Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 33: Crash

“Come on ‘Lena… you really tellin’ me you’ve never at least thought about it?” Reno asked, grinning at her. The rookie rolled her eyes.

“No… because I’m not a total perv. And we’re on duty. We can’t just…”

“We’re on lunch… That’s personal time,” he quickly pointed out. Elena hesitated… he was technically right about that. Though technically they were also on call… “The longer ya take to decide, the less time ya have to enjoy it…”

The redhead pulled her eagerly along the hallway.

“Seriously, ‘Lena… our floor’s off limits to ninety-nine percent of staff. Heidegger’s in Junon today, and Tseng ‘n Rude are the only other people who have any business bein’ up here… and they’re both eatin’ lunch downstairs right now. Hell, even if they did come back up early, they’ll be clear on the other side of the building. They’ll never know… ya know, unless you’re plannin’ on tellin’ ’em all about it later…” he added, suggestively. Elena lightly punched him in the shoulder.

“Would you please get your filthy mind out of the gutter?” she laughed.

“What fun would that be?” He finally paused in front of a nondescript door. One of several in this particular hallway. “So?”

“I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this… This is so completely wrong.”

“Which is what makes it’s such a great idea. Come on… I’ve always wanted to do this.”

She snorted softly. “You mean to tell me you haven’t?”

“Yeah… well… Fun is fun, but Tseng’d kill me if he ever found out I brought someone who didn’t have clearance into headquarters. I’d rather stay alive. So… ?”

Elena sighed. She couldn’t say no at this point… the redhead’s excitement was too contagious. And as much as she hated to admit it, the idea was just a little thrilling…

“Okay…” she said at last. The redhead’s grin widened, and he pushed open the door, ushering her inside.

---

Tseng frowned as he and Rude exited the elevator. They’d both received the alert from the alarm system. No one should have been up here right now. Reno and Elena had gone out for lunch, and he and Rude obviously hadn’t been around to set it off. Which meant that someone was prowling around the sleeping quarters in Turks headquarters in their absence… and he was damn well going to find out who.

When they reached the hall, it wasn’t hard to figure out where their mysterious trespasser was hiding. There were muffled sounds coming from one of the little rooms.

“Keep quiet,” the Turk leader intoned, one hand already drawing his weapon. Suddenly, they heard a cry… almost a scream. The two men shared a brief glance and then rushed the room, shouldering open the door. The sight that greeted them wasn’t exactly what either of them expected… though the second scream that followed their rather dramatic entrance was certainly justified, under the circumstances.

“Uh… Need somethin’, boss?” Reno asked, panting softly as he did his best to try and shield the very naked rookie he was presently on top of. Elena, meanwhile looked as though she would have liked nothing more than to vanish into thin air. Her face had gone nearly as red as her lover’s hair, as she clung to him, desperate to conceal as much as she could from their unexpected visitors.

Tseng finally recovered from his initial shock and shook his head, forcing himself not to laugh at the situation. He just barely managed to stop an awkward smile from spreading over his face as he cleared his throat. “No,” he said calmly, “But perhaps I should remind you that these rooms require you to enter your security code to disable the silent alarm.”

“Heh… Knew I was forgettin’ somethin’…” the redhead sheepishly said.

Tseng fixed him with a pointed look, and withdrew from the room, but Rude lingered a moment.

“About damn time,” the bald Turk commented, smirking.

“Get the fuck outta here,” Reno said, rolling his eyes, and flung a pillow at his partner. Rude snickered and ducked out of the room as well, closing the door behind him.

“Oh, my god…” Elena groaned, squeezing her eyes shut tight, as if that would somehow block out what had just happened.

“Well… look on the bright side. ‘Least we don’t have to worry about tellin’ ’em now…”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Give me ten more minutes and I can die a happy man…” the redhead shot back, before reclaiming her lips. He pulled back briefly, grinning, and added, “Give me fifteen and I’ll make ya reconsider my death sentence…”

---

Reno casually strolled back into the office some time later, to find Rude sitting calmly at his desk, with a very smug look on his face.

“Shut up,” he said.

“Didn’t say anything…” Rude replied.

“Yeah, but you were thinkin’ it way too loud.” The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “Look… I don’t really give a shit about you walking in on us. Not like it’s never happened before. But don’t tease ‘Lena about it, ‘kay? She’s pretty embarrassed.”

“Wasn’t going to. Where is she anyway?”

“Lounge, gettin’ some tea.” He snickered softly. “Annnnd I think she’s still tryin’ to work up the nerve to face you guys after that…” he said, grinning.

“So… How long have you two been… ?”

“Couple of weeks. Well… couple of weekends, more like it. Woulda told ya sooner but… ‘Lena was a little nervous about how we should do it.”

Rude snorted in laughter. “Didn’t think you’d ever make a move on her.”

“I didn’t, actually… It was ‘Lena who got things started,” Reno said, leaning back against the edge of his desk.

“Wait…” Rude said, “Elena came on to you? Our sweet, innocent little Elena? The one who used to turn various shades of red every time you made an even slightly off-color joke in her presence?”

Reno laughed. “Yeah, if ya can believe it… If ya think you’re shocked, just imagine how I felt.”

“What have you done to that poor girl?” he asked, feigning dismay.

“Corrupted her beyond any hope of salvation, I would surmise,” Tseng answered for him, slipping into the office. Reno glared at the Turk leader.

“Watch it, boss… that’s my new girlfriend you’re talkin’ about.”

Tseng’s eyebrow rose in surprise, and he glanced over at Rude. “Did I hear him right?”

“Sounded like he said… girlfriend,” Rude said, dropping his voice to a loud whisper.

Tseng shook his head. “Impossible. That word isn’t even in Reno’s vocabulary.”

“Fuck you both,” Reno muttered, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. Rude lowered his sunglasses.

“Is he… blushing? He can do that?”

Tseng walked over to the redhead, seizing his chin firmly between two fingers and turning his head slightly to get a better look. “Mmm… Yes, I believe he is indeed.” Reno jerked away and scowled at him. Tseng smiled. “Alright… We’ll stop. Or at least I will… I make no promises on Rude’s behalf.” Rude smirked in a response, and Reno had the distinct impression that there would be at least a few more jokes at his expense before the end of the day. Though as long as they left Elena alone, it didn’t really bother him that much. “In any case, there is something I need to discuss with you privately, if you have a moment.”

“Sure, boss,” Reno said, following the Turk leader into his office. Rude pushed his sunglasses back into place, and settled back in his chair as the door closed behind them. He teased… because really, what kind of a friend would he be if he didn’t after breaking down a door only to find two of his best friends mid-rendezvous in the middle of the workday? But he was more than slightly ecstatic over this new development. Elena would be good for the redhead, he was certain. And there was no doubt in his mind that Reno would treat her well.

He’d actually already had his suspicions that something had changed between them recently. Ever since Reno had started acting so oddly a couple weeks ago, in fact… avoiding the rookie and finally handing her supervision over to him, albeit briefly. Rude still hadn’t heard the full story on that, direct from the source, but with this afternoon’s x-rated discovery, he could finally venture a guess as to what had happened.

The door opened a crack, and a familiar face peeked in. He heard a soft sigh of resignation, and quickly smothered the quiet chuckle that threatened to escape as Elena pushed the door open just wide enough to slip inside. She made her way silently to her desk, trying not to look at him and sat down, setting her mug of tea next to her and focusing the whole of her attention on whatever was on her monitor.

He knew he shouldn’t… and he’d said he wouldn’t… but he simply couldn’t resist taking at least one little jab at the rookie.

“Enjoy your lunch?” he asked.

Elena looked up, her cheeks turning crimson, and she groaned before letting her head drop onto her desk. He smiled and opted to back off a little. The rookie didn’t take always take ribbing the way Reno did and he wasn’t out to humiliate her. Rude stood and made his way over to her desk, sitting on the corner of it.

“I’m never going to live this down,” Elena moaned, her voice muffled by her current position. The other Turk gently patted her on the shoulder.

“Sure you will. Reno will inevitably do something else we can all mock him for. All you have to do is avoid being around him when he does,” he replied, warmly. “And really… it could’ve been worse.”

Elena looked up incredulously. “How?” she asked.

He smirked. “You could have been on top, and we’d have gotten a much better view.”

The rookie’s jaw dropped slightly and she smacked him in the ribs. “Dammit, Rude… That is not funny!” she cried, though it was plainly obvious she was trying very hard not to laugh herself. Elena shook her head. “And your jokes are getting as obnoxious as Reno’s, by the way. Ugh… It was just so humiliating, having you and Tseng burst in on us like that.”

“You’ll survive,” Rude said smiling. “Just think of it as pushing yourself one step closer to improving your Hell Week modesty score.”

“Thanks,” she said, a little sarcastically. “Well, I hope you both enjoyed the show… because you won’t be getting an encore.”

“Hmph… Trust me, after knowing Reno as long as I have, something like that really doesn’t hold much shock value anymore,” Rude sniggered. “Besides… I’m just glad you finally gave him a chance. Reno adores you, you know… Think he’s wanted this for awhile now.”

Elena laughed softly, shaking her head. “Am I really the only person who didn’t notice that until someone decided to point it out to me?”

“Quite possibly,” Rude said, with a smile.

---

“Look, if this is about me ‘n ‘Lena… uh… havin’ a little fun on our lunch break…” Reno began. Tseng held up a hand, silencing him.

“It’s not. Though I really should be officially reprimanding you both for that. In the future, I wouldappreciate if you kept such activities confined to locations off company property.” He sighed, shaking his head as if he knew better. “Or, for Leviathan’s sake, at least remember to disable the alarm so I don’t get a notification about it.”

“Duly noted…” the redhead replied, looking appropriately chastised. “So then what’s up?

“Dr. Skarn.”

Reno stiffened. “You better not be tellin’ me I’m bein’ recruited for another bullshit experiment…”

“No…” Tseng replied, and his tone left little doubt in Reno’s mind just how angry he was about the situation, “And even if you were, I wouldn’t allow it again. I shouldn’t have allowed it the first time. In fact I had a rather productive meeting with Rufus a few days ago on that very subject. From this point forward, the Turks are off limits for any kind of experimentation.”

“Can he do that? Thought he was still persona non grata around here right now…”

“He and the president are still at odds, so no… he can’t do any such thing directly. But he spoke with his father on our behalf, and made a very convincing case that, should anything go wrong during such a venture, and a Turk be put out of commission, it would be a substantial loss to the company… particularly given how few of us there are to begin with. President Shinra ultimately agreed. Especially after he was reminded of just how much time, money and effort goes into training someone for our ranks.”

Reno breathed a sigh of relief. “Good to hear.”

“I also think you should know… I strongly believe that you were indeed drugged during that experiment,” Tseng continued, frowning.

“Really don’t see how…”

“I suspect a gas was used… either to sedate you, or to deliver the drug itself. It wouldn’t have woken even someone who sleeps as lightly as you do.”

“Ah, son of bitch…” the redhead swore, “Never even fuckin’ occurred to me…”

“Nor I, until I had Elena look into Skarn’s background a bit. Are you still having nightmares?”

“Not near as bad. Couple times this week woke up in a cold sweat after an unpleasant dream or two, but nothin’ as intense as what I was goin’ through before. I think it was stress more than anything else. Fuckin’ experiment was just the trigger for it.”

“I’m very relieved to here that. And… I’m truly sorry for my part in causing it.”

“Wasn’t your fault,” he said dismissively.

“Perhaps… but I could have tried harder to prevent it.” Tseng smiled slightly, “You may no longer be my rookie, but I’m afraid I will always feel rather protective of you.”

“Yeah, well… I don’t actually mind knowin’ that you do…” Reno admitted.

“And becauseI’m feeling particularly protective of you at the moment, I’m ordering you to see Dr. Ward tomorrow morning for a full check up. I’ve informed her of my suspicions. She’ll be taking blood for tests, just to make sure there’s nothing unusual still lingering in your system.”

The redhead groaned. “I take it back. You can quit worryin’ about me now.”

