Disclaimer - I don't own Final Fantasy 9 or any of the characters. All I
own is the idea for this story and any characters original to it.
Wow! People have added me to favourites! I am honoured! Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews, and I shall try to make updates as frequent as possible.
Having some problems with the format, so for now: " = Spoken word * = Kuja's thought
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helix - Kuja's Story
Chapter 4 - Man and Monster
The first thing Kuja saw when he woke up was blue. In fact, he was surrounded by it.
Instinctively he drew in a deep breath, and choked as a thick blue liquid flooded his lungs, sticking like glue to the inside of his throat. Coughing and gagging, he flailed helplessly, only to find he was somehow restrained by what seemed like ropes, tied to all of his limbs. His vision began to fade, and his struggles weaken, but then he felt himself seized by a huge cold claw.
The claw dragged him out of the blue and into blinding white. He beat at it with his hands, but was unable to resist as it painfully pulled him free of the restraints. Kuja's eyes clamped shut, and he struggled in vain at the thing holding him, as it roughly dragged him along. A high pitched voice cried:
"Get it into chamber 2!"
And he felt the grip loosen and shift. The next thing he knew was a hard surface, as he was flung onto the floor with incredible force.
Retching, he managed to expel most of the fluid in his lungs, and lay panting again, leaning against a wall and trying to ignore the screaming from his limbs, which felt like they had been shattered.
He winced as a shadow fell over him, and heard a loud buzz as something slid shut.
"Subject restrained. Security implemented."
Squinting, he looked at the floor until his vision cleared a little, and then he tried to struggle to his feet. A sharp pain in his head told him that the ceiling was far too low, tall enough perhaps to kneel, but no higher.
Looking around him, his eyes began to focus in the bright light and he could make out that he was in some sort of cell, either deliberately uncomfortable or designed for something much smaller than himself.
*So, I am a prisoner. It makes sense. I am different to them, but in some ways, their attitude is more.extreme than I would have imagined. Perhaps if I explain myself they will release me, or at least give me better accommodation.*
He looked around disdainfully.
*On second thoughts. They might not take too kindly to a "foreign" creature. They were certainly very angry to find me near their city.*
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of metallic footsteps approaching, and suddenly the cell was no longer there.
That was Kuja's first impression, that the cell had mysteriously vanished from around him, then he realised that he was still leaning against the "wall" and that if he stretched out the other boundaries were still there.
Suddenly feeling very exposed; he curled up into a foetal position and studied the room he now found himself in.
It was silver. That was the first thing he noticed. Everything was that same painful colour as the outside of the city, except for the huge blue tank, which stood slightly to his left.
Lights and displays were all around the room, but their clean lines were broken by other cells like Kuja's own. All of them transparent. Many were filled with creatures of a type that Kuja had never seen. A few seemed to be the victims of illness or accident, as they were bandaged or looked very distressed. Some were connected to machines. It was clear by the blank look in their eyes that they did not see him observing them.
*Catatonic? Surely not. They react to the stimulus in their cells.*
It was true, the creatures were gnawing helplessly at the tubes that bound them or pierced their flesh. Some were tugging at bandages, and several were screaming.
Another shadow made him turn around sharply, bringing a dagger of pain into his stomach. He doubled over, and gritting his teeth lifted his head to look at the thing before him.
It was a human male, as far as he could tell. Old, but not weak. His skin was golden, but had the papery texture of age. He wore some strange apparatus around his eyes, though it was still possible to see that he still had the sharp intelligence of his youth. His limbs were wiry and strong, yet not very muscled, and his eyes lit up with fervent delight as he noticed Kuja's curious glance. The other creatures nearest him heard the noise of his steps and cowered in their cells.
The man wore the clothes of the other human people in the city, but he also had a tunic covering his front.
*A scientist! Then this is a laboratory, and it seems I am its newest specimen.*
As if confirming his theory, the man barked out a question:
"Can you talk? The Ind230 reported speech, but non-human life forms are hazardous, not sentient. I suppose it would be like asking a table to sing in rhyme - "
"Yes, I can talk." Kuja interrupted. "And I want to know - "
"Extraordinary! Oh my, won't I have a marvellous time studying you? What can give a primitive creature the power of speech? A study of your anatomy has found some previously unrecorded genes, possibly extraterrestrial in origin. Even potentially harmful genes can be investigated in this lab."
The man broke off muttering, and Kuja realised that the man did not intend to talk to him at all. In one last attempt, he began:
"Please, listen, you can't imprison me like this. I have to - "
"Enough chatter!"
In an instant the man crossed to a bench and pressed a button. A white light flooded his cell, and the pain started.
