Top 'o the morning to yee all. Thanks for tuning in.

Between Fearing the 1st and my raunchy Down at the worship fic, it's been a bit of a tough juggling act on writing chapters for each fic but I wish to assure you my readers that COS is definitely the fic I have the most ideas/plans for.

Hope Aerith and Seph's trip down into the city was as fun to read as it was to write. Must say I am really loving writing for these two and while a number of sub-stories will play throughout, I plan on keeping this fic predominantly centred around them.

On a side note I have been reading many hints about Genesis being in the FF7 remake! How awesome would that be? More Genesis, more Jessie and more Zack Fair is most definitely required :D


Chapter 12 Part 1

"That will be third class squad Kujata's objective upon arrival in Wutai."

Stood leaning lazily against the closed double oak doors at the far back of the packed hall, Genesis sighed at his fingernails. Of the guestimated 150 heads of over-eager rookies mixed in with some high-ups, his was the only one in the room showing a bored disinterest in the matter. He had somewhere far more important to be, he couldn't give a damn about what assignment a squad he didn't belong to were being given and quite why he had been asked to attend this arduous briefing in the first place was becoming ever more of a mystery to him.

"Once a formal base of operations has been established, peaceful measures towards curbing Wutai's escalating materia aggression can begin. Defence of the embassy during those negotiations will be your primary focus."

He smirked at the smooth and controlled voice holding centre stage. To every other idiot in this room Lazard probably sounded confident in his words right now but Genesis had clashed horns in enough disciplinary's with the man to know he was tense and unhappy with this new little scheme Shinra had cooked up.

"Now I must stress again Kujata, this is NOT a hostile assignment. We are not looking to start a war, we are going there to prevent one and any misconduct that jeopardizes that end will be dealt with in the severest of punishments. Any questions?"

Genesis groaned as a hand went up, there was always one.

"Yes SOLDIER?"

"Sir, who will be our commanding officer on this assignment sir?"

Lazard shifted to a closer stance and linked his hands together in front of his body, the thumb of his left hand brushing circles on his right.

The next words to leave his mouth were going to be a lie.

"That is yet to be decided. Any other questions?... good. Report back to your stations and expect a more detailed briefing at noon tomorrow. Dismissed."

With another short groan upon confirmation that his time had indeed been wasted, Genesis turned to use the reason he had stood near the polished wooden doors, to make a swift getaway. The auburn haired fire-caster threw open and marched with long legged strides out the exit before he could be swallowed up in the crowd, the short tails of his crimson jacket hardly able to keep up in his rush to attend his far more pressing appointment.

"If you actually intend on becoming a ranking commander someday, you really should make an effort to mingle with the younger classes."

Genesis barely broke pace despite his great surprise to see Angeal filing in next to him and matching his speed after somehow managing to catch-up.

"That you see befriending children who must be willing to die on your order as wisdom, makes you all the more the fool Angeal."

His larger friend looked momentarily shocked and in that split second Genesis briefly considered whether he had perhaps been too harsh with his words.

"Wow, which character died in one of your books this morning?"

"That was a tediously inane waste of my time" Genesis ranted an explanation as they rounded a corridor corner in unison and he set his sights ahead, considering a new unobvious route to floor 66. "Not a bit of it had anything to do with me! I am certain Lazard requested my presence merely to gloat his authority and to piss me off."

"I doubt it. The director can be difficult at times I admit, but he's not petty. As for having nothing to do with you, don't be so quick to assume. They may be considering you for a commanding role on this one."

"Don't mock me Angeal. We both know I haven't passed my SCT's and Lazard would sooner summon Shiva to diamond dust his testes than promote me. The whole thing was a joke."

"No. That was many things Gen but it wasn't a joke" the marching raven haired first spoke sternly and it was clear from a quick sidelong glance at the sudden hardness in his friends pulsing cobalt eyes that Angeal was borderline angry. "Peaceful measures. Negotiations. It's all a bloody sham. They know full well Godo won't sit by and let Shinra set up camp on his front door. They know damn it! They're sending those reckless Kujata kids as bait, counting on the fact that sooner or later a confrontation will kick off and they will have reason to start their little war. This whole thing is getting out of control."

