Chapter 4
Scars of the Heart
The group was herded into Rufus's office by a large well-armed guard squadron. Once inside, two guards remained with the group, the others stood outside the door.
"We meet again." Rufus said.
They glared silently at him.
Rufus studied the group for a moment, then his eyes narrowed, "One of you is missing. Where are they?"
"Tifa is...dead." Cloud answered.
"How unfortunate."
"Okay, enough of your crap. Why the hell are we here?" Cid growled.
"Ah. Cid Highwind. You left us after we refused to launch the Shinra 26. You joined the wrong side...In answer to your question, I brought you here to kill you. It won't be a quick death, I assure you."
"You ain't killin' nobody!" Barret yelled.
Rufus laughed, "There seems precious little you can do about it. You'll be tortured, and will be begging for your deaths before the end."
"You're sick!" Yuffie cried in shock.
"Everyone in Shinra is that way. Obsessed with other's pain." Cloud replied quietly.
Rufus motioned to the guards, "As much as I would love to sit and discuss morality with you, I'm very busy constructing Neo-Midgar. Take them to their cells."
Days later, Cloud sat in the near darkness of his cell, desperately trying to think of a way to escape. He didn't have any time to waste; Tifa was still in Jenova's control, and he needed to save her. The walls were solid metal, the only exit was the door to the cell itself. He had unwittingly started pacing restlessly. Stopping for a moment, he kicked the wall in frustration, "Dammit! How am I supposed to get out of here? Tif...she needs me..." He turned as the door slid open. A guard walked in, cuffing his hands. As he was pushed out into the hall, four armed soldiers surrounded him, forcing him to walk. He was led to the labs, then turned over to the scientists.
"So, you're the first. President Shinra told us you would be arriving." one of the scientists spoke.
Glancing around the room, Cloud's eyes fell on a tank. His entire body went rigid as recognition hit him; it was a Mako tank.
"Ah. So you do remember. The President was hoping as much." the lead scientist spoke.
Cloud felt a deep fear begin to overtake his body. A sharp sting in his neck brought him back to reality. One of the scientists had injected a tranquilizer into his neck. Immediately his vision began to fog, and his legs refused to support his weight. As he stumbled, the guards carried him over to an examination table. Memories long suppressed rose to the surface, memories of Hojo's experiment, the long years in the Mako tank. They had removed his shirt and were attaching electrodes to his chest. He struggled weakly, a vain attempt to get free. After a long moment of monitoring his heart rate, they attached a mask to his face, covering his mouth and nose, then carried him over to the tank and sealed him inside. He floated slightly in the deep green liquid, senses beginning to recover from the tranquilizer. Standing outside the tank, observing him with intense interest, were the Shinra scientists. In a flash of anger, Cloud slammed his fist into the thick glass.
"Consider yourself lucky. The deaths of your friends will be far less pleasant. You will be fine...until your body begins to mutate. But that will be quite a while. And from what I read of Professor Hojo's reports, your body is very weak against Mako. So you may not even be coherent long enough to care."
Cloud pounded on the glass again in a fury. "Dammit, let me out of here!"
The scientists only laughed, then turned to leave the lab. "Well, it's late. Enjoy yourself." The group left, switching off the lights as they left, leaving him completely alone in the darkness. The only light came from the faint glowing of the computer terminals and the Mako he was suspended in. The air that was coming through his mask had a recycled, metallic smell, one that was all too familiar. Finally letting his muscles fall limp, he slipped into deep thought. How much longer will it be before it starts affecting me? He looked down, relieved to see that they hadn't taken Tifa's crystal from his neck. Tif...I have to get out of here. I can't leave her with Jenova. If I can't...she...she'll end up like Sephiroth, trapped forever. I know she's still in there somewhere. I sensed her, she was struggling against Jenova, but she was losing. Tifa will die if I can't get to her. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out his last thought. She may die anyway. I...What if I have to kill her to free her? I can't do it...I couldn't hurt her. There has to be a way out. He slowly fell into deep sleep, still struggling to think of a way to escape.
Yuffie was sitting in her cell when two guards came in, bringing her food.
"It's already started." one of them said to the other.
"Yeah. They said he used to work for Shinra years ago. Part of Hojo's Jenova Project or something."
Yuffie stared at them, "You mean Cloud? What have they done to him?"
The guards laughed, "They've given him to the scientists. Put him in a Mako tank. I think they're gonna turn him into some kind of super-beast."
"What!?" Yuffie cried.
"Be glad it isn't you. Painful death is nothing compared to losing your sanity." With that, they left, leaving Yuffie alone in her thoughts.
