Chapter 8. Knowing your place.

Medina's POV

Sitting at my desk like a paralyzed Homo sapiens, I focused on the wall - for a consistent hour. My staff was already noticing how absent-minded I was behaving lately. But, truth was, Eleanor's words didn't leave my mind for the last four days.

"The President was shot." , I recalled. "Junon. That's where the General was headed to, right?"

With a deep intake of hair, I let my head rest against the cushioned support of my chair. What was I supposed to do with so much information? Vital information, concerning several areas of the company. First, the details on the General's last mission. Second, that slight accusation on Hojo's involvement on Gast Faremis's project.

How on the Planet was I going to unbury all that information? I would have to dig a lot… and get inside Shinra's vault of secrets.

Oh, Eleanor, what did you get me into?

"Okay, focus, John." I said to myself, sitting like a proper man, and breathing calmly.

I was smart, I was intelligent. So I was going to find a way to unravel the truth behind this. If this woman really had knowledge of our world, of past and future events… first I would have to confirm her words.

And second – her file would have to become confidential, with unlimited access to me only.

Starting now.

I couldn't afford everyone to even dream of my suspicions… that Eleanor Stevens could eventually have the knowledge and hence, power to change the course of all our lives.

Zack's POV

After our comeback from Junon, I had finally the time to rest and take some time off for myself. I enjoyed my work, I felt extra proud of myself for representing SOLDIER in Junon, albeit that little slip with the Turks ended with the President getting shot and a very angry Veld threatening to relocate the whole team responsible for creating the "gap", as he put it.

As expected, the General was called to solve the problem. Points extra on his already high leveled abilities. Good thing he didn't have the habit of brag himself. Since he joined the military, Sephiroth was known for being calm, as silent as deadly, wearing that mask of stoicism 100% of the times.

Today I didn't have much to do. I had made homework, but my body asked for practice. Maybe the virtual room was a good alternative to stretch my muscles.

Yeah, that's it.

But before I would pay our recent guest a visit. Well, not that recent – the young woman found randomly in the training area had been resumed to Shinra's premises for some weeks now.

So since I had known nothing of that cute young woman since that day I was supposed to interview her… today seemed a good day to catch up with it.

Once inside the Science Division, it didn't take me much to get to Medina's labs – which seemed to have become a fortress of some kind.

Digit codes? Really?

Well, things had changed around here that was for sure. All I needed to know was why. So when I grasped the second steel door and prepared myself to go inside, Medina's voice startled me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

His tone almost sounded aggravated. Taking his image in, I realized I hadn't been the only one working hard lately. The doc's face revealed the tiredness of lack of sleep, worry and… why such frightened frown on his face when I was about to enter that woman's premises?

"Medina. Good morning." I said, my eyes on his. "I was going to-"

"You can't."

Whoa. Such hastiness. What the hell was happening in here anyway? Before I could say a word, he talked.

"You can't interview her without a good justification."

The man had got to me kidding me.

"What is this all about?"

Really, my surprise was now very obvious.

"The access is limited further on. Any additional contact must go by me first. Personally. I am the only one allowing permission to interview her, is that understood?"

No, but who did he think he was to say something like that? Damn, he almost sounded like the General.

"And why is that? Is she contagious or something?" I joked, in lack of better words.

"Don't start with me, Fair." Medina warned, as he now closed the steel door leading to the woman's chamber, clearly re-mixing the six-digit codes to a new combination. My eyebrows rose in response to his exaggerated action. I couldn't get it. And since Medina hadn't specifically answered me, should I deduce the woman had some kind of problem that prevented her from receiving visitors?

"So, how did the mission go in Junon?" Medina asked, his voice now more controlled.

Inevitably, I eyed him, feeling a little taken aback. How did he know I had been in Junon on my last mission?

"As expected." I said, thinking of a way to ask him how he could know about a secretive SOLDIER/Turk mission. That kind of information didn't cross borders inside the company. Something was clearly off in here.

"Oh." He answered, and I had the feeling he wanted to ask me something else. Something serious, judging by his anxious complexion. "Is the President feeling better?"

Okay, that one earned a wide-eye stare.

"He is." I admitted, preparing my attack. "And how are you supposed to kn-"

"Was the President shot? Was that the reason Sephiroth was summoned?"

Now I wasn't able to say a word, albeit I wanted to say a lot of things. I wanted to grab him by the neck and push him against the wall and demand – yes, demand him to tell me how the hell did he knew details of a military mission like it was ordinary gossip.

Before I could think of anything to say, my phone rang. It was Veld, so I had to leave this place immediately. Professional calls had to be answered in private, far from prying eyes… and ears.

