Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 9: We All go a Little Mad Sometimes

Reno grunted in annoyance and shielded his eyes as the the overhead florescent lights flickered on. He sat up, his back muscles protesting the long night spent on an uncomfortable metal cot, and stretched, cracking his shoulders and neck.

“‘Bout goddamn time,” he muttered to his jailer. Rude unlocked the cell door with a key card and let him out. “Really didn’t want to spend my entire Saturday in here. Do I get to go home now, or am wanted immediately for my lecture on misuse of company time?”

“No lecture,” Rude replied, “And Tseng says to hit the gym showers, then come upstairs. You’re working today.”

“Ah, fuck. Weekend duty? Great. Wait a minute… You serious? He’s not gonna chew me out?” Reno asked, shocked, “The boss must be goin’ soft.”

“Wouldn’t say that,” Rude smirked knowingly, causing Reno to halt in his bid for the door. He turned back to his partner.

“You know somethin’, don’t you…”

“Yep.”

“And you’re not gonna tell me, are ya?”

“Nope.”

Reno sighed. “You’re a real asshole, ya know that, pal?”

“Yep,” Rude acknowledged, grinning at his partner.

---

There wasn’t much else he could do to stall for time. He’d showered, shaved, brushed his teeth, cleaned his nails… hell, he’d even stolen a blow drier from the woman’s locker room and dried his hair. Reno sighed and tossed the towel wrapped around his waist into the laundry bin, and grabbed a clean uniform from his locker, dressing at as leisurely a pace as he could manage.

“Might as well get this over with.” He left the gym, and hopped the first elevator he came upon, riding it up several floors to the Turks’ headquarters. As he stepped into the main office, he found Tseng was waiting for him looking almost impatient. Either he was supremely pissed off… or he was very, very pleased with himself over whatever he had planned. Neither option boded well for Reno. Elena stood there, too… looking decidedly nervous. For just a moment, he could have sworn he saw a smirk flicker across Tseng’s face.

“Why do I get the feeling that I shoulda just stayed in that cell indefinitely?” he groaned. This time he was certain Tseng smirked.

---

“Maybe it won’t be so bad…” Elena said hopefully as the two Turks made their way down the hall. Reno snorted.

“Suuure, ‘Lena. We’re stuck with a week of guard duty for Dr. von Creepmaster… I’m sure it’ll be great!” he said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Any amount of time in Hojo’s company was far too long, in Reno’s opinion. The obsessive scientist just had an air of… wrongness… about him. Not to mention the fact that his tendency to regard every living thing that crossed his path as a potential “specimen” creeped him right the fuck out. The two Turks stepped into the elevator, and Reno hit the button that would carry them up several more floors to the high security research labs.

“But… it’s just guard duty, right? How bad could it possibly be?”

“You ever actually been in that lab of his, ‘Lena?” Reno asked.

“W-well, no, but…”

“Heh… Didn’t think so. Seriously, ‘Lena. Some weird shit goes on up there. Watch yourself,” he admonished.

Elena very nearly laughed, but the serious expression in Reno’s eyes didn’t waver for an instant. She swallowed nervously as a chime announced their arrival at the labs and the doors slid open. She half expected to see some bizarre scene unfolding before her, like something out of an old monster movie. The sterile white tiled hallway, humming with the activity of dozens of people in lab coats was so far removed from what she’d pictured, she snickered. Reno eyed her strangely, but shrugged it off.

Organized chaos. If Reno had to come up with a term to describe it, that would have been it. Technicians in white coats scurried to and fro, checking and rechecking the crates and containers that were being carted into the hallway. Those were what he and Elena would be guarding. According to their briefing, due to the increasingly sensitive nature of Hojo’s experiments, several of his current projects were being transferred to science personnel at the military installation in Junon… not only for the added security, but also because the Midgar research staff simply couldn’t handle the workload any longer.

Teams in Junon would be taking over a total of six projects over the course of the next week, during which time all specimens and research materials relating to those projects were to be inventoried, crated, and transported from the Midgar labs to the Junon labs. The Turks were there to provide security during said transport. And of course, to provide security for Hojo himself, who would be traveling with his “precious specimens” to ensure that they were treated with the proper care.

“It’s about time you arrived. The first shipment has been ready for nearly an hour!” a thin, bespectacled man with long, slightly greasy hair shouted over the din of the bustling lab assistants. Reno inwardly cringed. Speak of the devil…

“Yes, sir,” Reno replied, instinctively taking the lead and stepping out ahead of Elena. Hojo shuffled forward and glared at him. Reno was easily a head taller than the man, but his gray-eyed gaze was still slightly unnerving. Even more so when he realized that Hojo was looking him over rather intently. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing Reno’s bicep, and prodding the muscle there. Only years of dealing with the higher-ups of the company prevented him from reacting violently.

