Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ I Know What Lies Beneath the Snowfields ❯ Chapter 71 ( Chapter 71 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"I Know What's Beneath the Snow Fields"
Chapter 71

Throughout their lifetimes, Reno and Rude had fought many battles; some
quite easy, others best abandonned. But this was one fight both men refused
point-blank to surrender. They simply did not consider that option.

Events had long turned desperate. They had bravely (or foolishly)
confronted Professor Hojo, who soon proved to be powerful as equally
vicious; so much like a beast let loose upon two hapless prey.

Rude fought hard. All strength concentrated into combat. Even as the
monster wreaked havoc upon him, he still managed to endure it with fists
bared out.

No less could be said for Reno. He had honed his skills to a fine point
just to stay alive. The nightstaff always twirled through his nimble
fingers, jabbing, blocking, whiffing out voltage unlike anything before.
Rude had the brawn, he had the speed.

They fought together as a team, in perfect synchronisation. They went
all-out against a common foe. And for a while, they even managed to hold
their ground. In the end, however, the strong must yield to the stronger,
as Hojo soon demonstrated that painful adage.

The hurricane battle moved further down the Reactor until it reached the
old mako reservoirs. All the way, both men were blasted and beaten back.
Clashes of a hopeless war echoed up the air, with a demon sparing neither
fire nor fury to overwhelm them. Every effort thrown was rejected tenfold.
Nor would Hojo show one shred of mercy towards these fools who dared
challenge him.

Finally, when the game grew boring, he suddenly lunged in for the coup de
grace: one dash, straight ahead.

Neither man could anticipate such high speed, such beastly ferocity. The
blow came hard into Rude's stomach. Next one rammed clear into Reno's side
right in the ribcage. The now shattered team came tumbling through the
grand entrance, out across the open bridge like two wild barrels.

By some major exertion, Reno recovered onto one knee so that he skid
backwards to a halt. Rude unfortunately had already lost consciousness. He
rolled on until he collided back-first into a huge valve at the end of the
bridge, where the loud "clang" affirmed just how grievous the impact was.
There, he lurched over in place, and moved no more.

The alarmed Reno shot one concerned look back towards his friend, but
instantly returned his attention up front again.

Smug as ever, Professor Hojo emerged from the entrance onto the scene. The
battle hadn't affected him the least, not even scratched his evil humor.
Indeed, for all their valiant endeavours, neither man had managed one
effective blow at this creature.

"..shit..," cursed Reno for the hundreth time. Hojo had quashed them flat
without fighting them seriously. He probably didn't even consider this a
"fight", more like a mild exercise session.

In a more prosperous era, this bleak cavern had been the Reactor's
heart, pumping fresh Mako up through its metallic veins. Now only the ruins
remained. The main bridge extended straight across the reservoirs, from the
entrance to the control valve at the other end. Overhead arched a complex
of ducts and pipes. Slanted aside hung a massive girder, from which dangled
a rusty crane, all roped in cables. Far, far below yawned a black pit. Once
emerald life had filled its depths. Now filthy-green muck clogged its throat.

Such a grim Hell-hole. Perhaps here would be the best place to put
these pests out of their misery.

Hojo stood pompously poised, with one hand propped against his waist to
flaunt his superiority. No doubt, that thought delighted him much. He had
already spent enough time playing around with weaklings.

On the other side, both men had been pummelled to pulp. Never had they
challenged such incredible power. Even now, Hojo's presence evoked deeper
dread than ever before. Of the two, poor Rude had suffered more. The
lifeless man sat thrashed against the valve, head bent so low one thought
it would roll off.

Reno fared no better, the only difference being that he still clung to
consciousness. To use his own expression, he felt more battered than an old
punch bag; he certainly had sustained enough blows to look like one.

Either way, he was on his own now. Vincent was probably dead, and Rude
half-way there. Regardless, Reno climbed onto his wobbly feet again,
clutching his side for support. The man stood his ground single but firm.
With one graceful flip of the staff, Reno assumed a rigid defense stance.

