108A/N: Phew…exam time and that means…studying and studying and more studying. I'm sorry for all those having to wait for ages for an update, my studies have taken quite a lot of my free time :/ For those readers of mine still reading and waiting, thank you INFINITELY for your patience! (bows)
ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:
Makonachi: Thank you so much for your review and the encouragement, I promise I won't let the story die, I'll try to find more time to work on it since it's been one of my first stories I've started with :)
Jacklack987: Yes it is, unfortunately RL and my other stories took an unfair priority over it but I'll try to update more frequently! :)
EDIT: Thanks Anon for the review! I have to confess I've been pulling all-nighters for my exams and failed to properly re-read the whole chapter before publishing (a rookie's mistake on my part). I added a bit more text to the paragraph, since I didn't really portray the way Genesis meant that comment (not to say she was a manipulative seductress in the traditional sense, more like she unknowingly pulled them in her spell not only with her appearance but also her physical prowess).
Enjoy!
Chapter 43: Black and White
Previously on "A Hero's Second Chance…"
When the door closed behind them, the room remained silent for several minutes, until Reno turned to look at his superior and fix him with a panicked look, "What the hell yo?! Why lump us in fighting with the barmaid chick?! You have any idea how crazy strong she is?!"
Rude cleared his throat, hands clasped firmly in front of him, "I wouldn't mind assisting her in combat,"
Reno mumbled under his breath, "Of course you wouldn't…"
Before a verbal fight could break out between the two, Rufus cleared his throat and a sliver of a smile appeared on his lips, "I'm certain things would get interesting now that AVALANCHE has decided to join the battle,"
Rude rose an eyebrow, "What makes you think they will?"
Rufus smirked, "There is one thing Cloud and I, despite our many drawbacks, have come to an agreement," he chuckled softly, "Trust Tifa Lockhart to handle a situation well and make the first decision,"
And suddenly, the two Turks looked concerned. Very concerned.
Zack jogged down the stairs to catch up with Tifa, who was opening a compartment on his motorcycle at the back.
He stopped awkwardly in front of the machine, scratching his neck, "So…uh…what's the plan?" he raised his hands helplessly, hoping he didn't come off as the idiot he felt like, "I mean – I get that we have to save ol' Cloud and all and stop crazy Hojo, but…how? Not to say I doubt your strength, I've sparred with you and that's enough bruises to last me a lifetime," he crossed his arms, looking at Tifa expectantly.
Tifa smiled, retrieving a duffel bag, "We'll gather the team and make a distraction so that we can get Cloud away from the remnants and Hojo," Zack eyed the bag she held in her hand.
"What's that?"
Tifa smiled, walking right in front of him and opening the bag so Zack could look inside of it.
His eyes lightened up in excitement and awe, "Woah…" he looked back up at Tifa, who had a small smirk on her lips, "Now where did you get this, Miss Lockhart?" he grinned widely, feeling utterly bewitched by the brunette beauty before him.
The pugilist chuckled, closing the bag and storing it safely inside the compartment again before taking a seat on the bike, "Yuffie happens to be in a generous mood now and again and is willing to share some of her goods," there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye Zack wasn't sure he should be afraid of or impressed by, "Cloud has his materia box and…I have mine," she smiled, waving him over, "Come on, there's no time to waste,"
Zack grinned, mock saluting, "Yes, ma'am!" before he jumped on his bike and revved the engine, taking off at quick speed across the rocky terrain.
Zack jumped in his seat and he narrowly steadied Lycana and avoided a collision with a boulder when he felt Tifa's hand slip into his pants pocket, "Woah! Hey, hey, hey! Hands off woman, I'm not a priest, but I learned it's dangerous doing those things while driving!" he shot her a mock sideways glare.
Tifa rolled her eyes, fishing out his phone and flipping it open and dialing a few numbers before pressing it to her ear, "Oh shush you. Eyes on the road, Zack, we still need Lycana in one piece if we want to get Cloud back," she giggled at his scowl, but he complied and returned his attention to the road ahead.
Almost immediately, several voices, most of which were loud, booming ones greeted her.
