A/N: For purposes of this fic, the library beneath the mansion is bigger than shown in the original game (more than just two rooms and a hallway).

Chapter 16

Home Sweet Nightmare

He knew his partner better than anyone. They complimented each other like lightning and water. Rude considered himself a fluid wave, and Reno a buzzing current. More destructive together.

Rude didn't need to say anything, didn't want to. Reno had the entire cabin awake with his mindless babble. He'd thankfully stopped demanding an apology for his black eye. Tifa was stoic. Unashamed of her strength. Incomparable in beauty. Everything a woman should be.

"Be nice if this was the last trip to this cuckoo place, yo." Reno relaxed in his seat, kicking his feet up on the control panel while Rude manned the throttle. "Crazy scientists, aliens, mutants, dragons—a wonder anyone sane grew up here. Right, Lockhart?"

Tifa's irritated sigh hummed through the headset, earning a triumphant smile on Reno's face at the sound.

"Rude," she called out with a sweet, sensual voice. Damn—they'd shut off the recording system and set it to emergency activation only.

"Yes, Tifa."

"Is there any reason I can't mute him?" Even her question was sweet to his ears.

"Hey, hey now! I'm just tryin to make some friendly conversation, babe." Reno reasoned emphatically. As if anyone would believe it. "I'm just saying—as places go, this town is weird, and it'd make childhood crazier than a Tonberry with a spoon!"

"Reno." Vincent's low growl was even more unnerving in the headset. His partner sat straight up at Vincent's voice, and Rude smiled inwardly. "Less talk. More Fly."

Rude heard another irritated sigh and glanced into the mirror at their passengers. Vincent watched Tifa with a concerned knit in his eyebrow while she gazed out of the window with a sad expression on her face.

"Yeah, ok, man." Reno hurriedly agreed. But the reprieve from his inane chatter was short-lived. "So—uh, back in the day. Did you fly too?"

Their predecessor only looked out of the same window as Tifa, reticent and motionless as ever. But Rude knew his partner—and he wouldn't let silence serve as a hint to shut the hell up.

"Just trying to make small talk, yo. We're working together a lot more, right? Maybe it'd be good to learn more about each other." Reno shrugged at Vincent's snub. Rude could sense his partner was past the point of knowing when to engage self-preservation techniques in the face of impending doom.

"Most files on ya are kinda light, yo. Just wondered what it was like for a Turk back then." Reno gave a nervous laugh, and Rude followed his gaze to the cold one staring back in the mirror.

Vincent's glare bored into his partner. But Reno's mouth was suicidal. "I don't know, man. If I didn't know you were sitting behind us, it's almost like they made you out to be a ghost."

Reno jumped when Vincent suddenly emerged from the cabin, growling with a whisper in his ear, "Almost."

Everyone in the cabin laughed at Reno's fright. Rude let himself go a moment and joined in with a chuckle of his own, thoroughly enjoying his partner's comeuppance.

The sun set as they flew over the mountain and descended into a valley.

"Here we are, kids. Crazy town." Reno's cackle did little to make his joke funny. Rude could nearly hear the eyes rolling behind them in the cabin. With any luck, his partner wouldn't get them killed this time. Current moods were not a good indication.

When they finally landed just outside of the village, Reno gave it another try with a more cringy joke. "Wonder if they've got a haunted house tour?" Rude may resort to a sleep spell to save his partner's life.

As they hopped down from the helicopter and removed their gear, some townsfolks stopped to gawk at them in the streets. Upon spying the two Turks accompanying the landing party, they quickly feigned an oblivious attitude to the new arrivals.

"Be careful. Would hate for you to get punched in the face again." Rude's lips curled to one side at his colleague as they locked the helicopter and followed the group.

As Rude expected, they walked through the town unacknowledged by any of the villagers. Even years after ShinRa paid them to reside here, they kept their discretion and ignored newcomers.

Rude picked up his tempo when he noticed Sybil straining under the weight of her backpack. "Allow me," he offered as he relieved her of the burden. His partner scoffed at his chivalry.

"Thanks," the doctor smiled at him and then took out her camera to snap photos of the town as they walked through the main square.

