Chapter 11: Reflection& the New Stigma
(This section will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I woke up, remembering the talk with JENOVA we had yesterday. I didn't get what she was talking about when she said I'm not strong enough to destroy the cell vortex threatening her kingdom. I stood up, and walked back to the deepest parts of the area where Kadaj and her gang were sleeping. Yazoo told me to sleep further away from them, and I decided to just do it since I wasn't in the mood to fight about things. The three of them were already awake, and Loz looked to be growing impatient "Ugh! About time you got up, late riser." Kadaj put her hand on his shoulder "Easy, Brother. At least he came... good enough for now. But you better learn to get up sooner, because if you are called to handle an emergency you'll get in big trouble with Mother if you're late. Maybe Shinra went easy on you, but life in this world is far more controlled and strict, so I suggest you harden up." I shook my head "As if I haven't figured that out already. Why are there so many restrictions anyway? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Yazoo replied "You of all people know very well why. Don't even pretend you know nothing about the JENOVA Project and those nasty experiments. I shouldn't have to explain that." I sighed "Ok, fine. So what do I have to do to get strong enough for the vortex mission?" Kadaj shrugged "Take on different requests and missions given by kingdom family members. What else? Mother wants you to prove your worth. You can't expect to be assigned a dangerous mission as the vortex ordeal without sufficient trust from her. Do small jobs for the family, and then maybe she will see you a more reliable sort." I wasn't surprised by her response "Figures... always with the trust. But what does that have to do with not being strong enough?" Yazoo shook his head "I'm afraid we can't answer that. Too little is known about the cell vortex, and likewise, Mother is approaching the issue with extreme caution. You already know the radiation from it will kill you if you try to approach it as you are now. As great as it's JENOVA cell concentration is, simply approaching it will make you burn away. You can't get close enough to destroy it the way you are now. Other than that, none of us know what Mother is thinking on the matter." I asked "But aren't you guys connected to her? Shouldn't you be able to hear her voice and cries?" Kadaj shrugged "We may be able to communicate telepathically with Mother, but we weren't equipped with the power to read thoughts. Especially the thoughts of other beings too far above us in overall power. Mother is a master at will bending and can effortlessly read another's thoughts, but that power wasn't passed down to us, unfortunately." I felt discouraged again "Why wouldn't she answer me when I asked her why though? I don't get it..." Loz replied "Oh, Mother's always like that. Sometimes she doesn't tell us everything, but she has her reasons, I know... It's kinda hard to guess what she has on her mind since she's pretty quiet like that sometimes, but she loves us and does everything she can to keep us safe and happy." I asked another question "What would happen to this Planet if she... died during this mess?" Kadaj moaned and seemed to begin crying "If Mother dies... so do all of us. All life in this world will cease existence if she is killed... that's why protecting her is so important. The only exception is when she uses Ultimate Sacrifice on someone, passing all of her power onto them before fading into the JENOVA Lifestream. She did this once to break the connection in her lifestream that was pulling me away from life since I had saved the legacy from destruction. It was the only way to save my life. Even the high-tech machines at JENOVA Foundation weren't powerful enough to keep me alive at the time. But if an external source were to destroy her, the entire Planet would self-destruct in reaction to her death. Even you would not make it if that happened." I couldn't believe it "No way..." Yazoo drew closer to me "Fortunately, I don't think that's something too likely to happen to us. So with that aside, how about I suggest where to go for your first mission?" Calming down, I nodded. Yazoo explained "It seems like President Hojo has finished work on a device he designed to breach dimensional boundaries. Said it's supposed to allow anyone to go from one world to another, but he needs someone to help him test it. Mother is quite interested in this new tech of his, of course, but she won't approve it until she has confirmation that it's good. Would you like to aid Hojo with the testing?" I didn't like the sound of that "What?! You're telling me to risk being sent to another world and be unable to come back? Are you crazy?" Loz stepped forward "Hey, look... you know how important legacy expansion is to Mother, right? This is your lucky day." Yazoo smiled faintly, staring off "Haha, like it or not, Loz is right about that. I'd take this opportunity if I were you, Brother." I sighed "Oh, alright... I guess I'm in. But if something goes wrong, just make sure I have a way back to this world, please?" Kadaj nodded "That won't be a problem, as long as we have enough time to get you back... before an unidentified creature kills you, of course. Mother is an expert with interdimensional travel, so getting you back should be easy as long as you don't die first. And don't die, got it? If we lose you, we're out of luck destroying the cell vortex that appeared in the sky yesterday." I nodded "I should be fine. Ive fought all sorts of weird things. I'll head to the foundation to speak with Hojo about this."
