The empty beer bottle slammed down on the table with a loud thud which echoed around the deserted bar. The bartender looked up at Reno. Reno shot him a glance, and the bartender quickly went back to polishing his glasses as the toilet door opened. A tall, bald man paced out of the small restroom and sat down opposite Reno. Although he was wearing a smart blue suit and a tie, it was obvious that he was well muscled beneath his businessman-like exterior. He leant forward, his elbows on his thighs and his chin resting on his fists and looked at Reno.

"What's up, Rude?" asked Reno as he leaned back on his chair.

"What do we do now, Boss?" replied Rude, peering over the top of his mirrored shades at Reno.

"You mean now that Shinra's gone?" said Reno, with a slight grin touching the corners of his mouth. "I'm glad you asked. I've got us a job lined up. Not too risky, and the pay's good. And I told you not to call me Boss."

"Where?", asked Rude as he finished his beer.

"Kalm. The locals are having some problems that the Mayor would like us to take care of. For a fee, of course." Reno looked at Rude, who was staring down at the lager-soaked table. "Cheer up, Rude. Now that we don't have to work for Shinra, the world is ours for the taking." He looked at his watch.

"Let's go." he said.

The two men got up and made their way over to the door. Just as they got to the door, the bartender called out to them.

"Hey, you haven't paid yet!!" the portly man shouted. Reno spun on his heel and walked slowly over to the bar, swinging his electro-mag rod. He leaned over the bar until he was face to face with the barman. Beads of sweat began to tricky slowly down the fat man's head.

"Your establishment was one of the lucky few to remain standing after the meteor. If you would like it to remain that way, I suggest you forget about the drinks." Reno grinned wolfishly

"Okay, Okay, the drinks were on the house." the barman said, laughing nervously as the drops of sweat dripped onto the heavily tarnished bar top.

"Good." said Reno and he walked to the door. "Let's go." he said to Rude as he stepped out of the door and onto the dirty Midgar street.

"Yes, Boss." replied Rude, and then he too walked out of the bar. ***********

Dust billowed from behind the truck as it drove down the ghostly-quiet Midgar street. Sector 3 had almost been completely destroyed after Meteor, but there were still a few people living there, sheltering in shanty towns or living in abandoned cars. Mass graves lined the road, makeshift headstones marking the spots where people were buried where they laid. The few people that were out watched the truck suspiciously as it trundled down the road. Reno looked up from a magazine he was reading and peered out of the window. Rude remained focused on his driving, silently racking up the miles on the clock. There was a uneasy silence between the two Turks, the kind of silence that sucks all the surrounding noise into it. After about a hour, Reno suddenly grabbed Rude's shoulder.

"Take the next left." He said to Rude. Rude simply nodded and swung the truck down a narrow alley. "Stop here." ordered Reno.

The truck's three wheels came to an abrupt stop as it ground to a halt outside Aeris's church. The two Turks got out of the truck, and the slamming doors echoed around the deserted slums, returning a distorted sound to their ears.

"What are we doing here, Boss?" asked Rude. He was standing next to the truck as Reno made his way over to the church door. Reno looked over his shoulder and grinned at Rude.

"We're here to see an old friend..." he replied, then he disappeared into the church doorway. Rude looked puzzled for a moment, then hurried after Reno.

A shaft of brilliant sunlight shone through a hole in the roof of the church, bathing a patch of soil in a pool of golden light. Chrysanthemums and roses bloomed in the patch of soil, the sunlight refracting off the water on the leaves, creating miniature rainbows. Reno walked over to the flowerbed and crouched next to the flowers. He heard a noise and looked behind him to see Rude standing next to the huge door with his arms folded .Reno turned back to the flowers and caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure walking out of the back of the church, it's head down and shuffling it's feet.

"Nice flowers." said Reno, almost to himself. "I bet it's hard to grow them in this dump." The figure's head suddenly jerked up.

"Reno... Is that you?" the figure called.

"Hello, Elena." Reno smiled to nobody in particular and stood up.

