It was cold. The wind didn't help, roaring in his ears, and everything seemed to have a strange double image in everything he looked at. The slim metal resting against his bare head seemed to almost burn where it touched against his temples, the low hum from the strange technology almost soothing. There were two men flanking him, and part of him knew that he should be alarmed at the uniforms they wore, at the machinery they were piloting. But there was nothing more than this eerie calm.
They came to a stop at the edge of a cliff, snow swirling around them. The valley below lit up from the lights of a small mining town. He stared, almost mesmerized by how the town twinkled as bright as stars in his eyes.
"There's the town." One of the soldiers paused, climbing out of the heavily armed machinery and kneeling at the edge of the cliff. His helmet hid his eyes from view, armor creaking in the cold. The other soldier slipped down from his own machine, also taking stock of the town below. The two soldiers had white surcoats, and that cloth would have blended them in with the snow if it wasn't for the bright red crosses embroidered on them.
"Hard to believe that one of those things has been found there, eh, Biggs? What're they called, 'Pieces of Eden?'" the soldier remarked, scuffing his boots in the snow behind the other, scratching a gloved hand below his helmet. "It's been what, 1000 years since that War of the Magi?"
"Wedge, you can't think that it's actually there. We've been sent after these things for how long and come up with nothing," Biggs said, standing up and giving the other Templar a frown.
"It's probably there, judging from the urgency of our orders. It's different this time," Wedge frowned at the town below them. Biggs turned and gave the third member of the party a hard stare.
"What, because of this guy...what is he, a sorcerer? I heard he fried over 50 of our men in under three minutes. And any ones that managed to survive that, he finished off with his bare hands."
"Bah. Don't worry about that, Biggs. That piece of the Animus on his head robs him of any conscious thought. He'll follow orders."
"Hmph," Biggs grunted, watching as Wedge climbed back into his machine. He gave the silent man another hard look before following suit.
"We'll approach from the east, hopefully get in and out of there without any issues. Move out!" Wedge ordered, his machine lurching forward, the heavy steel clawed feet scraping and stomping through the snow. The other two followed close behind, the storm around them finally beginning to slow.
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The town was small, overcome with too many pipes and walkways that blocked out the sky. He stared at the steam leaking from the pipes, and trailed his eyes to the houses the pipes connected to. He felt a dim curiosity about what they were for, before shouting grabbed his attention.
"Abstergo's Imperial Magitek armor? Not even Narshe's safe anymore!"
He turned his head, staring at what must have been the town guard, men wrapped in furs and mismatched armor and a large snarling dog at their side. The two soldiers flanking him pulled back behind him, assessing the threat of the guards.
"Huh. Should've figured it wouldn't be that easy," Wedge muttered, "Let's keep this guy on point. No point in taking any risks. You, forward! Take them out!"
He advanced at the Templar's gesture, staring impassively at his opponents. His hands brushed over the controls on his machine, pressing down on a combination of buttons, feeling the hum of the generator behind his seat increase as it charged up. The guards rushed at him, their clubs drawn back, metal glinting off cruel hooks that swept back from the handles of the wooden weapons. He retreated a step as the dog also leapt forward, pulling ahead of its masters.
"Narshe's freedom depends on us!"
He heard a snort from behind him at the guards' shout, and then all his attention was drawn back to the threat in front. He caught the dog in his machine's front arms, the sharp, hooked hand holding the growling thing a safe distance away. He tightened his grip on the controls, his Magitek armor responding quickly as the hands also tightened on the animal. He stared unfazed as the snarls turned to squeals as he crushed it between the sharp steel fingers.
He flung the now limp body aside, blood dripping onto the snow. The guards were nearly on him, and he felt the machine finally complete its charge. Another combination of buttons, and an enormous burst of energy shot from the front of the machine, and completely enveloping the two guards. The men didn't even have the time to scream as they were engulfed in the heat of the laser, and when the bright flash finally cleared from his eyes, he could see the charred remains of the enemy on the now bare ground. The snow had melted from the heat of the attack, and one of the houses had also suffered, flames licking around one of the destroyed walls.
"Shit, I don't think I'll ever get used to that smell." Biggs had pulled up beside him, frowning as he noticed more guards rushing down the steep terrain that made up the mining town.
"We must defend the mines!" "They won't get the Apple!"
"Well, that answer that question." He wasn't certain which one of the soldiers said that, too busy whispering under his breath, calling on the energies he always felt humming in the back of his mind. Fire erupted before the three, and the screams of the guards engulfed in those flames echoed back from the mountains surrounding Narshe.
The three moved their machines carefully through the town, climbing slowly up to the mines situated behind Narshe's residential area. There were no more guards, but he could see some fur clad figures slipping back into the darkness of the mine shafts.
