Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything within the Final Fantasy VII Compilation.

A/N: I know there was a lot of confusion and irritation going on last chapter, but things are starting to move finally. Eve gets to jump in feet first and pray that she doesn't drown :) I hope you all enjoy as well. R&R and let me know what you think so far! Thank you!

Chapter 3

Sephiroth hadn't wasted any time once he was back to the inn. Dr. Branscum was already examining Eve again, but he still called for his pick-up. He had already taken care of the monsters he had been sent to find and she was going to need more help than they had available in Modeoheim. He was also thankful that Tseng had been the Turk that had accompanied him. He hadn't stayed in the town while Sephiroth worked, but that meant they could quickly start a true investigation into what had happened.

He briefly wondered why he was bothering to help the girl, but he decided since he had already started, he couldn't leave it half finished. Once he hung up with Tseng he sent him a picture of Eve as well as sending as many details she had mentioned that he could remember. He knew the Turks had ways of finding out information that he didn't want to question. At least in this instance it might come in handy.

While they waited for the helicopter to arrive he asked the innkeeper to send someone to help clean the girl up. Dr. Branscum had insisted that she not be allowed to soak up any more mako than she already had. They knew it was too late to keep it all out, but they could prevent some of it. The innkeeper sent up two girls that asked if he could carry the unconscious girl to the bathing room downstairs. Once she was moved they shooed him out, so they could do what was necessary.

It was nearly an hour later that they exited the room and allowed him to carry her back up. Once she was covered again, he looked her face over. She looked to be having intense dreams if her eye movement was anything to go by. He wondered what they could be about before he sighed and took a seat across from the bed once again. He knew he didn't necessarily need to stay up and watch her again, but he doubted sleep would be easy to find. At least the helicopter would be back by morning.

It wasn't even daylight yet when Tseng sent him a message that they were almost to Modeoheim. Sephiroth stood with a slight frown. He had not been able to find sleep, but he had also not been able to find any answers. He held back his sigh of frustration when he moved to pick the girl up once again. He only hoped that Tseng had started to investigate her at least.

When he moved downstairs, the room was mostly empty, thankfully. There were a couple of patrons, but the innkeeper wasn't busy. Sephiroth gave him a nod as they walked out. He had taken care of the bill the night before. He ignored the fact that there was complete silence until the door closed behind him. It was something he had long become accustomed to.

Sephiroth frowned slightly when he saw Reno accompanying Tseng. He wasn't sure when or why the red-head joined them and he wasn't going to ask; although he wished it had been any other time. The younger Turk had a way of getting under everyone's skin. His frown deepened when the red-head spoke. "Wow looks like you found a hot one. What'll your fans say when they find out you're bringing stray women home with you. I might have to reevaluate your nickname, yo."

Thankfully Sephiroth didn't have to respond. Tseng spoke up before he could. "Reno, make sure the back seats are laid down and secured."

The annoying Turk gave Sephiroth a grin before he turned back to the helicopter and gave Tseng a mock salute. "On it boss man."

Once Reno was gone Tseng raised a brow at the woman in Sephiroth's arms. "General, I will admit that I find this unexpected as well. I have investigated the information you gave me, but so far, I've found nothing. It would be faster if we had her full name, but I have another agent looking through the files in Midgar as well. It will not take long for us to identify her. Do you have plans for her once we get back?"

At Tseng's question, Sephiroth frowned again. It was a reminder that his curiosity about the circumstances around her arrival was the only reason he was going as far as he was. As he remembered how she handled the materia he realized it might be best to have her back at headquarters anyway. That level of mastery would be worth looking into, if she ever woke up again. He shook off his thoughts before he responded. "At the moment the only goal will be to have her looked at. She has been exposed to mako twice that I know of. She woke up after the first time, but there is no guarantee she will again. The best doctors are in Midgar though. If she wakes up again we can address the rest." Tseng gave him a curious look but didn't say anything. Once they were onboard Sephiroth made sure his unusual guest was strapped down well before settling in for the trip back to Midgar.

The trip back was uneventful which didn't help to lessen Sephiroth's growing irritation. Reno didn't help with that either. The irritating Turk seemed to find continuous enjoyment in the situation. Sephiroth could admit that it was unusual for him to show interest in a stranger, but if she truly had been carried through the lifestream from another part of the planet she would be the first to do so and not die. That was only one of several things about her that made it worth his interest. Her eyes were intriguing as well, although he wouldn't admit that out loud.

He had just managed to push back a retort to another of the red-head's jibes when his attention was drawn by movement from the girl that was still strapped down to the makeshift bed in the back of the helicopter. His shock at seeing her open her eyes unexpectedly was quickly overtaken by a sense of urgency when she suddenly started thrashing and screaming.

