ffcaptives

The boy laid on his cot, in the artificial white light of his lonely room. Although he had been asleep moments before, he was aware of the electric hum of the light, and the quiet swinging of the thick metal door as the assistants came in to check on him, as they always did first thing in the morning. At least, he thought that was the first thing they did. But, he had never been allowed out of his room before then.

He pretended to sleep, so he could listen to anything they said. And sure enough, they were talking in hushed voices. They were Asst. Regor and Asst. Dreys, and they always talked about him. The boy tried to ignore his wish that Professor Gast had been there, as he kept his breathing carefully shallow and steady. But, since the assistants were there, that meant...

Dreys must have shrugged or shook his head, because the next thing the boy heard was Regor saying, "Yeah, well I hope he does. I hate having to drag him into that room."

"Yeah," Dreys said in his higher tenor. "But it's even worse when we have to hold him down to the table. Hojo should really invest in a good pair of straps."

Regor snorted lightly. "I don't think straps would hold him too well. He'd wear them out after a week or two. It's a good thing he's only five. Imagine if he were a grown man, how much trouble we'd have?"

"Who knows," Regor replied. The boy then heard him step in his direction, and the scientist boomed, "Get up, Sephiroth!" this time using the full volume of his rich voice.

Little Sephiroth pretended to be startled, bolting upright and rubbing his eyes as if he had been asleep until the wake-up call. He then opened his left eye to look up at the scientist, saying nothing, but implying distaste.

Regor frowned. "Come on, it's not that bad. We have to be awake long before you do." He reached for Sephiroth's upper arm, but the boy slammed himself into the wall to avoid the contact. Regor rolled his eyes. "Why can't you behave like a normal child for once?!"

Sephiroth looked pointedly up at the assistant, slid off the cot, and stepped toward the door, as if to prove them both their opinions about his behavior wrong. Regor fancied that another child would be sticking his tongue out at him right now.

Dreys walked out the door ahead of Sephiroth, who reluctantly followed. He normally fought them when they came to take him to the operation room, but this time he didn't, just to prove them wrong. His socks made a soft padding sound as he followed Dreys, in contrast with the loud slam of the metal door as it closed behind him. He could sense Regor's presence behind him. He pulled his white T-shirt down to smooth the wrinkles, glancing down at his gray sweatpants, briefly wishing the assistants had given him time to change into his training uniform. Scarlet had suggested that he wear it as often as possible, to get used to it.

own. They were all identical - padded and lit with fluorescent light, with no furniture other than a cot. His room, at least, boasted a few books and a little radio, which he often turned on. He did not understand the talking, but he liked to listen to the music. There was nothing else like it in the laboratory.

There they were. Dreys opened the door to the observation room, which, like the rest of the laboratory, was almost entirely white. Only, it wasn't padded like Sephiroth's room. White linoleum covered the floor, and there were multiple examination tables as well as devices that Sephiroth still did not understand, although he had been subjected to all of them. The cabinets that lined the walls contained everything that Hojo and Gast considered even mildly useful, including clasping mechanisms that were too large for Sephiroth's child-body. Hojo himself had not yet arrived.

"Sit on that table," Regor commanded, pointing to one of them. He knew better than to pick Sephiroth off the ground to place him on it, although it was rather high. Whenever any of the assistants or technicians did that, Sephiroth threw a fit. It was, by now, a well-known fact that the boy was afraid to be touched.

Sephiroth obeyed, climbing up the side of the examination table, using the metal bars on it as a sort of ladder. He then sat on it, glaring at Regor, who eventually walked over to one of the cabinets and took out some chemicals that Hojo would probably be using.

While he was engaged in that way, Professor Hojo himself entered, and Sephiroth immediately trained his eyes on his feet, which were busy kicking at the bars below him on the table.

At first, Regor thought the Professor was talking to him, and nearly dropped the container he was holding. But, he saw Hojo glaring at a now stiffly immobile Sephiroth, and placed the bottle carefully on the counter before nodding to Dreys. The assistants left, knowing Hojo did not need their help at the moment.

