Legacy of the Past Chapter 6
Turning the Pages of the Past
By Nemo
"…how much longer will this take…?"
"…I don't know sir…"
"…well, you better get on your toes…"
"…I will sir, you can count on me…."
"…she isn't responding…why…?"
"…the mixture isn't strong enough…"
"…how is that possible…it's the highest we've ever used…"
"…sir…it's double what we normally use…"
"…shit, we are in over our heads…she's too strong…"
"…what should we do sir…?"
"…………break her…today…"
Karta felt a knife slice into her stomach and the pain was unbearable. Her eyes popped open and she saw two greasy faces staring back at her…she screamed.
*~*~*~*~*
Karta sat up very suddenly…but there were no greasy faces and no blinding white light, just the fresh morning sun as it poured in the Inn window. Aerith came over and put an arm around her shoulder. Karta turned around and glared at the girl and then she relaxed. Aerith looked almost nervous around Karta, as if she could kill her without even trying. "Are you okay Karta?" she asked, her voice quiet and shaking. Karta looked around the room, not responding. She knew this room and it made her heart sink. She turned to Aerith and said,
"Where are we?"
"Um…the Inn in Kalm." Aerith replied. Karta looked around the room again, the reality of where she was made her blood run cold and her heart started beating faster. Aerith took a deep breath and said quietly, "Everyone is waiting outside for you…Cloud's waiting to tell us something, but he wanted you to be there."
"What…?" Karta asked in disbelief.
"He wants to tell us something…" she paused, "I have no idea what he wants to say." Karta looked straight ahead, trying to listen to Aerith, but she couldn't. Her mind kept wondering to what Cloud could possibly say. What did he want to say to them and did she have to be there? Emotional support maybe…? Tsh, yeah right, like that will happen. She turned to Aerith and watched as the girl talked on and on, she was at peace although she had barely escaped who knows what kind of hell? How could she keep that smile on her face even though she lost her mother…or the only mother she ever knew. Karta sighed and jumped out of bed and looked down at her clothes, they were crusty with blood and her hands were stained with blood. Aerith made a little gleep and said quietly,
"Why don't you go wash up? We have your pouch and we washed your cloths. You can change out of those…dirty cloths and meet us in the living room. Um…yeah." She turned and left Karta standing in the middle of the room. She didn't need to know the details of what must have happened at the Shinra building but now judging by her clothes…it was worse than she thought. She just prayed she didn't hurt any of her comrades. She walked slowly to the bathroom, taking her first shower in months.
*~*~*~*~*
When Aerith walked out of Karta's room ashen and eyes wide, Cloud could only guess that Karta was awake. This was of course because of the expression the Aerith wore; she looked afraid and worried at the same time. He waited a moment for Karta to follow, but when he heard the shower in the bathroom running he remembered her clothes and body. All that blood…he was still pretty baffled by the gore that covered her body, the way it seemed to be everywhere…Cloud shook off the feeling and the group continued to wait patiently.
Reno hated waiting, it was the worst part of life. No matter what you did you always had to wait. People were always saying to him "Can you wait one minute?" or "The wait will only be a minute sir would you like a sandwich?" "Well you know what I say to those people? Shove that sandwich up your ass!" Reno thought folding his arms and sighing. No one else seemed to be too annoyed with the fact that they had been waiting for the past two days! Yes two days since they arrived in Kalm with pale faces, exhausted bodies and sore feet. On top of that the people of the town gave them all very strange looks, (glancing at Naden the most), but no one knew why. They would point and stare and whisper, while glancing at them with wide eyes. Reno couldn't figure out why but the door opening interrupted his thoughts.
Karta stepped out looking refreshed. Her short red hair was wet and combed back and her face and hands were a fleshy pink not the blood red that they were. She had washed the blood from her black boots and her belt. She also had changed her clothes; she now wore a pair of very baggy black jeans, a red tank top covered by a black jean vest. Everyone stared, as if they were ready to pull their weapons on her but she could only laugh behind her stern face, "Look at them, so paranoid." She thought.
