EIGHT
Secret garden.
AERITH
Food, she had come to learn, could be both terribly bland but also exciting. Lunch rolled out and, like clockwork, her cell opened. Behind it revealed Elias — still professional yet relaxed in his stance. Aerith was already stationed at her little table, waiting patiently for him to set down the tray. However, she couldn't help but beam up at him. Him bringing lunch was one of those rare moments they ever could talk for a good appropriate amount of time before he would be dismissed.
"Good afternoon, Elias!" she greeted as he gently placed the tray of food in front of her.
It was a simple set of baked beans, mashed potatoes, and a rare slice of meat. A small banana, a carton of milk, and a bottle of water was placed on the side. All in all, aside from the meat, a regular lunch set.
"Good morning, mi rosa de invierno" he greeted back, using the odd-sounding nickname.
Quite honestly, she didn't quite understand why Elias called her as such. However, Aerith couldn't put much judgment on that. Sera, after all, called her Iova — a name she still wasn't sure what it meant. As far as she could tell (and surmised from the books she had read), it was merely a term of endearment; one she greatly accepted.
"How was your day?"
The question was a perfunctory one. Without fail, she would ask him of his day every time he brought in lunch. Though, it was asked in a place of genuine curiosity and concern.
Elias hummed as if to think it over.
"I stood watch last night and listened to an audiobook."
Aerith straightened up at the new word.
"Audiobook?" she asked, "Is it a book that I could read aloud?"
"Uh, yes in a sense." Elias answered, amused.
"Do you think you could let me borrow? I never thought books could read out loud by themselves."
In truth, the prospect of such an idea filled her with excitement.
"It is not quite what you think it is." he explained, "It is not the book that reads itself. Someone else is doing the reading for you."
Aerith frowned, a crease between her brows as she thought over what Elias was saying. It was at this moment her instincts woke up, whispering along her questions. Whispers were calming and motherly, repeating the same word over and over again.
"So like an...arayat?"
The word was so foreign yet familiar. A word she had never used before but felt as though it was natural for her to say. Looking up at Elias, she saw him look at her with a considering and confused look. Although, more confused than considering. The normally stoic man was surprisingly open in his reaction this time. A question seemed to be on the top of his tongue. However, before he could reply nor Aerith could ask him, there was a particular hard knock on the door. It was a signal that Elias had overstayed his welcome.
Sighing, the older man shook his head and stood back up from his crouching position.
"You remember what to do?" he asked.
Aerith nodded diligently.
"Put all utensils on the tray. Place the tray by the door and knock three times." she recited.
The soldier nodded and went back out of the cell. Once he was gone, Aerith started digging into her lunch.
It wasn't exactly what Wang often remarked as "fine dining". The meat was a bit overcooked 一 skin burnt until charred, the potatoes less mashed and more mush; the beans undercooked and rough on the tongue. To the delicate taste buds of a normal human (as often remarked by Wang), it was a terrible meal. However, to Aerith who never had anything more than roasted meat or absolutely nothing, it was truly a delightful experience. Enthusiastically, she chomped and ate her way, disregarding the carbon taste mixed with watered slop. Lightly, she hummed — a random tune on her lips.
A familiar bang from her wall started and Aerith tried to sing with it in rhythm. The bangs were a common occurence nowadays. It disrupted the quiet atmosphere that always prevailed. Instead of being annoying (as her doctor would often remark), it was a nice source of comfort. Wang had explained it as "a serious case of road runner's rage"— or whatever that was supposed to mean. Though, she did infer and surmise he meant that another patient (Wang would remind her to refer to herself as such since the term experiment disturbed him a tad too much) was next door.
Truthfully, Aerith didn't quite know how to feel, but it was nice in it's own way. Sometimes, she did wonder if it was the same man. The man that passes with such blue—
"You're actually eating that?!"
Serah's loud disgusted voice broke through her train of thought.
Looking up to her friend, Aerith wiped the dripping mash from her lips with the back of her hand. The action earned her a scrunch of disgust from her friend. It probably wasn't a delightful scene to behold.
