I don't own any character or location in this story. I do own a few spiffy figurines of them, but I don't think that counts. Warnings once more for swearing and baaaad English. :)
Chapter nineteen: For the future
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Vincent stared down from the deck of the floating Highwind, deep down into the bowels of Midgar. He could imagine all the small faces there, peering up at him, at the airship. And past them, to the sky, where the Meteor was burning its way through space. He could sense their panic, their suddenly found love for life, and the small but persistent hope that something would happen. Something would push the Meteor off course, or destroy it before it reached them.
It had been just a few days since they'd left the Northern Crater, barely escaping with their lives. Barret, wanting to make sure that he was up to 'no stupid shit' had grabbed his arm and dragged him out with the rest of them when the earthquake had gotten worse. Hojo had disappeared, Zax and Cloud were still standing there, not daring to move. And Sephiroth was gone again. He had no idea where. He'd had to turn eventually, to see where they were going. He'd have to trust that the Soldier and Cloud would take care of themselves. They'd ran over the uneven terrain, the ground shaking and the winds blowing. Zax reached them before the worst wall of wind, but didn't stop, no matter how Cid shouted and swore at him. The captain had contacted Highwind, and the ship had come to meet them near the black, tooth-like rocks. Zax was nowhere to be seen. They'd reached the deck before the earth at the Crater had opened and given birth to a monstrosity.
Aeris had explained it, once they'd gotten far from the Crater and the ship was flying somewhat straight. The monster was a Weapon, a child of the Planet, created solely for the purpose of ridding the Planet of anything and everything that would harm it. She suspected that there was more than just the one, but after the surprise confession at the Crater, she wasn't feeling like talking, and had retired to one of the cabins. They had turned back, to search for Zax and Cloud from the air, but hadn't gotten far when they spotted the other airship. It was smaller, coming their way, and packing a lot of weapons.
The ship had contacted them with the radio, and who was speaking but the President of Shin-Ra Inc. himself. Rufus Shin-Ra. Sounding like his usual, cocky self, even though seeing the Weapon fly by had shaken him. It was obvious in his voice.
With all that firepower, the smaller ship had bullied them into giving up, cowardly threatening the lives of Marlene and Shera. The ship had flown close to the Highwind, close enough that Soldiers had boarded them, and locked everyone into cabins. Alone. Vincent had been in the cabin next to Cid, and had heard the blond man's whole repertoire of insults and swearwords at least six times before they'd reached Midgar.
They'd been kept in the airship, in custody for over 30 hours. Then, out of nowhere, one morning it was there. The Meteor, up in the sky. No one knew what it was at first, but as it slowly grew, people started to worry. And then panic. The Turks were sent aboard to question them on what was going on. Stupid, actually, considering that they already knew. The Turks seemed to be thinking the same. But Rufus wanted to hear it again, wanted Gast to report to him, since Shin-Ra's own scientist had locked himself and his assistants to his own floor, and wasn't answering the phone or the door.
And after long, long hours spent making sure that they weren't lying, Rufus himself had come up to the Highwind, very surprised and very, very scared.
Vincent still found it quite hard to believe what had happened next. After they'd dragged a furious Barret away from Rufus, which hadn't been easy, professor Gast had once more explained to the President what was going on. After a moment Rufus had called a truce to figure a few things out. Like what they could do to save the world.
Barret was now down at the Shin-Ra HQ, without a doubt spoiling his little daughter rotten. That had been his first demand, that Marlene and Shera were set free before they'd even think about working together. Demands of shutting down the reactors had followed, but after a few heated moments even the head of Avalanche had agreed that they'd first have to take care of the Meteor.
Gast, Aeris, Cid, almost everyone was down in the city. Vincent had chosen to remain up here, where there weren't so many people everywhere you looked. Where the air was relatively fresh, and it was quiet, if you ignored the engines.
"Funny how things work out, isn't it?"
Vincent didn't honor the words by being surprised, even though he knew the three had tried to sneak up on him. He'd felt them from far away. He just turned slowly to face the unusual trio, who, not as skilled in the art of showing no emotion were a bit startled at seeing him.
"It's so funny my sides are hurting with all this laughter." He commented dryly and didn't relax one bit as the three Turks stepped away from the dark shadows to the deck. The woman, Elena, was standing in the middle, a bit in front of the other two. The redhead was on her right, and the tall one on her left. She was the one who'd spoken, and who continued to speak, even though she seemed to be the most nervous of them all.
"You're Vincent Valentine. The top Turk from over twenty years ago."
Vincent just nodded minutely, not quite sure where this would go, but keeping that strictly to himself.
"Everyone thought you died. But then again, a lot of other people who were supposed to have died are still alive, so, you know, this shouldn't be much of a surprise."
Vincent blinked slowly, now even curious. The redhead cleared his throat, and she hurried to continue.
"I've read my history lessons. The Turks were a lot different back then. You were an elite group with some morals and standards. That's not the case these days. We've been the President's lapdogs since you disappeared."
Vincent noticed that the other two gave each other quick, puzzled looks. That made him even more curious.
"Since Tseng died a few years back, it's gotten even worse. This is all the Turks are now. The three of us. We're loyal to the President, and Shin-Ra, of course, but... there's so much more going on now, stuff that's more important than he is."
"Uh, Elena..." the redhead, Reno, started, but she hurried on.
"I've been selecting new recruits for us for a while now. I've got a pretty good number of promising men and women, and after some training I'm sure we can select the best of them and train them into top Turks. Make the Turks the elite force we once were. A group who respects our boss, but still knows how to think for ourselves."
"Elena!" Reno shouted now, but she just pushed on, stepping closer to Vincent.
"This is something that's really important to me. I didn't join the Turks so I could watch the world end while me and my partners throw donuts at each other!"
"Hey!"
"I want to be proud of what I am, of what we are! I want to make a difference! I want to live, to know that I've done something worthwhile and am not just a criminal protected by the President!"
"Elena, shut the fuck up! What the hell are you goin' on about?!" Reno screamed and strode to her side. The third Turk remained at his spot, but Vincent got the feeling that he was baffled behind those dark glasses. He expected Reno to give her a lecture on what the Turks, in his point of view, were.
"I resent the notion that we just throw donuts at each other! Yeah, we're criminals, but if you wanted charity you'da become a nurse, not a Turk! This hasn't been what any of us expected, but then again, Tseng wasn't supposed to die like that, we weren't supposed to be a group of three not much better than rookies, and the bloody world wasn't supposed to end! Life's not fair!"
Vincent felt that he was missing their point right then. He let out a little cough, and the two turned to stare at him, his arms still thrown high and open from his earlier ranting. Elena took this as a chance to go on.
"I want to turn the Turks into another direction. If we can save the world, and if there'll be a Midgar afterwards, and a need for us. Mr. Valentine, will you help me? Will you train the new Turks?"
Reno's mouth fell open, and Rude's eyebrows rose above the sunglasses. Vincent blinked with surprise. His first instinct was to say no straight away, to laugh in their faces, at least figuratively speaking, and to walk away. He wanted nothing more to do with Shin-Ra or the Turks. But she was looking up at him with those blue eyes, begging almost. Vincent could remember eyes like that, begging from behind a wall of thick glass.