"Tell it to Barret!"
"What's up Tifa?"
"Hiya Tifa!"
"Tifa?"
Tifa smiled, "Hey guys, listen how about a get together with the old team hm?" her smile widened when there was a chorus of agreement, of varying degrees of volume.
"Yeahaa! Finally Teef! Say does Cloud still have his materia chest? I'm sure he won't be missing a few right?" Yuffie's cheerful voice rose above the others until Barret's booming tone trumped hers.
"Quit foolin' round kid! We gotta save Spike and teach that crazy scientist a lesson eh? I'm in Tifa!" Tifa smirked at Barret's determination.
Cid spoke up then, equally as enthusiastic as Barret, "Heh, Spike got himself in trouble again huh? Looks like we're the ones saving his ass again, well at least we get to drink later right? Count me the hell in!" loud cheers were heard, even from Yuffie and Tifa giggled.
"Vincent?"
The gunslinger replied more reservedly than the rest, "I'll meet you there,"
Tifa smirked and Barret's and Cid's voices immediately shouted over one another.
"Huh?! Wait, what?! Meet where?!"
"Damn it Vincent! Quit being so cryptic, where do we have ta meet?!"
Tifa shook her head and Zack shot her an amused smile, hearing bits and pieces from the conversation despite the roar of the engine, "Cid, get Shera ready, we'll all meet in the Forgotten City. Try to land somewhere hidden so the remnants don't know you're there, I'll let you in on the details later,"
"Oi! I don't like this Tifa, I don't like this one bit!" Tifa had to smile at Barret's mildly concerned tone.
"Yeah! How do I know what weapons to bring?! Is my lance enough? Should I bring some more firepower? You're not precise enough Tifa!"
"Oh quit it you jerks! She said she'll tell us there so shut up and don't get your panties in a twist! Come on, let's pack!" Yuffie's voice was exasperated and Tifa could hear the clanging of metal as she rearranged her weapons.
Tifa giggled when the men murmured something under their breaths before the friends bid each-other goodbye and ended the calls.
Zack glanced briefly behind himself to see Tifa pocketing his phone, "So? What did they say?"
"They'll meet us there, but before we go we still need to stop at the bar and collect another ally," she smiled.
Zack groaned, "More surprise guests?"
Tifa shook her head with a smile, "Nope, in fact, you know him pretty good,"
Zack frowned.
Once the two reached Seventh Heaven, they immediately ventured into the bar and saw the familiar figure sitting at the counter.
Zack crossed his arms, "Figures you would drink wine,"
Genesis smiled behind the rim of his glass, eyes locked on Tifa, "I suppose there is work to be done, after all?"
Tifa nodded, "Right. We wanted to ask you to help us in rescuing Cloud, since you also share a past not only with him but also with Hojo,"
Genesis scoffed, "That is quite an understatement," he gracefully placed his glass back on the counter before standing up from his chair, "It looks like I have no choice." His wing unfurled, the dark feathery appendage moving gracefully in the limited space of the bar.
The pugilist could only smile, "Thank you," Genesis nodded in acknowledgment before the three were on their way to their destination.
"You might wanna fill me in on the plan, since uh, I'll be the one in the way of those blades you know?" Zack wished he had modified Lycana just like Cloud had Fenrir, to be able to drive more quietly for covert operations, just like this one.
Tifa chanced a glance back to look at the airborne Genesis and smiled, "Are you familiar with strategic envelopment?" almost immediately, flashes of the battlefield and his time in Shinra entered his mind and Zack swallowed.
"Yeah, what of it?" he wasn't sure he would like her answer.
