CHAPTER 23. A DIFFERENT KIND OF HUMAN.
Elie's POV
I remained still, frozen like an iceberg, my eyes finding his.
I had never seen the General mad. Angry, yes; playing the wiseass - most of the times, but this - the way his facial expression mirrored his hate - held the potential of being the scariest stuff I had ever seen in life.
I didn't dare to move or say a word. I knew I should, there were a lot of should-have's right now, but nothing came up.
Even John seemed to be trapped in some sort of trance, as the General slowly uncovered himself. Good God, even the way he disclosed his form felt obscene, in slow motion, his stare torturing every living soul in that hall.
Eventually, he was the one talking.
"Everybody, out."
I blinked, feeling a pang in my chest and butterflies in my stomach. Who was he referring to? Man, I hadn't noticed someone was there except from John and me. So, who did he want to shove out of the labs?
"General." John's tone was low, as he seemed to gather some strength to face the man standing next to him.
But there seemed to be no end to the nightmare happening just now.
"I said, out." He declared, gesturing with his face for John to leave. "What's the part you don't understand?"
Oh my God, what had we done?
"I know I shouldn't-" John tried to start something, but to no avail.
"I'll do the talking, if you don't mind."
In seconds the hall remained empty, John passing by me with the saddest frown I've ever seen. His face didn't hide the disappointment, the fear, the not-knowing-what-on-Earth-is-he-going-to-do… alone with me.
Boy, I could so relate with that.
John's stare met mine swiftly, and I hoped to see there some sort of support - but there was none. It was with great despair that I heard him walk away and close the door of his office. I closed my eyes slowly and inhaled deeply, hoping that the oxygen would help me aerate my neurons and give me good ideas to just survive what would follow.
The empty and silent hall now belonged to me and the General. Like a duel from the westerns, but indoors. Shivers of fright invaded me as seconds passed by and neither of us moved.
I dared to stare back at the man standing next to a wall, arms crossed, cruel green meeting brown and melting it mercilessly.
Could this get any worse? The answer was easy.
Yes.
"This…" Sephiroth started, as he walked towards me lazily, his arms swiftly uncrossing and resting next to his body. "…That happened tonight, won't happen again, and you know why? Because there will be no more secrets among us."
Oh-uh. My heart rate peaked as I sensed him close to me. And then, reaction kicked at once.
"You can't and you won't make me." I declared, gathering courage I didn't know I had in me. "I can't disclose the whole thing, I'm telling you, it's dangerous for all of us if I do that."
He stopped right there, in front of me, and I saw him lock his jaws and inhale deeply, his icy stare piercing mine.
"My patience is wearing out, Stevens."
"I know." I declared, blinking nervously. "I know it is."
His eyebrows narrowed at my answer and the man took his time before speaking.
"The Turk asked you to go and convince the girl to come here?" He asked, and before I could say anything in my defense, he continued. "And you agreed to it? Just like that, no consequence-measuring, no cause-effect evaluation? Were you insane or did this just to provoke me?"
I opened my mouth, surprised. My. I didn't know what to say first.
"I don't do 'provoking', I'm a grown up." I answered, my tone hard. "And she's not just a girl, she's-"
"So, you decided you could play the hero and go for it, without my permission?"
How I hated that he interrupted me like that. And how I loathed that he considered me a possession of some kind!
"You would never allow it." I admitted, considering telling him the truth would be the best choice. "And besides, Tseng had a point and we were running out of time."
Sephiroth blinked at me, a frown of disgust all over him.
"You should have told me about it and we -SOLDIER and Turks - would have solved the problem effectively, without getting you involved."
I angled my head a little, appalled at his declaration. Could this man think so low of me? His lack of faith was starting to get on my nerves. Unfair was all I could think about.
"What is your problem anyway?" I asked, my angered expression very obvious. "It is because the Turks did the whole thing with me without involving SOLDIER or just because I was out there contributing as well?"
His answer was swift and direct.
"You're risking everything."
I smirked sarcastically at him.
