Mad Hatter

Time of Dying

Back with Genesis...Upon arriving at Deepground...Genesis POV

I back further against the wall of the room that I had been forced into upon my arrival here as Nero and Weiss look on in worry before scowling at Scarlet. "So I am to be at your mercy?" I ask her in a mocking tone of voice with narrowed eyes.

She laughs at my tone before saying, "So we finally have the elusive Genesis. You've certainly caused us a lot of trouble finding you. I hope you find your stay to be pleasurable." Seemingly unbothered by my words.

"The pleasure will be all yours I'm sure." I say to her sarcastically with a low growl before the doors to the room close and trap me inside, though I can still hear her speaking due to my enhanced senses.

"Just think of what marvels his autopsy will reveal. But right now...a little fun first." I hear her say before I see a warning flash: Pain Sensation: Max.

She laughs once more and I angrily snarl, "I'll take you all out with me!" Before the simulation chamber becomes active and I'm attacked by the simulations it creates as I hear Scarlet leave while laughing.

"Big brother! Can you hear us in there?! We're going to find a way to get you out of there! Is there anyone that you can think of who can help? We're limited in what we ourselves can do, but Chadley can leave to go get help!" I hear Weiss yell at me from outside the Chamber.

"Have him find Sephiroth, please!" I call back as Nero uses his darkness to get into the chamber to help me fight off the simulations. Even if getting me out would put Weiss at risk, he could still do this much to help me.

"Don't worry, Genesis, sir! I'll find him as quickly as I can! Just try to hold out in there! The longest the Chamber can operate without a break is 18 hours, so a Cooldown period is required." Chadley yells out to me before I hear him leave to do as he told me he would.

"Damn it all to Hell! We never should've brought you back here!" I hear Weiss sob in distress from the other side of the door as the next wave of enemies appears before attacking.

"Weiss...It'll be fine!" I assure him, hoping to reassure both of my brothers. 'Please, Chadley. Find Seph soon.' I think to myself, hoping the AI would find my beloved quickly.

My eyes widen in shock as Nero is thrown back shortly after the seventh hour of my torture session and I look up in shock at the simulation striding towards us, seven-foot long katana in his gloved left hand as a cocky smirk graces his pale bow lips and a predatory gleam shines in his catlike, jade green eyes.

"Sephiroth..." I can't stop myself from saying in distress as the simulation pauses its movements to assess me upon hearing my voice and seeing me as I move to protect Nero from further attacks before tensing as a new simulation forms in front of us before it takes a defensive stance.

Is that a Weiss simulation? "Don't worry, I'm on your side, brothers." He assures us as the Sephiroth digital copy growls at the interference.

"Step away from what's mine." It says to the Weiss replica in a surprisingly possessive tone before glancing towards me with the same possessiveness present in its catlike jade green mako bright eyes.

"I won't let you hurt him. No, either of them." Digital Weiss growls back at him while drawing his gunblades.

"I don't plan on it. I won't hurt the one person the real me still has left." He responds to him with a pained expression crossing his face.

"I'm afraid that due to your programming I can't simply trust your statement. Chadley programmed me, whereas Hojo programmed you." Digital Weiss says to the Digital Sephiroth who sighs in resignation.

"I can't fault your logic, but...I don't want to hurt Genesis...especially not after being forced to watch my Genesis be deleted right in front of me..." He says to him somberly, a single tear forming before running down his face.

"But you still have no choice but to fight, you haven't lowered your sword even though you clearly want to." I point out to him sadly and he nods sadly at my words.

"I'll hold back as much as I can. But still, please be careful." He says to me and I nod while readying Rapier as I prepare to fight alongside my brothers against a digital copy of my lover.

"Forgive me, Seph." I find myself saying to him with a frown.

"Don't apologize, just come at me with everything you've got. If you win, you'll probably force the Chamber into an early cooldown period." He tells me before letting my brothers and I attack him after activating the ancient runes engraved on Rapier's blade.

Nero fires both of his guns rapidly while Weiss covers my charge at the Digital Sephiroth who lets me attack him as he smiles sadly at me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be continued...