I reluctantly left the group at the hillside and entered the rustic warehouse. A few birds freed themselves from the rafters as I entered, startled that someone actually came inside. The old processing factory had been mostly cleared out, so that it was pretty much empty space. Dusty, empty space.
I walked deeper inside, the only source of light being the dim streaks of sun that penetrated the thick, dirty windows. It was obvious I was the only one here. Then, my foot tapped something solid and out of place. I stooped down and picked up a ripe Dumbapple. It was a deep violet color, as if it had just dropped off the branch. I hadn't seen any blooming Banora Whites, but there could be a few in town that were in season.
Why would one be here though?
I looked at where I'd picked the fruit up, and noticed the faint outline of footprints. Two pairs. One, the standard SOLDIER leather heel, the other…a sneaker? It was harder to tell, as if the person had been walking with a limp, or just lazily dragging his feet. The footsteps in the dust led right to a tall stock-shelf.
I put my hands against the shelf and leaned into it. It moved, but not evenly against the wall. I tapped my fist on it, and it emitted a dull echo. I went to the side of the shelf and threw my weight into it. The shelf creaked, but slowly peeled away from the wall. I pulled it far enough so that I could move behind it, and paused. No wall at all, but a gaping hole in the hillside.
I hesitated at the entrance, then a series of cave-lights lit up above me, following a cable wire along the ceiling of the tunnel. As they were still blinking on ahead of me, I broke into a run.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever. I knew I'd been running for over five minutes, but I didn't want to turn back around. I couldn't. Then suddenly, it was bright. The tunnel opened up to a large outdoor clearing. A Banora White leaned over the entrance to the tunnel, straining to hold up the extra weight of so many Dumbapples.
The tunnel could have been made by the factory workers for easier access to this large tree. The shelf could have just been put there to block off the tunnel since it would no longer be in use.
But it didn't feel so deserted here. I kept looking around the high grassy walls, as if someone would jump down to greet me any moment. The leaves above my head rustled softly, even though it was impossible for the wind to reach it in this recess. I wasn't alone in this clearing...there was someone else here too.
Finally, I heard the footsteps.
I spun around to where the sound had come from at the entrance to the tunnel. A man in red leather stood where the grass turned into the dirt flooring of the tunnel, with his back facing me.
"Genesis!" I dashed to close the distance. I felt a kind of mixed anticipation, but joy that I'd finally found him. The mission hadn't been for nothing! "What happened?" I demanded. "Did someone threaten you if you didn't leave, or did you just get sick of ShinRa?" He didn't respond, even though he knew how impatient I could be. He swayed slightly, as if he was having difficulty standing. "Genesis?" I felt like he was ignoring me on purpose now. "Hey! Answer me!" Finally, he responded, at a hoarse murmur.
"S…Cells…" I strained to hear him.
"W-What? Genesis…?"
"S…Cells!" He suddenly turned, and pointed an unwieldy gunblade at me.
"What the-! What're you doing!" He spun the magazine into place and fired. I pulled my blade free just in time to deflect them. I skidded backwards, watching him over the edge of my sword. Something was very…off about him. He was frightfully pale, with white streaks in his dark hair. When I dodged, he made a throaty sound that resembled a chuckle. It made the hairs on my neck stand on end. "You're…who are you!" I yelled.
This couldn't be him! He didn't know how to use a gunblade, and that kind of weapon wasn't in his style either. But…he had my mentor's face…!
The fight that ensued was one of the most uncertain battles I'd ever been in. I kept telling myself that it wasn't Genesis, but my sword had difficulty finding targets. I hesitated, and before long, I was bruised and cut from my many dodges and narrow escapes. As SOLDIER, I had to be able to strike, even when it seemed illogical like this!
The creature must have sensed my hesitation, because it suddenly dropped its weapon and dashed in close. I almost cut him on impulse, then stopped myself, and tried to dodge again. But there was no room to get out of the way. He shot his arm forward like he was going to punch me, but spread his fingers wide. I felt the skin on my arm tear, and I leapt away. Now, at a distance, I could see what had happened, though it was harder to believe.
