Title: When Rude Met Reno
Authoress: Vitalini
Rating: T
Summary: Its not easy being a Turk, but what does it take to become one? While Rude is discovering what it really means to be a Turk, Tseng finally thinks he's found a way to calm a certain redheaded devil causing havoc in the Turk department. Join Rude and many new faces as they come to face the reality that is ShinRa.

Warning: Violence and language if there is anything else I'll warn you about when it comes.

Disclaimer: I only own any original characters and the fic- obviously, apart from that I own naught

Author's note: I think in my last Chapter I said something about 40 Characters well there will be 34 Turks, 3 secretaries, quite a few bad guys I'm estimating 4 main ones but they have they need their strong henchmen too, some good side characters so I'll most probably have around over 40, but I meant over 40 Chapters planned. I have nearly filled one of those really big A4 note books with my rough notes, not that you really need to know that '; By in case your interested I have some major characters coming in. They're cameos but because I know she would love to do this in real life some chapters later refers to book chapter 47 I guess, her cameo hits Hojo in the face. I have that planed out an I'm only up to chapter 3 XD

Now for a very important notice: The wonderful Paris Writer kindly went through my story to correct all my slip-ups of which there appeared to be many, thus I need to say a huge THANKYOU to Pariswriter, for making this chapter uber fantastic!

They finally made it to the roof by following signs. The corridors all lead to the roof. Despite the fact that they were in ShinRa's main building they were still separate. The Large aircraft was waiting for its passengers, and the engine impatiently roared in their ears as they boarded. There was plenty of space for them all to fit comfortably - even Trent, despite being the size of a mini Truck.

No sooner had they seated themselves, than another followed them on. They looked up to see Tseng once again standing smartly before them. They took off, not so gracefully, making Rude brace himself to remain steady. Tseng, however, retained perfect balance and was completely unfazed by the tilted launch.

"I hope you all got to know each other better. This mission - and your lives - depend on it."

Rude took a moment to glance at the others. They eyed each other nervously, unsure if they were prepared to put their lives in each other's hands if the situation demanded it. Jim got some nervous looks, which wasn't surprising considering his rank. Trent just smiled as he leaned against his metallic seat.

"So you think the model is going to make a good leader?" he whispered. As he was positioned between Rude and Jim, they had no trouble hearing him.

"He's got the marks, I guess." Jim shrugged; it got to him a little how someone who only had to train for two years had surpassed him already.

Trent seemed to pick up his bitter tone and gave Rude a questioning look. Of course, the bald man did not answer him. Still, he must have been able to read something in Rude's face to say to Jim, "Slow and steady wins the race."

The smaller man looked at Trent for a second before smiling. "I don't think that counts in this business."

"You'd be surprised: Good marks don't mean anything. This is the real test. You can be a real dunce - well that is not strictly true - you'd have to be an extremely talented dunce, but a dunce nonetheless and you can still make a fine leader."

"You sound so sure."

"The academy is just to refine your skills and make you lethal. The real education starts after you become a Turk. It's not always who can spout out the right answer the fastest, it's about who can pull the trigger first, who can cope with the pressure, who wouldn't crack and who really knows what they're doing. These other tests were just for the company to understand us and I doubt they really amount to much. They're just trying to weed out those who wouldn't last five seconds in the field. As we all know, there are some people that come in and they're already more than capable of being a Turk, they just need some refinement. Of course, they're the ones that ShinRa offered a job to personally, not like some of us who had to sign up to start the training."

Again, Trent was showing his infinite knowledge about the system. He seemed to realize this as well, "Don't I sound like a right know-it-all? Still, if you looked in the library and have contacts like I do, you get the information, no problem. Baldy here has the right idea, let fools like me talk my guts out and you learn things. Bet you guys didn't know Lithia is one of those special selections, did you? She used to be a bodyguard for this pimp, caused a lot of trouble when ShinRa decided to make him disappear. Once they killed the guy they offered her a job. She has some wicked skills. What you looking so down for shorty?"

Jim glared at the nickname. He was taller than average, but in comparison to Trent and Rude he was a shrimp. "Nothing, I'm not down about anything."

