Chapter Text
Hojo,
The stigma has reached Modeoheim.
The virus matches the descriptions in the ancient texts of the Cetra, and this corroborates the reports of hallucinations. I theorize the source of the disease is the same as the calamity that led to the genocide of the Cetra. That being said, it’s proven difficult to separate fact from fantasy; according to legend, the calamity is a shapeshifter, able to read minds and take on the form of lost loved ones.
Unfortunately, there is nothing in the texts about a possible cure, only the containment of the calamity in the Northern Crater. I’ve been collecting samples from the victims, in an attempt to develop a vaccine.
Ifalna’s at eight months now. She’s been eager to help with my research, but with so little knowledge about the stigma, I’ve sent her to stay with a friend in Cosmo Canyon. I only hope that I can return to her before the baby arrives.
Gast Faremis
“A friend of mine heard the stigma reached Kalm.” Lucrecia rinsed the dirt off the last batch of potatoes. “People in Midgar are worried. They’re stocking up on any supplies they can get their hands on.”
“More importantly,” Hojo rubbed his chin, “what do you think of this Ifalna?”
“She sounds like a lovely woman.”
“She sounds like a Cetra. It’s rather careless for Gast to reveal where she’s hiding, knowing how fervently Shinra is looking for the Promised Land.”
“Mako energy isn’t going to fix the threat of the calamity.”
“Or could it? Gast is researching vaccination, not elimination. Perhaps this virus is simply a part of life now.”
Hojo’s mind wandered to the basement of Shinra Manor, where his test subject lay dormant in preparation for his next experiment. If injecting Mako is essential for the creation of SOLDIER, what would the blood of an Ancient do? Or perhaps… could there be a way to harness the power of the virus to our advantage?
“How are your experiments coming along?”
Hojo blinked in surprise. Almost as if she read my mind. “We’re not making as much progress as I’d hoped. But I may have a few ideas in mind.”
“It’s been almost a year since I’ve had meaningful time to work on my research into Omega and Chaos.”
“You’ll get more time soon.”
“I will.” Lucrecia held her head high, staring coldly at her husband. “I’m enrolling Sephiroth in school.”
“What!?” Hojo leapt to his feet.
“He’s a smart boy, Hojo.”
“This isn’t about him, and you know it! You’re just using this as an excuse to work on your own silly project instead of caring for the boy!”
“Mother.”
Both Hojo and Lucrecia froze, staring at Sephiroth.
“Mother, I don’t want to go to school.”
Lucrecia burst into tears while Hojo stared agape at his son.
“I want to help Father with his experiments.”
Hojo broke into a wide smile. “Ha! Didn’t I tell you he takes after his father?” He pulled the boy into a tight hug, and Sephiroth wriggled desperately, trying to get free.
“No… No!”
“Sephiroth, you have to go to school. You’ll learn everything you need to know to help your father, and you’ll make friends, too!”
Sephiroth didn’t respond - he was too preoccupied with squirming free from his father’s embrace. “No, no, no!”
“You don’t want to make friends?”
“No!”
“But you-”
“No!”
“He’s made it clear, Lucrecia. He wants to help me with-”
“No!”
“No?” Hojo quickly released Sephiroth and stepped backwards. “You just said you wanted to help!”
Sephiroth whined, rubbing his shoulder where Hojo had been holding him, but didn’t say a word.
Lucrecia knelt down so she was eye-level with Sephiroth. “Sephiroth, what do you want to do?”
Sephiroth looked down and didn’t respond.
“Now look what you’ve done,” Hojo spat. “You’ve broken him.”
“Hojo,” Lucrecia hissed. “He’s overwhelmed.”
“He’s weak,” Hojo scoffed. “Just like his mother.”
Sephiroth suddenly shoved past Lucrecia and ran out of the kitchen.
“Sephiroth?” The boy’s footsteps echoed down the hall, but instead of thudding up the stairs, they continued towards the front of the house. “Sephiroth!” Lucrecia ran after him. “Sephiroth, come back here!”
The front door was ajar, and Sephiroth was gone.
I’m so sorry.
Vincent groggily opened his eyes. He was suspended in glowing green liquid, and his arms and legs felt heavy, as if they were made of lead.
“Mmph…” He tried to speak, but something was clasped around his face, covering his mouth and nose, pushing air in and out of his lungs. “Mmph…?”
“No, no, no, no…”
Is that a child’s voice? Vincent fought to turn towards the source of the noise.
“No, no, no…”
A small child was curled in a ball underneath Hojo’s desk, his face buried in his knees as he rocked back and forth.
“Mmph…” Vincent tried to call out to the child. The boy looked up and made eye contact with Vincent, then shrieked and tried to stand, smacking his head on the underside of the desk. He burst into noisy tears.
I’m not going to hurt you, Vincent wanted to say. Instead he watched helplessly as the child pushed himself further into the dark corner beneath the desk, trying to hide himself from the strange man in the tank.
“Mother,” he whimpered, tears streaming down his face. “Mother…”
The child sobbed under the desk for several minutes, and Vincent watched as he eventually fell asleep still curled in a ball under the desk. What is he doing here? Where’s his mother?
Vincent watched silently while the young boy dozed beneath the desk, soundly asleep even as the rusted hinges creaked open and Hojo entered the lab, muttering under his breath.
“...and now our son is missing, all because of her reckless foolishness!” Hojo yanked open a drawer and pulled out a large syringe. “What does it matter to me? Let them fall down the cliffs of Mt. Nibel, then they’d no longer get between me and the pursuit of science.”
He glanced up at Vincent and cackled. “Well! That’s a good sign, at least. You’re developing resistance to the sedative, which proves my hypothesis. Now,” Hojo used a mortar and pestle to crush a glowing blue crystal into dust, “if Mako alone is proven to have strengthening properties, let’s test some natural Materia.”
He poured the Materia dust into the syringe, then poured in a glowing green liquid. He swirled the contents together until it glowed a bright cyan. Vincent watched helplessly as Hojo injected the mixture into a nearby tank. A colorful cloud billowed in an adjacent chamber, wafting through a long rubber tube that snaked into the tank Vincent was suspended in. He tried to hold his breath, but the mask forced the glowing fumes into Vincent’s lungs. He writhed, trying and failing to cough.
“Interesting reaction.” Hojo plopped down into his desk chair and wheeled it under the desk. “Now we-”
“Ow!”
“What the-?” Hojo pushed the chair back, and the child crawled out from underneath, clutching his side.
“Sephiroth! What are you doing in here? This is no place for a child!” Hojo grabbed Sephiroth by the back of his neck, hoisting him upright. The child cried out in pain. “Go crawl back to your mother and apologize for frightening her!” He pushed Sephiroth roughly towards the door, and the child stumbled slightly before running out of the room.
Hojo turned back to look at Vincent. “Hmph. Not enough of a reaction. Dispersion through the lungs is proving not to be as efficient as…”
Vincent’s vision swam and darkened as the mask affixed to his face continued to push more of the toxic fumes into his lungs. Lucrecia…
Lucrecia gently stroked sleeping Sephiroth’s hair. The child murmured softly and rolled onto his side, before wincing and turning to his opposite side.
Hojo, what did you do to him? Lucrecia gently brushed Sephiroth’s side, and the boy whimpered softly. How long will I stand by and let this continue? “I’m just glad you’re safe,” she whispered.
“Mother…”
The single word warmed Lucrecia’s heart. “I’m here, Sephiroth. I’ll always be here to protect you.”
The phone rang from downstairs. Lucrecia stole one last look at her slumbering son before shutting the door softly and making her way to the living room.
“Lucrecia Crescent speaking.”
“Lucrecia, is Hojo available? This is Verdot, of the Turks.”
“No, he’s not available at the moment. Can I leave him a message?”
“Have you had recent contact with Vincent Valentine?”
Lucrecia’s heart dropped in her chest. “I haven’t seen him in months, at least. Why?”
“We’ve…” Verdot hesitated. “We’ve lost contact with him. It’s been almost a year since he last gave us a status update. We can’t seem to contact Hojo, either.”
“I’ll… call you back.” Lucrecia hung up the phone, her hands trembling. She took a deep breath and reached for the door - and it swung open, revealing a disheveled Hojo.
“Hojo!”
“Is he still here?”
“Who?”
“Our goddamn son!”
“Sephiroth’s asleep!” Lucrecia scolded. “What did you do to him? His side?”
“The little devil was hiding under my desk. I didn’t see him.”
“Hojo, I just got a call from Verdot.”
Hojo stopped dead in his tracks.
“About… Vincent.”
“What about him?” Hojo glared over his shoulder at Lucrecia.
“They haven’t heard from him in ages. The Turks are getting worried.”
“You think I know what happened to him?”
“You hired him to help with your experiments. What are you-”
“Silence, woman!” Hojo raised his palm, and Lucrecia instinctively winced.
“Father?”
Sephiroth stood at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes groggily.
“Sephiroth.” Hojo quickly lowered his hand. “Good to see you safe at home.”
“Father, why is there a monster in the basement?”
“A monster? Don’t be ridiculous, boy. There’s no such thing as monsters. Now get back to bed.”
“Mm.” Sephiroth nodded and trudged back into his room.
“Hojo,” Lucrecia hissed. “What exactly are you doing in that mansion?”
Hojo broke into a wicked grin. “I’ll show you.”
“Vincent!”
Lucrecia fell to her knees at the sight of the Turk lying lifeless on the operating table.
“Lu… cre… cia…” The voice sounded like a monstrous growl.
“What did you do to him?”
“I imbued him with special powers, abilities that may prove useful to one destined to control Chaos.”
“You’re wrong!” Lucrecia stood, shaking her head fervently. “You’re wrong, you’re wrong! This was all for revenge,” she gasped. “You tortured him for being close to me!”
“Lu… crecia…” Vincent slowly rose, zombie-like, from the table, his eyes glazed and sightless.
“Vincent, Vincent! Tell me you’re in there. Vincent!”
Vincent staggered forward, clutching his head in his hands. His body began to glow and he let out a guttural groan, which crescendoed into a beastly roar as his body writhed and morphed, sprouting hair and talons and a spiked tail.
Lucrecia screamed.