Limited Wish
Chapter 2
Sephiroth watched Audrea get dressed. "So what exactly are you going to be doing today?"
"I’m going to try and get into those computers. I’ll probably have to hack my way in, since there’s nothing to tell us passwords, codes or anything else like that. It’s going to be a huge pain in the ass, but I hope it’ll be worth it."
"And you’re the only one who can get in? Or do you have a vested personal interest in these machines?"
Audrea sat on the bed, brushing her hair thoughtfully. "I’m really the only person who has any clue about how these machines work. And yes, I do have personal interest… there must be something, somewhere, about me on them." Sephiroth knew how badly Audrea wanted to try and remember her past. It hurt her that her friends could remember so much, and she was trapped because of whatever Hojo had done to her. He followed her downstairs and into the garage. She opened the door to her black sportscar. "I’ll be back later." She stood on her toes to kiss him goodbye. "Behave yourself." She said, climbing into the car.
"I will." He said, watching her pull out and drive away, tires screeching. As Sephiroth turned toward the house, he heard a noise coming from upstairs. He went into the house to investigate.
That afternoon, Audrea pulled into the garage, noting that the house was dark. She went inside. "Sephiroth?" She called. "You home?"
"I’m upstairs. In the bedroom. Come here, I have … something to show you."
Audrea frowned. Something wasn’t right. She quietly set her files down on the table and went to her study. She looked around for her sword.
It wasn’t there.
Audrea knew something was wrong now. She reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a gray case. Unlocking it, she looked at the heavy black pistol. Sephiroth had teased her lightly about getting it, even after her insistence that she "used to be a good shot, really."
Audrea picked up the gun, and the full magazine. She slammed the clip into the gun, took off her shoes and crept upstairs.
Audrea remembered what she’d learned long ago at Quantico, doing a careful, room-by-room sweep of the upstairs. The bathroom and guestroom were undisturbed. She opened the door to Sephiroth’s study, and looked around. She realized that the Masamune was not there, either. She crept down the hall to the bedroom, raised the gun to the ready position, and opened the door, pointing the gun into the room.
Scarlett stood, holding Audrea’s Katana. She turned to face Audrea, and Audrea caught a glimpse of Sephiroth, passed out on the bed. "What did you do to him?" She asked, training the gun on Scarlett. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see two figures in blue suits, flanking her. "And call off your goons."
Scarlett looked her over. "I though I got rid of your weapon." She brandished the Katana.
"You missed one. I repeat, what did you do to him?" Audrea asked, clicking the hammer back.
Scarlett laughed. "You’ll find out, Commander. I need you both."
Audrea decided she’d had enough. She took aim at Scarlett and pulled the trigger.
The gun clicked. Oh, shit I forgot to rack the slide! As she reached for the slide, the two Turks attacked. Reno brought his nightstick down on her hand, and the electric discharge made her drop the pistol. She wheeled back with a kick to Rude’s groin, punched Reno in the stomach and jumped out of the way. As the two Turks approached, Audrea balled up her fists, ready for a fight. Reno brought the stick down on her arm, where she was able to block the impact, but the electric discharge surged through her. She dropped to the floor, reeling. As Audrea got up, Scarlett was standing above her. "Here. You wanted to know what happened to him, so I’ll show you." Scarlett injected her with a blue liquid. Audrea felt the drug take effect almost immediately. "Hojo came up with this. He said it would be enough to put you down. I see he was right for once."