Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, scenery, or towns; Square Enix does.


28 – Subconscious Communication

Scowling, Reno flipped his PHS closed and blindly returned it to his inner jacket pocket, tripping on a tree root in the process. He managed to stay upright and scowled at the offending root that dared try to take him down. Damned thing. Giving it a final glare he continued toward the chopper in irritated contemplation before a voice broke his thoughts.

"What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Reno barked, not bothering to alter his pace or look behind him. His boss hadn't concealed his approach and now fell into step beside him.

Tseng flicked eyes toward his subordinate and searched for any clues as to his odd behavior. Not surprisingly there was no indication as to what was bothering the redhead, leaving him frustrated. Every time he thought he had a solid grasp on Reno, the man went and did something to prove him wrong. He wondered if Reno did it on purpose or if he was just that complicated. He's that complex.

The Wutain racked his brain trying to come up with an explanation for Reno's uncharacteristic demeanor. The redhead had seen plenty of destruction and death, had even been intimately involved with both processes on several occasions, so the situation in Gongaga wasn't likely the cause. While it was possible having been exposed to such things repeatedly had worn the man down, he didn't believe that was the case either. So what is? Could it be Angeal's new shadow? Doubtful. Reno was generally accepting of new people once he'd determined they weren't a threat or an enemy. There was no way the redhead would label Zack as either.

Tseng knew that Reno had started acting strangely after finding the transmitter at the ruins of the Gongaga reactor but couldn't figure out what it had to do with anything. There was no question it was a mystery, but normally mysteries were one of the things the redhead enjoyed. It was possible Reno knew more than he was letting on, but that didn't seem likely either. Unless he doesn't trust you enough to fill you in.

"Stop analyzin' me yo."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Reno replied, coming to an abrupt stop as Tseng grabbed his right wrist.

"I can tolerate you keeping things from me, perhaps even lying to me, however I will not tolerate being snapped at unjustly, even if we are alone." Tseng let go of the redhead and watched as he jammed his hands into his pants pockets, slumped his shoulders, and stared at the ground. All signs of defiance or angriness vanished with the blink of an eye.

"Sorry," Reno sighed, locking light bluish-grey eyes with copper-brown ones. "Guess I'm grumpy 'cause I didn't sleep well last night."

"While that may be true we both know that lack of sleep is not the problem. You have been acting abnormally since finding the transmitter."

"Yer right," Reno sighed, turning around and gazing out into the trees. "It's just… fuck I can't explain it Tseng."

"Try."

"I can't explain it to myself so how the hell do you expect me to explain it to you yo?"

"I saw your reaction to the transmitter. What in particular triggered such an aversion?"

"I dunno damnit!" Reno snapped. "Sorry. Again."

"It is alright. At least you are talking."

"For all the good it's doin'," muttered the redhead, agitated. "Look, the damned thing froze my backbone and it doesn't feel like it's gonna thaw anytime soon. I don't know how or why but it did."

"Once we retrieve what we need from the chopper, you will go investigate the reactor further."

"What? No! I might not like the thing but I'm the godsdamned electronics expert. If anyone's gonna take it apart it's gonna be me."

"You doubt my ability?"

"In this, yeah, I do."

Tseng arched an eyebrow, wondering if Reno's words were born more from pride than confidence. No matter how small the task no Turk wanted to be pulled from an assignment. Still the redhead's words were true. He was competent with electronics but Reno was indeed better. "Very well, then you may return to Gongaga and analyze the transmitter as discussed earlier."

Reno nodded, heaving a mental sigh. Tseng was giving him a chance but he knew if he didn't get a grip the Wutain could, and would, change his mind in a heartbeat. If his emotions continued to be a problem, he'd find himself sifting through the destroyed reactor, if not back in Midgar, before he even had a chance to defend himself. Thing was he couldn't blame anyone but himself if that happened. Hell, he'd do the same thing to a subordinate if he even remotely felt their work was compromised, emotionally or otherwise. That Tseng was giving him an opportunity said a great deal about their relationship and the trust they placed in each other.

The redhead took a deep breath and fought down a bout of nausea. Whether due to stress, lack of sleep, or both, he hadn't felt that great since he'd woken up. Regardless, he had a job to do so he pushed it aside along with everything else and set out, jogging a bit to catch up with his boss.

Five minutes later the two Turks reached the helicopter. Tseng watched as Reno nimbly preformed an external check. After a few minutes the redhead nodded and pulled open the cargo door. "She's no worse than she was yesterday."

"That is good to hear," Tseng replied, hopping into the cargo hold.

Reno started to join his boss in the chopper when he heard footsteps in the distance. He sighed, earning a curious look from Tseng, and turned. "Somethin' wrong slick?" he called out a few seconds before Zack burst through the tree line.

"Angeal said to see if you needed help," Zack panted, out of breath.

Reno arched an eyebrow and tossed a look at Tseng, who gave a barely perceptible shrug. He looked back at the youth, who was bouncing from foot to foot. "What the hell, sure. Ya can save me a trip," the redhead replied, turning and taking a case from his boss. The case wasn't much larger than a suitcase though it was deeper.

"What's that?" Zack asked.

"Satellite uplink," replied the redhead, adding an identical case to the first. Yet another case followed, though this one looked more like an oversized aluminum briefcase.

"And that?"

"Laptop with three spare batteries, an external backup device, and a printer," Tseng said, sliding another piece of equipment to Reno.

