Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 21: Where There’s Smoke

He jerked awake, startled, hand instinctively reaching beneath the pillow, fingers curling around the grip of his sidearm before he even knew what had woken him. All was silent and still as tired eyes focused in on the clock beside his bed.

“The fuck…?” he muttered. He hadn’t woken on his own at three thirty-two in the morning, he was certain of that. He jumped, finger tensing on the trigger, as a sharp pounding echoed through his apartment. Well, that would certainly explain why he was awake… it took him a moment to realize that the sound was someone knocking on his door. Insistently.

Reno groaned. “Whoever it is, someone better be tryin’ to kill ya… ’cause if you woke me up for any other reason, I’m gonna,” he muttered under his breath as rolled out of bed, the gun still in his hand. The cool night air on his bare skin made him flinch. He briefly considered finding some clothes before he opened the door, but by now the knocking was almost incessant.

‘Fuck it,’ he thought, making his way into the living room, still naked, ‘They woke me up, they can deal with the consequences…’

“Alright, alright…” he moaned, hopefully loud enough for his inconsiderate guest to hear, “I’m comin’ for Ifrit’s sake…” Either they didn’t hear, or they just ignored him, because the knocking continued, unabated. He debated whether or not he ought to be aiming the gun when he opened the door… he doubted very much that anyone planning to attack would bother knocking, but it would certainly be a memorable experience for whoever it was. Especially if he looked as pissed off as he currently felt.

He decided that he wasn’t quite awake enough to trust himself not to shoot on sight, however, and kept the weapon pointed at the floor as he yanked the door open.

“You got any idea what time…” he growled, only to cut himself off mid-sentence. He blinked, shaking his head to clear it, but no… his second look at the person at his door was the same as the first. “… ‘Lena?”

She looked like she was half asleep herself. Hell, she looked like she’d just rolled out of bed moments before he had. She was barefoot and dressed in dark green pajamas. Her hair – still noticeably red from her most recent mission, though the color had finally begun to fade from the vibrant shade it had been to more of a strawberry blond – was a mess… and she was shivering. In her hands, she was clutching the bars of a small cage, inside of which a very agitated ferret was racing back and forth from one side to the other.

“… My apartment’s on fire…” she said, blearily… almost emotionlessly.

“Uhh… ‘kay…” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, particularly since Elena herself seemed more than a little out of it at the moment. He finally managed to shake himself from his shock and pulled her into the apartment, closing the door behind her. He sat her down on the couch and took the cage from her, setting it on the coffee table. “Stay right there…”

Reno headed for his bedroom, and pulled on a robe before grabbing a spare blanket. He returned to his troubled rookie moments later, finding her rubbing her arms trying to warm up.

“Hang on,” he said softly, as he wrapped the blanket around her, his fingers brushing against the exposed flesh of her arms. “Fuck, ‘Lena, you’re half frozen…” he gasped. He wasn’t sure if it was the concern in his voice of the sudden warmth against cold skin, but she seemed to snap out of her near-robotic state of mind at last.

“I was in the parking lot for awhile, watching. Everyone thought it would be out quickly and we could go back inside… it didn’t seem like that big of a fire at first. It’s really cold outside…”

“Why the hell didn’t you call me? Or Tseng? Or Rude? Any one of us woulda come and got you,” he asked.

Elena shook her head. “I didn’t have time to grab anything other than Snuffy. And I couldn’t find anyone with a phone.”

“How’d ya get here, then?” he wondered.

“I keep a spare car key in a little box in the wheel well. In case I lock myself out…”

He tried not to think too hard about Elena behind the wheel in the state she’d been in a few minutes ago. She shuddered violently beneath the blanket.

“Okay… well, first things first. We need to get you warm,” he said, slipping under the blanket with her, and pulling her towards him. She curled against him, laying her head on his shoulder and lapsed into silence for a short while.

“What time is it?” she suddenly asked, the spacy, half-asleep tone back in her voice.

“Three thirty-somethin’… why?”

“Sorry…” she murmured.

“For what?” he asked, incredulously.

“Waking you up so late… early… late?” She looked up at him, her expression one of utter confusion.

“‘Lena, I think you need some sleep. You’re not thinkin’ straight right now,” he replied, worried. Something was off with her. In fact, if it had been just about anyone else, he’d have guessed she was on something.

“I feel strange,” she sighed, laying her head back down.

Or had been given something.

“You weren’t out anywhere tonight, were ya? Before the fire?” he ventured. She shook her head.

“… You take anything tonight I should know about?” he asked, though he very seriously doubted it. Elena just wasn’t the type to be into recreational shit. She barely even drank. Another shake of the head confirmed that.

“Anyone give ya anything to eat or drink before ya started feelin’ like this?”

“Mmmhmm…” she hummed softly against his neck.

“What?” he pressed her.

“Coffee,” she said, drowsily, “He had coffee for everyone… It was cold outside.”

Crap.

“Okay…” he replied, trying to keep him tone even, “‘Lena… don’t move, ‘kay? I’m gonna go get dressed, and then I’m takin’ you to the emergency room.”

“It was terrible coffee…” she mumbled as he gently laid her down on the couch. Reno rushed to grab some clothes, along with his PHS and his keys, dressing quickly. When he returned, Elena was barely conscious.

“‘Lena?” he prodded, tapping her cheek with the palm of his hand, trying to rouse her, and swearing loudly when he couldn’t. “Yeah… We’re outta here,” he said, picking her up, blanket and all, and carrying her out door.

---

Tseng groaned as the obnoxiously insistent ringing jarred him from a sound sleep. He rolled onto his stomach, one hand feeling along the night table by the bed until his hand closed around his PHS.

“Tseng here,” he answered, trying to sound as awake as possible.

“I’m at Midgar General in the ER. It’s ‘Lena,” his lieutenant’s voice replied back, and Tseng suddenly no longer had to try to sound awake.

“What happened?” he asked, righting himself and sitting up in bed.

“Not sure,” Reno said, and Tseng could hear the concern in his voice, “All I know is that there was a fire, and they evacuated her building. ‘Lena showed up at my place actin’ like a damn zombie… Then she passed out and I couldn’t wake her up again, so I brought her in.”

“Drugged?” the Turk leader asked, pulling clothes from his closet.

“Sure was actin’ like it… haven’t got an answer from the docs yet, though.”

