Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 9: Training

Reno stretched as he hoisted himself out of his seat. Fuck, that flight from the western continent was a long one.

It hadn’t been all bad, though. Ashland, despite Tseng’s feverish protests, hadn’t disappointed. Between Rufus and himself, he’d managed to pry several very interesting stories out of the former Turk. For example, Reno’d had no idea that his mentor had ever been anything but perfect and flawless.

Well… no. Scratch that. He did vaguely recall Tseng himself mentioning that he’d had financial issues as a slightly homesick young rookie. But Ashland had gone into rather excruciating detail on that matter, regaling them with tales of how the Wutaiian rookie had, for months, outright refused to eat anything but the most traditional of cuisine from his homeland – which, in Midgar, was more often then not more than a little pricey – to the point that he had suddenly found himself unable to pay his rent because he hadn’t been keeping track of how much he was spending.

And that was just one story. Eventually, Tseng had simply given into the inevitable and resorted to merely correcting inaccuracies rather than outright demanding the retired Turk stop.

Reno trailed Rufus and Ashland out onto the rooftop of the Shinra Building, shivering slightly as a gust of wind seemed to shoot straight through him. After their short trip to the tropics… and then to the much milder desert that surrounded Cosmo Canyon… setting foot in Midgar again was like walking into a freezer naked. As he moved to follow the pair, a hand suddenly came to rest on his shoulder, briefly holding him back.

“If you breath so much as a word of any of that to the rest of the team, you’ll be spending the rest of the winter organizing the Turks’ archives on your own,” his mentor deadpanned. The redhead grinned.

“Aw, come on, boss. Nothin’ he told us was really that bad…”

“Reno…” he replied, warningly.

“Yeah, fine,” the younger Turk snickered, “No one’ll hear from me that you weren’t always perfect.” His grin widened noticeably. “But, I do reserve the right to remind you of that fact the next time I do somethin’ stupid. ‘Cause… let’s face it. We both know there’s eventually gonna be a next time.”

Tseng sighed softly and shook his head… but smiled faintly a moment later. “Could you at least try to avoid causing trouble?”

“I always try…” Reno smirked in response.

---

By the time they reached their offices, it was clear that word of their return had spread through the ranks. Veld was there to meet them at the elevator, as were the Rude and Cissnei, who seemed just as curious about the prospect of a retired Turk as Reno had been. Sykes and Liam, too, were lingering nearby… as was Petra, who enthusiastically greeted her fellow Cosmo Canyon resident, before asking after how things were back home.

“Hmph… have a nice vacation?” Rude asked quietly as Veld and the others set about welcoming their guest in turn.

“It was great ’til we heard about Kai. How’s she doin’?”

“She’s alright… all things considered. They upgraded her from critical to stable a little while ago. She’ll be out for awhile, though.” He shook his head. “Never seen anything quite like those zenenes. They came out of nowhere. Even Kai didn’t see them until they were right on top of her.”

“You take ’em out?”

“… Half of ’em,” Rude replied. “We couldn’t stick around to finish the job. Kai was bleeding everywhere. Had to evac.”

“Tch… Coulda been worse, I guess. Fuckin’ Hojo ‘n his fuckin’ science experiments… Veld sendin’ us back in to mop things up?”

Rude shook his head. “Haven’t heard yet.”

“Reno,” the Turk leader’s voice suddenly interrupted, and the redhead looked up in surprise. He’d just assumed that since his assignment was over, he’d have time to catch up on everything he’d missed while he was gone.

“Yes, sir?” he answered.

“Join us, please,” Veld replied, before turning towards his office, Ashland and Tseng in tow. Reno glanced over at Rude, shrugged, and hurried to follow. Tseng held back just long enough to close the door behind them as the younger Turk slipped inside. Ashland eased himself down into one of the chairs in front of the senior Turk’s desk.

“Dear Hades, is it ever a trip being back in this office,” he chuckled. “I see you’ve redecorated a bit…”

Veld chuckled softly. “Well, Ira did have rather… unique… taste, if you recall. And… to be honest, it was just a little too painful leaving it all on display when I took over. Though I did keep his favorite…” He gestured to one of the shelves, where a badly carved wooden moogle, holding an umbrella and painted in what could only be described as a psychedelic color scheme, stood unassumingly next to a potted plant.

Ashland laughed. “Favorite? He always told me it was the ugliest damned thing he’d ever seen in his life!” he snickered. Veld smirked.

“I know,” he said, conspiratorially, “That’s the whole reason I gave it to him. Though I think he eventually developed a somewhat ironic fondness for it. I did once offer to dispose of it, knowing how much he disliked it, and he refused outright.”

Tseng snorted softly in laughter… quickly covering it with a less than convincing cough. Reno grinned slightly to himself. Apparently he wasn’t the only Turk who enjoyed hearing little stories about the more senior Turks on occasion. Ashland chuckled quietly in response.

“Well… I know I’m not here to reminisce about the old days. Just what is this mission I’m going to be training someone to undertake? And who’s the unfortunate bastard that gets to be trained?”