"If you and the Turks got there using your high-advanced-military methods, she would run away and AVALANCHE would have her in a no time." I informed. "She's not a regular girl, General, I told you."
The General took his time crossing his arms again. So, the massacre would continue. Argh.
"Who's she? The one locked in the other room in the floor?"
I averted my stare from his for a moment, considering if I should answer him or slap him. What an insufferable asshole. But eventually, I gave in. I had to, it wasn't like he wouldn't know who Aerith was in the next couple of hours if I decided not to tell him for the sake of stubbornness.
"The Ancient." I declared with a low voice. "Gast's daughter."
"Gast's… daughter?"
"Yes." I reinforced. "Hojo cannot-"
An ironic smirk interrupted me.
"Oh, that's funny. He suspects something new is in the building."
The General's ironic declaration made me feel a little nervous.
"He can't have her. Or she will end up as a guinea pig for his sick experiments."
"And you think I can stop him from coming upstairs and do whatever he wants with her?"
Come on, it was so obvious.
"As a matter of fact, I do."
And out of nothing, the most impressive smile came out of nowhere. Pity it wasn't real. It was sardonic.
"You assume too much."
I can play that game too, Mister.
"You know very well what he's capable of." I smiled as well, mimicking his action.
But, however, the General reacted. I sensed him angle his face, descending a little from his highs, his face now closer to my forehead.
"Why don't you tell me.", he whispered at me, and my smile vanished at once.
Oh-uh. I gulped dry, thinking of a way out of he wanted to do: retrieve information I couldn't give him. Shit, this guy was sneaky in the worst way possible.
Something came up in my head.
"You wouldn't want me to embarrass you on camera." I declared, making a serious face.
But Sephiroth was intelligent - and, of course, screwed my intentions nicely.
"John, shut off video and sound, please."
I widened my eyes at him. WHAT?
"You can't-"
"Of course I can." He declared, stoic as ever. "And there you go. Now tell me, what is Hojo capable of? You may start by describing what he did to me in the past."
This wasn't real. It wasn't. So, the result couldn't be nice to watch.
"I…"
I staggered, caught in memories, in scenes and descriptions, and then trying not to be too graphic. The sum of all it would end up in that forbidden word, and I wanted to avoid getting to Jenova just now.
It's too soon…, I warned myself.
"He…" I cleared my throat, trying to sound real enough. "You were brought up in the lab, with him. He taught you with discipline and…"
Oh, right. I just had to stop right there. Because in the middle of the discipline something horrific hid.
"Go on." His voice interrupted my line of thought and I tried very hard to refocus again.
"He told you your mother…" Oh, boy. "Was someone superior, and manipulated your genetic background so that you could become… the way you are now."
There. It wasn't so bad, was it? I prayed that my answer would satisfy him, even if I sensed that wasn't going to happen.
"Manipulated me using what?"
Oh, FUCK.
"Mako." I said, knowing he knew the answer already and also knowing he wanted something more than just Mako. Maybe because deep inside he felt something else was there besides that. And he was right. He was very right but…
Oh, man.
"And?"
My stare met his and something inside me chirmed. I had no way out, I had to say something… close to the truth or he would torture me the whole night. And I was tired.
"Cells."
His eyes changed shape at once, what scared me. Something evil passed by him, and for a fraction of second, I wondered if I had screwed it. I didn't want to ruin something I was working for all this time. In fact, it scared me that the word 'cells' might have the same literary effect of that documentation in Shinra Mansion. The documentation about Jenova Project, that he would read, and thanks to that, he would snap.
"Whose cells?"
His voice, his tone was insistent, but I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. But, when I was about to say something, he interrupted me - again.
"Say it!"
Okay. So this was going to end right now.
"No." I said, as my face stepped in the space that separated us. My eyes were hard on his, stubbornness fighting stubbornness equally. "Not yet."
A battle of wills was being drawn and I knew I was pushing the limit. The General was angry and impatient, and I was stepping on dangerous ground - his.
"Now."
He basically snarled the word at me. I felt his anger, his impatience, every and single desire he had of resume me to pieces. But I didn't quaver.
