Fan Fiction ❯ Hit Me Baby One More Time ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Why is this a prologue and not chapter 1? I don't know either XP but it is…. Heheh this is gonna be a fun story if I ever get around to typing more of it x.x; aaaaanyway

 

Nope: Don't own SquareEnix's bishies…. Even though I have a sticker on em that says I do *shhhh!*

 

Koji: no you don't

Me: yes I do…

Koji: *rips it off Reno*

Reno: OW!

Koji: no you don't..

Me: damn….

 

************************

 

“Please remember this Reno. We don't need to screw this mission up,” Tseng was telling the cocky redheaded Turk for at least the tenth time.

 

“Yeah yeah I know! This one's important can't forget the numbers blah blah blah! Tseng, I got it, okay? Chill man,” he replied, electromag rod bouncing against his shoulder. Tseng was walking briskly ahead of him and Reno was doing all he could to keep up with his companion's pace.

 

“Then tell me the four code numbers,” Tseng demanded, his pace not faltering a bit, not even bothering to look at Reno as he took a sharp turn left through ShinRa building towards the elevators.

 

“704, 975, 1844, and 44669. Jesus I swear Rufus acts like you're higher than me!” Tseng glared from inside the elevator, pressing the buttons and closing the doors in Reno's face before the Turk could stop them.

 

“Dammit Tseng!” Reno spat, swearing as he turned the elevator beside the one that had just enveloped his partner. It was out of order. “DAMMIT! Stupid fucker.” Reno continued to grumble all the way down as he flew over the flights of stairs, riding the railings where there were ones.

 

Panting, out of breath and legs nearly broken from the exertion, Reno made it to ground level where Tseng was waiting impatiently at the glass front doors, tapping his foot with arms crossed.

 

“Take your time?” Tseng asked venomously, cool voice low yet somehow feminine sounding. That was Tseng's wrath for you.

 

“Yeah I decided to buy ice cream on the way down, but unfortunately for you they didn't have any lemon to match your attitude,” Reno retorted, huffing for breath as he followed Tseng's quick steps outside to the car that awaited them. Shiny and black with purple tinted windows and sunroof, they traveled in style. The sleekness of the small vehicle matched Tseng quite well.

 

“Tell me you didn't personalize the hub cabs with your name!” the redhead whined, slapping his forehead as he jerked open the passenger's side. Tseng stepped into the driver's side, shades already on, scoffing at Reno's remark.

 

“<i>Don't</i> screw this up!” Tseng hissed, looking at him from the corner of his dark grey eyes with a warning glare. Reno smirked.

 

“I got it <i>all</i> covered baby!” Reno chuckled as the car pulled out past ShinRa HQ, heading towards their destination. “So where is this place anyway?” For a moment, Tseng said nothing, staring ahead at the road, blankly watching the objects zip past. Drumming his fingers on the leather armrest Reno awaited his answer, looking to Tseng when his partner said nothing.

“I had to be stuck with <i>you</i> didn't I?” Tseng asked blandly as he rounded a smooth curve, the tall reactors high above them, the road slanting down towards the surface of the earth.

 

“Better then Elena. All she does is blab!” The Turk put his hands behind his head, studying the sun roof, his electromag rod lying across his knees. Tseng shot down the road and into the dimness of the city beneath the plates towards an isolated area, where quite recently monsters had been roaming, the wall that held them back from that sector having been broken down; most of the citizens had escaped Midgar through the wall but the ones that stayed were unlucky enough to be killed by the various monsters that slithered, crept, flew and otherwise snuck their way in.

 

“We're this close and I didn't even know it?” Reno smirked, about to laugh before the car came to a screeching halt, throwing the Turk into the dashboard with a smacking thud.

 

“This is why we wear seatbelts Reno,” Tseng calmly said, lightly touching the man's shoulder and using the Cure 3 on his ring to heal Reno. The redhead sat up with a grunt, a hand to his head.

 

“Thanks for warning me,” he wheezed, swearing as he fumbled with the door handle. Reno fell unceremoniously out of the car, depositing himself on the ground. Tseng pocketed the keys, locking the door with a -beep-beep-, removing his shades as well and hanging them from his front pocket. He picked Reno up by one arm as the Turk struggled to his feet.

 

“Are we sure this is going to work?” he asked as Tseng took a step forward, surveying the area.

 

“I also have to add that whoever gave you your license is a nut case! What kind of tires do you have on this thing anyway?” Reno injected one hand on his hips after dusting himself off, his weapon in the other.

 

“Yes it will work, as long as you do your job and let me do the talking,” Tseng said, his voice lined icily with poisonous caution.

 

“Yeah yeah, around back, right?” Tseng nodded, walking forward to an abandoned warehouse. Half of it was collapsed and it looked unusable but the Turks knew their negotiators were inside.