“Hmm… A good physical specimen,” he stated, clearly speaking to himself, rather than the Turk, as he released him, “Perhaps lacking in higher intelligence, but decently suitable.”

Reno narrowed his eyes, feeling more than a little insulted, and opened his mouth to comment on that remark, but Hojo had already turned his attention on Elena… who had, Reno noticed, taken a half-step backwards. He smirked slightly. Maybe now she’d believe him about just how bizarre the guy was.

“Oh, excellent. Excellent. Very healthy-looking, strong, of prime age… likely very fertile… This one would make a fine breeding specimen for project 217… You’re not already pregnant by any chance, are you?” he queried, one hand stretching out toward her belly.

“E-excuse me!” Elena squeaked. Reno smoothly stepped between the rookie and Hojo before he made contact.

“If the preparations for transport are finished, sir, perhaps we should get going,” he ground out, suddenly feeling very protective of his fellow Turk, and not about to let things go any farther down that road. Hojo gave him a cold look.

“Very well… If you’ll not indulge my research, we’ll be off,” he said, turning on his heel, and began issuing instructions to his assistants. Reno turned back to look at Elena, who was obviously unsure of what had just happened… not to mention a little rattled.

“Told ya the guy was creepy,” he said, chuckling at her bewildered and slightly disgusted expression.

---

It wasn’t often that Reno got to ride in one of Shinra’s massive airships. The things were damned impressive… and generally reserved exclusively for Junon’s military troops. In fact, this was only the third time he’d ever been inside one of them. For Elena, it was a first, and despite the fact that she was trying very hard to maintain a professional air, Reno had caught her, more than once, looking around, awed by the complexity of the machinery that was keeping them aloft.

“Fuckin’ cool, huh?” he commented.

“Y-yeah…” she breathed.

“Heh… Better go look around while you can. You probably won’t get another chance for a long time.”

“Er… But we’re supposed to be on duty. I can’t just go wandering off,” she protested, though it was blatantly obvious that she really did want to do a little exploring while she had the opportunity.

Reno shrugged. “So call it a patrol,” he replied. It wasn’t like she needed to stick around. The odds of anything happening up here were so slim, Reno was surprised the Turks had even been requested for the job. Besides… he was feeling generous.

“R-really?”

“Ah, go on,” he said, smirking, “I’ll cover things here. Just watch out for Hojo. Wouldn’t want ya to wind up as one of his ‘breeding specimens’, after all.”

“Ugh…” was Elena’s only reply to that.

“By the way, while we’re on the subject of breeding…” Reno said, a teasing note in his voice, “How was dinner with Tseng? Any tales of debauchery to share or did ya strike out? I want details, here!”

Reno couldn’t help but laugh as she rolled her eyes and she walked away.

“Hey, come on, ‘Lena… I spent my Valentine’s Day in a fucking holding cell to set that dinner up for you. The least you could do is tell me if ya scored or not…” he called after her.

---

The wind in her hair and the ground racing by far below was exhilarating. She could see for miles in every direction standing on the deck of the airship. Elena peered over the railing, catching site of a small herd of wild chocobos racing across the plains. They would be arriving in Junon within the hour, and from there, she and Reno would be supervising the unloading and transport of all of Hojo’s materials. It was going to make for a very long week, but the airship ride almost made it worth it.

Not long ago, she’d caught sight of Hojo below deck… which was, primarily, the reason she’d come out here. She really didn’t want a repeat of their earlier encounter. Particularly not without Reno around to stop the man from invading her personal space. Anyone else and she’d have flattened him… but Hojo was a top-level Shinra employee. She could hardly take a swing at the guy, no matter how uncomfortable he made her. Even Reno hadn’t reacted when Hojo had grabbed him.

Reno had been right about him, though she didn’t shared his apparent innate distrust of the scientist. Hojo didn’t actually seem dangerous… just very, very odd and socially awkward. Discomfiting, definitely… but not dangerous. She supposed that was a trait that went along with being a genius. Her musings were interrupted by the insistent ringing of her PHS. She quickly moved to answer it.

“Elena here,” she said.

“Yo, rookie… Get back down here. We’ve got a problem,” Reno’s voice responded tensely over the handset.

“On my way, Reno,” she replied, and hurried back to where she’d left her temporary partner.

When she arrived in the cargo bay, things were definitely not as she’d left them. Where once it had been only she and Reno, and the occasionally cursory inspection by Hojo or one of his lab assistants, now, it seemed, his entire staff was on alert, checking containers, flipping though checklists, and generally buzzing about with an air of repressed panic.

“W-what’s going on?” she asked Reno.

“We’re not sure… Someone was down here. Almost had him, but one of those idiots got in my way, and he slipped past me,” Reno said, annoyance clearly evident in his voice.

“Is anything missing?”

“They’re checkin’ into that now,” the senior Turk replied, “But there’s a lot to check. You and I are going to look for our intruder. He can’t have gone too far.”

