Author note: Well, here I am. I finished Crisis Core remake. Now I'm just going to wait for the second part of FF7 Remake part 2. Hopefully it'll have some kick ass things I can incorporate into my little fic here.

Chapter Start

For a previous adult I was easily swayed apparently. What can I say? Maybe knowing Aerith made me braver. More likely, I was following in the OG Sophie's footsteps and was going to die early.

My stomach churned with every step I took. It wasn't fear of walking around Shinra tower without a guard. Really, maybe that should have been a factor though. Killing me would make some people happy, thinking they'd be stabbing to the heart of the President. However, that was false. I to this day doubted anything would cripple that man. Even the death of his much loved wife.

Aerith and I had left my room giggling, skipping merrily through the steel grey halls. It was so odd how a building with such ostentatious glass work would seem grey to me. Comfortable lounges with decadent furniture seemed depressive. The different office floors were little better, better colored with strips of carpets of burgundy and various reds. Still with those steel walls and sad, over the top paintings.

I wasn't sure if it was the natural anesthetic of the building or my memories of what happened that made this place depressing. Either way, I knew I hated it, hated it, and was trapped within it. The fact we actually lived in the damned thing infuriated me, an entire floor dedicated to the higher up in the Shinra company and their families. Of course, only the president had his children here. I think, maybe, he was the only one with kids.

Still, seeing Scarlet in the halls made me boil and I realized I had deep hate for her. She had been disgusting, reeking of lust for power and destruction. I didn't care she fucked the man known as my father. I cared she had been an embarrassing figure when my mother was alive.

When I drew comparisons to my old family to this new one, I realized I was out of my depth. Riley's parents had divorced and both remarried, somehow getting lucky and finding partners who meshed well with everyone involved. They'd stayed friends. Probably because they'd called it quits once they realized the marriage wasn't working.

The Shinra family was a soap opera dream. That man had cheated on the wife and it had been just… acceptable. Scarily enough I knew they'd loved each other, had known that Shinra senior was now half the human he had been. Some of his cruelty had been taken by his wife so the people's lives were better. Now, Rufus and I were too young. And all he had around him were cruel people who fed his own power lust.

Reeve didn't count, essentially a cinnamon bun. Sure, he'd been the project designer for the mako reactors. And it was his design that created the behemoth known as Midgar. I forgave him however, as he'd tried to change it when he learned the truth.

Still, bottom line the building was depressing and too easy to get turned around in. A total and complete oversight of the President was both Rufus and I had keycards to every floor except the private floor reserved for the President himself.

So, while Aerith giggled half heartedly I swiped the card and we stepped into the elevator. The glass elevator. Because that was the best way go show money. A glass, attached to the bloody outside elevator. Still, the view was pretty, I guess.

If only one could see the sky. And could get past the green hue that always clouded the air it seemed. It was eerie at night especially, the way the planets lifeblood shown like an emerald. Maybe if I didn't know the truth, it really would be beautiful.

The doors swished open and Aerith paused. I knew she'd been here before, but not since becoming the "pet" of Rufus Shinra's little sister. With both of us taking interest, poor Hojo had to make do with his full blooded cetra. Not that I felt too thrilled with that outcome. It was just, if I had to choose, I chose Aerith. It was filthy and wrong but I could only reach for so much with my weak, childish hands.

With my next move, I was probably going to become public enemy number one of the scientist divisions. Or at least the ones invested in the one winged Angel.

Like all floors of Shinra it was grey, although perhaps better lighted. I sighed at the lines of cages and tubes filled with liquid.

"This is sad," I muttered in some irritation.

Aerith hummed, her small hand gripping mine a bit tighter. Was her fear that she'd one day end up trapped in a glass tube? I wanted to comfort her, but all I could offer was the pressure of my fingers around hers.

Maybe bringing her wasn't so smart. I was honestly a coward though. As badly as I wanted to save her, I couldn't have come here without support and Vergil was gone now for who knew how long. My next Turk guard might not be so accommodating, or worse, be over bearing. Rufus would have come, but I wasn't sure how much he'd let me get away with if push came to shove.

Against the old man, Rufus would let me burn the world, probably. But others he hadn't developed a grudge against? I wasn't sure.

"Oh… that's so sad."

The cages at this time only had one lone occupant, something tiny and it looked like devoid of fur. The long odd appendage that sprouted from its back was tucked under its trembling form, blood puddling from its mouth. If not for the blood and defeated whimpering, the bulky things fangs would be intimidating. A puppy, was the most apt thing I could connect it to. Maybe…

My fingers curled against its cage, nails catching along the thin holes. It whimpered, tucking its grayish pink body tighter to the cage.

Was this that hound from the remake? This small pitiful thing, one day destined to become crazy with blood lust?

"Yeah… sad." My voice was a murmur, brain swimming with the weight of things I knew.

If I recalled right this was a wrath hound. Genetically altered from a regular guard dog, but crazy from the experiments. I shoved away as it coughed up more blood. This one was dying, or in deep pain.

