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icedark_elf May. 2nd, 2007 12:54 pm)
icedark_elf May. 2nd, 2007 12:54 pm)Title: Fresh Beginnings: Growth
Author: GW Katrina aka![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
icedark_elf
Beta:forgottenlover
Series: Fresh Beginnings
Wordcount: 2,659
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: The family grows a little faster.
Growth
This was the youngest taken yet. Where the other potential specimens had taken a month or two to display the glow that they had all been instructed to look for, this specimen was born with eyes that glowed. Surprised, the doctor had barely kept his shock from showing and gave the new baby to the proud parents.
Once they had settled, he had returned to his tiny little office and pulled out the information to connect him with the head of the project, and he let a sigh out before he picked up the PHS to give the call.
It had taken long enough, given how old this reactor was, but now they had a specimen. Hojo had been especially impatient for one from this facility.
Dialing in the number, he waited, and gave the code when it was prompted. Finally, he reached a living person.
“This is the Nibelheim facility. We have one. Boy. Just born. Yes, as of a half hour ago.” He scowled slightly as the person on the other end spoke. “No, I do know what I am looking for, and the boy has the signs already. Yes, I am aware that it shouldn’t be possible, but it is. Now, would you like the rest of the information? Good. As I said, boy, born today, glowing eyes, high alertness, strong color of eyes. Parents, Orrin and Nidara Strife.”
This was a good find, and he knew that he would be rewarded.
///
When the Shinra copter touched down two days later, it found a town in mourning. The day before, one of the reactor workers and his wife and newborn son had died in a house fire.
Hojo himself didn’t care, but the crew that he had flown in with gave their condolences, and several of them went up to check on the reactor, the others going to the inn to reserve the group rooms. They would be here a few days. Since he was in town anyway, Hojo had plans to check on a few other projects, plus collect something else from this town.
He wondered absently why things did seem to continue to circle back to this hovel. True, it is where Shinra had come from, where the first reactor was built, even where his own child had been born. There were several projects of high importance in various stages here, and he finally decided it was due to the fact that the Mako pulled from this area was highly potent. Most likely why they had gotten their call for a child actually born with the syndrome.
Collecting a box from the helicopter, which had been landed on the property that held the Shinra mansion, the only place it would fit that wasn’t in the middle of everything, he checked it out, and nodded. Inside were medicines that he had been requested to bring. Given the man’s good work, Hojo couldn’t help but agree. Besides, they needed to keep these sheep firmly under their thumb. This place was far too close to Wutai to allow discontent to flourish. All it would take were a few good words from spies from the Wutai people, and Shin-Ra would lose this reactor, which would be disastrous for them all. Hojo had too many notes here to lose them, and he had no desire to try to take everything from under the mansion out.
No, better to keep the people here happy and content with Shin-Ra, and not have to deal with the issue.
So, muttering to himself, he carried the box down. He would have had one of the troops he had brought with him take it, but the box would serve another purpose soon enough, and he didn’t dare risk it on some feeble brained grunt.
Walking to the home that he knew the doctor had here, he knocked and waited patiently.
When the man answered, he shoved the box into his arms. “Your medicine,” he said shortly, looking around as he shut the door behind him. “Alone?”
When the other man nodded, Hojo glared at him. “What happened?”
“I,” growled the doctor, “was uninformed that the boy’s mother was a former Turk candidate. It wasn’t in her records, I had to get the information last night -after- everything had happened. The only reason I was able to collect the child was due to the fact that, even though she woke up, she was still slowed by the drugs. I was forced to eliminate her, then the father, and then burn the place down to deal with questions.” A sigh. “I am the only one here who could have done the autopsy to see that they were shot, and I’m hardly likely to report it.”
Hojo waved his hands. “Fine, fine. I’ll look into it and make sure that the personal files, at least for my people, carry such information. We do not need risks of this nature. The child?”
“This way.”
The baby was limp in sleep, and Hojo could easily see the mark that kept him so. It wouldn’t do to keep the boy under the influence of the drugs for too long, as they would damage him, possibly his use as a specimen later on. “How long has he been under?”
