Disclaimer: I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…
Author's Note: I actually don't have any idea how to start this chapter… Let's just see…
------------------------------
ETERNAL DAMNATION------------------------------
CHAPTER 4: WOUNDED
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would
------------------------------
Reno suppressed a cold tremor and adjusted his position. At any rate, he wasn't comfortable. Who would be if one had been lying on his belly, upper body propped on elbows, and looking all day through high-powered binoculars?
He sighed.
But he knew he couldn't complain.
He was trained for this kind of job. He was trained, by skill and by suffering, to endure the seemingly endless hours of waiting and learning how to steady himself, and to cloak his presence from the enemies. He had taken in countless diazephagms to help in steadying his hand with his gun and with his rod.
He had even learned how to hold someone at gunpoint and not feel anything.
To feel anything… He can't do that. That will only endanger his crew and his mission.
Realizing these things, he continued on his watch.
At the moment, no movement can be seen through his binoculars. The open doorway of the abandoned structure remained clear. The people who went in earlier still haven't come out.
He heard a static sound, a radio signal.
He lowered his binoculars, but did not tear his eyes away from the lone structure. He reached for the small radio transmitter in his jacket. He glanced at the radio furtively before raising it to his lips to answer.
"Yo," he said. "I'm here."
A familiar female voice answered him. Elena.
"What's the situation?"
"Still nothing," he said. "They haven't come out yet."
Silence. She seemed to be weighing her next words.
"Are you alright, Reno?" she asked. "You sound like hell…"
He nodded in complete agreement, forgetting for a moment that she can't see him.
"Yeah," he said. "Looks like hell froze over."
"What do you mean?"
"It's snowing," he said simply.
"I think that's normal around here," he heard her chuckle softly.
"Yeah," he said. "Ajit is like the eternal realm of sleet, snow and cold."
Another chuckle at the other end.
"Rude asked if you want to trade places. He's dead tired too, you know. Of listening to endless rambles about chocobos and whatnot.'
Reno smiled.
"So, the bugs are working?" he asked, remembering the listening devices they scattered all over the possible meeting rooms inside the lone structure.
"Like magic…" Elena answered. "I thought they'd never work. But I guess we're just at the border of the dead zone."
"I see…"
"So you want to trade?"
Reno scrunched up his face as he thought about it. Switching places would mean warm blankets and perhaps a mug of hot coffee. Not to mention, a better companion than just a radio and a pair of binoculars. But then, if they move, they would have to look away from the group they're spying on.
"No,' he said finally. "I'll be just fine."
There was silence at the other end of the line.
"Alright," he heard Elena's voice. "Radio, okay?"
He lowered the radio and stared at it for a while before shifting his gaze and watching the building for any sign of whatever. But he found himself staring at lost space because there's nothing really moving out there.
I do wonder why Rufus wanted us to… he thought. Oh, I remember…
The Reunion…
They still weren't clear about it, but they can't rule the idea out. They still haven't found anything to ease their minds off the silver-haired guy's death.
Sephiroth…
His hands fisted at his side.
He still hasn't forgotten how they all nearly got killed because of the freak's antics… How the former Shinra had used them all… How Hojoin had used them… And how… how they consented to their ideas.
Freaking pathetic…
But, as much as he wanted to change what happened earlier, some things are just completely impossible. Compensations would mean little, he knew. But it's the only way he knew how he could try and forget the past. His past.
He knew he couldn't do anything about what happened. He'll just have to settle for these things if he wanted compensations.
Like it was our fault anyway… he thought with sarcasm.
Hours later, he found himself silently cursing himself for not agreeing to the others' suggestion. His frozen limbs could use some heat. Another few minutes and he would be singing carols with Frosty the Snowman.
After a few more painstaking moments, he decided to finally go along with the very inviting idea of switching places.
Numb… he thought sadly as he tapped his nose.
He tore his eyes away from the structure for a while and began to reach for his radio.
"Now where on earth…?"
The wayward radio seemed to be nowhere at his side. He moved to sit in silence and to scan his surroundings. The radio wasn't anywhere near him.
Where did I place it again? He thought.
And as if on cue, he heard a static sound coming from somewhere beneath him.
Beneath him?
Oh…
He chuckled lightly as he reached down to pull the radio he had been sitting on.
