Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 72: A Change in Plans

Reno stepped into one of several small houses that lined the periphery of the east side of the little village, and was greeted by the sight of two men, probably not much older than he was, seated in chairs, back to back, and tied securely in place. The one whose face he could see had a split lip that was bleeding freely – very obviously a fresh wound. Both appeared to be slumped over as much as their bonds would allow, out cold.

Veld was standing nearby, rubbing his knuckles. He turned his attention on the door as soon as the redhead entered.

“You made good time,” he commented.

“Yes, sir…” he replied, eyeing the pair. “Havin’ a little conversation with our guests?”

“Hmph… yes. And a rather interesting one, at that. It’s highly likely that our mysterious middle-man is operating out of Costa del Sol… though they haven’t been very forthcoming with identifying information. Yet.”

He handed the redhead a sheet of paper, upon which was written a fairly hefty list of equipment.

“The most recent wishlist?” he guessed, and Veld nodded.

“Turn it over.”

Reno obligingly flipped the page over. In the bottom corner was something scrawled in Wutaiian script. The younger Turk glanced up, questioningly.

“Uh… translation?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Veld smirked slightly.

“Bar del Sol, Midnight, Saturday. And remind me to have Tseng give you some lessons in his mother tongue one of these days.”

“Yes, sir,” the redhead replied with a faintly amused snort, “What makes ya think they’re workin’ outta Costa del Sol ‘n not just settin’ up a meeting?”

“Our guests’ responses during our recent conversation,” said Veld, “But regardless… I intend to take full advantage of this opportunity. We know where he’ll be, and when… and we’re going to be waiting for him.”

Reno grinned slightly. “Man, is Rude ever gonna be pissed,” he chuckled, and the Turk leader cocked an eyebrow at him.

“And just what’s that’s supposed to mean?”

The younger Turk’s grin widened.

“He’s been workin’ his ass off trying to catch up with this fucker ‘n the first real break we get happens ’cause a couple of unsuspecting rookies stumbled onto a theft in progress. I’m definitely never lettin’ him live this one down…”

Veld snorted in laughter, shaking his head. “We’re leaving the prisoners in the care of the Junon Security team I brought with me for the time being. Decide who we’re taking with us. Send the rest on to Midgar with Remy. We have less than two days to plan this out and get into position in Costa del Sol. Do it now.”

“M-me?” the redhead stammered, blinking in surprise. Veld was the ranking Turk, after all. That decision really ought to have been up to him.

“Did I or did I not assign you as the active field captain for your current mission?”

“Yes, sir…”

“Your mission has just been expanded. Pick someone to take Remy home. Assemble the others for briefing.”

“On it, sir…” Reno replied, with a nod, and scurried for the exit. As reached the door, he turned back and smirked slightly, having realized something. “Uh… Sir? Is this another way of sayin’ a future second in command oughta just shut up ‘n do his job?”

“I assumed that went without saying,” Veld pointedly responded.

---

“What in the Nine Hells is taking so long?” Kai groused, arms folded over her chest as she impatiently tapped her foot on the ground outside of the helicopter. “I thought we were just here for fuel and a pickup…”

Rude could only shrug in response, though he doubted Kai saw it. Her attention was focused on the road leading into town while they waited anxiously for Reno, Veld, and Petra to join them with their freshly acquired prisoners. They’d already finished refueling… and all of them were anxious to get back in the air. Remy, by then, was awake, and Rude had clambered back into the aircraft to check on her.

“You never did have any patience, Kai…” she said, as Rude was offering her a bottle of water… which the injured Turk was only too happy to accept.

The diminutive Turk glanced back into the helicopter, and shook her head.

“I would have thought you’d be as eager as anyone to get home…”

“I am,” Remy replied, taking a sip, “But I’m also well aware that instant gratification isn’t always possible.”

Rude snickered quietly when Kai rolled her eyes at the comment. Further conversation, however, was put on hold as a familiar figure was sighted on the road.

