Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 85: Less Than Kalm

Reno leaned back against the wall, annoyed by the lack of much of anything to do. Guard duty was fucking boring. And it never seemed to get any less boring. He sighed quietly and shifted his weight to his other leg. It didn’t exactly help, either, that his mind wasn’t entirely on his job right now.

Once the delegates from Corel had arrived – and he quietly snickered at the term ‘delegates’… They’d looked like they just walked out of the coal mines their little village had been built around. It was like someone referring to him as a ‘gentleman’… – he’d been left more or less to his own devices. Sato and Saya were both downstairs, out of his immediate view… though he was pretty sure he did occasionally hear Saya’s voice, probably still berating her cousin for the prank he’d pulled.

But for the most part, it was quiet just standing there on the landing outside of the makeshift meeting room, which gave him entirely too much time to think. He hadn’t heard one way or another how Tseng’s evaluation had gone… but like he’d told Rufus in the helicopter, since he wasn’t with them, it probably hadn’t gone well. And that worried him. How was being shoved behind a desk for the foreseeable future going to help? His handful of experiences with being sidelined – be it for medical or disciplinary reasons – had all pretty much sucked. It drove him nuts not being able to do his job… and he didn’t even have what one might consider a ‘professional nature’ like Tseng did. For Reno, the very idea of being forced to do nothing all day became almost painful after awhile. But for someone like Tseng? The man seemed to virtually define himself by his job. What the hell was getting pulled from the field for fuck knows how long going to do to him?

The redhead sighed and folded his arms over his chest. Veld had to realize that, too. He had to. He knew Tseng too well for it not to have occurred to him. But what was he going to do about it? Pile more paperwork on him to keep him busy? Have him take over all the rookies’ training sessions personally? Could he be assigned as Rufus’ personal guard for the duration of his suspension?

He admittedly somewhat doubted the viability of that last idea. It would almost have to be unofficial, given that Tseng wasn’t allowed in the field, and it probably wouldn’t fly with the other executives given the current hostilities. But the thought of his mentor being left alone all day while the rest of them carried on with their normal duties bothered him. He knew from personal experience that dwelling too long on your own thoughts didn’t always have the best of outcomes. He was lucky enough to have Rude around to break him out of such mindsets when he got stuck in them – usually by throwing him bodily and fully clothed into the company pool and calling him an idiot. Reno didn’t think the same tactic would work so well on Tseng, even if by some miracle he managed to do it.

And what if he never snapped out of it? Reno’d known plenty of people in the slums who turned to drinking or the drug dens when their demons finally became too much to bear. Or worse. He was intimately acquainted with the ‘or worse’. He also knew that some things you just never got over… no matter how hard you tried not to think about them, or talk about them, or generally pretend they never happened.

Maybe… maybe the Doc would have some ideas. The thought of intentionally walking into the medical suite when it wasn’t an emergency made him cringe, but… it was for Tseng. And Ward did know about shit like this. That was her fucking job, after all.

He couldn’t just do nothing.

---

“They’re expectin’ the delivery at the Number 2 lower gate around midnight. I’m proposin’ that we set up shop well before then, take ’em out, and seize whatever they’re buyin’.”

“And the smugglers?” Veld asked. Tres shook his head.

“Up to you, boss… but, eh… if it were my choice, I’d let ’em go.”

The Turk leader raised an eyebrow. “What’s to stop them from continuing to supply the Wutaiians?”

“Nothin’,” Tres replied, “But they also supply the the people in the Slums. We cut ’em off completely, a lot of people are gonna be hurtin’ down there. The black market’s what keeps a lot of the poorer folk fed.”

“I understand that, but…”

“And if they can’t get goods from the black market, they’re gonna turn to the gangs. That shit’s already a problem for us in some of the Sectors. You really wanna risk makin’ it worse?”

“… You have point,” Veld acknowledged.

“‘Sides… if we take the Wutaiian buyers out, the smugglers ain’t gonna be real keen on workin’ with any more of their ilk again anyway. It’s a risk, but I think the alternative’s gonna be a bigger one.”

The Turk leader nodded. “Alright. I’ll take that under consideration. Who do you want with you tonight?”

