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: Sorry for the delay! I've been on vacation this past little while, but I'm back and writing again! This is a shorter chapter - next one will be longer, I promise. Drop me a line, I'd love to hear what you think! Enjoy :)

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Chapter Nine




Tseng had made sure to inform Rufus that sometime soon he would be expecting a phone call from Heidegger. During the meeting his boss had been fishing for Rufus’ location, making it perfectly clear he was going to call the President himself to do some digging. Tseng had made sure to coach him on what to say, including Tseng’s apparent death via car bomb.

Not much later Rufus’ PHS started to ring. Tseng leaned against the far wall in his living room, watching Rufus put his game face on before answering the phone.

“Heidegger, is it really necessary to call me at this hour? I’m trying to have some peace and quiet tonight.” Tseng could almost hear Heidegger’s apologetic blather. Rufus rolled his eyes, giving his phone the finger.

“No, I haven’t heard anything from Tseng. Is there a problem?” They had both figured, after talking to Gomez as well as Reno and Rude, that the news of Tseng’s death wouldn’t be out yet. After the explosion it would take some time to sort through the rubble for human remains.

“My location is private Heidegger. I’ve said often enough in meetings that it would stay that way, so I don’t know why you can’t understand that.” Tseng had to admire him – Rufus could put just the right amount of malice in his voice. Heidegger was probably shitting his pants.

“I said I hadn’t heard anything from Tseng yet. Is that important to you? Is there something you need to tell me?” Apparently not. Soon after Rufus hung up the phone, placing it on the coffee table.

“They don’t know that you’re not dead yet, which is good. So what’s the plan?” All Tseng had been doing was thinking about the plan. Reno had made tremendous headway on the search – he anticipated hearing good news from him within the hour. Gomez had also found a few things of interest – the SOLDIERs that had gone missing on the day of the attack had shown up – in the shallow end of the ocean outside Midgar, stripped of their uniforms. Which meant severe foul play, and not from them.

Tseng had thought that the terrorists who had ambushed the SOLDIERs had disposed of them after taking their uniforms, meaning whoever had masqueraded as Shinra military weren’t currently part of Shinra. Now that it was clear Heidegger was part of this operation, it explained how the security room had been breached and the cameras tampered with. Tseng was trying to keep his mind clear, refusing to let his anger cloud his judgment or his awareness.

Right now wasn’t the perfect time for a fight – Reno and Rude, as well as himself were injured. But, when was it ever a perfect time for a fight? He had been in unfortunate circumstances before and was still living to talk about it. Reno and Rude had been to the ICU plenty of times and then out on the field the following day. What made this difficult was the fact that they were going up directly with someone who they worked with, someone who had access to Shinra information. Their boss, most importantly.

This wasn’t personal anymore. Tseng had decided that. Heidegger had sealed his own fate. The moment he had chosen to side with the terrorists and try to eliminate the President, he had painted himself a nameless, faceless target to the Turks. He was a problem that was going to be dealt with.

The immediate plan was to capture Heidegger, though after checking in with Gomez it seemed the large man had fled HQ. Rude was on it, even though Tseng knew he was suffering with a leg injury. These men were specifically chosen to be Turks though, which meant Rude could grin and bear it, if necessary. Tseng had wanted to be out there looking for him, but at the moment staying with Rufus was more important, as well as deciding the best course of action. Once Rude had located Heidegger, then he could go after him.

“What would you like me to do?” Rufus asked, staring up at him expectantly from the couch. Tseng hadn’t realized he had retreated into his mind, completely preoccupied with forming strategies for this goatfuck. Everything had to be delicate now – recklessness would result in death. That was certain.

“The best place for you is here. They can’t find you. Once we locate Heidegger, we find the people he’s working with. He’s a weak man – he won’t last through my interrogation.” Tseng didn’t need to get into detail of what he planned to do. Rufus could read it all over his body. He knew he was a dangerous man – that’s why he was specifically trusted with the President’s security at all times.

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Reno was chewing on the tip of his ponytail with frustration. Rude had been sent out, scouring the streets for Heidegger. Both Tseng and Gomez had tipped them off onto what had happened – Reno was hardly fazed by anything these days, but this? He would’ve never guessed the overweight, pompous, horse-laughing shit for brains official Turk boss would drop this low. It was actually surprising. And who in their godforsaken right mind would EVER try to mess with Tseng?

He was also aggravated, as awful as it was to admit, that they had to call right then. He had been in the middle of getting Rude in the mood for round two after their nap when Tseng had called. Business came first though – everything else could happen later.

The database seemed to be never-ending. Who knew Shinra had so many employees in its history? Most of the faces he had gone through he didn’t even recognize – testament to how little time he actually spent in the Shinra building.

