Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Unknown Ally ❯ Chapter 17: Nibelheim Under Siege ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter 17: Nibelheim Under Siege

 

`Cover the sewers! Don't let any of them escape!'

 

A storm of bullets had been leashed upon the WRO squad and three fell under the onslaught. Vincent charged the Deep Ground defences, the murky water turning into rapids as he surged towards the enemy. He leaped into the air and landed behind one of the soldiers, taking him by surprise.

 

`What the hell?!'

 

One of the soldiers barely had time to shout before a bullet wound to the throat brought him down. His comrades began to fire a storm of shots at the approaching assassin, but he didn't seem to be fazed by the attack. He reloaded Cerberus and returned fire. His accuracy astounded the soldiers as they fell dead, one by one. Vincent closed the distance between him and the enemy and his claw flashed as he swiped it across the soldier's face, bringing the soldier down in a shower of blood that spattered his black leather bodysuit. Hearing the commotion caused by the alarm nearby, he reloaded his weapon and surged towards them like a demon from the darkest depths of hell.

 

`Miss Charis! Behind you!'

 

Vincent whirled around at the squad member's shout and saw Deep Ground soldiers surrounded the silver haired scientist. He was shocked to discover that a part of him didn't want her to die. He never thought in a million years that he would ever care for the welfare and life of a ShinRa employee. He heard her words in his head as he watched the young woman face down the soldiers.

 

It was you who made me realise that I've been playing on the side of ShinRa for too long, Vincent Valentine. I've never trusted anyone so completely until I met you. But I didn't realise your hatred for ShinRa ran so deep. I just wanted to be your friend. But you still don't trust me.

 

He felt his heart wrench when he remembered the look in her tear-dazzled eyes and the pain and anguish as she spoke the same words that had been playing in his head since he dreamed of Hellfire for the last time.

 

Don't let your hatred for ShinRa blind you. Trust her!

 

He surged towards the group.

 

The young scientist drew a weapon from the bundle of cloth she held in her arms and whipped off the cover. The gunslinger stared in amazement.

 

In her hand was a long sword mounted with six narrow barrels that were half the length of the blade. The hilt was crafted from jewel-encrusted, steel-reinforced silver and fashioned so it looked like the butt of a gun. The blade was engraved with a goddess with swan wings shooting bolts of fire and lightning from her taloned hands and the barrels were adorned with a silver motif. Isolda pressed a hidden catch behind the trigger. Vincent stared in shock as the weapon split into two swords, both with three barrels and the same hilt design. She gripped the hilts of both blades, pressing more hidden catches. Strange cuffs shaped like crescent moons encircled her forearms and fixed the blades to her arms. She smiled as she examined the blades with satisfaction.

Vincent heard the soldier behind him and whirled around, whipping his leg in a vicious arc and swiping the soldier across the face. Isolda turned her gaze on the soldiers and glared at them as they closed in.

`How do you like this, boys?' She pressed another trigger. On both swords, four more blades sprang out, each of equal length as the main blade. They shot out so fast that they didn't even see them. Five of them were sliced in half while the others jumped back, nursing wounds in either their stomachs or chests. She attacked, moving her arms in a circular motion. The rest of them fell dead. She looked at Vincent and raised the blades, aiming the barrels mounted on them at the gunslinger who fired at the wounded soldier, killing him instantly.

Vincent heard the click of a gun being cocked and turned to see the young scientist had her blade-guns aimed at him. Her eyes were narrowed and her fingers tightened on the triggers. Vincent turned to fully face her and aimed Cerberus at her, his crimson eyes filled with fire. There was a deathly silence.

Five rounds were fired simultaneously from each set of blades, sending a hail of bullets behind him. Vincent heard groans and yelps of pain behind him and turned to see five soldiers fall dead. He turned back to her in surprise. She looked at him.

`Fury,' said Isolda. She pressed a hidden catch and the blades were reduced to twin weapons that were attached to her arms. She pressed the gold stones set into them and they folded back against her arms. `My pride and joy. Even ShinRa didn't know I had this. It's saved my life many times. I couldn't leave it behind.'

Vincent stared at her. She'd just saved his life. And all this time he'd thought she was the enemy. He suddenly felt guilty for doubting her loyalty to him. Even though she'd seen him in his true form, she never wavered once in her loyalty to him. He looked like he was about to say something when shouts rang out through the sewers. Isolda pressed the gold stones and the blades flicked out. Vincent reloaded Cerberus and glanced at her to see she was eyeing him with cool mistrust.

`Are you willing to work with me on this one?' she said. `Even if you do not trust me?' Vincent saw she was genuinely interested in his answer and there was an uneasiness in her silver eyes that spoke of her hurt and fear of his hostility. The gunslinger suddenly reached out and laid a hand on one of hers in a gesture of friendship. Isolda was surprised.