 

Reno shrugged, noticing the windows which were painted black on the outside, boarded up from the inside. No one would ever know he was there. He worked through the rubble about waist deep, stepping on a large slab of concrete which was once upon a time part of the building that Tseng had just walked into. Fifteen minutes. He sat and waited, staring at his watch. He had to wait fifteen minutes for them to talk before he set the stupid bomb. They had arrived on time—exactly eight in the morning—way too early if you asked him. But as Tseng often reminded him, no one usually did ask him. It had taken him five minutes to find the seat he was now occupying.

 

`Maybe this will be quicker than I think,' Reno reminded himself dully, swatting a fat fly that was buzzing by his ear. He took the bomb out from his pocket. It didn't look like much but he knew full and well what it could do. He spent a month hospitalized in fact from a first hand experience….. his left hand he should say.

 

No larger than a standard TI-28 calculator, the bomb had several wires trailing from the top to the wick which lead to the gunpowder and other explosive powders compacted in the miniature sticks of dynamite. There was a timer you could set with the given number codes which were set via little dials, something like the combination on a brief case. After that he just had to unplug the connection of the safety wire and it would be all over. Two minutes after it was set, the place, along with the people and the fake money Tseng was handing over would all go down the gutter. Sighing and checking his watch it was forty seconds until Reno needed to set it. As he set the first number the Turk had to wonder how much he'd be paid. Thirty seconds. Reno set the next number and leaned waaaaay over to see if he could locate Tseng. Twenty seconds. Nope he couldn't see Tseng so he set the third number. Ten seconds left and the last number was in. Wedging the bomb between a jumble of steel rafters the redhead decided to high tail it out of there with a digital two minutes glowing on the face of the bomb.

 

“Oh yeah, the wire heheh,” Reno rubbed his head sheepishly before bending back over to disconnect the wire. Which one was it now? The red one, the blue one or the green one? All three could be disconnected. “I like blue… the color of my eyes!” So, crossing his fingers and hoping it was the right wire, Reno snapped the connection of the blue wire. The numbers began to tick.

 

The Turk hurtled over the rubble, making a beeline for the car, planning to throw open the doors, get the hell out of there and be done with it. The only problem was the man nearly fell on his butt trying to open the locked door. Dammit it was locked. He pounded on the violet window instead.

 

“Dammit Tseng, this isn't funny!” Reno shouted.

 

“No it's not. Care to explain?” Tseng calmly asked, meters away from the car. “What's wrong? Why are you here early?”

 

“Early?” Reno blinked. Tseng blanched in the slightest bit, eyes narrowing. Coolly he unlocked the door automatically.

 

“Shit would you hurry? This place is gonna blow!”

 

“If we lose ours heads, it's your fault.” Tseng opened his side as Reno slid in, hastily buckling himself in and slamming the door shut. A raggedy old man who needed a trim in several places came hobbling out of the building; a tubby man with thick muscles and tattoos everywhere following beside him carried a club and held up the suitcase. He began yelling something about Tseng cheating him out by the time Reno's partner had strapped himself in, flipped his shades on and rolled down the window.

 

“Have a nice day,” he said in a low, serious voice, looking over the top of his shades before he turned the key in the ignition.

 

Several loud beeps were heard before Tseng put the pedal to the metal. An explosion followed at the car's tail.

 

“Safe! But barely!” Reno sighed heavily, checking his side view to watch orange flames lick the air. The two men were toast. “What was inside the brief case?”

 

“You set the bomb too early,” Tseng said sternly, taking a sharp turn and nearly strangling his passenger. “Now Rufus is going to blame me for it.”

 

“Why the hell? I mean if it's my fault it's my fault,” the redhead Turk replied bitterly. “And no I didn't set it early; I set it exactly on time dammit! You're just too slow.” Tseng hit the breaks, the car skidding to a stop. He glared dangerously at his pouting partner.

 

“No, you set it too early. I should have been sitting in the car waiting to drive off by the time you had set the bomb. Was I in the car Reno?” Tseng was glaring fiercely over his sunglasses at Reno.

 

“See? My watch says it's the exact time everything should have gone smoothly! You're just slow and won't admit it! Maybe you had a tough time dealing with that old man?” Tseng grabbed the young man's wrist, twisting it painfully to see the time. He threw Reno's hand aside, hitting it on the dashboard in the process.

 

“You're two minutes fast. Be glad I was early,” Tseng spat vehemently, the car jerking forward and rushing back the way it had come.

 

Reno muttered something under his breath as they sped off through the bleak unchanging scenery towards ShinRa head quarters, assuring Tseng that he had said nothing when his partner had asked.

 

“So then,” Reno asked, eying Tseng suspiciously, “did we get what we came here for?” Tseng's face tightened, eyes narrowing, lips pursed, but he said nothing. The redhead was wary, knowing that if Tseng was acting this uptight then something must have gone wrong. Fleetingly, he tried to prepare himself for the worst as he followed his partner in crime up the steps to the glass door that led into SinRa's head quarters after having reached the immense building and parking out front. Silently they took the elevators up, Reno giving Tseng a wide girth as the young ebony haired man radiated an aura of dangerous wrath. Gulping and hoping that the time he had set on the bomb was the only problem and still not seeing how it was a bad thing if they had escaped safely, Reno trailed unconsciously behind Tseng as they made their way to the top of the building, stopping only to board another elevator before using a key card to travel all the way up to the presidential area where Rufus would no doubt be lounging.

