Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII Compilation belongs rightfully to Square-Enix. This amateur effort at fan-based fiction is in no way making profit off of the licensed characters described therein, nor is it associating any new original characters to Square-Enix either.
Chapter Thirteen
Winter transitioned into spring, and Sephiroth remained in Masamune's sanctuary, content to isolate himself once again from the masses. Out in the wilderness his phone only rarely got reception, and when it did he dismissed the occasional Shin-Ra corporation updates. As far as he was aware, there was not an overwhelming cry for his presence in Midgar or anywhere else, and so Sephiroth found relative peace with his thoughts, without distractions. He spent his days training with Masamune, the sword's hums his only musical backdrop. As he danced with his steel companion he pondered the calling, the sensation that promised him security and answers to his origins. Answers at last to questions he had never asked, but should have.
Who was Jenova? Why did the company claim to know nothing of her, or not keep any files on the woman who supposedly birthed Shin-Ra Inc.'s greatest weapon? Why was it only Professor Gast who had been willing to drop her name in the first place? Why did he die before Sephiroth could learn more about her? How could Sephiroth, who was so vitally important to Shin-Ra's existence, have such a virtually non-existent origin?
The answer to all of these questions was as plain as the length of Masamune's edge. Shin-Ra was hiding it all from him. Two could play at that game, he decided.
The wet spring of Wutai eventually gave way into the heat of the early summer. Sephiroth was in the clearing in front of Masamune's house, swinging the katana in an impressive arc when he heard a faint rustle in the trees, one not common to the local fauna. Sephiroth paused and listened, holding Masamune in a poised, refined stance, his trench coat lying on the steps of the dwelling, the leather spared of any sweat from his summer exercising.
"I wonder…" he said to the wind. "How long it took you to find this place?"
The leaves rustled again and out of the corner of his eye Sephiroth observed the two figures that emerged into the clearing. They stayed at the edge of the training ring, cautiously watching the SOLDIER 1st class for any sign that he might move with his blade in hand.
And then there was gunfire. Sephiroth lowered his sword and turned his head to see Tseng standing over the two bodies he shot down. Sephiroth glared at the Genesis copies, not quite in disbelief, but in genuine annoyance for their presence in his predecessor's sanctuary. He had never divulged the location of the place to Genesis, but that did not necessarily mean his clones would not spend the last three months trying to search for him.
"Nice shot, Tseng." Naomi Posada appeared behind him, her hands on her hips as she stared curiously down at the prone bodies.
"Thanks," Tseng lethargically replied.
Sephiroth frowned at them. "Explain yourselves."
Tseng hid his firearm back into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Apologies, sir. Genesis copies have been appearing all over the world, and our intelligence indicates they might have resumed activities in Modeoheim. The President requests that you respond to the issue."
Sephiroth stared hard at Naomi. "Who else knows about this location?"
"No one," she immediately promised. "I had to tell Tseng once we learned the copies were actively looking for you. It took us a while to search these forests, but the copies are still out there."
Sephiroth turned away, heading for the steps of the dwelling to pick up his coat. "Deal with it, then. I have no interest in cleaning up Genesis' leftovers."
"I'm afraid it's more complicated than that, sir," said Tseng. "We have reason to believe that Genesis may still be alive."
Sephiroth closed his eyes and held back a sigh. Surprise, surprise. "And what reason is that, Tseng?"
"Director Lazard has disappeared," Naomi said, furrowing worried eyebrows, "after we learned that he had been funding Hollander's research."
Sephiroth shrugged the coat on over his shoulders, smirking. "Ah, so it all finally falls into place."
"You don't sound too surprised," Tseng remarked.
He turned to face the Turk and the SOLDIER 2nd class. "I've had a lot of time to think. Lazard hid his agenda well, but he could not completely disguise his personal issues with the Shinra family. Have you been reading his announcements closely, Posada?"
Naomi titled her head slightly and narrowed her glowing eyes, as if trying to remember the monthly emails and newsletters. "It seemed strange this sudden betrayal," she admitted. "He always referred to SOLDIER as a close knit family of sorts."
