S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Rhapsodos: A Part That Remains
Beta-read by: CommentatorinthePeanutGallery and Sypherianlp. (June 21st, 2013) [Last Edit: January 22nd, 2016]
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything that belongs to Marvel (The Avengers) and Square Enix (Final Fantasy VII), nor am I making a profit from this. It's fanfiction: I'm borrowing the characters, universe etc.
Summary: Prequel to Taking the Backseat. Before he got into SHIELD, his second life started as a teenager. Genesis somewhat questions the Goddess why of all things his second life started off like this, until he meets an old man in hospice by sheer luck. Minerva's last lesson: A Part That Remains. 1 of 5 Chapters.
AU Notes: Hello to my readers! If you haven't read S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Rhapsodos: Taking the Backseat, you're not missing out much (other than the fact Genesis in the near future becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent). So, here we are!
This is a rather short prequel I've been cooking up to explain the events how Genesis ends up on our beloved Earth and life before the Avengers. The reason why I didn't start off with universe traveling/hopping at the beginning of 'Taking the Backseat'… was because it would divert from the plot of the fic. This story uses a word and drabble format, each chapter consisting of 10 words. So with 50, it's going to be a total of 5 chapters.
Enjoy!
~ Chapter One: It Starts Quite Unexpected ~
"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen." ~ Paulo Coelho
:: Life ::
A figure of magnificent and fierce beauty stood—no, floated—gracefully before him. With bright shining armor, her entire being radiated power and life.
Her presence was enough to make the fallen 1st Class SOLDIER bow down on one knee before the ethereal deity that was Gaia. She was the Goddess, Minerva. In the end, he knew that he would have had to return here, to the Lifestream. Genesis' life only existed with borrowed time during the War of Resolve. Whatever judgment she would hand down upon him he would accept with open arms. Whether it would be to disperse like so many other souls into the Lifestream or to go forth to the Promise Land, he couldn't care less. He had served his role and fulfilled his purpose on Gaia, his fate to bring about the change she had entrusted him with.
'You have done well, Chosen One. Is the afterlife what you truly seek?' Minerva asked.
Confused by her question, Genesis could only stare at her. He asked himself if that was what he really wanted. In many ways he wanted to go change the course of events, to go back in time and undo all the mistakes that he had made.
'I think you know there are things that cannot be changed, no matter how much we all wish for them to be different.'
"Th-then I don't deserve the afterlife?" he croaked. Fear that his Goddess would reject him gripped at his heart.
'You misunderstand,' she said softly in a comforting manner. 'After the role you were given, what is it that you desire?'
After so much pain, suffering, and battles, Genesis was glad he still had memories of happier times. Memories from when his world wasn't so twisted when he still was living with what was his family and friends. Even after that, he had the chance to have a few happier times with Cloud's oddball group. While the times were short, he wouldn't have minded experiencing those small, warm moments again.
This time, the Goddess smiled kindly at him, 'I see. You seek life.'
The crimson SOLDIER shook his head, "I am dead."
'True. You are dead here on Gaia,' Minerva stated, and then continued, 'Nonetheless, if you had the chance to live a clean slate in another world, would you take it?'
He hesitated.
'Be warned. I cannot erase your memories from Gaia. There will be hardships along the way, but I will guide you if you ever feel lost.'
Genesis was shocked. "You would really do that?"
'Yes.'
He gulped at the thought of living in a new world. A place where he could start over and have the things he lost back in his time; and role as the Catalyst and WEAPON on Gaia would truly come to an end.
"Then I accept," Genesis said.
'Then so be it.'
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.
:: Lonely Road ::
Genesis never felt so alone in his entire life.
He was outside of his comfort zone. It was like adapting to his degradation all over again—just without the pain and the dying.
Here he was, in Chicago, the Windy City, in the United States of America; he had no idea why he was sent to this particular country. There were hundreds of nations and hadn't a single clue where he was. The strange thing he had come to find out was that this world was filled with humans and animals, but no monsters. This meant his combat skills were near useless unless he decided to join the military.
