Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, scenery, or towns; Square Enix does.
46 - Touchdown
Genesis curled his fingers around the gil-sized rock in his right hand then flicked it away. He watched it skid across the ground like a skipping stone until it disappeared into a stand of tall weeds. Following the impact a swarm of insects erupted from the greenery and took to the air. They flew over their chosen perch as a unit for a few moments before landing, either reaching a consensus that their home wasn't being invaded or forgetting why they'd taken flight in the first place. The auburn was glad they'd kept their distance instead of making straight toward him. He knew insects helped pollinate plants and flowers but to him they were nothing more than annoying little pests that spread misery and disease. Regardless of the fact that he'd disturbed this particular bunch he could do without being bitten by a pack of vial vermin with wings, thank you very much.
The STC snorted and turned, heading in the direction he'd come from. To the north sat the helicopter that had brought he and his companions to this continent. After landing Reno and Sephiroth had secured it and now it sat like a huge black fly whose wings had been clipped. His eyes landed on the Turk, who was sitting just inside the chopper's cargo hold with the silver hovering behind him. At the sight of the laptop on Reno's legs the tapping sound that he'd tuned out returned. The sound of keys being pressed as the redhead's fingers flew across the keyboard was musical, almost hypnotic. The man might act like an incompetent dimwit at times but all one had to do was watch him work for that image to be shattered. Even with the SSC looming over him Reno's concentration was absolute. His eyes remained glued to the screen and his fingers continued to compose their nearly monotone symphony without pause.
"Was your walk pleasant?" Sephiroth asked as Genesis hopped into the cargo hold of the helicopter.
"More or less," the auburn replied, sitting on one of the built in benches. "Any luck?" he asked, faintly tilting his head toward Reno.
"No idea. I knew what he was doing for about two minutes, then… well he lost me."
"You mean the great Sephiroth isn't perfectly skilled at everything?" the auburn playfully taunted, widening his eyes for dramatic emphasis. The silver scowled at him but it was Reno who spoke.
"Smartass."
"Pipe down," Genesis chuckled at the back of the Turk's head. Reno snorted but even from his poor angle the auburn could detect the man's smirk.
"Computers were never my strong suit," the silver lamented, sitting next to the STC. "I can manage if I must, however since I wasn't fighting or killing anyone I was never all that interested in them."
"In Midgar or Junon I could wipe out half the people on Gaia or better in five minutes or less yo."
"That's an unpleasant thought," Genesis muttered.
"You could?" inquired Sephiroth with obvious interest.
"Ya think a bunch a people get together and throw rockets and missiles ta launch them?"
"Of course not."
"Right, which means it's all computerized. Give me access to the military computers and BOOM!"
"Exactly how hard would that be to pull off?" the auburn asked, images of burning, rubble-strewn cities flickering in his mind's eye. "Is it something AVALANCHE could do for instance?"
"With enough planning anything's possible," Reno replied, tossing a look over his shoulder. He had to bite back a chuckle at the STC's horrified expression. "Relax Gen. It is possible but extremely improbable."
"Elaborate."
"In a minute, first do either of ya have a new plan or anything?"
"I assume you're referring to returning to Midgar?" Sephiroth asked.
"Yeah."
"Then no, I do not."
"I don't either," said Genesis. Gods I'm useless, he thought bitterly. He was the reason they were in this predicament yet he couldn't think of a single thing to get them out of it. If it weren't for the fact that his companions were good at strategy and planning he'd be screwed.
"Ya sure? 'Cause once I press enter we're committed yo."
At his companions blank look's Reno tapped the enter key without further delay. As soon as he terminated his Internet access some invisible weight he wasn't aware he'd been carrying disappeared. He'd known hacking into Shinra's server was risky but he hadn't realized how tense it had made him. In the end, his knowledge of computers and Shinra's system had paid off and he'd managed to get in without tripping any alarms. Not that it would have mattered since he'd hidden himself behind enough proxies and false IP addresses to choke a dragon. Besides, had someone become wise to his presence he'd have fought back with one or more of the several nasty viruses and worms in his arsenal, all of which had been at the ready and could have been launched at the stroke of a key. He hadn't particularly wanted to destroy Shinra's system since it would be more work for him when he returned but he'd do what he had to do to ensure his groups success, and that meant covering his tracks.
Reno closed the laptop and returned it to it's case before turning to his companions. Both wore almost identical expressions of expectant curiosity. "Shinra's military computers can't be accessed offsite so AVALANCHE'd need either enough money to bribe a shitload of people or enough members to wipe out Shinra's onsite staff."
"They seem to have plenty of members and are pretty well financed," the auburn pointed out.
