'An Unlikely Prospect'
Chapter II ~ Opportunities
Thud.
"…"
Thud.
"…mm…"
Thud. "Get up."
"…what…?"
Another sharp kick. Thud. "I said, get up."
He sucked in a breath, pain rushing to his chest. His reflexes were the only thing that prevented him from receiving another harsh boot to his ribs as he shifted his body weight to the left.
"Do you mind?" Genesis snarled, weakly, eyes flicking open to see the masked face of a ShinRa gunman of the infantry towering over him. Where…am I?
"You are wanted for multiple accounts of murder, abuse, assault and treason, rogue," the gunman spat, thumping the handle of a rifle against the ex-SOLDIER's side. "Of course I mind. Now get up."
Normally, this tone from an inferior troop would have caused an angry reprimand from Genesis as a commander, but such a remark was inappropriate for his current situation. He was a renegade. He was an experimental monster. He was dying.
And right now, he had a gun pointed between his eyes.
Naturally, he wanted to play his cards very carefully. He had fought so hard, so long, just to keep life in his hands, and to lose it to such a primal impulse would be foolish indeed.
Painfully, Genesis rolled onto his stomach and put his hands beneath himself in an attempt to push himself upward. He visibly winced, cursing his degradation as he found he was quite unsteady on his hands and knees. Goddess, he was shaking like a leaf. He was scared out of his wits.
He gave his head a subtle shake, closing his eyes as he sent one last bust of energy into his limbs. Blessedly, he was able to pull himself into a technically upright position, masking his emotions as best he could. Carefully, he glanced his pale cerulean eyes about the room he was in, noticing the bigwigs of ShinRa standing to the far right, a few SOLDIERs to the far left, and a line of five infantry gunmen in the centre.
Realisation dawned on him then, like a gunshot in dead silence.
They were going to kill him.
All his efforts, all his running…those attempts to flee, to heal himself, would amount to nothing.
Everything, gone. Worthless.
"Former SOLDIER 1st Class, Genesis Rhapsodos, has been brought here today to account for the crimes of treachery, manslaughter, assault…" the words of a legal figure, no doubt hired by ShinRa, filtered out of his distressed mind as he stared down the steel barrels before him, eyes picking out the finer details of rust and flecks of gunpowder marring the silver surface.
That was the catch about guns. They were impersonal.
Unlike swords that bared blades tainted deliberately with crimson, guns spared themselves this atrocity and did the job with a single, tiny bullet. They themselves were not marked with the blood of their victims, hence their use for jobs such as these which required objectivity and insensitivity. Execution.
At that point, Genesis heard the gloating words of Heidegger boast his disloyalties to the other SOLDIERs present, using his ruined life as a testimony to show how sinful it truly was to betray ShinRa. Each act listed against Genesis pelted him like a stone, stabbed him like a knife.
He could never, ever be a role model.
He would never be a hero.
He swallowed past the growing lump in his throat, his weak heart speeding up at the sight of the firing squad preparing their weapons.
What a dishonourable way to leave this world; defeated, injured and dying.
And what a pathetic and monstrous course in life he took. He could only pray the arms of the Lifestream would be welcoming in their embrace, ignorant of the monster entering their midst.
"Former SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos."
Genesis blinked.
His name. They said it. They wanted his attention.
His gaze travelled towards the individual dealing with his legal affairs.
"Please stand upright, with your arms to your sides, and feet slightly apart. Your…additional limb should be unfurled."
Begrudgingly, Genesis did what was required, clenching a fist in agony as felt his damaged wing muscles extending, feathers sticky with clotted blood.
"You are hereby sentenced to death based on the severity of your actions over the past twelve months. Evidently, your means of punishment lies in the hands of an experienced firing squad that will end your life as quickly and humanely as possible."
What a joke, Genesis thought feverishly, sweat breaking out on his forehead as his thoughts raced. He could not believe somebody of his aesthetic would perish as a winged demon; a fading soul marred with both physical and spiritual scarring that would never heal. His only hope had been to die with dignity, free from his past life of mistakes. What a pathetic wish.
How much was this going to hurt?
