Faithless Memories

By the Skin of Our Teeth

Chapter 82

As soon as the Turks were gone, the three Soldiers turned back to continue their efforts to find a way past the barrier. They were all shocked but pleased when they found it had shrunk. They were still unable to get to Kris, but they were closer than they had been.

Unfortunately, it was not nearly close enough. By that time, the whole room was shaking, and even Hojo realized the danger he was in. He had been practically covered by the vines, so he was still stuck to the wall, even though the barrier no longer held him in place. His position was tenuous at best.

The situation was made worse when Minerva in Kris' body levitated into the air. Once she was up, the vines crept across the floor as well. The only surface that was not covered was the spot where Chaos had been standing.

The flames had finally died down, and the alien's body was nothing but ash. The ex-Turk was on his knees next to the charred container. It took the gathered men a moment to realize the significance of that fact. It wasn't until they noticed he no longer had wings that they realized something had changed. Vincent staggered to his feet with a hand on his head.

Despite the uncertainty all the men had about the gunman, that didn't keep Zack from yelling out to him since he was the only one inside the barrier. "Hey, you! Vincent! Get Kris, and let's get out of here. This place is about to fall on our heads!"

Vincent looked over with a frown before his gaze scanned the rest of the room. His frown deepened when he saw Kris suspended in midair. Before he could rush to try and haul her down, his attention was snagged by Hojo. The scientist had somehow managed to free at least his arms and had pulled the vines away from his face.

"Wait! You cannot leave me here." Hojo then looked over at Sephiroth. "I can give you all the details about yourself. About your mother." Vincent growled at him, and Sephiroth glared, but neither man could even respond before the vines had tightened, and Hojo was silenced.

Despite the gunman's glare, he hesitated. He didn't know the girl, but he somehow doubted she would be okay with letting the madman die. He had a choice. Try to save Hojo, or attempt to get close enough to pull the girl down so they could escape. When a chunk of the ceiling fell between where he was standing and Kris, his decision was made for him. As much as he wanted Hojo to face justice, it was more important to get the girl and her child out.

However, he was not allowed to get close to her. The barrier that was still around her had shrunk to the point that he was no longer inside. The goddess obviously did not want him to interfere either, as he was barred from getting closer. By that point, the other three had managed to cut through the worst of what was in their way and joined him. Though the path behind them filled almost immediately. Genesis growled in frustration when their efforts did not get them close enough, and Kris was still suspended in midair.

By that point, Hojo had somehow managed to get part of the way out of the vines. "I demand that you come and get me at once. You are Soldiers. It is your duty to protect me."

All four of the men shot glares his way, but to their shock, Sephiroth jumped over the vines and stopped in front of the madman. Hojo gave him a smirk as the General sliced through the restraining mako-vines in one swoop. The scientist faltered as he dropped, but was able to keep from falling. He stood and gave Sephiroth another smirk. "See, I knew you would come to your senses."

The smirk fell off his face when the Masamune came up faster than he could see. He felt it along his neck before the movement registered. Somehow, he still held onto his arrogance. "You will not kill me."

Sephiroth's impassive mask cracked a little as he put a tiny bit of pressure behind the blade. Before he could do more, Vincent was already by his side. His was the voice of reason. "I agree that this man has done enough to warrant death, but this is not justice."