Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.
Chapter One: Magitek Infusion
"Majesty, she's only a infant! What right do we have to commit her to a life of military service?"
A man wearing a yellow lab coat stood in the throne room of the Imperial Palace. He held a clipboard with a medical chart. Professor Cid de la Vega, master engineer and genius technician of magic.
"Cid, I understand your concern for the child, but she has been chosen to receive the Magitek infusion. According to your assessment, she retains the ideal genetic makeup. She is the perfect candidate." Emperor Gestahl was quite patient with the professor.
"But, Emperor, our last subject is already showing signs of deterioration. In occasional instances, his behavior becomes erratic and violent," Cid reminded.
"He will be dealt with. I hear your team has made improvements since our… prototype. The child will be our second chance at success. I want an army of Magitek Knights, Cid. If it is not this child, then it will be another. But it will be this child."
"Majesty, wouldn't one of the male candidates be more…appropriate?"
"I'll admit, I was a little disappointed when the embryo turned female, but none of the others show the promise that the girl does."
"What of the other child? The girl in the Esper world? She already bears the gift of magic."
"She... will serve a different purpose. I'm not asking you, Cid. I'm ordering you. Finish the infusion of the girl. If it comforts you, I will make you head supervisor of the entire experiment. Nothing will be done without your approval. How's that?"
"If it must be done, then I will be grateful for the opportunity to work with her."
"I have a strong feeling about this one, Cid. She's going to make an excellent soldier."
Cid simply nodded, still unhappy with the emperor's decision.
"Make the preparations. The earlier the child is infused, the better chances we'll have. We made a mistake with Kefka. It will not be repeated," Gestahl said forebodingly.
"Yes, Majesty."
"The child needs a name, correct?"
"Yes, sir, she does."
Her birth name was Karen Fitts, but the official records states that six-month old Karen was killed along with her parents. The girl needed a new identity.
The emperor thought for several minutes. The future warrior needed a name that would strike fear into the hearts of men, one that would forever be equated with the might of the glorious Empire.
"Cid, what is the name of the mythological goddess of death?"
"Celesta, Sire."
Gestahl considered this for a moment. "Excellent. Her name will be Celes, after Death herself."
"Uh… of course, Majesty."
"You are dismissed, Professor."
Cid exited the chamber, and walked the long trek to the Magitek Research Facility and finally to his lab, where the young girl was temporally being kept.
"Professor, what did the emperor say?" Cid's assistant asked.
"She'll be the next test subject…whether we like it or not," Cid replied resentfully. "How is she, Barnes?"
"She sleeps like an angel, sir. She hasn't stirred. Her parents would have been lucky to raise her."
"Yes, they would have been," Cid said sadly.
Carrie and Jack Fitts were the chosen parents of the child destined to become a Knight. Carrie's egg was augmented to create a flawless genetic structure. They had run away to hide their unborn child from the Empire, but they were found six months after her birth. In order to obtain the infant, General MacFarlane had ordered the deaths of her parents.
"Has his Majesty thought of a new name for her yet, sir?"
"He has. Celes…" Cid paused to word his explanation carefully, "…because she's like a goddess from the heavens. And I chose Chere, because I will cherish her always."
"Celes Chere? Sounds good, sir. It'll suit her nicely."
"Yes, it will. Do me a favor. Tell my team to prepare for the procedure," Cid requested. "We will begin as soon as they're ready."
"Yes, sir. Shiva, correct?"
"Yes. The ice will match her eyes."
((ooo))
The next day, the baby, Celes, was sedated, and brought into the laboratory. She was hooked up to various machines, monitoring her heart rate, pulse, breathing, and brainwave patterns. Several children had undergone the process, but none survived more than a couple hours. Their bodies couldn't handle the sudden surge of magical energy. They had been too weak.
Kefka had been the exception, He was infused only one year prior, when he was twenty-three. He barely made it through, and remained in an unstable condition. Cid believed the young man had actually suffered brain damage.
Now, Cid was determined not to make the same mistake with Celes. He prayed that she would be able to endure the Magitek serum. He had performed countless tests on her to check her resilience, adaptability, and her energy. All her readings were off the charts, far surpassing those of the male children. He truly believed she would make it.
It was a difficult process, and painful for the recipient. The Magitek serum, the magical essence extracted from an Esper, is forced to solidify into a small orb, which is then inserted into the heart. This is the source of the subject's magical potential. Over time, the orb reacts with the serum that was previously injected into the embryo, and stretches itself out, advancing into the bloodstream like a second string of veins, becoming the subject's lifeline. Booster shots of liquid serum must be injected every month during the first year, then a twice a year for another fifteen years, ensuring the success of the infusion and increasing the magic potential of the recipient.
It took six hours to complete the process. Cid performed more tests, and was shocked to see that she completely stable. There were no signs of strain on her nervous system, her heart rhythm was regular, and her brainwaves seemed normal. No one had ever been this stable so soon afterwards.
She truly is a goddess, Cid thought.
Author's note: I have an entire plotline planned out that will explain much of this in a story called Diamond Dust, a prequel to Sins of the Past. I may not get to writing it for a very long time, though; too many works being juggled at one time.