Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, Crisis Core, Before Crisis, or any other part of FFVII.
AN: Well, here's the next chapter. Still one more to go before Nibelheim is up, but I promise that one will come out much, much sooner than this one did.
"Talking"
Thoughts
Yawning, Zack glanced around at everyone that had gathered outside. After word had gotten around that SOLDIER had gotten rid of the dragon that had been plaguing the town, the locals had been happy to come out and meet their heroes. Aside from Cloud, who was apparently the only person to take Sephiroth's suggestion to heart, the grunts that had come with them seemed to be as tired as he was, though they were attempting to make small talk with the villages all the same. In retrospect, he probably should have tried to get a little more sleep. As for Sephiroth, well, Zack wasn't honestly sure that Sephiroth even did sleep.
Speaking of Sephiroth…
"It would seem our guide has arrived." The SOLDIER announced calmly, as the girl Zack had met the day before jogged up to meet them.
"Tifa! You're our guide?!" Zack exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. "No. No way. You're waaaayy too young for this kinda thing."
"Hey, don't underestimate me! I'm not some little kid! I know these mountains better than anybody!"
Sephiroth let out an inaudible sigh, lightly thumping the younger SOLDIER on the back of the head. "Stop heckling our guide, Zack." He paused, looking over the gathered crowd and making sure that their entire group had arrived before pointing at Cloud.
"You're with us." He pointed at the other two grunts, the driver and the one that had gone with Zack while Sephiroth and Cloud stopped to deal with the dragon. "You two stay here and keep an eye on the town."
"Hey, SOLDIER." Sephiroth turned to the dark-haired man. He didn't know his name (And frankly, couldn't care less), but he assumed that he was related to their guide. The girl obviously took more after her mother, but the resemblance was there. His next words served as a good enough confirmation.
"We don't need you people to protect our town. Shinra never brings anything but trouble. So you listen to me, Sephiroth. I don't care who you are, if something happens out there…" He trailed off, the threat obvious. While he couldn't bring himself to even appear intimidated, Sephiroth gave him a respectful nod.
"She'll be safe."
At the same time, Zack and Tifa made threw in their own opinions on the subject, one far too cheery and the other embarrassed.
"Don't worry, Mister Tifa's Dad Sir! We'll make sure to take good care of her!"
"Da-ad! Cut it out, will ya? I'll be fine. I go up in the mountains all the time, and now I've got all these big tough SOLDIER guys with me. Stop worrying so much!"
Sephiroth turned an amused glance towards the young girl (Though perhaps only three people alive would be able to tell the difference between his amused glance, angry glance, neutral glance, or any other glance), and her father sighed in resignation. He had the distinct feeling that this sort of attitude was something he'd grown very used to dealing with.
"If you're ready?"
"Yeah, I'm-"
"Hey, hey General Sephiroth!" A dark-haired man holding a camera ran up to them, interrupting the girl. "Could I get a picture while you guys are here? We never get any big celebrities out this way or anything, so this is a really rare opportunity. I'll even get you guys some copies if you want them. Please?"
Zack took pity on the excited photographer, knowing that Sephiroth had no love for pictures. Apparently he wasn't quite as fond of the publicity that came with the job as some members of SOLDIER could be. "Aw c'mon, Mister Sephiroth. A picture won't hurt, right?"
"Hmph. I suppose not." Sephiroth slowly trudged over to the group, standing quietly off at the side as Tifa and Zack did a few poses for the now-thrilled cameraman.
"That's great you guys! I'll make sure to get you some copies. Oh, I forgot!" He held the camera out to Zack. "I don't really go too far into the mountains because of the monsters and stuff, so would you be okay with getting a few pictures along the way?"
"Uh, yeah, why not? Sounds like it could be fun."
And so, take pictures he did. Tifa giggling as Cloud raced her across a bridge, Sephiroth glaring at the camera as Zack caught him staring off into the distance while lost in thought, Cloud standing over a fallen monster that had tried its luck with the unfamiliar prey…He'd even managed to convince Sephiroth to take a few pictures of him and the others. Usually in dramatic and exaggerated poses, but pictures all the same. Aside from a few monsters who were quick to learn their lessons, little of note happened until they entered the caverns of the small mountain range.
