[ μ ] – εγλ 1993, November 07, Nibelheim Gazette
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Claudia Strife, a beloved resident of Nibelheim, who tragically lost her life in a monster attack on the outskirts of town. Claudia was 35 years old.
Claudia was predeceased by Ulrik Strife. She is survived by Cloud Strife (son) and R. S. Hain (uncle).
A devoted and courageous single mother, Claudia poured her heart into raising her son alone after her husband's passing, Cloud, who remains her greatest legacy. Her kindness and resilience touched everyone who knew her, and her unyielding love for her son was an inspiration to all.
Her funeral will be held this Friday at the Old Town Cemetery. The service will be attended by family friends, neighbors, and villagers whose lives Claudia enriched with her presence.
Cloud, only seven years of age, will be surrounded by the care and support of the village as he navigates this heartbreaking time.
Claudia's sacrifice will not be forgotten, and the village vows to strengthen its defenses in her honor. May her soul ascend Mount Nibel, and may her courage guide us all.
XXVII. Uncast Die
The journey back to Nidhogg Inn was silent but thankfully uneventful. It appeared that the monsters learned of the more significant threat in their midst and laid low for their trek back down the mountain. When they made it down, the sun hung low above the rooftops. The sky was a contrast of orange and blue, with only a few thin clouds cast in brilliant gold.
Sephiroth's steps slowed as they approached the rusted gates to Shinra Manor, long deserted, but shook his head when Cloud turned to look at him.
"We should rest and regroup first," Sephiroth explained. Cloud let out a sigh of relief. After the day they had, he wasn't confident he was ready to face the manor again.
The trooper greeted them at the town's gate and reported that things were quiet other than a few stray wolves. As they walked into the peaceful town, Zack stretched theatrically.
"I'm exhausted," he said, turning to the two of them and meaningfully raising a brow. "If we're off duty, I hope you don't mind calling it a day." Sephiroth nodded.
"We'll investigate the manor early tomorrow." Zack retreated faster than Cloud had ever seen him do when it wasn't an emergency. When he turned from watching Zack's retreating back enter the inn, he saw Sephiroth staring intently at him.
Cloud's mouth felt dry. He licked his lips.
"Do you want to see her?" Sephiroth froze, and Cloud braced for rejection at first. Then, the other man, gave a small, almost shy nod. Cloud grabbed his hand without thinking and pulled him toward the side street leading to the old burial ground.
When he realized they were walking hand in hand, he felt too awkward to suddenly drop it. His cheek felt flush, and he could admit it wasn't just the sun. If Sephiroth minded being led, he didn't give any indication. His stride matched Cloud's and he made no move to extract his hand as the cemetery gates came into view. He had been alone with Sephiroth plenty of times, but now that he knew the man was not a danger to him, his heart fluttered faster in his chest.
Cloud walked past the rows of headstones and stopped at one that was clean. The fresh flowers he had left from the previous day were a dot of color amongst the forest of grey.
"Hello again, Mom," Cloud said as he paused before the stone. Sephiroth let go of his hand and knelt at eye level with the stone.
"Hello, Claudia. I'm sorry I didn't come back to visit sooner." Cloud felt a little silly talking to a tomb in front of Sephiroth, but since the other man was too, Cloud knelt down, taking his trooper helmet off and placing it gently on the ground beside him.
"You remember Sephiroth, right? He said you took care of him when he was…" Cloud trailed off and looked at Sephiroth beside him. Green eyes met his. Instead of looking at the headstone, Sephiroth was looking at him.
"Ten," Sephiroth answered, "Claudia was working at the manor then, and I was undergoing tests by Hojo."
"I really don't remember meeting you at all," Cloud said, his voice tinged with regret. He had trouble picturing Sephiroth as a child. Though logically, he didn't think Sephiroth just appeared as a fully formed adult.
Sephiroth's voice turned sour as he recalled his past. "My time in Nibelheim was short. The Wutai war started, and I was sent to Midgar, then to the front. Hojo wanted to…collect data." Cloud shivered.
"You were…"
"Thirteen. When I was deployed," Sephiroth shook his head, "When I…returned, it took everything just to survive before I could even think about time, about changing things."
Cloud's eyes widened, and he straightened to stare at Sephiroth.
"You-"
"I returned to my thirteen-year-old body on the front. It was a disorientating experience."
Cloud mentally counted and said, "The same time I fell into the mako pool and had the visions." Sephiroth hummed and turned back to the headstone.
"Aren't we a pair, Claudia?"
The sound of footsteps drew both their attention. They both stood and spun toward the intruder, only to see a middle-aged woman heading their way. Her face was painfully familiar. She was beautiful even though stress aged her beyond her years. At the sight of them, she lifted a hand to her mouth and gasped in shock.
"Cloud?"
Cloud froze for a moment. He left his helmet on the ground. He took a deep breath.
"Hello, Mrs. Lockhart," he greeted.
