"The Shell"
Chapter XIII
By: DrunkpoOdle
Author's Notes:
First off, I want to say duibuqi (sorry) for the gap between updates so..."SORRY SORRY SORry SOrry sorry!"
Now...I been incredibly busy...not to mention my comp crashed (viruses n stuff) and my workload (school) seriously took me by surprise. This update doesn't necessarily mean my schedule got any clearer...I just got absolutely SICK of watching the days fly by while I could only come up with time for one or two sentences of writing. Plus I know what it's like to check everyday for an update and not see one for literally MONTHS. And I must say that the fact it has taken me more than an actual month to update is embarrassing. I'll definitely try to chuck out another chapter sooner but...
Anyway, I tried to make this chapter longer since everyone waited so long for it. Again SORRY!!
~~~~
Here it was bright, a brightness to conquer all brightness. Yet, it wasn't a painful brightness as one might expect. It would have been almost comforting if she'd known what was causing it. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It left no shadow to fester and grow. She felt exposed yet covered and protected by it. It was gentle but strong and pulsating. It was so overwhelming to her senses.
It was divine...
As if not already proven, this was no ordinary light. It carried a message meant for her alone. She heard it loud and clear, but not physically. It droned on and on in her head through a thousand voices. The message was that she did have a purpose.
You are needed.
Needed how? She wanted to ask, but her voice was missing as if some invisible force had robbed her of its presence. She strained to see the source of those voices but she couldn't see past the light. It was as if the light hid them. Out of lack of a better explanation, she came to the conclusion that the voices were the light.
They told her again and again that she was needed. She tried to speak again but her voice was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she was only meant to listen...
...and so she did.
You are needed...in a very special way.
You are no accident, no mistake...
no mistake...
The world of brightness faded, that is, the fascinating brightness began to lessen in sharpness. She felt herself blink - once, twice. Suddenly she was awake back at the clinic, in her bed, in her room. Tifa was standing in the doorway sleepily running a hand through her dark locks, still damp from her early shower. As she leaned against the doorframe her shoulders drooped lazily allowing the collar of her T-shirt to follow suite. Through half-open lids she unconsciously studied some microscopic crack in the wooden door. Her entire countenance in general seemed to spell out *exhaustion*.
"Tifa?"
For the first time Tifa seemed to acknowledge that the sleeping Cetra was no longer sleeping.
"Oh, hey Casca. How are you feeling?" She perked up a little, trying to erase Casca's previous view of her.
"Good, I suppose. I had the weirdest dream..." her voice trailed off as the recalled the dream with startling clarity. Somehow the whole thing seemed like something she should keep to herself. "So, what time is it?"
"Just after six. Reno wants to get an early start tracking down who kidnapped Giovanna. I don't blame him."
Casca was reminded of what she'd been told yesterday. "How is he holding up? Anything I can do for him?"
"Well, you just concentrate on resting up. Dr. Naid will be here in another hour or so." She came over and comfortably seated herself at the end of the bed, careful not to sit on Casca's feet.
Casca leaned back into the pillow a bit. "Why would someone want to kidnap her? She's just been reunited with son and now she's gone. It doesn't make any sense," she mused aloud.
Tifa's jaw twitched a little. She really didn't think sharing what Elena had told them with Casca was a good idea. I was important the she know the truth but Tifa didn't want to be the one to tell her some maniac Hojo-wannabe was after her as well and planned to use her for some sick and dangerous experiment.
"Yeah, some sick people out there," she replied.
~~~
Over an hour later Tifa, Casca, and the rest of the group were seated in Reeve's office, save Reno who paced anxiously behind his desk. Reeve clicked and typed away at his computer, sorting through list after list for leads. The room was silent except for the constant tapping of keys or the occasional sigh from Elena. The general tension level was moderate though Reno's pacing wasn't doing much to depress it.
Tifa futilely struggled to suppress a yawn that had been nagging her for over a minute. Cloud idly twirled the Ultima Weapon using its needle-sharp point as an axis. Casca, seated next to Tifa, unconsciously slid her feet in and out of her white clinic slippers. Her borrowed T-shirt and cotton shorts were a little big for her but they were the smallest garments Tifa had to offer her. Tifa hadn't brought any extra shoes so Casca settled for the simple cotton slippers from her clinic room. She scrutinized her bare legs, noting that they were significantly paler than normal. Her fingernails seemed to have grown noticeably. They were at least an inch longer than what she could remember.
...be filing those down later.
"Reno could you please cut that out? I know you want to find her but wearing a hole in my floor isn't helping. Besides, it's distracting." Reeve's voice startled them all into gazing in his direction.
