A/N: So how many people hate Hojo with a fiery passion? I know I do. This is the beginning of the end for the megalomaniac and he doesn't even know it yet... or maybe he has a clue, but he's too arrogant to realize it. It may not happen right away, but he will be getting his comeuppance. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter 21

The next morning Clarissa was awoken by the sound of banging. When she finally opened her eyes, it still took her several moments to realize it was the door. It wasn't until she stumbled over the small table in front of Genesis' couch that she remembered where she was. As she was straightening up from her near fall, she heard a voice start to accompany the pounding. She was already glowering when she jerked the door open to see Reno. "What the hell are you making all that racket for? I was sleeping."

Reno's face twisted up in a grimace when he looked over her shoulder. "Uh huh, sleeping. Well, just keep me in mind if you get burnt."

"Huh?" She was aware that she wasn't at top thinking capacity, but what he said didn't make any sense. As she was trying to figure it out she heard mumbled cursing from behind her. She turned to see Genesis step up beside her. When she saw him, it took several moments for her brain to catch up with what she was seeing. He was standing right next to her in a pair of baggy sleeping pants, and nothing else. When it finally did, understanding clicked and she turned back to Reno with a renewed glare. "Why are you being such an ass this morning? It's too early."

She was surprised to hear Genesis chuckle before adding his own input. "I agree with the lady. What do you want Turk?"

"You guys must've been up really late, or early. It's nearly 10:00, yo." His face had already reverted back to his normal, lackadaisical, expression.

It was Genesis that finally responded. Clarissa was still too stupefied. "That is still too early on a Saturday morning. Again, what do you want?"

"Heh, whatever Commander Cranky; don't shoot the messenger. I was told to retrieve Soldier Second Class Williamson and have her report to the Science Department. I guess Hojo wants to get her boosters done, yo."

Any irritation she was feeling at Reno's normal attitude was drowned in her instant feelings of dread. Her gut knotted up and between her hangover and the news, she had to push passed Genesis roughly to make a beeline for the bathroom.

Genesis tried to move out of the way quickly when he saw Clarissa's face lose all color. Even though she was in a hurry when she pushed passed him, his glare was for the Turk outside his door. "Hojo can wait. I'll have her there, but not before she's feeling better. If he doesn't like it, he can talk to me directly."

Reno shrugged. "I'll pass on the message, yo." He started to turn away but looked back with a smirk. "You want me to tell him she stayed here too?"

Genesis took a threatening step toward Reno, with flames licking around his fingers. "Not everything is as depraved as you seem to think. You would be better off keeping those thoughts to yourself."

Reno turned away, cackling to himself. He threw his parting remarks back over his shoulder with a wave. "Whatever you say, yo."

Genesis barely restrained himself from throwing a fireball after the irritating Turk. It was ultimately the thought that, if he scorched the carpet one more time, he was likely to have to contend with Sephiroth, and he had no desire to deal with that this morning.

After he walked back into his apartment, the first thing he did was go and get a cup of water. When Clarissa came out and sat down shakily at the table, he handed it to her. "You'll want to drink that. Sip it at first, but make sure to finish it all. I promise that by the time you're through you'll feel much better."

She tried to smile at his concern, but she still felt sick. She took the water and took a few sips. Once her stomach calmed she was able to speak. "Is it normal for boosters to happen the day after graduation?"

Her stomach knotted up again at his frown. "No, but you are a special case. There has never been another female that could handle the requisite amount of mako required for Soldiers. I'm sure Hojo is just eager to see what other surprises you have in store for us."

She grimaced at his words. "You know, that doesn't really make me feel any better."

He tried to erase his scowl to ease her concern. "I have already told you I would not allow you to go alone. Once you are ready, I will be going with you."

She was finally able to give him a smile. "Thanks, I really do appreciate it. Oh, by the way, would it be possible to clean up first? I still feel gross from last night. I would also like to go get a change of clothes. I can make it fast."

