Never Knew You
Part Three
Notes: I am working SO hard on this! I hope everyone enjoys it! You know what? I don't really like Hojo, but I love writing for him. He's just so...evil! Avert your eyes, kiddies, 'cause this is where the fighting starts!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"That is undoubtably Hojo," Vincent repeated, though he hardly believed his own words. There was one reason Vincent knew that the man in the cave could not possibly be his enemy:
Hojo was dead.
And yet here he was, sitting placidly in Lucrecia's Cave. And very much alive.
"Can't be," Cid whispered next to him, "Hojo's dead."
"As I thought, Highwind. There must be an explination for this..."
The man opened his eyes. "There is an explination."
Vincent gasped sharply. How could he have heard them? This caused Hojo to smile. "It seems, Mr. Valentine, as if you and your friend there have seen a ghost."
Vincent didn't reply, only stood from teh rocks the pair were crouched behind. Next to him, Cid straightened, glaring at Hojo defiantly.
"But I'm no ghost," he continued, "I'm as human as the both of you...well, I would say more human than some..." he let the words trail off, catching Vincent like a slap to the face.
"How the @#$% are you alive?" Cid asked incredulously.
"There's no need for such language," Hojo smiled cooly, "And to answer your question, I am alive because of my experiments."
"You experimented on yourself?" Vincent whispered, "So you could enhance yourself."
He nodded. "So when you thought you killed me, I was only acting. Waiting. Biding my time until you left, and then I carried on."
"Well, we'll be sure to kill you for good this time!" Cid spat.
Vincent held out a hand to stop his friend, and continued talking to Hojo. "You would disgrace the memory of Lucrecia by entering here?"
"Ah, poor Vincent Valentine...never got over her, did you?" his voice was acidic, and his eyes shone with a delicious malice.
Vincent bit his lip suddenly. He had heard that exact same statement many times, from a different source. It was the very thing Chaos tortured him with...
"*&^% this!" Cid jumped over the rock and rushed toward Hojo, ready to strike.
"Highwind, don't!" Vincent tried to stop the over-enthusiastic pilot, but was too late. Hojo grabbed the candle and flung the melted wax in Cid's direction. It hit right in his face. The blond fell to his knees, yelping once in surprise.
Then everyhting went dark.
Vincent could still make out the forms of the two in the cave. Hojo pulled Cid up roughly by his jacket, and seemed to hold something at his neck.
"Stop!" Vincent shouted, rushing to the shadows.
"Don't move any further Valentine," Hojo commanded. Vincent skidded to a halt.
"@#$%..." Cid groaned.
Vincent's eyes were adjusting to the darkness slowly. He could better see the forms of Hojo, holding a small syringe to his friend's neck, and Cid, face plastered with now dried wax. The ex-Turk's hand moved slowly to his side, where Death Penalty rested. Could he hit Hojo from this point, and be sure not to hit Cid??
"Don't even try it," Hojo sensed what Vincent was planning. Then suddenly, he jabbed the syringe into Cid's neck. The pilot's face contorted in pain. Hojo shoved him away roughly and ran deeper into the caves.
"Highwind!" Vincent rushed to his friend's side, "Are you alright?"
Cid's eyes were half-open, and appeared to be closing fast. "I sure as @#$% hope that wasn't poison..." he muttered, then slipped into unconciousness.
Tranquilizer. At least it wasn't fatal. Vincent silently thanked the gods for that, and pulled the pilot's limp form up, draping one of his arms over his own shoulders. Then he started to walk out of the cave. With Cid in this condition, it was too dangerous to stay.
Turning his back was his mistake.
He felt a sharp stinging pain in his right leg. He mentally cursed as he looked down. A small syringe was embedded in his flesh, sticking out through his pant leg.
Vincent kept walking. He would not give in to the tranquilizer, rushing through his bloodstream. He had to get Highwind to safety, and himself as well. But it was too much for him, and finally he fell, Cid falling beside him.
The last thing Vincent saw before total unconciousness was Hojo's sneer. Just like in his nightmares....
***
Vincent heard the voice before he saw who was speaking to him. He had been deep into another of the same nightmare. Then the voice started calling to him...
"Vin? Vin? C'mon, wake up. You gotta wake up!"
Vincent opened his eyes slowly, only to be blinded by a harsh light. "Highwind?"
Cid's voice was beside him. "Well, that's a @#$%in' relief! Don't do that, okay?"
"I'm sorry."
"Can I ask you something Vin? Where the @#$% are we?"
The ex-Turk opened his eyes fully. He moved to sit up, but realized he was being held back. He was tied down to something. Something cold, and metalic.
The realization hit Vincent like a brick wall. They were in Hojo's lab!
"NO!!!" Vincent struggled violently against the restraints, but they held tight.
"Vin! What? Where are we?!" Cid's voice was paniced. It frightened him to see Vincent act like this.
"Hojo! We're in his lab!"
"Holy %^&*!!"
The pair tried in vain to escape, as the door opened with an ominous creak. The smirking face of Hojo poked in. "And how are my little subjects faring?"
"Let us the @#$% go!!" Cid yelled furiously.
Vincent froze suddenly. This was too much for him...the lab, being strapped to the table, Hojo...He closed his eyes, breathing sharply and trembling.
Cid cast a worried glance at his stoic friend. He came to the conclusion that Vincent must be having some reaction to being back here. So it was up to the pilot to get them both out of here...
But how in the *&^% was he going to do that???
