Reno carefully cracked open one eye, his breathing deep and shallow as he feigned sleep on the floor. He scanned the room as best he could but the harsh light burning through his eyelids made seeing difficult. He gave a sleepy grunt and tried to roll over and heard the tell-tale rattling of chains. He groaned internally as he heard a door open and close and he braced himself for whatever his captor had in store for him. The footsteps drew closer and he opened his eyes, sick of pretending to sleep, "Good to see you ambassador Calder. What the fuck is going on?" A foot collided with his side and he curled up on himself as best as his restraints would let him, he gasped in pain and taunted his captor, "Fuckin steel toed boots? How out of style are you?" The foot struck him again and the air left his lungs once more. Once he gained it back he laughed, "Probably hurting your toes more than my ribs."
"Shut up Turk." The foot kicked him again and he heard his rib crack before he felt it.
"You're not doing it right." Reno gasped and chuckled like a mad man.
"Oh? What do you suggest Turk?" Calder bent down and sneered at him.
"One: brush your teeth." Calder kicked him again, twice. He felt his already fractured rib crack more "Two: when you're torturing you have to give the victim time to recover from each blow. The pain has to have time to sink in. Especially when you want information, you have to make them beg to give it to you. If you just keep hitting without taking a break you get tired and the victim gets used to the pain." Reno laughed, amused that he was instructing his captor on the proper methods of torture.
"I don't need information." Calder spat, grabbing a fistful of Reno's hair and yanking his head upward, "I have enough information on Shinra to bring the whole company down. I've been selling it to the highest bidder. I have so much blackmail on Shinra that it sickens even me." He slammed Reno's head into the floor.
"You think you've got dirt?" Reno laughed as lights flashed before his eyes, "I've been working for them for longer than I can remember. I'm pretty sure you haven't got half the dirt I do." Reno pulled at his wrist restraints, testing their strength.
"I don't care what you have." Calder huffed and moved to the door. "You're not even going to have the skin on your bones when I'm done with you."
Reno rolled his eyes, "You do realize just how little that scares me right?" Inside Reno was quaking with fear and pain but outside he was calm and collected.
"You'll be more than scared when I'm done." Calder leered at him and exited the room.
Reno pulled at his restraints as hard as he could, trying to break the chains holding him to the floor. His efforts went unrewarded though as the chain rattled, a harsh mocking sound. He gritted his teeth as his head and chest throbbed in unison and he laid back on the floor gently, scanning the room for an exit. He knew that he could find a hundred ways out of the room, but if he couldn't get himself unchained he was screwed no matter what. Even so, checking for a way out was a force of habit and a distraction.
The door opened again and Reno looked up, curious as to what his previous target had in mind for him. He felt the color drain from his skin as Calder led a half-starved dog into the room. "You can't be serious Calder. A dog?"
"Yes Turk," Calder smiled evilly, "A dog." He let go of the chain.
Reno kicked at the dog as it lunged for his leg, yelling in pain as a row of sharp teeth tore into his calf. He struggled to wrench his leg from the dogs mouth and only aided it in its attempts to remove flesh from bone. The dog let go of him as he successfully landed a kick to its head, nearly dislocating his leg in the process. The dog circled him and lunged again, tearing into his chest. Reno cried out as the dog bit down on his broken rib and he smashed his elbow into its head. The dog snarled and grabbed his upper arm in its teeth. Reno bent his arm and grabbed at the dogs throat, grimacing as the motion ripped more flesh from his arm. He squeezed as hard as his tearing muscles would allow, smiling as the dog released him. The dog started to scratch at his arm as he squeezed tighter, hoping to crush the dogs windpipe completely. He screamed and released the dog when the ambassador crushed his mangled arm under his foot. "Fuckin' bastard!"
Calder ground his heel into Reno's arm, "You're defeating the purpose of this exercise when you fight back."
Reno couldn't help but whimper in pain as he watched blood pool under his arm, "Don't give a damn about your exercise!"
The dog whimpered and choked in the corner. Calder clicked his fingers, "Come on baby you're alright." He crooned to the dog lovingly, "It's okay precious he won't hurt you again."
"Like hell I won't!" Reno growled.
A bloody boot met his face, "Shut up! You're scaring him!" The dog cautiously trotted towards Reno and lapped at the blood that was pooling on the floor. "That's it." The ambassador bent down to pet the dog gently on the head, "Take your time, he's not going anywhere."
The door rocketed off its hinges and the ambassador jumped, his foot landing painfully on Reno's arm. The dog bolted and hid in the corner, curling in on itself as Sephiroth stormed into the room. Calder fumbled in his jacket and Sephiroth grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the wall. He stalked over to the wall where the ambassador sat in a crumpled heap and picked him up off the floor. He reached into Calder's jacket and pulled out the gun he had been fumbling for and threw it onto the floor. He slammed him back against the wall, "Where's the key to let him loose." He growled.
"Not letting him go." The ambassador mumbled pathetically.
