Gemstone Studies
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Gemstone Studies
The laboratory was dominated by dark gunmetal machinery and green fluorescent screens, their purpose was known only to those few educated and trusted by the company. Wires and tubes hung down from the ceiling, making sure the flow of data, energy, and fluid remained consistent for the research wing's ever growing appetite. Dominating the room was a large, cylindrical, glass chamber, housing a black haired girl. Scientists in white lab coats manned a myriad of monitors which analysed everything from the girl's vitals to the atmosphere in the chamber. Overlooking it all was the head of the research department, Professor Hojo.
The professor looked on the proceedings with disdain. For the first time in his life, he felt overworked. Such a feeling should have been impossible for the man, he lived for his experiments, but there were too many subjects and too little time. He went from study to study and if the results were not immediately promising those higher than even he would suspend or even call off the study. It was like being allowed to taste everything from a five course meal only to have it snatched away before you could truly appreciate it.
Hojo huffed derisively, at least this subject held enough promise to capture the interest of the board. How he wished to squeeze every drop of information from brat before ripping her apart to glean what insights could be had from her remains. But no, the board refused to send out a team to capture more of her species claiming their forces were stressed already. The best he could get away with were a few blood and skin samples. Fools, did they not realize such insights could be used to create a program to rival or surpass even the likes of SOLDIER? With such limited stock, more delicate methods would need to be employed.
The Professor approached one of his lessers manning one of the computers, "How are her vitals?"
"She had elevated levels of cortisol but well within expected parameters given her current condition." The subordinate diligently professed.
Hojo looked over at the girl. Outwardly, she appeared human but analysing her genetic makeup revealed she was anything but. In the few predictive conversations they've had, she claimed to belong to a race referred to as summoners. A bit on the nose but he supposed it was apt. What set these summoners apart from other summoners was the fact their power was passed to their descendants. The similarities they shared with the Cetra were promising though he doubted these summoners could lead them to a promised land but one could hope.
"Very well, I will begin interrogation shortly. Begin recording." Without waiting for confirmation, the man approached the container. The girl's eyes fixed on him, betraying her anxiety and discomfort.
Hojo folded his arms behind his back and stared at her, smiling slightly. He let a moment of silence pass before stating, "Good morning, Garnet."
"..."
The professor suppressed a frown. She was feeling rebellious today. For her age, she was frustratingly canny. "Come now, it won't kill you to be cordial you know. I'm not your enemy."
The scowl on the summoner deepened, "Is that why you locked me in a cage like some sort of animal?"
"That is a simple, unfortunate precaution." Hojo gently explained, "The world has become a far more dangerous place and we have found ourselves surrounded by unknowns where we were previously alone at the top of our world."
"Is that what I am to you? An uncontrollable monster?" Garnet spat.
The professor put his palms up and to his sides, "Well not everyone can summon town leveling beasts on a whim." The girl narrowed her eyes at the mention of beasts. He would need to be more careful when referring to summons it seemed. "The more you cooperate with us, the better we will understand your people and the sooner you will get out of this cage." It was a lie of course but the truth wouldn't get him what he wanted.
Garnet's expression softened, if only a little. She did not fully trust Hojo or Shinra but getting out of the cage was appealing. Steel and glass weren't known for comfort or privacy.
"What do you want to know?" She asked carefully.
Hojo controlled his smile. He had been told it was 'unnerving' by some fool and while he wasn't in the habit of taking a fool's advice he was currently talking to one. "Could you tell me more about these summons? While fascinating, it is rather unnerving to think an irate summoner could level Midgar on a whim."
Strangely, the girl looked upset by his question, "Eidolons are not merely summoned on a whim."
"Eidolons?"
"Those 'beasts' you referred to."
Great, another name for summons, as if there weren't enough already. At least he could refer to them in a way that wouldn't upset her. "Then please tell me more about these Eidolons."
Garnet hesitated for a moment, "Eidolons are born to protect the planet." She said curtly.
