By the end of the assessment Hojo was left with mixed reviews. On the one hand, Cloud proved to be the best candidate yet to be Sephiroth's partner. The looks, the smarts, and the cellular level were good matches. If he were honest then Cloud Strife was downright perfect. Yet there were a few issues.

There was the slight concern over the mental health of the boy. Hojo knew of the case that has taken the company by storm. He expected to detect quite a number of obstacles on the psychological assessment. To his amazement, the boy proved to be a lot more resilient. The number of concerns were reduced to perhaps two variables.

Easy enough to handle. Hojo had the sense that Strife's support system have already made improvements with the boy. Just to be sure not to leave anything to chance, the professor made a note that he suggest the boy undergo therapy. He even wrote down a particular doctor in mind, someone who will submit all reports to Hojo without fail.

Then there was perhaps the greatest disappointment. While yes, Cloud Strife was strong physically, he didn't show the amount of being able to push Sephiroth around. But Hojo knew the rumors had to have come from somewhere.

"What variable am I missing?" Hojo asked out loud.

"Professor?" Cloud drew his attention. "Am I done here?"

They were in Room B. One of many of a containment room for fights. Scattered all around Cloud were pieces of broken robots and dead monsters. Hojo and his team were high above in a special room with a specialized glass window that was unbreakable.

"Hold a moment. I am preparing for one last test. Have patience." Hojo answered as he wracked his brain for a solution. One of the assistants turned off the microphone to speak to him privately.

"Professor? What if he taps into a strength he doesn't know he has when he's triggered? It says in his reports before he graduated into SOLDIER he didn't have outstanding remarks. Then after becoming the target of severe harassment, he is able to take down six Second Class SOLDIERs."

"It is unclear if he is the culprit for taking down all of them. However, I see what you mean." Hojo smiled. "All we have to do is trigger him."

Hojo pressed a button to release a thick gas into the room below them. It was a psychological stimulant, one that remains active so long as there was adrenaline running. There was an added bonus that most who inhale there is a 90% chance they won't remember.

"Professor Hojo?" Cloud panics as he covered his mouth and nose.

"Don't concern yourself with the gas, it's harmless. Would I really poison Shinra's shining hopeful?" Hojo assured after he turned on his microphone.

Finally the boy couldn't hold his breath anymore and inhales. Soon as he did the blond was sent into a coughing fit. Hojo decided that was good enough and stopped the gas and opened the air vents to clean the room of it. Soon as the air cleared Hojo then allowed a humanoid monster to join Strife.

The boy took a stance with his sword drawn. The creature released a screech before lunging forward with sharp claws. Cloud dodged, and immediately Hojo and his assistant noticed the gas has already taken effect.

It took a few minutes before the panic set in. Soon as it did the stimulant was at its strongest point. Cloud released an anguished cry. It was filled all his pain, all his sorrow, and all his fury. And from there the boy set an onslaught of attacks more powerful than before.

"Yes, yes! There it is!" Hojo was beside himself. He made a mental note to give his assistant a raise for the next check.

Before them was the strength that could rival Sephiroth. For years Hojo had tried again and again to replicate it. Nothing ever came close. Even better, the boy was a natural. All he needed was a little push. Hojo was already coming up with plans on how to refine this diamond in the rough.

At the end of it Cloud Strife stood victorious. His body was shaking violently, his breathing ragged. Slowly as the adrenaline ebbed away the boy came to his senses. Strife slowly placed his sword on his back as he stepped away from the fresh corpse.

"Congratulations. We are done here. The assessment is over. I will arrange for the Turks to pick you up." Hojo smiled wickedly.

"Professor? How does it look for me?" Cloud asked with a shaking voice.

"I have to go over the results in order to come to a proper conclusion. But, this is off the record, I can say I believe you have nothing to worry about. While there might be some underlying issues it can easily be rectified." Hojo already had the answers in his head. Just to be sure he will go over the paperwork to ensure he didn't miss anything.

"Thank you, professor." Cloud was still shaking off the effects.

"No, no, thank you." Hojo smiled as he left.

xXx

"You doing okay, man?" Reno noticed an immediate change within Cloud.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Cloud admits.