"Appearances are deceiving. Latest intel puts AVALANCHE at less than seventy members and that's including Fuhito's Raven's. That ain't enough to take out the amount of people Shinra'd throw at them in a head on fight on their own turf. In addition they've lost some critical backers so their funding ain't what it used to be and what they do have Fuhito mostly spends on the upkeep and development of his Ravens." The Turk paused and stretched his cramped legs out in front of him before continuing. "Even if AVALANCHE got enough members and money they'd still need either an insider with at least one Class A Hacker or three Class A's without an insider to get into the system. That might sound simple but Class A's are rare and while they respect each other they generally don't like working together."
"Why?" asked Sephiroth.
"It's an ego and trust thing."
"You're right. The chances that AVALANCHE could pull this off are slim. I'm relieved," said Genesis.
"Ya should be. I didn't even mention all the procedures and precautions in place at the locations that house the computers. One of which involves preset sequences that have to be sent from the military branch to Shinra HQ every half hour. Basically HQ sends a sequence and the base has to reply, which sounds simple except ya have to know what to send back and few people know the codes or where to get them, not ta mention they constantly change. Only reason I could do it so fast is because I'm an insider who just happens ta be a hacker. Fuhito might have semi-SOLDIERs but he ain't got any Turks yo."
"Are you implying Turks are better than SOLDIERs?" Sephiroth asked, bristling slightly.
"Not at all. What I'm sayin' is that Fuhito's Ravens ain't much in the way of brains and that Turks are better at some things than SOLDIERs. The opposite is also true."
"I believe that is correct," agreed the silver. "Not to change the topic but I assume you had success?"
"'Course."
"What exactly did you do?" asked Genesis.
"Falsified mission data. I officially put into the system that I've been Code Zero for six days under Rufus Shinra's orders. I also assigned you to a mission researching rare Materia on the Western Continent that started eleven days ago. That's my best guess for when Hojo nabbed ya."
"Rare Materia? By whose request?"
"Reeve Tuesti's. He's interested in shit like that and it's not uncommon for him to use SOLDIERs for it. Better yet, he doesn't get along with President Shinra but he does Rufus and the Turks."
"What happens if someone questions him about the mission?" the STC inquired.
"Already taken care of. He agreed to his name bein' used and was fully briefed of the mission. Of the fake mission I should say. He doesn't now shit about why a cover story was needed nor does he really care. For the most part Tuesti's a good guy who likes helping people however he can."
"I assume that was something you spoke with Tseng about on the way here?"
"Yep," replied Reno without elaboration. "Just so ya know even if someone goes pokin' around in the system the fake mission dates will hold up. They ain't listed as starting today, but rather six and eleven days ago and there's zero evidence the file system has been tampered with."
"That's great. One question though: how did you get around the fact that I'm still supposed to be suspended from missions?"
"'Round the time Tseng put me on Code Zero he took care a that so no one would get suspicious about yer disappearance. He made sure you were listed as bein' on active duty and told the instructor of the class you were teachin' that you'd been called away so he needed ta come back."
"The guy just agreed?" Genesis asked, surprised. That guy hated him. It was hard to believe he'd come back before his vacation was up, regardless of what reason he was given. Not coming back would have been a great chance for the instructor to stick him.
"Not many disagree with Tseng," Reno grinned. "Point is, if anyone, including President Shinra, investigate it'll look like someone made a mistake and lifted yer suspension early. Nothin' more than a clerical error."
"That works."
"Did you alter anything I should be aware of?" Sephiroth asked.
"Nope. Only thing about the plan I changed was givin' Gen a mission. Everything else is the same. I can say I ran into Gen while out scoutin' and decided I might be able to use some SOLDIER backup so I recruited him since his mission was non-critical. Yer still listed as huntin' fer AVALANCHE and so ya came here because it's their last known location. Since yer you and yer good, you tracked us down to figure out what the hell we were doin' here. From there on we stuck together 'cause we were all after the same thing. Strength in numbers, shared intel, and all that," finished the Turk, waving his hand around in circles, index finger up in the universal whoop-de-do gesture.
"That is unusual. Do you think it will create a problem?" inquired the silver.
"Cooperating ya mean?"
"Yes."
"Unusual circumstances call for unusual measures," Reno shrugged, unfazed. It was somewhat odd for two departments, especially SOLDIER and the DoAR, to willingly and knowingly share intel let alone physically work together, yet this really wasn't a normal circumstance. "AVALANCHE is enough of a threat that departmental egos and pissing contests don't matter. Besides, yer director and ours already worked together during the Desertion. Maybe that was the start of a beautiful friendship yo."
"Lazard Deusericus is more of a union representative, a liaison if you will, than a director."