Hojo lifted a hand, "While the origin of Eidolons is undoubtedly fascinating, I was referring to their capabilities." Shinra already had a rough idea of the summoner's world's myths learned from their world's scholars. Not enough to be satisfied with, he wasn't lying about being fascinated by it, but with what little they knew of the stream of souls indicated it was disturbingly similar to the lifestream. Another similarity the summoners had with the cetra. Would that make Eidolons similar to Chaos? What a pity it was he had a mission when he started their conversation.
The summoner was a little put off by the interruption but continued, "While Eidolons are certainly powerful, they are still reliant on the skill of the summoner. To an extent, their effects can be replicated by a strong enough mage." She sank a little in her chair, "But I wouldn't be worried about running into another summoner, at least one like me."
"Why is that?"
"Because there are no other summoners. The rest were killed when I was still a baby."
A look of utter disgust crossed Hojo's face, "That is endlessly tragic."
Garnet was surprised by such a strong reaction. She didn't think he would pity her to such an extent.
He didn't of course. He wasn't upset at the idea of a people being effectively genocided but rather the lack of test subjects available to him. No point in sending out a retrieval squad when there was nothing to retrieve. Assuming she was telling the truth, though her reaction seemed sincere. That meant his test subject had just gone from valuable to irreplaceable and any means of getting more fell comfortably on the 'do not endanger the subject' side of his orders. At least for now. He couldn't even go behind the board's back, not with how closely they were monitoring this particular study. If he let this subject expire, the board would be furious, probably more so than they were with Ifalna.
Huh, that was another similarity summoners had with the cetra: Near extinction. How strange.
"That will be all for now, thank you." With that, the professor walked away, leaving Garnet to her confinement. It was a far shorter discussion than he had originally planned but the situation had changed vastly and he would need to reconsider how to proceed. While the conversation wasn't unproductive per say, it didn't bring them closer to anything actionable.
As much as he wanted to spend more time on this particular subject, he was the head of the scientific department and his responsibilities were vast as his intelligence.
"Professor Hojo."
The professor's attention was drawn to one of his subordinates who approached him while he was lost in thought, "What is it?" He snapped.
"I was just curious about what you hope to glean from this experiment."
Hojo perked up slightly, it was good to see one of his lessers take interest in what they did. Far too many of these so-called scientists were satisfied with recording data and crunching numbers. "Well for starters, I hope to have the summoner's abilities codified into a new breed of supersoldier. One whose magical prowess could compliment a SOLIDER's physical prowess."
The scientist nodded along, "An Esper is quite the ace to have up your sleeve."
"The subject referred to them as Eidolons."
The scientist stiffened, "I was not aware."
"Then there are the Eidolons themselves. They could serve akin to an autonomous weapon. Simply order it to attack an enemy and let it do the rest."
"What if the Eidolon is intelligent? They might refuse."
Hojo scoffed, "There are ways to entice rebellious spirits. I find pain works well enough."
Unnoticed by Hojo, the scientist's pace faltered for a moment.
"Of course, in order to do anything with these Eidolons, we must find a way to create our own summoners."
"Or find a vessel that could store an Eidolon." The scientist offered.
Hojo lifted a brow, "Perhaps. Have you any ideas on what vessel might contain such a creature?"
The scientist went quiet, long enough to test Hojo's (thin) patience.
"...No. No I don't."
"Well I have somewhere I need to be at the moment and I'm sure you do too." Hojo sternly said.
The scientist bowed, "Yes sir, thank you for your time." He was quick to take his leave afterwards.
It dawned on Hojo where he remembered that particular subordinate from. He was the one assigned to the magicite study. He shook his head, that was yet another subject he would need to return to. For now, he needed to check up on the otherworldly species experiments. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. At least most of those had the decency to have a healthy subject pool.
And he has oh so many ideas.
--
For however cruel Sephiroth and Shinra are, Hojo has a unique mix of cruelty and callousness that makes him utterly despicable. I know people might expect him to be more mad scientist but he has been shown to be extremely manipulative as well so mad scientist Hojo will have to wait until later.
Garnet was harder to write. I'm not as familiar with Final Fantasy IX but any inconsistencies can probably be waved off as fatigue from being in captivity for a few weeks. Her hex code is 9A2A2A or garnet. I was torn between that and orange as that's what she mostly wears.
