As usual, I don't own anything you're about to read. I think. These things are tricky. But all the characters belong to the mighty Square.
Thank you thank you for the reviews! And for KMS for beta-reading again! I've got a couple of action-filled-ish chapters coming up for you...
Chapter seven: ...three... two... one...
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"Why did you summon me? I though we had no more businesses together." His low voice boomed around the cavernous space. She just smiled.
"I know. But the one he trusts is becoming a menace again. And since I remember how much you enjoy chaos and mayhem, I thought you might like to take care of him."
"What did you have in mind?" he asked, and she told him.
He eyed the small woman for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing so that the space around them echoed with it even after his last words. Such deceit was just what he had expected from her. "Fine. I will do this because it amuses me. But you owe me one."
"My pleasure..." she whispered when the laughter finally died away, and the flapping of his large wings was just a memory.
"Nibelheim," Barret announced as the buggy stopped before the gate. They all got out of the car and stared at the town, not sure what to make of all of this.
They hadn't encountered any trouble on the way, which should have helped them relax some. But they all were tense because of what was ahead, and because most of them hadn't slept well. Even though the girls had had a nice evening, both Tifa and Aeris hadn't caught sleep until long after midnight, the fighter dreading seeing home again, and the flower girl worrying about her parents. Yuffie had slept well, clutching Cait like a plush toy, which the robot hadn't minded at all.
Barret and Cid had slept most of the night, but fitfully, waking every time they had dared to move on the bed, which had turned out to be narrower than it seemed. Nanaki had enjoyed the night by the fireplace, and Cloud had also slept peacefully. Zax had had nightmares and woken in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep any more. Especially with the clone's hand still over his waist.
And now they were at Nibelheim, mere moments away from their encounter with Hojo. Or so they had thought.
Tifa shook her head in shock and took a few steps forward, her mouth opening and closing but making no sound. The last time she had seen her hometown, the image of it from her nightmares, was nothing what they saw now.
The whole town had been burned to the ground, with the exceptions of the mansion and the well. Everything had been black after the fire, the ground covered with soot, no sign of life anywhere. Now it was as if that horrible night had never happened. Houses stood, leaning against each other like always, looking like that was just how long they'd stood there. The town square was clean, a dog and a few children ran around it. Flowers had been planted on the front of the houses. Smoke rose from the chimneys, and the smell of freshly baked bread hung in the air.
Tifa just stared, still unable to say anything. Zax stood behind her, to her right, and scratched his neck. He had already seen the town like this on the night they had escaped, but later on he had thought that it had been just a hallucination. Cloud stood beside him, frowning and watching. Cid was shaking his head and, surprisingly enough, searching for a cigarette. The rest had not seen the town as it had been, but had heard that it had burned down. Towns could be restored, but all could sense that something wasn't right here.
"Wasn't this place supposed to have burned down? How have they built it back already, this fast?" Aeris said quietly, reluctant to break the silence that had fallen upon them.
"No, no you don't understand..." Tifa said, shaking her head, and turned to them. "This IS Nibelheim! It's not something that was built where Nibelheim used to be... this is the same Nibelheim I was born in! Everything's exactly as I remember it! The houses, the well, the flowers... I don't understand! It was all destroyed! Wasn't it?!" Almost in tears of despair she turned to Zax and Cloud. The blond just blinked and shrugged one shoulder. Zax nodded.
"Yeah. I came here after it was all over. Then again when we escaped. It was like this, then, but..."
"Why didn't you say anything?" the martial artist asked, her hands clenching into fists.
"Because... I really thought I was seeing things then. Hojo had messed with my mind... I didn't know what to expect when we'd get here," Zax explained, watching a child run after a colourful ball.
Tifa watched the houses and people intently, and suddenly broke into a run towards one of the bigger houses.
"Tif'! Wait!" Barret shouted, but the girl wouldn't stop. "Where's she goin'?"
"...home." Cloud said quietly, and stepped away from the Soldier and followed her. The rest followed him but stopped when he headed to a different house.
