Chapter 33
Dead Man Walking Part 2
"Oh, my god…"
Yuffie's eyes went wide as she dug through the boxes. She quickly closed them again as somebody came into the room. She was blinded by a beam of light for a moment before Reno came up and lowered the flashlight.
"What are you doing down here?"
"I was just wondering if you're coming to bed. What's that?" he asked, turning to the boxes. Yuffie stared from them to him.
"Help me take them upstairs to the den," she ordered. The two of them carried all three boxes in one trip and set them on the floor.
"What's in them?"
"Security tapes of the lab. We might find them useful."
"You think Hojo has something to do with all of this?" Reno inquired. The vampire shrugged.
"Who knows? If not, we can at least learn a little more about Vincent and Sephiroth," she suggested. She yawned and leaned against Reno. "Carry me up to the room. I'm too tired to walk."
"Bull shit," Reno laughed. Yuffie smiled and they both stood. "Let's just go get some sleep."
"Yes," Yuffie nodded, pecking him on the cheek. The two of them slowly walked upstairs and laid in bed without even changing. Yuffie rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I love you so much Reno."
"I love you too, Yuffie," he sighed. She curled up as tightly as she could against his side.
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"How is she?" Valda asked. Sachiko was sleeping in the bed before her. The young Cetra's skin was pale.
"She's completely out of it," Skylar replied. She felt the girl's forehead. "She's still feverish. I tried to get it to go down, but it keeps coming back."
"What a time for her to fall ill. Not only does she have a job to do, but we also need her to stay healthy for her baby's sake. There's no telling what she will do if she loses it. Will she be well by tomorrow?"
"President, there is no way to get her well by tomorrow's excursion to the Temple ruins. The only way is to inject her with Mako, but in her present condition-"
"I don't care. The baby is barely a month grown, she cannot be that attached to it yet. The loss of a child so young is not my biggest concern. Besides, if Kadaj somehow escaped Junon and he finds out she's carrying his child before we can stop him from taking her, all of our lives are in danger. As much as I want her to stay healthy for the baby, the Promised Land is more important. Do it," the president commanded. She walked out of the room, followed closely by Bao and Zan.
Skylar looked down at the woman in the bed. Her hand was resting on her stomach, as many pregnant women tend to do, and a faint smiled played across her face. Skylar started to walk towards the cabinet and retrieve a bottle of Mako, but Sachiko reached her hand out and held the doctor's arm. Skylar jumped. Sachiko had simply reached out her arm and grabbed hers without even feeling around for it. The doctor took the gentle hand and watched her open her eyes.
"Please, don't put any more of the Planet's blood into mine. My blood must stay clean for Kadaj's baby. Please, keep that cabinet locked."
"I'm sorry, but it is as the president wishes," Skylar said softly. Sachiko turned her head towards her and her eyes became teary.
"Please, don't inject me. You are not a mother, nor are you a mother-to-be, you do not understand. I don't want to lose this child, not unless it is Kadaj's wish. But I know he would want to keep it," she added softly.
"Your words are not entirely true."
"What do you mean?"
"My son…" Skylar bit her lip and spoke quietly. "I lost him to Kadaj seventeen years ago. He had that geostigma illness, and they wanted to use him to bring back Sephiroth. He was… the only person with the strength to support Sephiroth's soul long enough to gain his own body. Cloud was the one to actually kill him. So long as my son lived, so did Sephiroth; my son made all of his wounds heal. Once my child was dead, Cloud slew your baby's grandfather. I understand that you do not want to lose your child. My own son was only about eight when he died. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child even younger. I shall speak to President Shinra. I don't want you or your child harmed any longer."
"Doctor?" Sachiko called. She sat up as Skylar started to walk out. "Thank you. If I may ask, what was your son's name?"
"His name was Denzel," the doctor whispered. "They called him an orphan, but he wasn't. I had him too early in life. I had to leave him home alone quite often to finish my schooling and work to feed the two of us. One day I came home and he was gone. Someone had taken him and given him to an orphanage in Midgar. I found him and we fled when Meteor came. I worked as a doctor at the orphanage in Kalm, and he was kidnapped by Loz. Denzel got away and Tifa took him in. Then only a few days later he died," she said softly, her voice cracking. She turned back to Sachiko. "Sachiko, I have an idea."