His fingers had somehow changed into thin, knife-like blades. It let out a throaty yell, and charged me again. Now it felt like I was fighting a monster. Now, there was no more hesitation to attack.
I made a fist, clasping a materia, and fired out my hand.
"FIRAGA!" It was the highest level magic spell I knew, and it dropped me to my knees right after it fired. I felt a kind of ripping as the spell left my hand, as it took so much of my energy forcefully away from me, leaving my hand with a stinging sensation.
My strange opponent shrieked as it hit him, too dumb to alter his course to avoid it, and rolled around in the flames. He clambered onto all fours, trembling s he tried to return to his feet. But as he stumbled towards me, he began to fall apart. His hair dropped off his scull as if it were straw, then, as he took one more step, his entire body crumbled in on itself. I turned my head away, and caught the faint glow of the lifestream.
I stumbled to my feet and leaned heavily on the pale trunk of the Banora White. I lifted my head up to the sky, desperate for a change of scenery. The leaves rustled in the wind again, dappling my face with moving shadows. How could there be this much peace after the battle I just had? The fresh air cleared my head, but I wasn't able to make sense of what had just happened. I swallowed heavily and shook my head.
"What the hell…" Well, I had something to report back to Lazard now. My body suddenly tensed, though I made no move for my swords. "How long have you been standing there?" I spoke carefully.
"Long enough to see that you have yet to overcome your indecisive nature." I made a fist on the bark.
"I killed it, didn't i?"
"You could have done a better job in half the time, one that wouldn't leave you dripping blood." I spun on my heel to face him.
"How did you expect me to react to that, Genesis! Whatever that…thing was, it had your face!" Genesis had LOVELESS open in his palms, as usual, casually balancing it on his wrist.
"A copy," He explained. "is made from the cells of its donor. It is likely to look identical."
"A copy? Like a clone? Genesis, what do you mean? Why did you leave?" His eyes met mine for an instant, and he clapped his novel shut. He reached longingly to the branches of the Banora White above our heads.
"To seek out the gift of the goddess." He made a fist and brought it down. "That is why."
"LOVELESS?" I hissed. "I'm not kidding! The higher-ups have labeled you a deserter! If you don't come back soon…" I ground my teeth together. "Genesis- we're going to be sent to kill you soon! You have to come back!" He gave a soft smile, almost apologetic. That wasn't like him, and I didn't like it.
"Hail, you must know that once a SOLDIER deserts, there is no going back." I exhaled sharply.
"So you are a deserter." He laughed quietly, and brushed his feathery bangs out of his eyes.
"Call it what you like. But maybe you should consider it yourself sometime. I saw you found my letter."
"Just because I thought that you were in Banora because of what you wrote to me doesn't mean that I plan on deserting with you!"
"No, I didn't think you would." He looked me over as I stepped away from the tree. "All that awaits you is a somber morrow." He narrowed his eyes. "No matter where the winds may blow." I was so angry now that I could attack him. I should have already done that. But I wanted answers. Genesis hardly ever talked while he fought.
"Stop the quotes!" I snapped. "You're the traitor here!" He seemed amused as always. Like everything I said was a joke to him.
"My friend, do you fly away now,"
"Stop it!" I yelled.
"To a world that abhors you?" He knew well how I felt when people talked bad about ShinRa, and SOLDIER. He knew that it hurt me, because it reminded me of my disappointed family. He was a deserter! I should be slicing off his legs so I could drag him back to ShinRa. But instead, in that rage, I got creative.
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises…!" I yelled. His eyes widened. "Nothing shall forestall my return!" He looked not taken aback, but happily satisfied. "Besides," I grumbled, mad that I'd played along. "I don't have wings to fly away with." He laughed softly. Apparently my response was that amusing.
"My friend, your desire is the bringer of life…the gift of the goddess." With that, he swept his arm to the side, and a single black wing erupted from his shoulder. I gasped loudly, and stumbled backwards.
"What…? Genesis…" The wing folded against his back, unevenly and awkward.
"I'm no longer human. I cannot go back now. Just a hollow shell…of a monster."
If my response had been quicker…if I only hadn't hesitated…
He bunched his muscles and leapt straight upwards. His wing unfurled in mid-air, and drove him high into the sky.