“Anyone we can spare,” Tres replied. “Don’t have accurate numbers, and even if I did, they’ll probably have people watchin’ their backs from the shadows. Means we should do the same. I say we throw everyone we got available at ’em ‘n end this shit. Take some of ’em alive for interrogation to find out where their leaders are hidin’, kill the rest with extreme prejudice, and then finally clear the fuckers outta the city for good.”

Veld stood up from behind his desk and turned to gaze out the window. “Tell everyone still in the office we’re meeting in ten and have Kai send a message to the team in Kalm that they’ll be briefed upon their return. I’ll be joining you, tonight, as well,” he said after a moment. “Let’s put an end to this.”

---

“Hope you’re ready for a late night,” the message read. Reno snorted softly and typed back a response.

“Thought I wasn’t your type.”

His phone was silent for several second before a quiet ping announced a new text message from Kai.

“Sorry, baby Turkling… you’re not. Briefing as soon as you get back.”

There was no instruction to let the others know about whatever was going on, so he assumed that she’d already sent similar messages to the rest of Rufus’ escort team. He tapped in a quick acknowledgment and tucked the PHS back into his pocket.

Apparently she wasn’t in the mood to share details. Or, perhaps more likely, communicating that information over phones was too much of a security risk. Either way, it looked like he was going to have to wait to find out what was going on.

His stomach growled angrily at him and he glanced at his watch, and groaned as he tried to ignore it. How fucking long were they going to be at it? He’d been standing out here for over three hours. The sound of footsteps on the stairs quickly drew his attention away from his hunger, however. A moment later, Saya rounded the bend in the stairway, a concerned look on her face.

“What’s up?” the rookie immediately asked.

“We’ve got company,” Saya replied, “Spotted ’em across the way, perched up top one of the roofs. Sato’s creepin’ up on ’em now, but we cannae tell how many there are fer sure. Need yeh ta swap places with Remy fer a bit. I dinnae want ta alarm the vice president quite yet. Or the representatives from Corel.”

Reno nodded and knocked softly four times on the door. He knew Remy was just on the other side. It opened a crack a moment later and the senior Turk peered out.

“Saya says we got company,” he said, keeping his voice down. Remy stepped out onto the landing.

“Keep Rufus in that room until you have the all clear from one of us,” she said. Reno nodded and slipped into the meeting room, shutting the door behind him. The only person who seemed to notice – or at least care about – the personnel change was Rufus. He eyed the rookie Turk curiously for a moment before turning his attention back to the conversation he was having with a heavily muscled man in coveralls.

“As I’ve already assured you… this little squabble with Wutai will be dealt with in, I’m sure, a timely fashion. Shinra Company has no intention of dragging out a meaningless war any longer than necessary. Once our troops take the capitol, that will be the end of it. There is simply no need to fear being targeted because of the reactor.”

“You can’t even stop ’em from blowin’ the hell outta your own city… what makes you think you can stop ’em from comin’ after us?” the man replied, frustrated. Rufus sighed and leaned forward.

“I have been attempting to keep this conversation civil, but if you insist… by the time we are done with Wutai, they won’t have the ability to harass anyone,” he said, darkly, and there was little room for interpretation in that statement. Rufus had essentially just told them that no one fucked with Shinra Company and came out of it in one piece. The man turned to the other three people at the table, and after a brief, murmured conversation, he looked back at Rufus.

“A’ight. You got yourself a deal,” he said, holding out a hand to the young executive. Rufus calmly shook it.

“Excellent. I’ll be in touch with the finalized contract within the week,” he said, getting to his feet. Reno settled back against the door and watched for the next few minutes as the little group made some minor small talk, drank to a successfully negotiated deal, and finally began to shuffle off towards the door. As soon as they’d had left the room and the door was shut firmly and locked behind them, Rufus rounded on the Turk.

“What’s happened now?”

The redhead had to hand it to the brat. He was far from unobservant. Remy’s unexpected exit had clearly alerted him to the fact that something wasn’t going according to plan.

“Got some guys on a rooftop watchin’ the place. The others are takin’ care of it.”

