29
Hojo, Where all the Insanity Started
The Turks were right. The tunnels were a straight arrow towards the center of sector 8. Thanks to the emergency backup lights, our path remained lit, though in a horror of red. We were trekking through hell before meeting Satan himself, all our skin a glow of red with the lights in our eyes, while shadows lurked behind cement pillars and fences. I was grateful to take a break from the rain, instead, replaced with the cold chill of the hollow train tunnels. The backup rods of red light slowly blinked, the tunnel dark briefly before lit again. My heart would accelerate as it became pitch black, and then relaxed whent the lights returned. It felt nostalgic, my stomach twisting with that familiar suspension I had when I was first down here with Cloud, Barret and Tifa.
"Hey Cloud, Aqua? Ya'll remember being down here?" Barret suddenly asked, hitting memory lane.
I rubbed my chest to get a better feel of traces of those memories, like grasping feathers from a bird that's been free for a long time, and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I remember," I sighed. It was difficult to describe: partially shocked at where my life has taken me since then.
"You mean having us drag Aqua into that bomb mission while keeping it secret?" Cloud asked, glaring at Barret like it was his fault.
Barret shrugged while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Y-Yeah?"
Cloud crossed his arms and looked away. "It feels like a million years ago," he finished softer.
Cid said nothing, happily enjoying a cigarette.
The tunnels were quiet until the crashing of rain eased in, and then it only grew louder until the end was in sight. The walls of red lights had ended, leading us towards a cold shower.
Cloud stepped out first, the rain heavier than before, and he looked up, his chin already dripping with fat drops.
"This is it," he warned, glaring.
"We here then?" Barret asked, stomping next to him.
"Let's get this over with," Cid grilled, and threw his cigarette in a puddle.
I jogged out the tunnel to meet with them, greeted by the rain. My hair quickly became wet, brushing it all back with my cold fingers, and observed above the high metal walls. I had to tilt my head all the way to even catch a glimpse of where the cannon structure ended.
The Sister Ray loomed over us.
Metal rails and stairs led up to its magnificent structure, glowing green tubes pumped with Mako draped over our heads towards the belly of the beast.
The first Barret had to say, of course, was, "That's a lot of stairs."
Cloud slapped him with his glare.
"Barret, not now," he hissed, and took the steps up to the street.
I silently agreed with Barret. The cannon must be at least forty stories tall, though, built in a rush, mostly supported by pipes of metal groundwork. Walking closer to the first set of temporary metal stairs, the streets were covered with litter of fallen rails and glass; the after effects of the first cannon fire.
Along the heavy rain clouds, a trace of light appeared in the thin parts and cracks, thankfully morning approaching soon, but not nearly quick enough to end the storm.
Cloud climbed a few steps, but then he stopped short to inspect our objective. Parts of the cannon glowed in a scatter of lights, some flickering as it charged. The haze of Mako leaking from the pipes created a glowing fog, adding weak lighting, and Cloud stood lit in it, unaffected by the traces of exposure, and just….didn't move.
Maybe he was stuck in his thoughts, unaware of his solidified form in the way. The rest of us waited, eager to climb the steps.
Barret scratched his head.
"Uh, Cloud? Why aren't ya moving?"
A gauntlet hand curled into a fist at Cloud's side.
"Guys, I apologize for the timing, but I need to say something," he proclaimed slightly over his shoulder. I breathed into my cold, wet hands and stiffened, pondering what was so important to Cloud to have him stop us like this and speak up.
Cid tapped his trident impatiently on concrete.
"What is it, Cloud?"
Cloud turned around to give all three of us a serious gaze, eyes bright. The Mako haze diffused a faint glow to his wet face and hair the color of lime.
"When this is over: Hojo, Midgar, all of this, I…" He caught my gaze and looked away quickly, clearing his throat.
"I want a break."
Cid and I shared a speculated look, whereas Barret opened his arms and said to Cloud, "Well, considering everyone else is having one, we can't disagree, can we?"
Cloud shook his head, and more water flicked from his hair.
"No. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I want to clarify. After we stop Hojo, I want to step away…"
Our eyes locked, Cloud's baby blue eyes soft. There was a small jolt in my chest, enough for a quick breath as he said, "And spend my last days with Aqua before we fight Sephiroth."
My heart skipped, unable to speak other than utter Cloud's name in a whisper.
Cid dropped his eyes, quiet, but Barret spat, "Couldn't this wait? Why you gotta tell us now?!"
Cloud cut him off with his hand slicing the air, and replied sharply, "Because it seems like its been one thing after another. It never ends. So, I'm saying this now before there's more shit in our way. I need to remember why we're doing this because right now, I'm pissed."
Cid kicked a pipe out of his way and let it roll off into the shadows while he scratched his head.
"Me too," he chimed in.
All of us looked at him, and he crossed his arms, blue eyes glistening.
"Yeah, after this, I agree. When this is done, let's do whatever the fuck we want for a few days," he exclaimed, smiling.
I reflected his smile and added, "Yeah, let's have something to look forward to after this."
Barret softened and looked to his metal hand, the rain tapping on its mechanical fingers.
"Yeah, I can't say no to that. I want to be with my little girl for a while."
"So it's decided," Cloud clarified. "We do whatever we want after this."
"Yeah!" Barret and I cheered.
Cid stuck a finger in his ear to dig out wax.
"Yeah, yeah, so then, let's hurry the fuck up. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can drop your asses off and go spend my last days with Shera," he mumbled.
We all smiled. It was to be our celebration after untangling the mess of Midgair, Hojo that last knot to untie.
Cloud spun and began to climb the stairs.
"Last one is a rotten egg," he mentioned flatly, and gave me a secret glimpse from the side of his eye before ascending. I flushed, knowing he stole that line from me a long time ago, and hurried to keep up.
