Chapter Two
Celces drug her feet as she entered the room the next morning.
Her shoulder wound was bandaged but she couldn't wear a long-sleeve shirt to
cover it. As much as she hated leaving it for all of the world to see she was
injured she had no choice. She took a chair opposite of where Reno sat and was
silent. The third Turk was in the room, a tall, bald man, with broad shoulders.
He never seemed to remove his sunglasses. Celces had never met him before...
Reno swallowed hard and fidgeted in
his seat. He was avoiding Cel's eyes, trying to sum up the courage to
apologize. "Cel," he started, "This is Rude. He's a damn good
fighter, doesn't talk much though. Rude, this is Celces, our newest Turk. Yup,
newest. I talked to Heideggar earlier this morning." Rude simply nodded.
Reno noticed Celces' arm now. "What happened to you?" he said with
evident concern.
Celces
shook her head, "I... oh never mind it," she closed her eyes which
seemed to have, just for a moment, changed color, "I'm sorry about last
night... But don't go digging, Shinra has nothing on me Reno." She looked
toward Rude and nodded, "I hear they're still looking for another female
Turk. Are they?"
Rude paused a moment before uttering a simple, "yes." "Told ya he doesn't speak much," said Reno frowning. "You don't just get gashes like that," said Reno. "I'd venture to say you were in a fight. And digging, nah, I don't do that. Hey, I'm... sorry about walking out on ya last night. I don't know what got into me. It wasn't your fault. But enough of this, onto business." "Wow," Celces didn't know whether to laugh or stay silent, "You just apologized... I'm going to pretend that didn't happen. I'd venture to say you were correct... Remember my buddy with the busted nose? He and two of his friends are splattered all over outside of the Sector 7 gate." '... He's still my friend?... how... odd...' she thought, out loud she continued, "I have a friend, her names Elena, she could handle the job well. She does....talk... a lot however..."
"Ahh, I figured as much. Those
jackasses never get enough do they? Well, I take it you took care of them. And
this Elena, bring her in and let me see what she's got. If she's good, she's
in." He blushed a bit, kind of embarrassed by making his apology, but he tried
to cover it up. "Okay people, I've got news so listen up."
"Hmm, she can hold her own."
Celces nodded for him to continue. 'Oh gods did he just blush? Ahaha, learn
something new every day I guess... AH!'' Her thoughts where interrupted as a searing pain burned through her
shoulder. She screamed and collapsed from her chair. Her eyes turned bright
yellow, she scrame in obvious pain for a few minutes, then ripped the bandage
away. The wound was gone, completely healed. Celces gasped for breath as her
thoughts tried to register this. 'Never... this has never happened before...
and in front of everyone... Oh gods it hurts!!' scrambled thoughts raced
through her mind as she lay on the floor like a wounded animal. Too afraid to
move even if she could, she waited for it to come. The screaming shock, the
accusions. Yeah... she wasn't entirely human...
Reno
was in shock. When he finally recovered from what he was seeing, he began
racing around the room and shouting unintelligible words. That is, until Rude
grabbed him by the collar and hit him. "What the fuck was that for
man!?" Reno yelled as he got up. "Your flippin' out," said Rude
calmly. He was as if nothing had or was happening. "Your right. Get her
some water, I try to figure out what the hell is happening. Whatever you do,
don't get Hojo!
'...Water?
...They're worried about me...' Celces climbed to her feet, shaken, and scared
herself, "I... I'm alright... Don't... No doctors, gods please not again.
Not after... nonono," she shook her head violently backing up and sliding
into her chair. "I, I need a drink." She muttered, before blacking
out completely.
"Okay!
OKAY!?" Reno shrieked. "Yeah, sure, your okay, and the Space people
from Neptune have come to rescue us. Your not okay!" Reno picked her up
and moved her to the leather couch in the corner. Just then rude can back with
the water. "She needs some kinda doctor," said Rude slowly. "Of
course she does!" said Reno, "Do ya think it's okay to move
her?" he asked. Rude shook his head. "Lemme get a doc." and with
that he left. Celces came to about five minutes later and sat up,
"...Reno? Gemme something to drink," she said weakly, leaning on an
arm. She surveyed the room, "Where's Rude?"
Reno
quickly handed her the water. Remembering that she had been against having a
doctor, he just said that Rude would be right back. "What on earth is
happenin' too you?" he asked, almost accusingly. Rude finally came back
with a doc, it was someone from upstairs. The doctor immediately rushed to Cel,
bombarding her with questions until Reno yelled for her to stop. She was a
young woman, with long black hair, about 20 something with glasses. "Now
whets the matter?" she asked again, slower this time.
"NOTHING
is wrong," Celces replied, leaping from the sofa with what strength she
had. She glared at Reno angrily, forcing herself to keep her eyes from growing
red, forcing herself to calm down. "You, you..." she slapped Reno
across the face and stormed from the room, slamming the door so hard behind her
that the metal hinges cracked and the door collapsed to the floor. When she
reached her room she slid into a corner hugging her knees. 'They got a doctor,
how could they! They have no idea what I lost to keep away from Shinra, from
doctors and their reports, from Him.' Tears burned her eyes as she forced them back, no she couldn't cry. Not
now not ever again. It was a mistake to join she knew that now. Just like she
knew she could never leave the Turks, except in death.
Everyone,
even Rude, just stood there, rooted. Reno rubbed his sore cheek, completely
dumbfounded. Then he exploded. "Nothings wrong!? Nothing!? My ass!"
