Author's Note: This is a story I posted here years ago but never finished. I decided to take it down so that I could edit and complete it, so enjoy! Also, I am going on the original game cannon as I have not played any of the other, newer FFVII games, so I've tried to incorporate as much as I do know from these games, but there may be inconsistencies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the content thereof. This story is however, mine, so don't steal it!

The JENOVA Project

The curse of the resurrected Satan

Our beloved Queen does not awaken.

The time is ripe.

A legend has been passed down through generations,

The sought after Promised Land.

One with Blue Eyes,

And a great white sword on his back,

Will not lead to the Promised Land.

Chapter One

Doctor Faremis Gast wiped his brow, staring up at the sun. Despite being so far north, all the hard work had him sweating profusely. He stared up at the sun, which looked so warm yet provided no heat. The climate in Bone Village was so cold it made even the sun icy.

"Hey, back to work Gast!" The supervisor yelled. Gast sighed, picked up his shovel, and continued his slow, hard dig through the permafrost. He had joined the Scientific Research Department at the ShinRa Electric Company almost ten years ago in the hopes of climbing the ladder to success. But after failing to produce results in the are of Mako research, he still found himself a drudge being assigned to menial and unimportant archeological projects. He didn't even know what they were supposed to be looking for, just that they were part of a research team assigned to look into this new, experimental form of energy called Mako. But he was paid to dig, so dig he did. This too was put to a stop however, as his shovel stopped abruptly in the ground, and Gast muttered a curse under his breath as he threw it down.

Must be another patch of ice, he thought, getting out his ice pick and brushing the loose dirt aside. It seemed to be a rather large block of ice too, and he groaned aloud in frustration. At this rate, he'd be digging the same hole the rest of his life.

Then something in the ice caught Gast's eye, and he leaned closer to examine it. What . . . what is that? He wondered. He used his trowel to clear more of the frozen earth away from it, revealing . . . what? A . . .head? A torso?

"Gods and Planet both . . ." Gast whispered. He brushed away the snow with his hands to uncover more of the ice, revealing the top of what seemed to be a solid block, the clearness striated with faintly glowing green veins of what he recognized as Mako. The frozen earth was rich with this strange energy here in the North, which was part of why they'd been assigned to work here, collecting samples to be sent back to Midgar. But this, he realized, was greater than any sample. Grabbing his shovel, he began digging it up.

"What the hell is it?" His boss asked, staring down at the ice. It had taken almost two weeks, but Gast and the others had dug up the ground all around it. Now a block of ice sat at the bottom of a ten foot deep hole, with something— someone— inside it.

"I don't know." Gast replied, trying to hide the excited grin on his face. This was going to shoot him to the top of the latter alright. If he could get the specimen out, find out who or what it was…he could get funding or his own research and leave this bitter wasteland and drudge work behind. He could be one of the greatest scientists in ShinRa's history—the Planet's history.

"Well, you found it, so I guess you're the one whose gotta figure out what to do with it." The dig supervisor proclaimed indifferently taking a long drag from his cigarette. Gast turned around, an eager glint entering his eyes as he looked up at the large crane towering behind him.

"Lift it out. I'm taking it back to Midgar."

Doctor Gast, or "Professor" Gast as he was now called, entered his newly appointed private laboratory and surveyed the room in all its brilliant sterility. President ShinRa had been so intrigued by his discovery, he had promoted him, given him funding, and provided him with everything he would need to study his specimen. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see his two new assistants walk up behind him.

"Ah, Hojo, Lucrecia, there you are." He said cheerfully to the young man and woman walking around the large cylinder where his specimen was kept. He knew they were rumored to be a couple, though deep down the wondered why an intelligent woman with Lucrecia's delicate bauty would attach herself to a professed "egghead" like Hojo. "Let's begin, shall we?" Hojo took out a pen and notebook, ready to take down any notes Gast might dictate to him, while Lucrecia readied his instruments. Gast smiled at his assistants. They were young, eager to work, and full of ideas. Hojo's scientific ambition in particular sometimes amazed him, and he tended to think Lucrecia had more potential in the field, but he needed that kind of drive in someone who would be working on such a potentially huge experiment.