"I'll go with him, you find Tifa," Zax said and followed the blond. Cid decided to go with him, but the rest stepped into Tifa's home. Cait and Nanaki stayed out, watching the town and the mansion.
"Tif'? You here, girl?" Barret called out when they had quickly searched the ground floor. Not hearing an answer, he, Aeris and Yuffie headed upstairs. When they reached the second floor they could hear quiet sobbing. The leader of Avalanche stopped and turned to the girls, looking uncomfortable. "Uh, Aeris, why don't you go first..."
The flower girl nodded and walked towards the room the noises were coming from while Barret and Yuffie went to check the other room.
"Tifa? Are you here?" Aeris called out quietly before entering. It seemed like the room of a young girl, with heavy carpets and colourful curtains. Toys were placed on chairs and there were fresh flowers on a table, and a piano in the far end of the room, next to a bed. The fighter was lying on the bed, her head hidden in pillows. Aeris walked quietly to the bed and sat on the edge, stroking Tifa's hair gently.
After a moment the fighter lifted her head out of the pillow and spoke. "It's all just like I remember it. Even the piano, and the toys. Everything. But I saw it burn. Why have they done this? Who has done this? Who lives here now?" She sat up and wiped the rest of her tears away, seeming more furious than sad. She turned to Aeris and asked the biggest question on her mind. "Why?"
"I don't know. I don't understand any more of this than you do. But if there are really people living here now, someone must know something," the flower girl answered, hoping that she'd have more to give than just words.
Tifa nodded and tugged at her gloves. "Yes, you're right. And you know what?" She stood up and wiped away the last of her tears. "I'm going to go and find out just what's going on." With that she marched out of the room. Aeris followed her more slowly and pitied those who got in her way.
"Cloud?" Zax asked quietly when he and Cid entered the smaller house next to Tifa's. The blond stood in front of them in the hall, frozen to the spot and staring at something inside the house itself. The Soldier walked to his side and followed the gaze of the blue eyes, swallowing hard. "Oh..."
"...shit..." Cid muttered as he, too, recognized the woman who stood in front of the oven, humming to herself. "So she did survive..."
The woman hadn't noticed them but Cid's words hadn't been as quiet as he had presumed, and Ame Strife turned to the three men. First she just stared, turning so pale so quickly that Zax feared she might faint. Then he thought that he might faint himself when the woman forced a friendly smile on her face.
"Yes? Can I help you? Are you lost?"
Cloud took a step forward and she immediately took one away. "...mom?" the blond asked, reaching out with one hand. The woman flinched but the smile was still frozen on her face.
"I am sorry, but I don't know you... any on you. Could you please leave now, I'm afraid I am very busy."
"...but, mom, I..." Cloud's voice was quiet and pleading, but she just stared at them, expression completely emotionless.
"Cut the shit, woman, we all recognize you!" Cid said, a bit more harshly than he had intended. She took another step back and her eyes darted around the room, looking for a weapon.
"No, you are mistaken. I have lived here all my life, I've never met you before. Please leave now," Ame said as the door opened. Zax turned to look who it was and felt even fainter when a blond young man walked in and looked at them curiously.
"Mom? Everything all right?" the man called out and pushed through them. Cid's jaw dropped when she nodded eagerly.
"Yes, dear, everything's fine. These men were just leaving, weren't you?"
Cid swore and tried to reason with her, but Zax's attention was completely on Cloud. The blond was on the verge of tears and shaking, but seemed to accept her words. When she smiled lovingly to her new son, Cloud just turned around and walked out. The Soldier followed him, not looking back. Cid swore once more and slammed the door shut loudly behind him.
Once outside again, they soon spotted Tifa, talking with a stranger near the well. The rest of the Avalanche stood at the door of her house, listening in. The pilot walked straight to them, still muttering curses. Zax wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders and followed him.
"What's goin' on?" Cid asked.
Yuffie hissed him quiet. "Tif' is asking that guy the same question."
Barret stopped a man and started to talk with him as well. The others listened in, but Aeris turned away from them and walked to where Zax and Cloud stood, a bit away from them. The blond seemed to be in a world of his own but the Soldier's eyes wandered all over the small town square, and towards the mansion.
