Tseng arrived at Rufus's penthouse with all the force and intensity of a hurricane. So focused was he on getting a rescue plan into motion, that he nearly barreled into the president himself upon entering the penthouse. "Sorry, sir," Tseng said brusquely, after the near collision. He entered Rufus's office, almost as if he owned it, with the president, Reno, Rude, and Elena all following behind. The president took a seat behind his desk, as the remaining Turks took seats in the chairs surrounding Rufus's oversized mahogany desk. Tseng began, "Our operatives near the Northern Crater – the very same ones who were detailed to the Jenova project – well, they've already got a lead on Kadaj's whereabouts."
"Excellent!" Rufus exclaimed joyously. His face then fell a little, as he seemed to consider something. "Is…is he alive?" the president asked quietly. Tseng nodded affirmatively. "Last reports did indicate that Kadaj is alive. I would think, sir," Tseng continued, "that since the baby is what Jenova was after…they won't do anything right now to harm Kadaj or the baby. Yet."
"Yet," Rufus repeated, sighing. "All right then. Tseng, you pilot Elena out to the crater. Reno, I'll fly with you and Rude."
"Sir?" Reno said quizzically, not quite believing what he was hearing. "You're…going with us? It's against protocol, to have the president flying with us on a rescue mission…"
"Fuck protocol," Rufus growled, standing up from his chair, and setting his jaw. "This isn't just any rescue mission, you realize. I'm fighting for what's mine…Kadaj, and my child." The room fell silent upon this; nobody could really disagree with Rufus's sentiment, but all the Turks were nervous about what it meant, to have Rufus – the president, for Gaia's sake - actually joining them on a mission. The president was supposed to be kept behind the scenes, out of harm's way; but this time, he was violating his own protocol, and inserting himself right into the action. Voluntarily.
Rufus has to be insane, Reno decided. Or…was he simply in love? Reno shook his head, not quite able to comprehend Rufus's level of dedication to someone that really – he had only just met recently.
"Okay, sir. You're the boss," Reno said, shrugging his shoulders. Gonna have to talk to Tseng about this, he thought, frowning. "Sir?" Reno said, addressing Rufus, as he suddenly thought of something. "Strife and Valentine, and their gang…shall I arrange for transportation for them as well?"
Rufus nodded. "Yes," he replied. "Unless they're able to get Highwind to help – do verify that, will you Reno? Perhaps if Cid is involved, he'd see fit to utilize his airship."
"Understood," Reno replied briefly, already taking his cell phone out to call Cloud. Rufus made his way to the living room, as the Turks followed him. He paced back and forth as he sighed worriedly, waiting for Reno to get off of the phone.
"It'll be okay, sir," Elena said quietly. "We know Kadaj is alive, and we'll get him back, sir. We will."
Rufus smiled at Elena. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Elena. While I have no doubt in your abilities – indeed, in the abilities of all my Turks – I've never been so…invested, in a rescue operation in my life."
"That's understandable," Elena replied. "I just can't imagine…"
"No, you can't really imagine it…unless you're in the middle of it," Rufus replied sadly. "I never thought…I'd care for anyone this much. Other than myself." He laughed. "Oh, be honest - you all know I'm a selfish bastard at heart, really. Even if you won't admit it out loud, to me - I can at least admit it to myself. There's just something…that shifts inside of you, once you've created a life with someone you love. Like a part of your heart has been taken from you…but that little piece, is now residing inside someone else."
"Of course, sir," Tseng murmured, not really knowing what to say after that. This was a side of Rufus that nobody had ever seen; caring, and…gods, selfless? Rufus is right about one thing, though, Tseng thought wryly. He's never cared much for anyone else other than himself. Gods, fatherhood is changing him into someone else entirely. The commander of the Turks also thought this wasn't such a bad thing, perhaps.
"Let's make this happen then, Turks," Rufus stated, concluding the meeting. "Reno?" he said quizzically, as he saw the redhead approaching. "Any word from Strife or Valentine?"
"Yeah, just talked to Cloud, actually," Reno replied, as he joined the group. "Says he and Valentine are in. As for Cid, he's out of town…they couldn't get a hold of him, but Tifa left him a voice mail. Tifa can't get away from the restaurant, and Barret's out prospecting for oil, nobody can reach him."
"Okay then," Rufus replied, digesting the information. "Here's what we'll do. Reno, you'll transport Cloud, along with myself and Rude; Tseng, you transport yourself, Elena and Valentine. Agreed?"
