Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, blah blah blah

A/N: Ok, I want to thank all you guys, you've been leaving reviews! Thanks to the following people:

The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom - Another Ticent fan? Great! I know I rushed the relationship, but I really wanted to move onto a plot before I completely forgot it (I sorta winged it at a few points heehee) so I'm just writing it as it comes out now. I do plan on building the relationship up somewhat next chapter, so be on the lookout for that!
BabyGurl278 - You've left a review everytime I updated! Wow, thank you! I feel special :) Anyhow, I'm glad someone liked that little converse, it's supposed to depict some jealousy in Cloud if you caught it. I'm actually proud of that!

Alright, enough of that because everyone else will have skipped over it. I'm going to leave you with the story, leave me some reviews!

Chapter 10

Vincent was inwardly surprised by his dead and calm voice and the steadiness of his hand. Years of Turk training and confinement in his god-forsaken coffin were aroused though he knew he had little to no chance at single-handily defeating Sephiroth. Still, something was off, and Vincent narrowed his eyes warily.

"What are you?" seemed the most appropriate question; he knew not even Sephiroth could still stand full and healthy after their battle. They had made sure of that. The silver-haired man simply smiled and placed his right hand on his weapon, a small katana strapped to his waist. He pushed on the guard, revealing the blade ever so slightly, and Vincent could see the razor sharp edge from where he sat.

He fully unsheathed his blade and Vincent sprung from his berth, landing slowly and gracefully on his feet. He kept the gun straight and his claw hidden beneath his cloak, careful to not waver under the powerful gaze.

"No need to be so uptight and tense, Valentine," he cooed, walking over to the unconscious Turks with his sword in his hand. "They probably have already revealed as much as he let on, so they are no longer a threat. However…" He raised his sword to his face, dividing his image in half as he gazed at his reflection. "…they still failed, and therefore I am here as the divine punisher. Stay back, demon." He raised his blade above his head, but as he brought it down, the gun shot rang out, throwing aside the sword and knocking the warrior off balance.

He steadily straightened up, staring at the ground, his hair covering his eyes. The katana lay embedded in the floor beside him, hilt up. "What do you think you are doing, demon?" he whispered, refusing to look up.

Vincent brought up his claw and drew up his cloak so it obscured the bottom of his face. "You are slaying no one here, you failed science project." The man moved slightly, jerking his head to the side so Vincent could see one of his Mako eyes, quickly turning silver. "You are not Sephiroth; you are merely a clone, a replica that came close to his appearance so believes he is God." Only a chuckle was met with this statement as he stood up, cocking his head as he gazed at Vincent with a knowledgeable expression.

"I do not pose myself as 'God,' I am merely Judgment, here carrying the orders of my master. He is God. I am Lartsa, the divine servant of Lord Sephiroth!" He threw off his armor, revealing his loose, sleeveless shirt underneath before they landed on the floor, crushing it under the weight. He reached behind him and drew another blade from his back and charged Vincent, blades swinging with precision and speed.

He spun about, easily avoiding the attacks. Slow and sluggish, yet could effortlessly kill any human.

Are you really going to allow this creature to walk? His blows are nothing as you feared, kill him already! Vincent could feel Chaos' uneasiness and impatience, but he brushed his thoughts to the back of his mind before leaping across the room, landing on the opposite end of Lartsa.

"Is that all?" chided Vincent, his voice low and menacing. Lartsa smiled widely and spun his blades around.

"Not even close," he replied. With god-like speed, he was in front of Vincent, both blades through his abdomen.

He gasped in surprise and pain as he felt the cool blades slid in and through his body, then exit as Lartsa pulled them back dramatically, a small smile playing on his cold lips. "Sweet dreams, Turk. I shall see you hell." He raised a single blade above him, the blood running from the tip as it gleamed and shone in the sparse light. "DIE!"

"Death…"

Lartsa eyes widened in horror as he watched Gigas stop his blade in a single hand, crumpling the steel as if it were paper. With a mighty swing of his forearm, he swept Lartsa to through the wall, sprawling him on the soiled hospital hallway dotted with debris.

"Damnit!" he cried, leaping to his feet as Gigas slammed down upon where he had been seconds ago. It shone so brightly that Lartsa covered his eyes foolishly for a moment as the ground burst open and electricity flooded from Vincent's new hellish transformation. He lowered his hand and watched as Death Gigas straightened up slowly, enjoying itself as it tasted the fear and anger in the air.

