0.3 WHITE INNOCENCE
The armoured car drove slowly through the streets of the city. There were no windows in the passengers seat, so they could not se the commotion in the streets, but they could hear it. Inside the car there was complete silence, though. None of the three SeeDs felt like speaking, since Professor Hojo was sitting opposite to them and starring at them with the weirdest smile. Squall felt a chill down his spine. What was wrong with this man?
The car trip seemed to go on for hours and slowly, the noises from the outside faded.
"We must have left the city" Squall thought.
Dr. Hojo lifted his head as if he listened to a distant sound. His smile got wider.
"We will soon be there. Patience. Soon" he mumbled.
Squall wasn't sure who the man was talking to and did therefore not respond.
Not long after that the car stopped and the side door was pushed open by a SOLDIER whose uniform covered most of his face.
"Dr. Hojo, we are here" he said in a voice that was partly muffled by the uniform collar that went all the way up to his nose.
"Yes, I have noticed" Dr. Hojo responded and turned to Seifer "Well, out you go, all three of you"
Seifer looked at the professor for a short moment and then he jumped out of the car. Zell and Squall followed, and so did Hojo. To his surprise, Squall found himself ankle deep in the whitest snow he'd ever seen. When he looked around, he saw only mountains which stretched high into the heavens. They seemed almost purple against the grey sky. The car had stopped in front of a huge mansion that was only partly lit up. Only in the east part of the building did the light shine out into the snow, the south part seemed deserted. There was no cleaned path up to the building so the three SeeDs, the professor and two SOLDIERS had to struggle trough the snow to get to the front doors. Squall thought he could see marks after older footsteps, but they were partly covered with snow now so it was hard to make out the shapes.
"How can it be so much snow here, it's October, for God sake" Seifer said in a low voice so that the professor would not hear "We can't be more then 6 miles from Junon, and their were not a single snowflake over there"
"Mako reaction" Zell responded "It does weird thing to the weather, as well as to everything else. Look how white the snow is, it's almost radiant"
"So, when we come home, our skin is gonna be all green and sticky, or what?" Seifer said.
"Don't worry" Zell replayed with a grin "In your case that might be an improvement"
"You're a joke, Zell" Seifer answered "But at least you're a good one"
"I can be the joke that cracks you up, if you want"
"Feisty"
"You bet"
"Be silent" Squall whispered as one of the SOLDIERS turned around to look at them.
When they reached the front doors, dr. Hojo pulled up a huge set of keys and unlocked the door. He pushed it open and motioned for the SeeDs to follow him. They did so, but the two SOLDIERS stayed put on each side of the doors. Squall almost jumped when the heavy doors slid closed behind him.