Another chapter is here!
Enjoy!
Crimson's racing mind went into overdrive at the mention of Hojo's name.
Sure, she had other questions: like why was Genesis here? The man's body was never found, at least according to the records she'd received. So the chances of him turning up here by sheer coincidence was nothing short of miraculous, let alone being on their side if he was raising his blade against the Tsviet.
But her primary concern was the fact that Hojo was mentioned. He was supposed to have turned into a monster. The others, barring Cloud, had collectively gone to slay him and retrieve the Protomateria. That left only manipulation as his means of control as far as Crimson knew. "Are you're saying that Hojo's controlling him through the use of Jenova cells?"
"No," Genesis said as she got back onto her feet. "Weiss the Immaculate is similar to Shelke Rui in that he can perform a Synapses Net Dive. Hojo copied his brain pattern and neurodata into his mind to overshadow him, allowing him to use that body as a vessel to contain Omega."
"…Perceptive," Weiss, or rather Hojo, said as a projection of his original body appeared from the stolen one. "I had thought that I was inconspicuous in transferring my mental data into him as a contingency plan."
"The Goddess's eyes and ears are everywhere that life flows, and her voice reaches the ears of those who listen," he said in an esoteric manner. "The moment you started absorbing the Lifestream into yourself so that you would be able to survive when the bomb went off, she knew everything you had planned and relayed it to me."
Crimson backed up slowly as she listened, putting distance between her and the two who were showcasing hostility to one another. Without her Rekka… no, even with it, getting into a clash with these two on such a narrow battlefield just spelled trouble. And then there was the matter of the others who had been injured and risked bleeding out or shock.
"The others have destroyed your body and retrieved the Protomateria." Genesis continued. "All that's left now is that rotten mind of yours to deal with."
"I will not let my ambitions come to an end by hands of a defective experiment of Hollander's," Hojo declared, taking on a low stance with both of the swords. "I shall get rid of every single obstacle in my way, starting with you."
Then he and Genesis moved faster than Crimson's eyes could track, with the shaking of the air and groan of steel that followed signifying the beginning of their initial clash. The resulting shockwave shook her down to the bone and left her stumbling backwards, hands crossed in front of her face to shield her from the blowback. The former Turk reoriented herself and activated Sense to try and process it all.
A series of blows were unleashed at preternatural speeds between the two, sparks flying from the points of impact at a steady beat. They were evenly matched by all appearances, until Genesis' Rapier radiated a crimson-toned aura that bloomed into searing hot fire. The flames trailed after the horizontal slash that would cut through the Tsviet's stolen body had Hojo not leapt backwards, firing the integrated guns within his blades at the same time.
Genesis swung the flaming sword horizontally once to intercept them, melting the bullets before they were batted away. Then he swung a second time vertically to send a gout of flames surging forward to swallow Hojo. The mad scientist snuffed the flames with a dual slash that drew a cross in the air, before following up with a shockwave that barreled down the steel passageway they were stranded on.
Holding his Rapier in defense, a crimson aura of power bled from the emblazoned runes to shroud Genesis in time to meet with the Grand Shockwave head-on. The horrendous screeching of steel nearly rendered the former Turk deaf as the attack met the unmoving warrior. In the end, what gave way between them was the walkway they were fighting on.
With no stable support left and one end unraveled, the passageway began to collapse on that end. Crimson turned and ran down towards the entrance where Cid and Barret were, both still injured but their ground far enough to where it wouldn't collapse. But her footing disappeared beneath her mid-step, sending her falling into the Mako below with a startled shout. "Ah!"
Genesis, afloat in the air using his single wing, swooped down to grab Crimson's outstretched arm as soon as he heard her. His fingers wrapped around her wrist and brought her to a stop just above the vat of Mako below, the scent of which threatened to suffocate her. He then brought her up to the remnant of the passageway, a length less than half of what it was before, with a huge gap between it and the center of the Reactor.
She took a shuddering breath as she touched down, falling to her and working to get her heart under control. That was when she peered past Genesis, towards where the Materia Bomb had been left behind. It was missing. "He took the bomb inside!"
