Final Fantasy VII

The Mystery

CHAPTER SEVEN

Rayda sat on the floor of his dark cell. He looked above him at the security camera watching him. He angrilly punched the wall. He had intended to carry out his plan of assasinating Rufus, but if he was only arrested for that, he would not be facing execution, merely a prison sentence. Suddenly the cell door opened, and Reno stepped in. Reno simply said nothing, he closed the door and removed the power cord from the camera. Reno sat on the floor oposite Rayda.

'You got kids?' Reno asked. Rayda slowly nodded. 'I didn't see any signs of a family at your place,' Reno pointed out.

'They don't live with me,' Rayda sighed. 'They're staying at Kalm...'

'With their mother?' Reno asked. Rayda shook his head.

'My wife was killed by Shinra,' Rayda said angrilly. Reno lowered his head.

'How' Reno asked.

'Mako poisening. She worked in one of the mako reactors,' Rayda cried. Reno shook his head.

'You blame the president for that?' Reno asked. 'We've stopped making the mako reactors, we've learned from our mistakes...'

'Explain what's happening in Edge...' Rayda said. Reno slowly nodded.

'There was a boy,' Reno sighed. 'No older than fourteen...his whole life ahead of him. He was walking home one night when a monster attacked him. We tried to kill the monster before he did any real damage...but our bullets bounced off him. The boy was killed...'

'Why are you telling me this?' Rayda asked.

'The only thing that killed that monster, was machinery made straight from the Mako reactors...' Reno explained.

'It may have saved the boys life,' Rayda began. 'But it wont save all those suffering from illnesses...they must suffer slow, painful deaths just to stop the monsters...'

'Well...don't worry,' Reno stood. 'I'll make sure that never happens again...'

'I didn't kill the girl...' Rayda suddenly said. Reno slowly nodded.

'I know,' Reno then left the room leaving the cell door open.

--------------------------------------------------------

Back in the past, Reno sat up in his bed thinking about what he had done. Suddenly he heared a scream. Reno hopped up and ran to Rufus' room. Rufus' was shaking, Elena stood over him. Rufus coughed and was clearly struggling to breathe. His nerves must have been extremely severed. Tseng suddenly ran in and checked over the president.

'What happened?' Tseng asked Elena. Elena shook her head.

'I don't know...' Elena cried. 'Wasn't he ill yesterday?'

'Yes,' Tseng nodded. 'His injuries...they must be more severe than any of us thought...' Rufus continued coughing. Reno looked Rufus in the eyes, Rufus' eyes rolled up and Rufus stopped shaking and fell back on his bed with his eyes closed.

'No!' Reno yelled. Tseng quickly checked Rufus' pulse.

'His pulse is fading..' Tseng quickly tried to resusitate Rufus. He tried mouth to mouth, he then hit Rufus again and again square in the chest. 'Come on!' Tseng screamed. Tseng tried and tried, but there was no reaction from Rufus. Reno quickly ran to his side.

'Let me try!' Reno yelled. Reno punched Rufus again and again. He then pumped at his chest, anything to get his heart beating again. 'Come on Rufus!' Reno hit his chest again. 'You can't give up!' Reno kept punching. 'You've survived worst than this..' Reno continued punching. Tseng lowered his head.

'Reno,' Tseng sighed. Reno ignored Tseng and continued hitting Rufus.

'No!' Reno yelled. 'Come on!' Reno kept on trying. Elena was in tears. Tseng tried to pull Reno off the president.

'Reno, he's gone...' Tseng whispered. Reno looked on at the president. He couldn't be dead, there was still a chance.

'No, he's not!' Reno yelled and hopped forward. He then hit Rufus again and again. Tseng slowly turned to leave the room. Reno finally gave Rufus one last hit, Rufus' eyes suddenly opened and his coughing resumed. Tseng looked on in shock.

'I'll get help!' Tseng screamed and ran out of the room. Reno looked at Rufus, who was still struggling. Reno lowered his head in shame.

---------------------------------------------------------

In the present, Reno sat on the steps outside the lodge with Rude.

'I have something I need to do,' Reno told him. Rude looked confused.

'What?' Rude asked. Reno smiled faintly.

'I can't tell you that,' Reno said. 'I should have done it a long time ago, but...I was scared...I didn't want anyone else to get hurt...' Rude took off his glasses and stared at Reno.

'What is it Reno?' Rude asked. Reno stood.

'I couldn't leave you while the killer was still there,' Reno said. 'I was afraid he'd come back for more...'

'But he didn't,' Rude pointed out.

'Yes,' Reno nodded. 'So now I know you guys are safe...I've got to get away.'

'You're going on vacation now?' Rude asked. Reno shook his head.

'I've got to do something...' Reno said. Rude stood as well.

'You're not going to do anything stupid?' Rude asked. Reno shrugged.

'Maybe...' Reno replied.

'It wont make you feel any better,' Rude begged. Reno slowly nodded.

