Taking Care of Reno: Meteorfall
Chapter 2: Tumbling Down
“Rude… you will be piloting,” Tseng ordered, before turning to the rookie, who very obviously wanted to object, “While I don’t doubt your skills, Elena, flying beneath the plate takes a great deal of precision. You’re simply not experienced enough yet. You and I will cover Reno while he’s on the pillar.”
She frowned, but didn’t argue the point. “Yes, sir.”
“We’ll be doing this as quickly as possible. There is a fairly long delay between activation and collapse, but once the release system is armed and the countdown begins, it can’t be shut down. Not by us, at any rate… which means if for some reason we’re not out from under the Plate before it falls, we’re going down with it. Let’s try to avoid leaving our departure until the last second, shall we?”
“In and out. Don’t fuck around. Got it,” Reno acknowledged, and Elena could hear the somewhat detached note in his voice. He was trying very hard to pretend that this assignment wasn’t bothering him. She wasn’t buying it, and she doubted the others were, either.
“We leave in an hour,” Tseng concluded, “I’ll leave it to you to determine how to spend that time yourselves.”
The Turk leader retreated into his office, closing the door behind him. Reno leaned back in his chair, hands cushioning the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling. “Hey, Rude… Any idea on the exact count in Sector 7?”
“… Could probably find out. You sure you want to know?”
“Tch… No. But I probably should.”
“I’ll check with Domino’s office before we leave,” Rude replied.
“How can you two be so calm about this?” Elena asked, shaking her head. She herself felt as though she was slowly crawling out of her own skin, the anxiety over what they were about to do was getting so bad. Rude laughed mirthlessly.
“We’re not.”
“We’re just good at fakin’ it,” Reno finished for him.
“It’s a skill you’ll learn eventually,” Rude added. Reno caught her by the wrist and silently urged her towards him, pulling her down onto his lap. His arms encircled her waist, and he held her tight against him. He wasn’t lying. Elena could feel the tension in his body.
“Think I’ll go check on that population info in person…” Rude said, a less than subtle excuse for leaving the two of them alone for awhile. For a few minutes, the redhead simply held her, his face buried against her shoulder.
“Tell me I’m not a monster for doin’ this…” he said at last.
Elena blinked in surprise. “Reno…”
“Just… tell me.”
The rookie squeezed him, hands finding the sensitive spot on the back of his neck, and gently massaging the pressure point. “You’re not a monster,” she said, firmly. He sighed softly, and she felt the tiniest bit of tension relax.
“Long as you don’t think so… I think I can live with it,” the redhead murmured against the side of her neck. “Either way… I’m glad it’s me ‘n not you. I was terrified it was gonna be when you made Tseng let you draw…”
“I didn’t want it to be you either…”
Reno raised his head and cracked a small smile. “I know. But you know how I like to look out for ya…”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Self-sacrificing idiot…” she teased, gently.
The redhead’s smile widened a little. “You been talkin’ to Lira or somethin’? She likes to call me that, too…”
“I’m starting to understand why,” the rookie quipped, before placing a tender kiss against his lips. “Reno… I know what you’re thinking…”
“Yeah… You’re definitely hangin’ out with Lira too much…”
She ignored the half-hearted joke. “This could never make me hate you. I care about you too much and I know you too well. And I know what it must be doing to you… because you’re not a heartless monster.”
“… Sometimes this job makes ya wonder.”
“Yes, sir. I understand,” Tseng sighed, thumb and forefinger lightly massaging the bridge of his nose as he cradled his PHS against one ear. “Thank you for trying. I’ll keep you updated.”
The Turk leader ended the call and tossed the phone onto his desk, dejected. He’d known it was something of a long shot… but it was the only avenue he had left to explore. Unfortunately, even Rufus had been unable to talk some sense into his father. Though on the bright side… if there was to be a bright side in all of this… the conversation between father and son had resulted in the younger Shinra finally swallowing his pride and apologizing for the slight against his step-mother that had resulted in him being banished in the first place. He was coming home in a day or two. That, at least, brought Tseng some measure of relief.
His young charge had been in exile for far too long, and the effects were becoming apparent in both parties. The president would almost certainly never openly admit it, but he missed his son. Bertrand Shinra was not especially good at showing it, but he loved Rufus dearly and having him so far from home had taken a toll on him. Tseng was even beginning to wonder if this decision to obliterate Sector 7 might not have, at least in part, resulted from the effects the situation had had on his objectivity.
Rufus, too, was tired of living in isolation, though it was only his own stubborn pride that keep him sequestered in Junon. Tseng would be glad to have the young man safely back under his care again.
He glanced at the clock. They would be leaving in about ten minutes. He had better see to rounding up his Turks.
The operation was straightforward and simple. Perhaps a little too simple, given the gravity of what they were about to do. It was difficult to imagine anything going wrong… at least as far as dropping the Plate went. But he couldn’t deny that he was worried about other aspects of their assignment. Namely, Reno.
Oh, there was no doubt in his mind that his lieutenant would carry out his orders flawlessly. What concerned him was what sort of effect doing so would have on his one-time rookie.
Tseng had, to some extent, been hoping to draw the black stone himself, and failing to do so had been almost as much a disappointment as it was a relief. He didn’t really want to see any of them have to take on that sort of burden, Reno, least of all. For all his frequent bravado, at heart Reno was… kind. He never failed to do what was required of him, but Tseng knew full well that there were already a number of missions that would haunt him for life. This one would top them all.
The Wutaiian Turk slowly stood, collecting his PHS and his jacket before stepping out into the main office. He couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sight that greeted him, and vaguely wondered how long Reno and Elena had been sitting like that. Long enough for Rude to have beat a hasty retreat and left them on their own, apparently.
He shook his head slightly. Elena had stolen the fiery young man’s heart and she didn’t seem inclined to return it any time soon. He doubted Reno would have accepted it even had it been offered. The rookie seemed to complete him in a way even Tseng had never realized his protege had needed… and he was immeasurably grateful to her for it.
The Turk leader loudly cleared his throat, very nearly startling the couple out of their embrace.
“I’m afraid it’s time to go,” he said.
The helicopter wound its way through the underside of the Plate, carefully skirting the numerous bundles of cables that hung from the structure above them and avoiding the taller buildings and junk piles. Ahead, the Sector 7 Pillar loomed, and Tseng frowned as he spotted the telltale flash of gunfire about halfway up.
“… Thought Shinra ordered all our people out…” Rude said, his voice somewhat electronic-sounding over Tseng’s headset. So had he… but those were definitely Shinra military uniforms. Not Soldier… just regular ground troops. What some might term ‘cannon-fodder’, he silently mused.
