The Servant: The Aleron Saga

by Piccolo Sky

The untold story of Bahamut. In this fourth installment, Bahamut's triumphant return to Gaia is cut short as he sees visions warning him of a cataclysmic future, one that will test both him and his pupil in a way most unexpected.

65. Setting Up The Board

This chapter felt a bit sloppy to me when I wrote it. It might have been because I was in a hurry to get it done. At any rate, I editted as best as I could before posting it, but fanfiction dot net has been giving me all sorts of problems with editting, so if it isn't good enough then too bad. :P Another story arc in "The Aleron Saga" comes to a close, leaving only one story arc to go...

"But wait!" You might be asking me. "This saga is called, 'The Aleron Saga', and yet Aleron only showed up in this section. Now it's going to end after the next one?"

To tell the truth, this saga was originally called, "The Sephiroth/Aleron Saga". However, I didn't want to call it that or everyone would have known Sephiroth would eventually have showed up. So I gave it a name no one would be able to infer anything from. Technically, this saga started with Aerith's resurrection, and that event has set off the cascade of events that brought Aleron into being, so there. :P

Enjoy.

That's a command, not a request. :(

---

It had been a few hours…and now the sun had risen. But that didn't matter anymore, because it was still too dark outside to tell.

Ragnar could see this as he looked out the window of the Seventh Heaven. The sky was grayer than before…but it was still nearly black on one side of the sky. The sun barely seemed to be leaving an effect today. It was like they were on the brink of a thunderstorm. However…nothing came down. The thunder and lightning had ceased from earlier, but the sky still didn't clear up. From here…Ragnar could look far over the city of Edge and see black smoke still rising into the sky from Kalm. The fire, based on last reports, was only 20 percent contained, although most people had gone out by now. Those present for the first hour weren't so lucky…

Ragnar was getting plenty of reports over the radio, but he also had people check in with him. He figured he needed to head back to his office pretty soon…but he had other things on his mind right now than that. He had to come to a conclusion first.

Cloud was nearby, sitting in a chair in the nearly completed foyer and looking outside in much the same way. Tifa had gone to bed. She had been up with them until recently. She learned only moments after Cloud called exactly why he had wanted her to get out of the house. Ragnar and Cloud's worst fears were realized. She had actually seen the six fireballs coming down to impact the Seventh Heaven. But then, before one of them could obliterate the entire building and everything within…they suddenly veered off and struck Kalm instead. There was no way that was a misfire. Magical blasts from materia didn't miss by that wide of a margin…or just about anything else. No…the message had been all too clear.

They had missed on purpose.

They just wanted them to know that they could destroy it anytime they wished.

And they couldn't do anything about it.

Ragnar slowly exhaled and looked over to the side. Aerith had not gone to bed either, as it was. Instead, she had drawn the Princess Guard, and leaned on it as she looked out the window much as they were doing. Her normally cheerful self was gone…but neither was she crying. She hadn't cried at all that entire night since he met her…and while moving Reno to the hospital she was surprisingly stable and controlled. Well…surprising to Ragnar. The youth failed to fully see the side of Aerith that was more independent and take charge. Some of that had changed following her death, but much of it was still there.

Part of the reason Ragnar was here was to escape the questions. This had been a disastrous night. Twelve Wutai destroyers had gone up in flames. Kalm looked like it had been hit by an air strike. Naturally, everyone was assuming this was some sort of fantastic new weapon the New Shinra had unleashed. And now word was getting around that General Ragnar had dispatched himself and some highly trained soldiers to the shore last night, and that the radar had gone dead long enough for some people to arrive. The connections were being made, and speculation was abounding. It wouldn't be long before Ragnar would have to say something to try and explain what was going on. What, exactly, was still a confusing topic. Most people didn't know that Sephiroth was alive…but many knew who he was. And if they knew that what had happened was not the result of a weapon but of a pair of powerful individuals…

Also, the Turks were once again a factor. Elena was barely able to move and wouldn't be able to walk for weeks. Rude was unconscious…possibly comatose. Then there was Reno… The only reason he even made it into the OR is because Aerith was there to stabilize him. Luckily, she didn't seem to care about their past differences where death or life were concerned. Even so, he had flatlined twice during surgery, and now he was in critical condition as they waited and hoped for him to stabilize. At least some of them were going to pull through…and when that happened, they were going to be here, and the knowledge would have to come out that they were "on their side".

Then there was Krystea…who had become the latest problem.

Zola… Ragnar regretfully thought. You were brave…but you weren't fast enough.

Why did they even do this? This is like Operation Hiccup. He's getting involved against the PPA. First Sephiroth stopped us from shutting down the reactor…then his mate…Krystea…Aleron…whatever she is now…blows up all of those ships. He could have just set fire to Edge if he wanted to make me and Cloud angry. But this actually hurts us… It's almost as if he's fighting war against us.

But there's no way he could be working with the New Shinra. Even if he wanted to, they wouldn't let him. They were dispatched initially to kill him, for goodness sake… Yet this is too much to be a coincidence. He's actively fighting against us now...doing things that damage our ability to fight back. He's actually trying to keep us from beating the NSA. Maybe that's not his goal, but it's something he's been doing on the side. But what good would that do? Doesn't he want them to die as much as us? What do the New Shinra have that would benefit him if they won? What do they have that he wants?

The door to the Seventh Heaven creaked. The three people within turned and looked to the source, and saw a red, carnivous face push its way through the crack and open the door the remaining distance. It was Red XIII…having been awakened as well to help with damage assessment. After this, he walked in a bit farther until he could extend one hind leg behind him and shut the door again. He sat soon afterward, and looked up to Ragnar with his one good eye.

"…We have a serious dilemma."

The others tensed up a bit at this, and turned their bodies to face the canine.

"Until now, we were struggling to finish enough destroyers to mount a successful invasion of the Northern Continent." Red XIII explained gravely. He slowly sighed after saying this, and shook his head.

"That's no longer a factor now. After these latest losses, we are distinctly outnumbered. Even if we could sink the Juggernaut, it wouldn't help. We could still be surrounded like last time and eventually crushed."

Ragnar sighed and bowed his head. Cloud's own look became grim as he let his fist fall down against the windowsill. Yet another problem. It seemed like every time he tried to focus on one of the big issues of his life, the other one got worse as well. The young general turned and began to pace around.

Red XIII's look stayed low. "…It will take at least eight months to be able to recover from this loss."

"We don't have eight months. We might not even have one." Ragnar answered back.

The colonel let out a sigh and a shrug. "For what it's worth…the spies are almost sure it's going to take at least two more months for the Gauntlet of Zeus to be ready."

Ragnar turned to the beast. "We can't fight their fleet with quarters of ships." He answered in an irate fashion.

"I'm just the messenger, general." Red XIII calmly replied.

The youth sighed at this, and then turned away again. He tiredly put his hands against his face as he began to walk back. "…I know, Red." He answered back wearily. "This…is just one of the worst nights I've had in a long time."

Cloud raised his head. "What about Isuzu Industries?" He asked. "Can we get them building destroyers as well?"

Red XIII shook his head. "No… Even if they had the proper facilities built to produce these ships, it would be too late. They'd still take months to put out their first ship. Until now we've had them focus on building artillery for the invasion and let Wutai handle the sea portion."

Ragnar sighed as he stopped against one of the walls. He turned and leaned against it momentarily. It never rained but it poured in this army… Now he had to think of a way out of this problem as well. Firepower wasn't a problem. Isuzu Industries had been making it for months, making their own shoreline fairly impregnable. They had plenty of surplus, including some of the new laser projectors. What they didn't have were destroyers to put artillery on. They needed warships. They needed boats in the ocean that could fight. That was the main issue now. This dilemma puzzled him for a few moments as he tried to think of a solution.

The general finally realized they could try one thing.

Once again…they'd have to abandon professionalism and improvise.

Ragnar straightened somewhat here, leaning off of the wall, and then turned to the others. His look was a bit tired, but he spoke in a bit more upright tone.

"Well…" He said, gaining their attention. "There's only one thing left that I see. The issue here isn't in a lack of munitions or guns…it's in a lack of ships. And while we may have a shortage on destroyers, I know we have a surplus of ships in Junon and the Midgar area. So we'll just have to make do with them."

Red XIII raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I'm going to head over to the office. I have to prepare an official statement about the strike that happened this morning anyway." Ragnar explained. "But mostly I'm going to call up the port authorities and Isuzu Industrries. I'm going to have them start taking commercial ships and outfitting them with some guns and armor."

Cloud leaned in a bit here. "Commercial ships?"

"Yeah. Tankers…sea barges…tugboats…whatever can hold a cannon."

"That's ill-advisable, general." Red XIII answered. "If you're suggesting modifying these ships with armor and taking them into battle, the best you could probably do is guard them against shrapnel and bullets. A deck gun would still probably fracture the seams of armor plates and sink them."

"Well then…" Ragnar answered with a bit of a shrug. "We'll have to try to make up for it in volume. We can't tax the shipyards into doing anything else other than building transports, because if we're going to storm them once we hit shore it's going to have to be fast and hard."

