The winding stairway was narrow, and the only light came from the room they had just left. That meant they were all in single-file as they headed deeper into the darkness. Zack was in front with Kris behind him, then came Reno, and Rude was taking up the back. None of them looked happy with the circumstances, especially as the smell wafting up to them was foul enough to have Reno wondering if he didn't want to take his chances with the possessed Soldier.
Kris was doing her best not to gag as she kept a hand on her brother's back. She could see the steps well enough to navigate, but if there were any trip hazards, it would be too dark to notice before it was too late. She concentrated on her feet to try and block out all the rest.
They all paused at the bottom of the stairs since the tunnel was completely dark. It was as Reno was pulling out his phone to use as a light that they all nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of crashing that echoed down to them. Reno cursed under his breath, but Kris just pinned them all with a haunted look. They didn't need to hear the furniture crashing against the wall to know that Angeal was clearing the blockade.
Kris grabbed Zack's hand and started trying to run. "We're out of time!"
The phone light Reno held up, barely helped to keep them from running headfirst into a nightmare. Much to Kris' shock, Zack cursed as he pushed her behind him. He rarely cursed. He then called back over his shoulder as he pulled his sword out. "Rude, grab her. She won't be able to run fast enough."
Kris wanted to object, but she bit her tongue as Rude swept her up. Her brother had been correct. Thankfully it only took Zack a moment to slice through the thing that had attacked them. Kris had to put a hand over her mouth to keep her food down. The other she used to cling to Rude as they started running again. They could all hear the heavy footfalls behind them getting closer.
After a few moments of running, Zack looked over at Kris. "What are we looking for?"
She swallowed the bile that was threatening to come up before she breathlessly answered. "There should be a door on one side up here soon. If you reach the one at the end, we've gone too far."
He gave her a look like she had lost her mind, and she could feel the stares coming from the others. Luckily, it wasn't much longer before they nearly ran past what they were looking for. The pale light caught on the metal of the knob and caught Kris' attention. She yelled out. "Here!"
Zack skidded to a halt, as did Rude and Reno. Kris groaned at the feeling that accompanied the sharp action. Her abdomen was already sore from trying to run. These kinds of activities and being pregnant did not mix well. Still, she pushed her discomfort aside as her brother turned back with a frown when the door wouldn't open. "It's locked."
Kris shook her head. "Beat it down if you have to."
Zack grimaced but did as he was told. The sound of running getting closer was more than enough motivation. It took him two strikes before the door broke from the hinges. He shoved it aside and ran in as the others followed.
As soon as they were in the room, Kris pushed against Rude's chest, and he let her down. He was too busy staring at all the coffins with the other two men. None of them knew what to think. Especially when she started yelling. "Vincent! Vincent, get your ass up, please! I'm begging, wake up!"
All three of the men had turned toward the doorway to try and brace for what was coming. They all looked at her uncomfortably, but it was the redhead that spoke what they were all thinking. "Uh, I'm not sure you wanna wake anything in here. What the hell are we doin'?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, everyone's attention was drawn by the sound of snapping chains. Reno's eyes widened as the lid of one of the coffins raised. He stepped closer to the wall and made an indescribable noise when a body rose from beneath the open top. "What in Gaia is that!"
Kris was nearly bent double at a cramp that had passed through her abdomen. She was terrified of what was behind them, but the tears on her cheeks were from her fear for her baby. It took all she had to not start sobbing as everything seemed to crash in around her at once. It was only Vincent's voice as it cracked out into the silence that kept her focused. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Kris managed to stand to her full, is still short, height. "Please help us. Jenova has possessed our friend, and we can't stop him alone. Please!"
Vincent's eyes raked over her tiny form before he took in the gaping expressions of the three men. He almost turned to go back into his coffin and ignore them. He had no stake in this. However, his gaze snagged on the woman's hands. They were both cupping her very apparent pregnant belly. Something in him stirred at the sight of the protective way she cradled her unborn child. It was a feeling that he had thought dead long ago. This wasn't Lucrecia, but perhaps he could help this child when he had been unable to help his love's son.
He barely gave her a nod before he moved toward the doorway. He had already heard the footfalls headed toward them. The two men in familiar suits fell back with wide eyes. However, the youngest man held his ground with a frown. "I don't know what's going on, but for now, if my sister trusts you can help us, then I will too. Angeal isn't himself, so I'd appreciate anything we can do to capture him until we can figure out how to reverse it."
Vincent wanted to sigh. He had so many questions, but the name Jenova was enough for him to put them aside until this was dealt with. He didn't say anything before he strode out of the room. He didn't even pause when the woman yelled out. "Please don't kill him! He is under Jenova's influence."
Zack rushed out behind the strange man. Both Reno and Rude hesitated. They had been given instructions to keep Kris safe, even if none of the others knew it. Going out in the hall and tackling the crazed Soldier would fall into that category, but if they fell, then she would vulnerable. It made more sense for them to wait and be backup if the other two needed it.
