Chapter XX: Steel And Flesh.
In the shadows crawled an even darker figure. Like a shadow itself, it floated across the still water oft the sewers. Its powerful wings shot it through the air. Little rings appeared in the water where it flew. Rats scurried away as the shadow flew past them.
A worn door laid at the side of the sewer wall. The shadow grinned cruelly and chuckled to itself silently. In the darkness of the sewers, Mech-Head pushed the worn door open. On the other side of the door was a room that was anything but worn. Polished stone ran across the floor, as well as the wall and ceiling. A huge computer stood blank in one end of the room, while on the other side there was a window, shrouded in darkness. The shadowy figure walked into the room, his feet clicking against the stone floor. His had fiendish look on his face. His long fangs contorted into a cruel grin. His remaining eye blazed a deep red, shedding a dim light in the room. He walked up to the computer and pushed a button with a clawed finger. The screen jumped into life.
"Hello!" A metallic voice said cheerfully from the machine.
Mech-Head shuddered. He had heard about the nasty side effects of an artificial mind. It got cheerful.
"Shut up!" He hissed.
"Fine." The voice said.
Mech-Head began typing on the keyboard. He hit the enter button when finished.
"Whoa there, I can't authorise you to do that!"
Mech-Head sneered at the computer.
"No, but I can authorise myself to have some fun with a very large sledge hammer."
"I see," The voice pondered. "Well, I COULD make an exception,"
"Then make it!" Mech-Head hissed.
"Fine, fine!"
There was the sound of hissing, stretching, then the sound of metal scraping across stone. Mech-Head walked calmly over to the window.
There before him stood row upon row of glittering soldiers. The platform they stood on was enormous, and the army hardly managed to find space for itself. The perfect steel warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting to be awakened, waiting for their master. Mech-Head cackled madly.
He smashed the glass in the window and screamed out to his army.
"Awaken!"
As his metallic voice echoed around the room, an army of steel awoke, to follow their master.
Mech-Head spread his black wings. He lifted his clawed hands as he cackled evilly.
"You will pay for what you have done to me!" He screamed crazily.
And his army laughed with him.
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Seph X stood staring out of the window in Reeve's office.
Reeve yawned.
"Don't you EVER get tired?" He said sleepily.
Cloud and the others had already gone to sleep, abandoning Reeve to the manic machine.
Seph X continued staring out the window.
"Do you often ask stupid questions?"
Reeve took the hint.
"Why are you looking out those damned windows?" He asked.
"Mech-Head will return. He has been insulted. I want to know when he comes."
Reeve saw the machine was telling the truth. He was beginning to wonder if Seph X could lie at all.
"What's the deal between you and Mech-Head? You seem to hate each other unquestionably. And when two people THAT strong collide, I like to know where I can hide."
Seph X sighed.
"I was made, programmed and awoken a year after Sephiroth's death. By my calculations that makes me nine years old."
"Sephiroth didn't die then." Jarred said. "He died five years ago at the northern crater. Cloud killed him."
"Really?" Seph X asked, looking questionably at Reeve, who nodded.
"Anyway, I was made to mimic Sephiroth in every way, but a normal robot couldn't do that, no. Hojo programmed all of Sephiroth's memories into me, making an exact copy. It would have worked too, if I wasn't lacking with one thing."
"What's that." Reeve asked.
"Jenova. I don't have Jenova. So when Hojo found out I was imperfect for his plans, he found someone who could replace me. Enter Mech-Head. The demon had been nearly killed by the real Sephiroth."
"Why did Sephiroth try to kill Mech-Head?"
"The Masamune." He said coolly.
"What about the Masamune?"
"Did you really think a HUMAN could make something so perfect? A demon made that blade, and a demon it had been stolen from."
"Really?"
Seph X stood silently. Reeve apologized.
"Sorry."
"Mech-Head had been nearly killed by Sephiroth, but Hojo revived him, in exchange that he helped. I did not approve. But at this point, I was irrelevant. So I made sure that my disapproval was felt. I killed Mech- Head. I crushed his skull in my hand and smashed his body. Up until that point Mech-Head had given valuable information to Hojo in exchange for continued existence, like the secret of Krotonite."
