Author's Note:Ever have something you love that just can't come together? That was this set of stories. After the compilations came out, I was confused at best. I wanted to proceed, I wanted to proceed and have fun, but I didn't feel the spark. It's back now. And so, I'm fixing up NJPT. Here is where I start to change things. Thank you so much for reading!

Not Just Passing Time
Chapter Five: Emmerson's Emerson

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The four of them lapsed into something that borderlined a comfortable silence. Vincent made three more attempts at lighting a cigarette before he'd successfully taken a puff and kept the stick from Veld, who glowered at him.

"Ah, sir?" Scarlet asked timidly. She cast a glance at Reeve and smiled.

Veld said nothing; his deep brown eyes slid up to the rearview mirror from the passenger seat.

She bit her lip and glanced at Reeve once again. "Ah… can I get a light?"

Veld rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, Vincent flipped a Zippo up to her.

Scarlet accepted the lighter and passed it to Reeve with one of her cigarettes.

"You're all going to die early of black, charred, and disgusting lungs." Veld huffed, cracking his window.

"Awww, Velly, don't worry, I ain't goin' to die early." Vincent winked.

"Bah."

"Cranky-"

"-don't you start, Valentine."

"Little. Brown. Sheep."

Veld reached out with amazing speed and plucked the cigarette from his partner's mouth. He flung the stick out the window then and snorted.

Vincent laughed, but he didn't try to light up again.

The ShinRa building loomed up in front of the car, over fifty stories tall and chapped towards its white curves with a soft, green glow of mako residue. Vincent sped the car through the busy intersections and slid into an underground parking lot.

"Anyone can park here?" Reeve asked.

Vincent smirked. "What do you think, kid?"

"I think you've got the hood chipped."

Veld laughed as Vincent parked the car. The two of them unbuckled their seat belts at the same time, getting out of the car and shutting the doors in perfect sync. Without a word they started into the building. Scarlet and Reeve had to rush to catch up before trying to fall into step with the pair of Turks.

As they walked by, people would stop and stare after them. Reeve swallowed, looking to Scarlet, but she wasn't paying attention to him, her eyes were roving the ShinRa building. Feeling nervous and a little exposed, Reeve focused on Vincent and Veld's heels.

Vincent and Veld really did move as a unit, it was strange because obviously, neither of them were paying attention to how they were walking. Even though Vincent was taller, his strides matched Veld's. They didn't make a sound as they walked, even though they had on boots and the floor was tiled. He wondered how much time Turks spent together; millions of questions were in his head. "How-"

Veld glanced over his shoulder. The look clearly told Reeve to shut up.

Reeve complied.

"Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The two blond Turks in the office on the fifty-sixth floor were familiar to Reeve. They didn't look up from their work as Veld and Vincent lead them into the office. It was large and would have been spacious if it didn't half resemble an apartment.

Against the far right corner a large refrigerator hummed. The back wall hosted a sink, shelves with glasses, a bathroom door, a fish tank that was filled with various bottle caps, and a dartboard. On the dartboard itself was a picture of someone that Reeve didn't know. The other corner of the wall was dominated by a very large, extremely fake, bright green potted plant.

The left wall had filing cabinets, lockers and an old TV against it. Milk crates made up a makeshift TV stand and held various assortments of movies. The back center of the room also held two threadbare futons, leaving the front of the room itself to be stuffed with six desks, two of them clean and unused.

"Smokers?" the blond man asked.

Veld rolled his eyes and walked to the desk next to the other man.

Vincent slid behind both of the desks, flopping down against the wall and next to Veld and propping his feet up on his own desk. "Yup," he motioned to scarlet with a Zippo. "Scarlet here even rolls her own."

The blonde woman had yet to look up, but the blond man smiled brightly. "Oh really?" He bent his head then, lighting a cigarette.

After smirking in Veld's direction, Vincent followed suit. "Ya, really."

Veld's dark eyes darted from the blond to Vincent before he reached under his desk. Upon sitting up, he had a spray bottle. Quickly, before the other men figured out what was going on, Veld misted down first Vincent, and then the blond man. "Bad, Cassio, bad." He squirted the blond again.

Cassio – who must have picked up smoking after Reeve had last seen him – ran his hand over his tongue, cursing. "Goddamnit, Veld!" he flicked his tongue out, scraping it twice along his teeth in an effort to rid him of the taste. "Asshol-" squirt. "I hate-" squirt. Finally, Cassio simply glared.

Vincent, who had been snickering, broke into full out laughter. He then was unceremoniously spritted.

By this time, both Reeve and Scarlet could smell a "fresh laundry scent". Scarlet turned from the desks, trying to hide her mirth behind Reeve's shoulder. Reeve himself bit the inside of his cheek, but was smirking all the same.