"And yet they were always inlaid with concerns with bad blood and neglected children," Sephiroth pointed out. "Lazard Deusericus is none other than an illegitimate son of President Shinra."
Naomi's eyes widened while Tseng crossed his arms with a frown. "You can't possibly have learned that without inside information," the Turk responded. "Did Lazard admit this to you?"
"Not at all," said Sephiroth. "Enough observation made it obvious to me. He shares a strained relationship with his unwitting half-brother, both personally and professionally."
"Rufus Shinra and Director Lazard…" Naomi breathed. "I guess that makes sense. They do look alike."
"But this hardly proves that Genesis is alive," Sephiroth stated. "Is the President requesting that I run SOLDIER in Lazard's place?"
"Unfortunately no," Naomi sighed. "That job was already given to Heidegger. The Board has been talking about merging the two departments together under Heidegger's administration."
Sephiroth felt the urge to laugh but held it back. "That's going over well, I'm sure. So what does Shinra really want from me?"
"To confirm whether or not Genesis Rhapsodos is truly deceased," Tseng clarified. "With your past connection to the ex-SOLDIER, he's likely to seek you out before anyone else."
Sephiroth stared at the dead Genesis clones, scowling. "You're right," he conceded, "and it seems he's already started. Let's go."
Nodding, the pair turned and led the way back into the forest, Sephiroth stepping over the bodies as he followed Tseng and Naomi out. Within the hour they reached the forest's edge where the helicopter awaited them. Machine gun fire sent pattered echoes across the terrain as the infantry men that were left behind to guard the chopper shot at the clones attempting to ambush them. Naomi ran forward, unsheathing her standard issue broadsword and leaping into the conflict with great ease and efficiency. Tseng kept himself at a distance, covering Naomi's blind spots as she engaged the two dozen or so Genesis clones.
Sephiroth didn't have to lift a finger. The Turk and the 2nd class SOLDIER had the copies taken care of in a matter of minutes, making it clear to Sephiroth that they had anticipated their inevitable ambush attempt beforehand. He boarded the helicopter, nodding curtly as the infantrymen saluted him. Tseng took the pilot's chair and Naomi settled as the co-pilot. They took off before Sephiroth had a chance to find a seat for himself, so he took to standing instead, hanging on to a support rail above him as the helicopter jolted upwards.
"Prepare for incoming fire," Tseng warned. Both he and Naomi were wearing headsets and through the windshield before them Sephiroth saw the one-winged Genesis clones they were referring to. The copies hovered in a V-formation, their machine guns aimed directly at the windshield. Sephiroth braced himself as Tseng tugged the joystick sharply to the left.
Sephiroth was pulled towards the hull by the helicopter's tilt as bullets pattered against the upper right hand corner of the windshield. Following that was the miserable sound of a body being shredded by the propellers; an unfortunate end for a Genesis copy that hadn't maneuvered away in time. The spray of blood that covered the windshield was instantly removed by Tseng's prompt use of the helicopter's windshield wipers.
"Not the brightest bunch," he heard Naomi comment before she took the weapons controls and answered to the attack with the helicopter's own guns. The rapid gunfire was almost deafening, but the bullets tore mercilessly through the winged bodies of Genesis' surviving counterparts as Tseng carefully navigated the chopper back into a more suitable position. Singular black wings flapped pathetically before the clones fell to their demises.
"I think that takes care of that," Tseng announced. "What are your orders, sir?"
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. If Genesis truly intended to chase him around the world then there was no reason why Sephiroth should not use it to his advantage. "Modeoheim," he simply said, and Tseng needed no further elaboration. He felt the tug of acceleration as the helicopter ascended and pushed forward, propeller blades cutting through clouds once they were high enough.
"Don't get shot down this time, Tseng," Naomi told him. Tseng briefly glared at her and she laughed quietly. "What? Modeoheim's just not your happy place, that's all."
"It's nobody's happy place," he grimly replied, turning his glare forward towards the horizon ahead. "What shall I report to headquarters, General?" he asked, tilting his head slightly in Sephiroth's direction.
