A/N: Another chapter of death! Yay!...Right...Anyways, this is kind of a less than merry chapter. There is some more violence and a swear word. It's a bit dark and tense, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it!
As a side note, yes, I realize that sociopathy doesn't really exist or isn't an actual term used now of days. ASPD and DPD are more accurate. I will go back and add some extra things to the last chapter, but know that I did it intentionally. But whatever the case, it means people are reading my story! I really do appreciate all your reviews and feedback so much. Thanks to all of you!!
I don't own FF VII
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The room remained silent as the occupants stared blankly at the limp body sprawled out on the floor. Victoria held a hand clamped over her mouth while Todd put an arm comfortingly around her. Reno sighed and looked over at Trenton causing everybody else to do the same.
"Sorry, yo."
"…Not your fault…"
The huge Turk clenched his teeth together while he finally tore his eyes away from his former partner. Nobody said or did anything to him as he slowly lumbered out of the room in a daze. Tseng closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Reno, get clean-up in here."
The field commander strode stiffly after the Trenton leaving the others behind to stare at the bloody puddle on the floor. By now, Victoria was silently sobbing while her brother tried his best to reassure her.
Reno was in the corner on his phone getting somebody to clean up the mess. Rude alternated his gaze to the twins, to the body on the floor, and finally back up to the redhead.
"Hey, you two, get outta here for a little while, yo. Don't go too far though, Tseng will probably want to talk to ya."
He tucked his PHS into his jacket pocket and carefully stepped around the body in the center of the floor and tugged on Rude's sleeve.
"Let's get outta here too. Clean-up's comin'."
The Turks silently filed out of the room each stealing a quick backwards glance at their former comrade and finally turning their backs on him.
"I got a feelin' today is gonna bite big time, yo."
They stared questioningly at him and he just shrugged. Victoria wiped at her eyes and appeared to gather herself a little bit. She looked up innocently at Reno who just tilted his head in question.
"Sir…I"
Before she could continue, Reno placed a finger over her lips to keep her from talking. He leaned forward a little bit so that he was able to make level eye contact with her. As always, the redhead smirked.
"Don't worry about it now. The time's comin' soon enough for ya. Just remember Rusty, his decision, and his fate. A critical point in your life is close and it will determine the rest of your life from here on out, yo…I wonder how you'll fare?"
His features softened a moment as he stood back to his normal slouching height and walked away from the now speechless girl. Rude was now more than curious as to what decision she or any of them would be making that would be so critical. There was Rusty, but he was an odd case, at least, that was what he hoped. The bald Turk clamped down from asking any questions and just followed closely behind his partner.
"I'm gonna have a chat with Tseng, yo…Maybe I can use this to get 'em out of it…"
The last part drifted off to a soft mumble as Reno stared absentmindedly at the floor as he walked. Rude kept a careful watch of the area in front of them since the redhead was apparently oblivious to anything and anybody in front of him. After a couple of close calls with Rude yanking his partner out of harm's way, they arrived at Tseng's office.
"Wait here a minute, yo. Sorry, but ya can't hear this one."
He reached for the doorknob but stopped when it opened from the inside. Trenton emerged from the office pale and generally forlorn. He nodded sluggishly at the two Turks and drifted down the hallway. Reno shook his head and walked into the office closing the door behind him.
Rude stood stoically outside the office staring straight ahead. He figured it would not last long since nothing lasted very long with his partner. As the seconds ticked by, the large Turk was faintly surprised at the sudden noise from the office.
"What the hell, Tseng! Ya just saw that too ya know! Why now?! Why even ever?! Everythin's shown that it isn't necessary!"
The voice was most definitely Reno's. There was a small pause afterwards during which, Rude surmised, was Tseng attempting to talk calmly with an angry redhead. The silence was short lived as more yelling went on.
"They suck! That proves nothin', yo! Are they seriously tryin' to eliminate 'em all?!"
Taken at face value, the conversation meant absolutely nothing. However, there was definitely something more that he could not tell because of the one-sidedness of the conversation. He figured it must be something fairly significant for his partner to letting loose on their boss like that.
"What are ya…'Past events makin' it necessary?' That's bull and ya know it too…So tell me, who they testin' more?"
Reno's voice drifted off as he finished his question. There was more silence where there was most likely more of the conversation occurring but at a much softer level. Gathering his wits, Rude cleared his throat and did his best poker face. He did not think it mattered all that much since the redhead would have been quieter, but still, he did not want to let them know that he was eavesdropping, even if it was not by his choice.
"Hey, ya can come in now, yo."
