Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 7: An Old Friend

“I heard the zenenes ripped her entire arm off…”

“… Well, I heard that the hospital ran out of blood just keeping her alive long enough to put her arm back on…”

Liam snorted softly and rolled his eyes at his fellow rookies. “And I heard that you two will believe just about anything.”

He hadn’t meant it to come out quite as snotty as it had sounded… but Sykes and Petra had been going on like that for a full five minutes now, the things they’d allegedly “heard” regarding the senior Turk’s injuries growing more and more ridiculous with each exchange. And really… he knew they were just trying to distract themselves from the fact that one of their number had been hurt… but still. It seemed in poor taste to him.

Sykes laughed in response and playfully slapped him on the back… which, considering that the guy had about two hundred pounds and a foot and a half on him, sent the youngest of the rookies stumbling several steps forward before he could recover his balance.

“Oops… Sorry ’bout that,” Sykes said, grinning sheepishly. Liam sighed and shook his head. He liked Sykes… but sometimes he forgot his own strength.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “So have either of you heard any actual news about Kai?”

They’d returned from their lesson with Sato yesterday to find the remaining occupants of the office subdued and serious. Word had quickly spread about what had happened, but details had been scant, and Remy had taken over their afternoon session in Rude’s place. All they’d been sure of when they’d been dismissed for the evening was that the senior Turk was alive and out of surgery.

Petra shook her head in the negative. “I haven’t… but I’m sure there will be an update at the morning briefing.” She paused for a moment, thinking about something. “You know… I think we were supposed to be training with Kai today… I wonder who’s going to fill in?”

“As long as it’s not another round with Sato, I don’t care,” Sykes snickered. It took me an hour to scrub all the black crud from those demo bombs off my skin when I got home last night. Got some pretty weird looks on the train, too…”

“Same…” Petra giggled. “That stuff can’t have been good for my complexion.”

Liam smirked and leaned back against the arm of the couch. “Well, maybe if you’d disarmed them instead of setting them off over and over again…”

Sykes started to reply – and Liam was sure it was to ask… again… how he’d managed to complete the assignment, since Sato had ordered the two of them to “put some thought inta it fer next time” instead of simply handing them the answer – but was cut short as Cissnei pushed open the lounge door.

“Sorry to interrupt, guys… Veld’s canceled the briefing for this morning. He was called into a meeting with the President. Sykes… you’re shadowing Remy today. She’s waiting for you in her office. Petra… you and Liam are with Rude for range practice.”

“… So, no word on Kai, then?” Liam queried. Cissnei shook her head.

“Sorry… Veld was in a hurry.”

“She’s still listed as critical,” a voice behind her cut in, and all three rookies turned to find Rude standing in the doorway. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably with all eyes suddenly on him, but pressed on. “Surgery went alright. They’re keeping her sedated, though… Don’t want to risk her moving around yet with all the damage to her neck and shoulder.”

“But… she’s going to be okay… right?” Liam queried. He liked Kai. Sure… she could be hard on them in training, but she really knew her stuff. And she seemed to have kind of a dark a sense of humor at times… much like he did.

“Official opinion from the medical staff when I finally left last night was ‘cautiously optimistic’.”

“Hmph… In other words, she’s stable for now, but they’re not willing to come right out and say she’s going to be fine, because there’s still a chance of something going wrong,” Cissnei sighed. “I hate it when they do that. I swear it just makes me worry more.” She shook her head. “Anyway… you guys have your assignments. Let’s get to it.”

Sykes nodded and headed off to meet up with Remy, and Cissnei continued on to wherever her destination had been before dropping into their conversation to deliver their orders. Liam sighed softly to himself as he fell into step behind Rude and Petra, and wondered if he’d ever get used to his teammates getting hurt. Realistically, it was bound to happen to them all at some point – himself included. It was just the nature of the job, and he’d applied to the recruitment program knowing that. But knowing it and living it were two very different things.

