Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy characters. They own me.

Chapter 16

The observatory was the only place to see the sky. It stood high on a peak of the northern mountains, several hundred feet above the rest of the lab. Because of its position, it was impervious to the impossibly bright floodlights that kept the grounds surrounding the Shinra facility looking like day all through the night. Security was tight, but it couldn't extend up to the observatory.

It was Lucrecia's sanctuary. The crystalline glass arching across the dome made her feel at home. The home she had left years and years ago. On the southern islands, there had never been a need to block out the sky. The stars were supposed to make you feel insignificant, but they never seemed that way to Lucrecia. They made her feel infinite, like something that could never be destroyed.

The only way to reach the observatory was through a long tunnel, running from the main facility to a small elevator that only operated for a special pass code. Once inside, the difference was striking. The polished wooden floor and rows of towering bookshelves contrasted impressively with the never ending sterile-white hallways that made up the Shinra labs. In the center of the huge room was a silver ladder leading up to the viewing platform of an enormous telescope.

Lucrecia was standing on this, peering out into the night sky. She had been hoping to catch sight of a constellation the Planet was entering tonight, but the storm raging outside made that all but impossible. Snow hit the dome, only to melt then and there against the warmth of the glass.

She pulled her gaze away from the eye-piece of the telescope. There was nothing to see, and there wasn't any point to remain in the observatory because of that. Lucrecia cursed the weather in all its entirety. Now she had no choice but to return to the main labs, a place she liked to avoid if at all possible. She sighed, taking one last look through the telescope. She blinked in surprise. The snow had stopped falling. For a brief moment, she saw nothing but blackness, before the snow returned to its swirling against the night sky. She abandoned the telescope and looked up at the dome. Quickly, Lucrecia realized that the snow hadn't stopped falling, rather something had come between it and her. A something that was now hovering above the glass.

Lucrecia couldn't make out what it was; it was too bright in the room. Nearly falling off the ladder in her haste to get down, she raced to the light switch. She threw it, plunging the observatory into semi-darkness. The world outside was illuminated by the faint snow-light, giving her a perfect view of the shape above the glass.

It was large and completely black, a darker patch of the night that had disattched itself from the rest. Feathery wings sprung from its back and in its arms it carried a bundle of some sort. As she watched, it flapped its wings, shooting up into the snow-filled air. When it was at least ten feet from the dome, it flipped over in the air and folded its wings. The creature plunged downwards, smashing through the (supposedly) impenetrable glass of the observatory roof.

Splinters and shards sprayed in all directions. Lucrecia screamed, falling to the floor and covering her face with her hands. The freezing wind, now free to come in as it pleased, clutched at her, feeling like knives on her bare arms. Looking up, she saw the hole in the dome, a jagged gaping mouth opening its way into eternity.

The creature, whatever it was, was lying motionless on the ground in that mess of shattered glass. Beside him lay something else. It was not a bundle, as Lucrecia had first imagined, but a man with silver hair that matched her own. Her breath burst from her in a frightened gasp. Sephiroth! Was he dead? Had the monster done something to him? She hastened over, searching for a pulse where his jaw line met his collarbone. It was there, fast and steady.

Lucrecia stood back up, turning her eyes to the monster. It was as black as coal, ragged hair snaking its way halfway down its back. Its magnificent wings lay splayed at odd angles; at least one of them looked broken. Its arms were muscular and ended in curved talons. Or at least, one of them did. The other merged into a gold gauntlet; one Lucrecia had seen countless times.

"Damn," she muttered, "Vincent! What now?"

The monster twitched slightly at the sound of her voice. Its eyes opened slightly, becoming red slits. All at once, its body shuddered. Suddenly, Lucrecia wasn't looking not at a monster, but at Vincent, clothed in a mess of black rags that she recognized as the tatters of a Turk uniform.

Lucrecia turned and ran toward the door, nearly tripping in her haste. The intercom on the control panel crackled as she slammed her fist against the call button. There was a static-filled pause, and then-

"Yes?" A voice drifted from the speaker.

"Sir-it's-Vincent," she gasped, trying to keep herself under control. "He just…smashed down through the observatory."

There was another pause. "Lucrecia, you are making nothing resembling the realm of sense." Hojo sounded slightly perturbed. "Can you be more clear?"

"No! Vincent just fell through the dome!" Her voice dropped. "Sir, Sephiroth is with him."

