Loveless

Part 10

The next time Eloise woke up, she realized she was in a hospital room. She groaned softly and attempted to move, only to be met with a sudden wave of dizziness that forced her to stop. Her head throbbed unpleasantly, a familiar consequence of pushing her limits too far. It was the price she had paid for keeping herself and her fellow SOLDIERs alive.

"You woke up."

That voice wasn't Zack's.

She turned her head slowly and noticed a man sitting on a chair near her bed, a red book resting on his lap. He was watching her with quiet focus, his posture relaxed but attentive.

"How long was I out?" she asked, her voice rough.

"Three days."

Her eyes widened and she pushed herself up to a seated position, ignoring the lingering pain as her vision slowly adjusted.

Genesis sighed, stood up, and set the book aside before stepping closer to her bed. "You used too much energy. What happened in Nibelheim?"

She rubbed her forehead, wincing slightly. "It was a trap. We were supposed to retrieve an important document from a secret source, but no one showed up. Instead, we were attacked by three creatures. Karr died, Sky and Matt were badly injured, and I—"

"You're fine," Genesis interrupted calmly. "The mako energy in your body already healed your arm."

She lifted it, rotating her shoulder carefully before leaning back.

"I failed my first mission."

Genesis raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. "It was a trap. Those men were lucky to have you there."

She stared at him, clearly surprised, and he noticed the hesitation in her expression.

"Tonight," he added, more curtly, "after everyone leaves you alone, meet me at the lab you tried to sneak into."

"Why?"

Genesis scowled. "We need to talk to Professor Hollander."

That name brought the file back to her mind. She hadn't been supposed to read it, yet it was still among her belongings, untouched but impossible to ignore.

After Genesis left, Eloise remained alone in the room. She didn't ask about the others, afraid of the answers she might receive. With nothing to distract her, her thoughts returned to Nibelheim. The summoned creatures were disturbing enough, but what unsettled her more was the idea that someone had gone through so much effort to eliminate their team. The Jenova file was still in her possession, which meant it hadn't been the real objective.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head just as two mischievous green eyes peeked inside, followed by their owner stepping in without hesitation.

"Good to see you awake," Reno said cheerfully. "You scared me half to death when you fainted in my arms."

She rubbed her eye sheepishly. "Sorry?"

Reno grinned and took her hand without warning, making her blush at the sudden contact.

"You know," he continued, "maybe I can pull some strings and take you with me on my next mission."

She blinked. "Aren't you the connection pilot for SOLDIER units?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Looks like we'll be seeing each other a lot anyway."

For a while, she listened to Reno's stories about his missions, the Turks, and Shinra's youngest executive.

"He's annoying sometimes," Reno admitted, "but he's got potential."