Reno's voice drifted through the door at its usual tone and volume. Rude gently opened the door and shut it. The redhead was sitting on Tseng's desk with, as far as Rude could discern, a pout like a child denied a cookie.
"Ignore him for now. I want to address you on your nest mission. Are you up to it?"
"Yes, sir."
He agreed without hesitation. However, he had the feeling that the question was merely a formality. Even if he did not feel like it, there was no option to refuse.
"Good. As you already know, there was an information leak at your initiation mission. We also have reason to believe that the deaths of the most recent mission are linked."
Tseng folded his hands and placed them on top of a folder.
"While it is obvious more than one person is acting, we have confirmed the mole."
Rude was impressed to say the least. Either the mole was not very good or the Turks are really good. Despite his eagerness to get whoever caused the last few incidents, he could not help but feel like something was off. The soft grunt and small scowl from Reno confirmed his suspicions.
"Here is the file. Look it over. After talking with Reno, you will move out immediately. Our target had the day off so will be at home. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Tseng handed him the file to look over. Flipping through the pages, Rude had to lightly bite his tongue to keep himself from gasping at the picture. He quickly devoured the information on the target stealing a quick glance at his partner. From his earlier reaction, Rude wondered if that was who Reno was referring when he was yelling. Turning his attention back to the folder, he finished with the details and handed the folder back to his superior.
"Evidence has already proven your target guilty. However, if there should be more evidence, you are to collect it. Elimination is your main objective. "
"Sir."
Rude saluted smartly while Reno slithered off the desk and walked off without saluting. The bald Turk nodded his head once and chased after his partner. He caught up with him shortly and both walked resolutely to the elevators.
The ride downwards was silent with both Turks seemingly lost in their own thoughts. When the elevator dinged and slid open the doors, Reno slid out along with Rude. The redhead walked silently out of the building and pausing when the sun shone in his face.
"I…am going straight to hell, yo…"
He had a spacey look as squinted in the bright light. Rude walked up and stood beside him. He felt like that too at the moment.
"Whatever. Let's go, it ain't that far and I feel like walkin' yo."
With that, the redhead slinked towards the city and more specifically, towards the housing districts. He was whistling an unknown tune as they strolled peacefully through the streets and neighborhoods.
"Worried, big guy?"
Silence seemed like the safest bet.
"Take that as a yes. Sucks, don't it? But remember, you're a Turk, yo."
It never ceased to surprise Rude at how his partner could always tell what was wrong when he was positive there was nothing in his features that would give anything away. Most people could never begin to, and frankly, did not want to, guess what he was thinking or feeling.
Now, when he looked at his partner, he could clearly see that the redhead was tense and still somewhat upset at his conversation with Tseng. However obvious his anger and other limited emotions, he still could never really tell what Reno was thinking or feeling. Unlike himself, Reno was expressive with his face and could be called a person wearing their emotions on his sleeve. In spite of that, the redhead was a walking enigma. When a person should be happy, he was upset or sad. When a person should be sad, he would laugh. The emotions were there, he just seemed to apply them differently than most. And even then, Rude wondered if that was really what his partner really felt. He was not even going to begin on how confusing it was when Reno used his expressions to manipulate situations.
"This is it ya know…do or die, yo."
The sudden crack of laughter startled Rude out of his thoughts and to wonder if Reno was the thing that felt off. His humor came from nowhere and he was positive that Reno's mind was like a hamster on speed. It was forever moving from one thing to another. There was no rhyme or reason to his partner's thought processes. Rude wondered what kind of person laughed at this kind of situation even if the laugh held no mirth and only a bitter kind of irony.
"Funny how that keeps poppin' up, yo."
There was another small cackle from the redhead before he quieted down again. Rude eyed him warily from behind and swallowed any questions or comments. The remainder of the walk was thankfully in silence as both were too absorbed in their thoughts to talk about anything.
As they walked, they got ever closer to their target and the sickening lump in the pit of Rude's stomach got ever worse. He thought he could pass out from the feeling when they finally stopped at the door of a small apartment. Reno's fist hovered shortly away from the door. The redhead looked over his shoulder at Rude.
"In the end, it'll all be okay, yo."
He could not claim that there was any real emotion or feeling at all. It was sincere, but indifferent. It was confident and that very confidence was enough for Rude to be at perfect ease with the redhead despite the situation. He nodded his head once.
"Let's go then."
Reno knocked energetically on the door and waited patiently for the door to open. While they waited for an answer, Rude observed their surroundings. It went against his common sense to pull a job in broad daylight. In his opinion, "working in the shadows" was best done in the shadows. Then again, he only had humble opinions to offer. Then again, he noted how the people milling about were paying little to now attention to them. They feared the dark and thrived in the light. Turks were the shadows and in daylight, they felt perfectly safe. It was actually a perfect time to strike.
