Chapter XIV
By: DrunkpoOdle
~~~
"It's so…smooth," Casca observed while getting into Reno's car.
"I guess…""Actually," she began, taking in the rest of the cars in the HQ lot, "they're all smooth like this."
He slammed the door and started the engine. "Older cars weren't very streamlined," he remarked dryly.
"Yeah, I suppose the models really have changed a lot since I last saw one." She idly ran her fingers across the velvety material lining the inside of the door. "I used to think my best friend's car was the greatest," she recalled with a reminiscent smile. "It was a bright blue Comet Snatcher. He would always tease me when I sat up front saying that seat was reserved for the 'hot ones'." She let out a small chuckled, "Funny, I was the only one who ever sat there."
He rounded a corner and stopped at a red light. "What was his name?" he asked with mild interest.
She was a bit surprised he was listening to her reminiscent chatter. "Dree. He's, or was a SOLDIER. The last time I saw him he was being transferred to Junon. They were just building some sort of military base there and wanted more muscle on the premises. You know, rebel fractions and all." He nodded once in understanding. "I would think it's finished by now."
He scanned his rearview mirror for a tail, something all Turks did when traveling to their actual home. It wasn't unheard of for someone to take one his hits personal and try something stupid like revenge. Some people just didn't know…
"Yeah. They did a pretty good job I guess. A WEAPON attacked it a few years back. It actually stayed in one piece." He figured he might as well talk to keep his mind off things.
"It's hard to believe all of the WEAPONS are gone. What will the planet do should something else threaten its life?"
"I dunno," he shrugged. "You're the Cetra. You tell me"
She smiled thoughtfully, tugging at her seatbelt. She thought of the dream she'd had that morning. Would saving the planet be what she was "needed" for? "Maybe it'll make another WEAPON…"
Reno hadn't heard her last words. Something in the road ahead caught his attention. "What the hell?" There seemed to be some fair or parade up ahead with brightly colored tents and tables. There were neon construction cones barring the street he needed to get to his apartment. With a frustrated curse he honked his horn to get someone's attention.
"I wasn't aware you lived on such an exciting street," she noted in an attempt. to lighten the darkened mood. She didn't particularly succeed.
Soon a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue jacket sporting the word SECURITY came over to Reno's window with an annoyed expression. "Now what's the meaning of all th- Oh, a Turk…" He swore under his breath now visibly trembling. "S-sir, how c-can I help you?" he managed to ask.
"What the hell is all this? I need to get through here."
"You can't now." Reno narrowed his eyes and the man grew paler. "I-Imean I can't move the cones until the festival is over, and that could take hours."
"Whatever…"
"Well you could park your car, and what a beautiful car it is, along there and you won't have far to walk." He pointed to a shady street before the cones.
"Walk…?"
"W-well if you don't mind, Sir." He noticed Reno's nightstick resting comfortably between the seats where it could be…easily accessed. "It's entirely up to you! Whatever you want to do." When Reno didn't seem to pay him anymore attention he waved a quick 'bye' and hurried as far away from the car as he could.
Reno put the car back in gear and prepared to drive right on through the cones. "Reno? What are doing?" she inquired nervously.
"What does it look like, sweetcheeks?"
"Please don't drive through their festival. You could hurt someone! Look at all those happy kids."
He couldn't have cared less about "happy kids". He just wanted to get home so he could snap open a nice cold beer and watch TV. "Well, do you want to walk?" he asked expecting a negative reply.
"I don't mind. You can't live very far, right?"
He rolled his emerald eyes and parked the car. They walked along side the tents and headed down a short street. A sandy-haired man poked his head out of one of the tents. "They're on foot now, Lao. We should go or we'll lose 'em."
A dark-haired woman stepped out of the tent. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"
He took off in pursuit of the two, careful to stay out of sight. He managed, through sheer luck, to remain undetected for a block. Reno and Casca walked in silence most of the way. Reno had caught sight of the big man dodge behind a parked car but showed no outward signs that he'd noticed. "Casca," she turned to him from where she'd been obliviously observing the pleasant street, "we're being followed but don't look back." She nodded.
"How many people?"
"Just one from what I've seen."
