Chapter III: Ambrosia
T he day dawned cool and cloudy, with a harsh wind that whistled around the Shin-Ra building, rapping at the windows as if wanting to be let in. Sephiroth was sitting on his bed in his nice clothes, fidgeting nervously. Miriam was busy finishing the laundry. She folded one of Sephiroth's favorite shirts and set it in the basket. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She was sure that if Hojo didn't get there soon Sephiroth would jump out the window or something. The clock in the laundry room ticked monotonously. Miriam leaned over and rested her chin on her fist. Every second wound the spring of tension tighter.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Her reverie was interrupted by three sharp knocks on the door. Her eyes sprang open and she went out into the foyer. She reached out and opened the front door. Hojo stood there in a dark blue blazer and pants. "Good morning, Professor," she said. She felt herself blush a little. She hadn't seen him in over three years and she had forgotten how handsome he was. He regarded her over his wire rimmed spectacles.
"Good morning Ms. Adler," he said. "Are you doing well?"
"Oh, fine thanks," she said. "Come inside. Sephiroth's in the other room." He came in and closed the door behind him. At the exact same time, Sephiroth opened the door at the other end of the hall. He just stood there for a bit, looking at the father he never met. He was tall, about 185 centimeters, but with a thin frame. He had a handsome, pale face with high cheekbones. A pair of olive brown eyes sat behind his small round spectacles. His hair was black, and Sephiroth could see that it was pulled back into a tight ponytail that reached to the middle of his back. He let a few fly away hairs hang around his eyes. For a moment, Sephiroth couldn't do anything. He didn't really know what he was supposed to do, what was proper. Then all of that flew out the window as he felt a rush of exhilaration and dashed into the foyer. He might have been crying; he wasn't sure. He ran up to his father and, too short to do it properly, hugged him around the legs.
"Dad...," was all he could manage. Hojo reached down and put his arms around Sephiroth's back. Miriam stood quietly, observing the scene. Sephiroth was crying freely now, but he grinned through the tears. Hojo was smiling as well. Miriam didn't trust that smile. It was quite pleasant, but there was an air of mocking to it, as if he was hiding a secret and was about to burst out laughing because he was the only one who knew.
Damn that women's intuition, she snapped at herself. Why can't you stop seeing what's not there?
Because this is wrong, a little voice said. He's the one who left Sephiroth with you for three years. Now he suddenly comes back. Maybe the Science Department is going to carry out whatever plans they have for him.
She shook her head. No. Don't think about such things. She looked up. Sephiroth was chatting excitedly with his father. The uneasiness returned in full. No, she didn't like this.
She didn't like it at all.
"So Sephiroth, where would you like to go first?" Hojo asked after they had said their goodbyes.
Sephiroth looked up at him with bright eyes. "You're asking me?" he said. "Well, let's see, there's a lot of stuff a want to do. I mean, I want to catch up and all, but I'd like to see more of the building—" His stomach rumbled. "I'm also hungry."
Hojo laughed. "We can do all of that then. You've never been above this floor, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Come with me." Sephiroth grabbed his hand and they walked off, down the hallway of the built in hotel. Hojo spoke as they walked. "So, how have you been while I was gone? Are you happy in this place?"
"I've been good. The place we live in is sorta small, but I have fun. And Ma'am's really nice." He looked down as if in thought. "Why were you gone all this time?"
"I'm afraid I've been rather busy with my job," Hojo said. "The schedule isn't very forgiving. I've been working on a major project for over five years." He looked down at Sephiroth. "I'm sorry that I haven't been here with you. Do you forgive me?"
Sephiroth looked surprised. "Of course I forgive you! You came back didn't you? It's all okay now."
"I'm glad you understand," Hojo said, inwardly grinning. The kid really trusted him. This would make it a whole lot easier. The hallways opened up into a vast lobby filled to the brim with customers and Shin-Ra employees. Sephiroth looked all around, taking in every sight. He had been out here, but never when it was so busy.
"Just how many people are in this building?" he asked.
Hojo pondered this for a moment. "Probably ten thousand. Twelve thousand including the people in the hotels." Sephiroth gaped.
"How is that possible?"
