A/N – ...Wow, didn't think this story would last this long. So, here's to almost 300 hits so far and to many more (hopefully)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7...there, I said it.

Chapter 6

As Rollin came to, the feeling started to return in his hands and feet, slowly creeping up his arms and legs until he could feel everything. Including the cold, metal floor.

'Ugh…what was that stuff?' He thought to himself, trying to get his eyes to focus on the lights in front of him. Realizing that he was still flat on his back, he sat up slowly so he wouldn't become lightheaded. Once his eyes had refocused to the point of actually being able to see, he observed the cell he now occupied. He saw the basic necessities: a bed, sink with a mirror, and toilet. Although, the smell of disinfectant was something he could never get used to, even in his time in the army.

"So you're awake."

He turned his head around sharply looking for who was speaking, his gaze centering on a catlike beast in the corner…well, more of a mix between a lion and a wolf. There were tribal markings branded onto its skin, which were more discernible from the deep red-orange fur. It was blind in one eye (made more obvious by the scar over the eye), but the tail caught the most of his attention: the tip was fiery. 'Did it just…talk?' Rollin pondered before speaking up.

"…Either it's just me or the crap those guys gave me has a side effect." He muttered, still somewhat groggy. It chuckled sourly.

"No, that was just a concentrated sedative." The beast replied, getting up as it did, "I can talk just like you or anyone else." Rollin slowly brought himself to his feet, still slightly dizzy.

"I might as well be formal about this, then." He tried walking, which was kind of hard at the moment but doable, towards the bed, "I'm Rollin. You are?" His cell mate started to say something, but paused in hesitation before giving its reply.

"Red XIII." The beast sat down a few feet away from its original spot, as Rollin found a spot on the metal frame bed.

"So Red," he took a second to shake off the rest of the dizziness, "where exactly am I?"

"Right now, we're in the Shin-Ra building above the rest of Midgar. The holding cells on floor 66, to be specific." Red XIII answered.

'Shin-Ra…Midgar…' Rollin pondered silently, 'I've heard those names from somewhere…' The answer to his thoughts automatically sparked in his mind: the Shin-Ra Electric-Power Company was the company that basically ran Gaia for quite some time, but that was over a couple millennia ago. 'Wouldn't that mean that I'm in the past?' His brow furrowed like it always did when he was deep in thought. This was becoming extremely complex, way too quickly. "Then why am I here?" he thought out loud.

"See for yourself." Rollin stood up and moved towards the mirror so he could see what Red was hinting at. The person he saw in the reflection looked almost entirely different than his original self. His face was now adorned with wrinkles, although they were most likely unnoticeable at a distance. The eyes weren't the vibrant green they used to be, but were a dull gray (yes, gray). His once jet-black hair stayed relatively the same, but was streaked with gray hairs as if he had aged 30 or so years. Shocked, he backed up quickly from the reflection and tripped out of the clumsiness that comes with fear. Holding up his hands to block the bright fluorescent lights above him, he saw the true damage done to him.

His left hand has been replaced by a clawed, glimmering silver gauntlet, all the way up to his elbow. The right, however normal it was, was scarred in places that were possibly tendon research marks. Looking further up his arm, there were scars closer to the bicep, though not in the most rational places for research. His eyes widened ever more.

"What the hell did they do to me?" he stammered as panic started to set in. Red tilted his head to the side, as if saying "I thought it was obvious enough."

"Hojo experimented on you, like most of the others on this floor. What he did exactly, I don't know." He looked upward towards a hatch on the ceiling as the hatch opened, allowing half of a clear glass pipe to seal off the part of the room that Rollin occupied, "It looks like he's not done yet." Red said with sorrow in his voice. The floor began to rise, gaining speed, until it stopped at its destination. Rollin was now being watched by a few scientists, including the one that must have been Hojo; he had graying hair pulled back in a ponytail and spectacles that hid his eyes behind the glare from the lights. He smiled a nasty grin, and pressed a button on the panel nearby, opening up the other half of the holding tube.

"Hopefully, we'll get some results from these two." Hojo verbally thought to himself, leaving Rollin and the other 'specimen' alone.

'It's a…woman?' Rollin thought, not really understanding the point in all of this. 'Unless he means for us to…' he shook the thought out of his head, 'No. Not for that madman.' Slowly, he approached the woman, and sat down.

"Relax…I won't hurt you." He said, "I can't say the same thing about Hojo, however." She opened her eyes to look at him, probably expecting something extensively hideous in nature. Once she saw who was talking to her, she relaxed slightly – he couldn't blame her for being cautious, either.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice still shaking with some fear. He held his regular hand out (if it could be called that).

"Rollin. You?" he replied as she grasped his hand and shook it.

"Aeris." She looked around, trying to see outside of the holding space, "Why are we in here anyway?" he let out a breath that he never knew about holding in.

"Not sure…but whatever it is," he closed his eyes in thought, "I won't let it happen." His eyes opened again, showing the dull gray they had become, "Did Hojo say anything about the Ancients to you, by chance?"

"The Ancients?" Rollin nodded, "Yes. He said that they would lead them to the Promised Land." She answered. He tilted his head to the side.

"…The Promised Land?"

"A place rich in mako energy. Well, that's what they say it is." She smirked, seeing the plan that Shin-Ra had in mind. 'Hmm…a place rich with mako. Where have I heard of that?' He delved into his memories, and pulled something from a history book; it was brief, but it talked of Shin-Ra's plan of creating the perfect city, without the problem of lacking sufficient energy.

"Neo-Midgar." He concluded, "But I'm guessing you knew about this 'Promised Land' before all of this." She nodded slowly, "Why do you know all of this, then?"

"Because I'm an Ancient." She replied. He heard Hojo re-entering the giant lab and moving close to the tank they were stuck in. He tapped on the glass with his clipboard.

"Anything yet, my little specimens?" he mocked, obviously hoping on a one-night stand. Rollin stood up and moved closer to where Hojo stood with a grin on his face.

"You know, Hojo," he began, clenching his left hand in suppressed anger just waiting to be unleashed, "I never got to thank you for this arm of mine." The scientist was about to say something witty, when Rollin's metal hand broke through the glass and grabbed the man's neck. Slowly he tightened his grip, watching his eyes widen in pure terror. He turned his attention to Aeris, and chuckled, "Maybe we'll meet again someday." Quicker than he thought possible, he forced the rest of his body out of the tube and threw Hojo onto the ground, making a run for the exit. Most of the guards followed him out of the room and through the hallway, hoping to catch their escapee in time. Dashing into the nearest elevator, Rollin pressed the button for the lowest floor, watching the door slide to a close.

Unfortunately, a few tranquilizer darts flew in after him and made contact.

Even worse, they were working faster than the previous ones.

He leaned himself against the back wall of the elevator and sat down heavily, feeling his breathing become more labored as the elevator started to become blurry, and eventually, he blacked out.

Until the next chapter,

Lloyd Redgrave