He thought about her request before responding. "Why don't you go ahead and clean up. I will go get your things and bring them here for now."

"You don't have to do that. I don't need everything anyway, just a change of clothes."

He shook his head. "You were supposed to get your new room assignment today. I doubt you will feel like handling that later, so for now, you can leave everything here. You don't have so much that it would be an imposition."

She grimaced at the thought of what was to come but she still gave him a nod. "I suppose you're right. Thank you again." She finished the last of the water and stood to go take a shower.

When she got in the shower, she turned the heat up and soaked for a few minutes, letting the steam help her relax. When she started to feel a little nauseous again, she turned it back down to the point of being nearly cold. She let it run for a moment again before she shivered and finished cleaning up quickly. Before she got out she turned it back to hot to warm up. When she got out she felt much better than she had.

It wasn't until she dried off that she realized she didn't have a change of clothes in the bathroom with her. She felt a little stupid, as that was what their conversation had been about. As she wrapped the towel around herself she was thankful that it was so large. She was also fervently hoping that Genesis was already back. She walked out of the bathroom to see he wasn't in his front rooms. She tentatively turned to check his bedroom and sighed when she found he wasn't there either. There wasn't much she could do but wait now, so she headed to the couch. She had barely had enough time to start to get uncomfortable sitting there in a towel when the door finally opened. She was on her feet before he got all the way in the room.

He had a large box in his arms with her dress draped over the top. He kicked the door closed behind himself before he looked up and caught sight of her. His eyes widened slightly but he quickly moved to set the box down on the little table in front of his couch. "I hope you weren't waiting long. I'll go hang this up while you change." At that he grabbed her dress and moved to his room, allowing her the chance to grab a change of clothes and head back to the bathroom. She could feel the heat in her face as she headed to the bathroom. She had to remind herself that it wasn't as if he hadn't seen her in nearly the same state before.

By the time she was clothed, she had herself under control. She walked out to find Genesis taking the rest of her things back to his room as well. When he returned she smiled at him before asking a question. "Thank you, I feel much better now. Did you want to clean up as well?"

"I had the opportunity before I slept. Hojo will likely be irritated at the delay anyway, so there is no point in putting it off any longer, no matter how much I might want to."

Her smile faltered at his reminder, but she felt better about it than she had. "Alright, let's get this over with then." She didn't wait for him to open the door for her.

Their entry into the Science Department wasn't much different than it had been the last time, right down to the scowling assistant. This time no one bothered to say anything to Genesis though. The woman merely led them into a room where she had Clarissa lie down. She didn't speak to them at all unless it was to give instructions. Once Clarissa was on the table, the woman started an IV before she left them.

It wasn't long before Hojo entered the room with a large syringe. He set it down on the small table next to the bed before turning to Clarissa with a sick grin. He pointedly ignored Genesis. He didn't have much to say either. He moved to take her vitals, but it was the barest of exams before he pulled the syringe up again.

Clarissa noted the green colored liquid glowed slightly and had to repress a shudder. As she was thinking that she was not looking forward to this, a screaming rang out in her head. Her eyes rolled back and her whole body stiffened, causing Genesis to jump forward to her side and Hojo to nearly drop the needle he had been about to inject into her IV.

Clarissa had no idea how long she had been out, but she had more important things on her mind. Minerva had not called her to the lifestream, but the situation was so urgent, she had to interfere, at least enough to let Clarissa know she was in far greater danger than she realized.

As soon as her body was back under her control she jumped up and off the table. She ripped the IV from her arm, not caring that it left a trail of blood. She was panting from the pain of her recent communication as she faced Hojo with a snarl. "Don't touch me with that!"

The scientist stood frozen for a few heartbeats. He had been taken by surprise by her unexpected actions. It didn't take him long to recover. He finally deigned to face Genesis. "Don't just stand there. If you are going to insist on being in here, the least you can do is be helpful. Hold her still. This won't take long."

