Author's Note:
Reno: Hey, guys, I have a funny joke for you.
Elena: Heard it.
Reno: What? I haven't even said the joke yet!
Reeve: It's the one about the lightbult and dropping Sector 7, right?
Reno: Yeah, how'd you know?
Reeve: Lucky guess.
Reno: Alright, I have another joke.
Reeve: Okay.
Reno: Knock knock.
Reeve: You're fired.
Reno: What? You already heard that one?!
Reeve: ....
Reno: Damn! This is just plain embarrassing. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy. I might as well say it and avoid being tricked into it.
Reeve: You're learning.
Chapter Thirty
Whirlwind
Rufus carefully retied the cloth over the package, tying the gold knots again. He set the bundle down on the table gently, then ran his hands over it lovingly. He frequently found himself wanted to look at it, wanting to use it. The time would come very soon when it would be put to actual use instead of just practice.
The President of Shinra reached to his side and drew his shotgun. Also a thing of great beauty. He held it up, and ran his eyes along the barrel. He knew every little detail about his personal weapon. Every little scratch and nick on the silvery shaft, knew the exact weighting on it and how that could be employed as a close range weapon.
The shells in it right now were just filled with paint pellets, meant for practice. And now to test his new abilities.
"Begin!" he called.
He turned and faced the door, kicking it open. Inside was a short corridor, quickly turning and leading in several different directions. A constantly changing maze, designed to be different each run through it.
Running into the corridor, Rufus held his weapon in both hands in front of him, anticipating the opponent that would undoubtedly be around the first turn. The attack would be quick, and meant to incapacitate him before he could react. He knew it would be there because it was what he would do.
At made the first turn and raised his weapon in front of him. It caught the blade of the wooden practice sword just in time, clanging harmlessly away. Rufus spun the shotgun about and delivered a solid blow across his attacker's face, then drove the butt into his stomache. The Shinra soldier doubled over, gasping for breath. Rufus didn't even stop. He continued to run.
The next turn yeilded no new opponents, but he knew something would be up ahead. He stopped running and rested against a wall, listening. There it was. A slight breathing noise. Not too far from him. And there. Boots scuffing impatiently on the wood floor. Amateurs. They needed this practice far more than he did. He looked down the hallway, searching intently. It was dimly lit by lamps suspended from the ceiling. Something about the walls... there. He focused his eyes, the sight enhanced from the Mako shower. He could make out some sort of oddity about it. Almost a haze. A holographic projection on the wall, more than likely concealing one or more opponents. Clever. Whoever thought that one up would receive a raise. The soldiers hiding behind it, however, would not.
He walked carefully down the hall, making extra effort to create no noise. When he stood in front of the distortion, he raised his shot gun and fired twice. The bullets disappeared into the wall. Rufus heard three grunts. He dodged to one side and waited for the return fire. None came. He quickly reloaded, then stepped in front of the wall, and shot once more. Another grunt issued. Clever. The fourth one had pretended to play dead, waiting for Rufus to step in to confirm his 'kills'.
He pushed his face through, took a quick peek, then retreated to the side. Four men, all playing dead on the ground. None standing. Good. He reloaded again. Not many shells left. He'd have to conserve for the next few confrontations.
He wandered the maze for roughly an hour, encountering more Shinra soldiers, Roboguards, and ultimately members of Soldier. All fell before him and his weapon, whether in melee or by range. He was brutally efficient, possessing a grace even the Soldiers couldn't match. Rufus also found that, like with Lucrecia, he could sense the Soldiers from a distance. He always knew where they were, and had to swallow his distaste. He could sense the Jenova Hojo had put in them all. It was a far smaller amount than in Lucrecia, but it still bothered him. Each time, in the back of his head, he almost wished that the shells he fired were real, the blows he delivered fatal. He had to rein himself in constantly, go for the wound, not the kill.
He was like a great whirlwind, too fast for his opponents, always moving, difficult to locate. The maze was too easy. Rufus found that it almost bored him.
