Chapter Eight
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"But, uh, I…"—Shin-ra Soldier
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President Alec Beacon’s expression was bored. His chin rested on his hand as he stared blankly at the speaker, who was talking about the benefits of this, and the downfalls of that. Alec suppressed a yawn. He had heard it all before.
"…And that concludes what we know about Mako energy," the speaker finished.
Alec clapped, out of relief more than anything else. He stood up and stretched sore muscles, heading straight for the nearest door. When he was safely alone in his office, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall.
There was a rap at the door. "Uh, Sir!" Stanley called, rapping on the door again.
Alec rubbed his forehead in irritation. "What is it, Stanley?" he demanded, annoyance lacing his voice.
"There’s someone here to see you, Sir!" Stanley piped up nervously.
Alec sat down with a sigh behind his desk. "Let them in, then," he replied.
He was surprised to see a woman enter the room. She had long brown hair and blue eyes, her small mouth twisted into a cheerful smile. She wore a deep green suit, the skirt a few inches above her knees, unlike most women who had it so far up it was disgusting. She wore black high-heels that stood an inch above the ground. She held herself confidently, looking Alec straight in the eyes.
"And who might you be?" he asked, remaining seated. He propped his feet up on his desk, folding his arms over his chest.
"Jaclyn Wallace, Sir!" she piped up. Her voice was strong in confidant.
Alec nodded a little. "What exactly is it that you want from me? I’m a busy man."
Jaclyn cleared her throat, unfazed. "I want to ask for a job with Shin-ra, actually."
"You can apply at the front desk, Ms. Wallace," he replied dryly.
Jaclyn shook her head. "No, no. I don’t want a crummy office job. I’d like something more…interesting."
Alec arched an eyebrow. "Interesting? What is your definition of ‘interesting’? Some people would love to have a job as a janitor, while others would love to be a guard. What category do you fit into?"
Jaclyn crinkled her nose a little, smiling a little more. "Peace Preservation."
"I see… How exactly did you know about that specific branch of Shin-ra?" he asked, hiding his surprise with a calm smile.
"I just do… And I’d like to help with it. There’s bound to be rebels somewhere along the line and I think I can provide certain services that would help greatly," Jaclyn replied with a shrug.
"Don’t be so vague, Ms. Wallace."
"It’s Jaclyn," she replied. "And I think I’d do very well in dealing with problems for Shin-ra."
"And why exactly would I just hire you for that reason?" he asked, knowing very well that he accomplished nothing from his questions other than getting her more irritated.
Her smile wilted a little. "Why wouldn’t you want to hire me?" she demanded.
"My dear Ms. Wallace. As far as I’m concerned, I am the president of this company. Nowhere is it said that I am required to obey what someone tells me to do, especially not from someone looking for a job. So, if you refuse to show me the proper respect I deserve, you might as well turn and leave right now. The door is that way, and I’m sure you can find your way out of here since you found your way in."
Jaclyn went crimson. "B-but I know I’d be perfect for the job! If you’d just give me a chance… And, anyway, you don’t deserve respect if you treat people like this!"
Alec couldn’t help but laugh. He began to applaud her, smiling smugly. "Bravo, Ms. Wallace. Go talk to Stanley and give this to him."
Jaclyn walked over and took the small card he offered her, surprised. It was a simple white business card with "P-234-945-P" written on it. She read over it twice, looking up at him in confusion. "What’s this?"
"It’s a code for him. He’ll know, don’t worry," Alec replied.
She opened her mouth to ask something else, but quickly closed it again. "Thank you, Sir. Sorry for saying what I did." She turned and walked from his office, closing the door behind her.
Alec let out a sigh of relief, enjoying the silence of his office. He had always enjoyed women like her. She would be loyal, but she also wouldn’t stand for getting pushed around when she knew she shouldn’t be.
He began sorting through some of his papers, knowing that soon enough his silence would be disrupted. He tossed a few papers into the wastebasket and started reading the other three he still held.
The door suddenly flew open. Alec looked up calmly to see a red-faced Stanley standing in front of a surprised Jaclyn.
"A whole two seconds later than I expected, Stanley. How disappointing," he said dryly.
"You gave her my job!?" Stanley exclaimed.
Alec shrugged. "Why not? You suck at it," he said easily.
"I worked years to get this position, and you’ll give it to some bimbo who walks in the door!?" Stanley sputtered.
"Don’t insult your superiors, Stanley," Alec said, an eyebrow arched. "Sure, though, why not? You still have a job, you’re just a lower rank now. You’re now second-in-command of the Peace Preservation."
"B-but that’s not fair!" Stanley stammered.
