Life Finds a Way

Chapter 56

Once a decision was made Genesis moved to change into his normal attire. Once he was dressed he silently took Clarissa by the hand and led her from the apartment. As soon as they exited the room they were stopped by the sight of Zack and Reno. The two of them were about to enter Zack's apartment, but stopped when they saw them exit Genesis' apartment. Zack blushed to the tips of his ears and quickly turned away, but Reno was looking at the two of them with a smirk. When he spoke, Clarissa wished she could either deck him, or disappear. She wasn't sure which one she wanted more. He spoke to Genesis first. "Hey, Commander Cranky! It looks like I was right all along. Maybe this'll improve your temper, yo."

When he turned to Clarissa, his eyes held nothing but mischief. "I heard you're a screamer. Too bad, I could have made you sing."

There was a quick flurry of movement at his words. A beet red Zack was trying to pull him into his apartment while trying to avoid everyone else's gaze. At the same time a fireball instantly appeared in Genesis' hand. Clarissa had to move quickly to push his hand down before he let it fly. She tried to reason with him. "He's not worth it Genesis. Let's go, we have more important things to take care of."

She didn't flinch when he scowled down at her. He finally let the fire fade as he turned to stalk off. She had to rush a little to catch up. Thankfully, by the time they were out of the apartment wing, he was calm enough to focus. With his current state of mind, Reno's prodding could have caused much worse. She was glad it didn't.

Clarissa had expected them to head to Genesis' office, so she was surprised when he led her up to the 51st floor. The thought of meeting Lazard after her conversation with Genesis had her palms sweating. She knew it wasn't logical for her to think that Genesis would be any more predisposed to listen than anyone else. That didn't stop her from subconsciously standing partially behind him when they entered the office.

When Lazard looked up at their entrance, she saw a brief flash of irritation, but it was quickly erased as he addressed them. "What brings you to my office today?" His eyes flicked to Clarissa when he spoke.

Genesis didn't bother with any preamble. "I need to talk to you about my 'special' assignment."

Lazard's eyes flicked to Clarissa again before he raised a brow to Genesis. "Now is not a good time to discuss that. If you would like to set up a time, I am sure I can work it in."

Genesis sat with a huff in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Don't bother. She already knows, which is one of the things we need to discuss."

Lazard stood in a rush, with both hands on his desk. He gave Genesis a scowl. "What were you thinking?"

Genesis ignored the look as he gestured for Clarissa to take the other seat. "I didn't tell her. She already knew. I don't know how much she knows, but it is enough to warrant this discussion. Apparently, she has a plan."

Lazard sat at that. He crossed his arms and rested his chin in his hand for a few moments before turning back to Clarissa. "Who do you work for?"

She unconsciously ran her palms down her thighs to hide the fact that they were sweating, before answering. "I work for Shinra Electric Power Company, but if you are asking how I know, that comes from what I already knew. I wasn't lying when I said Minerva brought me here for a reason."

"What you already knew?"

Genesis interjected at that point. "She claims to come from an alternate future. There is more that she claims to know. She has suggested that we set up a meeting with Angeal and Sephiroth as well as two of the Turks."

Lazard looked to her with a frown. "The Turks? Are you trying to get us all killed?"

She was aware that it wouldn't take much for Lazard to have her arrested, if for no other reason than to cover his own involvement. She knew she had to convince him not to before he made that move. "I know what it sounds like, but both Veld and Tseng have reasons that mean they would be willing to listen at least. I know you can't accept what I am saying, but I know... I know why you are doing this. It isn't for power."