"Shin-Ra is the most powerful corporation on the planet. The people in this building are just a small part of those who work here." They reached the elevators. Hojo punched the up button and the door opened.
"Which floor are we going to?" Sephiroth asked running over to the window and putting his eyes up to it. He loved to see how the great height made everything below look like toys in a dollhouse.
"The sixty-first floor," Hojo replied. "There's a pretty nice restaurant up there."
"Um, but there's no button for that floor," said Sephiroth. "I checked the last time I went on with Ma'am." Hojo marveled at the boy's intelligence. A three year old would never remember that. Hell, a seven year old probably wouldn't. He was a true prodigy, no denying that. Feeling as if God Himself were looking upon him with envy, he reached into his pocket and produced a key card. Sephiroth watched fascinated as he swiped it through a slot by the door. A panel above the normal buttons slid back to reveal eleven more which lit up to floor seventy. Hojo turned to Sephiroth.
"Would you like to do the honors?" he asked. Sephiroth nodded. He ran over to the panel and jumped. His finger just barely reached the button, but he made it and the elevator shifted as it made its ascent. Sephiroth went back over to the window and focused on a red car in the parking lot. It shrunk to a tiny point and when the elevator finally stopped, he could barely see it anymore. They stepped off the car, and Sephiroth was surprised to see that they had ended up inside the restaurant. A waiter came over and sat them down at a table.
"So Dad, what exactly is your job?" Sephiroth asked, paging through his menu.
"Well, I'm mainly a geneticist."
"What's that?"
Hojo hesitated, thinking how to explain this. "Geneticists are a type of scientist. We study the things in living organisms that make them what they are. Whether you're a human or an animal is determined by a substance inside you called DNA."
"So you're a scientist..." Sephiroth looked up at him and an odd look came into his eyes. "Are you mad?"
"Mad? Why should I be? You didn't do anything wrong." Sephiroth shook his head.
"No, not angry mad. Crazy." He twirled his finger around his head. Hojo laughed again.
"No, I'm not mad. I can think coherently and have control over my actions. But then again, would a crazy person really admit that he's mad?"
"I'm not sure. Ah, never mind," said Sephiroth, filled with loving admiration. He didn't really seem to fit his image of a mad scientist anyway. Considering that he'd never actually seen one in his life, Sephiroth found it strange that he could even picture it at all. But he had a feeling it wasn't like the normal person's image. There was no old castle, no lightning illuminating its stone chambers like blue fire, no strange machinery or rods spouting electricity. Just a solitary figure in a long, white coat standing in a dark room looking over his shoulder. In his hand was...well, something nasty. Sephiroth couldn't identify it. And the figure's eyes shone with their own malevolent light. The thought came on so strongly that he actually had to suppress the urge to shiver.
They waiter came by and asked for their orders. Hojo ordered nothing but coffee ("What is it with you adults and coffee?" Sephiroth asked). Sephiroth ordered some spaghetti. "Which floor do you work on?" he asked suddenly.
"The sixty-seventh and sixty-eight. All the labs are up there."
"Maybe after this you can take me there and show me what you're working on." Hojo adjusted his glasses.
"Sorry Sephiroth, you can't go there unless you're directly involved with the Science Department. I'm forbidden to show anyone." Sephiroth blinked.
"Why not?" he asked with his eyes riveted on his father.
"Simply because the president wants me to keep all the projects confidential," answered Hojo. "My superior and I have no say in this. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said quickly. It only lasted a second, but Hojo's eyes changed. They looked like strange embers that didn't give off heat but stole it from the very air. And was it just him or did he detect a note of spite in the word "superior"? Oh well, probably his imagination.
"But I think I have a way I can make it up to you," Hojo said slyly.
Twenty minutes later they were in the elevator again, rising rapidly up to the 70th floor balcony. Sephiroth's heart hammered in his chest as they climbed. This was higher than he had ever been. He wasn't afraid of heights inside, but outside...well he'd just have to see. At the same time he was filled with an almost electric excitement of being able to see all of Midgar at once, like how president Shin-Ra could.
The elevator ground to a halt and the doors slid open. A wash of cold air chilled the small cabin instantly. Sephiroth looked out at the balcony and tried to figure out what to do.
He closed his eyes.
