Sorry this one took so long to go up. As I said, I have been on holiday so instead I made this chapter extra long.
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Aeris woke up the next morning with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hurried over to the Shin-Ra HQ ten minutes early but then the longer than usual elevator ride made up for that. When she got into the Lab, she found the other shift guy just standing there. When Aeris called out to him, there was no resonse, so then she went and tapped him on the shoulder. He snapped awake, which left Aeris very relieved. But, he had fallen asleep standing up! Embarassed, the other soldier tried to get out of the room as soon as possible.
Ten minutes later someone was coming up the elevator. Aeris noticed it was a lot busier in the Shin-Ra HQ today. Maybe that was why she was so worried, that she wouldn't be able to get a clear escape.
The elevator stopped on her floor and Aeris held her breath; she had a pretty bad feeling. The door slid open. It was...just the commander. She sighed in relief but also in loathing as he stepped out of the elevator. Time for another long lecture again.
"'Mornin' Aaron!" said the commander cheerfully.
"Good morning, sir," Aeris replied, "what brings you up here on such a busy morning?"
"That exactly," said the commander, "some of Shin-Ra were ordered to return to the building to prepare for the execution of AVALANCHE here."
'AVALANCHE is being executed here?' Aeris thought to herself, 'then, I might be able to help them get away!'
"Of course, they won't be being executed here. Risk of the AVALANCHE base being moved in the Slums and backup being prepared for them."
Aeris' heart sank.
"But even better, or worse for our part, 'cos we hate the guy, is that Hojo is returning a day early. Today. He arrives in about 30 minutes actually, be prepared to do whatever he says up until his departure again tomorrow. Him and his team are leaving to find the body of an escaped specimen then. Good science class he has there. If you're into science you might as well join, but if not then stay right away, it could get totally disgusting. I heard that one of his students allowed Hojo to use him as a specimen for some odd reason."
"Thanks for the tip sir, I'll keep it in mind." Aeris was horrified; half an hour? There'll be no time to get Aetherius out! Gotta think of something, fast!
"So anyway, even sooner than when I said now, Hojo will return, so listen to his orders, and also, you have every right to get out if he wants to do Mako infusion on you. Why do I say this? Because if you were one level higher than you are, you'd be in SOLDIER, and that's a good enough reason for Hojo."
"Yes, sir."
"We'll, I gotta run, other soldiers to dispatch." And with that, he was gone. All of a sudden, Aeris wished he was still here, despite the fact that she can't stand the way he talks so much, but he was okay.
Now Aeris really began to wonder what to do. She wished Cloud was here, but her senses told her that it would not be possible for Cloud at this point, or any point for quite a while. You could say he was out of commission.
Aeris whispered to Aetherius: "Hey, we're going to get you away from here today girl! Hojo will be back in twenty minutes, it'll be very hard, so please, don't say anything!" She could now sense Aetherius' fear, and felt sorry, but this wasn't exactly making a plan. So Aeris devised several possible plans. Very clever ones I must say, but most of them barely possible, so she just decided to go along with what happened at the time; if she had to fight her way out she would.
Aeris' watch beeped: half an hour is up. Now to expect the bastard any time.
At that second, Aeris could hear the elevator going up. She braced herself on the spot and tried to act like a normal soldier. The door opened, and who was to walk out, but Reno of the Turks. "Good day Aaron. Just heading on to the President's office. See ya." It was clear that Reno had become fond of 'Aaron', but Turks weren't really allowed to, so they just acted like nothing had happened. But this wasn't the person Aeris was waiting for. She could hear the elevator working again. It had to be Hojo this time! In walked one that Aeris was expecting to come soon after Reno. Elena, of the Turks. "Hi Aaron. You seen Reno?"
"President's office," Aeris replied. She couldn't believe she just helped out one of the Turks!
"Really? I'm gonna kill him! We were ordered to go the EXECUTIVE office! See? I listened for once," Elena rushed off.
The elevator worked again. Sure was busy today. Aeris knew it would probably be Rude. The door opened and she visualised a bald man with cool shades on in a blue suit, but instead in her line of vision was a horrendous looking old guy with black hair and silver streaks going through them, wearing a white lab coat. Guess who? Hojo. ***Aah! It's awful! My eyeeeeeeeeees!***
Aeris didn't say anything when he walked in. But he approached her anyway. She tensed.
