Chapter 10: Textus Tria
The next day found me sitting in some second-rate hospital looking out the window towards the massive jungles. As expected, once my body got a chance to rest, it healed up quickly. My shoulder was still quite tender and it was a bit hard to move it around, but you couldn't tell just by looking at it. The skin healed over the wound not leaving as much as a scar. Small scratches were all that was left of the flesh wounds to my stomach and back.
I was pretty sure that Rude had contacted Rufus and given him a full report, but I couldn't really bring myself to care about that right now. Now that I could look back, I saw the true horrors that those doctors committed, and it pissed me off so much. Those bastards did so much damage, yet they didn't regret anything and that made me so angry. The rage had built up so much…I was determined to kill them for all of the suffering they caused.
As I gazed out the window, my sharp eyes caught something in the distance. There was a truck outside of a club with a familiar emblem painted on its side. It only took me a few seconds to place that symbol. It had been on the machinery inside that laboratory, next to the corpse. I gritted my teeth and cracked my knuckles. I was going to get to the bottom of this mess, and I was going to start with that symbol.
A few phone calls later, I sneaked out of the hospital being sure to leave Rude a note. It informed him that I was going to be paying a Mr. Dino of Specialty Machinery a visit, and that he shouldn't try looking for me. After all, I fully intended to come back.
It took no time at all to find out that Mr. Dino was an extremely rich local and that one of his favorite hang outs was the exotic strip club on the outskirts of the village. For being out in the middle of nowhere, the club was strangely high class, and it was packed with customers and performers alike. I used a disguise kit from Rude's helicopter to transform my body into a work of the art of seduction, and with that, it was easy to slip into the club and make preparations. In only a few hours, I was ready to meet this Mr. Dino.
The silky raven strands of my well fitted wig were casually tossed over my shoulder as I looked for my victim. Artificially tanned skin glistened with glitter and rich paints as well as some oil to keep the paint from smudging. My crescent tattoos were hidden under black tribal paint and rhinestones that made the unique marking of an exotic prostitute. The entire club was packed tonight, but my eyes easily found my target. With a well practiced sway of my hips, I approached his table nodding at the waitress taking their orders. The only article of clothing I wore, tight revealing leather shorts, reflected the neon lights in a ripple as my hips undulated, and the ruby in my belly button glistened. Thank Ifrit that my pregnancy wasn't showing or this whole thing would have been impossible.
I caught the dark grey eyes of Mr. Dino, and the contact didn't break even when I gracefully hopped on the table and grinded against the long cold pole. I let him drink in my glorious body and treated him to a lavish wink before I began my sensual dance. I slowly walked around the pole, swaying my hips, and dipping them a little. All of the stones pasted to my body reflected the many lights, giving my body a surreal glow, and the dark paints enhanced my sleek muscles and taut body. I noted, out of the corner of my eye, that he was following my every move with a hungry look. Heh, looks like I'm just his type.
In one swift move, I hoisted up my body with one arm and swung around the pole. Everyone gasped in surprise when I didn't use any tools to help me stay up as my toned legs rose above my head and I paused completely upside down. Thankfully, the Mako in my body really made all of these movements as easy as pie. It was also impressive as heck. Next, I wrapped my right leg around the pole and freed my hands. My left leg lowered to be perpendicular to the pole and my hands caressed it. I intentionally threw a sultry glance to Mr. Dino and let my tongue peek out to run across my lower lip.
Not even breaking a sweat, I swung my legs around and used my hands to keep steady and I formed abstract designs with my sinewy body. I would alternate using my hands and legs to hold myself up and I smiled to myself as I saw the layer of money at the base of the pole. I slid down until I was once again grinding against the now warm metal leaning back to take the money out of one of the patron's hands. Very carefully I did a front flip, landing on the chair arms of Mr. Dino. From this close, I could clearly see the sweat dripping down his collar and the tightness of his suit pants. His eyes were glued to my barely covered member just inches from his face, and I decided that it was finally time to move on to the next stage of the operation.
I hopped down to straddle his thighs, and I writhed against his straining member. I leaned in and dragged my hot moist tongue over his jawbone and to his ear. My hands tugged a little on his tie, and I made sure that a few stands of the silky hair were draped over his shoulder so that he could get a good whiff of my clean passion fruit smell. He was all mine.