Sephiroth closed his eyes, letting the stoicism fall across his expression like heavy stone mask. "We'll be securing the remains of Hollander's stolen equipment, and investigating the possibility that Genesis' copies are still being created there."
Tseng nodded, accepting of Sephiroth's response. In truth, Sephiroth would be securing nothing for the Shin-Ra Electric and Power Company during his stay in Modeoheim. If the company thought it prudent to hide the details of his own life from him then he saw no reason to remain loyal it. Nor would he join Genesis' cause, whether the man continued to live or not. No, Genesis would lead him to the answers he sought, under the premise that he was pursuing Genesis for the sake of Shin-Ra's prosperity.
Hours later the helicopter touched down upon a clearing within the ruins of Modeoheim. It was once a small settlement that thrived due to Mako excavation that occurred there years ago, and provided many in the Icicle region with jobs and economic opportunity. However, once it became banefully clear that there was not as much Mako in the area as Shin-Ra had hoped there would be then the economy in Modeoheim inevitably collapsed once the corporation departed. Hundreds of people were left without the resources necessary to maintain lives in the extremely cold climate. Within months the town was left completely abandoned, which made Modeoheim the perfect place for Genesis to hide and Hollander to pursue his work.
Sephiroth's boots crunched in the few inches of snow beneath him. With the coming of Spring and Summer just around the corner, Modeoheim was not the frozen and impossible tundra that Zack and Tseng had encountered three months ago. Sephiroth started ahead without waiting for any of the others. Naomi ran to catch up with him while shrugging on a coat over her shoulders. She glanced behind her as Tseng stayed behind to speak on his phone, keeping the infantrymen with him.
"You aren't cold, sir?" she quietly asked him. Her voice seemed subdued, as if she were afraid to disturb the dead peace of the ghost town.
"I am," he admitted, keeping his focus on the buildings and warehouses ahead. Somewhere amongst the pine trees a bird cawed, and it echoed in a naturalistic way against the mountain range in the distance.
"There are more clothes in the chopper if you want to -,"
"That won't be necessary," he immediately informed her. His leather coat didn't provide much protection for his chest against the cold, but he didn't intend to stay outside for very long. As Sephiroth stopped before one of the warehouse doors Naomi took the time to glance back once more, where Tseng was directing the infantry men towards the main entrance of the abandoned Mako reactor.
In a hushed tone she conspiratorially whispered, "I couldn't say much back at Wutai, but I'm sorry I had to bring the Turks."
He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "And why is that, Posada?"
Naomi wore a concerned expression. "When Lazard left, rumors went about of an overhaul of SOLDIER, of an investigation into our internal affairs. They say some of the execs talked about holding you responsible for future mishaps."
Sephiroth smirked, feeling a mocking laugh about to build up in his chest. "Let them."
Naomi nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I understand that they're just getting desperate under all that panic lately, but I do know for a fact that Tseng has been given orders to keep an eye on you. He left his assignment in Costa del Sol as soon as he found out I was leaving to get you." Then she frowned. "I'm still not even sure how it is he found out in the first place."
Sephiroth glanced briefly back at the helicopter, but Tseng was gone. His eyes scanned the rooftops around for any sign of the Turk, for he was certain Tseng hadn't followed the infantrymen to the reactor. "What were you all doing in Costa del Sol?" he asked. In the aftermath of Genesis' attacks, what reason was there for a 2nd class SOLDIER and a Turk to be in a resort town?
"I was visiting family," she explained, "but I was given mandatory leave, even when I requested missions… and I wasn't the only one. Zack was there too. So were the Turks."
"So Shinra finds it necessary to send both the Turks and SOLDIER on vacation at the same time," Sephiroth replied. "It seems to me he wanted SOLDIER out of the way, and he wanted the Turks to make sure they didn't get into any trouble."
"The company doesn't trust SOLDIER anymore," Naomi said, "and they're going to consider you the biggest threat."
"Thanks for the warning," he answered, "but I assure you Shin-Ra Inc. is the least of my worries. In the meantime keep a low profile and follow my lead. We'll proceed as normal."