“They’re not our problem. They have their orders and we have ours,” he replied. On the staircase, he could just make out the source of the commotion. Barret Wallace’s silhouette was hard to mistake, and as the helicopter closed in, he could see that the woman… Tifa… was with him as well. Farther down, he spotted the ex-Soldier, as well, quickly making his way up behind them. “It looks like we’ve got some resistance… Reno, we’ll –”
“Sir!” Elena’s voice cut in, and the Turk leader spun to face her, only to see the rookie leaning out of the open side door, her gaze locked on something on the ground. She pointed. “Isn’t that the girl we’re supposed to capture?”
Tseng’s eyes widened slightly and he joined her at the opening, swearing loudly… and rather profusely… in his native tongue as he realized she was absolutely right. That was Aerith, alright.
“What in Leviathan’s name is she doing in Sector 7!?” he wondered aloud. Reno was at his side a moment later.
“Fuckin’ figures… Drop me off ‘n go get her.”
“You won’t have any cover fire until we return…” Tseng pointed out, though the redhead didn’t look concerned.
“I’ll manage. Avalanche gets control of the Pillar, though, it’s gonna be a pain in the ass tryin’ to finish our mission. Without sacrificin’ ourselves, I mean.”
Tseng hesitated barely more than a split second before agreeing. “Rude… head for the Pillar. As soon as Reno’s clear, take us down.” They really didn’t have a choice. The girl was a high priority target and having to report that she had ended up collateral damage wasn’t something Tseng relished explaining… either to President Shinra or to her mother. In fact, he wasn’t entirely certain which made him more uneasy.
Rude signaled an affirmative, and banked towards the pillar. As they neared the target, Reno pulled Elena into his arms, and kissed her.
“Make sure these assholes come back for me quick, huh, ‘Lena?” he teased, “I don’t wanna end up a fuckin’ pancake ’cause the boss is busy chattin’ up the flower girl…”
“Please, be careful,” the rookie replied. Reno grinned and gave the three of them a mock salute before jumping to the platform below.
Once he was down safely, the helicopter peeled off, heading back in the direction of their secondary target, and Reno sprinted for the control panel… ignoring for the moment the trio that had reached the top as well. Before they could react, he’d punched in the arming code.
“No turnin’ back now…” he murmured under his breath, before turning to them. “Too late, boys ‘n girls. Once I push this button…” He paused just long enough press the final button, activating the code. “That’s all, folks. Mission accomplished.”
Mission accomplished, alright. He’d just doomed fuck only knew how many people – since Rude never did get around to giving him the actual number – to varying degrees of painful deaths. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat as the ramifications of what he’d just done clawed at him. He’d have to deal with the guilt later… right now, he needed to focus on keeping himself in one piece long enough for Rude to haul ass back over here and pick him up.
And given that it was three on one, that was going to be quite a feat. He had a sneaking suspicion he was going to be paying Ward a visit later…
Rude set down in a small open area, keeping the engine running as Tseng and Elena hopped out, and headed into the sector. Elena hoped they would find her quickly… she hated thinking about Reno stuck up there on the Pillar any longer than he had to be. She followed Tseng into the residential section, surprised at just how empty things seemed to be. There were still a handful of people lingering, staring somewhat transfixed, up at the towering Pillar… and several more rushed past the pair of Turks, apparently on their way out of the area… but by and large, the place might as well have been abandoned.
“Sir… They’ve evacuated…”
The Turk leader nodded. “Yes… it seems many of them have. At least from this part of the sector. And clearly Avalanche knows what’s about to happen as well. Odd… Corneo’s not stupid enough to warn them after he agreed not to, and no one else had the information.” He shook his head and continued on. “We’ll worry about it later. We have very little time at the moment.”
Suddenly, some movement ahead of them caught her eye. “Over there!”
Aerith was just walking out of the Seventh Heaven bar, pulling along a little girl firmly by the hand. She seemed shocked to see them, and for a moment looked like she wasn’t sure if she should run or not. The child seemed to be the deciding factor, as she apparently realized that she wouldn’t make it far with her in tow.
“Tseng…” she whispered, resigned.
“I am sorry, Aerith. Truly, I am. But we both knew this day would come sooner or later.”
The girl nodded. “I’ll go with you quietly. If you promise to do something for me in return.”
“I’m listening…” Tseng replied.
Aerith glanced down at the little girl. “This is Marlene. I promised a friend I’d take her somewhere safe. Will you… take her to my mother?”
He looked over at the rookie. “Elena… Aerith’s mother lives in Sector 5. It’s a small house near the old church, with a large garden. You take the girl there while Rude and I see to Reno.”
“Yes, sir…” She stepped forward and held a hand out to the little brown-haired girl. Marlene shrank back, hiding behind Aerith’s long skirt.
“It’s alright, Marlene. I’ve known Tseng for a long time… Go with his friend.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, in a small voice, and Aerith smiled, nodding. Marlene hesitantly accepted Elena’s hand, and followed her towards the sector exit. Tseng gestured in the opposite direction, guiding Aerith towards the helicopter.
“You… You aren’t really going to destroy the Pillar… are you?” she asked. Tseng sighed.
“I’m afraid those are our orders, yes.”
“Why?” The sadness in her voice seemed not to be directed at the fate of the people in Sector 7, but more at him personally.
“Because it’s our job…” he replied. Aerith glared at him.
“I used to think you were a good person, Tseng… I’m not so sure about that anymore.”
He ushered her aboard, and pressed her into one of the seats before signaling to Rude to take off.
“I suppose that makes two of us, then.”
Reno staggered back several steps, reeling from the punch the damned bartender had just delivered to his stomach. He’d been too busy trying not to get himself shot by the large angry gunner to dodge it. His EMR lashed out defensively, forcing the woman to back off while he recovered.
“That all ya got?” he taunted them, and sidestepped Strife’s incoming swing before sending an electrical charge straight up the massive sword. The yelp of pain he gave in response was entirely too satisfying… but Reno knew he couldn’t keep this up for much longer. He was outnumbered and on the defensive. Eventually, they’d wear him down to the point that he’d start making mistakes and once that happened, it would be all over.
But no one could say that he wasn’t holding his own for the moment… not that he really had much of a choice, given that the trio were blocking his only exit, and looked more than willing to finish him off given half the chance. He hoped that the others nabbed Aerith quick. The sooner they came back for him, the better.
The redhead was forced to hit the deck as Barret let loose a barrage of gunfire in his direction, rolling to one side, and taking cover behind the control panel. This wasn’t working. Between the leader of the group shooting at him every few seconds and Strife swinging around his ridiculously oversized weapon, close range attacks were only going to get him killed faster. He reached into his jacket, drawing his backup weapon, and fired a few shots blindly over the top of the console, grinning as he heard Tifa shouting for her allies to take cover.
