Shard Aerliss sat on her sofa in her blue pyjamas, laptop balanced between her thighs, her fingers idly playing with her necklace, the last gift her partner had given her. Her other hand darted toward a small glass of absinthe, writers drink of choice. She wrinkled her nose and shuddered as the anise flavoured drink touched her lips.
"Ah, I love it when I can feel it melting my eardrums," she chortled to herself, then tapped out her words into the messenger text box.
"lol" she received in response, from someone calling themselves Aeriths_Valentine. "freak."
"Pft, love you too. Anyway, about this RP. I get Vincent, right?"
"Well nuh."
Shard grinned; her Vincent was exceptionally good, no one ever turned her down. "Almost as good as my Spike," she mused. None of her Buffy friends ever let her play anyone else. It got tiresome sometimes, but she put up with it.
"Right," she tapped out. "Well I'll join tomorrow... it's now 6am!"
"You don't have work or anything *pout*"
"No... but it's 3 in the frikkin' mornin'!"
"lol Alright, alright... go get your beauty sleep."
"Jealous?"
"lol I don't even know what you look like! Are you going, or not?"
"Yeah, yeah... just shutting down Firefox... right, night!"
Shard waited for a reply, then shut the laptop down, closed it and set it on the floor. She downed the last of the absinthe, stretched and went to the bathroom, absently talking to herself.
"Poor Vincent. I wonder how he'd feel if he knew of all the things people did to him in their fics and RPs..."
Taking up her toothbrush she looked in the mirror pushing out her tongue and giggling before plunging the minty goo into her mouth for a vigorous brush.
Her bedroom was small but cosy, and by cosy she meant messy. She had to step over an assortment of clothes and books just to get to the bed. Action figures and books adorned every possible surface. Posters and drawings of her favourite actors, actresses and fictional characters covered most of the blue walls. A large pile of plushies sat in one corner; her Plushie, Bishie Army coupled with an assortment of fluffy rodents.
"Night guys," she smiled, talking to her toys as she turned off the light and slumped into the double bed. Two stuffed animals, a white rat and a bear (her last gift to her partner) with a big red heart on its chest, sat on the pillow next to her own and she patted these on the head before cuddling them to herself. "Night you two"
"I wonder if Vincent wears pyjamas," she mumbled as she let fatigue finally take over and drive her beneath slumber's dark blanket, still fiddling with the necklace. "Does Chaos ever tear them?"
******************
Shard woke up slowly, revelling in trying to stay in that cloudy area between sleep and waking, where lucid dreaming comes as easily as breathing. She saw Cid Highwind staring down at her, she even smelt the acrid grey smoke coming from his cigarette.
"Yah gettin' up Valentine?"
Ah, it was one of THOSE dreams; role playing sometimes took its toll and occasionally Shard dreamt she was one of her favourite male characters, sometimes with scary and, frankly, disgusting results. Her own imagination was a source of personal embarrassment.
"Oi!"
Alright, so how would Vincent respond?
"Yes, Captain," she grumbled, surprised at the gravely voice that came from her lips. It's a dream Shard, nuh! "Have some patience."
Shard sat up slowly as she opened her eyes. She found herself on a small bed, in a cramped dark room that looked like it was meant to be quarters on the Sierra; all gun metal grey and pastel apricot. A door behind Cid probably led to a corridor and another set in the wall to her left most likely led to a bathroom.
Then her eyes fell on the Captain.
"Whoa!"
"Huh?"
Captain Cid Highwind was standing in front of her, wearing nothing but his goggles, trousers and boots, a blue shirt tied around his waist. Black oil was smudged on every piece of available skin, sweat glistening on his lightly haired chest. He stood legs splayed, one hand on his hip while the other rubbed through his mussy, blonde hair.
Okay, Shard thought, that's hot. Give him some clothes...
Cid only starred at her, a quizzical look in his deep blue eyes. "What yah starin' at Valentine? Ah been in the engines."
No clothes were forthcoming. Great, she thought, I'm lucid enough to know I'm dreaming but not enough to change anything. I should probably try and wake up.
Her eyes drifted over the gruff man's chest again.
Or... I could stay here.
"Gah! What the hell is wrong with yah!?"
"Nothing... nothing. Where are we?"
Why didn't she know anything? This was an odd lucid dream; maybe all that role playing had done something to her mind.
"On the Sierra."
"Nuh!"
"Nuh?"
