DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS
Chapter Four
Red XIII and Cloud hurried up the steps towards Bugenhagen's observatory. Overhead they could see Cid and Vincent, in the Highwind, flying at full speed in the direction of Nibelheim. Hopefully they could find something that might lead to finding a cure for Tifa. No, scrub that, they HAD to find something. Failure didn't bear thinking about. Cloud would never be able to live with himself if Tifa died because he hadn't tried hard enough to cure her. He would do anything and everything it took to bring her back to normal.
"So, Red," he found himself saying as they paused in to allow somebody else through a doorway. "Did you get one of those anonymous letters too?"
Red nodded his head, "Being of a feline nature, my sense of smell told me right away what it was. I burned it immediately."
"I think Reeve mentioned that he got one too," said Cloud. "But he has all his mail electronically scanned for death threats and the like, since he's in such an important position now."
"It seems we have been quite fortunate," Red remarked. "Only two of our friends have been affected. Whoever sent the packages obviously intended for all of us to be poisoned."
"Who is it?" Cloud wondered. "Who can be sending them? Who can hate us that much?"
"I have been pondering that also," said Red. "I can't think of an explanation."
"I guess we can worry about that later," Cloud said, as they continued up the stairs. "We have to find a cure for Tifa first."
They stopped in front of a thick wooden door, which Red pushed open with his front paws. Inside was a small, yet well-stocked and well-organised library. Three or four people sat at reading desks with books of varying shapes and sizes in front of them. They glanced up to see who had entered, then back down at their work.
"The biology section is over here," said Red, leading the way. "I suggest we take what books we need and go up to my grandfather's private study. We will find it much easier to read there."
Cloud grabbed an armful of books that Red decided would be the most useful, and they left the library to go up to Bugenhagen's study. Once there, Cloud sat down at a desk with half the books, Red taking the others. They lifted the heavy leather covers and began to read.
Vincent had been feeling uneasy the moment he and Cid had arrived at Nibelheim. The Chaos beast began nagging at his consciousness, urging him to Transform.
"What is the matter with you?" asked Cid, stubbing out his cigarette and lighting a new one. "You're so uptight! Try to loosen up a bit!"
Vincent gave him a sullen stare, "I would have thought that the seriousness of the situation might permit me this kind of attitude."
"Whatever," Cid yawned. "You better show me where this underground library is then, I can't remember the layout out of this place at all."
Vincent pushed open the front door of the Shinra Mansion and they went inside. The building had the same musty, dead smell it had always had. The cobwebs on the ceiling appeared to have grown larger, and the levels of dust on the floor had increased.
"Cheery type of place, isn't it?" said Cid sarcastically.
They went up the stairs and turned right at the top, going into the room which led to the secret staircase. Making their way down to the basement, they were walking along the corridor to the library, when Vincent put out a hand to stop Cid.
"Wait," the raven-haired man said. "I can feel something - something's not right."
Cid looked around the room but didn't see anything threatening. He shrugged, "So what?"
Vincent frowned, his brow furrowed with concentration, "I - I'm not sure. I had a vague feeling of being under attack - or being trapped. I'm not sure which."
"O - kay," said Cid slowly, not sure whether to take his friend seriously or recommend some medication.
"That's weird - I can't feel it any more," said Vincent, sounding confused. "I don't know - maybe I imagined it. Chaos isn't usually wrong about these things, though."
"Let's just get on with it," said Cid impatiently, pushing open the library door. "We can't afford to waste any time chasing after 'maybes' or 'I'm not sures'."
Vincent followed him through into the dark, forbidding room with books lining the shelves and the hauntingly familiar operating table in the corner. This room was where Vincent's nightmare had begun, all those years ago, at the hands of Professor Hojo. Hojo! Vincent felt an uncharacteristic burst of anger as he remembered the agony of watching his beloved Lucrecia give herself up for the Jenova experiment. Why hadn't he been able to stop her? Why had he stood by and allowed it to happen? WHY?!?