"Perhaps" the immaculately dressed rapier wielder responded blankly, his mind already beginning to wander away from Angeal's tirade to the mission that lay ahead of him.

"Genesis." Angeal's hand gripped his shoulder firmly to halt them at the junction they would inevitably part ways at and the man's intelligent gaze scanned him uncomfortably. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing that merits such questioning. I simply have no interest in burdening myself with pointless fretting and speculation on political matters I have no control over."

"This is not pointless speculation Genesis! This is important. I didn't-WE didn't join SOLDIER to become invaders and conquerors. We joined with a dream to be heroes. Don't you remember that? Do you even care?"

"Heroes" Genesis snorted, his face a picture of bitter amusement. "The silly pipe-dreams of children."

"Pipe-dreams? Rubbish! I know being a hero meant more to you than that."

Patience thinning Genesis swatted his imploring friends hand from his shoulder and set his sharp incandescent hazel eyes to the firsts.

"You presume to know a lot about me, a lot about everything in fact. It must be a great comfort viewing the world in naught but the blacks and whites as you do. And besides, who is to say conquerors cannot be heroes? Hmmm? Other than the righteous Hewley code of honour of course" he spoke scornfully and Angeal's mouth opened to respond but he didn't allow him. "In fact if you picked up one of those 'books' you so habitually mock for once friend, you would come to realise that conquerors are the only heroes that history truly remembers."

The thickly built swordsman's face that was creased with concern, dropped. It was perhaps the first time he had ever rendered Angeal speechless in an argument and as Genesis pivoted crisply on his heel to depart, it occurred to him that it did not feel as satisfying as he had always imagined it would.

"You are dear to me Angeal but do not treat me like a fool. I am well aware the days are slowly getting darker, I simply do not care to fight it."

Remaining motionless at the junction, Angeal eventually called after him from afar.

"Then what are you here for!?"

Genesis smirked lightly. A strange reaction considering deep down there was nothing he found remotely funny about it. Nothing at all.

"Informed question Angeal." His voice lowered so only he would hear his own admission. "… at times I find myself asking the same thing."


Chapter 12 Part 2

Floor 66, home to professor Hollander's research facility and much to the two eternally feuding head scientists displeasures, onefloor below Hojo's laboratories. He had been here easily a few thousand times but never in hiding and as Genesis slipped between the shadows of the dark maroon carpeted passages, his G-cell enhanced senses combed over the hundreds of soft muffled noises all around.

Hollander's department was about as stark an opposite as you could get to the anarchy of Hojo's sterile chemical washed medical facility. The halls were softly illuminated in mellow orange lights, the walls decorated bottom half in rich mahogany panels and top in a chic mottled wall paper that gave the place a strong resemblance to that of a tasteful country manor. Though one that was indisputably old fashioned. People didn't rush around in labcoats, the hosts of researchers he'd had to evade thus far were dressed in the smart every day attire of academics. Rooms weren't comprised of steel operating tables, grisly instruments and bleeping whirring equipment. They were filled with books, research papers, giant floor to ceiling black boards crammed with scrawled algorithms and seminar galleries.

Hollander was a theorist, a thinker. Hypothesise first and experiment later as opposed to Hojo's methods of sticking the needle in early and waiting curiously to see how the subject reacted. At least in that detail Genesis had a great deal of respect for Hollander.

Though clearly not enough respect to trust the professors assurance that he was the only G-cell subject or to entrust questioning him on Shalua Rei's accusations regarding Shelke.

"Focus you blasted fool!" Genesis hissed to himself mentally as his brain wandered to thinking about the cute strawberry blonde doctor again, nearly causing him to miss the quiet padded footsteps approaching from around the corner.

