The Last of an Elite
Chapter Eighteen: That Gorgeous Wutaian
By InterfaceLeader
-~-~-~-
"Fire 2, all!" Elena shouted, the flames spinning across the grassy field and incinerating the two mangy looking birds that had attacked her. As she watched they dissolved into ash and a few grey feathers, which were quickly dispersed by the wind.
"Well you wanted some excitement..." She muttered, pushing her hair out of her eyes. It seemed like there was a never-ending supply of various monsters strolling the plains between Midgar and the Mithril Mines. Having to stop every few minutes to fight off yet another team of mutant birds, tiny elephants, and foul swelling ground monsters was rapidly becoming an annoyance.
"Why can't they just eat each other?" She continued walking south, hoping to see the mines come into view soon.
Around half an hour later her wish was granted, the wide mountain range that divided the continent swinging away to the side, marking the edge of the marshland. Across the marshes was the entrance to the mine, currently too small to be seen.
Her spirits restored by the sight she paused and took a swig from her flask of water and checked her materia and accessories. She was still marvelling over them. The Manager of Equipment and Supplies had asked her what she wanted, and, recalling the time she had accidentally set her kitchen alight, she had asked for the fire materia. Of course materia was cheap and easy to get hold of, but it rarely came fully mastered. The star pendant was slightly less thrilling, but it had proved useful when dealing with the smelly-sewer-things. And it was kind of pretty, though it really didn't go well with the suit.
Putting the flask away she stepped into the marsh.
It was, like most marshes, made up of thick gloopy mud covered with a thin layer of rotting alga. Tiny black insects buzzed everywhere, making consistent tiny ripples and rings as they landed and took off. A thick choking smell hung over the surface, making Elena cough.
As she walked she watched her feet kicking up goblets of mud and plants. Every step seemed to disturb thousands of the insects.
And then the marsh rose up behind her, a great fountain of goo that showered down over her, covering her in foulness.
"Ahh! What the-" An enormous shadow was hovering over her. Turning slowly, her eyes widened.
Then she ran for it, racing towards the mine entrance as fast as she could. Behind her the giant swamp snake curled gracefully through the air, arching over her head, twisting its thick neck round and placing it's serpentine head directly in front of her. She screeched to halt, almost on it's lip, and turned to run the other way, only to find it's body was coiled round her, blocking off all escape routes.
"Oh shit!"
She pulled out her gun, fairly certain her punch wouldn't damage it's gnarled and knobbled grey-white scales. Its flat head and snout gaped open, revealing almost ridiculously long white teeth dripping with yellow-tinged saliva. She caught her breath and almost missed the long tail coming snapping round towards her, but caught it out of the corner or her eye and jumped, it flashed harmlessly underneath her, sending up a spray of mud. She turned her attention back to the head, and took aim at one small red eye. As it's head came forward towards her she took a deep breath and fired.
It screamed, a high-pitched unearthly sound like nothing she had heard before. It's head lashed back, and it's tail came whipping back round, ready to crush her. She scrambled to one side, and fired the gun again, this time at the other eye. The monster, blinded and with rivers of blood coming from each ravaged eye, turned and dived back beneath the surface of the marsh. In a second the marsh was still again, as though it had never come up.
Elena panted, feeling the mud dripping off her, our of her hair, over her nose, rivulets running down her back, soaked up past her hips and with splatters covering every other part of her.
She shook her head, feeling trickles curving round the back of ears. "Dammit... I can't let Tseng see me like this!"
-~-~-~-
Rude waited patiently just inside the entrance to the Mithril Mines. Tseng had already entered the mines, searching for any of the clones that had come this way. They were just waiting for Elena.
"Rude! Is Tseng around?" The voice hissed at him from outside the mine. Rude turned and saw Elena hovering uncertainly in the space between the marsh and the place where a Midgar Zolom had been spiked on a lone tree. She was watching it anxiously, as though expecting the snake to come alive at any moment, and considering the state of her Rude thought he could guess why.
"Yes."
"Damn! Lend me your water flask would you?"
Rude handed it over, and Elena disappeared past him and down a side-tunnel. Rude waited, and when Elena emerged three minutes later she was clean and fresh, although a little pink. Rude rolled his eyes, unseen.
"Come on." Rude started walking down the tunnel. "We're to search the mines for clones, and then head onto Junon. Tseng's going back to Midgar."
"Why?" Elena asked, disappointed.
Rude shrugged. "Scarlet ordered him back."