"Hold on, please hold on! Sorry!"
A mousy voice echoed from inside the small apartment. There was a large thud and the sound of heavy books being dropped around. The door finally opened to reveal a disheveled but cheery Desdemona.
"Hey, what a surprise! Come on in!"
The young secretary stepped to the side allowing them to step inside. Reno flashed her a million gil smile while Rude kept his traditional "hello" to being a nod of the head. He watched as Reno small talked with her and chuckled as he worked his away around various stacks of papers and books.
He wondered how the redhead did it. For Rude, he just had to keep a straight face and nobody would be able to pin any emotion. That was not the case with Reno though. He could expertly manipulate his emotions to have ay desired effect. The main thing was, it looked and even felt real. Desdemona did not even have the faintest clue as to why they were at her home. She kept chuckling nervously as she continued to profusely apologize for the mess.
"Really, if I would have known you were visiting I would have tidied up a bit."
"That'd involve tellin' ya a week or more in advance, yo!"
Again, a perfectly timed grin and wink sent her into a fit of giggles. Rude about choked on the air he was breathing when she looked right at him.
"You've been awfully silent…Ha, what am I saying? You're always silent. But really, what brings you to this part of the neighborhood?"
The bald Turk remained stone faced while he attempted to find a gentle way to tell her that she was a traitor to ShinRa and he was there to kill her. Fortunately for him, he had Reno for a partner.
"We're here to kill ya."
Perfect grin in place, it now made him look gleefully cruel. The young secretary stared at him with wide eyes in a probably attempt to decide if it was a joke or not. However, even though Reno's expression had not changed since he first arrived, there was a definite change in the atmosphere. She made a few sputtering noises and then faced Rude. He let out a small sigh and looked to the side confirming her worst fears.
"Oh my…W-what?...W-w-why?! What did I do?!!"
"It's not a good thing to let out little secrets when working for ShinRa. Rude, question her. I'm gonna find some evidence or somethin'."
Reno nodded his head towards her direction. Rude shook his head and walked over to her. For every step he approached, she took a shaky step back. It did not take long for her to run into a stack of papers causing her to tumble head over heels backwards and landed awkwardly on the floor.
"Who are you giving the information to?"
Rude was surprised at the level calmness to his voice. He stood a short distance away and straightened to add to his already intimidating figure. Desdemona shrunk lower to the floor while staring wide eyed at him. Small pools of tears were forming at the corner of her eyes.
"W-what are y-you t-t-talking about?!"
"We know you've been leaking information to an outside source. Who is it?"
"I-I-I d-don't know what you're talking about!"
The floodgates opened in her eyes and streams of salty liquid flowed freely down her face. As Rude towered over her, he could see the pure fear etched into her features. A part of him kept nagging at him. Something was off, but he was a Turk and he had a job to do. There could be no doubting now.
"Don't lie to me. We-"
"I don't know anything! Why won't you believe me?!"
Her voice was panicked and shrill as she screamed and cried. Desdemona wrapped her arms around her shaking figure in an attempt to comfort herself. Rude inhaled and clenched his jaw together as he struggled to maintain cool and detached. It was growing more difficult by the second. There was no way she could have done such a thing to the company. He was sure of it.
"Whatcha doin'? You're supposed to be getting' info from her, not havin' tea time, yo."
The redhead made his appearance again with a plain manila envelope in his hand. He shook his head and walked over to Rude.
"Got the evidence. Ya don't have to question her anymore 'cause we got all the contacts right here. Kill her, yo."
Both Rude and Desdemona snapped their heads to stare at Reno. He stared right back at the both of them and quirked an eyebrow.
"What? She's of no use to us now so kill her and we can get outta here, yo."
The silent Turk faced the secretary again and pulled out his gun. Her eyes were glazed over from tears and pure terror. She watched as Rude methodically attached the silencer to his weapon, released the safety and pointed it straight at her head.
"PLEASE STOP! I'm begging you! I didn't do anything, that evidence is fake! I'm telling you…just please don't!!"
Her pleas did not reach deaf ears. Rude kept his gun leveled but his finger twitched as it hovered over the trigger. Even though the evidence was right next him, Rude still wanted to believe Desdemona. From everything he had seen and known about her, she was far too innocent and dedicated to her work to do something underhanded like that. He struggled with the voice telling him she was innocent and the voice that was most likely Reno, though in the heat of the moment, he was unsure as to the voices he was hearing.
"Hurry up and do it already, yo! I ain't gettin' any younger here."
