Chapter 3


Simon sat completely still. His face set in stone. His eyes were glaring at a man who sat across from him.

"They sent you. Why?"

The man simply smiled. It was an arrogant smile. A smile often used against people of lower intellects.

"Not gonna answer?" Simon pulled out a gun. "How about now?"

The man finally decided answering would be best. "The council sent me here to deal with you."

"With me?" Simon suddenly snapped up.

"They knew you came down to the surface. And they know you've been living here for quite some time now Simon."

"If they know that, then do they know why I came?"

"Yes. You wanted to stop us from taking over your precious Planet."

Simon tried to break the man's calm cool cover with a piercing stare. But to no avail.

"Simon, you can't stop us. We are going to destroy the Cetra. And I am going to lead them."

"You address me by my name, and yet I still don't know yours."

"Why should I tell you my name?" The man crossed his fingers and rest his elbows upon the table seperating the two.

Simon aimed his gun casually.

"You're bluffing." The man said, looking down the barrel of the gun.

"Am I?" Simon replied just as casually.

"Yes." The man said as he put one finger on the side of the gun and slowly pushed it away. "You are."

Simon just starred, trying to read the man's eyes. But he couldn't. They were set in stone, completely lacking of any emotion. Only his face held a slight grin. Perhaps because of Simon's uncomfortable position.

Simon spat at the man. "You won't lie long down here."

"May I inquire as to why?"

"This is my world. These are my people."

The man waved his arms about, trying to convey the fact that they were inside MIdgar, and that it was populated by his people, and not Simon's.

Simon simply spat again. And then he spun and left.

Another man entered the room.

"Gast? Who was that?"

"He is one of us."

The newly entered man starred. "One of us? Oh! The man we were sent to destroy as a side objective."

"Exactly."

"Does he pose a threat."

"A partial one. Nothing to worry about."

The other nodded. "And when shall we begin our experiments."

"We have already began." Gast replied.

"Have we?"

"We have."

"How?"

"I have already found a few subjects on the pathetic Planet for testing. They are in Lab Sub Level 3." He chuckled slightly.

The other rubbed his hands together with vigor. "Excellent." A sickening smile appeared on the man's face as he trotted off.

Gast sat for a moment longer, thinking of who to begin on, and what to try first.

----

Aden smiled happily as he watched his baby girl playing with the simple child toys.

She soon lost intrust and struggled to her feet, only to fall to her knees and begin crawling along the carpet.

Joulee sat in the sofa beside Aden, her arm around him, his arm around her, both smiling with joy and happiness.

It never occured to them that a new war was on the brink of the horizon, threatening to destroy everything they had fought for and won in the first. Threatening to destroy the very Planet that they set their feet upon every day. Threatening to destroy the lives that so many and worked so hard to create.

But the signs of the war were beginning to spread. They were beginning to be noticed by a select few in high places.

A sharp rap was heard. A fist banging against the wood of the door.

Aden carefully lifted himself to his feet and made his way to the door, careful not to stub his toe, or step his anything that happened to be strewn about he walkway.

The door opened as Aden unlatched it.

A man stood there. He was a burly man. Large and well-built. He obviously worked out often, his muscles bulged even inside his loose fitting suit. Which was the military standard; Dark green and black.

"General Aden?"

"Yes?"

"The Cetra Military is recalling all military personel. You are required to return to your duties immediately."

"What?!" Aden's face took on a grim expression, one of dispair and sorrow.

Joulee had heard the coversation and was now at her husband's side. "Why does he have to go back? The war has been over for years!"

"Yes it has." The man replied, his voice quick and sharp. "But, a new threat is arrising and we are in need of an army. Your husband is a part of that army and is required to come with me."

"I do not wish to return to the battlefield. The will to fight no longer courses through my viens."

The man simply starred at the General.

"What if I refuse?"

The man reached into his suit and when his hand returned to the open air a gun was in it.

