Chapter 41: Fleeing

(Same tags apply as in Chapter 1)

'What in the hell are you letting her fight for? You know as well as I do that she's injured! You saw the blood and you saw her lips!' Chaos growled in outrage as Vincent walked at the ninja's side.

'I know that, demon. Leave me be!'

'If you know that, then why in the hell are you letting her come with you all? Wasn't enough that we almost lost her twice, are you willing to go through that again? What if she doesn't come back this time?'

Vincent remained silent as various thoughts assaulted his mind but one thing stood out more than anything. 'Chaos, if we would have sent her back, she would have not forgiven me easily. This is a battle that she feels that she needs to be a part of. Though I am not pleased with what she has done…'

He paused for a moment and tired to pull his scattered thoughts together, but didn't really succeed because was still dealing with the anger and worry that was swimming within him. 'The only thing I can do is see that she doesn't get injured any further…materia and potions can only do so much; I know this. That is why I am going to protect her from Onika, protect her from Fraser and protect her from herself.'

Chaos growled before letting out a sigh. 'I do not agree with this…but you know my strength will be there to help protect her. I made that vow all those months ago at Cosmo Canyon, and I wont go back on my word.'

Vincent nodded to himself and abruptly came to a stop just before they reached another junction in the hallway approximately thirty feet from the entrance from the lab. His eyes narrowed when he heard a series of loud clicks from the hallway they were just about to cross. Viscous snarls came from the right causing the group to back up. The gunman reached behind him, his hand coming to rest on Yuffie's abdomen as he pushed her back, not able to see the wince across her features.

From the hallway came a deafening howl-like screech, causing a few members of their group to wince, their eyes narrowing as a second set of clicks came from behind them. Half of their group turned towards the sound for claws scraping on the ground at a rapid pace. They were pinned down from both sides, but that wouldn't send them running from the threat.

The raven-haired gunman quickly leveled his gun and fired just as the beast rounded the corner, sending a spray of blood against the concrete walls. The sound of Barret's gun arm was heard from behind them as Vincent was tackled to the ground by a beast, he couldn't quite describe, sending this gun across the floor. He tossed his head back, causing it to impact with the ground as he barely avoided the claw that had swiped at his throat.

Gold metal came up and impacted the beast in its face causing it to yelp in pain, but it didn't dislodge the creature. A fierce snarl was emitted from a mouth filled with sharp teeth causing Vincent to reach up with his metallic limb and grip its throat.

Pain lanced through his stomach but was ignored as he brought his foot up and, planting into the creature's stomach and launching it back a few feet.

"Vincent!" He heard the ninja call to him over the din and madness.

The ninja sliced through something that could only be called an experiment gone horribly wrong with her bloodied Masara. She gave Death Penalty a push with her foot, sending it sliding over to him. He promptly swept the weapon up into his human hand as he heard claws scraping against the cement. Not having time to aim, the ex-Turk brought Death Penalty up and fired, sending the airborne creatures' head into oblivion, its carcass landing on top of him with a sickening thud.

The wind was knocked from him slightly, but he quickly scrambled back to his feet. Panting slightly, the crimson eyed man moved quickly to the little ninja's side to fight side by side with her, watching her back and keeping her as safe as he could under the onslaught of Onika's creations. Worry ran through him as he glanced at the ninja. She didn't look good, but she was giving it her all to right the supposed wrong she had brought upon their group when the realization hit him hard.

'She's acting as I had…' He though, his turbulent feelings towards her lessen slightly before focusing his attention back on the fighting.

'Humans and their misplaced guilt…' He heard the demon's snarl in his head as Chaos lent him a bit more of his strength.

.::-o-::.

This was bad.

Onika glanced up to the monitors showing the hallway junction where the fighting was occurring at a fierce pace. A few of the Shinra guards were wounded and being quickly cured by their comrades as a few more of his creations entered the makeshift battlefield. The picture was hazy from the smoke and dust coming from the destroyed wiring, bullet-riddled concrete walls and even the fur of a beast as it burned as a result of a powerful fire spell by the female fighter as blood ran down her arms. He wasn't sure if it was all hers or that of one of his unfortunate beasts.

