Chapter Summary:
Finding out the creatures you play grudging host to are in heat is never fun. Being forced to let a not-so-mad-scientist poke you with needles and request all kinds of samples from you is even less amusing. It can always get worse, though.
—
Vincent entered his apartment and locked up behind him before going to the kitchen and storing the leftovers on the fridge. He took a bottle of water and drank half of it in a single go, groaning in relief as the cold liquid helped ease his fevered state. Chaos, whom he'd taken out of mute on his way back to headquarters, insisted they didn't have a fever but Vincent refused to think of it as being in heat. The idea was preposterous, particularly when taking into account the prospect of having Sephiroth as the target of his mental roommates' rampaging hormones.
Pressing the cool bottle against his forehead and sighing deeply, Vincent made his way towards his bedroom. Too tired and agitated to even think about changing into his pyjamas, he just kicked his shoes off and fell heavily on his bed, draping an arm over his eyes while switching the bottle to his neck.
All right, then, he told Chaos. Let's hear everything you know about this.
Like I said, it's soon Galian's mating season. It has a lot to do with what you said before about us not having physical bodies of our own. When you transform into us, we take over your body by replacing some of your DNA with ours, basically rebuilding it to suit the information in our cells. The fact that you have those cells is what allows the transformations to take place. Over the years you've learned to control them and, together, you and I have been able to keep Galian mostly dormant. But that only goes as far as his consciousness, such as it is. By controlling him, we've decelerated the rate at which his cells, and therefore his hormones, usually worked but there's no way to control the intrinsic biological mechanisms within the cells.
You're telling me that it was bound to happen no matter what, that we only delayed the inevitable.
Precisely.
What about you, then? You said you're nearing your mating season, too, but that it's Galian's fault?
I am a Weapon created by the Planet with a very specific purpose. I have no need or reason to mate, therefore I have no mating season. At the same time, however, I'm nothing more than a bunch of cells invading your body and a high-level consciousness sharing part of your headspace. Physically, I'm closer to Galian than to you, so he can affect me in more direct ways. That being the case, his chemistry has altered mine in order to bring his needs to the fore.
So he's using you to act on his impulses?
Yes. I suppose that, on some level, he knows you'll never let him out to mate. He must also know that I wouldn't intercede on his behalf, either. But if I'm the one feeling the urge…
Then you'd have plenty of incentive to talk me into it.
Precisely.
For a base life form, he's turned out to be a manipulative son of a bitch.
Hn.
Vincent sighed and drank the rest of the by now barely cool water from the bottle before tossing it into the garbage can next to his bed.
What about Sephiroth, then? Why him?
Ah. Like I said, I am not entirely sure. All I know is that, throughout dinner, Galian got really restless. It actually started when you called Sephiroth to let him know you'd be late—it was like his voice woke Galian up. Then, on the way to the restaurant, he got increasingly frisky. That's why your hands started getting warmer. The fact that Sephiroth showed interest in befriending you got him so excited that I almost lost control over him.
Vincent frowned and sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard. I didn't feel any of that.
I disconnected for a while so we wouldn't interrupt. It was around the time you started feeling warmer, so that's why you didn't feel anything. Once I realised what it all meant, I stepped up to let you know what was going on.
I see. But… I was feeling feverish before I ran into Sephiroth on the elevator.
I know. I was asleep then, and so was Galian—that's why he didn't react to Sephiroth then. What you were feeling was just the beginning of the symptoms.
Vincent nodded and took a moment to gather his thoughts for a moment when something else occurred to him. Wait. Why does Galian want to mate with a male?
Chaos took a moment to think about it. I really don't know. It makes no sense if we think about the core purpose of mating. Then again, I don't think there are any female specimens of whatever species Galian is.
I doubt he knows or even understands that, Vincent mused. He decided that trying to make sense of any of it without hard data or facts would get him nowhere so he switched to the practicalities of the issue. Is there any way to stop the process?
I don't think so, but perhaps you should talk it over with Professor Faremis.
I'm sure that'll go over well, Vincent said, clearly annoyed. 'Hey, guess what? Galian is in heat and he gave it to Chaos, who in turn will give it to me. Want to know what the best part is? Galian's got the hots for your adoptive son.'
You could just leave Sephiroth out of it, Chaos said, unable to contain his amusement at Vincent's snarky comment.
I will, if I have any say in it. I will not taint him by letting Hojo's work get the best of me.
Permission to speak freely without you threatening to rip me apart?
Granted. But thread lightly.
While I admit that this situation is quite disgusting, I think you should reconsider his offer for friendship.
Explain yourself before I decide to find out if ripping you apart is actually possible, Vincent said testily.
I don't know why you told him about the protomateria, but other than the Turks and the few higher ups that need to know, you'd never brought that up with anyone. You agreed to go out for dinner with him instead of scheduling a meeting during office hours to discuss work related affairs. You care about him and want to make sure he's safe and has a happy life. Wouldn't that be easier to do if you were actually a part of said life? I know you have little hope that we'll find a way to fix the protomateria but whatever ends up happening in that regard, we still have a long way to go before it becomes a real problem. That's a long time to be emotionally cut off from the world, Vincent.
The gunman took a deep breath and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his arms.
