Shinra SOLDIER Chapter 104
Impending Despair
Chapter 104.) - in which our patience is rewarded
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Hours passed uneventfully in the Turk Headquarters. When Reno glanced up at the clock, he saw that 9:00 p.m. had already went by. Still there was no word from Professor Gast Loldongs. To make matters worse, the silence that had fallen over the room was really beginning to get to him. Tseng had long since finished typing some random paper for his upcoming Pokemon lecture, and had even shut down his computer for the night…so there wasn't even the whir of machinery in the room.
None of the four gathered there had eaten. Rude had offered to go pick up something for them, but all had declined. After that, both he and Vincent had retired for the night. Work officially ended at 6:00, so it was hardly a wonder that they had been eager to get out of there. In reality, they couldn't stand being near the Sue anymore.
His eyes scanned the room, looking for something, anything to occupy his mind.
Lian Hua: I had trouble figuring out whether the narrator is talking about Tseng or Reno here, because it sounds like it's Tseng, but it's actually Reno.
Iscariot: I had to backtrack as well.
He was worried that Loldongs might find an antidote, and frustrated. The feeling that he was completely helpless and unable to make a difference in the situation was wearing on his sanity. In a way, he wondered if there was anything that he could do to at least lighten the mood…but in the end he decided against it. Somehow, even screwing around felt wrong right now. He shook his head, thinking about the day, and how it had gone downhill from the moment that he had woken up. It wasn't even getting shot that bothered him…as a Turk, he was unfortunately rather used to that except for the part where we never hear about him taking bullet wounds on a regular basis. In the end, it was the helplessness that was getting to him. Seeing his superior so silent and worried was unnerving…but even worse was the way Julia had been acting since the poison had been discovered. She hadn't said more than two sentences that morning, and hadn't said anything past noon.
Lian Hua: What bliss!
Iscariot: Kinda sucks to be confronted with your own inevitable mortality, huh Julia?
Hell, she hadn't even flinched when she'd had her blood drawn, when it was well-known to her friends that she was terrified by needles.
Lian Hua: Oh so now we get an explanation for that.
Iscariot: Terrified of needles my ass! She did that maybe twice and after that she usually just kind of grumbled and looked away as people drew blood or injected Mako.
Lian Hua: You know, for someone who was calm and collected and didn't like how everybody fretted over her, I don't understand why she suddenly went on lockdown mode. After all, her attitude is worrying everybody to death. She was shown to not make a big deal out of it so why is she silently driving everyone to exasperation?
Iscariot: Because she is a burden. It's her fault Sephiroth snapped, because she was this useless, murderous lump he had to work his ass off to support, both financially and emotionally!
His eyes met Sephiroth's briefly, and he looked away. Of everyone there, he was the most worried, the most afraid. He was angry, in fact…furious with himself for having nothing to use to counter Hojo. There was no blackmail to be used, no hidden threat to be found to force him into handing over the cure.
Iscariot: Yes there is. THREATEN HIS LIFE. Hold the Masamune at his throat. Draw some blood! I don't see you even TRYING to do anything, you're just sitting around thinking about how there's nothing you can do.
Lian Hua: Julia's life should be more important than Hojo's or Shinra's SOLDIER. And even if Slave is trying to play the "love versus duty" card, it still doesn't work because Shinra is a corrupt dictatorship and doesn't care about them in any way aside as TOOLS to be used for profit. When they were still young, Shinra allowed experiments to be performed on them, kidnapped them, left them outside the gates to die in the Fort Condor war and began treating them well only when they reached the inner circle of power. Shinra let Hojo and Heidegger get away with the insane, murderous stuff they pulled! So no, this situation most certainly isn't a "love versus duty" one.
Iscariot: He really doesn't love her. If he loved her, Hojo's death or the Mako Therapy or SOLDIER or ShinRa wouldn't matter. Instead, he's content to let Hojo live and Julia die.
The silence dragged out until it was almost unbearable.
Again Reno glanced at the clock, and then back over at Sephiroth. He frowned as he noticed the way his friend had hunched over in his seat, almost as though he were going to be violently ill. Spending too much time near Julia will do that to you. "Hey Seph…are you okay…" He asked, speaking barely above a whisper.
Tseng also glanced over, noticing with some amount of concern how his brother-in-law was shaking.
When Sephiroth sat up, he stared at the two Turks with eyes that were not his own. An evil smirk twisted his features, and he opened his mouth to speak…unsurprisingly, the voice that emerged was not his either. "Well, well…this is entertaining, isn't it?"