Worst of all, he was a freaking teenager! No money, no place to stay, and raging hormones that were bound to make his emotions unstable. The auburn haired 'teen' only wore a black hoodie, a red t-shirt, and black jeans—and he had thought degradation was bad. Genesis ended up in the worst parts of the streets, where gang fights were frequent. The streets weren't a safe place to stay, but he didn't really have anywhere to go. Heck, he didn't even know what to do.
For three days he wandered around the streets, scouting the area to become familiar with it and to find whatever scraps of food that were available. Whenever he came across any spare change on the ground, he'd make sure no one was watching and snatch it up greedily. Genesis wasn't proud of it, but he wanted to know more about this new world he lived in, and an empty stomach wasn't going to help. He was able to survive with little food and water thanks to the Mako he still had in his veins. However, he didn't know for how long he would last and if he was going to survive in this new life, he needed more information about this world.
Another week passed by.
Food was rare, but he now had other problems.
Genesis cursed as he breathed in and out deeply after he got chased down by a gang calling him a 'Mutant'. He'd remember reading from thrown newspapers that it was what the people called those who had special abilities. With the way his eyes were glowing, they suspected him for one. Another few hours after running, he bought cheap colored contact lens off of the street to cover his mark that made him a SOLDIER. Sure, he did manage to beat up one gang by himself with the abilities he had, but it only made the whole affair worse. The gang held grudges and he was forced to leave the area he first 'dropped' in and find a new area. All he still had was an old backpack with survival tools he found through his walks on the streets and the clothes on his back. The bad thing was, they wanted him dead just because he was different.
Here he thought he was free from being called a monster.
In desperation of finding a new home, he eventually (another week later) found a youth community that was actually willing to let him in. He knew the Goddess was kind and forgiving in this life. In just three days he was accepted into the foster home foundation, there was an opening for smart street kids to get a scholarship program and a chance to get a full education. Genesis was determined not to waste this life and took the test. He passed with flying colors, that was thanks to his time in ShinRa and the fact he was actually a living a second time around.
The auburn haired teen didn't care he hadn't had real foster parents yet. Personally, he preferred getting this done alone. He'd pass the cadet classes with relatively no trouble and now at the age turning sixteen soon, he shouldn't have any trouble, right?
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:: High School ::
Secondary education on Earth wasn't what he expected.
Genesis realized he didn't have the most normal experience as a teenager—understatement of a lifetime—since his world was crazy enough to recruit 14-year-old children into the military.
The classes weren't so bad on Earth, nor was the amount of homework he and his peers would get (it was not as worse as ShinRa paperwork). The only thing that rather sucked was the brats around him. With his grades at flying colors and scholarship in hand, his status was more than enough to have many students feeling jealous of him. He also excelled in physical education, so when he rejected the offer to join the football team or even the offer to get into their cheerleading club, well, he pretty much made most of the 'popular' teens resent him. Genesis would roll his eyes at the many numerous times they'd try to get his attention, because frankly, he just wasn't interested in joining them. He could have easily joined in along with them, but with his powers still intact and his last life being not so normal, Genesis wasn't quite so sure how his current peers would take it. Besides, there were other clubs outside school he joined like martial arts and arts that were more interesting.
A month later, things got worse.
Outside of school, he had accidentally got caught by one of the jocks when he was changing his contact lens, and because of it, he was labeled a mutant. Only it was a shame when there was a testing program at school he wasn't determined as one, the results came out negative. Those who didn't like him didn't even believe the doctors. So if the school couldn't do anything to him, those people who hadn't liked the results took it into their own hands. It was the beginning where Genesis would have to watch his surroundings more carefully.
The boys and some girls who didn't like him were always prepared, whether they'd be by his locker or outside the school so they could throw him into the dumpster. Of course, Genesis wasn't that stupid. He was a former SOLDIER, heck, long ago they even wanted him to be a Turk (which he rejected). Getting away from them was child's play, and he easily broke into the school at night to get into his locker to get his things if he wasn't able to get them during the day. The auburn haired teen had made it his business from that moment on to bring his books and belongings with him at all times. He simply didn't take chances.
Another month later, that's when his problems spread from inside the school to outside.
Unluckily for Genesis, the kids who hated him had ties to the street gangs outside the school—not that this wasn't expected—and now Genesis had more trouble than he had bargained for. He was still aiming to keep his records on top of the class, but with the trouble of getting to school and back to the foster home as well as vice versa made his high school days a lot tougher.