Ragnar paused for a fraction of a second to hear any dispute, but none arrived. Red XIII lowered his head and Cloud said nothing. He took that as acquiescence. He began to make for the door to the Seventh Heaven a moment later. But as he did, he turned and looked back to Cloud. There was one other issue at hand.

"I think we need some major military presence to stop by Kalm today. It might help moral a bit more."

Here, however, Cloud stiffened a bit. Some hidden thought went through his head. Ragnar noticed this, but was too preoccupied to focus enough to determine what. The man hesitated a moment longer, but then spoke up.

"I…I can't today, kid." He finally said. "I have somewhere I need to be."

Ragnar looked back at him. He immediately knew that this excuse was full of it. He didn't have to know Cloud's schedule to know that. He could see it on his face. However…he also trusted him, and he was trying to build rapport between the two of them again after what had happened the yesterday. He didn't want to do anything that might create tension between them again. If he had some place to be...then so be it. He merely gave a nod.

"Alright." He answered. "But someone has to head down there."

Cloud and Ragnar looked to each other silently for a moment on hearing that problem.

Then…they both turned as one and looked down to the latest arrival in the room. Red XIII's head perked up and looked to them here, switching his gaze from one to the other. He saw that both were staring at him plainly.

He let out a sigh/growl.

"Oh please…let me do it." He said in a flat, sarcastic tone. "And while I'm at it…I'm going to see who is responsible enough in this army to promote to Colonel so that I don't have to cover for you two all the time."

Despite how dire and depressing the whole situation was, Ragnar had to stifle a grin. "Alright." He said aloud, as he began to turn for the door again. "I don't know how long this is going to take. I'll probably be at the office all day. Looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight…"

"…Ragnar?"

This voice was from a different one from the three who had been dominating the conversation. The three men turned to see who had spoken here…and found themselves looking at Aerith. Ragnar was a bit surprised. He knew she had stayed up with them, but still he had nearly forgotten she was there in the wake of all that they had been talking about. However, now she was stepping up. She looked a bit uncomfortable to do so, and seemed hesitant about talking. Yet in the end, she forced it out.

"If it's not…too much trouble…on a day like today… Could we still have our normal training session?"

Ragnar stood silently for a moment, as did Cloud and Red XIII. Ragnar had no idea what they were thinking about as they stared at her, but he had a collection of thoughts in response to this. He knew that Aerith normally liked spending time with him…but he had a feeling that this had nothing to do with him now. She wanted to come for a different reason. This was part of her strange behavior, something stemming from the change she had first had last night when she saw Krystea turned into Aleron. That was, after all, the biggest change in her life as of late. Ragnar's half had a feeling this was the major concern…and yet as he looked on at her the part of him that was Bahamut told him that Krystea was only a part of what she was now feeling and thinking. This made him curious…and also reminded him of the Sorceress.

Yet at last…more out of puzzlement and intrigue rather than desire...he found himself giving a nod.

"…Alright." He answered, somewhat hesitantly. "Sure. 1500 hours."

---

Knock-knock.

A brief pause followed. After that, there were the sounds of some unlocking, which based on the previous state of the door had to be from added locks. Finally, the metal door slid to one side.

Wild-haired, wide-eyed, still wearing only her dirty overalls and a white t-shirt, and a half eaten toaster pastry hanging from her mouth, Maritza peered out through the open doorway. She immediately saw who had knocked, and cracked a grin out of the side of her mouth that wasn't biting. She raised her hand and pulled the pastry out a moment later.

"Ah…you're here. Come on in."

Cloud didn't move right away as Maritza stepped back and into the warehouse, beckoning him on as she did so. He again had second thoughts about this. However…last night had to have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Now there were two of them. Even if Ragnar was as strong as he claimed and got better, he couldn't take them both. And last night had been a threat against him and his family. He wasn't going to stand idly by and let things play out, hoping for the best. He had to be able to fight back. That meant that this was his only option.

Reluctantly…the man slowly stepped forward and into the warehouse.

Once Cloud was inside, Maritza began to pull the door shut again. He took the moment to look around. He had been here when everything had been loaded up and put into neat piles. That, however, had changed. All of the piles had been torn into and ransacked, and by now there were no less than fifty devices in various stages of completion lying around the area. Some of them were much larger. There was one that took up the area of two semi trucks in the center. It was draped with canvas, however, and Cloud couldn't make out what it was. A similar one, only this time just the size of one truck, was nearby and likewise covered. Tools and parts were scattered all around them, and around the rest of the room as well. Mixed with this were empty soda cans and bottles, and lots of garbage from take out and fast food. It definitely looked like Maritza was living here now, although there were no beds to sleep on. He glanced over to her "personal workspace" and saw it similarly trashed, but the couch looked unused. It was piled up with too many parts and designs to be sat on. However, the number of higher tech devices surrounding it had increased dramatically. There were now several consoles and large systems with pipes and conduits there. Some sort of advanced technology was at work. It almost looked like a generator to Cloud, what with how much it was humming. Though that corner was dark, the consoles and machines had enough small lights to make it gleam.

"Glad to see you agreed to come." Maritza said as she finished shutting the door. She didn't turn and face him, but instead beckoned him on as she began to walk toward her workspace. There was so much garbage, tools, and parts on the floor that it was quite a trek. Cloud hesitated a moment, but then frowned and began to follow after her. He soon found himself trying to step in her footsteps to get through it, and slowly made his way over.

"You do remember that this whole thing will take eight hours, right?"

"Yes." Cloud flatly answered. He frowned a moment as he kept walking on, still having second thoughts about this whole thing.

"…Is it going to hurt?" He asked after a moment.

"Probably." Maritza simply replied. "Unless you think that injecting concentrated acid into your veins is painless."

Cloud halted and looked up to the woman incredulously. However, she stayed perfectly calm as she walked along. Again…Cloud thought that he shouldn't be here, and something inside him told him to quit now, just turn around and walk out again. A part of him began to tell him he was crazy for putting himself in the hands of this crazy woman. And yet…somehow…his thoughts about last night got him moving again, and he continued to walk after her.

It wasn't long before Maritza came to a bit of a wider spot in front of her workspace. Due to the machinery and equipment filling the warehouse, Cloud hadn't seen it before. But next to a rolling chair and a table full of devices, with a machine chugging over them seeming to operate some sort of separate power source, was a set of chairs. Both of them were cushioned and shaped so that one could recline in them and probably go to sleep. Cloud began to realize one of them was for him. After all…if he was going to be here eight hours, he probably would want to lay back. Other than this, Cloud saw nothing else. The machines and table had compartments on them for devices, controls for some sort of operations, and one particular large cylindrical area that looked like most power was being channeled into it…but other than that, nothing.

Maritza kept going until she went in between the two recliners. She spun around to him at this point and patted either one.

"Giddy-up."

Cloud came to a halt here, still a considerable distance away. He looked down to the chairs uneasily.

"…Which one?"

"That depends." Maritza answered. "You have two choices. One…you can let me sedate you before I begin. Two…you can try to go into it awake."

Cloud grimaced uneasily. He didn't like the idea of being asleep around this woman. He didn't know what she would do to him… Already as he went into the warehouse he felt rather distanced from anyone who might be able to help in an emergency…and more into Maritza's own little twisted world…surrounded by her creations that did who knew what from the Shinra…

"…I'd rather stay awake."

"Suit yourself." Maritza answered with a shrug. "In that case, you'll be going into the chair on my right."

Cloud paused here. "…Why that one?"

"This is why."

Maritza reached down to the side of the chair. Specifically, she seemed to go for the supports for it that were underneath the main recliner. There was some sort of console there, and she pressed a button on it. Immediately…the chair whirred and clicked. Cloud watched and saw binders for arms, ankles, neck, and torso suddenly spring out, circle over, and connect. It was immediately obvious that they were meant to strap him down to the chair.

After doing this, Maritza calmly leaned up, went to the headrest, reached behind it, and then pulled something up and over it. It looked like some sort of bar attached to the seat.

"You'll be biting down on this too." She explained. "Half of the chimps I did this to while they were awake spasmed so violently that they broke their necks in three seconds. A third of those left bit off their own tongues and bled to death."

Cloud's eyes widened here as a voice inside him screamed at him to turn and get out of here.

"…What the hell are you trying to do to me?"

Maritza simply shrugged. "Consider what I'm going to be doing, general."

"And what exactly are you doing?" Cloud shot back. "What the hell is this 'treatment' anyway?"

Maritza sighed. She turned away from the recliner and walked over to the rolling chair. Once she was there, she calmly turned and sat down on it. She turned to face Cloud afterward and explained.

"What I want to do to you is basically give you a treatment that is the same thing as being exposed inside a mako pod, only far more severe. Long term exposure within a mako pod, even to one who has Jenova cells, eventually results in mutation. I've developed a treatment that essentially provides the same amount of energy as ten years of being inside a mako pod in a localized fashion to prevent mutation. Normally this would be too much for a person, but it will be enough for you due to your biological makeup.

