Chapter 3: In Search of a Mother
(This section will focus on Yazoo as the speaker) After a long day of exploring the strange reactor we investigated to find Mother, we left and managed to sneak into a town in the next sector over and made off with some food we had for dinner that night. Fortunately, we got away before anyone could catch us stealing from the rather vacant restaurant. It didn’t appear to be abandoned, but there werent a lot of people there which made getting in and out without getting caught easier for us. And we were also small enough to squeeze through tight spaces or hide under things too which helped a lot with sneaking around town without many problems. We went to sleep in another alleyway again to keep ourselves hidden from the people, but this time in a different sector that was closer to the reactor we left. We decided to go to whatever was close to avoid anyone who might have discovered that the reactor was entered without permission. That was how yesterday ended for us. I had another dream that time, but it didn’t seem to be bad the way the last one was. This one wasn’t violent, but it was very strange. I was in the same room that me and Loz found higher traces of Mother’s cells, but there wasn’t shattered glass and blood on the floor like what we saw. The cell was filled with what I thought was water or some kind of nourishing substance, and inside of it rested a young girl who looked a lot like the third man in my first dream. But at the same time, something seemed different about her. She appeared to be sleeping, suspended inside the fluid with a thick coating of JENOVA cells covering the lower half of her body. I kept my stare on her, and slowly walked towards her. I had the strangest emotion well up inside myself. The girl was the same height as me, and she seemed strangely familiar. I felt tears fall from my face, and I began crying for no apparent reason, and cried “Sister! You’re… you’re ok!” I fell to my knees and buried my face in my arms. I didn’t understand why I was crying; I just felt scared and relieved at the same time. I got back up and leaned on the glass, being careful not to break it. I heard Mother’s voice in my head “She is incomplete, Yazoo, but you will know when to find her when she is born. I will show you the path to your Little Sister when the time is right. She is of extreme importance, my son; we cannot lose her when she is complete.” I tried to force down the sobs and asked “But Mother, what am I supposed to do? Me and Loz arent even strong enough to fight those bad people… if we cant fight, how can we protect her?” I didn’t hear a response. I studied the room, but Mother was nowhere in sight. I began to fear she left and shouted “Mother, wait! I have more questions, please! Don’t go!” I fell to my knees again, then sat down and gazed hopefully at my developing Little Sister “Please be ok… we’re gonna make it together. I promise.” My muscles suddenly grew weak after I stood up, and I worked my way back to the cell that housed my unborn Sister, gently pressing against the glass. I silenced myself and listened in, hoping to hear her breathe. I made out faint sounds that sounded like breathing noises, and heard her moan softly. I gasped, and felt a rush of joy, tears falling from my face. I closed my eyes, and that was when I woke up and realized it was all a dream. I quickly sat up, gazing around hastily, and remembered what happened. I saw Loz sleeping across from me, and noticed my face was wet. I’d been crying in my sleep again. I shook my head, feeling confused about the dreams I had so far and what it all meant “What is this? And why do I always cry during the dreams?” Loz seemed very still, as though sleeping peacefully. I felt more tears fall from my face, and I wiped it with my leather sleeve “Mother… what are you trying to tell me..? I don’t understand…” I sat against the wall and looked up “Do I really have a Sister..? Where is she?” I shook my head and decided to try putting it out of my mind. But I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get the image out of my head where I looked at the young girl who looked strangely familiar to me. She wasn’t suffering or in any pain, but letting go of her was simply impossible. I didn’t understand why. Was this all something that happened in the past? Was it this girl who broke free from the cell inside that reactor and not Mother? I shook my head again “No way… only Mother would be capable of leaving that much blood after escaping and attacking someone. Even Loz’s strength wouldn’t have left a mess like that. What in the world is happening..?” And when we were there, there werent any signs of a recent struggle, either, so if there was an accident and Mother escaped, it wouldn’t have been spotless everywhere else. Loz yawned and woke up, and sat up “What are we doing today?” I sighed and forced the tears to stop “I guess we’ll have to go somewhere else and try another place. Since Mother wasn’t at the reactor, I’m really at a loss of where to look next. My ability to trace her cells at greater distances isnt very good, either. Maybe it will be stronger when I grow up… that would be nice.” Loz suggested “The library in the mansion, Brother… I think we might be able to find hints there, and maybe even find out if she had an accident that forced her to take cover like you said.” I grew curious “Are your memories coming back?” Loz shook his head “I don’t know… but I feel like I’ve been to a place like that, so I just brought it up. I cant remember anything else, though…” I got up and sat next to him, holding my arm over his shoulder “Hey, it’s alright. This stuff is probably going to take time, so don’t push yourself. I cant remember a lot of stuff, either, so you’re not the only one with that struggle. Now, if only one of us could remember where Mother went…” Loz nodded “I know… I wish that would come back to me… everything about this world feels so familiar, but I cant remember any details… I don’t know how I ended up in that blue forest, I don’t know why I recognized those bad guys with the weird symbol on their backs who had those guns… but I know we don’t wanna play with them, at least. We’d better avoid getting caught by those people…” I understood “I know. I knew they were bad too, but I don’t remember who they are, just that they’re our enemies. But enough of that. Let’s find this mansion you’re talking about. Can you lead the way there?” He nodded but he seemed grim “I can find it, but…” He tensed up and held his head as though fearful. I asked “What’s wrong?” Loz answered “The mansion is, it’s… we have to go upstairs..!” I gasped and my expression hardened “Upstairs?! You’ve got to be kidding me! Tell me you arent serious!” Loz stood up and helped me to my feet, and relaxed his body “I… I am serious. I’m so sorry..! I’m telling the truth, please..!” He started to cry, and I put my hands on his shoulders to calm him “Take it easy! This isnt your fault. I’m not angry at you, ok? But I know why youre scared. We’ll have to take this chance though if we wanna get anywhere. As much as I don’t like it, we don’t have a choice…” Loz grumbled “What if they see us? We don’t stand a chance! Isnt there another place we can try instead?” I crossed my arms and sighed “Your guess is as good as mine, Loz. Do you have any other ideas?” Loz moaned and I continued “The hard reality is, we are gonna have to learn to manage upstairs, Loz. Even if we wait longer, we’re gonna have to face the nasty world above us sooner or later if we wanna become strong enough to stop the enemy and fulfill Mother’s wish. And it may be for the better if we learn to do it early in life.” Loz shook his head “Ugh, you’re right… so, any idea what to do if we get seen by the wrong people?” I pulled my revolver and held it over my shoulder “We’ll just have to fight back and stop them. Running away will only draw more attention if we’ve already been caught. I’d rather not have a wild goose chase before we make progress.” Loz clenched his fist and armed his weapon, then nodded in understanding, then we began leaving the area together.
