An FF8 fanfic by Squall_2
Note: Thanks to Kaloos and Zell's Girl (Steph) for the inspiration. To show my thanks,
I dedicate this story to them.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:This is a story set after the end of FF8.
It follows the fortunes of two Galbadian soldiers you may be familiar with.....
Nowhere to go. (Part 1)
In a bar, in a city known as Galbadia, there sits a man. He is still
dressed in his blue Private's uniform, not knowing what to do next.
Why had he gone along with that crazy idea? Sure, the army pay he had
been on wasn't much, but at least it was some sort of income. Now?
Now he wasn't sure what to think. Stuck in bar, with his only real
friend, if you could call him that. It had been that guy's idea to
quit the army, during the Lunatic Pandora incident. He didn't know
why he had gone with him. Maybe, despite his failings, he still
respected him. Or maybe it was because he didn't know what else to
do. Either way, he thought, it could be considered a good thing that
he did. After Adel was defeated, everything fell apart. That damn
punk that was their superior had vanished, and Lunatic Pandora crashed
back into the sea. They were lucky to have escaped.
But all that was in the past. Now they were stuck here, jobless,
almost broke, with no idea about what to do next. A voice called over
from the bar. His friend, and old Captain.
"Hey, Wedge! What do you want to drink?"
Wedge cringed. He hated to be identified with the guy, but the two
were stuck together. Fate has some cruel twists, he thought.
"I'll have the same as you Sir!" he called back.
"Hey! No more of that 'Sir' stuff y'hear? We 'aint in the army any
more!" He spoke with a slurr that was brought about by his mild
drunkenness.
"It's Biggs from now on OK?"
Sure, that was what he said now, but he would still think of himself
as a superior. That was the way his mind worked. Biggs gradually made
his way over to where Wedge was sitting.
"Drink up, we're moving out soon!"
Wedge sighed. He should have seen this coming. Biggs always had some
stupid plan to 'help' their situation. Like the time he decided to
volunteer them for prison duty in order to get them their old positions
back. And what had happened? The same kids from the comm tower had
shown up. They had been demoted again after that. And the schemes
always were even more outlandish when he was drunk. On the other
hand, Wedge thought, things can't get any worse. He decided to hear
him out.
"Where are we going?" He dreaded the reply.
"Pack up your things, we're going to the casino!"
Not as bad as he was expecting, but with several obvious flaws....
"Uh, sir......you just blew the last of our cash on these drinks.
How are we going to get cash to play with? And what if we don't win?"
"I'll think of something! Don't worry!"
Those words struck fear into Wedge's heart. Every time Biggs said
that, things always got worse. Now they were at rock bottom, the next
thing that would happen was probably death......but Biggs had always
complained that Wedge was a pessimist.
He knew where they were headed. On the far side of the city there was
a place known as 'the silver bowl' - a popular place with the more
successful soldiers. Wedge had always despised those types. He was
sure that the lack of pay for privates like he used to be was made
up for by the 'bonuses' often awarded to those higher up the command
chain. He was sure that Biggs agreed, if only because he once openly
challenged General Caraway with that very accusation. When he added
that bit about the General being such an unpopular s*d that his own
daughter joined a resistance movement (once again he was drunk at the
time), the General snapped and they ended up fixing the comm tower.
That was what triggered their downfall.
The silver bowl came into sight. It was a large place, colourfully
decorated. As ever, it was filled with the shouts of the winners
and the moans of the losers. Then there were those who came just
for the casino girls. Wedge had to admit, he could see the attraction
there. What ordinary guy couldn't? For the lowly Privates such as he
used to be, it was a place to escape the turmoil and hopelessness of
their existence. For commanding officers it was a place to blow their
bonuses. For lonely guys it was a chance to speak to some beautiful
women. But today, the shouts were less common, and the crowds more
dispersed. Wedge knew why. During the parade for Sorceress Edea, SeeD
had made an assassination attempt. As a result, not many people wanted
to go through the clock tower gateway any more, which leads to the
bowl.
The bowl was right in front of them now, but they still had no money.
He dreaded asking the obvious question, but it needed an answer.
"Sir, we still don't have any money. How are we going to use this
place?"
"No worries, Wedge!" came the reply. "I've got a plan! And don't
call me sir!"
"Sorry sir - I mean Biggs. But what exactly is your plan?"
"We're going to become the first set of casino GUYS! Whadda ya think?"
It took a while for this proposal to sink in. On the one hand, it
involved the total removal of all their dignity. On the other hand,
they didn't have any dignity left anyhow, and it WAS easy money. And
working with the casino girls was a definite plus point.......
"Let's do it!"
"Alrighty then! Let's go!"
The two of them strode into the casino with a sense of purposefulness.
Wedge stoppped a moment to take in the atmosphere. The interior was
brightly lit, with a crowd of gamblers. The crowd wasn't as big as
before in here either, Wedge noticed. He recognised a couple of the
crowd though. There were a couple of Galbadian soldiers that he
trained with, before Biggs got them transferred. He recognised a guy
by the slots too, but he couldn't place him.... Some guy in a
trenchcoat and cowboy hat. He knew the girl he was with too. She wore
a short yellow dress and had brown eyes and hair.......but he couldn't
fit her in either. By the time he stopped thinking, Biggs had alredy
gone ahead. When Wedge caught up, pushing past various punters on the
way, he was just in time to see Biggs in discussion with the casino
owner. When Biggs saw him, he feared what he was about to say, but was
also curious.
"Hey Wedge, guess what? I got us in! From now on we're casino workers!"
Oh well, thought Wedge, it could be worse.....
* * * * *
Wedge leaned on his plastic spear and sighed. he should have known it would
turn out like this. It always did. Wedge looked down at himself in
disgust. How could he sink so low? Dressed up as some sort of ancient warrior
for the amusement of the punters. He was freezing. The costume wasn't exactly designed
for winter warfare, he thought. If this is what the ancient warriors dressed like, then
no wonder they had upgraded to the current militia. He shuddered to think what
battles must have been like in the snow. Most of the casualties would have fallen to
frostbite rather that being run through with a sword. He looked across at Biggs,
on the other side of the entrance to the silver bowl. Biggs was loving it.
He was the centre of attention, just the way he liked it. Now Wedge
understood why he had signed them up here. He only wanted the attention.