"Wait!" I screamed. "SOLDIERs are not monsters, Genesis!" I watched him reach the clouds, then streak forward like a plane, and he was gone.
A few black feathers were left in his wake, slowly drifting down into the clearing. One of the downy plumes passed only inches by my face, but I let it fall. But just as it was about to come to a rest on the ground, I gasped and lashed my hand out to catch it. I almost missed it, but caught it narrowly between my fingers. I brought it into my other hand and stared.
My swords were tucked away at my sides, untouched since my last fight, and I stood instead with a feather in my hand.
He was a deserter, damn it. And I'd been useless to help in any way. Not to my mentor, not to ShinRa, and defiantly not to myself. Or the troops who were waiting back at the…
I heard a faint gunshot, followed by many others. I gasped sharply, then sprinted off back to the warehouse.
I felt like it took ten minutes to get back, instead of five. While I was running, my phone alarm went off.
"Hail? Where are you?" Lazard always called at the best of times.
"I'm…uhm, agh! I don't know- I'm heading back to the warehouse." I snapped, exasperated. "Look, you were right about Genesis, he-"
"Hail!" He interrupted. "The bombing choppers already have Banora in sight. The Wutai did attack, and the backup is getting the wounded onboard." I cussed under my breath, and ran even faster.
"How long do I have?"
"Only a few minutes. You need to run for it."
"What do you think I'm doing!" I snapped, shoving the phone closed and away in my pocket. By the time I did reach the warehouse, I could hear the bombing choppers closing in. And a unit of Wutai troops fighting outside.
I didn't slow my pace, but pulled my sword into my hand as I ran. The Wutai were defiantly surprised when I barreled out of the warehouse at a full-sprint, slicing as I ran through their ranks. But they were still quick to act. They barricaded my path, and raised their guns to fire. I deflected the bullets, but I was trapped. I was forced back towards the warehouse, towards the epicenter of the bombing site.
But before any of them could get any closer though, they dispersed in a wall of flames. The ground shook as the first bomb dropped right on the Wutai troops. Bodies flew into the air, upturned along with the soil underfoot.
Sure, I was safe from the Wutai, but I was only a few meters away from where the bomb went off.
The explosion threw me backwards against the warehouse, and there was a loud snap when my head smacked against the wall. I let out a strained yell as my eyesight went black, then was overcome by the pain.
I slid down into the grass, away from the body-sized dent I'd made in the wall, and slouched awkwardly against the building. I clamped my eyes shut, and blindly felt for the sword I'd dropped. Weaponless, and with less than half my normal vision, I was the easiest of targets.
The chopper continued overhead to circle past- an unusual behavior. Someone had told them to seize fire.
The remaining Wutai scrambled to their feet, making a hasty decision to retreat. But there was still the attraction of the immobilized SOLDIER to keep them lingering.
"Should we kill her?" One snapped, hasty to leave. "The chopper's comin' around again." He warned, pacing with his gun raised at the sky.
"The chopper won't be back for a minute, let's take her as a hostage instead." Another one replied, not quite as concerned.
I heard them approaching, and tried my vision. The bright sunlight stung like mako, and my hand flew to my head where the pain was the strongest. The Wutai closed in quickly, and I couldn't do anything about it.
Suddenly, distinct Wutai screams filled the clearings. Short, and strained. A quick, but painful death.
Breathing heavily with adrenaline, I squinted my eyes and scanned the field. Everything seemed to be shaking, but I made out a distinctive figure approaching me. I scrabbled for my sword again, then a hand closed over mine. In it was the cold hilt of my blade.
"You're looking for this?" I let out a weak sigh of relief as I recognized the voice and the blur of silver like a halo around his face. "Let's get you out of here." Sephiroth suddenly heaved me into his arms, and I screamed in protest.
"Ow- don't!" But he held me in a firm grip, so my struggles were in vain. "Ow- ow! Stop moving!" He adjusted him arms so that my aching head rested still against his chest, and the pain subsided. Though he didn't stop walking, at least he heard some of my complaints.
"Is that better?" He asked.