“Not likely,” Tseng said, chuckling, “And don’t even think about running off. She’s expecting you at nine a.m., and has been instructed to inform me immediately if you are so much as one second late.”

“Do I have to?” he asked with a sigh.

“Well… Scarlet did submit a request for you to accompany her as a security escort to the shopping district tomorrow morning. I suppose we could postpone Ward’s examination if you find that prospect more appealing…”

“Real funny, boss.”

The Turk leader smirked and held up the official request form with Scarlet’s signature clearly embossed at the bottom. “Who says I’m joking?”

“‘Kay… so I’ll be seein’ Ward tomorrow. Nine sharp…” he said quickly.

“I knew you’d eventually see things my way.”

He snorted in contempt. “‘Course ya did. Almost afraid to ask at this point but… got anything else for me?”

“Nothing of a professional nature.”

“Somethin’ personal, then?” He had a pretty good idea what the question was going to be.

“Merely a request to satisfy my curiosity. You and Elena?”

“Heh… Yeah. Figured I wasn’t gonna get out of discussin’ that completely… Guess I owe ya an explanation.”

“Nothing there needs explaining… Frankly, I’m surprised it took you so long.”

“Why the fuck’s everyone keep sayin’ that when they find out?” Reno asked, shaking his head. Tseng laughed.

“Because it was becoming painfully obvious to everyone… except apparently Elena… how you felt about her,” he said, smirking. “Based on your comment outside earlier, I’m assuming you’re fairly serious about this.”

Reno snickered. “If you’re plannin’ on havin’ the Talk with me, Tseng… you’re about twelve years too late.”

Tseng gave him an indulgent smile. “As I said… I’m only curious.”

“I guess I am serious, yeah,” Reno said, rubbing the back of his head. “I… really don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before. Things are usually just physical for me. ‘Lena’s… different. There’s no one else like her. It’s like she was made just for me…”

Tseng chuckled, immensely amused. “Careful… You’re beginning to sound like one of those tawdry romance novels you so ardently decry…”

“Don’t even joke about that…” the redhead groaned.

“Reno… you’ve developed a terrible habit of assuming that I’m joking today,” the Turk leader gently teased. “But I am being perfectly sincere when I say that I’m happy for you both. You know… you never did tell me what happened to put the two of you at such odds recently.”

“Heh… It was pretty much the fact that she didn’t know I was so serious,” Reno began. “We… uh… ended up in bed together after I took her to that wedding. It kinda just happened… and then it took us a while to find time to sit down and figure things out afterward. By the time we did, she’d come to the conclusion that she didn’t want to be with someone who had a habit of goin’ to bed with someone new whenever he felt like it… which, she assumed I wouldn’t want to give up, and just ended things instead of ever mentionin’ it. I… didn’t exactly take it well.”

“Ah…” Tseng said simply. “And then you attempted to distance yourself from her because you were feeling so hurt.”

“Yeah… Stupid, huh?”

“Unquestionably,” he replied, “But understandable. I’m glad you’ve finally worked things out. She really is a good match for you.”

“Heh… Yeah, well, let’s just hope she thinks so. I think ‘Lena may still be seriously considerin’ how she’s gonna murder me for talkin’ her into what you guys walked in on… and I’m pretty sure most of the options are painful ones.”

“In that matter, you’re entirely on your own.” Tseng said, firmly.

---

At eight fifty-two the following morning, Reno shifted restlessly at his desk, eying the clock with malicious intent. It seemed thoroughly dedicated to creeping ever closer to nine… and he was almost certain it was moving twice as fast as it should have been.

“Better get going,” Rude commented. “You’re going to be late.”

“It takes me exactly three minutes and twenty-two seconds to get from this chair to Ward’s exam table. I’m not leavin’ one second before I absolutely have to.”

“You… have it timed to the second?” the rookie giggled. Rude, meanwhile, was pulling a pair of handcuffs out of a drawer. He set them pointedly on the desk in front of him.

“Don’t make me use these. Again.”

Reno scowled. “I said I’d go, and I’ll go. But I’m puttin’ this shit off as long as I can,” he replied. The redhead shuddered. “She’s out for blood this time…”

Rude laughed and Elena quickly joined in as well. She stood up, walking over to him. “You are such a wimp…” she said, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet. “Come on… Let’s go. I’ll walk you down.”

“Elena…” Rude called, and the rookie turned back to look at him. He tossed her the handcuffs, smirking. “Just in case.”

She grinned as she caught them, and the pair made their way to the elevators. When the doors slid open at their destination, they headed for the medical suite. As they entered, Ward was standing impatiently in the middle of the room, looking at her watch.

“Almost a full minute ta spare…” she commented, “I think that may be a new record for yeh… Though I’m not sure it really counts, seeing as yeh had to have an escort ta get yeh here at all…”

“Hey… I came of my own free will. ‘Cause I was ordered to, and threatened with bein’ brought down in handcuffs again if I didn’t. ‘Lena’s just here for moral support.”

“Oh, for Odin’s sake… Yeh’d think I was subjecting you ta some sort of torture every time yeh come ta see me,” the doctor said in an exasperated tone. “Well, get in here, my little headache. Let’s see if you’re still as healthy as yeh look.” Elena bit her lower lip, but couldn’t quite hold back the laugh that broke free. The doctor turned to her with a warm smile. “Moral support, eh? Well, if he wants an audience, that’s fine by me… Yeh can hold him down for me if he tries ta run.” Ward placed a hand on the redhead’s back guiding him firmly behind a privacy screen, and handing him a gown. “Yeh know the drill. Everything off.”

“You could at least offer to buy me dinner, first…” the redhead responded as he stripped and changed.

“And I’ll have none of yer lip…”

“So… no tongue, either, then, I guess…”

Elena groaned and rolled her eyes, while Ward only smiled, clearly amused.

“Yer in quite the good mood for a change…” the doctor commented, “Maybe I’ll tell Tseng ta send Elena here with yeh from now on…”

“Ya know… I’d make another joke, but ‘Lena might legitimately kill me for the one I’ve got in mind, and I only narrowly avoided her wrath yesterday, so… let’s just get this over with.”

---

Reno rubbed lightly at his inner arm, pouting.

“Oh, come on…It wasn’t that bad.”

He narrowed his eyes at the rookie, and took the sucker out of his mouth before answering. “Wasn’t that bad? For fuck’s sake, she damn near drained me!”

“Reno… four vials of blood is not ‘nearly draining’ you. And she did give you your favorite flavor for being such a ‘good boy’ today…” Elena pointed out, teasingly.

“Hmph… Sold half my blood volume for a little sugar on a stick and a pat on the head…” he muttered, and moved to shove it back in his mouth. Elena giggled and stole the confection from him before he could do so, holding it away from him. “Hey!” She leaned in and kissed him – his lips tasted of cherry – before giving it back. Reno smiled.

“Keep that up, and I really will make you with me come with me from now on. Lot more enjoyable…” He paused, and fixed her with a mockingly serious expression, “But don’t ever take my candy again…”

The doors opened on their floor and they stepped out, walking into the office. Things were significantly less calm than they’d been when they left.

“Whoa… What’s goin’ on?” Reno asked, as Rude rushed past him, heading out the door.

“Problem in Junon… Talk to Tseng,” he replied, hurriedly, before heading straight for the elevators. Reno and Elena shared a curious glance, before moving towards Tseng’s office.

“Good… you’re back. I didn’t want to interrupt Ward, or I’d have summoned you ten minutes ago. We have a situation,” Tseng replied, scowling at his phone, “Rufus is missing… and not answering his PHS, either. Rude’s on his way to Junon now, to speak to the security personnel there and see if he can find anything that might tell us where he’s gone… I’m heading upstairs to inform his father.”

“Where do you want me?” Reno asked.

“Take the executive helicopter and head for Kalm. It’s something of a long-shot… and if this is another of his little unplanned day trips, I may just kill him myself… but it’s only a twenty minute trip by air and if he’s there, we might save ourselves some time in recovering him. I think it’s worth at least ruling it out. Check the cafe on the main square first. He’s recently discovered that he’s fond of their desserts.”

“I’m on it.”

“Take Elena with you. Rufus was rather impressed with her… He might be a bit more cooperative for her than for you.”

“He was impressed with me?” Elena blurted out, somewhat incredulously. Between the blatant insults and the cold demeanor she’d encountered during their first meeting, the rookie had been fairly well-convinced the vice president hadn’t thought much of her at all. Tseng smiled slightly.

“Yes, as a matter of fact… he was. Now get going.”

---

“Remind me later that you desperately need to work on your landings…” Reno said, releasing the buckles on his harness. He stood and hauled open the helicopter’s side door. The rookie hurried to join him.

“Well maybe if someone hadspent a little less of our last flying lesson making snarky comments about what he’s going to do to me the next time he spends the night, my landings would be improving…”

The redhead smirked. “Gimme a break, ‘Lena… I finally have the chance to make those comments without worryin’ about you cold-cocking me for crossin’ the line. I’m gonna make ’em. ‘Sides… you know you like it. Now… where’s that cafe…?”

“Over that way,” she said, pointing toward the center of town.

It was still early in the day, and the little eatery was nearly empty. A handful of older women occupied a table near the front window, and a young man deeply entrenched in a thick novel had taken over one in the back corner. The vice president was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh… so much for that,” Reno muttered, “Come on… there’s one other place I know of in Kalm he might be hangin’ out…”

Reno led her down a twisty little side street, to a quiet corner of town, and stopped in front of a small storefront packed with books… most of which looked to have been well-thumbed and fairly old. Elena peered through the front window. The place didn’t even look open, but the redhead pushed through the door anyway. The gentle tinkling of a bell announced their arrival to a sleepy-looking clerk, who simply looked up from the book he was reading and nodded a silent greeting.

“There’re stairs down that way… Find ’em and start on the upper level” Reno said, motioning toward a long set of shelves on one side of the store. “I’ll take a look around down here. Yell if ya see him.”

The store was deceptively large… just looking at its front window, she would never have guessed that the shelves went so far back. Nor that they would twist and turn as they did, creating diverging pathways all across the building. It took her a few tries to find one that lead to a metal staircase that spiraled up to the floor above. Elena climbed it quickly, her footsteps ringing out far too loudly in the quiet shop.

The second floor wasn’t nearly as cramped as the one below it. In fact, if she’d had the time, Elena wouldn’t have minded at all sitting up here and reading for a few hours… It was warm and inviting, with plush chairs and reading lamps scattered at intervals amongst the shelves. Sunlight peeked through the gaps in the curtains that covered large windows at the far end of the building, and a railing looked out over part of the lower level. She wandered towards the back, and spotted him almost immediately.

Rufus looked perfectly content, settled in one of the chairs, one leg crossed over the other. A very old book held his attention, and he didn’t look up at her at all as she approached him. Even when she was within several feet of him, he didn’t seem to notice her, and she hesitated, not sure if it was really wise to interrupt the vice president or not.

“If you’re just going to stand there, you might at least make yourself useful and carry those down to the counter for me,” he suddenly said, turning the page before motioning to a small stack of books on the side table next to him. He still hadn’t looked up from the one he was reading.

“Sir… Tseng sent us to – ” she began.

“Oh, I’m well aware of what he sent you here to do. Too busy to come and reclaim me himself this time?” He almost sounded as though he were more annoyed by the Turk leader’s absence, than by the fact that someone had come to drag him back to Junon again.

“Sir, if you would please just come with – ”

“I will leave when I am ready to leave, and not before,” Rufus stated, finally deigning to raise his eyes to look at her. “If you intend to remain here waiting, then do so silently.”

“Sir…”

“Shall I define ‘silently’ for you?” he asked, in a somewhat irritated tone.

“No… sir,” Elena replied, just as irritated. This was Tseng’s idea of the vice president being impressed with her? She huffed in annoyance and made her way back to the stairs, intent on finding Reno and informing him of the Shinra heir’s whereabouts. She nearly walked right into him as he was coming up.

“No luck?” he asked.