Later that day, at JENOVA Foundation...
I arrived at the top floor of JENOVA Foundation where Hojo was working at his massive computer system. He noticed my presence quickly and turned to me "You? Why would you come here?" I answered "That machine that's supposed to let anyone travel to other worlds? I came to help you test it." Hojo laughed "You, test my work of art? You never fail to entertain me with that sense of humor. For someone of your limited prowess to take such a dangerous job? Preposterous!" I kept my expression firm on him, ignoring his arrogant display. He stopped laughing before long and realized I was being serious "Wha..?! You can't mean it! You'll die out there if this thing works!" I shook my head "That doesn't matter. The queen is awaiting word of a successful test and you know that. If your machine works as it's supposed to, she will pay you serious money for it. JENOVA is very passionate and serious about protecting her legacy, and your machine could make that much easier for her. She won't have to worry about sacrificing her offspring for the sake of claiming another planet in distant space. And since she is too busy protecting this world, that is what expanding her territory would have to resort to. With your machine, she won't have to suffer a loss like that." Hojo seemed disappointed "Hmph... You're actually right for once. Very well." He went back to his computer and began using the large keyboard in silence. I looked around the area "So where is this thing?" He didn't answer. Out of nowhere, a large hole opened up in front of me that was a swirling purple and black. Hojo said "It's right before your eyes. Step inside and tell me what you see." He walked around the hole and handed me a rather large phone "You will need this. Ordinary phones and communication devices are useless between two different worlds." I nodded and ran inside the dark hole, and everything around me was white for a few seconds. Then I found myself in a very familiar place: the world I remember, Shinra. But something was very different about this one. Everything was very dark, no moon or sun was in the sky; only stars. The lifestream--the normal one, also seemed to be missing. I began to run, focused on looking for Tifa first. But I stopped quickly before I got far, glancing at an unfamiliar child who laid motionless on the ground. I got down to help her "Oh my goodness, are you ok?!" I picked her up, and noticed she was breathing "Phew, thank goodness... she's just asleep." I tried to shake her awake, but she remained sound asleep. I shook her some more "Come on, wake up..." But she still wouldn't move or make any sounds. I shouted "Kid, please..! Just open your eyes once, I'm begging you! This is really important--" She opened her eyes immediately but didn't take notice to me. They didn't look human though; one was red like JENOVA's, and the other was empty and blank. I cried out in shock, quickly getting to my feet and dropping her " She moaned, then closed her eyes again. I was so scared, all I could feel was my heart pounding, and myself breathing in panic "Oh my god..!" I began running some more, hoping whatever happened to her didn't befall any of my friends. The device Hojo gave me beeped, and Hojo spoke "Cloud, did it work? What does it look like where you are?" I quickly replied "Oh, it worked alright! This place, this world... it's completely warped! I'll chat later, got it?! I have to find someone, and fast!" Hojo seemed concerned "Cloud, what's wrong?! What did you see that got you this afraid?!" I was in too much panic to answer him now. Everywhere I ran, there were people lying still on the ground around me, probably in the same state as the kid I just saw. When Tifa's home was in sight, I felt a sharp pain in my head, but didn't stop running. Then I felt wracking pain in both legs and fell down; my vision began to flicker "Unngh..! Stop!! Not now...!" I didn't believe it "This thing, whatever it is... even all the way out here, it works on me..? No way...!" Then, I felt myself being lifted up, and a large black aura enveloped me. My consciousness slipped in and out, and then I fell back down, the black aura vanished. For some reason, the pain seemed to vanish from me completely. I managed to get back up, and felt confused "Ugh... what happened?" For some reason, I glanced at my hands and saw they were covered by black leather gloves "And how did I get these on?" I also saw I was wearing silver gauntlets on my wrists, and felt a thick metal choker on my neck "I have to get this thing off... I can't breathe..!" I reached for my choker, hoping to find a way to remove it, but when I touched it, an electric shock surged through my whole body "Oww! What is this thing? What's... what's going on?!" I fell down, and coughed up some blood. I heard the radio Hojo gave me beep again "I'm getting you out of there, Cloud. Hold on." I barely made out my words "No, wait... just a little... longer..!" But then a white light enveloped me, and I was back in the room I came in at JENOVA Foundation. A hole closed up behind me, and Hojo seemed concerned "Cloud, are you ok--" I managed to get to my feet, and saw a look of disbelief on Hojo's face "Cloud, you... what happened to you?! This