"I'll think about it." He muttered eventually, and Reno's jaw fell even more. But Elena's face lit up so bright that he felt almost uncomfortable. He'd made a Turk happy, even if he'd done it just to give her hope. In memory of another pair of blue eyes. He didn't believe that he or any of them would be alive in a few weeks, so what he said didn't really matter. She was a Turk, but they were on the same side now. It wasn't wrong to give people hope.
"Thank you, Mr. Valentine!" She said enthusiastically, bowed and turned to leave. Reno and Rude glanced at him, then at each other, and hurried after her.
"What the hell was that about? Elena! I thought we were just gonna, you know, talk to the guy! Not marry him like that!"
Vincent blinked and, shaking his head slowly, turned to stare at Midgar again.
The scene was hauntingly familiar. The members of Avalanche standing in the Shin-Ra HQ, in the President's office, in front of the huge desk. Rufus was pacing behind it, and four other Shin-Ra executives were standing near him, in an uncomfortable silence. Palmer was stealing glances around the room, especially where the last President's murdered corpse had laid, and where he himself had fainted when Sephiroth had threatened him. Scarlet didn't seem too happy about the fact that she was standing next to him, or that Reeve was on the other side of the large desk, or that the mousy woman from Avalanche was standing annoyingly close to the head of urban development. Heidegger, near Reeve, was fidgeting nervously.
Cid, on the other side of the desk from Rufus, was also eyeing Reeve and Shera suspiciously. She'd explained that Reeve had been her and Marlene's only friend when they were prisoners, and they'd been the only ones he could trust. So it was only natural they'd become friends. But Captain Highwind thought that 'friends' didn't give each other shy little looks like that. And he most certainly wasn't jealous!
Barret, near the blond man, was far more calm and collected than normal, undoubtedly because he knew that his little daughter was safe. As safe as any of them were, with the Meteor coming down on them. Now that she was safe, it was time to save the world.
Professor Gast was explaining his theories on how they could try to breach through the shield protecting the Northern Crater. And what they could do to stop the Weapons if one of them was to attack. And the Meteor. Even one of those problems would have been more than enough for a team of scientists; three for one man and with very little time was almost impossible, as he was just pointing out while Rufus demanded something more concrete. They'd sent men up to the Crater to investigate the barrier and had gone over the results several times. No one had dared to approach the Weapons, but the reports from all over the world were saying that there were definitely at least four or five of them. And the Meteor...
Nanaki, Aeris, and the scientists not locked up with Hojo were of course helping as well, as were the Elders at the Cosmo Canyon. Cait Sith was now working as the official go-between, relaying messages from Midgar to the Canyon and vice versa. The world was slowly becoming one to save itself.
Some of the scientists, Aeris and Nanaki were also present at that meeting. Tifa and Yuffie were with a group of Soldiers in the slums, telling people what was going on, helping if needed and planning a possible evacuation.
"So, since normal weapons or spells just aren't enough to break the barrier over the Crater, we've got to think of something else. Scarlet, do we have anything else we could use?" Rufus asked, glancing over at the blonde who immediately ignored Reeve and focused all her attention on the President.
"The Sister Ray of course."
"Good, get me a report on her, er, it. Perhaps we could use it against the Weapons as well. Please, as quickly as possible." He nodded and smiled, and Scarlet hurried to do his bidding. Reeve sighed with relief and quickly glanced at Shera.
"And the Meteor. What shall we do with that one..." Rufus muttered. Gast was just about to offer a theory when Cid suddenly spoke, startling everyone.
"We blow the bastard to smithereens. Problem fuckin' taken care of."
"... Would you care to elaborate, Highwind? And put that out, no smoking in my office. And not on the carpet!"
Cid muttered some profanities and snubbed the cigarette on the sole of his shoe. "I said we blow it."
"Even I can realize, with my knowledge of weapons, that even the Sister Ray won't reach--"
"Not with your stinkin' weapons. We fly there, into space. Shoot a bomb into the bastard with a rocket. Ka-BOOOM! Meteor taken care of, we can worry about Sephiroth and the Weapons."
"And with what would we... Palmer, calm down!" Rufus and the others turned to the excited, small man who was almost giggling.
"Does this mean that the space program will be included in the budget?" Palmer asked, fingering the buttons of his shirt nervously.
"Lookitthat, the idiot's the only one with a brain!" Cid said and laughed. Rufus shook his head.
"You're not serious, are you? That old pile of rust? Will it even rise from the ground?"
"I'll have you know..." Cid growled and stepped closer to the table, making the President actually step back, "that it has been my privilege to see that the rocket is still in shape! Ok, so I haven't been to see it in a while, but the villagers wouldn't let anything happen to it. It's like our child, Prez... we worked our asses off to send it to space, and some little delays in plan like a botched lift-off and no fuckin' funding whatsoever aren't gonna stop us from taking care of it."
"That's... admirable, Highwind. We'll take it into consideration."
Now Gast stepped forward, a new glint in his eyes. "Actually, Mr. President... the Captain's plan could very well work. With the Rocket, we could fly far enough into space that we could attempt to blow the Meteor safely, far from the Planet. And if the plan fails, we'll still have some time to try another one. All we need is the bomb."
Rufus stared at the scientist for a long moment, thinking the plan over. The other scientists talked amongst themselves, excited about the idea. "Well... Captain Highwind... it looks like the Shin-Ra 26 will be taking off."
"About fuckin' time!" Cid whooped and punched the air with a fist.
Once he was sure that the Turks were off the ship, Vincent let himself sink deep into thought. He wondered if the members of the Avalanche had come to trust him enough to leave him alone like this on the Highwind, or if they were just too busy to remember him. He wondered how they could breach the barrier that kept everything and everyone out of the Crater. They'd have to get in to finish Sephiroth. He wondered what had happened to Zax and Cloud. They'd turned back to the Crater once the Weapons had flown off, but Rufus and his airship had intervened before they'd seen either one. Maybe they were still alive, somewhere near the Crater. Or maybe they were held prisoner. Maybe they'd never know.
And he wondered who'd get to kill Hojo. The mad scientist was locked in his laboratory. A few Soldiers had managed to break in, but monsters had killed off most of them before they'd even reached the proper laboratory itself. As far as he knew, no one was even attempting to break in at the moment, too busy trying to figure out what to do with the Meteor and everything. For a brief, passing moment Vincent considered leaving the ship, going to the HQ and finding a way into the laboratory. He had been a Turk, after all, it couldn't be a big of a problem to find some way to get in. But the moment passed as he realized that once again, he was weaponless, as the Soldiers had taken the gun Aeris had passed on to him. And just because no one was watching him now, it didn't mean that he'd get off the ship just like that.
"When have I become so careful? When did I start to stop and think what I can or can't do? When did I quit just... doing what I wished?" the dark man asked quietly. He almost missed the voices that used to speak to him in his head. He missed hearing Lucretia laugh, or just whisper something to him.
"When I lost you... that's when I stopped. When I realized what I'd done. You, Sephiroth. That was all because of me. Because I loved you. Because of that, Hojo got his hands on both you and our child." His hands clenched into fists of rage, and Vincent thought he could hear a low rumble answering the strong emotion.
He'd get Hojo.