"Shall I take you to the back room?" I whispered into his crimson ear with a thick Wutaiese accent. I felt him shiver under my spell.
"Of course, doll," he replied eagerly.
It was obvious that I was playing a very dangerous game. This man with filthy rich and was know to have a very violent temper, so he could have body guards all around. So far, I hadn't noticed any, but I could be missing something. Well, it didn't matter right now. Getting information from him did.
I slid off his lap and led him back to the rooms. The one I picked was full of mirrors and the bed covers were of golden silk. I led him to the bed and I fell back on it with a sexy smile, watching as he stripped off everything but his pants quickly. When he leaned over me, an untimely sick spell came over me and I nearly threw up in his face. Calling on all of my control, I kept the bile down, but I turned my head so that he ended up kissing my neck and collarbone.
Mr. Dino's well known rage suddenly burst at the supposed "rejection" of his kiss. I felt his hairy hand connect harshly with my cheekbone, snapping my head against the soft bed. The hit stunned me for a bit and he stripped off my shorts and forced me on my hands and knees.
"Fucking bitch," he muttered, "no respect these days, no respect…"
One large hand grabbed a fistful of hair and tugged my head back painfully. Thankfully, the wig stayed put, keeping my cover up. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out and the taste of blood flitted across my tongue. The sound of the zipper behind me was so agonizingly slow and I vaguely wondered if I was going to be raped while I struggled to not puke my guts out.
What seemed like several seconds drew out before I realized that Mr. Dino was going slow, or rather, my brain had once again sped up. I looked up through my bangs, and it wasn't the humiliating position I was in, or even the disgusting pig behind me that I noticed. Instead, it was the menacing crimson eyes that were staring back at me.
For the first time I could clearly see the gold band that surrounded the red irises and the golden speckles (courtesy of Chaos's genes within me) that rested in the scarlet pool. It was then that I could understand why anyone who saw these eyes became afraid. The corners of my lips curled up in a predatory smirk, my nausea forgotten for the moment.
Before Mr. Dino could shove his short fat dick in me, I kicked him off of me and threw him into a chair. Using available resources, I bound both of his arms and legs to the chair and I brandished a bamboo stick as if it were my E-mag. Mr. Dino blinked at me rapidly, his mouth agape in shock. I suppose that a Turk inquisition just wasn't his cup of tea.
"W-who are you?" he stuttered looking around the room.
Ah, I wasn't wearing my Blues, so he couldn't know that I was a Turk; well, there was no need to tell him.
"That is none of your concern, pig," I spat without any accent as I gently rubbed my bruised cheek. It was already healing. "I need you to give me some answers, swine," I asked cheerily as I dragged the stick across his red knuckles.
"Q-questions?" he asked an octave higher.
"Yes, yes, you know the type," I said as I began pacing in front of him. "How are you doing? How are the kids?" I abruptly turned to face him and I brought the bamboo sharply across his knuckles and retracted it just as fast. "Where are Damon and Sheryl Franklin!"
He shrieked in pain and tried to close his fist, but his wrist was tied too tightly against the armrest. He was already shaking and he shook his head furiously making his double chin jiggle.
"P-please, n-no," he begged.
I scowled and got right in his face; his wide granite eyes couldn't tear away from my own terrifying ones.
"C'mon, you fat piece of shit! I'm going to find them no matter what, but you can either live or die!"
He was absolutely mortified by now.
"If you don't kill me, they will!" he shrieked.
I sighed.
"Well then, if you're gonna play favorites like that…"
I placed my foot against his right knee and then stomped on it with half of my strength. The sound of crushing bones echoed in the room soon drowned out by the screams of the victim. I didn't even flinch as he screamed and cried, nearly convulsing on the chair in pain. I removed my foot and glanced at the misshapen and bruising limb; it was funny how doing things like this didn't bother me anymore.
"Now then, pig, tell me what I want to know and I will guarantee you that the Franklin doctors will never lay a hand on you."
Only incoherent babblings came out of his foaming mouth and his fat covered body trembled in shock. I could feel my strength slipping away slowly as the adrenaline was leaving my system, so I decided to wrap this up as quickly as possible. I placed my foot on his other knee and he began to scream louder and shake even harder than I thought possible.
