A/N~ Final chapter. *tear* So much I want to say…But for now...
Enjoy!
The elevator dropped low, lower than I'd ever been at ShinRa. We passed the ground floor and kept going.
There was no trial held for me. The Company had the power to deal with its employees however it liked. And the ShinRas hated me.
I couldn't deny that the materia they found was the one that had set the village on fire. I wouldn't have been able to deny my fingerprints on it either. My gloves had ripped, but I was surprised there was enough enact skin to leave a fingerprint. Of course, I wasn't asked to explain myself. I was sealed away in the most secure holding cell, ten levels underground. I must have been buried underneath the plates. Just like trash.
So there were no windows. Not even holes on the doors. It was pitch black, and I sat on the floor, leaning with my cheek pressed against the cool concrete.
I remembered the faces of those I passed by when I entered the building. How quiet it became when I limped past them, trying to keep a brave, stoic face despite the obvious trail of blood and the creaking of my breaking bones with each labored step. No one spoke to me, or cried out for an explanation. I thought they looked sad for me. Like everyone knew I didn't do it. Everyone that couldn't do anything to help me.
I was charged with death, after being pronounced guilty of burning the town of Nibelheim and killing numerous citizens, and SOLDIERs alike. Including Zack Fair and the infantrymen Cloud Strife.
…That meant they were dead.
"Are you crying because you feel guilty?" Hojo asked me, safe behind a solid foot of safety glass. A bright light filled the room, filtering in from Hojo's side. I lifted my head and locked eyes with him, trying to prove something. That even with tears blurring my vision, I could still kill him if there wasn't a wall between us. But it was impossible to keep his attention. He would just smile and unhook his eyes from mine, letting them wander with a mind of their own.
More entered Hojo's side of the room. Heavily armed SOLDIERs, and the new leader of the Turks, Tseng. All the people necessary to escort a deadly mass-murderer. Tseng wouldn't look at me. He was smart enough to know that I wasn't capable of such a crime, even at my worst. But it wasn't his job to care. It was the one thing SOLDIERs and Turks had in common.
"We're taking you up a few levels to a new room." Tseng informed me. "Don't cause any trouble."
I wanted to. But Tseng had found the Summon materia and taken it from me, so I was all on my own. But, thanks to Hojo, I had that mako-boosted strength. And that couldn't be so easily taken away.
Up we went. All the way to B1, the floor right under the entrance lobby's feet. I was secured inside a smaller, but just as well guarded, cell and left alone in the dark again.
I circled my room, which took half a second, and paced under the iron-barred vents. I wondered if I could bend them with my hands. I could even reach them from the stool that had been bolted down to the floor. It seemed to have been placed there just to taunt prisoners.
I instead found myself on the floor again. This time I lay down off the walls and stared up at the ceiling. My chest ached- the long, diagonal cut was bright red, and stung. Every time I took a breath, I could feel it throb and stretch. A light breeze was coming through the vents now. It reminded me of wind, but was too thick and humid to be natural.
I wanted to feel a breeze. Or see the moon, or stars above Cosmo Canyon. The glow of the Forgotten City and the beaches of Junon. Anything that ShinRa hadn't touched. Even the open fields of my home town, spotted with grazing chocobos. What I would give to be there now…
I wondered if the Lifestream could take me there. It circles the Planet, so it would make sense that I could see any town I wanted. ShinRa couldn't reach me there. I'd finally be left alone. And I would get to see Zack and Cloud, and all the others who died. I didn't know if I was ready to see them again…but Zack was never one to blame people, and Cloud…
They very thought of him made my eyes tighten and water. He was too innocent to be killed like that. Yet my mind could so vividly imagine it. Sephiroth's katana sweeping across his neck, hopefully killing him instantly.
…Sephiroth…what happened to you?
Why was I alive? I wasn't as strong as Zack, or pure like Cloud. I would have given my life for either of them, yet here I was. It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair. Or maybe the death I was now facing, at the hands of ShinRa, was my fair death. For everything I had done, and hadn't been able to do. Maybe the best thing I could do now, was not to fight.
To accept my fate and let it be over with.
"You're thinking hard, aren't you?" I didn't open my eyes. I held them shut.
"…Genesis?"
"Hail, look up." I pinpointed the voice as coming above me, and I slowly, hesitantly opened my eyes.
A helmet-covered face was looking down at me from behind the bars of the air vents. I felt my chest swell with a deep breath, causing my wounds to leak blood.
"Kunsel?" I rose to my feet and stood under him. "You…you shouldn't be here- get out-"
"Shh." He whispered. "Look at the wall, not me, or they'll notice." I quickly averted my gaze to the plain wall.
