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16. Jenova Makes Her Move

Zack was curled up on the floor of the cabin. He opened one eye when Alpha spoke, but closed it again immediately.

Get up.

Alpha circled, but stopped short of nosing Zack's mind. He knew Zack was conscious. Zack pretended he didn't care, relaxing his muscles as if going back to sleep. Alpha sat at the edge of his thoughts.

Get up.

Zack's paws flexed, but he kept his tail over his nose. His breath reflected warmly back into his face. When Alpha fell silent, he thought maybe he had won some respite from the wolf's constant harping. That is, until Alpha lunged into Zack's mind with the equivalent of a bite. Zack leapt to his paws and turned three times in a circle, fangs bared. He pulled up short when he realised what had happened. Alpha had attacked him inside his mind. He snarled again, hackles raised.

Get out!

Alpha was unrepentant. An answering snarl curled into Zack's mind, wrapping around his thoughts like mist. When Zack snarled louder, Alpha's spirit rose like a shadow towering over him, the snarl a thunder-crack. Zack's ears flattened against his skull on instinct. He rallied himself and kept up his snarl, but Alpha's drowned his out. It worked its way into every crevice of his thoughts until he crouched backwards and whined.

Get up.

Get out of my head!

Get up. The image of a straight tail and bared teeth accompanied Alpha's growl. Though he didn't know how, Zack knew these meant Alpha was living up to the name; asserting dominance to force a lesser pack-member into submission. Get. Up. Alpha's power was so great it was choking.

Zack didn't realise he was staggering until he knocked against the wooden chair. It toppled over with a crash. He shook his head, half a snarl quivering on his lips.

Get up.

I am up!

No.Alpha's denial was like being hit in the head with an iron bar. Stuck. Stuck in down-place.

What?

Puppy.Some of the anger faded from Alpha's voice. No change. Four days. Can't stay like this.

Zack shook his head again. So what if he hadn't changed back into his human body? He could hunt better like this. Being human wasn't what he needed right now. He would change back eventually, but not now. Not after what had happened.

Not your fault.

I should have realised.

Not your fault,Alpha insisted. This not helping. Not feel better. Running away without running anywhere.

Go away.

To where?the wolf spiritasked sensibly. Part of you.

Then at least shut up.

Not until get up. Stop blaming self.

Zack growled. Immediately he felt as if another body was pressing down on him, four paws planted around him in cold snow. His back felt wet and cold, his throat exposed. A memory that wasn't his flashed into his mind: an older, more powerful wolf bearing down with bloodied fangs after a battle for leadership. Zack cowered, in the dream and in reality. The wolf made as if to bite into his soft neck, but pulled away, showing mercy. The memory vanished but the presence did not.

Get up,saidAlpha. Move.

Grudgingly Zack concentrated and uncoiled from his wolf body. He shivered in the cold, reaching for clothes. His hand brushed against something solid but fleshy under fabric. He jerked his hand back when he realised he had grabbed Cloud's leg.

Cloud, prostrate on the bed, eyes closed as they had been since Zack brought him home. Not that this was home, but then not that this was really Cloud. Not how he used to be. Not the Cloud Zack had met so long ago and grown to care for like a brother.

Zack turned his face away.

Look. Alpha's order couldn't be disobeyed. Zack tried and failed. He looked at Cloud. Not. Your. Fault.

"He's my friend," Zack whispered. "I should've been able to protect him."

How? When? Puppy is strong, but not that strong. Not strong enough. Fate stronger.

"Fate?" Zack snorted. "You're saying it was Cloud's fate to end up like this?"

Maybe.

"Bullshit."

Alpha growled. Past can't be changed. Useless. Wastes energy. Think of future. Work for future. Look forward. Not back.

"But –"

Spirits strong. Fate strong. Alpha strong. Not one can go back. Nothing that strong. Time move forward. So must Puppy. So must Alpha.

Something about the way Alpha 'said' those last three words gave Zack pause. There was more there than the words alone supplied. He squinted, eyes moving around as they were wont to do when he was talking with the spirit. It was difficult, not having a face to concentrate on when speaking to someone.

"Is there something in your past you'd rather not think about too? Something you regret?"

Alpha actually fell quiet for a moment. Always something for everyone.

"I'm not asking about everyone. You've seen my greatest regrets, Alpha. You asked me to trust you unconditionally. I've done that, but you haven't told me much about what you're getting from this deal. If you truly are connected with every wolf on the Planet, why the hell would you need my body to walk around in? Or if it's the other way around, why would you give me yours to use like I've been doing?"