"Not me!" I gasped, close behind him.
"Ah man, that's not fair," Barret whined, already behind the rest of us.
"Who cares," Cid hissed.
The four of us took the winding of stairs along the side of the cannon. It was a timely zigzag motion, ten flights in one direction, and then in the other. Barret stuck two levels below me, huffed away, obviously struggling.
"I don't get it. You think, by now, I would be good at this," he wondered aloud.
"You think?" Cloud groaned, way ahead of the rest of us.
I inhaled Mako, and it suddenly triggered my gag to throw up. With little warning, I stopped on one step, jerked my head over a metal rail, and vomited. Thankfully, the heavy rain helped muffle the awful effects, though its taste wasn't much better than the after spit. For a minute, I recollected myself, face feeling hot.
I huffed puffs of vapor from my breath out into the dark. From many heights, Midgair slowly laid out in a black world underneath us, the entire city consumed in its shadows. Buildings stood in a large spread, tall black columns of different sizes and heights among the hazy green horizon.
"Aqua, you okay?" Barret asked when he caught up. He laid a supporting hand on my shoulder.
The nausea went away, leaving me able to reply calmly, "Yes. Sorry, just the Mako smell getting to me," I gasped.
Barret grunted, "Yeah. It's pretty strong here. Take it easy, you've been through a lot."
I turned my head to smile up at him.
"Thanks, Barret."
"Anytime."
He climbed again, and I chugged an Ether before following.
"It feels weird without Reeve here," I mentioned, struggling to keep up with Cid and Cloud.
"He's fine. He's helping evacuate the city. That's more heroic than any of the shit I do," Barret rattled, a little behind me.
"Barret…" I worried, hoping he wasn't going to head into a self-pity spiral.
"What? I just blow up reactors and shoot things," he finished. Despite how it started out as a complaint, he sounded so proud when he said that, and he even chuckled to himself, pleased.
"No. The one who should be here, is Vincent. We get to stop Hojo without sharing the wealth. Just gonna give him a good story," Cid snickered, one flight above me.
"That's what he gets for ditching us. His lost," Cloud joined.
Finally, we reached the top.
I had to take a look at Midgar, even if the height turned me into jello. My hands gripped hard over the rail around the landing, and my jaw fell when I observed the entire city like a spread of gloomy legos.
It was unsettling to find all the tall buildings completely dark, like being inside a dream. Little light that glistened, flickered from the freeways, jammed packed with vehicles with their white headlights pointing to the city's walls to leave. Like a river of glimmering white diamonds, the crowded freeways were strips of light between the dark structures. From the lights, car horns echoed.
"Wow, doesn't it look crazy?" Barret asked, viewing the lightless city with me. I nodded, eyes lost to the string of lights that were tiny freeways below.
"It's unreal. A massive city in a blackout. Just ironic," I replied.
"I wonder if it's best this way. I've always wanted Midgair to shut down," Barret shared. I watched him, seeing how he dropped his eyes guilty to the distant reactors like black mountain tops around the city.
"But now that it's actually happening, I'm starting to have doubts," he muttered. His metal fingers tapped the rail uneasily.
"Guys, hurry up," Cid snapped, putting Barret's thoughts to a close. He turned around and scowled at Cid.
"We comin, you chimney puffin prick," Barret grumbled, and moved again.
I savored one last glance of the view before stepping away from the edge, and turned around to catch up with the others.
Nothing left but straightforward paths through slick metal, rails and wire, until we made it to the end. The rough winds tossed me around easily up here, blowing away the Mako and smog. We seemed to be just a breath away from touching the dark clouds, their mass quickly moving along over our heads. Rain came in sideways, drops as sharp as nails against my cheeks and forehead.
Cloud stopped short, pulled out his sword, and glared at our enemy ahead.
Hojo had his back to us, the winds and rain flapping his white coat and long black hair. He was too preoccupied with the control panel, fingers busy adjusting knobs while watching numbers on a monitor religiously. Was he unaware we were here?
I tensed, frozen in place behind Cloud, and kept sight of Hojo over his shoulder.
Nausea came unexpectedly, and I swallowed.
This was it.
Hojo will crumble under Cloud's sword or Barret's bullets, and we can go home. The anticipation should've been settling, but for some reason, anxiety resurfaced, bubbling after it's been a long time. Seeing Hojo, knowing he was only a few steps away, brought flashbacks of my time strapped to his table. His wicked smile, greasy hair gleaming under the bright lamps, and round glasses peering down at me with a hunger worse than what Rufus could ever produce.
I hugged myself and stayed close to Cloud, his presence adding relief.
"How long do you all intend to stand there?" Hojo suddenly grumbled.
I didn't expect him to notice.
Cloud took a step forward and swung his sword out with one hand to fling rain at Hojo's heels.
"Hojo, stop right there!" He demanded.
Hojo's narrow shoulders shook from chuckling, and then he pulled his hands away just to look over his shoulder at us. His small, round glasses were fogged and wet, face ghostly white with his tiny, black eyes studying us like we were inferior beings. I easily recalled those sharp teeth of his when he grinned at us, cheeks caked with loose, wet black hair like splashes of tar upon his face.
Cold water trickled down my back, giving me shivers.
Hojo's eyes glint at Cloud, and then, his thin eyebrows lifted.
"Oh, the failure," he chirped, as though pleased to see him, and put his hands behind his back.
Cloud clenched his teeth.
"My name is Cloud!" His body soon outlined with Mako.
Hojo frowned, hands slipping in his coat's pockets to settle casually.
"It pains me to be reminded of my failures every time I see you. And yet, here you are, my most successful Sephiroth clone all along. Funny how that works, doesn't it? I thought those five years would be a waste-!"
"Shut up!" Cloud screamed.
Hojo liked that he triggered Cloud, and he picked his next opponent, his beady eyes on me. His frown quickly flipped.
