Keys to the Past

Chapter 8

Reno called Rufus as he and Rude traveled back to Shinra’s secret headquarters.

“Hey Boss we found her, but she has a lot of friends on her side now.”

“Who?” Rufus said.

“Who do you think?”

“Damn it. She must have told them where that secret lab is. We need to get her away from them. Meet with Tseng and Elena, and do whatever the fuck you have to do. Just bring her to me.”

“Will do Boss. Oh, by the way, she’s much prettier up close. After you get the info from her, you should beat her for being insolent.”

“Really, and why is that Reno? Did she piss you off?”

“Yeah, she tried to force herself on me to save her friends. I think you’re going to have a hard time with this one Boss.”

“She tried to force herself on you? I think it was the other way around. I want her untouched when she is brought here, otherwise I will have the balls of whoever touched her. Is this clear Reno?”

“Yeah Boss, very clear. We’ll call you when we have her.”

“Good, be sure that you do that.”

Hanging up on Rufus, Reno sighed. “Sometimes I wonder why we work for that for that son of a bitch.,” he said.

“It pays the bills buddy. What did that girl do to you? I’ve never seen you so pissed before,” Rude said.

“Like I told the Boss, she tried to force herself on me. No woman has ever been able to get one over on me before, that’s what pisses me off, and threatening us… Shit, I really don’t want to deal with Tseng and Elena.”

“Don’t worry about them, I’ll deal with them. You know when that girl put her elbow on me; it felt like she put fire in my blood. There’s something strange about her, and I think you’re right; the Boss is going to have a hard time with her. I think we should stand back and watch what happens.”

“Yeah, I know. Will you call Tseng, and find out where to meet them?”

“Yeah.” Pulling out his cell phone, Rude dialed Tseng, and asked him where to meet them.

The two Turks rode to their destination in silence. When they arrived at the bar, they went inside out of the cold. Tseng and Elena were sitting at a table talking and drinking whiskey. Reno walked over to where they were sitting and plopped himself in an empty chair.

“What’s up with you Reno? You look like you’ve... Hey, where’s your baton?” Elena said.

He looked around, and scratched his head. “Fuck-n-a, I must have left it at Tifa’s bar.”

“Really, how did you do that? You always have it on you. What happened?” Tseng said.

“That strange woman is what happened. I would really like to strangle her, but she’s so hot. Rude even got a buzz from her, and all she did was put her elbow in his neck. Didn’t you get a buzz from her when you touched her hand?”

“I’m not answering that.”

“You can answer that. I would really like to know too. I want to make her suffer, and maybe we can all have some fun with her before we take her to the Boss,” Elena said, and shrugged.

“The Boss threatened any of us who touch her, so if you want to deal with him, then so be it,” Reno said.

Tseng poured Reno and Rude a drink. “Fine, if you want to know the truth. She got me hot, and it got worse as I watched her and Elena fight. I love a woman that can fight like that, and kick ass. There’s something about her I can’t put my finger on. She somehow knew Elena’s moves before she made them. Of course, that could be the influence of the Great Sword fighting style. I met him once. I remember him now. My father fought with him in Wutai. He said that it seemed like the Great Sword Sato was a demon possessed when he fought. This woman could be like that, but I believe she was playing with us. Holding back her full potential.”

“We should quit our yapping and get to work. The Boss said we can use any means necessary to get the woman,” Elena said, annoyance in her voice. “Did you see those kids there? We should kidnap them and hold them for ransom. No one can refuse to help a kid right?”

“Damn Elena, you’ve become a crazy bitch haven’t you. Did you ever think of becoming a dominatrix?” Reno asked.

“Tried it. I’m just too aggressive.”

“Yeah, you would rather flay the flesh from their bodies.” She smiled at him. “That’s my girl, and that’s a very good idea you have. Kidnapping those kids won’t be easy though. We would have to get everyone away from them first.” Tseng said as he gave her a wicked smile.

“We’ll have to do it soon, because they’re leaving ASAP,” Reno said. He pulled out a piece of paper, and drew a diagram of the bar he saw. “I saw the upstairs area. My baton should be in this room here. If they found it, then I can turn on the tracking device in it. We can see if it moves. There’s also a hidden camera in it. I use that for fun. That can give us some indication of where any of them are. We can watch the others from there.”

“Wow Reno, I didn’t know you had could have a great idea like that,” Elena said. “I like it. We should go for it. Tseng, what do you think?”

“It’s all we have to go on right now. We can improvise the rest as we go. The only ones we should truly worry about are Cloud and Valentine. They can do the most damage to us. Lets get it in gear then. It’s getting nasty outside, and that will be to our advantage.”

