Cell Division
31
Hojo got the answers from Mr. Still, of course. It took him less than thirty minutes. He exited the cell, blood-painted and expressionless. Specks and splashes of red on his white coat seemed stark. Sparing us a glance, he flicked his gloves into a trash bin. “Jean, please move Mr. Still into a lower level pod,” he instructed once he jabbed the intercom. He looked at me. Once again his eyes were black and bottomless. “You can give Mr. Shinra the recorder, Miss Grey.”
I handed it over.
“I’ll go listen to it now,” Shinra muttered.
“Weren’t you listening during the interrogation?” Hojo took his coat off and threw it overtop the trash can.
“No, I was too busy getting a psych-eval from your Miss Grey.” Shinra stuck the recorder in his blazer pocket. “Schedule her a free space soon for a full one; she makes me distinctly uncomfortable but I want to hear more about myself.”
Hojo eyed me. “We’ll get back to you,” he answered. “Come, Miss Grey; it’s time to visit the bio-lab.”
No sooner were we in the elevator, Hojo turned on me and trapped me against the wall. “Made him uncomfortable, did you?” he asked, almost whispering. “What did the pretty psychiatrist tell the despicable despot?”
He wasn’t touching me but I still felt as if he did.
“I told him about himself,” I answered. “I think he listened.” Between his arms, untouched yet feeling his heat and detecting his scent, I thought he smelled much the same as the first time I accompanied him in an elevator; amber and blood. It brought the memory of my old fear, overlapped it with my newest fears.
“That remains to be seen, I suppose,” Hojo said neutrally, eyes upon my lips. “I think he listened to me, too; I won’t tolerate him touching you, even breathing on you.”
“I’m glad,” I murmured. “But, you don’t have to be jealous. I would never volunteer to-.”
“You think I’m jealous?” He tilted his head at me, smiling slightly. “Maybe I am at that, but I’m mostly just a territorial bastard.”
I reached up and wiped a spot of blood from his cheek with my thumb.
The elevator stopped. Hojo turned swiftly and hit the manual override with a violent down-slash of his hand, stopping the doors and preventing any exit or entrance. Back in an instant, he returned to trapping me against the stainless steel wall. The pulse point at his neck throbbed with high blood. Silent, he just stared down at me, eyes hot and his breath coming hard.
It occurred to me he might take me in this elevator. I felt my heart slamming inside my chest. I could offer no resistance, but I dearly hoped he would not make his advance in here.
“You scared him, didn’t you?” Hojo asked softly.
“Maybe for a moment,” I guessed, my voice shaky. “People like to think if you understand them, you care about them. They usually don’t like it when you understand but don’t care.”
Hojo leaned in, inhaling the air around my neck. “Good girl,” he praised. “You go on scaring him. Indulge yourself.”
I trembled. “Yes, sir,” I answered, palms flat to the wall.
He released me. Hitting the override, he engaged the latch and walked out.
I hurried to follow on shaking legs.
“Sir,” a man dressed in white approached Hojo immediately. “Head of Enforcement requests your presence. Turks took out a resistance group in Sector Eight and they took a few alive. I was just about to call you and pass the information when you came here.”
Hojo looked at his watch. “Sector Eight is a ruined slag,” he said. “Can it wait until I make my rounds?”
“Mr. Jage was most insistent,” the man answered, looking uncomfortable. “He sent a helicopter and it’s waiting on the roof. Would you like a team?”
“I want Jean and Miss Grey, only,” Hojo answered, pulling me back to the elevator. “Where is Jage?”
“Already in his office.”
“I see.” Hojo smiled oddly. “Give Miss Grey your recorder, Benson; Mr. Shinra has mine.”
I accepted the device.
“And, give her your lab coat; it’s probably windy in the slag heap.”
Benson assisted me in the donning of the coat.
“Have Jean meet me on the roof immediately,” Hojo said, tugging me inside the elevator.
“Yes, sir.”
The doors shut.
“Make a mental note, Victoria,” Hojo said to me. “The fact I’ve been called to deal with a resistance group is probably due to Jage figuring I’ll use the prisoners as test subjects.” He punched the roof button. “I could be surprised, but I doubt it.”
“You won’t know until you arrive,” I murmured.
“Precisely.” Hojo put his hands behind his back. Suddenly he leaned up and hit the button for our main floor. “I need a coat and a collection’s kit,” he muttered.
We made a short stop in his lab for both items, getting back on the elevator quickly.
I didn’t like this aspect of my captivity. As far as I felt, Shin-Ra needed curtailing, needed people out there keeping the company from complete rule over the planet. We were on our way to pick up people I considered heroes.
Once on the roof and at the helicopter, I noticed we were completely alone; no pilot. Jean arrived seconds after us. He gave me a short nod, murmured ‘sir’ to Hojo, and immediately got behind the controls. Hojo assisted me inside the chopper, directed me to the backseat. “Buckle in,” he instructed. “Jean, do you have our coordinates?”
“Yes, sir,” Jean said quickly. He lit a smoke and offered his pack to Hojo, who took a single cigarette out and returned his property.
“Thank you, Jean,” Hojo said, patting his shoulder. “Try to fly us without your usual, adventurous spirit; I don’t believe Miss Grey has ever flown in a helicopter before.”
Very astute of him.