With graceful light-footedness the Banoran was forced to flit into the recess of a nearby doorway once again and held his breath all the while a trio of researchers deep in conversation strolled by.

Or at least that's what they were supposed to do. To his infernal luck they meandered leisurely to a stop dead in line to his hiding position, rambling a bunch of biology mumbo jumbo over a single open leather bound book. They remained that way for some time making it difficult for the swordsman to avoid breaking an uneasy sweat because had the man of the group peeled his eyes away to glance over either of his female colleagues shoulders for just a moment, his desire to have his presence on this level kept a secret would truly have been buggered.

Left with no other choice and every second posing a greater risk, Genesis stealthily tested the door at his back and slipped in after a very brief glance around the darkened yet luckily vacant room. It was a large consultation room of sorts, though he paid little heed to the detail of it as he stalked in a crouched position along the huge wall length window, hands gliding along the ledge, his stare remaining focused outward into the corridor assessing the foot traffic.

His reason for being here was serious and grave, his temperament towards Angeal no more than an hour prior foul and yet Genesis could not deny the thrill of subterfuge was giving him an uplifting buzz. He was not adverse to the odd fantasy novel and his accomplishments thus far in not being detected with style and grace deserved a place in the fictional. Like a dark elf or mystical assassin. Or a creature of the shadows.

"Wings of light and dark spread afar-"

Genesis' rampant imagination snapped back to reality upon the limb freezing sensation of his shoulder bumping rigidly into contact with what feeling deduced was another shoulder. He turned slowly and was met with equally wide eyes turning equally slowly, level to the exact same crouched spying position as him. Genesis gawped vacantly for a number of seconds at the stranger, a boy with natural green eyes, vivid red-hair styled in randomly spiked peaks and messy bangs who at a guess was no more than 17 years of age.

The bug eyed stare off dragged on in silence for some time, neither seemingly knowing what to do.

Genesis however was first to gather his composure and spoke icily.

"And who pray tell are you?"

"Bob. Who are you?" came a quick, defensive and obviously sarcastic reply.

"I…" Gensis stood up with as much convincing authority and dignity as he could muster. " …am an academic who works here."

"Me too yo" the red-head chimed springing to his feet also and attempting to straighten out his disgracefully sloppy appearance by buttoning his suit jacket over an untucked mostly white shirt.

The pair stared at one another in challenge and to the auburn haired SOLDIER's great surprise the adolescent didn't waver once under his fierce glare. A rarity that after Shalua left Genesis now questioning if he was losing his touch.

"You seem a bit young to be a distinguished researcher" Genesis interrogated coldly.

"And you're pretty strapped up for a regular day at the office" the cocky youth retorted, casting an indicative glance to the hilt of his rapier barely visible on the inside of his crimson leather jacket.

They cast VERY dry smirks to each other for a millisecond, then they were both ducking immediately back under the window to avoid being seen by incoming passers-by.

Awkward.

More silence ensued.

"Ok check it, ya' don't seem the retarded type to ask questions so like, Imma put it on the level yo" the red-head whispered and Genesis frowned at what that even meant. "I'm payin' the good professors office a visit and as the only thing up here that's worth a spit is on that beardy ol' boffs hardrive, I'm guessing you're doing the same. Whoever you are."

"You're point?" Genesis asked curtly in aggravation, not much liking this eccentric nightmare, being probed on his intentions or being shuffled closer to.

"My point compadray is perhaps we should 'work here' together… nom sayin'? Take turns to get what we obviously came for and split." Genesis regarded the notion critically and was about to make an undeniably mocking comment but was cut off before he could. "Don't."

"… don't?"

"Be a bitch. You're pulling a bitch face because ya' 'bout to say something a bitch would say."

Gritting his teeth hard it took a great deal of self-control to quell the fire magic itching to be conjured by his hand and accept he wasn't intimidating this new arrival into submission anytime soon.