They had been there about a month when it happened. Wedge would come to look back
on this day with a sense of utter regret. He had just managed to get used to the uniform too.......
The crowds in the casino were starting to pick up again. Wedge was sure
that most of them were his old service buddies who had come to gloat. But
he didn't care now. Not any more. Wedge had started to get to know one of the
casino girls, pretty well too. She was a bit shorter than him, with long black hair that came
down to about his waist. From what he had gathered, she was fairly handy in
a fight too. The rumours were that one guy had got a little too 'friendly' and had left
with a broken nose, two cracked ribs and a shattered forearm. She initially felt
sorry for Wedge, and could see how his entire life was controlled by Biggs. As
time went on, the two had become a lot closer. For the first time in his life since meeting Biggs,
Wedge was truly happy. But then, as ever, something had to happen to screw it all up. And once again, it was
all Biggs' fault.....
The day was just like any other. The usual swarm of punters, the usual smart-*ss comments
about Wedge's costume. Then the casino received an unexpected visitor. General
Caraway. The room fell silent when he entered. The usual signs of respects were made, salutes were
given, then he signalled for everyone to carry on. Wedge looked across at Biggs to say something about
this unusual visit. Then he saw it. That look. He had seen that look before, it was the same expression that
Biggs had worn when he had lashed out at Caraway almost a year ago. Before Wedge could stop him, it was
almost too late. Biggs was already boiling over with rage. He blamed the General for everything that had gone
wrong in their miserable lives. If the General hadn't vanished into the crowds, Wedge swore that Biggs would
have gone for him. Wedge allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. If Biggs HAD gone for Caraway again,
they would have been exiled from Deling altogether. And that was a situation that Wedge couldn't
bear to think about, for he planned to ask his new-found love to marry him that evening. He had it all
planned out perfectly - candlelit dinner, violin players, he was gonna go all out on
this one. For once, Biggs had done something right. He caught a glance of her at the blackjack table, and
shot her a smile. She beamed back at him. Wedge loved that smile. It reminded him of sunbeams. Wedge
started thinking, about how much he had changed. He would never have thought like that three months ago, but
since he met her, he had become the hopeless romantic. Biggs had picked up on this, and was ensuring that
he never missed a chance to fire off some sort of wisecrack. Before they might have bothered Wedge, but
now everything was perfect. Wedge took the ring out of the pouch he had dangling around his neck. It was
perfect. He had had it made up specially. It featured two hearts entwined by a long green vine. She would love
it, he could tell. He looked over at Biggs, who had now calmed down. Biggs caught a glance of the ring, and
walked over.
"Hey Wedge, you didn't tell me you were gonna ask her the big one! I'm gonna be best man right?"
Wedge looked at Biggs. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk, but he always meant well.
"Alright Sir. You are going to be my best man!"
"ALRIGHT! But STOP CALLING ME SIR!!!!"
As soon as Biggs had finished this sentence, a gunshot rang out.
The crowd began a mass stampede, it was all that Biggs and Wedge could do to prevent themselves from being
taken with it. When the casino was cleared, there were only a few people left. Wedge and Biggs were still there,
as were all the casino workers, General Caraway and his bodyguards were there and so was a lone man. He had
a pistol, but it was obvious that it wasn't his preferred weapon as he wasn't holding it correctly. He appeared to be
some sort of hired assassin. Then he drew his regular weapon. A gunblade. But not an ordinary gunblade. This one
was somehow sleeker, more streamlined, and was black. The man had short hair and was wearing a tattered old
coat. Wedge recognised him, but wasn't sure where from.
"Time to die......sir!"
The assassin advanced.
"You! But....I heard you died! You can't be here!". The General was panic stricken.
"Sorry to disappoint you General, but I'm very much alive."
"Almasy! No!"
Almasy? That name...he was the punk who was given control of the Galbadian army during the reign of sorceress
Edea! Now Wedge knew the face. Biggs knew it too. If there was one type of person he hated more that the
General and his buddies, it was guys like him who got promoted ahead of him. This time there was no restraint.
The guy known as Almasy had finished his advance and was fighting the General's bodyguards. As one fell, Biggs
made his move. The fallen guard had dropped his machine gun, which Biggs grabbed. He started blasting, but
was out of practice. Some of his bullets went wild. Two went towards the Blackjack table....
"Nooooooooo!" screamed Wedge as his only loved one slumped to the ground. He ran over to her and held her
in his arms.
"No" he sobbed, but it was too late. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do to save her. Not save her,
he thought, but he could avenge her. He drew his sword. He had always carried this sword. He never trusted the
army issue weaponry, so they couldn't take this away from him when they quit. Biggs was still letting off shots
with no thought to aiming them anywhere. Wedge reached Almasy before he could make contact with Caraway.
He slashed at the assassin, badly wounding his left arm.
"Aaaaargh!" Almasy let out a scream of pain. Determined to get the job done, Almasy ran his blade through
Caraway, before turning to face Wedge.
"I'm gonna meet you again"
"Count on it"
"Never forget the name Seifer Almasy!" Following this brief exchange, Seifer made his escape, dodging the
bullets fired by the still battle crazed Biggs. Wedge ran back over to the corpse of his lover.
"Why? Why did this happen?"
Biggs realised that there was no-one left to shoot, and ceased fire. He surveyed the damage.
"Oh man! This is NOT good! We're gonna be in the s**t this time Wedge!"
"Shut up! Just shut up! None of it matters any more! None of it!"
"Hey man, calm down. It's not as if it was our fault you know?"
"Oh no? Who fired the bullets? WHO KILLED HER! Answer me that SIR!"
Biggs stepped back, shocked by this outburst. Wedge had never spoken to him like that before. While he was
thinking, the guards arrived.
"Freeze!"
"Oh man." Biggs thought about the situation for a second. The entire place was shot to hell, General Caraway was
dead and here he was with a gun. Not good.
A week later, they were walking along the road leading away from Deling City. Wedge had been right. They had
been exiled. Wedge was still silent, as he had been ever since the incident. He was in deep thought. In his heart,
he knew her death had been Biggs's fault, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him for it.
Despite the fact that it was Biggs who fired the shots, if it hadn't been for that damn Seifer kid....
Wedge swore to get even. He didn't care how, or where, he just needed to avenge her. And, loathe as he was to
admit it, he needed the help of Biggs. He turned to look at him. He was striding along happily. It took
a lot to get Biggs down, and Wedge admired him for it, while at the same time realising that an attitude
like that could be dangerous. He then realised that he didn't know where they were headed.