"This boy," she sighed, "Proper city now. Back in town and didn't think to stop and say hi?" Cloud saw the basket in her arms, wildflowers peeking out.
Instead of explaining himself, he asked, "Are you visiting someone, ma'am?" The woman's face wrinkled with grief.
"Brian died in a monster attack last year," she said, turning to the area further back in the cemetery, where the more recent tombs were. Cloud frowned when he saw just how many rows had been added since his mother died. "He was guiding a Shinra crew up the mountain."
Cloud couldn't hide his shock. He tried to reconcile Brian Lockhart, childhood tormentor in his visions with the man he grew up around- a bit distant but a loving father and generally friendly to the town orphan. And in the time he left Nibelheim, Brian was gone.
"How's…Tifa?" Cloud asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Thea sighed and shook her head. "Didn't take it well. Tifa was her father's little girl. Then, a wandering teacher came into town. I'm glad to see Tifa doin' something else now."
"She's-"
"You just missed her," Thea said, "Gone on a training trip with Master Zangan just yesterday." Cloud nodded. Sephiroth shifted beside him. Thea looked between them and then continued walking.
"Please come visit before you skip town again," she said, "I'll leave you lads to it."
They lingered in the cemetery for a little while longer before Cloud donned his helmet and led the way out with a respectful wave to Thea.
When they reached the town square again, both their steps slowed. Cloud glanced at his old house, then at Sephiroth, who followed his pace and stopped when Cloud did, as if looking to him to take the lead. A little unnerved, Cloud looked around the town square and then tilted his head at the water tower.
"I know a place with the best views in town," he offered. The town was curious about Sephiroth's presence, so it wasn't the most private spot. But it was a good place for a private conversation and one where they could spot potential eavesdroppers coming. Sephiroth's lips twitched, and he followed Cloud up the ladder.
At the top, Cloud sat his sword down behind him, then took a seat on a corner overlooking his old house, hidden from the windows of the Inn. By the time they reached the top, the sun already dipped behind the roofs, and slowly, the lights within the houses were turned on. His old house had lit windows and smoke coming from the chimney. Someone was walking back and forth by the window. Sephiroth silently dropped down next to him moments later, his leather coat brushing his side.
"I used to come up here all the time," Cloud said apropos to none. He spoke almost desperately to fill the silence. "At first, it was to prove I could. And then it was to see if Tifa was home. Then, because it was quiet and there wasn't anywhere else to go. Then, it was to keep an eye on the manor- for Vincent. After Vincent left, just…to watch the sky."
Sephiroth hummed but said nothing more as they watched the sky dim together. When the clouds took on a distinctive pink hue, and the sun had ducked behind the horizon, Cloud spoke again.
"Thanks. For coming with me," Cloud said. Sephiroth nodded. There was a question Cloud wanted to ask. He opened his mouth a few times, then closed it. He dreaded to hear the answer. He dreaded to know what Sephiroth thought. But finally, curiosity overpowered him.
"Can you tell me about…him?"
Cloud didn't know what to call it. Didn't know how to address it. Thankfully. Sephiroth seemed to understand. Even seemed to expect the question. He leaned back on his arm.
"The first time around, I met you…him when he was already third class, eager to prove himself in Wutai. Rufus just came to power and was eager to end the war. He was deployed-"
"So that really happened? Rufus being president, I mean."
"That didn't happen in your…visions?"
"I- no. Um, you- or the other version killed Shinra senior. Five years from now. Rufus was vice president."
"Fascinating."
Cloud wondered if Sephiroth picked up that turn of phrase from Hojo or perhaps Gast. Sephiroth returned to where he had left off before Cloud's question.
"Cloud- he was talented. Genesis took a shine to him quickly. Sent in the paperwork for a Second class promotion while in Wutai." Cloud closed his eyes, pained.
He thought he was Soldier, then he wasn't. Then, it was some fever dream. Now, some version of him (his future? His never-to-be?) realized it so effortlessly. And possibly now, knowing what he knew, Cloud would never be a Soldier. Cloud shook his head, replaying what Sephiroth had said in the reactor.
"Genesis and Angeal. They left." Sephiroth bowed his head in a slow nod but didn't pick it back up again.
"I didn't know it then. We were just three friends sneaking into the company training room for a bit of fun," Sephiroth said, looking at his hands. "We…lost control before. Just flesh wounds. I didn't know when he deployed to Wutai that he wasn't healing."
"The degradation," Cloud muttered, recalling the terrifying days at the front when Genesis looked steps away from death's door. Sephiroth nodded.
"I don't think I'll ever know what Genesis uncovered then," he said, "Only that half of Soldier deserted."
"You said you found Clo-him in the forest," Cloud said, his thoughts whirling. How much did he not know? How much did his vision not cover? Did any of this happen to him Zack?
"We were relieved. I was relieved. I thought everyone -" Sephiroth cut himself off and shook his head, "They questioned him about the desertion but he didn't remember anything. After a while, they figured it was trauma. He helped end the war, you know."
