Chapter Nineteen: The Third Threshold
The good news was that Barret had three walkie talkies with him by which they could communicate. That would be helpful for their plans.
The rain stopped, and the next morning, the group set out for Hollander's Lab.
Cloud and Barret led the way, while Lightning and Jessie were in the center, with Snow as a rearguard. As it turned out, Jessie had been very busy since the village. She had been gathering information on explosives. "...So anyway, Shinra explosives are all about area effect, doing as much damage over a wide radius. The explosives I build, though, are all about precise damage in an enclosed space. Wutai, meanwhile, is all about flash."
"You seem to have a pretty in-depth knowledge of this stuff," said Lightning, seeming interested.
"Oh yeah, bombs are my favorite kind of toy," said Jessie. "I've figured out how to make all kinds of stuff and taught the guys at Fort Condor some of my tricks.
"You'd be surprised how much damage you can do with the ability to move quietly. That and some well-placed explosives."
"Eh, I prefer using my fists," said Snow, pumping one of his black-gloved hands. "I can punch out just about anything."
"We need a name," said Cloud suddenly.
"What?" said Lightning.
"A name to call our team," said Cloud. That was how these things went into heroic narratives.
"We're only in this for one mission," noted Snow.
"Sure, but we're still a team," said Cloud. "And most of us have worked together in the past. What is history going to call us when all this gets written down?
"We can make a name for ourselves, or just get labeled as terrorists or something."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Barret.
"It needs to suit us and our goal," said Cloud. "What is our goal for the future by being here?"
"We want to make a precision strike that creates a chain reaction," said Lightning. "One that will bring down our enemies. Though some of us are hoping the chain reaction will happen differently than others."
"Sound good," said Barret. "We do a small thing that causes a wave of big things that brings down Shinra for good! We'll be the small stones on the mountain that leads to an avalanche of justice!"
"Avalanche?" asked Snow, punching his own fist. "I like it."
"Sounds about right," said Lightning.
"Alright!" said Jessie. "We're like a superhero team now!"
On they went, and by the time they reached Hollander's Lab, night had come on. They saw a train pull away from it, and Lightning took the lead. They soon came to the ridge where the lake had once begun. Now all that lay in place of water was endless dirt leading up to the huge lab. It was a bloated structure, marring heaven and earth.
And patrolling the area around it were monsters. Horrible things with twisted limbs and vaguely human aspects were walking.
"So that's Hollander's Lab, then?" asked Jessie, lying down beside Cloud.
"Yes," said Lightning. "The whole thing was built over the ruins of Avalon."
"He didn't really bulldoze Avalon, it did he?" asked Cloud, wondering if anyone could be that heartless.
"No," said Lightning. "Not for lack of trying. The thing wouldn't take a scratch from our toughest machines, so in the end, they just built on top of it. Now there's a whole labyrinth underneath it. You can't even see it beneath all the metal, though."
"Okay, so, what exactly is our plan here?" asked Snow. "I mean, I think we should go over it again." Not a bad idea, although Cloud suspected that Snow had forgotten.
"We get into Hollander's lab, find his experiments, free all the prisoners we can find. Last, and most important, we get the data on his operations," said Cloud.
"Shouldn't there be a lot more guards here, though?" asked Jessie. "I can only see two."
"Guards can think," said Lightning. "This place was locked up really tight. Lazard had only the bare minimum number of people providing security. And since this place is miles away from the front lines, that's a low number. Now there aren't any at all.
"Unfortunately, it's not humans we have to worry about."
"You mean the monsters?" asked Barret.
"Shinra has been working on enslaving monsters," said Lightning. "Why hire men to kill them if you can repurpose them to kill your other enemies. When I'd worked security here for a year, I was reassigned and replaced with those things. There's only one or two guys here, beastmasters.
"Take them out, and the monsters will go feral and fall back on their programming."
"Makes sense," said Barret.
"Fine," said Cloud. "Here are the rules. We do not kill any people while we're here."
"Why not?" asked Barret. "After what they're doing-"
"Think about it, Barret," said Lightning. "Cloud's going to have trouble getting this information to be taken seriously. Lazard probably has a lot more pull. If we massacre a bunch of Shinra personnel, no matter how much they deserve it, no one will listen to anything we say."
"No matter what you find in there, Barret, you can't kill Hollander," said Cloud. "Or anyone else."
