Game of Power

By: Zavijah

"A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations."

"Aah!" A shiver ran up the spine of the 6'5" man compounded mainly of thick muscles covered by dark skin. Barret stopped walking and let himself shudder with the dark feeling that had crawled up his backbone and was now nagging his conscious.

"Barret?" The girl accompanying him paused, then whirled around to face him, causing her long, dark brown hair (tucked in a tight ponytail) to curl around the smooth, white skin of her neck. Fiery honey-brown eyes squinted up at the tall man in question. "Something wrong?"

'I jes got that feelin', ya'know, like sumthin' bad is gonna happ'n" He slurred in his thick slum accent. "I dun think its safe ta keep goin'"

Barret rubbed the thick but short, black haired beard growing along his jawline. As the undisputed leader of Avalanche, he was always paying close attention to the way the hairs would suddenly rise on the back on his neck. It meant danger, and it was his self-appointed duty to make sure no one got hurt.

"Barret!" this time the gentle female voice was stern, demanding. Her metal-studded gloved hands were fisted menacingly and pressing into the black fabric of the shorts circling her slende hips. She narrowed her eyes in pre-warning. "You're not trying to get out of visiting your daughter, are you?"

"Wha!?" Barret tore his eyes away from the shadowy piles of scrape metal that lined the dirt path. He pinned one of his best 'who-do-ya-think-yer-talkin'-to?' scowls down on the feisty girl blocking his path. "Wha'cha talkin' 'bout? You think I'ma scared of that? I ain't scared of nuthin'! I jes gotta bad feelin' an' its my responsibility ta always pay attention to the risks that are involved. Thas'all. You know that Tifa."

The girl, Tifa, didn't seem convinced. Barret knew not to take the seemingly frail figure of a girl lightly. Tifa was a nice girl, but always a passionate fighter before anything else. She was lethal in her self-taught martial arts, and her tough attitude she possessed had developed from living the hard life in Midgar's slums. Most of all, she was a valued member of his gang, Avalanche. And push-overs were not allowed to join.

And currently, Barret didn't want to risk earning a well-aimed, bone-crushing hit from the brunette. "Tifa, what if I'm right, huh? What then?"

"Relax Barret," The young fighter switched her approach and frowned in disappointment at the dark skinned man. "We're not on a mission. This is just a visit to see your daughter. The worst thing that could happen is that someone will try to mug us—they wouldn't stand a chance though, right?"

The reassuring wink from the short brunette didn't settle the flip-flops Barret's stomach was performing. His dark eyes wandered back to the ominous surroundings even though Tifa had seized his arm and was trying to tug his taller form forward. "I dunno. It feels like we bein' watched. Can't ya sense it?"

Tifa paused in her efforts to move the bulky body that was more like a tank when standing next to hers. She wrinkled her nose as she surveyed the metal heaps and strained to hear past the sound of their rhythmic breathing. After a moment she lightly planted a friendly punch to the middle of Barret's broad chest. "It's probably just a rat! The more we stand around like this, the more attention we attract—besides you promised Marlene you would come see her."

Those emotional brown eyes were once again on Barret, stabbing at his one weakness. Guiltily the man nervously fingered the edge of the gun that was grafted to the bottom of his right arm, which had replaced the hand he had lost years ago. "Awright, but if anythin' goes wrong there is gunna be hell ta pay."

'Yeah yeah, whatever you say," Tifa grinned while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She freed Barret's arm and took the lead on the dirt path.

Barret cast one last threatening glare at the unseen dangers. He then willed his heavy boots forward until he and Tifa were once again progressing. Soon the trash piles thinned and rays of sunlight peeked down from between the plates above. The yellow strips of light breathed life into the unbelievable scenery before them. Bundles of healthy, yellow flowers grew scattered along the path and surrounded the small quaint little red-roofed house that looked happy to be circled by the plant life. In the background a waterfall fell musically into the stream that cut through the flower beds.

Sure, the water was actually polluted from the mako reactors, and the flowers that grew were actually a notorious weed from the southern continent—it still made the sight stir a fluttering sense of hope that made Barret's heart soar. It also created a genuine smile to relax Barret's tense features. Only one other thing could bring that smile to his face, and that thing was—

"Papa!" A young voice called out. Barret caught the disappearing glimpse of a head in the window before the door of the small house flung open and a little girl in a faded purple dress ran out. Her little arms were thrown into the air as she neared Barret, allowing him to pick up her small frame and toss her giggling into the air.

"There's my little girl!" Barret cheered as he easily caught her, spun then sat her on one of his massive shoulders. "How's my Marlene doin'?"

"Great!" Marlene exclaimed while hugging one of her arms around her father's head. "Today Aeris taught me how ta tend the garden."