Heart fluttering like a sparrow in a cage, he walked out onto the balcony, arms out in front of him. He took small, quick steps that made slight clinking sounds on the metal grating. A small part of him thought that if he stepped too heavily the floor would break, sending him plummeting down seventy stories to the plate below. He figured he was about halfway to the railing when a brisk fall breeze swept past him, blowing his hair back from his forehead and wafting the dull odors of exhaust and Mako into his face. It gave him a dizzying but not unpleasant sense of vertigo. His outstretched fingers touched the cool metal railing. He grabbed it with both hands, and when he was sure he was safe, opened his eyes.
All of Midgar lay before him, a great gray expanse lying under a turgid, overcast sky. He could see innumerable lights and alleyways that crisscrossed the upper plate like electrified wires. Directly in front of him was the Shin-Ra Mako Reactor Number 8. Bright green Mako exhaust spewed out from its immense metallic cooling vent like a cloud of emeralds. As he took in the sights, a soft drizzle began to fall. He looked back at his father, wanting to say something, anything, but no words would come out. Hojo just nodded as if he understood.
He turned back and gazed upon the city for another moment. Midgar. His home. Feeling his soul rise like a balloon into the blue he raised his arms and face to the sky and laughed, letting the rain beat down on his face while his eyes wept tears of joy.
When Sephiroth returned to the apartment that night, all he could talk about was what a good time he had. Miriam listened to him explain how he and his father went to the restaurant and how he got a bird's eye view of Midgar. He told her how Hojo showed him a scale model of the city, an incredible replica of a Mako Reactor that showed exactly how it worked, being introduced to several of the other employees, and many other things.
Miriam felt herself relax a little more. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen to Sephiroth today, but it wasn't anything good. The fact that he talked so expressively and genuinely relieved her. Hojo hadn't done anything...well, bad to him. Maybe she was just making a big deal out of nothing. No one ever told her anything about whatever project Sephiroth was involved in. It could be something a simple as a behavioral study. The little voice still gnawed
(get him away from here he's not safe) at the back of her mind, but she ignored it. And when she went to check on Sephiroth after dinner, he was fast asleep with Bochi in his arms.
T he day dawned cool and cloudy, with a harsh wind that whistled around the Shin-Ra building, rapping at the windows as if wanting to be let in. Sephiroth was sitting on his bed in his nice clothes, fidgeting nervously. Miriam was busy finishing the laundry. She folded one of Sephiroth's favorite shirts and set it in the basket. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She was sure that if Hojo didn't get there soon Sephiroth would jump out the window or something. The clock in the laundry room ticked monotonously. Miriam leaned over and rested her chin on her fist. Every second wound the spring of tension tighter.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Her reverie was interrupted by three sharp knocks on the door. Her eyes sprang open and she went out into the foyer. She reached out and opened the front door. Hojo stood there in a dark blue blazer and pants. "Good morning, Professor," she said. She felt herself blush a little. She hadn't seen him in over three years and she had forgotten how handsome he was. He regarded her over his wire rimmed spectacles.
"Good morning Ms. Adler," he said. "Are you doing well?"
"Oh, fine thanks," she said. "Come inside. Sephiroth's in the other room." He came in and closed the door behind him. At the exact same time, Sephiroth opened the door at the other end of the hall. He just stood there for a bit, looking at the father he never met. He was tall, about 185 centimeters, but with a thin frame. He had a handsome, pale face with high cheekbones. A pair of olive brown eyes sat behind his small round spectacles. His hair was black, and Sephiroth could see that it was pulled back into a tight ponytail that reached to the middle of his back. He let a few fly away hairs hang around his eyes. For a moment, Sephiroth couldn't do anything. He didn't really know what he was supposed to do, what was proper. Then all of that flew out the window as he felt a rush of exhilaration and dashed into the foyer. He might have been crying; he wasn't sure. He ran up to his father and, too short to do it properly, hugged him around the legs.
"Dad...," was all he could manage. Hojo reached down and put his arms around Sephiroth's back. Miriam stood quietly, observing the scene. Sephiroth was crying freely now, but he grinned through the tears. Hojo was smiling as well. Miriam didn't trust that smile. It was quite pleasant, but there was an air of mocking to it, as if he was hiding a secret and was about to burst out laughing because he was the only one who knew.
