Chapter 22: Not Far At All
Summary: Aerith watches as the team navigates Shinra's tricky hospitality. Discoveries and confessions are made. Also showers are taken (enjoy picturing the nekkidness).
Author's note: I apologize for the delay. Fiscal year-end is being very unpleasant this year. Everybody now has money to print things that they didn't have in the previous 9 months. Added to that, Spawn 2 and his household all came down with COVID. Mild cases all around (thankfully), and they've already been cleared, but it was worrying, (and as we know, worry saps much creative energy - blargh!).
TLDR: Updates will be spotty until sometime in April.
Final note. I probably don't say this often enough but thank you all for reading and commenting. It makes this happy warm ball inside me to know that my stories are enjoyed.
"Rufus should be arriving tomorrow," Tseng said.
The elevator car jumped to the side, but the Turk just swayed as if he'd known it was going to happen. Maybe he had.
Aerith, on the other hand, had nearly bumped her nose into the wall. She abandoned pride and put one hand on Zack's waistband and the other on the elevator rail.
Zack moved closer to the Turk, pulling her with him. "You really do need to convince Rufus that Midgar needs to be evacuated – above and below plate."
"I doubt I can–"
"Midgar depends on the supports that rest on, and in, the ground, and they rely on having solid ground under them," Zack said. "But Shinra built labs all under the slums, and then they built Deepground beneath their stupid-ass tower. A huge, cavernous hole right under the central pillar" He waved a hand forcing Aerith to hop back a half-step. Her foot landed on something other than carpet.
"I'm sorry," she said to the planet's child. Not a Cetra, but connected in some way that humans weren't. "It's a little crowded in here."
"You may call me Red."
Aerith's eyebrows went up. "You chose that name?"
"Red XIII is the designation given to me by Hojo," he said.
"Yeah, we're not calling you that," Zack said from the side. "If we used Hojo's names for people, I'd be 'Specimen Z' and he'd be 'Specimen G'." He jerked a thumb at Genesis, leaning with forced casualness against the car's wall.
"I might've become Specimen C," Cloud added.
Aerith raised a hand. "I'm just 'The Ancient'."
"Welcome to the Unwilling Experiments Club," Zack said with a bounce.
A furry lip lifted. "And the blue suited ones?"
"Experiments-in-waiting, like the rest of Shinra's employees."
Rude shifted. "I hardly think–"
Zack stopped him. "Trust me. It's how Hojo thinks of most things."
"You may still call me Red," the lion-man repeated firmly.
"Cool," Zack said "Call me Zack." He turned to Aerith, so she introduced herself properly. Then Aerith turned to Tifa, who gave a little dip of her head when she said her name. Tifa turned to Cloud who said his name in the same plain style he said most things.
There was silence after Cloud.
"That's Genesis." Zack indicated with his thumb. "And those are Tseng and Rude."
"I've seen them before." Red's lip lifted in a growl.
"Let us put that aside for now," Tseng said with an almost visible sigh. He turned back to Zack. "You said the Deepground supports are failing." He didn't say it as a question, but Zack nodded anyway.
"The explosion in the reactor blew huge chunks out the struts," he said. "They were creaking big-time."
"Bits were falling off," Cloud added.
"Can it be fixed?"
Zack shrugged. "I'm not an engineer, but it's a lot of weight for something jury-rigged. Plus, any repair crew'll need to be protected against the 'shoot first' army that's down there."
"And enhanced fighters," Tifa said. "With glowing blue armour."
"Of course," Tseng muttered. "I will discuss it – forcefully – with Rufus. At the very least, I will push to do a complete assessment of the city's support structures."
"Tuesti's still on the board, right?" Zack asked. Tseng nodded. Zack smiled. "He had a degree or something in engineering and he always seemed like a decent guy – not an ass-licker like Heidegger or crazy like Scarlet."
"I am well aware of Reeve's character."
Zack snorted. "How many investigations did you do on him before deciding he was just a nice guy?" Tseng said nothing, but Zack grinned like the silence was an answer in itself.
"How did you get into Deepground," Tseng asked. "Access is strictly limited."
