Chapter Eleven - Mako Madness
Tifa faded in and out of consciousness. Lights and shadows darted across her eyes. Each small movement made her wince with the sharp pain of leather straps digging into her flesh. Vincent was awake but quiet. He was calm, almost too calm. Tifa looked over to him and used all her strength to whisper.
"Vincent, what are we going to do?"
"Just be patient Tifa. We'll get our chance."
"What are they going to do with us?"
"It's the Mako. The Mako Energy, they are creating. It's dangerous. It's making them go crazy. If we don't stop it, we'll go crazy too."
Tifa thought she was already going crazy. She had no idea who was good or bad anymore and who to believe and who to trust. Tifa felt the numb. She was losing her will; losing her mind.
"I heard you." Tifa said. "I heard you speak to me all around this mansion. I couldn't see you but you were telling me to kill everyone."
"I was warning you. I've been here for a long time but I lost my mind just as you are now. I was a wreck. Hojo implanted Mako into my neck, it's killing me but I've developed some strange powers. I was going mad for a long time until you were brought here. Seeing you has given me hope. Hope is what I've been clinging on to all this time."
"Can you stop Hojo?"
"I hope so. Or Gaia will face a worse wrath than when Sephiroth went on a rampage. Just one thing, Tifa, no matter what, you must stay in control. No matter what Hojo or Rufus or anyone else does to you. You are Tifa Lockheart and you are in control."
Tifa smiled, almost reassured. She felt safe and relaxed that Vincent was there with her. But it didn't change the fact that they were both tied up in the basement. Vincent suddenly screamed as a bolt of pain ran up and down his spine. "Vincent, what's wrong?" "N-nothing. It's the Mako inside me. It's trying to control me."
Vincent screamed again and his body shook and went into convulsions. And then he passed out and Tifa was all alone again. She called out his name several times but got no response.
She needed him now more than ever.
All the noise and commotion drew Hojo's attention and he came back in his long white lab coat holding a clipboard and a pen behind his ear. "Ah, my Valentine is feeling the effects of my latest project." Hojo said with wry smile.
"You maniac! You can't do this to us! Let us out!"
She screamed at him to release her several more times each time louder and more piercing but he paid no heed and casually strolled by, taking his pen from behind his ear and making some notes on his clipboard.
He put it down for a second and moved over to Tifa. She squirmed against the three leather bonds holding her down, over her breasts, thighs and ankles. Hojo ran his long spindly fingers down her silky soft skin and then up to her cheek.
"My, my, Rufus did find me a good specimen, didn't he?"
Tifa was so confused. Rufus was just working for Hojo? Rufus kept her in his own room locked up for days. Were his plans different?
Hojo continued to stroke her cheek and Tifa spat at him - a huge gob of saliva hit Hojo's brow. He brushed it off nonchalantly.
"And what a fighter too! You are perfect for my little project. The Shinra Super Soldier. All I have to do is put some Mako in you and watch it grow over time."
"You're completely nuts, Hojo!"
"Thank you, Ms Lockheart, such a lovely compliment from such a lovely lady. You see, we've tried the experiment on Vincent before. It was a prototype then and it didn't quite work. If anything, it made things worse as he went crazy and he's been hiding in this mansion ever since. We tried to on Reeve too, but I'm afraid he didn't make it. His body couldn't take the energy and he died. But when Rufus told me about you and that he had you here locked away, I knew you were perfect. Just Rufus can be difficult to deal with sometimes. I had to pick the right moment to get you here."
"Have you been practising that speech?" asked Tifa, now thinking Dr Hojo was like some kind of cartoonish super villain.
"No, no but I fear you have been kept in the dark somewhat and I wanted to enlighten you on the situation. Rufus hasn't exactly been the best host. I heard he loved you."
The thought made Tifa's blood curl up. He was just as crazy as Hojo, if not worse and the two of them together were a big threat.
"I could never love Rufus. Maybe I'm going crazy too. I kissed him. But I felt nothing. He was empty and cold. Completely hollow inside. I could never love someone like that. He's worse than you!"
"And how about Mr Valentine over there? Do you love him? Because that would be an interesting development. I could have both of you fight for me and we could take out Rufus together."
"I'm not fighting for anyone except myself and the people I love."
"Really? Well let's see if I can change your mind."
Hojo undid the leather strap binding her arms. Tifa felt the pressure release for just a split second before Hojo clamped his heavy hands down on her shoulders restraining her. With his left hand he then undid the other straps. Hojo held the girl with surprising ease in his lap, she looked weary and tired. The drugs still hadn't worn off and she had a vacant and distant look in her eyes.
"Shall we begin?" he asked, cupping her chin. Tifa pounded her fist on his chest. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." he said He put his right hand her thighs and stood up lifting her into his arms. She struggled ferociously, kicking and biting and clawing and doing everything she could to get out of Dr Hojo's clutches. She couldn't allow him to make her into another one of his little experiments, no longer a human life, but a test subject.
