Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Sins of the Mother ( Chapter 33 )

Chapter 33: Sins of the Mother

It had been a few days since Lucretia holed herself in the underground laboratory. Tifa felt inclined to visit the woman and bring her some food. The scientist was so immersed in her work, she often forgot to eat and sleep. They were relying on her knowledge to stop Chaos so it was only fair that they kept her healthy. Also, the woman was slowly opening up as the days past. It was as if Lucretia had returned to her element and was regaining her sense of self. Tifa found that to be a huge welcome to the cryptic woman they met in the waterfall cave. Vincent had always told her that he thought he was the one to blame for the mess that became of his relationship with Lucretia and carried that burden. But seeing Lucretia in the state she was in showed that Vincent wasn’t the only one whose soul was wrought with guilt.

As she made her way down to the laboratory, Tifa found the scientist busy typing on the computer. “Lucretia?”

“Yes?” she answered without looking away from the computer screen.

“I brought you some dinner.” Tifa said setting the tray down next to a plate of half-eaten onigiri Yuffie had made for lunch. Thinking about the ninja, Tifa reminded herself to try and talk to her again today. Ever since Yuffie had come home one night shaken and scared, she hadn’t acted the same. Tifa hadn’t been able to get the entire story out of the usually loquacious girl and only learned from some of the townspeople that Yuffie had been there when the town’s mayor fell off a cliff on Mount Nibel. Tifa reckoned that Yuffie still needed some time to get over the tragedy: something that they had while they were waiting for Lucretia to finish her research.

“Oh, I didn’t realize what time it was. Thank you.” Lucretia finally paused from her work to eat. “Chicken and dumplings?”

“Yes, I made it. It was my mother’s recipe.”

“It’s very good. I only learned how to heat up soup in a can.” Lucretia laughed before letting her face fall in disappointment.

“Thanks,” Tifa said, nervously clutching the table. “So how are things progressing?”

“Slowly but surely. I haven’t quite pinpointed the best way to defeat Chaos, but I’m getting closer.”

“That’s good to hear.” Tifa remained standing close by as she fidgeted with her hands.

Lucretia wasn’t blind to Tifa’s nervousness as she ate quietly. The older woman gave Tifa a few minutes before she broke the ice. “Is there anything you need?”

Tifa paused thoughtfully before answering. “I had some questions I wanted to ask you, if it was alright with you.”

“It’s about Jenova’s cells, isn’t it?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I vaguely recall you asking me about it a few days ago when I wasn’t quite myself. I apologize that I was too emotional to answer your question then. But these last few days have been . . . calming. Hojo was more of the expert on Jenova, but I have some rudimentary knowledge so what was it that you wanted to know?”

“I wanted to know how is it that those affected with Jenova’s cells have died or become weaker after we defeated Jenova? Why did some people die and others didn’t?”

“It’s complicated and I don’t completely understand how it works, but having experienced the effects of Jenova’s cells on my own body, I can deduce what happened if not the why. When Jenova’s cells are injected into a person, the person’s body either accepts them or rejects them. If the person rejects them, then the cells become dormant and eventually are removed through the body’s immune system. However, if the body accepts the Jenova cells, then Jenova’s cells take over the body. The body’s normal cells still function and age, but they are put in a sort of stasis as they are pushed back by the alien cells. It’s like a parasite invading your body and taking control.”

Lucretia paused as she looked at her wrinkled hand. “After taking a few cell samples from myself, I learned the horrible truth. Those who accepted the Jenova cells weren’t entirely human anymore. Yes, they were biologically human, but Jenova had taken over their cellular structure that affected them. Increased strength, heightened senses, quick healing and the ability to halt aging entirely; those are just some of the affects the cells had on their victims.”

“So you mean that Cloud and Vincent would never age?” Tifa paled.

“Why do you think it was that Vincent looked so young or even me for that matter? I hate to say it, but it’s true. Cloud wasn’t aging and as long as he had the alien cells in his body, he never would.”

“But what happened to him after Jenova was killed? His body just kept on bleeding from a wound that suddenly appeared. I don’t understand.”

“I honestly don’t know Tifa. I can only tell you what I know based on my own personal observation and hopefully that will give you your answers,” Lucretia said sadly. “When Jenova was killed, somehow all of her cells died with her. Biologically, that shouldn’t happen, but these are alien cells we are dealing with. After the alien cells died the body’s normal cells returned, but not without some consequences.