“There’s an underwater research lab just offshore of Junon. Or at least there was. It was rendered completely inaccessible by landslide six years ago,” Veld replied, getting down to business. “As luck would have it, recent construction nearby triggered a second landslide that appears to have opened up a way in. It’s stable… for now. Construction was halted immediately when we realized that the lab had been uncovered, but once it resumes, we risk burying it again. The various departments that had ongoing experiments in the lab would like their data recovered while we have a window of opportunity to do so.”

“And they hand a job like that to the Turks?” Ashland replied, eyebrows rising in surprise. “Seems like the military’d be a bit more suited. They have whole squadrons trained for underwater work. Not to mention the submarine crews.”

“Apparently the data is still highly classified. Technically, thefacility’s very existence is still highly classified. The board doesn’t want just anyone down there. Even the base’s commander hasn’t been told exactly what it is.”

“So… what is it?” Ashland queried.

“Um… not to interrupt, but should I be hearin’ this?” Reno asked. If the commander of the Junon military base didn’t know the details of shit that was happening in his own backyard, there was no way in hell his security clearance was high enough.

“By order of the executive board, information is to be disseminated on a need to know basis. And as it happens, you need to know… as you’ll be the one going down there,” said Veld.

“… Wait… me?!” He looked over at Tseng for confirmation, and his mentor nodded. Reno blinked, processing this new information. Why him? Sure… he was a halfway decent swimmer, but… really?

“You’re the most physically suited to the task,” Veld explained, apparently noticing the confusion on his face. “The opening is… a rather tight fit. And quite frankly, you’re the only Turk besides Kai who would have a chance of squeezing through it. That, and you’re exceptionally good at thinking on your feet. Some recon has been done with drones but they could only do an external sweep to verify that access was even possible. We don’t know for certain what condition the lab interior is in. Retrieving the data once you’re inside may require a little creativity.”

Reno pondered that for a moment, not sure he particularly liked the idea of squeezing himself into a mostly buried, underwater structure, fuck only knew how far below the surface, not even knowing what was waiting for him… because if he and Kai were they only ones small enough to get in there, no one was going to be coming to save his ass if he got stuck somewhere along the way.

“… So, uh… what exactly happens if somethin’ goes wrong ‘n I can’t get myself back out?” he asked.

“We come in after you the hard way,” Tseng replied, “Though we’d prefer to avoid that contingency, as it would almost certainly result in the destruction of our objective… the research data… as well as preclude any attempts at salvage of the structure itself that Shinra might choose to undertake later.”

The redhead finally shrugged. It wasn’t like he was getting out of this… and in spite of the risk, a part of him was kind of intrigued by such a mission.

“When do we start?”

“Immediately,” Veld replied. “You’re off all other assignments, and Rude will take over your training duties with the rookies. You’ll be working with Ashland as much as you’re physically capable of for the next week… weekend included, so cancel any plans you’ve already made. The construction project is on hold, but it can’t remain so indefinitely. We need to get this done as soon as possible.” He turned to the retired Turk, “I’ll get you all of the relevant information on the lab’s location and condition, and a list of what the research departments want retrieved. Thank you for doing this, Ash. I know it’s asking a lot.”

Ashland chuckled softly. “To be honest… I’m kind of starting to look forward to it. Don’t get me wrong… retirement’s been a godsend. But a little adventure now and then keeps you young.” He glanced over at the redhead and looked him over for a moment. “So… can you even swim?”

Before Reno could answer, Tseng laughed. “Oh, trust me… That’s one thing you won’t need to worry about teaching him. It’s his favorite training activity. In fact, it’s quite difficult to get him out of the pool, some days.”

---

Reno plucked at the skin-tight rubbery “suit” he’d spent the last five or six minutes wedging himself into and frowned. He didn’t like it. At all. It felt like a second skin… and not in a good way. He was, quite literally, going to have to peel it off when they were done. Plus the material didn’t breathe, and standing in the warm, humid air that enveloped the concrete deck surrounding the company pool, he was starting to sweat profusely… which created not the most pleasant sensation when he moved.

“Tch… Never gonna understand why some people get so fuckin’ turned on by rubber… This shit sucks,” he muttered as he made his way over to the pool’s edge. Tseng sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

“That was your first thought?” he queried. The redhead glanced up at him and smirked.

“No… my first thought was that this thing feels like a fuckin’ full-body condom.”

“Just get in the water,” Tseng replied, though his protege was fairly certain he was trying not to laugh at the pronouncement. Reno grinned and was only too happy to step off the edge of the pool and into the waiting liquid. As soon as he was engulfed, he felt better, the cooler temperature making the wetsuit more comfortable. He lingered below the surface for a moment, enjoying the pleasant silence, before floating back up.

“Well… he certainly looks right at home,” Ashland commented, as he joined the two Turks. “Good. That should make this a lot easier.”

Tseng nodded. “I’ll leave him to you, then,” he replied, turning to go… only to pause, “I would strongly suggest not working through meals, by the way. Unless, of course, you wish to bring the wrath of Justinia Ward down upon you. She’s quite particular about his weight.”

