LEFT BEHIND

Authors Note:
This story is being edited mainly for grammar and hopefully more coherent as well. April 10/10
Thanks to all of you that reviewed to the original flawed text.

Summary:
Reno is missing in action after being sent on a simple scouting mission. Old relationships that were deemed unimportant are causing havoc in the recovering world...specifically Shin-Ra.

Prologue: Missing Turk

June 16 -- Tseng Office — 5 pm

It had been two weeks and Reno had only given him one report was back and it was a pathetic one at that. Reno was never good with his reports and often late with them. He was usually got all excited over the initial discovery and sent a quick email or note but never good with the follow-up. He was often late by a couple of weeks on the following documentation. He often griped about the amount of time it took away from doing the fun stuff.

Tseng looked at the picture of the woman that was in the file on his desk. It was a picture of when the target was seventeen. She had been just a kid during the time of the Wutai war. The picture looked like a mug shot. She had not been known for her warm personality.

Her name was Lira, a woman who was in charge of a Militia group for a small town that was on the edge of Wutai. She got the job because she was good at what she did, even at such a young age. Lira and her brother, Lore, had been the ones responsible for keeping the town of Bearnin safe.

When they had arrived, they had made the wrong assumption that her brother was the Commander, but she set them straight rather quickly on that. She had proven rather quickly that she was not just a figurehead for the town, because she was the mayor's daughter.

Her hair was long and dark which she wore loose around her shoulders and draped down her back. She had worn thick sunglasses that she had refused to remove, much to the distaste of the SOLDIERS, Genesis and Sephiroth. She was a good Commander, if he remembered correctly. A very capable young woman, despite her young age and she had proven to be invaluable to their mission. He had even tried to recruit her to become a Turk but she had refused.

"Sir?"

He looked up at Rude who was standing across from the desk. "Has there been word back yet on Reno?"

He looked at the concerned black man who was adjusting his sunglasses again. It had been two weeks and Reno was only supposed to be gone a week.

"I have not heard yet," Tseng said simply as he looked at the files on his desk. All Reno had sent was a text message stating that the target was located and was going to observe more before reporting back. He had sent a picture back to him, showing a picture of Lira. She was older but he could see that she had not changed much since he last saw her. She had been wearing the same militia uniform and in the picture he saw Lore, her twin brother at her side. He could see that she was a woman now and he could feel the threat and danger of her even in the grainy camera phone picture.

She was obviously still the Commander.

He didn't doubt that she now held her role through fear.

She was a very unusual and dangerous woman. Someone, that he should have kept a stronger eye since they left that town. He was regretting counting on scouts and was sure that none of the ones that had made it back had reported correctly on the situation there.

"Sir?"

"An extraction is being organized," Tseng said. "If nothing else, we will kill her to end this nonsense."

"I will be joining this mission."

Tseng looked at the big man. "Of course."

Tseng himself planned to go on this one.

Lira was too dangerous.

The first five scouts he sent had come back but they had reported nothing. He believed them too. The next couple, he was beginning to doubt there sincerity in what they were reporting back, to the point where he interrogated the last one.

Lira had definitely had an influence on him, even though, as he broke, he found that there was no new information to be gleaned.

The last two did not return, which was why he had sent Reno. He needed a trained man to check on Lira and find out why she did not want the scouts to return. He did not suspect that Reno could not handle the simple observation of Lira. He knew how to stay out of the lime light when it was required.

"Where is the extraction mission, sir?" Rude asked.

"Bearnin. A town on the edge of Wuitai." Tseng frowned heavily. "We will leave tomorrow at noon."

Rude just nodded and left the room without waiting for any further instructions.

Tseng sat down at his desk and picture again. There was no emotion on her face. Not even the anger that he remembered spouting out of her mouth on a constant tirade when he last had dealings with her. Of course, she had sent her anger mostly at the two First Class SOLDIERs who were there on the scouting mission.

He had hoped that her anger was just something of youth, but he was beginning to doubt that with the disappearance of one of his Turks.

His phone rang and he looked at the name of the caller.

He was not looking forward to this conversation with Rufus about this latest development.