Trent gave Rude another look. "Touchy, isn't he? Ah, you're not happy about that signing up thing. Well, rest assured, every man and his dog can sign up but you do have to have something about you that ShinRa can make use of. Robin was only accepted because of his exceptional hunting skills - apart from that he was just a regular guy - but look at him now. If they see potential in you, they will want it. We were picked, just in a different way. They will trust our loyalty to the company more, since it was completely voluntary, but we may lack the real hands-on experiences the others have."

"Wait, are you saying that those whom ShinRa, let's say scout or pick whatever, don't join voluntarily?" Jim was both concerned and confused. Trent viewed him with slight pity.

"Well yeah... Let's face it: Loads of them are often from gangs, criminal groups and such things. Unlike SOLDIER, the Turks usually will only offer you a chance if you've already got talent and skill, not just potential. Besides: It's either be a Turk or die, and ShinRa can't afford people who can compete with their forces to be against them."

Jim gulped. Rude contemplated what Trent had said. The man definitely knew a lot - maybe too much. He felt eyes on him.

Tseng was staring at them. In the dark hull, he couldn't help but shiver as the sinister gaze relentlessly bore into him. Was the field commander angry with them?

They cleared some clouds, allowing the moonlight to shortly illuminate the inside better. Tseng didn't look angry anymore, now that he could see him better. In fact, there was evidence of a restrained smile at the corners of his mouth. Still, Rude felt unnerved.

"We're nearing the destination, Commander."

Tseng stood and faced them once more. Rude had to shake himself a little to get over his nerves. By the time he had them under control, Tseng was nearly done.

"The goal is for us to see how you cope on a real mission. However, there will be a Turk present in case of any trouble. The only things you are allowed to use are whatever you specialize in. This is to test your resourcefulness and ability to execute a simple task. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" They saluted just as the aircraft began its swift and quiet descent.

They landed, and quickly everyone got off. Tseng, however, remained on board, hand already poised to close the door.

"Good luck. Don't forget the target is to be taken alive." With that, he shut the door and their transport departed. Apparently, they were on their own.

"Right. We just have to apprehend the target. Sounds simple enough."

"Walk in the park," Robin muttered as he trudged after their "leader," who confidently strode into the foliage of the rather dense forest. Did Marko even know which direction their target's base was?

They allowed Marko to go another 50 meters. However, once they were under the cover of the trees, Lithia stopped, causing the others to do the same.

"Okay, now where are we heading?" she asked, arms crossed over her chest, her body tilting to the side.

"Tseng said the base should be northeast of where we were dropped off," Jim informed her.

"So why are we going west?" She frowned at Marko, who sighed.

"It's called getting under cover."

"I thought it was called getting lost."

As Rude had predicted, an argument rapidly broke out - though it was in angry hushed tones. After five minutes of useless bickering, Robin thrust his compass at Marko. "Fine. Lead the way."

"Hey, I've done this plenty of times during training. Trust me," Marko tried to assure them.

"I think we all have--" Jim, in a spurt of high spirits dared to point out, but a glare from Marko quieted him.

However, Trent, who had already turned round to head back, finished the sentence: "But internship doesn't make you a professional."

Lithia just shrugged at Rude when he caught her eye as they observed Marko rush to get in front of Trent. Like him, she had let the others squabble despite causing the problem. Good thing she had.

Robin looked back and beckoned them to hurry up as their leader stormed on ahead.

"Did anyone catch how far this place is supposed to be?" Jim questioned, after they had trekked another half a mile in the right direction. Robin looked back and shrugged. Trent and Lithia were walking close behind Marko. Their formation was a line and they were making swift progress.

They continued through the forest. When Rude last bothered to look at his watch it was almost seven. A short while later, they neared a small stream and beyond that, the riverside warehouse that the target was using for a temporary base. It was bigger than Rude had imagined but well concealed, if not a little derelict on the outside. Nevertheless, even from there, the faint sound of activity could be heard and dark figures patrolled the outside.

"Okay - Lithia, Robin, and Jim scout the area and report what you find."

