~Watch Me ~
Good With The Bad
They organised themselves in record timing. The Troops rounding up the captured insurgents into the trucks, while Rose and Zack checked back in at HQ with Lazard.
He wanted to see them as soon as they arrived back. Zack assured Rose that it was to discuss the events of the mission, but that didn't stop her stomach doing nauseating backflips every few minutes – what if it was because of what she'd done?
"This is normal." Zack pressed, obviously she hadn't looked convinced. "It's just to debrief. It's no biggie, really."
Rose felt like she nodded, but she was so deep in thought, she was hardly aware of the world around her any more.
Oh Zack, it's easy for you to say. You didn't shoot lights from your hand, breaking the arm of one of your team in the process.
She groaned inwardly. Something like that, just had to have consequences.
Of course, Rose had profusely apologised to the guy she'd sent flying, insisting that she had been aiming for the boy all along. She hadn't been, obviously, she'd wanted to stop the Troop from shooting him. But how was she to know that a destructive light was going to come flying out of her palm, right at the most inopportune time?
Nope, this was definitely going to come back to bite her in the ass.
Once in the truck, Rose and Zack drove back across Midgar without hitting traffic. They barely spoke, the unchallenged elephant in the room placing awkward weight on their conversation. By the time they'd made it back to HQ, the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife. They pulled into the garage and parked up.
Zack cut the engine, but he didn't get out of the vehicle.
"So... you going to tell me what that was?" He said, looking at her quietly. "Not going to lie, was a bit of a shock."
So, he was finally referring to the laser-hands situation.
Rose looked at her knees. "Yeah, it was a bit of a shock to me too. I didn't know I could do that."
A pause.
"Comforting... then something like this has happened before?"
She nodded, still refusing to meet his gaze. She shrugged. "Kinda."
Zack took off his seatbelt, twisting so he could face her more easily. "Going to tell me about it?"
Rose forced herself to look at him properly for the first time. It was hard to hold those Mako infused wells, worried he was going to judge her for what was about to come next.
"Guess I could show you?"
Zack shifted, looking slightly apprehensive. She couldn't really blame him. "...Okay?"
Rose sighed, looking passed his shoulder and through the truck window. She held her breath, felt the pull behind her navel, and suddenly she was outside, her small fist knocking playfully on the glass behind him.
Zack spun in his seat, looking lost, and dare she think, a little excited. He blinked at her with a strange expression on his face, and she smiled awkwardly, giving a little wave.
He jumped out of the truck.
"What the hell! How did you do that!? Is it some kind of new Materia? Is it tech?" He bounced around her like an excited puppy, desperately trying to find the culprit behind her tricks. He found nothing, and a strange calm fell on him.
"Just me." Rose murmured softly, self-consciously folding her arms.
He shook his head, incredulous. "But... how?"
She shrugged. "No idea, but pretty sure it has something to do with a Mako fountain."
"Huh?"
Rose laughed despite herself. "Don't worry. It's best not to rack your brains over it, you'll only get a headache... at least I do."
Far too many questions were linked to this little mystery.
Zack scratched his head. "Does... does Angeal know?"
"Yeah." Rose started toward the stairs, conscious of the time. "Along with Lazard, Sephiroth, you, and now probably quite a few people."
She had been thinking about this in the truck. She couldn't expect the guys at the warehouse not to talk about what she'd done. Maybe like Zack, they'd think she just had some cool, new supped-up Materia? That was best case, at least, she really didn't want to think about worst.
"Wait. Did you just say Sephiroth knows?" Zack caught up to her at the escalator. "How the hell does he know? You've met him?"
She looked at him quizzically. "I mean, yeah, he's friends with Angeal." And then slightly more awkwardly. "He's giving me some training to help catch me up."
This small piece of information, was apparently too much for Zack to process. "Whaaaaat! Wait. Just wait. You get to train with Sephiroth! Are you kidding me! Ah, man! That is so cool! What was it like? Was he strong? Dumb question, Zack." He scolded himself, but still looking like a kid being told he'd won a candy store. He shook his head at her. "You know how lucky you are, right? Sephiroth never gets involved with training. He's basically a recluse. How'd you manage it?"
Now Rose could feel her cheeks getting hot, she tried to play it down. "Angeal asked him as a favour. He was going to himself, but then he got called Wutai, so..." She dismissed the rest as unimportant, leading them across the lobby to the elevator. "Just please Zack, don't tell everybody, people stare as it is."
She'd seen them, as much as she'd tried to ignore it. There were a lot of people that didn't think she deserved to be there. That she'd gotten in with her name alone. It was an irritant that was hard to brush off.
