A/N: I hope the direction this story is headed isn't too confusing or makes sense so far. This is about Vincent and Tifa. But there is an overall tale I want to spin to make it happen for them. I just couldn't see either of them getting there quickly. They are slow to trust others enough for intimacy in my mind. And maybe even slow to trust themselves with a romantic love.

I hope you stick with me. The entire story is laid out all the way to the end. I only need to finish writing.

Chapter 11

In Need of a Rescue

Today wasn't the first a Turk had seen battle. Mr. First Class can yell all he wants. Reno was a professional.

The cages looked like they had been deliberately opened. Someone had been expecting them. Or could've heard them coming, but this was an experienced group. They were quiet the entire trek to the labs; not even a single sneeze betrayed their presence. Reno didn't see any functioning cameras on the way in. Whoever it was had advanced warning.

Reno whacked a green-furred beast with a backhanded stroke of his magrod, sending the creature flying with a broken jaw towards a twin readying a pounce. Their yelps echoed like a fire alarm and probably woke anything dead down here.

Cloud sprinted around Reno and decapitated both animals with a single swipe of his oversized sword. He glared at Reno over his shoulder, stalking off to help Shelke and Pete kill the last three monsters that had attacked them on entry into the laboratory.

The Turk didn't let it get to him. Not like he set them free. All Reno did was cast an area-wide bolt to take out a bunch at once. Who knew the damn things would start howling and call a dozen more out of the shadows across the labs? Why were they even still alive down here?

"That's the last of them," Cloud said as Reno walked past him to check the hallway the other fiends had leaped out of a few minutes before.

"Nothing else is down this hall, yo." Reno shined his flashlight down the length of the empty corridor. A couple of doors remained closed, one designated as 'Janitor' and the other 'Utility.' The weird green dogs probably came back here to hide from the light in the other room.

Lit rooms meant there was electricity coming from somewhere. No generator in this room, but Reno noticed the cables running alongside the walls as they were coming in. He didn't like the idea of someone being down here who shouldn't. Particularly if that someone was setting monsters loose to attack them. He was here to get a job done, and he didn't appreciate someone trying to interfere with his work.

"This isn't the main lab or where the servers are held." Shelke resumed walking down another hallway, and the others followed without question.

"Hey, you're pretty good with those things." Reno pointed at her sabers as he continued, "Never seen someone so small fight so good, yo." She stared up at him with emotionless eyes, marching forward with disinterest.

Reno scratched the back of his head at her awkward stare. He knew who Shelke was and what had been done to her. Hell, he might have even shared a bit of the fault in that a tad. He'd been part of ShinRa for an awfully long time, and it was the Turks who had brought her to Midgar in the first place.

"I am equally impressed with your battle prowess. You seem the least competent of your colleagues, and yet you displayed remarkable skill with your chosen weapon." Shelke glanced at Pete in confusion when he loudly guffawed at her response. Reno raised his chin a notch at the unintentionally snide compliment, thinking it sounded more sincere from someone who showed no feelings.

"We should not linger in the research area. The server room is on the other side of the adjoining lab." She pointed to a doorway at the end of the corridor, ignoring the continued laughter drifting behind her. Reno scowled at Cloud, who joined Pete in chuckling at his expense.

They passed empty containers lined up in one room as if someone anticipated their use. The floor was sticky. Reno noticed a drain in the center where dried mako, blood, and other fluorescent colored liquid had pooled and dried. The antiseptic smell was almost overwhelming. The hounds had been kept alive, but what else lingered down here? And who was running this small operation?

The next laboratory was shrouded in darkness, but the cords extending into it indicated it was wired for use. They shined their flashlights across the room and noticed holding cells built into the far wall. Thick glass replaced the inner wall of each to allow observation of whatever was kept captive inside. It appeared they were empty, but one held a body lying on the floor. It was lifeless and probably had been dead for a long time. They didn't enter the room and continued down the corridor behind Shelke.

Reno peeked into a door directly to their left, finding the source of the electricity. The cables leading to several rooms throughout this portion of the underground facility were hooked up to numerous mako battery cells that resembled mini reactors. An enormous cauldron filled with glowing mako sat in the room's center. Large pipes protruded from the iron kettle and plunged into the floor below, probably sucking up the Lifestream from deep within the earth. Portable canisters littered the room; a few still showed mako accumulated at the bottoms, not entirely drained from use. He snapped a couple of photos with his phone as the others briefly peered in, then continued on their way.