"Ah, yes, and even after all I did to you, you and the Ancient managed to conceive. How interesting." His eyes bore at my small belly.
I inhaled sharply, one hand over my lips and the other at my pelvis as though to hide my unborn child from his hungry stare. How did he know? Did Rufus tell him?
"What?!" Barret cried, bewildered.
"Fu-fuck," Cid grumbled.
Cloud stepped in front of me to block Hojo's view, and held his sword out with both hands.
"None of that matters! Stop this bullshit," he screamed.
"Wait, what?" Barret was still in shock, eying me with his large plate-sized eyes.
"Aqua, is he serious?"
I avoided his eyes, keeping quiet.
"Bullshit? What, this?" Hojo sounded condescending as he gestured to the control panel behind him.
"Sephiroth could use all the help he can get, so I'm going to lend him a hand."
He then turned completely around to take a glance at the monitor and muttered, "Blast, only 83%, this is taking too long."
"Why?!" Cloud blurted.
Hojo sighed, and turned around again to consider us more seriously. He seemed to have shifted inside, taking on a different approach he didn't consider before, and hardened. Slowly, he snatched his glasses from his face. The lenses had been smacked too often by rain, pointless, and so he threw them away somewhere with only a tiny sound of glass breaking. His face seemed to smooth out and glisten under the glow rods of backup lights. Winds thew his long hair across his sharp eyes, but he didn't seem to care.
"Why? Because my son needs power, and that's the only reason," he proclaimed, eyes widening.
Cloud lowered his sword a little.
"Your son?"
"His son?!" Barret gasped.
"What the fuck?" Cid cursed.
I said nothing, already aware of the sad truth. Vincent must've not shared this with everybody. Maybe he thought it wasn't relevant. Yuffie and Aerith knew, though I wasn't certain if it has ever come up.
Hojo, the scientist to inject Mako and Jenova cells into his own child while still in the womb of his beautiful wife.
I blinked, adjusting my vision, and found Hojo's body slowly cook with Mako until he was close to Cloud's brightness. The scientist had Mako in him, too? That and something else, but I couldn't see it, more like feel it, and the nausea worsened. I closed my eyes to banish his image, trembling.
Hojo chuckled, "Yes, he's my son, but doesn't know it. I wonder how he will react when he finds out?! Hahahaha!" He clutched his belly as though aching from laughter.
"He always looked down on me, too! How amusing!"
When I opened my eyes to watch the maddening of Hojo, he felt my stare and looked over Cloud's shoulder to meet me. I kept my mouth covered with a hand as my stomach wriggled uncomfortably.
"I would've done the same to the Ancient. Holding a child with both Mako and Ancient blood. If only I could add more Jenova's cells, it would've been spectacular. That time in Junon, Rufus kept me far away from you, and I didn't know why until now."
I curled inward, and flinched from Hojo's choice of words.
"What do you mean, 'more'?" I asked shakily, and felt the urge to reach for Cloud's arm just to squeeze, but mashed my fingers together instead.
Hojo's eyes glowed, and I knew it was the Mako. He grinned in a nightmarish way, his face darkening. His lanky form seemed to melt away, standing more powerful than before.
"Ah, you didn't know the failure had Jenova cells at the time. I see…"
I shrank, and held my belly in my hands hard.
"Wait, that can't be…" I sucked in a sharp breath when I realized the truth.
I looked down at my belly.
"I have…." I couldn't finish, shaking. My mouth stayed open, letting rain sneak inside.
"You have Jenova cells in your fetus, hence how I knew. I can feel a part of her pulse inside you," Hojo purred, amused. He seemed to have me right where he wanted, until Cloud had enough, and screamed, "Stop it!"
He bursted into bright blue flames and charged, sword aimed toward's Hojo without hesitation.
The mad scientist grinned. When I thought he was about to be impaled, Cloud stopped short, his sword only inches from the mad man's stomach.
Unexpectedly, large, purple tentacles wrapped around his neck tightly, sounding like wet leather being stretched apart.
I gasped, finally remembering after repressing the memory for a long time; Hojo had more than just Mako in him…
"What the fuck?" Cid repeated, again, gawking over more reveals of this encounter. With reflex, he reached for a cigarette pack but stopped himself when it continued to rain, and cursed, "I can't smoke in this fucking rain!"
"Cloud!" Barret shouted, and his cyborg arm shifted, the hand replaced with a large firearm I haven't seen yet.
Hojo lifted Cloud off the floor, and the fighter grunted, kicking his legs as he struggled to peel back the death grip with a free hand.
"As much as I like your contribution to Sephiroth's success thus far, I'm afraid I can't let you interfere," Hojo hissed through his smile. With that, he tossed Cloud with tremendous force. I saw him flyover us, beyond the grids and over the railing. I was ready to retrieve him, but he caught a pipe in time to stop his fall, and swung himself back up, landing on his hands and knees.
"Say hello to my new friend. Her name's Big Bertha, and she's gonna kick your scrawny ass," Barret growled. He aimed, and fired a long stream of bullets.
I covered my ears from the gunshots, and watched many bullets lodge into Hojo's body, many holes in his chest.
Step after step, Hojo stumbled back, his wide eyes to the sky and mouth open to gasp with each hit. He collapsed backwards, landing on top of the control panel with his long arms wide and feet suspended in the air. His blood began to spill, a strange color of blue leaking from the bullet holes, and it spread across the buttons only to dribble down into the metal grids along with rain.
Barret pumped his big gun friend in the air.
"Hell yeah, I'm the best!"
Cid gawked at Hojo's fallen body. "Is that it, then?"
Cloud returned, still rubbing at his neck, and hissed, "Let's just turn the cannon off and get out of here."
I came near him to inspect, finding heavy purple lines of bruising all around his neck when I peeled his hand away.