Tifa squeezed his shoulder, "We won't be attack them head on, Genesis, you and I will wait until Cid and the others attack the remnants. We don't know if Hojo will bring out Cloud from the start, or if he will keep him locked inside. Let's assume Cloud and Hojo will be the only ones in the facility, I think the three of us are the best people to confront them when it comes to fighting," she shot a pointed glance at Genesis, "Besides, I'm sure not only you have a bone to pick with Hojo,"
Zack grunted, fingers tightening reflexively around the tough leather of the motorcycle handle bars, "Nice thinking Lockhart, so we swoop in unnoticed while the others do the dirty work? Sounds like a plan," his expression turned serious, "What about the Turks? Don't think they won't get involved after you threatened them into it," he smirked when he felt a small, playful squeeze on his shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean? I was just asking Zack," Tifa smiled innocently, "Rufus owes Cloud and I one, so I think now we should be even," she looked on ahead, already spotting the dark smoke clouds, "I think they're already here," Genesis moved lower to the ground, eyes narrowing at the suspicious dark clouds overhead.
"Friends of yours, I presume?" he looked at the top of Tifa's dark head and failed to notice her small smile.
"You can say that," Zack sped up, more confident to drive faster now that the sounds of battle muffled the roar of the engine.
As they sped past, Zack noticed Reno attempting to bash in on one of the silver-haired remnants, the one with the guns, was it Yazoo? He chuckled, "Someone's enjoying it,"
Tifa nodded, gaze slightly distant as she thought over the words Vincent had relayed to her a day prior.
I've made a promise I failed to keep…
'Cloud…' Tifa's heart clenched painfully and her fist tightened in anger. She would put a stop to this with everyone else, she wouldn't allow Hojo to mess up Cloud's mind and memories again.
Not this time.
Tifa focused back on the present, "Up ahead," she spoke lowly close to Zack's ear and the ex-SOLDIER nodded, slowing to a stop several feet behind the makeshift lair.
Tifa jumped off the motorcycle while Genesis landed gracefully beside them, eyeing the rundown place, "The Cetra had an affinity for the planet and its natural flow of energy," he eyed the aquatic motifs, and several smaller rundown houses nearby.
Zack dismounted Lycana and lifted his sword from his back, eyeing the coral-like facility suspiciously, a hint of remorse and remembrance in his eyes, "Yeah…you can say that again," memories of Aerith tending to her flowerbed in the rundown church appeared in his mind, how she sometimes talked to the flowers and not herself, as he discovered only later.
He dispelled the thoughts of the past and moved forward, "Come on, we can't lose any more time," Genesis drew his rapier and Tifa tightened the gloves on her hands, obviously ready for a fight.
Zack would expect nothing less, but still he turned to Tifa just shy of entering one of the back entrances, "Listen, Hojo is not your typical mad scientist stereotype, I mean, he is but he's far more dangerous," Zack paused, breathing a shaky sigh, "He probably salvaged some of his equipment after Shinra's downfall, maybe, who knows what he has in there. If what we assume is true, he may have one of the tubes Cloud and I were trapped in to create more mindless clones," his jaw tightened, "Whatever happens in there, whatever we see-"
Tifa suddenly stopped him with a hand to his cheek, "Zack," he stopped and blinked at her and she smiled at him calmly, "We were a terrorist group and one of the biggest threats to Shinra as AVALANCHE, we've…seen our fair share of experimentation and I saw firsthand what it did to Cloud, to his mind," she glanced at the entrance, "You're right, it's gonna be scary but…we pulled through until now, right?" she smiled and Zack nodded affirmatively.
Genesis allowed the smallest of smiles to grace his lips, wondering what experiences the barmaid must have went through as an active member of the eco-terrorist group he'd heard of.
"Right, let's go then," Zack gestured for Tifa to move forward and none of the men expected for her, while moving as fluidly as a swan, to violently kick down the makeshift door and create a large hole, taking chunks of the aquatic-looking substance coating the building with it.
Genesis smirked and rested his rapier on his shoulder, "Talk about femme fatale, hm?" he chuckled at Zack's slightly stunned look, before the younger male straightened and moved forward, silently wondering how a person could look so graceful while violently kicking down a door...and since when Genesis had a certain affinity for strong-minded, ass-kicking women like Tifa. He didnt know if the fact that Genesis thought of her that way unnerved him more than the fact that Tifa, in her own way, enchanted him more than any belly-dancing, revealing seductress could.
Right, Hojo.
The interior was stuffy, humid, the Cetra race having long been extinguished and no traces of any lifeform except several selective plants lining the curved walls and shell-like layers inside.