"Right, let's make a start," said Cid, pulling a book at random from the shelves. "You going to help or what?"
Vincent was distracted from his dark thoughts. He began walking along the rows of books, scanning the titles, looking for something that might be helpful. Most of the books were concerned with the Jenova experiment, Hojo's private obsession, the twisted procedure which had been the start of it all - of all the pain and suffering, all the agony and despair, the death and the loss. So many victims - so many had lost so much - even Sephiroth had been a victim - a victim of his father's insanity. Sephiroth, the maniac who had been responsible for nearly destroying the Planet, had suffered as much as anyone - all because of Hojo. It was him. He was responsible for everything that had gone wrong. So many undeserving deaths, so much innocent blood, all on Hojo's hands. Vincent completed a full circle of the room, and found himself staring at the operating table again, where he too had been a victim of Hojo's madness. Hojo - Hojo - Hojo - the name began swirling around in his mind until he could think of nothing else. Suddenly, like a jigsaw puzzle, it fitted together in his head. Of COURSE! He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to realise
"Cid!" he exclaimed. "It's Hojo!"
"Huh?" said Cid, looking up from a book about hydraulics.
"He's the one who's been sending us the poisoned letters," said Vincent. "We knew whoever sent it had to know a lot about biology, right? When I was with the Turks, I was in and out of Hojo's office all the time. His wall was COVERED with certificates and awards for his studies in biological science. There wasn't any other in the world quite like him. And he hates us with a vengeance - which explains why he's doing it."
"Uh, uh, hang on," said Cid, holding up one hand. "There's one thing wrong with that theory. One tiny, almost insignificant fact. Hojo's DEAD!!!"
"He isn't," said Vincent. "He's still alive."
"Get a grip, Valentine, we killed him ourselves!" Cid shouted.
Vincent shook his head, "Please, Cid, just trust me. I know you all think I'm a bit crazy, and you're right. But I know I'm not having delusions right now, I know exactly what I'm talking about. For Tifa's sake, trust me. Just hear me out."
"All right. You better make it fast, she doesn't have a lot of time!"
"I know that. I'm not sure where to begin - "
He was cut off as a huge explosion rocked the building. Cid and Vincent were knocked to the floor. Both got to their feet and looked at each other. Huge clouds of dust were thrown up, making both men cough furiously and their eyes water.
"That feeling you had," Cid gasped. "About being under attack?"
Vincent nodded gravely, "It's Hojo."
Cloud stifled a yawn and tried to keep his eyes open. It was only mid- afternoon, but he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and his stomach was complaining loudly. He'd been sitting in front these books for hours now, forcing himself to turn page after page, reading through a series of facts that were bereft of any interest or relevance. Only thoughts of Tifa and how much she needed him to do this, kept him going. The words on the page began to blur before his eyes. He just couldn't concentrate. His mind wouldn't let him. He was too worried about Tifa. Even though what he was doing was meant to help her, he just couldn't keep his mind on it for more than a few minutes at a time. He turned in his seat to look at Red. It was funny really, he'd never thought about how difficult Red would find it to turn the pages of a book. In the past, Red had tried to use his teeth, but he found himself ripping too many pages. So Bugenhagen had invented a machine to solve the problem. It was a simple matter to place the book on the mechanical reading table, then all Red had to do was press a button with his paw, and a mechanical arm turned the page for him.
"Anything yet?" asked Cloud.
"Not yet," said Red. "I'm hopeful that this book will contain the right information, though. It seems to deal with poisonous plants in some detail."
"I'm going to go and get something to eat," said Cloud. "I just can't concentrate."
"Very well," said Red. "Can you bring something up for me as well? Salmon if they have it, I'm rather partial to salmon."
Cloud nodded and left the room. Within moments he was back, a grim expression on his face. Red turned to look at him, "Trouble?"
"We're under attack."
