Chapter 13: Chaos—Immortal Hand

Gavin watched helplessly as Chaos attacked, tearing three long wounds across the woman’s chest. His mind weas a blur as she fell onto her back, gasping and trembling in shock. The beast surveyed its work casually before moving past her, setting its sights on Professor Hojo.

"It…can’t be…" murmured Lucretia, staring at the demon’s eyes as it stalked towards her and her husband. She gripped his arm and began to shout, "What did you do to him? What is he? What happened to Vincent?"

Gavin ignored them, moving swiftly out of Chaos’s way; now out of its path the monstrosity paid him no notice. He knelt beside Willy, removing his shirt so that he could tie it around her chest as a makeshift bandage. She moaned in pain. "Hold on," he told her, pressing down on the wound. She cried weakly and swatted at his hands. "Don’t move. I’m trying to help."

"Vincent, stop!" Lucretia continued to plead. "This isn’t you—you’re not a monster!" The beast continued its approach anyway.

Korben followed Gavin’s example by staying well out of Chaos’s way. "That really is Chaos," he whispered distantly. He shook himself. "No, I can do this. Gavin, I’ll need your help."

"Jay, Willy’s in trouble," he replied, tightening his bandage. "Can’t you help her?"

"Maybe." He retrieved the rest of his cards and handed him one that displayed a small white flower among the backdrop of the slums. "This is Lilly. Hold it on her chest and concentrate—hard. I’ll be back."

"But—"

"Hold it." Korben pulled a length of boot lace from his pocket, stringing it through a hole he’d cut in the top. "I didn’t expect to have to do this," he muttered, advancing on the creature from behind. So far Hojo had been able to hold Chaos at bay with the double-barreled shotgun he’d produced form the crates; in Nibelheim, wolves and other animals were common, making such protection a necessity. As Chaos’s first attention was on the scientist, Korben was able to come very close. He squatted beside the beast’s tail.

Chaos growled a warning, freezing the Turk in mid-motion; it knew he was there. It had been perfectly aware the entire time, though the man’s presence was not enough to warrant a response. But Korben knew that if he attempted to seal the demon as he had with Gavin, he would quickly label himself as a threat.

Chaos snorted, seemingly pleased as the Turk did not attempt to move against it. The demon’s right hand shot out, snapping around Lucretia and dragging her away from her husband. She screamed shrilly and pulled against him; her voice rang in terror within the stone walls. Her reaction startled the beast, and it stared at her as if she’d lost her senses. The woman pried and pushed at the elongated fingers twisted around her arm, sobbing to be released.

Korben took advantage of the animal’s momentary distraction. He carefully looped the boot lace around Chaos’s calf, in one swift motion tightening the string and binding Gaea to its leg. Chaos roared angrily, preparing to turn and strike, but at that moment Hojo fired his shot gun. The explosion of gunpowder and blood was so close to the Turk that he fell onto his back. Lucretia was released as the beast bellowed and screamed; she clung to Korben as the closest human comfort. Quickly he half-dragged her away from the flailing demon. Hojo followed suit.

Chaos turned and fled. None of the observers made a move as it disappeared through one of the tunnel’s open doorways, leaving behind the echoes of its pained cries.

And a severed arm.

Korben stared at the black limb as Lucretia sobbed against his chest. Hojo’s shot had been fired at so close a range that the beast’s left arm had been sheared off at the elbow; black life-fluid spilled sluggishly across the floor and into its cracks. The claws at its end twitched, flexing and relaxing, before finally laying still.

"Lucretia." Korben gently eased the woman back, hoping to calm her in some way. When he could think of no assurance to give, he reluctantly handed her to her husband. The scientist appeared more interested in studying the beast’s remains, however, than assisting his wife. He decided that it was not of his present concern.

"Jay," Gavin called in the silence that followed, "I need your help."

The Turk nodded and joined his friend. Willy was barely conscious, trembling and pale, her eyes wide but blind. The bleeding had stopped, but she was obvious not in good shape. He checked the wounds that crossed her chest and added his jacked to Gavin’s soaked bandage-shirt. "It’s a good thing she’s so well endowed," he remarked to lighten his companion’s misgivings. "I don’t think he hit anything vital, but she’ll need some surgery if you two even get kid."