"And in Junon we're intercepting Septhiroth right?"
Rude was silent for a few minutes. "Something like that."
Elena frowned, confused.
"Split up." Rude said, indicating a fork in the tunnel. Elena obediently headed right, and found herself going upwards. After a few minutes she stood on a stone outcropping a few metres above the floor of a cavern. A second later Rude came out of a different tunnel below her.
"Hey Rude..." She started.
"Shh." Rude turned to face a tunnel entrance across the cavern. Elena listened, and heard steady footsteps and a soft murmur of voices coming towards them.
-~-~-~-
Reno waited with suppressed impatience as the doctor examined his side. He had been stuck in this bed without good food, drink or girls, for far too long.
"Hmm..." The doctor stroked his chin thoughtfully, and Reno resisted an urge to punch him in the face. "I don't know."
"I'm fine! It's healed! For Odin's sake let me out of this goddamn bed!"
"Well, if I let you out before it's fully healed there could be complications..."
"It is fully healed! Christ!"
"Well...." The doctor thought about Rufus and made his decision. "Alright. You may leave, as long as you take it eas-"
"Whoo-hoo!" Reno leapt out of the hospital bed and grabbed his Turk uniform, hopping towards the door as he pulled up his trousers and yanking on his jacket as he disappeared down the corridor. The doctor sighed and started the tedious task of getting the bed changed ready for the next patient.
"I really hate my job...."
-~-~-~-
Elena blinked as the three terrorists entered the cavern. Seeing them in the flesh was strangely intimidating even after reading the files and watching them on CCTV. The one named Cloud had the most piercing gaze she had seen, it raked the cavern, and seemingly burning away it's shadows. On his left stood the Ancient, trailing slightly behind Cloud and looking round the cave with interest. On his right was barkeeper, the one called Tifa. She was clearly alert, flat wiry muscles tense in her arms and legs.
"Just a second." Rude spoke quietly. The three switched their attention to him. Tifa answered first.
"Who are you?"
"Do you know who I am?" Rude asked. Elena thought she caught something in Rude's voice, a slight alteration of his usual monotone.
"From the Turks right?" Cloud sounded annoyed.
As though we're just an inconvenience. Elena thought crossly to herself.
"Well if you know, this won't take long." Rude seemed unperturbed by the tone in Cloud's voice. "It's difficult to explain what the Turks do..."
"Kidnapping, right?" Cloud moved slightly so he was further in front of the Ancient.
"To put it negatively... you could say that... But, that's not all there is to it, anymore......." Rude paused, and considered, looking around him and then at the floor. "..........."
"Sir!" Elena spoke suddenly, wanting to help Rude find the right words. "It's all right, Rude! I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!"
She wasn't quite expecting the Avalanche group to all switch their attention to her. The combined weight of their gaze was unnerving.
"...Then Elena, explain." Rude seemed glad to offload the responsibility onto her.
Elena cleared her throat and then took a breath. "I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena. Thanks to what you did to Reno, we're short of people." She paused, frowning thoughtfully "...Although, because of that, I got promoted to the Turks.... In any case, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed." She nodded "And to try and stop you every step of the way."
She started to turn away, but then a sudden thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, it's the other way around. You're the ones that are getting in our way."
"...Elena. You talk too much." Tseng came through into the cavern, looking faintly annoyed. Elena jumped, a sudden rush of embarrassment going through her.
"Tseng!?"
"No need to tell them about our orders."
"Sorry... Tseng." Elena dropped her eyes, feeling angry with herself. I'm such an idiot! They're our enemies!
"I thought I gave you other orders. Now go. Don't forget to file your report."
Elena blinked, confused. Other orders...? Then she remembered what Rude had said about going to Junon alone.
"Oh! Right!" She saluted, determined to regain some of her professionalism. "Very well, Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbour!"
Below her, Aeris giggled.
"...Elena. You don't seem to understand." Tseng said, exasperated.
"Oh! I'm, I'm sorry..."
"...Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."
"Yes sir!" Both Rude and Elena said at the same time. Rude climbed quickly up to the ledge where Tseng was stood. Elena hesitated and then scrambled down form her ledge.
As Rude reached the ledge, he turned back to the Avalanche members.
"...Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed. He wants to show his affection for you all... with a new weapon." He glanced at them each in turn and then headed out of sight.
Elena sighed and ran out of the cavern, realising she would have to take the long way round.
