Chapter 5 Arius Strider
The sun was just beginning its slow descent over the horizon. It caused an array of orange and red to scorch the sky. It was a beautiful sight, and traveling in this time of day, a day a lone man was riding a black chocobo. He had on a long brown coat and a hood covered hid head emitting a dark shadow over his face. His hands were bound tight with leather gloves and his feet were bound with black leather shoes that strapped all the way up to his knees.
He was riding over a tall mountain, yet not tall enough to home snow but still the weather cold as he made his journey. He had been riding now for several hours. Never taking a break unless his chocobo needed water.
Upon reaching the summit, he stopped and looked over with sight that no man could posses. He scanned the surroundings and his eyes locked on a object several hours away. It was his target, Neo-Midgar. He was sure of it more then anything. After the short breather he nudged the chocobo and started his decent over the side of the mountain. A task that will take several more hours.
Finally, engulfed in complete darkness, the chocobo and it's rider finally made it on land and stopped. Taking in the night air he looked around and smiled. He could see and hear the night animals roaming about. They were just aware of his presence as he was of theirs. Suddenly in the distance a low rumble was heard and he looked to the south.
A huge airship was making it's way across the sky towards his destination. He nudged the chocobo again and urged him faster as they raced after the airship. Neo-Midgar became more clear now as it's surrounding sensors triggered the fog lights. Steering far to the left he kept out of sight. Closer now he was forced to stop as further travel would reveal his location. He watched as the airship landed on a large pad on the roof of the complex. The engines were cut and it was quiet again. He assumed they were leaving the airship, and he wished that he could be closer to hear any people speaking.
A few hours past, and the airship remained. Now was the time to act he thought as he removed himself from the furry back of his Chocobo. He patted it's head and looked into it's eyes as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of green leaves. His chocobo smelled the leaved and grew excited as the man laid them on the ground and walked away.
Walking up to a side entrance he looked around cautiously taking each of his steps carefully. But he was not able to make it to the door without setting off a small trap. Within seconds he was surrounded by a large group of men as they each wore night vision goggles.
"I'm here for the girl." They were all carrying guns and even swords were in their hands or clipped to their sides. The lone man on the other hand had no visible weapons. "I'll say it one more time. I have come for the girl, release her to me and you all will not have to worry about spending the rest of your existence in this would in coffins, or in shallow holes in the ground if you prefer that better."
"I don't know how you managed to make it this far without being caught sooner, but any luck you did have is gone now. As for the girl, we are not handing the her over to you. She is property of the corporation the president owns. Now get out or we will be forced to use drastic measure to get you out."
The lone man shook his head. No one is property of anyone but themselves. He took a step back and leaned into a small stance as the others surrounded him. He was outnumbered greatly and the men laughed at his handicap. Though with a straight face he just stood their and waited for the first move as he said, "Remember, I warned you." He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
Suddenly with speed that could not be matched by any normal human; the man lunged forward breaking the nose of the man in front him. The force behind the blow caused the bridge of the nose to go up into his brain, causing instant death. The fight then broke out. To anyone watching, all they would have been able to see are green dot's flashing around in the dark.
Several of the men leveled their guns towards the man and fired. Being just a man he would not be able to dodge the bullets. Except that misunderstanding was going to be their down fall as the man leaped back grabbing one of the men and threw him in front to block the bullets and grabbed the guards sword from his belt in time to block the rest of the bullets that missed the guard. They ricochet off the blade with sparks zipping past everyone hitting the building or the ground.
With a weapon in hand he gripped it tightly and glared at it with discuss. He seemed to not be a fan for blades but in the heat of combat you tend to try and live with what you get. He turned around and dogged the swing of a mans sword. It cut a small piece of the mans hood slightly showing off a corner of his face. The man took his blade and swung up cutting the hand of the attacker off. He fell to the ground with a light thud. There was screaming now but was cut short with a painful grunt and gurgle as blood erupted from his neck and mouth. He too fell to the ground with the same thud.
There were still several men alive yet, and two of them ran up to him and took turns slicing their swords through the air. Most missed or clanged together with the only sword that dripped of blood. Taking this opportunity another of the goggled men fired his gun at the mans head. The bullet flew fast and as if having eyes in the back of his head, the man tilted it to the side and the bullet hit the man in front of him. Another thud was heard as yet another man bit the dust.