The poor doctor was so shocked, she was almost in tears. "W-what did I
do?" she said softly. "She, she hit the leader of the Turks."
Rude just stood there. "Aww shit man, I don't even know what I did!"
"Maybe you should go talk to her...," said Rude. "Yeah, you're
probably right, doc, you wait here," he said, and left.
Celces
sighed and climbed to her feet eyeing the broken lamp from the night before,
"Better clean that up," she muttered to herself. She grabbed her
small, bedside trashcan and began depositing bits and pieces of broken glass
into it. 'What am I doing? This isn't me, since when to emotions stand in my
way? Since when...' Cel sighed and began to hum to herself, "Broken hearts
and endless tears dancing in my memory. Here I lay wondering why, why you left
me here to cry..."
Reno
walked down the long hallway to Cel's room, nervous but determined. He had to
figure out what was going on. Why had she hit him, why had she collapsed like
that, why was she so against doctors? poor Lucercia wasn't that bad at all. In
fact, she was very kind. Well, he was gonna get all this straightened out,
after all, he was leader of the Turks, and boy did he not feel like being a
leader right now. He walked up to the door, and knocked, whispering a timid,
"You there?"
Celces remained silent for a long time, then
shook her head and turned away from the door, back to picking up the pieces,
"The doors unlocked, come in..." she replied finally. 'This isn't
going to be fun... He's going to want to know everything, then its back to
Him.' Back to the horrors she had ran
from when she escaped into Sector 3 twelve years ago. He'd turn her over for
sure then, she knew it. 'Goodbye freedom...' she thought, as the door opened.
Reno
stepped in gingerly. He was nervous as all hell. "Cel, I know you're
evidently mad at me, but what happened to you? You don't have to tell me, but I
am your boss. Besides, I won't tell Hojo, or any of his cronies. You're
obviously not okay. How can I expect to trust you in the field if you don't
tell me whets going on? You see my point don't you?" Reno was certainly
not speaking like himself, he was usually so crude. But for some reason, he was
being kind. So strange.
Celces
sighed, "Hojo...." 'Him...' "He's to blame... I'm not, not
human... not exactly. He's trying to create the ultimate being, a God. I was
the first test subject, the first fluke. My mother ran with me when I was I was
five and dumped me in Sector 3, to keep me safe, with documents, everything I
needed to know what I am... I'm part human yes... I have the cells from this
creature, this 'Jenova' in me, and cells from a Cetra, Iflana.... Hence the
name, Celces, I hold the cells of three different races, power, all of it...
and Shinra wants it... I joined because they would never look for me among
their ranks..." a tear ran down her cheek, followed by another, she was
crying again. Thankfully her back was to
Reno, he couldn't see. 'Please gods... Don't send me back...' Fear hung on her
like a demon, claws digging into her shoulder, whispering frightening thoughts
into her mind.
Reno
was thunderstruck. "So, that's it huh? That little bastard. I knew he was
doin' something up in his labs but ruining lives? They never told me anything,
I'm.......sorry." That's all he could say. Sorry. "S-so your, like, a
superhuman?" Reno had to admit, that was a scary prospect. But he ignored
his fear and stepped into the room, farther. He could hear Cel crying, softly.
"That bastard. Ya know, the Turks are the best in the world. Hojo would
need a fucking army to get through us. you can trust us, believe me. Rude,
there isn't a man like him. I don't know if that's consolation or not,
but..." he trailed off.
"...Superhuman? .. No, I don't know
what I am, not for sure. I, I just don't know," she shook her head, drying
her tears. Climbing to her feet, she stared across the room and out the window,
"We're friends right? You're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend…" Cel
trailed off.
"Damn
right we are, we're Turks, and the Turks never desert anybody." Everything
was starting to fit together now. Yeah, now things made a little more sense.
"Well, why not come back with me? Rude doesn't have to know anything, he'll
never ask a word. And Luc, I'll send her off."
"No,"
Celces shook her head, "I feel awful… That poor woman." She turned and quickly
hugged Reno, "Thank you, for being a friend, you have no idea what it means to
me." She walked passed him toward the door and turned around, "Coming? Don't
step on the glass…"
Reno
slowly walked out after her. 'What a day this has been,' he thought wearily to
himself. 'Hojo, what a bastard. He'll pay. I wonder if the President even knows about this?
Probably. I don't wanna mess with the President. He's a cold-hearted jackass.
And his son is worse.'
"Hey
Reno," Celces said as they climbed into the elevator, "Aren't we
suppose to escort the Vice President to Junon tomorrow?" 'Rufus Shinra,
I've heard so much about him. They say he's worse than his father. He's only
nineteen... Hell, I'm only seventeen and can kill without a second thought...
What kind of world are we living in today?' She continued to let her thoughts
run wild as she punched in the number to take them back to the above floor,
wishing she hadn't ran down the stairs when she had raced out.
"Yeah,
I almost forgot about that! Grr, I don't like Pres. Shinra, but I like his son
less. What kind of world? A messed up one that what. All I can do is worry
'bout myself though," he said thoughtfully, looking out the glass of the
elevator. The soft chime of the elevator signaled that they had arrived.
"That bad huh? Well I need to... go somewhere. I'll see you tomorrow Reen.
Tell Rude and the... Luc? Yeah tell them I'm sorry." She turned and walked
off...