Tseng's jaw clenched upon the mention of Vincent Valentine's name. He hadn't seen the former Turk in many years; and, there was some past history – and a bit of friction - between the both of them. Nevertheless, he nodded in agreement to Rufus's proposition; Tseng was a professional, after all, as was Vincent; and, Tseng knew that neither one of them would let any personal differences get in the way of their job. "That's fine, sir. Just know that we'll have to take the larger cargo choppers, in order to have enough room for passengers."
"I have no problem with that," Rufus replied, waving his hand indifferently. "Whatever means you use to get us there, I do not care about the details. And, I need to be armed, obviously."
"We'll gear you up, sir," Tseng replied warily, "if you insist upon going. I want you in a Kevlar vest, as well."
Rufus raised an eyebrow at Tseng, about to snap at him, but he refrained. Tseng's only doing his job, Rufus reasoned. Which is to protect me…and I'm not making that very easy for him now, apparently. "I do insist, Tseng," he replied evenly. "And that's fine about the vest…suit me up as necessary."
"Let's reconvene at headquarters tomorrow, then," Rufus stated. "At oh-six-hundred hours. We'll arm ourselves, then set off."
Reno nodded briefly in acknowledgement; then, turning to Rufus, said, "Sir? Rude will be taking next watch. We don't think it's a good idea to leave you unguarded, considering…"
"That's fine," Rufus replied wearily, rubbing his eyes. "Good idea, too, considering everything that's happened today. I'll be turning into bed shortly…Rude, if you need to rest, the guest bedroom is yours." Rude nodded, as everyone else disbursed, and left Rufus's penthouse.
This is it…tomorrow, we begin our search, Rufus thought, as he readied himself for bed. No matter how long it takes…we must find Kadaj, and we must find him alive…the alternative is too dreadful to think about.
Six weeks later…
Kadaj's pregnancy had progressed even more rapidly than Jenova had predicted – now at the six week mark, he should have been around six months pregnant, in human terms. However, he looked dangerously close to being nearly full term. Kadaj, of course, had no point of comparison, but as each day of his confinement passed, he became more and more alarmed at how big he was getting, and so quickly. Two weeks in, he'd felt the first actual movements from the baby - who apparently was a night owl, kicking Kadaj relentlessly all night long and keeping him awake, when he was trying to sleep.
As for Yazoo and Loz, they'd been kind to him, so far – even though Kadaj was basically their prisoner. Yazoo seemed fairly amused at Kadaj's huge increase in appetite, while Loz expressed concern any time Kadaj's morning sickness – which had been a constant thing throughout this rapidly accelerated pregnancy. Loz unexpectedly began to display feelings of guilt over the whole thing; he felt badly that Kadaj was uncomfortable, and held prisoner in the coldest place on Gaia – Gaea's Cliff. They'd sequestered themselves in Mr. Holzoff's former cabin, long since abandoned by its former tenant. Yazoo wasn't sure if the old man had died, or simply moved on, but shrugged off any such concerns. Each time Loz brought up the idea of moving somewhere a bit warmer, the suggestion was waved off by Yazoo, who more bemused than concerned over Kadaj's discomfort during pregnancy.
Every day, Kadaj prayed that Rufus – or at least his Turks – were somewhere out there, searching for him. Yet, with each day that had gone by, Kadaj began to lose hope. Just six weeks prior, Kadaj's heart had lifted when he heard the unmistakable sounds of a helicopter circling the northern crater; his hopes were quickly dashed, when Yazoo and Loz grabbed him, quickly relocating to the more secure area of Gaea's Cliff. That was probably the Turks, Kadaj had thought sadly, as he was whisked away by his captors, and in an even more remote and inaccessible location, in Holzoff's cabin. Each day, Loz and Yazoo wondered how wise it had been, to hide in such an inhospitable environment. Staying warm, and fed, was a constant struggle in the frigid temperatures.
Nevertheless, as Yazoo had pointed out, over six weeks had gone by without any sign of an intruder. "I feel confident now," Yazoo told Loz one evening over supper, "that Rufus has given up the search for Kadaj by now." This was met with a string of expletives uttered by Kadaj, who happened to overhear. "The fuck you say, he's given up on me! He hasn't, you know!" Kadaj raged, screaming at his two brothers, who did nothing except to sit there and look at him dumbly. "I know he's still out there looking for me. I know it. Ffft," Kadaj huffed dismissively. "I can hardly expect you two to understand." After his outburst, Kadaj waddled off to his corner of the cabin and sobbed himself to sleep.
