Disclaimer: I do not own CCFF7, FF7, Sephiroth, Genesis, Loveless, or any of that other crap. Square Enix does. I just own the writing and yaoi and such.

Warning: let the madness commence. Yaoi, SephirothxGenesis, possible citrus, language, dark themes, violence, the usual.

Music: "The Four of Us are Dying" Nine Inch Nails (from The Slip)

THE MEMORY OF FALLING

Chapter X: The Nightmare Begins

The body floating in that vat of mako was no longer Edwin Murphins. Genesis stepped forward slowly, on unsure feet, with inquisitive eyes. He could see the difference from across the room. Genesis approached the glass tube carefully. That green liquid was like a slightly distorted mirror, reflecting his own form back at him. Genesis could see the dark auburn hair framing the lightly colored face, the change in musculature, the mutations of that face. It was like he himself was the one floating in there, looking in on himself.

With a mechanical whir, the crane swung over, metallic claws dipping into the luminescent liquid to pluck Murphins from it, hoisting him out and lying that still form on the nearest examination table. The wires and cords and tubes were removed from his arms one by one, Hollander making quick, brutal work of it. The face mask was removed as well. Hollander opened each eye forcefully, shining a light in. The irises were a pale blue rather than the obsidian Genesis had remembered.

It was him, yet not, all at once, lying on that table.

Hollander had created another Genesis. It laid there silently, still, lucid from the week in the vat.

The creature was different. Murphins stood, eyes open, hanging limply in the air like a puppet on un-manipulated strings. He said nothing, looking blankly at the far wall. It was like Murphins was no longer even there.

"Lift your right hand." Genesis watched as Murphins did as ordered, lifting his right hand. No other response came. No movement of that slightly tilted head, no movement of those hollow, azure eyes. Genesis circled around the form in mako drenched SOLDIER clothes, not at all shivering from the cold. The mako ran off his body in thin trickles, not tickling his skin. Genesis would have been tickled by such a situation. They were different, yet so frightfully close.

"Try giving him a command without speaking it."

It seemed like Hollander was specifically aiming for something. Genesis concentrated, mentally commanding Murphins to lift his left hand. After a few moments, that left hand rose into the air. The Commander's eyes widened. He circled the still replica, giving more commands, watching as Murphins did each and every unspoken order.

A dull throb responded in Genesis' own head, but he could not help smiling through it.

"Can you make the puppet fight?"

Genesis nodded. He watched as his puppet walked into the glass test zone. A monster was released on him. Genesis mentally gave the commands, Murphins spinning in a flurry of punches and kicks. In a matter of minutes the monster was dead, beaten to a pulp.

"Good. I have another volunteer. I will begin the therapy immediately."

Closing his eyes, Genesis concentrated on his breathing pattern rather than the pain jarring his head from its pleased state. He wondered what it would be like to control more than one at once.


"A SOLDIER 1st Class was just killed in Wutai."

Genesis heard the words, their slowly sinking into his medicine numbed brain. He blinked slowly, gaze trailing lazily to the massive panel of screens. Each screen had something different going on. Two were dedicated to the vital signs, still regulated, of the ambassadors. Their hearts were beating erratically, adrenalin levels high, but other than that they seemed fine. The SOLDIER operative sent to protect them had a blank screen, showing the normal vital signs and then the sudden death, as though he had no warning. That did not seem right.

Calmly, Genesis looked over the other screens, watching as their video surveillance went out one camera at a time. The last view of each was a blade suddenly jamming into its lens, the one wielding it nowhere in sight. There were only two cameras left, one of which was wired onto the older of the two ambassadors, disguised as an earring. Genesis could see the dead body of the SOLDIER operative lying at the edge of the room they were in, still bleeding from the back of his skull. The younger ambassador had a gag in his mouth, was tied up so he could barely move, barely breathe. Genesis assumed the same went for the elder as well.

"If we do not agree to their terms, they will kill both of the ambassadors as well."

"How long do we have?"

"One day before the first ambassador dies."

"That is enough time to get me into Wutai."

Lazard looked sharply up, blond brows furrowing in, worry glinting in his eyes. Genesis ignored that, laying out his plan verbally, knowing full well that Lazard could keep up with it. Lazard was supposedly a good tactician. It already should have come from him, rather than from Genesis.

"I need to get close enough to Wutai that Tseng can drop me off via helicopter. I will go in, extract the ambassadors, and bring them back to our rendezvous point before the Wutai warriors can kill either."

"Alone?"

"Alone. It needs to be a covert operation. Bringing anyone else would just slow me down and risk detection as well as early termination. I have to do this on my own." Genesis grabbed his sword, slinging it into place as he moved to depart from the control room. Lazard's voice stopped him.

"Make sure to come back in a helicopter with the ambassadors rather than in a casket. A living hero would do us a lot more good than a dead one."

He nodded, making quick, graceful strides out of the room. His crimson jacket was hardly stealthy, but it would be fine after dark when he reached Wutai. It was their rainy season. If a storm was exploding around them, they would not be able to see or hear Genesis as he infiltrated their compound and extracted the hostages. Genesis could make do.

