Burn it Down
By Diane Kelley Chapter 1
The cycle repeated
As explosions broke in the sky
All that I needed
Was the one thing I couldn't find
And you were there at the turn
Waiting to let me know.
"C'mon, Cloud, how bad could it be? It's just cadet training." The voice held a cocky tone, the drawling slang that was typical of the one speaking the words coloring the sentence. A red puffball of spikes with a short rat tail that was gradually being grown out gleamed in the sun that was coming in through the window of the Turk's quarters. For Reno it was a chance to break up the monotony that had been his days since he'd managed to get himself in trouble with Verdot after his last mission into Wutai where he had been temporarily grounded and he was not about to pass that up.
The blond cadet shook his head. "I dunno, Reno. I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing. I don't know why, but I do." The teenager's nerves crawled with an almost preternatural knowledge that something about this whole thing didn't feel right. It bothered him even more that he couldn't figure out what.
"Cloud, relax, yo. You'll be there the whole time, right? So if somethin' goes wrong, you'll be able to get help. Not that I think anything will, I mean Hell, we're inside the Tower, one of the most secure places in the world. What could go wrong?" That was a question that in the days to come Reno would wonder why he had ever asked, but hindsight, unfortunately, had always been twenty twenty where almost anyone was concerned.
Deep in the bowels of the sixty eighth floor lay the ShinRa Incorporated Science Department, a place very few escaped from once they had been carried through the steel elevator by force. Not unless the man who ran the place with an iron fist, the one who bent over the computer banks which was the only source of light for the lobby area of the place that had dark hair drawn back in a ponytail, a straight nose in a hawk like face, and black rimmed glasses wanted them to. A wicked smile crossed the pallid skinned features as he read over something that had made him quite happy in light of the fact that it was something he had wanted for a very long time.
"There was one of them under our nose the whole time and I didn't even know it. Well, well, boy, you won't escape me long. I may not be able to keep you in the lab as I would be able to the girl, but it doesn't matter. I will be able to observe the results just as well without you here." Professor Hojo, for that was the name of the man who spoke, turned to the tall, shapely woman with upswept blond hair who wore a tight red dress that stood next to him. "You know what to do, Director Scarlet." he told her, those sharp hazel eyes seeming to pierce deep.
Scarlet shuddered as those eyes settled onto her. The man creeped out nearly everyone who ever encountered him, and the Director of Weapons Research was no exception. But Hojo had made her a promise she couldn't refuse, and all she had to do was reprogram a few Guard Robots. Not very hard a task at all. Feel a bit sorry for the Turk. I'd love to know how he hid out in plain sight so long. I would have thought he'd have been caught by now, though I suppose he isn't a Turk for nothing.
"Of course Professor." and the laugh that was her signature slipped free as she walked out of the lab, heading to make the adjustments that needed to be made as the sounds of the cadets moving toward the area that had been set up for the training session four floors below echoed up toward her. Her eyes scanned over the two in the front, the redhead that was the target, and his blond friend that he was in conversation with the whole way.
"Now, listen up." Reno's voice spread out over the crowd, strong and sure, as he called the group of cadets to attention. "This is just a training exercise. You are in no real danger, but your performance is gonna be graded. So get out there and do your best." He leaned back against the wall in his normal insouciant slouch as they filed out into the massive circular area with metal walls and floors that they were using for the training session.
His eyes cataloged their movements. There was a reason Reno was chosen to grade these tests, as his sharp vision separated out those who would likely rise into SOLDIER from those who would end up in the infantry instead.
"Look out!" came the yell from one of the cadets as one of the robots began to malfunction, the sizzling electricity f the beam cannon it carried arcing out into the air as the redhead acknowledged the warning by ducking out of the way. The beam struck the metal of the floor beneath his feet as he rolled back to them and it melted like ice under the summer sun, caving in underneath his feet and plunging him approximately twenty feet to the corrugated steel below.
For one terrifying moment it seemed as if gravity had abandoned the Turk as he hung there in the air like a cartoon character hanging above a gorge, breath seizing in his lungs and heart pounding against his ribs, before free fall caught him and he let out a loud, ear shattering scream of utter dread, his hair whipping around to obscure his sight, before hitting the floor below.
Cloud's eyes went huge as he watched the Turk plunge to the floor below, cringing at the muted thud as his body impacted with the corrugated metal, blood pooling around him. The blond cadet ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time to get down them and reach Reno, praying to all the Gods that he'd still be alive when he reached him. "Get the medics!" he yelled, watching as two cadets almost tripped over each other running out the door to get them. "Stay with me, Reno." he murmured, gripping one shaking hand as he knelt by the redhead's side, amazed to see he was not only still alive, but still conscious, the mako in his blood keeping him going when anyone without enhancements would have been dead.
"Cloud. . ." his voice was ragged with pain, throat tight, blood bubbling up from between pale pink lips as h e struggled for every single breath, feeling as if he was breathing water just to try to take enough oxygen into badly punctured lungs to stay on this side of the Lifestream. Pain radiated like a fire through shattered bone and twisted limbs, seared through bruised and pierced organs as vital fluid fled his body at a far faster pace than he could ever hope to replace it. "I love you." the words, spoken almost as an invocation.
