Chapter 6

Rufus had been in war meetings all that day, so it was later than anticipated before he was on his way to Sector 8 with Tseng walking beside him. They were both quiet until they reached the main entertainment street. When they were assured no one was following, Tseng held out a disc he had been hiding in an inner pocket of his jacket.

They were not looking at each other, but the Turk's voice was pitched low enough that Rufus would be the only one to hear as he said, "This holds everything I was able to find today. I believe there may be more to explore, but as you insisted on stealth, it may take some time to retrieve."

Rufus looked down at the disk before pocketing it as though it meant little. However, his voice was hard as he said, "Explain the high points."

Tseng dipped his head in acknowledgment as he said, "Yes, sir. I did find that there is a Shinra lab in Nibelheim. From all accounts, it has been abandoned since Professor Hojo returned from there with Sephiroth when he was a baby. All the details about the project are buried behind security, but I can have them to you within a few days at most. Though it is interesting to note that project started as a sub-project to one of Professor Gast's."

Tseng paused and finally looked over to catch Rufus's eye as he said, "The name of the project was Jenova Project S."

Despite Rufus's calm demeanor, the name made him do a double-take. There was that name again. What did any of it mean, and more importantly, where had he heard it before? His waking mind had no remembrance, but he was beginning to wonder if his subconscious was trying to show him essential pieces of information that he had somehow forgotten.

Instead of asking any of those questions aloud, Rufus schooled his features back into a blank mask and continued walking as he asked, "Were there any other scientists involved?"

Tseng nodded as he said, "Yes. There were many listed as nothing more than aides. The only other scientist of note to help in Nibelheim was Professor Crescent. She was listed as being Hojo's secondary."

Had it not been for years of practice in controlling his emotions, Rufus might have stumbled when he heard that. Instead, he kept his pace and filed that information away for further study later. For the moment, he had one more question. "And were there any Turks assigned to that facility?"

Tseng was quick to answer, "Yes, sir. For some reason, Director Veld's old partner, Vincent Valentine, was assigned as a guard for the facility. He was listed as KIA when the professor returned."

Rufus suddenly stopped in his tracks. So far, everything had been verified—as much as they could at the moment anyway. He wasn't sure if that satisfied or disturbed him. Especially as he had no good answers as to what it all meant. What was the point of any of it? Rufus swallowed a sigh as he started walking again. There was no point in making himself a target by standing in the middle of the street.

Tseng had obediently followed, but the silence did not last long before the Turk said, "Sir, there is one other thing."

Rufus gave Tseng a sidelong glance that the Turk took as permission to continue. "We have finally received word back from the people you were trying to reach."

All of Rufus's concern about his strange dreams was instantly forgotten. This was the information he had been waiting for. He didn't break stride, but his head inclined the slightest bit to indicate that he wanted Tseng to continue. The Turk didn't miss a beat as he said, "They have agreed to a tentative alignment, but they do not wish to meet in person yet. They have stated that if the information you have provided turns out to be true and helpful, they would consider it."

Rufus chuckled derisively before he said, "Yet I can guarantee they took the money."

Tseng nodded once again. "It is as you say. They do not seem opposed to an alliance, but I would urge caution."

For the first time that afternoon, Rufus looked over at his subordinate with a smirk as he said, "There is no need for the reminder. I am well aware of the stakes. Now is not the time for doubts."

Rufus wasn't sure if Tseng agreed or not, but the man still lowered his head as he said, "Understood, sir." By that time, the duo had already turned back to headquarters. Rufus had many things on his mind, but for the first time in days, it had nothing to do with his odd dreams.

A heavy fog seemed to be lying over Senna's thoughts, making them disjointed. She had just enough presence of mind to wonder if she had finally shifted into sleep or was she still partially awake. That question was answered when the last of the fog cleared, only to be replaced by frigid darkness. That was all it took for her thoughts to snap into focus as she cursed at the blackness around her. "Can I not catch a break? If this keeps up, I'm going to go insane." She hadn't expected an answer, but she still cursed once more when silence was the only response. At least the darkness was fading.

As soon as the room formed, Senna looked around with curiosity. The space was ridiculously huge and even more opulent. There were no lights on, but the ambient lighting from the distant window showed what looked like black marble everywhere. However, her inspection of the place was abruptly cut off when silent alarms started going off, and red lights were strobing along the walls and near the stairs she had previously missed.

She swung her body around to see what might be causing the ruckus and was brought up short by the sight of a desk so large it looked more like a NASA control room. However, what caught her attention most was the man standing behind it. Rufus was watching her with a slight frown that she could feel herself returning. However, something told her now wasn't the time to get into it with the young Shinra.

