Disclaimer: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Final Fantasy VII or the characters therein, and she is not making money from this.
(Hojo walks in)
Hojo (grins evilly): Ooh, a story about me! Ha, ha, ha, haaaa!
(Vincent enters)
Vincent: I'm in it too!
Hojo (suddenly angry): Do all of us a favor and get lost in a Mako reactor, Neanderthal!
Vincent: Who're you calling 'Neanderthal', Captain Snicker?
(the two disappear into a cloud of dust and black hair)
Lucrecia (enters): Grow up, you two!
Vincent: He started it!
Hojo: He's jealous because I managed to make it to Kit Thespian's top five and he didn't!
Vincent: Am not!
Hojo: Are too! You didn't even make it to the top ten! She likes Cait Sith more than she likes you!
Vincent: Shut up!
Hojo: Do you know the word, 'goober'?
Vincent: Do you know the word, 'Frankenstein'?
(Kit Thespian pops her head in)
Kit Thespian: Guys, this is supposed to be a tragedy, not a circus! Didn't you read the summary?
(Hojo and Vincent stop fighting; cloud of dust and hair disappears.)
Vincent: ...Oh, yeah.
Hojo: Sorry.
Kit Thespian: Sheesh...
Author's note: This is a story of Hojo that could be considered a prequel to the fic "Up a Treehouse". However "Up a Treehouse" is a fairly lighthearted fic, whereas this one is a tragedy. It portrays the slow, horrific transition from a young, innocent Hojo to the Professor Hojo we all know and...well...love/hate. And another thing: this story does not coincide with either Advent Children or Dirge of Cerberus. It only goes with the canon game.
Chapter One
A Good Man, Once...
Hojo looked up at the new Shinra headquarters building and swallowed. A twenty-four year old Ph.D. fresh from college, he had expected to be sent to teach a college science class or perhaps work in a laboratory in a hospital, but not this. Of course, being the top of one's class has its rewards. He only hoped his motion sickness would not be revealed on the elevators.
He managed well on the first few elevators, but then he had to get onto a set of elevators that hung from the side of the building. Buildings had no right to be this tall. There were three other people on the elevator with him, so he could not risk embarrassment by becoming nauseous. He bit his tongue and tried to think pleasant thoughts. A successful experiment...Classical music...A perfect cup of coffee.
His stomach churned, "No, don't think of coffee, whatever you do..."
"Are you okay?" A lady asked. Hojo turned his head and saw a woman, a few inches shorter than himself, and quite lovely. She had dark brown hair, except for a few silver streaks. But she was obviously young, perhaps Hojo's age or younger.
"Why do you ask?" Hojo managed to ask in a perfectly normal voice.
"You look a little green. Not used to glass elevators?"
"Not really, no."
"Where are you headed to?"
Hojo pulled out his access card and looked. "The 68th Floor."
"That's where I'm going. Are you working for Professor Gast?"
"Yes."
"How long have you been here? I've never seen you before."
"This is my first day."
The girl's eyes widened, "Your first day and you're already assisting Gast? I've been here for three years and I've only just gotten to this position. You must be smart..."
Hojo shrugged and smirked, "My lucky day."
They reached the 68th floor. By this time, they were the only ones on the elevator. As they walked through the hall, they were greeted by a man with a brown mustache, shorter than Hojo, in a lab coat. He smiled at the woman,
"Lucrecia, how are you doing today? Nervous on your first day on the 68th floor?"
"A little," Lucrecia replied, "but ready." She said to Hojo, "This is Dr. Gast."
"And you..." Gast surveyed the newcomer, "must be Dr. Hojo, from the University. Am I correct?"
Hojo nodded, "You are."
Gast held out his hand for Hojo to shake. As Hojo took it, he noticed that Gast had a normal grip, not tight like his own. But though his grip wasn't very tight, he shook it a good deal. So, Gast was a weak person physically but with a strong will. Most scientists were.
"Come this way," Gast said, walking towards the room at the end of the hall. Hojo and Lucrecia followed him, but not without looking at each other one more time in silence before proceeding.
Lucrecia smirked, "Doctor Hojo... You're not like the rest of them."
"What do you mean?" Hojo asked.
"Most doctors or Ph.D.s will walk right up to you and say 'I am Doctor so-in-so,' with a heavy emphasis on the 'doctor'. It's like they're insecure about their authority."
"The professors in college were like that... Lucrecia is your name?"
"Yes. No 'Dr.'; just Ms. Lucrecia. You can call me Lucrecia."
"A lovely name." Like you.
"Thank you," Lucrecia smiled and blushed a little.
A few minutes later, Hojo was in the restroom, looking at himself in the mirror. It was plain to tell that Lucrecia had been blushing because of his attentions, and he just couldn't figure it out. He never could. He was by no means an attractive man. Science clearly dictates that females will react sexually to men who are aesthetically pleasing, and are more ready to reject men who aren't. Hojo saw himself in the latter category. With a tall forehead, a pointed chin, yellow eyes (he thought they were quite hideous) hidden behind glasses, a thin frame and short black hair with wild bangs that would never cooperate, all logic would suggest that Lucrecia should have paid him little attention in the elevator.
However, there was a certain unexplainable thing called charm. Hojo had grown up in a rich family, and his grandmother had told him that he had charm. Sometimes he would try several experiments with this idea "charm." The experiment would be to walk into a room where one or two girls were, and smirk in his usual way. The hypothesis would be that if he exhibited charm, the girls would divert their attentions from their activities and to him. The results were usually, much to his surprise, quite successful.
He had looked up charm in the dictionary: "A trait that fascinates, allures, or delights." And he, like now, had often studied himself in the mirror, trying to find that trait. Perhaps it wasn't in his appearance. Maybe it was his manner of speaking or his gait; that was feasible. His grandmother had told him that charm meant "making the men feel important, and making the women feel like ladies."
He could not say what his father's opinion had been on the subject, since he had never met him. He had never met his mother either, since she died in childbirth.
Hojo went back to the laboratory where Gast and Lucrecia were waiting.
Gast began his explanation of their assignment, "Only a year ago, Shinra discovered the benefits of Mako energy. It far exceeds electrical energy as you know. They've begun construction on major reactors for the city. Our task is this: to find how a human being can somehow be infused with Mako energy, and whether or not there will be physical benefits or destruction."
Lucrecia's eyes widened, but Hojo was fascinated with the idea. If they could find a way to infuse Mako into someone's genetic structure, a super-soldier could be created. Only in the building for an hour and already he was faced with new scientific delights.
Lucrecia commented, her voice full of concern, "But the latest studies show that Mako energy is quite unstable. We could poison many men in our attempt to find the right dosage."
"Sacrifices must be made for science, Lucrecia," Gast declared.
"With this technology, finding a correct dose shouldn't take much time," Hojo said.
Lucrecia didn't object any further, but she lowered her eyes.
"We start now," Gast said, "we will follow the traditional route: experimentation on laboratory specimens."
"Animal testing..." Hojo spoke, "Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"...Very well."