The Last of an Elite
Chapter Forty Two: Today We're Off Duty.
By InterfaceLeader
-~-~-~-
Wutai couldn't have looked better on the day the Turks arrived. Sunshine scored glorious rays across the sky, sillhouting the great Da Chao mountain and it's carved figures. Cherry blossom trees grew in delicate twisting shapes, exploding into pink bursts of colour as they strained toward the sky. Tapering roofs and slender red beams turned the buildings into works of art, as different from the harsh metal lines of Midgar as it was possible to get. The river gurgled merrily under curving bridges, breaking the sunlight into a thousand dancing points of light.
It was beautiful.
Reno and Rude ignored it totally, and took the most direct route to the bar they could find.
Elena followed them slowly, caught in the sheer magical ambience of the city. She couldn't stop herself from craning to look at the buildings, many with intricate carvings worked into the wood, and the beautiful gardens, each radiating tranquillity.
She had been impressed with Junon, but Wutai was more than impressive; it was stunning.
Even the bar was beautiful. No dark hole lined with bottles and barrels this; instead it was a large airy room with a mass of greenery in one corner, offsetting a burbling fountain. Bonsai trees lined the far wall, and on the opposite wall the bar itself was made of richly coloured redwood.
Reno and Rude were sat at the middle table, cans of Shin-Ra Lager in front of them. Elena sank down onto the stool beside Reno and looked round. The place was nearly empty, but she supposed it was a little early for most people to be drinking. She glanced at the only other person in the bar, a man dressed in a strange looking blue outfit with a silver badge on his hat. As though sensing her gaze he turned and gave her a look of such malevolent fury she cringed and hastily turned her eyes back towards the table.
"Undou-ka" Reno said abruptly, noticing her consternation. "Political party. They hate Shinra."
Elena blinked, somewhat surprised at being spoken to. The Turks had remained nearly silent on the journey over, all three busy with their own thoughts. Elena had considered bringing up the subject of her apartment to Reno, but she had noticed the subtle melancholy that lay beneath his usual smirk and insults and had refrained.
"……… under funded and unpopular …….." Rude added, before drinking deeply from his can.
"Oh, I see. So, um, not a threat?"
"Nope. We keep 'em around to make it look like a democracy. Everyone knows Godo's just a figurehead, but they'd still rather vote for him than that group of nutters." Reno snorted. "You wait, Rufus'll get rid of them and stick a squadron of Guards here instead, the Wutaian's will get pissed and we'll end up putting down a revolution or three. Bimbo-boy has no subtlety."
Elena nodded, remembering President Rufus's speech when he had assumed the title. "I guess force is just as expensive as … as … what President Shin-Ra did?"
Reno shrugged. "Probably more. Don't really care, as long as I get paid mind you, but I still think he's an idiot." He picked up his drink and then added, with a grin. "Of course it's all moot since we're gonna be dead within a month anyway."
"I'm sure Shinra will deal with Meteor and Sephiroth." Elena said loyally. "And Avalanche for that matter. After all they - "
Behind her the door swung open. She automatically twisted to see who had come in, and she choked on the rest of her sentence.
"Yy, you!? How did you get here...?" Recovering herself abruptly she jumped to her feet, confronting Cloud, Tifa and Cid angrily. "Never mind that. I guess it's fate that brought us together. Get ready to die!!"
Reno raised an eyebrow at Rude who shook his head quietly and took another sip from his drink. Elena didn't notice, as Avalanche had jumped past her, drawing weapons and assuming fighting stances in a glittering display of skill and speed. She followed their movements, ready to defend against their first attack when Reno spoke.
"...Elena, you talk too much."
"Ww, what?" Elena clenched her fists tighter. She couldn't have done something wrong again could she?
"What are we doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?" Reno said mildly, as though there weren't three dangerous and armed terrorists stood about two metres from him.
"We're taking our vacation and resting up from our work." Elena replied quickly.
"Now our vacation is ruined."