I know. But while I don't allow guilt to render me useless, I haven't found a way to completely let go. You know that, Chaos. And you know that what I told Sephiroth is true: every time I look at him I am reminded of my failures and shortcomings. It reminds me that, in spite of my best efforts, things can still go horribly wrong.
Except he ended up remarkably well.
Not thanks to me. Gast—
Gast was part of the original Jenova Project, Chaos interrupted. He started it all, Vincent. And when he realised he was wrong, he left instead of staying to set things right. Through his inaction he allowed Hojo the room he needed to experiment to his shrivelled heart's content. Gast could have prevented things from reaching the point where you were forced to try to step in. He's not a saint, Vincent, just like you're not a sinner. If he found a way to turn his mistake around, at least partly, you can find a way to shed your guilt so you can truly look after Sephiroth.
And you're not just saying this because of Galian's influence, right?
Chaos laughed, causing a small smile to form on Vincent's lips.
Yeah, don't even answer that, Vincent said. All the same, I don't think it's a good idea to consider it now. At least not until we know if there's any way to stop this stupid mating season thing or at least take Sephiroth out of the equation.
As long as you agree to consider it.
I do. Now, anything else you can tell me? Like when will it become more than hot flashes or how long will it last?
I'm sorry but I really don't know. I'll try to keep it under control for as long as I can but…
Vincent sighed and switched off the lights before settling down to sleep. I'll talk to Gast about it tomorrow. Hopefully he'll have a clue as to what to do.
Hopefully. Good night, Vincent.
Good night, Chaos.
The following morning, Vincent arrived to the Turks' offices a quarter 'till eight. He stored the leftovers from the night before in the fridge they kept in the lounge area and was about to head to his office when he nearly ran into Cissnei.
"Good morning, Director," she greeted with a smile.
"Morning, Cissnei," Vincent said. "Aren't you a bit early today?"
The Turks' third in command shrugged and followed Vincent into his office. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd come in early and work on some reports I couldn't finish last night."
Vincent nodded and offered her a seat while he turned his computer on. "Anything troubling you?"
"Just stressed out because of next month's summit. It's a logistics nightmare, Vincent."
The gunman smirked as he logged into this account and waited for the system to finish loading up.
"You're telling me. Rufus, Reeve, everyone from R&D—including Ifalna and Aerith—, Professor Faremis and half a dozen people from the Science Department, Lazard and a representative from Soldier First Class, plus every major player in the private energy sector—including investors, researchers, and CEOs—, not to mention leaders from all around the world, all cooped up in Modeoheim with only us Turks and a few dozen Soldiers Second Class as protection. I can't imagine anything going wrong."
Cissnei sighed and rested her head on her fist. "Plus all the work we have to do anyway. When will the President authorise us to recruit more members?"
"After the summit," Vincent said, skimming through the messages that arrived over night and early in the morning. "I hadn't brought it up because I didn't want any of you to worry about it, but since you asked… Just don't tell the others yet."
The auburn-haired woman perked up visibly. "That's great. And yeah, don't worry, I won't say anything." She paused a moment and then asked, "Who from Soldier is coming? I heard Genesis had to decline for some reason."
Vincent nodded as he opened an email from Lazard. After skimming through it, he sighed. "Yes, Genesis will be staying here for personal reasons. Sephiroth is slated to replace him at the summit."
"You don't look too happy, Vincent," Cissnei said, eying him carefully. "Is something wrong?"
Just that being anywhere near Sephiroth makes me feel like someone doused me with mako, he thought. What he said was, "Nothing, really. It's just that Sephiroth is Shinra's poster boy for a lot of the things Rufus is trying to clean up—the war and mako research, mainly. I'm afraid that once his presence at the summit is confirmed, Avalanche will have more incentive to try something stupid."
Cissnei considered this for a moment and nodded. "I see your point. On the other hand, they might be too scared to try anything with the General there."
"It's a toss up," Vincent mused. "Go ahead and double our surveillance on Avalanche. I want to know what their reaction to the summit's announcement will be. Feel free to pull Elena from whatever she's doing to help you if you need her. I'll put in a request with Lazard to borrow Kunsel, since he went on that recon mission with Rude a few months ago."
"Sure. When will the announcement of the summit and its attendees take place?"
"This afternoon. Apparently they were just waiting to hear from Lazard to start with the publicity."
Cissnei nodded and stood up. "I'll get started on that right away." She was about to leave when she turned to Vincent again. "Did you have breakfast, Director?"
Vincent smiled and nodded. "A bowl of fruit with yoghurt, granola, and honey. Plus a glass of grapefruit juice. I've got granola bars and a chocolate bar in my jacket's pocket and I brought lunch."
Cissnei smiled. "That's good to hear. I'll stop by at lunchtime to make sure you don't forget to eat."
"Thank you, Cissnei."
She nodded and left Vincent's office. As soon as the door closed behind her, he sighed and slumped on his chair.
You can always make sure to be tied up in events Sephiroth won't be scheduled to appear, Chaos offered.
Vincent nodded, not bothering to answer. He wrote an email to Lazard to request Kunsel's help as he had told Cissnei he would and then he answered a few other messages that were marked as urgent. About an hour later, he decided to call Professor Gast to request an emergency appointment but was interrupted when his cellphone rang. He answered without checking the caller ID and immediately regretted it.
