For a moment, no one moved. And in that moment, Kunsel knew it had to be him or things were going to go downhill fast. Faster than they were already heading.

"Okay, okay, let's not." He came over to Zack's side, and boldly placed a hand on his arm. "Seriously, Zack. Let's not. Not now. That's not what we're here for."

Zack took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff like a Dual Horn about to charge, bright eyes locked on the Restrictor's mask. "I'm not letting this go."

"I'm not asking you to, I'm just asking you not to do this right now," Kunsel said. "We can pick fights later, alright? There's all the time in the world to shake things up. Just… not now. Breathe."

Zack's nostrils flared with another short, angry huff, those bright, bright eyes boring into the faceless mask of the Restrictor, and Kunsel prayed to whoever listened to SOLDIERs - please, please let this be enough. Because if it wasn't, he didn't know what else to do. Could Valentine restrain him?

Would he?

Then Zack took a slow, deep breath and rolled his shoulders. He released the Restrictor's wrist, lip curled in a silent snarl, and stepped back.

Thank the gods.

"I think, perhaps, we should call it a day," Anya said carefully, which was the smartest idea Kunsel had heard all day. "And come back fresh later."

"Yesplease," Palmer blurted, shrinking back when a few eyes went his way.

Reeve cleared his throat to draw attention. "I think, perhaps, Director Torvik has a fair point. There's much to discuss and for all of us to consider before we return. Restrictor… thank you for your time, but I believe we're ready to return."

"Very well." He seemed entirely unaffected by all of this, which no doubt the helmet helped but… if he truly wasn't bothered in the slightest, Kunsel had to wonder again what they were dealing with.

He didn't like the answers he was coming up with off the top of his head.

They went back in solemn silence, all of them lost to their own thoughts, and loaded into the elevator to go. It was not lost on Kunsel that Zack insisted on seeing the rest of them get in first - or that Valentine managed to just happen to be between Veld and Anya and the Restrictor.

As they ascended, Reeve spoke quietly, "I think, perhaps, we all need to take time to process that before discussing things."

And calm down, Kunsel was sure he'd have added if he was any less tactful. Or even just more direct. He couldn't blame him for tiptoeing around it, though. He'd handle Zack himself. Safer for everyone.

They got about half way back up and Zack let out a sudden breath, a hand going to his head. Kunsel was at his side already, and turned to face him in time to watch the green around his eyes fading to blue. "…Zack?"

There was not the relief in his gaze that there ought to have been. No, Zack's eyes widened, horrified as he stared off at nothing.

Kunsel shoved his faceplate up, took Zack's face in his hands and made him look at him. "Babe."

It took entirely too long for him to register, but finally - finally - those familiar eyes locked on his, some of the wild panic dying down as he forced himself to focus and assess whatever it was that had occurred. "…he was in my head."

"What?"

"I thought he was just trying but that bastard was in my head." For a moment, Zack looked in legitimate danger of being ill.

"Hoo boy. Okay. Breathe," Kunsel said gently. "He's not now?"

"No… no, the distance must have broken the connection." Zack shook his head, then looked sharply at Rayleigh. "I don't have a chip… do I?"

"No, I didn't find any such thing," she said, thinking it over critically. "What you do have is a higher than average concentration of Jenova cells."

"And… the Restrictor does, too?" Zack said. "Was that even him doing it? Or is he the puppet here?"

"I think we're going to have to do some tests," Rayleigh said. "Am I to assume neither of the other enhanced felt anything?"

"No, I'm good," Kunsel said.

Vincent shook his head as well. "He wasn't in my head. He must have some sense of self preservation."

Veld snorted, amused until he caught the gleam of gold in Vincent's eye and was reminded of what else was in Vincent's head.

Maybe he was being serious.

"We'll need to have a little talk about what you all experienced down there," Veld said. "But I don't know that the entire board is necessary for that discussion."

"I would appreciate being kept informed," Reeve said.

"Me too," Rufus said at once. "We ought to know what we're dealing with."

"I, for one, think we ought to know what's going on. All of us," Heidegger said. "But if the rest of them are too scared I'll do it myself."

"I've never cared for the Deepground project," Scarlet said. "So long as it's under control, I can't say I'm terribly concerned with how you handle it."

"Then you and Palmer will be dismissed from further meetings regarding the situation," Rufus said, when it was clear Reeve was lost in thought. "How much time do we need to get things together enough to safely have this discussion, then? Fair?"

"I… might need a minute," Zack admitted slowly.