"Krotonite?" Reeve asked confusedly.
"Yes. You are acquainted with the normal Materia condensing process, yes?"
"Yup."
"Ok, so at the first stage of mako condensing you get Materia, right? Then you get huge Materia. But what come AFTER that?"
"Krotonite?" Reeve asked hopefully.
"Close, but not quite right. After huge Materia comes Kroto, which was translated from the demon word Katano, which in turn means poisoned soul stone. Then, you melt it down and mix it with titanium. The ending result is a metal that can drain physical and magical attacks, but is relatively defenceless to summons."
"Let me guess, your made out of Krotonite through and through?"
Seph X banged his fist against his chest. There was a dim clang and nothing more.
"Down to the core."
"And after you smashed Mech-Head to pieces, Hojo revived him into a Krotonite body as well?"
"Yes, but by that time Hojo's plans were changing. There were signs of Reunion. We were being revived for a different reason."
Reeve furrowed his eyebrows.
"Huh?"
Seph X turned and spoke levelly.
"Many people don't realize it, but Hojo was a hideous Darwinian."
"Huh?"
"He no longer wanted for life to be destroyed, but to see who would survive."
"Huh?"
"His intentions were to release four new species of monsters. Me, Mech- Head, Sephiroth and the half breeds."
"Half breeds?!"
"Yes, a mixture of humans and demons. They were called the demi-demons. Vincent Valentine was the first attempt."
"How is it that you know so much about Vincent Valentine?"
Seph X stood silently for a long while.
"Mech-Head told me about him."
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Jared Rath, who had stood silently by throughout the entire conversation, gasped in horror upon his realization of what Hojo had done. He lifted a hand, which was covered in a black glove, and stared at it. Then he pulled the glove off, and stared at his skin. He stared at it even as Seph X and Reeve continued to speak.
Beneath the glove that had covered his hand for years, his hand was a blackish-grey.
Jarred Rath clenched his hand hatefully in memory of Hojo.
"What am I?" He whispered silently.
In the shadows crawled an even darker figure. Like a shadow itself, it floated across the still water oft the sewers. Its powerful wings shot it through the air. Little rings appeared in the water where it flew. Rats scurried away as the shadow flew past them.
A worn door laid at the side of the sewer wall. The shadow grinned cruelly and chuckled to itself silently. In the darkness of the sewers, Mech-Head pushed the worn door open. On the other side of the door was a room that was anything but worn. Polished stone ran across the floor, as well as the wall and ceiling. A huge computer stood blank in one end of the room, while on the other side there was a window, shrouded in darkness. The shadowy figure walked into the room, his feet clicking against the stone floor. His had fiendish look on his face. His long fangs contorted into a cruel grin. His remaining eye blazed a deep red, shedding a dim light in the room. He walked up to the computer and pushed a button with a clawed finger. The screen jumped into life.
"Hello!" A metallic voice said cheerfully from the machine.
Mech-Head shuddered. He had heard about the nasty side effects of an artificial mind. It got cheerful.
"Shut up!" He hissed.
"Fine." The voice said.
Mech-Head began typing on the keyboard. He hit the enter button when finished.
"Whoa there, I can't authorise you to do that!"
Mech-Head sneered at the computer.
"No, but I can authorise myself to have some fun with a very large sledge hammer."
"I see," The voice pondered. "Well, I COULD make an exception,"
"Then make it!" Mech-Head hissed.
"Fine, fine!"
There was the sound of hissing, stretching, then the sound of metal scraping across stone. Mech-Head walked calmly over to the window.
There before him stood row upon row of glittering soldiers. The platform they stood on was enormous, and the army hardly managed to find space for itself. The perfect steel warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting to be awakened, waiting for their master. Mech-Head cackled madly.
He smashed the glass in the window and screamed out to his army.
"Awaken!"
As his metallic voice echoed around the room, an army of steel awoke, to follow their master.
Mech-Head spread his black wings. He lifted his clawed hands as he cackled evilly.
"You will pay for what you have done to me!" He screamed crazily.