The one-winged SOLDIER wheeled around at that and took notice as well. He crossed the gap between the two points with a flap of his wing, but the door wouldn't open as he approached. It must've been locked after Hojo slipped inside, in order to buy time. It didn't stop him for more than a second as he brought his sword around diagonally, cutting the door made of thick steel apart and then kicking it open to go inside.
Crimson pursed her lips thin as she did the calculations in her head. She couldn't make that jump and, while the bomb wasn't armed before now, Hojo would definitely do so. She could only hope the others got here in time before it went off and then turned her attention to the wounded pair behind her.
"Stings something fierce," Cid said, still huddled and clutching his wounded leg as blood seeped from his fingers. His face was fixed into a grimace as he asked, "Who's the new guy?"
"Former SOLDIER turned traitor," Crimson told him as she assessed his injury. "It looks like the bullet tore through the muscle and soft tissue to come out of the back. But, from the flow of blood leaving the wound, it missed your femoral artery."
Barret grunted as he struggled to stand up. Because of his bulk and the distance, the bullet was still inside of him. Was he seriously going to try and go after them in this condition?
"Sit down!" Crimson ordered before he could take a step. "The more you move around, the more damage the bullet will do. You want to die before Aerith and the others can get here?"
He shot her a glare that she returned, but sat down without another word. Crimson then plucked the Restore Materia from Cait Sith's fallen body and got to work with Cid first. Even if the major artery was missed, he would still bleed out if they didn't stop it. She'd done the best she could when footfalls came from just past the steel doors behind them.
On reflex she raised her arm, extended out to use the Gravity Materia, as Cid grasped his polearm and used it as a makeshift crutch to lean against. Then the door opened, and the tension melted when they saw that it was Cloud. Crimson couldn't keep the relief out of her voice in seeing him alive. "You're okay!"
"More or less." He looked them all over before turning his gaze upwards and reaching for his sword, only to stall from pulling it out as Aerith and Vincent descended. The latter was in his Chaos form, but the black threads unraveled and he took on his normal appearance.
"Is everyone okay?" Aerith asked.
"They've both been shot and Cait Sith's body was destroyed," Crimson said, before pointing across the ruined passageway. "Hojo apparently uploaded his mind into Weiss the Immaculate's body and took the bomb inside. Another SOLDIER went after him."
Vincent's eyes narrowed and he immediately leapt over the gap before pulling out his gun and charging inside.
"Was it Genesis who went after him?" Cloud asked.
"It was," she said, pushing her own surprise at the fact he was aware of the man's presence to the background in lieu of the more pressing issue. "I need to get there and finish the disarming process. Can you make the jump with me?"
He nodded and then turned to Aerith. "Will you be alright on your own?"
"I'll make sure Cid and Barret are taken care of, then I'll deal with Omega," Aerith assured him. "Go and stop Hojo."
[-oOo-]
A little further, Vincent told himself as he ran through the corridors and made his way towards the sounds of battle coming from the chamber ahead. He'd eliminated Hojo's body, now all that was left was his mind to put an end to. That would deal with any future crimes the man would commit and settle his grudge.
He passed through the door to the core of the reactor, which had been sliced open as well, to see the battle being waged. Utilizing the stolen body's speed to extent that he blinked in and out of existence, Hojo dodged the homing orbs of fire that were released from one-winged man draped in red above and retaliated with the twin blades in his hands. Slicing the air itself, blades of energy flew out to cut the flaming orbs apart as they sailed towards the airborne swordsman.
As the latter dodged the counterattack, Vincent opened fire on the former while his back was turned. However, Hojo wheeled around faster than the host of Chaos could see and sparks bloomed in the air from where the bullets were cut down. Then he blinked out of existence again and a hot flare of pain marked where the steel of the twin swords carved across Vincent's chest.
"You're not even close to a match for this body, Vincent Valentine," Hojo said in a mocking tone. Then he blinked out of existence again as the space he had been occupying was skewered with blades made of magic from the cardinal directions.