"Cut it out, Jay. That’s not funny."

"Calm down—she’s okay." He placed his hand over the Lilly card, which was by now saturated with Willy’s blood. She slowly closed her eyes, and her shaking lessened. "Take her to the town doctor. He’ll help. I’ll take care of Vincent."

Gavin’s face reflected doubt as he glanced at the severed arm, then the door in which Chaos had fled. "Do you really think you can?"

"I came here to seal Jenova," he replied. "And I intend to do so. Now go. Willy needs your help."

The man nodded, not that his concerns had been at all alleviated. Being very careful of Willy’s injury he gathered her into his arms and stood. Without a second galnce he headed swiftly for the stairwell.

"Is she all right?" Lucretia asked. She was seated on the floor, holding Hojo’s lab coat around her as if it would give her some warmth. "Is she…?"

"She’ll be fine," Korben asured distractedly. He was already on his way toward the side room, pausing only to check his handgun. His harsh gaze fell on Hojo. "Don’t follow me. If he kills me he’ll be your problem, but until then you let me handle this."

The scientist nodded his agreement.

Korben moved to the door slowly. He didn’t know what to expect, but the overpowering sense of evil that had called him to the basement had lessened. He hoped it was a good sign. From the doorway he could see very little of the room due to its lack of light; only dark shapes against a darker backdrop. He could hear, however, a faint whimpering, gasping wound. With a deep breath to calm his nerves he stepped inside.

"Don’t," came the harsh voice of a man. "Don’t…come."

"Vincent, it’s Korben." The Turk entered deeper, allowing his eyes time to adjust to the shadows. He was in a small room that was empty except for several long, rectangular boxes that littered the interior. He moved past them. Huddled in the corner was a man, naked and trembling. A human, with something tied to its lower calf. He sighed with a bit of relief. "At least you’re back to normal."

"Don’t come any closer," Vincent insisted, pulling himself closer to the rock. His voice was strained with agony, fear, and guilt. "Just go, before—"

"I’m here to help you. Be still." Korben knelt in front of the crumpled man; his mind was spinning. Vincent’s reverse transformation must have been forced by the shock of his gun wound, but most likely the demon Chaos was still present and waiting for an opportunity to return. If he was going to seal it, he would have to do it now, and quickly.

"Vincent, do you know what’s happened to you?" He could see the more clearly now: the Senior Turk was leaning against the wall, holding his left arm—which now terminated at his elbow in a ragged stump—against his body. There was very little blood despite how severed the injury should have been. "You have Jenova inside you. When I made the Chaos card, somehow I knew about all this."

Vincent shuddered. "Oh God, Willy…did I…?"

Korben shook his head, wondering if Vincent had even heard him. "No, she’s alive. Gavin took her to a doctor." He licked his lips. "I need to seal this demon. I can, but Chaos is strong—I’ll need help from you."

"I…I don’t know." He turned his head to face the man, startling him; Vincent’s eyes were glowing deep, eerie crimson, like blood set aflame. He then revealed his left arm. The stump was no longer a mass of ripped flesh; the blood flow had ceased due to the creation of a flat metal plate laid over the exposed end. It shone dully in the dim light like finely polished gold. Both Turks watched, bewildered, as the mass began to grow, elongating into a length of metallic bone. It swelled, adding false tendons, muscles, veins, and skin. A set of fire sharpened claws formed instead of fingers.

"As long as you wear this gold," Vincent murmured distantly, "you will both still be cursed." His eyes drank in every inch of the strange new limb he’d been granted. "This…is punishment. It’s my fault…." He turned his gaze on Korben, who couldn’t help but flinch under the harsh stare. "I wasn’t…I couldn’t convince Lucretia. If only I’d stopped her sooner…none of this…" He shook his head. "Lucretia, Gavin, Raile, Willy—it’s all my fault. And now…"

"Vincent, stop it. This isn’t—"

"And now I’m not even human anymore. You…can’t help me." His expression twisted in pain. "I’ve done something awful. I didn’t…but now…." He turned his head away when he realized how deeply his appearance was frightening the younger man. "I’m a monster."