"Yes, sir," she replied with a nod, preparing her sword as Sephiroth pulled the warehouse door open. The frozen steel screeched in protest after being moved for the first time in years. Musk and dampness greeted Sephiroth's nostrils and he snorted away the familiar unpleasantness that was Mako residue.
"This is definitely an old Mako storage facility," he stated. Next to him Naomi produced a flashlight from somewhere on her belt. The narrow beam of light highlighted a storage crate covered in canvas directly ahead of them. "If Genesis hid anything else, it's likely to be found in a place no one feels like looking in."
"Do you believe any of the rumors?" Naomi asked him as they stepped inside. "About Genesis being alive?"
"I don't place much value on beliefs," he said, lifting the canvas on the crate. "I'll need hard evidence."
"I personally think it's a little quick to be jumping to conclusions considering that there are a bunch of men running around with Genesis' face in the first place." Holding her sword towards the open space Naomi side stepped carefully around the crate, where there were others like it. "How do you distinguish the real one from the fake ones?"
Finding a crowbar nearby, Sephiroth pried open the crate's lid. "Hmph. How boring," he muttered, letting the lid fall closed on the spare machine parts. Looking up and spotting the brunette he answered, "The copies don't seem to retain any of Genesis' personality, or personalities of their own for that matter."
"To be fair we haven't really given them much opportunity for conversation," she said. "Both sides have been shooting first and asking questions later."
"Indeed they have." He walked through Naomi's flashlight beam to reach the middle of the room. "There's not much here, just as I expected."
Naomi gave him a questioning glance. "Sir?"
"The Mako smell is coming from the valves and pipes that connect this storage facility to the reactor. Any usable amount was taken by the company a long time ago."
"Wouldn't Genesis and Hollander have needed Mako to create the clones in the first place?" Naomi asked. "How would they be doing that without a working reactor?"
"I'm not entirely certain they were using this place as a cloning facility for very long," Sephiroth answered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "There are many isolated reactors in the world that function perfectly well, and they have limited security."
Counting on her fingers Naomi recited, "Corel, Gongaga, Fort Condor…"
"Gongaga was targeted by AVALANCHE, however," Sephiroth reminded her. "There's also one near Cosmo Canyon, in the Nibel mountain range."
"That's really isolated," Naomi realized. "What are the chances that they're poking around up there?"
Sephiroth shook his head as he found a sealed entrance way. He turned the valve on the door and as he opened it he was assaulted by a stronger Mako musk. He could hear footsteps and voices echoing within. And then some gunfire.
"Quickly," he ordered, and together he and Naomi ran into the relatively dark passage, the tiny emergency lights in the floor guiding their way.
They arrived in the reactor's main antechamber just in time to see one of their men fall over their railing into the black and empty Mako pit, desperately screaming. The others were completely surrounded by the copies. Sephiroth rushed forward, drawing Masamune, its initial arc slicing through several bodies. Naomi took the group's right flank and with one lethal hack she cleaved straight through a clone's helmet. Encouraged by the assistance, Sephiroth's remaining comrades found the reaction time to shoot back at their ambushers.
With an impressive amount of agility, Naomi back flipped over the remaining Genesis clone and sliced at his back. He fell to his knees with a pained gasp and Sephiroth appeared to grasp the copy by the front of his uniform.
"What is your mission directive?" Sephiroth demanded.
The clone reached up to grasp Sephiroth's wrist with a measure of futility. "F-find … and l-locate the Great S-Sephiroth," he gasped.
"Hmph," Sephiroth answered. "I thought as much."
"Are they trying to recruit you?" Naomi asked.
"G-Gift of the Goddess," muttered the clone.
"Explain," Sephiroth ordered, shaking the Genesis look-alike.
The Genesis copy coughed, spitting blood over his chin. After a final pained hiss he went limp in Sephiroth's grasp.
"Sorry," Naomi apologized as Sephiroth released the body. "I remembered Genesis' men being more resilient."
