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The Birth of a Remnant

Chapter I

It was cold in the crater; cold, dark, and wet. Somewhere amid the settling blood and rising steam, a chilled lump of flesh stirred. Too young to kill and too small to leave behind, a remnant had settled upon freshly painted ground. Her hands were small and scarlet from their trek across the blood smattered ground. Above all things, her silver hair shown in the darkness; gleaming like a forgotten moon over the pulverized earth. “Mama?” The little voice fell and was scattered upon the wind. No one bore witness save the memory of what had happened earlier.
“Tseng!” Elena called, her blonde hair tossed from the present battle. The remains of Jenova had only just been contained. It seemed every time the Turks cleaned up a mess, another one spilled from the dust-pan. Amid the blaring roar of chopper-blades and gunfire rose three remnants: Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. They were varying in size but all three possessed power that the forces of Shinra had not seen since the nightmare had been defeated. “Reno, Hurry!” the blonde called impatiently. Her frantic radio call was interrupted by a flesh-impacted gunshot. Blood rushed to the surface and though she desired desperately to clutch the wound screaming out, instead, she lifted her own weapons.
Tseng lay on the ground, bleeding from the side of his head; his leg badly injured. Though he reached out to bid Elena to leave, it was far too late. The situation had spiraled out of control and as the pale figures sauntered forward from the mist, Reno had no choice but to flee the scene carrying the precious cargo they’d come for. Weighted by the guilt of abandonment, the scarlet topped pilot cursed as Elena’s radio-com faded into static and pained grunts.
The thunder of chopper blades disappeared over the horizon leaving the remnants three with a few physical questions to pose to the injured Turks. Kadaj, the shortest of the three, had scruffed Elena by her collar. Offering her a firm shake, he inquired but once. “Where is mother?” She no sooner had opened her mouth to offer a lie when the disgusting slice of metal through flesh rang out. Horrified as pain cried out to every nerve of her abdomen, the heat of blood soaked into her white uniform shirt, through her black jacket, and washed over the twin blade of Kadaj’s Souba. “Hmph. I didn’t think you’d be of any use,” the youngest remnant grunted sadistically. He released Elena’s collar and allowed her to slide from the end of his Souba, tearing her stomach more so as she fell to the ground with a blood-wet flop.
Struggling with his broken leg, Tseng attempted to prevent such carnage. While he believed in Elena’s fighting ability, he prayed for a merciful death if it was upon them. For the moment, it certainly appeared that way. “E- Elena!” he wheezed, reaching out toward the woman who now furiously clutched her abdomen to prevent her insides from spilling out. Another snick of the twin-blade sounded as Kadaj pierced the twin devil through Tseng’s thick shoulder, pinning him to the earth.
“You weren’t thinking of leaving us without saying goodbye, were you?” Kadaj mocked.
“Hmph! How rude,” Yazoo added; a likewise sadistic grin flowering to his pretty petals.
Impatiently, Loz strode forward, his black armor having only just fully materialized over his frame. “Enough with this! Where is mother!?” His question had been barked so loudly, a furious spray of saliva smattered over Tseng’s face. Thrusting his fist forward, he armed his dual hound and slammed it into Tseng’s ribcage just beneath his sternum. A brittle crackle announced a pair of ribs as they shattered and as Loz deployed an electric jolt through the Turk’s body, Tseng’s pupils contracted upon his co-worker.
“….E- Elena… run away…” Tseng groaned incoherently. A thick wave of blood rolled down his chin. Elena gurgled uselessly for the moment, clutching her stomach furiously.
“Tseng… you’re going to make it…. We’re going to make it… don’t give up,” Elena called weakly.
The lifestream. That’s what we call the river of life that circles our planet, giving life to the world and everything in it. The Shinra Electric Power Company discovered a way to use the Lifestream as an energy source. Because of Shinra’s energy, we were able to live very comfortable lives. But wasn’t that because we were taking away from the planet’s life? A lot of people thought so. *1
Mama? A small child cried out, burning out quickly like wind-blown ember. Stripped from her body, the toddler had slumped in her mother’s arms only moments prior… a toxic black waste seeping from back leaving a haunting stain on the blanket her distressed family would carry with them until they could one-day rejoin their lost Hinoda. The fading warmth of her mother’s tear stained face blurred to a healing wisp of green. Detached from her body, the child drifted nearer to the life stream where a gentle voice beckoned her.