"Hello. You must be...Aaron..." he said in his normal awful voice.
"Yes sir." Aeris wasn't sure how to act in front of this bastard.
"Please, call me Hojo." Hojo sneered. It was really bad on the eyes. "Oh, yes," he remembered something.
Aeris could only watch as he stepped with an odd swiftness towards Aetherius' tank. All she could do was glare at him as he pulled off the cover to reveal a snarling, growling Aetherius. "Well hello, my beautiful specimen. You sure are lively today. That soldier there must have fed you well. Did you thank him?"
Aetherius continued to snarl at Hojo, but that did not faze him at all. Hojo would just sneer at her.
"Aaron, come here," ordered Hojo. It was part of Aeris orders TO take orders from Hojo, so she approached instantly. "Go fetch some Chocobo liver and feed the specimen for me will you?"
Aeris obeyed her orders swifly.
"Very good," Hojo sneered, "You'd make a good assistant if you had taken up science. No matter though."
Aeris was insanely grossed out.
Across the day Aeris had to do various jobs for Hojo. It got annoying after a while when Hojo said: "It's 1500 hours. You can have a two hour break then I want to see you back here at 1700 hours. I'm leaving for a while at precisely 1600 hours. Be back between 1640 to 1650, so if you accidentally arrive between then, don't be surprised if I'm not present. I will see you later."
This was definately Aeris' chance. One of the plans she devised should come into action here.
Aeris hurried to Sector 6, to the clothing store. Here, she purchased a tight black miniskirt and a white tank top. Anyone in Shin-Ra would find this familiar; the Tifa outfit! She then went to the bathroom at her room at the Inn and used her key item, [Black Hair Dye] that she had stolen from Hojo. She combed her hair out until it was straight and tyed it at the end in that funny way Tifa did. It was a remakable transformation. Lucky the dye was temporary.
By 1610, she made it the the Shin-Ra building and amazingly made it to the 68th floor unnoticed because of the Executive elevator she was allowed to use. When she got in, she took one of the many blood samples (the one she used was a common soldiers' blood) and spilt half of it onto the floor and rushed to Aetherius' tank.
"Aetherius, it's me, Aeris."
"I know, I can smell you."
"We're geting you out of here." Aeris kicked a hole into the side of the tank and Aetherius jumped out.
"What's with the blood?" asked Aetherius.
"A diversion. Come on, there's little time. They ran out and into the elevator, Aeris dripping little spots of blood until they got out of the Shin-Ra building safely.
Outside, Aeris dropped the rest of the blood and then threw the specimen container in the garbage which was Sector 3.
In the security division, they got a good shot of Tifa Lockheart and Specimen Red XIV on the executive elevator.
After ten minutes of what seemed like endless running, they had made it to Aeris' house.
"Here, Aeth, you'll be safe here. I need you to stay until I return tonight, okay?"
"Okay Aeris."
Here Aeris changed back into the soldier uniform and then left for the Shin-Ra building again.
***From here onwards it is quite clear why I rated this fic what I did. If you are sensitive to violence, then I suggest you do not read any further.***
It was quite clear that nobody had been here. Her plan was still in motion. Now, Aeris had to do the most terrible thing to herself that she'd ever done: she found a knife hanging on the wall with the experimental instruments, and slashed cut marks on her arm that were about the size of Aetherius' jaw. The pain was excrutiating and she couldn't believe she'd actually do it, but that was what she was prepared to go through for Aetherius. She even had to gauge in where the larger teeth were. She would never have had been able to withstand this pain if she hadn't been inpaled by the Masamune beforehand, but this pain was worse.
Aeris began to feel dizzy, but went onto phase 2 of the plan. First she discarded to bloody knife into the waste disposal chute, then she went and lay next to the blood on the floor and let her own blood drain into it and mix with it. There she fell unconscious.
Hojo walked into the Lab to find 'Aaron' lying in a pool of blood. He had not quite been surprised as there was plenty of blood in the elevator also.
Aeris awoke to Hojo, attempting to wake her.
"You're up. Stand up. We'll get you something to put on that." Hojo went over to the bandage container.