"What?"
"I want you to be with Kadaj. If you truly feel that he is your only love, then you should be with him. I don't think it's a good idea, but it's up to you. If you want, I can get you out of here. Tonight, while everyone else is asleep and before they awaken, we can leave together. I can take you to Junon, and you can see for yourself if he is dead. If he is not, I'll help you find out where he is. After we find him, if he is alive, I must go into hiding. If Valda finds out about this, we are both dead."
"I understand. Thank you. And I guarantee that Kadaj is alive," Sachiko assured her. The doctor smiled and laid a hand on her experiment's stomach.
"You'll be just fine," she said softly.
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"Kadaj, Kali, you two need to come downstairs. Now," Reno called into the room. The two siblings rose slowly and walked down to the den. They gave the others a sideways look when they saw a portable television on and snow covering the screen. Yuffie stood and pushed a tape into the VCR.
"I found these security tapes last night. They might be of some use," she explained. She pushed the play button and they watched as a man in a white lab coat fiddled with some vials on the table that stood in the middle of the lab in the basement.
"Hojo," Cid muttered. The man onscreen looked towards the door and smiled as a woman in late pregnancy walked in.
"That's grandma, right?" Kali asked her brother. He nodded.
"Lucrecia, how do you feel this morning?" Hojo asked, wrapping her into a hug and kissing her. His hand lingered on her swollen stomach as he pulled away.
"How do you think? I can't get any sleep, the baby keeps kicking me every three seconds, and I haven't been able to see my feet in months," Lucrecia griped. She pulled herself onto the table and laid back. "When are you going to stop injecting me with Mako and Jenova?"
"When our baby is born, that's when," he answered, his voice somewhat cold when he said 'our baby.' He pulled out a vial and hooked her up to an ultrasound machine. He slowly slid a needle containing the vial's contents into her stomach and injected the cells into her. The screen turned back to snow.
"What happened?" Reno asked. Yuffie shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Hojo must have had them set to record only a few minutes before blacking out and recording again," Rude spoke up. "Either that, or they're so old some of the footage might have worn off."
"Maybe. I'll fast forward it until it starts again," Yuffie said. She pressed the button and waited until they saw Hojo and Lucrecia standing and talking in the lab.
"Remember our agreement. We do not grow attached to this child. He is an experiment. He isn't even technically your child," Hojo added. Lucrecia's head snapped up and she stared at him.
"Hojo, what are you talking about?" she gasped, laying a hand upon her stomach protectively. Hojo's hand joined hers.
"You know that he now contains very few of your genes. Jenova is his mother now. You aren't."
"But you're still his father," she whispered bitterly. Hojo touched her face as another figure walked into the room.
"Vincent, what brings you here?" Lucrecia smiled. She started to walk up to him, but Hojo held her back.
"Look, I've done a lot of thinking about what you two are doing," Vincent said softly yet seriously, "and Lucrecia, I can't let you do it. Something about experimenting on living people just isn't right!"
"Vincent, you are a Turk. We are scientists. Your thoughts of the matter are of no importance," Hojo replied coldly. Lucrecia walked past him and hugged Vincent.
"This was my own choice. If something goes wrong, I must live with it. What we're doing is for the future of the Planet. Trust me, this is all for the people of this world," she whispered. The screen went black as she pecked him on the cheek.
"That's it," Yuffie whispered. She closed her eyes as she turned the television off. "Vincent tried to stop them. I forgot that."
"I'm glad he didn't," Rude muttered. They all stared at him, but he turned and smirked at Kali. "If they hadn't had Sephiroth, Kali might not be here with us."
"Aw," Reno smiled. Kali turned back to the television to hide her own embarrassed smile. They all stiffened as they listened to a motorcycle outside. "Marlene."
"I think it's time to leave. Come on, we'll take the tapes with us and watch them later," Yuffie hissed. She and Reno gathered them up and laid them in their bags. The rest of them quickly packed their bags and ran out the back door. When Marlene was inside, they bolted for Mount Nibel.