Barret nodded, his gun arm rotating the barrel. "...Fine, we'll give the bastard a leave of execution."
"Assuming he's even there," mused Lightning. "I'm going to start a distraction that should draw off the main monster forces. These things aren't that smart; that's why they keep them."
"Do you need explosives?" asked Jessie.
"No, I've got my gravity power," said Lightning. "I'll be fine. Snow, you come with me. Once it goes in, the noise should draw those things away. My guess is the beastmasters will go right after me.
"Then, you strike for them."
"How will we know them?" asked Jessie.
"They are human," said Lightning. "Or look it anyway."
And off she and Snow went to the far side of the crater. Cloud watched as disappeared into the rocks.
"So what do you think do you think she'll do?" asked Barret.
"Probably set off some explosives and blow up a truck or something," said Jessie. "Maybe-"
All of a sudden, there was a churning, and the ground shook. The cracked and dried earth exploded outwards and began to descend. Soon an entire wave of earth was descending toward the side of the facility. It smashed against it, swallowing many of the monsters on that side whole. The beastmasters rose and directed the creatures toward Lightning and Snow. The two of them were racing down the slope.
Leaping into the air, Snow dropkicked one of the creatures, kicking off its head. At the same time, Lightning cut down two.
"Now's our chance, go!" said Barret.
And Barret charged down the slope, guns blazing into the monsters from behind. Cloud and Jessie rushed with him toward the beastmasters. Even as they ran, the beastmasters looked to them, and the monsters obeyed some directive. Rushing toward them in a mass, they snarled.
Jessie drew out one of her bombs and rolled it under their feet. In an instant, it exploded, blowing them to pieces. At the same time, Cloud rushed toward the beastmasters. A monster interposed itself, but he dodged a claw and cleaved it in half. A bolt of lightning killed another, and then he was on the beastmaster.
Swinging the flat of his blade, he rapped the man on the head, and he was floored. The next pulled a gun, but Cloud disarmed him with a flourish and hit him as well. That man collapsed as well. Looking up, he saw the monsters losing cohesion. They were tearing at one another, even as Snow and Lightning tore through them.
"Those uh..." said Cloud to Jessie. "Those explosives are pretty strong, aren't they?"
"I know, right!" said Jessie, before kneeling down by the beastmaster. "Oh, do you think this guy has any C4 on him! I love C4!
"Hmm."
"What is it?" asked Cloud.
"All these guys are a redhead and have the same mullet," said Jessie.
Cloud saw that this was true and thought about removing the mask. Then he thought better of it as he dragged the unconscious bodies by the door. "Focus, Jessie. We've got other things to worry about."
"And the hero saves the day!" said Snow, coming forward.
"That takes care of the monsters out here," said Lightning, moving up to the gates and removing a device. "One moment." She planted it on the door as the others came forward.
"Hey, is that thing going to pick the-" began Jessie. The device sparked, and the doors melted inward before their eyes. "-lock?
"I've got to get one of those."
"They're designed for burning through doors," said Lightning, leading them into an entry hall. There were two ways forward, a staircase leading upwards and a door on the ground floor. "Hollander's lab is on the second floor. That's where the dormitories are. The prisoners are kept on the ground floor. There are two rooms for experiments, which usually deal with different projects.
"Hollander always likes to multitask."
"So what's the plan, Cloud?" asked Barret.
"Lightning, you and I will head up to the second floor and check the files," said Cloud. "Barret, you and Jessie are going to get the prisoners out. Snow, stay here and guard the door. Tell us if anything happens on the walkie talkie.
"Don't rush into anything. You're our pointman."
"Great, guard duty again," said Snow.
"Why are we blowing up the building anyway?" asked Lightning.
"It's Shinra," said Barret. "They're probably stealing people's souls or genetically engineering some kind of abomination. Better safe than sorry."
"We'll meet up after you free those people and decide what to do next," said Cloud. "And remember, no killing. We'll evacuate everyone before the place goes up.
"Lightning, let's get to the-"
And then Lightning grabbed Cloud around the waist. He froze as he felt her breasts pressed up against his back. Then she snapped her fingers, and they surged upward toward a terrace and landed. Lightning let go and walked onward into a lounge.
"It'll be faster this way," said Lightning.
Cloud tried to control his blush and moved after her. He should not be focusing on that kind of thing right now. Especially given what Lightning had done and how unstable she was. "Hey, um...