Korben gulped, searching through his options. They were limited and risky. "I can’t get rid of Jenova," he told the man quietly. "Only seal it temporarily."

Vincent didn’t reply for some time, making his comrade nervous. "You can’t cure me. I…might turn into…that thing again."

"…Yes." He closed his eyes briefly. "It may be best…if you didn’t come with us."

Another long silence followed. "I don’t want to hurt anyone," he said at last. "You should all leave me, before I do something awful." His voice lowered in regret. "Willy…I could have killed her."

"I’ll come back." Korben began to form a plan in his mind. "I’ll take Willy and Gavin away. I’m going to try and find help—I’ll find a way to cure you, then I’ll come back."

"I don’t—"

"Wait for me, Vincent," he insisted. "I’ll find a way. Until then, I can only help you with this." He removed the card from Vincent’s leg, staining it with the blood that had pooled in the room’s jagged floor. "Hold this to your chest," he instructed, tying it in place with his laces. He then moved to the boxes lining the walls; there were several old articles of fabric. He discovered a thick red curtain and draped it over his senior. "Find a place to stay. I’m taking Willy and Gavin to Cosmo Canyon, so you can find us a few months from now. I’ll find a cure."

Vincent nodded, pulling the material tightly around him as if he could bind himself in that old fabric. "What aobut Lucretia?"

"Hojo won’t let he out of his sight, not after seeing you."

"Yes…you’re right."

"Come find us soon." He clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder once in comfort. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Just concentrate on yourself. And don’t take that card off." He stood and, so as to not project any air of doubt, exited the room swiftly and confidently.

In the corridor outside, Hojo had called the other scientists, and was presently engaged in a heated debate with an older, brown-haired man—presumably Dr. Gast. The other doctors were milling about, prodding at the severed arm and pools of blood curiously. They glanced up as Korben entered, but his closed the door behind him to deflect their prying eyes. He quickly located Lucretia, seated near the stairwell with a black-haired woman. He explained to the men and women about him that Chaos was gone—vanished, without a trace. Though most of them cast him skeptical glances, Hojo corroborated his story. He ignored them and crossed to Lucretia.

The woman was pale and disheveled, huddled under the arm of her dark-haired companion. She raised her eyes hesitantly to meet his, and even though he didn’t think she’d been listening, she said, "Vinent’s gone?"

Korben sighed, squatting in front of her. "Yes," he told her quietly. "He’s gone, but he’s all right. I…helped him a little. But he won’t be coming back here."

Lucretia nodded slowly, Her hand tightened around that of her friend. She didn’t speak for quite some time, and after a moment of awkwardness, he continued. "Vincent has been tainted by a demon." She flinched at his words. "By Jenova, which is now in your child."

"How dare you," the fellow scientist snapped. "How can you—"

"Isa." Lucretia silenced her friend with the tone of her voice. She waited for the Turk to go on.

"I need you to do something for me." He removed from his coat the last Gaea card and placed it in her hand. "When the child is born, touch this card with its blood and leave it in the crib. It won’t hurt him—I promise you that. It might even save his life."

Lucretia stared at him, as if having not noticed the card. She refused to look at it. But then, if only a bit, her fingers curled.

"Good girl. Take care of that child." Korben offered her a small, comforting smile. "If you need help, for any reason at all, bring the child to me in Cosmo Canyon. But don’t tell your husband." He gazed fixedly at the other scientist. "And you, too. If either of you care for Vincent, or the child, or anything, you’ll care for it and never speak of me to anyone. Promise me you won’t."

Lucretia bit her lip, battling with her indecision. She didn’t want to mistrust her husband, he knew. At long last she nodded. "I promise."

"Thank you." The Turk pushed to his feet, glancing about to make sure Hojo was still far away and too occupied with his superior to have heard. Satisfied, he stepped past the two women into the stairwell. Only then did he take a moment to lower his head, and pray.

Willy awoke slowly into unfamiliar surroundings. The air was warm, chilled only with a slight breeze, and soft graze tickled her face. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal a canopy of leafy green. She was outside.

She attempted to sit up, but a firm hand came down on her shoulder and held her still. "Not so fast," a man’s voice advised. "You’re not completely healed yet."

