Chapter 11 – That's a Little Cliché, Doncha Think?
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Reno poked his head through the doorway and stepped hesitantly into Hojo's darkened laboratory. Speaking softly, he spoke out. "Hello? Anybody here, Oh, that's too bad I'll come back later." Without waiting for any such response, he turned around quickly, and almost stepped directly into a scrawny, grinning scientist. So he did what any normal person would do.
"AHHHH, AHH, OH God, OH GOD!"
He screamed. A lot. Hojo cringed at the sudden noise in front of him, and watched Reno vault himself backwards, over a examination table and basically through a few storage boxes, all the while fumbling for his gun. After a view seconds of silence, Hojo slowly walked toward the pile of fallen boxes, his hands folded neatly behind his back. He found Reno still on the ground amidst crumbled boxes, one hand covering his eyes, the other grasping his gun and flailing about wildly.
"Mr. Reno?" The gun focused on Hojo and the scientist took a step out of the line of fire. Slowly, Reno's hand uncovered his eyes, and the Turk looked up at Hojo.
"Oh, it's just you. I thought it was one of your..." He trailed off.
"One of my what?" Hojo unclasped his hands and reached up to his chin.
"One of your uhhh..." Reno searched for the word
"Experiments?" Hojo offered.
"Well, I was going to say 'freaky and fucked up perversions of all that is Holy.' But hey, experiments work too."
Anger flared across Hojo's eyes briefly before he forced himself to calm down. "Come with me." Hojo began to walk away.
"Why? Where're we going?" Reno pushed up to a standing position and followed the smaller man.
"To the 'fun room.'"
Reno stopped dead in his tracks. "God, Leviathan, Odin... Hell, Shiva, I even promise not to stare at your tits if you help me out here... But y'know, God would be spectacular."
This time it was Hojo who stopped. He turned his head to look darkly at the Turk behind him. "Yes, well... Good luck having Him help you here."
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Reno lay strapped to the examination table, chest exposed. His eyelids lay open, but the eyes stared off into the distance, glazing over as the anesthesia took hold of his system. Hojo looked up from the syringe he carefully filled with a clear liquid. "You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Reno." Setting the syringe down on a workbench, Hojo strolled over to his subject, a twisted grin smeared across his face.
"An... An why's 'hat?" The slurred question was forcibly ejected from Reno's mouth, which then did it's best to twist into a smirk. "Y-you d'cided y'r more o' a...flower man? You p... pa...pans... Wuss?"
"No, no. Though botanical studies do have their uses. No, you need to understand that you're a very lucky man..." Reno started to drop off into oblivion as Hojo placed the tip of needle over Reno's heart. "I do my best work with you Turks." Even in his drugged state, Reno heard the malice spewed out over his title. It was the last thing that he heard.
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Shaking his head, Reno's long, red bangs cascaded over his eyes as he sought to clear his blurred vision. Moaning slightly, he willed himself to brush the bangs away, before realizing he could move neither his arms nor his legs. Panic shot through him quickly before he forced himself to calm down and try to remember his current situation. Finding even the simplest mental tasks exhausting, Reno began to perspire, yet still remained calm, Turk training dictating that panic never helped anything or anyone. Finally, Reno remembered where he was. And who he was with. The panic rose up through him again, more savagely this time, as his eyes darted from side to side, searching for his captor, and a way out of the restraints he had identified as being the source of his immobility.
"I really hate this place." He whispered as he struggled against the adamantine binding him. Behind him a doorknob turned, and the Turk on the examination table relaxed his body to appear still unconscious for a while longer, until he could formulate a plan. Listening to the echoing footsteps as they moved around the lab, Reno kept a mental tab on what he could only assume Hojo's position was. The footfall circled around, pausing every so often, each time a different machine beeped and printed observational results. At last, the scientist stopped just behind Reno's head and waited.
"You can stop faking now you know. Half the machines in this room can tell me exactly when your cognitive processes started up again... in fact, I've got one devoted entirely to telling me when a subject awakens."
Reno opened one eye and looked up at the small man. "Really? Can you let me go and point me towards it? I feel like breaking shit." Hojo pulled a small black controller out of his pocket with a large red button on it. Reno craned his neck as best he could and raised an eyebrow. "That's a little cliché, doncha think?"