"Get out of here." I repeated through gritted teeth. "If they see you, you're-"
"Hail." He said my voice like a command. I stopped speaking instantly. I knew that tone. And he was right, I didn't want to keep talking.
He poured a thin stream of liquid over my head, and I jumped in surprise. But the green drops dissolved into my skin, and restored the color and proper texture, without cuts or bruises. I inhaled and sighed in releif. I hadn't felt so refreshed in ages. Potions really were addicting.
I stood in the silence, desperately wanting look back up and make sure Kunsel was still there. I heard a dull groan coming from the bars, and stole a glance upwards. He was trying to freeze the bars, then snap them. But from the look on his face, it wasn't working.
"Stop it." I said to the wall.
"You're giving up." He whispered back. "I can tell. The way you were laying there. You weren't thinking about a way to escape, you were trying to rationalize your death." It made me angry how he could so easily pick me out.
"I don't know what to do." I whispered back, an edge of frustration to my voice. I rethought the situation. He would never leave if he thought I was committing myself to die. "I…I'll figure something out, okay? I don't give up so easily."
"Bullshit." He instantly responded. I guess he wasn't falling for that again. "You were giving up."
"Damn it, Kunsel, leave." He'd resorted to trying a lightning-type materia on the metal, which naturally didn't work. He muffled a cry after getting electrocuted, and shoved the materia into his pocket angrily.
"Something else…" He muttered, pocketing and examining materia he'd already tried. "What else…something…!"
"Stop it! Please, just go…!" I begged. "You cannot let yourself die too, please, I…don't know what I'd do…!"
"Well, apparently you're just going to die, so you won't have to worry about what I'm doing."
"I hate you!" I hissed, muffling my voice by yelling it into the wall. Anyone, including Kunsel, would just look at me and think I was having an angry fit. "I hate you so much…So…much…!" He'd stopped trying to fight the bars, and was just staring down at me now.
"Hail, look at me." I shook my head, rubbing my forehead across the wall. "Jane Darvey, you look at me!" My head snapped up to see him. He was gripping the bars with his hands like he could will them to come apart. "How do you think I feel? I can't and will not just sit here and watch you die. You are all I have left now."
"You have your sister." I added, ignoring the sentiment he'd put behind those words.
"You can't be replaced, Hail! That hole in my chest that you once filled up would eat at me until I die or kill myself…!" He banged his helmet on the bars. "Let's runaway together. Away from ShinRa, away from Midgar…That's what I should have asked you before you left." He shook his head. "But it's not too late. You don't have to let yourself die." I clutched my arms, digging my nails into my skin. "You have to get angry and fight it. Fight them, Hail." I pulled my fingers away when I started drawing blood. My mako-colored blood.
"You survive, Hail. That's what you do. Just do it a little bit longer, and then I can help you. For the rest of your life, I'll help you survive." I forced a smile at the ground.
"I don't need your help to do that." I stood up on the stood, and lifted myself close to the bars. Like he was reading my mind, he tugged off his helmet and pressed his own face against the bars. "But I…" I felt my cheeks heating up as I spoke. I looked up at him, into his glowing green eyes and lost my train of thought in them. "Okay." I murmured.
"Always."
Between the criss-crossing iron bars, out lips touched and our fingers twined together. It was cold, yet warm, and tasted like metal just like blood did. His stubble-covered cheek brushed against mine, sending shivers down my spine as I marveled at how smooth his hands were compared to mine. Years of sword fighting had taken their toll, while the Materia Junkie's fingers remained smooth and flawless. I wanted to reach my arms through the bars and feel even more of him. It was frustrating and cruel that our last embrace was restricted to lips and fingertips. But for now, it was enough.
"What is a date except conversation and a kiss…?" I said. Kunsel let out a breath that ruffled my bangs and smelled like pine.
"We'll have more." He promised. I slowly, reluctantly lowered myself away.
"Go." He held onto my fingers as long as he dared, until he couldn't reach any more through the bars as I gradually pulled away. I heard footsteps outside of my cell. "Go." Without another word, he backed away into the shadows and disappeared just like one.
The door opened behind me, and I spun around to see the SOLDIERs ready to take me away. I cracked a smile at them.
"So, boys, is this just another test-run or for real this time?"
They weren't going to kill me so easily.
The trio of SOLDIERs circled me as we walked. The one holding my wrists at the handcuffs looked at my face and frowned.
"Staring is rude." I told him. He pulled away, like he was surprised I could still speak. The other two SOLDIERs had cast wary glances at me, but didn't seem as interested.
We entered an elevator, and I was crammed in the back so my arms were tight against my sides. No escaping for now. But I did see why my face was so intriguing. From my reflection in the glass elevator doors, I saw that the bars on the vent had left a checkered pattern slightly indented on my face. Especially around my lips.
