Woven Ties

Woven Ties


AN: Sorry everyone, I've been neglecting these updates. The story is actally on my y!Gallery account and is much further along, and I've taken the setting off that blocks unregistered (no point leaving it on), so I was kinda focusing more on that site. But I'll keep my Tuesday/Friday updates as long as I remember. Thanks for reading ;)


//


Cid stumbled to the cave, panting heavily as he planted a hand on the rocky wall and used it to help steady his body. He gritted his teeth against the pain threatening to take him out and trudged forward, entering the grotto and stepping out of the rain. He came into the light of Lucrecia’s crystal grave and looked about. His last hope that Vincent had woken up, scared off his attackers and pulled himself in here was dashed as he saw the cave was empty, save for himself and the body of the woman. His head hung as he collapsed to his knees. His body was heavy, and only now did he have enough light to see he was coated in diluted blood. Wounds and lacerations marred his exposed arms, still seeping. It seemed he had only been out cold for a few minutes back there. His clothes were torn. But worst of all his lover had been taken from him.

Why?

The pilot summoned his remaining strength and stiffly rose to his feet. He looked at the softly glowing crystal grave. “Why…?” He asked the motionless figure. Of course, she didn’t respond. Cid turned and stumbled back out into the rain.

It had lessened somewhat, allowing a further distance of visibility. He could almost see his plane from the mouth of the cave. But something else caught his attention. His glazed blue eyes noticed the large boulder he and Vincent had hid behind. He stumbled over to it, almost falling onto his knees once he had reached it. He looked down and found the object he wanted, lying in a puddle. Picking up the dart, Cid brought it to eye level and glared. He gripped it, closing his eyes as he growled. Bastards. Cid reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. He was shaking with rage and the cold. His adrenaline had all disappeared, leaving his body feeling the chill of the rain. He punched at the keys with a thumb, slipping on the wet pad. Lightning flashed overheard, throwing him into illumination as the phone began ringing.

After a few long seconds in which he thought the signal was just too weak to break through, Reeve answered in a crackle of static. “Cid. What can I – ?”

“Vincent’s gone –” Cid rasped into the phone. Water streamed down his face, washing away the blood from a wound on his forehead as a monstrous clap of thunder boomed. “They took him.”

“What?”

“He’s gone, he’s fucking gone,” Cid yelled, falling against the boulder. “I don’t know why, but they fucking attacked us!”

“Who?” Reeve demanded urgently, his tone deathly seriously.

“I don’t fucking know!” Cid yelled. “I want yer to get a search team ready right now! I’m at the Nibelheim crater –” He began running back to the Tiny Broncho II, pain and rain all forgotten in his haste. His mind was clearer now. “They might still be in the area. I’m going up in the Tiny Broncho. Maybe I can spot them…”

“Cid, if they left by airship – ” Reeve began, his quick mind catching up.

“No.” Cid cut across him. He reached his plane and hoisted himself inside, slapping onto a thoroughly wet seat. He didn’t even notice as he quickly flipped switches, preparing the vehicle for take off. “I made a full circle of the area before I landed. There wasn’t any airship here. And they wouldn’t have left on foot if they’ve got Vincent.” His plane roared to life and he had to yell over the noise of both the engine and the rain. “They must have a land transport or a submarine. Get your guys down in that fuckin’ ocean ASAP. And get some air support to search this airspace – they could have an airship waiting beyond the mountain terrain. I can’t let these fuckers get away…”

The phone connection was cut and he stuffed it back into his pocket. With a final glare at the pouring rain Cid jerked the plane into the air and soared off, desperately hoping he could find Vincent.

//

He took the plane far and wide across the Nibelheim area, eventually spanning out across to cover the entire western continent. He was so angry, so desperate he didn’t realize he had been searching for eight hours. His body was numb with cold, his wounds had closed, untreated, and he was tired. But he continued until he had finally come to a realization:

They had escaped.

