Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 87: Through the Darkness

“Rude? Are you reading me?” a voice asked quietly over the headset the rookie was wearing over one ear.

“Loud and clear. No sign of them yet at my position,” he replied, shifting slightly to gain a better view of the street below. He was their man on the high ground, having taken up a perch on one of the top floors of a partially collapsed building. A rifle, equipped with a sniper scope and laser sights, was set up nearby.

He smirked slightly as he spotted movement down below and recognized the familiar figure darting back into the shadows.

“… I can see Kai, though.”

“I’ll let her know,” Remy’s voice replied, “Report in if you spot our targets. Otherwise, I want to keep radio chatter to a minimum.”

“Understood.”

He leaned back again, ensuring that he was well-hidden. They still had hours before the weapons buy was supposed to go down, but Tres had wanted them ready and waiting… which Rude couldn’t exactly fault him for. It was much easier to sneak a sniper or three in before you needed them than it was getting one in place after the shit hit the fans.

The only downside was that, for now at least, he was alone with his thoughts… and most of those thoughts were concerning his missing teammates. Reno in particular. He didn’t want to think that something may have happened to the redhead… but the longer he went without word from Tseng, the harder it was to keep telling himself that everything would be fine. At least when Aaron had been struck down they’d known right away. Even when Luca had died, the news hadn’t taken long to reach every member of the team. Both deaths had hit Rude hard, but he’d known. This aggravating limbo of not having the faintest idea one way or the other was killing him.

It was getting dark… though to be fair, most parts of the slums were always in a sort of twilight, owing to the massive city above them. They were near the outskirts of Midgar, though, and beyond the Sector 2 Gate, Rude could see the northern plains. Night was rapidly descending.

He wondered if Tseng would keep going in the dark or if he’d be forced to camp out on plains for the night? After talking to Tres, he doubted he’d head for home without the two missing Turks. He wondered if Reno was stuck camping out? The redhead hadn’t been terribly impressed with the idea of roughing it after he’d returned from Kai’s survival training. If he was stuck sleeping out in the wilderness again, he was probably pissed about it. And probably even more pissed if they hadn’t found something to eat.

Then again… it was entirely possible that they’d been captured. And if the Wutaiians had them, Hades only knew what they could be doing to them. The Turks certainly weren’t above torture. Would these Wutaiian mercenaries be any different? The thought of his friends being brutalized for whatever information the enemy might be trying to extract from them was enough to make him feel slightly queasy. And as much as it pained him to even think it, death might actually be preferable to that.

He sighed softly and cautiously peered out the window again. Maybe Tres was right. Maybe he really was picking up on Reno’s habit of assuming the worst more than he should. Rude shook his head, and refocused himself on the task at hand. Tres had warned him to keep his mind on the job, and the rookie was beginning to realize that his mentor’d had good reason to be concerned about him.

---

Rufus glanced over at the clock. It was nearing seven… well past the hour he’d have normally left for the day. But though he never would have said so to anyone – quite possibly not even Tseng – he’d unexpectedly found that he didn’t want to leave. The Shinra Building was safe. It was secure. It was guarded by not only internal security, but also by SOLDIER and the Turks.

Home was… not.

Not that he’d ever had cause to feel unsafe at the family manor, but… after today’s events, he couldn’t deny that he was still a bit on edge. No. More than just a bit on edge. He hadn’t left his private office since Tseng had disappeared to locate his missing subordinates. He’d even had his dinner brought up to him.

That the slum rat was missing was of no great concern to him, of course. He was just another employee. But he was, for whatever reason, important to the Turk lieutenant. Besides which… even if Rufus didn’t particularly like the obnoxious redhead… he was still grateful to him for saving his life. On more than one occasion, as it happened. Irritating though he may be, he was a competent enough Turk, and that made him valuable to both the company and to Rufus personally. Having to unexpectedly replace him would be… unfortunate.

Each time Rufus looked over at the clock and saw that the hour was growing later and later, he would tell himself that it was time to head home. And each time, he would find a new excuse to stay just a little longer and send his father a message that he was still working on the minutia of the Corel contract. The truth was, he hadn’t even touched the damned thing yet. Every time he tried, he found his thoughts wandering back to the meeting earlier in the day and the subsequent attempt at taking him from his protectors… and to where he might be right now had they failed at their jobs.