"No, Reno, don't you dare. You hold onto those words, because you are going to live, and you are going to get to say them to me again when you're recovered." The young man from Nibelheim had never felt for anyone the way he did about Reno before, the all encompassing emotion that made one's heart feel like no longer beating at the very thought of losing them. He gripped Reno's hand as the medics came.
Rude was leaning back against the wall. he'd gotten the call from the dark haired SOLDIER from Banora, Angeal Hewley, who had been the commander on duty for the training exercise, and had gone there as quickly as he could. Sharp eyes watched from behind dark sunglasses as the one medic he trusted implicitly, a young woman with dark hair and gray eyes named Harmony Halcyon, directed the crew that lifted Reno up onto a gurney and toward the infirmary.
"Don't worry." she told the Turk in a quiet tone as she walked by him. "I'll make sure he gets out of this all right." and then she was gone, on the tail end of the stretcher as it was wheeled out and down the hallway.
Scarlet, as soon as it was done, headed back down to see Hojo. He'd promised if this worked she'd have more power and wealth than she would ever know what to do with, something that a woman who'd grown up poor could in no way refuse. She wasn't entirely sure that she trusted him, though, truth be told. Stories had been told about people who had made deals with Hojo, only to disappear into the bowels of the lab never to be seen again. Certainly not a thing she would want to have happen to her if she could avoid it. "It's done" she told the professor. "They'll try to save him, watch and see, but you can go in like the good Samaritan when it becomes obvious they can not and offer the SOLDIER treatment to him, just as you'd planned."
That actually drew a smile to her own lips. Even if she did feel a bit sorry for the boy, it called to her own love of weaponry, and this man, when they were finished, would be a living, breathing walking weapon. It was enough to get her heart pounding and pulse racing a bit just thinking about it. She swept back a lock of blond hair as she watched the scientist turn to her, slowly, with his hands behind his back.
"Excellent." he grinned almost wickedly at Scarlet. "I'll have your reward as soon as this plays out, my dear, but for now. ..why don't you go back to your office and watch the show? This will be. ..entertaining. I promise you that much." He tilted back his head and laughed, that cold, disturbing laughter that Scarlet would never forget for the remainder of her life.
She left the lab, almost quickly enough that it could be said that she was fleeing it.
Zack Fair, SOLDIER Second Class and one of Cloud's best friends, swept his hair through dark spikes as violet eyes peered through the pane of glass that stood between the two of them and the ICU room where the red haired Turk's shattered body rested in a bed on life support while they waited to see if he would be able to heal enough to be survive the surgery that would repair his damaged limbs the remainder of his damaged organs that the initial emergency surgery had not yet covered. He rested a hand on Cloud's shoulder, doing his best to reassure him. "He's strong, Cloud. He'll get through this."
I just wish I felt as confident as I sound. The young man from the forest village of Gongaga thought to himself. It's easy to see how badly that fall messed the kid up, and he's just not strong enough to make it through the extensive surgeries that would be needed to fix him all the way. But Zack didn't want Cloud to lose hope. The kid had already been through enough, between the bullying and everyone assuming he couldn't do what he'd come here for.
He remembered watching Cloud and Reno get to know each other. Both of them had been bullied badly by some of their comrades during the early portions of their training, and they had become friends through that shared experience. One memory in particular stuck in his mind, he'd just barely caught the tail end of it as Reno had shocked two cadets that had chosen to haze Cloud by sticking his head in one of the toilets in the mens' lavatory.
The redhead's natural speed had served him in good stead,. he'd easily dodged the slower movements of the larger cadets, and with pressure point techniques he'd learned from his years on the street he'd easily incapacitated the two, and he and Cloud had been near-inseparable ever since. Now, the boy was hurt, possibly dying, and Zack had no idea what he could do to change it, or how he'd deal with his friend if that happened.
He faintly heard the phone from down the hallway as the doctor in charge of the ICU ward answered it. He had no idea that the call was from Verdot, the Turk's director, checking on his charge, wanting to know of his condition.
"Director Verdot." Doctor Elias Carstairs was one of the best physicians ShinRa had ever hired, if healing materia couldn't handle the injury, or it was something that required actual repair instead of simple healing, he was the first one called. "The boy's injuries were. . .exceedingly severe. That he survived long enough to reach the infirmary is a testament to his will to live. I've done what I can to stabilize him, and he's holding steady for now. . .but I can't guarantee what kind of recovery he'll have even if he recovers enough to receive the surgeries he will need to have any sort of mobility again. His back was broken, all four limbs, and the majority of his vital organs took damage. It's going to take a miracle."
"Do everything you can." Verdot sighed, a hand rubbing the scar along his right cheek, a nervous habit, as he closed his eyes. That boy was like a son to him, when he had come to them he'd been like a wild animal, frightened and traumatized. It had taken considerable effort between himself and Tseng to hone the terrified and half starved street kid into the Turk he had become. He would not have all of that effort wasted, but more. . the loss in itself would hurt more than the older man wanted to admit. He reminds me far too much of my Felicity in that instinct and fighting spirit. I lost her to the streets and to her own ambitions. . I will not lose Reno. I refuse.