"Good morning, Director," came Sephiroth's voice from the other side.
The gunman cringed as he felt Chaos hastily isolate himself and Galian from Vincent; it felt like brain freeze and it took him a few seconds to recover, giving Sephiroth plenty of time to become concerned.
"Director? Is everything all right?"
"Yes, fine," Vincent said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good morning, General. I apologise about last night—I really didn't mean to leave so abruptly."
"Don't worry about it. I apologise if anything I said contributed to your indisposition."
"Nonsense. It's all my messed up body's fault."
"Speaking of which, how are you feeling this morning?"
"Better, but I've no expectation of if staying that way, given all the work that still needs to be done regarding the summit."
"I have a meeting with Lazard later today to get up to speed with it. Hopefully I'll be of some help to all of you after that."
"Sounds good," Vincent said.
There was a moment's hesitation before Sephiroth said, "My sister is concerned about you, Vincent. She said you seemed preoccupied last night. I know what you said about the prospect of friends, but if there's anything I can do to help, and I don't mean just work, you can trust me."
Vincent felt something cold grip his chest at Sephiroth's words, followed by a warm tingling in his hands. Realising the latter part of his reaction must have come from Galian, the gunman felt dirty and sick to his stomach. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to come up with a neutral answer.
"Thank your sister for her concern, General. I assure you everything is fine and it's just the logistics for the summit's security that keep me slightly on edge. However, thank you for your offer—I will keep it under consideration."
"I will be sure to let her know. You must have a lot of work to do, Director, so I won't take any more of your time. Have a nice day."
Once again, Vincent could hear the disappointment in Sephiroth's voice and it made him regret so many things that he seriously considered going back to bed and losing himself in a deep sleep in order to forget them all at least for a little while.
"Thank you for your call, General. Have a good day."
The call ended and Vincent tossed his cellphone on the desk so hard that it slid all across the surface and fell on the floor on the other side. Burying his face in his hands, he waited for Chaos to come back in order to have someone to talk to.
It took about five minutes but Vincent finally felt a familiar pressure on his ears that signalled Chaos's return. With it came a wave of heat that spread all across him and made him feel even more feverish than the day before.
Sorry about that, Chaos said. There's nothing I can do to stop this particular side effect.
I could feel you disconnecting, Chaos, but my hands still got warm when Sephiroth offered to help me. That was Galian, wasn't it?
Chaos sighed and he sounded cross. Yes. His reaction was much more intense, and you should be glad it didn't come through completely. It threw me for a loop and it took me a while to get him under control. I don't think you can delay that talk with Gast any longer, Vincent.
Nodding, Vincent put his computer to sleep, gathered his phone and his PDA, and told Cissnei he'd be at Gast's office, leaving her in charge while Tseng arrived.
"Professor Faremis will be here shortly, Director Valentine," said Gast's assistant.
"Thank you, Toru," Vincent said with a smile before returning to his PDA.
He had arrived at Gast's office about half an hour ago and the Professor's assistant had informed him that he wasn't scheduled to arrive until noon. Not willing to wait, Vincent asked the young man to call Gast and tell him that the Head of the Turks was in to see him and that it was an emergency. Knowing that Vincent was one of the Professor's priorities, Toru agreed and contacted Gast, who promised to finish up his meeting with Director Tuesti as soon as possible. Apparently, he had just called to let his assistant and Vincent know that he was on his way.
Are you going to mention Sephiroth's role in all of this? Chaos asked.
Vincent thought about it for a moment as he made some notes on Rude's report about Palmer's attempts at selling blueprints of a rocket prototype to a rival company. Really, the man had no brains and no sense of secrecy—he'd tried to close the deal at Junon's newest karaoke bar in the middle of the day. Not at any karaoke bar, either, but the one right next to the Turks' hangout. He was aware that killing Palmer would be counterproductive, but Vincent felt that the world could do without certain people, and the former Head of Shinra's Space Program was one of them. The amount of stupid in the Planet would be greatly reduced, at the very least.
I don't see a way around it, he eventually answered. He's going to ask about symptoms, how and when they manifest. If we want a solution to the problem, I can't very well play dumb with key information.
It's going to be an interesting conversation, to put it mildly.
Hn.
The door to the office opened and in came a short man with brown hair peppered with silver, and big, round glasses. He wore a checkered blue-and-grey shirt and dark slacks; an immaculate white lab coat bearing the name Faremis over the left breast pocket was carefully draped over his left arm while he carried a suitcase on his right hand. There was a serious expression on his face but he smiled warmly as soon as he saw Vincent sitting next to his assistant's desk.
"Vincent, sorry to keep you waiting," he said, switching his suitcase to his left hand in order to shake Vincent's.
"Don't worry, Professor—I came in here without an appointment, after all."
"Emergencies can't be scheduled, Vincent. Why don't you wait for me in my office? I'll be with you as soon as I check my schedule with Toru."
Vincent nodded and went into Gast's office. He tried to come up with a way to explain his current situation without incurring in the other man's anger but gave up almost immediately. If Gast was going to be angry at him over something he couldn't control, then he'd be better off trying to figure things out on his own.