"This is a tranquilized gun. I will shoot it at you and your wife. And then I will take you with me and you will fight for us."

"That doesn't sound like much fun to me..."

Tears were now welling up in his wife's eyes, and he could see the same dispair in them that had overtaken him only a few minutes ago.

But in his heart he knew there was no escaping this. He knew that even if he was able to take down this guy, more would come. They always would. They would take him away from the life he had worked so hard to build. The would force him to fight. Force him to kill to protect his life. Force him to kill to prevent death. Death to prevent Death.

The irony of the situation almost brought a smile to the General's face. But instead he looked to his wife with grim resolution. His path was set and there was nothing he could do to change it.

Perhaps his path had been predetermined by destany, a cruel fate. He was lead to believe that the rest of his life would be lived out in peace, and then, when he was least excpecting it, he would be called to his death.

He felt his death this time. He would not survive the battles of this war. His will to kill, to survive, to fight. They were all gone. And his wife knew it.

She was now in tears, her violent sobs shaking her body. THe sickening feeling in her stomach making her want to throw up or die.

And still the large man stood as solid as stone, unphased by the outbrake of emotion that seemed to be charging the air.

It was interesting that so much feeling could transend between two people without any exchange of words.

Perhaps death, or the knowing of one's death made it possible. No one could be certain, but the General's memory gave way to blankness as he was taken away by the man, his wife weeping on the door step, his baby crying inside his house.

His numb emotions registered nothing as he was hauled into an army vehicle and taken away from the few posessions he had, and the two things he had ever loved.

The thought of suiced filled him.

His mind tried to fight back. I have to at least TRY to live! To at least TRY to return to my family. But Fate seemed to have chosen him already. It seemed to have him stamped and ready to be shipped to the afterlife.

He tried to shrug these emotions, these thoughts, he tried to shrug them all off. He tried to concentrate on how to live.



---

"What is this subject's name?"

"What does it matter?" Gast replied to his apprentice.

"How shall I address him without a name? How shall I speak of him to others without a name?"

"You need not speak of him to others. And you need not address him for now."

"But still, he must have a name!"

"Then you may dig through his records and find it for yourself."

"Are you sure that we should be using these, these...*children* for our tests?"

"I see no reason why we shouldn't."

The other shrugged, deciding to let it go.

"Are you going to find his name?"

The apprentice nodded slightly and walked over to a pile of folders.

The top one read: "Project.1 - Planet.13342 - Species.53368 - Specimen.3"

He opened it carefully, a picture of the boy was inside. He was an odd looking thing. The silver hair being the most striking feature. And such piercing eyes. But his eyes would change. Gast had said so.

He looked through a few folders until he finally stumbled upon the name.

"Sephiroth." He said aloud. "But where is his last name?"

"Does he need one?" Gast retorted.

"I suppose not."

"Then you suppose right."

Gast leaned over the boy, who was sedated and restrained upon a table. Tubes ran into the boys arms and legs and nose.

"Begin the infusion."

"The mako first?"

"Yes."

"And then the J-Cells."

"Yes." Gast nodded with pleasure as he watched the liquid enter the boys body. He watched as the Cetra body began to spasm. He did nothing. Neither did his apprentice.

The simply watched.

"The Perfect Soldier..."

---

The Sephiroth experiment seemed to be going according to plan, and so the scientists began work on infusing some of the species that had been sent down by the council.

The first two Subjects went the same way. Both ended up dead.

But the third had survive. He was a strong boy. His spikey black hair seemed to indicate his strong will. Stiff and unmoving.

"So this is the one?" Gast looked at the boy. "Kind of puny."

"Yes this is him."

"Where is Hojo?"

"He said he had business to attend to."

Gast's face showed his disbelief. "What's his name?

"His name sir?"

"Must I repeat myself."

"It's just that you never used to ask for a name..."

"I've changed."

"Zackery."

"Hummm." Gast rubbed his chin slightly.

