Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian ❯ Chapter 11

“Guardian”

Chapter 11

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*Disclaimer: The world that this story is set in and all characters therein belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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Cloud was thankful that they had walked to the restaurant, because by the time they were finished with the meal, he had a slight buzz. Rufus kept insisting on buying different drinks, not only for him but for everyone. When the check came, Cloud had consumed six different kinds of mixed drinks and Rufus and Tseng had gone through three bottles of wine. Oddly enough, Reno drank the least of all of them. Cloud softly remarked on that, asking him if he was feeling okay.

 

“I'm fine,” Reno assured him. “I just wanted to keep my wits in case you got smashed. You started slurring after your third one, Goldilocks.”

 

Cloud was too buzzed to be embarrassed. He shrugged it off and noticed that Rufus was unsteady on his feet as he stood up to go to the Men's room. “I guess I'm not the only one,” Cloud whispered loudly to Reno with a meaningful nod at Rufus. He noticed that Tseng looked unusually muzzy-headed too and he frowned. Something was off about that. He knew that both of them had a higher alcohol tolerance than this. He brushed it off as inconsequential. After all, it had been a long time since he'd been in a drinking situation with either of them. Perhaps his memory was just playing him false.

 

The waiter returned with Rufus's credit card and receipt and the three of them waited for him to return to the table. After several minutes, Tseng looked at his watch and frowned in the direction of the bathroom.

 

“Maybe I should go and check on him,” the Wutaian said softly. “Reno, take the remainder of the day off and get some rest. I'm sure you'd like to get Cloud settled in, anyhow.”

 

“You got it,” Reno said, though he was also looking toward the direction of the restrooms with concern. “You sure you don't want us to stick around in case you need help with the boss?”

 

“I'm sure he's fine,” Tseng answered sluggishly. He shook his head to clear it, blinking with disorientation. “The wine was a bit strong this time. I may hail a cab for us and take him home to sleep it off.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Reno agreed. “Come on, Cloud. We'll get a cab too, since we've both been drinking. I wanna stop in somewhere and pick something up on the way home, though.”

 

“Oh? Like what?” Cloud asked with interest.

 

Reno shrugged. “A movie, a few groceries and a…a thing I've got waiting at the clothing shop. Do ya mind?”

 

“I don't mind,” Cloud said amicably, though he wondered why Reno hesitated on the last one. To Tseng, he said: “Tell Rufus I said thanks for lunch.”

 

Tseng nodded politely. “I'll see you both tomorrow. Have a good afternoon.”

 

~************************************~

 

Rufus knew as soon as he closed the bathroom stall and sat down on the toilet that something was out of the ordinary. There was more to it than a simple alcoholic buzz…his body was sluggish and leaden, and he was beginning to feel nauseous and sleepy at the same time. He hadn't asked if any of the others were suffering the same symptoms and now he regretted it, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand back up without falling on his face. He heard someone else come in to the bathroom and he hoped it was Tseng or Reno. He put his face in his hands and swallowed, trying to fight the dizziness and the rising urge to vomit.

 

~Bad oysters?~

 

The handle on his stall jiggled as someone on the other side tried to open it.

 

“It's occupied,” Rufus slurred. A look down at the shoes visible on the other side of the door told him it wasn't Tseng or Reno at his stall, but someone in work shoes. Assuming it must be a restaurant employee, Rufus swallowed his pride. “Pardon me, but could you go to my table and ask one of the men I came in with to come in here? Something I ate seems to be disagreeing with me.”

 

He'd never had a bad dining experience at this establishment before. He ate here all the time. There was no answer from the person on the other side of the door and Rufus frowned and lifted his head. He noticed two other pairs of shoes joining the first and he began to feel uneasy.