If the news had any effect on the vice president, he did an exceptional job of hiding it… though Reno did catch him momentarily fingering the outside of the pocket he’d tucked his gun into. Rufus turned to the table and poured himself another glass of wine.

“And just what am I to do?”

“Sit back, relax, and wait ’til we get the all clear from Remy or one of the others. Shouldn’t take ’em too long.”

Rufus snorted in contempt and drained the glass. “Relax?” he sneered, somewhat incredulously, and then muttered under his breath so quietly that Reno was fairly certain he wasn’t actually meant to hear it, “I’m going to need something far stronger than wine to accomplish that feat…”

A knock on the door prevented Reno from commenting. He reached into his jacket and pulled his gun from its holster before easing it open just enough to peer out… and relaxed when he saw Sato waiting for him on the other side. He quickly let the Turk in.

“We’re gonna take yeh out the back way, sir,” Sato stated, “Dealt with two of ’em, but Remy’s worried their might be more hidin’. And, eh… I’m gonna need yeh two ta swap clothes fer a wee bit.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rufus replied, somewhat scandalized.

“We want ta make yeh less of a target. Yeh’ll be goin’ with Remy ‘n Saya ta the Turk’s copter. Me ‘n Reno’ll head fer the executive copter.”

“Oh, sure… make ’em think I’m the one they’re after. Thanks a lot, Sato,” the redhead grumbled as he slid out of his jacket. Rufus hesitated a moment, but grudgingly began to disrobe as well. He tossed his shirt at the redhead.

“Do try not to get maimed. That’s Wutaiian silk, and I’d like it back in the same condition I’ve given it to you,” he snapped. Reno snorted a quiet laugh.

“Yeah, try not to piss in my uniform, either, sir… I’d hate to have to go all the way back to my apartment in the middle of the day just for clean pants,” he shot back, earning a glare from the Shinra heir. Sato looked at the rookie Turk as if he wasn’t sure if he ought to be shocked or impressed. Though when Rufus’ only further response was an irritated scoff as he finished dressing, the redhead was pretty sure he’d decided on impressed.

“Here. Put this on, too,” Sato snickered, tossing the rookie a somewhat battered white fedora. Reno raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not enough of a target yet? Gotta make me stand out a little more?”

“It’s ta cover up that hair of yers, genius… Yeh two’ve got similar enough builds from a distance, but if there’s one thing the vice president ain’t, it’s a redhead. Like ta get more’n two steps out the door before they notice somethin’s sketchy.”

“Tch… yeah, yeah, alright,” the younger man muttered, obligingly tucking the crimson strands beneath the hat, “I better be gettin’ hazard pay for this shit…”

Sato laughed, and clapped the rookie on the back. “I’d sure as hell put in fer it. Just keep yer head down, and stick close ta me. We’ll be on our way home in no time.”

The senior Turk escorted the pair into the hallway, where Remy and Saya were waiting. Remy looked him over appraisingly before finally nodding her approval. She turned her attention on the executive.

“Alright, sir,” she said, “We’re going to walk out the back door and down the alley behind the building very calmly and head straight for the helicopters. The three of us will take the lead with Reno immediately behind us and Sato bringing up the rear. We’ll escort them to the executive copter, and then you, Saya, and I will continue on to the Turks’ copter, just as we would under any other circumstances. I need you to stay close to us, no matter what.”

“Yes, alright,” Rufus said impatiently, “Let’s just get this over with.”

Reno could hear the nervousness behind his words. He hid it well, but the Shinra heir was plainly uneasy about this plan. Reno wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of being a decoy, either… but that’s what he got paid for.

The group headed downstairs, and Remy lead them out through the door in the back of the inn. The first few minutes passed without incident. They easily slipped down the back alley, and followed it as far as they could in the direction of the helicopters. Remy signaled for them to stop before they were forced to break cover as Saya raised a pair of binoculars.

“All clear ahead,” she said, after a moment of studying the aircraft in the distance. “If they’re waitin’ fer us, they’re doin’ it in town somewhere.”

