Storm was smiling as he whispered into Lucrecia's ear and she smiled back at him warmly, her gaze filled with love and even a bit of naïveté. The presence in the back of Sephiroth's mind felt wistful as he studied Storm bending over to kiss Lucrecia's cheek softly.

"Do you know what it is like?" he asked mentally.

Know what is like?

"How it feels like to be in love... like those two. Do you understand?"

I was in love once... I loved a little while... Yet... There was a melancholy mental sigh.

"I've never been in love," he whispered softly, turning to face the breeze. Sleeping with Magdalena had only confused his thoughts, but what she had done was clearly nothing personal. "I wish I knew what it felt like."

You never allowed yourself the chance. You told yourself day after day that you didn't know nor care how it felt like. You were brought up to believe you had no feelings, after all. You believed yourself to beyond those feelings...

"How I wish things had turned out differently."

But they didn't and now we all must make do. Despite what you think, Sephiroth, you are not a soulless monster.

"I don't believe this is a constructive purpose to my being resurrected, though. To learn how to feel? Why, when I'm supposed to be dead?" A harsh frown settled on his features. "What is the point? I will never be accepted once people realize who I truly am!"

Then he felt it: a soft hand caressing his face, fingers bushing against his frown, easing it into a more serene expression. He felt more calm, and definitely more patient. For a brief moment, he looked into forgiving eyes... he knew he was looking into the eyes of the face of the presence in his mind. He thought he knew those eyes... he should know that face... But it slipped away from him as soon as he tried to grasp it.

Is that better? the voice inquired.

Sephiroth looked down at the landing field. "I... don't know," he admitted, as much to himself as to that strange voice. The serenity was strangely alien to him. He had thought his mind always clear and ordered, but realized that he never truly had felt such a thing before. Now his thoughts were empty, and that sent another part of him reeling with the newness of the feeling.

I'm sorry you had such a hard life. The presence enveloped him, and he thought he felt soft, feathery wings enclose about him. There's not a lot I can do... I'm so sorry.

"You've done more than many others have..." Sephiroth nearly breathed out loud. "Thank you, glorious angel. For accepting me."

The presence was a little startled, then he could feel it smile. You're welcome, Sephiroth. He inhaled sharply as a rush of intimacy ran through him. It was as if he was sharing a kiss with his glorious angel, one so private the feeling was intense. The next thing he knew, he was looking up at the blue sky, watching the clouds rolling by.

Erratic and Blazer were outside. They were standing guard... Vincent had warned them of the possibilites of attacking monsters. Vincent himself was standing behind Runner, his blood-red eyes intent on the flashing screen. Yuffie and Akiranni had gone off shopping and Vincent did not enjoy shopping. His golden claw drew many stares whereever he went. Politesse had to admit that arm of his was kind of unnerving as well.

"I'm going outside," Vincent said quietly. "Anything?" he asked Erratic and Blazer.

"Nothing, boss."

Vincent sighed. "The tedium is insupportable," he said in a near-complaining tone. "Erratic, Blazer, check all the corridors!" he snapped.

"Yes, sir!" both men said, running off in different directions.

"The peace not to your liking, boss?" Politesse asked.

Vincent sighed once again. "During the days before Meteor, we definitely had more... fun than this." He winced. "I wish I'd appreciated that fact last time."

Politesse nodded, then turned back to the computer, resolving to put Runner down her list of priorities for the time being.

"Nothing, boss."

Vincent ran his good hand through his hair. "Dammit." He turned to Runner and Politesse, still at their computers. "You two are going to have to be left alone for a while. PHS us if anything."

"Where're you going to be, boss?" Runner asked.

"You two," Vincent ordered Erratic and Blazer. "Follow me. We're going to find Lady Yuffie."

"Ooooohhhhhhh...." Blazer said knowingly.

"And you two, behave," Vincent ordered Politesse and Runner. Erratic glared at Runner, who winced.

Runner waited until they were gone before he let loose a breath. "I thought they'd never go!" he sighed.

"You seemed quite happy typing away."

He nodded, then frowned. "Now, there's only two of us competent people... have a look at this."

She tilted her head questioningly. "What is it?" she asked, rising from her seat and looking at what he was indicating. Another frown marred her features. "I do believe I've seen that before..."

"It's a signal message," Runner said. "The scientists found it... hanging out there in space somehow. I'm trying to decode it."

Politesse looked again. The signal message was just a mess of dots and lines, but to her, they meant something more important. She knew that signal. She had read through extensive reports of Jenova. These were... almost the same lines they had found in space... almost...

"I thought it was a glitch at first," Runner went on. "But... apparently, there's something like this in the Jenova reports... but it isn't exactly like this. The pattern is different."

"Wait a minute," Politesse interrupted. "What kind of signal... did Jenova send out?"

Runner shrugged. "Some sort of distress signal, I guess." He looked perplexed. "I wonder why this one isn't the same."

He stood up and began pacing. "Gast wrote that Jenova came here on a space-vehicle... a space-ship, if you may.. what if... what if that she, realizing she was about to be stopped, tried to send a distress signal to one of her kind, also out there in space?"

Politesse's eyes went wide. "And this signal..."

"If we decoded it...?"

"How old is this signal?"

Runner blinked. "Gee. I didn't check."

Politesse smoothly slid into the chair. After a few more minutes, she gasped audibly. "Runner..." she nearly whimpered. "Runner, look."

"What is it, Lita?"

"This signal... it's estimated to reach out to space in thirty years.... The file's thirty years old, Runner...."

"WHAT?!?" Runner shoved his nose up to the screen. "Oh, hell..." he whispered. "Who sent this signal, Lita??"

Politesse tapped the keyboard a few more times. "Oh, hell..." she repeated Runner's words. "One year after Meteor."

"That's impossible," Runner said flatly. "The only one who'd be able to figure this sort of thing out would... be..."

"Professor Hojo."

Runner looked ashen. "Check the other files. Hack in as quickly as you can, Lita. Let's get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Every single file. Don't miss out a thing."

Both of them got to work. Runner's mind was racing with possibilities. "Runner!!" Politesse nearly shrieked. "Look!!"

He did. Files reports. Self-experimentation. Results. Studies. Drugs... alien cells... Two pairs of eyes went very wide as those files suddenly deleted themselves. The computer screen flashed with the word "DELETED" several times.

"What the hell is going on??" Runner yelled. "Why are they deleted??"

"I didn't touch anything!!" Politesse gasped.

"I know you didn't touch anything!"

"The network is supposed to be dead already. How did you two find me?" asked a wheezy voice as the screen flickered. There, like a video, was Hojo's face... and then some. Hojo was grinning, his lips impossibly wide. Tentacles weaved out of his lab coat sleeves. He looked as if he had morphed into some sort of praying mantis. "Well, well, well..."

Politesse quickly hit the "delete" button and turned off the computer. She turned to Runner, both of them flabbergasted.

"I'll call the other Turks," Politesse said, taking out her PHS.

"I'll call Avalanche," Runner said, taking out his.

Then they both paused. "Let's get out of here first," they said together before dashing for the door, slamming it behind them.