“Any idea how?”

“Maybe. Said someone was passin’ out coffee at the fire. Didn’t have time to get much more out of her.”

“I’m leaving now… Ten minutes,” Tseng assured him, “In the mean time, call Ward.”

“Should I wake up Rude, too?”

“I’ll do it,” he replied, “You focus on Elena.”

He ended the call and finished dressing, before dialing Rude’s number. It rang only twice.

“Rude,” the man’s voice intoned over the connection, sounding surprisingly alert for it being barely four in the morning. He half-wondered if he’d woken him at all.

“I’m on my way to Midgar General,” said Tseng. He collected his keys from the hook by the door, and exited his apartment, heading straight for his car.

“What’d Reno do now and how bad is it?”

“Not Reno. Elena,” he clarified.

“… I’ll meet you there.”

---

“How is she?”

Reno jumped, startled beyond belief. “Fuck, Tseng… ya tryin’ to put me in the hospital, too?” he cried, before taking a breath, “She was out cold last they let me see her. They’re still waitin’ on blood tests to find out what the hell’s in her system. Won’t tell me shit.” He glared in the general direction of the nurse’s station.

To be fair, he probably wasn’t at his most endearing at the moment. If it hadn’t been four in the gods-forsaken morning, and if he hadn’t been worried half to death about the rookie, he’d probably have come across as a whole lot less threatening – and a lot more charming – when he’d questioned the two young women currently on duty there. As it was, he was pretty sure they’d been about five seconds away from calling security on him before he’d finally realized he wasn’t doing himself any favors and backed off.

“How are you?” Tseng asked.

“Oh, I’m just fucking terrific,” he ground out, thoroughly annoyed, for some reason, by Tseng’s ridiculously calm demeanor. “‘Lena’s in a fucking hospital bed, none of these assholes are tellin’ me anything, and where the fuck is Ward, anyway? Her place is three goddamn blocks from here.”

“Sit down,” he said, “Calm down. And then tell me what happened.”

Reno sighed. Tseng was right… he needed to stop before he drove himself crazy. He sat down on one of the decidedly uncomfortable waiting room chairs, the Turk leader joining him.

“Told ya already,” he began, “She just showed up. Woke me up knocking on the door ’bout three thirty. She was kinda… robotic… at first. First thing she said to me was ‘My apartment’s on fire’ like it was somethin’ that happened every day.”

“How did she manage to get to your apartment at all?”

“She fucking drove,” Reno replied, running a hand through his hair. He still had trouble believing it, himself, “No idea how she managed to make it in one piece. She was really spaced out.”

Tseng suddenly shifted his gaze over Reno’s shoulder, and the redhead turned to do the same, spotting Rude on his way through the doors, Justinia Ward making her way in alongside him.

“Well, now this is a first, isn’t it? Thought I must still be dreaming when you were the one waking me up in the middle of the night. Usually, yer the one I’m being woken up for.”

Reno scowled as he stood to meet the woman. He was in no mood to deal with the woman’s abrasive bedside manner just now. Whatever he’d intended to say, however, was forgotten a moment later.

“Don’t yeh worry. I’ll check in on her for yeh. Find out what’s going on…” Dr. Ward said, ruffling his hair… an action that earned her an even deeper scowl, in spite of his gratitude for her assistance… and made her way back towards the treatment rooms.

“What’s going on?” Rude asked.

“We’re not entirely certain yet,” Tseng replied, “Elena appears to have been drugged. How, why, and by whom, however, are questions we have yet to answer. Apparently there was a fire. Her building was evacuated… and she somehow managed to drive herself to Reno’s despite being rather out of it at the time.”

“She was freezing when she got there, too,” Reno added, “Kinda came to her senses for a couple of minutes and said she’d been outside for awhile while they were putting the fire out. So I tried gettin’ her warmed up, and she started slippin’ again. Got real confused and sleepy. By then it was pretty obvious somethin’ wasn’t right, so I started tryin’ to get some information outta her. All she really told me was that she felt strange, and that it started after someone gave her some coffee at the fire. Then she passed out and I brought her straight here.”

“And a good thing yeh did, too,” Ward’s voice gravely interrupted, “If yeh’d just left her ta sleep it off, like a lotta people would’ve… she’d be dead right now.”

Reno felt himself go cold, and judging by the sudden concerned look on Tseng’s face and steadying hand at his back, he was pretty sure he’d gone pale as well.

“Yeh don’t need ta panic… She’s alright. Relatively speaking,” Ward continued, “… But she did stop breathing for a moment there.”

“What the fuck do you mean, she stopped breathin’?” Reno asked.

“Well, I thought I was fairly clear with that,” Ward said, “I mean she stopped breathing. For about a minute, they said… If yeh want the medical lingo for what happened, then yeh can call it acute respiratory depression leading to arrest. She’s on a ventilator right now, which sounds much worse than it really is. Soon as this clears outta her system, she’ll be just fine. It’s waiting for it to run its course that’s going ta be the unpleasant part.”

“I take it then, they’ve figured out what she was given?” Tseng concluded.

“They’ve got a general idea. Could be any one of several things in the same family. The good news is that the treatment doesn’t vary between ’em, so even if they can’t determine exactly which one it is, they know what ta do for her,” the doctor replied.

“So… what was it? Generally?” Reno queried.

“Opiate of some sort,” she said, “I’d put money on it being one that’s been popular lately, goes by the name of Sentience. She woulda been alright if she’d gotten a normal dose. Woulda left her a bit feeling euphoric and relaxed most likely… Whoever gave it to her either didn’t know the dosage, or was tryin’ ta hurt her. She’s got close ta six times what’d be considered safe in her right now.”

Reno growled low in his throat. Whoever had done this was going to pay for it. Painfully.

“Rude… Go to Elena’s apartment building and see what’s going on. I want to know if this happened to anyone else,” Tseng said, interupting Reno’s violent train of thought.

“… You worried she was targeted?”

“I’d like to rule it out at least.”

Rude nodded, and turned to go.

“I’m comin’ with you,” Reno said.

“No… you’re not,” Tseng replied.