"That said…the main constituent of this treatment is concentrated mako. Injecting it within you will have the same effect as injecting live mako waste into your system. It will burn just like real mako at first, and once it hits your brain it will throw your voluntary somatic functions wild, much like a heavy dose of nerve gas. After about thirty seconds, your body will pass out anyway due to stress, and the rest of the time will be quite painless. However…if you allow me to sedate you, and trust me enough after you're unconscious, you won't feel a thing, and in eight hours you'll wake up good as new."

Cloud still hesitated. His brief experiences with mako pods weren't the most pleasant moments of his life. Yet he supposed he should have expected this. How else was he supposed to gain this much power in such a short period of time? Actually, this was rather mild considering what he thought might take place. He had thought she had something far more monstrous and altering in mind. Yet after what she had warned about…he wondered if this wasn't, in fact, far more dangerous than he had initially thought. His feelings of warning surged within him again.

"Is this safe?" He asked.

"Chemotherapy isn't safe." Maritza answered. "Surgery isn't safe. Going out into battle and fighting against a legion of gun-wielding troops with a sword isn't safe. Like I said, this wouldn't even be possible on any other person I know of. Based on all previous research, I have little reason to believe that this won't go without a hitch. Risks are a part of experimental science. If you think the risk is too great, then you better turn around and leave before coming any closer. If you want to take a stab at this…then pick a chair and sit down."

Again, a part of Cloud wanted to take up that offer. He had already had enough done to him by one psychotic scientist. Risks or no, he didn't trust this woman enough to "take a stab" at something like this. It may have been his responsibility to beat Sephiroth…at least, as far as he was concerned…but doing this was crazy. He didn't have to put himself in jeopardy with whatever crazy treatment she had devised. It wasn't worth it…

Right?

Cloud hesitated a moment longer...and then sighed inwardly as he realized he didn't have the luxury of saying no. He saw what that Aleron had done to the Turks, and he saw what she had done after that. They were toying with him. If ever they got him in a position when he was helpless, they'd be able to do anything without him able to stop them. After seeing how easy it was to do what they did last night, it was clear to him that they could destroy both armies outright if they wanted to. The last thing Cloud would ever let happen to him was become helpless before those two…and be powerless to stop them as they destroyed what he cared about…

That was worth everything to him.

Cloud finally stepped forward. Maritza leaned up and calmly waited for him as he did so. His steps were slow, but he wasn't backing down again. He continued to approach the two chairs until he too passed in between them. After that, he froze and looked to either side for a moment. In the end, he inhaled deeply before turning and sitting down on the chair with no restraints.

Maritza grinned. "Good choice."

"If I find out you did anything to me you weren't supposed to…" Cloud answered as he began to pull his legs up.

"Oh, don't be a worrywart." She answered with a hand wave, getting her old carefree air back. "I told you…we're all on the same side now." Here, she spun around in her chair, rather like a little kid, and turned to her table. She yanked herself over there using the heels of her feet, until she reached a drawer. Cloud, on his part, leaned fully back in the chair and made himself comfortable…at least, as best as he could. He turned his head over to Maritza afterward. As he watched, she pulled open a drawer on it and pulled out a hypodermic gun. After that, she wheeled over to what looked like a mini-fridge. On reaching it, she yanked it open, reached inside, let her fingers dance over what had to be an array of selections, and then finally picked one bottle. She pulled it out and inserted it into the gun. After that, she turned around back to him, and once more began to use her heels to drag herself back to him.

"Take your coat off of one arm, please." She instructed.

Cloud looked back at her darkly for a moment, but then sighed and began to pull his arm out of the sleeve of his "half-coat". Once he had it out, his arm underneath was clearly exposed thanks to his sleeveless shirt. He rested it back down on the recliner, and watched as Maritza got closer. He tried to keep himself steady as she finally reached him, and when she leaned over and took his arm in one hand. After doing that, she pressed the other end of the gun against his flesh.

The ex-mercenary stiffened once, knowing it was now or never to back out.

But in the end, he stayed steady as he felt a prick in his skin, followed by a hiss from the gun.

"Alright." Maritza answered as she pulled the gun away. "Give that a minute or two, then we'll be ready to go." With that, she began to pull back, rolling back toward her table again.

Cloud leaned back and kept his frown. He wished that he would have told someone that he was going to be here. Then someone would expect him if something went wrong. But he didn't want to. He wasn't sure he wanted people to know that he was going to Maritza for help, or that he was participating in this. He wasn't sure what Tifa and the others would think, but there was another factor too. He didn't want the word to get out…and possibly get to Sephiroth and Aleron. Next time they met, he wanted this to be a total surprise…

"So…you had a lot of action last night, I take it."

Cloud turned and looked over to Maritza at this. She was near the larger area with the machine overhead now. She was typing at some console nearby while she was speaking.

"Kalm burned… Twelve destroyers taken down… What exactly was going on over there last night?"

The door to the chamber opened. When it did…a large hiss of steam erupted, and the machines cut off. Cloud looked in, and saw as the door opened that there were a series of pipes and valves leading from both above and below to the center of the chamber. They all seemed to be feeding into it. Directly in the center, seeming to unite the two, was a single glowing cylinder. It shimmered and radiated light…immediately confirming it as mako.

Cloud blinked once as he began to feel the drug reaching his brain. "…I don't want to talk about it."

"I hear the Turks are here." Maritza continued, as she pressed one more button. Another hiss erupted as the network of pipes over the cylinder suddenly lurched upward, separating themselves from it. It was now free, and Maritza immediately reached in and plucked it from the top. She brought it over and immediately pushed it into the gun.

Cloud blinked again. His farthest vision was starting to get hazy. "It's nothing."

Maritza turned back to Cloud, and began to scoot her chair toward her again. Cloud looked back to her face…and narrowed his gaze. It seemed…to have changed. Perhaps it was just the drug, but her wily carefree appearance had subsided… She was looking more mature and focused…

Then…she said something he didn't expect.

"…I don't suppose Krystea Anne Valentine had anything to do with last night, did she?"

Cloud blinked again. His vision was really hazy now. Maritza was getting closer, but she was already blurring. He felt his senses start to get farther away. As he stared at her, his voice seemed to echo.

"What…what did you say?"

Cloud blinked again. Maritza was closer when his eyes opened again. Her face looked less mature again, and she seemed more carefree once more. She looked curiously at Cloud.

"I just asked if the Turks were here." She answered, her own voice starting to deepen and seem distant.

Cloud blinked again as his senses fled further from him. Maritza finished getting up to him, but by now he couldn't see her face anymore. He felt himself slipping away clearly now.

"No…no, you didn't…" He spoke back, although his own words sounded like much to him now. "You…asked…if Krystea…was there…"

Maritza said something back, but he couldn't make it out. Her voice was an incoherent blob of sound now. His senses were failing. The world around him was fading to black…and he began to think that maybe he had imagined it. However, that concern was fading as well. Everything was going out. His mind went blank, and the world around him faded into black as his senses cut off.

Right before going under…he felt the tiniest prick against his skin followed by the faintest burning sensation…and then nothing.

---

Marlene gave a bit of a grunt herself as she kept pulling. This was a lot heavier than it looked. Even helping Denzel, it was all that the two of them could do to drag it out from the corner it had been shoved in and into the middle of the floor. Mostly all they did was give it tugs that made it lurch forward an inch at a time. The metal base scratched against the concrete floor, and Marlene feared more than once that Tifa would hear them moving around downstairs. However, Tifa seemed to be busy this morning…and with good reason.

Marlene heard that he had come back last night.

This was probably why Denzel was acting like this again.

Denzel had gone downstairs not long after getting up and hearing the "kids" version of what had happened last night. He had been back…and he had done more bad things. It seemed that after all this time, he still hated the world and everyone on it. But on hearing that he had been here, Denzel had gone into the basement of the Seventh Heaven. Marlene stayed up long enough to say goodbye to the adults, but then had gone down after him.

There was a lot in the basement. Tifa and Cloud had gotten a lot of stuff over the years. A lot of the things downstairs were whatever pieces of the old Seventh Heaven could be salvaged. The rest were odds and ends they had picked up, and other junk that they were storing. Some of it was Marlene's old baby things. Some of it…belonged to the people who used to hang around her father…but who returned to the Planet after the plate fell. But Denzel had gone back to something in the corner. It had an old garbage bag covering it up, keeping it from getting dirty, and had a heavy metal base that seemed to be holding it up. Marlene thought she recognized it…but it had been so long ago she couldn't remember.

At any rate, Denzel had tried to get it out, but he wasn't strong enough. He needed Marlene's help. And so, illuminated only by three light bulbs, the two children began to pull this object out and into the center of the floor, right in the middle of the widest open space. It had been pretty heavy, and only by practically running into it together were they able to move it out.

However, they succeeded. Marlene grunted and pushed one last time, and with Denzel's help shoved it out into the middle of the room. After that, both children stood back, panting and a bit tired from their exertion. Marlene was more so, as Denzel still did more physical exertion than her even if he had laid back after Azure had died… And he did seem to be stronger anyway. As such, while she was still bent over and breathing hard, he pulled himself up and walked to the side of the object.