Hinoda? Hinoda… are you ready to come home? The gentle woman called
Mama… Mama… she called uselessly.
Bearing over the top of the gentle call of homeward bound was the mark that had attached itself to her. Floating like toxic spores amid the lifestream, remnant memories of Sephiroth lingered: separated from stigma roiled children who had gone on to join the life stream. While those children had found peace, Hinoda would not find her peace that day. No mother lay waiting for her on the other side. Instead, she ran head-long into a lie; one that was sewn so cleverly, it had evaded the watchful suspicion of Shinra.
“Mother is not here,” the voice called. “The planet has taken her from you; and you from her.”
Mama…
“Are you angry? Do you want to take revenge on this world?” The voice poured out like warm velvet. Amid the sterile surround of unfamiliar voices and laughter of freed souls, the darkness had been the only thing that spoke of her mother.
Mama…
It was the only thing she’d ever known since she’d come into existence; that and the pain that Geostigma brought.
“Come then. Let us have our way with this planet and all who defend its wicked greed…” Though the voice intended to trick the child into being stripped of Jenova’s legacy that had piggybacked its way into the lifestream, the girl responded as well. How was she to know the voice was not speaking of the mother from her past? Most children never heard the quiet call of evil beyond the life stream… but most children weren’t as devoted to their parents as young Hinoda. Though disembodied, the remnant nightmare and innocence of child reached for each other. Though the darkness wished only to touch the dark legacy and absorb it, the child stretched out and touched the legacy of darkness. Whatever thread suspended the remnant horror and the child snapped, and though they had been coursing through the planet, the tainted merge forced the pair to slip from the comfort of death and plummet head-long toward the last words Hinoda’s mother had said: Don’t give up…

“Now, Loz. Don’t be so impetuous,” Yazoo scolded, a sneer of disgust rippling over his smooth façade. “If you break this one before he talks…” Canting his head toward Kadaj, he allowed the leader to conclude the afterthought.
“I’d have to break you. We can’t find mother unless someone talks,” Kadaj seethed. Kadaj offered Tseng’s rib an offending kick forcing another eruption of blood to spew from his tensely drawn lips. “I’ve got to commend Shinra for this though,” Kadaj began earning a bewildered gawk from Tseng. Had they gotten their hands on Jenova already?! Impossible! “…you Turks live through just about anything,” he laughed sardonically. Irony was on its way. While his derision had been intended to give Loz permission to continue breaking what he pleased, it earned him a foreign response.
“We do live through a lot…” The mysterious voice came from a scarlet shroud which seemed to float over the edge of the Northern Crater like a blood-bearing cloud. Before Kadaj could fully turn around to behold the speaker, Valentine rushed downward in a blaze of gunfire. Bullets danced and ricocheted and though the remnant trio fired diligently into the armed cowl. Curses and injured groans mingled with the steam of the crater and when the dust had settled, the remnant Trio had fled with the injured Turks, leaving Vincent to follow suit. Where were they headed? In the end: the Forgotten City; a place that did not yet concern the deformed remnant.
Floating downward like a dirty feather, the black and green ember rested in the discarded ooze left behind by Shinra’s disastrous mission. Bathed in the blood of Tseng, Elena, and the discarded fluids from Jenova, a frail figure took shape. Lifting her head of heavy silver hair, she gazed up to the unforgiving moon. Two voices came from the freshly formed body, but one was subdued and quiet.
“Mama?”
Mother!



*1: FFVII Recap. Marlene’s quote from Advent Children. (c) 1997 SQUARE ENIX CO.

Stretched up like a dead limb, the child’s hopes remained unanswered. Fading like the bright colors of autumn, the deep tie to darkness dissolved along with her chain to humanity. No longer a child and not quite a nightmare, the ember settled into existence with no name, no help, and no idea of what her purpose was. For several long hours she lay amid the smatter of blood and toxic ooze, but no one answered her cries. Eventually, she ceased calling and resigned herself to the earth. Why would she have been called away from life only to be brought back and called away again? What more misery was in store?