I smiled back at my reflection, praising her for giving me something with a happy memory attached to it to look at. The elevator slowed as we sped upwards along the side of the building. It seemed like ages in that elevator. How high were we going?
I could see the city, slowly shutting down to sleep. But that didn't mean it was dark. The city was lit up as it always was at night. It was like that the day I was promoted to 2nd Class, and then the day Sephiroth promoted me again to 1st. It was the same tonight as well. Mako billowing up from the alleys and windowpanes. Ignorant to my struggle, and impending fate. Ignorant to the Planet around it.
I knew exactly where we were the next time the doors opened. Three muscular scientists were waiting at the elevator doors to take the SOLDIERs' places.
"Got the gil?" The SOLDIER behind me asked. One of the scientists moved forward, revealing a hefty pouch of money. This wasn't right. A formal execution didn't involve an exchange like that. But the exchange of money and prisoner was well-planned. I was restrained by twice as many hands before the SOLDIERs let go. They quickly backed into the elevator and left.
When I heard the elevator start moving down, I picked up my knee and stomped my foot backward. The scientist screamed as his left knee popped in, and he collapsed away from me. The other two moved into position to detain me, but I'd gained distance. The men slowed down when they saw it too. I tried to keep them in a line, but they slowly formed a loose semi circle around me. I couldn't get to the elevator. The rooftop, maybe? But where from there?
The two muttered something to each other, and one of them started closing in. I planted my feet, pulling at my handcuffs. If i could lift a man off his feet, I could snap a pair of cheap handcuffs!
The man lowered his stance, then charged in to tackle me. I jumped up, and threw my leg around and kicked him in the jaw, simultaneously jerking at my handcuffs. My shin rammed into the man's jaw, and my arms sprung free.
I lost my balance and spun with my kick and slammed onto the floor beside him. But I had my hands to push myself up, and make fists. The second assistant was backing up the stairs, calling for help.
I jumped up and ran towards him, angry and determined. Kunsel was right. That was all I had to do.
"Damn it, give it to her already!" He screamed.
Then I felt a prick on my arm, and I never reached the stairs. I pulled the thick needle out of my arm and dropped it to the floor. Then I started swaying. No, no, no! I lashed out and arm and caught the side the railing to steady myself, but my arm was numbing. First there was a moment of no feeling at all, then the white-hot flame started spreading.
"Oh come on boys, is she really too much for you?" Hojo mused, laughing at me from a distance. One scientist grabbed me, and I nearly fell over when he pulled me away from the railing. The second man, whose jaw I was hoping I'd broken, caught my arm when I pulled it back to punch the other man. In an effort to pull it away, my other arm was trapped as well.
"Hurry up." One of them snapped, as I thrashed in their quaking grip.
"Let go!" I screamed, as they heaved me up the stairs and into the main lab. The pain was spreading with each heartbeat, filling all of my viens with a burning sensation.
"Aahhh...hh..! W-what did you do!" I demanded, sqeezing my eyes shut.
"That's an experimental sedative." Hojo explained. "Specifically designed to down SOLDIERs. The chemicals react with mako in the blood and tissue, so naturally, you would be in more pain." My arms seized, and I couldn't even close my hands. Hojo presented another syringe, filled with a thick black substance.
Hojo approached me at a brisk walk, but I couldn't struggle any more than I already was. My muscles were ready to snap around my breaking bones I was pulling so hard. But the Science Department seemed trained for such reactions. As Hojo approached, they carefully backed up until I was only a foot or so away from a surgical table, with velcro bindings hanging off the sides. I paid attention to each time one of them shifted a foot, but so were they. Only one scientist moved at a time to keep balance, and only one step at a time. But balance was only as good as the base- if I could catch them the next time they moved…
My eyes flashed from corner to corner of the room.
Where would I even go? The window? It was safety glass- I would surely break my arms before I broke it. But I couldn't even feel my arms anymore. My legs were starting to burn, the mako frothing in my blood. Suddenly, the skin of my arms stretched, and small, bright red cuts appeared. Blood expelled from them, along with heavy drops of mako.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
"Oh, so that's what would happen." Hojo said, wiping the drops of blood off his glasses. "I should set up a video recorder, incase that happens again, oh I would like to have it on film." I pulled my numb arm back and elbowed on of them in the chest, before they doubled their grip on me. "Or not. Might as well get on with it. You're making the room quite a mess." He meant all the blood I was leaving.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, as Hojo paused to tap the glass syringe. He opened his mouth slightly and raised his eyebrows before he spoke.
"You may be a success." He murmured, tapping the vile gently. "I've always said that the best and worst thing about you, is the fact that you are female."
