Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 45: … To A Hell of a Week

Tseng had never been one to fidget. He’d always preferred to channel that sort of nervous energy into something more productive, like meditation. Or range practice. But at the moment, he was finding that his usual calm was slightly beyond his grasp. He sat stiffly on the edge of a plush chair, his hands resting on his knees as his fingers dug into his flesh through the fabric of his pantlegs.

Rufus was in a meeting. Tseng had informed his secretary that he’d wait… which was precisely what he’d been doing for the last sixteen minutes, forty-seven seconds. Silently waiting, silently creating several small, self-inflicted bruises around his kneecaps. It was rare these days that he felt so utterly powerless. Not so rare, though, that it was wholly alien.

The last time he’d felt like this, Reno had been lying in a hospital bed, waiting to be taken up for surgery on his shoulder, and he’d been stuck half a world away on the beach.

‘Beg if you have to.’

That was what Kai had said to him, and, though it would be mortifying, that was precisely what he was prepared to do. If it meant saving Reno’s position in the Turks, he would beg, plead, and offer himself up as tribute if he had to. He owed it to his ward.

This whole situation was Tseng’s fault to begin with. The modesty evaluation was a requirement of Hell Week… but Tseng had known long before today that the redhead didn’t have any issues in that area. He’d largely done it because he knew the somewhat absurdly public nature of his chosen method would leave absolutely no cause for anyone to accuse him of going easy on Reno. Both Kai and Tres had made comments to that effect to him in the days leading up to Hell Week. He didn’t want his rookie’s achievements overshadowed by their perceived – and, in some cases, it was admittedly justified – favoritism.

Now, it was becoming painfully clear that he’d taken it too far.

The door to Rufus’ office opened and a young man carrying several rolls of blueprints walked out. The receptionist glanced over at the Turk.

“The vice president will see you now,” she said, smiling pleasantly. Tseng shot to his feet and strode swiftly into the office, closing the door behind him. Rufus was seated at his desk, looking decidedly bored.

“This ‘project’ my father has decided to assign to me is becoming tedious,” he commented without looking up at the Turk. “I fail to see why so much talk must be involved in securing a new reactor site.”

“Sir…”

“Did you know he actually expects me to visit that backwoods little village? Personally?” the younger man scoffed. “What a waste of my time. Write them a check and build the damn thing. The dissenters will be far more agreeable once their pockets are lined.”

Tseng would normally have commented on the necessity of securing the support of the people over simply throwing money at an issue. Rufus tended to be far too convinced that money solved everything. But today, he didn’t have time for a lengthy debate on the merits of diplomacy. When it became apparent that no response was forthcoming, Rufus seemed to sense that something was off and glanced up.

“… Tseng?” he queried, cocking his head to one side in vague confusion over the unexpected silence.

“Sir,” the Wutaiian began again, swallowing sharply, “I… know it’s not my place, but… I’m afraid I must ask a favor of you. A rather large one.”

Rufus snorted a soft laugh, and glanced back down at the pile of paperwork on his desk and picked up a pen, scribbling down some notes. “I’m not generally inclined towards favors. What is it you want?”

“I need you to prevent Heidegger from terminating a member of staff.”

“Heidegger’s staffing decisions aren’t my concern,” Rufus replied, sounding bored. “It’s his department. If he feels someone isn’t pulling their weight, it’s his right to fire them.”

“Sir… Please,” the Wutaiian Turk persisted, “It’s Reno.”

Rufus’ writing abruptly stopped, mid-word and the younger man looked up, an expression of surprise on his face.

“What in Ramuh’s name did that idiotic slum rat do to get on Heidegger’s bad side? Not that Heidegger has a good side that I’m aware of. But one would think you’re precious rookie would have a better sense of self-preservation than that.”

“It’s… a rather convoluted story. And I’m afraid it was largely my fault. Unfortunately, Heidegger isn’t inclined to place the blame where it belongs, and Reno is going to pay the price for my short-sightedness,” Tseng explained, “Sir… I will do whatever you ask of me in return. But, please, help him.”

Rufus pushed the papers off to one side and leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of his desk, and gestured for Tseng to take a seat.

“Before I even consider involving myself in this, I want to know precisely what it is the little urchin has done.”

Tseng sighed and shook his head. “Nothing detrimental to the company. It was more a matter of poor timing than anything else. Reno is currently in the process of being evaluated for the next stage of his training. It’s a week-long process that has become something of a tradition for the Turks, and it can be rather… stressful. We had just concluded a session and he was blowing off a little steam. Unfortunately, it segued into some… off-color… commentary on Heidegger’s personal life. A harmless joke, but undeniably unflattering toward the subject. We didn’t realize Heidegger himself was in our offices at the time. He overheard.”

“And reacted as he does to anything that even remotely offends that moron, I suppose. With a great deal of yelling and threats of violence,” the vice president replied with a snort of contempt.

“More than just threats,” Tseng replied, darkly, “He had Reno by the throat and a foot off the ground before we managed to separate them.”

Rufus’ eyes narrowed. “He physically attacked an employee?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Was the slum rat hurt?”

Tseng sighed quietly. “I don’t know yet. One of the others removed him from the situation entirely while the rest of us dealt with Heidegger. When I left, Tres and Kai were still trying to figure out where they’d hidden themselves. They have orders to take him to Medical immediately and document any injuries.”

“I see…” Rufus replied, steepling his fingers before him. He was silent for several moments, in thought. “And if I do this for you, you’re agreeable to any request I might make of you? Even if it’s something my father has explicitly forbidden?”

“Yes, sir.” It was a somewhat dangerous agreement for him to make. Rufus could feasibly order him to do just about anything. The boy knew better than almost anyone outside the of the Turks themselves what Tseng was capable of.

“Very well. I’ll save your obnoxious little trainee from his fate,” the younger man stated, and Tseng breathed a sigh of relief. “In exchange, your time and undivided attention on a weekend of my choice is now mine. I will contact you later with the details.”

“Thank you, sir,” Tseng breathed. Whatever it was Rufus wanted from him, it would be worth it. Though, hopefully, it was nothing that would get him fired. The vice president waved dismissively, and he obediently stood, heading for the door.

“By the way…” Rufus called after him, and Tseng paused, turning back to look at the young executive, “You are my friend, Tseng. I would have helped, regardless, even had you not first offered a favor in return.” He smirked. “But, as you did offer, I’m hardly going to turn down such a valuable proposition. Something to remember for the next time your slum rat gets himself into trouble… as I’m sure there will be a next time.”

---

Dr. Ward clucked disapprovingly as she studied the hand-shaped bruises on the rookie’s neck, gently turning his head this way and that, probing at the injury. At last she seemed satisfied with her examination.