“A few hours this time. I made sure that he was quiet when I let him wake last to feed him.”
Nodding, Hojo collected the infant and with practiced hands looked him over. Didn’t seem like all that long ago he was doing this with Sephiroth, then the first specimen he had collected for this project. Now he also had the Ancient’s child, though all of those had long since grown out of this stage. “Two days old now. Excellent.” He pried one eyelid open, looking at the dull glow of the eye, pleased. “This one will do well. Empty the box out. I’ll take him back to the mansion in that. We will be staying the night, as I have projects I am required to look in at, but nobody will hear the child there if he does wake up. Tomorrow, we will leave. Make sure to report if anything else appears, understood?”
As the man nodded and hurried to do as he was told, Hojo collected the file that had been next to the boy, who he cradled in one arm. Might as well get this one used to the sound of him now, just as he had done with Sephiroth. He had discovered already that the younger he was exposed to the infants, the more likely they were to accept his orders later on. Possibly scent based, like a wolf pack?
Not that it mattered. They would obey anyway, but he did prefer it when they cooperated. It made things easier.
Hmm, Cloud Strife.
Sephiroth might appreciate another child to help deal with. Zachary had proven a useful control on his sometimes willful son. A second control would not hurt. Not at all.
///
Everything had gone smoothly, and Hojo had found himself pleased. Now, only one final thing to do, and they could fly back to civilization.
The child was lightly dosed, enough to hopefully keep him asleep for the flight of a few hours. That had been an easy task. Now, he hoped that this one went as easily.
Luck appeared to be with him, however, when he pushed open the lid, the figure inside did nothing, not even open his eyes. Wonderful. Hojo still wasn’t sure why the man chose to sleep, but it had kept him out of the way of Hojo’s more important experiments, so he had been willing to leave him there.
It was amazing, he thought, looking down at the form. All this time had passed, and he still looked the same, not changing at all. Was it part of the experiment that he was unaging? Hojo wasn’t sure, as it had not been his project all together, and he had been forced to make...adjustments after what had happened with Lucretia. Pity. She had had such potential. Ah, well, if she wasn’t strong enough to deal with Sephiroth’s birth and the aftermath, she was weaker than he had thought. Still, it would have been nice to been able to reproduce Sephiroth. Still, the reactor specimens were proving useful, and he had finally been able to start adding Jenova to the regular treatments that the first specimen was receiving.
After a few moments of studying the pale form in the box, Hojo leaned down and slipped the needle home. Not even a flinch.
Well, he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep like that forever.
Once he had given the injection to make sure that this one stayed asleep as well, Hojo smirked, pleased. He did love it when things went according to plan. There was a certain neatness to it that appealed to him greatly, and he was a true scientist and appreciated it when his theories played out correctly.
Moving and pushing the lid back into place, he called in the ones waiting outside. Under his supervision, they tied the lid down and lifted the coffin.
With three children already, and a forth on its way, Hojo decided they needed a second care giver besides Ifalna. Especially given the age of the last three. The original doctor set to look after Sephiroth and Zack had met with an accident, and he simply did not have anyone else to spare. So he would put others to use, and he would not have to worry about escape attempts. Not in the Midgar facilities.
It was good when things worked out.
///
Whatever Vincent had expected to see when he woke up, it was not this. Well, parts of what he opened his eyes to fit what he was expecting, parts did not.
He was in a lab. There was no hiding that fact, not with the walls so white they actually hurt his eyes, and the smells of chemicals and nothing else assaulting his nose. Then he caught the scent of something else, and he snarled.
Another sign he was in a lab. Hojo was sitting in a chair nearby, calmly looking through a file. He looked up at Vincent’s snarl, and smirked. Wishing to tear that look right off his face, Vincent sat up, and then paused.
He was not tied down, nor restrained in any other way. That was unheard of. What was going on?
“I see you finally decided to wake up. Typical. If I made mistakes, I would have thought that I had given you an improper dosage, but I doubted it. Welcome to your new home.”
“This is -not- my home,” Vincent growled again, flexing the claws that were on one hand, feeling them dig into the table. He would never call any lab home, and he could not figure out why he had be force to waken. “Why am I awake?”