"Oh no," I uttered, the sight of the damage making me swallow. Cloud smirked at me and said, "It's nothing." He knew how to put up a brave face.
I lifted my brows, caught in his gaze. My thoughts drifted back to what Hojo had said earlier, holding Jenova cells inside me, and wondered if that's where his thoughts were, too. Cloud's smirk quickly evaporated, opening his lips when he ready to say something.
"Well, I'll turn the damn thing off," Barret informed, his voice cutting between Cloud's and my thoughts until we had to look away uncomfortably. Save it for another time, when it's more private.
Barret marched towards the control panel, muttering his frustrations to himself. He took a quick glance at Hojo's fallen body. The bottom of his lab coat turned blue from the blood, spreading across his grey trousers.
"He sure looks dead," Barret mumbled, taking note of Hojo's awful skin tone and mouth left open to collect rain just like a fresh corpse. But before he were to kick aside the body, he suddenly froze, and let out a painful cry.
Cloud, Cid and I gasped, turning towards Barret's scream. A tentacle suddenly appeared from behind his back, wiggling free like he grew a tail from the middle of his spine.
"Barret!" I cried, seeing his blood gush around the tentacle that just went through him.
"God damn it!" Cid gasped.
"No," Cloud whispered.
Barret's jaw shook, his breath out in gasps, and then he was suspended, limp legs a few feet from the floor.
"You should know better," Hojo taunted, his lips moving. He rose from the control panel like he's just woken from a nap, stretched out his neck until it cracked back into place and stood tall again, fixing his bloody coat. When his eyes opened, they blazed in Mako, and an alarming force unleashed.
Bullets wiggled out of his body and tapped near his feet. The holes in him had closed up, the man completely healed under his tattering clothes. His arm had turned into a tentacle, and it held Barret high in the air, creating a huge wound right through his abdomen. Red blood trickled over Barret's leg, the fighter unable to mutter even a curse word.
"I can't die easily," Hojo declared in a hiss, and just to smite us, he threw Barret straight into Cloud.
The two stumbled back.
Cid dropped his jaw.
"I know I've said this too many times but… What the fuck?!" He cried as he held his trident, sharp ends at Hojo.
The mad scientist cocked his head at me and Cid, and his bright eyes became wild. Hojo, the first to go insane before the others followed.
"Gonna throw that at me? Go ahead. Try," he beckoned, a tentacle flicking Barret's blood in his face.
Cid clenched his teeth, ignoring the splatter of blood across his pale lips, and pulled his trident back.
"Fuck you!"
He threw it strongly, and it whooshed through the rain, spinning while it aimed for the enemy's abdomen.
Hojo just smiled, and let the trident impale him, three knives lodged into his chest. He took a step back, and just as quickly as he was hit, his tentacle coiled around the trident's handle, and yanked it free.
I dropped my jaw, blinking at the careless mess of Hojo's blood and lack of guts spilling without so much as a hiss.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" He inquired, and without warning, threw the trident back at Cid. The pilot gasped, and ducked his head backwards, watching his weapon soar over his nose. It flew past him, heading for Cloud dragging Barret away from battle.
"Cloud, look out!" I screamed.
Cloud looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened.
With enough reflex, he lifted his glowing sword in one hand, and the trident blasted against the blade before tumbling on the grids.
I spun to glare at Hojo.
"My turn," I threatened through my teeth.
Hojo crossed his arms, his abdomen closing up to reveal nothing more than pristine white skin across his bony ribs.
"Oh? I think I knew how to take care of you," he warned.
He lifted his only human hand, and pointed a long index finger at me. I clasped my hands together, green energy flurrying upwards from my feet, and unleashed a barrier, anticipating an attack.
A single bolt of black lightning spat out of Hojo's finger, and cut across the air to circle me. At first, I thought my barrier did its job, pushing aside the attack. I lifted a hand, and charged with energy to throw a spell at him, but then a heavy weight pushed inside my chest. Black lightning coiled around my body like rope, and it tightened until I could hardly breathe, my magic unable to manifest.
"What?" I gasped, lifting a hand, but nothing, except black bolts, coated it, and more weight slammed me into the wet floor like intensified gravity.
I struggled to stand, my knees unable to straighten when large invisible hands pushed me against my shoulders.
"What is this?" I grunted, fighting the force from shoving me down.
Hojo smiled.
"It's called Silence. Such a lovely ability to shut up magic from Materia holders. Who knew it would work on you as well," he hissed, drooling at the discovery.
Without magic, what could I do? I panicked, regretting Hojo seeing it because he thirsted on such an emotion, and gladly drank it up.
His long, tentacle arm wiggled with excitement like a happy puppy's tail.
"Ah, I can feel the juices flowing. Her cells, the Mako, all of it inside me, ready to erupt. How exciting."
His smile widened, all his teeth showing with a tilt of his chin to the sky.
His body began to curdle, bumps moving along under his skin and clothes, and he spread out like a star.
Cloud flurried past me, sword over his shoulder, and screamed, "Aqua, stay back and heal Barret!"
His mighty voice stiffened me, unable to do anything apart from watching him charge. Hojo just laughed as he shouted excitedly arms open wide, "Behold, Jenova's gift!"
His Mako enhanced pupils shrank, face soaked from rain and sweat, and more of his body shifted, his flesh being torn apart. The bones of his legs cracked, and then his neck, followed by the rest of him until he began to stretch like putty.
Cloud spun his sword over his head to throw a horizontal cut before Hojo were to transform, cutting into blossoming purple tentacles, but they only grew back like weeds. A large tentacle smacked him across the face, and then another shot through the grids, breaking up the floor to strike his legs.
Cid opened an arm to guard me and exclaimed, "Get behind me, kid. This is going to get fucking ugly. Literally!"