Instead, she ran around the desk to see if she could better see outside. She had a sinking feeling she knew what was happening and hoped to god she was wrong. Rufus grabbed her arm when she came skidding to a stop next to him. "What is going on? Why are you running?"

She spared a frustrated glance in his direction before she pulled her arm from his grasp and grabbed his hand to pull him closer to the window. She stopped as soon as she had a clear view of the firefight going on outside. The random thought that the walls were better insulated than she expected passed through when she realized they couldn't hear the smaller cannons being fired, even if they could see the results—along with the towering monster in the distance.

Rufus stood stiffly by her side for several moments before he finally said, "What is that thing?"

Senna barely heard him. She had expected to see the weapon, and yet it was far more terrifying in person than she thought it would be. The thing was too far out for her to see details through the water shield it was covered in. Still, the pitch-black color of the weapon and a bright light forming near the head were enough to make the dream a terrifying nightmare. It was only made worse by the eerie red glow that shone down from the meteor in the sky that covered everything below like the harbinger of death that it was.

She felt Rufus shift beside her as he tried to get a closer look, but she was too stunned for it to register. Her pall was not broken until a loud voice came through the control panel and shattered the silence. "Sir, the Sister Ray will be ready to fire in T minus 45 seconds. Director Scarlet and Director Heidegger have evacuated, but they have already given the command to fire as soon as she's ready, sir."

Senna's eyes widened as she looked up at Rufus. He was still frowning, but she ignored it as she grabbed his arm and tried to drag him back, cursing under her breath the whole time. They only made it a few steps before the young Shinra pulled his arm from her grasp and imperiously asked, "What are you doing?"

There was no way Senna could cover the frustrated noise she made as she stomped back to where he was and grabbed his arm tighter. She jerked on it as she said, "We don't have time. That is unless you want to stay here and let that thing blow you to smithereens. The whole top of this building is about to be vaporized, and I'd rather not experience it, dream or no."

It looked like Rufus had something to say in return, but it didn't come out. Something strange passed through his eyes that Senna had no idea how to interpret, but it wasn't the time to try. However, she was thankful when he nodded and followed her back to the desk.

Although his voice did take on a hard edge when she stopped there and shoved the chair to the side. "What is the meaning of this? I thought we were evacuating?"

Senna closed her eyes and took a deep breath to keep from yelling. She didn't answer right away either. Instead, she crawled under the desk and twisted so she could look all over under the desk as she snapped, "We are evacuating. If we took the stairs, we wouldn't make it, so shut up and get the hell down here."

For a moment, it seemed that Rufus wasn't going to listen, but Senna ignored him. As soon as she found the L with the switch next to it, she crawled from under the desk and tried to keep the grimace from her face as she looked up. Thankfully, Rufus was already beside her, so she pointed to the floor and said, "Feet first. This is already going to be a hell of a ride without busted heads or backs when we land."

The intense glare in his eyes conveyed his disapproval, but he still sat. That was all the approval Senna needed. She scooted forward and tried to ignore the cold floor on her bare legs. She hadn't thought about the fact that she was wearing a tiny nightgown instead of her pajamas, but now was not the time to worry. She flipped the switch and somehow managed to wiggle around, so both of them were at the edge of the trap door that had opened.

The tunnel that was exposed was tiny, and she could see doubt in Rufus's eyes as he looked closer, but she ignored it. She wasn't sure how much time was left, but it couldn't be much. She didn't even bother to ask as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Rufus's chest as she said, "Hold on tight—this might hurt a little."

She felt him stiffen at her words. However, they were already close enough to the edge that he didn't have enough time to fully resist before she tipped them forward, and they both started to slide down into the bowels of the building.

Senna's eyes closed, and her shoulders hunched as soon as they started to plummet. She tried to hold in her whimpers, but it was a lost cause when she heard a massive explosion above them. The scream tore from her throat as she clenched Rufus tighter and buried her face in his chest. Her grip only tightened when she felt small bits of debris fall and bounce off them and the walls. She was only grateful that it wasn't more and that Rufus hadn't tried to push her away at her outburst.

They had been falling for several seconds after the explosion before she realized they weren't going as fast as she expected. It was still enough that she was sure the landing would be rough, but it wasn't straight down. There were also several curves, which made sense as she thought about it. There was no way an angled chute could go straight and stay in the building. It was probably built into the walls somehow.