Time was growing short and he knew that it was time that he make his escape. He wouldn't allow himself to fall into the hands of Avalanche and the yet-to-be named, Shinra spawned organization. To do so would, with no doubt in his mind, bring upon an execution sentence. No, he simply had too much to do and he was not going to give up. There were so many advances in his research he had made, so many possibilities to surpass his predecessor, Professor Hojo, he simply couldn't allow his capture to come to be the final outcome.

The lights in the hallway began to flicker ominously as he tore his hazel eyes away from the screen and moved to the computer system on his desk. He checked the status of the information that was currently burning to discs before moving to the tables where the three men lay, twitching with excitement from the battle they could hear a mere thirty feet down the hallway. He knew that the Jenova had not fully fused with their bodies, but with the three of them, and the strength that would already be provided to them, it would buy him time to make his escape before they were destroyed.

The professor moved over to the tables and saw the three sets of glowing, nearly mad eyes turn to him. "Would the three of you like to prove your strength against the group that wishes to destroy us all? Will you show them what true power is or you allow your new found abilities to go to waste?"

"Let us go! Well fuckin' kill those bastards!" One of the men bellowed, struggling against his bonds as another began to chant the word 'kill.'

The scientist moved to the foot of each bed and pressed a release at the foot of the beds. Each release was followed by a series of metallic clicking, and each man sprung from their tables going to their respective weapons and clothing.

The one who had been chanting, continued to do so with a sadistic grin across his lips as he retrieved to shortened, scythe-like weapons, giving them a quick and expert swing. The man actually giggled as he brought the blades together, causing a metallic 'Clink' to ring out in the lab.

The second man, the one who Onika had dubbed 'specimen 2c-theta', the man who had said they would fight, grabbed a trident that had to be at least half a head taller than he, putting its length at six and a half feet. Each point of the trident was actually a serrated; almost hook-like blade, meant to cause devastating damage to flesh.

The third man, the silent one, grabbed two leather sheaths and strapped them to the under side of his arms before slipping into a pair of black fighting gloves. His fingers flexed within the gloves before he dropped his arms to his sides, his eyes cast to the ground. A slight upturn of the lips was seen as his thumbs flexed almost imperceptivity, causing two twin blades to slide from the sheaths, each measuring at least eighteen inches, coming to a tapered and deadly point.

"Are you prepared?" He asked and got an affirmative from the men, two vocal, one with a nod of the head. "Then go an destroy them!"

The men left the lab silently in order to get a jump on their foes in the smoke filled hallway. Onika moved back to the computer, typing in a few commands and was pleased and relieved to see that the data that was in the process being copied, was nearly done. A growl reached his ears, causing him to turn to the last occupied bed. "So you've regained consciousness again." His question was punctuated by a loud blast not far from the lab entrance.

"Let me up! We gotta get our asses out of here!" Zade command. Though he could feel the power and strength provided to him by the Jenova and mako, he had no desire to risk his life and newfound abilities before he had a chance to use them for his own benefit.

"In due time." Onika said as he glanced over his shoulder at the struggling man as he packed some equipment into three metal cases. He knew that Zade could not break free of the bonds that held him to the table. Even if the man was saying that he wanted to leave, he had no doubt that he would be drawn to enter the fight that was occurring just outside.

Zade growled continued to try and break the clamps as a beeping alerted the professor that the burn process had finally completed. The disks were placed into plastic jewel cases before being slipped into the metal cases as well. Each one was secured before he looked over to Zade, he knew that they were going to be slowed down by bringing the equipment, but it simply could not be left behind.

He reached into the pocket of his lab coat and fingered the device in his pocket as he approached him. The controls at the foot of the bed were released and the man immediately sprang to his feet, his chest heaving, but not from exertion, but from the adrenaline burning its way through his veins.