“Oh, no… he’s up here alright. And he refuses to move,” she replied, clearly aggravated. “Or be civil. He basically told me to keep silent or leave.”

Reno snickered. “Surprise, surprise… Pretty boy’s coppin’ an attitude again…” he said, rolling his eyes, “Come on… let’s go see if we can drag his pampered ass out of there without gettin’ fired.”

Elena hesitated a moment, but finally turned around on the narrow staircase and started back up, Reno a few steps behind her. She led him to where Rufus was still seated, unperturbed, reading his book.

“It’s time to head home, sir,” Reno said, without preface. Rufus snapped the book shut.

“Perhaps I should see if I can find Tseng a suitable dictionary before I leave. It seems none of his minions are familiar with the definition of the word ‘silent’,” he replied, with a cold glare.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it,” the redhead shot back, “Now let’s go.”

Rufus ignored him and opened his book again. “As I informed your sidekick over there, I’m not yet ready to leave.”

Reno sighed. “What’s it gonna take?” he said, in resignation. Rufus finally closed the book and set it with the others.

“An early lunch before we leave. The food in Junon is becoming decidedly tiresome.”

“Fine.”

The vice president nodded and stood. “Carry those downstairs,” he ordered, looking pointedly over at Elena. She bit back the retort that threatened to slip out and grudgingly picked up the four books on the table, following Rufus and Reno back toward the stairs. As they walked, she glanced at the titles. They included a collection of poetry, a biography of one of the ancient leaders of Wutai, a play entitled Loveless, and… much to her surprise, a very worn copy of one of her own favorite books – a collection of old short children’s stories from around the world. Just from a cursory glance, it looked old enough that it might have even been a first edition. That had been the one the executive had been reading when she’d located him, and she found herself vaguely wondering which story had captured his interest.

She carried the books over to the counter, setting them down in front of the clerk.

“Charge those to my account. And wrap them, if you would. I don’t want to risk any damage to the older ones on the way back to Junon,” Rufus spoke up, before she could say anything.

“Absolutely, sir,” the man replied, looking shocked and extremely pleased by the sale, and Elena wondered just how much the vice president had to have spent to garner that reaction. He made short work of carefully wrapping each book in brown paper and tucking them into a small bag. “Thank you, very much, Mr. Shinra.”

“Lose those, and you lose your job as well,” Rufus said to Elena, nodding to the bag, before turning on his heal and following Reno out of the shop.

As they exited, Reno removed his PHS from his pocket and dialed Tseng.

“Hey, boss… Guess who ‘Lena ‘n me found…” he said after a moment, a smirk etching its way across his face. “Yeah… we’re headin’ back to Junon with him in a bit. Gonna grab somethin’ to eat first.” He paused a moment, apparently listening to Tseng’s reply. “No, it was not my idea.” Reno said and rolled his eyes. Rufus snorted in contemptuous laughter, and the senior Turk and glared at him.

“It’s hardly my fault that Tseng is so aware of your gluttonous nature that he makes the obvious assumption,” Rufus said in response to the look, shrugging as Reno ended the call.

Elena scowled at the vice president’s back. The guy really was a complete asshole. Reno wasn’t a glutton… he ate like that because his body needed the extra calories. It wasn’t as if he could help it…

The redhead suddenly glanced back at her and laughed. “Might wanna tone it down a little, sir… ‘Lena’s startin’ to look like she’d kinda like to bite your head off…”

Rufus glanced back at her, unconcerned, and seemed to study her for a moment. “Petulant little girl,” he commented, “I really am beginning to wander if my initial impression was as wrong as Tseng claimed.”

Reno cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah? What impression was that…?” he asked cautiously, as he suddenly saw Elena’s expression switch from aggravation to actual anger.

“Merely that perhaps she has certain… assets… and a willingness to make those assets available to interested parties that overly influenced you during the selection process.”

Reno stopped and folded his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing. “‘Kay… That’s over the line, sir.”

“You have a line?” Rufus asked, and Elena suddenly realized that the man looked genuinely surprised by Reno’s reaction.

“Yeah… and ya finally managed to find it. Congratulations.”

“Hmm…” was all he said in reply, and simply continued on, into the cafe.

“Jackass,” Reno muttered, “Wish you’d told me he said that to ya last time you had to deal with him…”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal… he was just being a jerk,” Elena replied, quietly enough not to be overheard. The redhead pushed open the door after the executive, and followed him inside. Rufus had already seated himself at a table to one side of the cafe’s main room.

“Don’t just stand there hovering. It annoys me, and I intend to enjoy my time away from my personal prison while I still can. Sit.”

Reno dropped into the chair opposite him with a shrug, and Elena quickly followed suit.

“Ya know… you could always just apologize ‘n go home…”

Rufus’ eyes narrowed. “That would be admitting I was wrong.”

The redhead smirked. “Point of fact… ya kinda were, sir.”

“That’s a matter of opinion. I stand by my commentary,” the vice president replied, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest. “In that particular instance, I may have been mistaken… or at least unable to prove the accusation… but it doesn’t change the fact that that woman is nothing more than a gold-digging, pandering, conniving whore.”

“Who your father happens to be married to,” Reno pointed out.

“A technicality. I’m well aware of what she wants, even if my father is too blind to see it, and I can assure you, I will not be surrendering any part of my inheritance to her.”

Elena remained silent. Up until now, no one had been willing to tell her just what it was that had created such a rift between father and son, but it was rapidly becoming obvious. The conversation ceased briefly as a waitress spotted them and headed towards them.

“I suppose you two expect to be fed, as well…” Rufus said haughtily before she was within earshot.

“Wouldn’t complain… You hungry, ‘Lena?”

She really wasn’t… It was only a little after ten in the morning. Breakfast hadn’t been that long ago, and lunch was still a decent ways off. But the look Reno was giving her seemed to be telling her to accept anyway. “Er… I guess I could eat.”

“Fine.”

It was a small menu… but then, it was a small cafe. Reno happily ordered an entire breakfast plate of pancakes and eggs and bacon and sausage… which quickly earned a sneer from the vice president. Elena, meanwhile, chose something a little lighter, opting for crepes filled with strawberry jam, and was a little surprised when Rufus chose the same.

“One would think you never ate unless someone else offered to pay…” the executive sniped at the redhead when their food arrived, rolling his eyes as Reno made a point of dousing everything in maple syrup. “And how can you even taste the food under all that sugar?”

Reno forcibly swallowed a mouthful of his meal before answering. “Doesn’t cover up the taste… It just adds to it, sir.”

“You truly do nauseate me. At least your little ingénue over there has refrained from picking up your table manners. Or rather your serious lack thereof.”

Elena eyed the vice president curiously. She didn’t think anyone had ever referred to her as an ingénue before… and she honestly wasn’t certain if he’d meant it as an insult or not, given that it could easily be taken either way. Judging by Reno’s expression, he wasn’t quite sure either. The redhead simply shrugged.

“There are more useful things to learn than table manners…”

“Ah… so that’s where Tseng went so very wrong with you, then. He simply never bothered training the slum rat out of you. It’s no wonder you’re so uncouth.”

Elena slammed her silverware down on the table, thoroughly irate and glaring openly at the vice president. She really didn’t understand why Rufus had to… to… pick on Reno so badly. Nearly everything that came out of his mouth was a putdown. The executive raised an eyebrow, almost as if in challenge. “Something you’d like to say?” he asked, coolly.

“No… sir,” she ground out, quickly reigning in her temper, and Rufus smirked.

“I thought not.”

“Heh… for the record, sir… I’m not gettin’ between you ‘n ‘Lena when she finally decides to deck ya one.”

Rufus snorted in contempt and took a bite of his meal. “That would almost certainly be cause for me to file a formal complaint against you for dereliction of duty. Fortunately for you, I doubt she’d ever have the nerve to attempt it. And even if she did, what damage could a weak little thing like her possibly do?”

The redhead sighed dramatically and shook his head. “Ya know, sir… I’m seriously startin’ to wonder if you really do have a death wish or somethin’.”

“Or perhaps I simply wish to make you earn your paycheck for a change. It is your job to protect me, is it not?”

Elena’s eye twitched slightly, as she chewed viciously on her tongue to keep herself in check. She had no idea where Rufus’ apparent hatred of Reno came from. Or why none of it seemed to bother the redhead in the slightest. Clearly, the executive knew Reno’s background, though… maybe that was it. Maybe Rufus simply considered himself superior to someone born and raised in Midgar’s slums. Or, she mused, given the way he spoke to her as well… maybe he simply considered himself superior to anyone who didn’t share his social status and wealth. Either way, she was well-past irritated by this point and would be glad when they finally dropped him off in Junon and were rid of him. Elena angrily finished off her crepes.

Rufus spent a few more minutes drawing the meal out, but was eventually forced to concede that his plate was empty.

“Demands met…” Reno pointed out, “Time to go.”

“Hmph… Very well.” The vice president motioned for the check, and once it had been taken care of – with a surprisingly generous tip, Elena couldn’t help but notice – the three of them were on their way to the helicopter. Reno took over in the pilot’s seat this time around, as Elena climbed in beside him and Rufus settled himself in the far more comfortable space behind the cockpit. The rookie had only had the opportunity to ride in the passenger section of the executive helicopter once before, while acting as security for the president on a trip to Junon. It really was a quite the experience… though it would probably have been more enjoyable had Reno not been glaring at her the entire way back over his brightly dyed blue hair. She giggled softly to herself at the memory as they lifted off, drawing a curious glance from the redhead to her left.

---

“Do me a favor, if you would.”

“I’m listening,” Rude replied, PHS cradled against his shoulder as he waited for the Junon flight deck personnel to refuel the copter.

“Go and get some lunch before you return to Midgar.”

“… How’s that a favor?”

“With you in Junon and Reno and Elena retrieving our wayward executive, I have no immediate access to a helicopter,” Tseng stated simply, “With no access to a helicopter, I can’t get to Junon in a particularly timely manner, and if I can’t get to Junon, I can’t strangle Rufus the moment he arrives.”

Rude chuckled, but said nothing.

“Feel free to take your time,” Tseng added.

“Understood.” He ended the call and tucked the phone back into an inner pocket in his jacket.

It took quite a lot to get under the Turk leader’s skin, but Rufus’ most recent security-free adventure seemed to have done the trick. Rude wasn’t too happy with the vice president himself, as far as that went, but Tseng seemed to be taking this almost personally.

And, in a manner of speaking, it was personal. Tseng was very much a favorite of the young heir. He had been personally in charge of Rufus’ security for years – almost from the day he’d nearly sacrificed his own life to save him – at the behest of the president. He probably knew the man better than almost anyone. It was hard to say they were ‘close’… Rude didn’t think anyone was truly close to Rufus Shinra… but some of the younger man’s icy demeanor noticeably dropped around the Wutaiian Turk. Tseng was probably the closest thing the he had to a friend or even a confidant. Being banished to Junon had been hard on Rufus… even if he’d never show any sort of weakness and admit to it.

In Rude’s opinion, his recent disappearances were little more than a cry for attention directed firmly at the only friend he had. Not that he was about to voice that opinion. He was quite fond of living, after all, and with Rufus… one really never knew what he might do in retaliation for a perceived slight. To some extent, Rude actually felt a little sorry for him… though in all fairness, his quasi-exile was very much of his own making.

It was no secret that the vice president didn’t get along with his step-mother. Really, Rude thought, amending his own analysis, Rufus hated her with every fiber of his being, and only even attempted to tolerate her for his father’s sake. Young and beautiful, Juliet Shinra was, in Rude’s view, far more than just a pretty face. She was cunning and shrewd… her air-headed, trophy-wife persona was very much an act, and Rufus had little difficulty seeing right through it. His father, however… Well, the president either simply didn’t care, or, as was more likely the case, was entirely too smitten with the woman – who was closer in age to his own son than to himself – to notice.

