Muhammad Ali
"Mwha ha ha ha!!!
You should be honored Vincent!
You will be helping me with a little experiment very similar to the one
dear Lucrecia volunteered for. It is
almost like you two will be together again in spirit as you become an integral
piece of my research!"
Vincent bit his lip but said nothing as Hojo continued to
ramble.
Seeing that Vincent was not responding properly to his
taunts the scientist leaned closer to the cage and spoke with all the venom he
could muster. "Yes, you heard me
right," he cocked his head to the side, "I control that bitch even in
death. Why should I not?! She was my
willing puppet in life!"
"Silence!! You
should not even be allowed to speak her name!
You know as well as I do she is gone!
Her soul would never return to this godforsaken place!"
"Oh, I guess you are right after all dear Vincent." The scientist paused for a moment smiling.
"I heard she flung herself from a cliff.
So, if I where inclined to believe in such absurd things as souls, I
guess her's wouldn't be here, would it?
You are the expert on sin old friend, what is the punishment for
those who commit suicide? I don't think
they return peacefully to the Promised Land, do they? Oh yes, now I remember! Dear Lucrecia would be damned to
hell where she belongs!" Hojo smirked
and stepped back from the cage as Vincent lunged for him.
Hojo's eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized he had not
stepped quite far enough back and Vincent had been able to catch the edge of
his pristine lab coat. The scientist
let out a startled cry as an enraged Vincent violently pulled him toward the
cage. Panicking, Hojo threw all of his
weight in the opposite direction, ripping the coat, and sending him tumbling,
none to gracefully, to the floor. From
behind the bars Vincent merely glared at the man as Hojo's face became
contorted with rage. Despite the fact
that the sneer was meant to look intimidating the balding scientist could look
nothing other than comical lying prostrate on the floor. Keenly aware of his utter loss of composure,
Hojo rose to his feet and dusted off his lab coat, trying to regain some
semblance of dignity. Despite the fact
that he looked like a fool, and Hojo hated looking like a fool, he was still
pleased with himself for he had won after all.
He could still play on the ex-Turk's emotions like a fine tuned
fiddle. He knew exactly which buttons
to push and how to push them. Vincent
was completely and utterly in his control.
Hojo, however, was done playing games.
He had gone to all of the trouble to order the Turks to retrieve his old
friend and the Cetra for a specific reason and it was time to get down to
business. Though business did not
necessary have to come without pleasure.
Purposefully, Hojo walked over to a near by table and
retrieved a clipboard. Smiling, he
turned back to Vincent. "Enough
play. One can only dwell on the past so
long before it becomes boring, now let's get to the point. As I said before, you are going to be
participating in my grand experiment!
Lucrecia helped me to create the perfect Jenova creature, my dear son
Septhiroth, and now you and the Ancient are going to ensure that my research can
continue as you create the perfect Cetra creature."
"I will do nothing to harm Aeris!!"
"Shut up!!!! Did I
say you could talk?!!! I AM EXPLAINING!!!!!!
Don't interrupt me!!," Hojo shrieked.
He paused for a moment and then continued as though he were speaking to
a small child. "I don't need your
cooperation. All I need is your
DNA. The methods of science have
evolved while you were sleep, Vincent.
You may have ceased to exist, but the world progressed just fine without
you. We no longer have to rely on
such crude methods of reproduction. I
have your DNA and samples from the Ancient and that is all I need to play
GOD!! Life can be created so easily in
a petri-dish. These days lives are
cheep, but vision, VISION, is what changes the world. It is people like me who will shape the future," Hojo paused and strolled over to Aeris'
cage. He knelt before the comatose
girl's form and gently stroked her brown hair.
"Get away from her," Vincent growled.
Hojo clenched his sides laughing manically, "You are in no
position to be giving me orders!
Besides I'm already done with her.