"B, but..." Elena looked helplessly at Avalanche. They were the bad guys! She was supposed to be fighting them! She remembered how she had fallen down the hill last time she had confronted them and heat rose in her face as a mixture of anger, embarrassment and confusion claimed her.
"...even the booze tastes bad now." Rude said emotionlessly, completely ignoring Avalanche.
"...sorry..." Elena sat back down, shaking. The sudden change in the two male Turks attitude had disorientated her, and she was horribly aware of the blue-uniformed man sniggering quietly at the bar.
"Drink, Rude! How long have we been a team...?" Reno raised his can dramatically.
"There have been hard times being a Turk, but all in all, I'm glad I did it. I even got to meet a bunch of wing nuts like you." He smirked and took a gulp from the can.
"Hmm, you're lucky all right. Now get out of my sight!" Elena tried to regain some of her composure by snapping at Avalanche. She knew she wasn't included in Reno's toast. Not that I want to be of course. Wing nut indeed - he's probably drunk anyway! "The next time we meet I won't be so nice."
Cloud slung his sword over his back and gave her a faintly disdainful look before stalking out of the bar.
"To the Turks... To Reno... cheers!" Rude raised his own can, before emptying it in one long swig. Elena shook her head miserably and went to the bar to buy a drink of her own.
-~-~-~-
Junon was a mess. Massive wires and cables coiled in wild abandon, blocking roads and covering windows. Junon guards stood to attention, somehow managing to broadcast sulky resentment through the emotionless uniforms. They watched with anger as the thing that Junon was most famous for, it's pride and joy, was airlifted slowly out of it's clamps and sprockets and into the sky.
Junon canon was being taken to Midgar.
And Junon was not happy about it.
-~-~-~-
Returning to the table with her drink, Elena was surprised to find sudden resentment building up in her. She contemplated her fellow Turks silently, her thoughts bubbling inside her.
No wonder they haven't been able to catch Avalanche! Would Tseng have just let them walk out from under his nose if he'd been on holiday? Of course not! He was responsible and dedicated, not like these two! They call me hopeless? They're the ones disappearing down the bar, or messing around with women when there's work to be done! They call themselves Turks? I bet real Turks wouldn't act like this!
The door slammed opened again, and Elena twisted round, hoping it would be Avalanche again so she could show Reno how a real Turk would deal with them. To her disappointment it was two Shinra Guards.
"So our reports were right! He IS here on vacation!" the Guard spun and faced Reno. "We've finally found him! Get the Turks here for back-up!"
"...what a drag." Reno signalled to the bartender to bring more drinks.
"Ww, what was that...?" the Guard spluttered.
"Right now we're off duty and can't run off to save your butts." Reno said coolly, watching the bartender out of the corner of his eye as he measured out drinks.
"We know you're off duty, but..."
"If you knew that, then don't bother us! Lookin' at you is makin' me sober."
"But you all have orders from headquarters to look for him too!" the Guard said desperately, trying to work his superiors sudden failure into his world view.
Reno emptied the can and waited impatiently for the next round to arrive.
"All right, that's it! We'll get him without any help from the Turks, just you see!" the Guard drew himself up with indignation, well aware that he was challenging the Turks and adrenaline spurting through his veins as a result. He spun on his heel and walked out, leaving the Turks to their drinking. Then a sudden thought grasped him and he turned back.
"And don't think that headquarters isn't going to hear about this!!" Having delivered the parting blow he hurried off.
Elena looked at Reno angrily.
"Reno, do you think that was really such a good idea!? I mean is that the way a professional, a Turk would act!?"
"Elena. Don't misunderstand." Reno said. "A pro isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool."
Was Tseng a fool then? Is that what you're saying?
"Rude...?" Elena turned to the silent man.
"........." Rude looked at the tabletop. He had to agree with Reno.
"Well, I don't buy that! Goodbye!!" Elena jumped to her feet and hurried out of the bar. If she was quick she could catch the soldiers and help them with whatever their mission was.
"........." Rude looked after her.
"Relax." Reno nodded as the bartender finally brought over the drinks. "She's not a child. Let her have her way now..."