"Gavin?" Her eyes adjusted quickly to the morning light, and she was able to make out his face hovering over her. "Where are we?"

"On our way to Cosmo Canyon," he replied. His voice sounded strange to her—hollow, almost. She assumed it was an effect of her prolonged slumber. "Several miles away from Nibelheim. We stopped for lunch."

"We’re outside Nibelheim?" This time Willy did sit up, grimacing faintly at the pain in her chest; she was sore, but her wounds appeared to have been healed with materia. She was clothed in one of her spare T-shirts. They were beneath the cover of a large tree, one of many in a small woodland area to the edge of the plains leading to Cosmo Canyon. "But why? What…."

Her face paled as she finally remembered the events of that day. "Where’s Vincent?" she demanded, searching the area for some sing of him. A man in a navy Turk’s suit was nearby; her hopes rose until he turned, revealing Korben. She turned to Gavin once more. "What happened?"

Gavin hesitated, then waved for Korben to return. "You’d better ask Jay. He understands it better than me."

Willy raised her sight to her fellow Turk in pleading. "Before you say anything," Korben told her, "let me explain. Hear me out."

"I’m listening, so talk. Where is he?"

Korben sat down beside her with a sigh. "Still in Nibelheim, I think," he replied. "So is Lucretia. We had no choice."

"But—"

He held up his hand. "No, wait. I’m explaining." He paused for a moment. "Willy, Vincent was injected with Jenova, like Gavin." The SOLDIER member glanced away shamefully. "Remember the four cards? Pawn, Amphorus, Serramph, and Chaos. I don’t know how yet, but they’re really important—to everyone. And…I can’t do anything about it. Hopefully I’ll find something in Cosmo Canyon to help me. Until then, Chaos is too much of a danger. I’ve asked that Vincent exile himself."

Willy lowered her head, as it had begun to throb. She also didn’t want him to see the pained look on her face. "So until you find a way to exercise Chaos, we won’t see him again."

"Maybe." Korben straightened somewhat. "But I’ll find something, and he’ll be all right until then. In fact, I don’t think anything can hurt him now. I’ll find a way to help Vincent, so don’t worry." And then, for her benefit, he added, "He didn’t mean to hurt you, Willy."

She nodded slowly. "I know. I…trust Vincent." She closed her eyes, reaffirming her faith in her friend. She pasted a soft, sad smile into her expression.

That night Professor Ian Hojo visited the basement laboratory of the Shinra mansion. The entire Jenova project was about to be relocated to Midgar; in light of recent events, it was obvious that their work was in need of more advanced security. A team from Midgar had already bee contacted to assist in the transportation of their supplies. Presently, however, the underground floor was empty.

Hojo chuckled to himself as he twisted the card in his pocket. Though Lucretia’s sentimentality had often been somewhat of an annoyance, her devotion to him had lately proven quite valuable. The Turk honestly believed Jenova’s power could be captured by something as simple as this, he thought to himself with a haughty grin. The fool. He moved to and opened the side door.

As he had expected, the room was dark and empty. Except for one pair of brilliant red eyes. They glared at him from the chamber’s furthest, deepest shadows, narrowed in hatred. Their crimson glow reflected off a length of metal.

"I knew you hadn’t vanished," the scientist murmured triumphantly. "You wouldn’t leave. But you shouldn’t bother." He looked on the crouched man in wonder. "Such a splendid creation of mine shouldn’t allow itself to be dominated by a mere woman."

The scarlet orbs narrowed into slits, but other than that his words brought no reaction. Hojo continued. "I have the child now." At last he was rewarded by a shifting of movement. "I’ve decided to name it Sephiroth. Isn’t it fitting? My son."

The shadowed man gave no reply.

"In case you’re wondering why I obtained him so quickly, it’s because we had somewhat of an unfortunate accident. You see, Lucretia killed herself just after your friends left, but we were able to save the boy. Not quite a fitting birth, but acceptable for me. Lucretia is dead because of you, Mr. Valentine. I hope you enjoy Hell together."

During his short speech the man had leapt to his feet, the red crescents widening into spheres. He opened his mouth—to rage, deny, question, or simply gasp, Hojo didn’t know and didn’t care. With a quiet chuckle he closed the door once more, and slipped the key into the lock.

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