To my faithful readers, you may have been a bit perplexed over the chapter postings recently. You can blame fanfiction dot net for that. I posted my chapters in order with a matter of days in between each one. I only hope this one shows up today, which is January 10, 2007, and not a week from now.
Conditions:
-Full pardon for all defectors
-Instatement as an officer in the Planet Protector Army
-Grounds consisting of no less than a 200x50 meter lot
-Unlimited utility usage (water, electrical, gas, etc.)
-Accessibility and availability of the following items:
-One twentieth of all munitions
-One tenth of all scrap materials
-One tenth of all refined materials
-One eighth of all electronics
-One eighth of all large machinery components
-One seventh of all small machinery components
-One fourth of all biological lab resources
Cloud frowned at the contract.
"Damnit, kid…why didn't you just give her the keys to Fenrir too?"
The private who had presented him with the copy of the contract blinked at this. "Excuse me, sir?"
Cloud held up his hand and waved it at him. "Nothing."
The ex-mercenary had bid farewell to Tifa about an hour ago now. Even on Fenrir it took some time to get to the portion of the military district where they had shoved ex-Colonel Maritza. The sun was high enough to create a brighter day by that point, although it was still cold outside. Ragnar had already made the necessary arrangements. Being one of the high officers in the PPA, he wanted his approval of his actions and what she was doing. To that end, he had basically assigned him to meet with her, and directed her into this sector.
This particular neighborhood was in one of the older and unused portions of Midgar. The PPA had it zoned out to them, but they hadn't really found much use for it. Back when Midgar was sieged, enrollment in the military had swollen considerably, seeing as the citizens knew that their best chance to save themselves was to take up arms and fight. But it had died down again since then, and now it was abandoned.
There were several large buildings around Cloud. The closest ones were refurbished enough to be habitable. He was currently on a sidewalk standing adjacent to a large, rusted warehouse. It covered quite a bit of area, and it was small wonder to Cloud that this was the "grounds" Ragnar had provided for in his conditions for enlisting Maritza's service. Across was an old brick building with large stenciled white spray paint letters. They read simply "Barracks #46". For the moment, this was where they were holding the other two hundred and ninety-nine defectors. This was just a halfway point for them. Technically they were pardoned, but Ragnar had made bureaucracy work for him for a change by scaring up enough red tape to stall them a bit longer. As soon as the room was available, Ragnar said he'd have them broken up into smaller groups with mixed members from individual companies. After that he'd deport as many as possible as far away from Midgar as possible.
Some of them had already put in requests to join the PPA, but to be under Maritza's command.
At least the kid had enough sense not to grant that request… Cloud thought somewhat darkly.
He looked up again to the warehouse. As he did, he heard another loud rattle from the inside, causing him to shrink back a little and frown. Another soon followed it. It sounded like someone was already making a big racket in there. He looked back down and to the front door soon after. A platoon of eight guards was standing watch there, each one armed heavily.
Cloud motioned around the edge of the warehouse. "All of the other entrances are covered, right?"
The private gave a nod. "And all windows have been locked as well. She can't get in or out without us knowing about it."
Cloud seriously doubted that. After the incident with Hoeng, he knew there were plenty of ways to get around in this city without one knowing. At least the obvious places were hit.
"General?" The private suddenly asked.
Cloud turned to him in reply. "Yes, private?"
"Are they actually going to go through with it? Make her an officer in the PPA?"
The ex-mercenary slowly sighed in response. "That was part of the deal, private. Whatever General Ragnar decides will go through, but it looks so."
The man frowned in response, his look turning dark and irritable.
"…Three of the guys in my first unit got blown away by one of her Weasels. I better not get put in her unit…for her sake, sir."
If Ragnar was there, he probably would have given this private a verbal lashing and possibly disciplinary action. But Cloud could only think about how he agreed with him. His experiences with Shinra weren't all that great, even when people like Rufus and the Turks "changed sides". His dealings with their employees had ranged from being treacherous to downright insane. He heard that Maritza was rather "unstable" herself… He sure hoped not. The last thing he wanted was to be in the same army as another "kya-ha-ha"…
A shadow abruptly fell over Cloud, and he heard a large piece of machinery come to a halt behind him. A heavy engine chugged but idled. Hearing this, he turned around and looked. A large semi-trailer truck had come to a stop right in front of the building. It was loaded up at the moment, carrying cargo. On seeing this, Cloud became confused. What was one of these doing in this part of the city?