"Cloud...the Mako will kill him. He can't take it. Not many can...And he has to go save Tifa. If any of us can bring her back, it's him." she paused as an idea occurred to her, "I have to break him out somehow. But...the question is...how do I get past all this security? Another chapter in Materia Hunter Forever!"
Five days had passed, and Cloud had realized that there was no way to escape. They drugged him before letting him out to eat, to the point that he could barely think or move, so that was out of the question. And now, the Mako was beginning to take it's affect. The nausea was beginning to set in, and the moments of total incoherence, when he'd black out, only to come to moments later. Memories floated in his vision like reality; the day he'd killed Tifa replayed over and over. Her strained voice, eyes full of pain. Her life's blood flowing past his fingers as he tried desperately to keep her with him. He'd come back to reality trembling in fear and anguish, only to see the people on the other side laughing at the nightmares and demons that tore at him. His entire body had weakened; he could barely move, and had long since given up pounding on the glass. He wouldn't last much longer. A sudden burst of pain shot through his body, jolting him into full consciousness. The electric shock came again, sending waves of pain through his body.
"Subject still responds to pain stimuli." one scientist reported.
Tifa sat staring at the horizon, locked in a deep reverie. Somehow, Jenova's power had momentarily weakened, leaving her with her own thoughts, for the moment. Sephiroth stood quietly nearby, also temporarily free.
"We should try to escape. Get as far away as we can." Tifa said suddenly.
Sephiroth shifted his weight, "It's no use. We can't escape her; she'd always find us. If you were to return to Cloud, she'd still make you kill him. It would be far too dangerous for us to go near any form of civilization to escape. She'd force us to kill them, only to torture our souls and show us her power."
"I wonder if he's okay? I-I can't believe what I did..." she said quietly.
Sephiroth sat down beside her, "If it is any solace to you, you did nothing to Cloud."
Tifa turned toward him, "Yeah..." She stared at his face as he looked off into the distance. Through these brief lapses in Jenova's control, she'd met the true Sephiroth. He was a man deeply tortured, haunted by his past and his deeds. He reminded her of Vincent. What had caught her most off guard was his deep sense of honor, and even to a certain extent, compassion. He was nothing like the puppet of himself Jenova had made him, just as she was nothing like what Jenova had tried to make her into. The things she had said to Cloud, the feeling of his warm blood running down her fingers...it made her sick every time she thought about it. The worst part was that in her possession, she had enjoyed his pain, his blood. She cried out as a wave of pain coursed through her. Another wave hit her, feeling like an electric shock. "What...what's going on?" she gasped out.
"Tifa?" Sephiroth asked.
"I...I can feel electric shocks, but it's not my pain. I-I think it's Cloud's."
"Yes, child. It is Cloud's pain." Jenova's voice cut in.
"What's happening to him?"
"Shinra has taken them all prisoner. They put him in a Mako tank. The pain is all part of the experiment." Jenova answered.
The intense pain faded away, leaving only an echo in Tifa's mind, "Experiment? Cloud...I...have to help him."
Jenova's control suddenly returned in full force, knocking Tifa to her knees clutching her head. "You have no reason to help him, child."
"No! Leave me alone! I won't let you control me anymore! I'm not hurting Cloud again...never again." she cried, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.
"Don't struggle, Tifa. It is less painful that way." Sephiroth said quietly.
She looked up at him, noticing the look in his eyes. He had long ago given up the struggle for his soul. "But-" Another blinding wave of pain buffeted her body and mind.
"It is pointless to harm yourself. You can't escape my power; you fight needlessly." Jenova taunted.
"Needless!?" Tifa cried through clenched teeth, "You're trying to make me kill Cloud, and he's all I have left!"
"What is it with you humans?" Jenova asked as Tifa vied for control, tears of extreme suffering managing to squeeze past her eyelids, "You're always acting as though you need each other. Love is a weakness, child. If you didn't love Cloud, you wouldn't be so easily swayed. You'd give your life for his, would you not?"
"Of course." Tifa answered.
Jenova laughed, "Foolishness!"
Tifa managed to climb to her feet, glaring into the air from which Jenova's voice echoed. "You don't know what it is to love."
"Nor do I need to." Jenova replied, focusing her will on Tifa. "You will do what I command. And perhaps you will realized the stupidity of 'love'."
Overwhelmed by the assault on her mind, Tifa collapsed to the ground in a daze, then slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
Sephiroth stared at Tifa's still form for a moment, feeling a slight worry touch him. "You were too harsh with her."
"Stop worrying. She shouldn't have resisted; she brought the pain on herself. Don't tell me this human's babble about love has touched you." Jenova snarled.
"Of course not. I have no use for love."