"Don't do that." Sera said, looking at the back of Aerith's hand — smeared with wet potato — and the meal on her tray.
Aerith merely smiled, amused, before continuing her way. Sera always commented on the food. Each was just as disgusted and disparaging as the next. Honestly, it was refreshing to see her openly disgusted by anything. Sera was always moderate in her reaction. Moderate being the operative word for "regulation". Never did she react in two extremes. She neither loved or hated anything extremely for the matter — always between teasing and mocking remarks. Of course, there were moments where she complained about the itch of the snow against her skin. Temperature wasn't a problem with her friend, but texture was. Fur coats could be either too coarse or too scratchy; too soft and too smooth. However, it was often diluted in some sense.
To think that all it took was her regular lunch to tip her over the edge.
"It's not bad, you know." Aerith said, continuing to slice and eat through the chicken.
Sera scoffed, looking away.
"I'd rather eat grastafar dung. Couldn't possibly be worse than that."
Cutting a piece of roast, she piled it on the spoon, a bit of the mash on it, and held it to Sera to taste. Her friend lurched away. Nose scrunched up and face turned slightly away.
"You are not making me eat that."
"It's just a bit of chicken." Aerith teased, steadily moving the spoon closer to her face.
Sera took a sniff of the food before pushing the spoon away. Laughing, she let the spoon fall messily on the tray; too distracted by Sera's reaction. Aerith continued to laugh when the sudden mirth hit her unexpectedly. It was an odd feeling. Laughter was something that grasped her lungs and throat; made it feel she was on a burst of combustion — at least a happy one. It felt like a paradox she wasn't exactly sure how to categorize. There was pain at times, cramps in her stomach and sometimes soreness on her throat, yet it felt good. Such occurred a nice kind of pain Aerith wouldn't mind dealing with again. However, how could something good still hurt? The thought was saved for another time when the door of her cell started to open.
Her friend had disappeared with the sound and Aerith tried to compose herself, hiccupping and wiping the tears in her eyes. From beyond the metal door was Wang. His face was a portrait of amusement and bewilderment. Though, Aerith supposed, she didn't quite look like a paragon of sane at the moment. A bit of her food spilled off the edge. Her eyes still tinted red. Her pale skin flushed red. It was a picture of a child caught in the midst of a joke. Though full of mirth, she didn't particularly care about her appearance.
She beamed at him.
"I see lunch was nice." Wang commented dryly.
"A very good lunch." Aerith responded evenly as she could, calming down from her high, but a smile couldn't help but breach her defenses.
Shaking his head, Wang rubbed a hand on his chin and said, "Well, we need to cut it short for a mo."
His tone was oddly tired yet excited. A mix she couldn't quite interpret as either good or bad. However, still, it was Wang. It was usually never really something bad.
"Why?"
"I am taking you somewhere."
At the phrase, a group of guards appeared, trickling into the cell. Elias was one of them and approached, grabbing her tray. Wang walked over to her and reached out a hand. She grabbed it, hoisting herself up carefully and keeping herself close to her doctor.
"I'm sorry about the guards but I can't move you without them." the doctor softly told her.
His eyes were apologetic, relaying a sincerity that was uniquely his own. Nodding at his words, Aerith relaxed and smiled. They moved out of the cell immediately after. The guards surround her like a human blockade, shielding her and keeping her in. By the head, Wang strode forward, unknowingly more imposing and confident than she had ever seen him before. As much as he doubted himself (which was too often in her own opinion), the doctor did exclude a kind of bravado and assured presence that made people take him seriously. Honestly, the flip-flop of nervous and dorky to self-assured and assertive could be a sign of a more duplicitous nature. However, Aerith couldn't believe that of Wang 一 both herself and her instincts. They were quieter than before yet remained in the back of her head whispering. Despite their continuing warnings about Sera and caution with other members of the laboratory, they were always quiet and calm when it came to the doctor.
When they arrived at a large metal door, a wheel at its center that two guards have to work unanimously to open, Aerith arrived at a startling revelation.
