"Hojo? Doctor Hojo?"
Annoyed, Hojo looked up from the lab table he hunched over. "Yes?" he asked, his voice heavy with barely concealed anger.
"I have an important message for you."
Scowling, Hojo turned back to the table and began re-arranging the vials of chemicals with infinite care and deliberation. Anyone who had known him for any period of time would have taken that as a signal to get the hell out of his lab as soon as possible, important message or not.
However, the messenger was either new or too stupid to recognize the warning signs and stood, albeit nervously, unmoving in the doorway.
"It's from President Shinra," he persisted, wary about staying, unwilling to leave. "It's about his son."
His son? Hojo straightened momentarily. Odd...
Dimly aware that he had Hojo's attention, the fool messenger continued, unaware that he was signing his own death warrant. "You are to report to his office immediately, putting aside all other activities, regardless of their importance." Here, he smirked smugly at the scientist. "I am to use whatever means necessary to escort you, should you be unwilling to present yourself."
It was the smirk that did it. Calmly, Hojo selected a tiny vial and turned to face the messenger. "That won't be necessary," he said smoothly. "I am quite able to escort myself without any assistance." He strode past the confused messenger and out the door. Just as he reached the hallway, he turned and smiled thinly at the man.
"If you would, however, be so kind as to take care of a small matter for me while I'm gone?" Hojo asked, his voice smooth and compelling.
"But- my job-"
Hojo cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense, it won't take but a moment," he assured him. "I just want you to take this bottle," he tossed the vial to the man, "and bring it over to that corner." He pointed to it, making sure the man knew exactly where he was talking about. "Then I want you to open it and set it on one of those shelves. Understand?" The messenger nodded dumbly, holding the vial at arms' length, as if though it would leap out of his hands at any given moment and bite him.
"Good." Hojo turned to leave. He smiled grimly to himself as he heard a shrill scream issue from the direction of his laboratory, then crossed the hallway to the elevators that led to Shinra's office. The bottle might not bite, but as for what was inside...
Hojo chuckled, then sighed. One day, Shinra was going to wonder what had become of all his flunkies- but then again, DarkSouls had to eat something.
He rearranged his features into an expression of extreme boredom and indifference as the elevators stopped at the top floor. Swiftly, he extracted his keycard and stepped out into Shinra's well appointed office.
"You wished to see me, Mr. President?" he asked, clasping his hands together in front of him.
"Professor Hojo. Yes." Shinra looked up from the papers strewn over his desk and put aside his pen. Hojo wrinkled his nose slightly at the mess, but said nothing.
"Now, Hojo," Shinra said, clasping his hands over his slightly bulging mid-section, "I know that being a scientist of your caliber involves a large amount of work, does it not?"
Hojo nodded. He wondered where this conversation was going.
"And, there are times, are there not, when you would find your work load to be a lot lighter if you had an assistant? Even one who only did the most minor tasks?"
Again, Hojo nodded. Now he had a feeling he knew what was coming next, but he was nevertheless surprised at the President's next words.
"I'm going to apprentice my son to you for a while, Hojo," Shinra said. "Whenever he has a free moment from lessons, he will be down working at your lab."
"I- but- I don't-" Hojo broke off, knowing he couldn't refuse the President, but unwilling to go without protest.
"There will be no arguments about this, Professor." Shinra's voice was dangerously low.
"May I ask why?" Hojo finaly managed. Of all things, the President's son as a lab assistant?
"I have no time to watch out for the boy when he's not at lessons," Shinra said absently, fiddling with a paper weight designed to look like a miniature model of Midgar. Hojo had always hated that piece, and Shinra most assuredly knew it. "And he needs to be put to work doing something useful. I'm sure that you could contrive to keep him busy for a few hours each day. There will be no problems, will there, Professor?"
Hojo shook his head, not trusting himself not to snap at Shinra if he spoke.
"Good, expect him in your lab starting tomorrow afternoon. I will send someone to escort him back when he is finished."
"Yes, Mr. President." Hojo all but spat the words. As he turned to go, Shinra's voice drifted after him, almost lazily.
"And Hojo, don't dispose of any more of my messengers unless you want to report directly to me, understand?"
Trembling with suppressed rage and hate, Hojo crossed the office threshold and slammed the door behind him. He knew the President despised him, and knew the feeling was returned in full. But this- this was going to far! The President had absolutely no consideration for Hojo's work in mind when he made his plans. This was all a scheme to be free from the responsibilities of raising a son and let Hojo know exactly what the he thought of him at the same time.
Snarling, he stormed into his laboratory, turning on each and every security device he had as he made his way over to his desk.
"Do what you will, Shinra," he mumbled to himself. "But rest assured that I will find some way to make you regret every plan, every action you take against me." All he needed was time. Time and patience. He would wait, he told himself grimly, he would wait until the time was right.
Someday, Shinra. Someday soon.