can't be you! Humans don't... transform!" I was lost "Transform?" Hojo took a mirror from his desk and held it in front of me, and I gasped "Huh..?! What happened to me?! This isn't how I'm supposed to look! I dont have silver hair, or green eyes, or leather clothing with a choker and silver gauntlets!" Hojo lowered the mirror and shrugged "Well, I don't know what you may have touched in the world you were sent to, but something definitely changed you. You don't recall anything rather... strange happening, do you?" I tried to recall what happened, and had a flashback of Kadaj telling me that fear makes it hurt during the rescue at the Mako Reactor, and I gasped "Oh no..! Since I got too scared out there... the infection JENOVA afflicted me with took full power over me..! Now I'll never destroy the cell vortex!" Hojo sighed "A new type of stigma? Is that it?" I nodded "My best guess, yeah... But there's nothing I can do now that it's fully consumed me... Guess I'll have to kneel before Mother and take my lumps for this. it's better than lying or trying to hide it from her, at least...." I turned around to leave, but Hojo tried to stop me "No, wait! If I research the new stigma, maybe I can bring you back to normal!" I turned to look at him "Forget it. You know she will forbid that. You'll just get in trouble for no reason. You're a good scientist... the kingdom needs your talents." I left the area, and Hojo didn't speak when I continued. I went outside and sighed "I knew I'd be no help... might as well be honest with her, at least..." I started to walk, but felt my back bolt a single wing, and I began flying instead. I felt a hint of joy at being able to fly "Well, at least I'll have the pleasant memory of flying if she decides to have me executed... that's a better way to end life than feeling down..." Out of nowhere, I heard JENOVA's laughter in my mind, and her voice said "Yes... Spike is born! The Ultimate Remnant... at last, he's here!" I felt embarrassed for some reason "Umm... what? Did I just imagine that..?" I shook it away as best I could "Ok, first of all, my name is not Spike... it's Cloud. Second, how did I hear JENOVA's voice when she's not anywhere close by?" For some reason, I had a feeling things were going to get very weird when I showed up at JENOVA's throne atop Mako Reactor. I sighed, reluctantly continued my flight to there, and hoped I was wrong.
To be Continued...
(This section will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I woke up, remembering the talk with JENOVA we had yesterday. I didn't get what she was talking about when she said I'm not strong enough to destroy the cell vortex threatening her kingdom. I stood up, and walked back to the deepest parts of the area where Kadaj and her gang were sleeping. Yazoo told me to sleep further away from them, and I decided to just do it since I wasn't in the mood to fight about things. The three of them were already awake, and Loz looked to be growing impatient "Ugh! About time you got up, late riser." Kadaj put her hand on his shoulder "Easy, Brother. At least he came... good enough for now. But you better learn to get up sooner, because if you are called to handle an emergency you'll get in big trouble with Mother if you're late. Maybe Shinra went easy on you, but life in this world is far more controlled and strict, so I suggest you harden up." I shook my head "As if I haven't figured that out already. Why are there so many restrictions anyway? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Yazoo replied "You of all people know very well why. Don't even pretend you know nothing about the JENOVA Project and those nasty experiments. I shouldn't have to explain that." I sighed "Ok, fine. So what do I have to do to get strong enough for the vortex mission?" Kadaj shrugged "Take on different requests and missions given by kingdom family members. What else? Mother wants you to prove your worth. You can't expect to be assigned a dangerous mission as the vortex ordeal without sufficient trust from her. Do small jobs for the family, and then maybe she will see you a more reliable sort." I wasn't surprised by her response "Figures... always with the trust. But what does that have to do with not being strong enough?" Yazoo shook his head "I'm afraid we can't answer that. Too little is known about the cell vortex, and likewise, Mother is approaching the issue with extreme caution. You already know the radiation from it will kill you if you try to approach it as you are now. As great as it's JENOVA cell concentration is, simply approaching it will make you burn away. You can't get close enough to destroy it the way you are now. Other than that, none of us know what Mother is thinking on the matter." I asked "But aren't you guys connected to her? Shouldn't you be able to hear her voice and cries?" Kadaj shrugged "We may be able to communicate telepathically with Mother, but we weren't equipped with the power to read thoughts. Especially the thoughts of other beings too far above us in overall power. Mother is a master at will bending and can effortlessly read another's thoughts, but that power wasn't passed down to us, unfortunately." I felt discouraged again "Why wouldn't she answer me when I asked her