the words to register. They were talking to him.
Blushing furiously, the young man turned, pulling his black powdered hands out of his pockets and handing the imposing figures a collection of multicolored stones. They barely glittered under the dulled lighting of the mines.
“Here,” he told them, wiping his hands on his trousers.
“Good boy,” one of the figures grinned.
The young man smiled to himself.
“Oh, and Rude?”
The boy nodded again. “Sirs?”
“Try not to forget who you are now.” He laughed, and the pair turned to go, tall and mysterious and sure of their path.
Rude grimaced as they left. Humiliating.
I am Rude now. They call me Rude. Rude’s a good, solid, mysterious name.
He hurried back down the dark passages, bypassing a standard mining lamp. He could scoff at those now. Thirteen years in a mine was long enough for anyone to grow accustomed to their dank, looping paths. Rude closed his eyes and felt the tips of his fingers brush against the solid rock –sandlerock, as the people in Kalm called it- and he impressed himself with how efficiently he could reach his fellows without the use of his eyes.
“Hey Oron.”
Rude’s amber eyes fluttered open as he nearly crashed head first into the cart of stones his friend Miral was pushing.
“What was that about?” Miral demanded indignantly. Her hair, naturally blonde, looked black and filthy from the dust. Her callused and bronzed skin was fairly coated in a dusting as well. Under her thin white shirt, sleek muscles could be seen.
Miral was tough. No one in town argued with that.
“I was just playing around,” Rude admitted. He could admit anything to Miral. Except of course, for this new secret, which he had to keep from everyone he trusted. He had promised. Besides which, if Rude had told her that he had a code name now, Rude, and that ‘Oron’ was dead to him, she would undoubtedly laugh.
Miral was, above all else, a realist, and none of Rude’s dreams or fantasies had ever succeeded in wavering her resolve.
Miral sighed and rolled her large brown eyes, obviously not impressed with Rude’s lackluster performance at work lately.
“Your father was looking for you. What were you doing in the east tunnel?” Miral pressed, eyes narrowed in her usual demanding fashion.
“The east tunnel?” Rude stalled. “I…well obviously I was checking for leaks.”
Leaks. Unsafe mines of the Shinra empire had caused the death of nine of his fellows. But that would end soon. He would see to all that.
Miral, once again, was hardly impressed. “Well, you’d better go out and see him then.”
Rude pursed his lips. “I don’t want to.”
“You’re so ungrateful, Oron. I hear the way you carry on with strangers- you try to make it sound like you’re an orphan. What’s that about?”
Rude didn’t want to talk about that and if Miral didn’t understand that by now, then his worst suspicions were confirmed- no one in this dinky little mining town knew him at all.
“Nothing. I’m just joking around.” He ran a dirty hand through dark brown hair. “I’ll go see him. Sure, why not? He’s my dad, right?”
“Stop acting weird, Oron, and go see him. He had work to do.”
Rude narrowed his eyes. “I know he does.” He turned and stalked down one of the tunnels, careful not to interfere in the work of any of the other miners. Close as he was with his fellows, he was also well versed in the kind of language that descended upon a young man foolish enough to interrupt their work. Mining was dangerous, meticulous work, and one that Shinra demanded be done well. Rude was already half blind from all the squinting, dust, and darkness that smothered him daily. He couldn’t imagine how people like his father expected him to be doing this until he died.
Rude cringed back, eyes burning from the sudden light. He hissed through clenched teeth and waited for the momentary disorientation to pass.
“Oron?”
Rude distinguished his father’s figure through his squint. He made out his familiar shape- tall, with broad shoulders. Half the men in town were tall with broad shoulders, but Rude always imagined his father was somehow different. Taller. Broader. Maybe. Even in his pre-adolescent state, Rude could tell that one day he would probably be just as tall and broad as his father. Now, however, he was a lanky, wily youth, with tangled brown hair, bright amber eyes, and sooty white skin. He hardly looked like the mysterious men he so desired to emulated.
“Yes, what?” Rude demanded irritably. Rude was always irritated when speaking with his father recently. He couldn’t help it. Ever since their fight last week- over Shinra, of all things- Rude could barely make himself look his father in the eye. Not to mention his jaw still ached.
It was unfair, Rude mused, that his father should beat on him like that,
when he was such a big man and Rude couldn’t hope to keep up. It was humiliating,
he supposed, to be humbled by a man he considered so low on the importance
food chain.
Rude’s
father, Ethan Caherty, was a nobody. He worked all day, ate, slept, and
then worked again. For Shinra.
“Oron, I have to get back to work, but I thought we should talk.”
Rude blinked. He wanted to talk? Rude had to admit he was mildly
surprised. His father never took the time to address anything specifically.
Talks with Ethan were usually just a question, a refusal, a fight, and
then a cold gripping silence that would hold Rude and his father in suspended
hatred until one or the other forgot about the whole thing. Rude always
hated that about his father, and as a result, Rude learned to keep his
feelings and opinions to himself, at least around his father.
And
he had been good about sticking to that resolve until his father had brought
up Shinra last week.
And now he brought it up again.
“Oron, it is because of Shinra that we eat,” Ethan said sternly, reinforcing the point he had tried to make that fateful day. “I work hard, yes –you work hard, but it is good honest work. You have nothing to want for.”
Rude laughed bitterly on the inside. If only his father understood- or cared- what he wanted.
But now Rude just nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. But I don’t see why we should be grateful.” he stopped there, not wanting to talk about any of this anymore until his work was done and Shinra was behind him. “There are other things that our townspeople can do. That’s all I’m saying. And I’m going to prove that, whether it’s the last thing I do.”
Ethan sighed, and his eyes looked tired and strained. “Oron, read this for me please.”
Ethan Caherty couldn’t read. Not a word. Rude was no genius, but he had picked up letters from Miral. Miral’s father worked in the mine, like all fathers, but he tallied numbers instead of digging.
Rude reached out and took the crumpled paper, smoothing it and squinting.
The words were very blurry. The more hours he spent in the mines, the longer it took him to focus. He pulled the paper closer to his face and grimaced.