Reeve had phoned him several times during his flight before Cid finally heard it, worried and without good news. Vincent’s abductors had disappeared, and there were no leads to go by. The commissioner coaxed Cid to come to the WRO headquarters, extremely worried about this new disappearance. Many questions plagued his mind as he waited anxiously for Cid to arrive. He wasn’t entirely sure the pilot would abandon his obviously hopeless search. Cid had reacted so strongly to Vincent’s disappearance that it almost had the commissioner wondering why. It took all of two seconds for it to click.

“Of course…” He whispered to himself, sitting in his office chair at his large desk. His room was bathed in a soft glow of the desk lamp. He recalled that night when Vincent had returned with the monster from the North. Dr. Bound had said something strange that Reeve had almost forgotten. “Hopefully you will be able to see your lover again, soon.” It dawned on him: Cid was Vincent’s lover… Reeve breathed out softly. “That is why you’re so worried…” It all made sense now: Vincent taking up residence at the Highwind house; his constant presence by the pilot’s side; Vincent’s loyal wait in Junon for Cid’s recovery…Lovers. It seemed so obvious now that Reeve was surprised he hadn’t made the connection before.

And surprised he was. The very thought that Vincent had somehow broken past those barriers was shocking. The man had been the most emotionless figure to ever walk the planet. Just what had Cid done right to gain that impossible love?

He was still contemplating it hours later when the pilot stormed in. Reeve looked up and a shot of sympathy strained his heart. Cid’s eyes were a horrible torment of mixed emotions. Anger, fear, guilt, desperation…He was blaming himself.

“Cid,” Reeve immediately rose to his feet and approached the pilot, who had already made it across the dimly lit room. He reached out for the man’s shoulder. It was soaked. “Tell me what happened.”

Several minutes later Reeve had successfully guided the pilot to a chair and had even called in a medic to attend to Cid’s wounds. When they were cleaned and dressed, the woman left and Reeve pushed a hot cup of tea into Cid’s hands. He was dismayed to see the look of sinking abandon in the blonde’s dull blue eyes. But there was still a fire of anger gleaming in them. This situation ran too deep in Cid’s heart.

Taking a sip of the steaming drink, Cid drew in a weary breath, ignoring the blanket that had been draped over his shoulders. He was tired, but he couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to. He shook his head. “I think they knew we’d be there,” he said finally as Reeve pulled up a chair beside him. Cid’s forehead donned a white gauze bandage across the head wound he had received, and it hurt to frown. But frown he did. “We were checkin’ on the crystals. Making sure no one had stolen any more…” He leant his elbows on his knees, his drink cupped in both hands. “When we were leaving something hit Vincent It was this.” He pulled the dart from his pocket, handing it to a curious Reeve. “Whatever was in that took him down in barely a minute.”

Reeve looked back up, his eyebrows rising. “Under a minute…” He echoed. His brow then furrowed, realizing the same thing as Cid. “But that means…”

“That some fucker knew enough to make a drug strong enough for Vincent,” Cid said shortly, his lips pressed to an angry thin line as he glared at Reeve. The gesture was not aimed at him, thankfully. “He told me that ordinary drugs don’t work on him…who the hell knows that but us?”

Reeve didn’t have an answer, but this new information surprised him most deeply. No one but the Avalanche team knew of Vincent’s abnormal physiology, therefore no one should know that drugs do not affect him... Who would want to drug Vincent? And for what purpose would they want with him? Obviously someone knew something about their friend…

“This troubles me…” Reeve said distantly, still lost in his thoughts.

“Yeah, no shit,” Cid snapped nastily.

Reeve ignored his comment. It was understandable for Cid to be worried. He studied the dart in his hand. The small vial could have only contained the smallest amount of substances, and aside from the dent at the end there were no distinguishing marks that they could go on. Had it been an ordinary kidnap Reeve would have found himself less disturbed. Vincent was not an easy man to bring down. In fact he should have been impossible.

“I will get some of my people to look at this. Perhaps they can identify what was inside,” Reeve said. He focused his intelligent brown eyes past the dart. Cid looked terrible. “Maybe you should rest a while,” he suggested softly.