"The hero of Wutai," Cloud breathed.
"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said, turning to Cloud, "I arrived when I heard Genesis and Angeal both disappeared. The fighting was almost over. And the Shinra propaganda machine spun its tale. It felt wrong to take the hero of Wutai away from you again. This time, it's a bigger sin. But I would do anything to keep Shinra's interest from you."
The intensity in Sephiroth's gaze made Cloud want to look away. He didn't. Cloud met it resolutely. Sephiroth continued to talk. The more he spoke, the faster, like a dam coming apart against the torrent it couldn't hold back.
"After Wutai, Cloud was…quieter. Different. But I was also different. Adrift. Soldier was in disarray. We became closer through it all. Him. Me. Zack. All trying to piece life back together. They were promoted. We became the new triad." Sephiroth's lips twitched. "There were fan clubs."
Cloud snorted, then grew serious. "And then Nibelheim happened." Sephiroth's eyes darkened at the memory.
"It was supposed to be a simple mission. A vacation, almost. Cloud was excited to show us his town. But he started to act more erratic the closer we got to the reactor. I…wasn't feeling myself either. We snapped at each other. And when we returned to town after finding Jenova, he just…"
Sephiroth stopped. His eyes darted toward the town. The buildings. Cloud swallowed hard. He thought he could see what Sephiroth was seeing.
Cloud swung his feet as they dangled off the tower's edge, thinking about how he would have felt. How did he feel when he thought Sephiroth was going mad again? He shivered. As the sun fell, so did the temperature, but he wasn't shaking from the cold.
Lifting his sword against Sephiroth with intent to harm had been hard. Not after countless lunches sitting across the man and numerous sparring bouts when Cloud trusted the man to still his blade hairs from drawing blood. Not after Sephiroth came to Cloud's rescue again and again in Wutai. Sephiroth faced that reality.
It was hard to watch the fall of a hero.
"Thank you," Cloud said. He thought of his time with Vincent. The affirmation that someone else saw what he did. That he hadn't gone insane. Then, about Sephiroth, who was trying to do everything not to relive what must have been his darkest moments. "It must have been lonely."
Sephiroth sagged, leaning a little toward him.
"You- he woke up. Towards the end. It was too late," he voice cracked. "You-he was crying." Cloud raised a hand, pausing as he watched Sephiroth's shoulders shake. He kept speaking even as his voice quivered. "I don't know what will happen now. I tried to shape things to be different. I was careful about training with Genesis and Angeal. I tried to get to Wutai in time. I tried to keep you out of it. But it feels like a rubber band. Each time it stretches, it springs back. Avalanche is different. Hojo is different. Rufus. Even Nibelheim- I thought this would be the end. Jenova would be the end."
Cloud shifted, finally putting his hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.
"We'll figure this out. Together." Sephiroth let out a choked laugh, but he leaned into Cloud.
"You really made me panic," Sephiroth said sheepishly, "The more I tried to change things, the more it veered. I was so desperate for information I clumsily tried to access confidential files. I never anticipated it would trigger Turk-"
Cloud's eyes widened.
Wait a damn minute.
"You almost got me caught!" Cloud blurted out. Sephiroth's lips pulled back into an almost boyish grin.
"Oh!" a familiar voice called from below, "You boys. Climbing the old water tower again." Cloud looked down to see Thea looking up from the square. Her basket was now empty. Without waiting, she waved toward the darkened house. "Might as well come in before you slink off again back to the big city without so much as a goodbye."
Cloud pushed himself to stand back up, but before he could take more than a step toward the old ladder, he felt himself being picked up by the middle. Silver hair swished in and out of sight, and his stomach lurched as he fell. Next he knew he was staring at Thea's widened eyes from ground level, his feet firmly under him.
"Warn me when you do that," Cloud scolded. His words were harsh, but the punch he landed on Sephiroth's arm was but a tap. When he looked at Thea again, she was fanning herself a little with her hand.
"Oh…oh!" she said, "Well, come on then."
They followed the older woman into a house Cloud was familiar with. The inside was neater than he remembered, if a little bare. They turned down an offer for tea. A thought niggled at Cloud as they sat around the modest kitchen table, watching the older woman rummage in a trunk.
"Do you remember the last time Shinra was up at the reactor, ma'am?" Thea made a thinking noise.
"Ja, I heard the commotion. The whole town did. After what happened with Brian I-" her voice cracked, "We all thought Shinra finally came to do something about the monster infestation. Things were quiet after that."
Sephiroth nodded.
"The mayor mentioned something similar." Cloud caught Sephiroth's eyes, and he raised a silver brow. At least we are as good as confirming Shinra knew something. Then, Thea walked back with a small box. One Cloud could have sworn he last saw on the mantle of his old house.
They scoured the level, careful not to trip any more security. No luck. There was no other way down. They circled back to the terminal, and Veld kept watch as Vincent prodded at it.