-~-~-~-
Tseng waited for both his Turks to leave the cave and then stepped forward and looked directly at Aerith. She met his gaze unfazed.
"Aerith. Long time no see. Looks like you got away from Shinra for a while, now that Sephiroth reappeared."
"...so what are you saying? That I should be grateful to Sephiroth?" Aerith sounded defiant, as though expecting him to try something.
"No..." Tseng studied her. She was, he noticed, already losing the pale skin all lower-Midgar citizens had. The cross-country trek had started a tan. "Well, I won't be seeing too much of you, so take care."
"...strange, hearing that from you."
Tseng sighed. He would tell her what she wanted to hear.
"Well then, stay out of Shinra's way." She'll think of it as a threat, although it's just a warning.
He had nothing more to say, so he turned and left the cavern. Scarlet had ordered him back, and as much as he'd rather have headed to Junon with Rude and Elena he couldn't disobey his superior. He just hoped Elena wouldn't do anything stupid.
-~-~-~-
Reno was in the office when he got back, sitting at his computer and apparently hard at work. He looked up as Tseng entered the room.
"Did you let the rookie use my computer?" He sounded amused, which suprised Tseng. He had expected him to be annoyed.
"Yes. Why?"
Reno grinned. You should see some of the stuff she's got squirreled away on here. Things even I didn't know about."
"Like what?" Tseng frowned, as a fleeting memory crossed his mind.
....I was looking at the parallels between it and some of the rest of the information that has come from the Cetra and uh... I think it's linked with the lifestream..."
"Elena... You've been researching the Promised Land and the Cetra? May I ask why?"
"Oh! I uh... I was um..."
"Hmmm. Perhaps you'll make a good Turk after all. We'll discuss this at a later date....
Tseng sighed. He had forgotten to follow that up, and he was unlikely to have another chance for a while.
"Jeez Tseng, you were a drug runner when you were 16? And tried for the Jujitsu World Championship when you were 18? Only made it to the fourth round I see...Oh, nice photo!"
"What!?" Tseng came round the side of desk, and blinked at the sight of a long buried photo of him at 18, being disqualified for attempting to throttle his opponent in the Championship.
"Where did that come from?" Tseng demanded.
"Well I found it in a folder titled 'that gorgeous Wutaian'. And I know that ain't something was on here before I went into hospital." Reno leant back in his chair, flicking through pictures. "My she's collected a lot... Holy crap! Nice hair!"
Tseng kicked the chair legs forwards, tipping Reno over backwards and sprawling him across the floor.
"I'm going to kill her." He muttered, deleting the folder of pictures, and noticing with a sinking feeling that there were plenty of other folders on the computer with similar names.
"Can I help?" Reno said hopefully from the floor.
Tseng glanced down at him. "No. Forget you saw these."
Reno grinned again, his mind turning to the printing session he had been enjoying before Tseng had shown up. "Sure."
Tseng shook his head, selecting all the folders and hitting delete. "Where did she get all these from?"
Reno sat up. "I think someone's got a secret admirer!" he said in a sing-song voice. "Tseng and Elena, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I"
"Reno, I know you have the mental age of a five year old, but I would appreciate it if you kept your childish antics out of my earshot."
"Sure thing sir." Reno said. "I'll just go and find Rude, amaze him with my singing skills instead. I'm sure he'll be happy to listen to me."
Tseng glared at the red-haired Turk. "You'll do nothing of the sort. I'll discuss this with Elena, you'll keep your mouth shut. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Reno said, giving his boss an innocent look. Tseng groaned inwardly.
"Changing the subject... I want you to take a helicopter out to Junon. Meet up with Rude and Elena there. Sephiroth is heading that way and I want you three to intercept him and find out what he's up to. Don't fight him, that would be suicide."
Reno wrinkled his nose. "Ah, I bet his skills were exaggerated. And he's probably gotten a bit out of shape over the last few years. I could take him."
"Reno, you had problems coping with Avalanche. Don't even think about challenging Sephiroth. His skills weren't exaggerated. If anything they were downplayed. Stay out of sight, watch him, and report back to me."
"Yes sir." Reno climbed back to his feet, taking his sunglasses of the desk and perching them on the top of his head. "Wish me luck and all that crap."
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A/N: A lengthier chapter for you. I lost my beta-reader so it's probably full of typo's. Sorry about that ^.^;; Plus, I just hit the 40 review mark. Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, keep 'em coming!
Next up: Junon and Joanna.