He'd been shot several times in his life from mistakes on the battlefield, he knew. Those wounds had hurt like hell, at least for a while. But a cure materia and medical attention spared him complications.
Were they going to fire all at once?
Would they aim for his heart, or his entire body?
How long would it take?
Would anyone remember his fina-
"Load your weapons." A booming voice interrupted his frantic train of thought, coming from a commanding officer in ShinRa's army. Genesis noticed a shuffling of movement and heard a distinct click, indicating each rifle was primed and ready.
The ex-SOLDIER swallowed again, nervously, trying to mask his rising terror. Each rapid heartbeat produced a rounded thud inside his chest, signifying the finality of his situation.
He desperately searched for some form of comfort, barely finding a sense of ease in the words of LOVELESS. Dreams of the morrow, hath the shattered soul….pride is lost, wings stripped away…
…the end is nigh.
"Take your aim."
Oh Goddess.
He was going to die.
He squeezed his eyes shut like a child, dismayed at the dampness of tears forming around his lashes.
In this final moment, every last sensation he would ever experience came rushing to his awareness…the dampness of his eyes, the pain lancing through his muscles, the feel of leather against his skin…the gentle currents of air ruffling his feathers…
Despite all his ideologies of who he was, he held on to that last sensation, because it was the last pleasurable feeling he could ever fathom.
Fearfully, his fine hearing detected the tightening of leather against metal; gloved fingers on a trigger.
This was it.
"And…"
He shuddered, bracing himself.
"Fire-!"
"-that is enough!"
Genesis let out an agonized scream, completely unaware of the events unfolding around him as his eyes darted to the bullet wound in his right forearm, a spreading rosette of crimson. Awkwardly, he collapsed to his knees, cradling his arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It seemed that even though the order was ceased at the last moment, the reflexes of one shooter had failed to prevent him from triggering his rifle.
Meanwhile, the attention of all ShinRa staff present was drawn to the figure of Professor Hojo, who stood by the entrance to the room. "Incompetent fools!" he barked, voice scathing, "how could you even conceive of wasting such an important specimen?"
"But sir," the army officer protested, "it was directed by the President himself!"
"Clearly, the plans have changed," the Professor glared. "It seems I arrived just in time to spare this monster from the fate of death."
Hojo…? Genesis felt his eyes widen as he realised the source of the interruption, his mind hazy in dealing with his newly acquired injury. Why would that insufferable scientist possibly need a failure?
"Understood," the commander nodded, stepping down. "Shall he be taken to your facilities?"
"Obviously," the Professor said dryly, motioning with his hand. "Gather him up, and bring him to the floor of the Science Department."
With a salute, the army officer nodded. "Soldiers! Get him up!"
Genesis fought the primal urge to growl menacingly at them, knowing that in this situation resistance would not serve him well. Ropy arms of infantry underlings dragged him up and restrained him, forcing him to walk gracelessly towards another place of trauma.
Though he had evaded the clutches of a painful death this time, he knew there was much worse to come.
But even in these dire circumstances, he would treasure every breath of air that departed his lungs.
Life was too precious to be taken for granted.
He had learned that the hard way.
Ding!
"Attention to all ShinRa staff: this elevator terminates at floor fifty-nine. To travel higher, please step out of this elevator and make use of the continuing lift beside it. Please note that a special key card is required for travel to floors beyond this point."
A hand, sporting fingerless gloves, flashed a key card in bored response to this standard announcement. Got it covered. I've heard this announcement far too many times.
With an air of feigned disdain, Cissnei of the Turks stepped out into the empty foyer that comprised the majority of ShinRa's fifty-ninth floor. Automatically she turned on her heel to head towards the adjoining lift that would complete her journey, only to pause suddenly at a loud sign sticky-taped across the metal doors.
"Elevator currently under maintenance. Will be working ASAP. Management." Cissnei dictated these words from the sign with a distinct sigh, bitterly resigned to her fate of using the stairs. Look on the bright side. It's exercise, right?
"Never mind the meeting I'm currently late for," she murmured, trying her best to see the better side of the situation. "No use moping, Cissnei. Up the stairs we go."