“Move quickly and deliberately,” Remy replied as she and Saya prodded Rufus forward between them. The group stepped out into the open, and had the situation not been so serious, Reno might have chuckled at Rufus’ fixated gaze that was directed straight ahead of him, locked firmly on his destination. The redhead, on the other hand, was subtly checking his surroundings, and wanted desperately to take a quick glance behind him. The only thing that kept him from doing so was knowing that Sato was watching his back for him.

They’d covered nearly half the distance when the attack finally came.

Reno hadn’t even seen where they’d come from. They’d emerged seemingly from nowhere, and before he knew it, they were making an effort to surround the group. There was a loud stamping sound from somewhere behind him, and the next thing Reno knew he was tumbling head over heals as something heavy struck him from behind. He didn’t have much time to ponder what had just happened, however, as Remy was shouting, he assumed at Saya, to get the vice president in the air. Several gun shots rang out, and the redhead had to curl in on himself to avoid being trampled as the massive taloned feet of a chocobo barely missed him.

The bird kicked up quite a bit of dust, momentarily blinding him, and he quickly lost track of Sato as well as the other half of the group. More gunshots and shouting filled the air, and by then, he wasn’t sure who was shooting at who. In the distance, he heard the engine of one of the helicopters spinning up, followed by angry shouts of Wutaiian and the pounding footfalls of their avian mounts as they, apparently, realized the ruse and took off in the direction of the actual Shinra heir.

It was much too late, however. Reno spotted the aircraft lifting into the sky, away from their attackers.

His relief was short-lived, unfortunately. Once the Wutaiian attack party realized that Rufus was out of their reach, they turned their attention back on the decoy. By then, Reno had recovered enough to draw his gun, but the view of six armed men on chocobo-back riding straight towards him wasn’t exactly a welcome sight. He managed only two shots before they were on him, knocking one man from his bird, before he, too, was sent flying by a violent kick to the chest, courtesy of one of the chocobos. Reno landed on his back, gasping, the air forced from his lungs, and struggled to right himself. He rolled to avoid another mounted attacker, but they were all around him. He was as good as trapped.

Just as he was wondering if this was going to be it for him, and ear-splitting screech, followed by a blast that shook the ground, sent the chocobos into a panicked frenzy.

“Run fer it!” Sato’s voice shouted at him, and in the midst of the chaos, Reno spotted him, waving frantically at the rookie from outside the executive copter with one hand, while the other hauled back and launched something towards the stampede. The same screech rent the air a second time, and Reno hurriedly scrambled to his feet, stumbling a little before finally making a beeline towards the other Turk. When whatever the hell it was Sato had thrown finally exploded, he just kept running.

Sato seized the rookie by the arm, and all but threw him into the helicopter. For a moment, Reno simply lay there on the floor, gasping for breath, his chest still aching from being kicked, as the engines started and he felt the familiar sensation of take off.

“Yeh still alive back there, rookie?!” Sato shouted. Reno coughed faintly and rolled over, clambering to his knees first before hauling himself upright and staggering into the cockpit. “Yeh hurt bad?”

Reno shook his head. “Nah…” he coughed, “Think I mostly just got the wind knocked outta me. The others get out okay?”

“Aye, they made it just fine,” the senior Turk replied. The sound of gunfire from below met their ears, and the aircraft suddenly spun dizzyingly, sending the rookie into the side of the craft. Alarms blared in the cockpit as Sato swore loudly and tried to correct, but the helicopter was largely unresponsive. “We’re hit! Get yer arse strapped in… This isn’t gonna be a pleasant ride!”

The redhead scurried into the copilot’s seat and somehow managed to drag his harness across his body just seconds before the copter suddenly dropped several dozen feet and pitched forward. Reno felt his stomach drop along with it, and gripped the armrests so tightly his knuckles soon turned white.

‘This is how I’m gonna fuckin’ die,’ he thought to himself, and closed his eyes. The helicopter dipped again, but this time, there was a bone-jarring impact. Reno’s body jerked forward, his harness digging into his skin painfully. Was he screaming? He was pretty sure he was screaming…

Reno’s world seemed to be trying to invert itself, tossing him to one side in his seat, the only thing keeping him in place being the thick nylon straps of the safety harness. His ears filled with the screech of electronic alarms, the squeal of metal on rock, and a rending sound that he could only assume was coming from the rotors being mangled and torn as they drove themselves into the ground. It seemed to go on without end, and just when he was absolutely sure this was never going to stop… it did.