"Fine." Genesis signalled his hand across the room, an 'I-really-wish-you-were-dead' smile fixed to his face. "After you then… Bob."

The poorly spoken youth fired him an aggravating shark like grin and soon, when the coast was clear, they slipped back into the busy labyrinth of corridors without another word. They moved low and fast, staying separated, taking turns to signal the other when it was clear to move and falling quickly into synch. Dare he say it the juvenile was actually more a help than hindrance in navigating through the department efficiently, making it so the first real issue they happened upon was outside the office of the professor himself.

Scuttling over nimbly the red-head joined him behind a water cooler positioned only a junction away from Hollander's study, pressed his back to the wall and squatted down next to him.

"Rahmuhs wrinkled sack that's not good" the youth soon drooled after peering out and spotting the same problem. A cleaner not about to move anytime soon stationed outside an open broom closet across from their destination. "I got this."

Genesis' hand shot out on reflex to pull the stranger back down into hiding.

"I don't think so kid."

"I ain't a kid jackass" came the sharp reply, his hand being shoved off the boys jacket sleeve.

Both down on one knee, Genesis narrowed his eyes cynically on the boys face at that comment.

"… you have red scars tattooed on your face."

"And you smell like a prostitute. What's ya' point?"

Affronted at the insult to his expensive cologne the second class instinctively sniffed at himself and the skinny youth took the temporary distraction as a chance to blindly leg it across the intersection.

"Son of a-" Genesis growled low, started to make chase but was silenced and forced to hastily return to hiding. The way was not clear, making it a miracle the kid was somehow not caught.

Stranded he watched the gangly youth stealthily creep away down the other corridor and Genesis' eyes widened when he realised from the way the kid was moving, it was to get a drop on the cleaner. As pre-empted the fiery-haired rambunctious little shite pounced the frail old worker from behind, seizing the unsuspecting man in a vicious choke hold who lurched around for dear life in response, causing both their bodies to slam loudly multiple times into the walls. Slams that the pair of employees still approaching from the other direction had to have heard.

Genesis closed his eyes and placed his head against the office water dispenser in despair, silently asking the goddess why she was doing this to him.

Next thing he saw were two pairs of eyes locked on him from afar. The cleaners in pure red-ish blue faced terror and the boy cutting off his airways looking exhilarated though also somewhat panicked. Genesis furiously mouthed the words 'LET HIM GO' and waved his arms wildly but the boy laying on the floor with all limbs coiled around his victim didn't relent until the helpless man's thrashing had stopped. It nearly gave the SOLDIER a mental break-down watching the fresh-faced idiot check the unconscious cleaners pulse, drag his body into the broom closet just as the pair of employees made it down the long hall and then re-emerge to send a proud thumbs up his way.

"There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess " Genesis repeatedly mumbled to himself, a necessary calming ritual at that point in time to stop him from going over and incinerating the twit.

The murderous swell within him certainly abated, that wasn't to say it had completely cured his mood and Genesis was quick in rounding on the red-head upon entering Hollander's office.

"WHAT IN THE SEVEN CIRCLES OF HELL WAS THAT!?"

Already half way over to the professors wide luxurious desk, the scruffy kid turned and shrugged in the middle of the room.

"I said I'd handle it, so I handled it. Old boy sure had some fight in him."

"Handle it!? What you think that innocent man you throttled isn't going to mention that someone tried to oh, KILL HIM!? They're going to know that was someone was up here!"

"True." The adolescent shoved his hands in his pockets nodding, then grinned slyly. "Won't know it was us though."

The SOLDIER's eye twitched and he spoke rigidly through grit teeth.

"He saw me from the ground."

"Eh. He was probably unconscious by that point."

"You had better hope for your sake you are right" Genesis threatened, shoving passed to march over to the professors desk and access his computer.

"Chill, I'm a Turk yo. Even if he did I'll jig him up a bit for ya', make sure he don't talk."