Meanwhile, just outside the reactor that Yazoo and Loz infiltrated…
Two Shinra soldiers were sent to stand guard outside, and immediately noticed that someone had already been there without authorization. The first soldier cried “What the..?! Who went inside?!” The second soldier cried “Impossible! No one has ever guessed the password without getting it wrong! Call the President, now! Tell him someone has been inside!” The first soldier agreed “Understood! You head in and investigate, find the rogue profiles, and bring them to me. We will have them imprisoned immediately.” The second soldier shook his head “Something is off. First, we had that huge hole broken into the barrier on Midgar’s exterior, and now someone has infiltrated a reactor. Moreover, the individual, or unidentified group of people got the passwords right on the first try. I’m sensing suspicious activity afoot here. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re out here. Our guests might show themselves if they arent still inside. Whatever is among us, I have a hunch they are strong. Stay alert.” Soldier 1 nodded, and then soldier 2 went inside to explore. Soldier 1 took a phone, and called Rufus Shinra, who answered immediately “Hello, President Rufus Shinra speaking… what’s happening?” the soldier answered “President, someone—or some people, have entered this reactor without permission. What’s more, they got right through the security gates without incorrectly guessing the passwords.” Rufus replied “Hmm… have your partner go inside and investigate. It might be recent, and the unidentified profiles may still be inside. I also have many reports stating that someone smashed a big hole in the barrier outside of Midgar. Do you know of any such happening?” The soldier agreed “Naturally. I was part of the dispatch team that went to investigate and pursue the intruders, but we found no sign of anyone after the search.” Rufus explained “Then our mystery person must be extremely fast as well… No, he cant be back… He was defeated 3 days ago. Impossible!” the soldier grew fearful “Mister President, are you talking about..?” Rufus agreed “Yes, Sephiroth… but how he could revive so quickly is beyond me. Unless he reached yet a new level of power…” The soldier sighed “Perfect. I have to stand out here and wait for Sephiroth to kill me. There’s no way any of us can beat him. He’s too powerful.” Rufus replied “Slow down. I didn’t say my suspicions are correct, and we don’t have enough evidence to prove they are. It’s too early to say for certain; this is nothing more than a hunch as of the present. Continue with the investigation and remain calm, but proceed with extreme caution. Our friend seems to be a powerful foe.” The soldier agreed “Understood, Mister President. Will do.” Then they both hung up.
(Back to Yazoo and Loz)
We searched for a long time, but couldn’t find a way up without going outside. Loz complained “I’m tired! How do we get to the surface?” I replied “We wont know unless we keep looking. Come on, let’s go.” Loz sighed but obeyed, and we were heading for sector 6 now. Since we had to keep hidden and quiet the entire way, the search was very slow. We were walking for a very long time, and Loz was getting tired. Loz suddenly cried out “Oww! My head!” He was holding his head again, and I stopped to help him “Loz! Are you ok?” Loz moaned and slowly lowered his hands, his expression tense from pain “The reactor… those bad people in the weird outfits who had guns… they know..!” I felt immediate concern and said “What?! Someone saw?” Loz shook his head “Yeah, but how do I even know? It doesn’t make any sense… I just feel it somehow… they know somebody went inside, but they don’t know it was us, at least…” I understood “Right, but what matters is we’re safe and got out of there before they showed up. It would be awfully hard to beat them hurrying back to the top like that… Did you hear anything else?” He shook his head “No, sorry… that’s all I know…” I replied “It’s fine, don’t worry. We’ll just have to keep our distance from there until they settle down again. I don’t think we’ll be going back there for a while, anyway, so we should be alright.” Loz disagreed “That’s the problem, Yazoo… the bad people are getting more scared and wary again, they think something strong is on the loose… I don’t think they will sit still for a long time. Good thing we escaped the reactor and the station before they showed up again…” I replied “Oh boy… we’ll just have to beat them if they get in our way. But for now, stay low and keep quiet. I think there’s way up nearby, but the town in the next sector over is a little… weird. But fortunately, I don’t think we have to hide ourselves from the people there, unless those weird soldiers show up again… they’re well, I think they’re sorta like us, but a bit more uh… out there. It’s pretty awkward trying to say it, but long story short, we might be able to revisit sector 6 without getting in any trouble.” Loz smiled “Yeah! Now that’s more like it!” I nodded, and led the way to our destination. Loz asked “So they’re thugs like us?” I answered “I mean, sort of… but not the same way. But since we’re little boys, I think they’ll be very welcoming and kind toward us. That’s what I feel will happen… maybe stopping there to rest would be a good experience for us.” Loz laughed “Phew! Finally, a place without crazy and bad people! About time!” We went the rest of the way in silence, but we were both very happy. By the time we reached our destination, Loz stopped and stretched, yawning “Phew, that was a long walk. This is the place you talked about, um… right?” I turned to him and nodded “This is it… and the place that will take us upstairs is towards the end of this side path, past this weird buiding… that’s where we’ll go next. But we should probably stop here to rest and call it a day. Besides, we’ll be able to relax here. I don’t think there’s anything here that would draw the attention of the enemy. They’ll probably just go right past it without caring, actually.” Loz agreed “Right, so um… where are staying? Don’t tell me