-~-~-~-
Elena spotted the Guards as they approached a strange looking building on the North-West side of town. It was a square, open building with a metal gong inside. She hurried up to them, just as the Captain rang the gong.
"I'm here to give you backup!" she called, as she reached the building. The noise of the gong reverberated around the square and she stopped short as a part of the wall swung away revealing a secret entrance.
"Wow!"
"Shh!" the Captain jumped over the edge of the wall and took the advance position at the head of the squad. "We don't want to alert them. I've split the group into two, we'll take this entrance and they'll take the front. Get in rank please, and be prepared to fight! Don Corneo has quite a few hoods working for him."
Elena joined the ranks of Guards, and breathed deep, closing her hands into fists. She felt strangely excited, and realised it was because this was essentially her first real combat mission. She looked sideways at the Guards beside her, and wished suddenly she'd been able to join the army instead of the Turks.
The small group marched through the open door into blackness.
-~-~-~-
Yuffie Kiseragi bounced through Wutai, her weapon, pockets, socks, and armour stuffed with materia. She needed somewhere to hide, and fast. She ran towards the Pagoda on the far side of town wondering if Gorky would let her hide in there.
Suddenly she pulled herself round as she noticed the shrine to her left. There was an open door! Without stopping to think she dived through it and slammed it shut behind her. The inside was almost total blackness, but that didn't worry her - there was nothing in Wutai she needed to be scared of.
"Who was that?" a male voice asked from behind her. Yuffie blinked and shrank against the door. Come to think of it, where had this secret entrance come from? It hadn't been here last time she was in Wutai. She cursed silently to herself.
"I don't know sir!" another male voice said brightly.
Yuffie started to edge along the wall, hoping to find another door. Suddenly her legs hit a low box and she tripped, staggering forwards and landing flat on her face. Materia scattered everywhere.
"Bugger!"
"Captain! Over there!"
A sudden burst of machine gun fire lit the room, and Yuffie was shocked to see an entire squad of Guards standing in the centre and firing wildly at her. She let out a yell of protest, and rolled sideways out of the main line of fire. The room went dark again as the guards stopped shooting.
"What's all the noise down here?" A gruff voice spoke from higher up in the room and light flooded the place again, this time from the lamps set in the walls.
"Shinra! Warn the Don!" the man at the top of the stairs yelled and dived back through the door.
"Avalanche!" Elena yelped as she saw Yuffie sprawled across a crate.
"Don Corneo's gang!" yelled the Captain, firing after the man as he disappeared out of sight,
"No! Shinra!" Yuffie somersaulted back to her feet and threw her Shuriken at the Captain as he fired up the stairs. He let out a grunt as the mighty throwing star pin wheeled into him and spun back to Yuffie's hand, then collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from the wound.
Elena jumped to attack Yuffie, slamming her fists into the young ninja's face and sending her flying backwards.
"Materia!" the Guards gaped at the green, yellow, blue and red orbs as they rolled across the floor. Yuffie gave a shriek. "They're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"
Elena tried to punch Yuffie again, but the Ninja leapt over her head and started to scoop up the materia, stuffing them into her pockets and dodging the Guards blows with lightening fast movements.
"I don't believe it! Summon Materia!" one of the Guards grabbed a red materia off the floor before Yuffie could reach it, and turned on her. He opened his mouth to call the God, and the materia burst into flame.
He screamed as the fire caught his hand, raced up his arm, spread across his shoulders, down his torso, burning him alive. He screamed and screamed, as his face melted into a skeletal parody made of ash, as his flesh fell off his bones, as his very being burned away. He screamed, and even as the pile of ash fell to the floor where he had stood Elena thought she could still hear him screaming.
The smell of burnt flesh curled through the air.
Yuffie stood and gaped at the spot where the man had been. The idea that a materia could turn on it's wielder had never occurred to her.
For a moment the rest of the Shinra Guards stared at the pile of ash. Then as one they turned on Yuffie. The Ninja dodged and parried, swiftly collecting up the rest of the materia as she danced around the room.
