Woven Ties

Woven Ties


//

Avalanche could not be stopped right then. They had a mission, and now they had a location. Their hearts were filled with renewed determination. Anger boiled beneath the surface, but a hopeful strength rose above it all, reassuring them that their nightmare could all be over.

Reeve pulled back all of his men from across the globe and prepared them for a frontal assault on the CSC. The Shera was the airship to transport them, filled with WRO soldiers and the six members of Avalanche.

The ship flew over Mideel, soaring rapidly across the land until the water began again. Another, small island sat just south of the coast. The pilot currently flying the Shera started to descend, and the island grew bigger and bigger until they set finally set down on the outskirts of a forest, of which took up the majority of the island. The tops of some building structures could be seen rising out from the flurry of treetops. The CSC.

They stormed it. They had landed so quickly and approached so fast that whatever defensive system or security would not have stopped them from entering the building. It did, however, manage to assemble in the lobby – the likes of which displayed an impressive glass dome skylight. Had they been there for different purposes, they would have admired the layout.

A reception desk sat on the right, a smartly dressed woman rose in alarm from her swivel chair. She needed not to be so concerned, as over fifty security personnel had flooded into the lobby to halt the intruders. An alarm was blaring somewhere in the building.

“State your purpose here,” the woman demanded in a cold, powerful tone. Her sleek black hair gave her a strict but beautiful appearance.

Reeve stepped forward from the wall of his men and Avalanche. “Get Drumbol down here. He would do well to meet us.” His voice met her strength and severity.

The horde of security men and women shifted menacingly as the receptionist paused, looking at the determined faces of the WRO. She then turned to her phone unit and addressed whoever was on the line. Within a minute at the most the security parted and from their numbers stepped a large, meaty man with black hair. The traditional white lab coat clothed his figure.

“Commissioner Tuesti,” the man said in a voice that seemed too gentle for his appearance. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You abducted Vincent!” Cid broke from the body of WRO and pointed aggressively at the man. His face was contorted to pure rage. At his outburst the CSC security shifted threateningly.

The man who was obviously Drumbol frowned. “What? Abducted? I have done no such thing!”

“If you wanna play it dumb then fine by me,” Cid growled, rolling back his sleeves. Reeve grabbed him as he started forward, but the pilot jerked him away. It wasn’t until Barret and Cloud seized him did he stop advancing. However he remained glaring at the man stood on the other side of the lobby, trying – if possible – to blow him up with his gaze.

“We have found undeniable evidence that you not only abducted a member of Avalanche, but you also willingly forced another bedridden and comatose,” Reeve boomed, his voice echoed in the large dome room. “As much as it pains me to admit it, you‘ve done some terrible deeds, Drumbol.”

The man was silent for a short second as he studied Reeve. “Where is your evidence?” He demanded.

Reeve leveled his gaze and drew a hand back into his pocket. He produced the dart that had begun this horrible ordeal. “This was tracked down to a store in Wutai, where the maker helpfully gave us the name of the most recent purchaser. A buyer who put his name down as TERA. TERA we recently discovered was the first four letters beginning Teratology…” Reeve’s tone lessened in volume as he added, “’The study of monsters…’” He paused. His voice was soft as his brown eyes locked onto Drumbol’s gray ones. “Vincent…would be considered a monster, would he not, Professor Drumbol?”

The professor blinked softly, his hard expression had faded. For a few long seconds he did and said nothing. Then his stiff shoulders lowered visibly. He appeared resigned, and with the manner of a man who knew it was pointless to deny, said, “…We obviously didn’t do very well covering our tracks…”

“You fucker!” Cid roared. He struggled again against Cloud and Barret, who held on only out of instinct. “Where is he?! I’ll fuckin’ kill you!” He kicked and pulled from the grip his friends had on his clothing, but his gaze remained locked dangerously on Drumbol. “You bastard! Tell me why!”

Drumbol had lowered his gaze during Cid’s rant, as though taking what he deserved. But at Cid’s question he raised his small, dark eyes and fixed them on the pilot’s livid blue ones. “He’s dangerous.”

Cid’s struggling died down. “What?” Cloud and Barret loosened their grip, their attention on the professor.

Drumbol bit his lip, but not out of nervousness. He looked solemnly bored. “Your friend is a threat. A threat to this entire planet.”

Reeve looked at him sharply as Avalanche frowned in alarm by the unexpected statement. “Explain.”