 

~I eat here all the time…and anyone looking for an opportunity to attack me would probably know that.~

 

Rather than speak out loud and demand an answer to his earlier request, Rufus began to reach into his blazer. His first instinct was to go for his gun but he re-thought his action and instead grabbed for his cellphone. He was too dizzy to shoot properly right now and getting help was foremost on the list of priorities. Just as he hit the speed dial for Tseng's number, the stall door slammed open and he found himself looking up at three men. All three of them wore hooded masks over their faces. One of them was dressed as a bartender and the other was unfamiliar to him.

 

~Bartender…so it was the wine. Fuck, how could I have been so careless?~

 

“There are three other perfectly serviceable stalls for you gentlemen to use,” Rufus said coolly, hiding the sluggish slur in his voice even as he began to reach for his weapon. He couldn't tell if he'd gotten the call off to Tseng in time and his only hope was to delay whatever plans these men had for him.

 

The one in the middle lunged for him before he could complete his move and Rufus was at a physical disadvantage, being drugged as he was. Still, he punched out and managed to land a sloppy hit on the side of his attacker's head before he was dragged out of the stall. There was a fourth man standing by the restroom door that he hadn't know was there…probably guarding in case anyone tried to come in.

 

“Get your bloody hands off me,” Rufus growled as he struggled against his assailants. He was quickly relieved of his weapons and he swore he heard Tseng's voice calling his name through the phone before a sack was dropped over his head. Something struck him in the back of the skull and he was temporarily stunned. He felt handcuffs fasten around his wrists and he was hefted over someone's shoulder. He felt himself being lifted and he remembered that there were windows in the bathroom. He guessed that his captors were going to try to get him out through the back alley.

 

He made another valiant struggle, until he was again clubbed over the back of the head. He fought to stay conscious but lost the battle. He didn't feel it when his captors dragged him out the window and carried him to a waiting car to put him in the trunk. His last thought was that he should have known better than to let his guard down, even for a moment.

 

~**********************************~

 

“Sir? Rufus?” Tseng heard someone grunting and swearing on the other end of the line before the call dropped and he stood up in alarm and started immediately for the bathroom. His first thought was that Rufus had gotten food poisoning and was getting violently ill. It didn't occur to him that someone would make a kidnapping attempt on his lover in broad daylight, in a populated restaurant. At least, it didn't occur to him until he charged into the Men's room and found one of the stall doors hanging on a broken hinge.

 

The affect was immediately sobering for the Turk and his dark eyes quickly took in everything. There were no signs of blood but he could see scuffs on the floor from black-soled shoes. The window leading to the alley outside was open and large enough for a full-grown man to fit through. He could hear a car engine starting up and he wasted no time in hauling himself up. He had just gotten halfway out the window and drawn his gun when he saw a four-door sedan peeling out of the alley. He took aim and began to fire without thinking, trying to hit the tires and cripple the vehicle. If it was only a coincidence, the company could pay for the damages but if Rufus was in there, he couldn't take the chance and let them get away.

 

One of his shots hit a rearview side mirror and the driver panicked a bit and fishtailed once he was on the street. Tseng dropped down nimbly and kept firing, but none of his shots hit where he intended. He shot out the back window and heard someone holler a curse before the car was out of range. Tseng spotted a familiar cellphone lying at the foot of the garbage bin and he grimaced and picked it up. Obviously he couldn't use that method to track Rufus.

 

Panting for breath, the Wutaian took out his cell and dialed Reno's number. His adrenaline rush was wearing off and the drugs that he now realized had laced his wine were affecting him again.

 

“Turn your phone on, Reno!” Tseng swore softly as he got an automated message. He stumbled and leaned against the wall as he hung up and tried Strife's number. Thinking quickly, he pulled out a small notepad he kept on his person and wrote down the license plate number he'd seen while he waited for Cloud to pick up.

 

“This is Strife's delivery service,” Cloud's familiar voice said. Before Tseng could speak, the voice continued: “I'm not available to take your call, so if you'll leave a message I'll get back to you as soon as possible.”

 

Tseng groaned and hung up again, this time dialing Rude's number. When the bald man picked up, Tseng's knees went weak with relief.

