Chapter Twenty-Two: Questing for Answers
"She said to find someone named Vincent Valentine," Aralyn said, finishing the story of her encounter with Dr. Crescent. "She seemed to think he would help."
"I've heard that name," Sephiroth mused. "Can't say where, though."
"Can we get into the records room or something?" Aralyn asked.
Sephiroth frowned. "Not easily. That place has some of the tightest security in all of Shinra. If we use the vents, I can get us in there, but who's to say what's inside? Maybe if we swiped an ID from one of the nurses or something…"
"Will a nurse's ID work?" Aralyn inquired. "I think we'll need someone with higher authority, like a professor or something."
"I think you're right. Besides, it's bound to have thumbprint identification or an eye scanner or…something. I can't really get past something like that anyway."
"Maybe if we just ask someone about Vincent?" Aralyn suggested. "If he worked here, someone has to know something!"
Sephiroth paused, then declared, "I'm going in through the vents. I'll play it by ear."
Aralyn stared at him, wondering why he would take such a daring risk.
"You don't have to come, Aralyn. I'll understand." He read the expression on her face and continued. "I just feel like this is something I need to do."
"Are you always this reckless? Give it a few hours and we can think of something!"
"No. I just…I want to know what Lucrecia meant. We're the only children here, but I've read books. I know I'm not normal. I feel like she had the answers, and Vincent must too!"
Aralyn sighed and grabbed Sephiroth's hands. "I'll let you go, if you take me with you. If it means this much to you…I'll do it."
Sephiroth smiled and swept her up into a tight hug. "Thank you, Aralyn. You're a real friend."
Two pairs of eyes peered from behind the bars of the grate: one a deep, ocean blue and the other a bright emerald. A pair of feet passed through their vision, causing Aralyn to stifle a surprised cry. The steps stopped, but when silence continued, the professor moved on none the wiser to the children's presence.
"Ready?" Sephiroth asked.
"Just do it."
Sephiroth nodded and deftly tampered with the screws that held the grate to the wall. He wormed his way out first, then offered his hand to Aralyn and eased her through the small opening. They leaned against the wall for a moment, breathing deeply and brushing the dust from the vents off their clothes. To Aralyn's amusement, Sephiroth's long, silver hair was flecked with the fuzzy gray specks too. She chuckled quietly and helped him get them off.
"He'll be in the 'V' section, whether it's listed by first or last names," Aralyn reminded him.
"Right, let's go."
They had entered in the "R" section, so they didn't have far to go. Sephiroth went first, his eyes constantly darting back and forth, scanning for potential traps. They ducked into the rows, keeping out of the main aisles as much as possible. With a sigh of relief, they located a drawer labeled "Vac-Ven".
"That's the one," Sephiroth muttered.
The drawer was well above either of their reaches, so Sephiroth motioned for Aralyn to get on his shoulders. She silently complied, though her clumsiness caused Sephiroth a lot of discomfort. He remained silent and bore it, though he grimaced as her heels dug into his shoulders and as she grappled against the drawers for a hold, causing quite a clamor. She finally managed to regain her balance with his hands tightly gripping her ankles.
Aralyn's fingers pulled on the drawer and it slid out with a loud creaking sound that echoed throughout the room. Sephiroth and Aralyn waited anxiously for something to happen, but no one came.
Breathing out the breath she had been holding, Aralyn flipped through the manila folders, letting out a jubilant whisper when she saw a folder labeled "Valentine, Vincent".
"Got it!" she whispered.
"Drop it, you'll need your hands to get down."
Aralyn obeyed, letting go of the folder and watching as various colored papers spread across the floor. After another minute of intricate maneuverings to get her feet on the ground, the pair began to gather them. When it was all together, Sephiroth hugged the file to his body. "Let's get out of here."
But footsteps that weren't their own were echoing through the main aisle. To their surprise, Professor Hojo strode to the aisle across from them, angrily murmuring words they couldn't hear as he searched through the files. Sephiroth whispered something that sounded like a curse and handed the papers to Aralyn, who took them without a sound.
The luck that had protected them for this long ran out as the professor turned his head. Eyes narrowing, he hissed, "Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth grabbed Aralyn's hand and ran, turning as much as possible to try to shake him from their trail. However, it was a matter of seconds before a red light blinded them and a shrieking alarm nearly deafened them. Metal bars thicker than their arms suddenly blocked the door they had been headed for.
"No. No…no!"