It was nearly an hour later, and both Sephiroth and Alex were staring at the chessboard with frowns when a knock interrupted their concentration. Alex jumped slightly, but the general didn't move. She gave him a dirty look for his continued calm that he didn't even notice as she got up to see who it was.
Before she got to the door, Peter poked his head in. He glanced over at the frowning Sephiroth and swallowed before he whispered, "I finished with the specimens and have the report here. I can watch the cameras while you take it to Professor Rayleigh."
Alex took the file from him as she said, "Thanks. Give me just a moment." She then turned back and called out. "Sephiroth, I apologize for the interruption, but I have to run a quick errand. I will be right back to finish our game."
He finally looked up and noticed Peter. His frown disappeared to be replaced by his blank mask as he responded, "Of course. It will be here waiting."
Alex wanted to cringe at the underlying meaning behind his words but managed a grin as she said, "Don't think about moving any of the pieces while I'm gone. I will notice." She then laughed at the look he gave her but didn't give him time to respond. She wanted to get her report turned in quickly so she could get back.
Despite her rush, Alex still stopped before she got to the professor's office and took a few minutes to go through the report. Not that she felt Peter wouldn't do a good job, but it was her future on the line, and she didn't want to take chances. Thankfully, nothing seemed amiss, and all the details she usually added were there. She grinned as she handed the report over.
The professor did not keep her, so it was not long before she returned to the room next to where Sephiroth was to let Peter know he was free to go. He jumped up as soon as she opened the door. "Great, you're back!"
She had to take a step back to keep from being run over as he made a beeline for the door. She gave him a worried look as she asked, "Is everything all right? Did something happen?"
He frantically waved off her concern and still had not stopped walking. "No, of course not. Thanks again. Bye!" He was gone before she could say anything else.
Peter's strange behavior had her worried, so she quickly closed the door to the observation room and headed to the other room to see if something had happened. She walked in to find Sephiroth leaning back against the head of the bed and reading a book.
She gave him a worried look as she approached. "How are you feeling? Is everything all right? Did something happen while I was gone?"
Sephiroth looked up from his book with slight confusion. He folded the page and set it aside as he answered. "Nothing has changed from my earlier answers. Why do you look so concerned?"
She waved absently over her shoulder as she took her seat. "Peter was acting weird. I thought something might have happened."
"Peter?"
The general's confused question finally had her gaze back on his eyes instead of flitting around trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. She sighed as she smiled. "The intern that was here earlier. The one that came in with my file."
"Ah." That was his only response before they both turned back to the chessboard.
Only a few seconds passed before Alex looked up with a raised brow. "You moved my pawn."
Sephiroth's eyes flitted up to lock with hers, but he didn't immediately respond. When he stayed silent, she pointed to the board. "This one here, it was two spaces to the left."
When she pointed out which pawn had been moved and where it had initially been, the corners of his lips tilted up as he nodded. "Yes, I did. Please do not believe that I was trying to cheat. If you had not noticed, I would have said something before you made your next move. However, I wanted to see if you meant what you said when you left."
Alex wasn't sure if she was miffed or not. He was so honest about it that she had a hard time getting angry. Instead, she suddenly started laughing as something else occurred to her. She looked over to see the general still watching her curiously as she said, "Peter was watching the whole time. He had to have seen you. Did you say something?"
Sephiroth's expression immediately went back to the blank mask, but this time Alex could tell he was fighting not to smile as he responded, "I knew someone was watching, so I simply asked them not to say anything when you returned."
His response only prompted her to laugh a little harder. She knew she would need to apologize to Peter later, but just picturing how that went down nearly had her in tears. It took her a moment to get herself together, and she gave the general a mock glare. "Now, let's put that pawn back and settle this."
Sephiroth's smile finally won as he leaned forward to move her pawn back to where it belonged. He then gave her a nod. "Please proceed. I believe it was your move."