Elena swallowed as she looked at the ash. She knew what had happened - the SME, the Summon Materia Effect, had taken place despite Hojo's insistence that it didn't exist. The God's were sentient, and they would not let themselves be used by those who harmed the Planet. Elena felt sudden doubt hit her as she looked at the Ninja who represented Avalanche. If the God's were on their side, maybe they were heroes after all?
"You dumb Shinra!" Yuffie threw her Shuriken at one Guard, kicked out at a second and head butted a third. "I've got all my materia back now, so you can't steal it from me! Nyah nyah nyah!"
Elena shook her head. No! She was a Turk, and she couldn't concern herself with right and wrong, or what the Planet felt. She had to do her job!
She ran forward and caught Yuffie around the waist, taking her by surprise and slamming her down into the ground. Then she pulled out her gun and aimed it at the Ninja's head, breathing hard.
"Don't move Kiseragi!"
Yuffie gritted her teeth as she looked into the barrel of the gun. She wondered briefly if Godo, her father, would care that she'd been killed by Shinra.
Elena looked down into Yuffie's face, set in an expression of fury. Her finger trembled on the trigger, tensing and untensing. Could she shoot a sixteen year old girl in cold blood? Even if they were a member of Avalanche? Even if they had been responsible for Tseng's death?
For a moment the pair were caught in a strange tableaux, frozen in time as Elena struggled with herself. And then two strong arms suddenly clamped round her, twisting her arm backwards and forcing the gun out of her hand. She yelped, and tried to pull free, but the man lifted her off the ground and she was left kicking wildly at thin air.
"Let go of me!"
Yuffie stood up, grinning at the Turk as she was held in the air, struggling desperately.
"Well thanks pardner! Don't know who you are, but I guess you saved m - HEY!" she too was grabbed from behind and hoisted into the air by a muscular man. "What in the name of Leviathan d'ya think you're doing!?"
The secret door in the wall slid open again, and Cloud, Cid and Tifa came running into the room. They gaped at the sight of Yuffie squirming in the mans grip.
"Let go! I SAID let GO! Hey! Who do you think I...... OW! What're you doin'...? Jerk!" Yuffie tried to bite the man as he turned and carried her further back into the room, but was unable to twist her head round far enough.
"You......!" Cloud had chased the man, but now he stopped short and his face went crimson. Yuffie craned her head to see what he had seen.
".........ho.......... .......................ho............" Don Corneo surveyed the room with glee. One of his gang held a small blonde with a nice butt and an angelic face, the other held a slim, leggy young girl with her shorts unbuttoned! The Don was practically dribbling at the sight, and the scene was made even more delectable by the sight of two of the three people who had threatened him so brutally back in Midgar. "Hohi, hohi! Hohihi!"
"Corneo!?" Cloud glowered furiously at the fat man with the peroxide mohican.
"Hohi!" Corneo did a mocking curtsy, remembering how Cloud had been dressed the first time he had seen him. "I've finally got a new chicky! Two for one, in fact! Hohi, hohi!"
"Two!?" Cloud looked past the Don and saw Elena pulling against the grip of the other member of Corneo's gang.
"H..... hey! Let go of me! You're gonna regret this!!" Elena wailed, as she was carried up the stairs and out of the storeroom, the man carrying Yuffie following her cheerfully.
"There there angel" the man laughed. "Boy I'd like to see what you've got hidden beneath that suit of yours!"
"You'll be sorry!" Elena was barely aware of the opulent surroundings she was being carried through, until she heard marching footsteps and the two men suddenly darted sideways into a room and allowed a group of Shinra Guards to go marching past outside. Elena tried to call out, but a sudden rough smelly hand was clamped down over her mouth and she gagged instead.
"Shut up!" the man hissed. Elena rolled her eyes round and saw Yuffie similarly restrained from calling out.
The guards passed, and the two men slid out of the room, ran along the corridor and out of the mansion. Elena saw the building recede as she was carried across the courtyard and realised there was only one thing she could do.
She bit as hard as she could, drawing blood. The man gave a yelp and dropped his hand from her mouth. She took her chance and screamed as loud as she could;
"Reno! Rude! Help me!"
