Heartstrings
Vincent Unleashed
by TacomaSquall
Part Eighteen:
Janet De Vries awakened from a deep slumber to the sound of the alarm buzzer from her bedside chronograph. She sat up in the rumpled bed and stretched languorously. She felt satiated, through and through. She smiled as she remembered the dream she had during the night, of a visit from Director Valentine, where they had… She felt a little sore, and a little discomfort from her nether regions. It had not been a dream!
She smiled at the memory of the pleasures she had experienced in the night, and started slowly dressing. She pulled on some underclothes from her dresser, and strode over to the room's closet. As she riffled through the blouses that were hung up in the closet, she remembered the rest of what happened the night before. She stopped as her blood ran cold. She looked at the chronograph.
Vincent had come to me shortly after midnight, and it was now seven in the morning! According to what Vincent told me, Jenova is already here!
Hurriedly, she dressed. As she donned the first convenient set of clothes she could find, she spoke. "Intercom – Systemwide." The voice-activated computer system invented by one of the members of the Research Center switched open the directionless microphone installed in Dr. De Vries' room, and opened a circuit connecting her to the entire network of loudspeakers throughout the Center.
"This is Dr. Janet De Vries. We have a Code White situation. The Research Center is in danger of imminent attack. All staff are to report to the central conference amphitheater within ten minutes. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is a Code White situation. All staff are to report to the central conference amphitheater."
As soon as she had ended her proclamation, she ran out of her room, sprinting for the Central Conference Amphitheater.
* * * * * *
Jenova straightened as she flowed out of the form of the Cockatrice back into the guise of the young human she had absorbed. She had adopted the avian form in her haste to leave the Corel area. She had flown to the slopes of Nibel Mountain, and was searching for the least noticeable approach to the place where she was betrayed by Sephiroth just a few months before. As she searched, she noted with grim satisfaction that her errant son no longer existed upon the astral plane.
She saw a plume of dust rise from the front entrance of the place that she had been defeated. Her eyes made out the form of a powerful airship that was preparing to allow people to disembark. As she recognized the members of AVALANCHE on deck, her cold heart beat with rage. This time, I will not be denied. I will have my revenge!
As she started walking toward the Research Center, she paused. Smiling at the delicious irony, she recreated the outfit that her victim had been wearing when she had assimilated it. Her face set in a grim look of determination, the girl that was once Barret's daughter strode forward.
* * * * * *
Lord Chaos smiled as he sat in the entryway of the Research Center, his attention seemingly absorbed by the magazine he held in his hands. He had watched the staff race away when Janet had made her announcement, and he sat in the deserted lobby, waiting for the rest of the players in this play to come out on stage.
He hoped that the members of the Research Center's staff were capable of playing the role he had conceived for them. He knew that Tenebrius was already late. The Research Center's staff must be ready to face the Horseman, to tip the scales in his favor.
He reached out with his magic along an astral tendril that still connected him to his former avatar. He sensed the helplessness and frustration that Vincent felt at being trapped alive within a cave in the Corel Mountains. He sensed the gunslinger's growing realization that death was stalking Vincent and the Turks as they were sealed in the Planet's bosom, with a dwindling supply of air. He grimaced. I cannot allow my ace in the hole to be removed from the table so easily.
Chaos began weaving a spell.
* * * * * *
In the midnight-dark realm of Nessos, Lord Tenarrus gathered his four Horsemen. Each had prepared for their master's summons to battle in a manner that was unique to their personal tastes.
Lord Tenebrius was clad in his full coat of shadowy mail, made of interlocking rings of solidified night. Over the mail coat, he wore a breastplate of black diamond that glimmered, reflecting the myriad hues of darkness in a scintillating display. He wore vambraces and greaves made of blackened, carbonized steel, alloyed with lightweight alumina. Rimewand was in its customary sheath on the warrior's hip, and two daggers were concealed in the tops of his boots.
Beside Tenebrius stood the Darklord Uragi. Uragi disdained the heavier armor of his peer, instead choosing to wear a hardened, yet flexible, suit of black leather armor that conformed to his slight body's lines. Hell's Stiletto hung from a half-sheath that enabled Uragi to draw his blade and slash in a single motion. His ebon locks were shorn close to the skull to prevent an opponent from grabbing his hair to gain an advantage.
