Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Unknown Ally ❯ Chapter 5: Dr. Isolda Charis ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Dr. Isolda Charis

 

The scientist's sector was located on one of the higher floors of the building. Vincent walked through the wooden doors and saw it was a huge laboratory with beakers and other instruments strewn across the benches. A large stack of books sat on the desk in the far corner of the room, a few of them open to different pages. He looked around, memories of his torture fresh in his mind.

 

`Who is that?'

 

A velvety voice floated through the room and Vincent turned to see a surprisingly young woman with silver hair and eyes walking into the room. She wore a singlet of the deepest crimson and a crimson and purple skirt that stopped just above her knees, revealing long, shapely legs. A white lab coat and a pair of crimson heels completed the outfit. She seemed to stop dead in her tracks the moment she saw him. A look of great surprise was on her lovely face. The book she held slipped from her hands.

 

`No….' She seemed at a loss for words and it puzzled him.

 

`Huh?'

 

`Why would they send another…?' She lowered her head, an expression of great sadness on her face.

 

`Excuse me?' asked Vincent. She seemed to snap out of her shocked state and looked at him.

 

`Oh! I apologise,' she said softly. `It's just….I've never seen anything like you before. Are you a Turk?'

 

`Yes, ma'am,' replied Vincent. `Hunter Ephraim, reporting for duty. I've been assigned your protection.'

 

She smiled brilliantly and held out her hand to him. `Isolda Charis. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ephraim.'

 

He took her hand and a thrill shot through him. He gasped at the shock and quickly withdrew his hand. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but he could have sworn he briefly saw a raven-haired beauty standing before him.

 

`Mr. Ephraim, are you all right?' There was great concern in her voice. He snapped out of it and nodded briefly.

 

`I'm sorry,' he said. `It's just you remind me of someone I know.'

 

She smiled. `Does she live in a freezer too?'

 

`Excuse me?' Vincent frowned.

 

She reached out and touched his hand. Her hands were like ice. Her smile widened.

 

`Sorry if my hand are cold,' she said. `I've been trying to get the maintenance crew to fix that heater for months. Either they're deaf or they just plain ignore me.'

 

Vincent laughed. He didn't know why, but he immediately felt comfortable with this woman. `Let me see what I can do.'

 

`Oh, I don't want to be a bother-`

 

`It wouldn't do any good for Rufus' best researcher to freeze to death,' he said. `Tell me where the maintenance room's located and I'll talk to them.'

 

`I'll do better than that.' Isolda picked up the book she'd dropped and set it on the table. `I'll show you myself.'

 

She led Vincent down the hall and into a large room stacked with boxes. The janitors were milling round a small table playing poker and only looked up to see the young scientist and reborn Turk walk in.

 

`See you've decided to come down here,' said one of them slyly.

 

`That heater needs to be fixed, Cusa,' said Isolda firmly. `I didn't come here for your pointless flirtations.'

 

`Oh, I think you did, Dr. Charis,' replied Cusa, taking a step towards her. Vincent stepped in his path and glared at him.

 

`That's close enough,' he growled.

 

`Ah, I see,' murmured Cusa. `So, Rufus has decided to give you a bodyguard after all. My, he's a hell of a looker, isn't he?'

 

`Dr. Charis has given you an order,' said Vincent. `Are you going to comply or am I going to have to send in your supervisor?'

 

Cusa seemed to be cowed by the mention of his supervisor and stepped back from the disguised gunman. `Your heater will be fixed by tomorrow morning, ma'am. I'll put my best man on it.'

 

`Thank you, Cusa.' Isolda nodded and turned on her heel and left the room. Vincent cast the seedy janitor a warning glare and followed his charge to her lab. When they got there, Isolda sighed with relief and laughed.

 

`I guess Rufus was right in choosing you,' said the young scientist. `Though I could have handled it myself.'

 

`Just doing my job, ma'am,' replied Vincent. Isolda laughed.

 

`Let's just call each other by our names, okay?' She smiled. `Even though this is a lab, it's my lab and that means I can do whatever I wish down here.' Her smile turned sly. `Even…' She gently shoved the reborn Turk and he looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

 

`Bug you as much as I want.' Isolda shoved him again.

 

`Hey, stop that,' said Vincent.

 

`Not until I get a smile from you,' she said firmly. `You do know how to smile, right?'

 

`Yes, I do'

 

`Then prove it.' She poked him in the ribs and he doubled over slightly, trying to swat her hand away.

 

`Cut it out.'

 

`Smile.'

 

Another poke.

 

`Stop it.' A smile was tugging at the corners of his lips and he tried to force it back.

 

`Come on, let it loose. Grin like an idiot.'

 

She poked him in rapid succession. He swatted at every attempt but got nowhere. The smile he'd tried to hold back lit up his face as the scientist playfully poked him. She grinned.

 

`There it is!' Laughter rang out through the lab as she looked at him. `You look a lot better when you smile.'

 

He couldn't help but chuckle.

 

`And a laugh! This is going to be fun having you here.' A frown came over her face. Vincent looked at her.

 

`What is it?'

 

`I….I've forgotten your name,' she said, looking a little embarrassed. Vincent smiled.

 

`It's Hunter.'

 

`Okay, Hunter, here's the deal. When you come into my lab or if I find you alone, you are not to call me ma'am or Dr. Charis. Call me Isolda, understand?'

 

He nodded with a laugh.

 

 

`I don't hear an answer.' She put her hand to her ear and leaned forward. Vincent couldn't help it. He laughed.

 

`Yes…Isolda.'