Missing lab equipment was the first indication that something was amiss, enough to draw Hojo's attention away from his experiments. The Turks responded promptly after a thorough catalog had been made of the missing items and those who had access to the lab during the times they disappeared. Whispers spread rapidly, rumors giving rise to the gossip that circled any small environment regarding who could have taken the expensive equipment. Nearly everyone had become a suspect, except for those who should have undergone the closest inspection.
Sephiroth himself merely smirked as he passed through the halls without harassment from a training session involving his two comrades in arms. He had recently met Angeal's protege, Zack, and found himself wondering where he could find someone strong enough to one day provide a proper challenge. Even after searching through the records of all company employees, Sephiroth had found himself disappointed.
Then, an answer presented itself in the form of Hojo's own madness - human experimentation. Cloning, genetic manipulation, and DNA mapping had all led him to his current decision. If he could not find a protege made to order, he would create one. The process had been astoundingly easy with his vast resources and financial backing. The entire operation was carried out swiftly and discreetly, obscuring even the smallest telltale detail under layers of bribery and murder.
What made it bizarre was that Hojo was his father, pursuing this path himself.
Stabilizing his project was only his first step after securing the necessary space to begin. The cells, of course, were nearly too easy to obtain, with the theft of the maternal cells being the most challenging part. For the paternal cells, he added his own. After all, he was perfect. His creation would be nothing less than himself.
Entering his apartment, Sephiroth turned to the security on the door. Initiating his own security protocols, he watched as everything slid away until only the green light of a mako-filled tube remained. Within it, a six-month-old infant slumbered peacefully. The length of tubing provided nutrients and air, twining up and over the suspended male. Pacing the room toward his creation, Sephiroth accessed the key terminal to enter his access codes. Giving the machine a moment to respond, the General's attention returned to his creation. Once free of the mako fluid and life support, Sephiroth pulled the child into his arms.
Pressing the boy to his chest, Sephiroth glanced down at him as he opened bright blue eyes. "I've decided to give you something, your first gift since you were selected among the most promising candidates. A name, a name worthy of only my protege. I will give you the name Cloud. For only a cloud can become so many different things and attain perfection where there is none to be had, and among that, you shall also be Strife. For anyone who dares to challenge me, you will stand in their way and gift them with misery."
"Still," the silver-haired genius continued, "there is the matter of making sure you can survive on your own while I'm in Wutai." The problem had arisen shortly after he had been informed of the news a month ago. After trial and error on several newborn rats, he had perfected the method of advanced growth and aging. A tutorial program administered through Shin-Ra's Virtual Technology would more than suffice to fill in the gaps of a swift growth formula. By the time he would be due to return to Shin-Ra headquarters, his newly named protege would have advanced to the level of a twelve-year-old in terms of growth and education. At least, that's what all of his theories had pointed to, barring any accidents, of course.
Pacing to a low table in the middle of the room, Sephiroth searched through the various chemicals and equipment until he found what he was looking for. Filling a hypodermic needle with a pale blue liquid, he administered the injection. Waiting a few minutes before returning the oblivious Cloud to his mako tube, he added the newest batch of equipment. Settling sensors on the baby's skin, Sephiroth flicked a screen on and opened his program to begin the process of creating the perfect student and challenge.
The perfect heir to his power.
He smirked knowingly as everything came online, and all indicators read green. Pressing the enter key, Sephiroth watched as his protege was once more immersed in the life-giving fluid of mako. A panel set to catch mako radiation would power the room without draining more than a small percentage of the city's electrical grid.
"I'll see you soon, Cloud Strife. Do not disappoint me."
Turning to leave, the silver-haired prodigy failed to notice the one thing that would disrupt all his plans. A single bar on the grid jumped several notches above the original indicators before flashing a warning icon. Within the tube, bright eyes opened to watch the other leave before settling into a chemically induced sleep once again. Ice crystals slowly formed within the chamber, creating a materia-like barrier from all observers as Sephiroth's final serum set to work.
It was no small feat when less than three days after Sephiroth's initial departure, Hojo finally tracked down his missing lab equipment and found, to his astonishment, the form of a small child suspended in mako. In an unprecedented bout of parental pride, Hojo began allocating science department funds and personnel to keep an eye on the 'experiment' his son had crafted. After a routine search for written notes yielded nothing, Hojo began examining the actual physical evidence left behind. Just as with the lack of notes, there was nothing to base any scientific foundation on, leaving him wondering exactly what Sephiroth had been attempting to create. Torn between pride and envy, the man decided to await the results of his own kin's experiment. It would certainly be worth the patience and funds needed to cover any additional expenses Sephiroth had unknowingly incurred.
Giving the human experiment one last look, Hojo allowed himself to speak to the watching specimen. "Just what is your purpose, Specimen S?" he asked the mute child. Just as with Sephiroth, Cloud watched the old man leave and then deigned to close his eyes to the outside world.
His purpose would be made clear when he was deemed ready to take the first steps into TRUE perfection.