Even my butt froze up… he thought to himself. But then… wait a minute.
"Static?"
He pressed the button and began to speak.
"Elena," he said, trying hard to prevent his voice from shaking. "Elena, can you hear me?"
He waited for a moment, but Elena didn't radio back. He can't have gone that far from the dead zone, can he?
"What the hell…?" he wrinkled his nose and pressed the button again. "Yo!" he said a little louder. "Are you still there?"
When the answer didn't come, he thought that maybe the dead zone had really caught up to his position, impossible, as that thought may seem. He turned over the radio and checked for the signal.
Faint signal…
Of all the crap to happen… he thought. Maybe he could just pull back a little and try again. But before he could even put the radio down, the static sound cleared and the signal lighted up. He eagerly raised it again and spoke through it.
"Elena," he said again.
There was a few seconds of silence before a faint voice sounded.
"Reno…" a weakened voice cracked through the radio.
Reno frowned at the sound of the voice. It sounded like Elena, but he didn't exactly recognize that weak tone. She had called his name differently… Like there was something wrong.
"Elena?" Reno said in an urgent tone now. A feeling of uneasiness seeped through his already frozen limbs. "What's going on there? And why the hell do you sound so weird?"
There was no reply.
Reno felt the biting cold against his face now.
"Yo! Answer me, will you!" he demanded.
Then he heard it again.
"Reno…"
He was sure that it had been Elena's voice. He was about to tell her off when she spoke again.
"Reno," he heard her rasp through the radio. "Run… Now… Go now…"
Just then, he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot and Elena's scream of pain.
Reno's eyes widened at the sound.
Then the line went dead.
He sat there frozen on the snowy whiteness for a few seconds. The sound of the gun being fired and the scream echoed in his head and he found that he cannot move.
Only when realization hit him hard that warmth rushed into his system and he all but scrambled to get up.
What the fuck happened?
Who fired?
Elena was hurt.
And where the hell was Rude?
Was he shot too?No… That can't be. That's not it.
Just what the hell happened back there?
He thought wildly as he sprinted back to the cabin where he had left his other Turk members.
The small abandoned cabin they were in provided them some sort of incomplete protection from the cold and from their enemies. That is if they could really count the ones they were watching as their enemies. Rude and Elena had chosen to station themselves in a distance farther than what they actually liked due to the fact that there was not a secure house or anything that they could set up the equipment they needed for surveillance. It was Reno who had decided that it was a good place should any emergency happen. Besides, he had said that he was the one who's going out to span the area, not them and that they should be well out of sight from the others.
Elena reached for her cup of coffee carefully, not taking her eyes away from the monitor in front of her. The numbers on the temperature screen changed by the minute and she was afraid that more of the drop in temperature will soon cut off their signal.
Rude was just behind her, all the same, listening to the transmitter and getting tired from the talk he was hearing. Although he hasn't said anything about it, she was quite sure that he is a bit irritated at the fact that after hours of listening to the conversation inside the old structure, he still hadn't heard any useful information about Jenova or anything else that might be of help to their mission.
"This is something…" she heard Rude whisper.
Elena glanced at the other Turk.
"What is it?" she asked. "Anything?"
Rude kept quiet for a moment as he listened to the conversation intently. Elena held her breath as he watched him. She really hoped that this is something useful.
Finally, Rude smirked.
"Elena," he said. "You remember what number I placed for the Chocobo Race?"
"Eh?" Elena frowned. "What…?"
"My bet," he said simply.
"Uh… Two?" Elena said.
"Then I win," Rude announced.
Elena could only smack herself on the head.
These guys are really impossible… she thought as she fixed her thoughts on the screen in front of her.
She had asked Reno earlier if he had wanted to trade places since she knew that he could be freezing out there and Rude had been so tired of all the yakking on the transmitter, but to no avail.
Such bullheaded and strange men.
She hadn't received any messages from Reno for the past few hours now and she was sure that if the guy hadn't already frozen up, he could as well be making a move on his own again.
She really wished that that wasn't the case. Because if ever that was the case, she would have things to tell the redheaded Turk.
At that thought, she quickly reached for the radio beside her.
I'll have to check on him anyhow… she thought as she pressed the button.
"Eh?" she said in surprise when she saw that the light indicating the signal had gone out.
"No signal?" Rude said behind her.
