Final Fantasy VII and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy VII storyline (such as Astrid and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.
(Aerith Gainsborough)
It wasn't much time later that Astrid had company in the containment block, and the name of that company was Aerith. Astrid was happy to have seen her arrival, considering what she had to do to get the freedom to do so. Here're the basics of what happened…
The day after Astrid met Red XIII, Hojo sent for her to try another experiment. He hadn't seemed to notice that she had been gone the previous day, so she didn't push the matter by asking where he had been. Instead, she had asked for more freedom.
"Freedom, 2208?" Hojo looked up from his clipboard and raised an incredulous brow, "Freedom to do what?"
Ignoring the use of her experiment serial number, Astrid lowered her eyes and scuffed the floor with her foot, "I want to walk around a bit more, and outside of the containment block. Maybe be able to go down a few levels and go eat in the dining hall."
"Impossible," Hojo had said, looking back down at his papers, "You're a highly dangerous biological hazard, not some drone we keep here just because we feel like it. You're introduced to highly dangerous amounts of biomass every day you're being worked on, and we don't want to risk the health of the Shin-Ra employees or the rest of Midgar."
Astrid had refused to give up, "Then what about just in the lab? I mean, everyone who comes through here is decontaminated when they walk in and out, so what's the worst that could—"
"The worst that could happen, 2208," Hojo began, not bothering to look up, "Is some particles could escape into the elevator ventilation and infect the entire building. That is not a risk I am willing to take."
Then she had to play hardball. She had dropped the timid act and glared at him, "Then I refuse to cooperate until I get the freedom to walk around the upper levels."
Hojo had sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, "We've been through this before, 2208. You may have gotten what you wanted last time, but that was only because I wasn't here to stop it. That situation will not happen again."
"It will if I make it." Astrid had said, eying the vials of viruses Hojo had arranged around the room. "I've built up immunity to all of these diseases. I trust my immune system. I wonder," She locked eyes with him, "I wonder if you trust yours?"
It had taken little further persuasion for Astrid to gain the freedom to walk around the lab and take the elevator down to the dining hall, but nowhere else. This had cost the lab untold amounts, since Hojo had had to order special decontaminating units for the lab and special security cameras to make sure that she didn't get off the elevator anywhere else.
After that final incident, Hojo had also ordered new cabinets to keep all of the samples under lock and key, so Astrid now had little else to threaten him with. But it hardly mattered. Astrid now had all she needed… at least for now. If she needed anything else, she could just find another way to threaten Hojo.
Anyway, the day Aerith arrived, Astrid was just getting released from that day's mako treatment. The decontamination unit hissed loudly as it was re-pressurized, and when the door popped open the elevator opened and Aerith walked out, accompanied by two guards.
Astrid blinked, tilting her head as they walked by. When Aerith looked at her, Astrid blinked and smiled, lifting her hand and waving. Aerith blinked, surprised, then smiled faintly and nodded. Then, the two guards halted and looked around the room. Astrid knew it really wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help stopping and staring.
The guards just continued to look around, standing in front of the elevator for a good five minutes. The doors slid open and a lab assistant walked out, looking down at her papers. Not seeing the guards standing right in the way, she ran into them, knocking the papers out of her hands.
The guards panicked and jumped aside, dragging Aerith with them and apologizing profusely to the assistant, who just scowled and shook her head. They then began to question her, leading to her becoming more frustrated and dropping more papers as she had to raise her head to be heard over the humming of the decontaminator.
The lab assistant was about to scream at the guards when Astrid intervened, running forward and picking up some of the papers. "Need some help, Leanne?"
Leanne, the lab assistant, shook her head and sighed, "Me and everybody else on this floor. I need to report to Hojo for a diagnostic on the materia scan, and these idiots," She glared at the guards, "Don't know where the containment block is."
Nodding, Astrid stood and handed the papers to the assistant, "You go on and go to Hojo. I'll take them to the containment block."
"Are you sure?" Leanne asked, standing and taking the papers, "I thought now was about the time you headed down to the dining hall for lunch."
"It's fine." Astrid nodded, smiling, "I need to get my shoes, anyway."
"Thanks, Astrid. You're a life saver!" Leanne shouted, clutching her papers to her chest and running into the lab.
Shaking her head, Astrid smiled and turned to the two guards and the Centra. "Hello. My name is Astrid, Experiment Serial Number 2208, and I'll be your guide as we make our way to the containment block. Please refrain from wandering down any halls on your own, because I won't go back for you if you get lost."
The guards nodded, following Astrid close behind as she walked. After a few moments of tense silence, Astrid decided to break the ice.
"So, my guess is you two were stationed in Junon, right?"
The guards looked at each other, then looked at her back. "How did you know?" The one on Aerith's right asked.
Astrid smirked smugly, but gave her tone a light and airy sound as she replied, "Oh, everyone who works directly at the Shin-Ra headquarters knows this building forwards and backwards, and only those who transfer in from another city, like Junon, don't know their way around the floors."
"Oh." The same guard answered shortly. After a bit more silence, Astrid heard something fall and the guard shout, "Watch where you're going!"
