"I saw no reason to hide my particular interest in Angeal's case," Sephiroth stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "The company gossip mill has been in overdrive. It has become an open secret that he was located and arrested. Too many parties have been involved to keep it quiet."

"Hmmmm, yes," Lazard returned. "I suppose crushing the security guards' guns in your hands and threatening to snap off their heads qualifies as demonstrating a particular interest in Angeal's case."

Their investigations went nowhere. In fact, they barely got off the ground.

Zack was called into his formal security debriefing a few days after their last conversation. He found it surprising the Turks had waited so long, but less so that they did not permit Lazard or Sephiroth to be present. The Turks guarded their business ferociously and kept their secrets to themselves.

Three Turk specialists Zack had never seen before questioned him about everything he had heard, said, and done in Modeoheim, learning every detail they could extract from Zack's memories. In the process, they put real fear into him when it came to his own loose lips. Despite this, they didn't ask if he'd spoken about his mission to anyone. After Tseng's earlier warning not to talk about it to anyone, that omission seemed odd to Zack, but he'd been in the military long enough to know that you didn't volunteer information unasked. He stayed quiet about what he'd told Sephiroth.

Then a couple days after that, he had another debrief with Lazard and Sephiroth. This one wasn't as terrifying, but just as detailed. Sephiroth knew everything Zack knew, but he merely sat to the side, pretending it was the first time he'd heard most of it.

At the end of it, Lazard leaned back in his chair and pressed some switches on his desk. "I suppose you're wondering why we waited so long to hold this meeting," he commented, steepling his fingers before his face.

"I expected to be debriefed by the Turks almost immediately," Zack said honestly. "They surprised me by waiting. But I didn't worry about the timing of this one. Mission debriefings aren't usually urgent in normal circumstances."

Lazard gave him a crooked smile. "That's true, but these circumstances are hardly normal, are they?" He looked at Sephiroth. "I've been busy pacifying certain individuals. Neither of you has been discreet about your inquiries. There have been some background investigations going on into your recent activities."

"I saw no reason to hide my particular interest in Angeal's case," Sephiroth stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "The company gossip mill has been in overdrive. It has become an open secret that he was located and arrested. Too many parties have been involved to keep it quiet."

"Hmmmm, yes," Lazard returned. "I suppose crushing the security guards' guns in your hands and threatening to snap off their heads qualifies as demonstrating a particular interest in Angeal's case." He folded his arms across his chest. "Fortunately for both of you, the Turks decided your interest did not constitute an actionable problem. They won't pursue this matter beyond issuing a warning. Don't do that again."

Zack slewed around in his chair to stare at Sephiroth in delight. "You really did all that?"

Sephiroth inclined his head with a very tiny upturn of his lips.

No wonder he'd had gotten such quick results that day.

"As for your request to go to Junon to interrogate Hollander yourself, it has been denied."

"May I ask why?" Sephiroth said.

"Company security," Lazard said succinctly. "Access to Hollander requires such a high-level clearance that only a few Turks and members on the Board of Directors are allowed to speak to him."

"Do you have access?"

Lazard lifted an eyebrow and pushed his glasses higher up his nose. "In theory."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

Lazard suddenly grinned. "You want me to find out where exactly Angeal is, but that's a corporate secret even I don't know. I've been reassured that he's still in custody, but I don't know more and no one's talking. I'm sure he's fine, though he's probably bored to death in a cell somewhere."

Sephiroth made a disgruntled noise.

Lazard added, smiling, "I promise I'll request access to Hollander. It may take a while to come through, but I should get it."

"I have questions prepared."

"I assumed you did."

Zack's head whipped back and forth between the two of them. His debriefing had turned into a convenient excuse for Sephiroth and Lazard to speak obliquely about classified matters, but Lazard's evasions didn't sit well. Sephiroth wasn't the type to throw fits, but Zack could see his frustration levels rising.

Lazard went on, "Such a request will have to wind its way through official channels, and it will have to get past the Turks. That will take time. Maybe a month or more."

"A month?!" Zack jumped to his feet. "That's forever!"

"Sit down, Zack," Lazard said. "It's just the way this works. The Turks have their own interrogations to conduct, and they won't want my questions to contaminate their own case. But they will let me in eventually. We just have to be patient."

Sephiroth glowered at Lazard. "It's too long. I respectfully request you expedite the process. I also request you push harder to obtain more information about Angeal. If you don't, I will."

"Those threats won't work on me, Sephiroth." Lazard sighed. "I'll get started on the paperwork. In the meantime, you two can go train, or pick up some missions from the mission board to keep yourselves busy."

"You're not sending us back to Wutai?"

"Not immediately, no. There's something brewing at the top. It's got some people very worried. Genesis might be dead and Hollander in custody, but the G-copies are still out there, uncontrolled."

"So it's likely we will be sent out to hunt them," Sephiroth stated.

"Surprisingly, no. I think the President is worried about his own skin in case of any new attacks, what with having such important prisoners right now. I suspect you two are stuck here as defense."

Zack didn't object to that. In Wutai, he'd receive no information at all about Angeal, nor would he be able to nose around on his own. "It's fine with me," he said.

Sephiroth curtly nodded his own acknowledgement.