DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS
Chapter Eight
Cloud and Vincent watched from behind the shrubbery as Barret and Yuffie were forced to march along the road with the squad of Hojo's soldiers.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Vincent whispered.
"It's too risky," said Cloud. "There are far too many of them."
"We have to do something."
Cloud nodded, "Yeah, I know. We'll follow them - they'll put Barret and Yuffie into custody somewhere - then we can break 'em out."
"I wonder what's happened to Tifa," said Vincent. "After all, Barret was supposed to be watching over her."
"Well, hopefully she's still at the hospital and Hojo hasn't found her," said Cloud. "I'd hate to think what might happen if he did. It doesn't really matter where she is, as long as she's not coming to any harm."
The soldiers had by now marched out of sight down the road. Cloud and Vincent rose from their hiding place and went after them. Vincent was able to use Chaos' animal senses to track Barret's scent, so they could remain at a distance and be in no danger of being spotted. They followed the soldiers for two or three miles until Cloud realised they were heading for the Shinra building. They stayed at a safe distance to watch their friends being led into the giant monolithic structure.
"The Shinra building must be what Hojo is using as his HQ," said Cloud.
"I thought the Turks were running the Midgar police force from the Shinra building," said Vincent.
"They were. Obviously now they're not."
"I wonder what Hojo has done with them."
"Dunno," said Cloud. "OK, I see the soldiers entering the building."
"They're taking the executive elevator up to one of the top floors," said Vincent, who possessed better eyesight. "They must be going to the confinement rooms up there."
"Yeah. How'd you know about those?"
"I was a Turk once, remember," said Vincent. "The Shinra building hasn't changed much over the years."
Cloud shrugged. Nobody was exactly sure how long it was since Vincent's 'transformation' at the hands of Hojo. He'd never volunteered the information, and if anyone asked him about it he'd become mysteriously deaf or discover a sudden need to be elsewhere. Reaching inside his tunic pocket, Cloud produced the keycard they'd taken from a dead officer, and took a closer look.
"I wonder why I didn't recognise this earlier," he said. "It's a Keycard 67. That will gain us access to the level with the confinement rooms."
"I suggest we hurry," Vincent urged. "We do not know what Hojo has in store for our friends."
"Right!" said Cloud. "I don't see anyone on guard at the front entrance. That'll be Hojo's overconfidence coming into play again. Keep your eyes open and let's go!"
Keeping low, they hurried towards the front entrance.
"Shouldn't we go in the side door to lessen the chance of being discovered?" asked Vincent.
"Not if we want to use the elevator," Cloud pointed out.
He led the way inside the front of the building. Thankfully nobody was inside the lobby except for a frightened-looking receptionist. Vincent cast Sleepel on her before she could call security. Cloud stepped over to the elevators and found one which wasn't currently in use. They got in, and Cloud punched the button for the 67th floor. The ride up was as fast and smooth as it had been the last time he'd used these elevators, only about a month ago when rescuing Aeris from the hands of the Shinra and from Hojo's sadistic experiments. Aeris. . .Hojo. . .it was weird how those two names kept cropping up everywhere in his life, not matter what he did or what was on his mind. Then again it wasn't all that surprising. Both the beautiful Cetra who had sacrificed herself, and the malevolent, supremely ambitious scientist had had a huge part to play in the whole Meteor saga and the struggle for the life of the entire Planet. One of them was alive now, and the other was dead. How Cloud wished it could have been the other way around! They'd all thought that with the destruction of Meteor, life would return to normal (or as normal as it could be when you counted among your best friends people like Cid and Yuffie!) and they wouldn't have to fight for the Planet any more. They'd thought the crisis for the Planet, Hojo's legacy, was over. They had been mistaken. It wouldn't be over until Hojo was dead. How he had survived, Cloud wasn't sure, but it didn't matter right now. After the battle atop the Sister Ray, Hojo must have gone underground to lick his wounds, perhaps hoping that Sephiroth would destroy Cloud's party for him. Seeing that Sephiroth had failed, Hojo must have gone back to the Nibel reactor to make new plans. While Cloud and the others had been sitting around thinking all danger had passed, Hojo had been hard at work on the creation of his super soldiers, and had found time to send them poisonous flowers in the post. But why had he done that when he could just have sent the soldiers in anyway?