Genesis swooped down with his blade covered in a red-toned energy and said, "Hold nothing back in this fight. Otherwise, you'll just end up getting in the way."
Then there were no more words as he went to clash with Hojo once more, exchanging blows with the twin blades. Vincent bit back the pain as he brought his hand up to the wound, only for it to abruptly disappear as healing light swaddled him. He turned his head slightly to the rear to see that Crimson and Cloud were coming up from behind, the former's hand extended while she held out the Restore Materia.
"There's the Materia Bomb," Crimson said as she pointed to where it has been positioned against the far-wall, the counter ticking down. "I'll stop it while the rest of you deal with him."
"Right," Cloud said as he grasped the sword on his back and pulled it off the magnetic holster. He then threw himself forward and tried to cut down Hojo from behind. Just like before, the man darted out of the way, leaving the heavy blade to smash into the ground.
However, Cloud managed to bring it back up before the twin swords could decapitate him and repelled the attempt. Genesis then descended and tried to impale Hojo, forcing him further back as he now had twice as much of a challenge. The distraction served for Crimson to slip into the room and make her way to the bomb.
Vincent, for his part, reached inwards and concentrated on the Protomateria within him. He had been unaware of its presence beforehand, ignorant of his own nature and what Lucrecia had done to bring him back to life. But now that he had reclaimed it, he could connect with it and Chaos.
…Th-thump…
The moment his mind connected with it, a throbbing pulse ran throughout his body and power welled up beneath his skin. It felt like the world was submerged in liquid time. Sounds were drowned out and muffled in his ears. Movements that were fast and overpowering before had slowed substantially.
Because of that, he could keep track now of the maelstrom of steel as the three SOLDIERs of different origins brought their blades to bear against one another. Under Chaos' controlled power, he moved to join them. He darted forward, stepping in and then lashing out with his clawed gauntlet in lieu of a sword.
Hojo whirled around with the sword in his left-hand to intercept it, sparks coming out from where the blade met it armored gauntlet. He then brought the other one around in a horizontal slash, attempt to take off Vincent's head. But the host of Chaos ducked low and pivoted around to slam the butt of his gun against Hojo's stolen face.
The blow struck hard, staggering him back in surprise at the shift in Vincent's speed. Cloud took the chance to rush Hojo then, bringing the Buster Sword around to cut him in half with a wide swing. Hojo was forced to jump backwards to avoid it, releasing arcs of solidified power that came rushing for the both of them with a swing of both blades in the process.
Vincent spun on his foot, leaving it gouge out the steel floor and wall caught in the wake of the attack. In contrast, Cloud brought the Buster Sword up in defense to use as a shield. The force of it staggered him backwards, threatening to tear the weapon from his grip if he held it too lightly.
Hojo touched down onto the ground and then immediately brought the twin blades in his hands up in defense as Genesis swooped in to cut him down. The crossed blades caught the Rapier that was aglow with magical energy, his knees buckling as the steel floor beneath him groaned from the force of the blow passing through the durable body and denting it. Then the air popped as the red-tined aura was transmuted into flames that flared with heat so intense that Vincent could feel it from where he was.
The flames inched closer and closer to Hojo's face that glistened with sweat as he strained to keep himself from being immolated. It was a testament to the weapon-smith that the two swords hadn't melted under the heat. However, before Genesis could cut him down Hojo kicked his foot into the winged SOLDIER's abdomen to knock him away. It was followed by a shockwave, the force of which tore the steel floor along its path apart as it swallowed Genesis up.
Vincent took aim before Hojo could so much as breathe and channeled the power of Chaos through the barrel of his gun. The moment he pulled the trigger, Death Penalty roared as it spat out the enchanted bullet. The dark, spiraling round cut across the room to slam into Hojo like a truck, knocking him into the rear wall that buckled under his momentum and weight.
A bloody cough, crimson trickling down the corner of Hojo's stolen lips, showed the weight of the impact as he pulled himself out of the wall. Then a clattering sound echoed out from the faceplate of the bomb that Crimson removed to begin disarming it. Hojo's attention fell onto her unraveling the crux of his plans and he moved to stop her.