"That's done," Gast said as he came in. "Now, what's going on, Vincent? You've somehow managed to worry both of my children and that makes me worry."
The gunman shook his head slowly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Of course they told you. You raised them well, Professor."
"I like to think so, but it was mostly my wife's doing, I believe. Now, no more dancing around the subject. What's the matter?"
Vincent sighed and jumped right into it.
"Galian is nearing his mating season. Chaos's influence over him is slowing down the process but it's not enough to stop it. I've been having hot flashes ever since yesterday and…"
He stopped, eying the Professor carefully. Noting that the other man was paying him close attention and seemed interested but not disgusted, he decided to just get it over with.
"The symptoms get worse when Sephiroth is close by. Or when I hear his voice. Even when Chaos completely isolates himself and Galian from me when I'm talking to the General on the phone, I can still… feel Galian's reaction.
"To make matters worse, Galian has somehow managed to affect Chaos. Which means that Chaos will also go into mating season even though he doesn't even have one. According to him, when he's no longer able to contain his or Galian's impulses, Sephiroth will be the focus of their… attention, so to speak. Except, if I understand this correctly, it's me that's going to end up acting out on it."
The gunman finished talking and took a deep breath, waiting for the Professor's outrage to hit him full on.
Except it never did.
Gast just sat behind his desk, taking notes by hand while checking something on his computer. Vincent waited in tense silence for a few minutes, wondering what Gast was thinking.
He found himself looking at a family picture where Gast, Ifalna, Aerith, and Sephiroth posed in front of their house in Sector Two. They all looked relaxed and happy. None of them wore uniforms or lab coats, and a patch of white and yellow lilies behind them brightened the whole picture. Vincent couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as he remembered Chaos's nickname for Aerith: flower girl. The Weapon once told the gunman that Aerith always smelled like flowers to him. If Vincent concentrated, he could also smell the delicate fragrance of flowers about the young woman. She had once given him a vase with lilies from her garden, saying he looked like he could use some cheering up. It was as if she'd been able to sense the gloom that still clung to him in spite of his best efforts to let the past go.
He was reminded of her concern the night before and wondered just how much she had been able to sense in him. She was half Cetra, after all, which meant she was far more attuned to the subtler aspects of life than regular people. He knew both she and Ifalna could sense Chaos, given that all three of them were what the Cetra referred to as 'Planet Protectors'. By extension, they were also aware of Galian, which probably meant that when Aerith commented about Vincent's health she must've felt some of Galian's rampant desires.
That's rather off-putting, Chaos mused.
I don't think I can ever look her straight in the eye again, Vincent added.
When the Professor finally spoke, Vincent took a deep breath and let go of his musings. He was temporarily confused when Gast went straight to the technicalities of the issue without a trace of personal investment.
"Has Chaos—or Galian—said why Sephiroth causes such a reaction with them?"
"Uh… No. I mean, Galian doesn't say much of anything to me anymore, and Chaos can't make sense of what's going on beyond basic biology. He just knows that Galian's been reacting to Sephiroth since yesterday."
"Just yesterday?"
"Yes. Um, we really hadn't talked much before then."
Gast looked up from his notes and looked at Vincent with curiosity. "He's mentioned that a few times, yes. Why is that, Vincent?"
This was far more familiar territory and allowed Vincent a chance to regroup after Gast's reaction—or lack thereof, rather.
"Why haven't I talked to the son of the woman I loved and failed to stop from becoming a human guinea pig along with said son?"
Gast removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Vincent, are you still—?"
"This has nothing to do with my feelings for Lucrecia which, by the way, no longer exist. This has to do with the fact that I failed to protect him before he was born and seeing him is a reminder of that failure."
He paused to take a few calming breaths—patiently coached by Chaos—to stop himself from going into a repetitive tirade.
"If it makes you feel any better, Professor, Chaos has already pointed out all the reasons why my reluctance to talk to your son is moot. However, given the fact that both Galian and Chaos are apparently attracted to Sephiroth, I think that trying to be friends with him is going to have to wait."
Gast put his glasses back on and nodded once. "All right. Is there anything else you can tell me about this situation, then?"
Vincent shook his head. "Only that Chaos's best is probably not going to cut it anymore in the near future. He doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to keep Galian under control or what exactly will happen when things come to a head. However, I don't think we have much time, given how fast things have progressed so far."
The Professor took note of that and checked some more files on his computer. After a few minutes, he looked at Vincent with his most serious expression.
"As far as I can see, there is very little information about Galian's origins to be found in Hojo's notes. We haven't taken any samples directly from Galian, either, so it's going to be a bit difficult to determine what the scope of the situation is. I'm afraid we'll need to conduct more tests, Vincent."
The Turk sighed and slumped back on his chair, rubbing his eyes. "I figured as much. Is there any way to get them done today? The summit—"
"Of course," Gast said. "I understand how important the security plans for the summit are and I wouldn't want to keep you away from work longer than necessary. If you are feeling up to it, I will have Toru clear my schedule for the rest of the day and we'll get right to it."
"Let me call Tseng and Cissnei to let them know," Vincent agreed.
At lunchtime, Tseng left his desk and went to the lounge room to get his bento box from the lockers. On his way there, he peeked into Vincent's office and was surprised to find it empty still. Frowning, he reached for his cellphone and dialled the Director's number. It rang a few times before someone other than Vincent picked up.