they’re gonna throw us out and make us sleep in another dark alley. I want something more comfy this time!” I reassured him, and we began walking through the town “Calm down. I already said these guys would be easy on us since we’re kids. There’s nothing to worry about. Just don’t go to the big house in the very back. The guys there will tell us to get out.” Loz asked “Anywhere else we should avoid here?” I replied “I don’t think so. Just avoid that building I was talking about. We’ll be fine.” We stopped outside a house a little ways in, and I lead us inside. There were several round tables all around, and only two were occupied by groups of men I didn’t recognize. There was a man standing behind a long counter that had several seats around the outside. He appeared to be bored and yawned. I decided to talk to him first, and Loz followed me to the counter he stood behind. It was too high, and I couldn’t climb up myself. Loz put a hand on my shoulder “Here, I can help you up. I’m strong.” I nodded, and Loz helped me up to an empty seat, and then climbed up and sat next to me. The man noticed us and seemed confused “Hey, who are you kids?” We kept silent to be cautious, and the man sighed “Why are you here, young men?” I remained silent, and Loz explained “We got nowhere else to go… there’s too many bad guys out there. And this looked like the closest safe spot for us.” The man had long, bright blue hair and brown eyes. He wore a fancy white jacket and had long white pants that matched. He looked like he was at least in his mid-teens. He shook his head in disgust “More parents throwing their boys on the street, huh? Some world this is.” I corrected him “No, we got separated from our parent… we don’t know how, or what happened. We just woke up in this weird forest and we’ve been hiding in the alleys so the bad people don’t see us. We don’t wanna be in danger, so we’ve stayed hidden.” The man asked “Say what? And you came all the way from where?” Loz answered “The sector 1, or someplace called that anyway… We don’t know if that’s the actual name, though. Its just what was written on the sign.” The man grew disgusted “Geeze… so Shinra’s mind-wiping kids now? Man that’s sick! So your mom or dad got attacked, and you don’t remember anything?” I explained “All we know is that Mother, er… our mom took cover someplace after getting attacked. But we don’t know where. And we cant remember what happened to us before we woke up.” He shrugged “Man, that Shinra… picking on a single mom? Who do they think they are?! I hate people who do stuff like that! But, what are you boys gonna do? You looking around to see where she went?” We both nodded, and the man continued “Well, I cant blame you guys for making that choice… when a loved one is in trouble, the first thing the kids think about is helping them out. Even if they got no idea how to do it… you’re tough kids, you two. But you’re gonna need a big guy to back you up so they don’t get you boys too. This isnt really a good place to talk, though… come with me, alright? I don’t wanna start a commotion here when customers are trying to relax.” He came out from behind the counter and signaled for us to follow. I slipped down, and Loz came down after me, and we followed the man into through a door towards the back of the place. He closed the door behind us and turned on a light, revealing a room with a big black couch and two living room chairs made of leather that were also black. He sat on the couch and gestured toward the chairs on the other side, and we both sat down in the same one. It was just enough for us both to fit, even though it was a slight squeeze. The man introduced himself “My name’s Damion. You boys sound like you’ve had it awfully rough out there, but I’m glad you’re unharmed. Your mom would be relieved to see the two of you are ok. So, what are your names?” We both moaned, feeling unwilling to answer. Damion reassured us “Hey, it’s ok. I wont call Shinra on you two. You’re just kids.” We looked at each other, and I reluctantly answered “I’m Yazoo…” Loz added “Name’s Loz… don’t do anything crazy please.” Damion looked concerned “Geeze, you two are wary like crazy… what the heck did they do you kids?” There was a moment of silence, and Damion explained “Look, I’m sorry you kids have had such a rough ride, but if there’s anything I can do to help you guys, just let me know. I got thrown outta my home as a kid too, so I know how dangerous the streets are around here. But this place? Hah! Coming here will put any kid who’s walked the rough road at ease. You’re welcome here anytime, ok?” We smiled and nodded, but didn’t speak. Damion asked “Your mom is out there somewhere, right?” I nodded “Yeah, but we don’t know where she went after the accident we cant remember… that’s why we decided to walk all over town. So we can find her and remember what happened, for… our own reasons. I’m not even sure if it was an accident… maybe they tried to get her on purpose. But we don’t know since we cant remember enough to say for sure…” Damion smiled “But, you do remember her name, right? If you tell me, I might be able to help you kids get back home with her.” Loz moaned and hesitated “We cant tell you… we’re not allowed to.” I nodded in agreement. Damion sighed in exasperation “My goodness! How strict is your mom anyway? Well, it’s not my business to ask, so I wont push that… but, I imagine you’ll know her when you see her.” Loz happily agreed “That’s right! You cant miss her. She’s one of a kind.” I slapped him to silence him, and he grumbled but obeyed. I explained “Yeah, we’ll recognize her. We didn’t forget what she looks like, I know that. But, when you say Shinra… what is that? Do you know anything about that name?” Damion sighed “I don’t have all the details, but almost everyone knows about their dirty activities they like to bring down here, all over the slums. I don’t know if they got stalkers or what, but I’ve heard bad stories about them chasing people as if they want them for something. I don’t know what, but if I had to guess, it’s probably bad for the common people like us. News