“Yer sure there’s no pain when yeh move yer head…” she demanded, and Reno nodded. “Then I think yeh’ll be fine. But yeh come and see me right away if yeh start hurting, or if yeh have any stiffness.”

Reno sighed. He doubted he’d be able to, even if he needed to. He was probably about five minutes from being escorted out of the building. If Ward noticed his sullen mood, she didn’t comment. Instead, the woman scowled at the particularly dark band of bruising that crossed the area where Heidegger’s thumb had dug into Reno’s neck.

“If I ever get my hands on that… that… man…” she muttered, and shooed him off of her exam table. “Alright. Yeh take that shirt off, and yeh go and stand in front of the curtain,” she ordered, “We’ll get those bruises photographed fer yer file.”

‘What’s the point?’ the redhead thought, but didn’t complain. The longer Ward drew this out, the longer he could stay. He wasn’t looking forward to his final walk out the front door.

Reno had, however, accepted it. He’d known all along that this was never going to work out for him. It had been a nice dream, but it was inevitable. He wasn’t meant to be a Turk. For awhile he’d let himself be lulled into a false sense of security, allowing himself to hope, but… somehow his present circumstances didn’t exactly come as a shock to him. He was sad to give it up, but in a way, he felt as though he’d been subconsciously preparing for this moment since he’d first arrived.

At least he wouldn’t have to go back to the slums. That was really the only thing that was presently keeping him from breaking down entirely. As long as he had that much to hold onto, he could handle everything else.

He flinched at the bright flash of the camera, and turned when the doctor told him to.

He really wished Tseng would turn up, though. Tres had said he was ‘working his own angle’, whatever the fuck that meant. He couldn’t imagine that there was any angle the Turk lieutenant could approach this from that wouldn’t result in the redhead being stripped of his credentials and kicked the fuck out of the building. He’d rather just have him here.

And he definitely wanted him to accompany him when he had to face Veld. The Turk leader had to be pissed. He didn’t want to deal with that level of anger and disappointment on his own… and he prayed Tseng didn’t share it.

“I think that should about do it. Yeh can get dressed now,” Ward said, setting the camera aside. She stepped out of the little examination room and turned to Kai. “I’ll see ta it that Tseng gets copies as soon as possible.”

Reno, meanwhile, slowly shrugged into his shirt, and pulled his jacket on. It didn’t take long… All too soon, he was ready to go, and Kai was waiting for him, looking impatient. Dr. Ward smiled reassuringly as he emerged and pressed a sucker into his hand.

“Perk up a bit, my little headache. I’m sure that mentor of yers has things well in hand by now.”

He forced a small smile. “Yeah. Thanks, Doc. I’ll see ya…” he replied with little sincerity, and followed Kai to the elevator.

“… You sure it’s safe to go up there?” he asked hesitantly, as the doors opened. Kai snickered.

“Yeah. It’s safe. Tres let me know Heidegger left five minutes ago. Kicking and screaming, apparently. Got called into an urgent meeting with Rufus. Otherwise, he’d probably still be laying into Veld right now.”

“Is Tseng back yet?” he asked, and Kai only shrugged.

“Haven’t heard.” She shook her head and ruffled his hair. “Would you relax? You look like I’m taking you in for your own execution.”

“Tch… Sure you’re not?”

The woman laughed. “Veld’s not going to kill you. Might feel like you’re dying at some point, but trust me. There haven’t been any fatalities during a formal reprimand in years.” She paused for a moment and grinned somewhat sadistically. “Of course… that might be because Tseng handles that sort of thing more often than Veld does these days…”

“Not funny,” the redhead replied. “‘Sides… what the hell’s the point of reprimandin’ someone you’re just gonna fire anyway?”

“You really like obsessing over the worst case scenario, don’t ya?” Kai replied, rolling her eyes. “Believe it or not, firing a Turk isn’t something that’s done lightly. The company invests millions in training us. We’re very valuable assets.”

“Like Heidegger gives a shit?” he sneered.

“Probably not… but anything other than gross incompetence, he’ll have to justify it to the executive board. Which to be fair, he could probably manage if he lies enough… but Tseng is working on putting a little stumbling block in his path on that.”

Reno glanced over at her. “What dya mean, a ‘stumbling block’?”

“He went to talk to Rufus. And I’m guessing that’s why Heidegger was summoned so suddenly.”

“Please. Rufus hates me even more than Heidegger does,” Reno muttered. Except… he wasn’t entirely certain that was actually true. They were hardly on friendly terms, but after what had happened in Kalm, the Shinra heir was a lot less openly hostile towards him. He wouldn’t go as far as to say that Rufus liked him, however. He was pretty sure the older boy still considered him something of a rival for Tseng’s attention. And Reno still very much considered him a dick.

Of course… if it was Tseng doing the asking…

The faintest glimmer of hope sparked in the back of his mind. Maybe there was a slim chance that he wasn’t quite as screwed as he thought. A very slim chance, but… something was better than nothing.

The elevator chimed and deposited them on the fifty-eighth floor. Before he could say or do anything, however, Veld stormed around the corner, looking positively irate.

“Reno! My office! Now!” he shouted. The redhead was sure he must have gone pale at the demand, because Kai was suddenly holding onto him as though she were worried he was going to pass out. He, somewhat shakily, left her behind and followed the Turk leader down the hallway and into his office, swallowing sharply as Veld pointed to the chair in front of his desk. He immediately sat, feeling the nervous sweat already beading on his forehead.

“What in Hades’ name did you think you were doing?!”

“I don’t know, sir,” he replied, fighting the urge to groan. “I… I don’t think I was. Thinking, I mean.”

Veld openly glared at him. “You’ve embarrassed Tseng. You’ve embarrassed me. You’ve embarrassed the Turks as a whole. Can you give me one good reason why I should bother defending you against Heidegger’s demand that you be ejected from our ranks?”

Reno’s mouth went dry and his mind went blank. He honestly couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to say. And truth be told… if Veld didn’t think he was worth keeping around, there probably wasn’t much he could do to convince him otherwise anyway. Hell, Veld hadn’t even been all that enthusiastic about Tseng recruiting him to begin with. He’d told him as much the first time they met. Apparently, he hadn’t gone up much in the Turk leader’s estimation. Not that Reno could really think of much of anything that might have made him look better. He didn’t exactly have the best record.

“Well?” Veld demanded. Apparently, the question hadn’t been rhetorical. He expected an answer. Reno’s shoulders slumped in response.

“… No, sir. I can’t,” he said, quietly, as that glimmer of hope he’d felt only moments ago was viciously and unapologetically stamped out.

“Then you’re goddamned lucky that I can think of several. Now get out. We’ll continue this after I’ve dealt with the mess you’ve created.”