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"Come in," Valda hollered over her shoulder as someone knocked on her door. Skylar walked in as Valda hid the object that was in her hands.
"You asked to see me?" the doctor said softly. Valda nodded to Zan, who then turned on the monitor sitting on the desk. Skylar was horrified to see herself on the screen talking to Sachiko only an hour earlier.
"I trusted you," President Shinra whispered as she cut off the video. She glared at Skylar. "And now you wish to go against me and take the girl away."
"President Shinra, ma'am, it's not like that. You see-"
"Shut up!" Valda snapped. "You've betrayed us. You let your emotions get in the way of your job. I warned you what would happen if you grew attached to our experiments."
"Please, don't," Skylar whispered fearfully. She swallowed as Bao and Zan each pulled a dagger out. The woman ran for the door, but let out a blood-curdling shriek as one of the daggers pinned her hand to the wall and another nailed her leg. She struggled to pull her bleeding hand free, but the dagger was too deep in the wall. Directly below them, Sachiko turned her head up towards the ceiling, trying to determine what the screams were about.
"I did not hire you to bring down this company with an emotional mistake," Valda hissed. She pulled the forty-five-caliber pistol from behind her. "I hate doing this, but I have no more use for you and you've left me no other choice."
"Valda, please no, you-" Skylar began pleading, but was cut off by twelve rounds being fired into her body, all of which missed her vital spots until the last, directed at her forehead, was fired.
"Oh, no," Sachiko whispered. She laid her hand on her stomach and wept, her eyes still towards the ceiling. She remained like that until Valda came down ten minutes later to complete Skylar's job.
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"This mountain gives me the creeps," Kali muttered. Kadaj wrapped his handless arm around her shoulders comfortingly.
"Not terribly much longer. Don't worry," he told her soothingly. Kali laid her head on his shoulder as they walked over Mount Nibel. They ran into Reno as he stopped.
"I think we should find another way around," he said softly.
"No. This is the fastest way to Rocket Town," Cid shook his head and stood next to Reno. He paled. "You're right, maybe we should find another way."
"What?" Kali asked. She walked up to them and saw a giant power plant towering above them. "What's that?"
"That's a Mako reactor," Rude explained. "Since Rufus died, they've all fallen into disrepair."
"Wait," Kadaj hissed. He stared at the ground. There were faded footprints leading the direction they had come from. The man drew his blade and began walking up to the reactor.
"Where are you going?" Yuffie yelled after him. Kadaj turned and glared at them.
"The monsters that dad and Zack were supposed to kill twenty-five years ago came from here. His mutated clones were here. Who's to say Cloud didn't follow suit?" he replied. The man ran up to the building as fast as he could.
"Kadaj wait! You shouldn't go by yourself!" Kali yelled. She ran after him, followed closely by the others. She coughed as she entered. The musty smell was terrible.
"This way," Cid pointed. They looked up a chain to see Kadaj disappear onto a platform. How he climbed up with only one hand, they never found out. They swiftly climbed up, ran across the piping, and caught up to him as he came to a heavy door.
"Anc ew og own?" Shizuka asked Yuffie as they pulled the doors open and walked in. "I ma ceras-ed."
"Lohd no," Yuffie replied gently.
"I was right," Kadaj gasped. They walked in to see row upon row of capsules, each with a name across the front. The first row was Cloud, then Tifa, Barret, Nanaki, even Cid and Yuffie were there. The silver-haired man approached the first row and peered into the small window. Cloud was suspended in liquid, curled in the fetal position, and nude. Kali caught a glimpse of his hand. He had an 'III' tattooed on it.
"What do we do? Should we leave them or destroy them?" Kali whispered. She turned back to the capsule containing Cloud.
"AH!" He suddenly came out of the curled position and started scratching at the window. Kali screamed and backed away quickly as the case shook. They all turned to look at the entrance as the front doors opened.
"Shit, she followed us," Kadaj hissed. He grabbed Kali and led her up the stairs between the two sets of clones. They shoved the door open, entered, and watched through the crack between the doors.