about them is never good, they say they’re gonna save everyone and this and that, but all they’ve done is stir up a ruckus in different sectors and throw us average people down the money pit. As if we don’t make too little already. I don’t trust them. As for your question, I was referring to an organization called the Shinra Company. They control everything that goes on in this world, and hard working people like myself get no choice in the matter. We get forced to cooperate or they threaten us with whatever. But why they’d want to get their sick hands on innocent boys like you two beats me. And your mom, too… can you remember anything about your family history that might have to do with relatives being chased and captured by a bad group?” I paused, then said “The Shinra Company… is that who those people in the weird suits who had those guns were from?” Damion asked “You got chased by Shinra soldiers while you were running around?” I nodded “I think so. We got away and managed to hide before they could catch us, but they were all dressed the same and had this red logo on the back of their suits.” Damion seemed interested “If they got the red logo on the back, those were Shinra soldiers. If you see any odd ones out in navy blue though, you’d better get right outta dodge, boys. Those are turks, and they’re higher ups involved with Shinra. Avoid them at all costs; they’re a lot worse than the soldiers you saw.” I remembered the bad dream Loz described to me “Turks, huh… Loz, does his description sound familiar?” Loz nodded and started crying “That dream, that was horrible..! They took her away… and I couldn’t do anything..!” He started crying again. Damion overheard him “You had a bad dream where the turks took your mom away?” Loz nodded silently. Damion seemed suspicious “Who are you boys? Having dreams about things that happened in reality? That’s not something I hear every day…” We didn’t really wanna answer that question. I shook my head and explained “Even if he did have a dream like that, that doesn’t mean these turks you’re talking about really do have her… I hope.” Damion looked grim “Man, you boys are in an awful spot… I cant imagine how tough things have been. Getting targeted by the turks before you even hit 13 years in age… I cant see myself handling that well. Is there anything I can help you boys with?” I replied “We need to know how to get to the upstairs. You know, above this place… do you know any place that will take us up?” Damion was shocked “Wait, you’re planning to go up there?! You cant be serious… Shinra—they’re right above us! No way I’m letting you kids go up!” I sighed “I knew upstairs was bad… now I know why. But please, you have to let us. Our mom might be in trouble! Who else is gonna help her if we don’t?” Damion protested “I’ll send a group to do the job for you, simple! It’s better than letting you children risk your lives when you’ve barely lived your life!” I got out of my seat and turned firm, closing in on the man “No! I’m not letting anyone outside of our family do this. Just tell us how to go up, and we’ll leave by tomorrow morning.” Damion seemed rather frightened at my display, and he backed down “Ohh-ok… I’ll show you in the morning… Just don’t jump out at me again, alright? I said I’m on your side, so let’s stay good with each other… please.” Loz slipped down from the chair and came to my side “Sorry, mister… this is just, um… you know, too important for anyone else to handle.” I nodded in agreement “Right. Besides, if a group of grown ups recklessly storms their HQ like that, it would draw way too much attention… and too quickly. We need to go slow.” Damion laughed “Well look at you, Yazoo! You’re smarter than me!” I couldn’t help smiling at that. Damion stood up and nodded in understanding “Well, you two seem pretty brave for little boys. I don’t like sending lost kids out on their own, but you two seem pretty able for your age… you got weapons, for starters. I’m guessing you know how to use them by now. Wanna come upstairs for some dinner? This place has a good kitchen, you know. You gotta try their cooking.” We both nodded in agreement, and he led us back to the main area. After that, he ordered some meals for us, and me and Loz ate in silence after it came out and was ready. Damion kept his attention on us to make sure nobody would hurt us, and he smiled at us “Dang, you two are cute kids… Your Mother must be gorgeous! Wish I could be there to tell her I helped look out for you two… I bet she’d be mighty happy about it.” Loz replied while eating “Oh, she’ll hear you… even if you’re faraway.” Damion seemed happily curious “Hmm? You say she’ll hear me even here? She got some special power or something?” I nodded silently. Damion seemed amazed but kept his tone calm “Dang, your mom must really be something then! Maybe those dreams you had were warning signs if she has special powers… but don’t think im right just because I think it, ok? You two know her better than I do.” After we finished eating, Damion escorted us to a hotel for us to sleep in. It looked pretty run down and old, but it was still useable. He said “I’ll pay for a room for you two, alright? But don’t go getting stuff in the middle of the night without thinking. I don’t wanna huge bill that I cant pay, got it?” We nodded, and Loz laughed. We ended up in a room with a bunk bed, and I slept on the bottom. Loz took the top. I knew it was time to go to sleep and get ready for tomorrow, but I really hated leaving so soon after Damion was so good to us and didn’t demand answers. It actually hurt that I knew we’d have to leave so soon, especially since we met such a kind guy who seemed very understanding of what we were going through. But Mother was out there somewhere, and goofing around here wasn’t a good idea if she’s really in trouble. If we did that when she needs us most, Mother would be very disappointed in us. I didn’t want us to look unworthy so soon like that; especially since we still werent grown up to get a real chance to prove ourselves. I drifted off to sleep, and hoped things would go ok tomorrow.
