...oh, no. Now he remembered. The mission. The mission, abort, Shachou, abort, we've been compromised... Someone needs to tell him... But his phone was in the car... And he seemed to be a bit tied up as it was.
"He's awake, sir."
"Good, good. Just in time, Tseng-san. Your partner- or is she truly your lover?- just woke up as well."
Tseng's eyes snapped open. He was lying flat on his back, staked out like a sacrifice on the lawn in the back of the resort hotel. His wrists were tightly lashed together with a stake between them, that had been driven into the ground. His legs were similarly tied. And he was still naked.
I can get out of this, I think. I just need a little time...
"I asked you a question, Xian Tseng," the desk clerk placed a foot on Tseng's chest. "I expect an answer."
"Who are you?" Tseng croaked, swallowing.
"My name is not important." The clerk waved a hand, looking down at Tseng. "Is she?"
"She... is my partner," Tseng admitted, though even giving that much information made his stomach twist. "Tell me who you are. I want to know."
The man kicked him in the side, and he grunted. Elena made a weak sound, and he wanted so badly to look over at her, but he was afraid to. He didn't want to know what had been done to her yet.
"I suppose it is only honorable to hear the name of the man who destroyed you," the clerk puffed himself up importantly. You know nothing of honor, Tseng thought in disgust. You know nothing. "Very well, since you demanded so nicely. I will grant you your last request. I am Ghen Yu. Haven't heard of me? I'm not surprised. Don't worry about it. You have more to worry about now." He put his foot to the side of Tseng's head and forced him to turn, looking over at his partner. "Much more."
Elena had been tied in a similar position, her hands helplessly above her head, but with her legs spread, not lashed together as Tseng's had been. She, too, was still naked. Blinding rage tinged Tseng's vision red briefly, before he quickly tamed it down. It didn't appear that she had been raped yet. However, with her injured leg, the question of her tearing out the stake that helped bind that ankle to the ground was out of the question.
And now that he was awake... Gods knew what they would do to her.
"I want to let one to watch while the other is butchered."
A shudder wracked his body, born of cold and sudden, gut-wrenching fear- not for himself, but for his partner. Turks did not feel fear for themselves or for others- except their partners, or their boss. Gods, no, Elena...
Ghen prodded Elena with a toe, examining her. "What do you think I should do with her, Xian Tseng? I'm certain my men would enjoy a romp. They grow bored, with no women around, no pleasure found but in each other." He leaned over Elena, reaching down to stroke a hand through her hair. "No... soft skin to be found, no warmth of a woman's touch..."
"Don't touch me," Elena spat, twisting to bite his hand. Cursing, he yanked his hand back, then slapped her.
"Whore!" He gestured for one of the Soldiers forward. "So be it. You will be broken, woman, broken to my hand, and then, when you beg for death, remember that your precious partner has seen your disgrace."
Elena managed a weak laugh, and Tseng felt a surge of pride. Show them you aren't afraid, Elena. Make me proud.
"I've had worse, no matter what you dish out." Elena's teeth were clenched, and she gave the man a cold look. "I'm not scared of you."
"Good, good." Ghen unbuttoned his shirt, smirking. "I saw that you and your precious partner did not complete the act, as much as the two of you seemed to wish to." His smirk grew into an ear to ear grin, and he knelt down next to her. "I believe I shall take you from him first... then the men will have their turn. And if there is still something left of you after that, I will simply shoot you." He paused, hand hovering over her stomach. "Please, do feel free to beg," he added, his hand settling on her stomach. "It makes your disgrace all the sweeter."
Elena shrank away from his touch as best she could. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Tseng couldn't blame her. No matter who you were, Turk or civilian, rape was a traumatizing and horrifying experience. Elena had not been raped by Kadaj and his brothers; Vincent had rescued them before the promised torture had occurred.
Vincent was not coming to rescue them this time. Her fear only made the man grin even more, as he moved around and settled between her legs, unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants. Elena bit into her lip, heedless of the iron tang of blood as it filled her mouth because of it. No, no, please no...
Tseng didn't know how he had gotten free. He knew that he could pry the stakes from the ground- they were near a medium-sized, slow-moving river, and the ground was very damp. However, with the awkward way his arms had been stretched, it should have taken him at least five minutes.
Elena had been unable to keep a wordless sound of fear from escaping her lips as Ghen freed himself from his pants. That sound galvanized Tseng into action. With two hard yanks that left his shoulders screaming in pain, he tore the stake from the ground and lunged up, tearing the stake that bound his feet free as well. Lunging across the distance that separated them, he hit Ghen like a truck, swinging his bound hands into the other man's face.