Rufus had been willing, if not especially pleased, to let him remain so, as long as Juliet didn’t do anything to upset the balance of power. Some months ago, however, she had pushed him just a little too far by bringing up the subject of who stood to inherit the company. Rufus, in a truly uncharacteristic fit of rage, had made several accusations against her, not the least of which was that she was involved with several younger men from all over the company. What he lacked, however, was tangible evidence… and the ensuing argument had ultimately resulted in Rufus being sent to Junon until he saw fit to apologize to his step-mother.

Rude didn’t think that was going to happen any time soon. With a shrug, he headed off to find something to eat.

---

“I’ve been thinkin’…” Reno began as the helicopter approached the mountains.

“Well, that’s never a good sign…” Rufus piped up from the passenger section. Elena rolled her eyes, and wished the man would just rid himself of the communications headset. He wasn’t even talking to them, save for the occasional snarky comment… just listening in on their conversation. Which made it very difficult to actually have a conversation.

Reno ignored him. “I can tolerate your Shadow & Sword obsession. I can even live with ya readin’ those romance novels of yours. But I just can’t let you keep listenin’ to that crap you call music. Seriously, ‘Lena… Jason Ladue? It’s embarrassing. You’re a Turk, for fuck’s sake…” he said, flashing her a teasing grin. The noise from the engines was loud, but Elena was almost certain she caught a quiet snort of laughter over the headset… and it hadn’t come from Reno.

“So… what? Now I have to submit my playlist for approval?” she asked, jabbing at his ribs. He snickered and twisted in his seat to avoid her.

“Huh… Ya know, that’s an idea, too,” he replied, “But no… I actually had somethin’ else in mind. Petrified Zolom’s playin’ over in Sector 3 tomorrow night. I’m goin’ and you’re comin’ with me.”

Elena cast a surprised glance at him. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting to hear from him, but it certainly hadn’t been for him to make plans for a date with the vice president listening in.

“What if I already have plans?” she shot back, having to bite back a giggle, lest Rufus overhear. To be fair, she actually did… She’d planned to go out to dinner with the redhead. He’d asked her yesterday afternoon. It was going to be the first real date they’d been on since Chai’s wedding.

“Guess you’ll just have to cancel ’em,” he said, letting his grin widen, “This is a mandatory training mission to attempt to correct your god-awful taste in music before it’s too late. Non-negotiable. Sorry.”

“Ah… so this is how you get women to date you. I always simply assumed you paid them, but forcing them to keep you company is much more cost effective…” Rufus’ voice cut in. Elena was glad for the privacy partition that kept the passenger section visually separated from the cockpit, because Reno took the opportunity of being hidden from view to casually flip him off without even bothering to turn around. Elena had to cover the microphone on her headset, so she wouldn’t be heard laughing.

“You know… I do have a dinner date tomorrow evening,” she pointed out once she’d sobered a bit.

“Ah, come on, ‘Lena… you don’t wanna hang out with some loser at a cheap restaurant when you could be enjoyin’ an awesome concert with me…” he teased.

“Cheap restaurant, huh?” Elena smirked slightly. “Well… I guess you do have a point. The guy I was supposed to be seeing is kind of a pervert. He’s probably planning on spending the entire time trying to talk me into going home with him. A concert might actually be better after all…”

The redhead cast her a mockingly offended glance before grinning again. “There… see? I’m rescuin’ ya from the indignity of bein’ shamelessly hit on all night by some creep.” Elena rolled her eyes, shaking with silent laughter. She’d just opened her mouth to reply when a earsplitting boom rent the air. The helicopter lurched to one side briefly, before it began to spin.

“Fuck!” Reno swore, fighting with the controls in an attempt to straighten them out. “Think we lost the tail rotor. Hang on… this isn’t gonna be pretty…”

Elena realized just how right he was when she looked out the windshield. Nevermind the fact that they were half out of control. They’d been over the mountains for several minutes by now… clear places to land would have been near non-existent even if they hadn’t been spinning wildly. The last thing she saw was the rocky terrain rushing towards her. After that, everything went black.

---

Elena groaned as she regained consciousness. Her head ached. She raised a hand to her temple, and felt something wet and sticky. The coppery scent that accompanied it told her what it was long before she opened her eyes and saw her fingers coated in blood. Thankfully, that seemed to be her only injury.

She pulled at the release for her harness, unstrapping herself from the seat, and looked to her left. Her breath caught in her throat. Reno was slumped forward, held up only by his own harness, unmoving.

“R-reno?” she tried, but received no response. She struggled to get out of the co-pilot’s seat, having to pull her right leg free of the wreckage of the cockpit before she could move. Finally on her feet, she carefully pushed Reno back against his seat. He groaned softly at the sudden movement, but his eyes remained firmly shut. He was out cold, and probably injured, as well… but at least he was alive.

Relieved, the rookie turned her attention to their passenger, forcing her way past the partition and into the back section of the aircraft. Rufus looked a little pale, but unhurt.

“Sir? Are you alright?” she asked. She froze, bracing herself against the doorway as the aircraft suddenly shifted. It was several moments before she dared to breathe again. They needed to get out. Now.

“I think so…” he replied, a little breathlessly. His hand shook slightly as he released his own harness, and got carefully to his feet. Elena turned to the door in the side of the craft, sliding it open. It barely moved halfway along the track, but it was enough for them to get out. “Where’s your cohort?” Rufus suddenly asked.

“Unconscious,” Elena said as she stepped outside, looking around. There was nothing but rock for miles. The copter itself was resting precariously on the edge of a cliff. She couldn’t see how far the drop was from where she was standing… but given how far into the mountain range they’d been, it was probably a safe bet that none of them wanted to be in the aircraft if it went over. “I… I don’t know how badly he’s hurt. But, sir, you need to get out of there before I can worry about him. It’s not safe in the helicopter.”

The executive did as requested without comment. Once he was clear of the wreckage, Elena slipped back inside, intent on going after Reno. The metal creaked ominously as she made her way back to the cockpit. The redhead was still out, and Elena felt her chest constrict with fear, thinking back to the last time she’d seen him like that, and praying that he wasn’t so seriously hurt this time around. She pulled at the release for his harness, hoping to make this quick, but it was jammed. Several more tries yielded the same results.

“Come on,” she muttered, trying one more time to force it open. There was nothing for it. She’d have to cut him out… and she suddenly found herself wishing she was in the habit of carrying a knife, the way Rude was. She didn’t have a blade, but there was plenty of broken glass and twisted metal. She picked up a large shard from the shattered instrument panel, and went to work on the straps… though she nearly dropped it when it sliced into the palm of her hand, and winced at the sudden pain.

“Try this.” Elena jumped at the sound of a soft snick next to her ear.

“Sir!” she managed, surprised by Rufus’ sudden reappearance… and even more surprised by the switchblade he was holding out to her. She took the knife, easily cutting through the thick straps that held Reno in place. Once he was free of them, she pulled him out of the seat. The wrecked aircraft shifted again, much more violently this time.

“We need to get out of here…” she breathed. The vice president nodded, moving towards the back to give her room to maneuver the unconscious man out of the cockpit. Elena slid behind Reno, gripping him with her arms wrapped around his chest and dragged him through the opening. Rufus was already outside, and as she reached the outer door, he took hold of the redhead, easing him out of the craft and down to the ground for her.

Elena moved to follow… but before she could, the entire helicopter lurched towards the cliff. She only just managed to catch hold of the doorframe before she lost her footing as everything tilted. She could hear the screech of metal against rock as the copter started to slide, and her eyes widened in panic as she realized that it was going over the edge. The rookie scrambled against the metal floor, clinging to the door and trying to pull herself up.

She wasn’t going to make it.

The copter was slipping away faster than she was climbing out of it… she wasn’t going to have enough time to get clear. Her right hand was still slick with blood from the gash left by the shard of glass, making it hard to hold on to the metal door. When she finally lost her grip on it entirely, she knew it was over.

At least Reno had made it out…

Less than a second after she’d given up, someone grabbed her arm and hauled her clear of the wreckage. She grunted softly as she landed on top of him on the ground, the sound of the wrecked helicopter crashing down the cliff face loud in her ears. It went on much longer than she’d expected it to, and the sudden wave of relief over the fact that she hadn’t been inside left her feeling dizzy.

“That… was a bit too close for my taste,” Rufus’ voice intoned, and she suddenly realized that she was lying on top of him. It took her a few seconds to put two and two together and figure out that he’d been the one who’d caught hold of her before the copter had fallen, and she hurriedly scrambled to get off of the executive. Elena stood, and helped him to his feet.

“T-thank you, sir,” she said awkwardly, “I… I wouldn’t have gotten out of there without your help.”

Rufus brushed some dirt off of his sleeve. “I don’t need your gratitude. Having you alive is to my benefit at the moment.”

“Ignore him, ‘Lena… He’s not really thatbig an asshole.”

“Reno!” Elena cried, relieved as she moved toward the redhead, kneeling beside him, and only just managing to resist throwing her arms around him. “Are you alright?”

He groaned and let his head rest on the hard ground. “I’ve been better. Shoulder’s killin’ me like it’s outta joint, and I’ve got a splitting headache. But I don’t think there’s any serious damage.”

Elena’s hands gently probed his left shoulder, and Reno flinched in pain. She wasn’t exactly an expert on dislocated shoulders, but something definitely felt a bit off.

“Do me a favor… pop it back in for me, will ya? It really fuckin’ hurts…” he said, slowly sitting up.

“I-I… um… H-how do I do that?” she asked, hesitant to attempt anything that might do further harm. On the other hand, it was pretty obvious that Reno really was hurting… she couldn’t just do nothing.

“Oh, this should be entertaining,” Rufus commented, smirking slightly as he took a seat on a large boulder.

“Grab ‘n pull… that’s about all there is to it. Don’t yank… just pull straight out, nice and steady ’til it pops back into place. If ya need better leverage, you can brace your foot against my side.” He grinned, somewhat weakly, and added, “Or ya can try ‘n talk Rufus into holding me still while ya do it.”

Elena took a steadying breath and carefully gripped Reno’s left arm, lifting it as gently as she could so she could start to apply tension. Reno squeezed his eyes shut, grinding his teeth against the pain. She pulled his arm towards her, and the redhead cried out, nearly making her stop.

“Don’t be too gentle about it… it’s gonna take some effort,” he managed, breathing harshly. She pulled harder, and there was a sudden pop. Reno screamed, swearing loudly in the still mountain air.

“Oh, god… what did I do wrong?!” she asked, eyes going wide.

“Nothin’…” the redhead ground out, cradling his newly rearticulated shoulder, “Goddammit… I forgot how much that fuckin’ hurts…” He relaxed a bit, breathing slowly calming down. “Heh… Sorry. Probably shoulda warned ya. Puttin’ it back in hurts almost as much as havin’ it out. It’s a hell of a lot better now, though.”

“Well… now that you’ve successfully reassembled him, perhaps we should see about getting out of here?”

Elena drew her PHS from her pocket, and checked the signal. There was none.

“I’ve got nothing…” she said. Reno quickly mirrored her actions.

“Yeah, same here. Not surprised… We’re kinda in the middle of nowhere.”

“My phone seems to be of no more use than either of yours,” Rufus said, scowling at the device in his hand. “Wonderful.”

“And unless one of you feels like climbin’ down after it, the radio’s out. Assuming it even survived that fall…”

“I almost hate to ask but… now what do we do?” asked Elena.

Reno slowly shrugged out of his jacket, mindful of his injured shoulder. “Not a whole hell of a lot we can do but get comfortable and wait ’til someone notices we’re overdue. We’re too high up and it’s too fuckin’ dangerous to try ‘n climb outta here without so much as a rope. And I probably couldn’t make it real far with my arm like this even if we had the right equipment to try it.” The fingers of his other hand found his shirt buttons and began unfastening them.

“… What exactly are you doing?” Elena queried, watching him strip to the waist. Reno smirked.

“Well… I know how much ya like a show…” he grinned, teasingly. Rufus rolled his eyes.

“Please… spare the both of usyour perversions,” he interjected, “We’ve suffered enough.”