Hojo opened his mouth, as if to answer, though Vincent was sure only more mockery would come, but the cry of a child cut him off. Vincent froze, head turning as he looked around the room for the source of the sound. It was young, wherever it was. Too young to be Lucretia’s child. “What is that?”
“That would be a child, Valentine. Surely you haven’t been asleep so long as to have addled what little wits you have left. Cloud must be hungry. He is only a few days old.”
“Cloud?”
“My newest specimen. Who you will be helping care for. I do hope that you are more apt at child care than you were with dealing with Lucretia.”
Vincent let his eyes harden as he looked back at Hojo. “I’ll kill a child before I let it fall victim to your testing.”
With a click of his tongue, Hojo shook his head. With a press of a button, the door opened, and in walked a child, who had silver hair, and looked to be about ten. On his back was a second child, who clung to the first like a monkey, all big eyes and a bright smile, though it dimmed when the child saw Hojo.
“Yes, Father?”
“Come here Sephiroth. Do you like your Zack?”
Slowly, eyes flickering between Hojo and Vincent, Sephiroth moved closer to Hojo, hands helping keep the black haired child on his back. “Yes, of course, Father. He is my present-person.”
A nod. “I have a second present-person for you, but this man here wants to kill him.” Green eyes sharpened at the mention of a second present-person, whatever that was, and then focused on Vincent in a look that was part shock, part horror, and a great deal of anger. “You can’t kill my present-person! It’s mine!”
“Theph’s presen’-per’on,” said the child clinging to Sephiroth’s back, eyes narrowing at Vincent now. “Theph’s!”
That was not expected, and Vincent felt his jaw drop for a second when faced with childish rage. He had never dealt well with children, and didn’t know what to do.
“Sephiroth doesn’t have much, Valentine,” Hojo said, smirking slightly. “And he has displayed remarkable protective instincts on those that do belong to him. Do you really want to anger him so much by killing one of the few things he actually has?”
That was a low, dirty play. If he didn’t hate the man so much, Vincent would have had to admire such a move. He heard the child squall again, and it did sound very, very young.
Then a second set came into the room, a woman, wearing scrubs, carrying a small child herself, though this one looked young. Maybe a year old? “Dr. Hojo, what is going on? Where is the infant I know I just heard?”
“Vincent Valentine, meet Ifalna, last of the Ancients, and her child, Aeris. Just proving a point, Ifalna.” A second door opened in the wall behind Vincent, and the former Turk watched as the woman moved, pausing to give Sephiroth Aeris, who he held carefully. The other child, Zack?, clung even more, and made faces at the little girl over Sephiroth’s shoulder.
Ifalna came back out after a moment, scowling. “I take it you have supplies for one so young,” she glared at Hojo, showing no fear of the man, and Vincent found himself impressed.
“Do not take me for one of the assistants you can make demands of, Ancient,” Hojo said, voice dangerously soft. “But, yes, I am not such a fool as to not have supplies at hand. You will find them in the usual spot. Vincent will be going with you. He is here to help you deal with the children, as I cannot spare someone with talent for mere child care.”
The woman looked as if she wanted to say something, but she turned away from Hojo instead. “As long as you are careful with that claw, I will be grateful for the help. I’m Ifalna, as you have no doubt heard. If you’ll come with me....” She started off. “Come on, Sephiroth. Zack, I know you can walk instead of strangling Sephiroth.”
“Don’ wanna,” Zack said, clinging tighter and getting a low sound from Sephiroth. The silver haired boy didn’t say anything though, and simply padded after Ifalna.
Not really wanting to follow them, but definitely not wanting to stay in the same room as Hojo any longer than he had to, Vincent stood and ignored the sneer from Hojo, following them.
“Sephiroth.” Hojo’s voice made the boy stop, turning carefully to look back at him. “Tell Ifalna that the boy is named Cloud. And that he is a new present-person since you have done so well with Zackary.”
With a silent nod, Sephiroth turned and headed back after Ifalna, and Vincent followed.
He had failed Lucretia before. He couldn’t fail her child now.
Perhaps this Ifalna would have a few ideas.