"What the hell does that mean?" I hissed. Cuts had stopped ripping in my skin, and my head was clear enough just to know that I should keep him distracted. Maybe his ranting would divert some of the other scientists' attention.
"I'm saying, my past experiments failed because they were only tried on men. Yet the one living specimen I had ever seen was a female. Two, actually, though only one remains alive now."
"Specimens of what!" I demanded, my voice loud to replace a scream of pain. "What the hell have you done to me!"
"…Certa." He whispered. I could barley heard him, but I recognized the word. "You also know them as Ancients. The celestial beings that inhabited the planet before humans. Their blood is quite similar to the composition of mako, probably the reason why they can speak with the Planet. They are the ones who are fabled to guide us to the Promised Land." He rolled his head back and laughed. "And to think, I was under the impressing that Sephiroth would be the one! How foolish of me!" He met my eyes and shook his head. "Father's ambition, they call it." I froze in shock, and the scientist took a quick step towards the table while I was distracted. I'd momentarily forgotten about all plans to escape.
"Y-You're his-"
Hojo turned to me in a jerking motion. I took deep breaths, my anger rising like a gyser.
"He went crazy because of what you did to him!" I shouted, straining at the men who held me back. My feet dug into the floor, trying to reach him. "He thought he was an Ancient, created from experiments! But you're his Father! That knowledge could have saved him! Hojo, I'll kill you!
"Sephiroth is no longer relevant." He calmly said. "Or any of the other failures. Only you…and you should pray to Gaia that you do not fail to impress."
"There have been others?" I snarled through gritted teeth. How could he do that to so many people...? How could the man live with himself?
"Yes. Many. One was almost a success, you even knew him. But he was too unstable…too violent. Does the name Chase LeRoy mean anything to you?"
"I'm going to end up like him?" I demanded, horrified. I didn't want to save myself, just to go mad like LeRoy was.
"Oh, you would have reached that point already. But the effects that did surface! Oh! Your abilities were no doubt a result of that extra bit of strength. Ha…and some people thought of you as talented." He raised a hand quickly, as if to reassure me. "We've taken enough samples already, blood and tissue…it's well enough time we move on to the final stages of testing."
"Testing of what! Damn it, answer me!"
He walked behind me, just out of my sight.
"Experiments don't talk."
Then came a burning prick on my back. There was a quick jerk, and the burning sensation spread down my spine. I broke out in a sweat instantly, my entire body cramping. Hojo looked on my pain with a deranged smile. My body convulsed, and my head snapped back.
"What did-" My jaw set, and I was unable to form any words.
The searing pain made its way to my back, where it burned under my skin like alit flame, overpowering the sedative's reaction entirely. The scientists stumbled backwards, but instead of running, I crumpled to the floor. As soon as my knees buckled, the two scientists pulled me up and over the table, like this whole scene had been prearranged. Choreographed.
I finally could breathe again, and screamed. My eyes were wide, staring at the bright ceiling as drops of sweat pooled over my skin and wet the table. I yelled again, as soon as there was enough air in my lungs to produce the sound.
Hojo cackled, a sound that scared me even more. It sounded awful, but he was happy.
"Hail Darvey, you are about to become the first artificially created Cetra. You should be honored."
I screamed. Salty, burning tears pooled over in my eyes and fell down my face onto my lips. They tasted like blood.
"Hmn…We can't do tests like this though." He said, as they started pinning my arms down with Velcro straps. "Clean her off and put her in a tank. I'll get back to this when I can." The same scientists, wearing latex gloves now, came back and leaned over me.
"Don't…!" I croaked. I had never sounded so weak before. So desperate. "Someone help!"
The far side of the room caved inwards with a violent explosion. Hot air rushed inside, and the scientists dropped me back onto the damp floor. Even Hojo took a step back.
"What is that doing here?"
Something very large punctured through the smoke, and twisted above me in mid-air before slamming its legs into the floor on either side of me. I ducked my head and screamed, but the monster had carefully avoided me. The monster lowered itself over me, spreading its muscular wings over the ground.
Then, it lowered its feathered neck and gently nudged me with its beak. I pulled my head up from the shelter of my arms and blinked in awe.
"Y-You…What're you-" It suddenly dropped low over me and the muffled bullet shots resounded through the air. My Summon! Genesis' Summon!
It shook, and screamed in pain until the bullets paused firing. Using one of its clawed legs, it grasped my shoulder and pushed me further behind it. Then, it suddenly stood up and faced the opposite way, rearing up on its claws. It rocked its neck back, and light collected around its beak. Despite the numerous bullets that riddled through its body, it remained standing until the attack was charged. Then, it cried out and fired off a beautiful ray of light, which welded through the metal walls and floor. It seemed like a meager attack at first, until the entire room exploded.