Having an opening now, he stood just enough to see over the meager protection of the machinery, and took aim at Barret. Two more shots in quick succession before the Turk had to duck again sent him to one knee and the redhead smirked at the profanity laden response that followed. Unfortunately, judging by the next round of shots that peppered the the Pillar controls, he’d only winged the man. And… seriously pissed him off.
Which was why he breathed a long sigh of relief when the next sound he heard was that of helicopter blades cutting through the still air of the slums.
“Heh… It’s been fun, guys, but it’s time for me to go!” he called out from his hiding place as he spotted his ride. Reno fired several more shots as he broke cover and ran for the railing, easily making the short jump. More gunfire erupted behind him as soon as he left the platform, and before he landed, he felt the all too familiar sting of metal penetrating flesh.
The redhead hit the floor hard, his left leg going out from under him. He gasped softly as he tried to move it, only to be met with an agonizingly sharp pain radiating from his knee and upper thigh. He opted to just stay right where he was for the moment.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Tseng’s voice cautioned, and for a moment, Reno had no idea what he was talking about. He lifted his head, grunting softly with the effort, and caught sight of his mentor at the open door. “Only a Shinra executive can disarm the Emergency Plate Release System. If you persist in making the attempt, you’ll only set it off early.”
Reno cringed… The idiots were trying to disarm it. Great. Apparently, Tseng didn’t think Rude could get them out of there in time if the fuckers set off the failsafe. He heard their leader yell something that sounded distinctly like “Shut yer hole!” back at him followed by another round of angry gunfire. Tseng ducked behind the armored side of the copter until it stopped.
“Careful… You’ll injure our special guest,” he retorted once it was clear. He forced Aerith into view of the terrorists. By that point, Reno was starting to feel dizzy from blood loss, and Tseng’s attempt to buy them more time to escape wasn’t holding his interest. He groaned softly, ignoring the rest of the conversation, and let his head fall back to the floor, his vision darkening.
Reno needed help… Tseng could see the blood beginning to pool around him. But they needed time. And if Avalanche caused the Release System to activate earlier, the wouldn’t have enough of it. His lieutenant would be crushed before he had the chance to bleed to death… along with the rest of them.
“Careful… You’ll injure our special guest,” he said, coolly, grabbing Aerith by the shoulder, and pulling her into view. He didn’t like using her as a bargaining chip, but he needed to end this.
“Aerith!” Tifa called out.
“What are you gonna do with her?” the ex-Soldier demanded, sword raised in a useless threat.
“Our orders were to find and capture the last remaining Ancient,” Tseng replied, “And I can finally report that we have done so to the President.”
Aerith suddenly pulled away from him, leaning forward. “Tifa! Don’t worry… She’s alright! She’s –” Whatever the young woman planned to add was forgotten as the copter tilted in an effort to avoid the cabling it was drifting toward. She slipped, falling forward. Tseng’s eyes widened, and he reached out, seizing her and almost violently yanking her backwards. She landed in a heap behind him, a little stunned, but unhurt. He spared her a brief apologetic glance for the somewhat unnecessarily rough rescue, before turning his attention back to the three terrorists gathered on the platform below.
“We’re out of time here. The countdown has almost finished.”
He nodded towards Rude, and the helicopter headed for safe airspace, leaving Avalanche to their fate. Almost as soon as they were clear, Tseng heard the first of the explosions. His attention, however, was no longer on the mission. It was on the unconscious redhead bleeding on the floor of the helicopter. Aerith was crouched beside him.
“He’s really hurt badly…” she said, looking up at the Wutaiian Turk. He couldn’t help but agree with her assessment.
“Rude… Head straight for Midgar General,” Tseng said, kneeling beside his lieutenant. The worst of it seemed to be the gunshot wound to his upper thigh. It was bleeding profusely, and the Turk leader had a feeling that the bullet had hit an artery. He yanked his tie off, tightening it around the younger man’s leg in a tourniquet.
“What about Elena?” Rude asked, even as he flew them above the Plate and towards its center.
“Let her know there will be a delay in retrieving her.”
The trip to Sector 5 had been slow-going with a five year old in tow… and she hadn’t been overly thrilled about running into a small pack of ugly little cripshays in the Sector 6 ruins along the way… but somehow she’d made it. Sector 5 was just ahead. They both jumped in alarm at the sound of the first explosion, and Elena turned to see the Sector 7 plate as it fell, painfully slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed.
“Papa! Tifa!” the little girl shouted at her side, in dismay, and Elena felt her heart break. She knew all too well what it was like to lose family. But there was nothing she could do about it now.
“Hurry! In here!” she urged, pulling Marlene into a wide drainage pipe, and crouching down protectively over the girl. She focused on one of the defensive materia spheres slotted into her armlet, wrapping the two of them in the strongest barrier she could manage and hoping it would be enough. Moments later, the shock wave came, bringing with it a cloud of dust and debris that seemed as though it would never stop. The girl clung to her, terrified. The pipe, bolstered by her magic, held up admirably against the onslaught, shielding the two of them until the danger had passed. When it was finally over, Elena peered out, coughing harshly in the dusty air.
Sector 7 was gone. Above, there was only clear, blue sky and sunlight peering down into the slums. Below… she was a little glad she couldn’t really see was was left below from where she presently stood, to be honest. She hoped Reno and the others had made it out alright. Elena shook her head. She had her own mission to take care of right now.
“Are you alright?” she asked, kneeling down in front of her charge and brushing some of the dust from her clothes. Marlene nodded. “Then let’s go… We’re almost there.”
“Did the Shinra do that?” she asked, eyes still locked on the empty space where the Sector 7 Plate had once been, and the rookie sighed softly.
“… Yes,” the rookie admitted.
“Papa… Papa always said they were bad people,” Marlene said, sniffling quietly and wiping her eyes on her now-filthy sleeve. Elena really didn’t know what to say to that. Under the circumstances, it was an impossible accusation to deny.
“Only some of them,” she said at last, and began guiding her out of the ruins and into Sector 5. “Most of them are good people who sometimes have to do bad things.”
Tseng tucked his PHS back into his pocket and sighed. By the time he’d contacted her, the little girl had been safely deposited at Aerith’s home in Sector 5, and Elena was already on her way back to the Plate via train. He’d sent Rude to pick her up at the station and bring her here… here being the waiting room of Midgar General’s surgical recovery ward. Reno… a transfusion or two later… was still in the operating room to repair the damage to his leg. Dr. Ward was observing, and relaying updates to the concerned Turk leader.