It looked messy, as if someone ransacked it in search of something, Genesis spotted a shattered piece of what appeared to be a coral-like frame, the tattered, soggy remains of what must have once been a picture still within the frame. It was whitish, greenish with blots of grey, unrecognizable of what it once was but Genesis could imagine it must have belonged to a family, perhaps even a united photo of higher ranking Cetra.
The trio advanced forward, toward one of the rooms, but they stopped at the entrance.
Three tubes, filled with an aquamarine-greenish substance glowed brightly, thick cables attached to its sides, two adults and a child floating within the cocoon-like space.
Zack's eyes flew open and Genesis stiffened beside him before the glass was shattered with a flick of his signature red rapier, the liquid flowing out of it freely, a sickening smell, something much more pungent than mako, invaded their senses and Tifa had to cover her nose in order to bear it.
Zack's eyes narrowed when he kneeled down to feel for a pulse on the child and found none.
Genesis lightly kicked the unconscious man on the ground and he too, checked for a pulse, Zack checked the other man as well.
Their gazes locked, "They're alive," Genesis's voice was grave, as if he expected the outcome as he tilted one of the man's faces toward the ceiling, "But they've responded negatively to the tainted mako, they have mako poisoning," The look on their faces, the comatose empty stare reminded Zack all too strongly of the time Cloud had been poisoned like this.
"Shit…just how many were infected like this?" Zack suddenly noticed Tifa to be too quiet, the opposite of her fighting spirit earlier, "Tifa?" when he turned, there was a serene, sad expression on her face.
"…Did Cloud look like this too?" Zack didn't know how to answer her, he knew he had to tell her the truth, he just didn't know how to phrase it. Obviously, Genesis had no such reservations.
His tone was clear, almost detached, which spoke of years of experience among emotional detachment that came with the job, "Yes, the glassy-eyed stare and the green eyes are normal," he paused, as if considering his next words, "But these people didn't have anyone to wake them up from their nightmare and so I imagine, they will continue to dwell within the coma until we can find a cure,"
Find a cure. The driving force behind Cloud's extensive, secret trips to various libraries and research of medical books on Geostigma to find a cure for Denzel, "…What if we don't?" Tifa's question was quiet and Genesis looked at her beneath red bangs.
"Hasn't your soldier looked into Geostigma searching a cure for the boy?" she didn't need to answer, Genesis already knew the answer, "With a little more help and Sephiroth's defeat, a cure shouldn't be too far out of reach,"
He looked up at the ceiling, a sickly green just like the rest of the makeshift experimentation room, "Let's not waste time, we need to find Hojo,"
Tifa's thoughtful look vanished in an instant and she seemed ready for a battle. Zack took one long, last look at the two unconscious bodies on the ground, the other dead. With a respectful nod, he left the room after his other two companions, wishing that they wouldn't find more of them.
More test tubes or more dead bodies, Zack preferred neither.
Still, they found more.
Two more rooms contained three test tubes, half of the test subjects dead, the other half stuck in a comatose state.
"They're not here," Genesis looked up at the sky, the ceiling having long been destroyed whether from the remnants or time, they couldn't tell.
Zack grit his teeth, "They have to be. You said yourself that Cloud had been here, that their base is here, where else could they be?"
Blue eyes narrowed in warning at the younger male, "Since when did you have such a temper, Zack the puppy? Just because your sources lack vital information doesn't mean you get to bark at me, pup," Zack seized the older soldier up, suddenly looking read for a repeat of their last battle until Tifa suddenly, roughly, pushed against their chests and created a fair amount of distance between them.
"Enough!" her voice, her soft, soothing voice hid the irritation that was reflected on her face, she fixed them both with a hard stare, "Pushing the blame onto each-other will get us nowhere! We have to find Cloud first," she looked around the room again, "It looks like neither Hojo nor Cloud are here, maybe they left as soon as they heard the ambush from outside,"
Zack crossed his arms and tried not to give Genesis a death glare, "But how were they supposed to do that? We went in only minutes after the fight began,"
Genesis turned to look at the entrance they had come from, "Unless their base wasn't here, to begin with," Zack followed his line of sight: outside.