"All right, since we don't have much time, I'll just head off to Rocket Town straight away." Cid said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Palmer had already ran off to make some preparations, and Rufus had ordered that one of the Turks would be coming with them. The president was conferring with his executives and professor Gast, and the Avalanche had gathered together. "Shera, you're comin' with me. You're slow as a snail but you know your business. As soon as we get there, we're gonna give her a check-up, load the bomb the bitch in red's gonna supply us with, an' head off to space! Now, any other volunteers? I'm gonna need at least one or two others, in case something goes wrong." He looked at everyone hopefully. Barret just shook his head, muttering something about Marlene. Nanaki didn't seem too excited either, mentioning that he could probably be of more help doing brainwork on the ground. Aeris smiled and shrugged.
"Aww come on, I'm not takin' the ninja! All she'll be good of'll be throwing up all over my rocket!" He glanced over at Shera and rubbed his chin. "Well maybe we'll manage, the two of us an' Tifa. She'll get to volunteer."
"You could take Vincent with you." Aeris suggested, but the Captain was shaking his head before she finished her sentence.
"No thanks, don't want the guy going nuts up there."
"He's not just going to go nuts..." Aeris argued, smiling and shaking her head.
"Yeah, you keep tellin' me that, but he used ta be one of Hojo's pets, and you never know what those fuc-- aw, shit! Sorry, Aeris... me an' my big mouth." Cid cringed and smacked himself on the forehead when he realized what he was saying. Aeris, serious again, shrugged.
"It's all right, Cid." She said and gave him a quick smile before turning and hurrying to her father's side.
Cid swore quietly. "Shit. Someone shoot me please."
Barret just knocked him on the back of his head with his gun-arm, which made an interesting sound.
Scarlet had returned with data on the huge cannon, the Sister Ray, and had informed her subordinates to find a bomb to blow up the Meteor, when a Soldier rushed into the room, not bothering to even knock. He stopped at the door, saluted and started to report.
"Sir, we just got a call from Junon, sir! One of the Weapons has been sighted on their radar, sir, and it's approaching the city as we speak!"
Scarlet beat Rufus to the phone on his desk. She seemed almost thrilled. "This is a perfect opportunity to test the Sister Ray! I promise you, Mr. President, she'll blow that monster off the Planet's face!" The next moment she was already barking orders to the phone and demanding reports and live view from the seaside city. That was soon arranged, and everyone gathered to the large screen television on the other side of the presidential office.
The image was slightly grainy, but it showed them the view from the Junon base. The camera was facing the dark green sea which glittered yellow, red and orange with the sky and the setting sun. The beautiful image was broken by a small dot on the horizon, coming closer and spraying water all around it.
"Zoom in!" Scarlet ordered, and soon they saw a bigger image of the Weapon. It was bluish-purple, covered with what looked like hard shields, and approaching very fast. "Is the Sister ready yet? Well what are you waiting for, FIRE!"
The boom of the great cannon almost deafened them, even though it came through the television. The missile soon disappeared from their sight, only to hit water where the Weapon was. A huge explosion followed, sending waves and sprays into every direction.
"Is it dead?" Cid asked, lighting a cigarette with slightly shaking hands. This time Rufus didn't either notice or care that someone was smoking in his office.
Once the sea calmed again enough for them to see, they let out a collective gasp, and voices started to scream orders in Junon.
The Weapon was still alive, and approaching as fast as before. It was now close enough that smaller cannons were ordered to open fire, and their noise made it harder to hear what was being said in the Junon base. Scarlet was shouting into the phone beside them, ordering for the big cannon to be loaded again, and fast.
But it took longer to load the cannon than for the Weapon to reach Junon. Aeris screamed in horror when it rose from the water, towering over the city. They could see its features more clearly now, the yellowish eyes that shone brightly from small slits in something that appeared to be a helmet. It was covered with protective armour, all of it that they could see.
"It's attacking!"
The horrified scream from Junon silenced even Scarlet, and they all just stared at the screen. The Weapon had opened its great maw, and pure, white light was gathering in it now. The light grew brighter and stronger, and almost blinded them when it shot out of the mouth and hit the Junon base. Explosions, screams and roars filled the air as the camera shook and almost fell.
But then a stronger noise, a loud boom rose even above all the other noises. The cannon had fired again, this time straight into the monster's face. Fire and smoke filled the screen for a long time, and all they could hear was rumbling as the buildings in Junon fought to stay standing, and terrified voices asking what had happened.
"Is it dead now?" Cid whispered, not realizing that ashes from his cigarette were falling on the expensive carpet.
Scarlet was asking the same question over the phone, but it was answered when a loud cheer rose. The smoke finally evaporated enough that they could see the sky again.
The Weapon was nowhere to be seen, but the men were still cheering. Scarlet demanded to know what was happening, and the camera was soon taken from its stand and brought to the window. Aimed down, they could all see the dead and smoking Weapon laying in the water, slowly sinking.
Cid wooted and grabbed Aeris, dancing around a few spins. Nanaki let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding back, and Barret nodded appraisingly.
"Well done." Scarlet was saying over the phone, again and again, before she calmed down enough to demand for a report on damages and a whole analysis as to what the Weapon was and if there were other ways to kill it.
Rufus shook his head slowly before turning the TV off with a remote. "Well, they obviously can be killed with the Sister Ray. But I doubt we'll be so lucky that they'll all try to attack Junon like that. Captain Highwind, get ready to leave to Rocket Town as soon as possible. And I'm not telling you again, put out the cigarette."
Vincent had searched the airship quickly, and had found a few weapons he could use. A gun with three bullets, a pocket knife and a heavy wrench. He'd hidden them all into his black clothes, and was heading off back to the deck when he thought he could feel the ship give a soft lurch. He recognized it from before; someone had just turned the main engines on. The ship was getting ready to leave. He'd just found the determination and weapons to go and take care of Hojo for good, and now the ship was about to take off?!
He hurried up to the deck and swore under his breath when he saw half the crew near the ladder. They were looking over the railing and shouting at whoever was coming up or going down. Vincent quickly hid into nearby shadows and concentrated on listening what was being said, as much as he could hear over the noises of the engines.
The crew were shouting questions like "Where are we going?" over the railing, and Vincent's guess was proven right when Highwind's blond head soon popped over the railing and screamed for the men to shut up and give him some room. The captain swung himself over the railing easily, and was immediately surrounded by the crew. Vincent couldn't hear anything they were saying, and considered moving closer or just joining the group when another person climbed over the railing. He recognized the woman as Shera, they'd been introduced to each other after the woman and Marlene had been freed. He felt a quick stab of pain when he remembered how the little girl had been scared by his eyes. Barret had actually told her she didn't need to fear him, that he was one of the good guys, but the girl hadn't seemed convinced.
A man followed Shera, and Vincent recognized him as Reeve. One of the Turks, Rude, was up next. Tifa followed Rude, and noticed him lurking in the shadows. The fighter said something quickly to Shera and headed his way. Vincent checked that his weapons were hidden, and put on a mask of indifference while one last man climbed over the railing.
"Vincent. We'll be heading off to Rocket Town soon. Do you want to come, or stay here in Midgar?" Tifa asked, not so nervous around him as she had been before. Vincent noticed that her eyes were almost as red as his own.