As he hung up from the doctor, another call came in. "Director. I heard what happened to your protégé. Such a horrible tragedy." Hojo's voice held it's typical oily tone, one that said he had something up his sleeve. "I might be able to help you, if you want to save the boy. I think we both know that with the injuries he sustained there is no conceivable way he's going to recover enough for the President to wish to keep him on, and we both know well what happens to a Turk who is too badly injured to continue to serve the Company. They are put out to pasture. . .permanently."
"What is it you're proposing, Professor?" The Turk Director was naturally more than a little uneasy at Hojo's tone, anyone who had ever dealt with the man knew it wasn't one that spelled any good news at all if they heard it. And he didn't like one bit what it implied, but what else could he do? He knew the Professor was correct in his assessment. Without some drastic intervention, Reno was going to die from his injuries, and even if he survived, he'd be disposed of as no longer being an asset to the company. Not a fate the young man deserved one bit.
"I am willing to administer the SOLDIER treatments to him. . .the only thing I wish in return is to be able to observe him. To watch the results as he recovers and adjusts to the strength and speed increases that are likely to be the result of them. I believe that is a fair deal." The words were spoken in an almost conversational manner as Hojo held onto the phone in his hand, the expression on his face speaking of his confidence that Verdot would give the go ahead. After all, what choice did the man have? It was approve the experiment, or lose his most promising recruit.
"All right. I'll sign off on the order. But he is not to be in the lab. He is to be observed while in the field." Verdot gave that condition only because he knew Hojo and the way he operated far too well. "I'll not lose the boy to your scientific greed. I understand the necessity of making sure that all goes as it should, and your desire to see how it would work with a fighter based on speed rather than brute strength, but this will be done in such a way as to not remove him from those that he trusts. He's been traumatized enough."
"I will be down in the infirmary within one half of an hour, Director. I expect you to be there with pen in hand." and Hojo disconnected the call, a wider smile gracing his face. It's going just as planned. He thought to himself. Like taking candy from a baby. He says the boy is too stay within the Turks. I'll allow it, for now, but soon enough he will find that there is no managing him within those ranks. He will be moved to SOLDIER simply to preserve the lives and safety of his Turks. And then I will have unobstructed observation of the boy.
Footsteps clattered along the tile floor as suited men approached. Verdot brushed his fingers through his dark spiked hair as his Wutain vice director stood with his arms crossed in front of him,. dark eyes serious. Tseng had helped train the boy who lay in the bed before him, and seeing him this way was nearly heartbreaking to him.
Rude's expression as well was somber. He had refused to leave the infirmary, his partner's face being so unnaturally pale and the tube down his throat making his jaw clench. He had a feeling that what had happened had not been an accident, but there was no way to prove it. He had his suspicions about who it had been, and why, but without proof there was little he could do about it.
The footsteps that came up the hall shortly after were softer, more muted. Professor Hojo wore soft soled loafers, more comfortable in the environment of his laboratory than the dress shoes that the Turks favored. In his lab coat breast pocket was a syringe with a capped needle, and a vial with an oily substance that vacillated between green and black, the two colors interwoven in a way that made it appear as if two ribbons of differing colors had been woven together in the same bottle. He held out the form for Verdot to sign, and as soon as he had the signature he smiled. "Excellent. . .now move aside."
Cloud's expression held a stubborn tint to it, jaw clenched, lips pressed together. "Just what do you think you're doing?" he growled, the tone of his voice clearly speaking of his disapproval of Hojo being anywhere near the man he loved. He still had every faith that his love's stubborn will would carry him through to recover enough for surgery so he could return to the work he had come to love. He didn't trust the scientist one bit, and the vial he had in his pocket gave off an evil feeling that he wanted no where near Reno.
"Saving the boy's life." was Hojo's only answer as he gave Verdot his own copy of the consent forms for his own records, before stepping into the ICU room with the vial and syringe in hand. He pulled the substance up into the syringe, tapped the side of it to assure there were no air bubbles, before lifting it toward Reno's IV line.
"Sir, are you really going to let him do this?" Cloud asked, somewhat shocked. "Use an experimental treatment on one of your Turks? I mean, how do we even know this will work? What if something goes wrong? If you let him do this there is no going back. You won't be able to reverser it, I've seen enough First Class SOLDIER to know that." The young man knew what he was in for if he actually made it far enough to be in SOLDIER, but it would be with his own consent, and foreknowledge. That this was being done without his lover's foreknowledge or consent bothered him immensely.
"What choice do we have?" Verdot stated softly. "It's this, or let him die. I'd rather take the chance that something might go wrong than lose him, Cadet Strife. I know that you believe he can fight his way back, but even if he did. . .he'd likely be a cripple and what kind of life is that for someone like him? This gives him a true fighting chance, one he would not otherwise have. He deserves this much." He set a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "This is the best thing for him. It is the very best chance that he has of recovering and having any kind of a life once he does."
Cloud's shoulders slumped as he finally relented, watching as the black and green fluid fed through the line. It would take several hours for the cells to bond completely with his dna, and to see if he began to heal. Then would be to see the aftereffects, and the physical therapy to help him learn to compensate for the additional strength and speed that the enhancement would likely give him.
It was two days before the teal eyes began to flutter. The parchment thin lids felt as if they had lead weights tied to them with the difficulty he had in opening them. He felt pain, but it was distant, muted to a great extent by the drugs that were circulating through his bloodstream. Reno could feel a hand gripping his, and his fingers moved, ever so slightly, in an attempt to grip it in return. A faint moan split the chilled air of the ICU, indicating the redhead's return to the world of the waking.
