MONSTERS (A Final Fantasy 7 Fanfic)

X: Father

Hojo cackled as he typed away at the computer. Chaos had fallen upon the world. Sephiroth was back, after all these years. Oh, he knew the boy wouldn't be so easy to kill! He was back, and he was going to bring such beautiful destruction to this wretched world. Having gotten access to the powerful black materia, the consequences of such magic now loomed above the sky, haunting the people below with the inevitability of their end. A blazing red ball of death, every day, crept closer and closer. Nothing Shinra had tried could stop it. There was a certain group out there, made up of escaped experiments, maddened eco-terrorists, self-pitying fools and washed-up employees desperate for a purpose, trying to stand in the way of both the company, and of Sephiroth.

But they were hopeless. Perhaps Shinra could be stopped, but not Sephiroth. He'd known the boy from birth, and they had no idea of just how powerful he truly was. He was a failed experiment as a replication of the Cetra, but the perfect conclusion in the creation of a killing machine. In fact, he was better– for he had arisen high above his circumstances, into something beyond.

"Oh, son," Hojo laughed so hard his lungs felt as though they were about to burst. "These fools think they can stop you! But we both know how such arrogance will end!"

His fingers continued to tap at the keyboard. Shinra was attacking the Northern Crater, where Sephiroth's body was located– and they'd managed to remove the protective barrier around it, though his son was unharmed. Hojo was on limited time; it wouldn't be long before Shinra would attempt to shoot again, and he feared of what would happen if someone tried to stop him. He had to send energy, much energy, to the location of his son. He had to know, to see with his own eyes, the potential full power of his beautiful experiment.

He grinned. What a wonderful scientist he turned out to be.

"You always looked down on me, Sephiroth. But look who's helping you now, my boy" he spoke, glancing out the window towards the crater. The land ahead was barren and eerie in its silence. In fact, he noted for a moment that things were too silent. A chill crept up his spine, as if something were about to lash out and hurt him– a feeling he'd not felt since he was a child.

"Hojo."

The scientist's demeanour changed instantly. He whirled around like a startled creature, white fingers quickly reaching for the revolver he kept in his pocket. Was he hearing things? He aimed his weapon in the direction of the voice, hands growing slick with sweat. His mind sometimes played tricks on him, which was unsurprising considering how much exposure he'd had to Jenova. This would not be the first time he'd heard the voice of his son, when there was nothing there. (((At least, this time, it had not been Lucrecia))).

"You know full well the powers granted by Jenova. Your gun is useless here."

The voice felt far more real than usual. Hojo sighed, and put his gun away. If the voice was a hallucination, then he should simply carry on with his work. If the voice was real, then there was no reason to do so.

"I do not have the time for this," he muttered to himself, turning his attention back to the computer. "Science waits for no one."

"Nor does death," the voice hissed. "Do you believe me to be a mere illusion?"

Hojo froze as cold fingers curled around his shoulder, stifling a gasp. The touch was deceptively light, for he knew its owner could crush his bones in an instant, if he decided it appropriate. Indeed, this was no vision– Sephiroth's mastery of Jenova had reached a frightening– and fascinating– level.

"My dear boy," Hojo drawled, grinning with refusal to show how terrified he truly was. "Can you not see that I am trying to help you?"

"I need not your help."