Drumbol looked at him, and with the air of a lecturer revealing a terrible secret to his class, said, “Chaos. It is too great a danger – to both the planet and the population.” He looked across at Avalanche, recognizing the great heroes who once saved the world. “The CSC deemed it too dangerous to run amok any longer, we could no longer ignore it…So we took action.” He paused, but they were staring too dumbfounded to respond. Cid had forgotten his struggles. Perhaps his rage had paralyzed him.

“How…how can you judge something so simply?” Reeve broke the silence, his tone incredulous. “How dare you make a decision like this by yourselves! Taking action against a man who has done nothing wro –”

“There you are wrong,” Drumbol said darkly. His tone had lost its gentle touch. “Several months ago my men were stationed in Mideel. I’m sure you remember what occurred there, commissioner…” He let the comment hang heavily in the air. Suddenly it had turned cold, and no one could move as they listened. Reeve’s wide eyes frowned. His brow lifted very slightly as he understood. Drumbol continued. “Chaos almost destroyed that town. The damage was immense….Mideel is still recovering. But how can the mountain recover? Any being powerful enough to blow up such a large scale is a danger to the planet.”

Reeve regained his motor functions and began shaking his head, staring. “No, Vincent didn’t inten –”

“I know that, commissioner,” the professor interrupted. Behind him the security lowered their weapons slowly, feeling the threatening air dissolve into something quite different. “Vincent Valentine did not intentionally bring out that beast. We did our homework, I can assure you.”

Reeve blinked as a realization hit him. “You raided Shinra Manor…”

“Yes,” Drumbol said quiet simply. He seemed more than willing to explain his actions to the very people he had kept away. “You may have thought those documents contained only information on Sephiroth and the research conducted by Shinra Scientists… That was obviously what Hojo had planned. After all, his experiments on Mr. Valentine were unknown even to the President. He hid them well, which is why we had to take them all.”

“You fuckin’ bastard,” Cid hissed, but he remained where he stood.

“But…why did you want them?” Yuffie stepped forward beside Barret, her voice wavering. “If you knew Vincent was such a threat – ”

“You needed to know how to take him down…” Cloud interrupted her with his answer. “Hojo’s note would have contained all that information.”

Drumbol sighed. Before he could respond Cid spoke up. “But I found the document with the crystals.”

“Mr. Highwind, we were the ones to create that drug for Hojo. Of course we would have those notes, too. But what we didn’t have was the information of quantity.” He paused for effect. “We are not cruel; we did not want to kill Mr. Valentine. In fact, we wish to remove the Chaos gene from his body…”

This prompted many surprised expressions. Avalanche and WRO alike stared at him.

“You…you can do that?” Reeve asked, deciding to speak what was on everyone’s mind.

Drumbol let out an audible exhale. “We don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Barret demanded. “You kidnap our friend to do somethin’ you don’t know how to do?!”

Drumbol fixed him with a stare. “Our primary objective was to remove the threat. We’ve known about Mr. Valentine’s demons ever since you unwittingly released him from his slumber. Up until now we’ve merely been wary of him…But no more. We can’t let a planetary Weapon run amok on this world.”

“Who are you to decide that?!” Yuffie shouted.

“We’re protectors of this planet,” he replied calmly. “Your friend may not be the one responsible, but unfortunate for him he plays host to a very dangerous creature.” Yuffie argued some more but he interrupted. “It was free for barely a few minutes, and look at the damage it created. A being capable of that power cannot cause havoc. It would spell the end for thousands of lives. If not all life as we know it. I’m sure, as Mr. Valentine’s friends, you understand the planet’s reason for creating Chaos?” He looked at them, from face to face. They knew, but they didn’t speak. “It was created to lift all life from our world.” He looked quite angry, now. “That sort of threat cannot be given an opportunity!”

They were stunned. Silent. Shocked. This man had summed up what they had ignorantly ignored. But…

“Vincent has control over Chaos!” Yuffie cried, finding her voice long before her friends. “He would never allow that to happen!”

“Just like he never allowed Chao to terrorize Mideel?”

Cid stomped, straightening from his friends’ hold. “That was a one time mistake! A fuckin’ slip up! Vincent don’t make the same mistakes twice.”

“Can you possibly take that risk and allow him that chance?” Drumbol asked. “You all don’t seem to realize the power that Chaos holds… He will find a way to break out. And that one time could be all he needs to fulfill his purpose…”

“Fuck this shit! Where is he?” Cid snarled through gritted teeth. He balled his fists again, tired of all the talking. He wanted Vincent back now.