The boy put out a hand and grabbed the edge of the garbage bag, and then pulled back. He went ahead and began to rip it to pull it off, not having enough foresight to realize that it would then be uncovered, and Tifa might notice. It took a moment, but in the end he yanked it hard enough for it to come off. Marlene recovered at this point, and looked up to see what it was.

It didn't take long for the girl to recognize it. She noticed that the metal heavy base came up on a pipe and formed a crook, like a hangman pole. A length of chain was hanging down from the end, supporting a large, heavy bag. It was old and stained from sweat. Most of the insignias from the company that had produced it had worn off, and the rubber that made the exterior of the bag had cracked from heavy use. A large hole had been covered with duct tape.

"That's daddy's punching bag…" Marlene remarked. She would know it anywhere. Back in the original Seventh Heaven, her father had this in the corner. Although he only had one hand, he worked it out frequently by punching away at this bag. The amount of time he put into it was obvious from the wear and tear on the side. After he had moved, he hadn't had much need to keep it around, but it had survived the destruction of Sector Seven, and so it had been moved here.

Marlene turned to Denzel curiously. The boy didn't look back. He was staring coldly at it. She realized after a moment that he knew what it was before he pulled it out. He had called her down to help him get out the punching bag.

"Why do you want it?" Marlene asked.

Denzel was silent in response. He looked down at it. It waved slightly from having the garbage bag pulled off of it, and the sound the chain made was the only one in the basement. Getting no reply, Marlene's face turned anxious. She looked to his eyes next...and saw that they had changed. They were suddenly much more focused…much more cold… Denzel was staring at the punching bag, but Marlene thought he was seeing something else. He was imagining a different person or thing there…and from the look on his eyes, it was someone he really hated…

Marlene could only think of one person.

Abruptly, Denzel's teeth clenched, and he swung forward and smashed his fist into the punching bag as hard as he could.

The suddenness of his attack actually made Marlene recoil a bit. However, Denzel's behavior was what shocked her next. Grunting, gritting his teeth and hissing, Denzel beat into the bag for all he was worth. He didn't smack it erratically, but made fists and punched each time. Yet he also attacked wildly…hitting the bag and again with ferocity and what looked like anger. He pounded away at the bag for everything he had, smashing his hands again and again into it, ignoring any pain that resulted.

Marlene now understood. She had seen how Denzel's hands had looked the other day… They were bloody and raw. He claimed that he had fallen, but she remembered her father's hand looking the same after he got angry and spent an hour punching his bag. As she watched, she saw him pound again and again so hard that his knuckles were soon torn up again. Blood began to dab off from his hands and onto the bag. However, he didn't care. He just kept punching.

"Denzel…what're you-"

"He killed Azure, and I couldn't do anything about it!" Denzel yelled back, cutting her off. "He killed Mrs. Aerith! He tried to kill Cloud and Tifa! He turned me into a monster! He killed all of those people last night! I hate him! I want to kill him! I want to tear him apart with my bare hands! He doesn't love anyone! He doesn't care about anyone! All he does is kill! He kills everyone I care about!"

Marlene was taken aback at how violent Denzel's voice had suddenly become. However, she began to step forward slowly. Denzel didn't react to that. He just kept punching. Sweat broke out on his brow and began to soak into his shirt for as hard as he was hitting. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Next time he comes around here…I'm going to kill him!" Denzel yelled. "I'm going to be ready for him! I'm going to work out just like Tifa and I'm going to kill him! I'll tear his throat out with my teeth if I have to! I'm going to make him get on his knees and beg me to forgive him for killing Azure! For killing everyone he's murdered! I'm going to… I'm going to…"

Denzel kept punching a bit longer…but he began to slow down. He was rather sweaty by now, from how hard and fast he was hitting. He was wearing himself out, both physically and emotionally. He began to pant both from work and from screaming. His angry look began to fade. His face began to fall as he kept punching…and as he started to cry again. The bag in front of him was mottled with blood again, but still he kept trying to hit it it. Marlene kept getting closer, and as Denzel's strength finally began to give out…she was right next to him.

The girl began to raise her arms and extend them out toward Denzel. He kept throwing weak punches the whole time. However…as Marlene's arms went around him and began to close, he gave out. Letting out a heave, he threw one last weak punch against the bag. After doing that, the boy turned and put himself in Marlene's arms. Worn out and soaked with sweat…he just stood there and let her support him as he cried.

---

Something was definitely different today.

Ragnar thought that as he stared at Aerith. She was dressed much the same way as she always did for these sessions. She tied her hair back a bit more to keep it out of her eyes, but other than that she looked the same. However...there were more ways to be different than simply dressing differently.

Aerith didn't seem to care anything about her surroundings today. Usually she always wanted to pause with Ragnar to admire them first. After all, this was the most livid point of Midgar. Of course, it wasn't so much today. Ever since this morning, the sky had been dark gray. It still looked like it was on the brink of a thunderstorm. Yet despite the wind and darkness, it had never begun to precipitate. No snow or rain…just the darkness. It seemed to make everything beneath it more drab and unhospitable, even a place like the Baptismal Garden.

That wasn't all though. Her normally pleasant mood seemed dimmer. She had more conviction today in her mannerisms. She was gripping her staff harder. Her footsteps were more decisive and forceful. She didn't seem to be lost and confused today like she usually was before practice. Rather…this seemed to be the foremost thing on her mind.

Ragnar would have picked up on this simply from knowing Aerith so well even if Bahamut's own intellect wasn't within him. As he balanced Ragnarok over one shoulder, he decided he was glad that he had agreed to hold this training session. It could very well be considered a waste of time normally. After all…he needed to work on sharpening his own skills. But with how Aerith was acting differently, he figured that this was a good thing. He hoped that it represented her learning how to vent more of her anger…

…And likewise hoped that it wasn't something else coming out inside her.

"Alright…let's get into ready stance."

Aerith gave a nod, and readily shifted her feet out. No hesitation this time. It was clearly on her mind, and she was in place in only a few seconds. Ragnar noticed this. Usually he was first, and had to wait for her to catch up. Not so today. She was already ready and staring at him. She had some anxiety about her…but not nearly so much as the other day. With this in mind, he somewhat hesitantly went into his own ready stance. Ragnarok was raised in front of him, and he focused himself on holding back just enough.

"…Begin."

Aerith didn't lead the attack, which was good. She wasn't supposed to. So he couldn't attribute this to her being more aggressive… After a pause, he advanced and began with a slash to her head. Without a moment's pause, and with her eyes focused clearly on him, Aerith brought up her staff and smacked it away.

To Ragnar's surprise…Aerith didn't wait for him to follow up for a change. As he was getting ready to slash her at a somewhat lower angle…she brought in the other end of her staff for his calf. It was a sloppy move, and Ragnar easily broke off his own attack, twisted down, and deflected it…but it was unusual. Aerith was taking the initiative to fight back this early…

The youth ignored it, and slashed in from the opposite side again. Aerith moved in to block…but once more, to his surprise, she launched a counterattack. She swung the end of her staff up…for his head. Aerith had never taken a headshot before. At any rate, it was sloppy again, and Ragnar slid his blade down along the staff, making sure to lift it above her fingers as he did so (in a real fight, Aerith would now be short eight fingers), and blocked this as well.

The general next decided to "punish" Aerith a bit. She was moving up on offense, but it was sloppy. He wanted to make sure she wasn't neglecting defense. Immediately, he began to advance and doubled his speed, striking her both from above and below numerous times. However…Aerith's focus was maintained. She sweat a bit more and struggled…but she managed to block each of his incoming blows and move back. She even clashed a few times and used force to shove him off, giving her more leeway and time to prepare. Ragnar was amazed. Bahamut's personality snorted…saying she obviously was "dogging it" until now…

However, that side of his brain soon shut up as, after bringing up a slash toward Aerith's head, she countered by deflecting with the end of her staff closer to his wrist. He was more than powerful enough to overcome this, but at the level he was fighting at he actually had his sword shoved away for a longer period…which gave Aerith enough time to launch a well-timed and aimed blow with the end of his staff, again toward his head. The youth was surprised as he actually had to try a bit harder to swing his head back away from the blow. But that wasn't all. Aerith soon began to advance on him again. Her next two blows were sloppy and easily blocked, but she did actually force him back two steps as she advanced and aimed them.

Having seen all this, Ragnar decided that this merited more investigation…and moved to end the fight. Abruptly, as she was moving in for her third blow, he drove Ragnarok forward and swept down with more force than usual, twisting Aerith's arms completely around and crossing them over each other, twisting her grip on her staff. Soon, her arms were crossed in front of her and her grip on the Princess Guard weak. With this done…Ragnar swung his blade down again on her with more force to knock it free. Although he succeeded…he was again surprised to see Aerith actually struggle to block, going through the motions before he managed to knock her weapon to the ground. But once that was done, he pointed his blade at her. It took Aerith a moment to realize it, because she was still in the mentality of battle…but then she looked up and saw it. She realized the fight was over, and stood down.

