Chapter Three: Phantasm

The week seemed to pass by in a strange sort of haze. I fluttered between consciousness and unconsciousness while in a constant state of hallucination. My mind seemed to be clear, but my body refused to do anything right. Sometimes the hallucinations were so real, I wanted to believe them. I wanted to believe that me and Cloud were on the hill overlooking Midgar fucking like there was no tomorrow. Or that Rude and I were playing poker at my apartment, drinking liquor and having a grand time.

At other times, I tried franticly to escape the specters. Sephiroth would come to haunt me at times, while at others the ghosts of those numerous people I murdered would come for revenge. Many times, I could feel Hojo turning my body into a monster, just like Valentine. I could never seem to run away from the terrible visions, and then things would change again.

I was standing in the dingy room of a shack that me and my Ma shared. I was a hungry little boy again and she hadn't been home for days; she always forgot about me. Her whoring job always kept her busy. Besides, why should she care about the little monster who only took food and money from her? My Ma came barreling in with her high heels and her glittery dress yelling about some asshole who had been harassing her and she told me to sit my skinny ass on the couch and to quit playing with the fucking cockroaches.

As I sat down Ma went to the sorry excuse for a kitchen. I heard a strange noise outside, but kept quiet for fear that the lady would go nuts and spank my ass off. Suddenly the door was kicked in by a crazy looking man. He rushed to the kitchen and I heard struggling. She was cursing him out with words that she only used for her pimp and that scared me. Taking the risk of facing her wrath, I hopped off the couch and crept towards the kitchen to see what was going on. The man was trying to take off Ma's clothes and she didn't like it. She was scratching and punching, but that man was hitting back. He hit her over and over until she couldn't fight back.

I was too young to understand what was happening and too scared to move. I watched horrified as the man ripped her clothes off and forced himself on her. It scared me, because although I've seen her in that position before, she always moaned and seemed to enjoy it. This time she barely made more than a whimper of pain.

I must've made some kind of noise because he jerked his head up and looked at me straight in the eye. I saw a monster in there. He stood up and left Ma on the floor and headed towards me. Ma began to beg him not to touch me. The man didn't care; he grabbed me and slapped me when I cried.

I was petrified and I didn't want to be hurt anymore so I stayed quiet. The man pulled my pants and my underwear down roughly. I told him to be careful, Ma would yell at me if I ruined another pair of clothes, but that just earned me another slap. This time I heard my ears ringing, so I shut up and waited to see what he was going to do. He forced me flat on the kitchen floor facing away from him and he thrusted himself into my tiny body. This time I couldn't stop screaming. The pain was so great that I barely felt him hit me again and again. Even though the physical pain was immense, something inside of me hurt so much more.

Suddenly, I was covered with a warm fluid and the man's full weight pressed against me. I felt the man slide off of me and it was then that I saw his split skull and Ma holding a metal chair covered in blood. That was my time-out chair. She dropped the chair and fell to her knees before she grabbed my pants and put them on me. I saw her ruined make-up and all the blood. I was so scared of her and I was afraid that the guy would get back up that I couldn't make any noise. Instead I ran out of the house and was headed down the street. I just ran as far as I could.

When I looked around I saw the white walls of my cell. Damn, now I was dreaming of the crap in my past. That was the last time I saw Ma. My face was wet and sticky so I knew I had been crying; how degrading. I forced my body to roll to my side to get more comfortable, when a thought occurred to me. How the hell was I rolling over if I was strapped down? Was I still hallucinating?

I looked around and I saw the crazy lady standing over me with a cell phone to her ear. I was on the floor and I was unbound. Too bad my body wasn't freakin' listening to me.

"Yes, Cloud, I am very serious. Oh, yes he's alive, but if you don't meet with my demand, he will die. As a matter of fact, his withdrawal symptoms should be showing up right now."

As if on cue, a shock ran through my body and my blood seemed to turn into fire. I felt a knife pierce through my heart and I couldn't stop the scream from coming out.

"Yes, that's Reno you're hearing. You can try talking to him if you want."

I barely noticed the doctor place the phone on the floor next to my convulsing body; and the damn itching wouldn't stop!

"Reno? Reno!"

It had to be an angel on that line. My heart fluttered when I heard him, and I didn't care how much it hurt.

"Don cumb C-clow!" I managed to say before I gave into another scream.

He couldn't come; I didn't want him to get hurt. I could take this pain. Jus as Cloud tried to reply, a loud buzzing noise filled my head and ears. My vision began to dim and I slipped into a world of anguish.

An eternity later, I began to feel consciousness tug at my mind. I felt kind of sick, but the pain was mostly gone. Mmm, it almost felt as if someone was playing with my hair. I just loved that feeling.