Complicated.

"I've got nothing but time." To emphasise, Zack yanked on a sweater and pants, then sat on the floor and pulled a blanket around himself like a little kid waiting to be told a story by the fire. "I'm waiting."

Alpha hesitated, apparently wrong-footed by this turn of events. Zack felt the spirit pacing like a wolf confronted with a free meal that was so good it was probably a trap set by a hunter. A memory splashed briefly against his mind: a white female wolf sniffing at the apparently cast-aside head of an elk, only to find her foot caught in a snare. Alpha eventually sat down at the edge of Zack's mind, putting distance between them before speaking again.

Life is magic. Magic is life. Find magic to find life for self. Find life to find magic for self.

"I don't understand," said Zack.

Alpha shook a massive shaggy head. Zack caught visions of grey fur, then brown, then gold and white, then back to grey.

Nobody did. Alpha is old, Puppy. Very old. Old as wolves themselves. Wolves exist, so Alpha exists. Lesser spirits not as old. Have no followers or disciples to give them power. Died out. Long time ago, world full of spirits and magic and elves and humans. Now almost all elves dead, or blood too thin to make difference. Their magic almost dead. Lesser spirits got no power; useless or dead.

"Spirits can die?" Zack asked. The thought hadn't ever occurred to him. Spirits were … well, spirits. They were just energy, weren't they? Energy couldn't be created or destroyed; it could only change form.

True, said Alpha. Dead spirits' energy go elsewhere. Dissipate. Alpha and spirits and elves and winged-ones fight Jenova-calamity-monster when first landed. Monster defeated, but not dead. Incapacitated. Elves put enchanted spear through heart. Living wood poison to Jenova-calamity-monster, just like ordinary wood poison to her creations. Jenova-calamity-monster can't move. Can't fight. Still alive though. Took dissipated energy. Refuelled. Made blood-creations. Sealed away, dug up, contained by science, but still evil. Still spreading evil.

"What?" Zack sat up. "You fought Jenova?"

Yes.

"The Jenova? As in the original source of the vampirism virus? Is that what you mean by 'blood-creations'?"

Yes.

"The Jenova whose head Sephiroth stole from the Nibelheim reactor?"

Yes.

"Shit."

Not your fault. Puppy fought hard. Almost died. Sephiroth too strong. Strongest of all blood-creations. Jenova's own pup. Alpha grateful Puppy survived. Chose you as avatar. Magic in the world not strong enough for Alpha to have own physical form anymore. All spirits must have avatars if want to fight new evil. Not all spirits strong enough to choose avatars or use. Oldest best.

Zack's mind whirled. His brain had snagged on something Alpha said. "What do you mean 'Jenova's own pup'?"

Sephiroth son of man and Jenova-calamity-monster carried in human female belly. Mother Jenova. Father Hojo-torturer-scientist-man. Corrupt man. Evil man. Sephiroth not know. Learned truth in Nibelheim. Too close to Jenova-calamity-monster. Mind snap. She took him. Made fully blood-creation-son but also human. She called. He went to her. You went to him. Puppy knows rest.

Which explained why Sephiroth had been a vampire but had also possessed a pulse. He was no ordinary vamp. Something had happened in Nibelheim that had snapped his mind, and in that instant Jenova had somehow turned him; perhaps tuning into the part of his DNA that was hers and manipulating it as well as his mind. It was too impossible to be true, and yet a lot of things suddenly made sense. Zack's heart lurched to think of it. He had felt so betrayed by Sephiroth, but apparently Sephiroth had undergone his own betrayal that night.

Zack got to his feet. "Is he still alive?"

Puppy, Alpha warned. No.

"If he's alive, I have to help him."

Can't. Blood-drinker now. Hers now.

"But –"

Bigger things to worry about! Alpha snapped. Sephiroth only one part.Jenova-calamity-monster building army. Elves dead now. Spirits weak. Human magic not enough. Nobody to stand against new evil. Jenova-calamity-monster can't fight like before, but army huge. Spirits gathering as best as spirits can. Only old spirits. Only those who think have something to lose. Not all realise. Not all capable of standing against her. Alpha chose Puppy because Puppy won't back down. Puppy will fight even if scared. Puppy will fight if loved ones threatened. Puppy will defend mate and pack. Puppy very like wolf. Very like Alpha. Puppy wanted to know reason for deal. There reasons. Alpha needs puppy to help save world.

Zack stood there, stunned. Eventually he cleared his throat. "So," he croaked. "No pressure."

