A message from the author:
Okay, mostly because the last chapter sucked, I'm gonna go ahead and post this one. It's a little better than the last (well, at least the second half is), but the next will be way worth it—promise! So, here's your semi-uneventful chap, and promise it'll get better soon evil grin
Oh, and just a side note: when you see something typed like this:
I am evil.
"I am evil."
That is Jenova speaking "through" Sephiroth…meaning it's actually Jenova speaking. Oh, and when it's just italics with no quotes or telling whose speaking, it's Jenova talking to Sephiroth inside his head. Just for reference. So here you go, and sorry for the boringness of the past couple…
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter Three
'Lost from within, pursuing the end…'
There wasn't a hotel in the area—either the upper level of Junon or Midgar—neither of which was a reasonable option. Sephiroth had asked around and found an older man on a Chocobo farm willing to 'rent' him a bed for some Gil. It wasn't the best, but it was better than the cold ground or no sleep at all on the cargo ship. In only a week, Sephiroth had gotten this close to Midgar. Why, he wasn't exactly sure…it was almost as if something was calling him. And if he wanted to find out what, he'd have to go there. As he rose from the bed, he heard the news on TV and the scent of bacon wafted through the air making his stomach growl viciously.
"…We're here live in Midgar at the scene of the Sector 7 plate collapse. If you'll look behind me you can see what's left from the accident, and as you can see, it isn't much more that scrap metal. The President of ShinRa is blaming the AVALANCHE rebel group for the accident, and says he is doing all he can to protect the people of Midgar from another devastating incident like what has happened here in Sector 7…"
Sephiroth walked into the other room to see the man and two younger kids watching the news over breakfast. The reporter stood aside from the camera to reveal a horrific scene of total destruction—rubble was strewn everywhere and the main wreckage still smoking from the collapse.
"'Bout time someone gave ShinRa a run for their money," the man said, eyes going from the television, to his plate of food, and back as he ate and watched at the same time. The news continued…
"…I've spoken with some of the ShinRa rescue squads as well as the commander of the Turks, and so far no survivors have been found. They believe that several members of AVALANCHE were taken down with the plate thanks to the brave actions of the Turks and ShinRa army. However, they know at least three members are still on the loose that somehow managed to escape before the collapse, but no word yet if they've been apprehended. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of the escapees, ShinRa does have a Crimestoppers line available, and that number will be available shortly. ShinRa authorities are recommending that you stay away from the fleeing members because they are armed and dangerous. Here's what eyewitnesses claim to have seen just before and during the plate collapse…"
"Well, they're always welcome here," he said, now ignoring the television and going back to his breakfast. He then noticed Sephiroth in the doorway. "Well, are you off, then?" he asked.
Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, thanks for the room," he replied.
"Thanks for the Gil," the man joked as Sephiroth headed for the door.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
From the Chocobo Ranch, it took him only two days to get to Midgar. And now he stared up at the building. His eyes glistened with a new mystery—he knew exactly what had called him—what had summoned him back to this place. 'Mother,' he thought, 'we'll be together again shortly.'
He entered the rather large building in the dead of night, not hesitating to use the front doors. None remained in the dimly lit lobby or on the second floor; in fact, it looked as though all of ShinRa had turned in for the night. Sephiroth knew better.The issue at hand wasn't really the getting in to Headquarters, more of finding what he was looking for. He closed his eyes and looked upward, almost as though he was sensing her.
No, not almost…he was sensing her. 'Upstairs,' he realized. He knew from his experiences with ShinRa, everything above the sixtieth floor could only be accessed with an employee key card.
I know a way.
Sephiroth flinched from his thoughts as the voice spoke to him. He looked over his shoulder. Still seeing no one, he looked back upward as if he were looking through the ceiling—through the sixty-some-odd floors that stood firm and steady above him.
"Mother?" he asked. He smiled warmly, comforted by her intangible presence.
I know a way. Give yourself to me, and I will help you find the Promised Land.
"Mother…?" Sephiroth answered a little unsurely. After his brief hesitation, he smiled again. "Take me, Mother. We'll go together…"
There was a brief moment where everything when white. The body left behind fell limply to the cold dirt. It remained there for a moment before fading back into the Lifestream and totally disappeared.
And so it's begun.
He awoke in an unfamiliar and a bit of a strange place. He was inside a large metal hull—a little similar to the capsules at the Nibel Reactor. Instinctively, he freed himself from the container, creating a large hole in the side. He fell to his hands and knees. 'Wha…what power is this……?' he thought to himself. He stood, looking at his hands. As he pondered, Hojo's helpless assistant entered the lab. As the door closed, Sephiroth raised his eyes to the trembling being. His mind flashed again as his mouth twisted into an almost devilish grin.
Free at last.
"Free at last."
The man was frozen into place, plastered to the ground by fear. "S-Seph…S-Sephir…" he stammered in disbelief. He backed away a step, but that was all he could manage.
You're in my way.
"You're in my way." He grinned a grin of death as he slaughtered the man with ease—thanks, of course, to Mother….
"I'll kill them all!"
And so he—no they began. Starting on that floor and killing anyone and everyone having any slight affiliation with ShinRa—anything from guards to innocent employees; no…they weren't innocent—none of them were. They made their way to the stairwell, massacring anyone that still breathed.
A guard watched over a dark hallway. He was dozing at the moment, slumped against the wall and his head falling loosely almost chin-to-chest. He held a gun across his lap limply with one hand, and the other fell freely to his side. Sephiroth approached him quietly, and the guard didn't wake.