"Are you children done?" The blonde woman asked without a smile and in an even tone.

"Almost." Veld squirted them both again quickly before replacing the bottle under his desk. "Alright."

The woman leaned on the desk, cupping her chin in her hands. She sighed the sigh of a long suffering leader. "You sure?"

Veld mimicked her pose, leaving Cassio and Vincent looking a little like wet tomcats. "Yup."

"After that astounding display of professionalism…" The woman stood. Her grey eyes looked over first Scarlet, then Reeve. She walked around to the side of her desk, leaning against it casually. "My name is Michelle Tally. I am going to give you one chance to walk out of here. If you choose to stay you may ask us each one question a piece. Once you are done with those, you will not ask any further questions."

Reeve and Scarlet looked at one another, neither one willing to stay if the other didn't, nor did they seem willing to leave alone. The Turks had fallen silent. From their desks, three pairs of what had been amused eyes now narrowed at them. It was singularly unsettling.

Scarlet turned then, standing shoulder to shoulder with Reeve. She looked at Tally. "So, you're the boss?"

Tally smiled, crossing her arms under her chest. "Yes."

"You aren't going to test us on anything?" Reeve asked, not knowing if he should or shouldn't like that smile.

"You'll find, Emmerson that we know more about you than you do." Tally responded. When he opened his mouth to ask another question, she stood straighter, eyes narrowing.

Reeve swallowed his question.

Scarlet then turned to Cassio. "What do you do?"

His expression was blank, his tone professional. "Turks are professional conflict resolution specialists. My particular line of expertise is explosives."

Reeve didn't seem to have anything else to ask of Cassio. "When did you start smoking?"

Cassio's eyebrow quirked up. "A while ago."

Vincent smirked, but it wasn't the friendly one he'd had in the car, there was something calculatory about him. "Good memory." He then rubbed at his temple, smirk totally fading.

Veld glanced over then, sliding his eyes to Vincent before looking back seriously at Reeve and Scarlet. Cassio and Tally stiffened slightly, but it was barely noticeable.

Scarlet chose to ignore that and forged onward with the questions. "So, what do you do?"

"Intel." Veld leaned back in his chair. "I will also be the person you report to should Tally become unavailable."

"Personal Intel or distance?" Reeve asked, obviously interested.

"Whatever works."

Scarlet nodded simply and then turned to Vincent. "So, how about you? What do you do?"

He smiled. "I kill people."

Both Scarlet and Reeve took a step back. There was a pause where they were waiting for a punch line. After none came, Reeve put a hand on Scarlet's shoulder. "That's a rather… permanent way to resolve a conflict."

"Apt euphemisms are your friend, kid." Vincent responded. "I don't count that little bit of advice as a question."

'This… this is going to sound crazy," Reeve started, "but do you guys really have an evil scientist?"

"Yes."

There was a long pause. "Wait, what?" Reeve balked.

"Speaking of," Tally strode past the two shocked recruits and opened up a locker. "Dragoon, get another two desks in here. Tell Stella that she and Cassio have a new trainee when she and Irvane check in." Tally hung her jacket up on the locker door and pulled out two gun-belts. "You and Valentine also have a new trainee, so set up accordingly."

"Yes ma'am." Veld responded after sharing a look with Vincent.

Tally slid three guns into the holsters. "Right then, Reeve, Scarlet, move it." She strode out the door without another glance.

No one needed to explain to Reeve and Scarlet that Michelle Tally meant business. Her heeled boots were as silent as Vincent and Veld's flats. The Fifty-sixth floor had no other offices. A few battered vending machines sat in an alcove in the center of the single hallway. To the end of the hall were two opposing doors. Tally stood between them. "The training gym and assessment area is here." She pointed. "There is a lab located inside also, you are not permitted to go in there on your own." Then she smiled.

"Since today is hell day, however, we always let you play first." She held an ID card up to the other door. A green light flashed at the keypad and then the door slid open on its own. "Welcome to the toy store."

Like a vast library of weaponry, shelves collected in the front of the room and lined the walls. A metal cage dominated the entire right wall and ranges extended to the end of the room.

Reeve and Scarlet blinked together before they both exclaimed "Holy shit!"

"Have at it, kids." Just be careful, there are offices on the other side of the split level."

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reeve would have preferred to stay in the armory. He would have almost preferred the company of Araby to the strange smell that wafted from the front laboratory in the ShinRa science wing. Tally had informed them that it was a front office of sorts and that they would be in the back labs for "treatments" but she didn't say anything else.

He hadn't expected to see people his own age in this department, but there were two young lab technicians, a blonde woman cleaning beakers in a sink and a young man with very bright red hair was working on files.

