Reno: Making Promises, For Unknown Reasons


So Seph and Se were out to lunch. That was fine, maybe they could come to agreement. Hells, maybe Se could do what I didn't think I could, get Seph to defect. The man needed out of ShinRa more then the rest of us. It was sad watching him get led around by men he could break in half. That image, Seph breaking President ShinRa in half, made me smile as I settled down to rest on my desk.

Desks are actually very comfortable things to sleep on. I said it before I will say it again, I would have made a great college student. In the middle of my dreams of Hojo in a blender and ShinRa rotting away like an old sandwich, I thought a bug bit me. Then I went totally out, had I had the ability to form thoughts, one word would have sufficed: "shit."

I was, before Hojo got a hold of me, pretty easy to knock out. Sleeping drugs would take effect immediately. However, for the eight months I was with the "good doctor", I would fight every moment I wasn't sedated. You build up quite a tolerance that way. I suppose, in some twisted way, that I should have thanked him then. I don't want to consider what would happen to me otherwise.

It was cold, my mouth felt dry, I was laying flat on my back with a cloudy head. "Turk model 341279" A voice said, blowing the clouds away from my head and chilling me to the bone. It was a scientist's voice, cold, hard, and fucking creepy. Enough to scare the piss out of better men then me let me tell you that. Death wish yes, torture wish? No. I didn't want to be there.

I kept my eyes closed and tired to think. I was in the labs that was obvious. Had they figured out I was hiding their Ancient? Had they just felt I was taking too long? Was Hojo just that bored? I never, to this day, figured out why I was there. Honestly, I couldn't care less, I was there, meaning the shit had hit the fan.

There were light whimpering noises coming from the side of me. The sounds muffled by triple thick reinforced glass tubes. It was becoming clear to me, what was going on. I was on the table for a purpose. Even if it is bad scientific practice to do separate experiments in the same room, Hojo did it all the time. The reasoning for this is that if new specimens see what happens to other specimens they behave better.

I felt a pin prick in my arm, a Mako needle. I felt them leave the IV like tube in my arm as they pulled out the needle. It took all my own self control not to give into the full body shudder I badly wanted to have. Phobias aren't fun, needles always have creeped me out. Them and clowns, but that's another story.

"Get ready to secure it on the table, Hojo wants to get started right away." Another voice said. So there were two of them. Twisting my wrist slowly I could have laughed. Indeed, I was yet to be tied down to the table, meaning I could fight back, meaning that these two yahoos were dead, they just didn't know it quite yet. The second voice noticed my movement, but by then, it was far too late.

Sitting up I gripped one alert one by the wrist, spinning him around before pitching him over my body to the doctor on my other side. All it took was a roll of the table, I'm not a heavy guy, but laws of motion are fabulous things. That and I didn't even have to look around the room for the other doctor. They stood in the exact same places for every thing. It was as if there were circles on the floor. I love people of habits. They are easier to kill.

We stared at each other for a fraction of moments, my chest heaving. I will admit it, I was scared. My left arm was aching and hard to bend, the Mako tube would have to come out, but I didn't really need both arms to take out two scientists. It took me half a second to get to the "experimental tools" read that as: "sharp fucking objects used to impale living things".

It took me less then that to level a scalpel and pitch it into the throat of one of the doctors. The other stared at his falling body, eyes wide then turned to run, forgetting to hit the alarm button. No way in hell he was leaving there alive. None. I raced the long way around the holding tubes, cutting the man off before he reached the door. Before he could turn around again, my foot was at his kneecap. He made no attempt to rise, just stayed face down and shaking in fear. I was in no mood to show pity. My boot came up then down, the steel lined heel smashed the back of the man's neck. Flipping the body over, I searched for his key card, I would need that to get out of the labs. Then another whimper caught my attention.

I took a deep breath and looked over my shoulder again. My suspicions on why I was in this gods forsaken place were confirmed. It was to intimidate new specimens. And of course, there she was, Seph's flower girl, cowering at the bottom of her tube. It was as if there wasn't triple thick glass separating us, she was terrified. I don't blame her for being scared of me, but knowing she was almost bothered me. There was a cat in the other tube, he looked less frightened, but still shaken. So this was the animal that Rude caught outside of Cosmo. The one that he claimed could talk.

Rude wasn't prone to exaggerations.... hell he wasn't prone to talking, so I believed him.

I doubted that Aerith would speak to me even if she was able to at this point. "When's Hojo getting here?" I asked the beast directly, trying to keep my own voice level. Just in case you were wondering the psycho freak had a vendetta against me- the whole not begging thing. Vendettas and psychotics do not mix well at all, the last thing I wanted was Hojo in the room.