“Let us work on removing the gene from his body,” Drumbol tried to reason, raising his hands, palms upward. “With time – with our best scientists – we could succeed.”

“Yeah, and how long?” Cloud spoke up. Behind him Tifa stirred, having remained silent since arriving. “How long are you going to keep him locked away?”

Drumbol lowered his hands, studying Cloud. Something unreadable was set into his features. “It probably won’t be possible in our lifetime…Hojo was something of a genius…it is simply too complex right now…”

Cid laughed in disbelieving anger, shaking his head. “You think we’d let you chain him up that fuckin’ long?!” His mock grin disappeared, wiped from his face by a furious frown. “Now, shut your fuckin’ face and show us where Vincent is!”

“I can’t do that.”

Cid snapped. “You bastard!” He yelled, racing towards Drumbol. His friends tried to grab him as the mass of security guards advanced, but the professor stepped back quickly, raising something in his hand.

“Stop!” He bellowed. The object caught their eyes and Cid – having already engaged an opponent, paused. “If you start a fight I will be forced to use this,” Drumbol told them. The object in his hand was a dart. The same dart model used against Vincent. “It’s filled with an ordinary sedative, but it will drop you. Let us resolve this argument peacefully.”

“Fuck your peace!” Cid spat, and socked the guard in his hand.

“Cid, wait!” Reeve called.

The pilot lowered himself into an offensive stance, ready for the facing security, but he didn’t start forward. He growled at them, feeling eyes of both his friends and enemies waiting for him to calm down. He eventually turned his gaze on Drumbol, waiting.

“I understand your desire to help you friend,” Drumbol began, almost sympathetically. “But your friendship is blinding you. You can’t see the threat Chaos poses…and for this reason I cannot let you know where Mr. Valentine is…”

“We’re not leaving,” Cid started, biting his words and pronouncing every one clearly, “without Vincent.”

Drumbol looked pained by this. He sighed softly, but before he could speak, another voice broke the silence.

“You created those monsters,” Nanaki said, stepping from the crowd of uneasy WRO soldiers. His tail flickered as he came to a stop, gaining everyone’s attention. “From the North…”

Cid snapped his eyes to Nanaki, annoyed the feline was prolonging the irrelevant banter, putting off an inevitable fight. But he knew Red; he wanted answers. And there were a lot of questions.

Drumbol shook his head. “Not purposefully,” he answered, lowering his hand. He glanced at Cid, the immediate threat, but seemed marginally certain he wouldn’t attack. “During a spelunking expedition our Geology department accidentally set off a reaction that opened up the fissure in the North.” He glanced at Nanaki – obviously less surprised than most that he was as intelligent as they all were. “They were looking for the point where the Lifestream was closest to the surface. Those monsters were an unintentional and unfortunate result.”

Nanaki cocked his head slightly. “Why were you looking for the Lifestream?” His teammates remained incredibly patient. But they were probably simply too stunned to speak.

Intrigued by the feline’s inquisitive questions, Drumbol answered. “We needed it. Once we had Mr. Valentine we would need to fortify his Protomateria in the Lifestream – to ensure Chaos would be fully comatose.” He glanced at Cid, aware the word brought up unpleasant feelings for the pilot. “The drug was for your friend, but the key to quelling Chaos lied in the power of the Protomateria.” He lowered his gaze, as though thinking on all the past actions he had done. “We used the monsters to our advantage eventually. Hojo’s notes didn’t explain how much sedative we would need to use on Mr. Valentine, so we needed a blood sample to determine how strong it should be.”

“You used the toxin to get us both in the hospital,” Cid realized.

“Indeed.” Drumbol agreed. “Unfortunately your friend wouldn’t let us take a blood sample, and short of asking for it, there would be no way to take it from an ex-Turk.”

Tifa’s mind worked quickly, and she raised her brown eyes from the floor to the man explaining his horrible deeds. “That man attacked Vincent in the North…He was working for you?”

The professor nodded. “Yes. The dagger he used had two small gutters in the blade. Vincent’s blood collected in a small compartment in the hilt. If I wasn’t so ashamed I would be proud.”

“You made me sick so you could get Vincent back to the North?” Cid demanded, balling his fists once again. The security around him braced themselves.

“My apology can’t mean much to you, but you have it nonetheless…”

“You’re fuckin’ right – it don’t mean shit!”

Reeve, who had remained silent, spoke once again, earning the professor’s attention. “All this planning…the sheer effort in planning Vincent’s capture…” He shook his head. Words failed him.