"New tech. Built like a vault," Veld sighed, "We're going to need to find a keycard-"
"Hello! Can you hear me?"
An accented voice came from the terminal. The sound of it prompted Vincent to investigate. With his gloved hand, he tapped a few buttons to pull up a screen showing…a stuffed cat toy?
"Oh! Hello!" it greeted.
"Cait Sith?" Vincent said, his voice flat, but Veld knew Vincent long enough to know it was a surprised question.
"At yer service!" the stuffed animal said, then looked around. "Yer in quite the pickle. Looking at the security situation, it don't look good. Lot's o' Soldiers convergin' on where you're standin'."
"Can you see what is going on below?"
The cat shook its head, "'Fraid nyot! Somethin' blottin' out all the cameras that's not yers truly. Bit o' not good I'd say." Cait Sith looked away and looked back at the camera, "Welp, that's all the warnin' yer gonna get. Best of luck to ye-"
Vincent was quiet, then he said.
"You know Cloud, don't you?" The name sounded familiar to Veld, but what connected Cait, Vincent, and Cloud? Just what was going on? It seems the sound of that name also caught Cait Sith's attention. His expression didn't change, but he turned back to the screen. His ears perked up. Vincent nodded, seemingly satisfied, "We'll handle ourselves. Just get this door open."
Cait Sith appeared to stand still as the seconds ticked by. Where there was life before behind its catlike visage, it now truly resembled a doll. Veld opened his mouth, about to tell Vincent they would need to find another way. Then the terminal turned green, and the door to the elevator slid open.
"Access granted."
"Nyot gonna be much help to ye after this," Cait Sith said from the other side of the screen, "After that little trick, they'll be checkin' the lab up here. Hope you know what yer doin' 'Cloud's friend.'"
Then the screen went blank, leaving only the blinking words that permitted them to enter the elevator.
Vincent boarded wordlessly, Veld following close behind. He examined the keypad and tapped "B40". As the doors slid close behind them, Vincent checked his weapon.
"Expect trouble," he said. Veld groaned.
Hasn't this entire misadventure been trouble? He chuckled anyway. If it was even more trouble than they'd seen, there wasn't anyone better Veld would prefer to have back by his side.
The descent took longer than Veld expected. The floor numbers counted up lazily. Either Shinra installed particularly slow elevators, or the floors were extremely wide apart. Knowing the weapons department, Veld suspected the latter.
He was also morbidly amused that whoever installed the elevators in this secret lab decided to use the same tone as the guest elevators installed on the floors above. It even came with the same elevator music.
The lull suited Veld just fine.
"Want to read me in, finally?" He asked as he tapped his foot to the beat of the song. Vincent tilted his head. And suddenly, they were back almost thirty years before Vincent got assigned to the Nibelheim detail and disappeared.
"Since you found Deepground by yourself, I'll skip to the key points," Vincent said. "Avalanche has been in contact with Hojo for over a year now. It seems Hojo is finally openly defecting and taking half of Deepground with him."
"Which half, though," Veld mused. The timing triggered something in Veld's mind. "The tower attacks." Vincent didn't react. Just where has he been? "You couldn't have shown up before Hojo made his move?" Vincent looked down, contrite, but didn't offer more explanation. "Fine," Veld sighed, "What are we looking at other than 'trouble'?"
Red flashed as Vincent looked up again.
"Hojo's experiments are powerful. Early Soldier prototypes. Enhanced monsters. Things Shinra stowed away as a threat. Deepground should be packed with them." Just great.
"That damn Hojo," Veld shook his head.
The elevator shuddered as "B36" blinked. They tensed as the elevator stopped, and Vincent's gun came up at the same time as Veld's fists. Something slammed against the door on the other side with a heavy thud. Something else screeched. The elevator music continued to play.
"Floor manually locked out," a cheery announcement played. The elevator shuddered back into motion and kept going.
"How about you?" Vincent asked.
"What?" Veld asked, still tense.
"You just…stayed at Shinra? This whole time?" Veld relaxed again as "B36" ticked up to "B37," and the elevator continued moving. He thought about Vincent's question. Retirement. He thought about it multiple times. When Martha was pregnant. When Felicia arrived. When Felicia was old enough. Veld didn't do it. The job was what he knew. And then it was too late.
"I thought about retiring, permanently, when I lost my family," Veld admitted. There was a gun tucked under his jacket. Its weight felt heavy at his side. Vincent's eyes flickered.
"I am…sorry."
Veld chuckled humorlessly. Then he admitted something else. It was a bit like a confession of sins. What an odd place to do it. An odd circumstance. And an odd person to hear them.
"She was still alive when I found her. My daughter. She died in my arms asking 'why, why, why'. Shinra bombed the town. And I couldn't answer her."
"Veld…"
Veld shook his head. "I can't even tell you why I stayed so long. Didn't know anything else, I suppose. Maybe I'll tell you more over some good liquor plate-side after this mess."