Kuja screamed and screamed. He couldn't help it. His skin broke open as if liquid fire was fighting to escape, and blood poured down his face and limbs from many hundreds of deep cuts, each feeling like they pierced his very bones.
"Stop! Stop! Please!"
Through the glare, and the blood flowing into his eyes, Kuja could see the man run his finger along another panel. The temperature instantly started to climb, and the floor in seconds was unbearably hot.
Hurling himself against the walls, Kuja seared his arms and blistered his hands as he tried to claw his way out. Screaming and howling, he battered the walls again and again, but made no impression at all, either on the walls of the cell, or the man who stood impassively through the whole event, tapping into a silver pad.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped. The light dimmed, and the temperature returned to normal. The cuts across his body continued to bleed, but the penetrating pain receded to a low throb.
The man gave a satisfied smile, and crossed the room to Kuja's cell.
"I don't like my subjects to be talkative. Remember that. All I need to know I will find out from your cells. Speak, and the pain will return. In fact, better for you if you are not sentient at all."
*This is a monster!*
The man looked once more into Kuja's eyes, and now Kuja could see the calculating nature of those eyes, the clinical detached nature - and first and foremost, the cruelty.
"Do we understand each other?"
Kuja stopped himself from answering just in time. Instead he looked down and realised for the first time that he was naked. Ashamed, he curled up in a corner and glared at his torturer, who was now grinning outright.
"May as well get used to it. There are no sentient creatures here. Only sentient's require clothes. Oh, and I just in case you contemplate escape - remember this. You are never alone, and you will live and die in this building. All hazards are destroyed - but not as long as they can be useful. Welcome to your new existence, Specimen 2Echo1"
With one last, cruel smile, the man walked away and pressed another button on the panel.
Kuja shrank further into a corner, and as the cell darkened to opaque around him, moaned and sobbed like a child, his blood pooling around him in a big red lake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kuja is not having a good time is he? I have succeeded in giving him all sorts of nasty experiences so far, in the future: who knows?
A hint? Well, you will have to read the next chapter, because I am not giving anything away. It took me too long to think of the plot to spoil it now.
Sorry it took so long but writer's block is a terrible thing.someone should outlaw it, or destroy it or something. I will try to get the next chapter out faster. Summer holidays will always help. ^_~
In the meantime, please review! I particularly need to know if you would like romance in this story or not. I could write it in, but the story can progress just as well without. Any other comments and constructive criticism is welcomed, respected and encouraged!
Wow! People have added me to favourites! I am honoured! Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews, and I shall try to make updates as frequent as possible.
Having some problems with the format, so for now: " = Spoken word * = Kuja's thought
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helix - Kuja's Story
Chapter 4 - Man and Monster
The first thing Kuja saw when he woke up was blue. In fact, he was surrounded by it.
Instinctively he drew in a deep breath, and choked as a thick blue liquid flooded his lungs, sticking like glue to the inside of his throat. Coughing and gagging, he flailed helplessly, only to find he was somehow restrained by what seemed like ropes, tied to all of his limbs. His vision began to fade, and his struggles weaken, but then he felt himself seized by a huge cold claw.
The claw dragged him out of the blue and into blinding white. He beat at it with his hands, but was unable to resist as it painfully pulled him free of the restraints. Kuja's eyes clamped shut, and he struggled in vain at the thing holding him, as it roughly dragged him along. A high pitched voice cried:
"Get it into chamber 2!"
And he felt the grip loosen and shift. The next thing he knew was a hard surface, as he was flung onto the floor with incredible force.
Retching, he managed to expel most of the fluid in his lungs, and lay panting again, leaning against a wall and trying to ignore the screaming from his limbs, which felt like they had been shattered.
He winced as a shadow fell over him, and heard a loud buzz as something slid shut.
"Subject restrained. Security implemented."
Squinting, he looked at the floor until his vision cleared a little, and then he tried to struggle to his feet. A sharp pain in his head told him that the ceiling was far too low, tall enough perhaps to kneel, but no higher.
Looking around him, his eyes began to focus in the bright light and he could make out that he was in some sort of cell, either deliberately uncomfortable or designed for something much smaller than himself.
*So, I am a prisoner. It makes sense. I am different to them, but in some ways, their attitude is more.extreme than I would have imagined. Perhaps if I explain myself they will release me, or at least give me better accommodation.*
He looked around disdainfully.
*On second thoughts. They might not take too kindly to a "foreign" creature. They were certainly very angry to find me near their city.*
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of metallic footsteps approaching, and suddenly the cell was no longer there.
That was Kuja's first impression, that the cell had mysteriously vanished from around him, then he realised that he was still leaning against the "wall" and that if he stretched out the other boundaries were still there.
