Sorry this has taken so long. Between having three stories on the go at once, and having to make the Christmas cards that I'm sending out, I haven't had much time to write, let along type. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews motivate me. As do chapters of my fav stories. =)
Anyway. Here it is.
Warnings: Dark themes, cursing, and Hojo.
Note: In this story I've flipped the order of Gast's names. Instead of Gast Faremis, I'm calling him Faremis Gast, and I'll briefly explain why. If he were known as Professor Gast, this would mean that Gast should be his surname. Now in the original Japanese the surname would have been written first, hence Gast appearing as his first name in the admittedly spotty translation of the game. So I'm running with Gast being his surname and Faremis being his given name. Just my interpretation.
Kudos to anyone who can spot the three pop-cultural references in here.
Questions of Fate
Chapter I - Choices
You could change the fate of thousands with a simple choice... The choice between what is right and what is easy...
When Lucrecia stirred, her eyes fluttering open reluctantly, the sun was filtering in her window, through gauzy curtains to sparkle on the floor. For a split second she didn't know where she was, but it didn't take long for the room's layout to trigger her memories. She recognized the room. It felt as if it had been only yesterday that it had been hers. The white walls, the tall bookshelves, the glass office desk and silver laptop. Even the insistently buzzing alarm clock on the bedside table.
It was the bedroom in her quarters at Shinra. How had she...? As the question flitted through her mind she recalled Minerva's words. It is less a question of where, and more a question of when...
"That's impossible..." Lucrecia muttered to the ceiling. "Einstein's theory of general relativity says... nothing against true time travel." She sighed. "I wonder how far back-"
She never finished the sentence, stopping as she sat up. She felt heavy; too heavy. The realization had already half hit her when the blankets fell away from her stomach. Her swollen, very pregnant stomach. Sucking in a surprised breath, Lucrecia froze. Of all her past turning points she hadn't expected to find herself here. She'd thought she'd find herself back on the day the experiments started.
Almost reverently Lucrecia put her palm to the smooth, stretched skin, caressing where she knew the child was. Where Sephiroth- the child of the Calamity, the Nightmare- lay curled, as yet innocent to the world. As she stroked she felt him shift; felt a tiny hand press outward towards hers. Gulping down a swell of emotion, Lucrecia looked over to the clock- which had only just stopped its tirade. 6:15.
What was the date? Obviously she was well into the pregnancy. In fact, she doubted she had much longer to go before Sephiroth would be born. Lucrecia hoped she had at least a day to formulate some sort of plan. Minerva had clearly wanted her to change things, so step number one was to make certain that her son would not be raised by Hojo. She didn't want him to even meet the madman until he was good and ready. In short, she needed to escape. The good question was how. One couldn't simply disappear from the Shinra Building without someone—namely the Turks—knowing about it.
She would need help. Preferably someone who had access to the whole building and who could keep the Turks off her back. That left her options extremely limited: The President himself, a Turk, the Director of SOLDIER, or Hojo.
"Damn... That's right. SOLDIER doesn't exist yet," Lucrecia grumbled. "Running out of options." She patted her stomach reassuringly as Sephiroth shifted again. "I wish Vincent was here."
An insistent buzzing on the desk beside Lucrecia's bed roused her from her musings. She glanced over to where a black PHS hummed across the wooden surface. Before it had a chance to buzz again, she plucked it from the desk and flipped it open.
"Hello."
"Dr. Crescent? Sorry to wake you, but Professor Hojo asked me to remind you of your appointment this morning."
"Of course. Tell the good Professor I won't be late."
"Certainly, Doctor. Have a good morning."
"Thank you."
With that, Lucrecia snapped the phone shut again, staring at the whitewashed wall across from her where two bookshelves full of scientific journals loomed up to the ceiling. She remembered that phone call from the first time around. When had it come through...?
Goddess... the day before... Sephiroth would be born tomorrow! She had very little time indeed.
Lucrecia glanced at the clock. 6:25. Her appointment was at seven; that much she remembered clearly. Enough time to compose herself and try to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Hojo was an observant man. If she slipped up on an expected response it would not escape his notice.
Lucrecia felt movement and Sephiroth kicked, his surprising strength nearly winding her. She petted her stomach soothingly and shushed her son. "There, there. I'll get you away from him. I promise."
She sighed as the clock ticked another minute past and reluctantly swung her legs from the bed. Little Sephiroth would have to endure one more session. That was all. Then they would be free.
