Chapter 56- "HOJO INTERVIEW # 3 of 3 (Excerpt)" - # 940102

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MEETING TITLE: "HOJO INTERVIEW # 3 of 3 (Excerpt)"

MEETING TRANSCRIPT #940102

Meeting Attendees: Professor Hojo, Project S
Date of Interview: 01.02.94
Location of Interview: Room 102A, Floor 66, HQ
List of Acronyms:
Professor Hojo=H
Project S (Sephiroth)=S
Intelligent Verbatim Transcript

[Begin Transcript 0:02:01]

START OF EXCERPT:

Professor Hojo (H): "Quiet today, are we? Hm?"

Project S (S): "I'm waiting."

H: "Waiting for what?"

S: "Waiting for you to start."

[Professor Hojo laughs]

H: "Eager, are we? Fine. Let us begin. How are you doing, Sephiroth?"

S: "I am going through my third winter fighting Wutai. I am fine."

H: "'Fine' is an interesting word to use. How are you doing?"

S: "Fine."

H: "How should I note your evasive behavior?"

S: "I simply answered your question. Again."

H: "Let's return to this later. Let's ask some easier questions. How do you feel about the war?"

[pause]

S: "I do my best to support my men. I hope that by next winter this will be finished."

H: "Do you oppose the war?"

S: "I oppose the length of time that we have been fighting but what must be done must be done."

H: "A duty of a Shinra SOLDIER."

S: "Yes."

[3:00]

H: "Quite a few SOLDIERs have been made First Class. All have died beside you. Dinand and Angeal are too fresh to First to even count. You are the longest lasting, the only steadfast First Class, a weed that won't die. Do you mourn the loss of others?"

S: "I recall you decided I was too sensitive last time we interviewed so no, I don't mourn the loss of them."

H: "How do you feel about the new decision that Firsts should be stationed at Midgar? That most Firsts are to be deployed specifically on missions now?"

S: "It makes no difference to me. I was not affected."

H: "You do have an apartment here, correct?"

S: "Rent does come out of my salary but I am rarely here."

H: "Do you feel as if your treatment, being constantly assigned to the front lines with regular men instead of being in Midgar, is a mistreatment on SOLDIER's part of your position?"

S: "No. I prefer it."

[4:00]

H: "Would it not be better to be stationed here?"

S: "No."

H: "Just you and Dinand remain on the front lines."

S: "Yes."

[pause]

H: "One recently promoted First. Another Second getting some attention. If that Second gets promoted, there will be two First of similar age and background to you."

S: "I know."

H: "Does that excite you?"

S: "No."

H: "Why not?"

S: "I have learned to take what I can where I can and not count on it."

H: "Too many broken dreams?"

S: "I fight a war. Death and violence keep me occupied."

H: "The loss of too many friends? Feeling that, still, after all this time?"

S: "…I try not to get close to my men."

[typing]

H: "There have been several reports that your performance has been declining gradually."

S: "Are you concerned?"

H: "No and you are asking far too many questions."

H [cont.]: "Is the medication working properly?"

S: "Yes."

[5:00]

H: "Such weakness for such a powerful man."

S: "I've had it for such a long time. It is part of who I am."

H: "You recently asked for an extension on your pills. You wanted to have an extra two weeks on hand for yourself?"

S: "That request was denied by you."

H: "Why did you want it?"

S: "Wutai is clever. If I get separated from Shinra, I would like to be able to fight my way back without having to worry about a ticking clock."

H: "Wouldn't the five extra days you carry around be enough freedom?"

S: "If the supply lines were completely cut, we would be in a precarious place in approximately two and a half weeks at most. Pushing it out to a month seemed safer."

H: "Has that ever happened? Do you remember the time that we sent a Turk through enemy lines to get you your precious pills?"

S: "Yes."

H: "I think you want to control it."

S: "I am trying to safeguard myself and my men."

H: "That's cute."

S: "R&D has never failed on a delivery but if they did, I could be attacked by Wutai and by my own body at the same time. I don't believe even a First could stand against those odds."

H: "Your request has been rejected. If you ask again, I will cut your prescription to a week and a half. You don't need it."

[no sound audible 5:53-6:09]

H [cont.]: "You have some interesting statistics, Sephiroth. If your medical review is done by any R&D staff, your likelihood to show up is about 50%. If I assign Mariella, that rises to 100%. Do you favor her?"

S: "She's simply familiar."

H: "Do you think of Mariella as the woman who raised you?"

S: "No. She is a staff member of R&D."

H: "You appear close."

S: "My medical condition requires close supervision."

[pause]

H: "And now you start to back out of the hole you have dug. Do you even think about your biological mother?"

S: "Jenova is dead. I have discovered the importance of burying the dead."

H: "How about Orlin?"

S: "What about him?

H: "Do you think of him as a father figure?"

S: "No. He is not my father in any respect."

H: "Are you sure that you don't want to revise your answer?"

[7:00]

S: "He's a mentor, nothing more."

H: "Do you consider him a friend?"

S: "I would be lying if I answered no. Even now."

H: "So you care for him?"

S: "Yes."

H: "He's a drunk. The scum of Shinra's SOLDIER program. He wasn't even allowed to fight in the beginning and now he was moved to a secondary force."

S: "He was sent to the secondary force."

H: "At your request. Surprising that someone of your caliber would take such a man as a friend."

S: "Orlin is a loyal SOLDIER of Shinra."

H: "He lowers you. He demeans you. He is the filth of the planet."

S: "What does Orlin have to do with this interview?"

H: "Every one of you are Shinra's dogs until you die, choking on your own leash for the company. Despicable."

[pause]

H [cont.]: "Well?"

S: "I am not sure what you want me to say to that."

H: "You are just like the rest of them."

S: "I do my job. Shinra supports me. It is a symbiotic relationship."

[8:00]

H: "You were the first. The first chip that cracked everything."

H [cont.]: "They took you from me. You belong to R&D. You belong in R&D."

H [cont.]: "Look at you. Here you sit there, looking me straight in the eye, dressed in that outfit, strengthened by me and mako, every ounce of your potential wasted."

S: "I'm not sure-"

H: "No. We're done. You'll come crawling back to me. Someday. I'll make sure of it. Then you will be thankful. Then you will understand. End of interview. End of series of interviews. Get out of my sight."

[End of Excerpt. End of Interview recording at 00:08:42. See audio drive for audio recording of Interview 3 of 3. Transcribed by Edin Morse. Reviewed and verified by Professor Hojo.]