Before Crisis: The Beginning

By DarkAngel

Disclaimer: Not even a small scrap of it belongs to me.

Chapter 28: Extermination Time

Rafe looked over his newly replenished stock with a grim satisfaction. In addition to the Water Materia he'd picked up from the Turks stockroom, he'd reloaded his gun with piercing bullets. They, just as their name suggested, were designed to pierce through things like Kevlar vests and other reinforced surfaces with about 2.5 times more ease than the average bullet. And just to be on the safe side, he'd upgraded his potions and taken an extra bottle of Ether with him. Armed to the teeth was a phrase specifically reserved for occasions such as this.

He was back in Sector 8 in no time, making the trip down the sewers. His PHS highlighted for him in an orange line the path he had traversed to find the Kimara Bug. There was no guarantee it would still be there, but Rafe had a suspicion it wouldn't go so far. After all, many of those bugs seemed to be concentrated there, so it stood to reason there was a nest. What parent would leave its home and hearth undefended?

His mouth stretched into a thin smile. He would find it. And he would put it on his wall.

Wait. Scratch that last one. That was something his partner would say, not him. Rafe shook his head. Samantha was starting to influence him, and not entirely in a good way.

Let's try that again. He would find it. And he would dispose of it before it even knew what hit it.

There, much better.

Clicking the safety off his guns, he dashed forward. It wasn't long before he saw the smaller Kimara Bugs once more. He took a grim satisfaction in seeing them going down. A couple of times they tried to swarm him, but their limited intelligence meant that that they couldn't respond much less strategize in the same way he could. He took them out by the dozens that way.

He was almost so caught up in his hunt that he didn't notice the passage of time until he checked his PHS once more and saw that nearly two hours had passed since he had entered the sewers. He blinked. He hadn't even started. He hadn't even found the big one…

Rafe took the moment to pinch his nose between one forefinger and thumb. He really was starting to sound like Samantha. Shiva alive, next thing he knew, he'd be trading in his handguns for an oversized rifle or submachine gun. It was definitely time to call it a night. He placed a call to Veld, who took in his report.

"We'll send some maintenance teams to deal with the worst of it," Veld rumbled. "In the event they don't find the mother, you'll go back in there again after your patrol."

"Roger." Rafe would rather have dealt with the Kimara Bugs than go on yet another patrol, but he wasn't about to argue. In a lot of ways, disobeying Veld was much worse than disobeying the Don. It was like comparing having to fight one-on-one with an Elfadunk to going tete-a-tete with a Behemoth.

With a rueful sigh, he pocketed his PHS. Tomorrow was another day. He looked around him at the scattered corpses of the bugs. After giving the matter some thought, he shrugged and left. The maintenance crews were coming down here anyway, right? He had bigger fish to fry anyway.

It was probably for the best, Reno decided, that Rafe had declined to come. There wasn't enough room behind this shrub for the both of them, and he already knew what his best friend's reaction would be to finding not just one, but both of them skulking here. Not that he was skulking. No, this was high-level reconnaissance. Shin-Ra's elite would never stoop so low as to peep. So logically, this was a very important mission.

He'd gotten in just as Rude had been settling himself down the bar. He took a seat beside a woman with long hair and pale skin. From where Reno was crouched, he could make out her assets and he nodded half with approval before wrinkling his nose in disgust. He was totally not here to check out other women, especially other women his partner chose to canoodle with.

"Did you wait long?" Rude's deep voice rumbled, carrying across the bar to where Reno crouched, hoping against all hope that his hair wouldn't give him away. Would it have killed the place to get in some wildflowers? As it was, he stood out in the way a poinsettia did against the greenery.

He slouched down further as the woman answered in a soft voice. "No, not at all. I got here just moments before you came."

There was a prolonged silence, and Reno took the risk and raised his head a millimetre to see what was going on. The woman was looking at Rude with a puzzled expression. She waved a hand lightly in front of his face.

"Rude? Are you all right? You're a little off today."

"Chelsea –" Ah, so that was her name. Reno catalogued the factoid automatically, as he did with everything else he came across. Training was hard to break, and this scenario certainly was no exception.

"Hm?" Chelsea tilted her head, her hair falling across the bar top like a silky curtain. She had a half-smile on her lips as she waited for whatever it was Rude was going to say.