Eugh, she mentally slapped her forehead; Vincent doesn't say 'nuh,' you idiot.
"Sorry, still half asleep."
"Hah, anyone would'a thought yah slept enough already," Cid grumbled, turning his back on Shard. "Get up and get yer ass to the cargo bay. We landed two hours ago."
"Cargo bay... gotcha!" Shard winced at her own words.
"Yah sure yer awright?"
"Yes, just..." Vincent wouldn't explain himself! "It's nothing."
"Sure," Cid whistled. "Whatever yah say. I gotta shower, see yah there."
Great, Shard thought, now I have to find my way to the cargo bay. She got up to follow Cid out into the corridor. She felt the heavy weight of Vincent's gauntlet on one hand, but a numbness beneath it. His long cloak swirled behind her, ragged and tattered. It was all very odd. As she approached the door she heard a voice, like the distant rumbling of thunder; "You are not the host."
"What?"
"Huh?" Cid turned back to her.
"Did you..."
"You do not belong."
Shard felt cold suddenly, an aching, twisting pain wrenched at her gut, as though something were trying to crawl its way out.
"Cid!" Vincent's clawed gauntlet clenched against the metal door frame as Shard lost control of her legs. "Chaos," she whispered, gritting her teeth.
She knew this scenario; she had written it twenty different ways. A battle of wills, one ancient and powerful, the other broken and afraid.
But I'm not Vincent, my will isn't broken.
Ignoring Cid's questions and his hands clutching her shoulders, Shard imagined a great wall forming around the demonic WEAPON, holding it, crushing it. She fought to keep control over her limbs and mind. It wanted freedom, and it thought with Valentine gone it could take it with ease. Shard was not so easily beaten; she could force it back down, withstand its mental attack.
It was defeated, Chaos crawled back into its slumber. It left a cold, sick feeling in her stomach, acid in her throat. A black, anguished fear crept through her mind.
He endured this? He allowed this thing to take over him for the sake of the world, each time tearing away another part of his soul, leaving its pallid sickness behind like a ghost?
"Oh, Vincent," she breathed softly, collapsing into Cid's arms.
"Shit! Valentine... damn you're heavy!"
Was this a dream? Could dreams give this wretched, empty feeling? The pain in her mind? The warm, calloused hand of Cid, checking her temperature? She could not wake up from this. It was all so real, so physical - and linear. When were her dreams ever linear? Maybe it was not a dream, maybe... but that was ridiculous, insane even. How could it be anything else but a dream? This world, these people; they were not even real!
What if they were though? In some alternate dimension? All things were possible, though some were improbable. Maybe this was real. Maybe, by some fluke of physics or...
Her hand raised idly to her necklace, to fiddle and work away her nervous energy. There was no necklace there, only red wool and black buckles.
The necklace! It had done... something.
"Vincent?" Cid's panicked tone finally broke through. "Valentine!"
"Cid?" she opened her eyes, feeling the hard metal floor beneath her back.
"Fuck, Vincent what the hell is wrong with yah?!"
Shard sat up, pushing herself away from the Captain. She raised Vincent's gauntlet to her face only to pull it away as the cold claws touched her cheeks. "I... I'm not who you think I am."
"Wha? What are you gibbering about?!" Cid was livid, but he helped Shard to her feet, frowning at a face that was not hers.
"I'm not sure how, or why, but somehow I'm in Vincent Valentine's body. I'm not him, I'm not even from this world."
"You bump yer noggin on the way down?" Cid asked, incredulous.
"No! Cid, Captain Highwind," her own rising dread gave Vincent's deep voice a touch of panic Cid had probably never heard in it. "I woke up here, on that bed. I thought I was dreaming but... Chaos. This isn't a dream."
Cid stared at the body of Vincent Valentine. Scepticism, then fear crossing his features.
"If you ain't Valentine, where is he?"
Realisation hit Shard like a brick to the face.
"Oh God! Oh no... oh shit!"
"What?" Cid looked more surprised than ever. Of course; Vincent never swore.
"If I'm in his body... he must be in my body." Eugh, she thought. This is like something from a bad eighties movie.
*********************
Vincent Valentine woke slowly, resisting the drag of wakefulness. An old habit, from his years beneath the Nibelheim Mansion. If he stayed asleep too long though, the Captain would be banging at his door, or in his room. They had probably landed already; he felt no rumbling engines, heard no background hum. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with his right arm.
