Chapter 24

Trouble is brewing

Deep within the Central Dogma somewhere was Sephiroth. The sliver haired swordsman was sitting inside a chair while grabbing his chest and grunting in pain. His skin was completely pale and his face had black veins seen all over his face. His eyes had even turned into a blood red color. Sephiroth wasn't feeling very well. "Hojo is the next clone ready!" Sephiroth shouted as one of his eyes scanned the room for the scientist.

"It is ready! You may transfer now." Hojo announced to his son.

"Finally!" Sephiroth said as his body fell out of the chair. His old body had died due to the removal of Sephiroth soul from the body, but this wasn't the first time the former general had to perform a transfer from one body to another.

Moments later the body that once housed Sephiroth soul blew apart. Soon all that was left of the body was a pool of LCL liquid sitting in its place. Elsewhere in the room a pod opened up and a Sephiroth clone walked out of it. Sephiroth walked over to a pile of clothes sitting near by.

"Damn you Adam." Sephiroth said to himself as he recalled his battle with the giant of light. After Adam had self-destructed Sephiroth thought he was victorious, but he soon learned that he was sadly mistaking. Moments later Sephiroth's body began to lose its shape and it was about to turn into a puddle of LCL. This was due to the anti-AT field Adam had unleashed. The only way Sephiroth was able to save himself by transferring his soul, power and mind into another body with Jenova cells. His only choice at that time was Hojo.

"I see the genetic breakdowns are happening much more frequently now. Good thing I created a large supply of clones capable of storing your essence." Hojo informed Sephiroth with a sly smile.

"Well this wouldn't be happing if I had known about Adam's Anti-AT field! But I thought when I took another clone as my new host I would be able to keep my form from deteriorating, but it seems that I was wrong. Somehow the Anti-AT field effect passes on with me when I enter a body. When I am in a clone body...I can maintain its AT field and make the clone last for a few weeks or up to a month, but when I possess someone who has my cells I can stay in that body up to several years. But now the clones I posses change into LCL liquid after a few days. Soon I won't be able to use any of the clones as my body. I will be stuck having to use Keel's body. It's already been difficult controlling him as it is." Sephiroth said as he got dress.

"Well it's a good thing after Reunion you will start the third impact!" Hojo complimented.

"Indeed...but Junior is still a problem. That idiot Jen has now caused some of his power to awaken. We must take care of him quickly! Call that stupid bitch in here!" Sephiroth commanded.

"Jen get in here!" Hojo shouted.

A few moments later Jen entered the room and she was standing before Sephiroth and Hojo. "Yes father?" Jen asked as she held an ice pack to her face.

"Jen because of your foolishness some of Junior's power has awakened. So as a punishment you have twenty four hours to eliminate him. If he is not dead by then...I will kill you myself. Your time limit starts now! Now get out of my sight and get on with your mission." Sephiroth said as he put on some gloves. Sephiroth wore a uniform that seemed to be a mix between the uniforms Gendo and Keel wears. The coloring was pretty much black and it had some sliver on the uniform's lining in the appropriate places.

Jen didn't say a word as an expression of fear covered Jen's face. Jen ran of the room to start searching for her prey. Sephiroth sat down in his chair to look at the monitors that allowed Sephiroth to watch everyone in NERV. Sephiroth smile grew as he felt those who had the blood of his mother were drawing closer to NERV.

Elsewhere in NERV. Shinji and Junior had given up auguring with one another over who was the oldest. Now the two were playing a game of checkers. So far Shinji had beaten Junior about three times in a row, but Junior had gotten lucky a few times and he beat Shinji twice. At the same time Cloud and Misato had left the lounge, but Asuka entered several minutes into Junior's and Shinji's sixth game.

"So Shinji how did Junior take the news?" Asuka asked with a curious expression on her face.

"Actually Junior found out about it before any of us did." Shinji replied as he made his move against Junior.

"Damn...it seems like you, me, Misato and Cloud seems to be the last ones who learn about anything.

"Indeed." Junior commented as he did a move against Shinji that caused him to loose three of his checker pieces.

"Hey can I play winner." Asuka asked the two.

"Sure...I think we will be done in a couple of minutes." Shinji said as he successfully got one of his pieces to the other side of the board. "King me!" Shinji said with a smile.