“Like hell I can rest,” Cid muttered darkly, staring into his half-empty cup. He felt lost.

Reeve watched him for a second. “I’ll have several teams searching the surrounding towns and villages to Nibelheim crater, and if I have to I’ll send them looking all over the globe…but…we have nothing to go on…”

“I’ll go back to the crater,” Cid responded to this. “Maybe, by some stroke of fuckin’ luck, I can find something after the storm.”

Reeve nodded. It was the only option.

//

Cid had phoned Cloud later that night, explaining what had happened. His friends were shocked.

“We’re on our way,” Cloud had promised.

The storm was drifting lethargically across the western continent, so docile from a distance that as Cid watched the horizon he wondered if it was intentionally hindering their search. It seemed much less violent, as though it had done its job during Vincent’s abduction and was rumbling tiredly. Cid had always enjoyed thunderstorms, but for this one he held only bitterness.

The rest of Avalanche arrived. Nanaki had been picked up from Cosmo Canyon, and as they met with Cid, the atmosphere of their situation weighed upon them.

“Let’s go.” Was all Cid said.

//

The storm rumbled in the distance as the team leapt from the hovering Shera, landing steadily on the hard, rocky land of the crater. Night had given way to dawn, and the first weak rays of sunshine lit the air. The six figures rose to their feet and observed the rain-soaked crater. They knew before they had started…they would be lucky to find anything the rain hadn’t washed away.

Tifa knelt down, noticing a very faint imprint in the slushy dirt by the circular body of water. It was a boot mark, and the rain had washed away all but the heel impression. She stood straight and glanced at Cid. The man had broken free from their group and was making his way to the other side of the lake. His body language was aggressive.

Fifteen minutes later she stepped up to Cloud. No one had said a word as they fanned out, searching fruitlessly. “There’s nothing to find, here,” Cloud said to her softly, watching Yuffie and Barret make their way solemnly back to them. The fiery red color of Nanaki bounded in and out of sight among the jagged mountain incline surrounding the crater, making his way back down from his search of the higher terrain.

“There ain’t nothing here,” Barret said, his usually rough voice was leveled with respect for the grim situation. “Storm would have washed away any clues.”

Cloud could only agree. As Nanaki joined them they looked as one to the lone team member stood motionlessly away. His back to them. Tifa and Barret shared a look, a secret passed among them. Cloud detached himself from the group and walked towards Cid. His boots slapped wetly on the ground.

Cid spoke before Cloud could. “Nothing here,” the pilot summed up their search, narrow blue eyes staring vacantly at the straight of the river below the waterfall.

Cloud watched him. “The rain would have erased anything.” Behind him the others approached slowly. The storm had disappeared towards the east completely and the sun was rising quickly. It almost seemed ironic that a new day should dawn while their lives were now blanketed in darkness.

“I don’t understand how anyone could capture Vincent,” Yuffie spoke up tenderly as she stepped closer to Cloud. “I mean…it’s Vincent…”

“I wanna know why,” Barret said, a frown on his dark features. They were all troubled.

Nanaki turned his head, looking through his one good eye. “Perhaps someone discovered he is not normal…”

They were silent for a second, realizing the implications. Cid turned around. “They made a drug just to take him down. I think that’s a fact right now…” He shook his head and sighed. He was containing his emotions well. “They knew bullets wouldn’t phase him…whoever they were they knew…” Cid was pensive for a few more seconds, letting the silence fall between them all. “I think the Shinra Manor raid is connected,” he said suddenly. “It can’t be a coincidence…”

Tifa looked at him. “Maybe the stolen crystals are connected somehow, too.”

They all glanced at her. Cid blinked. “Yeah…but I just can’t see how.”

“Were they stolen just to get Vincent’s attention?” Yuffie asked. “They probably knew he’d notice and check in on them.”

Cid shook his head. “Vincent thought they held special properties and that’s why they were stolen. I agree with him. Vince had a knack for knowin’ these things…”

The rest of the team was undecided on what to think, but they, like Cid, knew that if Vincent had a theory it was usually always right.