Lian Hua: Jenova! Welcome back!
Iscariot: Good to see you, old girl!
Tseng reacted instantly, drawing his gun and pointing it at Sephiroth. "Go the hell away." He hissed. "Leave him alone!"
"You are rather amusing, Turk. In fact, I find it rather funny, how you believe you have to power to make a difference in any of this!" The alien laughed, and forced Sephiroth's body to stand. "I warned him, you know. I told him that I now had the power to control him whenever I please.
Lian Hua: She's right. She warned him fair and square. Not that it would make any difference because everybody promptly forgot about the evil presence controlling Sephiroth.
Oh, how he yells at me…trapped in the prison of his own mind." She paused. "On the other hand, it is rather annoying, how he begs me to leave…how he begs me to save this little whore…"
Iscariot: Does Boytoy have a PhD in Stupid? What would Jenova know about curing poisons?
She turned towards Julia, who had unsteadily gotten to her feet, her eyes wide with fear.
Lian Hua: What? She, the murderess of Wutai? The torturer who forced her foe to eat her own eyeball? Afraid?
Iscariot: Oh oh! Who wants to bet Julia is just going to stand there, acting like a frightened woobie, instead of trying to run away and remove herself from danger?!
"Don't take another step." Tseng growled. "So help me…I shot him once, I can do it again."
"Ah, but not without killing him."
Lian Hua: Uh, remember how Tseng shot him in the arms and legs last time? Yesterday?
She forced him to look over at Tseng. "My, that would be amusing…
Iscariot: Yes, it would!!
but I'm afraid I cannot permit that. My dearest son has a very important role to play in this Planet's future…so I would advise you not to shoot."
Lian Hua: What plans does Slave think Jenova has for Sephiroth?
Iscariot: Aside turning him straight and de-pansifying him? I don't have the faintest idea.
The alien slowly took another step towards Julia…and then another.
"You leave me no choice, you alien bitch!" Tseng carefully took aim at Sephiroth, knowing that he couldn't afford to kill him. If he did, there was the very strong possibility that Julia wouldn't survive this mess either.
Lian Hua: Kill them both! Be a hero, Tseng! Redeem yourself!
The bullet rang from the barrel of the handgun.
Faster than the eye could follow, Sephiroth's body had seized Julia and hurled her in front of him.
Lian Hua: *dons frilly collar* What a piece of work is Jenova! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!
Iscariot: ...and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of awesome?
Lian Hua: Why, the BEST THING EVER, of course! Justice delivered yet again! She forces Sephiroth to use Julia as a human shield, like we suggested before! And the best part is that Tseng ends up shooting his beloved genocidal baby sister! Such a win-win situation!
Iscariot: Jenova is the super troll goddess!
Lian Hua: I need to stop a little and savor this moment.
The bullet embedded itself in her stomach, and she fell to the ground with a strangled cry.
Iscariot:
Lian Hua: I hope the pain is agonizing.
"Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you." She laughed.
Deep within the confines of his mind, Sephiroth fought…battling the alien possessing him for control.
He was putting up enough of a fight to distract her, and that was when Tseng acted.
He had signaled to Reno to draw his gun. As soon as the redheaded Turk had done this, Tseng had noticed how distracted the alien had become and dashed forward. Using every ounce of strength within him, he tossed Sephiroth's body up against the wall and pointed the gun at his heart. "Don't move."
Reno carefully kept his gun leveled, but moved over to Julia's side. "We need to get you out of here." He told her. Not waiting for an answer, he holstered his gun and scooped her up in his arms. Knowing that he couldn't afford to disclose their destination to Tseng with the alien listening, he simply carried her from the room…and was gone.
Lian Hua: This is the second time he helps save Julia's life. Funny how that unkempt idiot whom Julia and Sephiroth despised ended up helping save Julia's life.
Iscariot: Hmmm?
Lian Hua: Remember how in Shinra High, he drags her out of the dark alleyway and out into the open street and leaves her there to be found by someone? Sure, it does take an hour for her to be found and taken to the hospital, but without Reno's gesture, she would have probably died in that dark and deserted alleyway. Most people would have been smart enough to avoid it, so nobody would have found her. And now he's very likely taking her to a hospital.
Iscariot: Let's not forget that one time when he took a bullet for her, thus single-handedly saving her life. So right now, we have three actions which led (one directly, two indirectly) to Juliaslime's survival.
Lian Hua: Now that you've mentioned Julia, this is the second chapter in which she doesn't say a word!
