Getting up Vincent makes his way to the crystal.
"He didn't hurt you did he?" Vincent asks examining the crystal.
Seeing no damage done he sighs a sigh of relief.
"I'll have you out of there in no time," Vincent says.
He makes his way to the control panel with no interruptions. The computer vaguely reminds him of the computer Hojo had when he was a Turk working under Hojo and Shinra's rule. The control panel is at least two feet long jam-packed with buttons. Buttons with labels only Hojo would have understood. That was always Hojo's way of protecting his work, labeling it in his own unique way. Vincent then turns his eyes to Hojo's dead body on the floor.
"Apparently I shouldn't have killed you earlier," Vincent tells Hojo.
Vincent walks up and down the panel repeatedly hoping that one button would jump out and tell him, "Press Me, Press Me." Yet that never happens and he starts to feel anxious because of the amount of the silver substance being pumped out of Valayris's crystal. Turning toward the crystal he asks, "Do you know which button it is?"
He gets no response. Sighing his shuts his eyes for a brief moment and when he does he feels a gentle pull. He struggles to follow the pull instead of fight it. When the pull stops he opens his eyes to see he is standing at the far end of the panel where there are only four buttons.
Looking at the crystal he asks, "Here?"
Yet again he gets no response.
"I guess I'll just have faith in this," Vincent says looking at the four buttons.
The four buttons where oddly colored, there was a silver one, an orange one, a black one and a pink button.
"Well lets try... this one," Vincent says.
Pressing down the black button he hears a loud crack coming from behind him. Turning he sees the crystal split open as the front part lowers down. Rushing over to the crystal Vincent looks up as the smoke escapes from the inside of it. Through the thinning smoke Vincent can see Valayris's eyes open.
"Valayris!" Vincent calls.
Valayris doesn't say anything she just looks at Vincent with happy yet tired eyes.
The back half of the crystal lowers to where Valayris could easily step on to the ground. Vincent notices that their were snake like tubes latched on to her arms and legs. When the crystal stops moving the snake tubes release their venomous grip with a loud hiss. Being released from her prison Valayris takes a feeble step forward. Her legs give out and Vincent catches her and sets her down.
"Vincent," Valayris says weakly looking up at him.
Vincent unbuckles his cape and wraps it around her bare body.
"Did they hurt you?" Vincent asks her.
"The Boss did, beat me with his cane and the tubes where they attached themselves," Valayris tells him.
Valayris shows off her arm where she had "bite" marks from where the tube had been. Anger washes over Vincent, he was going to make the Boss pay.
"Did any one...touch you?" Vincent asks dreading the answer to it.
"No, I was going to be left for the Boss after they had finished milking my magic from me," Valayris says.
"How much magic did they get?" Vincent asks.
"Enough to drain me, yet the thing they don't understand is that mages never run out of magic. It always recharges. The only way magic can hurt a mage is if we use too much too fast then we die," Valayris explains.
"What?" Vincent asks.
"Don't worry Vincent I have no intention of doing that anytime soon," Valayris assures him.
"Thanks for saving me, again," Valayris sighs.
"I'm just glad you're safe now," Vincent says hugging Valayris.
Valayris blushes at the sudden intimate contact. She sighs a peaceful sigh breathing in Vincent's sweet smell, a smell she had almost forgotten.
"We have to get you out of here," Vincent says.
"Not without Tifa and Cloud," Valayris says sitting back enough to look at Vincent.
"Where are they?"
"Cloud is one floor up and Tifa is hidden in some private cells near the Boss's office." Valayris tells him.
"You wait here," Vincent tells her, "I'll come back with Cloud and Tifa."
"Vincent..."Valayris starts.
"Valayris you need to rest," Vincent tells her.
She looks at him with teary eyes, "Please Vincent..."
Valayris bunches the cape around her like a security blanket.
"Please...please," Valayris struggles.
"Please don't leave me alone," Valayris finally says, "I feel safe when you are around. I can feel their hatred and lust for me everywhere I turn. Please don't leave me alone with those feelings. Please...protect me."
Valayris turns her eyes away from him, embarrassed for her outburst.
"I'll protect you till the end of my days," Vincent says scooping her up in his arms.
"Thank you," Valayris sighs.
"Lets go get Tifa and Cloud,"
Valayris nods as they head out of the lab.