Switched

Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 21

The next morning, Mr. Holzoff helped each of them add additional things to their packs, including a basic shelter for if they had to stay. That was split between them. Even Genesis had on the extra coat and the thicker gloves. He didn't look happy about it, but he kept it to himself.

Once they had everything packed up, their host went through a few last-minute tips on how to tackle the glacier and the best paths. Once they had it down they each gave him thanks as they left. Once they were all gone he continued to look at the door for several moments. As strange as he felt even thinking it, he really hoped to see them all again in a couple of days. The alternative was too horrible to think about.

He finally managed to shake his morbid thoughts and headed to the simple telegraph he had. It was the only thing that worked reliably up in this portion of the world, even if it was outdated. He pulled two sets of ID tags out and got to work. He knew it was going to take him some time to finally manage to get through to who he needed.

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None of the three Firsts paid any attention to the passing of time as they continued to climb. The only thing that mattered was that they make it to the next plateau before they froze and that they made it to the top before the sun set. They hadn't realized that there was even more to go through once they were at the top of the glacier, but at least they were prepared. They knew there was no telling how close they would have to get to examine the barrier if they even could.

It was late afternoon when they finally reached the caves Mr. Holzoff had mentioned. They took a moment to look for the best place to camp, as they knew they would have to. Once they picked a spot further in and better sheltered from the bitter winds outside, they moved to follow the twisted trail out the other side.

When they exited they looked down the slope to see a completely opaque dome that covered much of the center of the crater they were standing on the edge of. Sephiroth had vague memories of this place and knew that what they could see was only the smallest portion. There were still many twisting caves under that dome as well. Although she couldn't say if they were still the same as what they had been told since there had been several shake-ups since Cloud and his group made the descent. She had no recollection of what they had been like either.

They didn't take long to contemplate their path before they headed down. There was a lot of climbing down one platform and back up another. Although they were not truly exerting themselves, the extra movement still served to keep them warm.

They were still a quarter-mile away from the edge of the dome when they stopped. They weren't sure how safe it would be to get any closer. Their contemplation was brought to a halt when the dome started to develop ripples on the surface near the ground. They all instantly pulled out their weapons when three large winged figures exited the dome and started toward them. They didn't wait for them to arrive. If they were going to be forced into a confrontation, they were going to do it head-on and not running away.

Both parties stopped several feet from each other. Although the three Firsts were tensed and ready for a battle if it broke out, the three aliens stood there staring with frowns. Sephiroth did note, that two of the three were ones he had not seen yet. That didn't mean much but it gave her hope that the four they had previously encountered had been telling the truth.

After several tense moments, the male that claimed to be Jenova's mate stepped forward. "I see you bring yet another child and still the murderer cowers elsewhere."