Alex was so engrossed in the game that she barely remembered to retake Sephiroth's vitals when it was time. She was embarrassed that he had to remind her. Not that it was much of a distraction. They were both caught up in strategies and taking longer and longer between moves as they both tried to figure out how to win.
Enough time had passed that it came as a shock to Alex when the door opened again. She immediately jumped up with an apology on her tongue for her coworker that froze when she saw who it was. She took an unconscious step back as she tried to stutter out a response under the man's cold eyes. "P-professor Hojo. What a pleasure to meet you."
Just saying those words made her want to be ill. She watched each of his movements like a hawk as the older scientist made his way farther into the room without a word. It wasn't until he made his way to the game that was still in progress that he finally spoke to her. "Who are you, girl?"
Alex had already broken into a cold sweat and did her best to ignore the feel of it as a drop trickled down her spine. She swallowed and took a couple more steps away as she responded, "My name is Alex, sir. I am a new intern. I was the one observing the general today. I don't want to take up any more of your time, so I will go ahead and leave. I apologize if there has been any confusion."
She felt a twinge of remorse for bolting without saying anything else to Sephiroth, but there was no way in hell she was going to stay in that room with the maniacal scientist one moment longer than she had to. It was already taking all she had not to let her terror take control and have her literally running away. Before she could make it out of the room, she was stopped by the sound of Hojo's voice once more.
"Be back in thirty minutes. The general is scheduled to be here through tomorrow, and his observation will need to continue."
It took every ounce of willpower Alex had to turn around and give him a nod. "Yes, sir. I'll be back in half an hour." She noted the confused look Sephiroth was giving her, but she could only muster a nod in his direction before she left and fast-walked back to her cubicle. She had hoped never to see Hojo in person, but definitely not this soon. At least she had gotten out of there without him finding out who she really was, and she was confident the general would not share more. At least for now, that would be enough. If only she could find the courage she needed when it was time to go back.
Sephiroth watched Alex leave with a slight frown. If he did not know any better, he would have said she was terrified of the professor. The idea was almost absurd. She had not even hesitated when she first met him; why would she be scared of Hojo? Unless it had something to do with her job. He was the Head of the Science Department, after all. Still, the look she wore when she practically ran out was unexpected.
He was pulled from his thoughts about the woman that just departed when the professor reached down to move one of the rooks. Sephiroth called out before the man touched it. "We were not finished with the game. Please do not disturb the pieces."
Hojo stopped, but he turned curious eyes to the general. "It looks like the game was even. Had you just started?"
Sephiroth felt his face settle into the mask that he wore when dealing with most people. The only exception was the slight furrow between his brow that gave away his irritation with the man in front of him. At least his voice was still even and ice-cold when he answered. "No. I am unsure how long we have been playing, but it has been a couple of hours, at least."
Hojo lifted a brow as he looked back down. He then looked back at the general. "Oh? It is not like you to go easy on an opponent—even a pretty one."
Sephiroth felt his frown forming and forced it back as he answered, "I was not. She is an adept opponent, as she has no single strategy she sticks to. There is no pattern to her movements, and as such, her next moves are hard to predict."
Hojo's second brow rose to join the first at that news. However, instead of saying anything else to the general, he started pacing around the small room and muttering under his breath. Even Sephiroth only picked up very few of the words. Not enough to make sense of what the man was mumbling about. That didn't make him any less tense, as he already had an idea of what the madman was thinking.
None of that showed when the scientist turned back to him with a grin. "Well, I would wish you luck, but I'm sure you won't need it."
Hojo then turned to leave as though there was nothing else he needed. Sephiroth had no plans to even think about relaxing until the man was well out of the room, so he was not shocked when Hojo stopped and turned back around with a glint in his eyes and said, "Ah, by the way, I believe it is time to switch the way are experimenting with your boosters. Do not plan to go on any away missions for the next several months. You won't need to stay for more than half a day, but you will be coming in more often. I'll send you the updated schedule when I have it planned out tomorrow."
