Mother Dear (FF 7 - 1/?)

[Kainen]

As a young woman and her darling prepare for revenge, a soul searches for the purpose of his existence. What he finds is the cold truth that innocence is all but a sham and that love is merely a dreamer's reality. [Alternate Timeline/Universe]


Mother Dear
By Kainen

Prologue - Nibelheim


A dark man accompanied by two soldiers at his side walked into town. His eyes, as they surveyed the surroundings, skittered left and right. His emotions were ice to the core. Black eyes reflected equally black feeling as he strode past the burnt ruins of one of many buildings. Suddenly, he turned his head to the side as he heard and then saw a man of middle age lying on the ground, his flesh charred and bleeding.

The injured man?s twitching and jerking body lay in a manner in which no ordinary human could possibly manage. His clothing was all torn and burnt; fused to his skin. In place of hair, there was blackened skin, scorched and soot-covered. His right eye had been seared away leaving raw nerves and tissue, while his left welled with blood and oozed yellowish-white pus. Through a red haze, there were silent pleas for help. His gurgled whimpering was sickening to the ear.

Still alive. . . . . . .

Broken. . . . . . .

Pathetic. . . . . . .

The man paused and lifted his nose to the air. He sniffed. Once. Twice. And wrinkled his nose. The already stagnant air reeked of ash and soot -- and of course, cooked flesh. The stench as imagined, was nauseating. The land around the man was covered in black snow that clung to the bottom of shoes and boots. The numerous bodies -- dead or dying -- strewn among the debris only added to the sickly scenery.

The two uniform clad troopers eyed the dying civilian as they neared. One said nothing, knowing better, but the other slowed his pace and looked to his superior.

?Sir. . .?? he ventured cautiously, not wanting to anger the man. ?Do you want us to. . .I mean. . .?? He got no response. The trooper?s superior payed him no attention, as if he was a fly on the wall. The man trailed off as he saw his words fall on deaf ears. The soldier swallowed thickly and kept walking, embarrassed.

The troopers? superior, dressed sloppily in Shinra attire, brushed away his black bangs with long, bony fingers. Clasping his hands behind his back, the man walked on, ignoring the soldiers and the wounded man on the ground. When he reached the center of the town he stopped. Everything in every direction of the town was burnt to the ground. On the occasion, small fires dwindled against the cool wind that blew through the black skeletons of houses.

Around him he saw that the other soldiers were busy picking their way through the ruins, checking for survivors or clues of any sort. Out of his coat, the man produced a pair a glasses and adjusted them upon the bridge of his nose.

He kept his face hard and expressionless through it all -- the destruction, the horror, the carnage -- which surrounded him and his men. As the black haired man looked up and to the left, an old building came into view, reflecting off his lenses. It was the only building left in town that had not been tainted with blood or touched by flames.

The Shinra Mansion. . .wonderful.

The black haired man smiled -- an evil, wicked smile. Turning, he signaled the closest uniformed man to his side.

The soldier came forward, halted and then saluted. ?Yes, sir??

Gesturing to the bleeding man, the Shinra employee said, ?Unfortunately, Commander, there are no survivors; note that in your log. Upon arrival, you and your team discovered that the town had been massacred,? Eying the soldier carefully, the Shinra man finished, ?I want you to make sure that there are no survivors. Am I understood??

The officer stared wide eyed at his superior?s face, not believing what he had heard. ?But, sir!? the green clad man started, ?We can?t just. . .I mean. . .sir! . . .you can?t be serious!?

Instantly, the scientist?s eyes turned deadly, angry now. He was displeased with the kind of obedience he was getting from the man before him. He didn?t like to be questioned -- ever. Not by any man, especially by ones below him. ?Perhaps you didn?t hear correctly, Commander,? the man said tightly. ?But I said there are to be no survivors! And if that means I will have to give an order so that you don?t survive this mission, then so be it! But I do not appreciate your impertinence and disobedience!? The scientist?s eyes were blazing black flames as they bore into the younger man. It made the soldier tremble.

Stepping back quickly, the officer saluted, sweat beginning to form on his brow. ?Y. . .yes, sir!? he gulped, then ran off.


The Shinra scientist didn?t bother to watch him go. Instead he turned to the remaining man, a captain. ?You see this town? You see what has happened? Call in the rest of your squadrons, they have work to do. This incident never happened. The town will be as it should; as will its people -- in a sense. There was no fire, there was no death, and there was no Shinra involvement,? Surprisingly, the scientist now held a calm manner about him as he spoke in a normal tone of voice. His words were quick and articulate. He began to smile. ?Rebuild my town, Captain. You only have so much time??

The dark man looked toward the mountains, his smile broadening with every passing moment.

*********

?Perfect. Simply perfect.? The scientist readjusted his glasses and stepped up to the foot of the stairs of the reactor. Behind him the squad of soldiers he had brought with him halted a distance away. A group of soldiers had already been dispatched to the reactor earlier and had been instructed to simply investigate the situation. The squad leader came hastily down the metal steps to stop in front of the man before him.

He saluted; back straight, head up. ?Sir!?

