Chapter 23

The Key

Cloud looked over the ridge and saw the same black building he recognized from his own existence. This one wasn't finished yet, though, it was only half constructed, some of it was a mess of bars and other equipment necessary for building the place.

"The entire project is in very early stages," Gast said standing beside Cloud. "I don't see how Hojo can know anything."

"I just know he knows," Cloud said cryptically, "I know."

"You saw it in a dream so therefore it must be true," Gast said shaking his head, "absurd…but what isn't anymore, right?"

"If we're gonna talk then let's talk and get this over with," Cloud said.

They made their way down to the building's entrance, two Shinra Soldiers in blue stood on either side of the door.

"Professor Gast, Professor Hojo is looking for you, sir," one of the soldiers said.

"He is?" asked Gast.

"Yes, sir, says he found something about the Cetra," the soldier replied, "sounds important, sir."

"Thank you, I'll see what he needs," Gast said.

"Open the doors," the soldier said and the doors swung open revealing more soldiers inside. "The professor is in Area One, sir."

Gast nodded and the group walked in, they followed Gast into one of the big rooms surrounded by tubes, they all recognized it quite well.

Standing with his back to them was a man in a lab coat just like Gast's, he had long black hair down to around his shoulders.

"Hojo," Gast said.

The man turned around and they all saw a ghost. He looked exactly like Sephiroth except he wore glasses and had jet black hair. Other than that the two were exactly the same. Hojo's eyes didn't have the same Mako glow as Sephiroth's however.

"Professor Gast," Hojo said in a voice that sounded a little more like his father's than Sephiroth's, "mother."

Lucrecia nodded silently.

Cloud imagined the two must have something of a strained relationship; they probably didn't go on any mother-son scientific field trips very often.

"The guard outside said you were looking for me," Gast said, "what did you find?"

"I found something in the file room about the Cetra," Hojo said, "come with me."

They followed him into the room Vincent had pulled files from back in their time.

Hojo picked up a similar file and handed it to Gast.

"Where did this come from?" asked Gast.

"The Turk they assigned to me happened by it outside, near where we were digging. The file isn't Shinra's," Hojo said.

"Any idea who?" asked Gast.

"Well it…" Hojo seemed to catch sight of Aeris for the first time and paused, "…wait, Professor isn't that?"

"My sister?" asked Gast looking up. "Yes."

"Uh, but isn't your sister…"

"Dead?" asked Gast. "Yes."

"Oh…" Hojo said, seeing Gast wasn't willing to give any explanation he just shook his head and moved on. "…uh, well, as you can see the file mentions repercussions of resurrecting Cetra. That in itself was the purpose of this project, we may have a problem."

"Do you know anything about this?" asked Gast to the others.

"We had a similar file in our time," Cloud said, "does it mention something called a guardian?"

"Yes, it does," Hojo said, "they apparently come back with a resurrected Cetra, very dangerous."

"The reason we're not supposed to bring back Cetra I gather?" asked Gast.

"Well, there's that or another entity I'm not sure of," Hojo said, "something called the Ancient Black. The file only mentions it by name and offers no explanation."

"We could just do what we usually do," Gast said laughing, "assume it's the Promised Land."

"You're still looking for that?" asked Aeris.

"I know, really, you'd think we'd all have lives by now," Gast replied grinning.

"Well, if it is the Promised Land then they wouldn't warn us against it I don't think, I believe this creature could veritably…" Hojo paused.

"Destroy the world?" asked Gast.

"Well, yes," Hojo said.

"I agree with you Professor, I do," Gast said closing the file, "anything else?"

"Well, my Turk also found something very strange in the hallways," Hojo said, "er…rather he heard something strange."

"Foot steps?" asked Cloud.

"Why, yes, you heard them too?" asked Hojo. "Wait…you're…"

"Cloud?" asked Gast. "Yes."

"Wait…isn't he…"

"Dead also?" asked Gast. "Yes."

"I…" Hojo sputtered, "…uh…yes…well, we aren't sure what the foot steps are, the lack of…well…someone walking is disturbing. We checked the ventilation for some possible disruption in there but it was clear."

"He knows as much as we do, Cloud," Aeris whispered to him, "I don't think he can help us."

"Vincent found one other thing; he'll have to show you," Hojo said, "let me find him."