Even when it was only wind, the Summon crouched over me like I was its very child to protect me from the explosion's blast. Outdoor winds pulled the smoke out quickly, and I felt the cold air just as instantly. The scientists were scorched and moaning in pain, but one had a phone pressed firmly to his ear.
"Now-You hear me! Get up here now!" They were calling for help! We had to-
The Summon screeched in pain and rage as the third scientist resumed his attack. Red blood was dripping down its neck now, in dark rivulets between the fuchsia plumage.
"No!" I yelled, pulling at its feathers to get its attention. "You'll get killed!" It finally looked down at me. I glanced at the gaping hole in the wall. "We have to get out."
The Summon followed my stare, then stood up tall. Its claws wound around me, and I quickly pulled my arms out of the way so I could still hold on to something. It flapped its wings once, as if testing them, then leapt forward. We didn't hit the ground again. My legs flew out from underneath me and wind tugged at me from all sides, suddenly cold. Another bullet was fired, and the Summon careered to the left to avoid it, and my head whipped to the side.
"After it!" One yelled, but their voice was quickly lost in the howling wind tunnel surrounding me.
It was cold. The wind, the air. My skin was damp from the sweat and I was getting chills. The Summon didn't seem to care about me anymore either, as it just continued to fly. I felt something hot, and sticky splatter on my face. I could hardly open my eyes, but I knew what it was without looking.
"You're hurt." I informed it in a weak voice. It ignored me, flapping its wings every now and then between glides. I parted my sore eyelids and caught a blur of black and green. We were still above the city. "We have to-" The Summon lurched, and we dropped tens of yards before it managed to open its wings again. We fell again soon after, and the Summon strained to keep its heavy wings straight. A building passed below my feet dangerously close. "Get under the plates." I told it.
It lifted its left wing higher, and we arced slowly to the right. And then we dropped dramatically. The edge of the metal plate rushed past us, and the wind roared like it was a train. The Summon couldn't stay aloft any longer- we fell.
I clapped my hand over his rough ankle and held on as its grip weakened.
"Don't drop me!" I gasped. But its wings folded behind itself as we free fell towards the dark slums. "Gaia! Wake up!" I screamed. It was hardly holding onto me at all anymore. My body started to drift up past it as the wind twisted it until it was falling with its back towards the distant ground. I reached out and caught onto the feathers of its neck as I passed it. My legs flew out from underneath me, and the Summon started falling faster than I was. "Wake up! Just hang on for a few seconds longer!" I glanced past it at the rapidly approaching ground and buildings. "Please!" I cried, desperation causing a high-note to ring in my terrified voice. "You're supposed to protect me!"
There was hardly a pause between my words, and the violent reaction. It flapped its wings, forcing air down and away from it with a forceful heave that felt like it was pushing away solid ground. It flipped back over, but I rushed past it, my grip lost as it suddenly pulled upright. I stared up at it, wide-eyed and unblinking as I dropped on my own. Then I was alone in the cold air, falling in the darkness.
I succumbed to the panic- closing my eyes tightly and screamed. No sooner had I reached out, then something cut into the palm of my hand.
The Summon quickly readjusted its talons and more carefully wrapped them around me. It was like I'd been caught in some basket. The impact was gentle and cushioned. The trash-littered ground evened out with us as the Summon tried to land. At first I thought we were going to crash right into that old, washed-out church.
Then I slipped out of its grasp and landed first, falling only a few quick feet before hitting the solid, cold ground of the slums.
I jumped and rolled, skidding on hard cobblestone before coming to an eventual stop. The Summon on the other hand couldn't stop, and rammed into the side of the church with a heavy thud. Some wooden boards snapped as the wall dented in, but the stone reinforcements kept the building in place.
I pushed myself up just enough to see above the rim of trash in my vision, and watched the Summon fall back onto the ground.
"No!" I yelled, straining at the ground with my feet. My bare toes dug into the dirt, and I pushed. I moved forward, and slung my arm out in front of myself. I pricked it on some sharp stone or trash, but quickly threw my other arm out too, all while pushing at the ground with my toes. Finally I approached the Summon.
It was breathing heavily, making a harsh wheezing sound as it did. Its neck was stretched out, and its tongue protruded from its gaping beak. There were blood patches everywhere.
"No…" I whispered hoarsely. Compared to the sound of the deafening wind that I'd heard moments ago, my voice was hardly audible. It roused at the sound of my voice, twisting its head to see me. "No…" I dropped my head and shook it. "I'm sorry. You protected me and-" My voice caught in my throat. "So sorry…" Its bright eyes blinked at me curiously as I started to cry. "This is my fault. All of it. Everyone's dying around me. I've been so useless. Even now, all I'm doing is crying."