Her voice echoed around the yard, and a flock of birds took off from the roof of the shrine, startled. The man carrying her swore volubly and pulled her own gun out of his trouser belt and pointed it at her face. "Not another peep!"
She glared at him, wondering if the other Turks had heard, if they had cared.
-~-~-~-
Reno and Rude blinked as their names reverberated around Turtles-Paradise.
"What…?" Reno began, but Rude was already on his feet and racing towards the door. Reno grabbed the whisky bottle and followed him, peering round his friend as he stood in the entrance, shielding himself from outside sight by the doorframe.
"Crap." Reno whispered as he saw Elena being carried into the Wutaian forest.
"… attack."
"Can't, he's got a gun to her head."
They watched the trees swallow the strange procession up, and Reno looked up at his companion. "What's that way?"
"Da Chao." Rude rumbled angrily. "… those were the Don's men."
"Crap." Reno said again, and walked out into the sunlight. "Where the heck are those guards? C'mon."
The two went swiftly through the city until they reached the north-western area. Of the guards there wasn't a sign.
"Useless. Absolutely frikkin' useless!" Reno swore. "If they've taken 'Lena hostage then - "
He stopped as Don Corneo ran out of Godo's mansion and yanked out his electro-mag rod. The Don froze at the sight of the two furious Turks and then turned and ran towards the Pagoda. Reno and Rude promptly started chasing him, but the Don swung round in a tight circle, zigzagged across the courtyard and disappeared into the forest after his men. Reno and Rude came to a halt at the exit from the courtyard, knowing that to follow him into the trees would be hopeless.
"......Elena." Rude said flatly.
"Hmm.... that Corneo is good at escaping..." Reno glared into the trees.
"......Elena."
"Let's go, Rude. We'll give them a taste of what the Turks can do."
Rude nodded and ran out of the courtyard and out of sight.
"......Sounded pretty good." Reno turned and faced the three members of Avalanche that had emerged from the Don's mansion a few seconds before. "If Elena is in his hands, that's going to make things a little difficult. And uh..."
"......Ok. Corneo took Yuffie from us." Cloud hesitated, unwilling to admit to the gap in his defences. "And without Yuffie, there's no way to get our materia back."
"Don't misunderstand." Reno said, silently filing the new information he'd gained about Yuffie and materia away. "We have no intention of joining you. But for now, we'll agree not to bother each other. That's all."
"That's fine. We have absolutely no intention of cooperating with the Turks either. Now, uh, just what direction did Corneo run off to?"
"Hmm, nice attitude. Here's a clue, it's the place that stands out the most." Reno smirked, and turned and ran after Rude.
-~-~-~-
Elena and Yuffie were manhandled up the great carved mountain of Da Chao, their threats and protests making no difference to the two men who carried them. They stumbled round treacherous paths and finally stopped in front of one of the giant faces made of stone. It's eyes were closed and set into the reddish stone of it's eyelids were two metal clamps.
"What have you done to Da Chao!?" Yuffie shrieked, sounding genuinely upset. The Don's men ignored her, fastening a length of rope around the wrists of both her and Elena, hoisting them across the ear and cheek of the massive face and clamping them to the eyes of the silent carving. Yuffie was outraged, swearing blindly at the men.
"Hush up pet," one said sternly. "The Don'll be here in a minute."
As though to prove him right the Don ran round the path and smiled lecherously at the two women chained above him. Then he hastily followed the path round until he reached the tips of the fingers of a giant, outstretched stone hand.
"Hohohi! My trap is finally complete! And you two chickpeas make such beautiful prisoners! At last I am a master of women again! Hohihohi!"
"You jerk!" Yuffie spluttered with rage. "Look at what you've done to Da Chao!"
-~-~-~-
"You're finally here. We're gonna split into two." Reno said, as Cloud, Tifa and Cid finally came into view. "You do whatever you want. But don't endanger Elena. Don't worry. We won't do anything to that girl, Yuffie." he paused and then added "For now..." He raised his hand in a mock salute and hastened up the path.
