It took me a while to gather enough courage to open my eyes. I lay facing the wall and couldn't see much of the room without moving my head, but I didn't need to. I had been in a cell like this before. Squeezing my eyes shut again, I took several deep breaths to remain calm. The last thing I needed right now was another panic attack.

As I waited for my pulse to slow down, I took a few moments to mentally check my condition. My cheek was on fire, while my damaged fingers pulsed with a dull ache in time with the throbbing in my left shoulder. I was glad Reno had handled the wrenched arm while he and the guard dragged me to the cell. The guard had been much less careful with the other one. I was fairly confident I could use my left arm regardless, but my right hand was worse off, especially the ring finger. It was an angry red and had begun to swell up.

I turned my attention to Reno's parting gift. Ever so slowly, I pulled my hands up to recover the item he had hidden in my bra. It was a small, black canister with a spray nozzle, about the size of a lipstick tube. Some kind of pepper spray, I guessed. Better than nothing, no matter what it was.

Wait for the right time, Reno had said. I snorted softly. How was I supposed to know what the "right" time was? I was a scientist. What did I know about escaping prison cells and thwarting security guards?

Well, one thing was certain: giving up would get me nowhere. I gritted my teeth and pushed the despondency aside, then gave the Turk's instructions some more thought. The right time. It implied the need for guile and hinted that I had one chance to get out of here. The guards thought I was asleep and unarmed; that would be my advantage. As for the how and when... Well, I would just have to play it by ear.

I stifled another snort of sardonic laughter. Me, improvising? Fantastic. I might as well empty the can in my face now and hope it would kill me quicker than Scarlet would.

I had no way of telling the time. I couldn't say how long I had lain on the bunk with a tight grip on my weapon when the door opened again with its telltale creak, followed by a few careful footsteps. My heart instantly leapt into an anxious rhythm, but I forced my lungs under control, continuing the slow even breaths.

For the longest time, my visitor stayed still. Watching me, I could only presume. My skin crawled, but I kept my eyes shut and my body still. I needed the element of surprise.

A step closer, followed by another. I could hear heavy breathing.

When I felt a hand on my behind, I twisted around, canister in hand. The man yelled in surprise when he received a faceful of spray and staggered backwards, clawing at his head. I shot up to my feet, holding my breath as I gave him a hard shove and bolted for the door. My heels slipped and slid on the floor as I pulled on the door, until it finally clanged shut, cutting off the man's screams.

I pressed my back against the door, blinking to ease the stinging in my eyes from the spray remnants I had been unable to avoid. My heart was hammering in my chest and my mind was in a state of pure chaos. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

Get out of here, that's what. I kicked off the useless shoes as I looked back and forth along the corridor, then ran away from the apparent dead end. I slowed down as I neared the window of the guard room, but it proved empty. I recognized my cell on one of the screens thanks to the guard still writhing on the floor. That spray was potent.

I hesitated. Where to next? I knew the way to the interrogation cells, but no bloody way would I head there. The elevators were a better bet.

With a sinking feeling, I recalled a vital fact. The elevators needed key cards. I didn't have one. I debated going back into the cell to get the downed guard's card, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was too risky. I would have to find another way.

The remaining short stretch of corridor brought me to a familiar crossing. The way straight ahead led to the interrogation rooms, the left to the elevators. I turned right. I stuck close to one of the smooth gray walls as I crept down the empty corridor, pricking my ears in a desperate attempt to hear anything over the blood thundering in them. I would have expected to run into someone by now, but everything was still. I could only hope my luck would hold.

I tried every door I came across, but they were all locked. Imagine my shock when one of them opened only seconds after I had passed it. Before I could even turn around, an arm had pinned my own to my sides and pressed me tight against the person behind me, while a hand clamped down over my mouth. I kicked wildly, I jerked my body this way and that, but I couldn't prevent my assailant from dragging me in through the door they had opened, shrouding us both in the darkness within.

"Fitz, it's me. Calm down and stay quiet."

I recognized the hushed voice as soon as he said my name. My body sagged in his grip and I didn't know whether to break down and cry from relief or kick the bastard where it would really hurt for nearly giving me a heart attack. Reno released me, relieving me of the tiny spray can in the process, then dashed to the door to close it without a sound. Only the faint, green light of an exit sign remained to guide us past rows of shelving units to another door on the opposite side of the room.

"Gotta move fast. Stay close."

That was all he said. This was Reno the Turk at work; swift, silent and efficient. I did my best to keep up and follow his wordless instructions as he took me through a maze of storage rooms, back doors and maintenance stairs. Within minutes, I had lost track of our position.