Genesis turned to Clarissa with a scowl. She could tell he was debating telling Hojo to stuff it, but his serious mask finally came down. He moved to take hold of her arms to hold her still. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Don't do this. You don't know what he's doing."

His voice was low when he answered. "I know you're scared, but I promise this isn't anything for you to be worried about."

"Yes, it is! You have no idea what's in that syringe. I can't let him do this to me!" She started struggling to get away from his iron grip. It took all he had to try to keep her still and it was still not enough for Hojo to get close. Every time he would approach she kicked out at him. She was beyond being coherent by that point.

Hojo looked to Genesis again. There was a vein in his temple that stood out as he lost his temper and yelled. "I said be useful. Do something to make her stop!" It was at that point that she felt something cool wash over her. She realized it was a sleep spell as her eyes slid closed.

She was awoken by a slight slap on each cheek. She opened her eyes to see a concerned Genesis leaning over her. As soon as her thoughts cleared she scrambled away from him. She noticed the bandage on her arm and couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of betrayal. Her voice was clogged with tears when she finally spoke. "You don't know what you've done."

She turned her head at a noise nearby to see Hojo watching her curiously. She barely restrained herself from trying to rip his head off. Genesis had already moved to her side when he saw the look she was giving the scientist. She settled for telling him exactly what she thought. "One day someone is going to kill you, painfully and slowly, and once you're gone, no one will bother remembering anything you ever did. No one will care to try."

She watched as a strange look passed across his face before it turned to a glare. She could tell she had bothered him, even if his words were all business. "You will return in three days to check your progress." With that he walked out.

Silence filled the room and she refused to look at the man that she considered a friend. Logically she knew he didn't know what had just happened and probably would not have helped facilitate it if he had. Logic rarely had anything to do with emotions though and right now, she couldn't stop the tears at his actions. When he tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder she jerked away. She didn't look at him as she walked toward the door. "Let's go."

The silence between them as they walked back was only broken by her sniffles that she couldn't seem to get under control. Her eyes were so filled with tears that she didn't register the fact that her vision was blurring until she stumbled and nearly fell. It was only a few steps more before her legs gave out and blackness claimed her.

Genesis had never felt a rage like the one he was repressing now. He had complied with Hojo since he knew the man would have made it happen one way or another with means that would have likely been much harsher. Seeing the look Clarissa gave him when she woke up, nearly made him want to break the man in two. When she pulled away from him, he could feel the fire rushing to his hands; pushing to burn down the entire Science Department.

He didn't try to touch her again or speak to her as she walked out. He was still fighting to regain control of his temper. If he let it go this entire floor was likely to be incinerated. He was drawn from his internal battle when she stumbled. When she fell he jumped to catch her before she hit the ground. When he lifted her limp form into his arms, it was only his need to get her somewhere that she could be tended to that kept him from turning on the spot.

Clarissa felt strange as she sat up in the near darkness. She recognized the wisps of green around her, but they were fuzzy. Even the sound of Minerva's voice sounded like it was coming through cotton when she heard the Goddess call out to her. It took her several moments to finally focus well enough to know she was facing Minerva.

The Goddess approached and looked as if she was going to reach out but paused. "Child, I regret that it has come to this. I had hoped you would not be subjected to it."

Clarissa was finally clear headed enough to answer. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop it from happening. I tried, but Genesis… he…" She suddenly couldn't talk past her sobs.

Minerva tried to reassure her. "He already regrets his actions. He did not know what he was doing."

Clarissa could only nod at first. When she was able to speak, it was in a whisper. "I know that. I know he wouldn't hurt me on purpose. It's still painful. What am I going to do? Will I… will I end up like Genesis and Angeal now?"

Minerva's soothing voice washed across her like a balm. "Relax, this is unfortunate, but it is not the disaster you think it is. I warned you as soon as I realized what was happening in an effort to prevent it, but I can still mitigate it somewhat. I cannot change what will happen to you, but I can block the communication signals between the cells you now carry and the Calamity. She will not be able to control you."