"Vincent?" said Cloud, breaking the silence as the elevator continued its steady progress up the building. "If Hojo has this vast army at his disposal, why did he even bother sending us those poisoned plants?"
Vincent didn't respond and Cloud thought he maybe hadn't heard him. Then Vincent shrugged, "I do not know. Perhaps he lacked confidence in his troops' ability, and decided to try and get us out the way first, knowing we would be a powerful adversary."
"So in other words he was just taking out some insurance," Cloud paraphrased.
"If you want to put it like that, yes," Vincent agreed. "He must have known some of us wouldn't be affected, but he knew we'd be kept busy trying to find a cure for those that WERE poisoned."
"Yeah," said Cloud. "I kinda feel guilty, you know, not helping Red with the antidote research. I should be doing everything I can to help Tifa."
"You are," said Vincent. "If we devote all our energies to finding an antidote, it will be useless if Hojo is not deposed from power. He could simply have us killed the moment we brought Tifa back."
"I guess you're right," said Cloud. "I'll give Red a call and see how he's doing."
He dialled Red's number on the PHS and waited till the lion answered.
"Red? It's Cloud. How are you getting on with the books? How's Cid?"
"Cid is extremely agitated about the condition of his ship," Red replied. "So much so that I have taken the books and moved to a nearby field to continue my studies without distraction."
"Have you found out anything?" asked Cloud, hoping against hope that Red was getting somewhere.
"I believe I am making progress," said Red. "I'm 95% sure I've identified the plant used to poison Tifa."
"Excellent!" Cloud exclaimed. "Which plant?"
"It has a long Latin name that wouldn't mean anything to you," said Red. "It is found only in the Nibel mountains and is known colloquially as 'the flower of vengeance', as it has often been used to poison unfaithful marriage partners. It grows up to nine inches in height and sprouts purple flowers when fully developed. It survives best at temperatures between - "
"Okay, spare me the botany lesson," said Cloud. "What about an antidote?"
"I need to be 100% sure this is the right plant before I try to find its antithesis," Red informed him. "I'll get back to you."
"OK," Cloud agreed. "We're at the Shinra building. Hojo has taken over Midgar and captured Barret and Yuffie. We're trying to rescue them. Hang on, we've just reached the 67th floor. I'd better go."
"Good luck."
They both hung up and Cloud unsheathed Ultima Weapon as the lift doors opened. He used the Keycard 67 to gain access to the floor. The corridor beyond was devoid of people, save for two guards standing lazily against the wall with their backs to the two heroes. It appeared security up here was just as lax as down below. Neither guard knew what had hit him as Cloud struck with his huge sword.
"Okay, the confinement chambers are along here," said Cloud.
"I know. You go ahead and I'll cover you."
They made their way down the corridor cautiously, their muscles taut and their nerves on end, prepared to face an attack from any direction. What neither of them noticed was the security camera up on the ceiling, partially concealed by an overhead fan, recording their every move.
"Professor Hojo, sir!" the guard said, saluting smartly.
Hojo looked up irritably from his pile of lab reports, "What do you want?! I'm a busy man!"
"Sir, Scout Team 713 has not reported back," the man announced, then swallowed nervously and added. "And Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine have been sighted."
"Where?!" Hojo snapped, turning in his seat to give the man his full attention.
"In Sector 4 an hour ago, and - and on the 67th floor of this building five minutes ago," the man quavered.
"WHAT?!?!" Hojo exploded. "How did they manage to get in here? Where is my security? You fools! Where are they now?"
"They were last seen heading for the confinement rooms where their friends are being held," said the guard.
