Aerith set her tray down before sliding into the chair across from Tifa with a loud sigh.
"Ugh, is that new SOLDIER of yours still being an asshole?" her friend asked.
Blinking in surprise, Aerith quickly shook her head. "No, no, that's not it at all. He's . . . actually not that bad, we just had a bit of a misunderstanding."
Tifa raised one eyebrow but laughed quietly. "I guess knowing you I shouldn't be too surprised that you managed to patch things up already. If it's not him though, then what's got you all down? I'm not used to seeing you like this."
"Well . . . it's not him specifically, but it is about him. There's something weird going on with SOLDIER, Tif."
"Weirder than super-humans fighting a distant war with high-tech support from back home?"
She couldn't help but laugh at that, almost spitting out her juice. "Actually, yes." Glancing around, Aerith wondered how much she could say, who might be listening. Remembering Cloud's warning from the other day, she decided it was better to be safe than sorry. "I don't want to jump to any conclusions though. How about you, were you able to learn anything about their training?"
A soft smile spread across Tifa's face as she nodded and leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper. "I wasn't able to get any specifics, but I did manage to learn a name, someone who supposedly knows all the ins and outs of everything SOLDIER related."
"Who?" Aerith asked, excited to finally have a potential source of answers.
"Professor Hojo."
The name immediately caught her attention. Besides being a well-known, high-ranking scientist in Shrina, Hojo had taught one of Aerith's classes. She could still remember his greasy smile as he raved on and on about how wonderful the SOLDIER program was, calling it his crowning glory. The lecture had left her feeling weird and uncomfortable, and she'd done her best to banish it from her mind.
"Oh . . ."
"You know him?"
Aerith nodded. "Yeah, he was one of my teachers." She refrained from elaborating on her thoughts about him, not wanting to make Tifa worry.
Tifa's brow rose. "Ah, I suppose that makes sense. Think it will help?"
"We never really talked before, so probably not, but it's still great to have a name. Thanks, Tif!"
"Glad to help. You sure you're going to be alright on your own? I could try and get some time off so I could join you."
Aerith wanted to roll her eyes. "Now you sound exactly like Cloud."
"Cloud?"
Oops. Well, it was too late to take it back at this point. "That's his name."
"Your SOLDIER's?"
She could feel her cheeks heating up already. From the grin growing on Tifa's face, Aerith could already tell she was never going to hear the end of this. "He's not mine, but yes, him."
Tifa let out of soft whistle. "Wow, and here I thought their names were all highly confidential. I won't ask what you did to drag it out of him."
"Tifa!"
Her friend winked at her. "Sorry, you're just too much fun to fluster."
Aerith pretended to pout. "Bully."
The two of them broke into giggles at the same time, making Aerith feel more relaxed as some of her tension from earlier that morning faded away. She was extremely grateful to have a friend like Tifa.
"Anyways," she said, once their laughter had died down. "I'll be fine, I'm just going to ask him some questions and see if he'll tell me anything about the SOLDIER program. Knowing him, he won't be able to shut up about it. There's nothing to worry about, it'll be a quick, short chat." Hopefully.
"Fine, fine, but be careful, okay? It sounds like you're poking your nose into something that could be dangerous and I worry about you. I know better than to try and talk you out of this though, once you focus on something, nothing can stop you."
Aerith opened her mouth to deny that, but then promptly closed it. Tifa knew her too well, she was determined to get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took. "I promise I won't do anything that'll get me in trouble."
Seemingly content, Tifa pushed her chair back from the table and got to her feet. "Great, I've gotta run but call me tonight? I'm curious to hear what you learn."
"Sure thing!" Aerith waved farewell to her friend and hurriedly finished off the last of her scone. Now that she had a lead, she was eager to see what she could uncover.
Stepping out of the elevator onto the sixty-sixth floor, Aerith immediately felt out of place. Nearly everyone in sight was wearing a white lab coat, a stark contrast to her pink dress. On top of that, they were all rushing around in complete silence, their eyes focused on the floor as if they were afraid to make eye contact.