Coyote paced, his form shifting from one guise to another. His eagerness to begin the conquest showed in every taut gesture the shapeshifter made as he flowed from one shape to the next. Perhaps one of his loyal servants might be rewarded with a domain to rule as his own once the Planet has fallen. Perhaps I will be rewarded. Coyote smiled, revealing the sharp fangs of the current form he occupied, a humanoid warrior known as a Blitz.
Inanna lounged beside Lord Tenarrus' throne. She wore a diaphanous garment that accentuated every shadowy curve of her voluptuous form while barely concealing them. A necklace of obsidian beads and black pearls dipped slightly into the hollow between her dusky breasts. On either hand, she wore a ring of black iron that was connected by a fine chain to a bracelet of white gold. Each bracelet had a single blue-green Materia socketed within. Her ebon tresses were bound by a cord of ebon filament. Venomkiss was curled around her waist. Her eyes shone with excitement and sweat glistened on her skin.
Lord Tenarrus sat upon the throne. He wore a suit of leather armor very similar to the Darklord's, save that Tenarrus' armor was shaped to accommodate his winged form. Tenarrus' wings were tipped with razor-sharp blades that were made of lightweight titanium steel. The blades went from wingtip to midwing. His head was covered in a helm of lightweight carbonized steel. His greatsword, Midnight's Heart, lay unsheathed in his hands.
He looked at each of his four Horsemen in turn. His eyes rested last upon the lovely form of Inanna and he smiled slightly. Inanna returned his smile, and leaned forward to allow him a glimpse beneath the gown she wore. Her smile turned to a moue of annoyance when his smile lost all of its warmth and became the grin of a shark that has scented blood in the water.
Tenarrus began, "My Horsemen, treachery has been revealed in our midst. Our minion, the self-styled Lord Chaos, has manipulated events to hinder our conquest of the Planet."
Inanna was shocked by this declaration, but also pleased. Chaos was the only one of Tenarrus' minions who matched her mastery over the arcane forces of Magic. She breathed, "What has the traitor done, Master?"
Tenarrus looked at his consort. "He has sabotaged the 'reliable' device you made to rapidly bridge the space between Nessos and the Planet. It will work only once, and its coordinate system has been fused, allowing only transit to Lord Tenebrius' destination, the town of Nibelheim."
Tenebrius spoke. "The traitor came to me to offer his aid in humiliating the rest of you. He offered me the chance to complete the conquest alone, without the rest of you."
Uragi sneered at his rival. "And you passed up such a godsend? You are a far greater fool than I thought!"
Tenebrius' eyes glinted with rage, and his hand moved to the hilt of Rimewand. With an effort, he forced himself to release hold on his scimitar, reminding himself of the edict that Lord Tenarrus had set forth as they prepared for this conquest. He grated, "The opportunity would have been great, but my loyalty is, and has always been, to Lord Tenarrus. To participate in such an action from sheer hubris would have betrayed the master I have served for longer than you have been alive, psychopath."
Tenarrus purred, "Your loyalty is noteworthy. You forsook your own advantage to warn me of Chaos' treason." The dark master of Nessos paused. "Tenebrius, name your reward."
"I beseech you, master, set aside your consort. She has been at your side for many years and has yet to bear you an heir." Tenebrius' voice became bitter. "As often as she has played the wanton for you, master, should she not have borne at least one child?" An heir that would prevent her accession to the throne should something untoward happen to you, my master and friend?
Inanna's eyes grew as cold as ice. She snarled, "And what business is it of yours, warrior?"
Tenebrius shot back, "I have served Tenarrus loyally for far longer than you have shared his bed, woman. I have seen what happens to monarchs who have no heir and have ambitious lieutenants before. We have utilized that to our advantage." His voice grew grim. "I have no wish to see such a weakness exploited in Nessos."
Inanna's hands clenched in rage and she spat upon Tenebrius. Lord Tenarrus chided her, "Now, Inanna, that is not behavior fit for my consort. Tenebrius is correct, although he wisely speaks only the most legitimate of his observations. However, I will voice his concerns, because they are also mine."
Tenarrus' voice became cold as he ticked off his observations. "First, you have not borne me an heir. The continuance of my dynasty is of gravest import. I have allowed the pleasure I find in you to blind me to the dynastic necessities of my throne."
