Eryn was right about no one realizing he was in the stairwell. This area didn't have any cameras in the stairs, which he always thought was a major design flaw. You'd think the stairs wold be the number one place to monitor, since they had access to most floors in the building, but hey, he wasn't going to knock it. That little flaw was a huge assist for him in this juncture. Although, one thing they did think of was a full lock on every door leading into the stairwell. To, as Eryn said, keep anyone from getting in. Or, in this case, out. Vincent wasn't able to check and see if Sephiroth was on the tenth floor or not. He had no way of getting through the door. Well, he had his gun, but that would be a big tip off to his location. He couldn't risk being caught like that. With the help of his old friend, the search would be directed more to the lower levels. Once Vincent got to the fifty-ninth floor he should be far enough away to shoot the lock off. Course that still left the issues of getting the clearance cards to proceed higher, but that was an issue he'd face when he got to it.

Vincent ran as fast as he could up the stairs. It was certainly a long way, and he kept expecting his legs to give out, but his resolve kept them moving through the ache forming in his thighs. Sephiroth was still somewhere out there. Alone. The paranoia this knowledge caused just built up the determination. Hopefully once he got the information he needed he could locate Sephiroth then. This is not how he wanted to handle this. Stupid idea. His experience told him that the best laid plans were typically seventy percent improvisation. Although this time was reaching around ninety-five... ninety-eight. Those were not good odds.

A large chunk of his brain was telling him to go back and find Sephiroth, no matter what the risk. But a logical part was telling him not to. Bringing attention to himself now, and stirring the Turks to his location was a very bad idea. He had a better chance to find the information he needed first, then find Sephiroth and make his way from the building. It was illogical to look for the child first. He was probably hiding anyway. Sephiroth was a smart kid. He had directed him away from the range of guards before. He could avoid them. Knowing Hojo, there was a very good chance he'd done something to make this kid resilient. Yea. Sephiroth would be fine on his own, for a while. He was hiding. He was running. Sephiroth could do something to keep himself from getting caught. Vincent was going to keep telling himself that to keep his mind from the alternative.

Like, how stable was Sephiroth, psychologically?

He already saw a touch of that earlier. When he freaked out from learning Vincent was a Turk. If they scare him enough then he may freeze. He's seen examples before of how much a mental handicap can bring down even the strongest of men. His partner was afraid of heights. That caused problems more than a few times. His brain would lock up at any elevation over ten feet. Sephiroth could possibly have a similar reaction. But was he afraid enough of Turks to freeze? No. He ran from Vincent, and only had a nervous breakdown because he had trusted him. But in that case, was there something he was afraid of? Hojo was a possibility, but he was most likely laid up. A bullet to the gut was certainly a debilitating wound. Something he knew from experience. Hojo was going to be down for about a week. That much was certain. With him out of the picture they might have a better chance of getting away.

Yea. Sephiroth would be fine. Even still, it might be a good idea to hurry up with his little side quest and get the hell out of there. Good thing he knew how to navigate this building. But how was he going to find Sephiroth on the way back?

Vincent slowed down, gently trotting to a halt. He turned back down the stairs, heavy breaths echoing through the stairwell. Would it be worth it to try and find him first? No. He was already pretty far up. It'd be impractical to head back now. What floor was he on anyway? There was no indicators in here, and Vincent certainly wasn't keeping count.

Oh well. It was typically harder to stop, then continue running, but somehow Vincent's legs stopped being tired the moment he stopped running. In fact, he actually felt like he was faster. He could do this quick enough. Vincent knew exactly where the information he needed was. He just had to find who had the clearance cards... and hope they were on that floor. Most likely everyone that would have the card would possibly be looking for him. Screw it. He'd break the doors down if he had to.

Vincent continued to run through the plan in his head, and his feet carried him on up the long trek of stairs. Continuing to tell himself that Sephiroth was going to be ok. If he didn't keep convincing his brain of this, then there was a good chance he'd turn around. Doing that would make the progress he had made superfluous.

A good while later, Vincent ran into a door. There were doors all along the stairwell, but this time the door stopped him from going any further. This must be it. Finally, he'd reached the fifty-ninth floor. Vincent plucked the gun out of the font of his pants, and aimed for the lock. It was now or never. He cocked the hammer, and froze. There were voices on the other side of the door. Vincent crept closer and listened at the door. It was difficult to make out what they were saying, but there must have been three... maybe five men in there. Possible others that were not involved in the conversation.