Rude stuttered, “ ‘On behalf of the Shinra Corporation, I would like to commend you on completing your monthly quota as of 10093, however, I regret to inform you that do to rising demand for Shinra products, your quota will be upped to 93.9 as of 10094. Thank you, signed Reeve Leander, Urban Development’.” Rude looked up, feeling as helpless as he did the day of the last leak explosion. “They upped the quota….” he blinked, trying not to show his fury. “They want more from us.”
“Oron,” Ethan interrupted quickly, “9.3 isn’t a big jump. We can swing it. Another hour or so a day…”
“Another hour,” Rude murmured, licking his lips and tasting dust. “And these are the people you defend?”
“We have no other choice,” Ethan answered, “go back to work. We’ll talk
about it tonight.”
Rude was home, exhausted to his core, every inch of him feeling like it had been stretched by rope. He closed his eyes. He had somewhere to go tonight.
He heard his mother in the next room, cleaning up from dinner.
Dinner had been very quiet, father still working late and Rude’s younger brother still mad at him for fighting with father.
“Oron, you aren’t going out tonight, are you?” his mother asked, stepping into the dark room. “I read about the quota…I know you must be upset. You’d be better off staying here tonight.”
Rude shook his head slowly. “Sorry, mom. I told Miral I would meet her.” He sat up. “Besides, I’m not that upset. I expected no less from Shinra.”
“Don’t let your father hear you talking about that.”
Rude shrugged. “He’s heard me before. What difference would it make. What time is it?”
“It’s late, Oron, I’d prefer if you stayed in.”
Rude slipped off his bed. “I can’t do that.” He groaned as he felt his aching joints. “Say goodnight to Radley for me?”
“He’s still furious at you. Maybe you’d better go talk to him.”
Rude scoffed. “He’s crazy. He’s gotten it into his head that I’m responsible for tearing the family apart. He’ll let it go when he’s ready.” Rude pulled on his jacket.
“Where are you meeting Miral?”
“The well. Where else?”
His mother chuckled. “Be home earlier than last night, ok? You can’t work all day and stay up all night. It’s not healthy for a growing boy.”
Rude towered over his mother. “I think I’ve got that covered,” he offered
with a smirk, heading for the door.
Part two: Rude the Crusader
“New orders?” Rude whispered hopefully.
“Anxious to move on, are you boy?”
“Shinra upped the quota.”
“The bastards. I knew they would.”
Rude grinned. “What are we going to do about it?”
“We’re going to bury the mines.”
Rude blinked, not understanding. “Bury them, sir?”
The man, Rude’s idol, grinned, revealing very white teeth. He had straight black hair and gray eyes. “Why, Rude, too many memories in there?”
It was still odd for him to be hearing that name in the open. “I don’t understand,” he admitted.
The man smirked at him and slid a piece of paper to him.
Rude sighed, disappointed. More reading. He squinted.
“Can’t you read, boy?”
Rude was going to blush again. He felt it. “I can read,” he growled. “It’s just hard to see.”
The man tapped his partner, and the blonde man removed his sunglasses and handed them to Rude.
“What’s this?” Rude asked.
“Put them on. Then read.”
Confused, Rude donned the sunglasses and blinked at the paper. It was must clearer. “They’re glasses?” he grimaced. “I need glasses?”
“Never mind that, boy. What do you think?”
Rude looked down at the paper again. It was plans, it seemed. Plans for a dynamite mix for use in the east tunnel.
Rude pursed his lips. “Well, that would be a good place for a bomb. That tunnel is poorly designed, so all the tunnels may collapse if that one goes.”
“We were counting on that. Could you do it, Rude?”
Rude looked up, dying to ask him the question that had been nagging him for weeks now. “Rude? Why Rude? What’s with that code name?”
The contact frowned. “If you must know, it was my brother’s name.”
“Was?”
“He was killed in a Shinra accident. I want to make certain that never happens again.”
Rude’s chest tightened. “Not in Kalm, it won’t.” He tightened his jaw. “I can do this. Give me the explosives. I’ll plant them myself. These mines have to be ruined to save Kalm.”
The second man cleared his throat. “You know, Rude, there is a large chance that Shinra will do an investigation. They may find out who’s behind all this. We could be eliminated.”
“So long as they don’t rebuild the mines,” Rude murmured.
“You mean you don’t care? You don’t care if they kill you?”
“If I cared, I wouldn’t have agreed to help you.”
“But you’re a young man. You must have something to live for.”
Rude thought about Miral, then shook his head. “I only have something to live for if I don’t have to spend my life in the torturous mines.”
The men seemed impressed, which made Rude’s chest swell with pride.
“I’ll do what it takes,” he continued. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“A cause to die for,” the first man chuckled. “Wish I had that kind of commitment at your age.”
Rude took the sunglasses off and handed them back to the second man.
“May I ask your names?” Rude asked. “If I am risking my life, shouldn’t I at least know who I’m risking it for?”
The second man grinned. “For the cause, young Rude. Just for the cause.”
Rude returned home with mixed emotions. Sorting through his feelings had been difficult enough lately, and now this mixture of purpose and excitement was confusing him beyond reason. He shook his head, deciding to block it all out for now. Emotion would only confusion him during a period where he would need all his wits.
He could feel the bomb under his coat. It wasn’t that big, something that had surprised him. Man Two had showed him how to make one, which wires had to be connected, which had to be cut to diffuse it…..Rude had absorbed it all eagerly. This was the kind of duty he had waited his life for. A sense of duty and necessity to drive him forward. A cause to die for.
Rude pulled the door to his house open, staring back at the sky to access the time. It was much later than he had intended, the stars already fading from the sky.
He hurried into his living room, which was shadowy and dark, but not so shadowy as he couldn’t make out that distinguished silhouette.
“Father?” Rude swallowed, hiding his nervousness. “What are you doing up?”
“I told you we’d talk tonight, didn’t I?”