In compliance to her own advice, she trudged along to the other side of the floor and, after a swipe of her key card, eased open the emergency door that led to the endless flights of stairs spiralling upwards to the restricted floors.
Wordlessly, she lightly gripped the rail and began her ascent.
However, she had only cleared one flight of stairs before the door leading to the sixtieth floor burst open, forcing her to scoot to the side as four figures struggled into the space. Her ochre eyes widened in curiosity as she saw three members of ShinRa's army roughly handling another individual, who had what resembled a cloth bag over his head. From what she could see, the man was wearing a tattered red cloak and heavy black boots, but his back was to her as he was forced further up the stairs. In a brief moment, one of the infantrymen shuffled to the side, revealing a dark mass of feathers drawn tightly against red leather.
Cissnei blinked, unable to fathom the scene before her as she hesitantly waited for the group to distance themselves from her. From what she saw, it almost looked as though ShinRa had gotten hold of a genetic copy of Genesis Rhapsodos, the rogue SOLDIER 1st Class. Though she had not been heavily involved with the incidents surrounding his desertion or very familiar with the renegade SOLDIER himself, she could recognise the feathers were of his origin. Coupled with the clothing, her suspicions were confirmed. What they could possibly hope to gain with a mindless clone, however, was beyond her.
After a small amount of time, when she was sure the group was several flights above her, Cissnei began her ascent to the sixty-sixth floor of the ShinRa building, busily formulating a convincing excuse for her lack of punctuality.
Later that day, fate had not been terribly merciful.
Resentfully, Cissnei found herself trudging up those same stairs yet again, this time on a 'mission' to deliver some 'very important' files to an 'impatient and demanding' scientist who demanded these files right away. Firstly, she had to wade through endless filing cabinets searching for the wretched documents on ShinRa's forty-fifth floor, the archives department. Then, after passing through her office again to organise herself with her task, she had been imploringly wheedled into making Reno a coffee.
And now she was forced to trudge stair after stair to perform this menial task that should have been given to a bored secretary.
But noooo.
Only she had the clearance rights of a key card to be travelling this far. And she, being such a loyal Turk, had no other choice but to oblige, since the subject of her undercover surveillance mission, Zack Fair, was currently off duty. But she supposed he had a legitimate excuse, what with the very recent passing of his mentor and close friend.
Fleetingly, Cissnei cast a glance upwards, seeing with relief the block numbers '67' printed crudely on the wall in front of her. At least she could give her legs a graceful rest from constantly pushing up cold metal stairs. Nudging at the handle with a spare finger, she pried the heavy door open and sidled her way inside the Science Department of ShinRa Electric Power Company. If she could quickly find the Professor, drop the files off and leave, she might be able to find herself the time to sit down and have a tea break.
But such luck was unlikely. The 'impatient and demanding' scientist was nowhere to be found, at least on this floor of the Science Department. Her eyes nervously glanced about the cold metal walls, eyes raking every surface for signs that the Professor was actually around. All she detected was half a cold mug of coffee discarded on one of the work benches.
Was it really wise to simply leave the files on his desk? As far as she knew, the documents she held were quite confidential and critical in their nature. She knew it was against protocol to check their contents, and she had every intention to abide by this rule. Maybe she should simply wait a few minutes for the scientist to return?
Despite her initial anxiety, Cissnei felt curiosity grow inside of her as she cautiously crept around the various workbenches, edging forward to look around the half twist in the room's structure. Beyond the wall obstructing her vision, her eyes came to rest upon a large dark shadow occupying one section of the laboratory floor. Upon closer inspection she could make out large black feathers, shafts reflecting faintly off the dull lighting. She almost felt sympathetic for whatever creature Professor Hojo held captive here, speculating that these wings belonged to either a chocobo, or a wild gryphon.