"That's where we have to go?" the flower girl said quietly, nodding her head towards the large building. Zax nodded.
"Yeah. That's the mansion. If Hojo's here, that's where he'll be. We'd better go soon, before he finds out we're here. Unless he already knows, of course..." he muttered, staring intently at the oldest building in town. Still, it looked new, compared to the rest of the town. That's how well the facade had been built. "You know, I don't get it. People know Nibelheim was destroyed. So why build it back exactly the way it was? What's the use? What's the point?"
Aeris shrugged and turned away from the mansion. The strangeness of the place was intriguing, but knowing that her parents might be held captive so close by distracted her. She just wanted to see them again, free them from Hojo's clutches. Never had she wished for another human being to die, but towards the professor she felt only hatred and contempt. She would be glad to see the world rid of him.
"It's no use, they're all brainwashed..." Barret's words woke both Aeris and Zax from their thoughts, and they turned to see that he and Tifa had returned to the others, both looking confused and frustrated. "They keep saying they've lived here all their lives, and that nuthin' happened here five years ago. No fire, no Sephiroth. And no one in the mansion."
"Has Shin-Ra PAID them to move here and pretend like this?!" Tifa almost shouted before Barret put a calming hand on her shoulder. Some of the townspeople threw scared looks in their direction, and they were already gathering, talking in small groups and pointing at them.
"I think we should get supplies if we need any, and head to the mansion. The sooner we get out of here, the better. If we stand here like this for long, Hojo or his goons will hear about it," Zax said, and the others nodded, grabbing their weapons.
"We have enough potions and spells, maybe we should just go?" Cait said nervously. He had been appointed to take care of their provisions by Barret, saying that the robot could at least be of some use.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Yuffie said, almost succeeding in keeping the shaking out of her voice. Cid patted her on the shoulder as they all turned to leave.
Chill ran up and down Zax's spine when they pushed the doors of the mansion open. The hinges had been oiled recently, so the door didn't make any noise. They all had their weapons ready, not knowing what would await them inside.
Townspeople gathered in front of the gate, whispering to each other, and stared at them. They seemed to fear and avoid the mansion as much as the real Nibelheimers had.
They were still going along the plan of offering Hojo Zax and Cloud in exchange for Ifalna and Gast. They doubted it would work, but maybe they could get close to the professor under a truce-flag. They didn't know what to expect, if the professor would believe them or not, how many assistants and bodyguards he had and so on, if he would have them attack or if he preferred to talk. Expect the worst, Zax had said. That was exactly what Avalanche did as they stepped in.
Cait watched their backs as the others went in first. At least Barret and Cid seemed to think that he was completely useless, and some sort of a traitor as well, but apparently he was trusted enough to take care of the most useless member of their party. Cloud walked beside him, staring straight ahead, his eyes glowing a bit in the dim building. The blond was both annoyed and relieved about being left behind like this. Zax had explained that he wouldn't be much use in a battle, and that they wanted to keep him as far from Hojo as possible. So Cloud obeyed and stayed back with Cait.
They got up to the second floor without meeting much resistance, only a few starving monsters. They were quickly taken care of, and while the others went to check the room with the hidden door, Cloud and Cait waited in the room next to it. The robot cat was standing at the door, looking across the short hallway to the other door where Yuffie stood, ready to give him a sign when it was safe. Cloud sat on the dusty bed, becoming more and more nervous as memories assaulted him. The voices were unusually quiet now, not distracting him in any way, so when the new but familiar voice spoke beside his ear, Cloud's attention was riveted to it. "Hello, Cloud."
The blond just about jumped on the bed and turned around, his blue eyes going wide when he recognized the voice and the face that came with it. A surprised sound escaped his lips and even though his mind told him there was nothing to fear from this man, he still inched away.
"V-vincent? But..." then he remembered the last time he had seen the ex-Turk, and come into close contact with the barrel of his gun. Cloud swallowed and glanced over at Cait.