He had left the hospital only briefly… to reluctantly deliver Aerith to a holding cell at company headquarters.
Tseng glared at the television in the corner and took a seat, turning his gaze instead out the window, glad that this particular room didn’t face Sector 7. Every channel was running footage of the collapse, and Shinra Company had wasted no time in pinning the blame on Avalanche.
“Yeh look like yeh’ve had a lousy day.”
The Wutaiian shifted his eyes towards the door and snorted derisively in response. “I suppose you could say that.” Dr. Ward strode over to him, placing a fresh cup of tea in his hands. He managed a slight smile. “I always thought you were of the same mind as your favorite patient when it comes to tea.”
“Oh, believe me… I personally find it ta be about as tempting as stagnant pond water. But yeh looked like yeh could use something ta settle yeh. Not keep yeh awake. For once.”
“How’s he doing?” he asked, gratefully taking a sip.
“They’re finishing up now. All in all, it wasn’t that bad… The biggest danger was the blood loss. They’ve repaired the artery and given him another pint of blood since I last talked to yeh. His knee’s still a bit of a mess, and there are some broken ribs, but a little materia therapy and he should be back on his feet before the week’s out. He’s going ta be fine.”
“Physically, at any rate…”
Ward raised an eyebrow at the comment. “There something yeh think I should know about?”
“Were it not for your security clearance, I would say no.”
“Company secrets, then…” she surmised, taking a seat beside the Turk leader. “Well? Let’s hear it. What is it that’s liable ta be weighing so heavily on the boy’s mind when he wakes up?”
“I assume I needn’t remind you that this goes no farther than this room?”
“Hmph… Yeh needn’t… but yeh just did anyway.” Ward crossed her arms over her chest, eying the Turk impatiently. “Out with it.”
“Avalanche was not responsible for the Sector 7 collapse. We were. Reno had the dubious honor of being the one to actually set it in motion.”
Justina Ward’s eyes widened, and for a moment Tseng thought he’d actually managed to render her speechless for once. They quickly narrowed again, and the next thing he knew, his left cheek was stinging as the woman delivered a surprisingly sound slap. Her finger poked him roughly in the chest “Yeh’ve done a lot of low things in yer day, Tseng Itsudake… but sending that boy in ta do something like that takes the cake.”
If he hadn’t been absolutely certain it would have gotten him slapped a second time, he would have smiled. The fact that the good doctor was apparently far angrier that he’d given Reno the order than that they’d just murdered several thousand people was testament to her loyalty and affection for his little family.
“I know,” he replied. “But I can’t take it back now… no matter how much I might wish to.”
Justinia glowered at him. “Yeh know I’ll have ta schedule him for a psych evaluation after somethin’ like this…”
“Something I’m sure he’ll appreciate,” Tseng couldn’t help but note, unable to prevent a small smile from forcing the corners of his mouth upwards. If Reno’s disdain for doctors in general was well-known, his dislike of the psych department was downright legendary.
“Don’t yeh make light of this, Tseng… I won’t clear him for duty until I’m satisfied he’s fit for it.”
“I would expect no less,” he said, seriously. “You know what he’s like, though. He won’t be happy if you force him to remain on the sidelines for too long…”
Ward scowled and conceded the point. “Yes… unfortunately, I’m well acquainted with what he’s like.”
Elena stepped from the train and onto the Sector 0 platform, and scanned the area. It didn’t take her long to spot Rude waiting patiently for her near the exit and she hurried to push her way through the crowd toward him. Tseng hadn’t told her much… Only that the mission was successful and everyone was safe, but Reno had been injured. He hadn’t said just how badly the redhead was hurt, however, and that worried her. Either his injuries were so minor that they hardly warranted mentioning… or they were so serious that he hadn’t wanted to alarm her. She couldn’t tell which.
“How is he?” she asked, as soon as she was within earshot of her fellow Turk. Rude smirked slightly.
“He’ll be okay. Lost a lot of blood on the way back, but Tseng just told me they moved him to the recovery ward. Should be waking up pretty soon.”
“What happened?”
“Took a few rounds as he was making a run for it. He’ll probably be on crutches for a couple weeks. One of ’em tore up his knee pretty bad. You get the kid taken care of?”
Elena nodded. “Aerith’s mom didn’t seem too happy to see me once she recognized my uniform under all the dirt… but she said she’d look after the girl.”
“Hmph… She never likes seeing one of us at her door,” he chuckled softly, leading her out of the station, “She especially hates Reno… Never did find out what he ever did to piss her off so much more than the rest of us have.” He opened his truck’s passenger door for her. “You want to go change first? Hate to mention it, but you’re kind of a mess.”
The rookie shook her head and climbed in. “No… I just want to see Reno.”
“Figured as much.”
Rude shut the door and rounded the truck, hopping behind the wheel, and heading for the freeway. They made good time, really… Faster than Elena could usually get across town. The streets were nearly empty.
“Everyone’s over in Sector 8… checking out the damage up close,” Rude commented. “Shinra sent in the rescue units that were standing by… as soon as the news cameras showed up.”
“I’m not sure what bothers me more. That we did this… or that now we’re using it to our advantage,” she replied, resting her chin on her hand and staring out the window. She turned to look at Rude. “Was it even worth it? How do we even know we got them all?”
“We don’t.” The hospital loomed ahead of them, and the bald Turk turned into the drive that lead to one of the parking decks. “And nothing like this is ever worth it. But if we don’t do it, someone else will.”
“Is that a good enough reason to just sit back and blindly obey orders, though?”
“Guess it depends on how you look at it.”
“What do you mean?” Elena asked, a little confused by the comment. Rude pulled into a space and shrugged, glancing over at her.
“It was always going to happen… one way or another, someone was going to end up pushing that button. Us doing it spares someone else from having to obey that order.”
Reno blinked slowly, staring up at the entirely too familiar ceiling tiles. The smell of antiseptic wouldn’t leave him alone, nor would the obnoxious beeping of the monitor beside his bed. In fact, most of his senses seemed to be in overdrive at the moment… with one notable exception. He wasn’t feeling much of anything. And given that he distinctly recalled being shot at least twice, he was pretty sure he should have been hurting right now.
“Are you awake, or merely conscious?” a voice to his left asked, and he turned his head.
“I’ll let ya know soon as I figure it out… What the fuck’s Ward got me on?”
“Vicodin… along with something to help reduce the anxiety you always seem to feel when you’re on vicodin. You should be fairly pain-free for a few hours yet.”