Tseng had indulged in a theory while he had been on the phone with Reno, and now that he was by himself he was starting to mull it over as well. Out of everyone, Tseng knew Heidegger the best. He had worked his sixteen years under the man, and had become familiar with his strengths and weaknesses. Even though Heidegger seemed to be pulling a lot of strings, Tseng didn’t think he had the brains to head the entire operation. It all felt to clean, too calculated – two weaknesses of Heidegger’s. Which meant, according to Tseng, that there was someone smarter, quicker, and stronger pulling Heidegger’s strings. That was a scary thought. Reno chomped harder on his ponytail. If the thought of that unnerved Tseng, what the fuck were the rest of them supposed to be feeling?

He hoped if that person was out there, Rude didn’t come across him just yet. He would’ve rathered the doctors cure his partner’s leg too, but they had refused. If Rude needed to run, or worse, fight, he wouldn’t last long. He’d tear up the stitches closing the skin and keeping his muscle together, and then that would be the end of him.

Although Rude would hate for him to say anything, he had mentioned his concerns to Tseng. The boss man hadn’t told him to keep his trap shut, like his usually did – mind you, in worse terms – instead he seemed oddly agreeable. He had reassured Reno that he would be going out to work alongside Rude shortly. While that eased his mind somewhat, he also remembered that this whole thing started with Tseng catching a bullet in his fucking shoulder. Any closer to the right and he wouldn’t be the leader of the Turks anymore – he’d be six feet under. Now THAT was a chilling thought.

Leaning back into the sofa, he skimmed the profiles as fast as he could. He had told Tseng that he’d have results within an hour – whether that be positive I.Ds or nothing at all. Tapping on his keyboard, ponytail stuck between his lips, he reflected on the information they had so far.

Heidegger was involved – in a big way. There was a probability of someone controlling Heidegger, someone fast and intelligent, and obviously influential. These terrorists had managed to take out a small group of elite SOLDIERs, sneaking past Turks and guards alike and almost getting a clear shot at the President.

They had nearly killed both he and Rude, and now, Tseng. And worst part was – they were still evading their searches. That meant they had to be pretty damn good at espionage. If the terrorists had been a part of Shinra, there was only one division Reno could imagine them in – SOLDIER. And judging from all the information they had so far, they weren’t in SOLDIER anymore.

Feeling energized, Reno closed the folder of secretaries and started searching through the SOLDIER database, focusing on dishonourable discharges, deaths and imprisonments. These guys were proving to be the scum of the earth, possibly holding a grudge for Shinra. It had to mean that somewhere along the way something happened to them to make them pissed enough to want to collapse the company. With their skill level, the only place for them would be within that folder. Maybe he would have positive news for Tseng, and if so, it would provide a whole new light on the case.

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Randolph Gomez was a busy man. Shinra only called him when they needed him for high profile cases, and this was proving to be quite the one. Here he thought he could enjoy some time in retirement, only to be summoned for yet another job. Well, it wasn’t like he was obligated to go – he wasn’t chained to his work anymore, he was free to leave whenever he wished – but Tseng had called. And when Tseng asked, he agreed. The informal leader of the Turks had quite a reputation as a professional, Randolph considering it an honour to work alongside the Wutaian. If Shinra only knew what kind of a gem they had in their grasp…

In the beginning he thought it would be a simple ‘search and destroy’ kind of project. Check the tapes, find the weakness, locate the source, and then exterminate. These terrorists, who had publicly announced through the shooting that Rufus was their number one enemy, were as slippery as a fish in water. They were professional, they were fueled with hate, and determined not to be found. When he had initially discovered the loop in the security tape, he thought he had stumbled upon the goldmine of information. Not so. It was just the tip of the iceberg, and after Tseng’s phone call less than an hour ago, it was turning out to be a very big iceberg.

Heidegger. He would’ve never thought it. The man was too insignificant the majority of the time. He had all but disappeared on his radar as a threat. Sure, like everyone else who had been working at Shinra when Rufus was born, they had seen the jealousy. But it was just that – initial disappointment that Heidegger had shown, knowing he would never be in line for the presidency. Like he would be anyways – Jack Shinra was younger than him, and more likely to outlive him. No one anticipated that Sephiroth would go after the President.

He had been doing a lot of thinking on Heidegger after Tseng had informed him of what happened. While Tseng knew his boss quite well, Randolph had been an agent of Shinra’s much longer, which meant more time with Heidegger. In all his years of being employed, he had noticed a few things about him; he was power-hungry, quick to agree to a plan that would give him immediate gratification without considering the long-term effects. Because of that, he didn’t possess the intelligence that Tseng, he, or even Rufus had, his judgment too clouded in his lust for power. After working with Rude and Reno, he dared to say that even those two had the brains to tie Heidegger in a knot before the man realized what was happening.