"I need to heal Barret" I shrieked, waking up from my petrified state, and turned around to find him lying on his back.
Quickly, I ran and knelt beside our fallen friend. His eyes were closed, completely limp as rain dripped into his large chest wound. If I wanted to, I could fit my fist and more through him. It was an open hole, the man missing parts of his ribs, blood, tissue and fat, organs bleeding out.
"Barret, hang on!"
My shaky hangs dug inside my pouch for a powerful healing potion, taking longer than I should have to pull it out and uncork. Barret wouldn't be able to drink, so I did the next best thing and poured the potion into his wound.
"I hope this works," I whispered. Sparkling blue liquid mixed with rain and spread around his torn flesh.
"Aqua!" Cloud's scream shattered my focus.
I turned my head to look across my shoulder.
I didn't even see it, and suddenly felt a sharp stab. If Hojo had intended to aim for my heart, then I was lucky, feeling the penetration happen above it. Inflammation spread quickly, the shock of being hit only spilling out a silent cry from my lips before I was shoved back, flying over Barret's body with my bottles of potions and Ethers scattered.
I caught a glimpse of Cloud cutting into the tentacle that hit me, and it wiggled free from my chest, only to lead me to fall and skid my back across wet metal. When it all stopped, I stayed like that, arms and leads spread, and just stared at the sky while the rain coated me with ticklish taps. Midgar's pollution could be bringing in an endless night to the cursed city, the sun sounding so far away when I wished to see it. There was no comfort to sky gaze at Midgar's stormy night sky. My left shoulder and a part of my chest burned, and then my fingers grew numb on that side.
"Ow," I whimpered, feeling it now.
"I got her!" Cid screamed, and then there were footsteps. Rough hands hoisted me to sit up until my face smudged into Cid's bloody shirt.
"Curaga," Cid whispered. His Materia glowed with power, and green light glimmered from his bangle.
I closed my eyes, feeling the magic work when the pain quickly retreated. The wound closed up, and I was able to sit without the help of his arms.
Immediatly, I looked over his jean soaked shoulder, and shuddered in a faint cold breath, "Cid?"
He turned around to take a look, only to freeze at what we were seeing.
My eyes widened at what Hojo had turned himself into, my lips partly open to suck in cold air quickly. I threw a fist over my heart, and just sat there, stunned with terror.
Hojo had been replaced by a horrifying creature of goo, tentacles, teeth, and protruding sharp bones.
On top of the tall, purple mass of flesh, it may have been his face, but all I saw was an overly stretched jaw with massive, sharp teeth and a long tongue. If there had been anything left to Hojo, it may have been in his tiny slits of eyes, glowing bright of Mako, and his messy black hair sticking to bulging purple cheeks.
His torso stretched long, another mouth with sharp bones closing around it to protect a bright, orange egg sac that pulsed more life into his veins. One hand transformed into a three finger claw larger than Cid's trident, and the other hand dragged nothing but a mess of tentacles. Some wiggled freely, others dug through the grids and over the rails, alive and waiting to strike.
I inhaled through my teeth, clutching my throat at the sight.
Cloud was having a duel with the arm of tentacles, hacking away each one like vines, but they just grew back, some smacking him, others coiling around his legs until he was launched away. He landed far, his back skidding across the floor.
The monstrous form laughed with a low gurgling tone.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I have to say, this has been a privilege. I will just kill you two…" I began to sweat when Hojo's little eyes found mine.
"And I will enjoy my test subject."
My stomach twisted until I thought I was going to vomit again.
Cloud quickly jumped back to his feet, pulling his sword with him. It glowed tremendously, his furious bright eyes matching with its light.
"I'm done with this," he growled through his teeth. His body emitted more Mako, blue flames fluttering around his body like an aura. I saw his arms grow, bright blue veins bulging from them and along his neck.
Hojo retracted all his tentacles and aimed them at Cloud like dozens of swords prepared to strike.
"Magnificent. You are truly one of my best works," his monstrous voice admitted.
All tentacles launched.
I lifted a hand to summon a barrier, but more black lightning suffocated me with its choking hold. In the middle of the air, my hand shook.
"I can't use magic at all," I muttered, feeling worthless for this battle.
"Here!" Cid tossed me a bottle and I almost missed it, catching it with wet hands when it slipped once before I took a secure hold. I held a small glass bottle of green liquid with the tag, "Echo drops."
Without hesitation, I uncorked the bottle and drank it all. It tasted sweet, like lime juice. Rings of black lightning uncoiled around my body until they fluttered to the floor like old belts.
Meanwhile, Cloud waited for Hojo's attack, sharp blades of tentacles hurling towards him like a wall of knives. From his sockets, his squinted Mako eyes lifted, frowning grimly at the attack. At the last second, he lifted his mighty sword high over his head, and with a cry, he cut straight down in between the lump of tentacles, cutting through them as he stepped forward.
A lunge turned into a step, and then a run, until Cloud sprinted, continuously cutting through Hojo's long arm until the tentacles stopped. Thereafter, it was just a long arm, and then up to the shoulder where he finished with a hack. Blue blood sprayed from the fresh wound, spilling into the grids.
A sharp, high-pitched scream traveled through the sky.
From the creature, a tentacle flopped near Cloud's feet, and then it shrank, turning into a limp, human arm.
Hojo's monstrous form leaned forward, foggy breath exhaled through his large teeth.
"I've underestimated you," he said, and then it screeched again when Cloud shoved his sword into its glowing egg sac. More blood released, some on his face, his cold stare frozen on Hojo.
"That makes this fight almost seem boring," he uttered harshly, and yanked his sword free, blue blood stuck to it.
Cid threw his trident the same time I launched a thunder spell. The trident collected sparks, and struck Hojo's core. He cried while his deformed body sizzled with an electric current, and then just slumped forward, Cid's trident free at his one mass of feet.