"Don't worry, he can't hear me. I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary. I can help you. You want your mother back, don't you? You want everything to be the way it once was?"
Cloud just stared for a moment. This wasn't the same Vincent who had shot him, that one had been mutilated by Hojo. This one was as the ex-Turk had been the first time they had met, only without the red cape. The metal claw was also gone, leaving a perfect human hand. The blond blinked and swallowed when the black-haired man cocked his head in askance, and remembered what he had been asked. "Y-yes?"
"Before Hojo hurt you, and me. Before Sephiroth and Zax came. Before all this happened."
"Yes." Cloud's voice was stronger now as he fell into the blood-red depths of Vincent's eyes. "But... what should I do?"
The ex-Turk laughed, which should have made Cloud suspicious, knowing that the dark man never laughed. But in stead it just made him fall deeper into the man's eyes, made him trust the one who had been the first, no, the only one he had dared to trust in so long. No one else. There had never been anyone else he had trusted like he knew he could trust Vincent. They all just lied to him, so that they could use him, make fun of him. Only Vincent cared. He was the only one Cloud should trust.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you and tell you what to do, all right?"
He couldn't tell which one of the voices made him trust the man, or if it was Vincent himself, but he listened and obeyed when the red-eyed man told him not to speak of this to anyone. He didn't even wonder where Vincent went when Cait told him to follow, and he got up from the bed and walked out of the door.
Reeve was unaware of the quiet conversation in the bedroom, being too busy conversing with president Shin-Ra. Rufus had entered his office a moment ago to see how his spying was going and to hear what he had found out. The blond man kept telling him to get Cait Sith to stay closer to Avalanche. Reeve tried to explain that he had been ordered to take care of the other 'bargaining chip', but Rufus refused to listen to his explanations.
"But I can't just leave him! It'll make everyone even more suspicious of Cait than they already are!" Reeve argued when Reno leaned closer to the monitors and stared intently at one of them. So far the Turk had just been standing in the corner, grinning, but now the redhead seemed almost livid.
"The murderer..."
Reeve and Rufus turned just in time to see Cloud get up as the two went to join the rest.
"What are you waiting for, hurry up!" Rufus ordered and stood back up, lifting an eyebrow at the Turk. "Murderer?"
"That's the bastard who killed Tseng," Reno explained as they both leaned over Reeve's shoulders again, watching through the cameras.
The door to the spiraling staircase was open, and Barret and Zax stood in front of the opening, arguing silently.
"We might be able to surprise them," The Soldier whispered, but the gun-armed man shook his head.
"We're here to bargain with the man. I say we let him know we're coming." Barret's voice was lowered, but Zax cringed anyway, feeling that their words would float straight into Hojo's ears. Still, he had to try to talk some sense into the man.
"So he can have all his assistants ready to shoot us the minute we get down there?"
"You said it yourself, Soldier-boy, he might be curious enough to let us live."
"Emphasis on 'might'. He might as well kill us straight away. He's mad."
"Getting cold feet?"
"If you remember, I was against this plan from the beginning. If we have a chance of surprising him, we might as well take it!"
The rest listened to the argument, anxious to be on their way already. The mansion was an unnerving place to be in, as they were all fast learning. The monsters here weren't the same as they were outside, they seemed somehow mutated, more insane and violent. And the whole house seemed to be full of... well, what they could only call ghosts. Strange gusts of winds, small areas in the rooms that were inexplicably cold, the general feeling of hostility and pain all over the place. No wonder the villagers had always avoided it.
Then there was of course the mad scientist in the basement. For all they knew he might be watching them right now, thinking of the best way to get rid of them. Or worse, abusing and torturing his prisoners.
"Hurry up and make up your minds!" Yuffie hissed to Barret and Zax when Cait and Cloud entered the room. The blond paled and twitched, looking down at the dark stains on the floor. The Soldier noticed this and looked down as well, remembering all too well the smell of blood that had filled the room five years ago. He only now remembered how the wall had been torn open. Now it was fixed, the wallpaper the same as on the other walls, looking as old as the rest. His memory of that day was sketchy at best after he had been shot, but he did remember watching, as if half asleep, how Vincent had drowned into that demon.