Vincent stayed silent, and Veld leaned back against the metal wall of the elevator car. He slowed his breath and closed his eyes as the floor counted to "B39."
Cloud woke up to the familiar warmth of Zack at his back. The two of them were cramped close on one bed. Zack's soft snores reverberated against his ear.
Was it all a dream?
Cloud's eyes snapped open, and he looked across the narrow space that separated his bed from Sephiroth's. The man was so long his feet hung off the edge of the bed. Blue eyes met green. Sephiroth's eyes crinkled, and he smiled when their eye met. The general was already awake. His hair was slightly mussed at parts where strands fell out of the braid he kept it in. He donned a soft, heather grey shirt for sleeping. Sephiroth looked soft in the light that was only starting to peek into their darkened room.
Cloud felt himself flush hotly. His neck burned. He wanted to shift in his bed, but overnight, Zack laid an arm across him, and now it was like a steel band trapping Cloud to his side.
Sephiroth's expression turned amused.
"Good morning," he mouthed.
Zack snorted loudly in Cloud's ear, and Cloud couldn't hold back hysterical laughter, waking Zack in time for them to start their day.
It was barely light out, and the sky only hinted at the sun waiting beyond the horizon. Nonetheless, they packed in silence. Cloud paused at the sight of the small box in his bag. His mom's last effects. He had no idea until Thea stuffed them in his hands. An assortment of memorabilia he had vague memories of that used to be scattered across the Strifes' home. And an angular pendant resembling a familiar logo. Did she pick it up when she was a nurse?
Cloud wrapped the precious bundle in his spare fatigues, then zipped up his bag.
By the time they left the hotel, the sun was brushing the tops of the roofs again, casting an amber glow on the gothic spires of Shinra Manor.
"Ugh, why are we here so early?" Zack asked as he stretched his arms over his head and yawned. They greeted the trooper on guard and then walked past the rusted gates.
"We don't have a lot of time here. Besides, It's already late Midgar time," Cloud said while Sephiroth pushed open the heavy oak doors.
Sephiroth led them past the dilapidated foyer and stopped in front of a nondescript bookcase. Cloud took a deep breath, and Sephiroth glanced his way.
"Ready?"
Cloud nodded.
The bookcase slammed open to reveal the spiraling stairs below, half-rotted as they wound their way down into a dark pit. A musty smell emanated from below. Moisture must have seeped in, accelerating the decay.
"It's in worse shape than I remember," Cloud remarked as they climbed. The wood creaked with each step.
"When was the last time you were here?" Zack asked from behind. They descended in a single file, and even in the dark, Cloud could make out the faint light bouncing from Sephiroth's hair.
"It's been five years now," Cloud said, thinking back on the hazy days after he woke up from his coma. He was stumbling around town, shuffling from house to house as the townsfolk tried to figure out who would care for the orphan. They were all convinced he would be mentally disabled for the rest of his life from the mako, and thus a liability. In a moment of clarity, he found himself stumbling into the Shinra manor, looking for the only person who stood a chance of helping, averting the future he saw in this remote village. And for a few years, this was his hideaway. Their secret. And the most dangerous sanctuary a child could have.
Looking at the undisturbed layer of dust, Cloud doubted Shinra stopped here at all in the intervening time.
"This is where you found this… Vincent Valentine?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud still couldn't get over the fact that Sephiroth and himself had seemingly swapped roles in this…timeline? Apparently, the man never found Vincent in Shinra's basement despite running past the door to the crypt many times.
"I'll show you," Cloud promised.
In the darkness, the shaft floor under the Shinra mansion finally came into view.
The elevator deposited them on the bottom floor with a soft ding.
When the doors opened, Veld couldn't help but gasp. Black tendrils resembling smoke coated every surface, docile but menacing as they reached across the metal grating. The lights were out, leaving only the emergency indicators near the floor, casting the entire area in sickly yellow. In the low light, Veld could make out bodies—Deepground Soldiers either unconscious or dead, their suits still glowing with mako. There was an odd chemical stench in the air—a mix of ammonia and antiseptic.
Vincent swept out, the gun held in front of him. The tendrils seemed to recoil away rather than touch any part of him. Veld quickly followed in his wake along the path cleared by Vincent's presence. Looking back, he saw the shadows close back in, and within a few steps, the open elevator was no longer visible. In front of them, another set of doors illuminated only by the haunting green light strip above it hissed open, letting in more of that dark smoke. The scent was mixed with the choking smell of burning mako. The sound of gunfire echoed loudly as the doorway revealed area beyond. Vincent looked around before stepping into the open chamber. He kept walking until he reached a railing. Then he looked down.
The hallway ended, and what awaited was a gaping pit. The lights had gone out, and the only things that illuminated what was happening below were sparking live wire, bursts of gunfire, and streaking light from spells being hurled about.
"We found what was keeping them busy," Vincent said as he stopped. Veld also walked slowly up to the railing, only to snap back when a flying monster roared as it flew upwards, followed by a trail of bullets.