"Hell," Marlene hissed as she caught sight of the waking clone. She approached him and gently laid a hand on a button on the side of the case. The liquid drained out, the door opened and Cloud sat bolt upright, gasping for breath and eyes wide. "Good morning."
"What's happened?" he asked as he caught his breath.
"Sephiroth's children are still alive and the Turks, Cid, and Yuffie are still helping them. C-2 was killed, but he did manage to cut off Kadaj's hand prior to death," Marlene explained. Cloud stood and began pacing the room.
"Fuck it," he hissed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. "Wake up the others. We'll need them. Where are my clothes?"
"Right in there, where they always are," the girl sighed, pointing at the room where they were hiding. The small group hid in an empty adjoining room as Cloud climbed the steps. Kali, instead of going to the back like the others, sat and watched him through the opening of the door. She closed her eyes as he entered, but looked up at a rustling of fabric and chuckle. Cloud slid a pair of boxers on while he spoke to somebody.
"How does it feel to be locked up and hidden away?" he smiled. Kali tried to see who he spoke to, but the closet door blocked her view. Somebody muttered an answer as Cloud gelled his hair. "Oh, you think so? Well we don't. We rather like this arrangement," he smiled as he pulled his clothes on. Cloud went to the other closets and removed four more outfits from them. He turned back to the person he spoke to before closing the door. "Oh and if you're curious, your wife didn't even know she was making love to clones and not you."
Kali flinched as a furious yell rose from the room. Cloud slammed the door shut, picked up the clothes, and walked back out. The group ran to the doors and watched.
"They're all waking up now," Marlene called as he walked down. Indeed, they watched as Barret, Tifa, Cid, and Yuffie all stood slowly from their cases. Cloud tossed them their clothes and explained the situation to them as they got dressed. Kali couldn't help smirking slightly as Rude tensed behind her.
"What's wrong?" she said so only he could hear. "Never got to have Tifa to yourself before you killed her?"
"Shut up," he hissed back, but he couldn't resist a smirk as he watched her pull her bra on.
"So where do we go?" Barret asked. Cloud shrugged and turned to Marlene.
"Well?"
"I really don't know. I only know they were at the house because I found Kadaj's cloak laying on the floor and C-2's body was drained of blood."
"What does that have to do with it?" Yuffie asked.
"You're a vampire now, remember? Well, the original you is, anyway," Nanaki pointed out, licking the remaining liquid from his fur. "Even I know that. Shall we take The Sierra?"
"Fuck yes," Cid smirked. "I haven't piloted an airship in ages."
"We'd better hurry. There's no telling where they are now," Tifa said. The seven of them walked out and shut the doors behind them.
"What now? We have all of AVALANCHE on our asses now," Reno groaned. Kali paid no mind. Her attention was on the door across the room. "Where are you going?"
"The Cloud clone was talking to somebody. I want to see who," she muttered. Kali pulled the door open slowly and gasped loudly. Cloud looked up at her in surprise. He was completely nude, his hair was plastered against his scalp due to lack of washing, and his skin was so dark from dirt, one was unable to tell that he was a white man. His gauntlet was strapped to the arm of the chair he sat in and a tube was coming from it. He was shaking.
"You're Kali."
"Yes. What happened to you?" she asked. She knelt by him and tried to wipe the filth from his face. Kadaj and the others held back and watched. Cloud glanced up at them.
"It's okay. I can't get out. Believe me, I've tried."
"What the fuck happened?" Cid muttered, coming a few steps closer. He stared Cloud in the eyes. "It's really you. I thought you got killed the night Kali came."
"No," Cloud shook his head. "That was C-1."
"He ran away though, right? Just before you guys left?" Yuffie piped up.
"Yes, but… the day I came back, I came here to put all of the other clone's memories into the new ones before going back to Nibelheim. I came back just outside of Rocket Town, so I figured it would be faster to come here and do that first.
"I was working when C-1 jumped me and strapped me to this machine," he explained quietly, looking around at the machine surrounding him. "My gauntlet is like Vincent's. It makes me immortal, and he figured out how to transfer the power from my arm to the clones. They aren't immortal, but this gauntlet lets them breath easier in the liquid filling the tanks and keeps them alive if I don't use them."