My curiosity peaked when Reno eventually stopped by a door near the main elevators. There was nothing special about the plain gray door itself, but unlike most others like it, this one was equipped with a security lock similar to the one on the exit from the ward. That, together with the gradual return of a more relaxed slouch as soon as we had reached the present floor, made me conclude we had reached our destination.

Once he had closed the door behind us, Reno dragged a hand over his face with a deep breath, then turned around and placed his hands on his hips, looking me over. Despite the ghost of a smirk hovering on his lips, there was nothing humorous about his expression.

"Guess you weren't jokin' when you said you're full of surprises, huh?"

He sounded just as somber and weary as he looked. I couldn't help but feel like a child who was about to get scolded. I swallowed hard and lowered my eyes to my hands, toying with the untucked hem of my shirt.

"I really made a mess of things, didn't I?"

My own voice was unsteady; the little laugh following my question a timid, jittery sound. After a pregnant pause, Reno sighed.

"Eh, it was pretty dumb, but at least you got her good."

I thought I could detect a touch of amusement in his voice. The surprise made me look up again. The wry smile had grown stronger.

"You're not angry?"

Something flickered in his eyes; something so fleeting I had no chance to identify it.

"'Course I am. I'm real fuckin' pissed off. But..." He sighed again. "I ain't mad at you. Kinda hard to be angry at the one who jumped into a goddamn inferno to pull my sorry ass outta the fire."

His features softened into a smile. I responded in kind, feeling a weight roll off my shoulders. Then, his face broke into a toothy grin.

"'Sides, how can I be mad after a show like that? Lil' Fitz takin' on frickin' Scarlet has gotta be the hottest shit I've seen since Rude blew up that illegal ammo factory a few years back. I'm gonna have wet dreams for weeks."

"Too much information," I groaned, but it was only a half-hearted reproach, mitigated by the relieved laughter bubbling in my chest. At this stage, the man's improper comments were a welcome taste of normalcy.

He snickered with impish glee, but soon returned to a more solemn tone.

"Seriously tho', Scarlet's pissed. If she gets her hands on ya now... Well, we'll just have to make sure that won't happen."

I recalled that sadistic smile of hers and shivered. I never wanted to experience what it promised.

"C'mon, let's get ya settled in."

He led the way through several open offices, each intended to be shared by four employees. Only the last one seemed to be in use, with empty paper cups and stacks of folders on three of the desks. All of the rooms were devoid of people, echoing quietly with our footsteps as we walked through them.

"Where are we?"

"Home sweet home, baby. The Turk offices, yo."

"They're so empty."

I regretted my thoughtless remark as soon as I saw the look that flitted across his face.

"Yeah," he agreed tonelessly. "It's the safest place for ya right now. With Tseng gone, Scarlet's gonna need my say-so to get in here and no way in hell am I gonna give it to her. Well, me or the Prez, but I don't think she's gonna try him. He ain't exactly happy with her or Heidegger after that Promised Land fuckup."

"The Promised Land?"

"Eh, some crazy idea old man Shinra was obsessed with. Don't ask me how, but Fatso and Superbitch sold it to the new Prez too. Now that it turned out to be bullshit, tho', he ain't listenin' to 'em anymore. No wonder she's bein' such a bitch."

I shook my head, frowning as I recalled the altercation.

"She was vicious. I still can't believe the things she said to you."

"Eh, she's just extra pissy with me 'cause I won't roll over and beg. Like I said, no way in hell am I gonna give it to her."

One corner of his mouth pulled upwards, but it was closer to a sneer this time. Together with the pointed look he sent me, his meaning became crystal clear.

"That's what it's about?"

"Uh huh. As you found out for yourself, Scarlet don't like bein' turned down. Made me her fave punchin' bag of the Turks, yo."

"Yikes."

It was the best I could manage, speechless as I was. The woman's lack of professional conduct was beyond belief.

"Yeah. Tseng mostly kept her off my back 'til now tho', especially when I was still a rookie kid. Man, she really freaked me out back then."

He laughed, but the sound of it made me wish I had slugged her harder.

We arrived at a door at the back of the offices, which Reno opened to reveal a small chamber with a door and observation window into another, larger room.

"Welcome to the presidential suite," he declared, sniggering as if he had just cracked a joke.

While the Turk tapped in a code on the keypad of the door's lock, I took a peek at my new accommodations through the glass. A couch was propped up against one wall, with a decent-sized TV on the opposite side of the room and a coffee table between them. A shelf with a few books and magazines stood between another door and a screen that concealed part of the room at the back. White, silver and black dominated the decor, giving the impression of a hotel room rather than a prison.

"Not bad," I commented. "Why didn't you move me here earlier?"

"'Cause the room service sucks," he said with a smirk, holding the door open until I entered the room. "That, and we ain't s'posed to bring civilians in here. Tseng's gonna have my balls when he finds out."