"Get away from there!" He swung one of his swords horizontally, releasing a powerful decapitating crescent to cut her down while her back was turned and unprotected. Cloud immediately moved to guard her, putting his blade and body in-between them. The impact was loud, a thunderous roar bellowing out as it detonated and knocked Cloud off his feet, sending him crashing to the floor next to Crimson.
Next, he tried to shoot her while Cloud was down, which would be more than effective against the only non-superhuman present. However, a quartet of magical blades descended to form a wall that the bullets broke themselves upon. Genesis had rejoined the fray, his coat in tatters after that last attack as he took once more to the air.
He released a spray of flaming darts with a swing of his sword that rocketed towards Hojo. The mad scientist tried to avoid them with his speed, leaving some to bombard the ground and scorch it black where they made contact. But Genesis manipulated the rest so that the darts curved around to track him, forcing Hojo to use the swords to cut them down as he moved.
That left him open again, and Vincent let loose more Chaos-infused rounds from Death Penalty to capitalize on it. The bullets accelerated out of the barrel and connected, bringing him down as Genesis' flaming darts closed in from all sides at once. The resulting explosion sent a wave of heat that billowed Vincent's cloak, smoke forming a veil that consumed the body of the Tsviet.
Hojo was on one knee as the smoke thinned, his swords being used to prop his body up as blood fell from his mouth with ragged breaths. Scorch marks lined his body, and burns formed where the attack had finally gotten past his defenses. He was on the verge of defeat.
"In-Inconceivable…" Hojo exhaled, glaring up at them. "I…I absorbed power from the Lifestream… so how…"
"You may have taken part in the research that led to the development of SOLDIER, but you've never experienced what it's like to actually fight as one," Genesis explained as he lowered himself to the ground. "If you had, you would have realized how difficult it is to sustain that level of combat against those equal to you—even with the power you stole."
Not one for talking, Vincent just aimed Death Penalty towards Hojo and prepared to finish him off when a ripple seemed to pass through the air. It touched the Protomateria itself and he felt Chaos pulling towards it, threatening to rip away from his body. Unsure of what was happening, he suppressed it out of fear that he was somehow losing control.
"Everything you've done until now has been rendered pointless," Genesis continued. "Omega is being sent beyond the reach of yourself and Jenova as we speak. It's over."
"I… will not be stopped by failed experiments like you three," Hojo muttered as he tried to get back up, a look of hatred in his eyes. "I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO BE STOPPED NOW!"
Vincent pulled himself together and prepared to shoot when Hojo flung both of the swords in a final, desperate attempt to grasp the truth of the world at the expense of all life on it. One was sent flying towards Vincent, the blade knocking his gun from his grasp. The other was sent flying towards Crimson, aimed to slip between the gaps in the magical sword wall to kill her before she could finish disarming the bomb.
His final attempt fell short when the blade was rebuked by the Buster Sword as Cloud stepped in to guard her back. He swung his blade against it and knocked it away, out of the reach of Hojo as Vincent abandoned his gun that clattered to the ground. The undead settled on seizing him by the throat with his gauntleted hand and lifting him into the air, dark vapor seeping out of his body and his eyes turning red as he drew upon the power of Chaos in a more tangible form.
"For Lucrecia and everything else you've done. It ends here," he said in dark voice that reverberated with power. Then the darkness rolled out of his body like a flood and encased the Tsviet's, swallowing his figure whole.
The body writhed in his grasp. Screaming. Shouting. Struggling. All to no avail as he had become too weak to stave off the invasion by the pervasive darkness. It sank beneath his flesh, reaching deeper into it to take everything that was once 'Hojo' and drag him into the dark realm where the accursed dwelled. Then it all stopped, the body slumping in his grasp.
The deed done, Vincent released his hold and let the body fall to the ground. A deep exhale followed as he cut the connection once more. With his own hands, he'd done it. He'd gotten rid of Hojo's body and mind. "It's over now."