My silence had been the answer and I read acknowledgment in Medina's eyes.

And without further words or justifications, I left the building, with my mood ruined for the rest of the day.

The General would have to know about this.

And he wasn't going to like it.

-/-

Veld had summoned several SOLDIER to the Turk's headquarters. A complete report on the last mission success, flaws and further improvements took us almost three hours of the day.

The General had been there, reporting next to Veld as well.

Things weren't exactly good to the company. AVALANCHE was becoming a complex and evolving threat, their techniques improving each time an attack was planned. It was obvious as well that their numbers were increasing, meanwhile ours were clearly diminishing. Recruiting SOLDIER was, ergo, a priority to establish in the next days. The General and Veld seemed in consonance with that option.

With a dissolving silence, the meeting ended and I left, still thinking of the event that had taken place this morning, in the Science Division.

I eyed Sephiroth, hoping he would leave the Turk's meeting room soon, but I had no such luck. He and Veld were discussing something, now with Tseng added to the equation.

Pffff. The General wasn't leaving this place soon. Not until he had his own business solved, that was for sure.

Obsessed with details as the man was, there was no way The General was going to leave the Turks without a planned assignment, with day, date, ETA, blah, blah blah. That was how the man was, his meticulous way - proud of being powerful as he was and with a need of proving his men – SOLDIER – were a worthy mass of beings with strong morals. So it didn't surprise me the desertion thing with Angeal and Genesis had disturbed him. Those actions weren't - simply -understandable in Sephiroth's universe. As well as many other mundane emotions and feelings.

Heading out of the building, I checked my watch - and concluded that I would have plenty of time to burn inside the virtual training room.

-/-

Later that day, I went on search for The General who, according to the building's receptionist, was in his office.

I knocked at his door softly, entering almost immediately. The General seemed like he had been working hard, given the amount of papers he had on his desk, piled neatly. It seemed he was already done with whatever had occupied him before, what gave me a chance to bring up important matters.

"General." I saluted.

"At ease, Fair." The General said, one of his hands busy with the keyboard. "What's the occasion?"

Oh, man. He was not going to like this.

"The weirdest thing just happened down the labs this morning."

As expected, the General's mako eyes met mine with down-right immediacy.

"What do you mean?"

"Medina kicked me out of the-"

"Why did you go there in first place?"

Okay, not really enjoying where this is headed…

"I was curious." I admitted. "Come on, a guy just comes home from mission and just can't even-"

"No, you can't."

His face and tone couldn't be colder.

"Oh. You're kidding me right?" I said, laughing. But his stern, grave face killed my buzz immediately. "No you're not." I whispered, realizing there was something going on in the Science Division that I wasn't aware of.

"What did Medina say?" Sephiroth asked, his voice commanding.

"He said I didn't have permission."

"That's right, you don't." He declared, somehow relaxed. "But I wasn't aware his permission was needed to interview a case subject."

What on the Planet was happening here?

"Uh…"

"So, the good doctor needs to know his place." Sephiroth admitted, mostly talking to himself, while he seemed to be busy with the computer, his eyes and hands busy with something on the screen in front of him.

"Sephiroth. That is not the worst thing."

"Specify."

"Medina knew all the details of our mission." His stare answered me, like I had offended him somehow. Geez, what a killing stare. "Like, all of it. I don't know how-"

"Worry not. I'll take care of this."

And then, his stare returned to the computer screen, a frown invading his face in less than two seconds. Well. There was something showing on that screen the man didn't obviously like.

"What? What-"

"Go, Fair. I'll contact you when I deem necessary."

He had cut me with a very unpleasant haste. It was like he didn't want me to know things – things that had to do with Medina's behavior from this morning, but the fact was… the General wasn't going to tell me a thing. I knew his look. It was the You-won't-get-a-thing-from-me look.

Determined as the General was, I realized it was better not pushing his patience.

"Very well." I said, dismissing myself and leaving his office clearly pissed off.

Elie's POV.

I missed terribly my apartment. I missed my view on the suburbs from the living room, the air outside, the blue sky, the stars bright when there were no clouds at night and the amazing moon invading the whole block when it was completely full.

Oh, how I missed something other than these sterile walls, those masked, unknown faces that didn't talk to me. Even John, the good doctor, seemed very distant lately. He had come by to check on me with few words other than the considered necessary. Or, i.e., mainly concerned with my health status.

Laying on the bed, I let out a sleepy sigh.

Maybe I shouldn't have disclosed that many information to him. Maybe it had overloaded him and…

Damn. How was I supposed to deal with all this? Knowing things – important things about this reality and not being able to say what I should say.