Meanwhile at Rei's apartment the blue haired girl was putting the feathers she had taken from Junior into the case where she use to keep Gendo's broken glasses. She sat on her bed looking at the feathers thinking about how was Junior able to generate so much destructive power. While she was thinking about Junior's abilities she began to remember when he saved her. Rei noticed that Junior was somehow different from the people she knew. To her Sephiroth Junior seemed stubborn, mean to some, overall he seemed to be a confusing character.

Suddenly Rei heard someone enter her apartment, just as she turned around to see who it was the last thing she saw was a black object hitting her in the face and knocking her out cold. Later that evening back at NERV Asuka had finished played a few games of checkers with Shinji and Junior. Asuka had decided to retire for the night and she went to sleep on a near by sofa, but not before warning both Junior and Shinji that if they try anything on her while she was sleeping she would punish them under pain of death. The two boys continued playing their game.

"You know that smile on Asuka's face is starting to really creep me out." Junior asked as he noticed that Asuka had an evil smile on her face while she was asleep.

"Maybe she is having a good dream?" Shinji thought as he took out another of Junior's checker pieces. However little did the two know Asuka's dream wasn't good for them, Asuka was dreaming about kicking Junior and Shinji's butts in just about everything. Her dream was about pulverizing them and the rest of those who would compete against her to show that they were better than her. The dream Asuka was in made it possible for her to be number one.

Sometime later Shinji and Junior were tried of playing against one another in checkers. So Shinji went to find a place to sleep. Junior was about to head off to go to bed, but he stopped to hear a message he was receiving in his mind. "Oh Junior hello calling Junior." The voice mocked.

"Jen what the hell are doing in my head? Get the fuck out!" Junior roared at the mental voice in his head.

"Ok, but you have to the chance to save the hostage I have captured." Jen said as she started giggling evilly.

"What hostage?" Junior asked as he started to become concern over who Jen had captured.

"See for yourself." Jen said as the evil woman projected an image of Rei with her hands and legs chained to a long flag poll judging by the looks of the object Rei was confined to.

"Let her go Jen she has nothing to do with this!" Junior roared.

"Actually I am not interested in her. She is just the bait to bring the person I want. That is you Junior. Here is the deal...come to the old gym at Shinji's school and I will meet you there. Try to tell anyone else or bring in anyone to help you, and I will kill Rei. It is ten thirty now. You have until eleven thirty to be at the gym or the girl dies. See you then." Jen said as she severed the mental link with Junior.

"Damn that bitch." Junior cursed in his mind.

Junior ran back to the lounge to get his sword. Once he had his sword in hand he ran out of the room and he dashed through the halls heading towards the nearest exit. Meanwhile Shinji was walking down the halls to his room when he ran into Misato and Cloud. "Hello Shinji." Misato said with a smile.

"Hello. Where have you two been?" Shinji asked as both Cloud and Misato face had a little bit of red on them.

"We have been out walking with outside with one another." Misato answered.

"Oh well I am heading off to bed. I will see you two in the morning. Good night both of you." Shinji said as he continued walking down the hall.

Junior arrived at Shinji's old school in the ruins of Tokyo-3, but to be more specific the remains of Shinji's old school. Many of the school buildings were destroyed due to recent events, but it was a miracle the school it hasn't been completely destroyed yet. Junior had arrived with only seven minutes to spare. Junior began to walk around the school ground looking for the gym and any signs of Rei or Jen.

Eventually Junior made his way to school gym. Junior entered the ruins of the large gymnasium to find all of the basketball hoops had fall from their places, many of the bleachers were destroyed by some fallen debris from the ceiling and there was a few holes in the roof. As mentioned earlier it was a miracle that the school was still standing after all that has happened.

Suddenly a woman's voice echoed throughout the room saying "Welcome Junior to your death. Sephiroth thinks you are getting too powerful so he wants you eliminated."

"Show yourself Jen!" Junior roared as he drew his sword.

"I am right here!" Jen shouted as she jumped into the Gym from one of the holes in the ceiling. Jen landed a few feet away standing in front of Junior holding a trident, and the Jenova clone had a small katana in its sheath strapped to her side.

"Jen you have no chance against me. So let the girl go and I might let you live." Junior said as he assumed an offensive sword fighting pose.

"We'll see about that, but this time only one of us will leave this place alive. Once I am done with you I will kill your brother and finally avenge my sweet Kaoru." Jen said as she pulled out a picture of Jen's dead favorite angel and kissed it.

"You know Kaoru wasn't interested in you." Junior informed the woman.

"Shut up! I will kill you and Shinji and no force in this world is going to stop me." Jen said as he stood ready to fight Junior.