"Stupid, wretched trains," Danita cursed virulently as she walked the remaining blocks to the warehouse. The sound of her boot heels ringing against the pavement punctuated every word. "Of all the days for one of your unexplained service breakdowns."
Of course said breakdown had to happen just after she'd gotten on the damned thing. Stuck in that tunnel for the better part of three hours due to a 'mechanical failure'. If she'd had to hear them announce 'we apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience' one more time, she would have murdered everyone on board. And as if the delay hadn't been bad enough, the train had come to its ill-timed halt in a tunnel. So she couldn't even keep apprised of the situation with the Incavia sphere via her phone.
No messages when I finally arrived at the next station, either. A worrying sign, but not the worst. I'm sure if the thing exploded, I would have seen signs of it by now.
Danita turned the corner and was glad to have been correct in that assumption. The building sat across the street, just as she'd left it almost four hours earlier. With the Sector as deserted as it was lately, she jaywalked to take the shortest route and let herself inside. In contrast to the peaceful quiet of the street, the warehouse's interior echoed with the cacophony of panicked voices. She headed straight for a knot of her halfwit operatives without bothering to announce her presence.
"It's been hours, Darby. The High Maven should've returned long ago, from what Professor Edzel told us," one of them whined anxiously. "Suppose she's been found out."
"She's not been found out, Kyle."
"You can't know that. They'll be out for us next, you watch. I say we leave this mess to Edzel. Let him explain all this to those Shinra bastards when they get here."
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Darby replied, "Now you know that's not what we've been instructed to do, even if she was captured. Protocol states-"
"To hell with 'protocols'. I'm not about to waste my life on their account like Vance and Lars. And you shouldn't, either."
"Well," Danita interjected lightly, causing everyone to jump like frightened Mu. "I suppose it's fortunate for all of you that I was merely inconvenienced by a train malfunction." She set her gaze coldly on Kyle. "All except you, that is."
"High Maven, I-"
"Should have been eliminated weeks ago, as you clearly don't possess the proper dedication to our cause. But have no fear that your life will go to waste. Quite the opposite, in fact."
"It's really not- I mean, I wasn't-"
She advanced on the pathetic, sniveling piece of gutter trash while everyone else moved out of her way. Danita reached out- not with a strike meant to injure her prey- but with an ensnaring caress that lulled him into standing still. Still trembling in fear, but immobilized by the hand skimming over his coarse work shirt. Her fingertips floated up to his collar while she leaned in close to whisper into his ear.
"You see, Kyle, you'll have the honor of reminding the rest of them what happens to anyone foolish enough to think he can walk away from us." She let go of the puppy so abruptly that he nearly toppled over and raised her voice in a sharp command. "Darby!"
"Yes, High Maven?"
"Take him to join our other esteemed guests. I shall deal with him once the Incavia matter is seen to."
Darby did as he was told, calling on two of their hired thugs to seize Kyle. The men ignored the latter's struggle to free himself, unceremoniously carting him off to the holding cells. Danita left them to their task, already scanning the room for Edzel. She spotted him near the Incavia cabinet, staring wordlessly at the topmost shelf. Oblivious to the commotion going on behind him.
"I've never seen this before," he remarked somewhat absently when she came up beside him. "Never saw a sphere crack up as this one's done so long after forming. Never saw one this fractured that didn't explode, either." He adjusted the half-moon glasses perched on his misshapen nose. "Don't know what to make of it, but I don't like it one bit."
The grim little scientist was right. Danita could see the spidery fissures crisscrossing the Incavia's surface even without opening the steel and glass door. Under normal circumstances, she would have ordered everyone to clear the building. But as he'd pointed out, the orb wasn't behaving like any other she'd seen. Hoping that she wasn't making a fatal mistake, she withdrew her key and unlocked the cabinet.
"High Maven, you mustn't," Edzel protested in agitation.
Disregarding his warning, she reached inside and gently lifted the Incavia sphere with both hands. Its surface radiated heat that scalded the pads of her fingertips, but she refused to let go. Brought down where she could study it, Danita noticed two key things. One, the cracks weren't the result of internal pressure, but rather external. And two, that she could feel the energy trapped inside leaking out of those cracks at an alarming rate. Its ability to cast Life2 had already faded.
No. No I can't let this happen. I've already informed the Doyenne. If we were to lose ground now…Unthinkable. Danita couldn't allow it. One more misstep and the Doyenne might resort to sending…Don't. Don't even imagine it.
She did, though. Imagined the fate that had befallen the two High Maven's before her when they'd failed one time too many. What she planned to do with Kyle would seem kind by comparison. A thought that nearly caused her to drop the Incavia. Fortunately, she didn't, but her hands were trembling so badly that Edzel had taken note of it.
"High Maven, are you all right?"
"The heat," she lied. "It is a little more intense than I was expecting."
He accepted her answer and then asked, "What do you want done about it? Are we evacuating the warehouse, or…?"
It wasn't a matter of what she wanted to do, but what she had to do.
