Fatal Intentions
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Part 2: Intentions Revealed
“You said Taina Rashaad saw him before he disappeared… And the bartender at the Phoenix Inn as well?” Tseng reiterated. For the last ten minutes Rude had been relating the details of his night-long search to Tseng and Elena. He nodded silently in confirmation.
“Elena… I want you to find out where in the building Miss Rashaad works and talk to her. Find out what she and Reno spoke about, and if she saw anything unusual,” said Tseng, “Rude and I are going to the Phoenix Inn.”
———-
It was just after noon, and the Phoenix Inn was catering to a fair-sized lunch crowd as Rude and Tseng stepped inside. They were met by the sounds of loud conversations. A middle-aged woman was busily at work behind the bar, her long blond hair held back by a red bandanna, plump hands expertly pouring and serving drinks. The two Turks walked up to the bar.
“Be with ya in a sec, fellas,” the bartender said as she caught sight of Rude, and handed a tray laden with glasses and bottles to a young waitress. She turned back, smiling broadly at the bald Turk.
“Well, hey there, Rude, sweetie… I hope Reno didn’t get into any trouble last night. You find him alright?” she asked.
“He’s still missing, Angie,” Rude replied. The woman’s smile faded.
“Still? Damn… Well, I guess this ain’t a social call then. What can I do for ya?”
“You were one of the last people known to have seen him,” said Tseng, “We need to know everything that happened yesterday morning while Reno was here.”
“Alrighty… Let’s step into the back room… Quieter in there,” said Angie. She led them through a door behind the bar, and into a storage room, “Well let’s see… Reno came in long before my usual lunch crowd… I don’t usually see him so early in the day, so I thought it was a little odd… ‘course with Reno, ya never know. Anyway, he orders a drink, and we chat a little, and then this lady comes in and its pretty obvious Reno don’t wanna talk to her. She grabs his drink kinda like she’s teasin’ him and then starts goin’ on ’bout their anniversary. And that just sets Reno off… Jumped up and told her to just leave him the hell alone, he did. So she gives him back his drink and says they can talk about it that night… Didn’t seem to understand that he didn’t want nothin’ to do with her. Then she skips off, happy as can be.”
“Did anyone else show up to talk to Reno?” asked Tseng.
“Nope… Wouldn’t have had a chance to… He finished his drink off quick-like and headed out,” Angie replied. Tseng’s PHS chose that exact moment to ring. The bartender obligingly waved him off to answer it, and turned to Rude.
“I hope Reno’s alright… He’s a real piece of work sometimes, but I can think of a lot of people worse than him to have ’round here,” she commented. Rude nodded.
“Rude… That was Elena. It seems Miss Rashaad didn’t show up for work today either,” said Tseng, returning the PHS to his pocket, “She’s headed to the woman’s apartment now… We’re going to meet her there.”
They thanked the bartender for her help and headed off to meet up with Elena.
———-
“Not much farther now…” Taina said, looking briefly into the backseat of her car at the sleeping Turk. She smiled to herself. It was such a special night… Their anniversary. She couldn’t help but marvel at how handsome Reno looked…
‘Alan,’ she corrected herself, ‘My Alan…’
She navigated the familiar route across the Plate with ease, occasionally glancing at the small leather case on the seat beside her, smiling at the knowledge of what was inside… the key to her eternity with her beloved. Just her and Reno…
“Alan,” she said softly, “Not Reno…”
He’d come back to her at last and this time she’d make sure nothing could tear them apart…
———-
The door hadn’t been locked. In fact, it hadn’t even been closed all the way, as Tseng found out when he knocked. The door swung open, as if inviting them in. From the hallway they could see the interior of the neatly kept apartment. Tseng went in first, gun drawn, eyeing the room with suspicion. Something wasn’t right about this. Rude followed close behind while Elena kept watch in the hall.
“Check the bedroom,” said Tseng. Rude silently complied while Tseng went through the rest of the apartment. He flipped on the lights, looking over the bedroom, seeing nothing out of the ordinary… until a pile of familiar dark blue fabric caught his eye, that is. He lifted the clothing from the floor, his suspicions confirmed. It was Reno’s uniform. His mind ran through the possibilities implied by such a find as he returned to the living room to inform Tseng.