Yet another anxious pause. "I'll send someone."

As it turned out, Hojo sent himself. His usual lab coat was absent, replaced by a black business suit. Lucrecia had evidently just pulled him out of an important meeting. His face was flushed and his tie was slightly askew. He must have run the whole way through the tunnel. "Where?"

Lucrecia pointed, though she didn't think it was necessary. All Hojo had to do was head toward the mess of broken glass in the center of the room. This he did, cursing under his breath as he bent down over the two men whose safety was his concern. They were his projects, his masterpieces. Losing them would be like losing his own children. He checked their pulses, then pressed one of the buttons on a wristband he always wore. It was up-linked to the facility's principle server. Only a few minutes elapsed before a clattering was heard outside the observatory door. Lucrecia turned to see four personnel, three men and a woman, with two stretchers between them.

Sephiroth and Vincent were hauled onto these and dragged off to who-knows-where. Lucrecia and Hojo were left alone in the chilly observatory. Shinra's top scientist glanced up to the ruined dome. "Mmmm," he mused, "The president won't be pleased. He loved this room."

"He's never been here," Lucrecia reminded him.

Hojo looked at her and shrugged. "It was an expensive and unprecedented project. The president was the first man to ever requisite the building of a room of this magnitude." He rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "The fact that he has never even entered the facility is not an issue."

Lucrecia was about to inquire more about how this confusing corporate mind worked, when she realized who she was speaking to. She promptly closed her lips, the memory of a certain tongue slipping through them making her queasy. Hojo however, didn't seem to be interested in any of that at the moment. He was acting rather distracted, constantly checking his watch and tapping his foot.

"I have to get back to work, Lucrecia," he said finally, turning to the door.

"Uh, Sir?"

He glanced back. "Will they be alright?"

Hojo gave her a very weak smile. "They'll be better than alright, my dear. Better." Before Lucrecia could ask him to elaborate on this statement, he left, exiting through the door the stretcher bearers had used.

It took Lucrecia quite a long time to find where Vincent and Sephiroth had been deposited. They had been brought to a lab she had never ventured into before. It was quite small and darker than any working space should be. The boys were both there, lying on separate operating tables, both of them stripped to the waist. A whole array of wires covered them, attached to their arms, chests and necks. There were no other scientists in the room.

Lucrecia crossed to the bank of computers set off to one side, displaying their vital signs. Both their pulses were regular and their breathing was steady. Vincent's blood sugar was a bit low, but that could be easily put to right as soon as he woke up. Food was the best prescription for that ailment. The only thing that seemed in the least bit odd was the small screen that displayed their DNA structure. It was Vincent's that concerned her. It looked different. Of course, it had always been a bit different than any other human beings, but now there was something wrong.

Vincent's seemed to have too many strands in it, as though it had been exposed to ultraviolet light for an extended period of time. But that was impossible; they had been lying there for less than half an hour, nothing could alter DNA that fast. Lucrecia glanced toward Sephiroth's data to compare them, and gave a little cry of surprise. His was changing too, morphing before her very eyes.

What was going on?

She hit a few buttons on the keyboard, checking different organs methodically. Kidneys, liver, stomach, heart, lungs. Everything seemed in order. At least, until she reached the blood.

Lucrecia's mouth opened in shock. The blood cells were multiplying innumerably. It was like watching a sped up reel of cancer; a years worth of damage unfolding in seconds. But then why weren't they dead? She found the answer a moment later. As fast as new cells were forming, old cells were dying. What was worse, they didn't even seem to come from anywhere.

Ordinary cell reproduction occurred when a cell split in two, helped along by its centriole. These cells were just springing from nowhere, and the strangest part was…they weren't the right cells. It was like Sephiroth's and Vincent's bodies were being overrun by some alien force.

Lucrecia locked the computer, took one last look at the two boys, then sprinted from the room, completely disregarding the intercom. She needed to speak to him face to face.

"Sir!" she gasped, nearly falling into his office before he could respond to her knock. Hojo sat behind his desk, pen poised over a report, as she fought to catch her breath. "Sir…it's Vincent…and Sephiroth…some…thing…wrong!"

Hojo's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

Lucrecia wiped the perspiration out of her eyes. "Their cells…I don't know what's wrong…Sir, their DNA and their cells, they're all…wrong."