She sighed and then turned to face the other occupant of the room. She saw that he had already stood up and moved away from the device he was listening to. She shook her head at him and he just crossed his arms.
"Mine's out too, Lena," he yawned.
"What now?" she asked no one in particular. "And what about Reno?"
Rude shrugged.
"He'll be just fine," he said.
Elena sighed deeply.
"I don't think there's anyone important in there anyway," Rude stated.
Elena looked at him carefully.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Rude shrugged.
"I think the ones in there are just thugs or somethin'," he said. "No one's talking about anything important."
Well, there's no helping their situation at this rate… Elena thought. They would just have to wait until the signal returns. She settled back on her chair and waited for the blinking red light on her screen to turn green.
Green means signal… she thought. Please change soon…
After a few cups of coffee and a few switches to watch over the computer screen, Elena started to get really worried. She felt uneasy about something, but she can't pinpoint exactly what it is. She felt a chill ran on her spine as she pushed herself up from her chair.
"Rude," she voiced.
Rude uttered a grunt in reply.
"I don't feel too comfortable," Elena said. "Maybe we should…"
Rude stood from his seat and face the other Turk.
"Something wrong, Elena?" he asked.
Elena shook her head in return.
"I just don't feel…" her voice failed.
"What?"
"There's something not quite right," she said. "I feel… eyes on us."
Rude stood up slowly.
He stared at Elena for a moment before leaving his place in front of the screen to look out the small window. He wasn't sure of anything yet, but he, too, could feel something was amiss.
"Anything from Reno yet?" he asked.
Elena shook her head.
"No," she voiced. "Nothing."
She moved to stand up but a swift signal from Rude said that she remain still.
"What?" Elena whispered.
Rude did not reply. Sensing a warning in the air, she moved her hand inside her suit to check on her gun.
Check, she thought.
She wondered what on earth is Rude looking at out there, but she can't voice out the question, as the former was slowly moving to pull out his own gun.
"Lena," he said sharply. "Something's moving out there."
Elena's eyes darted towards the direction of the window. Maybe it's…
"And it's definitely not Reno," Rude seemed to have read her exact thoughts.
All right… she thought. Scratch that.
Before she can move to stand, a deafening explosion blasted their door away. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rude moved behind the cabinet door. She quickly dove under the working table and whipped out her gun.
Damn… she thought.
A rally of gunshots tore through the cabin and all they could do was to hide behind secure places. They really couldn't see who were shooting at them and they weren't sure of their number. They could only wait for them to stop.
Rude was signaling to Elena cover him as he moved to secure the door. And when the shooting stopped, she sent her own wave of bullets through the open door. Rude quickly moved towards the door as Elena placed herself near the window. The darkness outside prevented her from seeing anything, but she continued to shoot, hoping that somehow she'll be able to hit someone and know where they are.
She saw Rude pull a crystal from his jacket pocket.
Materia… she thought.
At that, she knew what's on his mind. Rude nodded to her as he sent thunder magic on the ground outside. A kind of light emanated from the volley of thunder and Elena was able to see about three or four of them hidden behind some crates and behind a nearby cabin. And being the sharpshooter that she is, she was able to successfully send them all to the ground.
A cry sounded as she managed to hit one squarely from his position. She gave Rude a thumbs-up sign. Rude just nodded.
She dove under the window when she heard the clip of her gun sound empty. Rude rolled away in time to avoid another wave of gunshots.
Just how many of them are out there…? She thought irritably. She blew away whips of hair from her face and reloaded her gun.
Bits and pieces of wood flew all around them as the enemies blasted away. The computer and their checking devices lay useless and destroyed all over the place.
"God damn it…" Elena whispered.
She stood up and took her turn in shooting outside. She saw Rude do the same. She was about to turn her attention back outside the window when she noticed something bright and red on Rude's jacket.
Sniper… she thought wildly.
"Rude!" she shouted. "Get down!"
Rude looked at her for a second before coming to realize what she was shouting about. He moved to hide behind the door.
But it was too late.
She watched as the bullet hit Rude at the shoulder and then at his right arm. His gun arm. Blood rushed out from his mouth. But before he fell down, he let out a volley of gunshots outside.
"Rude!"
She crawled towards him, holding her head between her arms as gunshots ripped through the air. When she reached him, she saw that the bullet had penetrated deep.
