A/N:

Q: What's the worst part about food poisoning?
A: EVERYTHING

Not the most dignified finale to a birthday, I can tell you that. Now that I'm finally on the mend, I thought I'd cheer myself up by finishing up and posting the next chapter of the story! Some might say the posting part may not be the best idea, but who am I to argue with my dehydrated, slightly fever-addled brain?

The third time Reno came to fetch me, the nascent pattern was broken.

"Got someone who wants to meet ya, Fitz," he informed me as we approached the elevator. "Reeve Tuesti."

I stared at him, caught completely off guard. "Tuesti? You mean the executive?"

"Yeah, Head of Urban Development. Wants your help with somethin' or other."

That was even more perplexing. Urban development didn't sound like my field at all.

"Why would he need my help?"

"Guess you're gonna find out soon," Reno said with a careless shrug. "We're headin' there now."

"Now?!"

"Yup!" The elevator door dinged open and he waved toward it. "After you, Doc."

I glowered at the man, but he remained nonchalant.

"Chop chop," he said, holding the doors open. "Don't wanna keep the big man waitin'."

I stepped inside, feeling my heart rate race out of control. My previous meeting with a Shinra executive had not ended well.

"Calm down, Fitz," Reno said once the doors had closed behind us. "Reeve ain't such a bad guy. Y'know, for a Shinra bigwig."

"High praise," I muttered, toying with the cuff of my shirt.

He laughed and put his hands in his pockets, leaning back against the opposite wall. That odd shade of pale blue, half-hidden beneath heavy eyelids, glinted in the light of the elevator as he appraised me.

"Seriously, he's all right," Reno insisted. "I think you'll like him."

"What's he like? Like you?" I asked, mostly to keep him talking. Right now, I found the Turk's lazy drawl more calming than silence.

"Nah," he chuckled. "He's all polite and classy and educated and shit. Totally not like me."

"Hm. You might be right then. Maybe I will like him."

Reno rolled his eyes and poked out his tongue. Despite my best efforts, I broke out in a nervous giggle.

"Sheesh, you really are wound up, ain't ya?" He shook his head. "Relax, babe. The guy just wants to talk to ya."

"I don't know what to expect, do I? The only Shinra executive I've met is Hojo."

The jitters made my tone sharper than I had perhaps intended, but Reno took it in his stride.

"Yeah, well, Reeve's pretty much the total opposite of Dr. Freaky. Chill, Fitz. I got your back, yo."

He flashed me an encouraging grin. I took a deep breath and forced my hands down by my sides, fisted tight to keep them from fidgeting.

"I'll be fine once we get there. It's just the waiting that gets to me."

"Yeah, I get it." He glanced up at the floor indicator. "Well, lucky for us both, the next one's ours."

After a short walk down a corridor lined with unmarked doors, Reno flung one of them open and strolled in.

"Yo!"

So, I wasn't the only one Reno plagued with his way of announcing his arrival. As I followed him inside and closed the door behind me, I heard a male voice greet him with a combination of mild irritation, exasperation and, oddly enough, a touch of amusement.

"Haven't learned to knock yet, I see."

"Nope," was Reno's unrepentant answer. "Brought the Doc, yo."

Schematics and designs covered every open expanse of wall, while the workbenches were filled with unidentifiable technological creations in progress, tools and countless mechanical bits and pieces. The impression was one of carefully organized chaos. I had never set foot in this room, yet it held a haunting familiarity that caused a sharp jab in my chest. I stopped my left thumb just before it moved to touch a ring that was no longer there.

Rising to his feet from a chair by one of the tables was a tall man in his thirties, with dark hair and a trimmed beard. The jacket of his business suit was folded over the back of the chair, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up above his wrists. He set down the pencil he had been using before Reno burst in and turned around to meet me face to face.

"Welcome, Miss FitzEvan. A pleasure to meet you."