"No." He pushed the button, and Reno cringed internally at the shock he was certain would follow. Instead, he found himself free. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he vaulted himself to his feet and turned to face his experimenter. He found Hojo pointing of to his right. "It's that one over there. You're more than welcome to destroy it... If you can."
"I'll do it, you sick fuck... you should be worried what's going to happen when I'm done. I'm feeling sporty today, so you should take this chance to run." Reno walked up to the indicated machine and drew his foot back.
Hojo spoke clearly and concisely. "Stop." Suddenly, no matter how hard he fought, Reno couldn't seem to force his foot into the machine in front of him. Instead, his leg lowered to the ground. A few seconds of contemplation later, Reno looked back.
"What the hell did you do to me?"
"Only what I was ordered." Hojo responded, a gleeful smile on his face. Snarling, Reno rushed the little man, who stood defiantly. As the Turk reached Hojo, he spoke. "Hold it right there." Again, Reno found his legs frozen to the spot, no amount of conscious willpower able to move them. "Although..." Hojo stepped up to Reno and grabbed his chin. "Sometimes orders aren't all business. This? This was definitely a pleasure." He slapped Reno.
Reno growled deep in his throat, but was unable to act on his anger. Hojo continued talking.
"All you Turks are the same." Hojo walked over to a computer monitor mounted into a nearby desk. Reno found himself able to move again, but unable to assault the head of science. "You think you're the most important people in the world, the most dangerous. Untouchable... The monsters of Midgar... Well, it seems like every last one of you needs to learn a little lesson."
Hojo picked up a syringe. "Sit." He commanded sharply. Reno was compelled to take a seat and remain there, even as Hojo approached, the needle's tip glistening in the lab's light. "Every last one of you needs to understand..." He rolled up Reno's sleeve. "There are real monsters around this world. When you've run into one, you'll realize that you're nothing more than a simple human. Nothing more than pathetic, moronic, and inescapably..." He forced the needle in with a laugh. "Mortal."
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"Thank you for your time Lord Godo. Fare well until our paths cross again." Tseng stepped out of the Pagoda, and joined a waiting Rude. "That was simple enough. I can't seem to understand why Shin-ra scheduled our return flight three days from now. We don't have any other business to attend to here."
Rude shrugged once. "Vacation time?"
"Well, it is now. I don't think it was unintentional though. I can't help but get a bad feeling about all of this."
The two Turks walked on in silence, ignoring the crowds of people that parted in front of them. Finding themselves in a busy intersection as the sun lowered beneath the horizon, Rude and Tseng looked to their left and their right. Turning the hotel to their backs, the friends casually strode into the nearby Turtle's Paradise. Settling into a pair of stools at the bar, the tender came over to them quickly, recognizing them from previous visits.
"What can I get you gentlemen?"
"Usual stuff." Rude answered him.
"Uhhh. Right. Will there by a third joining you?" Tseng looked up. The bartender swallowed nervously. "The uh... the red-headed fellow"
"No, just us, Chaz. Thank you." Chaz walked away, leaving the two men at the bar to their own thoughts.
"You don't think Heidegger will try anything with Reno again, do you?"
Tseng turned his head slightly at Rude's question. "No, I don't think so. I'm certain he learned his lesson from the Tank incident." Tseng paused. "And if he didn't, the President did. He won't waste money again."
"You sure about that? He wasn't too impressed with the loss of his desk. He even told you to escort Reno to the lab."
"I know, I know. But Reno's too valuable to have Hojo touch. I was given Shin-ra's word that he was scheduled for a routine physical, then protection duty..." Tseng trailed off. Chaz arrived with their drinks and set them down quietly.
"His word, huh?" Rude took a small drink. "How much is that worth?"
Tseng took his own drink in hand and swirled it. "A whole lot of nothing."
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The light emitting from the monitor before Hojo reflected in his glasses. He typed away at his keyboard, referencing every so often to the clipboard off to the side. A knock on his door caused him to look up and momentarily discard his research.
"Enter." The door opened quickly, and Heidegger strolled in. Hojo sighed softly and looked back to his work. "What is it, General."
Heidegger stopped in front of the seated scientist and looked around. "I want to know how that Turk is doing? Is he obedient yet?" He picked up a paperweight off and inspected it. "Failure won't be accepted Hojo."
"The subject is responding very well to the treatment. Mental blocks are enforcing themselves nicely. No signs of his body rejecting it yet, though I will need to keep him for a week observation to be certain."
"Tseng and Rude return tomorrow. You have until then to complete the procedure."