Reno hesitantly cracked his eyes open, and found himself dangling from his harness in the now-sideways cockpit. The scent of smoke and burning electronics hit him a moment later, and he looked around, surveying the damage. The console in front of him was smoking heavily and the windshield was a spiderweb of cracks, so much so he couldn’t even see through it clearly. Sato groaned next to him… or, rather, below him.

“Yeh dead yet, rookie?” he coughed.

“Ask me again when we get outta here,” the redhead replied, a slight tremor in his voice. Sato managed a faint laugh and pulled the release on his harness, extricating himself. He stood and pulled Reno’s as well, easing him down from the seat.

“Let’s get the hell outta this thing ‘fore somethin’ blows up, eh?”

“Don’t gotta tell me twice,” said Reno. The exterior cockpit was jammed shut, so they crawled through to the back section of the executive craft. Sato glanced up at the side door, currently positioned about three feet above them.

“I’ll boost yeh up, ‘n yeh can get that open ‘n climb out.”

Reno nodded, and the senior Turk lifted him high enough that he could reach the latch. He twisted it, and shoved upwards with a loud grunt. The damn thing was a hell of a lot heavier when you had to lift it instead of swinging it outward. At last, it reached its tipping point and fell open, slamming into the side of the copter with a loud bang. Reno gripped the edges of the doorframe and hoisted himself up. He was greeted by the smell of fuel. Sato wasn’t far behind, easily jumping for the opening and following suit. The pair carefully slid down the twisted wreckage, feet hitting the ground moments later. Sato stumbled and dropped to one knee, swearing.

The rookie Turk looked back at their former transport and shook his head. How the fuck they managed to walk away from that was beyond him.

“So… not dead?” Sato asked, grinning.

“Heh… I think I probably should be…”

The Mideelian Turk laughed and clapped him on the back. “Come on. The bastard’s leakin’ fuel. Let’s put some distance ‘tween us ‘n this hunk ‘o junk… just in case it does decide ta blow. Then we’ll call fer a ride home.”

Reno hurried to follow Sato as he made his way towards a large outcropping of rocks, and was a little surprised when he realized just how far they’d managed to come before crashing. Midgar was still quite some distance away… but Kalm was little more than a spec on the softly rolling plains. They settled themselves in what little shade the rocks provided. The senior Turk pulled his PHS from his back pocket, and heaved a sigh as the front half of the clamshell separated from the rest of the device and dropped to the ground.

“Serves me right fer keepin’ it there…” he muttered, and Reno snickered softly. “Guess yer gonna be makin’ the call ta Veld.” He suddenly smirked. “Hey… what would it cost me ta get yeh ta tell ‘im yeh were flyin’ the copter when it crashed.”

“Way more than you got,” the redhead snorted, and Sato laughed. Reno reached into his jacket for his phone… only to realize that it wasn’t where it should have been. He patted his pockets, and then groaned as he realized his mistake. “… My phone’s still in my jacket. Which is on Rufus.”

“Well, don’t that just figure…” Sato said, shaking his head. “Guess we’re shit outta luck, then. Looks like we’re walkin’ home.”

“Uh… what about the Wutaiians?”

“Doubt they’ll waste their time comin’ after us… fer all they know, we’re dead anyway.” Sato frowned thoughtfully for a second. “Then again, we’re not exactly gonna come out on top if it comes down ta a fight, right now, and Odin only knows when someone’ll decide ta come get us… ‘specially if somethin’s goin’ down in Midgar.”

In all the confusion of the attack, Reno had nearly forgotten the brief message from Kai earlier. She’d said to be ready for a late night. Obviously, an operation was in the works. And if it was something that took priority, they might well be on their own for awhile.

“Hmph… well nothin’ else fer it, I s’pose,” Sato continued, “Best find somewhere ta hole up fer a bit. We’ll start workin’ our way back ta Midgar once we know no one’s tailin’ us from Kalm. Hopefully, we won’t have ta walk the whole way.”