"Rude," she whispered to him.
She saw his face contort with pain. He covered his wound with the hand not holding his gun and tried to sit up. But Elena prevented him to do so.
"No," she said firmly. "You'll make it worse. Just stay still."
"But, Elena," he said. "We're outnumbered. You can't ward them off all alone."
Good point… Elena thought. But still…
"But you've lost so much blood already," she said trying to sound reasonable. And indeed, what she said was true.
Rude, refusing to listen to Elena's protests tore a part of his jacket and held out the piece of torn cloth to her.
"Tie it," Rude commanded.
Elena frowned at Rude, but she obeyed, tying the stray cloth securely to stop the wound from bleeding further.
"Thanks…" Rude grunted, then he prepared himself to stand up.
Elena moved to the other side of the door and nodded to him. Then the two of them continued to exchange shots with those outside.
Where the hell is the hothead when you need him…? Elena thought desperately when she remembered Reno.
Wait… she held her breath. Was Reno being attacked too…?
She dropped to the ground when she ran out of bullets and started to reload her gun. She looked at Rude for a second. He looked like he was having a hard time holding out, with his wounds aching.
Just as she was about to stand up and return fire, she heard a loud clunk of something hard on the floor. She looked around for that something. Only when she saw what it was that she was suddenly filled with dread.
A grenade… her thoughts screamed at her.
"Rude!" she shouted.
She only had a second to run from her place and cover her partner when the grenade suddenly blew. The loud explosion sent the two of them flying across the small room, along with large chunks of wood and glass.
The pain, searing and sudden, permeated Elena's body as she managed to stay conscious after the blow.
Oh God… she felt the searing pain course through her body when she tried to move. Blood, she felt it, warm and thick, on her skin. She felt it making a river down her sides.
I'm still alive…?
She let out a small cry of pain.
Rude… she thought, craning her head to look around for her partner.
He was lying on his back, eyes closed and bleeding.
He's not dead, is he? She tried desperately to move towards him, but made no progress. She felt like her body was broken all over.
Blood flowed out in small rivulets as she moved, but she didn't give a hoot about it. All she cared for at the moment was to know if Rude was alive or not.
But a sound, akin to a footstep, caught her attention. Through her blurred vision, she peered through the clearing fog. She fixed her eyes to the direction of the door.
Someone's coming…
She braced herself and moved to find her gun.
Whoever's going to walk inside the blasted cabin would face death by her hand… she thought.
She was thankful enough to find that her didn't hurt as much as her other body parts did and that the gun was only a few inches away from her. She reached for it and tried to hold it firmly. She struggled to move up to position herself on her knees and pointed the gun at the door. Her hand was shaking vehemently, but she refused to give in to the pain.
Show yourselves, you freaking bastards…She took a glance at the unmoving figure a few feet away from her. The soot, dust and fresh blood covered Rude at all sides.
"Rude," she called.
No answer.
"Rude!"
Still no answer. The guy stayed unconscious. And she grew worried.
The footsteps came in closer now and she fixed her focused on the door once again. The gun shook slightly, but she tightened her grip on it, causing a considerable amount of pain on her hand.
She'd have to make stand right then and there, she knew. She'd have to make sure that she'll be able to finish some of them before they finish her. Whoever they are. They are going down.
She steeled herself for the second when the one took a step inside.
She had expected, for completely obvious reasons that whoever was coming is equipped with a gun too. She had also expected that whoever was coming is not going to give a hoot whether she should be killed or not. She'd have to score lucky first, if she wants to live.
But what she didn't expect was her inability to shoot when she finally had a clear view of who was walking towards her. She just knelt there, hands shaking violently and eyes widening by each passing second. Her outstretched hand seemed to have been frozen in the air for what seemed like an eternity and she found that she couldn't breathe. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out since her mind really cannot process anything. And when the man stopped right in front of her, everything stood still for a moment before she found her voice again.
"…T…Tseng?" she let out a shaky whisper.
The shock was evident on her face as she looked on what seemed like an illusion in front of her.
The sleek black hair… the clear sharp eyes… the high nose…
"Tseng…?" she repeated the name like it was some sort of saving mantra. She slowly lowered her gun.
The man who was their former leader stared at her momentarily before moving a hand to pull something out from within his pocket. He gave her no answer. He just moved silently.