Reno looked up and blinked in surprise, not certain he’d heard the commander correctly.

“S-sir?”

“Out!” Veld repeated, pointing to the door. The redhead jumped at the sharp command and scurried out the door without another word, all but slamming it behind him in his haste to exit the room. He stood, his heart hammering as he leaned up against the door to Veld’s office, for several seconds before Kai and Saya, who apparently had been lingering nearby, finally took hold of either arm and escorted him off to the lounge.

“Come sit yeh down before yeh fall down,” Saya said, chuckling softly as she pushed open the door.

“What in Leviathan’s name has happened now?” Tseng asked in concern upon seeing the rookie practically carried into the room.

“Veld…er… had a word or two with him soon as we got back,” Kai snickered. She and Saya pressed the redhead gently down onto the couch.

“Ah,” was Tseng’s only response. The Turk lieutenant relaxed and strode over to his ward. “That would certainly explain the look of abject terror, then. Hell Week exercises have been suspended for the remainder of the day. Once you’ve recovered a bit, I think a little lunch is in order.”

Reno glanced up at his mentor, somewhat dazed. “Lunch?! How the fuck can you be thinkin’ about food right now when I’m liable to not even be a Turk anymore by the time we get back!?” he asked incredulously.

“That will not be happening,” Tseng replied. “Rufus is handling it. Though… I think it would be for the best if you kept your distance from Heidegger for awhile. A very long while.”

“… So… I’m not completely fucked?” the redhead queried, disbelievingly.

“Not today, no,” Tseng replied with a somewhat teasing smile. Reno felt positively dizzy with relief. He let himself crumple back into the soft cushions of the couch, closing his eyes and slowly exhaling a long breath. He wasn’t quite ready to believe it yet… but hope had been rekindled.

“Sooooo… How much begging did it take to get Rufus to cooperate?” Kai asked.

“Virtually none,” Tseng answered, and then sighed in defeat, “Though… I am at his personal service for the entirety of a weekend of his choice, for an unknown task that may or may not be against his father’s express wishes.”

Kai snorted in laughter. “Oh. Would you prefer burial… or cremation?” she asked, jokingly.

“Cremation has always been the tradition in my family,” the Wutaiian Turk chuckled, “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” He glanced down at Reno, and offered him a hand. “Come on. You must be starving by now… and I believe we have a few things to discuss.”

---

A short time later, Reno found himself seated at a small Costan restaurant in Sector 4, enjoying an appetizer plate of tropical fruits while he and Tseng waited for the arrival of their entrees. For a while, the pair sat in companionable silence, neither quite willing to broach the topic at hand just yet. It was Tseng who finally spoke first.

“I’ve decided to postpone the remainder of Hell Week. I realize we’re only two days in, but I think the circumstances warrant it. You’ve… had enough.”

“No.”

The senior Turk looked up, an eyebrow arched in curiosity.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Okay, yeah… I’ll admit, today’s been kind of a nightmare, but now that that’s over, I’d rather just keep goin’.”

“Are you sure?” Tseng asked, “No one would hold it against you, and it certainly wouldn’t have any impact on your scores. You don’t have to.”

“Boss… I about drove myself nuts last week knowin’ it was comin’, and that was just a few extra days. I’ll lose my fuckin’ mind if I gotta go through that again. I mean… I got nothin’ against takin’ the rest of the day off,” he said, and then grinned faintly, “Heh… Honestly, I think anymore scares today might traumatize me for life. But yeah. Tomorrow, I wanna get back to it.”

Tseng returned the smile. “As you wish. I can certainly understand the desire to be done with it.”

“Um… I wouldn’t complain if we could postpone the formal reprimand with Veld, though. Indefinitely would be good,” the rookie added.

His mentor chuckled quietly. “Somehow I don’t think Veld will agree to that.”

Reno sighed and picked up a slice of pineapple. “Well… worth a shot.” He bit into it, savoring the tangy sweetness of the fruit. “… You sure Rufus is really gonna get me outta this mess?”

“He promised me he would do so. And Heidegger cannot override the vice president. He would have to go to Rufus’ father to make his appeal, and I very much doubt that President Shinra would openly undermine his own son in such a manner. It would set a very unfortunate precedent. Rufus is, after all, set to one day take over the company. Calling his judgment into question, especially so soon after his promotion to vice president, makes them both look bad to the executive board.”

Reno considered that for a moment.

“So… basically, I’m not gettin’ canned ’cause if I did it’d make Rufus look like an idiot for stickin’ up for me.”

Tseng chuckled softly and helped himself to a piece of mango.

“I suppose that’s another way to put it, yes,” he replied, “Company politics can be… complex. And rather frustrating at times. I suppose if anything good can be said to have come from this, it’s that you’re getting a very in-depth lesson in them. They’re something that even we Turks have need to navigate from time to time, and it pays to understand them.”

“Hey, Tseng?” Reno queried somewhat hesitantly, “… How come you’re not ticked off at me over all this? Veld’s beyond pissed…”

The Turk lieutenant sighed and shook his head.

“Veld will be dealing directly with Heidegger’s anger over this for some time to come. It probably won’t be overly pleasant. I, on the other hand, am just glad not to have lost you. Particularly given that it was my evaluation of you that led to the situation in the first place.”

“It was my own stupid joke that led to it,” the redhead snorted. Tseng smiled slightly.

“I won’t deny that your actions were foolish. And I hope you’ll be a bit more inclined to censor yourself in the future. But I won’t allow you to shoulder all of the blame for this, either. It is my job to keep you safe during your training period. I failed at that today. Those bruises around your neck are proof enough of that.”

“Tch… I’m still a Turk, aren’t I?” Reno replied. “Think ya did okay in the end.” He glanced down at his plate and swallowed awkwardly. “Boss… You take better care of me than anyone has in a long time. I’m still not sure what I ever did to deserve it… ‘specially since I don’t seem to do much in return other than fuck shit up… but I’m way past grateful for it. ‘Cause I know it woulda been a hell of a lot easier for you to just say fuck it and let me sink.”

Tseng gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

“Reno… That wouldn’t have been easier for me at all. Frankly, I think would would have been quite impossible.”

---

When Reno woke the following morning it was to an increasingly familiar feeling of uncertainty and dread. For a brief moment, he wondered why in Ifrit’s name he hadn’t just accepted Tseng’s offer to put off the rest of Hell Week for awhile. And then he remembered the nervous wreck he’d been all last weekend. With a loud groan, he dragged himself from his bed, glancing over at the clock as he did so.

It was early. Still dark, in fact, and his alarm wouldn’t even be going off for almost another hour. But though he normally wouldn’t mind lazing about a little, somehow, laying in bed wide awake and staring at the ceiling wasn’t overly appealing this morning. That thought in mind, the redhead yawned widely and made his way out into the kitchen. Might as well get breakfast out of the way. At least he felt like eating this morning. He must have been getting used to living in a state of constant paranoia.

