Cell Division | By : Savaial Category: Final Fantasy VII > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 2025 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. It belongs to SquareEnix. I do not make any money from these writings, nor do I wish to. The original creators have all my respect, from game designers to voice actors. |
I felt hard muscle under the fabric of his coat.
He smelled of blood and amber.
We walked slowly due to my weakness. He didn’t seem to mind the pace. The orderly behind us began to pant, I assumed from the weight of the blankets.
“You’re out of shape, Carson,” Hojo commented, taking us down the hallway. “You should start taking advantage of the employee gym.”
“Yes, sir, Professor Hojo,” Carson said breathlessly.
“Honestly,” Hojo went on. “How do you expect to wrestle the meat around here when you’re so soft?” His voice held a menace not quite hidden under casual talk. “If I took the tranquilizer guns away from the staff, would they all huff and blow like you do?”
“A…lot of them…would, sir,” Carson wheezed.
“That will never do,” Hojo murmured. He looked down at me. “It is of paramount importance to stay in shape, Miss Grey,” he said. “I don’t expect you to manhandle test subjects, however.”
I nodded, half stumbling from a sudden sense of vertigo. Making a mental note not to shake my head while walking, I took a tighter but reluctant grip on his arm. I felt him flex.
At least he didn’t ask his orderlies to stay in shape when he himself did not.
We entered a very large, pristine room of steel equipment and white walls. I took a good look as we strolled through, noting technology far beyond anything I knew. A few people walked back and forth between work stations, seeing Hojo and not meeting his eyes. They stared at me, though. A few wore expressions of pity. Some looked resentful. Most had no expression whatsoever.
Leaving the brilliantly lit room, we took a short hallway down to a single door. Hojo took my hand and pressed my thumb onto a scanner, putting his directly beside. “Authorization,” he said in a bored tone.
A green light flashed inside the panel. Hojo returned my hand to his elbow. “At all stations you’ll need access to, I will repeat what I just did,” he told me. “This is my office.”
He took me inside to a room completely unlike the sterile white lab. I beheld dark mahogany furniture, burgundy paint and mica wall sconces. A computer sat on his desk amidst piles of loose papers. An ashtray beside the printer simply overflowed with butts. I spied a dark, wine-colored leather couch. A radio played soft classical. I smelled amber in here, too. My bare feet enjoyed the warmth and softness of the dense, tan carpeting.
He led me to the only other door, motioning Carson to follow. We entered a room that had a bed, a barren dresser, and an open door that showed a decent bathroom. “Put the blankets on the bed,” he told his orderly. Carson dumped them with a grateful sigh. Hojo disengaged from my hand. “Properly,” he said sharply, casting the man a dark look.
Carson began spreading the blankets out, looking frightened.
“This is where you will stay,” the professor informed. “This is where I’m supposed to stay when projects keep me here long hours. Since occupying this new Shin-Ra lab I believe I’ve slept here five times.” He looked at Carson again. “Get Miss Grey a few sets of scrubs, and inform housekeeping she is here,” he said. “Make certain you requisition socks and surgical shoe covers.”
“Yes, sir, Professor Hojo,” Carson said as he finished making the bed.
“Do it now,” Hojo said, once again sounding bored. In seconds we stood alone.
He gazed down at me, his eyes measuring. “Don’t make me regret giving you this chance,” he said quietly.
I shook my head.
“Good.” He reached out, putting his forefinger between my collar and neck. “Your larynx will heal in a few more days,” he mused. “When it does I’ll expect you to answer me just like the rest of them do, am I understood?”
Yes, sir, I mouthed.
One corner of his mouth turned up in a little quirk of sudden amusement. For a moment the black of his eyes didn’t seem quite so cold. “You’re frightened,” he observed. “Don’t be. If you do as I ask, you’ll never have reason to be afraid.”
Yes, sir, I mimed again.
He turned his back on me and walked to the door, his white coat swinging. “A meal will be brought to you in two hours.”
I stood alone.
***********************************************************************************
The bed felt good, if lumpy. I snuggled into it, so happy to be warm. The sheets smelled like amber…
My eyes popped open. Had Hojo slept in this bed recently? The idea gave me shivers. I decided to imagine that the bed only smelled of amber because his office did, which worked until my eyes focused on a single, long, black hair on the pillow. Gingerly, I picked it up and dropped it over the side.
I couldn’t worry about it. For the first time in weeks I was warm. I had on clothes that covered me sufficiently, though a bit thin. My meal hadn’t tasted half bad and now made me feel sleepy. So what if Hojo hadn’t thought to have the bed changed before putting me in it? As long as he didn’t get in it with me, it was all good.
I didn’t think he intended to be that sort of master…
I could hear him, if I quieted my breathing. He sat on the other side of this door, at his computer. The rhythm of his fingers on the keyboard came like rain. He was very good at typing. Every now and then I’d hear a snippet of refrain from the radio, or a low murmur that suggested either a commercial or the deejay. All in all, actually soothing sounds. Much better than the sounds that had come earlier, while I still wandered the room.
