A Rose By Any Other Name Page 2

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  FILE SUBJECT: VINCENT VALENTINE

  Natalie blinked when the file access suddenly opened onto the blue screen of the computer. "What's this?" She clicked the file and began reading. All color drained from her face, tears burned, but she forced herself to take those notes of information important for her research. "Oh my god. Why did he do this to you? Why?" But why had Hojo done any of his experiments? She shook her head and backed out of the file, perusing the other links to see if there was something more.

  PERSONAL INFORMATION: VINCENT VALENTINE

  Natalie clicked on the link, hoping for something more pleasant inside--"No family?" A tear escaped, but she brushed it away. "Oh Vincent--"

  The door slammed open.

  Natalie startled, nearly falling out of her chair in the process. Cloud strode further into the room, blue eyes flashing. He dragged her chair from the computer before reaching down to yank the cord from its power supply.

  "Stop!" But too late. The monitor blackened, all progress lost, save those shorthand notes scribbled onto a faded desk pad.

  Cloud waved the cord at her, his features twisted in a scowl. Natalie found herself taking an involuntary step backward. "This is against the law!" He threw the cord to the ground and grabbed her arm, dragging her none too gently toward the lab exit. All protests and explanations were ignored. "I don't care if you're a scientist. I don't care if you knew what you were doing. That experiment is none of your business!"

  "I wasn't researching that blasted experiment!" She wriggled her arm, twisting and pulling in an effort to free herself. "I was only trying to discover information about--"

  "I don't care. That computer runs on Mako, and you could be in big trouble for using it. Just be glad I found you. I'm willing to forget it even happened, but Barret would make you an example to the other idiots of the world."

  Natalie finally twisted her arm from his grasp with a wince and cry. "It doesn't matter if Sephiroth himself found me. You had no right to go bursting in and ruin all the hard-earned progress I made. You have no idea what I was in the process of doing, and now it's ruined! Perhaps gone forever if you corrupted the hard drive!"

  Cloud attempted to grab her arm again, but she avoided his grasp. "Like I said, professor or doctor or whatever you are, I don't care. Everything about Hojo, Gast, and Shinra needs to stay where it is. Do you have any idea what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands?"

  "I'm willing to take that risk," Natalie snapped. "I didn't have plans on telling anyone about it! Vincent was the one who--"

  "Vincent?" Cloud's eyes darkened. "Vincent told you about that place?"

  Natalie turned away, arms crossed and chin lifted in mute defiance. Vincent and Tifa approached.

  "What's going on?" Tifa asked.

  "What the hell were you thinking?" Cloud snarled as he jammed a finger in Vincent's chest. "You had no business showing her that place."

  Vincent stared down at Cloud's finger, only making a move when Natalie took a menacing step toward the ex-SOLDIER. Vincent enfolded her upper arm in a firm yet gentle grip, halting her progress. Natalie clicked her mouth shut, eyes flashing emerald.

  Vincent finally raised his gaze. "She needed a lab."

  "She needed a lab? She needed a lab?" Cloud gestured back at the door to the laboratory. "So you just waltz her in there, no problem?"

  Tifa rested a hand on Cloud's arm. "Calm down."

  "There was no harm planned," Vincent countered, his hand still holding Natalie's arm. Her green eyes flashed with fire and rage, but she kept silent.

  "No harm--How do you know what the hell she planned? You don't know her from Jenova and you think you have--"

  "Cloud." Tifa pushed at his arm. "I think you better walk this off before you say anything you regret."

  He glared down at her.

  Natalie clenched her jaw, lifting her arm from Vincent's hold. His fingers immediately opened. "For your information, Mr. Strife, my research on reversing Hojo's alteration of Vincent has nothing to do with you! Now if there's harm to the planet by doing said research, then so be it. I have no intention of turning my back on him when there is a possibility I can help." She stepped toe-to-toe with Cloud, her finger pressed into his chest. "And just so you understand the gravity of the situation, if given the choice between this planet and the research you likely destroyed, I would choose Vincent and that computer!"

  With that, she turned on her heel, shoved past both Tifa and Vincent, and strode from the basement without a single backward glance. Tifa glared at Vincent and Cloud, arms crossed. Cloud swore and punched the nearest wall. Vincent appeared a bit more pale than usual.

  "You always did have a flair for picking a fight." Tifa shook her head. "I thought you'd grown out of it."

  Cloud ignored her. Instead, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He looked to Vincent. "Sorry, Vincent. I didn't know."

  "Yeah? Well you didn't ask either," Tifa pressed.

  Cloud met her gaze. "Okay, Tifa. I get your point. Back off."

  "Fine. I'll go talk to Natalie, then." She hurried away.

  Cloud shifted his focus to Vincent, who stood as rigid as before. "So is she right? Is there a cure for whatever Hojo did?"

  Vincent shifted his gaze from the wall to the corridor leading to the spiral staircase. "I do not know."

  "What about what she said? About trying to find a way of undoing it."

  "I know what she said."

  "Didn't she tell you anything about it?"

  "She said she had an idea." Vincent's voice sounded strained.

  "An idea, huh?" Cloud ran a hand through his spiked blond hair before looking back to the lab. "I never wanted to see that place again, and now I'm going to end up fixing it so she can use a Shinra invention without screwing up the planet." He shrugged suddenly. "Oh hell. Why not." Cloud pushed from the wall to disappear inside the lab.

  Vincent stared down the corridor after Natalie. Then he moved his gaze to the door of the room that housed his coffin. He stepped inside, blankly staring at the large black box. ' . . .an idea I've been toying with . . . I care--' He disappeared within, closing the cover tightly after him. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, grateful for the ever-familiar oppressive blackness that submerged his mind into nothingness . . .

  . . .and the nightmares . . .