"That's a generator!" Zack said excitedly.

"Congrats, yer not an idiot," sniggered the redhead.

"Reno," Tseng snapped in a tone that stated not to agitate the help. He gave him a look then handed two gas cans to Reno.

"That all yo?"

"This is," Tseng replied, handing a folding dolly down to the redhead. The Wutain then jumped out of the chopper and slid the cargo door closed.

"Here kid, ya can carry the gas."

"Gee than-" Zack started, but cut himself off as he took the cans.

"Heavier than they look huh?" smirked Reno.

"Yeah," Zack sheepishly replied. He watched as the redhead unfolded the dolly, placed the generator on it, and secured it.

"All set boss."

Tseng nodded. "You take the generator and one of the sat kits," he said, picking up the laptop case and the second satellite case.

Gear in hand, the three headed into the dense trees surrounding Gongaga and its destroyed reactor. While the sun was out it couldn't penetrate the thick layers of leaves above their heads. At least the rain has stopped, Tseng thought.

"Sssooo, what's it like being a Turk?" Zack asked after a few minutes.

"It's like being a Turk yo," Reno chuckled.

"Oookkkaayy," scowled the youth. "Well, what do you do?"

"This and that."

"Are you gonna be a dick all day?"

"I'm not bein' a dick," Reno replied. "Most of what we do is classified yo."

"Oh. Like spy stuff?"

"We do whatever is necessary," Tseng called without turning around. "We gather intelligence when required, are often the first on scene at disasters, orchestrate communications, and act as go betweens for other Shinra Departments. We are the company's eyes and ears. And yes, the less we are seen the better in most cases."

"Heh, cool," Zack grinned. "Why didn't you say that?" he added, head turned toward the redhead.

"Too many big words."

"Too many… you're being a dick again." The redhead shrugged. "Do you guys have ranks?" Zack asked the Wutain's back.

"The department has a Director and an Assistant Director. Beyond that Turks are ranked by the combined scores of their mission assignments."

"You're the Director right?"

"Correct."

"How'd you get stuck with this guy?" Zack chuckled, pointing one of the gas cans at Reno.

The Wutain opened his mouth but Reno spoke first. "Always good ta bring someone to do the grunt work. 'Sides, it's best ta keep an eye on the unstable ones, right Boss?"

"Correct," Tseng replied honestly. Even though the redhead was messing with Zack his words had merit.

The redhead flashed a smile that made Zack's eyes widen and his skin crawl. It reminded him of a villager about his father's age who'd died a few years back. One minute the guy would be yelling at himself or someone else for no reason, throwing things around, or doing something equally as strange. The next minute he'd act as normal as anyone else. As soon as he was old enough to explore the village his father had told him that the guy wasn't right and warned him to stay away from him. After the man had died he'd thought he'd never have to see his crazy ass smile again. Wishful thinking, he thought, giving the redhead a nervous glance. Might not be him doing the smiling, but it's the same.

Reno stifled a chuckle as the trio made the round path and headed toward the reactor. Now probably wasn't the best time to be messing with someone but he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to joke around and it wasn't like he was spitting on anyone's grave or anything.

The redhead shook his thoughts aside as the group entered the grounds surrounding the reactor. He looked at Tseng, who pointed to a flat, clear area about 6 meters away from the large debris field. "Follow me kid." The youth silently trailed after him and watched as he unstrapped the generator and placed it in the proper position. "Fill 'er up yo."

"Ok," Zack replied, bounding to the generator with a grin, uneasiness behind him.

Reno smirked at the kid's enthusiasm and began setting up a satellite uplink. The device had its own power source but it was solar. The overcast sky might not allow it to fully charge, hence the generator. Truth was he and Tseng didn't even need the damned thing but the bigwigs probably would once they got here.

"Will the Mako effect signal levels?" Tseng asked, setting the second uplink next to the one Reno was working on.

"Honestly I don't know without testin' it. My gut tells me we're gonna get some interference, maybe some slower speeds, but it'll probably work well enough." Tseng nodded, pulled his PHS out, and walked away, eyes glued to the device.

"It's full!" Zack called enthusiastically.

"Ya know how to fire it up?"

Zack eyed the generator before replying. "Prime it here and pull this cord right?"

"Uh-huh," Reno nodded, turning back to the uplinks. There was a pause as if Zack was uncertain about what to do, then he heard the youth fiddle with the primer button and pull the cord a few times.

"Eh, it's not starting."

"Course not, that'd be too easy yo. Keep at it. It'll eventually start… I think," Reno replied without turning.

"Okay!"

By the time Zack got the generator running Reno had finished setting up the first uplink and was halfway through the second. The redhead turned and gave the youth a thumbs-up sign, yelling, "Let it run for a minute," over the noise of the motor.

Zack looked around, wondering where the creepy Turk Director had gone before watching the redhead. The dials, knobs, and switches made no sense to him but it was still interesting. After a few minutes Reno stood, turned, and killed the generator with a nod. The Turk looked around and walked off, maybe going to join his boss, and Zack was left bouncing from foot to foot, wanting something to do. He hated being idle for any reason. Voices on the path drew his attention and took off. "Angeal!"

"Hey Zack," Angeal smiled, turning to the two Thirds. "You two are to guard this area. No one other than Shinra personnel should get beyond this point unless escorted."