Hum. That one got me thinking. What should I say, anyway? Everything? Nothing? Consider my answers when they asked me about something specific? And, if that was the case, what should I say - to what extent? I didn't imagine me telling Zack he was going to die eventually. I didn't even consider telling The General he would go crazy and slaughter a village. But… okay, if I was here, shouldn't I at least try to avoid certain bad things to happen?

Like, keeping people alive and… and… try to avoid the upbringing of a world-wide nemesis?

God, this was more complex than it looked like. Should I even considering interfering? Would that be adequate? Correct?

Safe?

"Uh…" I sighed, confused.

All this thinking was really making my head hurt-

"Hello there little specimen."

My head turned immediately towards the door. Deep in thinking, I hadn't noticed the door opening, the code digits beeping and all the noisy merry-go-round the security system made when someone entered my premises. And the person standing exactly near the door made the little hairs along my arms and at the back of my neck rise with terror.

Hojo.

Standing there, with his hands hidden behind his back, all I could think was what the hell would he want from me at his time of the day. It was off schedule for most of the people here, and I didn't even know if Medina was around.

To save me.

My stare was locked on his. I remained still, sitting on my bed, compressing my form against the metal headboard of the bed. That would leave marks a posteriori.

Then, when I thought the silence couldn't become heavier, he talked as he walked slowly in my direction.

"Feeling a little trapped, isn't that right?" A deviant smile played in those lips, a smirk I had seen in Sephiroth so many times – when I played FF7 back in my real world.

God. He sure is his son…, I concluded, too terrified to talk.

"Well, let's try something, will we?"

A huge syringe with a bright green substance inside it almost made me scream with despair. Mako. Oh man, that wasn't good news. But that at least gave me strength to say something.

"No, please don't, you don't know how-"

"Yes, I don't…" He interrupted, grasping my right arm with an iron grip. "…hence the goal in experimenting."

I tried very hard to stop him. But his grip was oh so similar to the General, but with a dirty, malevolent touch. My tears fell before I even knew I was – actually - crying.

"Please, don't…"

He might as well kill me if he put that stuff inside me.

"Do you know who I am too?" He asked, positioning the syringe in my arm, while I still fought his hold. "What do you know about me, little specimen?"

Oh, God, the man sure was disgusting. Really. Like way worse than his virtual self. At least in the game he wasn't flesh and bone and there was always the forward option. Or then, simply I could shut the game off and that was it.

But there was no such thing like a reset button here.

"Hands off."

That very distinctive voice took me out of the pain that was already lingering close to my vein, given the pressure Hojo was applying to the syringe.

We both looked towards the voice.

"Sephiroth."

Hojo's tone was filled with surprise. The General remained close to the door, leaving it open with one of his gloved hands.

"It's General, to you." He grimaced, with obvious distaste. The only thing that made me divert from the panic I was feeling was exactly the dislike that perspired between them, mainly from the General towards his own father. I had known of it, it was a remarkable fact in the whole story… but seeing it live was a complete different matter. It was stunning, to a point.

"I was just-"

"You are messing with the wrong specimen. Get lost."

The General didn't let Hojo justify himself. I had the impression the man was actually afraid of moving or something. Sephiroth seemed really annoyed – in a way I had never seen. Not even in the games. And most certainly not while I had been here.

Hojo slowly let go of my arm and my tense body and seemed to take his time considering what to say. Sephiroth followed all of his moves, still… keeping the door open.

What a ruthless invitation to leave this place…, I thought, eyeing both men. Hojo broke the silence.

"Will you mention this-"

"-to John? Absolutely." Sephiroth declared, decisive as ever. Discreetly, pointing towards the exit with his own eyes, he finally spoke again. "Now leave."

And, to my surprise, I saw Hojo leave my premises with the dignity of a beaten dog.

A/N – Hope you liked it. :D

I wanted to say thanks to all of you who reviewed, member or guest, your support has been amazing. I was off for a while but I really hope to start updating often from now on. This story lingered in my head for too long now and know this, I'm also working on Dreamcatcher 2! It's not forgotten, I'm just figuring out the plot and stuff (I first sketch it a bit before starting writing, just like I did with PORTAL). What I have thought for it will definitely surprise you:)

So, as for PORTAL, you know what to do: Review with all your strength! I need it to feed my muse LOL. And you're so amazing and have been so supportive that I really would like to write faster to share more and more with you, but sadly, these things take time (and inspiration).

Anyways! You're always welcome to review. And have a say on whatever you deem necessary. See you soon ^_^