Damn that women's intuition, she snapped at herself. Why can't you stop seeing what's not there?
Because this is wrong, a little voice said. He's the one who left Sephiroth with you for three years. Now he suddenly comes back. Maybe the Science Department is going to carry out whatever plans they have for him.
She shook her head. No. Don't think about such things. She looked up. Sephiroth was chatting excitedly with his father. The uneasiness returned in full. No, she didn't like this.
She didn't like it at all.
"So Sephiroth, where would you like to go first?" Hojo asked after they had said their goodbyes.
Sephiroth looked up at him with bright eyes. "You're asking me?" he said. "Well, let's see, there's a lot of stuff a want to do. I mean, I want to catch up and all, but I'd like to see more of the building—" His stomach rumbled. "I'm also hungry."
Hojo laughed. "We can do all of that then. You've never been above this floor, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Come with me." Sephiroth grabbed his hand and they walked off, down the hallway of the built in hotel. Hojo spoke as they walked. "So, how have you been while I was gone? Are you happy in this place?"
"I've been good. The place we live in is sorta small, but I have fun. And Ma'am's really nice." He looked down as if in thought. "Why were you gone all this time?"
"I'm afraid I've been rather busy with my job," Hojo said. "The schedule isn't very forgiving. I've been working on a major project for over five years." He looked down at Sephiroth. "I'm sorry that I haven't been here with you. Do you forgive me?"
Sephiroth looked surprised. "Of course I forgive you! You came back didn't you? It's all okay now."
"I'm glad you understand," Hojo said, inwardly grinning. The kid really trusted him. This would make it a whole lot easier. The hallways opened up into a vast lobby filled to the brim with customers and Shin-Ra employees. Sephiroth looked all around, taking in every sight. He had been out here, but never when it was so busy.
"Just how many people are in this building?" he asked.
Hojo pondered this for a moment. "Probably ten thousand. Twelve thousand including the people in the hotels." Sephiroth gaped.
"How is that possible?"
"Shin-Ra is the most powerful corporation on the planet. The people in this building are just a small part of those who work here." They reached the elevators. Hojo punched the up button and the door opened.
"Which floor are we going to?" Sephiroth asked running over to the window and putting his eyes up to it. He loved to see how the great height made everything below look like toys in a dollhouse.
"The sixty-first floor," Hojo replied. "There's a pretty nice restaurant up there."
"Um, but there's no button for that floor," said Sephiroth. "I checked the last time I went on with Ma'am." Hojo marveled at the boy's intelligence. A three year old would never remember that. Hell, a seven year old probably wouldn't. He was a true prodigy, no denying that. Feeling as if God Himself were looking upon him with envy, he reached into his pocket and produced a key card. Sephiroth watched fascinated as he swiped it through a slot by the door. A panel above the normal buttons slid back to reveal eleven more which lit up to floor seventy. Hojo turned to Sephiroth.
"Would you like to do the honors?" he asked. Sephiroth nodded. He ran over to the panel and jumped. His finger just barely reached the button, but he made it and the elevator shifted as it made its ascent. Sephiroth went back over to the window and focused on a red car in the parking lot. It shrunk to a tiny point and when the elevator finally stopped, he could barely see it anymore. They stepped off the car, and Sephiroth was surprised to see that they had ended up inside the restaurant. A waiter came over and sat them down at a table.
"So Dad, what exactly is your job?" Sephiroth asked, paging through his menu.
"Well, I'm mainly a geneticist."
"What's that?"
Hojo hesitated, thinking how to explain this. "Geneticists are a type of scientist. We study the things in living organisms that make them what they are. Whether you're a human or an animal is determined by a substance inside you called DNA."
"So you're a scientist..." Sephiroth looked up at him and an odd look came into his eyes. "Are you mad?"
"Mad? Why should I be? You didn't do anything wrong." Sephiroth shook his head.
"No, not angry mad. Crazy." He twirled his finger around his head. Hojo laughed again.
"No, I'm not mad. I can think coherently and have control over my actions. But then again, would a crazy person really admit that he's mad?"