War with Wutai was probably inevitable by now.


With Sephiroth still in Modeoheim, there was no back up, no guarantee. Genesis had not gone on a combat mission alone in a long time. There were no nerves about it. Genesis was ready. Hollander had made sure of that.

Everything was arranged as he wanted. The ship had already left Junon, the best in ShinRa's fleet. A sleek black helicopter sat on the top deck, ready to glide into Wutai territory, drop of the terror ShinRa was about to release on them. Genesis could see the line of land, emerging from twilight, ready to be decimated. Storm clouds churned above. The storm was about to pop and rain down on Wutai.

It would be perfect.

Tseng moved into the pilot seat, his best Turk taking the seat next to him. They started up the blades of the helicopter, wind battering the top deck. Genesis walked calmly across the rust-hued metal, boots clicking with his every feline step. His crimson coat billowed in the wind, hair ruffled but not made messy by the constant movement. Phosphorescent eyes guided him onward, into the small holding bay of the helicopter, where he stood and waited.

The Turks made a smooth takeoff, helicopter powering into the darkness. Genesis closed his eyes, concentrating. There was more work to do than just a rescue mission. He could feel the beasts swimming beneath the surface of the water, so far below. He controlled their every movement. The felines were stealthy, short fur black, tentacle protruding from the base of their skulls crimson, a weapon in and of itself. There was a group of five, all taking his commands as the Turks flew him into Wutai.

At the drop point he opened the side door of the helicopter, smirk the only hint of emotion on his face. He stepped over the edge, plummeting quickly at first before he found the right frequency of thought, body slowing, drifting down like a feather before his feet gently touched down. The helicopter was already gone by the time he was down in the jungle which made most of Wutai.

Pausing for a moment, he made the feline beasts come up from the water slowly, fan out across the forest. They prowled slowly, effectively, carrying the tracking devices Hollander had wanted planted. As the felines found their locations and buried their gear, Genesis advanced on the capital.

Wutai patrols were out. Genesis pressed himself to a tree trunk, holding his breath, closing his glowing eyes as he listened. One walked right past him, Genesis lunging forward, one arm wrapping around his shoulders, the other twisting that head with a quick jerk, breaking the warrior's neck. Genesis lowered the fallen patrolman to the ground, hiding him under a bush.

The rain started. Big drops flew from the sky, pummeling the forest, the path. It made a gray veil, near impossible for normal eyes to see through, for normal eyes to hear through. Genesis was far from normal. He could feel their pulses as they walked, could feel their apprehension as they stalked their patrol routes. Genesis advanced, keeping out of the mud as much as possible to minimize noise, to minimize tracks. Once he got into the building, he would have to be even stealthier; tracking mud and water around was not an option.

Another patrol thought he heard something, coming through the rain battered foliage. Genesis kept himself pressed to the tree, counting the moments, counting the erratic beats of that frightened heart as the man got closer. In a blur of crimson he reached out, snapping that neck as quickly as the last, leaving the silenced body under another bush. Blood was messy, made sound, took longer. The lives of the ambassadors were ticking away. He could not dawdle.

The edge of the forest came into sight, a massive clearing ahead. Genesis kept in the line of the trees, dashing from one shadow to another, ducking down whenever the perimeter guards glanced over. They were oblivious. Genesis probably could have killed five of them before the others even realized something was happening, another five before they could raise the alert. That left ten more to deal with and a lot of Wutainese warriors on the way, which Genesis would not risk. He rushed on as silently as he could, hopping over the increasing number of mud puddles as he went. Leather and water hardly mixed. Nor did the hot Wutai climate and leather. It was stifling, but there was nothing Genesis could do about it.

He could see the building. It was enormous, Genesis ducking between some trees and bushes, pulling out his phone and going through the floor plan, which the previous ambassadors had managed to send before Wutai started shutting down talks. A room was highlighted, the location of the vital signals ShinRa HQ was still receiving from their implants. Genesis shut his phone silently, sliding it back under his jacket. Another patrol passed, Genesis not lunging for him. He was too close to the city perimeter. Any altercation there, no matter how small, would risk an alert being raised.

The building he needed to get to was heavily guarded. There were perimeter guards near by, not to mention the door guards, all armed to the teeth. They were wearing different uniforms, yellow details here and there. Genesis had never studied much on Wutai, so he was clueless as to what that meant. Ducking between more plant-life, Genesis called his cats. They prowled out into the open, hissing, growling, claws and fangs bared.

Just as planned, the guards were immediately distracted. Genesis ran in a crouch, slipping into the building unnoticed as he mentally commanded the cats to run around, taking the guards with them. It was working. The guards were clueless.

Immediately he went off into a side room, careful not to drip water until he was in there. Quickly he looked around, finding a blanket to remove most of the rain water from him, to clean it from his boots. As soon as that was done, Genesis moved back out into the hallway, ducking into doorways when patrols passed. The lights were all dimmed, the way dark enough that Genesis could use shadows to his advantage, darting from one to another. He had to go by feel, closing his eyes, sensing everything rather than seeing it. His eyes would give him away.