"You don't have to lie to me."

Reno actually smacked his palm to his face. This was Rude's brand of an "I love you dearly" sort of affection. Only, for someone who didn't know Rude as well as he did, it could come off as really… well… rude. (Not to mention abrupt; terse; unexpected; and a whole host of other emotions that ran the gamut from surprised to offended, but never mind that for now).

"What are you saying?" Well, she didn't sound offended. That was good. A bit surprised, maybe a little shocked, but not offended. Reno risked another glance over the plants. Rude was back to playing it silent now, and he could see Chelsea watching him, waiting patiently for his answer. He groaned mentally. Was this how every date between them went? Why had Rafe not told him about this? Cutting off a groan, he waited.

After some moments, Chelsea looked down and spoke. "I… waited for half an hour. I'm sorry. I won't lie to you." Reno had to strain his ears to catch her whispers.

"I…" Rude seemed to be searching for something to say. For his sake, Reno hoped it was a little more inspired than some of the other nuggets he'd heard. Then again, the woman, Chelsea, seemed to understand Rude's silences… which was something that he thought that only he could do. He shrugged.

"No matter what happens, my feelings for you won't change."

There. See? That was much better. Reno felt like applauding, but his reconnaissance mission parameters clearly stated that this was an observation only mission. In no way was he to interfere with the targets.

Chelsea obviously thought it was a good one too, because the way she said his name, he could all but picture her with her hand over her heart, eyes sparkling, vision misted with tears. His back was hurting. Shifting lower, he wondered how much longer he'd have to do this. Rafe was right. He shouldn't be here, interfering. His curiosity by now was more than satisfied and now he felt just wrong being here.

It was when the bartender asked Rude what he wanted and Rude replied with his order that Reno groaned. Hard liquor. Oh man oh man oh man. He was in for a long night. Rude only drank that stuff when he was a) trying to absorb some really bad news or b) settling in for a long chat with someone. And judging by the way things were going, it wasn't going to be the latter.

Two hours later. Reno's left leg had fallen asleep, there was a sharp pain shooting up his back, and his neck was really, really stiff. Reno wondered when it would end. His heart (not to mention other parts of his body) leapt for joy when he heard the scrape of a bar stool against the floor and saw Rude stand up. Great.

"Rude? Where are you going?" Chelsea said. Reno's brow furrowed. He was going home, wasn't he?

There was another long silence. Reno waited. Chelsea waited. Then –

"…..to the bathroom."

It was just too bad there was no convenient table nearby upon which to bang his head. For that was what Reno dearly wanted to do at this very moment, for so many reasons. He peered over the plants in disbelief, watching as Rude's broad back made a beeline for the men's room. This was how he dealt with a conversational stumbling block? With his girlfriend? Oi oi.

They both watched as Rude disappeared behind the door. And then Chelsea jerked, startled, as something caught her attention. For a split second, Reno thought he'd been caught.

But no, she wasn't facing this way. She was staring at something on the bar top. Reno's eyes narrowed. A small, black, rectangular thing. It was very similar to one Reno had in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out, opening it as quietly as possible and holding down the button to activate its silent mode. Thanks for reminding me, buddy. He looked back over.

What was she doing? Chelsea was looking at where Rude had gone, then around at the bar. Reno slouched lower. And then she was reaching out her arm for the PHS… Reno frowned.

Chelsea jerked her hand away, looking flushed. Her body scrunched in on itself. He couldn't see her expression as her hair was hiding her face from his view, but Reno's suspicious radar was blaring. Something was up with that woman. She'd tried to do something to Rude's phone. Maybe she was trying to check to see if he'd been calling other girls. There was that, but…

But it didn't feel right. And Reno's hunches always bore fruit.

Reno went back to slouching behind the greenery when Rude came out. He seemed to have picked up on her expression. "Is something the matter Chelsea?"

"No." A pause. "It's nothing."

When it became obvious that no further response was forthcoming, Rude shrugged it off and changed the subject instead.

"Hey, Chelsea…"

Reno rolled his eyes. Rude was working up to something big. Damn this ability to read his partner's silences. It made things that much more awkward sometimes.