“Shoulder’s back where it’s s’posed to be, but if I move it too much we’re probably just gonna end up right back where we started,” he explained, “Nothin’ much else to stabilize it with, so… shirt’s gettin’ sacrificed. ‘Lena… I’m gonna need to borrow a hand or two.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’ve had to do this before?” she asked.

“‘Cause ya know me,” he answered, chuckling.

---

When Rude returned to the office, it was to find Tseng seated at his desk, the folder full of unentered reports open in front of him. He snickered quietly as the Turk leader scowled at one sheet in particular. It almost had to have been one of Reno’s.

“Glaring at them doesn’t make his handwriting any easier to read. Believe me… I’ve tried it.”

“One can always hope,” Tseng sighed. He held up the piece of paper. “Do you have any idea what this says?”

Rude took the report, lifting his sunglasses for a better look. “Tangent… ? No… wait… I think it says ‘target’. Or at least that would make more sense…” he replied, squinting now, as if that might make his partner’s scrawl clearer somehow. “Hell, I don’t know. The more I stare at it, the more it looks like a drawing of a fish…” He handed it back to Tseng.

The Wutaiian Turk laughed. “Oh, thank goodness. It’s not just me… I was beginning to question my sanity.”

“Maybe Elena can translate it for you when they get back,” Rude said, smirking.

“She may have to. Short of chaining Reno to his desk until he deals with it, I don’t think it will get filed otherwise. I will never understand how she can read this mess…”

The bald Turk shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. “Just more proof they’re perfect for one another, I guess.”

“He does seem quite happy, doesn’t he?”

“So does she…” Rude added. He grinned, “Or at least she did up until we walked in on ’em…”

Tseng smiled. That had indeed been quite a shock. Not so much finding them together… he’d seen that coming a mile away… and while he certainly hadn’t expected to find out about it in so dramatic a manner, he’d long since grown used to Reno’s penchant for the mischievous. No… he was far more surprised that the redhead had managed to convince the young woman to join him in such a venture at the office in the first place. Elena was usually a bit more cautious than that, and he couldn’t help but wonder how long it had taken him to talk her into it. Knowing Reno… probably not very long.

“Do you think it will be a problem? I’m afraid I haven’t had time to speak to her privately… and I’ve already requested that Reno be a bit more discrete in the future. I’m… hesitant… to broach the subject with Elena if it’s not necessary. She was, very obviously, extremely embarrassed. I don’t wish to make things worse for her.”

Rude shook his head. “I think she’ll get over it pretty quick.” He grinned. “She’s been working with Reno so long, she ought to be getting used to it by now, anyway…”

“Hmm… You do tend to become a bit numb to personal humiliation if you spend enough time with him, don’t you?”

Rude raised an eyebrow. “Roller skates,” he said, simply.

The Turk leader cringed. “You both swore to never speak of that incident again,” Tseng replied, feeling his face heat up slightly. The other Turk only chuckled.

“Not quite as numb as you thought?”

“… Perhaps not,” Tseng conceded, “On an entirely unrelated subject… and because I have no intention of letting this conversation go any farther down that road… has there been any further information on those rumors about the president’s wife? As much as I hate the idea of investigating idle gossip, I would prefer to have Rufus safely back in Midgar.”

“No. If there was ever anything to them, she’s been keeping a low profile since Rufus called her on it in front of his father. Rumor mill’s pretty much shut down. But if you want me actively following her, just say the word. Just because no one’s talking about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.”

“I’d prefer not to… you have far more important things to be looking into. But it may come to that, particularly if Rufus continues to disappear from the relative safety of the Junon base.”

“There was another interesting bit of information I turned up. I haven’t been able to verify it yet, though,” Rude offered.

“Oh?”

“Juliet Shinra may have a brother we didn’t know about.”

“I beg your pardon?” Tseng replied, looking up in surprise. The woman had been thoroughly vetted as soon as the president’s interest in her became known. There hadn’t been any record of a brother, or any other siblings.

“Well… half-brother,” Rude amended, “And I’m still trying to confirm they’re actually related.”

“Someone we should be concerned about?”

“Maybe. He worked demolition for Urban Development for awhile. Got into a fist fight with his supervisor and they sent him packing. Before that he was military. Also in demolition. But he caught my attention because one of my informants let it slip that he tried to join Avalanche a while back. They turned him down. My guy says they got a bad vibe from him.”

“And you’re concerned he may decide to try something on his own?”

“I’m a little concerned he may already have. We still don’t know for sure who built that bomb that was aimed at the Sector 6 reactor. Or the one that almost took out Reno.”

Tseng leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and pressing his fingers together as he considered the possibility. They had initially assumed Avalanche had been behind that attempted bombing… but their investigation had turned up no connection to the group whatsoever. In fact, Avalanche had gone almost entirely off the radar lately. Their meetings had become less frequent and more sporadic… and fewer people seemed to be coming to them at all. The residents of the Sector 7 slums largely regarded them as a bunch of loudmouths. The group was nearly defunct, as far as Rude had been able to determine. Only a handful of core members remained, and even they were largely dormant. It appeared that the growing threat of Avalanche was essentially amounting to nothing at all.

Though, it seemed, something else was brewing.

“Has Juliet had any contact with him?” he asked at last.

“Not that I’m aware of… but I only found out about this a day ago. I’m still checking into it.”

Tseng nodded. “Make it a priority. And, while it’s unlikely that she’s involved anything of that magnitude, I think I would like you to keep a closer eye on Juliet Shinra, after all.”

---

Elena watched as Rufus Shinra stood at the edge of the cliff peering down at the wreckage below, and wondered what he was thinking. Probably, she mused, he was debating which of them he was going to send down to see if the radio still worked. She began to consider volunteering before he could try and make Reno do it.

“Gah… Easy, ‘Lena. Doesn’t have to be that tight…”

“Sorry…” she said, loosening the strip of cloth she’d been using to immobilize his injured arm. She tied it off and then let her fingers slip around to the back of his neck, lightly massaging the muscles. Reno sighed softly and let his eyes close.

“Enjoying yourself?” the vice president’s voice broke in. Reno glanced up at him, and grinned.

“Jealous, sir?”

“Of you? Not likely…” he replied with a derisive snort, before turning his attention to Elena. “If you’re finished coddling him, you might consider doing something more useful.”

Reno stood up, wincing at the stab of pain the sudden movement sent through his shoulder. “Don’t even think about it. No one’s goin’ after that radio. Not ‘Lena, and definitely not you. It’s too dangerous, and for all we know the damn thing was smashed to pieces when it landed down there. Tseng’ll be missin’ us soon, and he’ll come lookin’.”

“It can’t be more than a few hundred feet or so,” Rufus scoffed.

“Don’t be stupid, sir. A few hundred feet is a hell of a long was to fall. If I weren’t hurt, I might risk it, but there’s no way in hell I’m lettin’ someone else try.”

“Did you really just call me stupid?” Rufus asked, narrowing his eyes at the redhead.

“Did you really just suggest attempting to freeclimb down a three hundred foot cliff to find a radio that might not even work?” he countered, and Elena’s jaw dropped slightly. What the hell was Reno thinking?

“Yes… I did.”

“Then, yeah… I called you stupid.” At that comment, Elena’s jaw very nearly hit the ground. Rufus was going to murder him.

Rufus paused, glaring at him for a moment, and then sighed. “You’re right. That was a rather idiotic idea.”

“O-okay… did I miss something?” the rookie asked, confused. Reno grinned widely, and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders.

“Whaddya mean?” he asked, innocently. Rufus rolled his eyes.

“I’m fairly certain she’s wondering why I haven’t simply tossed you off that cliff yet. Frankly, I’m wondering the same thing myself.” He settled himself on a nearby rock, looking vaguely annoyed.

“Ah, you know ya – ” Reno began, only to freeze, turning suddenly serious. “Sir… Don’t move. ‘Lena… get ready.”

She instinctively drew her weapon at the command… but it took her a moment to spot the threat against the side of the mountain. Even when she did finally see it, she wasn’t quite sure what it was.

“What is that?” she asked softly. The creature was vaguely cat-like, and it’s mottled brown fur blended with the rocks, camouflaging its silent approach. Now that she’d caught sight of it, though, she could clearly see the long curved claws on its front paws, the spiked protrusions along it’s back, and the decidedly dangerous-looking teeth that were bared, ready for the attack.

“It’s a zenene.”

Rufus’ eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t move. Reno’s gaze shifted to his own firearm, which had been abandoned several feet away. He’d set it aside while Elena had been tending to his arm. The animal advanced slowly, apparently not realizing it had been spotted.

“Don’t try ‘n scare it off. Just take it down. Soon as you shoot, I’m goin’ for my gun. There’s never just one of those things…”

Elena nodded.

“Now!”

The rookie raised her gun and fired… The zenene didn’t even have time to react. It slumped forward and tumbled down from it’s perch, landing in a heap at Rufus’ feet. Reno, meanwhile, dove for his own weapon, firing from the ground at something to Elena’s right. Something between a scream and a roar sounded in response, and Elena turned just in time to see a second creature land awkwardly on the ground barely three feet away from her. It was only wounded, however… the zenene reared up, claws extended and Elena didn’t have time to get her own shot off. She darted back, the cat’s claws narrowly missing her. Reno fired twice more, finishing what he’d started, and the creature dropped. Elena breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back to the redhead. Her relief was short-lived.

“Reno!”

A third attacker… this one on a high ledge overlooking them, leapt at him. Elena had it in her sights, and fired mid-jump, the bullet penetrating the animal’s skull. Injured though he was, Reno managed to move out of the way before the heavy body landed on him.

“I owe ya for that,” he breathed.

Elena glanced over at the zenene beside her. “Just returning the favor…”

Reno grinned, climbing to his feet and moving to check on the vice president. “You alright, sir?”

“Yes.” Rufus at last moved from the boulder he’d been seated on, and knelt down beside the nearest dead zenene. “Well… that was money well spent,” he muttered.

“Sir… ?” Elena queried.

“It’s one of Hojo creations…” Reno replied, with no small amount of disgust. “Got loose somethin’ like eight years ago. Personally, I wouldn’t swear he didn’t just intentionally open the cage for ’em to see what would happen. They’ve been breedin’ up here ever since.”

“A truly asinine plan, if true…” Rufus added, “They’re completely feral by now. Of no use to Shinra whatsoever, and an insufferable liability.”

Reno nudged one of them with his foot. “Hope these guys weren’t just scouts. I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly carryin’ anything in the way of spare ammo, and they’re too damn fast to try ‘n take on at close range.”

“Hmph… In that case, I think I’ll stay closer to her,” the vice president said, “She only needed two shots to dispatch a pair of those things. You required three to rid us of one.”

“Heh… I’d never try ‘n argue that I’m a better shot then ‘Lena, sir. But in my defense, I was on the ground and shootin’ with my off hand.”

---

Tseng finished the last of the reports in the stack… or at least the last of the reports that were legible enough for him to do anything with… and eyed his PHS. It sat, unassumingly, on the corner of his desk, silent… just as it had for the last hour and a half. He should have heard from Reno by now. It didn’t take that long to reach Junon from Kalm, even if Rufus had insisted on dragging out his visit as long as possible.

He picked it up and dialed, waiting impatiently as the line rang. After a short while, it went through to voicemail. The Turk leader frowned and tried Elena’s phone next, with the same result. Rufus’ number was no different. One failing to answer, he could understand… especially if they were still in the air… but all three?

“Damn…” he sighed, pocketing the device and and standing. “Rude?” The other Turk glanced up at him questioningly. “I’m afraid your inquiries will need to wait. We seem to have lost the vice president again. Along with his escort.”

Rude looked down at this watch. “… We only found him two hours ago. That’s gotta be a new record.”

---

“I almost hate to suggest it, given our present circumstances…” Rufus began, “but if there’s a pack of zenene hunting around here, waiting for help might not be an option. From what I know of them, they’re highly intelligent… and seldom travel in such a small group.”

