Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgivable Sinner ❯ The Mansion of Nightmares ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Ø4. The mansion of Nightmares
The easy part was to find the man, but Vincent wasn't surprised when the man asked for several hours to gather the requested parts. Being in no position to argue, Vincent had to agree and promised to return early the next morning. A good thing they had decided to stay the night after all then, he mused, trying hard not to glance up at the dark, looming mansion.
It was just a dark, old house. There was nothing for him up there.
"Halt just right there, Valentine!" A voice called out, and the former Turk froze.
Without turning to look, Vincent knew there were at least 7 or 8 eight men there, aiming their weapons at him. What was this?
"Mind if I ask what you want with me?" Vincent sounded calm enough, but his hand moved stealthily over to Death Penalty. They knew his name, few alive knew his name! And a gut feeling told Vincent these men weren't out to make new friends...
"You will accompany us, Valentine! The President wants a word with you!" A same voice barked, and this time a weapon was cocked as well.
Slowly turning to face what turned out to be 8 soldiers, odd uniforms, Vincent gazed from one to the other; measuring them. "The President, huh?"
Who would be stupid enough to declare himself president while it was most likely the planet would go to hell in a few days time?
"Yes, President Heidegger!" The officer declared pompously.
"And what if I decline you offer?" Vincent asked politely, while his mind was quickly calculating the best plan of action. Not really surprised that Heidegger had survived. The annoying ones were usually the most difficult to kill.
The soldier who'd done all the talking, obviously some form of officer, smirked nastily. "You seem to think of it as an request. It is not. This is an order, Valentine!"
"I see..." Vincent wondered briefly if they were merely out to get him, or if the others were captured as well. "But I'm afraid it doesn't go well with my plans, so I'm going to have to decline either way..."
The first shot sent one soldier falling backwards with a spray of blood from his head, while Vincent dove to the left as he fired his second and third shot as well.
His aim never failed him, but as Vincent rolled to a halt and got up on one knee to fire shots four and five, he saw several more soldiers come running.
Damn...
Bullets grazed him as he dove into cover behind a house, and Vincent heard the officer scream that they had to catch him alive.
Well, that gave him an advantage.
-
Fifteen minutes later, the soldier had yet to get him out of his hiding place and their numbers were rapidly depleting. Vincent reloaded Death Penalty and carefully peered out on the soldiers. Oh well, they'd finally learned to take cover at least... It had been too easy when they'd been running around like headless chickens in the middle of the town square. Vincent was a firm believer in fair play, and killing green soldiers was not his idea of fun. Not anymore.
Leaning back against the wall, Vincent closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He had to figure a way out of there soon... Find the others...
"Hey, Valentine!" The officer shouted, and Vincent sighed. Now what did he want?! More stupid threats? Maybe he'd put a bullet in his foot as a lesson to never play patronizing to a marksman? Smirking, Vincent glanced out to the town square. His smile vanished...
One of the soldiers were holding back a frantic woman, who was crying and fighting to get free. Fighting to get over to save her child in the arms of the office. The child with a gun to it's head.
"Come out here, Valentine! Quietly or this kid gets one more hole to breathe through!" The officer ignored the womans pleas as he stared harshly at where Vincent was gazing at him. "You've got 10 seconds, Valentine!"
Fury and distress flooded through Vincent, knowing he could take out the officer, but not the soldier with the woman before he'd have a chance to shoot the mother. He hesitated two seconds, then the womans cries cut through him, and he resigned himself to his fate. They were to take him alive, so that would mean he could find another way to escape them, right?
Walking out into the square, Vincent carefully placed Death Penalty on the dusty ground, "let them go."
Chuckling, the officer brusquely orded the child to the horrified mother and ordered them away. The young woman sent Vincent an apologetic and grateful look before she ran. The former Turk glanced over as the officer nodded to someone on his left, then there was a shot.
Sharp pain shot up his left shoulder and Vincent staggered. He wondered numbly if they didn't want him alive after all, but then he got sleepy...
Oh so sleepy...
Voices. Needles. Green fluid. Can't breathe... tired... musn't sleep... musn't... sleep...
