Disclaimer: FF belongs to Squaresoft. I'm running out of different ways to
say this. By this point, you really should know this. And yet, I continue
to write these. Why, you may ask? Simple. I have no desire to be sued.
Author's Note: Please continue to review!! I'm going through review withdrawal… it hurts my creativity. *winces and clutches at heart in pain* Okay, I feel obliged to make two comments here. One, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not really going by the game's estimation of Sephiroth's age. Honestly, I think the game makes him appear too old. He seems young, and given the whole Hojo and Lucrecia story, I doubt he could be more than thirty. I'm bringing him down from there. It works better for the story. Sorry, for all you hardcore canon people out there.
Second, the new character is making his/her first appearance in the next chapter!! Woo-hoo!! The contest is almost over, so soon you'll know who won! Oh, the anticipation. The excitement. I can barely contain myself. ^__^;;; So, if you guessed, please start thinking about the fanfiction you want me to write for you. It'll probably be a one-shot. Unless you give me a really great idea, then there's always a chance it'll mutate into something more. Then again, this story is taking me forever to write, so I probably won't have the time for anything longer. Ah, well… On with the story!!
Chapter 13:
The Perfect Plan
"Sir, the lab results are back."
Hojo glanced briefly at the nervous man sanding in his doorway, then irritably shook his head. "Well, bring them to me, fool."
The report was on his desk in less than a second. One thing Hojo got was fast results. He waved the man away and a grateful mutter was heard before the door closed behind him.
Hojo picked up the report and studied it. He scanned the first few pages and quickly found what he was looking for. The test results from the last study done on the boy.
A cursory study gave him all the answers he needed. The specimen seemed completely normal. There should be some effects on the body, whether negative or positive, and yet he always tested clean. Either it was a malfunction with his flawless computers, or it was just as Hojo had anticipated.
The boy and Jenova had an arrangement of some sort that he had no clue about. The thought bothered him more than he cared to admit. How dare Jenova keep things from him. After all he had done to make sure that she had been… placed into the boy. And now she decided to leave him out of her plans?
Well, this couldn't be coincidence. She must be upset at him for continuing the tests on her host. That made the most sense.
He had only one option, really. In order to continue the success of his experiment, he had to let the boy go. That would enable him to see exactly how the boy interacted with Jenova on a regular basis, as opposed to in a controlled environment. The results should be much more interesting when Jenova had an active role in the boy's life.
Ah, well. One specimen lost in the face of worlds of scientific knowledge to be gained.
It wasn't that hard a choice.
Really, it wasn't.
All he had to do was just give an order, and everyone would bend over backwards to assist him. No one wanted to end up as his next experiment. That was all he had to do, and it would be done.
But, he couldn't just let the boy go. There must be something he would be good for.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place.
The girl… the Ancient from so long ago. She was the last one left. If he used her as a subject, the amount of knowledge he would gain would be priceless.
But how would he get her? He had lost her trail that day. His men would try, but they had failed once before. Their chances of finding her weren't good. He needed someone who could actually get access into her private life. Someone who had some sort of connection with her, even if it was small…
How old would the girl be now? Surely she was still young. Probably just starting school, or early enough that her grade didn't matter. Just like Sephiroth, she had probably-
Sephiroth. But he wouldn't get information from the boy.
His mother. Lucrecia. She had, no doubt, become active in the school. She seemed like the over-protective type. She probably knew just where this girl lived, and how to get to her. But how could Hojo get Lucrecia to do this for him? No matter that she loved him, she still wouldn't willingly give him a new test subject. Not when she had seen the results of the only other man she had ever cared for.
He cut his thoughts off abruptly. This was getting nowhere. What could he do for her that she could not do for herself? One reason Hojo had been attracted to her in the first place was that she was not helpless. If she needed something, she went out and got it herself. That left him able to continue his experiments without having to worry about her well-being. So, she had everything she wanted, and was able to get anything she needed. What could-
Sephiroth. Her son. She couldn't get him.
It was perfect.
Hojo would offer Sephiroth's freedom in exchange for Lucrecia spying on the Cetra's family. Once she found where they lived, she would tell him, and he could go and collect his fee.
Oh, it was the perfect plan.
Of course, he wouldn't leave everything to chance. He would need to have the Turks around in order to make sure she was doing her part. They wouldn't hesitate to attack if something went wrong from either side. They would be his insurance, in order to make sure everything turned out exactly as he wanted.