Author: GW Katrina aka
icedark_elfBeta:
forgottenloverSeries: Fresh Beginnings
Wordcount: 2,659
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: The family grows a little faster.
Growth
This was the youngest taken yet. Where the other potential specimens had taken a month or two to display the glow that they had all been instructed to look for, this specimen was born with eyes that glowed. Surprised, the doctor had barely kept his shock from showing and gave the new baby to the proud parents.
Once they had settled, he had returned to his tiny little office and pulled out the information to connect him with the head of the project, and he let a sigh out before he picked up the PHS to give the call.
It had taken long enough, given how old this reactor was, but now they had a specimen. Hojo had been especially impatient for one from this facility.
Dialing in the number, he waited, and gave the code when it was prompted. Finally, he reached a living person.
“This is the Nibelheim facility. We have one. Boy. Just born. Yes, as of a half hour ago.” He scowled slightly as the person on the other end spoke. “No, I do know what I am looking for, and the boy has the signs already. Yes, I am aware that it shouldn’t be possible, but it is. Now, would you like the rest of the information? Good. As I said, boy, born today, glowing eyes, high alertness, strong color of eyes. Parents, Orrin and Nidara Strife.”
This was a good find, and he knew that he would be rewarded.
When the Shinra copter touched down two days later, it found a town in mourning. The day before, one of the reactor workers and his wife and newborn son had died in a house fire.
Hojo himself didn’t care, but the crew that he had flown in with gave their condolences, and several of them went up to check on the reactor, the others going to the inn to reserve the group rooms. They would be here a few days. Since he was in town anyway, Hojo had plans to check on a few other projects, plus collect something else from this town.
He wondered absently why things did seem to continue to circle back to this hovel. True, it is where Shinra had come from, where the first reactor was built, even where his own child had been born. There were several projects of high importance in various stages here, and he finally decided it was due to the fact that the Mako pulled from this area was highly potent. Most likely why they had gotten their call for a child actually born with the syndrome.
Collecting a box from the helicopter, which had been landed on the property that held the Shinra mansion, the only place it would fit that wasn’t in the middle of everything, he checked it out, and nodded. Inside were medicines that he had been requested to bring. Given the man’s good work, Hojo couldn’t help but agree. Besides, they needed to keep these sheep firmly under their thumb. This place was far too close to Wutai to allow discontent to flourish. All it would take were a few good words from spies from the Wutai people, and Shin-Ra would lose this reactor, which would be disastrous for them all. Hojo had too many notes here to lose them, and he had no desire to try to take everything from under the mansion out.
No, better to keep the people here happy and content with Shin-Ra, and not have to deal with the issue.
So, muttering to himself, he carried the box down. He would have had one of the troops he had brought with him take it, but the box would serve another purpose soon enough, and he didn’t dare risk it on some feeble brained grunt.
Walking to the home that he knew the doctor had here, he knocked and waited patiently.
When the man answered, he shoved the box into his arms. “Your medicine,” he said shortly, looking around as he shut the door behind him. “Alone?”
When the other man nodded, Hojo glared at him. “What happened?”
“I,” growled the doctor, “was uninformed that the boy’s mother was a former Turk candidate. It wasn’t in her records, I had to get the information last night -after- everything had happened. The only reason I was able to collect the child was due to the fact that, even though she woke up, she was still slowed by the drugs. I was forced to eliminate her, then the father, and then burn the place down to deal with questions.” A sigh. “I am the only one here who could have done the autopsy to see that they were shot, and I’m hardly likely to report it.”
Hojo waved his hands. “Fine, fine. I’ll look into it and make sure that the personal files, at least for my people, carry such information. We do not need risks of this nature. The child?”
“This way.”
The baby was limp in sleep, and Hojo could easily see the mark that kept him so. It wouldn’t do to keep the boy under the influence of the drugs for too long, as they would damage him, possibly his use as a specimen later on. “How long has he been under?”
“A few hours this time. I made sure that he was quiet when I let him wake last to feed him.”