"... I get a choice?"
"Of course."
"What are you doing in Rocket Town?" he asked, even though he had no intention of going. If they'd leave him in Midgar, he'd do his best to rid the world of Hojo.
Tifa explained the plan to him, and even though he doubted their success, he wished them luck. The Highwind would make a quick stop at Junon and pick up the bomb that they'd fly to the Meteor with the rocket. By the time she was done, Cid was already shouting that everyone who wasn't going should get off the ship, so Vincent started to head towards the ladder down to the Midgar plate. He expected to be stopped and searched at any moment, but the crew was too busy checking everything and tying down anything that wasn't tied down already to notice him.
Reeve and Shera were saying their goodbyes near the ladder. Vincent gave them their privacy and quickly stepped over the railing and started to descend. He was already halfway down when Reeve stepped over the railing, and by the time he was down, Cid was already screaming for the executive to hurry up.
Vincent had hoped that he'd get to be alone once he reached the ground, or the plate, to be exact, but Aeris and Nanaki were standing at the ladder's bottom. She greeted him with a warm smile before turning her eyes back up, to watch Reeve come down. Nanaki was less friendly, but not rude to him. He made a move to leave the two, but the beast gave him a look that told him to stay still.
Reeve was soon down, and the ladder was quickly pulled up as the ship took off. Aeris waved at it, and all four watched it go until it was just a spot in the darkening sky, beneath the burning Meteor.
"Do you think they have any chance of succeeding?" Reeve said quietly, glancing over at Aeris.
"We can hope." was all she said.
Vincent took a closer look at the man he'd been told was behind Cait Sith. He remembered the robot only very vaguely from Nibelheim, where he'd watched the world through Chaos's eyes, not able to do anything. The robot had given its artificial life at the Temple of the Ancients, before he'd had a chance to see it again.
Reeve was Shin-Ra, but Aeris and the others seemed to trust him. Vincent couldn't remember him from before his long sleep, but the man clearly was too young to have been an executive almost thirty years ago. Still, he looked too old for his true years. Too much worrying and living amongst the other executives, Vincent suspected.
Suddenly, Aeris turned to them, giving the three one of her sunny smiles. "Would you like to come with me to the slums? I used to live there for a while, in this old, abandoned church. I'd like to see how it and my flowers are doing."
Nanaki nodded and smiled. "I'd like to see that. I didn't know anything could grow in this kind of land."
"How about you two?" Aeris cocked her head and looked at Reeve and Vincent. The ex-Turk blinked but nodded eventually, suspecting that they wouldn't let him go off on his own anyway.
"Any break from the HQ is welcome." Reeve said with a smile.
Aeris nodded, still smiling, and to the ex-Turk's surprise, took a gentle hold of Vincent's arm. He looked down at her, mouth slightly open with surprise, but she just smiled at him. "Shall we?"
Reeve lead them to the closest station and they took a train down to the slums. Sector seven was still a mess of rubble and broken lives, but small huts had risen here and there amongst the destruction. Sector six, the Wall Market was still as busy and occupied as usually. Aeris led them past that into Sector five.
"When I came to Midgar, I didn't know anyone here. I just knew that my parents were held by Shin-Ra. I got up to the plate, guessing that they were at the HQ. But of course I couldn't get in. I didn't have enough money, didn't know anyone to get to stay up there. So I came down here. Eventually I ended up in Sector five, and found this old, abandoned church. I don't think anyone had been there in years and years, everything was covered in dust, some of the windows broken, the floor torn up in places... but in one of those spots, there was earth showing. Living earth, with weeds. I moved in there, nursed the land, sometimes got into contact with mother through it. And flowers started to grow there."
She'd lead them through the shacks and small groups of people, talking quietly to each other about the darkening sky. The Meteor was blazing like a small sun. And finally they reached the church she'd talked about, deep in the sector's heart, away from the busier streets and alleys.
"People don't come here that often, there are no shops and only a few houses in the neighbourhood. But the church has always been left alone. I've heard whisperings of something bad happening here at one point or another, but when in the church, I can't feel anything vicious there. Just peace and quiet."
Reeve helped her push open one of the doors. It had almost rusted shut with no one using it. The four stepped in, and stopped at the door.
A group of kids, maybe four or five, were kneeling or sitting by the flowers, holding small shovels or rakes, and cans of water. Their faces were smeared with dirt, and they were all staring at the four of them, eyes wide with surprise. The two boys of the group seemed almost ready to attack them until one of the girls stood up and pointed at Aeris, smiling.
"You came back, flower lady! We've been taking care of your flowers when you were gone!"
Aeris had lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her surprise, but she lowered it and smiled, so happy that even her eyes smiled. She walked towards the children who got up and tried to dust their dirty clothes a bit.
"I can see that... you've taken such good care of them. They look so beautiful... thank you." She kneeled by the flowers and smiled at the children, who gathered around her and started to talk, all at once, telling her what they'd done.
Reeve smiled and looked at Nanaki and Vincent. "Shera told me of the flowers here, but I didn't really believe it until I see them now. Wonderful."
"I feel like we're almost intruding here..." Nanaki muttered, watching Aeris talking with the excited children. She was whispering with the girls now, and pointing at the three of them. The three girls giggled and huddled together for a moment before turning to the door, their hands behind their backs. They started to walk towards the three men, Aeris and the two boys watching them by the flower bed. Vincent felt like escaping before the girls reached them. Not that there was anything scary in three little girls, but a front of short creatures with knowing smiles on their faces, approaching him... there was something deeply unsettling in that.
The girls stopped three feet from them, now looking more shy than anything. They still had their hands behind their backs, and they were looking at each other for courage.
"Go on!" Aeris called from the flowers, and one of the girls, the one standing in front of Reeve, gathered her courage and presented him with a small, yellow flower. A wide smile spread on the executive's face, and he bowed low and accepted the flower, thanking her warmly.
The second girl was slower in giving Nanaki a red blossom, but when the beast bowed his head so that she could attack the flower to his mane, the small girl giggled and even petted his long hairs.
Encouraged by the other two, the third looked up at Vincent, smiled shyly and offered him a tiny red flower, its petals the shape of hearts. He felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he leaned down and accepted the flower with his left hand. "Thank you..." he whispered, and the girl blushed and giggled before turning and running back to the flowers and Aeris laughing. The two other girls followed their friend.
Vincent looked at the flower, held gently in his once again human hand. It was so tiny, barely the length of his little finger. He could break it so easily if he just squeezed his palm to a fist. Break the petals, tear them into small, blood-red shreds.
Instead, he brought it up to his face and smelled its summery fragrance before pinning it gently to his shirt.
The children ran off soon after that, promising Aeris that they'd come to take care of the flowers again the next day. She seemed far happier than before now that she'd seen her flowers and what had been her home in Midgar.
"Things were, in a way, so much better. Although of course I didn't think so back then, but at least mother was alive, and there was no Meteor to worry about..." she said as they got ready to return to the HQ. The sun had already set, but the Meteor and the few streetlights of the slums lighted their way.
