AN: This is a scene from Crisis Core that had to have happened but was never mentioned. I tried to stay as close to canon as possible while filling in a lot of gaps. Enjoy!
The Nature of Thy Enemy
On a dead, moonless night, the gates of Shinra Manor creaked open to let a tall man through. He had brown shoulder-length hair that had white streaks running through it and wore a red trench-coat made out of leather. His most striking feature was the large, double-jointed black wing that sprouted from his shoulder.
He approached the manor and boldly opened the door. Once inside the house, the man made a thorough search of every room. In one of the rooms on the second floor, he found what he sought. A part of the fireplace slid aside when he touched it, revealing the entrance to the cave system below Shinra Manor. With a gleam in his eye, the man walked into the cavern.
Genesis Rapsados hungrily drank in everything he saw as he explored the maze of labs beneath Shinra Manor. So, he thought, Hollander was right. Project S could have been developed here. During one of his many grillings by Genesis, Hollander had let it slip that while he had been finishing up with Project G in Banora; Hojo had begun developing Projects S. The rumors around the Science Department had said he was developing it in Nibelheim. Genesis mentally smirked. I have been extremely fortunate that all of Shin-Ra's scientists like to talk. If they didn't, I wouldn't know half of what I know. Given he would have gone to Nibelheim anyway to check out the mako reactor there, Genesis decided to go to Nibelheim ahead of schedule. On the off-chance Project S had not been developed there, the trip would not be a complete loss.
After he had been searching for several hours, Genesis turned a corner and smiled at what he saw; he had found what was obviously the library. He ran his fingers over the dusty spines and smiled when he found what he had been looking for all this time. "Jenova," he breathed as he read the title of the report. Genesis pulled out the book and began to read.
A week later found Genesis in the library, his mind reeling from the information he had read. The single thing that concerned him the most was who, or rather what, Jenova was. He had heard Sephiroth mention at least once that his mother had been called Jenova and that she had died when he was born. To learn Jenova had been excavated from a 2,000-year-old rock layer and had been clearly sentient at the timeshook Genesis to the core. He was sure Sephiroth did not know this.
It only got worse when Genesis found out what Jenova supposedly was. According to the books in the library, Jenova was a Cetra. Genesis knew what a Cetra was. Everybody did. Legends were told about them and about their connection to the Planet, but nobody believed the Cetra actually existed, or if the Cetra did exist, they believed had died out long ago. Genesis frowned at that. He distinctly remembered Hojo referring to Jenova as a disaster that came from the sky in front of Angeal's puppy. From what Hollander had told him, Hojo always knew what he was working with. So, he thought, which is it?
Whatever Jenova was, it was clear what her abilities were. She was a two-way genetic conduit; a being capable of copying her own genes over other being's genes as well as taking other being's genes into herself and mimicking them. In addition to that, her cells were also extremely difficult to kill. Shin-Ra had dared to try to produce a copy of her, the goal of the so-called Jenova Project.
Even though it was not mentioned in the library, Genesis knew Project Jenova had been split by two scientists who each had their own theory regarding making copies. The project that had produced him and Angeal was called Project Gillian, named after the woman who became Angeal's mother and the primary source of his genetic material. It was headed by Hollander and its goal was to genetically engineer copies from before birth. It had failed, Or at least, that's what was everyone thought. The project that had produced Sephiroth was named Project Sephiroth after him. It was headed by Hojo and Genesis had now uncovered what its goal had been. Its goal was to transform normal people into copies. Given that the process of producing SOLDIERs was clearly a simplified version of the process that had produced Sephiroth, it was obvious which side of the Jenova Project had been considered a success by Shin-Ra.
Genesis looked at the file in his hand. Inside of it was the information he had been looking for for so long, Jenova's location. Genesis put the file back where he had found it and made his way out of the labs. It was time to go to the reactor. Genesis knew he would find all the answers there.
Genesis made his way up Mt. Nibel and marveled at the number of mako pools and fountains by the trail. The only place he had seen more mako come naturally to the surface was in the Banora Underground. It's probably why the reactor was built all the way out here in the first place. What is that? Genesis shook his head. There was an unpleasant buzz in his ear that sounded almost like murmuring and Genesis thought it was getting louder and more distinct as he approached the reactor.
When Genesis reached the reactor he slowly opened the door and looked around the interior of the reactor with unbridled curiosity. It was like no reactor he had ever seen before. Lined up in ascending rows were old mako tubes. They lead up to a door at the far end of the reactor. Chiseled into the stone above the door was the name JENOVA.