High school drama was definitely now on Genesis' 'Worst Points of my second Life' list.
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:: Stumble ::
He hated running with a passion.
Genesis wasn't going to fight the whole gang behind him either. Too many hassles with the police, it could get his scholarship in jeopardy, and he wanted to come out on his secondary education clean without a mark on it. He shrugged in his mind it was good practice in using his enhanced speed and stamina at times like this. Although he had wished many times he didn't have to keep running around in circles through the streets. He was intent on getting home or to the library to study, dammit!
The auburn haired teen was running at full speed and stopped abruptly, skidding to a halt as he spotted a building that looked similar to a hospital but also a foster home. He stumbled a few steps. And before he could stop himself, Genesis fell flat on his face on the pavement. Recovering from the fall with pain to his face and ego, he stood up briskly remembering he had people after him. He shook his head snapping himself to reality. It was not the most pleasant experience he'd like to repeat again. Never in his life did he stumble so recklessly like he did now. Here he thought his SOLDIER reflexes would save him from that. Yet it was nice for a change no one would ever know the once great commander of ShinRa stumbled, here he was nobody.
He cursed to the point it would have made a certain swearing pilot proud. His ears picked up as footsteps echoed behind him and he hastily headed towards the public facility.
Hiding would be enough, right?
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.
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:: Jump ::
Wrong.
Apparently, the gang members knew about the area than he did. It was expected as he was on their home turf.
The former SOLDIER was surrounded, but he easily picked up the holes in their formation, took advantage, swiped one thug with his leg to the ground, and after made a run for it. Genesis was very sure he could hear them run from behind him as he ran but worse, he heard new voices coming from other routes heading to the area with his enhanced hearing. His mind was warning him that his options were decreasing in getting away unscathed. He skidded and made a sharp right turn that soon lead him closer to a fence and an open window.
"He went that way! We got him trapped now!"
He gulped as he realized he was trapped in an intersection. The gangsters were coming around the block and every direction of the said juncture.
What to do?
His eyes darted to the only available escape and hiding spot, an opened window.
Scrambling in panic, Genesis jumped into the open window hoping for the best.
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:: Meeting ::
Meeting an old man that was a patient stuck in a hospital bed was not on Genesis' meet and greet list. Obviously, Genesis gathered that it wasn't on the old man's list either as the old guy was giving him the 'evil eye' so he'd scram out of the bedroom. The teen would have gladly done so if it weren't for gangsters proclaiming loudly that Genesis had disappeared like the 'freak' he was from the road. Genesis immediately dove for the opened empty clothes closet and hid himself until they weren't heard yelling from the street.
Once they were gone, Genesis bowed and apologized to the man.
Without looking back, he leaped out of the window and headed straight for his foster home.
The old man only stared blankly at the window, wondering what the hell just happened.
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:: Awkward ::
Talk about awkward.
It was the third time that week he was stuck again with the old man.
Genesis wanted to bang his head against the nearest surface enough times until it cracked to a billion pieces.
Those people who made him their hunting prey were getting more persistent every time he out run on them. He was beginning to find it tough to get to his outside school clubs that he decided to quit them and focus on his studies. Genesis was here because it was the only place they didn't dare chase him into—well they haven't figured that he went in—but he honestly didn't want to test it if they did found out. The old man yet again was giving him the death glares so he'd vamoose away from the room. In a way, it reminded him of how the Turks would use such an expression to get people running in the opposite direction.
"What are you looking at brat?" the patient seethed.
"You," Genesis replied simply, not at all intimidated by the old man's glares and even managing to keep a leveled gaze on him. "You remind me of those glares super spies give people so they'd scram."
"How did you know?" the old man asked, rather impressed by Genesis's statement.
"I'm very observant." was his shrugged answer. It wasn't exactly a lie on Genesis' part. With a small incline of his head, he left this time as soon the coast was clear outside.
