Reno cursed as he hit the helicopter console. "We gotta turn around!" He growled, moving to do just that. Rude was beside him in an instant, taking over the controls. There was a brief but violent scuffle as Reno tried to force his partner away. "Shouldn't have left in the first place we gotta go back! Rude!" Reno placed one well aimed kick at his partner's ribs receiving nothing but a grunt for his efforts. Reno's tantrum would subside, his rage was like a fast burning flame and something Rude had long ago learnt to handle. The red head unbuckled himself and got to his feet, a rumbling wordless cry of frustration escaping him as he let out some of his fury on the door of the cockpit. Rude silently took Reno's vacated seat, settling in for the long flight, the package that had cost them so dearly sitting safely on the floor at his feet.

Losing a Turk had never been something that was easy to swallow. Leaving still living turk's behind was even harder. Rude adjusted his sunglasses just slightly. Elena's yells seemed to echo through their transport, reinforcing Rudes determination. Even if Tseng or Elena had asked for help, there was nothing they would have been able to do, but being told to leave… it helped. Reno slumped down nearby to Rude, on the floor his eyes cast upwards. The anger seemed to be passing and slowly he regained his usual smile, even if it was a bit forced. "Guess this is a mission accomplished huh?"

"Guess so," Rude replied passively, changing course slightly. Routine mission… thats what Tseng had told them. Search and retrieval, nothing too difficult. They were lucky that as many as two of them got away in that mess. He knew he'd have to take Reno out for a couple of rounds of drinks after this. To be quite honest he could use one himself… The thought of what they'd left the others to would be a bit easier to swallow if it was washed down with beer.

His hands were bound. In the time he'd been unconscious the circulation had been prevented from passing his wrists sufficiently that a painful ache had settled in his fingers. Tseng flexed them, just slightly, in hopes of helping the sensation pass. The movement brought him to full wakefulness and slowly he opened his eyes to observe his surroundings. Light burrowed into his skull like the point of a blade and he winced but kept his eyes open, adjusting. The offending brightness ebbed from the tree's around him and the director sat upright as he studied them. He and Elena were alone. Elena was restrained in a similar fashion, with her wrists bound behind her and her ankles tied together. Tseng observed her from a distance, aware she had not regained consciousness but seeing few sever injuries.

The world span dangerously from the small shift in position and Tseng's brow furrowed as he tried to force through it. A wound on his forehead made itself known and he briefly remembered the glancing blow that had landed there. Yes… The disorientation it had caused meant that he couldn't get back to the helicopter in time and he'd had to trust Elena and Rude to complete the mission safely… But Elena had not followed protocol and held a defensive position… After that he couldn't remember what had happened, darkness had claimed his world.

He shifted again, more carefully this time so as not to rob himself of consciousness, simply trying to get into a better position to undo his bindings. He continued undisturbed for a while, every few moments glancing at his downed subordinate to try and keep on top of her condition. The sounds of movement were what made the director pause, studying his immediate surroundings for the first sign of his captor. The one that hoisted him to his feet was very strong but clearly not very bright. The quickness of the movement made Tseng lurch as the forrest descended into blur of motion. Tseng bowed his head and shut his eyes, willing the unpleasant sensation to halt. "Look who's finally awake…" A childish voice taunted. Tangled black hair was snatched up and tugged back, forcing Tseng to look at who was speaking to him.

He wasn't sure what he had expected. Someone he knew, he supposed. The man… no child in front of him was familiar in a way but certainly nobody the Turk remembered very clearly. His fine silver hair fell neatly around his face, framing his cruel smirk. Tseng frowned, distinctly unimpressed. "One of Shinra's dogs… one of the men that took mother from us…" Tseng's frown deepened but he said nothing. Their retrieval had been a success, but of course if it hadn't he wouldn't still be alive. The head injury must have dulled his senses for him to not have been aware of this. The child apparently had expected some response to the most common jibe the turks heard in their day to day lives and lacking one became enraged. Tseng was prevented from following the motion of the slap that the boy delivered by the firm grip on his hair. It stung, certainly and a red mark blossomed on his cheek but the director could have laughed at the display.

"Is he going to tell us where mother is Kadaj?" Tseng twisted just slightly in the grip of the much larger person that held him still. So this child was named Kadaj?

"One of them will Loz don't worry… because we know who has mother we just don't know where /they/ are…" Kadaj spoke slowly his previous anger forgotten. The silver haired child slowly and purposefully drew a sword, watching as the turk followed the blade with his eyes before he gently rested it on his neck. "Where is president shinra?" Tseng's expression didn't change as the blade rested against his throat. A threat of death? honestly? He kept his dutiful silence. A person like Kadaj was an open book to the seasoned turk. Demanding, childish, impatient and easily enraged. It was a personality profile that had come through the department of administrative research dozens of times and it was someone that was ill suited to interrogation situations. True enough the blade was drawn back just a little too quickly, nicking the skin beneath and letting drop a small pearl of blood. "Where is president shinra!?" Kadaj repeated lashing out with a wide swipe that was just derailed from cutting the captive open when a third boy tugged him back. The very tips of the twin blades sliced through shirt, finely parting the skin beneath. Red blossomed through the fabric and despite himself Tseng curled around the wound, his hair finally released by Loz allowing him to bow his head.

"Not like that Kadaj," The third boy spoke quietly, his gaze shifting from his sibling to their prisoner. "slower… methodically… get into his head…" The speaker laughed gently and signalled for Loz to force the director upright again. Once more the world swam though not nearly as concerningly as before, the sting from the cuts sobering enough to be an anchor in the waking world. The new boy didn't repeat Kadaj's question as he slowly approached, coming uncomfortably close. Dark eyes met green and a spark of recognition ignited in the far reaches of Tsengs mind. "Loz," he spoke, eyes flicking away from Tseng to fix on his brother. "Break his fingers."

Tseng stiffened, bracing himself for what was to follow. The restraining grip shifted but didn't loosen as Loz freed a hand to do as his brother asked, taking hold of three of Tsengs fingers before… "Wait," the unnamed boy commanded, watching as Tseng was forced to let out the breath he'd been holding in preparation of the blow. "One at a time…"

"But Yazoo…"

"One at a time," Yazoo repeated, tilting his head to watch Tsengs reaction. It was a small one, a slight clenching of his jaw and a shift of stance. But it was enough. The first finger broke with a resounding snap and Tseng flinched as the pain flared through his hand. "Tell me," Kadaj took over from Yazoo as the second snap filled the clearing. "How will you defend your president, if you can't use your hands?" He hated to admit that it struck a cord. To die for shinra, Tseng could do that - he hadn't considered any other possible outcome but... The third crack broke his trail of thought and the short shout of pain was the first vocalisation they got from the director.

"Tseng…?"

The directors eyes hardened as Kadaj glanced sideways at the person speaking then back to Tseng with a wolfish grin. Not a good time to wake up Rookie…

Chapter two will be much longer if I can help it. I was browsing this site looking for a good fic based on Tseng and Elena's time with the remnants and eventual rescue but found very few and most of the ones I did find were rape fics. So here is my attempt, will contain occasional scenes of Reno, Rude and Rufus but largely will focus on the two captive turks.

Please leave a review! constructive criticism is welcome, especially as I'm unused to this genre.

- R