"Ha, ha, ha," Hojo laughed. "That's a dead end! All right, get down there with a security detachment and trap them! I want them alive for now, so don't kill them, or I will kill you."
"Yes sir!!" the guard saluted and left the room as fast as his legs would carry him.
There was one soldier on guard at the confinement area when Cloud and Vincent got there. He was slightly more alert than the previous two and managed to put up a decent fight. Cloud parried his attack and Vincent shot him with the Death Penalty. On searching his body, they found a set of keys.
"Those will open the cells," said Cloud. "Come on, we've got to hurry."
They unlocked the cell nearest to them. It was empty. Trying the next one, they were relieved to find their friends inside, asleep and apparently unhurt. Yuffie lay sleeping on the room's only bed, while Barret was lying on the floor.
"Hey, guys," said Cloud, shaking Yuffie's shoulder while Vincent prodded Barret with his foot. "We're getting out of here. Yuffie? Yuffie, WAKE UP!!"
"Barret, can you hear me?" Vincent asked, kneeling down to speak in the big man's ear. "It's no good. Cloud, I think they have been drugged."
"Drugged?" Cloud repeated. "All right, we'll have to carry them. With any luck they'll wake up soon. Can you manage Barret?"
Vincent nodded. He crouched down and slung Barret's huge figure around his shoulders, grimacing only slightly as he straightened up once more. Cloud easily carried Yuffie's petite form with one arm, holding his sword in his other hand in case they were attacked. They left the cell and began making their way down the corridor, too slowly for Vincent's liking. He was starting to get that uneasy feeling again that meant an attack was near.
"Stop where you are!" a voice suddenly demanded. "Surrender and you will not be harmed!"
Cloud and Vincent looked up in dismay as the corridor ahead of them filled with silver-armoured grunts. In the confined space there was nowhere to run to, and they couldn't fight with their arms full of unconscious team-mates. Nor would it be fair to risk Barret and Yuffie's lives by taking on the soldiers. Both of them sighed, and Cloud dropped Ultima Weapon to the floor, "We surrender." The soldiers surrounded them, one of them picking up the Ultima sword and running a trembling hand over the top of its ethereal blade, touching the tip with his finger to see if it was as sharp as rumour reported. A trickle of blood soon told him it was.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Cloud, as two soldiers tied his hands.
"That's for the Professor to decide," replied one of the grunts.
"The Professor's insane, you know," Cloud told him. "He'd kill you and your children if it suited his research purposes."
"I know," the man shrugged. "Everyone knows he's nuts. But he pays well, and I need the money."
He fell silent, as did the other soldiers, as Hojo appeared from around the corner.
"Ah - the failure," said Hojo, glaring at Cloud. "Why do you have to pop up everywhere I go, reminding me of the mistakes I made?"
He turned to Vincent, who stood with his arms tied, barely controlled fury etched all over his normally impassive features. Hojo sneered, "And of course, Valentine, my rival from the very beginning. You just won't die, will you? To stay alive and be constantly reminded of what I did to you and your love, that is your sentence. Fitting, I thought at the time."
Hojo cackled, "So how is she? Lucrecia? I haven't seen her for - "
He was cut off as Vincent, enraged beyond control at the mention of his true love, snapped the bonds around his wrists with his enormous strength, and lunged towards Hojo, his hands outstretched to throttle the man's neck. Before he could get there though, six guards descended on Vincent and forced him to the ground, pummelling him with blows.
"Enough!" Hojo snapped, shooing the guards away from Vincent's unconscious form. "Take them back to the cells. We will begin experimentation when the plant samples arrive."
Cloud gulped. Experimentation? What experiments did Hojo have in mind? The crazy scientist was cackling to himself in a way that did not fill Cloud with optimistic thoughts regarding his immediate future. His last memory was of Hojo's infuriating laugh, before one of the soldiers hit him over the head and Cloud fell to the ground unconscious.