---

Reno had been awakened by the sound of the surf and the songs of exotic birds. A warm breeze swept through the open door that led out to the veranda, and for a very brief moment, he was extraordinarily confused, because he was relatively certain that it had been snowing just yesterday.

It took his brain a moment to catch up to his body in terms of wakefulness, and he stretched as he sat up in bed.

“… Oh, yeah… I’m in Costa del Sol, aren’t I?” he snickered quietly to himself. He heard a faint laugh from the other side of the room as Tseng stepped back inside, having been enjoying the quiet morning on the veranda.

“Forgotten, had we?”

Reno grinned widely. “Heh… for a minute there, yeah. Don’t usually wake up sweatin’ in the dead of winter.” His grin suddenly wavered. “Hey… uh… any word on Kai yet this mornin’?”

“Just an update from Rude that she’s out of surgery. It went well and she has been moved to the ICU. They’re apparently keeping her heavily sedated to prevent any unnecessary movement.”

“Tch… Feels like we oughta be there,” he muttered. Tseng crossed the room and took a seat on the edge of his bed, gently resting a hand on the younger Turk’s shoulder.

“Believe me, I’m well acquainted with that feeling,” he replied. “We’re needed elsewhere right now, though… and realistically, there’s nothing we could do for her even if we were there.”

“Still feels like we oughta be there…”

“I know,” Tseng said simply, before getting up. “But we’re not… and we have an assignment, so get up. The sooner we complete it, the sooner we’ll be on our way home.”

The redhead groaned softly and reluctantly pushed the covers aside. He climbed out and dug his travel bag out from beneath the bed, extracting a fresh uniform.

“If it makes you feel any better, Rude did mention that Justinia was looking after her,” Tseng added.

“Heh… ’cause I guess bein’ hurt didn’t already suck bad enough, huh?” Reno joked. Still… it did make him feel a little better knowing that Dr. Ward was there. The Doc may have been a giant pain in the ass with a fucking obsession with his weight and sticking him with needles any time she felt like it… but he couldn’t think of anyone he’d trust more when it came to fixing a Turk.

“So… ya still haven’t told me who the hell this guy is we’re gonna go see…” he noted after a moment, dragging clean pants on.

“Ashland Parker,” Tseng replied. “He retired some time ago.”

Reno stretched his arms over his head until his left shoulder cracked, and smirked slightly when Tseng cringed at the sound. His mentor hated it when he did that – which was why he made a habit of doing it in his presence whenever possible – and still occasionally nagged him to see the Doc about getting the old injury fixed. But Reno was of the opinion that, if it wasn’t hurting him, it didn’t need fixing. The fewer visits to Medical, the better, as far as he was concerned.

“Retired from what, exactly?” he asked, and now, it seemed, it was Tseng’s turn to look smug.

“From the Turks, of course,” his mentor replied… as if it should have been perfectly obvious, “I’ll go and see if Rufus is awake yet.”

---

“You know…” Rufus commented, “I was under the impression that Turks simply didn’t retire.”

They’d hardly been in the air ten minutes, and the brat already seemed bound and determined to inject himself into the present assignment. Reno had been expecting a couple hours of irritated complaining and incessant whining about wanting to go home – or wanting to stay on in Costa del Sol while he and Tseng handled things – to accompany their trip south to Cosmo Canyon. Instead, the vice president seemed almost… interested… in what they were presently doing. Which caused Reno to have to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The kid definitely didn’t get out enough if tagging along on a fairly mundane Turk assignment was his idea of a good time.

Then again… he was one to talk. He was a bit excited about this, as well. He’d never been to Cosmo Canyon, and the unexpected trip would let him cross another location off his list. And he had to give Rufus some credit for the observation… Reno had never heard anything about “retired” Turks, either.

Though he’d certainly been told plenty of times that most Turks didn’t live long enough to do so.