"Proffesor is there anything you need?"

"Yes. I have been thinking of a new experiment."

The other stood and waited for Gast to continue. His patience much practiced in the Doctor's presence.

"Rather than continue to infuse subject after subject and come out with varying results, I believe it would be much quicker and much more efficient to clone a subject that was successful and strong."

"But Professor, we tried cloning Sephiroth...and I suppose you remember how that turned out."

"Yes, yes. Of course I remember. But Sephiroth was a Cetra, we were ignorant in that area. This one is one of us." He motioned to Zack.

"Then, I shall get the cloning instruments now?"

Gast turned his back to the boy, and began to leave the room, "Yes, ready the cloning procedure, I am going to find Hojo."

---

General Aden looked at the battle plan grimly. Rather then sit back and wait for the attack, the Cetra Army had been ordered to go on the offensive. Not something the General had thought the Cetra would ever do.

But, as he looked at the plan, he thought that this might be the best course of action.

The General sat calmly, completely contrasting his former figure that had wished so much not to leave his safe and secure home.

A camera sat fixated in the corner of the room, its electronic eye watching Aden. Flowing back through the wires, the picture appeared in front of a couple of seated men. They were assigned to watch Aden, and to make sure that the brainwash had gone to plan.

The Army couldn't afford to loose this General. He had been one of the key personel from the first Planetary war. But when they had recieved him in preperation for the second, he was a changed man.

He had become a family man. A caring man. One who's heart had been turned back to flesh. And the two men that now sat clamly watching himself had been ordered to destroy that flesh and blood heart. To return it to its stony origin.

They had done as they were ordered, without a remorse in their own hearts they had carried out their orders.

And now the General was once again carrying out his. He had been studing battle plans for the last five hours. Trying to decide on the best course of action against the enemy.

The suggestion for the offensive strike had been brought about by one of the General's former underlings. They were all now major parts of the Army. And they had all helped in redeveloping the armarment for the army. And now they were ready.

They simply waited for the General's word. Then it would be reviewed by the people behind the desks. Then it would be sent out amongst the ranks. Then the ranks would prepare themselves for battle and send themselves out into the battlefield. Dieing for their cause, killing for their cause.

But it didn't bother the General anymore. Nothing did. He wasn't sure why. But he didn't ponder the train of thought for more than a second. His mind was concentrating on determining the best targets to attack, and the most volitale ways of doing it.

His first impression was to destroy the main producer of the enemy. The Shinra. They were the ones who held control over the city of Midgar. They were the ones who were going to form their army and retailate against the General's attack.

He decided upon a plan. Looking once more over the map, the predetermined routes, and the strikes, and folded it up.

He stuck it lightly under his left arm, and briskly walked out of the small room. He marched silently to the main office of the building he know resided in. He then handed the paper to a man sitting behind a desk. The man took it. No exchange of words were used, only a quick nod by the man and then General left.

He strode back to his quarters and sat on his bed. His altered mind made no attempt to bring back the memories of his wife or of his child. It simply thought coldly of the war that was about to break out. It calculated moves, positions, ways to destroy the enemy quickly and efficiently.

However his mind tired of the thinking and he lay himself flat along the bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Calm and at ease.

---

Joulee sat dully on the couch. Aeris was crying in the room next door. Joulee had tried everything. Nothing had worked. Was the only conclusion that her mind could fathom.

Joulee herself began to weep silently. Her body was racked by the silent sobs. Her eyes drooped as her lack of sleep began to overtake her. The combined sobbing and need for sleep slowly overcame her, and soon she found herself unconsious upon the floor.

---

"HOJO! GAST!" The cry came from above.

"What has happened know?" Sighed the tired scientist.

Hojo looked at Gast, silently regarding him. "Keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Hojo, what has gotten into you? Why have you become so- so..." He stopped, his loss of words apprent.

But before the grim scientist could reply the door burst open.