"Tomorrow… We should… go see the Winter Day tree… together."

"Oh, you mean the one in the West Park." Chelsea said delightedly. "It must be really beautiful… it's a lot better than seeing it alone…" There was something in her voice. Loneliness? Regret? Resolve? It was difficult to tell. Reno pondered that one briefly before turning his attention back to the conversation.

"There's… something I want to tell you there."

What? What? Surely it wasn't going to be a proposal, was it? Reno knew just how much of a closet romantic Rude was, but this was a bit much, wasn't it? Veld aside, did Turks even marry? Then it hit him that tomorrow was Winter Day Eve. Oh, lovely. He just couldn't wait for the announcement.

Chelsea was teasing Rude, attempting to cajole him into telling her right then and there but Rude was adamant. He would tell her tomorrow. And then Chelsea was standing up and for a wild second, Reno thought Rude had done it – he'd unintentionally pissed her off. "What's wrong?" Rude asked.

"I should get going," Chelsea said. She didn't sound angry. Reno wasn't sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or… Well, it was complicated. Especially since he had an idea of what this woman might be. Rude, if you're planning what I think you're planning, you're setting yourself up for a big fall, buddy.

"You're going already…" It wasn't a question, though it was tinged with regret.

"I'm sorry. You can stay here and enjoy your drink." She leaned in. Reno went back to squeezing himself down.

They broke apart. "I'll be waiting tomorrow under the tree," Rude said.

"Yes. I'll see you there. I'm looking forward to it."

There it was again. That tone that Reno couldn't identify. He slouched down as far as he could as Chelsea passed, leaving a cloud of perfume in her wake. His brows knitted together. What was with her? There was something unusual about her, and his senses never lied. Which left him with only one choice.

Checking to make sure Rude was preoccupied, he dashed out the door. It didn't take long to catch up with Chelsea – she wasn't in any hurry to get where she was going. He ducked behind a lamppost a couple of metres from his target and waited.

"I can't do this anymore…" It was now that Reno could identify what he couldn't before. It was regret. She'd already made her decision about something.

She started walking once more and Reno followed, making sure that he wasn't too far from her. When she turned a corner, Reno frowned. That was a dead end, wasn't it? What was she going to do there?

He ducked behind the wall and watched as Chelsea looked both ways before kneeling down and lifting up a manhole cover. Reno's eyebrows shot up. He waited until she'd gone down before following her, landing agilely on the ground. He could hear voices coming off from not too far away.

Following the source of the voices, Reno's eyes widened. He'd been right. Oh damned hellfire, he'd been right. He wished he hadn't been.

Because there was Chelsea. And standing with her were AVALANCHE operatives.

"You planted the surveillance device, didn't you?" one operative was asking. Reno's brow furrowed. So that's why she had been interested in Rude's phone. Oh Gods, Rude. You sure know how to pick 'em.

"No, I didn't get the chance to," Chelsea said apologetically. "I'll get it done tomorrow, you'll see."

"Hurry it up, already!" the operative snarled.

But she'd had her chance when Rude had gone to the bathroom, hadn't she? Why hadn't she taken it?

"I can't do this anymore…" Reno twitched. No. It couldn't be. But that meant… He could have laughed. She'd fallen for him. This was something right out of a tragic play. He held a hand to his head. This was more trouble than he'd bargained for.

Another night, another patrol finished. Rafe watched as Reno and Rude began their traditional exchange: Reno saying he was beat and ready to return to HQ and Rude was making his excuses. Rafe looked at a spot on the wall beyond them. Now that he knew what was going on with Rude, he didn't want to have any part of it. He hadn't wanted to have anything to do with it in the first place, but really… Give up, Reno.

But today something was different. Reno called Rude back. Rafe's head snapped up.

"You gonna go see that girl again?" Rafe's mouth fell open. No way. He didn't just say that.

"I wouldn't go if I were you," Reno continued. Rafe stood frozen, watching the two men.

"She's a –"

"I know." Rude cut across Reno. The redhead's head shot up, eyes wide. Rafe blinked. What the hell was going on here?

"Don't say anything else," Rude rumbled. He hadn't turned the whole time. Rafe wondered just what Rude was thinking. More to the point, he wanted to know what was going on. What had he missed?

