He soon reached his destination, a small house that looked exactly the same as the others. Bright lights shone through the windows of the nearby weapons store, but they were easy to avoid. He darted past and made it to the small covered area near the entrance to the lab.
A man was there, leaning casually against the wall by the door. He was tall and built like a wall, thick muscles bulging beneath his heavy winter clothing. There would probably be a gun concealed under there as well. He was bald, his face a testament to many fights and brawls. Several teeth were missing and a deep scar from his left cheek traveled all the way to the corner of his mouth. They had met on several occasions before.
He had expected this - indeed, he would have been surprised if there was no guard. There would be another guard somewhere as well; both had been paid a hefty sum to keep this place off limits. He himself had kept their money going through his contacts in the village until he was ready to return here. He strode up to the man, who walked to meet him.
"Still earning your pay Rhyse?" He asked the bigger man.
The guard grinned, displaying yellow tobacco stained teeth. "Always. All been quiet for over two month now. Was starting to think you weren't coming back at all. But the money keeps coming, so I keep working. You want to go in? You know the drill." He produced a small electronic pad from his pocket
He grimaced. Time was wasting. "Come on Rhyse you know me, must we go through this again?"
The other man shrugged. "Rules are rules. There's some dangerous shit in there. I can't let just anyone go in. Just cause Hojo's dead doesn't change that."
He controlled his irritation and pressed his thumb onto the pad. There was a faint whir as the fingerprint scanner recorded his identification, and after a minute's wait a green light pulsed, clearing him.
Rhyse grunted with satisfaction and put the device away. He produced a set of keys and proceeded to disable several locks on the door. When this task as complete he stepped away.
"All yours Ridley. Let me know when you're done whatever it is you do in there."
Rhyse had never been inside the building he guarded. He did his job and didn't ask questions, which was exactly as Ridley liked it.
He opened the door and stepped into darkness. Fumbling for the light switch he knew was there, he clicked it on and a dim light illuminated the room. He quickly closed the door and walked down the few steps to the lab that had once been Dr Gast's. That had once been Hojo's. Now, which was his.
The place was sparsely furnished and very neat. Benches lined the walls, and several pieces of complex lab equipment took up the vast majority of space. It was small and cramped, but Hojo had wanted this place because of the isolation. As his assistant, Ridley was the only other person who had known of his secret experiments. Even then, he didn't know much at all. Only enough to know it was worth keeping secret from Rufus and Shinra.
Now Hojo was dead, and it was up to Ridley to finish his work. During the commotion surrounding the death of Sephiroth and the downfall of Shinra he had found himself imprisoned in Junon along with several other Shinra employees believed to be spies. It had taken three months to clear his name, and earn his release. During this time he had still managed to keep in regular contact with Rhyse to make sure no one had disturbed the lab. Now he was here at last. To see what Hojo had left behind.
Ridley shrugged off his heavy overcoat, shaking tiny particles of ice onto the metal floor. He removed his gloves and ran a hand through his long blonde hair. His icy blue eyes went immediately to the safe embedded into the far wall. That was where it would be.
He crossed the floor, footsteps echoing in the empty room. The safe was locked and he entered the combination he had memorized by heart. There was a slight creak as it opened and revealed its treasure. A large bulky envelope sat alone on the shelf.
Ridley carefully took the envelope and placed it on the nearby table. He sat down on the room's single chair and broke the seal. He found his breathing growing faster with excitement. At last he had it!
First he produced a thick folder, full of various documents. Two vials followed this both stopped with corks. One was full of what appeared to be blood, while the other had a strange purple liquid. Tiny fragments of something unrecognizable floated inside. He set these carefully aside for a moment and finally removed a single piece of paper from the envelope. It was covered in scrawl he knew as Hojo's writing.
Ridley,
If you are reading this then I will be dead, killed by Shinra, outsiders or perhaps even Sephiroth himself. Unfortunate as this is, there is still much work to be done and it is now your task to complete this. I write this now because there is every chance I shall not survive tomorrow. Rufus and Shinra are too obsessed with politics to understand, and I have kept this a secret from them for that exact reason.
Have you ever seen Sephiroth? I told you he was my son, and possibly the most powerful life form to ever exist on this planet. Yet he can be killed, and eventually he will be. Perhaps that has not happened yet, but it will in time. It has taken me many weeks, as the equipment I work with here is not nearly as advanced as that at Shinra, but the results are in the vials you now possess.
One contains a sample of Sephiroth's blood I took from him long ago. You are a smart man Ridley, I'm sure you realize why I have given you this. The file will assist you. The other contains the last remaining sample of Jenova's cells I possess. If Jenova is destroyed now, you have the only sample left anywhere in the world. You know its powers, and by tomorrow I will know first hand what Jenova can do. This is my legacy, which you will bring to the world so they will never forget my name. I trust you will do the right thing by me Ridley. Make the world see what genius I possessed. With these two vials, you are one of the most powerful people in the world.
A final note. If Rufus or the Turks are still alive, do not trust them. They were always too foolish and conceited to realize how they wasted my talents. Make sure they do not get their hands on my last gift to the world that rejected me.
Ridley put the letter aside and quickly scanned a few pages of the file. Hojo was right, it contained a wealth of information. Everything he needed to finish the work. Not here though. Too many people knew of this place, and he had his suspicions the Turks would soon be around. They always knew more then you expected. No, for this he would need another place where he could work undisturbed. He had an idea where that would be.
He carelessly crumpled up the letter and tossed it aside. He quickly retrieved his coat and gloves, collected the file and vials, and went back outside.
Rhyse was still where he had left him, smoking a cigarette. The big man looked in interest at his new possessions.
"Get what you wanted?"
Ridley smiled. "Indeed, and much more then I expected. This place is no longer safe though. We're relocating."
Rhyse raised an eyebrow, but didn't object.
Ridley reached into his coat pocket and produced a large leather pouch, which he tossed to the guard. It clinked and jingled.
"There should be more then enough gil there. Go find some more men, and some sort of truck. I need some of this lab equipment to come with me. I'll organize a private boat from Bone Village. We're leaving this continent."
Rhyse listened and grinned. "About time I got to do something. This is something big hey Ridley?" He left without waiting to hear the answer, leaving Ridley alone once again.
A smile crossed his youthful face. Hojo had left everything to him. With this, there was nothing beyond his reach, and once he was finished the whole world would know he was the one to fear.
"Indeed it is my friend." Ridley said, answering the question even though no one else could hear. "This is the beginning of a new reign. Sephiroth will make Hojo proud again. And I will be there to reap the benefits."
His laughter was the only sound in the otherwise still night.