To Be Continued…
(This section will focus on Yazoo as the speaker) After a long day of exploring the strange reactor we investigated to find Mother, we left and managed to sneak into a town in the next sector over and made off with some food we had for dinner that night. Fortunately, we got away before anyone could catch us stealing from the rather vacant restaurant. It didn’t appear to be abandoned, but there werent a lot of people there which made getting in and out without getting caught easier for us. And we were also small enough to squeeze through tight spaces or hide under things too which helped a lot with sneaking around town without many problems. We went to sleep in another alleyway again to keep ourselves hidden from the people, but this time in a different sector that was closer to the reactor we left. We decided to go to whatever was close to avoid anyone who might have discovered that the reactor was entered without permission. That was how yesterday ended for us. I had another dream that time, but it didn’t seem to be bad the way the last one was. This one wasn’t violent, but it was very strange. I was in the same room that me and Loz found higher traces of Mother’s cells, but there wasn’t shattered glass and blood on the floor like what we saw. The cell was filled with what I thought was water or some kind of nourishing substance, and inside of it rested a young girl who looked a lot like the third man in my first dream. But at the same time, something seemed different about her. She appeared to be sleeping, suspended inside the fluid with a thick coating of JENOVA cells covering the lower half of her body. I kept my stare on her, and slowly walked towards her. I had the strangest emotion well up inside myself. The girl was the same height as me, and she seemed strangely familiar. I felt tears fall from my face, and I began crying for no apparent reason, and cried “Sister! You’re… you’re ok!” I fell to my knees and buried my face in my arms. I didn’t understand why I was crying; I just felt scared and relieved at the same time. I got back up and leaned on the glass, being careful not to break it. I heard Mother’s voice in my head “She is incomplete, Yazoo, but you will know when to find her when she is born. I will show you the path to your Little Sister when the time is right. She is of extreme importance, my son; we cannot lose her when she is complete.” I tried to force down the sobs and asked “But Mother, what am I supposed to do? Me and Loz arent even strong enough to fight those bad people… if we cant fight, how can we protect her?” I didn’t hear a response. I studied the room, but Mother was nowhere in sight. I began to fear she left and shouted “Mother, wait! I have more questions, please! Don’t go!” I fell to my knees again, then sat down and gazed hopefully at my developing Little Sister “Please be ok… we’re gonna make it together. I promise.” My muscles suddenly grew weak after I stood up, and I worked my way back to the cell that housed my unborn Sister, gently pressing against the glass. I silenced myself and listened in, hoping to hear her breathe. I made out faint sounds that sounded like breathing noises, and heard her moan softly. I gasped, and felt a rush of joy, tears falling from my face. I closed my eyes, and that was when I woke up and realized it was all a dream. I quickly sat up, gazing around hastily, and remembered what happened. I saw Loz sleeping across from me, and noticed my face was wet. I’d been crying in my sleep again. I shook my head, feeling confused about the dreams I had so far and what it all meant “What is this? And why do I always cry during the dreams?” Loz seemed very still, as though sleeping peacefully. I felt more tears fall from my face, and I wiped it with my leather sleeve “Mother… what are you trying to tell me..? I don’t understand…” I sat against the wall and looked up “Do I really have a Sister..? Where is she?” I shook my head and decided to try putting it out of my mind. But I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get the image out of my head where I looked at the young girl who looked strangely familiar to me. She wasn’t suffering or in any pain, but letting go of her was simply impossible. I didn’t understand why. Was this all something that happened in the past? Was it this girl who broke free from the cell inside that reactor and not Mother? I shook my head again “No way… only Mother would be capable of leaving that much blood after escaping and attacking someone. Even Loz’s strength wouldn’t have left a mess like that. What in the world is happening..?” And when we were there, there werent any signs of a recent struggle, either, so if there was an accident and Mother escaped, it wouldn’t have been spotless everywhere else. Loz yawned and woke up, and sat up “What are we doing today?” I sighed and forced the tears to stop “I guess we’ll have to go somewhere else and try another place. Since Mother wasn’t at the reactor, I’m really at a loss of where to look next. My ability to trace her cells at greater distances isnt very good, either. Maybe it will be stronger when I grow up… that would be nice.” Loz suggested “The library in the mansion, Brother… I think we might be able to find hints there, and maybe even find out if she had an accident that forced her to take cover like you said.” I grew curious “Are your memories coming back?” Loz shook his head “I don’t know… but I feel like I’ve been to a place like that, so I just brought it up. I cant remember anything else, though…” I got up and sat next to him, holding my arm over his shoulder “Hey, it’s alright. This stuff is probably going to take time, so don’t push yourself. I cant remember a lot of stuff, either, so you’re not the only one with that struggle. Now, if only one of us could remember where Mother went…” Loz nodded “I know… I wish that would come back to me… everything about this world feels so familiar, but I cant remember any details… I don’t know how I ended up in that blue forest, I don’t know why I recognized those bad guys with the weird symbol on their backs who had those guns… but I know we don’t wanna play with them, at least. We’d better avoid getting caught by those people…” I understood “I know. I knew they were bad too, but I don’t remember who they are, just that they’re our enemies. But enough of that. Let’s find this mansion you’re talking about. Can you lead the way there?” He nodded but he seemed grim “I can find it, but…” He tensed up and held his head as though fearful. I asked “What’s wrong?” Loz answered “The mansion is, it’s… we have to go upstairs..!” I gasped and my expression hardened “Upstairs?! You’ve got to be kidding me! Tell me you arent serious!” Loz stood up and helped me to my feet, and relaxed his body “I… I am serious. I’m so sorry..! I’m telling the truth, please..!” He started to cry, and I put my hands on his shoulders to calm him “Take it easy! This isnt your fault. I’m not angry at you, ok? But I know why youre scared. We’ll have to take this chance though if we wanna get anywhere. As much as I don’t like it, we don’t have a choice…” Loz grumbled “What if they see us? We don’t stand a chance! Isnt there another place we can try instead?” I crossed my arms and sighed “Your guess is as good as mine, Loz. Do you have any other ideas?” Loz moaned and I continued “The hard reality is, we are gonna have to learn to manage upstairs, Loz. Even if we wait longer, we’re gonna have to face the nasty world above us sooner or later if we wanna become strong enough to stop the enemy and fulfill Mother’s wish. And it may be for the better if we learn to do it early in life.” Loz shook his head “Ugh, you’re right… so, any idea what to do if we get seen by the wrong people?” I pulled my revolver and held it over my shoulder “We’ll just have to fight back and stop them. Running away will only draw more attention if we’ve already been caught. I’d rather not have a wild goose chase before we make progress.” Loz clenched his fist and armed his weapon, then nodded in understanding, then we began leaving the area together.