And his army laughed with him.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Seph X stood staring out of the window in Reeve's office.
Reeve yawned.
"Don't you EVER get tired?" He said sleepily.
Cloud and the others had already gone to sleep, abandoning Reeve to the manic machine.
Seph X continued staring out the window.
"Do you often ask stupid questions?"
Reeve took the hint.
"Why are you looking out those damned windows?" He asked.
"Mech-Head will return. He has been insulted. I want to know when he comes."
Reeve saw the machine was telling the truth. He was beginning to wonder if Seph X could lie at all.
"What's the deal between you and Mech-Head? You seem to hate each other unquestionably. And when two people THAT strong collide, I like to know where I can hide."
Seph X sighed.
"I was made, programmed and awoken a year after Sephiroth's death. By my calculations that makes me nine years old."
"Sephiroth didn't die then." Jarred said. "He died five years ago at the northern crater. Cloud killed him."
"Really?" Seph X asked, looking questionably at Reeve, who nodded.
"Anyway, I was made to mimic Sephiroth in every way, but a normal robot couldn't do that, no. Hojo programmed all of Sephiroth's memories into me, making an exact copy. It would have worked too, if I wasn't lacking with one thing."
"What's that." Reeve asked.
"Jenova. I don't have Jenova. So when Hojo found out I was imperfect for his plans, he found someone who could replace me. Enter Mech-Head. The demon had been nearly killed by the real Sephiroth."
"Why did Sephiroth try to kill Mech-Head?"
"The Masamune." He said coolly.
"What about the Masamune?"
"Did you really think a HUMAN could make something so perfect? A demon made that blade, and a demon it had been stolen from."
"Really?"
Seph X stood silently. Reeve apologized.
"Sorry."
"Mech-Head had been nearly killed by Sephiroth, but Hojo revived him, in exchange that he helped. I did not approve. But at this point, I was irrelevant. So I made sure that my disapproval was felt. I killed Mech- Head. I crushed his skull in my hand and smashed his body. Up until that point Mech-Head had given valuable information to Hojo in exchange for continued existence, like the secret of Krotonite."
"Krotonite?" Reeve asked confusedly.
"Yes. You are acquainted with the normal Materia condensing process, yes?"
"Yup."
"Ok, so at the first stage of mako condensing you get Materia, right? Then you get huge Materia. But what come AFTER that?"
"Krotonite?" Reeve asked hopefully.
"Close, but not quite right. After huge Materia comes Kroto, which was translated from the demon word Katano, which in turn means poisoned soul stone. Then, you melt it down and mix it with titanium. The ending result is a metal that can drain physical and magical attacks, but is relatively defenceless to summons."
"Let me guess, your made out of Krotonite through and through?"
Seph X banged his fist against his chest. There was a dim clang and nothing more.
"Down to the core."
"And after you smashed Mech-Head to pieces, Hojo revived him into a Krotonite body as well?"
"Yes, but by that time Hojo's plans were changing. There were signs of Reunion. We were being revived for a different reason."
Reeve furrowed his eyebrows.
"Huh?"
Seph X turned and spoke levelly.
"Many people don't realize it, but Hojo was a hideous Darwinian."
"Huh?"
"He no longer wanted for life to be destroyed, but to see who would survive."
"Huh?"
"His intentions were to release four new species of monsters. Me, Mech- Head, Sephiroth and the half breeds."
"Half breeds?!"
"Yes, a mixture of humans and demons. They were called the demi-demons. Vincent Valentine was the first attempt."
"How is it that you know so much about Vincent Valentine?"
Seph X stood silently for a long while.
"Mech-Head told me about him."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Jared Rath, who had stood silently by throughout the entire conversation, gasped in horror upon his realization of what Hojo had done. He lifted a hand, which was covered in a black glove, and stared at it. Then he pulled the glove off, and stared at his skin. He stared at it even as Seph X and Reeve continued to speak.
Beneath the glove that had covered his hand for years, his hand was a blackish-grey.
Jarred Rath clenched his hand hatefully in memory of Hojo.
"What am I?" He whispered silently.