The trio nodded and disappeared in a flash, Lithia in the lead. Rude guessed Trent and himself had been judged too big for scout work. Rude knew he was more than capable and guessed in the dark Trent could pass for a large boulder if he hunched down. The man was perfectly still, and Rude had to squint just to catch the tiny movements of his chest rising and falling. As soon as the others' delicate footfalls were no longer distinguishable, Marko gestured for them to come closer. They needed to formulate a plan.

"Okay... The best thing would be to split up, each group having a long, short and mid range specialist. Then we'll just have to corner the guy and graph, simple."

"You sure that's going to work? Sounds too simple to me - what about the guards?" Trent pointed out, flashing the warehouse a concerned look.

"That's the idea of sneaking in. Besides, it's nothing we can't handle."

"Save it for after," Trent murmured, still gazing at their target's hideout. Rude followed his gaze; he guessed the larger man had an ill feeling about what they were about to get themselves into. The feeling was contagious.

They heard some rustling behind them just before their comrades bust into view, panting and out of breath.

"Were you spotted?" Marko questioned, eyes darting about. That was the last thing they needed, to be caught before they even started.

"No, but if we're going to get the target we better move fast. There's more guards than expected already, and we've just seen another load come, as well."

"Define 'more than expected'?"

"Don't know for sure, but the place is definitely not lightly guarded as the report suggested, and we saw about fifty going inside. There could be more."

Marko eyed Robin for a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"We'll go ahead as planned. We'll split up, and that'll decrease the chances of us being detected." He eyed Trent for a moment. Rude noticed the giant was fiddling with something in his jacket.

Marko decided to have Trent and Robin in his group. He was going to pick Rude, since Trent appeared to grate on the handsome man's patience, but Lithia grabbed him first. As compensation, Marko took Robin.

"Right. We'll go in the far side and you sneak in the back way. Everyone got it? Okay, let's go." No one followed Marko as he started off. For the second time he had to stop. From the annoyed look he gave them, they could tell he wasn't used to so much opposition. Actually, Rude knew he wasn't.

"What do we do when we get inside?"

"This isn't just an infiltration mission."

"Your plans too vague."

"We're going to get caught."

Marko looked ready to breathe fire. Still, they all made valid points. Rude noted how worried they all looked - including Lithia, who was biting her lower lip, her confident aura vanished. Surely, she had been in worse situations than this considering her apparent previous occupation, but then he remembered that look she had given Robin. It was more than just their own lives at stake here: One slip, and they were all doomed. Rude automatically wiped the sweat off his brow, despite the fact that it was a cool evening.

"Okay, men... How about once we get inside we check out our respective positions and depending on what we find we'll decide on the best course of action?" The woman suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good. We can text each other so we know what the others are doing," Jim added.

There were nods of agreement all round - including Marko - though their leader added, "We're timed here… so be ready to act immediately. Let's split."

Before Rude even registered,what was going on, he was already bounding after Lithia, who gave him a surprised look, not expecting him to keep up so easily.

Suddenly she spun to the left and dropped down, and they followed suit. Jim realized too late that they were jumping off the edge of a small river cliff. Reaching out Rude grabbed him and clamped a hand over the smaller man's mouth. They landed with a thud, and he felt a gloved hand yank him back. He turned to see Lithia with a finger pressed against her lips, indicating with brown eyes to look up. They did, just in time to see a foot kick a rock over the edge of the cliff. They watched as it landed in the stream, a pitiful splash in its wake. Rude pressed himself harder into the wall.

"It was most probably a fox or something." A gruff voice sounded over their heads. A bit of dirt rained down in front of them, "Get back here you idiot, that'll collapse under you."

They listened as the heavy footfalls of the guards' booted feet left, then looked nervously at each other.

"Go!"

Taking off at a mad sprint, the trio bounded across the stream and up the slip of slope on the opposite side. Their pants dripping wet, they dived behind the cover of some bushes. Then they discovered, all too late, that they were rose bushes.

"We must be close," Lithia rumored, pulling a thorn from her jacket sleeve, be careful not to tear the fabric.

"You think anyone saw us?" Jim's voice was hardly audible, but they were huddled so close together that they managed to catch it.

"If they did, they're not making a fuss. Well... If you guys were hoping to intimidate the target into submission, I can say that is out of the question." She eyed their muddy, wet uniforms. Rude had to admit that, even in the dark, they looked disheveled.