"'When'?" I echoed as I looked around. "Would have thought you'd make sure this stays a secret if the family jewels are at stake."

"Nah, no one can keep secrets from the boss man. He's got this look, y'know? When he looks at ya like that, it's like his eyes are diggin' straight into your brain. The guy's gotta be usin' some kinda freaky Wutai hoodoo to read minds, I swear."

I wondered what this Tseng was like. He sounded like a strict chief. The first suggestion my mind conjured up was a male Scarlet. The mental image made me slightly queasy and I slapped it away. It didn't seem right, anyway, not considering what the redhead had told me just now. When Reno spoke of his immediate superior, his tone of voice was one he might use for Reeve, not Scarlet.

My musings were interrupted when I wandered into the bathroom and turned on the lights. The bathroom itself was unremarkable, but the face staring back at me in the mirror was not. My left cheek was red and swollen, with trickles of coagulated blood streaking down along my neck and staining the collar of my white shirt. Scarlet had left two ugly gashes just under my cheekbone. I reached up and gingerly touched the hot, tight skin under the lower one, wondering if they would leave scars. My stomach turned.

"C'mere for a sec. Let's fix that pretty face."

Reno dug around for something in his pocket as he stepped in to join me by the mirror, then pulled out a vial containing red liquid and uncorked it. He tilted my head back and to the side, then placed one hand on the back of it.

"Stay still," he instructed.

I hissed and flinched as soon as the first drops of the vial's contents hit the wounds. It wasn't exactly painful nor did it burn, but the strange tingling sensation it produced was just too intense for the sensitive, injured tissue.

"C'mon, quit bein' such a baby."

"I might, if you'd stop calling me that."

The redhead smirked, then let a few more drops fall on the gashes. I went rigid, but the firm hand behind my head kept me from pulling away.

"Easy, Doc, try not to move. Let it do its thing."

"What the hell is that stuff? It bloody well stings!"

"It's just a hi-potion. Y'know, what Reeve put in your suit? A Cure wouldn't suck so hard, but since I can't use that on ya, I gotta get creative."

The tingling gave way to insufferable itching as my skin squirmed and stretched in unnatural ways. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw tighter as the sensation grew nigh unbearable. Then, it was gone.

The Turk flashed a satisfied grin and let me go.

"There. Good as new, yo."

The sudden lack of pain and discomfort left me disoriented for a second. My gaze flitted around in confusion until it landed on the lapel of his jacket, bunched up in my hand. I slowly released my death grip on the fabric, trying to remember when I had grabbed it in the first place.

My brain finally registered his words. I spun around toward the mirror and let out a little gasp when I saw the result. The gashes were gone. I wiped away some of the messy streaks of sticky potion and dried blood, but found only smooth skin underneath. My injured, reddened fingers were now a sharp contrast to the normal paleness of my cheek.

I jumped a little when Reno grabbed the hand and brought it up to his face. He clicked his tongue in disapproval as he inspected the swollen digits.

"If you're gonna keep punchin' people in the face, I might have to teach ya how to do it right."

"I don't plan to make a habit out of it," I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat up.

I watched him run his fingertips over my knuckles, then grimaced when he moved my pinky finger this way and that. Now that my thoughts were no longer distracted by an aching face and I'd had a chance to catch my breath, the whole incident began to sink in.

"I hit her," I blurted out with both surprise and disbelief. "I really hit her."

"Yeah, you really did," Reno mumbled, keeping his eyes on my hand. "Better you than me, babe. Otherwise, we'd be in a whole lot more trouble."

"I don't hit people," I said as if trying to convince myself of this, then sucked in a quick breath through clenched teeth when he gently bent my ring finger. "I've never hit anyone before! God, what's wrong with me?"

The man glanced up at my face, then straightened up to level his eyes with mine. His concerned frown had deepened, now bordering on irritation.

"Oh c'mon, don't start beatin' yourself up over it now," he admonished. "One, Superbitch ain't worth it. Two, ain't nothin' wrong with ya. All the bad shit you've been through? Of course it's gonna come out somehow. Gettin' angry is normal."

He would know, I realized, recalling the smoldering rage I had glimpsed beneath the deceptively cool surface a week or so ago. How much he had been through to end up with such anger?

Reno's expression softened. He patted the uninjured side of my hand, then let it go.

"Lucky for you, I don't think you broke anythin'. I'll get ya some ice."

While the redhead was absent, I took the opportunity to wash the grime off my healed face. The presence of a shampoo bottle by the soap inspired a closer examination of the room. I did indeed find a shower in one corner, hidden behind a white curtain decorated with silver circles of various sizes. Such a simple discovery did much to lift my spirits. A private shower was a very welcome novelty.