-
Nibelheim? What kind of town was that?! In the middle of nowhere and probably without a decent pub as well! It seemed to Vincent that it was a little over the top to send the Turks to watch over a couple of scientists! Still, Vincent Valentine went where the paycheck told him to, and if that was some deadbeat, desolate, red-neck town; then so be it! No challenge too big or too small for the Turks!
Yepp, Nibelheim was a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Great, Vincent thought as his fellow Turks groaned as well. He glanced over as a dark haired man came their way.
"Turks, I assume," the man said, and Vincent nodded. The white lab-coat revealed him as one of the scientists, along with his thin frame and glasses he fitted the category perfectly. At least this meant the assignment would go without a hitch. Vincent couldn't see what a couple of geeks could conjure up of trouble.
It was the second day when he was delivering some supplies to the mansion when Vincent glanced over as the door to the underground lab opened.
She was so beautiful.
For several seconds Vincent forgot time and place, merely staring at the woman walking over to the pale man called Hojo and began discussing something about their project. She had long, amazingly chestnut coloured hair in a pony tail and the most breathtaking eyes Vincent had ever seen.
Her outfit was plain and her lab coat hid much of her from Vincents roaming eyes, but something told him she was just as perfect underneath the too big coat.
Sensing his eyes on her, the woman suddenly gazed straight over at him and her eyes pierced into his.
So beautiful!
There were three great scientists on the project; the scrawny Hojo, the brilliant Professor Gast and the woman who stole his heart at first glance!
Pain. Piercing stabs in his head. Monsters howling. Can't... BREATHE...!
He had to make her his! He would do anything! After all; she was perfect! Beautiful like a spring day and razor sharp intelligent!
Vincent began to hang around to pick up any assignment that would put him inside the mansion, and soon realised she was looking at him as well.
At first it made a twinge of jealousy go through him whenever Vincent saw her with Hojo, stroking his arm or laughing at something he said, but knew it wouldn't matter in the end. They were meant to be together!
Lucrecia.
Even her name was beautiful.
When she learned his name, she made it sound beautiful as well. Speaking it in such a soft, intimate way. Vincent could listen to her voice forever. He lived and breathed for the minutes they got together, when she would greet him if they met in the town, or wink at him when Hojo had his back to them.
The science project was her first priority and Vincent respected that. Hell, he was pretty into his own job, so how could he blame her?
Then she agreed to go out with him.
The happiest and most glorious evening of his life.
His heart nearly stopped when her lips softly met his at the door to the mansion, and Vincent knew he'd never love anyone else.
No! Stop it!
-
Hojo began to send him odd glances, and Vincent knew the man had heard about him dating Lucrecia. What was up with the looks anyway? It wasn't like Hojo owned her or anything! Her flirting with the fragile looking man was only out of kindness!
Still, he couldn't help sending a vile look Hojo's way once in a while as he saw Lucrecia too intimate with her co-worker then he liked.
Bitter-sweet days. Glorious days with Lucrecia. Gloomy days without her.
She would not reveal what the great secret about their project was, but her eyes shone with excitement whenever she mentioned it.
Vincent loved how brilliant she was!
And one night the door to his room opened, making Vincent squint tiredly against the stream of light.
His heart jumped as he realised who it was, but Lucrecia shut the door quietly and walked over to him without a word.
That night Vincent found Heaven, and the very next day he found Hell.
She wouldn't quite explain why Vincent had walked in to find her kissing Hojo, but her hands calmed him and her eyes told him she only cared for him.
Every day he fell deeper in love with her radiant beauty and her genius, and Vincent began to dream about a future they could have.
Some nights she would come to his room leading him to Heaven, and Hell would follow as it could go days between when he saw her, leaving Vincent to grow impatient.
ShinRa demanded progress in the damned project, and Lucrecia spent even more time with Hojo then him...
Vincent bought the ring.
STOP! ENOUGH!
Her eyes were locked on the ring, wide with surprise and wonder. Then something flickered in them, and she met his anxious gaze.