The group stopped by the water tower and set their luggage down as they looked around. Rude shivered, remembering the smoldering carcasses and buildings after the town was set ablaze by ShinRa's greatest weapon turned psycho—Sephiroth. More chills spilled down his neck when he recalled their involvement in the coverup. But no point in dredging that up again. That's why the company offered therapy.

"Can't take you anywhere, partner." Reno laughed at him, catching up and sticking his lizard-like tongue out. One day Rude was going to snatch it straight out of Reno's mouth.

"Why don't we get a room, yo." Reno didn't wait for agreement and sauntered toward the inn.

Rude was indifferent but trailed behind him as the two scientists did the same.

"Where are you going?" They heard Vincent ask Tifa as she followed the Turks.

Rude stopped to watch their exchange, as did Reno and the others. Cloud walked around on his own, looking up the hill toward the mansion.

"Just thought we'd get settled in for the night," Tifa said to him with a question hanging off her words. "Why? You don't want to use the inn?"

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of it," Vincent answered and then started walking toward them.

Vincent had spent years sleeping in the mansion and probably had no qualms making it a nest for their trip. How can a man abide the place he was tortured and placed in a coffin while still alive? Rude had a newfound respect for Vincent, believing him on par with the fearless silver-haired SOLDIER—albeit less insane.

No way Reno would stay in the mansion. He was a sissy sometimes. And the scientists with them didn't appear they would be useful in a fight if some vengeful spirit exacted retribution on them during the night. He thought the inn a better, safer option.

Once they stowed their gear in their room, Rude and his partner descended the stairs into the hotel bar. He was surprised to see Tifa sitting by herself at one corner of the counter. She looked a little melancholy, as though she fought tears threatening to break at any moment. She only looked at them with a weak nod and then centered her attention on her salad.

As usual, Reno made a poor decision and sat near her, obliging Rude to go along. Tifa didn't acknowledge them even though Reno tried to draw her notice by staring her down. By the time the barkeep took their order, Reno had given up and let her eat in silence.

Tifa finished her food just as they received their beer and soup bowls. It was clear she didn't want company.

"Ha! You know, Lockhart," Reno couldn't take a hint if it grabbed him by the torso and swallowed him whole.

"This black eye kinda looks good on me, yo. Makes me more attractive. Chicks love a guy who looks beat up." His lascivious grin wouldn't work on Tifa, but it was fun watching him try.

She didn't say anything, but Reno was Reno. "Just in case you were wondering—I love a woman who doesn't pull her punches." He leaned closer, begging danger to take advantage of his stupidity. "I don't pull either, you know?"

Tifa rolled her eyes at him, impatience evident when she sighed. "You're awfully close to a permanent ban from my bar, Reno."

"Hey, come on, babe. That's not fair." Reno sat up, giving her proper distance and sticking up his hands innocently. "Me and Rude won't have anywhere decent to go. Your place is the cleanest bar with the prettiest staff."

She scoffed at him. "Oh, don't worry. Rude would be welcome." She gave that sweet smile again, and Rude was suddenly more thankful than ever he was the silent one.

Tifa suddenly rose from her seat, brushing Rude's bicep as she walked past and left the bar.

"Where'd I go wrong, yo?"

"It's too late to get into that now," Rude said to him before slurping a spoonful of his potato soup.

The next morning, they assembled in the yard, gawping at the decaying structure as if anticipating it would come to life. Vincent entered the mansion first. Everyone else balked—reluctant to follow. Both scientists peered cautiously into the foyer, the young woman wrinkling her nose at the smell of stale air, dust, and mildew before cautiously inching inside. Dr. Bernard wasn't too bothered but tested a foot on a creaky floorboard as he passed through the entrance.

Rude's partner propped himself against the porch and smirked at Tifa as she mulled over following them in. She tentatively stretched out a hand and let it rest against the doorframe. After a deep breath, she finally stepped onto the threshold.

"Well, this is gonna be a fun couple of days," Reno drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he entered the house.