---

Their search was proving fruitless. Whoever he was, he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“Could he have left the ship?” Elena asked, her sidearm drawn and poised to fire, should it be necessary. They had begun their search in one of the aft compartments, thoroughly sweeping the ship from stern to bow. The bowels of the airship, however, were like a maze, and their target could have been hiding anywhere. Both Turks were being especially vigilant, and moving cautiously.

“Could’ve, if he had a parachute, I guess… But I think someone would have noticed a guy bailing out of an airship a couple miles above the ground. We’d have heard about it by now. Nah, I think he’s still down here somewhere.”

A loud clang sounded behind them, and both Turks spun toward the noise, weapons raised, as a mangy-looking cat darted out from behind a crate.

“Shit,” Reno muttered, rolling his eyes, “Fucking cat. Bastard almost lost about six of his lives…”

He lowered his electro mag-rod.

“Come on, ‘Lena… Let’s keep go-AHHHH!”

Elena jumped at the pained cry, gun aiming automatically in the general direction of danger. What she saw stopped her cold.

“Reno!”

He’d been ambushed from behind. A short, rotund man in a dirty yellow and white t-shirt and jeans had a firm grip on Reno’s hair. But that, Elena knew, was not what had made the Turk cry out. Implanted firmly in the side of his neck was a rather large syringe. A now-empty syringe. Reno himself had gone frighteningly pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. Whatever he’d been injected with was taking effect quickly.

Elena fired once, hitting Reno’s assailant cleanly in the shoulder. He released his hold on the Turk and staggered backwards. Reno collapsed, shivering violently, on the floor, eyes rolled back in his head.

“What did you do to him!” she shouted at the man, gun leveled at him. Her finger twitched on the trigger, her instincts telling her to eliminate the threat, but she needed information. Reno’s life might depend on it.

“Why don’t you ask that bastard of a scientist you’ve got workin’ for ya? He’s the one that made it,” he sneered, reaching into his pocket.

“Don’t move!” Elena warned, but the intruder apparently had a larger agenda than simply escaping with his hide intact. He withdraw a small remote control, thumb poised over the single large button in the center of it. Elena didn’t give him a second chance. She fired, putting a bullet right between his eyes. He died instantly, but it was too late. At almost the same instant, his finger hit the button. Elsewhere on the airship, there was a massive explosion, and the entire vessel lurched to one side. Elena felt the sickening sensation of rapid decent in the pit of her stomach.

‘This is how I’m going to die,’ she thought, and was surprised that it didn’t frighten her nearly as much as she thought it should. Suddenly, there came a jarring impact, and the screeching of metal against metal. Elena was thrown forward, slamming hard into the wall directly in front of her, and her world went dark.

---

“Ohhh…” she moaned. For a moment, she was certain that she had to be dead… but a sharp pain in her side, followed by the near-blinding light of the sun as her eyes snapped open quickly convinced her otherwise. Elena slowly sat up, feeling vaguely dizzy, and very much in pain. Her head throbbed, and when she raised a hand to her scalp, it came back coated in blood. Shakily, she staggered to her feet, wincing as what could only be several broken ribs sharply protested the movement. Her entire body felt bruised, though judging by the wreckage that surrounded her, she’d been almost unimaginably lucky.

Where once she had been in an corridor enclosed by cold metal walls, she was now very nearly out in the open. The floor was tilted at an angle, and the deck above had been ripped away completely. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. The memories came back one by one. She recalled shooting the man… the explosion… being thrown off her feet.

Then she recalled something else.

“Reno…” she gasped. She had no idea what had happened to him. Still not entirely steady on her feet, she stumbled across the debris-strewn floor.

“R-Reno? Can you hear me?” she called, taking a few steps forward… and promptly tripping over a large object in her path. She fell, letting out a sharp, shrill scream as her already-traumatized ribs hit the floor hard. She lay there for a moment, dazed by the pain, vision dimming as she came dangerously close to passing out again. She fought it, taking a few slow breaths. She could not afford to lose consciousness right now. Eventually, her head stopped spinning and her vision cleared, though each time she inhaled, she felt as though a dozen knives were piercing her chest. Cautiously, she stood, hoisting herself to her feet, using an overturned crate for leverage. She pointedly ignored the urge to cough in the dust-filled air, as she was certain it would be pure agony if she did.

Her gazed traveled to whatever it was she’d fallen over, eyes locking on the face of the dead man. The one who’d attacked Reno. Vindictively, she gave the corpse a sharp kick in the head, not caring that the sudden movement jarred her injured ribs yet again. The pain just served to vindicate her fury even more.

“Asshole,” she spat. But if he was here, then Reno had to be close by, too. She clambered over the wreckage, eyes scanning every inch of it. As she moved slowly down what was left of the passageway, a soft sound met her ears. It was barely audible, and she paused, straining to hear it. After a moment, she began to think that she’d simply imagined it, but then, suddenly it came again. It was muffled… a whimper. She hurried in the direction she thought it had come from.

