Vincent stared out of the helicopter window at the scenery passing beneath him. Overhead, the choppers' blades thrummed steadily. He could have flown the craft himself, but decided against it. Commandeering one of the executive pilots meant that he could spend the journey in the back, examining the various reports and schematics that he needed to familiarise himself with for this mission.

Nothing at all to do with the fact that Lucrecia was also sitting in the rear of the helicopter.

Of course, the other three scientists, Gast, Keirnan and Hojo, were also belted into this area, so it was hardly private. But he contented himself with discreetly peering up from his reading and stealing furtive glances at her when no-one else was looking.

Lucrecia herself was enjoying the flight immensely. Having been the first aboard, she had immediately taken a window seat, so she could gaze out at the towns and villages they passed. Every once in a while, she would make an exclamation of glee as she saw something that had snagged her interest.

Vincent and Gast both pleasantly humoured her interruptions, each taking the time to notice what she was pointing out. Doctor Keirnan, a man with whom Vincent was not well acquainted but seemed cheerful enough, sat next to the Turk and read a book quietly.

Hojo meanwhile, perched himself squarely next to the Professor, and had spent the entire journey so far sitting with his arms tightly crossed, glaring at Vincent. The only words he had spoken all day were "Out of my way, Turk" when being escorted to the helicopter. The Turk in question hadn't bothered to dignify the man with a reply, which simply served to irritate the scientist even more.

Since then, whenever Vincent had had cause to glance in that direction, he had seen Hojos' eyes narrowed and staring, seemingly trying to bore their way into his skull. He began to wish that he'd allowed Linden to pop a bullet or two through the Doctor to try and improve his disposition.

Another excited yelp from Lucrecia brought him out of his thoughts.

"Over there! Is that Nibelheim?"

He returned his gaze to the window and looked down at the landscape. In the distance, he could see a small village spread on the ground, tucked up near a mountain range. He smiled.

"Yes, it is. We should be there in about ten minutes."

"And about time."

Everyone turned their heads to regard the unlikely speaker. Hojo hadn't moved a muscle, but his words had been clearly audible.

Vincent forced himself to subdue the urge to open the hatch and push the man out. "I'm sorry?" he asked politely. Hojos' face wrinkled into that condescending sneer he seemed to use so often when addressing anyone except Gast.

"I said about time. This has taken long enough, isn't there a quicker way?"

"This is the fastest method available" replied Vincent as calmly as he could manage. "Unless of course you've perfected the art of matter transportation while we weren't looking?" He knew he shouldn't have risen to the bait, but something about the Doctors' attitude and entire manner just set him on edge.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Gast and Lucrecia were desperately trying to keep lids on smiles. Hojo on the other hand, did not appear anywhere near as amused, and completely unable to think up a snappy retort to boot.

"Now if you'll all excuse me for a moment" continued Vincent, "if we're approaching Nibelheim I will need to assist the pilot." With that, he stood up and walked to the front of the chopper, leaving Hojo to fume.

A short time later, the helicopter touched down just outside the town borders. From his seat in the cockpit, Vincent nimbly hopped out and onto the grass, the wind generated by the craft whipping his hair in his face. Shaking his head to clear away the errant locks, he jogged round to the side and opened the hatch door to allow the scientists to leave.

Hojo was the first to disembark, saying nothing but giving the Turk an evil look on his way, evidently still not over the Turk's parting jibe. Gast and Beck quickly followed, and Lucrecia was last. Vincent offered her his hand as she got out, which she accepted gratefully. Jumping the small distance to the ground she smiled up at him, an action that he decided made the ordeal of sharing confined space with Hojo for a few hours eminently worthwhile.

"Thank you."

The noise from the chopper drowned out the words, but he was able to read her lips well enough to understand her intent. He could quite happily have stood there all day, holding her hand and taking in her beautiful face, but for now he had to remain professional. Tearing himself away from her with a smile, he turned to the group and beckoned them away from the helicopter.

Once they were a safe enough distance away to be heard without shouting, Vincent called them to a halt. "Your luggage will be brought out in a moment" he said, still having to raise his voice to be heard. "In the meantime, I'll show you to the Mansion." He lead them off towards the town gate. A quick check back over his shoulder proved that a Shinra employee was already beginning to unload the suitcases from the craft. Satisfied, the Turk ushered his charges towards Nibelheim.

Isolated from most of the nearest towns by the great Nibel mountains, the town itself was indeed small, especially when compared to Midgar. Vincent had been a little inaccurate when he described the population as being six, but in all honesty he wasn't all that far off. It seemed like the entire town had turned out to witness the arrival of the Shinra contingent, and he could count certainly no more than fifty people in the streets and surrounding area.