"Last chance I'm gonna give you to tell me what I want. If you don't tell me this time, I'm gonna crush this other kneecap, cut eight of your fingers and eight of your toes, before I rip your testicles off and force them down your throat."
For a moment I thought that Mr. Dino had passed out as his entire body went limp and his eyes closed. I sighed in frustration and then he began to speak slowly and deliberately, trying to be clear enough for me so that I would let him live.
"I-if you guarantee that you won't let those monsters k-kill me or d-do horrible experiments t-to me, I'll tell you everything."
Heh, always the negotiator.
"On my word, if you give me the information, I'll never let them lay a hand on you."
He nodded and cringed as a wave of pain struck him. I took a little pity on him and took a Mastered Restore that I had set up in one of the drawers and cast it on him just enough to lessen the pain to a manageable amount. I noticed that I had no difficulty at all controlling the Materia or knowing how long to use it. Ever since I had that Mako put into my system, I had gained a heck of a lot more control over all kinds of Materia. I brought my attention back to Mr. Dino as he began to tell me the information.
"Sheryl and Damon are never in the same place too l-long, they are always having me send them supplies to different areas at least twice a month."
"Where did they last tell you to send it?"
"Edge."
My heart seemed to freeze, but I didn't let it show in my body language at all.
"When was that order, and what did you send them?"
"I-it was two weeks ago, and I sent them basic food supplies, one new Mako tank, several pounds of broken Materia, and some smuggled files on Grimoire Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent's research regarding the Protomateria and the G project."
I racked my mind trying to recall what I knew about Grimoire Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent, but I didn't come up with much at all. Grimoire shared the last name with Vincent, so maybe they were related? Or maybe Vincent was named after the guy if he helped Hojo with the experiments...didn't sound too promising. The only thing I could think of for Lucrecia Crescent was something that Cloud had mentioned once in bed when we were discussing different tragic plays and how they had nothing on our stories. He had said something like, "Vincent and Lucrecia's story could probably top all of ours." I asked him about it, but he had refused to tell me anything more.
I shook my head as I realized that all of this information probably wasn't worth the trouble that I was going through getting it. The only thing that was slightly helpful was the fact that they had their shit delivered to Edge. But that was two weeks ago, and they probably left by now…
"I don't suppose you know anything else useful, right yo?"
Mr. Dino looked up at me and tilted his head before his eyes lit up.
"Wait, you're one of those filthy Turks! Shinra's dirty little dogs! You only want that information so that the brat President can do such experiments as well!"
The corner of my lips twitched in agitation, and my hands clenched. I never let anyone talk about my boss in that manner, no matter what the situation. It looked like this fat pig hadn't yet learned his lesson. In a flash, he was screaming in agony again now with two crushed kneecaps.
"I'm gonna take off a few fingers for that comment too!" I yelled at him. "It isn't any of your business what the Boss does and, for the record, he would never do fucking shit like this. Ever! I should kill you for that!"
To be truthful, that thought had crossed my own mind, but I realized that Rufus really was turning a new leaf and doing something as horrendous as these experiments wouldn't help his new status as a good guy. This kind of stuff was of absolutely no benefit to him.
"No, no, no! I know that they like to frequent Nibelheim, they go there at least eight times a year!"
Nibelheim, that's also where Logan said the Rhino armor had been made. Knowing this made me calm down a bit since it was the only decent clue I had.
"You won't let them touch me, w-will you?" Mr. Dino gasped in pain. "Y-you said-"
"I know what I said!" I snapped making him cringe back in his seat. I caught myself rubbing my belly in comforting circles and forced it to stop. "And yes, I always keep my word, so they won't ever touch you." I walked over to my cabinet and opened the drawer, pulling out a little surprise for Mr. Dino.
The fat slob relaxed as much as one could with two crushed kneecaps and closed his eyes with a sigh. Immediately, I buried two bullets into him, ending his worthless existence. One bullet in the head and one in the heart, just to be safe. Now that he was dead, I took my time cleaning up so that I could plot my next move. I needed to go to Nibelheim next, but I wasn't sure if I should actually ask the Boss for some help with that or if I should approach Cloud and his friends for help. Ugh, my head hurt so much…
A voice came from behind me and I whirled around wielding the bamboo cane as well as the pistol. I came face to face with nothing but thin air. Once again, all of my senses were on full alert and my veins were pumping Mako through me. There, again, was a whisper making me reel around. Seeing nothing, my heart began to pound even more in my thin chest.
