One day, Rufus received some treatment from Kilmister. Near the entrance there was an isolated examination room, roughly built into the cave. While Kilmister was changing Rufus’ cast, the boy who had brought Rufus’ meal was standing in the back with a gun in his hand.

“Doctor. Is there any progress being made towards the cure for this disease?”

“Of course.”

Rufus caught Kilmister’s gaze as he looked over at the boy.

“What are you after.”

“Why, I’m a doctor. I simply want to rid the world of all diseases.”

“That is commendable. But why did you bring me here?”

“Jenova.”

“What?” asked Rufus in a loud voice, hearing the unexpected name.

“After examining the patients I found that a number of their cells resemble those found in Soldiers.”

“Please explain,” urged Rufus who saw Kilmister glancing over at the boy again.

“I will in due time,” he replied and became quiet.

“At least tell me this – Is it contagious?”

“I will tell you that due time too.”

It can’t be contagious, thought Rufus.

* * *

Three months have passed. The bandages around Rufus’ ribs had been removed and the day that he could remove the cast around his heel had arrived. Kilmister handed him a walking stick.

“It’s a pipe found somewhere from the Shinra Building.”

“What’s the situation in Midgar now?”

“The disease remains widespread. The number of people infected may be rising but there’s still a lot of people working hard in the new city to the east.”

“Who is leading them?”

“Who knows. It seems there’s a number of different groups. By the way, Mr. President – Do you know anything about the Shinra Company’s assassins?”

Rufus shook his head firmly.

“It seems letters have reached the people who managed to sneak into the Shinra Building and warehouses, threatening them not to try it again if they wish to stay alive. They’re all so scared that they’ve been found now that they’ve decided not to do it again.”

Those foolish Turks, Rufus smiled to himself without thinking.

“Mr President. I’m not talking about right away but I want some of the machinary that Shinra possesses. Could you let your assassins know?”

“What do you want?” asked Rufus no longer trying to hide his caution.

“Dr. Hojo’s equipment.”

“And you’ll be using it for our treatment I presume.”

“Of course. I will also be needing-”

“Jenova.”

“Yes. Where is it now?”

“I don’t know. I was going to look for it after I leave this place-”

Kilmister suddenly looked at Rufus as if evaluating his worth.

“Then we must find a new place. This place isn’t suitable for any research.”

Research…

“Dr. Kilmister. Are you a doctor or are you a scientist?”

Silence.

“Your treatment’s over,” said Kilmister as he pulled out a gun hidden underneath his lab coat and pointed it at Rufus.

Afterwards, Rufus spent some time slowly practicising walking. Having just recovered, he could still feel the pain now and then but eventually he was able to walk around the cave freely on his own. Enough to let him peek into the “rooms”. A number of them were empty. He found out the boy that had brought him his meal was dead. There were now three men and two women left. Four people had died in total.

He saw a woman groaning with pain in one of the rooms. She was the one that had spoken to him on their way to the cave. A man was watching over her, worried. Spotting Rufus, he said, “The doctor said there isn’t much medicine left so he’s cutting down our doses. I gave her mine too but it looks like it’s wearing off.”

It didn’t look like Rufus could do anything for them. No wait- Rufus went out and called to Kilmister. Not long afterwards, a man in a white lab coat with a face full of melancholy appeared.

“They tell me there’s not much medicine left.”

“Yes. All that I have left will soon be gone.”

“You had medicine?”

Does that mean he’s had a cure for this disease all along?

“Wait there,” said Kilmister who disappeared and came back with a ladder. “Can you climb up?”

Rufus grabbed hold of the ladder thinking it was his chance to escape. He climbed up carefully and finally reached the top but he found the end of Kilmister’s gun pointing in his face.

“Hold it right there. We’ll talk here.”

Looking closely at Kilmister, Rufus could see his face was pale white and sweating. “You don’t look too well, Doctor.”

“I want medicine.”

“What medicine?”

“I want my share of the medicine at the very least.”

It seems Kilmister have been giving the patients a slightly diluted version of the stimulant that Shinra’s troops used.

“It can’t cure the disease but it can suppress the pain.”

“So that’s what their treatment is.”

“I haven’t been tricking them. I had to find out the source of the disease first and until then, I had to control it somehow.”

“And you’ve been infected too?”

“No,” replied Kilmister and explained that by taking a diluted version of the stimulant, he could work overnight too.

“But it’s possible that you can become addicted too,” thought Rufus smiling, thinking that he maybe able to gain control over Kilmister. “Do you have a phone? Or a pen and some paper.”

“Who are you going to contact?”

“Shinra’s assassins. They know where the stimulants are stored.”

Kilmister’s eyes glowed but he still tried to handle the situation with the utmost caution. He ordered Rufus to go back down the ladder and before long, threw down a pen and some paper to him.

Rufus didn’t write anything else on the note apart from asking for a supply of the stimulants. It was more important he earned Kilmister’s trust right now. He can rely on the Turks to take care of the rest.

However, after leaving for Midgar with the note for some time, Kilmister did not return. The Turks did not come either. There wasn’t much food supplies left. He had told Kilmister to go the Shinra Building and call out to the assassins – The Turks, and pass them the note. He was expected to be back with the medicine within three days – With the Turks tailing the good doctor of course. It’s now been over a week.

Rufus had now grown accustomed to the cave and was going around inspecting it to pass time. The condition of the woman was getting very serious and was losing her senses. The man who was watching over her was also groaning with pain now but he held her hand, hoping a miracle would happen.

“I’m sure Kilmister will be back soon,” said Rufus to them even though he had no proof to show it. Why did I say that to them?