"Not really…" I groaned. But it was. At least my head wasn't being tosses around as he hurried to the chopper. But something about being carried by Sephiroth, wounded as I was, made me strangely lethargic.
The sound of the chopper's blades was the worst. They never turned the engines off during a mission, so the deafening humming was nonstop. I must have been yelling right into Sephiroth's chest. It was quiet as the doors closed behind us.
"Whoa! Is she okay?" One of the back-up Infantryman gasped as we entered the chopper. He quickly gave up his seat for Sephiroth to put me down across the empty row of seats. I threw my arm over one of the seats, trying to steady myself into a sitting position. Sephiroth gestured for the Infantryman to take his seat again.
"Concussion, and a deep cut on the forehead." Blood was dripping from the stream it had made down the side of my face now. The neck of my uniform felt warm and damp. Of course I had a cut. I had a freaking crevice in my face.
He handed the Infantryman a thick gauze cloth.
"Hold her head still, and keep pressure on the wound." Sephiroth pushed against my shoulder until I leaned back so that my head was in the Infantryman's lap.
"I'm fine…" I slurred in a weak protest.
"Of course you are." Sephiroth mocked. "Just stay that way until we get to Midgar."
I hissed as the Infantryman pressed the gauze onto my head.
"Sorry." He hastily apologized.
"It's fine." I reassured. As the chopper rose into the air, swaying, I gasped and caught the Infantryman's arm in my hand. He winced as my grip tightened, but didn't complain.
"You're…Hail Darvey, right? 2nd Class SOLDIER?"
"That's me. What gave it away? The breasts?" He laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, no actually. The hair. Though, it's sort of red right now too…" I released his arm as the chopper steadied itself in the air. "I'm Garrison." I doubted I would remember, the way my head was throbbing. Hopefully, I wouldn't be able to remember this flight at all.
Garrison dabbed the sweat off my face with the edge of his sleeve, casually talking as if he knew how it relieved some of the pain to focus on his voice.
"I joined a few months ago. I'm from Junon by the way. I'm taking the SOLDIER exam soon. Maybe I'll see you more often." With another cloth, he'd started to wipe the streaks of blood off my skin before it dried in place.
"Looking better than this, hopefully…" I murmured. He'd stopped the bleeding by now, but I'd lost enough blood for me to feel weak. I bet I was paler then a white chocobo now too. I was glad now that my head was on his lap, and that I was already lying down. I wouldn't have been able to remain sitting upright.
"Ah, you don't look too bad." He reassured. I smiled weakly. "I mean, if you look like this when you're hurt, I wonder how nice you clean up. Must have a boyfriend, right? The only girl in SOLDIER."
"Surprisingly, despite my apparent charm and being surrounded by men as I am, I remain single." He gently brushed my hair away from my eyes, tenderly passing over my gauze-covered right eye.
"Wow. I guess you intimidate them. 2nd Class SOLDIER and all."
"Not very intimidating right now…" I slurred.
"That's probably because you're bleeding out of your head." I opened my eye, and was annoyed to see the helmet-covered face again.
"Take off the helmet…like talking to a wall."
"I'd have to let go of your head."
"Jus' do it." He gave a hearty sigh, then took one hand away from my temple and pulled the helmet off by the base of his neck. He dropped it by his feet and stroked his hand over my ear.
"There. Happy?" I couldn't hardly make out his face, my vision now casting shadows across everything at random intervals. He was tan though, as if he'd spent his childhood shirtless on the beach. Seeing how he came from Junon, that could be true. A mess of black hair, flat at the top from the helmet. "I'm pretty good-looking, right?"
"Can't tell." I responded. He shrugged, and gently adjusted my head in his lap.
"Ah, well, that's harsh." He joked. I guess he was trying to lighten the mood, since I'd revealed how little I could actually see. Sure, I couldn't see much, but I instantly liked this Infantryman. His palms firmly kept my head from moving with the chopper, while his fingers stretched over my hair and temples, gently massaging the pain away.
"Hey, Garrison?" I muttered.
"Yeah?"
"I'm about to faint."
"Ah, well, that's okay. Don't you worry about it." I didn't have time to, because my eyes rolled back into my head and I passed out a moment later.