They flew to the side, away from Elena, who could only watch with wide eyes. Then, as the attention of the men of the unit was taken off of her, she started to work her own wrists free. Tseng made damned sure that their attention remained on him and Ghen.
They rolled this way and that, Tseng at a distinct disadvantage due to his bound feet. However, he was not completely helpless, nor weaponless. Ghen drove a knee into his gut, forcing air from his lungs, and he curled forward around the pain. The spike still between his wrists shifted, and he could twist a hand around to get a fist around it, and drive the blunt end down against Ghen's head several times in short succession.
It worked- too well. Ghen dropped like a rock, falling back into the river, and yanking Tseng with him. He hit the icy mountain run-off, flailing as best he could as he was bound. Still breathless from the fight, the barely-thawed water drove the remaining air from his lungs, then closed over his head.
Shit.
-
"All of you drop your weapons." Elena's voice, hoarse but sharp, tore everyone's attention from the struggle that had just ended. She calmly held Ghen's small pistol that he had dropped. One of the men nearest to her laughed and started to turn his gun on her. She shot him in the throat, and he dropped with a gurgle. She swiftly caught his much larger gun and trained it on the largest knot of Soldiers. "Drop your weapons, or I'll start dropping you. Now."
Without the benefit of a leader, the troops were unsure of what to do next. Some of them obeyed her- she was a Turk, after all, and they were trained to obey Turks. Any who attempted to resist, she shot without a second thought.
Tseng. She was alone now, with roughly seventy men, all of whom were guilty of treason against Shin-Ra. "Who has a phone?" She snapped, pointing her gun at a random man.
"I do, ma'am." Another Soldier raised a hand.
"Don't anyone move," she spat, moving towards the man who had spoken. "Anyone moves, and I'm just going to start firing, and we'll see who I hit..." She snatched the man's cell phone from him with hands that shook slightly, no matter how she tried to hide it. She punched in a number on instinct, and held the phone to her ear, the gun still hovering over a good portion of the kneeling men.
"Who is this? How did you get this number?"
"Sir." Elena kept her voice controlled, even. "I've found the unit. Send in the backup."
"Elena. Good, good. They'll be there shortly, I mobilized them after you missed the checkpoint call. Put Tseng on, I want to speak to him."
"I can't do that sir." Her ears picked up the distant sounds of helicopters, and one of the men groaned in despair. She shot him, just because she could.
"...why not, Elena?"
"I think he's dead, sir."
Dead silence on the line greeted her words. Realizing that her voice had sounded too flat, to controlled, she added "I'll go and look, I can hear the helicopters now. If anyone tries to run, they'll be killed anyway."
"Do that, Turk." Rufus' voice sounded odd, and he hung up before she could say "Yes, sir."
Elena turned to face the men still on the ground before her. "No one moves, understood?" In truth, she didn't care anymore. How could she? Dammit, Tseng, why did you do that? I would've been fine... I'm such a damn fool! She turned and sprinted for the riverbank, wading in up to her knees before having to stop. The water was cold, dammit, and she was already starting to shiver. Tseng had been in there for what, five minutes now? She hadn't seen him break the surface yet.
"Tseng!" She called, as a helicopter thundered into view, and more of Shin-Ra's guard dropped down to restrain any of the ex-Soldiers that had tried to run. "Tseng, dammit! Tseng!" She waded a bit further down, mentally cursing herself.
How could I let him do that? How could I? Why did he do that? Dammit, he was trussed up like a turkey for the spit, he couldn't swim like that!
"Tseng!" It was no use- the river had to have dragged him under and away. She slumped, blood loss and exhaustion starting to settle in, and the numbness in her legs spreading up her body as she sank into the water. "Tseng..."
She heard a splash, and looked up, blinking, wondering if someone else had fallen in. Her eyes widened as Tseng erupted out of the water, sucking in a gasping breath. He started choking and coughing, and Elena quickly grabbed for him, pulling him ashore with the last of her energy. "Gods damn it, Tseng!" She pounded on his chest, making him cough more. "What the hell did you do that for?"
Shuddering, barely able to breathe, teeth chattering, Tseng couldn't manage a reply. Underwater, he'd forced himself to remain calm, to sink to the bottom, where he could focus on undoing the bonds around his wrists. His brain, starved for oxygen, and his body, starved for heat, had started to shut down just as he was able to slip the bonds. With the last of his strength, he'd managed to push off the bottom of the river, and get to the surface.
