Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, scenery, or towns; Square Enix does.

31 – Cold Fire

Tseng awoke and refused to budge for a few moments. His blanket was pulled up over his head, leaving him deliciously warm and comfortable, making moving seem like a sin. After a few minutes he stretched from head to toe and rubbed hands over his face. It almost pained him to do so but it wasn't as if he could lay around all day doing nothing. There was still a village out there in desperate need of repair and Gods knew what else.

With a sigh, the Wutain quietly sat up and made his way to the bathroom. He relieved himself, brushed his hair, and pulled it into a ponytail before silently moving to the front door. It was still dark and it appeared as though everyone else was asleep. Having no desire to wake them he exited, deciding a walk would be a decent enough way to start his day.

The air outside was crisp and calm with only the faintest trace of Mako. A quick scan revealed nothing but dark huts and tents, making him long to return to his own warm bed. As appealing as it sounded he was awake now and would be hard pressed to return to sleep even if he tried.

Tseng began walking without a destination in mind. Since his arrival he hadn't had a chance to really look around and for the first time he took in the beauty surrounding the village. Judging by the foliage there were several types of trees ringing Gongaga, though he knew only a few by name. In the distance he heard the sound of running water and wondered if it was from a river or the ocean. While the ocean was a ways off, it wasn't inconceivable to think it could be heard on a quiet morning such as this.

"Yo." Reno was unfazed when his boss's weapon was pointing at him in the blink of an eye. Almost as quickly it disappeared and the Wutain's blank face morphed into a scowl.

"What are you doing out here?" Tseng asked, wondering how he'd missed the faint glow of the laptop the redhead held. The man had his back leaning against the wall of the hut with his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.

"Eh, woulda thought that was obvious," Reno smirked, gesturing toward the computer.

"You know what I meant."

"I feel fine and decided to get back to work."

"Just because you feel fine does not mean you should be out here. The air is quite cool which could make you ill all over again. It has only been a day Reno," chided the Wutain, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, well, seemed better than wakin' everyone up."

Tseng sighed, thinking it was just like the redhead to place others before himself. He dropped his hand and let the matter drop with it. "Fine but you have only yourself to blame if you become sick again. Are you making any progress with the discs?"

"Right now I'm runnin' them through a retrieval program, meanin' the computers doin' all the work and I'm just sittin' here waitin'. All I got is a list of files which don' tell us shit."

"How long does retrieval take?"

"Depends on how messed up the source is. Can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days."

"With these sources what is your estimation?"

Reno blew out a puff of air in thought. "By the end of the day, maybe sooner."

Tseng nodded and eyed his former apprentice. The redhead did look better but he was still concerned. It would also be just like Reno to hide any lingering illness. Even so there was little he could do about it unless he could prove it, which of course he couldn't. He sincerely hoped he couldn't prove it because that would mean the redhead was still sick.

A black blur interrupted his thoughts and Tseng jumped back and sideways, landing close to Reno. He drew his weapon, pointing it straight up while looking for a potential target.

"Just Hewley yo." The blur returned and stopped as though summoned. Angeal stayed motionless, cautiously holding his hands palms out toward the Turks. It made Reno chuckle. "'Sup?" the redhead called as Tseng holstered his weapon.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Didn't expect anyone to be out this early," Angeal replied, lowering his hands.

"SOLDIERs ain't the only early risers," smirked the redhead.

"Guess not," Angeal grinned. "Good to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks. I'm happy about it myself. Exercisin'?"

"Yeah," The SSC replied. "Thought it would be nice to move a bit."

"Better get goin' then. Sun'll be up before ya know it."

Tseng watched the SSC nod and dart off, once again an indistinguishable blur. He eyed Reno curiously, wondering how the man had known it was Angeal. The redhead hadn't even twitched yet he hadn't heard a thing nor had he been able to make out anything but a shadowy shape. Interesting.

"So, ah, you gonna eye me all mornin' or finish yer walk?" Reno smirked, staring at a line marked percentage complete on the computer's monitor.

"I could throttle that cockiness out of you."

"I think I feel my headache returnin'."

"How convenient," Tseng replied through a faint grin. "I suppose it will have to wait then. In the meantime I will check to see what progress was made within the village yesterday. I was tied up with logistics all day."

Reno nodded and watched his boss head toward the main part of Gongaga. He sighed and once again let his eyes travel to the green line on the computer's screen. By the looks of it the thing hadn't moved and he was fairly certain this was the techno-geeks equivalent to watching paint dry. There was a little hope as sometimes a line wouldn't move for hours, then would suddenly take off and be done in a matter of minutes. Of course, it could just as easily continue to move in tiny increments until it was finished.