Rude scanned the porch and lawn, spying Cloud some distance away by the fence. The former cadet hung back, arms crossed with an inscrutable expression as he stared at the replica of his childhood home. Rude wouldn't be surprised if their mission derailed because of a mental break down in the basements. Even expecting it, he wasn't too keen on the idea of facing off against Vincent or Cloud if either lost their minds while drudging up painful memories.

"Home sweet nightmare, yo!" Reno laughed when his voice echoed through the ghostly corridors. Tifa gaped at him, a little startled at the noise as she clutched at her shoulders.

The light filtering through the windows was dim inside the house, so they used their flashlights to chase the shadows.

"I'll hit the circuit breaker, yo. Seem to remember it in the kitchen," Reno said as he took off toward a walkway to the right.

Vincent waited in the center of the foyer, the stairs curving up majestically behind him. Everyone congregated behind him, waiting for whatever it was he needed to say before they trekked into the basement library.

"Let's stay close together," Vincent began, and the scientists faced him in unison, stopping the perusal of their surroundings. "When Reno gets the lights working, I'll show you the secret entrance leading down to the library. But once we go down, no one comes up alone."

Vincent paused a moment, scanning their faces to ensure he was heeded. "And don't walk the corridors of the house alone either. It's haunted. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." Dr. Bernard nodded at him, putting on a brave face.

"Oh—Of course, Mr. Valentine." Sybil agreed, a little too enthusiastically to sound authentic and with a voice laden with simpering impertinence.

Rude didn't much like the doctor. She just gave him the impression she thought like the ShinRa doctors from the old days. They didn't care about curing their patients, only wanted to know what would happen when a wound festered. He had no doubt the doctor would investigate the corridors on her own at the first chance. An endeavor she would regret.

Suddenly the lights flickered on, and Reno's muffled voice reverberated through the walls. "Woohoo! The magic touch, yo!" A few seconds later, his partner trotted into the room. "Lights should work all the way down to the library."

Vincent gave Reno a brief, appreciative glance, then led the way. "Alright, let's go."

He headed up the stairs and straight to the bedroom with the basement entrance. Vincent pulled the switch along the wall, revealing the door nestled into the stone. He stepped onto the landing where a steep, spiral staircase plunged into the sinister chasm beneath the house.

"Watch your step," Vincent warned.

Tifa followed behind him, not exactly close, but she didn't let him venture too far ahead either. Rude couldn't see her well in the dark, but she would shake her hands every minute or so as if warding off a tremble.

Sybil sucked in a breath as she peered down the shaft, probably surprised at the sharp, angling descent offered by the rickety old staircase.

"Oh, shit!" She clutched at Bernard's arm, forcing him to support her.

The young man looked equally scared but followed their leader anyway. The doctor began his descent, sliding against the wall and scooting down one step at a time as his coworker hugged his elbow and squeezed her eyes shut.

Their pace was slow, to the point that Rude could no longer see Tifa and Vincent ahead of them when he peered down the shaft. With any luck, they would make it to the cellars by midday.

His partner wasn't so patient. "I don't wanna make this stroll any creepier—but we may get company soon if you kiddos don't get a move on."

Sybil's head snapped toward Reno as he smirked down at her from further up the stairs. Rude's partner trained his magrod above their heads, alerting the scientists to the presence of hundreds of bats hanging below the stairs they'd just traversed.

"Dear Bahamut," Sybil whispered as she tried to push Bernard out of her way. "Hurry up, Carlos!" Her loud hissing stirred the creatures, and they chittered underfoot and overhead, flapping their wings excitedly.

"Unless you'd like to shower in their droppings," Vincent's low voice carried up the staircase even though Rude couldn't see his form in the dark any longer. "I suggest you tiptoe quietly. I cast sleep, but it will only last so long."

Sybil shoved her colleague impatiently. The young man descended as fast as he could, guiding his movements with one hand splayed against the wall before him to keep his balance.

Their descent accelerated after that. Everyone was eager to dismount the dilapidated steps and distance themselves from the small, winged rodents. Rude surmised the wooden structure wouldn't last much longer, making it difficult for any curious lurkers and treasure hunters to search the library once they left.

