Chapter Six

The Truth revealed

Vincent walked Jessi back to her room and tried to calm her down.

"I understand how you feel, really I do but there is no way we can prove what Hojo has done to Lucrecia."

Jessi was rummaging around in her sister's lab coat and she looked at him slyly.

"Don't be so sure about that."

She smiled at him as she produced a small key from the pocket. Vincent raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Beauty, Brains, and Braun…"

"A deadly combo when a woman has them eh, Vinney?"

"…Vinney? What kind of demented nickname is that?"

"One only I could come up with, now let's get going!"

Jessi pocketed the key and slipped out the door, Vincent following. They headed into the mansion and checked to see if the coast was clear. Jessi motioned for Vincent not to follow and turned around the corner, only to walk right into Hojo.

"I trust you are here to collect your belongings and leave."

Jessi swallowed hard and managed a forced smile.

"No professor, I came to say goodbye to my sister, then I will pack my bags and leave." She said through gritted teeth.

"What, leave? Leave where?"

Hojo turned and Jessi was happy to see Dr. Gast looking at Hojo angrily.

"Ms. Meadows is not going anywhere Professor, I do believe that it was I who hired her and I have the power to dismiss her as well."

Hojo scowled at her and muttered "Fine, let her stay and be in everyone's way; I refuse to work with her any longer." With that he turned and left. Vincent backed into the shadows and thanked Jessi and Dr. Gast silently for causing him to get angry and leave in such a hurry. He turned the corner and joined Jessica's side.

"Mr. Valentine? Can I help you with something?"

"I just came to say goodbye to everyone Doctor; I have been assigned to be a guard for the President in Midgar so I am leaving tonight."

It wasn't a complete lie, the Turks asked him if he wanted to go to Midgar and he had yet to take up the offer. Jessi looked shocked and so did Dr. Gast.

"Well, good luck to you then; I am heading home. I will see you tomorrow."

He smiled reassuringly at Jessi and she returned it, when he left Jessi let out her breath.

"That was close, why can't all scientists be like him." She turned to Vincent.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"I'm not, I was offered to leave but I haven't accepted…yet."

"It would be a very well paid and respected position for you."

"Are you saying you want me to leave?"

Jessi shook her head. "No! Don't put words in my mouth."

Vincent smiled warmly at her. "Sorry. Would you be disappointed if I did?"

She turned away to unlock Hojo's door and didn't answer right away.

"Of course I would be disappointed, and Lucrecia would be distraught… you mean a lot to her, you know."

She opened it and went inside, Vincent entered after a few moments, thinking about what she said. He looked around the room as Jessi picked up a book off the table. She began to read it and her eyes narrowed.

"I knew it…"

Vincent turned and walked over to her. She began to read out loud.

02/12-

" Today is a very fine day indeed, I just found out that the first part of my experiment was successful. The chosen host was examined today and it was announced that she is pregnant. My child is growing inside of her. As soon as she is far enough along, part two of the plan will be carried out. The Jenova Project is sure to work. I can feel it and it is all I am concerned about.

06-23

" The second part of the plan was carried out this morning… the host mother was again taken in to be examined and told she could get an injection that would help her baby grow strong and develop skills early in it's childhood. She was all too willing to accept after much persuasion from me…

"You sick bastard, Hojo." Vincent muttered.

"They…videotaped her?" Jessi said confused.

"We documented the event on tape and explained the complete process. Of course, the host thinks she is being injected with medicine. But only the viewer will know what the injection truly is since we couldn't tell the mother or else, she wouldn't cooperate."

07/15-

" The scientists are beginning to worry, the mother has fallen ill and the baby could be affected by it. We quarantined her in the lab's hospital room to keep close watch on her and the baby. I pray that nothing will happen to mother or child and that this project will be a success. The baby seems very healthy, but the mother is deathly pale and weak. If the mother dies, I fear the baby may as well…

07/27-

"Today the child was born… I had him sent to the labs immediately and the mother was so upset and thrashing about so we were forced to tranquilize her. The mother's younger sibling tried to go after the baby, but I stopped her. She is already suspicious of me and I cannot allow her to find out about Jenova being injected into her sister. She will bring it out to the public and only a few select people know about the specimen's DNA actually being used on human hosts…

"I have proof now you careless…" Jessi began.