“Reno?” she called, hopefully, silently begging every deity she could think of that he was still alive, “Reno… Answer me! Please…” She was getting closer now. Elena shifted a large metal panel to one side, clenching her teeth against the pain, revealing the object of her search. Reno was curled in the fetal position, eyes squeezed tight shut, his face pale, his entire body shaking.

“Reno!” she lowered herself to her knees next to him, pressing two fingers against the artery in his neck. His heart was racing, and his breathing was quick and shallow. His skin was clammy and damp with cold sweat.

“Oh, god… Reno…” she whispered, brushing his hair gently away from his face. Reno’s eyes opened and slowly focused on her.

” ‘Lena…” he rasped, “It… h-hurts…”

---

The call had come in less than five minutes ago. Junon had received an emergency signal from the Torrent… the airship that had been carrying not only Hojo and several of his pet projects and staff, but also two Turks. It was the latter that Tseng was currently most concerned about, though had anyone he and Rude met in the hallway asked, he would have said otherwise. He’d tried several times, unsuccessfully, to contact them.

It was supposed to have been routine. It was supposed to have been merely a formality, taking along two Turks as part of security… a favor he’d called in, in truth. The airship was a floating fortress, after all. It had no need for extra security.

He blamed himself. There was no legitimate reason for them to even be there. He’d only wanted to teach them a lesson – and, he admitted, perhaps get in on the game just a little. There were few things less appealing than time in Hojo’s company. It has seemed the perfect response to the night before. It had all been meant in the spirit of fun and camaraderie, but now things had taken a decidedly more dire turn.

He and Rude boarded the helicopter that waited for them on the rooftop of the Shinra Building.

---

Elena gingerly coaxed him out of his curled position, laying him out on his back on the floor. Running her hands over his limbs, his torso, she pressed lightly, carefully… looking for any sign of physical injury. But he wasn’t injured, as far as she could tell. It was the syringe, then. Whatever had been in it was making him sicker and sicker by the minute. Possibly… probably, she amended, her throat tightening at the thought… even killing him.

He was beginning to have difficultly breathing now and Elena simply didn’t know what to do for him. It tore her apart her to see him like this, even more so because she was helpless to do anything. She didn’t even have a way to ease his pain. She had finally resorted to lifting him onto her lap and rubbing gentle circles on his back, offering whatever comfort she could. But she knew that if she didn’t do something soon, there very well might be no hope for him at all.

“I-it’ll be alright Reno…” she said, though her voice was far from convincing, “I’ll go get help. Just… hang on, okay?”

“N-no…” Reno managed, through clenched teeth, “Don’t… please don’t leave me, ‘Lena. Please… Don’t leave me… Don’t leave me alone…”

Her stomach twisted as she read the meaning behind his plea, and she felt ill. He was giving up. He didn’t want her to leave, because he was afraid he’d be dead by the time she got back… and he didn’t want to die alone. She swallowed harshly and blinked back the tears that had welled up. Oh god… she was going to watch him die.

“So… the two of you did survive after all,” a voice stated in a rather bored tone. Elena turned, utterly relieved that someone – anyone – had found them. Hojo and two of his staff stood at the far end of the destroyed hallway.

“Oh, thank Holy,” Elena sighed, “Reno needs help!”

The three of them came closer, and Hojo joined her at Reno’s side.

“Well, well… How interesting,” he commented, “I take it that this is our thief’s doing?”

“H-how did you know?”

“We had just determined what had been taken when the explosion occurred. And this is quite obviously the effects of project 1071,” Hojo replied.

“Is there a cure? An antidote? Something?” Elena pleaded.

“Certainly,” said Hojo, and Elena was briefly awash in relief, “However, like most of the cargo, it was destroyed. Nearly all of my specimens… gone…”

Her heart sank. That was it then… There really was nothing they could do for him. So upset was she, that she didn’t notice Hojo’s movements until it was nearly too late. The scientist’s hand had crept into Reno’s jacket, pulling the Turk’s sidearm from it’s holster. Hojo emotionlessly leveled the gun at the suffering Turk. Elena’s eyes widened as realization dawned. She shoved Reno off of her lap with one hand, and with the other, seized hold of Hojo’s arm forcing it upwards just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet sailed high, off course, striking something metal in the distance. In a matter of seconds, she was on her feet despite the pain she herself was in. Moments later, she’d disarmed him and taken the gun for herself.

“What the hell do you thing you’re doing!” she shrieked.

“Hmph… it would be far kinder to end this for him now,” Hojo said coldly, “And far safer for us.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, eying him suspiciously. The two members of Hojo’s staff had hung back, unsure of what to do, and as Elena glanced back at them, she realized that they seemed extremely concerned about something.

“This is only stage one,” Hojo replied, “The pain will continue to increase, but eventually, it will subside entirely. Then, once he enters stage two, he will gain strength very quickly, seemingly returning to normal.”

