Chapter 7

It wasn't far between the apartments and the offices, so they walked in silence. It was also not empty, and neither of them had anything they wanted to share where others could hear. Eve's only concern was a hope that whatever story Tseng came up with was believable enough to get Sephiroth to go along without too many questions. Since she knew it was only the day before when they were all trying to get info on her. It was something she probably should have asked about before they left the apartment, but she couldn't now.

It didn't take long for them to stop outside of a nondescript door along a hallway filled with them. Tseng knocked once and when the baritone on the other side answered, he opened the door and motioned Eve in first. She only took a couple of steps into the office though before she froze. The room already had several other occupants, but it was the one that was barely standing still next to the door that had her attention. All the others in the room disappeared from her thoughts as she slowly walked over to Zack.

He gave her a nervous smile when she stopped in front of him. He didn't get to say anything before she reached out and lightly touched his arm. She quickly pulled her hand back but looked up to him, and his eyes widened when he saw the tears shimmering in her eyes. He barely heard her speak. "You… you're… oh god!"

Zack panicked slightly when the small woman in front of him swayed slightly. He didn't know why she was so upset, but he wasn't one to not help if he was able to. When she swayed again, he reached out and grabbed her, so she wouldn't fall. At that motion, she surprised him by wrapping him in a crushing hug. He was at a loss until he felt her shaking. His eyes flew over to his mentor in confusion when he realized she had started crying. He didn't push her away though.

He tried to comfort her while he silently pleaded for someone to come to help him. He nearly panicked again when he realized that everyone except for Angeal was giving him looks of shock. Angeal looked just as lost as he felt. When Genesis' shock turned to a scowl though, Zack nearly pushed her away, so he could run. He had no idea what was going on, but he never wanted to cross Commander Rhapsodos. The man had a reputation for a scary temper.

He was saved when both the General and Tseng spoke up at the same time. It was Tseng's voice that seemed to get through to her though. "Dr. Marx. Dr. Marx! Would you please release Soldier Fair?"

She suddenly seemed to realize where she was again and moved back so fast it was almost comical. She wiped at her face, but he was even more confused as her face reddened, and she spoke. "I apologize for that. I didn't mean to grab you like that. I just wasn't expecting… well never mind. I do apologize again though."

Her face turned even brighter when Sephiroth called out to her again. "Eve, what- why are you here?" He had so many things going through his mind, he wasn't sure where to start, but finding out how she got out of his apartment without him was the first thing that he wanted to know.

She was saved from having to answer when Tseng spoke up. "I retrieved her. We were only stopping by to let you know that we have a place for her to stay so you will no longer need to worry about her imposing. I will get a full report over to you later."

Sephiroth wasn't sure what to think of Tseng's announcement, especially not with Eve's strange behavior. The fact that she had not only touched Zack but hugged him, already had his mind reeling. He knew it wasn't just him that she was afraid of, as she had reacted poorly to both Tseng and Genesis touching her as well. She had also been uncomfortable with the doctor. There had to be a good reason she was alright with touching Zack, but he knew if the Turks were involved now that it would become much harder for him to figure things out. He wasn't surprised that Tseng had managed to get approval to investigate her, and she looked like she was with him willingly. However, he also knew the Turks were not known for their honesty. He would just have to make it a point to keep an eye on things as much as possible until he figured out what was really going on.

For now, his brows lowered slightly when he spoke. "It doesn't surprise me that you were able to retrieve her, but I expect to know everything." He paused and looked at Eve. "My door is still open if you need anything."

At that statement, Zack and Angeal gave him a look of surprise before looking back at Eve. Genesis was still wearing a glare, but he hadn't said anything yet. Eve managed to give him a nod at his reassurance before she found her voice again. "Thank you. I really apologize for causing a scene. We'll get out of your hair now."

With that, she turned back to Tseng. He raised a brow at her abrupt actions but moved to allow her to walk out. He looked back to the stunned faces of all the Soldiers and had to bite back a smirk. His newest Turk was already causing a commotion, and she hadn't even signed the paperwork yet. He really hoped that she kept it to other departments though. They already had enough shenanigans with certain members of their team. They didn't need any more. He gave the silent Soldiers a nod before he turned to follow her out. He finally let his smirk loose as he turned. He knew it would aggravate them and was pleased when he saw the General frown before he closed the door.

