Guilt’s Cost: Part XLVI

Manipulation

Quigley sat at his desk, lost in the piles of books and charts. Hojo had him currently assigned to the development of new bio-electro converters and he was at that particular moment stuck on a certain conversion equation. He searched his desktop for a pencil forgetting that he already had one stuck behind each ear. His mind was even more distracted than usual as he dwelt on the letter that Porter had given to him the day before. He needed to get in contact with Tseng back at the ASRIO base but hadn’t found the time. Somewhere inside, he thought that the information contained in the letter seemed a little too good to be true. Knowing that there was sure to be some level of suspicion about his loyalty to the company, Quigley almost thought that the letter had been an intentional piece of misinformation and he knew he should check it out further before notifying Tseng. He got that chance sooner than he expected.

The door to his office was flung open and Quigley looked up to see Hojo standing before him. "Professor, can I help you?"

Hojo smiled and sat down in one of the two chairs flanking the researcher’s desk. "I hadn’t the opportunity to touch bases with you in a while, and I thought I should come by. How are you coming with the converters?"

"Oh, let’s see." Quigley shuffled through some papers coming up with a report sheet. "Here’s the progress so far. I think there is a good chance we may find a way to harness twice the pranic energy of our previous converters if my calculations come out correct."

Hojo took the report and looked over it briefly before tossing it back to the desk. "That would be quite an improvement, wouldn’t it?"

"Yeah." Quigley tucked the report back into its ‘correct’ pile on the desk.

Hojo sat silent for a moment before leaning closer to the researcher. "Did Porter get that memo to you the other day?"

Quigley swallowed hard, not expecting the question. "Yes, yes he did. I was a little surprised to read that Cloud Strife is in the lab."

"As I suppose you would be." Hojo smiled to himself. "Mr. Strife has been quite an interesting subject to study, and I have learned much."

There was still some doubt as to the truthfulness of Hojo’s claim to have the ex-SOLDIER. "It must be quite a sight. He is alive, I take it?"

Hojo was pleased with how easily Quigley was being led into the snare. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Would you like to see him?"

This was the opportunity Quigley had been hoping for. With visual confirmation of Cloud’s presence he could tell Tseng the news with confidence. "I would be honored, Professor."

"Good. Come with me." Hojo got up and walked from the room.

Quigley was led to the lab and let in. The room was still off limits to the other researchers and he and Hojo found themselves alone.

Hojo walked to the middle of the room. "Mr. Strife, please come here."

From a dark corner Cloud emerged. He walked to Hojo and stopped just a few paces from him. Cloud nodded slightly in recognition of the Professor.

Quigley moved closer to them, unable to believe his eyes. It was Cloud, and he was alive. "My God Hojo! You just have him loose like that?"

Hojo turned away from his specimen and looked at Quigley. "Mr. Strife and I have reached an agreement. He allows me to study him, and I find a way to bring back the dead ancient that he loves so dearly. Right, Mr. Strife?"

Cloud’s lips produced a smile and he nodded again. "Yes, Hojo."

Hearing him speak was the last confirmation Quigley needed. "This is amazing…"

"Yes, it is." Hojo grinned in pride. He could see Quigley was completely taken by the illusion. His plan was going perfectly. "Well Quigley, I need to get back to work. Do you think you could see yourself out?"

Quigley was brought out of his reverie and turned away. "Yeah, I should probably get back to the converters."

Just before Quigley closed the door, Hojo put the last piece into place. "And Quigley, keep this between us. You are one of the few people here I feel I can trust with this secret. If it got out to the wrong people, who knows what would happen."

"Yes, Professor." Quigley locked the door behind him, running a hand through his shaggy hair. He needed to get a hold of Tseng, and fast.