The Story of Victoria Strife

Chapter 4: Echoes of the Past

The interior of the Shinra Facility was cold, sterile, and eerily silent. Metal corridors stretched out like endless veins, with dim fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, casting a pale glow on the steel walls.  Victoria moved cautiously alongside Vincent, her senses alert to any sign of movement. But as they ventured deeper, it wasn't just the present danger that weighed on her. The metallic scent of the facility, the hum of machinery, it all stirred something inside her-memories she had buried for years, buried deep enough that she had almost convinced herself they didn't exist.

But they did. And now, here, they clawed their way back to the surface.

Vincent must have sensed her tension. He shot a glance in her direction, his crimson eyes filled with quiet concern, but he said nothing. He had a way of understanding her silence, of knowing when words weren't enough. She appreciated that. Right now, she wasn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to.

Each step echoed as they passed rows of locked rooms, the frosted windows hiding what lay behind them. But Victoria knew what places like this held. She had lived it once.

The experiments.

The word alone sent a chill through her. For ten years, from the age of eight until she escaped at eighteen, she had been subjected to Shinra's twisted tests-treated as nothing more than a specimen. The memories came back in flashes as they moved forward, despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.

*"We'll make you stronger."*

*"You're special, Victoria. Different."*

*"Don't fight it."*

The scientists' cold voices echoed in her mind, and she could almost feel the needles piercing her skin, the searing pain as Mako and Jenova cells were injected into her bloodstream, altering her in ways she still didn't fully understand. They'd told her she was being made into something powerful, an experiment to rival the likes of Sephiroth. A tool for Shinra. A weapon.

The truth was, she had felt powerless. Trapped.

The metallic scent of the lab filled her senses now, pulling her deeper into those memories until she could barely distinguish between the past and the present.

Flashback.

She was eight years old, strapped to a cold metal table, the room bathed in harsh white light. Her small hands trembled as she tried to pull free from the restraints, but they wouldn't budge. The voices of the scientists buzzed around her, emotionless, as if they weren't about the change her life forever. She had screamed, but no one came to help. No one ever did.

"Subject 37 is ready for the next round of infusions."

"Proceed."

The pain was sharp, unbearable. A burning sensation spread through her veins, and she could hear the hum of machinery as the Mako energy surged into her body. Her vision blurred, and the world around her started to spin, but she held onto one thought, one name.

Cloud.

Her brother. He was out there, somewhere. She didn't know where, but she knew he wouldn't abandon her. He couldn't know what they were doing to her, her hope began to fade. And so, she did what she had to do. She Survived.

End of Flashback.

"Victoria," Vincent's voice broke through the fog of her memories, bringing her back to the present. His hand was on her shoulder, grounding her in the here and now. "We need to keep moving."

She blinked, shaking her head slightly as the lab disappeared from her mind. Her breathing was shallow, her heart pounding. She hadn't even realized she had stopped walking. Vincent's gaze was steady, filled with concern, but he didn't press her. He never did.