He had absolutely no intention of dying tonight. Then again, he
wouldn't back down, not with his friend and the boy at stake.

"Rather pathetic how you persist so hard," mocked Professor Hojo,
rubbing his chin with wry amusement, "Heheh..actually, you'd make an
interesting specimen too."

Hard-grit hatred flashed across Reno's face. He spat right back, "You
damn fugative from the freak show! Why don't ya just shove a microscope up
yer ass!!"

The vulgar retort did not impress Hojo one bit. On the contrary, his
smirk soured into a frown of dire consequence. Inside, Reno had his big
mouth to thank for adding feul to the fire. But outside, he hardened his
front further, ready for whatever fate awaited him.

And that fate was greusome death. Professor Hojo suddenly buckled to
make one sweeping finish to this insolent pest. Reno prepared himself.

But before violence could errupt anew, one stern voice boomed,
"Professor, wait!!"

It emanated somewhere from above. The battle crumbled to an instant
halt as both enemies searched upwards, Reno particularly anxious to find
the brave speaker (also his saviour). Their sights fell on a sturdy
pipeline which ran across. There stood Rufus in full view of the scene
below. His face, as if chisled from marble, expressed hard determination,
fixed straight down upon Professor Hojo.

He would confront the scientist.

In truth, the boy had fled quite some distance. Behind him had raged a
battle against a demon determined to kill him, or worse, use him for a vile
experiment. As a hideout, he had huddled amongst the pipe bases, listening
to the war echo from afar.

However, it wasn't long before his thoughts had caught up with him. For
a long time, Rufus had floundered in evident struggle. Reflections and
emotions whirled around this madness: so many discoveries-how could he
grasp them all? New lights which shed such ugliness upon these truths.
Himself; his father, a loathsome blur haunting his mind; and
then...Davoren. Yet strangely, as Rufus had grappled with this turmoil,
something new brimmed through his eyes.

Something which for the first time since he could remember, hardened
his resolve into solid stone.

It was at that moment when the war exploded onto the bridge with Reno
and Rude tumbling across (it saved him the trouble of running back). From
then, Rufus had emerged from his hideout above. It shone clear upon his
face: if never again, then now he knew exactly what to do.

"..Rufus..," Reno muttered rather affectedly, affected with sudden rage
that is. He exploded upwards, "YOU GODDAMN LOONY SHITHEAD!! I THOUGHT I
TOLD YA TO RUN AWAY!! WHAT'RE YA-?!!"

Rufus, in glancing towards this infuriated man, mumbled half-annoyed,
"Hmph! So who's got the gratitude problem *now*?"

However, he immediately spoke his determination outloud again, "I'm not
running away or hiding anymore. You two escape. I'll handle the Professor
by myself."

"Wha?! B..but.."

"Don't question me! Just do as I say!!"

His tone bore strong command. Rufus' hard visage, with blue eyes
darkened to such intensity, left no room for compromise.

From his place below, Reno gaped in a whirl of astonishment, unsure how
to respond to that brusque order. Whatever had drawn Rufus out here had
certainly caused an uncanny change in his demeanour. As he stood there, one
could have sworn a certain part of "President Rufus ShinRa" had surfaced
again.

Professor Hojo heard the challenge loud and clear. For a long time, he
studied the boy in cold contempt. He had to admire Rufus for his bravery,
and scorn him stupidity; for what could a miscreant like *him* possibly do?

Nevertheless, Professor Hojo was not one to ignore a defiance,
especially against his authority. For now, he left matters below with a
leap high up into the air. Reno gave an alarmed "Hey!", as if that would
somehow divert Hojo's attention. No such luck. The monster hopped onto one
pipe, then further up onto the next, where Rufus waited, stern-faced and
totally unarmed.

Meanwhile, Reno lingered below at a complete loss. What to do? Obey
that order? Try to blast Hojo away, even though his nightstaff couldn't
reach a target that far up?

First things first: he must check his unconscious friend. At once, Reno
scruffled back to Rude.

He crouched, or rather dropped onto his knees. There, he roughly shook
the man by one shoulder, "Rude! C'mon man! Wake up!"