Oh, yes, this would turn out just fine.
He pressed the intercom button and cleared his throat. "Get me Lucrecia."
Within minutes he heard a door opening below him. Perfect.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucrecia paced back and forth in front of the ShinRa building. What could she do? He was still in there. After going back home, waiting a few days, and returning, absolutely nothing had changed. What could she do? There was nothing. He was in there until Hojo said otherwise.
A strong hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her thoughts back to the present. She pulled away, only for the hand to tighten.
"What do you want?!" she exclaimed, indignant.
A man in a dark suit faced her. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me. Hojo has requested your presence."
She looked up at him, and tried asking another question. Instead, though, she just sighed and let herself be taken away. After all, maybe he was finally willing to talk to her. She could always hope.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"You want me to what?!"
Hojo smiled. He had expected this reaction. Well, she always had been difficult to deal with.
"I want you to find this Cetra girl, and give her whereabouts to me."
She raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that? So you can have another 'specimen' to experiment on?" She sounded angry, and he knew it was false. He always saw right through her. She had to hold onto her anger, otherwise she would realize she was arguing with the man she loved, and she would give up. And she did not want to give up. Oh, no, she couldn't do that.
"What does it matter to you what I want with her?"
"Why does it matter?" she asked, incredulously. "I can't believe you would even ask such a thing!"
"What if I told you I would release your son?"
Her reaction was something to behold. At first, suspicion crossed her features. But slowly she realized that he was serious, that he wouldn't joke about something like this. Maybe she knew this because he never joked about anything. A small smile spread across her mouth, followed by a slow release of breath. So, he had been right. This would be what she needed to do as he asked.
"Why?"
"I no longer need him," he lied. "I have finished all of my tests, and he has given me the results I needed. Now, I must only calculate the other results, and he is no longer necessary."
"But why let him go? Usually, you keep your experiments until they either die or escape."
"I'm short on time and money. I don't have the patience to deal with my incompetent staff much longer, and I simply can't do everything myself. I would much rather get an entirely new specimen than use one that I'm finished with."
She was buying it. He could tell in the way her eyes narrowed as if trying to find fault with what he was saying. But when she found none, a sigh escaped her lips and she sighed.
"Alright, Hojo. I'll do it."
He smiled.
Perfect.
Author's Note: Please continue to review!! I'm going through review withdrawal… it hurts my creativity. *winces and clutches at heart in pain* Okay, I feel obliged to make two comments here. One, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not really going by the game's estimation of Sephiroth's age. Honestly, I think the game makes him appear too old. He seems young, and given the whole Hojo and Lucrecia story, I doubt he could be more than thirty. I'm bringing him down from there. It works better for the story. Sorry, for all you hardcore canon people out there.
Second, the new character is making his/her first appearance in the next chapter!! Woo-hoo!! The contest is almost over, so soon you'll know who won! Oh, the anticipation. The excitement. I can barely contain myself. ^__^;;; So, if you guessed, please start thinking about the fanfiction you want me to write for you. It'll probably be a one-shot. Unless you give me a really great idea, then there's always a chance it'll mutate into something more. Then again, this story is taking me forever to write, so I probably won't have the time for anything longer. Ah, well… On with the story!!
Chapter 13:
The Perfect Plan
"Sir, the lab results are back."
Hojo glanced briefly at the nervous man sanding in his doorway, then irritably shook his head. "Well, bring them to me, fool."
The report was on his desk in less than a second. One thing Hojo got was fast results. He waved the man away and a grateful mutter was heard before the door closed behind him.
Hojo picked up the report and studied it. He scanned the first few pages and quickly found what he was looking for. The test results from the last study done on the boy.
A cursory study gave him all the answers he needed. The specimen seemed completely normal. There should be some effects on the body, whether negative or positive, and yet he always tested clean. Either it was a malfunction with his flawless computers, or it was just as Hojo had anticipated.
The boy and Jenova had an arrangement of some sort that he had no clue about. The thought bothered him more than he cared to admit. How dare Jenova keep things from him. After all he had done to make sure that she had been… placed into the boy. And now she decided to leave him out of her plans?
Well, this couldn't be coincidence. She must be upset at him for continuing the tests on her host. That made the most sense.
He had only one option, really. In order to continue the success of his experiment, he had to let the boy go. That would enable him to see exactly how the boy interacted with Jenova on a regular basis, as opposed to in a controlled environment. The results should be much more interesting when Jenova had an active role in the boy's life.