Hojo looked confused for a moment. Then a wave of relief seemed to break over his face. He stood up and came around to the front of his desk. "It's alright, my dear. It's a normal part of the procedure.

Lucrecia stared. "Normal?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, completely normal. Now, why don't you go back to your room and have something to drink?" He put a hand against the small of her back, guiding her to the door.

Lucrecia nodded. "Alright."

It was different this time.

Vincent experienced none of the muddled helplessness he usually felt whenever he awoke after being unconscious for an extended period of time. He knew exactly where he was and he knew exactly what had happened. He had changed again. His demon side had emerged when that man, Dane, had shot Seph.

His eyes snapped open. He was in his bedroom back in the facility. His clothes sat on the table, neatly folded in a pile. He rose, feeling none of the usual aches and pains his body had to deal with most days. He felt great. Better than great, he felt brilliant.

Pulling his clothes on, he let himself out into the white hallway. He didn't know what he felt like doing, but he knew he had to do something. He couldn't just sit around when he was feeling like this. He wanted run, he wanted to jump, he wanted to fly. His feet took him to the only place to do that; the gym in the southern building.

It was empty, as usual. Vincent didn't think he had ever seen anyone besides himself work out there. With a whoop, he ran at one of the ropes dangling from the ceiling, scaling nearly a quarter of its length in a single bound. It didn't take him much longer to reach the top.

After that he ran a couple laps around the gym, did push-ups, and preformed a couple back flips. Even then, he was still full of some sort of crazy energy. It was like he was on drugs or something. He was just about to leave to see if there was anything else to do in this god damn place, when a voice called to him from the other side of the massive room.

"Hey, Valentine!"

There was only one person who called him that. Vincent turned, greeting Sephiroth with a wave. The Soldier looked strange without his long coat and his hair pulled back behind his shoulders. He crossed the gym quickly, and Vincent got the impression he was as just as full of energy as he was.

"How are you?" he asked when he approached.

Vincent shrugged. "I feel really good, for some reason."

Sephiroth grinned. It was the same smile he had given Vincent back in Corel. Perfectly normal in the region of the lips, but it left the eyes completely unchanged. They remained as hard as ever. "I know what you mean. I woke up a few weeks ago feeling the same. It's kept up till now." His expression suddenly grew grave. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Vincent asked, stretching his right arm, which was beginning to cramp up a bit.

Sephiroth fixed him with his clear blue gaze. "I fell off that bridge. It was my mistake. I should have died, it would have been right. But then something saved me." Here he paused, passing a hand over his face. "I-I think it was a monster…I'm not sure." He looked back up. "Was it you?"

Vincent frowned. For some reason, Sephiroth seemed mad. "Yeah, it was me," he said slowly. "So?"

"Why did you do it?" Sephiroth took a couple steps toward him. "Why in the hell did you waste your time?"

Vincent didn't have an answer to that. How could his friend think that he didn't want to save him? "I-I'm not really sure," he answered, to give himself some time. "I can't really control what I do when I get like that."

"Ah." Sephiroth seemed slightly appeased. "Anyway. I came here to work out."

"Yeah, I was leaving myself," Vincent said. "I guess I'll see you later." He turned to go.

"Hold on a moment, Valentine." Vincent turned. Sephiroth was smiling again, apparently all anger gone. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste this good mood. If you want something go on and take it. Just some friendly advice." He winked, then turned away, making for the ropes.

Vincent stood there for a few more seconds, before heading in the opposite direction and the door. He had been hit by a sudden desire to go visit Lucrecia. He hadn't seen her since he and the Turks had left for Corel. This in mind, he wandered off in the direction of her room. He met no one in the halls at all. This didn't surprise him much; there was hardly anyone in the Labs.

He had nearly reached Lucrecia's corridor, when there was a commotion behind him. Three men had appeared at the end of the hall, or rather, two men dragging someone smaller. The latter was struggling wildly against them, scratching and biting like his life depended on it. As they drew closer to Vincent, he was able to make out their faces. The men were unremarkable, dressed like any lab grunt.

Their captive was putting up quite a fight for a boy his size. "Leggo 'a me!" he squealed. Sweat plastered his dirty blue hair against his forehead and his tiny frame was shaking violently. But he ceased all motion when he saw Vincent. His eyes grew wide.

