By Kristen Gupton-Williams

Hojo was leading Rude ever downward, saying nothing to the Turk that trailed him some distance behind. After countless stairs, the mad man came to a stop and looked back over his shoulder at his escort.

Rude, who had been lost in his own thoughts about his current situation had not noticed that which the scientist had. Once he saw that Hojo was looking at him, he came to attention realizing that there was someone coming up the stairway before them.

"Draw your weapon." Hojo ordered in a curt manner.

Rude did as he was told and was soon holding his gun tightly in his right hand.

Standing where they were, there was no way for anyone coming up the stairs to see them until it was too late. They were obscured in shadows standing side by side; Hojo anxious, and Rude dreading what was about to happen.

***

Vincent continued to make his way up the stairs but came to an abrupt stop. He smelled something horrible in the air and at once his stomach knotted.

Tifa, not quite attentive at the moment to his actions continued upward unaware of what Vincent could sense. As she crested the stairwell that they were on, she saw all too late that she was the aim of Rude’s gun.

Vincent rushed up behind her once he had regained control of his nerves but too late to prevent Tifa from getting in front of him. At once he spotted Rude and Hojo ahead of them and saw that Tifa was in the Turk’s sight. His own gun was clenched in his hand, but he kept it against his chest, knowing that any false move would cost Tifa her life.

Tifa looked back over her shoulder at her husband, the terror on her face apparent. She was not so much afraid of what was going to happen to her, more she feared what was going to befall Vincent.

Hojo remained at Rude’s side and gave a wide self-satisfied grin. "Ah, my dear Mr. Valentine, I knew you couldn’t stay away."

The swear that burned in Vincent’s throat remained trapped, his words choked off by his intense dread.

"Rude, would you be so good as to escort Mrs. Valentine back up to the lab?" Hojo hissed. "Mr. Valentine and I have some… unfinished business."

Vincent reached out and took Tifa’s wrist, preventing her from going with the Turk as ordered. "No…"

Hojo’s smiled faded. "I will remind you that she is under the aim of my good friend here, and if you do not let her go with Rude’s escort, she will be very much dead."

Tifa, not wishing to cause any sort of repercussion of her disobedience upon Vincent wrenched herself free of his grasp and with a terrible unsteadiness started toward the Turk. She looked back over her shoulder very briefly. "I’ll be okay."

As he watched Tifa get closer to Rude, Vincent felt an all too familiar sting in his eyes. If there were anyway for him to kill Hojo at that moment he would have, but knowing that Tifa would be in the line of fire he remained paralyzed.

Hojo reached below his lab coat and withdrew his own small derringer, aiming it at Vincent. "Mr. Valentine, be so good as to cast your gun to the depths."

Forced to obey under the circumstances, Vincent extended his arm and let the Death Penalty go, allowing it to fall eventually clanking to a rest on a catwalk far below.

Finally having Tifa close to him, Rude shoved his gun into the small of her back and urged her onward.

Hojo didn’t take his eyes off of Vincent as he addressed Rude one more time. "Take her to the lab. Mr. Valentine and I shall be there shortly."

"Come on." Rude said, continuing to push Tifa forward.

Her face was red with her terror over the situation and she was sure that at any moment she would collapse. They climbed up a few more flights of stairs and she decided that she had to do something. Once they got to the next landing she planned on spinning in an attempt to kick the gun from Rude’s hand.

The Turk saw the change in her posture and knew what she was planning. "Don’t bother."

Tifa dared to stop and look back at him. "What?"

"Don’t bother." Rude sighed while reholstering his gun.

She was unable to believe what she was seeing. What the Hell is he doing?

Rude was slightly amused at her tangible confusion. "You need to get up to the lab. Whatever you can do up there to stop his little project you are welcome to try."

"What are you doing?" Tifa’s face continued to betray her muddlement.

"Letting you do what you came to do." Rude crossed his arms. "Hojo’s got me marked, I’m a dead man so I might as well let you do this. No one, not even an old Turk like me wants to see that son of a bitch try to get away with another Sephiroth."

Tifa took a step toward him. "Fuck that right now, I need to get back down there and help Vincent!"

Rude blocked her way. "Vincent is going to have to take care of himself. It’s up to you to take care of everything else. Get up there and do what you need to or I might quit feeling so generous. I’ve got other things to attend to right now, that is, if you don’t want to see all of your friends her with you on this trip die."

Tifa, after one more moment of hesitation knew that the Turk was right. Without any more thought given to it, she started to bolt upwards towards the lab.