Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

Don't Want to Let Go

Chapter 35

Sephiroth was still frowning, but he gave her a nod. She tried to settle again, but this time it was much harder. "Ok, I suppose I should start with Jenova and what she really is."

Zack made a noise at that, and Sherry looked over at him. She shook her head at his worried look. "He needs to know. And it would be better that he hear the whole truth from people that care rather than half-truths from people that want to use him."

Zack still looked like he was about to be sick, but he nodded. Sephiroth was caught between looking confused and angry. Sherry quickly continued before he could lose the last of his patience. "The being that Professor Gast dubbed Jenova was actually an alien that crashed into Gaia more than two thousand years ago. The Cetra race called her the Calamity from the Sky or Heaven's Dark Harbinger. She first appeared to them as their dead loved ones. She infected some of them with a deadly virus, the rest she mutated into monsters. The few that remained were able to finally trap her in the northern crater. That was where the Professor found her and dug her up, thinking her remains were those of a Cetra. He didn't realize she was still living, sort of, or what trouble it would bring."

Zack gasped. "That thing's still alive!"

Cloud was glaring and gave his friend a nod, but it was Sephiroth that spoke. Sherry could tell that he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to his questions. She could also tell he already had a good idea of what those answers would be. "What does all this have to do with me?"

Part of her agreed with Zack. She wished Sephiroth never needed to find this out. After everything else, he didn't deserve to have to deal with this, too, but it would be better for him to find out now than at Hojo's whim later. She had to swallow before she could formulate an answer. "Professor Gast headed the Jenova project, but in actuality, both Professors Hojo and Hollander were the ones to implement the two branches. Projects S and G, respectively."

Sephiroth frowned. "S and G as in Sephiroth and Genesis?"

Sherry shook her head. "Not exactly. Project S was codenamed for you, yes, but project G was codenamed for Gillian. She was Hollander's assistant and Angeal's mother. That project gave birth to Genesis and Angeal both."

Sephiroth's jaw clenched. It was several moments before he said anything. "All of us were part of their sick games? None of us are normal?"

It was Sherry's turn to frown. "Sephiroth, do not think for one moment that just because they infused you all with Jenova's cells that you are anything other than human."

His eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Infused us with her cells? We share the genetic material of an alien that tried to destroy an entire race? That is still alive despite being entombed for thousands of years?"

Sherry's frown grew. "Just because you share some of her DNA does not mean you are anything like her. So does Cloud. And Zack, for that matter."

Sephiroth looked at both men with widened eyes. Cloud was glaring at Sherry for the reminder, and Zack was looking away in shame. Sephiroth's voice was low when he finally spoke. "We are all monsters."

Cloud's voice could be heard clearly agreeing with him, but both Sherry and Zack were much louder as they turned to him with glares. "No!"

Sherry was ready to go off on both men for thinking that way, but she could see Zack had something to say. She allowed him the opportunity to get it off his chest. "Seph, monsters don't care, and despite what other people might think, I know you do. I've seen firsthand how much it hurt when you felt betrayed when Genesis defected and Angeal left. I understand why you pushed those missions off on me, even if it hurt like hell. I also saw how much you regretted making me do that once you got to know me. You cared enough to send me back to Midgar when the slums were attacked. Not only that, but you also promised I'd see you again. Those aren't the actions of a monster. Those are the actions of a friend. You're my friend, and I don't want to see you lose it again!"