The next morning Clarissa almost missed her alarm. She was only awoken when Genesis reached out and tried to smash it. She crawled over him to finally shut it off. When she noticed the time, she realized it must have gone off a couple of times already as she had very little time to get ready before she was supposed to meet Veld.
She jumped up and hurriedly got dressed, ignoring Genesis' grumbling the whole time. When she was ready, she knew she didn't have much time, but she still leaned over her lover's still sleeping form. She gave him a kiss and he managed to barely open his eyes. She had to dodge his hands as he tried to grab for her. "I have to go Gen. I promise I'll be back as quickly as I can. Try not to fry anyone while I'm gone." She laughed at his expression before she snuck in another kiss. She backed away quickly before he could try to grab her again.
She didn't really want to leave, but she knew it would be worth it in the end. She watched as he sat up groggily and couldn't resist another kiss before she headed toward the door. She waved at him as she left. "I love you!"
She heard his grumbling pick up in volume and wished she could forget this and go back to bed with him, but she was already going to have to run most of the way to get there on time. She started jogging as soon as she was out in the hallway. She turned the corner out of the apartment hallway and nearly ran into Sephiroth. His surprise quickly turned to a frown. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"
She couldn't ignore him, but she tried to make it fast. "I have a mission with Veld. I know he told Lazard. I can't get into it now though. I'm already late." She didn't give him a chance to ask any more about it as she started jogging again. "The Director can fill you in. Keep Genesis out of trouble." She waved as she turned and started running again.
She felt a little bad for not telling any of them where she was going, but they already knew that Jenova was in Nibelheim and she didn't want to take the chance that they might follow her. She sent up a prayer to Minerva that they wouldn't find out until she was already on the way back at the earliest.
When she reached the helipad she almost turned back around and said screw it. Reno was leaning against the chopper while both Rude and Veld were standing near it. There were also two helmeted infantrymen. She slowed as she reached them. Before she could say anything, Veld spoke up. "I thought Soldiers were supposed to be punctual. You were nearly a minute late."
She ignored his jibe as she moved to get into the helicopter. The Turks followed her up and the infantrymen followed them. She nodded at the two of them as they took their seats. Both Rude and Reno moved to the pilot's seats, although it looked strange with Reno in the copilot's seat. She realized he was still pretty young and not the pilot he would eventually become. Although she remembered some of his antics from when he was older and was suddenly glad Rude would be the main pilot for this trip.
They all put on their headsets as they got into the air. She leaned back and thought about dozing again when Reno's voice piped up over the line. "Hey, Clarissa, I heard that the Firsts and Seconds that live at headquarters are all signing a petition to allow Genesis to get an apartment outside the building. I know it's not allowed for the Firsts, but everyone is saying it would be worth it to have a good night's sleep again."
It only took her a moment to understand what he was getting at. Veld shot her an amused look as she realized they all heard what the annoying ginger had said. The only thing that kept her from smacking the back of his head so hard his teeth rattled was the fact that he was controlling the machine that was keeping them all airborne. That didn't stop her from growling out her frustration. "One day Reno you are going to mouth off at the wrong moment. I'll pray that whoever it is has mercy, unless it's me of course."
Veld didn't seem to take offence at her threat as his laughter only increased. Her glare intensified as she picked up a quiet chuckle from Rude as well. She gave all the men a dirty look, even the two infantrymen, before she leaned back and purposefully closed her eyes. She was not looking forward to the several days it would take them to get to Nibelheim. At least a couple of them would be on a ship and not in the helicopter. That would allow her a little bit of a reprieve.
By the time they made it to the little village, Clarissa was ready to freeze Reno's mouth shut. The only thing that kept her from doing it was the fact that he would probably complain about frostbite nonstop once he thawed. As it was, she had to practice her selective listening. He didn't bother her as much if she didn't react. It was the only thing that saved him in the end.
It was midday when they arrived, but there was no one in the streets as the six of them walked into town. Clarissa wasn't surprised that everyone was avoiding the Shinra employees, but she hoped it wouldn't always be like this. They didn't bother stopping at the small inn. Clarissa had told them that the mansion was probably a little dusty, but it was still furnished.
When they walked through the large gates, she looked up at the place and realized there was more to in than she had thought. It made sense in a way. The game only allowed so much data to be shown but seeing it person it was easy to see there were way more than a handful of rooms. She only hoped it didn't make finding the secret entrance to the basement harder.