"After the bar fell through to the first underground lab, we fell through to a second one," Zack started. "We decided to make our way to the central core–"
"Thought there'd be more exits to the surface," Aerith added.
"But along the way we ran into a crazy lady in red thigh high boots with red eyes and hair–"
"Rosso the Crimson," Tifa supplied. Tseng blinked, but said nothing.
Zack nodded to confirm the detail. "She was screaming for Hojo. Said he had to be fetched because Weiss needed him."
"She's the one who told us Genesis was being held there," Aerith said.
Cloud growled, "She called him Specimen G."
"Knew it was him because she mentioned Specimen G's propensity to quote Loveless–"
"Nice to be famous for something," Genesis sniffed.
"And since the Unwilling Experiments Club is always looking for new members–"
Red snorted. "I imagine they're not hard to find."
"–we decided to look for him," Zack finished lightly. "We found stairs down–"
Aerith sighed. "A lot of stairs." Tifa nodded agreement.
"When we got to the bottom, we found a map. Oh hey! Tifa," he turned to her. "We don't need that anymore, right?"
"Uhhh."
It wasn't easy taking off a big backpack in the crowded elevator car. In the end, Cloud dug through the pack to find it. He handed it to Tifa, who gave it to Aerith – probably because handing it to a Shinra employee was too close to collaborating with the enemy.
Aerith passed it to Zack who smiled as he took it.
"Here," he said, handing it (finally) over to Tseng. "Maps of Deepground."
Tseng's eyebrows actually raised when he took it. "Deepground allowed this," he said unbelievingly.
Zack shrugged. "They probably didn't know."
"Place was a maze," Tifa added. "Makes sense to write down how to get around. Especially when going through the wrong place can get you killed." She lifted her chin aggressively.
"Oh yeah!" Zack snapped his fingers. He took the book out of Tseng's hand and flipped through the pages. "Here. Look. It makes note of area hazards. See: 'Avoid: flying guards shoot first'." He handed it back.
"They were nasty." Aerith said, scrunching her nose in distaste. Zack gave her arm a soft rub.
"Stupid," Cloud muttered. "Missed most their shots."
"Yeah. Made up for it in numbers, though." Zack said. "Anyway. We got down to the Specimen G holding area, which was only about halfway to the bottom?" He looked to Tifa for confirmation.
She lifted a shoulder. "Maybe two thirds."
"And that's from the end of the stairs," he said with emphasis. "So, you gotta figure the Deepground hole is as deep as the tower is high."
Tseng inclined his head. "Understood. Continue."
"We found Genesis–"
"Had a helmet on him saying he was 'property' of Shinra," Cloud said tersely. "Even had a copyright date."
"What date?" Genesis asked, leaning forward curiously.
Cloud turned to look at Genesis. "[μ] 1980."
"My birth year. Of course." Genesis sneered. "Well, it's not like it was a lie. Shinra did manufacture me."
"They've done a lot of things that've resulted in thousands of deaths. You, they gave life," Zack said in a dismissive tone.
"Not a great life," Genesis argued.
"Better than what you did to the men who followed you," Zack flung back.
Genesis gave a little smile. "You'll never let me live that down, will you."
"Absolutely not."
"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul; Pride is lost," Genesis recited with a lilt.
Zack, on the other hand, wilted. "Daaamnnn," he moaned. "Can we put him back?"
"Dear Zack, am I kicked out the club already?" It was the hint of humour in the former SOLDIER's voice that saved the comment from being mean. Genesis was laughing more at himself than at Zack.
However…
She turned to Genesis. "Please stop tormenting my boyfriend," Aerith said firmly. "He's had a rough day." She looked at the redheaded SOLDIER the way she'd looked at all the other experiments in Shinra's basement – trying to see inside to the core….
In Genesis Rhapsodos, betrayer and betrayed, there was darkness.
However, unlike the seething, growing mass she'd sensed in most of the creatures in Shinra's secret labs, it was still. Genesis had acknowledged the hurts he'd received and the part he'd played in hurting others. Responsibility acknowledged and accepted. Not what she'd expected from Zack's description.
When she looked up into Genesis's blue mako eyes they were looking right back at her.