Drinking the last of their drinks, they got up and headed to watch Tifa’s bar.

~~~~

Tifa walked downstairs with worry in her eyes. “I hope Hikari is going to be ok. She’s changed a lot. The anger in her eyes… We have to do whatever we can to help her. The only time I have seen that much hatred for Shinra in anyone is when we destroyed Sephiroth and Kadaj’s gang,” said Tifa.

“Vincent have you ever seen a power like that? It felt like…Aeris,” Cloud said with sadness, turning to look at Vincent.

Vincent was thinking about the power he had felt. He felt this power before also. “I believe when we get to that secret lab we will find out. I know we will not like what we find. What Hikari may face will be devastating,” Vincent said. He turned and looked at Tifa. “She will need as much support as we can give her. Her hatred for Shinra and the Turks may be her undoing, and we can’t have that happen. This power she has is significant, if she used it’s full potential, she could possibly cause major destruction.”

“So you’re saying she could turn into something like Sephiroth if she doesn’t like what she finds in that lab,” said Cloud.

Vincent nodded.

“We must keep her from using this power where our enemies can see it. If Shinra finds out they will do whatever is necessary to obtain it too,” Vincent said.

“It will be Aeris all over again. They won’t let anything stand in their way,” Cloud stated quietly.

There was silence for the friend they all lost.

Barrett looked up and gave a lopsided grin. “I have a feeling those two will be back with their buddies. If they do come back I’ll put a bullet in their asses. We should get our butts in gear and get to that lab,” Barrett said.

Tifa nodded. “The snow is really coming down. It will hinder us, so we should finish getting the supplies we need. Marlene and Denzel will come with me. Someone will need to stay behind and watch Hikari,” Tifa said.

Vincent was leaning against the wall next to the stairs, arms folded over his chest. “I will stay with her. There is no place for me to be right now,” he said as he pushed away from the wall.

Tifa smiled and nodded. “I will lock the doors and put a sign out telling everyone we’re closed do to some…reconstruction. I’m sure plenty of people have seen either Shinra or the Turks roaming around asking questions,” she said. “Please, feel free to help yourself to the bar Vincent.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s get our asses in gear,” said Yuffie.

~~~~

Everyone left the bar leaving Vincent to his thoughts. He walked over behind the bar and poured himself a stiff drink. He does know this girl from somewhere, but he couldn’t put his finger on where. Sitting down at a table, he closed his eyes, and searched some of the tangled memories from his past. Pulling out the pictures Hikari had given him of his surrogate family, he looked at them, and some of the memories now came back to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

He asked for a day off so he could have time to himself. He did this occasionally, so no one thought anything of it. The small manor his surrogate family lived in was near Nibelheim. He went there as quickly and quietly as he could. He crept to a secret entrance his mentor had told him existed. Pulling out his gun, he looked around watching to make sure no one had followed him. Going through the secret entrance, he stopped, made a sound, and another sound answered back telling him to proceed. Walking up a dirt path towards the house he came upon a terrace. Sitting on the terrace was his mentor, his best friend, and his best friend’s wife. When they were not at headquarters they treated Vincent as family. It made him feel wanted.

“I see you made it Valentine. You said you wished to speak to us about something Shinra is doing. If you would tell us away from headquarters it must bother you immensely. Come up here and sit with us. Have a drink,” said his mentor. The Great Sword Sato was an intimidating man whether he was working or not.

Pulling out a chair, Vincent holstered his gun, and sat down.

“Hojo is working on a new experiment. Gast has found some sort of alien life form, and they plan to use it for experimentation. Not on animals, or monsters, on living people,” Vincent said after he downed the drink given to him.

“We know about the Jenova project, and Hojo wants us to help with it. We were under the impression that we were only going to use animals and monsters. If he is going to use living people, then we will not stand by and let him do that. I will have to do some sneaky research to see what he is really doing,” said Dr. Sato. This man was his best friend, like a brother to him.

“Do you know any more specifics about the project, so that we can see what we are up against? How did you find these things out Vincent? You know they will get you killed,” said the Lady Sato. His best friends wife, such a sweet lady, and she didn’t take shit from anyone including her husband and his father.

“Lucretia told me… She has told me these things in confidence. She is excited about the project. I don’t like the feelings I’m getting about this, so I needed to talk to someone I could trust. I’ve already made it clear to Hojo that this wrong, and that others will think so too. I’m going to try to get Lucretia away from him when I can. I may have to kill him to do it. I will need your help though.”

“We’ll do what we can. President Shinra is pressuring my wife to leave me and marry him, again. I would love to kill that prick son of a bitch…”

Lady Sato interrupted and said, “Look gentleman, we can’t bring anymore attention to ourselves. If we do we will all better kiss our butts goodbye. I don’t even think President Shinra could save any of us if Hojo wanted to kill us. That bastard gives me the creeps. I will try to talk to Lucretia. Maybe she will listen to me. Ok Vince?”

