Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within characters belong to Square.
Author's Note: Has anyone else ever wondered how Aki and Dr. Sid met? This is just my take on how it occurred. It fits in the same continuity as "Life's River Shall Rise," "Heaven's Fall," and "Out of the Ashes."
KINDRED SPIRITS
May 7, 2056
Aki pushed her way through crowed, hoping against hope that she'd get there in time. The campus was huge; she'd gotten lost on the eastern edge, on the opposite side of the hall where she wanted to be. But she still had time… still had five minutes… she could get there in time!
The lithe teen dodged through a cluster of students hurrying to class, cursing softy when her pack snagged on one student's arm. She yanked it free with a breathless apology, then broke into a sprint as a clear path opened ahead of her for a brief stretch.
There! Aki sighed with relief as she passed the sign for the lecture hall she'd been seeking and joined the press of bodies squeezing through the entrance. There were so many people here: students, professors, reporters, and others drawn here by curiosity. None, she thought, shared her mission.
The massive lecture hall was packed, and Aki searched frantically for a seat. She didn't want to be stuck in the back. She wanted to hear his voice, and see the speaker. And she wanted to be seen by him, have her questions heard by him. Would she get that opportunity?
She nearly tripped down the steps in her eagerness to find a seat near the bottom, and she stumbled, falling against a middle-aged man who helped her back to her feet. Her legs had always been too long for her own good, and she despaired that she'd never grow out of her awkwardness. She was nearly eighteen, and still as clumsy as she'd been as an adolescent. With an apology, she released her rescuer's coat.
She finally found one in the sixth row, further than she'd like but close enough for her to see the speaker once he stepped up to the podium. He was an elderly man, in his early sixties, his hair nearly gone and his face wrinkled with age. But he radiated charisma, and Aki could sense he had the full attention of the people around her. And why not? This was Dr. Sid, the man whose ideas had saved the diminished population of the Earth from the Phantoms. He deserved their respect. Aki focused her attention entirely upon the man she'd skipped school and hitchhiked to come and see.
* * *
It had ended much too quickly for Aki's taste, though a glance at her watch showed she'd been in the hall nearly two and a half hours. She remained seated as others left around her, stretching to get the kinks out of their limbs. She wanted to get up and stretch as well, but then the surge of bodies flowing towards the door would likely pull her along with it, and she wasn't leaving until she spoke to Dr. Sid.
To her disappointment, there hadn't been a question and answer session. Only the press had asked, and they hadn't the scientific minds to ask what Aki had really wanted to know. They'd questioned him on the theories that had led to the discovery of the spirits, true, but the doctor had kept the explanations simplistic, as though knowing most of his audience wouldn't understand. And he hadn't breathed one word of what had drawn Aki to him.
The Gaia theory.
The hall had nearly emptied, and Aki felt it was safe to stand. Instead of following the rest to the exit, Aki went towards the podium. The doctor was still surrounded by reporters, and Aki wondered if she'd be able to push her way through to him.
But, if she did, would he even listen to her? Who was she to him, anyway? Just a school girl in scuffed jeans and a baggy T-shirt, her waist-length hair done in a braid. Would he even take her seriously, even after what she told him?
She'd deal with that later. Now, though, she just needed to get to him…
A woman's voice cut through the reporters questions. "I'm sorry, but the doctor really must be going before the next class begins here. He'll be leaving the campus in two hours, though he'll be available for questions during that time if any of you need clarification."
He was leaving! Aki tried to push through the reporters. "Dr. Sid!" she cried frantically as the scientist followed his assistants through the path opened for him. She thought he glanced back towards her, but then he turned his gaze forward again.
All wasn't lost. He was going to answer questions, right? She trailed after the reporters, a much thinner group than before. Most of them didn't care about details, it seemed. She hung back, and no one noticed her until they reached the grounds of the small house reserved for special guests to the university. A security guard noticed her and drew her aside.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Aki Ross… Please, I'd like to speak to Dr. Sid!" she pleaded.
"Sorry," the guard said. "Only press are allowed beyond this point." He gave her a gentle but firm shove in the opposite direction.
No… This can't be happening! I have to get in to speak to him! She looked around quickly for a way in, but nothing was readily available. The small house was surrounded by plants and parkland – and plants tended to be protected by alarms, since there were so few left in the world. In a way, the protected gardens were a better defense than human guards.
Dejectedly, Aki left the house behind.
* * *
A half hour later found her in a small cafeteria, surrounded by chatting college students. She poked listlessly at the sandwich she'd ordered, then gulped her soda without tasting it. So close… she'd be so close! Her hand stroked the battered manila envelope she'd pulled from her pack, and thought of the papers within that had changed her life. And now she'd never be able to tell him…
A loud voice jarred her out of her thoughts, and she turned towards the speaker in annoyance. A group of people were sitting off to the side, paying no attention to the studying students around her. Reporters, she observed, seeing the ID clipped to their lapels. Quite a mixed group, too… The youngest one there looked barely older than she was…
Aki's eyes narrowed as an idea came to her. Did she dare? Yes… Aki stood up, taking her tray to the trash bin behind the reporters. They ignored her completely – until she tripped, dropping her tray and falling against the young woman closest to her.
"I'm so sorry!" Aki said, her eyes wide with horror as she pulled away from the young woman. "I'm such a klutz!"
"So we see," came the dry voice of the unfortunate man who'd been the recipient of her sandwich. It dripped down his suit, leaving behind dark smears. Aki fumbled at the napkins and handed them to the man.