Cloud had fallen asleep bent over the side of the bed, his head laying on it with the blond spikes brushing against one pale skinned arm, making Reno's nose scrunch as the fact that it tickled began to trickle into his senses. He couldn't talk, he was still far too weak, but the only thing he could think was.. . .he was, despite all the odds, despite what he had been through, amazingly enough alive. He had survived a twenty five foot fall onto steel plate and he was actually beginning to mend, to show some signs of recovery. How? How the fuck am I alive? I was dyin'. .. I know I was dyin', an' yet here I am in the infirmary an' I'm alive, awake, an' it looks like without much if any in the way of serious neurological damage. But that should be impossible. What the Hell was done to me to make this possible? But internally he shrugged, he knew he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, he just had no idea how it was possible.
"Reno?" Came Cloud's groggy voice. "Oh thank the Gods you're awake." He wasn't going to burden the other with the knowledge of how close it had been, or how terrifying it had been for the cadet to see his lover's mangled body laying on the metal a story below, blood billowing out in a widening pool around him, or how it had felt to hear the choked out words of love as if he'd known he was dying. He never wanted to experience that again as long as he lived.
But what shocked him was when those eyes opened. The aquamarine had taken on a glow so bright that it was almost like having an extra lamp in the darkened room, and the pupils were slitted like a snake's. Or a cat's. Cloud didn't tell Reno about the physical alterations. . .not yet. He wasn't sure how he'd take it, and he was only now on the road to fully mending. As tenuous as the burgeoning recovery was, there was no way he wanted to risk setting it back by giving the Turk news he was very much less than ready for.
A smile was the response to Cloud calling him as he gripped that hand a bit tighter, some amount of his strength beginning to return. "Water." he croaked out. His mouth felt like the very sands of the Corel Desert, his tongue sticking to the roof of it like glue. When Cloud lifted the cup of tepid room temperature water to his lips he drank deeply as if it was Gaia's finest vintage of wine. Relief flooded through his body at the quenching of his extreme thirst before he asked the first question that came to his mind. And it was the one Cloud least wanted to answer. "How am I even still alive? I was dyin', I know I was dyin'. I should be dead right now, an' I'm not."
Cloud looked down and away. "You were given the same treatment that SOLDIER are. It was the only way to save you. You were dying, and. . .I didn't want to admit it.." I wanted to think you had a chance but it would have taken a miracle for you to beat it on your own, and. . . this was your miracle. remained unsaid, because to be honest the teenager wasn't sure how much of a miracle it really was, and that thought was even more disturbing than the thought that he had almost lost him.
Reno closed his eyes, dropping into thought. He himself did not know the full taint that had been fed into his body, that would soon enough begin to unravel his cells and mutate it, as it had his ancestors, leading to a path that he would be unable to turn from. But that was in the future, and he had no knowledge of that as yet. All he knew was that he was alive and with new abilities that he would have to learn how to use so he didn't hurt anyone he wasn't supposed to. "I guess I should be grateful, yo, but ta be honest I'm kinda scared, too." The admission normally would have been difficult for the proud and strong Turk, but this was something pretty overwhelming for most anyone to deal with. Even someone of his indomitable will.
"I know you are, Reno. But we're going to get through this. Together. I promise." Not that Cloud had any idea of how they were going to deal with the whole thing. It was all so damn complicated, and the knowledge of the possible consequences made his mind spin. He wouldn't walk away, no way in Hell. He may not be one that made commitments easily, in fact Cloud tended to run from commitment more often than not, but once he'd made one he threw himself into it with his whole being. They were both young, but at the same time, they'd both been through enough to make them more mature than other people their age, which gave Cloud a bit more confidence that they could handle this.
"Promise?" The voice was soft, the fear in it obvious. But Reno had every faith if Cloud promised, that they would indeed get through it. With the reiteration of that promise a smile finally blossomed over the fair skinned face, making the corners of the uptilted eyes crinkle and the freckles show up a bit more. "Then. .if you think so, yo, for you I'll do my best to make the best of this." his eyes began to slip closed again. He was exhausted, and he still had a good amount of healing to do before he was completely recovered.
As Reno drifted back into sleep, and this time a natural one instead of the unconscious state of near death, Cloud strode out to Reno's comrades, a worried look on his face. "He knows what was done to him now. But if I have to be honest. .." He didn't know how to put his nebulous worries into words. Any number of things could go wrong, and some of them no one even knew. "I don't want anything to happen to him, Director. He deserves better than that."
Verdot nodded. "We are going to get him through this process, Cloud. You made a promise to that young man, and we're going to be certain you are able to keep it." He squeezed Cloud's shoulder. "You go back and rest. It's best you do so now, while he's sleeping. You will need all the rest that you can get to deal with the days that are to come."
Cloud just nodded and walked back toward his quarters. He knew Verdot was right, and that the coming days were going to be hard enough that he would need the rest he would get now.