Reno halted his pacing to glare at Reeve's back before retreating to the window. He leaned against the wall, absently tapping his nightstick against his leg. The "pat pat pat" it produced was just as distracting as the pacing but Reeve rolled his eyes and decided not to bother.
The office stayed basically the same for nearly another hour before Casca snapped her head in Reno's direction. Did she just hear a grunt? Her hearing was naturally sharper than that of most humans, which was most likely why no one else seemed to notice. But it could have been nothing. She studied his frame silently. He was slouching a bit more but considering how early he'd gotten up that morning...
She eased back in her chair earning a brief glance from Tifa. She closed her eyes and relaxed that way for mere minutes before she heard it again, only this time it was loud enough that she was certain it wasn't normal. She snapped her head in his direction again but she wasn't alone. Everyone in the office was soon staring at Reno.
"Are you alright?" Casca asked him.
He didn't face her or anyone else in the room. He seemed to be trying to hide the fact that he was in some sort of pain.
"Reno...?"
"I'm fine!" he snapped through obviously clenched teeth. But Casca wouldn't be deterred.
"No. You are in pain. Please tell us what's wrong?" she urged gently. No one moved.
"Look, I...said I was...ack!" In an attempt to turn around and prove he was perfectly ok he collapsed to the floor as a particularly strong current of pain ripped through his abdomen.
Reeve being nearer to him was at his side instantly. Everyone else rushed over to help him.
"Reno are you ok? What's happening?"
He proceeded to breathe heavily once the pain subsided. Small droplets of sweat glistened on his forehead, plastering soft red strands to his brow. He lay there until he was absolutely certain more pain was not on the way. He began to sit up but half a dozen hands halted him.
"Relax man. You mind telling us what the hell just happened to you?" Cloud demanded.
"Hell if I know! Now, you guys mind letting me stand up? I'm fine," he insisted somewhat irritably. Reno wasn't used to that type of attention. He was too used to taking care of himself to have everyone hovering over him like he would break any second.
"How can you be sure?" Cloud asked, exchanging wary glances with Tifa and Reeve. "Like, has this happened before?"
He swatted all the hands away so that he could stand up. Regaining some of his composure, he picked up his weapon from where he'd dropped it a moment ago before brushing himself off. "So what if it has? That isn't the main problem here."
"Wait, hold on a sec. This happened before?" Tifa's delicate brown narrowed in concern.
"Where did it hurt?" Casca asked.
"It's just a little stomach ache. I can handle it."
"Reno. If you expect us to believe that was "just a little stomach ache"..."
"Elena, if I said I'm all right, I'm all right!" he snapped, not pleased with how everyone was overreacting.
For a few seconds everyone exchanged questioning glances. "Whatever you say," Reeve replied for everyone, although it was clear how unconvinced everyone was. "Well, I did get something," he began, averting his attention back to his search. "Rude, Elena, I matched an address to that car we saw them get in. I want you two to go check it out."
Reno narrowed his eyes at his superior. "And just what am I su-"
"Reno, you watch over Casca."
"Huh?"
"Protect her for a while. If that wacko plans on finishing the project any time soon she'll be back to collect her as well. Why don't you take her somewhere she'll be safe until we get this under control?" he finished. He'd left Reno out the action on purpose, still a bit worried about him. He just hoped Reno wouldn't make a fuss about it.
"Why can't Strife or Tifa do that?" he complained.
"I need Tifa and Cloud to look into something else for me. C'mon Reno."
He narrowed his eyes further, deciding whether or not he should pursue the issue. It was obvious Reeve didn't want him in on the excitement just in case he had a relapse of whatever had ailed him moments ago. Truthfully, he didn't know what was wrong with him or if it would happen again. But he didn't want the mere possibility of something happening to keep him from helping his own mother. Casca had quietly come beside him and was now staring at him hopefully. How could he say no? But...
"Alright," he growled, angry at the decision. "But if you find anything..."
"...you'll be the first to know," Tifa assured. Reeve nodded his consent. With a final glare he turned and left the office, Casca hurrying after him with a quick wave good bye.
~~~
The pain brought her screaming from her merciful slumber. She'd thought the pain would be over but it was even stronger than it was before the Professor put her out. What was this pain? Surely something was wrong. It hurt way too much. God how she wished to be back with her son, learning more about him, letting him know just how much she loved him. But the pain wouldn't have it. It was relentless. It swallowed all pleasant thoughts so that she only knew pain. Writhe and scream was all she could do in her defense. Oh how she wished it would all end.