"I would appreciate the chance to have a look at the General before we proceed, and do a little research myself," Rayleigh said. "Just so we can have a better idea of what we may be dealing with."

"We were caught off guard today," Reeve said softly. "We can't have that happen again. Not with them."

"Agreed," Veld said. "And it won't."

Vincent gave him a familiar look - you don't know that.

Veld just gave him a hard smile that promised I'll make it that way.

Initially, Rayleigh was only going to talk with the SOLDIERs, but both Veld and Vincent were willing to bite back their feelings about medical if it meant getting the details immediately as they were uncovered.

Zack was understandably tense, and had no shame in gripping Kunsel's hand the whole time he was being examined. If it meant he was going to cooperate, Rayleigh wouldn't have protested him outright pulling his soulmate onto his lap to hold onto.

There was every reason for tensions to be running high, and she'd be the last person to tell him that internalizing it would be the better way to go. No, she was relieved he was willing to react at all, lest all that pressure build up to too much.

They'd all seen what happened when a SOLDIER broke under pressure.

"So, there are no signs that you have now, or have ever had, any sort of microchip," Rayleigh said. "Let alone the sort in place in the Deepground operatives."

Zack made a tight sound of relief, but didn't relax. "I'm hearing a but."

Rayleigh inclined her head. "But, your Jenova cells are more active than they've been since you first got here. Can you tell me what, exactly, you experienced?"

Zack closed his eyes with a quiet breath, thinking. "It started way before the elevator. Before he even made it obvious. He may not have been controlling me, but he was influencing me."

"…your temper…" Kunsel said softly.

"Maybe not on purpose, I can't see any point to making me angry, but yeah." Zack nodded. "I don't… I'm not saying I've never gotten mad, or gotten mad and impulsive. I have - you know I have. But not that fast. I'm usually better at keeping my head in that kind of situation."

"Yeah, I wondered about that," Kunsel said. "I just never dreamed…"

"No, me neither. If I'd known he could influence me, we'd have had more backup," Zack said.

"What kind of backup?" Veld asked. "Seems to me that another First might make things worse."

"Yeah, maybe." Zack sighed, running a hand back through his hair and squeezing Kunsel's hand. "Did you feel anything?"

"Static," Kunsel said. "There was something there, but not enough of whatever it was to get to me."

"No impulses, no heightened emotions, nothing?" Zack looked to Vincent as Kunsel shook his head. "And you?"

"No, but I don't have any Jenova cells," he pointed out. "Any reaction I had was directly related to Chaos' grudge against Jenova."

"As a WEAPON of the Planet, I can't really say I'm surprised," Veld said. "So. If it's Jenova cells we need a different kind of backup than the enhanced. Or at least, not Jenova-enhanced."

"Which is going to suck if that comes down to a fight," Zack said. "I mean, no offense, but there's a reason SOLDIER was created. We fill a very valuable niche."

"You do. But we're not exactly helpless as soon as someone's pumped with a mako cocktail, either," Veld said.

Zack held his hands up. "I'd never even think that. I'm just saying, if everybody's favorite meat shields are out of the fight, that's a big disadvantage."

"Less of one, if we're not going in expecting that backup to be there," Veld said. "If a fight had broken out today… well. Things would look different than if a fight breaks out next time we're down there."

"Do you think it's going to come to that?" Kunsel asked.

"I don't know. I certainly hope not." Veld frowned thoughtfully. "But, if it is… we'll be ready."

Zack watched him a moment. "…you sound like you have a plan."

Veld smiled faintly. "Might have some ideas. For now, we'll all just catch our breath and spend some quality downtime thinking."

"That is not what I would qualify as 'quality downtime' Director," Rayleigh said mildly. "But I agreed to at least making sure your bodies relax. Especially you, Zack."

"I'll make sure we both calm down," Kunsel said. "Was there anything else you picked up on, Professor?"

"Nothing we didn't suspect. The Jenova cells are all very active, but at the moment they don't appear to have done anything." She sighed. "Unfortunately, despite my work on the SOLDIER program, I was not involved in the intricacies involving Jenova and am playing a lot of catch up, educating myself as we go."

"Right. Well, we appreciate anything you can tell us," Kunsel said.

"I'll do some more digging… I think I know a few areas in particular that ought to help." She smiled tightly. "I'll do everything I can, of course."

"And in the meantime, we'll try not to make things more complicated." Kunsel patted Zack's shoulder. "So. Afternoon off?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Take tomorrow, too," Veld said. "Rest up while you can."

"Ominous." Zack gave him a thumbs up. "You got it."