No glove. He looked down at his hand in the dim light. His hand was smaller, his fingernails blue! And the gauntlet was gone! The scars too, and there was a gold signet ring on his right hand. What was this?!
His yes fled around the room; this was not his quarters on the Sierra. This was someone else's room. There were pictures all over the walls and plushies on the floor. A girls room? He stood up, searching for the light. His feet were bare, the carpet warm against his skin. He found the curtains and pulled them back. This was not even Edge. This was no town he recognised. He saw, four storeys below, a tarmac-ed road lined with shops and an inn, and not too far behind them fields and hills.
It was raining.
"Where am I?" he asked aloud, and then, when he heard his voice; "What?"
His hand, bare and pale, flew to his mouth. That had not been his voice! He looked down at his body in the light but he was draped in loose pyjamas. A mirror. He had to find a mirror.
He stumbled out into an icy cold room, not much more than a small hallway. It was lit only by the light coming through the open kitchen door. He pushed through the door immediately to his left and found what looked like a living-room. The door to his right was clearly the front door, with a chain and lock, some long heavy coats hanging on hooks. A final door lay at the far end, barely two metres away. He pushed through that and found a small bathroom; white bath, toilet, sink... and a mirror!
He pulled the light cord and stared at the face in the glass. He was looking at a girl with pale skin and freckles. Blue eyes and hair to match. He could not really tell but she seemed about Cid's height, and she was reasonably slim. At least she was wearing bed clothes.
What had happened to him? How had he got here? Wherever here was.
Perhaps he should try to find out where he was, then he could work on finding out why he was... a girl. First things first though; clothes. He wrinkled his nose; well what she was wearing was decent enough, and if he wore one of the long coats he had seen it should be fine.
Vincent looked in the mirror again, running his fingers through the blue hair that hung about his shoulders until it sat neatly. In the hall he grabbed a big black coat that jangled with keys (good) and reached his ankles. Looking down he noticed that even his toenails were painted blue. This was very strange... and he would need foot wear. That, again, was easy to find; a pair of knee length boots were on the floor behind the door.
He patted down the pockets, taking out the jangling keys and a wallet; more blue. He opened it, finding purple and green notes that he did not recognise, a bank card and photo ID. He almost dropped the wallet when he pulled out the card. He moved back into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, then at the card. It was the same!
"What is this?" he whispered, almost afraid of the feminine tone.
Vincent looked at the details on the card;
Name: Shard Aerliss
D.O.B: 26/11/1982
How old did that make her... him? He looked in the mirror again, but he could not tell. She... he was a young adult at least.
He sighed, putting the card back and returned the wallet to the coat pocket with the keys. He buttoned up the coat, finding it to be double breasted. Suddenly he felt more comfortable, covered and packed into a tight coat. He looked once more at the mirror before leaving the apartment.
Vincent opened the door out onto a larger hallway, two doors and staircase leading downwards. He knocked on the doors but got no response. Sighing softly he went down the stairs. A long hallway, with pot plants and large windows looking out across buildings and a car-park, battered by wind and rain.
He knocked on another door. This time he heard shuffling inside, he knocked again, louder this time.
"Wench, get the door!" A male voice called from inside.
He heard a female voice reply: "You get it!"
"I'm naked!" It sounded like a cry of victory.
"Eugh! You lazy sod!"
Vincent heard the man cackle and winced; it sounded a little too familiar.
"Hang on!" The woman sounded exasperated. Vincent heard her thump into the hallway of her apartment, assuming hers was laid out in the same way as the one he had woken up in. The door lock sounded and the heavy wood crept open.
"Hello?" A pretty young woman's head popped around the edge of the door, a mass of curly, rich red hair framing it. As Vincent struggled for words she continued. "Sorry, Tom's not wearing any clothes. You know he took them off just so he didn't have to answer the door?"
"Lies!!" Tom cried from the living room. "Is that Shard?"
"None of your business!" The girl yelled back. "If you can't be bothered to answer the door!" She laughed, looking back at Vincent.
These people clearly knew Shard, she was a person in her own right. He had not suddenly turned into this woman. How could Vincent start talking to them and explain what had happened? They would think he was crazy.
"I... nothing." He turned around, to go back to the apartment.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Yes. I wanted to borrow something, but if Tom is undressed it can wait."
"Oh... 'kay. See yah."
"Yes."
