Sorry for the wait, everyone. I had to catch up on my community service hours this week.
"When something is created by the fusing of diverse objects, you will not find evidence of the fundamentals of the originals. It is something new…something completely different… combining qualities into one better quality. It is like baking a cake with flour, eggs, sugar, and all the like. They are mixed together to make a new taste, but it is no longer the ingredients that were put in the bowl. The same goes for the genetics of a baby from its parents. It cannot be broken back down. And that is unfortunately what hinders us from innovation."
Lucy sat impatiently on the edge of her desk, in front of her master. She hated being lectured at her age.
"Philosophy does not become you, Mr. Gerald," she replied.
"I speak of the facts of life, Miss Skandon," said Gerald. "Not of a love of learning."
Gerald slowly left his chair and opened the blinds of a large window behind his desk. He looked down and saw the streets of Taipei below.
"How does that little speech of yours answer my question?" Lucy asked.
"I merely told you why we disbanded Shinra and Genova…why we go after the Strifes so excessively…we need information, Lucy! And we need it badly…"
Lucy slid of his desk and stood in front of him, hands on her hips. Gerald continued to stare down at the bird's-eye-view of the city. She felt that she was being ignored and became frustrated.
"What kind of information is so valuable that you would take down an organization and chase after a small group of people?! Are you mad?"
"Lucy," Gerald said quietly. "You are the head of scientific research. You know as well as I do…that we have not been able to create new and better humanoids. This has gone on for more than sixtyyears…not just for the Blue Lotus but every criminal faction as well."
Lucy relaxed and was willing to listen once more. She walked towards him to the window, and Gerald acknowledged her presence. Her mood was still foul.
"You also know of the phenomena that have rarely occurred throughout these sixty years," Gerald said coolly.
"Yes. Three humanoids that we created had a genetic difference from the majority. It increased their abilities tenfold in the long run…but we can't figure out why…"
"Because we cannot understand it just by studying these two," Gerald finished. "We have to understand the genetics of the donors…the ingredients to be simpler. The donors of the first phenomenon…the First Project Ultima…are both deceased. The only genetics that we had of him we destroyed in a lab accident. Four years later, we created the second phenomenon, Cloud Strife, the Second Project Ultima. We realized this too late and let him slip away through our fingers almost twenty-seven years ago. There are even rumors that Shinra took the genetic samples we used and created a third phenomenon on the following year...the rumors say that it may be a female."
"Project Ultima Number Three…" Lucy mumbled.
Lucy folded her arms and stared harshly at her feet. Nevertheless, she finally understood.
"I have one more question," Lucy declared. "Why the name 'ultima'?"
"The end of innovation," Gerald said quietly. "We can't go much farther any more…we have almost reached the limits."
Lucy ruffled her eyebrows in curiosity. She began to speak when a knock came from the door. Gerald finally took eyes away from the Taiwanese streets and looked towards the door.
"Speaking of Project Ultimas," Gerald proclaimed, "Here comes the First Project Ultima right now."
Mr. Gerald beckoned the person to enter. The door opened quickly and gently. A young man, in his early thirties, walked into the room with a smile. Long, silver hair fell across the back of his long coat. His green eyes held a dangerous edge.
"Hello," he said quietly.
"Hi," Lucy replied breathlessly.
She glanced up and down at the man's figure. Lucy offered her hand to this man for a handshake. Instead, he took her hand and kissed it. Lucy found herself blushing…a thing that had not happened to her for years.
Herman Gerald cleared his throat to interrupt.
"Miss Skandon, I would like to introduce you to the son of an old colleague …Sephiroth."
"Charmed," she said slyly.
Sephiroth gave her a special grin, and Mr. Gerald knew what was coming…in dismay.
"Now that I'm finally here," he said. "I hear that you caught up with Cloud…it's about time! I haven't seen him in years…"
Cloud covered his mouth before he sneezed on Cid. Cid stepped back just in case.
"Someone's talking about you," Cid teased.
"Shut up."
Cid marveled at all of the books surrounding him in the library. Cloud browsed over the books and once again came across the hardback To Kill a Mockingbird. He grabbed it from the shelf and opened it, walking away. He stared at the inside frame of the book, flipped over to the back, and examined the other side of the frame.
"What the heck are you doing?" Cid asked.
Cloud quickly closed the book and put it back on the shelf.
Yuffie put her cup of tea on Tifa's table and gagged.
"How can you drink this stuff?" Yuffie questioned.
"Why can't you?" Tifa replied.
Yuffie watched in disgust as Tifa drank a sip of tea. Tifa took a deep whiff of the tea and exhaled in delight. Yuffie saw Juusang, sitting on the bed, who drank the same tea as well. She couldn't understand it all.
"I love Teavana tea!" Juusang cooed. "It always smells so good too."
"It's a good thing that Cloud likes tea too," Tifa added. "I can't go on without tea."
Yuffie groaned in agony. She grabbed her tea mug and unwillingly downed it. She began to wonder why she was drinking it in the first place.
The telephone rang, dispelling the silence. Cloud answered it lazily.
"Hello?"
"Is that you, Cloud? It's been a long time."
Cloud cringed when he recognized the voice.
"Not long enough for me," he shot back, amused.
"I just arrived from Taiwan this morning…I came here just to pay you a short visit."
"How thoughtful of you."
Loud, joyous laughter filled his ears through the phone.
"Glad to hear it," the voice replied. "Tell you what…I want you to meet me at the Waldo-Astoria tonight…come with your girlfriend too."
"What girlfriend?" Cloud asked.
"Shinra's girl…the brunette…the well-endowed one…"
Cloud yelled into the phone that she was not his girlfriend. The other person on the end rubbed their ear.
"Bring her anyway," the voice said. "Just to amuse me."
"How do I know you won't try to hurt her?"
"You doubt your ability to protect her, my dear Cloudie-sama?"
"You know I hate being called that," Cloud replied.
The speaker chuckled and said that they knew.
"You'll want to come anyway. I have a personal message from Mr. Gerald."
"Then I'll be there…but I'll come alone…"
"Without the girl, my men will not be able to identify and escort you to me."
Cloud growled, but agreed to take Tifa with him. The speaker expressed his appreciation.
Yes...Sephiroth is in this tale too...