No response, not even a twitch. It occured to Reno that perhaps his
friend had already died; he certainly appeared dead. Gripped by sudden
panic, Reno angirly cried, "Rude! Wake up already! Dammit!!"

Three hard slaps across Rude's face proved far more effective. The
battered man was started back to consciousness with a confused grunt. Reno
could not conceal his relief. He steadied Rude up while the man swam in a
tizzy, still struggling for sense amidst this agony.

Yet it didn't take Rude too long to snap back into sharp focus. He
blinked from Reno all around in amazement, then his alarm shot sky-high
when he suddenly spotted Rufus up there. He even grunted something as he
tried to scramble up again.

In vain. He collapsed back before he even reached his knees, in which
Reno had to support him least he may fall to the floor next. Nothing was
left to do. In their helplessness, both men could only behold the scene
above, and expect the worst.

Rufus ShinRa, their ex-President, was on his own

Exactly how Rufus wanted it. Never once did he glance down towards those
two ex-Turks, as if he expected them to obey without delay. He stood his
ground in firm dignity. On the other end of the pipeline, Professor Hojo
took a stance infront, making sure everyone could see his dagger-like claws.

"..miserable whelp," Hojo burbled, "YOU are going to 'handle' me? You
plan to fight me then?"

The insideous creature couldn't help but snicker. Once upon a time,
this boy had stridden master of the world. But no more. Once "Mr.
President", full of pompous vanity; now just "Rufus", an insane beggar.

One slash would end his life. And still this weakling dared stand in
Hojo's way?

Rufus didn't waver in face of the question. Instead, he stiffly
rebuffed, "Of course not, Professor. I want to talk with you."

"Oh really? Huh! You certainly have the nerve to go about making
demands from *me*."

"Actually, I have more than that."

Situations are won by those who posess the upper hand, as Rufus
dramatically proved. No words, just one move: he yanked up the hem of his
sweater just enough to procure a tiny orb from inside, then held it out for
Hojo to gawk at.

A perfect reversal of postions.

The orb gleamed brightly through these prison fingers for freedom.
Shock spread like wildfire, from the stunned Professor, who couldn't absorb
this blow, down to the two men.

The enraged scientist instantly thundered forth, "YOU!! HOW-?!!"

But Rufus was quick to assert his own authority, and quite effective
too. Before Hojo could take another step, he swung his arm aside so that
the precious orb hung way out in the air. This time, Hojo froze dead still.
His eyes bulged so wide with terror, they almost popped through his specs.

It all became clear. Back when Rude had blocked Hojo's first attack,
the orb must have accidentally slipped out unnoticed. By sheer impulse,
Rufus had snatched it off the ground before fleeing the scene, and didn't
even realize he had done so until he had ran far away.

He did not know what value this mysterious object had; but he played on
the assumption that whatever purpose it served, Hojo prized it greatly.

How right he was.

"Tell me, Professor," mocked Rufus, too pleased by that look, "What
would happen if I dropped your little treasure down there?"

The plunge stretched far, far down into a pit below, where green muck
hungirly oogled that dazzling beauty. Behind Rufus' words lurked an
intention with disastrous consequences. All he had to do was open his hand,
and...

"Don't do that!!" spluttered the alarmed scientist, "That's
super-refined, highly condensed mako! If you you dump it into raw mako, it
will be destroyed in a massive exothermic reaction!!"

"An explosion, hmm?"

"You wouldn't *dare*, boy!"

Rufus smirked vindictively, "Well I'm crazy, so I guess I would. Either
way I'm dead where I stand."

There shone a peculiar slyness in the boy's gaze; one which arose from
stormy derrangement. Neither sane nor all insane, Rufus held the scene in
limbo, and did not fear the outcome.

Each second passed tightened the air further into unbearable tension.
In truth, no one knew what to expect now: dread hung heavy upon Rude's
face. Reno hid his strained nerves behind a solemn visage, and waited.

One could practically palpate the deadlock high above. On one end, Hojo
seethed on the very verge of erruption. Half of him anxiously awaited what
would follow; another half wished to shred this pest to pieces.

