By Ktrenal
Chapter Four - The Great Escape
Dinner had been fish, which hadn't surprised him in the least. The whole village was based around fishing, as near as he could guess. They were probably obsessed with it, which was probably why they'd never heard of materia or Mako before. And the smell of fish on the air seemed likely to have addled their brains somewhat, although not enough for Reno's liking.
Maggie'd had the sense not to untie his wrists so he could eat properly, and had merely cut his food into small chunks and given him a fork. Not a knife, in case he tried to cut himself free. He might have been surprised at these acts of cunning, were it not for the fact that it had been she who'd drugged him in the first place, landing him in this position.
When he'd complained that he couldn't eat easily with his hands tied, even if the fish fillets had been chopped into bite sized cubes, she'd offered to feed him herself. Reno had decided he'd rather manage on his own, since even when bound and held prisoner, he was determined to keep his pride. In retaliation for the offer however, he'd driven her insane with mindless banter between mouthfuls.
His explanation of how the butterflies were going to take over the world had left her in hysterics however, something which Reno wasn't sure if he should feel amused or offended about. Those were his personal beliefs she was mocking with her laughter, but then it wasn't like anyone else's opinions had ever mattered to him before. Getting offended would only be a waste of time too, especially since he was going to be gone soon anyway. As soon as it seemed like she was asleep, he was leaving.
Even so, Reno felt his plan was a little vague and hazy in places, but in the absence of possession of his weapons, it was the best he could manage. Somehow though, he was determined to at least retrieve his mag-rod on the way out; there was no way in hell he was leaving his favoured weapon here, not when he might need it. Once his departure was noticed, it seemed fairly likely that Argus would have this police officer contact whichever station he was based at.
Sitting on the bed of the room he'd been confined in, he was sorting through his materia, dividing them into two piles at first. Those he'd need for his escape he kept out, while the others he started to drop one by one into his pockets. This action was a little awkward with tied hands, although at least he'd loosened the bonds around his ankles. That was one thing Maggie hadn't considered, it would seem. Now the ropes were loose enough that he could kick them off in an instant.
During the meal, Reno'd managed to get some information from Maggie, little tidbits she'd let slip into the conversation. These were things she clearly hadn't realised were important and valuable, at least to a rather lost Turk. The fact that there were many tiny villages spread haphazardly around the local landscape, patrolled by no more than a dozen police who served more the purpose of a ranger than that of law enforcement. Most issues of crime and punishment were dealt with by the villages themselves, although external matters were referred to these roaming officers. Reno was one such 'external matter' it seemed.
The largest village in the area was a place named Darton, which was almost the size of a small town; Reno suspected it would be similar to Kalm in many respects. But he'd never heard of anywhere named Darton, or any of the other miniscule little villages Maggie had mentioned. And Junon itself was so tiny, so insignificant. Just a tiny little village, like he'd heard it had been in the pre-Shinra days. It was like some weird time-warp.
He froze, one glowing green orb of materia still resting in his hand. Could it be? It seemed a bit far-fetched, even for Reno's often very active imagination, but then, it did seem to explain a lot of things. Why Junon was just a tiny little village, why no one here had heard of materia or Mako. He'd have to think about this a little later, after he'd escaped. Much as he'd like to pursue these thoughts right now, there was a time and a place.
The sound of muffled heavy breathing could just about be heard, and the light in the adjoining hallway had been put out; it was a lamp of some description, powered by a solid fuel of some description. Despite the weird look he'd received at asking what it was, Maggie had answered him with the word 'paraffin', which had made as much sense to Reno as 'materia' had made to her. Maybe it was one of those weird fuels the world had used before Shinra had discovered the relative merits of Mako.
Touching the lamp out of curiousity had provided him with a mild burn, and an important lesson learned. Anything that burned was inevitably hot, even this 'paraffin' stuff. They always said that curiousity killed the Turk too. At least that burn could be treated as preparation for his escape, he reflected. It was a talent, it really was, being able to find something good in every situation. If he didn't, he'd probably go mad. Or get really depressed. Or both. Or worse.
He refocused onto his escape, keeping his attention locked on the materia in his hands, coaxing forth a small spell, one powerful enough to slowly burn through the rope binding his wrists. He tightened his jaw, biting slightly into his lip as the tiny fire spell also burned the sensitive skin around his wrists. The pain might have bothered him, were it not for the fact that he knew full well it was for a good cause. Not that he believed in 'good causes' as such, but his impending freedom was a good a one as any, and certainly more worthwhile than a lot of others he could think of.