“Like hell I’m…”

“You’re not going with Rude, because you’re going back to your apartment. Check Elena’s car, see if she happened to bring along that coffee cup. If that was indeed the source of the drug, it narrows our search to those at the scene of the fire. If not, our haystack gets quite considerably larger,” he said, neatly cutting the redhead off. He smiled lightly, “And while you’re there, you might also consider arming yourself, and putting on something a bit more conducive to tracking down a possible attempted murderer.”

Reno glanced down at himself, realizing that he was still wearing the first things he’d managed to grab from his laundry basket in the dark… which as it happened, was a pair of worn sweatpants and a ragged Petrified Zolom concert shirt from about two years ago that he’d actually thought he’d already thrown out. On top of that, as Tseng had mentioned, he’d left without any weapons.

“Then you may join Rude,” Tseng added.

“They’ll be admitting Elena and moving her upstairs shortly. Yeh can see her for a moment before they take her, if yeh like,” Ward said, “She’s still unconscious, and probably will be for quite awhile yet.”

The three of them followed the doctor back to one of the rooms. Elena was so very still… As much as Reno tried to tell himself that she was only asleep, it brought him little comfort. This never seemed to get any easier. He’d seen Rude in a similar state more than once over the years… Tseng, as well. The dread it filled him each time with never seemed to lessen. It was somehow much worse when it was Elena, though… she looked so much more fragile lying there than either of the two men would have. He knew better, of course… Elena was far from fragile… but it didn’t make looking at her right now any less painful.

“Go… both of you,” Tseng said a moment later, “I’ll stay with her.”

---

The first thing Reno did when he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex was track down Elena’s car. He found it without too much trouble… it was parked askew across a narrow stretch of landscaping, the driver’s side door still open.

He ducked inside, settling into the driver’s seat. The keys were even still in the ignition. Elena really hadn’t been with it at all by the time she made it there, he mused. He started the engine and backed the vehicle out, moving it several spaces down. If he left it where it was, odds were good management would have it towed as soon as they found it… which was a headache Elena didn’t need to deal with.

He looked around the neat interior of the car. At first glance, he didn’t see a coffee cup… or much of anything else, for that matter. Elena’s car, much like her apartment always seemed to be, was pristine. It wasn’t until he looked in back that he spotted it on the floor behind the passenger’s seat… a small styrofoam cup. He picked up, mindful of the scant few drops of liquid left inside. As he did so, he noticed something unusual. A small ‘X’ had been written in red ink near the rim of the cup on one side.

Reno frowned… The fact that the cup looked to have been marked wasn’t a good sign. He snapped a quick photo and forwarded it to Tseng and Rude.

His first task completed, he hurried upstairs to his apartment, where he was greeted by the sounds of a very annoyed ferret. He dropped the cup into a sandwich bag, and turned to the creature.

“Hey, Snuffy,” he said, opening the cage and letting him climb onto his shoulder, “Don’t worry… ‘Lena’s gonna be fine.” Snuffy chittered softly by his ear in response. He made sure their shared pet had food and water, and placed him back in the cage, lightly scratching the top of his head.

Reno made his way to the bedroom and stripped off his haphazard outfit, replacing it with his uniform. His mag-rod and gun were quickly located, and moments later he was on his way out the door for the second time that night.

---

The parking lot was lit by bright orange light, as flames enveloped much of the building. Some residents were still huddled in small groups outside, watching in morbid fascination as it burned, but most, by now, had retreated to the handful of businesses in the neighborhood open at so early an hour. A small diner two blocks down was particularly full, as was an all-night laundromat.

The blaze had, according to the people Rude had spoken to, started around two in the morning. It was just after four thirty now, and it seemed that those fighting to contain it still had their work cut out for them. Half the building was in flames. Elena’s apartment, on the far end, seemed to be safe for the moment… though if it wasn’t brought under control soon, it was unlikely to remain so.

His PHS chimed softly, and Rude glanced down at the screen, thumbing open the new message from Reno. His brow furrowed in concern at the picture that loaded. A marked cup usually meant it was intended for someone specific.

He had yet to find anyone who had recognized the man handing out coffee to the displaced residents earlier, and in fact had only the vague description that he’d been short with brown, or possibly black, hair to go on. Most people had been paying more attention to the fire or their families at the time. What he had not found were any more cases of someone being drugged. That, combined with Reno’s discovery, painted a pretty clear picture of Elena being singled out.

The question was why. The most obvious possibility… that she was a Turk… seemed the most likely answer. But if that were the case, why hadn’t any of the rest of them been subjected to any kind of attack? Had Elena been the first, simply by virtue of her being less experienced and thus looking like an easier target?

Or had it been more personal? Don Corneo certainly wasn’t happy at present… though if he was aware of the Turks’ involvement – and Elena’s, specifically – in liberating his young captive a couple of weeks ago, none of his informants had caught wind of it. And if Rude’s eyes and ears in the slums didn’t see or hear anything, it was a rare occurrence indeed.

The possibility that Elena had been targeted for no other reason than that she was a Turk and that he hadn’t heard anything about a possible attack didn’t sit well with Rude at all. Intelligence was his specialty among them, and he prided himself on always being a step ahead of anyone looking to cause trouble for Shinra. If he had somehow failed, and Elena had paid the price for it, it would be some time before he managed to forgive himself for it. As it was, he’d already begun spreading the word among his network that he was looking for information on the attack, but he’d yet to hear anything worthwhile.

The more he thought about his injured teammate, the more his inner monolog began to remind him of Reno when we was particularly enraged. He had no doubt in his mind that, as soon as they found out who was responsible, the redhead would be out for blood. And Rude planned on being right behind him.

For now, however, a cool head was what was needed… something his partner didn’t always excel at. Though in this case, he was having a difficult time of it himself.

---

It was closing in on five o’clock when Reno pulled into the parking lot of Elena’s apartment building, more than a little shocked by the scale of the fire. Rude spotted him long before the redhead zeroed in on his partner, making his way over to him.

“Anything?” Reno asked.

“Not much.”

“What about security cameras?”

“Nothing from the building,” Rude answered, “Footage is stored on equipment in the maintenance office… which is currently on fire. Doubt there’s going to be much of anything left.”

“Fuck.”

Rude smirked. He hadn’t come up completely empty handed. “Might still have a shot at some video, though. Guy was set up over there,” he said, nodding to a corner of the parking lot far from the action, “There’s camera at the complex across the street… looks like it might be able to see it. At least a partial view, anyway.”

“That’s more like it,” Reno replied, “What do we gotta do to see it?”

