FFVII.lost.angels.2.horizon

Final Fantasy VII characters & references, © Square Enix. Original plot and characters, Dr. Ellison, Dr. Adele and Monet, © to me, J.K. Hinther, 1997, 2012 & Beyond.
This is a work in progress and also a writing exercise for me, which is why I'm being so obsessive about it. Trying to get my writing skills up to par before I begin working on my original works set in a world I've been developing for over fifteen years. So with this I'm looking for technical and fair critique! Constructive criticism!

I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter... I feel like it rambles on too much ...

january 12th, 0009

How could she have slept? She didn't even go home that night. Adele had just stared sleeplessly at the ceiling of her office as she lay on her couch. It was uncomfortable, but that wasn't what had kept her awake all night.

The excitement around the excavation of the UFO had consumed her. It had taken them nearly a day to ensure they carefully extracted what remained of the pod and its contents before transporting it to the Shin-Ra underground laboratories. It was kept in a maximum security chamber; each entrance guarded by Shin-Ra's finest, carrying fully automatic weapons.

Her alarm began ringing, vibrating from her cell phone. A smile crossed her lips as she sat up. She couldn't wait to get back to the lab. She felt like a child, eagerly anticipating her party. Standing at the edge of the couch, she reached up to pull her hair back out of her face, grimacing as her fingers touched the nest of tangles that was once a ponytail. "Damnit…" She muttered and crossed the small office to her computer, leaning forward to glance at herself in the screens reflection.

A mess. That's what she gets for not going home to her own bed, to stare sleeplessly at her own ceiling. She sighed heavily, expelling all the air from her lungs before she took a deep breath, filling them once more. Not only was her hair a complete disaster, but the traces of makeup that remained had smeared, giving her the appearance of a mischievous animal, or her younger sister who often spent her nights some other place than in her own apartment.

It had been awhile since they had spoken. Adele rolled her shoulders back, putting it from her mind. Since accepting her job at Shin-Ra Corp, her family had all but abandoned her. It had been years.

She pulled a black hair tie from a drawer in her desk and pulled her messy ponytail back into an even messier bun.

Fortunately, Shin-Ra provided showers for employees in the lounge. She planned on taking advantage of such amenities today; she had always made sure to keep a change of clothes in her office for occasions such as this. She had learned her lesson after one too many projects involving overtime, or overnights. Adele often joked with Dr. Ellison that they should just move into their offices.

She grabbed the overnight bag she kept beneath her desk and slung it over her shoulder. She glanced about the small space before grabbing her ID badge from the table beside the couch.

It was time to start the day. First with a quick shower, a cup of strong coffee, and the excitement would begin. Her thoughts were pulled once more to what was secured in the lab. A smile broke out on her tired features. This is going to be one hell of a day.

*

Refreshed and coffee in hand, Adele waved her ID card in front of the reader, the door slid open before her, revealing the hallway that led to the high security chamber. Shin-Ra's infantry stood, back to the wall, holding their weapons at the ready. As she stepped through the door, all eyes were on her. This is in no way unsettling. She thought, inhaling deeply as she began the walk. "Good Morning." She tried to sound casual as she passed the soldiers.

She couldn't help but silently remark on how young they all were. A few seemed barely into their teens. Shin-Ra was really taking them on at such a tender age.

Adele exhaled as she reached the end of the hall, staring at the tall sliding door that was the gateway to the maximum security room. The steam rose from her coffee, dissipating as it rose, reaching for the ceiling.

Nerves. She shook her head and chuckled quietly. She held up her badge, waving it before of the reader. A notice flashed on the screen: Additional Identification Required. She switched her coffee to her other hand as the screen flashed for her to place her hand on the screen and watched as the computer recognized her palm and fingerprints. It processed and then beeped. Another notice flashed on the screen.

Dr. Adele Weiz Confirmed. Access Permitted.

The door hissed and slid open. Adele took a step inside the room, her ears being met with the sound of her colleagues talking over each other. Her heart sank; she had been hoping to be the early bird. She was starting to regret taking the time to take that shower and brew a fresh pot of coffee. A heavy sigh escaped her.

It was chaos. And she knew it would be. This was an unprecedented discovery. Nothing of this caliber had been discovered since JENOVA.