 

“Rude, we've had a very serious incident,” Tseng said as quickly as he could, “I think the boss has been kidnapped and I can't reach Reno or Strife. I need you to meet me at the Ocean Front restaurant as soon as you can. In the meantime, I'm going to call Headquarters and get people working on this.”

 

“Did you see any of the kidnappers?” Rude asked in his blessedly monotone voice.

 

“No, but I have the license plate number of the suspects' car. If we move quickly we can track them down before the situation becomes too dire.”

 

“What about tracking his cellphone?” Rude suggested.

 

“No good,” Tseng answered, “They threw his cellphone out when they took him.”

 

“I'm on my way,” Rude said. Whatever tension he might be feeling finally leaked into his voice. This wasn't the first time someone had attempted to either assassinate or kidnap Rufus, but it had been so long since the last attempt that all of them had slacked off.

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“What are you picking up here again?” Cloud asked as he followed Reno into the formalwear shop. He stopped and narrowed his eyes as the redhead stopped in front of a female mannequin and examined the long purple gown draping it with interest. He turned to look at Cloud and tugged his shades down, peering over the top of them with a lecherous twinkle in his bright eyes.

 

“You said anything I want, man.” Reno was grinning at him and Cloud really couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

 

“I thought it was pretty clear THAT wasn't included in the `anything',” Cloud said firmly, pressing his lips together in a stubborn line.

 

“You sure about that?” Reno asked as he moved closer to the blonde. He chuckled as Cloud cast a nervous look around the store at the patrons and employees. “What, you think they never see this kind of thing?”

 

Cloud leaned closer and fixed the redhead with a level stare. “You're like a dog with a bone, already! No way, Reno. Once was more than enough and I'm not doing it again unless someone's life depends on it.”

 

“Spoil sport,” Reno grumbled, but he was still grinning. “Chill out, yo. I just like to fuck with ya.”

 

“You really weren't serious?” Cloud asked dubiously.

 

Reno shrugged. “Well sure, I wanted to see if I could get you to do it and all, but the real reward is seeing you get all flushed and flustered like that.” He tossed a wink at him and leaned even closer to whisper, “Maybe I can make you flush for another reason, once we get back to my place.”

 

Cloud heaved a sigh and took a step back, before the close contact could make his body react in an embarrassing way. “Can't you think of other ways to keep yourself amused…besides embarrassing me?”

 

Reno clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Thought you knew me better than that, Strife. I didn't just come here to make that low blush factor of yours kick in, you know.”

 

“Then enlighten me,” Cloud said, lowering his eyes as one of the saleswomen passed by and stared at him like a mutt that had come in off the street. “I don't fit in here, so make it fast.”

 

Reno patted him briefly on the arm and approached the polished wooden counter. “Hey,” he said to the cashier, “you should have a package on hold for Reno of the Turks. Is it ready?”

 

Cloud's jaw tensed as he watched his companion talk to the man. He was sobering rapidly and he dearly hoped Reno hadn't bought a dress in the expectation that he'd wear it. The man spoke to another employee, who disappeared behind the door to the back. Cloud edged towards the door, ready to bolt if he saw the salesman emerge with a gown. When the man came out with a tailored suit neatly wrapped in plastic, Cloud hesitated and frowned in confusion. Reno took it from the man and motioned the blonde over.

 

“I could be a little off since I didn't do a real measurement on ya,” the Turk said as Cloud slunk over to him and he held the suit up to his body. “You can try it on here and see how it fits, man.”

 

“Reno…did you? Why?” Cloud was again flustered. The suit that Reno was holding up against his body was composed of indigo blue pants and a matching blazer, with a black dress shirt to complete the outfit. The fighter blinked dumbly when he saw the price tag on the outfit.

 

“Go try it on,” Reno suggested with a crooked smile. “I'll bet it's hot on ya.”

 

Cloud shook his head. “This…I'm not…that is, it's too much…”

 

Reno sighed and gave him an impatient look. “Do you even own a single fucking suit? Let me do this one thing for you, okay? Oh, there's supposed to be shoes to go with it…some Oxfords.”