After taking a few turns, now being led by Sephiroth (Who insisted on being first in an area where ambushes would make reacting more difficult with a civilian in the way), they came across a strangely beautiful sight. The room was glowing with a green light, and in the center stood a large crystalline formation. Between the lingering feeling of warmth and the small stream of Mako flowing around it, the naturally formed materia seemed to have a life of its own.
"Amazing…" Tifa moved into the cavern with Cloud at her heels, both fixated on the crystal ahead of them.
"What is this place?" Zack followed, taking in the view with a slow whistle.
"A Mako spring. Truly a marvel of nature." Even Sephiroth, usually reserved and unresponsive, couldn't keep the appreciation for the rare natural occurrence out of his voice.
"It's so beautiful, but…If we continue to siphon Mako energy, this spring will run dry one day, won't it?" She brought her hand to her chest, hovering above her heart as the concern seeped into her voice. Sephiroth nodded in ascent, looking surprisingly sad.
"Materia are formed by condensing Mako energy. Such naturally-formed materia are a rare sight indeed…And one that will inevitably lost with Shinra's ambition."
"By the way Mister Sephiroth, how is it that natural materia allow us to use magic?" Zack tilted his head and grinned at the older SOLDIER, who smirked at him in return.
"You call yourself a SOLDIER, even without knowing something so basic?" The slightly mocking tone became more serious, as he switched into what Genesis had once dubbed his 'lecturing mode.' "Materia contains the knowledge of the Ancients. Knowledge to control the power of this planet at will. It is this knowledge which binds us to the planet, allowing us to call forth powerful magic."
"Eh? Magic? A mysterious power?"
At that, Sephiroth actually laughed. Not the strained, frustrated laugh that he'd had when talking about his 'father' but a genuine, heartfelt laugh.
"H-hey, what's the deal? Did I say something funny?"
"It's nothing, Zack. Just a memory."
"Huh?"
"A man once told me never to use unscientific terms such as 'magic' or 'mysterious powers.' He was so angry, for a moment I thought that the fool might actually go into cardiac arrest." As he continued to laugh, Tifa and Cloud nervously shifted around while Zack scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"That's…a creepy thing to laugh about, Mister Sephiroth." As his superior calmed down, he turned to his junior with a raised eyebrow, his next word explaining everything.
"Hojo."
"Ah, gotcha."
"Do you think I could touch it?" Tifa had stepped close to the fountain, examining it with curiosity that Sephiroth had seen in Zack during their first few meetings and training sessions.
"Just avoid the liquid Mako. If it's crystallized, then it should be safe."
He gave them (For Zack and Cloud had apparently decided to take a look at the unusual sight as well) a few minutes to look over the crystal before turning towards the nearest exit from the chamber.
"It's time to go."
From the caverns, it took them perhaps half an hour to reach the reactor. The creatures inhabiting the mountains hadn't attacked them since they left, so as far as the group was concerned, they had probably realized either through instinct or observation that the four people traveling through the mountains weren't prey worth seeking. Tifa and Cloud jogged up behind the two, and the young girl nearly ran headfirst into Sephiroth as he came to a sudden stop at the base of the stairway leading to the unnatural structure.
"So are we gonna go in or what?" Sephiroth didn't bother turning around.
"We are. You're staying out here."
"What!? But I want to go inside too! It's not like I'll break anything, I just wanna see what it's like!"
"I'm afraid we can't allow that. The Mako reactors are restricted to the general public for a reason. They hold a number of Shinra's industrial secrets."
"But-"
"Zack, with me."
Cloud stepped in front of the stairway as the two made their way up, holding out a hand in front of him and shaking his head when Tifa tried to follow. She stomped a few times in frustration before pouting and facing away from the soldier (And though he wouldn't admit it, Cloud found the look to be quite adorable).