"That gravity power is handy, isn't it?"
"Just shut up and follow me," said Lightning.
They rounded a corner and came into a lab filled with dozens of green tanks. And minding one of them was Genesis Rhapsodes, clad in a white lab coat.
"Genesis!" said Cloud, drawing his sword.
Genesis did not reply and seemed to take no notice of them. Lightning looked around and shuddered. "If it is, then why is he over there as well."
Sure enough, there was another Genesis. There were at least six of them in this room at all, and they were working like machines. They hardly seemed to have taken any notice of them at all. Walking over to one by a desk, Cloud saw him writing down complex formulas on the paper. His face, however, was dead and expressionless.
"These guys... they're scientists," realized Cloud. "But they all look exactly like Genesis.
"Why aren't they responding to us?"
"Don't bother talking to them, Cloud," said Lightning. "There's no one upstairs but Genesis. And he's not paying attention to us."
"How is this possible?" asked Cloud.
"I don't know," said Lightning. "But there were experiments Hollander was working on. Creating monsters that could do the work of humans without actually being human."
"So why would they turn them into Genesis?" asked Cloud. If he were going to copy someone, it would be someone stable like Sephiroth. Or better yet, Tifa. The mental image of dozens of Tifas, all grown up, bowing in obedience wouldn't go away. He tried to focus on Lightning and only ended up adding Jessie and Lightning clones to the imagery.
Why clone Genesis?
"He was an experiment, like you and me," said Lightning.
Cloud paused by a device and saw that the Genesis in this pod was half-formed. No, half-corrupted. His hair was at least partially blonde, and his face was not fully tan. "This one isn't like the others.
"He..."
"He looks like he's turning into Genesis," said Lightning, reading several files on a desk. "From the looks of things, they've kept him sedated. He's genetically resistant to the conversion process.
"Let's get him out of here now."
Was that an act of empathy?
Or just an act designed to imitate empathy. Cloud decided it did not really matter. Drawing his sword, he smashed the pod open. The man fell out of it and landed. Even as he woke, however, he looked up at Cloud. "I...
"My friend...
"No, my head... get him out of my head, get out of my head. Please get out of my head. I feel him, he's... he's taking over, crawling into my...
"GET HIM OUT OF MY HEAD! GET HIM-"
Lightning shot him, one in the head, then again in the heart.
"You shot him," said Cloud.
"Do you think he wanted to stay alive?" asked Lightning.
"Cloud, what the hell was that?" asked Barret over the radio.
"...Hollander's experiments are... they're turning people into clones of Genesis," said Cloud. "There are live ones up here that are doing their jobs like they don't even notice us.
"Have you found the captives?"
"Yes," said Barret. "Had to kill the guards, though."
"Check beneath their masks," said Cloud. "What does their face look like?"
"...It's Genesis," said Barret. "They're all Genesis."
Cloud shuddered.
All of a sudden, those sensual visions of a harem of Tifas, Lightnings, and Jessie's became twisted. He imagined all of the women who had been transformed. Silently screaming with their personalities forced on them. All to fulfill his own twisted desires. All of a sudden, he wanted to throw up, but he didn't.
"Get these people out of here," said Cloud. "Break open the cells, give the ones who can bear arms the guards guns, and get them moving. Make sure to raid the storage for supplies and equipment; they'll need them on the trip."
"Gotcha," said Barret.
Cloud quickly scanned through a number of the documents before him. And an obvious truth came to him then. "...This place isn't an experimental lab at all.
"It's a factory. Every single one of these Genesis copies has the same recipe. These ones were meant to be scientists; they were drawn from the people assigned here."
"Probably a different strain," said Lightning. "You possess different kinds with Genesis and use them for different purposes. This is a facility for turning people into weapons. These ones, I think, were supposed to become worker ants."
"Did you know about this?" asked Cloud, feeling horrified.
"No," said Lightning opening a desk and flipping through it. "I probably could have figured it out. But nothing interests me anymore. I'm only able to focus on something if I need it to survive. Even that's hard.
"I obsessed over Serah to keep myself motivated.
"A lot of good it did me. I probably should have just eaten my gun at the end of that story and saved the world a subpar sequel."
"Lightning..." said Cloud, stuffing files into his pack.
"What?" said Lightning.
"You can still make up for what you did, you know," said Cloud. "It wasn't entirely your fault. If you testify, tell the government what happened, you might get a pardon."