They entered a dank and stuffy tunnel at the bottom of the stairs. Few lights hung on the walls where water leaked through moldy cracks in the stone. It smelled like an ancient crypt, with a damp, foul odor permeating a dense fog at their feet.

The shadows loomed deeper in this part. Rude could hear hitched breathing from the scientists. This probably wasn't what they'd expected when they agreed to this little collection mission. Rude bet they thought a mansion would mean a cozy time with all the delights of luxury, old ShinRa style.

Cloud brought up the rear for a change, and Rude assumed it had something to do with the horrors the younger man had endured in the mansion. Although Vincent didn't seem too affected by his history.

But Tifa plodded ahead with weights in her boots. She let Vincent stride further along as she looked around with apprehension and anxiety. Each step she took a struggle. The more they walked, the more Rude noticed a furrow to her brow.

He didn't want to say anything, not really knowing her very well. But they visited her bar enough and had known her a while that he sensed the downward tilt of her attitude the closer they got to the village. Now inside the mansion, she seemed an entirely different person. The worried look permanently etched into her face all morning instead of the friendly smile he was used to seeing on her.

"Why are the walls so damp?" Sybil loudly hissed, thinking her voice a whisper even though it echoed through the passageway like an evil spirit.

The dripping sound intensified with her question. Or maybe he listened to it more once she pointed it out. Rude couldn't be sure. What he did know was that the shadows suddenly closed in on them. Tifa slowed her jittery pace in front of him, causing him to stop short to avoid bumping into her. An eerie hooting sound resonated through the walls.

They came upon a wider area of the passage where a door stood slightly ajar to their left. Vincent walked past it as though it wasn't there. But just as Rude suspected, Dr. Shelly couldn't resist a peek.

Her eyes narrowed at Vincent's back as though to ensure herself he wasn't watching. Satisfied their leader would move along, Sybil approached the door with her flashlight and camera ready. Rude speculated the doctor hoped to get some pictures.

Reno stopped to watch her too, glancing toward the others retreating further into the tunnel. He looked at Rude and pointed his thumb at the curious little scientist. Rude only shrugged. She was sure to get herself into serious trouble before this mission was complete.

She half entered the pitch-black room, flashlight in one hand as she fumbled with her camera in the other. Reno shook his head at her and signaled to Rude that they should follow the others. Rude lifted his chin, inferring Reno go on; he would catch up.

Sybil finally managed to snap a couple of photos, instantly lighting the room she hoped to capture with a flash of light. Cloud suddenly halted behind her and blinked as another bright flicker pierced his vision. Rude pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. Why did anyone question his penchant for wearing them even in darkness?

"Hey!" Sybil jumped as Cloud tapped her shoulder, shielding his eyes with his free hand. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I just needed to get evidence of this room!" She barked at him, jerking away from his grip. "Great Shiva! Not like anyone's in there. Only a bunch of coffins."

Sybil straightened her jacket, leveling a glare at Cloud before she stomped away to catch up with Reno, who'd slowed again and marched backward to watch the situation.

Cloud shook his head at her retreating form, mouth formed in a grimace at her immaturity. He glanced at Rude before facing the door.

"Go on ahead," he said without another look. "I'm going to secure this. I'll catch up."

Although Cloud couldn't see him, Rude nodded and hurried to rejoin the others. The blonde could look after himself.

Rude caught bits of the low whispered conversation between Tifa and Carlos. The young doctor's questions implied he was overly interested in the dark-haired beauty. How long have you lived in Edge? Did you really grow up in Nibelheim? What's it like being a martial artist? What's your signature drink? Bet you get asked out all the time—

"Let's keep the chatter to a minimum," Vincent's baritone suddenly rumbled through the hallway, halting the good doctor's game before he could make any substantial moves on the bartender.

Reno ambled to Rude's side, facing him with a quick lift to his eyebrows and a lopsided grin at the doctor's misfortune. "Think he'll go for it again?"

"Not while we're here."

"100 Gil says he tries to make the moves again before this mission's done. What do ya say, partner?" Reno eyed him casually, knowing Rude too well.

"How long?"

"I dunno," Reno shrugged and studied the young man as he walked in silence beside Tifa. "I'd say before we finish down here today."