Ragnar exhaled slowly and pulled Ragnarok back. Aerith was a bit sweaty now, and looked more energized. She breathed hard, and it took her a moment to calm down from that assault. She moistened her lips, but then looked up to Ragnar again.

"…I'm sorry if I came on too strong. I-"

Ragnar cut her off with a headshake. "That wasn't the problem. I've been wanting you to do that for a while now. You're a lot more aggressive today, and a lot more focused on fighting. You're about twice as deadly now as you were the other day."

Aerith seemed to be embarrassed by this, and blushed a little as she gave a shrug. "Heh…I guess I'll take that as a compliment…"

However…Ragnar had not been complimenting her. And his face wasn't happy or excited.

"Why?"

Aerith hesitated here, suddenly freezing in place. It looked as if she had been hiding something before now, but now she knew she was found out. She looked back to Ragnar, and seemed uneasy for a few seconds. She seemed to retreat a bit beneath her glare, as if trying to protect the knowledge from being revealed. This upset Ragnar…but Bahamut's half had noticed the change too, and wasn't going to let it go so easily. He was asserting himself in this situation, and he wanted an answer.

After a moment, the Cetra simply shrugged, trying to look innocent again. "Well…you've been wanting me to fight harder, right?" She answered. "I decided to fight harder. That's all."

The moment after she said this, however, Aerith resumed her uneasy look. Ragnar's face did not change. He knew full well that she knew full well that he wasn't buying that excuse for a second. She wasn't even able to fake that she believed that excuse. Ragnar knew it was something else, and it was transparent on her own face. He continued to stare at her, Ragnar's half trying to at least look friendly and concerned, but wanting the reason to come out none the less and not backing down until he heard the truth. Of course…he wasn't a fool. He could think of a couple reasons after last night why Aerith would have wanted to go sparring and suddenly put a lot more effort into it. However, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and let her explain herself.

Aerith crossed her arms behind her after a moment and twisted her foot against the ground. She finally broke, realizing there was nothing for it. She looked back up to Ragnar and sighed.

"I've got my reasons, Ragnar. I've got to do something."

Ragnar crossed his arms here. The part of his brain that was his warned Bahamut's half to try to be nice.

"…This has to do with Krystea, doesn't it?"

Aerith bowed her head, but didn't answer.

The youth inhaled and slowly sighed. That was a problem. He wasn't sure how to approach it regarding Aerith or himself for that matter. He had been focusing on fighting Sephiroth. Having to deal with another one…especially one he wasn't even certain about killing… He moistened his lips and hesitated. He looked from side to side, and then back to her. He opened his mouth to begin to speak…

"…I think I always knew the truth."

Ragnar paused here, and his eyebrow furrowed. "…Excuse me?"

Aerith kept her gaze down, and slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"Deep down inside…I knew she couldn't really be my sister." She finally said.

Ragnar stayed frozen. Of course. She must have heard what Aleron said and deduced the truth after last night. He had forgotten that he hadn't told her the truth about her. He had not wanted to before…but if she knew now, then she was taking it well. He had feared she'd be angry or upset… Then again, in the wake of what had happened last night, this "detail" seemed rather minor. If she had suspected that Ragnar had known the truth, she seemed willing to overlook it for the time being. Either that, or it wasn't that important to her. For now, he just listened.

"I mean…I had never seen her when talking to mom in the Lifestream…" Aerith went on. She paused here, and gave a snicker. "Funny…I almost swear I could have seen a shadow that looked like you every now and then, Ragnar…but nothing of Krystea."

Ragnar said nothing, although he did realize the significance.

"I know I don't really owe her anything." Aerith went on. "To a lot of people…she's probably no one. A lot of people might not even think she's a real person. Some might even think the world would be better without her. I know that she has to be a Shinra version of me... One they probably wanted to use if they couldn't have me."

The Cetra paused here again. She seemed to let both herself and Ragnar think about this for a few moments and take in these facts. Yet that was only a moment. Then she looked up and met Ragnar's gaze. On seeing them...he saw that her mood had changed. Her green eyes were soft and pleasant again…but also had an inner firmness that showed resolution. She had reached a decision mentally.

"But…I don't care." She said after a moment. When she did this, it was in such a way as if she was convincing not only Ragnar but herself, and concluding her opinion. "I pity her. She's related to me in a way, even if she isn't my sister. She risked her life to save me because she thought I was related to her. She's loved me as if I really was her flesh and blood. I've been with her. I know she feels emotions and love, and feels bonds with other people.

"But at the same time…she doesn't have any true family or links. She's just an experiment to some people. There's no telling what would have happened to her if Hojo had gotten ahold of her. And she struggled with the same feelings of right and wrong, love and hate, as the rest of us. She may have not been a person in the sense of being born…but Aleron was wrong when she said she didn't have a soul. She wasn't a puppet. Nothing living is just flesh. It has a spirit. A piece of that sacred object known as life inside them. She's the same way. She's a real person. She had a right to live. She has a right to live…to exist. She has a right to be happy. And she has a right to a life…and a family. Not just her...but Azure too. He was as innocent as Denzel or Marlene when he arrived. He had a right to a life free of being dominated by those monsters. They both did."

Ragnar stayed silent, but remained attentive as Aerith's voice grew softer, and yet also more focused and determined. The woman looked down again to the grass. She inhaled once...but only to steady herself as her eyes grew hard.

"I don't know how, Ragnar." She slowly continued at last. "I don't even know if it's possible…even for someone like me. But Cloud was called back…and Kadaj was called back. Somehow…I'm going to bring them back too. I don't know what to do…but I know it's what I have to do. I feel it with every fiber of my being…just like I knew, somehow, deep inside me…that one day I had to use the White Materia. Just like I knew that I was going to die that day…but that I'd triumph in the end. I've got to save them, Ragnar. I've got to bring them out from where they put them. They've taken them to some place where no one is born or dies…away from the Planet or the Lifestream. But I can bring them out again. I must. And I've got to be prepared for it when the time comes. That's why I have to get better here. If it comes down to a fight like this...I have to make sure I win."

The youth paused a moment longer. His own face had softened considerably…and even Bahamut's side had leaned back and looked curiously at Aerith in the wake of this. As for Ragnar…he didn't know what to say. Azure and Krystea were both gone…consumed by the monsters that had taken their flesh. Death seemed the only option now…them or this world. He doubted that even Aerith had the power to do what she claimed, especially if she had no idea how.

And yet…Ragnar was a person of faith in the Cetra. And he knew that Aerith had saved them more than once…and had broken the power of Jenova more than once. There was a power in her spirit beyond that of the other Cetra. And he believed in her more than any other person. And this faith was greater than Bahamut's doubt.

"…Are you wanting to fight her?" He finally asked.

Aerith hesitated, and then shook her head. "I don't know." She answered. "I only know what I have to do…not how to do it."

The youth swallowed, and grew a bit more rueful in tone. "Aerith…I'm training to kill him. To kill them both, if I have to. I can't afford to hesitate. He'll be on me if I try."

"Then don't hesitate." Aerith answered as she raised her head again. Ragnar was surprised at how readily and conclusively she answered, but he kept listening as she went on. "Do what you have to do. Do what you've been preparing for. All I ask is that you help me to prepare too…for what I have to do. That…and trust me."

Ragnar still hesitated. Bahamut's side was suppressed now…and his fears were fully coming forth. He didn't think about the Sorceress. He thought about Aerith. She had gone off to do something that only she could do before. And that had cost her her life. Anything that brought that woman closer to Sephiroth or Aleron put her in mortal jeopardy…and he didn't want to see her subjected to that. He wished this was simple…that Sephiroth and Aleron had just shown up as people to kill and then call it a day. But it wasn't. They took far too much from whoever they encountered. All of them had their well-being tied to them now. To ask a person to stand by who didn't have a stake in this was impossible. He had seen that already with Cloud...and now he saw it with Aerith. He didn't like this...but it was a fact of life.

One prevailing idea came forth in the end. This was Aerith of the Cetra. Ragnar believed in the Cetra…and trusted Aerith more than anyone else. He had faith in her power to save anyone if she said she could.

If she said she could do it…then he'd believe her.

In the end, the youth swallowed. This meant more fears and danger for himself...and more risks for Aerith…but he knew he had to. He wouldn't stop her.

He finally gave a nod back. It wasn't short...but showed his clear acquiescence.

Aerith understood. A weak smile spread on her face.

"…Thank you."

---

Cloud let out a sharper exhale…one that he actually heard. It was distinctive from his slow, regular breathing that had gone unnoticed for the past few hours. However…he was conscious of this as his senses began to come back to the surface. His mouth was dry, and he felt himself consciously moisten the inside of it from where he was. He focused a moment, temporarily forgetting where he was and what position he was in.