Iscariot:
Chapter 104.) - in which our patience is rewarded
*
*
*
Hours passed uneventfully in the Turk Headquarters. When Reno glanced up at the clock, he saw that 9:00 p.m. had already went by. Still there was no word from Professor Gast Loldongs. To make matters worse, the silence that had fallen over the room was really beginning to get to him. Tseng had long since finished typing some random paper for his upcoming Pokemon lecture, and had even shut down his computer for the night…so there wasn't even the whir of machinery in the room.
None of the four gathered there had eaten. Rude had offered to go pick up something for them, but all had declined. After that, both he and Vincent had retired for the night. Work officially ended at 6:00, so it was hardly a wonder that they had been eager to get out of there. In reality, they couldn't stand being near the Sue anymore.
His eyes scanned the room, looking for something, anything to occupy his mind.
Lian Hua: I had trouble figuring out whether the narrator is talking about Tseng or Reno here, because it sounds like it's Tseng, but it's actually Reno.
Iscariot: I had to backtrack as well.
He was worried that Loldongs might find an antidote, and frustrated. The feeling that he was completely helpless and unable to make a difference in the situation was wearing on his sanity. In a way, he wondered if there was anything that he could do to at least lighten the mood…but in the end he decided against it. Somehow, even screwing around felt wrong right now. He shook his head, thinking about the day, and how it had gone downhill from the moment that he had woken up. It wasn't even getting shot that bothered him…as a Turk, he was unfortunately rather used to that except for the part where we never hear about him taking bullet wounds on a regular basis. In the end, it was the helplessness that was getting to him. Seeing his superior so silent and worried was unnerving…but even worse was the way Julia had been acting since the poison had been discovered. She hadn't said more than two sentences that morning, and hadn't said anything past noon.
Lian Hua: What bliss!
Iscariot: Kinda sucks to be confronted with your own inevitable mortality, huh Julia?
Hell, she hadn't even flinched when she'd had her blood drawn, when it was well-known to her friends that she was terrified by needles.
Lian Hua: Oh so now we get an explanation for that.
Iscariot: Terrified of needles my ass! She did that maybe twice and after that she usually just kind of grumbled and looked away as people drew blood or injected Mako.
Lian Hua: You know, for someone who was calm and collected and didn't like how everybody fretted over her, I don't understand why she suddenly went on lockdown mode. After all, her attitude is worrying everybody to death. She was shown to not make a big deal out of it so why is she silently driving everyone to exasperation?
Iscariot: Because she is a burden. It's her fault Sephiroth snapped, because she was this useless, murderous lump he had to work his ass off to support, both financially and emotionally!
His eyes met Sephiroth's briefly, and he looked away. Of everyone there, he was the most worried, the most afraid. He was angry, in fact…furious with himself for having nothing to use to counter Hojo. There was no blackmail to be used, no hidden threat to be found to force him into handing over the cure.
Iscariot: Yes there is. THREATEN HIS LIFE. Hold the Masamune at his throat. Draw some blood! I don't see you even TRYING to do anything, you're just sitting around thinking about how there's nothing you can do.
Lian Hua: Julia's life should be more important than Hojo's or Shinra's SOLDIER. And even if Slave is trying to play the "love versus duty" card, it still doesn't work because Shinra is a corrupt dictatorship and doesn't care about them in any way aside as TOOLS to be used for profit. When they were still young, Shinra allowed experiments to be performed on them, kidnapped them, left them outside the gates to die in the Fort Condor war and began treating them well only when they reached the inner circle of power. Shinra let Hojo and Heidegger get away with the insane, murderous stuff they pulled! So no, this situation most certainly isn't a "love versus duty" one.
Iscariot: He really doesn't love her. If he loved her, Hojo's death or the Mako Therapy or SOLDIER or ShinRa wouldn't matter. Instead, he's content to let Hojo live and Julia die.
The silence dragged out until it was almost unbearable.
Again Reno glanced at the clock, and then back over at Sephiroth. He frowned as he noticed the way his friend had hunched over in his seat, almost as though he were going to be violently ill. Spending too much time near Julia will do that to you. "Hey Seph…are you okay…" He asked, speaking barely above a whisper.
Tseng also glanced over, noticing with some amount of concern how his brother-in-law was shaking.
When Sephiroth sat up, he stared at the two Turks with eyes that were not his own. An evil smirk twisted his features, and he opened his mouth to speak…unsurprisingly, the voice that emerged was not his either. "Well, well…this is entertaining, isn't it?"