She sat down and looked at Cloud, and he stared back. "Are you going to tell them or not?" she asked, her voice horse and deep. Everyone looked at her with strange looks, but she just returned them with an icy glare that said, "Shut up." Cloud took a deep breath and looked at her with a hint of worry in his eyes. "Go." She said firmly.
"Where should I start?" he asked. She made her eyes thin slits and glared at him with fire in her deep green eyes.
"Where ever you want, just tell the damn story and get on with it." He sighed, obviously reluctant to tell his story.
"It started five years ago. I was sixteen and just recruited SOLDIER 1st Class, and eager to get out into the battlefield. I wanted to get assigned to a job with General Sephiroth. I admired the man and I wanted to be just like him. I went on one or two missions with him and we became, I guess what you could call "working friends". We were given a new assignment to the small town of Nibelheim. Ironically Nibelheim was my hometown and it was very strange to be there again. I left when I was young to find work and I hadn't been back since. The other weird part was the fact that we were investigating monster sightings. Well, about four days before we left we were given a new recruit. She was a SOLDIER 3rd Class and a computer genius. She was also only fourteen, one of the youngest SOLDIERS to go on a mission with General Sephiroth. Her name is Karta Jewel." Cloud said, giving Karta a small smile.
"Wait a minute! Karta, you were with Cloud on this mission?!" Reno asked. She didn't say anything to him she just nodded.
"She was young and very strong for her age back then, not very outgoing but not very timid, and needless to say, we became very good friends. We trusted each other more than we trusted our leader. But that didn't happen until we left for Nibelheim a few days later."
*~*~*~*~*
The car rolled along the mountainside causing the passengers to bump and slide into each other. The new SOLDIER, Karta Jewel looked very uncomfortable bumping into those guards and they kept giving her stupid grins under their garb but she kept a straight face and chose to ignore it. Cloud titled his head and looked at her; she was only fourteen with bright red hair and pretty green eyes that had a Mako glow to them. He had only heard rumors about the girl but what he did know that she was a computer specialist and could hack into any computer in under a minute. General Sephiroth watched her as well not with interest but as if was checking her for flaws. After hours of bumping into each other, the car finally came to a stop.
Sephiroth was the first to step out followed by Cloud, Karta and the two guards. The town was small and it looked deserted; the people were too afraid to come out because of the monsters. Sephiroth took a deep a breath of the fresh mountain air. Cloud just felt his eyes hit the ground, this was too weird for him. He glanced at Karta; she stood firmly and looked around the town her eyes thin slits. She reached behind her back and pulled out her blade, eyes jumping from side to side. "Something's coming…" she said very quietly. The guards starting laughing.
"Oh boy! This one's insane! We just ran a search around the area, there is nothing for miles!" He paused, "Moron…" Sephiroth looked around, pulling his sword out and lowering his voice
"She's right, something is coming…" Cloud looked at him, while pulling his Buster Sword out just so he didn't look bad. He didn't feel anything coming. The guards started to laugh again, saying things about how crazy the SOLDIER type were. They didn't even notice the huge dragon as it crept up behind them, nor did they see it raise its mouth and take in air. It wasn't until the dragon was about to blow the fire that they saw it. They froze, unable to move or say anything, they closed their eyes, ready for the impact of the flame, but it never came. The dragon had its eye on something else. Sephiroth, Cloud and Karta stood behind the guards with raised weapons. With a loud roar, the dragon used its huge claw to shove the two guards halfway across the town. The creature seemed to smile as the three SOLDIERS got into fighting stances.
With green eyes flashing, Sephiroth was the first to fly forward to attack, the sun reflecting off Masamune, blinding the guards who sat some 100 feet away. The sword sliced down the dragon's stomach, but it seemed unaffected. Karta ran forward next, her great sword: The Nova glowed with an eerie light. The sword was about as long as Sephiroth's Masamune and as fat as Cloud's Buster sword, only a little smaller on both. The blade was painted black except for a thin line of red paint where the sharp part of the blade was. On the top was a picture of a star exploding; that's where the name Nova came from. While the giant beast was distracted by Sephiroth's blow, Karta ran around the back of the creature, and raising her blade high into the air, she sliced off the dragon's giant tail. The creature let out a painful roar and as soon as it did that, Sephiroth, Cloud and Karta all ran forward at the same time and sent their giant blades into the dragon's flesh. With those final blows, the creature screamed one last time before it fell to the ground, shaking the houses in Nibelheim. People opened their window's and doors to see what the commotion was about, what they saw were three SOLDIER'S yanking their blades out of a giant dragon. With fear in their eyes, the town's people shut and locked their doors, afraid of those three frightening people.