Glowing green eyes flickered oddly as he immediately retrieved his gun and made sure he was fully loaded. Something was urging him to leave it behind and use his hands, but he placed the weapon, and extra ammo clips in his pocket. He could feel the desire to have his hands tear through flesh and snap through bone intensify as the sounds from outside the lab increased, but he fought against it.

Finally, he turned to Onika and looked at the cases. "What the fuck are those? You don't expect us to take that shit with us, do you!"

The professor looked at the blond coolly as he placed his own handgun in his pocket and immediately loaded the dart gun he had used on the ninja as well. "That's exactly what we're doing. This is my research and I wont leave it behind. Besides, if I continue, I will advance my work…and just who do you think will benefit from those?"

Zade shut up and glared at the metal cases before moving to them and snatching two up. He looked down at the hazel-eyed professor who had a little more difficulty getting his own. He knew that the cases were heavier than they felt in his hands. A smirk traced his lips as he realized that the Jenova and mako had definitely increased his strength since the case he was carrying seemed to weigh less that five pounds each though in all actuality, they each weighed closer to an even hundred. It wasn't a matter of the size of the cases, it was all because of the protective metal shielding.

The professor moved the computer and pressed the enter key, causing the computer system to self-destruct. He started towards the door to the lab, with a "Lets go," as he passed the blond. The sound of gunfire and bits of concrete hitting the floor in front of the lab entrance caused them both to freeze. As soon as the gunfire paused, both men darted into the smoke filled hallway and turned down a hallway, heading for the emergency exit that would take them down to a door. If they could make it to the vehicle storage area, they could escape the carnage and disappear.

'Ten minutes…that's all we need to get there…' The voice in Onika's head urged as they ran.

.::-o-::.

The sound of metal clashing against metal, the snarls of the few remaining creatures, gunfire, and the insane laughter of one of the three men who had emerged from the lab… All this had begun to grate on the swordsman's nerves as he glared at the bloody, but still laughing madman before him. Cloud knew that the men that had begun their attack over ten minutes ago, had been sent as a diversion, but with the chaos currently occurring, they bypass the men.

The Jenova that was still within his own body made his skin feel as if it were crawling as reacted to this new Jenova. The sensation was very different from what he felt when he had been around Vincent, the men that had been infused with the cells from the old Shinra, hell, even Sephiroth. This feeling was something he had never experienced before and he wanted nothing more than to put an end to it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two of Dojima's men; a soldier and a guardsman, being slashed across the chest by a man with two blades strapped to his forearms. One man writhed in pain, while the other lie motionless on the ground only to be pulled away to relative safety by two guardsmen.

Cloud's eyes widened as he ducked, narrowly avoiding the swinging scythe aimed for his neck. His blade, seemingly made of frosty white and violet crystal scraped against the ground as he held it in his right hand, bringing his left fist up and into the gut of man. His opponent staggered backwards, not having expected the blow, only to be blasted forward the ball of fire that impacted his back.

He managed to keep his footing, but the impact had knocked one of his weapons away. I came to a stop at Cloud's feet, before being launched backwards with a kick, well out of reach of the wild-eyed man. It was then that glowing blue eyes locked on the maroon-hinted eyes of his Tifa.

"Bitch!" The man growled as he adjusted his position in order to see them both. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"Ooh, I'm really shaking in my boots!" Tifa said, her eyes hard as her hand glowed slightly blue with the start of an ice spell. She knew that it would be dangerous to just attack him head on.

Cloud locked eyes with his love before nodding as they communicated silently, but it didn't go unnoticed by their opponent. Tifa blasted the man with high-level ice spell as he charged towards her. Stunned, he staggered back and quickly spun as the massive blade wielded by the blond came up, scraping across the concrete floor. He attempted to block and just missed having his abdomen splayed open as he tried to shield himself against the next sword coming back down again, but this time, he wasn't so lucky.