"What do we do?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"Just do as I say." She nodded quickly. She felt him take her hand and looked at him questioningly before she realized he'd placed something in it. "Those are the keys to my apartment. When I say so, I want you to run behind the third building you see. Enter the fourth building from the back and make sure no one sees you. My apartment is 2-k on the 2nd floor. Stay there and wait for me. Got it?"
It sounded like a lot but she nodded her head anyway. "Ok. But what about you? What if there are more?"
"I'll be fine. It's you they're probably after." Casca paled a bit at the last statement. When they rounded the last corner Reno dodged into a high row of hedges pulling Casca with him. "Ready?" She shook her head furiously. She was scared. "Go!" he whispered hoarsely. As promised, she took off in a sprint towards his apartment. He watched her until she disappeared behind the third building. A second later Cole peeked around the corner. He looked confused. Where had they gone that quick?
Reno watched him through narrowed eyes as he turned up the charge on his weapon.
So that's the bastard…
As Cole passed the bush Reno was hiding behind he quietly came up behind him. Pressing the tip of his weapon to Cole's back he spoke, "Where is she?"
Clearly startled, Cole gasped. "W-where d'you come from?" The queer scent of sawdust tickled his nose.
"That's not important. Where is she?" he asked more forcefully, giving Cole a jolt to make him focus.
"Ah man! That shit hurts like hell! I don't know what you're talking about."
"My mother dammit!" He shocked him again but longer this time. Cole fell to the ground groaning angrily. "I won't ask you again," he threatened while giving Cole a hard kick in the side to turn him over. As he rolled over Cole thrust a tiny capsule onto the sidewalk. It broke open in a cloud of grey smoke.
Reno backed away, not wanting to get caught in it. When the smoke cleared two greenish squid-like blobs were advancing toward him.
"What the hell…?" He blasted them with a strong current from the Electromag Rod, reducing them to a sizzling puddle of chemicals. Having seen Reno deal with them so quickly Cole produced a handful of the capsules and tossed them to the ground. A dozen of the nasty creatures soon inhabited the sidewalk, spitting some toxic substance in Reno's direction.
"Take care Turk boy!" Cole waved and took off in a jog back the way he came only to run into Lao-Anne.
"Where's the Cetra?" she demanded after realizing he was alone.
"She got away," he mumbled.
"Got away? How? Didn't my capsules help?"
"Yeah, but I used them to get away from the Turk…"
"What!?"
"…"
"You were supposed to snatch her and then leave the capsules you moron!" She was furious now. How long would she have to wait to get things started? "Well get her later then," she decided through clenched teeth. "I need to check on B anyway. She didn't react well with those ovacides…"
She turned away mumbling to herself while Cole shrugged and followed her.
~~~
Reno blasted away at the advancing creatures. They generally weren't very strong. A good serving of high voltage was all it really took to destroy them but in numbers things were different. Each was roughly the size of a large watermelon. They were coated in a thick mucus of concentrated poisons meant to protect their soft bodies while giving it a greenish tint. They all squinted at him through tiny black slits slapping their tentacles and the pavement to drag themselves over to him. The appendages left behind a trail of the virulent drivel for any unfortunate individual to slip on and have their skin eaten away.
Reno was careful of these traits as he led the deadly swarm from the sidewalk to the lot behind a nearby building. It was a small building of private offices whose lot was mercifully empty save a large green dumpster at the far end. He fried a few more but there were at least half a dozen left. If he could get on top of the dumpster he could nail all of them from the vantage point. With one last jolt of energy from his weapon he turned in a sprint for the dumpster. He'd made it about five or six feet when his abdomen began to ache.
Not now dammit!
Unlike the other times there was a bit of a warning instead of the full-blown agony. But it wasn't long before his abdomen practically roared in pain. He stumbled and fell a few paces from his destination. A second later he was vaguely aware of the material dissolving from a fist-sized area on his pant leg. It slowly ate away to the flesh of his calf leaving him dizzy with pain.
They must be…real close now…
In desperation he swung his arm around firing wildly behind him by holding down the trigger of the nightstick. His abdomen was still on fire leaving him quite immobile at the moment but it soon subsided. He released the pressure on his weapon gasping for breath. When he was finally able to stand again he surveyed the lot behind him. The only traces of his slimy foes were steamy puddles of dark green and black swirls. He peered into the remains frowning at how the goo distorted his tired features.