All fine by Rufus. It didn't seem to bother him the least. But at
heart, he had always been a shrewd businessman. Therefore, he rolled the
orb back into his palm, and clasped it close again.

"On the other hand, I'm willing to return it if you answer my
questions," Rufus negotiated, or rather extorted, "They're not hard. I just
want to know...before I die."

A simple trade off: the orb for answers. Hojo only stiffened in
response. No doubt, he considered it below himself to barter with this
lunatic, especially when suspicion ran so high. Then again, he daren't
underestimate the boy's capabilities or endanger the materia.

Rufus took this long silence as agreement. No less stern than the
Professor, he inquired dryly, "What you said back there...was that true?
Did I really support this experiment?"

"Huh! Why the big shock?" snorted the spiteful scientist, "Surprised to
discover you're not so innocent after all?"

Rufus wouldn't be mocked. His blue eyes hardened into ice,
"Answer my question."

After a tactful pause, in which Hojo deemed it best to obey, he
grudgingly admitted, "Yes. What I said is all true. You funded 'Genesis
Retrial', just like your father. Not only that, you also helped bring it to
its final stages."

"How?"

Much as this farce boiled his fury, the Professor yielded to the
briefest explanation, only because he had to, "That is no ordinary materia.
It is a genetic enhancer which triggers certain biochemical reactions, Merger
Grade-1, as they're called. It is simply vital to my experiment."

Rufus listened. He listened to a forgotten past unfold before him. Word
by word, every detail another crime to sully his hands.

"You had agreed to help me. At the time, you headed a team of
materia-engineers and biotechnology specialists. Together, they were to
construct this materia for me. You assumed responsibility for that part."

Hojo's voice strained into a hiss. This recollection obviously doubled
his irritation, "However, the materia was still halfway through development
when ShinRa Inc. collapsed. I had this laboratory within the Reactor. I
could have finished the construction by myself. Only I hadn't the design
blueprints or enough data to complete it."

"Ah, so that's why you saved my life then put me on the 'brain
scanner'," Rufus completed the connection, in rather strange good humour,
"I had headed that team. So naturally, I'd know every detail of those
designs. And of course, now that you have your materia..your 'key'.. I am
useless."

Hojo needn't reply. In fact, there was nothing more to add. Just
silence. Rufus ShinRa had supported "Genesis Retrial". It was he who
brought this "enhancer" into existence. If this experiment was a crime in
itself, then he was as guilty as Hojo and his father.

A greedy jackal, just the way "daddy" moulded him.

Hojo had answered all questions. By agreement, Rufus had to return the
orb. However, instead he indulged the moment to examine this curious object
up close.

"..materia..pretty, pretty materia..," he murmurred in fascination.

The orb shimmered seductively between his fingers. Its hazy glow
reflected upon his eyes, making them sparkle twice as bright. Slowly, a
wistful smile curled his lips; the picture of madness wrangled by pure
pain, with long hair strands dangling infront.

"..there is this man," Rufus simpered gently past an inaudible buzz,
"..he says he's my father, but I'm not his son. No, I'm his clever
'business partner'...just another person who makes money for him. See, the
old man's madly in love with his materia kingdom, he doesn't even know I
exist.."

Shards of memories tore across his mind. The more he spoke to this
mystical jewel, the farher away its blueness lured him, "..when they told
me he died, I felt... happy. But deep inside, I was so cold...so cold I got
torn in two. One part controlled my body, the other just watched."

"You speak utter rot!" Professor Hojo cut short. He hadn't the patience
or interest to listen to these ramblings, "I suppose now you want to turn
yourself into some pitiful victim."

Rufus blinked back into reality, if only to grasp those vicious words.
Indeed, they stirred another emotion which resolved into unnatural
amusement. Somehow, those words sounded funny.

"On no!" Rufus laughed, "I'm not some poor victim. I'm a ShinRa! I
tread over others for my own personal goals!" he flung out one arm just for
added grandeur, "But Professor, why SHOULDN'T I tread over people? Aren't
their lives so cheap?!"