To Be Continued....
Part Three
Notes: I am working SO hard on this! I hope everyone enjoys it! You know what? I don't really like Hojo, but I love writing for him. He's just so...evil! Avert your eyes, kiddies, 'cause this is where the fighting starts!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"That is undoubtably Hojo," Vincent repeated, though he hardly believed his own words. There was one reason Vincent knew that the man in the cave could not possibly be his enemy:
Hojo was dead.
And yet here he was, sitting placidly in Lucrecia's Cave. And very much alive.
"Can't be," Cid whispered next to him, "Hojo's dead."
"As I thought, Highwind. There must be an explination for this..."
The man opened his eyes. "There is an explination."
Vincent gasped sharply. How could he have heard them? This caused Hojo to smile. "It seems, Mr. Valentine, as if you and your friend there have seen a ghost."
Vincent didn't reply, only stood from teh rocks the pair were crouched behind. Next to him, Cid straightened, glaring at Hojo defiantly.
"But I'm no ghost," he continued, "I'm as human as the both of you...well, I would say more human than some..." he let the words trail off, catching Vincent like a slap to the face.
"How the @#$% are you alive?" Cid asked incredulously.
"There's no need for such language," Hojo smiled cooly, "And to answer your question, I am alive because of my experiments."
"You experimented on yourself?" Vincent whispered, "So you could enhance yourself."
He nodded. "So when you thought you killed me, I was only acting. Waiting. Biding my time until you left, and then I carried on."
"Well, we'll be sure to kill you for good this time!" Cid spat.
Vincent held out a hand to stop his friend, and continued talking to Hojo. "You would disgrace the memory of Lucrecia by entering here?"
"Ah, poor Vincent Valentine...never got over her, did you?" his voice was acidic, and his eyes shone with a delicious malice.
Vincent bit his lip suddenly. He had heard that exact same statement many times, from a different source. It was the very thing Chaos tortured him with...
"*&^% this!" Cid jumped over the rock and rushed toward Hojo, ready to strike.
"Highwind, don't!" Vincent tried to stop the over-enthusiastic pilot, but was too late. Hojo grabbed the candle and flung the melted wax in Cid's direction. It hit right in his face. The blond fell to his knees, yelping once in surprise.
Then everyhting went dark.
Vincent could still make out the forms of the two in the cave. Hojo pulled Cid up roughly by his jacket, and seemed to hold something at his neck.
"Stop!" Vincent shouted, rushing to the shadows.
"Don't move any further Valentine," Hojo commanded. Vincent skidded to a halt.
"@#$%..." Cid groaned.
Vincent's eyes were adjusting to the darkness slowly. He could better see the forms of Hojo, holding a small syringe to his friend's neck, and Cid, face plastered with now dried wax. The ex-Turk's hand moved slowly to his side, where Death Penalty rested. Could he hit Hojo from this point, and be sure not to hit Cid??
"Don't even try it," Hojo sensed what Vincent was planning. Then suddenly, he jabbed the syringe into Cid's neck. The pilot's face contorted in pain. Hojo shoved him away roughly and ran deeper into the caves.
"Highwind!" Vincent rushed to his friend's side, "Are you alright?"
Cid's eyes were half-open, and appeared to be closing fast. "I sure as @#$% hope that wasn't poison..." he muttered, then slipped into unconciousness.
Tranquilizer. At least it wasn't fatal. Vincent silently thanked the gods for that, and pulled the pilot's limp form up, draping one of his arms over his own shoulders. Then he started to walk out of the cave. With Cid in this condition, it was too dangerous to stay.
Turning his back was his mistake.
He felt a sharp stinging pain in his right leg. He mentally cursed as he looked down. A small syringe was embedded in his flesh, sticking out through his pant leg.
Vincent kept walking. He would not give in to the tranquilizer, rushing through his bloodstream. He had to get Highwind to safety, and himself as well. But it was too much for him, and finally he fell, Cid falling beside him.
The last thing Vincent saw before total unconciousness was Hojo's sneer. Just like in his nightmares....
***
Vincent heard the voice before he saw who was speaking to him. He had been deep into another of the same nightmare. Then the voice started calling to him...
"Vin? Vin? C'mon, wake up. You gotta wake up!"
Vincent opened his eyes slowly, only to be blinded by a harsh light. "Highwind?"
Cid's voice was beside him. "Well, that's a @#$%in' relief! Don't do that, okay?"
"I'm sorry."
"Can I ask you something Vin? Where the @#$% are we?"
The ex-Turk opened his eyes fully. He moved to sit up, but realized he was being held back. He was tied down to something. Something cold, and metalic.
The realization hit Vincent like a brick wall. They were in Hojo's lab!
"NO!!!" Vincent struggled violently against the restraints, but they held tight.
"Vin! What? Where are we?!" Cid's voice was paniced. It frightened him to see Vincent act like this.
"Hojo! We're in his lab!"
"Holy %^&*!!"
The pair tried in vain to escape, as the door opened with an ominous creak. The smirking face of Hojo poked in. "And how are my little subjects faring?"
"Let us the @#$% go!!" Cid yelled furiously.
Vincent froze suddenly. This was too much for him...the lab, being strapped to the table, Hojo...He closed his eyes, breathing sharply and trembling.
Cid cast a worried glance at his stoic friend. He came to the conclusion that Vincent must be having some reaction to being back here. So it was up to the pilot to get them both out of here...
But how in the *&^% was he going to do that???
To Be Continued....