Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Intervention ❯ Freak on a Leash ( Chapter 10 )

Story Description Reno finally succumbs to the dark and destructive nature of his unstable emotions. When his bosses Tseng and Rufus do nothing & his partner and friend Rude stands in the wings and watches mutely, it's up to Elena to step in and save him from himself. (Post Game, Elena/Reno, Het, Yaoi, Drug & Alcohol abuse)

Author's Note Characters may appear OOC. Tried to keep them as close to cannon as possible, but considering I'm writing this not the people at SquareEnix, you'll have to deal.

Disclaimers I don't own the boys and girls of Final Fantasy 7, SquareEnix does.

 

 

10 - Freak on a Leash

 

Feeling like a freak on a leash. (You wanna feel alive)

Feeling like I have no release. (So do I)

How many times have I felt diseased? (You wanna feel alive)

Nothing in my life is free... is free

-- Freak on a Leash by Korn

 

 

In the center of the open floor area, a large metal spike had been driven into the concrete floor. From that spike a heavy metal chain extended out, giving the person on the other end maybe two meters worth of distance. The way the chain was affixed to the spike, when the chain was moved around it would not only wrap tighter about the spike instead of rotating, but would get twisted around and kinked up to a fare thee well on top of it. Not to mention it was one of those heavy-duty towing chains so it was also heavy on top of everything else.

 

Elena swore that the five minutes she waited, hidden in the shadows, were the longest in her life. It felt more like hours as she was forced to watch the cruel torturous treatment her often impulsive and chaotic teammate was put through. Silently she promised vengeance against every single person involved in this barbaric display before her. The scene before her reminded her of a pack of rabid Nibel Wolves surrounding a Cuahl. Even though the Cuahl was more dangerous of the monsters, it was also injured, chained, outnumbered and knew the only escape was though the pack of wolves. She was about to say fuck it and make her move when she caught sight of Rude across the way from her. The signal was given less then a minute later as the spell Wall was cast.

 

Like gears in a well-oiled killing machine, Elena and Rude stepped from the shadows on opposite sides of the open area and started firing. With clockwork precision and deadly accuracy the two Turks laid into the nearly two-dozen men. The men were taken down, incapacitated or outright killed with a lethal combination of magic, bullets and physical force. When all was said and done, two-dozen corpses littered the ground amongst spreading pools of blood and gore.

 

From above, the sound of applause echoed in the deathly silence. "Most impressive," Jones said with an amused chuckle. "I see that Shin-Ra's trained killers are still just as deadly now as they were a few years ago." He smirked as he placed his hands on the railing and looked down at the two standing Turks. "Well, for the most part that is," he added with a laugh gesturing to the person chained to the middle of the floor.

 

Both standing Turks had their weapons targeted, mili-seconds after the first clap, at the man up on the catwalk. Rude had recast Wall on all three of them just after he drew a bead on the target. Neither made a sound as they waited.

 

"I want to thank you for thinning out the useless fodder from my minions. They were becoming quite boring and bothersome." Jones's smile was oily and false. "While I would love to stay and chat, I must be off. Business and all that, you understand. But let me leave you with a few parting gifts." Jones stepped back away from the railing and snapped his fingers.

 

A handful of men stepped up to the railing, full automatic weapons in hand. All had the same blank expressions on their faces and their movements were mechanical as they cocked the weapons then started firing without bothering to aim.

 

Neither Rude nor Elena was stupid enough to think that the spell Barrier would protect them from the hail of bullets. Granted if they had been enhanced with Mako to the same level of a SOLDIER 1st class and using Barrier in conjunction then maybe, just maybe they would come out without a scratch. But since that wasn't the case, diving for cover was the only smart option left. Neither had the time to worry about Reno, who was currently chained up, buried under several corpses and had another Barrier on top of the one Rude had cast after the first round of gunfire. With practiced easy they picked off the men up on the landing though it took longer then when the killed the first group. When nothing was heard except for the echoing drip of water from a busted pipe somewhere, the two cautiously stepped out from their cover. A quick glance around to be sure nothing or no one lingered then turned towards where Reno lay.

 

“Fuck what a mess,” Elena said with a disgusted sigh as she helped Rude pull the corpses off of their co-worker. “Reno had better be alive or else I'll Phoenix Down his ass then kill him my own self,” she grumbled rather loudly.

 

Rude managed a smile at the blonde's words. Not like he could really blame her for her attitude since indeed Reno had gotten himself in this mess. `But not without a hefty shove in the back,' he thought to himself as he got the last useless piece of dead flesh off the little redhead. Kneeling down he started doing basic field triage on the younger man. What he found was better then he feared but still worse then he would have liked. “Alive but unconscious,” was his verdict. “We need to get that chain off from around his neck and get him to the hospital as soon as possible. None of his injuries are life threatening in and of themselves, but taken as a whole….” Rude trailed off.