The laboratory was dominated by dark gunmetal machinery and green fluorescent screens, their purpose was known only to those few educated and trusted by the company. Wires and tubes hung down from the ceiling, making sure the flow of data, energy, and fluid remained consistent for the research wing's ever growing appetite. Dominating the room was a large, cylindrical, glass chamber, housing a black haired girl. Scientists in white lab coats manned a myriad of monitors which analysed everything from the girl's vitals to the atmosphere in the chamber. Overlooking it all was the head of the research department, Professor Hojo.
The professor looked on the proceedings with disdain. For the first time in his life, he felt overworked. Such a feeling should have been impossible for the man, he lived for his experiments, but there were too many subjects and too little time. He went from study to study and if the results were not immediately promising those higher than even he would suspend or even call off the study. It was like being allowed to taste everything from a five course meal only to have it snatched away before you could truly appreciate it.
Hojo huffed derisively, at least this subject held enough promise to capture the interest of the board. How he wished to squeeze every drop of information from brat before ripping her apart to glean what insights could be had from her remains. But no, the board refused to send out a team to capture more of her species claiming their forces were stressed already. The best he could get away with were a few blood and skin samples. Fools, did they not realize such insights could be used to create a program to rival or surpass even the likes of SOLDIER? With such limited stock, more delicate methods would need to be employed.
The Professor approached one of his lessers manning one of the computers, "How are her vitals?"
"She had elevated levels of cortisol but well within expected parameters given her current condition." The subordinate diligently professed.
Hojo looked over at the girl. Outwardly, she appeared human but analysing her genetic makeup revealed she was anything but. In the few predictive conversations they've had, she claimed to belong to a race referred to as summoners. A bit on the nose but he supposed it was apt. What set these summoners apart from other summoners was the fact their power was passed to their descendants. The similarities they shared with the Cetra were promising though he doubted these summoners could lead them to a promised land but one could hope.
"Very well, I will begin interrogation shortly. Begin recording." Without waiting for confirmation, the man approached the container. The girl's eyes fixed on him, betraying her anxiety and discomfort.
Hojo folded his arms behind his back and stared at her, smiling slightly. He let a moment of silence pass before stating, "Good morning, Garnet."
"..."
The professor suppressed a frown. She was feeling rebellious today. For her age, she was frustratingly canny. "Come now, it won't kill you to be cordial you know. I'm not your enemy."
The scowl on the summoner deepened, "Is that why you locked me in a cage like some sort of animal?"
"That is a simple, unfortunate precaution." Hojo gently explained, "The world has become a far more dangerous place and we have found ourselves surrounded by unknowns where we were previously alone at the top of our world."
"Is that what I am to you? An uncontrollable monster?" Garnet spat.
The professor put his palms up and to his sides, "Well not everyone can summon town leveling beasts on a whim." The girl narrowed her eyes at the mention of beasts. He would need to be more careful when referring to summons it seemed. "The more you cooperate with us, the better we will understand your people and the sooner you will get out of this cage." It was a lie of course but the truth wouldn't get him what he wanted.
Garnet's expression softened, if only a little. She did not fully trust Hojo or Shinra but getting out of the cage was appealing. Steel and glass weren't known for comfort or privacy.
"What do you want to know?" She asked carefully.
Hojo controlled his smile. He had been told it was 'unnerving' by some fool and while he wasn't in the habit of taking a fool's advice he was currently talking to one. "Could you tell me more about these summons? While fascinating, it is rather unnerving to think an irate summoner could level Midgar on a whim."
Strangely, the girl looked upset by his question, "Eidolons are not merely summoned on a whim."
"Eidolons?"
"Those 'beasts' you referred to."
Great, another name for summons, as if there weren't enough already. At least he could refer to them in a way that wouldn't upset her. "Then please tell me more about these Eidolons."
Garnet hesitated for a moment, "Eidolons are born to protect the planet." She said curtly.