Nodding, Hojo collected the infant and with practiced hands looked him over. Didn’t seem like all that long ago he was doing this with Sephiroth, then the first specimen he had collected for this project. Now he also had the Ancient’s child, though all of those had long since grown out of this stage. “Two days old now. Excellent.” He pried one eyelid open, looking at the dull glow of the eye, pleased. “This one will do well. Empty the box out. I’ll take him back to the mansion in that. We will be staying the night, as I have projects I am required to look in at, but nobody will hear the child there if he does wake up. Tomorrow, we will leave. Make sure to report if anything else appears, understood?”
As the man nodded and hurried to do as he was told, Hojo collected the file that had been next to the boy, who he cradled in one arm. Might as well get this one used to the sound of him now, just as he had done with Sephiroth. He had discovered already that the younger he was exposed to the infants, the more likely they were to accept his orders later on. Possibly scent based, like a wolf pack?
Not that it mattered. They would obey anyway, but he did prefer it when they cooperated. It made things easier.
Hmm, Cloud Strife.
Sephiroth might appreciate another child to help deal with. Zachary had proven a useful control on his sometimes willful son. A second control would not hurt. Not at all.
Everything had gone smoothly, and Hojo had found himself pleased. Now, only one final thing to do, and they could fly back to civilization.
The child was lightly dosed, enough to hopefully keep him asleep for the flight of a few hours. That had been an easy task. Now, he hoped that this one went as easily.
Luck appeared to be with him, however, when he pushed open the lid, the figure inside did nothing, not even open his eyes. Wonderful. Hojo still wasn’t sure why the man chose to sleep, but it had kept him out of the way of Hojo’s more important experiments, so he had been willing to leave him there.
It was amazing, he thought, looking down at the form. All this time had passed, and he still looked the same, not changing at all. Was it part of the experiment that he was unaging? Hojo wasn’t sure, as it had not been his project all together, and he had been forced to make...adjustments after what had happened with Lucretia. Pity. She had had such potential. Ah, well, if she wasn’t strong enough to deal with Sephiroth’s birth and the aftermath, she was weaker than he had thought. Still, it would have been nice to been able to reproduce Sephiroth. Still, the reactor specimens were proving useful, and he had finally been able to start adding Jenova to the regular treatments that the first specimen was receiving.
After a few moments of studying the pale form in the box, Hojo leaned down and slipped the needle home. Not even a flinch.
Well, he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep like that forever.
Once he had given the injection to make sure that this one stayed asleep as well, Hojo smirked, pleased. He did love it when things went according to plan. There was a certain neatness to it that appealed to him greatly, and he was a true scientist and appreciated it when his theories played out correctly.
Moving and pushing the lid back into place, he called in the ones waiting outside. Under his supervision, they tied the lid down and lifted the coffin.
With three children already, and a forth on its way, Hojo decided they needed a second care giver besides Ifalna. Especially given the age of the last three. The original doctor set to look after Sephiroth and Zack had met with an accident, and he simply did not have anyone else to spare. So he would put others to use, and he would not have to worry about escape attempts. Not in the Midgar facilities.
It was good when things worked out.
Whatever Vincent had expected to see when he woke up, it was not this. Well, parts of what he opened his eyes to fit what he was expecting, parts did not.
He was in a lab. There was no hiding that fact, not with the walls so white they actually hurt his eyes, and the smells of chemicals and nothing else assaulting his nose. Then he caught the scent of something else, and he snarled.
Another sign he was in a lab. Hojo was sitting in a chair nearby, calmly looking through a file. He looked up at Vincent’s snarl, and smirked. Wishing to tear that look right off his face, Vincent sat up, and then paused.
He was not tied down, nor restrained in any other way. That was unheard of. What was going on?
“I see you finally decided to wake up. Typical. If I made mistakes, I would have thought that I had given you an improper dosage, but I doubted it. Welcome to your new home.”
“This is -not- my home,” Vincent growled again, flexing the claws that were on one hand, feeling them dig into the table. He would never call any lab home, and he could not figure out why he had be force to waken. “Why am I awake?”
Hojo opened his mouth, as if to answer, though Vincent was sure only more mockery would come, but the cry of a child cut him off. Vincent froze, head turning as he looked around the room for the source of the sound. It was young, wherever it was. Too young to be Lucretia’s child. “What is that?”