"Considering the fiasco that happened when Heidegger took control of the Turks and the fact that SOLDIER is somewhat independent of SEPC that makes sense. Someone's gotta watch out fer yer asses." The SOLDIERs nodded and Reno grinned. "'Course Deusericus better not watch too closely or I'll take offense yo."
Genesis fought down a smirk and snorted instead. "Now that you've taken care of the records and established your claim to our asses, what next?" The Turk leaned backward and used his right hand to point at the mountain.
"We climb."
"We're just going to leave the chopper here?" asked the auburn dubiously.
"Why not? Since it's Seph's bird and he's come here with Shinra's permission there's no reason to hide it and who the hell's gonna bother it out here? I am gonna take the laptop though. Doubt I'll need it but ya never know. You gonna take the medical kit?"
"I wasn't planning to," Sephiroth replied. "Speaking of which, I would like to test your levels before we leave, Genesis."
The auburn sighed and held his left arm out to the SSC. "Poke away."
Sephiroth nodded and retrieved the SOLDIER kit from where it was stowed in a built-in storage compartment. Opening the kit he pulled out two sterile alcohol wipes, a rubber tourniquet, a cotton ball, a bandage, and a 1 1/4 inch needle with an attached tube for blood collection. He set the items on the bench next to Genesis before grabbing a black device from the kit. It was six inches long, four inches wide, and about an inch thick. It had a digital display and a hollow area on the top left corner in which a blood tube could be inserted once the needle had been removed.
"I'll, eh, be outside," Reno said. He swallowed nervously and jumped out of the chopper before anyone could respond.
"What was that about?" the silver asked, blinking at Genesis.
"He hates needles."
"Even when they are not aimed at him?"
"Apparently so," the STC chuckled. "You have done this before, right?"
"Of course. Haven't you?"
"Pfft, no. That's what lab techs are for."
"The science department still should have taught you how to do this. What if a tech isn't around?"
"They're always around," Genesis grumbled as Sephiroth tied the tourniquet around his upper arm and used one of the alcohol wipes to clean the area in the crook of his elbow.
"Not always. In a battle you could be separated from your unit and trapped somewhere."
"If that happened I'm pretty sure the last thing I'd be thinking about was my Mako levels."
"Even if they might be making you sick or otherwise hindering your performance?"
"Even if. Worst case scenario I take as many of the enemy out as I can before they either kill me or I'm forced to retreat," the STC replied before stilling himself so Sephiroth could insert the needle. "You have done this before. I didn't even feel that."
"As part of my training I was often taken into remote areas and left on my own for long periods of time with minimal provisions. One of my assigned tasks was to test my own blood."
After a pause, Genesis asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "How long did they leave you alone for?"
"Usually between one to three months."
"One to three months? How old were you when the so called training started?"
"Ten."
The auburn somehow managed to keep his jaw from unhinging but he still blinked dazedly at the silver. He was ten? They'd taken a ten year old out to the middle of nowhere and said survive? Obviously he had but still, "That's cruel."
"Why?" Sephiroth asked. He withdrew the now full needle, used the second alcohol wipe to once again clean the area, and then pressed the cotton ball to the puncture mark. The auburn took over the task without being asked so he separated the needle and tube, shoved the tube into the hollow space on the testing device, and turned in on.
"Why? No one should abandon a child for months at a time. You could have starved, gotten injured, or worse! Kids should be allowed to interact and play with each other. They're supposed to be carefree and happy. Gods it's no wonder you're so socially awkward."
The silver shrugged, unsure of what to say. He stared at the flickering images on the blood testing device's display for a moment before saying, "You're point has validity."
"That's all you're going to say?"
"What else is there to say?"
"You should be angry, enraged even! You should rail against and hate everyone who treated you so poorly!"
"Letting my emotions control me does nothing, it changes nothing."
"It might make you feel better."
"I do not feel badly in the first place," Sephiroth replied, immediately doubting his statement, which was strange considering that a month ago he wouldn't have. Although still in its infancy his relationships with Genesis and Reno had already begun to alter his perspective. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about his past but it wasn't bad per say. At the very least he knew what had happened to him and how he had been treated was unsatisfactory. He wasn't happy with Hojo or the majority of the science department, yet his first statement remained correct: letting emotion rule him wouldn't do any good. All he could do was move on, learn from the past, and try to keep it from repeating itself.
The analysis device beeped, bringing the silver relief from his thoughts. The device provided a great deal of information, such as metabolic numbers, however he was only after one thing: the STC's Mako ratio. Almost as if drawn to it his eyes landed on exactly what he was looking for. "You're nearly in balance."
"Nearly?"