why though? I don't get it..." Loz replied "Oh, Mother's always like that. Sometimes she doesn't tell us everything, but she has her reasons, I know... It's kinda hard to guess what she has on her mind since she's pretty quiet like that sometimes, but she loves us and does everything she can to keep us safe and happy." I asked another question "What would happen to this Planet if she... died during this mess?" Kadaj moaned and seemed to begin crying "If Mother dies... so do all of us. All life in this world will cease existence if she is killed... that's why protecting her is so important. The only exception is when she uses Ultimate Sacrifice on someone, passing all of her power onto them before fading into the JENOVA Lifestream. She did this once to break the connection in her lifestream that was pulling me away from life since I had saved the legacy from destruction. It was the only way to save my life. Even the high-tech machines at JENOVA Foundation weren't powerful enough to keep me alive at the time. But if an external source were to destroy her, the entire Planet would self-destruct in reaction to her death. Even you would not make it if that happened." I couldn't believe it "No way..." Yazoo drew closer to me "Fortunately, I don't think that's something too likely to happen to us. So with that aside, how about I suggest where to go for your first mission?" Calming down, I nodded. Yazoo explained "It seems like President Hojo has finished work on a device he designed to breach dimensional boundaries. Said it's supposed to allow anyone to go from one world to another, but he needs someone to help him test it. Mother is quite interested in this new tech of his, of course, but she won't approve it until she has confirmation that it's good. Would you like to aid Hojo with the testing?" I didn't like the sound of that "What?! You're telling me to risk being sent to another world and be unable to come back? Are you crazy?" Loz stepped forward "Hey, look... you know how important legacy expansion is to Mother, right? This is your lucky day." Yazoo smiled faintly, staring off "Haha, like it or not, Loz is right about that. I'd take this opportunity if I were you, Brother." I sighed "Oh, alright... I guess I'm in. But if something goes wrong, just make sure I have a way back to this world, please?" Kadaj nodded "That won't be a problem, as long as we have enough time to get you back... before an unidentified creature kills you, of course. Mother is an expert with interdimensional travel, so getting you back should be easy as long as you don't die first. And don't die, got it? If we lose you, we're out of luck destroying the cell vortex that appeared in the sky yesterday." I nodded "I should be fine. Ive fought all sorts of weird things. I'll head to the foundation to speak with Hojo about this."
Later that day, at JENOVA Foundation...
I arrived at the top floor of JENOVA Foundation where Hojo was working at his massive computer system. He noticed my presence quickly and turned to me "You? Why would you come here?" I answered "That machine that's supposed to let anyone travel to other worlds? I came to help you test it." Hojo laughed "You, test my work of art? You never fail to entertain me with that sense of humor. For someone of your limited prowess to take such a dangerous job? Preposterous!" I kept my expression firm on him, ignoring his arrogant display. He stopped laughing before long and realized I was being serious "Wha..?! You can't mean it! You'll die out there if this thing works!" I shook my head "That doesn't matter. The queen is awaiting word of a successful test and you know that. If your machine works as it's supposed to, she will pay you serious money for it. JENOVA is very passionate and serious about protecting her legacy, and your machine could make that much easier for her. She won't have to worry about sacrificing her offspring for the sake of claiming another planet in distant space. And since she is too busy protecting this world, that is what expanding her territory would have to resort to. With your machine, she won't have to suffer a loss like that." Hojo seemed disappointed "Hmph... You're actually right for once. Very well." He went back to his computer and began using the large keyboard in silence. I looked around the area "So where is this thing?" He didn't answer. Out of nowhere, a large hole opened up in front of me that was a swirling purple and black. Hojo said "It's right before your eyes. Step inside and tell me what you see." He walked around the hole and handed me a rather large phone "You will need this. Ordinary phones and communication devices are useless between two different worlds." I nodded and ran inside the dark hole, and everything around me was white for a few seconds. Then I found myself in a very familiar place: the world I remember, Shinra. But something was very different about this one. Everything was very dark, no moon or sun was in the sky; only stars. The lifestream--the normal one, also seemed to be missing. I began to run, focused on looking for Tifa first. But I stopped quickly before I got far, glancing at an unfamiliar child who laid motionless on the ground. I got down to help her "Oh my goodness, are you ok?!" I picked