"Hmm...According to our source, the Piece of Eden was found in a new mine shaft," Wedge said as they finally made it to the top of the town. The soldier frowned at the entrance. "Maybe this one?"
The mine shaft was dim, the electric lights spaced just far enough apart to keep people from tripping on the cart tracks. He looked around, eyes flitting from the scattered boxes and barrels to the abandoned tools lining the sides of the shaft. The tunnel they were in was straight, and fairly short. Another entrance could be seen, clearly a wall that had been recently broken through to the cave beyond.
He hesitated, eyebrows wrinkling as he tried to work through the influence of the band on his head. Something felt wrong...?
"You know, this is actually pretty eas–! Shit! Leggo!" Wedge startled him with that shout, and he turned to see the soldier pulled from his Magitek armor by two guards. He could hear struggling to his right, and that was the only warning he got as a hand fisted in the back of his shirt, hauling him free of the machine. He landed hard on his side, dimly aware of the other two scrambling to their feet as they drew their weapons. He had none, managing to roll to his feet and crouched low on the ground.
The clang of steel echoed behind and around him as the massive guard that had yanked him out of his Magitek advanced, heavy sword whistling through the air. He rolled to the side on the first swing, using his momentum to pull completely up onto his feet, rocking back on his heels. He ducked the second blow, and sidestepped the third, catching the man's arm with his right hand, bringing the heel of his left sharply to the guard's elbow, snapping it at the joint. The man screamed as he took the sword from nerveless fingers. The scream turned to a rough gurgling noise as he whirled and drove the blade up to the hilt through the guard's back. He yanked the sword free, blood smearing on his hands.
Wedge was still fighting the two that had pulled him down, and he could hear Biggs finally deal with his own. He stalked up to the two guards, Wedge giving him a startled look as he smacked one of the blows away from the soldier. The guard turned and growled at him, hand tightening on his club.
He didn't give the guard a chance to actually take the initiative and attack, rushing forward and knocked the club aside again. He caught the man's hand as he swung his fist at him, driving the blade into the guard's gut. He ignored the way the man still tried to swing his weapon even as he folded over, the blow too weak to even do any damage on his unarmored body. He could hear another gurgling behind him as he kicked the dead man off his sword, turning to see Wedge knock his opponent down and plant a foot on the dying man's chest.
"Narshe is a neutral city..." the guard was gasping, "Why is Abstergo breaking the treaties?"
"Narshe is filled with idiots if you think that you could have kept something like this a secret," Wedge smirked, pressing down harder on the man's chest. The soldier smiled grimly as the guard began spitting up blood, weakly scrabbling at the foot pressing on obviously broken ribs. Biggs sauntered up beside them, his own smirk twisting his face.
"Ah, just kill him Wedge. No point in dragging our mission in this frozen shithole out any longer than necessary."
The sword loosely held in Wedge's hand came up and then sharply down, sinking smoothly into the guard's chest. He watched blankly as the soldier pulled the blade free, leaning forward and wiping the blood off the sword on the dead man's clothing before resheathing his weapon.
"Get rid of that sword. You're not supposed to have one," Wedge ordered him as he climbed back up into his Magitek, waiting for the other two to settle into their own before moving forward through the mine. He dropped the blade as he was commanded, not paying any attention to the blood he smeared across the red cross emblazoned on his own Magitek.
"That was probably the last defense they had, but be on guard anyway," Wedge ordered, earning a slow blink from one and a derisive snort from the other.
The cavern they found themselves in was tiny, barely able to accommodate the three massive Magitek armors. A spring glittered to the right, a low trickle of water dimly echoing off the walls. As the climbed up a small terrace, he jerked to a stop, allowing the other two to pull forward, his hands shaking almost violently on the controls. He could see something nestled in a niche in the cave wall, something that glittered gold.
"Hey!" Wedge snapped, turning to glare at the silent man now behind him. "Get over here, idiot."
A light flashed through the cave. It was dim, but enough that it drew the soldier's attention back to the object before them. Wedge frowned, cautiously moving forward.
"..." He could feel his throat working, but no sound emerged. His eyes were locked on the golden object, an innocent looking sphere surrounded by ice and stone. The light flashed again, brighter now, and clearly flickering from the sphere. He grunted this time, eyes shutting tightly as he felt his body shiver when the light touched him. Something whispered in his head, almost cutting through the hum of the Animus piece.
"Hey, guy," Biggs hissed, flicking a glance back. "What's the matter? Do you know something we don't?"
"He...he's glowing? What the hell is going on?" Wedge's voice was panicked now, cracking on the words as the sphere also began to radiate a faint light. His eyes snapped open at the soldier's comment, staring at the faint glow emitting from his skin. Energy crackled around Wedge as he attempted to back up, trying to put space between himself and the object they had been sent to retrieve. The soldier was forced to stop by the two frozen behind him.