Reno was going to be alright? She hardly dared to hope that she had heard correctly.

“Don’t look so relieved. I said ‘seemingly’,” Hojo continued, “Once stage three begins, he will become violent. Very violent… He will attempt to kill anyone he comes across. Myself… my staff… even you. He will lose himself completely and no amount of pleading will dissuade him. And then, when the effects of stage three have worn off, he will slip into a coma. Approximately 12 to 24 hours later, he will die. If we were in my lab, I could administer an antidote, however…”

He shrugged, gesturing to the wreckage around them. Given the situation, there wasn’t much chance of getting Reno the help he needed before the drug in his system took full effect.

Reno gave a low, pained moan.

” ‘Lena…” he gasped, and Elena turned her attention to her colleague, soothing him. It was getting worse, just as Hojo had said it would. Judging by the look on his face, the pain must have been excruciating.

“Why do you continue to hesitate?” Hojo asked, shaking his head, “In such a situation, it is best to euthanize the specimen.”

“Reno is not one of your specimens, and no one is going to euthanize him!” Elena said firmly, stroking the redhead’s sweat-damp hair with her free hand, while her other held tight to the gun.

“Fine… stay with him, then, if you’re such a sentimental fool. But mark my words, in the end you’ll have to finish him off before he comes after you,” Hojo said, turning on his heel and striding away, “As interesting as observing this would be, I think I shall err on the side of safety and put some distance between myself and your friend there. When help arrives, I’ll let them know where to find your bodies.”

Elena glared at him as he and his assistants left them. Reno shifted slightly, looking up at her.

“It… It doesn’t hurt… as much now,” he said, panting softly. Elena’s attention immediately shifted back to the other Turk.

“Reno? Are you… are you alright?” she asked, before mentally kicking herself. ‘Well, that was a stupid question. Of course he’s not alright,’ she thought angrily.

“Tch… As ‘alright’ as anyone who’s going to go completely insane and attack anything that moves can be, I suppose,” Reno said weakly, some semblance of his usual twisted humor surfacing.

“Don’t say that,” Elena said.

” ‘Lena, listen to me…” Reno said, “Hojo’s a freak, but I doubt he’d make shit up about one of his own inventions. If things get bad… I want you to protect yourself by any means necessary.”

“Reno…”

“That’s an order, Elena. I may not be at a hundred percent, but I’m still in charge here,” he said, sternly, “Handcuff me… Knock me out… Shoot me if you have to. Just don’t let me hurt you. I’m fucking serious. Do not let me hurt you. Got that?”

Elena couldn’t respond. She looked down at the gun in her hand, and nodded silently.

“Get your handcuffs out,” Reno demanded.

“W-what?”

“Take mine, too. Chain me to something sturdy, so I can’t get loose,” he clarified, nodding to the gun “Long as I can’t reach ya, you won’t have to resort to that, right?”

Elena looked around and spotted the flight of stairs that would have led up to the upper deck, had it still been there. There was a heavy metal handrail welded to the support beam on the wall. That would certainly be sturdy enough.

“Come on…” she said, wrapping an arm around Reno’s waist and helping him to his feet. Her injuries screamed in protest, but she was getting rather good at ignoring them. The two Turks slowly made their way to the stairs, and Elena handcuffed Reno to the railing. The redhead settled himself on the bottom stair.

“Make ’em tight,” he instructed, and Elena hesitantly forced the cuff around his wrist as tight as she dared.

“You look like hell,” he commented, smirking as she took a seat next to him.

“You don’t look so hot yourself,” she countered.

“Please… I always look hot,” Reno grinned, “Just ask anyone in the secretarial pool.”

“You are such a pig,” Elena shot back, grateful that he was trying to lighten the mood a bit. Reno smiled widely, with pride.

“Prude…”

“Jerk.”

“Big-mouth…”

“Creep.”

“Virgin.”

“Ugh… Pervert,” Elena said rolling her eyes, before adding, “… and I am not.”

“Oh really,” Reno replied, suggestively, “Do tell…”

“Dream on, Reno,” she sighed, shaking her head, but she couldn’t quite suppress the snort of laughter that escaped.

“Gonna deny a man his last request?”

The small smile faded from Elena’s face.

“That’s not funny,” she said softly. Reno nudged her with his shoulder.

“Who said it was a joke?”

“Can’t you ever be serious?” she asked, glaring at him.

“On occasion… but I generally try to avoid it,” he grinned in reply, ignoring her glare. Suddenly, he closed his eyes, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Reno?” Elena queried, concern quickly replacing her annoyance at his flippant attitude.

“S’ok… Just got kinda dizzy there for a second,” Reno replied. But that didn’t alleviate her growing worry. In the back of her mind, she knew… just knew that this was the beginnings of stage three, and Hojo’s words came back to haunt her. Finish him off. It was best to euthanize the specimen.