"Your Mako level is slightly elevated but not enough to cause side effects. In another one to three days I believe it will be totally balanced."
"That's good," Genesis breathed, relieved.
Sephiroth nodded, biting back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. It was good news and if the man's Mako stayed on this track he was well under his way to recovery, but for how long? Mako was an incredibly touchy substance, especially when inside the human body. It could go from stability to instability in minutes, possibly even seconds, with no warning and no evident reason, so just because it was leveling out now didn't mean it would stay that way. Considering that he'd love to take the analysis device with him but without many of the other items, such as needles, it was useless and taking the entire kit was impractical. At least he had speed on his side if anything happened and at this point that was a big if.
Mere days ago Genesis's system had been flooded with Mako, yet it had mysteriously dissipated. He assumed the man had either absorbed it or flushed it from his system but he had no idea how. The fact that he was alive was truly unprecedented. So far as he knew he himself was the only one who had been exposed to such levels of Mako and he'd only survived because of Hojo and his science team. They had flushed his system and brought his levels back under control, yet Genesis had pulled it off on his own. Perhaps he didn't do it alone. Was this proof that Reno and Genesis were connected? That Reno was somehow able to siphon excess Mako out of the auburn's system or otherwise stabilize it? Possibly, or perhaps the Lifestream had something to do with it. Unfortunately he had no way to know. Even though he disagreed with his methods and what he'd done he was starting to see why Hojo was so interested in the STC.
"Ya done yo?"
"Yes," the SOLDIERs replied in unison.
"Will you help me but a bandage on this?" Genesis asked, waving a small package between his fingers. Reno nodded and climbed back into the helicopter.
"Sure. Find anything concerning?"
"Nope. We can leave whenever."
"I believe it may be best to stay here until daybreak," Sephiroth said.
"Daybreak? Be better ta move around at night," Reno replied. They hadn't left the hut until after dawn and it had taken most of the day to get here. It was now nearly dark, the perfect time for covert movement.
"You're right, it is, which is why it may be better to move during the day since Fuhito may not expect that."
"Yeah, I follow."
"Good, because in addition to throwing Fuhito off I'm tired of merely smelling that soup."
"That yer way of sayin' 'I'm hungry'?"
"Exactly," the silver replied through one of his now familiar ghost smiles.
"Now that you mention it I wouldn't mind something either," Genesis added.
"Fine with me. After all a man can't live on chips alone, even if they are kick ass yo."
"You should know, you certainly ate enough of them," the auburn chuckled. The Turk cocked his head sideways and stuck his tongue out at him.
"I will gather wood for a fire," Sephiroth said, finished repacking the medical kit.
"Okay. We'll find a good spot to camp," said the STC.
The silver nodded and exited the chopper, followed by Reno. "You wanna hand me the soup pot yo?"
"I can get it," Genesis replied, picking up the pot and jumping out of the bird.
"Heh, yer lucky ya didn't spill it," the redhead snickered.
"It's not luck, it's grace."
"Didn't think I'd be seein' this place again so soon," muttered the Turk, looking up at Mt. Corel to their north.
"Humph, at least you remember being here the last time."
"Yeah I guess. Almost wish I could forget it though."
"Reno?"
"Hm?"
"How close was it on Mt. Corel?"
"What do ya mean?"
"You told me about the battle you had with Fuhito and his Ravens and it sounded like you had a close call before I show up. Exactly how close was it?"
"What difference does it make?" Reno snapped.
Genesis blinked, surprised at the Turk's sudden anger. Before he could respond the redhead abruptly stalked off toward a small bowl shaped area several feet away. What the hell's wrong with him? It was only a question for Planet's Sake! Scowling, the auburn changed course and headed for the dip as well. It would make a good camp since it was slightly lower than the surrounding area, protected on three sides by the mountain, and hidden from overhead by a stand of trees. Reaching the spot he sat the pot down as Sephiroth returned.
"Where on Gaia did you get all that in such a short amount of time?" asked Genesis, waving a hand toward the full load of firewood in the silver's arms.
"A tree fell not too far from here. There is more wood if we need it," Sephiroth replied, dropping and arranging his load.
"Do you need me to start it?"
"I have a fire starter yo," Reno called, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, rectangular object about three inches long.
Without looking the Turk tossed the fire starter over his shoulder and Sephiroth caught it. The man's tone was hollow and lifeless and he looked at the auburn questioningly. The STC shrugged and eyed Reno's back as he spoke. "First a knife kit and now a fire starter. You really are prepared."
"That a compliment or a slight?"
"A compliment," replied Genesis with bite through narrowed eyes. He might not know why the man was pissed but he was getting irritated with the attitude.