“It would help if we knew what these crystals can do,” Cloud said into the calm air. The water roared gently below them.

“Then let’s get someone to look at ‘em,” Barret suggested, folding his large arms.

Nanaki turned his head to their blond leader. “The experts at Cosmo Canyon might be able to identify their properties.”

Cloud nodded, his spiky hair bounced with the action. “Good idea. I want you to take a sample with you. In the meantime the rest of us will continue looking. Somehow.”

“We’ll start with the matter of transport,” Cid spoke up, shifting his weight to one foot and folding his arms. “There ain’t no way they would have walked out of here with Vincent. Which means they either used a land vehicle and jumped to an airship. Or…” he turned to the body of water in the crater, and the rest of the team followed his gaze. “They came and went by submarine.”

“Then that’s where we’ll start,” Cloud said.

With this decided they returned to the Shera and left the crater after retrieving a sample of crystals. Yuffie hoped that when they found Vincent, he wouldn’t be angry about them sawing off another crystal. Cid instructed the stand-in pilot to head to Cosmo Canyon, where they said goodbyes to Yuffie and Nanaki, who promised to let them know as soon as they received new information. The Shera rose from the canyons and sped on her way.

As the rest of the team retreated back into the airship, Cid kicked everyone but the team out of the cockpit and took control of the bridge, providing privacy for them to talk.

“Cid,” Tifa spoke up, approaching the platform stairs to the wheel. “What if the abductors simply left in a land vehicle only?” He tilted her head. “Maybe they didn’t take an airship from the crater.”

The captain shook his head. “I scoured the whole surroundin’ area – but the first path I checked was the one to Nibelheim,” he said. “If they had taken a vehicle they would have headed for the nearest town. Otherwise they’d be sittin’ ducks on the land. And I sure as hell didn’t see no ducks when I was making a pass around the area.” He raised his eyes to the vast land before them, watching it roll past them from the dome windows. “Reeve’s got men in Nibelheim just in case, but I doubt they’ll find anything there.”

Cloud looked up from his view of the landscape. His blond hair shone in the sunlight filtering through the glass. “How do you suggest we look from here?”

Cid’s blue eyes turned on Cloud’s more vibrant ones. “Ain’t that many people got their own airship on this planet. And a good 90% of ‘em will have been worked on by me. I’ve got documents and slips of all the ships I’ve helped build and repair. I’ll check out the clients even if it takes me day and night… if that leads me to a possible suspect then it’ll be worth it…” The enormity of Cid’s involvement with the world’s airships became apparent to the team just then. Cid was the best pilot on the planet, and people all over the globe knew his name. It’s no surprise they would seek him out for business.

“That could take much too long,” Tifa said softly despite Cid’s announcement to continue regardless of time.

Cid shook his head again. “There ain’t that many rich folk in this world who have the money to buy their own ship. It ain’t as bad as it sounds. And apart from that, there’s the business of hiring from the towns’ airports. I’ll ask around. If anyone’s checked one out in the past few days I’ll find them.” He looked at the three team members. “You guys can start by checking out Junon’s submarine docks for the same reason. See if anyone’s hired out lately.”

Cloud nodded, feeling pleased they had a plan. Like Cid in this situation he couldn’t stand doing nothing. Especially when their friend was involved. “Good, at least we have a course of action.” He looked over at Barret. “You go with Cid, while Tifa and I check out the submarines.”

It was settled. Cid directed the Shera to Junon, feeling some vague sense of nostalgia and bitterness towards the town. Cloud and Tifa offloaded, biding a ‘good luck’ to the two remaining men. They would probably need it. Cid was feeling less than optimistic. The two childhood friends watched the airship ascend into the sky and disappear, and a few minutes later it descended into the local airport. Cid set her down with little consideration for other ships, and he and Barret stormed down the ramp and sought out the superior in charge.