“Convince the nice, and extremely suspicious, lady at the gate to let two strange men into a building inhabited entirely by young female students, at five in the morning and give us access to their security office,”said Rude.

“Oh, is that all,” Reno said, grinning widely, “Wait here.”

Rude leaned back against a lamp post, and watched the redhead make his way to the gatehouse. He glanced at his watch, noting the time. He almost certainly could have threatened, even forced, his way in on his own… but aside from wanting to avoid unnecessary collateral damage, being allowed in made things infinitely less of a headache. They wouldn’t have to worry about locating where the footage was stored, or being able to access it if the system was well-secured… nor would they have to concern themselves with wasting time explaining what they were doing to the Midgar police force when they were inevitably called. Thus, he’d held off on any attempts until Reno had shown up… the redhead had a distinct talent for talking his way into places he shouldn’t be.

Rude stood up straight when he saw Reno wave him over, and looked down at his watch again. Three minutes, seventeen seconds. He shook his head, chuckling, and quickly joined him in front of the opening gate.

---

This was never an enjoyable part of his job. There were few things he disliked more than waiting for one of his own to wake up in a hospital. It disproportionately seemed to be Reno he was watching over… but he hated seeing any of them hurt. Tseng was far from well-rested, but sleep wouldn’t be claiming him any time soon.

“Yeh could at least sit down,” a voice called quietly from the door.

“I could,” Tseng agreed. He wouldn’t, of course. If he did, he’d only end up feeling more tired than he already did. At least moving around a bit kept the blood circulating.

Dr. Ward huffed in annoyance. “Stubborn, that’s what yeh are,” she commented, handing him a fresh cup of coffee. He smiled gratefully, and turned his attention back to Elena.

“How long will she be like this?” he asked.

“I’d say six more hours, maybe, before they can safely remove that breathing tube. She may wake up before then, but it’s hard ta say. Probably won’t be feeling quite herself for at least twenty-four, though. And I definitely won’t be signing off on her going back to work ’til Monday. Give her Friday and the weekend to recuperate. Yeh heard anything from those two yet?”

“Nothing of substance,” Tseng replied.

“Well, if yeh need me, I’ll be in the staff room. You may yet be young enough to go without sleep… even if yeh shouldn’t… but I’m afraid I’m not.”

“Thank you being here,” he replied, “I forget sometimes just how much we tend to impose upon you.”

“Hmph… you lot do get more than your fair share of my time, that’s for sure,” she commented, smiling slightly as she left, “Yer lucky I’m fond of yeh.”

---

“This is gettin’ us nowhere,” Reno lamented, “The fucker never moves into frame…” They’d watched nearly forty minutes of footage already… and while the person of interest was, indeed visible in the video, they hadn’t seen much more of him than his left hand.

“…”

“Yeah, yeah… I know,” he muttered, “Keep watchin’.” He rubbed at his eyes, and rested his chin on one hand. Suddenly he sat up. He still couldn’t see the man, but another face had caught his attention. “There’s ‘Lena.”

“What’s she doing?” Rude asked, leaning forward. Reno shook his head. She’d taken the cup, but unlike the other people, hadn’t left immediately.

“Think she’s talkin’ to the guy…” Reno replied. Now he was studying the expression on the rookie’s face. She didn’t look concerned or defensive. If anything she seemed… Oh, hell yes, he knew that expression all too well. She was annoyed… in the long-suffering sort of way that had evolved into quiet acceptance of the fact. “Fuck… Rude, I think she knows him. Goddammit, move over you son of bitch…” he growled at the video.

Elena walked away. Once she was gone, the man, too, began to pack things up to leave.

“Only interested in her,” Rude commented, his tone foreboding. The man suddenly leaned down to pick something up. Rude’s hand shot out to the controls, running the footage back a few seconds, and pausing it as he moved into view, shaking his head. “No good,” he muttered, running through it frame by frame, “Can’t see him any clearer than that.”

“Don’t need to,” Reno ground out, glaring angrily at the monitor , “I know exactly who that is…”

---

Tseng answered his phone on the first ring. Technically, he wasn’t allowed to have it on in the rooms, but the hospital staff were well-acquainted with him… and none of them were brave enough to demand the Turk shut it off.

“You have something?” he asked, expectantly.

“Yeah,” Reno replied, anger evident in his tone, “Yeah, we got somethin’ all right. It’s a Shinra employee. We’re at the office. Rude’s checkin’ employee records now for his name and address.”

“How did you find him?”

“Asshole turned up on a security camera. Never get a real good look at him, but I’ve seen the guy enough times to recognize him. Works on nineteen… and he’s been botherin’ ‘Lena in the gym practically since her promotion.”

Tseng frowned. “And you never thought to mention this?” he replied, a little more snappishly than he’d intended.

“… I… honestly didn’t think he was dangerous,” Reno reluctantly admitted, “Neither did ‘Lena.”

“Find him, bring him in, and then contact me before you do anything further” Tseng replied evenly. He’d deal with Reno’s lapse in judgment later, “And Reno… You needn’t bother being gentle.”

“Wasn’t plannin’ on it,” he responded, and ended the call.

---

Reno was unusually quiet. As Rude turned onto the inter-Plate freeway that would take them back into Sector 1, he glanced sideways at his partner. He had a pretty good idea of what exactly was on his mind.

“Wasn’t your fault,” he stated.

“Like hell it wasn’t,” the redhead muttered, “Shoulda gone and kicked his ass the second I found out he was creepin’ on her…” He lapsed back into silence.

“She could’ve done that herself,” Rude pointed out. Obviously, she hadn’t… most likely because, like Reno, Elena hadn’t sensed any real threat from the man – whom they’d identified as Carson March, a clerk with the legal department on the nineteen floor. By all indications, he was a model employee. His file had contained no complaints against him… though there were several glowing letters of commendation from various supervisors.

“Yeah, well… She shouldn’t’ve had to,” Reno replied.

“This is it,” the bald Turk said, nodding toward a condo development. Reno’s mood shifted noticeably, and he cast Rude a smirk.

“Heh… Let’s show this idiot exactly what happens to people who fuck with the Turks…”

---

They hadn’t had any great difficulty gaining access to the man’s condo. He hadn’t even bothered throwing the deadbolt. The two Turks now stood on either side of his bed, where Carson March lay, sleeping soundly.