Chapter Four
Red XIII and Cloud hurried up the steps towards Bugenhagen's observatory. Overhead they could see Cid and Vincent, in the Highwind, flying at full speed in the direction of Nibelheim. Hopefully they could find something that might lead to finding a cure for Tifa. No, scrub that, they HAD to find something. Failure didn't bear thinking about. Cloud would never be able to live with himself if Tifa died because he hadn't tried hard enough to cure her. He would do anything and everything it took to bring her back to normal.
"So, Red," he found himself saying as they paused in to allow somebody else through a doorway. "Did you get one of those anonymous letters too?"
Red nodded his head, "Being of a feline nature, my sense of smell told me right away what it was. I burned it immediately."
"I think Reeve mentioned that he got one too," said Cloud. "But he has all his mail electronically scanned for death threats and the like, since he's in such an important position now."
"It seems we have been quite fortunate," Red remarked. "Only two of our friends have been affected. Whoever sent the packages obviously intended for all of us to be poisoned."
"Who is it?" Cloud wondered. "Who can be sending them? Who can hate us that much?"
"I have been pondering that also," said Red. "I can't think of an explanation."
"I guess we can worry about that later," Cloud said, as they continued up the stairs. "We have to find a cure for Tifa first."
They stopped in front of a thick wooden door, which Red pushed open with his front paws. Inside was a small, yet well-stocked and well-organised library. Three or four people sat at reading desks with books of varying shapes and sizes in front of them. They glanced up to see who had entered, then back down at their work.
"The biology section is over here," said Red, leading the way. "I suggest we take what books we need and go up to my grandfather's private study. We will find it much easier to read there."
Cloud grabbed an armful of books that Red decided would be the most useful, and they left the library to go up to Bugenhagen's study. Once there, Cloud sat down at a desk with half the books, Red taking the others. They lifted the heavy leather covers and began to read.
Vincent had been feeling uneasy the moment he and Cid had arrived at Nibelheim. The Chaos beast began nagging at his consciousness, urging him to Transform.
"What is the matter with you?" asked Cid, stubbing out his cigarette and lighting a new one. "You're so uptight! Try to loosen up a bit!"
Vincent gave him a sullen stare, "I would have thought that the seriousness of the situation might permit me this kind of attitude."
"Whatever," Cid yawned. "You better show me where this underground library is then, I can't remember the layout out of this place at all."
Vincent pushed open the front door of the Shinra Mansion and they went inside. The building had the same musty, dead smell it had always had. The cobwebs on the ceiling appeared to have grown larger, and the levels of dust on the floor had increased.
"Cheery type of place, isn't it?" said Cid sarcastically.
They went up the stairs and turned right at the top, going into the room which led to the secret staircase. Making their way down to the basement, they were walking along the corridor to the library, when Vincent put out a hand to stop Cid.
"Wait," the raven-haired man said. "I can feel something - something's not right."
Cid looked around the room but didn't see anything threatening. He shrugged, "So what?"
Vincent frowned, his brow furrowed with concentration, "I - I'm not sure. I had a vague feeling of being under attack - or being trapped. I'm not sure which."
"O - kay," said Cid slowly, not sure whether to take his friend seriously or recommend some medication.
"That's weird - I can't feel it any more," said Vincent, sounding confused. "I don't know - maybe I imagined it. Chaos isn't usually wrong about these things, though."
"Let's just get on with it," said Cid impatiently, pushing open the library door. "We can't afford to waste any time chasing after 'maybes' or 'I'm not sures'."
Vincent followed him through into the dark, forbidding room with books lining the shelves and the hauntingly familiar operating table in the corner. This room was where Vincent's nightmare had begun, all those years ago, at the hands of Professor Hojo. Hojo! Vincent felt an uncharacteristic burst of anger as he remembered the agony of watching his beloved Lucrecia give herself up for the Jenova experiment. Why hadn't he been able to stop her? Why had he stood by and allowed it to happen? WHY?!?