Hojo strode toward the chemicals, checked their labels, and nodded approvingly. Then, he picked up his clipboard and walked so he stood in front of Sephiroth, who was now watching him warily, although his expression was reasonably blank. Hojo wrote something, then asked calmly, "And how are you today, Sephiroth?"

Hojo raised an eyebrow, but did not look up from his clipboard. "I have heard from Scarlet that you are progressing extraordinarily well in your training." He attempted a tight-lipped smile. "For which you are to be congratulated." Although most five and a half-year olds would not understand what Hojo was saying, he knew Sephiroth did. The child's intelligence was exceptional, as was his vocabulary.

Sephiroth watched Hojo's face, searching for any sign of real pride. This man was the closest thing to a parent he had, with the exceptions of Professor Gast and Ifalna. But, he did not see them nearly as often. Hojo was a nearly constant presence in his life. And yet, Sephiroth seemed unable to appease the man's short temper, or please him in any way other than complete submission. Although Hojo did not seem truly pleased with Sephiroth's training to become a SOLDIER, his words encouraged him.

Hojo looked up, surprised that the normally silent boy ventured to give him any information at all. He walked over to the chemicals on the counter, selected one, and put a small amount of it in a syringe.

Sephiroth fought the urge to slink away. He stared at the needle Hojo came toward him with, then looked into Hojo's face when he again stood in front of him.

Hojo reached for Sephiroth's arm, which the child promptly snatched away from him. But, Hojo was used to this, and glared at Sephiroth's eyes until the child reluctantly presented his arm himself. He felt the boy shiver in revulsion as he injected the fluid into his veins. There was no reason to place anything on the arm to catch the blood, since there was so little of it. The child healed with astounding speed.

Hojo gauged his response. I detest the military... But, it's either that, or lose funding for the Project entirely. "That is acceptable," Hojo said, decidedly turning to rummage through the other chemicals on the counter. When he glanced over his shoulder, Sephiroth's face had once again become a mask.

Hojo had just decided to begin tests on Sephiroth's muscle tissue for the day, when one of the technicians who worked in the auxiliary laboratory burst through the door.

"Professor Hojo!" he cried. Hojo would have snapped a retort at him, but the young man said, "Gahtikahte's tried to escape again, and he wounded himself badly-"

Hojo was out the door and down the hall before the man could finish, leaving Sephiroth alone in the operation room once the technician took off after his supervisor.

Gahtikahte? He wondered who that was. Although Sephiroth had heard the name before, he had never met its owner, or found out why everyone seemed to know about him.

Glad that, for once, Hojo's examination had been cut short, Sephiroth jumped down from the table and was about to leave the room when he heard rapid footfalls just down the hall, and loud voices.

"Yes, you imbecile, I know he'll die if we don't fix him right away!" That was Hojo, who had just appeared in the room. Sephiroth backed behind a row of cabinets, into the corner where, just maybe, no one would notice him. Then they brought in Gahtikahte.

lighter patches over his eyes and along his back. Although it looked like it should have a tail, it did not, as it was wearing the same type of gray sweatpants Sephiroth had, and nothing stuck out of them other than his huge feet, which were bleeding heavily. Thick, reflective claws, which would normally have been retracted into the creature's feet, hung on by little more than threads of flesh. His hands, Sephiroth saw, were in the same condition. He couldn't help but stare, shocked, as the creature growled, it's sharp teeth bared, and its odd-colored eyes went wide with pain, and delirium. Sephiroth noticed that its eyes shifted from color to color as it moved.

Sephiroth watched as they clamped the thing down to a metal table and began to operate on its claws. He wasn't sure what they were doing, but although the bleeding slowed, the creature was obviously in agony. It struggled against its bonds and roared with a voice that sounded more human than animal - something that apparently unnerved one of the technicians so much that she retreated to the wall, away from the creature. Even Hojo seemed disturbed.

As he watched them repair the damage to the creature, he found himself remembering all the tests he had been subjected to at Hojo's hands, and how painful many of them were. He dreaded the days when Hojo would have the assistants or technicians hold him down so he could complete a particularly painful or uncomfortable procedure. And here, for the first time, was another being going through the same thing.