Rude nodded weakly. “Well….yes. But you weren’t home when I left. Isn’t it really late? Why are you still up?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
Rude was caught completely off guard. There was something his father wasn’t telling him. Talking was never this important before.
“Well, ok,” Rude answered uncertainly. “Do you want me to sit down?”
Ethan nodded. “Yes, please.”
Rude swallowed, sliding into a chair. “This must be important. What’s the matter?”
“I know what you’ve been up to Oron.”
Rude felt himself fill with cold fear for a second, but he hid it smoothly and let it ice over him. “Up to?” he smirked. “You mean seeing Miral? We’re just friends.”
There was a brief pause. “You mother and I talked to Miral’s father. The last two nights you ‘met with her’ Miral was home.”
“Maybe she snuck out,” Rude argued. “Look, why don’t you just tell me what this is about?”
“We’re worried about you.”
“Worried?”
“About where your loyalties lie.”
Rude blinked. This was all very strange. “My loyalties? Are to Kalm, of course, and to you.”
“But to Shinra? Any loyalties to Shinra?”
Rude shook his head. “No. No, you know I have no love for Shinra.”
His father exhaled heavily. “You know that’s a very dangerous thing.”
Rude stood up sharply, confused and indignant. “Why are you acting so strangely? What do you think I’ve been up to?”
Ethan stood too now, mainly just to be intimidating to the youth. “I’m not yet certain, but there are Shinra agents in town and I don’t want them to get it into their heads that Ethan Caherty has a disloyal son! That’s dangerous.”
“They won’t find out.” Rude could feel the bomb against his skin and felt himself begin to sweat. If his father saw it, all his plans would be ruined and his work destroyed.
After tomorrow, none of this will matter anymore. The mines will be destroyed, and those men will make me one of their agents. They’ll be so impressed with my work. I won’t have to worry about lowly Ethan and his mining town anymore. I will have saved Kalm from a desolate fate.
“Look, are we done here?” Rude demanded, angry at his father’s challenge. “We can talk about all this tomorrow, can’t we?”
Ethan sighed again, and Rude suddenly got the impression that his father was older than he looked.
Well that’s what the mines will do to a person.
“Sure. Alright. Think on it though, Oron. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Rude grunted, heading up to his room. A light was lit at the end of the hallway.
Rude stalked down, pushing the door open and growling, “Radley?”
His younger brother sat on his bed, trying to blow out the lamp.
“Were you listening?” Rude demanded.
Radley, four years Rude’s junior, rolled his eyes, “Why do you always have to pretend you have a cause to fight for, Oron? You know how much that upsets father.”
“I don’t have a cause to fight for, Radley. Father’s just being small minded and paranoid.”
“It’s all your fault he’s been grumpy lately. You’ve upset him.”
Rude rolled his eyes. “Hardly. And that’s none of your business. Why aren’t you asleep? You’re going to drop tomorrow right in the mines. Go to bed.”
“What about you? You’ve been up all night.”
“I’m a man.”
“Ha! You wish,” Radley giggled.
“I am a man,” Rude challenged. “And I will prove it to all of you.”
“How?”
“That’s none of your concern. Go to bed. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
“A big day?”
Rude inwardly chastised himself. A big day? Why should it be a big day for anyone but him? To them, the dawning day was no more than another dawning day.
Rude swallowed. “Yes. A big day. I believe Mr Colloughan will ask you to stop lighting the burner lamps and will let you advance to wheeling.”
“Really?” Radley grinned. “I thought he might.”
“Yes, go to bed then. You don’t want him to find you unfit, do you?”
Radley shook his head.
“Good boy. Go to sleep,” Rude ordered, heading towards his own room.
He lay down on the bed, knowing how few hours now lay between him and his
salvation.
“Hey Oron.”
Rude had finished hiding the bomb in the east tunnel. It was just a matter of time now before all of this was buried forever.
“Hey Oron.”
Rude jumped, realizing he was daydreaming. He spun to face Miral, her hands upon her waist and her eyebrows narrowed.
“Sorry Miral.”
“Geez Oron, how do you keep this job? You’re so distant.”
Rude shook his head. “I’m just tired.”
“Don’t pull that crap with me, Rude. You’re up to something.”
Rude smirked. “Honestly Miral, in a town like Kalm, there’s nothing to be up to.”
“Well you’ve found something. My mother told me you’ve been using my name as an excuse to leave at night. What’s that about?”
“Nothing. I just like to go out, that’s all.”
“Why didn’t you really invite me?”
Rude laughed. “Is that what this is about?”
“No, but I thought we were friends. You should tell me when something’s up.”
“Nothing’s up. Why is everyone accusing me of being up to something? It’s life as usual. Does anything ever change?”
“Not yet it hasn’t, Oron, but if anyone has the power to change things I believe it’s you.”
Rude blinked. “Me? Why?”
“You have that burning desire for order and clarity in your life. If you thought something needed changing, I’d doubt you’d ever let it go.”
Rude’s jaw stiffened. “I think you over estimate me.” He looked up and checked the position of the sun. It wouldn’t be long now. Luckily, the bomb would go off during the lunch hour, where it was unlikely anyone would be hurt…
Miral untied her hair and ran her fingers through it to straighten it. “That’s just what I think,” she shrugged.
“I have work to do,” Rude growled, heading back to his pick. He heft it, accustomed to the weight by now, and struck at the wall of the mine.
“Me too,” Miral whispered, not understanding what had happened to her friend. She went back to the wheelbarrow. She watched Rude as she left.
Rude sighed. Why could no one leave him alone lately? They couldn’t have sensed his mission. He had been tense and short with everybody lately, but it was no reason for them to carry on like his attitude would be disrupting all of Kalm.
The lunch bell rang, and Rude felt his heart pound involuntarily.
He swallowed as he gathered up a few stones and pocketed them. The stones were Diaromes, and could bring the Caherty family a small fortune after the mines collapsed. Rude watched the men hurry past him, waiting for the mines to be deserted.
“Oron? Come to lunch,” Miral ordered.
“In a few minutes, Miral, I have some work I want to finish.”