He nodded, and Lady Sato poured him another drink. He slammed it down quickly wanting to feel it burn his throat. He smiled at his surrogate family knowing they would help however they could. They terrible feeling he had was growing day by day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vincent poured another drink, and was about to drink it when he heard Hikari coming out of the kitchen cussing. It reminded him of her grandfather.

“Would you like some hot chocolate?”

He shook his head no. She took off her cloak, and hung it on the chair next to him. She then walked behind the bar, and searched for what she needed. She made a large pot of hot chocolate, and started to measure some alcohol. She poured the alcohol into the large mug, and filled it with hot chocolate. She walked over to where he sat, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
“It’s your loss you know.”

He looked at her with a question in his eyes.

She sipped the drink, stared at him, and tried to make small talk. “It’s funny how I can wield a sword, or kick someone’s butt, but I can’t use a simple kitchen knife without cutting myself. It’s so cold today. Hot chocolate is the best to warm you up, especially if you add peppermint, or raspberry liqueur to it.” She sat the cup down on the table, and tried to relax. He stared right back with those crimson eyes. Grandfather tried to stare her down on several occasions, but never succeeded. The man was really intimidating. She saw the pictures on the table, and pulled them over in front of her. “If it doesn’t bother you too much, can you… tell me what you remember about my parents?”

He sat up straight when she asked this.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s just; you’re a link to my past. Grandfather would talk about you all the time. Especially when he found out you were still alive.”

“I do not wish to speak of the past. What is done is done. There is no point in bringing up the past. Please do not ask me again,” he said with a quiet detachment.

She shrugged her shoulders, and leaned back in the chair. She tried to think of something else to talk about.

“I had a dream after I fainted. I didn’t think anything of it until now. There was a voice. I must be going crazy or something.”

“Tell me what you saw in the dream.”

That got his interest.

“I was in some sort of laboratory, and I was encased in a glass tube filled with what looked like a clear green fluid. I couldn’t break the tube, I tried to call my sword, but it would not appear. That’s when I heard the voice. Whoever this voice belongs to released me somehow. I felt as if this body wasn’t mine, and felt another presence inside it with me. I can’t tell if it’s the future, or if it’s someone out there I’m connected to that’s being controlled. It used my computer skills to release the person with the voice. I couldn’t stop it. The voice said to release it, and come to it. It said I would know the way. The vision blacked out, and I felt like I was falling into that blackness. Then I woke up. I don’t feel compelled to go that voice at all, as a matter of fact; I want to run away from it. As far away as possible.”

Looking deep in to his eyes she saw coldness. She frowned. “What have I done to make you look at me so coldly?” she asked.

“This voice, was it male or female? Have you heard it before?”

“Male, and no I haven’t heard it before.”

He turned away from her. “What happened since your Grandfather died? I want you tell me everything you have done since then up until we met.”

“After he died I took his body to Cosmo Canyon, and burned it. I went back to Grandfather’s house, and put his ashes in a safe place. I went to bed late, and got up the next afternoon. I prepared to leave for the Halcyon ruins, and was greeted by some Turks. I got into a fight with Elena, she shot me, and when I got away I went straight to Nanaki at the observatory. From there Nanaki and I got onto the Sierra, and I have been with them until I got here.”

“You have no lapse in your memory? Nothing to make you think you were in that lab before?”

“No, nothing.”

His eyes penetrated hers deeply. Searching for something, as if he could read her mind. “You are right, you couldn’t have been in that lab. The fluid you described is Mako. Your eyes would be like Clouds if you had been in the fluid. When you heard the voice what exactly did you feel?”

“I felt as if I were freezing, and would never get warm again. As if… I were dying. I don’t like this feeling.”

He nodded. “Do not tell anyone about this voice, or the vision. It would not bode well for you. Let me know if it happens again. Have some real alcohol, it will calm you.”

“Maybe I can get you drunk enough to loosen your tongue, and relax,” she said as she sipped some more of her hot chocolate.

He looked at her in a new light when she said this. Of course he could handle a lot of liquor, so she would have to wait a long time to see him drunk. The past few years with all that’s happened, he would disappear, and drink himself into a stupor. He poured another drink.

“You are such are so distant like Grandfather was. I can’t remember him ever being happy. It made him a bitter old man. You are never going to enjoy life if you hide yourself away and don’t live it... but who am I to judge?” She got up and started to walk away, but turned around to retrieve her cloak. She looked at him one more time, then turned and walked to the stairs, and left the room.

“You’re tenacious just like your mother,” he said quietly. He took the pictures, and put them in his pocket. Looking at the mug she left, he picked it up, and took a sip. This was familiar to him. Hikari’s mother enjoyed it, forced him to try it, and from then on he was hooked. The chocolate and raspberries brought back some fond memories. Where did Hikari learn how to make this?