She trusted him 一 more than she actually realized; more than the HYDRA doctor could even comprehend. That, in itself, was frightening but there were no other feelings other than comfort. So, by the time the odd door was finally open, a burst of light seared from beyond, searing her eyes and making her squint. Her eyes adjusted to the heavy light.
Once it did, Aerith's heart leaped and she released a loud gasp. Nothing in the world could prepare her for the sight in front of me. Sunlight filtered within — the heat touching her skin for the first time in a long time; even from the mouth of the entrance. Though the dirt soil was obviously placed impartially disturbed, she could sense its fertility. The whispers of the wind carried a smell she almost forgot, just like the world around her. For a moment, Aerith forgot about where she was. She forgot about the guards behind. As she stepped from the cold relentless metal into the soft dirt beneath her feet, Aerith forgot — and she remembered.
Eyes burned in a way they never did before. Her heart ached and throbbed, beating out of her chest. It pumped everywhere in her body and rushed to her ears. She almost didn't catch what Wang was saying. He was rambling so much and this was the first time she didn't pay attention. Yet, she did manage to catch one portion of the words he said.
"This is a greenhouse, Aerith. And well, I planned it, List approved it, and Strucker was forced to make it happen. Either way, despite who made it, it's yours."
"It's mine?" she asked softly; vulnerable as if she didn't comprehend or could imagine it.
All she knew was that her heart hurt and her eyes burned. Looking at the doctor for the first time since she entered, Aerith took in his nervous but happy demeanor. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Well, you have to follow some rules and regulations — List and Struckers orders — but other than that, this is a place for you to practice. You can grow what you want to grow, make what you want, control what you want, and everything." Wang explained, "It's all limited to the area of circumference, though, but yeah….It's yours, Aerith."
His last words were soft yet firm. Spoken in nervous but determined delight and levity. It was just a reassurance or even bargain. It was a promise.
"It's mine." Aerith repeated.
It's mine. It's mine It's mine.
Her mind chanted. Something moist and wet fell down on her cheeks, dripping down to her cheeks. It was strange. There was no rain in sight but it felt like there was one about to fall. Her limbs trembled and felt washed over her. Zipping and stirring, electric and unbound, waiting to be unleashed.
Distantly, Wang had called out her name and asked,
"Aerith...are you okay?"
She didn't answer that outloud but she was more than okay. Something thrummed under her skin — almost at the precipice. The moment it reached its crescendo, Aerith reached a point of enlightenment and revelation. It wasn't raining. She was crying yet she wasn't sad. Her heart was the farthest away from it. For once, she was happy.
In her happiness, power erupted from her feet and all she could see was green.
WANG
Admittedly, he didn't really know what he was exactly doing. The goals of the project were pretty clearly placed.
Make a Greenhouse in a place within the base that List could approve on and of adequate size.
Make necessary safeguards so Strucker wouldn't blow his gasket about security insurance.
Bring Aerith to the Greenhouse.
It seemed easy when he was scribbling these plans around 3AM in the morning in his room. However, actually completing this goal was harder than he thought. Wang was lucky that looking for where the Greenhouse was going to be was the easiest to accomplish. There was an in-built secret area he was able to uncover. By that, he meant accidentally turning the wrong corner while listening to the Lilo & Stitch Soundtrack. (What could he say? Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride was a bop.) Still, the place was perfect 一 a large area with big arches and a domed glass roof stained with dirt for who knows long. To Wang, it looked like a really abandoned ballroom that no one had touched in years, which wasn't much of a stretch considering their base was in a castle. Reporting this back to List was a more interesting endeavor.
Wang supposed when List said "it's your project" he didn't think he would have actual full reign. Apparently, that was exactly what his mentor meant. For once in his life, Wang had complete and utter control over a fairly big project. One where if he screwed up even the tiniest bit would get him shot and probably quartered for the crows to eat. Thankfully, he wasn't really the type to back down from a project. The stained glass roof was washed and changed with electromagnetic panels like planned. Dirt patched and evenly smoothened. He requested for the dirt to remain undisturbed in its distribution. One-sided glass mirrors were placed around the circumference. The second floor he had no doubt was filled with observing guards and scientists. HYDRA, with all of its strong worth ethic and perfectionist timing, finished construction in less than three weeks. Every safeguard possible was added 一 security keycodes, and Plan Bs, Cs, to the letter Ks. Everything was in place.