"Aerith, let's go."

What a fucking moron I was. Who was I to nonchalantly walk by these creatures and know their misery before they felt it? I was just Riley, some no good modern day girl who didn't blink at the atrocities of any game. I'd felt a twinge when killing any dog form monster in any game, sure, but I still played the game. But now I had to ignore it for my own survival, and it was somehow worse.

"It's going to die. Isn't it?" Her voice was so small.

Riley knew better than to mess with things. And I had all the knowledge of Riley. I knew how the planet would fight back, a terrifyingly alive thing. It really took parasite to the next level. If I did what I wanted, would I throw everything off? Would not only Aerith pay, but the planet itself?

I had to be strong and pick a path. If I did choose to majorly invade the storyline, I had to stand my ground. I had to be strong, dig up whatever courage I had as Riley, and run with it. Riley was a coward. Facts. And I was intimately aware of that fact.

Riley had been loud and brash, casual in all of her relationships. A heavy party girl who knew how to taunt and flaunt what she wanted. What she knew. The final relationship of her life had been just as chaotic as all the others. She'd been forcing herself to try and grow up, to avoid admitting she was still too naïve to function as an adult.

The only reason the last relationship had gotten so far, was because Riley had been too terrified to admit she was drowning. The guy was smarter, more grounded, and capable to convince Riley not to go drinking. She'd hated that. What else was college for, if not to party and stave off being an adult a while longer.

Aerith tore her gaze away and swallowed, steps trailing after mine. After a moment I stopped, tiny hands tightening into fists. I knew who I was now. I wasn't Riley, and dying had a way of maturing you quickly. Or, it had me. It wasn't like there was a manual for this stuff. Being reborn.

"Sophie?"

Riley would donate a dollar to end animal cruelty, but wouldn't go protest without friends cajoling her. A follower. Sophie wasn't going to ignore suffering. I knew death too intimately. And I had to wonder, why I'd been reborn. Maybe because I never fulfilled a purpose in that old life.

Things could go wrong. But I would stand the ground I chose, and worse case? Well, death wasn't anything to be scared of.

I turned back to the cage and grasped the lock. It was a regular old lock and I hummed. Riley knew how to deal with this, at least.

"Sophie, um…"

I glanced at Aerith before casting my eyes around. "I want it."

"I don't think that's how it works," she murmured, as I grabbed a heavy looking fire hydrant.

Damn, being a kid sucked! Riley could have lifted this with one hand.

"Not with that attitude, it isn't." I sounded strained, as I hefted the thing up and then brought it down on the lock.

The puppy inside leapt up and snarled weakly. "Oh, shut up." I knew it had nothing to do with me that it fell back over in submission.

My arms already hurt. But hey, stand your ground, right? One day I'd be an adult, or at least a teenager again. And then I could do things like this without strain.

"I suppose…" Aerith whispered, before I felt her hands clasp along the fire hydrant, taking some of the weight. "We have a chance to save it."

I smiled. Gods, this girl was going to cause a revolution inside me. Least she could do was stand by me while I tried not to burn the world around us.

Once, twice, three times, then four. Finally, the lock bent under the assault, clanging on the ground. We breathed out and dropped the fire hydrant down, Aerith huffing a bit. My fingers quickly reached out and tugged the rest of the lock away, ripping the door open. I ignored the alarm that blared around us. Aerith startled at it and grasped my arm again.

"What's a little breaking and entering amongst friends?" I joked lightly, elbowing her until she smiled. With my other arm I scooped the Wrath hound up and brought it to my chest. Of course, the damned thing was heavier than the average actual puppy.

Now that it was in my arms, I felt the bristled fur along its skin, letting me know it was supposed to have some kind of covering. It was just so closely shaved. I honestly hoped it was just they'd been shaving the hounds for easier needle access, and that I hadn't just claimed something that I would be grossed out to touch.

Well, whatever. Make your bed and lie in it.

"Let's go!" Aerith tugged me and we headed back to the elevator.

"The key card is in my pocket," I said, realizing I couldn't maneuver with the trembling mass in my hands. I felt something seep into the sleeve of my dress, and realized by the warmth it was more blood pooling from the mouth.

I shuddered. Gagged a little. I seriously hated anything bodily fluid related. Aerith dug into my pocket just as the sound of footsteps reached my ears.

Shinra troopers. Least there weren't any Soldiers there. The program had been started to my knowledge, but I didn't know when they collected Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal to the elite force of first class. And trust, I'd been looking for that tidbit.

I thought it wasn't until the war with Wutai that the three would rise to mass prominence. But I didn't know the ages or anything like that.

"Freeze! Put your hands up!" A Shinra guard had the audacity to point the gun at us.

I scoffed, making myself appear confident. Aerith squeaked and hid behind me, my keycard tight in her fist. "Put that down. Daddy would be very cross if you hurt me."

I rose my chin arrogantly, ignoring the whining of the puppy and the way I felt that hideous warmth spreading along my arm.