"There's still hope. Highwind and the others will be in Junon soon, and maybe they'll get to Rocket Town as early as tomorrow morning." Reeve comforted her, and the others as well. "As soon as the Meteor's out of the way, we'll have plenty of time to deal with the Weapons and Sephiroth."
"And Hojo." Nanaki reminded them.
"... As soon as we get back to the HQ, I'm going to break into his laboratory and take care of Hojo."
The other three stopped to stare at him. Vincent took a few more steps before realizing it. He turned and blinked at the surprised expressions. "What?"
"Mr. Valentine, several Soldiers have tried, in vain, to breach through his barriers. Even the Turks failed." Reeve said, spreading his hands with frustration. "We want to get to him, but so far it has proven impossible."
"All credit to your Turks and Soldiers, but... I am one of Hojo's pets. I have more hate towards him than they put together. I will get in." Vincent commented calmly. The executive opened his mouth to object, but couldn't get a word out.
Aeris smiled and shook her head. Taking a few steps forward, she rested her hand on Vincent's forearm. "I know you hate him, and I agree that he must be dealt with, but don't go there blinded by rage. You'll only get hurt, and there are those of us who don't want to see you hurt, Vincent."
Nanaki stepped forward, and Vincent was sure he would say something along the same lines, although with none of the 'liking'. "I'm coming with you."
"Nanaki?" Aeris turned to the beast, her grip tightening on Vincent's arm.
"It may be foolishness, but we have to get rid of him before he can become even more dangerous than he already is. I'll go with Valentine. I'm sure we can get a few Turks and Soldiers to accompany us." He glanced over at Reeve, who stared for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, sure, but... this isn't the sanest thing to do. He's going to be ruthless."
"We live in mad times." Vincent commented, turned and continued to walk, Aeris still holding onto his arm.
"Why? Why now?" she whispered as they walked towards the train station, Nanaki and Reeve a bit behind.
"When else? Now, he still hasn't done anything drastic, which he will do. We'll have a chance to stop him before that."
"But Vincent..."
"I want to at least try. I know it may be the last thing I do, but I have to. For myself, but also for Lucretia, Sephiroth, Cloud, Zackery... and you and your parents." Vincent stared straight ahead while he spoke, calmly and steadily, neither his voice nor his steps faltering. "I used to be a Turk, back when it still meant something. I know his tricks. I won't rest until the world is free of him."
Aeris turned her eyes from his face to look where they were going. She bit her lip, looked over her shoulder at Nanaki and Reeve, and then back ahead. "Well then. If you're sure."
"I am, Aeris."
"I'm coming as well."
Vincent stopped and opened his mouth to protest.
"You included me and my parents in the list on who you were doing it for. I have as much of a right to be there as you, then. And I will."
"Aeris, it'll be foolish, you--" Nanaki attempted, but she interrupted him as well.
"This coming from the first to join Vincent's foolish crusade? And don't give me that look, Nanaki. I can fight. And more importantly, I can heal you after Hojo..." she fell quiet and shrugged. "I'm coming too."
Aeris turned to Reeve, who looked like he wished he'd be anywhere else but right there. "Reeve, do you think you can get some of the Soldiers and Turks to help us? Today?"
Zax lay on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the small cabin, reliving that day over and over again. He could remember the ground shaking beneath them, the sneaking horror that they were all going to die. But it didn't even come close to comparing to the horror of what he'd just heard.
Cloud had killed Ifalna. Not entirely intentionally, not even realizing that it was her. The ground was shaking worse now, and some of the others were running away already. Barret was shouting something about getting to the airship, but he wasn't really paying attention. The Soldier was still staring at the icy wall ahead, his sword still embedded in it. All his senses told him to run for his life, but he knew that when he'd turn around, he'd have to face Cloud.
Time was running out, and even the clone seemed to realize it. Sephiroth had disappeared somewhere from his earlier perch, and something was moving behind the wall which he'd previously occupied. Zax cringed when a shy hand tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.
"Zax? ... I think we should--" Cloud started, but fell silent when in one fluid movement the Soldier grabbed his sword, pulled it out and turned to face the blond.
They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Barret was still shouting, but his voice was far from them now. The sound of the room collapsing was far louder.
Zax forced his emotions deep inside of himself when those blue eyes he'd gotten so used to looked up to him, determined but pleading. His heart was ice when those thin lips parted and spoke:
"If I spill the blood of the innocents, will you still... love me?"
Zax hadn't answered. He just ran. He ran until he reached the others and past them, not caring about their words. He ran past all three walls of wind, across the snaking paths and between the black teeth of the earth, sticking out through the mist. He could see the Highwind, but he ignored it. He ran all the way to the top of the cliff and beyond.
He ran until the cold got to him.
Vincent had discarded the weapons he'd taken from the Highwind when Reno had offered to take him to the Turk's armoury, to 'get some real guns', as the redhead put it. There were a lot more weapons there than he remembered, and it took a while for him to find a few that he liked. A small pistol which he hid into his clothes, and a sniper rifle. Neither had any special Mako abilities, unlike most other weapons there.
Satisfied with his choices and ready to face Hojo, Vincent turned to leave. But Reno was still there, his thin frame blocking the door. The ex-Turk raised an eyebrow at him.
"You know, the Prez asked me to come with you guys when Reeve gave him the news about this. So don't give me that attitude, or my spells just might miss." The Turk said.
Vincent felt his chest shaking with quiet laughter, which only seemed to irritate Reno. The redhead even pulled out his fighting rod and poked into his direction with it.
"Stop laughing, you creep. I don't know what Elena sees in you, or that Cetra girl for that matter."
"Jealous?" Vincent asked, genuinely amused.
"No! I just don't believe you've got what it takes to become Elena's Savior of the Turks or whatever. Were you even serious when you promised to help us?" Reno had lowered his weapon now, but was still eyeing him ferociously, which, with pale eyes like that and the scars underneath his eyes was an unnerving sight. Not to Vincent, though, he'd seen so much worse, but he could imagine the Turk's victims found him quite frightening.
"Interesting choice of words there." Vincent commented and held back his smile at Reno's confused expression.
"What?"
"You said 'when you promised to help US', not 'her'."
"…" Reno glared at him.
"But yes, I was serious. I do not kid around. I may not believe any of us will be alive to 'save the Turks', but if we do survive, I might as well do something about that attitude of yours."
Reno's eyes thinned to slits, but Vincent didn't give him a chance to even open his mouth.
"Save it for Hojo, boy. For now, we could start to help the Turk's reputation by not being there late." He stepped forwards determinedly and Reno instinctively moved out of the way, and let him out of the door. Vincent allowed himself a small smirk when he heard the arrogant Turk swearing up a storm before running after him.
They quickly reached Hojo's floor. The elevators weren't considered safe anymore, so they'd taken the stairs. Guarding the door was a small group of nervous Soldiers. The others hadn't arrived yet.
Hojo's laboratory took most of this floor, and all of the floor above. But the stairs leading up to the 68th floor were blocked. They'd been told that the upper floor was completely overrun by monsters, and there was no way in there through the staircase, not from above nor from below. The only way to get there would be by the elevator that joined the laboratories, and that was deep inside Hojo's territory.
"What's going on?" Vincent asked the guards, who saluted either him or Reno, it didn't matter to him.