He did not know how long the operation took, but when it was over, Sephiroth found he could not tear his wide eyes from the creature now laying limp, though not unconscious, on the metal sheet. He watched in horror as, at Hojo's orders, two guards chained the creature to the table before returning to their regular posts, despite the fact that the creature was already clamped down. The frightened technician had left, and the others were in the process of calming down, when Hojo noticed Sephiroth, standing in the far corner.

Hojo froze when he saw the for once unguarded expression on Sephiroth's face, thinking Sephiroth had been frightened by the creature's beast-like appearance. Sephiroth had never actually seen any intelligent creature other than a human before, and Gahtikahte, at first glance, seemed like a creature out of a human nightmare. One of the other technicians walked out, as Hojo said, "Do not be alarmed, Sephiroth, the specimen is chained, and cannot get free. He is too delirious."

All Sephiroth really heard was "cannot get free." His stare shifted to Hojo for a moment, before he yelled, and began throwing everything he could get his hands on around the room. At that, the other technician yelped and ran out, presumably to find assistance.

"Sephiroth! Stop that this inst-" As Hojo made his way toward the child, Sephiroth threw a heavy jar at him, which hit his head with a dull thunk. The scientist fell to the floor, conscious but hardly all there. Sephiroth only hesitated an instant, then ran to the creature's side and began to pull at his chains with all his might. At that moment, the creature's eyes opened and held his.

They're changing... Sephiroth stopped, captivated for a moment with the creature's apparently iridescent irises. Then the creature began to strain at his bonds, and with Sephiroth's help, a link in the chain broke. Sephiroth had seen Hojo use the clamps, so he had its arms and legs free quickly. Sephiroth glanced briefly at the still dazed Hojo before he heard the sound of boots, thudding in the hallway. He turned toward the creature, wondering what they could possibly do against soldiers, and saw that its eyes were glowing.

As soon as the guards entered, a barrage of fiery material seared across their path, and Sephiroth realized dully that the creature had cast a spell without materia. It instantly knocked the guards unconscious. Despite his usual revulsion to being touched, Sephiroth found himself springing to the creature's aid, as it was apparent that his feet were in a good deal of pain. They made it down the hall and around a corner before the creature stopped to enter a closet and lean against the wall briefly, making sure the door was propped shut. Luckily, there was a light inside, which the creature flicked on, to the child's mild surprise.

What am I doing? Sephiroth thought, as he watched the specimen breathe in and out slowly, leaning heavily against the wall for support. The laboratory was all Sephiroth had ever known until more recently, when he left for lessons. Now, suddenly, he had fled from it with this creature, had even hurt the Professor to do it... He'll hit me when I go back, he realized, gulping down his apprehension even while he told himself he shouldn't feel it. That had been his first lesson with Scarlet -- control over emotion. She said, if he wanted to be a soldier, he had to be strong, and Hojo seemed to agree with her. It did not even cross Sephiroth's mind that he did not have to return to the laboratory, and the tests.

He caught the creature's eyes again, which were filled with pain, but curiosity also, along with something he had never seen before. Then it opened its mouth, and Sephiroth's eyes widened when it spoke.

"Thank you, little one." It spoke from deep within its throat, but its voice was not particularly deep. There were many overtones to the voice, making his words sound like harmonics. It reminded Sephiroth of the music he liked so much on the radio, and he decided that that fit the changing color of the creature's eyes. It also had an accent -- Sephiroth had heard some technicians speak with one of those, occasionally, but never quite like this. The words sounded smoother than normal. So... had that been gratitude in its eyes? Sephiroth had nothing to compare it to, and therefore no way to tell.

A year ago, Sephiroth may have cried when presented with such a question, but he remembered his lessons and kept his expression as blank as he could. "I don't have parents."

Gahtikahte regarded the child a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "I see." Dear God, this child must be a specimen like myself. He frowned, then let down his barriers just enough...

Gahtikahte stared at Sephiroth in shock. So, this is what the man had been up to! This child... a part of Jenova? No, not exactly... but she is there, waiting to come to the surface.

