Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7
Beyond the Wall
0 ReviewsWhen you were in enemy hands, and those hands happened to belong to AVALANCHE, and you were a turk... well, survival is low.
Heavy eyelids blinked up and down slowly; hot, salty water dripping off the forehead and into the sensitive sclera, causing a vicious cycle of blink, drip, blink. Reno stared at the wall ahead of him, not seeing it, or anything else for that matter, focusing on a point that didn't exist just beyond. It was all he could do to keep from screaming out, calling out for mercy, begging for his freedom back.
He'd lost count of the days he'd been here, but it had at least been three or so when he lost time. His internal clock had shut down, along with most conscious thought, to support the supreme effort he was making to block the outside world away from him. He was, mentally, little more than a animal in that state. And it was a good thing.
Everything is starting to break.
Fortunately for Reno, after the first few hours he'd first been strung to the ceiling, his arms had started to go numb and he didn't feel anything as long as they didn't move or shuffle him. It was pure agony when they let him down off the rope...
Strappado was one of the most painful things someone could do to a person and let them keep living, Reno found out within the first minute as he bit his own tongue bloody. He'd been trained and trained, and then trained some more in case he ever fall into enemy hands... but the training never prepared him for the reality.
Nothing must go past the lips.
All they fed him was bread and water when they weren't hanging him from the ceiling, leaving him to huff and heave in the corner of the floor. It wasn't really that bad, he thought one day, he'd been through worse, though there wasn't much that was worse than this. The longer he held out, the better of a chance of rescue was, too. Physical pain was just that... physical, he thought to himself as his instructors in the academy told him, it was only there to let you know things were going wrong... and boy did they go wrong on his back and arms as they tied his wrists together in back and hung him from it. Reno could tell he was losing a lot of weight, but that was nothing compared to what would happen to him if he lost that information.
AVALANCHE didn't know who they were dealing with, he also thought in those few moment of consciousness he allowed himself.
The will is stronger than flesh.
A clatter of noise from the other room attracted his limited attention, a brief idea flashed across his mind- something was different today. They didn't usually come back so soon, so why were they coming through the door to Reno's little room looking rather worried? It was going to be painful, but Reno roused himself to full attention, listing to what they were saying to each other, speaking in low tones. Thankfully, they really didn't know he knew how to speak Wutan, so if he strained he could understand them perfectly.
"C'mon, get him down from there, the boss wants him moved." One of the guards said to the other, and Reno's interest perked, along with a slow, agonized moan from his throat. The guard turned and hit him in the stomach, and he clamped down on the pain.
"But why?" The other guard said, wincing as he saw Reno swing back and forth like that. "We've been usin' this room for a week... no problems."
"Just hurry up, will ya?" Reno could see the first guard who had spoken was hurried and looked upset, and the man started untying the rope that held Reno's arms to the ceiling. The turk moaned again as he felt it loosen, and then fell to the floor.
"Wait, I ain't carrying him, check if he can walk." The second guard said, untying the rope from around Reno's wrists. Before he could do much else, gunfire started sounding in the next room, and he could hear the two guards pull their guns and rush into the other room. He could tell they were shot down from the unknown assailant right away; two perfect, single shots rang out and a gurgling noise announced that one had pierced someone's lung.
Serves you right, fucking bastards.
Footsteps came closer and entered Reno's room, but he couldn't see who it was... he was in far too much pain to move, his legs and hands still tied together. He tried to lift his head, but a searing pain shot down his spine.
"Reno..." It was a soft, breathy voice, one quite familiar and dear to him... someone that he knew. After the initial shock, it took him a moment to remember the name... the name... it was Cissnei, wasn't it? Cissnei was there for him. She'd come through everything to rescue him. "Oh god, Reno, what've they done to you?" She knelt by his back, not bothering to untie the rope- she cut it with her shuriken blade. Wait, Cissnei doesn't use a gun...
"Is he there?" Another voice asked, and... Selene... of course. She's the only one that has a shot that perfect... The blond haired turk lowered her gun a little when she saw Cissnei and Reno. "Oh my-"
"Selene, we need the chopper, I don't think he's gonna be able to walk far." Cissnei rolled him over on to his back, and Reno tried to control the violent cringe.
"H-hey..." He tried to smile at the worried faces of the two girls, trying to make light of it. "You two... took yer sweet time, huh?"
"Reno!" Selene gave him a glare, or tried to considering his state, but shook her head. "This isn't the time. Here, Cissnei... I'll take his other arm." Reno saw the two lift his arms, and this time he didn't keep the moan back, he gave full force which earned him a pause and empathic stares. They managed to get him to his feet and held him around the middle, rather than using his arms to support him, and hobbled him out through the way they had arrived.
For the first time in his life, Reno thanked whatever powers that were out there that he had teammates as good as they.
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