Very gently, it stretched out with its wing and touched me with it. I put a dirt-caked hand over it, feeling the strange warmth that the creature offered.
An equally warm voice rang through my head. A sweet girl's voice. Saying how she was supposed to protect me, that it was her job. That she was happy that she finally got the chance.
And suddenly my hand was only making an empty fist. The Summon went up in a daze of light, and a fuchsia materia dropped onto the ground before my face. I put my hand over it and dragged it close.
"I'll protect you now…" I whispered.
Then there came the sweet voice again. No…wait. It was different.
"Are you okay? Did…did you fall from above the plates?" I couldn't lift my head any higher than to see her ankles. And the cute, flowery sandals that she wore. Why was she wearing such stupid shoes? She could get cut so easily down in the slums. There was trash everywhere. Impractical. Then again, I wasn't even wearing sandals. I bet I already had caught blood poisoning from something in the dirt.
"Umm, ah…I'll get help! Just, wait here." Not going anywhere.
I was even aware of the blankness closing around my vision. I'd never noticed myself blacking out before.
Something was different this time.
The black tunnel that blanketed the edge of my vision kept forcing me back into sleep. In the center of my vision were someone's arms, reaching over me or something. Her hands passed right by my face as she lifted them away.
"Are you okay? Hmm...Just rest for now. There's no hurry."
I closed my eyes again.
I rolled over, and off the blanket and onto a bed of flowers. I flexed my hands over the leaves and inhaled. They were fresh. I slowly opened my eyes and lifted myself away from the cool soil. I had been right, it was a little garden with white and yellow flowers. I looked around, at the wide, stone room I was in. A few old benches were in rows before the flowerbed, and a cross was hanging from one of the walls.
"The church...?" I murmmured, blinking away the haze that was still coating the edge of my vision.
"Oh! Don't sit there!" A girl in a blue skirt and matching top ran over from the other side of the room.
"W-why not?" I asked as she knelt beside me.
"You're sitting on the flowers!"
"Oh..." I scooted off the dirt and back onto the wooden floorboards. "Sorry. I just woke up." She shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry I yelled. It's not your fault." She readjusted the blanket for me to sit on. "How are you feeling?" She asked, offering me a bottle of water.
I never knew what to ask first. Who was she? Where exactly this was? What time was it...?
I swallowed, but it only hurt my throat. My eyes panned the old building, and I could see through the holes in teh roof that the black sky was outside. The moon was out too, just visable through the uncompleted plates. But another question overpowered the usual ones.
"Where's-" My throat closed tightly and a painful-sounding cough escaped my lips instead of words.
"Oh, here, drink some." My arms were almost not strong enough to carry the lip of the glass to my face, but I just managed. Meanwhile, the girl's arms hovered in the air, waiting to relieve me of the drink, or catch it if I became too weak to even hold that. She took it away after it was drained and put it on the floor with a small tap.
"It's a good thing you're light enough for me to carry. Otherwise I would have had to go get help to bring you inside." She said. "Oh, as for your question- you're at the church in the slums." I shook my head.
"No, uh- where's the materia that I had?"
"Materia? Oh, I've got that right here." She hurried over to one of the benches and returned with the Summon materia.
I took the it in my hand and rolled it over. I'd never seen the light so dim before. But at least there was a light. I'd thought Valefor had died- protecting me none the less.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked. She must have noticed my face go pale.
How did I know the Summon's name now? Maybe that girl in my dreams...Valefor...wouldn't have to tell me who she was after all.
"Umm?" She said, waiting on a reply. I glanced at the girl and nodded.
"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head and smiled, obviously relieved.
"Don't be. If you really fell from above the plates, it's no wonder you'd be a little…" She shrugged. I cupped Valefor's materia in my hands, gently stroking my thumb over the glossy surface.
"So that's what happened." The girl laughed suddenly, and I looked up at her with a frown.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that…When I heard you crash into the side of the church, I thought another person was going to fall through my roof."
"That happens to you a lot?" I mused. She shook her head.
"Only once. But it brought a good thing. Oh, I'm Aeris, by the way." Aeris? Someone had fallen through this roof. Could it be...? I sat up and faced her.
"Hey, you don't happen to be dating anyone right now, right?"
"I have a boyfriend. He works at ShinRa." Oh, so that was it. "Why? Do you know him? Your eyes do glow like his." I quickly averted my gaze.
"No. I don't know anyone like that."
"Okay. What's your name?" I couldn't get her involved anymore.