Stopping, Astrid turned just in time to see Aerith, who had tripped over something and was on the ground, get kicked in the back by one of the guards. She winced, then shouted, "Hey!"
The guards stopped and looked up at her.
Coughing lightly, Astrid continued in a lighter tone with a smile on her face, "You two must be hungry. Why don't you leave her with me and head down to the dining hall for lunch. I'll make sure she gets to her cell."
The guards exchanged glances, then looked back at her. One of them hesitantly said, "I'm not sure we're allowed to do that…"
"Gosh, you two really did just transfer, didn't you?" Astrid asked, rolling her eyes, "Do you honestly think that Professor Hojo would let me walk around unguarded unless I had special privileges? Being one of the older volunteer experiments, I have seniority here." She left it at that, hoping the guards believed her lie.
"Uhh," They exchanged glances again. Then, as if it had been planned, one of their stomachs growled. They looked at Astrid sheepishly, a smug grin on her face. "Alight." The guard reluctantly relented, "You… won't tell…"
"Don't worry." Astrid smiled, waving her hand, "No one will hear a word of this."
"Thanks." The guards bowed and took off without another word.
When they were well gone, Astrid walked over to Aerith and knelt down, grabbing the woman under her armpits and helping her to her feet. "You alright?"
Aerith nodded, looking a bit disgruntled, "Yes, for the most part."
It was then Astrid noticed that the woman's wrists were bound behind her back. "Can I see your hands?"
Aerith hesitated, then nodded.
Astrid stepped behind Aerith and looked at the handcuffs that Aerith had been bound with. Considering who they were on, they weren't anything special; just standard issue binding cuffs for average insurgents. Easy to pick. It wasn't even two minutes before the locks snapped open and Aerith was rubbing her wrists gingerly.
"Thank you." Aerith said sincerely, smiling.
Astrid smiled bitterly and nodded, shoving the handcuffs in her pocket, "We prisoners of Hojo have to sick together."
"Prisoner?" Aerith asked, frowning, "I thought you were a volunteer?"
"Nah," Astrid shook her head, "That was just something I said to get the guards to trust me. I'm really being held here against my will, just like most of the other experiments here."
Aerith blinked, "But you walk around freely."
Astrid laughed uneasily, "Uhh… let's just say I managed to… ehem, appeal to Hojo's better nature and get a bit more freedom than most." When Aerith raised a brow, Astrid moaned, "That so just sounded wrong. Alright, putting it plainly, I threatened his wellbeing and he caved in to my demands."
"Ah." Aerith nodded, relief spreading across her face as she smiled. She then froze, "Wait… if you're walking around free, why haven't you tried to escape? Is it impossible?"
"Oh no, it's perfectly possible," Astrid assured the woman, knowing she was thinking of Cloud, "It's just… even if I could escape or get Shin-Ra to release me, I wouldn't."
"Why?"
Astrid shook her head and sighed, "Because the deal I made with the president would be nullified if I did."
Aerith blinked, "Deal?"
Shaking her head, Astrid mumbled, "I don't want to talk about it…" After a brief pause, she brightened and smiled, "Alright, I'm supposed to be taking you to the containment block, so let's go." She turned abruptly and led the way.
In the containment block, Astrid addressed the guard, "Is there a cell ready for a new inmate?"
The guard nodded, walking up to one of the doors and sliding a cardkey through the reader. The door buzzed, then slid open. Astrid turned and nodded to Aerith, who walked into the room and looked around.
The woman then turned to the teen, "What's going to happen now?"
Astrid shrugged, "I don't know. It depends on what Hojo has in store for you."
Aerith nodded, then paused. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but was cut off when the guard walked forward and slid the cardkey again.
"I'll come and see you!" Astrid said quickly before the door closed, getting one final glimpse of Aerith's oddly calm eyes as the woman nodded. Sighing, Astrid turned to the guard. "Lunch has already been served for the cells, hasn't it?"
The guard nodded, "Yeah, it has."
Frowning, Astrid asked, "If I bring up something for her from the dining hall, can I take it in to her?" When the guard eyed her skeptically, she rolled her eyes, "As if I could do anything. I'm under constant surveillance when I'm not on this floor, and there are too many people running around the lab…"
"Fine." The guard grunted. "But this'll be the only time."
Astrid nodded and smiled, eyes flashing as she turned to walk to her room. 'As if.'
After she slipped into her shoes, she took the elevator down to the dining hall and had a quick lunch, then loaded another tray with food. Making sure not to make eye contact with anyone who would stop her, Astrid hurried back through the lab and to the containment block, where the guard let her into the room and shut the door behind her.
Aerith was lying on her bunk and staring at the ceiling when the door opened, and she looked at Astrid with wide eyes when she saw the tray. Astrid laughed nervously, "Sorry. I wasn't sure what you liked, and dinner won't be served for another six hours, so I just…"
Aerith shook her head, smiling as the girl set the tray before her, "Thank you." She picked up a sandwich halve and nibbled at it, staring at Astrid curiously, "Why are you doing this?"