"Accepted. I'm going for a walk." With that the Turk short forward, instantly putting a good amount of distance between himself and the SOLDIERs.
"What happened while I was gone?" asked Sephiroth.
"Go ask him. All I did was ask a question and he got all pissed off."
"What was the question?"
"For Minerva's Sake I asked him how bad things were before I showed up last time he, we, were here."
"I see," Sephiroth replied, pulling the fire starter apart. The halves remained connected via a two-inch chain. With the flint rod in his right hand and the striker rod in his left, he bent and began scrapping the two together underneath the firewood. On the third strike the sparks caught and the kindling he'd prepared began to smoke as a tiny flame took shape. He gently waved air at it and it sprang to life. "Was the original question phrased in the same manner?"
"What?"
"Sometimes a warrior's skin is not as thick as it seems, especially when it comes to pride."
"Again, what?"
"You are far from ignorant Genesis," Sephiroth said, placing a large, flat rock above the growing fire. Once the fire built up the pot could be sat upon the rock and would heat quickly, yet they wouldn't get burned trying to obtain their dinner. "Your sentence phrasing could be misconstrued."
Not wishing to get into another fight Genesis bit his tongue and stared up at the sky. It was now fully dark and stars dotted the blackness like glitter. He wasn't stupid but he sure as hell felt like it at the moment. What in the hell did sentence phrasing and warriors have to do with anything? The answer came to him almost immediately following the question. Or at least he thought it did.
"I will take care of things here."
Startled, the auburn leveled his head and blinked at the SSC with wide eyes. "Seph?"
"You've figured it out haven't you?"
"I… I'm not sure."
"There is only one way to find out. He is about two miles to the west."
After a nod to Sephiroth, Genesis headed in the indicated direction with a scowl on his face. It takes a normal person 15 to 20 minutes to walk a mile and 10 to 15 to run one, yet Reno had gone two miles in less than 10 minutes. He'd known the Turk was fast, but not that fast. It wasn't SOLDIER speed but it was damned close. Sephiroth said he'd been exposed to Mako and Reno had confirmed but neither had known how much. Considering the man's speed and the fact that he could cast a spell without Materia it was probably a decent amount. Suddenly he really wanted to know the when, where, and how. Reno had said it was a long time ago but how long? Where had he been? How had it happened? If the man didn't know how much he had been exposed to, did that mean he hadn't even known he'd been exposed until after the fact? If that was the case the Turk was probably just as interested in the answers to those questions as he was, if not more so.
A flash of light to his right yanked the STC from his thoughts. Lightening? No, it couldn't be. The source had been to low to the ground and the sky was still clear. Puzzled, Genesis changed course to satisfy his curiosity. Focusing, the auburn heard a low hum, crackling, and dull thudding. A fight? It wasn't uncommon for monsters to battle each other over food or territory, especially at night, so it was highly likely. Drawing closer he didn't particularly care about the Acrophies and the Grimguard that appeared to be locked in battle. It wouldn't exactly be a great loss if Gaia had two less monsters prowling around. On the other hand, it couldn't stand to lose the redhead smack dab in the middle of the two.
Genesis's instinct screamed at him to rush forward and join the fray. Instead he forced his legs to stop and he kept his hand from the hilt of the sword that Sephiroth had given him. The actions were made even more difficult when two Needle Kiss's flew into view. They circled overhead, remaining just out of range, but they were obviously watching the events below. He wasn't sure whether they were simply curious like him or if they were picking a target. Either way he didn't like it.
So far it hadn't been Reno's night. He'd been enjoying a nice peaceful walk when the Acrophies had crept out of a hole in the ground right in front of him. Instinctively he'd back flipped out of its way and ended up at the mouth of a cave, pissing off the resident Grimguard in the process. He supposed he was lucky to not run into AVALANCHE but as far as he was concerned, he and Mt. Corel were not friends. The last two times he'd been here he'd been ambushed by something or another. First bombs had tried to blow him off an already treacherous trail and now this. It was like the damned mountain itself was trying to kill him with whatever it could.
The redhead smirked at the absurdity of his thoughts and dodged the Grimguard's rod attack. The Acrophies shot its snake arm forward and he twisted, barely missing having his nose taken off. So far the battle hadn't been much of a battle but apparently his foes saw him as the greater threat and had now decided to work together to eliminate him. They were right about one thing, he was the greater threat but they weren't going to take him out.
Having avoided both attacks Reno landed in a crouch and launched himself toward the Acrophies. He throttled his Electro Mag Rod up, slammed it on the head, and landed on its back. Unfazed by the attack to its body the snake arm twisted backward and came at his face. Just as it was about to strike he jumped and darted past it, smacking it in the head as he went. Having hit both heads, the Acrophies lost some equilibrium and swayed like a drunkard, nearly toppling in the process.
