@rcdwrxck [plotted starter]
I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND FIX IT. How many times in his life has Rude thought these exact words? It was never possible, of course, and the only choice he was left with was to accept his failures and move on. Improve, be better next time, leave nothing to be fixed. He never imagined that the day he finally would be able to go back, he would do so to fix a mistake that wasn’t his. Not that he feels innocent in all this. He played his part in the destruction of their planet and perhaps that is why he volunteered for this task without hesitation. So what if it kills him? So what if he’ll never get to see the future he risks everything for? It’s a price he is willing to pay - he owes that to the planet, and to everyone he fought alongside in the last few years.
The device they built is scary, but Rude tells himself failing this mission is scarier than anything else. It looks wild, unfinished, experimental - but they tried it, and it worked. There is always a chance something goes wrong, obviously, always statistics to consider - but Rude chooses to be optimistic this time. There is no such thing as an impossible mission.
He took his time to say his goodbyes the night before. It’s strange, knowing he’ll see them all again where he is going, but none of them will remember what they mean to him. He tries not to think about it too much, tries to keep his head in the game. The bigger picture is more important than any one of them. There is one ray of light in all of this, at least, but Rude is determined not to let it distract him from what he has to do. (Even though it’s perhaps the one thing he’s dreamed of more often than saving Gaia.)
The journey is fast but uncomfortable. It leaves him motion sick and he topples over and throws up on the ground as soon as he feels solid ground under his feet again. If it wasn’t for the absence of those who sent him off Rude wouldn’t be sure that it worked at all. He still doesn’t know if he arrived at the right time, of course, but he arrived sometime. The difference in the very air around him is overwhelming. No scorched earth, not black toxic smoke, no fiery hail falling from the sky. Everything is peaceful, quiet, alive. It fills him with shame to think that he once took it for granted.
Rude finally gathers himself enough he can get back up on shaky legs. He starts walking, his steps growing steadier with every one he takes. Soon he will know if their plan worked and he landed in the right time. If not, there might still be a way to do what he came for, but he’s really hoping he won’t have to make use of plan B. His steps lead him down a narrow path between the rocks into the valley below. When the first towers and roofs of the Forgotten City come into his view he sighs in relief, and with new-found strength he speeds up his steps. If the city is there, in this state, he is not too late. They did it.
As he gets closer he hears distant voices and his heart beats a little faster. They’re here. Slowing his steps and preparing to hide he continues to walk until he reaches ground level. By now the ShinRa helicopters are impossible to miss in front of the derelict buildings, and for a moment he’s overcome by a touch of nostalgia. Those used to be his people; the people he trusted most in this world. And now..? He wasn’t there for this mission, only knows of it through archived reports, but he learned all the details of it by heart. He had to.
Rude spots Elena standing next to one of the helicopters, the classic Turk suit forming a sharp contrast to her fair hair. Even those suits Rude doesn’t wear anymore. They’re not good enough to protect him in the world he comes from, not strong enough to keep out the heat. He’s in thick dark pants and a brown shirt, the gloves Tifa gave him, and his neck, shoulders and half of his face are covered by a beige linen scarf. His sunglasses have long since made way for a pair of goggles that can actually protect his eyes, covering the other half of his face.
A voice in the distance calls something Rude cannot make out, but it pulls him back into the moment. He is wasting precious time and he cannot afford that. Sneaking forward using half collapsed walls and rocks as cover he moves closer to the helicopter. If Elena is out here, that means Tseng must be inside, with Rufus no doubt. It isn’t Rude’s first choice but as he moves behind the helicopter, still unnoticed, he sees an opportunity he’d be stupid not to take. A few well-placed silent steps lead him right behind Elena, his arm curling around her neck while the hand of the other falls over her mouth and nose. She fights valiantly in his grasp, but he has the element of surprise on his side, and he is physically stronger. (Not to mention that they’ve both had similar training and he beats her in experience in the field.) Once she stops moving he gently lowers her on the ground, putting her down into the sand.
“Sorry..” he whispers, regret true in his voice.
When he looks up, his heart skips a beat (or two). Before him, a few feet away, stands the one person he equally hoped to see and not see. Red hair swaying in the gentle breeze, his rod casually resting over his shoulder like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Rude is facing his back, but even while he is looking Reno starts to turn around--- and Rude reacts a moment too late. With Elena lying there it won’t look good for him, and fighting Reno will cost him more time than he is willing to spend on this. He ducks away and tries to hide behind the helicopter, only for a moment, before he runs further back and ducks behind one of the crumpled walls. His heart is still beating wildly but it’s not the fear of being caught that drives it.
