Chapter 5


The black-haired woman pulled her long but stringy strands into a careless ponytail using the same rubber band she'd used for a week.

It was functional.

She pulled a black and slightly worn brief case from beneath her bed and opened it. There were a few old papers there, which she gathered in one hand and tossed them on the bed. Then she proceeded to fill along a pocket on the bottom of the case.

/I know this is where I kept it... /

"Aha..." she exclaimed quietly as her hand ran into a thin pamphlet. She pulled out the yellowed booklet and opened it carefully. The book, along with the briefcase and its contents, was a treasure of hers for years. It was the first briefcase her older brother had owned during his ascending scientific career. The papers were some of his old notes and the book itself was a small journal he'd kept. When she'd first read through the book it could have very well been written in Cetra. But the minute amount she did comprehend made her want more...more science, more knowledge.

Her brother had discarded that particular case when she'd given him a new one as a gift when he'd been promoted within the ShinRa Scientific Research Department. Although she'd spent nearly all of her savings on the expensive deep brown leather attach‚ case he wasted no energy concealing his dissatisfaction for the gift.

// How it hurt when he'd stared impassively at the gift for endless seconds before moving it aside with a dry remark, "Lao-Anne, you know I hate brown."

And that was it. No "thank you" or appreciative remarks of any kind left his lips. It was already enough that he never visited the family as frequently as he used to or call her "Lao-Lao" like he did before he graduated from Junon's academy. But her parents, who took careful notice of the ungrateful acceptance of the gift, reprimanded *her*.

"You know better than to give him something he wouldn't like. That was very unthoughtful of you Lao-Anne Hojo. Now you'll use the rest of your money to buy him something he likes."

"But mother I..."

"Mother dear, I suppose all of that isn't necessary. I'll probably find *some* use for the old thing."

"Are you sure Laenin? You don't have to use it. Lao-Anne knows better..."

"I'm sure mother. It isn't a total waste."

"Alright then." //


During the rest of the day Lao-Anne could have very well been kidnapped and the family wouldn't have noticed until her brother left for Midgar again.

Yet she held onto that brief case tighter than ever. Now that she understood the secrets hidden within the fine scientific script of his notes and ideas, that briefcase was more important to her plans than anything else.

She opened the book up from its opposite end and turned it upside down, for the notes in this section of the book were written upside down.

Sub-Project I: "Cetra Procreation"

I have decided the following selected females are eligible vessels for the experiment.

01= Stephanie Dunst
02= Kathy Ellid
03= Alexa Freidman
04= Diane Fresk
05= Marissa Gid
06= Candice Holst
07= Giovanna Hstadin
08= Maria Kile
09= Tradish Kine
10= Annie Kingston
11= Rita Lenee
12= Francesca Liranee
13= Almiria Loeky
14= Radina Minsky
15= Ida Naitavich
16= Elizabeth Patel
17= * Casca Ristine
18= Brenda Wallace
19= Nadeen Wickinson
20= Zhao-tsu Yeng

* Single required Cetra specimen

All have placed in their preservatory tanks until I can study them privately. The head of the science department, Professor Ghast, has made mention of traveling to a more secluded location to study an extraterrestrial organism away from the prying eyes of Midgar. Perhaps this project can be given more attention upon my return.

Laenin Hojo //



Lao-Anne took a deep breath to control her excitement. She was sure of it now. The reason President Reeve was acting so hush-hush had to be her brother's project. All these years she'd searched for it and he'd probably found it for her.

She stuffed the book back in its compartment and began filling the inside pockets with hypodermic needles and capsules filled with several unidentified concoctions. She just had to get a hold of those women somehow...

This would be an *exciting* week.




The doctors in the room the ebony-haired woman occupied had long since left her to rest. Apparently, she was much stronger than the other patient and only needed an IV and some heart monitors to assure her recovery. A nurse was away at the moment getting the results of her blood test.

Cloud was seated in an armless chair against the wall while Tifa stood by the bed. She checked her watch and let out a sigh. Reeve was leaning against the doorframe speaking with his secretary over the PHS.

"...don't care who asks. No one else is allowed down there until this whole thing gets figured out...I know, tell her I said she could have the day off..."

Tifa was a bit concerned about whether or not she and Cloud should get back to the bar. It was already late afternoon when she and Cloud arrived. Now it was a quarter to six o'clock and she was a bit weary. Not to mention the day's discoveries were a bit overwhelming. She stole a scrutinizing glance at Cloud and seeing him holding his head in his hands from either exhaustion or concentration gave her reason to believe he was just as taxed as she.

Both of them look up when Elena came in. Reeve had just gotten off the PHS and moved aside so that she could enter fully.

"Is everything OK over there with Reno and..."

"...Uh, yeah but she is a little weak right now. They're still working on her, "she replied with a hint of gloom.