"I see, interesting," Hojo mentioned. Was he just collecting data? But we were defeating him, right?
Hojo's teeth aligned, only to display a frightening grin.
He swung his right arm, claws aimed for Cloud.
"Cloud!" I gasped.
My eyes couldn't keep up. One second, Cloud was about to get stabbed by three long nails, but then the next, he was somewhere else, his Mako lit body too fast. He appeared a few feet away, standing there with his glowing sword still in his hand and his back to Hojo.
I didn't even know what happened, until Hojo reeled his head back, jaws up to the sky to release a high pitched scream. On the floor, his right arm wiggled weakly like a fat worm.
"Damn, Cloud," Cid expelled, stunned as much as I was.
Hojo's form curled inward, his tiny head close to being sucked into his open stomach.
He began to laugh.
Cloud twirled sharply to glare at Hojo, surprised to see the fallen scientist still laughing after losing both arms. The small face of Hojo opened his mouth hideously long, and out came a fog of green breath. Cid ran as far away from the fog, pulling me with him.
"Don't get in that shit!"
But Cloud was sucked right in, exposed, and he fell on one knee, dry heaving.
"Shit," he cursed through his teeth, struggling to hold his sword straight with both hands.
Hojo's form became engulfed in his toxic breath, until a pale tentacle fired from the dark green fog. Quicker than a bullet, it struck Cloud through his chest, pushing him back, legs in the air, his sword jerked away from his hands, and he inhaled sharply, eyes wide at the sky.
I gasped, along with Cid as we watched Cloud fall backwards, a new hole in him. He tensed, grunting as he tried to get back up again.
Cid's Restore Materia glowed, ready to cast Curaga.
A pale hand with long fingers outstretched from the green cloud.
"I don't think so," a low, crisp voice boomed.
Black lightning struck Cid, making him gasp like he's just been toppled with boulders, and he fell on his hands and knees. He breathed hard through his teeth when he made a great effort to stand.
"What the hell?! I can't cast shit!"
"Do you have more of that Echo drink?" I asked.
"Fuck no!"
I sighed.
There was a low rumble of laughter coming from the green fog. A strong gust of drizzle errupted to clear all the toxic fumes away.
What was revealed was entirely alien.
A grey tentacle creature appeared, its slimy hand still raised from launching the Silence on Cid, but then its fingers blurred into a sharp tentacle. The creature floated with ease, its core a strapping grey chest with tight abs and bulging grey muscular arms, and hands left as long tentacles along the floor.
Was this creature Hojo anymore? I couldn't tell, its face entirely concealed by a yellow lens like a helmet. He appeared something beyond this Planet, a complex life form with indigo strips across his gleaming grey muscles and broad shoulders. Whatever he has turned into, I felt it to be a lot more powerful than before.
Hojo turned his head towards Cloud and lifted a tentacle.
"You're too fast," the creature mentioned.
Cloud was clutching to the new wound in his chest, when spider webs miraculous appeared around his weakened body. He blinked at the webs sticking to his arms, his hands, all over, and muttered, "What is this?"
He stood, wobbly at first, and reached for his sword, only to find that it took much longer than he anticipated. Somehow, Cloud's movements has slowed, his bloody fingers curling around his sword's handle like he was made of cement.
"Damn it," Cloud grunted, pushing more Mako into his muscles each time he tensed, just to fight the effect.
The blade of his sword dimmed.
Hojo turned his head to me, and muttered, "I need you to stay alive. Rest."
I began to see stars. Everything felt fuzzy, my body heavy all of a sudden.
"I'm tired," I groaned, sinking to the floor on my hands and knees.
Maybe just a quick nap. I can't seem to fight it, the thought of sleep seeming too important. The floor felt soft as I curled my arms over it, and rested my head there.
"Kid. Wake up!" Cid cried. His voice grew far away. He then screamed, but I couldn't figure out why. My eyelids fluttered. A blurry form of Cid stumbled back, a long grey weapon cut into his abdomen. A part of me panicked, but it was quickly deflated. I closed my eyes, and he was no longer there. It was getting dark.
"I can't...stay up," I sighed, unable to fight it. My fight or flight response had been completely shut off. All the noise, the cold rain, Hojo; everything seemed not to matter anymore.
"Cid?" I tried, wondering where he went.
"Cloud?" I whispered, his voice fading.
I closed my eyes and dreamt of being in someone's arms
"Looks like I'm a little late," a familiar voice gurgled through an ocean. Distant voices traveled through my sleep.
"Where the hell have you been?" Clound hissed.
I was floating.
"Cloud, take her."
Down I went, floating into a soft bed until strong hands shook my shoulders.
"Aqua, wake up!"
I opened my eyes to see a flash of Cloud peering down at me, and then I shut them again, drunk with fatigue.
"I can't," I groaned.
"Stand back. This is between me and Hojo now," that voice growled. Why did it sound so familiar?
I leaned into Cloud's wet shirt, and fluttered my eyes open, first seeing his neck and the bottom of his chin, and then I turned my head weakly until my shoulder rammed over my wet lips.
Red. I saw a blur of red, dark like blood.
"I have a score to settle," the red blob simmered. I blinked, and my vision sharped.
The red turned into a long cape. Long, black hair whipped freely, soaked and gleaming under the backup lights. His red eyes stabbed sharply into Hojo's form.
Vincent?
My lips moved, until I could whisper his name more clearly.
"Vincent?" You're here?"
Am I dreaming? Did the sleep spell add confusion as well?
A pointy, gold sabaton emerged from under his cloak, and then a gold claw curled into a shaky fist.
"Hojo, it's just you and me."
The creature that is still Hojo, cocked its head at its new challenger.
"Vincent Valentine. I was disappointed to learn of your escape from Junon with your friends. Alive and out of your box. What brings you here? Let me guess, revenge?"