"Director Valentine's phone, Toru Ito speaking."
Tseng knew Toru was Faremis's assistant. If he was answering Vincent's phone, then the Head Turk was still caught up in the Science Department, something Tseng knew his superior hated with a passion.
"Good afternoon, Toru. This is Tseng speaking. I was just checking up on Vincent."
"Good afternoon, Tseng. I'm afraid Director Valentine is still undergoing some tests with Professor Faremis and cannot answer the phone at this time. I can give him a message as soon as he's free, if you like."
"I see. There's nothing pressing now so there's no need for any messages, thank you. But, if you'd be so kind as to ask him to let us know when he's done with the tests, I'd appreciate that."
"Not a problem. Have a good day, Tseng."
"You, too."
Tseng disconnected the call and stared at his phone for a moment. It worried him that Vincent had gone to see Gast without a previous appointment and that it had led to emergency tests. Given his background, Vincent had to undergo regular check-ups and blood tests, usually every quarter. He would always let him and Cissnei know when his appointments were due with one or two days' anticipation, and if he was feeling poorly before his check-up was due, he'd also tell them about it. Vincent had made it a point not to hide anything from his fellow Turks since the day he took the position of Director, something everyone appreciated. It had been one of the things that earned him their trust almost right away, along with the fact that he saved them from Heidegger's grasp.
He went and got his food from the fridge and sat at a small table in the lounge. He thought about what Cissnei told him that morning, that Vincent had worked for about an hour and then told her he would go see Professor Faremis. She didn't say anything about his physical appearance or his mood, which meant she didn't notice anything wrong with Vincent. That would mean that he suddenly felt ill enough to go to see Faremis without an appointment. That was worrisome in and of itself, but what kind of tests could take over four hours?
His bento box laid unopened in front of him when Cissnei, Elena, and Kunsel walked into the lounge room, each carrying a take-out bag from Seventh Heaven. They all greeted him and sat at the table with him.
"I noticed Vincent's not in his office," Cissnei said. "Has he come back from Gast's office yet?"
Tseng shook his head, finally opening his bento box. "I just called his cellphone. Faremis's assistant picked up and said he's still going through some tests."
"Tests?" Elena asked, stopping with her fork halfway to her mouth. "I thought his next physical wasn't until a week before the summit."
"It is," Cissnei said, frowning. "He didn't seem particularly off this morning."
"But he seemed off, somehow?" Tseng asked.
"We were talking about the summit and he seemed preoccupied when Lazard confirmed that Sephiroth will be replacing Genesis as rep for Soldier. He was concerned that the General's presence at the summit would encourage Avalanche to try something so he asked me to increase surveillance on them along with Elena and Kunsel. He didn't say anything else and, at the time, I just thought that the summit's planning was really starting to get to him. I didn't think it was enough for him to go see Professor Faremis all of a sudden."
"I ran into the General and the Director last night," Kunsel added slowly. "They were on their way to Seventh Heaven and the Director looked fine. But then this morning Zack said that he and Aerith ran into them at the restaurant and the Director left early. According to Zack, Aerith noticed Director Valentine was warmer than normal but he said he was just tired."
Tseng sighed and looked at his watch. It was half past two and they hadn't heard from Vincent yet. None of them were the prying kind but if their leader was in any kind of trouble they had the right to know, not to mention the responsibility to help out in any way they could. He decided to go to Gast's office after lunch to try to get more information, if only to keep the team at ease.
"He won't like you snooping around," Cissnei said with a small smile, noticing Tseng's resolute stare.
The Wutain looked at her with a playful smirk and shrugged. "It's not like he can take disciplinary action against me."
"No, but he might make sure you get stuck with all the boring missions when you're not shadowing Rufus," Elena cut in.
"It's a small price to pay to make sure our boss is all right," Tseng replied.
Once it was decided that Tseng would look into the matter of Vincent's disappearance, talk moved to other areas, mainly Avalanche and the summit. As the three Turks chatted lively, Kunsel refrained from actively participating in the conversation and preferred to watch the interactions of his temporary workmates. By the end of lunch, he concluded that the perception most of the company had about the Turks was rather accurate: they were a pack, tightly bound by loyalty and faithful mostly to each other rather than Shinra itself. That's not to say that they held their personal goals above the company's, just that they had simply formed a deep attachment towards the small group of people they considered their own.
Whether that was healthy or not it wasn't Kunsel's place to judge. He supposed, though, that it was comforting for the Turks, given that all of them were outcasts in one way or another. Cissnei, Reno, and Rude were all orphans; Elena had an older sister but they weren't in speaking terms; Tseng was a Wutain expatriate that fled his country just before the conflict with Shinra started, leaving him in a state of disgrace; and Vincent… well, he was all kinds of out of place. It wasn't so surprising, then, that these six people had developed such deep bonds of camaraderie and loyalty, bonds that might seem strange to outsiders but made perfect sense to them.
Still, the fact that Cissnei knew what Tseng was planning to do before he even said anything was a bit disconcerting.
"Kunsel?"
Tseng's voice brought him out of his analysis.
"Yes, Tseng?"