 

“Right here, Sir.” The person that brought out the suit set a shoebox on the counter.

 

Cloud lifted the lid and looked in to find a pair of black Oxford dress shoes. They were in his size. He looked at Reno again with an expression of surprise and the redhead shrugged.

 

“So I had a peak at your sneakers the last time you were over and memorized the size. How do you like the threads, man?” The Turk looked a little anxious.

 

Cloud wasn't one to dress up often—mainly because he owned very few dressy clothes and never went anywhere that required more than casual wear. At first he wondered if Reno was doing this because he was ashamed to be seen out with him, but he reasoned that if that were true, he would have taken him here before they went to lunch.

 

“Just want you to have something nice, Blondie.” Reno answered the unspoken question in Cloud's sapphire eyes and tried not to sound vulnerable. He'd picked out something that was as close to Strife's style as he could find, but he remembered enough about him to know he wasn't into fancy clothes.

 

Cloud finally gave a slow nod and a smile that was almost timid. “It looks great. I'll go and try it on.”

 

Reno visibly relaxed as his companion took the clothing and shoes and moved to the back of the store, where the dressing rooms were. The cashier was looking at him knowingly and the Turk lowered his shades and gave him a level stare over the top of them. “You have something to say, man?”

 

The cashier hastily looked away, intimidated not only by Reno's tone but also by his unusually bright eyes. Any smug comments he might have felt like making concerning the obvious relationship between the Turk and the blonde were swallowed abruptly.

 

Cloud emerged from the dressing room after a few minutes, carrying the clothes he'd walked in with tucked under one arm and his boots under the other. He looked a little embarrassed but pleased. Reno stared him up and down, his eyebrows shooting up as he gave a low whistle.

 

“Damn, I'm good,” said the Turk with unmasked appreciation. The suit fit Cloud great, hugging just the right places and draping over others. He'd forgotten to buy a belt to go with it, but Cloud was wearing his old belt with the wolf's head buckle and damned if it wasn't appropriate. “Does it feel as good as it looks, Blondie?”

 

Cloud looked down at himself briefly, then smiled and nodded. “It's comfortable. It feels a little tight in the inseam, but I'm used to wearing jeans and leather all the time.”

 

Reno crossed the room before any of the salespeople could even think of doing it and he knelt and ran a hand up the inside of each of Cloud's thighs. He smiled when he felt the blonde shiver under his touch and he looked up at him from his kneeling position. “Looks like a good fit. I could have `em do some adjustments if you don't think you could get used to it, though.”

 

Cloud swallowed and shook his head. “No, I think it'll be fine. Uh…thanks, Reno. This is really nice of you.”

 

The Turk rose smoothly to his feet and eyed the blonde for a moment. “I should be thanking you for accepting it, man. Although I've gotta say, I think I like you best in leather.” The last was said in a low murmur and his lips curved into one of those suggestive smiles that made Cloud tingle. Turning to the cashier again, he pulled out his wallet and handed his credit card over.

 

“Oh shit…wait,” Reno said as the man began to swipe it, “I forgot it ain't activated yet. Here, I'll pay in cash.” He counted out several large bills and when he saw the look on the cashier's face, he growled, “What? I've been in a fucking coma for a year and my accounts got frozen.”

 

“Easy, Reno,” Cloud murmured, wincing. “I think he's just surprised you'd carry that much cash on you.”

 

The cashier nodded convulsively, knowing enough about the Turks to avoid risking angering the temperamental redhead further. “People do get mugged, Sir.” He finished the transaction and handed over a shopping bag with the store logo on it for Cloud to put his previous clothes into.

 

“Not people like me, yo,” Reno countered, but he relaxed and gave the man an abrupt smile. “Thanks. I'll tell my friends about ya.”

 

“Have a nice day Sir, and thank you for your patronage,” the cashier responded automatically. Cloud could hear the relief in his voice as he put his clothes in the bag and followed Reno out of the shop.

