When Elena awoke again, it was dark. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, she extracted herself from the covers of her all-too-comfortable bed, and slid unceremoniously onto the floor, stretching her arms out over her head in a bone-popping exercise. Then she stood, and fumbled in her drawers for her Turk uniform. It would, she assumed, be a uniformed excursion. Throwing a few clothes and things into a small case, she clinked it shut, and stood.
Across the way, she heard another door open, and then another, and another. Punctual as usual, she thought. Donning her pants and jacket, she slid quietly out the door, and out into the hall. Nodding at Tseng and Reno, she fell into step behind them, closely followed by Rude.
No one spoke for a long time. It was only when they reached the airship, a new acquisition, that Reno over towards Elena's ear.
"You get some sleep?" He asked, in a bare whisper.
She nodded. "Did you?"
Reno grimaced. "Er...yeah, I did." The tired look on his face gave the lie to his words. Elena wondered how long it had been since he'd actually slept.
Rufus was waiting for them by the airship. It was slightly smaller than the previous one, the Highwind, and had yet to be named, as Rufus had been given the choice of name, and hadn't spared a moment recently to think about it. Suddenly, Elena wondered if she should have packed more. Did she have everything she'd need? Forever was forever...and could a few pairs of pants last her forever?
Elena watched as Rufus panned their faces, searching for something, for some element of emotion in them. Apparently not finding it, he shrugged, and beckoned with both hands, before climbing the makeshift ramp up into the ship. Tseng was the first to follow, his face expressionless, mounting quickly and disappearing from sight. Rude paused for a moment, and then went up the ramp. Reno had obvious misgivings, Elena noticed. She couldn't blame him. When he didn't budge from his spot, she stepped forward, took his hand firmly in hers, and stalked up the ramp, head held high. She, Elena, would not fear. And neither should he.
As if strengthened by the contact, Reno made the rest of the walk without hesitation. The door slammed shut behind them as they took their seats as they climbed onto the bridge. Rufus was already there, standing at the helm while the pilot, a young man with a mop of dark wavy hair, prepared the ship for takeoff. Elena slid into a seat next to Rude, while Reno braced himself against the railing. Tseng, still appearing unperturbed, stood by Rufus at the helm.
The ship began to lift off from the ground. Elena's stomach dropped. She didn't like flying much. Reno teased her about it often, but he shouldn't talk, she thought ruefully. He loved flying, and he didn't get that sickening, nauseating feeling in his stomach when they suddenly lurched upward. He looked better, now, than he'd been a minute ago, exhilarated by the sensation that she so loathed. How she envied him. But it was good to see him more at ease.
When they'd reached a significant altitude, Elena chanced a look out the front window. They were very high. Swallowing hard, she turned to Reno, but he wasn't watching the view. Instead, he was watching Rufus, who had stepped away from the front and was walking towards the pilot's chair. He murmured something to the pilot, then pivoted, and gave each of his Turks a long look.
"I'm sorry," he said, with a sigh in his voice. "You'll thank me for it later."
What? Glancing at Reno, Elena saw the confusion on his face. "Sir?" She asked.
Rufus shook his head, and said nothing. Instead, he reached a hand towards a button the console. Even as he raised his hand to press it, Reno surged out of his seat, barreling forward and grabbing Rufus' arm.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" He asked, panic in his voice. Rufus shook him off, hard, so that he fell on his back to the floor.
"I told you," he said coldly, "I can't tell you. Not yet. Not now. You'll understand, later. I've made the decision."
"You can't do this!" Reno was desperate, scrabbling to his feet and clawing at his superior. "You can't! Thousands of people, thousands! How can you justify this? How is this not wrong? What are you hoping to achieve??" He wedged himself between Rufus and the control panel, planting himself firmly in place. "I'm not letting you do this!"
"Yes, Mr. Tarshil, you are." Rufus tried to push past Reno, but was shoved roughly backwards. Blazing with anger and-to Elena's eyes-confusion, Reno stood his ground.
"Don't, Rufus," he pleaded. "Don't."
Shaking his head, Rufus threw Reno a punch in the face, making him fly backwards, and out of the way. Elena bit her tongue to stop from screaming, and hurled herself forward towards the fallen man. Rufus paused for a moment, watching, and then turned, bowing his head for a moment, and pushed the bottom.
Below them, the Shinra building erupted in a blazing explosion of smoke and flame. Elena did scream now, echoed by Reno's cry. Tseng just closed his eyes, and turned away. He'd known, Elena realized, horrified. He'd known, the whole time. He hadn't told them, he hadn't tried to stop it. She turned, her face red and blotchy, to stare at him.