Danita knew she had to prevent the sphere from collapsing entirely, and that meant sealing it. Until the extraction process was completed, an Incavia sphere's surface remained permeable. Lifestream energy could seep out- negligible in terms of amount- but by keeping it unsealed, they could pour more into it and create a stronger sphere. Once they'd gotten all they could, though, the Incavia had to be sealed. The original scientists who'd discovered the process found the only way of doing that was to extract the remaining life energy from anyone who had been tapped to create the sphere.
Meaning I'll have to adjust my strategy where Beryl is concerned. I can't risk waiting the extra days it will take to wear him down. And perhaps this is for the best, given the trouble we're having with Lewis' recovery. Which…
"The SOLDIER specimen," she queried. "Any improvement on his condition?"
"No further seizures since we spoke earlier, but his vitals are still not recovering. Not even after further treatment."
If only she knew why. Why had the 1st Class failed to rebound? They'd taken far more from other specimens and never encountered this issue. Not even when creating the more powerful Summons. Perhaps it was the type of magic extracted. Perhaps Life and Life2 were simply too closely connected to the Lifestream to be contained in this way. A logical theory, but without evidence to prove it, that's all Danita had. A theory. The Doyenne wouldn't accept any explanation that lacked hard evidence to support it.
So let's hope I can solve this in a way to avoid having to give her one at all.
Danita carried the orb over to the stand. Edzel followed at her heels like the trained dog he was. Once she'd put the Incavia in place, she glanced sideways to him. "We're revising our schedule. Make the necessary preparations while I break the news."
The door swung closed, leaving Kunsel and Zack alone. He ought to have gone with Jekke and Luxiere to the Crestward. They could have used the extra help getting word out to the other 2nd and 3rd Classes, and he needed to grab dinner before his mid-watch tonight. But he'd stayed behind instead, thinking it prudent to have a private conversation with his friend before either of them confronted Lilith about her meeting with Danita.
Only Zack wasn't quite finished with the discussion that just ended, muttering to himself, "I still don't think this 'cover story' thing is a good idea. And I'm not sure how to feel about how quickly the ladies were to suggest it, either."
No, no Zack wouldn't. The past month had exposed his friend to life's shades of grey, but he still leaned towards honest and straightforward dealing. Lying just didn't suit his personality. As for Kunsel, he knew already that Lilith wasn't troubled by employing a sleight-of-hand approach. Nor was he overly surprised to hear that Jekke felt the same.
Just a little surprised they would be so open about it in front of the group.
"We can't rely on diversion tactics alone and you know it. Misleading them is our only other option." The point, while valid, didn't address his friend's other concern. "And as for the other thing…it shouldn't come as an earthshattering surprise that they'd be the first to suggest it."
That one earned him a hard look
"Why not?"
"Think about it, Zack." Another scowl, forcing Kunsel to provide the most obvious example to illustrate his point. "The male to female ratio in SOLDIER is not in their favor when it comes to unwanted attention. I'm sure they get dozens of invitations during any given week. But they can't just tell every one of us to take a piss in the wind, then have to work around us every day, can they?" He didn't give Zack the chance to answer. "So yeah, I'm willing to bet they've all told at least one or two lies that gives a guy the brush off without actually saying it to his face."
Shouldn't have said that last bit.
"I see." A second's hesitation, and then, "Is that what Lilith did to you, then? Is that why you've decided to back off?"
They were about to go down a rabbit hole neither of them really wanted to enter. He really didn't want to think about the things Lilith had said to him- before leaving for Junon and during. And Zack really didn't want to discover any more reasons why he ought to be questioning Lilith's motives. Which was why he hadn't wanted to say anything on the subject. Telling himself he was doing them both a favor, he opted to change course instead of answering the question one way or another.
"I'm more concerned about what she hasn't said- about Danita in particular."
A very blatant cue to drop the line of inquiry into his personal life. Zack considered whether to heed it a lot longer than Kunsel liked. Worried him that the 2nd Class might push his point. Something he wouldn't have done a few weeks ago. Before Junon. The easygoing man who preferred to avoid confrontation with other SOLDIERs had developed a stubborn streak lately. Often, at the most inconvenient times.
"Yeah, I'm concerned about that, too." Thankfully, not this time. "She should have told us," Zack continued. "Definitely shouldn't have gone off alone with that woman."
He wanted to agree. But Jekke's question from earlier had stuck with him most of the afternoon. If what she'd said was true, then Genesis had given Lilith no option. At least none that wouldn't signal to the 1st Class- or, more importantly, Danita- that she suspected them of being spies. But if she played along with them, she stood the chance of learning what they were after. Especially since neither of them knew she was onto them. Kunsel couldn't deny the benefits of the strategy.
Which means accepting that she made the right choice to agree to the meeting. Although, he added. She should have told us first. Or at least told me.
And why would she tell you anything?
Because Lilith knows I could keep a secret.
Does she? What about that threat to go to Sephiroth, then?
That, in retrospect, had been a poor decision. He'd been furious- a reaction he still didn't want to pry into- and let the anger dictate his response. Lilith's lack of reply told him that he'd gone too far and had likely convinced her that he meant what he'd said. Not the best move if he was hoping for an open conversation about Danita. Now, he'd be lucky if she'd talk to him at all.