"Do I pass inspection?" he asked softly.
"For now," Aerith said with an exaggerated frown. Genesis smiled and gave a soft nod – accepting her judgement.
The elevator dinged its arrival at the 70th floor. It took a moment for the doors to open, and they all held their breaths…
They whooshed open smoothly.
Tseng ushered everyone out ahead of him.
This time Aerith was the one to support Genesis. It was only just needed, as the redhead's steps were mostly steady, though they were slow. Genesis held on to her shoulder and let himself be helped, which surprised her a little. She hadn't got the impression that anyone in SOLDIER knew how to ask for help except Zack.
"Does anyone have a Cleanse materia?" she asked. "Genesis could probably do with a Poisona cast. The mako they had him in was horrible."
Rude looked at Tseng, who nodded. Rude cast the spell and Genesis gave a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," he said.
Rude pushed his sunglasses up with a neutral hum, before turning away as if to disavow the kindness.
"Well," Genesis muttered softly. "Now I know how he got his name."
Zack spun around, looking at everything. "Are you going to shut off the security cameras?"
"It's been taken care of," Tseng replied.
"Turks, man. Ever efficient." It sounded like a compliment, but Aerith was watching Zack and despite the smile, there was a tenseness to his expression. His tone was light, but he wasn't letting himself forget that the Turks were very dangerous. It was a good reminder.
A timely one, in fact, since Tseng was being so nice to them. Aerith knew her tendency was to think the best of people – to return kindness for kindness. For Turks, however, kindness was often a commodity or a tool.
Plus, of course, they'd lied to her about Zack being alive. For nearly five years…
She gave Rude's back a glare.
"You look positively ferocious," Genesis said softly. "Please tell me you're not thinking of me when you look like that?"
Aerith giggled and assured the man that he hadn't been on her mind at all. He clutched his chest dramatically and quoted more of that poem he loved. Aerith had never seen it performed, and she'd only read what had been required at school. Honestly, it had seemed ridiculously over-blown to her.
Not that she was going to say that to Genesis.
Instead, she looked around eagerly as Tseng led them through the top level of the Shinra Tower – the floor where the president had his office.
"Are we having the meeting in the president's office?" Zack asked with a bounce. "You know this will be the first time I've been in it?"
"Thought you were a First?" Tifa asked. "Aren't they the elite?"
"Nah," Zack said. "Turks were higher in Shinra's social pecking order. They are – or were – trusted to know things nobody else knew. SOLDIERs were just sent in a direction and told to fight shit."
"That is a highly simplistic–"
Zack interrupted Tseng. "Did you know about Project G before we were sent to Banora? I mean, you had to, right? You were sneaking around stealing Hollander's notes while Genesis kicked my ass." Tseng stayed silent, and this time it was an admission.
"Project G," Genesis announced with flair, "Was experiments with injecting inert –"
"Please don't finish that sentence," Tseng said quietly.
Genesis gave small, triumphant smile, and mimed sealing his lips. Then he winked at her. 'I'll tell you later,' he mouthed.
Aerith wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Tseng waved his keycard in front of the door handle and the light shifted from red to green. He led the way in while the silent Rude entered last.
Despite herself – despite all she knew about Shinra and what they'd done to her parents and so many other people – Aerith couldn't help her excitement. This was a place very few people had seen. Would there be priceless art? Gaudy furniture in velvet in gold? Maybe a combination: a huge portrait in an overly ornate gilded frame?
Whatever the office contained, seeing it would reveal something about the former president. He'd been a person after all, and not just an embodiment of greed.
However, it only took a couple steps to realize Roman Shinra had filled the space with essentially nothing. It was as barren and soulless as her nightmares had portrayed him.
To start with, it was huge (almost as big as her church) but it wasn't welcoming like her poor, broken sanctuary. Floors, walls, pillars and ceiling were in dark stone. A long, red carpet pulled you through the columns towards an equally dark desk that was both massive and raised up on steps. Behind the desk, the far wall was the only exception to the darkness – it was floor to ceiling glass. As lovely as the view was (which wasn't very) the brightness coming in would keep the president's expression hidden from anyone standing in front of him.