“As I stated earlier, the body’s normal cells still aged, but they didn’t regenerate. With Jenova’s cells gone, the body’s normal cells returned to their functions instantaneously. Whatever state the body’s cells were in is what the body returned to, only older. So if you once had a scar that disappeared with the introduction of the alien cells, that scar would return when Jenova’s cells left the body. If you were twenty, going on sixty, then once your normal body’s cells took over, they would all age to make you sixty.”

“So it’s possible that Cloud was injured before he was injected with Jenova’s cells?” Tifa interrupted.

“That may very well have been the case.”

“Do you think we lost Vincent then?” Tifa asked with hesitation.

Lucretia closed her eyes sadly before responding. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I should have known when I first heard about what happened. I suspected all along because I saw the state Vincent was in before . . . before Hojo gave me his body. Vincent wasn’t really alive when Hojo injected him with Jenova’s cells. Her cells combined with my last gift to him were the only things keeping him alive. And it was all because I let Hojo inject me with Jenova’s cells to experiment on my son Sephiroth,” Lucretia ended bitterly.

Tifa nodded dumbly, not sure what to think about Lucretia’s explanation. She was never schooled in science so had to take the woman’s word. She felt a bit relieved to gain some sort of understanding as to what happened to Cloud and Vincent. But a part of her also couldn’t help but feel angry at the woman. She had let the mad scientist Hojo experiment on her unborn child creating Sephiroth. In a way, it was Lucretia’s fault that Sephiroth turned out the way he did. If it weren’t for Sephiroth, Cloud could still be alive. That anger made itself apparent as her gaze steeled against the woman who birthed the planet’s most notorious monster.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Lucretia asked as she looked Tifa in the eye.

The younger woman faltered for a moment before answering. “A bit.”

“I certainly made many mistakes. You’re probably asking yourself, ‘how could a woman condemn her lover and let herself and her unborn child become part of some perverted science experiment?’”

Tifa was quiet unsure of how to answer.

“I won’t blame you if you think that way,” Lucretia said. “I was a scientist first, than a woman. My feelings had nothing to do with the experiment and didn’t belong there. Of course, I was foolish back then. I still probably am.”

“So you regret what you did?”

“Yes. A part of me didn’t want to go through with the experiment, but that part was drowned out by the prospect of bettering mankind with my knowledge. There isn’t a day that I don’t think back to how things should have been. My pride as a scientist got in the way. Now look at me. I’m still tinkering away in the very field that doomed the man I love.”

“But if you loved him so much, then why did you do it? Why go through with the experiments and even go so far as to put Chaos inside him?”

“I wanted to save him. If I hadn’t gone with Hojo, then he would have been fired or worse. Hojo was insanely jealous and talked of using him for his experiments. I tried to prevent that, but failed. When Hojo shot Vincent and injected his body with Jenova’s cells, I was devastated. Hojo’s experiments on Vincent were killing me on the inside. I couldn’t bear to watch as Hojo used his body like that. By the time I got around to him, it was already too late. Vincent’s body was already deteriorating and Jenova’s cells weren’t doing enough to stop the decay. The stupid man had killed Vincent before he even got a chance to inject the alien cells into his body. So I did the only thing I could to save him. I gave him Chaos. If I hadn’t put Chaos inside him, he wouldn’t have lived. In the end, all I ever did was hurt him.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was so complicated.”

“It shouldn’t have been. If I was a wiser woman, I would have stayed with Vincent, but he just looked so much like his father, I couldn’t . . . I just couldn’t give him everything he wanted. I trusted my instincts as a scientist more than I did a woman. In hindsight, what I did to him was cruel.”

Tifa silently agreed. Vincent had suffered and it was all because of love. Tifa had no words to help console Lucretia. It looked like she was suffering from the guilt of her actions as much as Vincent did when he was alive. It truly saddened her to see the painful aftershocks of their tragedy. Lucretia had certainly paid her due because regret was a hard pill to swallow

“It’s late, I should get going,” Tifa said softly.

Lucretia remained silent as she remained staring at her tea. Before Tifa could leave the lab, the older woman stopped her. “Tifa, a word of advice if I may?”

The younger woman paused.

“Never doubt your feelings as a woman.” Lucretia said as her eyes surged with the understanding of pain.

“I won’t, I promise you that.” Tifa answered, appreciating the advice.

