Chapter 14
The lights slowly flickered to life as Gast entered the lab after putting a few hours of sleep behind him. Despite the books and rugs, the lab still held the dim image of being in the basement. On the most part, the concrete was left bare along the wall while wood cabinets and shelves hung against it. Making past the various glass storage doors and propane tanks, he paused infront of the place where Jenova was stored.
Concerned by what he had seen with the photos, opened the lid and uncovered the body. His eyes went wide in shock. 'Lucrecia was right! Jenova is changing.' Gast however hesitated in assuming it was regeneration, as much as Lucrecia did. Not only had the wounds healed, but the skin was losing the darkness time and death had brought. Gast knew she still had to be dead, and then what is going on? This was not the normal apparition of fungal growth or bacteria growth. Taking a sterile swap, he took a few more samples of the changed tissue to determine what is creating the change.
"She's quite a curious specimen, isn't she?"
Gast straightened up and acknowledged Hojo's sudden presence.
"Curious would be a lighter term then I would prefer."
Hojo took his place next to Gast and scanned the corpse. "Such a rare find, Gast. Though I have heard they may have found some additional remains?"
Gast rubbed at his mustache. "But nothing nearly as complete as this." His eyes lingering on Jenova's body, "Not even close."
"Indeed. I am very close to unlocking the gene code of Jenova."
Gast gave him a sideway glance. "Seriously?"
Hojo flashed a smug expression, tinted with superiority. "You doubt my skills, hmm? I did, by record, uncover the human genome."
Gast's eyes slid back to Jenova's body. "I don't doubt your skills, Doctor. I was just merely surprised by such a quick turn around after gathering cell samples about a month ago."
Hojo sighed as he crossed his arms. "You should have a better assistant, Gast. Honestas is good for desk work, but when it comes to real thing, I feel she falls a little short."
"A fast response should not come in expense of detail and accuracy."
Hojo snorted and walked away pausing briefly to turn on some of the lab machine to continue his work in separating DNA from the tissue samples. Gast could not help but harbor some minor concern for Lucrecia's reputation with Hojo. She had done nothing but good work. 'It will be an uphill battle all the way to the top for her, I fear.' Gast closed Jenova away and began to prepare test for Lucrecia to run once she arrived.
"Professor?" Lucrecia knocked on the side of the bookcase.
"Yes?" He mumbled as he continued looking over a report.
Lucrecia approached his desk ignoring his gruff response. "I thought you might be interested in this."
She slid a manila envelope on to his desk. Placing the current report down, he picked up what Lucrecia had brought in. He glazed over the words and thumbed through the page. The thick frown line between his eyebrows unfurled and a smile flickered across his lips.
"This is fantastic! When did this come in?"
"It arrived via Chocobo this morning, sir."
Gast pour back over the major details of the small collection of samples he sent back to the larger labs in Midgar. "Bacteria counts, contents of the stomach, cell anomalies. Honestas, I never thought we could be so close to seeing how a Cetran lived and even ate."
The report also held a brief explanation of the clothing found on her body and the artifacts. Gast frowned as he finished the report.
"Professor?" Lucrecia inquired. He waved her concern away.
"I was hoping for a report back on that projectile point we found, but hopefully as the digging season wraps up here soon, we will hear back from the labs."
She merely nodded in agreement. Gast stood up. "We should celebrate! So much has been done in such a short period of time, thanks to your diligence."
Lucrecia smiled. "Thank you, sir."
Gast marched past her. "And just ignore Hojo for right now." Lucrecia in turn followed him and met up with Hojo for a planned meeting to review what had been discovered so far and determine what needed to be discovered next.
Lucrecia seemed tired. She sat in the grass playing with one of the yellow flowers, rolling it around. Though Vincent could not blame her considering how much work Hojo dumped on her after the meeting she had with him and Gast. However, he did admire how well she defending herself throughout the ordeal.