The screen started to wobble and Reno realized he'd been jerking his foot up and down. Dumbass. Truth was that he did feel better, but was full of nervous energy. He'd just as leave be doing something more active but knew that wasn't going to happen. If he tried he'd probably hear a lot of 'take it easy', 'don't push yourself', 'let me get that for you', and other such things. While he knew they would mean well, he'd still get frustrated and annoyed which would add to his restlessness. Worse, he'd probably have to agree with them because even with the nervous energy he still felt somewhat weak. There was nothing worse than starting to do something, telling people you could handle it, and then learning you couldn't. The other person might not come out and say 'I told you so', but they'd probably give you a look that said it for them.

Reno was pulled from his musings by a faint beeping. He thought it was the computer but the line hadn't budged. It took him a second to realize it wasn't beeping but ringing. "Reno," he said after retrieving the PHS from his pocket. After discovering he, Gen, and Seph all used the same ringtone he'd changed his and unfortunately he wasn't used to it yet.

"Hello Reno."

"Hey Seph. How's it going?"

"Fine. I got your message."

"I figured," Reno chuckled. "Why else would you be callin' a lowly Turk?"

"You may be a Turk but I do not consider you lowly."

"Well that's good to know."

"What did you wish to discuss?"

"I was, eh, wonderin' if you've talked to Gen lately," Reno awkwardly replied.

"It has been a few days."

Reno took a breath and words tumbled out on the exhale. "Look I'm probably bein' paranoid but I can't get in touch with him and neither can Angeal. I thought maybe you might know somethin'." There was such a long pause that he wondered if he'd been hung up on. "You still there?" he asked, thinking he wouldn't blame the silver if he did hang up on him. Sound like a nervous schoolboy. No, schoolgirl.

"Yes. I… the last time I spoke with Genesis we almost kissed."

"So?"

"Perhaps it upset him."

"Why would it? Not like you ain't kissed him already." The second Reno finished the sentence understanding dawned. "Ooohhh, you mean 'cause I wasn't there?"

"Exactly. Perhaps he felt it was too close to… cheating."

"Maybe," Reno replied, setting the laptop on the ground and rising so he could stretch. "Might explain why he ain't talkin'. Needs time or somethin'."

"I am sorry."

"Nothin' to be sorry for yo. Me and Gen ain't been datin' long but I'm pretty sure our relationship is good enough to survive somethin' like this."

"What about our relationship?"

"Me and you? I ain't pissed if that's what you're askin'."

"You aren't?"

"No," Reno sighed. "Nothin's changed Seph. We'll talk about whatever the hell is goin' on with all of us when we can. Right now I just wanna know Gen's okay, even if he ain't talkin' to me."

"This is strange."

"Understatement yo," chuckled the Turk.

"No, I mean yes, what you are in reference to is strange as well but I was speaking of something else."

"Eh?"

"I pulled Genesis's information. He is listed as being on an active mission."

"What's strange about that?" Reno asked.

"According to records he is still suspended. In addition the mission was never placed into the SOLDIER database, meaning he was given the mission directly."

"By who?"

"It does not say."

"Is all that normal?"

"I wouldn't say it is normal, however it is not entirely unheard of."

"Ya know, this is ain't makin' me feel any better."

"Your concern is understandable, however it may be unfounded. The mission could have been requested from someone unfamiliar with the database system so it wasn't entered in properly or the mission could be classified."

"Helps a little but I'm still worryin' here."

"I can tell you it doesn't appear he's in Midgar, at least not in the Shinra building. His personnel card has not been used for several days."

"Supports the mission thing."

"I'm not getting a reading from his PHS though, so I do not know where he may be."

"You wouldn't," Reno sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The card in his PHS was replaced and not registered with Shinra. I meant to put the original card back but never got around to it. In hindsight, not the brightest move."

"Is it possible to register the new card with Shinra?"

"Yeah, but not without his PHS yo," Reno laughed nervously.

"I see. I will check up on the mission if you would like."

"I'd really appreciate it Seph. Barring hackin' into the system I can't do shit from here. For that matter hackin' probably wouldn't do me much good anyway."

"Why is that?"

"'Cause right now I don't know where to start and as ya can imagine Shinra's got lots and lots of files on lots and lots of databases. Sure I can start goin' though shit randomly but that ain't gonna help much 'cause I don't even know what the hell I'm lookin' for." The redhead lowered his head and sighed. "Hell I'm probably worrin' for nothin' but somethin'… just feels wrong."

"I will call you if I find anything. And Reno?"

"Yo?"

"It is my understanding that feelings are often very close to instincts, something I was taught never to ignore."

The call disconnected and Reno pulled the PHS from his ear, blinking at it a few times before sliding it back into his pocket. While he was still less than thrilled with the situation, he felt better knowing Sephiroth was working things in Midgar. As a bonus the fact that the silver didn't think he was a complete spaz was nice. Regardless of the positives there was something nagging in the back of his mind.

From his encounters with Sephiroth he knew the man didn't know how to interact with people well and his emotional understanding was limited. Not once had the silver questioned his reasoning or why he was worried. Was that because Sephiroth was simply going with it so as not to look stupid or because the silver thought he had reason to worry? Was it possible the SSC knew something he didn't? Yer bein' paranoid.