Zack pressed the elevator button. "Can I tell Kunsel?"
She sighed. "Fine. But that's it."
"Yes! To be honest, he probably already knows, the guys like the source of all knowledge."
"Why doesn't that surprise me."
Zack chuckled.
They waited for the elevator, and eventually it came, it's doors pinging open like the gunfire at the start of a race. Nerves skyrocketing, Rose stepped inside, Zack giving her a confidence inspiring wink as he hit the floor button.
Up they went.
Time to see if she'd passed Lazard's test.
XXXXX
They found Lazard sat behind his desk as was customary, what neither Zack, nor Rose was expecting, was for Sephiroth to be there, the two of them in heavy discussion. Of course, the words dropped abruptly as they entered, a gesture Rose did not find at all comforting.
Sephiroth fell to Lazard's side, catching Rose's eye for a flicker of a second, before bowing his head with his arms folded. The director beamed in his stead, beckoning them forward with a fatherly wave.
"Zack, Rose! Great timing as always. So," He rested his chin on joined hands. "How did it go?"
He looked expectantly between the pair of them, but Rose found her mouth too dry to speak. She swallowed hard, an attempt to produce some saliva. Luckily, Zack answered before she could try to.
"It went well, Sir. We were able to secure the warehouse contents. Two of the insurgents got away, but we took the rest into custody. Hopefully they will be able to provide us with some more information about the break in."
Lazard nodded agreeably. "Good, good, all excellent news. Great work, Zack. And Rose?" His knowing gaze turned on her. "How did you find today's small exercise? Is there anything you'd like to add?"
She swallowed nervously, trying not to focus on the obvious, which was I didn't mean to give the Shinra Troop flying lessons. Instead she thought about the night's events, properly for the first time since the whole thing had all unfolded, and she realised, they'd been so tunnel visioned with her little episode, they hadn't even discussed the new information that had come up.
"They had an informant." She said, and she felt Zack give off an 'Oh-yeah' vibe at her side. "The guys that broke in. Someone told them how to get 'round the security. They were wearing Troop uniforms."
"Yes." Lazard said slowly. "Yes, I did see that."
He fell silent, and Rose bit her lip, knowing the last time she'd asked, the director hadn't been overly eager to share.
"Who were they, sir... if you don't mind me asking. It could be important?"
Lazard regarded her for a moment, a flash of amusement crossing his features. Had she stepped outside the lines of conduct again? He placed his hands down on the desk. "AVALANCHE." He murmured, giving a weary sigh. "They're an eco-terrorist group, that believe Shinra to be the centre of all things wrong in the world."
"Oh." Whatever Rose had expected, she hadn't expected that. She tilted her head thoughtfully, casting her gaze over Zack. "That explains why he called you scum."
Zack nodded. "It had felt a tad personal at the time."
Rose rolled her eyes, but then looked back at Lazard, risking a furtive glance at Sephiroth, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. Her brow furrowed.
"Were you aware they had an informant on the inside, sir?"
Lazard quirked a brow. "On the inside? What makes you think that?"
She blinked. Wasn't it obvious? "The uniforms, sir. The guns. They were all Shinra made."
"And all easy enough to get hold of, if you know the right guy, who knows a guy."
Rose shook her head, confident she was right about something this time. "You don't understand, when they spoke about it – the informant – the boy said 'he would know' like, he'd obviously know, because why wouldn't he know, you know?" She sighed frustratedly, looking to Zack for help." I'm not explaining this very well."
Nodding, he jumped in. "To be honest, sir, and I hate to say it, but I gotta agree with Rose. It definitely seems like there might be more to this, there's just too many coincidences otherwise."
"Hmm." Lazard stroked his chin. "Well, right or wrong, this will certainly rattle a few cages." For the first time since their meeting, he turned his head to Sephiroth. "What do you think about all this?"
Again Sephiroth met Rose's gaze for the briefest of moments, before regarding Lazard with a smooth unreadable expression. "There could be something in it. The group's actions of late do seem almost a too pre-emptive, but you'll have to talk to the Turks about that, they're meant to be the ones covering this."
Rose's back stiffened. The Turks. That Reno had a lot of explaining to do. She'd eat her boot if all that boy Ben was, was the son of an informant. She wondered if they were aware he was talking to a man (or, woman) on the inside of Shinra?
She almost scoffed out loud at her naivety. Of course they fricken' were. I bet they've known all along. They didn't want lose their only lead to figuring out who it was.
"Rose?" Lazard was looking at her now, snapping her out of her angry thought process.
She blinked. "Yes, sir?"
"Good work."
"And you." His gaze moved to Zack. "But now I wish to discuss Rose's grading, so if you would be so kind? You are dismissed."