"Yes you are." Sephiroth replied cooly, slamming his head against the wall again. "The key."
Calder groaned and his head rolled forward. "Front pocket."
Sephiroth reached into his pocket and removed the key, "You move and I'll kill you. Understood?"
"Screw you!" The ambassador spat.
Sephiroth slammed him down to the floor, "Move and die."
Calder groaned pathetically, "Fine."
Sephiroth straightened and walked to where Reno lay. "Took you long enough." Reno chuckled and panted with relief and pain.
"Sorry." Sephiroth started to unlock his restraints, "I wasn't quite as stealthy. I can't fit into the air vents. Are you alright?"
"Course not." Reno laughed, still giddy with relief, "Kinda banged up ain't I?"
Sephiroth started to pull Reno into a standing position and stopped when Reno gasped in pain and clutched his chest, "What's wrong?"
"Broken rib." Reno panted and wrapped an arm around himself, hoping to suppress the throbbing that threatened to break his chest apart. "Help me stand up, gotta question him." Reno gasped in near silent agony as Sephiroth lifted him gently off the floor.
Sephiroth helped him limp to the wall where Calder was trying to sit up, blood flowing steadily from a gash in the back of his head. "He has questions, you're going to answer." Sephiroth kicked the battered ambassador in the side.
"Why should I?" Calder spat.
"Because if you do we'll end the pain." Reno chuckled, grimacing as the action jarred his aching rib.
"You don't scare me." Calder sat up, holding his side where Sephiroth had kicked him.
"I scare your dog." Reno jerked his head in the direction of the corner where the animal was cowering pathetically. "So much for a guard dog eh Calder?"
"I'm guessing it did this to you?" Sephiroth grunted as he tried to keep Reno upright.
"Yup. This bastard set the dog loose on me." Reno kicked the gun away from Calder's searching fingers with his good leg, "Sorry bub, not gonna let ya shoot me."
Calder whined, "What do you want from me?"
"Information." Reno smiled maliciously, "Who've you been selling yours too?"
"Not telling." Calder growled.
"Kill the dog Seph." Reno huffed.
Sephiroth bent down to grab the gun, trying to jar Reno as little as possible. Calder sat bolt upright, "Don't hurt him!"
"Then tell me what I want to know." Reno intoned calmly, his voice betraying none of the pain he was in.
"I'll tell you." Calder looked at the dog trembling in the corner before facing them again, "There's a cult in the slums. It's run by a gang and I've been selling them the info. They run a prostitution ring but they disguise it as a church."
"Where in the slums." Reno's voice remained level.
Calder's voice was panicked and rushed, "Sector six. They meet in an abandoned warehouse. Anyone can get in, all you have to do is bring in your due."
"Your due?" Reno leaned heavily on Sephiroth as his legs began to tremble.
"You have to bring in a new prostitute for them." Calder leaned against the wall and his words seemed to gush out of their own accord, "They take the dues to one section of the warehouse and the benefactors go to another to swap information. After the meeting, they call it a service, everyone goes to a designated room in the warehouse where they meet up with the due they brought and spend the night. The next day the dues are taken out back and I don't know what happens to them after that. The benefactors are ushered out and can come back in that night if they bring another due."
"I'm guessing you participate?" Sephiroth struggled to keep Reno upright, the red-head's legs were slowly crumbling beneath him.
"Yes." Calder nodded, and gave his dog another glance, "Do whatever you want to me but leave the dog alone."
"No can do." Reno gurgled, "It's had a taste of human flesh and it likes it."
"Please! I'm begging you, leave the dog alone!" Calder held his hands in front of him, pleading feebly.
"Kill 'em both Seph." Reno's legs felt like wet noodles, he didn't know if he could stand up any longer. "We gotta go."
Sephiroth nodded and grabbed the gun off the ground, shooting the begging Calder in the head and then turning the gun on the dog. "Let's get you back. I'll call Tseng and have him send a helicopter as fast as he can."
"I'll be fine just give me a band-aid." Reno chuckled and allowed Sephiroth to pick him up bridal style, gasping in pain as his chest throbbed.
"You need more than a band-aid. You need stitches and probably surgery." Sephiroth frowned and walked brusquely out of the room-turned-torture-chamber.
"Mideel needs a new ambassador." Reno chuckled and panted in pain, "Sucks to be them."
Sephiroth rolled his eyes, "Go to sleep."
"Yes sir." Reno smiled and grimaced in pain in the same motion. "Don't bounce so much its killin' me."
"Sorry." Sephiroth didn't slow, "I can't slow down, you need immediate medical attention."
Reno grinned and closed his eyes, "Big bad old Sephiroth's worried about me."
"Of course." Sephiroth held Reno close as he moved down the mountain.
"Is it because I said you're sexy?" Reno cracked an eye open, "Or is it because I owe you a s'more?"
Author's Note: Bleeding to death and he's still cracking jokes. R&R!