Rebirth

Chapter 7 - The Preparation

Kadj knew Cloud was coming for him. For the children. It was just what he wanted.
Things were falling into place despite Loz jumping the gun in the church.

"That idiot!" he said to himself, as he looked over at his brother. Loz was standing over
the opened chest he had brought back from the church smiling down at its contents. The
thing was full of materia.

"Let me go!" whined the girl, squirming under Loz's grasp.

"Oh shut up, you little whelp," growled Yazoo.

"Hey, leave the kid alone" said Loz. He immediately regretted saying it when he caught
sight of the smirk on his brother's face.

"Your getting soft Loz," replied Yazoo with a chuckle. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Loz growled back at him.

Kadj walked over to his two brothers and picked up one of the materia balls. It glowed
softly in his hand. He could feel its heat through his gloved hand as it pulsated in his
palm.

"He's coming." Kadj turned to address Loz. "You know what to do? Yazoo and I will
keep him busy while you get the girl."

"This time, don't fuck it up. We need her alive and unharmed. Remember, she is
carrying precious cargo."

Loz chuckled at that. "I want to see his face when he realizes we have her and his child."

"It's not his child!" snapped Kadj. Loz looked quickly at his brother's face. He could be
dangerous when provoked.

"All the same, I wish I could see his face when he realizes what he has done," replied
Loz.

"We'll take pictures, now get going!" snapped Yazoo. "He'll be here soon."

Loz pushed Marlene back on her rump and she fell with a yelp to the ground.

"If you know what's good for you, you will stay here and be quiet. Your friend will be
here soon," Loz said over his shoulder as he walked towards his bike.

He started the engine and disappeared into the black night.

"We have to prepare the others," Kadj said quietly to Yazoo.

He looked down at the ball of materia still in his hand. He extended his free arm and
pushed the materia into his bicep. His arm took on the ball's glow as he felt a rush of
power pulse through his body. He chuckled at Yazoo as he watched his brother do the
same. Now they were ready for Cloud.

Kadj turned to face the children standing on the opposite side of the pool and threw his
arms into the air above his head and addressed the group.

"I was gifted with a unique strength from Mother," Kadj's voice boomed across the
glade. Strength to fight against this planet. This planet that torments human beings with
a disease. Geostigma!"

As he said the word, the children turned to look at him. His form was glowing silver
white and his voice reverberated around the small glade in which they now stood.

"You all know what that is, don't you? I'll tell you a secret, shall I?" he paused,
watching the effect his words were having on the children. "Every one of you has this
strength because we are all brothers and sisters. We were all chosen for this gift because
we have inherited Mother's genetic imprint from the Lifesteam."

Kadj could feel the children focus on his words and became bolder. They were so easy to
manipulate!

"But this planet is trying to stop us. Trying to stop our growth and prevent our joining
with our Mother. That is why your body is in pain and your heart is heavy. But I can
cure it and we can join our Mother and fight this planet!"

He walked to the edge of the pool and stopped. He looked up at the children to gauge
their reaction. They were ready.

"Follow me," he growled as he walked into the pool up to his waist. The clear water
swirling around him, becoming stained with something dark that spread through the rest
of the pool. He cupped his hands and dipped them into the water. Bringing his hands up
to his mouth, he drank deeply.

The children watched as this strange man drank the inky waters around him. They so
wanted to believe he could cure the pain they felt, the loneliness and the abandonment.
They wanted and needed a family to belong to. Could he really take them to their
Mother?

Denzel watched Kadj intently. He was transfixed on the man, on his words. All thoughts
of Tifa were swept away when he saw Kadj drink from the pool of water. He took a few
tentative steps towards the edge of the pool, took a deep breath and waded in up to his
waist. As he did, he was aware of some of the other children following him into the
water.

"Denzel!" Marlene saw her friend standing in the pool and understood what was
happening. She too had felt the pull of Kadj's words, but as she had a family that loved
her and no Geostigma, she knew this was not for her.

"Denzel, don't!" she cried.

Denzel didn't hear Marlene. He caught some of the pool water in his hands and raised
them to his lips. He paused for a second when Tifa's face flashed in front of his eyes, but
then she was gone, leaving only the emptiness. He drank the water in, letting it slip down
his throat. The genetic code contained in the Lifestream waters had found its mark. It
entwined itself around his psyche, stripping him of all sense of who he was and leaving
him an empty vessel. He looked up at Kadj with strangely changed eyes.

Kadj smiled. It was done.