Hojo rose from his seat and rounded the corner of his desk. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind assisting in a few tests I intend to conduct."
"Gya hah hah. I'd be honored, professor. Just show me to the whelp." The two high-ranking Shin-ra officials stepped into the lab that adjoined Hojo's office. There, Reno sat on a chair, casually flipping a switchblade high in the air and catching it on his descent. Already, thin cuts crisscrossed his palm and fresh blood dripped to the floor.
"Reno, get up." Hojo ordered. Reno looked away from the rotating blade and to the two men that stared intently at it. Without direct concentration, Reno miscalculated his catch, and the blade dug deep into his hand.
"Ow." The Turk dropped the blade and spoke blandly as he got to his feet, an unusual smirk, even for him, crossing his face. "What is it professor. Is it needle time? You know how I love needle time." A small glint appeared in Reno's eyes as they darted about the room.
"No, not right now." The scientist answered. "The General will be helping us today."
Reno moved calmly towards Heidegger, stopping only inches away to look down into the shorter man's eye. They faced off, a grim look of determination on the Turk's face. "Yeah... I remember you." Heidegger's hand slid slowly towards his pistol. Suddenly, Reno poked his superior's face. "Nice scar." Then, just as quickly, he hopped backwards and reached up to his own face. "But mine are cooler." Reno turned away from the two and picked up the discarded knife, wiping it clean on his pants.
Heidegger turned towards Hojo. "Dammit, Hojo, what did you do?"
"I've done what was ordered. He'll follow your every command, and do it without sympathy, compassion or remorse. All the specifics you look for in a model Turk."
"But he's insane."
"A minor side-effect. Besides, you yourself have called him insane multiple times prior to this experiment."
"Yes, but..."
"But nothing. He'll be obedient. You need nothing more than that. I anticipate no further complications. The Turk will be ready by tomorrow as requested. Good day General."
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The helicopter touched down on top of the Shin-ra building as the sun settled into the western horizon. Two figures hopped out and onto the cold concrete, their ties flailing in the wind from the chopper blades cutting the air above them.
"I hate Midgar weather this time of year, don't you Rude?"
"Wutai was nicer." Rude fixed his sunglasses and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Reno loves it there. Where is he?" He asked his superior.
"I'm not sure actually. Normally after being separated for a couple days, he's waiting for us at the helipad, begging to go get hammered. Or have me get him out of something." Tseng answered, adding a smile. "I guess we should go see what kind of trouble he got himself into while I was gone."
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Kassidy sat in the passenger seat of his transport vehicle, reviewing tapes of the Midgar operation he had just partially failed. He searched tape after tape, looking for any clue to AVALANCHE and the Turk's destruction, or escape, if that were the case. A knock on the window broke his concentration. He opened the door.
"Sir, we've located AVALANCHE. They're currently regrouping in Cloud and Tifa Strife's home here in Kalm. Your orders?"
"Get all the search teams there for a full breech. Shoot to kill."
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President Shin-ra entered the Turk lounge, a fully dressed Reno in tow. A fully, properly dressed Reno in tow. The red head stood straight behind the President, hair pulled back into a clean ponytail, tie neatly knotted, and all buttons done up on a tucked in dress shirt beneath a closed suit jacket. And for the third time in his life, Tseng swore.
"What... the fuck."
Even Rude's usual demeanor broke, and the man looked in a state of complete shock. The President smiled broadly.
"I know, it's such a blow to the system to see the boy dressed like this." Shin-ra chuckled. "I nearly had a heart-attack myself. But this..." he indicated Reno. "Is the future of the Turks. I expect you both down in Hojo's office tomorrow morning. As of right now, Rude please take Reno outside. I need to speak with Tseng privately." After the two newest Turks had left, the President turned back to his lead Turk. "I have to warn you Tseng. There's been a slight case of..." He searched for the word. "Insanity..." Tseng's brow furrowed slightly. "I know, it's worrisome, but Professor Hojo has insisted it is due only to Reno's previous mental instability. We felt it was acceptable considering his new-found obedience. However, should the same side-effects begin to arise in either you or Rude in the slightest, the procedure will be reversed immediately. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."
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Rude looked about the room. "Now, all of you have had contact with Reno at one point or another."
Cid spoke up. "Yeah... Not exactly the most sane guy as it is. So that's cause of Hojo?"