“Had we gone about less subtly Avalanche would have knocked our planning out the window. We were dealing with people who were dangerous in their own right.” Drumbol hesitated, glancing at each Avalanche member. “I must apologize, commissioner. Your friend, Peter Willis, was abducted, too. We needed the best Pharmacology expert on the case.”

“He’s…alright?” Reeve asked, shocked.

“Yes. He was more understanding of the situation that you all.”

“Yeah? Well fuck him, and fuck you,” Cid snapped, planting a foot behind him, a fighting stance. “You wanna know why I’m so blinded for Vincent? He’s my fuckin’ lover. So there ain’t any way I’m leaving this goddamn building without him!” With that, he rushed Drumbol.

“Cid!” Cloud dashed into the fray as all hell broke loose. Barret was a step behind, eager to bust some heads in the false pretense of running to stop Cid. Yuffie danced undecided on the spot before rushing in to help the now growing fight. Reeve’s shout was lost in the uproar.

Pandemonium erupted. Security met the attack with an equal vigor. Shots, cries and roars of the battle echoed in the lobby as both sides clashed. Cid had lost sight of Drumbol, who had disappeared into the mass of men and woman all trying to subdue him. He couldn’t keep count of the opponents he knocked down. He couldn’t be stopped, not now – not when they were so close to Vincent. He was a powerful fighter, and even though the security personnel had probably been given the best training money could buy, he’d had experience. And he was fighting for someone.

The WRO rushed in, attempting to help their hero comrades. It added more mayhem. Even with the equal numbers of WRO and CSC, thanks to Avalanche they were pushing them back and shoving them down.

Cid should have known that when things were starting to look good, something would happen against their favor. They were bowling through the security easily; over half their numbers were down. That was where Avalanche and the WRO’s looming victory was dashed.

A loud, unintelligible shout echoed through the sounds of the battle. Small objects shot through the air. Cid felt a sharp stab and looked down at his arm. A dart. His distracted mind earned him a painful punch to his temple. He didn’t know which attack caused his black-out, but he was unconscious before he hit the floor…

//

Light from the two candles illuminated the figures in the small room. Another inn, a different location. But this was probably the last inn…the last location. And therefore it was special. It would hold their memories of the night before they finally confronted Sephiroth. One side would win, one side would fail. This room would be the last place they had all gathered as a team…it could well be the last place they gathered alive.

Cid traced a thumb over the smooth skin of Vincent’s palm as he kissed the man deeply. Black hair spilled either side of his face as he pulled Vincent down with his other hand. Their groins pressed together, already hot and aroused. The pressure of what they had to face tomorrow had dug into their minds. For Cid and Vincent it produced a strange effect, bringing on a fierce passion they needed to express. They sought each other’s mouths and bodies, craving the touch and warmth. They knew it could be their last night together. Their relationship had been short, but cherished. However, now they wished it would go on. They didn’t want the world to end. Before, it had been about saving the planet. Now, it was for each other.

Vincent toppled over as Cid pulled him down beside him, rolling onto the man’s front without ever breaking their heated kiss. Eventually, though, they had to part for air. Cid brought up the hand of Vincent’s that he was still holding, and kissed the heel of his palm, trailing his lips down the wrist.

Vincent watched him, indulging in the unique tickling Cid’s lips provided. He pulled his hand to his face, where he swiftly stole Cid’s mouth away. Their fingers curled around each other as they kissed deeply once again.

Their clothes were disposed of quickly minutes later, and they stretched and bowed in the rumpling sheets of Cid’s bed, twisting the material around their bodies.

“Vince…” Cid breathed, his breath hot and steamy. “…Let me make love to you…”

Vincent’s kisses on his throat ceased, and he brought his crimson eyes level with Cid’s blue ones. They were still as Vincent looked into them. Cid felt the strange sensation of being stared down to his very soul. Blood-red eyes switched between the pilot’s as he watched back, patiently. The heat throbbed from their bodies, painfully obviously in the still of the moment, but Cid remained unmoving. Vincent’s eyes softened and he blinked gently.

The pilot slowly reunited their kiss. His free hand caressed the gunman’s face as he shifted his hips. Vincent responded. The heat rose in temperature, burning inside Cid until he was forced to do something about it. He applied his undivided attention to Vincent’s body, lavishing both gentle and rough touches on his ivory skin. He couldn’t get enough of the man, and even though he hadn’t really wanted another addiction besides his cigarettes, he was happy to lose himself in the cravings for Vincent.