The old man was just going ask something as the 'kid' disappeared. He knew a smart mind when he saw they kid through his eyes. Three times they've met and neither knew of each other's' names. He sighed and grunted in his bed. The old timer couldn't move from his bed, but he had a hunch it wasn't going to be the last time he'd see the kid again—especially when the gangs seemed to make the road next to his bedroom window a favorite spot to chase the red head into a corner.
The fact the 'brat' he labeled respectfully bowed in apology every time he landed inside his room, made it even awkward for an old timer like him. It made him wonder why the boy didn't hold his ground and fight.
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:: Ignore ::
The old man lost count how many times the redhead teen had ignored him. He even didn't kept count on how many times the teen had dropped in on him.
Taunting the kid to get a reaction was like kicking a wall—he didn't budge at all—and replies were simply non-existent.
The former CIA agent had given up all semblance of hope in getting rid of the teen from his room. While there was still the option to call the nurses in, the old man still had an ego he preferred to have intact. On the other hand, most of the nurses or caretakers in the hospice were wary of him thanks to his infamous temper. He had a reputation of being a rather 'unstable' patient just to avoid the worst of noises that resided the place.
It was quite a feat—ignoring a still sharp retired agent—for a brat like him. The elder man was certain he exhausted every type of glare that would have Nazi spies run for their lives in World War II. Not to forget, he was quite certain even the nurses weren't as resilient as the red head teen. Most of them wouldn't dare stay in the room any longer, but the kid? The kid dismissively ignored him in any attempts of starting a conversation, only giving him a moment's notice before going back to what seemed like homework.
Well, it wasn't like the teen had bothered him in any way (besides being present in the room). However, the more time he spent with the teen, the sooner the former CIA agent realized he wasn't a troubled kid. He had caught glimpses of the teen's school grades and scholarship papers from a good distance. The flying colors would easily have made his peers envious, and not to mention forms that he was taking his end of high school exams early.
'So, the kid's a genius or prodigy of some sort,' he thought with bemusement.
With flaming medium length red hair, fair complexion, and slightly lean yet athletic features, the teen didn't seem to look like geek material. Especially the way he now wore ragged jeans and a faded red t-shirt would fool most people he was the average Joe on the street. After another half an hour of non-stop writing an essay, the red head cleaned up his things. He inclined with respect to the old man, swiftly made his way out the window, jumped, and disappeared.
The old man swore out loud as he forgot to ask the kid's name again.
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:: Degrade ::
This was the twentieth 'unexpected' visit Genesis paid the old man to.
As much as he could have ignored the elder man's glares, the former 1st Class SOLDIER couldn't ignore the man's deteriorating appearance and health. To sum it up, his now sleeping form reminded Genesis like a wilting flower that was starting to cripple brown. Even the room he had numerous times used as a hiding space didn't have a nice atmosphere to it. It was painted white plain and bare, with no gifts or letters or even signs of relations with other people. Plainly put, the room was outright depressing.
Genesis had later found out the place that served as his hiding base: a hospice. It was a place where people with incurable diseases stayed until they die—not very surprising that the gangsters had stopped pursuing him altogether by now. Between feeling jealous and pity, Genesis wasn't sure what to feel at first. Unlike him and what he went through his degradation, the place was a much hospitable place to die in than left in the wastes to rot. Yet it seemed the old man either had no one left or he pushed everyone away from him. The now teen guessed with the latter, as he noted the old timer never called on the nurses the numerous times Genesis barged into the room.
How foolish, Genesis thought. Well, he didn't blame the old man. Even the bravest people could be afraid of dying, and it wasn't that you had a decision on how to die. Well, unless one committed suicide, but some people just didn't have the choice to whether it could be a quick and painless death.
Watching the old sickly man doing things on his own and refusing any sort of help, reminded Genesis back to the worst times he suffered from his degradation. He could deny all the help, keep up a strong façade in front of other people, but he wouldn't entirely erase the fear of dying alone. It was probably the reason why back on Gaia all those years ago… he called upon Zack to fight him at the Banora Underground. Even without his SOLDIER pride and honor restored, he figured, at least, he didn't die alone—even if it meant he'd die by Angeal's Buster sword as a monster.
When the old man's heart rate readings on the machines beeped with alarms, Genesis did the sanest thing he could do. To hell with the old man's stubbornness!
He called for help.