"Reno? Can you hear me?"

Damn hallucinations, they keep getting more and more realistic. I opened my eyes and I saw Cloud holding me with worry written all over his face. His fingers ran through my hair easing all of my tension.

"Hey, kitten, I missed you."

"I'm so sorry, Reno. Don't worry, I'll fix everything."

"Of course you will," answered Mrs. Hojo wannabe. "Once you give birth to the child, you and Reno will be released."

Cloud tightened his hold on me and scowled at her. She just smiled.

"I'm holding you to your word, Mrs. Franklin," Cloud spat. Man, I just loved it when he got all pissy.

"Of course, Mr. Strife."

Cloud leaned to whisper in my ear, "Tifa's going to break us out soon. Please be ready."

He pulled away to look me straight in the eye because he wanted to make sure I acknowledged him. I nodded, which brought a small smile to his lips. I really love those lips.

I pulled his head down and he didn't fight it. He tasted so real, so yummy. I hoped I wasn't hallucinating again. Taking his tongue into my moth, I lavished it with attention. I sucked on his tongue like it was a fucking lollipop. Then I felt a cool liquid trickle down my throat. Instantly my mind cleared up and I realized that Cloud was giving me mouth to mouth Elixir. That sneaky bastard! Damn, he's good! He forced my mouth open a little more and slipped a small capsule into my mouth. I knew it was Shinra's newest little invention: Elixir in a capsule. Pop the capsule, and voila, instant Elixir. Rude must've given it to him.

"Let's get moving, Mr. Strife," the mother fucking cow interrupted.

"For later," Cloud whispered before kissing the ruby stud on my left ear. He let me down slowly and stood up with a grim look on his face.

"Let's go."

"One more thing," the cow said. "Reno, I'm sure you're having another hallucination by now, but I'll say it anyway. Since Cloud is here, Dr. Franklin and I will no longer be attending to you; instead, our assistant June Argos will."

I just stared at her blankly and said, "You wanna do the limbo, Rude?"

She just laughed. "He's completely articulate when hallucinating, but he can't speak well when he knows he's in reality."

Cloud looked disgusted.

"Now let's get you prepped."

I saw Cloud and the lady leave. Afterwards a small lady came in and checked my vitals; I didn't want my cover blown so I kept up the hallucinating act. This lady had a small voice and she kept talking to herself in a creepy way.

"Hmm, I see as always, the good doctors are neglecting you. How unfortunate."

She squinted her eyes while looking at my arm then shook her head.

"Exactly what I predicted. Your poor body won't last much longer. Ah, well I should make good use of you."

What the fuck?! Why does everyone want to use me? And she can't seriously mean I'm going to die! I can't leave Rude! I promised!

Me an' Rude were about to open up the Gelinka, when he stopped me. I looked at him in surprise and I saw that he had his "serious look" on.

"What's wrong, yo? We got a job to do."

"I know. But, behind this door is a whole lot of freaks and who knows what'll happen."

"Oh, you're scared, huh?" He glared at me but I continued to speak. "Here, let me make a promise that'll send your fears screaming to their mommies. We're gonna go down together, or not at all, and you know that no one and nothing can stand up to us together."

I flashed him a smile and Rude smiled back.

It took every ounce of will power to pretend to be hallucinating; I just wanted to get out of here and never think about this shit ever again. I needed to stay patient and wait for Tifa, though, or everything could be blown to hell. The small lady dragged me towards a gurney then surprised me by lifting me up and putting me on it.

"You poor miscreant, you can't weigh more than ninety pounds. How sad. Don't worry, you and I will put an end to the blasphemous work being done here."

What the hell was going on? Isn't this lady supposed to be helping Hojo's spawn? I tried to ask her, but my mouth wasn't working once again. My body was responding sluggishly forcing me to the conclusion that the Elixir was only a temporary cure. Damn, things just keep getting worse and worse.

The lady pushed the gurney into a dark room filled with glass tubes and cabinets. In the center was a single stainless steel table and in the back of the room was an old Mako tank. I was hoping against all hope that that fucking tank was just for is why I fucking hate all mother fucking doctor and nurses! They're all crazy! Every one of them! The lady lifted me onto the table and continued to talk to me while she strapped me down.

"I really didn't like Dr. Hojo, you know, and I don't care for the Franklins either. Ever since Sheryl lost her baby, she lost it. That husband of her's never had it."

I started to feel the itchiness and the pain of withdrawal coming. The lady went to a cabinet and revealed a drawer full of labeled needles. She picked three different needles and brought them over.

"You're starting to twitch, you poor thing. I guess it's almost time for your next 'hit'. Before I give you this though, I need you to listen well."