The door was locked when they first got to it, but it didn't take Reno long to take care of that problem. The infantrymen were the first to enter the building and did a sweep of the closest rooms. Once they were all in, Veld turned to Clarissa. "So where are we supposed to find Vincent?"
She pointed up the large staircase that dominated the entrance area. "There is a room up there that has a rounded brick wall. There is a secret entrance in that wall to the basement. He is down there."
At her words they all headed up the creaky stairs. She was alert for any monsters. It wasn't until they made it all the way to the hallway on the right side of the building that she realized the monsters were probably allowed to take over after Nibelheim burned to keep people out. She also realized there was a good chance they would be in the basement as she was sure Hojo didn't want anyone down there until he sent Sephiroth to lose his mind.
It was easier than she expected to find the room with the brick wall. It was the only room upstairs that didn't have normal wallpapered walls. Finding the secret entrance was a lot harder. It wasn't as easy as walking up and pushing on it. Veld did point out the outline of the door, so they all knew it was there, but it took them over an hour to finally notice the switch inside a small hole on one of the bricks.
They all stood back as the door finally opened. The stale air that came up from the basement had Clarissa covering her sensitive nose. When one of the infantrymen moved to head down, she stopped him. "I should probably go first here."
Veld gave her a curious look that she rolled her eyes at. "You are free to go first if you want, but I'm pretty sure there are some nasty monsters down there."
At her words Veld gestured toward the door. "Ladies first then."
She rolled her eyes again as she wondered if it was part of the Turk training to become a sarcastic ass. That didn't stop her from quietly moving towards the stairs. They managed to make it all the way to the bottom of the rickety staircase before they were finally accosted. She heard Reno cursing fluently behind her as the mutated, two-headed thing came groaning out of the shadows. A couple of bullets came flying by, but they didn't seem to faze the thing at all.
Clarissa quickly moved to block an attack aimed at Veld's head before she swung out with her other sword. Even though she scored a solid hit, the thing hardly seemed to notice. The only indication that it was injured was the fact that one of the heads drooped. She bit back a curse as well as she dodged another attack. She managed to score another solid hit that brought the thing down. They all watched in disgust as the thing started to dissolve as soon as it hit the ground. The smell nearly made Clarissa want to be sick, but she pushed passed it hurriedly.
She almost laughed as Reno started mumbling about maniac scientists and poor bastards. Instead she looked back to him and put her finger across her lips. He glared at her but stopped mumbling out loud.
Luckily, they only encountered one more of the nasty mutants and several bats before they neared the end of the long cave. Clarissa stopped outside the door closest to them and took a deep breath. She turned to Veld with a whisper. "He's in here." She knew the door was probably locked but she doubted that would prove to be a problem for the master lock pick.
She was right as it only took Reno a few moments to get it open. The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open. She did laugh a little as Reno jumped back quickly. She had to shove her fist in her mouth to stifle further laughter as he shone his light into the room full of coffins. She could tell that Reno was officially freaked out. She reminded herself that she would have to remember this the next time the red-head started teasing her.
She pushed those thoughts aside as she followed Veld into the small room. He looked around at all the coffins before looking back to her. "What is this?"
She was glad he kept his voice down, even if he seemed a bit bothered by the sight as well. Clarissa looked around for a moment before her gaze finally landed on the one that was chained and locked closed. When she pointed it out, Veld's gaze drew into a scowl. She whispered as she moved passed him to the coffin in question. "I don't know what's in all the others, but that one is Vincent."
She heard Reno cursing again as she pulled out her swords to try and crack the chains. She heated up her blades as she moved them under the chains and yanked up quickly. The sound of the chains breaking and then clattering down reverberated through the small room. The lid was heavier than she expected as well but she had no problem getting it pushed back quickly. At the sight of a man laying perfectly still in the coffin, Reno finally gave up on being quiet. "Uh-uh, I'm outta here. I didn't sign up for waking the dead, yo."
He turned to go, but before he made it out of the door, Vincent sat up and gave them all a glare. "Who disturbs my sleep?"
Reno froze next to the door. It took Veld a few moments to break out of his stupor as well. Clarissa could understand. She was expecting it but seeing Vincent in person with his pale skin against his red cloak; it was incredibly creepy. Much more than she had anticipated. Especially when he turned his red eyes her way. Finally, Veld managed to speak. "Vincent?"
Vincent stood at that. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Veld for a few moments before speaking. "I was once known as that. Now I am a monster. Leave me."