"Sir!" the SOLDIERs replied in unison, snapping off salutes and taking up posts.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," Angeal said, giving Zack a stern look.

"I'm not!" replied Zack. The SSC raised an eyebrow and he swiveled, pointing, though his finger quickly started to bend downward. "Where'd they go?" he muttered.

"Who?"

"The Turks. They were just here!" Zack exclaimed. He jumped as Reno appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Shit! Don't do that! Wait, how do you even do it?"

"Assassin's don't reveal their methods yo," Reno replied in a low, flat voice.

"You assassinate people?" exclaimed Zack. "Awesome!"

"Killing people is not awesome Zack," Angeal chided.

"Heh, says you yo."

Angeal scowled at Reno and focused on Zack. "I take it your friend didn't say much about his work."

"My frien…. oh Katana? Nah."

"Katana?" parroted the redhead.

"Yeah, you knew him right?" Zack said.

"Yes," Reno replied, expression completely blank.

Zack opened his mouth but before he could say anything the Turk had vanished again. "Damnit! Where'd he go?"

"I don't know," Angeal blinked, surprised. With his enhanced eyesight he should have been able to track the Turk's movement, yet he hadn't. For that matter he hadn't even heard him exit. The man had literally vanished. He's good. "Come on," he said to Zack. "Let's let them investigate. There's plenty to do in the village."

"Okay," replied Zack, glancing back a final time before bounding after Angeal.

Reno watched the two leave from his perch in a tree. Once he was sure they were out of earshot he dropped to the ground and found Tseng, who turned and snapped his PHS closed. "Katana from here?"

"Yes."

Reno nodded. "Either he's been here since his defection or Hewley's been talkin'." Tseng blinked at him so he clarified. "Zack asked me if I knew him, not if I know him."

"Implying he knows Katana is no longer with Shinra. My guess would be that SSC Hewley has said something." At the redhead's expression he asked, "You disagree?"

"No, it's just you don't seem pissed about a breach of confidentially."

Tseng watched Reno but couldn't determine anything from his visage. Whether he disagreed or not there was something that the Turk wasn't saying. He decided to let it slide; knowing that if he continuously pushed Reno would completely shut down and shut him out. Instead he focused on his subordinate's words. "I will remind the SOLDIER that the Turk desertion is classified, however the boy is clever and Hewley is a poor liar. He may have ascertained the truth on his own and Hewley simply confirmed it."

"Yer right," Reno nodded. One look at his boss's face and posture told him there was more. "Whatever it is just tell me yo."

"Zack Fair will be returning to Midgar with us."

"Come again?" Reno blinked.

"As you know one of the duties of the Department of Administrative Research is to scout talent for SOLDIER."

"So what, ya recruited him?"

"Not exactly," Tseng sighed, sitting on a rock. "I assessed him."

"Godsdamnit Tseng I can speak, read, and write three fuckin' languages, fluently, but riddles ain't in my repertoire."

Tseng raised an eyebrow and a faint smirk appeared. "Zack's father spoke with me on the way to the Mayor's house last night. He asked, no begged, me to take the boy with us when we left, stating that with the village in ruins there was no future here for him. I asked if there was anywhere for the boy to go and he said no. I then told him the best I could do was take Zack to Midgar. There he could join Shinra where food, shelter, and money could be obtained. The father accepted, stating Zack has often spoken of being a SOLDIER and becoming a hero."

Reno crossed his arms and looked off into the distance. "You've been watchin' him since we got here."

"What makes you think that?"

"You wouldn't have agreed to take him so quickly otherwise."

"Correct. Is that a problem?"

"No, like you said, it's part of our Directives," Reno smirked, looking back at his boss. "I've been watchin' him too."

"I assumed as much," Tseng replied. "Do you agree with my conclusion?"

"What, that he'd make a good SOLDIER?"

"Yes."

Reno took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before replying. "I can't say whether the kid'll make it into SOLDIER but he's got potential." He paused before adding, "Zack know he's comin' with us?"

"I was planning on talking to him today." Tseng paused then added. "Let me rephrase, I was planning on having you talk to him today."

"Why me?"

"He thinks I am creepy."

"Heh, you are but so what? He's gonna join SOLDIER, not the Turks, make Hewley do it."

"I do not think SSC Hewley will agree with this."

"Why the hell not?"

"He is the type to protect others from all that is wrong in the world, not the type to encourage them to join in the battle."

"Well that's fuckin' stupid. Someone's gotta fight and ya think he'd welcome allies."

"I believe he will. He simply is not cut out to recruit."

"What about the parents?" Reno sighed.

"They do not wish Zack to feel like they are sending him away."

"So what, ya want me to dangle the bait and let him bite so he can claim leavin' is his choice?"

"Exactly."

The redhead inhaled deeply and gave a long sigh. "Fine." Reno paused then said. "So yer not gonna jump on Hewley too hard because whether he knows it or not, he basically opened his mouth to a Shinra employee."

"You are assuming Zack will bite."

"Ya damned well know he will. 'Sides you already said the kid was comin' with us. Even if he doesn't bite the parents are gonna sign him over to us anyway. Am I wrong?"

"No. As for SSC Hewley this is his first slip up, so I intend to issue the proper warning. It makes no difference whether he spoke with Shinra personnel or not." Reno nodded and tilted his head back, staring up at the blue-grey-green clouds overhead. Tseng watched him for a moment before speaking again. "Are the communication centers set up?"

