Chapter 14:
All in a Day's Work
"Cheer up! The worst is yet to come!"
~Philander Johnson
The guard was somewhat handsome, in an unshaven, scruffy kind of way. Elena tried to console herself with that. She didn't like Reno's plan one bit, but she didn't have a better one, and they were out of options. She glanced at Reno. He raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "You gonna do it or not?"
"I have about as much experience seducing people as you!" she hissed.
He smirked. "Then I'm sure you'll be fine."
She got to her feet, hating Reno, but knew he was right. She approached the Hunter standing in front of their door. He was their second one in under an hour. Apparently the Hunters got bored easily and could always bully someone else into doing disagreeable tasks.
He regarded her with a calm expression, arms folded across his chest. This was not going to be easy.
She coughed softly, trying to sound feminine, but ending up sounding like she'd swallowed a frog. He looked bored.
"What do you want?"
Her mind raced. What did she want? "Some attention." Well, that was true enough. "You're so…so handsome, I can't keep ignoring you." How original.
He yawned. "You're a prisoner, remember?"
She was losing his interest. How was it Reno had said to handle this? Have a little fun. Well, the crying had worked…
She closed the distance between them. "But I may as well make the best of an awkward situation," she cooed, playfully walking her fingers up his chest. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Reno get up and creep toward the window.
She brushed back his hair with her fingers. He looked young to be with this band of lunatics. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-four." He didn't stop her from caressing his hair.
"I see." Reno had reached the window. She moved slightly to block him from view. "And what's your name?"
"Stephen."
"Stephen." She said the named deep in her throat, making it sound sensual. "I'm Elena."
Reno had unhinged the latch. He started to open the window, making a loud squeak.
Stephen started to look over. Elena grabbed his chin in her hand, forcing his attention back to her. "Look at me, Stephen."
Reno continued opening the window. It sounded louder than a freight train.
Stephen tried to pull away, but Elena wrapped an arm around his neck, kissing him passionately. Results, she told herself, are what count.
Reno had gotten the window up. It was about a twenty-foot drop to the ground, but they didn't really have a choice. He turned just as the door burst open.
Three large, course Hunters came in, shoving Stephen aside. "You've had your share, Stephen," one said. "You've could've had her ten times by now."
Another grabbed Elena roughly, running his fingers through her blood-matted hair. "Looks like the boss has been having fun with this one. Ah, well. There's still plenty left to do with her!" He pressed her face to his mouth, holding her by the hair. Elena kicked and spat, but he was stronger.
That was before Reno strode over, pulled Elena aside, and punched him in the face. The man stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose.
It had happened so quickly none of the Hunters had reacted. Now they did. One cocked a gun at Reno, but Elena slammed her shoulder into him, sending him sprawling. The last man jumped her, slamming her to the floor. The first, blood still flowing from his nose, went for Reno, drawing a knife. The Turk dodged, and the knife slammed into the wooden meeting table. While the Hunter was still trying to get it out when Reno slammed his locked hands into his back. The man fell. Reno grabbed him by the hair, pulled him up again, and punched him again in the face, making sure he broke the nose this time. He threw him to the floor and went to help Elena.
She was down, struggling with the man who'd thrown her to the floor. He yanked her head back as far as it would go, holding a knife to her throat. Elena screamed.
Reno went to help, but the guy Elena had knocked down grabbed him from behind. They fell, grappling.
Elena was sure she was going to be killed, but the pressure on her suddenly lifted. She jumped to her feet. The man who'd been on top of her was dead, his throat slashed from ear to ear. Stephen stood over him, holding her adversary's own knife.
"Stephen…why…" Her voice didn't seem to work.
He winked at her. "Let's just say you're a beautiful woman." He tossed the knife to the dead man. "And I had a score to settle with that guy."
The airship gave a lurch as it rose into the air. Reno threw the man off him with a yell. The Hunter's head struck the side of the table as he fell, knocking him unconscious. Reno didn't notice. "We're moving!"
He tried to get to the window, but the last man, the one with the many injuries to the nose, grabbed him. Elena ran up and broke between them, kicking the surprised man as hard as she could in the groin. "That's for what you were going to do to me!"
"Damn!" Reno yelled from the window. "We're too high!"
There was a pounding at the door. "What's going on in there?!"
"No choice. Get out of here!" Stephen shouted.
Elena turned to Reno. "He's right."
