I didn't think that it would work, but I did everything that I could. The first sprout that shot up, with it's own tiny leaf gave me more pride than anything had, or perhaps ever would. I could grow flowers. I became a flowergirl. Midgar was always hungry for flowers, but no one asked if I had grown them myself. No one but Tseng.
It was the memory of him that triggered me awake, and that's when I realized that someone was outside the cell door. I am a light sleeper, though - the tiniest noise can wake me with a start. So naturally I jumped up from the corner where I had been huddled when I heard a fumbling with the lock on the door.
I couldn't tell if the woman who entered was a professor or in security, so I just stared. She was dressed professionally, with short blonde hair and a bored expression. She carried a tray of food. "Mmm, well then, better eat now." She set the tray down on a small table. "Hojo wants to start early."
My stomach lurched. "I'm not hungry," I said, turning away.
"Shit, woman, doncha sleep?" She laughed, looking at my face. No, I must not have slept much at all last night, and my eyes proved it.
But the woman's words gave me confidence - this couldn't be some high ranking professor. She must be low ranking, in fact, if she refered to me as a 'woman' and not a 'Cetra'. Chances are she didn't know it or didn't understand it. I faced her again, the beginnings of a plan forming in my head. She stood here alone, I would have to act before she left. Sure, there would be security, but what would they expect? Would they be able to catch me? "Actually..." I had to play my words right to buy time. "No, I don't sleep at all."
"Ha, sure you don't!" The woman planted her hands on her hips but she didn't leave. She was somewhat interested.
"Sometimes but hardly ever," I assured her. I could put on an act, and I certainly had the motivation. "Sleep weakens my powers. It's always good to stay a little tired." Then, biting my lip and hoping I had her, I turned away as if I was sure she didn't care.
"What the hell kind of power needs ya to be tired?" she asked.
I turned back as if I were offended. "You don't believe me? But that's why I'm here, you know! They want to create a super strong weapon, at least that's what I've heard."
"How?" She stepped forward, farther into the cell. Out of the corner of my eye... yes, she had a weapon. Probably some kind of stun-gun. Perfect.
"How what?" I asked in a dreamy voice.
"What's your power?!" she asked impatiently.
"I can grow flowers." Seeing the look of confusion on her face, I struck - once, hard in the face. It cost her a precious second to take in what was going on, and by then I pulled the stun-gun out from her belt. I shot, and she fell to the ground.
A giddy nervousness filled my stomach. I had to act now. I had no idea where guards or security cameras were, but I did know that my mother had escaped ShinRa once. And she had brought a child with her.
I stepped out into the hallway, where a guard stood on duty. "Hey!" he called out, but his call was cut short - I blasted the gun again. The gun felt awkward in my hands, and I didn't like it. But I had no choice. I ran blindly down the hallway, having no idea where I was supposed to go. The hallway ended, I had to turn the corner. People of all sorts were along here, going in and out of offices. An elevator was at the end. There. If that would only work...
At first they didn't notice me. I didn't run but I walked fast, as if I were in a hurry. As if? I was in a hurry. I was half way down the hallway...
"The Cetra!" some man yelped. Stupidly, I turned to the voice. One of the professors that had seen me pointed, and ran after me. I ran, but now everyone was watching. I shot the gun at people who tried to grab me, but I had no idea how much power the thing had. But what was I supposed to do? I shot out at everyone, especially the ones who shouted or tried to grab me. I was almost to the elevator...
As I reached it, it became obvious that these weren't lowly ShinRa guards. They had all run or fallen. Taking a breath of relief, I pressed the button. Momentarily, the doors opened.
I stepped inside and pressed for Floor One. The doors shut behind me. I could make it from here. I had never expected to get this far, and already I was in an elevator. The first floor would be easy. It was "normal people". I could do this, I could do this...
The elevator went down one floor, to 66. Impatient, I turned around to look of out the glass windows. To my horror, I realized what had happened - the elevator had stopped. The doors opened behind me. My skin prickled, and I slowly turned around, knowing who it was even before I saw him.