Rude looked on in surprise as the female Turk stepped into the sunlight. Her blonde hair was dirty and a lot longer than the last time they had been together, but she was still wearing her Turks uniform, although it was creased and covered in mud. Her eyes looked weary, but when she saw Reno and Rude, they lit up and her mouth broke into a smile. She rushed over to them, almost stumbling on the uneven floor of the old church, and flung her arms around Reno. He returned the embrace, and they clung together for a while. Eventually, Elena released her grip and looked at Reno, as if she wasn't quite believing her eyes.

"What happened to you after Meteor?" began Elena "Were you hurt? Is Rude okay? Where have you been? What... "

"Elena," Reno butted in "you still talk too much." Elena shut up immediately. "You always were noisy..." Reno flashed her a smile, and Elena returned it, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Why are you here?" she asked him.

"I've got us a mission lined up, and we need your help."

The joy on Elena's face drained in an instant, and it was replaced by a look of guilt.

"I... I can't come." She turned away from him, her head bowed.

"Why not? "asked Reno

"Since Meteor, I did a lot of thinking. About the people we hurt or killed. The lives we ruined. The things we did. I though that now Shinra is gone, I wouldn't have to do those things again. When I was a kid, the only thing I wanted was to be a member of the Turks... Now, I just want to forget about the Turks and start again." Elena sighed and turned back to Reno. A tear began to roll slowly down her cheek. Reno reached out and took her hand in his.

"Hey, don't cry. You'll like this mission. No killing people involved." Reno assured her

"Really?" asked Elena

"Yep, We're gonna get rid of some monsters in Kalm." Reno beamed at her. "We'll be like knights in shining armour."

Elena smiled back at this. She couldn't help herself around Reno, he just made her happy. Although he put on his tough-guy act most of the time, Elena knew his good side better than most people. She knew he had done some terrible things while they were in the Turks, but they all had. Somehow, Reno made these things not feel so... bad.

"You're sure it's only monsters we're getting rid of, Reno? Going straight would suit you much better." It was Elena's turn to give Reno a smile.

"I'm sure. Now let's go. Ladies first?" He bowed theatrically, gesturing for Elena to lead the way. She giggled and walked over to Rude.

"Hi, Rude!" she said, having to tilt her neck upwards so she could see into Rude's eyes. Rude smiled faintly.

"Hello, Elena."

"Are you okay, Rude?"

"Yep."

"Has Reno been dragging you around after him as usual?"

"Yep."

Elena looked seriously at him for a moment, her eyes locking with his despite the difference in size. She couldn't tell what Rude's eyes were like behind his mirrored shades, but she suspected that they were probably displaying some amusement.

"Geez, Rude, you're still as non-verbal as ever. Loosen up!" Elena started giggling, and Rude gave a small chuckle. The two Turks looked at each other, both glad that they were back in each other's company.

"Hey!" shouted Reno, who had just walked up behind them. They turned to look at him and he put his arms around their shoulders.

"What's so funny?" Asked Reno. "Rude, you're not spreading malicious rumours about me again, are you?"

This time they all laughed as Reno led them out of the church, his arms still around them. In that moment, Elena was truly happy for the first time in a long, long time.

Elena finished combing her long blonde hair and pulled out a small mirror from her pocket. She inspected herself for a while, looking at her new hairstyle for the first time. Her short, neat bob was now replaced with flowing shoulder-length locks, which Rude had told her looked a lot better on her. She had been surprised to hear Rude say something like that, but it had lifted her spirits even higher. The truck went over a dip in the road, and the mirror fell from her hand and shattered into a million pieces which scattered around the truck. Reno looked up at her, then went back to reading his magazine. Elena turned, embarrassed, and looked out of the window of the old Shinra truck. The desolate landscape that surrounded Midgar and most areas where Mako reactors had been set up had now given way to the lush green fields that surrounded Kalm. Elena sighed to herself and Reno raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"What's up?" he asked her

"Oh, nothing." She replied "It's just that after being stuck in Midgar for so long I'd forgotten how beautiful the world is."

"You've been out of Midgar before, Elena. It's not like this is the first time you've seen the world." said Reno.