Mornings were probably when he missed living with Tseng the most. He could always count on coffee being ready and waiting for him, and usually breakfast as well – even if Tseng’s idea of breakfast was oatmeal, toast, and fruit. Day after day, ad nauseam, save for the relatively rare occasions he treated his houseguest to donuts or they went out for food. Still… it was nice that he took the time. He knew that Reno was more than capable of feeding himself.

The redhead supposed he’d let himself get just a little spoiled by it.

He dug through one of the cabinets and pulled out a box of cereal… one that Rude had introduced him to, not long after he’d moved in upstairs from his fellow Turk. Mooglebits were little more than candy masquerading as a breakfast food. It was mostly made up of hard little marshmallows and cocoa-flavored bits of puffed rice. Apparently, it was something of a guilty pleasure for the older rookie, and one of the few exceptions he made to his ‘no processed foods allowed in his kitchen’ rule. He’d been eating it since he was little.

The redhead poured out a large bowlful of the stuff and headed over to the fridge to see if he had any milk left. To his relief, he did… though not much. Milk, as it turned out, was one of his guilty pleasures. He remembered not liking it much as a kid, for some reason – when he got it at all, that is – but damned if he didn’t down it by the gallon now.

He was just about to pour it over his cereal when a loud explosion rocked his entire apartment.

“What the fuck?!” he yelped, dropping the carton and heading for the door to see what in Shiva’s name was going on. As he opened it, he was hit by a thick cloud of smoke that forced him to retreat back inside, coughing.

Well… that probably wasn’t anything good.

Reno grabbed his coat from the hook by the door and pulled it on, somewhat glad he’d taken to at least wearing sweat pants to bed in the icy weather, before making a second attempt at exiting his apartment. The smoke was so thick, he could hardly see his hand in front of him as he felt his way down the hall. He bypassed the elevator, opting for the stairs instead. Even if it was only one floor down, the thought of the power going out and trapping him inside to be slowly cooked to death was more than enough to dissuade him from attempting it.

Besides… he quite frankly wasn’t on good terms with elevators this week, anyway.

If anything, the smoke was thicker still in the stairwell, and he found himself having to breath through the fabric of his coat sleeve to avoid choking on it. It wasn’t long, though, before he emerged on the first floor, and made a run for the nearest exit.

He was halfway there, the light from the streetlamps little more than a pinprick in the smokey darkness of the building, when he tripped over something lying across the otherwise empty hallway. The redhead went down, hard, and winced as he pushed himself to his knees, swearing loudly. He glanced back, trying to make out what the hell it was that had tripped him up… and froze.

“Rude?!” he coughed, easily recognizing his friend now. He shook him hard, looking for any kind of response, but received none. The smoke was rapidly growing thicker around him, more of it flooding into the first floor from the stairwell he’d just vacated. He needed to get out. But he couldn’t leave his friend.

“Goddammit, Rude… why the fuck do ya gotta be so fuckin’ heavy?” he groaned, hoisting the unconscious man as best he could and pulling one of his friend’s arms over his shoulder. Rude was almost twice his size… and about three times his muscle mass. And at the moment, he was nothing but dead weight. The effort was making him pant, and panting was making him cough… and coughing was making this one giant fucking pain in the ass.

“Oh, fuck this…” he finally muttered, setting Rude back down as he realized he’d never move him as far as he needed to doing it like that. “You’re gettin’ your ass dragged outta here, ya over-muscled asshole…”

Still coughing, he grabbed Rude’s ankles and started dragging him bodily down the hallway, towards the doors. It took far longer than he would have liked, but after what felt like an eternity, he finally stumbled out into cold, fresh air…

… And was greeted by the familiar figure of Tseng, a stopwatch in hand.

“Six minutes, twenty-three seconds,” he stated simply. “The maintenance team should have the building aired out shortly. I’ll see you at the office.”

Reno could only blink in shock as the Turk lieutenant turned and walked back to his car, climbing inside and heading off into the pre-dawn darkness.

“Over-muscled asshole, huh?” Rude snickered, and the redhead turned to find his not-so-unconscious friend, now sitting up, grinning at him.

“You gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me…” he groaned, and wondered again why the hell he hadn’t just agreed to postpone this Hell Week shit when he’d had the chance.

---

“Hey, Reno… I need you for a minute,” Shay said, poking his head into the rookie’s office. Reno glanced up from the email he was reading and frowned.

“… For what exactly?” he queried, eying him suspiciously. After the evaluation earlier this morning, he no longer trusted anyone or anything. Every order, request, or suggestion that he leave the relative safety of his desk was potentially the beginning of another round of psychological torture. And unfortunately, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

Shay grinned widely and stepped fully through the door.

“Relax. I’m not an eval setup,” he laughed.

“Tch… And just why should I believe you?” the redhead shot back. “In fact… that’s exactly what someone who was tryin’ to set me up would say.”

“Paranoid much?” Shay snickered, walking over to his desk. “But seriously… this has nothing to do with Hell Week. I just need to borrow your arm for a couple minutes.”

“Sorry… I’m kinda attached to it.”

Shay rolled his eyes. “Would you just help me? Please? Before Kai finds out I dropped her knife into a heat vent and murders me with the other seven she keeps on her person at all times? I can’t quite reach the damn thing, but you probably can. Your arms are longer than mine. And skinnier. And I know you won’t rat me out like Remy would if I asked her.”

Reno folded his arms over his chest and looked up at the other Turk with an incredulous expression.

“Tch… So let me see if I’m understandin’ you. Ignorin’ the fact that you basically just told me I have arms like a girl… You want me to stick my arm in a vent to get back a knife you conveniently happened to drop into said vent in the middle of fuckin’ Hell Week,” he replied, his voice dripping with skepticism, “And you want me to believe this isn’t a setup?”

“Yes,” Shay said, smiling warmly. Reno scoffed, not buying a word of it. But… even if it was another evaluation, it’s not like he had much of a choice. If he outright refused, Tseng would just find another way to get him later. At least right now he could see it coming.

“… Fine. Where’s the damn vent… ?” he sighed.

“In the lounge,” Shay replied, sounding surprisingly relieved. Maybe he was telling the truth after all. Reno sure as hell wouldn’t want to be responsible for losing one of Kai’s knives… rumor had it, the woman even slept with them. Though that begged another question.

“Just how’d you manage to get one of Kai’s blades to begin with, anyway?” he asked not bothering to hide the fact that he still found this all very suspicious.