So, when Wang finally took Aerith to see her greenhouse 一 her little secret garden, there was numerous reactions he had contemplated. What he got wasn't any of them. She stood still; stiller than he thought she would be.
"Aerith?" he called softly; concern filling him.
Stepping closer to her cautiously, Wang thought maybe he overwhelmed her. This was too much, wasn't it? She might have been shock一
Then, he saw green.
From underneath the pads of her shoes, a sea of grass erupted. Fast and wide, luscious green swept over like a wave of the ocean. Wang looked around him. Eyes widened as he took in the room. Drab and brown it once was, but life breathed into it. The pillars that hosted dead and withered vines became green and new 一 buds of flowers sprouting in bloom. Somehow it seemed so much more vibrant and alive. Crouching down, his fingers curled onto the fresh patch of grass around him. It was real. It was all real. Distantly, the voices of the guards murmured around, but they didn't matter. Nothing else mattered. A startled and amazed laugh burst out of him. Lips formed a wild grin. Wang whipped around to look at Aerith when a heavy weight crashed into him and tackled him to the ground.
Thump!
He groaned. The impact on the ground wasn't so harsh. Grass cushioned his call. Regaining his composure, Wang felt the weight press against him. A tint of red glowed brightly against him. It only took a quick moment before it dawned him.
"Thank you." Aerith whispered, his arms tight around him.
Her voice slightly muffled against his chest. Wang stifled a loud laugh and smiled, pushing on her shoulders. Slowly, she rose up and sat on the ground next to him. Propping himself on his elbows, he quipped.
"Did you have to tackle me so hard?"
Just like that, Aerith turned red.
"I didn't mean too!" she blurted, shooting up to her feet.
Casting her a disbelieving but amused glance, he said, "Alright. Just help an old man up, will you?"
Her hand grasped his and he was hauled up to his feet. Now, on his two feet 一 adjusting the glasses on his face, Wang took the time to just properly look at her.
Aerith just seemed to come alive. Like the greenhouse around them, it was just. Light drifted and bloomed. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it. The colors, the freshness of the wind, the light that crowned around her 一 Aerith was in her element.
"Were you really serious?" she asked him; her green eyes bore straight right into his.
A small smile on his face, he nodded.
"For you to do as you please," Wang said before quickly adding, "be mindful of the rules, though! I don't fancy becoming Strucker's next target practice."
She released a gleeful laugh and started roaming around. She started removing her shoes, laughing as the grass touched the pads of her feet. Just with that, her eyes trailed and fingers danced. A bush was added; a couple of trees and shrubs. Plenty of flowers seemed to bloom in her presence. All through that, he stood watching in the distance. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. This was her moment. Her safe haven against the harshness of winter outside. For a moment, he forgot. It was so easy. The wind that wasn't there before filled his lungs. Scents of flowers he never knew could grow filled the air. Light. Not just the brightness but the weight. That was how he felt.
From behind him, footsteps churched behind before settling beside him.
"She is close to you." Strucker's voice rang, destroying what contentment Wang felt.
Feeling himself tense, Wang stopped himself from straightening up. 'Pretend you're in control. Pretend you know what was happening.' his mind chanted. Not even glancing at the tall man, he responded.
"It's better that way." Wang said, hating how cold he sounded, "Miss Jude doesn't respond to...harsh treatment. Fear or force would not help her to obey."
Strucker hummed in consideration.
"Your kindness to her endears her to you," he stated, almost in wonder, "She trusts you. In her eyes, you can do no wrong."
Wang gluped, glancing to look at him. The monocle-wearing man had a contemplative look on his eyes. A glint that didn't sit right with him.
"How did you manage that?"
His words were serpentine; slick and impressed. Wang wanted to hurl. If he managed to impress Strucker, then that was a giant red flag of the ages. Instead, he smirked. He trailed his eyes back at an excitable Aerith. Surprisingly, she was with two HYDRA soldiers. Her hands waved about, a flower crown twisted as she laid it upon their heads. A warm feeling spread to his chest. She was young. She was wild. As if she knew, her eyes connected with his. Bright, glimmering, iridescent.