Sephiroth shoved his Masamune back into its sheath and sighed; he hadn't even broken a sweat. Cloud made a face at the slime that covered his Buster Sword but chose to ignore it. He glanced at Karta, her sword had nothing on it, but he saw in go into the dragon. How was that possible? Without a second thought, Cloud walked over to Sephiroth and waited for further instructions. Within seconds, Karta joined then and then was followed by the two shaken guards. They never said a word to anyone.
"We will go up to the Mt. Nibel reactor tomorrow, we should get some rest first. We already have a room reserved in the Inn; we should rest now so we have plenty of energy for tomorrow." He turned to Cloud, "But you may visit your family first, just don't take a long time." Cloud nodded and wandered off. Sephiroth watched him walk into a small house across the street and to the left of the Inn. He then looked at Karta; she was watching Cloud as well, her arms folded and no expression on her face what so ever. "Where are you from Jewel?" Sephiroth asked. She turned to him and looked him straight in the eye.
"I would rather not say." She replied firmly. Sephiroth shrugged it off and walked into the Inn followed by Karta. Just before she went in, she turned to the guards. "You two better watch your backs, I'm watching you. Stand guard." The two guards were about to say something when Sephiroth nodded in the background. The guards gulped and saluted. Cloud watched Karta walk into the Inn; that far away look in her eyes, that look of pain behind a military face, he wanted to know why but he didn't want to ask. Cloud glanced at his house, he debated whether or not to see his mom or to just stick to work. Cloud shrugged it off and headed for his house very slowly. Cloud knocked very lightly on the door and waited for an answer. Silence followed and no footsteps came to the door. There was just silence, no familiar voice telling him to wait, just silence. Cloud made a face and knocked harder on the door hearing the echo of an empty house. Taking a deep breath, Cloud pushed the door open and stuck his head inside.
"Mom? Mom, are you here?" Cloud called out, but only his echo answered him. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, the furniture that he had grown up with was still there but the house was an eerie quiet. Nothing moved and nothing stirred, just a dead silence that made a lump grow in Cloud's throat. No one came to greet him; the house was there but no one was around. Cloud glanced around again and he didn't even hear the elderly woman walk up to him. He didn't even feel her presence until she laid a hand on his shoulder. Cloud panicked and put his reflects to use, he spun around and grabbed her wrist, glaring into her surprised eyes. It was Mrs. Ness, his mother's best friend, neighbor and the owner of the Item shop. She gave him a forced smile and Cloud released her wrist.
"Hello Cloud, I knew you would come back one day. But…" she paused folding her hands in front her and looking at the floor. "But…now that you're back…I have to be the barer of bad news. I really wish I wouldn't have to be the one to tell you.
"What's happened?" Cloud asked. Mrs. Ness put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. This seemed like just thinking about it was really hard on her. Cloud felt his stomach start to turn and he wasn't sure if he could keep his lunch down now. This wasn't just going to be bad, this was to going to be really bad.
"Cloud…your mother…died. She died nearly a year ago…of cancer. News, I guess, hasn't reached you yet. I'm so sorry Cloud, I know she meant the world to you and you're so young to lose so much. First your Dad and now your Mom. Your Mom was my best friend in the world and it felt like my world came crashing down when she died. I can't even imagine what you're going through. She loved you right up until the end; right up until her death she would never stop talking about you." Mrs. Ness paused and looked at Cloud, "You can visit her grave in town if you want…and…I really think you should." Cloud stood in a daze unable to comprehend anything that Mrs. Ness was saying. He vaguely heard her talking about his mother's last moments. She was still talking when he brushed past her and headed for the town cemetery. She didn't stop him. Cloud felt like he was walking through a fog, he was moving without knowing where he was going or if he said anything to anyone. Before he knew it, he was standing in the cemetery in front of his mother's grave. He read her name over and over, and then he closed his eyes and pictured her face in his head. Cloud brought himself back and leaned down and picked a wildflower. He smelled it and set the flower on top of the tomb stone.
