Disclaimer: I only own Sam.

Chapter 5: Testing My Patience

The sound of dripping water pierced the fog that clouded Sam's mind.

Feeling slowly returned to her limp limbs, making her shudder with the intense cold she felt.

'Where am I? Am I dead? No…the dead can't feel.'

She opened her eyes, and tried to move.

"Chains? I'm chained up?" She gently pulled on the bindings, and stood up the best she could. "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Miss Sam. You are finally awake…" A mechanical voice answered.

Sam was shocked. "Yes….but, can you tell me where I am and what I happen to be doing here?"

"You are thought to be an experiment by the late Professor Hollander. He left notes and pictures of one of his subjects, and they match your description, down to your brown hair and red eyes."

"I was told that my eyes were the result of my irises having no color proteins, and lots of people have brown hair! What's your point?!"

"We have reason to believe that you are this specimen."

Sam yanked at the chains. "So I look like this girl, so what?! Let me go!"

The voice remained calm. "Not until we have proof that you are not the escaped experiment."

"Damn you! I said let me go!" Sam pulled on the chains until they came apart.

Sam was shocked. She never had the strength to do that before. "What…..in the world…?"

"Miss Samantha. That is all the proof we need. You are Exodus. So, to prevent any unfortunate 'accidents', you are to be terminated."

"Terminated?! What the hell are you talking about?! And who the hell is Exodus?!"

A group of heavily armed people broke into the room, armed with guns and swords. They obviously belonged to Shinra's private army. The leader, bedecked in a red bandana, held up his hand to tell his men to prepare to fire.

Sam didn't know what to do. How the hell was she going to defend herself against a barrage of bullets? And, on top of that, what would she do if they pulled their swords? She had no weapon of her own to defend her.

Just then, something in Sam's mind clicked, and forced her conscious out of the way. Her whole body went limp with this unprecedented transformation, and even the leader of the Shinra soldiers hesitated.

Sam chose that moment to rush the group, and as she slammed into them, she tore out vital organs.

Sam stopped when she got to the back of the horde, and looked around her. Her eyes were glazed over, and her face was a mask of indifference to the gore fest she had just created.

Looking at her hands, she marveled at the color of the blood that stained her fingers, and she smiled.

It was a sweet, innocent smile, like that of a child who had just been rewarded for a job well done. She looked at the survivors, and went limp again.

Sam woke back up, and looked at all the blood on the floor.

'Holy shit! What the hell just happened here?! Did I— No, that's crazy, Sam!' She looked at her crimson hands in horror, and then took off like a bullet down the hall.

The soldiers couldn't even chase her for a moment, because they feared for their lives. But, then their loyalty to their paychecks kicked in, and they took off after her.

Sam's legs pounded down corridors that all looked the same. Her mind was racing with thoughts of all those dead men, and the possibility that she had delivered them to that fate.

Running through a door labeled with a picture of a staircase, she slammed the door behind her. Luckily, she was far enough ahead, and the remaining men weren't smart enough to think to look for her there.

Pressing her ear against the door, Sam heard the last of the soldiers leave the hall. She was about to go back in, when she heard footsteps leading in her direction from below. And they were moving fast.

Peering over the rail, she tried to get a look at the newcomers.

"You think that they would have closed this off after we got in the first time!" A woman's voice called.

"I…forgot….how….many…..steps…..this……damn…..place……had….." A masculine voice panted, his irritation and how spent he was could be heard in his voice.

Sam heard a third set of feet, but one of them wasn't talking.

Before she knew it, they had made their way to her position.

A girl with long black hair approached her. "Hmmmm. You don't work for Shinra. And you're in a medical gown. So, you're a patient?"

Sam said nothing, just looked at her bare feet.

A blonde man ran up behind her, and drew a massive broadsword. "Why are you covered in blood?"

The past events finally set in Sam's mind. She fell to her knees and began to cry.

"Cloud!" The woman scolded. "You're scaring her."

Cloud looked like he wasn't the one who should be reprimanded. "You don't know what she is. She might be another one of Hojo's experiments."

Sam shook her head. "They kept saying some man named 'Hollander' was the one who created me."

The woman looked shocked. "So, you are an experiment?"

"I don't know anymore! I was a normal human this morning! Then, I met Reno, and—"

Cloud cut her off. "You met Reno? Of the Turks?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. Vincent left him in my care. He was really hurt, so I had to administer some first aid, but he was almost fine the next morning. Then, I went into the kitchen, and that's the last thing I remember…."

She had deliberately left out all the talking they did, and everything else that happened.

Finally, the last member of the group came clambering up the stairs. "Finally……..I made it." He collapsed.

Cloud was silent for a moment, and the woman introduced herself as Tifa Lockheart.

"Samantha Keels." Sam shook her hand. "Or, at least, I was. I was in this chamber, and this voice kept saying I was 'Exodus', and I was one of Hollander's experiments. Then they tried to kill me, because they thought I was."

Tifa looked at Cloud, who was still listening to Sam.

Finally, he looked at the big black man that had just climbed up the stairs. "Barrett. She's coming with us. You're going to have to carry her."

Barrett looked like he was about to cry. "Why me?! I barely made it up the stairs by myself!"

"I have my sword, and Tifa has to hold on to the map. You're the only one with a free hand."

Barrett swore under his breath. "You are really testing my patience, Cloud!"

SF15: I finally got this chappy done. Amazing how lazy I am, isn't it? Please Read and Review!