"Yeah," Reno replied, leveling his head. "Signals look pretty good too, though there may still be some static. Data speeds may be slower than normal too. Can't really say till people start usin'em."

"I understand," nodded the Wutain, standing. "You may head back to the village and start working on the transmitter. Take the laptop with you. I am going to stay here and investigate."

"Alright. If yer not back by dinner I'm comin' to find you yo," Reno said, taking the laptop case from the Wutain. Tseng gave a quick nod and walked toward where the main part of the reactor once stood. The redhead took in the scene for a moment before heading out. He passed between the two Third Class SOLDIERs with a quick nod and set out for the village in thought.

At the front of his mind was Zack. So the kid wanted to be a hero huh? Good luck with that. Sounded like childish fantasy or wishful thinking to him. He had to admit it was nice to help people, even save them, but to be a hero? Pfft. He was content to do his job, earn some money, and make a place for himself. Maybe that was the real difference between Turks and SOLDIERs. One group wanted to be out front and earn glory, the other wanted nothing more than to stay hidden.

Even if the kid wanted to be a SOLDIER Reno had to wonder if he was prepared for the reality of it. Did he have any idea how much blood and sweat SOLDIERs put into training? How many hours they did doing nothing but practice the same moves over and over again? Hell, did he have any idea how fucking hard it was to get into SOLDIER in the first place? Angeal had once told the Turks that over half of those who made it past the first few hurdles were dropped due to their incompatibility with Mako. Those that passed the screening process became fucking test subjects in addition to all the training. Once again he was damned glad to be a Turk.

Reno's thoughts were interrupted by pounding feet on the trail in front of him. He stopped and a few minutes later Zack came into view. Freakin' kid a mind reader or what? he thought as the youth skidded to a stop in front of him. "'Sup?"

"Angeal said he found something your boss needs to see."

"Did he specifically ask fer Tseng?"

"Well, no."

"Then I'll handle it yo."

"Maybe it's more important than grunt work. He did say to be quick about it."

"I said I'll handle it. If I think Boss man needs to be notified I'll do it myself." Zack looked doubtful but finally nodded consent. "What'd he find?" the redhead asked as they started walking.

"I don't know."

"You didn't peek?"

"Tried but I couldn't get close enough," Zack grinned. "Whatever it is, it's in a squished hut."

"Squished?"

"Yep! Flattened like a freakin' pancake by a huge metal slab!"

"How'd they find it then?"

"Angeal lifted the slab." Zack looked away then added. "There're still a few people missing," he said, looking forlornly at the ground for a moment before brightening. "I'm gonna be like Angeal someday!"

"That so?" Reno said, thinking reeling the kid in was going to be easy.

"Yep!" exclaimed the youth. "I'm gonna join SOLDIER and travel all over the world helping people!"

"It's not all rainbows and kitties."

"I'm not stupid."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I know people are gonna get hurt along the way."

"Yer okay with that?"

"Yes and no. I don't like hurting people but… well some people deserve it."

Reno hid his surprise. He knew the kid wasn't stupid but that sentence sounded almost jaded, which went against his impression of him. Deeper than he looks… and acts. At that he hid a scowl, thinking that's often how people viewed him. We're nothing alike. "You think you can handle the SOLDIER training regime yo?"

"Heck yeah! I've already learned a few moves and I practice all the time! Well, with a wooden sword anyway," Zack said, removing said sword from his back and handing it to the Turk. "Dad won't let me get a real one so for now I carry this. It's good for beating down Flower Prong's, Touch Me's, Kimara Bug's, and Beachplug's but not much else."

As soon as Reno took the wooden sword he froze. He'd expected a child's toy or at least something a child would craft to pass off as a sword, but this was no toy. It was a real practice sword and one of the highest quality.

Tthe sword was about 102 centimeters long with a 76-centimeter blade. The remaining 26-centimeters held a circular guard and the grip. It was perfectly balanced and weighted to feel like its real counterpart, a daito or long sword. A katana.

When the Turk stopped, Zack stopped with him. He tried to read his expression but couldn't. Wistful maybe. "He was a friend of yours, huh?" The Turk said nothing and didn't appear to have heard him. "You in there man?"

"What?" Reno said, pulling himself from his thoughts as Zack repeated his question. "I don't know if I'd call us friends really, but we were close enough I suppose. We partnered together a lot anyway," he added, handing the sword back. And he was one of the few that dared talk to me regardless of what Veld said or did.

"Angeal wouldn't tell me much but he didn't seem to think he was dead."

"Angeal shouldn't have told you anything yo."

"Why, 'cause I'm a kid?" Zack scowled.

"No, 'cause it's classified."

"Oh, well don't be pissed at him. I tortured him till he talked," the youth grinned.

"Heh, whatever. Don't worry 'bout it. Boss man's just gonna give him a warning."

"That's good," Zack replied, putting the sword back in place on his back. "I get that it's classified and I won't ask details, but can you at least confirm he isn't dead? I promise not to bring it up again if you tell me."
Reno sighed. It wasn't too much to ask but it was classified and Hewley was going to get chewed out for discussing it. If he talked he'd get chewed out too. Not like that'd be a first. "No, he's not dead." I'll chew myself out later.

"Good," Zack smiled. "I always liked him. Never know, maybe you'll see him again someday."

"Maybe," Reno replied as the two started walking again. A few minutes of silence passed before the redhead broke it. "So, it sounds like you've made up yer mind about joining SOLDIER."