Ah, well. One specimen lost in the face of worlds of scientific knowledge to be gained.
It wasn't that hard a choice.
Really, it wasn't.
All he had to do was just give an order, and everyone would bend over backwards to assist him. No one wanted to end up as his next experiment. That was all he had to do, and it would be done.
But, he couldn't just let the boy go. There must be something he would be good for.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place.
The girl… the Ancient from so long ago. She was the last one left. If he used her as a subject, the amount of knowledge he would gain would be priceless.
But how would he get her? He had lost her trail that day. His men would try, but they had failed once before. Their chances of finding her weren't good. He needed someone who could actually get access into her private life. Someone who had some sort of connection with her, even if it was small…
How old would the girl be now? Surely she was still young. Probably just starting school, or early enough that her grade didn't matter. Just like Sephiroth, she had probably-
Sephiroth. But he wouldn't get information from the boy.
His mother. Lucrecia. She had, no doubt, become active in the school. She seemed like the over-protective type. She probably knew just where this girl lived, and how to get to her. But how could Hojo get Lucrecia to do this for him? No matter that she loved him, she still wouldn't willingly give him a new test subject. Not when she had seen the results of the only other man she had ever cared for.
He cut his thoughts off abruptly. This was getting nowhere. What could he do for her that she could not do for herself? One reason Hojo had been attracted to her in the first place was that she was not helpless. If she needed something, she went out and got it herself. That left him able to continue his experiments without having to worry about her well-being. So, she had everything she wanted, and was able to get anything she needed. What could-
Sephiroth. Her son. She couldn't get him.
It was perfect.
Hojo would offer Sephiroth's freedom in exchange for Lucrecia spying on the Cetra's family. Once she found where they lived, she would tell him, and he could go and collect his fee.
Oh, it was the perfect plan.
Of course, he wouldn't leave everything to chance. He would need to have the Turks around in order to make sure she was doing her part. They wouldn't hesitate to attack if something went wrong from either side. They would be his insurance, in order to make sure everything turned out exactly as he wanted.
Oh, yes, this would turn out just fine.
He pressed the intercom button and cleared his throat. "Get me Lucrecia."
Within minutes he heard a door opening below him. Perfect.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucrecia paced back and forth in front of the ShinRa building. What could she do? He was still in there. After going back home, waiting a few days, and returning, absolutely nothing had changed. What could she do? There was nothing. He was in there until Hojo said otherwise.
A strong hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her thoughts back to the present. She pulled away, only for the hand to tighten.
"What do you want?!" she exclaimed, indignant.
A man in a dark suit faced her. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me. Hojo has requested your presence."
She looked up at him, and tried asking another question. Instead, though, she just sighed and let herself be taken away. After all, maybe he was finally willing to talk to her. She could always hope.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"You want me to what?!"
Hojo smiled. He had expected this reaction. Well, she always had been difficult to deal with.
"I want you to find this Cetra girl, and give her whereabouts to me."
She raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that? So you can have another 'specimen' to experiment on?" She sounded angry, and he knew it was false. He always saw right through her. She had to hold onto her anger, otherwise she would realize she was arguing with the man she loved, and she would give up. And she did not want to give up. Oh, no, she couldn't do that.
"What does it matter to you what I want with her?"
"Why does it matter?" she asked, incredulously. "I can't believe you would even ask such a thing!"
"What if I told you I would release your son?"
Her reaction was something to behold. At first, suspicion crossed her features. But slowly she realized that he was serious, that he wouldn't joke about something like this. Maybe she knew this because he never joked about anything. A small smile spread across her mouth, followed by a slow release of breath. So, he had been right. This would be what she needed to do as he asked.
"Why?"
"I no longer need him," he lied. "I have finished all of my tests, and he has given me the results I needed. Now, I must only calculate the other results, and he is no longer necessary."
"But why let him go? Usually, you keep your experiments until they either die or escape."
"I'm short on time and money. I don't have the patience to deal with my incompetent staff much longer, and I simply can't do everything myself. I would much rather get an entirely new specimen than use one that I'm finished with."
She was buying it. He could tell in the way her eyes narrowed as if trying to find fault with what he was saying. But when she found none, a sigh escaped her lips and she sighed.
"Alright, Hojo. I'll do it."
He smiled.
Perfect.