“That would be a child, Valentine. Surely you haven’t been asleep so long as to have addled what little wits you have left. Cloud must be hungry. He is only a few days old.”
“Cloud?”
“My newest specimen. Who you will be helping care for. I do hope that you are more apt at child care than you were with dealing with Lucretia.”
Vincent let his eyes harden as he looked back at Hojo. “I’ll kill a child before I let it fall victim to your testing.”
With a click of his tongue, Hojo shook his head. With a press of a button, the door opened, and in walked a child, who had silver hair, and looked to be about ten. On his back was a second child, who clung to the first like a monkey, all big eyes and a bright smile, though it dimmed when the child saw Hojo.
“Yes, Father?”
“Come here Sephiroth. Do you like your Zack?”
Slowly, eyes flickering between Hojo and Vincent, Sephiroth moved closer to Hojo, hands helping keep the black haired child on his back. “Yes, of course, Father. He is my present-person.”
A nod. “I have a second present-person for you, but this man here wants to kill him.” Green eyes sharpened at the mention of a second present-person, whatever that was, and then focused on Vincent in a look that was part shock, part horror, and a great deal of anger. “You can’t kill my present-person! It’s mine!”
“Theph’s presen’-per’on,” said the child clinging to Sephiroth’s back, eyes narrowing at Vincent now. “Theph’s!”
That was not expected, and Vincent felt his jaw drop for a second when faced with childish rage. He had never dealt well with children, and didn’t know what to do.
“Sephiroth doesn’t have much, Valentine,” Hojo said, smirking slightly. “And he has displayed remarkable protective instincts on those that do belong to him. Do you really want to anger him so much by killing one of the few things he actually has?”
That was a low, dirty play. If he didn’t hate the man so much, Vincent would have had to admire such a move. He heard the child squall again, and it did sound very, very young.
Then a second set came into the room, a woman, wearing scrubs, carrying a small child herself, though this one looked young. Maybe a year old? “Dr. Hojo, what is going on? Where is the infant I know I just heard?”
“Vincent Valentine, meet Ifalna, last of the Ancients, and her child, Aeris. Just proving a point, Ifalna.” A second door opened in the wall behind Vincent, and the former Turk watched as the woman moved, pausing to give Sephiroth Aeris, who he held carefully. The other child, Zack?, clung even more, and made faces at the little girl over Sephiroth’s shoulder.
Ifalna came back out after a moment, scowling. “I take it you have supplies for one so young,” she glared at Hojo, showing no fear of the man, and Vincent found himself impressed.
“Do not take me for one of the assistants you can make demands of, Ancient,” Hojo said, voice dangerously soft. “But, yes, I am not such a fool as to not have supplies at hand. You will find them in the usual spot. Vincent will be going with you. He is here to help you deal with the children, as I cannot spare someone with talent for mere child care.”
The woman looked as if she wanted to say something, but she turned away from Hojo instead. “As long as you are careful with that claw, I will be grateful for the help. I’m Ifalna, as you have no doubt heard. If you’ll come with me....” She started off. “Come on, Sephiroth. Zack, I know you can walk instead of strangling Sephiroth.”
“Don’ wanna,” Zack said, clinging tighter and getting a low sound from Sephiroth. The silver haired boy didn’t say anything though, and simply padded after Ifalna.
Not really wanting to follow them, but definitely not wanting to stay in the same room as Hojo any longer than he had to, Vincent stood and ignored the sneer from Hojo, following them.
“Sephiroth.” Hojo’s voice made the boy stop, turning carefully to look back at him. “Tell Ifalna that the boy is named Cloud. And that he is a new present-person since you have done so well with Zackary.”
With a silent nod, Sephiroth turned and headed back after Ifalna, and Vincent followed.
He had failed Lucretia before. He couldn’t fail her child now.
Perhaps this Ifalna would have a few ideas.
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Hojo just aparently does not do baby sitters. He has a problem, he just uses anotehr specimin....Well, can't wait to see where this goes! It's really neat! Creepy and disturbing, but neat none the less!