Hojo had not been easy on Jean. I’d listened in horrified fascination as the scientist reprimanded his orderly in a cold, clipped voice. He’d verbally torn the man to ribbons in seconds, making personal observations and going through his work record with brutal precision. Jean now had janitorial work. Hojo did not suffer fools, especially, it seemed, slow ones.
The sounds of typing halted. The door opened slowly. Muted, golden light spilled into my darkened room. Hojo’s slim, powerful silhouette appeared sans lab coat. A stethoscope dangled from his left hand.
I didn’t feign sleep, my first urge. I had a feeling he would know better and I didn’t want to start off with him challenging me on lying. I sat up, throwing the covers back. He came to stand before me, approval in his eyes.
“Good,” he said, putting the earpieces in. “Anticipation makes for a decent assistant.” He bent his long body toward me. I undid the string holding my neckline closed. He paused. His eyes met mine. Again I felt what it was like to receive his approval. “Anticipation in regards to obedience is even better,” he remarked, taking his hand off the bottom of the stethoscope to place the warmed, flattened metal between my breasts and over my heart.
He listened a moment, his eyes moving to the low left as he concentrated. Slowly, he drew away from me, putting the instrument around his neck with the casual ease of repeated practice. His warm hand encircled my wrist. I felt sleeping strength in those slender fingers.
“Slow and steady,” he remarked, having felt my pulse and checked my heart rate. Again I felt his hand, this time on my forehead. It frightened me his touch wasn’t repulsive. He should be reptilian, cool and clammy. Instead, he was warm and strong.
He looked at my food tray. “You ate everything. Good. You’re much too thin.”
Well, having limited food for several weeks will do that to you, I thought.
He brought out a little, rubber-tipped hammer from his pocket. I slid backward and let the backs of my knees touch the mattress. He gave an approving nod and tapped, making my leg jerk. “Reflexes normal,” he murmured.
I sat through him taking my blood pressure the old fashioned way, with the squeeze-bulb sleeve and a watch. I noticed he seemed content with my figures, whatever they were. He stuffed the cuff into his pocket and brought out a wrapped lancet and a vial. He placed them on the bed beside me, took an alcohol swab and cleaned the inside of my elbow. “Just a blood sample, my dear,” he said, putting on a pair of latex gloves.
I barely felt the needle. The vial filled very fast. He put a cotton ball down on the vein and slid the needle out, closing my arm to hold the soft wadding in place. “Good girl,” he said absently, holding my blood to the light. “Remain so cooperative and we’ll get along very well.”
As long as he didn’t hurt me I’d indeed cooperate. This man scared me to death. He was quiet and gentle to me even though he made threats and radiated menace. It spoke of predatory madness to have these qualities together.
A mechanized voice sounded from his office. “Professor Hojo,” it said. “Your investment broker is on line one. He insists he speak with you.”
Hojo’s eyes barely flickered. Still holding my blood to the light, he opened his mouth. “Fuck my investment broker,” he said, shocking me. He looked down at me, seeing my wide eyes. “Don’t like cursing? My apologies, but I enjoy it.” He strode back into his office, leaving the door wide open.
I watched him reach for the desk phone. His slender forefinger extended to push a button as he took the receiver. With poise, he tilted his head and clamped the thing between his jaw and his shoulder. “What is it, Myron?” he asked, his voice disturbingly calm. A short pause, and then he gave a short, sharp laugh. “I know things you don’t,” he said. “The stocks stay.” He hung up. “Useless,” he muttered.
He returned to me. I noticed his unusual grace almost completely concealed a slight limp. He’d turned an awkwardness in his stride into a unique, smooth gait. He wasn’t obviously lopsided, and his shoe soles matched, so I figured he had an old injury that troubled him. He didn’t look very old, though, maybe forty.
But, that couldn’t be right. He’d worked for Shin-Ra a very, very long time. I remembered seeing him on the news as a small child, now that I thought of it, and looking no different.
He shone a light toward my eyes. I looked up into his face, taking advantage of the way the reflected light hit him. His eyes were truly black. I couldn’t tell where the pupil ended and the iris began. I smelled him more strongly now, catching a slight breeze off the inside of his coat. Whatever he wore or sprayed around didn’t smell entirely of amber. I caught a darker scent. I responded favorably to it, to my horror.
“You have unusual eyes,” he murmured, drawing back. “Is your vision acceptable?”
Yes, sir, I said silently. I didn’t have perfect vision but I saw well enough to avoid glasses. I hoped he would leave me alone soon, so I could think about why my nose liked him. And, I did not have unusual eyes. They were green. Period.
Hojo held his hand out to me. “Grab me and squeeze as hard as you can,” he commanded.
Nervous, I obeyed. He didn’t react but I hadn’t expected him to. The slender bones and strong, smooth flesh under my grip felt…nice. I was used to meatier hands riddled with calluses.
“Not bad for a female,” he commented, stepping back. “You can sleep now. Expect to get up early.”
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