"Uh, Sir? Where exactly are we going?"
"We're off to Winhill! I heard they got a couple of real cushy jobs going there!"
Wedge thought this over. If they went to Winhill then he would problably end up staying there, unable to track
down Seifer. On the other hand, to find him he needed money. And where was he going to get that without a job?
They reached Winhill two weeks later. Biggs was excited about the prospect of finding an easy life, but
Wedge just wanted some real food. After a fortnight eating nothing but the few Caterpchillar that they
had managed to kill, he was dying for a good meal.He looked around the town. There wasn't much her at all, at
least not where they had entered. There was a large building to the north, which Wedge decided must be the town
hall or some sort of mansion. To their left there was some sort of flower shop. Two small children were playing
'tag' near that. Directly across from the two newcomers was a run down old building that looked like it hadn't been
lived in for years. Next to that was a sight that made Wedge's face light up like a lamp. A pub. Real food. Biggs had
seen it too, and although he tried to appear macho in front of Wedge he couldn't help himself gazing hungrily at it.
They made a bee line straight for it.
The sight that greeted them was a dismal one. The bar was empty and loked almost
abandoned, save for the white flowers that ornamented every table. Wedge took a closer look at the one nearest
to them and was fascinated by it. It obviously hadn't been watered or even moved for a long time, yet it still looked
fresh. What the hell was with these flowers? Before Wedge could speculate further, an old woman walked down
from the floor above.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"We wanna job! I heard you got a couple going?"
That was Biggs all round. No time for such crucial factors such as subtlety, just dives straight on in there. Ah
well, he thought, it had usually worked before.........
* * * * *
Wedge took a moment to reflect. He had plenty of time after all. God
forbid they might actually get a customer. He looked back on what had
happened since their hiring at this run-down old pub. Biggs had used his
natural 'influence' over people to confirm their places. The pay here
wasn't great however, and Wedge was beginning to doubt if they would
ever leave here. He took a small box out of his pocket and stared at the
content. It was the ring that he had planned to give to his lover at the
casino, before she died.....A tear came to Wedge's eye. He thought about that brief
period of happiness he had enjoyed before that incident. As he thought,
a name came to him. Seifer Almasy. Granted, technically her death had been
Biggs' fault, but it was Seifer he blamed. It was Seifer he would make
pay, with the same toll that he was suffering himself. There were those
that would have said that Wedge was sinking into madness, but this was no concern
to him. All he cared about was revenge. If Biggs wanted to come along then
he could, if not then it was one less matter to worry Wedge. He looked
across at his former Captain. Biggs loved it here. At this moment, he was
drinking the beer from the tap, which Wedge thought was the only reason
he was here. Biggs loved the free beer, the sole attraction of this place.
But if they were here, then there was no way to make Seifer feel pain.
The first thing Wedge had to do, even before they left, was to find out where Seifer
was. He had an idea about that. If the guy was hired to kill Caraway, then
it was likely that he would strike another high-ranking official next.
And who was the most obvious target? The answer was simple. The obvious
target was the ruler of the largest city in the known world - Esthar, ruled
by one Laguna Loire. If whoever was hiring Seifer wanted to strike down
powerful figures, then he was the obvious choice. The only problem was
that they were currently on the other side of the world from Esthar. There
was no way that he was going to get out of here on his current salary,
and he had used all of his cash from the casino job to buy the engagement
ring. He needed one hell of a stroke of luck to get to Esthar.....
The stroke of luck he needed was just a few days away. Word was going round that
the world famous Squall Leonheart was coming to Winhill - apparently to visit
the grave of his mother. This was the break they needed. Wedge knew that Squall
would travel on that giant red dragon-shaped ship they always used now. Wedge
had heard about what happened last time Leonheart came here. It had been all over
the news back home in Galbadia. Word was that he had been kidnapped - apparently by
a sorceress cult. Wedge had always insisted that that theory was wrong - he was
proved right when it was discovered that the hero had gone to visit his mother's grave
here in Winhill, but didn't want anyone to know about it. This time it was a more 'official'
visit. He would no doubt have his companions with him this time, making it more
difficult to gain entry to the craft. But still, if he could sneak aboard that ship....he
could guarantee that they would eventually go to Esthar. All he had to do now was wait....
* * * * * * * * *
Three days passed before they arrived. The whole village turned out to see
the Ragnarok arrive - it was the only entertainment they were likely to get for
a long time. Wedge was hiding in the shadows - or at least was trying to. It
wan't easy to be discreet with a moronically drunk Biggs in tow. He saw
Squall go down the pathway leading to the town's graveyard. He had a few of
his companions with him too. A girl he didn't recognise, dressed in blue, a
guy dressed in a trenchcoat and cowboy hat. Following them was a guy he DID
recognise. The guy from the comm tower and the prison. The spiky - haired jerk
that had caused them to be demoted twice. He had to ensure that he kept Biggs
from seeing him - he was uncontrollable at the best of times, so Wedge
didn't even want to think about what he would do if he saw this guy while
he was drunk. One thing was certain - it would blow their chances of getting
to Esthar.
They waited until the crowds had dispersed and stealthily crept on board the
Ragnarok, Biggs singing quietly to himself. Wedge heard someone coming from
down the corridor and ducked into the adjacent doorway, dragging Biggs in too.
Biggs peered out of the small window fixed into the door, eager to see the cause
of Wedge's discomfort. It was a tall woman dressed in an orange outfit. Biggs
Biggs fell back in amazement. Even through his drunken haze he recognised her.
Not from the desert prison, but before. He couldn't place it though.....
Wedge looked at Biggs, an expression of surprise on his face. He had never seen Biggs
like this before. He looked - almost serious. Like he was remembering something from
a long time ago....but he dismissed this as an effect of his drunkeness. Biggs hauled
himself to his feet - and promptly collapsed. Wedge let out a sigh of relief. They were
on their way. Now all he had to do was keep them hidden until they next landed -
hopefully in Esthar. He looked down at Biggs, sleeping like a baby. It wouldn't be
too hard to keep him hidden now. He sat down next to him to sit out the journey. A few hours
later Wedge felt the ship move. They were taking off. He allowed himself a small sigh of
satisfaction, safe in the knowledge that he would soon be able to exact his revenge upon
Seifer......