The driver soon rolled down the window and poked his head out. He had a tired and irritable expression himself, like he had been working a lot recently on a task he didn't care for. He put his arm out next and banged on the side of the door, getting the attention of the guards at the front, in particular the private that had greeted him.
"Yo mac!" He called out. "Where do they want this load of electronics?"
The private frowned a bit as well, and gestured with a thumb to the west side of the building. "Near the rear is the loading area. But you're going to have to wait. There's already a backup."
The driver sighed and turned behind him. He put his fingers to his mouth and gave a whistle, and then motioned onward. Cloud, who was surprised enough at this initial exchange, turned and looked to see who he was gesturing at. To his astonishment…there were two more trucks right behind him. As the driver ducked back in, all three of them gassed up and began to move their vehicles forward to turn the corner and carry out their delivery.
Cloud was aghast. He turned back to the private and pointed at the trucks. "…They're dropping off all that stuff here? What's in there?"
The private looked a bit uneasy for a moment, seeing how Cloud was reacting. He gave a simple shrug. "Based on what the driver said, those are probably the small electronic components Maritza ordered from Isuzu Industries. She's been taking the fractions we agreed to give her very seriously…"
The ex-mercenary was stunned. This was crazy. Ragnar was actually giving her the amount she asked for? All at once? The kid had to have lost his mind. Without waiting for any proper clearance, he pushed past the private and marched to the front doors of the warehouse. The guards there saw the look on his face and how fast he was coming, and they immediately blanched. They were guarding a large set of double-doors big enough to load and unload large cargo, but there were smaller doors within the large ones for getting in one at a time. One opened it and stood aside, and Cloud stepped right in.
He only took two steps before he froze and gaped.
Cloud had seen the inside of this particular unused warehouse before. He knew his way around the military district rather well as well as the ins and outs of several places, despite the fact that he wasn't as "hands-on" as Ragnar in matters of command and decisions. Last time it had been rather empty and bare. The ceiling was about the height of a high school sports arena, and it stretched out empty with a flat concrete floor. Only a few pieces of trash were there. Even derelects seemed to avoid it.
That had changed.
The place was filled with personnel from both Isuzu Industries and the army, and they were running everywhere carrying items and moving them around. Already, the place was filling up with piles of wooden crates, stacks of sheet metal, bundles of pipes, heavy engine components, and just about any other large piece of moving and construction material that Cloud could think of. Some areas were piled up with electronics. Another small area was accumulating what looked like biohazard equipment. Still another had what looked like three computer servers piled up with other computing equipment.
Yet these were just the major items. Several workmen were coming in with their arms loaded down with what looked like rather mundane items. Vacuum cleaners…blenders…television sets…lawnmower motors… One particular person was struggling under a crate of what looked like every fuse known to man. Another was pushing what looked like a bale of carpeting. That was to say nothing of the amount of forklifts that were going everywhere, constantly backing into each other and nearly hitting more than once. Some forklifts even appeared to be carrying new forklifts for who knew what purpose. The back of the warehouse was open with more trucks unloading all the time.
Cloud was flabbergasted. The guard was right…Maritza was doing exactly what she said. She was taking all of those items right now. And it was only a few hours past dawn. She had to be up all night ordering all of this. As he slowly stumbled in, marveling at it all, he was so awestruck that the idea that all of this was being used for a deceptive and evil plan escaped him. Given the nature of the items and the amount, it seemed shocking to even consider what she could begin to do with half of these things. She was certainly taking advantage of their generosity…
This was insane…
As Cloud continued to think of this, a new forklift went by. He looked down to it, and saw that, of all things, this one bore two couches in plastic wrapping. As it rolled by, however, he happened to see that someone was riding them. It was none other than the woman of the hour.
Maritza lay across them as if she was relaxing. She had changed clothes into a pair of work overalls...and nothing else. Her hair was tied back with a band, and splayed wildly behind her. She wore no shoes or socks. Cradled in one arm was one package that appeared to be a coffee maker that had not yet been removed from its box. Around her head were the torn trappings of packing for a cellular phone. The phone itself was in her hand and resting against her head. She was rather loud as she came by, and even over the din of work Cloud heard her.