“Yeah, I know…” Reno replied. He was scanning the cliffs above them for any further movement. So far, he hadn’t spotted any. “We’re not exactly in the best position here.” The creatures had the high ground. And, for that matter, the low ground. The damn things were natural born climbers. They could come up from a lower ledge just as easily as they could drop from one above the stranded group. “The question is do we go up or down?”

“Down would take us to the radio…” Rufus pointed out.

“But up might take us high enough to get a signal on our phones,” Elena cut in, “And the higher we are, the fewer ledges they have to surprise us from.”

“Hmph… there’s a brain in their after all…”

“I think our best bet is to try both,” said Reno, finally turning his gaze back on the two of them. Elena cast him a curious look. “We’re sittin’ ducks here. And there’s no way in hell I’m gonna be able to climb up very far with only one good arm… but I might be able to manage down if I take it slow. It’s not gonna be a whole hell of a lot of fun, but I think I can do it if I have to. You two head for higher ground… I’ll work my way down to what’s left of the copter. Hopefully between the three of us, we can get a call out for help.”

“Reno…” Elena whispered, somewhat disbelievingly, but he shook his head.

“I don’t like it either, ‘Lena… but it’s not a matter of if more of those things show up. It’s a matter of when. We’re prime targets here. Higher’s gonna be safer… so you two are goin’ up. And I’m not stickin’ around here to be some fuckin’ science experiment’s lunch, so I’m goin’ down.”

The rookie didn’t look the least bit happy about that… He wasn’t thrilled about it himself. Splitting up undoubtedly made them more vulnerable, but staying where they were was borderline suicidal. It was pure luck he’d spotted the creature when he had… there were too many places they could be attacked from here.

And… though he wasn’t about to mention it to Elena… Rufus was right. Zenenes were intelligent. Certainly intelligent enough that they’d go after injured prey first. That was the other reason he wanted to break off from the group. The next time they came, it wouldn’t be two or three of them. It would be the whole pack. He was hoping his injuries might tempt them away from Elena and Rufus, and that the wreckage would provide him enough shelter to wait them out. He glanced over at the young executive.

“Are you armed, sir?”

“I was prior to the helicopter falling halfway down the mountain. At the moment… no, unless you think I can fend one of those things off with this,” he replied, displaying a switchblade.

“Give him your backup,” Reno said to Elena, “He’s not the best shot, but he knows how to use a gun.” Elena, somewhat hesitantly, removed her spare firearm from it’s holster on her ankle, passing it off to the vice president. “I want you to get yourselves as high as ya can, and try ‘n find some cover. Then see if you can get a signal on your PHS. Watch him close, ‘Lena… he’s your responsibility for now, and I expect him to make it back to Junon in one piece.” He grinned widely. “‘Sides… if he doesn’t, Tseng’ll skin us both.”

“I… I understand.”

Reno couldn’t help but think she wanted to say more, but was holding back with their charge watching them. As she turned to go, the redhead smirked to himself.

“Ah, fuck it… It’s not like it some big secret,” he said, grabbing hold of her arm and spinning her back around. His lips found hers as as he pulled her flush against him. Damned if he was going to send her off without doing this. He fully intended to rejoin her as soon as possible… but something could always go wrong. The longer it went on, the less he wanted to break the kiss. When he finally did, he had to stop himself from starting all over again.

“Please be careful,” said Elena, a little breathlessly.

“Worry about yourself, not me, ‘kay? I’ll be fine,” he replied, grinning, “Now get goin’… before Rufus gets sick of watchin’ us make out and decides to take off on his own again. I’ll see ya soon.”

He watched as the pair set off, smiling when Elena turned to look back at him. Once they’d gotten a decent start, he turned to his own task, looking down over the edge of the cliff. Reno sighed and shook his head. This was not going to be pleasant.

---

Rufus leaned back against the rock wall, out of breath. He’d always considered himself to be in excellent shape… but this was proving far more difficult that he’d expected. And… much to his annoyance… the young woman in charge of keeping him alive was barely even winded. In fact, she looked entirely too eager to begin the next leg of their climb. He glanced down at the ledge they’d started from and grimaced. Surely they had to have come farther than that…

“How are you not tired?” he finally asked.

“I’m trained for this, sir… W-well… maybe not this specifically, but for physical endurance. I run at least three miles every day, on top of our regular training regimen.”

Rufus snorted softly. “It figures I get stuck with the over-achiever instead of the slacker…”

“Actually, sir… Reno thinks I still need some improvement in endurance. I have trouble keeping up with him after awhile,” she confessed, with an indignant note in her voice. Rufus very nearly cracked a smile. It was almost too easy to get under this one’s skin; he hadn’t even really intended to do so just now.

And she was certainly quick to defend her mentor… or rather, he silently amended, her lover, as their relationship had become somewhat obvious when they’d parted ways. In truth, his initial commentary on that matter had only been mean to provoke a reaction. He hadn’t actually thought he’d been right about it.

“That wasn’t intended as an insult. Simply an observation… That bastard excels at slacking whenever he can get away with it, and I would dare you to deny that. I will, however, grudgingly admit that he does tend to get the job done efficiently enough in spite of it.”

For a moment, he was certain she was going to deny it… Instead, she merely looked at him, somewhat quizzically, before turning back to the upward trek.

Rufus calmly leaned back against the cliff, less than eager to get underway again so soon. “So… you really are in bed with the little slum rat. I had actually thought you had better taste than that.”

“He’s not a slum rat,” she responded, angrily, “He’s sweet and kind and…” Elena cut herself off, looking away from the executive. “… Why do you hate him so much, anyway?” she finally asked. Rufus raised an eyebrow, wondering when the woman had become so forward. The occasional outburst of temper aside, he’d assumed she was much like Rude… silently staying in line unless needed.

“I don’t.”

“I… you… don’t?” she stammered, clearly caught off guard.

“No. I don’t.” Rufus repressed the urge to groan as he got to his feet again and looked up at the next ledge. Another fifty feet, at least, and the mountainside seemed to be growing steeper and more weathered as they went. He wasn’t entirely sure how much farther they could safely climb… or, perhaps more to the point, how much farther he could safely climb.

Rufus wasn’t shy about acknowledging his own limitations… but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being forced to do so. He was, by far, more capable than any other member of the Shinra executive board… Tseng had seen to that, personally. Even with Tseng’s training to aid him, however, he was hardly at the same level as the Turks, and he knew it. The knowledge that this young and rather delicate-looking woman was almost certainly physically and tactically superior to him irked him to no end.

“Then why do you treat him like – ”

“I hardly think this is the time or place to discuss my approach to managing my employees. Let’s keep going.”

“… Yes, sir.” She started up the cliff face towards their next destination.

He’d expected a glare. What he got was a thoughtful frown, and he had to admit to himself… he was beginning to think he hadn’t given this new Turk quite enough credit. He’d been moderately impressed with her at their first encounter. It wasn’t every rookie Turk that had the audacity to order him around, even when acting under orders from their superior. She was brave, he had to give her that… and not easily cowed, either. He was beginning to see that shewas also intelligent… if a bit of a novice at understanding other people’s motives.

Reno, on the other hand, had him figured out within minutes when they’d first met… a trait which aggravated the Shinra heir to no end. It made the bastard near-impossible to insult because he was perfectly aware that, for the most part, there was no real venom behind any of it. In fact, Rufus was fairly certain the redhead enjoyed their constant bickering almost as much as he did. It made him truly irritating to be around… and at the same time, oddly entertaining.

Rufus fell in line behind his guardian, keeping a close eye on where she found her handholds or placed her feet. The climb was getting difficult… and he wasn’t too proud to concede – at least to himself – that in this, she knew better than he did.

---

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” He doubted the invective was going to do much of anything to slow him down, but it made him feel slightly less out of control. At last, Reno was able to breathe a sigh of relief, as his fingers finally found something to grip on the crumbling incline. For a second there, he was absolutely certain that he was in for a very painful ride.

The climb down the steepest part of the cliff had ended up being much easier that he’d thought it would be… it was when he’d reached the half-way point that things had gotten a little dicey. On the upper section, the rock had been steep, but solid. Handholds were plentiful and easy to find, and though his uninjured shoulder had started to ache from the exertion and it had been painfully slow-going, his confidence in making it in one piece had increased exponentially as he’d worked his way down.

And then he’d hit the lower section.

It wasn’t nearly as steep here – in fact, a person could almost have simply walked down the incline – but it was crumbling and treacherous. Every movement set off a tiny landslide that threatened to sweep his feet out from under him. A few moments ago, one had finally done just that, sending him sliding.

Reno lay on his side, small sharp-edged rocks digging uncomfortably into his skin, trying to decide on his next move. His fingers were already starting to hurt from clinging to his current handhold, and the muscles in his arm burned, exhausted. He couldn’t just stay like this forever… but he wasn’t exactly confident that he wouldn’t just continue to careen to the bottom if he simply let go. He really couldn’t find much purchase beneath his feet, and he still had another thirty or so feet to go before he reached the ledge where the wreckage of the helicopter had come to rest. Reno sighed… there really wasn’t anything else for it.

Bracing himself, he forced his fingers to release their hold on the rock.

“Gah… son of a bitch!” he swore, as the sharp little rocks that covered the slope raked his exposed skin. He was almost beginning to wish he hadn’t sacrificed his shirt to keep his injured arm strapped tightly against his chest.

He’d left his jacket behind, as well… for one thing, it would only have been in his way for this. For another… he’d opened a small cut on his arm and left the scent of blood on it for the zenenes to find. He wanted to give them a reason to follow him and not the others. Besides which, he mused, the miniscule protection it might have offered probably wouldn’t have made this all that much more enjoyable, anyway.

He managed to keep his sliding descent mostly controlled, though there were a few times he tumbled, once even going head over heels and painfully jarring his shoulder, and by the end of it, he was pretty sure he’d be one giant bruise in the morning. Finally grinding to a halt at the base of the cliff, he groaned and picked himself up.

“Well, that sucked,” he muttered, making his way toward the wreckage. It was just as battered as he felt – and a little upside down – but in surprisingly decent shape, all things considered. More importantly, it was stable here, having come to rest against a large, solid boulder that had kept it from going any farther down the mountain. Which was fortunate for him, since he fully expected to be seeing more zenenes sniffing around before long, and there wasn’t much else in the way of shelter down here.

As he worked his way around the copter, the tail rotor caught his eye. The redhead ran his hand carefully over the scorched and twisted metal, eyes narrowing.

“Ah, shit. That’s all we need…” There was always the chance he was wrong, of course… but he’d seen his share of mechanical failures piloting the various incarnations of Shinra’s helicopters over the years. This didn’t look like a failure to him. And it also explained the loud boom he’d heard just before they’d gone into that spin. This had all the hallmarks of a small, targeted explosive device. And if he was right, then it was no accident they’d nearly ended up a smear on the side of the mountain. Though the question was, had the sabotaged craft been intended for Rufus, or had it been meant for the president, and his son just a target of convenience?

He’d have to worry about that little detail later, however. Right now, there were more pressing matters to deal with. Reno squeezed through the partially open door in the side of the downed aircraft, and wrenched it shut behind him. Or at least as shut as he could get it… it was too damaged to close completely. He tied it off with some cabling exposed by a twisted wall panel. If they wanted to have him for lunch, Hojo’s little pets were gonna have to work for it.

Relatively safe for the moment, he took a look around the small space. It was a little odd, standing on the ceiling of the passenger section, looking up at the floor. He knelt down, tossing aside a seat cushion and some other rubble, smirking as his fingers closed around the cold metal barrel of a shotgun. Rufus really had been armed.

He’d never been overly fond of the vice president’s preferred weapon. He didn’t particularly favor firearms in general, but shotguns had always struck him as ungainly and inaccurate. Reno was of the opinion that Rufus ought to learn to shoot properly… not just blast anything in front of him with buckshot. He understood Tseng’s reasoning, though. A shotgun was inaccurate at long distances, but extremely effective, with minimal skill required, at shorter ranges. And Rufus was, to put it bluntly, not a Turk. He couldn’t be expected to fight like one. Anything that could save his life was acceptable, and the easier to use, the better. Reno set the weapon near the door. In this instance, he was actually glad for it. Drop a couple of zenenes with something as noisy and destructive as that thing, and it might make the rest of them think twice about getting too close… for awhile, at least.