"I'll grab you a bag from the researchers, just in case. If you're gonna heave then it ain't gonna be on me." The redhead left to find a random researcher for a bag. He returned with two of them and handed one of them to Cloud and pocketing the back up.

The blond gulped. He forced back the urge to vomit. He took a moment to gather himself and regulate his breathing.

"Think you can make it?" Reno asked, ready to be on the move.

"Yeah. Let's go." Cloud nods.

Reno turned to guide them to the elevator. Soon as the doors closed he noticed from the corner of his eye the SOLDIER was shaking. Damn, what the hell did Hojo do to him?

"Wanna talk about it? I'll keep it confidential." Reno offered. Of course he would only talk to his boss, but otherwise he wasn't going to spread the word around.

"I... I'm fine." Cloud tried to put on a brave face.

"Look, I may not know you very well. But even I can see you're lying. I get it, though. If you don't wanna talk then you don't gotta." The Turk shrugs. "Just thought I'd leave the offer on the table."

Silence for several minutes. Uncomfortable silence. Cloud was still shaking like a leaf. Reno thought of placing his hand on his shoulder but decided against it. He wasn't close enough to Cloud to offer physical support. And he's seen his fair share of shaken up SOLDIERs coming out of the labs. The last thing Reno wanted was to trigger him.

"We're here on your floor." He stated to break the silence seconds before the elevator dinged.

Reno knew the steps of this whole process. All he had to do was speak calmly as he guided Cloud. This way his voice can snap the young man out of his thoughts and horrors and continue onward. With this method he didn't have to reach for the SOLDIERs hand and accidentally set him off.

The redhead took the lead. Behind him he heard the soft footsteps of boots. Good. Cloud had enough sense to snap back into reality. Reno felt his stomach drop with each step as they drew closer to their destination. Before he knew it they stood before Sephiroth's door.

Reno grit his teeth. Something about this didn't sit well with him. So he decided on the spot to change the routine. He was always a rule breaker, anyhow.

"Here's my card. If you ever wanna change your mind and talk about it I'm all ears. And remember, I'll keep it confidential." The redhead handed over his one and only card.

Cloud accepted it. He noticed how the card was bent up in places. He straightened it up as he thought how different Reno was in comparison to Tseng by a simple card. The blond snapped out of his thoughts when Reno knocked on the door and he quickly placed the card inside a pocket.

"Spikey!" Zack answered as he swung the door open. He raised his arms to pull his pupil into a hug. Reno quickly put a stop to that by raising a hand to the lieutenant's chest.

"Hold your titties, Fair. Give the guy a little space. He not doing too good." Reno of course noticed three specific heads peer around with sudden interest.

Damn. All three of Shinra's finest were waiting for Cloud's return? And the smell of food hit Reno's nose. They even prepared food for the boy!

"What's wrong? Spike? Are you hurt?" Zack quickly changed to mother hen.

"Relax, man. It's his first time from the labs." Reno reminded.

At the mention of labs Cloud finally lost his stomach and pulled out the bag. Reno felt sorry for the boy as Zack quickly moved around him to pat his pupil's back. In an instant the Turk saw the other three men scramble.

Angeal went to grab some medicine from the bathroom. Genesis poured water into a cup with a blanket placed over one shoulder. Sephiroth moved to take Zack's spot at the door, watching Cloud with growing concern. As the blond finished emptying his stomach Sephiroth turned to the Turk.

"Do you know any details on what happened?" Of course he was suspicious. He knows Hojo best.

"Nada. They kicked me out soon as I brought him." Reno shook his head. "He refused to talk on the way here. So go easy on him with the questions? Let him calm down a bit."

"Thank you for the input. We'll take it from here." Sephiroth replied as he made room for Zack to guide Cloud into the suite. Angeal made quick work of handing over the medicine and a glass of water while Genesis wrapped the blanket around Cloud.

"No problem. Happy to be of service." Reno couldn't hide the snark in his voice even if he wanted to. To his surprise the general paused in closing the door to look at him with a strange look in his eyes.

"I mean it. Thank you for your help." And with that Sephiroth closed the door.

Reno stared at it for a minute in total shock. After the shock gave way he chuckled to himself. What a strange turn of events Cloud Strife is causing. The redhead turned to make his way back to his own floor.

"Man, he better get a happy ending." Reno comments to himself.