He turned out to be a large, round man with a grey shirt and jeans, answering to the name of Bliz. He was uncooperative at first, but upon hearing the name of who was asking he was more than helpful. He had much respect and admiration for Cid Highwind. He supplied them with names of persons and companies who had recently been by Junon airport and had hired an airship. There weren’t that many, and the names Cid and Barret found were clearly not capable of orchestrating such an abduction. They were single civilian names, and almost all of them Cid knew. They left Junon.

//

Determined was not even the word for Cid’s state of mind, but as their search grew more and more fruitless that feeling gave way to a sense of foreboding. A fear. Cid was actually afraid. And this wasn’t the same fear he had confronted when he and Avalanche had courageously battled Sephiroth. This was new. The fear of losing someone so close to his heart – a part of his heart – was the most painful and strongest of fears. Not knowing what and why Vincent had been abducted was one of the most difficult things Cid had ever had to deal with in his life. It felt like his lungs had been viciously ripped out and it was impossible to breathe. He was asphyxiating. Dying. But he was never going to give up.

Cid and Barret had left Junon and made for Edge. It was unlikely anyone would have hired an airship there, but records were kept for landings and it was a search they were not going to ignore. Unfortunately Edge had no good news for them, and they quickly left for Kalm.

Kalm was small, but it did have an air lane. Again, the superior in charge of administration was most cooperative. He promised that should anyone suspicious land he would let Cid know. It was appreciated. Barret and Cid left the small town and headed for the west continent.

Costa Del Sol hosted the second largest airport on the Planet thanks to the popularity of its sun and sea vacation offers. As the two men stepped down into the hot, humid air of the holiday town they wished their visit had been under different circumstances. Cid promised that when he had Vincent back they would take a relaxing vacation here, just because it seemed like a promise that would be fulfilled in the perfect ending to a nightmare.

There were no promising leads at the airport. People had come and landed, but they were couples and families. Nothing.

A full day passed during their search. Wutai held nothing for them, nor did the North. Nowhere. Cid’s heart was growing heavy…and it was hurting.

They landed in the dead of night, setting down in Rocket Town. With their other options exhausted, they had one last hope.

“Cid…?” Shera had awoken to the sound of the Captain and friend entering the house. The night was still and unnaturally bright. The full moon shone like a beacon, casting its light down on the sleeping town. It seemed unreal to witness the beautiful night when Cid’s life was currently swirling in turmoil. Shera descended the stairs in her night attire, a dressing gown wrapped around her. “Are you okay?” She asked tiredly. “Barret?”

“Go back to bed,” Cid said shortly, passing her into the hallway. He entered the small storage room beside the workroom.

Shera and Barret followed him in to find the pilot hefting huge piles of paperwork and documents from shelves and cupboards to the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Shera sobered quickly, sensing the Captain’s tense aura. She glanced up at Barret, searching for an answer. Then – whether it was woman’s intuition or the lack of presence by Cid’s side – she asked softly, “…Where’s Vincent?”

Cid paused, on his knees in the midst of arranging his papers. “That’s what I’m gonna find out…” He was still a second more before he returned to his sorting, placing relevant documents around him.

Shera frowned in confusion. She entered the room slowly, watching the pilot shift through documents, ignoring everything but his task. She gently knelt to the floor and as he reached for a top leaf of paper, she placed her hand on his.

“Let me help…” She offered.

He looked into her eyes, registering the concern. Not just for him. Cid nodded, and with Barret’s somewhat vague help, they went about searching through the many documents of airship clients.

//

The phone rang early the following morning. It split the air shrilly in the living room, where the three occupants of the Highwind House had migrated. Papers littered the floor, table and couch in neat arrangements around the three figures searching through the last of the documents. Cid grabbed the small device from his pocket and flipped it open.

“We didn’t find anything…” came Cloud’s tired and disheartened voice. “We checked all the local docks on the west and east continent…nothing.”

Cid let free a quiet sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose and furrowed his brow to chase away the soreness in his eyes. It didn’t help. “We didn’t find anythin’ at the airports either,” he said listlessly. “But I’ve got a few leads from my records. We’ll check them out today.” He glanced at the small pile of papers they had set aside.