He shoved some more debris out of his way, and squeezed into the cockpit. Things were a lot more mangled up here, and it took some effort to even find the radio… and when he did, it didn’t look too promising. But… he was here. It wouldn’t hurt anything to give it a try. He switched it on, and flinched as the panel sparked. Much to his surprise, though, the power light and transmission indicator stayed lit. He shrugged and picked up the headset.

“This is Shinra Helo One requesting assistance. Does anyone read me?” He scowled as a painfully loud burst of static assaulted his ears, before repeating the transmission a second time.

“… Reno?” a voice answered, and though the interference was pretty bad, it wasn’t hard to identify.

“Oh, good… We’re not gonna die after all,” he responded with a grin, “Tell me you’re already in the air, partner.”

“We are. Where are you?”

“On the side of a damn mountain,” Reno replied, “North slope. Rufus insisted on takin’ the scenic route, so we’re a little farther east than we really should be.”

“Heading that way now,” said Rude.

“Make it quick… We’ve got a zenene pack huntin’ nearby. I’m still with the copter, but ‘Lena ‘n Rufus are – shit!” Reno had to shield himself from the sudden shower of sparks that erupted from the panel. Moments later the smell of burning electronics filled the air and it went dead. With a sigh, he tossed the now useless headset onto the ground. “‘Least they know where to look…”

That was something, at any rate. Nothing left to do now but wait.

---

This was as good as it was going to get. It was going to have to be… he couldn’t go any farther. Not only was he physically exhausted, the rocks had become nearly sheer. Even the Turk looked like she’d decided enough was enough… thank Odin.

And besides that, their current position was actually not terrible. There was a ledge some twelve feet up that jutted out over them, shielding them from above, and there was very little in terms of places a zenene could approach without them seeing it well in advance. Rufus looked down. They were several hundred feet or more above where they’d started, and he could still make out the wreckage below that… though there was no sign of the other half of his escort.

He suddenly heard the woman beside him groan in frustration.

“I can’t believe I still don’t have a signal all the way up here…”

Rufus tried his own PHS and smirked. It was faint, but it was there.

“I do… barely.”

---

Tseng was still scanning the terrain below for any sign of the executive helicopter when he felt the familiar vibration of the phone in his pocket. He pulled it out thumbing open the notification. The mountainous region and the rich veins of mithryl that ran beneath it wreaked havoc with cellular signals, so voice communication was spotty at best in certain areas. But a text message would keep trying until it broke through. The message was a simple one… a pair of numbers. Coordinates from the phone’s GPS. Tseng let a small smile cross his lips. Say what you would about Rufus… the man certainly couldn’t be faulted for lack of intelligence.

“I found him,” the Turk leader said over his headset.

“Then let’s go get him,” Rude responded.

---

Reno had cleared an area and settled back against the wall of the aircraft, keeping a close eye on the door. So far he’d been lucky. None of the creatures had come to investigate. He just hoped that didn’t mean they’d decided Elena and Rufus looked more appetizing.

He shook his head, banishing the thought. Elena would be fine. She could take care of herself. Hell, she was probably a lot safer than he was at the moment. Even if the zenenes did go after them, by now she had to have found a position where she had an advantage. And Rufus might not be a Turk-level marksman, but he’d never been prone to panic. It didn’t make him the best backup in a fight, but he wasn’t an automatic liability, either. She’d be okay.

Still… he wished he were there to watch her back.

The redhead shifted position, cringing as his body protested. He’d been sitting still too long… muscles were beginning to stiffen in retaliation for the earlier abuse. Reno forced himself to his feet and stretched as much as he could. He typically preferred showers, but at the moment, he wouldn’t have said no to a long, hot bath to soak out the full-body ache that was rapidly creeping up on him. He grinned to himself… maybe if he asked nicely, Elena would join him.

It was odd how easily he was settling into this whole relationship thing. He’d been completely sincere when he’d agreed to it, but the more he thought about it, the more he worried that maybe Elena had been right. Maybe it was asking a lot to give up the freedom he’d enjoyed for so long. It certainly had been a little disconcerting at first, turning down offers that normally he would have jumped at. Hell, usually women didn’t even have time to hit on him… he generally beat them to it.

He still occasionally worried that he wouldn’t be able to resist falling back on old habits… and how deeply that would hurt Elena if it happened… but he was slowly finding that other women didn’t hold quite the same appeal to him they once did. Not that he didn’t still appreciate a pretty face and nice figure… it was simply that he appreciated Elena’s more. And the rather bizarre – for him, anyway – fact that it wasn’t just a physical attraction only served to make her that much more enticing. He was hers, and he wanted desperately to keep it that way.

A loud snuffling sound outside of the helicopter interrupted his thoughts, and the redhead froze, listening. A low growling hiss told him they knew he was there. Reno fell into a crouch, weapon drawn. They hadn’t found the door yet, but it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, a few seconds later, claws met metal as the zenenes began to look for a way inside.

He moved closer to the door, as quietly as he could, hefting Rufus’ shotgun. It was going to be a bitch to fire one-handed… particularly with only the use of his non-dominant hand. He’d seen Rufus do it a few times while showing off, but the thing had a hell of a kick to it. The first set of snapping teeth appeared at the gap in the doorway, and Reno braced himself as he took aim and fired. The force of the gun’s kickback left the shoulder he’d braced it against stinging painfully for a few moments. The zenene’s head virtually disintegrated, spraying the area around the door with blood. He readied himself for the next target.

The zenenes however, seemed to have other ideas. They descended upon their fallen packmate, and began to tear the carcass apart. Reno grimaced and looked away briefly. The sight was gruesome. He’d known they were vicious… but no one had ever bothered to mention to him that they were cannibalistic as well. He crept closer to the door and raised the shotgun again, picking a new target, farther off. If they wanted to eat each other, he was only too happy let them.

Reno’s eyes widened as he got his first unimpeded view of the pack. There were a dozen of them, easy… and that was just what he could see. He could hear more around the other side of the helicopter, as well. His sidearm’s clip held fifteen rounds, and he’d used three during the zenene’s first attack. He checked the shotgun… six round capacity, of which he’d already fired one. Not good. He had enough to take down the ones currently in front of him… and that was assuming he didn’t miss any shots… but he had no idea how many more might be lurking out of sight. He had his EMR, of course, but that would require getting a lot closer to those things than he really wanted to do and making himself vulnerable.

One of the zenenes suddenly spotted him and charged, and Reno had only seconds to adjust his aim and fire. It howled in pain as the shot tore through it’s powerfully muscled shoulder, but it didn’t go down. The creature was angrily clawing at the opening by the time he fired again, and this time it dropped.

‘So much for making every shot count…’ he thought, annoyed with himself. If he managed to get himself out of this, he was going to make it a point to get in a little more practice time on the range in the very near future. Even right-handed with an unfamiliar weapon, he should have been a better shot than that. Apparently, he was getting rusty.

He switched to his own gun, saving the remaining shotgun shells for an emergency, and picked out his next target.

---

Rufus sat, arms crossed, against the cliff face, watching the young Turk. She, in turn, was watching the mountainside for any sign of unwelcome guests. When he heard her gasp, he was on his feet in seconds.

“What?”

Elena shook her head and pointed. “They’re surrounding the helicopter.”

Rufus peered down… it took him a moment to actually find them, they were so hard to see against the rock. But eventually he spotted movement far below.

“There’s so many…” the woman breathed.

“Be glad they’re down there and not up here,” he advised. The size of the pack was daunting. It was difficult to accurately count them from so far away, especially with them moving around down there, but Rufus put their numbers at close to twenty. If those things came for them, they’d easily be overwhelmed even with a relatively advantageous position.

“Reno’s down there.” He could hear the concern in her voice over her teammate… and to at least some extent, he shared it. The redhead may have been an obnoxious pain the ass and Rufus doubted very much that his loss would have any particularly profound affect on him personally, but he had no desire to see him dead. As he’d said earlier… he didn’t hate the man. If nothing else, he was a valuable employee and, occasionally, an entertaining distraction.

“Unfortunate for him,” Rufus replied, “But there’s little we can do from here.”

A shot rang out from below and the zenenes were thrown into a brief frenzy. One of them must have gotten a little too close to where the Turk was hiding. It took him a moment to realize that the shot hadn’t frightened them, though. No… they were converging on something. Their fallen pack member, he assumed. Well… that was a little disturbing.

A second shot, and then a third, followed in quick succession. And then a new sound, almost a sporadic popping… which, he was eventually able to recognize as gunshots as well, but from a much smaller weapon. It didn’t last long.

“Twelve… That’s all he would’ve had left,” Elena said, clearly more to herself than to Rufus. He hadn’t hadn’t even thought to count. His own weapon held six shells… and he surmised that the first shots they’d heard had come from it. That didn’t leave the Turk with much to work with. If he’d planned on responding to the woman, however, it was quickly forgotten as a far more welcome sound greeted his ears. Elena heard it, too, and her gaze quickly shifted skyward.

He had to admit… he felt nearly as relieved as she looked when the helicopter finally appeared from behind a peak. And he imagined that at least one of the occupants was just as relieved to see them. Tseng did have a habit of worrying. The aircraft beelined for them, coming to a stop and hovering several yard above their heads. A ladder tumbled from the open door.

Elena reached for it, pulling it in closer.

“Sir…” she said, gesturing for him to go up first. He wasn’t about to hesitate.

It was harder than it looked, climbing a swaying ladder hundreds of feet in the air, with nothing but certain death awaiting him if he slipped, but he managed. When he at last reached the top, he was hauled aboard by Tseng.

“Are you injured, sir?” he asked.

“No.”

The Turk leader nodded and turned to his subordinate, pulling her in as well. “What about Reno?”

“He’s inside the other helicopter,” she replied, hurriedly, and the note of concern in her voice was even more apparent than before. “He’s in trouble… the zenenes!”

“Rude, get us down there. Now.”

Rufus found himself being unceremoniously pushed into a seat and strapped in. He didn’t raise a complaint… He knew better than to interfere with Tseng when he was focused on his job. The Wutaiian Turk lifted a rifle from a rack above the door.

“Elena, take the other side,” he ordered. The woman nodded and hauled open the door on the opposite side of the craft, before drawing her own weapon.

---

Reno took out two more of the creatures before the last of his ammunition was spent. The shotgun was empty and so was his own gun… and the zenenes were still coming. He’d decreased their numbers substantially, though not be as much as he’d wanted to. Ultimately, he’d killed nine, and wounded two more. Unfortunately for him, there were still several more out there… and they were now far more interested in getting to him than eating their fallen friends.

Claws ripped at the door, shredding his make-shift lock, and he backed up against the far wall to avoid the creature as it swiped at him. His mag-rod was already in hand and he swung at the appendage. The zenene hissed at him but wasn’t deterred by the shock. Reno’s eyes widened. That had been the weapon’s highest setting… the contact had been brief, but it should have at least stunned the damn thing.

The zenene wedged its body into the gap, forcing the door open wider, preparing to attack. Reno did the same, though he wasn’t too sure of his chances. When it suddenly dropped to the ground, though, he could only stare for a moment in confusion.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of rotors cutting the air over the growls and hisses of the zenenes that he understood what had happened and moved to look out. The Shinra logo on the side of the hovering copter was almost the most welcome sight he could imagine seeing… the only thing better was catching sight of Elena perched on one of the skids, firing at the creatures surrounding him. Tseng was doing the same.

Without warning, however, one of the bastards slipped past their defense, forcing its way into the helicopter and tackling Reno to the ground. He cried out as it’s teeth closed on his thigh, and soon he found himself being dragged underneath the downed aircraft. The EMR was out… shocking the hell out of that thing while it had ahold of him would only cause him to injure himself as well. Instead, he went for the eyes, gouging at them with his fingers. It only seemed to enrage the creature farther.