Chapter Eight
Cloud and Vincent watched from behind the shrubbery as Barret and Yuffie were forced to march along the road with the squad of Hojo's soldiers.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Vincent whispered.
"It's too risky," said Cloud. "There are far too many of them."
"We have to do something."
Cloud nodded, "Yeah, I know. We'll follow them - they'll put Barret and Yuffie into custody somewhere - then we can break 'em out."
"I wonder what's happened to Tifa," said Vincent. "After all, Barret was supposed to be watching over her."
"Well, hopefully she's still at the hospital and Hojo hasn't found her," said Cloud. "I'd hate to think what might happen if he did. It doesn't really matter where she is, as long as she's not coming to any harm."
The soldiers had by now marched out of sight down the road. Cloud and Vincent rose from their hiding place and went after them. Vincent was able to use Chaos' animal senses to track Barret's scent, so they could remain at a distance and be in no danger of being spotted. They followed the soldiers for two or three miles until Cloud realised they were heading for the Shinra building. They stayed at a safe distance to watch their friends being led into the giant monolithic structure.
"The Shinra building must be what Hojo is using as his HQ," said Cloud.
"I thought the Turks were running the Midgar police force from the Shinra building," said Vincent.
"They were. Obviously now they're not."
"I wonder what Hojo has done with them."
"Dunno," said Cloud. "OK, I see the soldiers entering the building."
"They're taking the executive elevator up to one of the top floors," said Vincent, who possessed better eyesight. "They must be going to the confinement rooms up there."
"Yeah. How'd you know about those?"
"I was a Turk once, remember," said Vincent. "The Shinra building hasn't changed much over the years."
Cloud shrugged. Nobody was exactly sure how long it was since Vincent's 'transformation' at the hands of Hojo. He'd never volunteered the information, and if anyone asked him about it he'd become mysteriously deaf or discover a sudden need to be elsewhere. Reaching inside his tunic pocket, Cloud produced the keycard they'd taken from a dead officer, and took a closer look.
"I wonder why I didn't recognise this earlier," he said. "It's a Keycard 67. That will gain us access to the level with the confinement rooms."
"I suggest we hurry," Vincent urged. "We do not know what Hojo has in store for our friends."
"Right!" said Cloud. "I don't see anyone on guard at the front entrance. That'll be Hojo's overconfidence coming into play again. Keep your eyes open and let's go!"
Keeping low, they hurried towards the front entrance.
"Shouldn't we go in the side door to lessen the chance of being discovered?" asked Vincent.
"Not if we want to use the elevator," Cloud pointed out.
He led the way inside the front of the building. Thankfully nobody was inside the lobby except for a frightened-looking receptionist. Vincent cast Sleepel on her before she could call security. Cloud stepped over to the elevators and found one which wasn't currently in use. They got in, and Cloud punched the button for the 67th floor. The ride up was as fast and smooth as it had been the last time he'd used these elevators, only about a month ago when rescuing Aeris from the hands of the Shinra and from Hojo's sadistic experiments. Aeris. . .Hojo. . .it was weird how those two names kept cropping up everywhere in his life, not matter what he did or what was on his mind. Then again it wasn't all that surprising. Both the beautiful Cetra who had sacrificed herself, and the malevolent, supremely ambitious scientist had had a huge part to play in the whole Meteor saga and the struggle for the life of the entire Planet. One of them was alive now, and the other was dead. How Cloud wished it could have been the other way around! They'd all thought that with the destruction of Meteor, life would return to normal (or as normal as it could be when you counted among your best friends people like Cid and Yuffie!) and they wouldn't have to fight for the Planet any more. They'd thought the crisis for the Planet, Hojo's legacy, was over. They had been mistaken. It wouldn't be over until Hojo was dead. How he had survived, Cloud wasn't sure, but it didn't matter right now. After the battle atop the Sister Ray, Hojo must have gone underground to lick his wounds, perhaps hoping that Sephiroth would destroy Cloud's party for him. Seeing that Sephiroth had failed, Hojo must have gone back to the Nibel reactor to make new plans. While Cloud and the others had been sitting around thinking all danger had passed, Hojo had been hard at work on the creation of his super soldiers, and had found time to send them poisonous flowers in the post. But why had he done that when he could just have sent the soldiers in anyway?