He knew the gunman’s body well by now. Cid slipped his hands down to the man’s inner thighs, massaging the toned flesh; a particularly sensitive part of Vincent’s body. His reward came in the form of a beautiful moan, and the legs opened up for him, seeking more of that feeling. He gave it.

The memory was so very clear. It had been their first time, but Cid had done his homework. He had found necessary supplies in the room’s little bathroom, but before applying anything, gave Vincent’s weeping erection his following attention. Cid had never been this intimate with Vincent, but the wall of intimacy had shattered that night, and he was given complete trust from the gunman – a fact that Cid was honored to receive.

His lips pressed against the swollen, hot flesh of Vincent’s shaft, bracing the organ softly with a hand. He could feel the man take a deep breath, but Cid wasn’t sure whether it was an attempt to control his pleasure, or a breath of apprehension. Cid would make sure it was the former. He advanced his ministrations, applying what touches he knew felt good, continuing wave after wave of molten pleasure. He worked Vincent into a shuddering, writhing mess, surprised by how talented he could be…or how sensitive Vincent was. He paused during his actions to watch his lover, completely mesmerized by the sight of him tousled and undone. He’d never seen a picture so magnificent.

He returned to his teasing, joining his hand to bring Vincent the utmost pleasure. Within minutes the gunner’s frame snapped into a bow and he shuddered. His essence erupted inside Cid’s mouth – who forced down his gag reflexes and automatically swallowed. It wasn’t something he had ever done before, but he couldn’t say it was unpleasant. He cast his eyes to watch a flicker of gold emanate from the slivers of Vincent’s eyes. He still had not asked about that. He swallowed again to flush the remains of the man’s seed from his mouth.

Vincent opened his vivid red eyes and directed them down the length of his body, catching Cid’s in a gaze that locked magnetically. Something passed between them, and Cid was drawn back up to meet the man’s lips. He felt something electric pass into him from Vincent, and cupped the back of his head for more.

Even though he remembered everything of their first time together, the actions merged together, accelerating time until finally he was carefully pushing a slicked finger into Vincent. He marveled at the composure Vincent was still holding onto as Cid kissed away his discomfort. He felt him shift involuntarily as his digit burrowed knuckle-deep. The pilot thrust his finger slowly, preparing Vincent little by little. The second finger produced a quiet grunt – barely a whisper, but Cid swallowed it, eager to bring Vincent pleasures even his discomfort would be worth. At the third finger Vincent broke their kiss, recoiling from Cid’s face as he stiffened, trying to relax his body. Cid paused, and then nuzzled his face encouragingly. Vincent began to relax around him.

Cid began to realize that during their relationship he took great pleasure watching the emotions slip through the gunman’s control. However, as he finally and slowly pushed the head of his swollen erection into Vincent his enjoyment ceased at the look of uncertain apprehension on the man’s face. He paused immediately, forcing down the pleasure of Vincent’s warmth as he waited. He took the gunner’s chin and pressed their lips together, diverting the sensations to his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to pleasure Vincent, but he would wait an eternity until the man was ready.

However, despite Cid about to think otherwise, Vincent responded and waited patiently for him to continue. There was something conflicting in Vincent’s eyes, as though some part of him was anxious, but another part had put total trust in Cid and believed in him. That was good, because although Cid was willing to do everything to make this first time amazing, he didn’t quite have the faith in himself.

It was Vincent’s time to comfort Cid as he pulled the pilot’s face to his, meeting forehead to forehead. Cid regained his senses and within another few second he was sheathed almost fully inside the gunman.

Vincent sucked in a deep, slow breath, trying to calm and relax his body for the large intrusion. He closed his eyes so that Cid wouldn’t see the discomfort in them and let his body adjust. He could feel the organ throbbing inside him, and it created a strange but not unpleasant sensation.

Cid didn’t move until Vincent opened his crimson eyes and looked at him. A slow pace was started – very slow. His initial movement forced a grunt from Vincent’s lips as the pain flared anew. Cid leant forward and pressed his own upon them, promising him of pleasures to come. He was awed and gratified to see the belief in those red eyes. Somehow, Vincent knew Cid would bring him those pleasures.

They were gentle and tentative with each other for the first minutes, neither wanted to rush the other. But when the stinging finally gave way to a stimulating feeling Vincent shifted his hips upward to encourage the pilot – subsequently allowing the angle of Cid’s penetrations change. Vincent gasped, unable to hold it back with even his superior restraint. Cid grinned. He took note of the angle and shifted his knees on the mattress for a better spring in his thrusts. He struck again, amazed by the pleasure blossoming on Vincent’s reddening face. Cid had never seen him lose composure so abruptly. He wanted to see it again.