her up, and noticed she was breathing "Phew, thank goodness... she's just asleep." I tried to shake her awake, but she remained sound asleep. I shook her some more "Come on, wake up..." But she still wouldn't move or make any sounds. I shouted "Kid, please..! Just open your eyes once, I'm begging you! This is really important--" She opened her eyes immediately but didn't take notice to me. They didn't look human though; one was red like JENOVA's, and the other was empty and blank. I cried out in shock, quickly getting to my feet and dropping her " She moaned, then closed her eyes again. I was so scared, all I could feel was my heart pounding, and myself breathing in panic "Oh my god..!" I began running some more, hoping whatever happened to her didn't befall any of my friends. The device Hojo gave me beeped, and Hojo spoke "Cloud, did it work? What does it look like where you are?" I quickly replied "Oh, it worked alright! This place, this world... it's completely warped! I'll chat later, got it?! I have to find someone, and fast!" Hojo seemed concerned "Cloud, what's wrong?! What did you see that got you this afraid?!" I was in too much panic to answer him now. Everywhere I ran, there were people lying still on the ground around me, probably in the same state as the kid I just saw. When Tifa's home was in sight, I felt a sharp pain in my head, but didn't stop running. Then I felt wracking pain in both legs and fell down; my vision began to flicker "Unngh..! Stop!! Not now...!" I didn't believe it "This thing, whatever it is... even all the way out here, it works on me..? No way...!" Then, I felt myself being lifted up, and a large black aura enveloped me. My consciousness slipped in and out, and then I fell back down, the black aura vanished. For some reason, the pain seemed to vanish from me completely. I managed to get back up, and felt confused "Ugh... what happened?" For some reason, I glanced at my hands and saw they were covered by black leather gloves "And how did I get these on?" I also saw I was wearing silver gauntlets on my wrists, and felt a thick metal choker on my neck "I have to get this thing off... I can't breathe..!" I reached for my choker, hoping to find a way to remove it, but when I touched it, an electric shock surged through my whole body "Oww! What is this thing? What's... what's going on?!" I fell down, and coughed up some blood. I heard the radio Hojo gave me beep again "I'm getting you out of there, Cloud. Hold on." I barely made out my words "No, wait... just a little... longer..!" But then a white light enveloped me, and I was back in the room I came in at JENOVA Foundation. A hole closed up behind me, and Hojo seemed concerned "Cloud, are you ok--" I managed to get to my feet, and saw a look of disbelief on Hojo's face "Cloud, you... what happened to you?! This can't be you! Humans don't... transform!" I was lost "Transform?" Hojo took a mirror from his desk and held it in front of me, and I gasped "Huh..?! What happened to me?! This isn't how I'm supposed to look! I dont have silver hair, or green eyes, or leather clothing with a choker and silver gauntlets!" Hojo lowered the mirror and shrugged "Well, I don't know what you may have touched in the world you were sent to, but something definitely changed you. You don't recall anything rather... strange happening, do you?" I tried to recall what happened, and had a flashback of Kadaj telling me that fear makes it hurt during the rescue at the Mako Reactor, and I gasped "Oh no..! Since I got too scared out there... the infection JENOVA afflicted me with took full power over me..! Now I'll never destroy the cell vortex!" Hojo sighed "A new type of stigma? Is that it?" I nodded "My best guess, yeah... But there's nothing I can do now that it's fully consumed me... Guess I'll have to kneel before Mother and take my lumps for this. it's better than lying or trying to hide it from her, at least...." I turned around to leave, but Hojo tried to stop me "No, wait! If I research the new stigma, maybe I can bring you back to normal!" I turned to look at him "Forget it. You know she will forbid that. You'll just get in trouble for no reason. You're a good scientist... the kingdom needs your talents." I left the area, and Hojo didn't speak when I continued. I went outside and sighed "I knew I'd be no help... might as well be honest with her, at least..." I started to walk, but felt my back bolt a single wing, and I began flying instead. I felt a hint of joy at being able to fly "Well, at least I'll have the pleasant memory of flying if she decides to have me executed... that's a better way to end life than feeling down..." Out of nowhere, I heard JENOVA's laughter in my mind, and her voice said "Yes... Spike is born! The Ultimate Remnant... at last, he's here!" I felt embarrassed for some reason "Umm... what? Did I just imagine that..?" I shook it away as best I could "Ok, first of all, my name is not Spike... it's Cloud. Second, how did I hear JENOVA's voice when she's not anywhere close by?" For some reason, I had a feeling things were going to get very weird when I showed up at JENOVA's throne atop Mako Reactor. I sighed, reluctantly continued my flight to there, and hoped I was wrong.
To be Continued...