"Then why make clones if you're immortal?" Reno piped up. Cloud stared at him.
"Unlike Vincent, I realized that if I lose it in a fight I'll die. I couldn't let myself die until Sephiroth was. I made the clones, but they were so different from me."
"How so?" Kali whispered.
"Your father and I were close friends before we came here," he said softly. He turned his gaze to her. Kali couldn't help pitying him as she looked into his stunning blue eyes. "I was angry at him and felt the need to avenge my town and Zack, but I never wanted his memory completely erased. My clones somehow mistook my intentions and C-1 started making threats to kill anyone that so much as says his name. And now I find out that they've been fucking my wife and she didn't even know it wasn't me."
"Cloud, about Tifa," Rude piped up. Cloud looked up at him and tears filled his eyes before he could speak.
"I already know. She's dead," Cloud said softly. Rude nodded slowly.
"Is there anything we can do?" Cid asked. Cloud's face fell and he closed his eyes.
"Kali, I want you to cut off my arm, detach it from the machine, and burn this place to the ground. I want to be able to go to the Lifestream and stay there."
"Stay in the Lifestream?" Kali repeated.
"Yes. I was never fed or given a drink while I was here. My gauntlet is only unlike Vincent's because it only keeps me from growing old or dying of an illness. If something unnatural happens, like starvation or dehydration, it will keep me alive, but I still die in a sense and my soul can come and go from the Lifestream. I guess you could say that I'm much like Lucrecia. It's all very confusing."
"Cloud, are you sure you want me to cut off the gauntlet?" the young girl asked. He nodded.
"I'm not supposed to see what will happen when you beat Zurine. I need to die. I'm ready to."
"Can you tell me one thing? The person that killed C-1... Do you know who it was?" Kali inquired, though she suspected that she already knew. Cloud smiled weakly.
"Do I really need to say it? Your face says that I don't."
"I need to hear it. I know it was him, but I need to hear it from you."
"Devin snuck into my house and killed my clone the night you met C-1."
"I have to kill him," Kali whispered shakily. A few tears dripped down her cheeks. "He raped and tried to kill me. There's no telling who else he's murdered or even raped. I have to do it."
"You've forgotten one other thing," Cloud pointed out. He pointed at her stomach. "You could be pregnant."
"Don't say that!" Kali yelled. She covered her ears. "Don't say I'm pregnant! If I am, I can't fight Zurine. If I'm pregnant, it'll make it even harder when the time comes to kill Devin!"
"Why do you think I tried to kill you the night I raped you?" came a voice from the doorway. They all turned to see Devin leaning against the doorframe. "The pain of birth is the worst pain you can go through. I can't bear to watch you go through it."
"Bull shit," Kali hissed through gritted teeth. She glared at him with teary eyes. "You don't know pain until someone does to you what you've done to me. You were my best friend. I trusted you enough to throw away my doubts and let you take my purity that night. How could you lie to me like that?"
"Kali, I'm sorry," he said gently. He walked up to her and tried to stroke her face, but she brought her own hand up and slapped him.
"Don't touch me again," she said angrily, tears slipping down her face again. Devin kept his head turned from her, refusing to let her see the hurt in his own eyes.
"I'm sorry," he muttered again, reaching for a dagger, "but this is something I have to do."
"Kali, run!" Rude yelled. He grabbed Devin's hand as he brought it up to strike her and wrestled with him. "I said get out!"
"Cloud, we'll come back and cut off your arm later. I promise!" Cid yelled back. Cloud nodded as they ran out of the room. As they fled, Devin threw one of his smaller daggers towards the group. It stuck in Kali's pack as Rude pinned Devin down.
"Stay away from her," Rude hissed. Devin smirked at him.
"Do you really think she wants you? You've lived at least half your life already, if not more. Her life has barely begun. There's no way she'd be with you."
"At least I'm true to my word and her friend. Friends don't do what you did to her," he growled. He twisted Devin's arm behind him and said once more, "Stay away from her or she's not the one you have to worry about killing you."