"A few hours ago, you thought I was a monster," said Lightning.
"I didn't understand you then," said Cloud. "You're not evil. You're just well... mentally unstable. But I am too. But you know you are, so... maybe they can rehabilitate you. At the very least, you can help us stop Lazard."
"Would you be saying that if I'd killed Snow on the cliff?" asked Lightning.
Cloud considered the question as he put in more files, checking their titles. "I don't know.
"But I think that even if I wouldn't have, I ought to give you the same treatment either way."
Lightning looked away, what might have been a blush on her features. "We should focus."
"Cloud, this is Snow," said Snow. "We've got a whole lotta heroes in the making.
"Plenty of em are ready to fight."
"Forget about fighting Snow; get them out of there," said Cloud. "Loot some supplies, and lead them out to Camelot. We're not letting Shinra take them back."
"Gotcha," said Snow. "Alright, people, we need to get moving. So you've got to fan out and look for a supply depot. Once we have one, we'll head somewhere safe.
"We're going home together!"
Cloud sighed. "I wish I was so confident."
"Snow pretends to be a great, dramatic hero, so he doesn't have to face what happened to him," said Lightning. "Everyone we've ever known or loved is dead.
"...I actually feel something there, an absence."
Was Lightning getting back part of herself? It was possible that she hadn't had any real relationships since entering SOLDIER. Either way, Cloud had to focus. "There's no way we'll be able to take all of this.
"Monsters, machines, Project Genesis." The title struck his mind, and he drew it up, reading through it. The contents of that paper made his hands shake, and he had to recheck to be sure he was reading it right. "Dear God."
"What is it?" asked Lightning.
"It says here that Genesis has a genetic ability to copy his cells into others. When given a blood transfusion, he converted the blood into his own type. He also...
"He has an innate connection with that person ever since. It was Angeal. Whenever his blood is put into another creature's system, he forms a connection with them.
"What's more, Angeal is much more resistant to him than most.
"Genesis is copying his cells into those guys out there, turning them into inferior copies of him. Thralls to his will. They have their existing basic skills but also have access to elements of his. The more powerful they are, the greater the multiplier.
"Lazard is using Genesis to transform those prisoners into a... a hive mind of some kind. He assimilates their minds and bodies. And... Hollander theorizes that when they die, they go to Genesis, not the Lifestream."
"Let me see that," said Lightning, grabbing the paper. "...This is the sickest thing I've ever heard of. We've got to blow this place, and we have to do it fast. And check for explosives; we'll need a lot of them to level this place."
"Cloud, we have a problem," said Snow.
"What is it, Snow?" asked Cloud, wanting to be out of here.
"Well, we're all on our way to Camelot," said Snow. "But there's a train coming in. It's got an escort of helicopters with it. I'm leading the refugees out toward Camelot, but if they get to you, that'll be the first place they look."
"Get as far away as you can and stay hidden," said Cloud. "Other than that, radio silence. And don't shoot at anything unless you absolutely have to!"
"Look at this," said Lightning, shifting through another file.
"What is it?" asked Cloud.
"Other facilities. This should show where he's making the others," said Lightning. "If we get this to President Shinra, he could sweep them all up overnight.
"We might even do it before any of these things are manufactured."
Cloud took the details and shoved them into his pack. "Good thinking.
"Still, we've got to finish up and get out of here." He raised his walkie-talkie. "Barret!" Silence. "Barret, come in!"
"Damn it, where the hell is he," snapped Cloud. "Come on, Lightning."
They rushed back down the steps to the lower floor and made their way to the cells. The place was clinical and heartless. The guards' bodies were lying all around, and through a side door, they entered another room.
There were hundreds of Genesis copies in here, and they were taller and broader of the shoulder. Their muscles were toned. Soldier drones, Cloud guessed. Barret and Jessie were working on some kind of generator, attaching wires and setting a charge.
"Barret!" said Cloud. "Why isn't your radio on?!"
Barret glanced up. "It broke. One of these things moved suddenly, and Jessie dropped it."
"I said I was sorry, okay! These things freak me out!" said Jessie.
"Snow says that there's a train coming," said Cloud. "We need to hurry up. Are the explosives set?"
"Yup!" said Jessie. "We can blow them at any time. You just set this, and you've got a three-minute timer, as long as the line remains intact. Once the time runs out, this thing sends an electric charge to that device, and the whole place goes boom!"