"Vincent," Cloud muttered.

"Hojo's Turk," Gast said, "is it possible for me to completely stop being surprised at things?"

"I've about succeeded at that," Cloud said.

Indeed, as Hojo returned to the file room a younger and different looking Vincent Valentine was in tow. He wore a dark blue suit and looked like your average Turk. His hair was shorter, his voice was the same.

"I found this buried under the file in the ground," Vincent said holding up an object that looked like an old key. "It looks like it should open a door or something."

Gast held out a hand, "May I see that?"

Vincent handed it to him.

"Cloud, can you make anything of this?" asked Gast handing the item to Cloud.

"I know what this is," Cloud said.

"You do?" asked Aeris.

"I've seen it before," Cloud said, "the key to our way out."

"Way out of what?" asked Vincent.

"Oh, scientist talk, I can barely understand it and I'm a scientist," Gast said chuckling. "It's a time travel thing."

"So you can use the key?" asked Hojo.

"I'm not sure how to, though," Cloud said, "maybe the control panel."

"The one Vin…" Aeris paused, "…the one that activated the tube we were in."

"Yeah," Cloud said, "let me see if that's possible."

Gast nodded, "I know the control panel, there's only one, follow me."

Gast led them over to the said control panel and Cloud looked it over.

"There's no place for a key," Cloud said quietly.

"You may be on to something here," Vincent said standing beside him, "I read in one file that the control panel controls everything in this room. Assuming the key is what you think it is then there must be a trick to using it."

Cloud looked at the Turk.

"What?" asked Vincent.

"You talk a little different but you remind me of someone," Cloud said.

"Maybe an Ancient has to use it," Gast suggested.

"There are a lot of things about this place that do seem to revolve around the Cetra," Hojo agreed. "It would make sense."

Cloud turned to Gast, he handed him the key, "Let's see what happens when you try."

Gast looked surprised, "Don't you think Aeris…"

"You're as much a Cetra as she is," Cloud said stepping back.

"…alright," Gast said and stepped in front of the control panel.

"Do we have any idea what happens if we get the key to work?" asked Vincent.

"Not a clue," Hojo said.

Vincent drew his pistol, it wasn't the same as the one the other Vincent had, this Vincent carried a much smaller pistol that wasn't a revolver. It was a .45 caliber handgun that seemed to fit Vincent better, or at least this Vincent.

"Trial and error with time travel is a bad idea," Vincent said readying his gun.

"You have no idea," Cloud agreed.

"Hey, look, something's happening," Hojo said excitedly.

The control panel seemed to light up, lights flashed all over it.

"We haven't been able to get power to work on this thing for weeks," Vincent said, "why's it working now?"

"It just needed a Cetra," Hojo said, "and to think we had the answer all along, right here."

"Does the key fit in anywhere now?" asked Aeris.

"Yes, it does, look," Gast said, a slot had opened up on the panel. "My God, it fits!"

The key slid in and the room seemed to explode into life, lights came on and other objects requiring power hummed to life.

"We don't even have power lines set up to most of these things," Hojo said in amazement.

"If the key was all we needed why was it buried outside?" asked Vincent holstering his pistol.

"Along with a file on dangers of resurrection," Cloud said, "someone who doesn't want you guys to figure out how to use this place I guess."

"It was very deep under ground," Hojo said, "who would spend all that time burying it and also manage to avoid Shinra patrols?"

"Someone not from this existence maybe," Cloud said, "doesn't matter."

"Now we just have to figure out how to work it," Gast said.

"That's going to take a while it appears," Hojo said.

"Maybe not," Aeris said, "I know a thing or two about places like this, I might be able to help."

"That sounds like a good idea," Gast said, "you all should get to work, I need to talk to Cloud for a moment."

They went off and Cloud stayed behind, "What is it?"

"Once we figure this thing out," Gast said, "have you considered exactly where you're going?"

"Not really, Aeris knows more than I do," Cloud said, "I hope."

"Yes, well, I was just asking because…these Outcasts, they're still after me," Gast said, "and I was wondering what should become of me when you leave?"

"I'm not sure," Cloud said, "you may have to come with us."

Gast nodded, "That's what I was wondering about."

"Nothing's for sure yet, Professor, we're not certain this thing will even work," Cloud said.