"Why is there a pit of monsters right under the tower?" Veld wondered out loud. Vincent's eyes glowed red, and then he answered.
"Reactor zero. This was here before the rest of the tower was built."
When the gunshots stopped and started again, Veld peeked over the edge. There were so many monsters below that it appeared as a pulsating mass.
Past the monsters, there was some kind of firefight going on. At least two factions were embroiled in a ferocious shootout while monsters streamed above between and over mako-filled canisters that contained even more monsters clawing to get out. Veld traced the support pillars that held up the central cavity upward.
"Fuck, those are the tower's support piles," Veld realized, "They're climbing up to get out."
"There must be a control room somewhere here," Vincent said, "We need to find a way to lock the complex down before they overrun Midgar."
Veld looked around, trying to orientate himself. The complex was set up like a corkscrew, mirroring the train lines outside the central pillar. That could mean…
"There," Veld pointed. A dimly lit door was a few floors below and visible behind the smoke. It was crumpled and couldn't close properly anymore. There was a huge dent as if something heavy had rammed into it. Vincent nodded and retook the vanguard as they darted down the ramped corridor that encircled the central shaft, taking them further underground.
As they got closer, it was clear this was the source of the black smoke. It poured from the open door, flowing past corpses of monsters and Soldiers alike.
"This is…"
"Watch out," Vincent warned, then calmly fired forward. A tentacle-like tendril, barely visible in the dark, shot out. Veld quickly dodged to the side and rolled to a stop. He channeled through the materia on his gloves, and fire danced across the room, illuminating the nightmare within.
Rather. It was a man. Barely a man. In a sinister mirror to Vincent, he was wrapped in tattered white. Jutting from his back was a skeletal wing. Veld raised his firearm slowly, but Vincent didn't hesitate. A mass of crimson hurled itself at the other man. Without thinking, Veld fired, herding their adversary as Vincent flanked him.
The man (monster?) seemed to almost melt into the shadow. Veld looked around frantically, but Vincent was faster. Red eyes met his and before Veld could even react, red whirled around him as shots rang out.
At his feet, two spent bullets rang as they hit the floor. A low growl sounded next to Veld's ear, and its timber shook in Veld's chest.
"Your fight is with me, Nero," Vincent said. But his voice was several octaves deeper than anything Veld had ever heard and reverberated across the shaft, even over the heavy sounds of gunfire below and the howling monsters.
Veld gasped as Vincent flew at the other man, knocking him to the ground. Wings flapped above them.
"What have they done to you?"
Cloud brought them to the heavy door, still ajar from when Chaos forced it open from the inside. Behind it, the lights glowed softly, powered by the basement's independent generator. The chamber was as Cloud and Vincent left it.
"His taste in decor is a bit…" Zack commented, "Dead." Cloud shook his head.
"You'll understand if you meet Vincent." Instead, they backed out of the crypt and treaded a hauntingly familiar path into the labs. Cloud shivered. Though he spent not a single day in Hojo's clutches this time, the entire basement still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end now that it was empty of Vincent's presence. Sephiroth reached over and wrapped one hand around Cloud's arm.
Next to them, Zack said, "I hate this place. Let's get what we need and leave here as fast as possible."
It didn't look like Sephiroth was reacting to the library, but he didn't look particularly pleased to be back either.
"Most of the material here is heavily redacted, if not outright lies," Sephiroth cautioned, voice tight. "Look for anything out of place or new. Anything that might give us a clue about Jenova. Leave the rest."
Cloud and Zack shared a look and fanned out, neither letting Sephiroth out of their sights nor vice versa.
After running his hands across the spines of a few books (all covered by a fine layer of dust), Zack mused out loud.
"So after all this, neither of you clued Genesis or Angeal in? At all?"
There was a pointed silence from both Cloud and Sephiroth. Cloud finally sighed, keeping back a groan.
"…he's not going to take it well, is he?" There was no question who in question "he" was.
"Oh, he'll be furious. Multiple VR rooms will be destroyed," Sephiroth finally replied glibly. Yeah, Cloud wouldn't mind destroying some Shinra property, either. However, just thinking about Genesis's temper…
"We aren't going to hear the end of it."
"We could …not tell him?" Sephiroth suggested. Zack and Cloud shared a look and then looked at Sephiroth incredulously. "...I supposed not." Cloud looked back at the mansion. The darkness here wasn't merely from a lack of light. Yet, in his childhood, it provided shelter. What an odd contradiction.
"Let's keep searching."
Veld dodged another flailing tendril when Vincent's shots brought the flying maniac crashing down. Seeing the opportunity, Veld let loose a rain of punches before one of the man's wing-like weapons swiped up to meet his fists. Golden aura met cold steel, and Veld could feel the rattle of the metal skeleton reverberating up his arm. He gritted his teeth.
The wrapped man (Nero, Vincent called him) reared back and swept his wing out, already broken from the assault that grounded him. Without time to dodge, Veld held his arms up to block the attack. The force of it slammed him back, only to be righted by someone.
