Loveless

Chapter 23

Eloise woke up a few hours later in the laboratory. She couldn't move, but she could hear. Her body felt heavy and numb, as if something had been injected into her veins. She had the vague, unpleasant certainty that Hojo had done something to her again.

"Did you make up your mind, Genesis?"

She couldn't see him, but she felt his presence nearby.

"It's either her life or yours," Hollander continued, a faint note of amusement in his voice.

"I know," the redhead snapped. "I don't want her to think I'm the villain. But I know that's what I'll become."

Eloise felt warmth move closer, then a cold hand closed around hers. The contrast made her chest tighten.

"I think you underestimate Eloise's character," Hollander said after a pause, his tone almost gentle. "Her life changed the moment she entered SOLDIER, and she accepted it without hesitation. She may be the only one who won't judge you."

"She will," Genesis replied quietly. "She'll be disappointed."

"You underestimate her," Hollander repeated.

Eloise heard movement, then the soft sound of footsteps retreating. A door opened and closed. Genesis had left.

When she finally woke for real, she was back in her room.

She sat up abruptly and reached for the communicator, dialing Genesis's number without thinking. There was no answer. Her chest tightened as she checked the time—she had less than fifteen minutes before training.

She forced herself out of bed and into the shower, her thoughts racing. The warmth of the water did little to calm her. The voices she had overheard echoed in her mind, sharper now that she was fully awake.

It's either her life or yours.

She clenched her fists under the stream.

Whatever Hollander had meant, whatever decision Genesis had been forced to face, she needed answers.

The next few days became chaotic. War had officially broken out against Wutai, and third-class SOLDIERs were being sent out in waves. Only a few returned. When reports grew sparse, Shinra sent Genesis to gather information.

A month passed.

Eloise tried not to think about it, but worry settled heavily in her chest.

"Don't pout. It makes you ugly."

Zack dropped onto the couch beside her, far too energetic for her mood.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him away, harder than necessary. Her irritation flared, and with it, the faint glow of energy beneath her skin shifted—no longer electric blue, but green. It frightened her how easily it changed now, how little control she sometimes had even outside of training.

"What if something happened to him?" she snapped. "Wutai is a war zone."

Zack sighed and pulled her into a loose side hug.

"Hey. Come on. Why don't you come watch me train? You can sit in the control room with Angeal. Might help take your mind off things."

She scoffed, but in the end, he dragged her along anyway.

The war wasn't helping her mental state. Missions were piling up, training sessions with Sephiroth had become rare, and everyone she usually relied on was constantly unavailable. Reno was always deployed, Genesis was gone, and Sephiroth was buried in classified work. Her own assignments kept her in Midgar, away from the front.