"Please forgive me! I didn't mean it!" she cried, as if this were the worst thing that had ever happened to her. The man glowered, but accepted the proffered napkins. Aki hastily left them to clean the mess she'd made… and to get out of sight before the young woman noticed her badge was missing.
Triumphantly, Aki left the cafeteria and ran towards the visitor's house. She paused before reaching the gate to straighten her clothing and pat down the strands of hair that had escaped during her run. She clipped the badge to her shirt, noting unhappily how out of place it looked. She'd never pass for a reporter…
But she went right up the gate guard, noticing with some relief it was a different person, a woman this time. The woman moved to stop her, but hesitated when she saw Aki's badge. "You don't look like a reporter," the woman said, her eyes narrow.
Aki had a moment of panic. "I'm… an intern," she said. Her voice was firm, as she tired to sound like she knew what she was doing. "My group needed something clarified, so they sent me." She tried to look bored, as if the assignment were the last thing she wanted to do.
The woman smiled slightly. "They always give the newbies the least appealing jobs, don't they?" she said, her voice sympathetic. "Go on; I don't want you to get in trouble."
Aki thanked her and tried to keep from breaking into a run out of excitement. She had to look like she was in training to be a professional…
Dr. Sid was with someone when she arrived, so she waited. It gave her time to soothe her fluttering stomach and rehearse what she was going to say. She'd waited for this for so long…
After about twenty minutes, the person before her left, and she was let in to see Dr. Sid. Once she was in his presence, she found herself tongue-tied. "They get younger every year." he said, more to himself than to her. He waited patiently, then said, "Can I help you?"
Aki drew a deep breath. Say it now, or you'll never get the chance again! "I wanted to talk to you about the Gaia theory," she blurted out.
She immediately had his attention. "And how," his voice was puzzled, "do you know about the Gaia theory?"
Aki fished the old manila envelope out of her pack and handed it to him. "These. I found them last year and read them. It's fascinating, doctor! It's changed the way I look at life."
He arched one brow at her words, which sounded pathetic to her own ears, but then he spilled the papers from the envelope and looked through them. "Oh, my… I haven't seen these in years!" He met her excited gaze. "Where did you get them?"
"They were in my father's possessions. My aunt had me sort through them and… there they were. My parents were Drs. Ethan and Yume Ross." Does he remember them? Aki crossed her fingers behind her back.
"Ethan… Yume… Are you Aki?" he asked, his eyes widening.
He knew of her! "Yes!" she said with delight.
Dr. Sid sat heavily on the couch. "I'd forgotten I left these with your parents. They helped me with the Phantom research… I gave Ethan those notes because I wanted him to believe the Gaia theory as well but he was stubborn and wanted proof…" He faltered. "I was sorry to hear they'd been killed. I wanted to be at the funeral…"
There was a lump in Aki's throat. She hadn't thought this would bring up bad memories. She was about to speak, to apologize, but he continued. "I'm sorry, I fear I'm rambling. You're a reporter, right? I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about the Gaia theory that you could print."
Aki blinked, then remembered. "You mean this?" she asked, unclipping the badge. She smiled sheepishly, her skin flushed. "It was the only way I could think of to see you."
"You stole it?" he asked. She lowered her eyes guiltily. Put that way… Then he burst out laughing, and her head shot up in surprise. "You've got a lot of guts," he said. "Do you know how much trouble you'll be in when they find out?"
"I'm already in trouble with my aunt, or will be when she finds out about this," she admitted. "But I had to meet you!" she added fiercely. "Your theories… they just make so much sense!"
"You're one of the only people who understand me, then," Dr. Sid said softly.
"I'd love to work with you on this." Aki was shocked by her daring. She'd never intended to let that slip!
She waited for Dr. Sid to laugh, or throw her out for her boldness, but he was eying her thoughtfully. "Aki, how old are you?"
"I'll be eighteen in five months. And I graduate next month. I know I'm young and I don't have college experience, but I'll do what I must."
"Why is it so important to you that you work with me? Is it because I knew your parents?" Dr. Sid asked.
Aki thought for a moment. "No. It's because I believe you. I think you're right about Gaia and that it's somehow connected to all this. I want to help you."
Dr. Sid regarded her solemnly. "I have many assistants," he said softly. "But they all help me with my studies into how to hurt the Phantoms. None of them see the bigger picture." He fell silent, thinking. "But you're young, Aki. You may get bored with this and find something else that draws you, another theory more appealing to you. I can't spend time training you only to lose you."
He was taking her seriously, Aki realized with shock. She listened as he continued. "Most people your age are concerned with saving the world, not studying it," he said at last.
"But by studying it, we may find a more effective means of saving it," Aki countered. "What if Gaia holds the answer?"
Dr. Sid didn't answer for a long moment, and Aki feared she'd said something wrong. Then he said, so quietly she had to lean forward to hear him, "No one's said anything like that to me since my wife died. You're the first person besides her that has ever seen it that way. Everyone else is intent on blasting the Phantoms off the face of the Earth with guns, and no one is stopping to think there might be a better way."
Aki hardly dared to ask, "So, can I work with you?"
"Aki, I want you to think this over long and hard. Talk with your – your aunt, you said? – talk it over with her and see what she thinks about this. When you turn eighteen and are a legal adult, if you still feel the way you do now, get in touch with me. I'll leave you a number where you'll be able to reach me, and, if in five months I hear from you, I'll see what I can arrange."
She almost hugged him, but she kept control and solemnly shook his hand. "Thank you for taking me seriously, Doctor. So few people do."
"I know the feeling," he said sadly. "I hope I hear from you again."
"Don't worry," Aki said confidently. "You will."
The End