"Not yet," Genesis said as he came over and crouched down to pick the body up. "Sephiroth will move soon, and he's been absorbing from the Lifestream as well. He may not be able to pull in as much as he would if he utilized Meteor, but he'll no doubt be far more formidable. I'll be taking measures to ensure our success, but you should prepare yourself for when the day comes."
His piece said, the one-winged SOLDIER walked towards the door and left the rest of them behind.
[-oOo-]
Cloud watched Genesis leave before returning his sword to his back, the sound of the heavy steel connecting to the magnetic holster ringing out in the process. He supposed that was it then. Heidegger was dead, Hojo was dead two times over from what he could gather, and Kunsel's death had been avenged with Azul's death—despite the man's last words resonating in his ears.
"Cloud?" He turned around upon hearing his name being called to see Crimson was still working on dismantling the bomb. The counter had stopped going down, so at least they didn't have to rush. "Why is Genesis here? And why was he helping us?"
He gave her an explanation about what he had been told during the brief encounter with Azul. Tension threaded her body at the point he brought up he'd nearly been killed, but her hands kept working on disconnecting the Huge Materia from the bomb. He then told her about the last of the memories that he'd received from Zack's final battle with him.
"I think I get it now, when I take into account everything else I overheard," she said once he'd finished. "Minerva must be the Goddess he mentioned. Being her Champion must put him under the same mission that Aerith and the Summonings have to deal with Jenova."
"Makes sense," Cloud said as he watched her pull apart a final component. His ears could pick up a long, drawn-out hiss that came from the machine before it went silent. Had she undone the connection to the power?
"That should do it," Crimson said with a huff as she stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow. Whether it was from tension or exhaustion was anyone's guess. Then she turned and looked past Cloud, towards Vincent. "Can you carry this out to Aerith and see if one of the others has a working earpiece so we can check on the extraction plan?"
Vincent complied silently, taking the Huge Materia and making his way out of the door that had been carved open. Considering what he'd said before he'd put an end to Hojo's mind, Cloud was left wondering if he'd felt any sort of catharsis in getting rid of the man once and for all. Even though he was responsible for Sephiroth's creation, turning his townsmen into puppets, and what happened to him and Zack… nothing was gained.
It wouldn't bring any of the people they lost back. It wouldn't change any of the experiences they'd gone through to this point. Their lost time wouldn't be regained either.
We just stopped him from destroying the world further, Cloud thought to himself as Crimson sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, bringing her hand to her eyes and rubbing them. He noticed then the marks on her neck, bruised flesh, and reached up to feel how deep they were. "Was this Hojo's doing?"
"It's not as bad as it looks." She lowered her hand towards his wrist and held it tenderly, revealing how exhausted she looked. The two of them were alone now, so there was no need to conceal anything. "Nothing to worry about or bother Aerith with… how are you holding up?"
"… A little worn down, but I can keep going," Cloud said as he looked down to his hands. He was pushed pretty far in that fight with Azul, so his strength had just about run out now. He would need to rest for a little while. "What about you?"
"To be honest, my body is hurting in various place and I'm tired." The admission and emphasis on that last part was followed by her stepping forward and setting her head against his shoulder, ignoring the sweat and dust that had gathered on it from the fighting. "This has to have been the most exhausting day we've had in months now, but we did it. There's just one more threat to deal with."
"Sephiroth?" he guessed.
"Mm-hmm." Her arms found their way around his back and she held him close. "What Genesis said still bothers me, but I'm sure between all of us we'll find a way to handle him once we know where to strike. Then, once he's dealt with, things will hopefully settle down for a bit."
"Yeah…" he said softly. Though, he couldn't help but silently add: Will we be able to handle it as we are?
Even before the madness set in, Genesis and Angeal had barely been able to match Sephiroth when sparring. Once it did, Cloud had managed to throw him down the Nibelheim reactor only after he and Zack had been wounded fighting. If he'd been absorbing the Lifestream since then, he would be far stronger than before.
Leaving aside the question of whether or not they could successfully stop him… how many of them would die this time in trying to?
"…Let's get out of here for now," Cloud said after a moment of silence, pulling away from her and standing properly. "We can discuss all of this once we've met with the others and gotten somewhere safer."