Bullet Catchers

Bullet Catchers

By Jazzbo22
Jazzbo22 @ hotmail . com

An assassination attempt leaves Rufus questioning his vulnerability. The Turks struggle to keep the President out of harm’s way, but is it enough?

TsengxRufus, RudexReno, yaoi, angst

A/N: Many apologies for leaving this for so long. I've neglected my posting here. Anyways, I won't dilly-dally too much, here is chapter 10! As always, please review! Thanks! Enjoy!

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Chapter Ten




Tseng knew he could count on Reno to come through in a big way. It was a surprise to hear that the terrorists behind this attack were ex-SOLDIERs. Men who were supposed to be locked away forever for committing heinous crimes. He didn’t even have to guess who let them out – Heidegger had probably thrown his weight around, giving them the ‘get out of jail free’ card. Now that the Turks knew who they were, it gave them a tremendous lead. Reno was already mapping out possible locations for their headquarters based on the work they had done to get them jailed in the first place – apples never fall far from the tree.


Meanwhile, he and Rude had gone to Heidegger’s apartment again, not the least bit surprised the lights weren’t on. Instead of sitting outside, Tseng had decided that camping out within Heidegger’s home would be the best. Eventually he would come home, and they wanted him all alone.


Tseng anticipated waiting hours, or worse – days, but the chips were all falling into place. Heidegger might be led into a false sense of security after his phone call with Rufus and would go home for the night, intent on relaxing and pondering a way to knock Rufus off the radar. After all, his trusty bodyguard died in a car explosion, so getting to Rufus would be easy. Tseng sneered at the thought. Heidegger was going to pay for every damn thing that happened – including the injuries sustained to all his Turks. Elena was still in the hospital, unconscious. Poor kid.


Making their way up to Heidegger’s place undetected had been relatively easy. Sneaking around, blending into the shadows had always been a Turk’s specialty. Picking his lock without making it appear someone had tinkered with it was a little trickier, but Tseng had steady hands and a clean touch. After minimal fussing the door opened with a soft ‘click’. Heidegger hadn’t put the safety chain on, ultimately saving them a lot of trouble.


Stepping into his home, Rude had closed the door behind them, securing the deadbolt. Without needing to speak, Rude disappeared to Heidegger’s bedroom, pulling the drapes, dragging his desk chair into the middle of the room. Tseng was searching through the kitchen, looking for rope or tape, something to secure Heidegger to the chair once he got back. He would’ve preferred chains, but they had to work with what they were given. Bedsheets were a last option.


He found a bungee chord in the front hallway closet – it would call for some creativity, but Tseng had used worse. He brought along a few knives from the kitchen, as well as some garbage bags.


Rude took the garbage bags from him, tearing them into long, flat sheets. He placed a few underneath the chair, the rest surrounding it. Any mess that was made from the interrogation would be disposed of. Heidegger would go missing, and no one would know a damn thing. He meant it when he said the man was going to pay. Interrogation by a Turk was something to fear – Heidegger should’ve damn well known messing with this unit was a bad thing indeed. Rude took the knives, lining them up along the dresser. Heidegger would be able to see them from where he would eventually be seated - a visual threat. If Heidegger was quick to speak, then the knives wouldn’t be necessary. A pillow over the face and a silencer on Tseng’s pistol would do the job just fine of getting rid of Heidegger without much harm. That is, if Heidegger wanted to make things easy.


“Are you okay boss?” Rude asked, breaking the silence. Tseng raised an eyebrow.


“…yes. Why?” Rude just shrugged.


“You look like the walking dead.” Tseng believed it. He couldn’t wait until this whole ordeal was over. He would sleep, eat a decent meal, and take Rufus to bed – probably in that order.


Tseng went through the house, making sure nothing struck Heidegger as out of place when he arrived. He turned off the lights, taking his place beside the door. Rude came to stand near him. The plan was to knock Heidegger out as soon as he stepped within his apartment. They wouldn’t even give him enough time to register who it was before he lost consciousness.