It didn't take long, however, to clear up. He remembered what he had done. He had taken Maritza up on her deal. He had come to her work area, and had reclined and accepted a sedative from her to minimize the apparent pain that would come with the treatment. He also vaguely remembered the first pain after he had lain back…and reasoned that he had to have received the injection. But now he was awake, which meant that it had to be over…

Cloud's eyes began to crack open. He didn't readily feel any stronger or faster than he normally was. His senses were still sluggish, so he couldn't really tell if they were any better. He grunted once as he looked up and began to see the ceiling of the facility he was in. He started to pull up on his legs to get them beneath him so he could rise…

Shortly after pulling back…he felt his foot catch on something. A moment later, and his other foot caught as well. His eyes opened a bit more, and his look grew puzzled. He pulled back again…but once more felt both stuck. They were caught around the ankle. In response to this, he began to lift his arms to knock whatever was there out of the way…only to find that something was holding them down at the wrists.

Cloud's eyes fully opened as confusion fully awakened him, and he tried to raise his head to look and see what had happened. But he didn't get far. His neck was restrained as well. Still, he managed to look down over his body. He caught the other chair out of the corner of his eye…but it didn't matter. Just like that one, this one had suddenly sprung up with restraints as well. They had him bolted at the ankles, wrists, torso, and neck with thick metal. Cloud's confusion gave way to shock. Immediately, he pulled again at the metal, and tried to wriggle himself loose. But it didn't matter. There were no seams to the restraints to pry apart. He was stuck here…

"You've been a very, very bad boy, General…"

Cloud's eyes snapped up and in front of him.

He received a nasty and horrific surprise.

Maritza was there…at least, as best as he could figure. She had changed clothes…now wearing what looked mostly like tight, revealing black leather. She tapped a hard, high-heeled, high-laced black leather boot against the ground and grinned from the other side of a black mask. What looked like a spiked collar was around her neck as she tightened her black-gloved hands around what appeared to be a black leather whip…

"What the hell?!" Cloud immediately yelled.

"Now I'm going to have to spank you." Maritza answered calmly…running her tongue over her teeth afterward.

Cloud's eyes widened. He looked down to his sides again, and once again saw himself strapped down. He struggled against them again, but it was to no avail. He was securely fastened down. The ex-mercenary's eyes shot up again…and saw Maritza grinning as she began to approach him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He outburst.

"Taking advantage of your body while you're nice and helpless. What's it look like?" Maritza calmly answered as she kept walking forward. "Silly man…actually being stupid enough to let me sedate you…"

Maritza had nearly reached him by now. Cloud was shocked. He struggled more violently against his bonds…but still no good. The woman was dressed like a dominatrix…and here he was helpless and strapped down. He couldn't stop her from doing anything to him…and he didn't want to know what she had in mind with this getup.

"You're crazy!"

"That should have been obvious from the first five minutes..." Maritza cooed in response. She ran his body up to his next…and to Cloud's horror began to run her leg against his. She came in closer, looking to crouch on top of him and crawl on his supine body. "Try not to scream too much, love… We wouldn't want people coming in and interrupting us…considering the fact that what I have in mind doesn't even have a name for it yet…"

Maritza's hands began to slide on top of his knees as her body lowered over his…

Cloud balled his hands into fists at this, and struggled even harder. He didn't know what the hell this woman was doing…or what crazy idea had got into her head…but he wasn't going to let her do whatever sick, perverted thing she had in mind. He didn't care if he was strapped down. He was getting out of here before she could go any farther. His subconscious mind told him to break out using any means necessary. It didn't care how or how much strength was needed…just get away from the woman. As such, his teeth clenched, his strength focused, and as he tightened his knuckles he prepared to pull up one more time with all of his strength…

After gathering a moment, the ex-mercenary yanked up with his right arm with all the power he could muster. His wrist slammed against his restraint…held for a fraction of a second…and then snapped the entire metal binder off of its fastenings. Cloud's fist shot into the air as the metal binder fell off, now free. Cloud saw this, but didn't waste time thinking of how much power he had managed to put forth. He immediately ripped his other arm up…and just as easily snapped this restraint off as well. Maritza hesitated here, staring at him as he did this. Cloud didn't care, but reached for his neck next. His fingers soon wrapped around the binder, and with both of them working as well as lurching up, he ripped with all his might. Despite the fact that it was thick metal…he ripped the collar off of his neck with one easy tug, and had enough leftover power to actually snap his torso bond as well.

Cloud immediately threw himself up into a seated position. Still gritting his teeth and grunting, and seeing Maritza hovering over his legs, he yanked back with his right foot. After a moment's resistance, it too snapped, and Maritza, seeming surprised at this, recoiled. Another moment later, and Cloud ripped out his other foot. He was now totally free, and so he immediately curled up and leapt off of the recliner. He didn't instinctively attacked like he normally would have…so freaked out was he at his situation. Instead, he recoiled for a moment and glared at Maritza instead in a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Keep back!"

Maritza, on her part, continued to stay frozen, as if surprised at Cloud's last movement in escaping. She stayed quiet for a few moments, not moving from that final posture.

Then…she calmly smiled, and began to reach up for her mask. On touching it, she immediately pulled it off.

"Well now…I'd say the infusion was a complete success."

Cloud continued to rear back for a moment, glaring at Maritza. However, she simply tossed her whip to the side and began to pull off her gloves next. She was again calm and businesslike, much as she had been when he first entered. After a few moments…it slowly began to dawn on Cloud that she was done. She was dropping the routine. He began to realize why. Once again…she had done this just to fake him out, like at the meeting. His body slowly began to relax on realizing this. However, he continued to glare incredulously at Maritza.

"You…were just…screwing around with me?"

Maritza snickered as she turned away from the chair and looked over to the side. Cloud followed her gaze, and saw that on the rolling chair nearby were her overalls. She began to walk toward them. "Oh please, General." She murmured as she did so. "You're not my type. I hate spiky heads."

Cloud blinked again. However, he soon calmed down completely. And once he did, a new type of anger began to surge into him. He stepped forward and glared at Maritza as she reached the chair, turned around, and sat down in it calmly.

"Are you crazy or something?!" He outburst. "What the hell was that all about? Why did you do that to me?"

"I thought it would provide a good opportunity for you to admire your new abilities, and to test to see if the infusion was effective." Maritza calmly responded as she began to untie her tight boots, as if her act had been the most natural thing in the world. "Now that you're a bit calmer, perhaps you should think back to a few moments ago about what you just did."

Cloud flustered a moment longer, again thinking Maritza was totally insane and that he should never have agreed to her crazy experiments. Yet in keeping with what she said, he turned and looked back to the recliner. Sure enough, it was the one he had chosen before…only it appeared to have restraints in it as well. And she had activated them after he had been sedated…

But then…he noticed something. He looked back to the restraints, and saw that they were not by any means weak. Each one of them was an inch of steel, and had rotated around him in a partial circular manner in order to fix them down. Until now…he assumed that he had ripped out their foundations from wherever they had been held, and that they were obviously somewhat cheap.

Yet as he looked back…he saw something surprising. The moorings where the restraints had been fixed into the chair were twisted and deformed…with jagged pieces of steel poking out from the chair into the air. This steel was also thick, and would have taken a tremendous force to pull out. Not only that, but the metal restraints themselves were twisted and warped from how powerfully Cloud had been yanking against them. He had been twisting his way out of the steel itself. A bit more…and he might have broke the binding itself.

Cloud's anger vanished as she stared in amazement at this. He turned and looked down to his body again, raising his hands up in front of him. He didn't feel a thing. Despite all of the strain he had to have put the binder through…his wrists felt fine. He even pulled back the edge of his glove and looked…only to see that his skin was flawless. Cloud knew well the limits of his strength. He was stronger than most men alive…but he knew full well he couldn't have broken out of those restraints without doing a lot of pain to himself in the process. And there was no way he could have deformed steel like that with his bare hands. He wasn't a superhuman…

Yet that seemed to have changed.

Cloud looked at his hands a moment longer, turning them over and examining their intricicies, as if he would catch something new or alien about himself. But he didn't. He felt normal. It was as if nothing had changed at all. The ex-mercenary blinked, but then looked down to his feet. They were standing on one of the few blank pieces of concrete ground in the warehouse. He hesitated a moment…but then focused all of his power into one foot. He pulled it up in the air, and then slammed it down as hard as he could against the floor.

A resounding smack went out as his boot smashed flat against the ground, letting out a boom so loud that it shook the air of the entire warehouse. However…that was nothing. A rather loud crack peeled out as well as the ground beneath him fractured. A concrete fracture spread in two different directions and snaked out across the floor both ways for a good ten feet before vanishing under trash and parts again…and a foot-sized chunk of the floor beneath him depressed an inch.

Again…he felt no pain from this.

Maritza had both of her boots off by now, and with a somewhat bored look raised her head to see what Cloud had done. She frowned. "Hey, watch it. You're ruining the floor."

Cloud ignored this. He looked over his body again, starting at his feet and working his way up as far as he could see up his torso. He raised his hands again and felt against the sides of his face, as if expecting something different. He felt nothing.

"…It worked." He voiced aloud in disbelief.

"Of course it worked." Maritza answered with a half-snort. "I told you it would."