Tseng shook his head lightly. “Many of us don’t. But there are exceptions to every rule. Ashland was a senior Turk when I was just starting out. I suppose I was technically his replacement, in a manner of speaking. His impending retirement was part of the reason for selecting a new rookie from the recruitment program at that particular point in time. He left in my second year, not that long after I was promoted from rookie status.”

“… So… how come no one ever talks about him?” Reno asked, curious. It seemed odd that there was a Turk… or a former Turk… out there somewhere that no one had ever so much as mentioned in all his time with the Company. Tseng chuckled quietly.

“For one thing… with the exception of Veld, Kai, and myself, no one else was around during the time Ashland was a Turk. And Kai only knew him for a very short time, herself. For another, it’s what he wanted.”

“Whaddya mean it’s what he wanted?”

“Ashland and his wife simply desired to take their family somewhere quiet and live in peace after so many years of him working for Shinra Company. He remained in contact with several of his fellow Turks for a long time… but the vast majority of those he worked with have since been killed. Veld still hears from him on a fairly regular basis, and I typically receive a card from him at the very least around the holidays, as well… but for the most part, he’s left that era of his life behind in favor of being a full-time husband, father, and grandfather.”

“If that’s so, then what is the purpose of going to see him now?” Rufus asked, stealing the question directly from Reno’s own thoughts.

“To ask a favor of him,” Tseng replied. “Veld requested that I visit him and try to talk him into returning to Midgar with us. He’d planned on sending Kai on an assignment that has some specific skill requirements… and with her out of commission, we will need an expert to assist.”

Reno leaned back in his seat and peered out one of the windows in the side of the executive helicopter. He couldn’t even imagine leaving the Turks. Not willingly, at any rate. They were his family. They were his life. The thought of giving that up and moving to some far-off place just seemed… unfathomable.

But then… he also didn’t have a wife or a kid or a grandkid to think about. Nor did he ever plan to. Married life was something he was about as cut out for as Sato was. So… maybe things were different for Ashland. Veld seemed to make it work, so obviously not every Turk was as destined to remain a bachelor for life as he and Sato were. Did that mean that the Turk leader would retire one of these days and take off for parts unknown with his family, as well?

For some reason, he’d never really given that any consideration until now. Veld wasn’t elderly by any stretch of the imagination… but he was no spring chicken, either. Just how long could a person go on being a Turk? Especially with a wife and kid to take care of?

His silence must have gone on a bit longer than he’d realized, because the next thing he knew, Rufus was pointedly staring at him, a somewhat curious expression on his face.

“What?” Reno asked, rolling his eyes. Rufus merely snorted.

“Nothing… I was just trying to determine what it was that finally made you shut up for a change. It could come in handy in the future when I’m truly sick of hearing your voice,” the vice president replied.

“Ya know, sir… I gotta hand it to you. Just when I think you mighta finally pulled that gigantic stick outta your ass, ya go ‘n prove me wrong,” he said, grinning. The vice president scowled at him.

“Hmph… if anyone needs a foreign object removed from one of their various orifices, I’d assume it would be you. I’ve heard the rumors…”

“Sir!” Tseng admonished, somewhat scandalized.

Reno, meanwhile, was rendered utterly speechless for a brief moment, before he ultimately started laughing.

“I don’t fuckin’ believe it…” he managed, “The stuck up bastard actually managed to tell a joke that was funny for once!”

Tseng groaned and roughly pinched the bridge of his nose. “How is it that two grown men can devolve into such childish banter any time they’re forced to share the same space for more than five minutes at a time?”

“Gotta entertain ourselves somehow, boss… It’s gonna a long flight,” Reno snickered.

“Yes,” Tseng reluctantly agreed, “I have a feeling it will be…”

---

They landed just outside of Cosmo Canyon shortly after ten in the morning. The temperature was notably cooler than it had been in Costa del Sol, but still warm enough to keep the snow at bay… which he supposed made sense, given how far south they’d traveled. The southern regions were always quite a bit warmer than up north, even in the winter. They had nothing on the tropical regions, of course… but it was definitely milder here than in Midgar.