They’d found a number of interesting items on the way in… rope, duct tape, handcuffs… Not at all what one would expect a legal clerk to have on hand. Reno was less than happy about the implications, though he had quite enthusiastically snatched up the roll of duct tape for his own use. He glanced over at Rude, who nodded.

Reno gave the end of the tape a sharp tug, pulling loose several inches with a loud ripping sound. The man in the bed suddenly found himself no longer so soundly asleep, and as he jerked awake and attempted to sit up, he was quickly forced back by Rude. Reno moved quickly to silence him with the tape.

“For the record, asshole…” he said, coldly, “I’m really gonna enjoy this.”

March stared at the two men, his eyes wide in fear, recognition dawning in the dim morning light. Rude effortlessly flipped him onto his stomach, pulling his arms behind him, giving Reno access to secure them with the tape as well. The same process was applied to his legs before they turned him back over.

“Now I don’t know if you’re stupid or just outta your fuckin’ mind… but it was a big mistake, goin’ after a Turk, pal,” Reno intoned, with a dangerous smile, “Really pisses us off.” He glanced up at Rude. “Shall we?”

The man began pleading, or attempting to do so, through his gag. Reno generally didn’t consider himself a sadistic person… Threatening, terrifying, even beating information out of people was just part of the job. He didn’t take any particular pleasure in it; he didn’t shrink from it, either. But this was one interrogation that he was going to thoroughly enjoy.

Rude hoisted the man bodily over his shoulder and followed the redhead back to the car. He dropped him roughly into the trunk.

“Enjoy the ride,” Rude calmly told him, slamming the lid.

---

“Tseng here,” the Turk leader answered. The PHS had barely even begun to ring before he’d accepted the call.

“We just picked up our guest. You joinin’ us for breakfast?” Reno’s voice, sounding pleased with himself, asked. Tseng gazed over at Elena, unconscious and still, laying on the bed. He was loathe to leave her unattended, but he very much wanted to deal with the man who’d left her in such a condition personally.

“I’ll be along shortly,” he replied, “I trust the two of you can keep him… entertained… until I get there?”

“Oh, sure, Boss… We’ll entertain him. Right into a coma, if ya want.”

“Take him to the sub-basement, then. And don’t get too carried away, Reno. I’d like to have something to do when I arrive.”

“Understood,” he replied, before pausing briefly, “… How’s ‘Lena doin’?”

“No better, no worse,” Tseng stated, “Which, according to Ward, is a good sign. She probably won’t wake for several hours yet, but she’s going to be fine.”

Tseng heard a slight commotion on the other end of the line. Rude’s voice first, though he didn’t catch what was said.

“Ah, fuck,” Reno swore.

“Problem?” Tseng asked, concerned.

“… Not an immediate problem,” his second in command replied with a sigh, “‘Lena’s just gonna have some bad news when she does finally come around.”

“Now what?” he asked, wondering what else could possibly have gone wrong this morning.

“We’re just passin’ her place now,” Reno replied, “Fire’s pretty much out, but the building’s toast. She’s gonna be lookin’ for a new apartment. And, ya know, probably new… everything. Her end didn’t take quite as much damage as most of it, so might be somethin’ left up there to salvage, but… yeah. It’s bad.”

Tseng frowned, and shook his head. As Reno had said… not an immediate problem, but one he didn’t look forward to having to recount to his newest Turk.

“One thing at a time,” Tseng said, ending the call, and striding purposefully out of Elena’s room in search of Dr. Ward.

---

“So… ya got anything to say for yourself?”

“Mmmph! Mmm hmm mmmph mmm!”

Heh… Oh, right. Kinda forgot about that,” Reno said with thinly feigned innocence. He reached out and gripped the corner of the tape, “Lemme just take that off for ya…”

He yanked, hard, tearing the tape, and a good bit of the topmost layer of skin it was stuck to, off of March’s face.

“Mmmmaaaahhhhh!” The scream came, muffled at first, until the tape cleared his lips.

“That hurt?” he asked.

“W-what do you w-want from me?” the clerk stammered, wide-eyed. He was presently seated in a chair in the center of the room while Reno and Rude loomed over him threateningly.

“We want to hear what you’ve been up to,” Rude stated.

“N-nothing!”

Reno glanced sideways at the other Turk.

“Ya hear that, partner?” he said, “Nothin’. Must have the wrong guy.”

“Don’t think so. Sure looks like the guy on the video.”

March paled at that, and Reno smiled cruelly.

“Yeah… we gotcha on video, moron. So let’s try this again. Anything to say for yourself?”

“I… I… wasn’t going to hurt her!” March cried. He was starting to shake, now. “The guy I bought it from said it was good for partying. I just thought if she relaxed a little, she’d be more willing to take me up on my offer of a place to stay. B-because of the fire!”

“Yeah,” Reno sneered, “‘Cause every woman loves bein’ drugged by the sleazeball that harasses them at the gym… I’m sure that’s the first place she’d wanna stay. And I ‘spose the ropes and tape and shit we found at your place were just to make sure she didn’t hurt herself wanderin’ around, right?”

“You set the fire, too?” Rude asked, arms folded across his chest. March stayed silent.

“I’d answer him if I were you,” the redhead prodded, “Before he gets violent.”

Rude cracked his knuckles, threateningly.

“A-alright… alright… yes… I started the fire. T-to get her outside,” March said in a panicked voice, eyes never leaving Rude’s hands. Which was why he never saw it coming when Reno punched him in the face. The Turks’ second winced slightly as teeth grazed his knuckles, opening a gash, but ignored it. March’s lip was bleeding heavily from the wide split that had been opened by the blow. He looked up at the redhead in shock.

“Yeah… probably shoulda warned ya. I tend to get violent a lot faster than he does.”

“W-what is it you want me to say?!” he shouted. Reno snickered, as did Rude.

“Oh, sorry… We’re you under the impression that we wanted information?” Reno asked, grinning.

“You attacked a Turk,” Rude added.

“Put her in the hospital with that shit you slipped her,” Reno all but growled, and though it shouldn’t have been possible, the bound man actually went paler.

“And burned down her home,” Rude finished.

“That’s not somethin’ we’re inclined to just let go with a slap on the wrist,” Reno continued, “But don’t worry… We’re under orders not to kill ya.”