All-in-all, there was an air of intimidation to the room that was probably deliberate. In fact, it felt like…. It felt as if Roman Shinra had wanted people to feel like they were approaching the seat of a god.
"Huh," Zack said. He stood in the middle of the carpet, hands on hips and unabashedly gawked.
"It's very empty." Aerith suppressed a shiver at the bleakness.
"I'm sure his ego was enough to fill it," Zack said.
"You have no idea," Genesis chuckled.
"Kettle – pot," Zack replied.
"Takes one to know one," Genesis admitted.
"Waste of space," Cloud said. He was squinting at the corners, as if expecting something else to jump out at them. Which probably wasn't unreasonable, Aerith thought with a smile.
"Ostentatious indeed," Red agreed.
"Did he stand at the window gloating?" Tifa asked. She glared at the desk, looking like she wanted to punch it.
Tseng dipped his head. "I believe he did. Come." He waved them to a side aisle. "Reno should be arriving shortly.
"Quick question," Tifa said. "How are we getting out of the building?"
Tseng waved them to a side door that was more of an opening in the back glass wall. "Helicopter."
"I beg your pardon?" Red had stopped mid-step.
"We're flying?" Tifa said. Her tone sounded very similar to Red's.
"It is the quickest and most discreet way to leave Shinra Tower," Tseng explained.
Aerith could see the helicopter now, coming to land on a pad that projected out from the president's office.
"Is that safe?" she asked Genesis quietly.
He looked up at it. "It's large enough for this group," he replied. She could feel his glance at her. "Don't worry. They're perfectly safe when no one's shooting at you."
"You're letting Reno pilot?" Zack asked.
"Maybe only moderately safe," Genesis amended.
"I'd like to get out of here," Cloud said. It was enough to get them all moving towards a door hidden in the wall of glass. Everyone except Red.
Cloud paused and looked down at the being that had suffered so much. "Still your choice," he said. "But still easier to get out with a bunch of us."
Red's tail flicked unhappily but he walked towards the outside. "I dislike flying."
"Don't mind flying," Cloud said as Red walked past him. "Crashing bothers me a little." Cloud looked down at the lion-like creature with eyes crinkled in a smile.
Red flicked his flaming tail at Cloud making him jump. "Not helpful."
"Definitely not helpful," Tifa added with a sniff.
"We're not likely to crash between here and wherever they take us," Genesis said lightly. "However, we should be somewhat concerned about our destination."
Cloud looked up at them and his mako eyes flashed. "Can try kidnapping us."
Rude, who'd been waiting behind them all, said, "No one is kidnapping you." Aerith recognized an unsaid "yet" at the end of Turk's statement.
"We do, however, require someplace discreet we can finish our discussion regarding your recent adventure," Tseng added. He and Zack had stopped halfway to the landing deck.
"Are you going to feed us?" Zack asked. "Lunch was a long time ago." Aerith looked at the sky – it was still bright. But of course, they were above the plate here: bright was the default.
"Now that you mention it," Tifa said in support.
"Food will be provided." Tseng looked at Rude who nodded.
Just as Tseng had looked at Rude for his agreement to the plan, Zack looked at each of them, eyebrows raised, asking them if they were willing to continue on with the Turks. Surprisingly, it was Genesis who took the longest to agree, not Red. He covered it by waving a hand extravagantly. "Since we're all agreed, shall we away?" he said airily. "Having been strung up for so many months, I find my legs are getting tired.
Without a word, Cloud stalked over. He bent and put a shoulder into Genesis' stomach, and then he lifted the former SOLDIER as easily as Aerith lifted her flower basket. Genesis cursed and swore, but just about everyone else laughed.
The tension that had built while Zack sought approval dissipated, and they all moved towards the helicopter.
Cloud let Genesis slide to his feet once they were on the deck, but he stayed close by, providing a stable point whenever Genesis wavered.
Zack dropped back to walk beside her. "Almost done," he said.
She gave him a look, and he gave her a shrug. "Well, for today at least. Here, duck down."
