Chapter Seventeen: Shinra Mansion
"Neibelheim? But I thought…" Red XIII began, sounding puzzled.
"I…I don't understand," Cloud stuttered.
"What the hell's goin on here?" Barret demanded.
"Something smells fishy here…and it's not Hobbes' breath," Calvin stated, glaring at Cloud.
"HEY!" Hobbes snarled.
"…Cloud…what's going on?" Aeris said, speaking barely above a whisper.
"Cloud, did you make up that story so we would come with you?" Cait Sith demanded.
"NO!" Cloud shouted in frustration. "I'M NOT LYING!"
"Cloud…calm down, please," Tifa begged, almost looking like she was about to burst in tears.
"I know…I'm not lying," Cloud repeated. "I remember it like it was yesterday…the heat of the fire…the screams of the night…WHY WOULD I MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP?" he demanded.
"Cloud…just relax," Aeris said calmly.
"We're not saying we don't believe you," Red XIII added. "We just want to know what's going on? Why is Neibelheim standing when it was burned down?"
"Maybe they rebuilt it," Hobbes suggested.
"No…they couldn't have," Tifa said, looking around. "The buildings look exactly the same. Even my house looks no different from the night it all burned."
"See, even Tifa recalls it," Cloud said, sounding upset again.
"Just stay calm," Aeris pleaded. "Why don't we split up and look around. Maybe we'll find something or someone that can answer our questions."
"…all right," Cloud said above a whisper. "But, I know what happened. I know it happened."
After Cloud regained his senses, they all began to explore the town. Tifa and Cloud explored their houses while Aeris and Red XIII explored other buildings. Cait Sith and Barret were asking questions to the villagers and Calvin and Hobbes were searching the ground and the outdoor area.
"I tell ya, it doesn't make a lick of sense to me," Calvin grunted.
"Well, is you'd stop whining and start helping me look, maybe it will start to make sense," Hobbes huffed while sniffing the bushes.
"NO, YOU NINCOMPOOP! I mean why is it that we're stuck doing the dirty work? Why can't we go into a building and start exploring for clues?"
"This isn't a treasure hunt Calvin," Hobbes said. "It's not like our dinosaur digs. Cloud's really confused right now. We need to do whatever it takes to help him get the answers he's looking for."
"Well, in that case, why don't we check out that building over there?" Calvin replied, pointing to a gigantic building to the north.
Calvin and Hobbes slowly approached the door to the mansion and read the sign on the door.
Warning: Private property of Shinra. Keep Out!
"I'll bet all of our answers are in here," Calvin said proudly.
"Hold on, Calvin. There's a law when it comes to invading private property and there have been stranger things happen to those that take part in Shinra organized research. Count me out of this one."
"Come on, Hobbes. Didn't you just say that you'd do whatever you could to help Cloud?"
Hobbes stopped walking away for a second, realizing what Calvin said was indeed true. Besides, if it was private, that meant that something important happened that Shinra didn't want people to know about.
"Besides, whoever put up this sign has to be long gone. Come on, we'll only look around for a few minutes."
Hobbes hesitated, but finally said, "All right…but you're taking full responsibility if anything bad happens, all right?"
"Deal. Now let's go!"
Calvin and Hobbes made sure that no one was looking as they snuck into the mansion. Inside the mansion was spooky indeed. In fact, it looked as though it could have been haunted…not that it couldn't be already. The furniture was rotted and the walls had worn paint. Plus, the structure did not look as strong as it once was.
"Man, talk about a serious fixer-upper," Calvin snorted.
"ACHOO! It needth duthting," Hobbes sniffled as he blew his nose.
"Well, come on, let's hurry up before anyone realizes we're in here," Calvin said as he immediately walked into a room.
The mansion was full of junk from the past. Calvin couldn't even read any of the reports that he found. All of them were about mako reactors and history missions or experiments performed by Shinra.
"I can't even pass my math tests," Calvin grumbled. "How can they expect me to understand this garbage?"
"CALVIN! I found something cool!" Hobbes shouted from another room.
Calvin sprinted from his room to the next, expecting that Hobbes had found some report that he could actually read or a deformed monster that he could fight or convince to join them.
"WHAT? WHAT DOD YOU FIND?" Calvin asked excitedly, gasping for breath.
"Doesn't it look great on me?" Hobbes asked as he was showing off a cape he had put around his neck. The cape was white and went all the way from Hobbes' neck to the floor.
"YOU NINCOMPOOP!" Calvin shouted. "We're supposed to be looking for clues about this town, not some stupid clothes!"
"Well, that doesn't mean I can't keep some of the things I find for souvenirs, does it? Besides, you have a cape, too."
"Yeah, but mine comes with a mask and I only put it on for special occasions: when Stupendous Man has to save the day!"
"Well, I don't care. I like my new cape," Hobbes said proudly as he twirled around, letting the cape fly gracefully.
"Fine, you can keep the stupid cape," Calvin sighed. "Just keep your eyes open for any clues."
Calvin hadn't even stepped out of the room when Hobbes called his attention again.
"Oh, what a strange looking bracelet," Hobbes said, holding a silver bracelet so Calvin could see it. "I wonder why this mansion has this kind of stuff in it. Were there women working in here too, you think?"
"Yeah, Hobbes, there were. There was also a superhero in here too, which explains the cape. WILL YOU STAY FOCUSED, BRAINLESS?"
"Okay, sheesh…but I'm keeping the bracelet, too."
Calvin rolled his eyes and began to walk out of the room again. Yet again, Hobbes called Calvin.
"Hey, Calvin, you should see this."