 

Elena nodded as she rolled Reno onto his back as gently as possible then tilted his chin up so they could better get to the collar. “Gaia damn it,” she muttered with a wince. “The fucker is bolted together and unless you have a bolt cutter hidden in your pants there's no way we can get this off him.”

 

The big bald Turk grunted. “Well then we'll just have to improvise,” he said.

 

Using scraps of cloth they wrapped the chain from where it connected to the collar to an arms length distance. Rude found amongst the various items a sledge hammer that would work for what he had in mind, he then started casting a series of spells. Fire to super heat the chain then Ice to freeze it rapidly. Each time the chain was heated or cooled, he would use the sledge to pound the links until finally they shattered. During this time Elena maintained both a Barrier and an MBarrier to prevent any additional damage from occurring to Reno. Rude then pulled an emergency blanket from one of his pockets, unfolded then spread it out. They were able to maneuver Reno onto the crinkly, quasi-metallic blanket without him gaining consciousness. The big man then took the chain that was still attached to the collar and draped it over his shoulders so that when he picked Reno up, the chain wouldn't be pulling against his neck or laying like a dead-weight on his chest.

 

Unlike the trip in, the trip back out took less time. Reno was settled in the backseat, Rude and Elena in the front seats, while everything else was stored in the trunk. As they sped through the city towards the hospital, Elena kept watch on the fragile looking redhead.

 

“He's tougher then he looks. He's survived worse,” Rude said softly.

 

The blonde woman turned to look at her bald co-worker then back at the man in the backseat again. “I hope your right,” she said quietly. The rest of the drive to the hospital was in silence.

 

 

Once they arrived, Rude didn't even bother with the regular emergency room entrance; he went straight to the ambulance entrance. When the security guard tried to wave him back towards the regular entrance, Rude flash his Shin-Ra ID cause the guard to pale, stammer a hasty apology as he tried to get the nurses to hurry up with the gurney. If the situation weren't so dire, it would have been funny. “Go with him rookie,” he instructed as he got back in the car so that he could move it out of the way.

 

Elena nodded then took off after the emergency room nurses. She stayed out of the way as much as possible but was still surprised when she wasn't kicked out of the room completely. She hadn't been around long enough to realize that when a Turk was injured, another would always be present as both protection and a witness to anything that occurred.

 

The staff at this hospital was (and still is) considered one of the best on the entire continent. In the short time between Rude leaving and returning to the ER, the collar had been removed, Reno was intubated and on an IV drip as well as being prepped for a full MRI scan. Elena had been allowed to accompany Reno into the MRI room only after she relinquished her phone, watch and weapons along with her Materia.

 

Rude in the meantime was forced to wait for the doctor and the results of the scan. He took a few moments to also contact Rufus to let him know that Reno had been retrieved. It was during this nerve-wracking wait time that Tseng came in, all fire and brimstone anger and laced into the big Turk. Rufus had followed but at a calmer, quieter pace.

 

“What in Ifrit's hell were you thinking when you disobeyed my orders?” the black haired Turk barked.

 

Rude slowly stood up, fists clenched at his sides as he narrowed his eyes. He was still dressed in the same combat fatigues he had been wearing on the raid, which meant he was still covered in blood, some of which was the little redheads. “I received permission to complete the assignment sir,” he answered evenly.

 

“You were ordered to stop that air headed, blonde dimwit of a rookie from going anywhere. You were also ordered to leave Reno to clean up his own mess!”

 

“Tseng, I would advise you to back down,” Rufus said from his position next to the waiting room door.

 

“Stay out of the Rufus!” Tseng snarled at the president. “The Turks belong to me!”

 

Rufus raised an elegant eyebrow at the tone of voice his head Turk used. Looking directly at Rude, he spoke. “Rude, as of this moment I'm placing everyone on Administrative leave of duty with full pay, for the next two months. I think it is time everyone to get his or her head on straight and that includes me. If you need to contact me, I shall be at the villa in Costa Del Sol.” He then turned to leave, pausing a moment before doing so. “Oh, Rude. Two things.”

 

“Sir?”

 

“One, don't kill him and two, keep me up to date with Reno's recovery.”

 

“Yes sir,” Rude said with a smile as he brought his hands up, popping his knuckles as he twisted his neck side to side.

 

“What? Rufus what the hell are you-”

 

Tseng never got to finish his sentence as he was suddenly spun around by Rude and summarily punched hard twice. Once in the gut, the second in the face, which sent him ass over teakettle out the door of the waiting room, across the hall and crashing into the display case. Nurses came dashing down the hall at the sound of glass breaking to find the head Turk, sprawled out on the floor with a bloody nose and a stunned look on his face, surrounded by glass shards as Rude stepped out of the waiting room.

 

“Stay the fuck away from Reno and Elena,” Rude said as flexed his fingers. “This is your only warning Tseng.” The big guy then nodded apologetically to the nurses, “Ladies, sorry for the mess.” Turning he spotted the doctor in charge of Reno's case down the hall heading in his direction.