His voice was calm and his eyes were alert, although a tad puffy. I took his extended hand and received a firm handshake. Now that I had met the man, my "case of the pre-shakes", as Victor would call it, was dissipating.

"Doctor FitzEvan, actually."

Normally I might not have been so bothered with correct titles, but under the current inequitable conditions, it offered me some measure of dignity.

"Of course. My apologies, Doctor," the man corrected, with no veiled irony that I could detect. He was quickly making a favorable impression. "My name is Reeve Tuesti, as I'm sure Reno has informed you. I'm in charge of the department for Urban Development here at Shinra."

"Yes," I said with a nod. "I know who you are."

"Good. Do you know why you're here?"

I glanced at Reno, who seemed more interested in an unfinished project sprawled upon a nearby workbench than in the conversation, then took another look at the gadget-filled room. I found nothing that might explain why an executive – and, apparently, an engineer – would need my help.

"I understand you have a proposition for me, but that's all."

"In that case, I'll get straight to the point. Follow me, please."

Reeve made his way across the room, to a screen that obscured part of the back wall. When he pulled it aside, I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I understand this belongs to you."

I hadn't expected to ever see my hazard suit again. Even back on Earth, it was a piece of unusual technology. I had assumed that it would be taken apart for study, or scavenged for parts and expensive materials. Yet here it was, propped up on a stand in the back of a Shinra executive's private workshop, looking better than new. I was speechless.

"Wow," I finally managed to say. "It looks so... shiny."

I walked up to the suit and traced the angular edges of the chest panel with light fingers. Reeve Tuesti had certainly pampered my baby. The repainted surface was smooth and cool under my exploratory fingertips, free of every old dent and scratch.

"You know," I mused with a wry smile, seeing the suit with fresh eyes after such a long time, "it does sort of look like armor, doesn't it?"

My fingers traveled up to brush over the name tag on the right. My name, even after the new paint job. That surprised me.

"Yeah. That's why Scarlet called dibs first. Her people ripped it apart, yo."

"Scarlet is the head of the Weapons Department," Reeve clarified in response to my quizzical frown. "She was hoping for a military application, but it turned out the suit wasn't designed to stop bullets and blades."

"I could have told you that," I scoffed. "In fact, I believe I did tell you exactly that."

"Yeah, well, Scarlet ain't much for listenin'," Reno said with a shrug. "More of a stab-ya-in-the-face-if-you-don't-do-what-I-say kinda person, y'know."

His remark made me wonder if this Scarlet had been behind that mirror in the interrogation room, but I slapped away that thought. I needed to keep a clear head and focus on the present.

It occurred to me that the Turk wasn't the least bit surprised to see my suit in Reeve's workshop. He had known all along what was waiting for me, the sneaky bastard. For how long, I wondered. Did this explain his dogged interest in me? Were the charming grins and kind deeds just an act to win my cooperation on the executive's order? The smile on my face began to fade.

"I, however, am much more interested in what your suit does have to offer," Reeve said, interrupting my glum line of thought. "Reno tells me it's a 'hazardous environment suit', is that correct?"

"That's right. It's designed to protect the user from toxins and radiation, but it absorbs some physical damage too, like extreme temperatures and minor debris. You know, environmental dangers," I added, sending a pointed look their way. "Not bullets and knives, as your Weapons Department discovered."

Reeve seemed satisfied with my answer.

"Excellent. It's an environmental danger that I'm hoping to minimize. As I'm sure you know, prolonged Mako exposure can lead to all sorts of unpleasant side effects, even death."

I didn't know that, but thought it best to keep that to myself for now. I didn't know how much Reno had told the executive of my origins.

"Despite efforts to design safe working conditions for the staff of Mako reactors," he continued, "several cases of Mako poisoning occur every year. I'm hoping your suit might help me change that."

Benevolent motivations among the Shinra elite? After months of Amanda's enthusiastic gossip, Reno's cynical comments and my own unsavory experiences, I had begun to suspect such a thing didn't exist.