The Turk's feet had barely hit the ground when a Bolt Spell crashed into him. Genesis tensed, preparing to spring forward but froze as the redhead casually turned and faced the Grimguard. Did it miss? Judging by the white blue streaks encasing the redhead it hadn't. Low level spell? No, it had been at least a Bolt2. The only explanation he could come up with was that Reno had immunity to lightening spells. While a relief it was somewhat depressing. Yet another example of how little I know about him.
Rolling his shoulders and powering down his EMR, Reno stared at the startled Grimguard. "That all ya got yo?"
The Grimguard hopped up and down and angrily chattered at the Turk but he ignored it, more concerned with the sudden skittering behind him. Spinning, he came face to mouth with the recovered Acrophies. It snarled and he quickly shifted his EMR to his right hand then jammed it into its crab-like mouth as it lunged forward. The snake arm came up on his left and he grabbed it while simultaneously flicking his EMR on. "Shoulda just stayed down," he said, directing all the electricity in his system out through his left hand. That, combined with the power of his EMR, was too much for the Acrophies and it crumbled in a sizzling mass. The two Needle Kiss's that had been circling overhead landed on the fallen monsters back. They screeched, flapped their wings, and glared at him nastily.
"We gonna have problems too?" The biggest Needle Kiss clacked its beat at him but didn't advance. "I get it. Yer hungry right?" he said, flicking off his EMR. In response the Needle Kiss's once again flapped their wings and their heads twitched nervously. He knew the overgrown birds couldn't understand him but he thought that if he appeared as nonthreatening as possible they wouldn't join the fight. All they wanted was a free dinner. "Heh, dig in. Even cooked it for ya," he chuckled, backing away from the still smoking Acrophies.
From the sideline Genesis watched the Turk have a one sided conversation with the Needle Kiss's in amazed confusion. Personally he didn't give a damn why they were there, he'd kill them just the same. Obviously the redhead felt differently and started backing up. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw the Grimguard pick up a fist size rock and throw it straight at Reno before he could even utter a sound. It sailed through the air and struck the Turk in the back of the head. To his relief the man shook it off and spun to face his opponent.
"Oy omae! Bukkoroshite yaru zo to!"
The words had barely left his mouth before Reno charged the Grimguard. It held its shield in front of its body in defense, which didn't help it much since it was a good two and a half feet shorter than he was. The Turk swung down with his EMR, whacking it on the top of its head. Before it could recover he delivered a blow to its left temple. The Grimguard's shield hit the ground with a dull thud and it started to mouth a spell, which Reno stopped by pressing his EMR up against its throat and thumbing it on. The monster danced with the sudden rush of electrical current and the words turned into a wail. The thing fell to the ground in a twitching heap and the Turk repeatedly bashed it on the head. Eventually he noticed it had gone still and he stopped. He stood over it for a moment; the only sounds were his breathing and blood hitting the ground as it dripped off his EMR.
"A bit of overkill, don't you think?"
"Who cares? It's dead ain't it?" Reno bit back.
Uncertainty made the words in Genesis's throat dry up and he hesitated. He couldn't tell whether the man was still that pissed at him or whether his anger was a result of the battle and the dead monster at his feet. He'd like to think it was the latter but he just couldn't tell. His hesitation combined with his fear that he'd hurt the redhead and his irritation that the man had run off. Words came tumbling out of his mouth in rush.
"I wasn't slighting your ability or trying to say you couldn't win a fight on your own when I aske-"
"I know."
Genesis faltered, then yelled, "Then why did you get so angry? Why did you take off like that?"
"Five seconds."
"What?" the auburn breathed, exasperated and confused.
"That's how much life I had left before you showed up. Maybe even less."
"Reno…"
"Fifty-eight was this close," the Turk plowed on, holding an index finger and thumb so close together only the tiniest bit of space separated them. "This close to slitting my fucking throat and there wasn't a fucking thing I could do about it." Reno inhaled sharply and stared up at the sky.
"That's not what's bothering you though, is it?" the auburn asked quietly after a long pause. His question was a hunch but Reno didn't strike him as the kind of person to be so rattled by almost getting his head lobbed off. That sounded ridiculous but didn't stop it from being true.