He was nearing the end with a sense of disappointment. Not even Soldier members had offered a challenge. He almost threw his shotgun aside in disgust when he saw the exit door. Then stopped. It had been too easy. Looking for any last threats, Rufus started for the door cautiously. Then saw it. At the end of the corridor, the lights had their bulbs taken out. The hallway was darker in the middle, light on his side, light where the exit was, but darkness in the middle. That's where the final ambush would be. He closed his eyes and concentrated. No Soldier members. He listened. No sound from breathing or machine parts. Not Shinra soldiers or Roboguards, either. That only left... of course. So this was where they were hiding. He stopped at the edge of the darkness, and began to wonder where the Turks could be hiding, what they were planning.
There.
The wall in the darkness. Another hologram. And across from it, another one. How disappointing. He expected better from his two best agents. He readied his shot gun and advanced on one of the holograms. He stood in front, and fired, then turned and discharged another blast at the other one. He dodged to the side, and listened. No sound. That was ...
Two hands grabbed his ankles, and he was pulled forward and down. He landed solidly on the ground, the air knocked out of him. Another shape fell from above directly on top of him, forcing what remained of his breath out. His shotgun fell from his hand and clattered away.
He tried to focus, tried to figure out what had happened. Two hands had grabbed him by the ankles, and he had fallen? Of course. A hologram over a section of the floor. The two on the walls had been distractions. And above... the lights smashed. So Reno could hide above, and drop on Rufus when he was pulled down.
"Told you it was idiot proof," Reno's cocky voice said.
"You know we haven't gotten the official kill on him, right?" Elena responded.
"Relax, relax. I'll do it now so we can end this stupid game."
Rufus realized that he had to buy time. He had to get Reno talking. He mentally slapped himself. Reno, talking. That would be easier than breathing.
"What did you hold onto to drop from the ceiling like that?" Rufus asked.
"Pushed on the opposite sides of the wall to hold myself up. You know how annoying that was? Doing it for an hour straight?"
Rufus heard Reno go for his gun. Not good enough. Reno was just going to finish it instead of brag. He tensed, realizing he was about to be defeated, humiliated. Again.
Not again.
Diamond Weapon advancing. The Sister Ray firing. Diamond flash.
An inhuman growl erupted from Rufus' lips, and he felt an energy build in him. Bursting with the sensation of rage, he felt a release of power.
Reno's gun fired. He didn't feel the impact.
He was up in a second, pressing Reno against the wall, holding him by the throat with one hand, delivering solid punches to the Turk's ribs with the other. He was aware of Elena trying some sort of Materia attack on him from behind, but like the paint shot from Reno's gun, it didn't affect him.
He lifted Reno and threw him bodily directly at Elena, knocking her down.
The feeling of rage passed over him, and he looked down at his hands, shaking. What had just happened? What was that power? Something to do with the Mako shower, or...?
Of course. He had read reports of this. The Cetra, Aeris Gainsborough, had been reported having powers like these. So, version 1.01 of the Soldier serum had other benefits as well.
A small laughed came from Rufus' lips. What else did he have? He went through his memory like a catalogue, trying to remember what else the Ancient was said to be able to do. Heal. She was said to have the ability to heal with a touch.
He reached over to Reno, who had been beaten senseless, and rested one hand on him. He focused on the anger, on the memories of humiliation and defeat from Diamond Weapon. A soft red and orange glow appeared, followed by streams of blue light. In seconds, both Reno and Elena were groaning, come back to consciousness.
Excellent.
"Sir!"
Rufus looked up the pit and saw Reeve standing above him, an excited look on his face.
"We have just received reports from a unit near Midgar! Obsidian Weapon has been sighted!"
He didn't even think, just reacted. "Prep the Proud Clod, and the new weapon readied. And have Reno and Elena looked at. They did a wonderful job today. Give them both a raise. Ten percent. No, twenty. They performed marvelously."
Yes, today was going to be a good day.
Author's Note:
Hmmm, I'm not sure of some of the stuff I've done in this chapter, but I think it'll work. Especially with what I've got planned coming up. Ah well, we'll see... next up, part one of the big confrontation.