"Second, you have insinuated yourself into every facet of my court. You have always sought to focus the attention of my court away from me to you. Courtiers come to you to seek intervention in issues, and trade favors with you for your influence."
"Finally, you have been disloyal to me. As my consort, you should take no others to your bed, but you have frequent dalliances with servants, courtiers, and even Darklord Uragi. I was willing to overlook this in the hopes that one of them might quicken your womb, relieving me of that dynastic necessity, but I have been aware of your trysts from the start. I even knew of your desire to couple with Chaos." Inanna's jaw dropped in shock.
Lord Tenarrus gazed at his consort levelly. "Your actions are punishable by death, should I choose to exercise such a penalty." Inanna's face grew pale with fright. "For your skills in certain arts, and in mind of the pleasure you have brought me these twenty years, Inanna, I am moved to offer some measure of clemency."
Inanna knelt before Lord Tenarrus and kissed his feet. "Thank you, master."
Tenarrus smiled. "You may not wish to thank me when you hear what form my clemency takes, Inanna." He reached down and took her chin in one gloved fist. "You are no longer my consort. You will remain one of my Horsemen, but should I hear of any intrique that you concoct against any of my Horsemen, or against me, I shall have you put to death." His grip on her chin became more and more insistent, and he hoisted her into the air.
Tenarrus looked at the other three Horsemen. "Let this be a warning to each of you." He threw Inanna to the ground, where she lay, huddled, her eyes burning with rage and humiliation.
"Tenebrius, when you go to Nibelheim, you will not go alone." Lord Tenarrus looked at the Horsemen. "We will all go to Nibelheim, where our conquest will begin! Once AVALANCHE has fallen, the rest of the world shall swiftly find itself under our control."
* * * * * *
AVALANCHE disembarked from the Highwind. They had sped from Nuavalan through the night to reach Cloud's home town and the Research Center ahead of Jenova and Lord Chaos. While the airship blazed through the night, the members of the team had grabbed what fitful sleep they could gain. Their dreams were filled with nightmare images of Chaos' rampage, visions of the horrific slaughter he had wreaked across the Planet in his mad quest to break the Barrier.
Barret walked slowly down the airship's gangplank. He gazed about Nibelheim blearily, and blinked. Was that Marlene? He owlishly stared at the young girl running down the path from Mount Nibel. It was! He darted forward, running quickly for a man of his bulk.
"Daddy!" Marlene's excited scream cut through the early morning air, and the other members of AVALANCHE hurried down the gangway to join their massive friend and his daughter.
Barret caught his daughter in a bear-hug, and hoisted her into the air. Tears streamed down the burly, black man's face. "Honey, I thought I had lost you forever." He held his daughter tightly to his chest so he could look her in the eyes. "While Daddy was gone from Corel, a monster attacked it. I thought you were there with Elmyra." He paused. "Where is your Aunt Elmyra?"
As Barret looked into his daughter's eyes, he saw them glaze over and turn red. Shielded as they were from the rest of Barret's companions by the massive bulk of the one-armed man, her eyes were not visible to the others. Barret froze in shock.
He felt his daughter's hands touch his side, and then felt a piercing pain, as all ten of her fingers elongated, becoming dagger-sharp. They pierced his chest, driving for his lungs and heart. Three of the talons pierced his right lung, and two pierced his left. One talon grazed the massive man's heart, nicking a coronary artery. The talons then retracted and resumed their shape as mere fingers.
Barret staggered forward, in agony. He dropped to his knees, still holding the creature he had believed to be his daughter. Uncomprehending, he watched as her features changed, becoming more mature. He mouthed the question, Why?
Jenova, wearing the teenaged form of what Marlene would have been, answered. "Because you never loved me." She extricated herself from the grievously wounded man's grasp. As he fell forward, no longer supported by her, and no longer capable of keeping himself upright, she added, "And I expect that you'll be seeing Elmyra soon."
Cait Sith bounded up to Barret's side. "What happened?"
"This." Jenova backhanded the robotic moogle, at the same time shifting into the form that AVALANCHE had once faced her in, in the City of the Ancients. "I happened to him."
* * * * * *
Chaos looked up in the lobby of the Research Center. It has begun…
End of Part Eighteen