 

So there he sat in all his blond-headed glory, hands behind his head, feet kicked back as if there was nothing more boring than what he could possibly be doing; several types of materia lay at his feet as if for decoration. Tseng and Reno stood before President Rufus; Tseng holding more posture and respect then the other Turk did, of course, although Reno did straighten up when blue eyes peeked open to reveal a piercingly handsome gaze. Reno gulped as Tseng addressed the young blond formally.

 

“President Rufus, sir!” Rufus lazily yawned, stretching his arms before removing his feet, slowly standing up and walking around his desk. Reno's breath hitched. He knew impending doom when he saw it, and its form was always that of an angry Rufus or a seemingly calm Tseng. He quivered as discreetly as he could.

 

“Your report?” the blond asked, enjoying how much he toyed with Reno.

 

“Yes sir! We reported to said location at said time. Upon arrival, all seemed clear. I proceeded to haggle with the targets located inside the collapsed building where we were to meet them while my comrade waited behind the house, setting the bomb to rid all evidence.” Tseng took a deep breath, posture perfect and staring ahead as if he was in a professional marching band. Rufus was watching the wary Turk with interest.

 

“I convinced the two men inside to take our briefcase; they being satisfied with our faux offer, we were given the device in turn. Two minutes before scheduled, Reno was awaiting me at the vehicle, explosive already set.” At this point Rufus' eyes narrowed at poor Reno who again gulped, uncomfortably shifting as he stood, trying to find something to transfix his gaze on.

 

“Really?” Rufus breathed, lip curled in a sneering gesture, his voice dangerously soft.

 

“However, we have also been tricked. Although I quite thoroughly checked the device we received in turn, I only realized once I was out of the building that they had given me a phony. A well made phony, if I might say so. I would have gone back however, due to the fact that the bomb had indeed been planted two minutes too early, I was unable to escort the men back here for further questioning. That is all.” Tseng stood stock still while Rufus glowered at Reno.

 

“So then I take it both men are now blown to smithereens?” the President asked, one delicate hand stroking his boyish face. He stared Reno down for an answer.

 

“Y-Yes sir.” The Turk swallowed hard again as Rufus began to pace, back around to his desk.

 

“I should make you pick up every piece of their bodies you could possibly find, Reno. You should be glad they aren't our only leads though. Tseng!”

 

“Yes sir!”

 

“Please report the fake device to our engineers and testing labs. They may be able to find another possible lead on or signature mark.”

“Yes sir!”

 

“Reno….” Rufus was smiling maliciously at the redhead, both hands on his desk as if to make everything perfectly clear.

 

“Y-Yes sir?”

 

“Tseng was in command for this mission, wasn't he?”

 

“……. Yes sir.”

 

“You'd better hope he doesn't mind doing janitor duty on the 66th floor for the rest of the month as well as keeping up with everything else he has to do. Because of the wasted money also and the worthless destruction that was caused by your carelessness, Tseng will get to help clean up that area with our construction team. Hope he's feeling lucky Reno because even a salary deduction for the next three months might not be enough to pay for it all. If we find a good lead in though, maybe my mood will change. Otherwise, maybe you should listen to your commander more carefully. Dismissed.” Rufus smirked, hands in his pockets as he walked off nonchalantly towards the elevators, disappearing as the doors enveloped him.

 

Tseng's eyes were slightly wide, he seemed a little paler, Reno noticed as he slouched, sighing heavily and rubbing the back of his head. He attempted to slink off before his commander blew a fuse.

 

“Reno,” Tseng hissed, approaching Rufus' desk, his back to his partner.

 

“Er yes?” The Turk stopped, cursing his luck. Tseng looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed and glaring death all over. His wrath was suffocating.

 

“Would you like to repeat to my punishment to me, caused by your clumsiness?” Why did Tseng remind Reno of a snake? Oh yeah, cause he was one.

 

“Eh well… not really? Heheh.” Reno backed off a small step trying to find a better escape route.

 

“I'll give you three good seconds to run,” Tseng warned, in a very low warning whisper.

 

“Eh?” Reno blinked before his brain kicked in. Tseng was clutching a red summon materia and Reno didn't want to know which one it was. He turned tail and began to run for the stairways lined with a purple rug but didn't quite reach it. With a heavy, sickening cracking sound he was down for the count, chocobos chasing around his head.

 

“Be glad I'm not always this ruthlessly violent,” Tseng murmured, fixing his coat and walking off, leaving Reno alone to contemplate everything he hated about his commander before darkness consumed him.