"I'm Jane." Maybe my real name wasn't the best alias, but I hadn't gone by it for so long that it didn't feel like mine anymore. It would do.
The havy doors of the church suddenly opened, and Tseng and a group of SOLDIERs filed in. Aeris jumped up, obviously frightened.
"Tseng! What are you doing here?" She demanded. "And why are all these SOLDIERs here." I knew why.
"We're not here for you." Tseng told them. "We've tracked a fugitive to this location." He looked past her at me.
"Leave her alone- she has nothing to do with this." I said, walking right up to the Turk.
"Jane!" Aeris gasped. "No, you don't have to do this! I know you're not a fugitive." I walked around her, careful to avoid the protective arms that jumped out to try and bar my way.
"But I am." I countered. That girl was way too trusting. Pure, just like Zack had described her as. "...Thank you for helping me." Aeris looked past me at Tseng.
"Tseng, you better not hurt her." She warned.
"How do you know him anyways?" I asked, but the Turk wordlessly forced me out of the doorway and into the front yard.
"Oh…Jane…!" She called, taking a few steps out of the church.
"It's okay." I said, slowly lowering my arm as Aeris started after me. I flashed her a quick smile before Tseng took me by the arm and roughly guided me towards the choppers. I looked straight ahead at the four vehicles. Reno and Rude were piloting one, and they quickly looked away when I tried to catch their eyes. Garrison and Kris were standing outside, in a jumbled line of SOLDIERs and Turks. Garrison looked to me for some kind of explanation.
"Wow, I'm flattered." I said, forcing a grin. "You guys felt threatened enough to bring reinforcements."
"And I hope they won't be necessary." He said, handing me off to the awaiting guards at the door to the chopper. I met his eyes once more before the doors closed, as a bittersweet feeling of excitement filled my mako-colored veins.
"We can't let such effort go to waste can we?" I said, almost playfully. The doors closed just after I saw Tseng glare at me.
He flipped open his phone.
"Be on guard. She's up to something."
"Whoa!" Reno reached out of his door and caught Garrison's shoulder. "Hey, kid. You don't want to be on that chopper." He gestured to the one I'd entered.
"She didn't do it!" He protested. "I need to figure out what happened!" Reno tightened his grip.
"I know, yo. But she's not going to talking much. Ride with us, okay?" Kris nodded and held out her hand for Garrison to follow her to sit behind Reno. The doors closed, and Reno slowly lifted the chopper off the ground to follow in position with the first chopper. He locked his eyes on it and flexed his hands.
"Come on, Hail…do something…"
They seemed to realize that handcuffs were useless. They didn't demand I wear any. They thought a row of SOLDIERs was sufficient to deter me from anything drastic. We had cleared the slums, away from Aeris' house, and were slowly gaining elevation over a plate construction site.
I unfolded the edge of my dress and touched Valefor's materia.
"Ready?"
The SOLDIERs couldn't do anything when trapped by STOP magic, and neither could the pilot. The chopper carrered downwards, and I pulled the side door open wide. I leapt out and caught onto a support beam as the chopper caught itself in more construction wires and starting going up in flames. I let go of the beam and dropped down to the ground. I rocked when I landed, but getting back on my feet was easy. The other choppers had sharply turned to face me, spotlights flooding over me. Well, two of the choppers had.
"Reno!" Garrison yelled, pressing his face to the window. "That chopper with Hail just went down! But…I see her!" Reno kept on firm course towards headquarters, failing to hide a content smile.
"I didn't hear any explosion." He looked to his right at Rude and smiled. "Right, partner?" Rude grunted.
"Right."
Ropes dropped, and SOLDIERs jumped out and formed rows on the ground.
My uniform was in such bad shape now that it was sheer, and my bleeding skin was visible to them. But that wasn't all. I could tell by the looks on their faces, even those who had masks covering half of theirs- they were afraid of me. Their quivering lips and the nervous grip on their guns…they were praying to Gaia for some other way to stop me. Anything but confrontation. They would have shot at me by now.
But Gaia wasn't watching over them tonight. Maybe it was the mako in my blood, but I felt it. Gaia was rooting for me.
I bent over and touched a long, ragged piece of shrapnel from the chopper. It was still smoking hot, but it was perfect.
"Hail Darvey!" I raised an eyebrow at the booming voice from over the speakerphone. Tseng leaned out of the door of his chopper. "Put your hands up and surrender! We will shoot you down!" I pretended to raise my arms, and slowly rose up. The front line of troops relaxed, if only by a bit.
Time to raise hell.
I kicked the shrapnel into my hands and back flipped away from the resulting gunfire. I kicked a second piece of metal into my hand and slung it forward at the SOLDIER who fired at me. He was thrown backwards by the sheer force of it, breaking their ranks like dominoes.