He waited for her to close the door before scrambling back up the stairs. He sat down in the living room, head in his hands. He would rather have Chaos than this insanity! He HAD to do something. Start with the apartment, see what he could find out about this girl, whose body he seemed to be inhabiting.
The living room seemed to be the biggest room; two three seater sofa's and a coffee table taking up two walls, a fireplace, books shelves and table covered in electronics took up the other two. His eyes roamed over the walls in the morning light streaming through two big windows that looked out onto the same road as the bedroom. There were more posters and he suddenly spotted one with some very familiar faces.
His fingers rose to the beautifully rendered image of Lucrecia Crescent. She was smiling, laughing even, walking under a cherry blossom tree. At her arm was a young Turk, short black hair and brown eyes.
"Lucrecia," he whispered. He felt his face burning, anger and fear roiling through his mind. But there was no Chaos to fight, no terrible beast to rage against, to take his mind from his true pain. "What is going on?!" he yelled, a strangled cry from a woman's throat. He ripped the picture from the wall, blue nails tearing through the paper, screwing it up and throwing it to the floor.
Was this some kind of joke? Was someone playing a horrendous prank? Was someone playing with his mind, breaking him totally to finish the work Hojo started? Was his previous torment not enough? No longer master of his own body, he had to be torn from it completely? He crumpled to the floor, pulling the paper to him. He smoothed it out, gently rubbing away the fresh creases. He lay down, his fingesr, this girl's fingers, resting lightly on Lucrecia's painted face.
Sleep; the only thing that ever brought him true peace. He would just go back to sleep.
**************************
Cid only shook his head. "Yer cracked."
"Captain listen to me!" She put her head in her palm, Vincent's head in Vincent's gloved palm. "Alright, where are the others? Reeve, Barret, Tifa..."
"If you ain't Vincent how do you know them?"
"I'll explain later. Just... I don't want to have to prove myself over and over. Where are they?"
Cid scratched his head, this was all very unbelievable. But whatever it was, he had heard fear in Vincent's voice, and he had seen him fighting with Chaos. Neither of those things were good, and both proved isomethingi was wrong.
"Fine, fine. Let me freshen up. You sit." Cid turned toward the small bathroom, grumbling to himself as he walked. Shard managed to pick out the phrases "bat shit crazy" and "brig would be good."
Shard sat back down on the bed, listening to the sounds of splashing water next door.
"Right," she mumbled to herself. "I may be stuck here for a long time, while Vincent messes up my life. Poor guy; at least I know this world.
"I suppose all I can do is try to find a way back and revel in this amazing, bonkers opportunity."
A sly grin spread across her face - Cid had not locked the door to the bathroom. It was a fangirl's dream! Oh, but the carnage after! She chuckled, but it at least gave her an idea on how to prove she was not Vincent.
Cid took only a few minutes to shower and re-dress. He returned to the bedroom, now wearing the blue shirt, his hair dripping and steaming up his goggles.
"Yah still think yer someone else?"
"Yup," she managed a grin.
Cid groaned, rubbing his stubbled face; "Right, let's find Reeve then."
"No one else?"
"They're not 'ere."
"Okay, lead the way." Shard was partly relieved to hear no one else was there. Cid and Reeve, along with Vincent, were after all her favourite characters.
The Captain led her through a small labyrinth of corridors, each almost identicle to the other. They passed many World Regenisis Organisation employees on the way, all making their greetings. So, Shard thought, if Chaos is still inside Vincent then this is before the final events of Dirge of Cerberus. But it feels like it's after Advent Children.
"Cid?" The Captain only huffed as he stalked through the dimly lit corridor. "What... I mean... how long ago were the Remnants beaten?"
Cid grumbled, but seemed to want to at least humour this strange being that looked and sounded like Vincent but spoke like an asylum patient; "Six months ago."
Right, that explained a few things. But why was she here and not in the present that was portrayed in the games? That did not make sense. Well, none of it made sense, but that made less sense. Wait, if I get stuck here... ooh not good! She looked down at Vincent's... her thigh. There was the gun, the weapon Vincent had in Nibelheim; The Quick Silver. Well, it was better than nothing...
"Hey, Reeve!" Cid's voice and the clang of machinery pulled Shard form her ruminating. They were entering the cargo bay. It was a massive open area, filled with what looked like building materials. People were moving the massive steel girders or concrete blocks under cranes and out into the open. Building work in Edge? Shard wondered.