"I have."

"What about your family? Your friends?"

"It's my choice, not theirs."

"That's not what I meant. You prepared to leave them behind yo?"

Zack thought for a moment. "Yeah. I mean, I'll miss them but this is something I want to do and both my parents always told me to follow my heart so I think they'll understand. As for friends, I don't really have any. There were only a few people around my age and they've either left or gotten married already."

"You don't wanna get married?"

"Someday maybe, but not at freaking 14! There's nothing wrong with village life if that's what you want, but it's not what I want."

Reno was quiet for a moment then said, "Recruiting SOLDIERs partially falls under Turk jurisdiction."

"You mean I have to get by your boss before I can join SOLDIER or something?"

"No," Reno chuckled, thinking it would be humorous to see Zack try and take Tseng down. "Turks travel more than most Shinra employees. If we see someone promising while we're out, we're supposed to recruit them."

"Really?" Zack exclaimed. "How's that work?"

"Usually a Turk would have to talk to the person, send a video to our Director or Assistant Director, and wait for approval before enlisting anyone."

"Usually huh? Sooo… you can bypass that process since your boss is already here, right?" replied Zack excitedly.

"Somethin' like that," Reno chuckled. He sat the laptop down, removed his wallet, and pulled a small, rectangular card out. Without a word he handed it to the youth.

Zack thought the Turk was handing him a business card until he felt the sturdiness of it. Looking down he realized it was made of plastic. His ID? he thought, even more confused. "What gives?"

"Read it."

Zack scowled at the picture in annoyance and fought a shiver. The guys' look was similar to the one he'd given him earlier that had made his skin crawl. Pyscho. There was an employee number at the top, though only part of it was visible: -0581. Anything before the dash was blacked out. Weird. Below the number field was a name field: Reno. Simple enough. Underneath the employee name and above 'If found please return to Shinra Electric Power Company, Sector 1, Midgar' was 'Assistant Director, Department of Administrative Research'. Zack's eyebrows rose in disbelief and he quickly flipped the card over, finding the holographic Shinra watermark. Shit, it's real!

"I was just screwin' with you earlier kid, sorry. I can bypass the process because I'm me, not 'cause my Boss is here."

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," Zack muttered, unable or unwilling to believe it, card be damned.

"Heh, 'fraid not," Reno chuckled. "So, you in?"

"In?" parroted Zack.

"You want to join SOLDIER or not?"

"Hell yes!"

Reno nodded. "You'll return to Midgar with me and Tseng then."

"Yes!" Zack yelled, jumping into the air and giving an excited whoop. "Midgar here I come!"

The redhead smirked and looked on while Zack danced around in excitement. He jerked his head in the direction of the village as footsteps sounded, barely hearing them above the youth's excitement.

"Zack are you al… right…" Angeal trailed off, staring at the youth in confusion.

"He's fine yo."

"Reno?" Angeal said, confused.

"I'm gonna be a SOLDIER!" Zack yelped, hopping up and down in front of Angeal before bouncing off again. Suddenly the youth stopped and spun to face the SSC. "Do Turks have ranks?"

Angeal raised an eyebrow and glanced at Reno, who shrugged. "The only ranks I'm aware of are the Director and Assistant Director."

"Who are they?"

"Tseng is the Director and Reno is the Assistant Director. Why?"

"Then I really am gonna be a SOLDIER!" Zack exclaimed. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Hey!" yelled Reno, stopping Zack in his tracks. "ID?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," the youth beamed, handing the ID back with a sheepish grin before bolting off.

"Care to explain?" Angeal asked, watching the Zack run full speed toward the village.

"I yanked his chain 'fore I told him I was the AD. Probably wanted to make sure my ID was legit. Rather that my rank was legit," Reno replied, returning the card to its proper place.

"And the SOLDIER part? You recruited him?"

"Yep," Reno replied. "And I ain't changin' my mind either so don't even try." There was a long pause, during which the Turk watched the SSC swallow words, likely protests. "Zack said you found somethin'."

"Yes," Angeal said at length. "We found some documents I thought the Turks should see."

"What kind a documents?" asked Reno, picking the laptop up.

"I honestly don't know. I don't recognize the language."

"Well ain't that a bitch," the redhead chuckled, moving toward the village. "Must be more or you wouldn't a sent Zack after us."

"We also found some discs but I don't have the equipment to check them."

"Aaannnddd," Reno said, getting impatient.

"Some of the papers have the Shinra letterhead."

"That makes it interestin' but don't prove much."

"I know but under the circumstance I thought it best to play it safe. You guys are the investigative experts."

"Heh, true."

The rest of the journey passed by in silence, each lost in thought. Like Reno, Angeal had mixed feelings on Zack's joining SOLDIER. He wondered if someone so full of life was suited for the program. The kid was independent too, but then again so was Genesis. Yeah, look how great he's doing. The SSC winced at the thought, ashamed of himself. While his auburn friend had some bumps, they were mainly due to his mouth and apparent dislike of authority. That aside Genesis was doing better than he was in almost everything. The STC was faster, smarter, a better swordsman, and a hell of a lot better with Mako than he was. Some would disagree with the swordsman bit but Angeal knew better. His attacks were mechanical and driven by strength whereas Genesis's swordsmanship was pure skill. Perhaps Zack was like the auburn minus the negative attitude. If that was the case the youth would make a great SOLDIER.

