ten_fwd | It's Not Unlike the Company Training Room

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It's Not Unlike the Company Training Room

Genesis didn't quite remember how she found out about the holodeck, but when she did, she was very excited to try this out. It would also help her get her mind off things and help her practice again. She hadn't been able to sleep well, nothing about the ship or her situation, really. She just wasn't used to sleeping due to the constant pain she had been in. She was waking up a lot throughout the night, expecting it to strike and this healing from the Goddess to have been a trick of her mind.

Not to mention it was nice not having to be on the run all the time from ShinRa. Now, if only Angeal were here. If only he could see her now, she was a SOLDIER again. Maybe even Sephiroth could see her, if he wasn't still mad at her.

It had been a long time since she felt healthy. Like she wasn't about to fall apart at the seams. She had been dying for four years, degradation slowly taking her as her skin turned ashen, cracking like porcelain. She was still fairly thin, something her clothes hid well for the moment. But her hair wasn't thin anymore but back to its healthy shade and fullness.

Genesis shook her head, ridding her mind of thoughts of the past and focused on the present. Namely, the various monsters she was destroying with her crimson blade. Her body was still recovering, but her skills remained the same. She fought primarily with her sword but she always used magic to help as well. Even with the enhancements, it was pretty obviously her strength would never overcome Sephiroth's or Angeal's, so she focused her skills elsewhere. Namely her speed and agility and rather unique talent with materia. However, she wasn't sure if it was her health or something else going on right now as she fired off another Firaga spell at the Zolom. She felt even more tired than usual, every spell she cast weakening her further.

That didn't normally happen, not that fast anyway.

It finally plateaued as she stumbled due to dizziness, the tail of the zolom catching her about her middle. She hit the ground and rolled, wincing in pain and keeping her shaking hand tight on her sword. Well, shit, now what was she suppose to do? She was out of magic at this point and it drained at her own energy, why? Quickly, she pulled out a blue bottle, downing the liquid and using the little energy it gave her to behead the reptile in one swing of her sword. She forced the program to quit, leaving her in the middle of the black and yellow room, panting hard and shaking with exhaustion. Was it... was it because she wasn't on Gaia anymore? Materia used the Lifestream's wisdom to grant humans the power of magic, but without it... was the only other source herself?

"Great..."

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Billy was excited to return and further test the Holodeck's capabilities. When he thought there would be a spare moment, he stepped in---only to find a woman looking about ready to collapse.

He hurried over, concern written all over his face. "Do you need a doctor, miss?"

Genesis hadn't expected anyone to come in right now. She jumped a bit, turning to see someone about Zack's age hurry over and worry about her. She wasn't used to strangers doing that and she probably had that type of look on her face for the briefest of moment before hiding it with a sigh and a slight scowl. "I'm fine. I was training, that's all."

She took a step forward to move around him but her knees buckled and she fell with a rather undignified sound. "...or not."

Gods damn it.

"You were training or not, or you're fine or not?"

Billy's hesitant to touch someone without asking, so he stops at standing nearby and gently offering his hand if it's needed.

"The simulator can be intense, but I'm surprised it took things that far."

"It didn't," Genesis murmured, pushing herself back up. She was still shaky, but she had a history of keeping things to herself. "Overestimated myself. Material isn't working the way it normally does and gave me a bit more fatigue than I anticipated."

Genesis groaned and stretched. "I'll be fine. Have another potion. Who are you?"

Billy frowns---that is indeed a big problem. "A doctor might be able to help you figure out why, but take your time."

He extends his hand just the slightest bit forward, uncertain about how she wants to proceed. "My name's Billy. I'm another of the stranded passengers. And you are?"

"No one is from Gaia, they don't know what Materia is," Genesis scoffed, ignoring his hand. She groaned, her limbs already feeling sore. She needed some food, really. And some rest. "It uses the Planet's Lifestream to help grant me magic. On a spaceship, I don't exactly see the Lifestream, now do I?"

She sighed, her sword losing the fiery glow.

"So now I'm the conduit. I'm Genesis."

"So you draw your magic from your home planet, but without that it draws from the most similar source---you."

Billy briefly worries that his powers might show strain in the same way, be he can address that later.

"Well, Genesis, maybe some rest and refueling will help. I know the holodeck can create comfortable surfaces, but I'm not sure how it is with food."

"You catch on fast," She replied. "Is there magic on your Planet?"

Of course rest and refueling will help. She gives him a look that said as much. "I don't want something not real. I'd rather actually eat real food." Whatever she could keep down. She slipped off her jacket, feeling far too hot in it now. She draped it over his arm and dug into the pockets for another potion, the bottle help bright blue liquid. She drained it in a few gulps. "Better."