"Tonight, at the bar."

"Oh, you're on, partner." Reno stopped abruptly. "Where's Mr. First Class?"

"He'll catch up." Rude thumbed at the passageway behind them but kept walking forward as Reno paused. The short swordsman wasn't their problem. Rude doubted his partner really cared either, only curious at Strife's delay.

"Is that a two-headed skeleton?" Reno stood several feet back, looking down at the floor curiously.

An eerie rustling snagged Rude's attention, creeping upward from the floor to the ceiling. He stopped and scrutinized the area around him rapidly, seeing nothing but low hanging mist.

"Fuck!" Rude looked behind himself in time to see his partner attempting to zap a strange, materializing shadow with his magrod. It didn't connect. The thing disappeared. But then reappeared suddenly on Reno's other side, giving him enough fright to flip himself backward in terror.

Rude wasn't sure what he saw, thinking it was half a body. Its flesh was exposed where the skin had been flayed. Large portions of its scalp had been removed, allowing the brain to protrude through missing sections of the skull, while the pieces intact grew a patchwork of sickly strands of hair into tangled weaves.

The others sprinted back to check on the commotion. Someone retched. Rude guessed Dr. Bernard wouldn't have endured the working environment under Hojo.

"Watch for its counterpart." Vincent suddenly stood beside him, gun drawn and aimed toward Reno, waiting for it to re-emerge.

"It's what?" Reno nearly shrieked as he extended his magrod and cast a mid-level bolt at the pale specter to no effect. Suddenly, and in answer to his question, another appeared—the mirror opposite of the first. Reno instinctively zapped it, causing the new apparition to jolt. Its movements locked as the current flowed through its ethereal body.

"Ying and Yang," Vincent said as he closed his gauntlet in a fist before sending a ball fire at the newly formed ghost. It shrieked at his magic. "Hit the other one with a physical attack; magic won't hurt it." Vincent fired a barrage of bullets at the fleshy specter, careful to angle himself to avoid shooting his companions.

Taking his cue, Rude lunged with a spinning high kick, launching it into the wall as Vincent refocused magic attacks on the other. Tifa swooped in beside Rude and drilled a boot into the creature's backside. She pummeled it repeatedly with her fists, punch after punch, until it withered into a pulp, writhing on the floor, and slowly disintegrated into the mist.

Rude whirled to see the other specter thrashing from the combination of lightning and fire spells Vincent and Reno unleashed at its form. It lashed out an appendage, catching Tifa across the cheek before she could dive out of the way. She yelped and gritted her teeth as the unexpected blow knocked her to the ground. "Dammit!"

Rude pulled her to her feet as the second ghost finally disintegrated into ash, burnt to its demise from a torrent of fireballs and bolts.

"Are you alright?" Rude asked her as he brushed fragments of dirt from her long hair.

"Yeah, I'm good." The bruise was visible before her fingers traced the rising welt.

"Let me see." Rude retreated as Vincent strode over to her and placed a bare hand along her cheek. He rubbed his thumb across the darkening mar, and Rude didn't miss the gentle warmth in her eyes as she gazed up at the former Turk. Vincent's hand tenderly touched the bump as a green glow emitted from between their skin, casting her face aglow as his cure spell worked its healing on her wound.

Rude respectfully looked away from the two of them. Reno watched them as he brushed the filth from his pants. Their boss would need to hear about this fascinating development.

A relieved sigh breathed through the air behind him. Carlos rubbed his head in disbelief, and Sybil stood next to him with her tablet in hand. The woman probably had taken as many photos as possible. Rude contemplated if he would need to break the damn camera.

As they regrouped from the mini-battle, Cloud finally came thundering up behind them with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Where the hell were you?" Tifa shouted at him. Rude guessed the bartender was frequently annoyed with the younger man, judging by the wide berth Cloud gave her as he walked past.

Vincent didn't intervene in their argument. He motioned for the scientists to continue following him down the humid corridor. Rude and Reno followed suit as Cloud tried to explain himself to his roommate.

"I was closing up the crypt. No one needs to go back in there."