Gahtikahte's empathic power could sense the hatred and fear radiating from the Jenova cells permeating the child's body, and he sensed that the child himself was emotionally and psychologically damaged already. Probably by being treated like an experiment, just as Gahtikahte had been. The best way to help him is to get him away from Hojo, he immediately decided, and moved toward the door.
Besides... I've been trying get out of here myself for years.

"I will leave. I have no desire to stay in this place." He glanced back at the boy, and tried his best to look friendly despite his frightful appearance. "Is there a way out of this building?"

The creature made an odd growling sound in his throat, startling Sephiroth at first. But, it seemed to be only Gahtikahte's equivalent of a thoughtful noise. Gahtikahte stood in thought for a moment. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone would regain consciousness and hit the emergency sealing switch, which mobilized the SOLDIERS as well... Of course! mgikta. There were many soldiers and SOLDIERS in the building -- he had fought them in attempts to escape often enough to know that. And if there were SOLDIERS here, there had to be materia.

The boy seemed uncomfortable telling him. "Well... Scarlet took me there to get me some to train with--" Gahtikahte wondered about that, but did not ask "--but I can't open that door."

Sephiroth didn't like being called "little," but he did as Gahtikahte had asked him to do -- partly because he did not want to stay where Hojo could find him. He squirmed inwardly at the thought of what Hojo would do to him later.

They made their way stealthily down the corridors -- how, Sephiroth did not know. He suspected that it was Gahtikahte's doing -- all of the soldiers who hadn't been called to Hojo's lab before were miraculously distracted when Sephiroth and Gahtikahte needed to pass. He did not ask, however, since whatever Gahtikahte was using to distract the guards might be overruled by a real noise in the corridor.

Sephiroth led Gahtikahte down ten levels in the elevator, where the less important research was conducted, and less important possessions than Sephiroth and Gahtikahte were held -- mainly, materia. (At this time, keycards were only used to open certain rooms and to move upward in the elevator, not down or, to enter the stairwell). Also, although SOLDIERs frequented those hallways, there were fewer actual guards posted there. Sephiroth and Gahtikahte both were grateful for that, since Gahtikahte's strength seemed to be running out. His recent loss of blood and strain in constant magic usage were taking their toll.

Sephiroth heard Gahtikahte hiss as red lights flashed and an extremely irritating siren blared. Shortly after, they heard Hojo's unmistakable voice inform the entire building of their presence loose within it. And Gahtikahte, unlike Sephiroth, knew that the exits from this building were now sealed.

"Move quickly!" the creature hissed, as they both saw a SOLDIER moving in their direction down the adjacent corridor. Sephiroth broke into a run at the same time the SOLDIER did, and saw the rather young man slam a button on the wall -- a locating signal?

Sephiroth arrived at the door to the materia vault, but it boasted a keycard lock. Sephiroth had no way to open it, unless he could cast a spell powerful enough to destroy or weaken it. But, he had never cast anything that strong before.

He glanced back, and saw that Gahtikahte had stopped -- a moment later he saw the SOLDIER attack the creature from the corridor. Little Sephiroth would have tried to help, had Gahtikahte not, with a single swipe of his claws, crippled the human's legs. Both the SOLDIER and Gahtikahte howled in pain -- Gahtikahte's claws were barely attached to his flesh. They were only held there by whatever means Hojo had used in the operation.

Gahtikahte walked slowly away from the crippled SOLDIER, trying to shut his own pain, and that of the human, out of his head. The curse of an empath is that he feels what those around him feel. He tried to stabilize his mental barriers, but he was simply too weak to do so at the moment.

He approached the door Sephiroth had stopped at, and noted its lock. "Ice would work best" he muttered. Then he looked at the child at his side, seeing utter shock on his face.

Gahtikahte's ears flattened against his head as both his empathic senses and his visual ones registered the boy's shock at seeing him cripple the soldier. He would have seen it eventually, if they intended him to be a soldier...At least, this time, he did not do it himself. Angha na *(forgive me)*.

power to melt the lock but he had to do it. He stood back, and began to use what remained of his magical power to melt the lock. He knew they only had moments before the SOLDIERS came.

