Fallen to the Planet
Chapter 6: Little Mind
"I don't like it."
"But--"
"I don't like it!" Reeve just sighed. "When I get my nerves reattached--"
Reeve knew he had good aim, and he knew he had a pretty powerful gun, but he didn't think that he severed Than's nerves around her spinal cord. So the shot that hit her chest paralyzed her from the neck down. So the only thing she could do was... talk, unfortunately. Reeve just sat in his chair, watching the thing mumble to herself, while a WRO officer had taken a seat at the edge of his desk. He had arrived shortly after Reeve incapacitated his attacker.
"So you shot her, sir?" The officer asked, still a little confused even after being told what had happened.
"Yes." The man calmly replied. The officer just switched his gaze from Than, to his boss, and back to Than.
"And paralyzed her, sir..."
"Yes." The leader twirled Vincent's gun on his desk. There was a knock at Reeve's office door. "Come in," he replied in an absent-minded manner.
Vincent himself came through the door, with a doctor right at his heals. In his golden claws was a large, cream colored jacket with a lot of hooks and belts on it. The middle-aged man behind him was going on about how he should be resting and not storming around the building.
"It's nice to see you up Vincent!" Said man gave no reply and tossed the jacket to the WRO officer; he caught it easily and stared at it.
"Put her in it," the dark man commanded, "And you," he directed to the man sitting in his deck chair, still twirling the gun about, "you need to take things more seriously. You could have easily been dead." Vincent rested his hands on the desk, steadying himself. Than was mouthing off to the officer in the background, who was cautiously fitting it over her still arms.
"Vincent, I'm not stupid enough to let something like that," Reeve made a vague gesture to the loud girl, "fool me into believing that she's you. She had your personality all wrong (though she may fool the receptionists). Are you feeling all right?" His friend gave a noise of approval along with a nod of his head, though he didn't let go of the desk.
"He's still disoriented from whatever that girl did to him." The doctor commented. "He needs to lay--"
"He's just a little dizzy." Than butted in. "I can feel his energy from here. It's returning. Could you stop touching me?" The physician huffed in annoyance and made his way over to the girl (he didn't take well to being told wrong).
"Who are you to say he's fine? Move over; you're doing it wrong." He stooped next to the combatant expert and began to properly fit the jacket on her. The doctor asked why she wasn't moving and his partner replied with a simple "paralyzed." Reeve looked into Vincent's red eyes.
"If you're not feeling well..." he said in a low voice.
"I'm fine. I just don't want her to be able to touch people." Vincent straightened himself up, silent and tall. Reeve slid his gun across the desk and Vincent caught it. "My holster," he asked. His friend had forgotten about that, but the officer tossed it to its rightful owner, and the gunman caught it without a problem.
"See? His hand-eye coordination is perfect." Than was being buckled up from behind now, limping over in an odd fashion due to lack of control. Vincent only stared at her in a none too pleasing way.
"How did she learn our language so quickly?" Reeve asked, the idea finally dawning on him.
"From Mr. Valentine, sir." Than mocked the sultry tone of a stereo-typed secretary. She giggled to herself as one of her hairs were plucked from her head.
"Be sincere." The doctor commanded as he finished the last hook. He stood up, brushed himself off, and asked permission to leave. "Since Mr. Valentine doesn't believe he needs help, and I have some blood tests to run for you."
"Oh, you're the hematologist? Thank you so much for your help. Yes, please; you may go."
"Thank you sir." He gave a small bow and proceeded to leave the office, shutting the door behind him. Vincent watched him go, and then observed Than propped up against the wall, two little blood stains appearing on the jacket.
"You have good aim."
"Thank you."
"What are you going to do with her?" Reeve gave a sigh a mused it all in his head. Instead of an answer, more questions popped up in his head.
"What did she do to you, exactly?" The officer felt that this was something he shouldn't be apart of. The tones were becoming personal, and he wasn't exactly a close friend. He stood up, gave one last look at the girl, and presented himself to his commander.
"Do you need any further assistance from me, sir?" Reeve had almost forgotten that the boy was still here, but he dismissed him all the same, giving him his thanks. The soldier bowed and made his exit. So now the room was just left to the three. A little silence fell over them before Than opened up her mouth.
"You were wondering how I crippled your friend, weren't you, Mr. Tuesti?" The two men directed their gaze at her, still a little unused to having the once screaming threat utter coherent sentences at them. Reeve replied with an affirmative, a little taken back that she knew his name.
"She essentially emptied my body of all its energy."
"Said beautifully, sir." Than praised, smiling a bit to herself. Reeve then question as to how she did it. "I touch the host. It's vital that it's skin to skin contact though; that's why I grabbed your face, Mr. Valentine."
