Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters and I am not affiliated with Square Enix. I only own my original characters. Any similarities between this fic and others are purely coincidental.
This is my first Final Fantasy fic to ever be published. If you don't like, don't read. My aim is to show a perspective that is different from others. Such is my writing style.
Chapter 6: No Love Lost
"Here, put these on," said Luke.
"Okay, turn around," said Rena. "And no peeking!"
"Whatever," replied Luke, and he turned and faced the other way.
Rena was still weak, and it took her a while to slip out of her old uniform and to slip into Luke's old blue three quarter length denim shorts and black tank top and silver and black boots. He even provided her with shoulder pads which covered not only her shoulders, but the top half of her upper arms as well, as the pads were two-piece ones made of metal. She put on mismatched arm guards and black fingerless gloves. She put on a brown leather belt and leather suspenders similar to SOLDIER ones. Her hair was left untied, just touching the bottom of her shoulder blades. The wings on her back looked more like an accessory now. For the fun of it rather than purpose, she tied a black folded piece of cloth around her head like a ninja, and the ends hung by the left hand side of her face.
"Okay, done," she said. She slumped against a piece of wood that held the tent up. Luke turned around and nodded approvingly.
"Well, I guess we should decide what to do next," said Luke. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I was wondering what you were doing out here," said Rena. "And how you found me. It wasn't simply coincidence, was it?"
"Perhaps it wasn't," replied Luke. "I will tell you all in good time. For now..."
He was doing it again. Acting all mysterious. Rena merely shook her head as a non-verbal way of saying, "Whatever." Under the circumstances, however, they weren't allowed much time to discuss things, especially when it was quite possible that the Turks could be listening. They both knew how sneaky they were.
Suddenly, they both stayed silent, as the sound of a helicopter drew near. Luke looked out of the tent and saw a Shinra helicopter surveying the area. He saw a diagonal square on the tail of the helicopter.
"The Turks," he said. "Shit..."
"They never rest," said Rena.
"Better the Turks than the army," said Luke.
"You really think so?" asked Rena.
"The army tend to shoot first and ask questions later," replied Luke. "They've seen the camp, and are coming closer..."
The Shinra helicopter slowly descended, and it was close enough for Luke to see that Rude was the pilot, but he didn't recognise the girl next to him. Luke helped Rena to her feet, putting her arm around his neck so she could stay upright.
"Magan...," said Rena as the girl jumped out of the helicopter and joined Rude's side. Reno seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.
Rena was still somewhat out of it, so she didn't have to try so hard to pretend.
"Two fugitives in one place," said Reno. "We killed two birds with one stone."
"We've got you on desertion," said Rude. "And her on attempted desertion and attempted murder. You may be allowed to live, but it's not up to us. Come with us, and live, and if you try to run, the other alternative won't be so pleasant."
"What a shame," said Luke. "Rena's foster parents would have wanted to see her first."
Magan looked them over, two individuals with glowing eyes. Luke looked strong. Rena had a fearsome power within her, but was not able to harness it at will. She also looked half-dead.
"Turn yourselves in," said Reno. "Hey you, with the long black hair. Look at your friend. She needs attention..."
"Don't you dare use emotional blackmail on me!" Luke growled. "It's because of your Science Department that she's in this condition. And that old pervert deserved what she did to him! So you go back to your headquarters, and you tell your boss that we will not surrender ourselves!"
"If you don't come with us, the army will come and get you," said Rude.
"Let them come!" said Luke.
"Alright, enough negotiating," said Magan. "We're not asking you to surrender. We'll just take you."
Out of the blue, a giant Shuriken whizzed past Luke and Rena and bounced off Magan's dagger which she had raised up in defence. Luke took this opportunity and kicked Reno out of the way, and dropped Rena next to the helicopter to fight the would-be captors. With his sword drawn, he was ready to fight. Yuffie came out into the open.
"Okay, who wants some?" she yelled. "Who wants to fight a real ninja?"
Magan engaged her in battle for throwing a Shuriken at her, with her dagger in its sheath and her broadsword drawn. Reno was met by Tifa and Cloud arrived on his motorcycle. Soon, the three Turks were surrounded by Barret, Vincent, Tifa, Cloud, Yuffie and Cid. While the fighting was going on, Rena snuck inside the helicopter and started up the propellers. Luke saw what she was doing and began to run to the helicopter.