"We're supposed to stay together," she continued to nag, although her voice was softer as the distance grew between them and the group.

Rude wondered why they lived together. He'd noticed their growing frustration with each other the more he visited the bar. They were like a middle-aged couple who stayed together too long. Not an exciting train wreck to gawk at.

As they continued through the basement corridors, every now and a strange ghoul would jump out from the shadows. Whoever was closest would dispatch it, no problem. Most were low level and easily destroyed.

If only Sybil would stop with her screaming every time she heard something. Reno was quick to come to her aid, but then, his partner always had a soft spot for women who wore their make-up a little on the trashy side.

It's not that Rude wouldn't protect her if she needed it, but the doctor gave him the willies. And he preferred a girl with a sweet disposition who could pack a punch.

"Keep it down," Vincent warned as her last shriek pierced the air. "It's just a bat. Don't want to wake the entire basement, then we'll have to deal with it all at once."

When he turned back down the path, Sybil stuck her tongue out and muttered, "Maybe you're ok with bats."

"Hey there, yo. Just stay close to me." Rude rolled his eyes at his partner. Reno never put effort into a woman unless he was trying to get some tail. "I would avoid that tall gunman if I were you."

"Oh? Why's that," she simpered at the redhead. Rude thought he might hurl.

"You know he slept down here for decades, right? That room with the coffins—that was his bedroom," Reno explained with a whisper. "Yeah, he was locked in there because of his evil sins against the world. Let out by—"

"Cut it out," Tifa ordered as though admonishing a child.

"Hey, I just think we should all get to know each other, Lockhart," Reno exclaimed with a hand to his chest.

She rolled her eyes at him as she turned to follow Vincent into the library.

"We're here," Reno singsonged as Vincent pried the door open. The smell of old books, rotting wood, and rancid chemicals mixed with the musty stench they had grown accustomed to. They coughed as they entered the chamber until a whoosh of air from the corridor filled the space and dissipated the most offending odors. Reno sputtered dramatically, earning an eye-roll from Tifa at his antics.

"Reno," Vincent said, addressing the redhead who covered his mouth and nose with a hand. "Locate the servers and pull any drives you can salvage. Reeve's forensics team will want to image the computers and complete a full extraction this time."

"Will do," Reno replied nasally, pinching his nose with one hand while the other saluted the former Turk.

"Carlos, where's your list?" Vincent motioned at the doctor, who quickly unshouldered his backpack and rummaged for a moment before pulling out a small binder.

"Here, Mr. Valentine." Carlos passed out a list to each person containing scientific words and names. "These are the terms you should be looking for in the volumes, the titles we're most interested in. And the names are the scientists we believe would've been involved in that topic. Uh—of course, we're not certain about that. So, just ask if you see something and aren't sure—"

"Don't worry," Sybil cut in, pulling out several small electronic devices from her bag. "I'll be cataloging everything we're not taking with us." She held up a tablet computer as everyone looked at her.

"And Professor Rayleigh asked that we note the location of each volume, so if you don't mind taking a pic and caption it?" Sybil then handed out the devices to each person.

"Alright, sounds good." Vincent nodded at the two of them, accepting the tablet Sybil offered him. "For now, let's make a pile of what we're taking here," he said, pointing toward a desk that stood in the middle of the room.

As each person moved to a different part of the library and began pulling the tomes from the dusty shelves, Rude's partner couldn't resist complaining. "Fuck, this'll take days! Hic—chaw!" Reno's sneeze practically shook the rafters. "Allergies are already fucking killin me, yo."

Rude ignored the whining, selecting an aisle to explore as his partner scurried away to find any computer. His eyes examined the jars and containers filled with organs of unknown specimens. A tapping behind him drew his attention. He eyeballed Sybil as she photographed the preserved tissues. She moved on without a word, dutifully notating each item into her tablet.

Glancing at the list Carlos had provided, Rude compared the terms to the titles of the texts he scanned. When he wasn't sure of the content, he would pull the book free, speed reading as he quickly thumbed through a few pages. Rude didn't find much to keep while the morning dragged on. The task was not as quick as he'd believed it would be.