Genesis had speculated from the rough semblance of a very high-quality suit and the reasonably honed stealth skills that the boy was a new recruit belonging to the department of administrative research. He had quickly dismissed it for obvious reasons. Exactly how desperate had Tseng and the fraternity of assassins become? More importantly, why were the Turks trying to investigate into the professors work in secret?

Genesis didn't have time to think about it and transitioned his current dumbfounded expression at learning the kid was a Turk to a heated glare.

"You are not going to 'jig' anyone up, I will deal with it. You have caused me enough trouble."

"Pfft, suit yourself dude" the rookie Turk scoffed as meanwhile Genesis connected the USB device loaded with software to run the list of 400 passwords he had manually constructed from recurring keywords in the professors work and personal knowledge of the man. "Hey bitch face, who said you get first snoop anyway?"

The expression Genesis sent the complaining youth made the previous glare look sunny and for all his gall even the kid was wise enough at that point to resume a lookout position from the window and keep his moody grumbling to an inaudible whisper. A minute passed in blissful silence while the program worked to crudely gain access to the professors computer. Or mostly silence that was mostly blissful to him at least. For his sanity he'd had to block out a comment from the Turk about bending some passing female employee over something or other and a bit of tuneful whistling.

"Password incorrect"

"Shit" Genesis cursed when the 400th failure message appeared and remained on screen, indicating not a single one of his combinations he had been so confident about had worked.

"Try 'DeepgrounD'. Caps on both d's."

Genesis suspiciously eyed the Turk still scouting out the window blinds but tried the suggestion regardless.

And it worked.

"You're welcome" his lookout chimed casually and continued whistling.

'Deepground'

Genesis had never seen the term mentioned in a single one of the professors publications and while his curiosity demanded he query what it meant, his judgement knew better than to believe he would receive an answer. The kid probably didn't know himself anyway.

Folders in the professors C drive flicked by in their hundreds. Far too many for him to open in the limited time he had before Hollander inevitably returned from his scheduled seminar so Genesis worked on instinct and folder title alone.

Automatic Test Results CH-53

Argento-DATA#12

BID_PROPOSALS

Nucleic Acids Research

Fiscal budgets 008-0010

Funny moogle pics :)

Nibelheim contingency plan

Annual Review of Genetics

Publications 1-47

Publications 48-94

Publications 95+

Jenova Biometrika

SITE_SECURITY

Disease Models & Mechs

Rosso casefile 005

SisterRay BP's

FARAMIS/IFALNA corresp-

Lipids Epidemiology Dep

Microbiology and Molecular Dep

Phylogenetics Dep

Neuroscience Dep

Virology Dep

Banora Botany Dep *disband*

Cosmo observatory recs

Shinra shares/pension

AZUL BEHEME TRIALS CRL

Mideel (excavation zones)

Project Gillian

'Project Gillian'

The moment Genesis' expert skim-reading eyes landed on that folder his heart skipped but for no obvious reason he could discern. The only Gillian he had ever known was Angeal's mother who had, for a portion of his life, been something of a mother figure to him also. A truth he had always been jealous and somewhat resentful of, that the wonderful woman's love for his best friend was born from blood and his from pity. None of that however could have anything to do with what he was staring shakily at now.

The tense Banoran's confusion consolidated into a cold dread upon opening the latest entry file dated a week ago in said folder to find a page headed with his name appearing on the screen above a wall of text and a 3D MRI model of a human body.

He had been in a MRI scanner only 3 weeks prior. Not that it was of any consequence, the shape and proportions of the model before him made it quite clear that this was his body. It dawned on the 20 year old that he had come seeking information on Shelke and found something entirely different.

But why were his medical records being filed away in a folder named 'Project Gillian'?

He wasted no time in reading.