Miral scowled. “I’ll wait.”
“No!” Rude barked.
Miral backed up a few steps.
Rude swallowed and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just meant…save me a seat. Ok?”
“Whatever, Oron,” she hissed, turning and stalking out of the mines.
I’m sorry Miral. But it’s for your own safety. You’ll understand soon enough.
For some reason, the thought hardly consoled him. He dropped his pick ax and headed down the east tunnel to where the secret exit had been built. He checked the bomb, noting that it only had a few more minutes left on its fuse at most, then headed out the exit into the blinding sunlight.
“It’s done?” he heard, as strong hands lifted him out of the exit.
Rude nodded blindly. “Uh huh….” he tried to blink.
“Oh, for all’s sake,” the second man grunted, giving Rude the sunglasses to wear again. Rude opened his eyes.
“Everything’s done,” Rude said proudly.
“Good. We’ve got to go now.”
Rude narrowed his eyes. “Go?”
“Yes. You too. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there are Shinra agents in town.”
“There are always Shinra agents in town. So what? They’ll never link us to this.”
“Yes, they will,” the first man said sternly. “We’ve been involved in things like this before.”
“But they won’t catch me.”
“They will. I’m sure your friends and neighbors have noticed your odd behavior lately?”
“Um…a few have.”
“And Shinra’s noticed, too. They’ll get you if you don’t come with us.”
“Where are you going?”
“Off to a new crusade.”
Rude’s heart quickened. “You’re going to continue to fight Shinra?”
“Damn straight. We’ll spit in the monster’s eye till our last breath.”
“But I have to say good-bye-”
“You haven’t the time. The bomb will have gone off and we’ll be trapped.”
“But I can’t just disappear!”
“It will be better this way, you’ll see. They’ll think you died in the explosion and no shame will come to your family.”
Rude felt himself paling. “Shame?”
“As a traitor to Shinra. Look- do I have to explain everything to you?” the first man barked.
Man Two grabbed his arm. “Make your choice, Rude. A life of boredom and disorder, with nothing left to accomplish, or a life of adventure, where you make a difference!”
Rude bit his lip. “I want to make a difference,” he told them seriously.
The first man grinned. “You’ve made the right choice.”
Rude turned to go as he suddenly heard a crack, then a horrid ripping sound. He turned just as a flash of light and smoke engulfed the mines. A deafening roar caused the boy’s knees to give and he clasped both his hands firmly over his ears.
“Come on, Rude!” he heard in the distance, as if it were a dream.
Rude paid the voice no mind, still crouched on the ground. A rough hand encircled his chest and he lost his breath as he was pulled away.
Good bye Kalm. Good bye desolation and monotony.
Rude opened his eyes, staring through his darkened lenses at the sun.
Good bye Miral.
Part three: Rude the troublemaker
“What’s the boy’s name?”
“It’s Rude. And he’s hardly a boy. He’s the tallest person in the orphanage.”
“He’s still a boy, Trina. How long has he been here?”
“Nearly a year.”
“And he’s still acting like this?”
Trina lowered her cup of coffee and pursed her lips. “Would you like to see his file?”
The tall, thin, man with the wire rimmed glasses and brown suit nodded primly. “Let’s have a look at it.”
Trina nodded back, and stood in her crinkly white dress. She went off to get the file.
Dr Tenn Morian leaned back in the lumpy, mildly dank air chair, remembering the days when the Junan City Orphanage was new again. It had been one of the finest orphanages in Shinra not too long ago. Dr Morian stared out a yellowed window into a play yard where thin, poorly dressed children laughed and rolled in patches of yellowed grass.
Morian spotted the subject. Rude….Rude nothing. Just Rude, according to the nurses. It was obvious from looking at him that the young teenager was not at all like the other children.
Nurse Trina returned, handed Morian the file, and went back to her tepid coffee.
“Has he always been bald like that?” Morian asked curiously.
“Not when he first came here, but shortly after he shaved it all off,” Trina answered.
Morian nodded, not certain what the symbolism of shaving his head was. He opened brown folder and sifted through an abundance of obedience reports and records.
“His parents are…?”
Trina shrugged. “We don’t know. He was brought here by two men, but I hardly think they were his parents. They said his parents were dead and that they had been taking care of the boy.”
“Did Rude agree to this story?”
“Yes, he said it was all true. The men told the boy they would return for him soon, but they later told the administrators that they had no intention of taking him back.”
Morian raised an eyebrow. “Is he from Junan?”
“We don’t think so, but he won’t talk about his past or his family. He just sits there in silence with those silly looking sunglasses and causes trouble.”
Morian turned back to the file. “A great deal of trouble, it seems.”
“He’s an incredibly strange child. He does well in class, not spectacular, but well enough, but he can’t stop lashing out at us.”
“What kind of things does he do?”
“Vandalism, mainly. He beat up a couple of kids that picked fights with him. We don’t know what could be wrong with him. That’s why we called you here, Dr Morian. Who better to ascertain this odd behavior than Shinra’s leading psychiatrist? I’m just happy you were able to make it to our dinky little establishment.”
“I was born in Junan. I’ll help any of its establishments the best I can. Why don’t you bring Rude in here and we’ll have a little chat.”
Trina nodded, a thin smile upon her lips. “Certainly, Doctor. He’ll be with you in a moment.”
Tenn Morian nodded a thank you, then filed through the papers for a third time.
Not much on him at all. Height 6’5, amber hazel eyes, fourteen years old. Bad eyesight….probably from dust buildup and too much time spent in the darkness. That means he probably sees well in the dark…..seems to have an affectivity for duty and order. That could come in handy-
“Ah, Rude! Nice to finally meet you. Have a seat,” Morian said quickly, standing to shake the young man’s hand.
Rude stared back through the sunglasses, apparently disinterested in the handshake.
Morian shrugged. He shouldn’t have expected he could earn Rude’s trust so easily. “Have a seat,” he repeated.
Rude obeyed, sitting across from him in Trina’s old seat.
“May I ask you to remove your glasses?” Tenn asked, feeling a little creeped out.