"Looks like we found our energy source, yo." Reno tapped his magrod on the cauldron as Pete stopped to explore the room. "Gotta come back down here to decommission this shit now. Boss ain't gonna be happy," he crooned, ducking past Pete as the SOLDIER took pictures of the evidence and marked the location on his map.

They caught up to the others, and Shelke led them into the server room. Reno whistled when he saw that the equipment was still intact and undisturbed. He and Pete started removing the drives when they heard a banging noise from one of the labs they passed. "Hey, go check on that, will ya?" Reno asked Cloud over his shoulder, but the blonde had already turned around to investigate.

Reno blew off the dust as he pulled the backup drives free, coughing involuntarily. He heard a low growl rumble from the adjoining lab that he was sure didn't come from Mr. First Class. "That didn't sound good." He followed Pete out as the SOLDIER sprinted into the corridor and leaped into the room with his sword drawn. Reno snickered at the swing-first eagerness he was used to seeing from the SOLDIER regiment back in the old days. Reno preferred to assess the situation a second before diving into the fray. The Turk way.

Cloud battled an oversized guard hound. It must have been the alpha of the pack they'd just finished off. The damn thing was still just a lab experiment like the others, but significantly larger, nearly the size of a behemoth. Cloud dodged its huge snapping fangs and swung his sword on impulse, catching the canine on the ear. Its yelp pierced their ears with a shrill cry. Reno felt certain the wailing damaged his hearing permanently.

Seeing an opening as it tried to shake away the pain, Reno raced toward it and skidded onto his knees, zapping its belly with his magrod as he slid underneath. Reno jumped to his feet, smiling as he surveyed his handiwork. The hound howled in agony, writhing on the floor from the electrical current spreading over its body in a network of heat.

As Cloud and Pete both raised their swords to put the dog out of its misery, they heard footsteps pounding through the corridor outside. Team A rushed into the room in time to witness Pete's sword spearing the hound's head and Cloud driving his through the heart, cutting off one last yelp.

"Nice of you to show up on time, partner," Reno smirked at Rude, who surveyed the room in silence, barely panting after their dash through the halls.

"We heard fighting." Tifa hung back near the door, slowly walking forward as she watched the others gather near one of the cells. "It took us a few minutes to find where you were—is everyone alright?" She always showed concern for everyone else, no matter the situation—a real sweetheart with a nasty roundhouse kick.

Reno followed her gaze to see Shelke crouched before the cell he had believed only housed a dead body. But that proved false.

On the other side, a woman clothed in a medical robe kneeled with her eyes shut as tears streamed down one side of her face. Her head pressed against the glass, shoulders shuddering with sobs as her auburn-colored hair fell over her face in a messy curtain. She reached across her chest and grabbed at her other arm, which had been amputated just above the elbow. She opened her one good eye and smiled through her tears at the woman-child looking back at her through the glass.

Aww, shit. No way. Reno remembered her. Shelke's sister. She wasn't a victim of ShinRa, though. The first group of AVALANCHE terrorists was to blame for her missing arm and eye. This one couldn't be laid at their feet. She had spent years searching for her sister. That didn't explain her captivity in a ShinRa laboratory that hadn't—or at least shouldn't have been operating the last few years.

Cloud and Pete strained as they attempted to pry the glass door open. Reno rolled his eyes, wondering why they didn't try the control panel next to it.

"Good thing there's a Turk around when you need one." Reno grinned at his witty remark. He sauntered over to the panel and punched in a series of numbers, laughing at the shocked faces when the door unlatched and slid open to allow entry. "Ha! Override codes still work. Who knew!" He winked at his partner, who managed a slight upturn to one side of his mouth in appreciation. Satisfied with himself, Reno stood back to allow them inside to help the woman out.

"How is this possible?" Vincent surveyed the scene as Shelke helped her sister to her feet. He rushed forward when the woman stumbled, but Cloud made it to them first and caught her before she dropped to the floor.

"Who is she?" Tifa had a heart of gold. Reno could hear the worry in her voice. She didn't even know the lady, but her motherly instinct kicked in, and she grabbed a blanket from the cell and draped it over the woman as Cloud gently laid her on the lab room floor.

"She is my sister, Shalua." Shelke didn't look their way as she answered the question. The girl stooped next to Shalua, and the two of them only stared at each other in silence.

Suddenly Pete and Vincent swung their heads around toward a door across the lab, hearing a noise with their enhanced ears that eluded the others. Cloud stood with his hand clutching the hilt of the massive sword at his back and stared in the same direction.