"I see," I said, wary but curious.

"Which brings us to why I invited you here. I would like to run some tests on the suit and was hoping I could convince you to lend your assistance."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Performance testing, to start with. The suit was literally in pieces when it arrived here and its technology is very... unusual. I want to know if everything works as intended and, well, the suit isn't exactly my size." He smiled. "After that, the adjustments for Mako protection, as I explained."

I digested his suggestion for a few moments, letting my eyes roam over the familiar contours in red and black propped up on its stand. In that moment, that damned suit represented everything I had lost in the blink of an eye. The thought of slipping into it again filled me with a longing I had diligently tried to lock away, deep in the shadows of my heart.

The offer sounded pretty harmless. Too harmless.

"What's the catch?" I asked, turning my gaze back to the executive.

His smile widened.

"No catch. Your expert opinion and accurate test data is all I require from you."

"There's always a catch," I insisted. "I thought you were the head of Urban Development. Isn't this outside the responsibility of your department?"

"Technically, you're right." He turned his head toward the suit, eyeing it much like I had a minute ago. "One could say it's a pet project of mine. Something to take my mind off the dreary realities of my job."

I didn't miss the darkened glance he sent in Reno's direction, nor the way the younger man's jaw tightened. I just wasn't sure what to make of their little display of wordless communication.

"I believe this will be a collectively beneficial arrangement. I get satisfy my curiosity about this kind of technology, the reactor staff will be safer, and at the end of the process, you will have a suit that is, literally, better than new."

I whipped my head around to give him a incredulous look.

"As you well know yourself, it is a highly customized piece of equipment," Reeve explained, answering my unspoken question. "Built to your measurements and tailored to your needs. It would be very costly and time-consuming to modify it for someone else. All I want is a useful design. The suit itself is yours."

My eyes wandered over to the suit and came to a halt by my name. I supposed that explained why it was still on there.

The offer had gone from "harmless" to "too good to be true", but oh, how I wanted to believe it.

"I'm a biologist," I pointed out. "I know what the suit can do, but I can't help much with the 'how'."

"That's fine," Reeve assured me. "I'm only asking for your experience as a user. Leave the technical details to me."

"I assume we'll be working here? In your workshop?"

"Yes. I should have all the necessary equipment here, and can acquire more if need be."

I nodded, then took a deep breath. I only had one question left, but it was the big one.

"And where will I spend my off-hours?"

"I'm afraid that's out of my hands," he said with an immediacy that suggested he had been expecting the question. "There are limits to what a single executive can do."

"And Reeve's already pushin' 'em with this deal," Reno piped up, "which means this is strictly hush-hush. Not a word to anyone, yo."

"It's for your own good, Doctor," Reeve hasted to add.

"Yeah," the redhead agreed. "The loony bin people know not to ask questions 'bout Turk business or orders from the big bosses, but it's best not to push your luck. If someone gets curious and digs too deep, you're the one who's gonna get the short end of the stick."

It was a warning, not a threat. I still had to suppress a shiver.

I had no guarantees. I would have to trust Reeve's word regarding the suit's ultimate ownership, and I had no reason to do so. If I wanted out of here, though, I would have to take risks sooner or later. At least the man had the decency to ask nicely, and agreeing to his offer would keep me close to the suit.

"Very well, Mr. Tuesti. I accept."

"Excellent." He offered his hand to seal the deal. "I look forward to working with you, Doctor."

I smiled and shook his hand for the second time that day, then turned back to the suit for one more look. I felt relieved. Elated, really. No matter how this would pan out, I had something to look forward to for now.

"It's a remarkably complex piece of engineering," Reeve remarked. "A lot of planning must have gone into it."

"Well, yes and no. It started out as just sensors. Pretty much just this," I said, brushing my fingers over the circuitry in the undersuit. "Something to warn us of invisible dangers in unstable conditions. The communication system was added soon after."