"Ugh," Devin groaned as he snatched a dagger from his belt and slashed at Rude. He backed away quickly, but the dagger managed to rip through his shirt and tear a thin layer of flesh. Rude grabbed his chest and his hand came away with blood. As he started to come back at Devin, the young man bolted for the door and disappeared.
"Wow," Cloud chuckled. Rude turned to him. "Never thought I'd ever see the day you actually fell for somebody."
"I've always loved someone," he said quietly. "Cloud, there's something else I have to tell you about Tifa."
"Let me guess. You slept with her," Cloud guessed with a smile. Rude turned red for a moment.
"Yeah, I did. A long time ago."
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"That was close," Yuffie sighed. Kali pulled the dagger out of her pack and opened it.
"Pradipa? Are you okay?" she asked. Pradipa stuck his head out and smiled weakly at her as she lifted him out.
"I'm fine," he said softly. They all looked up at the sound of the doors opening. Devin sprinted out and ran towards Nibelheim. Kali let out a gasp.
"Rude!" she yelled. She laid Pradipa and the knife on the ground as she ran towards the reactor again.
"Kali, wait! AVALANCHE could be coming back!" Kadaj grabbed her wrist, but Kali twisted it out of his grasp and continued running. She got to the top of the steps as Rude walked out.
"Worried about me or something?" Rude smirked. His eyes widened as Kali threw herself on him and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly. She glanced at the blood on his shirt. "For the most part, anyway."
"Let's just go to Rocket Town," he replied. They walked down the steps, Rude changed his shirt and bandaged his wound, and they started on their way. Kali froze and looked back. Pradipa was sitting on the ground with the knife in paw.
"What?" he cheeped. Kali knelt and hugged him.
"I promised your mother that I would take you off her hands and find you a knife. You have it now. Goodbye, Pradipa."
"What? No!" he cheeped. He closed his eyes and dropped the knife. "Don't leave me."
"Pradipa, you can go back to your mom now. You can survive properly. You don't need us anymore," she replied quietly. She turned away and started crying.
"Kali wait!" Pradipa called. He fell silent.
"Kali, look," Reno pointed. She turned and watched as the creature glowed.
"Pradipa?" she gasped. The wind picked up and Pradipa grew even brighter. He started flashing a bright, white light and blinded the others. When their sight became proper again a few minutes later, they gaped at what was before them. It was tall, had a lizard-like head, a stubby tail, green skin, humanoid, and had on a brown vest and pants. His hands and feet ended in sharp claws and two small wings were on his back.
"Don't be afraid," he smiled at Kali, who had begun shaking. "I'm Pradipa, and I don't feel sick anymore."
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NM: Yay! Update! Okay, last day of school was today and I'm going to be home a lot for the next 2-8 weeks, so I'll probably be popping out some fast chapters. Plus the fact that I'm FINALLY coming up to some more parts I've had planned. So. We all know who Denzel's mommy is now. Cloud is still alive. Devin is a bastard. Pradipa is finally better (I wanted to make the transformation longer, but 1- I wrote it at 6:30 in the morning and had to go to school right whenI finished, and 2- I was almost at 5K words which is my limit). So. Any questions? If so, leave a review. Reviews:
SAYAHIEI: Glad I could help with the talking. And would you like me to beat up your internet for you? Would that make you feel better? And I hope your arm gets well soon. I know you hate it, but ((cuddles arm gently))
Mediciner: Ya, I thought Rude too, but after Wutai it'll be revolving around Cid for awhile. Then probably Daj/Sachiko. Then Devin/Kali. Then someone else. So I can't decide. And time traveling, eh? And I say draw both bishies X3.
RYU THE YOUKAI: Wow, haven't heard from you in awhile ((glompage)) Actually, Kali's going to kill them in one action-packed battle. Or she'll follow through with Cloud's burn-down-the-reactor plot.
KIZNA1200: What was in the box was really lame… BUT one of the tapes holds a dark secret… they'll find out which one when they finish watching them. AND the house had no power after dark.
REVIEW!
Signed,
Master of the Physical and Mystical,
NINJA MAGE