March looked more than a little relieved.

“Wouldn’t relax just yet,” Rude commented. Reno leaned in close, his face inches from March’s.

“Yeah, pal… We don’t get to kill ya. But we do get to keep ya company ’til the boss gets here. And he’s not real happy,” he hissed at him. He stood up, turning to his partner, “So whaddya think, Rude? Any ideas on how we could keep busy while we’re waitin’?”

Rude smirked.

---

Tseng had taken his time making his way to the Shinra Building’s sub-basement. He was in no particular hurry… Reno and Rude had things well in hand, he was certain, and far be it from him to interrupt them early. The hallways in this part of the building were dead silent. Few, beyond a handful of maintenance staff, ever had cause to venture down here.

Which made it the perfect location for conducting some of the more… difficult… interrogations that occasionally fell to the Turks. Or in this case, meting out a little retribution.

Tseng reached his destination, and still all was silent. He swiped his access card, unlocking the door, and pulled it open, breaking that silence.

The first sound that met his ears was a soft, keening whimper from the man in the chair at the center of the room. His face was bloodied, and he looked to be in some amount of pain.

“Was startin’ to wonder if you’d forgotten about us, boss,” Reno said by way of greeting.

“Hardly,” Tseng replied.

“P-please…” the bound man said softly, “T-tell them to s-stop…”

“Reno… See to Elena, if you would,” said Tseng, “Rude, I’ll need your assistance later, but for now, you may go.”

The pair wordlessly exited the room, leaving Tseng alone with their captive.

“Thank you,” March sobbed.

“I doubt very much you’ll be thanking me before long,” the Turk leader replied with an icy glare, roughly grasping the man’s chin and forcing him to look him in the eye, “You drugged and nearly killed one of my Turks. Why?”

“S-she… wouldn’t go out with me…”

“And you thought she’d be more… cooperative… under the influence of whatever it was you gave her?” Tseng said, thoroughly disgusted. In all honestly, that was the response he’d expected, given what Reno had told him of March’s behavior earlier. Hearing it admitted, however, sent a surge of rage through him that he only kept in check through many years of practice. Though judging by the look of abject fear in the man’s eyes, he hadn’t managed to school his expression enough to fully keep how he felt from showing on his face.

“It didn’t seem like it had any effect on her. She left in her car…” he replied, avoiding the question, “P-please… just let me go. I-I’ll never bother her again! I swear!”

“Indeed… you will not be bothering her again. Nor anyone else,” Tseng said, darkly.

---

It was nearly eight thirty in the morning, he realized belatedly as he stepped into the elevator. He and Rude had been at it a lot longer than he’d thought they had… they’d hauled March’s sorry ass into the interrogation room just after five. Tseng had been generous.

A soft chime announced his arrival at the eighth floor recovery ward of Midgar General.

Generous… but a part of him wished his superior had let him stay. He had a feeling he knew exactly what fate awaited Carson March, and wouldn’t have minded sticking around for the show. On the other hand, there was still Elena to be considered, and thinking about her here alone didn’t sit will with him. In the end, he hadn’t raised a complaint, and simply returned to the hospital.

Though, he mused, it might have been wiser if he’d stopped to clean himself up a little better, first. He’d paused just long enough to change his blood-spattered clothes in the gym locker room and wash the worst of the mess from his skin… but clean clothes did little to conceal his hands, the knuckles of which were cut and bruised. At one point, he’d slugged the man so hard he thought he’d actually broken a finger or two in his left hand, though the aching throb had died down considerably by now… he’d have to submit himself to Ward’s tender care and reproachful gaze in the near future, just to be safe. Would probably have to, regardless, since he’d almost certainly need a few stitches to close the particularly nasty gash where his knuckles had met March’s teeth… it was still bleeding sluggishly. He didn’t regret it. March’d had it coming.

He slipped into Elena’s room, finding her much as he’d left her hours earlier… with a tube down her throat to secure her airway, IVs in both arms, and a half dozen or so leads connecting her to various monitors.

“Oh, for Odin’s sake…” a familiar voice cried out in exasperation behind him, “What in the wide world have yeh done to yerself now? Bad enough I’ve already got one of yeh in a bed… just how many more of yeh am I going ta be treating today before yeh let me get a little sleep?”

“Tch… it’s nothin’, Doc,” Reno muttered in an annoyed tone, holding up a hand for display… though, in truth, he was glad to see the doctor was still there with Elena, “Just had a little… conversation… with the guy that did this to ‘Lena.”

Ward seized his arm, pulling his hand toward her.

“Quite the heated conversation, apparently,” she groused, examining the injuries, “Well, sit yeh down, my little headache. I’ll get the suture kit.”

Reno smirked and sat down in one of the chairs by Elena’s bed. Ward returned moments later, kit in hand, and pulled up a chair next to him. He winced as she proceeded to clean every nick, cut, and scratch on his hands with what, given the way it stung, he was half-convinced was pure acid.

“Fuck, Doc… go easy on me. Ya tryin’ to dissolve my skin or what?” he grumbled.

“No, I’m trying ta make sure nothing goes ‘n gets infected. Knowing the sort of ‘conversation’ yeh tend ta have with people that cause yeh trouble, I’d be willing ta bet more’n one of these came from someone’s teeth,” Ward stated, “Now quit yer griping and hold still.”

Reno lapsed into a grudging silence and complied. It wasn’t long before the worst of cuts was sewn closed, and Ward was gently wrapping a long strip of gauze around his knuckles.

“There yeh are,” she said at last, patting his hand lightly above the gauze. He looked at her expectantly, and she rolled her eyes, “Yer just gonna have ta wait, yeh little sugar fiend. I didn’t bring any with me when yeh dragged me outta bed at four ‘o clock this morning.”

“What a ripoff,” he muttered, folding his arms petulantly across his chest, drawing a chuckle from the doctor.

“Come see me when we’re back at work. I’ll let yeh have two ta make up for it,” she promised, “In the mean time… I think someone’s tryin’ ta get yer attention.” She nodded towards the bed. Reno turned quickly, his annoyance at the lack of candy forgotten.

“‘Lena?”

She was looking up at him, very much awake, and looking frightened, as if trying to work out how she’d gotten there. Elena tried to say something, only to panic slightly when she realized she couldn’t.