"Oh yeah?" He laughed as he beamed up at the small girl that was his pride and joy. She wasn't really his daughter—any outsider could tell by the deep contrasting color of skin. Her parents, close friends of Barret's, were lost in a tragic accident that happened when Marlene was almost too young to remember. Ever since then Barret had taken it upon himself to see that Marlene got the best out of life. She was the sole reason to why he had assembled his 'protectors of the planet'—to save the world so Marlene would have a future. "Didja have fun?"

"Uh-huh, and guess what we found," Marlene squirmed on his shoulder. Her abundant source of energy always keeping her moving.

"I dunno, what did ya find?" Barret headed towards the house where Tifa was conversing with a young woman dressed in a a light pink dress and had auburn curls falling down past her shoulders. She smiled at him when he neared, her features as delicate and beautiful as the flowers around them.

"A cattypiwer!" Marlene replied, expressing the answer like she was shouting 'surprise'.

"Wow, that's purdy neat," Barret reached the doorway and lifted Marlene off his shoulder. As soon as her petite feet hit the ground she took off in a run towards the flower beds. Barret nodded towards Tifa, then the other woman, "Hey Aeris."

The magnified reflection of Barret danced in the curved lens set before a pair of Mako green eyes. Reno lowered the pair of binoculars just as the sound of a camera clicking came from the man lying to his immediate right. Suddenly feeling a surge of panic, Reno's fingercut gloved hand swiped out and pushed the contraption down from the other's eyes. "What the hell are you doing Rude!?"

The other suited Turk, Rude, slowly turned his cleanly shaved head towards Reno. Black, square frame glasses shielded the man's eyes, preventing the redhead from reading any emotion off the otherwise neutral expression. All he could see was his own angry reflection.

"Taking pictures of the targets," Rude blandly answered. His face remained directed towards the younger Turk. Even in his strong silence he was bombarding Reno with questions.

"No, not here." Not of her. Reno shook his head, trying to strangle the weakness echoing in his voice.

Rude stared a moment in silent thought before he turned back to his camera—which he lifted back to eye level in order to spy at the group below. He fiddled with the focusing lens but didn't take a picture as Reno had said to not do.

Reno laid down the binoculars and hunched down in the dried weeds located above on the raised ground across the path of the small house of flowers. He knew the girls standing in the doorway—he knew her too well.

"That girl is the one Tseng assigned you to," Rude's monotone voice stated what he had figured out on his own.

Reno pressed his face further into the dried plants so he no longer had to look at his long-time partner. The decaying scent still seemed to smell more appeasing than the poisoned air trapped underneath the plates. He growled angrily at the afternoon heat and also the uncomfortable situation that he was forced into because of his sense of duty. Yes, of course he knew her, Aeris. The first day he became a Turk he was appointed to watch over the flowergirl, to keep her safe, but to always watch from the shadows. She knew about him anyway, which made Reno's stalking job a lot easier. Over the years he had begun to think of her as a younger sister—it made the job more tolerable.

He didn't want her to become involved with their information gathering on Avalanche. She didn't need to get twisted into the plans of the new president, Rufus. That man made Reno uneasy, merely because he couldn't predict how the young VP would react—he didn't know what the other was planning, so it was better to keep Aeris out of harm's path. All he could figure out, or find in Rufus was the flicker of insanity trapped deeply within glacier blue eyes. A picture was all the man needed to somehow drag Aeris into the picture.

"We're done here," Rude commented offhandedly after their targets had moved inside of the house. He stood, not even the weeds cracked under the pressure of his lights footsteps. After all, the man was a well trained spy/assassin/scout, whatever label people stuck to the Turk organization.

Reno didn't follow his partner's lead. Instead he rolled over onto his back and dug into the breast pocket of his black jacket. His fingers pulled out a familiar pack of cigarettes, and soon the comforting taste of nicotine was lingering, tingling in his senses. He took a few drags while staring up at the metal plate high above them. The toxic smoke he inhaled helped him to calm down and think.

What are you planning Rufus?

Reno exhaled, watching the ghost like wisps vanish before his eyes. There was something big being planned, he could feel it deep down inside—but he didn't know what to expect and that worried him the most, and Reno was not the type to care much about the actions of others. But this new guy, Rufus, there was something.. wrong about him.

"Reno, get up." The redhead felt his foot being kicked, but could care less about going back to headquarters to fill out the dreaded paperwork.

"Fuck off," Reno snapped more harshly than he meant. He pushed his sunglasses over his eyes to avoid exchanging glances. With cigarette held firmly between lips, Reno folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the metal sky. He cursed mentally—Rude could handle the papers—at that thought Reno sat up in alarm. "And don't submit those pictu—fuck!"

Reno jerked wildly and swiped furiously at his crotch where the cherry of his cigarette had fallen. The burning sensation stopped and Reno surveyed the damage—a hole in the front of his black pants. Luckily it never made it through the fabric of his boxers. Though, it still meant he had to go change—Reno was sloppy and lethargic enough not to care, but he at least he had a sense of style and cool to maintain. A hole in his clothes was something he could not tolerate.

