Hellooo! I'm back in college, classes started on Tuesday, so my time to update is very limited. However, I hope to be finishing this soon!
Cloudlover- Sure, send me an email and thanks!

Chapter 8: Geostigma

Cloud was awoken by the sound of Tifa's scream. Sleepily and bleary-eyed he stumbled into the hallway colliding with Barret.

"Tifa!" They said in unison.

Dammit, what now… Cloud thought as he and Barret ran down the hallway. He saw the heads of the other members of Avalanche looking curiously out the door.

Her screams lead them down the hall to Marlene's room. Cloud opened the door, and felt his blood run cold. Tifa held a very pale, very limp Marlene in her arms.

"I think she's sick." A teary-eyed Tifa whispered.

Pretty soon there was a crowd in the doorway full of anxious faces.

Cloud took the small girl from her. "Here. Yuffie, call a doctor, and get Tifa some tea."

"The number's by the phone…" Barret said hollowly.

For once, Yuffie didn't complain. Cloud saw the look on Barret's face; it was like the flame of his soul was flickering. Cloud put two fingers to Marlene's neck. Her pulse was there, but very faint. Her lips were blue. He opened her mouth gently and stuck two fingers into her throat. There was nothing lodged; she wasn't choking, it was like she was suffocating inside her own skin. He remembered a year ago, Danny had accidentally started choking on a bolt he had found on the floor, thinking it was candy. His lips had turned blue like Marlene's, and he was having trouble breathing. But Cloud felt her tiny chest moving up and down rhythmically. So what was wrong with her?

"There's no answer at the doctor's!" Yuffie shouted, on the verge of hysterics.

"Where's the emergency room?"

"Down the road about two miles," Tifa whispered.

"Well, let's move." Cloud said.

Cloud was shocked to see the emergency room full of parents cradling their children in their arms. As he passed them, he saw that all of the children were unconscious liked Marlene, and their lips were also blue… what the hell was going on? Some weird virus that only affected children?

Kadaj bent down to the figure in the wheel chair, and kissed his hand. "Father, Phase One of the plan should be complete."

Sephiroth had been covered with a sheet, as he was still very weak, even the dullest light caused his eyes to burn.

"You should be regaining some of your strength by morning." Kadaj added.

Loz turned to his brother while Yazoo inspected his weapon. "What is Phase One?"

Kadaj walked to his brother and smacked him across the face. "How dare you ask father these useless questions? Haven't you been paying attention?"

Loz got to his feet. "Did you strike me, brother?"

Kadaj tore the weapon away from Yazoo and pointed it at Loz. "I will do much worse if you don't stop being a simpleton!"

Loz glared back at him, and then looked away. "My apologies, father."

Kadaj smirked, and kissed his father's hand again. "Perhaps it would be prudent, father, to go over the plan again with my ignorant brother?"

"Very well, Kadaj."

Kadaj threw the weapon back to Yazoo. "Listen up, both of you. There are three stages in bringing father back to his body, and reaching his ultimate goal. When father was killed, the Lifestream was used to destroy Meteor and Weapon. We were given memories of that by father." He bowed to Sephiroth and continued, "The souls of the dead live in the Lifestream, protecting the planet. Since we are the product of an Ancient, and a God," He bowed to his father again, "we can control the Lifestream at our will. Phase One: we will control the Lifestream to take all of the innocent souls from this planet. Why innocent souls, you may ask? Innocent souls are the most easy to wield, and won't take much of our energy. By nightfall, we will be close to unconsciousness, but father will be feeding on those souls. I presume that in less than a week, father will be even stronger than he was before."

"What's Phase Two and Three?" Loz asked.

Kadaj grinned, "Phase Two is destroying the one the Lifestream has sent to stop us, by using the Lifestream's power against them. Phase Three: The Promised Land."

"There's someone trying to stop us?" Loz asked.

Kadaj had to restrain himself from doing his brother physical harm. "According to father, yes." He bent again and kissed his father's hand, beckoning his brothers forth to do the same.

Cloud sat beside a sobbing Tifa, as Barret paced up and down in front of him. Cloud wrapped an arm around Tifa's shoulders, and she buried her face in his shoulder. "She'll be okay, Tifa."

At last, the doctor emerged from the room, and turned to them.

"How is she, doctor?" Barret asked, "How is my little girl?"

"About as well as the other children in here this morning," The doctor said. "It's the weirdest thing… I've never seen anything like this."

"Anything like what exactly?" Cloud asked.

"Children getting sick all at once. Mass amounts. I'm not talking about just Midgar. I'm talking everywhere. Hospitals are over-flowing and under-staffed. There's just no more room."

"Even in Nibelheim?" Cloud whispered.

Doctor Greene shook his head, "Nibelheim has one of the worst cases."

Cloud sighed. That meant Danny and Maria were affected by this, too.

"But they're going to be okay?" Tifa asked hopefully.

Doctor Greene sighed, "I'm making them as comfortable as possible, but their systems are shutting down."

"You mean Marlene is going to die?" Tifa sobbed.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Lockhart. We have all of our best researchers looking for a cure as we speak. But, if something isn't found, and soon, yes, Marlene was die."

Barret grabbed Doctor Greene by his collar and lifted him in the air. "You save my daughter! You save her now before I break your neck!"

"Barret!" Cloud cried, jumping up and grabbing him. "Barret, stop, this isn't easy for anyone!"

"I… but… MARLENE!" Barret shouted.

"We'll find a way. We'll find out how to make her better." Cloud told him. Deep in his mind, he knew they had too, or else Marlene was doomed.

But could they?