At last, the vice president sighed in resignation. He wasn’t going anywhere… and if he was going to end up spending the night at work, he may as well be comfortable.

He stood and stepped out into the reception area. His secretary had long since deserted her post, as had pretty much everyone else on the floor. Of course, that was no surprise. Heideggar never stayed a moment longer than required, and Scarlet was typically more likely to be found in one of her various research labs than the executive floor. And Palmer was… Palmer. The head of the Space Department seemed to live largely in his own little world, in Rufus’ experience.

The Shinra heir made his way to the executive elevator, and scanned his ID card through the slot as he stepped aboard. He pressed the button for sixty-nine and soon found himself on the reception floor for his father’s office. It, too, was empty and dark, but he strode over to the stairs anyway and continued on, slipping into the president’s office. He didn’t bother to announce himself. His father had already left for the evening, as well, and by now was home and spending his time with his latest mistress.

Which meant that the poshly decorated and luxurious ‘relaxation suite’ was empty and available for his use as temporary quarters. He smirked as he walked over to the desk and pressed the small button on its underside. He had to admit… being president had its perks. A narrow slot opened in the wall, and Rufus moved toward it. It yielded easily to a gentle push, and the concealed doorway swung inward.

Everyone knew about hidden room, accessible only from the president’s office. Or at least they thought they did. The rumor had spread quickly enough, though what lay inside was a matter of pure speculation. Some people claimed it was a hedonistic playground where the elder Shinra entertained particularly difficult clients by paying for prostitutes and allowing his guests to do as they pleased with them. Others believed it to be some sort of panic room, fully stocked and outfitted for an extended stay should the apocalypse ever occur – never mind the fact that the seventieth floor of the tallest building in a city sitting on an elevated platter was probably the last place one would want to be during a planet-decimating crisis…

The truth was… it was essentially just an apartment. A lavishly decorated apartment with all the amenities a member of the upper crust of society could want, yes… but an apartment, none the less. Running the most powerful company on the planet could be both exhausting and time-consuming. Occasionally, his father was simply too tired to be bothered with traveling across town to sleep in his own bed. And sometimes, he simply needed a quick break from the daily grind. That was the only ‘secret’ of the hidden room in his office. It was a retreat from a stressful job. And Rufus planned to make good use of it tonight.

After all… he deserved it, didn’t he? His day had been trying to say the least.

He briefly sent an updated text to his father, informing him of his plans… lest the Turks be sent out to scour the city searching for him… and shut the door behind him, eyeing the hot tub that had turned itself on automatically when he entered.

---

“Fuck, man… how far’s this shit go?” Reno asked, his voice echoing off the walls of the cave. They’d been walking for almost a hour now, in the scant light of Sato’s cigarette lighter and a chunk of materia the rookie had somewhat regretfully broken off of the mako fountain. He still felt a little bad about damaging it… but wandering around in the pitch dark really wasn’t an option.

For awhile, the glow of the fountain itself had followed them as they crept slowly down the tunnel, but by now they’d left it far behind.

“Shh…” Sato shushed him, and paused. Reno, too, stopped dead in his tracks, not sure what had put the other Turk on alert. For a moment, he hardly dared to breath. Suddenly, Sato grinned, the eerie lighting making the expression look more than a little foreboding. “Yeh hear that?”

The redhead blinked in surprise, straining to listen for any unusual sound. It took him a moment to pick it out, it was so faint.

“Sounds like… water?” he ventured. And it did… a soft trickling sound that he could barely make out somewhere in the darkness.

“Aye… ‘n in a cave, where there’s water runnin’, there’s a gotta be a place it’s comin’ in from. Get a move on, rookie… I’m bloody tired o’ this place.”

Reno let the other Turk take the lead again and they carefully made their way along the the narrow passageway. The farther they went the more noticeably damp the walls became and the louder the sound got. After what seemed like ages, they popped out in a much larger chamber… and very nearly walked straight into an underground river.

“Now that’s more like it,” Sato crowed.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Reno breathed, “I’m dyin’ here…”

He dropped to his knees and stuck his head in, pulling in long gulps of ice cold water, only to be jerked upright a moment later.

“Yeh shouldnae drink that…” Sato cautioned him, “Might be perfectly fine… might have all sorts ‘o nasty shite swimmin’ in it. Depends on where it’s comin’ from.”