"..."
The flash came again, and this time it flooded the cave, Biggs throwing his arm across his eyes with a cry. He could hear Wedge scream, a clap of what almost sounded like lightning echoing in the cave. When the light faded, no sign of Wedge could be seen. No soldier, no Magitek armor. Biggs gaped at the empty space in front of them.
"..."
"Hey! Wedge...where are you?" Biggs yelled, voice rising in panic as the glow about the sphere grew brighter. The energy also began to snap around the remaining soldier, electricity coiling and curling around both man and Magitek. "W...what's happening–!"
Another flash, and this time he didn't flinch from the near blinding light. The light receded, and he was alone in the cave. He almost couldn't see the object before him, unconsciously moving forward toward it, Magitek shuddering as the air electrified again. This time, the energy arced between the gold sphere and him, and he could hear the sharp snap of circuits shorting in the technology on his head, in the machine he was sitting in. The Magitek stalled, sparks emitting from the heavy metal as it dragged to a halt. The light increased, but unlike before, it wasn't the immediate blinding light that took the soldiers. A headache began to form, as the whispering in his head began to grow in volume, battling with the humming still against his temples.
His mouth opened in a silent cry as the noise and energy became too much. Darkness was a welcome change from the bright light radiating from the Piece of Eden.
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He was warm, and something soft surrounded him. There were hands on his head, fingers brushing feather light against skin as they carefully removed something from him. He moaned weakly, an odd pressure seeming to snap inside his brain as he felt what could only be metal being lifted off his skin. His eyes opened, shutting immediately from the sharp pain of the light. It wasn't bright, the light was actually quite dim, but the throbbing in his head apparently didn't like it. He could hear something being carefully set down, metal clicking lightly against something wooden.
He turned his head again, carefully cracking his eyes open again. He winced, but the pain wasn't as sharp as before. He could just make out a blurry form open a door and slip out of the room. He rolled to his side, pushing himself upright on shaking arms. His legs felt like jelly, but still managed to swing them out from under the covers. He took a couple of breaths, eyes shutting tight as the room spun around him.
Once the room finally stilled in his vision, he pushed himself up. He wavered there for a moment, managing to take a few steps forward before his legs buckled and sent him sprawling on the floor. He dimly registered the door banging open, then arms were carefully pulling him upright.
"Whoa! Easy there," a deep voice murmured in his ear. He shook his head to clear it, blinking up at the man helping him sit against the bed.
"Where am I...?" he slurred out, the figure still too blurry for him to make out any distinguishing features. He frowned at the gravely tone in his voice, and at how the words seemed to blend together. What happened to him? "Who're you?"
That sounded stronger, and he finally managed to focus. The man kneeling in front of him was old, practically bald with a fringe of greying blonde hair low on his head. The man gave him a tight smile, brown eyes crinkling at the edges.
"Well, that's certainly faster than I expected. And I only just removed the Animus."
The words took a bit to sink in, the name Animus making his gut clench with stress. He groaned, hands pressing against the sides of his head as the headache grew.
"Ugh. Animus? What're you talking about...?" he managed to finally ask through the pain. "...gah. Head hurts."
"Easy, take it easy," the man soothed, reaching up to pick up a strange silvered item from the desk next to the bed. Well, mostly silver, the odd half circlet was blackened in many spots, and looked almost like the thing had been hit by lightning. There was what looked to be glass disks on either side, one side completely shattered, spiderwebbed patterns barely held together by its twisted frame. The other was whole, clear glass cool to his skin as he reached out to touch it.
"This is the Animus, or rather a piece of it," the old man explained at the questioning sound he made. "Abstergo had complete control of you while you were wearing it."
"...Abstergo? What are you talking about?" he demanded, voice stronger as he managed to push himself up. "I can't – I can't remember...!"
"Don't worry, this is a normal reaction when the Animus is removed. It'll come back to you – in time, that is." A hand gently patted his shoulder as the man placed the broken Animus back up on the table. He frowned, shaking his head, pressing fingers against his eyes as he forced himself to think. He could remember something, it was right there.
/ Hands on his head, gently trying to smooth his too short hair back. Laughter. /
"Hey, stop. Don't try to force it. That'll just make it worse." The old man was trying to pull his hands down, but he shook his head, curling in on himself as the headache grew.
/ "... – es – m-d..." More laughter, teasing. "Des..mond!" /
"Desmond," he gasped, finally dropping his hands and lifting his head to stare at the old man. "My name's Desmond."
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Notes: M'kay. This is really hitting close to the opening of FF6, and that's deliberate. It'll start branching off once we get out of Narshe. I wanted to get this thing set up properly, and I could only do that by following the script as close as I could here. (Biggs, Wedge, and the old man's conversations are only slightly edited by me. *sigh* I can't wait to get past this part.)