"No, it's not. What's bothering me is that it keeps happening," the redhead sighed. "First I damn near get killed in a battle in Midgar and was out of commission for a month, two weeks of which I spent in the hospital. Then I get caught by AVALANCHE and become Fuhito's prisoner for over a week. Actually did die that time, twice, but managed not to come down with a permanent case of death. Still I had to spend another two weeks in the hospital and got even more time off. Next my own fucking employer almost six's me. Only reason they didn't succeed was because I ran into you. I just get over that and about get my head separated from my body by a wanna be SOLDIER. Once again the only reason I survived was because you and the Lifestream bailed me out." Reno shook his head and chuckled unhappily. "Doesn't seem like I can do shit without someone else's help so either I'm having a really bad year or I need to find a new line of work."
"The former."
"You sure about that?"
"Of course I am," Genesis snapped. "Although I admit you can be a bit reckless at times you're good at your job Reno. No one, aside from Sephiroth perhaps, could take on AVALANCHE alone and come out unscathed." The Turk's shoulders slumped and he had an epiphany. "You're not upset because you keep getting injured, you're upset because you feel like you keep letting people down."
"It's true isn't it?"
"I certainly don't think it is. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I'm almost positive that without you I wouldn't be here. I'd either be a specimen in some damned Mako tube or dead."
"You don't know that. You saved yourself Gen. Or maybe the Lifestream did. Regardless I didn't have much to do with it."
"That's not true. I'm here because of you. I fought Hojo because I wanted to get back to you. My own efforts left me more or less dead until you came into limbo to drag me back. You nearly killed yourself to get me back for Minerva's Sake! Right now we're here, on Mt. Corel, because you had the best plan to get me out of this mess. That makes you anything but useless and you sure as hell aren't letting me down."
"I had the only plan," the redhead muttered.
"Be that as it may, your skills are the only reason this plan even has a remote chance at working and regardless of what may happen both Sephiroth and I have put our trust, our lives, in your hands. We wouldn't have done that if we didn't believe in you."
"Thought you said you couldn't speak for anybody but yourself."
"Actually I said I can't speak for everyone but as with many things there are exceptions and in this case Sephiroth falls under that heading. He has nothing to gain by helping us, and everything to lose. He wouldn't be here at all if he thought your skills were lacking and that means you haven't let him down. You haven't disappointed him."
"Maybe he's just helping you. You're a fellow SOLDIER after all."
"Would you stop with the self-pitying bullshit?"
"Yeah, I will. Kinda pissin' myself off here," Reno replied truthfully. The auburn's eyes widened in surprise and he laughed. "Hell of a time to have a breakdown huh?"
"You know what they say, no time like the present," Genesis shrugged. The redhead smiled faintly. "Are you really okay?"
"Do you really believe in me?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm okay," Reno replied. Recent events were bothering him but it really wasn't the time or place to go into it not to mention he needed to work through his own issues, whatever they were, by himself. On the other hand he felt better just getting some of his thoughts out of his system. "Sorry for running off earlier."
"It's okay but try not to make a habit of it."
"Okay," the Turk replied, wiping his EMR off on the dead Grimguard's patchy clothing before folding it closed.
"Ugh, that thing's eyeballing me."
"Huh?" Reno blinked. Caught off guard he followed the auburn's gaze to the Needle Kiss's, one of which was glaring at the STC. "Maybe it likes ya," he chuckled as the Needle Kiss tossed its head back and swallowed a piece of Acrophies that it had torn off. As soon as it swallowed it went back to staring at Genesis.
"Disgusting."
"It's gotta eat too yo."
"If I sliced it to pieces it wouldn't have to," the auburn grumbled, eyes narrowed to slits.
"You can take 'em out if ya want but I don't see the point since they ain't bother us."
"I will leave them be unless they start doing more than staring at me."
"Heh, how come ya didn't join the battle yo?"
"I knew you didn't need my help. Besides, I thought I'd already injured your pride. I didn't want to make matters worse by making you think I was running to your rescue."
Reno nodded in understanding. In truth the auburn's earlier comment had kind of stung as he'd made it sound like he couldn't do anything without him. It wasn't until he'd cleared his head a little that he'd realized that Genesis had simply been curious and concerned. All things considered he was human, so he figured he was entitled to make dumbass assumptions and overreact the same as the next person. So long as he didn't make a habit out of it anyway.
"You never said you had an immunity to lightening," commented Genesis.
"Eh?"
"Seriously?" The Turk blinked at him and he snapped, "Oh come on Reno! I saw that Grimguard blast you with a Bolt spell. You didn't even flinch!"
"That, eh, hit me?"
It was Genesis's turn to blink. "You didn't… you thought it missed?"
"Ah, yeah. I saw some flickerin' but I thought that was from my EMR. So, eh, I guess the answer to yer question is that I never mentioned it because I didn't know yo."
"Holy shit," breathed the auburn.
"Think that sums it up nicely," Reno chuckled nervously while inside he was screaming what the hell? How in Shiva's Tits had he suddenly developed an immunity to lightening? He didn't even know such a thing was possible, figuring that those with immunity or resistance were born that way. Either that wasn't the case or he was an exception.