"So now what?"

"We go ahead as planned. I suggest we crawl through these. I know it is a pain, but they appear to go around back - and at least we'll be covered. I can't see too many guards, though I can't see much of anything, really." She frowned as she peeped over the thick tangle of branches.

Rude shook his head. It was the best course of action he could think of, as well, but crawling through a long row of brushes filled with thorns was not what he had expected he'd be spending the evening doing. As they started out - biting their lips every time a thorn dug into their skin and stopping each time it happened - Rude wondered if they'd even get close to the building before dawn. Jim muttered something about a snail passing by.

Half an hour later and they were nearing the corner that would lead them to the back. They made good progress with only two more near misses. The first was when Lithia knocked a bird's nest as she pushed her way through. The bird had let out a large screech and shot out of the bush in angry disarray. Rude swore his had heart stopped then.

Thankfully, an owl, which may have had its eye on the sparrow for some time, took this opportunity dive for its escaping prey. The guards must have thought that's what had spooked the small bird since they hadn't heard an alarmed raised or anyone charging towards them.

The second was when Jim slipped as he untangled himself from a net of thorns he'd crawled into. His fall had caused a huge dip, noticeable enough for a guard to point it out. Once again, it had been dismissed, since only one appeared to have seen the movement. Rude mentally thanked whichever god was watching over them this night.

"I can't wait to get out of these bloody roses," Lithia grumbled as she slid her slender form between two branches. They were scratched and bleeding all over, but there was nothing they could do about it.

"Yeah, they stink. Still, can't complain about the view." Rude could just see Jim's thumb as he indicated to Lithia right in front of him. He could also see that as soon as this was over Jim was going to get a slap, a very painful one at that.

"Almost there."

Indeed, they were, but then they faced another problem: The back was surrounded with guards. From this side, the warehouse was well illuminated, as many of the ground floor lights cast the men and vehicles outside in its glow. The large trucks, currently being filled with large crates, also had their headlights on. Rude felt his eyes swell and silently cursed.

"Come on."

He let Jim pull him along, ignoring the snags in his clothes. There was so much activity and noise that they could afford to move faster. Rude noted the sudden light change and pulled his hand from his eyes. They were next to a truck. Its bulk blocked most of the light, its long shadow casting them into further darkness. There was no one around. With a nod, they turned and crawled quickly toward the edge of the rose bushes. A final pause, then the trio dove under the truck, which was parked so close to the rose bushes they doubted anyone would have seen them.

Dragging themselves across the dirt beneath their shelter, they took in their surroundings. They appeared to have passed the main area of activity. It was darker down this end and a few more trucks were in front of the one they were currently hiding under. Apparently, it was one of many in a long queue waiting to be loaded. Rude noticed a lone guard patrolling the area jump down to where the parked vehicles were and quickly pushed the other two heads back under. Everyone held their breath as he passed.

"So how do you suppose we get inside?" Jim whispered, eyes scanning the terrain.

After a moment Rude pointed, Lithia followed his gaze and understood what he had in mind. "Okay… Now all we need is a distraction."

A soft chuckle brought their attention back to their oldest member: "I've got it covered." He rolled out from under the truck, cradling something in his left arm.

"Jim, no!"

With surprising force and accuracy, the man hurdled something into the distance. He did it repeatedly, until he'd relieved himself of his burden. His aim and rapid succession as he'd thrown what Rude presumed must have been rocks gave the impression of something clumsily rushing through the bushes towards the stream about 60 yards or more away.

Before the guards began yelling and rushing to investigate, Jim was already next to them under the truck one more. A couple of guards thundered their way, heading towards the shouts, and they waited for them to disappear.

"Now."

It took them less than two minutes to race behind the crane before bounding up the crates beyond it and into the semi-open window. The last stage had taken them a bit longer, especially Rude.

Blood pounded in their eyes. Search lights were switched on outside, but it appeared activity had quieted and was settling back to how it had been. Scuttling away from the window and further into the rafters of the warehouse, Rude calmed his shaking body. He hadn't realized they had climbed this high, but then he hadn't really been looking at where he was going. The whole mission was going like a dream. Lithia reached the middle and, using the height advantage, observed scene beneath them. Softly cursing, she pulled out her weapon and leaped gracefully onto a lower rafter. Rude held Jim back as he was about to follow her. She continued to bound like a cat from beam to beam, stopping now and then to make further observations.