"Vincent?" said Cloud, breaking the silence as the elevator continued its steady progress up the building. "If Hojo has this vast army at his disposal, why did he even bother sending us those poisoned plants?"
Vincent didn't respond and Cloud thought he maybe hadn't heard him. Then Vincent shrugged, "I do not know. Perhaps he lacked confidence in his troops' ability, and decided to try and get us out the way first, knowing we would be a powerful adversary."
"So in other words he was just taking out some insurance," Cloud paraphrased.
"If you want to put it like that, yes," Vincent agreed. "He must have known some of us wouldn't be affected, but he knew we'd be kept busy trying to find a cure for those that WERE poisoned."
"Yeah," said Cloud. "I kinda feel guilty, you know, not helping Red with the antidote research. I should be doing everything I can to help Tifa."
"You are," said Vincent. "If we devote all our energies to finding an antidote, it will be useless if Hojo is not deposed from power. He could simply have us killed the moment we brought Tifa back."
"I guess you're right," said Cloud. "I'll give Red a call and see how he's doing."
He dialled Red's number on the PHS and waited till the lion answered.
"Red? It's Cloud. How are you getting on with the books? How's Cid?"
"Cid is extremely agitated about the condition of his ship," Red replied. "So much so that I have taken the books and moved to a nearby field to continue my studies without distraction."
"Have you found out anything?" asked Cloud, hoping against hope that Red was getting somewhere.
"I believe I am making progress," said Red. "I'm 95% sure I've identified the plant used to poison Tifa."
"Excellent!" Cloud exclaimed. "Which plant?"
"It has a long Latin name that wouldn't mean anything to you," said Red. "It is found only in the Nibel mountains and is known colloquially as 'the flower of vengeance', as it has often been used to poison unfaithful marriage partners. It grows up to nine inches in height and sprouts purple flowers when fully developed. It survives best at temperatures between - "
"Okay, spare me the botany lesson," said Cloud. "What about an antidote?"
"I need to be 100% sure this is the right plant before I try to find its antithesis," Red informed him. "I'll get back to you."
"OK," Cloud agreed. "We're at the Shinra building. Hojo has taken over Midgar and captured Barret and Yuffie. We're trying to rescue them. Hang on, we've just reached the 67th floor. I'd better go."
"Good luck."
They both hung up and Cloud unsheathed Ultima Weapon as the lift doors opened. He used the Keycard 67 to gain access to the floor. The corridor beyond was devoid of people, save for two guards standing lazily against the wall with their backs to the two heroes. It appeared security up here was just as lax as down below. Neither guard knew what had hit him as Cloud struck with his huge sword.
"Okay, the confinement chambers are along here," said Cloud.
"I know. You go ahead and I'll cover you."
They made their way down the corridor cautiously, their muscles taut and their nerves on end, prepared to face an attack from any direction. What neither of them noticed was the security camera up on the ceiling, partially concealed by an overhead fan, recording their every move.
"Professor Hojo, sir!" the guard said, saluting smartly.
Hojo looked up irritably from his pile of lab reports, "What do you want?! I'm a busy man!"
"Sir, Scout Team 713 has not reported back," the man announced, then swallowed nervously and added. "And Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine have been sighted."
"Where?!" Hojo snapped, turning in his seat to give the man his full attention.
"In Sector 4 an hour ago, and - and on the 67th floor of this building five minutes ago," the man quavered.
"WHAT?!?!" Hojo exploded. "How did they manage to get in here? Where is my security? You fools! Where are they now?"
"They were last seen heading for the confinement rooms where their friends are being held," said the guard.
