A/N: Okay, so this is rather late, but I got distracted with School and Work, so it couldn't be helped.

Zack and Cloud finally show up, but it's only a little at the end. Either way, I hope Zack, the only one with dialogue, is in character...

There's a line in this that Zack speaks that doesn't make sense, but it will be explained in a later chapter.

Just a little warning to anyone reading this story, the next chapter may be a little late, because I'm going to be focusing a lot of attention on the next chapter of my Crossing Boundaries fic.

I'd like to thank Yukio87 who has decided to follow and favorite this story. Thanks a bunch for your support! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis, or Advent Children. They are the property of Square Co., Ltd. and their constituents. This was made for entertainment and does not receive any profits.

Chapter 3: The Confrontation

Tessa,

Something new happened today. I got some cell mates. They're a lot older than me and they're both boys, but that's okay, because they're really cool. One of them is really tall and he has glowing eyes just like the SOLDIERs do. He's really nice too. His name is Zack. His friend, his name's Cloud, is shorter and his eyes are normal, but he's just as cool. He has a softer voice and likes to tease his friend. They make me laugh a lot.

I'm glad they're here, even though I really wished they weren't. I like them, so I don't want them to get hurt like me, but they make me feel safe and comfortable. They're really brave and even talk back to Hojo. It makes me feel brave too. I feel like, if I stay with them, I'll be okay.

Orvar was trying very hard not to get involved with the specimens after his last encounter with the young girl. For a week and a half he had done very well. It wasn't all that hard, particularly because the Turks were there to protect Hojo if any of his experiments got out of hand or to dispose of anything (or anybody) that might put the secrecy of Hojo's experiments in danger. The girl wasn't exactly a prime candidate for dangerous experiments. In fact she wasn't even similar to the types of specimens Hojo usually liked for his experiments.

Unfortunately, life was never fair, so Orvar's days of ease came to an abrupt halt with the arrival (or more accurately, the recovery) of two other Specimens. These particular specimens were going to be trouble, or at least one of them was. Unfortunately that meant, while Orvar could pretty much pretend the girl didn't exist, he was going to be constantly seeing, and possibly even interacting with the other two. To make matters worse, they were both from Shinra.

It was all the information Orvar had, but he didn't need any more to know that this was going to be the worst assignment ever. Not only were they from Shinra, after all, but one of them was a SOLDIER. That meant that the specimen, at some point down the line, had been one of his comrades in arms.

"Stop fidgeting. We've been trained to handle enemies much stronger than ourselves," Ruluf said from beside him.

Orvar cast a small glance his way. "Doesn't it bother you just a little that we're protecting Shinra scientists from a SOLDIER?" he asked. Maybe it was a stupid question, but Orvar remembered working with a couple of SOLDIERs and he knew everyone else had as well. It wasn't as if they had a particularly bad relationship with each other, either, so the situation was even more complicated.

Ruluf stopped abruptly, forcing Orvar to turn towards him to hear his answer. The look on Ruluf's face was considering, as if he were trying to find the best way to explain something to a child. It made Orvar squirm.

"In this life, there's no such thing as 'comrades'," Ruluf told him. "The closest thing you might find is another Turk, since we all answer to the President. For everyone else, though, they're simply people whose goals happen to align with ours for a time. The moment our goals diverge or conflict, we are no longer 'comrades'." With that, Ruluf began to walk again, but it took Orvar a minute to begin following him, his stomach hollow and his mind buzzing with the disheartening words.

When the two Turks made it to the lab Orvar realized just how bad his luck truly was. The two subjects were making quite a racket from their restrained positions on the hard metal slabs. One was particularly tall and muscular with wild black hair and glowing, blue eyes. He wore the uniform of a First Class and not one scientist stood closer than three feet. The second was wearing an Infantryman's uniform and had spikey blond hair and bright, but natural, blue eyes. He was obviously not as strong as the SOLDIER, but he was just as determined to get away and the scientists were keeping their distance from him as well.

Where Orvar's luck gave out, was that he recognized the SOLDIER in question. There weren't that many First Class SOLDIERs, so anyone from Shinra would recognize Zack Fair, but Orvar knew Zack on a more personal level. They had worked several missions together and had actually gotten along rather well. Orvar had considered them friends, to the point that Turks were capable of having friends. Orvar only now understood just how limited that capability was.

Zack noticed the new comers almost immediately and Orvar cursed his damnable luck. He felt his stomach twist the moment the sharp blue gaze landed on him and it only worsened when those eyes flashed with betrayal and then with white hot anger. Orvar did his best to keep his face impassive. Whether it worked or not was debatable.

"You!" Zack growled.

Orvar didn't flinch until the restraints finally did snap, and over two-hundred pounds of pure muscle and rage flew towards him. He was quick to dodge the attack and with the help of Ruluf and a particularly brave scientist, they were able to restrain him once again.

"So this is your Truth."

The words were said with a slur and the tone was rather casual and accepting, but they were like ice cold fingers wrapping around Orvar's heart. He seemed to be in a trance as his eyes stayed locked with the hazy blue ones in front of him, until a hand landed firmly on his shoulder. He snapped to awareness and looked to Ruluf.

"He's not a SOLDIER," Ruluf said.

Orvar nodded and repeated the mantra over and over in his head as he watched Zack's eyes slip closed as he succumbed to the drug. He hoped that if he repeated them enough, he might actually start to believe them.

A/N: Okie Doki! That's a wrap! There wasn't much, but I hope you still enjoy it. Let me know what you thought, 'kay?