Authors note: ...

Marken: This chapter will relieve some of your curiosity but I'm afraid it may leave you with more questions than answers.

Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.

Chapter 12

At first, Talin worried that Sephiroth would bring up their dinner conversation again. But when he didn't, he relaxed a bit. The week went on just as the last had with more training, time spent with his Unit at night studying, and a test in his Tactics class on Friday. By the weekend, Talin wanted nothing more than to sleep-in but a message from the General had him wide awake early on Saturday.

SMS Message from: General Sephiroth

Sephiroth: I was informed that the stabilizing serum has been finished. When you're ready, we can proceed.

Talin was so torn between wanting to do it now and wanting to wait that he didn't know how to respond. Before he could figure out what to say, another message came in.

Sephiroth: If you want to wait that's fine. If not, then we can arrange to have it done today. It would give you time to recover before classes on Monday. I support your decision either way.

Making up his mind, Talin typed out his response and tried to calm himself down.

Talin: Might as well get it done now then.

As he hit send his mind roiled with all the possible outcomes and he started to feel mildly sick from anxiety.

Sephiroth: Very well. Pack a bag with what you will need for overnight and meet me at my apartment at noon. You will be staying with me while you recover.

He hadn't anticipated that... Rolling up out of bed, Talin slid down and poked Callian awake. The news was startling to the blond, but he just nodded and tried to reassure his friend.

The other cadets had very different responses. Some were worried for him but, like Cal, offered him encouragement. A few, who openly hero-worshipped the General, begged him to snap pictures inside the apartment. Others asked if he was sure, like really, really sure he wanted to go through with it.

"Man, I don't know," Milo said from his bunk, still half-buried in his many blankets. "You said last time that it hurt worse than anything. Why would you go through that again?"

Talin could only say that it would be worth the pain if it worked. He thought back to how he felt after the last injection and felt a spike of dread mixed with excitement. It would be worth it to feel that way again and he wouldn't be a danger to his friends any longer.

Nerves prevented him from eating anything that morning at breakfast. Just as well since he didn't like the idea of throwing up if he got that crazy vertigo again. He tried to refuse the bottle of nutrient water that Michael gave him but, in the end, he was practically forced to drink it by Joey.

Packing up his stuff for overnight was rather quiet. Only a few had come back to the barracks with him after breakfast, the rest had plans in the city or were off to do laundry. Lox had kept him company while he packed and they were now sitting on the top of two bunks throwing a ball back and forth to pass time.

"Any idea when you'll be back?" Lox threw the ball wide and Talin stretched to catch it.

"None, but Sephiroth thinks that I should be good by Monday." The Wutaian cadet smiled as he caught the ball again and pitched it hard back. Talin had started using only the man's name instead of calling him 'the General' or 'General Sephiroth' and Lox wondered if the other had noticed the change.

Before long, it was creeping closer to noon and Talin jumped down to get his bag. A few quick goodbyes, an unexpected hug from a worried Milo, a wave to Lox, and he was out the door to the elevator. Only when he was in and on the way up to the 50th floor did he realize his hands were trembling.

Sephiroth was waiting for him. Letting him in only long enough to drop his bag and phone on the couch and then they were back out the door to the elevator.

"Are you ready?" The SOLDIER knows his Cadet is anxious but he did choose this.

"No, but I want to do it anyway." There is a determination in his eyes, even if he can't stop shaking. Sephiroth knows he isn't the best at offering comfort, but feels the need to say... something. Offer some kind of advice or reassurance to this panicked youth. A flash of memories from his early 'treatments' and how he dealt with them gave him an idea.

"Pick something to center your attention on when we get there. Not the needle, not Hojo, or the pain. Anything else... It helps." Talin glanced up and could tell that Sephiroth was speaking from experience and nodded.

The walk to the lab was the same as before but they were brought to a different room than the last one. If Talin wasn't shaking before, he would have been now. It looked like an operating room full of lights and ringed with tables covered in all sorts of tools but all he could focus on was the restraints hanging from the bed in the center.

"Come lay down and we will begin," Hojo's demand startled Talin. He had been so distracted that he didn't notice the old scientist standing by a monitor next to the bed. The General's quiet presence behind him was the only comforting thing in the room and he was loath to move away, but finally did as commanded.

The bed was odd in construction having thin indented sections that lined up with where his legs, arms, and torso would go. As he laid down, his limbs fell almost perfectly into them and were then fixed into place as the restraints were fastened. His unease grew at the small click of metal against metal as each was locked. By the time all were secured, the teen was almost frantic and tried to do as Sephiroth had said. His Mentor had moved closer, now standing at the opposite side of the bed from Hojo, and Talin's panicked mind picked him to concentrate on.