 

“I think you almost made that guy shit his pants,” Cloud commented once they were on the sidewalk. He didn't return the smile Reno gave him. “Are you okay?”

 

Reno's smile faded and he shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. Sometimes I just get a little defensive, ya know? I've been out of it for so long and I'm still trying to get back in touch. It just rears up sometimes…the frustration, I mean.”

 

“I know,” Cloud said softly. He did, too—probably better than anyone. It was hard to adjust to reality after being trapped in one's mind for so long. “Hey, don't push yourself, all right?”

 

“Why not?” Reno asked as he looked for a cab to hail. “You were up and moving when you should have been buzzard bait. How is it any different?”

 

“Everyone's got their own pace,” Cloud reminded him. “You're trying to run at mine but you're forgetting that I was deliberately infused with Mako, under controlled conditions. You fell into a natural stream of it.”

 

“So did you, the second time,” Reno argued. “You snapped out of that one pretty quick.”

 

“Probably because I'd built some immunity to it,” Cloud replied. “You were dunked abruptly in the shit, Reno. All I'm saying is you shouldn't set standards of recovery too high for yourself.”

 

Reno stopped for a moment and looked at him with a lopsided grin. “Listen to you…you sound like a scientist.”

 

“I've just got some experience in the situation,” Cloud sighed. “Would you just try to slow down a little? At least until the tests are finished and we know you're not burning yourself out.”

 

“Can't promise anything, but for you I'll give it a try,” Reno promised lightly. He spotted a vacant cab and waved it over. “Let's go pick up the groceries and a movie, then we can go back to my place and I can molest you in your shiny new outfit, yo.”

 

~********************************~

 

They were just heading back to Reno's apartment when he checked his cellphone as an afterthought. The redhead frowned severely when he saw that he had seventeen missed calls.

 

“What the hell?”

 

Cloud looked at him questioningly as the Turk unlocked his phone and listened to his messages. Reno's face abruptly drained of color and Cloud scooted closer on the seat in concern. “What's wrong?”

 

“Cloud, check your messages,” Reno said through stiff lips.

 

The blonde searched through the bag where he'd stuffed his clothes and his jacket until he found his cellphone. He flipped it open and found eight missed calls. Two were from Tifa and the rest were from Tseng, Rude and Elena. A cold knot of dread formed in his belly as he activated the messages and brought the phone to his ear, though he wasn't sure why.

 

“It's not a prank, is it?” Reno asked him in an unusually desperate tone as he listened to his messages with a frown. Never mind that Tseng wasn't the sort of man to pull pranks, especially of this magnitude.

 

“No, it's not a prank,” Cloud answered, meeting Reno's eyes with his startled blue ones. “How in the hell could Rufus get kidnapped right under our noses?”

 

“They got him in the bathroom,” Reno said in a tight voice. “I don't know what he said in your messages, but in mine Tseng said they spiked the wine they were drinking. If the boss hadn't gone alone to the bathroom they never would have had their chance to get him!” Reno was breathing unevenly and Cloud feared he might put himself into shock.

 

“Easy, we don't know all the details yet,” Cloud murmured as he squeezed the Turk's shoulder comfortingly. He looked at the cab driver through the rear-view mirror, who seemed to be trying to eavesdrop. “Driver, we've got a different destination. Take us to the ShinRa building instead.”

 

~********************************~

 

Tseng was relieved and grateful when Reno hurried through his door with Cloud close behind. Having Strife on their side in this situation would prove useful, if they could find out where Rufus was being held.

 

“How the hell did they do this?” Reno immediately blurted, hardly noticing the presence of Rude, Elena and several other Turks.

 

“President Shinra has lived through many kidnapping and assassination attempts before,” Tseng said as calmly as he could. “You may not remember them, but it isn't unheard of. These people must have been monitoring his habits and planning this for some time, now. They only needed an opportunity, which I unfortunately provided for them at lunch today.”

 

“What do ya mean `you' provided?” Reno asked. “I was there too, man. We fucked up, plain and simple!”