Lian Hua: Jenova! Welcome back!
Iscariot: Good to see you, old girl!
Tseng reacted instantly, drawing his gun and pointing it at Sephiroth. "Go the hell away." He hissed. "Leave him alone!"
"You are rather amusing, Turk. In fact, I find it rather funny, how you believe you have to power to make a difference in any of this!" The alien laughed, and forced Sephiroth's body to stand. "I warned him, you know. I told him that I now had the power to control him whenever I please.
Lian Hua: She's right. She warned him fair and square. Not that it would make any difference because everybody promptly forgot about the evil presence controlling Sephiroth.
Oh, how he yells at me…trapped in the prison of his own mind." She paused. "On the other hand, it is rather annoying, how he begs me to leave…how he begs me to save this little whore…"
Iscariot: Does Boytoy have a PhD in Stupid? What would Jenova know about curing poisons?
She turned towards Julia, who had unsteadily gotten to her feet, her eyes wide with fear.
Lian Hua: What? She, the murderess of Wutai? The torturer who forced her foe to eat her own eyeball? Afraid?
Iscariot: Oh oh! Who wants to bet Julia is just going to stand there, acting like a frightened woobie, instead of trying to run away and remove herself from danger?!
"Don't take another step." Tseng growled. "So help me…I shot him once, I can do it again."
"Ah, but not without killing him."
Lian Hua: Uh, remember how Tseng shot him in the arms and legs last time? Yesterday?
She forced him to look over at Tseng. "My, that would be amusing…
Iscariot: Yes, it would!!
but I'm afraid I cannot permit that. My dearest son has a very important role to play in this Planet's future…so I would advise you not to shoot."
Lian Hua: What plans does Slave think Jenova has for Sephiroth?
Iscariot: Aside turning him straight and de-pansifying him? I don't have the faintest idea.
The alien slowly took another step towards Julia…and then another.
"You leave me no choice, you alien bitch!" Tseng carefully took aim at Sephiroth, knowing that he couldn't afford to kill him. If he did, there was the very strong possibility that Julia wouldn't survive this mess either.
Lian Hua: Kill them both! Be a hero, Tseng! Redeem yourself!
The bullet rang from the barrel of the handgun.
Faster than the eye could follow, Sephiroth's body had seized Julia and hurled her in front of him.
Lian Hua: *dons frilly collar* What a piece of work is Jenova! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!
Iscariot: ...and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of awesome?
Lian Hua: Why, the BEST THING EVER, of course! Justice delivered yet again! She forces Sephiroth to use Julia as a human shield, like we suggested before! And the best part is that Tseng ends up shooting his beloved genocidal baby sister! Such a win-win situation!
Iscariot: Jenova is the super troll goddess!
Lian Hua: I need to stop a little and savor this moment.
The bullet embedded itself in her stomach, and she fell to the ground with a strangled cry.
Iscariot:
Lian Hua: I hope the pain is agonizing.
"Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you." She laughed.
Deep within the confines of his mind, Sephiroth fought…battling the alien possessing him for control.
Click to viewHe was putting up enough of a fight to distract her, and that was when Tseng acted.
He had signaled to Reno to draw his gun. As soon as the redheaded Turk had done this, Tseng had noticed how distracted the alien had become and dashed forward. Using every ounce of strength within him, he tossed Sephiroth's body up against the wall and pointed the gun at his heart. "Don't move."
Reno carefully kept his gun leveled, but moved over to Julia's side. "We need to get you out of here." He told her. Not waiting for an answer, he holstered his gun and scooped her up in his arms. Knowing that he couldn't afford to disclose their destination to Tseng with the alien listening, he simply carried her from the room…and was gone.
Lian Hua: This is the second time he helps save Julia's life. Funny how that unkempt idiot whom Julia and Sephiroth despised ended up helping save Julia's life.
Iscariot: Hmmm?
Lian Hua: Remember how in Shinra High, he drags her out of the dark alleyway and out into the open street and leaves her there to be found by someone? Sure, it does take an hour for her to be found and taken to the hospital, but without Reno's gesture, she would have probably died in that dark and deserted alleyway. Most people would have been smart enough to avoid it, so nobody would have found her. And now he's very likely taking her to a hospital.
Iscariot: Let's not forget that one time when he took a bullet for her, thus single-handedly saving her life. So right now, we have three actions which led (one directly, two indirectly) to Juliaslime's survival.
Lian Hua: Now that you've mentioned Julia, this is the second chapter in which she doesn't say a word!
Iscariot: