Last Exit for the Lost Chapter 14
Ramblings
By Damodred
"Hojo?!" exclaimed Zack, surprised. "What the hell is that sick...man doing
here?" "Getting a tan, probably," rumbled Barret. He shrugged when everyone
looked at him, "We won't know until we find out, will we?" Aerith nodded,
"He's our opportunity to find out what's going on at ShinRa. Let's go."
They found him where Sephiroth said he'd be, off at a secluded part of the
beach, perusing a notebook covered with scribbled notes. He looked up as
they approached, but didn't seem particularly alarmed, only grunted and went
back to reading. As they stopped next to him, he looked up and swiveled his
gaze straight to Aerith. His lip curled with contempt, "So, the Ancient finally
shows her true colors." Aerith nodded, unsurprised, "So, the madman finally
realizes the truth." Hojo laughed at her mockery, a brief, loud cackle that
sent the nearby seagulls to flight with loud, startled squawks. He suddenly
stopped and said in a cold voice, "You don't know as much as you think you
do. Rufus will be after you now for a different reason. He wants the Promised
Land." Aerith shrugged gracefully, "I don't much care what he wants," she
replied. Hojo studied her for a while, then turned his gaze to Tifa, eyeing
her up and down. She flushed a bit under his scrutiny, but was more unnerved
by the unsteady gleam in his eyes than his leer. Aerith interposed herself
in Hojo's line of vision and demanded coldly, "Why are you here, Hojo?" He
reluctantly looked up at her and said, casually, "I just wanted to see how
the failure was doing. You know, he was in that reactor for months," he looked
at Aerith in reproach, ignoring Tifa's gasp of shock as she made the connection,
and continued, "and nothing ever happened! He just sat there...." he trailed
off, musing. He looked up again, his disconcertingly clear stare seemingly
boring into Aerith's eyes, "He's going back." After that pronouncement he
lowered his head and began to mutter over his notes again. He would respond
to no other questions, lost in his own world.
"Completely insane," was Aerith's pronouncement as they regrouped at the
inn. "I don't know what he told Rufus, but I'm sure it'll only create new
problems for us. Also, it sounds like someone finally realized that I had
been hiding right under their noses for all these years." Tifa broke in,
"Do you think it's Hojo?" Aerith shook her head, "He's too megalomaniac to
hold back such knowledge, or such plans. If he didn't say anything over those
years, that can only mean he didn't know. Besides," she shrugged, "his field
was Mako research and applications. The only genetics he knew had to do with
Mako energy and Jenova. This Promised Land thing is someone else's idea,
maybe the same someone else who..." she broke off and looked away. Sephiroth
pushed himself away from the wall and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing
it gently. Grasping it gratefully, she resumed, "He said he's going back.
I think he meant Cloud." Tifa nodded and said with a dread certainty,
"Nibelheim."
They talked one of the eternal residents of Costa del Sol - the one who owned
the hydroplane - into flying them as close to Mount Corel as was possible.
Due to the small amounts of water on the other side of the mountain range,
landing anywhere was a challenge, one that appealed immediately to the jaded
beach bum. After overriding his protests over the weight, they were on their
way. The small plane lifted from the water grudgingly, but flew steadily
on, over the mountains. As they descended towards a small, glittering ribbon
of the small river below them, Barret's mood descended as well. Tifa noticed
his glum face and made a mental note to ask him about it once they were down.
Between the engine and the shrieking wind, conversation was impossible.
They watched from the ground as the plane dipped its wings in farewell as
it flew over the mountains. The pilot managed to land them within a few miles
of North Corel, better than they could have expected. As they approached
the town, Barret's brow furrowed gradually and he began muttering. When enough
of it was visible, he cursed and murmured, "Damn. They rebuilt it." Tifa
turned to him questioningly, but he refused to meet her eyes. They walked
into the shanty town, Barret's eyes questing constantly and finally widening
as he spied a familiar form. He ran forward, shouting "Eleanor! Wait up!"
The woman stopped, puzzled and as she recognized the man running towards
her her face turned dark. As he stopped in front of her, she pulled back
her hand and slapped him, hard. Barret winced, but met her eyes. "You got
a lotta nerve coming back here," she said, her voice shaking. "After you
ran out on us like that..." she wilted visibly, and threw herself into his
arms, crying. Barret patted her on the back, awkwardly and whispered, "I
couldn't stay...I thought..." She pulled herself back, drying her eyes with
her hand and said, dryly, "You always thought too much, Barret." She composed
herself and said, looking him in the eyes, "Dyne died after you left." Barret
nodded, sadly, saying, "I'm sorry...I knew I should've stayed, but I couldn't...I
wasn't strong enough." They stood awkwardly in the street for a moment, after
which Eleanor stirred herself and said briskly, to hide the pain, "You and
your friends can stay at the house tonight. There's enough space..." she
trailed off, voice trembling and Barret nodded quickly, before she could
finish the thought. He motioned to the group, and they walked slowly towards
Eleanor's house through the dusty, disarrayed town.
Tifa thought about Barret's story as she lay on the couch, staring at the
waterstained, brown ceiling. She realized that Midgar was not the only place
where ShinRa oppressed, and wondered if there was a place that was free of
them. She would like to find that place, and live peacefully with Cloud.
Maybe he could finally hang his sword up on the wall, and she could lay her
martial arts skills to rest. She turned her thoughts to the present. It seemed
that ShinRa came here too, offering to provide jobs for everyone at the new
Mako reactor they wanted to build in Corel mountains. Dyne, Barret's childhood
friend was the only dissenter in the consenting board of village leaders.
The reactor was built, and the town prospered for a short while, enjoying
the cheap energy and plentiful employment. Dyne muttered darkly about the
future, but his omens were disregarded in the general welfare. When the reactor
was sabotaged, no one knew where to turn, but ShinRa was quick enough to
find a scapegoat. They were quick to point out the dissenting Dyne, and tossed
in the rest of the village as an afterthought. North Corel was razed in the
aftermath, while the reactor burned. Barret's wife, Myrna, was killed, as
was Marlene, Dyne's daughter that was staying with Myrna on that day. Both
Barret and Dyne were wounded in the firefight, taking a lot of chances as
they tried to repel the ShinRa. In the end, the ShinRa outnumbered them.
Eleanor was out of town and survived, only to return to a town of ashes.
Barret blamed the entire incident on himself, saying that he should have
listened to Dyne and never let ShinRa build the reactor. He left North Corel
in anguish, vowing never to return. While he was gone, Dyne wasted away slowly,
from grief and untended wounds. Eleanor apparently stayed, and rebuilt the
town with the help of the survivors, as it went back to its original mission
as a mining town. Tifa shook her head; it was just another example of ShinRa's
senseless brutality and it would one day bring them down. She raised her
head as Barret stomped inside. He had a look on his face that was half-haunted,
half-satisfied. He sank down to a crouch so his face was level with Tifa's
and announced quietly, "I've been lookin' around. This place has a future,
but it'll need help." He took a deep breath, "I decided I'm staying. You
and Cloud taught me that problems have to be faced, not forgotten. I've been
running long enough. Besides, Eleanor..." he broke off, murmuring now. "She
needs someone. With Dyne gone..." Tifa interrupted, "I understand, Barret.
I'll tell the others." Barret glanced at her out of the corner of his eye,
"You're not...disappointed, are ya?" Tifa shook her head, "I'd think less
of you if you didn't stay. You have to do what you have to do." Barret nodded
and stood up, looking down at her. "I will," he said solemnly and added,
"Thank you, for teaching me what's right." He walked out the door, shutting
it quietly behind him.
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