"-No, they don't have to be my old crew. But I'm going to need aides! Twenty at least! They can be PPA or civilians or even WGN for all I care! I've got lots of work to do!" Maritza pulled the phone away from her head at this, and pushed another button. She immediately put it back against her head. "Hello? Sable, you still there? Get my storage tank open and get me the contents! I need them by tomorrow! …As soon as possible then! I'm going to have to make room for it! 16 South Moogle Lane!" Again, a button pressed, and then back to her head. "Commander, you there? I have it in writing right here, signed by General Ragnar Vice himself! One twentieth of all munitions! If you're going to make me verify it, then get someone down here! This kitchen is cooking!" Another pause and a button press. "Yes, you heard me right! Two more transformers! Don't believe me? Call the PPA! They've authorized it!" Again another call. "Antonio's? Where are those forty pizzas I've ordered? I'm starving here and so is the crew! …You don't deliver until noon? What good is that?" Maritza frowned and slammed the phone shut.
A moment later, the rather wild and loose-looking woman leapt off of the couch, turned to the driver, and gestured. "Southwest corner, Byrd." The man frowned in response, not liking the idea of being ordered around by this woman. But Maritza had already turned away to another person as he grumbled and did as he was told. She began to walk toward Cloud, still cradling her coffee maker and shouting to everyone around her. "I'll take the plywood over here too! Small electronics are here? Great! Put them against that wall! No, that's the piping! Hey! Don't spill that stuff unless you want a permanent sunburn!"
At last, the woman came to a halt and stopped talking…right in front of Cloud. The ex-mercenary was rarely overwhelmed by someone's personality…but this was one of those times. As he stared at the woman, who stood easily shorter than him, he realized that Ragnar had been telling the truth. This was Maritza…but she looked younger than him. This woman was supposed to be in her sixties? What more…this wild woman had been one of their greatest enemies?
"Why, hello there, General Cloud!" Maritza brightly greeted. "If it isn't the man who brought down my last employer!" She gestured grandly around herself here. "Welcome to Rancho Maritza!"
Cloud blinked for a moment as his mouth hung open. He didn't know what to say. He looked around himself a bit longer at everything that was going on, and then finally looked back to the woman.
"…What the hell is this?" He finally blurted out.
"Oh, it's all in ink and paper, general." Maritza calmly responded. With that, she reached into her central overall pocket. A moment later, she pulled out a rolled up paper. Presenting it like a deed, she pulled it open with both hands and showed it to the man in front of her. It was another copy of the agreement that Cloud had. "All this stuff is mine. Naturally, I couldn't carry it all the way here by myself, so I'm enlisting a few of your strapping young men here to help me out. It's going swimmingly for a moving day, if I might say so myself."
Cloud leveled his eyes at her, though he was still in disbelief. "…You're taking everything on the contract at once?"
The woman innocently shrugged. "As much as I can fit in here. It was such a bother back in the Dome. You had to go through all this red tape to get your hands on a Petri dish. It's much better to have a nice healthy stock of supplies in advance. Saves you trouble and work." Here, a workman passed by the two of them, holding a crate full of more mundane items. Without so much as a warning, Maritza turned and plucked an item from it and turned to Cloud. It turned out to be an alarm clock. "Time is a precious thing, general. Never waste it."
Then, without so much as a care, Maritza smiled and did a neat little pose as she threw the clock over her shoulder. Sweeping her foot backward, she kicked it like a hacky sack. The clock was knocked into the air, did a graceful arc, and then landed right in another crate full of mundane items held by another man going another way.
Cloud's mouth still hadn't closed. He was gaping at her.
"…You're insane." He finally stated. "That must be why you left the New Shinra. You lost your mind."
"My mind is right where it's always been, my good sir: between my right and left ears." Maritza stated matter-of-factly. "I am merely setting up shop. The structure at the Dome was too rigid and regimentalized. I'm taking full advantage of the looser setup of the PPA. Being in an environment of my own making helps my creative juices to flow, and therefore since this will be my home and workspace, I am making it as lovely as I so desire."
"…Hey!"
Both Cloud and Maritza looked up at this. The voice came from behind her, and so she turned around. There, moving a pair of cardboard boxes on a pallet, was a disgruntled looking mover.
"Where do you want me to put these sprinklers?"
Maritza grinned at this, and gracefully pointed with one finger to a nearby area. "Right there, my good man. I'll be using them tonight."
The worker snorted and did as he was told, as Maritza turned back brightly to Cloud. "Now where were we?"
At last Cloud's mouth closed as he glared at the woman and narrowed his gaze.
"Sprinklers…blenders…TV sets…pizzas… Is this your idea of a joke or something? Are you just trying to make us cater to your every whim to spite us? What the hell do you think this is?"
Maritza, however, frowned tiredly at this, and rolled her eyes and sighed as she crossed her coffee machine in front of her and leaned her head on top of it.