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Just as Tseng had anticipated, Heidegger had come home less than an hour after Rude and he first broke in. Heidegger must have been certain that there was no threat against him, no way the Turks could’ve known he was behind anything, because he stepped through the door alone. It all went like clockwork – Tseng was on him before Heidegger had a chance to reach for the light switch. Rude was right beside him, catching Heidegger before he hit the ground. No use having the neighbours hear the sound and come running over to check. Tseng wanted to do this as quietly as possible.


Rude had grunted as the overweight man collapsed into his arms. He dragged him into the bedroom, leaving Tseng to first check the hallway, then lock the door behind him. Tseng came to the bedroom afterwards, pleased to see Rude was already securing an unconscious Heidegger to the chair. In approximately ten minutes, he would awaken with a bitch of a headache, tied up in his bedroom. That would either make him very angry, or very scared. Tseng hoped more for fear – it was easier to question someone who was afraid, the process went much faster.


“I’ll let Reno know.” Rude said, pulling out his PHS. Tseng nodded, doing the same. Rufus, as well as Gomez had to be informed. Rufus picked up after the first ring, no doubt seeing Tseng’s name on call display.


“Good news?” Rufus asked.


“We’ve got Heidegger. Interrogation will start once he wakes up.”


“Great. When we find out who the bastard is running this thing, then we will have it all under control. Reno contacted me earlier to tell me about the ex-SOLDIERs involved. He says there’s a good chance of locating them all within the next few days.” He hoped so.


“I’ll call when it’s over.” Tseng said. He hung up, dialing Gomez next. He filled him in on what was happening, not at all surprised to hear Gomez say,


“I’m in his office right now, so I’m glad to hear you’ve got him. I was afraid he might walk in on me.”


“Find anything useful?” Tseng asked.


“Not so much yet. He’s got pretty hefty security on his computer – much more than you’d expect from a guy in his position. I’m cracking it right now, and I bet I’ll find something of interest after.”


“Okay. Give me a call when you do.”


“Alright. I’m out.” Tseng hung up, turning his attention back to what was happening around him. Rude was leaning against one of the bedroom walls behind Heidegger. This had the possibility of being one of their dirtier interrogations, and Tseng was happy to have the bald man with him. Rude had a strong stomach, and had done this work with him before. He knew what to do.


They didn’t have to wait long until Heidegger started to stir. Tseng had found a lamp, shining it directly in his face. All other lights in the house were off. Upon realizing he was bound, Heidegger’s head snapped up, his vision effectively blinded by the light.


“What the fuck is this?!” He squirmed, trying to find a way out. Both he and Rude tied the knots – there was no way they could come loose.


“Untie me!” Heidegger had much bravado, but his voice was quivering. Rude came out to step in front of the light, arms folded across a broad chest. Heidegger’s eyes widened considerably.


“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! I could have you killed for this!” He sputtered, his face turning a deep shade of crimson. Rude cracked his knuckles.


“The same way you tried with Tseng?” Rude spoke, his voice dangerously low. Heidegger shook his head vehemently.


“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I haven’t heard from Tseng at all!” Enough was enough. Tseng came into Heidegger’s view, his face frighteningly impassive. Heidegger’s mouth hung open.


“You didn’t expect to see me, did you?” Tseng asked, leaning over to stare Heidegger right in the eyes. He had scared him into silence.


“You came close, I’ll give you that. You should know though, if an operation goes wrong you have to be able to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately, because you tried to kill me, kill Rufus, and all my Turks, the consequences are going to be very severe.”


“Tseng, don’t do this.” Heidegger pleaded. It was too late for that. Tseng held out his hand. Rude reached over, placing the handle of a vicious blade in his palm. Heidegger fancied the expensive meat knives. All the better.


“No, no, no. Tseng, no!”


“Tell me who you’re working for.”


“I didn’t do anything, I swear! I’m not involved!”


“I don’t believe you.” Tseng lifted the blade, driving it through Heidegger’s forearm. Rude was on hand to stuff a makeshift gag into Heidegger’s mouth to silence his scream.


“I’m going to warn you that this will get much worse if you don’t start talking.” Tseng spoke calmly. Rude waited until Heidegger’s whimpering died down before removing the gag.


“Now you are going to tell me who is working with you, and their location. We aren’t going to stop until you do.”


“I swear on my life, I don’t have anything to do with it!”