“Okay… I hope they prove to be lucky.”

“So do I,” Cid replied.

//

The first and second leads were empty. It had taken them an entire day to ascertain whether or not the companies were shady. Cid swept the papers from the helm and watched them flutter to the floor as he glared at them, dissatisfied with their gentle descent to the decking. Barret stood, arms folded, to the base of the steps, frowning angrily at the view from the dome glass. They were en route to the last lead they had pulled from the many names in Cid’s documents when the pilot’s PHS rang again.

“Cid?” It was Yuffie. “I haven’t got good news. We handed the crystal samples to the scientists here, but they’ve never seen anything like them. They can’t determine what they are, let alone what they can do…” She paused. “They’re still performing tests to see what they can find, but it could take them weeks to – ”

“We haven’t got fuckin’ weeks,” Cid growled, angered by more failure. He wished the phrase ‘performing tests’ didn’t bring an assortment of horrific images to his mind. The fear only increased.

“Cid, there’s nothing more they can –”

“Then don’t fuckin’ bother,” Cid snapped, and cut the connection with a brutal clap, folding the phone back into its original position. He gripped the Shera’s wheel hard and ignored the aching at the back of his throat.

Barely two minutes passed when the phone went again. Barret was surprised it was still working.

“Cid…” Reeve’s intelligent voice spoke. “I’ve had the contents of the dart analyzed. The Junon experts are mystified… It’s completely foreign to them. They can’t fathom what was used to concoct it….However,” he paused, just as Yuffie had. Cid narrowed his eyes. “They explained that such a concoction is lethal to any living being…it’s basically poison to the human body.”

“Poison…” Cid whispered.

“Cid,” Reeve’s voice was serious, lacking the disbelief it had just held. “I think its potency was created because Vincent would not succumb to anything weaker…”

Cid exhaled audible, frowning. “So…you’re saying it was…a sedative designed for Vincent?”

“I believe so.”

“…Whoever it is,” Cid started, barely aware Barret had stepped closer to listen, “knows Vincent too well…” Something horrible struck his thoughts right then. A concept that seemed completely impossible yet in light of the recent news seemed completely plausible. “Reeve…what if Hojo is still alive?”

There was a long, unnerving silence on the end of the phone before Reeve answered. “…But you all defeated him, how can he –”

“What if he didn’t die?” Cid demanded. “The fucker was barely human, what if he survived?”

Reeve was without an answer. But Cid knew who would provide him with one. He cut the line to Reeve and searched through his address book for the number. The dial tone rang three times before it was picked up. Cid gave him no time to speak.

“Cloud – your fight with Hojo…did he die?”

Cloud was silent for a second, contemplating Cid’s reason for asking the question. He put it together. “We killed him. Vincent was there…he wouldn’t have settled for anything less.”

“I don’t think he’s dead…”

Cloud was quiet again. Thinking. “I don’t like to think the possibility of him being alive…” Hojo had done terrible things to him, as well as Vincent. The mere name was enough to dry his throat.

“I know…but what if he survived?” Cid said, glancing at Barret. “He’s the only one who could have brought down Vincent. The only one who could have known.

“…I don’t know, Cid…” Cloud’s tone was unsure, and if Cid detected right, there was a quaver in his voice. “He was a crazy genius…anything’s possible.”

Tifa’s voice replaced Cloud’s after a rustle of noise. “Cid, I don’t know if you tried already, but I called Vincent’s phone earlier.” The pilot waited for an answer. A naïve flutter of hope tinged his chest. “It wasn’t in service. And we can’t locate it…I’m sorry.”

Cid made a noncommittal noise. “Would have been too easy…I think I wanna check out Midgar. I wanna see if I can find anythin’ where Hojo was killed.”

“It’s been over two years, Cid… Hojo’s body could have been eaten by animals,” Cloud said softly.

“Yeah, but…I gotta see. Just in case.” Cid realized now what Vincent must have felt wanting to see the empty shelves where the files in the Shinra Manor had sat. He needed to see for himself. Now so did Cid. But more than that it was something to do. If he could find Hojo’s body then he would be sure the madman was truly dead.