No… She wasn’t going to do that to Reno. She couldn’t do that to Reno. As long as he was chained up, everything would be fine. They would wait for help to arrive. They would get him back to Hojo’s lab in Midgar, and Hojo would give him the antidote… or by god, she’d tear the little fucker’s his head off herself. Everything would be fine.

Reno leaned his head against the railing, closing his eyes.

“H-hey… Reno?” she said, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder. As soon as she touched him, he lunged, head-butting her as he strained against the two sets of handcuffs that held him bound to the staircase. Elena was sent tumbling backward, and landed sprawled on the floor just inches outside his reach, gasping in pain as, for the second time that day, her broken ribs made contact with the floor. She turned and met his gaze, and a cry caught in her throat.

His eyes were wild… there was nothing of the Reno she knew in them. No laughter, no gentleness, no recognition of her at all. He glared at her, pulling so hard at the handcuffs that they dug into his wrists, tearing the skin and coating his hands in his own blood. There was a painfully loud snap as the chain of one pair snapped under the strain, freeing his right hand. His range suddenly increased, he clawed at her, and Elena scrambled back several more feet, snatching the gun from where it had landed as she went. Her retreat only seemed to anger him more, and he pulled harder and harder at the remaining pair of handcuffs, heedless of the injuries he was inflicting on himself. The only thing on his mind seemed to be getting hold of Elena.

---

Tseng scanned the area from high above. The base in Junon hadn’t been able to determine the exact coordinates where the airship had gone down, but they had narrowed it down to a fairly small area. Luckily, something that big ought to be fairly easy to spot.

“There,” he said at last. Curls of black smoke rose from the plains. He could just make out the shape of the downed aircraft. Rude turned the helicopter towards the crash site. Farther out, he spotted the silhouettes of incoming helicopters from Junon.

“Get there first,” he instructed Rude.

---

“Reno, calm down,” Elena pleaded, one held open in front of her in a placating gesture, the other aiming Reno’s gun at the ground, “It’s me… It’s ‘Lena. Oh… Please, Reno. I know you’re in there somewhere…”

Reno screamed in frustration as he fought wildly against his remaining bonds. She held the gun like a lifeline… If he managed to get loose, it would be the only thing that stood between her and Reno tearing her limb from limb. But could she really do it? Could she really kill someone she had come to respect and care about… even if it was to save herself? She desperately hoped that she wouldn’t have to find out.

But it seemed that hope alone wasn’t enough.

There was a loud ping as the handcuffs’ chain gave way, and now Reno was free. He growled animalistically and flung himself at her. Elena back-pedalled at the last second, narrowly eluding him.

“Reno! Stop!” she cried desperately. The other Turk paused momentarily, a flicker of recognition flashing across his face.

” ‘Lena?” he said, shaking his head violently, as if to clear it.

“Yeah… yeah, Reno. It’s me. It’s ‘Lena!” she cried, hopefully.

Reno squeezed his eyes shut, fighting valiantly against what Hojo’s drug was telling him to do.

” ‘Lena… shoot me…” he managed before it overtook him again, and he resumed his attack. Elena scurried back farther, but Reno was much too fast. He was suddenly on top of her, straddling her waist, pinning her with his hands around her throat. She couldn’t call out for help… couldn’t breath. Reno was choking her… cutting off her airway completely. Her vision was growing fuzzy at the edges. The gun was clenched in her hand.

She pressed the barrel against Reno’s belly.

‘I’m so sorry, Reno,’ she thought, and pulled the trigger.

---

As bad as things had looked from the air, they were much worse on the ground. The airship itself was hardly recognizable. The survivors had gathered near what remained of the cockpit, and the dead – the ones that weren’t buried in the wreckage, that is – lay uncovered in the shadow of a twisted chunk of the ship’s keel.

Reinforcements from Junon were already treating the injured as Tseng and Rude dispassionately, outwardly, at least, surveyed the damage. Tseng realized, with a growing sense of dread, that neither of his Turks were among those he could see, as he scanned the bodies – both living and otherwise – for a familiar flash of red. One thing about Reno… he stood out in a crowd. And if he could spot Reno, Elena was sure to be nearby.

The only familiar face he saw, however, was Hojo’s… and he was approaching quickly.

“You certainly took your time getting here. At this rate there will hardly be anything left to salvage,” he snapped. Tseng clamped down on the strong the urge to punch him. Rude wisely stayed out of it.

“We…”

Suddenly, before he could finish his reply, a gunshot rang out from somewhere among the wreckage.

“Ah… I guess she decided to take my advice after all,” Hojo commented.

“What are you talking about?” Tseng asked narrowing his eyes.

“I told her she’d have to put him down. The drug he was given is very potent. You can’t fight it,” the scientist responded, “But not to worry… He seemed rather unremarkable. I’m sure you can easily replace him.”