From all observations, the animal or monster appeared to be either asleep or heavily sedated…and part of her longed to touch the glossy black feathers unfurled before her. The notion of having wings had been close to her heart ever since she was a little girl, and to feel such softness beneath her fingers would be so…just…
Just one touch, okay? Cissnei reasoned, knowing there was a high risk factor in touching an unpredictable specimen before her that she knew nothing about. Hesitantly, she edged closer, sliding to her knees as she slowly stretched her hand forward. As soon as her small fingers brushed against the black softness, she was rapt, lost in the dreams of her younger years where in her mind the world was a patchwork of fields and lakes and forests, greens and browns and blues, and she was a bird, an angel, soaring through the skies…
Beneath her fingers, the wing shifted, instantly causing her to draw back and scoot away for fear that this creature was waking up. But whatever it was simply shifted about in slumber before settling again, only this time Cissnei could just see beyond the huge feathers.
She bit back a startled cry at what she saw.
To the left of the wing, from her view, was a human face.
Recovering from her initial shock, she hurriedly scooted around further, seeing the bare neck, shoulders and torso of a man shrouded in black feathers, and if she squinted hard enough, she could make out normal human legs clad in ebony leather pants and boots.
And in that instant, her heart squeezed with unexpected guilt.
She had named the man before her a beast, a monster…merely on the impressions of seeing a wing first. Oh, how hypocritical of her to think like that!
"I'm sorry," she found herself whispering, eyes trailing over the oddly familiar features of the figure before her. His hair of faded chestnut was riddled with streaks of silver…nasty scars reminiscent of cracked earth marred his chest, his biceps, and trailed up his neck…oh Gaia.
It was then she realised who she was staring at.
It should have been so obvious.
She was pitifully observing…the real Genesis Rhapsodos.
The figure that- that she'd seen before…he wasn't a clone. It was really him. At first, she hadn't seen the resemblance, unfamiliar with the absence of red leather or the faded, weak appearance he displayed…
…but the presence of his wing, coupled with the sorrow etched onto his sleeping face, indicated that this man before her was no mindless being with a collapsed psyche.
All she had heard about him, since he had abandoned ShinRa, were the tales of his rage, violence and malice towards both the company and the world. But she couldn't piece together even a skerrick of these impressions when she observed him now. He was feebly curled up on the cold floor with his wing unfurled to provide himself with some kind of warmth, his face drawn together in a pained, sad expression. And nobody had mentioned to her the condition he seemed to be suffering from, either.
How much did ShinRa keep under wraps these days, even from their knowledgeable Turks?
Those forbidden files seemed so appealing to her at that very instant. She had brought them with her and had guarded them beside her during her lapse into sentimentality over her childhood. Cautiously, she seized the top one, shuffling through the sheets of typed paper kept inside as she swept aside company standards. Her eyes scanned over the text, and quickly she found herself digging through an entire case report about all information regarding the subject in question, Genesis Rhapsodos.
Report of all gathered information concerning rogue SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos
~ Biography;
Name; Genesis Rhapsodos
Gender: Male
Age at issuing of report; 24
Date of birth; 4th of July
Rank; SOLDIER, 1st Class
Status: Away without official leave, deserted
Additional notes; Born as a product of Project G, a branch of the Jenova Project, and raised under foster carers in the rural town of Banora. Also…
Cissnei's eyes darted to and fro as she quickly scanned and absorbed the information being presented before her. In the following minutes, she found herself learning the details of Project G, the degradation illness, the copy phenomenon, how Genesis was raised, the finer points of his actions up until this point in time…
Minutes later, she forced herself to avert her eyes from the confidential documents, mind spinning as she tried to make sense of everything she had discovered. All she could really draw from her newfound knowledge was a deep compassion for the dying man before her, regardless of his abominable actions and history.
And in that moment in which she felt this sympathy, the renegade SOLDIER let out a long, upset moan, shifting slightly as he began to stir. Cissnei was torn, knowing that it was probably in her best interests to escape the science department before Genesis saw her, before Hojo came back, and before suspicion began to arise because of her absence.
She gave Genesis an agonized glance, her mind frantically debating her options. However, the matter became settled almost instantly as she scrutinized the pools of blood around his right forearm and beneath his silky black feathers. She knew that guilt would chase her endlessly if she walked away now, considering his pathetic condition and her motherly nature.
Cautiously, she edged closer, seeing his eyebrows draw together in a wince before he even tried to move. Despite the bandage tied crudely around his forearm, Cissnei could see the injury was still oozing blood.