"Nothing out of the creepy ordinary, which is to say, a lot of blood-chilling screaming and roaring, but they haven't attempted to break out. We don't know what's going on or where they are, or how many, as the security cameras were broken as soon as Professor Hojo locked himself in there." One soldier reported, holding his rifle tight. "They've been quiet for a while now, perhaps it's bedtime or something." The other Soldiers laughed nervously at his joke while eyeing the locked and blocked door just as nervously.
The men gave Vincent and Reno all the information on the floor, the security and what they might find inside. Nanaki, Aeris and a few Soldiers arrived soon after them, and once the Soldier was done, they checked their equipment and got ready.
Vincent looked up from his weapons, and was startled to see that they were all looking at him. "... What?"
Reno let out a short laugh. "It's your show, man. What do you want to do?"
Others nodded when Vincent looked at them. Even Nanaki. He blinked a few times and felt a strange warmth inside, a feeling that had nothing to do with pain, grief or suffering.
Vincent cleared his throat and looked up. "All right. Once we get the door open, Nanaki, you and I will go in first. Reno, you follow us and then the Soldiers. Aeris, you stay in the back, it's more likely we'll need you healing than fighting. We'll probably have to go through Hojo's helpers before reaching him. They'll try to slow us, but we can't let them. Hojo may be locked in there but he'll have a way out." He locked eyes with Reno, knowing that the Turk would be most used to what he said next. "We can't leave anyone alive. If the other scientist are loyal to Hojo, they'll fight us. If they're his victims, they're being controlled. Hojo is the one we need to kill. Without mercy. No matter what he tries to say or do."
"Can't he teleport as well?" Nanaki asked, remembering how the professor had left them at the Northern Crater and at Nibelheim.
Vincent nodded. "Yes, he can. That's why we have to find him as soon as possible. And I'm hoping your nose will help with that."
Nanaki nodded.
"There may be a few traps, the Soldiers who attempted to confront Hojo earlier walked into a few. I'll try to mark or disarm them as I go, but you have to be careful. Step where I step, until we're in the laboratory. It's not likely there'll be traps there. They'd be in danger of stepping into one themselves." He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just nodded. "Good luck. Let's get the door open."
The guards started to remove the heavy crates that blocked the door from them. The crates were to slow Hojo's helpers if they got out, while the lock kept them out of the laboratory.
"The last guys got in with the keycard, but Hojo's done something to the locking system and the card's useless now. We've tried it a few times." One guard explained to Vincent. "You could try to override the card system with the proper codes..."
Vincent eyed the door and the small slit on the wall. Entering the proper keycard would open the door, but without the keycard you could still get in by typing an emergency code into the keypad underneath the slit. "Who has the codes?"
"... No idea. The executives should have some of them, but Hojo's codes... he's always been a suspicious bastard, I guess he'd keep them to himself."
The ex-Turk said nothing, just nodded and motioned for the young man to step aside. When Vincent pulled his new gun out, he could feel the tension in the small room rising. He could run around asking for the codes, and try to break in that way. But there was an easier, faster way.
"Watch out." He hoped they'd all turned away from the door before he put six bullets into the wall, around the keypad and the card slot. Someone yelped behind him, hopefully just out of surprise.
Electricity crackled from the bullet holes while Vincent lowered the barrel a bit, aimed for a second and sent two more bullets straight into the slot, to either end. The locking system started to smoke and several small explosions startled them enough that no one noticed how the door slid open noiselessly.
"You can look up now." Vincent said and lifted his gun, peering into the dimly lit hallway. Beyond the thin curtain of smoke, nothing moved.
Nanaki stepped to his side, and growled immediately after smelling the air coming from beyond the door. "That smell... I hoped I'd never have to return here."
"Let's go. There's no time to waste." Vincent kept his eyes ahead, trusting that the others would do as he had instructed them. He knew that the Soldiers would follow orders, and he dared to trust that Aeris would stay in the back, but Nanaki and Reno... the Turk had an attitude problem, and Vincent suspected that given the chance to get Hojo, Nanaki wouldn't mind disobeying. But for now, the great beast stepped into the hallway by his side, and the Turk followed just a few steps behind. The guards wished them good luck, their weapons now out in case something got past the group and to the door.
The few Soldiers followed Reno, and as Aeris stepped into the darkness, the guards were already piling a few crates up to block the now open door. Light from the small room didn't reach far into the laboratory, and soon it was completely dark, except for a few dim lights on the wall. Metal creaked somewhere ahead, and was followed by a muted roar.
They had turned to the right after the door, and once Aeris was in, Vincent and Nanaki had already reached another door. It was slightly open, revealing a dimly lit control room with desks and computers. Nanaki poked his head in for a moment. "No one there." He whispered quietly. Vincent nodded and continued, keeping an eye out for possible traps. His back was against the curving wall as he rounded a corner. Ahead of him was now a long hallway, which soon forked to the right, towards small prison cells. The laboratory itself was straight down the hall from where they were standing.
But the hallway was long.
"Vincent..." Nanaki said with a low voice as they stared into the shadows ahead. There was some light in the laboratory, lighting the end of their path. "Do you see them?"
"Six creatures. In the shadows. They're good. And quiet." The ex-Turk answered quietly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. It made it easier to keep an eye on the creatures that slithered across the walls and the ceiling towards them. Invisible, except for eyes that could see in the dark. "I can take out at least three before they reach us."
"Be my guest." Nanaki muttered and casually took a few steps ahead, towards two of the creatures which were coming towards them on his side.
Vincent looked over his shoulder at Reno who seemed oblivious of the approaching enemies. The Turk was eyeing the hallway suspiciously, but he couldn't see the creatures. "Get ready."
"I was born ready." Reno answered but yelped with surprise when Vincent's gun went off. The bullet clearly hit something, as there was a screech and a thud as something fell to the floor.
Reno, the Soldiers and Aeris couldn't really make out what was approaching them, but now they could hear the creatures. Another one fell to Vincent's bullet, and by the time he dropped the promised third, the fourth was already fighting with Nanaki.
The Turk got himself together and aimed his lightning rod at the shadows near the ceiling ahead. The crackling ball of electricity lightened the whole area for long enough that the Soldiers took aim and finished off the last three creatures. When the light died, the hallway was quiet again. It had taken only a few seconds.
"... Six creatures?" Nanaki muttered and shook himself to throw off the enemy's blood that had covered his fur.
"A small miscalculation." Vincent commented and got ready to fire when they heard running from the hall to the cells. This time the enemies were normal Shin-Ra guards, but they attacked even though they could see the Turk and the Soldiers in the small group. Vincent and the Soldiers shot them down.
"This is too easy..." Reno muttered as they hurried past the hall, towards the laboratory. "These guys are weak!"
"Hojo didn't leave them here to kill us, he left them to delay us." Vincent answered, not bothering to turn and face the younger Turk. From the corner of his eye he caught movement near the ceiling again, and shot the shadow creature down without even stopping. Nanaki was a few steps ahead of him, and reached the laboratory first. Vincent had a second to wonder why the beast stopped so suddenly before he reached the doorway as well, and glimpsed up.
The ceiling was moving. It was a living, breathing mass of the strange shadow creatures. And their entrance had been noticed.