The alarm in his Cadet's eyes made Sephiroth want to rip the restraints off and drag the boy back out to safety. Noticing those eyes hone in on himself made him realize that he had become Talin's focal point and he moved slightly closer. Normally he hated when people stared but if he needed him as a distraction then so be it.

Belatedly, Sephiroth sees that the only thing within reach of the Professor was the monitor and keyboard. Both were linked to the table.

"Let's get this over with," He says with some irritation. The man had been tapping away since they arrived but hadn't pulled out any medical supplies.

"Do you think I'm just wasting time? I've almost finished programing the injections," Hojo's irritation is taken out on the keyboard as he uses more force in his typing.

"Programming?" Confusion and curiosity break through Talin's fear as he looks from Hojo to Sephiroth. Realizing that he forgot, the Scientist pulls a small mouthguard off the monitor table and pushes it between Talin's teeth before answering.

"Yes, programming. Your treatment requires twelve injections to dose properly. I would normally have to sit here doing them one by one and that would be a waste of time," A grin appears on the man's face as he enters the last order on his computer. "This will do it all at once."

At the stab of a button, Talin feels a surge of pain across his body. Twelve points of fire up his legs, across his back, and down his arms burn like hot steel. He is glad for the guard in his mouth when his jaw snaps shut on it forcefully.

Dragging his attention from the pain, he rolls his head towards Sephiroth but that movement makes everything spin. His vision takes on a dizzying green tinge as he focuses on one of the buckles of the General's jacket, not having the strength to lift his head to look up at the man's face.

Sephiroth can only watch as the grey-blue eyes flicker and then flare the green of raw Mako. When Talin flinches at the withdrawing needles, so does the SOLDIER. No matter how many times he has been injured on a mission, he would take any injury over the pain of medical procedures.

Talin tried to keep his eyes open, tried to keep focusing on that silver buckle, but the pain forces them closed. The bite guard was preventing him from taking deep breaths through his mouth, he can't get enough air. If his voice was working, he would have screamed, but that required breath and he suddenly felt like he was drowning.

The needles have withdrawn but the damage is done. Agony courses through his veins and its all he can feel or think. Just as his world starts to collapse, he tried one last time to open his eyes. He wasn't this weak, didn't want to... A tingle of feeling ghosts up his arm and to his spine, like the chill of goosebumps mixed with static electricity. It's a sensation he has felt before but this time it isn't a malicious tearing pull but a concerned almost touch.

The shock of feeling that strange chill forces Talin's eyes to crack open, lifting his head enough to meet Sephiroth's gaze before he passes out. One question permeates his fading brain.

Why did the General look so startled?


Several moments pass before the General regains his composure and he's thankful for Hojo's single-minded focus on the monitor. With effort, he prevents himself from rubbing up and down his arm where it still felt like he had been touched with a live wire. The pain on his student's face had been hard to watch and hear the choking, shallow breaths as he had tried to get more air... It had been difficult to maintain his strictly observational role even if he had expected such an agonizing result. What he hadn't anticipated, was the flutter of charged static across his arm. A sharp, stinging spark that was familiar yet foreign.

In a small percent of 2nds, when their bodies retain more and more Mako from the numerous injections, an augmentation of the mind could occur. The few that experienced this change found that, with practice, they could reach out to others with the same gift. A type of telepathy allowing for communication or, as in this case, it could be used aggressively. The term 'Mako Aura' had been given to the strange phenomena and training had been arranged by Commander Hewely.

When it was obvious that each of the 1sts had the ability, Angeal made the effort to train with all of them. Zack had proved incapable of perfecting the unique skill and Genesis... well, the Red Commander wasn't known for his patience and had abandoned the study long ago. Sephiroth was the only one who had mastered it and, although he didn't work with SOLDIERs new to the discipline, this lashing jolt of power could be nothing else.

With more restraint than truly required, he reached back along the path of that electrical current that unerringly lead to Talin. The Cadet, who had been franticly gasping for breath and straining against the restraints up till that point, suddenly stilled. Eyes that had been closed from pain cracked open to meet his and again, the flare of static danced up the General's arm before Talin lost consciousness.

Over the next hour, Sephiroth stands silently while Hojo comes and goes from the room. Sensors in the table kept track of Talin's rapid heartbeat and the slow climb of body temperature. By the time the Professor had come back for the third time, his breathing was more normal but he was running a fever. Seeing nothing worse than what he had expected, Hojo tells the General to take the boy away to recover and leaves back to the depths of his lab.