As she stood, trying to collect her bearings, Dr. Ellison rapidly approached her. "Thank God you're here. This has been a complete and total animal house. The President has been asking for you." He spoke, exasperated as he motioned with his hands to the room full of scientists. "He's ordered no one to do anything until you arrived."

"What? Me? Why?" She blinked, stunned at his words.

"I think it has something to do with you being the Project Leader. He's been here for the last half hour, asking for you." Ellison turned away from her to peer over the heads in the room. "He's back there," he pointed to the far right corner.

Adele nodded curtly; she took a long drink of her coffee before thrusting the white porcelain mug into Ellison's free hand. "You don't mind holding that, do you?" She inquired, but didn't wait for an answer. She wormed through the massive crowd, making her way to where Rufus Shinra stood, arms folded over his pressed white suit as his fair blonde locks fell before his eyes. On each side of him, Tseng and Elena stood, hands clasped behind their backs in true Turk form.

"You've been asking to see me, Mr. President?" The Doctor put on a faux croon as she adjusted her glasses. She really had no real love for the President, but he was the one who put her on the payroll, and therefore paid her bills.

"I have been. I thought you might have been the first on scene." His tone suggested how annoyed he was that she was late, but he continued, "I'm sure Dr. Ellison has already mentioned as such, but I will tell you anyway: I want you to be Project Leader on this." He cut straight to the point. He wasn't one to really dance around the issue, when it suited him.

"Me?" Adele cocked her head to the side, eyeing him cautiously, "Mr. President, while I'm very elated to be Leader on this find, I must
admit: I'm quite curious as to why Dr. Chamberlain wasn't your first choice." She slipped her hands into her lab coat pockets, fiddling nervously with a piece of lint.

Rufus unfolded his arms and unconsciously followed suit by casually sliding his hands into his pants pockets.  "Because I feel like you are better suited for a Project of this caliber: you have a more open mind than Dr. Chamberlain. And if things go the way I'm hoping they do, your opinions will matter to me more, than those of a man on the verge of retirement."

So I'm getting the job because I'm younger. She fought to keep her eyebrow from rising. His phrasing resulted in a few raised red flags but she kept her thoughts to herself, nodding graciously. "Thank you, Mr. President."

"Now." Rufus pulled his hands out of his pockets and clasped his hands together as if he were about to dig in and get his own hands dirty, but she knew better. "I want you to run every test imaginable on this specimen. DNA analysis, tissue sample, x-ray: anything, everything. I want to know what this is and where it came from."

And how you can use it. She couldn't help it. That was the Shin-Ra way: test it, study it, learn everything about it and find out how Shin-Ra can use it to benefit them or if it can be used as a weapon. "You do realize this will take some time. We need to assess to the specimen; we need to be assured that it won't degrade once we remove the protective barrier that the Mages have cast to protect it during the transfer to the lab. It's going to be a gradual process, I'm afraid. We'll be able to do x-ray, but beyond that, physical samples will have to wait until I'm certain we won't just lose it due to exposure." She explained. She could feel her words upset and disappointed him, but he retained his cool exterior.

"Very well. I do want daily updates on your progress. I'll expect reports in hand first thing, every morning." Rufus' tone was short, and the look he gave her only reinforced his order.

"Yes, Sir." She nodded in response, pulling her hands out of her pockets and letting them fall at her sides. She watched as the President
then turned his back and retreated from the chamber, his Turk's in tow.

*

The pulse of magic pressed against her as muffled sounds surrounded her. So many voices that she couldn't discern; the sound was reminiscent of chattering birds. She felt confined: she was unable to move, speak, see; she could not react to what was transpiring around her. She could only hear and feel. She was helpless.

She felt like screaming; she felt like crying. But her body wouldn't respond. It couldn't respond.

Where am I? How did I get here? What is this place?

…Who am I?

*

Adele sat in front of her computer, tapping away at the keys as she documented the day in her notes. There hadn't been much progress with the project: too much excitement to be had. Arguments erupted after the President had left. Her colleagues were less than with his choice of Project Leader.

They all demanded to know why she was chosen over them. What made her so special?

She couldn't answer them.

How could she?

Could she be able to tell them what Rufus' had told her when he gave her the position? That she simply had a more open mind than her peers?

What about her assumption? That Dr. Chamberlain was simply getting too old and she was his next in line, so naturally, the position went to the younger of the two?

She chose to keep her mouth shut and play dumb. Some were seemingly satisfied. Others were not. 