A radio?
No. A black cell phone.
Elena's shaking hand came to rest upon her knees and her head dropped a little. She felt for the wound on her side and discovered that her situation had been way past emergency room now. She needed treatment. And she needs it now. Her head felt light for a moment, but refusing to pass out, she tried to look up and see her former leader once again.
"Tseng," she rasped. "We… we need help. Rude… Rude's been hit. And Reno"
"Yes, sir," the sharp voice of Tseng cut through her words. "We found them here as you expected. We've eradicated their hole and we're just about to get ready to get them to you."
Elena eyes widened in surprise.
What…? Her mind screamed at her. What the hell is he talking about…? Eradicated their hole…?
"Tseng?" she said in a weak voice. "Can you please listen to me? Help me. Help Rude. We're working on some case here when some guys tried to kill us. We were outnumbered. Please, you have to help us."
Tseng just stared unaffectedly at her, still listening to whoever was talking to him on the phone.
"Tseng," Elena continued, holding the wound on her side and pointing outside. "Reno… He's still out there. I don't know what happened to him. Maybe he was attacked too. Please, you have to help us."
Tseng on the other hand, continued to stare at her limp form on the floor. Or what was left of it, really.
"Yes, sir," Tseng said. "There are two of them here. Yes? One's down. One's still conscious. What's that?"
Confusion blocked all other thoughts in Elena's head. Questions, rivers of it, ran through her head and she didn't know what to actually think about first.
What in the world is their former leader doing there when they were told that he was doing some high priority case somewhere far? Does he know anything about their mission? And what the hell did he mean by eradicated their hole? What are they, rats? And why is he just standing there not helping her?
"I see," she heard Tseng speak again. "No problem, sir. We've already sent out a party for the other one. We'll make sure they never leave this place alive."
The chilling words registered in Elena's half-asleep brain. The pain from the blow had doubled, tripled over the passing minute. But still, she was quick to action and she rose up her gun again and pointed it at the man standing right in front of her.
Tseng slowly hung up the phone. There was an amused smile on her former leader's face when he saw the gun pointed at him.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Elena," he said slowly.
"Who are you?" Elena fired a strong question.
Tseng didn't answer.
"Put the gun down, Elena?" Tseng said.
"Who are you?!" Elena shouted. "And where is Reno?!"
Tseng acted as though he didn't hear anything. He shook his head and stepped closer.
"I don't have to answer your question," Tseng returned. "And I don't really want to make this worse than it already is."
"You sick bastard!" Elena moved to stand up, but found she couldn't. She tried to move her legs, but she found that she had lost control of them already.
"Elena," Tseng just watched her carefully.
Elena tried to back away from the figure in front of her. With much difficulty, she managed to move away a little from him.
"Who are you?" Elena repeated her question.
Tseng sighed.
"I can't answer that," he said.
"Then would you answer this instead?" Elena moved her other free arm to support her weight as she sat keeled over the floor. "When you said eradicated, did you mean us?"
Tseng nodded to her unblinking.
"You are part of who did this?"
Again, Tseng nodded.
"You had us shot down?"
A nod.
"You knew we were here?"
Tseng let out a small smile.
"Right before you came here, yeah," he said.
Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe she was actually hearing the leader she knew, who kept his men first before anything else, say that he was the one who had planned to kill them. Elena's eyes suddenly felt tired. She felt her eyes well up and felt the warm tears ran down the side of her face. She shook her head.
"Where's Reno?" she asked.
"I don't know," Tseng said nonchalantly. "Fighting his own battle, I guess."
Elena's tears fell faster now. Along with the blood that poured out from the small cuts on her face.
"Who told you to do this?" she continued to ask.
"You know I can't tell you that," Tseng said.
"Was it Rufus…?" she choked out.
No. That's Impossible… she thought. Rufus was the one who ordered us here. He wouldn't… would he…?
Her fears were assured when Tseng shook his head no.
"Who's your boss?" she asked.
Tseng shook his head at her.
"Who's your boss?!" she shouted again. "And why did he want us dead?!"
Elena's hand shook violently. She wasn't sure if she could actually fire a gun, given her current situation, but she held her ground. She wasn't about to crap out on the jerk she came to know as her former leader. She fixed her gaze solidly into his and she found the strength to support her feet once more and she was able to stand up. She may have wobbled a bit, but she held out.