"I know, but... this is the first time I've been out on a mission that's not going to involve hurting anyone."

"Yeah, you're right, I guess. " Reno threw his magazine on the floor of the truck and laid down on a couple of boxes.

"Wake me when we get to Kalm." said Reno, and he promptly fell asleep.

A short while passed, and Reno still laid sleeping on the boxes. Elena looked over at him, then leant forward to Rude. Despite the fact that he had be driving for nearly six hours without a rest ,he still looked as alert as he has when she first saw him this morning.

"Rude," she whispered "What's up with Reno?"

"What do you mean?" he replied

"Well, he seems kinda... Nervous. He's never usually like this before a mission."

"I don't know." Rude told her bluntly.

"Is there something he's not telling me about this mission?"

"No." said Rude flatly. He turned away from Elena slightly and focused on the track ahead of him, signalling that the conversation was over.

Another hour passed for the Turks in the back of the cramped lorry, until eventually the blue-tiled roofs of the houses in Kalm appeared ahead of them.

"Reno, we're here." Elena nudged Reno in the ribs until he awoke. He sat up groggily, his uniform more messed up than usual. He wiped the sleep away from his eyes and stretched, looking out of the windscreen of the lorry. He swung his legs over the edge of the box and sat with his legs swinging beneath him as he cleared his throat.

"Okay, Turks, as our old friend Tseng would say, let's do it properly and in the manner for which the Turks are rightly famous for."

Elena could see quite clearly from the gleam in his eyes that he wasn't being entirely serious, but the mention of Tseng had brought a lump up in her throat. She quickly shook of the thought as Reno opened that doors at the back of the truck. He stood up, having to crouch slightly so his head didn't bang on the roof of the truck.

"Are you ready, Turks?" he asked with a smile on his face as he pushed a stray strand of his scruffy hair out of his eyes.

"Yep!" replied Elena as she hopped out of the back of the truck.

"Yes, Boss." confirmed Rude as he stepped out of the driver's side door of the truck and he and Elena began walking towards the entrance of Kalm.

"Dammit Rude, I told you not to call me Boss!" shouted Reno as he slammed the truck's back doors shut and set off after the other two Turks.

Elena walked through the entrance to the little town and looked around. Despite being quite close to Midgar, Kalm had been totally untouched by Meteor. The main square was deserted, and all of the doors and windows of the houses were shut, blocking out the outside world. The wind whistled through the town quietly, ruffling Elena's suit slightly and blowing her long blonde hair out behind her. Rude walked up behind her, silently as usual, and Reno was close behind him. The three Turks stood at the entrance to the town, surveying the silent town.

"Wow, it's so quiet..." whispered Elena

"Too quiet..." said Rude, his voice also lowered.

"Rude, that was the corniest line EVER! And why are you two whispering?" shouted Reno. Rude turned away, looking embarrased. Reno sighed and started walking over to the house at the other side of the square.

"Come on." He said, looking back over his shoulder

The house was exactly the same as all the other houses in Kalm, with it's blue roof and mock-Tudor front. Reno knocked on the heavy oak door, and a panel in the door slid back. A pair of dark brown eyes stared back at him.

"Whaddya want?" Asked the owner of the eyes.

"We're the Turks. We're here to see your... boss" There was silence for a moment, then the sound of a bolt being drawn back. The door swung open, and the owner of the eyes was revealed to be a short, stocky man with a bushy black beard, wearing oily denim overalls.

"Err... Hi... I'm..." Started the man.

"We don't care what your name is. Now, where is your boss?" Interrupted Reno.

"D...Down the hall, first door on the left."

"Thank you." Reno smiled to himself. Even after the fall of Shinra, the Turks were still feared and respected. Shame that we'll be the last three, thought Reno as he was walking down the hall. When he reached the room, Reno didn't bother to knock, he just walked straight in. The guards in the room immediately brought their spears up , but a man on a large sofa at the end of the room waved his hands and the guards lowered their weapons.

"Ah, the Turks have arrived!" Announced the man on the chair "Welcome!"