"Perhaps I could assist you, my dear," Hojo said, looking amused.
"But... how?" I stammered. It had been a stupid plan, yes. But how could it fail now?
The professor stepped in, the doors closing behind him. I cowered back as he took the gun out of my hand. He stepped over to the control pad. "I expected you to try, but not so soon. Just like your mother, eh, girl?" He laughed, pressing the button for the floor I had just escaped. "Only more foolish. Your plan was ill-constructed and poorly taken out. Your mother succeeded because she took the time to think things through. But the difference between then and now is that we are prepared for such an attempt, and our technology here exceeds all others." He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. I believe you have forgotten that, because your plan was ultimately destroyed by this." He held up a plastic card. "The elevators don't work without Key Cards unless we tell them to."
My initial feeling was to bow my head in shame, to fear him all the more. But then I felt disgusted with myself. I looked at him straight in the eye, holding my head up high. I wasn't beaten yet. "I'll remember that for next time," I said, nodding calmly.
The doors opened, and I saw that security had flooded the hallway. They all shot me dark glances as they revived the unconcious. I didn't bat an eye. One guard rushed up to us and stood before Hojo at attention.
"You'd best hope that their isn't a 'next time'," Hojo replied coolly. "We have great plans for you, and I'm sure that we would all hate to see it done the hard way."
"The Promised Land?" I scoffed as the security guard grabbed my hands and handcuffed them behind my back. "You know that it's ridiculous."
"Regardless, you may want to make the best of it. You'll be here for a very long time..." He turned to the guards. "Bring her to the test tube, I have work to do." He walked away, leaving me to be dragged off.
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I spent the morning in the large see-through test tube. I didn't have many memories of the experiments they did now when I was a child to me, but I remembered them doing it to my mother. She stood there, always dignified, always admirable and beautiful, even as a prisoner. But she had to endure years of this life. I would escape, somehow, in the very near future. So I made everything as hard as I could for the professors. I made it clear that I wasn't going to cooperate, not now and not ever. I would ensure that they would only experiment on me when they desperatly needed to know something.
I knew that I was irritating Hojo, and I was pleased. I was focusing so much on making his job hard that my fears began to dissolve. When they tested my body's response to certain elements, I began to meditate. I made my body relax, and I forced my spirit to 'expand' almost, so that it would be numb, responseless. I had a very simple joy when a scientist came up to me and slapped me back into reality.
Aaah, the pride of hearing another professor hiss, "Hojo! Control the goddam specimen!" Specimen, my Cetra foot! It annoyed me in turn when Hojo just laughed in response, commenting on how interesting things would become.
I had small revenge, though, when I was begrudgingly offered food around noon, which I threw back at them. I wasn't usually such a brat, and I was enjoying it.
Even so, I felt awkward when the professors retreated for a council. I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed, warily watching the guards. After the first twenty minutes I sat down, uncomfortable. It's one thing to be facing your enemies, it's another to be waiting for them. Thirty minutes... forty minutes... an hour.... The time ticked by and I became nervous again. After a few more minutes my eyes began to droop. The full realization of how tired I really was began to dawn upon me. I shook my head. I couldn't sleep.
Hojo returned alone, and I jumped to my feet. "I had hoped that you wouldn't make things so difficult for us," he commented dryly. "You were such a sweet child. However, you will soon find out that ShinRa is not a force that you'll want to have against you..."
"It's always been against me," I shrugged nonchalantly, but in truth seeing him alone again made me cautious. "I don't have anything to lose anymore, and I'm the last Ancient..."
"Which is why we'll be wanting another."
Caught off guard, I blinked. "What?"
He pressed a few buttons and a gas began to fill the room. Before I knew what was happening, I was fast asleep.
Cloud, staring up at the ShinRa building. Cloud, climbing up the stairs, Cloud, looking for me, calling for me, coming for me...
I was a light sleeper. I heard familier voices outside of the tube. "Aeris!"