`You were ShinRa,' growled Vincent gently. `But you just attacked Deep Ground, ShinRa's dark secret. That's enough to prove you're WRO now…and to hopefully accept my apology. I was wrong to question your loyalty.'

Isolda looked at though she'd been struck by lightning. She was rendered speechless by his apology. Then she shook herself of her trance and smiled at him.

`That's all I wanted to hear,' she said softly. `Now.' She reloaded her blade-guns and looked at him, an evil smile on her face. `Are you ready to run the gauntlet?'

Vincent laughed, remembering the day they'd trained together. `I'm ready.'

Isolda raised her blades and ran down the sewers, her spiked heels clicking on the submerged pathway. Vincent smiled and followed her, Cerberus in hand.

He heard the metallic snarl of her blades and the screams of the dying Deep Ground soldiers as he turned the corner. Blood spattered the walls as she slashed, stabbed and shot her way through the enemy ranks, her fighting style eerily similar to that of Hellfire's. She ducked beneath the knife of a soldier and spun in a tight circle, her arms outstretched. Her blades sliced through their torsos and they fell dead, their blood staining the murky water a dark crimson. She glared at the dead in disgust.

`When you saw the blades, what did you think was going to happen?' she snarled at the surviving soldier. He didn't answer for he turned tail and ran, clutching what was left of his arm. She fired at the oncoming wave and two fell dead. Vincent rushed the enemy, firing into their ranks and swiping at them with his fearsome claw. One of them screamed as his golden talons raked down the side of the soldier's face. Vincent whipped his leg around in a vicious arc, connecting with one of the soldiers and sending two of them flying.

`Vincent! Look out!' cried Isolda. The gunslinger spun in time to see the scientist leap into the air and plant her spiked heels in the torso of a soldier in front of him, puncturing his lungs in the process. The soldier fell dead, his blood staining the water and she landed in a crouch, her arms out for balance. She rose to her feet and looked at him.

`I thought you were going to duck,' she said.

`Looks like I didn't need to,' said Vincent. She flashed him a smile.

The staccato of bullets and the shouts of the WRO echoed above them. It seemed to be coming from the second floor. They looked at each other.

`Come on!' Vincent ran ahead and Isolda followed. They came to the ladder and he scrambled up it and into a narrow corridor. He glanced back and saw Isolda's slender hand stretched out to him. He grabbed it and pulled her out of the hole. They ran through the corridor, desperately trying to get to the main floor of the mansion. They were just getting to the door to the catacombs when Isolda suddenly grabbed Vincent's arm. Vincent looked at her and saw that she'd stopped, her eyes trained on the walls.

`What is it?' asked the gunslinger.

`Haven't you noticed there is no trace of Deep Ground down here?' she asked. Vincent frowned and glanced around. She was right. It was too quiet. Then the air was filled with the sound of buzzing circuits. They glanced up and saw small orange robots zipping towards them.

`Sentry bots!' spat Isolda. Vincent fired at the bots, bringing two to a complete standstill and causing three more to malfunction. Isolda fired at three of them and they stopped in their tracks. She doubled over in a snarl of pain as a jolt of electricity shot through her. Five of them were spinning around her, debilitating her with searing bolts from the rods on their heads. She could barely swat them back with her swords.

Vincent rushed to her, firing at them and short-circuiting them where they stood. Isolda fell to her knees, her blades folding back against her arms. The gunslinger knelt beside her, concern in his crimson eyes.

`Are you all right?' he asked. Isolda nodded as he helped her climb painfully to her feet. She winced.

`I'll be fine,' she said. `The shock'll wear off soon. Don't worry about me.'

Vincent looked like he wanted to argue with her but she leveled him with a cold glare. Again her behaviour struck him as bearing a great resemblance to that of Hellfire. It puzzled him. Isolda looked around to see if more were coming and looked at him.

`What now?' she asked.

`We keep going,' said Vincent. He led her through the door and they found themselves in the catacombs. They ran through the tunnels, intent on their goal…

A Deep Ground soldier suddenly threw Vincent down. He cursed himself for being so careless and swiped at the soldier before kicking him off. The soldier flew through the open door and Vincent climbed to his feet. Isolda followed him in, her blades out. The gunslinger aimed the barrels at the soldier's head as the Deep Ground infantry rose to his feet. He pulled the trigger and the soldier fell into the coffin he'd hiding in. Vincent took a moment to look around and saw he was in the catacomb mausoleum. Four of the coffins were sealed, but the fifth- the one the soldier had fallen into- was wide open. Vincent felt the sharp stab of pain as he remembered the day he'd awakened from his rest and told he'd been asleep for thirty years and closed his eyes. It had been Cloud and Tifa that had found him there. And it was because of them he'd joined AVALANCHE and adjusted to this world…

`Vincent, are you all right?'

He opened his eyes and saw the young scientist was gazing at him, concern in her silver eyes. He shook off the memories and nodded.

`Yeah,' he said. `We better keep moving.' He led her out of the mausoleum, away from the memories of pain and suffering.