The two women shared a secret smile with each other as they came to an understanding. Tifa was not going to make the same mistakes that Lucretia had and even though she knew she could never have a chance with Cloud, she wouldn’t let his death ruin her future with another man who was slowly easing his way into her heart. She only hoped that this time, she would be able to get the chance to express her feelings before it was too late.

* * *

Squeeze the trigger. Bang! Aim, squeeze the trigger. Bang! Rufus repeated the same series of steps a few more times until all the cans he had lined up on top of the fence were lying on the ground with bullet holes in them. The small pistol Tifa had found in her parent’s old bedroom must have been leftover from when the ShinRa operative left the house in a hurry. It was a standard issued gun with an eight round cartridge: very simple and effective, but not as powerful as his shotgun or Vincent’s Death Penalty. Still, it was always fruitful to be skilled in firearms of varying weights and sizes.

Walking over to pick up the various cans on the ground, he heard a small rustling behind him. Turning quickly, he relaxed after seeing a blond-haired boy walking in Tifa’s backyard. The boy watched him with an awe-struck expression in his blue eyes. Rufus looked at him nervously. He hadn’t really dealt with kids before so wasn’t sure what to do around them.

“Um, hey!”

The boy didn’t say anything in response, but eyed Rufus carefully as if he was scrutinizing him. He kept a good distance between them: close enough to see what Rufus was doing, but far enough away to run off if he felt threatened. Watching the boy curiously, Rufus set the cans up on the fence and walked a good distance away. The boy ran back to hide behind a rose bush, keeping his eyes on Rufus the entire time. Turning to face the cans, Rufus reloaded the pistol, aimed and then fired eight times. Each shot hit its intended target spot on.

“Whoa! Cool!”

Rufus smirked after hearing the boy voice his astonishment. As an added flourish, he twirled the pistol around his index finger a few times before stopping it only to blow the smoke off the end of the barrel. Looking over to where the boy was, he was surprised to see the boy gazing up at him with pure and utter reverence. Rufus ShinRa wasn’t the type of person people hero-worshipped.

While reloading his gun, Rufus spotted a rusty bottle cap on the ground and had an idea. He picked the bottle cap off the ground and held it out for the boy to see. Watching the boy, Rufus flicked the bottle cap up in the air and then fluidly shot it without even taking his eyes off the boy. The boy stared in wonderment as the cap fell to the ground with a hole shot perfectly through the middle.

Rufus put the gun away in his holster and bent his knees so he was eye level with the boy. “What’s your name kid?”

The boy looked at Rufus with a hint of distrust. “You first.”

Rufus paused for a moment. The boy was scared of strangers, he could tell that much. He needed to gain his trust before he could really talk to him. “I go by the name John. But that’s not my real name.”

“Why not?” The boy asked slightly confused.

“Because I don’t really like my real name. But if you tell me your name, I’ll tell you what my real name is? How does that sound?”

The boy looked slightly curious, but nodded his head in agreement. “You first.”

“My real name’s Rufus, but call me John because I like that name better. How about you?”

“My name’s Hiro. I like my real name so you can call me Hiro.”

“Okay Hiro. So what are you doing hiding behind the bushes?”

“Nothing,” Hiro responded while eyeing the gun attached to Rufus’s holster. “Is it hard to shoot that?”

“You mean my gun. Yes, it is hard. And it’s not the sort of thing that a young kid like you should touch. It’s too dangerous.”

“Says who?”

“Says your mother probably. I don’t think she’d appreciate it if I gave you a gun.”

“She doesn’t have to know. I only want to try it out.”

“Sorry kid. Unless your mother tells me it is okay, all you can do is look.”

Hiro scrunched his nose in dissatisfaction. “Yuffie would probably let me hold a gun. She gave me these.”

Rufus stared at the two small round objects in Hiro’s hands. He had no idea what the young ninja gave the kid, but knowing her, it must have been dangerous. “What did Miss Yuffie give you?”

“She told me they’re smoke-bombs!”

“Why did she give you smoke-bombs?” Rufus asked carefully.

Hiro averted his eyes from Rufus’s gaze. “If I tell ya, do you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Cross my heart, hope to die,” Rufus said as he mimicked the gesture.

The boy looked around to make sure that no one else was around before he crept up to whisper into Rufus’s ear, “It’s because of what happened up on the mountain.”