"You think they moved deeper into the capital?" he tried hard to remember what limited knowledge he possessed of the ancient place, "Wait, but aren't there only rundown houses? None of them are fit for a lab or any experimentation Hojo has planned," he honestly couldn't imagine, not even a mad scientist such as Hojo, to be able to use a small house to his advantage when dealing with substances like mako.
"…Unless he built some sort of base, underground, a space large enough for his experiments," a cold shiver raced down Zack's spine at the serious look on Genesis' face.
"You can't be serious," it was Tifa this time. Zack couldn't blame her for being horrified. If Hojo built some underground base large enough for his scientific experiments then that meant…
Zack's fists clenched, "A space large enough to fit successful test subjects in and keep them hidden until Sephiroth's revival," the sounds of battle from outside rang in his ears and yet, they sounded distant, almost like the sound of rushing waves.
Genesis' slow nod confirmed Zack's suspicion. It was a smart move on Hojo's part really. Keeping those injected with the tainted mako hidden not only secured them a wider infected populace but also ensured that Tifa and the others could free them.
An underground base was a fortress of defense, one wrong move and the entire place could fall in on itself. There wasn't much leeway to conduct stealth missions or surprise attacks and they had no idea where it could even be.
"Damn," Zack cursed, kicking at a abandoned shell. Tifa watched the little piece roll on the ground in silence.
"We should retreat," she spoke suddenly and Zack was surprised to find Genesis agreeing, "We don't have any new information on where they could be. The remnants probably knew we would come here and pretended to treat this as their main operating base, just to lead us on,"
But Zack had no intention of giving up, not when they were so close, "We can't back out now! We can just capture one of the remnants and force them to tell us where Hojo is!" even in his emotional state, Zack could tell it was a stupid idea.
Genesis' snort only added fuel to the fire, "A fine idea, considering one of them is dimwitted, the other apathetic and the leader far too loyal to his 'mother' he would die before telling us anything,"
Zack didn't care if he sounded emotional, or like his old, childish self, but the thought of having Cloud remain any longer under Hojo's control and have more people, more children dying from the effects of the tainted mako pulled at his nerves, "Then we'll- we'll just-just force them okay?! I don't care how as long as they tell us where Cloud and Hojo are!"
Tifa attempted to calm him down with a hand to his forearm, "Zack-"
The soldier shook his head and backed away, "No! Listen, you have no idea what it's like coming back from the dead and seeing your old war buddy, your best friend alive but not living! Cloud's like a walking shell of his old self! I don't want to see him in the same state he's been in when I was too weak to do anything to help him!" Zack hefted his sword into the air, "Now, now when I'm strong and alive and can fight and be there for him, now I have to disappoint him too?" his voice cracked at the end and he felt the burning rage fill him from the inside.
He didn't let rage often consume him, but the feeling of helplessness was too great, especially now when they thought they were making progress but instead those bastards were one step ahead of them!
He stormed outside then, ignoring Tifa's worried call and almost immediately a remnant was upon him. Zack's fast reflexes made him automatically parry against the long, thin katana aimed at his torso.
Flashes of Masamune appeared in his mind, but the blade was too short and not thin enough, it wasn't Masamune but when Zack looked into the familiar toxin green eyes, they did remind him of Sephiroth.
It was Kadaj instead, snickering, almost self-satisfied despite the obvious marks of battle all over him, "Searching for our beloved brother again, are you?" the smirk on his face made Zack want to split him in two.
He pushed against the sword and drove Kadaj back, "As far as I know, Cloud doesn't have any brothers!" his gaze narrowed when he saw Cid and Barret on the ground, being protected by Vincent's cloak while the gunslinger was dealing with the other remnants, Yazoo.
Kadaj giggled, almost amused, deliriously so, "Our mother would disagree," and suddenly, the child-like delirium on his face melted into a dark frown, "First, you hide our dear mother away from us and now you wish to take our brother as well?" the katana flashed in different directions and Zack quickly adjusted his stance, shifting from reverse grip to his normal one to deflect each sword strike.