Reno: Hey, guys, I have a funny joke for you.
Elena: Heard it.
Reno: What? I haven't even said the joke yet!
Reeve: It's the one about the lightbult and dropping Sector 7, right?
Reno: Yeah, how'd you know?
Reeve: Lucky guess.
Reno: Alright, I have another joke.
Reeve: Okay.
Reno: Knock knock.
Reeve: You're fired.
Reno: What? You already heard that one?!
Reeve: ....
Reno: Damn! This is just plain embarrassing. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy. I might as well say it and avoid being tricked into it.
Reeve: You're learning.
Chapter Thirty
Whirlwind
Rufus carefully retied the cloth over the package, tying the gold knots again. He set the bundle down on the table gently, then ran his hands over it lovingly. He frequently found himself wanted to look at it, wanting to use it. The time would come very soon when it would be put to actual use instead of just practice.
The President of Shinra reached to his side and drew his shotgun. Also a thing of great beauty. He held it up, and ran his eyes along the barrel. He knew every little detail about his personal weapon. Every little scratch and nick on the silvery shaft, knew the exact weighting on it and how that could be employed as a close range weapon.
The shells in it right now were just filled with paint pellets, meant for practice. And now to test his new abilities.
"Begin!" he called.
He turned and faced the door, kicking it open. Inside was a short corridor, quickly turning and leading in several different directions. A constantly changing maze, designed to be different each run through it.
Running into the corridor, Rufus held his weapon in both hands in front of him, anticipating the opponent that would undoubtedly be around the first turn. The attack would be quick, and meant to incapacitate him before he could react. He knew it would be there because it was what he would do.
At made the first turn and raised his weapon in front of him. It caught the blade of the wooden practice sword just in time, clanging harmlessly away. Rufus spun the shotgun about and delivered a solid blow across his attacker's face, then drove the butt into his stomache. The Shinra soldier doubled over, gasping for breath. Rufus didn't even stop. He continued to run.
The next turn yeilded no new opponents, but he knew something would be up ahead. He stopped running and rested against a wall, listening. There it was. A slight breathing noise. Not too far from him. And there. Boots scuffing impatiently on the wood floor. Amateurs. They needed this practice far more than he did. He looked down the hallway, searching intently. It was dimly lit by lamps suspended from the ceiling. Something about the walls... there. He focused his eyes, the sight enhanced from the Mako shower. He could make out some sort of oddity about it. Almost a haze. A holographic projection on the wall, more than likely concealing one or more opponents. Clever. Whoever thought that one up would receive a raise. The soldiers hiding behind it, however, would not.
He walked carefully down the hall, making extra effort to create no noise. When he stood in front of the distortion, he raised his shot gun and fired twice. The bullets disappeared into the wall. Rufus heard three grunts. He dodged to one side and waited for the return fire. None came. He quickly reloaded, then stepped in front of the wall, and shot once more. Another grunt issued. Clever. The fourth one had pretended to play dead, waiting for Rufus to step in to confirm his 'kills'.
He pushed his face through, took a quick peek, then retreated to the side. Four men, all playing dead on the ground. None standing. Good. He reloaded again. Not many shells left. He'd have to conserve for the next few confrontations.
He wandered the maze for roughly an hour, encountering more Shinra soldiers, Roboguards, and ultimately members of Soldier. All fell before him and his weapon, whether in melee or by range. He was brutally efficient, possessing a grace even the Soldiers couldn't match. Rufus also found that, like with Lucrecia, he could sense the Soldiers from a distance. He always knew where they were, and had to swallow his distaste. He could sense the Jenova Hojo had put in them all. It was a far smaller amount than in Lucrecia, but it still bothered him. Each time, in the back of his head, he almost wished that the shells he fired were real, the blows he delivered fatal. He had to rein himself in constantly, go for the wound, not the kill.
He was like a great whirlwind, too fast for his opponents, always moving, difficult to locate. The maze was too easy. Rufus found that it almost bored him.