It was a slow process, but soon he was on the third floor, rushing down the long hallway, crouching behind pots and plants to avoid being seen because of the lack of doors. He could feel the fear coming from the next room over, like it was a tangible substance, making the air thick and slightly bitter. Genesis crept inside. It was a round room, with columns and statues circling it. There were deep shadows and too many places to hide. The ambassadors were facing one another, tied up, each with a Wutai executioner behind him. They were facing one another as well, making it so there was no way at frontal assault without one ambassador dying.

Genesis would not accept a half success.

He ducked behind a statue, concentrating. As soon as his mind was locked on both their pulses, he activated the materia, keeping its glow hidden. The executioners began to say something, but it ended in a gurgle, both falling in unison. Death always worked on the weak. Genesis could hear the ambassadors struggling, trying to scream through their gags, which was thankfully impossible.

With an impossible grace, Genesis came out from around the statue, pressing a crimson finger to his lips with a soft "Shhh." They seemed more afraid of him than they had been of the executioners, eyes wide though they stilled and quieted. Genesis made quick work of undoing their bonds, of removing their gags and handing them each a charm. "Keep this on you. I will put the patrols to sleep so we can get out."

A mastered AllSleep always came to use on covert missions, which was why Lazard had given it to him. Genesis used it with little concentration, and he heard many bodies drop. The two ambassadors where clutching their anti-sleep charms, trembling as they followed him. Genesis drew his sword, walking calmly out of the room, leading the way. He would have to cast AllSleep once per floor, Genesis pausing on the stairs down to the second floor, seeing the patrols still walking about. Almost instantly they were tumbling to the ground, sound asleep. It allowed them the time to rush to the next stairwell, at the opposite end of the floor.

The first floor was just as easy. It was too easy. Genesis could not sense his feline counterparts anymore. Genesis and the ambassadors burst through the front door, the whole area full of Wutai soldiers. They lifted their halberds, aiming. The ambassadors began to raise their hands.

"Get back." Genesis gave the order, the ambassadors backing into the building, watching through the crack between the doors. The waiting group of soldiers was watching him too, tensing as he walked closer. Genesis sheathed his sword. They relaxed for a moment. That was their problem.

His feet lifted slowly off the ground, gasps echoing off the lips of the warriors. A few dropped their weapons and ran. Genesis smiled, eyes glowing a bright mako blue as the ground flared red, the symbol appearing beneath their feet. They realized they were in trouble too late.

An explosion of fire and lightning crashed through the ranks, ripping them apart in unison. The sound of the attack was too loud for anyone to hear their screams, though Genesis could feel them as he focused his mind further, watching the carnage beneath him. When the attack ended, none of them were left alive. Genesis landed softly, waving for the ambassadors to come out, to follow. Shaking from head to foot, the ambassadors did as they were told.

Genesis had purposefully cleared them a path on his way there, taking the route with no patrols left. He ran at a pace an infantryman could keep up with, nothing close to his SOLDIER abilities, even if the ambassadors were still having trouble keeping up. He flipped open his phone, sending the signal to Tseng. It was pitch black outside. The time on his phone showed that the whole thing had taken a few hours, longer than it felt like.

With a roar of blades and wind, the helicopter came to hover just above the ground, side door sliding open. The silver haired General offered his hand down, helping the ambassadors up, making Genesis pause, staring at him. "I thought you were in Modeoheim." Genesis spoke over the deafening noise, having to shout.

Sephiroth continued to wait, hand extended patiently. After a few more moments, Genesis hopped into the helicopter of his own, keeping his distance. The mission had been a success. As soon as the door was closed, Tseng took off, hurrying back to the ship. Genesis had a bad feeling about this.


"General Sephiroth saved the ShinRa ambassadors who were taken hostage by Wutai late last night. The ambassadors are safely back in Midgar now, and we are anticipating the declaration of war at any moment."

Lightning tore through the television screen, decimating it, leaving nothing but a smoldering heap. The lower ranked SOLDIERs in the room jumped, turning to look back. Genesis stood framed in the doorway, a look on his face that might cause death on any caught in it. The SOLDIERs shrunk into their seats, as though they were trying to make themselves seem smaller. A few whimpered as they saw something.

Genesis spun, avoiding the hand which would have been placed on his shoulder. Genesis dodged out of another friendly grab, eyes an icy glare as they looked up at worry-filled green eyes. He backed away from the General, a low growl coming from the back of his throat.

"I did not know my presence would do that. Genesis—"

"Always in your shadow…" The hatred seething in his voice made Sephiroth pause. Genesis did not care that Sephiroth looked hurt. He deserved it.

"Genesis, Lazard knows the truth, President ShinRa knows the truth, Angeal knows, you know, I know. Isn't that what matters?"

"I want to be the hero for once." Genesis pushed past the General, not looking at him as he stormed down the hall. Dreams, honor; Angeal did not know what he was talking about. His dreams would never come to fruition. His honor would mean nothing but one failure after another. There was only one way to get out of Sephiroth's shadow.