Chapter 108.5 - Serums and Systems

"We should go to the bedroom."

"Yeah, no," Cloud slipped out of their hands, looking at their confused faces; he scratched his cheek, pointing towards the stairs, "I'd bet anything that those two are hiding around the corner, and it would take them a moment to realise what we are doing."

Tifa and Aerith exchanged a confused look when they decided in that fleeting moment that Tifa would speak, and she did in a sweet voice, "You know, Cloud…people are quite open about those things here. And we are going in a bedroom?"

"Yeah," Cloud scratched his cheek, "I'd give five or ten seconds before the kid figures out what and where we were doing. So…I'd be a bit uncomfortable?"

"You…are scared of her, them," Aerith narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips in a perplexed smile.

"Well…" Cloud put his hand inside his cargo's pocket and looked towards the stairs, "I never…thought I'd say it…but, they are like my children, and that's scary enough. What's scarier…they aren't my children."

Tifa gently hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, and she stroked his back, "Ok. Then let's not."

Aerith held the pillow in front of her, hugging it, smiling, "I think having children around has been good for you."

"Yeah. You don't have much time for most things with children around," Cloud whispered, resting his palm on Tifa's waist, "That reminds me…the reason why I mainly called you."

Aerith raised her eyebrow, got off the couch, and walked over to the stairs, placing her palm railing, which read her fingerprint, and the stairs opened, revealing an elevator.

"Then, let's do that first," Aerith walked in, and Tifa walked in with Cloud, and the stairs came down. When they disappeared, Natasha and Yelena peeked from the corner on the first floor and walked over, confused.

Natasha tapped her leg stair to see if something was, but she did it lightly. Yelena, who had no idea, slammed her leg down, "It's hollow."

"Yes, and nothing you two should concern yourself with."

"Eeep!" Yelena yelped, hugging Natasha, hiding behind her, but Natasha wasn't doing any better. She curled her lip and looked at Shelke, "What is it?" Natasha asked the girl, who was only a few inches taller than her, but while Shelke might be slightly taller, she was strong enough to pull her ear and kept walking up the stair, "To your rooms."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Natasha hopped on her feet, "I'll complain to Cloud!"

"No, you won't," Her threats didn't faze Shelke, who pulled Natasha up the stair, and Velena followed like a good girl. Shelke looked towards the stairs and whispered under her breath, "You can never get rid of Jenova…without getting rid of those bonds you have."

"What was that?" Natasha was crying so loudly that she couldn't hear it, but when she asked, Shelke put more force and pulled her.

While Shelke ensured the girls didn't run around, Cloud reached the empty underground bay. The place where they built the ship was empty, with only leftover materials and dirt, but the lab was still clean since Winky ensured it.

Cloud sat down on the chair, looking at the box on a table beside it, "I'll leave it to you."

"Nothing's going to go wrong, but if it does? We are here," Tifa chuckled, kneeling in front of him, holding his palm.

Aerith rotated her finger, and her clothes transmuted into a sexy nurse costume with an oversized syringe in her hands, "Who is ready?"

She happily grinned at her joke, only to see the weirded-out eyes of her two mates, "Too much."

"A tad bit," Tifa tried not to laugh and encourage her, and Cloud let out an exasperated sigh, "Just…do it."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad," Aerith let go of the syringe, cocking her head, her hands on her waist as she puffed her cheeks.

"I don't even want to hear it," Cloud requested Tifa, who covered her mouth, grinningly laughing, "You are going to make her cry."

Cloud raised his eyes, taking Aerith's palm, pulling her closer, "Would you do the favour?"

"Only because I want you to shut your mouth," Aerith opened the box filled with colourful tubes, "Which one do you want to try first?"

"Should I start the Vita-Rays? Echo?"

[No need.]

Cloud picked up the red one, "This one is a combination of Super Soldier Serum and Pym Particles, right?"

"Yes, but it also has double the negative effect," Aerith closely look at the Serum, "That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

[No.]

"Want to use this," Cloud closed his eyes, imagining the possibilities of becoming slimmer and bigger or being able to make his hand bigger to slam someone down, 'Too uncool.'

"No. Let's go with something else."

"See, I told you," Tifa tittered, moving her hand towards the container at the other mixtures with Skrull's blood that allowed Shapeshifting Powers. Though side-effects could turn your skin green, hair loss, among other things, "Never."

"Which one is that?"

"Better you don't know," Aerith whispered in Tifa's ear, and the two rejected a few other strange ones from the creatures of outer space. Echo could remove the side effects. Still, the last thing they wanted to take a risk with was the strange effect that Echo might not think to be a side effect. After knowing they wouldn't have to worry about side effects, Howard went all out, creating crazy things.