Reno groaned. "I am not up for this." He clambered onto the sill, balancing for a moment, then grabbed a metal projectile on the outside of the ship. The wind felt as though it'd tear the skin from his face.
"Hurry, Reno!" Elena called, sounding a bit desperate. He grabbed another handhold and pulled himself along.
The Apocalypse's design was unusual, to say the least. Because of its huge structure, the entire outside surface was made for clambering around, so that Cid and his men could get their work done without needing outside help. Reno had never felt more grateful for Cid's obstinacy to do things the conventional way.
By chance he looked down. Towns were tiny specks, and the jagged mountains up ahead were about even with the airship. A map. The ground looked like a damned map in a book. His stomach lurched with the ship. He had to stop and close his eyes a moment, for fear he would throw up again. He didn't know what it was Darryn had given him, but the next time he saw the Hunter he would kick his ass for messing him up like this. The fight had sapped most of his strength. It seemed it was pure determination that kept him hanging on the ship at all.
"Reno!" It was Elena. When he turned back to look at her, he saw by her white face that she was as terrified as he. "Don't you dare die on me. I still have to kill you for this!"
He smiled. "You did quite a job on that Stephen guy," he replied, having to shout over the wind. "I think you'll make a better seductress than me."
She shouted something else, but he couldn't hear her. That was probably a good thing.
Okay, what to do. They obviously couldn't hang out on the outside of the Apocalypse forever. They had to get back inside. Where would there be an entrance from outside to in?
Then it hit him. Of course.
Reno slowly started moving down, towards the belly of the airship. This was a whole new terror of its own, because he couldn't see to be sure where to put his legs, and one wrong step would be fatal.
It could be worse, he told himself. Ultima Weapon could still be running around loose.
Somehow that didn't help.
He glanced down to see how much progress he'd made. Almost none.
"Oh, hell," he muttered. He glanced up at Elena. Her legs were trembling. "We're going to loop around underneath," he called up to her. "Through the hatch to the engine room!"
"What if there isn't one?" Her voice was shaking like the rest of her.
Then they were screwed. "There will be," he assured her. There had to be.
As he started moving again, Elena screamed and lost her hold. She crashed on top of him, managing to grab him around the neck and hang on. He tried his best to cling to the slippery metal, but her weight dragged him down as she clutched at him in panic.
"Elena! Hang on!" he shouted, afraid she might let go to save him. If she died he would never forgive himself. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, choking him, and his fingers were slipping…
The airship banked, making a sharp turn to the right, and all at once they were falling. Reno heard Elena screaming, and was dimly wondering if the others would ever find out what had happened to them, when they landed on something hard. But it wasn't the ground.
It was once of the smaller support wings of the Apocalypse. Reno had never felt so lucky. He thought he might kiss Cid the next time he saw him. Immediately he took that thought back.
While Reno felt elated, Elena was sobbing. She still had her arms wrapped around his neck. She was still choking him.
"Elena," he said, easing her arms away from his throat. "It's okay."
She gave a little wail and clung to him. She was a pitiful sight; her wind-mussed hair still matted with blood, her entire body trembling. Reno let her cry a moment, but they couldn't stay out here any longer. He pulled away.
Where was the hatch? It had to be there. They had survived, so it had to be there. He looked to each side and above them. No hatch. Then he looked below, underneath their wing. He thought he might cry, too.
Reno had never seen anything so beautiful as that six-foot diameter hatch. He decided to kiss Shera instead of Cid. He glanced at Elena. She didn't look up.
"Elena! I found the hatch!" He grabbed the edge of the wing with hands, allowing the rest of him to dangle in space. Then he swung into the wall of the ship, kicked the latch of the hatch with his foot, and dropped neatly inside. As he got up he saw Elena timidly poke her tear-streaked face over the side of the wing.
"I can't," she whispered with horror.
He held out his arms. "I'll be right here to catch you, Elena," he said patiently. When she didn't move he added, "Hey, the last thing you want to do is stay there, right?"
Slowly she grabbed the edge with her hands. When she swung down the shock of her own weight almost made her lose her hold. She screamed. "Reno, I'm going to die!"
He rolled his eyes, but inside he felt sick. "You can't die, Elena. What if I need you to seduce someone else?" There was a note of desperation in his voice. He hoped she wouldn't notice. "And you still need to kill me, remember?"
Her feet caught him squarely in the chest, bowling him over. His head hit the floor with a crack. He winced. "Thanks."
"Sorry." She helped him to his feet, then closed the hatch while he rubbed the back of his head. When it was securely shut she leaned against it, letting out a long sigh. "I can't believe we survived that."