Reno gazed up at the little town perched on top of a plateau. He didn’t see many building up there, to be honest. There was a fairly large one at the very top, and he thought he could see a handful of what might be rooftops scattered about… but for the most part, it was just… rock. A long, and rather steep-looking set of stairs had been cut into said rock, leading upwards to the settlement.

Rufus groaned. “Why in Ramuh’s name did we land at the bottom?”

“Because the executive helicopter does not lend itself well to small spaces, and we didn’t notify them ahead of time to clear a landing area for us,” Tseng replied.

“Tch… What’s wrong, sir? Stairs too much for you to handle?” the redhead teased, earning a glare from the executive.

“Hmph… Hardly.” He looked the younger Turk over pointedly, and smirked. “I’m far more worried about you, actually, as pathetically feeble-looking as you are.”

“Five gil says I make it topside before you do,” Reno challenged, and the vice president rolled his eyes.

“Please. A wager under five hundred isn’t even worth my time,” he sneered. Reno shrugged in response.

“‘Kay… have it your way. I’m more than happy to take five hundred off ya instead… ’cause there’s no way in hell you’re beatin’ me to the top.”

Before Tseng even had a chance to voice any opposition to the bet, Rufus had started upwards with a muttered “We’ll just see about that…” and Reno had bounded up after him, long legs taking the stairs two at a time. The Turk lieutenant sighed and shook his head before following at a more sedate pace, careful to keep the pair in view.

… Though he couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he reached the halfway point… and found Rufus sitting on a boulder out of breath and slightly disheveled, one hand clutching a stitch in his side. He glanced towards the top and saw that, while Reno had slowed down a bit, he was still moving at a fair speed towards the finish line.

“I’m afraid it looks as though you’re going to be losing your bet, sir.”

Rufus managed a faint scowl between panting breathes.

“Oh, just help me up…” he grumbled. Tseng gladly offered the young executive a hand and pulled him to his feet, accompanying his charge the rest of the way. Reno was waiting for them at the top… slightly winded from the long climb, but no worse for it.

“So… about that five hundred gil…” he greeted them, grinning, as they crested the top of the staircase. Rufus’ eye twitched but the vice president reached into his coat, withdrawing a wallet and extracting five one hundred gil notes. Reno blinked in surprise as Rufus handed them over. “Uh… ya know… I was only kiddin’ about that, sir…”

“A bet is a bet,” Rufus muttered, annoyed, before walking off towards the town proper. “I need a drink.”

“Reno… Go with him. I’ll see to locating Ashland on my own.” He smiled faintly and dropped his voice. “And please don’t let him make any further wagers while we’re here…”

“On it, boss,” the redhead snickered, tucking his winnings into a pocket and hurrying off after the Shinra heir.

Reno trailed the vice president as he made his way across a large communal area with a fire burning brightly at its center. Now that he wasn’t so far away from the town, he discovered that the lack of buildings had been a bit misleading. There were, indeed, very few actual structures… owing largely to the fact that the residents of Cosmo Canyon seemed to have built their homes and businesses directly into the sides of the plateau itself. Any number of openings dotted the stone walls, and walkways, ladders and more stairs had been erected to connect them all.

Rufus slipped beneath a large banner that hung over one of the openings. The somewhat wind-frayed hanging read “Pub Starlet”. The Turk hurried in behind him… and paused in the doorway.

“Heh… Okay. This is pretty cool,” he said, mostly to himself, looking around. The little bar was situated in what was essentially a cave. Lit primarily by old-fashioned looking oil lamps fixed to the walls, it had a warm, cozy feel to it. A few scrubbed wooden tables sat in the more open space near the entrance… and tall stools lined the bar itself, invitingly. Up a set of curving stone stairs, Reno could see a reception desk, and a small sign that read “Shildra Inn” as well as a heavy wooden door that, he assumed, led off into the aforementioned inn. Rufus made his way up to the bar, and Reno quickly headed over to join him.

“A glass of your best red wine, please,” Rufus said to the bartender as the Turk plopped himself down in a seat nearby. Rufus glanced over at him. “Hmph… water for him,” he added.

“Heh… big spender,” Reno snickered, helping himself to a convenient bowl of pretzels. He wasn’t bothered by the “slight”… Rufus knew damned well that Turks weren’t permitted to drink while on duty. He was just being an ass. The bartender nodded and returned momentarily with the requested wine and a glass of water.

“Make that lukewarm water. Preferably in a dirty glass. Perhaps with a pinch or two of rat poison added…”

“Ah, knock it off. I beat ya fair ‘n square,” Reno said, before taking a sip of his decidedly non-alcoholic beverage, “Not my fault you can’t back up your own braggin’.”

Rufus snorted in contempt, paid for his drink, and wandered off, wine in hand, ostensibly to study the interesting local artwork on one of the walls. Reno spun around on the stool until he could keep an eye on the son of a bitch, and leaned back against the bar. He didn’t know much about Cosmo Canyon in general… but Pub Starlet… this place, he’d heard of. It was the home of the Cosmo Candle… one of the first “fancy” drinks Reno’d ever learned to make back when he was tending bar. Wilfred, his former employer at the Lonely Dragon, had always said that the redhead’s were just as good as the original. He was a little disappointed that he was visiting the place on professional business rather than his own personal time. Not that he doubted Wilfred at his word, but he wouldn’t have minded making the comparison for himself.

Oh, well. Next time, maybe. He turned back around for a moment and motioned to the bartender, waiting for him to come over.

“Hey… so’s everything around here just built right into the rock?” he asked, curious.

“First time visitor, eh?” the man replied with a quiet laugh. “Yup… we’re cave dwellers here in Cosmo Canyon. There’s the observatory up on top of the plateau, but for the most part, everything is underground. Makes us feel closer to the Planet, ya know? Had to excavate a bit as the town expanded, but the caves are mainly natural. They’ve been here for millions of years. Say… my son gives tours if’n you’re interested. It’s a real steal at just fifteen gil…”

Reno almost laughed at the blatant sales pitch the bartender had less than subtly snuck in at the end there. He’d tried that old scam himself a few times. Except he offered to show outsiders the “safe” parts of Sector 2, so they didn’t get jumped, when really, as long as they stayed on the main, well-lit roads and didn’t make themselves look like an easy target, the odds of that were fairly slim. Still had plenty of people passing through who took him up on the offer, though. Probably not much a local kid could show him that he couldn’t eventually stumble upon himself. The place wasn’t that big.

Still… he was almost tempted, just for the novelty of it. Too bad he didn’t really have the time. He doubted Tseng would take too long in finding their mysterious former Turk, and besides… Rufus would never go for it.

“Thanks… But I’ll have to take a rain check on that one…” he replied, “Not gonna be here that long.”

“Hey! Watch where you’re goin’!” an angry voice demanded from the other side of the room, and Reno turned around just in time to see a rather large individual glaring at the vice president. He mentally groaned.

Rufus calmly took a sip from his glass, and eyed the newcomer. “I was watching where I was going. It’s hardly my fault if you’re too clumsy to avoid someone standing directly in your path.”

Reno was on his feet in seconds, hoping that the guy had a sense of humor… though judging by the expression he currently wore, the odds of that were slim.

“Frank… Don’t you go startin’ anything in my bar…” the bartender said, warningly.

Wonderful, Reno thought to himself. The bartender knew him and was preemptively trying to stop what was about to happen from happening. That was never a good sign. Thankfully, “Frank” decided to back down. He sneered at the blond executive, and turned to resume his course towards the bar.

Rufus, unfortunately, couldn’t just let it go.

“Hmph… I thought as much.”

Looking back, Reno was pretty sure he could pinpoint the exact moment he realized that the little shit was about to be painfully murdered. Frank spun back around and swatted the wine glass out of Rufus’ hand, sending it flying. It shattered as it hit the floor. Before the Shinra heir could even formulate a response, the much larger man was backing him into the corner.

“You got somethin’ you wanna say to me, smart ass?” he demanded, and Reno heard the bartender groan… probably calculating how much the imminent damage was going to cost him. The redhead crossed the room and darted in between the pair, hands up in surrender.

“Hey, easy, man… He can’t help bein’ a stuck up little shit. Just let it go, huh? Lemme buy ya a drink instead…”

“I beg your pardon?!” Rufus growled, “How dare you speak of me like that!”

“Not… helpin’…” Reno hissed at his charge through clenched teeth. The vice president smirked… and Reno suddenly just knew this was on purpose. Apparently, he was going to be earning that 500 gil he’d won earlier.

“Oh, please. What exactly am I paying you for? Surely you can deal with this neanderthal…”

The next thing the redhead knew, he’d been lifted bodily off the ground and flung aside, away from his charge. He hit the ground several feet away with a loud oof.

“Oh, goddammit…” Reno muttered, scurrying to his feet, just as Frank was hauling back to let a punch fly at Rufus’ – now noticeably more concerned – face. The Turk tackled the executive to the ground before it could make contact, and Frank’s fist ended up colliding with the solid rock wall. He howled in pain, wringing his hand and flexing the injured fingers for a moment, before turning on the pair again. Reno dragged Rufus back to his feet. “… Run.”

It seemed that the vice president had suddenly realized just how badly he’d miscalculated, because for once, Rufus didn’t have a snide remark for him. He ran, Reno close on his heels. They were halfway across the wide courtyard, when the Turk head angry footsteps closing in behind him. He ventured a hesitant glance over his shoulder, just in time to see a chair from the bar come flying at him. It hit him painfully against the backs of his legs, sending him sprawling, and by the time he managed to roll over, Frank was looming over him, cracking his knuckles. Rufus, meanwhile, had covered a fair distance and taken shelter near the town entrance.

“If I somehow survive this, I’m gonna kill that fuckin’ idiot…” he muttered, reaching for the EMR on his belt. He gave it a sharp flick, extending it to its full length, and swung, narrowly missing his attacker. It may not have made contact, but it did drive him back just long enough from Reno to regain his footing. Before he could decide whether it would be better to try and take the fucker down, or to simply flee, he heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being racked.

“Alright… Let’s all just calm down, here…” a voice said. For a moment, neither Reno nor Frank moved a muscle. “Frank…” the stranger intoned, warningly. Frank glared at the Turk for a moment longer before finally backing down and storming off, back towards Pub Starlet.

Reno breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he watched him go.

“You alright there?” his rescuer queried, and the redhead finally turned to look at him. He was definitely up there in age, salt and pepper hair – that was far more salt than pepper – framing a weathered face. He had a long scar down his right cheek that disappeared into a thick beard.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” Reno replied, holstering his weapon and rubbing at the sore spot where he’d been struck by flying furniture. “Tch… more or less. Thanks for the assist.” He turned his gaze on Rufus, who was only then creeping out from his hiding place behind a nearby vendor’s stall, and folded his arms over his chest, supremely annoyed. “Are you seriously tryin’ to get us both killed, sir? Or just me?”

The man who’d saved them spared a glance in the vice president’s direction and seemed to pause in surprise.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Rufus Shinra.” He chuckled softly and turned back to the redhead, looking him over. “Which… I suppose makes you the latest generation of Turk.” He shook his head. “Recruitin’ younger ‘n younger, I see… What are you? Fourteen?”

Reno rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to deny the guess, but was quickly cut off.

“I see you’re still a terrible judge of age. If I’m not very much mistaken, you made the same comment about me,” Tseng stated emerging from seemingly nowhere. The man turned, and laughed.

“Tseng! You little pain in my backside… It’s been years!”

The Turk lieutenant smiled warmly and closed the distance between them.

“Hello, Ashland,” he replied.

~end chapter 7~