"I'm not sure. Ah, never mind," said Sephiroth, filled with loving admiration. He didn't really seem to fit his image of a mad scientist anyway. Considering that he'd never actually seen one in his life, Sephiroth found it strange that he could even picture it at all. But he had a feeling it wasn't like the normal person's image. There was no old castle, no lightning illuminating its stone chambers like blue fire, no strange machinery or rods spouting electricity. Just a solitary figure in a long, white coat standing in a dark room looking over his shoulder. In his hand was...well, something nasty. Sephiroth couldn't identify it. And the figure's eyes shone with their own malevolent light. The thought came on so strongly that he actually had to suppress the urge to shiver.
They waiter came by and asked for their orders. Hojo ordered nothing but coffee ("What is it with you adults and coffee?" Sephiroth asked). Sephiroth ordered some spaghetti. "Which floor do you work on?" he asked suddenly.
"The sixty-seventh and sixty-eight. All the labs are up there."
"Maybe after this you can take me there and show me what you're working on." Hojo adjusted his glasses.
"Sorry Sephiroth, you can't go there unless you're directly involved with the Science Department. I'm forbidden to show anyone." Sephiroth blinked.
"Why not?" he asked with his eyes riveted on his father.
"Simply because the president wants me to keep all the projects confidential," answered Hojo. "My superior and I have no say in this. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said quickly. It only lasted a second, but Hojo's eyes changed. They looked like strange embers that didn't give off heat but stole it from the very air. And was it just him or did he detect a note of spite in the word "superior"? Oh well, probably his imagination.
"But I think I have a way I can make it up to you," Hojo said slyly.
Twenty minutes later they were in the elevator again, rising rapidly up to the 70th floor balcony. Sephiroth's heart hammered in his chest as they climbed. This was higher than he had ever been. He wasn't afraid of heights inside, but outside...well he'd just have to see. At the same time he was filled with an almost electric excitement of being able to see all of Midgar at once, like how president Shin-Ra could.
The elevator ground to a halt and the doors slid open. A wash of cold air chilled the small cabin instantly. Sephiroth looked out at the balcony and tried to figure out what to do.
He closed his eyes.
Heart fluttering like a sparrow in a cage, he walked out onto the balcony, arms out in front of him. He took small, quick steps that made slight clinking sounds on the metal grating. A small part of him thought that if he stepped too heavily the floor would break, sending him plummeting down seventy stories to the plate below. He figured he was about halfway to the railing when a brisk fall breeze swept past him, blowing his hair back from his forehead and wafting the dull odors of exhaust and Mako into his face. It gave him a dizzying but not unpleasant sense of vertigo. His outstretched fingers touched the cool metal railing. He grabbed it with both hands, and when he was sure he was safe, opened his eyes.
All of Midgar lay before him, a great gray expanse lying under a turgid, overcast sky. He could see innumerable lights and alleyways that crisscrossed the upper plate like electrified wires. Directly in front of him was the Shin-Ra Mako Reactor Number 8. Bright green Mako exhaust spewed out from its immense metallic cooling vent like a cloud of emeralds. As he took in the sights, a soft drizzle began to fall. He looked back at his father, wanting to say something, anything, but no words would come out. Hojo just nodded as if he understood.
He turned back and gazed upon the city for another moment. Midgar. His home. Feeling his soul rise like a balloon into the blue he raised his arms and face to the sky and laughed, letting the rain beat down on his face while his eyes wept tears of joy.
When Sephiroth returned to the apartment that night, all he could talk about was what a good time he had. Miriam listened to him explain how he and his father went to the restaurant and how he got a bird's eye view of Midgar. He told her how Hojo showed him a scale model of the city, an incredible replica of a Mako Reactor that showed exactly how it worked, being introduced to several of the other employees, and many other things.
Miriam felt herself relax a little more. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen to Sephiroth today, but it wasn't anything good. The fact that he talked so expressively and genuinely relieved her. Hojo hadn't done anything...well, bad to him. Maybe she was just making a big deal out of nothing. No one ever told her anything about whatever project Sephiroth was involved in. It could be something a simple as a behavioral study. The little voice still gnawed
(get him away from here he's not safe) at the back of her mind, but she ignored it. And when she went to check on Sephiroth after dinner, he was fast asleep with Bochi in his arms.