"Not exactly." Rude answered. "How you know him is comparatively normal, how he was prior to Hojo's mental dampening... for the most part. During the following weeks after Tseng and I returned from Wutai, Reno was different and increasingly sadistic. He wouldn't even go to the bar."
Yuffie, eyes again damp with tears, looked up. "Bullshit."
"That's what I was saying, but..." Suddenly, Rude stopped, and Red began furiously sniffing the air. Vincent exchanged a look with the Turk and they both drew their guns.
"What's going on?" Cloud asked.
"Everybody, get low and away from the windows." Vincent ordered, as he, Rude and Elena moved to the windows to look outside.
Red padded up to them. "They're moving all around. Completely surrounding the building. I have my nose to help me, how did you two know they were out there?"
"The street traffic has halted completely. I'm assuming they blocked off the roads." Vincent answered. "I count eight out front."
"I only see six." Elena spoke up. Rude laid a hand on her shoulder.
"There's eight. Two in the windows of the house across the street."
"Oh. What now?"
"If we stay in here, we're dead. Too much crossfire."
Cloud and Barret crept their way over. The blond leader looked out the window. "There's a side exit I doubt they would have found by now. We can get out that way, but it's an open field. It'd be only a matter of time before they found cover and picked us off..." Cloud trailed off as he began to formulate a plan in his mind.
"They're getting ready to move." Rude updated.
"Ok, fine." Cloud mumbled, then spoke up. "We're splitting. Barret, Tifa, Red and Elena, you come with me to the side exit. When they come in, we head out and drop who we can. Tifa, take some defensive materia, Red, you and me have the offensive. Move quickly, we don't have much time." The group he directed was led by Tifa to the side exit. "Cid, Vincent, Yuffie and Rude. You need to find cover fast. You're taking out anyone who comes in here."
"You're fucking kidding me." Cid lit a cigarette fast and pulled the spear up from beside him. "Oh, this is gonna be a fucking blast.
"Hey, we need you and Yuffie to cover Vincent and Rude in case anyone rushes them. All you have to do is hold on long enough for us to catch them in a crossfire. It's the best option we have right now."
"Fine, fine. God damn, if I die? Shera's gonna fucking kill me."
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"All troops in position, Sir."
Kassidy smiled menacingly. "Move in."
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Reno poked his head through the doorway and stepped hesitantly into Hojo's darkened laboratory. Speaking softly, he spoke out. "Hello? Anybody here, Oh, that's too bad I'll come back later." Without waiting for any such response, he turned around quickly, and almost stepped directly into a scrawny, grinning scientist. So he did what any normal person would do.
"AHHHH, AHH, OH God, OH GOD!"
He screamed. A lot. Hojo cringed at the sudden noise in front of him, and watched Reno vault himself backwards, over a examination table and basically through a few storage boxes, all the while fumbling for his gun. After a view seconds of silence, Hojo slowly walked toward the pile of fallen boxes, his hands folded neatly behind his back. He found Reno still on the ground amidst crumbled boxes, one hand covering his eyes, the other grasping his gun and flailing about wildly.
"Mr. Reno?" The gun focused on Hojo and the scientist took a step out of the line of fire. Slowly, Reno's hand uncovered his eyes, and the Turk looked up at Hojo.
"Oh, it's just you. I thought it was one of your..." He trailed off.
"One of my what?" Hojo unclasped his hands and reached up to his chin.
"One of your uhhh..." Reno searched for the word
"Experiments?" Hojo offered.
"Well, I was going to say 'freaky and fucked up perversions of all that is Holy.' But hey, experiments work too."
Anger flared across Hojo's eyes briefly before he forced himself to calm down. "Come with me." Hojo began to walk away.
"Why? Where're we going?" Reno pushed up to a standing position and followed the smaller man.
"To the 'fun room.'"
Reno stopped dead in his tracks. "God, Leviathan, Odin... Hell, Shiva, I even promise not to stare at your tits if you help me out here... But y'know, God would be spectacular."
This time it was Hojo who stopped. He turned his head to look darkly at the Turk behind him. "Yes, well... Good luck having Him help you here."
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Reno lay strapped to the examination table, chest exposed. His eyelids lay open, but the eyes stared off into the distance, glazing over as the anesthesia took hold of his system. Hojo looked up from the syringe he carefully filled with a clear liquid. "You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Reno." Setting the syringe down on a workbench, Hojo strolled over to his subject, a twisted grin smeared across his face.