"Right, let's make a start," said Cid, pulling a book at random from the shelves. "You going to help or what?"
Vincent was distracted from his dark thoughts. He began walking along the rows of books, scanning the titles, looking for something that might be helpful. Most of the books were concerned with the Jenova experiment, Hojo's private obsession, the twisted procedure which had been the start of it all - of all the pain and suffering, all the agony and despair, the death and the loss. So many victims - so many had lost so much - even Sephiroth had been a victim - a victim of his father's insanity. Sephiroth, the maniac who had been responsible for nearly destroying the Planet, had suffered as much as anyone - all because of Hojo. It was him. He was responsible for everything that had gone wrong. So many undeserving deaths, so much innocent blood, all on Hojo's hands. Vincent completed a full circle of the room, and found himself staring at the operating table again, where he too had been a victim of Hojo's madness. Hojo - Hojo - Hojo - the name began swirling around in his mind until he could think of nothing else. Suddenly, like a jigsaw puzzle, it fitted together in his head. Of COURSE! He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to realise
"Cid!" he exclaimed. "It's Hojo!"
"Huh?" said Cid, looking up from a book about hydraulics.
"He's the one who's been sending us the poisoned letters," said Vincent. "We knew whoever sent it had to know a lot about biology, right? When I was with the Turks, I was in and out of Hojo's office all the time. His wall was COVERED with certificates and awards for his studies in biological science. There wasn't any other in the world quite like him. And he hates us with a vengeance - which explains why he's doing it."
"Uh, uh, hang on," said Cid, holding up one hand. "There's one thing wrong with that theory. One tiny, almost insignificant fact. Hojo's DEAD!!!"
"He isn't," said Vincent. "He's still alive."
"Get a grip, Valentine, we killed him ourselves!" Cid shouted.
Vincent shook his head, "Please, Cid, just trust me. I know you all think I'm a bit crazy, and you're right. But I know I'm not having delusions right now, I know exactly what I'm talking about. For Tifa's sake, trust me. Just hear me out."
"All right. You better make it fast, she doesn't have a lot of time!"
"I know that. I'm not sure where to begin - "
He was cut off as a huge explosion rocked the building. Cid and Vincent were knocked to the floor. Both got to their feet and looked at each other. Huge clouds of dust were thrown up, making both men cough furiously and their eyes water.
"That feeling you had," Cid gasped. "About being under attack?"
Vincent nodded gravely, "It's Hojo."
Cloud stifled a yawn and tried to keep his eyes open. It was only mid- afternoon, but he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and his stomach was complaining loudly. He'd been sitting in front these books for hours now, forcing himself to turn page after page, reading through a series of facts that were bereft of any interest or relevance. Only thoughts of Tifa and how much she needed him to do this, kept him going. The words on the page began to blur before his eyes. He just couldn't concentrate. His mind wouldn't let him. He was too worried about Tifa. Even though what he was doing was meant to help her, he just couldn't keep his mind on it for more than a few minutes at a time. He turned in his seat to look at Red. It was funny really, he'd never thought about how difficult Red would find it to turn the pages of a book. In the past, Red had tried to use his teeth, but he found himself ripping too many pages. So Bugenhagen had invented a machine to solve the problem. It was a simple matter to place the book on the mechanical reading table, then all Red had to do was press a button with his paw, and a mechanical arm turned the page for him.
"Anything yet?" asked Cloud.
"Not yet," said Red. "I'm hopeful that this book will contain the right information, though. It seems to deal with poisonous plants in some detail."
"I'm going to go and get something to eat," said Cloud. "I just can't concentrate."
"Very well," said Red. "Can you bring something up for me as well? Salmon if they have it, I'm rather partial to salmon."
Cloud nodded and left the room. Within moments he was back, a grim expression on his face. Red turned to look at him, "Trouble?"
"We're under attack."