Chapter 54. People in love tend to do reckless and stupid things.
Sephiroth's POV
My eyes opened to face a white, grayish tiled division. Blinking, trying to think and be coeherent, I realized I didn't know what day this was. Or the time. And that made me react at once.
"You sure say very interesting things while asleep."
Hojo's mocking tone was clearly emetic to my physiology, namely because the words he had said worried me. All I could think about was what on the Planet had I talked about while I was sleeping.
"You don't say." I grunted, as I got up from the gurney, as the memory of all the testing came to mind. Hojo's health tests sure were hard to endure. "What's the result of the testing, is there everything okay?"
As Hojo stood with his hands behind his back, he eyed me above his glasses. The grease in his hair shone underneath the metal light decorating this ward-like part of the lab, and the man eyed me attentively, as if trying to think of something to say to me.
"Why shouldn't all be okay with you, boy?"
I blinked at his stupid answer.
"That's exactly the question I posed you." I declared, now getting impatient. "Now say it. Is there everything allright with me or not?"
He made a face.
"Yes, your body functions are as usual and your brain activity is at its best." He said, with a sigh. "So you don't have to worry about your health, boy."
I gulped dry, as I searched for my clothing. Somehow, Hojo's words didn't ease my worries. I believed him, in fact the only reason he was alive was because he was the person that knew me better inside and outside. It was an undeniable fact we both knew about and, well… we both took advantage of it.
"Then I'm leaving." I said, visibly displeased. All I knew was that I felt weird and didn't know exactly why.
"I have to be honest, I didn't expect you'd miss her this much."
I froze as I heard his words. My eyes met his and there was a heavy silence between us.
"Well, now you know I do." I admitted, realizing there was no logic in hiding such facts anymore. I liked Elie very much and had grown terribly dependent on her… to the point of not caring, of not wanting to know if I put my life at risk just to have her back.
"Try not to be reckless." Hojo declared, his face bored. "People in love tend to do reckless and stupid things."
I snorted as I finished dressing up and searched for my sword.
"Yes, like my mother did."
Hojo eyed me, sensing my accusation. I didn't say a word, and he fought to find something to say.
"Well aren't we humorous this morning." He said, with obvious distaste. "I don't know what that woman told you about your mother, but be aware, boy. Not all you hear is the truth."
I shook my head, preparing to leave.
"As if I need to be critic to realize I shouldn't trust you, Hojo." I declared. "It turns out you're the one trying to be humorous."
And with that I left, towards the only place I wanted to be this morning.
John's POV.
"Can someone explain me why on the Planet is this happening?"
Despair was overwhelming, as I put my hands on my face, my head resting on the comfy chair, one of many at disposal at the prechamber at the PORTAL's testing.
Our eyes faced another dead, electrified goat bleeding from all the natural cavities. Me and two Physics, plus the one adjusting the energy field parameters, felt devastated.
I took a deep breath and scanned again the bloody test file. It was all set up, optimized, just like that time the damn sheep crossed the PORTAL and came back - alive.
One success over six attempts. The odds were terrible on our side, it was a fact, each time more imprinted on stone as we gathered failures like we did.
"Good grief." I breathed, truly out of ideas, as I saw the Veterinary and his helpers take the poor animal out of the PORTAL's chamber.
The smell of fried meat nauseated me.
"I'm sorry Doctor. The electric field collapsed the poor animal's heart."
I nodded, closing my eyes, not knowing what to say.
"What a nightmare." I whispered, the damn thought coming out louder than advisable.
"What is a nightmare?"
I closed my eyes as I heard his voice. That was all I needed now. The General, adding up to the pressure I already felt. My stare searched his, and I didn't hide the disappointment I felt.
"Our final testing line."
The General's eyes were cryptic on mine, as if didn't getting what I was trying to say.
"What do you mean?"