She wasn't super familiar with this section of the tower and had no idea how she was going to find Hojo. Unsure how best to proceed, Aerith made her way down the hallway, keeping an eye out for someone who wasn't in a hurry so she could ask them for directions. Nobody seemed to fit these criteria, and her frustration began to rise as she walked on and on.
Just as she was about ready to stop someone and ask regardless of how busy they seemed, the hallway opened into a small rest area and Aerith was relieved to see that there seemed to be a handful of people taking a break. Walking over to one of the tables where a lone woman was sitting, she stopped across from her and smiled. "Sorry to bother you, but do you know where I could find Professor Hojo?"
The woman's eyes widened dramatically, flickering around the room before settling back on Aerith. "You . . . actually want to meet with him?" Her tone was incredulous as if Aerith were crazy to be asking about this.
"Is that a problem? I was hoping to ask him a few questions."
"No, it's just . . . I mean, most people try their hardest not to get his attention. Especially women."
Aerith frowned. That certainly wasn't encouraging. "I see. Unfortunately, it's somewhat important."
Glancing at her watch, the woman seemed to think for a moment before she responded. "I think he's giving a lecture in Conference Room C right now. It should be ending soon, so at least you won't have to enter the labs if you can catch him right after he's done."
"Great, thanks for your help, and the warning," Aerith said with a nod. She didn't ask why it was a good thing she wouldn't have to enter the lab and made a mental note to never go there.
"Good luck, I hope you know what you're doing . . ."
She hoped that as well, and for the first time, started to wonder if Cloud and Tifa might not have been wrong to be concerned. Doing this alone suddenly didn't feel like such a great idea anymore.
Finding the conference room was easy enough and shortly after she arrived, the door opened and people began filing out. It almost looked like some of them were fleeing, but Aerith figured she was letting her concerns get to her. Once the flow of people slowed down, she slipped into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her. Hojo was standing at the front of the room, his back to her as he wiped the last of his notes from the board on the wall.
"Excuse me?" she called out, staying by the door and not going any further into the room.
Hojo spun around, his eyes dropping down before slowly making their way back upward, a smirk spreading across his face. Aerith did her best not to shiver, immediately regretting this meeting. Having come this far though, she figured it would be a waste not to make the most of it.
"I recognize you," Hojo said, the smug look on his face lingering. "You were the top student in the recent Handler class, correct?"
Aerith nodded. "Yes sir, I was. My name's Aerith."
"Aerith." The way he said her name made her skin crawl. "How can I help you?"
"I was hoping to ask you some questions about SOLDIER," she replied, pushing on despite her discomfort.
His eyes lit up at the name. "Wonderful. Of course, I'd be glad to answer what I can. What do you want to know?"
"I did some research last night and noticed something odd, sir. Not a single SOLDIER has ever reached the age of thirty when they're allowed to retire. Every single one, without fail, has died on the field of battle."
"A tragedy, for sure, but surely not a surprise, given the occupation, no?" He didn't sound even remotely sad about what he was saying. "They're truly heroes to be worshiped and admired, a far step above what they used to be."
Sensing an opening to dive deeper, Aerith pounced. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Hojo smirked at her, his lip curling in a way that somehow made him look even more hideous. "Are you sure you want to know? The truth can be ugly, my dear."
Swallowing, she nodded her head.
"Well, I suppose our star Handler deserves to know, you've certainly proven yourself with your dedication to Shinra."
"Anything to help protect Midgar," she said, her stomach twisting with the words. Hopefully, it didn't show on her face how sick she felt.
"Hmmm, where to begin . . . Perhaps with a question: How do you imagine SOLDIERs join the army?"
Aerith blinked, taken aback. "Don't they volunteer? I assumed most of them were mercenaries or from private security? Then we train them to hone their skills."