"I'm sorry." Came a voice from behind him. Cloud turned and saw Karta standing a few feet away from him. She walked up to the stone and looked at it. She stared for a moment and then she got down on one knee and ran her fingers along the words, as if taking them in. She stood up again and stared straight ahead. "You never got to say goodbye…did you?' she asked. Cloud turned and looked at, "Why do you care?" he thought. She then turned and stared back. Their eyes locked for a moment and her deep green eyes flashed. Cloud looked away and shacked his head,
"No…I didn't." he replied. Karta nodded again and started to walk away from him. As she walked away, Cloud could hear her say to none
"Been there, done that."
*~*~*~*~*
Cloud sat up in the Inn in Niblelheim early the next morning knowing that they were going up the mountain later that day. But it was early and they weren't due to go up the mountain until later that evening; he had a day to kill doing nothing. Cloud sighed; he had no one to hang out with. Sephiroth wasn't the kind of person you would sit down and have a conversation with. And besides, ever since they had gotten there he had been acting really strange, just staring into the space. Ever since the dragon thing, the two guards did their best to keep their distance from the three SOLDIER'S "But what about Karta?" he thought, "She seems nice enough, just hiding something." Cloud thought. He smiled to himself and threw his legs over the bed. Cloud pulled on his boots, grabbed his sword and went out of the room. First he checked Karta's room but she wasn't there. Cloud sighed and headed down the stairs and out the door. People were outside today, moving around and talking. They seemed to be whispering about something that Cloud wasn't supposed to hear. He looked over and saw Mrs. Ness and jogged up to her.
"Good morning Mrs. Ness. Tell me, what is everyone talking about?" he asked as nice as he could.
"One of your comrades, the girl with fire red hair, went into the Shinra Mansion and hasn't come out yet. People are talking Cloud, some say they saw her out last night killing monsters and other's say she was just practicing. They are all afraid of her…and General Sephiroth…and you." Cloud's head shot up and looked at all the people outside; they were staring at him. Their eyes were dark and full of fear; Cloud couldn't believe what was happening to him. They were supposed to be the good guys and now they were the one's that everyone feared. These were the people he had grown up with and now they look ready to kill him if he tried anything funny.
"I…I have to go." Cloud said too quickly and brushed by the rest of the villagers, heading for the Shinra Mansion. The old building was dark and dripped with grime, in serious need of a paint job and a job on everything else on the house. Cloud walked through the door and looked around the main room. "Karta…? Karta are you in here?" Cloud called out. He heard something moving around up stairs and he saw Karta run by the balcony, completely ignoring him. Cloud pushed the door open and dashed up the stairs after her. He followed her down the hall and into a bedroom, but it was there that he lost her. There was no where to go and there were no windows. All the windows had so much dust that if she had gone out the window there would be some evidence of that. Cloud looked around the room until he came to the far corner; it looked like a door was in the wall and there were hand smears among the dust. Cloud pushed the wall and a door opened revealing a winding hall down into the basement. Cloud bolted down them as he heard someone moving down there. Cloud didn't have a clue what the hell was going on but whatever it was it couldn't be good. As Cloud rounded the corner he came to a dark hallway lined with bones and skulls. Making a face, he started down until he saw Karta standing in the middle of the hall; looking at some paper and then at the wall. Cloud jogged up to her and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Karta, jeez, what are you doing down here?" Cloud asked breathlessly. Karta just looked up from her reading and gave him an icy glare and went back to reading. It seemed to be some kind of paperwork in a file folder. The label had been smeared away and Cloud didn't know what she was looking at. She sighed and slammed the file folder shut; Karta then tucked the folder into her jacket and looked at the wall.