Rude shook his head but said nothing.
“Now Rude,” Morian cleared his throat. “I understand you’ve been causing problems in this establishment. Bombs and such. That’s dangerous for a fourteen year old to be playing with.”
Rude remained silent.
Then again, Morian reminded himself, he hadn’t asked him a question. Rude was under no obligation to respond to mere musings, and both men were aware of that.
Morian tried a different approach. Straightforward seemed to be the best method. “Are you an orphan?”
“Yes,” Rude answered, looking straight at Morian….or at least Morian assumed he was being looked at. “I am in an orphanage.”
Morian smirked. “I think we’re both aware of that. Now, Rude….I’m here for another reason than just curing your anti-social behavior. I work for a very powerful organization.”
Rude appeared interested. He cocked his head to the side. “Don’t tell me it’s Shinra.”
Getting Rude to respond to a comment was a small victory for Morian, who approached the new found enthusiasm eagerly. “You don’t like Shinra, Rude?”
Rude stared back blankly, and Morian feared he had lost the boy again. He was about to try another approach, when Rude removed his sunglasses. “I campaign against Shinra.”
“Rude, your file indicates that you’ll campaign against anything,” Morian countered. “There’s evidence here that you merely pick a cause and work towards it. You decided that they should serve better food in the cafeteria, and you bombed an oven. Now, that kind of focus and determination can be a valuable asset to any team.”
“Is that what you came here to do? Ask me to join team Shinra?” Rude asked. His voice seemed cold and monotone to Morian.
He shivered.
“Not exactly, but we are watching you, Rude. At the moment, I’m here to get to know you.”
“You’re testing me. Seeing where in Shinra I can be best utilized.”
“That’s bright of you, Rude. But you don’t have a problem with that, do you? Being utilized? You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
Rude was silent, struggling with himself. “I need to go somewhere where I can be given a task and a duty.”
“Shinra would be very happy to order you around,” Morian said eagerly, then backpedaled and added, “That is…to give you the meaning and purpose you’ve always wanted for your life.”
“What are we talking about here?”
“As I’ve said, nothing yet. Just possibilities. I can assure you, as part of team Shinra, you would only do your part. If you do wrong, it’s Shinra’s fault, not yours. You’ll receive the anonymity you hungered for.”
“So Shinra’s the company of my dreams?”
“You might not want to see it that way, but it is.”
“I can’t commit to something like Shinra.”
“Right now, maybe no. But thing’s change, Rude. And we’d like you to remember that. If there is ever a time in your life where you are sick of who you are, and you want to leave your life-” he handed Rude a card, “please give us a call.”
Rude took the card, barely glancing at it. “I’ll be sure to do that,” Rude answered, placing his sunglasses over his eyes again, indicating the conversation was over.
Tenn nodded. “Thank you for your time.”
Part four: Rude the Murderer
Rude had bent the card into a hundred different shapes, its once unadulterated ivory was now a dungy brown. The number was almost obscured completely, and Tenn Morian’s once proud name now read ‘Em Munan’. Rude turned it over in his coarse fingers, trying to think back to the events that had led him to even thinking about this card again…
After receiving it from Tenn, Rude had put the card in his left upper pocket of his jacket. He had forgotten it soon after, too busy plotting his next crusade against…..whatever.
In the following days, Rude began to image what it might be like to work for Shinra. To be a nameless, faceless, symbol of the hated corporation. He wasn’t much impressed.
Wasn’t impressed at all, that is, until the day Shinra returned to Junan.
Being one of the older boys in the orphanage, Rude enjoyed certain freedoms, even despite his constant friction with the nurses. Today, Rude had been sent to the Junan construction site to ‘help out’ with whatever those ‘nice Shinra workers’ might need.
“Rude,” Nurse Trina told him sternly, packing a delicious looking lunch. “I want you to go down and see those nice Shinra workers at the construction sight. Tell them you’re willing to help out.” She handed him the lunch bag. “Oh, and give them this. Tell them it’s from me.”
Rude was prepared to retort that no matter how many lunches she packed, none of the workers would turn his attentions to stick thin, pale, Nurse Trina.
But he decided against it.
After all, this was his chance for a day off.
And a nice lunch.
Rude sat on the edge of a sidewalk eating the sandwich, mulling over whether or not to go to the construction sight at all. What would Nurse Trina know of it, anyway?
Rude finished off the sandwich and pulled out the apple. He pulled the card out of his left upper pocket, gave an inner snort, and replaced it in his right boot. Shinra was a joke.
“No no no! This is all wrong! This is not how I designed it at all!”
The voice was very out of place in Junan. The merchant town, although usually saturated with the yelling of angry venders, was usually quiet on weekdays when the consumers were at their trades, and not in the main market place.
The yelling man was disturbing the peace of this sunny spring day.
Annoyed, Rude turned to see a man with a black suit and shiny black shoes. He had very shiny black hair and a little beard, and looked far more sophisticated than anything else in Junan.
Rude was interested.
“You incompetents!” The man was still moaning.
Rude stood and headed over. From Shinra or not, this looked fascinating.
Up close, the man looked tired and overworked. He squinted up to the top of the newly completed sector of the building, then railed, “Oh no! This will all have to be torn down!”
“Problems?” Rude asked finally, adjusting his sunglasses.
“Who the hell are you?” The Shinra employee snarled, looking down at his clipboard. “Can’t you see I’m very busy?”
Rude reached down into the lunch bag and pulled out a thermos. “I’m from the orphanage. Would you like something to drink?”
The man looked at the thermos distastefully for a moment, then nodded and took the thermos.
“Rude,” Rude said, without extending a hand.
“What?” he replied, taking a sip from the thermos.
“I’m Rude. What’re you doing here in Junan?”
The man sighed, defeated. “Reeve. I’m Reeve Leander. We’re here building a Shinra factory, naturally. It’ll be small, but efficient.”
The name Reeve seemed familiar to Rude, but he decided not to dwell on it.
“Do you want to help me?” Reeve asked.