Date: εγλ 92 circa

Entry:#132 - Short entry - Personal

Disappointing. Further intra-cytoplasm and resonance imaging tests confirm cellular membrane atrophy and decreased trophic influence on the subjects sympathetic nervous system. Evidence of accelerating malignant G-cell growth has now become apparent, confirming early signs of the subjects condition we have dubbed 'degradation'. The nature of the condition causing severe hypertension on the immune system certainly draws parallels to conditions seen outside of mako alteration, though regrettably such aggressive cellular behaviour is only commonly found in rodents. As a result I fear financial feasibility to research a treatment with such limited practical uses will prove unjustifiable despite my private and honest desire to cure my patient.

All current data measuring the rate of degradation indicate that signs of decline could begin in as early as 12-15 months and total physical debilitation a similar period thereafter. Additional tests required to confirm this but for all purposes the condition is akin and may be regarded as that of a presently incurable cancer.

Needless to say the blow dealt to G-cell superiority and my research cannot be overstated.

-Hollander

With every sentence Genesis' reading had slowed so by the time he had reached the end of the entry, time seemed to have stopped. In his life he had read millions of paragraphs and now his life had just been handed to him in 2. It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, someone being an Iron Giant that had consumed a potion stores entire stock of strength and haste potions. A gut wrenching blow of reality so sobering it didn't seem like reality at all. This could not be real. This was not his destiny.

The sound of a low whistle in his right ear pulled the faintly swaying and disbelieving swordsmen back into the room.

"Cancer? Ahhh geez dude that's...fuck, I'm sorry. I'm real sorry."

Numbly he turned in a blur to see the young red-head Turk who he hadn't noticed had been reading over his shoulder wielding a solemn sincere expression. Then numbly to the door in unison with the green eyed youth as it unexpectedly banged shut behind a stocky man, fuzzily bearded, his hair in the process of steadily greying its way into the later years of its life. The Turk at his side attempted to react to the arrival but Hollander's hand went up which stopped him dead.

"Ahhh Reno Sinclair I presume? I wondered how long it would be until Tseng sent you here. Wonderful little instrument this."

The articulate gravelly voiced professor meandered calmly into the room and held up what obviously had to have been the device that gave away their presence and had the scientist returning early from his conference.

"Y-you know my name?" the young Turk gulped, clearly shaken at being well and truly caught.

"Indeed, I make a point of familiarising myself with all the members of your department. You aren't the first expendable agent to be sent to investigate my work and I fear you won't be the last." Genesis watched in a zombie like state as the professor wandered unhurriedly over to the antique drinks cabinet in the corner of the old-school office and decant a strong drink. "Fortunately for you I have a great deal more tolerance than that deranged psychopath Hojo. If you leave us immediately I will allow this transgression to pass."

The fresh-faced rookie didn't need telling twice and made straight for the exit in silent haste.

"Oh and Reno, if you are secretly half as bright as they say you are, you'll be sure to keep everything you learned here to yourself. We wouldn't want your career ending fortuitously early, being a Turk will do that soon enough."

His own dark humour garnered a chuckle from Hollander and the Reno kid left, but not before casting an angry snarl to the floor. Left alone the professor dumped himself heavily in a nearby burgundy leather reading chair, crossed a leg onto his knee and tilted his amber liquid filled glass his way calmly.

"Please my boy, continue reading about the truth of your predicament. We have much to discuss."


Chapter 12 Part 3

Sephiroth slowly removed his coat, antagonizingly slowly, his venomous gaze never once breaking from the professors beady malevolent stare that blazed with fury beyond reason. It was late in the evening, he had spent the entire day with his beautiful beloved sister upon arrival back at the Shinra building and it had allowed Hojo's mood to stew to a new peak of rage he had never seen before. Never had the vile being been so angry it couldn't even muster a voice to hurl insults at him.

The pleasure that gave Sephiroth was, without question, worth every bit of what was about to come and he allowed the shadow of a smirk on his face to glint down at the pathetic little man. That made Hojo's furious trembling worsen, or in his eyes improve, the only movement in the creatures entire body besides the constant scrunching and unscrunching of bony hands. Hojo had never been able to get at him and a strong part of this rage was because Hojo knew he never could.

