"I remember him," Barret said as they stood in the stairwell. "That Hojo guy. He's in charge of the Shinra's Science Department. Cloud, don't you know him?"

Cloud shook his head.

"This is the first time I've ever actually seen him. So… that's what he looks like…"

They continued onto the floor. An instant chemical smell hit Cloud that stung his nostrils and made his head spin. The winding corridors buzzed, vibrated and bubbled as the group traversed through them. This must have been the laboratory. Cloud didn't want to even consider the experiments that were going on behind the closed doors.

Following the corridor through to the left-hand side, they entered a laboratory that seemed to be in disarray. Crates were piled up in corners and the whole area looked like it needed a good clean.

Professor Hojo was standing in the middle of the floor peering at a four-legged creature that was trapped inside a glass cage. It looked like some kind of canine, with smooth red fur and a thick mane. It seemed very aware of where it was and what might happen to it because it was snarling at the professor, exposing its long white teeth that were shiny and dripping with saliva.

Cloud heard footsteps approaching from behind. They quickly ducked behind a crate as a man in a grey suit marched past.

"Is this today's specimen?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Hojo. "We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level."

The man scurried off. Professor Hojo leaned close to the cage so that his nose was almost touching the surface.

"My precious specimen…"

He skulked away muttering to himself leaving Cloud, Tifa and Barret alone in the laboratory. Tifa walked up to the cage and tapped on it. The creature within had stopped snarling as if it somehow understood that Tifa was not a threat to it.

"Precious specimen…?" she mused.

She turned towards Cloud and Barret.

"Is it going to be used as a biological experiment?"

This was Shinra. That's exactly what it would be used for. The creature had two outlooks and both of them were grim. It would either no longer be fit for purpose and be disposed of, or it would live the rest of its life being poked, prodded and poisoned for the 'good of the people'. That's what Shinra would say, anyway. In reality, the crooked firm wanted only two things; money and power. Another thought came to him. The Promised Land. That's what they said in the conference, right? That they wanted to find the Promised Land. Aeris was the key. Why did Shinra need it so badly?

He spotted another chamber and peered inside. An intense heaviness hit his chest and his head ached.

"Jenova…" he whispered.

Inside the chamber was the headless body of a naked woman. Her skin was ashen and opaque with a paper-like quality to it; so thin that you could see veins branching through it. Her body seemed to pulse if you looked at it closely enough. Cloud no longer wished to look at her and tried to pull away but something was drawing him in.

The feeling grew in Cloud's head and he fell to the floor in a heap. What was happening to him? He felt Tifa's gentle hands pulling him into an embrace.

"Jenova… Sephiroth's… So… they've brought it here," he gasped.

"Cloud, be strong!" Tifa encouraged.

"Did you see it?" Cloud asked when he had gained some of his composure.

"See what?" asked Barret.

"It's moving… still alive?" said Cloud in jagged breaths.

Barret peered inside for a second and then turned to Cloud and Tifa with an incredulous look on his face.

"Where's its fuckin' head? This whole thing's stupid. Let's keep goin'."

The guy had a heart of gold beneath that steely exterior. He was right, Cloud realised. His mind was drifting into the past, plucking out fragments of memories; some that were too painful to relive and others that were still shrouded in mystery and making his head ache. Trying to put the puzzle of his memories back together was impacting the mission at hand; and this wasn't an ordinary mission either. A friend was in danger. He shook his head, got to his feet and took the elevator up to the next level.

The laboratory's upper level was cleaner and more spacious. A catwalk jutted out from a mezzanine floor, which was attached to another glass cage in the centre of the room. Professor Hojo was hungrily peering at the young woman trapped inside its confines.

"Aeris!" Cloud yelled.

"Aeris?" the professor asked without turning his head. "Oh, is that her name? What do you want?"

"We're taking Aeris back," Cloud fervently replied.

"Outsiders…" Hojo deliberated. He still didn't take his eyes off Aeris.