"I said, NO." I declared, slowly. The words came out in slow motion and like that we remained, face to face, stares struggling, his physical superiority crushing mine like a virtual hurricane.
Our breathing was the only thing audible in that hall, and I wondered when the battle would end. Namely because I knew I wouldn't win.
But thankfully, before the General had the chance of doing or saying something, a loud metallic click interrupted us.
Thankfully.
The General was the first leaving my eyes and focusing in a point above my head. Slowly, my eyes descended from his face to his neck… and finally I had the composure of turning to see who had just entered the labs.
Tseng.
"General." He said, with a hard, calm tone. "A word, please."
Sephiroth's reaction was so calm it almost innerved me. So okay, I knew the man had nerves of steel but come on. The tension in the air almost choked the air itself, which meant I was holding my breath. My heart pounded in my ears and I wondered what the General would do.
I sensed him move, pausing right in front of me again - and bothering to lower his head to mine, his eyes hard on mine as he whispered the words at me.
"Our conversation isn't over, Stevens."
I gulped dry as I saw the man leave the hall, his threat pending on the air. I didn't look when the two left, closing the door behind them.
Despaired and sensing the effects of the adrenaline rush, I rested my back against the closest wall and exhaled loudly.
Eventually, my legs gave in and I allowed myself to sit right there, on the ground.
A familiar presence joined me in silence. John.
I wondered if he felt as bad as I did. We didn't look at each other, I just kept my stare on the nearest wall.
"This is getting out of control."
I had spoken my mind, afraid of the consequences of my actions. My knowledge. There were times when I thought I wouldn't be able to achieve a thing. Man, how had things ran down the hill right about now? How did he - Sephiroth - got me into telling him what I shouldn't?
I had to be more careful.
"It wasn't your fault."
John's declaration had been clearly biased. He was saying that only to make me feel better.
"I almost…" told him everything.
"You didn't. That's what counts."
Yeah. Somehow that didn't make me feel better. My fingers massaged my tired eyes before I dared to look at Medina. He looked as spent as I did.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my eyes searching his.
"Nope."
Well that was an honest answer.
And I didn't know what to say, how to act to make John feel a little less conscious about what had happened. It was serious and we were in trouble and we had no idea of what to do next.
The ugly exchange of words between me and the General made me reconsider though. And as we remained in silence, me and John, my mind worked fast as I concluded the obvious. Deep in my mind, I knew I had to do the right thing, and time was running out.
"I need to act, and soon."
My voice had come out breathless, as if I felt virtually strangled. Which I did, in a way. Everything concerning the General's mental status made my stomach churn.
"I'd rather not know about it." John declared, resting his head on the wall. I looked at him, his Adam apple protruded, moving as he spoke. "This whole preventing-what's-to-come is driving me insane. And this little rebellion of us almost cost me my whole investigation here at Shinra."
I made a face.
"Sorry."
He shook his head, closing his eyes. Poor John. This whole thing made me feel horrible at myself.
"It was my fault." He said, finally meeting my stare. Such kind eyes. "I allowed it."
I smiled a bit at him, deciding a change in the subject would suit just fine to ease up the environment. Christ, my muscles ached with the tension of my previous conversation with the all-mighty man of the company.
"Is the Ancient okay?"
John made a smiley face.
"She's fine."
"Can I see her?" My tone had been filled with joy and anticipation. Like a kid, I sat on the floor impatient and waiting for an answer.
John smiled widely, nodded and urged me to get up from the floor. I took his hand and up we went.
"I'll take you there."
And to my surprise, we walked hand-in-hand until we reached Aerith's premises.
Sephiroth's POV
The door closed loudly, leaving Medina's labs behind me.
My eyes met Tseng's, and I knew he felt conscious about what had happened. Yeah, he'd better be. I had been rudely and shamelessly put behind in a secret mission concerning a subject we both shared.
So, I shouldn't have been put aside like that.
"I could have your post for this, Tseng." I said, my tone low and rasp. It was a warning and he knew it all since the moment he decided to overrun me.