Reno pushed himself up slightly, and Tseng helpfully tucked a pillow behind his back to help prop him up.
“Where’s ‘Lena? Haven’t been out so long she got sick of waitin’, have I?”
“She’s on her way now. You were losing a rather concerning amount of blood after you passed out. Getting you here took priority. We had to delay picking her up from Sector 5.”
Reno blinked in clear confusion. “The fuck’s she doin’ in Sector 5?”
Tseng shook his head. “I’m sorry. You obviously would have no idea what happened, given that you were unconscious for most of our exit,” he replied, with a self-deprecating chuckle. “We were able to secure Aerith… on the condition that we deliver a young girl she was with to her mother in exchange for her cooperation. I sent the girl to Sector 5 with Elena, and returned to the helicopter with Aerith to retrieve you.”
“If I were a little more with it right now, I think I’d be pretty ticked about you sendin’ ‘Lena off into the slums on her own…”
“She’s fine… as is the little girl. You should know better than anyone how capable Elena really is. Weren’t you the one who recommended she be promoted?” he gently teased.
“Don’t remind me… Rude’s already got me rethinkin’ the whole givin’ up my rookie thing.”
Tseng smiled and patted his arm. “I had to give you up. I’m afraid you’ll have to do the same.” His expression slowly turned more serious. “How are you feeling?”
“Heh… Pretty good, at the moment. That vicodin shit’s pretty sweet when it’s not givin’ me a fuckin’ panic attack.”
“Reno…”
“Yeah. I know. Not what ya meant. Don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet, boss,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll let you know when it finally does.” He raised his hand, gazing at the back of it with an odd expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Tch… Apparently, whatever the Doc’s givin’ me to keep me relaxed isn’t doin’ shit for the hallucinations. Either that or I should be very worried… ’cause I don’t think skin’s s’posed to be quite that shade of fluorescent orange. Or glowing.”
Tseng chuckled and pressed the redhead’s hand back down to his side. “Mmm… I think it will be alright. Do tell me if I should happen to sprout an extra head, though.”
Before that request could garner a response, the door to Reno’s room swung open, admitting Dr. Ward… followed closely by the two absent members of the team.
“I found these two wandering about, looking for yeh… Thought I’d drop them off before they got themselves inta trouble.” She walked up to the bed and tugged away the sheet from the redhead’s chest. He flinched… somewhat exaggeratedly… when she tried to press her stethoscope against his skin. “Yer not a child…” she sighed with a hint of exasperation… right before she obligingly warmed the instrument on her sleeve.
“Anything wrong?” Tseng asked, but Ward shook her head.
“I’ve never tried this combination of drugs on him before. Just wanted ta make sure we weren’t seeing any side effects. He seems ta be tolerating it nicely, though. Seems ta be fairly calm, as well.” A penlight appeared in her hand, and she tilted his chin upwards, shining it into each eye… to which Reno responded with an annoyed growl. “Bit sluggish… but that’s ta be expected with the medication,” she murmured, ignoring him. She smiled and looked over at the rookie. “Alright, Elena… He’s all yours. But mind the ribs… just because he can’t feel it right now doesn’t mean they’ll stand up to much abuse.”
Rude snickered as his teammate blushed slightly at being called out on her impatience to get to the redhead, but moments later, she was carefully hugging him. Tseng headed for the door.
“I’ll leave him in your care. Rude and I should make our official report to the President.”
“Are you okay?” she queried as the two men were shown out by Dr. Ward. Reno sighed and leaned back against the pillows.
“Think so…” he replied, “‘Course I’m also stoned off my ass right now, so… ya know… relatively speakin’. You know I don’t usually do so great on this shit…”
The rookie nodded. “I know. Dr. Ward said she gave you something she thought would help, though. And on the way up she said she’s not going to keep you here if she doesn’t have to… You can come home tonight, as long as there aren’t any reactions to the medication.” She perched herself beside him on the edge of the bed, petting his hair. “I’m going to see if Tseng will let me take the rest of the week off so I can stay home with you.”
“Don’t…” he said shaking his head. “Not that I wouldn’t love a little vacation with you, but with me out, they’re probably gonna need you around to help tie up the loose ends that are bound to pop up, and Tseng’s got just enough of a soft spot for me to say yes anyway.”
“Well… then he can call me in when he has something for me to do,” she said firmly. “You need me more.”
Reno found her hand, and his fingers carefully entwined themselves with hers. He raised it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Ya know… I’m startin’ to think it’s gonna be damn near impossible to get rid of you…”
“You want to get rid of me?” she asked, in a mockingly hurt tone, and Reno snickered.
“Hell, no. Just sayin’… I’m startin’ to think I won’t be able to.”
“Well, it’s about time you got that through that thick skull of yours,” Elena teased.
“Casualties in Sector 7 are estimated between six and eight thousand. They would have been higher, but we’re receiving reports from rescue teams that at least half of the Sector 7 Slums managed to evacuated before the Plate fell. They’ve crowed into Wall Market and Sector 8.”
The President frowned at the news and turned away from Heidegger. “Tseng? Can you account for that?”
“We believe the leak came from Don Corneo. At the very least, we know now that he informed some members of Avalanche shortly before we arrived to trigger the release system. Aerith… the Ancient, that is… told us that she had been with the ex-Soldier and another member of the group when they’d threatened him into divulging our plans. They reached the sector just as things were getting underway which resulted in the confrontation on the Pillar. I doubt they’re the only ones he let it slip to, either… Corneo has business associates in Sector 7 he may have felt obliged to warn. Or the people he sent in to search for Avalanche beforehand may have told friends and family.”
President Shinra turned to gaze out the tall windows in his office, that looked out over Midgar. Sector 7, and the buzz of activity that still surrounded it, was clearly visible. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced.
“Is the terrorist group taken care of?” he finally asked.
“We believe so, sir,” Rude replied. “We’ve confirmed that at least three members were trapped. Recovery teams have found the bodies. The other three were still on the Pillar when our team evacuated. They haven’t been located, but it’s unlikely they had time to get out.”
Shinra nodded and turned back to the window.
“Dispose of Corneo.”
“Yes, sir,” Tseng acknowledged with a sidelong glance at Rude. That ought to stir things up in Wall Market. As awful a person as he was, Corneo was what kept his little oddity in the slums from turning into a cesspool. With him gone, things would likely go downhill fairly quickly. None of Corneo’s underlings had ever struck him as having the business sense to hold it together. On the other hand… the bastard had it coming.