It was a week before Reno had healed enough to even attempt physical therapy, and when he was able to get into the shower the first time the first thing he did was look in a mirror. "Man, an' I thought my eyes were bright after the mako injection I got when I was first recruited. Shit went all out, yo." He'd also noticed the faint green pigmentation around his pupils, though he figured it wasn't that big a deal. A few cosmetic alterations for the chance to live and continue doing a job that had afforded him a family full of people who did all they could to protect him? He'd take them, no problem.
The hot water felt like heaven dropping down over his back, plastering his hair to his face and washing the adhesive from the IVs off of his skin. Being clean felt almost like a luxury now with how long he'd been hooked up to the machines that had been keeping him alive. The slender male had to grip tightly onto the bars in the shower stall to stay on his feet to do it, and to sit on the bench inside to wash his hair, but Reno was too proud not to at least attempt to clean himself up without any help. He'd come this far, he wasn't about to allow himself to be so helpless as to not be able to take care of his own needs without assistance.
Cloud just shook his head with a chuckle as the Turk he loved struggled his way into the bathroom, managing to use the toilet, get himself clean, and slide into the black fluffy terry cloth robe that had been brought from his quarters for him. As the other man leaned his head back, the blond trooper ran the brush that had also been brought through the crimson hair he'd come to adore, the soft smile that graced his face when he was truly relaxed and at peace lifting up his lips at the purring noise that it got from the one on the receiving end.
"Stubborn." The word held an affectionate tone. It was rare that Cloud let his guard down this far, but he was alone with the man he loved. "You know, General Sephiroth said he'd help you learn how to channel the strength from the enhancements, if you need it." Cloud's voice took on the reverent tone of the boy that had idolized the General enough to come to ShinRa and strive to excel and become a SOLDIER before Zack and Reno had helped the normally shy and withdrawn young man come into his own.
"Really?" Reno spoke in that drawling tone that was accompanied by a playful smirk. The chance to be taught by the greatest General ShinRa had ever produced, and on top of that he could tease the heck out of the guy and Sephiroth wouldn't be allowed to hurt him for it? That was something there was no way he could pass up. Of course he knew the man was dealing with enough with his two best friends missing, Genesis had disappeared in Wutai, and Angeal had soon followed him, and they had been assumed killed in action. Something told Reno that it wasn't true, though. That there was something dirty going on not even the Turks were fully privy to.
"Yeah." Cloud nodded, but his expression grew firm. "Don't torment him too much. He's going through a lot." He knew that expression well enough, it normally meant Reno was thinking of something that was going to get him in trouble. But the man's spirit had always been infectious, just as Tifa's had been when he'd been a child back in Nibelheim. I wanted to impress her, I wanted to be good enough for her, and the funny thing is. . .now, here, with Zack for a best friend and Reno wanting nothing more than for me to be all that he knows I can be, I'm realizing it wasn't her I needed to impress so badly, but myself.
That thought brought that tiny wistful uplifting of his lips to his face again as he finished brushing out the scarlet locks and tied them back. "There. The physical therapist will be here soon. You hungry?"
A growl from the slim belly was the response to that question as Reno let out a soft laugh of his own. "I think my stomach's speakin' for itself on that one, yo." He was been on IV nutrition for almost two weeks, he'd almost forgotten what real food was like. "Prob'ly should try somethin' mild an' not too spicy, though." The last thing the redhead wanted to do was embarrass himself by throwing back up his first meal in two weeks. That would be something he would never be able to completely live down. Not that I haven't before, but that was 'cause I was drunk. Bein' hung over ain't quite so bad. Of course that thought made him snort simply due to the fact that he was trying to justify himself.
As if his mind had been read, Rude came in with a container of clam chowder from one of he and Reno's favorite restaurants "I figured you could use something solid now that they've finally taken you off the IVs." he passed his partner the container. He didn't want to tell Reno that he'd been kept busy with Genesis copies attacking all of the major cities, just as the other Turks had been. They had all done as much as they could to shield their comrade from knowing just how bad things were, as all of them knew that if he knew he'd push himself too hard in an attempt to get out there to help fellow Turks when he needed to be focusing on recovering the rest of the way.
Reno popped the lid and took a deep inhale, closing his eyes as he relished the scent that wafted up to him. "You're too damn good to me, partner." he said appreciatively as he took the spoon and dug in, gorging as he'd been wont to do whenever there was food around. It took all of five minutes for him to rake the wonderful creamy broth that was redolent of clams and garlic and pepper and just a sprinkling of cheese into the bottomless pit he called a stomach and set the container back down. "Ya know. ..I know I'm not supposed ta be thinkin' of work an' all, but somethin' about this situation with the Generals just don't sit right with me. I just don't know why yet."
Rude took the container and threw it into the trash can, giving Reno a sharp look from behind his ever present sunglasses. "That's right, you aren't. But. . .it doesn't me either." And that was all the bald man would say on the matter. He had no intention of encouraging his overly inquisitive partner to investigate this when he had other things that he had to deal with.
"You worry about you for right now, Reno." Cloud reinforced the statement from Rude with a firm admonition of his own. "You can help with the rest once you've recovered. " The look those sky blue eyes held also said that Reno was not to push himself to recover, that he was to take all of the time that was necessary. Though he, like Reno and Rude, had an odd feeling that things were being hidden from them.
