The Last of an Elite
Chapter Two: I uh... owe you money?
By InterfaceLeader
-~-~-~-
The three guys who stood outside the bar were quite obviously thugs of the better kind. The small one in the middle was wearing a glaringly tasteless purple shirt and light blue suit. Heavy gold rings on his fingers and a long wide necktie marked him out clearly as the boss. The one to the right wore a black shirt, black jeans, and had a thin moustache that somehow managed to look slimy. The third man was a huge hulking ape with lumpy tendons criss-crossing his muscles, and a brow that was permanently furrowed.
They would have been small-time crooks anywhere else. In the slums their kind reigned supreme. They ran many rackets, had fingers in many pies.
They were about to ascend the steps to the bar, a pleasant little place known as Tifa's Seventh Heaven. It was not an establishment they had any professional interest in, the owners had proven their capabilities to protect themselves long before.
They were here on business however.
-~-~-~-
Rude watched the redhead – Reno – consume his third sandwich with as much as vigour as his first two. He was rather impressed at the speed at which the guy could eat, and wondered if there was a record somewhere he could attempt to break. He also wondered if there was a talk-extremely-fast- whilst-eating-at-breakneck-speed-without-choking-or-breathing contest. Reno would have been a sure fire winner for that one.
"So I said to the guy whatcha gonna gonna make of it huh and he was like I don't want trouble but I need that money you owe so I like glared at him and he just stood there looking plain stupid so I just turned on my heel and left and he didn't even try and stop me it was so funny the expression on his face but it's not my fault the guys a dick and didn't check if I could pay before selling me the damn generator right? Right? Hey Rude you listening?"
"......."
"Right, good." Reno gave a sideways glance toward the man. "Hey, you couldn't get me a discount at the food market in sector three could ya?"
"......... no......."
"Why not?" Reno was determined to get to the bottom of this story, and he didn't care how long it took him. Especially if the guy kept buying him sandwiches.
Rude stared at the bottles lining the wall behind the counter. The rest of the room was reflected and distorted in them. Tables of happy drinkers. Tables of depressed drinkers. A few people standing round drinking. He noticed the door swing open and three more people enter, tinged green by the glass. The three approached the bar quietly. Rude turned slowly, feeling the hostility radiating off them like smoke.
Reno turned his head to see what Rude was looking at, and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh crap"
"Reno" The middle guy spoke softly, shaking his head. "You've been avoiding me haven't you?"
"Avoiding you? No way, why would I do that?" Reno gave a half-grin that didn't quite disguise the underlying nervousness.
"Well, you tell me.... One might almost think you'd forgotten our little... deal. I hate to remind you, but the payment back is just a little overdue...."
"Oh... the deal. To tell the truth I'd clean forgot. Maybe you could remind me how much I owe ya?"
"You borrowed 300 Gil... four months ago. At 95% interest a month." He lifted a hand dripping in gold and swept it back through thinning blond- grey hair. "Would you like the total amount now due?"
Reno raised an eyebrow. "I can work it out myself thanks." There was a brief pause and then he said with a certain amount of horror "Two thousand, two hundred and twenty five Gil?! You have to be kidding!"
"I never kid when it comes to money." The man gave a predatory smile "I assume you're ready to pay?"
Reno sat for a moment staring into the distance, and then, before anyone could even blink, he dived forward off the stool and shot between the legs of the man directly in front of him, skidding along the floor on his knees before leaping to his feet and making for the door at a run. Behind him the three thugs spun round, guns appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Bullets thudded into the door as it slammed shut behind Reno, and the rest of the clientele screamed and started knocking tables over and hiding behind them. Across the room the big, tough-looking guy Rude had noticed earlier raised a gun – was that his arm? – and started firing repeatedly at the thugs. Rude narrowly avoided gathering a bullet or two himself.
The one with the slimy moustache grabbed Rude by the shoulder. "Stop firing or the baldy gets it!" he screamed. Rude curled up both hands and punched him twice, right fist breaking the nose, the left fist sending the man flying backwards, crashing through the wooden wall on the opposite side of the room.
The best defence is a good offence. Rude grabbed the purple shirted man round the middle and threw him at the ape-man. The two went down in a tangle of limbs, and Rude chucked a couple of bar stools at them, and then a table. A few groans from underneath the pile of wreckage satisfied him that they weren't going anywhere, and he strode from the bar.
-~-~-~-
Tifa drop kicked the last drunk rowdy tough-guy wannabe out of the bar door and turned to survey the damage. Half a dozen broken tables littered the floor, broken glass, blood and the occasional spent cartridge lay in mute testimony to the violence. She shook her head with a groan.