The lock heated slowly, and Gahtikahte could hear the hum of the elevator moving and the chatter of human excitement and fear as the soldiers approached. He knew they wouldn't make it. Then, suddenly, the lock began to heat faster. Startled, he turned toward Sephiroth, and saw the boy adding his own power to the spell. A human who can use magic, without mgikta? Is this the effect Jenova had on him? And should I ever tell him what he really is? Gahtikahte had already decided to take the boy with him... unless... If the child protested, he would not take him, but he doubted that would happen. A child deserves more of a chance than a life as a laboratory experiment. Even one infused with Jenova.

Together, Sephiroth and Gahtikahte melted the lock, hauled the door open, and pushed it shut again. Gahtikahte heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside, and knew there was very little time. He turned around -

And saw shelves upon shelves of materia, all neatly alphabetized and labeled. He smiled, heading strait for the master Exit. Although Gahtikahte was an empath, and a fire-elemental -- meaning he had great inherent power as a magic user in the fire category -- he did need to use materia to cast other types of spells. He had only been able to distract the guards previously by giving them "feelings" that something was going on somewhere else... hence they felt compelled to investigate. In seconds, Gahtikahte had the Exit materia in his grasp.

His eyes met Sephiroth's -- who, by now, he could see, was barely holding back his fear, with mere stubbornness. You must ask. It would not be right to force him to come with me.

Sephiroth looked puzzled. "What? I..." he trailed off. It had never even occurred to him that he could leave here with Gahtikahte. But, why had he been helping him all this time then?

Because it's what I really want, isn't it? I helped him because I want to get out, too. Because of what Hojo will do to me if I stay, and because I want to see the outside. He stared back at Gahtikahte, and although he knew almost nothing about the creature, he knew he offered him the only chance he had of getting away from the prison he had lived in all his life.

Swallowing his fear of the outside, and the people there, and all the unknown things he would have to learn, he nodded, and said, "I want to leave here, too."

Gahtikahte smiled, and immediately began to cast, using all of the magic power he had left in him. He made the field just big enough to fit himself and the child, in order to ensure that he had enough power to get them both out. Just as he was finished, however, the guards burst in, flinging the door open and shouting.

Gahtikahte's eyes blazed with fury as the spell was set in motion. One SOLDIER, however, acted. He grasped little Sephiroth by his thin waist, and yanked him from the field of the magic's power.

After materializing outside the building, Gahtikahte made a mad dash for the front doors, but a horde of soldiers immediately exited the building, having anticipated the mode of escape -- the seal on the building had been deactivated, apparently.

No, there are too many! Half of the soldiers in the building, both ones in training and actual SOLDIERs, rushed at him, and he knew he could not win -- he did not even have enough energy for more magic.

It infuriated him, but he turned back, fleeing from the Shinra army like a deer from a pack of wolves. He ducked into a grate near the building, knowing he could hide in any of a number of places below it.

He ran through the dingy underground system, still pursued, but it seemed that only the SOLDIERs had followed him underground. Gahtikahte was exhausted, and it did not take long for the leader to catch up to him. He soon found himself under attack by a tall, muscular man with a massive sword, which slowed him down considerably. All he could do was dodge, until he was backed into a wall, with nothing but the huge gaping maw of a vertical pipe on one side of him, and a sheet metal wall on the other.

He glared at the man standing in front of him, making sure he met his eyes. I won't be a specimen again... never again. I hope Sephiroth does better, if he ever escapes.

SOLDIER first-class, Captain Xinn shook his head. "No." He sheathed his sword, looking his junior officer square in the eye. "He's dead." With that, he strolled away, brushing off his sleeves as if nothing important had happened.

He glared childishly at her as she began to walk away, and he followed. "Dammit! Is that your favorite sentence? I'll have you know that it isn't even a complete sentence!" He didn't see her roll her eyes. "And why doesn't anyone just use my first name? It's easy enough, it's Jim! And why the Hell is everyone walking away? Killa!!" All of the SOLDIERs had turned back, heading for the complex and ahead of Winston by now. "Damn, how are we gonna explain this to Scarlet? Or..::gulp::...Hojo?" He shook his head as he dragged his feet back to Shinra Headquarters.