'You're probably right,' Reno looked at Rude. 'I'll let you know.' Reno then climbed over the stairway and dropped to the floor below. Rude watched as Reno landed on his bike and rode off out of sight.

--------------------------------------------------------

Rufus watched as Reno drove off into the distance. Rude slowly walked in.

'Where's he going?' Rufus asked. Rude shrugged.

'He needs to be alone,' Rude explained.

'Follow him,' Rufus said coldly.

'Yes sir,' Rude nodded and left the room as Rufus watched on.

----------------------------------------------------------

Back in the past, a couple of days later. Reno, Rude and Elena all sat on the couch of the living room. Elena was still pretty shaken by the whole incident. She held onto Reno's hand tightly. Rude noticed this and sipped his coffee.

'I forgot to ask...' Rude began. 'What did you two do the other night?' Elena's cheeks went red. The doors suddenly opened. Tseng walked in, he was wheeling Rufus in a wheelchair. Rufus had a cloak over himself to hide his obviously shaken face.

'I know what you are thinking,' Rufus said. 'But I was not made president because of my appearance...'

'Of course you weren't sir,' Tseng assured Rufus.

'I was made President because of my power! My sense! And this will not affect my rule at all!'

'No sir...' all four turks agreed.

'Firstly...I know what happened to me...' Rufus began. 'This was a message from the planet,' Rufus yelled. 'It's warning me that what's going on in Edge is wrong! And it must be stopped!'

After the meeting, Reno ran into his room. In all his anger and guilt he punched his pillow again and again. He had ruined everything.

-------------------------------------------------------------

In the present, Reno pulled up in Edge on his bike. He slowly hopped off it and looked upwards towards Garad Hett's office on the highest level. Reno slowly walked towards the building.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the past, A week had passed and Rufus' illness had reached the papers everywhere. Reno, Rude and Elena were all back in Edge doing their duty of watching Hett. It was night and Reno was strolling through the alley's as he read the front of the paper. He gave a deep sigh. The front page had a huge headline reading:

'Brave Turk saves President's Life...'

It had a picture of Reno on the front. The guilt inside of Reno was unbearable. As he strolled, he heared footsteps behind him. As Reno turned around, he was met with a baseball bat to the forehead. He fell unconcious to the floor.

Reno woke a few moments later. He was very dizzy, but he could see that he was in Hett's office. Reno was on his knees, in front of him he could see Hett and a very large man, possibly his bodyguard.

'Good morning Reno,' Hett said sarcastically. Reno looked angrilly at them. He felt his forehead, it was badly bruised.

'Who's the son of a bitch that hit me!' Reno yelled. The large man raised his hand.

'That would be me,' he smiled. Hett chuckled.

'This is Brutas,' Hett introduced the man. 'My bodyguard.'

'You wanna try that again!' Reno yelled as he got to his feet and approached Brutas. Brutas quickly showed Reno the bat that he had used to hit him.

'Reno, you failed,' Hett said plainly. Reno shook his head.

'I didn't fail,' Reno said. 'I don't see why you expect me to do this...'

'Think of the children...' Hett pleaded. Reno walked closer to Hett, Brutas kept a firm grip on his bat.

'Shut up!' Reno yelled. 'I may have been foolish to not shut you up once, but now's a different story...'

'You've still got half of the toxic,' Hett asked. Reno slowly took the half full needle out of his pocket. 'Great, Rufus' defences are down, one more will definately kill him...'

'Is that right?' Reno asked.

'Yes!' Hett smiled. Reno slowly nodded and he then empties the needle's toxic straight to the floor. Hett and Brutas looked on in shock.

'See you later,' Reno then approached the door. Hett grew angry.

'Reno! If you do not kill him, I'll tell him what you did...' Hett yelled. Reno looked at him.

'So tell him, then I'll tell him who gave me the order, and I think we both know you wouldn't want that...' Reno gave a faint smile. Hett banged the wall. He looked at Brutas.

'He will not get away with this,' Hett yelled. 'Make him suffer...'

'Yes sir,' Brutas nodded.

--------------------------------------------------------------

In the present, Rufus sat in his room looking at the doorway where Reno had been holding a dying Elena weeks earlier. Suddenly Tseng ran in.

'Sir!' Tseng screamed. 'Rayda has escaped!' Rufus sat in shock.

'What, how?' Rufus wondered. Tseng shrugged.

'No damage was done to the cell door...' Tseng pointed out. Rufus placed his frail hand against his head.

'A guard must've forgotten to lock it,' Rufus sighed. 'Get him back Tseng!' Tseng nodded and left the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------

In the present, Reno rode his bike through the lands. He finally reached his destination of Edge. Reno took a deep breath before he got up from his bike and approached the Shinra building. He looked up to the balcony on the top floor, that was Garad Hett's office. Reno stared at the balcony as it began to rain.

'It ends tonight,' Reno muttered to himself as he approached the building.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN

-------------------------------------------------------------

Please Review. Thanks.