"THE WAR HAS STARTED!" Cried the hysterical man.

"What?!"

"No! Not yet, we haven't finished yet!" Gast ran his fingers through his scragley, and not-so-recently washed hair.

"Assemble the SOLDIERS." Hojo replied, somewhat more composed then his fellow.

The man nodded as he ran back out the door and up the stairs.

"The SOLDIERS haven't been completely finished." Groaned the tired Gast.

"Just because they can not use materia yet does not mean they won't win this fight."

"I suppose you are right as usual Hojo."

"Of course I am."

"What about Sephiroth? Do you think he can fight?"

"He is still but a boy Professor."

"But what if this is an all or nothing gamble by the Cetra? What if they are throwing all their forces at us at once. It would make sense to have Sephiroth on the battle field."

"He is still a boy Gast! A boy can't fight a man's war!"

"He is different than you and I dear Hojo. I have dedicated my life to creating this simple boy! He is more powerful than you can imagine!"

"I have helped you create this monster Gast, I know his power. But a boy can't harness this power! He simply would cower in the corner!"

Gast lowered his head. "Send him out anyway. He must gain experience at the very least."

Hojo looked at the man piercingly. His thoughts distracted him for the moment,

"Send him out." Gast snarled as Hojo merely stood there, unmoving.

"Alright. But I warned you."

"Whatever."

---

Sephiroth looked at the blade that his "father" had just given him.

"What do I need this for?" He returned, spinning the blade around in his hand.

It was a small blade, but large for his size. Hojo knew that Gast was trying to prepare him for the Masamune.

"You are going to use it to kill people."

"Why?"

"Because that's what you do."

"Why?"

"Why else would you be here."

Sephiroth shrugged.

"Will you do it?"

The boy looked back at the only figure he could look up to beside Gast. "Do I have a choice, his eyes were now that of a Mako infused SOLDIER, yet they retained their peircing prospects.

Hojo simply smiled and led Sephiroth out of the room.

He led him up the winding stairs and through the desolate laboratory.

Sephiroth looked out into the city's night. He saw flashes of green, and the blazes of red.

"Where is Zack?" The boy looked around for his childhood playmate.

"Zack is not yet prepared for battle." Hojo replied as Gast watched in the background.

"I won't fight without him." The Mako eyes glew with resignation.

Hojo knew that there was no changing the boy's mind once it was made up. He signlaed for Gast to retrieve the subject, and he in turn signaled for one of his underlings to do it for him.

The black spikey's of the boys hair were soon seen as he was led to the boy with silver hair by Gast.

Sephiroth looked the boy up and down, noticing his blade. Zack's was thicker, but not as long as Sephiroth's.

"Why do we have to fight?" Zack suddenly asked pleadingly.

Hojo looked at him sternly. "You boys are sure full of a lot of questions. Do as you're told. Don't ask questions. And then you will get your medication for the day."

The two looked sadly at each other, they knew that this was a harsh punishment. Without their daily treatment of Mako they went into a state of withdrawl. It was a horrid thing to watch, and much much worse to live through.

Sephiroth drew waved his sword around, "And what if I kill you where you stand Hojo?"

"Then you and your friend would be shot into trillion pieces by the Shinra Guards Gast over there would call almost instanly.

Sephiroth simply shrugged.

"Now go boys. Go kill some Cetra."

They shrugged in unison this time as they sprinted away into the night.

"Gast, if you're wrong, we just ordered those two to their deaths."

"And if I'm right?"

"Then we've just started creating the two best killers anyone has ever seen."

"I'm right."

"I know."

---

Zack strove to keep up with his older "brother". Sephiroth was a good bit faster than him. But he had been on the Mako longer. Of course he was faster, stronger, and smarter. But Zack wasn't far behind.

They heard screams and explosions not far ahead. Flashes of fire, ice, and lightning were seen. As were the burst of flame given off by the muzzle of a gun.