"So help me Hobbes, if you're calling me over to show me some stupid necklace or something like that, I'll…"
"No, it's nothing like that. It's a paper with writing on it."
"Oh…what's it say?" Calvin asked, sounding intrigued.
"Well, let's see…
To Whom It May Concern:
Several years ago, I, Hojo, head of the Shinra Science Department, had conducted a series of experiments on numerous creatures and even humans. Although all of my findings were intriguing, almost none of them were as interesting as those experiments that were done on five certain humans. One of them being the great Sephiroth, two of whom were former members of Soldier, one was a small infant, and another was a close, personal friend of mine at one point in time.
For some reason or another, only three of these five were capable of storing the cells of Jenova in their blood stream. One of them, of course, was the great Sephiroth. Another was, surprisingly, the small infant. The third was my "friend". The other two managed to escape my research facility in this mansion about one year ago, which was four years after I started experimenting on them after the incident in Neibelheim. One was killed and the other was left to die…though it is to this very day unknown what his fate was. Before the incident occurred, I was never able to finish my experiments on the young infant, so it was put up for adoption. As for Sephiroth, they say he was killed, but I know that is not true.
As I am writing this report, only one of my experiments can be located…my "friend". He is, in fact, in this very mansion. If you wish to observe this experiment, then you must open the safe on the second floor of this mansion. There, you will receive your next instructions.
I could give you the combination to the safe, but that would make it far too easy. Therefore, I will eave it up to you, the reader, to figure out this combination. Consider it a test to see if you are worthy of meeting my experiment…that is, if he is still alive.
Head of the Shinra Science Department:
Hojo
Calvin and Hobbes studied the letter a couple more times to make sure they got everything.
"That…that's sick…" Hobbes said in shock. "I can't believe that man would perform Jenova experiments on five human beings…much less an infant."
"Who cares?" Calvin demanded. "We need to get to that safe upstairs. The answers we're looking for about what happened to this town could be in that safe."
"I don't know about this, Calvin. Maybe we should just leave it alone. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Aw, come on. Don't you want to help Cloud?"
"How would this be helping Cloud?"
"Well, the letter talks about events that happened here five years ago and Cloud claims that the village was burned five years ago. Coincidence? I think not."
Hobbes thought about it for a minute. For once, Calvin was making sense.
"…all right, but if something smells fishy, then we're getting out of here. Got it?"
"Agreed. Now come on!"
Calvin led the way as he and Hobbes creaked up the stairs in the mansion. They were sure to walk slowly for the steps were weak and could give out any second. Finally, they reached the top floor, which looked to be in worse shape than the bottom floor. The metal was rusted and the wood was cracked. The building was indeed weak in structure.
"Where is that safe?" Calvin asked, frustrated.
"Hey, that must be it," Hobbes replied, pointing to a safe that was as big as the room.
"The question is…how are we going to open that monster?" Hobbes asked.
"Good thing I have my Swiss-army knife with me," Calvin said as he pulled it out of his pocket. "I'll just unscrew the bolts holding the door on."
"Calvin…those bolts are way too big for your knife to handle. How are you going to take it apart with that little thing?"
"Hm…you're right….well, what are we going to do?"
Calvin and Hobbes sat down and began to think. After ten minutes, Hobbes finally came up with an idea. He stood up and looked at the safe, closed his eyes, and began to focus.
"ICE!" he shouted and a block of ice shot at the safe.
"HOW'D YA DO THAT?" Calvin asked, shocked.
"The materia," Hobbes answered. "The green materia allows us to cast magic, remember? All you have to do is focus hard on the spell that you want to cast and if you focus on nothing but that, then you'll cast the spell."
"Really? Here, let me try. I have lightning. Maybe I can blow that thing to pieces."
Calvin stood up and made sure he had his lightning materia equipped. He then closed his eyes and started to focus.
"Nothing's happening," Calvin replied, frustrated.
"Just focus," Hobbes explained. "You'll know when the spell is conjured. You'll feel a surge through your body. Try again."
Calvin sighed and began to focus again. He cleared his head of all thoughts except the lightning spell. He thought of nothing but the bolt of lightning he wanted to zap the safe. Suddenly, after a few minutes, he felt his body start to shake as if it were being electrocuted. He then felt that feeling go to his hands. Suddenly, something in his head told him that the spell was ready.
"BOLT!" Calvin shouted spontaneously. He felt the power from his hands shoot up over the safe and like magic, a bolt of lightning zapped the safe door, blowing off the handle.
"I DID IT!" Calvin shouted, all excited. "I knew I could do it!"
Hobbes just rolled his eyes and began to work at opening the safe door. Calvin soon began to help after complimenting himself for five minutes.
"So, what do you think is behind this door?" Hobbes asked.
"Maybe a map, or a secret code, or even a secret passage leading to whoever that guy is that Hojo guy was talking about."
"Or it could even be the man himself," Hobbes replied.
"Well, let's get his thing open! Come on, chop-chop! We're burning daylight."
Calvin and Hobbes finally got the door a quarter of the way open, despite Hobbes' headache from Calvin shouting 'OPEN' after each tug.
"There. That's wide enough for us to get in," Calvin panted.
Hobbes was about to say something, but a low growl cut him off. Calvin even looked spooked at the noise.
"H-H-Hobbes…tell me that was your stomach."
The growl soon turned into a roar and it sounded like it had just awaked from a long sleep, ready to eat.
"It's coming from the safe," Hobbes whispered.
Calvin and Hobbes peaked into the safe to see two blood-red eyes looking directly at them.