For now. Without her jacket, she felt a little on in just her knitted sleeveless shirt and red gloves. But to keep it casual for now, she shrugged off her suspenders, the thick belt staying in place due to her hips. "Where are you from?"

"It's not native to my society, no," Billy says, politely averting his eyes when she decides to cool down. "I'm from Earth, a society where humans function with new technology all the time. But there's been an alien invasion involving sorcery, and a new team of heroes to stop it that may be wielding magic."

He shifts from foot to foot. "You said those were potions? We don't have those at home either---only in stories. And in certain homeopathic communities."

Edited 2014-06-20 01:54 (UTC)

Another from Earth? Just how many of them were there? Earth was pretty popular, it seemed. Which meant it was unlikely anyone else from Gaia would appear. She sighed with a shrug. "Our magic is from the Planet itself. Although we do have rising technology too. It just all depends on ShinRa, really."

She nodded at his question. "Yes. The blue ones are to replenish your energy and heal any wounds you may have, but it's not a miracle worker, it's only so strong. The blue ones help with basic wounds, cuts and bruises and maybe one or two broken bones. Green deals with a bit more damage but honestly, no one uses them a lot. Our bodies could get used to it so it's only for when you really need it. Ethers, which is a yellow potion, helps replenish magic but with the way my magic is being used, I would only be wasting what little I have."

Billy takes this all in, though he still seems worried when he finally braves looking at her again. "When you cast, is that energy gone from you forever, or will it eventually refill on its own?"

He really doesn't want to see anyone dropping dead.

"Refill on its own, I imagine," She replied. "Even on Gaia, it still drained you if you cast too much at one time."

Genesis thought it was logical, anyway.

Billy nodded along, watching her with wonder. "So what all can you do with magic?"

It's still something he doesn't know well, and...it's always good to know more.

Genesis paused for a moment, seriously wondering if this boy was serious. People didn't generally go to her for pointers on magic. Not that no one used the things, ShinRa could manufacture materia as well so it's not like they were rare. But the other SOLDIERs only seemed to use them simply for buffs or simply cures, preferring to just charge in.

Which wasn't a bad tactic either, to be fair. But Genesis rather liked her own way of fighting, which was a combination of both.

"Well, it depends on the materia you're using," She replied finally, picking up her sword, she pointed to the orb in the hilt. It was purple in color and about the size of a marble. "This allows me to enhance the sword with fire and be able to cast Fire. I had it melded specifically to Rapier for this reason. Most materia is slotted, like so."

She put her sword away to show him the bracelet she had, it was thick and held several materia, a majority green. She pulled one out. "Linking two together can enhance them as well, mine has several linked together. Weapons can be enhanced much the same, but I had mine melded to not only stay in, but to cast a new spell. Each materia has a different function. This purple one is called Mega-All and it allows me to cast any number of spells onto about three to four targets at once. It's perfect for when you want to cast Protect or Shell on your group in a short amount of time. I keep mostly offensive spells too, like Ice, Lightning, Earth or buff and debuffs like Shield and Time magic, though they have a time limit."

Billy observed with rapt attention---wow. It was truly innovative. Almost like outfitting one of his power tools with specific blades for every project, but far more flashy.

"Does everyone on your planet wield magic that way, or is it a rare skill?"

"Everyone can, but not everyone does," Genesis answered. "You have to have materia and it's not readily available to everyone."

Some of it was just damn expensive, but Genesis had gotten hers through the missions she had been on. She preferred the naturally made materia.

"Then what decides who obtains it? Is it expensive?"

He wonders, because a world with such a disparity of power sounds interesting, but also depressing.

"Well, it's expensive," She replied. "I got mine through the various missions I've been on. These are naturally made materia found at mako springs. ShinRa has been manufacturing them, so the cost of them is starting to decline but there just isn't much of a need for everyone to have them."

She shook her head with a shrug. "Not everyone wants it. Materia is good in battle or if you travel a lot, as there are monsters much like the one you saw on my world. But if you stay at home a lot and don't go far from your town, you generally just don't have a need for them."

"Right. So only some people need to fight..."

Billy sometimes wished he didn't need to fight. In some ways, he was happier merely inventing in the garage. But battling gave him a purpose and importance, as well as that wonderful feeling of helping others. So he fought on.

"To be honest, if I was there I'd be desperate to try it out," he laughed. "I'd love to see all the different applications of magic. But I guess it's not so special if you've lived with it all your life, right?"

