Guilt’s Cost: Part XIV

Flight

The gunfire ripping through the air was rendering Vincent’s hearing useless. He was no longer certain of where his attackers were, and he crawled along the floor through the shower of splintering wood and shattering glass. Although he was trying to ignore the pain inside his ribcage, it was growing increasingly intense. His breaths were drawn in short gasps, and he was well enough versed in gunshot wounds to know that his lung was collapsing.

Looking up, he saw that he was close to the window, and that all of his teammates’ repelling lines were still in place. He paused for a second to gather his strength before making the short dash to his only route of escape. Vincent pulled his gun from its holster and cocked it.

With his chest being crushed by the pressure building within, Vincent’s attempt to run to the window was dreadfully slow. He lurched out from behind the desk and managed only a few steps before collapsing onto all fours. His body wasn’t cooperating as it began to starve for oxygen. The Shin Ra guards all yelled as Vincent came back into their view. Shots again rang out and Vincent attempted to flee once more firing blindly back at them over his shoulder. The cool air coming in through the open window only burned his lungs more, taunting him with the closeness of escape. As he made the last three paces to the window, another bullet tore through his right shoulder, and one ricocheted off his metal arm. With his claw he grasped a rope and prepared to jump.

The guards, seeing that their suspect was in danger of getting away, used their last resort. On their leader’s command, one of them tossed a grenade toward Vincent.

Although his ears were ringing from the gunfire, he distinctly heard the clatter as the grenade hit the floor just a few feet from where he was standing. Knowing that his time was running out, he flung himself through the window just as the grenade exploded. The blast hit him hard, knocking him out into space. The rope that he had been grasping was blown free of its moorings, and became pitifully limp. Vincent was unaware of this, however; the blast had pulled every remaining thread of consciousness from him.

Tseng remained on the street below, searching for any sign of his brother. The other team members were already half way to the Garris building where the helicopter was waiting, and Tseng knew he was a fool for not being with them, but he couldn’t leave his brother behind. Tseng’s heart raced even faster than it had been when he heard the shots ringing out from the building above, and he feared the worst. He felt a slight reprieve once he spotted Vincent, very much alive, in the window.

Then it happened. Tseng watched in disbelief as a plume of fire erupted from the window where Vincent had been standing. He cried out in terror as his brother vanished into the flames. It was more than his heart could handle. Within an instant, Tseng’s attention was torn from the spectacle he had been watching as a horrid shock ran through his chest. His heart fluttered wildly inside, and his head started to spin. He bent over in agony as his heart struggled to regain a normal rhythm. The thought of his brother being killed had driven him into a heart attack.

Vincent’s lifeless body fell toward the street. Had Chaos waited any longer, there would have been no time to react at all. His wings ripped out through Vincent’s back, and his plummet became a deliberate glide toward the street below. The demon couldn’t sap enough strength from Vincent’s wounded body to complete the transformation, and the few spectators on the ground gasped as dragon-winged man flew out from the inferno.

Below, he spotted Tseng stooped over on the street. Chaos had no emotional investment in seeing to Tseng’s survival, but he was well aware that along with Tifa he was someone who could help Vincent survive long enough to make it through his recovery from the injuries he had sustained.

He dove fast until he was flying nearly at street level. He swooped toward Tseng and using Vincent’s cybernetic arm, clutched the weakened man up. Tseng was mired in confusion as the pain in his chest lessened enough to allow him to realize that he was being held around the waist, his back pressed tightly against his brother. The shock of this realization, in combination with the rush of flying made Tseng pass out.

Chaos struggled to gain altitude, but the added burden that Tseng presented made it impossible. The best he could do was continue to glide down the street, toward the bank building.

Back at the Shin Ra building, more armed guards started to pour out into the street. They took chase of Vincent and Tseng, although none of them could run anywhere near fast enough to keep up.

Once he was close to the bank building, Chaos alit and retracted his wings. He threw Tseng’s motionless body over his shoulder and started running. As he made his way through the vast lobby of the bank building, several security guards drew their weapons. There had been a long enough gap between the other ASRIO members and now that they weren’t certain which team these new intruders belonged to.

Chaos shouted out as he made his way toward the elevators. "We’re with ASRIO! Hold your fire!"

The guards lowered their guns, and stared in disbelief as Vincent ran by, still carrying his brother.

He reached the elevators and hit the call button hard enough to crack the plastic panel. Chaos cursed to himself under his breath as he waited, knowing that if it took much longer for the doors to open, that the Shin Ra guards would be upon them. He looked around anxiously, spotting the emergency stairs to the right. Deciding that time wasn’t a luxury, he dashed for the stairwell.

He opened the door and started up the stairs, taking two at a time. He was up to the third floor before he heard the first Shin Ra guards below him. The building had a total of twelve floors, and Chaos was already beginning to loose his control over Vincent’s body. If he continued to push Vincent too hard he knew he risked killing him and thus himself, but stopping meant certain death. Once up to the fourth floor, he knew he could run no more. He rushed from the stairwell and back to the elevators. He again struck the call button, and this time an elevator opened instantly. Chaos threw Tseng inside and then stepped in.

He scanned the buttons, seeing the last one marked helipad. He struck it and took this opportunity to get some much-needed rest. He looked down at his body, examining his injuries. Vincent’s right shoulder was severely impaired, and his right arm was starting to loose feeling. The wound in his chest was bleeding terribly, and Vincent was going to need a chest tube inserted soon to relieve the pressure of the blood building in his chest if he was going to live. Chaos certainly hoped that someone back on the waiting helicopter was well versed in such procedures.

Finally the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Chaos spotted the chopper waiting; its blades spinning as it prepared for take off. He once again hauled Tseng up and started for the helicopter. Exhausted and badly injured, Chaos could no longer hold onto Vincent’s mind.

From the helicopter, Angel scanned the rooftop nervously. The others had been back for a long time now, and she knew that they could no longer wait for her uncle and father. Suddenly, she saw the doors to the roof’s elevator open. Seeing her father emerge with Tseng on his shoulder, she screamed in excitement. When Vincent collapsed, dropping Tseng in the process, Morris and Reno leapt from the chopper to drag the two men to safety. Reno rushed and grabbed Tseng, forever loyal to his leader. Morris took up Vincent, surprised at the apparently thin man’s weight. They hauled the unconscious men onto the helicopter and slammed the door shut. Just as the helicopter lifted from the building, Shin Ra guards burst out onto the roof, pelting the body of the armored helicopter harmlessly with bullets.