Guilt’s Cost: Part XXXIX

Cell Transfer

The airship arrived back at Costa del Sol by early afternoon. Upon it’s landing, Tifa was taken to the infirmary inside the base to undergo an evaluation by Dr. Arlin, Angel escorting her on the way. Tseng found Reno before he left the ship.

"Reno, I have a favor to ask." Tseng said, making his way to where his friend was standing on the flight deck.

"Sure." Reno replied, running his hands through his still uncombed hair.

"I am going into the base to have some things made ready. I want you to go retrieve my brother and bring him to the detention block." Tseng held out a pair of handcuffs.

Reno put his hands up and took a step back. "Sorry Boss, I ain’t into that kind of thing."

"Cut the crap, Reno." Tseng tossed the cuffs to him. "I don’t think he’d give you any trouble now, but just in case."

He caught the cuffs in his right hand and stared at them blankly. "You’re really going to go through with this aren’t you?"

Tseng furrowed his brow. "Putting him back to sleep, you mean?"

"Yeah." He answered simply.

He turned and started off. "I have no other choice. When you get him down to the detention block, you will know which cell is to be his."

Reno slouched as he walked toward the brig, reluctant and afraid to face Vincent alone. The handcuffs jingled at his side as he made his way through the corridor, and he soon found himself taping out some anonymous tune with them against his leg. He reached the brig deck, finding Vincent slumped up against the bars.

"Okay, Vinny, time to move out." Reno said, dangling the cuffs before him.

Vincent looked over his shoulder at him, seemingly annoyed. He stood and faced away from the door, sticking his wrists through the small portal in the cell’s door so Reno could cuff him before opening the cell.

Reno reached out and latched one cuff around Vincent’s human wrist. He hesitated before touching the metal one, half-expecting Vincent to slash out at him with his talons.

Vincent grew impatient. "Get on with it, Reno. I won’t hurt you."

Reno was hit by the hollowness of Vincent’s tone and with a quick movement secured Vincent’s other wrist. "There, isn’t that cozy?"

Again, Vincent did not respond. He remained motionless as Reno opened the door to the cell. He then took a few steps forward to Reno. "Let’s go."

Reno slipped his arm through the bend of Vincent’s human one. "Come on, baby, got to get you to the prom."

Vincent gave no attention to his companion’s ill-fated attempt at humor. He just walked purposefully; keeping his eyes fixed down on the floor as Reno lead him from the airship.

Reno couldn’t bear the silence as they went, fearing that it might be a sign that Chaos was close. "So Vinny, you really gonna let him do it?"

"Who do what?" Vincent glanced only briefly at Reno.

Reno wiggled the arm he had woven through Vincent’s, causing him to sway a bit. "Big bad Tseng gonna toss you in the box."

Vincent hung his head again as they made their way across the airfield toward the traffic tower. "Yes, he wants me to go back into stasis, and I agree with his reasons. I cannot live knowing that I hurt Tifa."

Reno quit walking, pulling Vincent to a stop as well. "If you don’t mind my opinion, I don’t think you should."

Vincent looked vexedly at Reno. "Why are you so suddenly willing to see me stay awake?"

"No, I never said I wanted you asleep." Reno looked down at the ground. "I think you got me all wrong, gramps. I’m just thinking about the ladies, that’s all. Why not just have Tseng keep you in a cell instead of stasis? I’m sorry, but I think crawling back into that box is the coward’s way out. What if Tseng’s guys don’t find someway to get the demon out of you? Is that it? Are Tifa and Angel going to be left without you for the rest of their lives? You’re not even going to try to fight Chaos out of you yourself?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes. The last person who he wanted advise from at the moment was this man. "Reno, I have been fighting that demon since I was taken out of that stasis box seven years ago. You have no idea what it has been like. Besides, Tifa suffering the heartbreak of losing me like this is nothing compared to losing her life. In case you forgot, I almost killed her yesterday. I haven’t even seen her since then. To me that is an obvious sign that she doesn’t care anymore, and I for one don’t blame her."

Reno grew angry; realizing that Vincent was as big a stubborn pain in the ass as Tseng. "Look here, you sorry fuck! Tifa hasn’t come to see you because she has been under sedation until now. Angel wouldn’t let her get out of bed anyway. But do you know what the first thing was she asked when she did wake up?"

Vincent just looked back at him blankly.

"That’s right, you self absorbed bastard," Reno leaned closer to him, "She says ‘Hey where’s Vinny?’ She didn’t scream about how she hates you, or that she hoped you were dead, no way! She asked about how you were. ‘Oh, is Vinny okay?’ That what she asks. Holy shit you’re stupid for an ex-Turk!"

Vincent dropped his gaze back to the ground. Reno’s words hurt, and normally he would have lashed out at him, but with his spirit shattered, they just passed through him with little impact. "If you are done, I would like to go to my cell now."

As Vincent tried to start walking again, Reno jerked him back to a halt so hard he stumbled. Reno was furious for Vincent’s lack of response. "God Damn it! What do I have to do to get you to listen to me?! Beat the shit out of you? Is that what it’s going to take?"

"Feel free." Vincent said, still refusing to look at his captor. "While you’re at it, do me a favor and kill me."

"Argh!" Reno threw his free hand up in the air, surrendering to Vincent’s refusal to see the light. "Fine, let’s go. You want to rot in that fucking box, go right ahead. I’m the one that’s going to have to try and console Angel on the loss of her father. Would have been nice for you to have at least tried to be a part of her life."

"I wasn’t responsible for her creation, so don’t go trying to dump some parental guilt on me. She did just fine without me for all these years, and I’m sure she’ll get over it." Vincent said, finally looking up into Reno’s eyes.

Against his better judgement, Reno hauled off and decked Vincent as hard as he could manage. Vincent recoiled weakly from the blow, finally straightening back up to face Reno again. "That was very nice, Reno. Striking a bound man. You are quite the brave fighter, aren’t you?"

"Fuck you!" Reno let go of Vincent completely and started walking toward the air tower. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the prison keys, stopping only briefly to hurl them back at Vincent. "Take your own sorry ass to jail. I’m fucking done with you!"

Once Reno had disappeared through the door to the base, Vincent stared down piteously at the ground where the keys had landed. With his hands bound behind his back, he had only one means of getting them. He fell to his knees and bent forward carefully, managing to catch the small key ring in his teeth. It took some doing for him to get back up, but after several attempts he struggled to his feet.

Reno had left the door to the base open and Vincent entered, awkwardly pulling the door closed behind him. Having been able to stroll the base during Tifa’s recuperation, he knew where the prison deck was and made his way there.

Once near the cells, he looked around. There were three detainment cells present, but the one against the back wall had the door open. Vincent let the keys fall from his teeth and the hit the floor with a resounding clank. Vincent walked straight back into the cell, pulling the barred door shut firmly behind him. He turned slowly to his right, something large and black catching his eye. His knees buckled beneath him and a cold sweat broke on his skin as he found himself staring at the coffin like stasis chamber that had held him for twenty-seven years. He knelt there before it trembling, barely able to breathe.