"General Cloud…" She tiredly began. "When you're on the level of genius such as I am, and have been around for nearly seventy years building things, you already know in advance how they are going to come together in your brain and exactly what you will need. To build the devices I have in mind, I will need no less than two hundred thousand special parts that are not made in the stock of any industry in Midgar or Junon. It would take me months…perhaps even years…to specially make each one of those parts using the stock pieces I have here. I have been familiar with many product lines for many years as well as the component parts in them, and I can save a lot of time and energy by simply getting the special parts from them. These sprinklers make the correct angled pipe joints that I need without having to warp a straight pipe. These blender motors have the right size gears I need for my small machinery parts. These televisions have the correct strength and size wiring I need to handle a high current with minimal heat loss. And as I have been up all night and have been working these people since before dawn, I thought that I owed it to them to feed them so long as I was feeding myself, and it might have served to break the ice and let these people know that we're on the same side now."
Cloud paused. She made sense, in truth. He knew that Cid sometimes refurbished parts for his aircraft, especially back before they had Isuzu Industries. He had never seen it done to this level before, but despite the fact that Maritza looked like a crazy kook at this moment he had received testimony personally from Rufus saying how smart she was. It was reasonable to assume that she would be telling the truth about this. Besides…what was there to gather from having all of these commercial products otherwise?
"…What's the coffee maker for?" Cloud finally asked, much milder this time. "Do you need the LED out of it or something?"
Maritza kept her frown, a bit more indignant this time.
"No. I like a strong cup of joe in the morning, if you must know."
Cloud frowned in response.
"If you really don't trust me…" Maritza said as she began to walk again, this time going past Cloud and headed for the southwest corner of the building. Cloud turned and followed her when she did. "Then do as I said and get me some PPA aides in here ASAP. Then they can keep an eye on me and make themselves useful in the process. You can have them work 24 hours a day on shifts, for all I care. That's what I'll be doing. So long as you're here, I suppose I should notify you that I've put out some calls to my contacts still in the New Shinra and worldwide. All of them are on record if you wish to see if I'm acting as a double agent. They'll be sending me materials I require. I suggest you formulate whatever committee you have in mind to look over every square inch of those materials to make sure I'm not double crossing you as soon as possible so I can get them in here as soon as possible. I'll have my hands full for days as it is before I can get enough time for a nap."
As Maritza walked on, Cloud looked a bit ahead. In this particular corner there were several of the mundane items. Many of them looked like basic construction equipment and the furnishing that an office would have rather than a construction area. The couches were being set down against the wall along with paint and tools, but there was a freshly unboxed desk already there along with a rolling cushioned chair. It still had the plastic on it. Maritza walked over to this desk and proceeded to rip the plastic off of the chair in one easy snap, and then turned and plopped down in it. She immediately let out an expression of pleasure.
"Ah…this feels great. All we had were metal chairs back at the Dome…"
Cloud crossed his arms and stared at her, still a bit annoyed at all of this, but a bit calmer now that he realized it had a plausible reason to it. And after what she just said, either she was planning on going behind their backs in a very sneaky fashion, or she was encouraging him to test her new loyalties. For the moment, Cloud was still opting for the former. This behavior couldn't be natural…
"Now then…to business." Maritza abruptly announced.
This again snapped Cloud out of his thoughts, making him look down to her. "Excuse me?"
"Business, general. You don't think I would have led you over here if I didn't have a reason to talk to you, do you?"
The ex-mercenary again looked confused. "…I came down here to investigate you…"
Maritza held up a hand and waved. "Yes, yes…red tape and all that. Very, very interesting, I'm sure…" She responded in a bored tone. After that, however, she leaned back a bit more in her chair. She raised her legs up and propped them on the desk, and then crossed them. As she folded her hands across her chest, she looked more closely at Cloud. Her gaze became piercing and scrutinizing, although not harsh or mean. Nevertheless, Cloud was puzzled again at this change of behavior. It unnerved him a bit.
"Cloud Strife…" She remarked aloud. "You know you're the most wanted man by the New Shinra Army? Ragnar Vice is the number two most wanted, despite being the one who founded the PPA. That's probably because they think you're a lot more destructive. General Ragnar may have been able to keep an army going against the NSA for three years, but you were the one who led eight individuals to bring down the company."
Cloud kept his frown. It wasn't nearly as simple as that. Most of the misery that had befallen the company was due to Sephiroth. He may have been involved in some terrorist activities, but that was under AVALANCHE. Barret was the one who headed that organization. Though his friends might disagree, he had never really thought of himself as leading the group.