Still holding the gun at the ready, Vincent knocked on the door. Instantly, the talking stopped. Occasionally interjecting with confusion. Vincent decided to holster his gun and knocked again. There was some further muttering as someone moved closer to the door. "-sibly be in there."

Vincent grasped the handle, propping his forearm against the door. There was a small -shink- noise, followed by a solid beep, and Vincent slammed his full weight into the door. Now unlocked, the door swung freely and nailed the man behind it. Stalled by their confusion, Vincent hauled off and punched another nearby guard in the face. Again, Vincent relished in his knowledge of this building. He slid over to the nearest table, and grabbed a couple of books, throwing each, like a frisby, to take out the two cameras this area was in sight of. A guard stepped up, trying to punch him, but Vincent grabbed his fist. His dragged the fist straight down, positioning his knee so that the guards head cracked off of it, and side kicked another stupid enough to attack him, in the gut. The man oofed, stuttering backwards, and Vincent stood up and punched him square in the jaw. Rattling some teeth, and knocking him out. There was a brief notice that he's never been able to knock a man cold with a single hit, but that wasn't something that didn't currently warrant his attention.

Three more left. Each pulled a gun on him. Vincent slipped under them, grabbed two of the guns and twisted them from the guard's hands. Possibly breaking a few fingers. He cracked them both upside the head with their own pistols, and they slumped. Blood staining their hair.

"FREEZE!" The last guard shouted, a shaky arm aiming for him. He may have been in shock, and most likely easily overpowered, but he was also out of reach. Vincent put both of his hands up, balancing the two guns on his thumbs. The guard fumbled in his pocket for a radio.

"I wouldn't do that." Vincent stated calmly. "I can't have you telling anyone I'm here, now."

The guard had just put the radio to his lips, and lowered it. Feeling a chill run through him. "G-give me one good reason why I should listen to you?"

Vincent smirked. He was always very good at intimidation. Yet another skill he picked up through the Turks. Doing interrogations and such. If nothing else, people always seemed to find his unnaturally red eyes intimidating. More so now that they glowed with the shine of Mako. (Of course, Vincent was not yet aware that he also had fangs.) "I would just be rather angry if you did." Vincent's skillful fingers slid over the two guns, disassembling them both one handed. The pieces clattered to the floor, making the guard jump. Vincent just laughed, pocketing the clips.

"Don't!" The guard held his gun up more, both hands returning to it. "I said... don't move."

Vincent's eyes flicked back up to the guard, the light catching his eyes quite masterfully. The snide grin still on his face, he laughed deep in his throat. "Or what?"

"Or- or I'll have to shoot you."

The smile wiped from Vincent's face, head raising up to look fully at the guard. His eyes narrowed. "I can't have that either, now can I?" Vincent wasn't putting on any show of having his hands up anymore. Instead he allowed his gaze to bore into the guard. "If you shoot me, it will hurt. Then I will be angry." Or it could kill him, but Vincent always loved using that logic. Most people thought he was a monster anyway, and by God he was going to use that to his advantage. Slowly, he started to walk towards the guard, watching as the resolve to shoot him faded. "I don't want to have to kill anyone, but if you shoot me, I might just have to snap your neck." Vincent's already deep voice continued to lower as he spoke. "Plus the noise may alert someone to my location."

The guard backed away, until his legs met with the table. This seemed to jar his resolve enough to hold the gun back up at arms length. "Then my duty will be fulfilled, with your capture."

Vincent's face widened to a more admiral expression. "That's very noble of you. I respect that." But he was in range now. With one quick motion, Vincent snatched the gun and punched him in the face. Possibly cracking a cheek bone. The guard collapsed to the ground, while Vincent salvaged the clip from his gun as well. "I just love underlings." He kind of felt bad for these people. If they were informed their target was formerly of he Turks, perhaps they could have prepared. Granted it may not have done much for them, but it'd be nice to give them some idea of what they were up against.