Scars of the Heart
The group was herded into Rufus's office by a large well-armed guard squadron. Once inside, two guards remained with the group, the others stood outside the door.
"We meet again." Rufus said.
They glared silently at him.
Rufus studied the group for a moment, then his eyes narrowed, "One of you is missing. Where are they?"
"Tifa is...dead." Cloud answered.
"How unfortunate."
"Okay, enough of your crap. Why the hell are we here?" Cid growled.
"Ah. Cid Highwind. You left us after we refused to launch the Shinra 26. You joined the wrong side...In answer to your question, I brought you here to kill you. It won't be a quick death, I assure you."
"You ain't killin' nobody!" Barret yelled.
Rufus laughed, "There seems precious little you can do about it. You'll be tortured, and will be begging for your deaths before the end."
"You're sick!" Yuffie cried in shock.
"Everyone in Shinra is that way. Obsessed with other's pain." Cloud replied quietly.
Rufus motioned to the guards, "As much as I would love to sit and discuss morality with you, I'm very busy constructing Neo-Midgar. Take them to their cells."
Days later, Cloud sat in the near darkness of his cell, desperately trying to think of a way to escape. He didn't have any time to waste; Tifa was still in Jenova's control, and he needed to save her. The walls were solid metal, the only exit was the door to the cell itself. He had unwittingly started pacing restlessly. Stopping for a moment, he kicked the wall in frustration, "Dammit! How am I supposed to get out of here? Tif...she needs me..." He turned as the door slid open. A guard walked in, cuffing his hands. As he was pushed out into the hall, four armed soldiers surrounded him, forcing him to walk. He was led to the labs, then turned over to the scientists.
"So, you're the first. President Shinra told us you would be arriving." one of the scientists spoke.
Glancing around the room, Cloud's eyes fell on a tank. His entire body went rigid as recognition hit him; it was a Mako tank.
"Ah. So you do remember. The President was hoping as much." the lead scientist spoke.
Cloud felt a deep fear begin to overtake his body. A sharp sting in his neck brought him back to reality. One of the scientists had injected a tranquilizer into his neck. Immediately his vision began to fog, and his legs refused to support his weight. As he stumbled, the guards carried him over to an examination table. Memories long suppressed rose to the surface, memories of Hojo's experiment, the long years in the Mako tank. They had removed his shirt and were attaching electrodes to his chest. He struggled weakly, a vain attempt to get free. After a long moment of monitoring his heart rate, they attached a mask to his face, covering his mouth and nose, then carried him over to the tank and sealed him inside. He floated slightly in the deep green liquid, senses beginning to recover from the tranquilizer. Standing outside the tank, observing him with intense interest, were the Shinra scientists. In a flash of anger, Cloud slammed his fist into the thick glass.
"Consider yourself lucky. The deaths of your friends will be far less pleasant. You will be fine...until your body begins to mutate. But that will be quite a while. And from what I read of Professor Hojo's reports, your body is very weak against Mako. So you may not even be coherent long enough to care."
Cloud pounded on the glass again in a fury. "Dammit, let me out of here!"
The scientists only laughed, then turned to leave the lab. "Well, it's late. Enjoy yourself." The group left, switching off the lights as they left, leaving him completely alone in the darkness. The only light came from the faint glowing of the computer terminals and the Mako he was suspended in. The air that was coming through his mask had a recycled, metallic smell, one that was all too familiar. Finally letting his muscles fall limp, he slipped into deep thought. How much longer will it be before it starts affecting me? He looked down, relieved to see that they hadn't taken Tifa's crystal from his neck. Tif...I have to get out of here. I can't leave her with Jenova. If I can't...she...she'll end up like Sephiroth, trapped forever. I know she's still in there somewhere. I sensed her, she was struggling against Jenova, but she was losing. Tifa will die if I can't get to her. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out his last thought. She may die anyway. I...What if I have to kill her to free her? I can't do it...I couldn't hurt her. There has to be a way out. He slowly fell into deep sleep, still struggling to think of a way to escape.
Yuffie was sitting in her cell when two guards came in, bringing her food.
"It's already started." one of them said to the other.
"Yeah. They said he used to work for Shinra years ago. Part of Hojo's Jenova Project or something."
Yuffie stared at them, "You mean Cloud? What have they done to him?"
The guards laughed, "They've given him to the scientists. Put him in a Mako tank. I think they're gonna turn him into some kind of super-beast."
"What!?" Yuffie cried.
"Be glad it isn't you. Painful death is nothing compared to losing your sanity." With that, they left, leaving Yuffie alone in her thoughts.