"She's a child, Herr Strucker" he found himself saying out loud, ignoring how his chest ached as she smiled at him, "Children can be molded."
And she will be. Clay on a pottery wheel. Turning and turning as hands curved and shaped everything. Every imperfection removed until the final form was everything they had wanted it to be. Cracks patched. Spread thin, laid thick. Heavy as the world stayed on fragile shoulders; balanced on thin limbs. She will be turned into the masterpiece they want her to be. Everything that was once hers erased until there was nothing else.
'Just like I was.'
His eyes burned and his fingers ached; clenched. Bitterness on the tip of his tongue warred with a taste of resentment. Not for her. Never for her, but for the father that never was.
AERITH
Maybe she was just being silly, but truly the sight of the greenhouse 一 her greenhouse 一 made her giddy. Asking an amused Wang, Aerith told of the necessary precautions and rules. She wasn't allowed to be in the Greenhouse for more than three hours. Less so, without surveillance. For the most part, her time would now be split between her personal lessons and training sessions. The last part was delivered by Strucker himself whom Aerith didn't notice was with Wang until then.
"Training lessons?" she asked curiously, glancing at Wang, "What training lessons?"
Again, he didn't answer. Strucker did.
"Combat and further experimentation with your abilities."
There was a sharp glint in his eyes. One, Aerith did not particularly like. More so than the thought of being belted back into a slab. She thought she was done with that. Her nerves tingled as her heartbeat sped. She didn't want to go back there. As if sensing her tumultuous thoughts, Wang grabbed her hand. Warm and gentle, he squeezed it reassuringly. With this, she calmed down.
"He just means testing out what you can do with your powers. No needles. No straps. Just you doing what you can do in the Greenhouse, okay?" he explained calmly; his eyes glittered much like light against flowing water, "You aren't going back there."
Aerith nodded, squeezing his hand back.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
Still, even if he had calmed her down, there was still a restlessness bellied beneath. Something she tried to hide as she grew an apple tree. Moving her hands like it was strumming a lyre, the tree sprouted, growing steadily into its full height. Green leaves provided shade. Although, it was considering the lack of sufficient light. It became cloudy from what she could see beyond the glass roof. The sun was now hidden behind ominous clouds.
"It's going to rain soon." she whispered, staring up and into the sky.
Her eyes trailed across the dark shades mixed with light grey. She didn't need those weather forecasts Wang talked about. Aerith could feel it in her bones, in the whisper of the light wind that blew by.
"How do you know?" a voice asked behind.
Glancing at its source, she was surprised by the presence of Elias. The guard was still in uniform, a large gun in his hands. Yet, she wasn't afraid. He wouldn't hurt her after all.
"How are you here?" she asked, concerned; looking around to see if anyone saw him.
"It's okay. We have to walk through the perimeter now." he explained lightly, "Check if any of the safeguards hold up."
"Is it okay if you're..." Aerith trailed off, knowing he'd get the message.
Surprisingly, Elias just laughed. It surprised her. He never really laughed before. Chuckled, sure, but this was an actual laugh 一 from the diaphragm and loud enough to catch some glances. This amazed her truly. Somehow when he laughed, his eyes crinkled and glittered. Elias suddenly looked younger and more carefree; less burdened and exhausted. Yet still, Aerith didn't know what he found funny.
She waited with a bemused look on her face. Eventually, he finished 一 clearing his throat and wiping some stray tears 一 and said,
"You just made flower crowns for Belkov and Hansen and you're wondering if I can't talk to you now."
His words were full of amusement. Truthfully, now registering his words, it did sound silly.
Aerith giggled, "Yeah. It is silly."
"I think Belkov appreciates it though." he commented, "His daughter used to make him flower crowns."
"Used to?" Aerith caught on, "Did she stop?"
The atmosphere took a turn. Almost as somber as the clouds above them as Elias's face fell. She didn't understand why until he spoke.