 

“Rufus is a grown man,” Cloud intervened firmly, “he's been living with these risks for most of his life. Nobody's doing him any good comparing blame, here.”

 

Rude nodded silently in agreement and Tseng rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I suppose not,” conceded the Wutaian softly.

 

“So what do we know about these fuckers?” Reno asked impatiently.

 

“I had a license plate number,” Tseng answered as he dragged his fingers through his long, raven hair. “Unfortunately, it was a dummy plate. It was found discarded on the street, a few blocks away from where they abducted him. They've already called with their demands.”

 

“Let's hear it,” Reno insisted.

 

“They used voice disguising technology,” Rude said. “We can't use the recording to get a match.”

 

“I still wanna hear it,” Reno said stubbornly.

 

Tseng nodded to one of the Turks that Cloud didn't recognize and the man opened his briefcase on the desk and revealed a laptop computer. He started it up and went through some files until he found the one he was looking for. He turned the volume up and everyone listened intently while the phone call was played.

 

There was nothing particularly special or original about it—except for the ransom price of half a billion gil. Otherwise it was the standard “send an agent to a location of our choice at a time of our choice with the money or we'll begin sending your boss back to you in pieces” threat. Cloud thought they must have gotten their lines from one of the many action movies with a kidnapping theme, but the situation was too serious for him to glean any amusement from it.

 

“That's all there is,” the Turk with the laptop said when the file finished playing. “They're supposed to contact us again in the morning with an exact meeting location for the exchange. In the meantime we've got our best people working on it as well as outside authorities.”

 

Cloud blinked. ~Damn, that's a lot of people looking for just one guy. I wonder what it was like to grow up with that much power? No wonder Rufus is such a bastard most of the time.~

 

Tseng noticed the blonde's disapproving look. “If you have some input to this situation, I'm sure we'd all appreciate hearing it, Cloud.”

 

Cloud wasn't comfortable with the way everyone's eyes settled on him, but he was confident enough in his reasoning to hold his ground. “Don't you think it could get a little messy if these guys find out how many people are looking for their prisoner and the authorities get too close? I know Rufus likes a `balls to the wall' approach in situations like this, but it might just get him killed.”

 

The Turks considered his observation and Tseng nodded slowly. “If his father were still in charge of the company, this would have been handled with an exchange.”

 

Cloud remembered Reno describing such an “exchange” to him the night before he fell into the Mako stream. What was meant to be a pay-and-go situation turned into a firefight and an explosion that took out all of the kidnappers. He couldn't say anything about that however, because it wasn't information he was supposed to know about.

 

“So you're trying to abide by what you think Rufus would want,” Cloud reasoned. He knew how that felt. The decision to let the doctors use an experimental treatment on Reno had been his to make. The uncertainty and fear that he wasn't doing the right thing by Reno had been agony for him.

 

“It's how things are done under his authority,” agreed Tseng.

 

“And how would you do it under yours?” Cloud persisted. “Rufus isn't here now and you're the leader of the Turks. He can't give orders, but you can.”

 

Tseng stared at him levelly. “I would prefer to take the route that's least likely to cause Rufus's death—which would clearly be a more covert approach. There's a problem, however. These people most likely know what each and every Turk looks like.”

 

“Probably,” agreed Cloud. “They'd want to know that whoever shows up with the money is one of Rufus's employees. I don't see how that's a problem.”

 

“They'll have the area watched,” Elena added, catching on to Tseng's meaning. “If they see more than one guy they'll know they're being set up and they'll probably kill the President.”

 

Cloud winced, realizing she was right. “They probably know I've been hanging around with you guys too,” he reasoned, more to himself than to them.

 

“Our choices are limited to an all-out assault and cooperation,” Tseng said with a nod. “They'll expect Turk involvement but on their terms. They'll recognize any other Turks or associates of President Shinra's.”

 

“Then let me do the drop-off,” Reno said. “I'll blow myself away with `em if I have to.”

