While the dark heart is dawning
Characters Ema Skye, Sephiroth
Rating R
Summary Ema has been summoned to the front lines of a massacre.
Location Ruins of the R&D labs.
Date/Time October 6, not too long after this log.
Status Complete!!
The sinking feeling began when the phone rang. Even though it was supposed to be her day off, Hojo had made his instructions for her very clear: report to the GeneCo building. From there she would be given further instructions--she'd understand why her presence was necessary, he had assured her--and he would make sure she was compensated for her trouble. It had to be something major for Hojo to call her at home; Hojo's no-nonsense tone made refusal completely impossible. Ema wondered what was so important that it demanded her immediate presence.
The sinking feeling got worse when Ema pulled up to the GeneCo tower. She'd been a GeneCo employee long enough to know the difference between normal and heightened security--the current situation was definitely the latter. Judging from all of the movement around the entrance, the tower was on lock-down. How the hell did Hojo expect her to report to the labs? Sighing heavily, Ema parked her car and climbed out of it.
One of the security officers noticed Ema's arrival and jogged toward her. "Ms. Skye?"
Ema blinked at him. "Yeah?"
"Come with me." Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the tower and toward the elevator. "Professor Hojo told you the situation, didn't he? He told us to let you into the building because you might be able to help."
"Actually, he--"
Another officer, this one a full-fledged GenCop, interjected. "Ah, Ms. Skye, about time. Here, put this on." He had a bulletproof vest on her before she could even think to protest, then placed an oversized SWAT helmet on her head. "Not sure how much help that's going to be, but it should at least take a hit or two. You ready, girly?"
Ema stared down at herself. Combat gear? What the hell was going on?! "No, I don't know what--"
"Good, good." It was obvious that the GenCop wasn't really listening; Ema noted quietly that he seemed extremely preoccupied. Get into the elevator. Floor 66. Good luck, girly." Once again ignoring Ema's protests, he pulled her toward the elevator and pushed her in. The doors closed, effectively cutting off whatever demands for an explanation Ema might have gotten in.
'The labs...?' With a deep breath for confidence, Ema pushed the button for floor 66 and headed upward into the unknown. If she survived whatever was waiting for her up there, she resolved to murder Hojo; the bastard had led the forces to believe that Ema was arriving informed, and they were too panicked about whatever this was to believe otherwise. The professor was a dead man.
The doors slid open to reveal a war zone. The first, and probably most horrible, thing that Ema noticed were the bodies; one all but fell into the elevator on top of her, covering the bulletproof vest with the blood that was flowing freely from a large puncture wound through his chest. Ema screamed and dropped the body, then proceeded to wriggle out of the vest and thow it aside before the blood could seep into her clothing. She was only somewhat successful. The helmet followed--it was obstructing her vision, anyhow.
Hestitantly, Ema stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway ahead. She had to climb over three more bodies, all covered in their own gore and one disconnected from her head, before her feet hit solid ground. It took all of her willpower not to look too closely; these were people she worked with, people she knew. Seeing them in such a state was harrowing. Ema had certainly seen death before--recently, even--but this... this was worse than a simple repossession. This was horrific and, from what she could tell, gratuitous. Murder for murder's sake. Why the fuck had she been called to this?
Fire had ravaged through the offices to the right, burning everything within its reach, and a smear of blood cut a trail down the hallway and into the lab itself. Whoever had slashed through the bottleneck at the elevator had retreated back into the lab, probably to make sure there weren't lingering survivors.
Ema started to follow the trail, her gait slow and unsteady from terror and shock. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her breath came in ragged bursts that threatened hyperventilation. She had been sent to her death. Everything around her was already dead, and she had been sent up to die with them. Turning back wasn't an option, even if every muscle in her body screamed for it; the GenCop downstairs would just send her right back up, and Hojo would find a way to make sure she was in the morgue by nightfall. Besides, the corpse that had fallen on her was now lying in the way of the elevator door--Ema could hear the annoyed ding coming from the machine that indicated the blockage. If Ema wanted to go back she'd have to move him, and she wasn't sure she was up to the task of moving the recently-dead.
Forward was the only direction, then. And forward she went, following the trail of blood into and through the lab. She only hoped that her death would be swift.