While relieved to leave, he undoes the restraints slowly to prevent startling the feverish Cadet. Talin doesn't even flinch or show any reaction to being released. Just as he is about to pick him up, Sephiroth feels the slick slide of wetness on the boy's back.

Of the twelve injections, the four largest had been to Talin's back and blood had slowly run from those punctures over the last hour. A quick check of some cabinets along the wall provided gauze, medical tape, and several small towels. Removing the now ruined shirt he cleaned around the punctures and patched them before moving on to the other injection sites. Surprisingly, although they were also bloody, there was nothing to bandage. A small red mark was all that remained on arms and legs. Deciding to be thankful for the small reprieve and question it later, Sephiroth carried his Cadet out of the lab.

Angeal was waiting for them outside the General's apartment.

"Need some help?" At the grateful nod from Sephiroth, Angeal unlocked the door and helped settle Talin on the couch. After going to change out of his bloody coat, the two relaxed into the empty spots on the long sectional couch.

"Did it go well? He doesn't look great but better than I expected." The Commander was double-checking the still bleeding wounds as they spoke.

"Well enough, now we have to wait to see if it did as intended," Sephiroth had his doubts that the concoction would work but begrudgingly put his faith in Hojo's unwillingness to fail. If nothing else, he wouldn't do something that would kill a prize subject. Angeal stayed with them for several hours to keep an eye on Talin and offer his friend some company before finally being called away by Zack for dinner. Leaving Mentor and student alone for the night.


A crunching crack, as loud as thunder scared Talin badly and caused him to hit his head on the rocks above him. He quickly tried to move back the way he came but the ground beneath him was shifting forwards. Frantically, he grabbed for anything he could, but it was all sliding. In a last attempt, he reached for where the man was standing, but his hand found only empty space.

A great rumble roared around him and then Talin found himself falling in open air. When he looked down, he was mesmerized by a glowing, swirling lake of liquid green...

One small flailing hand caught a protrusion of rock and Talin gripped onto it for dear life as the cascade of dirt and stone fell around him. Finding another lip in the rock for his foot, he looked around for any way back up. A ledge was a little above him. Moving slowly, Talin climbed up onto it and surveyed where he was. He was only about seven feet above the surface of the strange lake and, as he sat to regain his strength, he saw wisps of green coming off of its surface. Mako? Was this the Mako that the elders were always talking about? He was starting to get dizzy and knew he needed to get out of there, needed to tell his mom about this place and the man.

The man! Again, the small boy looked frantically about but there was no sign of the person he had come to help. Did he fall in? Is he dead? A wave of dizziness hit him and he realized that he didn't have time to look. Slowly standing up, Talin moved to the wall again and almost cried when he found sturdy hand and foot holes to climb back up.

Not stopping to catch his breath, he ran as fast as he could back out of the cave. Collapsing only when he had made it out into the sunlight. Dizzy from the Mako fumes, exhausted from the climb and run out, and suddenly realizing that he had almost died, Talin lay in the dirt and cried.

When he finally made it back into the town and home, several adults berated him for running off and making them all worry. His mother simply gathered him into her arms and held him close. When he was finally able to tell her what happened, she was horrified.

The elders investigated and found the Mako well just where Talin had indicated. Some hailed it as a blessing, others as a potential curse. It was secured behind heavy gates to keep the unwary from getting too close and to contain some of the fumes. All in the town were warned against speaking of it to outsiders, none wanted Shin-Ra to come sniffing.

One of the town leaders, a man named Rald, comes often to speak with Talin and his mother about the experience. He is tall with very pale blue eyes with long, thick, dark hair. As with the other elders, leaders, and townsfolk, he believes in the scriptures of the Goddess. That every living thing is linked to the LifeStream and that the greatest gift from her is our very existence. He often referred to the well as another great gift from her.

Many times, he came back to ask Talin more about the voice he heard, the man that disappeared, and about his near-fatal fall. The little boy always told what he could remember but it never seemed to be enough for Rald. After a while, he spoke with Talin less, for which he was thankful, but then the man would come and speak to Silfra instead. A few times, he would bring a little treat for the young boy and send him out to play while they remained in the house. Something in Talin didn't like leaving his mother with the town leader, something in him hurt seeing them speaking alone, but he said nothing.