Pete rushed over and leaned against the doorjamb as he pressed his ear to the wall. Vincent crouched to the other side and nodded his head at the SOLDIER to open. As the door swung inward, a man in a dirty lab coat leaped out in desperation. His efforts were wasted when Pete immediately tackled him before he could escape a single step.

Vincent cautiously peered into the room, and finding nothing of interest, he turned to stand over the man that now laid on the floor with a boot firmly pressed into his throat.

"Who are you?" Vincent growled at him, pointing his gun at their prisoner's chin. The man whimpered at the glare Vincent leveled at him, holding his hands in front of his face defensively. Reno could sympathize. That look could scare the One-Winged Angel himself, especially when you knew that Vincent could—and would—deliver on the threat his eyes promised.

Pete grabbed the man by the scruff of his collar and roughly forced him to his feet. Reno recognized him but couldn't place his name. He worked with Hojo at one point, which meant that Reno steered clear. The Turk avoided the scientists at all costs back in the day. They creeped him out. And he knew what they were capable of—this lab was proof of that horror.

"He's Parran." Reno barely heard Shalua whisper. Her unkempt hair covered her face, muffling the sound of her voice. He shuddered, thinking about what she endured in the time she was a captive in this place. She appeared to have passed out from the exertion as Shelke moved her hair from her face. Weird seeing the little woman show concern like that.

The group seemed to all breathe in at once, breaking the tension at their shocking and unexpected discovery. Rude handcuffed the scientist as Pete held firm to the man's arms. Reno quickly made his way back to the server room, snatched up the bag with the drives, and headed back into the other room.

"Hey, where's the asshole?" Reno realized they were one SOLDIER short. He looked over at his partner, who only shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"He took off on his own," Tifa replied with annoyance.

"Pete, Rude, with me," Vincent called out as Reno sidled past his form, walking toward the door. "The rest of you stay here. There's two more rooms in this complex, and I want to make sure no one else is down here." The other men promptly followed him through the door.

Reno ambled over to the researcher, who stood stock-still, dread evident in his face. "Hey, remember me?" Parran nodded slowly at Reno, who tapped his magrod against his shoulder. "Good. I'll take that to mean you ain't gonna try anything stupid, yo. Now, why don't you take a seat and get comfy while we wait." He gave the scientist a devilish grin, daring him with narrowed eyes to make a reckless mistake.

Reno smirked as the man did as he was told. Guys like this always did as they were told. No fight put up. Geeky type. All brain, no brawn. They were easy to muscle once in hand but sometimes a bitch to catch because they were so damn smart. He must've been the one to set the dogs free.

Reno chuckled out loud at the thought. A miscalculation by this wise guy. Did he really think those lab experiments could stop a group like this? Hell, he and Rude could've beaten them on their own. It might have taken a bit; they might have gotten a scratch or a bite here or there. But those guard hounds lacked the strength of the hounds Hojo had made in the golden days. Maybe this guy wasn't as bright.

"You set anything else loose in here? Huh?" Parran only stared at the redhead, scared to speak the wrong thing. "Don't worry, we'll be back to find out," Reno promised him with a shrewd grin, taking pleasure at the scientist's frightened shake of his head.

A short time passed as Reno listened to Tifa ask Shelke questions about her sister. They thought she had been lost when Omega attacked the city a few years prior. Shalua had been in a medical capsule aboard Cid's ship when it was struck. The capsule fell into the city ruins with Shalua still inside. Tifa shook her head in recognition, saying she remembered now but had never met Shalua in person.

Footsteps alerted them to the approach of the rest of their crew. "They're the only ones down here," Pete said as he strode back over to Parran and roughly tugged the man back to his feet. "But we're gonna be having a nice chat later, and you're gonna tell us who lived down here with you."

Reno scoffed at the little speech. Pete was a good SOLDIER. But he had that same demeanor Reno recalled of Zack Fair, who was as nice as they came.

"Pete," Vincent called out to him again as he stared down at Shalua. "Leave him to the Turks for now. I want you to come with me." Pete shoved Parran to the floor with a glare.

Rude approached the scientist, standing stood before him with arms akimbo. If Reno didn't know any better, his partner was developing a thing for the former Turk. He followed his orders like Vincent was Tseng's boss or something. But then, Rude had always been a rule follower.

"We'll return in a few minutes with medical evac. Make your way toward the exit, and we'll meet you." Vincent didn't look back at them as he issued his orders, and the two sprinted down the corridor, the sound of their footsteps fading fast.