“Finally…” Kai breathed, as Reno hurried back to them. When the younger Turk reached the landing site, she was already on her way out to meet him. “Where’s Veld and Petra?”

“Slight change of plans,” Reno replied, “Rude… You ‘n me are stickin’ around. Kai, get Remy back to Midgar.”

Kai blinked. “What?”

“Heh… Veld beat a lead on our middle-man outta our prisoners while we were takin’ our sweet time gettin’ here. We’re gonna see if we can’t meet the asshole face to face when he shows up Costa del Sol on Saturday.”

“Then I want to go with you. Send Rude back to Midgar,” Kai replied, as the aforementioned Turk was climbing down from the helicopter’s cargo bay.

“Rude knows these assholes better than anyone,” Reno replied, shaking his head in the negative.

“Then send Petra back!” she demanded, her temper flaring.

“Petra’s only been certified on the copter for like two months ‘n she’s never made a solo flight that long. I’m not sure this oughta be her first.”

Kai growled in annoyance. “I’m going to go talk to Veld and change his mind.”

She got about four steps before Reno called out, “Wasn’t Veld’s decision. It was mine.”

The senior Turk froze, mid-step, and for a brief moment remained motionless. Then, without warning, she spun on her heel and stormed back over to the redhead in challenge. “Yeah? And since when does your authority outweigh Veld’s?!”

“Veld ordered me to pick a team. I picked a team. Ya don’t like it, too bad. Orders are orders,” Reno replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared her down. For several seconds, neither of them said anything. At last, Kai’s eyes narrowed.

“Orders are orders,” she ground out, before angrily stomping past him and climbing into the copter. Rude quickly joined his friend in backing away to a safe distance before Kai started up the engines, setting the rotors churning.

Once the helicopter was clear, Reno let out a long breath and shook his head.

“Fuck, man… I knew she wasn’t gonna like that, but I didn’t think she’d be that pissed.”

“Why didn’t you take her instead of me, then?” Rude asked, genuinely curious, “Could’ve just as easily made the argument that I need a break more than she does. I’ve been on assignment for weeks.”

Reno shook his head and awkwardly looked down at the dusty road as he started back towards the village. Rude hurried to fall into step beside him.

“… I wasn’t completely out of it on the ride here, ya know. I woke up long enough to overhear you guys talkin’ a few times. Like… ’bout her not gettin’ anything right lately. Plus, I’m pretty sure she did more than just kill that Zenshou in the cave. She’s too close to this shit, man. She’s out for blood, and I don’t want her gettin’ hurt… or pullin’ somethin’ that might get someone else hurt,” he replied, and then glanced up with a decidedly uncertain expression. “You think I was outta line, sendin’ her home like that?”

Rude smiled faintly… and then swatted the younger Turk hard on the back of the head.

“Ow! The fuck was that for?!” Reno demanded.

“For second-guessing yourself,” he replied, with a smirk, “Don’t do that.”

---

“I can’t believe he sent me back to headquarters!” Kai’s voice ranted over the headset, and if Remy hadn’t already been several feet away from her in the back of the aircraft, she likely would have put some distance between the two of them just as a precaution. Kai was angry.

No… she was furious.

That her friend had a temper was no great secret – hell, that was true of most Turks, to some extent, and Remy herself was no exception – but in general, Kai wasn’t the type to let her anger build and build until it blew like a volcano. When she was mad at you, you immediately knew it. But Remy had a feeling that this was more than just being annoyed at Reno’s choice in a field team. This had been building.

She’d watched for weeks as Kai had berated herself… blamed herself… for being taken for a fool by one of the Zenshou. And for the consequences that had resulted from her misplaced trust. She’d watched her friend and teammate slipping dangerously close to a depression not dissimilar to the one she’d fallen into when Alyssa had died. And when Reno had come back to them, sound and whole again, Remy had, admittedly somewhat naively, thought that she’d pulled herself back from the edge.