Reno, Rude and Elena lined up in front of the sofa, Rude and Elena standing to attention, while Reno slouched, running his fingers through his hair.

The man on the chair stood up. "Welcome! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Fillipo, ruler of these parts. Can I get you a drink?"

"No." Said Reno, flatly. "We just want our orders, then we will carry out the mission."

"Very well," the man sighed. "And I was so looking forward to entertaining guests. Oh well..."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Our orders?"

"Hmm?" Mumbled Fillipo. "Oh yes, your orders. Here they are." He handed Reno an envelope.

"Thank you. We shall begin tomorrow morning." Said Reno.

"Yes, yes, very good." Said Fillipo absently. Reno looked across at Rude and Elena and shrugged. They turned and walked out of the room.

The Kalm bar was empty apart from Reno, Rude and the bartender. Rude was sat as silently as usual, taking the occasional sip from his bottle. Reno was staring at the bar top, slowly running his finger around the rim of his bottle. The pair were silent for quite a while, until Reno suddenly sat bolt upright.

"How'm I gonna tell her, Rude?" He said.

"About the mission?" Replied Rude.

"Yeah..."

"You have to tell her soon, Reno."

"I know, I know, but... I got her hopes up. She's so happy. I can't ruin that for her..."

Rude stayed silent. Reno couldn't decide if he wasn't talking because he didn't know what to say, or if he was being tactful. Reno never could tell which of the two it was.

"Dammit!" Shouted Reno, swinging his arm. He knocked his beer off the table and onto the floor, where it shattered. Beer trickled down the cracks in the paving of the floor.

"Hey..." Said Rude soothingly "Let's get back to the inn."

Reno didn't say anything, he just got up and walked out of the bar. Rude went after him, throwing a few Gil on the bar on the way out.

Rude looked around Kalm's main square, trying to see where Reno had gotten to. All he could see in the moonlight were the houses, and the occasional piece of litter that the wind dragged across his path, pulled along by the invisible strings of the breeze. He had another look around , but Reno had vanished. Rude sighed, shaking his head, and leant against the wall. Man, I need a smoke, he thought. He pulled a half-smoked cigarette out of the top pocket of his jacket and popped it in his mouth. He patted his pockets, looking for a light, until he slipped his hand into his inside pocket and pulled out a small book of matches with the words "Icicle Inn" written on the front. Rude chuckled at the memory, especially of Elena falling down that snowdrift. He hadn't let his emotions on the subject show at the time, naturally, but Reno had used it as ammunition for jokes for months afterwards. But Rude never laughed. He never showed much emotion. But he liked it that way, or at least he thought that he did. That was just the way that he was.

He flipped open the book of matches. Only one left. He tore it out and lit it, after several attempts at the worn out sandpaper on the back. He lit his cigarette and stared at the match for a while as the flame slowly burnt it's way down the wooden stem. In the little corner, secluded between the bar and the wall adjoining it, the light from the tiny match lit the nighttime air with a brightness that Rude had only just noticed. And then the match burned out, it's purpose fulfilled, it's usefulness over. He flicked the match onto the floor, and he was just about to do the same with the matchbook, but something stopped him. He reread the name on the front of the book. "Icicle Inn." Inns, he thought. I've spent my whole life living in inns, staying in hotels, sleeping in the back of trucks. Never in the same place for two nights in a row, never meeting friends, girlfriends, wives. People that I did meet tended to end up dead, or terrified of me. There was a girl, once, but... Have I wasted my life? Rude took a deep drag of the cig, dropped it on the floor, and shook his head. No, he thought while walking back to the inn, I've done what I wanted to do with my life. All I wanted as a kid was to work as a Turk, and I got exactly what I wanted. I must have helped some people out on the way. Mustn't I? I don't know. I used to be proud of my job, of my status, but after the AVALANCHE incident, I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm going to quit. But quit what? There's no Shinra anymore, no official Turks anymore. But definitely no more jobs, especially not ones like this. I'll tell Reno as soon as this job is over. Rude looked up at the night sky, blew out the last lungfull of smoke, slipped the matchbook back into his pocket and walked into the inn.