"Look on the bright side, at least this isn't a bad thing," Genesis said, reading the Turk's expression.
"I-I guess," replied the redhead, no so sure about that.
"If you want we can talk to Sephiroth about it later." Reno nodded and he added, "Speaking of which we should probably get back before he comes looking for us."
"Too late. We need to get back to camp," the silver said, appearing as if he'd materialized out of thin air.
"Somethin' wrong?"
"After putting the soup on to heat I decided to scan the area for anything unusual. I detected several Mako signatures within the vicinity."
"What kind of signatures?" Genesis asked, narrowing his eyes at Mt. Corel.
"Unknown."
"Could you be picking up monsters lurking on the mountain?"
"Perhaps but I do not believe so."
"It's probably Ravens yo."
"That was my conclusion. It is strange though; they do not particularity feel like SOLDIERs." Which might explain why I never felt them before, he mentally added.
"No reason they should. The Ravens mighta been spawned from the SOLDIER program but they ain't SOLDIERs. Gods know what Fuhito's done ta them."
"That is true."
"Is camp safe?" inquired the STC.
"Yes. The signatures I'm picking up are scattered on the other side of the mountain."
"If the markers are closer, do they get more noticeable yo?"
"Yes. In addition our camp would be hard to spot unless they are south of us, and even then I believe it would be difficult since it is in a depression. Even being above us wouldn't help since the tree branches disperse any smoke from our fire."
"On the other hand it'd be pretty easy ta see us out here," Reno said, tapping his folded EMR against his leg.
"Precisely."
"What about them sensing us? Do you think they can do that?" asked the auburn.
"If you're referring to my sensing ability to the best of my knowledge that skill is unique to me, however I suppose it is possible, after all we know nothing about these Ravens."
"Great, just friggin' great," the Turk grumbled. "Damn I hate Fuhito yo."
"I agree," Sephiroth said. "Shall we?"
Having nothing left to say, Reno nodded and shot toward camp. Both SOLDIERs immediately followed. Within five steps Genesis pulled up beside him, however Sephiroth remained behind. He knew it was an advantage tactic in case they were attacked yet the formation seemed symbolic. They might be in a threesome of sorts but his and Genesis's relationship was the foundation. He had a feeling that regardless of what happened it always would be.
The Turk's thoughts shifted and he contemplated how much he'd changed within the last six months. For most of his life he hadn't even believed he was capable of profound emotions and he sure as hell hadn't thought he was capable of love. Those kind of deep, lasting emotions were out of his reach, that is, until Tseng had helped him open his eyes. Although he hadn't understood it at the time, the Wutain hadn't done anything special per say, he'd simply treated him as if he was human, like he was worth something. He'd loved him. Still does. As sad as it was he hadn't been used to that kind of treatment. It wasn't until he'd experienced it that he'd begun to realize how hollow he was. Even so, he still hadn't believed in things like love at first sight. Frankly he'd thought that was complete bullshit, until he'd met Genesis of course.
Although Tseng had initiated the process of change within in, it had been slow going. He'd been like a child peering through a crack in the door prior to the auburn. Almost immediately after meeting Genesis the man had grabbed the door and yanked it open. He'd fallen flat onto the floor and lain there for a while but had eventually managed to haul himself up. From there he'd skipped walking and had been running headfirst into the unknown. New and strange emotions had been surging within him every since and he thought he was doing a pretty good job at handling things but now he wasn't so certain. Recently he'd noticed he was more touchy and irritable than normal. Perhaps that was because he hadn't quite adjusted to his newfound emotional depth.
As the trio reached camp Reno shook his head and wondered where the hell that had all come from. As interesting and intriguing as his new emotions were now wasn't the time to dwell on them. None of them had any idea what tonight and the coming days might bring. Nothing could kill a person faster than a clogged mind while out in the field. What he needed, what they all needed, was a full stomach, a little sleep, and a clear head. That in mind, once they'd reached camp he sat cross-legged on the ground and accepted a steaming bowl of soup from Genesis. Even if he had to bash himself on the head with his EMR he was going to eat and enjoy pleasant chat with the SOLDIERs. The past had already happened, tomorrow was lurking around the corner, and the present was beckoning to him with good food and companionship. In his opinion a guy could certainly do a hell of a lot worse. Got that right yo.
Oy omae – Hey you!
Bukkoroshite yaru – Literally: I'm going to beat/hit you until you're dead, can also mean I'm going to kick your ass or I'm going to kill you.
Zo to – No English translation. Basically Reno's 'yo' in Japanese.