We never managed to get back Aeris. It didn't matter. Like I mentioned, Hojo had found a new toy. The members of SOLDIER.
I knew, despite what Shinra may have thought, what was going on. Clones. All of them. Sephiroth was incredible, a marveled to the world. Hojo was proud of his son, despite keeping this pride between himself and I. He wished to share his son with the world.
And SOLDIER was the way to go about it. Around this time, after the war ended, Hojo convinced Shinra to let him test an experiment out on one of the men.
They were injected and exposed to mako power. Sephiroth had already been exposed to the Jenova cells, and the mako had come next. He became rather ill, as Hojo said he would, but his illness soon passed. It lasted no more then a week. The outcome would be a trademark SOLDIER look.
Glowing eyes of Mako green. Not only were the eyes special, but it appeared that the mako had given Sephiroth strength. Strength Shinra's president wished all of his SOLDIER members to have. All of SOLDIER was soon injected with Mako, giving them all the special eyes, and special strength. Some, sadly, died.
I was helping Hojo, at his task. Running about, making sure that the illnesses we not contagious, or making sure the SOLDIER men had food and drink. Making sure they got the proper amount of mako injected into them.
I made friends with one of them. A young man, 4th class (one of the lowest) SOLDIER. A new recruit, from Rocket Town. He was a small man, scrawny. His eyes had once been a deep chocolate, and his hair a very vibrant orange red color.
I remember sitting with him the most, for he seemed the most intelligent out of the men I saw. Most of them partook in whistling or yelling rude things at me. None could hold a intelligent conversation ( not to mention their lunch) down.
This young man, Jason, could at least talk to me without trying to get me into bed. It was a relief.
The day he came in, he was tall and proud, despite being so much smaller then most of the men of upper class. His hair was simply astonishing, being so bright, and his eyes breath taking.
I sat with him, two days later. He had lost his tan, and his eyes were now the horrible mako green every SOLDIER members was. He had lost weight, weight he didn't have to lose, and his hair had dulled and gone limp. He was sick, and he looked it horribly.
We managed to speak of the war, which was over now, and the plans Shinra had from Wutai. He had said that the Shinra were going to build a mako reactor there, and claim the land for the scientists to have a new lab. One bigger then the Shinra mansion. It was such an astonishing possibility, I almost hoped for it to be true. Of course, the problem with that idea was: what would happen to the people? I had read books with Wutai in it, and the landscape was breath taking.
"I cant believe they would rip up such an old place as that. It is perhaps one of the few places left in its original beauty for more then 50 years." He had said. I agreeably fully.
He passed away, on the fifth day. Hojo cared not. He had more valuable men dying, and the president Shinra on his case. He didn't wish to hear of my childish infatuations. I…couldn't help but hate him, but know he was busy and correct all at once.
I guess…I just have a higher value of the human life then he did.