Serves ya right, snotballs.
~~~
By the time Reno got to the second floor of his building he could barely put pressure on his left leg without crying out. The venom had eaten a fair amount of flesh and the pain was nearly equal to the previous pains in his abdomen. He stumbled past door after door until the shiny gold shapes of 2-k stared back at him. He rapped lightly on the white surface of his door. It opened just a hair before it closed again and there was the sound of the chain being unlatched. He hadn't realized how heavily he was leaning against the door until he nearly fell inside.
"Reno? You're hurt!" she exclaimed reading his pain-distorted facade.
"It'll be fine. I just need to stay off…it for a while," he muttered through clenched teeth. He ignominiously lost his footing and collapsed. As soon as his injured leg made blunt contact with the hardwood floor of his hallway the pain was unbearable. His mouth parted in a silent cry of pain and he was instantly unconscious.
Casca shook him gently and called his name a few times but he wouldn't budge. Carefully rolling him over, she was met by the horrible sight of his injury. There was a jagged hole the size of a human hand in his pant leg where the venom had eaten its way through to his flesh. The tainted flesh looked raw and angry with blisters. It was an unhealthy brownish green and the size of the infected area was spreading.
What do I do? What do I do? She asked herself frantically. There had to be a way to stop the poison. She tried to clear her head but the screaming wound on Reno's leg was quite distracting. Ok, I can heal him. That should help. She murmured a few words in her native tongue, her dark brows furrowing slightly in concentration. Ethereal tendrils of green mist snaked around the angry wound. Quickly the assaulted tissues were repaired and magically grafted back together. When Casca finally reopened her eyes the only remnants of Reno's injury was the ripped cloth of his pant leg. She noted with a bit of disappointment that he didn't wake up but was breathing evenly.
As gently as she could, Casca hauled Reno into what she guessed was his bedroom. With all of her might she got Reno onto the soft green sheets. She removed his shoes and arranged him as comfortably as she could. She sat down at the edge of the bed, drawing her knees up to her chin as she contemplated what she should do.
~~~
"So, how old is the lil' tike?"
"He just turned five."
"Five already? You should have brought him around sooner, Gi."
"Well, you know how dangerous it is around the factory. I'd die if something happened to him."
"I won't let anything happen to him. Just be down in fifteen minutes…then I'll be on break."
"See you then."
The little boy stared up at his mother with hopeful eyes. "So, can we go, Mommy?"
Hanging up the phone she let out a defeated sigh. "I guess so. But no matter what, don't touch anything and stay right next to me. There'll be a lot of dangerous stuff there, ok? Right next to me…"
He let out a short whoop of delight and ran to get his jacket. Giovanna threw on a sweater and helped Reno zip up his jacket. Once outside the only thing that kept Reno from running to the factory was that he didn't know the way.
After a good ten minutes of walking the two stood in front of an old rusty building with a lot full of lumber trucks. Giovanna could already see the shimmer of excitement in her son's eyes.
"Is this it, Mommy?"
She nodded, "Yes, this is where your uncle works." Taking his hand, she entered through a metal side door. The interior was that of a typical warehouse. It was large and grey. Forklifts emerged here and there with large stacks of freshly sawed lumber. The sounds of drills and saws filled the air blending with the rhythmic beeps of the forklifts to create a symphony of industrial chords. As Reno looked on in awe Giovanna scanned the room for her brother. She soon spotted him through a window in a small office-like room across the chamber.
"Come on Reno. And remember, no touching."
Making their way as carefully as possible Giovanna earned several looks from easily distracted employees. Even in her messy ponytail and casual garb she was no ugly duckling. The some went for her dark-haired brother in the office. He gave her a warm smile as she ushered Reno in and shut the door behind them. It was strange to hear so little once the door closed, drowning out the bustle outside.
Jod Hstadin was no shrimp, a good six feet he stood. He had dark wavy hair that covered his earlobes comfortably. His smile was naturally alluring to say the least and his eyes sparkled a stunning aquamarine whenever he got excited over some new idea of his. Everyone at the factory knew him and all of the female employees adored him.