Hojo stood, tapping his right foot irritably, facing Captain Xinn, who stood tall at attention, hands clasped behind his back. Scarlet -- who was then only 17 years old -- stood with her arms folded against the wall, mostly watching SOLDIERs first-class James Winston and Killamaine Shaw while they covertly stared at little Sephiroth, who stood facing Scarlet. Sephiroth's eyes shifted back and forth from Hojo to Captain Xinn, one of the highest-ranking SOLDIERs -- although, SOLDIER had only been in existence for a few years. Sephiroth had already had his "lesson" from Hojo, and Hojo was now "listening" to the captain's report.

Winston and Xinn, both, kept glancing at little Sephiroth, to their left. It was obvious that the boy had taken a rather nasty beating recently -- if it had been another child, they would have thought it had been the day before, but they knew Sephiroth had an astounding healing rate. He had partially-healed bruises and cuts on his face and arms. And besides, they had heard the sounds of it before they had been permitted to enter the room -- a "council room" they called it. Really, it was just a room with a table and some chairs in it, which had been pushed aside, anyway. All three of the SOLDIERS wanted to kill Hojo, but they knew if they did that they would be hunted down by the rest of the army. Their junior officers might turn them in just to move up in rank.

Hojo had finished ranting about the importance of his specimens, and how the captain had failed to do his duty, etc., and was now glaring at Xinn with obvious fury. "Well?" Hojo asked.

Xinn dared to hold the scientist's gaze for a moment, then looked at the child to his left, who, behind his solid though wounded exterior, was both ashamed and frightened. Then, he turned back to Hojo.

"I believe you still have what you really wanted." Hojo made no sign of understanding Xinn's comment. Winston, however, visibly squirmed at the anticipated rebuke. Xinn frowned slightly at the pale, inhuman biologist in front of him. "Gahtikahte was no longer the object of your scientific interest, and you know it. But you kept him contained because you knew he hated you."

Hojo spoke again, stepping nearer to the captain. "Since you are so adept at letting things slip from your grasp, we must give you extra practice at not allowing that to happen." He turned toward Sephiroth. "From now on, Sephiroth, you are not to go anywhere, not even to your lessons, without either two armed members of SOLDIER or one armed SOLDIER and Scarlet with you. You are not to practice any of your military lessons in the laboratory, and you will not be permitted time out of your room except for lessons and examinations. And you three," he gestured toward the SOLDIERs, "will be especially recommended by me for the task of watching him. If there are any problems... it will be my duty to report you all unfit for further occupaion as SOLDIERs. Do you understand?"

Hojo grinned a snide grin that nearly made them all -- even Scarlet -- shudder. "That will not be too difficult once I explain how beneficial it will be to you all to watch over the most important five-year old on the Planet. And, of course, when I tell them how you did not even attempt to pursue Gahtikahte. At least it will give you time to... reconsider your decision."

Xinn looked at Sephiroth, and decided. Well, the kid's probably better off in my company than in Hojo's...or any of the other sick people in this lab. Hojo manages to hold everyone here in captivity, even though I could snap him in half. "All right," he said, coldly.

Hojo shook his head. "You'll have to be clamped from now on, I can see that now. I'll have to design special ones for you, and change them as you grow. And if you ever throw a jar at me again -- or anything else, for that matter -- I'll never let you out of the clamps."

Sephiroth was soon roughly guided and shoved into his room by Regor and Dreys, who wanted to be rid of him as quickly as possible. Sephiroth wanted to cry -- he was crying, inside, where no one had been able to reach for a long time. At least, it seemed that way to him. He wished with all his might that he had left with Gahtikahte, as strange as he was, but it was no use. He was still here, in his white padded room, helpless.

He crawled into his cot, where he had awakened that morning, ready for nothing more than a typical day of cold comments from Hojo and more coldness from everyone else. Now, he laid there, once again hoping that Professor Gast would come soon. But, for now, the child Sephiroth curled into a tight ball in what he would come to call his cell, locked, and alone.