Before he went up to Jenova, Genesis looked into the mako tubes. Floating in them were experiments. They had obviously been human at one point, but the experiments Hojo had performed on them had turned them into monsters. Genesis gave the experiments a rare look of pity. It was a fate he would never wish on anyone. Satisfied they had been put out of their misery long ago, Genesis slowly walked up the steps towards the Jenova chamber. As he approached it the murmuring grew louder, clearer.
When Genesis touched the door of the Jenova chamber, the murmuring sharpened into an actual voice.
It was a woman's voice, rich, deep, and full of knowledge and longing. It was like no voice Genesis had ever heard, it echoed through his mind and body and begged Genesis to listen to it. "Come to me, Genesis," it said to him. "Come to me, my child. I have waited long to meet you."
Genesis jerked his hand away from the door. It had always been that the Cetra were only capable of mentally listening to the Planet. For a Cetra to be mentally speaking out... Something isn't right here. Genesis leaned against the wall next to the door. He would not go into the Jenova chamber, not without knowing everything he could about what, or rather who, was on the other side. "Are you Jenova?" he finally asked.
"Yes," the voice, Jenova's voice Genesis realized, purred. There was silence for a moment. "What has finally brought you here?"
"The degradation," Genesis answered. "I have heard that your cells might be able to cure it."
"Degradation?" Uncertainty accompanied Jenova's voice. "What is that?"
Genesis frowned. "It is what sometimes happens when those who have been exposed to your cells copy their own genes over other being's genes."
"Ah, is that what happens when you copy your own traits over others?" There was a pause. "Does anyone else have the ability to copy their traits?"
Not knowing where she was going with this, Genesis answered, "No, I am the only one with this ability."
"Not even Sephiroth has this ability?" Fierce curiosity ran through her voice.
How does she know about Sephiroth? I never told her about him. "No," Genesis slowly answered, "but he doesn't suffer from degradation either."
"That is good." Jenova laughed. "As for how I knew about Sephiroth, I have always had the ability to see into the minds of people around me. Unfortunately," her tone changed to one or resentment, "that ability is now but a shadow of itself. I can hardly sense anything but a vague idea now and then."
Genesis stiffened at that. Reading people's minds was not something the Cetra were supposed to be able to do either. He raised an eyebrow in annoyance. This was getting him nowhere. It was time to be direct. "Are you a Cetra?" he asked and looked for a reaction.
Jenova's reaction was swift, furious and gave Genesis all the information he wanted and more. "DAMNED RACE—LIKE I COULD BE ONE OF THEM—WOULD HAVE TAKEN THIS PLANET IF NOT FOR THEM—IMPRISONED ME—WOULD STILL BE TRAPPED IF GAST HAD NOT FOUND ME—STILL IMPRISONED IN THIS BODY BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID—CAN NOT USE MY ABILLITES BECAUSE OF THEM—STOPPED MY JOURNY THOUGH THE STARS—WILL DIE BECAUES OF THEM—CURSE THEM!"
Genesis sank to the floor at Jenova's outburst. She echoed through his head and drowned out his own thoughts. Genesis gritted his teeth. "If... you... are not a... Cetra... What... are you?" He finally got out.
"I have never called myself anything but a queen. BUT THE CETRA NEVER RECONIZED ME AS ONE EVEN AS I SLEW THEM FOR THEIR INSOLENCE!" Jenova's retched laughter rang out. "The disaster that came from the sky. That is what the Cetra called me. I did come from the sky and I longed to use this planet as a vessel to travel through the stars again." She laughed again. "I would have to if the Cetra hadn't blocked my control of my body and imprisoned me in solid rock. Now my copying abilities only work when my cells are mixed with mako and even then I cannot control what they do. If only they could have worked when Gast found me..." Jenova trailed off and her tone changed from one of rage into one of affection and persuasion. "Genesis, listen to me. This planet has finished me and I will never travel through the stars again. But you, you and Sephiroth are my heirs. I could teach you how to control your abilities and my body so that you will be able to use my body and it's abilities to take revenge on this planet for what it has reduced us to. You yourself want revenge on this planet for making you a mons-"
"No!" Genesis screamed. Jenova's presence was crashing down on him, filling his head with thoughts of destroying the Planet and riding its remains through the stars only to do it again at each planet he found. His mind cast about for Loveless, the one thing he could think of that could have nothing to do with Jenova. 「Your desire, the Goddess's Gift, shall foster a life,」 he remembered. It gave him a brief moment without Jenova's presence in his mind and in that time he left the reactor.