Now she wasn’t so sure. Remy had been in immense pain, and not even remotely the best frame of mind, when Kai and Reno had freed her… but she hadn’t missed the look in the woman’s eyes when she’d told the redhead to take her and go, nor the fact that she was quite some time in joining them after they’d escaped. She didn’t know what Kai had ultimately done to the Zenshou woman… but there was no doubt in her mind that she was dead, and that it likely hadn’t been a pleasant end.

Reno had seen it, too. He must have. That was why he’d opted not to take her on the mission, even though she had far more field experience than Petra. And Remy couldn’t say that she disapproved… She would have done the same thing, had it been her decision. Kai was allowing herself to be blinded by the desire for revenge. That kind of single-minded focus was dangerous, and it was a liability they couldn’t afford on an operation like this.

Kai was still muttering invectives towards the redhead when Remy finally interjected.

“He did what was best for the team,” she said, interrupting the tirade.

“Bullshit. That’s total bullshit,” Kai responded from the pilot’s seat. “This is not an assignment for a rookie! It should be me going. I have the right to be involved in this!”

“Kai… will you just listen to yourself? This is not just about your personal vendetta. The Zenshou are a threat to the company as a whole. They’re dangerous and they need to be dealt with carefully. You can’t just go charging in, blades out and screaming.”

“We’ll see about that…”

At least… that’s what it sounded like she’d said. Kai had muttered the words under her breath, and Remy doubted that they were really meant for her… but the mics on their headsets were sensitive and had picked up the ghost of a comment. Still… it hadn’t really been clear over the staticy electronics. Even so, Remy decided to pay a little more attention to her friend until they were safely back in Midgar.

---

“There’s a freight truck leaving first thing in the morning, bound for Corel. It will take a bit longer than flying, but there’s a rather large storm moving in from offshore. Large enough that if we wait for the scheduled supply run to Costa del Sol, our flight may end up delayed.”

“We’re… driving across the mountains, sir?” Petra asked, a somewhat uncertain note in her voice.

“Yes. We are.”

Petra seemed to forcibly bite back a groan. “Yes, sir…”

“You okay, rookie?” Reno asked, glancing over at her.

“O-oh… Yes, sir… I’ve just never been much for mountain roads…” the rookie replied, shaking her head, “I… get a little motion sick with all the up and down and back and forth.”

“I thought you grew up in the mountains…” the redhead replied, cocking an eyebrow.

“No, I grew up in the canyons. There’s a difference.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

“The trip to Corel should take approximately nine hours. From there, we’ll be borrowing chocobos for the remainder of the journey,” Veld continued.

Reno visibly cringed, but said nothing. Rude, however, couldn’t quite cover up a faint snicker.

“Barring any unforeseen delays, we should arrive in Costa del Sol late tomorrow afternoon. We’ve been given permission to use President Shinra’s vacation home as a base of operations… it’s not far from the our target’s meeting place. We’ll use the following day to rest and prepare,” the Turk leader said, “Petra, I want you inside the bar during the meeting.”

“Me, sir?” the rookie asked, somewhat wide-eyed, and Reno grinned.

“Well… they definitely know what Rude looks like by now… Probably Veld, too, since he was the president’s personal escort the whole time we were in Wutai. Same goes for me, since I was with Rufus… and even if they somehow didn’t recognize me on sight, I don’t exactly blend in with my surroundings real well. Bright red hair’s never been the most subtle look. Last thing we wanna do is draw attention.”

Veld nodded and unfolded a map of the resort town. “Your job will simply be to alert us when the Zenshou arrive and determine who they’re there to meet. We will not be confronting the Zenshou. Our objective is to identify their contact, and capture him. Rude, you’ll cover the bar’s back entrance. Reno and I will be watching either end of the main road out front, here and here,” he said, tapping the corresponding locations on the map, “Once identified, we’ll tail him to a secluded location and take him silently. We’ll hold him at the President’s villa until we can arrange transport back to Midgar.”