"It has to be around here somewhere…" she said, silently running her hand along the wall. Nothing fell from the rocky wall except at one spot. Karta froze and stared at the spot and pulled out a pair of gloves; putting them on, she started to brush away the rock reveling an old wooden door. She grinned and tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. She tried harder but the lock wouldn't budge. Karta made a face of frustration and pain as she kicked the wood door as hard as she could…not even a chip fell off. Karta sighed and brushed past Cloud and started up the winding ramp. Cloud looked at the door and jogged to catch up with her. They walked in silence all the way up the ramp and out of the Mansion; with looks from villagers they wondered onto the outskirts of town. When Karta finally sat down in some grass Cloud decided to join her. They sat next to each other for a moment in dead silence just listening to the distant roar of some great beats on top of the mountain.
"So…Karta, what were you doing down there?" Cloud asked trying pick up a conversation. Karta didn't seem too interested in talking but replied anyway,
"Trying to help I friend that I don't know." She said, as she turned at looked at Cloud. Cloud raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a strange look. Karta waved the subject off and that was that. There was another moment of silence until Karta finally said something.
"This is your hometown right?" she asked.
"Yeah but it doesn't feel like it anymore. All of the villagers are scared of us…after the whole dragon thing." Cloud replied.
"And after they saw me killing monsters this morning right?" Cloud looked at her and gave her a surprised look.
"How did you know?"
"I may be young but I'm not stupid; I hear what people say and I saw them watching me that morning. I've stopped caring what people think because, I guess you could say, I have a strong will and it's something that rumors and uttered curses behind my back cannot break."
"You're lucky that you feel that way; I sure wish I did."
"You can if you want to."
"No not me." There was a moment of silence that made both of them feel very uncomfortable.
"Why did you join SOLDIER, Cloud?" Cloud thought about it for a moment, he had been debating with that question for a long time as well.
"I guess I wanted to be like Sephiroth, and to prove to everyone that ever picked on me when I was a kid that I was strong." Karta nodded and Cloud looked at her, "What about you?"
"I'm running."
"What do you mean?" Karta never answered the question, and they just sat there for a while listening to the roars that echoed around them and that filled the canyon with a sick reality.
*~*~*~*~*
The guards came looking for them not long after, telling them that it was time to head up the mountain. Karta and Cloud complied and went back to the town to meet up with Sephiroth. Although they were late, Sephiroth waved it off as if it was no big deal. Cloud secretly said thanks because a mad Sephiroth was not a good thing.
"Are you two ready?" Sephiroth asked.
"Yes sir." Cloud said in his best military voice. Sephiroth nodded and looked at Karta expecting an answer.
"I've been ready since we got here. I've been waiting for you." She said in a matter of fact tone. Cloud and the two guards looked at her in disbelief, no one had ever shown disrespect to General Sephiroth before. Cloud bit his lower lip and looked at Sephiroth for a reaction, he shook his head, and this was going to be bad. But Sephiroth surprised everyone by smiling and putting a hand on Karta's shoulder.
"Finally, someone with some ambition and a need to show disrespect. I am impressed Je…Karta. You belong in SOLDIER." Sephiroth paused and looked at his gaping comrades, "Let's get going." Sephiroth turned and headed out of town, Karta followed without even looking at Cloud or the guards. Cloud couldn't believe it. Sephiroth only called you by your first name if he respected you and he just started calling Cloud by his first name and this was Karta's first mission. Cloud shook it off and walked a little faster to catch up with his leader and fellow comrade.
The walk up to the Mako reactor was long and tiresome and the guards would not stop complaining. Cloud was tempted to but it was then that he noticed that neither Sephiroth nor Karta had even broken into a sweat and here he was sweating worse than a pig. Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow and continued along the path. A few moments later they came to a bridge that ran along a huge valley. Cloud gulped; the bridge did not look very safe or sturdy. But Sephiroth didn't seem to notice nor care, he just started across the bridge followed by Karta and then Cloud and the guards. The bridge cracked and moaned under the weight of the five people as they walked across it. The guards seemed very scared of what was going on in front of them and they were the last one so they would be the first to fall. Sephiroth made it across followed by Karta and just as Cloud stepped onto the solid ground, the ropes both snapped and the bridge plummeted to the ground, the guards screams echoed throughout the canyon. Cloud raised a eyebrow and looked over the edge,
"I guess we'll be taking the long way down." He said making a face. Karta grunted and rolled her eyes.