Vincent proceeded to go through the guards pockets. He smashed all but one of their radios. Maybe if he kept one with him, he could get information of any news on Sephiroth. Plus there was the hope of them having to go far away to inform someone of his assault, with the radios broken. Well, after they come to. Course there was still the possibility of someone realizing the cameras were knocked out. That was unavoidable, but let's hope he would have their not seeing his actions as a bonus.

Finally Vincent found a clearance card. He glanced over it and found a big black 62 printed on the back. He sighed, hoping for a higher number, but at least it was something.

Vincent made his way to the adjacent staircase and started up. He'd still check the next two floors. Perhaps a few more nameless guards would be waiting for him to grace them with his presence.

xXx

Sephiroth hung on the rails of the ladder. He stopped to rest, hoping he could hold on till he regained his strength. The blueprint in the device he stole, from that guard, showed the elevator shaft reaching all the way to the top floor, but he had no clue where he was. Vincent was heading for the Turk Commissioner's office on the sixty-sixth floor. At least that's what he figured. Where else could Vincent be? He was too strong to be captured by the Doctor and his men. Then again they did order his death. In that case they wouldn't bother capturing him. Sephiroth shook this thought away. He couldn't think about that. Vincent was strong. They'd never be able to kill him. They'd never catch him. He was the greatest grown up in the world. Vincent was probably heading upstairs. He needed to meet him up there.

Sephiroth looked up along the mechanics of the elevator shaft. There was still such a long way to go. Something shuddered the metal construct he was hanging from, nearly shaking him off. Something was moving. His eyes scanned down the elevator shaft, only able to make out a square shadow ascending with a small halo of light. There was a good chance this was the elevator, but why was it coming up? Who was in it? Was it coming up past where he was? Could he ride it, and not have to climb anymore?

A slick smile inched across Sephiroth's face. It was getting very close, and didn't show signs of slowing down. All he'd have to do is quietly slip onto it, and he wouldn't have to climb anymore. That would be awesome. The elevator inched closer, and Sephiroth hung on the rails of the ladder. It would pass right by, without hitting him, so if he wasn't able to grab it, he'd be alright, but there was no chance he was gonna miss this. The elevator passed his feet, and he reached out a hand to grab the short rail, lining the top. He tried to move his feet, so as not to make a sound, but Sephiroth greatly misjudged how fast the elevator was going, and kicked the side a bit harder than he wanted.

The small child froze, inching his ear closer to try and hear if they were aware of his presence. He had no way of knowing how many people were actually in there. However, there was no noise at all, coming from the inside. Unless you counted the cheesy elevator music that was playing. It may not have been too loud, but neither was Sephiroth's foot. Maybe it covered it up. Yea. Sure it did. He pulled himself up, with just the strength of his arms, until he could quietly climb up.

Sephiroth sighed with relief at his mad skills, and folded his legs in. He pulled the electronic map, from his pocket, and skimmed over the small device. It said he was on the twenty-forth floor. Course, riding on the elevator, he was bound to get up a lot faster. That is, if the elevator didn't stop. Sephiroth scoffed. Why did they stop? They'd only gone up a couple floors from where he had been. That just wasn't fair.

The elevator door dinged, and Sephiroth heard the men starting to file out of the elevator, muttering something to each other. What on Gaia were they doing? Sephiroth's eyes fell back down on the small device blinking in his hands, hoping someone would still be wanting to go up. He really didn't want to have to climb all the way up to the sixty-sixth floor. It was still so far away. Sephiroth gasped, when the elevator gave a sudden jerk. Much to his dismay, it started going down. "Oh, no." He whined, readying to jump back on the ladder. He couldn't very well let himself get dragged all the way to the bottom floor, as the elevator reset itself. It was then that something interesting caught his eye. As the elevator lowered down the shaft, one of the cables holding it was going up. (And not just 'up' from his downward perspective.) It was worth a shot at least. Sephiroth pocketed the device, and grabbed as tight as he could to the upward cable. It was a lot more difficult in practice than he had theorized. He had to grip really hard, and his hands kept wanting to slip. Sephiroth wrapped his legs around the cable, hoping that would improve his hold. It helped some, but doubt still sunk in about how long he'd be able to retain his grip. On the plus side, at least he was going up.

xXx

Three Turks, and numerous ShinRa guards filed out of the elevator, on the twenty-fifth floor, calling out battle tactics to one another. Hojo stepped out, following the horde of men, a surprisingly calm demeanor radiating from him. They were close. In fact, he should be a couple floors above his targets. "Flank the stairwells, and each elevator." He commanded his minions.