She crossed the rest of the room to stand at the foot of the bed. The woman's breathing was even and she seemed to be resting comfortably enough. This angered Elena a bit. Here was this nobody recovering just fine while Reno's mother, one of her best friends' mother was in the next room fighting to breathe on her own. She didn't wish anything negative on this woman she just wanted to see Reno's mom recovering so brightly.

/I wonder why this one stayed healthy so long.../

She was reminded of her reason for being here and turned to Reeve again.

"I want to go back down later, maybe tomorrow, and save some things for my computer. I have some programs at home that might help me decode the rest of the information on this...project."

Elena continued with a shrug, "Who knows...maybe I'll find something useful."

"You should do it tomorrow, its getting kinda late. Which reminds me..."

Reeve turned his attention to Cloud and Tifa.

"Would you two like to stay here in the guest rooms for a while? The train back to Sector Five won't be here for another hour and you're probably tired, "he added a bit hopefully. It would be nice to be around them again after so long.

"Well..." Cloud looked to Tifa for an answer. He could see she was tired and wouldn't mind staying himself. "We'll stay. We should call our neighbor and let him know we won't be back for a little while."

"Great guys. Elena could you show them to the guestrooms before you leave? Well, unless you're staying here tonight."

"Sure, I'll take them down. I'll probably go back to my apartment though so I can check on Pickle. Reno will most likely be staying here..."

"Ok then...I'll be in my office if you guys need me."

They left the room, Reeve off to his office and the others to the residential quarters.



Rude stepped into the small company caf‚ and scanned it for his friend's presence. The lighting was comfortably dim but he could make out a few off-duty security soldiers chatting away at a small table against the wall. Some employees were scattered about at private tables enjoying their time off.

He spotted Reno in the darkest, farthest corner of the caf‚. He silently approached and sat down across from him at the booth. For a long moment they sat there silently, Reno avoiding his friend's gaze. A blonde woman in a caf‚ uniform approached them and addressed Rude.

"Would you like something sir?"

"I'll have what he's having."

"That'll be a medium cappuccino...with or without whipped cream?"

"Without, thank you."

The lady returned a moment later with Rude's order and they were alone once more. Reno couldn't take the silence anymore and was the first to shatter it.

"Why are you here? I thought you guys *wanted* me to leave."

"You know why I'm here."

Reno cocked his head to the side in mock contemplation before replying with thick sarcasm, "Actually, no. I don't know why you're here. Care to enlighten an old friend?"

Rude took a sip from his cappuccino and gave Reno a blank look from behind his shades.

"You."

Reno let out a short round of sardonic laughter. "No, really why are you here?"

"You."

"No no no. You can't be here because of me. You guys *wanted* me to leave." Then his voice took on a more vehement tone. "I'm not allowed to be around my own *fucking* mo-"

"You know that's not why we thought you should leave. Let's face it: you were being a bit over-protective. Those doctors were trained to *save* lives. You were only hampering their progress."

Reno gazed blankly at his drink as Rude tried to bring him to reason.

"Elena and I are worried about her too. You guys are like family...your mother is my mother. We're all looking out for her...just like we're looking out for you."

Reno leaned back in his seat, bringing his head back with a sigh. He didn't realize what an ass he was being. How could he *ever* in his life think his only real friends would act against him? They were probably the only family he'd had during his career as a Turk and he didn't trust them. He was just so worried he couldn't think straight. He was sure Rude could see this, or he wouldn't be here.

"Sorry man. I guess I was being a pain in the ass but it's my fault. If I had looked for her like a *real* son she may not have been in some damn tube for twenty years. I was such bastard..."

"You can't blame yourself. You were five when it happened. If everyone around me kept forcing the idea in my head that my mother abandoned me like countless others I probably would have believed it too. The best thing you can do now is be there for her now. Twenty years have gone by Reno. She needs you."

"I know. I don't if I can take her rejecting me. I was five when she last saw me...I might as well be a different person now."

"She won't reject you Reno. Mothers know their children Reno and you're no exception."

Reno didn't reply. He had a lot to think about but his friend's words lifted a lot of weight from his soul. He stood, Rude doing the same. Rude left some gil on the table for the drinks even though he hadn't finished his. He wasn't there to drink, after all.

"I'm staying at my room here tonight. I'm definitely going to be there when she wakes."

"Yeah, I'm staying too."

As they exited Reno paused in his tracks and Rude turned to see why.

"Rude, when the *hell* did you become a damn counselor?"

Rude let out an unfeigned chuckled as they continued down the hall.

"I'm a lot of things Reno...a lot of things."

******

Author's notes:

See! I told you I wouldn't take so long this time. As a matter of fact, I have a geometry test to study for but I got a few...ahem...*urging* reviews so I figured what the hell. Its movin kinda slow but I have to get a few scenes out of the way. The "black-haired woman" has an identity and a past now. :::yay::: Stay tuned for Chapter 6. It should be out of the oven by the end of the weekend.

That's all folks!! =)


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