"Hallo, Tally." The red head spoke up, timidly. He smiled and adjusted his glasses.

The blonde waived with a pipe cleaner. "How are you doing?"

"Very well, Shalua, hallo Pepper." Tally smiled at them. "How has your first week been?"

Pepper glanced over at Shalua. The two seemed to silently debate who would answer before Pepper spoke. "We are getting used to it." He then flipped through the files. "Are these the new recruits? Professor Gast and Professor Hojo are busy at the moment." He slid out from the filing cabinets and extended his hand to first Scarlet then Reeve. "Hi, I'm Pepper."

"I'd shake, but you don't want to touch my hands." Shalua offered. "Everyone's very helpful."

Reeve let out the breath he had been holding. These people were friendly. They even seemed to be a little nervous. There was nothing to be afraid of. It was then the back doors swung open. Two men walked out into the labs, both of them were splattered with blood and pulling off gloves.

The older of the two had graying, brownish hair, though he didn't look as old as could be expected. He smiled warmly, stepping on a leaver on a hazard bin and dropping his gloves inside.

The younger of the two barely looked more than five years Reeve's elder. Where the brunette man looked a little spacey, this man had very serious features with a hooked nose and a pronounced forehead that told of mixed heritage when combined with his narrow eyes and thick, black hair. He was intellectually handsome and had the air of someone who wanted to prove himself. "I still consider this a partial success."

"You can consider it whatever you like, Seiichiro." The older man laughed and let the bin close. "However, rabbits are not people and you'd have to have a half-breed to study before anything could be certain."

The younger man – Seiichiro Hojo – frowned. "I'm aware, Professor Gast." He stated. "But according to Doctor Grimoire –oh, were we doing Turks today?" He leaned his weight on one hip, studying both Reeve and Scarlet.

"Yes, Professor Hojo." Shalua peeked over the shorter Pepper's shoulder. "Reeve, code 47952 and Scarlet, code 47953."

"Thank you, Shalua." Seiichiro nodded and walked over, accepting a file from Pepper.

Pepper looked over at the other doctor. "Reeve and Scarlet." He offered as if he thought the other doctor needed reminded.

"Ahhh thank you very much, Pepper." Gast walked over to the sink, washing his hands. "Seiichiro will be handling the infusions today. He's more than ready."

The air in the room turned grim. "Are you sure."

Seiichiro looked a little offended. "You'd trust Vincent with them."

"When you take a bullet for me, I'll trust you as much." Tally commented. "I just don't want a repeat of past mistakes."

His face set into a mix between guilt and anger. "I've learned from that mistake."

Tally simply nodded. "I'll send Valentine and Dragoon to pick them up."

The anger faded to something much more akin to guilt. "Do you have to?"

Her hair bobbed slightly when Tally turned on heel and strode away. Seiichiro wasn't going to get an answer.

Reeve really didn't want Tally to leave him and Scarlet alone down there…

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

There was an uncomfortable silence as Tally exited the labs. Scarlet and Reeve looked at each other and then Gast clapped his hands. "Alright, Reeve and Scarlet was it?"

"Yes sir." Reeve spoke up.

He blinked. "Well you've got quite a nice voice, young man." It was a strange detail to pick out, considering where they were. Gast adjusted his glasses then and turned to Seiichiro. "I'd like to observe you with this, Seiichiro."

Hojo nodded, though he didn't seem pleased. Considering the previous conversation with Tally, it was no wonder. "Certainly, Professor Gast."

"Pepper, will you assist Professor Hojo for me?" Gast asked as he dug out some new gloves.

Shalua looked relieved and began to happily clean the beakers.

Seiichiro took a deep breath and then smiled at Reeve and Scarlet. "This isn't very nice, I'm afraid, but just keep calm and we can try to make it as easy as possible." He grabbed a pair of gloves out of a wall dispenser. "Please follow me?"

Scarlet and Reeve followed him. Through those doors was something Reeve would not have believed had he not witnessed it himself. The tile was darker, stained here and there with dark, rust-colored patches. The smell itself was strong and rank, sterilizations melded with metallic scents common from the back allies of the slums. Both Scarlet and Reeve covered their mouths and mouths with their hands.

"You'll get used to the smell," Pepper offered, "of course you're going to have some sensory issues to deal with, but don't worry, alright?"

"What, exactly, are you going to do to us?" Scarlet's tone was tight, muffled through her hand.

"Mako enhancements." Gast sounded very chipper from where he was walking next to Seiichiro. "It's a process all the forces go through, with minor alterations depending on your unit requirements." There was a sharp, yet strangled cry from one of the many side rooms to the hallway. "Oh bothers." Gast hurried ahead, stepping in a reddish puddle as he reached the door and pulled it closed. "Pepper, after you load the tanks, can you mop this hallway down?"

