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"I'm going to let Bella, Genesis and Blaze know this as well," Sephiroth continued on the phone. He hung up on the cell phone, before dialing Bella's number. "Bella, this is Sephiroth. I just spoke to President Shinra. He authorized Hojo's experiments on Blaze... and because of the 'success,' they're going to perform similar experiments on others in our ranks. If Hojo or his scientists approach you, do not resist. Make sure you have your Curaga Materia set, so you can heal yourself through the procedure if you're approached.

"And let every other SOLDIER you see know about this. I don't think they'll approach us SOLDIER 1st Class, but you never know. Sephiroth out," he said. He snapped the phone shut, before strolling out of the briefing room and into the lounge, sitting on the couch inside.

Blaze's eyes closed as he listened to Bella's musicianship on the harp. "A girl of many talents... you're a real jack-of-all-trades."

"What did Sephiroth say to you exactly?" Blaze asked, concerned for the weeping girl. He stood and clasped a hand on her shoulder. As the words Bella whispered repeated through his mind, realization flooded into him. "This is about Professor Hojo's experiments on me, isn't it? President Shinra authorized them, and now they're going to continue experiments on more SOLDIERS?" He sighed in resignation as he shook his head in sadness, his sapphire eyes heavy-lidded. "I have a strong feeling, though I could be wrong, that SOLDIER 1st Class members won't be experimented on, because they'll be viewed as strong enough already.

"I guess that means my chances of becoming a SOLDIER 1st Class are shot," he said wearily. He realized how selfish his remark sounded and looked at the ground, upset. "No, I shouldn't be saying that. You're upset and worried, and that's more important than me becoming a SOLDIER 1st Class."

Blaze stood to his feet, intent on aiding Mod. As he stood up straight, his body tensed and he fell to his face on the floor, darkness beginning to cloud his vision. "Crap... that sword drained more of my energy than I thought." His vision and thoughts faded as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Sephiroth walked through the halls, searching for Angeal and Lazard. "Where are those guys?" His footsteps echoed in the hall as he neared Bella's room. Upon reaching the door, he knocked on it. "Bella, it's me, Sephiroth. Is it alright if I enter?"

"No, I'm not taking you to Hojo. I can't stand him either," Sephiroth answered. He tapped his foot on the ground. "I only want to talk to you."

"Listen, I know you're worried that Hojo may come after you to experiment on you as well, but the chances of that are incredibly slim, so long as you are not incapacitated. He chooses to experiment on those unable to move in any way, as evidenced by his experiments on Blaze when he was in the coma," Sephiroth stated after walking towards the couch. He sat upon the couch, next to Blaze, and crossed his arms. "You're more than strong enough to prevent yourself from entering a coma, or becoming paralyzed. Blaze however, was ambushed and struck over the head by a large, heavy object. That's the reason he fell into that coma six months ago, he was ambushed by Wutai forces while he was on a mission.

"If it wasn't for his brother, Auros, Blaze would be dead. Though perhaps it would be better for him to be dead than in this torturous existence... knowing you're further genetically experimented with than most SOLDIERs, it would be enough to drive anyone to insanity, if not the brink of it," he continued.

"I'm having conflictions myself. If we promote him to SOLDIER 1st Class, that'll send a message to Hojo that his experiment was a radical success. But, if we don't promote him, it could ostracize him since he's worked so hard for it," Sephiroth stated. A sigh escaped his form as his green eyes closed. "His intended limit break would certainly have been 1st Class material. From the amount of fire that surrounded him before the experiments kicked in, the attack could have taken up about half the length and width of the barrel of the Mako cannon at Junon."