He was instantly by her side to try and calm her, so he could release her. When her eyes landed on him, they widened farther, and her struggles increased. It seemed as if she couldn't hear his words at all, even though he was speaking loud enough to be heard over the rotors. He growled under his breath at the fact that he was going to have to force her to stillness. He didn't want her to fall if she was still panicking when he released her. He was finally able to still her arms and force her chin up, so she was looking in his eyes. He tried to smooth his face and keep his voice calm when he spoke. "I can release you if you calm down. You may fall if you don't."

Her gaze didn't immediately clear, but it finally looked as if his words got through to her and he felt her relax against his grip. Once he was sure she was no longer thrashing about he moved to undo the straps that had held her down. She sat up with a glare, but she wasn't fighting him any longer. He had to grit his teeth against a sharp reply when she finally spoke. "Why did you have me tied down anyway!"

He took a deep breath before he answered. "You weren't 'tied down'. We had you secured so you wouldn't fall if there was turbulence."

At his words she looked around for the first time. He barely heard her mumble before she stood. "A helicopter?"

He stood to try and block her way to the closed door. Given her unpredictable behavior up to that point, he didn't want to give her a chance to do something stupid. She shot him another glare. "Am I not allowed to see where you're taking me?"

He paused. If all she wanted was to look out, he had no reason to stop her. Given the fact that he had already discerned that she was uncomfortable, it might help to soothe her if she realized they were already near Midgar. At least she could no longer claim they were in the middle of nowhere. He stepped aside, but not so far that he couldn't grab her if she went for the handle. She gave him another glare but didn't say anything before she moved to the window.

He watched as she looked out and around. His brow rose when her body stiffened before she slowly turned back to him. His curiosity was only peaked when she finally whispered. "That's Midgar!" She swayed slightly and looked like she was about to fall so he moved to steady her. Her eyes widened farther as he gripped her arm. She wrenched away from him. "Holy shit! Does that mean you really are Sephiroth!?"

Sephiroth had no idea how to respond to her question. The fact that she had refused to believe him until she saw the city made him wonder about her even more. As irritated as he had been at her insistence that he wasn't real, the fact that it was such a shock to her, made him wonder why. When he reached out to her again she backed even further away, this time with fear clear in her expression. The extra step took her right into Tseng's grasp. When he took hold of her arms, her eyes widened further, but she dropped and swung back without looking. Both men were stunned at her reaction, which caused Tseng to be clipped by her elbow before he released her.

She quickly turned around to see who had grabbed her. When Tseng stood up wiping away a trickle of blood from his split lip, she finally dropped to her knees. They watched in confusion as her breath started to speed up to the point they thought she might pass out. She finally seemed to make herself move. She sat and lowered her head and covered her face as she tried to force herself to take deep breaths. Sephiroth was completely confused until Tseng stepped up to him and spoke just loud enough that he could hear. "She is having a panic attack. Let her calm, but don't touch her again until we figure this out. It seems our presence is what caused it. I can have her taken to an interrogation room as soon as we land."

Sephiroth gave him a strange look. "I never said she was a threat. She was nearly dead when I found her."

Tseng gave him a hard look. "Why would she panic at seeing a Turk? It needs to be investigated at least."

Sephiroth shook his head. "It started when she saw the city. It may have nothing to do with Shinra at all. I will admit that questions do need to be asked, but she also needs to be examined. Why don't we have her taken to the infirmary and we can proceed from there."

Tseng frowned and took a moment before answering. "I will agree, but I plan on speaking to her as soon as they are finished."

Sephiroth gave him a nod. "I will go with you. We can proceed from there once she is examined." Neither of them said anything else. They watched as the woman finally brought her breathing under control and sat back. She still gave them wary looks and seemed as if she were fighting another panic attack, but she didn't say anything as she moved to sit back on the cot she had been laid on previously.

Eve had barely managed to push all thoughts away long enough for her to calm her breathing to keep from passing out. When she sat back and saw Sephiroth and Tseng once again, she nearly gave in to another panic attack. She had to take several deep breaths before she could move to sit again. Her mind was going a million miles a minute as she tried to figure out how she managed to get into a helicopter above Midgar. Those thoughts collided with everything she said to Sephiroth before she realized he was telling the truth as well as what they might be planning for her next.

There was also the thought that if these men were really who they seemed, and she was stuck in a game, then did that mean she didn't survive? The thought that she had been ripped away from the life she had fought so hard for had the bile rising into her throat. She was also fighting tears at the thought of David and Mara being left behind. Her chaotic thoughts hadn't calmed when the machine finally set down. If anything, they were worse when the door was opened, and both men turned to her with drawn looks. When she noticed Tseng's split lip, she started shaking. Not only was she in a strange land that she barely remembered, she was now at the mercy of some of the most merciless people in that world. It took several deep breaths before she could manage to stand.