"Thanks, Vince," Veld said.
Vincent bared his teeth at Veld in the facsimile of a smile. His slitted eyes glowed brightly behind the black fringe of his hair. It felt like the red cloak and strips of fabric around the man were doing all they could to hold back some more monstrous shape.
Veld looked around the room.
There. Behind the veil of darkness, there was an open chamber. The assembly looked like another one of those canisters that held monsters outside; next to it was a terminal. Veld gestured at Vincent, who seemed to understand even in his altered state. Veld slowly backed towards the open capsule while Vincent herded Nero ever closer.
"Now!"
Vincent heaved the man forward with a move faster than Veld could see. As Nero's back hit the wall, Veld slammed the side of his fist on the button, and the canister snapped shut, trapping the modified man once more. Veld heaved.
"What is he?" he asked. Vincent stood before the glass, darkness swirling angrily on the other side. His red eyes were locked with purple.
"Soldier once. Another one of Hojo's unfortunate subjects," Vincent said with distaste. Something told Veld Vincent might know that a little too well.
Hojo, you have a lot to answer for.
Screeching drew Veld's attention outside the control room.
"Shit," Veld called, "We need to find the lockdown commands. The monsters are crawling into the vents." Beyond the doors, the monsters finally overwhelmed the remaining Deepground soldiers. Singlemindedly, they were climbing. Unbidden, Veld thought of trapped flies circling ever higher, looking for a light source. That light was from the streets of Midgar, thousands of unsuspecting civilians going about their day.
Patrol wound down without a hitch. Compared to the Wutai days, every assignment felt like having a speed limit.
The engine purred under him as he sped along the road leading from the slums. Battered concrete gave way to freshly paved asphalt.
The static chatter that lit up Roche's radio was the only warning before Roche almost slammed into the grashtrike, which was out in broad daylight. Roche swerved, nearly into a sahagin.
What in the…
Of course, both monsters were denizens of Midgar, with grashtrikes being a frequent infestation below plate. But the damn bugs didn't like light and never came to the surface. And Roche had never seen sahagins venture beyond the sewers. Neither had ever been spotted this far out.
Roche could hear echoes of fighting as his radio beeped again.
"All units…Hostile monsters…" A little late, Roche thought as he climbed from the bike and raised his sword, staring down a strangely motley gang of several sahagins and a swarm of grashtrike. Instead of charging at him, the monsters looked strangely distracted. The grashtrike outright ignored him as they continued to swarm. The sahagin pointed their spears at him, but their fishlike bulging eyes sprung nervously in their sockets as though looking for another threat.
Roche didn't have to wander long.
The ground began to shake ominously under his feet. It almost made him want to look over the horizon to see if it was Mount Tamblin erupting again. But there was no way.
The rumble stopped, and with a loud crash, the ground before him gave away. The debris fell into the widening sinkhole and onto a dark shadow moving below, illuminated by veins of mako.
"Vinc-" Veld called again when he made out a control panel in the dark. It was cracked but functional. He reached forward but was interrupted by the sound of shattered glass and a heavy body slamming into him. The red cloak obscured his vision. There was a loud screeching, and slowly, Veld began to make out the words.
"I will not be trapped again," the voice said. It sounded similar to Vincent's voice post-transformation but more terrible at the same time. The tone underneath resembled nails on a chalkboard, making Veld's ears ring. Vincent fired back even as he protected Veld, but whatever transformation occurred had turned the darkness corporeal.
They backed away from the growing darkness, out of the inner chamber where they could be easily trapped. The darkness followed, violently ripping out the ruined doors of the control room. Tentacles dripping with malice slammed into the pillar where Veld stood. The force was so strong it ripped out a piece of the structure, sending an entire section of rampway crumbling into the writhing pit below.
"Brother, I am coming," it said as more darkness shot out. With one sweep, it destroyed another section of support pillars.
"Veld!" Vincent called, but it was too late. With the pillars gone, the weight of the concrete on top came tumbling down. Vincent lept out of the way, but Veld was barely too slow. Rebar, concrete, and plaster slammed into Veld's chest. All the air left Veld all at once.
For a moment, Veld couldn't feel anything at all. Then, there was a numbing sensation. He couldn't feel his legs, and when he looked down, he realized why.
There was a bloodied metal pool sticking from his abdomen. It must have hit near his spine. Veld breathed shallowly and let out a cough when something caught in his throat.
"Veld," Vincent knelt by him briefly, his normally impassive voice filled with concern. He rolled away when a tendril shot out. With a growl, he unloaded a clip into the darkness, but he was met with a maniacal giggle that echoed through the shaft, audible over monsters' shrieks.
Veld could barely lift an arm. He tried to drag one hand down toward the wound. His fingers were slick with blood. Then, his hand hit on a package in his suit pocket. Oh. He still had it. He meant to return it to Evidence before he put in his leave and, in a rare lapse, had forgotten he had it. An idea began to take shape in his mind.