The two veteran SOLDIER saw nothing unusual as they made their way through the catwalks, but the main chamber was another story. They wandered around looking throughout the room, neither certain of just what they were looking at. The chamber was full of pods lined up in rows along the stairs, something that both could confirm were highly unusual for a Mako reactor, and Zack was more than willing to voice that fact while Sephiroth remained silent.
"The hell is all this? I've been to a few reactors, but…" He reached the top of the stairs, and trailed off as he saw the name above the door. Mumbling under his breath, his mind began working to connect what he was seeing with what he'd learned over the last several years. "JENOVA…What in the world?"
He pushed at the doors, looking for a switch of some kind. It didn't do any good.
"Locked up tight. What are you keeping in here, President?"
"That seems to be the problem." Zack started at the voice, suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone. He walked down the steps to meet Sephiroth, who was looking at the piping running below the pods and along the walls. "This is what's broken, but why? Hn. Zack, go open the valve."
"Right." He immediately followed the order and returned to his comrade, who was looking into the small opening near the top of the pod, face reflected in the glass. "So what are these things, Sephiroth?"
He stepped away, gesturing towards the pod. Zack obliged, uncertain of why his superior was being so reserved (Far more so than usual) but eager to see what the devices held. It was a decision he almost wished he'd never made as he fell backwards to the ground, fighting back the bile rising in his throat.
"W-what the hell!? Th-this is…"
"Normal SOLDIER are humans who have been showered and operated on with Mako. You're different from normal people, but even then you're still human. But these…these people have been exposed to far higher concentrations of Mako. So much that it's caused physical mutations, even."
"…Monsters. The true face of SOLDIER." Is that what Genesis was telling us? Was this what gave him that last push over the edge?
"Yes. No doubt Hojo was behind this. Using Mako energy, he created these unnatural living monsters, rather than normal SOLDIER like you."
"Like…But Sephiroth, aren't you-"
"No. No! It can't be!" This - Am I - Is this how I was created!? As some fucked up science toy for Hojo!? "It's not true! It can't be true! I was always different, always separate from everyone else even as a child. I thought I had some special purpose, but this…Am I even human?"
"No." The voice echoed through the chamber, and Zack cried out as he felt himself being lifted through the air. The breath was knocked from his lungs as he slammed into one of the pods, nearly forcing it to cave in on itself, and falling to the floor. The world turned upside down as he tried to see through blurry vision, chest burning with pain as the flames of the advanced fire spell faded away, leaving his uniform scorched.
And then he appeared, floating down to the ground, wing folding behind his back as he came to a stop. Somehow, in the depths of their hearts, both Zack and Sephiroth had believed Genesis was still alive. Regardless of what was said, they'd believed that he had survived in spite of the horrible odds, and was simply waiting for a chance to return. And so he had. While his hair and skin had lost most of its color, even the feathers of his once-black wing beginning to fade as a result of his deterioration, the red clad Ex-SOLDIER still held himself with all of the strength and confidence that he had in his prime.
"You are a monster. But you are a monster superior the pathetic abominations held in this chamber."
"So you are alive." There was no surprise in Sephiroth's voice.
"Sephiroth, the legendary SOLDIER. You were born from the Jenova Project. You are…the greatest monster of us all."
"Genesis! So you were alive after all!" Genesis glanced at the black-haired boy with a mocking grin.
"Alive? I suppose so, though it's sometimes difficult to tell with my current condition."
"Genesis." The Ex-SOLDIER's attention returned to his former friend and idol. "What does the Jenova Project have to do with me?"
"The Jenova Project was the name of the experiment using cells taken from Jenova." He gave a grand gesture towards the door at the top of the chamber.
"Mother's…cells?"
"Oh, my pitiful old friend. You've never met your mother, and the only thing you ever heard was her name. Am I right? I have no idea what she looks like, but what I do know is-"
"Genesis, stop it already!" Whatever he was going to say, it couldn't be good. Especially with Sephiroth in the state he was in already.