"Sure it is. I’m the president here, aren’t I? So I can choose how I want things done…" he trailed off.
Stanley just stared at him, his mouth gaping. The little man’s expression was that of pure shock.
Alec looked over to Jaclyn. "Are you happy with things, Ms. Wallace?"
"Yes, Sir!" she replied, smiling.
"See, Stanley. I’m happy, she’s happy. Now stop your complaining unless you want the glamorous job of ‘Shin-ra Janitor’. Sound good to you?"
Stanley’s mouth fell open further, if at all possible. He let out a little whining sound, groping for words.
"Good. Now both of you, the exit’s over that way. Stanley, show Ms. Wallace to her new office and you’d better have your junk moved out by tomorrow," Alec said. He motioned towards the door.
Jaclyn began heading out but suddenly stopped. She turned around to notice Stanley still standing at Alec’s desk. She looked over at Alec. "Sir…"
Alec looked up. "Oh, him. Would you mind giving him a push out of here for me?"
Jaclyn nodded, touching Stanley on the arm. When he didn’t budge an inch she changed her touch to a pull, deciding to get him out by force. She was able to get him out the door, closing it tightly behind herself.
Stanley suddenly sputtered back to life. "M-My job! You have my job!"
Jaclyn shrugged. "It’s what President Beacon wanted. You shouldn’t question his authority."
"You wouldn’t be saying that if you went down a rank!" Stanley retorted.
"I’m sorry," Jaclyn said simply. "So, are you going to show me my office or what?"
" ‘I’m sorry’?!? Is that all you have to say about it? Do you even mean it?"
"Actually… I just said that to make you feel better," she confessed.
"Yeah, well, I have dirt on both you and the President," Stanley growled.
"Really? But my suit is absolutely clean. I can’t imagine what you’re talking about," she replied innocently.
"You know perfectly well what I’m talking about, Ms. Wallace."
Jaclyn stared at him for a while, shock forming on her face. "Wow. I never knew that was my full name, Stanley," she replied, breaking into laughter.
"I know about your ancestors, and I know about the President’s," Stanley shot back.
"So. You know about a bunch of dead people. Congratulations." She paused. "Can we get going, please?"
Stanley shook his head. "Fat chance. I’m telling the President what I know about you!" He spun around, opening the door.
"What the—" Alec began, standing up from his chair. His expression was angry when he saw who it was.
"Sir! I think there’s something you should know about Ms. Wallace’s past! Stanley said excitedly.
Alec looked over at Jaclyn, back to Stanley, then up at the ceiling. "I knew it. I hired an idiot. Why did I ever do that?"
"Sir! Don’t you recognize the last name?"
"Wallace? It sounds familiar, but why should it matter to me?" Alec replied.
"Her ancestor was Barret Wallace! One of the key figures in AVALANCHE!"
Alec stared at him. "Do you even know that for a fact? Did she tell you that, or do you have her identity memorized?"
"Um…well… I actually just guessed about it…" Stanley trailed off.
"Let me get this straight. You barged in here when I was in the middle of something, without my permission. To make it worse, I had given you orders to do something completely different and leave me alone. On top of all of that, you come to tell me as something irrelevant as who you think Ms. Wallace’s ancestor is? You must really want to get fired."
Stanley cringed. "B-but, Sir! I—"
"Get out of here, Stanley, unless you want to loose your job," Alec cut in calmly.
Stanley turned and walked swiftly out of the room, his face bright red. Jaclyn turned to follow after him out the door.
"Come in here for a moment, Ms. Wallace," Alec called.
Jaclyn turned back to him. "Yes, Sir?"
"Is it true?" he asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Will it affect your performance here?"
"Why would it, Sir? That was a long time ago. Just because I’m a descendant of his doesn’t mean I will take the same path he took," Jaclyn replied easily.
"Good. I was hoping you’d say that. But remember. If you do turn on Shin-ra, I won’t be sympathetic towards you."
"I would never even consider turning on Shin-ra," she replied. "That would be foolish."
"That is all, Ms. Wallace. Tell Stanley to take you to your office. If he gives you any trouble, feel free to threaten him with his job. It will most likely get the wanted results out of him."
When Jaclyn stepped out of the door, Alec couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation. An ancestor of AVALANCHE would come in handy for him. He knew she wouldn’t turn against Shin-ra. It wasn’t in her character.
Alec sighed, realizing she and Stanley probably wouldn’t work well together. Annoying, but true. He would probably have to replace Stanley with someone else if he continued to keep his attitude, which he most likely would.
Alec stood up and walked over to his stereo system. He hit the play button, immediately relaxing at the soothing sounds. He sat back down, clearing his mind of thoughts and closing his eyes.