She still managed to keep her head up as she stepped up to them. It took all her will power not to try and jerk away when Sephiroth took her by the arm to help her down. He didn't let her go once they were on the ground either. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something else she might regret. She walked in silence as they led her into the building. She tried her best to keep up with the twists and turns they used. Her resolve to not fight was tried when they pushed the button for the 67th floor. She couldn't remember which floor the science department was, but she knew it was in the 60's. She couldn't remember anything else that might be up there that made sense and the thought of why they were going up there made her falter.

Sephiroth gave her a curious look when she stumbled but didn't ask as she quickly righted herself. Her mind was once again going crazy trying to figure out whether she should risk trying to bolt or wait and see if it was what she was thinking it was. She instinctively knew that no matter what, they couldn't find out she wasn't from Gaia. There was no telling what they would do to her whether they believed it or not. It was as she nearly gave in to her panic again that a sweet voice cut across the chaos. "Evelyn, you cannot think if you do not stay calm. You are needed here. I will do all I can to ensure you are not harmed, but you must not panic."

She jerked her head around at the voice causing both men to give her worried looks, but neither of them seemed to have heard it. She started when it rang out again. "Child, you are not imagining this. It is imperative that you stay calm or you will end up in a situation I cannot help you out of."

When neither man showed any signs of hearing the voice again, she tentatively focused and tried to think an answer. 'What is going on?'

She nearly jumped when the voice answered. "You have been saved in order to save the world. You are needed here."

She had to take a few deep breaths before another thought came unbidden. 'Hearing voices is a bad thing. What the hell am I doing!'

She had the impression that the voice sighed before responding again. "You are not hearing imaginary voices. I understand that this is difficult for you, but you must let go of your preconceived notions of what reality consists of if you are to survive. I can only help so much; the rest will be up to you."

Eve had been concentrating on the voice enough that her panic had finally started to fade. She was still terrified and trying to figure out what was going on, but at least she was able to think clearly. She realized that if she could somehow wind up in a game, then a voice in her head giving her advice wasn't the weirdest thing she had seen that day. She only hoped that it wasn't all some strange dream brought on by nearly drowning, even though a small part hoped it was. If it was just a dream, that would mean she could wake up. She knew it was a delusional thought though. No matter how realistic her dreams could get, they were nothing compared to the grip of the man that still held onto her.

As her thoughts continued to ramble in an effort to find coherence, the voice broke in again. "I am glad to see you are calming. Remember that I will be here, but you must keep calm. I will send help so do not panic. I will try to answer any questions you have after you succeed in clearing this challenge."

Eve nearly growled in frustration. Even if she chose to believe the random voice in her head, it really wasn't doing her much good other than to help her focus. As she realized that, she felt a twinge of guilt at her anger. She needed to focus now more than ever, so it really had been a help. At that thought she looked back up to the tall silver haired man that held her arm. At least he was not being rough.

He must have felt her gaze as he turned to her when she didn't look away. She tried to make the most of it. "I apologize for freaking out back there, and before I fell into the pool as well. All I can say is that I never thought I would ever have the chance to meet you. Given that, I was more than a little wary." She paused and looked passed him to Tseng as well. "I need to apologize to you too. I… I don't really like to be touched and you surprised me. It was instinct, but I'm sorry I hurt you."

Tseng raised a brow at her apology, but his voice was even when he spoke. "If that is your first instinct, then you must really hate to be surprised. I will keep that in mind."

She tried not to blush at his matter of fact statement. The truth was, had she not been so surprised she probably would not have lashed out like she had, but she did hate to be touched; she usually dealt with it better. Hopefully she hadn't already dug her own grave. She remembered enough to know the Turks were not to be messed with. "I wouldn't have normally reacted like that. It's just that I never expected to see Midgar in person, much less General Sephiroth. Finding out this is all real was a shock. I am calmer now, so it won't happen again."

Tseng raised a brow at her explanation again. "Finding out it is real? You didn't believe Midgar or the General were real?"

Eve wanted to kick herself for the slip, but she kept an iron grip on her calm. The voice had been right in the fact that she would be much worse off if she couldn't. She managed to find a reply, even if her mind was still frantically searching for a plausible reason. "Yes, it's a long story though. I assume we are going somewhere I can answer your questions?"

Tseng paused at her question. He was surprised at not only how much calmer she was, but by the fact that she already had a firm understanding of the circumstances. It made him all the more curious about her. "Yes, we are taking you to be examined. After that we can sit down and discuss what has happened."