The group was growing smaller by the minute and not yet have they been able to touch the intruder. The man was growing tired of this fight and his attacker smiled with an idea. He lunged forward and brought his sword down fast. As expected the man blocked as their swords clashed together and held their position. Pleased with this outcome, he put pressure forward as if a test of strength. Then something unexpected happen. The man let go of his sword with one of his hands and grabbed his gun in it's holster and put it to the mans abdomen and fired just as another man behind him fired his gun as well.
Shot twice he leaned back causing the man in front to loose balance for a split second, which was used to get his throat cut. Then he looked behind him and did a spin kick that knocked the guys gun from his hand. Grabbing his sword as fast as he could to block it got stuck in it's sheath. That little problem coast the man his life as his a sword was pierced through his throat. With a smirk the man darted around the man while still holding the sword. This caused the blade to move around allot fully cutting the mans head off.
Turning his head he was surrounded yet again by two men. In front and behind. He jumped into the air and did a quick back flip landing behind and in front of two men. He lunged his sward into the man behind him and as the other turned around he darted to the side and stuck the sword through the mans ribcage. He cringed as he took his gun and aimed at the man, but he was too quick as he darted to the side while still holding the sword into the man and cut him in half.
The large group was drastically decreased to a small handful, but the ones left alive looked amongst their fallen comrades and ran away back into the building. "Now, I warned you all to listen." He looked over at his mess and threw the sword to the ground. "Rest in peace." The man cracked his neck and slowly and cringed from the two bullet wounds that were given to him. He cursed himself out and blamed it on the weather. With some pain gone now he stepped into the building marked 'Revee 2nd; Research and Development'.
The building was lit farley well, and it seemed that no one else was alerted to his presence. He let out a small gasp of air from relief. He really didn't want to have to go into another meaningless fight, well not fully meaningless. Stopping suddenly he looked along the walls and ceiling. There were no signs of surveillance cameras so he could travel freely without worry of being spotted. Many doors were littered down the hall he was in. But he was only interested in the door to the stairs. Elevators have cameras and he can't risk getting caught again.
Finally reaching the end of the hall he found what he was looking for. A door marked with a little sign that said, 'Emergency Exit'. Opening the door he was welcomed to countless stairs. He began to climb the stairs watching the floors change slowly. After five minutes he passed a sign that only read, '20/100'. The pain was getting to him now, only on floor twenty of one hundred. This is going to take longer then he thought, and he was starting to hate the idea of using stairs. Taking in a deep breath he dealt with the pain and moved on.
After about half an hour he finally reached the top floor and decided not to go that one extra flight to the one hundredth floor. Instead he opened the door to the ninety-ninth floor. He poked his head through the door and scanned the area before him. There was one guard patrolling the hallway. He wore to his side a katana and a simple made rifle with no special attachments. Confident with his plan he moved out into the hallway and silently crept up behind the guard and wrapped his arm around his neck. He could not afford having the man knocked out. He would eventually wake and sound the alarm. Instead he put more pressure and violently twisted his arm. There was a muffled cracking as his neck was being broken.
He looked around and opened the closet door to his side. Inside he placed the body up against the wall in the back and shut off the lights. He walked back out and continued down the hall. "Now, where is that room?" The last room in the hall was what he was looking for. Burned across the door was, 'Kassia's Domain'. He turned at the handle and of course it was locked. He knocked down the door with his shoulder and walked in looking around. The room was dimly lit with candles. Their scent's filled the room with a pungent aroma.
Walking in further he turned around to an unwelcoming woman swinging her fist to his face. He grabbed her arm and twisted it fast, but she cart wheeled around kicking the back of his neck. He fell forward and when he turned back around to face her as she was in a stance and her eyes began to glow lightly. He was amazed and knew right away she was the one. Not many women can make their eyes glow like that.
"What are you doing in my room? Trying to get some? Well you would be wise to get the hell out of here. If you stay, your only going to get your ass kicked." The girl glared at the intruder in her room and waited for his actions.
"You must be Kassia." He said casually, not in any stance. He straightened his coat and pulled the hood back revealing his face. He has deep red eyes and long black hair tied back. The one side of his face was lightly scared and as his spoke, his eye teeth were longer then normal, yet not long enough to be classified as a vampire. "I have come for you. Someone is looking for you, and I promised her that I would do everything I could to make sure the two of you meet."