Senna vaguely knew her thoughts were rambling to keep her from focusing on the inevitable landing, but she didn't bother trying to corral them. Although, it was a moot point before long. It felt like forever that she had clung to Rufus with nothing but the sound of wind and the darkness around them, but it was probably only a minute before light burst around them, and they tumbled across the room in a tangle of limbs.

When they finally came to a stop, Senna groaned and took stock of her limbs before she even opened her eyes. She felt like she might have twisted her ankle, and she had no doubt that she would be covered in bruises if it were real, but otherwise, she was unscathed.

She let out a relieved sigh before she opened her eyes and looked up into the face of the man that was still sprawled out on top of her. Much to her shock, he was staring directly at her. She ignored the probing look he was giving her as she asked, "Are you hurt?"

He didn't answer right away, and the longer he stayed silent, the more acutely Senna became aware of their situation. His body was nearly covering hers, with one of his thighs resting between her legs. When she felt her face start to heat, she pushed against his chest and clenched her teeth as she said, "If you aren't hurt, then get the hell off me."

Despite her effort, she couldn't seem to make him move. At least he started talking. "Tell me what that was. How did you know there was a trap door under my father's desk?"

Instead of answering, Senna glowered up at him as she said, "I'd be happy to explain if you'd get up."

Much to her mortification, he still didn't move. At least not much. When she tried to push him again, he caught her wrists and pinned them next to her head. He was wearing a smirk as he shifted, so at least some of his weight was off her, but his face got even closer as he said, "No, I don't think so. I have been patient with you to this point, even going so far as to follow your instructions because it was clear you knew what you were doing. However, this is the best opportunity I have had to get answers without you slipping away somehow, and I am not going to let you go until I am satisfied."

Senna's eyes widened as she stared up at the arrogant male. She couldn't believe what he was doing or the innuendo she was reading behind that statement. It didn't even matter that his grip was tight enough to pin but not hurt her. Although she wasn't given time to shout at him before he said, "I want you to tell me all you know about that thing, where we are, and how you knew about it. My father's office is one of the most secure places in all of Midgar."

Something close to a growl came out of Senna's throat as she tried to buck and make him move. Unfortunately, it didn't help. Instead, she heard him chuckle as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. His voice was husky and full of promises that Senna wasn't sure she was happy with or not as he said, "Well if you'd rather we go there instead, I won't complain. You did come beautifully wrapped this time, after all."

It was suddenly way too hot in that room. Senna knew her cheeks were on fire, and she cursed herself when she realized she wasn't sure if she wanted to say yes or no. Honestly, weird dream or not, it was still just a dream—even if it had just taken a left turn.

Despite her wayward thoughts, Senna managed to take a few deep breaths so she could at least think straight before she looked him in the eye with a smirk as she said, "I wasn't wearing the nightie for you. My PJs are in the wash. However, I can't deny I'm interested, just not like this. I have a thing for respect, and this isn't respectful."

Rufus only watched her eyes for a few more moments before he chuckled and finally let her go. As soon as he was on his feet, he held out a hand to help Senna up as well. She wasn't sure what to think of his quick turn about, but she took the offer. As soon as they were both standing, Rufus turned to look at the room with a critical eye as he said, "This has been here for some time."

Senna was unconsciously smoothing down the nightgown that barely covered the tops of her thighs as she said, "Yeah. I forget how old you were when you suggested an emergency exit to that asshat you call a dad. Even though he mocked you, he put it in anyway."

Rufus froze for a few seconds before he turned to look at her with something close to a glare. Only then did she realize how unpleasant that memory had to be for him. She took a step back when he stepped closer, but the room wasn't that big. When she stepped again, her twisted ankle screamed at her and nearly made her fall. She stifled a curse, but she wasn't sure if she was thankful to be caught or not.

Rufus was still frowning, but his glare was gone when he said, "If this has been down here for years, why has no one noticed? Where does the door lead?'

Senna sighed as she accepted his help to remain on her feet. It wasn't like there was a place to sit other than the floor. She leaned on his arm and looked around before she said, "It's the first floor if I remember correctly. The door is hidden by a wall that will retract when you open it from this side."

Rufus helped her hop-walk to the door and made sure she was steady before he turned to the keypad next to the door. Senna leaned her back against the wall and sighed again. She closed her eyes and ignored the growing pain in her ankle as she said, "You asked about the explosion too. Do you still want to know?"

Rufus paused his inspection to look over at her with interest. "Of course."