"Yes sir." They saluted, as they filed through the halls to their intended destination.

"Against my better judgment, I am trusting you enough to push your incompetency aside and catch them." He added, as an afterthought, eyes scanning the surroundings. Walls, ceiling, taking in the intensity of the lights. His fingers lightly traced along one of the doorknobs, mentally installing the notion to set traps along them. When his faith in these people backfired, maybe he could at least blow Vincent up. Hojo opened the door. His hand slipped from the doorknob, and into the pocket of his coat. He plucked out a small device, as his fingers juggled what looked like a glowing red marble. The device passed to his other hand, and the red marble into a hole in the edge of the door. Very carefully, Hojo closed the door, so as not to set it off prematurely. The crack in the door glowed briefly, then faded.

Hojo glanced down at the small device, in his hand, flipping through the settings, to pinpoint the one he wanted. A thoughtful crease formed between his brow. The beacon he was tracking had appeared to move up to the floor they were currently on. Slowly, he started back towards the elevators. It was difficult to zoom into the schematic enough to know specific locations on each floor, but the target appeared to be further to the left side of the floor. Seemingly in the direction of the elevators. Could they possibly have slipped by him, or had they gotten here just before they arrived. Hojo's eyes flickered to the doors, as he passed them. Maybe hiding out in one of these rooms, hoping not to be discovered.

Or perhaps.

Hojo's eyes scanned up to the elevators. There were two walls, both laid out across from the other, each with their own elevator. It was difficult to pinpoint which one they could be in. The light above the right hand elevator indicated it was waiting at the bottom floor. The other was on its way down. Hojo glanced back down at the small device, to see if that would give some answer. The crease between his brows deepened. The target was actually going up. Already closing in on the thirtieth floor. Was Vincent climbing the inside of the elevator shaft?

A sharp pain suddenly pierced him in his side. He dropped a hand to the wall, hand falling on his stomach. The injections had allowed the bullet wound to start healing, but it was still acting up. Sephiroth would have to be punished for this.

The device had clattered to the ground, and Hojo stared down at it. Watching the orange dot rise along the floors. He would have to focus his rage before this, of course. No good will come from killing the child.

"Sir, we've checked the stairwell, but nobody seems to be in there." One of the men came back, slowly making his way through the hall.

Hojo straightened up, plucking the tracking device from the floor. "Where are you going?"

"We've still stationed men along the stairwell, and have posted soldiers on each elevator. If they're traveling up, in any manner, we'll catch them."

Hojo sighed, not even bothering to face the guard. His eyes too fixated on the orange dot. "No you won't."

The guard's eyes narrowed. "With all due, respect, sir-"

"I don't really care what indignation you seem to feel you need to share."

"Professor Hojo." Terry's sudden voice broke through his com-link. Hojo pressed the button on his collar to respond. "What is it?"

"We just got footage of multiple cameras going dead on the fiftty-ninth floor."

"Any sign of what caused it?"

"It appeared as though they were hit by something, but there's no sign of what it was."

Hojo closed his eyes, sighing slowly. "Valentine."

"Sir?" The guard walked up behind him. "What do you want us to do?"

Hojo rolled his eyes. They wouldn't be helpful anyway, so why even bother asking. He hit the call elevator button, (On the opposite wall he'd come through.) waving a hand back, without even bothering to face him. "Tell you what? Head into that room, and retrieve my vials."

The guard turned to where he was indicating, and headed for the door Hojo was messing with earlier. "This one, sir?"

The elevator dinged, and opened before him. "Yes, now hurry up. Your presence is tiresome." Hojo stepped into the elevator, and pressed the fifty-ninth floor button.

A little ways down the hall, the guard opened the door, and was immediately blasted into the other wall, by a loud explosion, incinerating him on the spot. Leaving only a human shaped shadow on the hated having to waste his bomb this way, but it's not like he could get it back now. Although he did suppose that was a fair test, if not an impractical use. Oh well. He'd have more opportunities to further his research.

##

AN: OH MEH GERD