The redhead sat with a loud sigh, once again stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. Back against the hut, he tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and commanded his muscles to relax. It worked, however without the tension he was keenly aware of how jittery his nerves were. Can't win can I?

Frustrated, Reno slammed the back of his head against the hut, opened his eyes, and retrieved the computer. The line had moved though not much. Knowing it was pointless he still stared at it and willed it to move further. Finally giving up, he once again tilted his head back and closed his eyes. A few minutes later they snapped open at a beep. He leveled his head and stared at the line: one hundred percent complete. Heh, cool.

The retrieved data was now on the hard drive so he popped the disc out and inserted the second one. He decided to wait and look at the recovered data until after the second disc was complete. Any program or operation the computer preformed took memory and processing power, slowing down the retrieval program in the process. His curiosity was killing him but judging by how hard the computer was already working, it was going to take awhile without anything sucking processing power away from where it was needed. Ifrit's Balls.

"Reno?"

"Out back yo," Reno called, thankful for the distraction. Less than a minute later Rude appeared.

"Here," the bald man said, handing a plate to the redhead. "Careful it's hot."

"I get actual food today?" Reno chuckled. His stomach growled and his mouth began to water as he took the plate. There were generous portions of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions and hash browns. Two pieces of toast completed the meal. "Nice."

"I figured if you were well enough to sneak past all of us and sit outside in the cold you were well enough to eat solid food."

"Heh, damn right yo," the redhead said, taking an offered fork. "How'd you know I was out here?"

"Tseng."

"Figures," Reno chuckled.

"Be thankful, one of us might have shot you."

"The hell for?"

"You keep hitting the house. Given the circumstances we might have thought it was an intruder."

"Hopefully ya woulda looked before shootin'."

"Maybe…" Rude said though an evil half-grin.

"You, eh, lookin' to peg me partner?" smirked the redhead.

"Not at the moment. So what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Workin'," Reno replied, removing the computer from his lap and sitting it on the ground lest he spill food on it.

"You couldn't do that inside?"

"Woulda woke everyone up," said the redhead, taking a bite. "Shiva that's good."

"I'll be sure to tell Elena you approve," Rude chuckled. "You know hitting the house might have woken us up too."

"I hit it like, once, maybe twice."

"We heard you more than that. Maybe the walls aren't very solid."

"Oh," Reno replied thoughtfully. "Didn't hear me talkin' did ya?"

"No, just thumping."

"Good."

"Why? Who were you talking to?"

"That's private yo," Reno grinned, eating more.

"Having phone sex or something?"

"What? No!" yelped the redhead, almost choking on a mouthful of hash browns.

"Nothing wrong with it," Rude chuckled. "Cissnei and I ha-"

"Et, stop right there," Reno said, regaining his composure. "I really, really, don't wanna hear how you or Cissnei, let alone both of ya, get yer freak on."

"Suit yourself. Just saying it isn't a bad thing, even if it is a bit early for it."

"I was not havin' phone sex, okay partner?"

"Alright, alright. So what were you doing?"

"Bit of research, that's all yo."

"Oh. Well, if you want to talk or there's anything I can do to help let me know." With that Rude nodded, turned, and began walking away.

"Rude," Reno called, just as his partner was about to round the corner. The bald Turk stopped and turned to look at him. "You, eh, really wanna know or were you just sayin' that to be nice?"

"What a stupid question," snorted Rude. "Partners or not, I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't want to know or was unwilling to help."

"You're right, sorry."

The redhead's tone gave Rude pause, as did the shadow that darkened his face. He sounded regretful and looked almost mournful. Rude didn't think the emotions were directed at him, rather they were for the redhead himself. "I wasn't trying to upset you Reno."

"I know," Reno said, munching on a piece of toast. "Lately I've been thinkin' I don't really know anybody all that well and they don't know me. This is just an example of why. I basically just brushed you off."

"You called me back, that's not brushing me off." Reno looked less than convinced so he added, "We're all guilty of the same thing Reno. All of us hold back."

"Yeah. Alright," Reno replied, coming to a decision. "I can't get a hold of Gen okay? I called Sephiroth and asked him to check some things in Midgar."

"How long has it been since you talked to him?" inquired Rude, sitting on the edge of a barrel close to his partner.

"About a week. I thought maybe he was just avoidin' me, but yesterday I found out Angeal couldn't get a hold of him either. It's probably nothin' but I called Seph anyway."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"No reason too. Like I said I figured he was just ignorin' me. Plus everybody's got a lot more to worry about than my relationship woes. That and I guess I thought everybody would think I'm overreactin'."

"I don't think that and you obviously think there's more to the situation than Genesis just not talking to you. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Reno replied, finishing his breakfast and sitting the plate on the ground. "I just got a bad feelin'. No proof or anything."

"Tell me about it."

"I… it's hard to explain."