"Well, happy as I am that you've been keeping tabs on me," Cloud began to answer sarcastically. "I would-"
"Of course, you owe some of your success to us." Maritza abruptly cut off. Cloud froze on hearing this…for Maritza's voice had changed. It suddenly had become a lot sharper and subtle, with a darker undertone to it. Her eyes had narrowed, and were looking more calculating and mischevious. Cloud's frown began to fade as he saw this…and felt uneasy within.
"I used to be part of the Science Division, remember." Maritza coolly continued. "And unlike my amoral superior…I actually bothered to keep tabs on past work." A slight shrug. "Until about six years ago, I prided myself on being able to recall the names of every single member of SOLDIER. That's besides the point though. The point was that I recalled an incident without cause or explanation that occurred in Nibelheim. At this point that was eight years ago."
Cloud said nothing in response, although his own look became a bit harder.
"Now, keep in mind, they didn't let little old majors like me know all their dirty little secrets." Maritza continued, grinning now from ear to ear. "Especially when little old majors like me were only commanders at the time. But I'm not stupid, general. I didn't get into this position by not thinking ahead of what I was told. What I did know is that the twisted excuse of a man I had to work for had somehow acquired personnel he was going to attempt his new Sephiroth cloning process on, and that he gave me their names to delete their military records. We couldn't very well let the rest of our employees know that at any time they could become his lab rats, after all. That sort of thing."
Cloud felt his innards starting to stiffen up. He preferred Maritza when she was acting childish.
Maritza leaned forward a bit more on her chair, put an arm on the rest, and then propped up her chin, as if to get a better look at him.
"About the only thing that makes me happier than knowing that his 'failure' killed him is that you succeeded where his other twelve abominations failed miserably. I only wish I could have seen the look on his face as he died."
"Are you finished?" Cloud finally spoke up, nearly spitting this out. "Because if you're expecting me to show any gratitude for being turned into a bio-weapon, you can go where I sent the other officers before you."
Maritza looked a bit hurt by this, and leaned back with her hands up. "Hey, hey! No need to get that way. We're all friends here."
"We aren't actually." Cloud nearly sneered. "We're coworkers, nothing more. If you're done-"
"Oh, you PPA officers are far too sensitive." Maritza grumbled while waving a hand at Cloud. The ex-mercenary, at that point, was moments from simply walking away. However, the woman kept talking after a sigh, stopping him.
"The point is that I know about your cellular makeup, and I know that you have the same sort of treatments as a member of SOLDIER." Maritza continued. "A super SOLDIER, in fact. In truth, this has to do with my theories. Crazy McCrazy always thought that it was purely biological…that whoever was the best physical match would make the best SOLDIER. I, on the other hand, believed there was a mental component to it…that a person had to have the will to literally be all that they could be in order to benefit the most. That was why, in my opinion, we started pumping out inferior SOLDIERs when we abducted candidates rather than got volunteers. That's why you're the most successful. You had a will to actually use what was given to you."
Maritza leaned forward a bit here. Again, the grin spread from ear to ear. Her eyes narrowed again…and this time seemed a bit more than mischevious. Again, Cloud felt himself unsettled as a darker air than before came over the woman.
"This is my point, general. I want to help you to be all that you can be. You are the only one that this would work on, based on your nature and background. I can give you a special treatment that will increase your power ten fold."
Maritza stopped talking after this, leaving Cloud to pause for a moment, wanting to know if there was anything more than this. However, nothing else was said. The woman kept her last position, looking almost like some grinning gargoyle hunched over her chair, and leaving him standing there. Cloud's face didn't change.
"…You want to experiment on me." Cloud reiterated.
"No…" Maritza corrected. "I want to give you an experimental treatment. I've been working on it for a while now. General Leers wanted me to use it on our own SOLDIER members. I doubted it would work even on the 1st Classes. However, you're far above and beyond that. Only Sephiroth himself probably would have been a more ideal candidate."
Cloud snorted once. He gave a pause, but then finally leaned in a bit himself.
"…You can take that treatment, and shove it up your ass."
He straightened after that, turned, and began to walk away.
"An impulsive snap judgment at best, general." Maritza called out after him. "I'd have thought you would want a bit more power, seeing as you're in the middle of a war."
Cloud stopped here. He hesitated a moment, but then turned his head back around to Maritza. "Even if I did, which I neither want nor need, the last person I'd be going to for it is some damn Shinra scientist. You people did enough to me."