Reno heard the door to Rude's room click shut from his room across the hall. The owner of the inn had kindly offered them a room each, on the house of course, no questions asked. Reno was glad that he didn't have to share his room with Rude. He was having a hard enough time trying to decide when and how to tell Elena, without Rude's accusing gaze on his back all night. I'll tell her in the morning, Reno decided. If she wants to leave, I'm not going to stop her. He laid back on the bed and tried to get some sleep.

Despite the resistance of the lumpy mattress, Reno had managed to get a few hours sleep. He looked at his watch. 5:37am. Sunrise. He swung his legs over the edge of the rickety bed, stood up and walked over to the window. He looked down at the sleepy little town, the deep yellow light over the sunrise washing over the cobbles of the main square, bathing the houses in liquid gold. Heh, this would make a pretty nice place to retire to, thought Reno with a wry smile on his face. The though of himself as an old man, sitting in a rocking chair surrounded by his grandchildren amused him. Grandchildren. Huh, I haven't even got any children yet. He glanced down and saw Elena standing in the town square, exercising. Reno went down to ruin her day and, probably their friendship.

"Elena!" Called Reno, from the doorway of the inn. Elena's head jerked around, her long blonde hair whipping round as she spun her head to face him. "C'm over here, I've got something to tell you..." Elena skipped over to him, beaming.

"Is it about the mission?" She asked

"Yeah, kinda..." Replied Reno, scratching the back of his head.

"What do you mean, "kinda"?"

"There's something I haven't told you about the mission" Elena looked at him, puzzled.

"If you mean it's going to be harder than expected, I don't care. I feel great!" Reno winced "Ever since you told me that we had a mission that helps people, I've... I've... What's the matter, Reno?" She had seen the look on his face, the look that contorted his face in pain every time she mentioned how happy she was.

"We aren't helping people, Elena." Said Reno.

"Wha... what? Why are we... what's going on?" She stammered. She looked up at Reno.

Reno tried to draw him self up, tried to make his words sound more authoritative. "Fillipo is a gangster, the boss to be precise. He's kicked all of the honest people out of Kalm, banished them to the mountains." His authoritative tone was not coming through at all. He continued "Some of the villagers resisted him. They're hiding up in the mountains, and Fillipo wants us to go get rid of them." Reno looked at Elena. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"But... I thought we were going to help people..." She was almost crying now. "You lied to me, Reno. I thought you'd changed! But money is still all you think about! Money and power!" By now the tears were running down her face and dripping onto the front of her jacket.

"But Elena, we needed you! And I knew you wouldn't come if I told you the truth..." Replied Reno.

"Damn right I wouldn't! I can't believe you did this to me, Reno! I'm leaving!" Elena turned and ran towards the entrance of the town. Her hair streamed out behind her like the tail of a comet as the ran, but Reno caught up with her just as she reached to town's gate. He grabbed her arm and span her around so that she was facing away from the town entrance, and facing him instead. The sun was almost all the way over the horizon now, and birds had begun to chirp around them.

"Let go of me!" She shouted. She struggled to break free of Reno's grip, but she couldn't escape.

"Elena, I'm sorry, but we needed... What was that?" Reno jerked his gaze away from hers. What had he heard? Something rustling... grass, perhaps?

"Reno, stop, trying to stall me, I'm leaving!"

"Shh..." The rustling was definite now. There was no wind around, so it couldn't be that. Reno got the uneasy feeling that he was being watched.

"What is it, Reno?" Asked Elena. She could see there was something seriously wrong. The both became silent, looking for the smallest motion. There was the sound of a door opening behind Reno. The door of the inn. Reno looked back over his shoulder to see Rude leaving the inn.

"Rude, there's something going on..." Called Reno. As soon as the words left his mouth, the scene erupted.

The rustling suddenly grew in volume, and it was accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. Reno turned his attention away from Rude and back to the entrance of Kalm. Four men were now standing there, the light coming from behind them casting long shadows that stretched the length of the town.