"Stupid fucking job, shitty cheap-ass cigarettes, God damn half-crazed bosses, Bitchy greedy landlord, crappy leaky roof.. Fuck.. my life sucks." Reno stood and flicked the rest of his cigarette into the nearby brush. Mumbling irritably, the redhead took one last glance at his ruined pants before heading off in the direction of the train station.

It was a relatively short walk from Sector 5 slums to the Sector 8 train station. Somewhere along the way Reno caught up with his taller, much balder partner, Rude. They walked in mutual silence, watching the rest of the world through black tinted sunglasses. When they finally arrived at the station, the train wasn't there. The two turks stood at the edge, knowing one could arrive soon if they waited.

"Why don't you give me the camera," Reno held up his hand, waiting to feel the weight of the device. It never came.

"Why don't you fuck off?" Rude replied his voice deep and never wavering so that he spoke as if he had just said a simple hello.

Reno smirked with a light shake of his head. The older Turk beside him was not exhibiting anger, merely being a wisecrack—Reno knew how to read the other, it was sort of a job requirement to be able to do so. Reno nudged the other Turk in the side with his elbow, "Ass."

Rude's large hand came down on Reno's shoulder and he gave the other a forceful shove, causing the redhead to sidestep to remain upright. "Dumbass."

Smiling now, Reno slid back up to the taller—stepping on his foot in the process, "Jackass."

Rude's hand came up, lightly cuffing the side of Reno's head, "Asshole."

Reno lazily brushed aside his bangs that had fallen into his vision from the blow. He glanced quickly to see the faintest tug of a smile at the corner of Rude's lips. Truly they were good friends, and always had been since the first day they worked together. Through the years of partnership, each other had grown to know the other well. Reno knew that their childish game of banter and hits had always been a favored way to waste time—or rather smooth over trampled feelings. After all, Reno had been unkind to the other moments before—believable or not, Rude was actually a sensitive guy. The sunglasses only hid so much from Reno's sharp observation skills.

"Asswipe," Reno brought his foot up and skillfully hit the back of Rude's knee, causing the taller to stumble in his stance before regaining his balance. Reno laughed at the sight while leaning forward over the edge of the platform to see if the train would be arriving soon—that was when he pitched forward onto the railway due to a simple shove from Rude.

"Smartass."

Reno grumbled as he picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his suit. He then thought better of his actions, the suit was already ruined so there was no point in salvaging it now. Reno attempted to climb back onto the platform as his mind clicked through the various names containing the word 'ass'. And after a few failed attempts, where the platform mocked Reno's height, the redhead grudgingly extended his hand up to his partner. "Help me up, fuckass."

Rude gripped Reno's wrist as the redhead did the same to his. He hauled the young Turk onto the platform and patted the other good-naturedly on the back—sending up a cloud of dust in the process. "You okay fatass?"

Reno frowned at the name while he slide his hands over his backside, "No, I think I broke my fatass."

Rude managed to flash a quick smile before his expression went blank and his stance straightened in seriousness. Reno responded instantly by putting on his own cold demeanor—letting the icy exterior of an assassin frost over his usually playful eyes. He looked up at the other man's eyes that were covered by the opaque sunglasses. Rude's face was directed slightly to the left. Reno knew how to read his partner's motions all to well. Something was behind them, nothing dangerous, but worthy of Turk's attention.

Reno concentrated on the footsteps—two pairs—approaching from behind. Their rhythm was easy, not at all rushed or trying to be sneaky. It must have been a couple of people waiting for the scheduled train, which Reno could also hear barreling down the tracks. The others were drawing close enough now that Reno could make out their reflection in his partner's glasses.

Strawberry-blonde hair paired with dark brown. The voices were vaguely familiar, one female and the other male. However, the noise of the train drowned out their words. The engine hissed to a halt and the doorman stepped out. Reno and Rude casually entered and assumed standing positions in the first cart so that the people behind them were forced to pass by.

Impassively Reno watched from behind his shades as the pair past. At once the redhead knew who they were—like their mugshots and files were burned into his memory. Jessie, the female computer hacker and technician—Biggs, male spy and strategist—both members of Avalanche, one of three active rebel groups within Midgar's borders. It was that very group that Reno and Rude had been gathering information on the leader mere moments earlier.

The pair moved into the next car, blissfully unaware of being under the attention of the two Turks. As soon as the train began to move, Reno smirked over at his partner. ShinRa wanted information on Avalanche, and what could be a better source of information than a live source? The silent agreement passed between the two. Rude jerked his head to the side, popping the taunt muscles in his neck. He then cracked his knuckles before heading for the next train car. Reno reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his electric rod. The metal end was designed in layers that would slide smoothly inside of each other, the final layer being the hard rubber handle—it traveled nicely in his breast pocket next to his pack of cigarettes. Now, with a grin on his face, Reno extended the metal piece to its full length then trailed after his taller partner.

End Chapter.