Tifa wrapped Shalua in the blanket when Cloud lifted the woman into his arms. Shelke followed close behind as they left the lab. "Well, partner," Reno shrugged. "I guess this was a blast to the past."

Rude led the scientist out of the door with a hand on his shoulder, the other firmly grasped onto the metal handcuffs binding their prisoner. Reno tightened his grip on the bag holding the extracted drives and shook his head. No matter how much ShinRa tried to make things right, their past would always come back to bite them in the ass.

The Turks had tried to take off with the drives, just as expected. They knew the WRO needed to image the drives for later file extraction. Vincent ignored his frustration over the lame attempt.

Reno had made a brief attempt to load the drives onto the waiting chopper, but Vincent stepped in immediately. He effortlessly snatched the bag from the other man, handing it over to the forensics team who had been waiting inside their high-tech equipped van. He caught the look that had passed between the two Turks, knowing they quickly decided against any bid to hinder the effort.

Vincent wasn't surprised the Turks had tried to leave with them. Rufus had promised Reeve he could have the data, but likely the details were left thin as to how they would share. Luckily, Reeve knew this and had his team of technicians waiting for them outside the building, along with a small security force and the ambulance.

Luxiere arrogantly sat on the transport truck's bumper, as though he had been there all along. Vincent would have a word with Reeve about the former SOLDIER. The man had endangered the entire team and mission, and Vincent would not suffer his presence again. He disregarded the man's existence and waited to ensure the rest of the group boarded the truck before climbing in.

It was over and done with. Now they were back at the WRO, and he guessed the technicians were hard at work extracting and organizing the files. The more immediate concerns were Shalua and her former captor.

He stood next to Reeve inside the hospital room, where Professor Rayleigh looked over the woman. Shelke waited silently beside the bed, her small hand holding her sister's in a gentle grip. Vincent couldn't help but smile at the picture. It was a rare occasion to witness the girl showing any emotion. But she had been improving in that regard as the years passed. Hopefully, the rescue of her sister would act as a boon to her recovery.

"She should wake soon," Professor Rayleigh assured them as she looked over at Reeve. "It appears they were keeping her sedated for long periods. I'm not sure how long she had been awake since her coma, however. We'll have to ask her what she remembers when she wakes. It's a miracle she's survived the last few years."

Reeve hummed as he crossed his arms and held his chin in a hand. "It's a miracle she's survived the last 15 years or so. What with her AVALANCHE injuries, efforts to find her sister, the Deepground attack—Azul." Reeve closed his eyes tight and shook his head, unable to continue.

Professor Rayleigh walked over to Shelke and hugged her. The girl looked up at the doctor awkwardly. "It's alright for you to feel everything you are feeling," Rayleigh reassured the girl as she lightly tapped her shoulders. "Come find me when she wakes. I have some work to do in the labs." Rayleigh nodded at Reeve and Vincent before she exited the room.

"Oh, Professor Rayleigh—a moment, please." Reeve followed her out. Vincent heard them talking in hushed tones directly outside the door.

Vincent approached the bed and peered down at the sleeping woman. He could relate to what the last few years had been like for her—kept in slumber for long periods. He gave an audible sigh and lamented the life these two women should have had—if not for the horrors inflicted on them.

"What's it like?"

"Hmm?" Vincent looked over at Shelke, who stared wide-eyed at him before she turned her gaze back to her slumbering sister.

"Sleeping for so long." It surprised him that her voice was at a whisper. Almost as though she was keeping in check an emotion that was foreign to her. "What is it like to sleep for weeks at a time. Or years? What is it like?" She turned her head toward him again, and he didn't mistake the small furrow that had appeared in her brow.

He examined her face and detected watery eyes, relieved at the sight. It showed how much her condition had improved. "It's like one long dream," he said to her in a gentle tone. The last thing he wanted to do was alarm her with a confession about the nightmares. "And when you wake up—it's like traveling through time."

She didn't say anything in return, only looked back to her sister as she wiped away a tear that finally escaped. She brought her hand up to view her moist fingertips and let out a deep sigh. She sat in a chair next to the bed and curled up, eyes locked onto her sister's face.

Vincent grabbed a blanket from the closet and draped it over Shelke's small form. "Why don't you try to get some sleep. Call when she wakes." She didn't answer, but he smiled at her. Giving one last look at the pair, Vincent decided he should speak with Reeve before he left, and then—it was time to pay the scientist a visit.

He stopped short in the corridor, surprised to find Tifa and Cloud talking quietly with Reeve. He thought they had already gone home.