The two arrived onto a seen of dead bodies. The battle had moved farther on.

Sephiroth looked down at the bodies, completely unphased, but Zack puked. Sephiroth chuckled slightly. "Puke now and you won't have to when you're the one making these bodies the way they are."

FlashFlash Zack thought, relieved. Anger rose up in Zack's blood. In that instance he decided he would not return. No matter how bad the withdrawl was, he was never going back to Hojo. He would no return to evil.

But in these thoughts, wonder arose. Wonder of what he was doing.

He did his best to bandage Sephiroth's wounds. Then, he set out, away from the battle. Away from the death. And the killing. He just wanted to be away.

---

Hojo sat in silence. His fingers were steepled together.

"You were wrong." He suddenly said, starring down his once mentor.

"Only partly."

"One of our expirements is gone. The other is having trouble recovering, ever with his Mako enhancements."

"We have the first's cells. We can clone him. And the other will recover. And he is now stronger and more experienced."

"It was still a failure."

"On the contrary, we won the battle."

"Hardly."

"They retreated didn't they?"

"We lost twice as many troops as they. It was our buildings that were being destroyed in the cross fire. Our innocent pedestrians that could become future SOLDIERS that were dying."

"..."

Hojo shook his head, clasping it in his hands now. "Hopefully they will not return for a while. Hopefully they are hurt as well, and we will have time to repair the damage."

"We have to speed up our work. We must create the perfect SOLDIER before they return."

"Then let's get to work."

---

Joulee rocked herself in the officer's arms. It wasn't often that an officer of the army took the time to come out to a residentiel area unless they were recruiting. Almost never merely to tell of a deceased one.

Yet he sat silently, doing his best to comfort the poor woman.

"I can't do it." She sobbed.

"Do what ma'am?"

"I can't take care of her!"

"Ma'am?"

"My baby! My little girl! My baby Aeris."

"What would you like me to do ma'am?"

"Take her."

"What?"

"Take her somewhere where she can live in peace and happiness. Where she can by raised by normal parents."

"Ma'am...I don't know..."

The door suddenly burst open. Muzzles flashed as bullets flew. Screaming. More bullets were heard throughout the neighborhood. Crying.

One of the soldiers grabbed the crying baby and took her back with him.

More muzzles flashed as the last of the inhabitants were killed. They never had a chance.

---

"How are our surprise attacks doing?"

"All ten targets have been completely wiped out."

"Now they're on their toes."

"Yes, now their forces are spread throughout their towns to protect them. Now is the time we attack their military bases."

"Yes sir."

---

A small baby was deposited on a desolate doorsteps. It's cries echoed throughout the night. And rustling inside the house was soon heard.

Foorsteps padded softly down the stairs and soon opened the door. The baby girl continued to scream.

The middle aged woman looked down, shocked. She picked the baby up, craddling her in her arms.

"Shhh...Shhh..." She whispered into the night soothingly. "Elmyra's here to take care of you."

A woman looked out from the night. "Take care of her." She said.

Elmyra looked up. "What, who's there?"

"Please! Take care of my baby!" The woman's voice was desperate.

"Why? What's going on?"

"No time to explain. But, Please! take care of her! Her name is Aeris!"

"What's your name?"

The woman paused, seemingly unable to answer.

"You can call me Ilfalna." The name was false. The woman who stood there was Joulee, she was trying to cover, and she didn't know why.

"Why must she stay here?"

"I can no longer take care of her." Blood seemed to drip from several wounds on the woman.

"Let me get you help!"

"NO! You mustn't. You'd only endager yourself. Just take care of her!" And then Joulee sprinted off.

Elmyra looked down at the small child, who had ceased her endless crying.

"You poor thing." She stroked the baby's face softly. "Aeris." She repeated the name the woman had given her.

"I will." She whispered back into the night. "I will take care of her. I'll raise her like she was my own."

And then she entered the house, closing the door quietly behind her.