It was over, she said. She couldn't see him anymore. She loved someone else.
Vincent watched her leave, letting the ring fall to the ground and numbness spread through him.
Her eyes had glimmered with tears as she spun around, he was sure of it.
She was in love with someone else... Vincent swallowed hard, wondering at the intense pain that came with a broken heart, then glanced over at the mansion.
-
He wasn't surprised to hear she had moved in with Hojo, but was surprised at the intense pain to hear she was pregnant with the scientist.
Even more hurt to see them kissing by the town gate.
If she is happy then... I don't mind, he thought absently...
Still, when she asked him to stay, Vincent agreed.
"I'll protect you," he promised, and Lucrecia kissed his lips just as softly as before.
The next months he spent holding her hair as she threw up, brought the food she craved and kept her company as Hojo and the others worked in the underground lab for days.
Vincent trembled with awe as she placed his hands on her big stomach and he felt the movements underneath his palms.
"We're going to call him Sephiroth," Lucrecia told him, and Vincent almost flinched.
We.
Her and Hojo.
Not him and Lucrecia.
Then everything went wrong!
Stop! ...please... no more... hurts too much...
She'd been sick for weeks now. Growing thinner and paler by each day.
There was no way to explain the feeling when Vincent realised the great secret project was in fact the very child Lucrecia was carrying!
Vincent nearly panicked, but she wouldn't hear it. Told him he didn't understand. That she would be ok. She didn't need a damn babysitter just yet!
He tried to reason with them, both Hojo and Lucrecia.
"I'm against it!" He cried out as he gazed from the pale scientists to the woman he still loved, "why experiment on humans!"
Hojo sent him a malignant look behind his glasses, "she and I are both scientists!"
Then that horrible day...
-
Vincent heard about Lucrecia's collapse. His heart hammering wildly as he ran up to the mansion, cursing himself for seeing but doing nothing all this time!
Yet he refused to believe it could be too late...
Lucrecia was dying by the time he was by her side and he watched her breathe her last.
Raw pain shot through him, and anger flooded his mind.
Without thinking what he was going to do, Vincent stalked down to the underground laboratory and slammed the door open.
"Lucrecia is dead," Vincent declared in a strained voice to the cool look he received from Hojo.
The scientist did not appear surprised and merely raised his eyebrow a notch, "yes, I knew that was one very likely option."
Vincent felt nauseous, "you killed her."
Eyes narrowing, Hojo sneered despicably, "she knew the dangers. She agreed to this herself! In fact, it was her suggestion!"
Anger exploding, Vincent flung out every foul insult and accusation he had. Hojo hadn't only killed Lucrecia, he was going to lie about her too? It was too much!
Hojo grew more and more agitated, and finally clutched his hair in rage.
If Vincent had been thinking clearly he would have seen the danger signs, but sorrow and fury clouded his mind and he didn't even see Hojo pull his gun.
The bullet rammed into his stomach and Vincent fell to his knees with a pained gasp of surprise.
Gazing at Hojo, he managed a weak smile. Hojo was now sending Vincent to join Lucrecia, and maybe in death they could have what they was deprived of in life...
Vincent fell and everything went black...
Vincent was awake, yet couldn't open his eyes. Aware, but unable to move.
"Yes, my love. Soon, my love," Hojo whispered to someone, and Vincent felt a needle enter his arm.
He wasn't dead? This had to be some nightmare...!
A low laugh told him it wasn't and Vincent felt Hojo crawl up to place one leg on each side of his hips and crouch down to peer at his face.
"I am a monster, Mr Valentine? We shall soon see about that... And idleness is a sin too, you know... " Moist fingertips ran from Vincents forhead down to his lips, and there was the taste of blood. "I always thought of you as nuisance, but now you might prove yourself a nice experiment after all!"
Vincent was panicking, trying to will his limbs to move.
Hojo's hand moved over Vincent's chest, and the former Turk numbly realised his shirt was gone.
"She liked your pretty face, you know," the scientist murmured, slightly distant in some memory. "That was why she kept you around. A pretty face and a willing body."