A crudely built monster, Death Gigas towered over Lartsa easily, reaching over eight feet. Random parts of its body seemed tacked and stitched on with carelessness, giving the illusion of a Frankenstein-like monster with the power of lightning.

Lartsa bared his teeth and made to launch himself forward when the entire Avalanche team ran into the hallway, their weapons ready and Yuffie's shuriken even in the air. He feebly dodged it, but it tore at his shoulder as it came around, and he gasped in surprise.

"Vincent!" Cloud cried, starting forward. Gigas merely moaned in response, his speech incomprehensible. Tifa came by Cloud, standing next to the demon. "Alright, let's take him out!" he commanded. He turned to Lartsa, who was grasping his shoulder as blood ran down his arm. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I don't give a fuck if you attack us!" The trio made their way toward the wounded swordsman, but they faltered when he lifted his left arm.

On it was an arm guard with a single materia slot. On it was a silver materia, much like the one Rude and Elena had. "Holy and Magic. Offense and Defense. Next time we meet, Turk, we shall finish this duel, one-on-one." His eyes widened as he straightened his arm and reached as high as he could, the materia glowing.

"Celestial Star!" A ball of light shone in his hand, and they turned away from the blazing mass as Lartsa drove it into the ground. It exploded, showering the entire room in dust, and they felt the entire hospital sway from the blast.

"Everyone! Get out of here!" cried Cloud, running back toward the exit as Lartsa's evil and sadistic laugh followed them. Gigas could make out his shoulder slowly retreating into the cloud of dust, but instead of following, gave a shudder of pain and dropped to its knees, reverting back to Vincent.

"Come on, Vince!" Tifa shouted, helping him up by his sweat-covered arm. "We have to get out of here!"

"There…are others…" he gasped, remembering the Turks. "We cannot abandon the helpless." Tifa looked shocked, but then nodded as they made their way quickly inside the room, Tifa picking up Elena and throwing her arm around her shoulders while Vincent slung both Rude and Reno over his.

Good thing this isn't a big hospital, he thought as they rushed out the door. It collapsed behind them and dust shot forth, showering them in a fit of coughs.

"Fucker…" gasped Cid as he waved the air in front of him, trying futilely to remove the dust. "What the gaddamn hell do they fuckin' think they're doin'? They took out the whole fuckin hospital building, and that's the only one in this hellhole!"

"Well," started Red, staying low to the ground. "That is the least of our worries."

Cloud nodded. "It looks like the Sephiroth clones are up to something. I don't know how they still function without Sephiroth's command…" Vincent gave a small cough, and he turned to him. "What is it?"

"His…his eyes…Lartsa is not a normal Sephiroth clone."

"How so?" Cloud asked bewildered. The coughing slowed as the dust cleared, and they all turned to Vincent, who dropped Reno and Rude crudely from his shoulders.

"His eyes turned blue and then into silver when his emotions where highest. Originally, they were exactly like yours," he indicated at Cloud's Soldier marked eyes. "He was branded with Shinra's label, but also with something else."

They were in hushed silence, Cloud mouthing silently, "What?"

Vincent took a deep, silent breath. "He is contaminated with the original Jenova cells; not ones used to create these newer clones like you, but the stronger, more condensed samples. That is how he is able to function ably unlike the other clones."

"Wait," Cloud commanded, holding his hands out in front of him as if stopping an invisible force from hitting him. "If I am not made from those cells, then shouldn't I be dysfunctional like those others?"

"Mako branding."

They all let that small statement sink in. "The Mako strengthened the cells when you joined Soldier, so you possessed the nervous system of a basic human, but retained some strengths and faults from the Jenova injection."

Barret suddenly spoke up. "When did you get so mother-fuckin' talkative? And how do you know all this psychotic-al…ish shit?"

Vincent raised his left claw, his eyes cold and frightening that made even Cid cower slightly. "Because I lost my left arm to become the model for Hojo's experiment. I, too, am a Jenova victim, without the power of Mako. I am a inhuman…Hojo's little science experiment that eventually led to Sephiroth, Lartsa…and you, Cloud."

A/N: 0o0o0o0o0o0o shocker! Ah, just kidding ya. I think it's pretty self-evident Vincent had some Jenova experimentation, and since he's pretty old, I thought 'What the hell, make him the prototype!' Think it flows well, actually. Anyhow, it's late and I have Cross Country in the morning, so I can't really go over it all. Let me know if you find any mistakes, OK? It'd be well appreciated! Thanks everyone!