#21
"You want me to do what?"
"Activate the program detailed in..."
"Dammit, I read the file. Tseng, there's people out there that have nothing to do with this!" Reno pointed out the window towards the sector their office overlooked.
"You've killed before."
Tseng still wouldn't look at him. He still wouldn't look up from that paperwork that must have been so important. "Yeah, people who were connected to Shinra's enemies. You're tellin' me that I'm supposed to take down the whole plate and kill people who probably don't even know who AVALANCHE is just to take out a couple of terrorists."
"You read the file."
"Yeah, I read the file. I know what happened when Number One blew. I know how many people died there. And I know how many people will die when I drop that plate..." He paused, grabbing the back of the chair and turning it. "Tseng, look at me!"
He didn't know what he really expected to see by doing that, but the lines of dried tears down the older man's cheeks certainly wasn't it. "I argued that it wouldn't get us anywhere, but you know the President. He says he'll blame it on AVALANCHE, and no one will be the wiser."
Reno dropped to his knees, the slouch in his shoulders becoming more pronounced as his head fell against his chest. "I will."
Fingers tangled in his hair as Tseng slipped off his chair and to the floor in front of him. "I know."
Even the warmth of Tseng's body pressing against his wasn't enough to offset those orders.
"I don't like it."
"I know."
"I'd rather go down there with Rude and hunt them down."
"I know."
"I..."
Reno felt a finger press against his lips, then felt Tseng's words against his ear as much as he heard them. "I know."
I would die for you if you ordered me to. I don't know why I would, but I would. So I'll do this for you because we both know what would happen if you failed as a leader...