Three of Swords

Chapter one

"Who is he? I've never seen him around before. Is he a new recruit?" The seven year old asked anxiously, pressing her face against the glass tube. She was a tiny girl, with shoulder length blond hair, and green eyes much too large for her face. Professor Cid Marguez stopped writing only long to look up and scold the girl.

"Don't touch the anything, Celes; that's delicate equipment."

"The glass won't break from just touching it," she replied dryly, not moving from her position. "And you still haven't answered any of my questions."

Cid sighed and put his clipboard down, rising awkwardly; he had been filling out paperwork for several hours now. Cid was a man of 38, and spent nearly all his time since his early 20's in this very research lab. He had long since grown weary of his work, spending late hours in the lab, with little sleep. He constantly had heavy bags under his gray eyes, hidden by wire frame glasses, and his red locks were streaked with gray. He looked much older then a man his age should.

"I honestly have no idea who he is." He studied the young boy carefully, trying to piece together a history for him. A name, a family, a home, anything. "They brought him in and told me to perform a Class S experiment without question."

Celes gasped. Even at her young age, she knew what a Class S meant. "But that's never been tried before! He's just a kid! It could kill him! Why don't they pick someone more qualified?" Celes rarely got so emotional. It was actually the first time since early childhood Cid had seen her get so riled up over anything. He guessed her own infusion had been a painful experience.

He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's just the thing. The Emporer doesn't want to risk the lives of one of the soldiers." 'Cheap fucking bastard....' "He was most likely picked right off the street. This boy's health condition is very poor. He's underweight, sickly, and with all those scars, I'm guessing abused as well. I'll be surprised if he does live through this experiment."

"Why are they doing this anyway?" she asked tearfully.

"It's a test for my experiment." The newcomer in the room was a tall and lanky youth of 16 years, with blond hair pulled into a small ponytail. His icy blue eyes immediately went to the boy the other two were so intently studying. "He's young. Much younger then I expected him to be. What is he, nine, ten years old? How can we tell if the experiment will work if they picked someone who will most likely die?"

"Shut up, Kefka. Just shut up," Celes hissed. "Why should some boy have to be a guinea pig for your damn experiment?"

"Celes dear, I think you maybe go back to your quarters." Cid placed his hands on the young magitek knight's shoulders and led her towards the door. She didn't resist, but sent Kefka a death glare as she passed him.

"She's getting more and more brash with each passing day. I don't like it; her temper is dangerous."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Kefka. She's just a child. Children have fierce tempers. She'll get better as she ages." Cid dropped back into his seat with a grunt. "Is there a reason you came down here?"

"Oh right, I can here with documents from the Emperor explaining what he wants done." He pulled out several folded up papers from his back pocket, handing them to the scientist.

"You could have just sent a sentry down, you didn't have to come down yourself."

The soldier sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I was curious as to how the experiment was to be setup, and what's too be done. I'm to undergo this procedure after all, and don't even know what's to occur."

"I see." Cid unfolded the papers, examining and rereading the documents several times over. "This... this can't be right. He want to use THREE espers."

Kefka's breath caught in his throat. "Three?"

"And the three he wants to be used aren't at all compatible! They're a deadly combination."

Noting Kefka's questioning glance, Cid motioned for him to follow him. He was led to a large vault door, which rustily swung open with a swipe of a keycard. This room was much larger than the former, with ceilings 30 feet high, and dozens of glass tubes, similar the one the boy was being held in. Each contained the fully conscious forms of different espers, none too pleased to see the man who had put them there. The creatures screeched and howled, throwing their bodies up against the glass in an unsuccessful means of escape.

"Don't worry," Cid reassured him. "The glass is very thick, they won't be able to escape." He reread the document again, shaking his head, then pointed out the three that were to be used.

"Phantom." It a dark, cloak wearing apparition, with only two golden eyes visible under it's hood. It wasn't moving, only floating quietly in its glass prison.

"Seraphim." She was a beautiful human like creature, with long dark hair cascading down her back, and two white wings, much too big for the tube, painfully smashed against the glass. She was on her knees, wailing pitifully.

"And Hades." The last was a hideous demon, with long yellowed teeth and claws, and eyes blacker then the depths of hell. It let out an earsplitting scream, raking it's talons across the glass, where it had already left it's mark countless times before.