"Of course, I'm jumping ahead, I just wanted to know what my options were," Gast said. "I'll be off helping the others."

Gast left Cloud to stand by himself for a moment.

"I guess you're not from around here," Vincent said to Cloud.

Cloud turned to look at the approaching Turk, "Not really, no."

"I figured, considering you should be dead and all," Vincent said.

"It's complicated," Cloud said.

"I guess so," Vincent said, "what's it like where you're from?"

"Similar to this place," Cloud replied, "Midgar's in worse shape, Shinra is a wreck, and a few other things."

"Sounds like a tougher place to live," Vincent said.

"Well, for some," Cloud said nodding.

For you, Vincent, at least, Cloud thought to himself.

"It's strange," Vincent said, "I feel like I should know you. Of course I know who you are, Cloud Strife, but I feel like I should know you better than I do."

"It's probably some kind of side-effect of us being here," Cloud guessed, "time travel can screw things up."

"I suppose so," Vincent said.

"We'll hopefully be out of here soon and no one will even have to worry about it," Cloud said.

"As long as Professor Hojo doesn't do something with this place," Vincent said, "guy's bad news if you ask me."

Just like his father, it wouldn't surprise Cloud at all.

"Well, if it all works out the way I'm told you won't have to worry about that," Cloud said. "Apparently if we destroy this place in a special spot we destroy this place everywhere."

Centre Time, of course that wasn't a conversation Cloud was going to get into with Vincent.

"Better we don't give the guy anything too powerful, Rufus trusts him though," Vincent said shaking his head. "After what his father did to Professor Gast's father and Dr. Crescent I don't see how he can."

"Lucrecia seems to be handling it alright," Cloud commented, considering she could be stuck in a crystal behind a waterfall at this point.

Vincent shook his head, "I don't understand scientists, how could she let him do that to her child and how could he think to even want to? The man shot another scientist and kidnapped his wife and daughter because they were Cetra, I wonder if he had a conscience at all."

"From what I know of the guy," Cloud said, "probably not."

"I almost wish I was in the Turks back then," Vincent said.

"Trust me, you should be happy you weren't," Cloud muttered, "ignorance is bliss."

Vincent looked at Cloud curiously but decided to let it go, it went without saying that this man probably knew a lot about a lot of stuff Vincent couldn't begin to comprehend.

"When you found the file and the key was there anything else in the general area?" asked Cloud breaking the silence. "It seems strange someone would bury just those two things."

"That's all I saw," Vincent replied, "a key and a file, I figured the file would explain the key but according to Hojo there's nothing even referring to a key at all."

"It's obvious the key was Cetra in origin," Cloud said.

"Why would a Cetra bury the items there when they could have given it to someone?" asked Vincent.

"Why bury it so deep, maybe the person was killed and the items just got covered over," Cloud guessed.

"Well, in my experience," Vincent said, "you never bury something under ground that you want people to find. You bury something to hide it."

Cloud nodded, "We're thinking of it from the point of view of someone who wants to warn us. Maybe it's someone who doesn't want us to be warned."

"Could be Professor Hojo's father," Vincent said, "back in his day finding Cetra and the Promised Land was the only thing that mattered. Maybe this time travel project was in the works that long ago. Hojo found the file and key, killed the owner, and buried them both."

"Then as irony would have it, years later, the building that was planned for the project was built right near the burial spot out in the middle of nowhere," Cloud said. "So if that's true then who did Hojo get the items from?"

"Professor Gast's father maybe?" asked Vincent. "At the time he was the only person who had any contact with a Cetra. His wife and two children were the only remaining ones in the world."

"You think Gast wrote the file using Ifalna's knowledge?" asked Cloud.

"When Hojo found out it could derail his project he killed Gast and hid the items, in the process taking the last remaining Cetra for experiments. Except one, of course," Vincent said.

"That makes sense," Cloud agreed.

"That was all so long ago there's no possible way to prove any of it, though," Vincent said, "it's all just theories."

"Either way the file is a warning and it shouldn't be ignored, I've seen what happens firsthand and the worst is still to come," Cloud said.

"Your existence is on the brink of disaster again then is it?" asked Vincent.

"Yeah," Cloud replied.

"Ah, well, if you're like us you should be used to it by now."