"I really hate my job....."
-~-~-~-
Reno pelted through the streets, narrowly avoiding an overflowing dumpster and spinning round a corner into the next sector. His breath was coming raggedly and his heart was pounding in his chest. He gradually slowed and then halted, sweat dripping from him as he leaned over and panted. As his gasps lessened and his heart returned to his normal rate he suddenly heard two sets of steady footsteps coming towards him.
Looking round, he saw no hiding places. He was too tired to run again. The footsteps were gaining volume, and he realised whoever they were were going to find him. Standing as straight as he could he readied himself for a confrontation.
The muggers saw the scrawny looking target at the same time, and grinned at each other. Approaching him swiftly, they went into their normal routine, one preparing to grab whatever he could, the other pulling out a thick wooden stick ready to bash the guy should he put up a fight.
-~-~-~-
Rude hurried in the direction he assumed Reno had gone. Although he wasn't that familiar with the slums he knew enough to know it was the only direction that didn't lead to a dead end.
-~-~-~-
The first mugger circled Reno slowly, looking for an opening. May as well give him one thought Reno, and moved his hand away from his side, providing clear access to his pockets. The mugger took the opportunity, running forward suddenly. Reno spun round and brought his knee up as hard as he could into the muggers crotch. The mugger let out a shriek of pain and dropped to the floor, hands clutching his manhood as tears ran from his eyes.
The second mugger growled with fury at seeing his partner felled and lifted the stick threateningly. Reno turned back toward him, smiling slightly. The second mugger rushed towards him, trying to overpower him with sheer brute force. Reno caught hold of the wrist of the hand holding the stick and twisted it round, away from him. There was a snap, and this mugger also shrieked, eyes rolling with pain and surprise as his broken arm released the stick.
"You know, I've had a really bad day and you guys haven't improved it at all." Reno brought both hands curled together up into the muggers chin, causing his head to snap back and for him to stagger back five paces before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.
Behind him, the first mugger climbed unsteadily back to his feet, his eyes flicking from Reno's back to the slumped body of his friend. Deciding to cut his losses he fled down the alley.
"......" Rude stepped round the corner and looked at the downed mugger.
"Oh it's you." Reno pushed his hair out of his eyes "What happened to the sharks?"
"Buried in wreckage......"
"Really? Who did that?"
Rude shrugged. "Me."
"You fought 'em? How come?"
Rude shrugged again. He was thinking about the mission he was on. To find someone who was fast, strong, agile, but more importantly had an innate flair for social contact.
"You have money problems". It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah, nothing I can't cope with." Reno lifted his chin and glared at the older man "You're not one of those freaks who go round collecting up the destitute and offerin' them money for perverted acts are you? 'Cause I am totally not getting into that."
".........." Rude looked blankly at Reno, who sighed.
"OK, maybe not. What the hell is it with you anyway? First you make up some story about working at the Sector Three Indoor Food Market, as if anyone's gonna believe that considering your shoes are probably worth more than they pay in a year, then you splurge money on some stranger you only just met, and bash a few loan sharks on the head just for fun.... then you come chasing after said stranger in order to tell him he has money problems, like he doesn't already know....... Some people might consider that kinda behaviour rather suspicious. People like me for instance."
"......."
"That's really not an answer!"
"I'm.... looking for someone."
"Oh really. Who?"
"....... Maybe you."
"Pardon? I don't even know you buddy, we met about quarter of an hour ago. Or did you forget that already?"
Rude cleared his throat. "I'm looking for someone fast, strong, agile, and has an innate flair for social contact."
"uh...... You doing that for any particular reason or just for kicks?"
"........"
"Enough with that already! Just answer me!"
"I think we're going to offer them a job."
"A job?" Reno studied the bald man thoughtfully. "What kind of job? And whose the 'we'?"
"That's confidential."
"Confidential my arse. You can't offer someone a job and not tell them what it is."
"......"
"I thought I told you to stop doing that?"
"I don't have the authority to answer your questions."
"Then let me answer them for you" Reno said, sarcastically "The "we" is Shinra, and the job is something that's dangerous, probably involves fighting, and obviously dealing with people in some form. Therefore spying or torturing people or similar. Am I right?"
"........"
"I am? Good."
Rude considered everything for a moment. Then he raised one large fist and knocked Reno unconscious.
-~-~-~-
A/N: Many thanks to the people who have reviewed this story so far ~ they gave me quite a buzz ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and I apologise to any Tseng fans, he will turn up in the next chapter, I promise! This is more of a straight-forward action chapter, which turned out to be harder than I thought to write.