He’d never been fond of Corneo. Dealing with him was a necessary evil. The man was sleazy, underhanded, and a pervert of a level even Reno couldn’t begin to attain. The Turk leader wasn’t going to lose any sleep over having to take him out. He did feel a little bad for the girls in Corneo’s employ, however. They’d likely have it harder than anyone for awhile. He vaguely wondered if Reno’s friend, Lira, might have some ideas on how to mitigate the effects of putting an end to Don Corneo and made a mental note to ask Elena to speak with her before they acted.
“And the Ancient? She was recovered unharmed?” the president continued.
“Completely, sir. She’s in a holding cell for now,” Tseng replied. He cringed almost imperceptibly. “Professor Hojo has been informed.”
“Good. Very well, you’re dismissed.”
Tseng nodded and left the president’s office, Rude following silently behind him. Neither man spoke until they were safely in the elevator.
“Getting rid of Corneo… That should be interesting,” Rude commented. The Turk leader smirked slightly.
“Interesting may not have been the word I would have used… but yes. It will. Set up surveillance on him. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out we know he leaked information. He may try to run.”
“You don’t want me to just handle it?” Rude asked.
“If it looks like he’s on his way out of town, then yes. Finish the job. If he seems to be biding his time, just keep watch. I’d like to speak to Lira first and see if there’s anything we might be able to do to minimize the turmoil his permanent departure will inevitably set off.”
“I’ll be in Wall Market if you need me,” he replied, as the elevator delivered them to their floor. Tseng stepped out, leaving Rude to continue downwards. Meanwhile, the Wutaiian Turk pulled out his phone and dialed Elena.
Reno grinned and flicked a few strands of hair across the rookie’s face. She scrunched up her nose and absently swatted at them, before burrowing her cheek into the crook of the redhead’s neck. He sighed contentedly and reached for the sleeping woman’s hand.
She’d been trying to get him to fall asleep for a little while. Her efforts seemed to have backfired on her, however, and now she was resting, somewhat precariously, on the edge of his bed, cuddled up against his right side. Reno, meanwhile, was wide awake… even though Ward had been in twice already to chastise him for ignoring her orders to get some rest.
The fact was, he simply wasn’t sleepy, which was odd. Usually heavy duty pain killers knocked him out for hours… after they reduced him to an anxiety-ridden mess for awhile, of course. Ward’s new prescription plan had fixed that side-effect at least, but it also seemed to be keeping him far more alert than he had any right being with what he was fairly sure was a pretty high dosage in his system.
Mentally, he shrugged. He wasn’t going to complain. He wasn’t in pain and he wasn’t freaking out for no particular reason. Those were both pluses in his book. If it meant a little insomnia, he could live with that.
The door to his room opened and Ward stepped inside, a tray of food balanced on one hand.
“Yeh know,” she said softly, spotting the slumbering rookie, “Pawning off my orders on yer girlfriend doesn’t count. When I said ‘get some rest’, I meant yeh should be the one sleeping…”
She set the tray down on the table beside the bed.
“Tried. Can’t,” he replied with a half shrug, not wanting to disturb Elena.
“Hmm…” Ward frowned. “Must be the anti-anxiety meds… though I’m a bit hesitant to try mixing in a sedative as well. Yeh tend ta be sensitive to things like that. Don’t want ta overload yeh. Do yeh feel alright otherwise?”
He eyed the tray. “Aside from starvin’ to death, ya mean?”
Dr. Ward rolled her eyes, scoffing, but turned to retrieve the tray anyway. Before she could, however, a loud, musical tone started up. Elena was startled awake, and apparently had forgotten where she was… because a moment later she found herself on the floor next to the bed. She groaned aloud as she stood, rubbing her hip with one hand and reaching into her jacket for her PHS with the other.
“Elena here, sir…” she said, glaring at at the redhead’s sudden bout of muffled laughter. “But… Y-yes, sir. Alright.”
She tucked the phone back into her pocket, frowning.
“Heh… Boss need ya for somethin’ already?”
“Don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’,” she warned. The redhead grinned.
“I told –”
“Reno, I swear to Shiva…” she quickly cut him off with a quiet laugh. He smirked and settled back against the pillows again, but said nothing more. Elena sighed. “I have to go. Tseng wants me to talk to Lira.”
Reno’s eyebrows rose in curiosity. “What’s the boss want with Lira?”
Elena glanced over at the doctor. “Umm…”
“Tch… relax, ‘Lena. The Doc’s got a higher security clearance than you do. Has to in order to be able to look after us sometimes. She knows how shit works around here…”
“The President has ordered us to terminate Corneo for leaking information about the Pillar operation to Avalanche.”
“Oh. Yeah… I can see why he might want a little inside advice on somethin’ like that. Gonna be a mess. That jackass is about the only thing keepin’ any kinda order down in Wall Market.”
Dr. Ward clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “As if Shinra hasn’t caused enough damage ta the slums lately…” She glanced immediately over to her patient. “And don’t yeh go taking that ta mean I blame yeh personally for it. That arrogant son of a bitch, Shinra, didn’t give yeh a choice in the matter.”
Reno blinked in surprise. “Doc…” he gasped, his voice the epitome of scandalized disbelief, “Language!”
His reaction drew a giggle from the rookie. Ward set the tray of food on his lap and fixed him with a stern look.
“Just because I disapprove in general doesn’t mean there aren’t occasions that warrant it,” she snapped back. “Now… eat.”
Instead, Reno chuckled, shaking his head. “Ten fuckin’ years… Never once heard ya swear, Doc. Didn’t think ya had it in ya.”
Ward rolled her eyes. “Oh, for Odin’s sake… The things yeh find amusing…” she muttered.
Elena arrived outside Reno’s old apartment… now Lira’s new home… in under fifteen minutes. She knocked, hoping she wasn’t disturbing the woman. Lira was still recovering from her own ordeal. She didn’t want to intrude if she was trying to get some rest… but orders were orders, and Tseng wanted her opinion.
The door opened surprisingly swiftly, and the rookie was greeted by the sight of her friend, propped up on crutches, and looking decidedly concerned.
“Elena! Oh, thank Shiva… It’s all over the news!” she said, hobbling back a bit so that the Turk could step inside. “I’ve been callin’ friends of mine down below for hours, makin’ sure they’re alright. Thankfully, most of the girls I know from Seven were workin’ today, but one or two… I just can’t get ahold of. Are you alright? Where’s Reno? Is he alright?! They said Avalanche was behind the collapse… I know you’ve been after ’em for awhile now. He is alright, isn’t he? I tried callin’ him, too, but he doesn’t always answer when he’s on duty…”
Elena felt almost dizzy from the sudden onslaught. She shut the door behind her before saying anything.
“Reno’s okay. He’s a little banged up… but okay.”