Da Chao was a maze of steep mountain paths, carved heads, arms and caves. Monsters lived amongst the rocks, jumping agilely from outcropping to outcropping and landing unexpectedly in front of travellers.
After Reno, Rude and Avalanche had searched the mountain there were markedly fewer monsters.
-~-~-~-
The Don contemplated the two women chained to the rocks. Blood pumped round his body and fire burned in his groin. As though sensing his heat Yuffie started to struggle and scream again.
"LET... ME...... GO!!!!" she yelled, as though hoping to convince him by sheer volume. The Don laughed and rocked backwards and forwards on his feet.
"Hmm! Delicious... scrumptious! I think I've found a new HOBBY!" he laughed again. "Which shall it be? Hmm... Hmm..." He strolled down the palm of the stone hand and shook a finger at Elena. "Should I go... with HER?"
"He... hey, I'm one of the Turks! Don't you think you can get away with this!" Elena recoiled from the thought of the fat debauchee.
The Don walked back down the hand and shook his finger at Yuffie. "Or... maybe... HER?"
"Oh GAWD! If I knew this was gonna happen, I would've taken rope escape lessons more seriously!!" Yuffie struggled even harder against her bonds.
"Hmm!!! I've made my choice! My companion for the night will be......" The Don paused and both Elena and Yuffie fell still and silent as they waited for sentence to be passed. "...the cheerful one!" he turned to Yuffie.
"GROSS-NESS!" Yuffie's voice hit a new decibel level. "Don't mess with me old man! You don't even have any Materia!"
"Oooooh! And she's saucy, too! Wheee! Wheee!" the Don did a little dance, moving his pelvis back and forth.
"All right, that's it!!" Cloud's voice carried clearly through the air to the Don, who turned in shock.
"Hee-haw. What... what's goin' on!? Who's there?"
Cloud walked out onto the huge stone wrist, drawing his sword with a practised flourish. Elena sighed. How typical she should be rescued by Avalanche instead of the Turks.
-~-~-~-
Don's men stood in the shadow of the mountain, sharing a cigarette. They had heard the Don's pronouncement and had retired to discuss who got first dibs on the blonde Turk. They were having a fairly heated argument when the rock bounced off the mountain beside them.
"Huh?" the first turned, and blinked at the sight of the two men silhouetted against the Wutaian sky.
"……… you took Elena" Rude said emotionlessly.
"Well, uh, it was just a - "
"Plus," said Reno "You totally wrecked our vacation."
The two men turned to run, but it was too late. The sparking rod and rock hard fists sent them smashing into the mountain side and they collapsed unconscious.
"……" Rude turned and looked up towards the hand on which Don Corneo stood, gesturing dramatically at Avalanche. Suddenly a great bird dropped from the sky and attacked the three terrorists. Reno nodded thoughtfully and pulled the whisky bottle out of his pocket.
"…?" Rude looked at him.
Reno leant down and smashed the bottle against the head of one of the Don's men. He examined the long spikes of glass for a second and then snapped off one that was a slender triangle, with two long edges and one short. He tested the point with his finger and then handed the sharp blade to Rude.
"Okay. Let's go."
-~-~-~-
Cloud delivered the killing blow to the bat-like lizard creature of the Don's and turned to the man who had backed away to the furthest tip of the fingers.
"Wait..." The Don cringed. "Just wait a second!"
"SHUT UP!" Cloud yelled, with real anger.
"Just listen to me - it won't take long. Why do you think a bad guy like me would swallow his pride and plead for his life? One… Because he's ready to die. Two… Because he's sure to win. Or three… Because he's clueless?"
"Because he's clueless." Cloud said contemptuously.
"Hmm...! Close, but no cigar...!"
Elena let out a sudden shriek as the clamp fastened around her waist started to rotate. The world spun around her and suddenly she was upside down, hanging over a great chasm.
"Makes me so MAD...!" Yuffie yelled as she too was suspended upside down.
"If I push this button, they'll fall upside down, and we'll have SQUASHED TOMATOES!" the Don laughed again, pleased to be back in charge of the situation.