"Go!" he shouted to the members of AVALANCHE. "We'll meet you later! And thanks!" He jumped in, and Tifa and Yuffie prevented Magan and Reno from trying to get to the helicopter as it took off.
"Ha ha they got your chopper!" laughed Yuffie. Magan growled in frustration. And just as quickly as AVALANCHE came, they were gone. The Turks heard the sounds of a motorbike and a truck driving away. Ignoring Reno and Rude, Magan got out her standard issue cell phone.
"Tseng," she said. "The target got away with our helicopter."
Reno, not attempting not to see the funny side of it was fighting a smirk. He found Magan's expression hilarious.
"Oh, Tseng, don't ask," said Magan. "...Thank you. We'll be standing by."
"What did he have to say?" asked Reno, still trying not to laugh.
"We're gonna be picked up by another Turk chopper," said Magan. "What is so funny?"
Luke and Rena left the helicopter on the edge of Midgar and hitched a ride into the city. They then headed to Seventh Heaven and went underground, where they found everyone else.
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence," said Barret. "I hope you realise that you've caused trouble for all of us."
"We didn't ask for your help," said Rena.
"Well we did," said Tifa. "Because you're family."
"Well, thanks," said Rena modestly. "There's no question that I hadn't thought my plan through. It was nothing more than a personal vendetta that went wrong. And now I have this as a reminder..." She pointed to her wings as she spoke. "But my point is that Luke and I can not possibly be the only ones experimented on in such a manner. There have to be others."
"So you want to investigate Shinra," said Cloud.
"Of course I do," replied Rena. "I want to put a stop to their mindless experiments before the planet is crawling with monsters."
"What about your personal score?" asked Barret. "He's still alive. Are you still determined to take him out?"
"Of course," said Rena. "But now I realise that he might be right when he said I needed him. I have to see if he can reverse the effects."
"Don't count on it," said Vincent. "Those wings are from Bahamut cells. Their work is finished. It's irreversible."
"Well, I still have to do something," said Rena. "Humans aren't meant to be turned into freaks. We're made this way for a reason. Life should not be interfered with. That's the message that I want to convey to Shinra."
"It won't be easy," said Cloud. "But if you work on that one scientist, the message should be clear to the rest of the company."
"Wasn't AVALANCHE formed as an anti-Shinra group?" asked Rena.
"Yeah, but that was to prevent the planet's life-blood from being sucked out," said Barret.
"Well, why not fight for a new cause?" asked Rena. "To save living things from being turned into something which they weren't meant to be. I don't have a whole lot against people being infused with mako, but I do have a lot against people being made into monsters. People can die from that sort of thing. I almost did..."
"What about those who don't want to be saved?" demanded Barret.
"Well, obviously we can't help them," said Rena. "What if they experimented on Marlene?"
"They wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Barret.
"You don't know that," said Rena. "We're living in an age where it's not just guns and swords that serve as weapons. It's humans too. Not to stretch it here, but what if that led to the destruction of the planet? And why was Vincent cloned? Isn't that worth investigating?"
Barret sighed deeply and scratched his head.
"That's a valid point," said Luke.
"Well, then," said Barret. "We'll have to get onto 'em."
"And Barret," Rena began. "You're the leader, so it's only appropriate that I ask you this. I want to join AVALANCHE. We seem to have similar values, and my foster parents are part of AVALANCHE, and I want in."
"Then you can join," said Barret.
"Alright!" cheered Yuffie, patting Rena on the back.
"And what about you, mini-Vincent?" Barret asked Luke. "Are you in?"
"Of course I am," said Luke. "I want to be a part of something meaningful, too."
"Then you're one of us, too," said Barret. "We're all gonna kick some Shinra ass!"
Meanwhile, in Tseng's office, Magan, Elena, Reno and Rude met up with Tseng.
"It seems that Rena shares strong family ties with AVALANCHE," said Tseng. "It's a wonder she didn't take Cloud's surname. Or Tifa's, for that matter. But what's important right now is that Rena and Luke are taken into our safe custody."