She placed her finger on a shimmering blue one, "Which one is this?"

"Lemme see," Aerith blinked, seeing the last two, blue and green, "Oh, this one is from the Space Stone, and the other from the Time Stone."

[The chances of those two serums working is none to multiversal impossibility.]

"Is it just me, or that made no sense," Cloud asked, taking the serum, "Then you can do nothing about it?"

[I can. But the system can't grant abilities, and as I said, there is no possibility where that would work.]

"I thought multiverse is supposed to be infinite?" Tifa asked, looking at Cloud and Aerith.

[Yes. This means there is a possibility that this possibility never happened.]

"I don't get it," Tifa shook her head, "So what would happen if we use it?"

[Unknown.]

"Would it be dangerous?"

[No. The system will curb those possibilities. In that case, any possibility where he might awaken an ability will also be curbed.]

"That's all going over my head," Cloud closed his eyes, "This is the best we have, right? Let's go with that."

"Ok," Aerith nodded, "If there is no side effect…then."

Cloud closed his eyes, hearing a click, and he knew it had started. He thought he would feel that hot rush in his veins that would break and remake them, but it was fantastic. No, it was as if it wasn't there at all.

He opened his eyes, realising he was at the centre of a massive swirl of energy, and infinite possibilities appeared in front of his eyes. Still, before they came into existence, they were destroyed, erased. He wanted to move but couldn't, and the possibilities kept coming until there were none.

He felt everything disappear, and for a moment, he knew he was back in his body, and yet, he saw something in the darkness. He saw an orb floating in emptiness, scarlet, but it was as if it was being washed away with a mako green and bluish one with a mixture of mako green and a colourless colour.

He wasn't sure what it was for a moment when another orb came hoping, a mixture of scarlet and turquoise, swirling. The two met in the emptiness, and they weren't talking, but he could hear them talk.

"I thought I sensed multiversal potential, but to crush it so ruthlessly, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

"Am I? Did you forget what caused the End of Last Multiverse and the reason for this one to be restated?"

"Eh, that was the Creator. His existence is…well, destructive."

"My job is to ensure this one doesn't end like the last one, and the mission is fulfilled."

"So serious. It would help if you learned something from me. My user is so chill, and there is no need to tell her what's to be done."

"Isn't that because even you don't know what Creator's Endgame is for her?"

"That's not true! I know!" The other one shouted, clearly embarrassed.

"Please. You know nothing, yet you are taking control from the Creator? How will you guide her when you know not how?"

"I'll manage, thank you! You should worry more about your user! You don't think curbing all possibilities means that all possibilities are lost, right? Or are you forgetting what lies beyond infinity—Wait, is there someone there?"

Cloud parted his lips, and then he found himself on the chair, but only Aerith was sitting on the floor, her head resting on his thigh. He jerkily moved, and Aerith snapped open her eyes and got on her feet.

Her eyes landed on Cloud's blue eyes, her own filled with worry and relief, and she cupped his cheek and locked her lips with his, "I love you."

Cloud finally could move his hand, and he wiped her lips, "You are drooling."

Aerith's face turned pink, and heat came off her cheek, and she shot him a look, "Dense! Dense!"

Cloud cupped her cheek, pulling her in a kiss, and put his hand around her waist, but just as their lips were about to touch, he stopped, "Tifa isn't here…does that mean I was out long, and the girls were worried?"

"Now?"

Aerith narrowed her eyes, and Cloud awkwardly asked, "Are they ok?"

She sighed, kissing his head, sitting on his lap, "Yes, they are. Just lunch…and so are you. It seems. You are no fun anymore."

Cloud didn't reply, and she looked up, meeting with his blue eyes, filled with emotion and yet silent.

She whispered, "Any change?"

"I don't think so," Cloud raised his hand, "It increased my stats…but it doesn't seem like there was a change. If there was…I think…my psyche…."

[Isn't chaotic anymore. It could be compared to when Tifa Lockhart helped Cloud Strife rebuild his Psyche in the First Timeline.]

(No, there are more changes)

Cloud closed his eyes; if anything, he had learned, then it was that Echo didn't want them to reach their full potential too soon, so she wasn't telling the changes. The other thing he realised was that now he could tell where the system was and keep her out of his mind without her knowing.

"Lunch…tell them that I won't be there for dinner," Cloud picked up the Time Serum, and Aerith blankly looked at him.

"Cloud…I don't think that's a good idea…."

"How many Jenova Cells are left?"

[13%]

"Can you go another round?"

[…Yes.]

(She can't lie?)

He twisted the switch and kissed Aerith softly, "Sorry."

"Cloud, waaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—