Rude was about to retort that he would never help Shinra, when he decided it would be a prime opportunity to sabotage some stuff for the cause.
“Sure, what can I help you with?” Rude asked.
Reeve grinned. “That’s a good boy!”
Rude raised an eyebrow.
Reeve’s grinned faded. “Sorry….I-I don’t get out much.”
Rude nodded.
Reeve cleared his throat. “Anyway, why don’t you go down that street there-” he pointed, “- to the office on the left. They’ll have some papers in there for me. Just bring them back here.”
Rude shrugged, disappointed he wasn’t allowed in the new building, where he could really do some damage.
Reeve handed the thermos back to Rude, who took it grudgingly, heading down the street.
I could just say the hell with this and go back to the orphanage, he thought.
He shook his head. Never mind, I might still find something if I continue to act as this loser’s gopher.
Rude tramped down the road, looking for the office. He found it quickly, the Shinra building being the only one on the block with huge metallic lettering and glass doors.
How swanky, Rude thought bitterly. He pushed open the doors and stormed inside.
Rude blinked. The woman at the desk seemed oddly familiar to him.
She looks a lot like Miral, Rude thought.
More groomed than that young woman had been, but they were similar nonetheless. The woman had short, sleek brown hair with thick blonde highlights. Her deep brown eyes were framed by large, curled lashes, and her skin was pale under her black pin striped suit.
Rude was speechless. The eyes….the hair….so much like Miral’s….
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, impatient at Rude’s silence.
Rude nodded slowly. “I think so. Reeve sent me to pick up some papers.”
The woman nodded and stood, and Rude noticed the way her muscles moved under her stuffy suit.
Shinra employees don’t have muscles like that. You only get that kind of muscle from hard labor…
Rude bit a lip, unsure of how to approach this.
The woman returned, handing him a stupid looking tube. “Is that all?” she asked tiredly.
Rude hesitated, almost turning to leave. He forced himself to stop and turn back.
“Miral?” he guessed hopefully.
The woman frowned. “Yes? What is it?”
Rude blinked. “Your name is Miral?”
Miral pointed to her ‘Hello my name is MIRAL’ name tag sourly.
Rude blushed. “Miral! It’s me- Rude!”
Miral stared back blankly.
Rude shook his head. “I mean, Oron. It’s me, Oron!”
“Oron?” she asked in surprise. “That boy who died in the mine explosion?”
“Yes!….only, I didn’t die,” Rude answered. “Miral, what are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same question! If you aren’t dead, why didn’t you come back to Kalm?”
Rude smiled proudly. “Because I was the one who caused the explosion.”
Miral stared back in disbelief. “What?”
Rude nodded. “That’s right. It’s because of me the mines were closed.”
Miral’s knuckles whitened. “Oh, Oron! How could you be so stupid?” She stood and turned away.
“What do you mean?” Rude asked. “I did it for you, for our families. What’s the matter?”
“Sometimes you do things without thinking!” she hissed at him. “We needed the mines.”
“No, we didn’t. The people of Kalm had other skills they could have used to make a living.”
“Yes, maybe, but we had to pay a certain amount as a city to Shinra each year. Without those mines, we couldn’t make quota.”
Rude’s eyes narrowed. “What happened, Miral?”
“A lot of stuff happened, Rude. The mines were eventually reopened, but before that could happen, they took members of the town away to come work for Shinra to help make up the quota.”
“Is that why you’re here? Working for that loser?”
Miral shrugged. “Reeve’s not so bad. But yes, that’s why I’m here. So that my family can eat.”
“And this is all my fault?” Rude pressed.
Miral nodded. “Yes, apparently it is.”
“Miral. Let me make it up to you. What can I do to make things right?”
“I’d rather not see you anymore, Oron,” Miral answered. “I have a new life now, and a career.”
“But you have to let me justify my actions,” Rude begged. “Give me something I can do.”
“That’s just it. Stay away from me and let me live my own life. That will be enough.”
Rude’s face fell. “You just want me to go? Leave you forever?”
Miral nodded wordlessly, avoiding Rude’s gaze.
“I-I can’t do that! You were my only friend,” he entreated.
Miral turned and began walking away from him. “Rude, you ruined the lives of an entire city. I suggest you meditate on that for awhile.” she disappeared behind another door.
Rude just stared helpless. Is that what I did? Is that all? Just ruin the lives of everyone I cared about?
Rude’s jaw stiffened. There has to be another way to make her forgive me. I have to punish myself so she’ll see how sorry I am.
Rude pushed the door open angrily, mind working furiously. There had to be a way. There was always a way. Miral was a realist, he could make her see the light. It was human error.
It wasn’t human error. It was my error.
Well I’m human.
I’ve never believed that before.
Rude shook his head, storming back to Reeve. He shoved the plans back into Reeve’s unsuspecting arms.
“Ow,” Reeve murmured, as the tube hit him in the ribs. “Well, thank you young man. Don’t know what took you so long…”
Rude was ignoring him. “Who’s that?”
Reeve was looking down at his clipboard again, humming a repetitive tune.
Rude tapped him impatiently. “Who’s that?” he asked again.
Reeve looked up. “Hmm? Who? Oh, you mean Tseng?”
“Who is he?” Rude pressed, studying the tall, sophisticated man who could have been Reeve’s brother. Except of course that this man did not look quite as geeky as Reeve.
“He’s a Turk, of course. Now, if you’re done helping me, would you mind getting out of my way? I’m a very busy man.”
“A Turk?” Rude murmured.
Turk’s were the very face of Shinra. No one group embodied the evil infamy and oppressive control tactics more fittingly than the Turks.
The Turks were everything Rude feared and hated.
“How do you become a Turk?” Rude asked Reeve.
“I’m very busy,” Reeve reiterated. “Why don’t you research this in your local library?”
Rude shook his head. “Turk’s are cold blooded murderers, right?”
“Tseng is no such thing!” Reeve cried defensively, then added, “but don’t mess with the Turks, boy.”