“Reno was here,” said Rude. Tseng glanced at the jacket draped over Rude’s arm and handed him a photograph encased in a silver frame.
“Look familiar?” the Turk leader asked. Rude studied the picture for a moment. It was a wedding photo, with the bride looking resplendent in white flowing satin and lace, surrounded by bridesmaids, flower girls, and the like, her hands resting demurely on the arm of her new husband. Rude blinked and lifted his sunglasses, not sure he believed his own eyes. The groom stood happily among his wife’s attendants, jade-green eyes alight with the excitement of new beginnings, his rust-colored hair standing out sharply against the whites and pastels of the women’s dresses. As he looked closer, it was clear that the man in the picture was definitly not Reno… though there certainly was a notable similarity in appearance.
“…”
“I think we’d better see what else we can find out about Miss Taina Rashaad…” said Tseng.
———-
Rude and Tseng had remained behind to continue looking for clues as to where Taina and the missing Turk may have disappeared to. Elena had been sent back to the Shin-Ra building in the hopes of finding something of interest in the employee records and background files. While her two fellow Turks were busy combing through the apartment and questioning neighbors, Elena found herself sitting in front of a computer, skimming through the standard files that Shin-Ra, Inc. meticulously kept on everyone from maintenance staff to department heads.
Tseng had specifically asked her to find whatever she could about Taina’s apparent husband, and after seeing the picture he and Rude had found, she could understand why. She quickly found the file she was looking for.
“Marital status… Single?” she wondered aloud. That was strange… Not married… not divorced… but single. But Elena had seen the wedding picture herself. She leaned back in her chair, having hit a dead end. Maybe Taina had lied when she’d applied for the secretarial job. But if that was the case, why did she do it? And where was her husband?
It suddenly occurred to her that Taina’s husband might have worked for Shin-Ra at some point as well. She modified her search, excluding Taina’s first name, hoping that the woman still used her married name.
“Rashaad, Alan,” she read as the computer returned the results.
———-
“Yes sir, according to this, she was married to a man named Alan Rashaad, who was killed last year,” said Elena, cradling the PHS against one shoulder as she searched for more references to Taina’s husband, “In fact, he died exactly one year ago today…”
“That must have been what she meant by ‘anniversary'”, the Turk leader mused, “Do the records indicate how he died? And more importantly, where?”
“Yes sir… The file says that he and Taina were robbed on the street. Her husband was shot in the process. He died instantly,” Elena responded, “It happened near 42nd street and 7th.”
———-
The end of a perfect night… dinner over candlelight, dancing… the music could still be heard from the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. His arms snaked around her shoulders, possessively pulling her against his tall, lean frame, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful man in my life?” she asked. He grinned widely and kissed the top of her head.
“Wonderful? You got another guy you’re not telling me about hidden somewhere?” he replied, the laughter in his eyes discrediting his mock-serious tone. She batted at him playfully.
“Oh, you… Aren’t you serious about anything?”
“Only you,” he stated, sweeping her into his arms and spinning her around.
“How sweet… Ain’t that just sweet?” came the snide comment from the shadows of an alleyway.
“The sweetest,” replied a second voice. Two bodies emerged from the concealing darkness, and she saw the glint of a pistol in the light of the mako-powered streetlamps.
“What do you want?” her husband asked, pushing her behind him.
“Oh, the usual… Money. Or we could just take your pretty little date…”
She heard the click of the gun being cocked. It seemed to happen all too fast. The demand, the refusal… the gunshot, the sound of which reverberated in her ears as she watched him crumple to the ground… then loud footsteps running, retreating into the alley, and she was alone.
“Alan? Alan, please… no…” she sobbed, on her knees beside his motionless form. A pool of red seeped out from under him, creeping toward her, staining the hem of her dress. Tears found their way down her cheeks as she cradled him in her arms, and she screamed… a long, anguished cry that might well have been heard throughout Midgar.