“I’m disappointed in you Heidegger,” Tseng said, nodding to Rude. “I thought you would’ve known by now that we Turks take our business very seriously.” Rude drove the second blade through Heidegger’s opposite forearm. The gag was shoved in Heidegger’s mouth, quelling his screams.


“We could go all night.”

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“Heidegger isn’t picking up his phone.”


“Then they already have him.”


“Should we send in a rescue?”


“No, leave him. He’s a lost cause. We don’t need him anyways.”


“I still don’t understand why you didn’t shoot Tseng when you had the chance. You saw that the car bomb didn’t work.”


“Do you know what a panther on alert is like? There’s no way I could’ve put a bullet in him without him noticing I was there. He would’ve been on me before I could even get a shot off. It’s better that I didn’t anyways – I followed him home. Now I know where Rufus is.”


“Want me to send a few men in?”


“No, I’ll go myself. He won’t open the door if there’s a whole group waiting for him. Have the van parked outside this location. We’re going to take Rufus alive – for the time being.”


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Rufus didn’t expect the doorbell to ring. Tseng didn’t seem like the type of person who got many visitors – if any. He liked his privacy, which was another reason his address in Midgar wasn’t documented in any Shinra files. Curious, Rufus walked towards the door, looking through the peephole.


“Tseng, it’s me. Open up!” A woman stood on the other side, looking to be in her early thirties. Right around Tseng’s age.


“Listen, I know you’re there. I really need to talk to you.” She seemed to look distressed. Her hair was mussed, her clothes were put on haphazardly. She was clutching her handbag like her life depended on it.


“Please Tseng. I have nowhere else to go…I’m pregnant. Howard’s looking for me, he said he’ll strangle me if he finds me. Please let me in. I promise I’ll be quiet.” This woman spoke as if she was familiar with Tseng. Rufus wondered what he should do. Tseng hadn’t told him about any women he was friendly with. On the other hand, Tseng hadn’t told him much about his own life at all – he dodged personal questions.


Deciding that this woman was sincere, Rufus opened the door, the safety chain only permitting a few inches of room.


“Tseng isn’t here right now.” He said. The woman gazed at him with teary eyes. She looked oddly familiar…


“Really? Do you know when he’s going to be back?” She looked so pathetic, sniffling outside Tseng’s door like a lost puppy. Rufus actually felt bad for her.


“I don’t know. He never said.”


“…well, do you think I could come in to wait for him? I have nowhere else to go right now. I was counting on him being home.” She was rubbing her stomach absently, probably concerned for her unborn child.


“I’m sorry. Tseng didn’t tell me he was expecting anyone, so I can’t let you in.”


“Please! My child…we can’t go anywhere else!”


“What’s your name? I’ll call him.”


“It’s okay,” She said, reaching into her purse. “I think I have my phone here, I give him a ring instead.” She pulled out a small black device, thrusting it towards Rufus. He didn’t have enough time to shut the door before a strong electrical current ran through his body. He collapsed, his vision fading quickly to black.

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“I need someone to come up here and help me.” Sasha Maksim was hissing through her phone. Howard was on the other end.


“What, now you need our help? I thought you had it under control.”


“I did,” She spat, “but he didn’t fall for the damsel in distress routine. I had to taser him through the door. Tseng’s going to know we were here – I had to break the door open to reach Rufus. I need someone to carry him out for me. Bring a damn blanket too! I don’t need anyone coming across us with the President of Shinra.”


“I thought you wanted to do this the neat and tidy way. The plan was to make Tseng confused, not give him the big blaring red signal that we came and took the President.”


“Plans change all the time. Get your ass up here and bring him to the van. I’m not going to ask twice.”


“Yes ma’am.”

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The first thing Rufus was aware of when he awoke was the pain in all his muscles. They were tight, his head ached, and he felt nauseous. He tried to roll over on his side, but he had been secured to a bed, his wrists cuffed to the wire frame. He recalled the woman at the door, begging Tseng to be let in…


“Fuck.”


“Glad to see you’re awake now. I was beginning to wonder if you suffered brain damage.” The same woman was seated across the room, looking far more different than she had been outside Tseng’s apartment. Gone was the pathetic sniffling and pleading eyes- they had been replaced with a cool, sharp stare. Something he had perfected himself.