"Try."

"When I think of Gen I get anxious and… scared."

"It sounds like you're afraid he's reconsidering the relationship."

"No, no that ain't it. I…" frustrated, Reno stopped, blew out a puff of air and started wiggling his foot. "Last night I had a dream. I was floatin' in blackness and I swear I could hear Gen cryin'. I tried ta follow his voice and find him, even called out to him. Most of the time he didn't seem ta hear me."

"Most of the time?"

"Yeah. There was once where I thought he did. He stopped cryin' and called my name."

"What happened after that?"

"He called my name again, yelled no, and made a… strangled sound. I never heard him again after that. I called for him a few times but I knew he was gone."

"How?"

"'Cause I felt it." Rude cocked an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Yeah, I know how it sounds but it's true. When he was there I could feel his fear, his anxiety, his panic. I didn't realize it at the time but once I stopped hearin' him all that vanished, like it left with him. Only thing I felt after that was tension and worry. My feelings."

"I hate to state the obvious Reno but it w-"

"Was just a dream?" The bald man nodded. "Yeah, I know, but it felt so fuckin' real Rude."

"I'm not disregarding it, however it could simply be your subconscious fears seeping into your dreams."

"I know, I know," Reno sighed. "I told ya it was hard to explain. Let's just leave it with the fact that I'll feel better when I know he's okay."

Rude nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I wish I could do more than listen."

"Listenin' was enough. I feel a little better actually."

"Good. I'll listen anytime and if something does come up let me know okay?"

"Sure thing yo."

Rude nodded, stood, picked up the empty plate, and once again headed toward the corner of the hut. This time he stopped himself. "Don't mention any of this to Hollander, even if he asks okay?"

"Sure. Probably wouldn't have anyway but why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"'Course," Reno replied, surprised, confused, and curious.

"Then let's just leave it with the fact that I have a feeling too," Rude said over his shoulder before disappearing around the side of the building.

Reno cocked an eyebrow and stared at the vacant spot previously occupied by his partner. His mouth opened to call the man back but he stopped himself. He did trust Rude, he was just annoyed because he'd shared and his partner hadn't shared back. Finally he closed his mouth and battled down his curiosity and annoyance. He'd give Rude the benefit of the doubt and assume he had his reasons. Besides, he was already jumpy. Anything the bald Turk said would probably just add to it and honestly, he didn't know how much more he could take. Even he had a breaking point.

With a sigh, Reno fought the urge to once again smack his head against the side of the building. Instead he picked up the computer, put it on his lap, and checked the percentage complete line. Only the faintest trace of green could be seen and he settled in, knowing he was probably in for one hell of a wait.

Excruciating pain pulled Genesis from the surreal state he'd been adrift in. It felt like someone had filled his veins with fuel and lit them on fire. Adding to his misery was his head, which felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it repeatedly.

The auburn tried to escape the pain but found it impossible. It was so intense he couldn't even turn inward and his outward movement was restricted to the point that he was basically immobile. After several attempts he managed to get his eyes open but his vision was so blurry he couldn't make anything out and he closed them. He tried to vocalize his frustration but only an unintelligible squeak came out. An imaged formed in his head of waking and not being able to focus his eyes on anything. Damned dream. That was reality. It was, wasn't it? Yes. Shit.

"How unfortunate that you should recover, though I must say after last night I was hopeful you would."

Genesis tensed and froze at the unknown voice. His eyelids were peeled open and he was blinded by what he assumed was a penlight before they were allowed to close. That happened last time I woke up too. Spots danced on the back of his lids and he faintly felt fingers on his right wrist. For the first time he realized how hard it was to feel any individual part of his body. The parts merely existed as an indistinguishable mass of pain.

The fingers disappeared and Genesis heard shuffling followed by what sounded like a pen scratching across paper. He took a deep breath, pushed the pain away as best he could, and opened his eyes. After a few rapid blinks his vision was clear enough that he began to make out shapes.

Just above and to the left of his head was a darkened surgical lamp. More blinding bright light. Also to the left were various pieces of medical equipment. He didn't know what half the devices were but he did recognize an infusion pump, a defibrillator, and a ventilator. To his right the room opened up and he could see various beakers, flasks, bottles, and Petri dishes setting on at least three lab workstations.

"You are a much more interesting and viable subject now. I must say I was disappointed when I learned you were damaged in transit."

Genesis would have jumped at the voice had he been able. He was almost positive the man had gone to his right, yet now he was on his left. Either his mind still wasn't up to speed or he was drifting in and out of consciousness because he had no recollection of hearing or seeing the man move. He tried to speak again and failed, so he concentrated on the man's words as best he could.

"Your regenerative ability is most impressive, almost on par with Sephiroth's. Almost."

Once again the auburn heard shuffling and his mind began to piece things together. Though he didn't recognize where he was he knew it was a lab and could assume it was somewhere within Shinra Tower. At the very least the place was probably Shinra operated. That meant this guy had to be one of Shinra's professors. Oh shit.