———-
“We’re here…” Taina’s melodious voice sang out to the half-conscious Turk. She smiled and glanced back at him as she stopped the car on the nearly deserted street. The hour was not so late, but this wasn’t one of the more popular areas of Midgar when it came to the local nightlife. Only the occasional couple, absorbed in each other’s loving gaze, could be seen entering and leaving the single restaurant farther down the mako-lit street. Reno struggled to concentrate through his clouded mind, not quite able to grasp what was going on. He felt strangely detached from his body and at the same time, trapped within it, unable to move. Taina reached for the leather case on the seat beside her, clutching it to her chest as she climbed out of the car.
“Come along, Alan,” she said gleefully, pulling open the back door of the car and sliding her arms around Reno from behind, clasping her hands against his chest as she dragged him from the car, “It’s our anniversary…”
———-
The location Elena had given them was on the opposite side of the city… and worse, they had no idea how long a headstart Taina had on them. But more disturbing was the fact that they didn’t know for certain what the woman was capable of. All of her records seemed to indicate that she was harmless… no criminal record, a model employee… and yet she’d not only managed to kidnap someone, but that someone just happened to be a seasoned Turk. Rude had his suspicions as to how she’d accomplished that… his mind drifted back to Reno’s phone call. His words had been slurred… forced, as though it took a considerable amount of effort to utter them. He’d been drugged… probably very heavily, given Reno’s tolerance to such things.
———-
Reno’s shoes scraped harshly over the concrete as his petite abductor dragged him awkwardly across the sidewalk. The streetlamp that glared down on him seemed to waiver and he blinked, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and then staring up at the light again, once, twice, three times before he was finally able to focus his vision.
“Where…?” His voice was barely a whisper. His tongue felt thick and swollen, his throat dry.
“You remember, don’t you Alan? You brought me here one year ago tonight… But they took you away from me and left me here all alone. I couldn’t go with you then, but I can now… We’re together, Alan, and I’m going to make sure that we never have to be apart again…”
The streetlamp was only a pinpoint of light in the darkness now, as shadows surrounded him. The walls of adjacent buildings loomed up in claustrophobic closeness, and at last Taina let him slide limply to the ground.
He had only a brief moment to ask himself ‘Who in the hell is Alan?’ before she was suddenly crouched beside him, tenderly stroking her hand along his cheek.
“I felt as though I died that day… But then one morning, I woke up and I realized that if I could just find you again, I could join you,” she said.
‘This can’t be a good sign,’ Reno thought as he listened with morbid fascination. He silently willed his body to move, straining against uncooperative muscles. He thought about trying to reason with her before she could do something foolish, but by the look in her eyes, he had a feeling that it would be a futile effort. It was then that he noticed the small leather case that rested on the ground beside Taina. While she continued to speak, he slowly stretched an arm toward it, in the process discovering that moving was gradually becoming easier. Apparently, whatever she’d drugged him with was beginning to wear off again. His fingers reached the case and Taina didn’t seem to notice until he’d opened it.
“You always were the impatient one, weren’t you?” she said with a hint of laughter, “But you’re right… We shouldn’t wait any longer.”
Her hand swept over his, brushing his fingertips as she drew an object out of the case. Even in the dimly-lit alleyway, Reno could recognize the familiar shape clutched in Taina’s grip.
“Taina… Put it down,” he said, his voice still raspy with the lingering effects of the drug. He tried to scuttle backwards, without much luck, realizing that there was no cover for him, and if she really intended to shoot him, he wouldn’t be a difficult target to hit in his present state.
“First you… and then me. And then we’ll be together forever,” she said as she leveled the barrel of the gun at his head, “I love you Alan.”
He’d always been well aware of the fact that Turks generally didn’t live long enough to retire… Still, he’d never imagined that he’d be done in by some nutty woman who called him Alan and said she loved him. It felt almost… pathetic. And that was probably why he flinched at the sound of the gunshot, eyes closing reflexively, as he wondered why it hadn’t hurt… and then snapping open again as a second shot echoed sharply in the alley. The searingly familiar pain of metal piercing flesh suddenly registered, and either out of shock or stubborn pride, he didn’t cry out, even as he could smell the thick, coppery scent of his own blood. He watched Taina, her shoulder spattered with bright crimson, as she looked toward the end of the alley in surprise.