"Cloud...the Mako will kill him. He can't take it. Not many can...And he has to go save Tifa. If any of us can bring her back, it's him." she paused as an idea occurred to her, "I have to break him out somehow. But...the question is...how do I get past all this security? Another chapter in Materia Hunter Forever!"
Five days had passed, and Cloud had realized that there was no way to escape. They drugged him before letting him out to eat, to the point that he could barely think or move, so that was out of the question. And now, the Mako was beginning to take it's affect. The nausea was beginning to set in, and the moments of total incoherence, when he'd black out, only to come to moments later. Memories floated in his vision like reality; the day he'd killed Tifa replayed over and over. Her strained voice, eyes full of pain. Her life's blood flowing past his fingers as he tried desperately to keep her with him. He'd come back to reality trembling in fear and anguish, only to see the people on the other side laughing at the nightmares and demons that tore at him. His entire body had weakened; he could barely move, and had long since given up pounding on the glass. He wouldn't last much longer. A sudden burst of pain shot through his body, jolting him into full consciousness. The electric shock came again, sending waves of pain through his body.
"Subject still responds to pain stimuli." one scientist reported.
Tifa sat staring at the horizon, locked in a deep reverie. Somehow, Jenova's power had momentarily weakened, leaving her with her own thoughts, for the moment. Sephiroth stood quietly nearby, also temporarily free.
"We should try to escape. Get as far away as we can." Tifa said suddenly.
Sephiroth shifted his weight, "It's no use. We can't escape her; she'd always find us. If you were to return to Cloud, she'd still make you kill him. It would be far too dangerous for us to go near any form of civilization to escape. She'd force us to kill them, only to torture our souls and show us her power."
"I wonder if he's okay? I-I can't believe what I did..." she said quietly.
Sephiroth sat down beside her, "If it is any solace to you, you did nothing to Cloud."
Tifa turned toward him, "Yeah..." She stared at his face as he looked off into the distance. Through these brief lapses in Jenova's control, she'd met the true Sephiroth. He was a man deeply tortured, haunted by his past and his deeds. He reminded her of Vincent. What had caught her most off guard was his deep sense of honor, and even to a certain extent, compassion. He was nothing like the puppet of himself Jenova had made him, just as she was nothing like what Jenova had tried to make her into. The things she had said to Cloud, the feeling of his warm blood running down her fingers...it made her sick every time she thought about it. The worst part was that in her possession, she had enjoyed his pain, his blood. She cried out as a wave of pain coursed through her. Another wave hit her, feeling like an electric shock. "What...what's going on?" she gasped out.
"Tifa?" Sephiroth asked.
"I...I can feel electric shocks, but it's not my pain. I-I think it's Cloud's."
"Yes, child. It is Cloud's pain." Jenova's voice cut in.
"What's happening to him?"
"Shinra has taken them all prisoner. They put him in a Mako tank. The pain is all part of the experiment." Jenova answered.
The intense pain faded away, leaving only an echo in Tifa's mind, "Experiment? Cloud...I...have to help him."
Jenova's control suddenly returned in full force, knocking Tifa to her knees clutching her head. "You have no reason to help him, child."
"No! Leave me alone! I won't let you control me anymore! I'm not hurting Cloud again...never again." she cried, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.
"Don't struggle, Tifa. It is less painful that way." Sephiroth said quietly.
She looked up at him, noticing the look in his eyes. He had long ago given up the struggle for his soul. "But-" Another blinding wave of pain buffeted her body and mind.
"It is pointless to harm yourself. You can't escape my power; you fight needlessly." Jenova taunted.
"Needless!?" Tifa cried through clenched teeth, "You're trying to make me kill Cloud, and he's all I have left!"
"What is it with you humans?" Jenova asked as Tifa vied for control, tears of extreme suffering managing to squeeze past her eyelids, "You're always acting as though you need each other. Love is a weakness, child. If you didn't love Cloud, you wouldn't be so easily swayed. You'd give your life for his, would you not?"
"Of course." Tifa answered.
Jenova laughed, "Foolishness!"
Tifa managed to climb to her feet, glaring into the air from which Jenova's voice echoed. "You don't know what it is to love."
"Nor do I need to." Jenova replied, focusing her will on Tifa. "You will do what I command. And perhaps you will realized the stupidity of 'love'."
Overwhelmed by the assault on her mind, Tifa collapsed to the ground in a daze, then slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
Sephiroth stared at Tifa's still form for a moment, feeling a slight worry touch him. "You were too harsh with her."
"Stop worrying. She shouldn't have resisted; she brought the pain on herself. Don't tell me this human's babble about love has touched you." Jenova snarled.
"Of course not. I have no use for love."