Vincent and the mutant danced around him. With a guttural growl, Veld pulled at the metal shard that impaled him. With an echoing growl, Vincent found an opening and slammed into their attacker as wings reappeared from his back. The force sent Nero flying into the opposite side of the shaft, rolling into a group of monsters.
Vincent dropped down next to Veld. "Don't move," he said as one clawed hand ran over Veld, already lit with a green glow. Veld chuckled.
"Don't think I have a choice, partner," he said, then spat out another mouthful of blood, "I'm pinned like a bug."
Red eyes flashed to the mess below Veld's waist.
"We'll get you out," he said stubbornly as the glow lit Vincent's pale face. Veld shook his head. He was realistic. No amount of healing materia was getting Veld out of this one. Veld instead reached for Vincent's other hand and grasped it in his own. Vincent stared down at Veld's keycard and gun when he let go.
"Get to the elevator, Vincent. We can't both die here," he said. Vincent began to shake his head.
"Veld-"
"Look, you know as well as I do. I haven't got much time left," Veld coughed, "I'm grateful I got to see you in whatever form. I thought I was hallucinating you, you know."
Vincent hung his head. It was a familiar gesture to Veld when his friend was trying to hide from the world. It was easier now to hide his eyes, with his hair long. But Veld knew. He smiled. He reached up with a hand behind Vincent's head, bringing their foreheads together. Vincent allowed himself to be moved with no resistance.
"You move too fast," Vincent almost whined. Veld laughed and ruffled the mop of hair on Vincent's head. The kid was gangly and awkward - still not grown into his long limbs.
"Not fast, just better footwork," Veld said. "Watch-"
"- watch your six!" Vincent shouted. They got into an unexpected firefight pursuing a terrorist group. Veld grunted as his fist made contact with an assailant.
"I've got you, don't I?"
Sniper, Shotgun, and Gun appeared before his eyes.
"How do you know so much about guns," Emm - Gun asked skeptically as Veld corrected her stance.
A sting shot through his chest. "Old partner," he grunted. Then warmth followed as he thought back. "Teaching the next generation keeps his memory alive."
Veld allowed a tear to fall from his eye. It brushed down his scarred cheek, leaving a cool path. He hadn't cried since his family's funeral.
He let his hand fall. Vincent straightened above him.
It was so good to fight beside you again, old friend.
"Get going. I'm counting on you… to take care of the team… for me."
An angered shout punctuated Veld's words. Time was up. Vincent finally nodded and stood up.
"Take care, Veld," and then he was gone in a flash of red.
Veld smiled sadly. Vincent never was one for goodbyes. Veld palmed at the tangled wires that made up the gadget in his breast pocket. He looked at the sagging passageway above. Such a small thing. His glove, still equipped with materia and slick with blood, struggled to grip it.
If Veld could, he would have wanted to place the explosion properly. Bring enough of it down to trap the monsters in this sunless shaft. But where Veld was pinned will have to do.
"Over here!" he shouted, watching the shadows above him move. With a calculated swing, he grabbed onto Nero with his free hand. He allowed only a moment to feel sorry for him. Another one of Hojo's machinations, right under his nose. Maybe this, too, counted toward Veld's failures. The other man writhed in Veld's grasp, and Veld simply held on tighter.
"Let me go. I will not be trapped! I will not be trapped!"
Veld could barely feel the sting as more bullets hit him. After all, what did it matter?
He didn't let go.
"If I must go, you're coming with me," he choked out instead.
He listened for the soft, familiar ding of the elevator, then began to let elevator music play in his mind. With some effort, he began to channel, rather than into his materia, into the contraption in his hand, held up against his chest. The materia on his glove grew warm. With a rush and a dull burning sensation, Veld felt his mana rapidly and forcefully leave him.
"I'm coming home."
Veld smiled as his vision burned bright. Two familiar shapes waved at him from beyond. All at once, he felt as if the entire force of the planet flowed into him. Someone somewhere cried out. Then Veld knew no more.
Achievement: The Right Man In the Wrong Place…
Award: Vincent's POV unlocked.
A/N:
This is the second chapter I am most nervous about (after the previous) - hope you like it!
Putting this here because anything earlier would have spoiled parts of the plot:
If you look at the story of Before Crisis, Rufus's ruthlessness was canonical, as well as his attempts to assassinate his father by leveraging Avalanche. His antagonism versus the Turks is also canon. Some of the reason Veld and the Turks thwarted the assassination resulting in Rufus being "abroad" at the start of FFVII, I think, is because of Elfe's presence and her reveal to be Felicia. Of course, in Sephiroth's timeline, Felicia is unambiguously dead, Veld doesn't care as much about the Shinras, and the whole thing unravels, leading to Rufus successfully getting rid of his dear old dad.
The timing between Veld and Cloud's POV is a little out of sync here. Hopefully it isn't too confusing.