“Would you quit looking at me like you think I’m going to turn on you?” the slightly more senior Turk chuckled, “I lost a bet, okay? Actually, you lost me a bet. I didn’t think you’d actually go through with Tseng’s little scavenger hunt yesterday. Kai bet me you would. Now I’m stuck sharpening and re-doing the wrappings on all her throwing knives for her. All of them. Do you have any idea how many she’s got?! I’ll be at it for days…”

Reno smirked. “Serves ya right for bettin’ against me,” he sniggered.

The pair stepped into the lounge, which was unusually empty for this time of day. Normally, that might have made the redhead even more wary than he already was… but today there was a legitimate reason for headquarters to be largely abandoned. Some of the executives… including Rufus… were meeting with town leaders in the little mining village of Corel to begin talks on the building of a new mako reactor. As Tseng was otherwise occupied with Hell Week, Veld had gone with the vice president personally. He’d taken Luca, Saya, and Sato with him.

Tres, meanwhile, had taken Rude and disappeared into the slums shortly after arriving in the office this morning, so that left only Remy (who was likely still sequestered in her office, transcribing the interrogation she’d conducted earlier), Kai, and Shay manning the fort while Tseng plotted whatever cruel test he planned to inflict next on his rookie. He didn’t know where Kai had fucked off to, but he did know she had an assignment of her own to deal with… so she was probably off working on that.

Assuming this wasn’t just one big setup for Reno’s next test, that is.

For all he knew, Tres and Rude had just been hanging out elsewhere in the building for the last few hours, waiting with Kai and Remy to jump out of the shadows and scare him half to death with some ridiculous scenario.

Shay led him over to the floor vent in the corner of the room. The cover had been shifted aside, leaving a two foot by six inch dark hole that led fuck only knew where. Reno sighed and dropped to his knees peering into the opening.

“Seriously, man… I’m not gonna stick my hand in there and have somethin’ grab me or some shit, am I?”

“It’s not an exercise. I swear,” the other Turk replied, shaking his head in amusement. He grinned. “Good thing it only lasts one week. Only three days in and you’re already starting to think everyone’s out to get you.”

“Shay, I damn near got strangled to death and then fired by Heidegger yesterday. You’ll have to fuckin’ excuse me if I’m just a little over-cautious after that.”

“Well, not to be pedantic or anything, but technically, you probably wouldn’t have been fired if he’d actually succeeded in killing you…” Shay pointed out. Reno folded his arms over his chest, staring the other Turk down. Shay cleared his throat. “You know… because… it’d be a little redundant to fire a corpse, and all.”

“… Do you want my help or not?” Reno asked.

“Yes! Please…” the senior Turk said, somewhat sheepishly. Reno snorted softly and leaned down sliding his arm down into the vent. It was an awkward task. The shaft started straight down, but then took a sharp turn and angled downwards before finally leveling out. The rookie had to force his arm into the bend and feel around blindly. After a few seconds, his fingers encountered the familiar shape of a knife. It took a little effort to nudge it close enough to him that he could grab it, but eventually, he had the object of his search in hand.

“Got it,” he said, and moved to pull it out… only to find himself stuck firmly in place, his elbow wedged in tightly against the vertical section of the vent, while his forearm remained trapped by the angled portion. He couldn’t seem to bend it enough to pull himself free. “… Shay, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

“W-what? Why?!” the young Turk asked, clearly caught off-guard by the dire pronouncement.

“‘Cause I’m fuckin’ stuck in this goddamn vent. That’s why,” he replied, his voice calm. He twisted to look up at the senior Turk. “GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!”

“Um… Okay, okay… Hang on. Just… Here, I’ll pull.”

Reno felt Shay’s arms encircle his waist and without much more warning than that, he was roughly jerked upwards. Unfortunately, his arm didn’t budge… though his shoulder cracked loudly enough that Shay dropped him in a panic a split second later. The redhead yelped, more in surprise than in pain.

“Are you alright?!” the other Turk asked, wide-eyed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Reno muttered, “It’s been doin’ that ever since I hurt it on the gauntlet. Just… give it another shot, ‘kay? Maybe don’t try ‘n rip it off this time, though?”

Shay gripped him again, and pulled… a little more smoothly this time, rather than simply attempting to jerk the rookie out of the hole.

“Ugh… Come on!” he said through gritted teeth, but the redhead didn’t budge.

“For Ifrit’s sake, Shay, put some fuckin’ effort into it!” Reno said, as he tried to twist his arm into a more accommodating position. It didn’t seem to be helping. He was well and truly stuck. Shay paused a moment before shifting position and tightening his grip on the rookie’s waist. He pulled again, and something started to give.

“Almost… there,” Shay grunted.

“Harder, dammit!” Reno replied. He could feel it coming loose now. Just a little more and he’d be free. He leaned forward, lowering his head to the floor in the hopes of getting better leverage as he pushed against the edge of the vent with his other hand. At last his arm popped free, and the redhead landed in a heap on the floor, moaning in relief.

“… You two… uh… need a minute to clean up, or what?” a voice snickered from the direction of the door. Reno looked up to find Kai watching them, leaning casually up against the doorframe.

“Tch… fuck you, Kai.”

“Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I keep telling you, you’re just not my type. Besides… it kinda looked like Shay’s already taken care of things in that department,” she laughed.

Shay flushed slightly and hurriedly stood up.

“I-I… I wasn’t… We definitely weren’t… I’m not…” he stammered, looking back and forth between the rookie and the senior Turk. Reno grinned widely and tossed him the knife he’d successfully retrieved.

“Heh… Hope it was as good for you as it was for me,” he sniggered and walked out of the room, brushing past Kai with a shared smirk. Reno could still hear Shay attempting to stutter out an explanation as he made his way back to his office.

---

Thursday. He just had to survive two more days. Then this would all be a bad memory. He could make it that long…

But as the clock ticked ever closer to five, Reno found himself wondering if he’d still be sane by the end of it. There had been nothing all day. In fact, there had been nothing since yesterday morning, when Tseng had smoked him out of his apartment. Something had to be coming. Soon.

He jumped when the door to the locker room opened, spinning to face the new arrival… and relaxing – though only slightly – when he saw that it was Rude, who’d just finished up his sparing match with Remy. The other rookie chuckled and stripped off his sweatshirt.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Hell no, I’m not alright. Tseng’s gettin’ ready to do Shiva only knows what to me. And it’s gotta be somethin’ big. It’s been over a day, for fuck’s sake.”

Rude smirked and grabbed a towel before heading for the showers. “Want me to see if I can track down Shay for you? See if he can calm you down? Hear you two have something going now…”

“Heh… Been talkin’ to Kai, huh?” the redhead snickered. He had to admit… that little encounter was turning out to be pure gold. And Kai was being so relentless with the poor guy, Shay could hardly look him in the eye at the moment. “Dunno why he’s lettin’ it bother him so much. I mean… A, she’s just messin’ with him ’cause she knows it wasn’t what it looked like, and two, who gives a shit anyway? Kai fucks chicks, and no one gives her grief about that.”