Reno almost bumped to him and swore. But there was light enough in the laboratory that everyone could see something of the creatures who were quickly turning all their attention to them.
"This could be bad." Nanaki muttered, taking a cautious step back.
Reno snorted. "Bad? No, this is what we Turks like to call fucked in the a--"
"Less talk, more killing." Nanaki interrupted and tried to get a clear idea of the whole situation. Vincent was already firing his gun, and the Soldiers pushed past them into the room, opening fire. The beast figured out that while the creatures were up in the ceiling, the easiest way for him to reach them would be by a spell. And since he was especially fond of the fire-based spells, he aimed one to the middle of a larger group of the creatures.
The effect of the fire-spell made even the Soldiers stop shooting.
The burning creatures screeched with agony and fell to the floor where they were consumed by the fire. It had spread amongst them like they were dry grass. The fastest creatures had fled from the fire, squealing with fear.
There was a momentary silence as the creatures stopped and stared down at their smoking siblings. Then they all started to howl like mad and some jumped down to the floor. The Soldiers opened fire again, swearing with devotion that would make Cid weep tears of joy.
"Aeris, fire them!" Nanaki shouted and started to weave another spell when someone suddenly grabbed his tail and started to pull him to the right. Completely surprised, the beast looked back to find an excited Reno tugging him along. "What in the name of Odin are you doing?!" Nanaki screamed.
"Come on, furball! I need your help!" The Turk shouted and dragged him into the laboratory, and to a tank by the wall, nearly as tall as the man himself. Nanaki had no idea what the redhead was planning, and was about to pull his tail free when he saw the text on the side of the tank. His one working eye went wide.
"You're mad!" Nanaki threw the rest of his body flat on the floor and covered his head with his large front paws. He was sure he could hear Reno laughing like he indeed had lost his mind, but when the Turk opened the valve and the gas burst out of the tank with great force, all he could hear was the horrified screeching of the creatures as the gas met the fiery tip of his tail, held still by Reno. The resulting ball of fire filled half of the room, and burning creatures fell from the ceiling like ripe fruits.
The fireball was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared, but the effect was unbelievable. When Nanaki dared to lift a paw, he saw the floor full of smoking and still burning creatures. The ones which had survived were huddling in the far corners of the room. Behind him, Reno was still holding his tail, staring at the destruction with a half-mad glint in his eyes. His sleeve was gone and the skin of his arm burned, but the Turk didn't seem to mind.
Vincent had noticed the Turk dragging Nanaki off to the side, but he'd had no idea what was going on. That was still a bit unclear to him, but he had to admit that Reno had found a quick and easy way to get rid of most of the creatures. The Soldiers, also startled by the fire storm, opened themselves from the protective balls their bodies had curled into, and after taking a moment to take in the scene ahead of them started to shoot the rest of the creatures down. Vincent just stared at Reno while Aeris ran past him to cure the Turk's arm.
The redhead had not only endangered his own life, but Nanaki's as well. All of their lives! The whole tank could have exploded, the fire could have consumed them all, anything could have gone wrong! No sane person would have even attempted such a thing!
But. Sane people wouldn't become Turks, either. So even though Vincent wanted to really hurt the Turk, he also had to admire his guts. But just a bit.
While Aeris tended to Reno and the Soldiers took care of the small groups of creatures left alive, Nanaki wobbled over to Vincent on very shaky legs.
"Are you all right?" Vincent asked, even though he knew they couldn't afford to waste any time.
Nanaki nodded, his fur a bit singed. "Yeah. But... if that maniac EVER comes near me AGAIN, I will kill him myself. Friend or foe, he's dead."
"Don't be so high and mighty!" Reno called out, smirking. "We needed to get rid of them as fast as possible, right? That was easier and faster than trying to time a fire spell and the burst of gas together. It stinks worse than Palmer, but they're dead."
As soon as Aeris had cured Reno's arm the small group started towards the back of the lower floor of the laboratory, knowing they'd find an elevator there. There had been no sign of Hojo anywhere so far, and no other monsters. After the fireball the shadow creatures didn't attempt to attack again, and the Soldiers didn't even bother to kill all of them off.
They reached the elevator without further trouble, but stopped there.
"Hojo must know that we're coming. We've had it fairly easy so far, but if he's up there..." Vincent left the sentence hanging. They all could imagine what would wait for them up in the 68th floor. "It's not wise for all of us to go up there at once. I, Reno and you three," he pointed at three of the five Soldiers, "we'll go first. The rest of you, follow once we send the elevator back here." He avoided looking at Aeris or Nanaki in the eye when he stepped into the elevator after the Soldiers and Reno. He'd deliberately left the two behind as he knew they'd immediately go for Hojo the moment they saw him, regardless of any danger. He knew it because that's what he'd do. Vincent felt a little selfish, knowing that he'd done it partly so that he'd get a head start at killing Hojo, but that could wait. Get rid of the bastard now, worry about morals later.
The door closed painfully slowly, and the noise the elevator made as it started to rise seemed loud enough for everyone in the HQ to hear. Hojo might have already teleported away days ago, or at the very latest when he'd heard them approaching. But Vincent had known Hojo long enough to know that the man was horribly vain and indulged in every opportunity to show his superiority to anyone. He trusted that Hojo would have stayed, just to mock them.
All five were ready to attack as soon as they could see the upper floor. Weapons and spells ready to be aimed and released as soon as they'd see the floor. But when they saw it, it was all they saw. No Hojo, no monsters. Just a very messy floor. Not a creature in sight. Vincent immediately lifted his eyes to the ceiling, but could only see a few working lights up there.
They exited the elevator and send it back down. The three Soldiers moved deeper into the laboratory while Vincent and Reno waited for the others.
There was a large glass tube almost in the middle of the messy room, and a row of smaller ones by the rounded wall behind it. They were all empty. The floor was littered with trash, torn clothes, empty food tins and things Vincent didn't care to inspect any closer. The smell was horrible.
One of the Soldiers climbed up to the small control room, only to poke his head out after a moment, shaking it to let them know that it was empty. But Vincent had a bad feeling. Something was wrong. They were being fooled, lulled into thinking they were safe. The elevator was coming up again, indeed making a quite loud noise, but there was no sign of life anywhere. No movement.
"The fucker's gone." Reno muttered and swore, kicking an empty tin can across the room.
"I don't think so." Vincent said with a low voice, his red eyes keeping a close watch around the room as the elevator screeched to a halt behind them, and the door opened.
"You don't think so?! Well where the hell is he then? Hiding under all this shit?"
"I don't know. But it isn't his style to just leave like that."
"You know me too well, Mr. Valentine."
Vincent's gun was aimed at Hojo faster than he could turn his head to see the man. He had pulled the trigger halfway already when he froze.
The scientist was standing there, across the room. He must have entered it through the door leading to the hallway to the stairs. He wasn't alone. Behind him were three large creatures, heavily built and holding the two squirming Soldiers threateningly.
"I must admit, I'm impressed how quickly you got here. If you hadn't figured out their weakness, you'd still be fighting my dark army. Well, those of them still in the HQ. I suppose most of them have already spread all over Midgar." Hojo said, laughter in his eyes as he saw their futile rage. They couldn't attack him as long as he held the two Soldiers prisoner. The 'good guys' would never kill their own, not even to save their own skins.