"Oh, hell..." For a moment he thought that was exactly where he had ended up.
"Please, let's just go," Aeris begged, holding her staff, ready to fight. If anyone else had said those words it would have been different, but when the most peaceful one of them spoke so, no matter how personal her reasons, Zax and Barret nodded grimly and turned towards the staircase.
"We go down an' then let the bastard know we're here," Barret said and started the descend.
"He probably knows already..." Zax muttered back and waited for the Avalanche to follow their leader, stepping inside with Cloud and Cait.
She had wanted him to return to the North Crater, but Sephiroth wanted to witness this. If Hojo was to meet his destiny, then should he not be here to watch? After all, he was the one the madman had hurt the most, even though it only had been to prepare him for his destiny. He knew that she would not approve of this, so he'd kept his plans of destroying the professor hidden from her. She was somehow attached to the slimy man, and then dared to accuse him of silly emotions when he questioned anything that she said.
He didn't care so much for personal revenge anymore. Not when he knew that the whole world would soon bow down to him. What was one petty act of revenge when compared to the fear and suffering of hundreds of thousands? Still, he wanted to see this. And Zackery. The only one he still trusted, the only one he ever wanted to trust amongst these worms. Maybe... maybe he could even talk with the Soldier, take him to the Crater... make him a general or something. An executioner. Or just... someone who understood him. Someone to comfort him. Someone to be there, someone who didn't judge him, someone who... someone who really... who really... loved him?
She would put it down as the weakness of humans, as always when he dared to show any other feeling besides bloodlust. But she might let him keep Zackery, if he could convince her that... what would she believe? That he just wanted to see how much the man would hurt when his whole race and world were destroyed in front of his eyes, and to be completely and utterly unable to even move a finger to help them? Yes, she'd like that. She might even enjoy it as well. But... he didn't want to see Zackery hurt so. He didn't want to see the pain in those violet eyes, not when he was so used to see them laugh.
/Son, where are you?/
Oh, right. He had learned to shield his thoughts from her, but if he did it for long periods of time she got suspicious. Sephiroth let the shields down and let her see the basement of the Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim through his eyes.
The place was the same as ever. During the last five years he had recalled his very early childhood, the times spent down here, and he could swear that it was still mostly the same. The computers were smaller and faster, took less space, but the extra space was taken up by more books and piles of paper. The laboratory was a mess, but he knew that Hojo knew exactly where everything was.
On the back wall were the two glass cylinders. They were now empty of Mako, but the Cetra woman was in one, her husband sitting just outside it, leaning against the glass. He was chained to the wall by his ankle, but the chain was long enough that he could move around the room. Sephiroth knew that Hojo had forced the man to help with his experiments. The ones he performed on the Cetra woman. He had to admire the professor's evil streak. Jenova liked it as well, the way she laughed merrily.
/Wonderful! But where is he?/
Sephiroth left the two prisoners whispering to each other and walked noiselessly through the hallway to Hojo's study. He was invisible, but wondered if the professor would still be able to somehow sense him.
Hojo was unchanged as well, maybe his hairline was a bit higher than previously, and a few new lines crossed his pale face. His madness had certainly only grown. The man sat at his desk, going through a pile of papers and muttering to himself. Sephiroth could see two assistants, even though they must have thought they were completely hidden from sight. There were ten of them, all in all. Only two actually knew anything about science, the rest were just muscle and weapons. Clearly Hojo was expecting the Avalanche. Or someone; how was he to know how many people the scientist had pissed off? Probably many.
Jenova laughed in his mind, long and hard. Sephiroth smirked when Hojo twitched and lifted his head, looking around suspiciously. This promised to be great fun!
By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs there was a welcome committee waiting for them. Six men, armed with two guns and material, and all at least as big as Barret. The guns were pointed at them but the men just gestured for them to go on.
"The professor's waiting," one said, making Barret throw a glance at Zax. The Soldier frowned back and swallowed hard. Why oh why had he agreed to this? How could he have forgotten already how much he hated this place?