Kassia stood up straight and walked up a little closer to him. Right away she was brought back the memory when Chihea told her to seek out a man named Vincent Valentine. "Are you… Vincent Valentine?"
The man chuckled lightly and then smiled. He said, "My dear lady, that man has been dead now for twenty years. My name is Arius Strider. Sorry to disappoint you, if that was whom you were expecting." He continued his smile. "Now, we have allot of ground to cover. So I suggest that we leave now, or we might be getting some more guests from below. We can leave off the roof…"
"Shut up!" Kassia interrupted him, not hearing enough. She then glared deep into his eyes and said, "I don't even know you and you expect me to just leave with you? You didn't even explain yourself enough for me to even give you a single gil of trust." She crossed her arms as an alarm was sounded. He was found out. Guards will be rushing-in in just minutes.
"Listen, my name is Arius Strider…" Not being enough information she just continues to glare at him with arms crossed. Taking like her mother in so many ways she knows not of. He then let out a small sigh saying, "I'm a bounty hunter and took the job in searching you out for a woman named Jassi."
That name struck a familiar nerve in Kassia's mind, but could not place it. She thought for a moment, and decided that this was the chance she was going to have to take if she wanted to learn the truth. "Under one condition. I want you to take me to Vincent first. No matter what you say."
Arius looked at her and nodded his head. He walked past her towards the door and opened it as a gun was suddenly poking him in the forehead. He was given a sudden headache, as a haunting flashback of a man being suddenly shot in the head by an unseen figure. He was drawn back to reality as the gun was pushed forward making Arius stumble back. His eyes looked lost, but hearing one voice drew his mind back to the surface.
"Hold it right there… You are not taking my daughter anywhere you pervert." It was Revee, his hand shaking from the sight before him. "By the great gods of the heavens. It can't be." The shaking stopped and he walked in further. "Kassia, go attend to your mother. She's upset. My rotten blood decided to disobey me while I was gone." She stood her ground and glared at him not caring. "I see, so Vincent as corrupted your mind. A man like him tends to do that." Kassia looked over at Arius, waiting for some explanation.
"As I said to the young lady. Twenty years ago that man, Vincent was killed. He died in the crater where he fought off Anubis and Sephiroth. He was a great man, who didn't deserve to die. My name on the other hand is Arius Strider. Look it up, you will see that I speak the truth. I've lived in Costa del Sol most my life and it's just a coincidence that I happen to look like the man you speak of."
"Yet you know so much about who aren't. Seems very odd. But, none the less, you have caused a little disturbance in my home. And I don't like intruders invading my home, and stealing my property."
The eyes of Arius flooded with blood as they glowed a more powerful crimson shade. "Women are not property no one but themselves." His mind snapped and he lost control, kicking the gun out of Revee's hand. Then he reached out and grabbed him by the collar and threw him across the room like a rag doll. As he got up Arius had already walked up to him and picked him up by the throat and with his other hand punched out the window to his side and hung the man out, ninety-nine floors off the ground.
"Arius, stop. You can't just kill him like that. I understand a man like him must die after all that he has done in his life, but not like this." Kassia was at his side pleading to keep the one man he hated alive long enough to witness his own defeat. "Please, let him go."
Arius looked over at her and just wanted to do what she said and leave him go, but he pulled him back in and threw him to the ground punching him in the gut. "I'll grant you that one wish, but now, grant me mine, let's get out of here." He walked over to the door and Kassia followed looking back for an instant at Revee, at how helpless he looked. She smiled, finally going to get the answers that have haunted her for twenty-one years of her life.
At the main lobby, Scarlet was kneeling by the door crying. Arius paid no heed to her cries and walked past her while Kassia looked down at her. Scarlet grabbed her leg and looked up to her. "Don't go Kassia, your… brother is in a coma. He took your fathers serum …that he had made. I don't know… what's going to happen. You have got to stay… please…"
Kassia knelt down by her side and Scarlet took hold of her hand. She was going to say something when Arius put his hand on Kassia's shoulder and spoke calmly, with now regrets of his words. "She is not your mother, he is not your father, and you have no brother. These are not your family. Come… I will take you to your real family."
