"Okay. Plan’s set," Cid said, hanging up the phone. That was actually quite and overstatement. Only a politician would consider how little Cid and his friends had decided on an actual ‘plan.’ "Who’s going to bail out on bailing Vincent out?"
None of the crew said anything.
"Who’s gonna squeal?"
No one did anything. Everyone in the crew had been friends with each other and with Cid since they were all little. They had learned to swear together, they had thrown rocks at girls together. They had all been grounded, given detention, avoided being arrested and failed to avoid being arrested together. All before college. They’d helped Cid steal his ship back, they’d helped hide Cloud and the others when they were technically fugitives, they’d flown after insane aliens together. For them, since they were all friends, and more importantly, men; ratting one of them out was worse than chickening themselves out.
"Who’s not admitting anything because they know I’m gonna break their nose?"
Someone raised their hand.
"Okay, what the fuck is your problem with all this?"
"Actually, I’m fine with it. I was just wondering if I could use the bathroom before we started."
* * * * *
"Hey, I think there’s only three aces in this deck," Dr. Kaines commented to himself. After two hours of coaxing and talking, the only reaction he’d gotten out of Vincent was a sneeze, and he was damn sure that was involuntary. He hadn’t gotten Vincent to eat and, despite the frequent shivers, he was unable to convince Vincent to stay warm under the blanket. Dr. Kaines was now spending his time in a more productive manner: trying to toss cards into his empty lunch bag. "I wondered why I always lost at poker with these cards."
He looked up—not noticing he’d landed a three in the bag absolutely perfectly—as he heard a crashing and thudding sounds behind the door, along with a muffled scream or two.
"What the bloody hell is—"
The door crashed open and landed on the floor and Cid walking in, followed by the others.
"I thought I locked that! Hey, I know you!" he yelled, standing up.
"Yeah, well, it’s a shitty lock. Buy a new one," Cid said. "And it’s a shitty door, too."
"Who are all these—" he was cut off as one of Cid’s friends picked him up and slammed him against the wall.
"Do you know who I am?" Reeve asked, pressing his face—which had to have had the angriest expression the doctor had ever seen outside of his wife remembering their anniversary and he hadn’t—in the doctor’s.
"Tresspassers?"
There was a loud blast of bullets flying off the glass of the window before Barret swore. "Damnit, it worked last time!"
"Make him stop!" Dr. Kaines yelled, pointing to Barret.
"No, YOU stop!" Reeve yelled.
"Stop what? I’m following regulations!"
"What regulations?"
"Article eighty-six, section nineteen, subparagraph 11136-B. Teratogens with humanoid physiques and personalities are to be kept isolated from the principal human populace in accordance with specifications pertaining to…"
Cloud scratched his head at all the big words. Tifa watched the door—it was more like standing in the doorway and glaring at the doctor and not looking down the hall. Barret grumbled and tried to think of a way to damage the glass.
"Hey," Barret said, punching Cid in the arm with his elbow. Barret pointed to Vincent, who was sitting up and pressing his hands against the window as he looked around and tried to understand what was going on.
Cid and Vincent exchanged a glance through the thick window as Cid knelt down, making himself level with Vincent. He placed his gloved hands on the glass, over Vincent’s mismatched ones.
He saw Vincent’s lips move, his eyes following something, but he didn’t hear anything at all.
"What’d he say?" Barret asked.
"Dunno."
"Maybe this’ll help," Cloud said, and pushed the button for the microphone.
"Hey, that’s delicate equipment!" Dr. Kaines yelled.
"—the door!" Vincent said.
"You got it!" Barret yelled.
Vincent screamed as bullets riddled through the door the door, raining pieces of thick plastic on him.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing?"
Reeve slammed him against the wall again. "I’m asking the questions here."
"No you’re not. You’re strangling me."
"I’m doing both."
"Can’t you ask questions without strangling me?"
"No."
"No! Not yet!" Vincent yelled as Cid tore the miniature microphone off him.
"Why the hell not, we’re getting’ you the fuck outta this dump!" Barret yelled.
"His collar’ll go off!" Dr. Kaines yelled.
"What collar?" Reeve yelled.
"Shock collar. Electric fence. It’s the best restraining device we could get on this pathetic budget thanks to the stupid mayor."
"I am that stupid mayor!"
"…oh."
"Vincent, hold still!" Cid yelled. "It’s just a screwdriver! Stop squirming damnit, I’m gonna get that fucking piece of junk off ya!"
"Leave him alone, he’s dangerous!" Dr. Kaines yelled. "Mr. Mayor, can you get your fingernails off my trachea?"
"Of course he’s dangerous to people who treat ‘im like crap," Barret yelled.
"This is inhumane!" Reeve yelled.
"Inhumane? That is not human! We’ve run blood tests! He FLEW through a window of a hospital and metamorphosed. His mako-saturation content is fifty-three times over what would kill a normal man. You’re trying to tell me, after all that shit with Sephiroth, a simple dog collar and some bullet-proof glass is inhu—"
Reeve punched him in the face.
"Oh, real professional, Mr. Mayor."
"We’ve got trouble," Tifa said.
"Bring it on," Barret said.
Cid tore the collar from Vincent’s neck and helped him stand up.
Vincent rubbed his neck with one hand and took the Death Penalty from Cid with the other.
"You’re not getting away with this!"
"No, YOU are not getting away with this!" Reeve yelled, finally dropping him.
The doctor landed on his ass on the floor.
"I will not have a facility like this in my city!"
"This is out of your jurisdiction!"
"This is my city, this is my facility and that is my friend!"
"THAT is some sort of monster!"
Someone’s gun went off. Everyone turned in the direction the shot came from. Their eyes were all on Vincent as he slumped against the window and ran his hand over his sweaty forehead.
Dr. Kaines pressed his hand to his shoulder and winced. "Ow."