The armed men started to guide them towards the laboratory, one in front of them, four at their sides and one at the back. Cid got poked in the back with a gun when he tried to take out a cigarette and his lighter.
Barret and Aeris, walking first after Hojo's underling, were almost at the door when Cloud suddenly grabbed Zax's hand, just about making the Soldier stumble. Cait bumped into them, and the gunman swore.
"Keep moving!"
"Zax, I don't want to!" Cloud just about squeaked, his voice high and trembling. The man laughed at him and poked them in the back with his gun, but Zax wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders.
"Don't worry, Cloud. Nothing's gonna happen to you, I'll make sure of it," the Soldier whispered.
'And I am here as well...' Vincent's voice was quiet but clear, even amused, and calmed him more than Zax's words. Cloud clutched the Soldier's arm and let himself be taken into the laboratory.
"Aeris, no!" Professor Gast groaned when he saw his daughter escorted in. Ifalna raised her head and lifted both hands to cover her mouth and tears. The flower girl wanted to run to them, hold them and take them out of here, but could only reach out a hand before they were escorted through the narrow corridor to Hojo's study. Soon they all stood in front of the large desk, and the mad scientist was graceful enough to notice them.
Sephiroth stood behind the professor, his arms crossed over his chest, and watched with a small smile on his lips. The two men were still hidden, and the six who had escorted Avalanche here moved so that they blocked the door completely, watching the group from back and both sides.
Here they all were. The gun-armed man, Barret Wallace, whom he only knew from Avalanche. He could remember the short girl from Nibelheim, their guide to the reactor. The even smaller ninja he knew nothing of. Hojo's research specimen, Red XIII, whom the group called Nanaki. Protector of Cosmo Canyon. The flower girl, Aeris, determined to help her parents and the planet. The robot thing. He thought he had seen it before, long ago, but couldn't remember where and when. Captain Highwind from Nibelheim. How could he forget that man?
...Zackery. So many unexpected emotions ran through him at the sight of the violet-eyed Soldier. Sephiroth was slightly surprised when he recognized longing as the strongest one. He knew he had missed the man's companionship, but hadn't realized that he'd missed it so much. Tearing his eyes away, he turned them to the last one. The blond puppet. Who was staring straight at him. Sephiroth blinked and cocked his head. There was no way Cloud could see him... right? He made sure that his spells were up and turned to the blond again. Still staring. But it seemed that the blond wasn't about to say anything, no matter if he was able to see him or not. He peered closely at the clone, sensing something odd about him. No, around him. What was going on?
Sephiroth concentrated and squinted, just about making out a shadow behind the blond. Or maybe it was just a piece of the eternal gloom of the mansion? One of the ghosts here?
Sephiroth blinked. Had the shadow just flashed a white-fanged grin at him?
Hojo was talking already. He kept staring at the darkness, but turned his attention to the reality, listening in.
"How kind of you to bring young Aeris here. And even my escaped specimens! Although... I doubt you will hand all of them to me willingly. So what really brings you here?" Hojo said, his smile lighting up even his dark eyes. Aeris shuddered and the bodyguards got ready to attack when Barret suddenly took a step forward.
"We're here for Gast and his wife." The gun-armed man eyed the bodyguards, lifting his hands a bit.
Hojo laughed. "And you thought I'll just let you have them, like that? Don't be stupid. And don't insult my intelligence either."
"We offer you a trade," Barret continued, his voice steady and serious enough to make Zax wonder if the man really was ready to trade him and Cloud. "Your 'specimens' for th' two of them." He pointed at the Soldier and Cloud, Zax glaring back, both to make Hojo believe them and because he still resented this plan.
The professor raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh really? You offer me back what is mine? A failure and one who's next to useless as a specimen? For an educated professor and the chance to research a true Cetra?" He leaned back in his chair. "I think not. I told you not to insult my intelligence. You came here, with that idiotic plan, thinking I will buy it and let you down here so you can bloody well kill me and take my experiments away?!" Halfway through his words Hojo had stood up and now leaned towards them, his fists on the top of his desk. The smile was gone, the man at the verge of full-blown rage.