The other rookie paused, folding his arms over his chest and fixed the redhead with a look.

“So you, one of the biggest womanizers I’ve ever met, aren’t even a little annoyed with Kai joking with everyone about how she ‘caught’ you and Shay hooking up in the lounge? She’s not exactly leaving your part in the story out of every retelling, you know.”

Reno merely shrugged. “Actually, I think it’s pretty hilarious. She’s gonna run the joke into the ground eventually, she keeps bringin’ it up so much, but ’til then I don’t see why I can’t enjoy watchin’ Shay squirm. Asshole got me stuck in the damn floor, after all.”

Rude laughed and shook his head.

“Better hope it doesn’t go any farther than headquarters. You get enough propositions from the women in the building.”

“Heh… For the record, I get propositions from a few of the guys, too,” the redhead replied, with a teasing grin, “Seriously… if I really swung both ways, I’d never be dateless again.”

Rude simply snorted in silent laughter and shook his head before heading off to the showers.

---

“So you’re giving him a break today, huh?” Kai asked, softly closing the previously open door behind her and taking a seat in front of Tseng’s desk. The Wutaiian Turk looked up from his present task. Though entertaining, Hell Week had put him seriously behind in his regular work. He was using the current downtime he’d built into Reno’s schedule to catch up a bit.

“My timetable for Hell Week is no one’s concern but my own… but as you’re so very curious… No, as a matter of fact. I am not,” he replied with the barest hint of a smirk.

“Ugh… You know, this is why I can’t stand you sometimes, Tseng. You act like you’re above that sort of petty shit, and then you get all smug because you’re keeping secrets,” she said, grinning. “You can be a real pain in the ass.”

“Is there a reason you’re interrupting me? Or are you merely here to belittle me?” Tseng asked, setting his pen aside. Truthfully, though, he was a little glad for the interruption. Hell Week had left him decidedly on his own for most of the week. And though he was greatly enjoying seeing his rookie prove himself, he missed his regular interactions with his fellow Turks. Yes… Even Kai.

“Actually, I do have a non-rookie-related reason for bugging you,” Kai stated with a soft laugh. “Tres just called. He wants Rude and one other Turk to join him. Needs a couple more sets of eyes down in Sector 5. Apparently that counterfeit materia ring’s a little bigger than he realized. You want me to go, or should I see if Remy or Shay are available?”

“Is there some reason you’re not-so-subtly looking for an excuse to stay topside?” the Turk lieutenant responded, having no problem gauging the real purpose for the question, and fighting back a laugh. He didn’t really need to ask. Kai adored everything about Hell Week now that her own was long-since over, and watching Reno squirm had to have been the highlight of her month. Rude’s certainly had been. Hence her opening question regarding his plans for the rookie.

“Tseng, for once in your life don’t be an ass. You know how much I love Hell Week.”

The Wutaiian Turk snorted quietly. “Calling me an ass is hardly make me feel more generous towards you…” he said, an annoyed frown on his lips. A moment later he shook his head. “Fine… send Shay. He doesn’t get below nearly enough, anyway. He could use the practice.”

Kai cackled in delight and shot to her feet.

“You know… Reno’s really bringing out your softer side, Tseng. You’re almost tolerable these days,” she teasingly replied, and hurried out the door to track down the younger Turk. A moment later, however, she stuck her head back into his office. “By the way, any chance you could give me a heads up before the next eval? I want to be sure to get a good seat.”

“It’s already in progress,” Tseng answered, turning back to his reports.

“Wait… What do you mean it’s ‘already in progress’? You’ve been sitting in here since lunch time!”

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly, more to himself than at Kai. “Precisely. And he’s been walking around for hours, in perpetual and escalating terror, just wondering what’s going to happen to him next. Consider it a stress management evaluation.”

Kai rolled her eyes and laughed. “What I said about Reno bringing out your softer side? Forget it,” she snickered, “You’re nothing but pure evil incarnate, Tseng.”

---

Friday morning found Reno jumpy and paranoid. Twenty-four hours. It had been over twenty-four hours since the last test, and every instinct in his body was positively screaming at him that whatever was coming was going to be huge. When Tres plopped down next to the pair of rookies on the couch in the lounge, the over-stressed redhead actually shrieked out loud.

Tres, meanwhile, broke down in hysterics, as did Rude.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake… It’s the last day. Relax a little, will ya? You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack before it’s over,” Tres finally said, still snickering unabashedly. Reno glared at him.

“Tch… Easy for you to say. You haven’t been sittin’ around, waitin’ for hours and hours for your sadistic torture to continue…”

Rude comfortingly patted him on the shoulder.

“Nope,” Kai broke in as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the communal pot, “But watching you do it really has been a treat. I’m kinda sad to see it end.”

The door to the lounge swung inwards just then, admitting Tseng, who smiled entirely too widely for Reno’s taste and strolled over to him.

“But end it must,” he said. “Later. Right now, I have a task for you. And Kai as well. If you’ll come with me, please…”

Kai shrugged and tossed back the remains of her coffee. Rude chuckled at the expression of distrustful suspicion that came over the redhead’s face, and hauled Reno to his feet, nudging his reluctant friend towards his mentor. A few short moments later, he was boarding the elevator with Tseng, who pressed the button for one of the basement floors.

“Uh… Where are we goin’ exactly?” he queried.

“The basement,” Tseng replied, “It’s long past time you sat in on a more… difficult… interrogation. And as it happens, the opportunity has presented itself this morning. Kai, I believe you remember Mr. Wellerby?”

“Ugh… That asshole again? Why do I always get stuck with him?”

“Because your technique is very effective with his type,” the Turk lieutenant replied with a faint smirk. “And because I know how fond you are of him.”

Kai sighed in annoyance and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car.

“So what am I trying to dig up this time?”

“Information on possible Wutaiian agents operating out of the Sector 3 warehouse district,” he replied, handing her a folder. “We’ve had a number of reports, but no solid lead on their base of operations. It’s far too large an area to search manually. By the time we found it, they’d have likely caught wind of it and moved elsewhere. Wellerby, on the other hand, knows that area quite well.”

Kai flipped through the documents, scanning the more important points as the elevator arrived and they stepped out into a dull-looking tiled hallway. Reno had never actually been in this section of the building, save for a very brief stop during his tour when he’d first been recruited. At the time, Tseng had merely glossed over it, saying that it was largely storage. He’d learned, later, that the Turks also used parts of it… Usually for particularly intense interrogations.