Coat removed Sephiroth blindly dropped the long black raiment away into the quivering arms of a young petite woman with blonde hair plated into a neat high-bun who clearly wanted nothing more at this moment than to re-evaluate her profession as a scientist. She hurried timidly away to place the heavy garment elsewhere and the silver-haired second, only moments away from become a first, did not wait for her to return before placing himself on the table. He showed no hesitation in laying back upon the steel surface as cold and rigid as surfaces got. Nor in his voice as he ordered contemptuously up to the excessively dazzling lights.

"Get on with it."

Sephiroth didn't need to turn from staring straight up to see the predatory snarl or the extra ferocity that added to the greasy spectacled scientists demeanour, he could sense it radiating from Hojo in droves. Rushing back seconds later in response to a small hiss through Hojo's teeth, the terrified azure eyes of the kind faced female assistant were over him.

Too sweet and kind to survive in a place like this for very long.

The simple but prettily presented woman sent him a deeply apologetic stare from behind the stylish rectangular half-rim glasses she likely wore for fashion then for actual prescription purposes and Sephiroth merely nodded to her in assurance. With reluctance rarely seen among the nutcase professors employees she shakily started to manoeuvre his ankles and wrists as gently as possible into the thick leather restraints secured to the table by sturdy chains.

"HURRY UP!"

The hideous screech pierced through the echoing surgery causing the timorous blonde to jump terribly and scramble to finish strapping his left ankle. Sephiroth had no qualm with the restraints, they were a common safety measure taken during the procedure and one that was not entirely for the safety of the patient. Being enhanced with Mako was a procedure that triggered a tremendous number of extreme and brutal changes in the body. Most keenly of which was an enormous rush of corticosterone in the brain, the hormone commonly associated with aggression. Stories of doctors having their throats bitten out or being bludgeoned to death by the bare fists of crazed SOLDIER's were not unheard of in the early days. Sephiroth had even experienced 'the mist' to a lesser degree himself during his previous dosage for second class status so of course the temporary side effect would likely be far more profound here.

Hopefully he would find a way to bludgeon Hojo's smarmy unsightly little face with any luck.

"I imagine you thought yourself so clever." He rolled his eyes, the professor had found his voice at last. "I expect even at this moment you believe that you do not regret stealing the ancient from me."

The crazed scientist stalking circles around him suddenly pounced from a point just above his head, seizing a rough handful of his hair and with his limbs tied to the four corners of the bench, Sephiroth was in no position to resist.

"But you will boy!" Hojo literally spat from mere centimetres away into the side of his face. "You will, you have my word on that! Draw the formula!"

The barked at assistant emitted a short squeak and Sephiroth turned to observe the woman dwarfed in an oversized labcoat pitifully as she attempted to unpackage an alcoholic swab to sanitize his arm with.

As anticipated the professors eyes closed in exasperation and his voice turned deadly again.

"What is your name?"

"... me?... I… Le-Leonora sir."

"Hmph, stupid name. Are you an imbecile girl?"

"…n-no?" her voice feint with fear responded more as an uncertain question.

"THEN WHAT PART OF LOAD THE FORMULA DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?"

The young woman staggered away backwards under the full weight of Hojo's insane outburst rounding upon her and didn't stop until her rear banged loudly into the counters lining the back wall. Fumbling desperately behind her without taking her eyes of Hojo, Leonora blindly reached to pick up the tray adorned with a fully assembled needle and a vial of glowing greenish-blue swirling liquid. The ugly hook-nosed scientist focused his sights back to him impatiently, hungrily even and Sephiroth's words at that point slipped naturally from his mouth.

"I'm going to take your head someday."

There was no anger in his voice or threatening edge, just a purely factual tone as unremarkable as if he were saying the sun rose in the east.