Rufus had heard about that incident. Apparently Yuffie and two kids had witnessed the mayor of the town falling off a cliff. He didn’t realize that one of the kids was Hiro. Yuffie had been very quiet about the entire affair. He and Tifa didn’t try to push her into telling them what transpired, but they could tell that it was traumatic. Rufus couldn’t even fathom how hard it must have been for such a young boy to have seen what he had. “I think I understand where you’re coming from Hiro.”

“So, will you show me how to shoot a gun?”

“A gun isn’t a toy and I really don’t feel comfortable having you hold such a dangerous weapon,” Rufus sighed.

“But how am I gonna protect my sister?”

Rufus looked Hiro in the eye. He could see the determination in the young boy. It was the same kind of determination that was a precursor to greatness. “Tell you what. I’m going to teach you something else. It’s something that will help you protect your sister, but won’t be so dangerous that your mother would get upset over. Does that sound good to you?”

Hiro’s eyes lit up with elation. “Yeah!”

“Come on Hiro; let’s get started on your training.”

* * *

She was a weapon, a seasoned warrior, a force to be feared and a force that knew the utmost kindness. She was a protector and a fighter. She was an honorable ninja of Wutai and so long as she was around, no harm would come to those incapable of defending themselves. This she swore to herself for those are the words that Yuffie memorized a long time ago, but have forgotten. A few days ago, she remembered.

Her view from the roof of Tifa’s house gave her the best view of the town. She could see Ami sitting with her mother learning how to sew. Hiro was pestering John in the backyard where she couldn’t see, but she trusted John so she didn’t worry about him. If anything were to happen, John could handle it. Plus, she had given Hiro her leftover smoke-bombs. In all the years she was learning the fine art of ninjutsu, she never thought that she would have to use it like she had.

Yuffie wrapped her arms around herself a bit tighter. Even though she had somehow grabbed both Hiro and Ami before that man could and had blinded him with a smoke-bomb, a part of her couldn’t help but think of the ‘what if.’ What if she wasn’t fast enough, if her ninja reflexes hadn’t kicked in . . . if she hadn’t been so naïve and childish taking the kids up to the mountain that day?

With a sigh, Yuffie took a few deep breaths to relax. There was nothing to learn from ruminating recklessly on past mistakes. The only lesson she needed to know was never to do something like that again. And so she sat atop the roof overlooking the town. She was the shadow, she was the light. She was the watcher in the night. She was Yuffie Kisaragi, Princess of Wutai, AVALANCHE member and savoir of the world. She was all of this and so much more, because Yuffie had learned to accept her role as an adult.

* * *

Cid and Barret were quiet. That was never a good sign. A part of them wanted to jump on the Highwind and scour the world until they found the person behind the brutal crimes. Another part knew that they couldn’t leave until they were finished with the project of getting everyone out of Old Midgar safely. They were in a quandary and they hated it.

“Where did you say this nutcase was last spotted?”

“My sources tell me that the gang was spotted heading west. There have already been countless warnings for civilians to avoid a motorcycle gang running rampant. My editor has made sure to put those warnings on the front page, Mr. Highwind,” Autumn said as she read her notes.

“I’m not worried about people running into the crazies, I’m worried about the crazies running into the people. Barret, know where Tifa is?”

“Talked to her not too long ago. She and her posse are in Nibelheim. They found Vincent’s ex-girlfriend and she’s fixing to find a way to stop Chaos,” Barret sighed rubbing his brow with his calloused hands. “She knows what’s going on. Took it better than I thought, but she knows.”

Cid nodded his head. “She’s a tough girl I’ll give her that. She’ll be fine.”

The larger AVALANCHE member grunted in acknowledgement.

Thomas interrupted the older men’s silent musing. “Are either one of you going to go to help her in case she runs into the gang of murderers and grave-robbers?”

The two AVALANCHE members turned their heads to meet the worried looks of both Thomas Wheeler and Autumn Noval. “You kids don’t know Tifa like I do. The girl’s got more balls than me probably. Tifa’s gonna be fine. Highwind and I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. ‘Sides, we’re both here to help get those people out of Midgar. As much as I’d like to run out there and shoot down the bastard that had the nerve to disrespect Cloud like that, I know that we’ve got a job to do.”

“Damn Barret, that was damn near philosophical,” Cid said reverently.

“Fuck you Highwind!”

Thomas turned to Autumn and gave her an uneasy smile. “Thanks for telling us about the attack on the plains. I know that it really means a lot to both Cid and Barret to hear about what happened to Cloud’s burial site.”