I thought I would do one little favor for you Vincent, just for old
times sake. I have told her
nothing," Hojo rose and returned to
Vincent's cage. "The existence of your
son or daughter, as the case may be, is a little secret between you and I. Tell her if you like, or keep the knowledge
to yourself. Whatever you do is of no
consequence to me. But rest assured I
will be a…" he paused for a moment watching the utter contempt dance in Vincent's
demon red eyes, "…a wonderful surrogate father to your child." Hojo took a small breath and continued
almost remorsefully, "I was denied the
chance to raise my own son and I shall make up for it with yours!"
Vincent could say nothing as he was possessed by a fit off
emotion beyond anger. In the back of
his mind his inner demons tore at the edges of his sanity stripping him of all
coherent thoughts except one – I will kill him…
"As much fun as this has been, old friend, I really do need
to get back to work, but I want you to help me with one last thing, if it's not
too much trouble. As long as I have you
here I want to have my assistants test the limits of the improvements you
received during our last… collaboration.
Just a few little tests, and if you're a good boy, when they are done
I'll give you a lollipop. See, look how
paternal I can be." Hojo snickered
again, called for his assistants, and removed a tranquilizer gun from his
pocket. He raised the gun to Vincent's
chest, taking care to stand a few feet beyond his reach. As he pulled the trigger he sneered
whispering, "Sweet dreams, dear Vincent."
****
"I'm telling you that traveling in a party of three is a
$@!!$#^ stupid way to try and save the %&*^$ world! Are ya trying to tell me that evil can only
be combated by groups of three?!!" Cid shrieked, "I'm telling YOU if we weren't moving in stupid groups of three
it would be harder for the Turks to just sneak up out of the blue and jump our
asses!"
Barret's eyes narrowed and he advanced on the old pilot
"Whatcha talkin' 'bout ol' man! People
need ta travel in groups no bigga dan three or else dere wou' be no sneakin' in
nowhere! I tink I got a little more experience
dan you space cowboy in tryin' ta lead rebel groups! Can you imagine tryin' ta sneak inta a buildin' wit ten or so
people, let alone tryin' ta buy supplies witout catchin' da 'tention of the
local authorities!!! Get people millin'
around in large groups and nobody don't know who's supposed ta be doin'
what!" Let alone who's leadin'!
No, groups of three is easier ta work wit an' manage, foo'!"
"But if we all just $^%# bum rushed whatever was standing in
our way with eight or nine people we would…"
Barret shook his fist in rage, "You tryin' ta say I don't
know what I'm talkin' 'bout here Cancer Man?!"
Cid leaned forward and blew a puff of smoke in the angry
man's face, "That just might be what I'm implying here, so what are ya going to
do about it?"
Rubbing his head Cloud chose that instant to move in-between
the two before Barret and Cid decided to try and tear each other apart. "Guys! Knock it off!! We will go in two parties of three, all
right?!," he paused, making a point of looking each man in the eyes. Just as the two opened their mouths to
continue the argument Cait Sith bounced over.
The giant mog hopped up and down happily as Cait Sith raised
his megaphone to shout in Cloud's ear. "Heya Cloud!" Cloud rubbed his ear and glared at the cat while taking a step
back. He opened his mouth to say
something but Cait just keep talking, "Since we are going into the Shinra
Building I just wanted to let you know that, well, being a fortune telling
machine and all, I've got connections – meaning I got what ya need to get in
and get out quick! Besides, seeing as
you and Barret and Tifa have already busted into the building once you all
should be old pros at this!!"
Tifa tightened her gloves and looked up at Cait Sith. Cocking her head to the side she asked,
"What do you mean you have what we need?"
"I've got the hook up, I am the number one, supreme code
crakin', tap dancin' cat this side of Gold Saucer! You guys go in and distract the guards and I will have all the
doors open in no time! No worries about
access codes or key cards! I am your
personal passport to the sixty-eighth floor!
So, since Cid and Barret were so kind as to figure out that we shall be
crashing Hojo's little party in two groups of three I'll go with Cloud and Red
to the lab!"