Idly he wondered what exactly he was supposed to be protecting the scientists from, as none of the inhabitants seemed to be in the least bit threatening. They gaped at the small group with awe, keeping a respectful distance as Vincent guided them towards the far end of town.

The Shinra Mansion stood tall and imposing, surrounded on all sides by high walls and a wonderfully crafted iron gate. The President had commissioned the building many years ago as a second home, but midway through changed his mind, deciding that Costa del Sol was a far more temperate place to live. The Mansion was still completed, though used for different purposes. Shinra held employee conferences here for a while, as well as formal occasions and dances. Now it was to be the new home of the Jenova Project.

Opening the gate, Vincent ushered the scientists inside the gardens. All but Hojo were looking around the area with curiosity, interested in their surroundings. The irascible Doctor was still sulking, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Striding up to the main entrance, the Turk unlocked the door and swung it open. Inside, the scientists gathered in the hallway. A swooping staircase dominated the room, and numerous elaborate doors led off to other parts of the Mansion.

Lucrecia breathed a small sigh. "I hadn't expected it to be quite so… big" she remarked, taking in the new workplace.

"You should find everything you need either here or in town" explained Vincent to the group. "Living quarters have been provided upstairs for each of you. Would you like a complete tour now, or should I show you to the lab?"

Seeing the looks on their faces, he already knew what the answer was going to be. Gast spoke for them all. "I think we'd really like to see the lab, Mr Valentine" he said, with a big grin.

"Of course" Vincent answered. "It's in the basement. If you'd follow me…" He trailed off as Hojo immediately started heading off towards one of the doors. "Doctor, is there a problem?"

Hojo spun round. "You said the basement" he spat. "I've been here before, I know where that is. I don't need some common street thug to show me." With that, he stormed off into one of the side rooms, leaving the others standing in bemusement.

The Turk as the first to recover. Arching an eyebrow, he regarded the scientists back as it vanished from view. "Well" he said pointedly. "I will admit that the entrance to the basement was once in that room, but the Mansion has since been altered. The door to the lab is now upstairs. All the good doctor" - he was very proud of himself for being able to say those words with a straight face - "will find in there is the dining room." The remaining three project members chuckled. It appeared that Vincent wasn't the only one who found the man tiresome. "If you come with me, I'll show you the new way to get down to the basement."

They were halfway up the staircase when they heard a door slam. The figure of Hojo emerged from the side room, and began stalking up the stairs behind them, fury blatantly visible on his face. They all refrained from commenting on his outburst, instead leaving him to stew.

Once up on the next floor, Vincent called them to a halt. "Just so you're all aware" he said without trace of a smirk (he was proud of that, too), "the bedrooms are all in that direction." He gestured down in the opposite direction to a corridor. "The lab entrance is this way." He pushed open a door nearby and stepped inside a new room.

It was very pleasant, containing a large window overlooking the Mansion gardens, a small bookcase, some desks, chairs and... no way downstairs. Not even another door. The scientists looked confused. Doctor Keirnan was the one who voiced their collective thoughts. "Um… Where's the door?" he asked curiously.

Hojo shoved himself forward, a smirk painted across his mouth. "The Turk obviously doesn't know what he's doing" he proclaimed. "He's lead us into a dead end." No mention of his own blunder, Vincent noticed. This is when he hoped to Odin that the schematics he'd read on the journey were accurate.

He moved towards the far wall, studying it carefully whilst Hojo scoffed in the background. Unfazed, he searched the bare wall, until he found what he was looking for - a small stone, just slightly different from the others. Figuratively crossing his fingers, he gave the stone a nudge. The motion set off a reassuring noise of machinery, and he was able to watch with silent pleasure as a section of the wall slid away, revealing a helix staircase down. Vincent two, Hojo nil.

"The basement" he declared. "We thought it best that the Mansion be converted, in the interests of security. Any intruders will not have access to your project, which is why the original entrance was sealed."

Without sparing a glance for the seething scientist in the midst, Vincent immediately began descending the steps, beckoning for the to follow. The stairs twirled downwards, through a stone passage, eventually opening out into a long corridor. He let the four pass him, all but one curiously investigating the area.

They milled around, unsure of exactly where they needed to go, until Vincent pointed them in the direction of the new laboratory at the end of the passage. "Here's the main lab" he explained, opening the door for them and feeling more than a little like a tour guide. "And through there is an extensive library."