"Use this to clean the wound, and then cover it with this." He handed Aeris some bright yellow cream and some cotton buds, along with a bandage. Aeris definately did not trust the yellow cream, but she cleaned the 'bite wound' with the cotton bud and applied the cream anyway. The cream stung like Hell, so bad that it eventually began to numb. Then she covered it up with the bandage and Hojo then handed her a safety pin to hold it together. He had that usual sneer on his face and said "can't have our guard-assistant dying on us now, can we? Here's a mop, I'd like you to clean the mess."
So Aeris did clean the mess.
"It seems that my precious Specimen Red XIV had escaped..." Hojo said calmly. "What happened?"
"I...saw...a girl. She had...long...black...hair and a white...tank top, as well as...a black mini...skirt. Fairly attractive also...kicked open tank..." Aeris was faking it really good now.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that it was kicked open. Now...the specimen attacked you and they left. There was nothing else?"
"No...sir..."
"Not sir, Hojo, please."
"Sorry..."
"You can go as soon as you've cleaned up this mess. Rest up and eat heaps. Get better and come back tomorrow. And for God's sake, get yourself a new uniform!"
"Yes, Hojo," and Aeris left. The plan had gone well.
Hojo sneered. "Yessss...get better. I am going to restart my plan tomorrow, and you will be my first, Aaron...!" Hojo had a truly excited look on his face. "Tifa Lockheart...it was you, wasn't it?"
"Aeris! Are you alright?" Aetherius looked worried.
"I'm fine, and glad, you're safe." Aeris told Aetherius the entire story, from when she had found out what Hojo wanted to do to her and Aetherius. Aetherius was truly horrified.
"Sorry you had to cut yourself for me."
"It's okay."
"I owe you my life."
"No you don't."
"Is there any way I can possibly repay you?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes," but then Aeris stopped and thought about it, "you know what? I think there is something you can do for me..."
"Anything. You name it."
"When this is all over, there's somebody I'd like you to meet," said Aeris, thinking about Red XIV. Red was meant to be the last of his kind but obviously not now.
"Okay. But that doesn't sound like much of a favour."
"Oh, it is. But if you really want to do me a serious favour, then this is what you can do."
Hojo paced around the Laboratory. Then he heard footsteps. The worker from the security division was finally here.
"Mr. Hojo, it is ready. Please follow me," said the worker. They went up to the security tape playback room.
"Lucky mother bought heaps of dry foods we can cook up. I'm starved," said Aeris, looking in the cupboard. She boiled up some water and added some pasta into it, then she got the few remaining vegetables from the garden and cooked them too. Then she realised; Aetherius. Meat.
"Hey, Aetherius, I'm just going to the shops to get you some meat for dinner. Hang on."
"I'll go with you!" she ran towards the door.
"No, you can't. You might get spotted by the Shin-Ra."
"Okay. But if you're not back in ten minutes...!"
Aeris stepped into the Sector 5 general store.
"Alice! You haven't come in a lone time! How are you?"
"Just fine, thanks," said Aeris. That man never really knew her name. Now it was a good thing. "Can I please have a large pile of steak. Umm...maybe 5kg, and about that much chicken as well?"
"Sure. Never thought I'd imagine you buying meat though. The steak is 2000 Gil for that much, and the chicken is 5000. Sorry about the price but chickens are getting scarce these days. Eaten by monsters instead."
"That's okay. I'm having someone stay over for a while and they like meat a lot, so this is a few days' worth.
Aeris stumbled out of the store carrying a huge pile of meat that robbed her of her ability to see ahead, but she sort of knew the way without looking luckily. It was still a sight to be seen though.
In the security tape playback room, Hojo gawked at the video, indeed it did look just like Tifa Lockheart, but it wasn't. For one, Tifa's body shape is slightly different, two, Tifa was in a coma at the WEAPON faction, and three, this 'Tifa' had green eyes! The real Tifa has brown eyes! Hojo did wonder who it was though.
"Here you go Aetherius. Dinner time!"
"Jeez, how much did this cost, Aeris?"
"Not much. I'm actually pretty well off. My mother left her credit card here."