He was nearing the end with a sense of disappointment. Not even Soldier members had offered a challenge. He almost threw his shotgun aside in disgust when he saw the exit door. Then stopped. It had been too easy. Looking for any last threats, Rufus started for the door cautiously. Then saw it. At the end of the corridor, the lights had their bulbs taken out. The hallway was darker in the middle, light on his side, light where the exit was, but darkness in the middle. That's where the final ambush would be. He closed his eyes and concentrated. No Soldier members. He listened. No sound from breathing or machine parts. Not Shinra soldiers or Roboguards, either. That only left... of course. So this was where they were hiding. He stopped at the edge of the darkness, and began to wonder where the Turks could be hiding, what they were planning.
There.
The wall in the darkness. Another hologram. And across from it, another one. How disappointing. He expected better from his two best agents. He readied his shot gun and advanced on one of the holograms. He stood in front, and fired, then turned and discharged another blast at the other one. He dodged to the side, and listened. No sound. That was ...
Two hands grabbed his ankles, and he was pulled forward and down. He landed solidly on the ground, the air knocked out of him. Another shape fell from above directly on top of him, forcing what remained of his breath out. His shotgun fell from his hand and clattered away.
He tried to focus, tried to figure out what had happened. Two hands had grabbed him by the ankles, and he had fallen? Of course. A hologram over a section of the floor. The two on the walls had been distractions. And above... the lights smashed. So Reno could hide above, and drop on Rufus when he was pulled down.
"Told you it was idiot proof," Reno's cocky voice said.
"You know we haven't gotten the official kill on him, right?" Elena responded.
"Relax, relax. I'll do it now so we can end this stupid game."
Rufus realized that he had to buy time. He had to get Reno talking. He mentally slapped himself. Reno, talking. That would be easier than breathing.
"What did you hold onto to drop from the ceiling like that?" Rufus asked.
"Pushed on the opposite sides of the wall to hold myself up. You know how annoying that was? Doing it for an hour straight?"
Rufus heard Reno go for his gun. Not good enough. Reno was just going to finish it instead of brag. He tensed, realizing he was about to be defeated, humiliated. Again.
Not again.
Diamond Weapon advancing. The Sister Ray firing. Diamond flash.
An inhuman growl erupted from Rufus' lips, and he felt an energy build in him. Bursting with the sensation of rage, he felt a release of power.
Reno's gun fired. He didn't feel the impact.
He was up in a second, pressing Reno against the wall, holding him by the throat with one hand, delivering solid punches to the Turk's ribs with the other. He was aware of Elena trying some sort of Materia attack on him from behind, but like the paint shot from Reno's gun, it didn't affect him.
He lifted Reno and threw him bodily directly at Elena, knocking her down.
The feeling of rage passed over him, and he looked down at his hands, shaking. What had just happened? What was that power? Something to do with the Mako shower, or...?
Of course. He had read reports of this. The Cetra, Aeris Gainsborough, had been reported having powers like these. So, version 1.01 of the Soldier serum had other benefits as well.
A small laughed came from Rufus' lips. What else did he have? He went through his memory like a catalogue, trying to remember what else the Ancient was said to be able to do. Heal. She was said to have the ability to heal with a touch.
He reached over to Reno, who had been beaten senseless, and rested one hand on him. He focused on the anger, on the memories of humiliation and defeat from Diamond Weapon. A soft red and orange glow appeared, followed by streams of blue light. In seconds, both Reno and Elena were groaning, come back to consciousness.
Excellent.
"Sir!"
Rufus looked up the pit and saw Reeve standing above him, an excited look on his face.
"We have just received reports from a unit near Midgar! Obsidian Weapon has been sighted!"
He didn't even think, just reacted. "Prep the Proud Clod, and the new weapon readied. And have Reno and Elena looked at. They did a wonderful job today. Give them both a raise. Ten percent. No, twenty. They performed marvelously."
Yes, today was going to be a good day.
Author's Note:
Hmmm, I'm not sure of some of the stuff I've done in this chapter, but I think it'll work. Especially with what I've got planned coming up. Ah well, we'll see... next up, part one of the big confrontation.