Veld looked flabbergasted at the dismissal, but it was the push Clarissa needed to speak up. "Bullshit. I know the things you keep inside, and you are no more of a monster than the rest of us. A monster is defined by their actions and the most monstrous thing you have done so far is lock yourself away out of guilt when you could have been helping people."
His cold gaze turned to her again and this time there was a flash of something like anger or pain before he responded. "I have much to atone for. I doubt there are any that would have been helped by my presence."
She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but his cold delivery rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn't hold back the bite in her voice. "You don't know that, especially as you have hidden away. I know you couldn't stop Lucrecia, but you know she regretted her actions by the time Sephiroth was born. You could have tried to help her or tried to take Sephiroth back from Hojo at the very least. He never deserved to grow up like that. It was not your fault that any of it happened, but you didn't have to hide from it."
She was certain that she saw pain when he spoke this time. "I am not sure how you know of Lucrecia, but I was never capable of convincing her. That was my first sin. Knowing that Sephiroth grew up in Hojo's labs only adds to my sins. Leave me to atone."
He didn't wait for a response before he laid back and pulled the lid back onto his coffin. Veld looked at her with a mix of surprise and anger. "Well that went well. What is your plan now?"
She glared at him before she glared back at the coffin. She didn't think twice before grabbing the edge of the lid and neatly throwing it across the room where it landed with a thud against one of the other coffins.
Vincent sat up again with a frown. "Leave me."
She moved to sit on the edge of the coffin. "Not a chance. We need you. Sephiroth is actually alright for now, but he may not always be. We need to find a way to stop Jenova permanently."
At those words he finally stood again. She quickly joined him. He was nearly as tall as Genesis and having him towering over her made her uncomfortable. He looked at her closely again before he spoke up again. "You are mako enhanced."
She raised a brow at his simple statement. "It took you this long to notice?"
He shook his head at her sarcasm. "Why would you need my help. I can barely help myself."
She clenched her jaw to keep from yelling at him in frustration and took a moment before she answered. "I already told you why. Hojo may be gone but Jenova is still alive. We will need all the help we can get. Sephiroth needs all the help we can get him, and I thought you of all people would be willing to help him. He just recently learned that Lucrecia is his mother. He has no idea what she was like and he deserves to know."
Veld started to take a step toward her at the tone she was using but all movement stopped when Vincent let out a growl and grabbed his head as if he were in great pain. Even Clarissa stepped back. She was shocked to stillness when he lifted his head again and golden eyes looked out at her and a deep voice reverberated through the room. "Be still little traveler. My host is already near the breaking point."
It took her a moment to respond, but she lowered her head in a respectful nod before she spoke. "Chaos. I apologize for pushing so hard. We really do need his help though, and he doesn't deserve to continue punishing himself for things he had no control over."
He stepped out of the coffin and approached her. "I am aware of what you need. I have been told of you already. I will convince him to assist, but you must not continue to provoke him. I am not the only beast he has beneath his skin."
She swallowed hard before responding. "I understand. You have my thanks."
He chuckled softly. "I do not think there is much you cannot handle little traveler, but you are wise to be wary. I am certain I will speak with you again."
She gave him another nod before Vincent clutched his head again. He was breathing heavily when he finally looked up. His gaze on her was evaluating when he spoke. "It seems you are not unknown to Chaos. He is urging me to assist. I have never heard him so clearly. Who are you?"
Clarissa was sure he wasn't asking for her name, but she held out her hand anyway. "Clarissa Williamson, nice to meet you Vincent Valentine."
He looked at her hand for a moment before his gaze swept the rest of the room. Reno and the two infantrymen were on the outside of the door staring at him in open shock. Veld had not moved, but his expression was uncomfortable. Vincent finally spoke. "I have a feeling there is much that needs to be explained. Do you have somewhere we can go to speak?"
At his request, the others started moving again. Before Clarissa could answer the question, Reno piped up. "Hey boss, we're gonna go on ahead, yo. See ya later." He didn't pause for a response before he grabbed the two infantrymen and headed back down the hallway.
Clarissa had to stifle another laugh before she could finally speak. "The mansion is empty, and we had planned on staying here. I'm sure there is somewhere up there we can settle down for a chat."
He gave her a nod before he moved toward the door. It took Veld and Rude a moment to get over the creepy vibe left in his wake to follow him back out. Clarissa's only thoughts were a hope that this meant he was willing to leave and help them.