Rude’s eyes narrowed. The Turks are everything I hate about Shinra. If I become one of them, if I sacrifice my life as a crusader for a life of monotony and murder, Miral will see how sorry I am.
Of course, Rude considered, by committing more crimes, how can I ever be righteous again?
Rude pursed his lips. Never mind that. His life and dreams would have to be forfeit for the sake of all the people in Kalm who’s lives he destroyed.
“What do you have to do to be a Turk?” Rude asked again.
Reeve spun, furious. “I don’t know! Kill a bunch of people, I guess! Now if you don’t mind, I have a building to construct, and unless you have some more of that delicious lemonade, I suggest you head back home.”
“Like, how many people?” Rude continued.
Reeve snarled at him, and Rude decided he could improvise.
But who can I kill? I’m a crusader, not a murderer.
And there were very few people Rude despised that much.
Rude pulled the card from his pocket, turning it in his fingers.
“Dr Tenn Morian, please?” Rude said into the receiver.
There was a pause. “Who is this, again?”
“Tell him it’s Rude.”
“Rude?”
“Just Rude. Tell him Rude’s on the phone.”
There was another pause. “Alright…Rude. I’ll transfer you into his office.”
“Thank you.”
Rude waited, anxiously tapping his fingers against the wall. This was torture.
“Rude! I have to admit I’m surprised to hear from you,” Morian said suddenly.
Rude straightened. “Well, yeah, I know. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Well, good. I’ve been thinking about what area you’d been good for, and I think maybe a strategic job, maybe in the army-”
“I wanna be a Turk.”
There was silence on the other end for a handful of heartbeats.
“Now, Rude….” Morian tried, “Rude, I don’t think you understand. I know the Turks seem interesting and ‘cool’ to a boy your age, but I don’t think you understand-”
“I understand. And I’m not thinking like a boy. I know what the Turks do, and I know what I’d have to kill and destroy in the name of a company I hate.”
“Then…why?”
“Because I have to. I can follow orders, I’m a big guy. Isn’t that enough?”
“I’m afraid it isn’t, Rude. Shinra looks for a certain kind of….individual to be a Turk. I can’t just hire you.”
“I know,” Rude answered, “I have to kill somebody.”
There was another brief silence. “Yes, you do. And even though you pour your heart and soul into accomplishing anything you desire, I still don’t think you could kill.”
“I have to be a Turk, Morian. Tell me who I have to kill, and I’ll kill them.”
“I have to admit I’m surprised, Rude-”
Rude gripped the phone cord. “Just tell me! This is hard enough for me.”
“Alright. Alright. Maybe you could be useful to us,” Morian answered. “There’s a man in your town named Reeve Leander.”
“You want me to kill Reeve!?” Rude exclaimed. “But he’s one of you! And he seems harmless.”
“Shh! Quiet boy, I wasn’t finished. Reeve has made an enemy of one of my friends, a man named Heidegger.”
“Yeah, so? Just give me a name.”
“Anyway, Heidegger feels Reeve deserves to be punished, however, he does not want Reeve to die.”
“Then who?” Rude asked impatiently, hands sweating.
“Reeve’s building a factory in Junan-”
“Yeah, I’m in Junan, I know that much,” Rude growled.
“This factory is very important to Reeve. He’s been designing it for years. The men working the factory are hand picked by Reeve himself.”
“Just tell me where you’re going with all this.”
“I want you to blow up the factory.”
“With all those workers inside?”
“Exactly.”
Rude was speechless. “B-but..,” he stammered, “if I blow up a Shinra building, why would they hire me?”
“Heidegger is in charge of the Turks. He’d be very pleased if you helped him destroy Reeve.”
Rude paused. “Alright, I’ll do it. But you’ve got to promise me I’ll be a Turk.”
“I promise you, Rude. You will soon be a Turk.”
Rude waited until the next day, since he was tired, hadn’t built the bomb yet, and was too exhausted to kill anybody. The whole idea troubled him, but Rude was intent on his mission.
A chance for self-sacrifice. This is all I’ve prayed for, isn’t it? And now I’m sacrificing everything I value for the sake of penance.
I’m damned to hell- I hope that’s enough for Miral.
Rude still vividly remembered how to make a bomb. That wasn’t something one could easily forget. Even though it was among the memories Rude always tried to block out of his mind. He didn’t want to recollect his two ‘idols’ and their ultimate betrayal.
If they had kept their promise, and taken me with them, I never would have met up with Miral. If I hadn’t met up with Miral, I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about what I did to Kalm. And I wouldn’t have to kill anybody today.
Rude had to make a bigger bomb than the one he used on the cafeteria oven. That required more wire, and some more chemicals.
The bomb would have to be primitive, which was regrettable. He hoped it wouldn’t malfunction on him. He wasn’t quite sure he’d have the nerve to try again if this attempt failed miserably.
“Hey Trina,” Rude called, heading into the Nurse’s lounge.
“Little boys aren’t allowed in the Nurse’s lounge,” Trina answered, without taking her eyes off her romance novel.
“Trina,” Rude called again, “I just came to tell you how much the Shinra workers liked the lunch you made them.”
Trina looked up hungrily. “They did? They liked it?” she blushed suddenly. “What did the foreman say?”
“Oh, you mean Reeve? He adored your lemonade,” Rude continued, buttering her up. “He asked that I bring him some more tomorrow.”
Trina smiled. “Did he now?”
Rude nodded. “Yup. I told him about you.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him you were the most considerate of all the nurses,” Rude lied. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could bring them the lunch again today. I could put in another good word for you.”
Trina nodded. “Oh, certainly you may go, my good boy. Make sure you don’t forget to give him my number.”
“I won’t, ma’am,” Rude answered, nodding and turning to go, inwardly smiling. It wouldn’t be long now before his ultimate betrayal against himself was complete. He headed into the kitchen, picked up the lunch bag, and slipped the bomb inside it. This was the risky part- suppose Reeve really wanted some lemonade? That would be disastrous.
Trying to put all emotion out of his mind, Rude headed into the streets, feeling the heat upon his shaved head. Rude was sweating enough as it was, he didn’t need the added pressure.