Adele tried to push it from her mind. There were more pressing matters at hand: tomorrow she would begin figuratively dissecting the specimen. She had already ordered the digital scanner to be moved into the chamber so she could perform internal 3-D scans and check vitals without dropping the magic barrier.

She stopped moving. Her hands rested on the desk, fingers poised above the keyboard as she stared at the screen. She began to lose herself in thought: she was witness to nothing short of a miracle. She dropped her head; her hair fell before her eyes like a veil. "What am I doing?" She thought aloud. This thing was a gift… and she would be defiling it with science.

There was no choice in the matter: she would do it, or lose her job.

Possibly her life.

Rufus had a reputation for being ruthless.  He was not one to cross while in his employ.

Adele sighed heavily and lifted her head up again. She pushed her hair back and pulled her glasses off. Her vision blurred: her exhaustion was beginning to rear its ugly head. Perhaps tonight she would actually make it to the shuttle to return home. Sleeping in her own bed for the night and drinking her own coffee in the morning sounded too good to pass up.

She rubbed her eyes before replacing her glasses and returned to tapping away on the keys, finishing her entry for the day. Once complete, she saved the document closed it before she logged out of her computer.

*

Everything was quiet save for the gentle humming of the magical barrier. Rufus stepped out of the shadows and approached the capsule and what it contained. He stopped just before the barrier; the energy and heat it gave off was mildly uncomfortable, but he wanted to get a good look.

He couldn't help but stare. This was his JENOVA. It had fallen from the stars and come to him. He had hope that this would open up every possibility. Every goal he had begun to set for himself. This was the start of a new beginning for Shin-Ra.

He wanted to know everything about this being. What it was. What it could do. How it could help him get back on top. Back in control.

The cell phone inside his coat pocket began to vibrate smoothly. He reached inside and drew it out. Director Tseng. He stepped back from the barrier and flipped the phone open. "Yes?" He answered.

"Sir, there's something on the news I think you ought to see."

*

Adele pushed her arms through her coat before buttoning up the double rows to the top. She hung her lab coat up on the hook behind her office door before unclipping her ID badge. She tucked it safely inside her coat pocket, buttoning up the top as a precaution. She couldn't lose that.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall, ten til 20:00. It was late. The last transport left at a quarter past 20:00. She would need to hurry. She grabbed her shoulder bag, then left the office and made her way down the hallway.

Everything was quiet; office doors were left open and revealed to be empty. She must have been one of the only employees to be left inside. She gripped the front of her coat. Being left alone inside the Shin-Ra lab always left her with a feeling of unease. When she slept in her office, she could at least lock the doors, but wandering the hallways at night was another story. She quickened her step.

Once outside, Adele jogged across the walk toward the shuttle train. She pulled out her punch card as she moved, holding it ready to show the operator.

"Finally going home, Dr. Weiz?" The conductor, a kind looking elderly man inquired as he greeted her with a smile.

Adele smiled, "Yes, sir, I am." She nodded, handing him her card. "No sleeping on a couch tonight. I plan to enjoy the comfort of my own home. That and I'm sure Charles missed me." She chuckled.

"Charles? I thought you were living the single life?"

"Charles is my cat." She laughed.

"Oh, I see." The conductor grinned, "Well, have a seat; I'll get you home to Charles, safe and sound."

"Thanks, Byron." Adele gave his shoulder a squeeze and took her usual seat across from the television screen. Some advertisement for a cool and refreshing beverage played. She paid no attention as she pulled her bag into her lap and pulling the flap up to reach inside. She drew out her data pad and switched it into the on position.

As she began to load the software for her digital book, something caught her attention: a news broadcast had begun.

"Fire in the sky? That's what it looked a day ago as what appeared to be a meteor fell from the sky and embedded south of the City of Edge. Even though the impact was quite a distance away from the city, many citizens found themselves without power for nearly six hours.

"The owner of a local bar, 7th Heaven, closed down her establishment for the night, losing more business than she would have cared to. Tifa Lockheart was just one of the many businesses that suffered due to the blackout.

"Law enforcement went to investigate the impact site, finding a large crater and nothing else. They did say it appeared something had been cut from the earth, leaving them all scratching their heads as to what could be on the horizon for Edge and the surrounding cities."

Adele sighed heavily. That is most certainly the question at hand… what is on the horizon?