“Reno…” Tseng whispered, opting to ignore Hojo’s casual dismissal of Reno’s life for the time being, and took off at a sprint in the direction of the gunshot, Rude not far behind.

“Elena! Reno!” he called out, not sure where they were exactly.

“Sir! We’re here!” came Elena’s voice. The anguish in it was unmistakeable. Tseng raced toward the sound, and stopped short at the sight that greeted him.

Reno was slumped over, his breathing ragged, a pool of blood rapidly growing beneath him. Elena was sobbing quietly, one hand covering her eyes, the other limp at her side, a gun resting on her palm.

“Rude, get him back to the helicopter,” Tseng ordered, snapping into professional mode, “Don’t wait for us… get him back to Midgar. Now!”

Rude didn’t need to be told twice, and Elena watched in utter despair as Reno’s limp form was carted off by her fellow-Turk.

“I killed him…” she whispered, “I killed him…”

“Hush, Elena,” Tseng said calmly, “He’s not dead yet… They’ll do everything they can to save him.”

“He told me to,” she said, taking a deep breath, and wiping her sleeve across her face, only just managing to get a tenuous grip on her composure, “He ordered me not to let him hurt me, whatever it took.”

“That’s enough Elena,” Tseng replied, “You can fill me in on what happened later. Right now, you need medical attention, as do quite a few other people.”

Her upper body was drenched in blood, and for a moment, he regretted not taking her to Midgar right alongside Reno.

“How badly are you hurt?” he asked, kneeling beside her, and pulling aside her jacket, “There’s a lot of blood here.”

“It… it’s not all mine,” she said miserably, “Most of it’s Reno’s… He was on top of me when I…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Tseng helped her to her feet, and Elena let him lead her off in the same direction Rude had taken Reno. She suddenly felt numb, and she was grateful for that, because at the moment, she didn’t think she could deal any longer with what she’d been forced to do… not without completely humiliating herself, at any rate.

---

The room smelled sterile, like antiseptic. Her first thought was that she was somehow back in Hojo’s lab in the Shinra Building. Had she ended up one of his specimens after all? She remembered… he’d wanted her for a project. She didn’t want to be a specimen. Reno had stopped him from touching her before. Reno wouldn’t have let him turn her into an experiment… so what was she doing in Hojo’s lab? Her mind was foggy… sluggish. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t even make her eyes open.

She wasn’t in a lab… she was in a bed. She could feel crisp, clean sheets covering her. Hojo had wanted a breeding specimen. The thought nauseated her. Or maybe that was from the dizziness she felt as she tried to sit up. Something tenderly pushed her back down against the pillows, and she thought she heard someone speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words.

“N-not…” she murmured, “Not a… a specimen…”

Fingers brushed against her forehead, smoothing back her hair. It felt good. She didn’t fight it as it lulled her back to sleep.

---

The next time she woke, things were clearer. The room still smelled of antiseptic… too clean. Too sterile. She knew that smell. She was in a hospital. Elena opened her eyes.

The room was dimly lit and entirely too white. She blinked, raising a hand to her head and tried to draw in a deep, calming breath as she willed herself to wake up fully. Breathing hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to taper off. Her chest felt strangely constricted, and she touched a hand to her side. That hurt, too. But moreover, she could feel bandages beneath the thin hospital gown she was wearing.

Well, of course she was in a hospital… where else would Tseng have taken her?

Tseng. Her eyes shot open, as her memory seemed to reboot itself. The airship. The explosion. And… Reno.

How long had she been out? And where was Tseng now? Had he been shooed out by the doctors and nurses, told to leave her be and let her rest? She didn’t think so. If Tseng had wanted to stay, nothing short of physical force could have moved him… and she had her doubts that even physical force would be sufficient.

Had he been needed elsewhere? That was perhaps more likely, but… Rude could have handled anything truly urgent. She remembered once… nearly three months ago… Rude had been injured. Tseng had stayed with him until he woke. Reno had told her later that he always did that if it was at all possible. Why, then had he left her here alone? Was it because of what she’d done? Was he with Reno instead? Or was Reno…

She stared up at the ceiling, and tried to force herself to think it.

“Typical… I step out for two minutes and you go and wake up while I’m gone,” a familiar voice said from the doorway, “We really have to do something about your impatience, Elena.”

She lifted her head slightly, and there was Tseng, striding calmly into the room.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Sore, sir,” she said. It was the first thing that had popped into her still-not-fully-alert mind, and it was certainly accurate. The corners of Tseng’s mouth twitched into a smile.

“Understandable.”

“S-sir?” she began, desperately wanting to know the answers the the questions plaguing her.

“Hmm?”

“What about… What about Reno? Is he… okay?” she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. It wasn’t quite the question she’d meant to ask, but the answer would be the same, regardless.