"Why haven't you killed anyone with me yet? Yes, I am tired of hanging around. Feed me now!"
"What the heck?"
"I smell fresh blood…"
Unbelievable hunger pangs crashed over me, nearly making me sick in need. I could hear so many tantalizing heartbeats, beckoning me to tear into their pulsating flesh. I watched in horror as the ring of summoning glowed around me. I wasn't carrying any Summon Materia, so what the hell was going on?!
A surge of energy was expelled from my body, making me lightheaded, and I landed face first on the floor, immediately breaking my nose. That strange voice began to ring in my head, echoing roughly against the weary brain tissue. The painful feeling of being on fire spread across my flesh as I laid helplessly on the carpet. An animalistic growl tore from my throat as things all seemed to fade away.
It must have been hours before I snapped out of my near comatose state. Blood from my nose had already stained the carpet a bright red. Ugh, the Mako kept the blood looking fresh even when it was dry, how sickening. I looked around the dark room and a shudder coursed through my body. There were claw marks on the carpet and the door had been splintered. I crawled out of the room and into the hallway and this time, I didn't try to keep the bile down. The blood and gore that covered the entire area was a shock to not only my eyes, but also to my nose. I didn't know what had happened, but Sheryl's warning echoed in my head: "…you have to beat your own biological countdown."
Heaves pumped my chest up and down and my shaky hands clutched at the long strands of my fake hair. How did this all happen? Who, or rather, what did this?! Gods, it was me, it had to have been me! I was the only living being in this building, and from what I remember…that horrid feeling…I knew that I did this. Realizing this only made the feeling in my stomach grow painfully.
A cold drop of liquid hit my cheek, making me blink suddenly. I raised my eyes up and let my head drop back to look up at the ceiling, at the grotesque fresco. Another beautiful drop of red fell to my pale face and I couldn't help the chuckle that snaked its way from my throat. There on the ceiling, pinned by steak knives like colorful butterflies, were the bodies of all of the patrons in this building. Their nude bodies had been mangled, and even some innards were hanging out of the split stomachs. My wide eyes took in the entire scene laughing at the horror of those faces, all of those empty eyes, watching me. This place was raining blood, and all I could do was laugh.
I forced myself to stand up shakily, still unable to stop the laughing, and walked over to the front desk where there was still an intact phone. Heh, wasn't that a little coincidental? Just as I reached for the receiver, the phone rang and a deeper sick feeling settled in my stomach. There was no doubt in my mind as the phone rang again. I knew who was on the line, and she already knew what I've done. At the moment, I didn't care how she did it, or even if she really did know it. The ironic laugh erupted from my mouth in full force nearly making me double over, but I needed to answer the phone. I needed to hear her damn voice. I needed her to tell me what to do next.
"Hey there, yo!" A chuckle interrupted my next sentence. "Heh, hehehehe, this is just so fucking hilarious! Are you watching me now?! Ah ha ha ha!" I did a little twirl and I couldn't realize what I was doing to myself. "They're all dead you know, every last one of them! Isn't it great?! Ha ha ha! Are you happy now, you motherfucking bitch?!"
Somehow, my tone had lost the playful note to it and turned into the horror that hit me fully in the gut. The stench, the sight of the gore, the feel of the blood raining down on my skin, it was all too fucking much! Odin, I was laughing, what kind of monster would laugh in this?! Me, I would, and was!!
"I'll never be happy until I get what I want, Mr. Stryker. And I'll be getting that soon enough, dear."
"The fuck you will!" I screeched in rage.
I threw down the receiver and walked over to the nearest broken table. Its glass shards glittered in the still blinking light, and the blood stains made a sick stained glass picture. I grabbed a large piece and smiled widely knowing that it was good enough for what I wanted. Tears mingled with blood as my laughter once again echoed in the large room. I clenched my new weapon hard enough that my own fresh blood ran down my arms, unhindered, and I only laughed harder. There was only one thing left for me to do…