"Professor Rayleigh thinks she only needs rest and to let the sedatives wear off, which were apparently a regular part of her diet."

"Oh, gods. Is she addicted, you think?" Tifa toyed with the necklace hanging from her neck, anxious for others as ever.

"The staff will keep a close eye on her and diagnose as appropriate. From what Rayleigh told me, we'll know more in the next day or so if she shows any symptoms." Reeve put a hand on her shoulder and patted her gently. "Don't worry, Tifa. She's in good hands—and uh—her sister is looking after her now. We're all pleasantly shocked at this nice turn of events. Who knew you would find someone in need of a rescue?" Reeve laughed innocently before he glanced at his watch and gave them an apologetic smile. "Another meeting calls. Go on in; visiting hours last another 30 minutes." He hurried down the corridor to catch an elevator as Tifa and Cloud turned their attention to Vincent.

Cloud wouldn't meet his gaze as Vincent greeted the two of them with a nod of his head. The blonde appeared more aloof than usual as he bowed his head and slowly walked into the hospital room without a word.

"I know it's not saying much, but he's barely spoken since we found her." Tifa again hugged her shoulders in that self-comforting, vulnerable behavior of hers. The younger man still managed to draw her mothering attention and instincts. "I think it's the look in her eyes."

"What do you mean?" Vincent had barely looked at Cloud once they exited the labs. Cloud had carried Shalua most of the way back outside and deposited her personally onto the stretcher, walking alongside the emergency team as they hauled her into the waiting ambulance. Vincent had been preoccupied, ensuring the team made it out ok.

"That look, you know?" Tifa paused, exhaling a weary sigh. "I'm sure you've seen it. That vacant expression Cloud gets sometimes. Like—he's trying to remember who he is—or when it is." She rubbed her arms and looked at Vincent with tightly held tears.

Yes, he did know that look that Cloud had in his eyes sometimes. He hadn't looked closely enough at Shalua when she was still awake, having been concerned about the exposed nature of their surroundings at the time. But that vacant expression caused him to question Cloud's sanity on several occasions. He hoped that eventually, the young man would seek the help he still probably needed for the trauma caused by Hojo many years ago.

"Yeah, I know the look," he said, and apprehensively reached out to gently pat her shoulder. He still didn't know if it was ok to touch her, but he felt a strong desire to soothe her. He held back the urge to wrap her in his arms and rub her back. The thought wouldn't leave his mind, though. "Why don't you go in with Cloud. I'm going to talk to Reeve. I'll see you later?"

She slowly nodded and walked into the hospital room. Vincent wished she didn't continue to worry so much for Cloud. Not that they all didn't care for him, too. But his concern for her grew the longer she wasted her life worrying about Cloud's. At some point, she would have to move on. He couldn't let himself worry about that at this moment, though. There was still some follow-up needed from their mission, and he would have it done.

Vincent turned toward the elevators and hoped Reeve wasn't too busy. After crossing the skywalk through the parking garage, he hurried through the WRO, forcing other employees to dodge his cape billowing behind him. He paused at Reeve's office door and knocked sharply.

"Come in," Reeve called out, and Vincent opened the door to find Pete standing in front of the Commissioner's desk. "Ah, Vincent. Just in time. Pete was just giving me his report personally. I know you haven't yet had the time, but tomorrow should be fine to deliver it."

Pete nodded in greeting at Vincent, who briefly returned the gesture before he addressed Reeve. "I need to talk to Parran first, but I'll finish it tonight and send it over. Right now, we need to discuss Luxiere." Vincent only walked over to this office to give this portion of his report in person. He needed to make Reeve understand that he would handpick his teams from now on. And Luxiere would not be included.

Reeve held up a hand and gave a resigned nod. "Pete has told me some of it, and I want you to know it won't happen again. I'll be having a word with Luxiere and will see that he is disciplined appropriately."

"A talk isn't going to cut it, Reeve." Vincent knew Reeve would likely take a soft approach. That's why he wanted to talk about the SOLDIER's disobedience in person. "He refused to follow orders, which led us to be attacked by a lab experiment that could have been avoided. He disobeyed again and caused part of the remaining building to collapse on the west side. Tifa was nearly crushed. This goes beyond reprimand, Reeve. He won't be included on our teams again."

Vincent knew Reeve wouldn't go against him on this and wasn't surprised when the man fell back into his chair, letting out a heavy sigh as he wiped his tired face with his hands.