Vincent unclamped his red cloak, and peeled it away from his body.
"I'm here to kill you."
He threw his cloak behind him, and it piled beside Barret's body. Black leather armor and belts wrapped around Vincent's his tall and thin form, his face exposed to reveal how white it glistened under the cannon's lamps. Vincent's special revolver rested in its holster, his red eyes flickered to life with something else in mind.
Hojo raised a tentacle.
"Don't waste my time."
Black lightning and spider webs wrapped around Vincent as a new cloak, but he paid no heed to it, taking the damage without so much as a smirk.
"Go ahead. I won't need magic nor speed anyway," he warned.
He lifted his other fist, and a red light outlined his body. The floor began to tremble. I fought to stay awake, watching Vincent's hair lift while ruby flames leaked from his pores.
Hojo only chuckled.
"Is that so? Going to transform, then? You won't be able to control Chaos."
Vincent turned his head to flash me his monstrous red eyes, and then he lifted them slightly.
"Cloud! Take Aqua and get out of here!"
Cloud curled me against him as he took a knee. He smelt strongly of blood, but again, I was hardly fazed, stuck between dream and awake.
"No. We fight him together," Cloud argued.
Vincent growled, and his belts snapped off his arms when his muscles grew.
"I won't be able to hold back! I could hurt all of you, understand?!" Vincent roared. His pale skin began to darken. This had to be a dream. Vincent wouldn't just appear and suddenly turn into a vicious gargoyle creature, would he?
Vincent dropped his head, his back arched, and large red bat-like wings tore through hard onyx skin. He released a painful cry, his voice shifting to a monstrous growl.
Feeling more awake, I could only stare at Vincent's transformation.
His arms and legs extended, bulging, pitch black, and sleek from rain. Two black horns sprouted from his skull as his hair fell away, lost in the wind. Bright, crimson eyes lifted to Hojo, and he barred his long fangs.
"Hojo, there's something you should know..." Vincent began, a trace of his voice behind that monster. His jaw stretched, and his fangs only enlarged. His human hand turned into a massive black claw, his belts snapping away until nothing was left on him except for his golden gauntlet.
Hojo just floated there, unamused.
"Oh? And what is that?"
But Vincent was gone. His wings flapped, blowing a powerful gust down to push back rain and blood. Cloud hissed, straightening his knee out while trying to pull me up.
"Let's go, Aqua," he sputtered. I looked up at him, finding blood over his lower lip and one eye bruised.
"I'm awake," I argued, pushing out of his arms. "I can help-!"
Cloud shoved me over his shoulder, and he began to run as fast as his cursed body would let him, his movements in slow-motion. I lifted my hand, reaching for Vincent's beastly form shrinking away.
"He can take care of himself," Cloud groaned, and then he coughed out lastly, "This is his fight."
I dropped my hand, unintentionally smacking Cloud's back with it.
True, this was Vincent's fight. He's been wanting this more than anything else, the last item on his bucket list. If Vincent kills Hojo, he will finally avenge the love of his life, and die peacefully. How long has he been waiting for this? Thirty years? That's as long as I've been alive….
I flashed back to Vincent basking in the glow of a fire, his dark red eyes brightening with hate.
I will join you, hoping it increases my chances of meeting with him, and getting my revenge for what he did to Lucrecia.
And then what? Will killing Hojo silence the ghosts inside Vincent? Will he go back to his coffin and sleep until the world ends? I watched the man slowly rebirth into a nightmare, whatever it took to avenge the woman he loved, even if it meant to become what his worst enemy intended him to be.
Along the way, Cloud stopped near a heavily wounded Cid, and took his arm.
"Come on, Cid. We need to get far away."
Cid groaned, face being peeled off the grid when Cloud pulled him up and dragged his body towards Barret. Unable to sustain it anymore, Cloud then collapsed, dropping me and Cid only to fall on his hands and knees. He took quick, shallow breaths, blood leaking from his chest, and finally, rolled onto his back.
His sword smacked next to him, its blade dark.
"Cloud!"
I knelt to inspect his wound, a hand-sized hole in the middle of his chest. It continued to spill blood across his shirt until it was caked in it, my hands easily stained when I tried to press it down. I had lost my potions from my pouch, and asked him, "Do you have any potions?"
Cloud shut his eyes tight, tensing.
"Don't worry, I got this," he hissed tight through his teeth. He weakly lifted his bracer hand, and two Materia, blue and green, began to glow.
"Curaga All," he choked.
Green light sparkled around him. I lifted a hand, finding it on me, too. I turned my head to discover Barret and Cid enclosed in a shimmering green shell. My body grew warm, comfortable, and all the aches disappeared.
Cid sat up with a jolt and exclaimed, "What happened?!"
"Ahh!" Barret's hand trembled over the large hole in his shirt, followed by a thick scar.
"What the hell, man?!"
The light from Cloud's sword grew bright again, and he let out a long sigh as he took it in his hand, and slowly stood up. His skin closed up, leaving behind a hole in a bloody black shirt and chipped silver chest plate.
"That was close," he whispered, looking down at me with the dark sky over his head.
"I told you I got this," he clarified, and lent me his hand.
A huge wave of relief crashed into me as I took his hand, a stronghold assuring me everything will eventually be okay.
"Overconfident much?" I chuckled.
Cloud smirked, and pulled me up to him.
"Uh, so..." Cid gawked at Vincent's chaotic form, and shouted, "What the hell is happening? What is that thing? Is it on our side?"
"We died and went to hell," Barret muttered, shaking his head as he stood next to Cid
"Guys, it's Vincent," I exclaimed excitedly.