She opened another drawer and I began to feel real sick when she pulled out a plastic bag from the refrigerated drawer and opened it up. Her gloved hand pulled out something that looked a hell of a lot like an internal organ.

"This, little one, is the very last and most perfect artificial womb." A strange smile crossed her lips. "You and I are going to destroy this. But I must prepare you quickly, because you won't last much longer."

I was strangely calm as I watched her rip off the covering of one of the needles to reveal the glowing liquid. I continued to watch as she slid the cold metal into a vein and emptied out its contents. Immediately, I slipped back into my mind.

The air was warm and sticky and there were fucking bugs everywhere, but I couldn't give a damn. We were supposed to pick up the last of Rufus's stuff from Healin, but me and Cloud couldn't help but take a little break.

I was riding him roughly while he teased my nipples easily with his mouth. Being the loud lover I was, I was moaning and panting, but Cloud was content to stay quiet. I heard a faint rumbling noise like a motorcycle in the distance, but I ignored it; I was having a good fuck, for Shiva's sake! I began to feel a little of the rumbling in my chest, but I ignored that too, I was so close to reaching climax! Seconds later, I saw stars and screamed out Clouds name as I reached my limit.

A few minutes later I could still hear and feel that noise; it felt kind of soothing, but I wanted to know what it was. I sat up and it stopped.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked.

I frowned, but decided that it was nothing.

"Ah, it's nothing."

I laid back down next to Cloud; we had a few more minutes. Then that blasted noise began again! I decided to take a different approach. My hearing sharpened and I focused on finding where the noise fame from. I was surprised to find that it was actually close by. Very, very close by.

"Cloud, what the fuck are you doing?"

The noise stopped and Cloud looked at me.

"Hmm?"

"You were…purring."

"No, I wasn't."

"Uh, yeah, you were."

Cloud frowned but I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face. He didn't notice that he was purring? How the hell can he even purr? Whatever, it was fucking precious.

"Reno, I don't fucking purr," he said with conviction.

"Whatever you say, kitten," I added.

I couldn't help but laugh at Cloud's expression.

My mind began its curious little journey through fantasy and memories, but maybe my memories weren't memories; maybe they're just fantasies. I slipped into a cold darkness and was wondering what the hell was going to happen next when I felt a slight sting on my cheek.

"Reno!" came a voice in the distance. "Wake up!"

A sting began to burn my cheeks. I was being fucking slapped!

"Reno!" the voice seemed closer and sounded like a harsh whisper. "You have to wake up now!"

I felt a liquid go down my throat and my senses cleared rapidly. I realized that I had bitten down on the capsule of Elixir. I heard a commotion above this floor, security sirens going off, and people rushing about. I opened my eyes and was face to face with June Argos.

I was startled with the brightness and clarity I saw her face. I saw the tiny beads of sweat beginning to form, and I even saw the blood rushing along vessels under her way too pale skin. I could even smell the adrenaline pumping through her body.

"Finally," she whispered. "Your friends are here, but we need to destroy the uterus before they come. They can't be allowed to see it." Argos looked around nervously and I smelled her fear. "Just please, Reno," she hissed, "get rid of it!"

I sat up in a sort of haze (I'm getting sick of this phrase), barely noticing that my restraints were gone. Everything looked too bright for such dim light, the sounds were painfully clear, and even my nose seemed to smell all sorts of shit. I slid off the table and made my way to the uterus sitting atop the desk.

It was in that stupid bag; just seeing it made me sick. The smell was so repugnant that I gagged. All I though about was getting rid of the piece of shit that those nuts wanted to put in Cloud. Seeing nothing useful around the room I used the only weapons I had. My hands. I began to tear the fleshy organ with my bare hands and the sense of sickness began to grow to an almost unbearable point. I choked back the bile even as the blood splashed across my face and arms. I mechanically tore at it until there was nothing left but bite sized chunks. I watched in horror as a piece of flesh slid off of my blood covered hands. A tiny but firm hand touched my shoulder, but I was in too much shock to be scared.

"Pick up all the pieces and put it in the bag, so I can take it to the incinerator.

I obeyed her silently not knowing what else to do. I was getting rid of the abomination and that was all that mattered. Argos took the bag from me gently and gave me a stern look.

"Listen, child, and pay attention. You did the right thing tonight. You stopped the work of Hojo and his successors. You will continue to protect the world, especially when you die."

I wondered if she realized that this was not making me feel any fucking better. She shuffled to the cabinet and pulled out the last needle in the tray; after she ripped off the packaging I saw the glowing green liquid and my stomach churned. Please, not Mako!

"Here is the last dose I can give you. You don't need to worry, though; the Mako will be absorbed into another part of your body."