"Why did you do this, Tseng?" she asked, almost pleaded to know. "Why to us? Who told you to do so?"
Tseng didn't answer her this time.
"Whom are you working for, Tseng?" she asked. "And why did you leave us?"
Instead of answering, Tseng reached inside his jacket and pulled out his silver Turk gun. There was a light of regret in his eyes for a moment when he looked into Elena's eyes. But she didn't happen to notice it as she had fixed her gaze on the gun on his hand.
He then, raised it up and pointed it at her.
"As I said," Tseng said in a low voice. "I will never let you leave this place alive."
Tseng released the safety of the gun.
A sob racked through Elena's body. She didn't know how long she got till she passes out. And it looks like she wasn't going to find out anyway.
What happened to you, Tseng…?It was all she thought when she squeezed her eyes shut. She could always pull the trigger and kill him first. But she had not the willingness to do it.
The suddenly, a voice, a voice she never expected to hear for salvation, spoke out.
"Elena?"The voice came from somewhere near her foot.
The radio?Elena looked down and so did Tseng. They saw the small, black radio lying on the floor a few inches away from Elena's feet.
"Elena, can you hear me?"Reno… Elena thought with relief.
Elena looked at Tseng. He just stared back at her.
"Looks like he's still out there…" Tseng said.
"Yo!" the voice came a little louder. "Are you still there?"
She stared at back at Tseng who shrugged at her in return. Slowly, she moved to get the radio on the floor. She fumbled a little because she chose not to take her eyes away from the man who was stolidly pointing a gun at her head.
"Elena."
She waited for a moment when she finally got the radio on her hand. She raised it to her lips and waited for a few more seconds. When she was sure that Tseng wasn't going to do anything, she pressed the button and began to speak.
"Reno…" a weakened voice, recognizable as hers came and was transmitted.
"Elena?" Urgency was in Reno's voice, they heard. "What's going on there? And why the hell do you sound so weird?"
She didn't reply. She couldn't reply.
How was she supposed to say who attacked them anyway? When even she couldn't believe it…?
A trickled of blood drop from her hand. She hadn't realized she was gripping the radio so hard that she didn't notice how the edges of it created fresh cuts.
"Yo! Answer me, will you!"
At that, Elena raised the radio to her lips once more and took a deep breath.
"Reno…" she said.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to do this. But she couldn't let another partner get hurt. She would have to buy sometime for Reno or they'll both die. She'd have to warn him or they'll both die. She'd have to sacrifice… or they'll both die.
"Reno," she said in small voice. "Run… Now… Go now…"
Just then, she felt the sudden pain on her shoulder.
Elena fell to the floor in a heap, the radio and the gun still clutched tightly in her hands. She couldn't quite remember if she screamed or whatever. All she knew is that she didn't anything to stop Tseng. The pain, numbing and unforgiving, seeped through her body now. She managed to stay conscious for a few painstaking seconds to take one last look at the man who had just shot her to her death.
Tseng…
She didn't mind. She knew she can't really do anything. She didn't really imagine that it would be Tseng who would end her life anyway. But then he was the one who always said to expect the unexpected. She didn't mind. Because as crazy as it may seem, she had always favored the thought of being killed by someone she knew. She didn't mind. She didn't mind… if it meant Reno could live to hunt down the asshole that did this to them.
Reno never knew just how fast he could run till now. It just felt like he was moving through a blur. He had clear directions of where he was going, he knew. But all throughout the run, he couldn't see where he was going. It just seemed like the world around him is pushing him from all sides that he couldn't breathe and see.
He just ran.
Elena… Rude…The names ran through his head too.
What had happened?
When he heard the gunshot and scream earlier, it seemed all rational thoughts left his system, and all he could ever think of doing is getting back where he had left his group members. They had been discovered, of that he was sure. He could only hope that his other members were alive and holding up. Or else…
Well, he refused to give that thought a room. He couldn't think like that, could he?
It would be pointless. Completely pointless.
But when he finally came to see what's left of the cabin…
Fuck…
That's all he could think as he raced towards the crumbling structure. What he had imagined earlier couldn't even compare as to what he was seeing. The cabin looked like it was bombed open, its walls were charred and the hinges were smoked. The crates beside the cabin were pulverized and the glass from the front windows lay shattered everywhere.