* * * * * * * * * *
Wedge stirred from his slumber on the floor of the storeroom with a start. He felt
something - a bump of some kind. He realised what it was - the landing. They were in Esthar,
or at least he hoped they were. He looked down at Biggs, who was starting to awaken and emit
low groans brought about by his hangover.
"Ugh.....where the hell are we? This 'aint Winhill......" Biggs was clutching his head and hauling
himself to his feet.
"We're in Esthar Sir. We flew here last night"
"It's too early for that 'Sir' crap. And why are we in Esthar? That musta been one helluva night....."
Wedge decided against telling Biggs how they had got to their present situation. It would
just lead to more trouble than they needed. All he needed to know was that they were
there. Wedge took a moment to think. They had made it, all they needed to do was stay hidden
until Seifer made his inevitable appearance. And in a city this size, that shouldn't be too
hard. He escorted Biggs out into the corridor and left him propped up against the wall while
he scouted around for any sign of the crew. Biggs watched his colleague wander off down the
hallway and thought about the face through the door. He couldn't remember clearly, a drunken
mist was clouding his memories of last night. But the face he saw was vivid in his mind. He
recognised her, that much was sure. He knew she had fought them in the desert prison too. But
he felt as if he knew her before that, somewhere buried deep in his subconcious. From his
childhood? He couldn't remember much of it, in fact he couldn't remember anything before he
was about twelve, the date he had come to Galbadia for military training, when he first met
Wedge. It was possible she was a long lost memory........
Wedge returned, obviously out of breath. He called down the corridor.
"It's clear sir! We can leave now!"
Biggs hauled himself upright and slowly made his way towards Wedge. Together they left the
Ragnarok and emerged into the blinding sunlight of an Estharian morning. Wedge looked around.
There were people everywhere, all going about their daily business. It was fortunate that they
were no longer in their uniforms, or they would have been spotted instantly. After the Lunatic
Pandora incident Esthar had made its attitude towards Galbadians vrey clear. Still, they needed
to find some clothes that allowed them to fit in. With what little money they had, they purchased
a set of the traditional Esthar robes and rented a small hotel room. Wedge looked out of the
window in their small room. He was amazed at how advanced the landscape that stretched before him
was. The shopping arcade was of a completely different style to the one back home in Galbadia.
Here, there were no stores, just panels that you touched to select your items, and a small tray
that emerged to collect cash. This was only ever used for visitors though. Every Estharian citizen
has their own credit account, from which the amount needed is deducted via a screen that the customer
places their palm on. The computer reads the palm print and deducts the required amount. He looked
in the opposite direction. He could see the huge Presidential Palace towered above the rest of the
landscape. It was the largest, most inpressive building he had ever seen. It was mainly blue, just
like the rest of the city, with decorative gold areas. Wedge planned to take a closer look at it in
the morning. They needed to find some way to get inside, as in that building was the President of
Esthar - Laguna Loire - and Seifer's next target.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The sun was blindingly powerful, shining into Wedge's eyes. himself and Biggs were lying in wait,
watching the road ahead. Word was that Laguna was going to travel back to FH to pay a visit to the
docked Balamb Garden. He wanted to personally thank them for the role they had played in the defeat
of Ultimecia. Wedge had also heard a rumour that someone had successfuly infiltrated the city, and
the army were finding it impossible to track down the offending party. Wedge knew what this meant.
Seifer was here, and this road the most obvious oppourtunity for him to strike. Biggs had agreed
to help on the condition that they tried to head back to Winhill afterwards. Wedge had agreed, after
all he intended to kill Seifer this time around so he would have no reason to stay.
Laguna, accompanied by his two companions, the large mute guy and the tall, somewhat skinny guy, came
into view. Laguna always refused to have armed guards, despite the warnings of his advisors. He trusted
everyone too much - that was his biggest problem. As they passed the spot where the duo were hiding, two
tranquiliser darts could be seen hitting the necks of the two other men.
"Kiros! Ward!" The President let out a surprised cry. A dark figure in a tattered coat dropped from the
skyway above. Seifer.
"What the hell?" Laguna was fixed to the spot. Seifer raised his gunblade to strike - when the sweep
was blocked. Wedge had leapt from his hiding place and was now positioned between Laguna and Seifer.
"You?!" The expression on his adversary's face told Wedge that he hadn't expected to see him again.
"I'm your shadow, asshole. So long as you still take in air, I'll be here to make you suffer."
Seifer grinned.
"I'm gonna do the same to you as your buddy did to that slut in Deling.....
That tore it. Wedge was already seething with rage, but that comment made him snap. He swung his sword
round in a mighty arc, before slashing Seifer's arm. Seifer dropped to the floor.
"You're gonna pay for that. You're gonna PAY!" Seifer leapt back onto the skyway with supernatural force,
narrowly missing the blow from Wedge that would have been fatal had it connected.
"You're gonna PAY!" Seifer ran along the skyway and out of sight. Wedge returned his sword to its sheath.
"I'll be waiting......."
Laguna returned to life from his frozen state.
"Y....you saved my life. W....who are you?" Biggs started to say something, but Wedge cut him off.
"I'm nobody sir. Just think of me as a venegful soul........"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Crowds of Estharian citizens had gathered at the city entrance to see the ceremony. The two heroes that had
saved the life of their beloved President were going to be decorated for bravery in a large ceremony. The
President himself was going to present the medals, along with his grateful son. The crowds parted as they
official procession approached the platform where Wedge and Biggs were standing. First came President Laguna,
followed by his advisors, Kiros and Ward. Next came the nationsl hero Squall Leonheart, son of the
President. He was accompanied by two of his closest companions - Rinoa Heartilly and Zell Dincht. After them
came the official staff from the presidential palace, with the official Estharian military band. As Laguna
approached the platform, a huge cheer went up from the audience. Then, as he was about to present Biggs
his medal, a lone voice was heard.
"HOLD IT!!" One of Squall's companions, Zell, vaulted onto the stage.
"I know these two! They're from Galbadia! They were in the Galbadian army during all that 'Lunar Cry' and
'Lunatic Pandora' stuff! They were ON Lunatic Pandora dammit!" A low murmer emerged from the crowd. It
started as confusion, then changed to rebellion. They surged forwards. Laguna tried to stop them.