What kind of shit is this lady spouting? If I wanted glowing eyes and mental problems, I would have joined SOLDIER, not the Turk. Then again, didn't I already have glowing eyes from some earlier treatment? Regardless, I stood stupidly and just watched as she injected the Mako into my vein.

"Another thing, little one, please destroy everything in this room, and never tell anyone about our little secret. It will only cause more pain if you do. I give you my best wishes, and I hope you die quickly and painlessly."

With that, June Argos turned around and walked off leaving a very confused me. Damn, I must be hallucinating. Again. I was almost expecting to see dancing chocobos appear and Tseng flying in with a fucking tutu. When it didn't happen, I began to move on.

I went to the cabinet and found some flammable looking crap, spread it around the room, and ripped open the security panel. Then, I ran like hell. Sure enough the sparks from the destroyed security panel ignited the liquid causing one big explosion. Although I ran as fast as I could, the shock wave hit me and sent me flying towards the end of the hall. The big metal door was looking really painful to hit as I flew towards it, but just before I hit it, the door was ripped open by a huge mother fucking monster complete with wings, rippling muscles, and huge teeth.

I ended up tackling that behemoth and wishing that I had hit the door instead. At least a door won't bite. Usually. Even though I had the breath knocked out of me, I jumped off the monster and tried to run away, however, the creature grabbed my arm cutting into the flesh with its ivory claws. Before I could react, it tackled me to the floor and then the sickening sound of a collapsing building filled my ears. I watched in horror as the ceiling above fell down burying me and this animal alive.

I think I was out for a few minutes, because when I opened my eyes, everything was still. It wasn't a normal silent either, more like a muffled silence. My breathing seemed to echo loudly and even though I couldn't really see anything, I felt a heavy weight upon me.

"Are you all right?" asked a deep, smooth voice.

Two glowing red eyes opened above me and I could see that Vincent was covering me with his body. The extra light from his eyes allowed me to see that above him and all around us was debris.

"Reno, are you all right?" he repeated.

I could tell that he was staring at my brightly glowing eyes, and for the first time in over a week, relief flooded through my body. As soon as I opened my mouth to answer, reality set in along with a wave of emotions. I choked back a sob as I tried to gain control of my emotions. Turks don't break down, no matter what, they just don't break down. Vincent's eyes softened as he saw me struggle.

"Let go, Reno. I understand."

With those words I broke; I could no longer be quiet. All the fears, frustrations, and confusion poured out in the tears I haven't let fall since I dropped the Sector Seven plate. I didn't want to be weak, but I felt completely helpless. Isn't it funny how I could survive mass murdering hundreds of innocent people without really crying about it, but one kidnapping and I was an utter mess. Pathetic.

A few hours later, Vincent and I heard voices from above, and sure enough within minutes, his friends broke through some of the debris.

"Vincent!" called out the voice of a woman I would be happy to never hear again.

"Tifa, tell everyone to back away," the ex-Turk commanded. Tifa followed orders and as soon as Vincent deemed it safe he tensed up his body. "Just stay still, Reno, I'm going to fling the rest of this stuff off of us."

"All right, yo," I croaked.

In an impressive show of strength, Vincent forced himself up with enough force to throw off the rest of the building from atop of us. The moonlight shone down on Vincent's pale body revealing a piece of shrapnel sticking into his back and coming out through his abdomen. Dark blood oozed from the wound looking black compared to the scar covered whiteness of his skin. He grabbed the piece of metal with his clawed hand and ripped it out with a sickening squelch.

I looked at Vincent with pity, but he just smiled. Actually, it was more like a microscopic upturn of the corner of his mouth, but I've been screwing Cloud long enough to know what a smile for depressed people looks like.

I heard rushing footsteps, and turned to see Tifa, Rude, Elena, Barret, and Cloud running towards us. Cloud was one step ahead of everyone and grabbed me into a huge hug. Then, he grabbed the back of my head and attacked my mouth with a vigor that usually meant I was gonna have sex. I returned the kiss not caring that nearly everyone was staring at us in shock, or that Cloud was wearing these hospital regulation pants and shirt. I didn't even care that my hands roamed over Cloud's beautiful body. I had saved him, and he would be happy. That's all that mattered.

One hand slid down his belly in order to reach a lower part of him, when I felt a raised area of flesh. It felt…like stitches! I pulled away and ripped open his shirt to reveal a long curved cut that had been recently stitched. I couldn't fucking believe it! If the doctors succeeded, what the hell had I destroyed?! That couldn't have been a hallucination, it fucking couldn't!

Then everything just stopped and my mind shut down casting me into darkness. My brain was fried.