Elena's pleas were in vain. Both Rufus and Tseng knew they couldn't do anything to help their comrades. They hadn't escaped the shooting and they weren't out when the fire started. There was no saying if they were dead or not, no one had seen them. But that was the thing no one had seen them, they could be anywhere… dead or alive. They had been a team, but now they were nothing. Nothing to hold them together, just two subordinates and a boss. Reno had always declared "once a team, always a team" but without the two of them it would never be the same. A large crack echoed in the night as another beam snapped and another floor collapsed into the flames. It was only a matter of time before the entire building fell to the ground. It was too much, the thought that Reno or Rude could have been on that floor, could have fallen with the floorboards, fallen to their death into the fire was all too much to bare and the tears she was holding back flow freely down her face. Taking both men beside her by surprise and made it all the harder for them to hold their own tears and live up to the so called "man hood". Her wails grew louder as a few shinRa executives stumbled out of the fire and she saw that her teammates weren't with them. Tseng just stared ahead, he couldn't look at anyone, he knew he couldn't handle it. Rufus had been so caught up in his own emotions he hadn't noticed who was around him and who wasn't until his head suddenly shot up in horror
"Scarlet! she still inside! I just left her behind… oh what have I done"
"Fools, what have you done now?"
Vincent Valentine stood watching the mayhem from a distance. It had been thirty years since he had last been there and to see it up in flames was almost a joy to him, but yet when he saw what was left of the Turks it made him feel almost sorry for them. He knew what it was like to loose everything he had. And to loose someone close to him, and having been one he knew how close the Turks were. Once a team always a team. But he couldn't help but remember that his team hadn't come for him, and if the two's stuck in the building didn't, no one would. The Turks always say they'll go to any lengths for a team mate, but they never do. It's all an act. Make them seem like more then they are. It made him wonder if there were two Turks waiting for their team mates to complete there constantly declared promise. Waiting for people who were never going to come, it was then he realized they shouldn't wait in vain. Once a team always a team.
Vincent walked quickly forward, and past the trio in front of the building. He ignored Tseng's confused calls, as he strained to make himself heard over Elena's piercing cries. He only faltered when he heard Rufus yell to him, asking him what the hell he was doing, going into a burning building.
"I'm doing the one thing you imbeciles promised your teammates you'd do for them because you can't bring yourself to do it. You claim that once you're a team you're always a team but, when it comes down to it you wouldn't put your conceited selves above them and risk your own skin for theirs. Hmph you make a fine team. Now I'm not doing this because I want to, but because your team mates don't deserve to die alone because you're a bunch of cowards."
His remarks caused Elena's cries to momentarily cease in shock. And Tseng began to shout to him but Elena shut him up and managed to mutter
"Please, just make sure they get out! I don't what we do if they….if they…"
She collapsed into another fit of tears unable to finish and buried her face in Tseng's shoulder, he stiffened at her touch but let her stay where she was. And somehow a single tear managed to break free of his emotionless gaze and fall down his cheek, he quickly brushed it away, but it left a stain on his face, a stain that proved no matter how much he tried to hide it… his heart was in the right place.
Vincent didn't respond to any of it and walked up what was left of the stairs and into the building.
As soon as he had entered the building, amid the smell of smoke and ash he could smell the sharp tang of blood. And wondered if this was even worth his efforts, or if the Turks in question were even alive anymore. Each hall seemed different from his memory, and each door seemed to lead somewhere new.
"Renovations huh, you'd think I would have guessed that….its been thirty years"
Looking around he realized that there was only one door that was passable
'If they are behind any of the other doors… may they die peacefully without resentment to their teammates forsaking them?"
Vincent turned to the only door not on fire or unusable and stepped back. He quickly kicked it down in case there was any fire waiting on the other side. He saw none but was hit by the smell of blood that was so strong he had to back up from the door. He lifted his good hand to his face as an attempt to block out at least some of the smell. He stepped into the room, and almost immediately regretted it after seeing what awaited him. There were ShinRa executives lying all over the room, some had been shot and were dead where they lay, eyes still open staring at nothing, mouth frozen in the scream of horror that had barely escaped their lungs before death silenced them, blood still red on their clothes as if the shot was only recent, and the splatter behind them still dripping. Others were writhing on the floor from either a shot that hadn't yet claimed their lives and some severely burned past recognition. Their cries echoed around the room as they waited to die, waited for the end that was taking so long for to come. Vincent tried to get through the room as fast as he could, not wanting to look at the men he knew he could never save. He had almost made it through until a hand grabbed his leg; he looked down to see a man looking up at him. His eyes were screaming for help even though he wasn't making any noise himself. He had a bullet wound in the chest and Vincent knew he wouldn't last another 10 minutes. He shook his leg trying to shake the man off, the man was so weak it didn't take long for him to let go and collapse to the ground and lay still. Vincent ran forward and out of the room.
"Damn two doors… these Turks should come with tracking devices."
He looked at the door to the left about to go through it and stopped… it was that door… he knew that door, and what lay behind it.
"I hope he dies in that basement, a long painful death"
Turning away from the door he went to the other one. He lightly touched the handle to make sure it wasn't a blazing fire behind it; it was warm but not hot so he threw the door opens to find a woman with long hair lying face down on the ground, with a thin trail of blood leading from under. And a man with long red hair in a ponytail was kneeling beside her looking worried, he was screaming at her trying to get her to respond… trying in vain.