"Damn!" Cloud swore.
"Coward!" Tifa said, fists clenched.
"So this is how a loser lives…!" Cid dragged furiously on his cigarette.
"Now, give me your women too! Ha, ha, ha, ha! I guess I'm the one laughing last!"
"No, that would be us." If Cloud's voice had been clear and angry, this one was quiet and amused. The Don looked staggered.
"Hee-haw. What... what's goin' on!? Who's there?"
Reno strolled from out of the shadow of the mountain, past Avalanche and stopped on the thumb of the giant stone hand, slightly above the rest of the group. Not quite close enough for the Don to do something stupid, but close enough to appear threatening.
"...The Turks!" for the first time, the Don's voice took on a note of fear.
"You knew this was gonna happen ever since you leaked that secret." Reno said calmly. "We're going to take care of you... personally."
"DAMMIT! Then they're all goin' with me!"
Rude darted out of his own hiding place, across the chasm which separated him from Reno and the Don. Flicking his wrist the triangle of glass spun through the air and embedded itself in the Don's chest, sending him staggering back, off the edge of the hand and into space. His hands went out automatically, catching hold of the stone index finger. He hung, suspended over the same chasm he had threatened to drop Elena and Yuffie into, his shirt staining red around the glass stuck in his chest.
"Good timing, Rude." Reno said, glancing briefly towards him.
Rude raised a hand. "...Let's get to work."
Reno hopped off the thumb and strolled to where Don Corneo dangled, his breath hanging raggedly in the air. He looked into the mans round, frightened face, lifted his foot and placed it squarely on the Don's fingers as they clung to the rock.
"All right, Corneo. This'll be over quick, so listen up." He smiled faintly, and mimicked the Don's phrasing from a few moments ago. "Why do you think we went to all the trouble of teaming up with those guys to get you...?"
Reno held up a finger. "One. Because we were ready to die." He held up a second finger. "Two. Because we were sure of victory." He held up a third finger. "Three. Because we were clueless"
The Don gulped as the Turks foot pressed harder on his fingers, feeling the pressure on the bones in them. Sweat ran into his eyes, as he made his guess, the only answer it could possibly be for the cocky, laidback Turk.
"Two... Number two?"
"All wrong." Reno put his full weight on the Don's fingers, heard the satisfying crunch as the bones broke.
"No...! Wait, sto......!"
Reno stepped back.
The Don fell.
Reno, Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Rude, Elena and Yuffie listened to his scream echo up the chasm, replaced abruptly by a sudden wet silence.
"The correct answer was..." Reno pushed his sunglasses further up his head. "...because it's our job."
"Oh, thank you very much...!" Elena said angrily, and then changed tone somewhat. "I never expected you to come help......"
Reno turned to her. "Don't act so weak. You're a Turk!"
"Y... Yes, sir!"
Cid leant on his spear, and spoke gruffly, saving Elena from further embarrassment. "I guess, thanks for today."
"......" Rude straightened up, somewhat surprised by the gratitude. He glanced at Tifa, wondering if she was also going to thank them. As though sensing his gaze was on her, the dark haired woman looked away, towards Wutai.
Reno's PHS beeped. He answered it reluctantly, suspecting Heidegger would be on the other end.
"Yes... this is Reno." He paused, listening to Heidegger rant. "Yes... Yes... I'll get on it right away."
"Was that the company?" Elena asked, trying to maintain some semblance of professional dignity whilst hanging upside down over a chasm.
"Yeah, they want us to find Cloud..." Reno put the PHS back in his pocket and debated what to do. Cloud, who had been almost relaxed for a moment, had once again unsheathed his sword.
"Are we on...?" Rude enquired.
Reno looked up at the sky, at the meteor that hung like a historical full-stop, ready to finish off the Planet. He swept a hand through his hair and dropped his gaze to Cloud's mako-blue eyes.
"No, today we're off duty."
-~-~-~-
AN: *pokes chapter* That ended up… long. Oh well, that's the Wutai chapter ^^;;