A mission for one placed him over the smoldering crater once again. Having rushed the prize back to President Shinra, it rested securely with Rude and Rufus. Now, hovering like a vulture, he searched for signs of life, remains, or anything that might lead to his fallen comrades: Tseng and Elena. The fog, too thick to see through, forced Reno to land precariously and though he’d shown his spotlight down, the nature of the crater made it necessary to investigate on foot. What sort of nasties had he to sift through to get to the crime scene? There were none. Tseng and Elena had done a fantastic job of cleaning out the area before they’d excavated the treasure that may well have cost them their lives. The scarlet haired turk was generally quite fond of red; but in stepping lightly, the evidence of Tseng and Elena left in crimson was an ugly thing. “s**t…” he cursed before calling out near desperately. “Elena?! …Tseng?!” Rather than the confident or injured replies of his comrades, he heard something akin to the bleating of a small animal. “Elena?!” he repeated, hurrying toward the noise.
The pile of child greeted him obscenely. Sprawled out in teenage physique was a white haired beauty. Face down in the muck, he might have confused the tussled girl for a boy and yet she was too slight. Given the peculiar silver shade of her hair, the turk lowered his hand to his stun baton and hesitantly approached. “Oi, kid? I’m coming over. Let me know if you’re alive…” The child didn’t respond. The closer Reno got, the more he saw that the lump of remnant in question was more child than evil. Squatting beside the filthy frame, he hesitated a moment. Turning her over was a bit… socially awkward. The little one beside him was female and he was… well…. Not!
The quiet groan of his uniform zipper sounded and with some grace, he covered the girl up and turned her over onto her back. The jacket was just large enough to hang beneath her seat. Upon zipping the runt up, he lifted her from the mire. “Come on, kid. Give us a grunt, a groan, one of those mouse squeaks all –“
“Uhn,” the girl whimpered, squirming in his grip. Though she was supported wholly, she felt as though she weighed more than a sack of wet sand and certainly hung in the turk’s arms like one.
“Yeah! Like that,” Reno concluded, a smile perking up as he hauled the limp girl to the chopper. It wasn’t exactly in his mission to bring back a half-dead remnant child… but it wasn’t exactly against his mission to save a life either. Tseng and Elena might not have been present, but if he could save one life the trip wouldn’t have been a complete waste. “What’s your name kid? Where’s yer folks? How’d you get here?” asked Reno. The girl winced and turned her filthy face against the clean white of the Turk’s dress-shirt, leaving a ghastly smear of muddy dirt.
Reno promptly groaned upon seeing the smear. “Ugk. This is why I tell Tseng dress codes are useless. We should be wearing trash-bags zo-to. We can just step under the hose when we’re done…. Although that wouldn’t be very stylish,” he grunted as he stepped up onto the helicopter platform. Seating the runt awkwardly, he secured her the best he could. The girl, upon being introduced to the hard seat, slumped with a groan. “Don’t worry kiddo. We’ll get you fixed up soon, zo-to!” Once he’d uncapped an unsightly bottle of potion in the emergency reserves, he pressed it to the twerp’s lips and tipped the canister up. “Drink up! ‘Can’t promise the flavor since these are emergency rations, but it’ll make you feel a lot better,” the Turk cooed as the child struggled to swallow the potion.
“Mama?” The girl weakly croaked as she turned her cat-like eyes to the Turk for the first time.
Reno beamed down at her with a chuckle. “Sure, kid. I’ll be whatever you want as long as you don’t die or barf in the helicopter. Hold on!” he grunted as he slid the door shut and leapt into the cockpit seat. The chopper rocked as it lifted from its awkward perch, forcing the poor pup to whimper, squirming within the safety-belts Reno’d strapped her in with.
“…Who?” The child asked awkwardly. Her voice was nearly drowned out over the loud sounds of the chopper. Fortunately, Reno was used to straining his ears to listen to quiet voices such as Rufus and Tseng.
“Reno of the Turks. You’re in good hands, princess,” he crowed, taking the return-flight at a slow pace. “Who’re you?” he inquired.
The girl frowned and fell silent. That was a good question. Just who was she? The only thing she could remember was being very ill next to a woman she called Mama. The rest of the details were so blurry she couldn’t make them out. “I… I can’t remember,” she whimpered.
Reno returned the silence for a moment before forcing a playboy grin. “Ah, that’s okay. Princess is a good name for now,” he praised, flipping the radio switch back on only to find that Cissnei had been attempting to ring him for a good half hour!
