"Well it looks like our trap worked." Reno said as he shackled Tifa.
"Yep, one less AVALANCHE member running amok." Rude agreed, leading Tifa back to the helicopter where Elena was waiting.
"Is this why you two wanted me to stay here?" Elena inquired as she grabbed hold of Tifa when Rude handed the prisoner to her before he got in.
"What do you mean?" Reno asked as he hopped in and headed to the pilot's seat.
"If it had been a male operative you were trying to catch, you'd let me be in on the action. But a hot female, oh no, you two don't need my help." Elena said as she strapped Tifa in her seat, before strapping herself in.
Tifa kept her mouth shut, realizing there was no point in hoping Cloud would honor their childhood promise and come rescue her. After all, he was working for Shinra now as a member of SOLDIER, and she was a member of AVALANCHE, which meant they were on opposite sides.
Reno also kept his mouth shut instead of telling Elena things might be different on missions if she showed more cleavage, and he headed back towards base with his usual smooth takeoff. An hour into the flight, he turned on the intercom. "This storm looks nasty, things might get bumpy, people."
Elena looked at the window and swallowed hard. She had some training in aerial maneuvers and parachuting, but it was all simulations. Rude wasn't worried, he trusted Reno. Then suddenly the helicopter canted to one side and started sinking, and the passengers heard Reno swearing loudly.
"Lightning strikes, ladies and gentleman. Rude, you and Elena parachute your asses out of here, but first get our prisoner up here." Reno said over the intercom. "I'm gonna try and land this bird as best I can."
Once Rude and Elena had jumped, Reno glanced over at Tifa, who seemed terrified, which was a relief to him. It meant she would be less likely to cause him trouble. "Don't worry, the cockpit is reinforced. If we crash, we have a good chance of surviving, unless we plummet to the ground from above 2,000 feet." Reno told his prisoner as he regained some control and looked for enough space to land.
Tifa stared at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with him if he meant that to be comforting. "How…how much do crashes hurt?" she asked in a small voice.
"I think you're about to find out, it's going to be a rough landing." Reno said as another lightning strike hit the tail rotor.