A deadly little game of Marco-Polo

[puisne_turk]

Who: Elena | Sephiroth | Remnants (?)
When: Day 60 - afternoon
Location: Shinra Manor, Nibelheim
Rating: PG-13 / R (depending on the level of gore)
Summary: Elena finally makes it to Nibelheim and her first stop in her search is Shinra Manor.

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[puisne_turk]

Truth be told, Elena had harbored a secret curiosity about the infamous Shinra Manor. Though the exact nature of the experiments had been classified - and she'd been displeased to discover that even her level of security clearance would not grant her access to the files - it was obvious that it had been so loaded with moral and ethical questions that it was kept out of the public eye. Of course, of the public ever learned that Shinra had created Sephiroth, had created the vampire/monster/man Vincent Valentine, and had been the source of so much trouble... Well, Shinra was still used as an insult, a derogatory term that is spat out as if the word itself was vile and disgusting. Even with Rufus' leanings toward helping restore the planet with the WRO, it would take some time for the public view of the fallen company, and the fallen man, to change.

The majority of the house was not as bad as the front foyer and rooms. There were less bodies, less blood and destruction, that had kept her prying eyes and hands at bay. With bolder actions, Elena dug deeper in search of clues. A safe in the back left side of the house had been cracked open, its contents taken. Plants in the small greenhouse flourished with surprising ferocity, despite the lack of inhabitants. Really, it was the only place in the entire house with life in it.

And then there was the basement.

Elena had stopped at the 'hidden' doorway, which had been pushed open with what looked like bloodied hands. A thin eyebrow lifted as she leaned in, staring down into the shaft with uncertainty. The wooden steps looked old and frail, potentially unable to hold up even her meager weight. A carefully placed step was first of many as she descended into the darkness below, a hand always firmly gripped onto the wall in case a plank gave way. The other, gripping the tiny flashlight hanging from her keychain, illuminated her path. The smell here was much different than the house above. It was damp, the air thick with the smell of moss and dirt. There was, of course, the distinct odor of something rock or concrete. In fact, it was almost a metallic smell that she couldn't quite distinguish.

At the foot of the stairs, Elena could see the faint light coming from a cracked door. Its light, while looking of a beam of hope out of the dank tunnel, could also be mistaken for a trick to one’s own doom. Like descending the stairs, each step was again carefully and methodically chosen, her hands withdrawing her firearm and holding it steady, always pointed forward as she passed nooks in the wall and any other place where a person could wait to ambush unsuspecting visitors.

Come out, come out...wherever you are...

Stopping just outside the door, Elena peeked in though the small crack allowed. It was hard to see if anybody was inside, with what little view she could angle herself into getting. Lips pursed in frustration. She really ought to call Tseng. This was dangerous. Stupid too. But really, what were the odds of Sephiroth remaining behind after everything that had occurred here? Slim to none, at best. Nudging her toe in the opening, Elena pressed her back against the wall beside the door and, slowly, eased the door open. As the door widened, the light spilled forward into the tunnel, exposing a few bones, two unhappy rats, and a certain x-shaped peice of leather that looked a lot like -

Oh shhhiit.

Holding firm, Elena's eyes snapped from the leather to the door, then back again. Either Sephiroth had lost the article from the fight earlier as fled down here to get whatever he needed (Oh yes, that makes loads of sense, Elena.) or...she walked into a well contained room with one entrance, one exit, and a disadvantage.

Fuck. Fuck fuckity fuck-fuck.

((OOC: Wanted to leave room for some OMG! moments. Sorry for the delay in response.))