“I don’t think “okay” is the term I would use… but he’s very much alive,” Tseng replied, and Elena closed her eyes for a moment, in sheer relief. “Nine hours of surgery later, that is,” the Turk leader added, “At the moment, he’s in the ICU. If you’re feeling up to it later, I’ll try to convince them to let you visit him for a little while.”

He paused for a moment, hesitating.

“I should warn you… It isn’t a pleasant sight. And they’re keeping him sedated until the drug is completely out of his system. Hojo filled me in on the effects of his little experiment. Apparently, the antidote would cause unbearable pain if he were awake. One of Hojo’s favorite projects, I’m sure…” he said, sounding disgusted.

“H-how badly did I hurt him, sir?” she asked.

“Elena, this is neither the time nor the place for such discussions.”

“Please… I want to know. I-I think I need to know, sir…”

Tseng sighed.

“You only just missed his heart,” he said at last, “The bullet pierced his stomach, collapsed a lung, bounced around some, and finally came to rest in his liver. All in all, he was lucky, if you’re inclined to think of it as such. Half an inch to the left or right, and it probably would have been immediately fatal.”

Elena paled. She really had nearly killed him.

“This was not your fault, Elena,” Tseng quietly assured her, upon seeing her expression, “I don’t blame you for what happened, and I know Reno won’t, either.”

---

Elena was released the following day, with strict orders to take it easy until the doctors cleared her to return to active duty. Reno, however, remained in the ICU for more than a week, before finally being transferred to a recovery room for less critical patients. As much as Elena wanted to visit, if only to assure herself that he was alive and on the mend, she couldn’t bring herself to face him. No matter what Tseng said, she couldn’t help but blame herself, and feared that Reno would, too.

After several days of avoiding the inevitable, Rude told her that Reno had been asking about her, and she knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. As she stepped silently into his room, she realized that she had no idea what to say. It was, therefore, almost as much a relief as it was a disappointment when she found him asleep.

She crept up to him, and settled herself nervously in the chair beside his bed. Elena couldn’t get over how wrong it seemed to see the usually-hyperactive Reno lying there so still and quiet. The sight of him brought her guilt to the forefront of her mind, and she very nearly took the coward’s way out and ran from the room.

“You gonna sit there starin’ at me all day or you gonna say somethin’?” a voice interrupted her thoughts, and Elena jumped, nearly falling out of the chair.

“You’re awake!” she blurted out.

“Heh… Nothin’ gets by you, does it, ‘Lena…” he replied, opening his eyes and grinning weakly, “What the hell took you so long? You shoot me, and then don’t even bother to visit? You have any idea how fucking boring it is around here? It’s fucking torture… Have you seen the nurses on this floor? All guys! ‘Cept for Hilda… and I’m not that desperate. Yet.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me…” Elena said, staring down at the floor.

“… Where the hell’d you get an idea like that?” Reno asked, bewildered. Elena didn’t answer.

“Oh, I get it…” Reno said, catching on, and rolling his eyes, “You’ve been beating yourself up for the last… what? Week and a half? Two weeks?”

He switched to a falsetto voice, mimicking her, “Oh no, I almost killed Reno… He must hate me… Oh, how could I do something like that to him? Oh god, why didn’t I sleep with him when I had the chance.”

Her head shot up, and she stared him in the face, and despite the fact that he was right… she had been beating herself up – and doing a damn good job of it, too… she started to laugh.

“Oh sure… laugh at me,” he said in a mock-hurt tone, “That’ll make me feel better.” He watched her, amused, until she composed herself.

“So, I guess this means you’re going to be fine,” she commented. Leave it to Reno to make her feel better when he was the one in the hospital.

“Much, I’m sure, to everyone’s dismay, yes,” Reno replied.

“I’ll try to break it to the secretarial staff gently.”

“Hey ‘Lena,” he said, tone turning serious, “Look… I’m sorry.”

“W-what?” She very nearly proclaimed that she was the one who owed him an apology… but something about the way Reno was looking at her made her hold her tongue.

“I’m sorry you had to do what you did,” he replied, “But in kind of a fucked up way, I’m glad you did it.”

“Reno… exactly how much pain medication do they have you on?” she asked. He was glad she shot him?

“Heh… not nearly enough, believe me,” he sniggered, “But if you hadn’t taken me down when you did… well, let’s face it. You probably wouldn’t be here right now. And that’d suck. A lot. So yeah, on the whole, I definitely prefer bein’ shot over losin’ you.”

She leaned forward and lightly stroked his hair.

“Yeah, well… I still hope I never have to do anything like that again,” she said seriously, before adding “They told me that I shouldn’t stay long, because you’re supposed to be resting.”

Reno snorted in annoyance. “Figures…” he muttered, “Personally, I think they enjoy watchin’ me go stir crazy…”

“I-is there anything I can do before I leave?”

“Hmm? Yeah, actually, now that you mention it…” he said, grinning and beckoning her to come closer so that he could whisper something to her. Elena leaned down.

“Go find me a hot nurse…”

-fin-