And he did. Many times that night he gave Vincent the ultimate pleasure, surging into him to provide them both with a wonderful feeling. They were lost to each other. Never had they experienced love in this manner with this intensity and passion. Cid kissed him many times, unable to get enough of Vincent’s lips, and the man in turn found himself eagerly responding, searching for even more ecstasy within the Captain’s body. Their hips rotated and thrust against each other in unison, their breathing labored as their love continued. Cid sped up his pace, earning him a rare groan that sent shivers throughout him.

They could have gone on forever, but their bodies wanted release. Cid could feel his impending climax burning inside his navel, building in pressure as he plunged into the gunman. He caught Vincent’s yellow eyes glowing under his fluttering eyelids, before his attention drew to his red arm. Streaks of thin cuts marred his bicep, and he dimly realized Vincent had cut him with his talons. Cid couldn’t have cared even if he wanted to.

Their releases hit them like a forceful impact. Vincent’s body bowed incredibly, presenting Cid with a beautifully erotic display that sealed his end. The molten pressure exploded, and before he could react he had buried himself full hilt inside Vincent and released his seed inside him.

He was still for a moment, reclaiming his breath as he watched Vincent’s face. He felt wonderfully numb and sated at the same time; exhausted and revitalized. His shaking arms lowered him onto Vincent’s slim, panting form and he sought out the man’s reddened lips. Vincent’s flushed, breathless appearance gave him a most stunning appeal.

Cid released his lips. “Sorry I came inside you,” he said softly in the hot air. His lips brushed Vincent’s as he spoke.

The raised legs on either side on his body tightened comfortably in response, and Vincent pushed forward to deliver a forgiving kiss. The corners of his lips tugged in the barest of a smile. He was downright beautiful.

Cid smiled back.

//

Something droned in the new air, coming into focus with each passing second until it was distinguishable as a voice. It was high… Female. It was familiar… Tifa. Cid cracked his eyes open and the flood of light exploded into his skull. He groaned and raised a hand to his aching head.

“Cid?”

The pilot propped himself on an elbow, aware he was laying on a soft surface. He opened his eyes slowly this time and looked at his surroundings as his sight adjusted. The walls were a dull, lifeless gray. His cot sat on one wall, and opposite sat another.

“Where the hell are we?” He mumbled, half moaning in pain.

“Detention cells, by the look of it,” Tifa answered.

“Is that Cid awake?” Came a muffled voice.

Tifa pressed back against the wall she was sat next to on her own. “Yeah. Maybe now we’re all awake someone will come and explain a few things…”

Cid frowned, rubbing the back of his head, which surprisingly hurt the most. “Did everyone get tranquilized?”

Tifa turned back to him and nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know how long ago, but we’ve only been awake about a half hour.”

The pilot slid off the cot and stumbled on his shaky feet. He felt weak – from both the tranquilizer and the remnant aftereffects of the coma drug. He stormed to the windowless door and hammered his fists on it.

“Hey!” He called. “Drumbol you bastard – you better open this fuckin’ door!” He slammed his hands into the metal again and again, but no one answered. Except Barret in the next cell, who mumbled something incoherent to him or whoever he was in the cell with. Cid pounded his fists once more and stilled, pressing them against the cool surface. He gritted his teeth and pressed his head on the door. Vincent was close, he could feel it…but at the minute he was still unreachable. What had these scientists done to him? Were they…experimenting on him? Cid slammed a fist in the door once again and made a guttural sound in bitter resentment.

“I don’t think they’re like Hojo, Cid…” Tifa said quietly into the silence that had fallen among them. as though reading his mind. “They don’t seem like they would torture h –”

“Just being in this situation is fuckin’ torture for him,” Cid interrupted.

Tifa watched him, quiet for a second. “…He’s not aware though…right…?”

Cid shook his head gently. He didn’t know. He hoped Vincent didn’t know what was happening. He hoped his partner was oblivious. He wished that if – no, when – they finally found him he would remember nothing… That rare smile floated into his mind, accompanied with the memory of their first time together. He had half expected to wake up just now with a stomachache…

Cid turned around, lowering his fists. He met Tifa’s brown eyes with a new determination. “We’re getting’ outta here.”

Tifa stared. And nodded.

//