Astrid blinked, then shrugged, "I remember what it was like when I first came here. I was all alone, and I was in a lot of pain from being separated from my family and everyone I cared about. I don't want anyone else to have the experience I had."
Aerith nodded, finishing off the sandwich. She had eaten half of a fruit when she asked, "So, what are you here for?"
"I'm the labs prized 'Multifaceted Ailment Experiment'," Astrid replied, rolling her eyes, "Hojo has an odd infatuation with my immunity, so he likes to pump me full of bacteria and viruses to see how my body will react."
Choking on her drink, Aerith coughed for a few moments before she gasped, "Are you serious?"
Astrid nodded, "Yeah. Right now, we're going through the wonderful effects of mako poisoning."
"That's terrible…" Aerith muttered, wiping her mouth.
"Could be worse, I suppose," Astrid shrugged, "It was terrible a few months ago, but I've gotten use to it. I wouldn't be surprised if I hardly notice the side effects in a couple more months."
"How long have you been here?" The woman asked.
Astrid blinked, looking down at her hands and flicking her fingers, "Close to… six months, now."
"Six months…" Aerith whispered, appalled.
Astrid blinked, "Like I said; it could be worse."
Aerith shook her head. She paused, then began, "I don't mean to pry… but earlier you said that you hadn't escaped because you had made a deal with Shin-Ra…"
Astrid lowered her head and sighed, "Shin-Ra and I… I have information Shin-Ra wants, and Shin-Ra could give me something I wanted. We bargained my information for something that was taken from me, but Shin-Ra wasn't satisfied with what I told them. They think I have more information, so they're keeping me here. I'd escape… but if I did, I'm afraid Shin-Ra would break the contract and I'd never get back what I lost."
"What did you lose?"
"… My little brother…"
Aerith's mouth fell open slightly, but she was quick to close it and slipped off of her bed, wrapping a consoling arm around Astrid's shoulders. "I'm sorry. …What happened to him?"
Astrid clenched her hands tightly, "He was taken… by Sephiroth." Aerith gasped, making Astrid shake her head and sigh, "Please, don't say anything. I'm full aware that the odds of Marcus being alive are…," She gritted her teeth and looked at Aerith with determined eyes, "I have to believe he's alive. It's my fault Sephiroth has him, so I have to believe he's okay. And, as long as I don't run away, Shin-Ra will get him back for me."
Before either of them could say anything else, the guard knocked on the door, "Visiting hours are over. Time to get back to your cell, 2208."
Sighing, Astrid stood and walked to the door, stopping and turning back to Aerith, "I'll come and see you again."
Aerith nodded and stood. She walked over to Astrid and held out her hand, "I'm Aerith Gainsborough."
Astrid smiled and took her hand, shaking it, "Astrid Cray. It was nice to talk to you, Aerith."
Aerith smiled, "Come back soon."
"I will." Astrid stepped through the door, still smiling and waving as it closed. Sighing, she turned and walked passed the guard, grumbling, "If Hojo sends for me, I'm wandering around the lab." She then headed straight to the back. Not even glancing at the silver dome, Astrid walked over to Red XIII's specimen tube and sat down by it, speaking to the panther-like cat pacing inside. "Hey, Red XIII."
The cat looked at her and nodded, "Hello. I heard there's a new person in the containment block. Is it true?"
Astrid nodded, "Yeah. A woman named Aerith. I think Hojo plans on using her for breeding…"
Red XIII blinked, "Does she know?"
She shook her head, "It's just a speculation I have, so I don't want to unnecessarily unnerve her."
"That and you know that someone is coming for her."
Shocked, Astrid blinked, "What?"
Red XIII nodded and walked over to her, sitting down, "I can smell it. You think that someone is coming to save her, and you think that they'll succeed." When Astrid's jaw dropped, Red XIII's lips curled into a feral smile, "You know more than you let on, but you aren't good at hiding it from those with… sharper than average senses."
Knowing it was pointless to lie, Astrid nervously asked, "You aren't going to say anything, are you?"
The feline shook his head, still smiling, "Of course not. What you don't feel like saying is entirely your business. Just remember," His tone took a serious turn and he stopped smiling, "Eventually, people will find out that you're hiding something, and if it directly affects their lives they will demand to know."
"I know." Astrid mumbled, looking at her feet, "That's why I'm going to stick with Shin-Ra for as long as I can. It may hurt me, but at least I won't be able to hurt anyone else."
Red XIII nodded, then dropped the subject for less touchy topics, like their homes and families. They talked well into the day, and eventually the lab began to grow quiet. When they stopped talking for a moment, they both noticed that the lab was silent and most of the lights were turned off.
"Oops." Astrid laughed, "I guess we've been talking longer than we thought."
Red XIII nodded, "We can't help it if we can't see the sun."
"Yeah, well," Astrid stood and stretched, yawning, "I don't need to be able to see the sun to know I'm tired."
"Same here." Red XIII agreed, arching his back and yawning, himself.
Astrid smiled, "Night, Nanaki. See you later."
The cat smiled, curling up into a ball next to the glass, "Good night, Astrid."
It was a short time later Cloud, Barret, and Tifa were captured.