"You know, why are we doing this, Yaz?" Loz questioned his brother immediately afterward. "This…this isn't right. And, you know what else? It's fucking cold here, and I'm sick and tired of this," he snapped. "Constantly having a frozen ass, barely getting enough food to eat…"
Yazoo rolled his eyes and snorted. "You know exactly why we are doing this, dear brother," he replied in a bored tone. "We are doing Mother's bidding. And yes, Loz – I do realize how fucking cold it is here, you idiot. It's the fucking Gaea cliff, we're not in Costa del Sol, asshole." Loz muttered a string of expletives at Yazoo, and stomped off to his corner of the cabin, burrowing himself under a pile of pelts that served as bedding. He was right; it was damned hard to stay warm, even with a fire constantly going in the cabin's fireplace. As Loz drifted off to sleep, he silently prayed - as he did every night since they'd taken over the frigid cabin - that they'd all wake up in the morning, and not die of hypothermia during the night.
It was early evening later that week, when Kadaj began to feel the first contraction. From the brief amount of pregnancy books he'd read prior to being kidnapped, Kadaj initially dismissed them as Braxton-Hicks contractions - not true labor pains, but contractions that were irregular and not very painful. However, there came a point when the contractions most definitely became painful and regular, and Kadaj was having a hell of a time ignoring the reality that this was it –labor. Kadaj was in labor, and about to have a baby. The last thing I want to do, Kadaj thought carefully, is let on that I'm having contractions…because I know Yazoo won't hesitate to cut me open, and leave me to die.
For the interim, Kadaj pleaded exhaustion, and begged to be left alone to nap. He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to stifle any groans of pain that might slip out. Kadaj had gone on for several hours like this; laboring alone unable to scream, bottling up every wave of pain that came. He thought he might die from the effort, if giving birth didn't kill him outright.
The pain finally became too great to bear, and Kadaj cried out uncontrollably, regretting the moment his shriek of pain left his lips. Loz, who had been left to stand guard, was at Kadaj's side in an instant.
"Are you okay, Kadaj?" Loz demanded worriedly, adjusting the pillows underneath Kadaj's head.
"No," Kadaj finally admitted, sighing. "I'm really not. But, Loz...please don't tell Yazoo, not yet. I know you have to, but I'm...I'm not ready to die. Not yet." He began to cry softly; the outpouring of emotion made Loz flinch uncomfortably.
"I gotta tell him, Kadaj, I'm sorry," Loz said unhappily. "You know Mother leaves us no choice..."
"Oh hell, Jenova's probably told Yazoo by now, anyway," Kadaj snapped irritably. "That I'm in labor. Where the fuck is he anyway?"
"Out...getting food for us," Loz replied dumbly. "So, this is it, little brother?" he asked anxiously. "The baby is coming?"
"I would assume that's what the contractions are all about," Kadaj retorted. He sighed, clutching his swollen abdomen, and rubbing it gently. "I'm...sorry, Loz. You've been kind to me, and I'm sorry if I'm biting your head off. This just really fucking hurts, though."
"I wish I could do something for you," Loz mumbled, patting Kadaj's head gently.
"You can," Kadaj replied sadly. "Get Rufus. Please...bring Rufus to me...or bring me to him...he should see our child being born, please, Loz..." he pleaded.
"You know I can't do that, little brother," Loz replied, sniffling. "I would if I could..."
"Why can't you!" Kadaj exploded. "Gods, you really are a fucking puppet, aren't you? At least I cut my strings from Jenova."
"Don't be mad at me, Daj," Loz snapped. "I'm doing everything I can to keep you alive for as long as I can. I don't want you to die either, brother."
"Thanks," Kadaj replied softly, tears running down his face. "I'm sorry. I guess this is it then. I am to give birth, and then die…in this frozen hellhole. Not quite what I had envisioned, baby," he whispered, rubbing his hand gently over his protruding abdomen.
It had been a fruitless search and rescue effort, but Rufus was still adamantly refusing to call it quits. Initially - and, unbeknownst to them - they'd come quite close to Kadaj's first location right off the bat, thanks to the intel that Turk operatives had uncovered near the crater. However, Yazoo had been wise to the Turks being in the area, and whisked Kadaj away off to Gaea's Cliff, before he could be found. After the helicopter that Reno was piloting - the one Rufus was flying in, as well - was shot at by a fleeing Yazoo, Tseng moved to abort the mission, amid some very vocal protests from Rufus, who wanted to keep in pursuit.