"Hey, is this Dino?" He said patting Reno's head playfully. With a giggle he tried to duck under it.
"It's Reno and yes, this is your nephew. Reno, say hello to your uncle Jod."
"Hey," his little voice squeaked out from behind his mother's knees.
"I've got somthin' for you little man!" he announced lifting a box off the table and setting it on the floor beside his five year-old nephew. Reno looked up at his mother as if to ask permission.
"Go on, sweetie. Go see what he has for you,' she prompted. He neared the box and reached inside. His face lit up as he pulled out a little wooden trick. It was constructed simply out of unpolished scrap wood from the warehouse but it was a treasure to a five year-old boy from the slums. He emptied the rest of the box's contents on the floor. There was another truck, a few horse-shaped figures, building blocks and some wooden guns.
"Jod," she began in a reprimanding tone, " you know how I feel about those," she said pointing to the guns.
"C'mon, Gi. All boys play with 'em. He's lucky he hasn't had to deal with real thing yet."
"And he won't. I won't have him anywhere near the real thing if I can help it…" Her voice grew a bit hushed as she eased herself into a chair across from Jod at the table. Reno rolled his new toys around on the floor behind her, making occasional car sounds to go along with the action he was simulating. Jod and Giovanna conversed for nearly half an hour. He asked how she'd been all those years. He hadn't seen her since Reno had been born because his old job was too many sectors away. He contacted her as soon as he got his new job at the lumber factory in the same sector she lived in.
A few moments later he glanced at a round clck on the wall. "Man, my break's about over now. I should back out there," he suggested somewhat grudgingly.
They were quiet for a few seconds before Giovanna's eyes lit up. "I know, why don't you come for dinner? That way you could spend some more time with Reno. Besides," she added with a smirk, "I picked up some new pasta I want to try out."
He let out a short chuckle. "Ok then, I be there around seven-thirty. See ya Reno!" he rustled his red haired playfully before heading back out into the warehouse. No sooner had he stepped out of the breakroom was there shouts of alarm.
"Look out!" some one yelled. Reno looked up to a monstrous load of wood. But it was too late. As soon as he turned around the forklift overloaded with wood toppled over with the weight. Jod shoved him out of the way taking his place under the load. The stacks came tumbling down on Jod crushing his neck and spine and trapping him.
Giovanna screamed and turned Reno's face towards her jeans. He was suddenly very scared. What was happening? He could tell something was wrong by the way everyone was shouting and screaming. Giovanna was crying now and men were trying to get the load off of Jod. But all who saw what happened knew Jod was killed instantly.
Workers immediately tried to call an ambulance but ShinRa owned the nearest hospital. ShinRa took their time with matters in the slums if they even planned to come at all. By the time an ambulance arrived Jod had no chance.
When they got home Reno realized he must have dropped some of his toys in all of the excitement. All he held was a wooden truck and gun. His clothes still smelled strongly of sawdust and fresh lumber. Jod didn't join Giovanna and Reno for dinner that night.
~~~
Reno's eyes fluttered before opening. It took him a few moments to realize he was in his room at home. Casca was sitting on the floor beside him, her head resting on her folded arms on the mattress. She didn't appear awake until he moved and she raised her head.
"How are you feeling?"
"Peachy."
He remembered the wound on his leg and glanced down at where it would be.
"Where'd it go?"
"I healed you. Do you feel better now?"
He hesitated a moment. "Yeah, I guess."
"We should call everyone and let them know what happened."
"No," he replied firmly. "They'll just tell me to stay out of the action. I'm not going to sit back and wait while my mother gets tortured somewhere."
"There just worried about you," she defended. "They don't want to see her hurt any more than you do." He slid off the bed and put his shoes on. She followed him out the room. "Where are you going?"
"Got a hunch. Stay here and lock the door. The number to headquarters is on the coffee table somewhere if you need something." He snatched his nightstick off the small bench near the door where Casca must have put it. "Don't leave the apartment and you'll be fine."
"But what if they come back for me? They must know I went somewhere in this neighborhood." She honestly didn't want to be left alone in the apartment should they return for her.
"Well, if my hunch is correct they won't be alive much longer to come back."
He shut the door and left her. Suddenly Casca had a bad feeling about all of this.