"Listen-"
"It's treason, punishable by law." I interrupted, as I crossed my arms. "We had a deal and you broke it shamelessly. What will Veld say of this?"
Tseng took a deep breath and rested against the closest wall, crossing his arms as well. He took his time answering me.
"He won't say a word, and you know why? Because the means justified the ends. We have the last Ancient on the Planet protected and safe in our HD."
I blinked for a couple of seconds, not expecting this answer from him. And Tseng took the opportunity.
"So yeah, accuse me all you want for taking your protégé from the labs and making her useful for the cause."
And speaking that way about Stevens tickled me. I hadn't enjoyed the tone Tseng had used - at all. It implied that I cared and it wasn't true.
Right?
Of course. I didn't care. It was a fact. I didn't!
"You are as irresponsible as she is." I stated, with scorn. "Don't you know someone is trying to kill her? Right under our noses? You could have gotten her killed, our one and only informant."
Tseng's face didn't change, but I felt he swallowed the words and wondered about the consequences. But, as expected from a Turk, he didn't show his weakness.
"I had to take the chance."
Oh but of course!
"I don't want anybody to play with her life like that!"
Tseng's stare was cryptic on mine. He narrowed his eyes as he processed my words.
"You don't own her." He declared, his tone a little off. "She is a human being, she wants to feel useful."
I sighed, bored, my fingers finding the bridge of my nose.
"No, she's not." I whispered, and I let my stare met his. "She's a different kind of human."
Tseng didn't answer me, but I knew he didn't agree with me. In fact, his stare chastised me silently.
"You can't be serious." Tseng's tone was surprising. But hell, my patience had been wasted away today - completely. From the moment I realized they - Medina and Turks - had conjured against me until… now. This miserable day ending.
Man. All this was proving to be a complete waste of time. I was so tired of such… nonsense.
"Are those your last words?" I finally asked, my stare dismissing.
"Yes."
"Then, we're finished."
With that final statement, I pushed the button - the elevator door opening abruptly.
I got inside the metal, leaving Tseng glued to that wall, staring at nothing.
Elie's POV
A week passed.
And I had given serious thought to how I would avoid the disaster at Neibelheim. As days passed by, I tried to gather all the knowledge I had of the facts.
So, this was late August and I knew soon enough Zack would be sent on leave, under the surveillance of the Turks. Which meant, considering how things would develop from there… maybe he would be the right choice for me to disclose the whole thing.
He had a strong, fierce character - I knew that first hand. And that gave me - us - leverage. Neibelheim had already started, things would lead the inevitable way and - sadly - I couldn't be there to stop everybody or who knew, drug the General for a whole month and prevent the man from going there, period.
No, this had to be done with tact - and thus, I needed an ally. A person in which I could rely completely, on his good sense.
Zack Fair came up as the most reasonable option. He would be on the field the whole time, which meant… he was the man for the job. Or so I thought.
I had also considered Strife, but considering his unawareness until now, I didn't think it would be the wisest choice - for now. With his obsession of becoming a SOLDIER and need to prove himself… I didn't trust him completely for a task of this magnitude.
Each time I gave the subject a thought, the more I ended up concluding Zack was the right guy for the job.
That's it.
My head hurt, with the mind effort I made. Necessity, urgency and dread mixed up, the result being one hell of a headache. I exhaled, with my eyes closed, hoping the stress would fly off my body with the air offing my lungs.
Details. I didn't want to miss a thing.
Come on, I had played the game dozens of times, the whole plot was so… obvious to me that I didn't want to forget any detail. Everything was important, everything mattered - I didn't want to let anything by, because I wanted to be sure I had it all covered. Little things might be vital. Everything mattered - my mind repeated.
Damn, I thought.
I only wanted the man to just… live. Just… that. The General. Alive and sane. It was all I asked.
God, please help me.
I got up from my seat, my nervousness taking me to the window. It was a pattern. Each time I felt anxious I searched for the stillness of the landscape outside.