Hojo kept watch from a monitor in the lab, hawk like eyes taking in every nuance as the half Cetra boy that had been given the SOLDIER regimen began to recover. He's done even better than I expected him to. The thought made the scientist smirk. He has a strong constitution, and a stronger will to live than anyone I have ever subjected to it. This may very well be the breakthrough I've been seeking.
He would need to get a blood sample to see how well the cells had bounded with the young man's molecular structure, but from everything he could see, things were going just as he had planned. Soon, the calling will come. . and he will lead us to a land of mako stores such as mankind has never seen before. The President will reward me for my find, and then. . .he will fall, and Scarlet and I shall take his place and reap all of the benefits of what we have done. I will not allow the fat fool to take it from me.
Of course he would have to eliminate Scarlet as well, eventually, when she had outlived her usefulness, but that would be dealt with when the time came. It wasn't time for that as yet. She's as much a fool as the President, but at least she has some use. . .for now.
"Zack, I know you are worried about your mentor, but I am not certain what else can be done, aside from looking for him, as I have promised you that I would." Tseng stood with his arms folded in front of him in his typical attentive posture, dark eyes solemn. "There is much going on, a great deal of it hidden even from we Turks. I promised you that I would do as I can to help, and I still intend to keep that promise. But patience is called for."
The raven haired SOLDIER who had just been promoted to First when his mentor had deserted nodded, but the gleaming eyes spoke clearly of his own disappointment. "You've never let me down yet, Tseng, and you've protected by buddy's boy. I can't thank you enough for that, but Angeal. . .he means the world to me. Just. . .if you can, find him."
Tseng nodded. "I will do my best. In the meanwhile, Director Lazard wished to see you. " He had his suspicions about why. Lazard suspected corruption as much as his own men did, and had a wish to try to put an end to it. Nothing Tseng could help in, he was as trapped in the wheel as the rest of his men were, especially when he had his own to protect. He watched as Zack walked off toward the elevator and shook his head.
I don't like the direction any of this is headed. I don't trust the President, I don't think any of us do, but he is unfortunately the one in control and we've no choice but to obey him. Slanted dark eyes closed as Tseng rubbed the tillek between them, the whole complicated situation was enough to give him a headache, and he was trying not to get too deep into it because there was little he could do to change it. At least not without some help.
Help he hoped to have once this mission that Zack was being sent on was completed. He himself would be sent as well, he hoped that the soon to be promoted SOLDIER would uncover something that would be of use to putting an end to whatever was going on. wheels have been set into motion that will be difficult to turn from their path if something is not done soon to do so.
With that thought in mind, he walked toward the elevator himself and hit the button to head to Director Lazard's office so they could get things underway.
Sweat dripped down a pale brow as slender legs trembled under their own weight. Reno was working himself hard under the physiotherapist's direction and though he did not realize it his eyes would blaze and his pupils would narrow into slits with the effort as the work caused the mako tainted with Jenova's cells to bond even more tightly with his own. Still, he managed to walk the entire way between the parallel bars on his own, causing him to grin in triumph. "It's only been two weeks an' I'm already comin' this far. I'll be walkin', then runnin' an' fightin' again in no time if I keep up this pace."
"You're coming along really well." Cloud confirmed, as he peered back at the silver haired figure that stood watching from the hallway. He could see the inscrutable expression on the General's features as he watched the session, and wondered just what he was thinking.
If this recovery keeps up, I might be able to enlist the boy in helping me find Genesis and Angeal. If I can find them before the army does, it's possible I might be able to save them. I owe them this much, after all that they have put up with from me. Sephiroth's emerald gaze kept close watch on the Turk's progress. He knew better than anyone how the doses of Mako that SOLDIER were subjected to and Jenova cells increased a person's strength, endurance, and speed. And as a Turk, ShinRa would not have the same expectations of him as they would of SOLDIER, he'd be able to move with impunity as a SOLDIER would not be able. I do not want to press him too hard, he is after all Zack's friend, but he may be useful, should he recover quickly enough.
Once the therapy session was over, and Cloud had gone to get him a towel to clean up, Sephiroth approached him. "I may have a job for you, once you've regained your strength." he told Reno. "I am certain you have sensed, as I have, that things are not completely right with this company." he had made certain there were no listening devices before he asked that question, and helped the red haired Turk over to an area where he knew they would have privacy.
"Yeah?" To be honest Reno was itching to get up and be moving again. He had no idea what was already beginning to happen on a molecular level, even as he was growing stronger his genetic structure was beginning to be unraveled and soon there would be very little of him left. He was, however, for the moment more than willing to hear the General out. After all, the guy had volunteered to help him out, he figured it was the least he could do.
"Your friend Zack is being sent on a mission into Banora soon, to track down the missing Generals. As you know, they are my friends." Not much more needed to be said as to Sephiroth's feelings in that regard, he knew Reno knew well about loyalty to friends and what that entailed. "Things are likely to heat up soon, and I suspect that you, as I do, know that things are not entirely kosher in this company. And that you are not liking the fact any more than the rest of us, but feel helpless to do anything to change it."
Reno's teal eyes widened as Sephiroth's brilliant green seemed to penetrate his with a stare that said he could read his every thought. He said in a tone almost of reticence that clearly indicated he was reluctant to speak his thoughts on the matter but did so because he couldn't not do so. "Yeah. I mean, ya know we Turks are good at knowin' when someone is bullshittin' us, an' that not even we know the full extent of what's goin' on with Genesis an' Angeal. . .it says someone's runnin' scared. I just haven't figured out who yet."