Zax cleared his throat, seeing that the professor had managed to intimidate the others into silence. "Worked so far, hasn't it?"
Sephiroth fought the urge to slap his forehead and laugh. 'Yes, way to go, Zackery, wasn't that smart?' How had the man survived his first assignment as a Soldier? Hojo was just about steaming through his ears but quickly gathered himself.
"Always had a sense of humour, didn't you? Well, we'll see if you can keep it through a few more years in the tank?!"
Zackery twitched at that and went serious, exchanging looks with the leader of Avalanche. Sephiroth couldn't believe that they had come here unprepared to fight and wondered what their plan would be.
"We knew that it wouldn't be easy... but we couldn't let you do what you want with them!" Barret growled to Hojo, looking down at the professor.
'Take it... use it... you know how...'
Words? From where? How did he know that voice? Sephiroth's eyes snapped back to the clone and the shadow behind it, and went wide when he realized that the shadow had spoken. He had heard it speak, and saw it extend a hand towards the blond. Cloud's eyes finally fell from him, to stare at his own hand. Sephiroth followed the gaze and frowned when a gun materialized there. What was going on here?
'...you remember how I taught you... don't you... even though we didn't have a gun...'
He watched Cloud's pale hand hold the weapon tight, his thumb pulling the safety back. The blond nodded slightly, and when Sephiroth raised his eyes again he could swear that the blue eyes glowed red for a moment.
Someone was controlling Cloud! Someone was -he couldn't believe it!- controlling his puppet! HIS PUPPET! What insolence! Sephiroth wanted to fry the shadow where it stood, but curiosity stopped him. He still knew not what was going on.
'...wait a bit longer... then... use it... I'll tell you when, and who...'
"What insolence!" Hojo shouted, turning his back to Avalanche and shaking his head. Where had those words sprang to his mind from? Never mind... he pushed his chair away and walked to the front of his desk, to face the Avalanche. "I should applaud your bravery, but personally, I see it more as stupidity. But, never mind." He stopped in front of Nanaki, looking down at the red beast. "I get my specimens back, and a few extra ones as well! Oh we will make history of science, my pretties..." he continued on, smiling sweetly at Zax, and stopped in front of Cloud. "I think I can even make something out of you. Gods know you were nothing but a failure. You wouldn't even come to me when I called. Just a broken puppet."
Cloud frowned. "Am not! He told me not to come."
"Who, the voices in your head?" Hojo sneered and moved to walk away. "Don't make me think you were worth something after all. Just a failed experiment."
"Don't call me that!" Cloud shouted. Zax raised a hand to hold the blond still but froze when Cloud's previously hidden right arm came up, holding a gun towards the back of Hojo's head. "I am real! And not a failure!"
'Not him! You're supposed to shoot the Soldier!'
Sephiroth's eyes went wide when he heard the shadow's words. Whatever it was, it wanted Cloud to kill Zackery? Why? He watched the blue eyes flash red again for a second, and the clone hesitated enough that it lowered the gun. Hojo turned back at that moment, noticed the gun and started to laugh. All eight bodyguards were ready to attack Cloud, and the Avalanche stared in shock, except for the ninja who had covered her eyes with her hands.
"You want to shoot me?!" Hojo laughed and threw his arms open.
'Don't!' The shadow's voice was urgent and almost shaking. Sephiroth smirked. He was damned if he'd have to watch Zackery die because of some upstart shadow!
"Do it!"
Cloud's eyes went wide, as did Hojo's, from the sound of his voice. The bodyguards still pointed their guns at Cloud but looked around wildly, trying to see where the bodiless voice had come from.
Cloud was HIS puppet, damn it! NOT Hojo's, NOT some shadow's, HIS! And he obeyed perfectly, lifted the gun-
'NO!' The shadow tried one more time.
--pulled the trigger--
/Stop him, son! We need Hojo!/ She screeched in his mind, enraged.
POW!!