Rating R
Summary Ema has been summoned to the front lines of a massacre.
Location Ruins of the R&D labs.
Date/Time October 6, not too long after this log.
Status Complete!!
The sinking feeling began when the phone rang. Even though it was supposed to be her day off, Hojo had made his instructions for her very clear: report to the GeneCo building. From there she would be given further instructions--she'd understand why her presence was necessary, he had assured her--and he would make sure she was compensated for her trouble. It had to be something major for Hojo to call her at home; Hojo's no-nonsense tone made refusal completely impossible. Ema wondered what was so important that it demanded her immediate presence.
The sinking feeling got worse when Ema pulled up to the GeneCo tower. She'd been a GeneCo employee long enough to know the difference between normal and heightened security--the current situation was definitely the latter. Judging from all of the movement around the entrance, the tower was on lock-down. How the hell did Hojo expect her to report to the labs? Sighing heavily, Ema parked her car and climbed out of it.
One of the security officers noticed Ema's arrival and jogged toward her. "Ms. Skye?"
Ema blinked at him. "Yeah?"
"Come with me." Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the tower and toward the elevator. "Professor Hojo told you the situation, didn't he? He told us to let you into the building because you might be able to help."
"Actually, he--"
Another officer, this one a full-fledged GenCop, interjected. "Ah, Ms. Skye, about time. Here, put this on." He had a bulletproof vest on her before she could even think to protest, then placed an oversized SWAT helmet on her head. "Not sure how much help that's going to be, but it should at least take a hit or two. You ready, girly?"
Ema stared down at herself. Combat gear? What the hell was going on?! "No, I don't know what--"
"Good, good." It was obvious that the GenCop wasn't really listening; Ema noted quietly that he seemed extremely preoccupied. Get into the elevator. Floor 66. Good luck, girly." Once again ignoring Ema's protests, he pulled her toward the elevator and pushed her in. The doors closed, effectively cutting off whatever demands for an explanation Ema might have gotten in.
'The labs...?' With a deep breath for confidence, Ema pushed the button for floor 66 and headed upward into the unknown. If she survived whatever was waiting for her up there, she resolved to murder Hojo; the bastard had led the forces to believe that Ema was arriving informed, and they were too panicked about whatever this was to believe otherwise. The professor was a dead man.
The doors slid open to reveal a war zone. The first, and probably most horrible, thing that Ema noticed were the bodies; one all but fell into the elevator on top of her, covering the bulletproof vest with the blood that was flowing freely from a large puncture wound through his chest. Ema screamed and dropped the body, then proceeded to wriggle out of the vest and thow it aside before the blood could seep into her clothing. She was only somewhat successful. The helmet followed--it was obstructing her vision, anyhow.
Hestitantly, Ema stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway ahead. She had to climb over three more bodies, all covered in their own gore and one disconnected from her head, before her feet hit solid ground. It took all of her willpower not to look too closely; these were people she worked with, people she knew. Seeing them in such a state was harrowing. Ema had certainly seen death before--recently, even--but this... this was worse than a simple repossession. This was horrific and, from what she could tell, gratuitous. Murder for murder's sake. Why the fuck had she been called to this?
Fire had ravaged through the offices to the right, burning everything within its reach, and a smear of blood cut a trail down the hallway and into the lab itself. Whoever had slashed through the bottleneck at the elevator had retreated back into the lab, probably to make sure there weren't lingering survivors.
Ema started to follow the trail, her gait slow and unsteady from terror and shock. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her breath came in ragged bursts that threatened hyperventilation. She had been sent to her death. Everything around her was already dead, and she had been sent up to die with them. Turning back wasn't an option, even if every muscle in her body screamed for it; the GenCop downstairs would just send her right back up, and Hojo would find a way to make sure she was in the morgue by nightfall. Besides, the corpse that had fallen on her was now lying in the way of the elevator door--Ema could hear the annoyed ding coming from the machine that indicated the blockage. If Ema wanted to go back she'd have to move him, and she wasn't sure she was up to the task of moving the recently-dead.
Forward was the only direction, then. And forward she went, following the trail of blood into and through the lab. She only hoped that her death would be swift.