A Day in the Life
Reno.
---33---
Reno was up, dressed, and out the door in under two minutes. His EMR, badge, and tie were left amidst the array of late-night Chinese on his coffee table. But he had his pistol.
Usually when Tseng calls, Reno takes his time. He knows it pisses off the senior Turk, and the redhead spent much of his time trying to find ways to accomplish that on a daily basis. But today was different.
The tone was different.
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"Reno."
The uncompromising tone held a level of authority that Reno was unaccustomed to facing. He recognized it immediately. However, it was rarely ever used toward the redhead.
"Sir?"
Reno was known for being rebellious—for fighting authority at every turn, and even for making an extra effort to get on Tseng's nerves—but he was not an idiot. In fact, all humor aside, Reno was not a Turk for nothing.
"There's been a—" Tseng cut himself off. Reno could hear a commotion in the background, and he wanted to ask what was going on, but his boss continued.
"Get the chopper ready."
He had a dozen questions, but he was already out of bed, looking for his belt.
"Yes, sir."
---
The helicopter was running before Reno got to the roof. He wanted to voice his annoyance at someone else touching his bird, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins had him halfway across the roof before he could form words. His partner was already waiting, and he could hear Cissnei trailing behind him, her light, rushed footfalls recognizable even in their haste.
Tseng was standing next to the helicopter.
"Where're we going, boss?"
The informal words held nothing to the serious tone of Reno's voice.
"West."
---
The burning ember of his finished cigarette fizzled out instantly the moment it hit the dark water collecting at the edge of the street. It didn't sizzle, and it didn't struggle to stay lit—it just went out.
A sardonic chuckle escaped the redhead's closed lips where he'd been chewing on them in his impatience. He was about to turn around and head back to the city, but stopped as he heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle in dire need of a tune-up come around the corner of the city wall at his back. The choking roar of the vehicle made him smile as he turned his head to greet the brunet.
Zack parked his motorcycle next to the one beside the redheaded Turk and climbed off without a word. His gaze turned toward the distance where the sun was setting over the cliffs miles west of Midgar's borders.
"Way out here?" he asked. Zack's voice was deep and held a hint of amusement at Reno's choice of location.
"Fuck you. I love it out here." Reno rolled his eyes at the SOLDIER and snatched the red folder Zack held out for him.
Zack ignored him. Instead, he turned back to look at the sunset. He wanted to admit that it actually was a nice place—just outside the city, just beyond the pollution crowding the skies and clouding the stars from sight. Here he could begin to see stars pushing past the light ebbing in the distance.
"By the way," he began.
Reno looked up from what he was reading, an annoyed expression on his face—What?
Zack smirked.—"I need that back."
---
The last time Reno had been out here was back then. After Zack had traded the information about Project G, Reno's life had become increasingly busy, increasingly covert, and increasingly risky. He didn't have time to sleep anymore, let alone time to get out of the city. Instead, he was engrossed in finding out what the hell was going on.
But he was back here again. The chopper flew steadily over the city walls and across the dusty plains surrounding Midgar as it headed west toward the mountains in the distance. He wanted to ask what they could possibly be doing way out here, but the urgency in Tseng's demeanor had him quiet. He was restless—he never agreed to go anywhere without having enough details to satisfy his curiosity—this time he knew nothing.
But when the helicopter neared the outcropping of cliffs, his senses became immediately alert and his gaze dropped toward the ground.
Zack.
---
"Wait," he called before Zack reached the glass doors. The brunet turned a questioning gaze on the Turk, but said nothing.
The expression caused Reno to question himself. What was he so afraid of? Stumbling over his inability to voice himself properly, Reno settled on the familiar.
"Don't let those bastards kills you out there—that's my job." And even though the sarcastic tone filled the void between them, Reno could see the understanding behind Zack's unguarded expression.
---
Four years. It was four years ago, the last time he spoke to the first-class SOLDIER. It was four years ago, the last time he even saw the other man.
Months ago, Tseng had them searching for him—both him and Cloud—but they hadn't found anything. Cissnei had been close, but she suddenly lost track of them—so suddenly that Reno doubted her claims, but nobody was willing to speak up about it. Nobody was willing to move forward. None of them were willing to find them. The only one who didn't give up was Hojo, and everyone knew he was obsessed.
As he landed the helicopter several meters away from the fallen body of the man he once thought was his friend, he wondered what would come next.