Cloud felt himself a moment longer, but then replaced his hands to his sides. It was true. He was stronger than ever. He didn't feel any different… It was just like he could now go farther when he focused his power. He had new reserves…a whole new level of power. His maximum before was nothing compared to this. Realizing this, he turned to Maritza again.

"What's changed?" He asked. "Am I different or something?"

"You're just the same as you looked when you came in." Maritza calmly answered, not looking up and, without shame, beginning to take off the rest of her clothes to put on her overalls again. "The only physical difference is that the Jenova cells within you are charged to their maximum potential. You biological makeup is far more advanced than that of any other SOLDIER due to the cloning experiment that was performed on you. Because of that…you are now above and beyond any other SOLDIER. You're probably beyond the level of Sephiroth when he was still with Shinra."

That gave Cloud a cold feeling. He didn't want to have any association with the man. However…considering what had happened last night, the new power was a welcome bonus none the less. He tried to keep that in mind as he turned and looked to himself again.

"What now?"

"Nothing." Maritza calmly answered as she finished pulling off her pants and took up her overalls. "You're done. This power infusion is permanent. With this new ability, you are probably the most dangerous man alive. You require no follow up treatments or special diet or anything. You simply need to get used to the fact that you can put out far more speed, stamina, and strength then you were capable of before. Though your flesh feels the same, when facing danger your body will respond in such a way as to heighten your durability as well. You're probably close to bulletproof now…" She paused here, and smiled. "Although I think shooting you when you woke up would have made you too angry with me to listen to reason, so I opted against it."

Cloud looked in disbelief at himself a moment longer. So this was it. He was now far beyond what he had been. By now…he could probably take Ragnar again. He wasn't just dead weight anymore. He was back on their level…and he could fight. He could challenge Sephiroth now without fear of being outclassed. It was a bittersweet sensation… It was good that this was true…but still a bit unsettling that he had achieved it in this manner. If he really was as strong as Maritza said…then it was a bit scary as well…

In the end, Cloud turned and looked back up to Maritza. His face lost disbelief, and instead grew a bit darker.

"…Why?" He asked after a moment. "I've been your enemy. You don't owe me anything. Why would you want to do this for me?"

Maritza froze for the briefest moment in putting on her overalls.

Her smile widened as her eyes stayed down.

"…Let's just say I have my reasons." She answered calmly after a moment more. "And that I know enough about you to deduce that what you'll do with this power will benefit the both of us."

---

Who would have thought it would have come to this in the end…

That was the thought that dominated Ragnar's mind as he finally returned to his office. He had a rather long session with Aerith. And just as he had initially observed, she had continued her trend of fighting harder. Until now she may have been treating this practice as something supplementary…but no longer. She was putting everything she had into their battles. Obviously…she believed that this had something to do with what she was going to attempt. Ragnar, on his part, wished he knew more of what it was. Aerith's tendency to give up her life easily for a cause made him uncomfortable… It was something he had admired about her, but now feared greatly in the wake of what was happening.

Bahamut had never counted on this Aleron showing up. Perhaps this was what Sephiroth was wanting to block from being seen. It upset the youth. There were too many concerns to keep track of now. He used to only have to worry about the welfare of his army and beating the New Shinra. Now Sephiroth, the Sorceress, and Bahamut had added whole new levels of complexity. The situation was grave…and Ragnar was suspecting more and more that the ending to this would not be a happy one. Bahamut's side told him enough about that. The esper had secured a good destiny for humanity only by forfeiting his life again and again. Now…Ragnar's own fate was tied to that of Bahamut. This could mean the same fate for him. Even if it didn't…he knew what he was now. Like Aerith, his purpose was also to save this world and all on it, even if it meant paying the ultimate price.

Ragnar had no idea how this would draw to a close…but he had a feeling that the final pieces had been set in motion. Sephiroth had been holding back while waiting for Aleron. That much was clear. Because of that…the end was coming. Whether it would end in victory or defeat remained to be seen and decided. Not even Bahamut could see what would happen this time. It was time to make his final moves of preparation, for what little sand was left in the hourglass was running out. One way or another…the next time they met would be the last time. The fate of the world…whether it would be in the hands of the New Shinra, the Planet Protector Army, the Cetra, or Sephiroth and Aleron…that decision was going to be made soon…

The thought of it, understandably, left Ragnar rather tired as he finally reached his chair. He slumped down in it and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and putting his head in his hands. He didn't know what time it was, and he didn't know how badly they had been hit in Kalm. He didn't know what success they were having with his early implemented plan either. Even now, he had much to consider that didn't even have anything to do with Sephiroth. And he still had to make time to train himself. Those weights had to be ready soon. And if they weren't, then he had to use the time to build that special chamber…

Knock knock.

Ragnar's eyes shut and he groaned. More bad news, no doubt. Either that or some other bureaucratic drudgery he had to muddle through. Either way he didn't want to have to deal with it. However, he knew he had to, and so he let his hands fall away from his eyes as he looked up to the door.

"…Come in."

The doorknob clicked, and a moment later his office door swung open. Ragnar didn't care to look presentable or upright at the moment, and stayed half-slumped over the desk as he tiredly looked to the front door.

However…he was a bit surprised at who came in.

A figure strolled over the threshold, dressed in black with blond, spiky hair. It took Ragnar a fraction of a second to recognize it as Cloud. However, he didn't pause in the doorway and address him as he usually did. Instead, he walked right in and up to him, moving with purpose in his steps as he did so. His eyes focused on Ragnar's, and he could see some enthusiasm in them although his face was fairly indifferent looking. Ragnar leaned back a bit in puzzlement of this, and opened his mouth to say something.

Before he could, however, Cloud was up to his desk. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached behind him and pulled up a chair underneath his body, so that he could sit right in front. He did so, and immediately raised one arm and placed it on top. In particular, he put the elbow down, and left the forearm upright. His hand was cupped. Ragnar recognized this position in no time as one of arm wrestling.

Ragnar looked to this a moment, but then looked up to Cloud. His blue gaze was focused steadily on him, showing his seriousness. Ragnar looked back down to his arm a moment, and then back up to him. He frowned and sighed.

"Cloud-"

"Do it." Cloud cut off, nearly ordering.

"Cloud, I'm really-"

"Just do it."

The youth frowned. What was the point of this? He thought he had learned yesterday how much stronger he was compared to him. In a battle Cloud might have edged out a win, but in terms of flat out strength he still had nothing on him. However, the ex-mercenary didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon, and kept his eyes on him as he waited. Finally, Ragnar sighed and gave in. He half-heartedly put his own elbow on the table and leaned his arm over to Cloud's. The ex-mercenary immediately took it…and surprised Ragnar a bit with the firmness of his grip.

However, the youth looked up to him normally just the same. Cloud looked straight back. Both men paused for a moment. Ragnar waited for Cloud to start pushing. He himself didn't want to give full strength right off the bat. He might break a bone like that. However, he still wanted to get this over with. Yet Cloud didn't take the initiative.

"Go on and go." Cloud told him.

Ragnar sighed. "No, you go first."

"No you."

"Cloud, I'm really busy-"

"Go first."

"Could we just-"

"Go first."

That last comment was said with such sharpness that it cut off Ragnar immediately, and put an end to his arguing. He looked to Cloud again for a moment, seeing how steely his gaze was and how serious he was. He wasn't going to budge on this. The youth frowned.

Fine. Have it your way.

Ragnar looked down to the arm and mildly began to push on it.

It was immediately met with resistance and stopped. Cloud let out a snort. "Come on. You aren't even trying."

Ragnar rolled his eyes and sighed. He looked back down to their two hands for a moment…and then put forth a bit more effort. He tried to bring out about as much as he normally would bring if he was still at his old power. As expected, Cloud countered this as well and stopped it. Ragnar held here, and waited for the ex-mercenary to finish the match. However, he didn't. He left it there, not pushing back and not giving ground either.

"Go on and finish me. I can't push anymore." Ragnar said.

"Bull." Cloud retorted. "You can do a lot better than this. Show me what you got."

Ragnar frowned again. You asked for it. He said mentally.

The youth suddenly doubled his strength, pushing himself over his old maximum. For a moment, he saw Cloud's arm give, and he thought it was all over. However, to his puzzlement…it stabilized a moment later and actually went back to the center and held. Ragnar's frown vanished here, and his eyes crooked slightly. He didn't think Cloud could counter this. Obviously, he was a bit stronger than he gave him credit for. However, he had to be using all he had at this point to keep him back.

Yet when Ragnar looked up and to the ex-mercenary…he saw no change except the beginning of a smile creeping up in the corner of Cloud's mouth. He was quivering a bit from the power struggle, but other than that didn't look taxed in the least.

"Come on." He spoke up again. "You couldn't have fought me that hard yesterday if you could only do this good."

Ragnar stared curiously a moment more. Cloud didn't seem strained in the least. Either he was great at hiding it…or something was different. Ragnar began to wonder why he had challenged him to this arm wrestling match in the first place. However, he said nothing. He looked back to his arm, and decided to pull out a bit more heavy guns as he doubled his power again.