~-~/~-~
Chapter XIII
By: DrunkpoOdle
Author's Notes:
First off, I want to say duibuqi (sorry) for the gap between updates so..."SORRY SORRY SORry SOrry sorry!"
Now...I been incredibly busy...not to mention my comp crashed (viruses n stuff) and my workload (school) seriously took me by surprise. This update doesn't necessarily mean my schedule got any clearer...I just got absolutely SICK of watching the days fly by while I could only come up with time for one or two sentences of writing. Plus I know what it's like to check everyday for an update and not see one for literally MONTHS. And I must say that the fact it has taken me more than an actual month to update is embarrassing. I'll definitely try to chuck out another chapter sooner but...
Anyway, I tried to make this chapter longer since everyone waited so long for it. Again SORRY!!
~~~~
Here it was bright, a brightness to conquer all brightness. Yet, it wasn't a painful brightness as one might expect. It would have been almost comforting if she'd known what was causing it. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It left no shadow to fester and grow. She felt exposed yet covered and protected by it. It was gentle but strong and pulsating. It was so overwhelming to her senses.
It was divine...
As if not already proven, this was no ordinary light. It carried a message meant for her alone. She heard it loud and clear, but not physically. It droned on and on in her head through a thousand voices. The message was that she did have a purpose.
You are needed.
Needed how? She wanted to ask, but her voice was missing as if some invisible force had robbed her of its presence. She strained to see the source of those voices but she couldn't see past the light. It was as if the light hid them. Out of lack of a better explanation, she came to the conclusion that the voices were the light.
They told her again and again that she was needed. She tried to speak again but her voice was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she was only meant to listen...
...and so she did.
You are needed...in a very special way.
You are no accident, no mistake...
no mistake...
The world of brightness faded, that is, the fascinating brightness began to lessen in sharpness. She felt herself blink - once, twice. Suddenly she was awake back at the clinic, in her bed, in her room. Tifa was standing in the doorway sleepily running a hand through her dark locks, still damp from her early shower. As she leaned against the doorframe her shoulders drooped lazily allowing the collar of her T-shirt to follow suite. Through half-open lids she unconsciously studied some microscopic crack in the wooden door. Her entire countenance in general seemed to spell out *exhaustion*.
"Tifa?"
For the first time Tifa seemed to acknowledge that the sleeping Cetra was no longer sleeping.
"Oh, hey Casca. How are you feeling?" She perked up a little, trying to erase Casca's previous view of her.
"Good, I suppose. I had the weirdest dream..." her voice trailed off as the recalled the dream with startling clarity. Somehow the whole thing seemed like something she should keep to herself. "So, what time is it?"
"Just after six. Reno wants to get an early start tracking down who kidnapped Giovanna. I don't blame him."
Casca was reminded of what she'd been told yesterday. "How is he holding up? Anything I can do for him?"
"Well, you just concentrate on resting up. Dr. Naid will be here in another hour or so." She came over and comfortably seated herself at the end of the bed, careful not to sit on Casca's feet.
Casca leaned back into the pillow a bit. "Why would someone want to kidnap her? She's just been reunited with son and now she's gone. It doesn't make any sense," she mused aloud.
Tifa's jaw twitched a little. She really didn't think sharing what Elena had told them with Casca was a good idea. I was important the she know the truth but Tifa didn't want to be the one to tell her some maniac Hojo-wannabe was after her as well and planned to use her for some sick and dangerous experiment.
"Yeah, some sick people out there," she replied.
~~~
Over an hour later Tifa, Casca, and the rest of the group were seated in Reeve's office, save Reno who paced anxiously behind his desk. Reeve clicked and typed away at his computer, sorting through list after list for leads. The room was silent except for the constant tapping of keys or the occasional sigh from Elena. The general tension level was moderate though Reno's pacing wasn't doing much to depress it.
Tifa futilely struggled to suppress a yawn that had been nagging her for over a minute. Cloud idly twirled the Ultima Weapon using its needle-sharp point as an axis. Casca, seated next to Tifa, unconsciously slid her feet in and out of her white clinic slippers. Her borrowed T-shirt and cotton shorts were a little big for her but they were the smallest garments Tifa had to offer her. Tifa hadn't brought any extra shoes so Casca settled for the simple cotton slippers from her clinic room. She scrutinized her bare legs, noting that they were significantly paler than normal. Her fingernails seemed to have grown noticeably. They were at least an inch longer than what she could remember.
...be filing those down later.
"Reno could you please cut that out? I know you want to find her but wearing a hole in my floor isn't helping. Besides, it's distracting." Reeve's voice startled them all into gazing in his direction.