To him that meant something bigger was at play. Someone who wanted something of the company but needed to go through Heidegger to get it. Randolph tried thinking of associates of Jack Shinra’s who were equally as power driven but far more intelligent. This person had a plan, and had chosen Heidegger specifically. The man was weak – his loyalties easily swayed. If Rufus had come to him with a better offer, chances were that he would jump into the President’s lap faster than a blink of the eye.

What he was about to do would end up in death if he was caught, but it was the only way. Heidegger had fled the building sometime between Tseng’s car exploding and getting him back to his apartment. Chances were that he wouldn’t come back to HQ until he received confirmation of Tseng’s remains in the debris. Which left his office vacant for a good hour or more. That was plenty of time for him to get in there, and search for any useful information. He didn’t bother checking this with Tseng – he had the go-ahead. Heidegger wasn’t the brightest tool in the shed, which meant somewhere, most likely in his office, he had left a few loose strings. If anyone was going to slip up this mission, it was going to be the weak link – him.

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Rufus hadn’t wanted him to leave. Tseng didn’t want to either, especially after tantalizing, but fleeting kisses. He had to remind himself that all of that could come after the mission, when he was relaxed, fed, rested. Although he wasn’t showing many physical signs, he was exhausted. He lay awake at night, guilt-ridden, feeling like all his time and attention should be directed towards the case. Not sleeping. When he did manage to catch an hour or so of shuteye, he was tortured by nightmares of Rufus losing his face to a bullet. It was better staying awake then being jolted from a dream like that, shaking and sweat-covered.

Although, when he lay awake, thoughts of closing the case weren’t always on his mind. Having Rufus so close, in his home, his domain, did little to ease his nerves. It was hard trying to maintain a constant professional manner when the object of his long felt desires was sharing his living space, looking so vulnerable but trying hard to hide it. More than once he wanted to take Rufus, to show him through the physical that he was here, with him, without actually having to say it. Because, as he had known for a long time – Rufus trusted actions more than words. All too often the young President had been disappointed with words – he trusted those who backed up their speech with doing. So Tseng had always just done it – no need to talk about it.

Now he had to do it again, this time with Rude. Reno had asked him in a roundabout way to look out for his partner, and as the head Turk, someone who they all admired, he had to watch over his men. No use promising Rude would be okay – he couldn’t, because he didn’t know. The best thing was to be alongside the bald man, combining their intelligence together and figuring out how this operation was going to go down.

In his career he had never come upon a case so involved. Usually he could quiet the criminal within the day. Not so this time – it was going on a week now and it felt like they had made next to no progress. Although, as far as he was concerned, he was still sitting on the winning side. He would be, as long as Rufus was alive and safe.

Rude was parked where Tseng had instructed. He slipped into the passengers seat, nodding at his subordinate beside him. Right now they were looking for a needle in a haystack, but so long as they were looking, they were moving forward. Sitting around meant that they were waiting for something to happen to them, and Tseng was tired of giving them the first attack.

“Any leads on Heidegger?” Tseng asked, already knowing the answer. Rude shook his head. If there had been anything, Tseng would’ve known about it before. Right now, they had to wait on Reno or Gomez to provide information, and it was frustrating. Nothing felt worse for the hunter than becoming the hunted.

“Let’s head to his apartment. He’ll return there eventually, and we want to be ready.”

“Yes sir.”


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Reno was shocked. Although he had been slightly optimistic in his search, he didn’t anticipate stumbling upon this.

Staring back at him through the computer screen were the faces of some of the men that he had seen at the meeting. That meant that the rest of the men were surely part of the same group.

Disgraced SOLDIERs, the lot of them. The men that had he had met were supposed to be in jail, locked away for the rest of their lives to rot. Men convicted of rape, murder, torture. Questionable morale. Some were even listed as dead or MIA, obviously covered up.

These men had been let out into the real world somehow, and had congregated in their hate for Shinra. They had the mutual desire to see Rufus die, to topple the head of the company. No doubt a plan of Heidegger’s as well, since he was filled with power-lust. Getting Rufus out of the way meant Heidegger would finally have his shot at Presidency. Probably would’ve worked too, but Heidegger had underestimated his own division, and now – Reno felt like he had found the advantage, the upper hand. He knew who they were. They probably thought that the Turks weren’t intelligent enough to put two and two together.

Not only that, but as of this moment they were under the impression that Tseng was dead. Until they realized otherwise, they had something big on them.

Without wasting another second, Reno fished out his PHS, dialing Tseng’s number. This had to be dealt with – and fast. Time was running out, and as soon as the terrorists – Shinra abandoners realized that Tseng’s body wasn’t in that car, they would be coming after the Turks full force.




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