He put a hand over her head as they walked under the helicopter's blades. Then he gave her a hand up into the passenger area. It was larger than she'd expected – more like a train, really, the way the seats were laid out facing each other. It was perfect, though. There was room for Red between the seats, and Zack and Cloud's large swords.
There weren't any windows in the back. Aerith wasn't sure whether to be concerned or relieved. She'd caught a glimpse of how high they were above the Midgar plate. It had been a bit unnerving. She was more used to looking up at the tower, not down at the city.
Zack sat next to her. He'd put Hardedge on the ground, but he held his buster sword in front of him. He had one hand free. Aerith took it and held it the whole trip. She held it through the landing (a gentle bump). She mostly held it while they disembarked (skuttling under the helicopter blades was hard to do while holding hands). She took it back and held it while Zack and Tseng and Cloud discussed (argued) about where they'd landed and why.
Apparently, this was a cadet training area. Tseng was offering them showers and a change of clothes, but Cloud was pushing to have the meeting and go. "How much of Sector 7 fell into Shinra's lab?" he asked. "How many people need help?"
"You're right," Tifa said. "We need to be down there."
Genesis lifted up his arm, covered with mustard yellow canvas. "I wouldn't mind a change of clothes," he said. "And a shower sounds like the Promised Land."
"You could get the rest of the tainted mako off," Zack added. "What if the water's not working below the plate?"
Even Cloud couldn't argue with that, which is how they ended up in an empty cadet block. Three rows of bunk beds, enough to accommodate thirty-six cadets, filled the main room, but the mattresses were stripped of blankets, the foot lockers were open and empty. Their voices echoed.
"Intake has just started so this block will be available for a week–"
"Not staying here," Cloud said immediately.
Tseng's chin lifted in acknowledgement. "The showers are here at the front–"
Again, Cloud interrupted him. "I remember."
"And do you remember where Hall B is?" Cloud nodded. "Come to room 19 when you're ready."
Before Cloud could say anything more, Cissnei and Elena showed up with uniforms and towels.
"Cadet uniforms?" Genesis said with distaste. "Regular army cadets at that."
"You can keep the coveralls if you'd prefer," Zack said with a smile. There was a mean edge to it.
Genesis raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, at least they're not covered with dancing frogs."
The two Turks put their stacks down on the bed closest to the shower room. They stood behind Tseng, hands folded neatly in front of them. "There's soap and shampoo as well," Cissnei said.
"Will thirty minutes be sufficient?" Tseng asked.
Quick looks passed around the group, before Cloud said "Plenty." He still didn't sound happy, and Aerith wondered if he was worried about Deza.
Turned out, he wasn't. Once the Turks were gone, Cloud stalked into the shower room. It was a cramped room with eight stalls separated by narrow, chest-high walls. They hadn't tried to make it attractive – everything was white industrial tile or steel and harshly lit.
Easy to clean, Aerith supposed. Also, they probably hadn't cared what the cadets would like.
Cloud zapped the security equipment in the shower room (both the camera they could see near the entrance, and the ones he said were hidden in the walls over the showers.)
"Pixie tits!" Aerith said. "They record in the shower?" Everyone was looking at her. "What?"
Tifa snorted a laugh out through her nose. "Pixie tits?"
Aerith couldn't stop the blush. "Well. I thought… We should each have our own?"
"You really must explain this to me," Genesis said before waving his hand. "Actually, no. I don't want to know." He turned to Cloud. "So, what don't you want the Turks to know?"
Cloud didn't say anything, just bent down and loosened his boot.
Was he going to strip naked right in front of everybody?
Tifa flinched. "Wha-?"
From the folds of cloth caught in his boot, Cloud pulled out a large red crystal, uneven in shape, and slightly glowing.
"The clone – Marco – had this on 'im."
They all crowded around him, peering down at the stone. As she looked at it, Aerith's heart started pounding. Her chest felt tight.
"Is it materia?" "A summon?" "Not in that shape." "But it's red."
"Cloud?" Aerith said quietly, struggling to get a full breath. "Can you tell what it is?"
"Can you?" he asked, lifting it.
Reluctantly, she held one hand out, trying to sense it like she'd been practicing with the materia they'd found in the labs, and with the Jenova cells. It felt like a piece of the planet, like power and destruction.