"Um, Cait?," Tifa shrugged, " I don't think that is the best
party to be rushing into the lab with."
"Who better?," Cait grinned, "I'm sure Red is looking
forward to seeing Hojo again, on his own terms, and if I were Hojo, and boy am
I glad I'm not, and I saw a very angry Cloud running at me with that sword, I
would be running the other way as fast as my lily legs could carry me!"
"But…"
"Good," Cait said cutting Tifa off, "that means that you,
Barret and um… Cid will be running the distraction, and sorry Yuffie you'll be
sitting on the bench for this one."
"Hey," Yuffie shrieked suddenly becoming very interested in
the conversation, "that's not fair I'm coming too!"
Cait shook his tiny head and mog mimicked his movement, "No
Yuffie, we need someone to stay behind and be ready with cure spells, potions,
and medical supplies because we have no idea what condition we are going to be
getting Aeris and Vincent back in."
Sighing Yuffie reluctantly agreed.
****
With a shaking hand, Reeve set down the microphone and
turned away from the monitor allowing Cait's A.I. to resume control of the
android.
::No turning
back now, Reeve, you are going to come through for Avalanche this time. Okay, before I turned Cait back on
autopilot I uploaded all of the pass codes the guys are going to need to get
in. I'm about to give Tzeng and Reno
the night off, Elena is on babysitting duty with Rufus, and Rude is in the
infirmary. Good that will clear out the
Turks… that just leaves the regular guards.
When the guys get to the top plate of Midgar I'll just set a little fire
on the sixty-fourth floor which will not only distract the guards by setting
off the alarm system but it will also shut down all of the elevators in the
building so if the remaining guards do detect the guys back up will be a long
time in the coming.::
Scratching his head he sighed and a small grin spread across
his features.
::That leaves
the good doctor practically all by himself to deal with Cloud and Red XIII.::
****
The lab assistant had been pawing over Vincent for hours
while the "good doctor" played with his perti-dish in another lab. The young man had poked and prodded taking
every type of sample from the disgruntled ex-turk ever imagined by
science. It was painfully obvious to
Vincent by now that the boy was a novice for when he drew blood he acted more
like a blind man searching for a light switch than a professional lab
technician. He had already stuck
Vincent in the arm and missed the vein five times. He finally hit the vein on the sixth try but by then it felt more
like the assistant was jamming a turkey baster into his arm than a hypodermic
needle.
As the boy scribbled down something on his clipboard he cast
a fearful glance at the restrained man on the table and walked over to a
communicator on the wall. "Doctor
Pierce would you please notify Doctor Hojo that the initial readings have been
taken from the… um… patient…"
"Specimen, Roberts, specimen."
"Yes, the specimen, Doctor Pierce, and the pa… um I mean
specimen is ready to begin the trials."
"Thank you, Roberts we will be in shortly." The young technician stiffened and darted
about the lab making sure everything was in perfect order. Vincent glared at the young man and pulled
at his restraints causing blood to run down his wrists. A few minutes later Vincent heard Hojo's
hollow laughter approaching from down the hallway. The door was flung open and Hojo and another, even shorter man
waltzed into the room.
Hojo walked over to Vincent's side, smiling, and looked down
at his purple arm. Chuckling, the
scientist turned to the lab technician, "You've been practicing, haven't you
Roberts? Much better boy, we will make
a doctor out of you yet, don't you think Vincent?" Vincent merely turned his
head away. Sneering, Hojo, grabbed his
long hair and forced Vincent to meet his gaze.
"We've had such a nice talk already, let's just get down to
business." With a flick of his wrist,
Hojo grabbed a scalpel from the tray beside Vincent. Smiling he ran the blade across Vincent's face, as though he were
caressing his cheek. Seconds later the
skin pealed apart blood oozed from the gash.