He grinned. "All in a day's work for a Turk."
She groaned. "I think I'll resign."
"Me, too."
* * * * * * *
Rude struggled against the ropes, but they held tight. This wasn't the first time he'd been tied up, but it was certainly his first experience being lashed to a chair. He decided he didn't like it any more than what he was used to.
Quite a few Hunters were in the common room, but only one was actually guarding him. This one sat (he wasn't tied) in a chair opposite him, tossing a knife in the air and catching it by a bone handle. He paused to grin at Rude, showing yellowed teeth.
"Darryn will be here soon. Then the fun will begin."
Rude said nothing, but he was wondering if all the Hunters were this unoriginal. He listened to the others in the room, most already drunk, carousing and laughing at the bar. He scoffed inwardly. Just mindless automatons, following the will of the leader. Most didn't even know why they had captured this airship.
~A note from Lila- My apologies for interrupting, but I wanted to point out a bit of obscure symbolism. Does that last paragraph sound FAMILIAR, Turks fans? *pauses meaningfully* Thank you for your time. ~
His guard stood slowly, holding the knife in his left hand. The pale skin contrasted sharply with his dull, close-cropped black hair. This, as well as the smell emanating from his body, made Rude christen him "Corpse".
Corpse glowered at him from beneath his heavy brow. "You will answer Darryn's questions." He tossed the knife very close to Rude, catching it just before it could slash the Turk's face. "Are we clear?"
Rude didn't bother answering. With a snort of derision, Corpse gave the chair a shove, making it rock unsteadily. Rude planted his feet on solidly on the floor to stabilize himself as Corpse went back to his seat.
There was a sudden commotion among the drunken Hunters at the bar. One jumped up on the counter, waving something around in his hand. "Hey, lookee here! I'm a Turkey!"
The Hunters roared with laughter. Rude's heart sank at what he had in his hand: It was Reno's nightstick. Now that he was looking, he saw a heap of their weapons on the floor near the bar; they must have stashed them here.
The door suddenly slammed open and Darryn strode in. The Hunter with Reno's nightstick fell off the counter, cursing fluently.
"Everyone out!" Darryn roared. "And leave the loot." He snatched the nightstick from the Hunter's hands and gave him a kick to get him moving. "I need time to question our prisoner."
Corpse started to creep out, too, but Darryn pulled him back by the collar. "You stay," he ordered, throwing him in his chair.
Rude watched all this silently. So…this was the man who was obsessed with Shinra. This was the man who'd left the bodies in the laboratory. This was the man in control of their ship.
He was built stockily and rather on the short side, with stringy brown hair and murky hazel eyes. He was dirty and unshaven, with yellowed fang-like teeth. His temper was swift and violent, his movements fervent and quick. He's more animal than human, Rude thought, unconsciously echoing Elena's earlier words. Except he doesn't kill because he perceives a threat, he kills for fun.
When the room was empty, save Darryn and Corpse, and of course Rude, Darryn shut the door. He turned to Rude, smiling. "We have the rest of the night, Turk. I can wait a good amount of time for you, but I'd prefer not to. You'll just make it harder on yourself if you don't cooperate."
Rude said nothing. He would never cooperate with this beast.
Darryn shrugged. "Suit yourself." He fell silent for a moment, drumming his fingers on the knife handle at his belt, letting the silence build. Suddenly he straightened. "What do you know of Rufus Shinra?"
Damn. This had to be the guy who'd jumped Reno in his apartment. The one who wouldn't listen to reason. Anything Rude said would only intensify his hunger.
Darryn smirked, surprisingly calm. "Not answering, are you? I've dealt with your type before." He drew his fist back slowly, then paused and turned to Corpse. "Remove his sunglasses. I don't wanna smash them." He smirked. "They look expensive."
Corpse took the shades from Rude's face and put them on. Rude thought he looked terrible in them, but didn't voice his opinion.
When Darryn slammed his fist into Rude's face, the Turk still made no sound, despite the sudden raging pain. He knew he was only making things worse for himself, but he would not let this pig have more satisfaction than necessary.
The leader of the Hunters stepped back to appraise his work. "Hmph. Shoulda let you keep those glasses…you'll need 'em soon!"
So he had a black eye. If Darryn thought this was all it would take to break him, he was mistaken.
Darryn put his hand to his belt again. "Maybe it's time for a more…persuasive…approach." He drew the dagger.