Pain lanced through his arm as it was nearly severed from his body, but the sensation of pain was pushed aside. Tendons, muscle and bone were clearly visible as blood dripped in generous quantities. The mangled appendage was pulled close to his body and his gripped tightened on the handle of his remaining scythe.

"What? No more laughing?" Cloud asked, his face holding no expression as he circled the bloody man. His own wounds were minor compared to the ones of the man before him.

A furious cry escaped his lips as he launched an attack at the swordsman, but the blood loss was making his movements sluggish, despite the Jenova that the man thought would give him more power than what he was currently feeling. Pain filled eyes glanced over just his blade wielding partner who had previously been silent, Jimmy, went down as a spear was launched through his abdomen and large caliber bullets tore through is chest and abdomen.

He knew that he was going to die, but that didn't mean that he couldn't try to do more damage to those who had just killed his friend. Crazed eyes caught sight of the female fighter as she launched materia based attacks at his partner as he attacked a small female as she caught her shuriken and an ebony haired gunman a few yards away. A sinister grin broke out across his lips as he charged at her, his weapon raised as he prepared for his final attack.

"Tifa!" Yuffie screamed, causing the fighter to turn as he approached.

"Shield!" The fighter commanded her materia just as the blade started to come down, but stopped.

Quickly fading eyes looked down at the red stained crystalline blade tore through his spinal cord and abdomen. His scythe dropped to the ground and blood spilled from his lips. His body sunk to the ground as the blade was ripped back out of his body and crashed to the ground. As his vision grew dim and the voices began to fade, the last thing that he heard was the shouts and continued gunfire.

.::-o-::.

Barret looked up from after healing himself of the cuts and gouges gained from fighting the bladed man. Brown eyes narrowed as Cid and a couple of soldiers leapt into battle with the last man, allowing Vincent and Yuffie a chance to pull back. Through the smoke and dust he saw the two figures beating a hasty retreat down the hallway. "HEY! Those sons of bitches are gettin' away!"

"Vincent! Cloud! Go after them!" Cid ordered, ripping his spear from the gut of the dead man on the ground. "We'll finish off these pansy asses in the base!"

Dojima was ordering men who were stationed outside and within to capture anyone still alive and to take out those who resisted. Barret moved over to their side with Tifa. His eyes moved down to the tired ninja. Her lips were still tinted blue but he knew that she would not stay behind. They all did. It made him all the more grateful that the former Turk was watching over her.

"Ain't no way in hell I'm gettin' left behind! Dat asshole took my 'Myra and shot me!" Barret bellowed with a growl as Tifa nodded slightly.

"Cid and Dojima's men have it more than handled here, I'll go where I'm needed." A grin broke out upon her lips. "Besides, you guys know I wouldn't miss a chance to fight along side you."

Cloud adjusted his grip on his blade and looked down the smoke corridor that Zade and Onika had take. "Then lets mos-" He started and got a glare from the gun-armed man. "Damn it, I know, I know! Lets move out!" He spun and darted down the hall.

"Damn Spike, afta' all dis' time, you'd think ya woulda learned not to talk like that around me!"

"Old habits die hard!" He called over his shoulder from the front of the group.

Unseen by the others, the raven haired Turk reached down and grasped the ninja's hand helping her keep pace. Slate gray eyes glanced up briefly as Vincent kept his eyes forward. She couldn't help the faint blush that rose in her cheeks but covered it by reaching into her pocket and grabbing another potion, downing it immediately before tossing the bottle and continuing forth, the group closing in on their two targets.

.::-o-::.

The blond man waited for what seemed to be an eternity while Onika made his way to him, the scowl on his face growing with each passing second. The professor was surprisingly fit for his age and profession, but it was still much too slow. With his newfound hearing, he could tell that Avalanche was approximately five to seven minutes behind them and getting closer. This wouldn't do.

Onika came to a stop at a large metal door with two rusted metal latches securing it. He turned to the man behind him, panting under the weight of the case he was carrying. "Once we get this door open, there is a ladder that will place us on the level that leads to the transport vehicles."