It was certainly impressive. The large laboratory was packed full of state of the art equipment. Canisters, racks, tanks, machinery, everything the four could ever possibly imagine or ask for. Several crates stood to one side, no doubt filled with more treasures. Gast and Beck made a beeline for these, whilst Lucrecia wandered into the Library to the rear. Hojo gave the room a slow circuit, eyes roving over each device or item, perhaps hoping to find a flaw. The Turk simply stood in the doorway, amused, letting them get on with it. He was visibly reminded of children at Christmas time, opening presents.

Hojo completed his mini tour of the facility and sniffed. "I suppose this will be satisfactory" he grudgingly admitted to the room at large. Gast broke his attention away from the latest crate and looked up.

"Satisfactory?" he echoed, just as Lucrecia came meandering back in. "Mr Valentine, please convey my gratitude to the President when you speak to him. The lab is perfect."

Vincent nodded. "Certainly" he answered. "I'm ordered to provide him with weekly updates of the Project, so I'll pass on your comments." Straightening his jacket, he addressed them all. "If you're quite happy here, then I'll leave you to it. I have several duties to attend to. Feel free to explore the Mansion, though if you're going into the town please report it to me."

He was back in the upstairs room when Lucrecia caught up with him. "Phew! That's a lot of stairs" she complained lightly, "and your legs are longer than mine." Vincent smiled. Whilst the three other scientists were downstairs and it was just the two of them, he could drop some of the professionalism.

"What is it, Lu?" he asked, stopping by the door.

"I've been cooped up in that helicopter for hours already, I don't feel like being cooped up down there quite yet" she laughed. "There's time enough for that later. I wanted to have a look at the town, I've never been to Nibelheim before."

Vincent gave his consent with a tilt of his head. "Of course."

She shook her head. "No… I meant let's take a walk round" she suggested eagerly. "That includes you." Vincent shrugged helplessly.

"I'd love to, but I can't" he protested. "I have to go and…"

The petite scientist placed her hands on her hips and gave him a definite 'look'. Vincent felt his indomitable will already beginning to give way. "None of that" she pronounced. "You're coming with me, whether you like it or not." She waved a hand around in a vague kind of way. "Think of it as… securing the area, or something. Isn't that what Turks do?"

He gave in with a rueful smile. Somehow Lucrecia always managed to do this. Not that he really minded, it was true he did have to scout around the town, become familiar with his new surroundings. He'd planned to get to grips with the Mansion first, but there was no harm in exploring Nibelheim to start with.

"Alright" he said. "But I'll need to get changed first, and I suggest you do the same." The pair started walking along the corridor to their sleeping quarters. "The luggage should be unloaded and in the rooms by now. Yours is the one at the end of the hall." They walked up until they reached the aforementioned door.

"And where's yours?" Lucrecia asked with a glint in her eye.

He motioned towards another door, this one back close to the landing. "There."

"Good. Just so I know where to run to if I need protecting in the middle of the night."

An elegantly arched black eyebrow practically disappeared into Vincent's hairline. "I am at your service" he answered, unable to resist a small smirk. "I just need to sort out a few things, give me ten minutes…"

oOo

As it turned out, he was longer than ten minutes. He'd just reached his room when he was accosted by the housekeeper, who had a list of things she'd needed to discuss with him. Politely he'd dealt with her requests (no point in antagonising the staff, he figured), before finally getting into his bedroom.

Lucrecia had waited for the allotted time and five minutes more, before deciding to root out the Turk herself. She found the door to his room ajar, so poked her head round.

"No."

Vincent looked up.

"What?" he asked innocently. At least as innocently as it was possible for a six foot Turk holding a very large rifle to be. He was standing in the middle of the room, a vast array of guns laid out on the bed. It appeared that his main suitcase had contained none of the usual items one might expect such as clothes; instead it held an alarmingly large assortment of weaponry. As she'd walked in, she found him staring through the sight on an inordinately sized firearm, pointed at one wall.

She gestured at the rifle. "You're not seriously going to take that."

"Of course I am" he said, almost taken aback. "If I'm securing the area, then I'll need a good weapon."

"Vincent, this is Nibelheim. There are probably about thirty people living in this backwater, and most of them are over sixty. You will not need that… that... Thing." Lucrecia sighed. You could take the Turk out of Midgar, but you couldn't take Midgar out of the Turk…

He rolled his eyes, and put the rifle down on a dressing table. His hand started towards a slightly smaller weapon nearby.

"Vincent…" Lucrecia's warning tone halted his movement.

"Alright, alright…" He held up both hands. "You win."