"Ah, Lucrecia. Not a moment late, I see."
Lucrecia forced a smile as she gazed on the monster she had once thought of as a friend… a husband. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."
Professor Hojo smiled back, but it was not a gesture of affection. His beady eyes gleamed with sick fascination and malice. All he cared about was the experiment. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn't—and never would—see Sephiroth as a child. He saw a subject. A piece of data. Hojo could care less if the boy had feelings… or at least, he would.
Light reflected menacingly off his glasses as he turned, blanking out his eyes while his hand busied itself readjusting his greasy, jet-black hair.
"Well. First things first," he declared. "Up on the table, if you will. I'll check Mako concentration and test the stability of the Jenova Cells."
Lucrecia had to suppress a shudder as she eased herself onto the table. Gods, but she didn't want his hands on her. She didn't know if she'd be able to stop herself retching. She commanded her voice to sound pleasant. "I felt him kick this morning. He's remarkably strong already."
"To be expected," Hojo replied without even turning to look at her. "It has a greater Mako dosage than any human alive; and with active Jenova Cells… I anticipate that it will outpace normal children quite quickly in all aspects of its development."
It? That was all he called the child he believed to be his son? How utterly… barbaric! No wonder Sephiroth's life had been so desolate.
Lucrecia barely listened to Hojo as he ran his checks, or to his analysis of the test results. She knew what he would find. In fact, she knew more about Sephiroth now than Hojo did. Instead she watched the ultrasound; watched the tiny boy on the screen move, flexing stubby fingers and toes, rubbing his face. If only Cloud could see him like this. So vulnerable and innocent. So utterly fragile and breakable.
So fragile…
"His cells have fused perfectly with the Jenova Cells," Hojo remarked, looking down through the microscope at a small cell sample. "They've even altered some of his genetic make-up…"
"Altered?" Lucrecia slipped just the right dose of alarm into her voice to sound like she hadn't expected that. Playing along was best for now.
"Nothing to fear," Hojo replied. "Just some changes in appearance and abilities. In fact, he'll be better off. His physical potential could be endless. Not to mention his skills with magic…" He trailed off, an unsettling gleam in his eyes.
"So do you think Project S will outdo Project G?" Lucrecia asked. "After all, you and Hollander have been so competitive lately."
"Oh, most definitely. Project G will pale in comparison."
Hojo turned to sort the new data into the files and Lucrecia quickly glanced around the room. It was much as she remembered it; with cruel-looking instruments strewn on the desks and lab benches, and screens on every wall streaming data constantly. The oppressive buzz of multiple EM fields and the smell of formaldehyde gave her shivers. Absently she wondered it Jenova was here, hidden in one of the sealed tubes. She knew for a fact that the alien wasn't yet in Nibelheim.
Lucrecia's eyes inspected the many vials on the bench next to her. Each was filled with some vibrantly coloured liquid and labeled in neat, concise handwriting. There were three vials labeled 'Mako', each with a different concentration. But her attention was fixed on the vial next to the Mako that held a yellowy-green, viscous liquid.
So fragile… So vulnerable…
Not once did she take her eyes off Hojo as she reached out to snatch the vial from its place amongst the others. Just as it settled in the depths of her pocket, Hojo turned around.
"Well, everything looks perfect. It should be born any day now."
Lucrecia nervously smiled, trying to hold to the happy, compliant façade. "I can't wait to meet our son."
Hojo made a distant sort of non-committal noise and Lucrecia grit her teeth. It was a struggle not to beat the man into unconsciousness. He was so damned cold! How could she have ever seen anything in him?
Gingerly lowering herself to the floor, Lucrecia once again forced a pleasant tone into her voice. "So, will you have time for dinner tonight?"
Hojo twitched almost imperceptively. "Lucrecia, I'd love to, really…"
No, you wouldn't…
"…But I have a lot of work to do. I'll be in the lab all night."
"Oh, okay." Lucrecia thanked the Planet for her newfound acting ability as she added just a touch of disappointment into her voice, only to make it sound as if she were trying to hide it.
Excellent… in the lab all night. He won't be able to interfere.
"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you." Hojo's words were devoid of any true emotion, rather sugar-coated with false pity.
"Of course you will," she chirped, letting herself sound completely sycophantic. Her stomach turned, doing several disgusted somersaults in her abdomen as she forced herself to lean forward and plant a kiss on the madman's cheek. "See you at lunch."