Rude pulled out his PHS and prepared to text the woman's report to Marko. After about five minutes, she returned.

"It's quiet up here, but from what I could see the next floor is packed. We may have to fight our way through, though I think I saw a hole in the floor that we could use to get a better idea of what would be the best course." As she said this, she closed the PHS in Rude's dark hand. She was shaking terribly, as they all were.

As silently as possible, the three made their way down. No one appeared to be guarding the top floor, but that didn't stop them from taking the most sheltered and discrete route they could, which wasn't hard since the place was filled with junk. Loud voices could be heard beneath them, however they could not understand a word of it. The place smelled of moss, pond water, and roses, though Rude wasn't sure if it was them our not.

Reaching the previously mentioned hole, they halted at its edges. Cautiously, they looked over the brim. Workers and guards went back and forth. Rude was surprised how far down the next level was. The place could easily have five levels, though it appeared only to have three. Pulling back, Rude glanced at Lithia. Finding only fear in her face he turned towards Jim, who was looking at him expectantly. Rude guessed because he appeared so calm on the outside that they presumed he had a plan. How he wish that was true.

He looked down once more, ignoring the great distance between them and the floor, if someone was to push him…. Shaking his head, he forced himself to concentrate this time. Lowering his head further, he managed to get a view of the more immediate area. On the opposite side of the room he saw the single metal stairway that lead to the room they currently situated: No one was walking up it. There was a stack of crates not too far away that they could use for cover, if they could only get to them. He considered their equipment: A PHS each, a gun, and a three-sectioned staff. Marvelous, he thought, just flipping' great. It was too far down anyway…Or was it?

Looking up, he considered the height of the last beam they had jumped from, then compared it to the distance he thought they would have to fall to towards the crates. They could do it, but there was a high chance they would be seen. Still, he hadn't crawled though a load of rose bushes to give up now. With no better ideas coming from the others, he took a deep breath and in hushed tones informed them of his plan.

"Lithia I need you and Jim to swing me towards that pile of old crates there." He showed them, and when they understood he carried on. "Use your sansetsukon, and then do the same for Jim and I think you can jump it yourself." There was a pause as she considered the distance before bobbing her head.

No one questioned that fact that they were likely to be caught and Jim was too scared even to make fun of Rude saying the longest thing ever since knowing him.

Lithia pulled out her staff and extended it to its full length, the chains rattling noisily. They froze, eying the weapon as if was a venomous snake. Rude noted that one end was pointed. She gave them an apologetic smile. It was the best they had, and it would have to do. Latching on to the speared end, he nodded.

It wasn't as bad as he had imagined. It took just one swing and he'd gotten enough momentum to leap clearly behind the crates. The thud was muffled my the heavy and dusty layers of cloth piled on top of them. Muffling his cough, he turned just in time to catch Jim and then Lithia as they followed suit. Each time clouds of dust rose up and settled back down around them. He was dying for his eye drops.

Suddenly, Lithia felt a vibration in her Pocket. Pulling out the shaking PHS, she flipped it open and quickly scanned the message, swearing once she finished. Rude looked over her shoulder, as did Jim. Who gave out a similar reaction.

"Marko moving in for a surprise attack. Wants you down here pronto. There are hardly any guards around. Thinks they may all be outside. Target in site. Hurry."

It was a trap. That's why there were so many on this level: As soon as the others made their move everyone was going to race down and corner them.

Before Lithia could even reply, they heard a gun cock above them.

"Hello" A man grinned evilly down at them, just as an alarm sounded. Rude cursed as the gas canister landed beside his foot.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

How was that? Good, bad or ugly? Chapter 4 coming soon.

Yay I cannot wait, Reno makes his entrance in the next chapter . I prefer how I've done this one, still need to work on the mood though. As Seth7 pointed out Rude does not have his glasses (OMG), however he gets them in checks notebook Chapter 5 and to no surprise that chapter will be called 'Shades'. If you're wondering about the strange name for this chapter it will hopefully make sense by the next.