"Not a word of this to anyone outside the Turks, if you will. The Director would not appreciate it."
Kunsel nodded firmly. "I understand."
"Particularly to Heidegger and Scarlet," Cissnei added.
"Of course."
"Or the General," Elena said.
"Certainly."
The three Turks nodded and went back to whatever they were talking about. Kunsel shook his head slowly and returned to his lunch. The term pack mentality kept coming up during the rest of his assignment with the Turks.
Vincent tried not to drift into unconsciousness as Professor Faremis injected a mix of tranquillisers and suppressants into his left arm. He had to be aware long enough to allow Chaos control of his body so that the Weapon could summon Galian and Professor Faremis could get the samples he needed. The drugs were meant to keep Galian knocked out during the procedures and had to be injected while Vincent was still himself in order for the process to go down as smoothly as possible.
Vincent had already gone through a full physical examination and a psychological evaluation plus tests to determine his stress levels; blood samples of him and Chaos had already been extracted, as well, in addition to some tissue samples. The most embarrassing part had been providing semen samples—his and Chaos's. Professor Faremis mentioned the need to get such a sample from Galian, too, and Vincent had stopped the man before he could get into specifics of just how he was going to manage that.
"All done, Vincent," Gast said. "If you could come with me to the next room then we can begin the procedure."
Vincent grunted in acknowledgement, not daring to nod for fear of falling over. He had to ask Chaos for assistance in getting to the specially prepared room where the next part of the tests would begin.
The room was slightly bigger than an ordinary examination room, with a reinforced steel table in the middle furnished with magnetic straps for the head, torso, wrists, legs, and ankles, all big enough to fit Galian's body. There were several trays in a cart by the table containing needles and syringes as well as many other surgical implements. Looking at them brought flashes of memory to Vincent and he felt his resolve waver. For a moment, he forgot what he was there for and panic surged within him. He tried to leave the room but came face to face with Professor Faremis and two orderlies that cut off his escape.
"Out of my way," Vincent said. His voice was shaky and his eyes darted around looking for alternate escape routes.
"Vincent, you need to focus," Gast said. "Remember, you're here just for some tests. No one is going to harm you."
Let me, Chaos half-offered and half-ordered. You know I'll keep you safe.
All right, Vincent said.
He relinquished control of his body to Chaos, slipping into a warm, comfortable corner of his mind where he allowed himself to drift into slumber. In the meantime, Chaos slipped forward without transforming entirely, the only noticeable change being the colour of Vincent's eyes—they were now a warm gold.
"Chaos?" asked Professor Faremis tentatively.
"Yes," came Chaos's response. He was using Vincent's voice but there was an ethereal rumble behind it. "Vincent is in no condition to keep going."
"Is he all right?" the Professor asked.
"For the most part, but you know how much he loathes laboratories and everything that comes with them. The drugs were beginning to muddle his senses and he was about to get caught in memories best left alone."
"I see. How are you holding up, then?"
"I'm fine. I would like to get this over with as soon as possible, though, so tell me what to do."
Gast nodded and instructed Chaos to remove Vincent's clothes and change into a specially designed robe that would hopefully not tear when Chaos called Galian out. Chaos followed the Professor's instructions quickly and silently, focusing on the restraints he'd placed on Galian over the years. He would have to loosen them enough to allow the creature to take over Vincent's body while keeping them just tight enough to keep him under control while the drugs in Vincent's system flooded Galian's.
Once Chaos was on the table, the orderlies engaged the magnetic restraints—they were loose on Vincent's body but they would fit Galian just fine. As soon as everything was in place, the orderlies left the room, leaving Gast alone with Chaos.
"Are you sure you don't want some muscle here with you?" Chaos asked with a grin.
The Professor gave him a knowing look that wasn't entirely serious. "You know Vincent doesn't like peeping Toms, Chaos."
"I know. But he'd like it even less if you got yourself killed. It would be mightily inconvenient to have to find a new doctor this late in the game."
"Your concern touches me," Gast said with a snicker. "Don't worry about me—I have enough tranquillisers here to knock Galian out ten times over. Now, why don't you let him out and so we can call it a day and allow Vincent some peace?"
"I like the sound of that," Chaos said.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and released it slowly. He repeated the action a few times until he was ready to let Galian loose.
Even if it wasn't his body, whenever Chaos took over all of Vincent's nerve endings became his, so the pain was real for him. He hoped that Vincent was asleep deep enough within his own mind that he wouldn't feel the excruciating ache of rearranging bones and stretching skin. As the gunman's body reorganised itself to give way to Galian, Chaos fought to keep the beast from gaining control over his brain. It felt like an eternity but in reality less than a minute passed by before Galian lay sprawled across the table, shackled by the magnetic restraints all over his body. The beast fought against them for a few seconds before the drug cocktail circulating in the bloodstream that he shared with Vincent took effect and Galian was unconscious on the table.
Gast approached the violet-and-red creature carefully and prodded it with a tongue depressor. When the only reaction that earned him was a puff of a snore, he nodded and went to work as quickly as he could.