“I’ll take my chances,” the redhead muttered.

“Heh… suit yerself. But if yeh end up pukin’ yer guts out later, dunnae say yeh weren’t warned.”

Reno scoffed and drank until his stomach started to ache from the sheer amount of liquid now inside it. That done, he leaned back and breathed a soft sigh of relief before glancing up at Sato again.

“How do you know about all this shit anyway?” he asked. The senior Turk shrugged.

“Loved me a good cave back when I was a wee one,” he replied, “Yeh find ’em all over Mideel ‘n my grandad ‘n me I liked ta go ‘n explore ’em. Ma didnae like it one bit, ‘o ‘course… Kept tellin’ us we’d get lost one o’ these days ‘n never back get out again. Never put her foot down ‘n stopped it, though. Think she understood how much Grandad enjoyed it… Heh. I miss that crotchety that old bastard.”

The redhead clambered to his feet again. “Ya know… it’s weird. Almost everyone seems to have these huge families they grew up with. And then there’s me.”

“Not everyone. Kai’s an orphan, too, yeh know. So’s Cissnei, I hear tell,” he replied, and ruffled the teenager’s now sopping wet hair. “‘Sides… yeh ain’t done growin’ up anyway. Yer a Turk, ‘n Turks’re family.” He snickered slightly, “Hell, if yeh want, I’ll drag yeh home with me next visit ‘n introduce yeh as a long lost nephew or some such. One thing the O’Connor clan does well is procreate. We got so many kin runnin’ ’round the planet, not likely anyone’d know the difference if someone snuck in ta the family reunion claimin’ ta be another’un.”

Reno snorted a quiet laugh and shook his head. “Maybe we oughta get outta here first before you start callin’ me your long lost anything…”

“I’s just thinkin’ the same thing,” Sato grinned, “… ‘n I think I got ‘n idea how ta do just that.”

---

Eight-thirty and the sun had quite thoroughly set. Tonight was a gibbous moon, which gave him at least some light to see by, but he’d had to dismount and start walking his chocobo quite some time ago for fear of stumbling over the uneven ground in the dark. Tseng sighed as he realized that further search was likely going to prove fruitless tonight. He’d gone as far north as the coast, even though that was likely far beyond the range two men on foot could have made it in a few hours, and seen no sign of his missing Turks. He’d then started back south, planning to check the foothills of the mountains, but had run out of daylight. It would have to wait until morning now. Thankfully, he’d made decent progress, though, and the distance he still had to travel was relatively short.

He tethered his chocobo to an old dried out tree and broke off several branches to build a fire. At least he’d come prepared for this eventuality. As much of a hurry as he’d been in, he hadn’t let himself entirely forget his training. The Turk lieutenant had retrieved a number of useful items from storage before leaving the city… the first and foremost being a sphere of fire materia, which he used to set the little pile of wood ablaze.

He spread out a bedroll nearby and settled down onto it, gazing into the dancing flames. Wherever Reno was, he prayed he was safe. A part of him felt as though he’d failed the young man. It was his job to protect his rookies, to make sure they returned home no matter what the mission. Even having been forceably removed from the field to prevent this sort of thing from happening, it seemed that those he was responsible for suffered because of his inability to do his job.

The Wutaiian Turk sighed again and reached into his bag, drawing out a ration packet. He’d always hated the damned things, but he’d been in a hurry and they were easy to pack. Trying not to think to hard about what he was about to eat, he tore it open… and then reached for his bag again. He hesitantly rummaged around until he found the little bottle of pills Ward had talked him into taking. The instructions stipulated they be taken with food… though he honestly wasn’t sure whether or not those accursed ration packets qualified as such.

Initially, he’d only agreed to fill the prescription to placate the good doctor. He’d planned on conveniently ‘forgetting’ to take them once there was a record of him having obtained them. But… now he was beginning to reconsider.

If his father knew about this, the criticism would have been immediate. Hiro Itsudake was a hard man who didn’t look kindly upon weakness in any of his sons… but Tseng in particular. He would have said that he had raised Tseng better than to need such a thing. He’d raised him to push through adversity, not succumb to it, and that giving in to anguish was nothing more than weakness of character.