Rufus was in his office at headquarters, when Tseng burst in unannounced, with some news. Glaring icily at Tseng, and annoyed with the sudden intrusion, the president quietly inquired, "I assume you have good reason for bursting in here so rudely, Tseng?"
"Sorry," Tseng said hurriedly, shoving a folder across Rufus's desk blotter. "I wouldn't have been so…abrupt, if this weren't so urgent. Rufus, we've found him. We've found Kadaj's location."
Eyes widening, Rufus stood up abruptly from his chair, nearly knocking it over. "Where!" he demanded. "Tseng, please, just….brief me." The president stared at his hands as they began shaking slightly, clutching the manila folder. "I…I can't even focus on this right now," he said, tossing the folder back on his desk. "Just tell me, where is he, and how soon can we get there?"
"Gaea Cliffs, sir," Tseng replied, eyes shining excitedly. "I've taken the liberty of getting our choppers ready to go. We'll have to land near Icicle Inn, and snowmobile the rest of the way up to the cliffs."
"I don't care how we get there, Tseng," Rufus proclaimed, already heading out of his office, with Tseng close behind. "I'll be ready to go shortly. Let's head to my penthouse and I'll pack a small bag, and you can gear me up again. You do realize, I am going with you again, right, Tseng?"
"Of course, sir," Tseng replied calmly; although he still didn't agree at all with Rufus's decision to join the Turks on a rescue mission, he wasn't about to be the one to tell the president no. No was a word Rufus didn't like to hear - ever, and Tseng was choosing self-preservation over his better judgment this time.
"Kadaj is about six weeks pregnant now, you know?" Rufus commented offhandedly to Tseng, as they rushed down the corridor, heading toward the elevators. "What else do the Turks know, Tseng?" he asked, as he got in the elevator and pressed the button. "Anything about…his condition? The baby?"
Tseng shook his head negatively. "Nothing yet, sir. It's blind luck that we picked up the trail that we did. One of our operatives out there noticed a blood trail in the snow-"
"What did you just say?" Rufus demanded, placing his hands on Tseng's shoulders and staring him in the eye. "You don't mean—not Kadaj's blood, no-"
"Let me finish, sir," Tseng said quietly. "Please?" Rufus nodded, and removed his hands from Tseng's shoulders, motioning to him to continue. The elevator was quickly approaching the bottom floor.
"Our spy at Icicle Inn tells us that he was out on his usual route, and saw a large amount of blood – along with various chimera parts just scattered all over the snow."
"Oh," Rufus said, relieved. "Chimera. Go on, please," he encouraged Tseng.
"Anyway," Tseng continued, "this obviously aroused his suspicions, so he ventured a bit further north…to Gaea's cliff. Don't know if you recall old Holzoff – the mountaineer?"
"I remember the name, vaguely," Rufus replied, frowning. "Why?"
"Well, Holzoff had a cabin near Gaea's cliff," Tseng explained. "And my spy noticed smoke coming from the chimney. Even though Holzoff's been dead for years. He then spotted two silver-haired individuals outside the cabin. Thankfully, he was able to leave before Yazoo and Loz spotted him, and relocated Kadaj once again."
"Thank Gaia," Rufus whispered. "So…Kadaj is in the cabin, is that what we are assuming, Tseng?"
"That is the assumption, yes," Tseng agreed. The elevator gave a soft ding as they reached the ground floor. "I'll phone for your limo, sir," Tseng murmured, as he reached for his cell phone.
"Yes, thank you," Rufus mumbled distractedly. Please be safe, Kadaj, Rufus silently prayed. I'm on my way, just…hang on. Please hang on.
Personal note: This will be my last update on this, or any of my other fics for a little while – I'm having surgery this week and will be out of commission for a short while afterward. Although, if I get really bored and am able to write, who knows – I might go for it, we'll see. :)
Another note – I decided not to go into boring detail with the first (failed) rescue mission, and decided just to summarize it - then jump ahead a bit with Kadaj's pregnancy. I think it still flows pretty decently; the way I had it written before, it just went on and on and ON forever, and it actually bored ME to read it, so I edited it out. So, hopefully nobody minds missing that (boring!) part of the story.
More OOC-ness, with Rufus being all sappy and fatherly? WTF? :) And Loz, being a bit sympathetic to Kadaj's plight.
Next chapter: Hopefully someone will know SOMETHING about birthin' babies! XD