Rude finished perusing his bookcase and meandered around a corner to begin the next. He entered an adjoining storeroom where broken lab equipment was stacked with various research volumes in disarray. Guess ShinRa ran out of shelves.

Sniffling near his feet drew his attention. Under a table, Tifa sat cross-legged, opening binders scattered beneath it. He knelt to the floor, concern for her urging him to reach out and take one from her. She whirled her head at him in surprise.

"Oh, Rude. I didn't hear you," she said, wiping her nose and the corner of her eyes.

"You should take a break," he said. He immediately tossed the binder into her discard pile after glancing at a random page, flinching at the mutilations depicted. Rude couldn't stomach the images either.

"This room is done, actually." Tifa rose from under the table, giving him a weak smile. "I'll head to the next. Hopefully, it only has books with pictures of microscopic things, right?" She left him feeling helpless over her despair. Tifa deserved a vacation filled with sun and sand. Not trips to a house of horrors.

He exited the room and looked around the library a moment. The others were hard at work. Vincent had retreated to the office, warding off anyone who ventured near, saying he could manage the room independently. Rude remembered it had been Hojo's office.

Cloud's movements were robotic, flinging one tome after another into a heap, his face blank. If he was affected, it didn't show.

The scientists poured through the books on opposite sides of the main library. Carlos didn't linger on any particular piece that didn't immediately grab his attention. His coworker, however, often paused to peruse each page meticulously. Occasionally, she took pictures of the contents instead of merely cataloging the subject.

Rude chose an unsearched bookcase and resumed the task. His partner sauntered from between two aisles, looking for trouble by the way his eyes darted around the library.

Rude watched the redhead over the pages of a book as Reno sidled close to Dr. Shelly. "So, uh. You like workin for the WRO?" Reno stretched an arm against the shelf, looking down at the doctor as she snapped photos of the volume in her hand.

"It's ok." She shrugged. "I'd like to head my own research one day."

"Oh yeah? What kind of research?"

"Genetic mutations caused by mako exposure." Something about the tone in her voice gave Rude anxiety. Reno caught it too, and the grin faded from his face.

Rude didn't think his partner yet wholly undeterred. The woman seemed an enigma. The heavy make-up and fuck me hairdo didn't mesh with her profession. On looks alone, Rude knew his partner was intrigued. But her behavior and heartless attitude reminded him of the old doctors in ShinRa. The ones dodged to avoid being locked up in a mako container with a tentacle growing out of your ass.

As the day wore on, the mountain of books on the desk swelled. Rude didn't find much to add to it. Almost everything he came across dealt with the evolution of animals indigenous to areas near natural mako springs. Riveting, but not what they were here to collect.

Everyone worked quietly, which Rude appreciated and thought Cloud did too. He hadn't seen the younger man for a couple of hours. Then suddenly, he'd heard Tifa's voice rising from another room and assumed her conversation was with the blonde. Not moments later, Cloud stormed through the main library.

"I'll clear the corridors," he'd said as he snatched open the door, then stalked into the passageway leading back to the stairs. Whatever issue the two were having had nothing to do with their mission.

Over his shoulder, Rude spied his partner keeping close proximity to the doctor. She snapped photo after photo from each volume she removed from a shelf. At one point, her fascination echoed through the chamber with a breathy 'wow' followed by taps on her device. Too curious, Rude and Reno both shuffled close to peer at the report in her hands.

Rude inwardly shivered at the photos, and Reno visibly swallowed a heave as he clamped his mouth shut at the sight. The picture showed a decaying body laid out on one of the lab tables in the adjoining rooms. Evidently, the person had still been alive, quite zombie-like, as he held out a hand toward whoever had snapped the photo. The man's eyes were bloodshot and hollow. His existence here had been a living nightmare.

Rude turned away, holding in the disgust to seethe in silence at what had taken place within these walls. Reno did the same, casting the young woman a fearful look as her interest in what she was viewing displayed itself with a gleeful grin. She was getting a kick out of the photos.

His partner recoiled from her a step and wiped his forehead. She wasn't his kind of girl. Rude caught Vincent's form standing in the shadows of a nook several yards away as the man also watched the young doctor's attraction to the gory tomes.