"Yes, of course Professor." Pepper looked a bit grim.

"Enhancements?" Reeve swallowed.

"It will just require a minimal adjustment. You're going to be light sensitive more than anything else. You do, however need to report anything abnormal to Tally or your immediate supervisor." Gast's voice drifted off.

"That would be Stella or Veld, as they are both Rank B." Seiichiro responded in a helpful tone. He cast a glance at Gast. "They'll explain everything once you get out tomorrow."

"You were talking about abnormalities, Professor." Pepper offered after a silence.

"Was I?" He thought a moment. "Oh yes, I was, thank you Pepper." Once again Gast adjusted his glasses. "Any hallucinations, voices, interrupted thought, lost time in more than two hour intervals, and or pain that lasts continually for more than two weeks are all considered abnormalities." He waived a dismissive hand, walking after Hojo. "No worries. I wonder if Iffy is going to make lasagna… or did she say she was going to Vincent's… maybe I was going with her…"

"And we are the ones that need to report memory issues?" Reeve asked.

This made Pepper laugh. "To be honest, all Turks have minor abnormalities. You just learn to get by with them; Tally says that's all that matters. Oh and you really, absolutely, without a doubt, need to walk out of the lab on your own power."

"Or?" Scarlet finally let her hand drop from her face.

Hojo cleared his throat and drew their attention to his ponytail. "Just walk out." He hid his face by opening the door.

The lab smelled like sulfur. The tables and tools glowed slightly, casting the same green light as the ShinRa tower. Hojo was placing things up on a wheeled table with that off smile spread across his face. "Prep tubes nine and ten, Pepper."

"Yes Professor." Pepper went about his business in-between the rows of large, glass, pods. He pulled on hoses and busied himself with prepping the tanks.

Hojo wandered around, snapping things off shelves and looking totally in his element. "52 needs a full flux wire, up the J-cell and lower the M-cell to a minimal flow." He then tapped a needle, filling it with a glowing liquid. "Reeve?"

It dawned on Reeve that he would have to learn his code number. "…yeah?"

Hojo pointed. "Strip down and get in the tube, please."

"Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"So, do you like the new kids?" There was a woman flitting about the Turk office with a wedding band on her finger.

Veld was not married. "Yeah, Iffy. Smart kids, I'm not worried."

"So, why did you and Vince have a fight?" She spun, brown hair waved and then settled in a bouncy sort of curl about her face.

Veld himself pulled a face. "That bint he brought home with him."

Ifalna worried her lip. "That's not how he sees it at all. You can't hate Suzi that much."

"Oh yes I can, Ifalna."

"I swear, she isn't taking your place, don't act so jealous." She bent and adjusted her skirt.

"I'm not acting jealous whatsoever." Veld crossed his arms over his chest and looked off in another direction. "There is something wrong with her; she always looks at me like I'm some silly child."

"It'll make sense one of these days, Velly." She opened the door and waived without further explanation, leaving the room.

Veld groaned, sitting his head on his desk. He didn't look up when the door opened again.

"Eh, wha's wrong Velly?"

"Oh why don't you fuck off for once, Valentine?" Veld snapped into his desk.

Vincent growled at the ongoing argument. "If I had know it bothered you, I wouldn't have."

"Are you deaf or something?" Veld snapped his head up, barely missing Vincent's nose as he whirled around to face the other man. "And what did I tell you about my personal space."

Vincent's black hair butted against Veld's brown, but he didn't move. "That you were going to strangle me one of these days?"

"Go invade Suzi's space or something." Veld spat, he tried to wheel his chair back, but Vincent's hands clamped down on the arms, preventing Veld from doing so.

Black brows drew together over his blue eyes. "Why don't you bother Ifalna?" There was heat behind Vincent's words, his eyes narrowed and something danced behind them.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Face. Valentine."

"No."

They glared at each other and Veld reached his hand out, grabbing Vincent's tie. He'd really meant to strangle him. In all honesty, that's what he'd meant to do. It was confusing then, when instead Veld's eyes pressed shut and his mouth met Vincent's. They rose to their feet, Veld fell back to sit on his desk…

… The phone rang then, and he suddenly remembered who he was. "Goddamnit!" Veld shoved back on Vincent's chest. "I TOLD you about that."

Ring.

Vincent loosened his tie. "You started it both times."

Ring.

"You didn't have to finish it both times!"

Ring.

Veld made an aggravated sound and snapped the receiver up off the cradle. "What!" There was a pause. "Oh, yeah… right. We'll be down to get them in a few moments."