"An... An why's 'hat?" The slurred question was forcibly ejected from Reno's mouth, which then did it's best to twist into a smirk. "Y-you d'cided y'r more o' a...flower man? You p... pa...pans... Wuss?"
"No, no. Though botanical studies do have their uses. No, you need to understand that you're a very lucky man..." Reno started to drop off into oblivion as Hojo placed the tip of needle over Reno's heart. "I do my best work with you Turks." Even in his drugged state, Reno heard the malice spewed out over his title. It was the last thing that he heard.
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Shaking his head, Reno's long, red bangs cascaded over his eyes as he sought to clear his blurred vision. Moaning slightly, he willed himself to brush the bangs away, before realizing he could move neither his arms nor his legs. Panic shot through him quickly before he forced himself to calm down and try to remember his current situation. Finding even the simplest mental tasks exhausting, Reno began to perspire, yet still remained calm, Turk training dictating that panic never helped anything or anyone. Finally, Reno remembered where he was. And who he was with. The panic rose up through him again, more savagely this time, as his eyes darted from side to side, searching for his captor, and a way out of the restraints he had identified as being the source of his immobility.
"I really hate this place." He whispered as he struggled against the adamantine binding him. Behind him a doorknob turned, and the Turk on the examination table relaxed his body to appear still unconscious for a while longer, until he could formulate a plan. Listening to the echoing footsteps as they moved around the lab, Reno kept a mental tab on what he could only assume Hojo's position was. The footfall circled around, pausing every so often, each time a different machine beeped and printed observational results. At last, the scientist stopped just behind Reno's head and waited.
"You can stop faking now you know. Half the machines in this room can tell me exactly when your cognitive processes started up again... in fact, I've got one devoted entirely to telling me when a subject awakens."
Reno opened one eye and looked up at the small man. "Really? Can you let me go and point me towards it? I feel like breaking shit." Hojo pulled a small black controller out of his pocket with a large red button on it. Reno craned his neck as best he could and raised an eyebrow. "That's a little cliché, doncha think?"
"No." He pushed the button, and Reno cringed internally at the shock he was certain would follow. Instead, he found himself free. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he vaulted himself to his feet and turned to face his experimenter. He found Hojo pointing of to his right. "It's that one over there. You're more than welcome to destroy it... If you can."
"I'll do it, you sick fuck... you should be worried what's going to happen when I'm done. I'm feeling sporty today, so you should take this chance to run." Reno walked up to the indicated machine and drew his foot back.
Hojo spoke clearly and concisely. "Stop." Suddenly, no matter how hard he fought, Reno couldn't seem to force his foot into the machine in front of him. Instead, his leg lowered to the ground. A few seconds of contemplation later, Reno looked back.
"What the hell did you do to me?"
"Only what I was ordered." Hojo responded, a gleeful smile on his face. Snarling, Reno rushed the little man, who stood defiantly. As the Turk reached Hojo, he spoke. "Hold it right there." Again, Reno found his legs frozen to the spot, no amount of conscious willpower able to move them. "Although..." Hojo stepped up to Reno and grabbed his chin. "Sometimes orders aren't all business. This? This was definitely a pleasure." He slapped Reno.
Reno growled deep in his throat, but was unable to act on his anger. Hojo continued talking.
"All you Turks are the same." Hojo walked over to a computer monitor mounted into a nearby desk. Reno found himself able to move again, but unable to assault the head of science. "You think you're the most important people in the world, the most dangerous. Untouchable... The monsters of Midgar... Well, it seems like every last one of you needs to learn a little lesson."
Hojo picked up a syringe. "Sit." He commanded sharply. Reno was compelled to take a seat and remain there, even as Hojo approached, the needle's tip glistening in the lab's light. "Every last one of you needs to understand..." He rolled up Reno's sleeve. "There are real monsters around this world. When you've run into one, you'll realize that you're nothing more than a simple human. Nothing more than pathetic, moronic, and inescapably..." He forced the needle in with a laugh. "Mortal."
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"Thank you for your time Lord Godo. Fare well until our paths cross again." Tseng stepped out of the Pagoda, and joined a waiting Rude. "That was simple enough. I can't seem to understand why Shin-ra scheduled our return flight three days from now. We don't have any other business to attend to here."
Rude shrugged once. "Vacation time?"
"Well, it is now. I don't think it was unintentional though. I can't help but get a bad feeling about all of this."