Aetherius didn't even know what a credit card was, but right now that was the smallest problem to go throught her mind, in comparison to the Hojo stuff. There was real meant in front of her! Well, meat that she didn't actually feel bad eating.
"I definately could not go through all of this in one go, even if I hadn't eaten for a month!"
"That's the point. Well, eat as much as you like now then."
"Thank for every so far, Aeris!"
Actually, this girl did look oddly familiar to Hojo, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The next morning, Aeris was just leaving for 'work'.
"Where you going, Aeris?"
"Where have I gone every day for the last 3 days so far?"
"...Oh."
"Don't worry, counting this day there's just 4 days left, then we can go wherever we like."
"...Okay. I really do appreciate all you've done for me."
Hojo handed Aeris a photo. "I want you to hold onto this. If you see this girl again, kill her. That'll teach her not to steal my precious specimens any more!" Hojo waved one fist in the air angrily. Aeris smiled innocently at him from behind the soldier helmet.
'I've been acting so strange these past few days, but then, it's kind of hard to survive on your own. Cloud, I'm sorry...'
Hojo walked off mumbling something about Sephiroth and how it was a good thing that AVALANCHE was being executed, and then he came back. "Listen, I have just came to a decision as of now," he sneered in that usual gross way which in the end gave Aeris the impression that he could not control the majority of his facial muscles, "Today I depart for the Ancient City to look for a human carcass and I request your prescence in our search. It shouldn't take any more than a few hours. We will return tonight."
"Yes, sir."
The Forgotten Capital was...haunting. Basically Hojo and everyone else split up and went to look all over. Of course when they all met up after a few hours they returned with no news, not that there were too many places to look through of course.
'The dead is among you...' thought Aeris jokingly.
They returned at 1500 hours. Everyone split up and Hojo and Aeris went back to Floor 68.
"Nothing. That is extremely odd. We worked for hours tracing back her location. I just hope that they did not cremate her. No fun for me then. You know what I was going to do? Extract all the cells from her, and then gather cells from various beings across the planet, and compare them. You never know if you're part Ancient or not. But this girl, was a direct Ancient, forgetting the father."
By 1800, Hojo had returned to check on Aeris and also brought a small peice of horror. Well, not really, but Hojo is walking, talking, breathing horror anyway, so that was bad enough.
"I need to inject you with these antibacterial fluids, you never know what that thing might have put in you yesterday."
Aeris was way beyond not trusting Hojo. She really didn't want to go through with this, God knows he may have put in there, but something told her to go through with it, for if he discovered who she really was it'd probably be mush worse.
He helped her roll up her sleeve all the way upto where the bite was.
"You are scrawny for a man, let alone level 4 soldier. How did they let you in?"
"Talent." Aeris lied.
Hojo virtually stabbed her with the needle and injected some clear orangey-looking fluid. Aeris knew to panic if it was anywhere near the hue of green.
"There. You should not catch any sorts of parasites from that disgusting beast now."
Blood was starting to pour out of the point where the needle had entered, so Hojo gave Aeris what he had given her yesterday, then he went back to work.
"How do you feel?" Hojo questioned Aeris with a snicker. Aeris was getting sick of that look.
"Fine," Aeris replied.
"Oh really?" Hojo seemed suspicious, "never mind. I'll let you go early tonight. Just come back at the normal time, and check the wound occasionally. If anything abnormal happens, come see me."
"Okay- I mean- Yes, sir!"
'Silly Aeris!' she thought to herself, 'I think I just let my real voice go! He may suspect me now!'
"Good night, Aaron," said Hojo. He had really stressed the Aaron part, leaving Aeris really worried.
The next morning Aeris woke up early and checked the wound as Hojo had said. Nothing unusual. Was something meant to happen?
Aeris had gotten used to using the Executive elevator, and took it as usual. But when she reached the top, she did not expect the following event:
"Aeris is your name, isn't it?" asked Hojo, "Aeris Gainsborough." Hojo grabbed the soldier helmet and pulled it off and shoved a tube upto her face. "No, should I say, Aeris Gast."
Aeris blacked out and saw no more.
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Okay, so if was quite as long as I said it would be, but I felt I had to post something today, seeing as I got back from my holiday today. It gets a bit more gorey from there but don't worry too much.
Upcoming:
- Take a random guess about who returns - anyone. Just guess!