"Hey…I didn't do it to you." Maritza protested while pointing at herself. "And I'm not a Shinra scientist. As of last night, I'm a Planet Protector Army scientist, remember?" She accentuated this with a pleasant smile.
Cloud didn't bother answering. He turned and began to walk away again.
"You better think about my generous offer a bit longer, general." Maritza called out after him, somehow making herself heard over the din in the hanger. "Working out will never get you as strong as I can make you. You could be the Sephiroth of the Planet Protector Army!"
Cloud stiffened at this, and nearly snapped around to tell the woman to shut up. No one needed to say that out loud in this room, with all of these people listening in. While the massacre that had happened last year had been excused, the rumor that Sephiroth was somehow alive and running around was still present. Even if he wasn't, enough people knew who Sephiroth was to hate the name above everything else.
However…Maritza's choice of words put a new image into Cloud's mind that kept him from saying this.
Sephiroth was back…and stronger than before. It was unlikely through working out that he would ever be able to beat him…but if he didn't then there was no telling what he would do to this world. But if his own power could indeed rise tenfold…
Cloud grit his teeth and pushed this out of his mind. He would have to be crazy to trust that woman with anything. It took a lot more than calling Hojo crazy to make you a decent, moral scientist. There wasn't anything straight or humane about Shinra. With that in mind, he continued to walk away from the area.
Yet the offer wasn't forgotten…but stayed lodged in his brain for the rest of that day.
Aerith braided her hair two more times before coming to a stop. She reached down for her ribbon, took it up, and began to tie the end. While doing so, she was reminded of what Ragnar had told her yesterday…that she may want to get it cut so that it wouldn't interfere in an action environment. She couldn't bring herself to do that just yet. She had long hair her entire life. Not as long as her mother's, but that was a bit on the excessive side anyway…
At the thought of this, she sighed to herself. There were a hundred problems facing the world, and here she was thinking about her hair. That was the trademark sign of an "airhead", so to speak. She quickly pushed it out and stood up from the bedside. Now finding herself in front of the room's mirror, she quickly gave herself a look over. She seemed fine enough. Nothing seemed out of place or too dirty. Not that it would really matter. She would be getting dirty and sweaty again once she started to spar with Ragnar.
As she prepared to go, she heard a knock at the door.
The Cetra turned to it, wondering who that could be. "Come in."
The door creaked open. Creak was an appropriate term, because the person didn't open it normally on the other side. Rather, it was pushed open very slowly. Aerith noticed this even before she saw who was there. A moment later, and it was open enough for someone to get through. There, framed in the open doorway, just above the doorknob, was the face of Marlene.
"Oh, hello Marlene." Aerith announced on seeing her. However, she was a bit puzzled to see her there. When she had first moved in, she was there to greet her almost every morning. But as it became clear that Aerith wasn't going anywhere soon, she had simply waited downstairs for her to come to breakfast. There was a brief resurgence when Azure first disappeared…but it had died down again. Now she would only come in if she had a nightmare. Yet it was far too late in the day for that…
At any rate, the little girl took Aerith's initial offer and walked in after a pause. Even when she came in, however, she was hesitant. She hadn't changed clothes or washed yet. It looked as if she wasn't sure whether she should be there or not, or go through with something or not. Her face was very troubled. The Cetra picked up on this almost immediately. Her own face became concerned.
"Marlene? What's the matter?"
The little girl swallowed. She grasped her nightshirt and wrung it a bit in her hands.
"Can…can I…ask you something, Aerith?"
Aerith blinked once, but then immediately sat back down on the bed. "Of course, honey. Come over here."
Marlene paused again, but then more readily came over to Aerith's side. For some reason, Aerith knew that Marlene had always been at ease around her. Her hair was nearly long enough to start braiding like the Cetra's, and she had shown no signs of wanting to change her hairstyle since she had arrived. She used to try and imitate her a lot…but that was before what happened to Azure. She was soon at her side, however, and sat down nearby. She drew in a bit to herself here, looking nervous again. She was silent for a few moments, apparently not wanting to ask this.
"It's alright, Marlene. You can ask me anything." Aerith reassured.
Marlene's look turned from nervous to fearful…and even a bit sad. At last, she bit back and was able to turn and look at Aerith. Her eyes shimmered a moment and she half-shouted her question to her.
"…Can you bring Azure back to life?"