Tifa hit him across the face and Hojo staggered back, almost losing his balance but still cradling her. He jolted her up hoping his show of strength might subdue her stubborn resistance. It only further fuelled her rage. She hit him again and again eventually causing Hojo to drop her. Tifa then delivered a roundhouse kick which knocked Hojo to the ground. Tifa took the chance and ran to Vincent to try and wake him up. She untied him but he didn't move, he was completely out cold. Then she felt Hojo's arms wraps around her waist as he picked her up and carried her further and further away from him. Tifa elbowed Hojo in the temple, that made his ears ring and his glasses came flying off and the frames smashed on the ground. Tifa came in with another punch but Hojo managed to block it and hit her with her punch to her gut. Tifa doubled over, all the wind knocked out of her.
"I didn't want to have to get violent Tifa. But you made me!"
Hojo then pulled Tifa up to a standing position and held the tops of her shoulders. She struggled but her struggles were weak and she was too out of it to escape his strong grasp.
"Don't make me use violence again Tifa. Next time I won't take it so easy on you."
Hojo squeezed the tops of her arms and Tifa cried out as she nodded her and agreed. She leaned against him gasping for air, her eyes rolling around in a daze. Tifa wasn't going to be able to get out of this mess, not without Vincent, but he was still lying on the bench motionless. She needed him now more than ever. Her thoughts even turned to Rufus. Even he could help her get out of this.
Hojo dragged Tifa over to the huge metal cylinder that reached up to the ceiling. It glowed a brilliant blue. Tifa knew his intentions but at that moment her will abandoned her and she found herself relaxing more and more as her consciousness drifting away.
No, don't Tifa. fight it. The voice came back. It was Vincent Valentine. But how? He was unconscious too. Tifa made one last desperate attempt to escape. She pushed Hojo as hard as she could but Hojo overpowered her and lifted her light body.
Dammit, that was my one chance, she thought to herself.
Hojo pulled her in closer holding her slender arms in his.
Hojo opened up a small catchment on the cylinder and both he and Tifa covered their eyes from the bright shining light that shot out across the room. Hojo pulled a syringe out of his pocket and filled it with the blue substance. Tifa was still dazzled by the light and had no idea what was going on.
Hojo was about to inject Tifa with the syringe when a gunshot knocked it clean out of his hand taking his hand with it, blood pouring out of his arm. Hojo yelled out in pain and then looked up. Rufus was standing there, with his eyepatch and slicked back blonde hair but with a face full of anger and hate. He then pointed the gun at Hojo.
He was tackled from behind by Reno and Rude who held him down and then hit him with the back of a gun which knocked him unconscious. Reno and Rude then released him as he crumpled to the ground.
Tifa took the opportunity to try and escape but Hojo pulled grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. He then chopped the base of her neck, her world was washed with pain and darkness. She passed out falling into Hojo's one good arm, the other spilling blood and staining red over her white tank top.
He then scooped her up and carried her back to the bench.
"Reno, prepare more Mako!" Hojo screamed.
Things were not going to plan. Hojo placed Tifa on the bench and tied her again with the leather straps.
Tifa woke up several more times, each time to more and more shouting and more and more panic. There were voices, several of them. Each seemed murky and underwater but they were familiar. Hojo, Rufus, Reno, Rude, they were all there - shouting and there was crashing and fighting too. Tifa tried to hold on but soon through the pain, the comfort of sleep took her once again.
When she next awoke the lab was in complete disarray. Tifa slowly opened her eyes and looked around at the damage. The machines all blown up, wire hanging loose with electricity sparks flying off and the bench next to her where Vincent laid, was now empty. He was gone, he had left her here. But why?
Hojo was gone too and Rufus and Reno and Rude. They were all gone. Tifa sat up, her leather straps had been untied. She got off the bench and stumbled trying to regain her senses. The door that kept the Mako was now closed and the cylinder was perfectly in tact but everything else was destroyed. Tifa was a little bit grateful that she was alive. But she had to find Vincent. He wouldn't just leave her.
Tifa stumbled out of the lab trying to keep quiet. She wasn't sure if Hojo or Rufus were waiting for her to abduct her again. She pressed herself against the wall and slid across checking every corner. She made it to the elevator and went back up to the second floor. But when she got there her pupils dilated in horror. When the door opened a sea of blood raced towards her. There just lying in the corridor like an ornament was the severed head of Dr Hojo.
His body was missing, only the head was there lying in the corridor, tendons and stringy tissue hanging down where his neck once was. His eyes still wide open, still with the look of terror that must have been his final moment.
Tifa was horrified but couldn't look away.
Tifa stared into the cold dead eyes of Dr Hojo wondering if she was to be next.
To Be Continued….