Initial Operation
This chapter is a little bit more serious than the first. Thing of the first chapter as light humour before the storm so to say.
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Chapter 2
I disappeared off to the canteen when Tseng had finished talking. When I left, Reno had gone back to trying to shine Rude's head again. I swear Reno doesn't know when to stop.
I was sat staring at the cup of coffee I had bought an hour ago. It was still full to the top. Forgetting that fact, I took a sip of it. I'm sure people find the way I screw up my face when I don't like something highly amusing, because when I looked up, Rude was stood near the table. He had the tiniest smile on his face. I looked to the plant pot sat beside the table and poured the cold coffee into it.
"Cold?" He asked me, still looking exceedingly amused. I looked back at him again.
"Well since I bought it an hour ago I'd say it was slightly cold." I'd say I need to work on my sarcasm a bit more. I watched as Rude sat in the seat in front of me.
"Worried?" I think I was beginning to see a pattern here.
"What? Worried? Why?" I caught the tremble in my voice as I fumbled them few words out. I internally slapped myself. I hate myself, really I do.
"It's your first mission. Everyone gets at least a little worried." He told me. I wondered if it was a trick question.
"I'm not worried." Although they were the words that came out of my mouth, my voice betrayed me and wavered a little. Rude smiled the tiniest bit again. He got up.
"Ignore Reno. His taunting is his strange way of saying, 'I could get along with you if I really wanted to'." I watched him walk away until he'd left my sight. I wondered how he wouldn't me to ignore him. Reno wasn't exactly the easiest person to ignore. I decided to get another coffee.
Twelve pm. My watch was going annoyingly slow. My stomach chose now to start doing somersaults. Being nervous really has to be the most annoying of all feelings. The palm of my hands were starting to sweat. To make things worse I began to start doubting myself. What if I didn't pull the trigger fast enough? What if I missed my target? What if I got..... killed? Shut up Elena. Stop thinking stupid thoughts, you'll only make it harder than it already is.
Watching the second cup of coffee in front of me, I began to fiddle with the little finger on my left hand. It's my nervous habit. Either I do that or I start biting my already stubby fingernails.
The second cup of coffee ended up with the first.
I hope plants like coffee.
I looked at my watch again and let out a frustrated sigh. It was two minutes past twelve. I left the canteen anyway, deciding that getting there early, even if it was two hours early, wouldn't hurt anyone.
I swiped the key card to let myself into the elevator. It did this annoy few beeps before the doors opened. A robotic voice sounded around me.
"Good Afternoon." It paused. "Miss Deushi." I could have sworn it almost sounded female. I never thought I'd live to see the day elevators talk. They'll be serving you drinks before you know it. Actually that's not a bad idea.......
The elevator came to the basement floor. "Goodbye." The robotic voice sounded again. I was expecting it to say 'and please ride with us again soon'. It didn't. I was kind of disappointed.
I walked out of the lift. The basement floor was actually a huge parking lot, full of the same Shinra made cars. I wondered if it was part of every employees contract that, 'You must buy a Shinra car and nothing else'. Wouldn't surprise me really.
I saw Tseng stood near his car. That didn't surprise me either. I was half expecting him to be already down here. I started walking over to him, my heals clicking on the concrete. How I was supposed to sneak up on anyone with these shoes was beyond me. I change thought from one thing to another very quickly don't I? My mind always wants to race at a hundred miles an hour all the time. Sometimes I just wish it would shut up.
Tseng never acknowledged me until I reached his car.
"Elena."
I haven't mentioned my infatuation with Tseng yet have I? I'm totally besotted with the man. He is one of the most good looking men I've ever seen in my life. His shiny black hair. I always wondered how he got his hair to look so....... so perfect. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. I nearly sighed dreamily just thinking about it, but stopped myself.
"Sir." I answered him back. He smiled slightly, handing me a piece of paper. I took it. It was a mission report. I knew the look of one from a mile away, but I'd never read one. They never let the trainees read them. That made my ego go up slightly. I wasn't a trainee anymore, was I?
Mission #235787
Objective: Assassinate Ex-SOLDIER member 4356
Name: See above.
Age: 34
Last seen: Sector Three.
Appearance: See photo attached.
Notes: SOLDIER 4356 is suffering from a Mako overdose. Approach with caution.