Sephiroth reached down and tore the helmet from the clone's face. "It seems they share the degradation of their original counterpart," he commented with a frown. The clone's waxy pallor and grayed out strands was not unlike Genesis' own features in his last days.
Last days… Sephiroth pondered, looking to the right at the darkness beyond the railing where the empty Mako pit sat. Months ago, Genesis fell to his apparent demise in the pit, and he had done so willingly. Could he have feasibly flown back out of the pit even in a severely weakened state? Sephiroth knew better than most that Genesis was not beyond resorting to theatrics, and it was not hard for him to imagine his old friend making a dramatic return to the world of the living.
"And without Hollander there to help them…" Naomi began.
Tseng appeared from a different pathway a moment later, an urgent expression on his usually stoic face. "We were too late. The cloning equipment has already been taken."
Sephiroth scowled. "Perhaps it would have been wise for the company to reclaim the stolen machinery instead of sending their operatives on vacation."
If the comment fazed Tseng, the Turk certainly did not show it. He merely crossed his arms in a contemplative manner. "I abhor giving excuses, but if I had to guess, I imagine that the company did not perceive any threats to the equipment or to Modeoheim once Genesis was no longer perceived to be a threat."
"Well, he is still a threat isn't he?" Naomi replied. "So much for company perspectives."
Sephiroth stood. "If they took the equipment then they're going to need Hollander to operate it."
"He's still being detained in Junon," Tseng said.
"Then Junon will be their next target," Sephiroth answered. "We need to get there before they do."
Tseng nodded, and in his usual efficient manner he produced his phone to make the necessary calls. Sephiroth followed the group out of the reactor as Naomi led the way for their militiamen. It was nearing dusk by the time the helicopter spied Junon's shoreline.
"We're receiving distress calls from the city," Tseng announced.
Sephiroth suppressed a sigh. "We're late."
"Readying the guns," Naomi answered.
Gunfire came from everywhere, mostly from the cannons installed all over Junon's defenses. Tseng leaned the helicopter away from an arc of bullets that there haphazardly targeting other flying vehicles, most of them stolen from Shin-Ra by the Genesis Army. Naomi angrily communicated something into the radio.
"They can't tell us apart from the enemy," Tseng told her.
"Yes, I can see that," she testily replied.
Calmly, Sephiroth said, "Get us to a hangar. All of this is just Genesis' distraction. They might not be aware that Hollander is their goal."
Tseng tapped his headset. "Cissnei, give me an update…" The helicopter lurched suddenly to one side as he reacted to more attacks. "Zack Fair is en route to the target. Landing now to intercept them."
He brought them safely down on the only open runway nearest to Hollander's detainment area. Both places were separated by several interconnected buildings, which could be problematic. Tseng took off out of the helicopter to meet with his comrade Cissnei while Naomi directed the infantrymen against a group of attacking Genesis soldiers. Sephiroth sat within the helicopter, letting his legs hang over the platform through the open door and simply waited. He had no intention of actually helping them detain Hollander again.
The concrete airfield eventually cleared of activity. Sephiroth watched the sun gradually set and soon enough he spied Zack's spiky silhouette in the distance chasing Hollander's portly one. There was no inclination to rush as he quietly stepped down from the helicopter and began walking towards the scene. Zack had chased Hollander to the edge of the run way, and now there was nowhere for Hollander to physically escape.
Except of course if he decided to jump off of the runway.
Zack started forward, but it was too late. Hollander was carried off by a pair of Genesis copies who flew off into the distance and well out of reach. It would have been within Sephiroth's considerable capability to stop them from escaping, but he once again chose not to interfere.
Tseng and Cissnei appeared, running past Sephiroth and Zack in a futile attempt to follow Hollander. Above them the company's airship hovered, awaiting future passengers. Sephiroth approached Zack as the younger man stared at the horizon, huffing in frustration.
"Mission failed," Sephiroth spoke, an amused smirk on his face. "This goes on your permanent record."
Zack quickly turned, his expression flashing with surprise. "Sephiroth! Long time no see."
"Let the Turks take care of the rest," Sephiroth suggested, noticing Zack's anxious look. "I was on my way to Modeoheim," he lied, "but I heard you were in the area."