Panic laced its way through Genesis's system and a surge of adrenaline deadened the pain. Yanking at his bonds he discovered they wouldn't even budge so he raised his head until his chin pressed against his chest for a better look. What he saw drained the color from his face and made his stomach lurch. Metal half-circles a half-inch thick were clamped over his wrists, upper arms, ankles, upper legs, and waist. Even with his still slightly blurry vision and dull thoughts, he knew escape was virtually impossible. A groan of frustration and anxiety slipped past his lips as a hand pushed his head down and locked yet another metal clasp across his forehead.

"Don't need you getting any ideas now do we?" the man chuckled. "It took a great deal of effort to get you here after all. Besides, it wouldn't do for you to damage the CVC in your neck. There's so much to do I hate wasting time on things I've already taken care of."

With the metal restraint across his forehead, Genesis's sight was severely limited since he was no longer able to turn his head to either side. Though it couldn't move, the auburn's head instinctively jerked backward as his captors face appeared less than 12 inches above him. The guy had black hair that hung down on the sides but appeared to be pulled back in a loose ponytail. His eyes were set behind small, round framed glasses but he couldn't tell what color they were. His forehead appeared larger than it should as his face tapered to a triangle, making his chin appear sharp in contrast. His mouth was downturned, as were his eyebrows, giving the guy a scowl. It was apparently common given the lines on his forehead and those framing the corners of his lips. It took a moment for the face to register, but when it did Genesis swallowed around a suddenly dry and constricted throat and jerked against his restraints.

"Your fruitless attempt at escape proves your physical faculties are in order, but says little of your mental ones. Tell me boy, do you know your name?"

It took Genesis four attempts but he finally managed to grate out, "Rhapsodos, Genesis." Relief that he could talk temporarily displaced his terror. The Professor disappeared from his line of sight and he again heard the scratch of pen on paper.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Hojo."

"Professor Hojo," the man snapped. "Where were you raised?"

"Banora," Genesis replied, voice becoming clearer.

"What age were you when you came to Shinra?"

"14."

"And what rank are you?"

"Third Class," stated the auburn. He heard a clicking sound and assumed Hojo had set the clipboard down somewhere. For a moment he wondered if that was a good or bad thing, but decided it really didn't matter since he couldn't do a damned thing about it either way. Suddenly Sephiroth's words from what seemed like an eternity ago crashed into his mind. They will either make you a test subject or destroy you. Fuck. "What do you want with me?" he asked, unable to help it. He wanted, no, needed to know.

"Did you know you're considered to be a disappointment my dear boy?"

"Disappointment?" parroted Genesis, confused.

"That's right," Hojo replied. "I won't waste my breath on details you wouldn't understand. Suffice to say, scientifically you're considered a failure and to be devoid of any meaningful purpose or data. Why, you're nothing more than a blight, an aberration if you will."

"If anyone's an aberration here, it's you," the auburn bit.

"Insulting ones custodian is not generally considered wise."

"I am secure in the knowledge that at this point what I say does not matter."

"Perhaps you are not as dull as I thought!"

The Professor cackled, making the auburn's skin crawl. This guy truly enjoyed tormenting people and completely lacked morals or he was certifiably insane. Maybe both. Either way his chances of survival seemed to be deteriorating by the second and he saw no reason to hold his tongue. "At least I can answer a simple question, something you seem unable to do." Genesis involuntarily flinched as a long needle appeared inches from his face. It looked like a knitting needle but was hollow. He had a feeling its purpose was far more nefarious than weaving a blanket.

"I could shove this needle through your larynx. With your regenerative abilities the injury wouldn't be life threatening. Your body would simply heal around it, leaving you functional, yet unable to speak."

"Then do it."

Professor Hojo raised an eyebrow and looked pleased for a split second. It was rare to find someone, specimen or not, who was not intimidated by him and the STC appeared to be such an individual. He put down the biopsy needle before speaking. "You don't really want me to, do you?"

"Of course not but what I want is inconsequential. Being here rather proves that, wouldn't you say?"

"True," Hojo chuckled, organizing his equipment. "Now… where was I?"

"Discussing my scientific insignificance."

"Insignificant? I never said you were insignificant my dear boy!"

"Quote, "devoid of any meaningful purpose or data," end quote."

"Throwing my own words back at me?" snickered Hojo. "Entertaining, yet you took it out of context. I never said I found you insignificant, merely that were you considered as such. I think you're significant, invaluable even, which means Hollander is more of a cretin than I perceived or he's manipulating his data." Hojo paused and closed his eyes as though in pain. "You see, not only is your regenerative ability almost on par with Sephiroth's, so is your speed, strength, and magic ability."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Good? Good! No, it's not good. In fact, it's absolutely unacceptable!" Hojo yelled, slamming his palms onto the counter in front of him. "In time you could become Sephiroth's equal, possibly even surpass him! I cannot, will not, allow that to happen!"