- Stuff happens.
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Aeris woke up the next morning with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hurried over to the Shin-Ra HQ ten minutes early but then the longer than usual elevator ride made up for that. When she got into the Lab, she found the other shift guy just standing there. When Aeris called out to him, there was no resonse, so then she went and tapped him on the shoulder. He snapped awake, which left Aeris very relieved. But, he had fallen asleep standing up! Embarassed, the other soldier tried to get out of the room as soon as possible.
Ten minutes later someone was coming up the elevator. Aeris noticed it was a lot busier in the Shin-Ra HQ today. Maybe that was why she was so worried, that she wouldn't be able to get a clear escape.
The elevator stopped on her floor and Aeris held her breath; she had a pretty bad feeling. The door slid open. It was...just the commander. She sighed in relief but also in loathing as he stepped out of the elevator. Time for another long lecture again.
"'Mornin' Aaron!" said the commander cheerfully.
"Good morning, sir," Aeris replied, "what brings you up here on such a busy morning?"
"That exactly," said the commander, "some of Shin-Ra were ordered to return to the building to prepare for the execution of AVALANCHE here."
'AVALANCHE is being executed here?' Aeris thought to herself, 'then, I might be able to help them get away!'
"Of course, they won't be being executed here. Risk of the AVALANCHE base being moved in the Slums and backup being prepared for them."
Aeris' heart sank.
"But even better, or worse for our part, 'cos we hate the guy, is that Hojo is returning a day early. Today. He arrives in about 30 minutes actually, be prepared to do whatever he says up until his departure again tomorrow. Him and his team are leaving to find the body of an escaped specimen then. Good science class he has there. If you're into science you might as well join, but if not then stay right away, it could get totally disgusting. I heard that one of his students allowed Hojo to use him as a specimen for some odd reason."
"Thanks for the tip sir, I'll keep it in mind." Aeris was horrified; half an hour? There'll be no time to get Aetherius out! Gotta think of something, fast!
"So anyway, even sooner than when I said now, Hojo will return, so listen to his orders, and also, you have every right to get out if he wants to do Mako infusion on you. Why do I say this? Because if you were one level higher than you are, you'd be in SOLDIER, and that's a good enough reason for Hojo."
"Yes, sir."
"We'll, I gotta run, other soldiers to dispatch." And with that, he was gone. All of a sudden, Aeris wished he was still here, despite the fact that she can't stand the way he talks so much, but he was okay.
Now Aeris really began to wonder what to do. She wished Cloud was here, but her senses told her that it would not be possible for Cloud at this point, or any point for quite a while. You could say he was out of commission.
Aeris whispered to Aetherius: "Hey, we're going to get you away from here today girl! Hojo will be back in twenty minutes, it'll be very hard, so please, don't say anything!" She could now sense Aetherius' fear, and felt sorry, but this wasn't exactly making a plan. So Aeris devised several possible plans. Very clever ones I must say, but most of them barely possible, so she just decided to go along with what happened at the time; if she had to fight her way out she would.
Aeris' watch beeped: half an hour is up. Now to expect the bastard any time.
At that second, Aeris could hear the elevator going up. She braced herself on the spot and tried to act like a normal soldier. The door opened, and who was to walk out, but Reno of the Turks. "Good day Aaron. Just heading on to the President's office. See ya." It was clear that Reno had become fond of 'Aaron', but Turks weren't really allowed to, so they just acted like nothing had happened. But this wasn't the person Aeris was waiting for. She could hear the elevator working again. It had to be Hojo this time! In walked one that Aeris was expecting to come soon after Reno. Elena, of the Turks. "Hi Aaron. You seen Reno?"
"President's office," Aeris replied. She couldn't believe she just helped out one of the Turks!
"Really? I'm gonna kill him! We were ordered to go the EXECUTIVE office! See? I listened for once," Elena rushed off.
The elevator worked again. Sure was busy today. Aeris knew it would probably be Rude. The door opened and she visualised a bald man with cool shades on in a blue suit, but instead in her line of vision was a horrendous looking old guy with black hair and silver streaks going through them, wearing a white lab coat. Guess who? Hojo. ***Aah! It's awful! My eyeeeeeeeeees!***
Aeris didn't say anything when he walked in. But he approached her anyway. She tensed.