Sephiroth did frown at that news. Not only did it put him into a difficult position with his duties, but he had a sinking feeling that the man was up to something. Not that there was anything to be done about it. He nodded his understanding and watched as Hojo finally left, still muttering under his breath.
Once he was sure Hojo was gone, Sephiroth sat back and closed his eyes as he tried to understand what had just happened. He had no doubt that there was more to Alex's reaction and Hojo's interest than mere coincidence. Still, he could not figure out what connection there could possibly be, other than the fact that this was the first time he had willingly been even semi-social with a person outside of Soldier. It made him reconsider his willingness to talk to the woman, but given how she acted earlier, it might not be an issue.
Or it well may be too late. Once Hojo had a plan, it was best to stay on guard and expect the worst, but there was no getting out of it. He did sigh at that thought and hoped that whatever it was, that it wasn't anything that would make his two commanders irritated with him. He had enough to deal with already.
Alex was still unsure about what to make of the situation with Hojo. Why had he asked her to come back? Was it because she was playing chess with Sephiroth? He hadn't seemed angry about it, but then again, she wasn't sure the madman had the capacity to feel anything other than sick interest and sadistic glee. Still, if that was all it was, she would count herself lucky. Maybe his interest would fade since she was only a stand-in, and there wouldn't be a repeat. She liked Peter, but not enough to put her life on the line.
She was pulled out of her worry when she heard Professor Rayleigh's voice. "There you are. I had hoped to catch you before I left for the day."
Suddenly her heart was hammering for an entirely different reason. Peter had never come and gotten her to hand off the file, and she had been too absorbed to notice how much time had passed. Had he forgotten? If so, she was about to get reamed. She was already envisioning creative ways to get back at the man as she turned to face her boss. "Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you? I was just running through to pick some stuff up."
Rayleigh waved off her question and gave her a smile. "It was nothing urgent. I simply thought it might be good for me to let you know that, although I do expect great things from you, I don't want you to kill yourself to make it happen. Peter dropped your report off earlier. He said you were literally running through because you had something else you had to check on, and he offered to help. I'm glad to see you take the initiative and accept his offer, but don't forget that you are only human, and there are only so many hours in the day."
Alex could not stop the relieved breath that rushed out. She suddenly felt guilty for all the things she was thinking about Peter, but she could make it up to him later. Right now, she still had someplace to be, even if she didn't want to be there. "I understand, Professor. I give you my word that I am not trying to bite off more than I can chew; it's just been hectic. I'm sure it will settle down in a couple of months."
The woman gave her a searching look but finally nodded. "Alright. Well then, I will see you on Monday. Try to relax this weekend. You look like you need it."
Alex gave her goodbyes and waved the woman, then she waited until the footsteps faded before she practically ran back to the other side of the floor. Her heart was in her throat when she stopped outside the door, and she hoped that Hojo was already gone. Not that she felt she would get that lucky. She mentally tried to prepare herself to face the man and not give away the fact that she was scared witless.
After one more deep breath, she knocked and then opened the door. She almost felt boneless when she saw that Sephiroth was the only one in the room. Though her relief was short-lived when he frowned up at her when she approached. She stopped in her tracks when he said, "Why is it that you are not even the slightest bit intimidated by me, yet you seem to be terrified of Hojo?"
Alex knew she probably looked like a fish out of the water as her mouth opened and closed several times. She should have known she hadn't hidden her terror well enough. Still, she had to give him a reason that made sense because the truth sure as hell wouldn't. She finally sighed as her shoulders slumped. "I'm a nobody up here, and he is the Head. He has the power to make my job disappear or to make my life a living hell. I have too much to do to fail. I can't afford to make him angry, and I know he wasn't expecting me to be the one here today. Not that I did anything wrong, but it caught me off guard to see him out of the blue like that."