Vincent turned his attention away for a moment. He had debated throughout the day what he was going to do about Lucrecia. It was obvious she had some affection for him, but he was concerned about returning that affection. 'Mixing such business could be a very bad thing for both of us.' He watched as the sun played with the shadows in the grass and reflected on the puffy white clouds that ambled by. He was use to keeping his distance from people and for good reason. But now it was not so easy and he did not want to push her away. 'Maybe I should tell her that we shouldn't do this and keep our distance? Or I could just turn a cold shoulder to her.' Though he knew she was putting a great deal on the line to show him what she did. 'Perhap just once is all I need. Then we can move on and she can do her work and I can do mine.' He turned his attention back to her, watching her fingers play with the narrow stalk of the flower. 'What if this is not the only time? What if it will lead to more?' Is there something wrong with that if I want more?'
He reached over to her and gently turned Lucrecia's face to him. Taking both hands he cupped her face. 'What if this is wrong?' He let his thumbs rub her cheeks. Before he could reason himself out of it, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Pulling way, Lucrecia opened her eyes and swallowed. For the first time, she found there was nothing she could say or think. She could only feel and even that was clouded. Bringing her hand up, she brushed Vincent's hair from his eyes in an almost meditative motion. She watched his eyes scan her face as though he was seeking approval or feedback.
Lucrecia felt a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Now I know what that meant!"
The sense of openness on the Turk's face slipped into confusion as though her reaction was not what he expected or wanted.
"What do you mean?" He finally managed to ask. Lucrecia continued to caress his face all the while.
"It's just that…well...I just realized what a philosopher meant when he stated that actions of love can make a poor man feel rich, a sad man glad and a smart man stupid. Or something like that."
Vincent blinked. "So I made you stupid?"
She saw he was vaguely amused. 'I am sure he was not expecting to do that. Well, at least he is a decent kisser...none of that sloppy, drooling stuff I sometimes run into.'
"In a way, yes. You are the first man who made me stop thinking for a moment."
The moment was shattered by the sudden sound of nearby gunfire. Whether it was reflex or instinct, Vincent threw her and himself to the ground and waited for anything more. After a moment, he slowly rose into a crouch trying to stay below the tall grass and flowers. He scanned the surrounding terrain while he released his handgun from the shoulder holster. Lucrecia lay still unsure what was going on.
Taking note the initial direction he heard the gunfire, he looked in the opposite direction. His eyes fell on the dense forest that lay at the base of the mountain. The air suddenly fell silent as though the land was holding its breath. The only sound that echoed in Lucrecia's ear beyond her racing heart was the sound of the Turk caulking his gun. The man she had just kissed was no longer there now replaced by something cooler, more ridged and calculating. His dark eyes turned and settled on her face.
"Stay low and make your way back to mansion." Seeing she was hesitating out of shock, his eyes narrowed. "Now!" He whispered harshly. Nodding, Lucrecia slowly backed away, her attention torn between him and the town a short distance away. She found herself out of place. Lucrecia was a lab rat or ever once and while go out in the field. The biggest danger she had ever faced as a small bear who when spotted by her ran the opposite direction. Lucrecia knew she now needed to rely on Vincent. This is what he was trained to do and this is why he was here; as a Turk who had been specifically trained to protect and guard as well as to gather intelligence. Focusing her whole attention on the mansion walls, she crept along the grass, trying to stay low. Once she came within a yard's reach of the wall she stopped and looked back. Last she had seen him, gun in hand creeping toward the woods. Not wanting to be an obstruction, she continued until she was within the safe confines of the mansion.
Quietly, the Turk entered the mansion, his gun resting silently in its holster. Despite his efforts, he found little to explain the gunfire. He found a few empty shells and a few footprints, a drag mark, but nothing much more. 'Probably the hunters that belong to that campfire I saw yesterday, though I am not sure why they are hunting with a .38 caliber handgun.' The .38 caliber gun was military issue only, nothing that a civilian had access to. If anything, Vincent definitely did not like that they were firing off so close to the town. 'If they missed, that shot has to go somewhere…' He knew the town youth tended to play out in nearby field and sometimes ventured toward the woods against their parent's wishes.
Hearing the upbeat sound a piano, Vincent followed it to the ballroom. 'At least it sounds like she made it just fine. Not that I was all that worried. There were only those two shots fired and nothing more...' The music stopped and voices were then heard.
He slowly cracked the door open and found Gast standing next to the piano with what looked like some papers. It seemed they were talking something about the project. Not want to disturb them, Vincent left the door slightly ajar and left the ballroom.