He continued as if uninterrupted. "- that Jenova was found in a stratum discovered on the Northern Continent. A calamity that fell from the sky over two thousand years ago. A monster, just like us. Sephiroth, SOLDIER First Class, lend me your strength! Without it, my deterioration will never stop. Angeal was born as the result of Jenova Project G. Born a monster, just as I was. But Jenova Project S was-"
Jenova Project S…?
"-designed to create the perfect weapon! The perfect monster! You! You, the greatest SOLDIER, Sephiroth!"
"…What can I do?"
"Because of the nature of Jenova Project S, you have no power to create clones, nor do your genes spread. You won't deteriorate like Angeal and I. Sephiroth, lend me your cells. The Gift of the Goddess, which will foster life!" With that he pulled a dumbapple from beneath his coat, holding it out to Sephiroth.
"Are you trying to confuse me?" Sephiroth turned away, mumbling more to himself than either of the others in the room, gripping his forehead as though he were in pain. "Is this the truth I've been looking for? But no, I…"
He seemed to calm down, soothed by some kind of unseen force, and turned to Genesis. "I don't know if you're lying or telling the truth. Whichever it may be," he reached out, knocking the apple from Genesis' hand and giving him a level, emotionless stare.
"Go rot in obscurity."
Genesis' reaction was considerably less angry than Zack would've thought. If anything, he seemed satisfied with Sephiroth's rejection.
"I understand, Sephiroth. Just as I'd have expected from the perfect monster." As Sephiroth walked from the chamber Genesis turned and leaned against the nearby railing, lightly clutching at his left shoulder, looking after his former friend.
"When the duel of the beasts brings about the world's end, the Goddess shall descend from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting." He stumbled slightly before regaining his balance, and leaving the room.
"Genesis!" Zack dragged himself to his feet as the door shut behind the winged man, and began limping forward as he began to gather his bearings. "Genesis, wait!"
"So, what's it like working with Sephiroth?"
Cloud shrugged, lowering his voice slightly.
"Don't know. First time."
"Oh. So, uh, you spend a lot of time with guys from SOLDIER?"
"A little."
"Do you happen to know a guy named Cloud? He's about my age, blond hair, blue eyes, kinda quiet. A bit like you, actually."
"…I-" He swerved away as a rock tumbled from a ledge, weapon at the ready.
"Hey, relax soldier-boy. It's nothing unusual. We're in the mountains. Rocks fall. You're way too tense." She grinned at him.
"…Right." He turned to look back at her, lowering the rifle and trying to return the grin. "It was probably j-get down!"
As Tifa dove for the ground, thankful for the instincts imprinted onto her mind during her training with Zangan, he raised his weapon and let out a hail of gunfire on the red-uniformed soldier running towards them with blades in hand. The attacker deflected the first shots with his blades, but easily fell to the rest of the onslaught.
"Look out!" He turned, following Tifa's view, and raised the rifle just in time to block another blade. With a closer look, it was obvious that this was one of the same men that they'd dealt with a couple years before, when Shinra's headquarters and Junon were attacked. As the rifle began to crack a fist shot out from behind him towards the Copy, knocking it to the ground. It didn't stand again.
"…Nice punch." She turned to him, smirking.
"Thanks. Master Zangan says I'm one of the best he's ever taught." Cloud glanced around, hesitating for a moment before deciding that he was probably making the right decision.
"We…should probably go inside the Reactor." They weren't exactly in a good position to defend themselves if more of the Copies showed up. At best, Zack and Sephiroth would be able to provide them with more than enough support. At worst, the interior of the reactor would make it more difficult for the things to overwhelm them with numbers. Tifa grinned excitedly, the threat of another attack apparently overridden by her curiosity about one of Shinra's most recognized marvels, when Cloud saw the glint of a blade as another Copy jumped from a nearby cliff towards Tifa.