Meanwhile, just outside the reactor that Yazoo and Loz infiltrated…
Two Shinra soldiers were sent to stand guard outside, and immediately noticed that someone had already been there without authorization. The first soldier cried “What the..?! Who went inside?!” The second soldier cried “Impossible! No one has ever guessed the password without getting it wrong! Call the President, now! Tell him someone has been inside!” The first soldier agreed “Understood! You head in and investigate, find the rogue profiles, and bring them to me. We will have them imprisoned immediately.” The second soldier shook his head “Something is off. First, we had that huge hole broken into the barrier on Midgar’s exterior, and now someone has infiltrated a reactor. Moreover, the individual, or unidentified group of people got the passwords right on the first try. I’m sensing suspicious activity afoot here. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re out here. Our guests might show themselves if they arent still inside. Whatever is among us, I have a hunch they are strong. Stay alert.” Soldier 1 nodded, and then soldier 2 went inside to explore. Soldier 1 took a phone, and called Rufus Shinra, who answered immediately “Hello, President Rufus Shinra speaking… what’s happening?” the soldier answered “President, someone—or some people, have entered this reactor without permission. What’s more, they got right through the security gates without incorrectly guessing the passwords.” Rufus replied “Hmm… have your partner go inside and investigate. It might be recent, and the unidentified profiles may still be inside. I also have many reports stating that someone smashed a big hole in the barrier outside of Midgar. Do you know of any such happening?” The soldier agreed “Naturally. I was part of the dispatch team that went to investigate and pursue the intruders, but we found no sign of anyone after the search.” Rufus explained “Then our mystery person must be extremely fast as well… No, he cant be back… He was defeated 3 days ago. Impossible!” the soldier grew fearful “Mister President, are you talking about..?” Rufus agreed “Yes, Sephiroth… but how he could revive so quickly is beyond me. Unless he reached yet a new level of power…” The soldier sighed “Perfect. I have to stand out here and wait for Sephiroth to kill me. There’s no way any of us can beat him. He’s too powerful.” Rufus replied “Slow down. I didn’t say my suspicions are correct, and we don’t have enough evidence to prove they are. It’s too early to say for certain; this is nothing more than a hunch as of the present. Continue with the investigation and remain calm, but proceed with extreme caution. Our friend seems to be a powerful foe.” The soldier agreed “Understood, Mister President. Will do.” Then they both hung up.
(Back to Yazoo and Loz)
We searched for a long time, but couldn’t find a way up without going outside. Loz complained “I’m tired! How do we get to the surface?” I replied “We wont know unless we keep looking. Come on, let’s go.” Loz sighed but obeyed, and we were heading for sector 6 now. Since we had to keep hidden and quiet the entire way, the search was very slow. We were walking for a very long time, and Loz was getting tired. Loz suddenly cried out “Oww! My head!” He was holding his head again, and I stopped to help him “Loz! Are you ok?” Loz moaned and slowly lowered his hands, his expression tense from pain “The reactor… those bad people in the weird outfits who had guns… they know..!” I felt immediate concern and said “What?! Someone saw?” Loz shook his head “Yeah, but how do I even know? It doesn’t make any sense… I just feel it somehow… they know somebody went inside, but they don’t know it was us, at least…” I understood “Right, but what matters is we’re safe and got out of there before they showed up. It would be awfully hard to beat them hurrying back to the top like that… Did you hear anything else?” He shook his head “No, sorry… that’s all I know…” I replied “It’s fine, don’t worry. We’ll just have to keep our distance from there until they settle down again. I don’t think we’ll be going back there for a while, anyway, so we should be alright.” Loz disagreed “That’s the problem, Yazoo… the bad people are getting more scared and wary again, they think something strong is on the loose… I don’t think they will sit still for a long time. Good thing we escaped the reactor and the station before they showed up again…” I replied “Oh boy… we’ll just have to beat them if they get in our way. But for now, stay low and keep quiet. I think there’s way up nearby, but the town in the next sector over is a little… weird. But fortunately, I don’t think we have to hide ourselves from the people there, unless those weird soldiers show up again… they’re well, I think they’re sorta like us, but a bit more uh… out there. It’s pretty awkward trying to say it, but long story short, we might be able to revisit sector 6 without getting in any trouble.” Loz smiled “Yeah! Now that’s more like it!” I nodded, and led the way to our destination. Loz asked “So they’re thugs like us?” I answered “I mean, sort of… but not the same way. But since we’re little boys, I think they’ll be very welcoming and kind toward us. That’s what I feel will happen… maybe stopping there to rest would be a good experience for us.” Loz laughed “Phew! Finally, a place without crazy and bad people! About time!” We went the rest of the way in silence, but we were both very happy. By the time we reached our destination, Loz stopped and stretched, yawning “Phew, that was a long walk. This is the place you talked about, um… right?” I turned to him and nodded “This is it… and the place that will take us upstairs is towards the end of this side path, past this weird buiding… that’s where we’ll go next. But we should probably stop here to rest and call it a day. Besides, we’ll be able to relax here. I don’t think there’s anything here that would draw the attention of the enemy. They’ll probably just go right past it without caring, actually.” Loz agreed “Right, so um… where are staying? Don’t tell me they’re