Hojo laughed so hard at her answer he ended up bending over, bracing his hands on his knees. She watched in puzzled confusion as he slowly regained his composure, the sinking feeling inside her only growing stronger and stronger by the second. Eventually, Hojo stood back up, wiping a tear from his eye with the back of his sleeve.
"SOLDIERs aren't trained, they're made, infused with the very essence of the Planet itself. Yes, they do receive some basic training, but the key element, the thing that truly makes a SOLDIER into what they are, is the science. They are my greatest creation, unrivaled weapons of mass destruction on a very convenient leash."
She forced the bile that was creeping up her throat back down, doing everything she could to not reveal how badly she wanted to throw up from his words. It was even more horrible than she'd feared. Aerith didn't want to imagine what horrors Cloud had been subjected to, what had been done to him.
"Why . . . why would anyone volunteer for that?"
"Volunteer? You seem to be mistaken once again. SOLDIERs are the dregs of society, worthless scum, criminals who had no future until we blessed them with a gift they were lucky to receive. When presented with the choice of death or the opportunity to serve, they gladly take the latter."
"They're all criminals?" It was hard to imagine that was the case with Cloud, but she was forced to admit she didn't know a lot about his past.
"No, not all of them, just most. Yours, for instance, wasn't."
Aerith nearly sighed in relief, but Hojo apparently wasn't done.
"He and his poor mother were living on the streets, homeless. There had been a recent drought in . . . recruitment, so we made do with other solutions, provided him a better future. The mother was too old to be of any use to us, but she still served as a nice tool to keep him in line before he learned to obey. After that point, it was safe to dispose of her."
It took all of Aerith's self-control to not charge at him screaming. She wanted to claw his eyes out, to do anything she could to avenge Cloud and his mother, but knew now wasn't the time nor the place. Instead, she swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to make sure Hojo was held accountable for his crimes.
"Something wrong? You're looking a little pale, my dear."
"It's just . . . a lot to take in."
Hojo looked at her slyly, one corner of his mouth curling upward. "You're not feeling pity for him, are you?"
"No, of course not," she lied.
"Good, because we did nothing but help him. He had no future, likely would have died on the streets if we hadn't intervened. Instead, he has the honor of fighting to defend his city as well as a roof over his head and a hot meal every night. He should be thankful to be so lucky."
"Indeed." Aerith couldn't bring herself to say anymore. She had to get out of here, she couldn't take this any longer. "Well, this has been a very interesting lesson. Thank you for taking a moment out of your busy day, I won't take any more of your time." With that, she turned to the exit, but before she could take a single step his hand was gripping her upper arm.
"I trust you'll respect the confidentiality of what you've learned, correct?" His hold on her was surprisingly strong, to the point where he was actually hurting her.
"Of course, I wouldn't dream of it." Aerith wasn't sure who she'd even tell. The higher-ups were clearly already aware—there was no way a secret this large could be kept from them.
"Good, good. After all, it's not common, but there are female SOLDIERs as well . . ."
She didn't need him to clarify what he meant by that, the threat was blatantly obvious. Pulling out of his grip as his hand loosened its hold on her, Aerith quickly made her way to the door, desperately wanting to put as much distance as she could between herself and the monster in the lab coat.
"I'm afraid I have to run or I'll be late for our mission. This was very . . . educational." Aerith opened the door and slipped out before he had a chance to reply. The faint sound of his laughter was the last thing she heard before the metal door closed shut behind her.
Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip to hold back a sob. Cloud and his mother had been kidnapped, subjected to unspeakable horrors, and then he was sent to fight on the behalf of the people who'd subjected him to this nightmare, not to mention the fact they'd apparently also killed his mother. It was overwhelming, causing Aerith to question everything she thought she knew.
Could she really continue to work for Shinra, now that she knew what they were capable of? Did she even have a choice? She shook her head to try and clear it, now wasn't the time to be dwelling on that. Pulling her phone from her pocket, Aerith jumped in surprise when she what time it was. She'd used the mission as an excuse to get away, but there was only an hour left before it was scheduled to begin.