Upon returning to the main room, I wondered what purpose it normally served. It seemed too comfortable for a cell, yet the sturdy door and observation window suggested otherwise. A prison for VIPs, perhaps; someone dangerous or important enough to warrant Turk custody.

Heh. I was moving up in the world.

Reno returned, offering me a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a bunch of paper towels. While I tried to figure out how to best apply it to my damaged fingers, he gave me another once-over.

"Anythin' else need fixin'?"

"Nothing serious," I replied with a quick shake of my head.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Sore, but I'll live."

He grimaced.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Had to make it look good, y'know?"

The memory was a blur of pain and shock. It wasn't one I wanted to recall in detail.

"I get it," I said with a dismissive wave, then changed the subject. "How are you going to explain my escape?"

"Eh, I'll think of somethin'. Blame it on the guy you locked inside your cell, I guess. He was already breakin' the rules and the spray is standard issue for security. Just so happens his one is currently missin'."

Reno pulled out two identical canisters from his pocket and waved them in the air with a self-satisfied smirk. A few puzzle pieces fell into place.

"Hang on," I said slowly, a cold sensation settling in my gut. "You knew he'd come into my cell, didn't you?"

"Figured he would, yeah. The guy's a fuckin' perv, yo. Hell, all I had to do was to give him a lil' nudge in the right direction on my way out and call away his buddy on some bullshit errand a bit later. Easiest prison break ever."

"I was bait for some molester? What if it had gone wrong?"

Reno merely arched an eyebrow at my wide-eyed expression and slipped the items back into an inside pocket of his blazer.

"It didn't, so no point wastin' time with what-ifs. The touchy-feely creep got what he had comin', you got out, end of story."

His voice was flat, the emotion was draining from his face, and I recalled the uncaring facade he had worn in front of Scarlet. I swallowed the rattled response that had already reached the tip of my tongue. I wasn't going to chew him out for providing me with a way out of a mess I had landed myself in, was I? Any solution to a situation like that was bound to have its risks.

"Yes. Yes, you're right," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem ungrateful."

"Don't worry 'bout it," he interjected before I could properly thank him, then let a small, crooked smile return. "You did good, Fitz. Kept a cool head and did what you had to do."

"Shame I was the one to drop us both in it in the first place," I mumbled.

"Eh, shit always happens. You just gotta figure out how to deal with it, y'know?"

A muffled, jaunty tune interrupted our conversation. Reno pulled out his phone and smirked when he glanced at the caller ID.

"Reno." A pause. "What? Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? She was out cold and locked inside a damn cell!" A sly wink in my direction. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. I'll be there in five."

He snapped the phone shut and slipped it back into his jacket with a rather smug expression on his face.

"Well, sounds like I gotta go hunt down this crazy chick who socked one of the big bosses in the jaw, took down a guard, escaped a high-security cell and then just disappeared into thin air."

"She sounds like trouble," I commented with a weak smile.

"Oh, you betcha. Good thing I like trouble, eh?"

He winked, then strolled to the exit, stopping in the doorway to send me an apologetic look.

"'Fraid I gotta lock you up in here. Less hassle that way and safer too, for both of us."

I rolled my eyes.

"Back in another cell. What a surprise."

I understood why, of course. He couldn't leave me unsupervised in a sensitive location like the Turk offices. That didn't mean I had to like it.

"It's just for a lil' bit, all right? No one knows how everything's gonna pan out with Meteor, but things are gonna change, that's for sure. It's already happenin'."

There was a moment of hesitation before the last sentence, accompanied by a slight change in tone, as if some some emotion threatened to break through. Hope, worry, perhaps even fear? All three and more? I couldn't be certain.

"At least get me something useful to do while I'm in here," I requested. "I was going crazy in that ward."

"You got it. Oh, hey, you remember Rude, right? Big guy, bald, really likes his shades?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be surprised if he's the one bringin' ya dinner. Gonna be busy for a while, prob'ly."

Sure, I remembered the bald Turk. The tough, silent, menacing Turk about twice my size.

Reno chuckled.

"No need for that worried face, babe. Rude's a bona fide gentleman 'round the ladies, yo."

"Well, that'll be a change at least."

He responded to my wry smile with an unrepentant grin, then let the door fall shut and waved goodbye on his way past the observation window.

I slumped down onto the couch, releasing a long exhale. So, now I was hiding from not one, but two Shinra executives. Better yet, HQ security knew my face. The chances of my long-term survival were getting awfully close to zero.

A/N:

The human skull is pretty darn hard. Land a hit with the wrong knuckles or the wrong angle and you'll likely hurt yourself more than your opponent. Just FYI, boys and girls.

While I'm here, I'd like to once again send a huge thank you to all who have reviewed, faved or followed this story. The encouragement is highly appreciated, as is feedback!