"My god..." Kefka whispered. "It's as if it's the dark lord himself. I can practically feel the evil radiating off of it." Cid nodded slowly, and led him back out, closing the door behind him, muffling the esper's cries.

"Any clue why the Emporer might want to infuse the boy with three instead of just one?" Kefka questioned.

"I suspect he's trying to create a super weapon of some sort with this of project," he replied bluntly.

"But he already has the esper girl, Celes, and myself soon enough, as well as the power of all these espers!"

"It's a matter of harnessing the power of the espers though, Kefka. This is the only way we currently know how. The Emperor wants more power, simply put. Each day that passes his greed increases, like an insatiable hunger. It's sickening, but there's nothing we can do about it." Cid wandered back over to his seat.

"You better head back up, I have to finish the calculations and calibrate the systems. If you really want to see how this works, come back tomorrow at, let's say, 10ish. I should be ready to begin by then."

Kefka nodded, and stiffly saluted, am unnecessary, but habitual gesture. He left then, leaving Cid alone to finish his work.

***

As he was told, Lieutenant Palazzo returned at 10 am sharp, and must to his dislike, joined by his sharp tongued little rival Celes Chere, and Leonardo Christophe, a recruit of 12 years. Leo was tall for his age, well built, with deep brown eyes and a tanned complexion. His dark blond hair was cropped short, common for veteran soldiers, but a very odd cut for a boy his age. He seemed to linger wherever Celes was; he had been following her like a shadow since before her infusion. Kefka wasn't quite sure if he was brotherly watching out for her, or if he just had a thing for younger girls – possibly both.

Cid looked up from his desk as Kefka entered the chamber, and furrowed his brow at the sight of his two companions.

"We got excused from our classes this morning, on account of being able to view this highly educational experiment instead," Leo blandly informed him, sounding much too rehearsed. Cid chuckled at the initial lameness of the boy's statement.

"I'm fully aware that you're lying, Leo; nice try though." The two children stiffened, looking genuinely surprised that their plan had backfired. Amused, he waved them off. "You're free to stay though, but you're to take the full consequences of skipping out of class; I'm not going to get you out of this one." He knew that wasn't going to happen. He'd change his mind, and end up making up some excuse for them. That's how he’d always worked.

"Now go and sit where you won't get in the way, or I'll really make you leave." The two obediently complied, taking their seats on the metal staircase near the door. Celes peered out from the metal bars, her eyes fiercely examining the test subject.

Earlier in the day, the three espers to be used were moved to the main room, via a track which ran from each tube to holes in the main room where they would lock into place. The old method involved moving them manually, but an incident occurred several years earlier, in which the esper to be used got free of it's restraints, and destroyed half of the lab. It was eventually quelled, but it cost Vector millions in repairs.

The three tubes next to the subject's tube were currently blocked from view by metal casing wrapped around them. Cid pressed a series of buttons on the control panel opposite the tubes, and the casing slid up. The three remained silent – even the satanic Hades was static, its black eyes surprisingly calm. A few more button presses, and a series of wires slid from the base of each tube, inserting themselves through the skin of the espers at the designated points. The serenity was shattered as the wires pierced their skin, each emitting a horrid scream of panic and pain. As narcotics were fed through the tubes, they calmed, and drowsily slumped over in a half conscious state. Hades tried resisting, its dark eyes hazy, and body wavering unsteadily, pressed a claw against the glass for support. The dose was increased, and it finally gave in, its claw screeching painfully down the glass as it collapsed.

"There," Cid breathed, looking satisfied. He entered a few more keys on the control panel, shadowing what he had just done on the espers to the boy, and re-closing the casing around the four tubes. He swung around on his stool, leaning an arm on the edge on the panel.

"Now what?" Kefka questioned boredly, having seated himself backwards on a chair, with his arms resting on the chair back.

"Now we wait... and hope everything goes as planned." Kefka didn't look pleased with his answer, and buried his head in his arms with a sigh.

***

The next few hours dragged on slowly, but all remained. As dull as it seemed, Kefka had his mind set on staying through the whole thing. Celes had seemingly developed a small obsession with the test subject, and refused to leave. Leo of course, only stayed because Celes was staying.