Man. That thing was like a living desktop. Breathing something into me.
I sighed, trying to focus.
All right. I had to do something and now. It was time. So I turned and went in search for the only man that could help me right now.
-/-
"John, I need to talk to Zack. Can you summon him?"
My words had surprised him, as I saw John raise his stare to mine, his hands on the papers of his desk. He blinked at me, considering my words. And I just stayed there by the door.
"I'll see what I can do."
His tone had been worrying, as his stare returned to the sheets of paper. I narrowed my eyebrows, and dared to enter, closing the door behind me. What, was he tired of me bugging him all the time?
"It has to be secretive."
And that caught his attention once again.
"How secretive?"
Uh.
"The General cannot know."
An uncomfortable silence followed, as I saw John rest against the back of his chair, his stare taking some time finding mine again. He had a tired expression on his face and I wondered why would that be. It was a fact he talked hours and hours with Aerith, but I guess it was only normal. She was news - and I was the old, out-of-this-world-Elie, who put him in trouble most of the times and engaged in strange conversations with the General.
Jesus, Elie, give it a break. I gulped dry at my own thinking, chastising the nature of my thoughts. Come on, I was being childish and unfair.
"That will be extremely difficult after what happened." John answered, his hard stare finding mine. I took my time answering, hoping I could convince him otherwise.
"But not impossible. Right?" I smiled a little, hoping the environment would soften a bit. Things were getting tense in the lab. Finally, John put himself comfortable again - closing space between him and the desk.
"The things I do for you and this company." He had whispered the words, and I couldn't help but to feel… sad.
"He'll know eventually." I admitted, knowing it was only inevitable. We resumed wandering around the facts, dodging bullets and hoping not to… screw up.
John nodded, his stare lost in those damn papers again.
"Thanks." I said, but before leaving I decided to dare and… just do something. "Hey."
"Hum."
And there we go.
"Are we okay?"
John took his time finding my stare. I could tell he was confused… and that the words popping inside his head would be something along the lines of 'Is there a we, anyway?'
I gulped dry as I waited for him to answer.
"Yeah."
Really?
"It does not look like that way." I admitted, walking towards his desk and standing in front of him. Stares locked - uncomfortably. "Did I do something to upset you?"
His answer wasn't immediate, which annoyed me.
"No."
And in that moment I knew he was lying. Of course something was going on, of course he was upset with me -most likely because he didn't enjoy seeing me and the General in the same space for more than just 2 seconds. John had developed a thing against the General being around me, even if all we did was simply… talk. Scarcely.
And that was simply… argh.
"Just… I don't like arguments and fights. Never did. That's why I do what I do and work in this field." John eventually stated. His stare met mine by the end of the sentence. "There's no misunderstandings, no feelings blinding whatever is left from good judgment."
Yeah. I could so relate with that.
"I'm sorry, I…" I admitted, my fingers finding my forehead, massaging the area. Damn, I was tired of thinking. "This whole thing-"
"No." He interrupted me, with a sad, somehow ironic smile. "It has been this way since the beginning, Elie. First you and him, then Tseng… you just don't see it the way I do-"
And that made me snap at once. Oh come on - peeping at someone else's conversations again? Namely the last one between me and the General?
Good God, John.
"I thought the video was out."
My one had come out disappointed and surprised. He didn't deny it.
"You two-"
"Just stop right there." I declared, as I bent slightly, resting the palms of my hands on his desk. I focused on his eyes and made my point very seriously. I was getting tired of him suggesting things that weren't… well, real. In any way. "We are not a f… freaking thing."
But John's answer was as blunt as mine.
"You know that's not exactly true."
Damn it John, why do have to be like that?
"We're not going to start with me again." I declared, realizing I would only stop with this conversation if I changed subject. "Trust me, after October… all this will be finally over."
Zack's POV
I was at home when I got a phone call from the Science Division.
John Medina was the one making an encrypted call to my cell - what worried me for moments. I had been completely cast away from the subject with Stevens, the informant - an imposition made real by the General.