It had been raining outside for days and suddenly Rufus realised the water was getting into the cave too. It wasn’t just at the entrance either. The water was starting to leak through the roof where Rufus has been staying. It appears there were many holes and water was now streaming its way in like the taps were turned on. After so many days of rain why does this suddenly happen now? The water must have accumulated somewhere, thought Rufus. We have to evacuate somehow. Rufus warned the others as he made his way towards the cave entrance.

His neck hadn’t fully recovered but he looked up and found no signs of anyone around. He could only hear the loud pattering of the rain. He looked around. If the rainwater was to fill up the hole they were in – and he could somehow swim then he might be able to make it up.

“This is the least I can do…”

Rufus returned inside and went to the others to tell them to prepare to evacuate. He received no answer. The patients who had been taking the stimulants instead of the painkillers were too focused on persevering the pain.

“Five people huh…” Rufus muttered to himself and made up his mind. Determined, he went to where the furthest patient was and carried him as close to the entrance as he could. They had lost so much weight they were looking very fragile so even though Rufus hadn’t recovered his full strength, he was able to carry them.

The water was now up their ankles. Rufus went around looking for something that he could use as a buoy. A few wooden beds floated by. He removed the metal parts that held the beds together and pushed the wooden frames towards the entrance. They moved surprisingly fast while afloat on the water. Rufus returned to where the patients were.

“Those of you who can swim, swim. If you can’t then hold onto these frames. One person per frame.”

A few hours later, the water level had risen to Rufus’ jaw. All the patients were holding onto the wood. I’ve done all I can now – Rufus gazed upwards, his mind a complete blank. He grabbed onto the wood himself as the water continued to rise. Not long later, he was only one metre away from pulling himself out of the hole but the situation changed. The water had stopped leaking into the cave. Did the rain stop or did it have something to do with the geography of the cave? Rufus bit his lip. We’ll just have to wait for help. He looked back and found there were fewer patients remaining. Two men and one woman. The woman was the one who had talked to him. She was grasping onto one of the frames that had floated together with another that a man was holding onto. Just when Rufus thought she was dead, she moved groaning in pain. For some reason, Rufus found himself breathing a sign of relief.

Hours later, nothing changed. The water level didn’t rise or fall. Rufus could feel his body temperature dropping having been submerged in the water for so long. We don’t have long left, he thought.

“What?”

He felt as if someone had called out to him but there was no one around that could have had the strength left to do so. He looked around the water, his attention heightened and thought he saw something moving. A black shape slowly made its way towards Rufus. He couldn’t make out whether it was the black ooze coming from the patients.

The shape moved as if it was alive. Frightened, Rufus started to splash the water in an effort to force it away. The waves Rufus created had no effect on it and it closed in. Soon, he found his white suit dyed in black. It was so dirty it could no longer be described as white but he had kept it on knowing that he will need it when he managed to escape. He looked at his sleeve which was now dyed in black and thought, This is the end.

The black ooze crept its way up Rufus’ neck towards his face. He knew it was trying to get into his mouth but he held it shut firmly. It tried his nose next. He covered his nose with his hand. He wasn’t going to be able to breathe now but he would rather suffocate than let the ooze win. However, the ooze soon made its way into his ears and with a cry, Rufus lost consciousness.

* * *

“Mr. President! Mr. President!”

Rufus woke up to the sound of someone calling to him.

“The flood was most unfortunate. I’m sorry I’m late,” said Kilmister as he lowered a ladder. Rufus was surprised he was still alive as he slowly grabbed onto the ladder. Turning round to look behind him, he found only the man and the woman were left.

“Hey, are you two alright?”

The man looked up.

“Help has arrived!”

The man looked at him blankly but soon understood. Anxiously, he called out to the woman next to him and she weakly moved her head in reply. Rufus offered a hand but just as the woman was about to reach out towards it, a gunshot rang out above their heads. She fell off the wooden frame as if she was repelled off it and sunk into the water.

“Pamela!”

The man cried out in horror and dived into the water after her but he didn’t have the strength to swim. Rufus reached out to grab his arm while holding onto the wooden frame for support.

“Pamela…”

The man wailed but couldn’t find the strength to cry out any louder. Rufus dragged him along by the arm towards the ladder.

“Get up.”

“But-”

“You must think of nothing but survival.”

The man paused for a moment, looking back sadly at the spot where Pamela had sank into the water before he looked up at Kilmister with hatred – Rufus never knew the man had known her name.

“Nothing could have been done. I was simply easing her pain. Pamela won’t hold a grudge against me for it.”

Indeed, nothing can be done for her now. But what about this man? thought Rufus. The man started to climb up the ladder full of determination.

“What’s your name?” asked Rufus.

“Judd.”

“Judd, now isn’t the time. Leave Kilmister to me.”

Judd climbed all the way up without answering. Rufus followed up but just as he was going to see the surface he had long missed again, he felt a sudden surge of pain tear through his entire body. Something was flowing out of his mouth.

He used his hand to wipe it away and found it was the same black substance that had been oozing out of Pamela and Judd.

“My, my. You will have to take some of the stimulant too, Mr. President,” said Kilmister as if enjoying the sight.

“Ugh-”

Suddenly, Kilmister’s angry voice could be heard and a gun fell pass Rufus into the water. Rufus looked up, persevering the pain. He could see Kilmister suffocating and someone grasping his neck from behind. You fool, Judd! I told you this isn’t the time!

“Argh!”

Judd’s own angry voice followed but it was a short one. Rufus cried out furiously, his body trembling as he gripped onto the ladder.

“You’re late!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” smiled Reno.

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