Loveless

Chapter 27

Eloise woke with a sharp jolt, her breath catching painfully in her chest. She was shivering, her heart racing for no clear reason, yet she knew something was wrong. Something had happened to Zack. The certainty settled deep in her bones.

She forced herself out of bed and staggered into the hallway, barely reaching the elevator before her legs gave out. She slid down against the wall, clutching her head as a violent pulse throbbed behind her eyes. Her vision warped, the corridor spinning as the elevator doors multiplied and blurred together.

"Miss, are you alright?"

The voice sounded distant. She felt an arm slip around her waist, steadying her as someone lifted her upright.

"You don't look well. I'll take you to the infirmary."

"No," she whispered, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. "Take me to the laboratory."

The infantryman hesitated but nodded. It took time to get there. She couldn't walk on her own anymore, and he was forced to carry her through the empty corridors, growing more alarmed with every step as her condition worsened and no one appeared to help.

Hojo had no choice.

She was placed into a mako tub, her body barely responsive as the green light enveloped her. She was weak, her cells breaking down even as new ones struggled to take their place. Eloise needed time, and her body was already attempting to replace itself with Jenova's cells.

She wouldn't survive without intervention.

Hojo prepared a transfusion and ordered Sephiroth to be summoned. He was altering her completely. Her DNA would soon mirror Sephiroth's. She would no longer be Zack's sister.

Sephiroth returned to the company amid chaos. Genesis copies flooded the building, their presence tearing through every sector as SOLDIERs fought desperately to contain them. The air was filled with alarms, shouting, and steel striking.

One absence stood out immediately.

Sephiroth went straight to Eloise's room and found it empty. His expression darkened. Either she had gone looking for Genesis, or she had made a far worse mistake.

He moved quickly through the halls, cutting down a copy that lunged at him without slowing. Moments later, Angeal appeared with Zack, entering through a shattered window. There was no time to speak.

They split.

Genesis was heading for Hojo.

Zack was ordered to protect the scientist.

Genesis reached the laboratory with terrifying speed. Hollander wanted Hojo dead, but Genesis had questions first.

"Well, look who's here," Hojo greeted him, utterly unafraid despite the blade pressed to his neck. "Hollander sent you, didn't he? You think obeying him will stop your degradation? Pitiful. Truly pitiful."

Genesis didn't answer.

"A second-rate hack like Hollander couldn't cure a cold," Hojo continued smugly.

Zack burst into the room just in time, and Hojo's smile widened.

Angeal followed close behind.

"Genesis. That's enough."

Genesis glanced at him but did not lower his sword.

"The entire cast of Hollander's freak show," Hojo said, shaking his head. "How delightful."

Genesis turned sharply, something catching his attention from the corner of his eye. He crossed the room in seconds and stopped in front of the mako tub, staring at the figure floating inside.