Guilt’s Cost: Part LXXIII

Midgar

The helicopter made its way toward Kalm. Everyone on board sat in silence, unaccustomed to making these trips with out Angel and Tseng. Vincent and Tifa sat next to the door, holding hands, as they were absorbed in their own thoughts about what was going to happen.

It was noon by the time they reached the small town. As they got off the chopper, they were each given a small pack which contained their radio headsets, harnesses, ropes and other various supplies they might need for the mission.

Tseng, not wanting his men to have a miserable trip had a limo waiting for them where the helicopter had landed. The six of them climbed inside and it took them toward Midgar. Reno didn’t miss the opportunity to raid the mini bar inside the car, and helped himself to a tiny bottle of scotch.

Vincent looked over at Reno, his expression not one of approval. "I think the last thing that you should be doing before a serious mission is drink."

Reno laughed. "It’s going to be hours before we get there. I assure you, I’ll be fine."

"How did you ever get to be a Turk in the first place?" Vincent furrowed his brow. "They must have lowered their hiring standards between our generations."

"You think you’re so perfect, don’t you Vinny?" Reno slouched down, finishing off the bottle. "

"No, but I wouldn’t be drinking at a time like this." Vincent felt Tifa’s hand grasp his cybernetic hand.

Tifa leaned closer to Vincent. "Don’t get angry, all right? He’s done this enough times to know what he can get away with."

Vincent sighed and looked at her. "This is just the kind of thing that has always bothered me about him. He never takes anything seriously."

"I think he is taking this seriously. He just doesn’t show it like most people." She whispered back to him.

"I wish I could buy that." Vincent smiled.

Reno rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window, deciding that it would be best just to ignore his father in law.

Ericson sat silently studying some large blue print of the Shin Ra building. He always took the time to double-check his knowledge of the building’s layout. He needed to know exactly where he would have to be to interrupt the elevator functions within the structure. Morris was next to him, looking over his shoulder at the plans.

Zale was on the opposite side of Tifa from Vincent, and he dug through his pack messing for a time with each item he found within.

It was dusk by the time they reached Midgar. The town was much different from the last time that Tifa had seen it. The plate was still present, but there were no buildings on top of it. The entire surface of the thing was now devoted to solar collectors, which Shin Ra had placed there to produce the city's electricity. Mako reactors had been outlawed after Meteor and the abandoned silos still circled the top of the plate.

The city now sprawled its streets and buildings on the ground below. With all of the town being moved onto the ground level, its boundaries had grown. The Shin Ra building sat in the middle of this urban tangle, and they had been driving through the suburbs of the town for half an hour by the time they reached the business district with it’s tall buildings.

Tifa looked out of the window in amazement. "My God, it’s so much bigger now."

Vincent gave little attention to it. He had been through Midgar a dozen times over the last seven years, and nothing was new to him. "They abandoned the plate."

"What are all those things up there then?" She asked, her face pressed against the glass.

"Solar panels." Vincent looked over to where she had moved. "Shin Ra makes power up there and sells it to the city."

"At least it’s better than Mako reactors." Tifa slid back to her seat.

"The town still reeks of it." He sighed. "The wells down into the life stream are still there inside the old reactors."

"Oh…" She said, realizing that for some reason this conversation was annoying Vincent.

The limo finally came to a stop before the office building next to the Shin Ra building. Night had fallen and they exited the car and went inside. No one in the lobby of the office building paid any heed to the six of them as they made their way to the elevators.

They rode up to the roof and stepped out into the humid night air. From here Tifa realized what Vincent meant when he said the town reeked. The scent of Mako hung heavy in the air, making it seem somehow thicker.

Ericson and Morris went to the edge of the roof that faced the Shin Ra building. The two structures stood the same height and they took out grappling hook guns from their packs. They fired in unison, they guns giving off a low pop as the carbon dioxide that provided the thrust was released from the muzzles. Both hooks took hold of the roof of the Shin Ra building, and it wasn’t long before Morris had his harness attached to one of the ropes and he was pulling himself upside down, hand over hand toward the other building. Reno donned his harness and quickly followed along with Zale. Ericson then waved Tifa and Vincent over. They put on their harnesses and radio headsets then attaching themselves to the ropes.

Tifa looked at Vincent nervously. "Uh…"

He smiled at her and nodded. "It’s fine Tifa. You won’t fall."

She didn’t seem particularly comforted by his words but soon she started her way across.

Vincent went too, reaching the other side a few minutes before Tifa did. He took her hand when she made it across and helped her get untied from the ropes. She fell into his arms once the harness was off, and he could feel her trembling.

"Are you okay?" He whispered into her ear.

She just nodded a little. The climb had scared her terribly, but some of her nervousness was due to facing Cloud shortly.

Ericson was the last one over, and he immediately ran over to a utility hatch on the roof and opened it. He studied it for a moment, before waving to Morris to get the doors to the utility lift opened.

Morris pulled the doors to the elevator shaft open and disappeared inside as he climbed down the escape ladder in the shaft. The others soon were following him downwards. Tifa made her way down the ladder with Vincent having gone just before her. She would look downward every few rungs, only to spot him looking up at her with a faint smile. He knew that she wasn’t fond of heights, and he tried to keep watch over her.

Morris reached the lab level and pushed open the lift doors. It wasn’t long before they were all standing before the doors to the lab.

Morris examined the group. "Reno and Zale, you stay here in the hall and keep a watch out for any guards. Tifa and Vincent go in and get Cloud. I’m going back up to bar the door of the stairway that leads to the roof. That way no guards can get up there with us when the chopper picks us up."

Reno handed Vincent a pass card to the lab doors. "Here."

Vincent took it and felt a sweat break across his skin. His ingrained fear of entering the lab reared up within him. He slid the card into the slot and heard a click, as the doors were temporarily unlocked. He and Tifa disappeared inside.

Reno and Zale remained outside flanking the door. Reno had his staff opened and electrified, and Zale had his gun in his hand. All seemed quiet for the moment.