Entering the village, the pair saw a small cluster of people with Zack in the middle. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the commotion was. Most of the villagers appeared excited and happy for the youth but a few shot disapproving looks in their direction.

"Looks like you might have made some enemies," commented Angeal.

"Heh, what the hell else is new yo? Where's the stuff?" Reno replied without breaking stride or acknowledging the crowd.

"Still where we found it. Follow me."

With that Angeal led the Turk to a hut not far from their temporary dwellings, though it couldn't really still be called a hut. Zack had been right, the thing was indeed flattened, as was most everything within it. Furniture, cabinets, dishes, and all the other comforts of a home were smooshed into the ground. Among the rubble Reno spotted scattered papers and a few discs not far from the remains of a desk and picked his way toward them.

"Any idea what it is?" Angeal called a few minutes later.

"No," replied the redhead, gathering everything up. "I'll take it back to the hut for a closer look.

"Maybe the writings code or something."

"Maybe," the Turk agreed, sifting through the debris for any more clues and finding none. "Who used to live here?"

"No one. It was used as a guest house for visitors."

"How long since anyone stayed here?"

"No one seems to remember exactly, but most agree at least a year, maybe longer. No one could remember who stayed here last either."

Reno sighed. The papers felt gritty which could mean they were dusty or it was dirt kicked up when the place was flattened. The villagers could be protecting someone but if that was the case no one was likely to talk. Ifrit's Hellfire he hated small places like this. The people could ban together and put a serious kink on an investigation. Pain in the ass. "Alright, let me and Tseng deal with it from here. Things like this have to be handled a certain way."

"Fine with me," Angeal shrugged. "I'd rather be helping with the cleanup and whatnot anyway."

Reno nodded. "I'm gonna head to the hut. I need ta analyze that transmitter from yesterday then I'll take a closer look at this shit. If anythin' else turns up come and get me."

"Okay. I'll go see what the Mayor wants me to do."

"Sounds good," Reno said, clearing the flattened dwelling. A quick jerk of the head toward the SSC and he was off.

Inside the Turks temporary quarters, the redhead sat the laptop case, documents, and discs on the coffee table. It was tempting to boot up the computer now and check out the discs but his other task came first. With a heartfelt sigh he looked at the small kitchen table. The transmitter sat exactly where he'd left it, power button facing him like an unblinking red-eyed Cyclops.

The redhead closed the distance and sat down at the kitchen table before his spine had enough time to start tingling. He picked the box up and examined the edges in order to determine how it was put together. Only one right angle had a seam, meaning a single piece of metal was bent into a square shape then soldered where the ends met. In addition, the top and bottom of the box had been soldered to the main part. Damnit. It wasn't a big deal to remove the solder but the equipment was in the chopper. With a growl he got up, left the hut, and took off for the bird at top speed.

20 minutes later Reno was back at the table, slightly out of breath but with the equipment he needed. He decided the best way to open the device was to remove the top. It didn't take long for the soldering iron to heat and he quickly got to work using a soldering vacuum to remove the solder from the transmitters seem. Before long all the joints were clear so he stuck his pinky into the depression containing the power button, wiggled a bit, and gently pulled. The top panel came free with minimal resistance.

As expected there was a wire leading from the button to a circuit board inside the cube. He inspected the wire and gently pulled it free of the backside of the button, allowing the top to be completely removed. Laying it on the table, he pulled a kit from one of his inner jacket pockets. It was about 30 centimeters long, 15 centimeters wide, and contained 40 of the most commonly used tools for electronics. Small wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers with bits, wire cutters, wire strippers, pliers, a penlight, and tweezers formed the bulk of it along with a few other odds and ends. Reno unzipped the kit, removed the penlight, and shined it inside the transmitter cube for a better look.

A brief inspection revealed nothing unusual about the devices inner workings. The circuit boards and wires could be bought from any electronics store or even scavenged from various devices. Wanting to be thorough the Turk began to unscrew five tiny screws holding two layers of circuit boards together.

30 minutes later Reno had finished his inspection and had learned absolutely nothing. The device proved to be fairly simply constructed, requiring only basic knowledge of electronics to assemble. The hardest part had to be integrating the thing with the reactors computer system. In order to accomplish that someone had to have hardwired a wireless transmitter into the existing computer system that overrode its functions and replaced the data with that from the box or the normal communications system had simply been disabled and replaced by the box. Right now he had no way to tell how it had been installed. Perhaps Tseng would find something at the reactor site, if not he could always go tomorrow and try to find a clue. He wasn't getting his hopes up though; the damned reactor was so demolished that pulling a useful clue from the wreckage would be nearly impossible.

Reno gave the transmitter one last look, wondering why the thing had spooked him so badly, before rising and heading to the living room. He flopped onto the couch, closed his eyes, and rested for a few minutes before opening the laptop case, pulling the computer out, and hitting the power button. While waiting for it to boot up he grabbed the documents he'd collected and examined them for clues. As he did so a pang of guilt danced in his gut for having lied to Angeal.

While it was true he couldn't read the pages, he knew they weren't code and were in fact written in Cetran, a mostly dead language belonging to the Ancients. So far as he knew no one spoke it anymore but some knew how to read and write it. The fact that it was rare was a clue but not enough of one to point toward any one person or group. There were a lot of scientists and academics scattered all over Gaia who could have written this.