"Wait! They still saved......" He was drowned out my the noise of the mob. Wedge turned to look at Biggs.
"Run sir."
The two ran towards the city entrance, heading for the car rental. Wedge leapt into the waiting car, closely
followed by Biggs. As the hovering platform took them out of the city, Wedge could hear the crowd at the spot where
their transport used to be. They burst out of the city, speeding across the desert. All that Wedge could think of was
getting as far away as possible. Biggs turned to look out of the back.
"Uh.....Wedge......." Wedge turned briefly to see what had got Biggs' attention. He let out a surprised gasp.
Following them was what looked like the entire Estharian army in cars similar to their own. Wedge turned back
and pressed his foot down hard. They were in a wide open desert? How the hell were they gonna get out of this
one? A bullet shot through the back windscreen. Damn, thought Wedge, this is all I need. There was only one
way to go now, there was only one way that wasn't completely closed off by the Estharians. South. The pursuing
cars were gaining fast. It would need some pretty fancy moves on Wedge's part to ensure their escape. They
approached a large cliff, which had a small gap, car-width, through the middle. Despite the screams of protest
coming from Biggs, Wedge went for it. They burst out the other side, a lot of cars still following. The odds were
better now, however, as most of the cars that had dared to follow them had crashed into the sides. Then Wedge
screamed. The wall of transparent plates that protected Esthar from discovery was looming in front of them.
There was only one thing to do. Wedge put his foot down to the floor. The plate in front of his shattered, as
did the plates that ther pursuers drove through. But up ahead was theor largest problem. The ocean. Wedge looked
around for a soulution, which came to him when he saw the shape of Cactuar Island on the horizon. The Estharians
had been planning to research rumours of a giant cactuar on the island, and had begub to construct a temporary
bridge. Wedge swerved towards it. As they reached the halfway point, he realised the flaw in his plan. The bridge
was incomplete. There was only one thing to do. Biggs fainted with terror as he realised what his companion was
planning. As the car sailed off the end of the bridge, only two chasing cars dared to make the leap with them.
Wedge and Biggs landed on the island, still accelerating. One of the other two cars landed safely, but the other
plummeted the 30 feet into the water. The one remaining driver allowed himself a self-stisfied grin. They were
on a small island. There was nowhere to go.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The sand in front of the fleeing car began to be displaced. Wedge sighed. Quicksand. They were doomed. He
closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were flying through the air. He looked back and say a huge
cactuar with a posh looking moustache standing where the supposed quicksand had been. It must have surfaced
and sent them flying. Wedge let out a laugh as he saw theire last would - be captor drive straight into the leg of the
giant and explode in a huge pillar of smoke. Wedge and Biggs landed in the middle of yet another desert, still
accelerating. Wedge tried to press down on the brake, but it refused to have any effect. He looked at his fuel
gauge, half full. All he had to do was keep steering until they ran out of fuel. Over the next few hours they drove
through a mountain range, past a large yellow -looking ruin and nearly falttened a forest full of chocobos. As the
car ground to a halt, Wedge and the now recovered Biggs stepped outside. Opposite them was an old, run-down
building near a lighthouse. Wedge turned to look at Biggs. His face was in the same expression it had been in
during the flight in the Ragnarok. Did he recognise this place? Biggs walked slowly towards it, old memories
trying to surface.....
Note: Thanks to Kaloos and Zell's Girl (Steph) for the inspiration. To show my thanks,
I dedicate this story to them.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:This is a story set after the end of FF8.
It follows the fortunes of two Galbadian soldiers you may be familiar with.....
Nowhere to go. (Part 1)
In a bar, in a city known as Galbadia, there sits a man. He is still
dressed in his blue Private's uniform, not knowing what to do next.
Why had he gone along with that crazy idea? Sure, the army pay he had
been on wasn't much, but at least it was some sort of income. Now?
Now he wasn't sure what to think. Stuck in bar, with his only real
friend, if you could call him that. It had been that guy's idea to
quit the army, during the Lunatic Pandora incident. He didn't know
why he had gone with him. Maybe, despite his failings, he still
respected him. Or maybe it was because he didn't know what else to
do. Either way, he thought, it could be considered a good thing that
he did. After Adel was defeated, everything fell apart. That damn
punk that was their superior had vanished, and Lunatic Pandora crashed
back into the sea. They were lucky to have escaped.
But all that was in the past. Now they were stuck here, jobless,
almost broke, with no idea about what to do next. A voice called over
from the bar. His friend, and old Captain.
"Hey, Wedge! What do you want to drink?"
Wedge cringed. He hated to be identified with the guy, but the two
were stuck together. Fate has some cruel twists, he thought.
"I'll have the same as you Sir!" he called back.
"Hey! No more of that 'Sir' stuff y'hear? We 'aint in the army any
more!" He spoke with a slurr that was brought about by his mild
drunkenness.
"It's Biggs from now on OK?"
Sure, that was what he said now, but he would still think of himself
as a superior. That was the way his mind worked. Biggs gradually made
his way over to where Wedge was sitting.
"Drink up, we're moving out soon!"
Wedge sighed. He should have seen this coming. Biggs always had some
stupid plan to 'help' their situation. Like the time he decided to
volunteer them for prison duty in order to get them their old positions
back. And what had happened? The same kids from the comm tower had
shown up. They had been demoted again after that. And the schemes
always were even more outlandish when he was drunk. On the other
hand, Wedge thought, things can't get any worse. He decided to hear
him out.
"Where are we going?" He dreaded the reply.
"Pack up your things, we're going to the casino!"
Not as bad as he was expecting, but with several obvious flaws....
"Uh, sir......you just blew the last of our cash on these drinks.
How are we going to get cash to play with? And what if we don't win?"
"I'll think of something! Don't worry!"
Those words struck fear into Wedge's heart. Every time Biggs said
that, things always got worse. Now they were at rock bottom, the next
thing that would happen was probably death......but Biggs had always
complained that Wedge was a pessimist.
He knew where they were headed. On the far side of the city there was
a place known as 'the silver bowl' - a popular place with the more
successful soldiers. Wedge had always despised those types. He was
sure that the lack of pay for privates like he used to be was made
up for by the 'bonuses' often awarded to those higher up the command
chain. He was sure that Biggs agreed, if only because he once openly
challenged General Caraway with that very accusation. When he added
that bit about the General being such an unpopular s*d that his own
daughter joined a resistance movement (once again he was drunk at the
time), the General snapped and they ended up fixing the comm tower.