Louder and wilder. His voice, seething hot in sudden bitterness,
reached the darkness above, where no doubt his father lurked...listening to
every word, "He loved his kingdom more than anything. I..I wanted to take
it away...to have him there in the dirt, while I enjoyed *his* power. That
made me happy! And the more I abused it, the more I knew the old man was
writhing in the grave: I had his kingdom all to myself, while he had
nothing!! I wanted him to hate me, because I HATED HIM!!!"

One simple emotion: hatred. Rufus couldn't remember that man's face.
But he clearly remembered that hatred. For a moment, the lunatic stood lost
amidst a nightmare. He glared at Hojo as if into a mirror, where the
reflection revealed a broken psyche. All he could now was glue the pieces
together.

"..that's how I lived...in my wonderful 'doll-house' society. Leeches
and liars all clung to me, until I became one of them," Rufus lamented,
unaware of the tragic sadness upon his face, "At first...when I was small,
this angered me..no actually, it frightened me. I didn't want to live like
that. But it was already too late. Everytime something hurt me, or made me
angry, I'd say 'it doesn't matter'... 'I don't care'. If I repeated it long
enough, it went away. And as I grew older, it got easier, until I could do
it without even thinking."

Unafraid, Rufus pronounced his own confession, "I'm selfish. I'm cruel.
I'm greedy and so arrogant. I deserve this torture. That's how it is. Once
we fall from grace, there's nothing but Hell and punishment, and none of us
know the way back up."

He paused upon a stray thought. His expression darkened into
puzzlement, yet at the same time profound intrigue, "It's strange. Davoren
knew all that. He knew I deserved this torture. But he still...hid me away
from punishment. When I burned in the fire, only he dared step in to pull
me out...no one's ever done that for me..," he added softly, "..no one..
not even my 'father'."

The sentence, though quite simple, held the lunatic in deep
melancholia. Only he truely understood the significance of that sentence.

Down below, the scene remained frozen in stiff stasis. Rude, by some
tortuous exertion, had managed to stand up, while the ever grim Reno stood
by, nightstaff still in hand. They could do nothing. Between the boy's
rambling and this danger, they could not guess what to expect.

All very touching, to be sure. Professor Hojo, however, had strained
his patience beyond the limits. He wanted that orb...now.

"You've wasted my time long enough with this silly speech, boy!" he
snarled outloud, "Give me that materia! And if you're so attached to your
precious Davoren, I'll gladly send you over to join him."

The mockery cut straight through, but Rufus only sighed back to
himself, "No. I can't face Davoren...not after I've learned what my company
had done to him and those two other men. I can't face his tears of all that
grief."

A heavy silence befell the air.

Nothing else was left to do. Donal was long dead; Davoren and Vincent
both gone too. Lives tampered with for the sake of porfit. The revelations,
so many...so painful...

Yes. Nothing else left to do. Rufus' resolve suddenly hardened to solid
stone again as his grip tightened upon the materia: he had made his decision.

"I'm to blame for this," the young man addressed the Professor with
impressive fortitude, "I supported you of my own free will. For once, I'll
take responsibility for my own crimes and my company's."

"What does that mean?!" barked Hojo in suspicious alarm.

"I'm putting 'Genesis Retrial' out of operation...permanently!"

"AH?! BUT YOU-!!"

"Forgive me, Professor," Rufus smiled back so sweetly, "I lied."

Sly like his father, twice as manipulative.

Events spiralled out of control; just as the astonished Hojo realized
he had been duped by a very clever businessman. Struck mad into a frenzy,
the demon lunged straight at Rufus, roaring for his blood, claw stretched
out to prevent a disaster.

Too late. The boy had already flung the orb aside.

One simple toss, but of such impact, enough to lock the Professor in
rigid stupor, so stiff he stopped breathing altogether. The two ex-Turks
blanked upon this twist. They saw it, but could not comprehend.