Possessive and greedy as always, he always wanted to be in control of everything. So, I felt a little surprised with John's call.
And, namely, with the content of it: Stevens needed to talk to me in secrecy - serious things, things that the General needed to be kept from knowing.
'Prepare.', he had said. 'You're going to get bombarded with information'.
It worried me. It did. Namely because I had a terrible feeling about it, and didn't know why.
I entered Elie's premises after a soft knock. Not that I had to knock before enter, but manners mattered. Come on, I was a gent after all.
But of course.
Elie stared at something from the window before our stare met. I blinked at her for a couple of seconds, recalling the face I didn't see in months. Why had the General kept me from seeing her, talking to her, not allowing me her company?
Alien knowledge flowed from her brownish eyes - what worried me and enticed me at the same time. The expectation of her telling me things of the future made me feel a little nervous and overwhelmed. It wasn't everyday that we had someone around the hall that knew all about yourself - past, present and past.
"You asked for me?" I dared to ask, and she nodded before speaking.
"Yeah." She declared, her hand finding my arm and urging me to leave her premises. Where was the talking me? "We need to talk."
Yep, I'd figured that out!
"Medina told me it was a… touchy subject." I declared, as I walked behind her towards a different area of the lab.
"It is." She said, her eyes on mine for a split second. I saw her open a door in a secluded place of the lab. Secretive, ha? "Let's talk in a place where the walls won't have ears."
I widened my eyes at her.
"Oh. That touchy, ha?"
"You bet."
Elie smiled a little at me, and urged me to take a seat. The place where we were literally hid reminded me of a conference room - rarely used. It had a large rectangular table and several chairs, a board and some random stationary stuff in a closet of sorts.
I sat, a little anxious with what would follow. My stare met Elie's, her face serious.
"Hit it." I said, urging her to start once and for all. Which she did.
"You're on vacation next month, right?"
"I… will be, yes."
"You're going to be interrupted."
I widened my eyes at her.
"The reactor in Neibelheim will… be awake, so to speak." Elie paused for a moment, accessing my reaction. "This month, a whole bunch of workers disappeared from the place, but the President is dealing with the issue silently."
I narrowed my eyes at her, as I processed her words. Interesting - but still, why such insistence on the subject? I was willing to bet I was going to find out.
"Why?"
I saw Elie gulp dry, and I sensed something serious was coming up.
"In there, rests Jenova."
And boom. I could swear the air had been taken out of my lungs. That word had that power.
"Yes, that Jenova." Elie insisted, eyeing me warily. "Things will been set in motion and you all will be summoned to Neibelheim. There will be several attacks, things will be very… harsh. AVALANCHE won't be involved, this is whole different thing. And you'll have the Turks there as well. Backup."
Man. Wow.
"O…kay." I managed to say, amazed at the calm Elie displayed. How could she be so calm knowing such things. And just keeping them for herself since… well, since forever.
"The General will go to." She declared, her tone steady. "And you'll stay in an Inn of sorts, the whole Investigational Team will be there. You'll have a guide, Tifa Lockhart, she's… cool and she knows what's she's doing."
I nodded, hoping to process the whole thing and not to miss a thing.
"The day after you get there, you'll be headed to the Shinra Mansion and, after that, towards the reactor - And there's where you have to act. Inside the reactor, there'll be creatures - Makonoids. And Genesis. The General cannot see that, cannot find Genesis and cannot talk to him."
All right. Necessary pause. Too much, Stevens, that was way too much.
"Woo. Wait up." I said, my right hand up. Say that again? "Makonoids?"
Elie gathered her thoughts before speaking again.
"Creatures manipulated with Mako. That's what they do there, Zack, experiments. And Genesis…he's despaired, he's… dying and wants Sephiroth to save him. He wants his blood to prevent his own decay but that won't happen."
There was a second of silent before I dared to speak.
"And why can't Sephiroht-"
Stevens interrupted me before I could finish my question.
"He can't find Genesis. He will tell him things that will do click inside his mind."
"Such as?"
She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Okay then - another bomb was coming right at me.
