They landed in a cloud of dust, while at the same time making a huge racket by having the engines on full power. This is what Marlene did best, making an entrance. She grinned at Cloud. "If this doesn't get his attention, nothing will." He grinned back at her. Ever since Cloud had released all of his pent up anger and grief at her in one go, he seemed different. Despite the fact that he was almost in constant pain, he seemed so full of life and adventure. This was a Cloud that she had never meet before, and she defiantly preferred him to the irritable version. Behind them, Nanaki's look seemed to question the point of making a huge, overblown entrance.
The cottage itself was very traditional, made out of stone and had a thatched roof. Talk about being cliché, Marlene thought. It doesn't seem like the house of a former Turk...
They faced the front door (which was made out of oak). Cloud drew his weapon, and sliced through the door with one blow. Marlene advanced first, kicking the splinters of wood out of her way. "Wouldn't it be easier to knock?" Nanaki asked.
"We want to get his attention..." Cloud said, turning to Nanaki. "Besides, I wouldn't feel right knocking on a former Turk's door. It seems too polite..."
In listening to the conversation between the two of them, Marlene let her concentration wonder for a split-second, and in that split second, she found herself staring at the business end of a nightstick. "Um, Cloud..."
"You woke me up, you busted down my door, and now you insult me by saying that knocking would be 'too polite'!" Reno's face was one of barely contained rage. He flicked a button on his nightstick, and a bolt of electricity singed the air just a couple of centimetres in front of Marlene's nose.
Despite being in his early 40s, Reno didn't seem any different from what Marlene had seen in a photo taken of him during the Meteor incident, except for a couple of strands of his hair that were starting to go grey. "What do you want?" he said, not taking his eyes off Marlene.
"As much as I regret saying this," Cloud replied. "We need your help, as a guide..."
"Do you really think I'd help you, after you broke down my door?!" He clenched his fist. "Did you know that I actually built this cottage myself?! Did you know that it took me about a month to do it?! And do you also know that it took me ages to get the oak for the front door?!" Marlene chuckled. "What's so darn funny, kid?" He drove one end of the nightstick into her stomach, thumbing the button as he did so before she could even react. Marlene went rigid as thousands of volts of electricity flowed through her, her mouth open in a silent scream. Reno removed his nightstick, and she went limp collapsing to the ground.
"Bastard!" Cloud leapt forward, swinging his sword at Reno. It wasn't a killing blow, but Reno brought up his nightstick, blocking effortlessly. "If you have so much as bruised her..."
"Getting protective Cloud?" He smiled. "If she's your woman, then perhaps you should pick someone a little bit...older. Tifa would defiantly not approve...ugh..." he said as Cloud rammed the hilt of his sword into his face. "And I thought you wanted my help..." he continued, nursing a bloody nose.
"I was going to offer you a small fortune and my eternal gratitude," Cloud said, angrily. He was temporarily distracted by Marlene's coughing and spluttering, and he glanced over to see her get unsteadily to her feet. "But now," he said, turning his attention to Reno. "The deal just got worse for you. Now, if you help us, and I'll let you live."
Reno seemed to consider this. "What do you want me to do?"
"You knew you're way around Midgar, right?" He nodded. "Then you probably know about Hojo's laboratory in the ruins."
"I know where it is, yes. So?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be."
"I want you to take us there."
"Why?"
"That's none of your business..."
"Let me take a wild guess. You and Nanaki here were both Hojo's experiments, and he screwed up somewhere, and so you are going to all this trouble to find out if there is any way to reverse it." He grinned. "It must be fatal if you want me to help you..."
"Are you going to take us there?" Nanaki growled.
"Personally, I would prefer to see both of you dead. The girl," he cast a sideways glance at Marlene. "I would just prefer to see her face smashed in!" Marlene clenched her fists. "Still, it looks like I have no choice. When do we leave?"
"Immediately!"
"Can I just pack a few things?"
"No!"
The cottage itself was very traditional, made out of stone and had a thatched roof. Talk about being cliché, Marlene thought. It doesn't seem like the house of a former Turk...
They faced the front door (which was made out of oak). Cloud drew his weapon, and sliced through the door with one blow. Marlene advanced first, kicking the splinters of wood out of her way. "Wouldn't it be easier to knock?" Nanaki asked.
"We want to get his attention..." Cloud said, turning to Nanaki. "Besides, I wouldn't feel right knocking on a former Turk's door. It seems too polite..."
In listening to the conversation between the two of them, Marlene let her concentration wonder for a split-second, and in that split second, she found herself staring at the business end of a nightstick. "Um, Cloud..."
"You woke me up, you busted down my door, and now you insult me by saying that knocking would be 'too polite'!" Reno's face was one of barely contained rage. He flicked a button on his nightstick, and a bolt of electricity singed the air just a couple of centimetres in front of Marlene's nose.
Despite being in his early 40s, Reno didn't seem any different from what Marlene had seen in a photo taken of him during the Meteor incident, except for a couple of strands of his hair that were starting to go grey. "What do you want?" he said, not taking his eyes off Marlene.
"As much as I regret saying this," Cloud replied. "We need your help, as a guide..."
"Do you really think I'd help you, after you broke down my door?!" He clenched his fist. "Did you know that I actually built this cottage myself?! Did you know that it took me about a month to do it?! And do you also know that it took me ages to get the oak for the front door?!" Marlene chuckled. "What's so darn funny, kid?" He drove one end of the nightstick into her stomach, thumbing the button as he did so before she could even react. Marlene went rigid as thousands of volts of electricity flowed through her, her mouth open in a silent scream. Reno removed his nightstick, and she went limp collapsing to the ground.
"Bastard!" Cloud leapt forward, swinging his sword at Reno. It wasn't a killing blow, but Reno brought up his nightstick, blocking effortlessly. "If you have so much as bruised her..."
"Getting protective Cloud?" He smiled. "If she's your woman, then perhaps you should pick someone a little bit...older. Tifa would defiantly not approve...ugh..." he said as Cloud rammed the hilt of his sword into his face. "And I thought you wanted my help..." he continued, nursing a bloody nose.
"I was going to offer you a small fortune and my eternal gratitude," Cloud said, angrily. He was temporarily distracted by Marlene's coughing and spluttering, and he glanced over to see her get unsteadily to her feet. "But now," he said, turning his attention to Reno. "The deal just got worse for you. Now, if you help us, and I'll let you live."
Reno seemed to consider this. "What do you want me to do?"
"You knew you're way around Midgar, right?" He nodded. "Then you probably know about Hojo's laboratory in the ruins."
"I know where it is, yes. So?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be."
"I want you to take us there."
"Why?"
"That's none of your business..."
"Let me take a wild guess. You and Nanaki here were both Hojo's experiments, and he screwed up somewhere, and so you are going to all this trouble to find out if there is any way to reverse it." He grinned. "It must be fatal if you want me to help you..."
"Are you going to take us there?" Nanaki growled.
"Personally, I would prefer to see both of you dead. The girl," he cast a sideways glance at Marlene. "I would just prefer to see her face smashed in!" Marlene clenched her fists. "Still, it looks like I have no choice. When do we leave?"
"Immediately!"
"Can I just pack a few things?"
"No!"