"Reno, Reno! What are you saying?! Please, you know I would never do anything like that! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry if it's something I've done, but I did NOT leak any information! Believe me!"
The redhead tilted his head to the side as he processed her request. Rude watched his partner watch the girl with a sort of morbid fascination.
"I'm not here to believe ya or not believe ya. I'm here to do what I'm ordered and you Rude, are ordered to take her out. Ya already got the gun out, just pull the damn trigger already, yo."
Desdemona gaped at Reno. After a few second of what seemed like eternity, she widened her eyes again except it was not because of fear.
"You're…kidding…How…What kind of person are you?"
Rude was shocked at the sudden change in her voice and expression. It was now one of disbelief and something else, something like betrayal. He glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye and saw Reno remain lazily placid as always.
"I'm a Turk, yo."
The secretary whipped her head around and turned her frantic eyes towards Rude.
"Rude! He's lying. He's lying about everything. That's not real, everything's fake. I'm innocent. Believe me. Turn that gun on him, on that monster!"
"Turn that gun on me and I will shoot you without hesitation."
His voice was its usual tone, but there was an edge to it that set Rude's danger senses off the charts. Reno was lightly tapping the folder against his leg as he waited for a response. He had no doubt that his partner would follow through with his threat.
Orders were orders. He was a Turk and therefore, he did whatever he was told by the executives. Reno made that clear on more than one occasion. Rude also knew that ShinRa was quite unforgiving to those who were a threat to the company.
"I'm sorry. Those are my orders."
Desdemona stared incredulously at him. Her stare shifted between the two Turks.
"Those are your orders? What are you people? You just do what they tell you to do blindly? You," She pointed a shaky finger at the redhead who pointed at himself questioningly. "You, know what they're doing and you still go through with it? You lead him on?! You are a despicable, lower-than-scum disease poisoning everybody around you."
Reno blinked a few times questioningly and then smirked in amusement.
"Pretty words aren't gonna save ya, sweetheart. Hurry up and do her in already, I'm getting' bored, yo."
Rude nodded his head and readjusted his grip on the gun. Desdemona looked up at him pleadingly.
"Listen to me. He's lying. I'm innocent and you know it too. I can tell. Shoot him and then we can run off until things cool off. Please…please listen to me."
As her voice drifted off, it was replaced by maniacal laughter from Reno. The redhead was smirking wider and stalked towards her.
"Shoot me and then run off? What kind of lame ass idea is that? One, I'd kill him before he could turn that thing on me. Two, I'd hunt ya down and then kill ya myself. And then, let's pretend ya do make it out with him, what do ya think you're gonna do with the other Turks chasin' after ya?"
He kneeled down so that he was eye to eye with her and grabbed her chin and forced her face about an inch away from his.
"Life really ain't fair, Darlin'. Just accept that now, yo. Now, be a good little girl and please die. I get no enjoyment out of this. The sooner this is done, the better."
Desdemona jerked her head away from Reno and tried to bite his hand. He quickly withdrew his hand and shook his head while standing up.
"Just finish this please."
In a final attempt to reach the one person who would listen, the young secretary pleaded desperately.
"Don't listen to him. Just don't listen to him. I don't want to die…Not like this. Not because of somebody like him…Why…Why don't you believe me?...You do…I can see that you do…"
Rude held his breath. He glanced to his side and noted the now visible tenseness in his partner's stance. Nothing made sense. Staring down the barrel of his gun, Rude studied the still crying woman in front of him. It was now or never. He realized that if he did not do this, Reno would kill him and then move on to Desdemona. Either way, she ended up dead.
"Goodbye."
With that final parting word, Rude pulled the trigger. There was no loud sound as the bullet being fired was muffled. There was just the sound of a splatter and thud.
"Let's go, yo."
Reno lightly tapped him on the shoulder as he walked by and stepped outside. Before following his partner, Rude gazed at the figure slumped at an awkward angle against the wall and floor.
Desdemona was still staring at him with wide eyes and tear stained cheeks. There was a single hole in her forehead. The picture was one of few words with a background painted in blood. The red stained the wall creating a grotesque, abstract design. Tearing his eyes away from the gruesome picture, Rude exited the cramped, paper-stacked house and shut the door.
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A/N: She needed to die. I'm glad she finally did. That sounded so mean. Oh well. So, how was it? It didn't sound lame or something, did it? The one fear I have with writing seriously is that it will come out sounding just plain dumb. I'm more of a comedic writer. Serious fiction is a bit harder for me to write for. Well, whatever the case, I actually did enjoy this chapter. Maybe that's just me and my sleep deprived little mind. I simply hope that all of you enjoyed reading this. Thanks for reading!