"Sephiroth is a product, an essay. Hojo experimented on him while he was still a fetus and he has Jenova's cells inside him in a way the rest of you SOLDIER don't have. He's one of a kind, special… as you've already realized."
"SOLDIER are all enhanced with Mako and… Jenova's cells, but Sephiroth does not know what he is exactly and if his little chit-chat with Genesis happen, he will go back to Shinra's Mansion, seal himself in the library for seven days, find out everything about his upbringing and leave the place mentally affected, ready to set Neibelheim on fire, kill the whole village and then... return to the reactor, where he will… kill you."
Silence invaded us for a moment as I realized I had no words to offer her.
"That's-"
"You can't let that happen, Zack. You can't."Stevens had a painful expression on her face. "If Sephiroth reads the whole thing about his past, he'll become the Planet's damnation."
For the Planet's sake!
"But how-"
"There is a theory that claims that, since he's the purest of Jenova's offspring, so to speak, he can get possessed - and that way, Jenova can act through him, speak through him and will… 'live' in him. Even if he dies, his soul will remain latent in the lifestream, tainting it and bringing disgrace to everyone in the Planet in a way you don't imagine, Zack."
Her tone, her despair - were too vivid not to be true. I didn't know what hurt the most. If all the things she said that were going to happen, if the fact that I dealt everyday with a person that would take my life just like that.
As if I was… no one.
"It's difficult to picture him doing the things you're saying."
But Stevens's stare on mine was genuine and sad. She was not kidding, sadly. I could see the whole thing distressed her as well.
"The man you know now will change into something indescribable. He won't recognize you. He won't be the Sephiroth you know now." Her voice caught a bit and I realized she was having a hard time saying the words out loud. "He will kill everyone standing on his way, without mercy, without hesitating."
I gulped dry, still not believing Sephiroth would simply finish me off. Not like that. Not for no reason at all.
But then, I felt a hand on mine. Warm flesh, despaired actions. Her eyes exhaled worry and… hurt.
"Please, I… I don't want any of you dead. We have to stop all this from happening Zack. Or Sephiroth will destroy everything you care for. And I mean everything. Even her."
I closed my eyes for a while, a little off with such… input of information. It was a lot, really - too much, at all levels.
"Man." I whispered, my eyes now on the ceiling. "That's a lot to process…"
It was.
Softly, I realized the hand on mine vanished and I took my time looking at the woman in front of me.
Stevens stared back at me, and I waited for her to say something.
"Just… Keep in mind the key moments are: him talking to Genesis and reading stuff at the library in the Shinra mansion. Prevent that from happening and I believe… everything will be allright."
Yeah, easier said than done.
"You can ask Cloud Strife for help. He has… great potential."
I took my time processing the whole thing, taking in all the suggestions and just… adjusting to the whole thing.
"Okay. I'll do it."
Did I say just that?
"You have the greatest of responsibilities. And I trust you completely." Stevens's face was so genuine it hurt to stare at her.
I nodded and got up, a little taken aback. She handed me a file, and I grabbed I slowly. And, as I opened, I realized I had there a very accurate description of the facts.
"Keep it concealed." She advised, and I stared back at the woman in front of me, answering her with no words. "Destroy it when you know it by heart."
"I might do that." I whispered, as I took a glimpse at those 2 pages of thick wordy content. Everything Stevens had told me was there. Everything. For me to study, memorize and burn down after I had the whole thing imprinted in my head. In every corner of my mind.
"Good luck, Zack." She said, her eyes sincere on mine. Damn, such grief. "I'll be waiting for you. Alive and kicking." She smiled, and then added "All of you."
I felt the weight of responsibility on me - like a ton of concrete hitting my mind, my body. And I couldn't do a thing to shove it off. Or, better said, I knew what I had to do to get rid of such oppressive feeling.
Get the job done.
"Thanks. Take care." I declared, saying my goodbyes.
"You too."
I turned, leaving Stevens alone in that room. Man, what a rush.
I didn't recall having walked the whole way home.
A/N. So it begins. :)
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