Hojo flinched, and Lucrecia found herself very much enjoying his discomfort. It almost made having to kiss him worth it.
With a carefree flip of her hair, Lucrecia exited the lab. As if a weight had been lifted she instantly felt her heart lighten. But a second later the burden returned, all with the tap of the vial in her pocket against her leg.
Only if I need it, she assured herself. Only if there's no other way.
Damn, but she wished she could remember people the way she remembered the building. She'd found her way to the Turk's floor easily enough. She remembered that they'd always let her in. They'd all known Vincent, and treated her like family. The problem was, she couldn't remember if any of them had been loyal enough to her to help her now.
"You okay?" One young Turk asked, her strawberry-blonde hair cropped in a girlish bob-cut that reminded Lucrecia just which decade she now inhabited. "You look a million miles away."
"I'm fine," Lucrecia insisted, straightening in her chair. She chided herself for letting the mask slip. Especially around Turks.
"It's those dreams again, isn't it?" the girl asked. Green eyes studied her, and Lucrecia knew nothing would escape that gaze.
Crap. She'd forgotten about the dreams. What if she'd been too upbeat around Hojo? Would he have noticed?
"Hey, Casey. Leave her alone. She's probably tired." A lanky rookie Turk peeked around the doorframe of the breakroom. His black hair was a charming ruffle around his face; brown eyes flicking between Lucrecia and the back of Casey's head. But it was the fresh wound on his jaw that caught Lucrecia's eye. A pair of jagged lacerations ran from his left jaw to his cheekbone, still freshly bandaged. She knew those marks. She knew they would scar.
She smiled inwardly. She was looking at Veld. The future leader of the Turks; the future father of Elfé. A man brave enough to abandon Shinra. Too bad he was only a boy for now. Opportunity number one out the window, Lucrecia mused.
"Girl talk, Veld," Casey retorted. "Come back when you spontaneously change gender."
A put-upon sigh was the last Lucrecia heard from the venerable Turk before he vanished down the hall. He's pretty cute as a young man, Lucrecia thought before a cougarish sensation settled in her gut and she pushed the thoughts aside.
"I'm fine, Casey. Really." Lucrecia sighed. "The dreams haven't been so bad in the last little while."
"Well, something's got you down. Hojo being a prick? Wait… redundant question."
Lucrecia snorted before she realized that she shouldn't have. The girl was probably expecting her to defend the scientist.
Casey's eyebrows rose and she smirked. "Have the curtains finally lifted from your eyes?"
Lucrecia considered for a moment before she shrugged. "A little, I suppose."
"Well Hallelujah!" Casey leaned back in her chair. "It's about time! I mean, I would have told him where to stick it ages ago, but I didn't want to end up like Vinnie. I don't believe a sodding minute of that 'lab accident' rubbish."
"I wouldn't recommend getting on his bad side."
"Didn't think so." Casey looked down into her cup with a disappointed frown. "I wish I could get you out of here…"
Lucrecia felt the little blossom of hope in her chest sink into oblivion. Opportunity number two, also out the window. "Don't worry about it," she replied, wanting so much to change the Turk's mind, but knowing she wouldn't be able to. "If I want to leave, I'll find a way out."
She left the Turks' floor ten minutes later with considerably less gusto than she'd had going in. With the Turks off her list of options she didn't know what to do next. She'd thought that surely she would have found some help there. But those Turks she knew were either too young to help her, or weren't familiar enough for her to trust.
Dammit, now what?
Lucrecia looked back over her life, over her memories of her time with Shinra. She searched her mind for people she'd trusted. People who would have helped her. Grimoire, Vincent, Casey… she could think of dozens of people that would have helped her, but weren't there. Lazard would have just to spite his father, but he wasn't in the company yet. Veld would have had he not been a trainee. Reeve might have, if she'd appealed to his inner softie, but he wasn't yet old enough to be an employee either.
She briefly thought of Hollander. Her memories of him were pleasant enough, but she had also once thought Hojo was a pleasant man. How wrong she had been. Even though the competition between the two men would be easy to use to her advantage, she really wasn't keen on placing her trust in another Shinra scientist. She'd have to find another way.
But what other way was there? Wait… There was one man she'd almost forgotten. One man whose integrity she didn't doubt for an instant.
"Lucrecia. What a surprise."