'What a pity…' he thought, 'he won't even know what killed him.' Grinning, he slew the sleeping guard with ease, and without him ever waking.
There's still more down the hall.
Sephiroth looked from the lifeless army-man to the hallway surrounded by several doors. 'I wonder who sleeps inside those rooms…' He walked again, just as calmly and quietly as he had before. He passed the first one, but stopped at the second one. He tried opening it… 'Locked.' He thought a moment before walking back to the dead man and picking his pockets. Just as he'd suspected: the keycard.
Walking back to the second door, he slid the card through the card lock and the light flashed cyan—access approved. He hesitated, but entered the open door. Inside was a young woman—no younger than twenty—lying on a cot. She wore a short tank, a mini-skirt, shoes, and a pair of gloves; her hair was long and held up by a band near its end. Across from her, rested a young man. His hair was blond, spiky…familiar… He wore…a ShinRa SOLDIER uniform.
Looks like there's more blood to shed.
'No…' Sephiroth spoke in his thoughts, 'I…don't think they're with ShinRa.' He stared into the boy's face…it looked young, innocent…so fragile as he slept peacefully. He gazed through soft eyes at the man, only watching. Why was he so familiar…?
Sephiroth turned from him and walked to the door. 'We'll let them live, Mother,' he thought. 'At least…for a little while…' He wasn't thinking it seriously, simply to ease Mother's temper.
Before the door closed, he looked back. His mind came back—that day in the reactor…the town—that's where he'd seen him before, the Nibel Reactor...she'd been there, too. But what was his name….? He shook his head in defeat, angered that he'd forgotten.
Come, my son. We aren't done yet.
And he left the room at that.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Blood stained his black gloves and Masamune as he walked up the violet-carpeted stairs. The top floor—the President's office. And he would give anything to watch that man die. He climbed the stairs silently, anticipating every moment even more anxiously than the last. He reached the top of the stairs and entered the large empty office. At the desk near the window was a royal blue chair with its back turned away from Sephiroth concealing the body that inhabited the chair. But Sephiroth didn't have to wonder who sat there in front of him.
"Is that my son?" President ShinRa queried as he wheeled around. "Strange, I don't remember hearing your chopper come in…" He froze when he saw the tall man approaching his desk. Thinking quick on his feet, the man pressed the speaker button on his desk in hopes of calling someone.
"Yes sir?" Palmer answered. Before he could say anything, the box was pierced with Sephiroth's sword. The stout man's eyes gazed with hidden fear into the Mako-infused eyes above him.
"There will be no one to help the likes of you," Sephiroth spat. He withdrew his sword from the speaker slowly, and held it firmly beside his side. He grinned; he hesitated only to savor the moment. Jenova may've been swaying him, but this was a revenge he'd wanted for a long time.
I won't let you have the Promised Land.
"I won't let you have the Promised Land." Without another word spoken, he raised the sword then thrust it downward. The slender blade pierced the bulk of the corpulent President with ease. His stare lingered weakly a moment before he fell limp on his throne. Sephiroth watched as blood oozed from the wound, around the sword and down his back leaving no stain on the red suit. He released the hilt and let his hands fall to the side.
'And so, it's done.'
He turned sharply to the stairs. Had that been footsteps…? 'It was nothing,' he finally decided. He walked across to the elevator. He pressed the down arrow and waited with his thoughts for the elevator to arrive.
'I did it, Mother…' he thought. 'All for you.'
But this journey has only begun.
"What do you mean?" he questioned.
The Promised Land…that is where you must go…
"The Promised Land?" he asked. He smiled warmly to himself. "The Promised Land…" The elevator arrived, and he got in. Then left the way he came: through the front door.
'…I fight for the chance to be lied to again.'
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Explanation #6:
The closer he gets to her, the easier it is for her to 'control' him—although she doesn't take control of him until he reaches Midgar. At this point, she convinces him to 'give himself to her' and she'll lead him to the Promised Land. At this point, they somewhat 'switch' mentalities. Sephiroth's mind is confined to Jenova's body, and (thanks to the 'power of Jenova') also appears as Sephiroth. Meanwhile the "empty vessel" of the experiment's body fades back into the Lifestream or whatever it is they do in the game. Note: the body at the Northern Cave is Sephiroth's real body congealed in Mako/Lifestream. It got there when he plunged from the Nibel Reactor five years prior.
Explanation #7:
Meanwhile with the other being, Jenova and Sephiroth's minds wind up somewhat intertwined and locked inseparablely (which isn't actually a word, but it is now). Jenova doesn't really possess Sephiroth, nor does she control him. It's more like……kinda like the Borg without the whole "part of the whole" thing. It's more like he thinks the thoughts Jenova thinks (thinks of Patrick) and believes it's what he wants—revenge on everything that shunned him. In reality, it's more of Jenova's Will than Sephiroth's. And the fact that it's technically Jenova's headless body doesn't help the matter.
Comments:
Yeah, like I said….well, I have to admit, this one was a little better than the last, right? Sorry again for the dragging plot, but I'm trying to get in all of the aspects! And don't ask about the random thing with the Chocobo dude…that was just something I really randomly felt like putting in there at the time. Don't even ask why……Hoping for some comments, and again, sorry for the slow plot. The next chapter will be—er…better. Reviews please?
Becca