Just then, the door burst open. It was one of Darryn's men, looking thoroughly agitated. "Boss!"
Darryn whirled around, pressing the knife to the Hunter's throat. "I said I wasn't to be disturbed while questioning!"
The Hunter backed up against the wall, Darryn advancing.
"Yes, Boss!" he gushed. "But somethin's happened. They've escaped!"
Darryn froze. "Who's escaped?"
The Hunter babbled something. A thin line of blood welled up where Darryn pressed the knife against his throat.
"Who?!"
"The Turks!" The man got out. "The man and the woman!"
Darryn stood still for a moment, the blood rushing to his face. Then, with a scream of rage, he slammed open the door and left, yelling orders. "Comb the ship! I want that Turk!" The man slumped to the floor, quivering.
Rude smiled involuntarily. Leave it to Reno.
Corpse saw him. "You think this is funny, you son of a bitch?!" he roared, making a lunge for him.
Rude jumped up, twisting around so the chair connected with Corpse's pale jawbone, then brought it back down on the Hunter's head. Corpse went down hard.
Something jumped on him, knocking him to the floor. It was the other man. Blood from the thin gash on his throat dripped onto Rude's face as the Hunter grinned, producing a knife.
Bracing himself, Rude wrenched around, ignoring the pain as the chair dug into his back. The Hunter grunted as the edge of Rude's boot dug into his side. Rude couldn't kick him off; he didn't have a good enough position, but he gritted his teeth and increased the pressure until the Hunter lost the battle and rolled away.
Rude jumped to his feet. The man did, too. For a moment they circled each other warily, then the knife flashed. Rude watched it coming, timing the speed, at and the last second spun around and jerked his arms up. The knife slashed harmlessly through the ropes. The chair fell away.
Now with his arms free, Rude backed away, fists up. The Hunter glared at him and brought up the knife again. With a quick jab of his hand, Rude knocked it away. The man stared, wide-eyed.
"Never fought a Turk before, have you?" There was grim humor in Rude's voice.
The man panicked and tried to run, but Rude grabbed the chair and hurled it at the man's back. The Hunter fell with a cry of pain. He held up his hands when he saw Rude approaching.
"Please! Don't hurt me! I was just…I was just…"
Rude grabbed him by the throat, yanking him up. "Where are my friends?!"
The man jabbered something, but he couldn't say anything coherent. Rude lifted the man in the air. "Answer me!"
The Hunter's eyes rolled back in his head, and he went limp. He'd fainted with terror.
Disgusted, Rude threw him to the floor and stepped to the door. He started when he felt a cold hand on his arm. A gun cocked right by his ear.
"Going somewhere?" Corpse whispered.
Rude froze, then, without warning, he grabbed Corpse by the throat and threw him against the wall, with his forearm against the man's throat, blocking his air passage. Corpse's eyes bulged. He tried to bring the gun back up, but Rude forced his trembling arm back down.
"Don't try me," the Turk whispered. "I'm very pissed off right now. All I want is to find my friends. If you help me, I might even let you live." Corpse nodded, sweat rolling down his white forehead. "Now. Where are they?"
"They took the pilot and that mechanic woman to the bridge," Corpse said in a rush. "They left that red-haired guy in the Operation Room until he was ready to be questioned. I think they kept the blond chick with him. Darryn said anyone who wants to can go play with them."
Rude's blood ran cold at the thought of what the Hunters might had done to Elena. "But they escaped?"
Corpse's hands were shaking so badly he dropped the gun. Without taking his eyes from Corpse's, Rude caught it and pointed the barrel at the man's head.
"I don't know," Corpse whined. "I wasn't there. I've told you everything. Please let me go?"
Rude complied, dropping the Hunter on the floor. Not bothering to look at him he went to the little pile where their weapons and materia were stacked. He snatched up Reno's nightstick, two handguns, and a knife. Tucking these items in his belt, he whirled around a fired a bullet through Corpse's skull with his own gun.
Rude squatted, noting with satisfaction he'd been right- Corpse's gaunt hands clutched a thin piece of razor-wire. The Hunter had intended to strangle him from behind.
Smoothly Rude removed his sunglasses from the dead man's face- the bullet hadn't even scratched them- and put them on. No one touched his shades.
I meant to make this chap longer, Ki, I really did…but FF.Net rebuffed me. How do you like that word, "rebuff"? I just learned it.
Yes, paying to much attention in English class. We really must fix that.
Reviews, anyone?
~Lila