The man waved the other aside with an easy hand, stepping around him. He began to ascend the reactor stairs, instructing the captain and two soldiers to follow him inside the monstrous structure. Within the interior of the reactor, the four men walked past various system generators and machines; a steady humming noise emanating from each. All around, the slight smell of Mako wafted up through the many vents and open gas pipes. The men strode steadily in silence to a lone elevator. As they boarded, the scientist began to speak, ?What have you found so far? Has anything been moved or tampered with??

?No, sir,? the captain responded, relieved that the silence had finally been broken. ?Ever since our arrival, nothing has been touched -- as you will soon see.?

?How many are there? Are they still breathing??

?There are two of them, sir, but barely alive. . .?

The scientist snorted silently under his breath, contemplative. ?Very well, then.?

The two soldiers behind their captain shifted uneasily, eying one another, their clothes rustling with each movement. They looked at the scientist uncertainly. The rest of the trip down into the center of the reactor was
ridden in silence.

*********

Soon after the Shinra men had stepped off the elevator, the scent of Mako had been more apparent, but now, approaching the catwalk, the odor seemed to permeate throughout one?s body, heavy and dense. The black haired man ignored the thick sensation of Mako weighing upon his shoulders as he looked over the rail at the Mako pit. Thirty meters below, the liquid Mako glowed a soft green as it bubbled and folded into itself. Massive pipes that sunk deep into the liquid gave off harsh steam and vapors at regular intervals, making loud hissing sounds as it did. A magnificent spectacle it was to behold.

Returning his gaze to the catwalk, the scientist bent his head, eying the situation before him. On the ground in front was a young man dressed in uniform. His body lay face down in a pool of blood. The dark purple material that was his army attire was stained a hellish colour. On his back, a critical wound was evident, allowing his life?s blood to stream over and down his sides. Though now, the flow was beginning to taper off. The reason for this -- his own body healing itself or running out of blood -- was something one couldn?t say. The soldier?s arms lay motionless in front of him, his legs the same, as his head was slightly turned to the side.

Narrowing his eyes, the man turned to the captain, his hands behind his back. ?Roll him over.? was all he said.

The red uniformed captain raised eyes to his superior, and with a look of distaste bent and hooked his gloved fingers under the injured man?s left side. Lifting and then pushing, the captain rolled the motionless body on its back.

His front was no better -- even worse. The soldier?s blond hair, soaked as it was with blood, matted to his face; his eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open. The left of his face was crusted blood while his right was a mass of sticky colour. His front had a wound identical to his back, clearly indicating that the cause of injury had been impalement through the chest. Bending down slightly, the scientist examined the soldier with minimal contact, being careful to avoid the drying blood. He found that the young man was indeed still alive and that his breathing, though shallow, was continuous.

Rising, the scientist looked to the captain once again, noticing the man?s disgusted look. ?What can you tell me about this?? he asked.

The officer?s gaze snapped up from the ground and refocused on his superior, his mind fumbling quickly for the answer. ?All that can be said is that a restricted area of this reactor had been broken into and had its contents stolen,? Indicating the wounded man on the ground, the captain continued, ?From the looks of it, he tried to stop whoever it was that had broken into the area, but unfortunately was overpowered. From what we can tell whoever the perpetrator is, he?s very powerful.?

?And why do you assume this conclusion?? The scientist asked, hands again clasped at his back.

?Well, sir,? answered the officer. ?As you can see from his uniform, he?s a SOLDIER First Class. And those that are members are no one to fool with. To injure such a person in this manner would have needed considerable force.?

The man?s superior just nodded, not quite listening. His eyes ran over the fallen SOLDIER on the ground, assessing him as much as he could. ?You said there were two. Where is the other??

The captain jerked a thumb past his two troopers, indicating a place farther back into the reactor. ?Back there. He?s flat out on some pods that malfunctioned -- unconscious. That one?s a SOLDIER too.?

?Where is the Commander of these two men?? the scientist asked sharply, his eyes burning a dark colour.

The captain bowed his head, his shoulders drooping. The commander in question had been the best; all in Shinra knew him for his strength and ability; granting him the respect of all. The captain, in all honesty, regretted answering. ?We don?t know, sir,? he said quietly. ?There are no signs to his whereabouts.?

Looking long and hard, eyes narrowed, the Shinra scientist digested the information. ?Are you positive??

?I assure you, sir, we have found no evidence of him -- anywhere.?

Closing his eyes, the black haired man vented his anger silently. All his hard work. . .gone without a trace. Thinking again, he reopening his eyes, pointing sharply at the captain then at the unconscious SOLDIER. ?Attend to him. I will be taking him back with me -- the other as well. And those pods are to be fixed immediately, understood? I will attend to the rest of the damage later.?

Taking a moment to gather himself, the captain nodded quickly, standing at attention. ?Yes, sir!? Turning to one of his men the higher officer said: ?You! Get the others down here, now!? The soldier saluted and ran off. Indicating the other man, the captain started toward the rear of the reactor. ?And, you! Come with me!? Both of them then ran off, leaving the scientist alone with his thoughts and the injured young man.

Smiling slightly, Hojo looked after the retreating forms of the Shinra men before returning his gaze to the figure at his feet. He never needed to ask the names of the two SOLDIERs found so close to death. The reason being, he already knew them. How long ago had he set this particular plan in motion. Now that one was gone, the other would take his place. There could be no failure.

Yes. . .the loss was great but the gain would be far greater in time to come.


End Prologue

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