Anger flared again, and Vincent tried to speak in vain. How dared he talk about Lucrecia in that way?! He was going to die for that!
The fury didn't decrease as he felt Hojo's lips to his, but fear tingled down his spine as the scientist got up.
"Let's get to work, shall we, Valentine?" Hojo said as he jumped down to the floor, "good night and pleasant dreams!"
A needle went into his arm and surge of pain shot through Vincent, making him arch of the operating table with a mute scream as voices began to howl inside his head.
Dreams? No, this was a nightmare!
To wake up to see what had been done to him... It was almost a relief to be shot up with tranquilizers and placed inside a coffin to suffer the nightmares again.
He deserved it. He had sinned too. Idleness was a sin. He'd watched and done nothing.
Vincent Valentine had only changed into a monster on the outside, he'd always been a monster inside...
I'm so sorry, Lucrecia... So sorry...
-
A monster... a monster that deserves to die... Hojo was dead, there was no reason for him to continue, was there...?
All Vincent had to do was let go... It would be so easy...
he could just let go of the pain and suffering, slip into blissful darkness...
So close... so tempting...
Vincent thought he heard voices... Distant voices calling his name... Another dream? No, they seemed too real... Familiar voices...
"Vincent...? Can you hear me?" A female voice. Lucrecia? No... not Lucrecia... Tifa... "Vincent...?"
Suddenly Vincent became aware that he couldn't breathe and his entire body heaved. Liquid rushed from his lungs, leaving Vincent to cough and gasp for air.
He felt himself beeing guided with gentle hands, sinking down to his knees on the floor and the air felt cold against his damp skin. So hard to breathe! He heaved again as his body fought desperately to stabilize itself.
"That's it, Vincent," Tifa kneeled down beside him, stroking his back. "Come back to us."
Vincent forced his eyes open, and years of practice allowed him to will himself calm. His sight was blurry and he felt like throwing up, but forced the feeling away. Drawing a final shivering breath, he raised his head slightly, meeting Tifas worried eyes.
"You shouldn't have come for me," Vincent said, his voice barely audible.
"We never leave a friend behind," Cloud said, kneeling beside him as well.
Tifa nodded, and stroke away a wet lock of Vincents hair from his face.
"Not to be a party-break here," Rufus muttered, turning away, "but shouldn't we get out of here before reinforcements arrive?"
Glancing around, Vincent realised they were in the underground lab in the ShinRa mansion. That cursed place!
He'd been placed in some tank, and there was a green liquid pooling on the floor where he was kneeling.
Barret snorted and glared over at the ex-president. "I never thought I would hear myself say this; but the brat is right. We should shake a leg."
Cloud nodded and placed a hand on Vincents shoulder. "Can you walk?"
His entire body shook with weakness, but the former Turk nodded. He recognized the place from his nightmares and the tank he'd been placed in still loomed behind him. Here his life had ended once, and now it nearly had ended for good. Vincent had no idea what they had done to him this time, but his head was reeling.
Everybody started as Yuffie suddenly came running into the room again, carrying a big bundle. "Look what I found!" She exclaimed proudly and dumped it in front of Cloud; Vincents shirt, cape and gun, along with Rufus' and Tifas weapons.
Vincent quickly took a hold of his shirt and forced himself to stand up.
"Here," Tifa offered and reached out to help him on with the shirt.
The thought of her placing her hands on his tainted skin made Vincent jerk away from her touch and shook his head. "I'll manage."
Blinking confused, Tifa let her hands sink; "Okay..." She glanced over as someone nudged her shoulder, and numbly accepted her fighting gloves that Rufus handed her.
"Come on," Cloud said quietly, "Red is waiting outside Nibelheim with chocobos..."
Vincent numbly pulled his shirt on over his damp skin, wanting to hide his hideous body from their eyes. It was so easy to forget he was a monster in their presence, their warm friendship and closeness. But he couldn't change his pale skin, the golden claw or the abnormal eyes that told of the beasts lurking inside him.
The room nearly choked him, and Vincent had to get out. Get out of this room. Get out of the mansion. The mansion of nightmares!