"We'll get there, but the cases stay."

Onika turned to him with a dangerous look in his eyes, but Zade didn't even flinch. The blond didn't fear him, and had no reason to know that he should, but in mere seconds, he would possibly know to do so, or at least, follow the orders he was given.

"I've already told you that we're not leaving my work behind." The professor said dryly, placing his hands in his pockets.

"What the fuck man! They're slowing you down! At the rate, Avalanche will be on our asses in a few minutes and we'll never make it to the garage!

"You can stay here with your precious cases, but I'm getting my ass out of here!" Zade spun and moved to the door.

"I would advise against defying me."

"Oh, I'm really fuckin' scared of you! If you've forgot, you're the one that hooked me up with the Jenova juice!" He said with a grin before reaching out to work on the latch, that is, until his mind and body were immobilized by pain.

Terrell walked around the man as he convulsed on the floor and crouched at his head. "Its painful, isn't it? I must admit, it looks like it would be.

"What you're feeling is the same that the boy, my first specimen, felt each time he defied me, but only more intense. Because the devices that produce the shock are now embedded within your body, it is much more intense and painful. You saw how much that boy was hurting, but he was experiencing only half of the pain you are feeling now.

"Yes, it was still extremely painful for him, and the only reason why the voltage wasn't higher, as in your case, is because it may have caused irreversible brain damage. He was too young; his body was not mature enough. I needed his metal state and capacities to be at one-hundred percent at all times." He stood and moved away as the man foamed at the mouth slightly before deactivating the device in his pocket.

"Do you feel weak?" He asked the trembling man as he tried to push himself to his feet. "This device also deactivates the Jenova cells within you temporarily, leaving you as weak as a chocobo chick. Don't worry though, your strength should be returning right about now."

"Bas…tard…" Zade panted as he pushed himself to his feet. He glared at the professor as anger and hatred bubbled within him. His fists clenched at his side as if he were about to attack.

"Whatever you're thinking, I'd advise against it or I will be forced to drop you again where you stand." He said with a smirk. "You will do whatever I say, Zade. You will find that my requests aren't unreasonable. Simply follow the instructions I give you and you will still be able to do what you want on the side. I should also let you know that unlike the boy's device, this one has no range. If I leave it on for a prolonged amount of time, your death will be quite painful. Even the Jenova cells will be unable to save you as each cell is literally cooked within your body, one by one."

"Do you understand me, Zade." He asked and got a nod in reply and gestured to the metal door. "Good boy, now open the door."

Zade gave a short nod though his anger and hatred towards the hazel-eyed man was intense at the moment. He flexed his fingers and gripped the first latch and began to lift. The rusted metal groaned under the strength of the blonde man before a loud creak filled the relatively quiet hallway. The action was repeated with the second latch and the door was then pried open the door. Both men moved into the shaft and looked down. In the emergency lighting, it was clear that the ladder went down at least two levels.

"You go down first, I will push the cases to you. For your sake, ensure that they do not touch the ground." Onika ordered and watched as Zade began his climb down. After going down a few rungs, the blond jumped from the ladder, landing solidly on his feet.

"I'm ready, just hurry up! I can hear them getting closer!"

Onika took the closest of the three cases and pushed it over the edge. His heart stilled in his chest as it seemed to fall forever before Fraser caught it easily. It was sat to the side before it was followed by a second, then the third. Fraser watched with a sneer as the man made his way down the ladder, the man who now controlled his body with a simple little device. It made him wonder if Onika had done something else to his body and right now, he didn't want to risk finding out.

Finally, the older man reached the ground and promptly picked up his case while Zade retrieved his two before they continued down the narrow hallway. "The garage should be at the end of this corridor, one we get there, we should be about twenty feet from ground level and there's a trail that will take us off the mountain."

The pair looked down the hall, which at the moment seemed impossibly long. They pushed forward because soon, their chances of escape would be less if they were caught in the base.