Tseng was sitting in the reception area of Professor Faremis's offices, working on his PDA much like Vincent had been doing earlier that day. He had arrived about ten minutes ago and been promptly informed by Toru that Vincent was in the middle of the last procedure of the day and he would be cleared to go home in an hour, at the most. Tseng then decided to wait in case Vincent needed assistance getting back to his apartment—it wouldn't be the first time it happened and he knew his superior would appreciate having one of his own escort him rather than anyone from the Science Department. After all, Vincent had more reason than most to despise personnel in lab coats.
When the door to the offices opened, Tseng didn't even look up from the screen on his hand. He kept working until a shadow loomed over him and he was forced to tear his eyes away from a schematic of the Modeo Hot Baths. Standing in front of him was Sephiroth, looking mischievously at him with his green eyes. Tseng couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth as he stood up to greet the General.
"Hello, Sephiroth," he said, shaking hands with the other man.
"Hello, Tseng. What brings you here today?"
The Turk shrugged and sat down again. Given how reserved Vincent was when it came to his health, he didn't want to give too much away to the General. Even if they were friends, he knew about Vincent's connection to Sephiroth's early life, and he knew the older man wanted to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the General. Although Tseng didn't quite understand Vincent's motives, he wasn't one to question them or go against his wishes.
"Just waiting for Vincent," he said eventually.
Sephiroth, who was now sitting next to Tseng, frowned. "Is he—?"
His question was cut short by a howl that came from somewhere in the exam rooms.
Sephiroth and Tseng were on their feet in a second, Tseng's hand on his sidearm while Sephiroth summoned Masamune. Toru, to his credit, didn't run for the door but stayed put even when a second and third howl followed, each longer and louder than the rest. Then the phone on Toru's desk rang and the young man answered immediately. He listened intently and after a shaky 'yes, sir!', he turned to the two men standing at the ready in front of him.
"Tseng, that was Professor Faremis. He wants you in Exam Room 13 ASAP. He wants you to stay here, General."
Tseng nodded and ran into the corridor that led to the examination rooms. Sephiroth was about to protest and demand an explanation as to why he had to stay behind when another howl interrupted him. Acting on instinct, he went after Tseng.
Exam Room 13 was the last one on the left. Two orderlies lay in the corridor just outside the exam room, one of them unconscious and with a gash on his right arm, the other one awake and blabbering with a split eyebrow and a broken nose. He tried to stop Sephiroth and Tseng from entering the room but they were not paying the man any attention.
Tseng kicked the door open, gun at the ready, while Sephiroth remained behind him, Masamune poised over his left shoulder. The sight that greeted them troubled the Turk greatly while it disconcerted the General.
Galian huddled in a corner, apparently struggling to stay awake while at the same time refusing to relinquish his hold on Vincent's body to Chaos. The furry creature kept flickering between its huge, violet form and Chaos's equally large but leaner shape. Galian would howl intermittently while Chaos said nothing, his features twisted into a grimace of concentration and effort whenever he managed to regain control of Vincent's body.
Through this, Professor Faremis stood next to the door, tranquilliser gun at the ready while he held on to at least six darts filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid in his free hand. As soon as the door opened, he turned to Tseng and Sephiroth. Frowning, he went to his son and tried to push him out of the room.
"You have to leave, Sephiroth. And you need to lower your gun, Tseng. You know you won't need it."
Tseng obeyed immediately but Sephiroth refused to leave.
"Why do you want me to leave?" Sephiroth asked, lowering Masamune. "That thing—"
"That thing is Director Valentine," Tseng said tersely.
Sephiroth looked sharply at Tseng and then turned his gaze towards the shifting creature in the corner. He'd never seen any of Vincent's creatures and there hadn't been any pictures in the files he had access to. From the descriptions, however, he deduced the behemoth-like creature was Galian Beast and the winged one had to be Chaos. Which meant Vincent was somewhere in there, unable to regain control of his own body.
"What happened?" he asked.
Realising Sephiroth wouldn't leave, Gast decided to answer his son's question and hoped nothing terrible would come from his presence in the room.
"I'm not entirely sure," he was addressing the other two men in the room but kept an eye on Galian. "I was done taking samples from Galian when he woke up from the deep drug-induced sleep we had him on. He managed to break the magnetic restraints and attack the orderlies before I could hit him with the tranquillisers."
"How many?" Tseng asked, eying Galian carefully. The creature was still fighting Chaos's commands but seemed to be getting tired.
"Four, but I really don't want to use a fifth. It would weaken Galian but it might also impair Chaos and draw out the process."
"Are the samples secured?" Tseng asked.
"Is that really what worries you?" Sephiroth asked, voice laced with disbelief.
Tseng looked at him evenly. "Whatever the Director is going through must be serious enough for him to agree to this whole procedure. If the samples are lost, he will have to go through it again. I would really prefer to spare him that."
"The samples are fine," Gast answered. "I called you here to help me subdue Galian if need be and to help me with Chaos—or Vincent—once Galian steps back."
Just then, Galian howled louder and longer than before, lunging at the three men standing near the door. Tseng pulled Gast out of the way, leaving Sephiroth wide open for the feral creature. He was about to raise Masamune when a female shrill wail—Jenova's—echoed inside his head; it was so loud and sudden that it caused him to stagger back, dropping his sword in the process. He managed to raise his arms in a defensive stance but the impact he expected never came as Galian stopped abruptly, falling to the floor and shrinking back into Chaos's shape. The Weapon growled in pain and exhaustion, curling into a foetal position and covering his body with his wings.