Before Reno could agree with the plan, a loud boom echoed across the plains, and the redhead instinctively ducked. Shrapnel rained against the other side of the rock outcrop for several seconds, before things finally went silent. The rookie cautiously peered around the rock, eyes wide. The helicopter – or what was left of it, anyway – was now on fire, pieces of it scattered over a fairly wide radius.

“… ‘n that’s why yeh dinnae stay inside a crashed helicopter,” Sato snickered.

“Yeah… I’ll remember that,” Reno replied.

---

A rather anxious-looking Tseng met them on the rooftop, along with Veld, who seemed considerably less anxious, but still noticeably concerned. They’d hardly touched down before the pair descended on them.

“Where is the executive helicopter?” Tseng asked, as Remy and Saya stepped out of the aircraft. He had to look twice at the figure that emerged behind them, before he realized that the third Turk wasn’t a Turk at all, and was quietly relieved to see the vice president safe. He glanced at Remy expectantly.

“They were right behind us, but the Wutaiian attack delayed their takeoff,” she replied, “Our priority was the vice president. We didn’t wait for Reno and Sato to catch up. They can’t be that far behind, though.”

“Tseng, take Rufus inside,” said Veld, and then turned his gaze on the other two Turks, “Saya, get on the radio and get an ETA on the other helicopter… Remy, my office for debriefing.”

“Yes, sir,” the pair chorused. Tseng gently guided his charge back towards the elevator, boarding it with Remy and his mentor. When it stopped on the sixty-sixth floor, he and Rufus disembarked, leaving the others to continue down to Turk headquarters.

“What happened?” the Turk lieutenant asked, once they’d bypassed Rufus’ new secretary and entered his office. The boy seemed slightly shell-shocked, and it concerned him greatly… though at least he didn’t look to be physically hurt. Rufus settled into the leather chair behind his desk and swallowed sharply.

“You know, I’m beginning to regret gifting my only bottle of Banora whiskey to the slum rat this morning… I believe I could use some of it myself right about now,” he replied, and then looked up at the Turk, “Twice in two days. That’s two attempts to kidnap me in less than forty-eight hours, Tseng…”

Tseng was more than a little surprised by the news that Rufus had gifted his protege anything, let alone something that expensive… but opted to file the information away for later and focus instead on slightly more recent events.

“You would be an exceptionally valuable person to have control of. Your father would likely do just about anything to see you returned to him safely,” he replied, and Rufus snorted in contempt. Tseng shook his head. “He would and know it… No matter how hard it is for him to say so, you mean everything to him.”

“I think you are confusing his feelings towards me with my father’s attachment to his company and his legacy, Tseng,” the younger man muttered, “I’m little more than an assurance that Shinra Company will live on after he’s gone.”

Tseng rounded the desk and gently squeezed Rufus’ shoulders. “I think you underestimate him… but we’ll leave that discussion for another time. What happened in Kalm?”

“Several of them ambushed us after the meeting. That lunatic Mideelian had me switch clothes with the slum rat… which, in retrospect, was an absurdly effective ruse. They all but ignored me and went after your precious protege instead. By the time they realized their mistake, I was safely in the air.”

And hopefully, Tseng thought to himself, Reno hadn’t been far behind. It was taking everything in him right now not to assume the worst. Really, he was only able to remain calm for Rufus’ sake. He very much wanted his rookie back safely within the confines of the Shinra Building.

Rufus looked up at the Turk from his seated position.

“This can’t continue,” he stated, “Eventually, one of their ill-conceived efforts is going to get lucky, and I’ll be the one to pay for it. How much longer until Shinra takes the Wutaiian capitol?”

“The last I heard, the resistance surrounding the city was unexpectedly fierce. And the city itself won’t go down easily by any means. They’re well-supplied, well-defended, and they have the mountains at their back. Even under the best of circumstances they could feasibly hold out for weeks before our troops finally break through. Perhaps even months, if they’re entrenched deeply enough. Godo seems to have consolidated his forces there.”

Rufus scowled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “This is utter foolishness. Doesn’t Father realize how much money we’re wasting on this disaster of a war? And for what?! Another mako reactor? There are dozens of other sites we could build one!” He turned and glowered at the Turk. “If he really gave a damn about my ‘safety’, he’d end this.”