Several months go by and one night, Talin hears his mother crying and runs to find her hugging Rald. Proposed? Married? All these thoughts just confuse the 5-year-old, but he wants his momma to be happy. If she's happy, I'll be happy. He thinks to himself and endures the hug and pat on his head from Rald.

Several months before Talin's 6th birthday, Rald marries his mother. Life with Rald is different. Silfra helps him with council business often and leaves her son with some of the neighboring families during the day. As much as he wishes he could spend more time with her, Talin doesn't complain. At night when she comes to get him, she wraps him in a big hug and asks, "And how was my little love today?" It's always the best part of his day as they walk home hand in hand and talk about all the things the kids did and the games they played.

As the weeks pass, Talin still finds it strange to be around Rald. When they were alone, the man would talk to him of the Goddess, teaching him this or that lesson based on the old scriptures. He wasn't sure if he really believed in such a thing and when Rald told him it was the Goddess that had called him to the well, Talin was even more confused. It had been a man's voice, there had been a real person there behind the rocks in the cave... hadn't there?

Talin's birthday is only a week away when his mother tells him that she is going out of town for a few days and that he would be staying with Rald. Wanting to surprise him, she planned a trip to a larger town to buy her son a birthday gift but it would take her a few days to get there and back. Rald agreed to take care of Talin while she is gone, promising that they would be just fine. Giving his mother a big hug and promising to be good while she's gone, he watches her hop up into the trader's cart and then disappear up the mountain trail.

That day was hard for him, going in and out of the house in a kind of fog. He would look for her in the kitchen or bedroom only to remember that she was away. Rald notices the boy's quietness at dinner and promises Talin that they would go out for a surprise the next day. The promise excites him but he still can't shake the odd feeling of nervousness at being around his step-father. The anxiety follows him into sleep that night.

The next day is dark, clouds heavy with rain rolled in overnight but it isn't yet raining when Rald takes them out of the house for his surprise. As they leave, the man picks up a rope that has a slat of wood secured on one end.

"Are ya gonna make me a rope swing?" Talin can't hide his excitement and bounces after the man. He just smiles down fondly at the boy and asks him to be patient.

The two walk a ways before Talin realizes that they are heading away from the tree line. Trying to contain his questions as asked, he follows as they head towards the cliffs and crags. When they turn off the road and onto the worn path leading to the mine, Talin halts.

"We're going up the hill?" Rald paused and looked back.

"We're going on an adventure. Something special for just you and I," He gave the small boy a kind smile and held out his hand. "Come now, I planned this out especially for you, Talin." Something in that smile and how he said the boy's name set Talin on edge but maybe he was just being silly. He said it was an adventure, something special just for him... Slowly he moved up the path and took his step-father's hand. Mother wouldn't leave him with Rald if she didn't trust him so Talin would trust him also.

Together they approached the mine entrance. It was a day off for the mining team so they met no one at the tool station outside or at the gate that had been built in front of the cave mouth. The gate wasn't locked but the latch was at adult head height to keep little kids from entering as Talin had all those months ago. Rald didn't release his hand as he unlatched the gate, neither did he let go once they were within the mine. Even when Talin hesitated to go into the dark cavern, Rald gently pulled him along with a quiet, "Come along, we're almost there."

Fluttering wings of panic rose in his guts when he was led further down the winding path. The deeper they went, the more Talin wanted to leave till they stood in front of a large wooden wall with a door cut into one side. Talin knew this place from his mother's description. The well. He was shaking slightly when Rald knelt down to his level.

"I know you're frightened, that's normal after what happened, but I need your help." His voice was calm and his hand on Talin's was gentle as he held it now.

"My help?"

"Yes, see in the days after you found this well the Mako level in the cave dropped. There are crystals embedded in the walls that I want to look at but I'm too big to be lowered down to get them." Excitement warred with apprehension on the young boy's face.

"You want me ta go... down... there? In the well?" His voice was almost a squeak as he asked.

"No, no, no," Rald chuckled, "Not into the well, just down to the wall above it. I want you to try and get some of the crystals for me and take a look around. Can you do that for me?" The shaking of his small hands hadn't lessened and his voice wouldn't work when he tried to answer. He wanted to run from this place, to get back out into the fresh air, but he also wanted to help. Seeing the inner turmoil on the kid's face, Rald pushed a little harder.

"How about this. You do this for me, and I will give you something extra special for your birthday. Sound fair?" This drew a small smile from the redheaded child and, although he was still nervous, he nodded his agreement.

"That'a boy, come on then." When Rald held out his hand, Talin took it and they went to the heavy door to the well. There was again a latch at head height that he flicked open and the eerie green light flooded the tunnel as the door swung open before they stepped inside.