"Ah…ah-h…" Genesis moaned, partially opening his pale eyes that were smudged with the shadows of exhaustion. It took him a moment to focus, but when he did, Cissnei backed away slightly. He was glaring weakly at her.
"What do you want?" He mumbled, voice small yet harsh. "Come to torture me?"
The Turk put her hands up slowly, attempting to signal her peaceful intentions.
"No, I haven't," she murmured, momentarily distracted as Genesis folded his wing back, tucking the feathers around his shoulder.
"I'd like to believe you, Turk," he spat, trying to keep his gaze level with hers from his position on the floor, "but ShinRa crawls with lying hounds."
Cissnei had no answer for that remark. After reading his files, she was even more aware of ShinRa's façade to the public, and how they carefully concealed their darker and more clandestine activities from both the wider community and company employees.
"Turk status aside," she said quietly, "I'm not going to harm you. It seems you're already suffering enough as it is."
"So observant," he mumbled, lips pulling together in a halfhearted smirk, "…but you know nothing of my pain."
"Try me." Cissnei uttered this statement with calm defiance, determined to reveal the injured soul hiding behind the malevolent façade. She knew he would regard her with feigned antagonism until the truth of his torment revealed itself.
Seeming to ignore her, Genesis turned his attention to pushing himself into an upright position. He masked his physical agony as best he could when he put weight on his injured arm and strain on his dying body, but the effects of degradation clawed at him so violently that he collapsed back onto his stomach, crying out as air rushed from his lungs.
Seething with embarrassment, he struggled to open his eyes. The sight he was met with challenged his assumptions of Turk before him entirely. She was poised next to him, as if she had just missed the opportunity to prevent his exhausted fall. For that instant he saw the compassionate expression on her face, the sadness in her chestnut eyes, and the apparent kindness she was attempting to display.
Could he really trust her?
"I…I'm sorry," she mumbled, drawing back slightly, "I thought you were going to catch yourself…"
"…obviously n-not," Genesis groaned, trying to retain a tough exterior. If he truly revealed himself to her, to anyone…the pain would become so real, so awful, that he didn't think he'd be able to survive it a minute longer. Keeping his feelings hidden and producing a false sense of callousness was the only way he could force himself to cope with his existence.
But before he could muster the strength to maintain his façade, a choked gasp escaped his lips, immobilising agony spreading like lightning throughout his weak frame. Before he knew, it he was convulsing, every nerve in his entire body on fire.
Panic-stricken, Cissnei watched in horror as Genesis bit back a scream, every tremor in his body releasing a choked sob. She might have read about degradation in theory…but the symptoms were horrendous, and she had no idea what to do. The Turk was forced to duck as the SOLDIER's wing unfurled violently, feathers trembling as the muscle tensed.
By now, Genesis was snarling, teeth bared, as uncontrollable aggression flooded through his mind and shuddering body. With superhuman effort he restrained himself, determined not to harm the soul who had dared to show him kindness and sympathy.
Meanwhile, Cissnei, despite being frightened out of her wits, did the only thing she could in an attempt to comfort him through the degradation seizure he was experiencing. She shuffled to her left and gently lowered his wing to the floor, softly massaging the downy feathers that covered the top of the limb with her left hand. Her other hand, meanwhile, gently stroked what she could reach of his primary feathers.
Somewhere in the back of his hazy mind, Genesis could feel the soothing touch of fingers caressing his feathers, but had the sensation drowned out by the agony coursing through his body. However, after moments that dragged out for hours, his trembling slowly began to subside, feeling of pain being replaced by exhaustion and nausea. As soon as he realised he could move without too much discomfort he abruptly covered his mouth, feeling overpowered by the urge to vomit. Luckily, the feeling passed.
"…feeling better?" Cissnei murmured, timidly. She already felt somewhat awkward with her hands tenderly touching his feathers, and all she really wanted to hear was him abruptly telling her to stop.
But no such reprimand came.