Vincent's form took another considerable bite from Hojo's neck. Hojo squirmed, his tentacles tremulous, but then they laid dead, hanging loosely. Maybe Vincent felt Hojo's jugular pulse weaken or stop because he opened his jaw to release, and Hojo's body crashed by his feet, his blood gushing from a large bite along his grey neck.
Hojo curled into a ball and shivered.
"No..."
His tentacles withdrew, shrinking, until fingers appeared, and then just broken, pale arms were the result of his defeat. The alien morphed back into a naked Hojo, lying in a fetal position with his hair sprawled over his back and shoulders.
The four of us: Cloud, Barret, Cid and I watched as Vincent too, turned back to his old self, standing there naked while looking down on Hojo with possibly so much hate in his eyes. I wish I could see his face, but then again, maybe no one was meant to lay witness to this raw bliss that roared from his hateful eyes. I only got a view of his long hair down his back and naked butt, and shyly, I used a hand to block that part out, cheeks burning.
"Wow," Barret breathed, unaffected. "He did it."
"Almost," Cid corrected. Hojo still had a pulse.
Cloud crossed his arms, watching Vincent silently.
"Finally," Vincent uttered. He knelt, reached for his gun on the floor, and walked closer to Hojo, bare feet slapping the wet grids strongly, until he was an inch from Hojo's bloody head. I thought Vincent was going to kick his skull like a soccer ball.
"This is for her," Vincent sighed, leaning forward to grab at Hojo's hair. The scientist hissed, enduring his hair being pulled and have his head lifted until his squinted eyes leveled with Vincent's. His lanky body suspended in the air, long arms and legs limp, his malnourished chest and stomach covered in blood that leaked from the deep bite in of his neck. Compared to Vincent, Hojo appeared as a leggy naked old man, his arms and legs lacking in fat.
Vincent held Hojo, and shook.
"You're the cause of all of this hell. Of abusing Jenova's origins, Sephiroth's upbringing, the Mako injected into boys, Shinra's top secret underground lab, my misery, Lucrecia's suffering..."
He then shook Hojo as he screamed violently, "ALL OF IT!" Spitting into the broken man's face.
Hojo said nothing, only clenching his shark teeth while enduring Vincent's rage.
It was uncomfortable to watch the composed man show his inner demon, making my hands collect over my heart when I tried to imagine what he was feeling. Was pain pouring out of you, Vincent? Did you feel any better to have Hojo right where you wanted him? Did this feel right?
The drizzle turned into a soft mist, dark clouds opening up to reveal hints of an early morning as holes of light pink and orange in the dark expansion.
Was Lucrecia watching through the departing clouds?
"Vincent," I whispered, pained to see him like this.
He shoved his three-barrel handgun right in the middle of Hojo's forehead, and the scientist shivered with fear. His wrinkled hands crept up to his hollow face, and he no longer seemed to be the intimidating scientist who squished those inferior to him under his feet.
How does it feel to be the helpless, now, Hojo? Did you show mercy to those you experimented on? To those you injected with Mako?
I turned a little to inspect Cloud, wondering how he must've felt to have the one who caused his five years of suffering, finally about to get a taste of his own medicine. He didn't seem to be licking his lips with anticipation, but more entranced, or disbelief, his eyes wide at Hojo's vulnerable state.
"We could've been happy together! I would've been a great father!" Vincent roared, and Hojo shrank further.
I looked back to Vincent, and stiffened as Cloud sharply inhaled.
Hojo's bloody lips trembled, until he uttered weakly his last words, "Is that so?"
I pictured Vincent lowering his eyelids, his look distant when he thought back to his past, or to the life he would've had if Hojo hadn't been in it.
"Sephiroth is not actually your son."
His thumb pulled back the safety lock.
"He's mine."
A gunshot cracked across the sky, causing me to gasp. The explosive sound traveled into an echo, startling a herd of crows that took a break on the cannon's barrel. They fluttered away in a panic, a brief large shadow flying over us while shrieking chaotically, until there was nothing but the howling wind. A scatter of black feathers rolled away.
We were all silently stunned, well, for a moment, until Cid ruined it.
His jaw dropped, voice cracked as his large eyes laid on Vincent's naked back.
As soon as he inhaled, he released at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
I think that was just as loud as a gun shot, echoing across the city.
Without concern, Vincent dropped Hojo's body with a loud clank. He then aimed his gun at the control panel, and fired more shots.
I covered my ears, hearing more and more bullets released, even when the whole structure burst into smoke and sparks.
It wasn't until Cloud came forward to grab at Vincent's arm, that the gun shots finally stopped.
"Vincent, that's enough!"
But Vincent fought him, trying to pull his arm free.
"No!" He bellowed.
He managed to get a few more bullets out, crashes of thunder in the sky. Each bullet brought a flash to Vincent's twisted face, his teeth clenched and long hair in the way. Cloud stepped in and shook his shoulders, eyes intense of Mako, and cried, "Vincent! It's over!"
Vincent stopped along with a gasp, Cloud's words resonating something in him. His gun hung there, the hand holding it trembling.
"Over?" He whispered.
Soon, his entire body shook. The clouds closed in again, no gaps nor cracks, nothing but an endless grey blue blooming in the expansion as the daylight rolled in. It made the early morning look damp, the mist creating a fog among the lonely, dark city. It seemed the eerie world remained, even after Vincent should've been free of Hojo's chains.
I walked slowly beside Cloud, looked at Vincent, and cracked into pieces.
Tears swelled from his glimmering amber eyes, falling to his shaky lower lip. I've never seen his eyes like that, always red before.
"It's not over," Vincent whispered sharply, as though speaking above a whisper will break him. He tapped the handle of his gun into his mess of wet hair, biting his lower lip. And then he lifted his glorious gaze of his true human self in those eyes, his self that held love, pain, and hope, all leaking out of him across his cheeks.
He looked at Cloud and uttered under his breath, "It's never over."
53