In spite of the many things they disagreed on, Tseng had always tried to live by the way his father had raised him. Those occasions when he looked on his son’s accomplishments with pride were some of Tseng’s most treasured memories.

When he’d left Wutai the last time… he was a traitor and a failure as a son.

Tseng scowled and clenched his fist around the bottle, before angrily twisting it open and dumping one of the pills into his hand. He tossed it back and swallowed before he could change his mind. After all… why should he care now what his father thought of such things? He was nothing to the man anymore. Tseng was done trying to please someone who would never be pleased… who had disowned his own son and labeled him a stranger to his own blood.

Besides which… he had others relying on him. Reno was relying on him. If the Leviathan-be-damned pills might actually help, he’d take them.

---

“Easy there, now…” Sato cautioned him, as the redhead’s shoe slipped off of the slick rock. He managed to hang on, stabilizing himself and finding a better foothold.

“Tch… shoulda at least kept my own damn shoes. These fuckin’ things suck,” he replied, sparing the expensive black leather loafers a brief scowl. They definitely weren’t made for climbing. Hell, judging by the blister that had formed on the back of his right heel over the course of their travels, they weren’t even made for walking. It didn’t help that they were about a half size too tight, as well. He missed his nice, comfy boots.

Sato chuckled softly at the complaint. “We’re almost there,” he replied. He’d been moving just as slowly as the redhead… just not due to his footwear. Reno could hear the pain in his voice, and imagined that this probably wasn’t doing his knee any favors.

The objective of their climb was a ledge that stuck out over the flowing water at the bottom of the chamber, and from which the little river seemed to originate, in a twenty foot or so cascade. It hadn’t looked like too bad a climb from below, but once they’d gotten started, Reno had quickly learned that looks were deceiving. The rocks were wet and worn smooth by the constant stream of water rushing over them… and the ones that weren’t were coated in slimy moss. The climb was slow going, to say the least.

Eventually, though, Sato managed to pull himself up over the lip of the platform, and reached a hand down to the rookie.

“Up yeh get,” he proclaimed when Reno latched onto him, and hauled him upwards, depositing the redhead on the ledge beside him.

“Annnnd… it’s another cave,” Reno sighed at the sight that greeted him. And a small one, at that. The opening from which the water emerged was barely two feet tall… though at least it was wide enough that they wouldn’t feel like the walls were closing in on them. It stretched easily ten feet across. Reno shivered slightly as a cool breeze chilled his soaking wet frame.

“Aye, another cave. But I’ll wager my next paycheck, it’s just what we’re looking fer,” Sato said, grinning. “Yeh feel that air rushin’ in? Yeh dunnae get wind in a cave ‘less it’s comin’ in from outside. That’s our ticket outta here.”

“Hey, Sato?” the redhead replied, with a soft self-deprecating laugh as he crawled into the opening, “The next time I suggest hidin’ from a herd of levikron in a fuckin’ hole in the ground, remind me of this. I think gettin’ pecked to death might’ve been a lot less hassle.”

“Just keep yer arse movin’,” Sato snickered in response, “If we’re quick about it, we might even make it home b’fer next week.”

The passageway grew smaller the farther they went, and the whole way, they were forced to crawl through two or three inches of moving water. And while the rocks beneath him were fairly smooth, they were hard as… well… rocks. It wasn’t long before Reno’s knees were aching and, he suspected, bruised. Still… if this got him the hell out of here, it’d be worth it.

He didn’t really like it down here. It wasn’t so much the darkness or the tight spaces or the endless echoing… It was the fact that he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure there’d be a way out at the end of this tunnel. He was putting all of his trust in Sato on that one. The ceiling dropped down several more inches, and Reno paused and held up the glowing material crystal for a better look.

“Shit… Sato, it’s gettin’ really narrow up here,” he called back, over his shoulder.

“Can yeh fit?” the senior Turk asked.

“Think so… but it’s gonna be a tight squeeze, even for me.”

Sato swore and eased his way forward a bit. “Go on ahead a wee bit, ‘n take a peek. Hate ta say it, but if it gets any worse, we might be turnin’ back.”

The redhead nodded and wriggled his way through the opening. He had to do so almost flat on his belly, and more than once received a face full of cold water for his trouble, but after several seconds of squirming, he suddenly came out in a much larger space on the other side.