"Hello. You must be...Aaron..." he said in his normal awful voice.
"Yes sir." Aeris wasn't sure how to act in front of this bastard.
"Please, call me Hojo." Hojo sneered. It was really bad on the eyes. "Oh, yes," he remembered something.
Aeris could only watch as he stepped with an odd swiftness towards Aetherius' tank. All she could do was glare at him as he pulled off the cover to reveal a snarling, growling Aetherius. "Well hello, my beautiful specimen. You sure are lively today. That soldier there must have fed you well. Did you thank him?"
Aetherius continued to snarl at Hojo, but that did not faze him at all. Hojo would just sneer at her.
"Aaron, come here," ordered Hojo. It was part of Aeris orders TO take orders from Hojo, so she approached instantly. "Go fetch some Chocobo liver and feed the specimen for me will you?"
Aeris obeyed her orders swifly.
"Very good," Hojo sneered, "You'd make a good assistant if you had taken up science. No matter though."
Aeris was insanely grossed out.
Across the day Aeris had to do various jobs for Hojo. It got annoying after a while when Hojo said: "It's 1500 hours. You can have a two hour break then I want to see you back here at 1700 hours. I'm leaving for a while at precisely 1600 hours. Be back between 1640 to 1650, so if you accidentally arrive between then, don't be surprised if I'm not present. I will see you later."
This was definately Aeris' chance. One of the plans she devised should come into action here.
Aeris hurried to Sector 6, to the clothing store. Here, she purchased a tight black miniskirt and a white tank top. Anyone in Shin-Ra would find this familiar; the Tifa outfit! She then went to the bathroom at her room at the Inn and used her key item, [Black Hair Dye] that she had stolen from Hojo. She combed her hair out until it was straight and tyed it at the end in that funny way Tifa did. It was a remakable transformation. Lucky the dye was temporary.
By 1610, she made it the the Shin-Ra building and amazingly made it to the 68th floor unnoticed because of the Executive elevator she was allowed to use. When she got in, she took one of the many blood samples (the one she used was a common soldiers' blood) and spilt half of it onto the floor and rushed to Aetherius' tank.
"Aetherius, it's me, Aeris."
"I know, I can smell you."
"We're geting you out of here." Aeris kicked a hole into the side of the tank and Aetherius jumped out.
"What's with the blood?" asked Aetherius.
"A diversion. Come on, there's little time. They ran out and into the elevator, Aeris dripping little spots of blood until they got out of the Shin-Ra building safely.
Outside, Aeris dropped the rest of the blood and then threw the specimen container in the garbage which was Sector 3.
In the security division, they got a good shot of Tifa Lockheart and Specimen Red XIV on the executive elevator.
After ten minutes of what seemed like endless running, they had made it to Aeris' house.
"Here, Aeth, you'll be safe here. I need you to stay until I return tonight, okay?"
"Okay Aeris."
Here Aeris changed back into the soldier uniform and then left for the Shin-Ra building again.
***From here onwards it is quite clear why I rated this fic what I did. If you are sensitive to violence, then I suggest you do not read any further.***
It was quite clear that nobody had been here. Her plan was still in motion. Now, Aeris had to do the most terrible thing to herself that she'd ever done: she found a knife hanging on the wall with the experimental instruments, and slashed cut marks on her arm that were about the size of Aetherius' jaw. The pain was excrutiating and she couldn't believe she'd actually do it, but that was what she was prepared to go through for Aetherius. She even had to gauge in where the larger teeth were. She would never have had been able to withstand this pain if she hadn't been inpaled by the Masamune beforehand, but this pain was worse.
Aeris began to feel dizzy, but went onto phase 2 of the plan. First she discarded to bloody knife into the waste disposal chute, then she went and lay next to the blood on the floor and let her own blood drain into it and mix with it. There she fell unconscious.
Hojo walked into the Lab to find 'Aaron' lying in a pool of blood. He had not quite been surprised as there was plenty of blood in the elevator also.
Aeris awoke to Hojo, attempting to wake her.
"You're up. Stand up. We'll get you something to put on that." Hojo went over to the bandage container.