I turned toward the exterior shell, pointing toward the speakers of the radio system, tucked away in the collar.

"When the storms got worse, we needed more weight to keep us on the ground during field work outside. A helmet and armor to protect us from flying debris." I rapped my knuckles on the breast plate. "Then, to keep us upright with everything added, we needed a bit of help. Something to keep the weight off of our backs."

"The powered exoskeleton, yes," Reeve nodded. "The gradual evolution does explain some of the design choices."

There was an interesting choice of words, and not one I had come to expect from an engineer. James spoke of versions and models. I made me wonder if Reeve was adapting his terminology to suit his audience.

"Yes, I suppose so. We went through several models, upgrading them as we needed more and more features."

"By 'we', you mean your team?" Reno interjected from right behind me, making me jump. "Sounds like these were made just for you."

The Turk had come up behind us while we talked. The man could move with remarkable quietness, considering how loud he was every time he opened his mouth.

"That's right," I confirmed, sending him a sour glance which was casually ignored. "There's only a handful of these in use and they're each tailored for the user's needs. This one can perform basic chemical analysis on soil and liquid samples, radiation measurements, that sort of thing."

"Hm, interesting. I might be able to modify that feature for what we need..." After a brief pause, the executive clasped his hands together behind his back and turned to face me. "Well, Doctor, are you ready to start?"

"What?" I asked, taken aback. "Now?"

"No time like the present," he said with a smile.

"Shit," I blurted out before I could stop myself, then gathered my wits while Reno's laugh rang in my burning ears. "I mean, right. Yes, okay. Sure."

Unlike the Turk, Reeve was smooth enough to let my lapse of decorum slide without comment.

"Let's start with the user status sensors, shall we? I'm afraid there's no dressing room, but you can change behind the screen there." He pointed at the screen that had concealed my suit. "I'll make sure the Turk doesn't peek."

"Hey! I ain't no desperate creep, yo."

Reeve responded with a rather mischievous smirk that I hadn't expected to see on the face of a Shinra executive, and I realized our cooperation might entail some unforeseen benefits.

"I appreciate it, Mr. Tuesti," I said with my best winning smile, then sent a sly sideways glance toward the Turk.

Reno narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in a huff. While he marched off toward the other side of the room, glaring at the wall, I picked up the garment and made my way behind the screen Reeve had indicated.

While shedding the hospital clothes in favor of a new outfit had felt fantastic, it was nothing compared to the feel of something so achingly well-known. The undersuit – or various iterations of it, to be exact – had been a second skin for years. I zipped up the top, closed my eyes, then held out my hands and rolled my shoulders in slow circles a few times. It was looser now, but still a comfortable fit. I smiled. For the first time in many, many months, I felt like myself again.

With a renewed sense of confidence, I strolled out from behind the screen.

"All right, gentlemen," I said with a grin. "Let's do this."

The next two hours or so were spent mostly standing still while Reeve calibrated his systems to read the input. In the old days, I would have found such a tedious process dull beyond belief, but now that I knew what true mind-numbing boredom felt like, I relished every second of it.

So did Reeve, it seemed. An excited spark appeared in his eyes every time we encountered a problem to solve, a technical mystery to unravel. It was a delight to watch the polished executive transform into full-blooded engineer. This was familiar ground, at long last something I could relate to; and although the memories it induced strayed closer to bitter than sweet at times, the overall semblance of home won out.

The end of the session came much too soon.

"I'd say we've made solid progress already," Reeve said, visibly satisfied. "Reno, are you available tomorrow?"

"I'm s'posed to be doin' paperwork," he said, shrugging. "So unless somethin' blows up or whatever, I'm free, yeah."

"Good. Then you can bring Dr. FitzEvan here after lunch."

I could have kissed the man. Instead I settled for a few sincere parting words.

"It's been a pleasure, Mr. Tuesti. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Likewise," he said with a nod and a smile. "Until tomorrow."