Let me know what you thought!
Chapter Two: I uh... owe you money?
By InterfaceLeader
-~-~-~-
The three guys who stood outside the bar were quite obviously thugs of the better kind. The small one in the middle was wearing a glaringly tasteless purple shirt and light blue suit. Heavy gold rings on his fingers and a long wide necktie marked him out clearly as the boss. The one to the right wore a black shirt, black jeans, and had a thin moustache that somehow managed to look slimy. The third man was a huge hulking ape with lumpy tendons criss-crossing his muscles, and a brow that was permanently furrowed.
They would have been small-time crooks anywhere else. In the slums their kind reigned supreme. They ran many rackets, had fingers in many pies.
They were about to ascend the steps to the bar, a pleasant little place known as Tifa's Seventh Heaven. It was not an establishment they had any professional interest in, the owners had proven their capabilities to protect themselves long before.
They were here on business however.
-~-~-~-
Rude watched the redhead – Reno – consume his third sandwich with as much as vigour as his first two. He was rather impressed at the speed at which the guy could eat, and wondered if there was a record somewhere he could attempt to break. He also wondered if there was a talk-extremely-fast- whilst-eating-at-breakneck-speed-without-choking-or-breathing contest. Reno would have been a sure fire winner for that one.
"So I said to the guy whatcha gonna gonna make of it huh and he was like I don't want trouble but I need that money you owe so I like glared at him and he just stood there looking plain stupid so I just turned on my heel and left and he didn't even try and stop me it was so funny the expression on his face but it's not my fault the guys a dick and didn't check if I could pay before selling me the damn generator right? Right? Hey Rude you listening?"
"......."
"Right, good." Reno gave a sideways glance toward the man. "Hey, you couldn't get me a discount at the food market in sector three could ya?"
"......... no......."
"Why not?" Reno was determined to get to the bottom of this story, and he didn't care how long it took him. Especially if the guy kept buying him sandwiches.
Rude stared at the bottles lining the wall behind the counter. The rest of the room was reflected and distorted in them. Tables of happy drinkers. Tables of depressed drinkers. A few people standing round drinking. He noticed the door swing open and three more people enter, tinged green by the glass. The three approached the bar quietly. Rude turned slowly, feeling the hostility radiating off them like smoke.
Reno turned his head to see what Rude was looking at, and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh crap"
"Reno" The middle guy spoke softly, shaking his head. "You've been avoiding me haven't you?"
"Avoiding you? No way, why would I do that?" Reno gave a half-grin that didn't quite disguise the underlying nervousness.
"Well, you tell me.... One might almost think you'd forgotten our little... deal. I hate to remind you, but the payment back is just a little overdue...."
"Oh... the deal. To tell the truth I'd clean forgot. Maybe you could remind me how much I owe ya?"
"You borrowed 300 Gil... four months ago. At 95% interest a month." He lifted a hand dripping in gold and swept it back through thinning blond- grey hair. "Would you like the total amount now due?"
Reno raised an eyebrow. "I can work it out myself thanks." There was a brief pause and then he said with a certain amount of horror "Two thousand, two hundred and twenty five Gil?! You have to be kidding!"
"I never kid when it comes to money." The man gave a predatory smile "I assume you're ready to pay?"
Reno sat for a moment staring into the distance, and then, before anyone could even blink, he dived forward off the stool and shot between the legs of the man directly in front of him, skidding along the floor on his knees before leaping to his feet and making for the door at a run. Behind him the three thugs spun round, guns appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Bullets thudded into the door as it slammed shut behind Reno, and the rest of the clientele screamed and started knocking tables over and hiding behind them. Across the room the big, tough-looking guy Rude had noticed earlier raised a gun – was that his arm? – and started firing repeatedly at the thugs. Rude narrowly avoided gathering a bullet or two himself.
The one with the slimy moustache grabbed Rude by the shoulder. "Stop firing or the baldy gets it!" he screamed. Rude curled up both hands and punched him twice, right fist breaking the nose, the left fist sending the man flying backwards, crashing through the wooden wall on the opposite side of the room.
The best defence is a good offence. Rude grabbed the purple shirted man round the middle and threw him at the ape-man. The two went down in a tangle of limbs, and Rude chucked a couple of bar stools at them, and then a table. A few groans from underneath the pile of wreckage satisfied him that they weren't going anywhere, and he strode from the bar.
-~-~-~-
Tifa drop kicked the last drunk rowdy tough-guy wannabe out of the bar door and turned to survey the damage. Half a dozen broken tables littered the floor, broken glass, blood and the occasional spent cartridge lay in mute testimony to the violence. She shook her head with a groan.