"Could you elaborate exactly what you do, Than?" The inventor was making sure he sounded nice, to appeal to the girl and have his questions answered. The creature rolled her head in an odd way, her eyes focused on the man talking to her.
"I infect and copy other organisms. I steal life from my hosts through touch so I can invade society and infect more people without being detected. Is that plain enough?" All was sounding very familiar. Reeve looked towards Vincent out of the corner of his eye, and noticed he was doing the same thing. He next inquired about her knowledge and relationship about Jenova.
"She is powerful. Grand! She wouldn't know about me though," The girl's voice dropped slightly at this point, "I've done nothing to be recognized. Still too young to the universe."
"Wait, wait; there are others?" Reeve leaned forward in his chair, his brown eyes widening at such a thought.
"Yes." Than replied, giving the man a queer look, "Just like Jenova and I."
"How many of you are there?" The girl gave a light twitch of her shoulders, which was supposed to mimic a shrug, the men guessed. Her health was progressing, at the very least.
"A few, a lot. We don't usually run into each other. We are all connected with our minds; a knowledge that we are not alone, each a part of one another." She spoke like a seer almost, her explanations poor and vague.
"Does this mean you communicate with each other telepathically?"
"No. I have never talked with another. I only know about Jenova because the universe speaks about her."
Now things were getting confusing, and Reeve tried to ask for her to be more specific and clear about her words. Than was amused by how nice the man was being to her, so she complied and answered most of his questions.
"No; it is a feeling I have that others are out there. I know I'm not alone. It's the universe that speaks to me, speaks to us all. It confirms the destruction and is proof of others. I am sure if I were to speak with my brethren, they would only want to kill me." This was becoming a confusing mess. The girl could sense others like her, but can't communicate with them; instead she can communicate with the universe. Why have such an odd and complicated link? Wouldn't it be easier if she could come in contact with her own kind? Why do they not travel and kill together? None of these questions were being answered; not because Than was being difficult to deal with, but because she didn't know the answers.
The inventor could only sit back in his chair and observe the creature. Was she really so simple? Kill, destroy, and repeat? Technically speaking, she is a virus, and that is what viruses do. If that was the case, she and Jenova are the most sophisticated killing machines to ever roam among the stars. Vincent took his try at inquiring the girl.
"So how do you know Jenova?" Than cocked her head at an odd angle again, kindly replying.
"I don't. Her cells call to me. The universe lead me to her."
"What do you mean?" He calmly replied.
"I'm going to help her destroy this planet." A wicked grin began to play on the creature's lips.
"Jenova is not a threat." The creature gave a chuckle.
"You can not kill a virus." Her smile grew larger. "We always find a way to survive. Hosts, mutations, Geostigma, Sephiroth. Ah; he was a product of your specie's meddling. The perfect weapon for Jenova to use." But Than's smile slowly faded as she turned her attention to the man in the cape. "But the same man who created him, created you. The perfect warrior for the Planet, along with all of her other monsters and powers she can use to protect herself." She arched her back as if to stretch, her trapped arms fidgeting in the sleeves. She smiled. "I can almost feel my legs now."
Reeve had leaned over his desk a little, towards Vincent and whispered his thoughts to him while the girl was preoccupied with herself. "She's reminds me of Kadaj the more she talks." His friend nodded his head in agreement.
"Young and impulsive."
"Like a child?" Red eyes relayed a confusing look at Reeve before giving his answer.
"Children don't kill." Than was too busy trying to free her arms, grunting, and finally falling to the ground.
"Prime killer behavior."
"You can't change what she is."
"But viruses can mutate." The commissioner stood up and made his way towards Than. Vincent could only sigh. He knew what Reeve was trying to do, but it was too hopeful. Change and use the virus for the Planet's defense- he had talked about it before. She had a mind; it just needed to be used and manipulated. Reeve believed that was the key to turning her to their side. What better way to fight off an immortal nightmare, but with another immortal nightmare? Reeve grabbed the front of Than's jacket with both hands and hoisted her up on her feet.
"If you can be calm and not attack anybody, I can unfasten your arms for you." The girl gave a queer look at the man, her eyes focusing on his.
"Why do you want to do that?" She was highly suspicious.
"I just want to make you more... comfortable. The sleeves are sewn shut, so you wont be killing anyone soon." She raised a white eyebrow and gave him the most odd face he'd ever seen.
"Fine. Do what you want, but I'll eventually kill you, Mr. Tuesti. You're just make it easier for me." Reeve chuckled to himself as he let her go, but she sank and hit the floor immediately with a harsh thud. She whined over her sore knees and rump.
"I still don't have control over my legs yet!"