The two Turks walked on in silence, ignoring the crowds of people that parted in front of them. Finding themselves in a busy intersection as the sun lowered beneath the horizon, Rude and Tseng looked to their left and their right. Turning the hotel to their backs, the friends casually strode into the nearby Turtle's Paradise. Settling into a pair of stools at the bar, the tender came over to them quickly, recognizing them from previous visits.
"What can I get you gentlemen?"
"Usual stuff." Rude answered him.
"Uhhh. Right. Will there by a third joining you?" Tseng looked up. The bartender swallowed nervously. "The uh... the red-headed fellow"
"No, just us, Chaz. Thank you." Chaz walked away, leaving the two men at the bar to their own thoughts.
"You don't think Heidegger will try anything with Reno again, do you?"
Tseng turned his head slightly at Rude's question. "No, I don't think so. I'm certain he learned his lesson from the Tank incident." Tseng paused. "And if he didn't, the President did. He won't waste money again."
"You sure about that? He wasn't too impressed with the loss of his desk. He even told you to escort Reno to the lab."
"I know, I know. But Reno's too valuable to have Hojo touch. I was given Shin-ra's word that he was scheduled for a routine physical, then protection duty..." Tseng trailed off. Chaz arrived with their drinks and set them down quietly.
"His word, huh?" Rude took a small drink. "How much is that worth?"
Tseng took his own drink in hand and swirled it. "A whole lot of nothing."
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The light emitting from the monitor before Hojo reflected in his glasses. He typed away at his keyboard, referencing every so often to the clipboard off to the side. A knock on his door caused him to look up and momentarily discard his research.
"Enter." The door opened quickly, and Heidegger strolled in. Hojo sighed softly and looked back to his work. "What is it, General."
Heidegger stopped in front of the seated scientist and looked around. "I want to know how that Turk is doing? Is he obedient yet?" He picked up a paperweight off and inspected it. "Failure won't be accepted Hojo."
"The subject is responding very well to the treatment. Mental blocks are enforcing themselves nicely. No signs of his body rejecting it yet, though I will need to keep him for a week observation to be certain."
"Tseng and Rude return tomorrow. You have until then to complete the procedure."
Hojo rose from his seat and rounded the corner of his desk. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind assisting in a few tests I intend to conduct."
"Gya hah hah. I'd be honored, professor. Just show me to the whelp." The two high-ranking Shin-ra officials stepped into the lab that adjoined Hojo's office. There, Reno sat on a chair, casually flipping a switchblade high in the air and catching it on his descent. Already, thin cuts crisscrossed his palm and fresh blood dripped to the floor.
"Reno, get up." Hojo ordered. Reno looked away from the rotating blade and to the two men that stared intently at it. Without direct concentration, Reno miscalculated his catch, and the blade dug deep into his hand.
"Ow." The Turk dropped the blade and spoke blandly as he got to his feet, an unusual smirk, even for him, crossing his face. "What is it professor. Is it needle time? You know how I love needle time." A small glint appeared in Reno's eyes as they darted about the room.
"No, not right now." The scientist answered. "The General will be helping us today."
Reno moved calmly towards Heidegger, stopping only inches away to look down into the shorter man's eye. They faced off, a grim look of determination on the Turk's face. "Yeah... I remember you." Heidegger's hand slid slowly towards his pistol. Suddenly, Reno poked his superior's face. "Nice scar." Then, just as quickly, he hopped backwards and reached up to his own face. "But mine are cooler." Reno turned away from the two and picked up the discarded knife, wiping it clean on his pants.
Heidegger turned towards Hojo. "Dammit, Hojo, what did you do?"
"I've done what was ordered. He'll follow your every command, and do it without sympathy, compassion or remorse. All the specifics you look for in a model Turk."
"But he's insane."
"A minor side-effect. Besides, you yourself have called him insane multiple times prior to this experiment."
"Yes, but..."
"But nothing. He'll be obedient. You need nothing more than that. I anticipate no further complications. The Turk will be ready by tomorrow as requested. Good day General."
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The helicopter touched down on top of the Shin-ra building as the sun settled into the western horizon. Two figures hopped out and onto the cold concrete, their ties flailing in the wind from the chopper blades cutting the air above them.
"I hate Midgar weather this time of year, don't you Rude?"
"Wutai was nicer." Rude fixed his sunglasses and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Reno loves it there. Where is he?" He asked his superior.