"Tseng," she murmured. He didn't look at her. "Tseng!" Rising from her chair, she grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him around to look at her. He said nothing, but moved away, off of the bridge, and out onto the deck. Frustrated, Elena turned back to Rufus. "Why?" The word came out as a squeak.
Rufus was silent for a long moment. Then he reached a hand down, pulling Reno to his feet. Reno just glowered, tears in his eyes. Sighing again, Rufus sat back down in his chair, and stared out the front window, now lighted with the flickering flames of the burning building below. "I didn't want to do it," he murmured. "I had to. I had no other choice."
Suddenly Reno had his gun out, pointing directly at Rufus. Rufus didn't move, except to turn his head to gaze at Reno placidly. "Damn you," Reno was muttering, his hands shaking. "Had to? Had to? Damnit, you didn't have to! You didn't have to do anything! I don't know what this is all about, but it ends right here, right now. Thousands of people..."
"Reno." Rufus' voice was calm, now. "Reno, put down the gun."
"No way. No way!" Nervously, Reno transferred his gun to the other hand, and then back again. "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna take you down. They never did anything, nothing to you! Nothing!" Rude stepped to his side, but Elena stayed back, worried.
"Reno," Rufus repeated slowly. "I'm going to explain. You want to know why, don't you? I'll tell you why. Put down the gun. You don't understand. Do you really want to shoot me?"
"Hell, yeah," Reno muttered, but Elena could see that his resolve was failing. "Yeah...you killed them. I'm gonna kill you."
"...Wait," Rude murmured, putting a hand on Reno's gun. "...Wanna hear what he's got to say."
"I don't care what he's got to say!" Stamping his foot for emphasis, Reno didn't take his eyes off his target. "What could he possibly say to justify this? And we witnessed it! We've got the evidence. Nobody would blame me. Nobody would blame us." The gun shook harder in his hand, so that he had to clamp the other down on top of it.
"Reno, I hate it to, but we'll never know if you kill him now. We'll never even know why. Could you live with that? Put down the gun, Reno. Put it away." Boldly, Elena stepped in front of him, in the way of the gun.
Reno gave one last shuddering sigh, and dropped the gun. "All right," he muttered angrily. "All right. But this had better be damn good."
Rufus, still placid, got to his feet. "Of course," he agreed. "Please, come with me."
Across the way, she heard another door open, and then another, and another. Punctual as usual, she thought. Donning her pants and jacket, she slid quietly out the door, and out into the hall. Nodding at Tseng and Reno, she fell into step behind them, closely followed by Rude.
No one spoke for a long time. It was only when they reached the airship, a new acquisition, that Reno over towards Elena's ear.
"You get some sleep?" He asked, in a bare whisper.
She nodded. "Did you?"
Reno grimaced. "Er...yeah, I did." The tired look on his face gave the lie to his words. Elena wondered how long it had been since he'd actually slept.
Rufus was waiting for them by the airship. It was slightly smaller than the previous one, the Highwind, and had yet to be named, as Rufus had been given the choice of name, and hadn't spared a moment recently to think about it. Suddenly, Elena wondered if she should have packed more. Did she have everything she'd need? Forever was forever...and could a few pairs of pants last her forever?
Elena watched as Rufus panned their faces, searching for something, for some element of emotion in them. Apparently not finding it, he shrugged, and beckoned with both hands, before climbing the makeshift ramp up into the ship. Tseng was the first to follow, his face expressionless, mounting quickly and disappearing from sight. Rude paused for a moment, and then went up the ramp. Reno had obvious misgivings, Elena noticed. She couldn't blame him. When he didn't budge from his spot, she stepped forward, took his hand firmly in hers, and stalked up the ramp, head held high. She, Elena, would not fear. And neither should he.
As if strengthened by the contact, Reno made the rest of the walk without hesitation. The door slammed shut behind them as they took their seats as they climbed onto the bridge. Rufus was already there, standing at the helm while the pilot, a young man with a mop of dark wavy hair, prepared the ship for takeoff. Elena slid into a seat next to Rude, while Reno braced himself against the railing. Tseng, still appearing unperturbed, stood by Rufus at the helm.
The ship began to lift off from the ground. Elena's stomach dropped. She didn't like flying much. Reno teased her about it often, but he shouldn't talk, she thought ruefully. He loved flying, and he didn't get that sickening, nauseating feeling in his stomach when they suddenly lurched upward. He looked better, now, than he'd been a minute ago, exhilarated by the sensation that she so loathed. How she envied him. But it was good to see him more at ease.