"Hmmm?" Reeve was standing in the centre of the organised chaos, a clipboard in hand.
"Come 'ere."
"What, why?"
"Jus' do it!"
Reeve rolled his eyes. Shard knew exactly why; HE was supposed to be in charge here, but he had to let Cid have the delusion of authority, at least on the Sierra, just to make things run smoothly. The president of the WRO passed his cat puppet the clipboard, it grinned and waved at Cid and Vincent. Shard could barely resist taking the Quick Silver and shooting it in the face. Reeve would probably cry...
"What is it Captain?" Reeve stood before them, they were just inside the door. "We have a schedule to keep, you realise?"
"Vincent's gone mad," Cid poked a thumb back at Shard.
"What? No..." she put a gloved hand to her face for a moment, again resisting the urge to shoot something. "I am not mad."
"Says he ain't Vincent, claims he's from some other world or somethin'."
Reeve eyed Shard cautiously, and she noticed that, even now, he hunched and looked as if someone might punch him at any moment. She had thought it just bad graphics or character design, but no, he really did cower.
"Just hear me out, okay?"
"Very well..." Reeve did not sound like he would believe any of it.
"First, can we go somewhere a little... quieter?"
Cid threw his arms in the air and marched back out again, grumbling about his cigarettes. They did not travel far, only to an empty locker room.
"So what is this all about?" Reeve asked, sounding irritated.
"I told yah; Vincent's gone mad."
Shard rolled her eyes; "Stop saying that! Listen, Reeve," and her words tumbled out in a pleading torrent. "Last night I went to bed and woke up in Vincent's body. I thought it was a dream, but it's clearly not. I'm not Vincent Valentine, I'm not from this world. I don't belong in this place, in this body... and that idiot won't believe me."
"Because it's insane!"
"Can you prove any of what you say?"
Thank you! Shard thought, remembering that, beneath that timid exterior lay a scientist, a robotisist of the highest degree. His mind was sharp and logical, even if he did use it to create annoying, cat-like puppets.
"I can try," and then she smiled. There were other things she could do; take off the gauntlet perhaps. Nothing would hammer the truth home as hard though. So, which one to choose? Both of their reactions would be priceless, and catching either of them was a dream. Reeve would probably pass out, Cid might just floor her. It would be worth it though. "Cid?"
"Hm?"
"Come here, stand in front of me."
Cid growled and stomped in front of her. He was short, very short compared to Vincent. Shard did a quick mental flick through their bios; Vincent was six foot, five inches while Cid was only as tall as her own body, coming in at five foot, eight inches.
"You're so short," she said, and while that took him off guard she grabbed the back of his neck pressing her lips to his. For a moment, a brief moment, Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind kissed, Vincent's gauntlet gripping the others wrist as the Captain scrambled to get free. Vincent's gloved fingers curled through Cid's blonde hair, still damp from the shower. Vincent's strength held the Captain fast as the gunners lips worked against the dragoons.
Slasher heaven! Shard thought before letting him go.
Cid spluttered, too astounded to even form words. Shard bent over double, laughing so hard she thought she might burst. She managed to snatch a look at Reeve's horrified face, which only made her laugh harder. The sound of Vincent laughing was probably the rarest sound in the world, and it seemed to frighten his long time friends and allies.
"What in the name of all that is Holy on this great green Planet is wrong with you!?" Cid finally managed to shout.
"Oh, oh that was funny," Shard tried to catch her breath, holding her side with one hand and bracing herself against the lockers with the gauntlet. "You... oh... you're face! Oh, I think... I think I'm... dying. That was so... so funny! Oh... can't breathe!"
"Vincent?" Reeve asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Look," Shard was breathing easier now, though every time she looked at Cid's grimacing face another bout of laughter burst through. "I told you... I'm not Vincent. Would he... would he ever do that?"
"Well..."
"No!" Cid raged. "No he damn well wouldn't!"
"See," she pointed at Cid. "I told you."
"Alright, fine," Cid's fingers rose to his goggles, he growled when he realised there were STILL no cigarettes up there. "Who are yah? And where are yah from?"
"And how did you get... inside Vincent?"
Shard wiped the tears from her eyes, now able to stand straight. "All I can do is tell you what I know, and it ain't much. My name is Shard Aerliss, female," she winked at Cid. "I'm from a world... another dimension. I think, I don't know but I think a necklace I have may have had something to do with it. I was thinking about Vincent as I fell asleep, playing with the necklace. Maybe it's... I don't know. Magic?"