Aerith froze the moment she heard that question. Marlene continued to stare into her eyes afterward, both anxious and fearful as she did so. As she did…Aerith's face slowly began to grow remorseful as she felt a gnawing starting in her stomach. So that was what she had wanted to ask. She could guess why. But now that she had asked, the Cetra began to feel anxious as well. Marlene was old enough to know what death was…but considering the events that had happened in her life, perhaps she thought that the people around her could "bend the rules". The girl's eyes continued to shimmer as she looked hopefully at Aerith. The Cetra saw this and slowly exhaled. She didn't want to have to say this to her… She didn't want to make her sadder…
"…You saved the world…and Denzel…and all those kids…and Midgar…" Marlene began to insist. "I know you can heal people…and you can do magic…"
Aerith paused a bit longer. Then, her eyelids drooped slightly as a rueful expression formed on her face. She looked at Marlene and regretfully shook her head.
"…I'm sorry, Marlene. I can't bring people back from the dead."
Marlene's jaw tightened as she quivered. Tears began to form, and she reached over and put her hands on Aerith, almost pleading. "But…but you came back to life." She insisted. "Can't we do the same thing to Azure?"
Aerith slowly shook her head again. "That wasn't my doing, Marlene. That was Bahamut. And he can't do that again for another thousand years."
The girl bit back a moment, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. More fear, growing into despair, filled her vision. She clinged at Aerith's dress and leaned in closer.
"Can't you try?" She finally spoke, her voice getting desperate. "Please…try to bring him back to life! Denzel misses him so much! And I miss him! Denzel said he'd never be happy again! You're the only one who could do it! Please try!"
With this last word, Marlene pitched forward and put her head against Aerith's lap, where her hands still clung to her. There, she began to cry. Aerith, moved with concern, reached down and put her arms on her to try and support her in an attempted embrace. But she was crying against his lap, and she couldn't get her arms fully around her. She didn't get up immediately either. She continued to weep while Aerith helplessly looked at her. Her own face was filled with pity and anxiety.
Months had gone by…and still both she and Denzel were full of sadness. They had only grown better at masking it…but it was clear to Aerith that it hadn't diminished. If Azure had truly died, then she might have tried to tell them to "buck up", so to speak, and try to move on with life. Death was a natural part of life, and it was necessary for people to move on despite how painful it was. That was what she had wanted for Cloud ever since her own demise…
But she knew the truth, and unlike Tifa couldn't lie.
A foreign, hot feeling arose in her when she thought of the true reason for the children's sadness.
…Why did you have to hurt these children? Why couldn't you leave him in peace?
Aerith knew such thoughts were wasted, even if she could say them to his face. Sephiroth cared absolutely nothing for any other life on this world, even life forms similar to his own. Azure had just been another body for him to jump into. When it had been Cloud, he had fought back and triumphed. When Kadaj, he willingly gave up his flesh. And now…Aerith remembered the chain of events that had led up to the return of Sephiroth. Perhaps some inner demons and temptation had driven him to this as well.
But no matter the reason…Aerith believed one thing intensely, especially with Marlene here. If Azure had been aware of what would come, he never would have allowed Sephiroth to take him. She couldn't believe it. Denzel and Marlene wouldn't have had such undying affection for him if he was truly that wicked. And the woman herself had seen no evil in him for months. He had to have been tricked, or driven into thinking he had no other choice. And because of that…that made Sephiroth worse than any thief or murderer. Killing a person was one thing. This was using someone in the worst way.
Aerith still felt great pity for that sad soul that had been Azure. No doubt, he had fears of being a puppet or soulless husk himself. He had felt afraid and alone at times too. On coming here, he had begun to remake a life for himself. And now Sephiroth had taken that away, just as he had taken so many other lives. He had a chance at a normal existence as a regular boy, and his alien "mother" and "older brother" refused to let him have it. They just used him in the end like they used all other life…
Worst of all…he's not really dead. Aerith thought grimly. She knew he wasn't. That dark thought had been lingering in the back of her mind for some time now, but now it truly came out. No…Kadaj hadn't been dead when he possessed him. Once the body was no use to him anymore and he abandoned it, he revealed Kadaj was still there. He hadn't even enough decency to wait for death to remove him from a "host", leaving the personality alone to sustain it. And that meant that even if Cloud and Ragnar could kill Sephiroth…in the end all they would have would be the body of a little boy, and it would be Azure looking up wondering why he was lying there dying…
It wasn't fair to him.
Sephiroth was the monster. Why should someone else be punished for his crimes?
When Aerith thought that…a new light went off in her brain as a small amount of her anger found an outlet.