"Mister!" he yelled, pulling away from the men with renewed energy. "Hey, Mister! Help me, ya remember me, doncha?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow. The boy's shrill voice was giving him a headache. "No…"

"Come on! Ya know me, make them lemme go!" He was almost pleading now. "Ya gotta remember, Mister! Ya came to Falcon with the pretty lady and-"

Vincent hit him across the face. The boy went limp in the men's arms. "Thank you, Sir," one of them said as they continued on their way.

Vincent's heart was full of nothing as he watched them go. He remembered the little brat. It had been his fault that they hadn't caught Reno in Falcon, that they had been forced to go to Costa del Sol. It was his fault that Kai was dead.

Vincent's fist slammed into the wall, leaving a considerable dent. He looked at his bleeding knuckles, not knowing what to do with the anger building inside him. It was fuller, sharper than usual. So he ran to the only place he ever felt safe.

"Vincent, you're awake!" Lucrecia greeted him happily, letting him in. Her smile dropped, however, when she saw the expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

Vincent shook his head, sinking into a chair. It felt like there was something crawling beneath his skin. He dug his bloody fingers into his hair. "I don't know. I don't know!"

Lucrecia blinked in confusion. "Vincent, stop that."

For a moment, Vincent wondered what she meant. But then he felt the boiling in his stomach, the weight of wings on his back. With a massive effort, he fought it back down. Lucrecia placed her hand on his back where he sat hunched over.

"See? You can control it."

He looked up, hastily trying to wipe away the trail that tears had left on his cheeks. He didn't know how to explain to her that that wasn't what was wrong. It would be a blessing to change, to be able to stop thinking for just a moment. But he couldn't let her see him like that.

She clasped his right (and human) hand in her own. She smiled encouragingly, and then moved to sit down opposite him. But he didn't let go. She was jerked back, almost tripping in those ridiculous heels she wore.

"Vincent, what?"

He stood up, steadying her with a hand. It suddenly occurred to him that he had grown taller than her over the past few months. She was now forced to look up at him, instead of vice versa. Her storm-grey eyes were clouded with confusion, which quickly changed to shock when he pulled her against him. For a moment, she froze, memories of the man who usually did this clouding her mind. Then, her body seemed to realize there was no feeling of pain, no deep disgust. Vincent kissed hard, but not violently, like he was trying to suck the life from her. There was nothing frightening about it. Nothing wrong.

At the same time she was thinking this, something else was echoing in Vincent's brain.

If you want something, go on and take it.

Good advice.

His lips lingered on hers for a moment more, before she pulled away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly nervous. Was he out of line?

"Nothing's wrong," Lucrecia answered, her eyes burning. Her gaze left his face to linger on the wall behind him. "It's just, we're in the wrong room."

Lile awoke to bright lights and cold hands. There was a pounding in his head, like something was trying to force itself out through his eyeballs. He couldn't make out anything clearly; the world was nothing but a blur. He tried to utter some sort of sound, a yell, a squeak, anything; but he couldn't force his mouth to move.

Someone must have realized he was awake, because there was suddenly a whole flurry of activity around him. He could make out three, maybe four blurred shapes surrounding him. Every instinct he possessed, the cunning he had gleaned from years of living in the marketplaces, told him to run, to put as much distance as possible between himself and these fuzzy, looming beings. But Lile couldn't move. He didn't know it at the moment, but he was tied down.

He closed his eyes, his breathing calming slightly. He had been in bad scrapes before. He never panicked, he was the one all the street children from back home looked up to, their leader. The Artful Dodger of Fort Condor. He could escape.

Lile tried hard to remember how he had ended up like this.

He had been down on the street, like he always was during the morning hustle and bustle. It was the ideal time to pick up anything the market-goers happened to drop out of their pockets, or whatever was sticking foolishly out of their pockets. There had been a gaggle of men dressed in blue, deep in conversation. Wick, the little street girl who was Lile's favorite partner in crime indicated them with a flick of her grubby hand, keeping her eyes anywhere but in their direction. She was a practiced thief indeed.

Lile's face had split into a grin. Easy marks. Suddenly letting out a burst of cheerful laughter, Wick scampered toward the group of men, leaping cat-like onto a stall-counter. It was the most innocent thing in the world; a little girl playing around as the kiosk owner shooed her away with half a grin, but it provided Lile with the distraction he needed. Quick as a flash, he ran at the nearest man. Brushing by him, he slid his tiny hand easily into the man's trousers pocket. Staying low, he made to make a mad dash away; Wick would join him at the Lone Traveler. Since his mother had died, it had become a haven for all the children of Condor with no place to go. Lile was by no means the oldest, but he was without a doubt the unspoken leader.