His boss would need to know of this, too.

Early evening rolled around when Vincent began hearing yawns from his fatiguing companions. Maybe this would be a good time to end this tiresome day. He could've continued but wanted to set a good example and not remain in the mansion solo. Just finish this bottom shelf and call it.

He'd been working in a small nook tucked behind a room in the back. This had been Hojo's space, the largest office in the labs. Vincent wanted to personally go through this section, knowing at least a few reports encompassed research on himself. He'd rather not have the others looking through those. Sybil had wandered in several times throughout the day. Each time he warded her off, letting her know he'd handle this room.

He bent down at the bookshelves. A few minutes reviewing the contents revealed that these works detailed many of Hojo's failures, which the man had surely wanted to bury. Vincent found the volumes with photos of himself on the middle shelf. He chuckled at Hojo's conclusion that Vincent was a failure. What had he been trying to accomplish?

Vincent shook his head at that train of thought. It would serve no purpose to rethink all of that now. He'd spent decades on that endeavor already with no fruitful end and none the wiser.

Pulling out a book on the bottom right, he flipped open the pages, finding nothing of consequence. He paused as he slid the tome back into its position, spotting a sheaf of paper protruding from underneath the shelf. Curious at the hidden parchment, he gently shifted the bookcase away from the wall and found several books and journals tucked into a box within a makeshift hole in the floor beneath.

He freed the box and shifted the bookcase into position along the wall. He reached for a worn, leatherbound journal. Inside was handwritten notes he recognized immediately. Vincent dug through the other books and realized he'd found Lucrecia's research on Chaos, Omega, and several other topics she'd co-written with other scientists. He left most in the box, knowing her research on those theories was not needed. Instead, he focused on the handwritten diary.

"I finished up the shelves in the hallway. Do you need anything in here, Mr. Valentine?" Carlos called out to him from the office but didn't enter the recess.

Vincent removed the journal from the box and carried the cardboard treasure into the office, placing it onto Hojo's desk. "Catalog these, would you, Carlos?"

"Yes, sir," he said and grabbed for his tablet to make a record of the subject matter.

Vincent returned to the closet and kneeled to grab the journal he'd placed on the floor. He opened it to a random page and snapped it shut when he spied his name on a single line entry.

"Hello there." Vincent stood suddenly, startled at the feminine voice greeting him. Tifa giggled at his demeanor and canted her head at his unguarded expression. "Wow, studying so hard you didn't hear me coming. Losing your powers?"

He let out a single laugh at her joke as he clutched the book behind his back and out of her sight. "Yeah—uh, just enjoying a little light reading."

"Yeah?" she asked with eyebrows raised. "And what horrors are hiding in this closet?"

Vincent's mouth curled into a lopsided grin at the charming smile she gave him. "Hojo's failures. A book or two about me." He shrugged, and she nodded at him with another giggle.

"Failure indeed." She winked, resting against the entry as she looked him up and down. "Well, I think we've all had enough of this place for one day."

As the teasing left her voice, he detected her strain. Tifa had a talent for hiding her true feelings when she's putting on a friendly face. But only sometimes.

Turning away from her briefly, he shoved the journal into a deep pocket hidden within his cape. He collected the books he'd thrown to the floor to add to their growing pile. When he faced her with books in hand, she was clutching herself again, worry and tension etched into her beautiful features. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think I'll be fine when we're done here." Tifa shrugged and gave him a half-smile.

"Alright, let's call it a day." He motioned with his hand for her to lead the way out. She withdrew from the nook and gave him a sympathetic smile. She knew the task was hard on him too.

Vincent felt for the journal concealed in his cape and watched her walk toward the main library, joining the others as they waited for him. Before he took a step, a shudder rippled in his nape, vibrating through his shoulders and down his arms. He stopped abruptly and threw a hand against the wall to steady himself.

Vincent gasped a few moments as Tifa called to him from the other room. He let his chest fill with air and exhaled, closing his eyes to relax his body through the ebbing release of the transformation. A trick he'd learned long ago when his emotions got the better of him.