"Move!" He pushed her aside and the Copy rammed him to the ground, the blade aimed for her heart grazing across the side of his ribs as they rolled from the impact, rifle flying from Cloud's arms. The Copy recovered first, having anticipated that the soldier would have attempted to protect the civilian, flipping his blade into a reverse-grip and stabbing down towards the recovering blonde. Cloud pushed up from the ground and ducked inside the blow, gripping the Copy's wrist and throwing his weight against its shoulder, sending them both to the ground again as its weapon flew from its grip. The Copy audibly growled at him, throwing him off with frightening ease, and jammed its knee into Cloud's right side with all of its force. The blonde fell to the ground gripping his side, trying in vain to push himself through the pain of what was most likely several cracked or broken ribs.
Suddenly the Copy dodged backwards as Tifa's foot crossed the air where its head had been moments before. It tilted its head in curiosity, not having expected much resistance from the seemingly-untrained teen. Evaluation apparently complete, it dashed forward-
And a stream of red painted the gray and black stone of the mountains, as the legendary blade of the elite SOLDIER split the attacker in two. Tifa stumbled back at the sudden appearance of the black-clad SOLDIER, staring in awe as a blue beam of energy was released from the thin line of silver, easily subduing several more of the uniformed Clones as they appeared near the entrance to the clearing, the resulting shockwaves as the energy slammed into the walls of the canyon sending debris falling across the pathways and down the steep ledges of the mountain. The silver-haired man seemed to blur as he moved forward at speeds that she once would have thought impossible, quickly disappearing into the caverns where they'd passed through earlier. The sound of gunfire, clashing blades, and screams of pain echoed from beyond the point where Sephiroth had left eyesight, no doubt the result of the master swordsman cleaving his way through more of the Copies.
Gathering her wits, she pushed herself up and jogged towards the injured soldier. While his breathing was harsh, he was at least conscious. He nodded in thanks as she helped him sit up, still gripping his side. Moments after Sephiroth had left, a red blur flashed through the door of the reactor and took to the skies, several grey and black feathers floating to the ground below him. The next figure to emerge was, thankfully, a relief in the form of a slightly stumbling but otherwise calm and collected SOLDIER. He reached them in seconds, taking the steps in threes and fours as he practically leapt to them.
"Are you two alright!?"
"I'm fine, just a few scratches. But he…" She nodded to the soldier, who was looking away from them. Tifa was surprised to realize that, though she couldn't see his face, the soldier was ashamed. He'd just managed to help her fight off several people dressed like SOLDIER, and he was ashamed because what? Because he hadn't kept her from getting a few cuts and scrapes?
"Damn…Listen, could you help him up? If there are any more of those guys alive," He waved a hand across the small battlefield, the bodies speaking for themselves, "Then I'm probably gonna need my hands free."
"Y-yeah, of course. Hey, you think you can stand?" He nodded. She smiled at him and leaned over, gently wrapping one of the shoulder's arms around her shoulder and helping him to his feet.
Luck, it would seem was on their side. They encountered several of the local monsters along the way, but it appeared that Sephiroth had already…dealt…with the Genesis Copies. Of course, with Sephiroth in such a mental state, "dealing" with his enemies would be more accurately described as butchering them. Tifa wouldn't later be able to recall how many times she'd averted her eyes to avoid the sight of decapitated, dismembered, and disemboweled men strewn throughout the path. In a few hours they'd managed to reach Nibelheim again, and Tifa allowed the injured soldier to rest against a wall to one of the houses as she lightly moved towards Zack.
"So what's going on? What happened in there!?"
"Sorry, I can't say. I don't suppose you saw Sephiroth somewhere when we got back."
"No…But I'll go ask the others if they've seen him anywhere."
"Thanks Tifa." She nodded and turned to begin her search, but stopped briefly near Cloud to whisper a quiet thanks to the person who had risked himself to help her.
I knew this was a bad idea. Why don't I ever just listen when I have a bad feeling about these things?
AN: Yeah…So it's been nearly a year, but as I've mentioned in my profile, updates were supposed to come out a while back on basically all of my stories. Life just kind of got in the way. I am sorry that I didn't manage to get this out earlier though, and I will get the next chapter out much sooner. My goal is to get at least one update per story every one to two months. Thanks to all of those who have stayed with my fics even with the big gaps that have come up in the last year.