When they'd reached a significant altitude, Elena chanced a look out the front window. They were very high. Swallowing hard, she turned to Reno, but he wasn't watching the view. Instead, he was watching Rufus, who had stepped away from the front and was walking towards the pilot's chair. He murmured something to the pilot, then pivoted, and gave each of his Turks a long look.
"I'm sorry," he said, with a sigh in his voice. "You'll thank me for it later."
What? Glancing at Reno, Elena saw the confusion on his face. "Sir?" She asked.
Rufus shook his head, and said nothing. Instead, he reached a hand towards a button the console. Even as he raised his hand to press it, Reno surged out of his seat, barreling forward and grabbing Rufus' arm.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" He asked, panic in his voice. Rufus shook him off, hard, so that he fell on his back to the floor.
"I told you," he said coldly, "I can't tell you. Not yet. Not now. You'll understand, later. I've made the decision."
"You can't do this!" Reno was desperate, scrabbling to his feet and clawing at his superior. "You can't! Thousands of people, thousands! How can you justify this? How is this not wrong? What are you hoping to achieve??" He wedged himself between Rufus and the control panel, planting himself firmly in place. "I'm not letting you do this!"
"Yes, Mr. Tarshil, you are." Rufus tried to push past Reno, but was shoved roughly backwards. Blazing with anger and-to Elena's eyes-confusion, Reno stood his ground.
"Don't, Rufus," he pleaded. "Don't."
Shaking his head, Rufus threw Reno a punch in the face, making him fly backwards, and out of the way. Elena bit her tongue to stop from screaming, and hurled herself forward towards the fallen man. Rufus paused for a moment, watching, and then turned, bowing his head for a moment, and pushed the bottom.
Below them, the Shinra building erupted in a blazing explosion of smoke and flame. Elena did scream now, echoed by Reno's cry. Tseng just closed his eyes, and turned away. He'd known, Elena realized, horrified. He'd known, the whole time. He hadn't told them, he hadn't tried to stop it. She turned, her face red and blotchy, to stare at him.
"Tseng," she murmured. He didn't look at her. "Tseng!" Rising from her chair, she grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him around to look at her. He said nothing, but moved away, off of the bridge, and out onto the deck. Frustrated, Elena turned back to Rufus. "Why?" The word came out as a squeak.
Rufus was silent for a long moment. Then he reached a hand down, pulling Reno to his feet. Reno just glowered, tears in his eyes. Sighing again, Rufus sat back down in his chair, and stared out the front window, now lighted with the flickering flames of the burning building below. "I didn't want to do it," he murmured. "I had to. I had no other choice."
Suddenly Reno had his gun out, pointing directly at Rufus. Rufus didn't move, except to turn his head to gaze at Reno placidly. "Damn you," Reno was muttering, his hands shaking. "Had to? Had to? Damnit, you didn't have to! You didn't have to do anything! I don't know what this is all about, but it ends right here, right now. Thousands of people..."
"Reno." Rufus' voice was calm, now. "Reno, put down the gun."
"No way. No way!" Nervously, Reno transferred his gun to the other hand, and then back again. "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna take you down. They never did anything, nothing to you! Nothing!" Rude stepped to his side, but Elena stayed back, worried.
"Reno," Rufus repeated slowly. "I'm going to explain. You want to know why, don't you? I'll tell you why. Put down the gun. You don't understand. Do you really want to shoot me?"
"Hell, yeah," Reno muttered, but Elena could see that his resolve was failing. "Yeah...you killed them. I'm gonna kill you."
"...Wait," Rude murmured, putting a hand on Reno's gun. "...Wanna hear what he's got to say."
"I don't care what he's got to say!" Stamping his foot for emphasis, Reno didn't take his eyes off his target. "What could he possibly say to justify this? And we witnessed it! We've got the evidence. Nobody would blame me. Nobody would blame us." The gun shook harder in his hand, so that he had to clamp the other down on top of it.
"Reno, I hate it to, but we'll never know if you kill him now. We'll never even know why. Could you live with that? Put down the gun, Reno. Put it away." Boldly, Elena stepped in front of him, in the way of the gun.
Reno gave one last shuddering sigh, and dropped the gun. "All right," he muttered angrily. "All right. But this had better be damn good."
Rufus, still placid, got to his feet. "Of course," he agreed. "Please, come with me."