It pulsed with PROTECT!
Aerith stumbled backwards. Zack was there to catch her.
"Aerith? Sweetheart?"
Aerith forced herself to breath deep. She was surrounded by Zack – his skin, his smell, the steady thump-thump-thump of his heart. Above her Zack made soothing sounds. He rubbed her back, and just let her be.
She heard the rest of the group moving around them, and Zack swayed them out of the path. She heard water start up. She heard Genesis moan blissfully and Red purring. The sounds of life going on around her.
When she finally felt steadier, she took one last deep breath. "You smell burnt."
"I knooow! My poor shirt!" he whined light-heartedly.
"We'll get you another one."
"Yeah," he rested his chin on her head, careful even in this, not to press too hard.
"This isn't what I had planned for today at all." Aerith let herself whine a little bit too.
"Yeah? What did you have planned?" She could hear his smile.
"Mostly sex," she admitted.
He stilled, and then he started laughing. And he laughed.
She could feel everyone staring at them and couldn't help the blush. She ducked her head. She hadn't felt awkward saying things like that in front of the crowd in Sector 7, but for some reason she did here. At least until Zack put a finger under her chin and lifted until their eyes met. "We can do that," he nodded softly, happily. "That can definitely be arranged."
His smile lifted fifteen layers of weight and worry from her. She took another deep breath, straightened her shoulders and gave him a firm nod. "Why don't we get clean?"
Tifa had taken the far shower, and everyone had arranged themselves to give her privacy. Red was in the stall right next to her, and he certainly couldn't see over the dividing wall. Cloud and Genesis were on the opposite side but neither had taken the stall directly across from Tifa.
Actually, Zack was the only one on this side tall enough to peer over the wall easily. He'd be able to sneak glances at her while she showered…
Aerith wondered what they would say if she invited Zack to join her in her stall….
"The water pressure is terrible!" Genesis complained.
Aerith abandoned her half-formed idea.
"Not bad for cadet showers," Cloud said with an audible shrug.
"Not exactly hot, either."
"Encourages 'em to move fast."
"Weren't you a cadet?" Tifa asked the former SOLDIER, wiping water off her face. Aerith raised up on tiptoes so she could see everyone, unabashedly curious.
"Fuck no. We were experiments," Genesis replied, voice both lilting and cynical. "As children, the people we mistakenly thought were our parents, encouraged Angeal and I to apply to Shinra – to dream of it. Once we arrived, we were immediately 'recruited' into this new SOLDIER program. We were given isolated quarters, special treatment, and extensive training in recognition of our potential." He flipped a soap covered hand. "It was a lie, of course." He smiled unhappily. "I was the one who really wanted to go. Angeal would've been content to stay behind and grow apples."
"He would've liked that, wouldn't he," Zack said softly, pausing shampoo in hand. "They would never have let him stay, though," he said over his shoulder.
Genesis tipped his head, acknowledging Zack's statement. "I'm just sorry I made it easy for them. Perhaps if we'd resisted, we would've found out the truth earlier. When I was less… unstable."
Aerith watched as Zack frowned. He turned to face the redhead. "Why Deepground? You hated what Shinra had done to you."
"Ah," Genesis laughed bitterly. "I assure you I had little say in the matter."
"Fuck!" Zack spat. "I shouldn't have left you. You were helpless–"
Genesis waved a hand to shut him up. "I was, but I would have recovered, eventually. Shinra did not wait that long." He leaned back towards the showerhead, and the water ran over his face.
"Still…."
Genesis' lips lifted in a smile. "You gave me an apple. That was very sweet of you."
"Banora White," Zack confirmed. "Angeal said they were the best apples in the world."
Genesis hummed agreement. "They were. Until Shinra carpet-bombed the orchards. I don't suppose there's many trees left now."
"Make wine in Banora, now," Cloud suddenly said.
"Wine," Genesis shifted out of the spray and wiped the water off his eyes.
"Yah. With grapes."
"White?" he asked hopefully.
Cloud shook his head. "Red."