Summary:
Find SOLDIER 4356 and execute him in any means possible.
Short and to the point, just how Shinra likes things. I stared at the photo for a few minutes. The man was defiantly a SOLDIER, he had that faint glow in his eyes. He had short brown hair, blue eyes. He was nothing out of the ordinary. I wonder why he was so dangerous?
I gave Tseng back the piece of paper.
"Once Reno and Rude get here we'll be leaving." Someone else who was always short and to the point. I wonder if he was always like this or just while he was working.
It wasn't long before I heard Reno coming a mile away. He was laughing.
"Hey boss, what goes oooooooooo?." He paused for a minute, sniggering while he did. "A cow with no lips!" Tseng's lips curled up slightly, but disappeared as quick as it came. Rude shook his head slightly. I had my mouth muffled in my hand, I didn't want Reno to see my laughing at his really bad joke.
"Just get in the car Reno." Tseng ordered. I swear I nearly saw his mouth move again.
We all got into Tseng's car. Me and Rude sat in the back, with Reno sat up front with Tseng, who was of course driving. It was his car after all. I watched as Reno took the same piece of paper that I had been reading earlier.
"So we're looking for a crazed SOLDIER, high on Mako?" I watched Reno fiddle around with the piece of paper. Tseng just nodded. Reno nodded back. "So where exactly he now?"
"He was last seen in the Sector Six slums. Not a good thing since it's the most populated sector." Reno looked at our leader funnily for a moment.
"Since when did you care about other people?" Tseng briefly glanced at the red head.
"I don't."
"People already hate Shinra Reno. We don't need to give them another reason to hate us by shooting random people." That was Rude. I was beginning to figure out that Rude was the word of reason. Only speaking when he wanted Reno to shut up. Reno normally took the hint.
I stared through the tinted black glasses windows, watching the blur that pasted the window. Reno was tapping his nightstick on his leg. At that moment in time, it felt like the most annoying sound in the world. The urge to grab the stick and shove it up his arse was growing, but I knew better than to try.
Finally the car came to a halt, a little way from Sector Six. Tseng turn around in his seat to look at us all.
"Reno, you come with me. Rude, you go and check sector five, just in case he's moved on. Elena." I watched him look at me while he paused for a brief second, as if he was quickly contemplating what to do with me. "You take a sniper gun and go stay on the roof of that...." He pointed to a building a little way from us. "....building. If the guy comes past your way don't hesitate to shoot him ok?" My head nodded automatically. Great, he was basically telling me to stay out the way. How useful I feel right about now.
The rest of them got out the car, I lingered a little before I decided I'd better move. Reno was stood in front of me, the rifle in his hand. He leaned over to whisper in my ear.
"Don't take it personally. Tseng always does this to rookies. He wants to ease you into it instead of dropping you in the deep end." He leaned away and passed me the gun, which I took automatically. I knew in the back of mind that he meant well, but what he said just made me feel worse. At this rate I was always going to be the rookie.
Now Tseng was stood in front of me, handing over a little ear piece. I stared at it blankly, being the ditzy cow I am. Tseng caught the look.
"It's a communicator. You'll hear everything we say and we'll hear you." I grabbed the ear piece and hooked it around my ear. Tseng started to walk away, but he turned back a little. "Good luck." And then he went, Reno tagging along behind him. Rude wasn't there either. He must have gone ages ago. I swung the rifle over my shoulder and headed towards the building.
The building was a four storey office block, an unusual sight to see in Sector Six. It was nothing special, just a concrete block with some windows. I made it to the roof, via climbing the fire escape and sat down near the edge of the roof. I unconsciously checked the ammo in the gun. Two bullets. Obviously they weren't expecting me to be using the rifle at all.
I sighed and decided I might as well take in the surroundings. I'd never been to Wal Market before, although I had heard plenty of things about it. There was an extraordinary song coming from one of the bars. The tune was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Then the singer started to sing. I was able to pick out the language straight away, the song was Wutian. Never heard anything so strangely wonderful in my life. Midgar music was mostly rock type stuff, never really listened to it much. This Wutian music was something I could get used to.
My eyes travelled to two men shouting at each other outside what I guessed to be the Honey Bee Inn. One pushed the other, the other retaliated with his fists, then the bouncer interfered between them. I smiled a little. Drunks were always so predictable.