“What about Petra’s new friends?” Reno asked, nodding in the direction of the room the two men were currently locked inside.

“The security team from Junon can handle them,” Veld answered, “They’ll transport them at the earliest opportunity and hold them on the base for us. In the mean time… Rude, Petra, you’re dismissed. Go and get something to eat. Reno… Tseng would like a word with you at your earliest convenience, and then you can join them.”

“Yes, sir,” the redhead replied, reaching into his jacket for his PHS.

---

Tseng sat in quiet tranquility of his apartment, staring into the depths of his tea and doing his best to relax after the very long day he’d had. So much of the team was committed at the moment, that virtually all of the office minutia was now his responsibility… in addition to looking after his rookies. When one was only partially mobile, it was no easy set of tasks.

He’d dropped in on Medical before leaving for the night, only to be rebuked yet again by the acerbic mistress of that domain, and refused an early release from captivity… which had thoroughly annoyed him, as his ankle felt fine. He would much rather have begun the tedious rehabilitation that was ahead of him, than spend yet more time with the joint immobilized, but Dr. Ward had been adamant that he needed another week… and had threatened to double his convalescence time if he continued to pester her about it.

She had however, taken pity on him and told him that, so long as there continued to be no further pain by next Wednesday, she would remove the Leviathan-be-damned cast. He’d still be on crutches, but at least he could finally start making some progress toward recovery.

Now, he was simply biding his time, waiting for Reno to call. He hadn’t wanted to bother the younger Turk needlessly while they were still en route to Rocket Town… nor interfere with whatever they might need to tend to once they arrived… so he had asked Veld to simply instruct his protege to call him whenever he was free.

He was rapidly growing tired of waiting.

Which was why, when his accursed phone did finally deign to ring, he all but pounced on it. Tseng quickly flipped the PHS open and answered the incoming call.

“Reno…” he said in a tone filled with far more relief than he’d intended to put into it.

“What’s up, Boss? Somethin’ goin’ on back home? Veld said you wanted to talk to me soon as possible.”

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly and leaned back into his armchair, relaxing.

“No. Nothing of note… aside, perhaps, from me slowly losing my mind in the attempt to corral a flock of rookies with only one functioning leg while simultaneously maintaining the office. I… just wanted to check in. Have you departed Rocket Town yet?”

“Remy ‘n Kai are on their way back… the rest of us kinda got sidetracked,” his protege replied, and Tseng blinked in surprise. He’d expected them all back sometime tomorrow.

“Doing what, precisely?” he asked.

“Those two Zenshou that Liam ‘n Petra nabbed? They have a little meeting scheduled with the guy placin’ the orders in a couple of days in Costa del Sol. We’re gonna go see if we can… ya know… introduce ourselves.”

Tseng smirked slightly. “Ah… well, that would certainly explain why Veld has yet to contact me regarding the change in plans. He’s probably convinced that if I have to deal with Heidegger on my own one more time, I’ll finally snap,” he chuckled, before teasingly adding, “And he may not be wrong.”

The executive had been a royal pain in Tseng’s backside from the moment Veld had left that morning… which the Turk lieutenant may have mentioned – repeatedly – when Veld had called to inform him that he’d arrived safely in Rocket Town. The harassment had driven him to leave the office the very moment five o’clock had arrived… large pile of requisition forms be damned.

He heard the redhead snickering quietly on the other end of the line, and sighed.

“I suppose that means I will be holding down the fort a bit longer than expected, then,” he mused, but then paused, and smiled faintly to himself, “… I wonder if Justinia would take that into account?”

“Heh… Boss, ya know if ya keep buggin’ her, she’s just gonna make it worse for ya,” Reno laughed.

“Hmph… I’m aware. I’ve already been promised additional time on my sentence should I return to Medical without reason. I had considered going behind her back to one of her subordinates… until I came to my senses and realized that I might not make it back alive if I dared.”

The younger Turk snorted softly in amusement.