“Reno, damn it all! Turn your radio back on! The boss wants to know if you’ve found anything!” Cissnei screeched all the while interrupted by crackles of static.
“Aww, were you worried, baby?” Reno replied with a waggle of his brows that Cissnei was very fortunate not to see.
“Zip it, you blown tire, or the boss’ll blow you.”
“Easy, Cissnei. I’ve got little ears on board.” Reno cautioned. “You can tell the boss I ain’t into him like that—not even for a raise, zo-to.”
Cissnei groaned. “Did you find Tseng and Elena or not? I’m calling to inquire about them, not your sex-life!”
“What part of little-ears do you not understand?!” Reno mumbled a few unpleasant choice words of his own before continuing. “Tseng and Elena are a no-show… but their blood is everywhere. We can only hope that they’re still alive somewhere. Prep the med staff. I found a kid at the crater…”
“A kid? Hang on, Shinra’s all about fixing our mess, but do you really think—“
Cissnei’s concerns for the company were cut short as Reno flipped off the radio switch. There was a good reason he turned it off now and then. If they /really/ needed him, they tended to call his cellular. Such behavior often earned him significant pay-docks from day-to-day, but Reno didn’t seem to mind. It was his confident and quirky personality that had gotten him as far as he was today. Beneath his outward annoyance, the President, and every other Turk, appreciated Reno one way or another.
The poor runt whimpered as she was jostled roughly by the helicopter ride. Military men were designed to ride these things but children? It wasn’t as pleasant as sailing on a swan boat. “R… Reno?” the child called weakly.
“Yeah, Princess?” he called as he navigated around another of Shinra’s choppers. A lucky pair of infantry men were learning to how to pilot the helicopter. The pair seemed to be having a blast. The, on the other hand, instructor looked terrified. “Heh… lucky bastards,” Reno mumbled to himself.
“Where… Where are we?” the child inquired, squirming awkwardly.
“We’re high up ‘n’ headed for the same. Gonna check you into the medical facilities and get you back on your feet. Then we’ll see about your folks or at least checkin’ you into a shelter, zo-to.” Reno’s reply was relaxed and yet, he still wasn’t sure how he was going to justify the waste of company resources on what could well have been another ratty orphan riddled with stigma-related illness.
“I don’t… want to…. Go to a hospital,” the girl whimpered uselessly.
Reno cringed, dreading that the remainder of the trip might be filled with shrill screams of protest. “Uh… Think of it as a spa, not a doc’s cubicle, right? I’d say it’s what I do… but…” Reno trailed. Predictably, the child began to struggle a bit more against her restraints and her whimpers grew louder and louder; stronger and stronger. While it comforted Reno to know that the kid was feeling a little better, it troubled him to know that the kid was perhaps well enough that the medical help might have refused to see her.
A small crowd gathered beside the launch pad. Once Reno began to lower the aircraft, the medical crew readied the stretcher. Before the landing gear had fully touched down, a pair of medics had torn open the sliding door, startling the little runt. “Oi, oi!” Reno snarled as he geared down the chopper. “Knock it off! You’re scaring her. You can’t just manhandle her like a SOLDIER. She’s a friggin’ kid!” Waving the medic back, Reno unbuckled himself and crouched in front of the child once more. Unbuckling the safety belts, Reno noticed a rather embarrassing puddle soaking into the seat of his uniform jacket. The little twerp had made a sticky situation stickier. “You shoulda told me,” Reno grunted as he lifted the wet shrimp into his grip and hopped down from the chopper. Almost immediately, the medical staff began prying the child away from the concerned Turk. This time, however, he did not fight the staff. Cringing, he leaned back as they insisted the child down atop the stretcher cart and began wheeling her away.
“Reno? Reno!! Don’t – Reno, I don’t wanna go with them!” the child cried as the staff held her down to the bed.
“You’ll be okay, Princess. You just tell me if they do ya wrong. I’ll get ‘em fired, yo!” he called, cringing as a pair of lower turks motioned him into the building. Could Reno really get medical personal fired? Possibly, but it wasn’t likely. He didn’t have the heart to get folk fired, much less fire them himself. Where was Reno being carted? Into the debriefing room to explain all that had happened, what was found, and more importantly what was not found.