And judging by his surroundings, he could understand why. The place had an isolated feel to it – like… if you screamed, there wasn’t a soul in Midgar who’d ever hear you.

Kai shrugged and tucked the folder under an arm. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Come on, baby Turkling. Let’s get this over with.”

“Tch… would you seriously quit callin’ me that?” Reno muttered as he trailed after her, leaving Tseng to return to headquarters. He wasn’t entirely certain of it, but he thought he hear a faint chuckle in response to his demand as the doors were closing, and shot an annoyed glare back in his mentor’s direction. Kai snickered.

“Maybe when you grow up a little,” she said, grinning. “Maybe.”

The redhead scowled and followed the senior Turk down the hallway. Some distance from the elevators, they paused outside of a heavy, but otherwise nondescript, door.

“Okay, listen up, kiddo. You’re here to observe,” she said, “I handle the interrogation. You stand in the corner, making no noise and pretending you don’t exist. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Reno replied with a snort of contempt. Seriously… he might have been the youngest of the Turks, but he wasn’t a goddamn kid. He could really do without Kai constantly treating him like one.

“Good. You armed?”

Reno opened his jacket to reveal the EMR clipped to his belt, but Kai shook her head.

“No good. If you gotta act, it’s going to be because he took me out. And you’re gonna want to do it from across the room. This asshole’s a lot more dangerous than he looks. Especially at close range. Hand it over. Last thing I need is him getting his hands on it somehow.”

The redhead hesitantly unhooked the mag-rod and passed it over to Kai. In return, he was handed her spare sidearm. The senior Turk shook her head.

“You know… If you were my rookie, I’d make carrying a gun mandatory for you. An EMR’s great for close quarters and all, but you should always have a backup. Just in case,” she said, ruffling his hair. Reno rolled his eyes.

“It’s really fuckin’ annoying when people do that, ya know…” he groused. Kai’s grin only widened and she reached for his hair again. Reno scowled and ducked out from under her hand. “Really?”

Kai giggled maniacally and set the EMR on a nearby shelf, before she turned to the door. “Okey dokey… Ready?”

“Tch… Yeah,” Reno replied.

“And what will you be doing while I’m interrogating the subject?”

“Standing in the corner, making no noise and pretending I don’t exist,” he parroted back, annoyed.

“Good Turkling,” Kai grinned, and pushed open the door.

Inside was an unnerving sight… though at first glance, Reno wasn’t entirely sure why it struck him as such. The room was long and windowless and gleaming white. It took him a second to figure out that the gleam was due to every surface being covered in shiny porcelain tile. The floor, the walls… even the ceiling. Near the center of the room was the chrome-plated cover of a large drain.

Reno couldn’t help but shudder slightly at the images that room suddenly conjured up, and vaguely wondered if maybe he’d been watching a few too many horror movies over the last few months.

At the far end of the room, there was a pair of chairs; one empty, the other occupied by a stout, balding man in his forties or early fifties. He had a thin mustache and a jagged scar along his jawline that was partially obscured by a patchy beard. He smiled obnoxiously when he spotted Kai, revealing a large gap between his two front teeth.

“Well, hey there, little lady,” he said, in a disturbingly pleased tone of voice, “You know… You’re the whole reason I let you Turks haul me in here to chat every so often.”

His smile quickly became predatory. If Kai noticed – and frankly, Reno didn’t know how she couldn’t have… it was giving him the creeps, and it wasn’t even directed at him – she pointedly ignored it.

“Who’s the kid?” he continued, “Got yourself a little Turklette to look after now?”

The redhead’s scowl deepened noticeably. As if ‘Turkling’ wasn’t bad enough. He sincerely hoped Kai didn’t think ‘Turklette’ was a better alternative. It sounded way too girly.

“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s just here to watch,” Kai replied, taking a seat in the empty chair. The man snickered loudly, and turned his gaze directly on the rookie.

“Like to watch, do ya?” he asked with a leer. He nodded towards the ceiling and the unobtrusive camera mounted there. “Good thing they always tape these little sessions. You can watch it again later. Have yourself some fun.”

Reno rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest… and had to bite down hard on his tongue to hold back the snappy comeback he’d had ready. His orders were to stay quiet and watch. Not let himself be provoked.

“Alright, you know the drill. You’re gonna tell me what you know about the Wutaiians in Sector 3. And maybe that nice white shirt of yours will stay clean,” Kai replied, drawing his attention back around.

“You’re always such a flirt…” Wellerby chuckled, smiling back at her.

“Oh, honey… If I were flirting, you’d know it,” Kai replied, and in one swift movement, stabbed a blade into the arm of his chair, in between his fingers, narrowly missing the flesh. She withdrew the knife and tucked it back into the sleeve of her jacket before leaning back in her chair. “So… about those Wutaiians…”

It had happened so fast, Reno was half convinced he’d imagined it. And when the man laughed, he could only stare. He was pretty sure if Kai had done that to him he’d have probably been swearing at her for the next five minutes. After the urge to shit his pants had passed, that is.

“Think that probably scared your little Turklette over there more than it scared me,” Wellerby guffawed, and Reno felt a slightly humiliated blush creeping into his cheeks. Kai snorted softly and turned to face him.

“Thought I told you to just stand there pretending you don’t exist…” she chastised him.

Before he could answer, however, Wellerby was on his feet. Reno didn’t even have time to shout out a warning to the senior Turk. The man landed a brutal punch to her gut, driving the air from her lungs and then dragged her to her feet by her hair, wrapping an arm around her neck, and reaching with his free hand into her jacket. He pulled out one of her own blades and pressed it to her side, between her ribs.

“I stick her here, she’ll bleed out before you can even call for help,” Wellerby stated calmly, as Reno – somewhat shakily – raised his gun and took aim in response. His formerly almost jovial tone was now gone, and in its place was only cold indifference. “So… how good a shot do you think you are kid? Think you can hit me without hitting her? Before I gut her?”

Kai was tiny… but not that tiny. She made for a more than adequate human shield. And to be honest, Reno really wasn’t that great a shot. Sure, this was pretty close range… twelve feet max. But his target had a hostage. One that the redhead most assuredly didn’t want to kill in the process. All of the good targets on Wellerby’s body were hidden behind said hostage. Reno needed to outright disable him, not just hit him… or he’d retaliate by killing Kai.

“Yeah… You know how this is gonna play out,” Wellerby said with an icy laugh. “You just lower that gun now. Me and this pretty lady are gonna take a little walk.”

The way Reno saw it, there were only two choices. He could either take the shot and pray that it hit home without fatally wounding Kai… or he could let the son of a bitch walk out of here with his hostage and hope that Kai would be alright until he could call for backup.

He frowned slightly as another possibility occurred to him. A moment later, Reno slowly began to lower his weapon, and Wellerby grinned.