"The specimen has been thawed," he began, hearing the sound of a pen scratching over paper as he took the tray of instruments from the shy, pale girl next to him. "And is being stored in a Mako and saline solution kept at a constant forty degrees. So far, no signs of deterioration have been detected. We will begin a series of Mako treatments to see if the specimen is in any way still viable." Gast pushed the button which would drain the solution, and allow him to retrieve samples from the creature for studying.

When the creature had been removed from the ice, it had become immediately apparent to Gast that it was not human. It was humanoid in shape, but its skin was a pale, translucent pink webbed with blue veins. Large, membranous wing-like structures came out of its back, though Gast couldn't imagine how the creature could actually use them to fly. Compared to its body, the face was strikingly human. It was feminine, almost . . . beautiful. The features were delicate, and it had a serene expression on its face, as though it were merely asleep.

Bringing himself back to the task at hand, Gast turned to make sure Hojo was ready to assist him. He too was staring at the specimen, an almost reverent look on his face. Gast eyed his assistant curiously, then brushed his fleeting concerns away as ridiculous.

"Earlier tests on rock samples found around the specimen dated it to be around two thousand years old. Further research is necessary to determine species. ." Closing the door to the cylinder, Gast refilled it with the Mako solution, and stepped back.

"Well, I think that's all for today. I'm going to hit the books tonight, see if I can find some information which will help us determine what this is."

"Excuse me a moment, Professor." Hojo said as Gast put on his coat. "But I noticed something." Gast raised his eyebrows, a signal for his assistant to continue. Hojo's eyes gleamed excitedly behind his spectacles.

"Well, I noticed when we thawed the specimen, there was a small laceration on its right side."

"Really," Gast said in surprise. "I must not have noticed. Where is it again? Point it out to me."

"That's just it Professor," Hojo said animatedly. "It isn't there anymore. It's disappeared, healed." Now Gast was more than intrigued. He smiled broadly at Hojo, clapping the man on the back.

"Why, this is amazing, good work Hojo! Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Some idea, I believe." Hojo said more calmly.

"It means this specimen could still be alive! Not only that, it may have regenerative properties! We'll have to look into this further. Not today, though, I must go to the library. This is amazing Hojo! It could be a scientific breakthrough!"

"If you'd like, Professor, I can stay and clean up." Hojo offered.

"I'd be happy to assist you in your research, Professor Gast" Lucrecia added softly, securing her brown hair in its usual ponytail.

"Yes, yes, thank you Hojo. Lucrecia, that won't be necessary." Gast said distractedly, already on his way out the door. As soon as he had gone, Hojo turned off the lights. Now only the faint green glow of the Mako filled the room. Hojo turned, staring at the source.

"Isn't it a fascinating specimen," he remarked aloud, trailing his fingers along the glass. "I have never seen a creature like it, it could be an extinct humanoid species. I do hope this Gast fellow won't waste such an incredible scientific opportunity."

"Waste it?" Lucrecia chimed in with a puzzled expression.

"Well, yes my dear," Hojo exclaimed, turning to face his fiancee. "This specimen has shown remarkable regenerative abilities despite being frozen for over two thousand years. If you ask me, it could mean that this creature is…alive. Lying dormant, so to speak. And the scientific applications of such haling capabilities would be extraordinary."

"I see…" Lucrecia replied thoughtfully, studying the passionate expression on Hojo's face as he turned back to gaze at the holding tank. Hojo has strange ideas, she thought to herself, but he could go far if given the chance. Healing abilities like this specimen's could revolutionize the medical field. Of course, she didn't voice any of this allowed, but she would have to keep an eye on Hojo. Together with Professor Gast, they could achieve amazing things with this project.