"Use this to clean the wound, and then cover it with this." He handed Aeris some bright yellow cream and some cotton buds, along with a bandage. Aeris definately did not trust the yellow cream, but she cleaned the 'bite wound' with the cotton bud and applied the cream anyway. The cream stung like Hell, so bad that it eventually began to numb. Then she covered it up with the bandage and Hojo then handed her a safety pin to hold it together. He had that usual sneer on his face and said "can't have our guard-assistant dying on us now, can we? Here's a mop, I'd like you to clean the mess."
So Aeris did clean the mess.
"It seems that my precious Specimen Red XIV had escaped..." Hojo said calmly. "What happened?"
"I...saw...a girl. She had...long...black...hair and a white...tank top, as well as...a black mini...skirt. Fairly attractive also...kicked open tank..." Aeris was faking it really good now.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that it was kicked open. Now...the specimen attacked you and they left. There was nothing else?"
"No...sir..."
"Not sir, Hojo, please."
"Sorry..."
"You can go as soon as you've cleaned up this mess. Rest up and eat heaps. Get better and come back tomorrow. And for God's sake, get yourself a new uniform!"
"Yes, Hojo," and Aeris left. The plan had gone well.
Hojo sneered. "Yessss...get better. I am going to restart my plan tomorrow, and you will be my first, Aaron...!" Hojo had a truly excited look on his face. "Tifa Lockheart...it was you, wasn't it?"
"Aeris! Are you alright?" Aetherius looked worried.
"I'm fine, and glad, you're safe." Aeris told Aetherius the entire story, from when she had found out what Hojo wanted to do to her and Aetherius. Aetherius was truly horrified.
"Sorry you had to cut yourself for me."
"It's okay."
"I owe you my life."
"No you don't."
"Is there any way I can possibly repay you?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes," but then Aeris stopped and thought about it, "you know what? I think there is something you can do for me..."
"Anything. You name it."
"When this is all over, there's somebody I'd like you to meet," said Aeris, thinking about Red XIV. Red was meant to be the last of his kind but obviously not now.
"Okay. But that doesn't sound like much of a favour."
"Oh, it is. But if you really want to do me a serious favour, then this is what you can do."
Hojo paced around the Laboratory. Then he heard footsteps. The worker from the security division was finally here.
"Mr. Hojo, it is ready. Please follow me," said the worker. They went up to the security tape playback room.
"Lucky mother bought heaps of dry foods we can cook up. I'm starved," said Aeris, looking in the cupboard. She boiled up some water and added some pasta into it, then she got the few remaining vegetables from the garden and cooked them too. Then she realised; Aetherius. Meat.
"Hey, Aetherius, I'm just going to the shops to get you some meat for dinner. Hang on."
"I'll go with you!" she ran towards the door.
"No, you can't. You might get spotted by the Shin-Ra."
"Okay. But if you're not back in ten minutes...!"
Aeris stepped into the Sector 5 general store.
"Alice! You haven't come in a lone time! How are you?"
"Just fine, thanks," said Aeris. That man never really knew her name. Now it was a good thing. "Can I please have a large pile of steak. Umm...maybe 5kg, and about that much chicken as well?"
"Sure. Never thought I'd imagine you buying meat though. The steak is 2000 Gil for that much, and the chicken is 5000. Sorry about the price but chickens are getting scarce these days. Eaten by monsters instead."
"That's okay. I'm having someone stay over for a while and they like meat a lot, so this is a few days' worth.
Aeris stumbled out of the store carrying a huge pile of meat that robbed her of her ability to see ahead, but she sort of knew the way without looking luckily. It was still a sight to be seen though.
In the security tape playback room, Hojo gawked at the video, indeed it did look just like Tifa Lockheart, but it wasn't. For one, Tifa's body shape is slightly different, two, Tifa was in a coma at the WEAPON faction, and three, this 'Tifa' had green eyes! The real Tifa has brown eyes! Hojo did wonder who it was though.
"Here you go Aetherius. Dinner time!"
"Jeez, how much did this cost, Aeris?"
"Not much. I'm actually pretty well off. My mother left her credit card here."
Aetherius didn't even know what a credit card was, but right now that was the smallest problem to go throught her mind, in comparison to the Hojo stuff. There was real meant in front of her! Well, meat that she didn't actually feel bad eating.