Deal with that later- right now you've got to win over Zack's opinion, and that's not going to be any easier.
"As much as I hate to say it, I am going to have to disagree."
"Look, I saw what you were doing earlier- keeping Lux and the others from running half-cocked to Sephiroth and Angeal. But you can't seriously tell me that you think Lilith meeting with Danita was a good idea."
"I am, actually."
"And for what possible reason?"
"Something Jekke said." He took a breath and offered a cautious, "Genesis set up the meeting and wasn't taking no for an answer- not even a legitimate reason like having a watch to stand. Sent Wendt down there to take her place just so she'd have no excuse not to go."
"She could have-"
"What? Taken off before Danita showed up and ditched her outright?" Zack mumbled something intelligible and shrugged, to which Kunsel shook his head. "You know that bitch would have told Genesis that Lilith didn't show. What do you think would have happened next?"
His friend relented with a frustrated sigh. "I know. But Kunsel…I think she really is working for that group out of Junon." He gestured at the air with one hand and said, "She just happens to be in the club that night when we were all there, and just happens to catch us all on the dancefloor. And now she's here in Midgar, staying with Genesis and asking to meet other SOLDIERs? Asking after us in particular? That can't all just be coincidence."
"No, I very much doubt it is."
"And Angeal's order be damned- I'll tell you this: I don't like that Lilith's meeting her alone feels a lot like when she met with the Mayor. I don't like that they're using her all over again."
Kunsel had to take several mental steps back from what he'd been about to say. Because it sure sounded as though Zack knew more about their Junon mission than he was supposed to. Without acknowledging anything, he queried, "Using Lilith how?"
"As their spy. And don't sit there pretending you didn't already know they sent her to investigate the Mayor. Angeal told me you found out while we were still in Junon. Probably knew it that first night." Kunsel opened his mouth to speak, but Zack kept going. "Which might explain why you and Lilith weren't arguing at the hotel when me and Lux came back from the pub." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where were you, Kunsel? Where were you really when you sent me that text?"
Dangerous questions for his friend to be asking; equally dangerous answers for Kunsel to be giving. But he knew he had to offer something or Zack would take this to Lilith next. Circumstancing being what they were lately, he couldn't be sure what she would say.
"City Hall," he admitted. "I arrived at the hotel just in time to see her leave- like I told you. But I didn't wait for her to get back. I followed her and discovered it wasn't a dinner date. Lilith had arranged to meet with him at City Hall."
"To do what?"
"What Sephiroth and Angeal asked her to do. Dig into his records to find connections to the Leviathan."
Skepticism wrote itself all over his friend's face, and he was quick to voice it. "You don't expect me to believe he just opened up his books in exchange for the empty smiles she was flashing him all afternoon, do you? I wasn't born yesterday, Kunsel."
"The Mayor might have had other expectations about the purpose of their meeting. Expectations," he added quickly, "that were…mitigated."
"'Mitigated'. And how'd she manage that?"
Not the time to talk about the stolen Materia, so come up with something else.
"I may have," he paused to choose the safest explanation. "Um, temporarily incapacitated him before he got the chance."
Zack's jaw hung slack in disbelief for several minutes.
"Are you serious? You knocked out the Mayor of Junon!? How'd you avoid having your ass thrown in jail?"
"He didn't know I was there. I struck him from behind."
"Gaia's mercy. This is…shit, I don't even know what to say to that." After scrubbing both hands over his face, the other 2nd Class favored him with a wry grin. "Well, at least one of us got to do it. He more than deserved to have his lights punched out, and of the three of us, you had the most justification for delivering it. Man, I kind of wish I'd been there to see it."
I kind of wish that you had been there, too. We may have been able to get Lilith back to the pub if it had been the two of us.
Back to the pub instead of the restaurant that lead to that moment of choice. The choice that he knew was wrong, but made anyway. Would likely choose it again if he went back to that exact moment, even knowing what would come of it. But if he could go back to a point before that choice was ever offered him- stop it from happening altogether- he might have been able to do that.
"So- did she find what she was looking for?"
Zack ripped him out of the 'what could have beens' of the past and dragged him back into the present. A question that once again presented him with a choice. It would be easier to say yes. Easier in that he wouldn't have as many questions about what happened next. Harder in that Zack might start asking questions about the Mystique that he really didn't want to answer. Kunsel crossed his fingers and hoped he picked the right answer this time.
"Yeah, she found a few things." We just won't go into detail about when and where she found them. "Handed it over to the 1st Classes earlier this week."
"Any of it mention Danita?"
"Not what little of it I saw. But most of it looked like gibberish- probably encoded. Best of luck to Sephiroth and Angeal in trying to crack it."
"I don't envy them that task," his friend sighed, leaning back in his seat. "So, what should we do, then? About Lilith meeting Danita?"
Only one way to answer, unless he intended to share his suspicions about Genesis. Zack hadn't brought up that angle yet, likely too focused on Lilith's lunch date for it to dawn on him that Danita was using the 1st Class to spy on SOLDIER. Wouldn't be long before he did, but maybe Kunsel would hold off on bringing it to his friend's attention until after he'd spoken with Lilith. Alone.