His sunglasses hid what had to be wild, frantic eyes. When he had bombed the mine a year ago, it had been vacant. His oven bomb hurt only a mediocre meat loaf. Now he had produced a bomb with his own hands for one veritable purpose- murder.
Rude was a murderer.
Or at least he would be soon.
He spotted Reeve, who was having another panic attack at the base of the building.
“Son of a B!” Reeve moaned. “Alright! Alright! Take that down- no, no- take that down, you idiot, not that. Yeah- the one to the right! No! Don’t touch that!”
Rude shook his head sadly. How could this man have made any enemies?
“Hiya, Reeve,” Rude murmured.
Reeve ignored him for a moment, shading his eyes and yelling, “Don’t you make that gesture at me! I pay your salary! Just wait until you get back down here!”
“Reeve,” Rude nudged again.
Reeve spun. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’re back.” he paused. “Any more lemonade?”
Rude shook his head. “No, some of the other men drank it already.”
“Son of a B,” Reeve murmured. “Alright, what do you want?”
“Can I help?” Rude asked, feeling one hand shake. He tried to steady it.
Reeve nodded. “Want to pick up my paperwork again?”
Rude shook his head. “Uh, no. I’m a pretty strong guy. I was thinking maybe I could help build.”
“I don’t want any incompetents on that building,” Reeve said firmly. “That team was handpicked by me.”
“Foreman Reeve?” a chubby worker called suddenly. “Ivus done gone glued hisself to the hammer again, sir!”
Reeve covered his head in his hands. “Go on up, boy.”
Rude nodded. “Thanks.”
Rude, legs unsteady under him, headed up the stairway, trying to find an ideal spot for his bomb. If a hapless worker found it before the fuse was finished, thinking it was just a savory lunch, all Rude’s careful planning would be destroyed.
“What are you doing up here?” a cold voice asked suddenly.
Rude jumped a mile in the air, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He turned to see Tseng. The man had appeared from thin air, Rude was certain.
Rude sighed. “Oh, Reeve sent me up here. To help out.” he panted.
“You seem nervous, boy,” Tseng noted, stepping closer.
Rude shook his head. “Oh, no sir. I just…ran up the steps, and it’s hot out…and you get the picture.”
Tseng nodded, once.
Rude stood there nervously, but Tseng didn’t say anything else, just watched and made Rude nervous.
Rude swallowed. “I think Reeve wanted to see you or something,” Rude added.
Tseng narrowed his eyes. “Did he really?”
Rude nodded. “Yeah, he wanted to talk to you.”
Tseng pursed his lips, then stared down through the window at Reeve. The icy chill around him seemed to melt a bit. He nodded. “I’ll be right back,” he told Rude in a warning voice, heading down the stairway.
See? I’m not such a bad guy. I just saved that man’s life, Rude told himself.
Rude looked around, content that he was finally alone. He opened the basket hesitantly, then pulled the bomb out hastily, attaching wires.
Geez, this is a short fuse. Hope there’s enough time for me to get out of the building.
Rude licked his lips, hands trembling visibly. Tseng knew something was up. Maybe I’m not such a good liar.
Rude set one of the final wires in place, praying this would work, and praying that no one would kill him on sight. Dying to spite Shinra was one of his dreams, and he didn’t want Miral to think he was doing any of this for himself. He had to suffer. He would have to serve Shinra.
Rude put the final wire in place, sweat dripping down his neck. He pressed down hard on the top button.
He didn’t allow himself a moment to rest, scrambling to his feet and heading for the winding stairway, which suddenly seemed a lot higher now than it did on the way up. He flew down the stairs, feet barely making contact with the floor. He tripped as he reached the first landing, nearly rolling down the second flight, until he caught himself and pulled himself up in one smooth motion.
Rude counted in his head. Not too many seconds left, he was sure of it. To Rude, he was moving in slow motion, and the one hundred feet between him and life was an impossible large gap. His long legs flew out of the building, and in his blurry state, he ran right into Reeve, who fell to the dust with a grunt of pain.
Tseng grabbed him a second later, roughly from behind.
“What have you done, boy?” Tseng demanded of him.
Rude shook his head. “It’s too late. We have to get away from here!”
Tseng understood instantly, and turned quickly to head back into the building.
“Tseng, no!” Reeve yelled at him.
Rude heard the telltale sharp crack, and knew what was coming. He flung himself to the ground and covered his ears. Tseng shot the building a panicked look, then dived on top of Reeve, knocking him back to the ground just as the final explosion burst forth from the fifth floor.
“My factory!” Reeve lamented, as debris nearly missed hitting him.
Rude remained motionless, not sure what to do with himself, feeling cold inside.
There, thought Rude, I am everything I hate. I am a murderer.
Part Five: Rude the Turk
Rude sat in his cell, head aching as he stared hopeless at the ground. Blood dripping steadily from the wound on his forehead where Tseng had attacked him. Reeve, through near tears, had to pull Tseng off him.
Rude leaned back, trying to clear his head.
Happy now, Miral? It’s done.
Tseng paced outside the cell, looking frustrated and angry. “How could you do this?” Tseng asked of him.
Rude shrugged.
Rude had been waiting in this cell for hours now, and no one had even offered him water or a phone call. Rude took the number out of his boot and stared at it, praying Tenn would keep his promise.
Rude heard noise in the doorway and stood eagerly, hoping it was his salvation.
Tenn stood in the doorway.
Rude sighed with relief.
“Tseng, could I speak with you for a moment?” Tenn asked, surrounded by black clad thugs.
Tseng narrowed his eyes, but nodded. “Yes sir.”
Rude waited a few tense minutes, hands clutching the bars.
Tseng returned, looking mildly placated but still not happy. He slid a key into the lock and pulled back the bars.
“My boss, Mr. Heidegger and I, would like to speak with you for a minute,” Tseng told him coolly. “I think, Rude, we have an offer that may appeal to you.”
Rude nodded, swallowing.
For you, Miral. I hope this is enough.