Guilt’s Cost: Part XIII

Complication

Everyone on the helicopter picked up their packs and stood in silence as they prepared to disembark. The chopper lowered down in an empty field a few blocks from the Shin Ra building.

Vincent smiled at Angel as he made his way to the door. "See you in a little while."

She reached out and grasped his hand for a moment. "We’ll be waiting."

He then climbed out with the other four men. They watched as the helicopter lifted back up into the sky. The few people out on the street barely noticed the intrusion by the machine over the sounds of the traffic and overhead trains. No one in Midgar was ever really surprised by anything anymore, and the sight of a helicopter dropping off people in a vacant lot was nothing too profound.

They quickly walked to the corner of the lot where a utility hatch down to the underground conduits was located. Tseng knelt down and pulled the metal cover up, grunting in exertion as he did so.

Once it was open, Ericson pulled a flashlight from his pocket and climbed down. Vincent was the last in, and with the strength in his cybernetic arm, gently closed the hatch behind him.

The conduit was narrow, only designed for one man to walk through at a time, and the height was so that they all had to move along stooped over. Vincent’s natural dislike for cramped places was hard to suppress, and he followed the others quickly, wishing to be out as soon as possible.

When Angel’s voice cracked on the radio, he jumped.

"Status?" Angel asked.

Tseng answered, panting as they all continued to make their way to the objective. "Insertion a success, we are now about to enter the building. Easy going, so far."

Her smile was obvious from her voice. "Good. Once in the lab, radio any questions about the layout to me, over."

The radio went silent again. They had reached a spot where the tunnel was slightly larger, and they were able to group together. Ericson flipped open a panel on the wall, examining it for a moment. At the same time, Tseng reached up and pushed a hatch open. He pulled himself up through the opening, followed by Reno, Morris, and Vincent. Tseng then replaced the hatch, leaving Ericson back down in the conduit to disrupt the power supply.

The sub-basement was dark, and they made their way silently toward the cargo elevator. Tseng led them without hesitation, knowing the route all too well. The team came to a halt before rounding a corner, hearing someone walking.

Tseng silently motioned to Reno, who immediately pulled out his electric night staff. Reno walked to the corner and crouched down.

A janitor, staggering along after a night of drinking, was humming some unrecognizable tune to himself. He never knew what hit him as Reno leapt from the shadows and nailed him in the back with the staff. The shock the weapon sent through his body stunned him and he feel to the ground, unconscious.

They then proceeded without hesitation, stepping over the fallen janitor to the freight elevator.

"We’re there." Tseng said quietly into the radio.

A loud whir was at once heard as Ericson cut the power to the building. The eerie glow of the building's emergency lights came on. With the power out, Tseng easily slid open the doors to the elevator and went inside. Morris, the most acrobatic of the bunch, jumped up and pulled open the emergency door in the top of the elevator, and then jumped again, grabbing the edge and pulling himself up. He reached back down and helped Tseng up, followed by Reno, and then Vincent. There were emergency lights in the elevator shaft, allowing them to see well. An escape ladder ran up the wall, and they began to scale it. The climb was long, and Tseng was finding it difficult to keep up with his younger teammates and Vincent.

Vincent heard Tseng stop climbing behind him and he looked down, seeing his brother gasping in exertion. Tseng glanced up, seeing Vincent staring back at him. He motioned up to his brother to keep going. Vincent obeyed his command, but was concerned that this might be more than his fifty-seven year old brother could take.

Far above them, Morris was already at the door to the eighth floor. He forced the elevator doors open and slipped into the lab. Reno made it up just a few minuets later, and the two of them waited anxiously for the others. Vincent was somewhat hindered on the climb as well. His human arm was getting tired from hauling the weight of his mechanically altered body, but he managed to come up not too far behind Reno. He looked back down the shaft, seeing that Tseng was still making his way up, slowly. Reno pushed Vincent aside to also get a glimpse of their leader. Vincent did not protest this somewhat rude act, knowing that Reno was just looking for a reason to fight with him.

Finally, Tseng emerged from the shaft. He went forward a few steps before bending over, in a struggle to catch his breath.

Vincent placed his hand on his brother’s back. "Tseng?" He whispered.

