Rain lashed down onto the cold ground of the village outskirts. Ducking behind the ruins of an old helicopter, Reno and Elena assessed the situation from their hideout. Right now, making it back to the chopper seemed impossible, at least a dozen armed Wutai soldiers stood between them and their comrades. Elena finished wrapping Reno's wrist up before holding her gun close and peering over the top of the metal shell, barely missing a parade of bullets fired from the opposition.
"Damn, we're Never gonna get back at this rate..."
Elena looked across at her friend and partner and shook her head.
"That's not the way to look at this Reno, we've been in worse situations before and gotten out ok...and we'll do it again here"
The Redhead looked up at her in the darkness and locked with her gaze before nodding sharply. She held out a gun to Reno and he looked at it with a frown.
"Take it, I know you hate them Reno but the EMR won't do you any good against bullets and getting close to those guys isn't an option"
He let out a disapproving sigh and took the weapon, sliding the EMR back into his jacket and cocked it, looking across at Elena through the darkness.
"Ready?"
She nodded...
"One, two, three"
Both Turks leapt up and began firing. The sudden attack caught the Wutai men off guard and the pair managed to take about five out before the opposition had reloaded and began firing back. By now both had started running for the chopper, covering each other, still firing but keeping pace up enough.
Rude and Tseng waited anxiously in the Shin-Ra issued transport for the two to arrive. Then, just a way ahead...
"Tseng, I see them"
"Ok, I'll prepare for take-off..."
Tseng clambered into the cockpit and started the procedure, the deafening beat of the blades above him bringing him little comfort and he sat back to wait. Rude stood by the door waiting for his two friends, watching both their movements, ready to yell when they were in. But Reno and Elena were having some problems...
"DAMN, Laney I'm out again, cover me"
Reno pulled his last reload from his pocket whilst Elena moved round to cover him. He now saw why she'd been hired; the girl could handle a gun better than any he'd ever seen. She swung round, aiming and firing, taking out the men swiftly. More arrived but they were close to the helicopter now, Rude jumped down and began firing across the distance, aiding his friends as best as he could. Reno stood and took aim once more, firing before backing up against the girl and they stood, encircled by soldiers...
"Damn"
"Reno...Go"
"What? No, if we're going down we're going together..."
"Uh…Reno now is not the time to be getting all sentimental, just do what I say for once"
"Laney..."
"DUCK!"
"Wha?"
Reno did just as Elena spun round and shot the three men blocking the path towards the chopper. Reno looked up as she shoved him in the direction of the others and ran back into the swarm of Wutai men, firing at whoever stood in her way.
"LANEY!"
He began running after the girl but was stopped as Rude grabbed his arm, pulling him back...
"Reno, come on we need to go"
"No, wait Rude, let me go, LANEY"
As three more men fell down one of their bullets caught Elena in the shoulder and she dropped to one knee, looking up through the rain.
"RENO GO!"
"NO, we ain't leaving you behind, Rude get off Me"
She shook her head, standing back up and cocked the gun, reloading it once more before looking back through the chaos and yelled.
"Reno go, I'm a damn Rookie I'm replaceable...NOW GO!"
She turned and ran back, only half hearing Reno's reply through the cold wind.
"NO YOU'RE NOT, You're a Turk and you're coming with us...Rude!"
The Redhead struggled against his friend's tight grip but couldn't escape it as he was dragged into the chopper.
"Reno, I'm sorry but we need to go..."
"No, Laney, Let Me GO"
He looked up as she nodded to the chopper, rain soaking her body.
"Rude, get him out of here NOW"
He watched as she ran back, dodging shots and firing, taking out the final few. She turned to face the last one, raising her gun up and aiming...
Click.
She looked down at the gun, eyes widening. Empty. The soldier's mouth let out a short gasp of relief as he fired a line of bullets into the Turk.
"ELENA!"
Reno's screams were drowned out by the clap of gunshots as he watched the bullets tear through Elena's body in a flash of rain and blood and darkness. She dropped to her knees, clinging to the last few seconds of her life as the man stepped past her and took aim at the Redheaded Turk standing a few metres from himself.
Click.
The last Wutai soldier looked down at his gun frowning before turning round to face the barrel of a gun held tightly in Elena bloody hand. His thoughts were cut out a second later and he dropped in unison with the Rookie, both hitting the floor soundly, the Soldier faced down in the dirt, Elena on her back, the slowly ascending Helicopter being the final thing she saw before she lost her grip and faded into darkness, his screams still ringing in her ears...
"ELENA"