The guards paused and I wondered if they knew who I was. Uncertainty reeked from them at the least, and I nudged Aerith.

"Open the elevator. We've already got the only worthwhile thing from here. This concludes our shopping trip."

"You're crazy," she breathed out.

A small smile graced her lips, only her eyes giving away her trepidation. I ignored the fine trembling of her limbs as she didn't let me go, tugging me back so she could reach the pad. The electronic beeping of the sound of my keycard being accepted sent a twang of relief up me.

"Only the best adventures for you, Kitty cat," I murmured.

"I think no adventures for awhile after this."

"Stop them! That's my test subject, you useless imbeciles."

That voice… I focused on the scientist who it came from and felt my heart stop before pounding painfully. He was younger than I think I'd ever seen him in any media. His long dark hair was tied in a low ponytail, his glasses flashing on his sallow face.

I'd never shame someone for not going for looks, but really… Lucrecia, my girl, you were blind and stupid. Granted Hojo wasn't as oddly repulsive as he was in the remake, younger here, he wasn't some die hard handsome guy. And his personality coupled with that oily voice made him repulsive. One or the other, sure, I could see someone choosing him. Both together? God's, the fact it happened. Love is blind, I guess.

"But Sir, she is…" One of the guards muttered lowly to him.

Hojo brushed him off before giving us a more thorough look over. A small laugh escaped and I flinched back, brushing into Aerith which pushed her closer to the opened elevator door.

"Ah, I see. And is that the Cetra daughter behind her? My, to have come here. Fascinating."

He took a step forward and I didn't think. I hefted the puppy with one arm, and shoved Aerith back, hearing her yelp as she landed on the cold floor of the elevator.

"Don't you come any closer!" I snapped at him, making him pause, hand coming to curl under his chin.

"Now, now, I don't mean you any harm. Merely, I wish you to return the subject to me."

"It's mine now." I said it firmly.

Hojo laughed and my skin crawled. "I gave you one at the Presidents insistence. I won't give you another."

His voice had lowered and okay, maybe that was a tad attractive. Damn me for liking deep tones.

My brows furrowed at his choice of phrase however. He'd never given me anything. I had never even, luckily, seen him before today. Then it clicked.

"Oh, you son of a bit-" I breathed out, incredulity coloring my voice and anger.

"Ah, ah, ah. Such language from our own little princess." He chuckled and took another step forward. "It cant be breeding that caused such crass behavior. However even the finest jewel will dull when surrounded by trash. I'd say that Turk guard of yours is teaching you some filthy habits, princess."

"You don't know anything," I snapped. "Aerith isn't some subject. And you aren't anything to tell me my behavior isn't appropriate."

"No?" His head tilted, the strands of his hair shifting. "So long as you return that to me, then that will be the truth."

"They're both mine," I said, drawing to my full minimal height. "Prove me wrong."

"So sad we couldn't come to a peaceful resolution. There are, of course, far better things to serve as our Princess's pet. However it seems our princess is still to young to know quality versus quantity."

He took steps away from me and I wondered what I'd done. Making an enemy of Hojo was the stupidest move. Maybe this is how Sophie died before game events.

"I haven't anymore time to play with you. Stop them, and bring the subject to me." He waved a hand dismissively and I recoiled.

Something dropped behind me and I spun, hearing Aerith scream my name. My eyes traveled up, registering briefly unusual green eyes, pretty silver gray hair. I didn't let my sudden terror stop me.

Before I could think, and before the figure before me could fully regain balance I made my move. I slammed into him with all my weight which usually would have been so inconsequential. Off balance, and without the years of training he'd had in the games, I tossed him off balance enough that he also backed into the elevator.

Before anything else could be done, I slammed the button for the floor with the bedrooms and felt relief when the doors closed. I was Sophie Shinra. Even if one of the guards tried to override my keycard, the only cards capable of it were the ones belonging to my family.

Still, I didn't allow myself to relax until we were moving. After that, I collapsed against the wall, tightening my grip on the Wrath hound in my arms.

"You are a lot of trouble," I muttered.

"What are you doing?"

The voice was masculine, definitely not Aerith. Oh, yeah.

I glanced up from under my lashes. There he was. The main reason I'd went to the science labs today. My resolve with my plan didn't change, but I'd be lying if my legs didn't tremble beneath me.

"Sophie…"

Her voice was so weak and we both turned to her. Aerith didn't look good. Not at all. All of a sudden, she doubled over, gagging so forcefully I was surprised nothing came out.

"Aerith, what is it?" I went to her swiftly, and she pushed against me, enough I had to shift the heavy animal in my arms.

Her whole body was trembling severely and I suddenly knew why. She was… terrified. Perhaps she knew, deep in her body… what the teen across from us was.

End chapter

Author note: I had so much more planned for this chapter. Of course, more Sephiroth was originally here, and Rufus. Then I saw the word count, and made myself stop. So now that'll go into the next chapter instead! I didn't intend for the dog thing to happen so early, but I saw the opportunity and took it.