And then I looked right up at Tseng, who was leaning precariously out of the chopper, and smiled at him while kicking another piece of shrapnel into my hand. ShinRa no longer owned me. His eyes widened and he yelled something to the pilot.
"Too late, Tseng!" I yelled, and chucked the metal scrap right at the chopper blades. A well-aimed bullet hit it just before it broke the chopper, sending it off course. The chopper blades still hit it, but they knocked it away instead with a loud snap. A blade cracked, and the chopper started swaying, and quickly tangled itself in thick wires. Ropes fell and its crew hastily leapt to the ground right before the whole chopper exploded. The explosion sent a wave of hot air and sparks behind me, blowing past me and into the faces of my adversaries. It blinded them, but it appeared like they were cowering away from me. I felt immortal. They couldn't touch me.
"Attack me already!" I yelled. "What are you afraid of? A girl with scrap metal for a sword!"
"Open fire!" Tseng ordered. I was glad for that improper weapon then, because dozens of bullets were fired. I faced a real-life 100 Infantrymen-challenge.
Each deflected bullet bounced back and hit someone, and each time I attacked, numerous fighters went down. It was like they wanted to be hit, so they could get out of the fight.
The SOLDIERs and Infantrymen were afraid of me. They wore armor, and had the ready weapons, but I was still the one they feared. Because I stood before them, in nothing but a sheer drape and my own skin, with pieces of debris as weapons, and I was still the one winning. It was only me they were facing. Only my hands and whatever they could reach. My vivid stare of overflowing mako and wild grin. That frightened them. And it was invigorating. Enthralling.
The best feeling ever.
I hoped some of them would run, which a few smart, cowardly souls had already decided to. I was grateful for the visors they wore. I'm sure I knew these men, one way or another. Passing them in the halls, training with them. Some friends. I didn't want to see familiar faces die by my hands. It was easier to imagine a nameless SOLDIER, than the young man I'd helped learn materia.
"I'll take her!" A man yelled.
Suddenly the crowd parted and backed away, as a single, stupid SOLDIER faced me. A stupid man with a visor, and pockets full of materia. A man I hated…
"Give up." He shouted. I smiled and shook my head.
"I can't. I think I promised not to." He was better at keeping a blank expression in the face of danger and fear. He made a fist.
"Fine then, you leave me with no choice!" He took out a THUNDER materia and shot a beam of lightning at me. It was easy enough to dodge without it seeming so. A few more sparks went up, causing the sand underfoot to burn. But our fight was little more than a tussle, an act. He would let it end when I wanted to.
No one was interfering either. Our synchronized battle was too intense and personal for others to get between. We were blind to the outside world, beyond the reach of our magic and punches. I aimed one at his face, and he spun out of the way, exchanging a punch of his own. And in the moment our hands touched, he fitted something, wrapped into a tight package, into my fingers.
I pulled away, hiding it against my chest like I was nursing a wound. His head bobbed slightly- a nod.
A cue.
It was time for me to go.
I plucked the materia from my pocket and dropped it towards the ground. It hovered right before touching, and exploded outwards.
A fully healed Valefor expelled her wings around me, spewing a flame-like ray from her parted beak. I met Kunsel's eyes once more before the wall of violet flame separated us. Valefor shot up into the air, flames trailing us as we escaped from the burning funnel. Her claw gripped my arm and carried me below her, the wind pressing my torn uniform tight against my skin, the shreds fluttering below me like a cape.
"Get her!" They yelled at Kunsel. He waved his empty hands at them, shouting things I was too far away to hear. A gust of wind pulled smoke and dust between us, and Valefor rose higher into the air, above the choppers, out of their sight. Midgar stretched out below me, an expanse of cold, dead metal fitted above cold, dead earth. I'd ignored it for so long. Unlike Genesis. But no more. I didn't know where I would go, but I knew one place I would never return to.
"See you never again, you rotting pizza..." I whispered. Valefor pulled me up higher into the clouds, veering in the direction I thought I wanted to go.
It was the direction of neither where the sun rose, or fell. It was dark, and beautiful, and I had a feeling that other I knew chose that path as well. Others with more romantic and tasteful ways to leave ShinRa behind. Maybe I would find them along it.
Further down the way.
A/N~…Thanks for reading. I wrote this over a year ago, and never thought I would finish it. But I found so much support and even new friends from my reviewers. I tried to end it with a sort of conclusive feeling, but there's some stuff that is up for interpretation. Like…what did Kunsel give Hail, hmm? Haha, I wonder.
Well, I hope you liked it. Keep an eye open for the sequel, or let me know what you would like to see in a sequel. …Further down the way ;)