As Hojo became more agitated Genesis felt his anger begin to rise. "Please tell me you're fucking kidding," he said, voice deadly calm. "I did not get fucking abducted because of a departmental pissing contest."

"While I freely admit I would sooner die than have Hollander become the department head, which is not why you were brought here. No, you are here so I can discover why something that should have been a failure is an unexpected, dare I say unprecedented, success. You have so much to offer that I would hate to see it go to waste because Hollander is unable to comprehend what he has created."

"Created? I'm human for Ifrit's Sake!"

"Do you know why the injections for SOLDIERs must be evenly spaced and closely monitored?"

"Side effects," the auburn blinked, momentarily thrown by the sudden change in topic.

"Exactly. To close together or too high of a dose and a person will literally be destroyed from within by the Mako. To far apart or too little of a dose and the treatment becomes ineffective."

"What's your point?"

"My point boy is that you've been here less than a week and during that time I've administered two diluted Mako injections and three pure Mako injections. No one, not even Sephiroth, receives pure Mako nor does anyone receive doses so close together. At best a person should suffer advanced Mako poisoning. We're talking coma level. At worse a person should die. Yet here you are, mentally and physically stable, no apparent adverse reactions. Tell me STC Rhapsodos, still think you're human?"

Genesis's mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. He knew the bastard was playing some kind of game, but knowing didn't help. No matter how hard he tried to ignore and resist playing his mind refused to do so. Hadn't he always felt different? Out of place? Like he didn't fit or belong anywhere? Doesn't mean you aren't human. Of course it doesn't… but still. Stop it! Don't play his game! All that Mako… how am I still alive? He could be lying! Or the doses were small. Exactly! "You're insane."

"Quite possibly. Insanity and genius often go hand in hand. Be that as it may," said Hojo. "I will discover what makes you different, special if you will. I'll find out what you have that no one else does and reap the rewards." Hojo paused and enjoyed a brief moment of triumph before continuing. "I've already taken many blood and tissue samples for future reference so let's see just how much Mako you can handle shall we? Your last injection was less than an hour ago."

Though he couldn't see him the auburn heard the Professor shuffle from his left to his right. As the footsteps got closer, a syringe with glowing green Mako appeared in his line of sight. That's no small dose, Genesis thought, swallowing thickly. The syringe vanished and he felt fingers brush against his neck. He remembered Hojo's words about a CVC a second before his neck began to burn. The feeling quickly spread, immediately bringing to mind the nightmare he'd woken up too. Ifrit if that had been the end of the pain, what did the beginning and middle feel like? He was positive he didn't want to know but was about to find out anyway.

As the burning sensation grew and engulfed every vein in his body, Genesis scrunched his eyes closed and tried to disassociate himself from it. As expected, it didn't help much but even a little was better than nothing at this point. He began to buck and trash against his restraints, not in an attempt to escape, rather as an attempt to distract himself with a different type of pain. If nothing else simply moving seemed to help and after a few minutes that felt like years, the auburn battled the pain down to a tolerable level. He stilled and tried to relax until Hojo peeled his eyes open and shined the accursed penlight into them. At that he didn't have to try anymore; his discomfort was obliterated by rage.

The auburn's hands began to tingle and he balled them into fists as thoughts crashed around his head, fueling a different kind of blaze. How dare this whack job hold him captive and treat him like nothing more than a lab rat? How dare he question his humanity? How dare he keep him from Reno?

At the thought of the Turk Genesis froze. Suddenly he wasn't just angry at Hojo, he was angry at himself. He'd given up hope on getting out of the lab alive and it pained him to think of what Reno would go through. The STC hoped the Turk didn't wonder or hurt too long, but it wasn't like he could do a damned thing about it. You can fight. Maybe if the redhead ever found out what had happened knowing he'd fought would give him some comfort. Least he'd know I didn't leave willing.

No longer caring what happened to his body, Genesis jerked on his right arm so forcefully he figured he'd either break it or dislocate his shoulder. He heard a crunching sound and the next thing he knew his arm was free. Knowing he didn't have time to completely free himself his first priority was to yank the CVC out of his neck, hoping he didn't hurt himself but not particularly caring if he did. Next he grabbed the restraint on his forehead, wrapped his fingers around it, and pulled. The metal gave with a crack that was almost sickening. He lifted his head as a door swished open.

"Impossible!" screeched Hojo, dropping his clipboard and lunging toward a closed cabinet.

"Apparently not," Genesis replied in a flat voice. He watched Hojo fumble though a row of small vials, knocking several over in the process. Apparently he found what he was looking for and jabbed a needle into a vial he'd plucked out of the mess.

"Even if you manage to break all your bonds and kill me you won't escape. You have no weapons and I assure you there are things in here that even you can't fight."

"You haven't done your research."