She swallowed hard before giving him a nod. At least that would give her a little time to figure out what to tell them. Whatever it was she had to make sure she didn't lie. Something told her Tseng would be able to figure it out quickly if she did.

Her resolution to keep calm was sorely tested when they got off the elevator and walked into a hallway with many rooms and several people walking around in white lab coats. Normally her first thoughts would have been that they were doctors, but knowing she was now in a fantasy world, she immediately thought of Hojo. No matter how long it had been since she played the FF7 games, Hojo had made an impression on her young mind and he was the last person she ever wanted to meet.

Her thoughts were derailed once again when a tall red-head stepped out of one of the rooms. He had been scowling, but his expression changed to surprise when he saw the three of them. He only paused a moment before walking over to them. Sephiroth spoke up as soon as he reached them. "Genesis, I'm glad you are here." He paused and looked at Eve before speaking again. "There is something I wanted to discuss with you, but I am busy at the moment. Would you please come by my office in two hours?"

Genesis gave him a nod, but his eyes were fixed on Eve. He completely ignored Tseng as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss across her fingers before giving her one of his winning smiles. "It is always a pleasure to see beauty grace this dreary building. Might I have your name?"

It took all of Eve's self-control not to jerk her hand away as soon as he grabbed it. As it was she took it back as quickly as she could, and her face was a blank mask when she answered him. "I am Dr. Evelyn Marx. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Commander Rhapsodos."

All three men gave her looks of surprise. Both because she was claiming to be a doctor and because she recognized Genesis. It was Genesis that recovered first. His flirty smile had not dimmed. "I hope that means my visits here will no longer be so depressing."

He wasn't given the chance to continue before Sephiroth spoke up. "Genesis, not now. Remember to come by my office later."

Genesis' brow furrowed slightly at Sephiroth's tone, but he gave him another nod before giving Eve a quick bow. "Until next time."

She shook her head at his retreating form. She had been trying to remember as much as she could and seeing Genesis still at headquarters at least gave her a point in the timeline to reference. She didn't know if he had been injured yet or not, but at least it was before he deserted. She pushed those thoughts back as the other two led her into one of the rooms. Sephiroth pointed to the bed. "Have a seat. One of the doctors will be here shortly."

She did as she was told but once she was seated Tseng turned to Sephiroth. "I will be back later."

Sephiroth gave him a nod as he walked out. Eve had to push back her panic again. She was positive that Tseng was going to see if he could find her in their databases now that he had her name. She knew he wouldn't find anything and wasn't sure how to feel about it. She briefly wondered if she should have lied about her name but realized it wouldn't have mattered either way. At least this way she wouldn't have to worry about trying to remember a fake name. Her attention was drawn back to Sephiroth when he spoke. "You are a doctor? What do you research?"

She shook her head at him with a frown. "I don't research. I am a medical doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. I just started my residency, but I still earned the title."

His brow drew down slightly as he looked her over once again. "You seem incredibly young to be a doctor."

She huffed at him. "You seem incredibly young to be a General." Now that he wasn't trying to touch her, and she had space to think, her naturally sarcastic attitude was coming out again. She almost wished she had better control over it when she was irritated, but only almost. She had to admit the look on his face was slightly satisfying.

It only took a moment for his look to clear and she found herself smiling for the first time in this world as his lip quirked up slightly. "I suppose that is true as well."

She relaxed at the sight, but they were interrupted by a knock and then a man in a lab coat entered. Eve tensed at the sight but relaxed when she realized it wasn't Hojo. The man gave Sephiroth a nod before he turned to Eve. "I am Doctor Kramer. I understand you were exposed to mako. It would seem you are handling it well if you are up and lucid. I will give you a basic exam to make sure there is nothing we are missing. I will also need to take some blood samples."

She gave him a nod to indicate she understood and focused on her breathing while he checked her over. Once he finished the basic exam she held out her arm when he brought the phlebotomy kit over. She was thankful that he was skilled and was able to get the blood needed with minimal effort. Once he had everything he turned to Sephiroth. "General, she seems to be doing fine. I would recommend that she stay somewhere she can be observed for a day or two and if the blood work checks out fine she can be cleared. I would like to see her in two days to check again. Otherwise, she's free to go."

Sephiroth gave the doctor a nod before the man left. Once he was gone he turned back to the mystery woman. He may have learned her name, but there was so much more to find out. He stood and motioned her to follow suit. As they were walking out he spoke. "I will arrange for you to be put up in one of the spare apartments for now. I will advise you that there will be a guard, so please do not try to leave. For now, please follow me to my office." She motioned him to lead the way. She was proud that she was able to keep her continued fear and confusion off her face as she followed him back to the elevator.