“Oh…” she sighed, and Elena realized that the woman was blinking back tears. “Good…” Lira’s palm rose to rest protectively over her stomach. She sniffed softly and wiped her eyes with the back of her other hand, and managed a laugh. “Sorry… This little guy’s makin’ a complete mess of my hormones lately. Yesterday I started cryin’ like an idiot ’cause I dropped a goddamn coffee cup.”
The rookie smiled warmly. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go sit down… Tseng wanted me to ask your advice on something.”
“My advice?” Lira echoed, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously as she let Elena help her down onto the couch. “What in Shiva’s name could I offer him advice on?”
“Er… well…” the rookie began. “Hypothetically, let’s say Don Corneo suddenly wasn’t in charge of Wall Market anymore… What would happen?”
Lira’s eyes widened. “Hypothetically, huh?” she snorted, in obvious disbelief, before taking on a more pensive expression. “Well, let’s see… Probably the first thing that’d happen is that one of those assholes he’s got workin’ for him’ll try n’ take the reigns. My money’d be on Koch. Not a lot of brains, but most of Corneo’s other guys are pretty intimidated by him. The girls at the Honeybee can’t stand him, though, and neither can most of the other businesses in the sector… and without Corneo backin’ up his authority, I’m not so sure they’d do a damn thing he said. So… I s’pose what would happen would kinda depend on whether or not Koch actually has the balls to take control of the rest of Corneo’s goons. If he’s got all that muscle, he could probably threaten the rest of Wall Market into lettin’ him take over. If not… It’s gonna be a free-for-all, like it was over in Two after Jericho went missing. But probably not as bloody.”
“Any ideas on how we could prevent that from happening?” Elena asked, nodding her understanding. The other woman thought for a moment.
“I’d suggest puttin’ someone else in charge before Koch makes the attempt himself. He’ll either pull it off, and the whole place’ll eventually go to shit because he’s a fuckin’ moron, or he’ll fail spectacularly and everyone and their brother’ll be looking for a piece of the pie.” She leaned back and, with some effort, propped her feet up on the coffee table, rubbing at her injured leg. “I’m not really sure who you’d get to do it, though. I mean… I know who I’d want in charge down there, but it probably wouldn’t happen without a whole lotta help.”
“Who?” Elena asked, curious.
“Rose. That old gal’s been runnin’ the Honeybee for Corneo since before I got there. She knows Wall Market better than anyone… maybe even better than Corneo himself.”
The rookie remembered meeting the woman back during her brief stint as an undercover brothel girl. She was shrewd and deliberate, and extremely protective of ‘her girls’.
“Thanks for the info,” Elena replied. “I need to get back… but is there anything I can do before I leave?”
Lira shook her head. “Not unless you’ve got a new knee ya can lend me ’til Doc Ward gets mine fixed up completely. Ugh… I’ll be glad to get rid of those damn crutches. ‘Specially since I’m just gonna keep gettin’ bigger here pretty soon.” She giggled softly and poked her stomach. “Can’t really tell it yet, but I’ve already gained five pounds. ‘Course that might be more from Del and your grandmother droppin’ by with food every day while they were here… Those two make it home okay?”
“I heard from them this morning. They’d just made it to Rocket Town and were waiting to catch a ride on to Veraheim. They’ll probably get there tomorrow.”
“Hmph… I can’t even imagine livin’ out in the middle of nowhere like that. I think I’d go crazy wantin’ somethin’ to do all day…”
“Oh, there’s plenty to do,” Elena snickered, enumerating the various activities on her fingers, “Feeding the chickens, keeping the homestead repaired, cutting firewood, clearing brush… Not to mention working the mine. That’s what keeps the town going, after all. Nana’s great great grandfather was the one who first opened it, and the whole town works there. That mountain range is full of mithryl ore and silver.”
Lira laughed. “That’s not really the the kind of entertainment I’m into. Seems to suit your brother, though. Told me he went out there one day and just couldn’t bring himself to come back to Midgar.”
“Yeah… But I think it had more to do with my dad dying and Veraheim being so far away. He never liked living in Midgar much after it happened. He left a couple of years later. But he’s been really happy ever since, so I guess it was the right thing for him.”
“Too bad… He’s a real sweetheart. Kinda wish I could see more of him, to be honest… but I don’t really see myself livin’ on a mountain, feedin’ chickens and haulin’ in firewood,” she said, smiling. She paused, looking over at the rookie. “I shouldn’t keep you any longer. You’ve got your hands full with the mess outside.”
Elena nodded and stood up. “I’ll see you later. But let me know if you need anything, okay?”
By the time Elena had reported back to Tseng… and handled the three additional tasks he assigned her, as Rude, apparently, was down below keeping an eye on Corneo… and returned to Midgar General, Dr. Ward was already releasing the injured redhead.
“Now… Yeh take it easy tonight, and don’t go skipping the painkillers just because yer worried about the side effects. If yer hurting, take them. First round of materia therapy will be tomorrow morning at eight sharp, and Shiva help yeh if yer late.”
Elena smirked. She could hear the woman halfway down the hall. She silently slipped into the room, waiting quietly while Ward finished up with her patient.
“That goes for yer psych evaluation, too… which is at ten. And don’t yeh even think about ‘forgetting’ about it this time, because I’ve marked yeh as mandatory and yer not going back on active duty until yeh do it.”
The redhead groaned. “Aw, come on, Doc… I know you ‘n the boss are worried about how I’m handlin’ shit, but I’m tellin’ ya… I’m fine. Please don’t make me sit through one of those bullshit evals. I fuckin’ hate ’em.”
“It’s not up for negotiation. Yer ta report at ten tomorrow morning. And if yeh keep complaining, I’ll just keep yeh here after I’m done with yeh at yer mako session, and walk yeh upstairs myself. And yeh’ll get no treat!”
The rookie sniggered softly… not so much at the threat, but at the look of dejected disappointment that came over Reno’s face at the pronouncement. The doctor turned to glance behind her, realizing that she suddenly had an audience, and smirked.
“Ah… seems yeh’ve been granted a reprieve from my terrible company,” she joked, patting the redhead on the shoulder. “Yeh can take him home now. Keep him off his feet, and… I can’t believe I’m even bothering ta say it, but… make sure he gets some food in him tonight. I’ll expect him bright and early tomorrow so we can start to get that knee taken care of. Shouldn’t take more than one or two sessions.”
“Great. Ya know what the downside of livin’ with your girlfriend is, Doc?” Reno asked, petulantly, “The fact that you’re stuck with a fuckin’ built-in babysitter.”