"You fool, I did…" Hojo trailed off as a flickering shadow caught his attention. It was as though someone had lit a candle but that made no sense. "What in the world?" he muttered, spinning and facing the STC. His mouth dropped open and he blinked stupidly as his eyes landed on a spinning fireball the size of a watermelon hovering three inches off the SOLDIERs right hand. "You… how did you… we checked you for Materia!" he cried in disbelief.

"I don't need Materia."

"Impossible!"

"Here I thought seeing was believing."

"We must have missed something."

"Believe what you want. It won't stop you from dying," snarled Genesis, rising and leaning to the left as best he could with the rest of the restraints still in place. A vicious smirk moved his lips at the absolutely terrified look on Hojo's face. He eyed his fireball, fascinated and oddly proud of it, before moving his hand and pointing it straight at the Professor, preparing to let it go. His plans were interrupted as the door swished open.

"Is everyth- Professor Hojo!"

Genesis didn't recognize the voice and didn't care. Out of the corner of his left eye he saw someone move quickly and he willed his ball of fire away. It took off, splitting into five pieces in the process. Three balls short toward Hojo, two toward the intruder. He heard screaming as both were quickly engulfed in flame but he could no longer see as previously unseen people began pressing him back down onto the metal table he lay on.

"You insolent little cur!" Hojo screamed, yanking off his charred coat. He was no longer on fire but both his hands, right arm, chest, neck, parts of his legs, and face burnt like someone had thrown acid on them. "I will destroy you for that!"

"So? I was already dead," Genesis replied, smirk still in place. He felt something jab into his arm and almost immediately a warm sensation spread through his veins. In less than 30 seconds he was paralyzed but still fully conscious. He knew he should be frightened, terrified even, but he wasn't. The smell of burnt flesh, burning chemicals, and the glow of a fire still alight filled him with pride and joy.

"Leave!" yelled Hojo to his assistants. "I'll take care of this. And take that corpse with you!"

Corpse? Genesis thought happily. Too bad it was only one. It was a shame he hadn't managed to kill Hojo but he supposed the burns he'd caused would have to be enough. Burns, both chemical and fire based, were the hardest injuries to heal and even a fully leveled Cure or Restore Materia wouldn't be enough to heal the damage he'd dealt to the Professor. The skin would heal, but the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves would take time and likely cause pain for weeks. Hope it lingers for years.

Out of the corner of his left eye the auburn saw Hojo riffling through a drawer in one of the cabinets. A faint green glow signified the casting of some type of spell and having nothing better to do he tried moving different appendages. Nothing responded, not even his eyelids. Least I can breathe. He was pondering how strange that was when Hojo appeared. The first thing he saw was his face, still burnt and dripping blood. Heh, looks like a burnt zombie. Suddenly the Professor leaned backward and a finger appeared. Salve was smeared into his eyes and the bastard disappeared again. The STC tried desperately to blink in order to clear his vision but as expected his eyelids wouldn't work.

After a few minutes of simmering in frustration Hojo reappeared. Before the STC even had time to wonder what he was up to, something was shoved up his nose. It rammed into the back of his throat and he tried to swallow but ended up coughing. He followed the scraping sensation down his throat until it stopped moving somewhere in his midsection. Hojo taped it in place against the side of his nose then once again vanished.

"I hope your last act of defiance was enjoyable boy," the Professor snarled. "I must say I'm disappointed. In time we could have worked together and learned so much. Created so much. Of course I can move forward without verbal input, but it would have been so much easier. So much better."

Genesis wanted to say 'fuck you' or 'I would never work with you', but of course he couldn't. He felt a sting in his arm and wondered what the hell he was being injected with this time. Almost immediately following the shot he heard clicking and grating sounds. Probably undoing the restraints. His suspicion was confirmed when he counted eight clicks, one for each remaining restraint. He heard the door open and Hojo called for one of his assistants. A few seconds later footsteps rushed in.

"Pick him up and place him in there."

"Yes, Sir."

The auburn saw a blurry shape then everything started to spin. Though the journey wasn't long by the end of it he was disoriented and dizzy. He was abruptly positioned upright and something was locked around his throat. The assistant moved away and he was suspended by his neck, leaving him unable to breath. Just as he was about to lose consciousness Hojo pushed his head backward and shoved something into his mouth. His teeth bit down on rubber and he realized it was a regulator. Fuck me, he thought as a clamp was locked into place on the bridge of his nose. Mako tube. He watched Hojo thread the loose end of the tube in his nose though a hole in the top of the Mako Tube and secure it in place. The thing was probably for feeding or injecting Gods knew what into his system without having to open the tube.

"I'd ask if you had any last words, but thankfully you can't talk. I do hope your death isn't quick or painless."

Genesis hung like a doll on a stand and could do nothing as the tube was sealed shut. He watched the Professor and his assistant secure watertight seals before walking away. A few minutes later he heard a hiss and soon felt liquid on his bare feet. It rose quickly and before long the enclosed space was nearly filled with neon green.