"With all due respect," began Reno. "They may not feel safe in our custody. If they felt they could trust us, they would be here already."
"We will make them feel safe," said Tseng. "We need to change our methods. Chasing them by helicopter is too intimidating. We must remember that the army and SOLDIER want them dead. We don't. In order to deal with them, we need to know what it is that is driving them. Magan..."
"Sir!" replied Magan.
"What is your relationship to Rena?" asked Tseng.
"We started as friends, the rest is complicated," said Magan. "Now we can't stand each other."
"Whatever broke the relationship, you must repair it," said Tseng. "You don't have to mean it. Just do what you can to gain her trust. Once you've done that, you can bring her in. Let the others deal with Luke."
"Yes, sir," said Magan.
It was night time, and Rena sat on the roof peacefully. She had fashioned herself a weapon befitting a dragoon. It was a cross between a rod and a sword, though the blade was short enough to be a dagger on its own. It was as long as she was tall, and the rod was a deep purple with white bandages wrapped around it for grip, and the blade's edge was iron but the sides were black. She called it Liberty, and it was designed to cut enemies from a distance and for close combat. Her fighting style was a mix of dragoon moves such as 'Jump' and martial arts moves taught to grunts for when they were unarmed. She had also taught herself moves by watching the SOLDIERs at training, and her unarmed combat was taught by Tifa. Happy with her new weapon, she laid it next to her and lit up a cigarette, inhaling casually. She sensed a presence next to her, and reached for her spear when she saw Magan. Ignoring the tensed reaction, Magan settled next to her.
"Where did you come from?" demanded Rena.
"That roof over there," said Magan.
"What do you want?" said Rena, as she took another drag of her cigarette. "Come to capture me again?"
"Just came to talk," said Magan, shaking her head. "I've spent a lot of time putting our past behind me. Things will never go back to the way they were. And even though I'm a Turk, and you're an ex-military, I'm sure we can build some sort of relationship."
"Oh, that's a good one," said Rena bitterly. "Come to suck up to me, have you? All you Turks are the same... In fact, everyone in Shinra is the same."
"You were in Shinra," said Magan.
"Not because I wanted to," said Rena. "But that's none of your business, as you so often loved to say to me."
Magan was getting frustrated already.
"I'm trying to make an effort here," said Magan. "I had to come see how you were. In that desert, you looked sick..."
"I was sick," said Rena. "A long time in a water prison full of mako and crap will do that to you. I couldn't walk for a while, and all I wanted to do was throw up..."
Magan stared ahead for a while. Even though she just wanted to get away, she had to do this for Tseng. She knew Tseng cared about Rena because of Cloud. She tried to sound as honest as possible.
"I can see you're suffering," said Magan. "But it can end. If you let the Turks help you..."
"Help me with what?" Rena demanded. "What are they gonna do? Send me back to Professor Daemon? Hand me over to the army so they can shoot me to death?"
"If you cooperate with the Turks, you should be fine," said Magan. "Tseng wants you alive. I don't know what he has planned, but I can see that he wants to help you. Because he knows Cloud, mainly. They used to work together... until Sephiroth..." she trailed off.
"We're right next to each other," said Rena. "You hate me. You've hated me for years. What's stopping you from taking me now?" Magan turned and looked at Rena as she flicked her cigarette butt over the edge of the roof.
"Something that I'm fighting deep down," said Magan. "I'd hate to see you get hurt, that's all." She stood up and jumped off, disappearing into the shadows. Rena jumped off and headed inside. She approached Tifa at the bar.
"Is Barret still around?" asked Rena.
"I think he's still downstairs," replied Tifa. "Why is that?"
"One of the new Turks approached me," said Rena. "I don't trust her."
Author's note: Not a lot of action, I know. But I'm trying to develop the characters a certain way so it's not rushed. If you want to understand a bit more than Rena and Magan, read on in the next upcoming chapters, or just PM me for a frank explanation. Magan is based on a real person, and I'm trying to stay as true to her nature as possible. And I thought because of her appearance she'd make an awesome-looking Turk because of her enigmatic personality.