Aerith moved her hands around and down, placing them underneath Marlene's arms. Once she did, she pulled up on them, indicating for her to sit up. Marlene sniffled, but obeyed as she raised her up. However, it was only enough for her to be in full range for an embrace, which is what Aerith immediately did tightly and firmly, letting the girl place her head against her breast.
"…I'll bring Azure back to you and Denzel, Marlene." She stated, her voice kind as always…but also firm and resolute. "I promise."
In one of the oldest geographical books ever written on Gaia, the great sea king Leviathan first wrote about Da-Chao. At that point, it was still deep beneath the waters. It wouldn't be until after the Collapse that the place would be forced upward into forming the mountains they were today. He wrote that the flames of Da-Chao burned so brightly and strong that one rowing a boat out to view them at night would see a fiery maelstrom beneath the ocean, stretching for miles through cracks and fissures in all directions. "Da-Chao" itself was a derivative of Leviathan's language when he described it, meaning "above and below", for he had wrote: "I thought I could see both Heaven above and Hell below at once".
That had changed, of course. Da-Chao was now far above the waters. It had never matured into a true volcano on land, but it was hot enough. The early Wutai people had found smoke belching out from all nooks and crannies of the mountain range. On going inside, they found pools of liquid magma lighting eternal fires thoughtout the entire interior. Feared at first, the Wutai people eventually realized that such cracks could be utilized for forging the strongest weapons and armor in the world. And for a time, it did just that. That was until about 100 years ago, when coal was introduced to Wutai, and gunpowder began to take precedence over the sword.
Nowadays, the flames continued to eternally burn for whatever tourist who wanted to risk seeing them. The insides of the largest caves shone fiery red and yellow as the magma and fire flowed eternally. Yet they always stayed confined to certain areas, leaving many pathways open and untouched through the ages. Though this facet was responsible for allowing the forgers of early Wutai to come in and make their weapons in safety, the periodic flare ups of the magma had caused many of these paths to be locked down. Even then, with the war making travel uncertain and dangerous, few people risked venturing out anymore.
Therefore…the lone visitor was quite undisturbed when his long black boots began to click against the ground.
The tall man who now walked confidently and without fear into the heart of Da-Chao had not been here in many a year. When he had…it was not as one moving secretly and silently past any guard. It was as a conqueror, leading the forces of Shinra to ultimate victory and defeating Godo himself by his own hand. Yet the wars of humans were far too petty for him now, and his purpose here was merely in carrying out more important business that didn't involve deaths.
Aleron's time was approaching…and there were still preparations to make.
Sephiroth was just as flawless looking as he had been a month ago. The one cut that Bahamut had given him healed almost instantly. Having unlimited stamina gave him unlimited resources for healing, and so injuring him was nearly impossible. His coat had been fixed, and now flowed behind him black and dark without rip or interruption. His silver armor gleamed in the flames of the mountain. Had anyone from Nibelheim been there…they would have said he looked right in his element, just like he was eight years ago.
Sephiroth at last came to the end of the path. It terminated into a lake of magma and flame surrounding him on all sides. This close and any normal human would have passed out due to the heat. But Sephiroth was unaffected. Instead, he simply looked down into the world's largest blast furnace and felt its fire rise up. He did so for a few moments…until he realized that it was just the right temperature.
With that done, a black-gloved hand dipped into his coat…and produced a strange shiny lump. It was jagged on several sides, from having been apparently roughly cut. It was heavy, but didn't trouble him in the least. The shine was pure and beautiful.
Without hesitation, he tossed it into the pool of lava.
The man smiled as he watched it sink. Bahamut had not only failed to beat him…he had given him a mighty gift. The Giga Flare that he attempted to hit him with was more than just heat. It carried an ionization charge with it. Burning the steel of the Dome had both refined it as well as used the charge to pull out all impurities. The steel was now harder and purer than any other that could be found on Gaia. The New Shinra were vainly trying to pry it up to use it as a weapon, but Sephiroth had succeeded where they failed. It wasn't easy. Even with his power and the atom edge of the unbreakable Masamune, he barely managed to cut off the chunk he had dropped into the mountain.
Now, the hottest flames that could be found in this world were slowly working their way into the steel, making it malleable again. And once it was…it would be forged into something far more useful.
With that in mind, Sephiroth turned and began to look around the cave. There were no doubt many discarded tools lying around it. He would find them and make use of them once the ore was ready. In the meantime, he would gather what he needed to forge one last weapon within the flames of Da-Chao.
To be continued...