What little Talin remembered of the well was the same. A massive lake of green spread out below them but now it was indeed much lower. The ambient light from the Mako glinted off the crystals that his step-father had mentioned and he moved slightly closer to the edge to see more of them.

The rope that had been brought with was looped over a stalagmite and the other part was given to the small boy to sit on. From a pocket, a small claw tool and a pouch to put crystals in were handed to him. Not wanting to drop either item, Talin tucked them into his light coat and zipped the front up. Another small cloth was handed to him to cover his nose and mouth against the fumes that were already stinging their eyes.

"Ready?" Voice still not functioning, he again nodded and allowed himself to be slowly lowered over the edge. Rald was strong enough to lower the slight boy slowly and steadily for a few yards before stopping.

"Can you reach any or do you need to go lower?"

"Almost, just a little lower." The words echoed up to him and Rald gave half a foot at a time till a squeaked "Stop!" was heard.

Talin hung about fifteen feet below the cliff now and only five from the lake but he could just reach some of the crystals. Pulling the claw from his jacket, he worked a few loose. They were small and sharp, only about the size of the mountain berries. He tucked them into the pouch and moved to get more. When he had a good number in the little pouch and was about to call to be pulled up, he saw another glittering item stuck in the wall.

"Move me over some. No, other way!" He called up and was jolted slightly to the left. As he swung from the rope, he kept his eyes on the strange stone in the wall. It glowed like the crystals but was smooth and larger than the others. When his momentum finally slowed, he chipped away at the wall with the claw. Finally, a stone the size of his palm came loose from the wall. In its depths swirled the same glowing green as the Mako below except for a deep crack that looks like it should have broken the crystal in half but hadn't. Quickly tucking it and the claw back into his jacket and called to be pulled back up. When he was safely back on the ledge, Talin pulled the bag out and showed the large gem to Rald.

"Wonderful job, Talin," He praised as he looked this way and that at the stone. "Truly well done." Talin was proud of himself for overcoming his fear to help his step-father and was pulling the rope sling off when a hand stopped him.

"Before we go, I want you to do one more thing." Confused, he looked up and saw Rald pick the rope back up. "I know you said you saw a man when you were here last. I want you to take a good look around down there for any... traces of him. A boot, some fabric, possibly even bones." Talin squirmed at the thought and opened his mouth to protest. "Don't you want to know for sure if you were right?" With a sigh, Talin again nodded. He wanted to know for sure and this was probably his only chance to take a look. His mom had forbidden him from coming back to the mines without an adult and she surely wouldn't come with him with how busy she had been.

Again, he was lowered over the edge but this time facing out towards the Mako. He looked all around as he was lowered but saw nothing. No sign at all of another person. Realizing how close the Mako was, he called up to stop... but he kept moving down.

"Stop! Stop! I'm almost to the well!" He cried up and his heart skipped a beat when he finally halted just a foot above the green mass. "There's nothin here. Pull me back up." The echo of a chuckle reached his ears and, craning his head back, he looked up and saw Rald holding the rope far above him.

"Are you certain you see nothing? I swear I can see something from here..." From this far down Talin couldn't make out Rald's expression, but he sounded odd.

"No, there's nothin here. I wanna come back up now." The same dread and panic filled him as a laugh, not a little chuckle, but a full-body laugh rang through the chamber. The force of it shook the rope slightly and he clutched tighter to the strap around himself.

"Oh, Talin. Do you remember what I told you about fate? About how all things that happen are fated to be so?" Not hearing any response from the boy, he continued. "It was fate that you found this well, Talin, fate that led you to it, and it was fate that you were to fall into that great mass of Mako, the lifeblood of the planet."

"I remember, I know what you said, now please, please pull me up," Talin didn't understand why Rald would be talking about this now, why he wouldn't bring him back up to the ledge? Tears started to prick his eyes from his panic and from the fumes of being so close to the liquid.

"It was fate that you were to fall into the well. You fell, but caught yourself. You cheated fate, Talin. Now we need to make that right. The Goddess demands it..." Rald's voice was as steady as ever as he said this. Below him, Talin's tears flowed freely, dripping with a hissing pop to the Mako below. He tried to beg again to be pulled to safety, but no words could escape a throat so choked with fear.

"If the Goddess wills it, I will pull you back up, but till that time I must do as I'm bid."

With that vague promise, Rald let go and just watched the boy fall. Green flames rose in a tidal wave as Talin was consumed by the lake and his scream was cut off leaving only a shrieking echo.