The laptop chimed and Reno tossed the documents on the table. He'd retrieved three discs at the flattened hut and now he grabbed one, sticking it into the laptop's slot loading media drive. Feeling the computer take over he let go of the disc and waited. The disc spun a few times then a message popped up: 'unable to read disc'. Damnit, he thought with a loud sigh. He'd been afraid of that. The computer had retrieval software but it would take time, so he ejected the disc and grabbed another one, only to receive the same message. He ejected it as well and picked up the last one. "Come on baby," he said, inserting it into the media drive.

Whether the third time was the charm or it was his sweet-talking the disc spun and kept spinning. A screen popped up stating the disc was clear of viruses then the disc was opened and a list of files appeared. Before the redhead went any further, he opened a program to check the disc's security. At first glance he didn't believe any of the files were encrypted, however they could be password protected and set to terminate if the incorrect username/password was not used. It didn't take long before the security program reported the files were not protected by any method. Reno closed that program and opened another.

The second program would duplicate each file and generate a log file. The log would contain detailed information on each file, such as file name, when the file was created, how many times it had been modified and when, how many times the file had been viewed and when, the author or name of the computer that created the file, the size of the file, and what program or programs were used to create and view the file. The log file was not only an excellent source of information but could also serve as a record to prove the files existed just in case something happened to the originals.

Once the log file was generated and the files backed up Reno wasted no time examining the info. In total there were 63 files on the disc. The files all contained 'TS0' at the beginning of each file name, followed by the file number itself, so that the filenames ranged from TS001 to TS063. Nothing remarkable there. Reno moved onto the rest of the data in the log file, eyes eagerly scanning for clues.

A cursory glance didn't reveal anything unusual. The files had been created with common word processing software. Each file had been opened and modified several times and the size of each file varied, though for text documents some of the file sizes were on the large size. Charts, graphics, or pictures. None of the files had an author name and at least three different computers were used, however using multiple computers wasn't all that uncommon and there was nothing to point to a specific computer or user. Unfortunately, the computer names had been changed from the original manufacturer settings but they'd been changed to apparent random numbers and letters. It was something he could look into but he wasn't getting his hopes up.

With a loud sigh Reno sank back into the couch and stared at the screen blankly. He hadn't expected much, but something would have been nice. The redhead rose, retrieved a can of soda from the refrigerator, and returned to living room, sitting back down heavily. He sipped on his soda and scowled at the laptop screen. The redhead was planning out his next move when something suddenly caught his eye: the creation dates on the files.

The redhead jerked forward, almost spilling his soda in the process. He glared at the can, sat it on the coffee table, and grabbed the laptop. Files TS001-TS026 had been created almost 21 years before files TS027-TS063. The hell? He also noticed that the original 26 files had all been modified on the same day, almost two years ago. On top of that, all the files had been modified within an hour of each other. To him there was only one explanation for the discrepancy. The original files had been recreated two years ago but the original creation date was still tagged within the files. In affect old files had been formatted to work with new software. The date gap also explained why at least two computers were used to create the files. It was highly unlikely a computer from 20 some years ago would still be functional today, but like the original creation date, the original computer name was recorded and stored in the file tag.

While the 21 year span was interesting it wasn't much of a clue. The software required for such an operation wasn't hard to come by nor was it a difficult process. Why did society have to be so tech savvy nowadays? Reno gave the log file a final look and finally got down to the files themselves. He opened TS001 hoping for a revelation, but his hopes were quickly dashed.

The file was written in shorthand and without a detailed analysis he wouldn't get anywhere. Hell, even with an analysis he might not get anywhere because the author often used symbols and other code in place of actual words. The best he could hope for was some type of legend on either this disc or somewhere else. Even so, some phrases stuck out, such as '24 yr. old, wh. ml. w/n.f.', but his inability to read the majority of the file prevented him from understanding anything as a whole.

Reno closed the file and moved on to the next, which was also written in shorthand. He closed that file and began clicking through each just in case one was different but none were and his frustration mounted.

By the time he reached TS027 he was beyond frustrated and his mind was working on autopilot. Yet as the file opened the redhead immediately spotted a difference. While it was written in shorthand, it was obviously written by someone else as the symbols, abbreviations, and codes were vastly different from the previous files. Given the 21 year gap he supposed that made sense. Still doesn't fuckin' help me.

Completely frustrated, Reno leaned back into the couch, let his head fall back, and closed his eyes. Who the hell used shorthand like that in today's day and age? It implied someone completely paranoid because data encryption was usually enough to keep people out or at least make an author feel the files were secure. He'd bet the data had originally been encrypted, yet still written in shorthand. Someone really, really, fucking paranoid.

Reno cleared his mind and began to go over everything he'd learned, which wasn't much. He had 63 files with a 21-year gap in the middle of their creation. The files were created on three different computers and written in shorthand by two extremely paranoid people. Tseng's gonna love this. Tseng… shouldn't he have been back by now? Back? He was never here. He wasn't? No. Where is he?

"Where is whom?"

"Ts...eng…" Reno replied. Why the hell is it so hard to breath?

"Ah… I would imagine he's off on some mission somewhere. Probably forgotten all about you by now," said a musical, mocking male voice.

"No…"

"Oh come now, you really shouldn't spend your last moments thinking about someone who abandoned you."

"Didn't… abandon… me." Did he?

"You poor thing. I really feel badly for you."