"…somewhat," Genesis whispered, breathing hard as he realised he was covered in sweat. He emitted a low, quiet moan, feeling completely drained of life under his burning headache that was likely the result of a high fever. The only sensation allowing him to tolerate his remaining discomfort was the feeling of delicate fingers tracing his wing.
Cissnei felt shyness overtake her as she continued to stroke his feathers, but made herself sustain her task to make up for some of the recent trauma he had experienced. She almost felt as if she were playing the role of a mother taking care of a sickly child.
Just as she had traced her hand down another feather shaft, an impolite buzz from her pocket caused reality to slap her in the face. Worriedly she paused in her task, her mind quickly formulating a convincing excuse as she rummaged for her PHS.
"Yo, Cissnei!" Reno's voice barked from the other end. "Where've you been? Office has been missin' ya for nearly an hour now."
Though her excuse was embarrassing, it suited her situation quite well.
"Stomach ache," she moaned convincingly, knowing that the metallic walls would echo her voice like the large toilet blocks ShinRa sported on certain floors.
"Too much information, yo," Reno sighed. "Anyway, boss asks if you've delivered those files."
"Of course," she replied, "but the Professor wasn't there. I waited for a little while, but…"
"Apparently he's out with some ShinRa troops, catching monsters or something. He won't be back for another hour or two."
"Gee, thanks for the tip," she mumbled. "Anyway, I won't be down for another ten minutes or so…still feeling bad…"
"Nasty, yo…but I guess you can't help it. See ya 'round, Ciss."
"Bye," she sighed, relief flooding through her that such a novel excuse had worked as she snapped her phone shut. Quickly, she drew her attention back to Genesis, who was watching her curiously.
She smiled at him. "Don't worry; I'll stay until you're asleep. You need rest, Genesis."
The ex-SOLDIER could hardly complain, knowing that the hypnotic sensation of her gentle fingers would certainty lull him into slumber if he allowed it. Despite the aches and pains of degradation and bleeding wounds, he managed to relax, shifting his wing slightly to have it sit more comfortably across Cissnei's lap. Now that he had heard her name again from her PHS conversation, he could remember her vaguely from before he had left the hell hole of ShinRa. She was always nice, offered everyone a smile, and was diligent with all her work…and it surprised him that she would put her job at risk to care for him. That in itself was something…incredibly special in a way…it almost made him wonder what she was doing in such a clandestine job…
Cissnei failed at suppressing her smile, pleased to see that Genesis had fallen asleep with a much calmer expression on his face in comparison to when she had first stumbled across him. Unlike many, she had discovered the background knowledge to understand both his physical and emotional trauma. All he really wanted was to rid himself of his pain, to heal his illness, to live… that was why he left, and did what he did, because of degradation's torture. Also, because of ShinRa's involvement, through their lies and deceit of raising him in a foster family and hiding his origins, he hated them. According to the reports, the scientist Hollander had promised him a cure in exchange for exerting revenge on the company, and had blinded Genesis with this truth about his life to tide him over.
And all Cissnei could feel for him was compassion. His captivity to the Science Department would amount to endless hours of inhumane experiments, adding salt to the wounds he was already suffering from.
It just wasn't right.
Somehow, she would make sure to visit him again. Snagging another opportunity such as this would be very difficult and unlikely, so another plan was in order.
As she stood up to leave and gently rested Genesis' wing onto the floor, she smiled, having reached a perfect solution in her mind.
She'd be back sooner than she'd expected.
A/N; Isn't Cissnei the biggest muffin ever? She so sweet to him, after learning of his trauma and how he'll stop at nothing to heal himself because it's so unbearable….
Anyway. I'm sorry that I'm so sporadic with my updates. I've got a very peculiar writing muse…it comes very rarely, and hence I must wait for inspiration to strike before I write. :c But anyway, expect extreme amounts of fluff to come…well, maybe not extreme, but lots of it. -love- So um, expect an update within a month. But probably much sooner, since I'm on holidays for the next two months. XD;
I love reviews. But doesn't everyone? XD
~ Lioneh
Anndd disclaimer! Genesis Rhapsodos, Cissnei/Shuriken, Professor Hojo, SOLDIER and anything and everything else associated with the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix. All I own are the socks on Gen's feet.