"They're all dead." I admitted, passing him the charts with our 6 attempts. He scanned each one of them thoroughly, silence bathing the prechamber as I connected the air conditioned on so the damn smell of fried goat meat might disperse. It had a very emetic effect on me, or maybe that was only my nerves, who knew.
"You had one that lived. The second try-out."
The General sat next to me as he said the words. I tried to gather coherence so I could tell him my real, honest opinion about it.
"I'm starting to think it was blind luck." I admitted. "Our latest adjustments were meant to stabilize the structure, not rendering it… a mortal pit of sorts."
"Go back to the beginning." He suggested. "Maybe the secret is not making so many adjustments."
Well, who knew?
"Yeah, maybe I'll do that. "
"I'll be here tomorrow for the testing."
I widened my eyes at the man, not believing what he was just saying.
"Are you sure?"
"I am very sure, Doctor."
I snorted, feeling nervous about all this. The General was taking this a bit too far.
"This is far from ready to take humans inside, General, don't think that-"
"I didn't say it was ready to take humans in, Medina." He interrupted, his tone higher than usual.
"I know what you want, and I know you want it very badly." I declared, irritated with such childish insistence, but the General seemed very sure of what he wanted.
"Then you know what to do."
And with that, he left the prechamber, leaving me alone with one hell of a headache.
Sephiroth's POV
Medina was way too nervous for my liking. It was starting to interfere with his - and hence, my primary goal: to retrieve Elie, no matter what.
I didn't like the direction things were headed. All this failed attempts secretly worried me and I wanted very bad all this to work, to finally have Elie back to me. With me. Only the mere thought of her, holding her safe and sound right by my side gave me the strength to keep on - trying, living, making through the day.
I didn't feel 100% like before, it was a fact - and knowing that Hojo didn't find anything in me to justify such unspecific symptoms didn't ease my worries. To be completely honest with myself, I was afraid of having something undetectable. Since I wasn't completely human, there was always a shadow in the back of my head, taunting me.
Jenova had crossed my mind several times, and it was a very tactile hypothesis. Thing was, I wasn't sure. And I didn't dare to talk it out with anybody… but Elie. I knew she would be the only person capable of erasing my doubts.
The morning was cold, as I left the car right next to the Science Division, now outside the city limits. A new building had been lifted up around the PORTAL, and the investigational team grew and grew.
Medina put all his efforts and more in reviving the PORTAL, namely by my insistence, all of it cautiously hidden from Rufus.
He was slow, very slow comparing to his father, and the bureaucratic tasks of the President didn't give him time to focus on investigational details. He would take his time finding out, I was sure, but I was confident that, by then, I would have my Elie back to me permanently.
My Elie.
I sure liked the sound of that.
The coded doors giving safety passage to the PORTAL's wing opened, allowing me to walk in, as if being engulfed by darkness. As I passed by the lights popped to life, a bluish white, cold, fluttering, taking its time to become stable and firm.
I knew the path by heart, walking with the confidence that I would leave this place with other than empty hands tonight.
"Greetings, Doc." I said, as I entered the pre-chamber. Medina looked at me, as the physicians muttered something amongst them. "Gentlemen." I greeted, with a nod. "Any news?"
The question wasn't directed to someone in particular, but Medina was the one answering me.
"Well, we made a reset, so to speak. We'll try with a different amount of energy, and be proportional to the animal's biomass."
I raised my eyebrows and made a face.
"As long it works."
Medina didn't say a word to me and I watched how they prepared the field, the set and the decoy to enter the PORTAL. The moment the energy started fusing, Mako joined the flash of light, creating a green bubble of energy that slowly expanded. The sheep in the cage was categorically nervous, however rendered immobile, not allowed to exit… yet.
The growing rhythm was painfully slow, and I wondered how much time it would take to become sizable to take the animal in.
"Okay, let's reverse the influx." Medina suddenly said. "Only Mako, please."
I stared at the man by my right side, wondering what he might mean with that. Unless…
"Did you inject Mako on the sheep?" I dared to ask.