The auburn had no idea what strength the solution he was floating in was, but in no time it felt like an acid bath, especially on his eyes. Soon the pain became so overwhelming that he was on the brink of unconsciousness. As sight faded, he saw Hojo standing in front of the tube with a twisted smile on his face. He imagined punching him in the face and to his surprise his right hand slammed into the tube. A mixture of surprise and fear covered the Professor's face as he jumped backward, knocking a keyboard off a desk and almost tripping in the process. As blackness finally took him, Genesis swore that even if he had to return from the Lifestream he'd kill the son of a bitch.

Reno jerked forward, knocking the computer off his lap in the process. His skin itched and tingled and his eyes felt like they were going to combust at any second. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was beating him to death from the inside out.

"Reno? Reno what's wrong?"

A hand landed on his shoulder and the redhead recoiled. He lurched forward, landing on his hands and knees and ended up staring at the dirt below him. This time a hand landed on each shoulder and pushed him upright.

"Listen to me, if you don't slow your breathing you're going to hyperventilate!" He couldn't tell if the redhead understood so Rude gently shook his partner. "Look at me and concentrate godsdamnit! Slow your breathing!"

More than the words the shake caught Reno's attention and he finally registered his partner's presence. He tried to speak but was out of breath so he did as Rude asked and concentrated on breathing. "Hurts," he said once he had enough air.

"What hurts?"

"Your… hands."

Though Rude was certain he wasn't gripping Reno very hard he adjusted his grip until it was the barest touch. Only when he was sure the redhead could support himself did he let go entirely. "Better?"

"Yeah."

"I knew I should have made you go in earlier. Looks like you're getting sick again."

"No I- it's not that yo."

"Then what is it?"

"I dunno," Reno shrugged experimentally. It felt like something was crawling all over him but it didn't hurt anymore. He leaned back on his haunches, took a deep breath, and stared at the sky. The light stung, but for the most part his orbs felt normal. "Guess I feel asleep and had a nightmare or somethin'."

"Maybe some kind of parasomnia. Night terror perhaps."

"Para-what?"

"Parasomnia. Sleep disorders where behaviors, perceptions, and movements are distorted. They can occur when a person is waking up, leaving a person disoriented and panicked."

"Oh," the redhead replied. "When the hell'd you get so smart yo?"

"Hmph, one of us has to have some intelligence."

"Y- wait… did you just call me an idiot?"

"You have your moments. Maybe even more than most."

"Heh, dickhead," Reno grinned, hearing the amusement in his partners voice. "Why are you out here anyway?"

"Came to check on you," the bald man replied, watching the redhead shift his weight to his feet and stand. "You alright now?"

"Seem ta be."

"Good. Get inside."

"Rude I'm fi-"

"Inside," snapped Rude, cutting his partner off. He stood, bent down, and picked up the laptop. As soon as he touched it, the thing made a whirling sound and beeped. "I think you broke it."

"Bad as Tseng," muttered the redhead. "What was that last part?"

"The computer," Rude said, facing his partner. "I think you broke it."

"Me? Was fine till you touched it yo," growled Reno, half panicking. I haven't backed up any of those files!

"I'm not the one that threw it."

"I didn't throw it, just dislodged it. What's wrong with it?"

"Throw, dislodge, same difference. You should know better than to ask me that. It sputtered and beeped," Rude replied, holding the laptop out to the redhead.

"That's specific," Reno chuckled, taking the device. He ran his finger across the touchpad and the computer sprang to life. Thank Gods! "It ain't broke. The disc recovery's complete."

"That's good. Now what?"

"I look at the data," replied the redhead, giving Rude a 'I thought you were the intelligent one' look before taking a peek at the recovered files. Both discs were in the same location, but in separate file folders. The data from the first disc was divided into four subfolders whose names meant nothing at first glance. The data from the second disc contained nothing but files. He clicked on a file named 'MCR'. The computer's hard drive spun into action then stopped. Must be a bit file. At Rude's impatient look he said, "Yeah, guess I can do this inside."

As the redhead was closing the computer's monitor a window appeared. He quickly pushed the lid back and watched as the area was slowly filled. It took a moment to finish and he stared at the blue and white image, perplexed.

"What's wrong?" Rude called, standing next to the corner of the hut.

"Nothing, I-" the redhead cut himself off and his finger flew over the touchpad. "Call Tseng. Tell him to meet me at the reactor site ASAP."

With that the redhead shut the computer and took off running. He skidded around the corner then disappeared, leaving Rude blinking in confusion. The bald Turk shrugged, pulled out his PHS, and made the call, thinking he'd know what was going on soon enough.

As he dialed Tseng's number he decided to keep Reno's latest incident to himself. It probably was some weird sleep disorder and nothing to worry about, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more. Until he had a better idea of what the 'more' was, he would keep it too himself. Reno's not the only one with trust issues.

CVC - Central Venous Catheter, more or less a type of IV, sometimes placed in the neck.