“Good choice, Turklette,” he sniggered.

Reno fired… and Kai screamed.

---

“I can’t.” Smack. “Believe.” Smack. “You did that!” SMACK!

A moment later Reno darted towards the opening door, desperate to avoid the furious female Turk who seemed to be intent upon pummeling him into dust. Upon seeing his mentor entering the room, he hurriedly sought shelter behind him.

“It worked didn’t it?!” Reno shouted back, peering out from behind the relative safety of the Turk lieutenant’s body.

Kai stormed – well, limped, really – towards him, her right thigh spattered in dark blue paint. Across the room, ‘Wellerby’, similarly painted across the chest and torso, was laughing uproariously.

“Kai –” Tseng began, only to be cut off by the angry Turk.

“He shot me!” she screeched. “The little turd shot me!”

“It was only a paint round…” Reno declared in his defense, which earned him a glare from the woman.

“Which you didn’t know when you shot me with it!” she growled, “You got any idea how much those things sting? Just you wait… You’re back in regular training next week. I’ll get my revenge on the gauntlet.” With that, she brushed past Tseng and his rookie and hobbled off towards the elevator, muttering under her breath about bruises and how next time Tseng could find someone else to help him with Hell Week.

The Turk lieutenant chuckled, shaking his head.

“She was the one who said she wanted a front row seat to you next evaluation…” he said, ushering the rookie over to the chairs and settling him into one of them. He turned to Wellerby, and nodded. “Thank you for your assistance, Marshall.”

“… So I’m guessin’ this guy’s not someone we’d really be interrogatin’…” the redhead surmised, and Tseng smiled.

“No. This is Marshall Wellerby. Soldier, second class, retired… and an old friend of Veld’s.”

“Glad to meet ya, kid,” he piped up, a smirk stretching across his face.

“So this was all a set up. The file. The story about Wutaiian agents. Kai makin’ sure the only weapon I had was the one she gave me. All of it?”

“Yes,” Tseng confirmed, “And I have to admit, I was rather impressed with your solution. Shooting the hostage to remove her from the equation is not something that most people would consider.”

Reno shrugged. “It was the only way I could get a clear shot. Figured if she couldn’t walk, he couldn’t walk off with her. And if I was the one doin’ the damage instead of him, worst case scenario is Kai’s laid up for a couple weeks. Ya know… unless I managed to miss.”

“Heh… Kid’s got some brass ones, I’ll giving him that…” Marshall snickered. He glanced down at his shirt, which showed no less than six widely spaced blobs of blue paint. “Marksmanship could use a little work. Terrible grouping.”

“Tch… I thought I did pretty damn good considerin’ I was about five seconds from pissin’ myself the whole time,” the redhead muttered. He glanced pleadingly up at Tseng. “Please, for the love of Ifrit, tell me this is finally over…”

Tseng’s hand gently squeezed his shoulder, and he chuckled lightly.

“Yes, Hell Week is over,” he said with a smile. Reno groaned in relief, sagging back into the chair.

“Thank fuck.”

---

“Reno? Can I see you in my office for a moment?”

The redhead paused in his bid for his own little office, where Rude was almost certainly waiting for him, wanting to hear all about what had happened. Especially, since Kai was probably still cursing up a storm.

“Thought Hell Week was officially over,” he replied, cautiously. Tseng laughed.

“It is. I… have something for you.”

The redhead followed his mentor inside and paused in front of the Turk lieutenant’s desk. Tseng rounded the desk and reached into the drawer, pulling out a small box wrapped in plain, pale blue paper.

“We’ll discuss your scores in detail on Monday, but… you did very well. This is for you,” he said, holding it out to the rookie. Reno reached out and took it, pulling the wrapping off and lifting the lid of the little box.

A miniscule silver dragon stared up at him with aquamarine crystal eyes, it’s claws poised to strike. Reno picked it up, holding it in his palm. The detail work on the egg-sized figurine was impressive. He could see every last scale on the reptile’s body.

“It was a gift from Veld… to me at the conclusion of my own Hell Week,” Tseng explained. “I was born in the year of the dragon, in case you were wondering why he chose that particular visage. He was very proud of me when I made it through Hell Week. I’d like you to have it now… because I’m just as proud of you.”

Reno looked up from his gift and grinned, before throwing his arms around his mentor in tight hug. Tseng laughed, and stroked one hand along the teen’s back.

“Very proud indeed…”

---

Early Monday morning, Tseng was still catching up on his neglected paperwork. Thankfully, he could now see a light at the end of the tunnel… and he was beginning to rethink the wisdom of his request to take responsibility for this particular chore. It really should have been a red flag when Veld hadn’t even attempted to talk him out of it.

“Are you busy?” a voice asked, and Tseng glanced up to discover the man himself peering into his office. He smiled and shook his head.

“Not with anything I wouldn’t be glad to take a break from, sir…”

Veld smirked knowingly. “And now you know why I didn’t protest when you all but begged to take over responsibility for department requisitions…”

“… Yes, sir,” the Turk lieutenant somewhat sheepishly admitted.

“You can fill me in on the specifics of his scores later, but I have to admit… I’ve been dying all weekend to know how your rookie did on the strategy evaluation on Friday.”

Tseng chuckled and leaned forward on his desk, steepling his fingers in front of him.

“Extremely well. I placed him in the situation we discussed, giving him two obvious choices.”

“And which did he pick?”

The Wutaiian Turk smiled widely. “The third option. He shot the hostage.”

“He… he what?!” Veld sputtered in surprise, and Tseng couldn’t help but laugh at the reaction.

“He shot Kai in the leg, forcing her captor to drop her and attempt to flee. Then he shot Marshall, as well. Several times. Really… it was a rather ingenious, if unconventional, solution to a situation with an otherwise uncertain outcome.”

Veld barked a short laugh. “Well, that would explain the death glares she kept shooting at him during the morning briefing. Try not to sound so absurdly pleased with him, Tseng. That rookie of yours doesn’t need his ego stroked.” He shook his head. “But you’re right. It certainly was… creative. And effective. Hmph… that settles it. I definitely want his IQ tested.”

“Yes, sir. I assumed you would. I’ve already made the appointment.”

“And tell him to report to my office immediately after lunch. For his reprimand,” Veld added. Tseng visibly cringed. He’d somewhat been hoping that Veld might have forgotten about that after being out of town for the last few days. Apparently Reno wasn’t that lucky.

“Yes, sir.”

“By the way… I hear tell that you were forced to sell your soul to Rufus in exchange for Reno’s job. Just what does that entail these days?” the Turk leader asked, teasingly.

“When I find out… assuming I survive it… I’ll let you know, sir,” he replied with a faint groan.

~end chapter 45~