"That is what I want you to find out. . .once you are able to do so. As a Turk, there are places you have access to that SOLDIER does not. Not even a General such as myself. And with the enhancements that you have been gifted with, you will be able to defend yourself with greater ease than your comrades. " The deep voice gave Reno as much information in its tone as Sephiroth could do, knowing the man was good at reading between the lines.
The redhead's expression went thoughtful. "They said the two were killed in action, but Zack don't think they were, an' neither do I. I dunno, it's almost like they know things that ShinRa don't want gettin' out, but I got no idea what. I mean, I know a lot of things that this company has done that aren't too great, but I always believed they weren't innately bad, ya know? Now, I ain't so sure about that anymore."
"Nor am I. I need you to finish recovering. We have a great deal of work ahead of us." And Sepihiroth turned and swept out, as if nothing at all untoward had been spoken as he strode out the door with sure and steady steps and no fear at all in his countenance, silver hair being lifted in the wind of his passing as he went.
Another week passed, and Reno's strength had begun to recoup by leaps and bounds. By the third day he was walking without assistance, by the fourth he was running, and by the fifth he could fight without too much stiffness or being winded. When he managed to hit Cloud hard enough to knock him over onto his back it became obvious that the enhancements had taken even more spectacularly than even Professor Hojo had expected. He was fast enough to keep up with a guard hound, strong enough to defend himself against a Third Class with little problem, and his mental acuity had also grown to the point that he very nearly had an eidetic memory.
It would soon be time to train with the General, but Reno suspected it would be more than training. It would be preparation for the upcoming mission as well. As he helped Cloud to his feet after their sparring session he closed his lips over the blond's, not caring one bit if someone saw them. "I feel great, babe. I don't think I have ever felt better in my entire life, never stronger." he met Cloud's sky blue, though, his own gaze intense. "I'm just really glad to be alive."
He'd done all that he could to shove the memory of the accident out of his mind. He didn't like to think about how close he had come to dying, so he focused instead on the gift he had been given of this second chance. "I wanna go somewhere with you." he purred, burying his face in Cloud's hair. "I wanna remember our first time, relive it, an' make it even better."
Cloud flushed. He was a private young man normally, but the heat that gathered at the redhead's words in the pit of his stomach making itself known in the tightening fabric of his pants that began to cling almost uncomfortably to a certain portion of his anatomy. He let out a hitching groan as he met his lover's eyes. "Not here." he told him in a warning tone, taking Reno's hands and letting the other lead him out of the building.
"I know just where to go." Reno told Cloud in a heated tone. "Just trust me." A smile, and he lead him toward an area in the slums that no one would look for them in. His hands gripped Cloud's as they entered Sector Six, then into Wall Market, the tiny inn near the bar with the sign lit almost seeming to call to them.
Once Reno had paid for the room he lead Cloud inside, closing the door as the navy blue fabric of the jacket to his uniform made a rustling sound as it hit the floor, fingers working at the buttons on the white dress shirt until it too followed the jacket to the floor. A reached up to let loose the ponytail holder as well, allowing the red ribbon of hair to fall to the small of his back in waves.
The air seemed to escape the blond trooper's lungs as the fair skinned body was bared to his sight, the firm musculature, though whipcord lean, was perfectly cut, not an ounce of extra fat. There were scars, to be certain, and one that immediately caught Cloud's attention, a round pucker in the center of the redhead's chest. He remembered well when the injury that had caused that scar occurred, and how afraid he'd been of losing the infectiously vital young man that had become his lover shortly after.
That was when I knew. . .I had to make him mine. Cloud thought, a smile coming to his face as Reno laid himself out on the bed like an offering, the grin that normally curved the man's mouth becoming an open and genuine smile instead as the gleaming eyes grew even brighter when arousal filled them. He gave a faint swallow as he strode toward the bed, trying to act more confident than he felt.
"Take me, yo." The tone was low, teasing, lust filling it as the slim, coltish legs that had far more kicking power than they rightfully should spread wide, exposing the diamond stud in the tip of the eight inch long shaft and the ladder like series of white gold studs along the bottom. "I wanna see what this body can do now, and you're just so good at makin' me feel." He called to that strong and domineering side of his normally shy lover, the smile becoming a grin. I fucking love this man. was the thought that ran through his mind as the cadet climbed up onto the bed.
"Ungh!" Reno's head tilted back as pleasure stormed through his nerves, his fingers gripping the blond spikes while Cloud's mouth enclosed the throbbing, twitching length in wet heat, making his nerves tingle and his body tremble. His breathing went deep and harsh, almost panting, sweat blossoming over the pale forehead as his mind was swamped under the wave of bliss that washed up and over it. "Cloud!" he shouted legs spreading further still.
The slim back arched, muscles locking and shivering as he fought the urge to let loose in his lover's mouth. Too soon. Far too soon. "Fuck me." he begged. "Oh Gods, just fuck me!" the words were a plea, breath coming in short panting gasps as his arms reached out, wanting contact with Cloud, wanting to feel him, to touch him, to kiss him.
