Chapter 70: Four Doors

"Prelude"

President Shinra sat at the head of the table.

Also seated were his son Rufus, along with Hojo, Heidegger, Scarlet, Reeve, and Palmer.

"Time for poker," the president announced.

He shuffled and delt the cards.

"Mr. President," Hojo began, "I believe the other game is about to begin."

MEANWHILE...

"The First Two Doors"

I sat helplessly in my cell. I don't even know how long I was in there; it seemed like forever. That's what happens when you're having a miserable time. I didn't even know where I was or whether I was even still on Eros Nova.

What I did know was that I'd been had. I knew I shouldn't have trusted Pete. I barely knew him, and something had to be off when he spoiled me rotten like that. My brain would tell me that's worth a concern, but I was stupid enough to think with my vagina instead. Shame on me.

And then, suddenly, the door opened, and someone appeared.

It was a familiar face.

"Chrissy!" I exclaimed.

"Aerith?!" she exclaimed back.

She ran to me and hugged me.

She was wearing a dress and jacket almost identical to mine, only her dress was sea green, and her jacket was sky blue.

"What are you doing down here?!" I asked.

Of course, the answer was obvious.

"It's Ben," Chrissy replied. "It looks like he's officially a candidate now. So they captured me to get me out of the way."

I sighed. I knew the Shinra were rotten, but Chrissy was only being captured because she was married to a candidate.

"When did they capture you?" I asked.

"Right after I saw you on the beach, I went to the bathroom," Chrissy began. "This was one of those bathrooms that has a different entrance than an exit. When I got out through the exit, I was greeted by a couple of lifeguards and an actual police officer."

"What happened?" I asked.

"One of the lifeguards looks at me, and he says: 'Hello, Christina Webble.'"

"That's it?" I inquired.

"Not exactly," Chrissy replied. "I said 'hello' back to him and went on my way. And I was thinking: 'That's kind of weird.' And as I was heading toward the boardwalk, I realized this was probably going to happen, and I wanted to kick myself in the butt for responding to him."

"So did it?" I asked.

Chrissy nodded.

"So I made it to the boardwalk," she continued. "I knew they were only a few feet behind me. I sat down on one of the restaurant chairs, and I waited. I knew that they knew I was over there. And, all of a sudden, I felt a cloth on my mouth, and then I woke up in a cell identical to this one."

"How'd you get out?" I asked.

"I woke up in my cell, still topless," Chrissy replied. "Then Rufus and Hojo came in and gave me these clothes."

"That's exactly what happened with me," I said.

"Then I went to sleep on the floor," Chrissy continued. "And when I woke up, I found my cell door wide open."

"Who opened it?" I asked.

"I wish I knew," Chrissy replied. "But I need to get out of here as soon as possible. And not for me."

It then occurred to me that she wasn't looking for me when she opened my cell door.

She was looking for her son.

"Look," I began. "We can't stay here. I have no idea what they'd do to us if they did."

Chrissy nodded.

"Okay," she agreed. "But there were two other cells outside of this one. Can I please check them?"

"For your son?" I asked.

"For my son," she confirmed.

We both stepped out of my cell. I found myself in a short hallway with the same white tiles and walls as my cell. There were four cells here. The two on the right, including mine, were open. I'll assume the other one was Chrissy's.

The two doors on the left remained closed. Behind us was a dead end. In front of us was a doorway that seemed to lead to a sitting room.

But, for now, we were focused on the two doors.

"The Third Door"

Chrissy opened the door, hoping to see her son.

Instead, she saw the face of nineteen-year-old Tanya Robinson.

She was a blond girl, dressed in a red shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Oh my God!" Tanya exclaimed as she ran to Chrissy and hugged her.

At first, I thought they knew each other. The next question simply revealed she was grateful to be rescued.

"Who are you two, anyway?" Tanya began.

"I'm Chrissy, and this is Aerith," the redhead greeted.

"I'm Tanya," she greeted back.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

"I don't know," Tanya sadly replied. "I just sat down for dinner in my hotel restaurant, and then I found myself here, right before you rescued me."

"Did you come with anyone?" Chrissy asked. "Like a boyfriend?"

Tanya lowered her head.

"I had a fiancé," she replied. "Had."

She then sat on the ground.

"Oh," Chrissy said. "I'm sorry."

"He was supposed to come with me," Tanya continued. "But then, we broke up a week before we were supposed to go. Fuck him. Fuck him!"

"I'm sorry," I said.

"The asshole had the balls to do it over the phone," Tanya continued. "Fuck him. Fuck him!"

It was clear that Tanya was not mentally sound, and I'm saying that in the kindest way I possibly can.

Then, something dawned on one of us.

"I think he was a candidate," Chrissy began. "And he was trying to save you from being captured."

"Fat chance," Tanya sobbed.

She then punched her knees with both hands, causing Chrissy and I to gasp.

"It's true," Chrissy insisted. "My husband was a candidate, and they captured me. And right now, I'm looking for our son, because I know they captured him as well."

Tanya just continued to cry.

"I want to go to heaven," she sobbed. "I want to go to heaven."

And then, Chrissy grabbed Tanya, and yanked her to her feet.

"Listen!" the redhead demanded. "My husband and your fiancé are both candidates. I'm one hundred and ten percent sure of it. That means not only have we been captured, we'll actually be killed once they pass all the tests. They can't have any distractions in their lives."

"I want to go to heaven," Tanya repeated.

Chrissy sighed.

"Okay, fair enough," she said. "Why don't I kill you now? Let's snap that neck."

"No!" exclaimed Tanya as she jumped back.

"I thought so," Chrissy said. "Now here's what's going to happen. I'm going to try and escape this place, and find my son in the process. If you want to join me, you can join me. And if not, well...I'm sure they'll be along eventually."

"All right," Tanya agreed. "I'll...I'll go with you."

Chrissy helped Tanya to her feet.

Then, all three of us girls stared at the last remaining door.

"I wonder who's in here," I said aloud.

"I really hope it's my son," Chrissy said sadly. "But there's only one way to find out."

Without anyone saying a further word, Chrissy approached the remaining door.

"The Fourth Door"

The door slid open.

The interior of the room was revealed.

I immediately recognized the occupant.

He wore a black cloak.

He had long silver hair.

His name was Sephiroth.