"No Cloud we're going to ride across a rainbow bridge on a pony. Yes we are taking the long way down, can we just go and get this over with?" Karta replied looking at Sephiroth. He nodded and continued up the path,
"We don't have a chance in the world to find them, let's just move on." Sephiroth said he walked up the path Karta behind and Cloud trailing behind laughing to himself that the annoying guards were gone and never coming back. The rest of the trail was pretty much up hill and very paved. It only took the three SOLDIERS a few minutes to make it all the way up. The reactor finally came into view and Cloud knew where the howling of monsters was coming from. The reactor. What was in there that was causing these monsters and why were they so veracious? Sephiroth stopped and looked at the reactor for moment, "What's in there that is causing me to be so strong…?" Sephiroth whispered to himself. Karta looked at him and then at the reactor. Then she looked at Cloud and she nodded at him with a small smile. She closed her eyes and seemed to be in deep thought and a moment later her eyes popped open and they had a red glow to them on top of the normal forest green.
"Oh shit…no way. It can't be…can it?" she asked no one. Not waiting for instructions from her leader Karta started for the reactor. Sephiroth looked at the building for a second and started after her with Cloud following close behind. The reactor seemed to be working for the most part in the beginning of the building as they worked their way to the main chamber but it was there that they saw what made all three of their bloods run cold. All around them were capsules with Mako being pumped into them; there had to be at least a dozen of them all around them and they all seemed ready to burst at any moment. Sephiroth gritted his teeth and made a tight fist.
"Hojo…you've gone too far this time. This will not make you better." Sephiroth said raising his voice. Karta walked up to one of the capsules and glanced in the window.
"Hojo…you asshole! I'll kill you for this!" Karta said pounding a fist on one door. Cloud stood in complete surprise, now he understood where these monsters were coming from but Sephiroth whipped around and glared at Karta.
"How do you know Hojo?! You're only a rookie!" Sephiroth screamed at her. Karta stood unfazed as she stared up the stairs and the huge metal door. Sephiroth glanced up and his eyes fell on the name above the door: Jenova.
"My mother's name was Jenova…could I have been made the same way as all of these…creatures? These poor mutated humans?" Sephiroth walked up the stairs and ran a hand along the door. "This is what was calling me…?" Karta stood as if she was frozen, her entire body began to shake in absolute fear but at the same time boil over with rage.
"Jenova…so…we finally meet." She whispered, Cloud glanced over at Karta and then at Sephiroth. He was so confused, what was Jenova and how was both Sephiroth and Karta connected to "her"? Cloud jumped when he heard one of the capsules open and a mutated human came falling out over of the capsule, screaming in agony…
*~*~*~*~*
The next few days went on like a blur in Cloud's mind. Not long after they wondered down the mountain in utter shock, Sephiroth wandered into the library in the basement. He read every book down there, every file and every report. He stayed down there for days and never once did the basement light go off. Karta seemed almost as bad; as soon as they got down she didn't kill any other monsters that wandered into the town. Even when they destroyed property and even hurt a person she just watched the mutate with a far away look in her now dull green eyes. When the town's people chased another monster with stick and throwing rocks, a bunch of the men glared at Karta. She was watching them from the Inn steps and she didn't even move for her weapon. The men marched up to her, grabbed her shirt and yanked Karta clear off her feet. She wasn't even fazed.
"Now look girl you better do your job or the rest of us will re-arrange your internal organs. Do I make myself clear?" the young man who held Karta high in the air said through gritted teeth. She looked down at him, her face emotionless.
"I dare you." She said flatly. The man looked surprised.
"What?" he asked with eyes wide. She brought her face into his and glared into the young man's dull gray eyes.