Steve's generally a pretty polite guy. Some people would even call him charming, though his partner will dissuade them of that opinion pretty quick if she's in earshot. He usually holds doors for people, and knocks before entering, but he's still getting used to being on a spaceship with so many rooms and no obvious way of telling when one is occupied. Hopefully Genesis can forgive the intrusion.

He kneels down beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. He came in just before she beheaded that, uh, thing, ready to wrestle it away from her if needed, but she was quicker than he was. Good thing, too. He almost forgot it was all just a simulation.

"Are you OK, ma'am?" he asks, brow furrowed with concern. "Do you need to get to the hospital?"

Genesis doesn't necessarily mind the intrusion, actually. Although his hand on her shoulder did make her jump a bit, which only heightened her dizziness and she stumbled to her knees with a rather undignified sound. "I'm fine," She panted. She had a few more potions left, although she wasn't sure she wanted to use it so soon. "No, hospital."

His hand becomes a little firmer, bracing her when she stumbles, offering her something steady to lean on. He drops to his knee with her, keeping his focus on her face.

"Are you sure?" he asks, not pointing out that she really doesn't look fine. He can respect her right to refuse help and her need to maintain dignity, because he's been in her shoes more times than he can count. Always the scrawny kid, picking fights and getting his ass handed to him. She's a skilled fighter, but she's thin and pale, and Steve can see a lot of himself in her. "Is your vision clear? Do you need some water? I can bring you a glass."

"Yes, I'm sure, yes, it's clear, no I don't need water. What I need-!" She replied irritably, attempting to shove him away but she was just too shaking and tired to even do much. She sighed, still panting a bit but she was regaining her breath. She dropped her sword and slouched. "What I need is to get better again..."

Genesis rested her hand against the SOLDIER belt.

"A SOLDIER, 1st Class would have defeated that thing in seconds. I would have defeated it in seconds and it took a lot more than that now and-"

She wasn't. Genesis sighed again.

Steve doesn't let go of her because he doesn't want her to lose her balance, but he does hold out his free hand, palm flat, like he's showing her he means no harm. He won't push.

"Soldier, First Class, huh?" he repeats, eyeing her belt. "I'm Captain Steve Rogers. Back home they call me a super soldier."

He isn't sure that will be enough to make her trust him, but at the very least he'll respect her title and her own means of healing herself. Still, he thinks she could use some food and water. "Maybe you need to take it easy, rest for a bit. The skill is there, but your body looks weak. What do you need to get better?"

She looked at his free hand before back up at him. "Do they now? Sounds familiar. I'm Commander Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER, 1st Class is my rank. There's only four of us who are and we, too, are called Super Soldiers. All SOLDIERs are, really, from 3rd Class to 1st. How strong you are depends on the rank, of course."

Genesis isn't sure she could trust him, no, but what he was doing went a long way with her. He was also a bit like her, in terms of what he was. But he clearly had no qualms about what he was while she did. She wasn't just a 1st Class, after all. Just an experiment, a failed project.

"...I don't know," She admitted softly, reaching up to swipe at the perspiration on her upper lip, sighing softly. "I was... dying, before I arrived here. I think I was healed from my... affliction since the doctors found no anomalies aside from what makes me a SOLDIER but now I just feel... I don't know. Unhealthy, I guess. In other ways. I was never this thin before and my materia is using me as a conduit instead of the Planet for me to use magic, so I just tired myself out a lot easier than before and... sorry, I don't mean to bore you with all this."

She didn't mean to start thinking out loud, really.

He nods along as she speaks, carefully filing the information away. It's looking like there are a number of super soldiers on-board of various backgrounds and circumstances. That could be a good thing, or it could easily be a recipe for disaster. First Class, he figures, means she can do some real damage when she's at her best.

"Nice to meet you, Commander Rhapsodos," he says, always polite to start. "No, it's no trouble. It sounds pretty interesting, actually. Materia, what is that?"

He doesn't comment outright on her health again, but he is taking notice of all her physical tells. She's likely not human, which means he has no way of knowing how she'd react if he badgered her. Now's not the right time to find out.

Genesis waved off the title, she wasn't even sure why she told him that. She wasn't with ShinRa anymore. "Just call me Genesis," She muttered, finally deciding to pick herself back up. Since he was still holding her hand, she used him as leverage. "Not exactly a commander when you've left."

Once standing, she showed him her bracelet that held several slotted marble like spheres within. Most were green, one purple. "That's materia. It's how I can cast magic. To use magic, you basically have to call upon the Lifestream to grant you the wisdom to use it. It sounds much more complicated than it is, though. Essentially, the Planet is helping you cast the spell. I'm not exactly on Gaia right now, so it's taking the nearest source. Myself."

