This story was based in a Final Fantasy 7 setting. All the characters (exempt Vicky) belong to the makers of Final Fantasy and Squaresoft. Some characters were altered to fit the needs of the story line. -----------

Chapter One: Tests

"Victoria Evelynn."

The name was spoken softly and the hiss of released pressure from the sealed doors emerge. Sliding swiftly along tracks, the metal doors glide into their positions within the walls. Emerald green eyes glance around the empty laboratory, metal tables align with the left wall with several light stands around them, next to the tables are carts with strange operation utensils. Along the right wall a platform where his office is, in there he can control the mechanical structures that were built into the ceiling long ago. Victoria glances up toward the ceiling; the metal claw-like hand seemingly reaching out at her, she shudders. Her hands instinctively coil around her arms, rubbing them for comfort as she steps further into the laboratory. Her hand clenches her head as pain spreads throughout her brain, remember…

"Ahh", Victoria gasps and she opens her eyes to reality once again.

This was his place, his lab, what seems to be his life and home. The greasy, filthy man was no where to be seen, although he had called her here. The glass tube wasn't too far away from her now. Sometimes she wonders if he even bathes at all.

"Starting without me today, are you?"

The sleazy voice from behind her made her jump back and reach for her gun. Crouched into position her hand still on her gun she seems to growl under her breath. Her hand slowly inched away from the pistol as she exhaled. She shakes her head slowly, auburn tresses swinging away from her eyes as she tosses her head in a fury.

"You know I hate it when you do that, Professor", she growls.

The man's response was to cackle, his laughter always seemed to give her goose bumps. His gesture toward the tube indicates the procedure has begun. Victoria steps up to the tube and slowly starts shedding her clothing. Unbuttoning her blue suit, the feeling of his gaze upon her back made her sick to her stomach. She always had to deal with the torment of his stare, not that it aroused him in any way. (Vicky knew what his passion was, and it wasn't the sight of her nakedness.) This was the part she always hated, the cold air immediately clung to her body, covering her in goose bumps. As the last item of clothing fell to the floor, the clap of bare feet on metal echoed throughout the room as she had stepped into the tube. The glass door sealed with the rest of the tube, the air pressure from the door instantly signaled her to close her eyes, as it slowly fills with green glowing liquid. A red grid appeared across the inside of the tube, vanishes and the sound of metal machinery moving echoes within the tube above the sound of rushing liquid. As the mako covers her waist, floating in life energy made her relax and her senses dull as the mako fills the tube.

"Now that you are in your sleeping stage, I can go out to lunch."

His black hair swung from his ponytail as he taps a button on the green screen and turns away. Pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, his clasps his arms behind his back and stalks off slowly in thought. The mako finishes filling in the tube and the deep echo of metal clanking from the outside fills her head.

'You always think of me when you are here, don't you?'

The image of a woman wrapped in cables, floating in the same matter she was currently in, appeared in her mind. In a flash she thought she saw the same woman draped in white cloth.

"Of course, Mother."

A child's hand reaches for an older woman standing in the middle of a grassy field. The day was warm and the sound of birds could be heard chirping in the trees just beyond a hill. Not another day could be seen like this, this was no ordinary day. This day was…

'Why do you always remember that?'
"Remember what?"

The door bursts open and several men, clad in blue suits enter the room. A woman cradles her crying child to her breast as she screams in fear. The men pull her from her child and stand her up, pointing guns at her, shoving her across the room. Shouting about something, what were they saying?

'That.'
"I don't remember that. What is that?"
'You don't remember?'

Blood splatters across the room, over the walls, across the face of a crying young girl with red hair and the woman falls to her knees. Slowly collapsing onto the floor face first, blood soaked hair is ground into the carpet as the men walk away without a care whether they step on the body or not.

"No."
'Why are you lying to me?'
"Why would I lie, Mother?"

Vicky is snaps back into reality as the pinch of a needle entering her body through her forearm. Her eyes widen as she gasps; mako swirls around the emerald of her eyes making the color shine for a moment before dispersing. The one note of insanity they have found. They called it a problem, Hojo calls it his beckon.

"Sit still, girl. Do you want me to do this again?", he says with a smile.

"No, Sir.", she cringes.

She was lying on a metal table, strapped down with leather bonds at her ankles and wrists. The cold was really getting to her now that she was awake. Wet tresses of auburn locks were dangling over the end of the table, dripping clear liquid onto the floor. Victoria moves her head slowly toward the professor, throbbing from the after affects of being exposed to mako for long periods of time, she blinks several times. Trying to make her eyes focus on something.