“Oh, it was nothing. I know that you all have been busy with work so I thought I’d let you know what else was happening in the world since the newspaper hasn’t started recirculation here.”

“Autumn, do you think the world will ever go back to normal after everything? I mean, after we evacuate everyone out of Old Midgar and transfer them to Fort Condor, will they be able to regain their lives again? What’s going to become of Midgar? What do you think will happen?”

Autumn stared into Thomas’s green eyes and felt a part of her hoping that whatever happened, it would involve him in her life. “I honestly don’t know Thomas. All I know is that human beings have always done their best to survive. History shows that we always find a way to pick ourselves up again.”

The sandy-haired man smiled faintly with hope. He stepped briefly away from the group to gaze upon the blackened wreckage of Midgar. The once proud symbol of civilization was nothing more than a glorified junk yard of death and corruption. Thomas was both honored and ashamed to say that he had worked in that city. “Do you think that something like this will happen again?”

“I hope not.” Autumn wanted to sincerely say that it wouldn’t. But she also learned from her studies that history had a tendency to repeat itself.

“Then I guess that means that we need to make the best of what we have, right?”

Autumn whispered a ‘yes’ as she saw the undying resolution in his eyes. As Autumn stood there watching Thomas standing proudly in the breeze, she couldn’t help but think that she was witnessing the birth of a great man. She knew from when she first met him that he was special somehow. Though her heart swelled with pride for the man, a part of her was also afraid that this was only the start of something between them. She didn’t know if it meant that they were going to become closer or eventually drift apart. The only thing that Autumn knew was that either prospect was absolutely terrifying to her.

Autumn rubbed her fingers over the indented metal in her pocket. She hoped to find some sort of comfort from the darkened piece of metal she was given by Doctor Graham. She carefully traced the engraving, letting her thumb rub the surface with a gentle caress. Jonathan Adacus ShinRa: that was the name forever etched into the metal in her pocket, the name she pursued for so long after hearing about some of ShinRa’s darker secrets. This story was her pride and joy, the prodigal child she bore from her hard work and determination. She had finished writing the article and emailed it to her editor along with pictures. It would probably be featured on the headlines of today’s paper. But now, she wished she had deleted the damn thing before she could send it.

The selfish part of her wished that there was no Midgar, no AVALANCHE, no mass-murdering creep on a motorcycle running amuck and most of all: that John ShinRa never existed. The selfish part of her wanted only Thomas and her in this world where neither one had any obligations. And even though Autumn hated to admit that she was a selfish person, even she knew that this was no time to think about impossible fantasies. With those thoughts in mind, Autumn excused herself as she went back to her camp and hoped that she hadn’t made a decision she would eventually regret.

* * *

Tifa clutched the phone in her hand as she sat down in the kitchen. The familiar sting of tears threatened to spill, but she would not let them fall. She was the leader of this group and she could not show any weakness, especially in light of another threat roaming the planet. The selfish part of her almost wished that when Holy was summoned, it did remove humans from the planet as Bugenhagen theorized. The fleeting thought was pushed aside because Tifa was stronger than to indulge in selfish fantasies. Not when so many people were depending on her strength.

She decided. They were going to patrol the plains around Nibelheim to make sure that the motorcycle gang wasn’t around the town. Lucretia still needed some time to figure out how to defeat Chaos and it would do the team no good to wait around for trouble to knock on their door when they could go and greet it.

What Tifa didn’t realize was at very same moment, a single article written by a woman thousands of miles away was being read by people everywhere. And in those words, the trust of the people was being broken. The government in Junon was halted to a standstill as they pondered the repercussions of what this new information would do to hinder the rebuilding efforts. Many shook their heads in displeasure, knowing all along that ShinRa was and had never been up to any good.

While elsewhere, a man with dirty-blond hair that was covered in blood read the article and smirked. A darkened crystal blade lay at his side pulsing with dark energy. The remains of those who once called him friend and leader were scattered about: bleeding, dying. All killed by him and the twisted blackness in his heart. The darkness enveloped him and whispered seductive thoughts of revenge. Those same whispers that told him that those people on the plains deserved no mercy, the same voice that warned him of his gang about to steal the beautifully dark sword he acquired and the same evil that twisted his mind into that of a monster among men.

“Looks like I found you Johnny. Looks like I finally found you.”