That was what triggered their downfall.
The silver bowl came into sight. It was a large place, colourfully
decorated. As ever, it was filled with the shouts of the winners
and the moans of the losers. Then there were those who came just
for the casino girls. Wedge had to admit, he could see the attraction
there. What ordinary guy couldn't? For the lowly Privates such as he
used to be, it was a place to escape the turmoil and hopelessness of
their existence. For commanding officers it was a place to blow their
bonuses. For lonely guys it was a chance to speak to some beautiful
women. But today, the shouts were less common, and the crowds more
dispersed. Wedge knew why. During the parade for Sorceress Edea, SeeD
had made an assassination attempt. As a result, not many people wanted
to go through the clock tower gateway any more, which leads to the
bowl.
The bowl was right in front of them now, but they still had no money.
He dreaded asking the obvious question, but it needed an answer.
"Sir, we still don't have any money. How are we going to use this
place?"
"No worries, Wedge!" came the reply. "I've got a plan! And don't
call me sir!"
"Sorry sir - I mean Biggs. But what exactly is your plan?"
"We're going to become the first set of casino GUYS! Whadda ya think?"
It took a while for this proposal to sink in. On the one hand, it
involved the total removal of all their dignity. On the other hand,
they didn't have any dignity left anyhow, and it WAS easy money. And
working with the casino girls was a definite plus point.......
"Let's do it!"
"Alrighty then! Let's go!"
The two of them strode into the casino with a sense of purposefulness.
Wedge stoppped a moment to take in the atmosphere. The interior was
brightly lit, with a crowd of gamblers. The crowd wasn't as big as
before in here either, Wedge noticed. He recognised a couple of the
crowd though. There were a couple of Galbadian soldiers that he
trained with, before Biggs got them transferred. He recognised a guy
by the slots too, but he couldn't place him.... Some guy in a
trenchcoat and cowboy hat. He knew the girl he was with too. She wore
a short yellow dress and had brown eyes and hair.......but he couldn't
fit her in either. By the time he stopped thinking, Biggs had alredy
gone ahead. When Wedge caught up, pushing past various punters on the
way, he was just in time to see Biggs in discussion with the casino
owner. When Biggs saw him, he feared what he was about to say, but was
also curious.
"Hey Wedge, guess what? I got us in! From now on we're casino workers!"
Oh well, thought Wedge, it could be worse.....
* * * * *
Wedge leaned on his plastic spear and sighed. he should have known it would
turn out like this. It always did. Wedge looked down at himself in
disgust. How could he sink so low? Dressed up as some sort of ancient warrior
for the amusement of the punters. He was freezing. The costume wasn't exactly designed
for winter warfare, he thought. If this is what the ancient warriors dressed like, then
no wonder they had upgraded to the current militia. He shuddered to think what
battles must have been like in the snow. Most of the casualties would have fallen to
frostbite rather that being run through with a sword. He looked across at Biggs,
on the other side of the entrance to the silver bowl. Biggs was loving it.
He was the centre of attention, just the way he liked it. Now Wedge
understood why he had signed them up here. He only wanted the attention.
They had been there about a month when it happened. Wedge would come to look back
on this day with a sense of utter regret. He had just managed to get used to the uniform too.......
The crowds in the casino were starting to pick up again. Wedge was sure
that most of them were his old service buddies who had come to gloat. But
he didn't care now. Not any more. Wedge had started to get to know one of the
casino girls, pretty well too. She was a bit shorter than him, with long black hair that came
down to about his waist. From what he had gathered, she was fairly handy in
a fight too. The rumours were that one guy had got a little too 'friendly' and had left
with a broken nose, two cracked ribs and a shattered forearm. She initially felt
sorry for Wedge, and could see how his entire life was controlled by Biggs. As
time went on, the two had become a lot closer. For the first time in his life since meeting Biggs,
Wedge was truly happy. But then, as ever, something had to happen to screw it all up. And once again, it was
all Biggs' fault.....
The day was just like any other. The usual swarm of punters, the usual smart-*ss comments
about Wedge's costume. Then the casino received an unexpected visitor. General
Caraway. The room fell silent when he entered. The usual signs of respects were made, salutes were
given, then he signalled for everyone to carry on. Wedge looked across at Biggs to say something about
this unusual visit. Then he saw it. That look. He had seen that look before, it was the same expression that
Biggs had worn when he had lashed out at Caraway almost a year ago. Before Wedge could stop him, it was
almost too late. Biggs was already boiling over with rage. He blamed the General for everything that had gone
wrong in their miserable lives. If the General hadn't vanished into the crowds, Wedge swore that Biggs would
have gone for him. Wedge allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. If Biggs HAD gone for Caraway again,
they would have been exiled from Deling altogether. And that was a situation that Wedge couldn't
bear to think about, for he planned to ask his new-found love to marry him that evening. He had it all
planned out perfectly - candlelit dinner, violin players, he was gonna go all out on
this one. For once, Biggs had done something right. He caught a glance of her at the blackjack table, and
shot her a smile. She beamed back at him. Wedge loved that smile. It reminded him of sunbeams. Wedge
started thinking, about how much he had changed. He would never have thought like that three months ago, but
since he met her, he had become the hopeless romantic. Biggs had picked up on this, and was ensuring that
he never missed a chance to fire off some sort of wisecrack. Before they might have bothered Wedge, but
now everything was perfect. Wedge took the ring out of the pouch he had dangling around his neck. It was
perfect. He had had it made up specially. It featured two hearts entwined by a long green vine. She would love
it, he could tell. He looked over at Biggs, who had now calmed down. Biggs caught a glance of the ring, and
walked over.
"Hey Wedge, you didn't tell me you were gonna ask her the big one! I'm gonna be best man right?"
Wedge looked at Biggs. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk, but he always meant well.
"Alright Sir. You are going to be my best man!"
"ALRIGHT! But STOP CALLING ME SIR!!!!"
As soon as Biggs had finished this sentence, a gunshot rang out.