Suddenly feeling very exposed; he curled up into a foetal position and studied the room he now found himself in.
It was silver. That was the first thing he noticed. Everything was that same painful colour as the outside of the city, except for the huge blue tank, which stood slightly to his left.
Lights and displays were all around the room, but their clean lines were broken by other cells like Kuja's own. All of them transparent. Many were filled with creatures of a type that Kuja had never seen. A few seemed to be the victims of illness or accident, as they were bandaged or looked very distressed. Some were connected to machines. It was clear by the blank look in their eyes that they did not see him observing them.
*Catatonic? Surely not. They react to the stimulus in their cells.*
It was true, the creatures were gnawing helplessly at the tubes that bound them or pierced their flesh. Some were tugging at bandages, and several were screaming.
Another shadow made him turn around sharply, bringing a dagger of pain into his stomach. He doubled over, and gritting his teeth lifted his head to look at the thing before him.
It was a human male, as far as he could tell. Old, but not weak. His skin was golden, but had the papery texture of age. He wore some strange apparatus around his eyes, though it was still possible to see that he still had the sharp intelligence of his youth. His limbs were wiry and strong, yet not very muscled, and his eyes lit up with fervent delight as he noticed Kuja's curious glance. The other creatures nearest him heard the noise of his steps and cowered in their cells.
The man wore the clothes of the other human people in the city, but he also had a tunic covering his front.
*A scientist! Then this is a laboratory, and it seems I am its newest specimen.*
As if confirming his theory, the man barked out a question:
"Can you talk? The Ind230 reported speech, but non-human life forms are hazardous, not sentient. I suppose it would be like asking a table to sing in rhyme - "
"Yes, I can talk." Kuja interrupted. "And I want to know - "
"Extraordinary! Oh my, won't I have a marvellous time studying you? What can give a primitive creature the power of speech? A study of your anatomy has found some previously unrecorded genes, possibly extraterrestrial in origin. Even potentially harmful genes can be investigated in this lab."
The man broke off muttering, and Kuja realised that the man did not intend to talk to him at all. In one last attempt, he began:
"Please, listen, you can't imprison me like this. I have to - "
"Enough chatter!"
In an instant the man crossed to a bench and pressed a button. A white light flooded his cell, and the pain started.
Kuja screamed and screamed. He couldn't help it. His skin broke open as if liquid fire was fighting to escape, and blood poured down his face and limbs from many hundreds of deep cuts, each feeling like they pierced his very bones.
"Stop! Stop! Please!"
Through the glare, and the blood flowing into his eyes, Kuja could see the man run his finger along another panel. The temperature instantly started to climb, and the floor in seconds was unbearably hot.
Hurling himself against the walls, Kuja seared his arms and blistered his hands as he tried to claw his way out. Screaming and howling, he battered the walls again and again, but made no impression at all, either on the walls of the cell, or the man who stood impassively through the whole event, tapping into a silver pad.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped. The light dimmed, and the temperature returned to normal. The cuts across his body continued to bleed, but the penetrating pain receded to a low throb.
The man gave a satisfied smile, and crossed the room to Kuja's cell.
"I don't like my subjects to be talkative. Remember that. All I need to know I will find out from your cells. Speak, and the pain will return. In fact, better for you if you are not sentient at all."
*This is a monster!*
The man looked once more into Kuja's eyes, and now Kuja could see the calculating nature of those eyes, the clinical detached nature - and first and foremost, the cruelty.
"Do we understand each other?"
Kuja stopped himself from answering just in time. Instead he looked down and realised for the first time that he was naked. Ashamed, he curled up in a corner and glared at his torturer, who was now grinning outright.
"May as well get used to it. There are no sentient creatures here. Only sentient's require clothes. Oh, and I just in case you contemplate escape - remember this. You are never alone, and you will live and die in this building. All hazards are destroyed - but not as long as they can be useful. Welcome to your new existence, Specimen 2Echo1"
With one last, cruel smile, the man walked away and pressed another button on the panel.
Kuja shrank further into a corner, and as the cell darkened to opaque around him, moaned and sobbed like a child, his blood pooling around him in a big red lake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kuja is not having a good time is he? I have succeeded in giving him all sorts of nasty experiences so far, in the future: who knows?
A hint? Well, you will have to read the next chapter, because I am not giving anything away. It took me too long to think of the plot to spoil it now.
Sorry it took so long but writer's block is a terrible thing.someone should outlaw it, or destroy it or something. I will try to get the next chapter out faster. Summer holidays will always help. ^_~
In the meantime, please review! I particularly need to know if you would like romance in this story or not. I could write it in, but the story can progress just as well without. Any other comments and constructive criticism is welcomed, respected and encouraged!