Genesis sighed. "Ah, 'My friend, the fates are cruel.' "
"Said the apple trees were destroyed by blight," Cloud added.
"No, no," Genesis finally opened his eyes. The soft brown was gone, replaced by a glowing orange tone. "They realized Hollander had reopened the lab just outside the village. The one Shinra had set up for him and Project-G."
"The lab you used to experiment on the SOLDIERs who left Wutai with you," Zack reminded him. "Where you turned them into clones." He wasn't even pretending to be washing himself like Cloud and Tifa were. He just stood in the stall, watching Genesis Rhapsodos with accusing eyes, letting the water fall on his back.
"Yes, that's true." Genesis closed his eyes again. "It wasn't very honourable of me, was it."
"You must have realized after the first couple that whatever you were attempting wasn't going to work."
Genesis looked down at the washcloth he held. "My soul, corrupted by vengeance; Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey; In my own salvation."
"Please don't quote Loveless. Not about this."
Blue eyes stared up through ridiculously long eyelashes. "But it is apt."
Zack just stared, until Genesis sighed. "It's not what was supposed to happen – or at least, it's not what I was told would happen," he said. "Hollander said if we ran my genetic material through SOLDIERs who weren't deteriorating, it would – I don't know – filter out or insulate the genetic sequences that were causing the issue." He waved a hand. "It was all science-y and it sounded plausible when he explained it to us, but of course, that's not what happened. They did volunteer, by the way. Afraid, I think, that they would also disintegrate in time."
"Did Hollander know they would turn into clones?" Zack asked.
It took Genesis a while to answer. He hummed and shampooed his hair. "Honestly, I don't know. I despised him, as I despise most things Shinra, and therefore talked to him as little as I could. Maybe he was hoping one of them would turn into a version of me that was better and stable – both physically and mentally," he mused. "If that had happened, I'm sure he would've allowed me to die. He was as slimy a worm as Hojo." With that, the redhead put his head under the water, shutting his eyes and closing his mouth, and signalling quite clearly, that he'd answer no more questions.
Zack gave a sad sigh. He finally turned into the water and began washing himself in earnest. Aerith decided to do the same.
They were mostly quiet after that, content to scrub and clean and get the stench of mako and sweat and blood out of their pores. One-by-one the showers turned off and they grabbed the towels that had been draped over the stall doors. Except Red, of course, who just shook himself off like the animal he resembled. He gave a small grunt of pain as he did it, and Aerith figured he wasn't quite as healed as he'd like.
Since she'd brought her old clothes into the stall with her, she picked up her Prayer materia, enjoying its familiar, comforting feel. It would be a small kindness that would make them both feel better.
It wouldn't activate.
"Prayer only works during combat, remember?" Zack leaned over the wall, arms resting easily along the top, watching her and smiling. Aerith had a towel on but it barely reached the bottom of her bum cheeks. She was tempted to take it off so he could look at everything.
"I keep forgetting," she said instead.
"It's okay," he said. "It's a weird limitation for a healing materia."
Aerith could only agree. She tucked away the little gold orb and looked at the new clothes they'd been given. She held up the green cadet tunic and wrinkled her nose.
"What did you sense from that stone?" Zack's voice was quiet. They were the last two in the shower room. "It was bad, right?"
Aerith looked at her hands and tried to gather her thoughts, tried to organize her impressions into something that would make sense, something she could explain.
"Was it a summon?"
"No, at least, I don't know," she replied. "I've never actually felt a summon, but there was definitely a presence." Her voice wavered. Zack dropped a hand down, and Aerith took it to rub against her cheek.
"I've shown you… the gift I got from my mother," she said very quietly.
Zack's reply was as quiet. "The one you don't know how to use."
She nodded. "Marco's crystal reminded me of that. But also my plants and how they try to talk to me sometimes."
"Listening to the planet, you said."
"Uh-huh," she nodded unhappily. "This was bigger than that. More … destructive? I think…" She hesitated because the words to describe the feeling she'd got from the stone, seemed too melodramatic. Yet, they were the only ones she had.
"I think whatever power is in that stone is only available when it's the end of the world," she rushed. "I think that materia could only be found then."