The crowd began a mass stampede, it was all that Biggs and Wedge could do to prevent themselves from being
taken with it. When the casino was cleared, there were only a few people left. Wedge and Biggs were still there,
as were all the casino workers, General Caraway and his bodyguards were there and so was a lone man. He had
a pistol, but it was obvious that it wasn't his preferred weapon as he wasn't holding it correctly. He appeared to be
some sort of hired assassin. Then he drew his regular weapon. A gunblade. But not an ordinary gunblade. This one
was somehow sleeker, more streamlined, and was black. The man had short hair and was wearing a tattered old
coat. Wedge recognised him, but wasn't sure where from.
"Time to die......sir!"
The assassin advanced.
"You! But....I heard you died! You can't be here!". The General was panic stricken.
"Sorry to disappoint you General, but I'm very much alive."
"Almasy! No!"
Almasy? That name...he was the punk who was given control of the Galbadian army during the reign of sorceress
Edea! Now Wedge knew the face. Biggs knew it too. If there was one type of person he hated more that the
General and his buddies, it was guys like him who got promoted ahead of him. This time there was no restraint.
The guy known as Almasy had finished his advance and was fighting the General's bodyguards. As one fell, Biggs
made his move. The fallen guard had dropped his machine gun, which Biggs grabbed. He started blasting, but
was out of practice. Some of his bullets went wild. Two went towards the Blackjack table....
"Nooooooooo!" screamed Wedge as his only loved one slumped to the ground. He ran over to her and held her
in his arms.
"No" he sobbed, but it was too late. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do to save her. Not save her,
he thought, but he could avenge her. He drew his sword. He had always carried this sword. He never trusted the
army issue weaponry, so they couldn't take this away from him when they quit. Biggs was still letting off shots
with no thought to aiming them anywhere. Wedge reached Almasy before he could make contact with Caraway.
He slashed at the assassin, badly wounding his left arm.
"Aaaaargh!" Almasy let out a scream of pain. Determined to get the job done, Almasy ran his blade through
Caraway, before turning to face Wedge.
"I'm gonna meet you again"
"Count on it"
"Never forget the name Seifer Almasy!" Following this brief exchange, Seifer made his escape, dodging the
bullets fired by the still battle crazed Biggs. Wedge ran back over to the corpse of his lover.
"Why? Why did this happen?"
Biggs realised that there was no-one left to shoot, and ceased fire. He surveyed the damage.
"Oh man! This is NOT good! We're gonna be in the s**t this time Wedge!"
"Shut up! Just shut up! None of it matters any more! None of it!"
"Hey man, calm down. It's not as if it was our fault you know?"
"Oh no? Who fired the bullets? WHO KILLED HER! Answer me that SIR!"
Biggs stepped back, shocked by this outburst. Wedge had never spoken to him like that before. While he was
thinking, the guards arrived.
"Freeze!"
"Oh man." Biggs thought about the situation for a second. The entire place was shot to hell, General Caraway was
dead and here he was with a gun. Not good.
A week later, they were walking along the road leading away from Deling City. Wedge had been right. They had
been exiled. Wedge was still silent, as he had been ever since the incident. He was in deep thought. In his heart,
he knew her death had been Biggs's fault, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him for it.
Despite the fact that it was Biggs who fired the shots, if it hadn't been for that damn Seifer kid....
Wedge swore to get even. He didn't care how, or where, he just needed to avenge her. And, loathe as he was to
admit it, he needed the help of Biggs. He turned to look at him. He was striding along happily. It took
a lot to get Biggs down, and Wedge admired him for it, while at the same time realising that an attitude
like that could be dangerous. He then realised that he didn't know where they were headed.
"Uh, Sir? Where exactly are we going?"
"We're off to Winhill! I heard they got a couple of real cushy jobs going there!"
Wedge thought this over. If they went to Winhill then he would problably end up staying there, unable to track
down Seifer. On the other hand, to find him he needed money. And where was he going to get that without a job?
They reached Winhill two weeks later. Biggs was excited about the prospect of finding an easy life, but
Wedge just wanted some real food. After a fortnight eating nothing but the few Caterpchillar that they
had managed to kill, he was dying for a good meal.He looked around the town. There wasn't much her at all, at
least not where they had entered. There was a large building to the north, which Wedge decided must be the town
hall or some sort of mansion. To their left there was some sort of flower shop. Two small children were playing
'tag' near that. Directly across from the two newcomers was a run down old building that looked like it hadn't been
lived in for years. Next to that was a sight that made Wedge's face light up like a lamp. A pub. Real food. Biggs had
seen it too, and although he tried to appear macho in front of Wedge he couldn't help himself gazing hungrily at it.
They made a bee line straight for it.
The sight that greeted them was a dismal one. The bar was empty and loked almost
abandoned, save for the white flowers that ornamented every table. Wedge took a closer look at the one nearest
to them and was fascinated by it. It obviously hadn't been watered or even moved for a long time, yet it still looked
fresh. What the hell was with these flowers? Before Wedge could speculate further, an old woman walked down
from the floor above.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"We wanna job! I heard you got a couple going?"
That was Biggs all round. No time for such crucial factors such as subtlety, just dives straight on in there. Ah
well, he thought, it had usually worked before.........
* * * * *
Wedge took a moment to reflect. He had plenty of time after all. God
forbid they might actually get a customer. He looked back on what had
happened since their hiring at this run-down old pub. Biggs had used his
natural 'influence' over people to confirm their places. The pay here
wasn't great however, and Wedge was beginning to doubt if they would
ever leave here. He took a small box out of his pocket and stared at the
content. It was the ring that he had planned to give to his lover at the
casino, before she died.....A tear came to Wedge's eye. He thought about that brief
period of happiness he had enjoyed before that incident. As he thought,
a name came to him. Seifer Almasy. Granted, technically her death had been
Biggs' fault, but it was Seifer he blamed. It was Seifer he would make
pay, with the same toll that he was suffering himself. There were those
that would have said that Wedge was sinking into madness, but this was no concern
to him. All he cared about was revenge. If Biggs wanted to come along then
he could, if not then it was one less matter to worry Wedge. He looked
across at his former Captain. Biggs loved it here. At this moment, he was
drinking the beer from the tap, which Wedge thought was the only reason
he was here. Biggs loved the free beer, the sole attraction of this place.
But if they were here, then there was no way to make Seifer feel pain.
The first thing Wedge had to do, even before they left, was to find out where Seifer
was. He had an idea about that. If the guy was hired to kill Caraway, then
it was likely that he would strike another high-ranking official next.