"Yes." He answered, dry and nervous.
"How much?"
His eyes met mine.
"Your usual dosing."
Well. I sure wasn't expecting that and decided not to say a word, resuming to enjoy the show. I watched how the electricity flux reduced to minimum and the Mako inflow powered the structure, the glowing orbit changing color from white to neon green.
"Just a little wider, come on..." Medina said, whispering to himself.
In front of our eyes the orbit grew proportionally to the size that mattered, and finally the order was launched.
"Set in the coordinates." He said, and I watched how, right behind us they dialed a set of characters and numbers, visible in a digital board inside the chamber. "And we're good to go."
The cage's door opened up and the timid animal got out, slowly walking towards the orbit. And, in front of our very eyes, it disappeared, and I stared at the Medina, who had the eyes wide open, visibly immersed in the seconds that would follow.
"And goes one, and goes two, and goes three. Let's bring it back!"
The man behind us dialed another set of characters and, slowly, at a lazy rhythm, we saw how a black nose came out of the orbit, following the rest of a perfect, normal and living sheep.
"YES!" Medina shouted, with his arms up. "Yes, we did it!" He felt ecstatic. "Slow the influx of Mako and call the Vets in. Let's see if everything is okay with the specimen."
A set of applause behind us followed and I smiled, nodding at Medina.
"So we have a plan."
He smiled openly at me, as I shook his hand, congratulating him. he was so nervous I could sense the feeble trembling in him.
"Now this is progress." He declared, visibly content.
I let the staff leave the prechamber, as the orbit slowly faded and the animal was retrieved towards a contiguous lab, for a check-up. Medina busied himself writing some stuff on the occurrences chart and I decided it was time to inform him of what would follow for the day.
"Do some more testing, then I'll be the next by nighttime."
And I could swear the man in front of me got whiter than snow. Clearly, he didn't like what he heard.
"Are you crazy?" He asked, serious. "Really, totally out of your mind?"
"Pretty much." I admitted, half-joking.
"This is one success of many failures, don't think the PORTAL is secure, because it isn't. And much less for you and Elie to cross it."
I narrowed my eyes at Medina, being truly blunt with the man.
"Listen, Medina," I started, pausing for strength. "You warn Elie I'm coming for her, I'll be prepared by 0:00h set for catching her up."
The man in front of me seemed in shock, but started to talk.
"You don't understand, I can't guarantee your safety-"
"I'll see you later. I'll be here at 23:30h sharp."
I turned, not letting Medina answer me, but I heard him shout something at me.
I didn't care in the least.
I had much to do before nighttime.
Elie's POV.
The day got terribly busy since 8:00 am. Lots of costumers, me and Frances barely making it to all the tables, varied breakfast styles for everyone. There were days in which costumers seemed willed to try everything new the Bar had to offer.
We ate bits of bread and took a sip of juice as we passed by the counter, not having time for a relaxed breakfast.
It seemed to slow down around 11:30 am, moment in which I excused myself for a pause in the back. I took the garbage from the kitchen, making a knot and exiting the back door. Only to find something in the floor right in front of me.
A note.
My eyes widened, the garbage bag falling from my grasp. And, with trembling hands, I grabbed that yellowish piece of paper, recognizing that handwriting in miles.
John's.
My eyes watered as I re-read the note over and over: a set of coordinates followed by 'The General is coming to get you. At midnight, sharp.'
So it was happening, it was true.
He was coming for me.
I panted, my heart beating faster. I tried to calm down, trying to control my breathing, so I could focus properly. After all, I had to see where this place was.
I smiled as I recalled I would leave at 4pm today - which was strangely adequate, to be free to prepare my permanent leaving. At least for a while.
"Frances I'll be in the office checking some stuff on the computer, okay? I won't be long!" I shouted, only to be rewarded with a blunt 'Okay!'