As the little flame continued burning, Reno occupied his attention on kicking the binds on his legs away, before silently getting to his feet. And then, with a sudden jerk and a hiss of pain, he pulled his hands sharply apart, snapping the partially burned through rope. He was free. Idly touching a hand to his right wrist, where his watch was rubbing irritatingly against the burned skin, Reno pulled the time-keeping device off and stuffed it into his pocket; it would probably be useless here anyway, until he found out what the local time was. It was like traveling to a different part of the world, where the time was offset by a few hours.
Wishing that Rude wasn't the only one that carried curative magic with him, Reno moved lightly over to the door, treading carefully and avoiding the parts of the floor he knew would creak if he trod on them. A lot of seemingly frustrated pacing back and forth in the room had given him that information. Maggie had really underestimated him and his comprehensive Turk training, that was for certain.
But then, where was the evidence that he was anything more than a common criminal carrying a few nice weapons and some pretty stones? There was none. There was nothing to indicate that he was more than capable of escaping his rather simple prison. Reno had always thrived on a healthy dose of deception, especially when it caused others to underestimate him. Many wrote off his lanky frame as confirmation that he wasn't capable of fighting, usually to their grave expense. Reno knew how to use his advantages.
Gently, he crouched by the door, studying the lock. Naturally she had locked him in here. That wasn't a major issue for him however. Another piece of evidence that promoted the idea that he'd somehow been transported through time was the simplicity of the lock keeping him in the room. It wasn't even sufficiently complex to warrant the construction of a rudimentary lockpick, not when simply sliding a plastic card through the gap between the door and the wooden frame holding it would be enough to break the lock. With that in mind, he removed his wallet from his pocket, searching through it until he came across his old keycard. It wasn't like he'd be needing it anymore, since the Shinra Building was a pile of rubble in the distant future.
Reno pressed the card in the small gap, forcing it into the area where the locking mechanism connected the door with the wall. There was a soft click, and he froze, remaining completely motionless until he was certain his captor hadn't heard the sound. There was no other sound from Maggie beyond the rhythmic, somewhat nasal breathing, and so he slowly pulled the door open, holding it steady and creeping out into the hallway.
He closed the door once again, hearing the lock click back into place, which was an added blessing; it was possible no one would notice he'd gone until much later tomorrow, whenever Maggie decided to feed him next. Speaking of the woman in question, it was time to ensure she didn't wake up on his way out of the building. He knew there was a bell attached to the door that rang whenever it was opened or closed, something he had previously associated with shops rather than homes. In a small village like this however, it seemed likely that the inhabitants just wandered freely in and out of each other's houses.
He didn't want Maggie waking when he opened the front door however, so he crept to her room, crouching low by the side of the open doorway with his back against the wall. He listened to her breathing, which sounded almost like a snore. Wait, no. Two snores, one much softer than the other, but definitely two sets of deep breaths. So Maggie had a husband; she hadn't mentioned him, and Reno hadn't heard him come in earlier, although he had taken a nap after he'd finished with dinner.
His internal body clock was a little messed up, since while it was clearly night, it would have been mid-morning back at home. Again he found himself reminded of the varying time zones of the world he'd known. But because he was aware of the fact that his body and mind would want to sleep at this particular time, he'd prepared and slept earlier. Which meant he'd missed out on a vital piece of information that may effect the outcome of this little escape attempt.
The young red-head's eyes flicked down to the materia in his hand, frowning slightly, and carefully shifting in his crouched position so as to root around in his pockets, withdrawing a handful of materia. Sometimes he really wished the magical orbs didn't glow, such as when he was trying to work in the dark. However, he quickly caught sight of the one he wanted, and returned the others to his pocket.
With the soft green and vibrant blue materia held close to each other in his hand, as good a link between them as he could provide in the unexpected circumstances, Reno focused on the pair. It had been a while since he'd used paired materia like this, and so it took a few moments of pure concentration to will both of them into life. "All. Sleepel," he murmured softly, casting the spell on the couple in the bedroom.
He waited, poised for action should the spell fail and somehow alert the pair to his activities, but instead their breathing only became deeper. They wouldn't awake now until morning, not unless the house literally fell on top of them, and perhaps not even then. The Seal materia wasn't one he'd used often, but he knew its magic was surprisingly powerful for what it was.
Confidant that he wouldn't be disturbed, and yet still wary, he crept through the house, keeping low to the ground in a manner he'd previously used only on covert missions for Shinra. It felt somewhat reassuring though, both to be using the skills he'd been trained for, and to remember the old days. The old days that were both only a few months ago, and countless years in the future. He'd really have to try and figure that out later.