"Shoulda noticed it earlier, you…" Barret began, his whole body shaking angrily. The professor promptly cut him off.

"There's so many frivolous things in this world," he calmly stated.

Barret charged across the floor, his gun arm waving dangerously in the air. Cloud and Tifa followed. If this professor Hojo wanted a fight, then a fight is what he was going to get.

"Are you going to kill me?" asked the professor. "I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who could operate it? Hmm."

Cloud groaned and looked at Aeris who was lying helplessly on the cold hard floor of the cage. Hojo had no desire to fight. His words of logic cut deeper than any act of physical violence ever could.

"That's right," he goaded. "I recommend you think things out logically before you make any rash moves. Now, bring in the specimen!"

The man from earlier was standing in an enclosed control room overlooking the laboratory. He pushed a single button, stepped back and watched as a circular elevator rose into Aeris' chamber, bringing with it the creature from below. Aeris backed away and quickly darted to the other side of the cage as the creature advanced towards her. It crouched low to the ground, its shoulders braced and its sides heaving as it growled threateningly. At this point, Cloud was sure that the beast was more scared than hostile but that still didn't detract from the point that Aeris was stuck in there with no chance to escape.

"Cloud, help!" she screamed as she banged on the glass.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Cloud yelled at Hojo who was looking on as if this was all just a spectacular show at a theatre.

"Lending a helping hand to an endangered species," the professor casually replied. "Both of them are on the brink of extinction… if I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

"Animal?" Tifa protested. "That's terrible! Aeris is a human being!"

"You're gonna pay!" Barret boomed.

"Barret!" Cloud yelled as he turned towards him. "Can't you do anything?"

He raised his Gatling gun into the air and then lowered it so that it was level with the glass cage.

"Awright!" he bellowed. "Step back!"

"Stop!" cried the professor, his protests falling on deaf ears as Barret pelted the glass cage with bullets.

The cage's inner space burst into bright white light, engulfing its captors. Its electronic components buzzed and hissed as the light within became brighter and brighter, eventually causing Cloud to look away. This was not good.

Professor Hojo ran up to the cage and placed his hands onto its surface.

"Wh…what are you do…" he stammered. "Oh! My precious specimens…"

The cage door sprung open but the light inside was still too bright. The canine leapt from the cage, using the blinding light to its full advantage. Hojo didn't see it coming. It floored the professor and pinned him to the ground, its fangs bared and its claws unsheathed.

"Now's our chance to get Aeris!"

Cloud rushed into the cage as the light returned to normal. Aeris was cowering in the corner, her face covered, but her posture relaxed when she saw Cloud.

"Thanks, Cloud."

She ran to Tifa and Barret. Cloud was about to follow her when the elevator suddenly started to whir. Something was coming up, but what? Another specimen? Cloud could hear a monstrous roar coming from beneath.

"Cloud… what's wrong?" asked Tifa.

"The elevator is moving."

The creature loosened Hojo's collar, allowing him to scramble out of its reach. Fumbling with his lab coat, he announced, "This is no ordinary specimen. This is a very ferocious specimen!"

It turned around to face the team, eyeing up each person with its deep intelligent eyes.

"He's rather strong. I'll help you all out," it spoke with a deep masculine voice.

"It talked!?" gasped Tifa, her mouth agape.

"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," the beast replied.

Cloud faced the creature. It talked, which meant it held human traits. Therefore, he would treat it as such.

"We'll take care of that monster," Cloud told the canine. "Somebody take Aeris somewhere safe." He glanced towards Tifa who nodded in agreement. "Tifa, I'm countin' on you!"

While Tifa and Aeris fled to safety, Cloud turned towards the beast with the red fur.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Hojo has named me Red XIII," it replied. "A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish."

"Don't you have a real name?" Cloud asked.

The creature didn't answer.

"Okay, Red it is then."

He whizzed around to face the elevator just as the monster reached the top.

"Come on!" Cloud yelled to his team as the monster locked eyes on them.

To be continued…