"I'll talk to her."
Raised voices told him that someone was approaching. Trae reluctantly left Noel's question hang between them, shifting his attention to the doorway. Through it lumbered two burly men- the kind you'd find down in the slums. Rather, the kind you didn't want to find. They muscled along a third man. Despite not having a clear line of sight to the man's face, he recognized the build as belonging to Edzel's assistant, Kyle.
That can't be good.
"Bevan- Jules. Just let me go. I swear I can fix this with the High Maven if you'll just-"
"Fix what," the brute on the left demanded in a gravelly rumble. "We all heard what you said out there. You was gonna split. Got no use for turncoat cowards like you."
The second man gave a sneering laugh and boxed Kyle's ears with his free hand before he added, "Well, just one use. Am I right, Jules?"
Jules grunted by way of reply. The two of them shoved Kyle into the cell next to Trae. Slammed the door closed and bolted its heavy lock. The new prisoner pounded on the bars and begged for a second chance. Useless. Trae would have told him he was wasting his breath there. Those men were order takers. Tears and pleas meant nothing to them.
Not nothing, he amended. They're actually enjoying this.
Case in point, he caught Bevan's cruelly amused look as he lingered a while to taunt the man with hope that he was inclined to listen to him. That was not a face meant for a smile; it only made him that much uglier. And then he turned his full attention on Trae, jabbing his thumb in Kyle's direction.
"Brought you a new dance partner, since your old one's about all used up. You ask me, the High Maven would do well to stop wasting her time with the likes of deserters and-" a pointed look at Trae's groin, and then a snort of pure disgust- "sword-strokers. Not real men not one of you."
In another time and another place, if he'd heard someone make that kind of remark, he would have laid him out cold. Had done just that, in fact. But to show any response in this situation would be a tactical mistake. And so Trae just stared back at the oaf, impassive and silent. Fun spoiled, Bevan scowled and turned away, all while muttering a few other derogatory slurs as he collected his comrade and exited back out to the main floor.
There was no returning to the discussion he'd wanted to have with Noel. Well, that wasn't true. He could, if he really wanted to. Trae cursed inwardly for letting the fear of someone else's opinion keep him from saying what needed to be said. It shouldn't matter- especially not now. And yet the words stuck in his throat, nonetheless.
"I see your organization has no qualms about experimenting on its own members," Noel observed after a long silence. "They're going to strap you into that machine like they did me, huh?"
Kyle nodded mutely.
"I'm sorry."
The younger man cast a mildly dubious look at both of them before replying, "Didn't expect to get much sympathy from either of you, considering."
"If there's one thing SOLDIER has taught me, it's that life's too short to hold a grudge."
And too long to live with regret.
"Much shorter now than it was five minutes ago," Kyle mused. "At least in my case. Once she has that Incavia sphere stabilized, I'm a goner."
Pushing his thoughts about regrets aside, Trae tried to focus on what could be gained from all this. If he and Noel hoped to survive, they needed every advantage they could get. A man in Kyle's situation might be of use there. He was bound to be a little more forthcoming in answering questions than Danita, so why not probe him for what he might know about this organization?
"Incavia…the energy orb I saw yesterday?"
Kyle hesitated at first, but then shrugged. "I suppose it's no difference to me now, is it? Yeah, that's what the High Maven calls 'em. Dunno why they don't just say 'Materia', though. It's all the same thing."
It wasn't, but Trae didn't see any benefit in disagreeing with him.
"What're they for," Noel asked.
In no hurry to respond, the man slumped to the concrete floor and stretched one leg out in front of him. The other he kept bent at the knee, draping his arm over it. His head tilted back to stare up at the shadowy ceiling high above them, thinking. Trae ran an assessing glance over him in the meantime, and judged Kyle to be somewhere around eighteen- nineteen at the most. A young age to be confronted with the knowledge that you were about to die; almost too young to be able to really imagine what death meant.
Doesn't stop it from happening.
"Darby says a war's coming," Kyle told him. "Against Shinra. But to fight a war, you need weapons. And sure, there are plenty of expert metalworkers who could create a blade to rival what you all carry. If you want Materia, though, the only place you're gonna get it is from Shinra or one of their licensed dealers. At least that's how it used to be."
"So they've found a way of creating their own arsenal," Trae murmured.
"That's what Darby said."
It was far worse than he'd originally thought. Even if they'd managed to work out how to create SOLDIERs, those men wouldn't have the benefit of the training he and others like him received. They'd be civilians with an extra bit of power backing them. A threat that Shinra could easily neutralize the moment they made their first open assault. Inventing a new type of Materia, though, and using SOLDIERs to fuel their stockpile…that was something he doubted the Lazard was prepared to face. Not even with the skills of Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis at his disposal.
Might be good to know how short the fuse is on this ticking time bomb.
"And just when is this war supposed to kick off?"
"Now that I dunno. That explosion last week set us back. Probably lost five or six spheres- not including the one that blew up the building in the first place. But there's no telling if the bigwigs in Junon will want to hold off until we get caught up."