"The Rebels!?" Exclaimed Reno. They were wearing scavenged military uniforms and facepaint, and one of them was carrying something. Something metallic. Reno couldn't make out what it was. He leveled the object at him and Elena. Then he realized. A gun.

The next few moments went in slow-motion, a cliché, but one that's perfectly true. Reno knew that he'd never forget this moment as long as he lived. Elena span around to see what was behind him. The gun that had previously pointed at Reno was now pointed directly at Elena's midriff. She didn't even have time to gasp as the rebel leader pulled the trigger on the gun, and the crack of death echoed around the town.

The buckshot from the gun hit Elena squarely in the stomach, and she was thrown backwards into Reno's arms. He caught her and stared down as blood soaked through her white blouse. Elena looked down too, her face a mixture of confusion and pain as she clasped her hands to her wound.

"RUDE!" Shouted Reno at the top of his voice, but the other Turk was already next to him. "Hold onto Elena, and don't let her go." He continued.

Rude took Elena from his arms, and Reno stood up. He stared directly at the rebel leader, who looked confused. A gleam of something appeared in Reno's eyes. Fury? Madness? Whatever it was, he launched himself at the rebels. The one with the gun tried to fire at him again, but Reno dodge to the side, and the projectile only grazed the side of his ribs. He didn't even notice. He flung himself at the rebel leader, his electro-mag rod in his hand, crackling with 50,000 volts of pure pain. He swung the rod with all the energy he could muster as the tears of anger rolled down his cheeks. The rod connected with the side of the leader's head with a thud that could be heard in Wutai, and the man slumped to the floor. Two of the other three men began to back away, but the third started to charge towards Reno. "TORNADO!" He screamed, the vein in the side of his head throbbing. A huge gust of wind blew the man clean out of the village. The other two men turned and ran.

The leader was groggily getting to his feet when Reno hauled him up by the collar of his shirt. He swung the electro-mag rod into the man's groin, and the big man howled in pain, bent over double. Reno brought his elbow down on the man's neck, then gave him a left hook which sent him sprawling across the dirt. Reno was just about to charge at the man again when Rude jumped between them. Reno stopped, and Rude went over the leader. He picked him up effortlessly, despite the man being much bigger than him.

"Come back tomorrow." said Rude calmly, and threw the man out of the town's gates. He quickly got up and staggered away as fast as his injured body would allow. Rude rushed back over to Elena and Reno.

Reno was cradling the badly injured woman in his arms, her blood seeping through her clothes and onto his hand. Rude knelt down beside them.

"You're gonna be fine, Elena. You're a Turk." Said Reno, soothingly.

"No, I'm not." Repiled Elena, the faintest of smiles touching the corners or her mouth. "I'm going to die, and you know it."

"No, Elena..." Said Reno

"Yes, I am."

"Elena, I'm sorry, for bringing you here, for lying to you, for this. It's my fault!" Replied Reno, looked down at the dusty cobbles below.

"It's okay." Elena said, then she coughed. A small trickle of blood began to slide down the corner of her mouth, and Rude wiped it away with his handkerchief. "I'm just glad...that I got to see you... one last time..." Her breath was becoming shallow, and her body was becoming limp. The trickle of blood was now a pool beneath her. "Turks forever, eh?" She smiled and held out her hand.

Reno placed his hand in hers. "Turks forever." He agreed. A tear ran down his cheek. Rude took her other hand. "Turks... Forever". Elena sighed and smiled. "Bye, guys..." She whispered, and then she closed her eyes for the final time.

Rude filled the last bit of earth into the hole and stepped back. A light spring breeze tugged at Reno's hair as he stared at the simple tombstone. The two men stood in silence for a while, each contemplating the taking of their friend's life. Suddenly, Reno interrupted the silence.

"You know Rude, I sometime felt like a bullet in a gun."

Rude looked at him quizzically, his head cocked to one side.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"We were just a tool, an implement. We were pointed in one direction, fired, and we just kept on going. We didn't have any choice in our path in the Turks. And we always ended up hurting people." He took a step forward, placed a rose on Elena's grave, then set off down the hill towards the van.