According to even the most extensive personel file in the great city of Midgar, Aeris Gainsborough simply did not exist. I'd tried every spelling I could think of of both 'Aeris' and 'Gainsborough', including some far-fetched spellings like 'Erias' and 'Gensborogh' in case some idiot along the chain of command had dyslexia or something. Zack had long since left my side, probably in pursuit of more alcohol, as if he hadn't had enough the other night.

Then I had a stoke of genius.

I heard Hojo muttering to himself as he passed in the hallway, so I ran out and grabbed him by his greasy hair and stained labcoat. He flailed like, well, a madman, but I quickly whisked him over to the computer desk.

"You're going to do me a favour, alright?" I warned him. I hit a keystroke to log myself out of the system. "If you're good, I'll buy you a shiny new scalpel."

"State. Name. Please." Scarlet's monotone voice droned out.

"Go ahead," I said slowly and carefully, quiet enough for the computer to not hear me.

"Hojo," the old man blubbered out as I was halfway to strangling him with his own labcoat.

"State. Password. Please."

"The girl's name. I know it's it." I quietly urged him, nodding in the direction of the brunette in the painting over the desk. She was... Breathtaking I suppose, and holding a bunch of blue flowers I didn't recognise. Maybe Aeris would know what they are.

"... Lucretia."

"Confirmed. Welcome." Just like that, all of Hojo's top secret junk was at my fingertips.

"I owe you a scalpel I guess." I said, before unceremoniously ejecting him back into the hallway from whence he came. I swiveled the chair around and took a seat. Time to get cracking.

I felt hungover. At least, that's what my first descriptor of this feeling would be. The world was black and it hurt to see, and my head was pounding away at the walls of my skull. I tried opening my eyes, but it was still black. I went to rub at them only to find my hands bound to the back of a chair. A brief disgruntled glance to my right, and I saw my pal Rude tied down too.

There was a door directly infront of me, and a spotlight right behind me. I knew this because it opened just then Tseng stepped in and it shone on his smug unblemished face. Betcha he shaved between kidnapping us and taking us here, I mused.

He stood infront of us, glaring down at us as the tranquilizers finished wearing through our systems. He hesitated for a minute, I suppose he was either perfecting his little speech in his head, or waiting for one of us to react to his presence. I figured I would bite the bullet, and sat up as straight as I could.

I decided to get to the heart of the matter. "Where's Elena?"

Rude's head snapped up suddenly. He hadn't even noticed she wasn't with us.

"Suffice to say that she's been let go," Tseng responded, monotone, unreadable, as usual. I blinked several times as I fought against the pounding in my head, which seemed to go on endlessly. Tseng continued. "Shinra hires Turks for the sole purpose of keeping things like this situation here - A kidnapping, I'm sure you're aware - from happening. We keep the peace from the shadows, as it were. How are we to do that, Reno, when I cannot even trust those I work with to avoid reading my mail or tap my phones?"

"Guilty as charged. So what, boss? I was curious who your late night caller was." I fought now against a grin forming on my face, and failed as a smirk creased my smile. "Hell, here I thought you were gay."

I didn't get any more smart remarks in, as he punched me squarely in the jaw. Then he looked behind us and said "It's your turn now. Take out the trash."

Before I could turn to look at this second person, I was back into the dark void of unconsciousness.