"Your tests were finished, and you were washed. You can leave now."

As simple as that the bonds were released by a touch of a button. Hojo walks off toward his office muttering under his breath and Vicky was left to herself. She slowly sits up and looks around for her clothes, her hand instinctively goes to her head as she tries to will the migraine away. Her clothes are folded nicely in a rolling office chair not too far away from her right side, she notes as her eyes focus slowly. A smirk plays across her face as she hops down from the table. Her feet clap against the tile floor as she walks over to the chair. Catching herself she stumbles and falls into the chair and onto her dry clothes.

Murmuring to herself, "He always folds them so nicely."

Prying herself off of her dry clothes to dress herself she pulls them into her lap. Victoria takes a few breathes before she slips her white button shirt on. The metal doors slide open and a man with a blue suit enters the room, disheveled and with a cigarette hanging from his lip. Just as if he was waiting outside, Reno runs his hand through his red hair, pulling his rat tail over his left shoulder. His arms spread before him as if welcoming her, he smirks at her crude reaction and cocks an eyebrow.

"Hey. I didn't know you were in here.", Chuckling. "Oh, you knew all right.", Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, she taps her foot impatiently. "Yeah, I did. I'm not going to lie. You need to go see Tseng right away." "Okay. I figured I would have to, since he always sends for me after testing."

She yanks up her jacket and slips it on hurriedly. Reno watches her as she buttons up her shirt. Victoria glances up and he looks away, smirking. She stands precariously trying to finish dressing. Reno's gaze makes her pause, her impatience was growing.

"If you don't mind.", gesturing toward the clothes. "Oh! Right, of course." He spread his arms wide again, half bows and takes a step back.

Plopping himself down in a chair he makes himself comfortable as Vicky grabs her pants. She looks at Reno waiting patiently, the look slowly melts into a glare. He hops out of the chair and throws his arms up in defense. Backing up hurriedly towards the exit.

"All right, I get it. I'm going, I'm going. I've got better things to do anyway."

Reno walks out the doors, metal sliding closed behind him only to reopen quickly. Grabbing her gun she points it at the door, her shirttails swinging slightly from the jerked movements. He's really done it now. Cocking the gun ever so slightly in a hurried manner, aiming to kill.

"Reno! Now, I mean it! Let me get…"

Her statement couldn't finish as the man whom had walked in was the Vice President, Rufus ShinRa, himself. Her angry stare melted into an almost disbelief and her mouth nearly fell half-open. His only reaction was to blink and run his fingers through his hair in his nervous habit, before he spoke and gestured.

"I didn't quite expect this sort of welcoming."

"Of course not, Mr. ShinRa."

She set the gun down on the chair, she thought a moment and pushes it away as quickly as it came, blushing. Raising her hand in a salute she stands at attention. He nods slowly and she falls at ease. What does he want? He steps draw closer toward her and she stood there, with her chin parallel to the floor looking at the opposing wall. Unmoving while he stood there fingering her clothing on the chair, he glances up.

"The testing went well, I assume."
"Yes, sir."

An awkward silence fell over the room for a moment before the echo of his shoes was the only noise keeping the silence from squealing in her ears. Crossing his arms across his chest he looks at her sternly. He means business now… speak, this is killing me.

"Whatever assignment you are to be doing today, I want you to do it alone." "Alone, sir?" "I made sure that Tseng would give you multiple tasks today. Not to say at the very least, simple tasks. But tasks that I expect of you to do by yourself. I am sure you can do these things in the matter of a day without incident."

He smirks, turns on his heel and gestures as if he were addressing an audience. His shoe left a small scuff mark on the floor, but he was too busy to uphold himself in the proper manner to notice. Her eyes roll and she slightly shakes her head at him as she noticed his 'performance'. He continues without noticing her disrespect, or with a lack of interest in it.

"Call it a test, if you will. I want to see how well you do on your own; you will be timed of course. You have until the end of the day, to complete them." "Yes, sir." "Any questions, or objections?" "No, sir." "Good."

Heading out the door, he ran a hand through his strawberry blonde hair and glanced at her over his shoulder before the metal doors closed behind him. Sighing Victoria finishes dressing quickly, slipping her shoes on while hopping out the door.

"This is all that I need. More tests."