Vincent grimaced but refused to give Hojo the satisfaction of a
response. "We are now going to test
your new limits, old friend. I want to
see just how far I can push the beast."
Hojo snapped his fingers and the boy scampered over to the wall and
turned on opera music for the doctor to work to. "Do you think you could trouble yourself to scream to the
music? It would just make things so
much more poetic!!" The balding man
then proceeded to laugh maniacally as he ran the scalpel down the entire length
of his captive's right arm. He then
repositioned the blade so that he held it as though it were weapon and gouged
it into one of the scars on Vincent's left arm above his bronze claw. He then raised the blade and brought it down,
again and again, until Vincent began to scream in agony. The lab assistant turned his back to the
screaming man and covered his mouth to keep himself from vomiting.
Roberts turned back on the scene and watched the man on the
table convulse in pain. "Don't you
think you've gone far enough Doctor?"
Angrily Hojo spun around on the boy, "Do you presume to
question ME?"
"No, sir," he replied, shaking. Hojo sighed and pulled a gun out of his lab coat aiming at the
young boy's leg. Just as the opera
singer's voice in the background began to fall from a high note Hojo pulled the
trigger and turned back to Vincent.
Without missing a beat, he dropped the gun and continued to stab Vincent
until the restrained man uttered a low growl.
Suddenly, Vincent lunged forward as he transformed from a man into a
purple, horned beast. Hojo laughed as
the beast lunged frantically against the restraints. "Pierce, get over here," Hojo roared. Like a well-trained dog, the doctor leapt to Hojo's side. Trembling, he held out a guard's nightstick
to the mad scientist. Gleefully, Hojo
took the blunt object from his trembling assistant and turned back to
Vincent. He then raised his weapon and
proceeded to bludgeon Vincent until the monster's skin turned an odd lavender
color. As the beast fell limp, Hojo
tossed his weapon to the ground and clenched his sides laughing. As his breathing returned to normal, he
turned to the other doctor, "Record the time Pierce, clean up this mess… and do
give Roberts a band-aid."
****
When she had come to in the harsh white room she was
all-alone, for a moment she could not figure out where she was. The only thing she could hear was the soft,
familiar voice of a man. Her eyes
refused to focus as she groaned in pain.
Almost immediately after she had cried out Aeris had found her body
enveloped in a soft green light as the disembodied voice whispered,
"Cure." Suddenly, the world came into
focus and she looked toward the voice.
Tzeng stood outside the cage she had been deposited in. His demeanor was harsh and his dark form
contrasted sharply with the white walls behind him. His eyes, however, were softened by pity as he looked at the
young flower girl. Quietly he cast
cure again before kneeling down to her level.
For a moment he just looked at her and then began to speak in a hushed
voice. "Hojo is not here, it's alright
for the moment. I have to go, but I
wanted to make sure you were alright."
He paused for a moment but did not wait for her to speak before continuing. This time as he spoke he cast his eyes to
the ground, "I am sorry, Aeris. I
wish…This is my job I have to do this but…
I am sorry." When he finished he
slid a candy bar into her cage like he had always done for her when she was a
child in the lab. As he stood he said
quickly. "You should eat that, Hojo will probably forget to feed you." Before she had a chance to reply he left the
lab without looking back.
Then she was alone.
Five hours later she had heard the scuffling of boots on the
floor and Hojo's all too familiar laughter.
Before they entered the room Aeris threw herself back to the floor of
the cage and pretended to be unconscious.
She heard the opening of a cage door and the dull thud of flesh hitting
metal before the door slammed shut and the footsteps retreated. About seven minutes after Hojo's cackling
disappeared down the hallway she tentatively opened her eyes to see a broken,
bloody Vincent in the adjacent cage.
"Vincent…Vincent!
Can you hear me?, " Aeris whispered as her brow knitted in concern.