The cat didn't answer. I was getting more frightened as the time kept ticking. Why the hell I didn't run my ass away from Midgar right then and there? I looked back over at Aerith and remembered Seph actually trusting me with her care. Promises or not, Hojo would break me if given the time, I wasn't about to just sit down and wait for him. Rounding on the cat again I gruffly snapped at him. "Look damnit I know you talk! You want me to leave your ass here?"

The animal seemed affronted at my language and I didn't care. He did at least speak, in the same intelligent voice Rude claimed he had. The big guy did feel horrible, for everything. He had no choice in the matter, but he did advise the animal to watch it's mouth. Rude would have been happy to know the beast listened. "He will return in about an hour. You are not supposed to be awake until then."

That officially pissed me off. There is a difference between experiments and being a sick bastard. Hojo got off on pain, on people screaming. He loved to hear his specimens beg. I was a challenge to him. I was the one to break, all my superiors knew it. They talked about it, as if I didn't hear. I just pretended not to care. Hell I guess it gave Hojo something to shoot for in life. We all need goals right?

I walked over to the second scientist and swiped his key card as well, it was right where it should have been, front right pocket of the lab coat. People are so predictable sometimes I think I am physic. The needle in my arm burned, but I would need tweezers to remove it. I had no other choice but to ignore it. Without another word to the cat or to the flower girl, I picked up one body and dragged it to a closet. Then I drug the second one, scalpel still in his neck, to lay on his buddy.

Ignoring the groans from the other two, I opened the closet and stuffed the scientists' bodies in it. Not a very clean task what with blood all over them both. I had to use my shoulder to throw the door closed, there was some snapping inside. Bone would be my guess. Once again Seph's girl gasped, she looked faint.

The cat started pacing. "You said you would get us out?"

SHIT I did say that didn't I? In a round about way I had made a promise, I may have been a killer, but I was one of principle. I couldn't leave them now. I would already be on the run from ShinRa. No harm making them madder now was there? "I will be back." I sighed, damning myself for actually saying that. I used the key cards to get to the lowest levels of the building, living quarters. Seph had a date tonight he would be home. I was no hero, but he should have been one.

He was the only person I could go to. If I went to Rude or to Se they would run with me, without a doubt. However, leaving with the Turks meant that the Turks wouldn't be following me. If not them then it would be someone who really wanted me dead. No, I couldn't drag them into this without any due notice. I knew Seph would be in the moment I let Aerith's name leave my mouth. So I unlocked his door, knowing damn well he wouldn't be happy about it.

Just as I had expected Seph was not happy. I got about three inches in the door then his sword was at my throat. Turks are always prepared or they are dead, I was prepared and placed my hand over Seph's wrist stalling the blade and getting his full attention.

"What the HELL?" He snarled in a barely audible tone.

After kicking his door shut, I mouthed for him to "shut the fuck up". Then at the same time, as one person. His sword still at my throat, me still covered in fucking sticky ass blood, we walked to the bathroom. Just in case you were wondering, that would be the one room in a house that doesn't get bugged. For various reasons, none of which matter at this point in the story. Does the guy even offer me a damn towel? No. Does he even look concerned for me? Hell no. Damnit, it would be nice if someone would think about my well being for once in my damn life.

He blinked as I slammed the door shut to his bathroom. Before he got his mouth open I started ranting in a low tone. "First off I came here because if I got Se and Rude involved then they would send a bastard like you after me." I really didn't think of Seph that way, but damnit I was pissed off and scared beyond all reason. I had no idea what I was doing, promising a rescue without so much as a half hour to plan it. It was all I could do not to sound as frantic as I felt. I hoped that he would get the picture.

He just glared, not understanding me in the slightest. I mean, yes, this was most likely the last thing he expected to happen, ever. Me coming to him for help, and me in this state. Slowly, he lowered his sword, I supposed it was a start.

I went in his bathroom cabinet and pulled out tweezers. The whole while Seph watched me like I was some alien life form. After removing the long needle from my arm I held it in front of his face. I hoped that seeing it he would put two and two together. "She it there too." With that I threw the damned needle into his waste bin and waited to see what he would want to do.

He was supposed to be the hero, he was supposed to go off and save them. I, well, I didn't even know what I was going to do. Suddenly, despite my fear, the blood that dripped to his floor, and the needle in Seph's waste bin, I felt right. Like all at once, for the first time ever, something was going the way it was supposed to. All my life, flashed in my mind then, all this time, I had been right.

Aerith was the key to something really huge. That meant that Seph was in as well. I didn't know if I wanted to be a part of it. I again admit that I was scared. I wasn't going to have this feeling and then be tied to a lab table for god knows how long. I was afraid. I was going to do what I knew was right for the first time in my life, but I couldn't do it alone. If anyone could help me get away with this, it would be Seph.