"Ha, ha, ha," Hojo laughed. "That's a dead end! All right, get down there with a security detachment and trap them! I want them alive for now, so don't kill them, or I will kill you."
"Yes sir!!" the guard saluted and left the room as fast as his legs would carry him.
There was one soldier on guard at the confinement area when Cloud and Vincent got there. He was slightly more alert than the previous two and managed to put up a decent fight. Cloud parried his attack and Vincent shot him with the Death Penalty. On searching his body, they found a set of keys.
"Those will open the cells," said Cloud. "Come on, we've got to hurry."
They unlocked the cell nearest to them. It was empty. Trying the next one, they were relieved to find their friends inside, asleep and apparently unhurt. Yuffie lay sleeping on the room's only bed, while Barret was lying on the floor.
"Hey, guys," said Cloud, shaking Yuffie's shoulder while Vincent prodded Barret with his foot. "We're getting out of here. Yuffie? Yuffie, WAKE UP!!"
"Barret, can you hear me?" Vincent asked, kneeling down to speak in the big man's ear. "It's no good. Cloud, I think they have been drugged."
"Drugged?" Cloud repeated. "All right, we'll have to carry them. With any luck they'll wake up soon. Can you manage Barret?"
Vincent nodded. He crouched down and slung Barret's huge figure around his shoulders, grimacing only slightly as he straightened up once more. Cloud easily carried Yuffie's petite form with one arm, holding his sword in his other hand in case they were attacked. They left the cell and began making their way down the corridor, too slowly for Vincent's liking. He was starting to get that uneasy feeling again that meant an attack was near.
"Stop where you are!" a voice suddenly demanded. "Surrender and you will not be harmed!"
Cloud and Vincent looked up in dismay as the corridor ahead of them filled with silver-armoured grunts. In the confined space there was nowhere to run to, and they couldn't fight with their arms full of unconscious team-mates. Nor would it be fair to risk Barret and Yuffie's lives by taking on the soldiers. Both of them sighed, and Cloud dropped Ultima Weapon to the floor, "We surrender." The soldiers surrounded them, one of them picking up the Ultima sword and running a trembling hand over the top of its ethereal blade, touching the tip with his finger to see if it was as sharp as rumour reported. A trickle of blood soon told him it was.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Cloud, as two soldiers tied his hands.
"That's for the Professor to decide," replied one of the grunts.
"The Professor's insane, you know," Cloud told him. "He'd kill you and your children if it suited his research purposes."
"I know," the man shrugged. "Everyone knows he's nuts. But he pays well, and I need the money."
He fell silent, as did the other soldiers, as Hojo appeared from around the corner.
"Ah - the failure," said Hojo, glaring at Cloud. "Why do you have to pop up everywhere I go, reminding me of the mistakes I made?"
He turned to Vincent, who stood with his arms tied, barely controlled fury etched all over his normally impassive features. Hojo sneered, "And of course, Valentine, my rival from the very beginning. You just won't die, will you? To stay alive and be constantly reminded of what I did to you and your love, that is your sentence. Fitting, I thought at the time."
Hojo cackled, "So how is she? Lucrecia? I haven't seen her for - "
He was cut off as Vincent, enraged beyond control at the mention of his true love, snapped the bonds around his wrists with his enormous strength, and lunged towards Hojo, his hands outstretched to throttle the man's neck. Before he could get there though, six guards descended on Vincent and forced him to the ground, pummelling him with blows.
"Enough!" Hojo snapped, shooing the guards away from Vincent's unconscious form. "Take them back to the cells. We will begin experimentation when the plant samples arrive."
Cloud gulped. Experimentation? What experiments did Hojo have in mind? The crazy scientist was cackling to himself in a way that did not fill Cloud with optimistic thoughts regarding his immediate future. His last memory was of Hojo's infuriating laugh, before one of the soldiers hit him over the head and Cloud fell to the ground unconscious.