"Understood, Vincent." His tone was exhausted. Reeve didn't like disciplining his employees. "His actions certainly go against protocol—looks like I'll have to put him on probation and issue a formal reprimand in his file." He sighed again as he regarded Pete, who remained standing at parade rest in front of the desk. "Captain—from what the Turks have told me, you behaved admirably and with the honor of the old SOLDIER guard. I think you'll find a commendation coming your way soon. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

Pete grinned at him and held out his hand, which Reeve shook as he stood up. "No, Sir. Thank you for the opportunity. It was a pleasure to work with this team, if you don't mind me saying, Sir." Pete said as he looked in Vincent's direction, who only nodded in kind at the compliment.

Reeve let out a chuckle. "You'll have to forgive Vincent, Pete. He's not used to direct flattery."

"Thank you, Sir," Pete said again as Reeve dismissed him from the room.

"So, Vincent—" Reeve began, but Vincent had no intention of letting the man waste time with a longwinded debrief.

"I think it's time we talk to our prisoner." Vincent held the door open for Reeve, indicating he should follow. He had a scientist to interrogate, a report to write, and dinner to get to—no time for idle office chatter.

"Alright." Reeve chuckled and followed Vincent out of the door. Vincent allowed him to lead the way down below the headquarters building to an underground jail constructed below the parking garage. It was a little medieval with stone walls and old-fashioned iron bars. A few cells were not too unlike those in the Deepground laboratory with the same glass enclosure—likely a necessity for any enhanced individuals they may have in custody.

Guard stations were set up on each end of the jail corridors once past the intake office near the elevators. There were no outside doors. Anyone needing to leave the jail had the option of the secure elevators or the staircase located near the heavily armed guard station.

Vincent took note of the numerous cameras installed both inside the cells and in the hallways. Others pointed directly at intake, the elevators, and each guard station. He couldn't identify any blind spots but would access the live feed later to locate any weak points.

Reeve checked the two of them in with the staff and made sure Vincent's badge had full access through security. Once they were buzzed in, Reeve quickly led the way to Parran's cell and bragged that most of the cells currently sat empty. The WRO made the world a better place, and there was no better proof than empty jail cells. Vincent focused on remembering each of the guards' faces. Never could know when that information might be relevant.

They were surprised to find Dr. Sybil Shelly sitting on a small stool in front of Parran's cell. A guard stood silent behind her, not quite ten feet away. He saluted as Reeve approached, which went unnoticed by the doctor. "Sybil?"

She turned suddenly at the call of her name and dropped a notepad and pen onto the ground. "Oh." It seemed all she could manage to say, as she was evidently quite startled at their arrival. Vincent felt his hackles rise at the scene. What could this young doctor possibly need to talk to this criminal about?

"What are you doing down here, Dr. Shelly?" Reeve wasn't usually so formal. Vincent didn't mistake the authoritative tone the man leveled at her. He was just as surprised as Vincent at the doctor's presence.

"Oh umm—I just wanted—" Vincent could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. She couldn't come up with the lie fast enough. "I just wanted to uh—check his injuries. Make sure if we were needed for anything. That's all." Her eyes darted between Reeve and Vincent as she quickly knelt to pick up her notebook. "I'll be going. Please let me know if you need anything from us, Commissioner." She nearly sprinted away down the corridor.

Vincent noted Reeve's regard and held his silence. The intake procedures likely didn't include a step to include a doctor's visit from the WRO medical research team. The brig had their own nurses. Looks like he would need to keep a closer eye.

Forgetting for now the small drama with Shelly, they turned to Parran and eyeballed the scientist as he sat upon a dirty metal chair a short distance from the bars. Reeve briefly spoke to the guard, dismissing the young man, and ensuring that they would handle any situation that arose.

Reeve turned his attention to Parran and crossed his arms. "Professor," he began with a stern tone. "It is my hope that you will cooperate to the fullest."

Parran nervously dragged his eyes to Vincent and glanced him over with fearful interest. "You're Vincent Valentine, aren't you?" The scientist appeared to be shaking in the metal chair, but Vincent couldn't be sure if it was from fear or the jail's cold, dank climate. Well—Vincent liked fear a little better.

Vincent suddenly snapped a hand forward and grabbed Parran by the neck, pulling him up from the chair and closer to the bars. From deep within his chest, he let out a feral growl. "We're going to do this the easy way." He flashed his eyes at his captive, knowing the demon yellow glow could appear as menacing as the devil. Vincent couldn't help the small grin that spread across his face as he heard a whimper escape from Parran's lips.