"I am mindful of that eventuality" Hojo cackled. "And I would enlighten you as to why such a trivial action would only transcend my genius to new heights but an insubordinate fool such as you could not hope to understand the… 'measures' I have taken to prepare for such an outcome. More."

Hojo commanded the word 'more' over his shoulder at the young assistant who was about to withdraw the hypodermic needle from the deadly S-cell/Mako blend after drawing the plunger to a precisely dosed half way point.

"… professor?"

"More" Hojo instantly repeated, darker this time, never taking his stare from Sephiroth's

The mortified blonde proceeded to draw the plunger exceptionally slowly, hands barely capable of holding the equipment steady trying their utmost to up the dosage as minimally as possible.

"More."

The plunger drew a little faster but not by much.

"MORE." Dry thin lips curled in a predatory snarl. "MORE MORE MORE!"

Hojo's meagre patience snapped and the room broke into anarchy. The professor leapt like a snake from the grass, shoved the young woman aside so viciously a line of glass beakers went smashing to the floor in the wake of her tumble and Hojo yanked the plunger the entirety of the remaining distance. Sephiroth's eyes widened in shock at that and as the scientist started advancing towards him, he recognised to even his bewhilderement that action was needed. Sephiroth began fighting against the restraints holding him down, though not in fear, he would never show fear. Though perhaps it should be fear, for Hojo may aswell have had a loaded gun pointed at his head and the wild intent on the scientists face left no question on whether he was planning to shoot.

"No! It'll kill him!" a sweet highly distressed voice implored, the girl Leonora standing panicked at the professors back not knowing what to do.

"The probability is undeniably high. But the road to true greatness requires great risk my dear."

"You can't!"

Hojo froze dramatically in his advance towards a struggling Sephiroth, no others words than 'you can't' seeming to register as a more heinous insult to the livid man. Whirling around the backhanded slap he delivered across the girls pastel cheek defied the strength of the villains frail skinny form, casting the slight blonde who could not have stood above 5 foot 2 or weighed more than 110 pounds flying headlong to the ground. Blood immediately trickled from the corner of the crumpled gasping woman's mouth and Sephiroth pulled harder on his restraints in furious anger.

"I will do as I please with MY test subject! He will either survive and become the greatest specimen that ever lived! Or he will die a failed one!" Hojo continued closing in and Sephiroth attempted to retreat his arm away from the incoming needle to no avail. Resistance was futile, the restraints were designed specifically to hold against inhuman strength and words of protest he didn't even bother to utter, knowing they would only serve to spur the sadistic man on. "Irrespective of which outcome transpires, there is one thing we may be certain of my boy; This will be a deservedly agonizing experience!"

The needle was plunged deep into his arm. Sephiroth winced and shook his head, not believing even the professor had truly lost every shred of sanity.

This had to be a bluff, an act to try and strike fear into him.

Plunger steadily descending, Mako rushed into the growling seconds arm.

It couldn't be genuine, he couldn't die at the hands of this lunatic. He couldn't leave Aerith to this monster.

The plunger crossed the half way mark.

He couldn't leave Aerith to any of them.

Now for the first time fear did creep its ways in as still the toxic life-threatening substance continued to enter his body. The sobs of the woman traumatised by what she was seeing competed for audio dominance against the escalating snickering of Hojp who's eyes were emblazoned in insane mirth. Finally in a truly stomach dropping moment the barrel was emptied completely into his system and it was all he could do but to stare at the drained syringe in disbelief.

It was done now, there was nothing left to do.

Sephiroth dropped his head back to the metal surface and simply blinked up helplessly at those lights the same way he had 9 long years, a cruelly blunt reminder that despite fooling himself otherwise, nothing had really changed. He was just as trapped as Aerith.

Aerith.

The one person he allowed to be in his thoughts before the pain that was inescapably on its way arrived. Before the mist descended and prevented him from being capable of thinking at all… or perhaps ever again.

He held true to those thoughts, anchoring himself for as long as possible. Hojo's screaming laughter stabbing sharply at his hearing the entire time.