A lot to process there. Starting with the most alarming- that Midgar wasn't the central base and Danita wasn't the top commander in this organization. His experience with her, limited as it was, told Trae that he did not want to meet the people she reported to. And secondly, that whatever the differences were in creating Incavia as compared to Shinra's Materia, they made the spheres far more volatile.
And since Kyle can't tell them apart, I can appreciate now why he was handling that Restore Materia with such caution.
"Exploded," he queried in mild disbelief, choosing to tackle that topic first. "Never heard of Mako doing that before, and you're talking to someone who's spent six years working with it."
I followed Sephiroth out of the locker room and down the hall. The whole way to training room three, recriminations battered at me. Day one into my training and I'd already managed to make a mistake. Gaia, even Luxiere had managed to be on time for his session. Hearing him throw that in my face when word got out would almost be punishment enough.
Doubtful Sephiroth will agree.
Thankfully, the building was largely deserted at this hour, so no one was around to see my shamefaced march. A march that ended far too soon, in my opinion, as I watched Sephiroth enter his key code for the training room. He hadn't spoken a word to me the whole way here. Said nothing to me now, merely gesturing that I should enter. Nothing else to do but obey and wait for him at the center of the room.
"You're late," he admonished with stinging censure.
"Yes, sir. I apologize and accept responsibility for having misjudged how long I had spent in the locker room. It won't happen again."
"No. It won't. We do not have time to waste, and so you will arrive at future appointments as directed."
"Yes, sir."
I was only too aware that time was not on our side. Jekke's comments yesterday about the 1st Classes had prompted me to pull up the photos I'd taken in the Mayor's apartment. The watch outside Lazard's office was a boring one- especially that late at night after he'd already gone home. Plenty of time to start reading through some of the letters to see if they might mention something about captured SOLDIERs.
Starting with the oldest, it didn't take me long to be proven correct. Just two letters in and I was already seeing references. Not the names of 1st Classes, but I'd recognized a few 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs listed among the group's targets. By then, Cordea had come to relieve me, so I hadn't had a chance to get any further. Nor had I read any more of the letters this morning; the elevator lobby watch required me to be attentive.
I don't doubt I'll run across more names, though- Rafal's in particular. If they've managed to capture most of our 1st Classes…no wonder Sephiroth was so avid to initiate this training program.
As those thoughts played through my head, I stood by for the punishment that would complement his reprimand. Only I didn't get one. Sephiroth just moved on to the lesson as if he considered the matter closed. Just like that day in the Mako Infusion Room when he caught me with the Materia I'd borrowed. That was twice now that he had chosen to ignore standard protocol, and I was just as baffled this time as I was the last.
Baffled, but I'm damn sure not going to question it.
"Considering your performances thus far," he began, "I will be training you separately from the others. You do not require the initial exercises, and it is best not to hamper your development while they catch up."
The approach made sense. Basically, the same one that had been used to divide the 2nd Classes between him and Angeal. And yet something about this stuck me as different. Like Sephiroth might have another reason to keep me away from Kunsel and the others. Nothing I could put a name to just yet, but a nagging suspicion that planted itself in the back of my mind.
"Today's session will focus on barriers. You've already shown that you are comfortable in accessing the crystallized Mako energy in Materia, but you will need to develop skills to maintain that connection when faced with an adversary capable of severing it." Sephiroth's look sharpened. "And to disable their ability to call upon Mako energy in return."
I was no fool. I knew what skills like that would be used for. Sure, I could list plenty of examples among the planet's natural fauna that could cast ugly status or elemental spells. A rare few could even impair my ability to cast my own. But Sephiroth wasn't preparing me to fight them. These lessons were meant to be used against a human opponent.
I wondered if any of the other 2nd Classes in this program had come to a similar conclusion. Kunsel would have. Possibly Zack and Luxiere as well. Even before anyone mentioned that SOLDIERs might be missing. Jekke and Jesse may or may not. I couldn't say for sure. For most of Angeal's group, though…probably not yet. But once word about the Crestward got around, I could see more people putting the two pieces together.
Sephiroth reached into a jacket pocket and produced a jade orb. Given what we were going to be doing, I surmised that it was a copy of Barrier or Destruct. Without handing it, I sometimes had trouble identifying Materia from a sub-class from observation alone. Especially when the spells were very similar. He offered the sphere to me.
"Do you know what that is," Sephiroth queried.
"Barrier," I confirmed after a quick probe. "Level three."
Meaning I could cast the first three spells, but not its highest one. As it was a combination of the first and second, I could understand why he might not have bothered to provide me with a Mastered copy. The combo spell was convenient, perhaps, but not necessary. At least I hoped it wouldn't be necessary.
"During the training program, your opponent will have the ability to use physical or magical attacks. You will have twenty seconds to decide upon the best strategy to protect yourself from your adversary's initial attack. Defend only. Do not attack. Is that understood?"
Twenty seconds. A pitifully short amount of time to assess my enemy, choose a strategy and execute on it. But at least the parameters of this challenge were better defined than my last one. And sounded like it would be much shorter, too.
"Yes, sir."