Several more gunshots rang out and the injured Turk felt the pressure on his leg release. The zenene dropped him and turned toward the its attackers, only to fall in a hail of bullets.

“Reno!” Elena was suddenly beside him, and it occurred to him that she almost had to have jumped from the copter to have reached him so quickly. It was only just now coming to a rest in a clear spot some distance off.

“Cuttin’ things a little close there…” he said, grinning weakly as he pushed himself into a sitting position and leaned back against the wreckage. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain as he tried to move his leg. It didn’t feel broken, but the shredded flesh, along with his recently-dislocated shoulder, was going to land him on desk duty for awhile he was sure. “You okay?”

“I’m fine…” Elena said, with an odd sort of sobbing laugh, as she stripped off her jacket and pressed it against the bite wound on his leg, “You’re the one who looks like he just walked out of horror movie…”

“Heh… Mountainside of Teeth and Claws? I’d watch the hell outta that…”

“Don’t tell me…” a voice said, and Reno saw Tseng walking towards them, “You let Rufus pilot again…”

The redhead managed a laugh in spite of pain. “Boss, believe me, I learned my lesson on that a long time ago. I really don’t have a death wish.”

Tseng knelt beside him, looking him over. “Elena… get the first aid kit from the helicopter,” he said, taking over applying pressure to the wound. As the rookie hurried off, he turned back to Reno. “Any injuries besides the obvious?”

“Nah… I was actually doing pretty okay ’til that fucker decided to take a bite outta me. That’s the worst of it, I think. How’s Rufus?”

“Perfectly fine, though, I think, much more eager to return to Junon than he was this morning,” the Turk leader replied, chuckling softly.

“Think you might wanna add some extra security from here on out.”

“I doubt, after today, he’ll be as quick to disappear on us.”

Reno shook his head. “Not what I meant. It was no accident we went down when we did. Someone sabotaged us. Check out the tail rotor… if that’s not the result of very small bomb, I’ll finish off my entire backlog of reports soon as we’re back in Midgar.”

“You’ll be doing that anyway, unless Ward clears you for field duty,” he replied gently, before glancing back toward the rotor. Elena returned at just that moment, Rude in tow, and Tseng left him in their care while he went to see the damage for himself. She ripped apart the redhead’s torn pant leg to better tend to the bite.

“Fuck, ‘Lena… I know you’re happy to see me, but ya don’t have to tear my clothes off…” he teased. She rolled her eyes, and carefully lifted his leg to wrap a bandage around it. “‘Sides… I’m pretty sure poor Rude saw me showin’ more than enough skin yesterday…” he added, laughing when Elena’s cheeks went pink. Rude tried feebly to cover his own snickering with a cough.

“I swear to Shiva, Reno… I don’t care how incredibly relieved I am right now that you’re alright. One more comment like that, and you can walk back to Midgar,” the rookie threatened.

---

Reno stayed just long enough in the medical suite for Dr. Ward to clean and dress the wound on his leg, and properly tend to his shoulder. Then he’d beat a hasty retreat back to the Turk’s offices as soon as he had his treat hand… a treat he was presently enjoying as he lay on the couch by the window while Elena held his head on her lap, playing with his hair.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with you,” Tseng said, looking serious, despite his lieutenant’s less than professional demeanor. “It was almost certainly a small explosive device that brought you down. I’ve dispatched a recovery team… they’ve been instructed to look for any evidence of the bomb for analysis. In the meantime, I’ve doubled the security on Rufus… he’s not pleased.”

“What makes you think Rufus was the target, sir?” Elena asked, “Isn’t it more likely that whoever set it was after the president?”

“That’s entirely possible. But then, we can’t be certain when the bomb was planted. And it would be far easier to have done so while the helicopter was unguarded in Kalm than while it was on top of the most secure building in the city.”

“… And odds are good it was set off remotely once they knew you were in the air,” Rude added, “Which means they had to be watching… so they had to have known who was on board.”

“Doesn’t mean Rufus needin’ a lift back to Junon wasn’t just a happy accident for ’em.” Reno’s voice was tired and a little slurred… and Elena wondered if Dr. Ward had given him something for the pain while he’d been down in medical. He didn’t seem quite himself.

“No… it doesn’t,” Tseng agreed, “Which is why I’ve also placed additional security on President Shinra and his wife, and put building security on a level three alert.”

“We got any idea who might be behind it?” Reno asked.

“A very tentative lead, courtesy of one of Rude’s informants… but the evidence is circumstantial at best. Enough for me to want him questioned as soon as possible, though, certainly. That’s a matter for tomorrow, however.” Tseng paused a moment, studying his second-in-command. “You look as though you could use some rest.”

“Tch… Ward fuckin’ jabbed me with a painkiller for my shoulder. It’s finally startin’ to kick in and it’s makin’ me sleepy as all hell. Maybe a little loopy, too. Actually, I’m kinda likin’ it right now…” He blinked somewhat owlishly and cocked his head to one side. “Um… also pretty sure I’m hallucinatin’ just a little. Either that or Rude just grew a second set of ears…”

“I see,” he said, chuckling softly, “And I suppose Ward also told you that you should go home before it took affect. And you opted to ignore her advice, as usual.”

“… It’s… a distinct possibility,” the redhead admitted, and the Turk leader rolled his eyes.

“Go home. Elena, I assume you were already planning to make certain he gets there in one piece at the end of the day?”

“Er… yes, sir,” she replied. Tseng nodded.

“Go ahead and take him, then. Rude and I can manage for what remains of the afternoon on our own.”

Reno groaned as he sat up. “If I were a little less beat up, I’d bitch about you thinkin’ I need an escort just to make it home to bed. Just ’cause I might be slightly over-medicated…”

“Slightly?” Elena cut in, incredulously.

“… doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself,” he finished.

“Hmph… Reno, you’re high as a kite,” Rude was quick to point out, smirking, “I’ll bet you ten gil right now you don’t even make it down the hall without help.”

“You’re on!” the redhead declared, and stood up. Which promptly resulted in him staggering, off-balance and falling back onto the couch. “That… didn’t count.”

Elena giggled and dragged the redhead back to his feet, holding him up this time. “Come on, you. Time for bed.” Reno grinned somewhat lecherously, but the rookie hurried to cut off the inevitable response. “Don’t you dare say it.”

The redhead’s face fell in disappointment. Elena sighed softly. He looked like a wounded puppy, and she just couldn’t stand it. She finally cringed a bit and said it for him, her cheeks flushing. “Besides… At this point I don’t exactly think they need you to paint them a picture…”

Reno’s grin quickly returned, and he wrapped his good arm around her. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love that color on you?” he asked, letting his fingers trail along one side of her face.

Tseng took hold of Reno and gingerly pulled him off of her. “I think perhaps I should accompany you to the parking deck. Whatever Ward gave him, seems rather… potent.”

Rude snickered loudly and shook his head. “Guy can drink anyone and their brother under the table and come back for more, but dose him with painkillers and he can barely walk…”

“Tch… I can walk just fine,” he insisted, pulling away from Tseng, and nearly toppling forward. Rude moved swiftly to catch him. Reno laughed. “Fine… fuck it. I admit it. I’m useless right now.”

Rude slung him over a shoulder. “You’ll be at it until quitting time if you let him walk…” he said in answer to Tseng’s raised eyebrow. He carried him out of the office, heading for the elevators.

“Is… he going to be alright?” Elena asked, concerned.

“He’ll be fine once he comes down,” Tseng replied, “Ward generally tries to avoid giving him anything even remotely mind-altering for precisely this reason. Oddly enough, Rude’s right. He has no tolerance to narcotics at all, and after the initial novelty wears off, he doesn’t particularly enjoy the effect. He must have been in considerably more pain than he let on if he allowed it. You intend to stay with him tonight?”

“Yes, sir…”

“Good. I doubt he’d admit to it, but I think being so thoroughly out of control frightens him a bit.”

Elena nodded and hurried off after the other two men.

---

By the time Elena’s car pulled into the parking lot, Reno was asleep… or unconscious. She wasn’t entirely sure which. He’d somehow managed to curl up on the seat, in spite of his injuries. Though, she mused, he probably wasn’t feeling much of anything at the moment, so the injuries may not have mattered too much. She shut off the engine and walked around to his side of the car, opening the door.

“Reno?” she prodded him, shaking him gently. He mumbled something incoherent, and turned away from her. Elena sighed, and shook him harder. “Reno… wake up.”

“Huh?” he managed, opening his eyes at last.

“Come on… I didn’t bring Rude with me and I’m not carrying you,” she said teasingly. The redhead blinked slowly, as though trying to process the request.

“… ‘Kay.” With a little help, he got to his feet, and Elena guided him into the building.

“How do you feel?” she asked as they rode the elevator up.

“Startin’ to regret lettin’ Ward give me this shit…” He nuzzled her, and let his arm find its way around her again.

“You didn’t want her to?” she replied, not really shocked after her short conversation with Tseng.

“Mmm… Kinda hate feelin’ like this. But I figured you wouldn’t just leave me, and it is kinda nice not to hurt for awhile, so I let her talk me into it,” he murmured. Reno suddenly looked up, concerned. “You’re not leavin’, right?”

“Of course I’m not.” The elevator arrived at their floor, and she walked him toward the apartment, opening the door. “It’d be a little hard to leave, anyway. Where would I go?”

The redhead looked around, confused. “This isn’t my place…”

Elena giggled softly, and ushered him inside, shoving the door shut behind them with a well-placed kick. “No… It’s mine. You’re staying here… with me.”

Reno managed a smirk. “If you were expectin’ somethin’ from me tonight, ‘fraid you’re gonna be disappointed. Don’t think I’m up for that sorta thing right now…”

“Oh, just stop and get into bed,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Heh… Someone wasn’t payin’ attention.”

“And I thought your jokes were bad when you’re sober…” She helped him into the bedroom, setting him down on the bed. By the time she had him undressed and tucked in he was already dozing off again. Elena leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, and stroked his hair back. “Goodnight, Reno…” she said, softly, heading for the door.

“You said you weren’t gonna leave…” a panicked voice called after her. The rookie turned back, surprised to see him suddenly very much awake again and watching her intently.

“I-I’m not. But I was going to sleep in the guest room. I always end up… you know… cuddling you in my sleep,” she said, blushing a little. It was true. She inevitably woke up clinging to the redhead in the morning. It was damn near instinctive. She’d done it even before they were together. “I didn’t think you’d appreciate that, as sore as you’re probably going to be in the morning.”

“You can beat me senseless in your sleep for all I care,” he replied, swallowing sharply, “Just… don’t leave me alone right now, okay? I don’t feel right, and… and it kinda freaks me out.”

Elena move back over to his side, settling on the edge of the bed. “Alright… just calm down,” she said, soothingly, “I’ll sleep in here, if that’s what you want.” It was still early… far earlier than she would normally have gone to bed, even after a rough day at work. She got the distinct impression that he wasn’t going to sleep well without her, though. She mentally shrugged… it wasn’t as if going to bed a little early would kill her. And more importantly, Reno needed her.

Elena changed out of her uniform and slipped into bed beside him. The redhead pulled her close almost immediately, coaxing her head down onto his uninjured shoulder, and she felt him relax.

“Sorry…” he whispered.

“For what?” She couldn’t even imagine what he thought he had to apologize for.

“I’m bein’ a pain in the ass…”

Elena let her fingers wander teasingly across his chest, earning a contented sigh from him, and giggled. “Reno… I kept you up for almost four days straight with night terrors and constant paranoia, and you think you’re a pain in the ass because you don’t want to sleep alone tonight? I thinkI can tolerate you being a little needy for a few hours. I don’t mind taking care of you for a change.”

Reno pressed a kiss against the top of her head, and settled back against the pillows, letting his eyes close.

“‘Lena?” he murmured sleepily.

“Hmm?”

“I think you might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”

~fin~