Vincent's progress through the headquarters became painstakingly slow. The soldiers were like cockroaches crawling in and out of the numerous crevices littering the establishment. They're pesky presence caused Vincent to have to travel at an overly cautious pace. He knew getting caught was not an option if he wanted to save Valayris and his friends. The headquarters was all a buzz about the recent capture of Valayris. Vincent begins to work his way up the levels. It seems the higher levels were for the more important personal.

"Did you hear?" an elite soldier says as Vincent quickly darts into a dark corner.

"What?" his partner asks.

"The boss has started to put the plan with that white mage into action."

"I thought he wanted to play with her first?"

"Guess he changed his mind for now," the first soldier says, "She was quite a looker she'd be hard to pass up. I mean the chance to play with her first."

"Does that mean she's up in the lab?"

"Yep, with the good doctor,"

"I hope he doesn't scar up her beautiful body. It would be a Greek tragedy to lose something so beautiful."

"Well you know the good doctor, he does love his knives,"

"She is a white mage. I guess the doctor can have his fun and she can heal herself back to her beautiful self."

"It works for everyone,"

The men disappear into distance. Chaos begins to bubble up inside him gaining energy from the rage Vincent was festering inside his body. Taking in a deep breath Vincent relaxes.

"Not now, not yet," Vincent tells himself internally.

Seeing the coast is clear he dashes to the next hiding spot his cape flowing behind him.

"I need to get to the lab," Vincent says quietly.

Taking in his surroundings from his hiding spot he sees a group of men in lab coats two floors above him.

"I think there is my best bet," Vincent states.

Slowly and guardedly Vincent makes his way up the four flights of stairs separating him and the level with the scientists. Quickly ducking into a corner his narrowly misses being seen by a pack of scientist leaving what he assumes was the lab.

"Did you see the way the Boss handle Valayris?" A scientist asks.

"You almost feel bad for her," his friend returns.

"Yet she is the ingredient our experiment was missing,"

"That's why I don't feel too bad about it,"

The scientist go off deep into the hellish maze of Deep Ground giving Vincent his clear shot to the entrance to the lab. Rushing to the lab entrance he is dismayed to find it had locked behind the exiting scientist and it required a code.

"Damnit!" Vincent explains examining the touch pad.

Giving into frustration Vincent digs his clawed hand into the box, frying the circuits. While the box sputters and sparks Vincent hears the door unlock.

"Oh well," Vincent says admiring the box before entering the lab.

Walking into the lab Vincent is greeted by a large blue crystal with many blue tubes running from the crystal to all sorts of strange machinery. The crystal seems to call to Vincent as if it pleas for his help. Looking closer at the crystal his eyes widen. Inside the crystal was Valayris her arms peacefully folded over her bare chest.

"Valayris!" Vincent cries reaching out and touching the crystal with his gloved hand, "What have they done to you?

Soon the anger inside his flares up and his vision begins to blur. Valayris turns into Lucrecia and back again. This causes the anger to flare up even more. He was not going to allow the woman he cared about and maybe even loved to suffer the fate as his beautiful Lucrecia, not on his watch. Vincent lets out a roar as his gauntlet digs into the crystal.

"Now, now, Vincent Valentine is that anyway to treat the great white mage," a voice says behind him.

The voice was all too familiar; one that should have been dead long ago but yet had apparently survived.

"Hojo," Vincent says turning around.

Vincent in spite of the Hojo he knew sees a younger version of Hojo.

"You're suppose to be dead," Vincent says pointing his gun at the young Hojo.

"You are right Vincent Valentine, and I am dead. Yet before I died I upload my thoughts, knowledge and personality into the computer and was placed into another human being to be reborn as Hojo once again."
"Do you like this experiment? Reminds you of my lovely wife in those caverns." Hojo asks gesturing to the crystal.

"Let Valayris go Hojo, or I'll..." Vincent says clicking back the hammer.

"I'm afraid I can't Vincent," Hojo says, "She plays an integral part in Deep Ground's plan."

"They only want her dead," Vincent replies keeping the gun pointed at Hojo.

"That's what they want you to think. She is much more important to us then just a contract killing."

"What could you want with the cure to your atrocious disease?"

"Using her healing magic we can farm it from her body and with this great cure will come the ultimate disease," Hojo laughs, "A disease which will be created by her healing magic, with much manipulation of course. In her will also be the ultimate healing draft which is also being processed from our beloved white mage."

"You've turned her into another Jenova!" Vincent roars, "She's not your experiment, or your toy she's a human being. I will not let you hurt the woman I love the way you hurt my beautiful Lucrecia."

"You forget Vincent Valentine, she was my beautiful Lucrecia not yours. She was my wife."

"You never treated her like your wife,"

"You don't understand Vincent; with her being my wife I could treat her how ever I pleased and use her when ever I pleased."

"Shut up you sick bastard," Vincent says firing a warning shot in between his feet.

Hojo looks down at the bullet hole in the floor.

"Let her go Hojo or I'll aim higher," Vincent snarls.

"No!" Hojo says, "Besides maybe it would be better for you to leave her in the crystal. It seems you get more love from your woman if they're trapped in crystals."

Vincent snarls at Hojo.

"There's another point. You think a beautiful mage such as Valayris would ever love a monster like you?"

"I'm not a monster," Vincent growls his body glowing in a brilliant rage, "You are Hojo."

Chaos was not going to be denied any longer, Vincent fought it back long enough and with this degradation from Hojo the anger was too much for him to control.

"Please me? Look at yourself. You can't control Chaos inside your beautiful modify body."

"You were always a egomaniac Hojo, always promoting your own works." Vincent says as Chaos's voice begins to echo with Vincent's voice.

"I can't help it if my work is good," Hojo replies.

"Hojo!" Vincent roars Chaos's voice completely taking over Vincent's voice.

Chaos Vincent spring's into the air and tackles Hojo.

"Let her go you scum," Chaos Vincent roars in Hojo's face.

"You should just kill me Vincent Valentine, because I'll never tell you," Hojo cackles his free hand moving slowly toward something.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. You deserve the slowest death imaginable."

"Then you better do it now," Hojo cackles hitting a button.

"Omega released!" the computer's voice echoes throughout the lab.

"Omega?"

"Are you ready for the battle of your life Vincent Valentine?" Hojo asks using his other hand to stab Vincent with a nearby scalpel.

Vincent roars in pain and extracts the scalpel from his arm. Responding to Hojo's attack Vincent puts two bullets through Hojo's thick skull. Standing up Vincent examines the computer panel looking for some sort of sign how to get Valayris out of there. Yet his examination was cut short by a monster roar. Turning around Vincent looks up at the origin of the noise.