Once they were gone all three of the Firsts finally turned to Zack. The Second still looked a little shell-shocked, but he jerked to attention when his General addressed him. "Soldier Fair, have you met Dr. Marx previously? Do you have any idea what that was about?"

Zack scratched the back of his head and gave him a confused look before he responded. "Uh, sorry sir. I have never seen her before. You said she's a doctor? Is she new to our Science Department?"

Angeal turned to his friend at that question. "That's a good question. Both you and Genesis seemed to know her, but I've never seen her either. What happened while we were gone?"

Sephiroth let out a nearly inaudible sigh before he took his seat again. "I was planning on going over it after you gave me your report. While I was in Modeoheim, I rescued her from drowning in a pool of mako. I brought her here because she needed medical attention and she was alone. It also didn't hurt that she has potential with materia to rival Genesis. I'm not sure what is going on now, but I imagine the Turks have their own plans for her. Either way, she is not part of the Science Department. She told me she was a psychologist."

At that Genesis gave him a curious look. "A psychologist that doesn't like to be touched, but apparently has no problem touching the Puppy? What do we really know about her?"

Sephiroth shook his head at Genesis' hard tone. "Not a lot. I plan on finding out though. I did authorize her to be brought here, so it is my responsibility to make sure nothing happens."

Angeal gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you thought you were helping, so don't get too worked up over it. If the Turks are involved, then I am sure they can handle it. Later though, I want you to tell me the whole story about how in the world this all happened. For now, Zack and I will leave you to it."

At that, he stood and headed out. Zack gave both remaining men a salute before he followed Angeal out. They could hear Genesis' raised voice as soon as the door was closed. Angeal shook his head at his friend's temper, but they had better things to worry about then getting in the middle of whatever that was all about. He did give his pupil a smile and clapped him on the back as they took off down the hall. "You handled that fairly well, but I would recommend the next time a woman puts her arms around you unexpectedly that you don't panic. You looked like you were about to faint."

Zack blushed a little at his gentle ribbing, but he managed a smile back. "That was weird 'Geal. I wonder if she thought I was someone else?"

"I'm sure Sephiroth will get to the bottom of it, so don't worry. We have training to get back to, now that we're back at headquarters. Focus on that instead."

Zack's smile turned into a full-blown grin as he responded. "Yes, sir! What protocol will we be running next?" Their conversation finally faded at that point as they turned the corner to head toward the VR room.


Both Tseng and Eve were silent until they reached the elevator. Once the doors were closed and they were alone, Tseng turned to her with a questioning look. "Care to explain what that was all about?"

Her face heated slightly, and it took her a few moments to figure out how she wanted to respond. She had to explain it partially at least, even if she still knew she couldn't tell any of them how she knew the things she did. "In some of the things I have seen, Zack was killed, violently and needlessly. I logically know those things haven't happened but seeing him there and whole was shocking. It shouldn't have been, and I am aware that I need to watch my reactions better, but…" She shrugged and hoped that he didn't dig too much more into it.

Tseng's gaze did not clear though. Instead, his voice became a little edged. "Your 'visions' were clear enough for you to know the names of the people killed?"

If they had been walking, she might have stumbled at his quick comprehension. She nearly panicked as she realized she could not afford to slip up around any of these people and she already had several times. She managed to shake her head though. "Not all of them, no. Zack's role was bigger though, more than you might think given his current position. Everything ends up going to hell, and a lot of people died though. I don't know them all by name."

Tseng's gaze was still evaluating, but the elevator opened, and his next question was cut off. Instead, he gave her a warning. "Once we finish your paperwork, I will need to introduce you to our Director, Veld, before it can be made official. That won't be a problem with my recommendation. However, once that is finished, you and I will be settling in for a nice long chat. I don't care what time it is."

She wanted to roll her eyes at his tone. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that she wasn't entirely certain that the 'chat' wouldn't involve something she was bound not to like. Coming from a Turk, that was a definite possibility. Instead, she followed him down the hall and into a large room filled with several desks.

Her attention was drawn when a drawling voice called out. "Oh hey! What's the General's hottie doin' up here on our floor, yo?"

Her eyes widened when she saw Reno, and it took her a moment to realize he was talking about her. Her first instinct was to get offended, both at the fact that he referenced to her as 'the General's', and also that he called her hottie. She pushed the feeling aside quickly and gave him a smirk instead. This was the one place that could prove most problematic if she couldn't stay on her toes. "What's it to you, Firetruck."