It was plausible, and the people of this world dealt with magic all the time. Magic and science were intertwined on Gaia. Shard knew she would at least have a better chance of making the people of this world believe her than Vincent would have trying to convince the people of her own world. Her friends would lock her up! IF she got back, she was going to get back to a ruined life.
"Magic? Perhaps," Reeve mused. "The necklace is not with you though?"
"No, Vincent will be wearing it. I mean, in my body."
"Then if he thinks of returning, and 'plays' with the necklace he may return here and you to your own body."
"I hope it's that simple! I do NOT want to be stuck in this body for the rest of forever."
"Wait," Cid cut in before Reeve could continue his questions. "Yah said yah were thinkin' o' Vincent. But you ain't from this world? How'd yah know about Vincent?"
"Eugh," this was going to be difficult. "In my world all of this, this world, it's people and history, are fictional. We have games and movies and books based on your lives. You're the heroes of a massive franchise."
Cid screwed up his face, no questions were forthcoming though. Shard continued; "I know more about Vincent than he probably does himself. I know a lot about you, Captain, and some about you too Reeve, at least your adult lives. Cloud, Tifa, Barret... all of the AVALANCHE team. I know Rufus is alive..."
"Ah!" Reeve put a hand up to stop her talking. "Shush! How do you know about that? No one outside of our friends and the Turks know about that."
Shard pushed his hand away; "I just told you!"
"Fiction?" Cid coughed.
"Yes," she looked at them both, her fanfic writer's mind wondering about the intensity in the crimson eyes she now wore. "Fiction. And right now Vincent is probably bewildered at finding pictures of himself on my walls. Games that feature your lives on my bookshelves."
Reeve put his hand up to silence Cid; "We have to believe him... her. We have no evidence to contrary and she did... well..."
"Don't remind me. And you!" he pointed at Shard. "You breathe a word of that to anyone and I'll break both yer legs!"
"Not a word," she snickered. "I swear."
"You know this world?" Reeve asked. "You know Vincent well, you can fit in here?"
"Well enough, why?"
"We cannot let people know that... that you are not Vincent Valentine. Can you... pretend?"
"Pft. No offence but your friend is a brooding, silent emo. I can barely go five minutes without talking to myself!"
"Just in public, and you won't have to spend much time with people."
"Alright, I can agree to that." It would be fun at least; role playing, really role playing, as Vincent Valentine.
"Can yah use his pea shooter?" Cid asked, nodding at the gun on her thigh.
Shard looked down at the large lump of steel and iron. She was a pretty decent shot on computer games, but this was different. And could she shoot at animals, at people? She worked her fingers into the holster, pulling the gun out with ease. She held it up, eyeing the sight.
"Got a target?"
Cid glanced around for something to shoot at. He pulled an empty coffee cup from the rubbish bin and placed it on top of the lockers at the farthest end of the room. Shard did a quick mental count; eight metres, there about. She sighed softly and took aim. It seemed simple enough; aim, breathe, squeeze.
She followed her own instructions, a hundred action movies filling her mind with the perfect way to shoot.
Bang!
"Shit!" It was loud indoors!
"Yah hit it!"
"Not perfect," Reeve commented. "But it will do."
"Pft," Shard holstered the gun. "Better than I thought it would be. I guess this body is just... aligned or something. It's been training and using guns for decades. In a way."
"And the rest?" Reeve looked at her and she saw fear in his eyes.
"You mean Chaos?"
"I mean all of them; Gallian, Death Gigas, Hell Masker... and Chaos."
"She's got as much control over 'em as Vincent has," Cid answered for her.
"And there is no chance in Hell I am letting them reign while I'm in this body," she shuddered, wrapping Vincent's cold limbs around her self. Just the memory of that brief horror was enough to send shivers through her whole being; body, mind and soul.
"What now then?!" Cid asked, leaning on the lockers.
"We carry on as normal," Reeve answered. "Shard spends as little time in public as possible until we can find a way to get her back and return Vincent."
"So you just march yer ass back to Vincent's quarters; stay there and stay quiet."
"I don't think that is a good idea," Reeve countered.
"And why not?"
"This is an official WRO mission. Vincent was here to protect the workers. If he does not show; people will suspect something is wrong."
"And anything wrong with Vincent is usually bad news, right?" Shard asked.