Lucrecia slipped into the laboratory, smiling at the cozy, welcoming atmosphere of it. Where Hojo's lab was cold and clinical, this room was warm and well lit. There were pictures on the walls, padded lab benches designed to be comfortable, decorations on the shelves. The tools were carefully contained and out of sight. The smell of scotch filled Lucrecia's nose.
There was nothing at all threatening about the space she stood in, nor about the man whom she stood across from. She really didn't know why she hadn't thought of him sooner.
"I thought Hojo kept you locked in his lab all day," Professor Gast joked, pulling a chair out for her.
"I'm sure he wishes that I would stay there. If just to keep his… experiment intact." She didn't bother trying to mask her disgust. She couldn't lie to him. He'd always been a good man; even up to the day he died. Just like his daughter.
"Why do you stay with him?" Gast asked, his tone almost paternal. "He does care one iota for you or your child. You are nothing but a test subject to him."
"What would you have me do?" Lucrecia asked, feigning helplessness. "Leave Shinra? That's tantamount to suicide."
Gast poured himself another scotch, filling a glass with water and passing it to Lucrecia. "Surely you could request some time out of the city. A stay in Costa Del Sol perhaps? It would be easy to give your escorts the slip there. It's packed at this time of year."
"It's too late for that," Lucrecia replied. "He says the boy could be born any day now. He'll want to keep me here for observation."
"Then just ask him to let you go out of the city for a few hours. A visit to Kalm perhaps. I could accompany you. It would be a simple matter for us to discreetly pack up a car—"
"And when we are discovered? What then? I will not put you in that danger!"
"Alright, then what if I simply helped you with the packing and you left on your own? That puts me in no danger…"
"Faremis…"
"No. I'll have none of this martyrdom ridiculousness. If you want out, then get out." Gast took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass. "Call Hojo. Ask him if you can pop over to Kalm for a few hours. Just for some fresh air."
Lucrecia nervously stared into her glass of water as if contemplating its existence. Her heart was leaping in her throat. This was her chance. "I'll have to wait a few hours. Hojo'll be in his main lab now. Phones don't work in there."
"Just come see me when you're ready." Gast replied. His face split in a warm smile and he relaxed in his chair. "So aside from Hojo, how are you?"
Eleven AM. Two hours until she had to sit through lunch with Hojo. Surely he'd be out of the machinery now. She flipped her PHS open. After briefly debating whether she should call him or text him she opted for the call.
One, two rings and then a waspish "Hello?"
"Hey, Hojo. It's me."
"Lucrecia? What is it?"
"I've been feeling really off. Do you think I could get out of the city for a bit? Just to Kalm? I need some fresh air." She tried to make herself sound as pitiable as possible.
"Out of the city? You could go into labour any moment! I can't have some hack doctor delivering Project S!" Hojo spluttered as he spoke, and Lucrecia could imagine that little vein in his temple popping up.
"Just for a few hours. Please, darling." She could feel her hope slipping away again. What had Minerva been thinking? She could have given her a little more time. "I can't stand all this smog. And it can't be good for the baby."
"I'm sorry, Lucrecia. But I can't risk anything happening to it… Or you. We've both worked too hard."
There was a knot in her throat now and she swallowed hard trying to dislodge it. How could she do as the Goddess wished if she couldn't even get out of a building? How could she protect her son? She had no options. The Turks were out of the question, and Gast's plan had just gone out the window. The President would never help her over Hojo, and there were no others who had the power to get her out. She'd hit a dead end.
"Okay. I understand."
"I'll see you at lunch." Without even waiting for a goodbye, Hojo hung up, and Lucrecia hurled her PHS into the wall. She felt her chest constrict and her eyes sting with oncoming tears, and she forced them down as best she could. All she wanted to do was cry, but it felt pointless to even do that. What was the use of all her memories of events yet to come if they couldn't help her now?
She couldn't face Gast now. Not like this. She knew he would try to help her and most likely get himself in trouble. If the President executed him for treason then Aerith would never exist. She couldn't cheat the girl of her life. She—
Then she felt it. The soft tap of the vial in her pocket as it hit her thigh. So that's it then? She asked, hoping the Goddess would hear her. My only option?
Her heart constricted painfully in her chest as she gathered up the pieces of her PHS and headed toward the little private balcony that she had once visited with Vincent. Right before the Project had moved to Nibelheim. It hadn't been a happy day.
She waited until she was beyond the doorway and out of the view of any security cameras before she drew the small glass vial from her coat pocket.