“How did you know where I was?” He decided to ask. They had him now, he was sure. These were the people that had pulled the gun on him in the first place. She gave him a none-too-welcoming smile.


“Heidegger came up with the idea of a car bomb. Really, I don’t know why he would underestimate Tseng like that. He’s far too intelligent to fall for such an old trick.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “But I watched him. It wasn’t too hard – Tseng never expected anyone to follow him back to his home. I waited until he left before coming up for you. Figured you’d open the door to someone who sounded familiar to Tseng. It couldn’t of worked better. Now here you are.”


“Here I am.” Rufus refused to show fear, weakness. He kept his stare as icy as her own. Even if he were killed, he’d go down without giving them the satisfaction of seeing him break.


“Do you know who we are?” She asked, looking smug. Like a cat playing with her mouse. Rufus tried to come off looking bored. It was an effort though – he couldn’t read her, couldn’t tell her intentions.


“A bunch of escaped cons, disgraced and humiliated ex- SOLDIERs. I would think you’d rather bury your heads in shame instead of making such a bold statement as coming after me.”


“Big words from a small man. It is true, the men working for me are ex-SOLDIERs. Looks like you did your homework. I’m surprised you found that information so quickly. They are like the foot soldiers in an even bigger plan – useful but disposable if necessary. Just have to promise them revenge and power, and they are putty in my hands.”


“You’re the brains of this operation then?” Rufus inquired. He hoped to distract her enough so she wouldn’t notice him scanning the room, looking for any possible exits. She grinned.


“I am the head of this. Heidegger fancied himself the leader, but his ambitions always exceeded his talents.” So this was the woman pulling Heidegger’s strings. Rufus could’ve sworn he’d seen her somewhere before.


“So it begins and ends with you.” Rufus mused outloud. She laughed.


“There is no ending. As you can see, you are on borrowed time now. I am winning. It just keeps going and going.”


“My Turks will find you.”


“Oh please,” She hissed, rolling her eyes sarcastically. “Your Turks are too busy interrogating the wrong man right now. Heidegger is just an insignificant pawn in the big picture. These SOLDIERs are nothing. The only person you should be concerned with is me, and your Turks don’t even know I exist.” Where did he know her from? Rufus’ eyes narrowed. He had seen her somewhere, back before he became President.


“You’re just as power-hungry as him, and that will be your downfall.” Rufus knew that angering her probably wasn’t the best thing to do, but if this was the end of his life, he wanted to go down fighting. Instead, she laughed.


“Then I guess you and I have something in common, Mr. President.” Her copper hair, stern green eyes, severe expression…Rufus remembered.


“Sasha Maksim.” She blinked, momentarily thrown off. Probably didn’t expect Rufus to recognize her at all.


“Well, well. I guess you’re smarter than you look.” She sneered, standing. Things were starting to make sense to him now. Sasha had worked under his father. She had started as a lowly secretary, but her intelligence and ingenuity had caught the former President’s eye. She had the mind of an engineer – her weapons development projects were astounding. She wanted more from the company though – a promotion and a large financial cut – and his father wasn’t willing to pay up. Instead, she had been demoted, her ideas stolen with no credit…seemed she still harboured a grudge towards Shinra. She had somehow wormed her way into Heidegger’s mind by promising him the same power that she craved, fueling his own desire to remove Rufus as the head of the company.


This had nothing to do with Rufus. This was her way of cleansing – causing the same pain that had been dealt to her.


“You’re upset that your work had been stolen.”


“It was more than just ‘work’. The mako cannon, my series of robotic warriors…it’s what I lived and breathed for, my ideas handed down to incompetent engineers and scientists.”


“And you’re mad because my father sold you out.” She laughed, bitterly. There was more to that scenario it seemed. Rufus tested the waters.


“You were fucking him then, and he still treated you like the piece of shit you’re proving to be.” Sasha rounded on him, her cool look replaced by searing rage. She struck him across the face, Rufus’ head snapping to side with the blow. He hadn’t realized she was wearing some sort of steel knuckles – it hurt like a bitch.


“You are going to die, you fuck. Shinra’s last blood will be eradicated, and the company will come under new management. I’ll get what I always deserved.”

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