"Exactly."
"What? Yah think yah can protect the work site?" Cid glared at Shard, hostility bubbling just below the surface of his words.
"Hey, I didn't do this! I didn't ask for this to happen. The idea of being trapped in this body is... horrifying. So just back off, Captain."
Cid made no reply.
"Sorry. I know you're worried for Vincent, but I assure you; he's safer in my world than he ever was in this one."
"But he doesn't belong there!"
"Captain," Reeve cut in hesitantly. "There is nothing we can do right now to change matters. We must work around them." Cid only huffed. "Shard, Vincent;s presence is required at the building site. There is only a slight possibility of attack; our own teams have been clearing the area. Vincent was to be there more to make the builders feel safe than anything else."
Shard nodded, thinking that though scary and potentially very dangerous; the chance to spend some time out in the open, on Gaia, was too great to miss.
"Captain?" she looked to Cid for agreement.
He grumbled, running his fingers through his damp hair; "Ah guess it's the only option."
"Okay," she felt for the Captain. As much as this was all frightening for her, especially if it was permanent, it was also exiting. Cid though; he may have just lost his friend, perhaps his best friend. For now it was as though Vincent were dead and something else was wondering around in his skin.
"I can just find a high spot," she continued. "And keep watch. If nothign else I can give an early warning."
"Agreed."
Shard started to follow Reeve out of the room but turned back at the door. Cid was leaning on the lockers, arms crossed, staring at the floor. There was nothing she could say to him now. Just let him alone and speak with him later, she thought and continued after Reeve.
The sun was high and bright in the clear sky. Shard stared at the skeletal frames of the buildings, the cranes and massive cement mixers. Men and women milled through the grounds like so many worker ants, all busy with their own tasks. They nodded hello, but did not bother her more than that.
"Can I leave you to it?" Reeve asked. "I have work to do. I will send Cait Sith up to you later; he will have some questions and basic scans to do."
"Eugh, must you?"
Reeve gave her a quizzical look. He seemed to be preparing himself for a berating.
"Nothing, sure... get back to your work."
He smiled cordially and left her alone. She watched as his puppet skittered up to him, returning the clipboard.
"It's going to be difficult to resist the urge to shoot that thing," she sighed, searching the are for a good look out. The building work was being carried out below a large rise; a rocky promontory that curved around a small section of Midgar. "That was easy. Now; how to get up there..." she grinned; Vincent was bouncy! But if she failed, if she fell; there would be a lot of witnesses.
She glanced quickly about her. Everyone seemed quite preoccupied with their work; hopefully no one would notice.
"Oh well, here goes."
She looked up, searching for a ledge half way up the cliff face. There was a perfect one, about three storeys off the ground. Vincent could leap to that, surely. There was only one way to find out; taking three long, running steps Shard jumped.
She was sailing through the air, Vincent's body automatically adjusting itself for the landing - which was perfect. Now perched on the ledge, Shard held in a whoop of joy. Grinning from ear to ear she turned to look at the ground, over eighteen feet below her.
"That," she whispered. "Was awesome."
Giggling she looked up, ready for the next leap. It was as simple, graceful and easy as the previous one. She was going to miss this if she ever got back into her own body. She had work to do right now, could not think about getting back - or not. She sat down on the edge of the cliff, gun in her lap and watched the horizon for beasts.
This was going to be dull.
She watched the people below go about their business; erecting more frames, adding the flesh and innards to them.
Boring.
She turned her eyes to the old city; Midgar. Silent, massive and majestic. No one lived there now, it was just ruins; ruins infested with beasts and monsters.
"Heh, monster."
A trigger word, one used by so many fanfic writers; monster, beast, demonic. These were all plot devices used to bring about Vincent's flashbacks, his painful memories. Everyone loved to read about Vincent's suffering; torture, psychological damage, rape. He had been put through all that and more in the fandom writings.
Shard looked down at her hands, at Vincent's hands. She flexed the fingers of the gauntlet, wondering what was beneath the metal and cloth. She was trapped in this body, and for how long? A day? A week? A month? Should she look? Should she find out what really was under there? So many fans had speculated, had written about it or drawn their visions. It was a real arm, that she was sure of; the evidence was in Dirge of Cerberus. Was it really scarred? Or mutilated?
"Poor Vincent," she whispered, tearing her eyes from the gauntlet to return to keeping watch. "You didn't deserve this."