The choice between what is right… and what is easy…
Brown eyes scanned the label. Boundfat Venom. 100% concentration. One of the more deadly substances on the planet. There was probably enough in the vial to kill a dozen people. More than enough.
She knew the Jenova Cells in her body wouldn't let her die so easily, but she also knew that Sephiroth was not yet similarly protected. The venom would take his little life swiftly. There would be no Nibelheim Incident. No Meteor, no Geostigma, no Remnants, and no Reunion. The Nightmare would never exist.
But neither would the General, Lucrecia reminded herself. Neither would the hero; the lover. There would be no Project S, no monster… but neither would there be the man beneath.
How will I know which is which… which is right and which is easy?
You're a mother… You will know.
Lucrecia took a steadying breath and unscrewed the cork on the vial, pressing it to her lips. Just as the poison began to brush her flesh she felt Sephiroth move. She felt his tiny hand press out against hers once more, as if he knew what she was about to do. Her eyes stung and a lump rose in her throat. The realization that he probably already had his telepathic capabilities struck her and she stopped.
Gods… he knew. He knew and he understood. He was trying to stop her.
With tears rolling down her cheeks, Lucrecia lowered the vial. "I can't do it!" she sobbed, half to herself and half to Minerva. "I can't! Right or wrong, I can't!"
She hurled the vial over the side of the balcony and down to the city below, sobs wracking her as she did so. The little hand within her remained pressed to hers as she leaned on the railing, hopelessness settling heavily on her shoulders.
"What do you want me to do?" she wept, hoping that the Planet would give her some sort of answer.
"You could start by not poisoning yourself," a voice declared behind her, and Lucrecia whirled around. In the doorway was a tall, dirty-blond man, his grey eyes fixed on her. His expression was soft, his hands in his pockets. A Turk's suit sat over him as naturally as a second skin; perfectly tailored.
Gods, how had she not thought of him before? She remembered him like it was only yesterday. Charon. He'd known Vincent when the latter was still a Turk, and they'd been good friends. Or at least as good as friends were in the Turks.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, her voice sharp with accusation.
"Long enough," Charon replied. "What's wrong, Lu?"
Wind buffeted Lucrecia, tossing her hair and coat, her skirt swirling around her calves. She gulped, her left hand gripping the railing with white knuckles. "It's nothing…"
"It's about those dreams, isn't it?"
With a sigh, Lucrecia felt her chest tighten, her voice wobbling precariously. "Did Casey tell you that?"
"Maybe."
"It's nothing. Really, Charon."
"You know," Charon began, ignoring her words. "Boundfat venom is one of the most potent poisons known to mankind. It's also rather rare outside of a Boundfat. In fact, to have that means you stole it from Hojo, which leads me to believe that you've been planning this—"
"Stop," Lucrecia snapped, fresh tears following the still-wet tracks on her cheeks.
"Why are you trying to kill yourself?"
Lucrecia's eyes narrowed as she readied herself for a denial and then closed, her head bowing in shame. Her bangs fell down around her face and she welcomed the semblance of privacy. "You wouldn't understand…"
"You told me what you saw, Lu. Your kid bringing the world to an end. Are you really that worried—"
"I…" Lucrecia trailed off before continuing. "I have seen what will become of him and why… there's no other way!"
"I promised Vincent I'd look after you if anything ever happened to him. And something did." Charon casually strolled to her side, leaning his elbows on the railing, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "So to stop all this apocalypse business, what needs to happen?"
Lucrecia stared at Charon a moment—trying to determine what his intentions were—before gulping and lowering her voice. "I need to get him away from here. He needs a normal life." She turned, looking out at the wastelands. Somewhere beyond that nothingness was Vincent; only a few months into his slumber, but already irreversibly changed.
Charon nodded, glancing at her. "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't care. As long as Hojo won't find me."
Grey eyes took on the iciness that Turks always got while on a mission. "Okay. Act normal as much as you can. Keep all appointments. Do not change your routine or do anything to arouse suspicion. Pack as little as you can and meet me on the helipad at 12:30 tonight."
Lucrecia swallowed. Either she'd just secured her escape or she'd made a huge mistake. "I'll be there."
"Okay, good. Just remember. Normal."
"You got it."
A slight smile took to her lips as she watched a pair of Gelnikas swoop past. Their engines roared and screamed in the cool air. On their tails was painted 'X-117'. Still prototypes, she mused.
She tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ear and felt a small movement as Sephiroth shifted. Curious, she tried reaching for his consciousness the way she had once with Vincent. She was rewarded with a rush of emotion that wasn't hers. Contentment was all she felt from him.
Charon smiled as Lucrecia petted her belly. "So the little guy isn't Hojo's, is he?"
Lucrecia let her face split with a joyful smile. "I let him believe so, only because I know he would dispose of anything that wasn't his."
Charon chuckled. "So Vin did the deed after all. And there we were thinking he'd for sure die a virgin."
And Lucrecia really did laugh at that.
Lunch was a disaster but by no means was it Lucrecia's fault. She stuck to her charade, keeping to the illusion that she was blindly in love with her husband. Hojo, on the other hand, was quiet, distant, and barely acknowledged her presence. He muttered something about anomalous readings and increased reactions in proximity to the 'main body', but said very little else. Lucrecia found herself grateful that he seemed so uninterested. At least it meant he wouldn't likely notice anything different about her.
After lunch, Lucrecia made her way to her lab, certain to let the assistant go early. Once she was alone she rifled through her files, stuffing those she wanted to take into her bag. Amongst them were those that contained all her research about Chaos, the Proto-materia, and the stagnant Mako experiments.
She copied her entire hard drive onto a memory stick and erased evidence of the action. The stick joined her ruined PHS in her pocket.
Just before she shut off the lights she opened the drawer of her desk. From its depths she withdrew a tiny locket, the picture of Vincent still inside.
At the door of the lab she stopped, her fingers on the light-switch, and paused to take a final glance around at the room. It felt strange to leave it, even though she knew she'd left it before. A smile touched her face as she flipped out the lights and shut the door; its soft click heavy with finality. She held her head high as she made her way to her quarters. A pleasant tingle of adrenaline danced on her nerves; anticipation and uncertainty blending the way they did before any exciting moment.
Within her apartment and safe from the view of the ever-present security cameras, Lucrecia let herself relax, and she laughed a bit madly.
"Clueless bastard wouldn't know if I slapped him in the face," she laughed. "I could kill him and he'd never know it was coming!" She chuckled, and felt Sephiroth wiggle. It was as if she could feel his contentment on top of her own. It was the one aspect of the Jenovian DNA that she didn't mind in the slightest.
She stroked her belly, smiling as she did so. "We're leaving, Seph. You'll never have to see Hojo, I promise."
She found her old suitcases in the top of her closet; opting for the largest and leaving the middle-sized case behind. She was fast and precise with her clothes, packing them into the suitcase with her notes, files, and the scientific journals she refused to leave behind. Several photo albums and a few trinkets joined them, wrapped in socks and shirts. For a moment she almost grabbed her laptop, but thought better of it. Too easy to track.
The three Materia in the top drawer of her nightstand were slipped into her shoulder bag, along with her most vital research material and the memory card full of stolen files. She dumped the pieces of her PHS in the dustbin.
As a final measure she strapped the small pistol she kept to her thigh the way she'd seen Vincent do. She dearly hoped she wouldn't need it.
A last sweep of the room verified that she had everything she wanted or needed. She checked her watch. 11:30. She had an hour. Gods… what was she supposed to do until then?
She nearly jumped out of her skin when the internal phone on her nightstand shrilly rang. She was careful to steady her voice when she picked up.
"Hello?"
"Lucrecia, darling," Hojo's voice dripped with a strange, bone-chilling malice, and Lucrecia swallowed. "I was wondering if you could come in to the lab again tomorrow. There are some tests I would like to run."
"Of course, love. Anything."
"Excellent. Come down at about two tomorrow afternoon."
"I will."
"And, Lucrecia? Did something happen to your PHS?"
"Just a little accident. I'll get it fixed."
"Good. See you tomorrow."
The phone clicked onto the base and Lucrecia breathed a sigh of relief. One potential disaster avoided. Her eyes flicked impatiently to the clock. 11:32. Dammit.
12:20. That was her cue. It would take approximately ten minutes to reach the helipad, and she didn't want to go with too much time in case she was held up. Charon would come looking for her if she didn't show. He was enough like Vincent to be predictable to her.
Slinging her shoulder bag across her and tipping her suitcase onto its wheels she headed for the door. She found herself holding her breath. It was now a race against time. The security cameras would catch her leaving and—or not.