Slinking silently into the kitchen, Reno began a search for his weapons. He knew they would be around here somewhere, since Maggie had mentioned that the police officer was interested in taking them for evidence. If this really was the past, it might be necessary to retrieve as many of them as possible, not just his electro-mag rod. Technology in his time was far more advanced than anything here, and far from any thoughts of maintaining the flow of causality, Reno wanted all the advantages he could get, and didn't want anyone else to benefit from his weapons. They would give him an edge over anything he might have to fight. So would the Mako infusion too, for that matter.
After checking the kitchen table and a couple of the nearby cupboards, his ice blue eyes soon noticed the door off to one side. A larder perhaps? He moved over to investigate, pulling the door open, and revealing the shelves within. One the lowest shelf rested Maggie's fine china, the crockery she used for visitors who weren't assumed to be wanted criminals. Reno's dinner of fish had been served on an old, chipped and cracked plate, rather than these much more delicate pieces, painted around the edges with swirls of a soft pink. How... twinkly.
On the shelves above, there was various food items, and in the spirit of continued forethought and preparation, Reno was tempted to take some for the journey. It was very rare indeed that he thought things out this clearly. Only when there was no one else around to do it for him, or his immediate survival depended on it. He was more the type to take life as it came and deal with situations as they arose. The situation now suggested that in the near future he might need some self-sufficiency, and that started with food.
No, it started with his weapons. It went on to food after that. His hands reached up to the top shelf, which was a little above the height of his head; how Maggie had ever reached up here was something Reno couldn't quite figure out. His questing hand soon tightened around a familiar shape however, and he pulled the mag-rod down, holding it in his hands for a moment before clipping it to his belt in its customary place. A few more moments of searching allowed him to retrieve his gun as well, tucking it into his belt in such a manner that it was concealed by the loose folds of his shirt. It never paid to let people know he had more than one weapon on him.
Okay, so now he was armed and could be considered dangerous, Reno started a search of the rest of the kitchen, soon discovering an old, rather worn backpack, into which he quickly stuffed some food items that wouldn't spoil after a few days. With foresight that once again caught him by surprise, he also packed some teatowels, which would make serviceable bandages should they be required, a box of matches, a large kitchen knife and a circular object he guessed was a compass. He could probably figure out how to use it, and it might be useful.
This seemed like everything he needed, and so pleased with the results of his escape, Reno headed for the door. All in all, this had been very easy, to the extent where had this been a mission, he'd have expected it to be a trap. But these people simply didn't have the expertise to make things difficult for a trained Turk. That was the truth of the matter, pure and simple. But it wouldn't be a good idea to be getting all cocky just yet; he still needed to get out of the village. But basically, it was in the bag.
The bell attached to the top of the doorframe made a soft chime as he pushed the door open, and yet thanks to his spell Maggie and her husband remained asleep. All too easy, it really was. But that in itself was better than having to fight his way out. With a satisfied smirk spreading across his features, Reno stepped out into the empty street.
Disclaimer - Still not mine... except Argus, Maggie, and Maggie's unnamed husband.
Author's Notes - How's this for a quick update? Actually, I have a confession to make. No, not as severe as having written all this and simply putting out a chapter every day or so. I'm a fast typer, and if I have enough of an idea of what I want to write, I can knock out several thousand words in a few hours. It's the ideas that take the time, not the actual writing.
For this chapter, I actually had two things I wanted to do, and I haven't actually managed to achieve even one of them properly. Almost, but not quite. I'm still deciding how the end of Reno's escape from Junon will go. The other thing I had in mind will have to wait until next chapter, or maybe the one after. As yet, I'm unsure. Depends how the next chapter goes really.
Sabriel: I know most of the fights with the Turks in the game were 3:2, with the exception of a couple. In the fight at Sector Seven though, it's Reno against Cloud, Tifa and Barret, and he gets completely mullered, to the extent where Elena is hired to do his work while he recovers. In the three-on-two fights, the Turks are more challenging, and reappear fairly soon, indicating maybe they didn't get that badly hurt. In the one three-on-three fight, my group got killed. Twice. So a one-on-one between Reno and Cloud would be interesting... may have to write one of those actually...
Tijuana Pirate: Poking me to write more does in fact help, so please continue. Although, now that this chapter's been written, chapter five may not happen for two days. Depends how much I write now, and how much I achieve tomorrow. I suppose this chapter could be a kind of cliffhanger, but not a serious one. This is solely because I haven't actually decided what I'm going to do next, which is why the chapter stops there. I'll let you wonder about whether Reno will make it out of Junon or not. Mwahahaha! (Yes, I evil laugh too...)
WrexSoul: I like letting Reno be clever; that's a lot of what this chapter is about actually. Not sure about characterisation here, but I see him as a smart guy, so I had to give him a chance to use those brains. And Turk training has to be useful for something right? I guess maybe I'm just being nice to him for a chapter or two, before I start getting evil again.