Opening my eyes, I yelped. In front of me was a red-orange wolf or lion type creature, stretching lazily and yawning, revealing long sharp fangs. Surprised, confused and frightened, I sat up, backing away. What did Hojo want with this?
"Lending a helping hand to an endangered species." he was saying. "Both of them are on the brink of extinction..." Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no! I jumped to my feet, unable to comprehend that what I thought Hojo was trying to do was exactly that. But Cloud's here... I turned and looked out, and sure enough, Cloud, Tifa and a third man that I didn't know stood outside, yelling at Hojo. "Cloud, HELP!" I cried out, banging on the wall.
The creature seemed to notice me now. Turning around I shrieked and ran as it pounced to me. It chased me. "If I don't," Hojo said calmly. He was watching me. "All of these animals would disappear."
Upon hearing his words, I felt a stab of fury. Looking out of the tube once again I saw Tifa gasp. "Animal? That's terrible! Aeris is a human being!"
"You're gonna pay!" the third man snarled. His appearence demanded a lot of power - he was a tall, muscular black man, and to my surprise, one of his arms had no hand. In replace, a gun had been built in.
"Barret! Can't you do anything?" Cloud shouted, looking from me to Hojo.
"Awright!" The black man, Barret, grinned. I decided that I liked him. "Step back!" I did so with great caution.
"Stop!" Hojo yelled, realizing perhaps that brute force can have an edge over intelligence...
Barret shot his gun arm many times, and I threw myself on the ground. I shut my eyes tightly.
Distantly, I heard a voice. "Wh... what are you do-- Oh! My precious specimens..." Then I heard a growl, not of a human but of an animal, and the professor's cry of amazement. Glancing up, I saw that the furry red beast had tackled Hojo and was biting at him.
"Now's our chance to get Aeris!" Cloud said. I sensed him getting closer, and turning, I saw him standing right next to me, his face a mixture of worry and relief. "Aeris..." he said, offering me a hand.
I took the hand and let him pull me to my feet as we ran out of the tube. "Thanks, Cloud," I said. Could this bad dream really be over?
There, waiting, was Tifa and Barret. I embraced Tifa happily. Before I could introduce myself to Barret, Hojo ran off after throwing a strong blow at the red beast.
The animal walked to us gracefully, and no longer in fear of it, I admired how beautiful he was. To all of our surpise, the creature opened his mouth and spoke. "I'll help you all out," he commented as though it were no major commitment.
"It talked?" Tifa exclaimed.
"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," he answered politely.
"What's your name?" Cloud asked curiously.
"Hojo has named me RedXIII, a name which has no meaning whatsoever to me..."
Then, as if remembering me, Cloud turned to me. "Aeris, are you all right?" he asked.
Tifa chose her words carefully, eyeing RedXIII. "She seems all right... in many ways."
RedXIII just laughed. "I have a right to choose, too. I don't like two-legged things."
Barret was confused. "What are you?"
He regarded us with amusement. "An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." Barret was about to ask another question, but was interrupted. "You must have many questions, but first let's get out of here. I'll lead the way."
I turned to Cloud, feeling my thanks earlier hadn't been enough. "Cloud... so you did come for me." I really didn't know what else to say.
RedXIII leaped over to me, and I jumped in surprise. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was around such an obviously strong creature. But he spoke with almost a hint of shame in his voice. "I apologise for what happened back there. I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard.
I forgave him and admired his strategy. He was a clever one, this RedXIII.
"Now we've saved Aeris, ain't no need to be in this buildin'!" Barret said cheerfully. "So let's get the hell outta here!"
But, as often is the case, things like this are much easier said than done.
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Author's Notes - Umm...yeah... I don't know what to think about this chapter. It's kinda moved the story up to a safe PG13, but I expected that. I know that Aeris is often portrayed as a passive, weak willed character in fics... but that's never how I interpreted her. To me she's persistant and stubborn and I don't like her as much as a damsel in distress. Also, I originally planned to do the ShinRa part in just a chapter or two... but I hate leaving things out (and some things were left out, too).