"Lucky me…" Zack sighed.
In truth, Sephiroth had no desire to deceive Zack, but he had to maintain the impression that SOLDIER was doing something about the Genesis situation. Otherwise Sephiroth would not be left in peace to find answers for himself without Shin-Ra interfering with his agenda.
"The situation has not resolved," Sephiroth explained. "Genesis copies had been sighted around the world."
"That can't be," Zack answered, turning to him with concerned eyes. "We wiped out those Genesis copies."
"Did Genesis really die?" Sephiroth asked him. Zack was there when it happened, after all, and would have a better account of events than the Turks or anyone else who submitted status reports to the company.
The black-haired young man squinted, remembering the scene and then appeared doubtful. "Uh…" he murmured.
"They've been sighted in Midgar too," Sephiroth added, spotting the worry that Zack tried to hide in front of his superior. Sephiroth hadn't been told for certain that there were sightings in Midgar, but he was about ninety percent certain that Genesis' cohorts would rear their ugly heads there eventually. It was only a matter of time, especially with the company's sheer lack of foresight as of late. Either way, he needed Zack there to take care of things so he could keep Shin-Ra off of his back.
"I see…" Zack murmured, staring at his feet but still keeping his concern to himself. Clearly there was someone, family perhaps, that was in danger of being exposed to Genesis' threat.
"The slums too," said Sephiroth. It was more of a guess, but he made it sound like a certainty, and he was right judging by the way Zack looked up at him in slight alarm. There was someone in Midgar whose safety Zack was invested in.
A question lingered in Zack's eyes, but he was hesitant to speak. "Permission to return granted," Sephiroth said before Zack could even ask.
"Uh, yeah…" responded the other man as a small amount of relief drowned some of his anxiety.
"Take care," Sephiroth said, offering Zack a brief wave before looking towards the descending sun once more.
Zack turned and walked a few steps away before turning around. "Hey… what's going on in Modeoheim?"
"The device Hollander was using has been stolen," Sephiroth replied.
"Genesis?"
"Probably." Sephiroth looked back to see him opening his mouth to speak but deciding against it. "We'll meet again soon," he promised.
Zack walked backwards a bit, pointing a gloved hand at him. "I'll hold you to that."
Sephiroth watched the other First Class SOLDIER walk back down the long expanse of the airport runway, his mind contemplating the list of isolated Mako reactors he and Naomi had discussed earlier. He needed to get Genesis' attention again, but away from Shin-Ra's prying eyes. As efficient as Tseng was as an operative, Sephiroth knew his loyalties were with the company, as were the other Turks'.
Something to fight for, Sephiroth thought, remembering the strange calling sensation in his mind back at Wutai. What better cause to fight for than one's own past? After all, he could barely be expected to fight for anything or anyone if he had no origins to lay the foundation for his principles in the first place. The question as to why it was he never connected or related to anything no longer seemed so difficult to answer. Somewhere out there was the mystery of his mother and the mystery of his existence, waiting to be found.
Sephiroth stared at the horizon, the hint of a content smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He felt very optimistic for the future. For the first time in his life he felt as if he were taking it into his own hands.
Whatever happens next will change everything.
Author's Note: Eight months. That's how long this update took. I hope you all are still sticking around, but if not, I won't hold it against ya. Writing an original novel has taken it's toll on me recently, what with deadlines and meetings with the publisher, so I took a brief hiatus to focus on something that didn't have doomsday prediction stamped on it. I can't even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to have come back to this story. Sephiroth just flows out of my pen like water. I don't even have to think to write Sephiroth anymore. I wish I could say the same of the characters in my novel...
I can't say this chapter was particularly exciting. At least, not for me. I hope you guys enjoy it though. However, it was a necessary transition. Next chapter, it's Nibelheim or bust!
Shinz - I was really pleased with the Masamune origin story. It was an idea I had in my head since even before I started writing this story, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was even playing around with the idea of doing a spin off story that's Masamune-centric; basically his experience in the Lifestream and with Jenova and of course his training of young Sephiroth.