Hojo lifted a hand, "While the origin of Eidolons is undoubtedly fascinating, I was referring to their capabilities." Shinra already had a rough idea of the summoner's world's myths learned from their world's scholars. Not enough to be satisfied with, he wasn't lying about being fascinated by it, but with what little they knew of the stream of souls indicated it was disturbingly similar to the lifestream. Another similarity the summoners had with the cetra. Would that make Eidolons similar to Chaos? What a pity it was he had a mission when he started their conversation.
The summoner was a little put off by the interruption but continued, "While Eidolons are certainly powerful, they are still reliant on the skill of the summoner. To an extent, their effects can be replicated by a strong enough mage." She sank a little in her chair, "But I wouldn't be worried about running into another summoner, at least one like me."
"Why is that?"
"Because there are no other summoners. The rest were killed when I was still a baby."
A look of utter disgust crossed Hojo's face, "That is endlessly tragic."
Garnet was surprised by such a strong reaction. She didn't think he would pity her to such an extent.
He didn't of course. He wasn't upset at the idea of a people being effectively genocided but rather the lack of test subjects available to him. No point in sending out a retrieval squad when there was nothing to retrieve. Assuming she was telling the truth, though her reaction seemed sincere. That meant his test subject had just gone from valuable to irreplaceable and any means of getting more fell comfortably on the 'do not endanger the subject' side of his orders. At least for now. He couldn't even go behind the board's back, not with how closely they were monitoring this particular study. If he let this subject expire, the board would be furious, probably more so than they were with Ifalna.
Huh, that was another similarity summoners had with the cetra: Near extinction. How strange.
"That will be all for now, thank you." With that, the professor walked away, leaving Garnet to her confinement. It was a far shorter discussion than he had originally planned but the situation had changed vastly and he would need to reconsider how to proceed. While the conversation wasn't unproductive per say, it didn't bring them closer to anything actionable.
As much as he wanted to spend more time on this particular subject, he was the head of the scientific department and his responsibilities were vast as his intelligence.
"Professor Hojo."
The professor's attention was drawn to one of his subordinates who approached him while he was lost in thought, "What is it?" He snapped.
"I was just curious about what you hope to glean from this experiment."
Hojo perked up slightly, it was good to see one of his lessers take interest in what they did. Far too many of these so-called scientists were satisfied with recording data and crunching numbers. "Well for starters, I hope to have the summoner's abilities codified into a new breed of supersoldier. One whose magical prowess could compliment a SOLIDER's physical prowess."
The scientist nodded along, "An Esper is quite the ace to have up your sleeve."
"The subject referred to them as Eidolons."
The scientist stiffened, "I was not aware."
"Then there are the Eidolons themselves. They could serve akin to an autonomous weapon. Simply order it to attack an enemy and let it do the rest."
"What if the Eidolon is intelligent? They might refuse."
Hojo scoffed, "There are ways to entice rebellious spirits. I find pain works well enough."
Unnoticed by Hojo, the scientist's pace faltered for a moment.
"Of course, in order to do anything with these Eidolons, we must find a way to create our own summoners."
"Or find a vessel that could store an Eidolon." The scientist offered.
Hojo lifted a brow, "Perhaps. Have you any ideas on what vessel might contain such a creature?"
The scientist went quiet, long enough to test Hojo's (thin) patience.
"...No. No I don't."
"Well I have somewhere I need to be at the moment and I'm sure you do too." Hojo sternly said.
The scientist bowed, "Yes sir, thank you for your time." He was quick to take his leave afterwards.
It dawned on Hojo where he remembered that particular subordinate from. He was the one assigned to the magicite study. He shook his head, that was yet another subject he would need to return to. For now, he needed to check up on the otherworldly species experiments. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. At least most of those had the decency to have a healthy subject pool.
And he has oh so many ideas.
--
For however cruel Sephiroth and Shinra are, Hojo has a unique mix of cruelty and callousness that makes him utterly despicable. I know people might expect him to be more mad scientist but he has been shown to be extremely manipulative as well so mad scientist Hojo will have to wait until later.
Garnet was harder to write. I'm not as familiar with Final Fantasy IX but any inconsistencies can probably be waved off as fatigue from being in captivity for a few weeks. Her hex code is 9A2A2A or garnet. I was torn between that and orange as that's what she mostly wears.