“Yeah… maybe don’t do that,” he snickered, but then turned more serious. “Uh… and… maybe have a talk with Kai when she gets home? I’m kinda worried about her.”

Tseng frowned and took a sip of his tea before setting it aside.

“What happened?”

“She’s just… really fixated on the Zenshou. When me ‘n her were pullin’ Remy out, she stayed behind to tie up some loose ends. It was our former prisoner. The one that shot me. I don’t know for sure what Kai did to her, but –”

“But she most certainly did something, beyond simply silencing her,” Tseng finished for him.

“Yeah. And she was seriously ticked when I told her to head for home instead of comin’ on the mission to Costa del Sol. She said some stuff before that, too, on the way here. I just kinda thinks she’s… not in the best place right now. She’s more interested in makin’ ’em pay than stoppin’ the thefts.”

“I see,” the Turk lieutenant replied. “Thank you for the advance warning. I’ll deal with her when she arrives… after I’ve seen to Remy.”

“Not to toss more on your plate, but Veld says you oughta teach me some Wutaiian,” the redhead added, the grin plainly evident in his voice, “Ya know… in your non-existent free time.”

Tseng snorted softly. “At the moment, I suspect all you would learn from me is a great deal of profanity.”

“I’m good with that,” the redhead laughed.

“I’m sure you are,” Tseng dryly replied, “Be careful in Costa del Sol. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Yeah. I will be,” Reno said, “‘Night, Boss.”

“Good night, Reno.”

Tseng ended the call and set his phone down on the coffee table. Learning of the new assignment had done little to assuage the familiar anxiety that had been swirling in the back of his mind, virtually since the moment he’d learned that his protege was being sent to Wutai… but hearing his voice had helped.

It was a difficult balancing act for him… knowingly sending the brilliant young Turk into mortal peril, while wanting nothing more than to keep the boy he’d all but adopted safe and protected. It didn’t help that he’d come dangerously close to losing him to the Zenshou not once, but twice in a relatively short span of time.

The reality, however… was that this was precisely what he’d been training Reno to do. He’d plucked an untrained, undisciplined teenager from the Slums, and successfully turned him into a Turk, just as he’d intended to from the start. What he hadn’t planned on was his life becoming so intertwined with the redhead’s. He was more than just another Turk… even more than just another family member. Reno was his protege. His successor. One day – perhaps sooner than even Tseng had realized – he would be his equal. But perhaps more importantly, Reno was his legacy.

Tseng never planned on having children of his own. Raising a family simply wasn’t something that fit into his life, or into Viridia’s. Reno was, in all likelihood, as close as he would ever have to an heir of any kind, and he was a little surprised to realize that… that mattered to him.

And as far as he was concerned, he couldn’t have chosen a more apt pupil if he’d tried. Reno was everything he could have hoped for in a protege… which was what made letting him spread his wings and become what he was meant to be both intensely rewarding and objectively terrifying. Turks, by the very fact that they were Turks, tended to have short lifespans, on average. There were always exceptions – something he prayed would be true for Reno – but the odds were overwhelmingly against them. During Tseng’s tenure as a Turk, only one of his brethren had ever survived long enough to actually retire… and so many, both young and experienced Turks, had been lost.

Tseng sighed, shaking himself from his momentary reverie, and retrieved his tea from where he’d left it, taking a sip. He grimaced slightly when he found that it had gone cold in the interim.

---

Reno tucked his PHS back into his pocket and made his way outside.

“Everything okay?” a voice asked from the shadows to his left, and the redhead jumped, startled.

“For fuck’s sake, Rude…” he groaned, shaking his head before snickering, “Ya know, I’m used to Tseng poppin’ outta nowhere for no particular reason other than the fact that he’s secretly a sadistic bastard… I’m not used to you doin’ it to me.”

Rude chuckled and stepped out onto the path that led through the cottage’s front garden.