Outside the reactor, Jenova was still able to talk to him, but she was much easier to ignore. There, Genesis slowly processed all the information he had learned from Jenova. Jenova is not from this world and her sole reason for coming here was to destroy it. She tried to wipe out the Cetra, but they somehow forced her into a comatose state. Genesis frowned. She would have stayed in that comatose state if Shin-Ra had not dug her up. And now she has a chance to destroy this world again if she can get me or Sephiroth on her side. Genesis shook his head. His mind was his own. He had become entangled in Shin-Ra's way of thinking and it had required his world being shattered for his mind to become his own again. He was not going to become entangled in Jenova's. Neither would Sephiroth if he had anything to say about it. "Jenova?" he ventured, wondering if she could hear him from this range.
"Yes, Genesis. Will you join me?" Jenova's voice dripped with tempting honey.
"No," Genesis affirmed.
"That may be, but Sephiroth will come to me." Jenova laughed. "And I have you to thank for showing me the way I will get him to come to me."
"He will not. I assure you that." How he would, Genesis did not yet know.
"We will see about that." Jenova challenged.
Genesis mentally accepted the challenge and flew out and away from Jenova.
On the side of a mountain outside Nibelheim, Genesis stared out across the village. His gaze flicked from the Shinra Manor to the reactor on the summit of Mt. Nibel. Here, with Nibelheim between him and the reactor, he was far enough away from Jenova that her voice was barely, if at all, noticeable. It was quiet enough for him to plan his next move.
Jenova was a being on a completely different level than anything Genesis had seen. Before he met her, he had wanted to destroy anyone who got in the way of his search for a cure for his degradation. A cure that he thought had been her cells. Now, Jenova was the largest obstacle in his way. Her cells were the ultimate source of his degradation. While it was true that Shin-Ra had played god with his life, they had also played god with Sephiroth's life and he did not suffer from degradation. Shin-Ra was an annoyance, nothing more. Sephiroth was not an obstacle either, In fact, Genesis thought, he might be my salvation. Jenova's cells were clearly not the cure, but Sephiroth's cells could be. After all, his cells have some of Jenova's aspects as well, but they do not degrade. It might work.
For now, that was enough. Of more importance was Jenova's ability to talk to her "heirs". If she can talk to me and I have only her genes and some of her cells, she will be able to talk to Sephiroth all the more easier. Genesis was under no illusion that Sephiroth had more of Jenova's cells in him then he did. More worrisome was the fact that Sephiroth did not know about his creation. It will be all the easier for Jenova to persuade him to listen to her because he thinks she is his mother.
Genesis frowned. If Jenova did get Sephiroth on her side and taught him how to control his abilities and her body it could easily be the end of the world as Genesis knew it. What frightened him was how easily Jenova could get Sephiroth on her side. Jenova's attempt to persuade Genesis to join her had ultimately failed because Genesis knew enough to know the difference between what a Cetra was supposed to be able to do and what Jenova was able to do. It was what had led him to ask if she was really a Cetra or not. Sephiroth had no such knowledge. In fact he had never been told what Jenova was, Or at least, he has always implied that she was nothing more than a normal human. If Sephiroth found out that it was originally thought that Jenova was a Cetra, he would have no reason to think otherwise.
Genesis looked over at the reactor. He knew that Sephiroth would eventually come here. With all that had been revealed about his and Angeal's origins Sephiroth would be wondering about his own. And Sephiroth's origins lead to only one place, Nibelheim. Genesis' eyes hardened. He would wait until Sephiroth came here. If, at that time, Sephiroth did not know who and what Jenova was, Genesis would tell him and hope that the truth of Sephiroth's origins would be enough reason for Sephiroth to not follow Jenova's voice. Decision made, Genesis made his way back to the reactor and Jenova's crushing influence.
Several weeks later found Genesis watching over Nibelheim as it burned. 「It is your fate. Your dreams and pride are no more.」 Alas that the truth was not enough to break her hold on you, Sephiroth. Jenova's laughter cut through his mind and Genesis turned to look at the reactor.
"Ah! A loyal son! The Lifestream! I win, Genesis!" Jenova proclaimed.
Genesis closed his eyes and bowed his head. For all purposes, Sephiroth, his last friend and possible salvation, was dead. Resigned to his fate, Genesis took to the sky.
AN: I came up with this oneshot when I was watching the Nibelheim Reactor scene from Crisis Core. I realized that when we first see Genesis in that scene, he appears from inside the reactor. Apparently, he found out about Jenova's location in the months after the Modeoheim Incident and went to Nibelhiem. This brought up what happened when he first found the reactor along with what was inside it.
I tried to make several connections between this and the game in general. If you have any questions about where and how I came up with this stuff, please ask me.
If you guys want me to write more scenes from Crisis Core (or the Original Game, Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus for that matter) that had to have happened, but were never mentioned, let me know.
Thanks for reading!