“It opens up again back here!” he called back to the other Turk, “Like… really opens up!” And, more to the point, he could actually see the space. There was light coming in from somewhere. He glanced upwards, following the water along towards its source and spotted the opening. “Holy shit! Sato! There’s a way out!”

He heard several loud grunts, followed by more swearing, and a moment later, the Mideelian Turk’s head poked through the narrow opening.

“Ungh… Stupid bloody rocks. Think I’m gonna need a hand here…”

Reno turned and slid down to where the other man was apparently stuck, and grabbed onto one arm, hauling back hard.

“Aye, that’s it… Wee bit more…” Sato said, straining to drag himself through. A moment later, he finally popped free. Reno staggered backwards and landed on his ass in the middle of the stream with a splash. The senior Turk laughed triumphantly and scrambled to his feet. “Well, what are yeh doin’ just sittin’ there, lad? Freedom’s right in front of yeh!”

The redhead grinned and dragged himself out of the water, scurrying after the Turk as he made his way up to the opening. As they got closer, though, Reno’s smile slowly crumbled.

“… Fuck. Sato, there’s no way we’re gettin’ through a hole that small…”

Bright moonlight shown through a opening perhaps five inches wide and as tall as the rookie. Even half starved after not eating all day, that wasn’t enough space for even for the redhead’s slender build to fit through. And Sato had barely made it through the last hole like that. Sato, though, was still grinning widely.

“Nat ta worry,” he chuckled, “I’ve got just the ticket…”

He slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out a small white brick, and tossed it to Reno before switching sides and eventually coming up with a bundle of what looked like wire.

“… You’re outta your fuckin’ mind,” Reno stated, as soon as he realized what he was holding.

“Aye, never claimed otherwise, now have I?” Sato teased. The rookie shook his head.

“Okay, seriously… Did you bring this specifically for this mission or do you just walk around with C-4 in your pocket?”

“Ah, now… I cannae tell yeh all my secrets,” he replied, laughing softly, before turning serious. “This is goin’ ta be loud. And it’s liable ta shake down a few things from above us. Yeh get back there against that wall, cover yer ears, ‘n stay out from under anything that looks loose. Last thing I need is ta have ta explain ta Tseng how yeh got squished by a mountain.”

“Yeah, thanks for that visual…” Reno replied, and quickly moved to obey his instructions. Sato, meanwhile, was molding the plastic explosive into a shape he could wedge into their soon-to-be escape route. That done, he inserted the detonator and backed away, leaving a trail of thin wire behind him. When he reached the redhead’s position, he carefully fitted it to a tiny box about the size of his palm.

“Ready, then?” he queried. Reno stuck his fingers in his ears and nodded. Sato cackled gleefully. “Fire in the hole!”

The boom that followed was so painfully loud, Reno was half convinced, he’d blown out his eardrums even with the precautions he’d taken.

---

Tseng was jerked awake by an explosion that seemed to rock the very foundations of the planet. His chocobo warked in panic, pulling desperately at her tether in an attempt to run away. The Turk shoved aside his sleeping bag and leapt to his feet, hurrying to try and calm the animal before he was left without transportation.

What in the Nine Hells had that been?

His first thought was the operation back in Midgar. Tres had mentioned his suspicion that the weapons shipment might well contain explosives. He quickly dismissed the idea, however. It had been much too close to have come from Midgar. He’d quite literally felt the tremors from that blast. Whatever had exploded, it was nearby.

He glanced down at his watch in the light of his campfire. It was nearing eleven… if the purchase had been scheduled for midnight, the smugglers may not have reached the city yet. Was it possible that their load had exploded en route?

He frowned. If that were the case, he should go and verify it. If the sellers weren’t going to be showing up, it could have implications for the operation in progress and the team needed to know about it.

He couldn’t be entirely certain, but the blast had seemed to come from a bit farther to the south, somewhere in the foothills. He hurriedly doused his fire, and climbed aboard his still somewhat skittish chocobo, setting out at a slower than he would have preferred pace in the moonlight.

---

Reno found himself pressed tightly against the rock wall of the cave, his ears ringing slightly, with Sato shielding him from any debris that may have been sent their way. The sound of the explosion was still reverberating faintly off the interior of the cave system as he peered around the other Turk. As the dust began to clear from the air, moonlight once against streaked in… this time through a much larger opening. Sato, too, turned to take a look as the redhead grinned.