Absolute silence descended on the room for several heartbeats. Reno's confused expression nearly had Eve laughing, but she managed to hold it in. At least until he stood and gave her an incredulous look. "Did you just call me Firetruck?"

Her smirk widened. "Yes, I did. You got a problem with it?"

"Why?" His confusion was still evident as he leaned over his desk, although it looked to be changing to anger as he spoke.

"Why did you call me hottie?"

Her retort had him standing up straight and smirking back finally. "So, it's like that huh? Well, don't complain if you can't keep up, doll."

She did roll her eyes at that point. "I'm not the one you should be worried about, Gingersnap."

She chuckled at him as his mouth opened and closed a couple of times. He didn't have the chance to find a retort though as Tseng spoke up. "Enough." He gave Eve a hard look, but she thought she saw a tinge of humor in his eyes. If it was there, it was gone quickly. "We have things that need to be done. Follow me." He didn't say anything else before he turned and headed to one of the doors along the far wall.

Inside was a small office. It was non-descript with several monitors on one of the sides of the L-shaped desk. Tseng immediately went to sit behind it and gestured for her to take one of the seats in front of it. As he reached to turn the machine on, he gave her a hard stare. "You shouldn't encourage him. It will get much worse if you don't concede the next time you speak with him. And you will have to work with him at some point."

She only grinned. "I'm only giving as good as I get, or better actually, but the point is that he could use someone to bite back a little." As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that she had spoken about something she shouldn't have once again and quickly tried to cover it. "At least, that's how he seems to me."

He didn't look entirely convinced, but he let it slide for the moment. "He is the third in command of the Turks. I am sure you realize that means disrespect will not be tolerated?"

She snorted at his unspoken threat. "You're right. It won't be. I realize that respect is something earned, but that doesn't mean I have to shut up and take being insulted. That seems a bit counterproductive if I'm going to be trying to earn their respect, don't you think?"

He sat back with a contemplative look, but he didn't say anything right away. He turned to the computer and was typing for several minutes before he said anything again. "I will have everything you need to become a valid part of Midgar society. You will need to sign a few things, but the most important thing is for you to know your history. Obviously, with what you are we will keep the truth silent for now, unless I find a reason not to. That means that at least part of it will be a… bending of the truth."

She gave him a surprised look. "You would be willing to do that given the fact that you know nothing about me? That sounds about as real as a jackalope."

He gave her a confused look. "A what? Never mind." He shook his head and turned back to the screens. "Do not mistake my actions. I am not doing it for your benefit. If I am to keep an eye on you outside of a cell, then this is my only option. You obviously don't have the paperwork on you, and somehow, I doubt that your true origins will be easy to explain away if they came to light. This is a convenience for my own peace of mind."

She smiled at his dismissal. "Still, thank you. I know these circumstances are extraordinary, but I'm glad I have a direction at least. Not that I'm thrilled to be a Turk, but at least I'm not-" She stopped herself at that point. She was about to mention Hojo and his labs but thought better of it.

"Anyway, what history are we bending to suit your needs?"

He barely looked at her as he was still typing, but the look he gave her was dry. "First off, are you really a doctor?"

She found herself scowling just a little, but it didn't show in her voice. "In so much that I finished all my schooling. I was only about nine months into my residency before I went on vacation. Technically, that means I am not allowed to practice on my own, but I am fully capable of diagnosing patients."

He finally paused at that and gave her a contemplative look. "I do not understand some of what you have said, but I get the gist that you are a medical doctor?"

She should have realized things would be different on Gaia, but at least he understood her, mostly. "Yes, a psychologist to be specific. I treat issues of the mind to put it very simply."

His look was still contemplative, but he changed the subject. "Give me some facts about yourself and we will build something around them. Without training, it will be the easiest way for you to not make mistakes."

She wasn't sure what to think of the fact that his thoughts mirrored her own from earlier, but she wasn't going to mention it. She also wasn't sure what she should share, but she started with the basics, like her age, birthdate, etc., and allowed him to ask for more if he wanted it. She still wasn't sure how she could share anything with the cold Turk and have him believe enough to help, but she knew Minerva was urging her to try so she focused on what she could, and allowed the rest to be addressed if and when it came up.