There was still enough time for her to get back to her room and prepare, but after the conversation she'd just had, she desperately wanted to take a shower before doing anything else and that was going to be cutting it close. Making up her mind, Aerith set out for her room with a brisk pace—she was going to scrub Hojo's filth off herself even if it meant she would be a little late.
Her fears turned out to be unfounded as she dropped down into her chair, freshly cleaned and no longer feeling like she'd crawled through a sewer. The mission was scheduled to start in two minutes, and she hadn't needed to rush. Too much. Reaching for the CommLink resting on the desk in front of her, Aerith hesitated, her hand hovering above it.
What did she say to Cloud?
Unfortunately, there simply wasn't any time to figure it out. Aerith knew she should have been coming up with a plan while she'd been in the shower, but she'd instead spent the time thinking of anything except what she'd learned. Placing the CommLink on her head, she flicked the switch—enabling the connection. For now, she'd avoid saying anything until she could figure out how to broach the subject.
"Heya!" she called out, trying to sound as chipper as possible.
"There you are, I was starting to wonder where you were."
"What, you worried about me?"
There was a half-second pause before Cloud finally responded. ". . . No."
Aerith was rendered momentarily speechless as she realized he had been. Maybe it was understandable, given he was clearly aware of Shinra's darker side, but it was such a departure from how their initial interactions had gone. It was nice, knowing he actually cared.
"Good, cause I'm completely fine, just like I said I'd be." Except she wasn't. Not at all. Her heart felt so . . . heavy, like something was pressing down and smothering her. "Anyway, today's mission should be pretty straightforward, a basic, routine patrol of the area around Gold Saucer."
"Sounds easy enough."
"Yup! It's pretty far from the front lines too, so hopefully, it'll be largely uneventful." Which was a good thing, from her perspective. Maybe she'd have a chance to come up with a way to talk to Cloud about his past.
That proved not to be the case—for the duration of Cloud's helicopter flight over to Gold Saucer, Aerith thought and thought of what to say, but continued to only draw blanks. How did you bring up something like this? For his part, Cloud seemed fine with the silence over the line, not saying anything to her the entire trip.
"Let me know if you see anything," he said, once the helicopter had arrived and he'd disembarked.
Aerith hummed into the CommLink, watching the monitor of the area around him, even though she was more focused on coming up with ideas. She wasn't too concerned, there was no way a mission this far out would run into trouble.
No matter how many scenarios she played out in her head, she couldn't think of a way to bring it up that wouldn't be horrifically awkward, especially considering she wasn't aware of all the details of what had happened. Despite that, she felt like she had to. The situation was just so horrible. She had so many questions to ask him, the most pressing being why he continued to work for Shinra. Hojo had mentioned a leash of some kind, but as far as she knew, there shouldn't have been anything capable of stopping him.
"You're being pretty quiet today, you sure everything is alright?" Cloud asked after he'd made a lap around the amusement park.
It was an innocent enough question, and yet, it was the tipping point for Aerith—just enough pressure to cause her to really, truly think about how she felt. First came a sniffle, then her vision grew blurry, and before she knew what was happening, long, heavy sobs were wracking her body. Pulling her legs up onto the chair, she wrapped her arms around them and surrendered to her sorrow.
Ahhhhh Hojo…. He's horrible, but we do learn more about what it means to be in SOLDIER. It's not pretty and hopefully serves to explain why Cloud's initial reaction was so extreme. Even though she knew something was up, Aerith never imagined it was this bad, and as a result, she struggles with how to move forward. It's obviously a very difficult subject to broach, and she ends up kind of neglecting Cloud who ends up thinking he's done something to upset her. Once he finally speaks up to check on her, it ends up pushing her over the edge and all of her pent-up emotions come rushing out.
Hope you enjoyed this reveal, and that it at least answered a few questions, although I'm sure like Aerith you still have plenty more. Thanks for reading!
Next Chapter: Promise