He walked over to the program console and pulled up the desired program. I waited where I was, giving a nod when he looked for a signal that I was ready to begin. Then the simulation room came to life. A simple program, thank goodness. The same barren space, but now a pale woman with silvery hair and a purple leotard stood about a dozen feet in front of me. A Snow Witch.
I'd almost rather it were a SOLDIER.
I never ran a simulation against one of these, and I certainly hadn't been up to the Great Glacier to face one in person. Sebastian crossed paths with a real one six months ago. He and Rafal had taken leave for a week to go skiing, and had gotten separated on the way down. Why in Gaia's name anyone would willingly subject themselves to the frigid slopes of the Northern Continent in the name of fun was beyond me. But at least it meant that I knew what to expect. The 1st Class had regaled us with the details of his battle with the dreaded Snow Witch at least a dozen times.
I've a one in three chance of guessing which attack it'll use first.
Deciding the cost of casting Reflect would be worth the benefit of nullifying two of those attacks, I tapped into the Barrier orb and unleashed the spell. A shimmery, transparent shield enveloped me. Kind of like a giant soap bubble. No sooner had I done so, the Snow Witch initiated its attack: a physical blow in the form of an icy wind. I staggered backwards as it passed unhindered through a barrier meant to counter a magical one and struck me hard.
Cold Breath. Damn it.
The program ended, leaving me cursing for having failed on the first round. Sephiroth made no comment, and reloaded the program. At my signal, we tried it again. Except this time, it wasn't a Snow Witch. He'd changed up my opponent so now I was facing a Crown Lance. Another enemy I hadn't fought against. Really wish I'd made it further through the sim catalog of enemies. I was tempted to cast Reflect again; my original spell dissipated when the previous program ended. I was also tempted to just cast Barrier. In the end, I felt that I could survive its physical attack, and chose MBarrier.
The Crown Lance let loose a Bolt spell, but it was neutralized by the magic shield I'd created. That was one I'd gotten right. Again, no words of praise or censure from Sephiroth. He just loaded another program. And another. And another. We kept on like that for I didn't know how long. A different enemy each time. A different set of variables to consider each time.
I would have liked to have said I won more than I lost, but the results were nearly dead even. Possibly slightly weighted in the opposite direction. I'd lost count, to be honest. And by the end, my brain was feeling the strain of it all, as was the rest of me. Physically tired, mentally exhausted. But most alarming…that needle pinprick feeling in my temples; I'd pushed myself too far, and if I didn't get to my rack to take care of this soon, I'd be in serious trouble.
"That will be enough for today," I heard Sephiroth announce. "I'll want to review the session log this evening and discuss your strategy for each battle tomorrow. Same time as today."
"Yes, sir. Is there anything else?"
I'd asked with the expectation that he would simply dismiss me. Was already mentally tallying how long it would take to get to my rack, and whether I knew anyone else to be in the barracks room at this hour. Needless to say, Sephiroth's answer caught me completely off-guard.
"As a matter of fact, yes. You remember the spare office where we discussed your initial assessment?" I nodded, still mystified where this was headed. "Be in there at 19:00."
"That may be, but I've seen more than enough close calls to last me. That Pieter guy was all full of himself, thinking he'd get ahead quicker if he could forge one of the more powerful Summons." Kyle shuddered. "I'd been sent to Edge the day before to-" He cut short and grimaced. "Well, anyway, I'm just glad I wasn't here when the blast took him out, since everyone working that night got taken out with him." A sigh. "Or maybe that would've been better. Better than this, leastwise."
An interesting explanation, but not one that gave Trae much insight into what actually happened, so he tried again, "Why's it do that, though?"
"Beats me. The science geeks like Edzel and Pieter- it's their job to know that kind of stuff. The High Maven's the true expert, though. Came in from Junon a few weeks ago to 'raise the standards' of our chapter. Not sure what prompted that decision, but then, I only joined a few months ago. So all I know is how to work the tools they give me and be their errand boy."
Very low on the order taker ladder, then. Although mildly disappointed that Kyle wouldn't have that much to tell them, Trae wasn't surprised. Senior members wouldn't have been so quick to turn tail and desert at the first sign of trouble. Or at least wouldn't have been so stupid to announce it in front of witnesses.
Noel shifted position, wincing. When the moment passed, he favored Kyle with a quizzical frown. "Sorry- who's the 'High Maven'?"
"S'what she tells us to call her. I heard the building owner call her 'Ms. Evans' and a couple of the others have heard the name-"
"Danita."
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. But none of us can be sure if that's her name, or just something she made up. Safest just to go with 'High Maven' and don't ask questions."
"So it's some sort of title, then," Noel supplied. "A way of knowing who's who in the hierarchy."
"Who's who. We can all tell that without the damned title. She's in charge and we're the 'expendable labor' that does what we're told."
The bitterness in those words sounded like more than just a man who was facing an untimely death. To Trae, they sounded like ones Kyle had been thinking for a while, and that made him curious enough to hear the story behind them.
"Why'd you join, then?"
"My uncle dragged me into it. He joined the Junon chapter last year and has been badgering me about it ever since. I put it off for a good nine months, but then those two Gigas wannabes showed up at my door…I guess my uncle decided I'd had more than enough time to make the choice he wanted me to make."