Reno halted his pacing to glare at Reeve's back before retreating to the window. He leaned against the wall, absently tapping his nightstick against his leg. The "pat pat pat" it produced was just as distracting as the pacing but Reeve rolled his eyes and decided not to bother.
The office stayed basically the same for nearly another hour before Casca snapped her head in Reno's direction. Did she just hear a grunt? Her hearing was naturally sharper than that of most humans, which was most likely why no one else seemed to notice. But it could have been nothing. She studied his frame silently. He was slouching a bit more but considering how early he'd gotten up that morning...
She eased back in her chair earning a brief glance from Tifa. She closed her eyes and relaxed that way for mere minutes before she heard it again, only this time it was loud enough that she was certain it wasn't normal. She snapped her head in his direction again but she wasn't alone. Everyone in the office was soon staring at Reno.
"Are you alright?" Casca asked him.
He didn't face her or anyone else in the room. He seemed to be trying to hide the fact that he was in some sort of pain.
"Reno...?"
"I'm fine!" he snapped through obviously clenched teeth. But Casca wouldn't be deterred.
"No. You are in pain. Please tell us what's wrong?" she urged gently. No one moved.
"Look, I...said I was...ack!" In an attempt to turn around and prove he was perfectly ok he collapsed to the floor as a particularly strong current of pain ripped through his abdomen.
Reeve being nearer to him was at his side instantly. Everyone else rushed over to help him.
"Reno are you ok? What's happening?"
He proceeded to breathe heavily once the pain subsided. Small droplets of sweat glistened on his forehead, plastering soft red strands to his brow. He lay there until he was absolutely certain more pain was not on the way. He began to sit up but half a dozen hands halted him.
"Relax man. You mind telling us what the hell just happened to you?" Cloud demanded.
"Hell if I know! Now, you guys mind letting me stand up? I'm fine," he insisted somewhat irritably. Reno wasn't used to that type of attention. He was too used to taking care of himself to have everyone hovering over him like he would break any second.
"How can you be sure?" Cloud asked, exchanging wary glances with Tifa and Reeve. "Like, has this happened before?"
He swatted all the hands away so that he could stand up. Regaining some of his composure, he picked up his weapon from where he'd dropped it a moment ago before brushing himself off. "So what if it has? That isn't the main problem here."
"Wait, hold on a sec. This happened before?" Tifa's delicate brown narrowed in concern.
"Where did it hurt?" Casca asked.
"It's just a little stomach ache. I can handle it."
"Reno. If you expect us to believe that was "just a little stomach ache"..."
"Elena, if I said I'm all right, I'm all right!" he snapped, not pleased with how everyone was overreacting.
For a few seconds everyone exchanged questioning glances. "Whatever you say," Reeve replied for everyone, although it was clear how unconvinced everyone was. "Well, I did get something," he began, averting his attention back to his search. "Rude, Elena, I matched an address to that car we saw them get in. I want you two to go check it out."
Reno narrowed his eyes at his superior. "And just what am I su-"
"Reno, you watch over Casca."
"Huh?"
"Protect her for a while. If that wacko plans on finishing the project any time soon she'll be back to collect her as well. Why don't you take her somewhere she'll be safe until we get this under control?" he finished. He'd left Reno out the action on purpose, still a bit worried about him. He just hoped Reno wouldn't make a fuss about it.
"Why can't Strife or Tifa do that?" he complained.
"I need Tifa and Cloud to look into something else for me. C'mon Reno."
He narrowed his eyes further, deciding whether or not he should pursue the issue. It was obvious Reeve didn't want him in on the excitement just in case he had a relapse of whatever had ailed him moments ago. Truthfully, he didn't know what was wrong with him or if it would happen again. But he didn't want the mere possibility of something happening to keep him from helping his own mother. Casca had quietly come beside him and was now staring at him hopefully. How could he say no? But...
"Alright," he growled, angry at the decision. "But if you find anything..."
"...you'll be the first to know," Tifa assured. Reeve nodded his consent. With a final glare he turned and left the office, Casca hurrying after him with a quick wave good bye.
~~~
The pain brought her screaming from her merciful slumber. She'd thought the pain would be over but it was even stronger than it was before the Professor put her out. What was this pain? Surely something was wrong. It hurt way too much. God how she wished to be back with her son, learning more about him, letting him know just how much she loved him. But the pain wouldn't have it. It was relentless. It swallowed all pleasant thoughts so that she only knew pain. Writhe and scream was all she could do in her defense. Oh how she wished it would all end.
~-~/~-~