“Now don’t yeh go tryin’ ta talk just yet,” Ward admonished her, “Everything’s alright. Yeh don’t need ta worry yerself.”

Reno took hold of her hand. “You’re gonna be fine, ‘Lena.”

“Now that yer awake, I think we can safely do without that tube,” Ward said, shooing Reno off so she could get closer to the woman. Reno reluctantly obeyed the unspoken order, backing off and letting her remove it. Elena coughed several times before finally finding her voice.

“Reno? W-what happened?” she asked, sounding a bit hoarse.

“You remember anything?” he asked, pulling the chair closer to the bed and taking a seat next to her.

“Kind of…” she said hesitantly, “I… think I remember a… a fire?”

“Don’t push yerself too hard,” Ward advised, “Yer likely ta be a bit foggy for awhile yet. I’d wager yer probably a might hungry, too, but I’m afraid they’re not going ta let yeh eat for a bit. It’d probably just make yeh sick to yer stomach right now, anyway. Best wait until yeh’ve come down a bit more.” She turned to Reno. “Now you, on the other hand… when’s the last time yeh had anything to eat yerself?”

Reno shrugged. “Last night,” he replied, “Been a little busy this mornin’…”

“I’ll get yeh somethin’, then. No sense in starvin’ the both of yeh.” Ward disappeared into the hallway, leaving the two Turks alone.

“What’s going on?” Elena asked, “Reno, what happened?”

“Someone drugged ya last night. Well… early this morning, really,” Reno explained, “That fire you remember? Guy set it to get you out of the building.”

“S-so… Someone’s trying to kill me?”

“Planned on takin’ ya home with him, not killin’ ya. Guy was an idiot and fucked up on how much he gave ya,” he said, stroking back her hair. He grinned. “You kinda fucked up his genius plan, though. Took off in your car before the shit had a chance to kick in, and turned up at my place. I brought ya here.”

“Then… someone’s out there, trying to kidnap me,” Elena stated, shuddering slightly.

“Don’t need to worry about that,” Reno replied gently, “Me ‘n Rude tracked him down. Tseng’s… uh… dealing with him… as we speak.”

“Who?”

Reno’s shoulders sagged slightly. “Someone I shoulda dealt with myself soon as you told me he was bein’ a total creep in the gym.”

“Wait… Creepy Gym Guy tried to…”

“Yeah,” he said, “Yeah, I know… We both kinda wrote him off as harmless. Like I said, though… you don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

“So he’s…”

“Be glad you’ll never be on the receiving end of Tseng’s temper when he’s truly enraged, ‘Lena. I know I am,” said Reno, “Can’t say I feel too sorry for that son of a bitch, though.”

“Should it worry me that I don’t find that nearly as disturbing as I think I ought to?”

“Nah,” Reno laughed, “Perfectly normal. Ya know… for a Turk.”

Elena’s gaze lingered on Reno’s bandaged hands for a moment. “What happened to you, anyway?”

“Hell, someone had to soften him up for Tseng,” Reno shrugged, “Not a big deal. Did more damage to him than to myself. Probably shoulda swiped Rude’s gloves before I really laid into him, though. Woulda saved me some stitches.”

Elena suddenly laughed softly, covering her mouth as though trying to hide it. Reno arched an eyebrow, curious.

“What?” he asked.

“I-I think I must still be a little loopy,” Elena giggled, “I was just thinking… that’s one of the nicest things anyone ever done for me…”

“Nothin’ says ‘I care’ like beating the shit outta someone, huh?” Reno smirked, “Any time, ‘Lena. You need someone’s ass kicked, just point me at him.”

Elena’s slightly uncontrollably giggling continued for a few more minutes before she finally sobered a bit.

“So… what happens now?” she asked.

“Eh… Carson March disappears. Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s done that around here,” said Reno, “Sounded like Rude’ll be handling things for the most part. Meanwhile, I’m babysitting.”

Elena scowled indignantly at him. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she replied.

“Okay, fine… guard duty, then,” Reno grinned.

“Which sounds suspiciously like a nicer term for babysitting,” Elena pointed out, “So… did Dr. Ward say when I can go home?”

Reno’s smile faded. He hadn’t been looking forward to this. “Uh… about that,” he began, “So, ya know that fire?”

“W-what’s wrong?” she asked hesitantly, “How bad was it? … It’s really bad, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know exactly…” Reno confessed, “We only saw it from the street. But… yeah, it looked pretty bad. I… don’t think there’s gonna be much left.”

“Oh… oh, no…” Elena said softly. Reno could already see the tears forming.

“It’ll be alright, ‘Lena,” he said quickly, “Me and Rude are gonna get in there as soon as we can and see what can be salvaged, and ’til we can find you a new place, you’re gonna be stayin’ in Tseng’s guest room.”

“I-it’s not that…” she said sniffling, as a tear rolled down her face, “It’s… Snuffy…”

“Shh, ‘Lena… Snuffy’s fine,” he assured her.

“H-he is?”

“Yeah,” Reno said, grinning, “You had him with you when you showed up at my door. He’s safe and sound at my place. Don’t worry.”

Elena visibly relaxed, and Reno gently wiped the tear from her cheek. She suddenly giggled again, and Reno shook his head at her rapidly shifting moods. Ward was right… this definitely wasn’t completely out of her system yet.

“What’s so funny, now?” he asked.

“It’s just… you didn’t freak out,” she said, still giggling. The red head stared at her, a slightly confused look on his face. “You always get so bent out of shape when I start crying…”

“Ah, gimme a break, ‘Lena,” he said, chuckling, “I’ve been up since three a.m., haven’t eaten a damn thing since dinner last night, spent three hours kickin’ a guy’s ass… I’m too damn tired to react normally to shit like that.”

“Poor thing,” said a voice from the doorway, the sarcasm obvious, “But, I suppose I can at least feed yeh.” Ward had returned, carrying a tray of food. “If yeh can call what they serve in the hospital cafeteria ‘food’, that is. Makes the Shinra Building’s offerings look almost gourmet…”

“Can’t be that bad,” Reno snorted, “‘Sides… You know I’ll eat just about anything.”

He grinned as Ward set the tray down, and lifted the cover.

“I stand corrected. It actually can be that bad,” Reno said, “What the hell is it?”

“That, I do believe, is tofu.”

