Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, items, places, etc. mentioned below
It wasn't long before a bright light shown in Cloud's face and an IV containing glowing green liquid was hooked up to his arm. Once set up had been complete, Cloud was left alone to the merciless Hojo. Professor Hojo grinned down at Cloud in sheer malice as he picked up a scalpel.
"Let's have some fun, shall we?"
Hours afterward, one could still hear the screams emanating from that room.
Cloud
It had to have been at least a couple of months. Cloud was pretty sure though there was no way to confirm it, but between the Hojo sessions, Mako-tube containment durations, and blackout periods, Cloud was sure he had to have been in the lab for a good amount of time. The time spent in this place caused many side effects such as memory loss, Mako poisoning, a weird voice calling herself mother, and various forms of pain. And, it was starting to wear him down. Cloud could already see that he was beginning to lose hope and falling into a trance like state. At first, this began to worry the boy and motivate him to hunt for opportunities of escape; however, as time stretched on, Cloud found himself shutting down into himself.
Now, he was stuck in a tube of the slimy green substance, trying to keep his memory straight by categorizing his newest scars. There were five. Two winding around his arms; two along the sides of his legs; and, the last ran down the length of his back, on top of his spine. Cloud was not sure what Hojo had created them for, but he did know that his pain had only encouraged the sadistic man to continue. Wanting to leave the cause of his torture behind, Cloud flashed back to his present position.
Cloud floated closer to the glass, keenly aware not to tangle the wires attached to him. The room was dark since Hojo was out, but the glow of Mako allowed Cloud to see the layout that had become his new world. Multiple computer screens stood tall, lining the wall opposite of him, and four stainless steel operating tables stood between his tube and the screen area. The room had no windows and only two doors. As Cloud's attention drifted to the door, he could not help but feel alone. No one was coming to his rescue and he was most definitely in no condition to escape on his own. Finally, Cloud let himself shutdown into a restless sleep, filled with the voice of his mother, or was she? He couldn't recall as he faded into the darkness.
As Cloud's consciousness faded, the sliding doors separating Hojo's personal lab from the rest of the science department opened to welcome glowing violet eyes. The eyes looked around before landing on the only operating Mako tube in curiosity. Walking up to the tube, the owner of the eyes caught sight of a boy who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. The only signs of life being the monitor on the left side of the tube which provided the slow heartbeat of the patient.
"What in Gaia?!"
The violet-eyed man came close to the control panel and gazed at all of the buttons. There were no labels and he did not feel like risking the kid's life just because he wanted to help. A thought struck his mind and he pulled out his cell, quickly hitting speed dial.
"Hey, Seph. I need your help"
"What is it now, Zachary?"
"Well, I kinda went snooping around in Hojo's lab…"
"How many time do I need to tell you this? Stay out of Hojo's way. You may be a first class Soldier, but that will not protect you!"
"I know, but this time is different. It's a kid, Seph."
"…"
"Please, I just need to know which button to press to release a Mako tube."
"…Top right. It should be purple…"
"Thanks. I love you!"
"…Why did you have to be a partner of mine?"
"Because you would have been too bored with only Angeal and Genesis."
"…"
"Anyway, I'll bring the kid up with me, and then I'll thank you, personally."
"I look forward to it. Bye."
Click
Zack looked down at his phone with a big grin spreading across his face.
"Well, that's Sephy for ya. Never one to talk longer than needed."
Shifting his attention from the cell back to the panel, Zack sought out the purple button and pressed it. Soon, the Mako was draining and wires were detaching themselves. That's when Zack heard the loud thump and a groan.
A sheepish look came over Zack's face. Woopsies!
The soldier quickly took action and moved to open the translucent cage. When it opened, Zackary Fair nearly choked on air. There staring deep into his eyes were eyes, windows to an ocean of unshed tears, contained within a young scarred body. Immediately, a connection weave its way into a knot, tying Zack to this young man. And throughout this little staring competition, all Zack could think of is that he found the last of his soulmates. In such a daze, Zack barely heard the other person.
"…Who are you?" The small voice croaked out.
"I am Zack. Nice to meet you!"
…..
Vincent
It had been years since he last saw the boy he had turned, and though he felt disappointed in himself and his inability to rescue the boy, Vincent spent his time build an organization of rogue Vampires calling themselves Avalanche.
They had come together in the common purpose of destroying Shinra and its rule. So far they had succeeded at a few small raids for supplies, but they were confident that they would eventually collect enough power to threaten the imperial rule.
Their ranks were composed mainly of the third type vampire with a couple second and first types mixed in. They had at first fought amongst themselves, but upon Vincent's arrival, the teams resolve focused and they began gaining recognition from Shinra as a nuisance. Privately, Vincent stilled hoped to find the remains of the boy he once knew, but he knew that very few beings survived long than a week in the hands of Hojo. Thus, instead of focusing on Cloud, he gave Avalanche and its members his full attention. Vincent went out of his way to train them in combat, stealth, weaponry, and strategy.
Overall, he had a pretty good team. And, he couldn't wait to test Shinra's security force in the future; afterall, who better to test Soldier and Turks, than an ex-Turk and his trained accomplices?
…
I hope you enjoyed this week's update. If so, please comment below. Thank you to everyone who continues to read my story; it makes me really happy!
Have a fantastic week. Bye!