"How?" asked Lightning. "You don't have nearly enough C4 for that."
"Oh, see, the entire system is interconnected by Mako," said Jessie. "So all you've got to do is ignite that, and it burns the whole thing for you. Change the Mako to something explosive, then ignite it and bang!
"I've been working on this thing for a while.
"If this thing works, we could destroy an entire Mako Reactor without any residual mako. Which means we could probably bomb the whole city of Midgar, and nobody could get sick or anything."
"Let's not make that plan until AFTER we talk to the reinforcements," said Cloud.
"We're talking to them?" asked Barret.
"Why not?" asked Cloud. "They've probably only been shifted into their positions with all the shakeups. Even if they are working for Lazard, I doubt they know what Lazard is doing. If I found out that my friends were getting turned into these things, I'd be... upset.
"We might even be able to arrest him right away.
"Can you start the device on short notice, Jessie?"
Jessie sighed. "Cloud, I'm assembling this thing from spare parts and the resources I can find in a backpack. The only reason I'm able to level this place is that I created a way to blow up raw Mako energy."
"Fine then," said Cloud. "Barret, Lightning, you and Jessie stay here and stand ready. I've got a meeting with the Shinra Commander to get to." He turned to leave.
"Cloud, catch," said Jessie, tossing a black ball at him.
Cloud caught it in hand. "What's this for?"
"It's a Wutai smoke grenade," said Jessie. "Could come in handy."
Moving to the front door, Cloud saw the train had stopped. Hundreds of troops were rushing out of it in the darkness. Lights were shining at them, veiling the soldier's faces in shadow. Gulping back his fear, Cloud stepped out with his hands up. "Listen to me! This entire compound is rigged to blow! Any of you open fire, we'll all go up!"
Silence.
"I want to speak with your commander," said Cloud. "Get me a chance to talk to them, and we'll disarm the bomb and work things out."
No response.
"These things aren't what they appear," said Cloud, taking the fact that he hadn't been shot yet as a good sign. "Hollander has been torturing the people sent to this lab into insanity. Transforming them into monsters. Just look at the man over there, if you want proof." He motioned to the slumped bodies and drew off the helms. "Look familiar?
"This place is a factory to turn you and your friend into clones of Genesis!"
Silence reigned, and then a figure landed in the spotlights rays, veiled in light. One wing emerged from its back, and Genesis stepped into sight. As he did, the rays were placed at the soldiers, and Cloud saw that every one of them had an identical mane of red hair.
This factory had been operational for a long time.
Genesis smiled and drew out his book. Not that he needed to, it was just a move of conceit. "My friend, do you fly away now?
"To a world that abhors you and I?
"All that awaits you is a somber morrow
"No matter where the winds may blow"
Cloud remembered the horrors he'd seen. The man who had been screaming before being put out of his misery. His comrades being machine-gunned in the water. The tales of horrors perpetuated, all done by this man.
And here he was, spouting poetry with the same smug overconfidence. As if he were in the middle of a freeway instead of at the scenes of his crimes. Angeal was a hypocritical monster, Lazard was a complete monster.
That made Genesis a narcissistic monster.
"My friend, your desire
"Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises
"Nothing shall-"
Cloud snapped. Everything that had happened, everything that had built up to this moment, now exploded. "GENESIS! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Genesis stopped in place, and for a moment, seemed dumbstruck. He'd evidently never gotten that kind of reaction before. Cloud threw his grenade at the ground, and it exploded into smoke while he ducked out of the way. "...Kill him."
Machine-gun fire ripped through the windows above. Men rushed through the doors, but too late. Fleeing through the passage, Cloud rushed into the Genesis room and shut the door behind him. Drawing out his Lightning Materia, he channeled it against the steel, melting it shut.
"A lot of good that's gonna do us," said Lightning, waiting.
Cloud moved back to Jessie, Barret and Lightning and paused.
"What now?" asked Jessie.
Cloud was at a loss. "Now, we die."
"The hell we will," said Barret. "Jessie, how much explosives do you have left?"
"Enough to put a hole in a wall," said Jessie.
"What about the floor?" asked Barret.
"Avalon," realized Cloud. "We can escape to Avalon."
"I'm afraid that escape was never an option," said Lazard's voice from on high. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you are finding your tour of the Genesis Army's inner workings entertaining."