::Oh Planet is he dead?!:: Aeris shifted her gaze up and down his body
trying to find some sign of life in the tattered mass of flesh that hours ago
had been her gloomy friend. Tears
slowly spilled out of her eyes as she looked at Vincent.
::What happened to him?!!! There is blood everywhere. ::
She continued to stare, hoping that if she looked long
enough she would see him move. Finally,
she caught the faint rise and fall of his chest and she knew he was still
alive. She called his name again but he
made no response, so she pulled herself over to the corner of her cage closest
to his and tried to touch him. The
cages were too far apart but as she watched his body slowly began to convulse
in agony, she could not bear to just sit and do nothing. So she did the only thing she could think of
to calm him – sing. When she was small
and scared and alone in the lab, just the sound of Tzeng's voice speaking had
the power to soothe her. Or when she
was sick and her, mother sang to her she felt safe. There was something comforting about they rhythm of the voice of
someone who cared for you – it never mattered what they said – it was just the
reassurance that someone was there for you - and at the moment it was all she
had to offer.
***
The only sound Vincent could hear was the ragged rhythm of
his own breathing. Slowly, he opened
his tired eyes as a feeling of weightlessness passed over him. Darkness assailed his senses as he spun
around desperately trying to orient himself in the oppressive blackness. As he whirled around his cape spun wildly
behind him in an esoteric flash of crimson, stirring up the stagnant air. He breathed in, and suddenly noticed that
the air around him was damp and musty with the slightest hint of decay. Giving into his surroundings, Vincent
allowed himself to feel at peace alone in that dark crypt like place. For the briefest of moments he allowed
himself to believe he was dead and had finally been rewarded with the peace he
had so desperately sought in life. He allowed his eyes to slide shut for what
he hoped would be the last time, but suddenly realized what was happening to
him. The dream was coming. Coming as it
always did whenever he tried to sleep.
It always started in the darkness. He could no longer remember why –
perhaps, he had once been afraid of the dark, he could not remember now – not
that it mattered anyway. This place was the always the beginning, the threshold
into the nightmare that was nothing more than his life. Cringing on the inside, he tried to pull
away yet, it seemed that the simple motion pulled him further into the
dream. Still refusing to open his eyes,
he breathed in the subtle sent of lavender and felt the soft, cold touch of
Lucrecia's hand against his cheek. He
inhaled deeply of the lavender perfumed air around him and leaned into the
touch. Reluctantly, Vincent opened his eyes and saw Lucrecia leaning over him. Her lips moved, as though she where speaking, but no sound came
from her mouth. Vincent, however, did
not need to hear the words; he already knew what she had said. It never changed. He opened his own mouth to speak to her, to warn her, to beg her,
to plead with her, however, even though he could hear his own shattered
words, she could not. She rose, as
always, and stepped off the plane following in Hojo's footsteps as the
scientist headed toward the Nibelhelm mansion.
Slowly, at first, images of his past, his moments of regret - his sins
– flashed before his eyes. With
growing intensity the visions came faster and faster layering themselves on top
of each other so that at one instant Lucrecia, his angel, Hojo, his nightmare,
and the Galian Beast, the manifestation of demon he had become, blended
together in a mesh of color and emotion.
Clenching his head Vincent stumbled backward, screaming. Refusing to be alone in the silence with his
memories, Vincent continued to roar in anguish until his voice cracked and
faded.
As his own voice melded with the silence a new sound emerged
from the darkness. Hesitantly, Vincent
lifted his head.
::This is wrong::
The dream was always the same and there was never any sound other
than those he created for himself. The
repetitive noise was soft and out of place. As it weaved its way through
Vincent's mind the images around him faded into a gray mist. Again, Vincent closed his eyes, hoping that
by robbing himself of sight he would be better able to focus on the sound. As his eyes slid shut he realized that it
was not a noise that had penetrated his nightmare, but a simple melody. In the same way the images had only moments
ago layered themselves upon one another rising into a crescendo of emotion, the
notes of this foreign melody build upon one another to create song. He could now tell it was a woman's voice,
but he could not understand the words she spoke; the melody, nonetheless,
continued to sooth him. Vincent let
himself be carried away by the notes.