Sephiroth shook his head to clear the remnants of pain from it and went to pick up his sword, keeping a wary eye on the quivering creature in front of him.
"Leave him alone, Sephiroth!" Gast commanded from underneath Tseng.
Sephiroth froze on his tracks and, with a flick of his wrist, Masamune vanished into thin air. He took a step back, staring intently at Chaos. He could still hear Jenova muttering somewhere in the back of his head but her voice was quickly fading away. It had been a long time since he'd heard her and he had to wonder if Vincent's creatures had anything to do with her reappearance.
"Get him out of here," Chaos gritted out.
Tseng blinked, not knowing what Chaos meant, but Gast nodded and pushed himself out of the Turk's protective hold and looked at his son with fierce determination. "You need to leave, Sephiroth."
The General looked at his father, bewildered. "What? I'm not leaving you two alone with—"
"Shut up and leave, boy. Get off this floor altogether."
Although Chaos's voice brokered no argument, Sephiroth stood his ground. "Why on Gaia would I do that?"
"Because if you don't," Chaos said, his voice shaking with strain and something decidedly dangerous, "I'm going to do things to you that will make you long for death. Now, GO."
"Sephiroth, don't be a stubborn ass and do as he says!" Tseng pleaded.
Even though he didn't understand what was going on and he felt deeply insulted by Chaos, not to mention increasingly suspicious of his possible connection to Jenova, Sephiroth relented and left without another word.
It was several minutes before Chaos exhaled shakily and collapsed on the floor, shuddering and panting for breath. He swallowed thickly before half turning towards Tseng and Gast.
"If you're quite done, Professor, I'm going to let Vincent back now. If you can make sure he doesn't wake up in the medical wing I'm sure he would greatly appreciate it."
"Of course," Gast said with a shaky sigh. "Go ahead."
Without a word, Chaos stepped back and allowed Vincent control of his body again. The gunman was still unconscious, however, and remained slumped on the floor. Gast immediately rushed to his side to check his pulse and let out a relieved sigh when he found it was perfectly normal.
"Where are his clothes?" Tseng asked.
"In the top drawer of that cabinet over there," the Professor said.
Together, they redressed Vincent. Tseng had to take a deep breath to quell the homicidal feeling that tried to take over him every time he happened to see Vincent without a shirt. The scars on the man's upper body spoke of unbearable torture and pain. The ragged Y of an autopsy scar and the unmistakeable pucker of a gunshot wound right over the gunman's heart, along with the exit wound on his back and the twin slits on his shoulder blades were Chaos's wings sprouted from, were the most dramatic and noticeable ones, but it was the array of smaller cuts above vital organs that got Tseng gritting his teeth and wishing Hojo hadn't died in that bombing just so he could tear the bastard apart bit by bit. It nauseated Tseng to think that most of what Hojo did was sanctioned by the company he worked for so he tried not to dwell on it too much. Instead, he focused on redressing Vincent and setting him on the examination table before calling Reno and Rude to help him get Vincent to his apartment.
While he waited, Gast had security take the two injured orderlies to the medical wing and he gathered all of Vincent's samples in a password protected briefcase.
"When will the test results be ready?" Tseng asked.
"I'll make this my top priority so they should be done within forty-eight hours. I'll work over the weekend if I need to," Gast said.
He looked at Vincent's sleeping form and then at Tseng. His brown eyes had the same intensity in them as when he ordered Sephiroth to leave.
"I'm sure he'll want to go back to work as soon as he wakes up but he can't. And he can't be around Sephiroth, either. I'll talk to Rufus and Lazard about this in order to figure out what to do about the summit."
Tseng nodded slowly. He didn't want to ask too many questions, knowing Vincent would relay whatever he deemed important enough to him and the others in due time, but there was something troubling him.
"Are you sure it's a good idea for him to remain in his apartment? It's on the same building as Sephiroth's and Chaos wanted him off the floor entirely."
"It will be fine. I'll have Sephiroth stay with us in Sector Two while we figure everything out."
Reno and Rude arrived then. As soon as they saw Vincent passed out on the examination table and took stock of the damage done to the room, both Turks shot an alarmed look at Tseng.
"What the fuck happened here, yo?"
"Mind your language, young man," Gast said, only half serious.
"Uh, sorry, Professor," Reno said, scratching the back of his head. "But, I mean…"
Tseng shook his head. "Vincent came in for some tests and it appears that he lost control of Galian momentarily. There were no casualties and the Director is just sleeping. That's all we need to know at the moment."
Looking at each other briefly, both Turks nodded and awaited instructions.
"We need to get him to his apartment," Tseng said. "I'll need one of you to stay with him until he wakes up to make sure he doesn't try to downplay this and go back to work right away."
"I'll do it," Reno offered. "I'm the only one not working on the summit planning, anyway."
"Good. Not a word to anyone outside the Turks, you hear? Professor Gast will handle the rest of the departments. As far as we're concerned, the Director is taking an indefinite medical leave, leaving me and Cissnei in charge."
"You got it," Reno said.
"Understood," Rude added.
"Right. Let's get him to his apartment, then."