There was a click and the communicator came alive. Tseng spoke.
"Rude. Any sign of him?"
"Nope. You"
"Nothing." Reno commented. "Hang on a minute." The communicator clicked off. A few seconds later it came back on again.
"We've found him." Tseng's voice again. "Rude go to where Elena is. Elena stay where you are." Again the communicator clicked off.
Yeah that's right. Tell the rookie to stay out of the way. I was on a mission and I wasn't even going to see the man we were supposed to catch. I silently walked to the other side of the building. There was nothing this side except the path to Sector Five, but I did see Rude walking back. People walking near by purposely went out of their way to avoid coming any closer than five meters to the tall man. A laughed a little. I wonder if anyone will ever avoid me like that....... Maybe I didn't want them to.
I walked back to where I had placed the rifle, picking it up in my hands.
The communicator click on the the third time.
"Elena, he's coming your way." I didn't reply, but I think he was expecting one. "Elena?" He tried again.
"Yes Sir." I cringed at the dead tone my voice had right then.
"I'm trusting you to take care of him."
"Yes Sir." I replied again. I was going to get to do something after all, but did I really want to?
I saw the man. I saw Tseng and Reno chasing after him a little way back. I could feel myself shaking. What type of god damn Turk am I? I can't even sniper shoot someone. Taking a deep breath, I lifted the gun up, aiming it at the runaway SOLDIER, hands still shaking.
I looked through the scope.
Aimed.
Fired.
And missed.
The SOLDIER stopped running and looked directly at me. I never did notice the gun he had in his hand until he swung round and pointed it at me.
I panicked.
And without looking, I fired the last bullet I had.
The bullet went straight through the man's forehead.
I watched as, in what felt like slow motion, the man fell to the floor. My mouth went dry. I let the rifle clatter to the ground.
"Elena?"
I just stared at the dead man and the puddle of blood growing around him. This man had killed countless other people. He was nowhere near innocent. How come I still felt guiltily for killing him? What give me the right to decided who should live and die?
"Elena?"
I heard Rude come up the fire escape behind me. I didn't know how I knew it was him, but I did.
"Elena? You alright?"
I just stood there. Trying to convince myself that if I hadn't have shot him, he'd have shot me. That he wouldn't have given it a second thought. It wasn't helping. I felt something wet roll down my cheek.
Paper targets were so much easier to shoot than real people. I just never knew it would be this different.
I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Come El. Let's go." I shook off Rude's hand and stormed off down the fire escape.
Back at the car, I opened the door to see Reno sat in the back. I frowned a little then sat down myself. I felt him stare at me.
"You ok?" I wondered if that was a trick question. I was having a lot of these today. Ok? Am I ok? Of course I'm fine, I just murdered someone in cold blood, even though he deserved it. My brain just kept chanting.
Murderer.
You're a murderer.
I snapped at Reno.
"Why do you care!?" I felt bad as soon as the words left my lips.
"Of course I care. I maybe an arsehole, but I still care." Reno said with an unnatural softness.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." I mumbled. He nodded a little. We sat in silence for a while before he spoke again.
"It's always hard you know. But it gets a little easier over time." He paused. "If Tseng knew you would have had to do that, he wouldn't have sent you up there."
"Why not?" I felt my voice waver a little.
"We didn't want you to have to kill someone on your first mission. Hell even Tseng didn't have to. I know for sure I didn't." I didn't answer him. I kept quiet.
As the car pulled up at Shinra Inc., I looked at Reno.
"Does it really get easier?" I asked. I felt stupid, my voice sounded like a scared kid. I watched him smile at me.
"It gets a little easier. But if it doesn't, you know we'll help you right?" I nodded.
"Thanks." He put a hand on my shoulder.
"You'll always regret what you do. But think of it this way, there are worse jobs in the world." He started to walk away. "See you tomorrow El."
I looked at my watch. Six PM.
Tomorrow would be another day.
I would never forget what happened, but maybe I could learn to live with it.
After all, I'm a Turk aren't I? It's my job.
And I am going do a damn good job of it.
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Finished! All done. I hope everyone likes it. I wrote as if Elena was talking to herself in her head, and we all know how Elena rambles, so I thought that's how she'd be. Thanks for reading!!
January 29th - February 1st 2003.