Conscripted. Fanatics were well and good, but coercion and brute force would prove a faster method of swelling the numbers of the organization's bottom rungs. When they'd been at the WRO base, he'd heard rumors of people going missing out of Costa del Sol. They were always attributed to having ventured too far from land and meeting up with a hostile sea creature. Far more likely that they ended up in the hands of these people. Either as involuntary grunts, or specimens used to create those Incavia spheres.
He was about to turn the conversation back to what other titles Kyle may have overheard in the little time he'd been with the group, but footsteps kept him silent. Silent and tense, because they weren't the kind made by a man. Light staccato taps. The kind made by a heeled boot that a woman might wear. He'd only seen one woman since arriving in this place, so Trae knew who was headed their way.
At first, he could only make out her silhouette in the door frame. And then she advanced further into the room. For several minutes, she just gazed at each of them in turn- the predator studying its prey. Trae was almost certain she'd been listening to their conversation from the other side of the door. Knew exactly what he'd been up to. Danita settled on him last, and her lips curved in an insincere smile.
"How nice to see you in a much more amiable mood, Trae. Darby was just telling me that you've behaved very well for him and his men."
She stood a hand span from his cell bars. Close enough he could reach through and strangle her. Of course, he'd be dead if he so much as tried. Rather, Noel would be. Trae saw Bevan and Jules shoulder their way in behind her, their presence a silent reminder that Danita called the shots. And so he forced himself to resist the temptation. She continued to smile, and ignored his frigid silence.
"I was glad to hear that we might be making progress. And perhaps in a few more days, you and I might have been ready to reopen our discussion from yesterday." The word 'might' caught his attention and only heightened his unease. "I had truly hoped, you see, that I could have offered you your lover's life in exchange for siding with us. Really, I did." Danita read his involuntary reaction like an open book and shook her head with a theatrical sigh of regret. "Alas, my darling Trae, I'm afraid circumstances call for a change in plans."
She motioned to her two henchmen, who opened Noel's cell and hoisted him to his feet. In no condition to fight, his friend and lover could barely keep upright while they hauled him into the aisle. Trae charged at the bars, not caring that he was only playing into what Danita wanted him to do. He had to do something.
"Noel! Noel, I-"
They were too fast. Gone, and Noel with them. Still, he had one chance. One final chance. As painful as it would be to watch what was sure to come, Trae told himself that at least once Danita had him hauled him out there next, he'd say what had to be said- even with everyone looking on. No matter what it might cost him after.
"A very distressing turn of events," Danita crooned sympathetically. "But I do have a gift for you, Trae, since you had been behaving so well." She took a step towards the door and smiled at him. That same calculating smile he'd seen her wear yesterday. "You see, I've decided to spare you the unpleasantness of witnessing his death."
No! Oh, Gaia, no! She can't do that to me- not now!
Angeal glanced over at the wall clock and wondered how it was already 18:30. He'd been in his office since 16:00, reviewing the notes he'd taken about today's training sessions and planning for tomorrow. Already, he could see that adjustments would need to be made. Starting with the group breakdown. Splitting them in half wasn't enough if he hoped to keep the watches manned.
That and some men are definitely further behind than others.
SOLDIERs like Essex and Luxiere were on the more advanced end of the scale. Not that far off from those who'd been selected for Sephiroth's group. They'd shown immediate improvement after a few hours' instruction. With practice, Angeal felt that they would gain proficiency in identifying Materia. He didn't need to repeat the coaching lessons he'd delivered today. Others like Warner and Aithan, though, were going to need that repetition before they would pick up the skill at its most basic level.
As he scanned the list of everything Sephiroth wanted the 2nd Classes to learn, he wondered again how they would ever accomplish it all. Angeal didn't deny that he'd pared that list to the essentials. But it always came back to the timeframe. There just weren't enough hours in the day to deliver all the necessary instruction and meet their minimum obligations to Shinra.
And we're assuming that we have even this much time before our enemies will be ready to attack.
The weight of it all pressed down on him, and for a long time, Angeal just stared at the scattered sheets of paper. Was still staring at them when an amused voice queried, "Aren't you finished for the day yet?"
His head snapped up to see Genesis standing in the doorway. Unusually late for him to still be at Headquarters. Angeal puzzled over that for a minute before he recalled the 1st Class' offer to help. He must have just come from reviewing some of the training logs. Room four had been in use when he'd finished his afternoon group, and since Sephiroth had booked five for Solon and Kunsel, that only left Genesis. Everyone else was on watch or recovering from the drain associated with working with Materia.
Or are just plain missing.
During the lunch hour, Ingalls had come to see him. Although Angeal was glad to see the 3rd Class recovered from his injuries received during the Sector 7 attack, the reason behind his visit was troubling. To hear that Wendt was skipping out on watches would have been aggravating enough. Not only was it unacceptable behavior for a SOLDIER, but they couldn't afford any able bodied man to shirk pulling his own weight. But when Ingalls started mentioning that 1st Classes weren't showing up to their watches, either…
Time's running out for us to keep the disappearances a secret.