Time slowed to an eternity. In this silence, all eyes followed the
materia as it plunged towards doom. Down, down it spun in a trail of blue
hue; bounced off the metalwork, past the bridge, still bewailing its fate.
Below, the viscous mako swamp gleaned in welcome of this beauty.

There resounded a dull "plunk": the orb plunged straight into the
reservoirs, and never resurfaced again. It was gone.

No sounds. No breaths. Just an agony of waiting. Neither Reno nor the
disconcerted Rude dared move. From high above, Professor Hojo gaped down,
by far the most shocked of all. Somehow, he wrenched his sight from the pit
back to the lunatic...this wretch...a mere boy without even enough hold on
reality. How could *he*...?

But in return, Rufus simply stood there. Triumph lit his face, with a
smile so devious feeding off Hojo's bewilderment. Insane or not, he
understood what he had done. He understood it too well, knew where it would
take him, and that made him smile.

The boy didn't bother to move. There was no need.

~...it doesn't even matter...~

He had stood like this before, studying his reflection in a glass pane...
just waiting...

~...and I don't care anymore...~

He had fallen through Hell before; through all the many levels until he
crashed into its deepest pit.

~..it burns me up, but it's still so cold inside...am I really all
alone?...~

Fire. All around dance the flames of sin to scorch them black. For
those who lost their souls or simply never had one, is that the only way to
pay for their crimes?

Five seconds from the moment it dropped to the next heartbeat, and
suddenly the depths of Hell exploded sky high.

Both Reno and Rude were flung hard to the ground by rumbling violence.
Professor Hojo darted his eyes all around in alarm. The insane turmoil
rocked the Reactor's very foundation as spumes of fire and mako whooshed
up, so much like a furious volcano. Up swirled the roaring heat, putrid
fumes, metal debris and shrapnel stone. Hearing was lost to the drone of
disaster; sight gone in flames.

Yet still Rufus did not move. There was no need. Instead he gazed
smugly at the catastophe he had wrought, his hair billowing like mad in the
wind.

Yes. He swore he'd make Hojo pay *dearly* for killing Davoren. So much
like his father, Rufus knew exactly how to strike an enemy where it hurt most.

And this was the price: "Genesis Retrial"'s ultimate destruction.

The chaos spiralled its way up the Reactor faster than sense could
comprehend. Indeed, Hojo narrowly escaped the explosion by one high leap,
abandonning the scene below to the flames. From pipes to scaffholds, the
nimble demon raced the danger upwards until he reached a ceiling girder,
where he gracefully flipped on top, just as the final gust of fire whirled
by. He was safe.

It took some moments before the choking whiffs of flames subsided, at
least to permit a cautious peak. Such devestation by such a small object:
whatever could be seen past the crackling flames revealed an abyss of
wreckage, with the walls charred black. The enormous blast had litterally
ripped off the main bridge by its supports. Pipes and cables hung dead,
many less fortunate girders incinerated to scrap. A thick mist clogged the
air. Regardless, Hojo scoured the ruins far below for something...anythng.
In vain. Even his sharp senses could not detect any life signs through this
fog.

All was gone. All gone in the fire.

Another desperate scan only confirmed it. Finally, Professor Hojo
squatted down upon the beam, if only to brood over his thoughts. Anger.
Disbelief. Frustration. Indeed, his yellow eyes reflected emotions more
intense than the flames below, boiling wild until his veins throbbed under
their heat.

Gone. It was all gone.

The truth laughed at him. In the smoke, no doubt he saw Rufus' face,
still smirking back. Hotter and hotter he seethed, when at last the
creature roared all his fury out, so loud neither Heaven nor Hell dared
challenge its might.

Gone! That lunatic..! Without a weapon, without even sanity, he had..!!
All gone!!

His wasted frame shook hard. Professor Hojo blistered there another
minute, gasping, or rather wheezing, his anger upon the disaster site
below. The question hung clearly upon his face: what to do now?

Not too long afterwards, the answer surfaced, just as his expression
tightened into a resolute frown. He had suffered many setbacks before, but
always overcame them. Yes..yes...overcame them, one way or another.

His mind honed in on *her*. That girl. He had to find that girl first.