Cloud's slim fingers walked their way up one of Reno's thighs, finding the round pucker between the firm cheeks, one slipping in with an unresisting ease that earned a faint growling grown from the man whose legs he knelt between. The sounds he was earning made his own breath hitch in his throat, a groan sounding as he stretched the Turk enough that he was well prepared, sliding into him like a bullet into a chamber.
Reno's voice rose in another shout as he was entered, the sensation that sang through his body being pushed higher still and his arms wrapped tightly around the cadet's back, his eyes closing as a flush spread across the pale cheeks. "Shit." he moaned out, the feeling almost too much to bear, but Reno was discovering another thing about the enhancements. It increased his endurance, making the pleasure last longer.
His entire body felt like electricity was racing through it, making muscles tremble and body tense, his hair sticking to his back with the sweat of his exertion. "Fuck, Cloud. . .fuck." he chanted the words, wanting this to last forever. "I love you." the words were murmured, into the shell of one pale ear, teeth scoring the fair flesh.
Cloud's heart rose as he heard those three words, absorbing them, and the adoring tone in which they were spoken. with a smile that lit up his whole face. They were words he would treasure for the rest of his life, as he knew how very rarely Reno opened himself all the way up with how he felt in that way. "I love you too." he responded softly, picking up the pace and following the sounds to know what felt best to the Turk. Need filled him, making his entire body shiver.
The flood spread out from between the slender legs, through the pit out of Reno's belly and out through his entire body, growing in intensity until it felt like flames ready to lick up and consume him whole. It flashed higher, and suddenly like a conflagration it swept over him, his entire body tensing as spilled from the twitching cock, and when it finished he gripped Cloud tight, encouraging him. "Follow me, babe. I can feel how close you are. . .follow me."
Cloud's own body felt as if it was on fire as he continued to drive hard into his lover, and he groaned out loud and long. He was close, blood seeming to boil in his veins as his own pleasure overflowed within him, cresting like the ocean. "Reno. Oh sweet Gods." he growled as his seed flowed out of him and into the clenching passageway of this man he loved more deeply than his own life.
He was still shuddering as he pulled the red haired male into his arms. Sleep was fast beginning to overcome them both, but it was all right. No one knew they were here, Reno didn't have to be back to HQ until lunchtime tomorrow, and Cloud was off, so he was free to stay here in his love's arms the whole night, fraternization rules be damned. As he drifted off, the only word to slip from his mouth was one that he knew Reno would easily hear and appreciate, considering how few people had been willing to make such a promise to him. "Forever."
That made Reno smile as a hand reached to grip the blond cadet's in a hold that would not let go the entire night through. He returned the vow, in a tony almost of extreme reverence. "Forever." The aquamarine eyes slid all the closed, a dreamless darkness overcoming his senses.
Soon. .. .soon my child, you shall be mine. The voice whispered deeply in his subconscious quietly enough that Reno just shook it off, figuring he was just hearing things as he was told people did sometimes when on the very edges of sleep.
He had no idea what trouble that voice would cause when everything went down. Or how close the world would come to falling due to the one behind it.
The sun rose over the horizon, blossoming in shades of orange and purple and yellow and red that bled across the sky in fervent colors. They splashed across the faces of the two entwined lovers, drawing a dismayed sound from the Turk who found himself wide awake and unable to get back to sleep. Reno rolled out of bed, though, looking out the window and watching the rest of the dawn, treasuring it as he'd gotten to see so few living down in the slums as he had his whole life, only getting to when he'd been here in Sector Six where there was no plate shadowing the village below. "beautiful."
The motion woke Cloud as well, and he climbed out of the bed, wrapping his arms around Reno. "You didn't get to see many of these growing up, huh?" he asked his lover, just enjoying the feel and the scent of him. Cloud, growing up in the mountain village of Nibelheim, had eventually begun to take things like clean air and sunrises and sunsets for granted. To see the wonder with which someone else greeted one was an amazing thing to the young man from the mountains.
"I didn't, yo. Grew up under the plates in Sector Seven. Never saw the sun except when I came here. . .never felt the wind, or the rain. . .just gray steel over my head all the time." It had been a dreary existence, and he knew how much he owed Tseng for giving him a chance, for getting him out of that life. "Was a fuckin' hard life, most of us kids from the slums learned early how ta fend for themselves 'cause if you didn't ya didn't live long." he just shook his head, tossing away those thoughts of times that were now gone, just far too close in memory for his comfort.
"But that's all over now." Cloud murmured as he buried his head in the scarlet tresses. "and I'll never let you fall that far again." The vow, one made with his entire heart. When he loved, he loved deeply and with a conviction that few had.
This love scares me sometimes, yo. He loves me so damn much, an' I know I don't always deserve it. I'm afraid of hurtin' him. . .but more I'm afraid of losin' myself in it, but I'd never tell him that. Reno leaned his head back, kissing Cloud deeply as he gave him a smile. "Ya know. ..maybe we should go get some breakfast before headin' back. The diner here has fantastic omelets."
"Breakfast sounds good." Cloud responded as he rested his face on Reno's back. Though if he had to tell the truth, he was reluctant to go back to ShinRa, so anything that delayed that return sounded good to him. There was something moving in the shadows, something that disturbed him, and the feeling was one he couldn't shake.