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:: Remain ::
Even after the old man was declared stable, Genesis chose to remain in his room and waited until he woke up.
He didn't mind to sleep over since the next day was the weekends and there wasn't much to do but stay in his foster home. Most of all the homework he had been with him anyway, and he'd get them done while he waited. Nevertheless, in the time he spent waiting for the elder man to wake up… he wasn't sure why he remained by the old man's side. Actually, the only reason why he stuck around was because the Lifestream flow in him told him to stick around. Genesis wasn't sure why it was telling him this, but the Lifestream hadn't been wrong until now in guiding him finding his current foster home and formal education. It was a gift the Goddess gave him before he was sent away to Earth.
Hours later, Genesis had woken up that morning feeling stiff no thanks to the ridged chair he slept on. His eyes blinked with surprise as he was faced with the old man observing him from the bed.
"You called the nurses, didn't you?" the old man asked. He looked a little worse for wear but, at least, he was awake.
Genesis inwardly winced if the man was going to blame him for letting him live. "Are you mad?"
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. But the old man then gathered his courage and asked, "Why?"
"Impulse," the former commander answered lamely. He then sighed, "And… I didn't want you to die alone."
The old man now had an unreadable expression. He seemed to be at a loss for words at the thought of a stranger who cared. His eyes shifted to the floor where numerous stacks of papers were laid out; clearly the kid was doing his homework and studies while he waited.
"Am I bothering you, Sir?" Genesis asked politely, feeling awkward at the stillness of the room.
The patient ignored the question, although he was pleasantly surprised by the polite question. He instead inquired, "Got a name kid?"
The redhead teen sighed visibly because he didn't like being called a kid.
"It's Genesis Rhapsodos. Just call me Genesis and not 'kid'," the former SOLDIER replied. He then looked at the patient's family name that was on a clipboard with interest. "I know your family name, but should I call you that or your first name?"
"Call me Robert," the old man replied with a light tone. Robert thought over the kid's name, it was a weird and unique one. He paused before he asked, "You're staying?"
"If you need a friend, I suppose," Genesis said rather hesitantly. He wasn't sure the man even wanted him there.
Robert smiled tiredly, "Then you're welcomed to stay."
It was the least Robert can do for the teen that saved his life last night. While he could have gotten mad at the kid he didn't die and end all his suffering in that one night, Robert inwardly admitted he was glad enough someone cared. He'd long given up people would want to spend their time on him. Sighing with relief, he laid himself back and rested. The teen only gave him a thankful nod silently back at him and remained there.
In the morning, Robert woke up to Genesis bringing in two trays of food with him. "Breakfast, Robert?" he asked with a light tone.
Another surprise, the teen really did wait for him. "Sure," Robert responded briefly.
Being a former agent, he couldn't help think what the kid's motive was. He complied with the teen's presence but didn't hope for too much. However, in the days that followed… the teen came back to his room at the same times he usually did, even if those boys that chased him had stopped their acts. Rest assured, Robert then had started to like Genesis' silent company at first, but soon they eventually were on speaking terms. He shortly found out that Genesis a person who took upon numerous masks to hide his real self. Oddly enough, he had a paranoia that many would expect an agent to have and hid it subtlety to the point Robert was sure only a professional would have noticed it.
"Is there a reason why you're hiding under many masks?" he had asked one day.
Genesis' face seemed to be alarmed at first like his secret had gone down the drain. Yet he swiftly composed himself, but, all the same, took on an evasive stance. "I've been running all my life Robert. The least I could do now is blend in."
Robert detected that wasn't a lie at all. It went along with his story of being in a nursing home, but he couldn't help but on instinct feel, there was a lot more to the teen. While he didn't have all the time in the world left, perhaps Robert made it his goal to find about just who Rhapsodos was. During his worst, Genesis had remained with him. With or with no reason, the old man decided that he could use the company and a friend that remained with him until the end.
"Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me." ~ Carl Sandburg
TBC... Chapter 2 of 5 ...
AU End Notes: I do NOT own the character 'Robert' and he is an official Marvel Cinematic Universe character; therefore he belongs to Marvel. Just who he really is... I have deliberately left his last name out...
Comments, opinions, your thoughts, are always welcomed.