Scarlet looked up at Arius, whom she recognized, but could not think of his name. She then looked over at Kassia as she began to stand and release her grip on her false mothers hand and followed Arius outside. There was a slight chill in the night air, so Arius offered his coat, but Kassia declined simply saying, "I don't mind a little cold. For some un-known reason it comforts me." Arius looked over at her and nodded with a smile. He can see her traveling through the north crater even on it's warmer days as the great Sephiroth once did in his life.
Arius looked around and lifted his hand up to his mouth and whistled loudly. He lowered it and waiting he said, "You should thank your false mom really. I take it, it was her who called off security from coming after us. We should have been blocked by a whole platoon of soldiers. This makes our getaway all the more easier." Kassia kept to herself until she saw a black creature make it's way closer. Arius reached into his back pocket and pulled out some more of the green leaves and the bird kweed softly and snatched the greens.
"Oh, how cute. A black chocobo. I was a child the last time I got ride one of these. It's scary to think just how much of my life has passed by me." Arius got up on the chocobo and extended his hand. Kassia took it and he helped hoist her on top with him. The Chocobo was uncomfortable for the moment. It never was used to having two riders on it's back. Stubbornly, Arius reached for more of the green to cokes the bird into moving. It worked as the chocobo reached back and snatched them up and soon took off at a rather slow pace.
"It's going to take many hours before we reach my second transportation. Until then, please try and stay comfortable and hold on at all times." Kassia wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back. They traveled the rough and rocky path back up the side of the mountain. It was hard, but with much determination and more greens they were not too worried about the rest of the trip.
It was well past midnight now, and it began to grow colder now as they finally reached the top of the mountain. There were strong gust's of wind, and even snow flakes blew around them both. It was still going to take three hours tops before they would reach the base of the mountain.
**********
With a painful headache and a hurting stomach, Revee pulled himself up to his feet and staggered out the room and to the elevators. He pushed for the lobby and leaded against the wall as the red numbers decreased slowly until stopping on the tenth floor. He stood up straight as the doors opened wide and Scarlet stood there. She walked in and pushed for the thirtieth floor. "Why there?" Revee said still recovering.
"Unlike you, I am going back to my son, whom by your stupid science put him in a coma." Scarlet glared at him and waited silently for the doors to open. She was feeling discussed now. "So do you having anything to say, or are you just going to stand there and hold your gut all fucking night?"
"What do you want me to say, sorry? It's not my fault that your son took that shot. I clearly told him not to go into my room, and he disobeyed me. What good is a son if he can't even listen to simple commands as stay out? "
"You son of a bitch. If you hadn't have kept all that shit locked in room, instead of in the lab, this would not have happened. And our son is going to need us, you more then ever. You made the serum that is flowing through his veins, and you are going to help make a vaccine that will help cure him."
Revee laughed, though broken up from the pain. He was sure now that Arius did more then punch him in the gut. A broken rib or two must be causing this great pain. "There is no cure, for it is no virus, or sickness. He's not going to die. The coma was just a side affect from not having the other half of the genetic code to finish the helix."
Scarlet never liked it when he talked like that. She knows nothing of science, and listening to it is enough to give her a headache. "Shut up Revee. I hate it when you speak like that. I hate it how you don't spend no more time with me like you used too. You live down in that complex under this hell hole. For twenty years I've put up with it for the one fact that I love you. But now, I am having trouble finding the love anymore. You let this bullshit happen to your son without even caring. I don't think you even love me anymore, or even know when the last time you said it and meant it."
Revee shot over a harsh glare but it softened. She was speaking the truth. It's been over twenty years now and all the promises he had once made never came true. "I do love you Scarlet. Everything that I am doing, is for the good of us. The world is not safe, and I am trying to make it better."
"You will never make the world a better place. This world is destined to go through shit for it's whole existence. War and famine will plague this world before everyone dies. Just stop it, and care for what's in front of you, me. Care for me, and not the world. Show your love better. I mean for crying out loud, when was the last time we even had sex?"
Revee was quiet and said nothing as the doors opened and Scarlet walked out. She shook her head in discuss and turned to face him. "Here, why don't you think about everything that was said?" Scarlet pushed the last button which takes him down into his underground complex. The doors shut and he did nothing to stop them. "Peh, bastard." She walked away and headed for her sons room. She sat down by the side of his bed and took his hand, shedding a few more tears resting her head beside the bed.