"Fuck… you…" growled Reno, putting a vast amount of hatred into the words. He instantly regretted it as a fresh slice was etched into his back by a vicious whip-blow.

"You will address me properly!" replied the voice, slightly condescending this time.

"Fuck… you… Professor..." Reno spat.

"Mmm, I suppose that will do considering your condition."

A figure appeared and Reno twisted for a better view, quickly regretting it as sharp pain shot through his entire body. He stopped and bit his lip to keep from wincing, or worse, crying out. Gods what the hell was wrong with him? Second thought, don't wanna know. Shoving the pain aside, he shifted his eyes and focused on the man in front of him.

The guy had dark brown hair that would fall to his neck if it weren't slicked back from his forehead. Dark brown eyes that were almost black looked through thin, black and silver wire framed glasses perched halfway up his nose. He wore a medium gray colored, long sleeve top with matching pants. The shirt had straps instead of buttons, which began at the waist and ended with a closure at the front of a high collar neck. The hell is his name again? Reno thought, slightly panicked over his diminishing mental capacity.

"Awe, you poor dear. You must be in so much pain," said the musical voice sounding almost sad. "But don't worry, it will go away soon."

Reno watched the man walk away and glide behind a table about seven meters away. It looked as though he was rearranging things but the redhead couldn't tell. It was becoming harder and harder to focus and his eyelids were becoming heavy. Suddenly his head jerked to the side and it took him a moment to figure out he'd been backhanded.

"Thank you Fifty-Eight."

Out of the corner of his eye the redhead saw a figure nod and slink away in reverence. He slowly turned his head back to the front and came eye to eye with Mr. Musical Voice. The guy was looking at him with a mixture of pity, hate, regret, frustration, sadness, irritation, and disdain.

"It's such a shame I can't make you number Sixty-Four. You simply aren't viable."

"Thank… Gods…" At his words the face darkened in a mix of anger and self-righteousness.

"Gods?" the man laughed. "When my plan is complete they'll kneel before me. Pity you won't be here to see it." The man became motionless, apparently lost in thought. A few minutes passed then he returned to life, saying, "Do you have any final words?"

Reno thought of plenty of things to say but kept it all to himself. He wouldn't give the guy the satisfaction of hearing his last words. Besides that, there was no way he was going to feed into this guy's power trip and delusions.

"No? Very wel-"

"Sir!"

"In a min-"

"Sir, you need to hear this."

"Very well," the man sighed. "What is it Sixty-Two?"

"New intel just came in. We have an hour, two max, before Shinra storms this place."

"What? How did they find us?"

"Our source did not say. Just said to evacuate."

"Damnit!" yelled the man, hatred and rage almost boiling over but he stamped it down. "Begin packing immediately," he said, storming back to his table.

"Yes, Sir!" Sixty-Two crisply replied before exiting.

Reno wanted to cry but the urge was easy to resist as overwhelming tiredness once again began to take hold. He let the weariness consume him and closed his eyes. Immediately he felt disconnected from himself and reality and he welcomed it. Unfortunately the feeling didn't last nearly long enough. The sensation vanished as fingers dug into his chin and shook his head violently.

"He's still alive, Sir."

"My but he is tough," said musical voice.

"What should we do with him?"

"Leave him. I was going to hasten his death but considering the circumstances he can suffer."

By the sound of the voice Reno knew the guy had to be standing right in front of him but his eyes refused to focus. The next thing he knew he was on the ground and the guy was squatting in front of him. He could tell by the blur and lack of light.

"It has truly been a pleasure meeting you, but I'm afraid we must part ways. You'll be dead by the time your friends get here. As my final gift to you I'll leave your body here for them to claim."

Reno watched the blur move until it was almost out the door. He gathered his last bit of resolve, clenched his teeth, and spoke. "Fuhito."

"Oh! You can still speak? Even better, you remember my name! How exquisitely touching!"

"Once Tseng…. is fin…ished with… you… I'll be… waiting…"

"My dear you'll be dead."

"I know," Reno grinned maliciously.

Fuhito raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'll look forward to our reunion then," he said before disappearing.

Reno's eyes snapped open and he looked around wild-eyed. Disoriented, he jumped to his feet. His lower leg bumped into something, causing him to panic. He leapt sideways, took a few steps, and slammed into something solid. Fighting down anxiety he forced himself to look around. Wall, turn, couch, coffee table, bed… You fell asleep dumbass! "Sonofabitch," he mumbled, forcing himself to calm down before his heart broke through his ribcage.

The redhead walked shakily to the couch and sat down with a sigh. He'd fallen asleep and had a dream, that was all. Some fuckin' dream, more like a nightmare. Unfortunately that wasn't it either. Flashback.

Blood running colder than ice water, Reno retrieved his PHS and fiddled with it for a moment, trying to figure out why the hell it wouldn't dial out. You're shaking and your fingers aren't hitting the right buttons. He took a few deep breaths and tried again. Success, he thought as a ringing sounded. He hit the speaker button just before the call was answered.

"Tseng."

"I have something," Reno said, hoping his voice sounded normal.

"On my way."

Reno managed to end the call, tried to put his PHS up, but gave up and tossed it on the table. He threw it too hard and it slid until it fell off the table on the opposite side, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Get a fucking grip Reno. With that he leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, dropped his head into the palm of his hands, and waited, afraid to close his eyes. Gods knew where else his mind might drift to and in his opinion, some things were better off left forgotten.