“I don’t entirely disagree with that assessment,” Tseng replied, as diplomatically as possible, “Perhaps today’s events will convince him of exactly that.”

Rufus turned back to his desk and went silent. It was several minutes before he finally spoke again, and when it did, his voice was quiet and introspective.

“Am I a coward, Tseng?”

The question surprised him… and at the same time, it didn’t. Though Rufus had seldom lacked in confidence, suddenly becoming the target of an entire nation would – and should – terrify anyone.

“No. You’re afraid. There’s a difference between fear and cowardice. A coward wouldn’t have gone to Kalm today to begin with.”

“I just want this to end. I want everything to go back to the way it was before,” Rufus breathed, refusing to meet his gaze.

“As do I,” the Turk lieutenant replied. But, for Tseng, at least, that was impossible. Some things would never be the same.

---

Remy leaned back in the chair, and ran through the events of the morning one more time in her head… just to check that she hadn’t left anything out. Satisfied, she nodded.

“I believe that’s everything, sir.”

“We should probably rout them from the town… I don’t like the idea of a Wutaiian base of operations being set up in Kalm. It’s bad enough we haven’t flushed them from the city yet. But it will have to wait. Tres believes we have an opportunity tonight to eliminate many of the Wutaiian agents still hiding in Midgar,” Veld said with a nod.

“I take it that’s what Kai’s message was about earlier?”

“Yes. One of Tres’ contacts gave up the time and location of a Wutaiian weapons shipment. It will be arriving tonight… and we’ll be waiting for it.”

“Something like that will be well-guarded,” Remy mused.

“All the better. The more personnel they pour into escorting that shipment back to wherever they’ve been operating out of, the more of them we can take out. That’s why everyone will be going tonight.”

“Everyone, sir?” the Turk asked. The first half of her debriefing had been… disheartening. Veld had been somewhat tight-lipped on the details, but the gist of it was that Tseng was suspended until further notice. She could guess what the issue was, though. She’d known her friend was still struggling with the pain and the guilt of what had happened to his sister… and to Luca… but she was ashamed to admit she hadn’t realized it was that bad.

“Tseng will be staying behind,” Veld amended.

“Sir, maybe it’s not my place to pry, but… was suspension really necessary? Is he really having that hard a time with everything that’s happened?”

Veld nodded somewhat sadly. “Yes… he is.” He frowned for a moment before continuing. “How much has he told you about his return to Wutai for the funeral?”

“Not much, sir,” Remy replied, blinking in surprise, “I… didn’t think there’d be much to tell. Or at least not much he’d want to share about spending almost a month mourning with his family.”

The Turk leader sighed. “I’m only telling you this because you’re going to be acting as my second in command for awhile. It’s not intended as general knowledge.”

“I… understand, sir.”

“Tseng was not with his family while he was gone,” Veld continued, “To be honest, I’m not entirely certain where he was. But… he was not welcome at home once they learned of his involvement in the attack that killed his sister. They disowned him, and so far as I’m aware, are not speaking to him.”

Remy’s heart caught in her throat at those words.

“Oh, dear Leviathan,” she breathed, in disbelief. Veld nodded grimly.

“His loss was far greater than most people realize. But the situation with Wutai deteriorated so rapidly… and I was just grateful he was back. I’m beginning to see now that I shouldn’t have allowed him to return to duty so soon, no matter how badly we needed him. I don’t intent to make the same mistake twice. He won’t enjoy being sidelined… but he needs to be. And I think he realizes that, as well.”

Remy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She hadn’t expected to suddenly be shoved back into the role she’d only recently vacated… but at least this time she felt a bit better prepared for it.

“Well, then…” she said at last, “I suppose, as acting second in command, I should be asking about the plan for tonight. I… seem to have some preparations to make…”

Veld nodded and opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. He didn’t even have time to tell whoever it was to come in. The door opened immediately, without invitation, revealing Saya.

“Sir…” she said, breathlessly, “I cannae raise the other copter. There’s no response on the radio, and I cannae spot ’em from the roof. I dunno where Reno ‘n Sato are…”

~end chapter 85~