“And yeah, everything’s fine,” Reno added, answering the question he’d been asked, “Tseng just wanted to check in. Thought Veld told you ‘n the rookie to fuck off ‘n get somethin’ to eat.”

Rude shrugged. “Told Petra to go save us all a table at the tavern. Figured I’d keep you company on the walk over.”

The redhead grinned and fell into step beside his friend. They made their way down the town’s main road, towards the little tavern that served as restaurant, bar, and inn to the tiny village.

“Heh… I always forget how few dining options there are around here…” Reno commented, looking around.

“Small town,” his friend shrugged. He smirked slightly, “Besides… who needs restaurants when you’ve got a weekly town potluck?”

“A what now?” the redhead queried, one slender eyebrow rising in curiosity. Rude grinned.

“It’s when everyone makes a dish and brings it out to share with everyone else. They do it every Sunday. At least they did when I lived here. I assume they still do it.”

Reno stopped dead in his tracks. “… Why the HELL don’t we have that?” he asked, eyes wide, and Rude laughed.

“Because you and Tseng can’t cook, Remy doesn’t like to cook, and Kai would probably drag us all off into the wilderness to catch our dinners before we could actually eat them.”

“Yeah… fair point,” the redhead sniggered, resuming course towards the tavern. “Still sounds pretty cool, though. I never knew that was a thing.”

“It was always my favorite day of the week,” Rude chuckled. “Dad was never much of a gourmand. Liked to eat the same six dinners every other day of the week… on schedule. Monday was always fried chicken. Tuesday was always steak and potatoes. Sundays were when I got to experiment.”

“Heh… so… What are you doin’ this Sunday?” Reno asked, “I mean… assumin’ nothin’ goes horribly wrong and we’re not chasing these assholes across half the continent by then.”

“… I take it you have a suggestion?” the bald Turk chuckled. Reno shrugged.

“Well… we could start those cooking lessons…”

Rude paused, eyeing the younger man and smirked. “Are you really serious about wanting to learn?”

Reno rolled his eyes and huffed. “Why would I keep bringin’ it up if I wasn’t serious?” he replied, and grinned teasingly at him, “Come on, man… Weren’t you the one tellin’ me just this mornin’ that I’m not a kid anymore? Teach me how to adult!”

His friend laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders, resuming course towards the inn.

“Okay… first lesson. ‘Adult’ isn’t a verb.”

---

It was dark by the time they landed in Costa del Sol. Kai glanced out at the moonlit docks near the port’s helipad. The seas were calm, and the breeze blowing inland was warm. A number of parties were still in full swing down on the beach, the sand lit by torches and fire dancers. She glanced into the back of the aircraft and found Remy gazing back at her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked the injured Turk.

“Well enough. The doctor in Wutai gave me an ample supply of pain killers for the return trip… I think I’ll make it.”

The diminutive Turk stretched her arms over her head and bit back a yawn.

“What about you?” Remy asked.

“Just… tired.”

Remy frowned slightly. “Perhaps we stop for the night. I’m the only one out of the entire Wutai team that’s had anything even remotely resembling a proper rest… and even I wouldn’t mind a bed right now.”

“You sure?” Kai asked, “I mean… I’m beat, yeah, but I’m good for a few more hours. Costa del Sol to Midgar’s a pretty straightforward flight…”

Remy considered the offer, but ultimately shook her head. “As much as I’m looking forward to getting home… I think we could both use some peace, quiet, and sleep. As I said… I have enough painkillers to keep me comfortable for awhile.”

“Well… if you’re sure, I honestly can’t say I wouldn’t mind a little shut eye,” Kai replied, “You wait here. I’ll run into town and see what the local inn’s got available.”

Kai hopped down to the ground and slid the door shut behind her, leaving the injured Turk on her own for the moment… and smirked slightly to herself. That had been almost too easy. She hadn’t even had to suggest staying the night… Remy had broached the subject for her. Part one of her plan was complete… time to move on to part two. She was joining this mission, and she was going to make those bastards pay.

~end chapter 72~