After all, she was given life through the Lifestream, as was all life on Gaia.

He's happy to be a support for as long as she needs one, taking careful notice of how she moves when she rises to seek out any injuries she might be trying to hide. His brow wrinkles when she tells him she left, but he doesn't say anything. As an army man himself, he figures her reasons for giving up her title are personal, and should only be shared voluntarily.

"Magic?" he repeats, glancing from the bracelet to the ground. Right. There are people here who have skills beyond what he's used to back on Earth, so of course magic is real. He gets to his feet, still looking at her with concern. "And since you're the materia's only link to the Lifestream, it's taxing your reserves. Do you mind if I ask if you need your magic while you're out here?"

At least she didn't say she defected. Although he may find that out sooner or later, depending if she ends up being the only one on this ship or not. But when he asks her that question, she pauses and blinks up at him.

Genesis had never really thought about that.

"Well... no. I suppose not," She said, frowning and raising a hand to her chin in thought. "I've grown used to having it, though. I mean, I may only be one of four 1st Class SOLDIERs, but I am the only woman. I'm strong, but not as strong as the others, so I found that using my speed and then training with Materia helped compensate for what biology unfortunately didn't give me."

Not that she felt herself inferior. The difference in strength really wasn't by much, but it could be the difference between winning and losing in the end. She had accepted that there were just some things not to strive for. Being as good, if not better, than Sephiroth would always be her goal. But she knew she didn't have to be able to defeat him in pure strength to do it. Angeal taught her that much.

Steve arches an eyebrow.

"If you don't mind me saying so again, ma'am," he says, head bowed slightly; "from what I just saw in a few minutes, I don't think you have to compensate for much. Your weapons training is better than most."

Sure, she may be fatigued, but she still handled her opponent mercilessly and with a clean kill blow. Steve wouldn't mind seeing what she can do when she's at full strength.

"If you can handle yourself like that without the Materia, maybe not using it for a while will give your body time to recuperate," he suggests. "I take it you probably haven't tried using it with a foreign planet's, uh, Lifestream?"

Genesis huffed through her nose a little and shook her head. "Don't call me ma'am, either, please. But thank you, I trained with the best."

She hadn't really thought of continuing her training without materia for now, until she was in better health, anyway. She supposed it couldn't hurt and nodded a little at the thought.

"No, I've never been to another Planet and I don't think I'd try it if I did. Materia made from a Planet's Lifestream, I think, should stay with that Planet. Besides, given what I've learned on this ship, not all Planets have a Lifestream. Or not much of one to make a difference with its people."

He looks a little bashful. She's not the first woman to chide him for using "ma'am" since he woke up in the future.

"Sorry," he winces. "Genesis. I've, uh. I've never actually heard of the Lifestream before, so for all I know Earth doesn't even have one. I just assumed it was a name for the planet's energy."

He pauses, and glances around the room. "You know, I was actually thinking about using one of these rooms for training myself. If you feel like sparring against a partner sometime, I wouldn't mind."

Genesis shrugged a little at that. "It is the Planet's energy but perhaps yours just manifests differently. Mine is sentient, after all."

A sparring partner, hm? That could prove useful once she was in better health. She gave him a small smirk and nodded. "I wouldn't mind either."

He bobs his head. Sentient planets definitely don't play into his wheelhouse, and rather than trying to wrap his brain around how, he decides she's probably right about their differences.

The smirk catches him off-guard, inspiring a bashful smile in return. There's eagerness in his eyes.

"OK. You've got yourself a partner, then." He holds out a hand. "But maybe first we should get you to Ten Forward. I don't know if super soldiers in your world have fast metabolisms, but I can always eat."

He's more concerned with her getting some food and water, but poking fun at himself takes the focus off of her, and he figures no matter what her world is like, she probably hates being treated like she's weak just as much as the next soldier.

Gold had overheard people speaking about these 'holodecks' and thus had come to investigate just how they managed to work. Given what it was said to do, it sounded as if it was just yet another form of magic being hailed as technology. When the door opened, then he got a small surprise in seeing the massive snake and the woman fighting it.

He had been about to turn and leave when the bottle caught his attention and curiosity as the woman seemed to gain energy after drinking it. Enough to defeat the foe she fought, though it seemed to be of a temporary boost given her exhaustion after she called for the program to cease.

He stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. "Quite an impressive display."

Genesis straightened when she heard his voice, trying to hide the fact that she was still quite exhausted and even a little dizzy. She nodded. "Thank you. If you need to use the room, I've finished training for today."

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It's Not Unlike the Company Training Room

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