"Elena!" he called. "Rude!"
He skidded to a stop when he came through the door. His thoughts turned from bad to worse as he surveyed the damage inside. Everything was in shambles. And some of the furniture was still smoking too.
"Elena!" he called. "Where are you?"
There was no answer.
Where…?
He felt weak in the knees as he moved about through the room, looking for whatever may be of Elena's or Rude's. The computer they brought, he saw, lay in about a thousand pieces and the furniture were completely unrecognizable.
Not good…
What he saw next wasn't what he expected either.
Elena…?
He half-ran, half-walked towards the bloody figure that lay quite a distance from the door and window. He couldn't even come to surmise what happened to her when he came to see that it was indeed his blonde partner.
He knelt beside Elena's form and saw the numerous wounds on her body. The cuts and the gunshot wounds on her left arm, her leg and her shoulder. The worst of them seemed to be the one on her shoulder.
What in the…?
She seemed to have been fighting to her last breath… he thought as he reached out to take her hand and saw the silver Turk gun in it. His hand shook with some unknown emotion and he found it hard to breathe. On her other hand, he saw, the black radio, which she had used earlier to warm him off.
Run… Go… Now…
That's what she said, right?
Anger or something like it began to form inside him.
You idiot… he thought bitterly as he looked at her face. What a complete idiot…
"You could've just blasted the ass instead of warning me," he said bitterly.
He was sure of what he thought had happened. He was sure as hell that Elena had chosen to use the radio instead of the gun. And he was sure as hell of his anger right now.
Not anger at the woman who had idiotically tried to save him.
But at himself. Because he left them on their own. Because… he wasn't there… with them.
He stared at her face for a moment.
Sure got a smug look… Reno thought as he surveyed her bloody but calm face.
But then…
"Why, Elena?"
His grip tightened on the hand he held. He wanted to shout in anger. He really wanted to tell her off. But he couldn't find the strength to do it. He slowly let go of her hand and stood. He had to find the other Turk too. And when he did, he was only grieved to find that Rude had suffered the same feat as Elena.
Double fuck… he wanted to bash something at the moment.
Gunshot wounds… Cuts… And blood. They all swam before him that he felt dizzy. The coldness of the region seemed to go unnoticed now. All because it was nothing compared to the coldness the redheaded Turk was experiencing at the moment. He looked from Rude to Elena then back again and his breath caught up in his throat.
Rude… Elena…
Just as he was about to go off punching what was left of the wall in front of him, a cough, a recognizable one, sounded off. At that, he abruptly turned around and stared at the figure that was Elena.
His eyed widened.
She's alive…?
He raced back to her side and gathered her in his arms. He felt for her pulse. Fresh blood was issuing from her mouth and he was sure that it came when she had coughed out.
Weak… he thought as he wiped the blood of her face with his hand. But fighting…
A nervous smile graced his darkened features when Elena's hand twitched. Her chest began to rise slowly.
That's good… he thought.
"Elena?" he said. "Can you hear me?"
He didn't expect her to answer, but he found her breathing was more of an answer than anything.
"Breathe, okay?" he said nervously. "Stay with me."
He kept a secure arm around her limp body as he shrugged off his jacket. He carefully put it on her and checked for her pulse again. It grew steady.
He felt a wave of relief rush over his system.
He glanced at the other Turk, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.
I trust you're still alive too… and at that, a plan formed in his head.
"I'll get the two of you outta here," he said determinedly and stood. He first got to Rude and checked whether he can pull the big guy out of the crumbling cabin without doing further damage to his already damaged partner. He had a hard time pulling the body out of the cabin and once outside, he had to leave Rude just near the door to check around the cabin for the van they used to get there. He was thankful enough to see that it suffered minor damage. Just a few dents here and there. Nothing wrong really. Nothing a mechanic can't repair. The tires weren't shot or anything, so he didn't have to worry about it getting flat. The only window that was hit was the back window.
He smiled.
I have a hard time looking through the rearview mirror because of the stupid window anyway…
He got back to Rude and dragged his body all the way to the van. As Rude was bigger and bulkier than him, he had an extremely hard time trying to lift him up to get him inside.
"Come on, Rude," sweat ran down his forehead as he lifted the torso up. "Work with me, man."