gonna throw us out and make us sleep in another dark alley. I want something more comfy this time!” I reassured him, and we began walking through the town “Calm down. I already said these guys would be easy on us since we’re kids. There’s nothing to worry about. Just don’t go to the big house in the very back. The guys there will tell us to get out.” Loz asked “Anywhere else we should avoid here?” I replied “I don’t think so. Just avoid that building I was talking about. We’ll be fine.” We stopped outside a house a little ways in, and I lead us inside. There were several round tables all around, and only two were occupied by groups of men I didn’t recognize. There was a man standing behind a long counter that had several seats around the outside. He appeared to be bored and yawned. I decided to talk to him first, and Loz followed me to the counter he stood behind. It was too high, and I couldn’t climb up myself. Loz put a hand on my shoulder “Here, I can help you up. I’m strong.” I nodded, and Loz helped me up to an empty seat, and then climbed up and sat next to me. The man noticed us and seemed confused “Hey, who are you kids?” We kept silent to be cautious, and the man sighed “Why are you here, young men?” I remained silent, and Loz explained “We got nowhere else to go… there’s too many bad guys out there. And this looked like the closest safe spot for us.” The man had long, bright blue hair and brown eyes. He wore a fancy white jacket and had long white pants that matched. He looked like he was at least in his mid-teens. He shook his head in disgust “More parents throwing their boys on the street, huh? Some world this is.” I corrected him “No, we got separated from our parent… we don’t know how, or what happened. We just woke up in this weird forest and we’ve been hiding in the alleys so the bad people don’t see us. We don’t wanna be in danger, so we’ve stayed hidden.” The man asked “Say what? And you came all the way from where?” Loz answered “The sector 1, or someplace called that anyway… We don’t know if that’s the actual name, though. Its just what was written on the sign.” The man grew disgusted “Geeze… so Shinra’s mind-wiping kids now? Man that’s sick! So your mom or dad got attacked, and you don’t remember anything?” I explained “All we know is that Mother, er… our mom took cover someplace after getting attacked. But we don’t know where. And we cant remember what happened to us before we woke up.” He shrugged “Man, that Shinra… picking on a single mom? Who do they think they are?! I hate people who do stuff like that! But, what are you boys gonna do? You looking around to see where she went?” We both nodded, and the man continued “Well, I cant blame you guys for making that choice… when a loved one is in trouble, the first thing the kids think about is helping them out. Even if they got no idea how to do it… you’re tough kids, you two. But you’re gonna need a big guy to back you up so they don’t get you boys too. This isnt really a good place to talk, though… come with me, alright? I don’t wanna start a commotion here when customers are trying to relax.” He came out from behind the counter and signaled for us to follow. I slipped down, and Loz came down after me, and we followed the man into through a door towards the back of the place. He closed the door behind us and turned on a light, revealing a room with a big black couch and two living room chairs made of leather that were also black. He sat on the couch and gestured toward the chairs on the other side, and we both sat down in the same one. It was just enough for us both to fit, even though it was a slight squeeze. The man introduced himself “My name’s Damion. You boys sound like you’ve had it awfully rough out there, but I’m glad you’re unharmed. Your mom would be relieved to see the two of you are ok. So, what are your names?” We both moaned, feeling unwilling to answer. Damion reassured us “Hey, it’s ok. I wont call Shinra on you two. You’re just kids.” We looked at each other, and I reluctantly answered “I’m Yazoo…” Loz added “Name’s Loz… don’t do anything crazy please.” Damion looked concerned “Geeze, you two are wary like crazy… what the heck did they do you kids?” There was a moment of silence, and Damion explained “Look, I’m sorry you kids have had such a rough ride, but if there’s anything I can do to help you guys, just let me know. I got thrown outta my home as a kid too, so I know how dangerous the streets are around here. But this place? Hah! Coming here will put any kid who’s walked the rough road at ease. You’re welcome here anytime, ok?” We smiled and nodded, but didn’t speak. Damion asked “Your mom is out there somewhere, right?” I nodded “Yeah, but we don’t know where she went after the accident we cant remember… that’s why we decided to walk all over town. So we can find her and remember what happened, for… our own reasons. I’m not even sure if it was an accident… maybe they tried to get her on purpose. But we don’t know since we cant remember enough to say for sure…” Damion smiled “But, you do remember her name, right? If you tell me, I might be able to help you kids get back home with her.” Loz moaned and hesitated “We cant tell you… we’re not allowed to.” I nodded in agreement. Damion sighed in exasperation “My goodness! How strict is your mom anyway? Well, it’s not my business to ask, so I wont push that… but, I imagine you’ll know her when you see her.” Loz happily agreed “That’s right! You cant miss her. She’s one of a kind.” I slapped him to silence him, and he grumbled but obeyed. I explained “Yeah, we’ll recognize her. We didn’t forget what she looks like, I know that. But, when you say Shinra… what is that? Do you know anything about that name?” Damion sighed “I don’t have all the details, but almost everyone knows about their dirty activities they like to bring down here, all over the slums. I don’t know if they got stalkers or what, but I’ve heard bad stories about them chasing people as if they want them for something. I don’t know what, but if I had to guess, it’s probably bad for the common people like us. News about them