Kefka lifted his head and stared blearily at the large monitor behind the controller panel. It had readings of the experiment's progress, as well as heat and bone structure scans. His eyes widened and he clumsily stood up, nearly tripping over his chair. "W, what the hell is coming out of his back?"

Cid blinked, snapping out of his mental daze, and turned to see what the lieutenant was referring to.

He hastily removed his glasses and wiped them off on his shirt to make sure he was seeing correctly. There were twin bones jutting out from the boy's shoulder blades, both widely arced with smaller bones coming off of them. Cid slammed the release button for the boy's tube, and the casing slide up.

There was no denying it now – the boy had wings. Even within the confines of the tube, it was clear that the wings, pitch black in color, had a span of at least eight feet.

He knew that the S-Class experiment could have unpredictable results, but he never imagined them to be this extreme.

"Cid!" Celes shrieked, pointing at the monitor. The boy's stats were displaying wildly above the sedate state they had been in since he was brought in.

"My god... What the hell is happening?" The professor whispered. As if that was his cue, the boy's eyes snapped open, sending Cid sprawling to the floor in shock.

"Professor!" The other three rushed to his side, not yet realizing that the subject was conscious.

Leo noticed first. "He's awake!" he hissed.

The boy's face was set deep in concentration, as if planning a move in chess. He extended his arms, with palms facing forward, and let out a silent scream, as the scars lining his body were ripped opened, clouding the liquid filled tube with blood. He had sent a powerful blast at the glass, creating a ripple effect across it, shattering it moments after.

Celes screamed, drowned out by the alarms now howling across the lab. Kefka protectively shielded her from the shower of glass; he wasn't particularly fond of the girl, but he didn't want her to get injured either. Leo was in shock, as was the Professor, and they both stared dumbstruck at the boy.

"Come on, Cid! Leo, you too!" Kefka spat through grit teeth, after the glass and liquid had cleared. He tugged on Cid's arm, dragging him up. Leo, partially aware of what was happening, quickly followed at the sound of his name. Celes remained in a kneeled position in front the tube as he stepped out. Reddened preserving liquid splattered against the already soaked metal floor, followed by a torrent of blood stained black feathers.

"Please," she begged, barely audible over the screeching alarms. She grasped his shorts, the only article of clothing he wore, and looked up at him with pleading eyes. Kefka bellowed at her to get away, but she paid no mind to him. "We won't hurt you. Please stop!" His eyes, a mesmerizing blue-green, pierced into her emerald eyes. She flinched at the emotionless stare, but didn't falter. "Look, we'll help you. We'll get you out of here." She loosened her grip on his shorts, and for a moment, his gaze softened.

Any hope of him listening to her was gone in an instant though, as he howled in pain, arching his back, and swung around, ripping out of Celes' hold. A half a dozen soldiers, responding to the alarms had entered unbeknownst to the pair. One of them had crept up behind him, and stabbed him in the sensitive area inbetween his wings. Kefka used this distraction to grab Celes and drag the protesting girl out of harm's way.

With lightning fast speed and unimaginable strength, the boy swung his fist high, its target the perpetrating soldier's chest. With a sickening crunch of snapping bones, his fist ripped through, bringing forth a spurt of blood. It oozed down the boy's arm, mixing with his own, which continued to seep steadily out of his wounds. He stared at the vermilion covered hand as he tugged it free, sending his victim to the floor. His eyes were glittering perversely, and a smirk tugged at his lips; he was enjoying the massacre.

The other five didn't even have time to react, as the boy sent a powerful blast of energy at them. It sliced through the air, tearing through the steel floor platings, and not-so-gently tore off limbs and snapped necks. Before the blood could hit the floor, another blast threw them back, smashing through lab equipment. Wiring slapped to the chemical soaked floor, and with a loud snap of electricity, the room was ablaze.

He turned on his heel, facing the two who remained huddled in petrified fear; Cid had passed out from shock, and Leo had been knocked unconscious. He looked like some sort of twisted nightmare, drenched in glistening blood with black wings spread, bright eyes dancing with sadistic pleasure. He extended his crimson stained hand, ready to destroy them as well, but catching sight of the small blond girl staring at him with a tiny glimmer of hope and pity, he reconsidered. Dropping his hand, he turned away, disappearing into the blaze.