The weird undead man had given Reno the creeps, and he wasn't much taller, but something about him told the Turk he was better suited to handling Angeal then he and Rude were. Neither of them needed to speak to understand they came to the same conclusion. Reno gave Rude a nearly imperceptible nod, and they both grabbed Kris by the arm when she tried to pass them. She glared at them, but Reno just smirked. "Let the big guns handle this. We gotta keep you from harm, or Commander Cranky will get, well, cranky. Or crankier."
Kris huffed in frustration, but she didn't argue. She knew she would only get in the way as she was now. Still, she wasn't going to stand in the room and just listen. "Let's at least go out and see if he gets past them."
Neither of them liked the idea, but they also knew it would be best if they had a visual of what was going on. They followed her out into the hall, and Reno held up his light. The faint beam barely illuminated anything, but it was enough. Kris took an unconscious step back when the light caused Angeal's eyes to glow unnaturally. He had finally reached Zack and Vincent, but he paused before he rushed them. He may have been possessed, but apparently, even Jenova was smart enough to not jump into something without evaluation first.
Still, it was not long before he rushed to tackle Zack. He was trying to take them out one at a time, but Vincent was more than he appeared to be. He quickly had Cerberus drawn, and two shots rang out before Angeal even reached his protégé. The massive Soldier was knocked back several feet before he came up snarling. He had one hand over his shoulder, and Kris had to bite her tongue when she saw blood slip between his fingers.
She knew Angeal would heal quickly, but she hated seeing him in pain. She mentally cursed the bitch alien once more as Zack was put on the defensive again. Angeal had tried to slice both men at once. Thankfully they were both fast enough to dodge.
Kris nearly ran to her brother when his mentor tried to take off his head several more times in quick succession. She wasn't sure what she planned on doing, but she couldn't stand the sight of any of the men being hurt. She was just glad that Vincent seemed to not be shooting to kill.
After several intense moments of the same thing, Vincent managed to catch Zack's eyes. Even though neither man knew each other, it was not difficult for the gunman to pass on his intent without tipping off Angeal. Part of it was the fact that he had been knocked down once more. By the time he got back to his feet with another unearthly growl, his two opponents had split to either side of him.
Angeal hesitated for a moment as he seemed to be debating who he wanted to attack next. That was all the time they needed. When Angeal looked toward Zack, Vincent gave the boy a slight nod, and they both lunged toward the possessed Soldier at the same time. Angeal was unable to block both his superhuman opponents at the same time, and Zack was able to get behind his defenses to deliver a blow with the flat of his blade. Angeal staggered slightly, and Vincent followed it up with a nasty hit from the handle of his enormous gun. With that, Angeal finally went down once more.
Unfortunately, they all knew well enough that he would not stay down. Kris somehow managed to slip past Reno and Rude to run to her brother's side. He had knelt to check on Angeal before he stood with a frown. His gaze landed on Vincent and gave the man a nod. Kris was by his side before he could thank the man for the assistance. She had grabbed Zack's arm, but she was looking at the gunman.
"Do you know if there is anything down here strong enough to hold him. There is a team that is currently trying to deal with Jenova, so he should come back to his senses as soon as she is gone."
Vincent let loose a soft sigh before he finally pointed toward the far end of the cave. "There are things in there that were made-" He paused and looked away before he continued. "They were made to hold a monster. They should work for now."
Kris took a step toward him. She didn't touch him, but she was close enough that he could hear her whisper. "You are not a monster." She then stepped back and looked over her shoulder. She didn't give him any chance to refute her before she spoke again. "We won't have much time to restrain him. Let's take care of it while he is still out."
Vincent watched the strange woman as she turned to go to the lab. He still had so many questions, and he planned on getting answers. However, she was correct in that they needed to move while they had the chance. He followed her into the room where he had spent more time than he cared to remember. He did his best to ignore the memories the tanks pulled up as he searched for the restraints Hojo had once used on him to hold back the worst of the beasts under his skin.
It was a silent few minutes later that he found what he was looking for. The two Turks had followed them and stuck close to the girl, but the boy that was her brother had stayed with the unconscious man. Presumably, to make sure he did not attack again if he woke before they found the means to hold him.
As worried as Kris was for Angeal, she was still glad that he had yet to rouse again. She hoped it was not more than the fact that he had been knocked unconscious twice in a relatively short amount of time.
Between Vincent and Zack, they managed to get the restraints on Angeal and hauled him into the lab. As disgusted as they all were by the evidence of human experimentation in the place, none of them objected when Vincent suggested they put Angeal in one of the tanks. Between the chains on his arms and legs and the thick glass of the tank, hopefully, it would be enough to keep the Soldier at bay for the time being.