———-
The shot had only been meant to wound, but Tseng silently cursed himself as he realized that the woman wasn’t going to give up so easily. He and Rude had arrived just in time to find Reno on the ground, the deluded woman holding a gun on him, and Tseng had decided to adhere to the old cliche of ‘shoot first and ask questions later’. And so he’d fired… a Turk’s version of a warning, aiming for her shoulder rather than a more potentially fatal target… but it had only served to throw off her aim, causing her to shoot the red-haired Turk in the abdomen instead of the head.
Taina still held the gun on Reno, seemingly uncaring of the presence of the two interlopers at the entrance of the alley, and she raised the barrel again to finish what she’d started. But Tseng and Rude were faster. Two nearly simultaneous shots sounded from their end of the alley, and Taina dropped to the ground, her own weapon slipping from her fingers, clattering against the pavement. A brief glance at the woman told them that she was no longer a threat to anyone, and they hurried to tend to their wounded friend.
“I told you she was nuts,” Reno said weakly. He still felt groggy from the drug – or maybe from the blood loss – but at the moment, he was grateful for that. It dulled the pain of his injury. Rude folded his jacket and placed it under Reno’s head and Tseng pressed his hands tightly against the bullet wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood. They waited for the help that Elena had been ordered to send, as the injured man slipped into unconsciousness.
———-
Reno awoke to a world of white… found himself staring up at the numerous ceiling tiles, nearly gagging as the unnatural clean scent of the room registered suddenly in his nose. The air was heavy with the oppressively sterile odor that was unique to hospitals. The incessant beep of the machines monitoring his breathing, and heartbeat, and gods only knew what else, was the only sound in the half-lit room, and the Turk briefly considered removing a few of the electrodes and such that connected his body to the monitors, a mischievous smile turning up the corners of his mouth at the thought of the momentary chaos that doing so would cause amongst the staff outside his room. The idea faded for the time being, however, as the reality of his present condition set in, memories of the alleyway returning as his hand tentatively explored the bandages that concealed what was probably a very nasty injury.
“Four hours.”
Reno eyes turned toward the source of the sudden statement in confusion, searching in the low light and locking on the familiar figure of Tseng standing against the far wall.
“You were in surgery for four hours,” he clarified. Reno propped himself up on an elbow to better see the man.
“Hope you guys were all appropriately worried and overcome with guilt for not taking me seriously about Taina,” Reno replied, trying to laugh off the grave nature of recent events. Tseng only nodded, and Reno could see that there was indeed a certain amount of guilt involved.
“So… Any idea what this whole mess was about?” Reno asked.
“Yes. But get some rest, for now, Reno,” Tseng said gently, “There will be plenty of time to fill you in on the details.”
“Yeah, ok…” He had to admit, he wasn’t really much in the mood for a debriefing right now anyway. He watched as Tseng took his leave, shutting the door soundlessly behind him.
For awhile, he simply lay in bed, letting thoughts drift through his mind at random, inevitably turning to Taina, and how close she’d come to taking him out… considered what a pathetic way for a Turk to die that would have been… wondered why she’d wanted him dead in the first place. And eventually, he came to the conclusion that he’d have to get the answers to his questions from Tseng. He forcibly shoved the thoughts from his mind, seeking a distraction, unwilling to be tormented the rest of the night by questions that, for the moment at least, he couldn’t answer.
He turned instead to considering just how suffocatingly sterile hospital rooms really were. He hated it… always had, and no amount of time spent in one would ever make him get used to the feeling. It would always feel like a white, perfectly germ-free prison. Reno found that his distraction was no better than his previous thoughts… if anything, it was worse.
He glanced down at the clip on his left index finger, and the wires running from it into the machine by his bed, turning his steady heartbeat into a series of soft electronic beeps. His previous grin returned as he “accidentally” nudged the clip off, watching the monitor flatline, and listened to the sudden, frantic scurry of medical personnel somewhere down the hall.
-fin-
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