Shaking himself out of those thoughts, he offered Genesis a half-smile and leaned back. The tell-tale stiffness in his shoulders reminded him that he'd been sitting in one position for far too long. Really, he spent too much of his time behind a desk these days. Really ought to take an hour to run a training program at least once a day to keep in condition.
"Finished a few hours ago, actually. Just trying to get a head start on tomorrow's schedule."
The brown-haired 1st Class sauntered further into the room and settled into one of the other chairs. Almost felt like the old days- which weren't really so long ago- when the two of them would shoot the breeze while waiting on Sephiroth to join them for a night out. Almost. Angeal couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling he had about his friend these past few weeks.
"Always the diligent one." Genesis finger-combed his hair back from his face and rolled his eyes skyward. "Although neither of us can keep up with our illustrious friend, it would seem. I saw he was still in one of the sim rooms on my way here."
He detected a note of sarcasm, but chose to ignore it, replying, "It was my understanding that he broke his group into three sessions. I imagine he's finishing the last of them now."
"Well, I've actually got someone waiting on me. So I guess I'll have to get his sessions from him tomorrow." The allusion to Danita wasn't all that odd, but that last part didn't make a whole lot of sense. And then his friend added. "That's why I stopped by on my way out, actually. To pick up copies of your training logs."
Why would you think I'd have any waiting for you? You can access the logs yourself from any sim room console.
And even more concerning- if that wasn't the reason Genesis had been in training room four, then what was he doing in there? Angeal might have asked if Sephiroth hadn't walked in at that same moment. Just in time that he'd likely heard their friend's remark before entering the room. Very likely, given the disapproval written in his expression.
"How considerate of you to have made any concessions at all, considering that you regard your social life as far more important than you do SOLDIER lately," he observed in that perfectly modulated tone Sephiroth used when he wanted someone to know he was annoyed. "Impressive that you waited even this long, although you could have easily reviewed the logs without depending on either of us."
So much for hoping they'd work together on this, he thought dismally.
Genesis took immediately to the offensive, half-turning in his chair to direct an equally dismissive, "If you think I'm going to stand at a program console for hours on end for the sake of this little side-experiment, you're out of your mind."
Sephiroth raised his eyes just enough to meet Angeal's, as if to say 'what did I tell you'. To Genesis, he merely replied, "And so where did you plan to review the logs?"
"Preferably from the comfort of my own apartment, where I can work without any distractions."
"A woman living with you and you say there'd be no distractions?" That had to be the most ludicrous claim he'd ever heard his friend make, and Angeal couldn't help saying so. "Genesis, be serious."
"I am serious."
"I can understand not wanting to use the wall mounted consoles. But the programs can be loaded onto the spare laptop. You could set up in here in my office while I'm training so that no one would bother you."
It was, in his mind, a fair compromise. More than fair. In fact, it was an idea that he probably should have come up with on his own, because Angeal wasn't exactly interested in standing at those consoles, either. And if given a minute to think about it, he would bet Sephiroth would agree that the laptop was a better choice. But to read Genesis' expression, the other 1st Class didn't think too highly of his proposal.
"What, sit here where the two of you can hover over me? Like I can't do anything on my own?" He scowled darkly. "Might as well demote me back to 2nd Class."
Maybe we could think of you as a 1st Class if you'd just start acting like one instead of a petulant teenager.
Sephiroth didn't engage in that argument one way or another, reminding them, "These are highly classified training programs, Genesis. Shinra's directives are very clear about keeping any information about the SOLDIER program out of the hands of civilians."
"Danita wouldn't-"
"It's out of the question."
"If you'd just look at it from the Director's point of view," Angeal entreated in hopes of alleviating the confrontational tension between his two friends. Make this less about them telling Genesis what to do, and more about Shinra. Right now, Lazard could take the brunt of his friend's irritation more than he or Sephiroth could. "He just can't risk what might happen if that information went public."
His tactic didn't work. Their friend stood, drawing himself with rigid affront, not even looking in Angeal's direction as he circled around the chair and headed for the door.
"Gen, wait."
"I don't see much point in staying, Angeal. You've made it clear that you're siding with him. And since you won't allow me to help unless I do it his way, I'll stop wasting what's left of the evening and go back to my 'distraction' who's waiting for me back home."
With that, he exited the room and slammed the door behind him. All in all, not the most productive of directions that could have gone. Quite possibly the least. Even if Sephiroth had intended to review his own training logs, Angeal had been counting on having Genesis' eyes on his. Especially if he was thinking to break the group down into smaller units.
"He can't possibly have expected us to go along with his plan," Sephiroth said. "Reviewing training scenarios with that fangirl looking over his shoulder?"
"Doubtful she'd understand any of what she was seeing, but you're right. She might mention it to someone who would, and then Lazard would have all of our heads." Angeal's gaze remained fixed on the door as he asked, "You suppose he'll quit altogether?"
"No. The Director expects Genesis to assist us, so he'll be back tomorrow. If he's wise, he'll take the evening to reconsider being reasonable."
Somehow, I doubt it.