DL Noleek
Sonata of Ages
Overture: Movement I
"He was mine the moment you volunteered for this experiment. In a way, you are really no better than me." - Professor Hojo
18 years ago…
A solemn figure stood in the darkness, hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit streets of Midgar's fifth sector. The streets were silent and the time well past the midnight hour, creeping into the hours of a new dawn - not that anyone would be able to tell, seeing as no natural light ever came through the plates above the tiny area. The slums were the dumping grounds of the world, a place where most people fought everyday just to stay alive but refused to leave; either because they couldn't, or because they had no where else to go.
The man in the alley clutched a gun in his right hand, holding it up parallel to his face which was nearly hidden in dark hair that looked as if it had captured some of the city's black soot. It matched his black suit perfectly. He stood with his back against the wall, facing west, cool emerald eyes watching for something that he seemed to know was coming.
Behind him, wrapped deeper in the alley's shadows, a soft whimpering could be heard coming from a small child who was cradled in his mother's arms, the woman desperately trying to sooth the agitated infant. Unlike the child, the woman defied the darkness, refusing to become one with it. Her rich silvery hair shone with its own light, the darkness of Midgar refusing to touch it. She had covered the baby in the corner of what might have once been a white lab coat, now covered in the dirt from the bare ground. She held the infant close to her, tears running down her cheeks silently, escaping her sky blue eyes that were trying in vain to hold them back.
The sound of heavy footsteps neared and the man in black lowered his gun, turning off the safety mechanism as he did so. He stood ready, moving closer to the mother and child, struggling to offer more protection. The woman held her baby closer, a soft sob finally escaping her lips. Her pale face grew paler but her eyes held their strength still. Even when faced with the end, she held on to a dim hope.
The footsteps came closer and the man moved into the alleyway, putting himself between the alley's other two occupants. Several figures stood before the entrance, each in identical black suits that matched that of the emerald-eyed man, every single one holding a gun aimed for the kill.
"Why don't you just give up," came a voice from behind the soldiers. "I'll admit that you're very good with a gun, but even you can not stand up to a small army and still keep the woman and child alive."
He backed away slightly, lowering his gun. "Damn you Hojo," he muttered, his jaw clenching in frustration. "I will not let you hurt them!" With a speed that took the soldiers in the alley by surprise, the man rushed forward, sending off a stream of bullets into the crowd. Several of the figures fell to the ground, unable to hold back startled cries of pain, but it wasn't long before the dark gunman felt a sharp stab in the lower part of his own left arm. The pain forced him to the ground, dropping the gun so that he could clasp the stream of blood that was flowing steadily out of the other limb.
Several more guns were pointed in his direction ready to fire, and the man hung his head, the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.
"Keep him alive," Hojo said softly, his voice drawing nearer. The man looked up and emerald eyes clashed with the black ones behind wire framed glasses. The scientist called Hojo smiled wickedly, a smile that held malice for anyone who happened to come under his care. "Keep him alive, I still have a use for him. I wish to exact my own little revenge on him for what he has done to my experiment. I assure you, he will trouble the Shinra no more."
Hojo moved past the fallen man and turned his attention to the woman and her child. "Such a beautiful child," he muttered, "he will serve me well in the coming years." He reached down and grasped the child under the arms, ignoring the wail as the infant is pulled from its mother's arms.
The woman struggled to keep her grip on her child, her face a mask of fear. "No please, he's just a child! Please to not take my baby, I beg you! I have served you for five years, does that not count for something? Can't you please let me keep my own child? It isn't fair!"
Hojo smirked, relieving the woman of her burden. "Don't worry, he will be well taken care of. In fact, you should be quite proud of him; he will become one of the most powerful men on the planet. Besides, he was mine the moment you volunteered for this experiment. In a way, you are really no better than me."
Hojo left the alley, making his way through the soldiers who already had the unconscious dark-haired man under control. Suddenly, the scientist stopped, turning back to the shuddering woman in the alley. "How pathetic. I have no use for her. Dispose of the woman." Turning back around, he made his way back to Shinra HQ, leaving behind the sound of gunfire and the cry of a desolate woman.