"I said that I dare you. Go ahead, re-arrange my internal organs see if I care." Karta said her voice not even shaking in the slightest. The man looked baffled and dropped Karta onto the ground, she landed swiftly on her feet. The man glared at Karta one more time and went along his way followed by the rest of the town's men. Cloud watched from the upper Inn window and sighed. This was just getting worse by the second.
Not long after that incident, Karta disappeared with no trace. One man thought he saw her heading up Mt. Nibel. Cloud had no idea what she was doing but he didn't have time to check on her. He had gotten a call from the President saying that we better do our jobs or we'll be fired. He said that Cloud had to pass the information onto Sephiroth right away. Reluctant to go down there with good reason, Cloud started down the winded ramp that led to the long underground path and the basement library. Cloud saw the light at the end of the hall steaming through the door. Taking a deep breath he pushed the door open and looked around. The room had a lab table with equipment, books lay all around the room and most shelves were empty. Cloud sighed and walked along the two bookcases to the back of the room where an office was. Gathering his courage, opened the door. He saw Sephiroth sitting at the desk in the middle glaring at him.
"I knew you would come down here eventually." Sephiroth said darkly, "I don't want you in my sight mortal, you traitor." Cloud froze in place and stared baffled at Sephiroth.
"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth stood up and walked over to Cloud. In one swift movement, Cloud was off his feet and pinned against the wall. Sephiroth grinned,
"Years ago Professor Gast and his team found a creature frozen in the ice in the north. Gast later confirmed that the organism was an Ancient and with that he named the creature Jenova. According to the records, Gast tried many times to create a human with the powers of Jenova. He failed more times than countable and the death toll went up. But he had one success…me." Sephiroth explained with pride in his voice.
"You mean whatever is in that tank up there is your mother?!" Cloud exclaimed unable to comprehend what was going on. Sephiroth pinned Cloud harder against the wall and looked angry. This was getting really bad.
"Yes she is. The Ancients are the true rulers of this planet. Long ago, disaster struck this planet and the only way to save the planet was to sacrifice the Ancients. And so the humans did and guess what Cloud, those were your ancestors. So therefor you are my enemy and you have to die" Sephiroth paused and smiled, "But first, to give this planet back to mother." And with those final words Sephiroth dropped Cloud and was out the door in a matter of seconds. Cloud didn't need to think twice about where Sephiroth was heading. Jumping to his feet, Cloud bolted through the library, down the hall, up the ramp and through the mansion as fast as he could. But when Cloud burst through the mansion doors he froze in terror of what lay before him.
All around him and all around the town every house was full of flames and burning so fast it seemed that they had been burning for hours. Down by the well, Cloud could see some bodies sprawled out among the ground. Cloud sprinted down the path and knelt down by the first body he saw. It was the body of kind Mrs. Ness. The death had been to quick because no one could live through the wound she had a long gash that spread up her stomach and up to her neck. Cloud looked around and saw an old man tending to the wounded, the man turned and saw Cloud.
"Come over and here and help me boy!" the man screamed as he tried to stop the bleeding of a young man lying on the ground. It was the same man that has harassed Karta earlier that day. He looked up at Cloud and saying through a gurgled breath,
"Stop…that…mad…man." And with that the man died in the old man's arms. Cloud glanced back up at the mansion and saw Sephiroth and two more town's people. Cloud jumped to his feet and ran up but stopped when he saw what Sephiroth was going to do. The people begged for mercy but Sephiroth ignored them, slicing them both up the stomach. With a nod, Sephiroth disappeared again heading for the path leading up Mt. Nibel. Cloud shook his head in disbelief and ran for the path with all the power he could. His fuel…rage.
*~*~*~*~*
Cloud was standing in front of the Mako reactor before he knew it, he never knew he could run that fast. Taking a deep breath Cloud pulled out his Buster Sword and ran into the reactor. As he passed the turning gears he glanced down and saw Karta. She was curled up in a tiny ball on the floor next to the door leading into the capsule room. Her sword lay next to her and it was covered in blood. Cloud also saw she too was covered in the blood. She really didn't seem to notice too much, her knees were pulled up to her chin, she was staring out into space and was rocking back and forth. Cloud jumped down the rest of the ladder and ran up to her. He knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. She wasn't even noticing that he was there.
