Don't Play With Fire (Turks FFVII)

XXXVII) Confronting Hojo

After watching bodies rain down from the peak of the Sister Ray earlier, I'm not too keen on climbing to the top, but I leave the headquarters anyway. This may be my last chance to get some answers before all hell breaks loose. I take off running through the streets and I don't stop until I reach one of the staircases built into the scaffolding on the edge of Sector Eight. I tip my head all the way back to see the groaning hunk of metal, flinching when a raindrop splashes onto my cheek. Don't stop now. You've only just begun.

"This is stupid," I huff, hurrying toward the stairs.

The rain begins to fall quicker, making the steel steps slick and dampening my uniform. Mako's pungent scent burns my nose, making my eyes water and my skin break out in a film of cold sweat. Still, I persevere, pulling my rod free and checking that my Lightning materia is still in place. Thanks, Re. I know my gun is loaded and I can feel the dagger on my leg shifting with every step I take. Hojo is known for being insolent and I don't have much time. If I have to resort to violence, I might let Mother take the wheel. I'm not sure how much more bloodshed I can take.

I turn a corner too quickly, gasping as I slip face-first onto the platform. My fingers grasp the edge just as I'm about to slide over, my head spinning as I stare down at the street below. $%^&. Taking a deep breath, I drag myself back onto my feet and keep going. This is a long way up for a lab rat. I step off the stairs and cling to the flimsy rods along the edge that form a shoddy rail, willing my feet to remain planted on the slick metal.

As I go, I wonder what I'll ask him. I don't have every piece of the puzzle, but I have most of them. Will he be willing to explain why he and my father did what they did? Will it make any sense or will I spend my last moments listening to the rambling of a madman? I'm not sure how he'll react to seeing me again. He tried to pretend he didn't care when in the helicopter, but he was watching me the entire time. We didn't speak. Maybe he knew I'd been looking for him.

By the time I see the hunched scientist's lab coat whipping around in the wind behind him, my stomach has twisted itself into knots. My palms are sweaty, providing little to no grip on the rail. I let go, standing straight as I step down into the command center.

Hojo's fast for a crotchety old weasel, I'll give him that. He whips around, gun in hand and trained on my head.

"Do you know what happened to the last Turk that meddled?"

"Valentine?" I raise an eyebrow, refusing to acknowledge his weapon.

"What do you want?" he demands, beady eyes narrowed through his thick glasses. "I have work to do."

"I have questions," I admit, shrugging. "And, seeing as you were directly involved in my experimentation, I figure you have the answers."

"I haven't got all day," he snaps, waving the gun to prod me on.

"Sector Two. Remember me?"

"Of course. Daughter of Jonathan McGrail." McGrail? Was that our name?

"Good." I sigh, feeling my confidence wane. What am I doing here? "The voices... They're really just one, aren't they? She calls herself Mother." Hojo frowns, standing taller and stepping away from his computer. "What does that mean?"

"You really should have checked your family history before approaching your father's nemesis." Nemesis? What is this, middle school? A deafening bang startles me from the thoughts and I grit my teeth with a strangled cry, clutching my chest. The blood oozing between my fingers thaws my freezing hand, the heat from the bullet sending shivers down my spine. "The voices?" Hojo raises an eyebrow, touching his glasses.