Her eyes caught sight of the indicator light on the camera and she smiled faintly. It was dead. She hadn't expected the Turk to go this far. Relaxed slightly, she moved quickly down the hall, cursing the noise her suitcase made on the floor but thanking the Goddess for her luck.
She very nearly ran headlong into a couple of infantrymen as she approached the helipad's security zone, but the patrols were minimal. She'd expected to have to talk her way out of potential conflicts left, right, and center. But instead she'd had an almost clear run to the pad.
Lucrecia let the last few infantrymen wander past before darting through the door leading onto the helipad. Inside was a small staircase; another door at the top already open. Wind whistled and moaned down he small concrete space. Before she made her way to the bottom step, Charon's voice echoed down.
"Hang on. I'll get your luggage."
The tap of footsteps heralded the Turk's appearance—windblown but perfectly put together—trotting down the stairwell to her. He was buzzing with nervous energy—permission jitters, she'd heard them call it.
"Thank you," Lucrecia sighed as the Turk's hands slipped her luggage from her off-balance form. "So where are we going?"
"I'll tell you in the chopper. I'd rather not do it here." Charon gestured to the staircase. "Ladies first."
With a smile she couldn't prevent, Lucrecia stepped up the concrete steps. "So how are you going to talk your way out of this?"
Charon chuckled darkly. "I got permission for a 'training flight'," he pantomimed quotation marks around his words. "Told 'em my trainee needed some night-flying experience. Which he does, so it's not a lie. All I needed after that was the security blackout, which Veld provided rather efficiently."
"Veld?"
"Yeah. He was on security duty today. He figured he could get away with it if he said it was a mistake—being a rookie and all. He blacked out the entire building."
Lucrecia reached the top, slipping through the doorway and out into the chilling wind, Charon not far behind. Before her was the helipad; a sleek, black Shinra helicopter parked and waiting, its running lights already on. In the pilot's seat was a tall, thin Turk, his eyes obscured by black goggles. Dark brown hair hung loosely around his face.
With her luggage still in his grip, Charon ducked beneath the blades as they slowly began to spin, warming up. He slid the side door open.
"After you, Lu."
Lucrecia took a final glance out at the lit-up city around her—the reactors glowing that sickly Mako-green. If all went well she would never see it again. At least, not like this. Restraining her hair, she stepped up into the hunched, aggressive-looking vehicle, quickly taking a seat and buckling in as Charon hauled in her luggage.
Charon was silent as he secured the heavy suitcase and the small shoulder bag in the overhead compartment. Once the hatch was sealed he slammed his fist twice against the door to the pilot's compartment.
"We're good to go, Matt."
"You got it," a young voice crackled over the speakers. Muffled through the door Lucrecia heard the pilot. "Shinra Control, this is E-419, requesting permission to take off."
"Permission granted, E-419."
"Thanks, Control."
Lucrecia waited for the telltale click of the radio cutting out before she spoke. "So. Can you tell me where we're going now?"
"Banora." Charon buckled himself into the seat across from her, his eyes sparkling with daring. "With how many people in that town are loyal to Shinra, it's the last place they'll look. It's also Hollander's territory. He won't tell Hojo if anything seems strange."
"And if he learns that I'm there?" Lucrecia didn't know Hollander very well, so she didn't want to jump to conclusions. But she knew what he had once become.
"He's a good man, Lu. I wouldn't take you somewhere I felt wasn't safe. And Arthur's agreed to take you in."
"Arthur?"
Charon smiled. "Arturius Rhapsodos. He's a rich landlord… owns the town."
Lucrecia stopped short of gasping. Genesis Rhapsodos' father. The one the young man had murdered in one of his rages. The one he'd then lovingly buried in front of the house he'd grown up in.
"He and his wife are going to hide you until things cool down and then they'll help you build a place of your own." Charon was oblivious to the thoughts ticking through Lucrecia's head.
Banora… the Rhapsodos'… and she'd been worried that Sephiroth would have trouble finding friends. Now he'd have Genesis and Angeal from day one. There was an improvement.
"That sounds wonderful," Lucrecia replied, smiling as she glanced out the window.
"I hope you don't mind, but we're gonna make a few stops along the way," Charon added. "Just to throw 'em off the scent."
"I would have expected no less from a Turk."
Charon smiled and Lucrecia felt a stab in her chest as she thought of Vincent.
Wait a little longer, love. I won't forget you.