They managed to get Angeal situated before Vincent turned to pin Kris with a glare. Now that the worst was dealt with, he had questions. However, he was not allowed to ask them. All but the gunman nearly jumped out of their skin when a resounding bang echoed through the room. They all turned to see Angeal had tried to ram the tank but was thrown back.
Kris held her hand to her heart as she watched him try it several more times. She wasn't sure if she was more worried that he would hurt himself, or that the glass would break. After several more tries, he finally sat back and snarled at all the people watching him. Kris' shoulders sagged when the noise finally stopped. As frightened as she was, she was also relieved that he had woke up. Even if he wasn't himself yet, at least she knew he would be alright. Or at least alive. He was still injured after all.
As soon as the Soldier settled down, Vincent moved. He had waited long enough to figure out why he had been wakened. Or, more specifically, who this woman was to know that he had been down there, to begin with. She seemed far too young to have anything to do with Hojo.
Before any of the others saw him move, he reached out and grasped Kris by the arm. Not hard, but forcefully enough to turn her to face him. He froze with widened eyes as soon as he touched her. Both people ignored the sudden protests from the others at his handling of her as Vincent's eyes shot down to hers. His shock was evident when he finally got a good look at the swirling depths that stared back at him.
Several seconds later, he finally spoke. "You are the Goddess."
Kris finally took a deep breath and pulled away. Her gaze held his as she answered. "No more than you are Chaos."
They stood there silently evaluating each other until Reno and Zack came up on either side of them. Zack looked like he was ready to pull his sister away, but it was Reno that spoke. "All right. This shit just keeps getting weirder. What in the name of all the gods is goin' on, yo?"
Kris ran her hand down her face. Too much was happening all at once, but now that things were at least contained, she knew all these men deserved an explanation. She looked over at Angeal once more before she grabbed the closest chair. Zack knelt next to her and gave her a concerned look. "Do you think it would be better to head upstairs?"
She looked back over her shoulder before she shook her head. "I don't want to leave him down here alone. What if they finish off Jenova, and he wakes?"
Rude spoke up at that point. "I will stay. We can switch who is down here with him every few hours."
Kris sighed but finally nodded. She hadn't been thrilled to stay down there, and she was sure Vincent wasn't either, even if he didn't say anything. She gave Angeal one last look, and her heart clenched at the way to sat and stared into space. She sent up a prayer that the others would be quick before she turned, and gave Rude a thankful look. She was grateful that Zack was by her side once they headed out. Something told her they weren't safe still.
They ran into no trouble on the way up. Both siblings were thankful for that small favor, but it was short-lived as they found a nearby room away from the destruction. Kris had barely managed to take a seat before Vincent caught her gaze. He didn't need to say anything for her to know he was done waiting. She sighed before she gave him a nod. "This is a little bit of a long story, but I can tell you why we are here. I imagine you already have an idea of why I knew you were down there, but I will try to explain that as well."
Vincent lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment. That was the only signal she needed to launch into her tale. Most of it was already known to the two men with her, but they still stayed silent through the retelling. Well, mostly silent. Reno was vocal about his disgust through parts of it. He had read the reports, but seeing what had just happened, and hearing the rest from Kris personally had him reevaluating his stance. Especially after seeing a possessed Soldier and the dead rising. It was like the world had gone crazy, and he was just trying to deal.
Once Kris had finished, Vincent stood. He stared at her for several seconds with an unreadable expression. His voice was low when he finally spoke. "I had feared that Sephiroth would have become a monster, but perhaps there is something I can do after all. The news of what Hojo has done is inexcusable, but not surprising."
He then stepped closer to the door before he spoke again. "The rest of your tale would be difficult to believe if it were not for the fact that I feel your presence resonating with the being inside me. The fact that the Goddess has taken a stand to save anyone is unusual. I feel there is more to the reason for that, but since the alien is involved, I cannot claim to not believe. Not anymore."
"Rest for now. I will ensure the Soldier downstairs does not get out." He did not allow any of them to say more before he walked out.
Kris was glad that he agreed to help them for now, but she held no delusions that he was willing to leave his coffin yet. She hoped for his sake and others that they could convince him before they all left. However, that was not her first concern. Now that they didn't have an immediate terror looming over them, she could not help but worry about those that went to the reactor. Still, it was too early to take steps. None of them would appreciate her trying to sneak away only for Genesis and the others to already be on their way back before she reached them.
She was also exhausted again. She gave her brother a hug that he gladly returned. Neither of the siblings were yet able to fully relax. However, Kris was ready to sleep again. She finally decided that was the best thing for her to do. Nothing else could be determined at least until morning. She excused herself and sent up a prayer that her sleep would once again be dreamless. She didn't need nightmares, as there were more than enough of them during her waking hours.
A/N: I know this was intense. The next chapter will be as well, but we are only a few chapters from the end. I hope you are all enjoying how this plays out. Thanks for reading and cheers!