After successfully putting the bald Turk inside the van, he had to lean on the side of it to catch his breath.
You are so going to pay for this…
After a few seconds, he began to race back to get Elena. He squatted down next to her and prepared to carry her when he noticed something odd. Something shiny and solid and silver at Elena's side.
What's this…?
He reached out and took another silver gun lying near the blonde Turk.
"Whose gun?" he stared at it for a moment.
Rude's?
No way. Rude was holding his too when Reno checked him. And he was sure he had checked and put it in the other Turk's holster when he carried him outside. And Elena was still holding hers.
A Turk gun… he was sure of it. He turned it over and checked it. Yes, it is a Turk gun. But then, they all have theirs, don't they?
So whose…? A certain black-haired senior entered his mind. No, that's impossible… Tseng's not anywhere near at the moment. He's on a mission abroad.
But then…
His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he saw the Elena's breathing became uneven and her body shook horribly.
"Elena?!" he called to her. "Yo!"
No go. She was really shaking bad. A convulsion…?
Choosing to put aside his thoughts about the gun, he grabbed it and stuck it on his side and moved to gather the visibly shaking woman in his arms. He moved quickly to get her outside of the house and into the van. Once there, he had to carefully put her in the passenger seat in front and secure her with the seat belt as he had done so with Rude at the back. The belt didn't seem to offer enough support, but it would have to do. He can't really find anything useful to wrap around her at the moment.
Hospital… he thought. I've got to get them to the hospital.
After securing Elena, he raced to the other side of the van.
"We're getting outta here," he said to himself.
But as he was about to get in the driver's seat, the sound of gunfire stopped him. A neat little hole, just a few inches away from him, appeared on the side of the van.
Oh, fuckity fuck… his head screamed. That nearly got me!
He should have known the blokes wanted him too. That's why Elena warned him, right? He angrily threw himself onto the ground and rolled away from the van.
No use getting our ride all bombed out too… he thought as he hid himself at the side of the cabin. He pulled at his own gun and waited for a few moments. As it was dark and dreary, he was at a complete disadvantage at his position. No doubt his enemies had been watching him carefully earlier and knew just where he was already. But he knew he can't just give up.
He exchanged a few rounds with the darkness, which covered him. It was nigh time when he realized he was being buried alive.
Think! There's gotta be a way to see these cowards…
He moved to reload his gun, but stopped when his eyes hit the van. Then, surprising as it may be, he smirked.
Why not…?
Seconds later, a sound of an engine coming to life was heard and from the back of the cabin, the van roared out. By its light, Reno was able to see the men who were shooting at him. He clenched his teeth and got the van into gear and headed straight for where they were.
"Get a load of this, you assholes!" he shouted as he drove right at them.
He might have hit them, but he didn't give a damn. He felt them, alright. But who cares? They had his men shot down! All he cared about anyway, was getting out of there. He had to take his Turk members to a nearby hospital. And he'd ram down anyone who even tries to stand and stop them.
"What now, huh?!"
A rally of gunshots was fired at their direction, but Reno drove relentlessly, moving through as many obstacles at he could. Crates… Guns… Even men. When he reached the road, he switch gears and accelerated the van down the road, leaving those who had ducked in time firing at them.
God… he thought as he looked over Rude and Elena as he traversed down the sleek road, still hearing the guns being fired at them. What a fucking stake out…
His grip on the wheel tightened and his eyes narrowed.
Somebody's going to get burned… he thought angrily as he floored the gas pedal and the van became a blur on the road.
I'll make sure of it…
------------------------------
Author's Note: Yay! I'm back! Hello everyone! Just got a break from school… Whoo! I got all excited to get to writing my fic once gain… Anyway, everyone… Meet Tseng! I've been thinking of how and when to put him into the story and I decided that this is the best part for him. And oh, everyone knows he's an essentially good guy… He is, in fact. I just wanted to change him a bit on this one. And oh, Rihsa, I know you love Tseng. I love him too. Hehehe… And I promise to work on his wayward act here. Don't worry. If he's a good guy, I'll make him one… Ahem! Anyway… I'm just glad to be back here… I appreciate reviews, but if you're not the type to give them… Well… That's okay! I just hope you like what I wrote… Ehehe… Thanks for reading! Ja ne!