is never good, they say they’re gonna save everyone and this and that, but all they’ve done is stir up a ruckus in different sectors and throw us average people down the money pit. As if we don’t make too little already. I don’t trust them. As for your question, I was referring to an organization called the Shinra Company. They control everything that goes on in this world, and hard working people like myself get no choice in the matter. We get forced to cooperate or they threaten us with whatever. But why they’d want to get their sick hands on innocent boys like you two beats me. And your mom, too… can you remember anything about your family history that might have to do with relatives being chased and captured by a bad group?” I paused, then said “The Shinra Company… is that who those people in the weird suits who had those guns were from?” Damion asked “You got chased by Shinra soldiers while you were running around?” I nodded “I think so. We got away and managed to hide before they could catch us, but they were all dressed the same and had this red logo on the back of their suits.” Damion seemed interested “If they got the red logo on the back, those were Shinra soldiers. If you see any odd ones out in navy blue though, you’d better get right outta dodge, boys. Those are turks, and they’re higher ups involved with Shinra. Avoid them at all costs; they’re a lot worse than the soldiers you saw.” I remembered the bad dream Loz described to me “Turks, huh… Loz, does his description sound familiar?” Loz nodded and started crying “That dream, that was horrible..! They took her away… and I couldn’t do anything..!” He started crying again. Damion overheard him “You had a bad dream where the turks took your mom away?” Loz nodded silently. Damion seemed suspicious “Who are you boys? Having dreams about things that happened in reality? That’s not something I hear every day…” We didn’t really wanna answer that question. I shook my head and explained “Even if he did have a dream like that, that doesn’t mean these turks you’re talking about really do have her… I hope.” Damion looked grim “Man, you boys are in an awful spot… I cant imagine how tough things have been. Getting targeted by the turks before you even hit 13 years in age… I cant see myself handling that well. Is there anything I can help you boys with?” I replied “We need to know how to get to the upstairs. You know, above this place… do you know any place that will take us up?” Damion was shocked “Wait, you’re planning to go up there?! You cant be serious… Shinra—they’re right above us! No way I’m letting you kids go up!” I sighed “I knew upstairs was bad… now I know why. But please, you have to let us. Our mom might be in trouble! Who else is gonna help her if we don’t?” Damion protested “I’ll send a group to do the job for you, simple! It’s better than letting you children risk your lives when you’ve barely lived your life!” I got out of my seat and turned firm, closing in on the man “No! I’m not letting anyone outside of our family do this. Just tell us how to go up, and we’ll leave by tomorrow morning.” Damion seemed rather frightened at my display, and he backed down “Ohh-ok… I’ll show you in the morning… Just don’t jump out at me again, alright? I said I’m on your side, so let’s stay good with each other… please.” Loz slipped down from the chair and came to my side “Sorry, mister… this is just, um… you know, too important for anyone else to handle.” I nodded in agreement “Right. Besides, if a group of grown ups recklessly storms their HQ like that, it would draw way too much attention… and too quickly. We need to go slow.” Damion laughed “Well look at you, Yazoo! You’re smarter than me!” I couldn’t help smiling at that. Damion stood up and nodded in understanding “Well, you two seem pretty brave for little boys. I don’t like sending lost kids out on their own, but you two seem pretty able for your age… you got weapons, for starters. I’m guessing you know how to use them by now. Wanna come upstairs for some dinner? This place has a good kitchen, you know. You gotta try their cooking.” We both nodded in agreement, and he led us back to the main area. After that, he ordered some meals for us, and me and Loz ate in silence after it came out and was ready. Damion kept his attention on us to make sure nobody would hurt us, and he smiled at us “Dang, you two are cute kids… Your Mother must be gorgeous! Wish I could be there to tell her I helped look out for you two… I bet she’d be mighty happy about it.” Loz replied while eating “Oh, she’ll hear you… even if you’re faraway.” Damion seemed happily curious “Hmm? You say she’ll hear me even here? She got some special power or something?” I nodded silently. Damion seemed amazed but kept his tone calm “Dang, your mom must really be something then! Maybe those dreams you had were warning signs if she has special powers… but don’t think im right just because I think it, ok? You two know her better than I do.” After we finished eating, Damion escorted us to a hotel for us to sleep in. It looked pretty run down and old, but it was still useable. He said “I’ll pay for a room for you two, alright? But don’t go getting stuff in the middle of the night without thinking. I don’t wanna huge bill that I cant pay, got it?” We nodded, and Loz laughed. We ended up in a room with a bunk bed, and I slept on the bottom. Loz took the top. I knew it was time to go to sleep and get ready for tomorrow, but I really hated leaving so soon after Damion was so good to us and didn’t demand answers. It actually hurt that I knew we’d have to leave so soon, especially since we met such a kind guy who seemed very understanding of what we were going through. But Mother was out there somewhere, and goofing around here wasn’t a good idea if she’s really in trouble. If we did that when she needs us most, Mother would be very disappointed in us. I didn’t want us to look unworthy so soon like that; especially since we still werent grown up to get a real chance to prove ourselves. I drifted off to sleep, and hoped things would go ok tomorrow.
To Be Continued…