He looked up at Vincent, his face dark from exertion. He handed him a security pass card. "I’m fine. Open the lab."

Vincent took the card and went to the security doors that blocked their path. As he slipped the card into the slot, the building’s power came back on, and the elevator doors slammed themselves shut.

The computer accepted Vincent’s pass card, and the lab doors opened. He stood frozen as the distinctive smell of Hojo’s lab enveloped him. His stomach knotted, and he felt a sweat break out on his skin.

Reno again pushed Vincent out of his way as he went into the lab, casually pushing some papers off a table as he walked in. Morris followed Reno in, immediately getting to the task of looking for the specimen.

Tseng came up behind his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on."

Vincent reluctantly stepped in behind his brother, fighting the instinct to run. The sights inside were all too familiar. The same instruments and machines that had been present in the Nieblehim lab were here, and Vincent felt an uncomfortable familiarity with the place.

Tseng spoke into his radio as he walked through the lab. "Angel, we’re inside. Any ideas?"

"It will be in the cold storage unit in the back of the room." She replied.

Tseng nodded to no one and started for the large metal doors of the refrigeration unit.

Vincent spotted a computer terminal in the corner, and walked over to it. He glanced over his shoulder at his teammates. Reno was pouring the contents of various vials onto the floor before dropping and smashing them. Morris was with Tseng, opening the cooler.

Seeing that no one was concerned with his actions, Vincent flipped on the computer. He kept looking back at his companions as it booted up. Finally, the opening screen came up. Nervously, he typed JEP2-04 into the search box.

Tseng and Morris tore through various boxes in the refrigerator, desperately seeking the virus. Tseng looked briefly at his watch, seeing that it wouldn’t be long before the guards were here. Continuing the search for the vial, he spoke into the radio. "Reno, start working on the window. We need to get out ASAP."

Reno sighed in annoyance as his mindless destruction of the lab was brought to an end. He walked over to the window and used the flattened end of his staff to begin prying it from its seat.

Vincent sat in front of the computer as a screen full of text emerged. Most of it was in technical terms, and he didn’t understand it. He scanned through it, looking for the one piece of information he needed.

Tseng and Morris finally emerged from the refrigerator. "We got it."

Reno managed to pop the glass from its pane, sending it crashing to the ground eight floors below. "Oh shit, hope no one was down there." He said to himself.

Tseng again spoke into the radio. "Angel, the vial is secure."

Vincent tapped his talons nervously, desperate to find what he needed. The others were tying their repelling ropes in preparation for escape. His eyes scanned the screen, only catching glimpses of phrases, "the specimens used in the retrial will have to be of superior caliber…"

Tseng furrowed his brow, as he noticed Vincent not with them preparing to bail out. "Vincent! Come on!"

Not daring to take his eyes from the screen, he called back to his brother. "Go on, I’ll be right there."

Another line caught his attention. "One gamete for the JEP2 will come from a Mr. Vincent Valentine…"

Tseng flung his line out the window, allowing it to cascade down the side of the building. "Vincent, God Damn it, we need to go, now!"

The alarm started to blare; the Shin Ra guards were on their way.

Vincent remained frozen to his place, continuing to read, "the other gamete needed to be from someone of a unique genetic nature…"

Reno and Morris were already half way to the ground. Tseng was on the window ledge, ready to go. "Vincent! NOW!"

The doors to the lab flew open and armed guards poured in, guns drawn. One fired at Tseng, missing him, but causing him to loose his footing, and he fell. After plummeting for three floors, he managed to get a grasp on his rope, and was able to control the rest of his descent.

Vincent finally saw what he was looking for. "For these reasons, it was decided that the other genetic donor would be the Ancient."

He memorized this sentence, and got up as guards started his way. Several of them fired as they caught his movements across the room. Vincent dove to the floor, attempting to evade their bullets. A sudden burning in his side told him that he had been hit. Disregarding the pain, he crawled toward the window, seeking his escape.

On the street below, the others had all safely made their way down. As Tseng unclipped his rope from his harness, he looked back up, not seeing his brother.

The others waited anxiously for the word from their leader. Tseng turned to them. "Get going! I want that vial on the helicopter now!"