“Heh… Gotta admit, Sato. You might be completely crazy, but ya do good work.”

The other Turk laughed, and ruffled the teenager’s hair. “Let’s get the hell outta here, eh?”

Reno couldn’t have agreed more. He followed Sato up the small embankment, and out into the open air of the plains. The redhead took a deep breath, smiling faintly, overwhelmingly glad to be free once more. Even thinking of the long walk back to Midgar wasn’t enough to take away from this moment.

The sharp squawk and shadowy figure that was approaching from out of the darkness, however… that was enough to snap him back to reality.

“Oh, shit… another levikron?!” he hissed. Sato, however, let out a loud guffaw.

“Yeh need yer eyes examined, laddie… That’s just a wee harmless chocobo.”

Reno snorted in contempt. “Nothin’ ‘harmless’ about a fuckin’ chocobo…”

“Sato?! Reno?!” a familiar voice called from out of the night, and the rookie suddenly realized that the chocobo had a rider.

“Tseng!” the redhead called back, and scrambled down the rocky hillside towards his mentor.

“Ha! Seems we’ve got us a ride home after all!” he heard Sato say as he, too, began the descent. Tseng slid down from the bird’s saddle and closed the distance between them on foot. As he reached Reno he grabbed him, looking him over as best as he could in the moonlight.

“Are you hurt? Where in Leviathan’s name have you two been?”

“Long story,” Sato chuckled, “And I’m too damned beat ta tell it before I get some dinner in me. I assume yeh brought food… ?”

“Back at my camp,” Tseng replied, “It’s not far.”

It wasn’t long before Reno found himself being escorted across the plains, his mentor’s arm firmly wrapped around him – and his jacket draped over his wet clothes to keep out the chill of the stiff wind that was blowing – to the Turk lieutenant’s tiny campsite. Sato had, with some assistance, managed to climb astride the chocobo, his knee having finally given out on him after the prolonged abuse it had suffered. Soon, they were settled around the reignited campfire and Reno had been handed a small silver packet.

“I’m afraid you’ll find that military field rations are not especially appetizing… but it’s all I have with me,” he said, apologetically.

“Right now, I’m so hungry, I’d eat dirt,” the redhead declared.

“Heh… Dirt might be preferable ta these things,” Sato snickered, tearing his open. Reno rolled his eyes and followed suit.

“As much as I wish I could say he was exaggerating…” Tseng chuckled, “He’s not.”

The rookie rifled through the packet and found three smaller envelopes. He opened the largest one, first, revealing some sort of mushy, vaguely pasta-like mass that smelled strongly of canned tomatoes. He downed it in a matter of seconds and turned his attention to the next item in the packet.

“He dinnae even flinch!” Sato said, shaking his head.

“Hungry…” the redhead mumbled around a mouthful of freshly opened mixed vegetables in a thick sweet and sour sauce. The third packet contained a chocolate chip cookie which, likewise, vanished in the blink of an eye. His meal finished, he yawned widely.

Tseng’s hand lightly rubbed his protege’s back. “On second thought… We’ll save the debriefing for morning. You both look exhausted.”

---

It was nearly time for the meet up. Both the smugglers and the Wutaiian agents would be arriving soon. It was actually more than likely that at least some of them were already here, staking the rendezvous point out, and making sure no one was watching.

But of course, someone was watching. Several someones, in fact.

Still… Rude hadn’t caught site of them yet. He was certain they were there, though. He scanned the immediate area through the scope on his rifle one more time before leaning back into the shadows again with a slightly frustrated sigh.

Suddenly, his PHS vibrated in his pocket. He reached for it, and flipped it open noting the arrival of a new text message. His heart shot straight into his throat when he saw that it was from Tseng. He swallowed sharply, almost not daring to open it. What if it was bad news? Finally, though, he forced himself to press the button to view the message… and had he not been in the middle of a clandestine field op, he would have shouted his relief to anyone who could hear him.

‘Reno and Sato are safe with me. No serious injuries.’

He had to read it six times before he was finally convinced he’d understood correctly. His elation had to quickly be set aside however, as movement on the ground caught his eye. Rude shoved the phone back into his pocket and moved again to the rifle, before pressing the talk button on his headset.

“I’ve got one incoming…”

~end chapter 87~