His brilliant plan however, which had always worked so well, was ripped to shreds the moment he felt the vice-like grip on his shoulder.

"What you do'in there, street scum?" the man asked. He was dark-skinned, a southerner. His grey eyes were cold, and Lile could the see the spark of cruelty dancing within them. These had been the wrong men to rob.

"I ain't do'in nuffin'," he protested fiercely. Just then, a group Eastern men and

women passed. The men carried colorful cloth for the market, while the women bore baskets of fruit. With a scarcely a movement, Lile slipped the wallet into one of the baskets containing mangos. Now the men could search him all they wanted and they would find nothing, and there would be a nice surprise waiting for the Easterner woman.

"Nothin'? You're do'in nothin'?" The man looked unconvinced. The amused looks on his friend's faces made a small coil of fear rise into Lile's chest. But he didn't let it show on his face. He did that, and it was all over.

The man was now addressing his buddies. "What'ya think, boys?" he chuckled. "Do you think the scum's do'in nothin'?" The men laughed, some of them shaking their heads. Cruel Eyes grinned, glad to be the center of attention. "You know what I think? I think you was go'in after my wallet."

"No Sir!" Lile said quickly, hoping the man wouldn't have enough presence of mind to actually check for his wallet.

"I say we bleed it out of him," another said, drawing a curved knife. This one had bright blue hair, about the color Lile's would be if it was ever clean. The man brought the knife closer to Lile's throat.

It was a mark of what kind of place the Condor Market was that no one stopped to intervene, that no one cared. The owner of the stall beside the spot the men and Lile were frequenting was whistling and pointedly looking the other way. If he didn't see a child get brutally murdered, it hadn't happened, correct?"

Cruel Eyes grinned again and took the knife the other man offered him. Jerking Lile's head back by the hair, he leered down at him, revealing two rows of yellowed teeth. Lile's closed his eyes, bracing himself. He could literally feel the cool kiss of the knife on his throat, when a voice suddenly cut through the white noise of the marketplace.

"Enough. Kill that boy, and I'll stick that blade somewhere unpleasant." The voice was commanding, high-toned, superior. The voice of a Lord, or master of some kind. Lile opened his eyes, and found that the knife was now safely back in its owner's belt. Standing before him was another man. He was taller than any of the others, paler too. Silvery hair spilled over his broad shoulders, shining to rival the polished metal wares being sold at the many surrounding stalls. His hand was on the hilt of a sword, but he hadn't yet drawn it. Bright blue eyes locked the first man in their gaze. Bitterly, he let go of Lile, giving him a shove. He stumbled, almost falling on his face, but a moment later he felt strong arms catch him. The tall man stooped until he and Lile were face to face.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Lile, M'lord." It seemed like the way to address this man. His politeness, however, was ruined by his next brusque comment. "Who're you?"

The man smiled slightly. "Sephiroth, Commander of the Soldier Core."

Lile nodded as though that meant to something to him. It sounded important, at least.

"We have to be going now," Sephiroth said, straightening up. He fixed Lile with a sharp gaze. "Would you like to accompany us, Lile?" The blue-haired man made a sound of protest, but Cruel Eyes elbowed him in the ribs, making it come out a grunt. Lile didn't register anything, as all his attention was focused on the man before him, who's eyes were strangely hypnotic.

Answer yes, they ordered.

"Yes," he said, his little face smiling happily.

That's how he ended up here, helpless to whatever was happening. The moment they had arrived at their destination, Sephiroth had delivered him to two men in white uniforms, breaking the spell his eyes seemed to hold over him. Lile suddenly had realized where he was and what he had been doing, and he had struggled.

Why hadn't the other man helped him? Vincent, that was his name. He had helped him in Condor, or at least, the lady had. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Awake, are you, my dear Lile?"

Lile's eyes snapped open. He found that the blurriness was gone, and his eyes could focus without causing intense pain to his brain. He could see nothing but a white wall and a man in a white lab coat.

"Don't try to speak," the man ordered him. "It won't work." He leaned over Lile, the tips of his tangled black hair just touching his face.

"When you wake up, it will all be different."