Alpha's invisible tail twitched. Life is magic. Magic is life. Puppy have magic now – Alpha's magic. Only way to separate avatar and spirit is for avatar to die. Puppy can now defend life – own and others'. Puppy's life is magic for Alpha. Without Puppy, Alpha can't save anything. Big task. Couldn't say before. Too big. Puppy had other worries.

"And I don't now?" Zack laughed hoarsely, glancing at Cloud.

Situation changed.

"Changed? Changed how?"

Jenova has made move.

"When? Where? How?"

Calling army to her.

"But Sephiroth cut off her head! Decapitation kills vampires!"

Not her.

"He went into the reactor with it! Nothing could survive that!"

Monster. Alpha actually whined, as if not wanting to reveal this last piece of critical information. Both still alive.

Which was the moment Cloud sat bolt upright in the bed and said, "They're calling me! I have to go!"

"I can't believe it." Hojo was still wheezy with excitement. Seven days after the initial discovery and he had yet to catch his breath. He had initially grumbled at being summoned from his lab-work to a stupid archaeological dig. He wasn't grumbling anymore. "An actual find in the middle of nowhere. And what a find! Tremendous. Absolutely tremendous. Historical! A find like this in a backwater like that …"

The place was so remote it didn't even have a name. Locals – which meant superstitious villagers fifty miles away – simply called it 'North Crater', as if there were similar ones east, west and south. There weren't. It was the site of a meteorite crash over two thousand years ago, which had devastated the ecosystem to the point where it was still recovering millennia later. Those same villagers had wittered about ancient curses and unholy ground, but of course the dig team hadn't listened. Science said there was a mako deposit in the area. When they found something other than that they had sent word back to Shinra and the company had dispatched their mako expert, thinking he would be able to figure out a way for them to exploit whatever it was.

Hojo stared at what had been unearthed. It was impossible, but the body was still fresh. It wasn't mummified, even though the ground hadn't been disturbed in hundreds of years – maybe even thousands. The villagers certainly hadn't disturbed it. They seemed frightened of the area in their backwater, superstitious way. Rationally speaking, the region was too inhospitable to sustain life. Who wanted to eke a living in the middle of a dead wasteland where even weeds wouldn't grow? Shinra had thought there would be a rich mako supply to tap. Instead, they had found … her.

It was a woman, Hojo knew; naked and recognisable despite the spears that had turned her body into a pincushion. The spears were practically prehistoric, ornamented with desiccated feathers and leather wrappings, placed so warriors could get a better grip when throwing. Her skin was pale blue, lips and nipples almost white, her long hair a darker shade of azure. Her eyes were closed, lashes curled delicately against her cheeks in a beatific expression. She looked like she could have died this morning. When the team moved her, fresh blue fluid spilled like blood from where the wooden spears were embedded in her flesh. Aside from the skin tone and still-bleeding wounds, she was perfect; the kind of beautiful that made men's hearts stop. Despite it being unscientific, Hojo wanted to rip the spears out of her to make her whole again, but they had refused to come out. If he had been a less scientific man, he would have thought they had been enchanted by ancient magic to remain where they had landed.

"S-Sir?"

Hojo's gaze snapped to the man at his side. "What?"

The man attempted to hide behind his clipboard. "You've been staring for nearly twenty minutes, sir. The first rounds of lab results have come back and I thought you'd want to see them. They, uh, they date the specimen as, uh …" He trailed off at Hojo's thunderous expression.

"Leave them there," Hojo ground out.

He watched the man abandon his papers and scuttle away, pathetic worm. Hojo turned his eyes back to the glass tube. It had been filled with a specialised chemical solution to transport her without damaging her or losing any more precious liquid from her insides. She hung suspended in it like a goddess in one of those paintings President Shinra liked to collect: all flowing robes, big-bottomed women and deities getting up to naughty things. She would have looked at home in ancient decadence, but he knew instinctively that she wouldn't have partaken. No, she would have swept through the bacchanalia in a bloody swathe and made her own decadence of gore and domination. She was a true goddess.

Something tickled the back of his mind. He didn't register it. It would be weeks before the tickle became a thought, and weeks more before the thought became a decision. When it did, Hojo would wonder why it hadn't come to him sooner. He wouldn't know it was because his goddess hadn't had the power yet. She had been pulling it out of the ether, reforming chaotic, free-floating spiritual energy into power for herself after her long hibernation. He wouldn't even question why he would think to do such a thing. All he would know was a formless desire to please the voice in his head the only way he knew how: with the power of modern science.

To Be Continued …

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