 

Cloud and Rude both looked at the redhead with alarm. “Now just wait a minute, partner,” Rude said with more haste than Cloud had ever heard him use, “Suicide isn't going to help at all.”

 

“There's no need for that,” Cloud said in agreement, looking at Reno worriedly. “You can't tell me with all the technology this company has, you can't manage to disguise a few people.”

 

“His tattoos would give him away,” Rude added with an apologetic look at his partner.

 

“What the fuck, man,” Reno snarled, “I don't care what happens to me, I just wanna—”

 

“That's exactly why you shouldn't go in,” Rude interrupted firmly as he crossed the room in long strides and grabbed hold of Reno's shoulders. “If you can't keep your cool, you'll get yourself, the boss and anyone working with you killed. Besides, maybe you'd do the most good as a sniper, the way you've been shooting lately. Maybe we can find a place out of the way to put you, where they won't spot you and you can still get off a good shot.”

 

Reno seemed to calm down a bit with that suggestion, but Tseng was frowning. “Reno, while Rude's idea has its merit, I can't allow it unless you can convince me you won't shoot without thinking. You're far too emotional right now to make rational decisions.”

 

“Hey, I can make rational decisions,” Reno argued, “just give me a little time to cool down, yo.”

 

Tseng sighed. “The crux of the matter is, we still can't get any of our people close enough to perform a rescue operation and as you said, Cloud, if they see any authorities getting close, the President's life could be forfeit. I'm afraid the Turks are powerless in this endeavor.”

 

Cloud's golden brows furrowed with concentration as Tseng's words inspired an idea to formulate in his head. ~I've got to be crazy for even thinking of this.~

 

“What about an ex Turk?” Cloud heard himself ask.

 

Tseng and the others stared at him as if he'd just suggested they send in rodeo clowns to rescue Rufus.

 

“Cloud,” Tseng began carefully, “I don't know how much you understand about our organization, but there aren't any ex…Turks…” He trailed off as what the blonde was suggesting struck him. While Turks who managed to live long enough could eventually retire under watch, there were no living Turks who had ever “quit”. No…living…Turks. Except one man, whose status as a “living” person was still up for debate. Cloud's blue eyes were boring into his as the realization sank in.

 

“Valentine,” Tseng whispered, unable to conceal a slight shiver of apprehension in his tone. While the former Turk's unique skills could prove invaluable at a time like this, the chance that he would help them was abysmal. “Strife, what on Gaia makes you believe your friend would lift so much as a finger to help free the President? He has no love for ShinRa inc. and whatever old feelings of loyalty he might entertain to the Turks can't possibly be enough to sway him.”

 

“Maybe if the right person asked for it,” Cloud hinted distractedly.

 

“Well, he's your friend, man,” Reno said dubiously.

 

“I wasn't talking about me,” Cloud murmured.

 

“I'm afraid I don't follow,” Tseng said.

 

“We've got time,” Cloud replied. “I can't promise anything yet but I think I can get Vincent's help.”

 

“What about your other pals?” Reno asked, intrigued. There could be some serious ass-kicking going on if Strife's gang all joined in on this.

 

Cloud smirked at the redhead. “Barret? He's anything but subtle, and the same goes for Cid and Yuffie. All three of them would laugh in my face if I asked them to help rescue Rufus Shinra, too. Nanaki would probably be willing and he'd be a good help, except a big lion with a flaming tail is kind of conspicuous. Tifa would help if I asked, but I can't put her in the middle of this. That leaves Vincent and I'm not even sure I can get him. Just let me try and in the meantime, start making plans for the exchange and decide how you want to do this. We can improvise if I can get Vincent on board.”

 

Reno heaved a sigh. “Okay then…but now you've got me curious about who this `friend' is you think can convince him to help.”

 

“It's not my place to tell,” Cloud said smoothly.

 

~Besides, if I'm wrong about Reeve and Vincent they'll both be after my hide for spreading rumors. I'm going to have to play it cool with this one and hope my instincts are right.~

 

~****************************************~

 

-To be continued