//

Midgar. Cid hadn’t stepped foot in the capital since their battle with Sephiroth. It had been a ‘thriving’ town back then. Now, as Cid stepped down from the Shera’s ramp, rubble crumbled under his feet and the distinct smell of dust and destroyed masonry hovered in the air. He cast his blue eyes over the ruined landscape, waiting for the dust clouds that had been thrown up by the ship to settle. Then he descended the rocky terrain down to the location Cloud had given him. The platform where Hojo had died.

The decking was littered with rubble, debris and dust that crunched under foot as he slowly approached the terminal at which the man had been slumped over. Cid reached the computer and studied the dirtied surface. It was dead. He glanced around and spotted a shred of white material smeared with blood, snagged on a jagged metal beam. It was part of a coat. No doubt Hojo’s lab coat. Cid pulled it free and narrowed his eyes, wondering where the rest of the coat – and the body wearing it – was.

A crunch broke the silence and Cid whirled around, tense, weapon in hand. He relaxed when he saw who his company was. “Yuffie, what the hell are you doin’ here?”

The young ninja stepped closer, examining the cloth in Cid’s hand, glancing at the computer system and the surrounding mess that she had stood atop two years ago. “I heard from Cloud you were here,” she said, looking over a ruined staircase that had at one point been a fire exit. “He says you’re worried that whack job might still be alive…and, honestly…so is he.”

Cid grunted, turning his blue eyes away from her to look around them. A wind had picked up, catching their hair and clothing. It was a pleasant day despite the situation.

“Me and Vince were evacuating Midgar before Meteor fell,” she explained nostalgically. He turned to listen to her as she glanced over the edge of the platform to the ground far below. Then she turned back to him. “Vincent had told me to check the Mako cannon –” she indicated the very platform they were stood on. “And when I did there was a life sign. I thought it was crazy – no one should have been alive up here. But Vincent went to check it out,” she continued, walking slowly, watching her feet grind the debris bits into dust as she trod. “I don’t know what he saw. When I asked later on he didn’t tell me. But an explosion blew up the platform,” she glanced at one side, where the decking had snapped apart and was hanging off. “I gave him a lift on the hover bike, but I didn’t see anyone there. He was looking at that computer when I flew by.” She pointed at the terminal. Cid glanced at it again.

“There was a life sign…” Cid breathed. “Then Hojo was still alive when Vince came up here.”

“Was it Hojo?” Yuffie questioned him. “I didn’t see who it was. Only Vincent did.”

“I’m willin’ to bet it was,” Cid gripped the cloth into a fist. “No one else would have been up here. I bet he escaped in the cover of that explosion. That’s why you didn’t see him.”

Yuffie frowned lightly. Her brown eyes watched him. “I guess… But if Hojo survived…wouldn’t he have made himself known before now?”

“Maybe he couldn’t,” Cid said. “Maybe he was biding his time…”

“To capture Vincent?” Yuffie said quietly, disliking the very thought.

Cid looked at her. His expression held the answer he gave. “Vince said Hojo called him a failed experiment because his body couldn’t cope with those demons…but then Chaos was forced into him and he lived.” Cid watched her, as though his explanation was written in her eyes and he was reading from them. “He wasn’t a failed experiment…in that bastard’s terms he was actually a success...” Cid drew in a breath and frowned, trying to put things together, hoping they were both right and wrong. “Maybe he wants to continue his experiments. Hojo was a madman; he created Sephiroth for power, but now he’s gone maybe he turned his attention to somethin’ just as powerful. Chaos.” A small uncertain shrug accompanied his words as he looked to Yuffie for her reaction. “

Yuffie blinked at him. A tingle of fear ran through her at the thought of Cid’s theory. She didn’t want Vincent to suffer any more torture. She didn’t want to think about what he could be experiencing right now if this were all true.

“I hope you’re wrong,” she said softly.

The pilot looked at her. “So do I.”

//