"Oh no…" Vincent cut her off, "Jessica, I... look."

"The girl's lover was injected with the virus and he had to be contained for going mad. I have him and his partners contained in an asylum at Midgar. The fool thinks her lover has left on a heroic mission to save a small town that doesn't exist. I am surprised she is a scientist, she is despicably unintelligent. At this very moment she is celebrating her pathetic life all by herself. I detest people like her disgracing us brilliant ones. No matter, I must inform my fellow colleagues that our son, whom we named Sephiroth, has arrived."

Jessi slammed the diary shut angrily. Her knuckles were white from holding it so tightly and she was shaking.

"He lied, all he does is ruin lives and lie!"

She threw the diary at the wall and Vincent noticed her hands were shaking violently. He was about to comfort her when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"That must be Hojo, let's go!" He pulled her out of the room and shut the door. Just as he shut it, Hojo and some scientists he did not recognize turned the corner.

"Valentine! Why the hell are you here? And you Meadows, go home, you have no purpose here."

Jessi clenched her fists and Vincent put his hand on her shoulder before she could do anything. She looked at him and he turned his head to the side slightly; she swallowed and nodded her head a bit. Hojo looked at the two of them and sneered.

"Find a replacement already Ms. Meadows? I am sure Mr. Michael's will be upset to hear this."

Jessi kept her head lowered and trembled angrily, Vincent squeezed her shoulder tightly.

"And you Valentine, I see you finally wised up and realized Lucrecia wants nothing to do with you, but at least you have this one to replace her; though she isn't even remotely as attractive or intelligent as her sister. Too bad, you missed out."

Vincent snarled at him as he led Jessi away from them.

"Go to hell Hojo."

Hojo smiled at them and he turned back to his 'friends'.

"If you will kindly join me I will review…"

Hojo noticed the door to his room unlocked. He turned back to confront Valentine and the girl but they had disappeared.

"Excuse me gentlemen."

He walked quickly down the stairs then out the double doors and heard the two traitors whispering just outside the gates. He stayed in the shadows and listened in on their conversation.

"He has the nerve to go and call himself brilliant, he's insane is what he is."

Jessi was fuming, "If anything happens to my sister, I will kill that man and anyone who stands in my way. I can't believe Sean has gone crazy, I don't know how the virus could have done that to him."

Vincent nodded. "It affects different people in random ways I suppose."

Jessi folded her arms and started pacing. "He was right to worry I would bring it out to the public, maybe he isn't so stupid after all; but Gast will always be higher than him on so many levels."

Hojo gritted his teeth and thought of all kinds of ways to torture her. Dr. Gast was a mediocre compared to him and they had no right to think he was some lowlife mad scientist. But you are cracked, and that makes you brilliantly powerful… a voice in the back of his mind said to him.

"Gast is indeed a better man than Hojo, that is why I respect him; but I wouldn't bring this to the attention of the public just yet." Vincent said.

Hojo was surprised to hear him say this and so was Jessi.

"You're kidding right? Vincent, you can't possibly agree with him…"

"Listen to me Jessi, if you tell everyone about the virus, you will be blamed as well because you knew about it and worked for Hojo."

Hojo smiled …good judgment Valentine; you're not as dumb as you look either.

"But we can't just let him get away with this, look what it did to Sean and Lucrecia, and who knows what happened to the other two Turks."

"I know, Hojo will get what's coming to him. Just don't do anything to jeopardize your and Dr. Gast's career, allright?"

Jessi looked at the ground and Vincent put his hands on her shoulders.

"Allright?"

Jessi sighed in defeat. "Allright, I won't."

Hojo almost laughed out; he couldn't believe how Vincent had just saved his work from being exposed. He sneaked back towards the mansion and entered quietly, then went to tell the scientists the good news.