“Is that cranky old bat still flapping around Shinra Company headquarters?” the older Turk laughed. He shook his head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Wouldn’t want to remind her just how much she couldn’t stand me back in the day, after all…”

“Tch… are we doin’ this, or what?” Reno groused, impatiently as he paddled around in a slow circle, waiting for training to get underway.

“Cool your jets, Turkling. I’m comin’…”

The redhead groaned softly. Great. Another asshole who liked that term.

“I’m not a rookie, ya know…” he shot back.

“Heh… yeah? Well, you’re going to have to prove that to me… ’cause you look like you’re barely outta diapers,” Ashland said, grinning back at him. Reno rolled his eyes.

“Oh… like I’ve never heard that one before.”

Tseng shook his head and resumed course towards the exit, leaving the redhead to his training.

---

Liam hit the ground hard, bowled over by a brutal roundhouse from Sykes. He’d seen it coming… but his escape had been blocked by Petra, and he’d opted to take the hit he was prepared for, rather than risk an attack he wouldn’t have time to dodge from the other direction. As he slammed into the floormat, he was beginning to rethink his decision.

“… You okay?” Sykes asked, leaning over him, a look of concern on his face. Liam groaned softly as he staggered back to his feet.

“You know this is a sparring match… right? You’re not actually supposed to be trying to kill me,” he replied just as Remy was making her way over.

“Are you hurt?” she inquired. The rookie shook his head.

“No ma’am. I’m fine.”

“Back to it, then,” she replied with a sharp nod, “And you…” she added, looking over at Sykes, “… a little more control with those attacks, please. This is practice, not an actual fight.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sykes replied, somewhat sheepishly.

Things continued in much the same vein for another twenty minutes before Remy finally called an end to the training session. The afternoon briefing for the senior Turks had, apparently, been canceled, and she’d worked them right up until quitting time. The three rookies gratefully made their way to the locker rooms, and soon were cleaned up and back in uniform. As they boarded the elevator back to the Turks’ office, Petra breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well… I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready for a nice long meditation session after that,” she said, smiling. Liam snickered a little, but returned the smile.

“I’ll pass on the meditation. I have a new book waiting for me at home… and I intend to spend the rest of my evening curled up on the couch with it.”

“Either of you want to grab something to eat first?” Sykes asked, “I’m starved. Could use some company.”

“Now that you mention it… I wouldn’t mind a little something. I can never get into a good trance on an empty stomach,” Petra replied, “Liam?”

The rookie hesitated. He was still a bit hesitant just joining in outside of work… Everyone else seemed to already know each other so well. Sykes and Petra had even been recruits together for awhile. He hadn’t known either of them while he’d been in the program. But then… he couldn’t honestly say he’d gotten to know anyone well as a recruit, really. He had a tendency to keep to himself outside of training. It was only since his promotion that he’d started actively trying to make friends. And he had to admit… he kind of liked having someone besides his books to hang out with.

Besides… he’d promised himself that, if he actually made it into the Turks, he was going to stop being so damned antisocial all the time. And he had been invited, after all…

“… Sure,” he finally replied, “I could eat.”

Sykes grinned and clapped him on the back… something he seemed to do a lot… and Liam braced himself for the impact. But this time, he mindful of the other rookie’s smaller stature. Liam grinned back at him.

“Great!” Sykes proclaimed, “And while we’re eating, Petra can tell us all about Ashland, right, Petra?”

The other rookie giggled.

“Well… I’ll tell you what I can,anyway. To be honest… I didn’t even know Ash had ever been a Turk until I started thinking about joining up and asked him what Midgar was like, since I knew he used to live here. He was always just… one of the neighbors,” she said with a shrug, “He doesn’t talk about his past.”

With that, she happily pressed the button that would take them down to the train station beneath the Shinra Building.

---

Reno flopped down on the bed, utterly spent, and hugged the pillow to his chest. Swimming was always a hell of a workout, but today had been insane. He’d barely had the energy to drag himself back upstairs to collect his things to go home, once Ashland was through with him. And by the time he’d actually done so, he’d realized that he’d be lucky to even make it to his car, much less his apartment. Ultimately, the redhead had opted to just sleep at headquarters.

He was still a little unsure about this training. He was getting a crash course in underwater salvage, and they’d been at it for hours. It wasn’t just regular swimming. It was learning to control his buoyancy… his movements while weighed down under the water… his breathing…

That had been the most exhausting of all, in his opinion. Ashland hadn’t been satisfied with how long he could hold his breath. They’d spent far more time working on that than anything else they’d touched on today. He’d managed a good forty seconds at one point. The former Turk had told him that, ideally, he wanted him to go a full minute.

Reno didn’t really see the point… He was going to have a fucking air tank strapped to him, wasn’t he? If he fucked up so bad that he was stuck holding his breath, a minute wasn’t real likely to save him. It’d just prolong the inevitable.

For now, though, he decided not to waste brain power thinking about that. He was exhausted… and he had to do this shit all over again tomorrow. That thought in mind, he downed a candy bar he’d secreted away in the bag from his trip to Corel, and then curled up in bed.

He was asleep before he could even fully drag the covers over himself.

~end chapter 9~