Sephiroth seemed to relax as he pointed to the chair she had vacated earlier. "Well, I can assure you that is something you do not need to worry about. I have known him for my entire life, and he was not angry. I am unsure of what he was thinking, but it had nothing to do with your job."
Alex gave him a strained smile. She wasn't sure if that was better or worse. Maybe he would just forget about her? She doubted it, but she was damn sure going to keep her head down and pray that it was enough.
Once she was seated, she looked at the board and noticed the pieces were all still where they had been left. Her grin was far less faked when she looked back over again. "So whose turn was it?"
Sephiroth lost the tense edge to his shoulders when she smiled. He sat forward again as he said, "This time, I believe it was mine."
Alex was happy to have something other than crazy scientists to focus on for the next half-hour. Unfortunately, she was still distracted. It was already nearly dinnertime, and she hadn't even been allowed to go check and see if the imaging lab was open. This was turning out to be one of the worst trades ever.
Her distraction also led to her loss. She missed a possible move, and Sephiroth was finally able to put her into a checkmate. She gave him a wry smile when her king toppled. "Well, at least I know I did not go down easy."
Sephiroth raised one brow, and it was several seconds before he finally responded. "On the contrary. That was the first time I was not sure what the outcome would be. I would be pleased to play again tomorrow."
Alex was putting the board back to the starting positions, but she froze and slowly looked up. "Tomorrow?"
His brow furrowed slightly. "Yes. I was told you would be back. I know it is late, and someone else will be here tonight. Is that not the case?"
Alex's jaw clenched. She wouldn't put it past Hojo to have given the order and just expected it to be obeyed, even though no one told her. She took a deep breath before she answered. "No, that's fine. I didn't have any plans tomorrow except work anyway. What time should I be here?"
Sephiroth sat forward with a slight frown. "Had you not been told?"
She chuckled and shook her head as she finished clearing the board. "No, but like I said, I had already planned to work all weekend. I have just over two months to finish my thesis, so I will take every chance I get. Since Genesis is gone, I hadn't planned on leaving the labs except for meals. A few hours out of that won't hurt."
Sephiroth still did not look convinced when she stood. If anything, his frown seemed to deepen when she mentioned Genesis, but she waved off his concern. "Don't worry. I know how to make the most of my time, and I can handle my boyfriend's irritation. That won't be a problem, plus I'm sure I can make it up later. Not to mention, I want a rematch."
He finally relaxed back at her last words and gave her a nod. "Then, I look forward to the challenge."
Since she wasn't sure if the professor checked everything while he was there, Alex decided to take Sephiroth's vitals one more time before leaving. She felt his eyes on her the whole time but tried not to think about it. At least he was no longer giving her the cold-shoulder. That was a plus if she was going to have to work with him the next day too.
Once she was finished, she gave him a grin and waved as she walked to the door. "I don't know if you've ever lost before, but if you haven't, you might want to start mentally preparing yourself."
Alex could tell he had not meant to let that chuckle out since he smothered it almost immediately. Still, he gave her a small smile and a nod. "I will keep your advice in mind. Though I would also suggest you prepare yourself for many defeats. I am a general, after all. Tactics are my forte."
She laughed at his quip but only responded with a wave and a "good night." Despite her worry about Hojo and what he might have planned, she had to admit that she had fun playing against the general. It was the first time in a long time that she had been able to focus on something other than doom and gloom. Hopefully, if she kept her head down after Saturday, it would all blow over, and she could go back to trying to figure out how the hell to help them all before things really got out of hand.
A/N: Gasp! Two updates in one day? I know, I haven't had time for this in forever, but I have all weekend with nothing else to focus on, so I am making the most of it, lol. As for the chapter, you gotta love nerd flirting, right? Even if they don't realize that's what they are doing, it is so freaking cute. Anyway, I am done gushing for now. I didn't mean to make this all about the two of them, but meh, I regret nothing. I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next one, which I will be working on tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have it out by Monday night. We'll see. Cheers!