However, hypothermia had set in, and his body temperature was too low. Elena tried to curl around him, but she'd been outside naked, and waded through the water too long to be of much use herself.
A blanket was draped over both of them, and Reno looked the both of them over. "You both look like shit," he mused, head tilted to one side. "One would think you to would find other ways to get days off, you know?"
"Sh-sh-shut up, R-Reno," Elena chattered, pulling the blanket tighter around herself and her partner. "He's b-been in the water t-too long, g-g-get him i-inside."
"I think you've both been in the water too long." Rude knelt down, checking Tseng's pulse, making sure the older man was still breathing. "C'mon, Reno, let's get them into the chopper."
Elena gave a quiet protest as Reno picked her up, pulling her away from Tseng. It was stupid, childish and weak, but she wanted to touch him, wanted to make sure he was real, and still alive. "Easy, rookie," Reno said, using her once-hated nickname to gently tease her. "Once we get both of you wrapped up in the chopper, you can sit with him again..."
Elena mumbled something, but even she wasn't sure what it was. Reno handed her off to someone else, hands rubbed her arms and legs, and she cried out in pain as someone chafted the wound on her calf.
"Shit! Sorry, ma'am... Medic!"
Another pair of hands, another voice, something that burned was injected into her leg, leaving numbness in its wake. "I'll stitch that up when we get back to Headquarters. Get her warm first."
"Tseng." She mumbled, eyes closed. Warm. Safe.
"Right here, Rookie," Reno's voice was quiet, but not subdued. His hand took hers, so warm, and placed on another cold body, one shivering for warmth. "See, 'Lena? Right here."
"Reno. Call Shachou."
"You call him, Rude, he likes you better than me anyway." Reno's tone was betraying something else, though Elena was too tired to care. "He's right here, Rookie. He's gonna be ok."
"Tseng." She was safe. He was safe. Everything would be ok. She passed out.
-
When Elena lost consciousness, Reno freaked out. "Elena. Rookie, answer me, dammit!"
"Relax," the medic snapped, yanking on his arm. "You, handle him." He tossed Reno over to his partner, and examined Elena. "She's fine, it's him I'm worried about." The medic examined Tseng carefully, rubbing his chin.
Rude caught Reno easily and supported him, frowning quietly. "What's wrong?"
"His core body temperature is too low, to start with. Gods know what else." The medic fussed quietly, making certain Tseng was warming up. "Get away. Shouldn't someone be getting us out of here?"
Reno headed for the chopper's controls. "Rude, did you call the boss yet?"
"Not yet," Rude admitted, fishing out his phone. "Relax, Reno. It's fine." He quickly dialed Rufus' phone, and was surprised by his boss' tone of voice when he answered.
"What is it."
"Boss, we're there. Elena's fine. Tseng's unconscious."
"...Tseng is alive?"
Rude blinked. He knew Rufus trusted Tseng, he knew the senior Turk had been with the boss the longest of all of them. Rufus' voice was quiet, holding hope that he couldn't quite hide. "Yeah, boss... He's fine, he almost drowned, but he's fine now..."
"I thought- good. Get them home quickly."
"Will do, sir." Rude hung up, and looked over at Reno. "What the hell was that?"
"Whaddya mean?" Reno was starting the chopper, looking back at Rude and the medic, who was warming up Tseng's extremities, chafing his hands.
"Nothin'." With the medic there, Reno didn't dare to say anything.
Rufus sure is acting odd about this. Rude rubbed his jaw. Oh, well. I guess we're all important to him in some way... And Tseng really has been here longer than dirt. I mean, old man Shin-Ra hired him way before we came along. I'm sure that's all. Tseng's always there. I mean, he's always gonna be there. When we thought he and Elena were dead...
He shook his head. Elena was still the kid to him, and to Reno. Though she'd grown up, and moved on from the starry-eyed rookie she'd been, she was still a kid, still swooning over Tseng, whether she wanted to admit it or not. The fiasco with Kadaj and his buddies was still too fresh in his mind. Why'd you send them out, boss? What were you thinking? I don't think they were ready for this...
He glanced over at the two blanket-covered forms. And where the hell were their clothes? Fuck those bastards, if they touched either of them... especially Elena... Rude would personally castrate every last one of them unless, of course, Reno and Rufus wanted a chance. Fuck you, boss, they weren't ready for this...
Elena shifted slightly, mumbling something, her hand seeking and finding Tseng's blanket-swathed form. Smiling faintly, Rude covered her cold hand with a blanket as well. Relax, rookie. You earned a rest this time.