Never, in his life could he remember being sung to, nor could he
remember being so at peace – with himself.
With a moan Vincent cracked open his eyes and, as pain shot
through every nerve in his body, he knew that he was no longer asleep. Harsh, white light blinded him, however, as
he waited for his eyes to adjust, he realized that he could still hear the
soothing melody. As his eyes finally came into focus, Vincent realized that he
was back in his cage, in the lab.
Instinctively, he looked toward where he had last seen Aeris. She was pressed in the corner of her cage
closest to him. Her eyes where closed
and her head swayed slightly as she sang softly to him. Sensing his eyes on her, Aeris' eyes opened
in a flash of emerald.
"Vincent?," she muttered shocked, "You've been asleep for so
long I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to wake up." She flashed him a faint, comforting smile
and fixed her eyes on him, waiting for him to speak.
Noticing the look of concern in her eyes, Vincent parted his
lips to try and reassure her, but he was too overcome by pain to form the
words. Instead, he recoiled in agony as
his body convulsed.
Chewing on her lower lip, Aeris reached out her hand to him
through the bars. ::I can't
just sit here and do nothing.:: For
a moment, Aeris almost let herself break down and cry. She had been in the lab many times, but she
had never seen anyone tortured like this before. As emotion welled up in the back of her mind, she felt herself
edge closer to her limit. Slowly she
raised herself to her feet and lifted her arms. Closing her eyes she whispered, "Healing Winds," and concentrated
all of her energy on Vincent. Sucking
in a sharp breath Vincent found himself wrapped in an ethereal glow. Dropping her arms, Aeris fell to her side
exhausted. She knew her limit break
would not do much, but at least it should be able to ease her friend's
pain. Both of them lay on their sides
panting for a moment before Aeris locked her green eyes with Vincent's
red. She held his gaze and smiled. "You know Vincent, you're not alone. Avalanche will be here as soon as they
realize where we are and… until then… I'll be here for you."
Despite the labor of
Vincent's shallow breathing, the corner of his mouth turned up in small
smile. Pulling herself back into a
sitting position, Aeris smiled to herself as she recognized the small gesture
was Vincent for "thank you." As silence
settled over the lab, Aeris pulled her knees to her chest and began to sing
again. Comforted by the sound of her
voice Vincent allowed his eyes to slide shut once more and, for the first time
in more years than he cared to remember, fell into a restful sleep.
***Author's Notes***
Well, sorry that took so long to get to you all. I had another little project I was working
on – you have no IDEA how hard it is to make Edea's (from FF8) cape thing with
cardboard and an exact-o knife (Was fun though, right Jovi ^_^)! Mha ha ha. Heh… ya you read that right! Just in case you where wondering we went the
Final Fantasy Fan Appreciation Day in San Francisco and entered the costume
contest for kicks! Co-conspirator Kree
went as Tifa and Jovi was Rinoa! There
were Squalls, two really great Seifers, Rinoas, an awesome Irvine, a Cid
Highwind, a handful of Zells, a Fujin (!), a Locke, and just about everybody
else you can imagine! It was so
cool! But, anyway that's my excuse for
taking so long; hope it was worth the wait!
Back to the point of this, as always please give me your
feedback… I crave it (and thanks for reviewing me twice DarkMutatedBrock
big smile I really appreciate that!!!)
Writing Hojo is so fun, he is one evil bastard! And what did you think of the Tzeng
thing? "Gee Aeris, I'm sorry I turned
you over to a crazy scientist, but here's a Snickers Bar… don't hate me, K?" This is what happens when you write hungry!
And a special thanks to Meg and Kree for proof reading this
thing! All hail Megs and the Muse!
Perhaps, I will be easier to understand that usual. Probably not but one
can hope, right?