"I definately could not go through all of this in one go, even if I hadn't eaten for a month!"
"That's the point. Well, eat as much as you like now then."
"Thank for every so far, Aeris!"
Actually, this girl did look oddly familiar to Hojo, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The next morning, Aeris was just leaving for 'work'.
"Where you going, Aeris?"
"Where have I gone every day for the last 3 days so far?"
"...Oh."
"Don't worry, counting this day there's just 4 days left, then we can go wherever we like."
"...Okay. I really do appreciate all you've done for me."
Hojo handed Aeris a photo. "I want you to hold onto this. If you see this girl again, kill her. That'll teach her not to steal my precious specimens any more!" Hojo waved one fist in the air angrily. Aeris smiled innocently at him from behind the soldier helmet.
'I've been acting so strange these past few days, but then, it's kind of hard to survive on your own. Cloud, I'm sorry...'
Hojo walked off mumbling something about Sephiroth and how it was a good thing that AVALANCHE was being executed, and then he came back. "Listen, I have just came to a decision as of now," he sneered in that usual gross way which in the end gave Aeris the impression that he could not control the majority of his facial muscles, "Today I depart for the Ancient City to look for a human carcass and I request your prescence in our search. It shouldn't take any more than a few hours. We will return tonight."
"Yes, sir."
The Forgotten Capital was...haunting. Basically Hojo and everyone else split up and went to look all over. Of course when they all met up after a few hours they returned with no news, not that there were too many places to look through of course.
'The dead is among you...' thought Aeris jokingly.
They returned at 1500 hours. Everyone split up and Hojo and Aeris went back to Floor 68.
"Nothing. That is extremely odd. We worked for hours tracing back her location. I just hope that they did not cremate her. No fun for me then. You know what I was going to do? Extract all the cells from her, and then gather cells from various beings across the planet, and compare them. You never know if you're part Ancient or not. But this girl, was a direct Ancient, forgetting the father."
By 1800, Hojo had returned to check on Aeris and also brought a small peice of horror. Well, not really, but Hojo is walking, talking, breathing horror anyway, so that was bad enough.
"I need to inject you with these antibacterial fluids, you never know what that thing might have put in you yesterday."
Aeris was way beyond not trusting Hojo. She really didn't want to go through with this, God knows he may have put in there, but something told her to go through with it, for if he discovered who she really was it'd probably be mush worse.
He helped her roll up her sleeve all the way upto where the bite was.
"You are scrawny for a man, let alone level 4 soldier. How did they let you in?"
"Talent." Aeris lied.
Hojo virtually stabbed her with the needle and injected some clear orangey-looking fluid. Aeris knew to panic if it was anywhere near the hue of green.
"There. You should not catch any sorts of parasites from that disgusting beast now."
Blood was starting to pour out of the point where the needle had entered, so Hojo gave Aeris what he had given her yesterday, then he went back to work.
"How do you feel?" Hojo questioned Aeris with a snicker. Aeris was getting sick of that look.
"Fine," Aeris replied.
"Oh really?" Hojo seemed suspicious, "never mind. I'll let you go early tonight. Just come back at the normal time, and check the wound occasionally. If anything abnormal happens, come see me."
"Okay- I mean- Yes, sir!"
'Silly Aeris!' she thought to herself, 'I think I just let my real voice go! He may suspect me now!'
"Good night, Aaron," said Hojo. He had really stressed the Aaron part, leaving Aeris really worried.
The next morning Aeris woke up early and checked the wound as Hojo had said. Nothing unusual. Was something meant to happen?
Aeris had gotten used to using the Executive elevator, and took it as usual. But when she reached the top, she did not expect the following event:
"Aeris is your name, isn't it?" asked Hojo, "Aeris Gainsborough." Hojo grabbed the soldier helmet and pulled it off and shoved a tube upto her face. "No, should I say, Aeris Gast."
Aeris blacked out and saw no more.
*********
Okay, so if was quite as long as I said it would be, but I felt I had to post something today, seeing as I got back from my holiday today. It gets a bit more gorey from there but don't worry too much.
Upcoming:
- Take a random guess about who returns - anyone. Just guess!
- Stuff happens.
