"A pity about Rhapsodos, the poor, degrading failure, but Hewley shows so much promise."
"I haven't any idea where Hewley is," Hojo said. "Why would you think he's here?"
Zack already disliked Hojo from previous encounters. Now he wanted to punch the scientist in the face.
"Because he's not anywhere else in the entire Shin-Ra building," Sephiroth said patiently, though his hands, hanging loosely by his sides, made fists then relaxed again.
"Perhaps the Turks moved him to a different location." Hojo tapped his chin. "That's a very Turk thing to do. You should ask them where he is."
"They don't know, either," said Sephiroth. "They are now investigating his disappearance. I have no pity for the idiots who stole their prisoner."
"My dear Sephiroth, if anyone took a prisoner from the Turks, it would have been with their full cooperation, and sanctioned by a higher authority than theirs. One that, I might add, was able to compel their silence. In other words, they lied to you if they told you they didn't know about it. I very much doubt they are investigating anything, and told you that tale simply to pacify you."
Zack burst out, "You must know something, at least about Project G. You said so when Genesis attacked the Shin-Ra building. Angeal and Genesis were here in front of you. You knew they were part of Hollander's project. You called them the cast of Hollander's freak show!"
"Ah, SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair," Hojo said, smiling. "I don't believe I've extended my congratulations yet on your promotion, though my earlier acknowledgement of you as a First should have been more than enough. You have proven quite worthy of your new designation, haven't you?" He uttered a hissing sort of laughter. "You've helped me collect quite a bit of useful data."
"Quit stalling!"
"What about Jenova?" Sephiroth interrupted. "Hollander mentioned her in Modeoheim."
"Oh?" Hojo said, revealing nothing.
"She was my mother. And yet now I've learned she was also part of Project G. Tell me about it, Hojo. I have a right to know."
Sephiroth's mother? With a jolt, Zack finally recalled a previous conversation he'd had with Hojo about Jenova. Hojo had claimed Jenova was an unclassified life form and been amused that anyone had ever considered it an Ancient. The creepy bastard referred to Jenova as "the calamity that fell from the sky," called Zack ignorant, then dared him to fight some monsters as part of an experiment under false pretenses. Though he should have known better, Zack had been too stupid and prideful to say no.
At the time, Zack hadn't any idea what Hojo was talking about regarding Jenova or the monsters, but now... Hollander claimed Jenova had been used to create Genesis and Angeal. Now Sephiroth claimed Jenova as his mother. Zack had a horrible feeling about this conversation and where it would lead.
He touched Sephiroth's arm. "Sephiroth, we should go."
"My boy," Hojo said placidly, "I never told you any such ridiculous thing. I can't be blamed for the ignorant assumptions you might have made from incomplete information you somehow picked up. I would like to know how you came to those conclusions, though."
"Hojo—" Sephiroth said in such a low tone it came out as a growl.
Zack said quietly, "Come on, Sephiroth, he doesn't know anything." Except that wasn't true. Zack was convinced Hojo did know many, many things, all of interest to him. And the fact that Hojo had been so forthcoming about Jenova to Zack himself, well, that alone told him that Jenova, whoever or whatever it was, couldn't be Sephiroth's mother. They needed to talk, desperately.
Sephiroth was as immovable as a granite wall. "Hojo, what is Jenova's power?"
"Jenova's power?" Hojo echoed in a mocking tone. "Now where did you hear of that?"
"From Hollander!" Zack said. "He said Angeal had received Jenova's full power. I was right there when he said it."
"Yes, Hollander would say that about his favorite creation. It's one of the few things he got right." Hojo laughed again. "A pity about Rhapsodos, the poor, degrading failure, but Hewley shows so much promise."
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.
Zack added hotly, "I remember what you told me about Jenova, too! I'm not an idiot. You and Hollander were both talking about the same thing! You called Jenova the calamity that fell from the sky. What was it, really?"
Sephiroth swung around to stare at Zack.
"So clever, aren't you, dear boy? What a credit you are to SOLDIER." Hojo uttered more of his rasping chuckles. "You've got it all worked out, haven't you? Then you explain it to poor Sephiroth, who has managed to convince himself of some absurd fantasy about his parentage."
Zack shook his head. "Let's go, Sephiroth, he's just going to talk in riddles. That's all he ever does." It was only one of the many things that had aggravated Zack about his earlier encounters with Hojo, but at the moment it was the most infuriating.
He gripped Sephiroth's upper arm and tugged. Reluctantly, Sephiroth let himself be led out of the lab.
Behind them, Hojo was making that wheezing noise that passed as laughter for him. And then the door slid shut, cutting off the grating sounds.
Notes: Yes, Hojo really does talk to Zack about Jenova in Crisis Core. I always thought it was weird that Zack never told Sephiroth about it. You'd think he would have remembered in Nibelheim when Sephiroth stated his mother's name was Jenova, but, hey, game logic, right?