The grading. Rose had almost forgotten. Zack gave her a stealthy thumbs up, and quickly exited, the wooshing of the doors closing behind her, suddenly holding a lot more weight than usual. Balling her hands into nervous fists at her side, she squared her jaw.
Lazard smiled. "So, going by what's been said so far, how do you think you did?"
Rose frowned uncomfortably. She'd rather he'd just tell her. "Err, well, the mission was a success, and I knocked out one of the terrorist guys, so... good?" Her eyebrows lifted hopefully, but she found it hard to meet his gaze, scared she might find an answer there she didn't like.
"Good." Lazard repeated, rolling the word around thoughtfully on his tongue. He tilted his head slightly. "Anything you would like to improve on?"
Rose's breath hitched in her throat, her stomach doing that flipping thing again. Without thinking, she glanced down at her hand.
"Yes." Lazard murmured knowingly. "That is something I would like to discuss. I gather when you sent Reed flying (Reed must have been the Troop), you were in fact aiming for the boy?"
"I wasn't really aiming for anyone." Then a little quieter. "I didn't know I could do that."
"Ah." Lazard inclined his head. "I was worried you might say that."
Rose's eyes darted up this time, a little fear mixing in with the nerves. Something in the way he had spoken, a tone, it stood the hairs on the back of her neck on end. She regarded Sephiroth's presence in the room, for the first time, with a little more distrust. If he noticed her reaction, he gave no hint of it.
She steadied her voice, eyes on Lazard once more. "Why?"
He regarded her, but not unkindly. "You see, the good news is – you've passed, I am more than happy to bring you into SOLDIER, you've shown great potential. There's just one small issue."
"Yes?"
"This...gift of yours." Lazard hesitated, searching for the best way to phrase. "Could be an amazing asset to SOLDIER, it really could Rose. But it could also be dangerous. Before we can send you out into the field, we have to know that you're in control, we can't put our people at risk that way."
Rose nodded slowly. She should have been elated, she'd passed, she was in SOLDIER, so why did it feel like she had an axe hanging over her head?
"Right." She heard her voice waver slightly. "So, what's the plan?"
Lazard settled back in his chair. "As it stands, you are due to have your Mako infusion in a couple of days. Sephiroth has agreed to give you more training tomorrow afternoon, but after that, tests will have to be carried out. We need to try to get to the bottom of where this power comes from, Rose, before we infuse you with the Mako. You understand why, yes?"
Rose nodded, nerves prickling her eyes. She was throwing people all over the place now, effecting machines and what not. Lazard didn't even know about how she effected Materia. Imagine all that super charged by Mako?
"So I don't blow anyone up?" She offered flatly. She didn't like the idea of being poked and prodded, but she couldn't deny the reasoning behind it. She shuffled uncomfortably. "What kind of tests? Who'd be doing them?" She froze, her stomach sinking." Not..."
When Lazard didn't answer straight away, and Sephiroth kept his head bowed towards the ground, she suddenly realised where all the tip-toeing had come from, and why Lazard was afraid that she might get upset – ergo, Sephiroth's presence – and accidentally cause a power outage or something.
"Absolutely not." She stated smoothly, fear and anger making her sound confident. "No way. That man's not coming near me with so much as stethoscope."
Hojo.
Lazard, had apparently expected this. "Look, I don't like him either. But he's the best person to carry out the tests swiftly and efficiently. There's no way around it, Rose. It has to be done for your safety and others."
"But..." She trailed off. 'But I don't want to', sounded so child-like, even in her own head, that she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. She ran frustrated fingers through her loose tendrils of hair, hating the logic that was behind it all. What choice did she really have? Besides, she'd already jumped so many hurdles to get into SOLDIER, what was one more? Even if the hurdle happened to be the creepiest ass-hole on the planet.
"Fine." She huffed shortly. "But if he acts out of line, I'm allowed to throat punch him."
Smiling softly, Lazard glanced up briefly at Sephiroth. "That seems fair, doesn't it?" His grin spread wider, and he stood from his chair, offering her his hand in a firm gesture. "Welcome to SOLDIER, Rose Hewley."
Smiling despite herself, she shook it.
Things couldn't get any more complicated, surely?
R&R!
Hey Guys, thank you so much for all your follows and what not! ZeeTaoHime thanks so much for your review! Was so lovely. I agree actually, I've never thought about it, but it is very Ciri-esque! Oh, that bit with Hojo: loved/hated it. He genuinely terrifies me lol.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as always let me know! Lil box below (wink,wink) Plus reviews help get the story more noticed, and that I'd really appreciate.
Take care x