She didn't even move as she smirked. She was only surprised he had gotten distracted. "The glow in the sky was meteor. It is almost here. The thing in the ocean was one of the weapons the planet created for self-defense millennia ago. It was activated when Sephiroth got the black materia. It is quite literally a force of nature, so it attacks indiscriminately, which is why it was focused on Midgar. To it, this whole city is nothing but a blight on the planet that needs to be destroyed. The Sister Ray took it out, but not before it got one good blast off and destroyed the top of the building. You were lucky to get away."

Rufus paused for a moment before his brow furrowed, and he slowly asked, "How can you be sure it was destroyed? We didn't exactly get to see that part."

Senna waved offhandedly as she said, "Because I know the stories."

There was nothing but silence for several seconds, but Senna's eyes flew open when she felt something. Her shock quickly turned to anger when she saw Rufus was standing close enough that there was less than an inch between them. She saw the flecks of darker blue flash in his eyes as he watched her with interest as he said, "Stories? What exactly does that mean?"

For a split second, Senna thought about telling him the truth. It was a dream anyway, so what would it hurt? However, before that came, she was overcome by a gut feeling that the truth would be a bad idea. Instead, she shrugged as she said, "Maybe I'm psychic?"

Both of Rufus's hands raised, and he slowly put them on the wall on each side of her to pin her in. His expression had fallen into a blank mask, but she could still see the anger and curiosity in his eyes as he said, "Do not play me for a fool. I have no tolerance for ludicrousness."

Senna wished she would have thought about that better. Of course, Rufus wasn't one to believe something so ridiculous—even if it was just his image in a dream. She had to look away from the intensity in his eyes. Though, she instantly had flashbacks to when they were on the floor as she looked at the hollow of his neck only centimeters from her nose. He certainly liked to invade her personal space. She tried to ignore how much she wasn't opposed to the distance as she looked back up with an idea and a smirk.

"I can prove it." That seemed to have gotten the man's attention, so she took it as permission to continue. She pointed over to the keypad as she said, "The code is your birthday."

Those words had the same effect as if she had splashed him with cold water. His hands moved so fast that it caused the sleeves of her nightie to ruffle in the wind as he stepped away. The glare was back as he said, "Don't toy with me. That would never happen."

Senna sighed as she limped forward a couple of steps and put a hand on his arm. She ignored the look he gave her as she invaded his personal space so she could look up at him as she whispered, "I know he is the perfect candidate for asshole dad of the century, but you are his only heir. And he built this room for you. If you think of it logically, then it makes sense—he expected you to be the only one to ever use it."

Much to her surprise, Rufus seemed to be considering her words. She gave him a moment but was shocked when he grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the door. She winced at the pain in her ankle when she was forced to use that foot, but she bit back the curse as he pinned her against the door next to the keypad.

He ignored the dirty look she sent his way, and he smirked down at her. As handsome as he was with that look, for the first time, Senna wasn't sure if it warmed her blood or froze it. There was a calculating coldness behind his eyes that made her swallow reflexively as he said, "Let us test your theory. If you are right, the door behind you will open, and I will let you escape—for now. If not, I will hold you here until I get the truth."

Senna knew she wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean her mind wasn't off on a dozen tangents. Did she want to be right? That thought was shoved down, but it did make her smirk as she shrugged. "Go for it. I'm not going anywhere—for now."

Her smirk widened ever so slightly as she used his own words against him. Apparently, he was not upset by them either. He leaned in until his mouth was right next to her head. His breath washed across the shell of her ear, which caused a shiver as he said, "I would be careful of your words. I am a man that gets what he wants, no matter what."

Senna's hands had already moved to clutch at the partially open shirt he wore before she even realized what she had done. Even the beeping sound of the code as it was put in didn't distract her—mostly because Rufus had not moved, and the sound of each of his breaths near her ear was winding her up. She tried to tell ignore it in favor of reminding herself about his attitude or telling herself that it was because she was tensing for the door to open, but part of her mind was quietly calling her a liar.

She was so caught up in the sounds that she was shocked when the door behind her suddenly gave way. It happened so suddenly that her loose grip on his shirt was not enough to save her as she fell back into blackness. However, she was even more surprised to see the disappointment in Rufus's face before it disappeared and she was left in the cold.

A/N: Hello! So what did you think of their interactions? Are things heating up, or are we headed for 'keep your distance' town? Maybe a bit of both? They both definitely have alpha personalities lol. Plus, they both have quit wits. It should be interesting to see how they interact if they ever get to spend more than the span of a dream together. I'm looking forward to sharing! For now, please share your thoughts, and thank you for reading!