The PC Larry had in his office was extraordinary slow but I managed to gather the patience to let the damn thing start up and open up the search engine. Slowly and methodically I inserted the coordinates, waiting for the results to come up.
It was difficult at first to grasp where the place was, but after some clicking I realized it was outside the city limits. In a place I had never been before, a little up in an arboreal area, honestly a little off-limits.
I blinked at the area the satellite photography showed me. It was just trees and rock.
I took a deep breath, concluding I would have to get there way earlier - with the damn GPS on in my mobile phone.
John's POV.
Saying that I was nervous was an understatement.
Even if everything had flowed okay during the afternoon testing, I was actually afraid something would happen to them. Rufus would kill me, and not in a matter of speaking.
The General was pushing this to rather dangerous levels and no one, me included, was ready for this, to embrace the consequences… if something went wrong.
Part of me wanted to prohibit the man of doing what he was doing - he just didn't give me a chance to counterargument, he simply ordered.
As if I was some SOLDIER.
I felt torn, divided. Part of me wanted to see Elie as well, make sure she was okay… but, then again, I was also afraid of losing her in this insanity the General insisted on.
I tried to find out a safety set of coordinates for him to get her, hoping it would correspond to real, reachable place of Elie to be at. The coordinate setting machine wasn't a perfect match, and I feared for Elie's safety.
It was 11:00 pm when the General arrived, entering my office with a strange frown on his face.
"You're early." I declared, gathering courage to convince the man otherwise. "Listen, I-"
"Here." He said, handing me a set of papers. I looked at the main title, and felt a goosebump all over me.
Last will and Testament.
"What…" I paused, flabbergasted. "What on the Planet is this?"
"It took me the whole day to take care of, but it's done." He stated, as if that was the most ordinary thing to do in your free time. "And there's also this…" And another paper came out, landing in front of me.
"In there I state that I made you hostage and you were obligated to do what we're about to do." I blinked as I heard the man. "If things go wrong, which I expect they won't, you won't be held responsible for any of it that may happen and your career is protected. Rufus won't land a finger on you with that."
I took a deep breath and squeezed the bridge of my nose. This was getting way to weird, and dangerous for my liking.
"I don't know what to say." I admitted, feeling a little stupid.
Sephiroth snorted, and took some steps back.
"Let's get Elie back."
I resumed blinking, as I saw the General leave my office. Honestly, I wish I was as optimist as he was.
-/-
The prechamber, as well as the PORTAL's chamber were prepared, all personnel set, ready to start up with the process. To say the environment was tense was an understatement.
I felt truly overwhelmed, unsure and dead scared of what could happen, and seeing the General so determinate gave me the chills.
All I could do was to give my best, and I had called a couple of physicians from the general hospital, just in case something might happen. Truth was, I didn't know what could go wrong, in which way and how to deal with the unknown.
"Medina." The General's voice made my head turn, and I wondered what the man might want now. "It was an honor."
I felt a goosebump along my spine and gulped dry.
"See you later, General." I said, trying to soften the mood. Damn it, I didn't want this to be a… goodbye. What the… damn. "Remember, you have 10 seconds, counting when you go in."
The General didn't say a word, as he entered the Portal's chamber and the energy fields started creating the white orbit of light. Mako followed, and we all saw the PORTAL coming to life, growing bigger enough to accommodate the General… and Elie.
The clock above the structure showed 11:59:45 seconds, and I decided to begin the countdown.
My voice echoed in the prechamber, and I saw the General prepare, approaching the orbit, his figure reflecting the light, the neon color.
My heart beat fast, and I said the numbers mechanically.
As the clock turned 0:00, the General merged the orbit, disappearing right before our eyes. I felt a pang in my heart, as I saw the seconds pass by.
The scene was so consuming I didn't hear the door opening, and a figure approach me. I only realized who it was when he talked.
"Daring to experiment with my boy, Doctor?"
A/N - And the moment of truth is finally here! Enjoy. :)