"Rude… You knew?" Reno's voice registered a 9.5 on the shocked scale. Rafe could only turn his attention from one man to the other, as though he was watching a ping pong match.

"…sorry. I'm no good at things like this," Rude said. With that, he left. Rafe turned to Reno.

"What was that about?"

Reno shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Aw, you know. When you're older you'll get it, kiddo."

Rafe raised his eyebrows. Okay. He had no idea just what Reno meant by that, but before he could make an issue of it, a PHS rang. Reflexively, he reached into his jacket pocket, but Reno fished his own out and gestured to Rafe, It's mine. Rafe waited, watching as Reno's face changed from helplessness to an expression that clearly stated that things were all business now. "Right, boss. We'll get on it right away." He turned to Rafe.

"Mission time. I'm worried about Rude, so let's get this done with as fast as possible."

Perplexed, Rafe could only nod. What was it that Reno had seen last night to make him this agitated?

They made their way to the sewers. Rafe lead the way, using the route he'd mapped when he'd come down here the night before. Suddenly Rafe saw something move out of the corner of his eye and held his hand out for Reno to stop. They both peered around the corner just in time to see a Kimara Bug crossing a pipe and going around the corner. It crawled into a hole and disappeared from view.

"What the hell is that?"

"A Kimara Bug," Rafe replied. "I'm guessing that hole is where the eggs are."

Reno shrugged. "Well, I guess we're going in then. Down the hatch!"

The hole the insect had gone down was actually a maintenance hatch. They scrambled down the ladder into a sub-level of the sewers.

"You take the front, I'll guard the rear," Reno said. Rafe nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

They ran into more of the insects along the way. Between Rafe and Reno, they made quick work of them. Reno crinkled his nose. "Man, it's gonna be a bitch to clean this mess up." He held up his EMR, showing Rafe the gory remains of bug splattered all over it. Rafe shrugged. At least his handguns were ranged weapons. He didn't have to brain them and was spared the worst of the carnage. They made their way forward.

"There. That's got to be the nest." Rafe pointed at a large, bulbous mass. It was pale green in colour and Rafe could swear the damned thing was throbbing. He could just imagine what Samantha would say if she was here. Ew, indeed. "Let's finish this."

It seemed as though the monsters weren't going to make things easy for them, though. They crawled out from the nest, scythe-like forelimbs raised menacingly. Rafe raised his guns.

A bolt of lightning sizzled and sparked across the air between them. When Rafe blinked, the insects were down, a smoking heap. Reno shrugged. "It seemed like the easier way to do it."

They looked at the nest. "Do you think you can fry it?"

"Maybe." Reno gave the nest a considering look.

"On three then." The nest fell under the combined attacks of the two Turks. They examined the damage.

"Looks like there's another hole that goes down." Just how deep down did the sewers go? And what the hell kind of insect built its nest over a hole in the ground?

They made their way down and forward, taking out Kimara Bugs as they went. Eventually, the path split into two. Rafe and Reno exchanged glances.

"It'll be quicker if we split up. I'll take the right."

"Then I'll go straight," Rafe replied. "Let's go."

It didn't take long for Rafe to find another nest. He wondered just how many of the blasted things were down here. Could they really take care of the problem between the two of them?

As before, Kimara Bugs came out from their nest to guard their unborn brethren. And again, Rafe dealt with them swiftly. He grimaced. He hadn't been able to avoid the splatter this time; as the nest had blown apart, he'd been hit. The bottoms of his trousers were covered in a sickly yellow liquid that looked like a combination of pus and jelly. He was just thankful that the dry cleaning service the Turks used was equipped to deal with stuff like this. Hell, now that he thought about it, they'd probably have had to deal with a lot worse.

"Oi, Rafe!" Rafe turned to see rounding the corner. "Looks like these passages connect together."

Rafe nodded. "I destroyed another nest." Her jerked his head at the remains of the monster hive.

Reno crouched down, letting out a small sigh. "Another hole."

"We should go down," Rafe said. He was getting pretty damned tired of this. He hoped this was the last hole. If they kept going down any further, they'd come out on the other side of the world.

Reno seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Yeah. Let's hope this is the end of it."

They clambered down the hole.

To be continued...