Clarissa's tears finally dried at the Goddess' words. Those words brought up something that she had not thought of yet. "I am glad to hear there is that much at least. Can you tell me something though?"

When Minerva nodded she continued. "You said you can block the signal? Is that what you did… or I guess will do, to Genesis? Is that how you stopped the degradation?"

Minerva nodded. "Yes, he approached me with absolute belief and I was willing to give him another chance. I healed his body and blocked the signal to prevent it from happening again."

Clarissa's brow furrowed as she thought about something else. "Does that mean, that even if I prevent him from being injured, that he could still start degrading unless we can block those signals? If that is the case, how can we do that for all three firsts?"

Minerva's look was almost sad when she looked back to her chosen champion. "I can, and will happily do the same for them, but I cannot interfere unless or until they ask me to, and truly believe that I will help."

Clarissa found that her legs couldn't hold her. She was overwhelmed by what she had just heard. She had thought it would be difficult to keep Genesis from fighting with Sephiroth but knowing that was only the beginning had her feeling insignificant. The thought of trying to convince the three battle hardened Firsts, that they were in mortal peril but could be saved by a Goddess that only one of them held a belief in, was disheartening to say the least. She finally looked up into the sad face of the Goddess in question. "I don't… I can't see how to get passed this."

At her heartbroken words Minerva knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are still alive. I believe in you, and I know you do not know how to give up."

Clarissa let out a harsh laugh. "I never have before… but this is something else." They both sat there is silence after that. Finally, Clarissa turned to Minerva as another question occurred to her. "When will I start seeing changes?"

Minerva shook her head as she stood and helped Clarissa to her feet. "I cannot say. The more you push yourself, the more likely it will be sooner rather than later, especially since the body I made for you already has the remnants of the lifestream I used still flowing through your veins."

Clarissa nodded. "I understand. I can't stop though. At least I will be prepared for it."

At her words, Minerva gave her another sad smile. "Child, you are stronger than you realize. Don't forget I will do all I am able to assist you."

It was Clarissa's turn to smile. "I know. Thank you for everything."

Minerva gave her a nod in acknowledgement as she started to fade. "You are welcome. Have faith and be strong." Those words faded as Clarissa slipped back into the darkness.

When Clarissa came to, the first thing she noticed was the feel of soft sheets on her skin. Immediately following that was the feel of her head splitting in two and her stomach trying to crawl up her throat. Her eyes widened in panic as she shot up. Her movements were so frantic as she tried to make it out of the bed that she got tangled in the sheets. She succeeded in getting to the edge of the bed before her tangled feet had her falling to the floor. She could no longer hold back the waves of nausea. She was vaguely thankful that it was only dry heaves. She hadn't eaten anything before the incident with Hojo.

She noticed when a hand pulled her hair back from her face and another started rubbing circles on her back, but she couldn't make her traitorous body stop so she could deal with it. After several tortuous moments later, she was finally able to catch her breath, and she fell against the body next to her. When the body shifted to cradle her, she realized it was Genesis. He stood with her in his arms and laid her back on the bed before speaking. "I have already called Dr. Stein. She will be here to check on you shortly. For now, it would be best if you rested."

His tone was clipped and stilted. Clarissa could hardly find the energy to care, but she managed to reach out and grab his hand before he moved back to the chair he had pulled up next to the bed. When he looked back at her, his eyes held surprise. She tried to speak loud enough for him to hear. "Thank you. For helping me. I'm sorry I pulled away from you. It wasn't your fault." That was the extent of what she could force out. She closed her eyes against the blinding pain.

When she felt the bed shift, she opened them again to see Genesis next to her. His eyes had softened, and he still held her hand. "I will be here if you need anything." It wasn't an apology, but it was close enough for Clarissa. She squeezed his hand in return before closing her eyes again.