"What are you talking about?" Reno asked, making Vincent cringe. The Turk was saying exactly what Hojo wanted them to say. He was a bit curious himself, but more interested in finding a way to kill the madman.
"Jenova's army. Granted, they don't have any of her special traits or abilities, but they will help her and bring this nest of sin to its knees. They can get anywhere they wish through the sewers, and they will. They're curious little creatures. Whereas these ones, their masters..." he gestured at the three monsters, "these ones aren't so much curious as they are vicious."
True to his words, one creature got a bit carried away and held the Soldier tighter. The snap startled them all, but the pained scream was muffled by the large, slightly human hand that covered most of the man's face.
Hojo was smirking, but seemed a bit annoyed when he looked at them. "The Turk, the Cetra and the monster from Cosmo Canyon... is that all? I was expecting to see the Soldier with you. Cloud already saw it wiser to join the winner's side, but that oaf was always too stupid for his own good. Maybe it finally got him killed."
Aeris opened her mouth and even took a step closer, but Vincent lifted his arm and silenced her. "He's just trying to anger us, Aeris. Don't listen to him."
Hojo laughed and shook his head. "Even after all these years, Vincent, you still think you know everything? Just because you had it tough as a child, because you were a Turk, because Lucretia loved you and not me, you still think you know everything?"
"No, I don't." Vincent said, trying very hard to obey his own words and not let the man get to him. He took two steps towards Hojo, still keeping his gun aimed at the man's head. "I don't know everything, and I never will. But I know you, Hojo. I know your dark secrets and plans." The monsters didn't seem to care that he was walking slowly towards them. They still had tight grips of the Soldiers, but didn't harm them further. "And I know your lies."
Hojo actually took a few steps towards him, away from the security of his pawns. The three Soldiers left, two standing in front of Aeris and the last one up near the control room, had their weapons pointed at the monsters. Vincent had Hojo in his sights. But the scientist still approached him, smirking.
"You don't know anything, Vincent. You thought that Cloud was just a hapless victim, and by rescuing him you'd help him. When you were actually helping me and Jenova. You thought that by helping him you could ease the pain of never being there for your son. But it didn't help, did it?"
"Shut up." Vincent said while his hand started to shake. He tried to keep it still, but Hojo had already noticed it. The scientist smirked and continued.
"You call me a liar, but I can see that you are starting to realize the truth in my words. You aren't a stupid man, Vincent, just... mislead, shall we say. But it's not too late yet. You are one of the royal family. You aren't one of Her blood, but you are the father of Sephiroth. Our god."
Vincent felt a stab of pain when Hojo so casually revealed his secret to all these strangers. He tried to ignore it, but he could feel the waves of disbelief from them. Aeris had known, but the others had had no idea. And now they all knew. His hand shook even worse while he continued to approach Hojo. But now the monsters seemed to come to the conclusion that he was getting too near. The Soldiers cried with pain and Vincent thought he heard a few ribs snap, so he stopped. But Hojo had approached him as well, and they were now only twenty feet from each other.
"Face it, Vincent. Everything you've ever loved or just cared about, you've tainted. But She doesn't mind it. Things like that don't matter to Her. Especially since your effect on these people has only strengthened Her grip on them. See, you've already been working for Her, without knowing it. Why don't you stop pretending, realize where your loyalties should lie, and just come to our side? She won't turn you away."
"The only reason..." Vincent whispered with a shaky voice, "that I'd ever come near her, or you, is so that I can make absolutely sure my bullets won't miss their targets."
Hojo's smirk faltered slightly, and his eyes hardened. "I see. I offer you a hand in peace and brotherhood, and you spit on it. She might be more tolerant of such behaviour, but I am not." The scientist cocked his head a bit to the side to address his monsters. "Kill one."
They didn't have time to move or react before the monster had already snapped the Soldier's neck like a twig. The man up near the control room screamed with rage and fired his weapon. It pierced the monster's eye, exploding blood and other fluids all around it. The monster staggered and almost fell, but didn't even let out a sound of pain. In a moment it had regained its balance, and stood still, the dead Soldier limp in its hands.
"It won't be that easy." Hojo said and shook his head. Vincent could feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand up suddenly. And in the same heartbeat he realized that the floor was shaking. Something was approaching them. Something big. But then he noticed that in front of him, Hojo was beginning to fade. The bastard was teleporting. He'd get away yet again!
Vincent forgot everything else and just lunged at the man before Hojo would disappear completely. The scientist backed away, surprised. He was almost gone from the laboratory, but Vincent was right in front of him, his left hand, no longer covered by the metal claw, reaching out for him, eager fingers grabbing out for any kind of hold on him.
The door exploded into the room before the three monsters were joined with two others and a group of Shin-Ra guards, armed to the teeth. The Soldier still captured by the monster didn't have time to fear for his life before his neck was broken as well. The three remaining immediately opened fire on the guards, figuring that they could still be killed. They dashed for some kind of cover while the guards also opened fire, one Soldier pulling Aeris down with him. She had just stood there, staring at the spot where Vincent and Hojo had disappeared from.
Far down in the deep scar, away from curious eyes and hostile hands, safely burrowed into the almost healthy earth beneath a shell of magical protection. Like in the womb of the very earth. The air somewhere far up there was cold, but down here it was warm. The earth was warm. The Lifestream was working hard there to heal the land, to fight the ones who tried to hurt it.
"But now it just keeps us safe. Everything it tries to do to get rid of us just helps us. The Lifestream it uses to fight us, gives us power. The mighty Weapons it sent to destroy everything harmful keeps our enemies busy. The magic barrier takes care of the rest. We're quite safe here, my little puppet."
The voice was low, slightly feminine, and it almost purred with pleasure. Laying like this, his head in her lap, he could almost feel her voice. Feel the truth in the words.
It truly was safe here, like she promised. They'd never hurt him again, they wouldn't look down at him, call him a monster, a murderer. They'd never leave him again, not after saying they cared for him and they'd forgive him. All they did was lie. Lie to him and hurt him.
"You're thinking about them again, my child..." she purred and stroked his hair, immediately calming his turbulent mind. Cloud sighed and closed his eyes, letting her warm hands take away all his pain and sorrow.
She'd keep him safe. She'd never leave him. She promised. And she never lied.
"We wait here just a little longer, and the Meteor and the Weapons will take care of everything for us. Then we can rise from here, meet with Hojo and the servants he's created... and then the world will be ours. I'll be its god, and you'll be by my side always, won't you? My sweet child."
"... Yes."
But he never called her Mother. Even when she asked him to.
-
A.N: Aaaaaah! Zax's gonna be in AC! Happy happy joy joy!
ShiAne, your comment made me soooo happy... :D But then again, I am a twisted person. I honestly don't mean to be so mean to Cloud... erm... Ahh, who am I kidding.
Thank you also very much for Crystaline Dragon for your comment! :)
I now (finally!) have the basic plot in mind on how this is going to go, all the way to the end. I just have no idea if it's gonna be a happy ending or not. Could go either way. :) Should I be nice or mean? Please leave a review, and thank you for reading! The next chapter should be out sooner, as I already have a lot of it written.