Ward chuckled softly. “If that’s the best yeh can come up with, I wonder just what the downsides of living with yeh are for poor Elena over there…” she teased, leaving the pair of them alone. “Go on. I’ll handle gettin’ yeh checked out.”
The rookie waved to her as she exited and picked up a pair of crutches that had been leaning against the wall near the door, carrying them over to the redhead. She sat down next to him on the bed and kissed him on the cheek.
“There aren’t any downsides, you know…” she said, smiling. “Well… except that you hog the covers. And never do the dishes. And eat everything in sight as soon as I go grocery shopping. And keep using the same icky, damp towel for days at a time until I finally get sick of seeing it in the bathroom and wash it. And…”
Reno laughed. “Okay… I get the point. Take me home and babysit me already…” She grinned and passed him the crutches. “How’d things go with Lira?”
“Fine… She was pretty worried about you when I got there. She said you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Tch… That’s ’cause the Doc took it away from me so it wouldn’t ‘disturb‘ me. Didn’t give it back ’til right before you got here,” he replied, rolling his eyes. He pulled himself up, hobbling towards the door. Elena hurried to follow, trying not to laugh as he headed for the elevator as fast as he could. Apparently, he was anxious to get out of there.
“You’re certain?” Tseng asked, frowning.
“Positive. He’s no where to be found. Even Koch doesn’t know where that rat’s run off to. I have my people checking the other sectors… but if I had to bet, my money would be on Corneo skipping town.”
Tseng resisted the strong urge to groan and wondered if he’d been tipped off that the Turks were coming after him, or had simply packed up and left as soon as Avalanche had forced the information out of him.
“Send out an alert to the entire company. All facilities worldwide, all personnel. If anyone even thinks they see him, I want to know about it.”
“Yes, sir,” Rude replied.
“And then go home. We’ve both had a long day. I think we can justify leaving a little early.”
“Planning on checking in on Reno on the way home?”
Tseng shook his head. “Ward released him an hour ago. By now he’s safely at home with Elena. I hate to disturb them, when I’m sure she’s busy spoiling him.”
“Hmph…” Rude snorted, laughing softly. “You just don’t want to risk interrupting them in bed again.”
Tseng couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll admit… the thought had crossed my mind. Though I doubt even Reno would be up for such strenuous activity tonight.”
“Not sure a little thing like being shot would stop him from at least trying…”
“Perhaps… but I think Elena probably would,” the Turk leader shot back, smirking. Rude finished typing up the alert and sent it out to the company’s global mailing list. It was a longshot… If Corneo really didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be. Not any time soon, at any rate. Especially if he’d left the city. He had the means to go anywhere.
He stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “You’re probably right,” he acknowledged. “… How do you think he’s really handling this?”
Tseng sighed and shook his head. He really wasn’t sure. The redhead had seemed alright… and Ward had told him that he’d been no worse than his usually grumpy hospital-self later in the afternoon… but Tseng still remembered exactly how broken inside he’d felt after Shinra had ordered the attack on the Sector 3 train station. Granted, much of that had been related to his sister’s unnecessary and preventable death… but it had been more than just that loss that had reduced him to a state of seemingly hopeless depression for several long weeks and nearly driven him to tender his resignation. He hadn’t been the one to give the order… but he had suggested to Veld the plan that ultimately killed more than three hundred people. That guilt had weighed heavily on him… It still did from time to time. The death toll this time around was several orders of magnitude higher.
“I think it’s too soon to tell,” he said at last. “I don’t think it’s really hit him quite yet.”
“…”
Tseng had a feeling he knew where Rude’s train of thought was heading, and he couldn’t fault him for being worried about his best friend. He, too, had seen what the Turk leader had gone through.
“Reno’s a bit more resilient than I was back then…”
Rude nodded slightly and started out the door. “Doesn’t mean he can’t break.”
“No… it’s doesn’t,” Tseng sighed, shutting off the lights and heading for the elevator.
Reno woke shaking and drenched in sweat, his stomach in knots as he tried to catch his breath. For a few frightening moments, he had no idea where he was… just that it was pitch black. As he calmed, he realized he wasn’t alone. A soft, warm figure was slumbering peacefully beside him, none the wiser to his sudden restless state. He exhaled slowly, realizing he’d only been dreaming… and the Elena was safe and sound at his side, not pinned beneath several tons of metal and concrete with the rest of those unfortunate enough to have been in Sector 7.
How he hadn’t woken her, he wasn’t sure… though in his dream, once he’d pushed the button, he’d been paralyzed at the top of the Pillar, unable to move. Maybe that had somehow translated through to the real world.
He reached over to her, fingers gently caressing her cheek, and she murmured something thoroughly incoherent, leaning into his touch. The redhead desperately wanted to rouse her, if only to assure himself that she was really there, and not just a figment of his drug-addled brain… though, if the pain radiating outward from his knee was anything to go by, Ward’s prescriptions had worn off some time ago. If he did, he knew he’d immediately be the object of her concern and pampering… and the thought of being enveloped in her arms, and petted and cuddled until he turned to mush was sorely tempting.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Reno winced as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, fumbling for his crutches. Elena had been all but waiting on him hand and foot since she’d brought him home. She needed and deserved a decent night’s sleep.
As for himself… after that, he needed a drink.
Ward would almost certainly murder him if she found out, particularly given that he’d been pretty heavily medicated earlier in the day… but right now, he really didn’t care. The redhead made his way out of the bedroom as silently as he could, and thanked whichever deity might be listening that Elena wasn’t even remotely as light a sleeper as he was… especially after he damn near screamed when he bumped into her dresser in the dark, painfully jarring his injured leg.
Three goddamn weeks… almost four… he’d been living with her, and he still couldn’t seem to navigate by memory.
Finally, he made it out, shutting the door behind him and leaving the woman to sleep undisturbed, and hobbled to the kitchen. Reno glanced over at the clock that glowed on the back of the stove, and swore under his breath. It wasn’t even three in the morning yet. He still had half the night to get through, and he didn’t think he’d be getting back to sleep any time soon… though he was trying very hard not to think about why.
He reached for one of the cabinets over the stove, pushing aside a few of the bottles he found there. The one he was looking for right now he’d hidden away in the back so that it wouldn’t accidentally find its way into the hands of a certain houseguest if he’d gone snooping. Reno’s fingers finally closed around the neck of the bottle, and he carefully brought it down.
He’d been saving it for years… but until tonight, he’d never really known what he was saving it for,exactly. Rufus had gifted him this particular bottle of whiskey back when he was still a rookie. He grabbed a glass and awkwardly make his way into the living room with his load, setting it on the coffee table and lowing himself onto the couch.
He opened the bottle, and poured himself a glass.
~fin~
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