Fighting against a smaller, faster weapon with his large one wasn't an easy feat, but Zack thankfully had practice in dealing with small-scale weapons.
He didn't only have his sword after all.
When Kadaj jumped high in the air to land a frontal aerial attack, Zack pivoted on one foot and balanced on his hands, using the momentum to send a bone-crushing kick to Kadaj's stomach but getting nicked by his sword on his knee.
Zack barely flinched, quickly shifting to his feet again as soon as Kadaj hit the ground.
When the remnant moved in for another blow, a wall of fire blocked his path and Zack's gaze bounced to two black wings in the sky.
Kadaj's gaze narrowed, a bit of fear present in his eyes, "Who are you?" his voice was dripping with venom but Zack recognized the defensive stance he suddenly took. It seemed like even a delusional remnant like Kadaj recognized Genesis' power far superior to his own.
Genesis smirked, "A fragment of an old friend fails to recognize the great Genesis Raphsodos?" with a dramatic flick of his wrist, Gensis pushed his hair back and his gaze spelled trouble, "How very disappointing, you wound me, old friend," the unexpected, sharp dive even surprised Kadaj, who hastily brought his katana up to just barely so clash swords with Genesis, who took him to the air with strong beats of his wings.
Now, there was evident fear on Kadaj's face the more vicious Genesis grew, his fiery attacks just a blur.
His taunting only infuriated the remnant, "What's wrong? Can't the monster keep up with rotting flesh?" his challenging look did nothing to quench the sudden inferno igniting within Kadaj.
It seemed like the bitter remark triggered old memories from the real Sephiroth, because Kadaj's movements suddenly grew sloppy, aggressive, fast, fueled by rage.
With the intent to kill.
Genesis chuckled, fire dancing between Kadaj's blade, Genesis effortlessly evading every move.
"Brother!" it was Yazoo that called, shooting six bullets in rapid succession to create distance between Genesis and his brother, whose emotions obviously got the better of him in this fight, "We have to retreat, their reinforcements came in," from the corner of his eye, Genesis saw Reno and Rude carrying explosives, obviously not yet done by the fight they earlier fought.
Black, tendril-like smoke appeared from between Kadaj's fingers and before the remnants could vanish, Kadaj fixed Genesis with a vengeful glare, "You will rot, Genesis,"
It was Kadaj's voice that said the words, but in Genesis mind, Sephiroth's voice took over and it brought him back to that terrible accident years ago, when Sephiroth went on a rampage upon finding out his true heritage.
A pang of something…familiar hit the former elite SOLDIER and Genesis was reminded of a distant memory, this time from his homeland in Banora, where he had felt guilt for accidentally hurting Angeal when they had played outside in the fields.
He landed soundlessly on the ground and Zack was upon him in seconds, "What the hell was that?!" he sounded angry, he probably had remembered Nibelheim too, "You're going to provoke him with the same jerk behavior you did back then?" Genesis didn't expect the strong hold on his shoulder, reminiscent of Angeal's in the rare times the man had gotten angry, to turn him toward Zack, "Hadn't that been enough Genesis?!"
The former First Class remained silent, averting his gaze from the younger man to glare at the spot where Kadaj had been.
"That had…definitely been Sephiroth speaking for a moment…" Genesis closed his eyes and thought.
'My friend, the fates are cruel.
There are no dreams, no honor remains.
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.
My soul, corrupted by vengeance-
Genesis paused, not noticing Zack leave his side, he failed to notice the group gathering to discuss their next move, he only stared at his gloved hand.
After a moment of silence, the agonized expression on Sephiroth's face when he revealed the truth about Jenova resurfaced in his mind and he clenched his fist tightly.
His eyes opened and they mirrored the meaning of his whispered words, "…seeks salvation, not from the goddess…" his gaze lifted to the sky and he swore he saw a pure white feather briefly float in his vision, "…from a hero born of the failures of you and I…born from our endless agony,"
Genesis hung his head and for the first time in what felt like a century, he felt remorse.
Thank you all for reading! I'll try to focus on updating this story more :)