"Karta…? Are you alright…?" Cloud asked, knowing what his answer would be. She didn't stop moving or say a word. Cloud said to himself that he would sit here for hours until she at least said something. Finally, after a minute, she spoke,
"I tried to kill her but I needed time to think. Just as I was about to go in and finish her off, Sephiroth came up behind me out of no where and brought his giant sword down my back. I fell forward and he stepped over me as if I was nothing. I managed to crawl down the stairs and here I am, waiting to die." She paused and looked into Cloud's eyes, "Hell begins now." With that she buried her face into her knees and continued to rock back and forth. Cloud shook his head silently, she was delirious and speaking who knew what. She was dying and there wasn't anything Cloud could do. Taking his sword again, he walked past his friend and into the capsule room. Sephiroth was standing at the door laughing his head off.
"Come on mother, let me in so we may take this world back!" Sephiroth screamed. Cloud knew no one was behind the door but Sephiroth didn't open it, the door opened by itself. Sephiroth walked in and Cloud saw no other options but to follow him. Cloud ran up the stairs and got there just in time to hear Sephiroth talking to his mother. "Let us go mother, let take it back. But those humans…" Sephiroth started to rise up to the body before him, "they are trying to take the world from mother…" Sephiroth pulled the mechanical body off the hook and Jenova was revealed. She…it…whatever was a deep blue teal with magenta eyes and no real body. She looked like a heap of cells in a tank with a head. "Come mother, we will take this world back from the humans that have stolen it from you. Come take your rightful place as the ruler."
"Sephiroth!" Cloud screamed clutching his sword. Sephiroth turned around and glared at Cloud,
"Look mother, they think that they can stop you." Sephiroth laughed, as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life. "We will destroy them all!"
"No Sephiroth! I won't let you do this; you are not the Sephiroth who I knew. You are evil and therefor YOU are the enemy and you must die. Raise your sword and let us end this now!" Cloud screamed getting into a fighting stance. Sephiroth looked at Cloud for a moment and drew his own sword. They glared at each other, waiting for the other to make their first move…
*~*~*~*~*
Cloud stopped talking and leaned back in his chair. Everyone was staring at him and waiting for him to continue.
"Well, what happened next?" Reno asked impatiently. Cloud looked at him and shrugged as if it was nothing.
"I don't know, I have no memories from then on. I had no chance against Sephiroth and yet here I am talking to you. And Karta was so badly wounded, she shouldn't be here either but here we are. Fit as fiddles." Cloud replied. Aerith turned to Karta and looked at her,
"How bad was your wound?" she asked, Karta glared at the girl for asking such a stupid question. Karta rolled her eyes,
"Bad enough that I should be dead." Karta replied she glanced at Cloud and nodded at him, "Thanks for telling Part Two of the story, now it's my turn to tell Part One." Tifa looked at her and made a face,
"What is your part about? You?" Tifa asked sarcastically. Karta glared at her with darts in her eyes.
"If you don't want to know why I freaked out back at the Shinra building and why Professor Payne called me a 'former specimen' then fine, I won't say a word. I would rather not anyway." Naden looked interested and stole glances at the rest of the team; they all nodded including Cloud. Naden wondered if Cloud knew why?
"I speak for everyone and I say we want to know Karta. Tell us." Naden told her. Karta took a deep breath and looked at everyone in the room.
"Fine I'll tell it, you guys are about to find out what's behind the colored eyes." She replied glancing at them, her blue eyes changed to a forest green and she smiled.
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Now did that chapter take forever or what! I've just been on an ongoing writer's block on this chapter and one-day I just sat down and I finished it in a week! Well, as you can tell by the way that I'm writing Gem is feeling better! Already working on the seventh chapter and in that chapter you will find out what the hell is wrong with Karta. Should be very weird, can't wait to get feedback on it. Thanks a million to anyone who is reading this, you are my new best friends. See you all soon! ^_^ ~Gem