"I'm not sure actually. Normally after being separated for a couple days, he's waiting for us at the helipad, begging to go get hammered. Or have me get him out of something." Tseng answered, adding a smile. "I guess we should go see what kind of trouble he got himself into while I was gone."
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Kassidy sat in the passenger seat of his transport vehicle, reviewing tapes of the Midgar operation he had just partially failed. He searched tape after tape, looking for any clue to AVALANCHE and the Turk's destruction, or escape, if that were the case. A knock on the window broke his concentration. He opened the door.
"Sir, we've located AVALANCHE. They're currently regrouping in Cloud and Tifa Strife's home here in Kalm. Your orders?"
"Get all the search teams there for a full breech. Shoot to kill."
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President Shin-ra entered the Turk lounge, a fully dressed Reno in tow. A fully, properly dressed Reno in tow. The red head stood straight behind the President, hair pulled back into a clean ponytail, tie neatly knotted, and all buttons done up on a tucked in dress shirt beneath a closed suit jacket. And for the third time in his life, Tseng swore.
"What... the fuck."
Even Rude's usual demeanor broke, and the man looked in a state of complete shock. The President smiled broadly.
"I know, it's such a blow to the system to see the boy dressed like this." Shin-ra chuckled. "I nearly had a heart-attack myself. But this..." he indicated Reno. "Is the future of the Turks. I expect you both down in Hojo's office tomorrow morning. As of right now, Rude please take Reno outside. I need to speak with Tseng privately." After the two newest Turks had left, the President turned back to his lead Turk. "I have to warn you Tseng. There's been a slight case of..." He searched for the word. "Insanity..." Tseng's brow furrowed slightly. "I know, it's worrisome, but Professor Hojo has insisted it is due only to Reno's previous mental instability. We felt it was acceptable considering his new-found obedience. However, should the same side-effects begin to arise in either you or Rude in the slightest, the procedure will be reversed immediately. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."
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Rude looked about the room. "Now, all of you have had contact with Reno at one point or another."
Cid spoke up. "Yeah... Not exactly the most sane guy as it is. So that's cause of Hojo?"
"Not exactly." Rude answered. "How you know him is comparatively normal, how he was prior to Hojo's mental dampening... for the most part. During the following weeks after Tseng and I returned from Wutai, Reno was different and increasingly sadistic. He wouldn't even go to the bar."
Yuffie, eyes again damp with tears, looked up. "Bullshit."
"That's what I was saying, but..." Suddenly, Rude stopped, and Red began furiously sniffing the air. Vincent exchanged a look with the Turk and they both drew their guns.
"What's going on?" Cloud asked.
"Everybody, get low and away from the windows." Vincent ordered, as he, Rude and Elena moved to the windows to look outside.
Red padded up to them. "They're moving all around. Completely surrounding the building. I have my nose to help me, how did you two know they were out there?"
"The street traffic has halted completely. I'm assuming they blocked off the roads." Vincent answered. "I count eight out front."
"I only see six." Elena spoke up. Rude laid a hand on her shoulder.
"There's eight. Two in the windows of the house across the street."
"Oh. What now?"
"If we stay in here, we're dead. Too much crossfire."
Cloud and Barret crept their way over. The blond leader looked out the window. "There's a side exit I doubt they would have found by now. We can get out that way, but it's an open field. It'd be only a matter of time before they found cover and picked us off..." Cloud trailed off as he began to formulate a plan in his mind.
"They're getting ready to move." Rude updated.
"Ok, fine." Cloud mumbled, then spoke up. "We're splitting. Barret, Tifa, Red and Elena, you come with me to the side exit. When they come in, we head out and drop who we can. Tifa, take some defensive materia, Red, you and me have the offensive. Move quickly, we don't have much time." The group he directed was led by Tifa to the side exit. "Cid, Vincent, Yuffie and Rude. You need to find cover fast. You're taking out anyone who comes in here."
"You're fucking kidding me." Cid lit a cigarette fast and pulled the spear up from beside him. "Oh, this is gonna be a fucking blast.
"Hey, we need you and Yuffie to cover Vincent and Rude in case anyone rushes them. All you have to do is hold on long enough for us to catch them in a crossfire. It's the best option we have right now."
"Fine, fine. God damn, if I die? Shera's gonna fucking kill me."
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"All troops in position, Sir."
Kassidy smiled menacingly. "Move in."