Cloud let out a bit of a grunt as he buckled once more…but then smiled wider as he again pushed back. Soon…both men were level once again. Now…Ragnar was genuinely surprised. There was no human alive who could tolerate this strength…not even Cloud. Yet Cloud was still holding him. The youth was stunned. Was he holding back too much? However, he knew that couldn't be true. He actually felt his teeth beginning to lock slightly as he started to genuinely put effort into this match. Cloud held him there for a moment longer, still smiling.

Then, to Ragnar's surprise…he started pushing his arm down.

The youth's eyes widened. He looked up to Cloud's face, but saw that the man was focused only on the arms and smiling. Ragnar hesitated a moment…but then clenched his own teeth and began to put out real strength. His loss was soon halted, and Cloud's arm soon began to bend back. Both of their muscles began to raise from their skin, and they quivered more. However…Cloud's arm wasn't going back quickly. After a moment, Cloud gave out a grunt as he too seemed to finally be using his own strength…and to Ragnar's surprise stopped him again. Cloud slammed his own palm on the table a moment later…and then shocked the youth once more as his power suddenly exploded…and he found his arm quickly swinging back to the losing position it had been in before.

Ragnar was overwhelmed. Soon, he slammed his own palm on the table, so hard that he began to peel the outer wood splinters off of it from his friction grip. He eased his body into more of a focused position, and he gave out more of his strength. But for all he did…it was no good. Cloud answered back. Ragnar soon grit his teeth, tightened his muscles more…and actually began to feel sweat welling up on his brow. Cloud did much the same…but his arm did not give. He managed to push it back some…but the ex-mercenary pushed it right back. Ragnar couldn't believe it. This was impossible. He had to be holding back too much. Maybe he wasn't using Bahamut's power…

Yet that wasn't the case…for he saw new signs of power very soon. His foot was beginning to dig an impression into the floor, and his elbow began to dig an impression into the table. His hand was slowly stripping away at the top of his desk. He looked up and over…and saw that Cloud was doing the same thing. He too was leaving impressions in the desk and floor. Both of them were grunting now…both using their full strength. But still, Cloud was holding out. Bahamut's side began to speak up here. It understood its power far more than Ragnar did…and it saw what Ragnar was beginning to realize. Somehow, impossible as it was…Cloud was actually pushing back with equal strength.

The power of the ex-mercenary had dramatically shot up…and now he was at least as even as Ragnar.

That soon turned out to be an understatement…as both men continued to strain and struggle. Both were grunting quite a bit now, and gritting their teeth as they pulled on each other as best as they could. Ragnar struggled to get a win…but he couldn't. Cloud was too much for him. He instead focused all of his power against him and tried to keep it up…tried to wear Cloud out and then finish him. Yet the ex-mercenary was holding on. A few seconds went by…and still Cloud was able to hold his own against him. He was straining and obviously tired…but his stamina was holding out, and Ragnar soon realized that he was waiting for the same thing to happen. Both of them were equally matched, and now just trying to drain the other. They pulled and pulled…and still neither gave an inch. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe it was possible…

At last, the unthinkable happened.

Ragnar let out a cry as the last of his stamina broke.

An instant later…and Cloud slammed his arm down against the table with such force that it splintered in its wake.

The instant it landed, Cloud removed his arm and pulled back. His limb was sore and tired, but he managed to still show some enthusiasm with it as he pulled back. Ragnar himself yanked his limb back quickly…almost as if it was something defective or some sort of trick arm. He was that much in disbelief of what had happened. After gazing down at his limb for a moment, he looked back up to the ex-mercenary across from him.

"…How…?"

"I'm not exactly proud of how I managed it, but since you came clean with me about Bahamut then I think I owe you the same courtesy." Cloud responded as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of him. After doing so, he proceeded to relate to Ragnar the entire story.

He started from when he first met up with Maritza and heard about her offer, and went all the way up until this morning when he had come in to take her up on it. He also mentioned how he had called her last night after their match to first set this up. It was at that point that he had decided. He had his doubts more than once, but in the end he went with it. Neither Ragnar nor Bahamut was aware that something like this was possible…but obviously it was so.

Ragnar himself leaned back eventually as he heard this whole story. Cloud remained fairly indifferent as he related it, and Ragnar patiently showed no opinion through body language one way or another until the story was done.

"If all of this crap wasn't going on…I probably never would have gone through with it." Cloud concluded darkly. "But seeing that Sephiroth is stronger than before…and seeing that there's now two of them to deal with…I figured I had to. I hate the idea of using my Jenova cells, and I especially hate the idea of anymore mako in my veins. If I could avoid having to touch the stuff for the rest of my natural life, I would."

Ragnar said nothing immediately. The truth was he was surprised that Cloud had gone through with it. Very surprised. He didn't think Cloud was one to rely on stuff like this to increase his power. He seemed to rely mostly on his own strength and will. That was how things had gone throughout history with him. To do something like this was unusual…almost alien. He could see how Cloud might even think of it as a personal crisis of conscience in going through with it. Yet at the same time…Ragnar had been telling him in as many ways as possible that personal will wasn't going to be enough to get him through this match. He supposed that he couldn't have blamed him for it. With all that had been going on…he was probably driven to this.

The youth leaned back a bit more, inhaled, and exhaled.

"…I didn't want you to have to do this, Cloud." He said aloud at last. "I was prepared to fight Sephiroth and Aleron alone if I had to…"

"But I wasn't prepared to let you fight them alone." Cloud immediately cut off. "And I wasn't prepared to be useless against them when it came to fight. And I definitely wasn't prepared to sit back and let someone else handle them when it's me, my family, and my friends who are on the line. I'm sure you didn't want to have to combine with your master to beat Sephiroth, but I'm sure you did it if it meant saving Aerith and the world. You did what you had to do. I did what I had to do. If going through this treatment means I'll be able to be toe-to-toe with Sephiroth, then so be it. And if nothing else…now we both have opponents who will give us an idea of who we're really dealing with. If you really have to get better, weightlifting alone isn't going to cut it. You need to actually go against someone who has a power like his. And so do I."

Ragnar was silent again after this. Cloud did have a point. The half of him that was Ragnar had never wanted to perform the junction if it meant killing Bahamut. He had gone through with it because his master had wanted it and because he had known it was the only thing left to do. Sephiroth had to be stopped. There was nothing else for it. Cloud must have felt the same way when he had gone through with this. Even for someone as "unstable" as Maritza, if it held a hope of victory then it must have been worth it to him.

Not only that…but Ragnar had to admit that this was good. Bahamut himself was amazed now. He had not believed that any other human could have become as powerful as Ragnar. Yet now that there was, and that this human was on their side…this helped. Bahamut and Ragnar alike had been having serious doubts that, even with training, they could have been a match for Sephiroth alone. Now with Aleron, that had been an even more dire situation. Yet now…they had Cloud. Cloud had managed to defeat Sephiroth before through the strength of his will alone. Now…his power matched his will, making him even deadlier than before. For right now…he was even more powerful than the junctioned Ragnar. He could keep up with the youth now…providing a real opponent to fight against. What more…the two of them together could prove to be too much even for Sephiroth. Until now, one on one had enabled Sephiroth to focus his full unbridled skill and power. But with two…that was a different matter. Bahamut's half, therefore, was considerably pleased.

What more, subconsciously…Ragnar's half was pleased too. Although he didn't like Cloud having to do something he was scrupulous about…a part of him was actually happy that he had done this. Now, he no longer had to worry about Cloud being behind him. He no longer had to alienate him in practice. And now…he felt the burden eased off of his shoulders a bit. Now there were two of them…two chances to beat Sephiroth. Now, as he had wanted before the junction, they could again take him together. They could fight as one…Cloud to destroy his nightmare…Ragnar to save his species. It filled him with hope…and even a bit of joy that he could fight alongside his friend as he had always wanted to.

With that in mind…Ragnar looked up again to Cloud. The ex-mercenary was still sitting calmly back, and saying nothing more, waiting to see what the youth would say.

In the end, Ragnar smiled.

"Alright, Cloud. Let's do it together."

---

To be continued...

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been noticing that the general opinion of my story has been growing steadily worse as of late. I'm getting more and more complaints about being OOC, and people are seeming to generally dislike what I'm doing with this story.

If people are really starting to dislike this fanfiction, then I might just go ahead and end it with "The Aleron Saga". I mean, if my readers are just going to hate it more and more as I go on, there's no reason for me to bring it to its "worst point", so to speak. It has been taking a lot of time and effort to bring it this far. And thanks to writing this before "Dirge of Cerberus" came out, it's only going to diverge more and more from the actual storyline. I'm tempted to go back and try and make the plotline coincide more with "Dirge of Cerberus", but considering all the work that would be involved, and considering that yet another FFVII game would probably come out during that time to further render my story obsolete, it's hardly worth it.

Essentially, I've got lots of other things I could be working on besides "The Servant". I've got several half-completed fanfictions I mothballed to devote more time to this one, and I have lots of other ideas too. So if you all are getting bored or irritated with this, it's no skin off my nose to wrap it up at the end of this saga. It would be a good place to finish things.