"I really hate my job....."
-~-~-~-
Reno pelted through the streets, narrowly avoiding an overflowing dumpster and spinning round a corner into the next sector. His breath was coming raggedly and his heart was pounding in his chest. He gradually slowed and then halted, sweat dripping from him as he leaned over and panted. As his gasps lessened and his heart returned to his normal rate he suddenly heard two sets of steady footsteps coming towards him.
Looking round, he saw no hiding places. He was too tired to run again. The footsteps were gaining volume, and he realised whoever they were were going to find him. Standing as straight as he could he readied himself for a confrontation.
The muggers saw the scrawny looking target at the same time, and grinned at each other. Approaching him swiftly, they went into their normal routine, one preparing to grab whatever he could, the other pulling out a thick wooden stick ready to bash the guy should he put up a fight.
-~-~-~-
Rude hurried in the direction he assumed Reno had gone. Although he wasn't that familiar with the slums he knew enough to know it was the only direction that didn't lead to a dead end.
-~-~-~-
The first mugger circled Reno slowly, looking for an opening. May as well give him one thought Reno, and moved his hand away from his side, providing clear access to his pockets. The mugger took the opportunity, running forward suddenly. Reno spun round and brought his knee up as hard as he could into the muggers crotch. The mugger let out a shriek of pain and dropped to the floor, hands clutching his manhood as tears ran from his eyes.
The second mugger growled with fury at seeing his partner felled and lifted the stick threateningly. Reno turned back toward him, smiling slightly. The second mugger rushed towards him, trying to overpower him with sheer brute force. Reno caught hold of the wrist of the hand holding the stick and twisted it round, away from him. There was a snap, and this mugger also shrieked, eyes rolling with pain and surprise as his broken arm released the stick.
"You know, I've had a really bad day and you guys haven't improved it at all." Reno brought both hands curled together up into the muggers chin, causing his head to snap back and for him to stagger back five paces before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.
Behind him, the first mugger climbed unsteadily back to his feet, his eyes flicking from Reno's back to the slumped body of his friend. Deciding to cut his losses he fled down the alley.
"......" Rude stepped round the corner and looked at the downed mugger.
"Oh it's you." Reno pushed his hair out of his eyes "What happened to the sharks?"
"Buried in wreckage......"
"Really? Who did that?"
Rude shrugged. "Me."
"You fought 'em? How come?"
Rude shrugged again. He was thinking about the mission he was on. To find someone who was fast, strong, agile, but more importantly had an innate flair for social contact.
"You have money problems". It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah, nothing I can't cope with." Reno lifted his chin and glared at the older man "You're not one of those freaks who go round collecting up the destitute and offerin' them money for perverted acts are you? 'Cause I am totally not getting into that."
".........." Rude looked blankly at Reno, who sighed.
"OK, maybe not. What the hell is it with you anyway? First you make up some story about working at the Sector Three Indoor Food Market, as if anyone's gonna believe that considering your shoes are probably worth more than they pay in a year, then you splurge money on some stranger you only just met, and bash a few loan sharks on the head just for fun.... then you come chasing after said stranger in order to tell him he has money problems, like he doesn't already know....... Some people might consider that kinda behaviour rather suspicious. People like me for instance."
"......."
"That's really not an answer!"
"I'm.... looking for someone."
"Oh really. Who?"
"....... Maybe you."
"Pardon? I don't even know you buddy, we met about quarter of an hour ago. Or did you forget that already?"
Rude cleared his throat. "I'm looking for someone fast, strong, agile, and has an innate flair for social contact."
"uh...... You doing that for any particular reason or just for kicks?"
"........"
"Enough with that already! Just answer me!"
"I think we're going to offer them a job."
"A job?" Reno studied the bald man thoughtfully. "What kind of job? And whose the 'we'?"
"That's confidential."
"Confidential my arse. You can't offer someone a job and not tell them what it is."
"......"
"I thought I told you to stop doing that?"
"I don't have the authority to answer your questions."
"Then let me answer them for you" Reno said, sarcastically "The "we" is Shinra, and the job is something that's dangerous, probably involves fighting, and obviously dealing with people in some form. Therefore spying or torturing people or similar. Am I right?"
"........"
"I am? Good."
Rude considered everything for a moment. Then he raised one large fist and knocked Reno unconscious.
-~-~-~-
A/N: Many thanks to the people who have reviewed this story so far ~ they gave me quite a buzz ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and I apologise to any Tseng fans, he will turn up in the next chapter, I promise! This is more of a straight-forward action chapter, which turned out to be harder than I thought to write.
Let me know what you thought!