“Why is it… gray?” he asked. He poked the bite-sized cubes with the fork. He wasn’t intimately acquainted with the food, but gray was not a color he generally associated with edible.

“I haven’t the faintest,” Ward replied. Reno eyed it suspiciously. At least the other items on the tray were recognizable, and seemed fairly safe. He shrugged.

“Ah, what the hell. It poisons me, least I’m already in the hospital,” he sighed, spearing a chuck and shoving it in his mouth. It actually wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked. He wouldn’t venture as far as to say it was good… but he’d had much worse. Elena was watching him somewhat incredulously, as he started in on it in earnest.

---

Elena had been released that evening, and sent off with Reno, with strict orders to take it easy for a day or two. Reno, in turn, had delivered her to Tseng’s apartment, where she had been met by both her absent colleagues and installed in Tseng’s guest room… despite much protest that she was fine, and didn’t need to be treated like an invalid. Snuffy, it was decided, would remain with Reno… secretly, since he wasn’t technically permitted to keep the ferret in his building… until Elena was settled somewhere new.

Since she had been barred from the office until the following Monday, Elena had spent much of her Friday bored out of her mind. She was quickly beginning to understand why Reno so thoroughly hated being laid up.

What she really wanted to do was pay a visit to her apartment and see what – if anything – she could rescue from the ashes. Tseng, however, obviously used to dealing with Reno more often than not, had ordered her, specifically, not to even think about going alone. By noon, she was watching the clock, counting the minutes until the work day ended and Tseng would return home, so she could hopefully talk him into going with her.

By four o’clock, she’d fallen asleep on the couch watching reruns of Shadow & Sword.

When she woke, she found herself staring, not at the television, as she had been when she’d drifted off, but directly into a pair of blue eyes. Elena yelped in surprise, and instinctively shoved the owner of said eyes away from her.

Reno landed with a soft thud on the floor, snickering.

“Reno!” she yelled, glaring at the man.

“What? Just seein’ if you were awake or not,” he said, innocently.

“Clearly she is,” Tseng’s voice spoke from the opposite side of the room, somewhat disapprovingly, “Now, at any rate.”

“Ah, come on, boss… You know she was just waitin’ for us to get here,” he said, still sitting calmly on the floor right where he’d landed, “She’s probably been going nuts all day wantin’ to check out the mess at her place.”

Elena sat up, and looked over her shoulder at the Turk leader, who shook his head and sighed. “He’s right, isn’t he?” he said, smiling slightly.

“Er… Yes, sir,” she replied, a little embarrassed. Had she really been that obvious?

“And that’s why I’m here,” Reno added, scrambling to his feet so that he could pull Elena to hers, “You wanna go now?”

“Absolutely,” she said, eagerly. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing her home in ruins, but she’d feel much better knowing the extent of the damage instead of just worrying about it.

“At least try to be careful,” Tseng advised them.

“All were doin’ is walking into a condemned building that was on fire less than forty-eight hours ago. What could possibly go wrong?” Reno asked.

“I’ll have Ward on standby,” Tseng dryly responded. Reno grinned, and escorted Elena out the door.

The drive to her apartment was uneventful, and as they pulled into the parking lot, she got her first look at the destruction. Reno hadn’t been exaggerating. The building really was beyond saving. Most of the east end had already crumbled. The west end, where her apartment had been located, was still mostly intact, structurally, but evidence of flames was readily apparent.

“You sure you wanna do this? I mean, me and Rude were gonna head in there tomorrow and grab anything that looked like it could be saved anyway. So if you’d rather not…”

“I’m here, I might as well take a look,” she replied, climbing out of the car. The two of them made their way up the stairs to the second floor, and then to Elena’s apartment.

“Watch where ya step,” Reno cautioned, as she was pushing open the door ahead of him, “I don’t think things are real structurally sound up here.”

Elena stepped inside, her chest constricting painfully as she took in the devastation. She’d known it wasn’t going to be pleasant, but this… this was far beyond what she’d imagined. And far more shocking. Nothing on the east wall seemed to have been left untouched. Photos incinerated, their frames barely recognizable, furniture charred beyond repair, books and DVDs burnt to nothing… Things were slightly less crispy farther from the wall, but the damage was still significant. And that was to say nothing of the water damage left over from putting out the fire.

Reno let out a low whistle when he saw it. “Damn,” he said softly.

“I’m not sure anything can be saved,” Elena said, sadly.

“Ah, don’t be so pessimistic,” Reno countered, “Living room might be a total loss, but the kitchen doesn’t look that bad, and the far wall’s barely even singed. Bedroom might still be okay.”

“You think?” she asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Reno said shrugging as he set off across the floor, which creaked ominously under his weight. Elena followed, mindful of where she stepped. They reached the bedroom, and Reno nudged the half-closed door open and grinned.

“Heh… Told ya so,” he smirked. Elena slipped in beside him, looking around. Aside from the strong smell of smoke that seemed to permeate the entire apartment, and a distinct dampness in the air from the water that had been poured on the building, the bedroom was more or less intact. She sighed in relief. Not everything was gone.

“It’s gettin’ dark,” Reno pointed out, “Grab anything important… we can worry about the rest tomorrow.”

“Right,” she said, hurrying to the closet, and pulling out a suitcase. She quickly set about gathering up photos and other items that held sentimental value: her mother’s wedding ring, the doll she’d had since she was a little girl, the silver figurine Reno had given her after Hell Week, and more… She grabbed a few changes of clothes as well, since she really had nothing at Tseng’s apartment, save what the Turk leader had kindly retrieved from her locker at work. They would have to be washed first to get the scent of smoke out, but that was a minor inconvenience.

The last thing she did was strip the quilt off her bed. Her grandmother had made it for her years ago, and she was relieved it had survived.

“I… think that’s everything I’d really hate to lose,” she said, looking around the room.

“Good… let’s get outta here,” Reno replied, “Rude ‘n me’ll take care of the rest.” He took the suitcase from her and walked her out. They loaded the retrieved possessions into Reno’s car. “So… you wanna head back to Tseng’s, or stop by my place and see Snuffy? I think he misses you. We can pick up…”

Reno’s question was cut off as he suddenly found Elena’s arms wrapped tightly around him. He grinned widely as she released him a moment later.

“What was that for?” he asked, chuckling.

“For everything. For being you,” Elena replied.

~fin~