.::-o-::.

Cloud and Vincent had been following the increasing vibrations in their bodies through the winding hallways until the steel door grew in their sights.

"Come on! We can't be far!" Cloud said as he skidded to a stop outside of the door.

"Let me look first before you go down." Tifa said as Barret, Vincent and Yuffie approached. She knew that the chances of a trap being set in the short amount of time that Zade and Onika had was slim, but it was better to be safe than to be sorry. She stood at the top of the ladder and pointed her palms down.

"Fire!" She commanded and filled the ladder passage with flames, destroying any tripwires or other gadgets that may have been lying in wait.

Tifa then grabbed the outer supports of the ladder and locked her feet on the metal beams. She began a rapid but controlled slide down to the bottom only to be quickly followed by Barret and Cloud. "Come on Vince, Yuffie! They're getting away!" She called up to them before three sets of footsteps could be heard, running below them. A loud rumbling sound shook the floor beneath them.

"Yuffie…"

"No Vincent, I'm not staying!" She said and made her way towards the ladder. "You know I can't."

The gunman reached out and grabbed her arm with his organic hand, earning a squeak of surprise from the ninja! "What are you doing? They're leaving us behind."

"Silence Yuffie." He said in his flat tone. "If you're going to fight, then you will not fight me in what I am about to do. Rest, for if you don't, I will render you unconscious once we catch up to Fraser and Onika. I will not allow you to further injure yourself…I won't lose you." He said and scooped the blue-lipped teen into his arms, holding her bridal style. He would have simply tossed her over his shoulder, but knew that it would further damage her already battered ribs.

Yuffie felt the argument that had building inside of her die at his last words. She was a bit upset at being treated like a child, but she knew that it was for the best. 'He's already angry with me…' That thought alone like a punch to the gut.

"Fine." She said quietly and closed her eyes as they burned with tears. The ninja turned her face towards his chest and allowed a shuddering breath to escape her lips. Pain throbbed in her body but pushed it aside. She felt Vincent's arms tighten around her.

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment. He hated to do this to her but he knew that she was pushing herself too hard. A wave of sympathy was felt from Chaos before he took a few long strides and leapt down the ladder passageway before running to catch up to the shouts heard ahead.

'The end is near. We'll soon be able to take leave of this place.' He looked down at the ninja and sighed before approaching their friends and foes ahead.

.::-o-::.

Fraser pushed the last case into the back of the hummer-like truck as the large doors that Onika had just activated rumbled open. "Come on! We gotta get-" A large bolt of electricity impacted the wall next to where the blond was standing, causing him to duck and dive behind the truck.

"Don't move!" Cloud commanded as they faced off against Zade Fraser and Terrell Onika. "Give up, or you'll be taken out!"

o-o-Author's Notes-o-o

A 5200+ word chapter for you! I'm sorry about the abrupt ending, but this chapter is WAY too long to add more. I would like to thank EVERY single one of you who has reviewed and read my fic. I so want to do my author's notes in here and thank each one of you like I use to in the past, but with change in rules on ff net, I don't want to risk having my account suspended again.

This week, I can only work part-time at my job per my doctor's orders so if you signed in or left an email address in your review, I'll try to get back to you, but I sincerely apologize if I don't get to you.

I have two other stories that I really need to update before I get back to this one, but hopefully it wont take long. After this chapter, All that is left is the fight against Fraser and Onika. I want to wrap this part up in one chapter, plain and simple.

I so can't wait to get them back to Nibelheim! One of the characters that most of you LOVE to hate, Jonathan, will make another appearance soon! Muahahahaha! I cant wait because I already typed that chapter!

Well, I gotta get goin! I have to go to bed…gotta get up early for work…

Love you all!

Ezzy

Oh yeah, I don't own ff7, though I really wish I did.

5/24/07

10/05/07

Edited because of change in formatting. Also re-numbering chapters. Minor content edits