Zack frowned for a moment, but then his expression cleared. "The fall of Shinra might be devastating, but it'll hardly be the end –"
Aerith shook her head. "The planet doesn't care about Shinra. I don't think it really cares about us," she said. "The planet cares about its own survival, and I think…. I think, whatever that stone summons will do whatever is necessary to ensure the planet survives. Human survival is optional."
Zack dropped his forehead to the top of the wall, letting it bounce.
"You can swear if you like," Aerith offered. He gave a weak chuckle instead. "Do we tell Tseng?"
His head came up. "Hells no."
"But if there's a world ending–"
Zack's other hand came over and he put a finger over her mouth. "I would love to tell Tseng, to bring his power and knowledge and abilities in on this, but we can't trust him not to tell Rufus, or Heidegger or some other member of Shinra's board, and all they'd see is power that they could exploit."
Aerith shifted her head. "He wouldn't tell them, would he?"
"He would if he needed a strong enough bargaining piece." It was said sadly and Aerith was reminded that Zack had worked with Tseng, had maybe considered him a friend. Tseng had traded Zack's freedom for one of his Turks, and Zack was warning her that he would do the same again if he felt it necessary.
"I hate power politics. They're so… so stupid!" she whined to tell Zack that she agreed with him, and also to make him smile again, which he did.
"Why can't we all just get along?" he teased.
She nodded. "Or better yet just listen to me, because I have the best ideas."
Somehow, he managed to lean in a little closer. "At the moment, most of your ideas seem to involve sex."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you saying those were bad ideas?"
There was his sunshine smile – wide and bright, and no shadows in his eyes.
"Absolutely not." He smiled at her for a long moment, and Aerith could feel the strength of his love for her. "C'mon, brainiac, let's get dressed and join the others."
When they did step out into the sleeping area, Cloud was explaining to Tifa (and Genesis as well, she suspected) that they hadn't been given the full cadet uniform because there were no shoulder or knee guards, and the belt was more for holding stuff than anything else. He'd put his scrounged belly guard back on and was buckling Tifa into hers.
"You wouldn't happen to have an extra one of those, perchance?" Genesis asked, giving his stomach a soft pat.
"You can have mine," Aerith offered.
Genesis smiled. "That's a lovely offer, and maybe even a compliment, but I hardly think yours would fit me."
"It would," Cloud said. "You're 'bout 10 kilos underweight."
"Well…" The redhead's smile dropped. "Nice to know torture's good for something."
A quick frown crossed Cloud's face. "You'll get it back. Just need to eat."
"But not too much to start," Tifa added. "Need to get your stomach used to food again."
"I assure you," Genesis said with a flourish. "My stomach and I are more than ready to eat Tseng out of next year's budget."
"You'll just throw it all back up if you eat too much too soon," Zack said. "And yes, that is personal experience."
Genesis gave a put-upon sigh. "None of you are any fun."
"I am not averse to eating everything with you," Red said. His one eye twinkled. "As long as they clean up the mess."
"Agreed!"
Zack threw up his hands. "Enjoy your aching bellies then."
There was barely a knock on the door before Cissnei walked in. "It's been nearly forty minutes," the Turk said calmly. "Your food is getting cold."
"Just about to head out," Cloud said. Nothing in Cissnei's expression changed so it was impossible to know if she believed him.
The entry wasn't wide enough for all of them, and so they fell into the order that had become routine: Tifa and Zack in front, Cloud behind, Aerith in the middle. But now they were six. Red walked with Cloud and Genesis walked with her and they all went off to trade an acceptable amount of information for a shower and a decent meal.
Aerith tried not to feel like monsters they'd faced today were the worst they'd ever encounter. She tried to convince herself that it would be doom rats and hedgehog pies from now on.
She failed.
Miserably.
End Note: So I really start distorting canon in this chapter – mostly because the plot of the OG never made much sense. You need to save the world from Meteor, but here – take 100 hours off to breed chocobos. Give the planet these massive, destructive, defenders, and have them hang out in the desert or the ocean just waiting to be killed by Cloud and the gang. Collect all these huge materia… that do nothing.
Yeah, no. Let's see what I can do with this stuff. heh