"She died. A long time ago."
Aerith gasped. Her eyes swam with grief and empathy. Looking behind Elias, she saw Belkov 一 a tall robust man with cropped hair 一 far across them. He was by his lonesome, looking on a bed of daffodils she grew. On his head laid the flower crown she grew. It was loose and kept trying to fall off but Belkov would put it back in place. From far away, she couldn't see his face but she thought she saw a smile as he passed the daffodils.
"How?" the question left her before she even knew it.
Elias smiled at her sadly. That was all Aerith needed. A gloom hung around them. Death was something she didn't quite know what to feel about. It pained her truly. An unexplainable pain that burned through her chest with overwhelming grief. It didn't matter if it was a dying deer, a fish out of breath, or a withering flower 一 she felt it. The loss of life that fades into nothingness. However, it wasn't its ultimate loss that pierced her, it was the process. Death, she came to learn, was never usually painless. Sometimes, it hurt and pierced unbearable agony before the blissfulness of eternal sleep came. After that, no more hurt, no more pain. Existence was no more.
"So how do you know?"
Elias's voice distracted her from her morose thoughts. He looked as relaxed as he usually was, except his eyes. Head up and gaze forward, examining the darkening sky like a painting. In a way, the sky usually was. A canvas where clouds drift and create a momentary masterpiece.
"Can't you smell it?" she asked curiously, looking at him.
He released a soft 'oh' and smiled, glancing down before settling on her.
"I thought it was your..." he trailed off, wiggling his hands to describe what he meant.
At this, Aerith laughed. Brought up a hand to muffle it quietly, she didn't want anyone looking at their way.
Shaking her head, she said, "No. Just something I learned...out there."
Her words trailed off before finishing morosely. Aerith missed it 一 the ground beneath her feet, the feel of rain against her skin, and the touch of sun kissed upon her. She wondered how her wolves were; how the winter fared for the bear and nesting birds. It was at this moment she realized how complacent she was. Odd to realize how comfortable she made herself in a place that abducted her. Odder to admit how much she grew to trust two of its members. Maybe she should have been more cautious 一 more aware of such things than idly gone by. A part of her knew this, the greenhouse, came at a cost. She hasn't seen no sight nary a sound about the two other occupants 一 the two such patients such as her.
Aerith kept quiet about these thoughts, continuing to smile and grow her little world. Just for a little while to forget; to pretend. Thus, when her time was up, they led her to a contained room where a bust of mist and water came out. Utterly clean from every speck of dust and dirt; given new clothes and marched back up her cell. She could feel the difference. A warning feeling, desiccating and molten, lined the edge of the one-way window of her cell whereas her new home scrubbed clean into generic sanitation. She was quiet. She was good. They didn't beat a dog that behaved. Letting them situate her and leave her be.
Restless but unable to show it, she laid down her cot. To the people watching, it may seem like she had fallen asleep. Yet her eyes, while closed, remained awake. Aerith laid too still as her mind raced with a thousand voices. 'What should I do?' she sighed, burrowing herself under the covers and tried to truly sleep. Just then, there was a thud. Repeating again and again in rhythm that was no doubt unintentional. Unintended it may be, it calmed her slightly. In her place, she hummed and began to sing.
If anyone could have heard it, heard her sing, it would have been a string of words that held no meaning, no rhyme, no structure; no coherent language in the world. Yet to Aerith in her mind, the versus danced on the tip of her tongue, flowing with the beat of the wall. No one could understand it. The melodies were not meant for them, but they lived vividly in her mind. Words that seemed lost were found.
Gently, walk through the halls
Under silver trees, the golden apple swayed
By the wind, my love is bound
Untrue, Unfound, the wind will blow
So shall it be.
So shall it be.
So shall I be,
The Queen of Memories.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter! There were some parts I wasn't satisfied with what I originally wrote, so I took the time to read, edit, and then just adjust it again to get that tone right. Hopefully, I was able to deliver! Thank you for those you liked, reviewed, and most of all gave a chance to this story. This is a very slowburn start, but not to worry! Pietro and Wanda will soon make an appearance.