And who was the most obvious target? The answer was simple. The obvious
target was the ruler of the largest city in the known world - Esthar, ruled
by one Laguna Loire. If whoever was hiring Seifer wanted to strike down
powerful figures, then he was the obvious choice. The only problem was
that they were currently on the other side of the world from Esthar. There
was no way that he was going to get out of here on his current salary,
and he had used all of his cash from the casino job to buy the engagement
ring. He needed one hell of a stroke of luck to get to Esthar.....
The stroke of luck he needed was just a few days away. Word was going round that
the world famous Squall Leonheart was coming to Winhill - apparently to visit
the grave of his mother. This was the break they needed. Wedge knew that Squall
would travel on that giant red dragon-shaped ship they always used now. Wedge
had heard about what happened last time Leonheart came here. It had been all over
the news back home in Galbadia. Word was that he had been kidnapped - apparently by
a sorceress cult. Wedge had always insisted that that theory was wrong - he was
proved right when it was discovered that the hero had gone to visit his mother's grave
here in Winhill, but didn't want anyone to know about it. This time it was a more 'official'
visit. He would no doubt have his companions with him this time, making it more
difficult to gain entry to the craft. But still, if he could sneak aboard that ship....he
could guarantee that they would eventually go to Esthar. All he had to do now was wait....
* * * * * * * * *
Three days passed before they arrived. The whole village turned out to see
the Ragnarok arrive - it was the only entertainment they were likely to get for
a long time. Wedge was hiding in the shadows - or at least was trying to. It
wan't easy to be discreet with a moronically drunk Biggs in tow. He saw
Squall go down the pathway leading to the town's graveyard. He had a few of
his companions with him too. A girl he didn't recognise, dressed in blue, a
guy dressed in a trenchcoat and cowboy hat. Following them was a guy he DID
recognise. The guy from the comm tower and the prison. The spiky - haired jerk
that had caused them to be demoted twice. He had to ensure that he kept Biggs
from seeing him - he was uncontrollable at the best of times, so Wedge
didn't even want to think about what he would do if he saw this guy while
he was drunk. One thing was certain - it would blow their chances of getting
to Esthar.
They waited until the crowds had dispersed and stealthily crept on board the
Ragnarok, Biggs singing quietly to himself. Wedge heard someone coming from
down the corridor and ducked into the adjacent doorway, dragging Biggs in too.
Biggs peered out of the small window fixed into the door, eager to see the cause
of Wedge's discomfort. It was a tall woman dressed in an orange outfit. Biggs
Biggs fell back in amazement. Even through his drunken haze he recognised her.
Not from the desert prison, but before. He couldn't place it though.....
Wedge looked at Biggs, an expression of surprise on his face. He had never seen Biggs
like this before. He looked - almost serious. Like he was remembering something from
a long time ago....but he dismissed this as an effect of his drunkeness. Biggs hauled
himself to his feet - and promptly collapsed. Wedge let out a sigh of relief. They were
on their way. Now all he had to do was keep them hidden until they next landed -
hopefully in Esthar. He looked down at Biggs, sleeping like a baby. It wouldn't be
too hard to keep him hidden now. He sat down next to him to sit out the journey. A few hours
later Wedge felt the ship move. They were taking off. He allowed himself a small sigh of
satisfaction, safe in the knowledge that he would soon be able to exact his revenge upon
Seifer......
* * * * * * * * * *
Wedge stirred from his slumber on the floor of the storeroom with a start. He felt
something - a bump of some kind. He realised what it was - the landing. They were in Esthar,
or at least he hoped they were. He looked down at Biggs, who was starting to awaken and emit
low groans brought about by his hangover.
"Ugh.....where the hell are we? This 'aint Winhill......" Biggs was clutching his head and hauling
himself to his feet.
"We're in Esthar Sir. We flew here last night"
"It's too early for that 'Sir' crap. And why are we in Esthar? That musta been one helluva night....."
Wedge decided against telling Biggs how they had got to their present situation. It would
just lead to more trouble than they needed. All he needed to know was that they were
there. Wedge took a moment to think. They had made it, all they needed to do was stay hidden
until Seifer made his inevitable appearance. And in a city this size, that shouldn't be too
hard. He escorted Biggs out into the corridor and left him propped up against the wall while
he scouted around for any sign of the crew. Biggs watched his colleague wander off down the
hallway and thought about the face through the door. He couldn't remember clearly, a drunken
mist was clouding his memories of last night. But the face he saw was vivid in his mind. He
recognised her, that much was sure. He knew she had fought them in the desert prison too. But
he felt as if he knew her before that, somewhere buried deep in his subconcious. From his
childhood? He couldn't remember much of it, in fact he couldn't remember anything before he
was about twelve, the date he had come to Galbadia for military training, when he first met
Wedge. It was possible she was a long lost memory........
Wedge returned, obviously out of breath. He called down the corridor.
"It's clear sir! We can leave now!"
Biggs hauled himself upright and slowly made his way towards Wedge. Together they left the
Ragnarok and emerged into the blinding sunlight of an Estharian morning. Wedge looked around.
There were people everywhere, all going about their daily business. It was fortunate that they
were no longer in their uniforms, or they would have been spotted instantly. After the Lunatic
Pandora incident Esthar had made its attitude towards Galbadians vrey clear. Still, they needed
to find some clothes that allowed them to fit in. With what little money they had, they purchased
a set of the traditional Esthar robes and rented a small hotel room. Wedge looked out of the
window in their small room. He was amazed at how advanced the landscape that stretched before him
was. The shopping arcade was of a completely different style to the one back home in Galbadia.
Here, there were no stores, just panels that you touched to select your items, and a small tray
that emerged to collect cash. This was only ever used for visitors though. Every Estharian citizen
has their own credit account, from which the amount needed is deducted via a screen that the customer
places their palm on. The computer reads the palm print and deducts the required amount. He looked
in the opposite direction. He could see the huge Presidential Palace towered above the rest of the
landscape. It was the largest, most inpressive building he had ever seen. It was mainly blue, just
like the rest of the city, with decorative gold areas. Wedge planned to take a closer look at it in
the morning. They needed to find some way to get inside, as in that building was the President of
Esthar - Laguna Loire - and Seifer's next target.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The sun was blindingly powerful, shining into Wedge's eyes. himself and Biggs were lying in wait,
watching the road ahead. Word was that Laguna was going to travel back to FH to pay a visit to the
docked Balamb Garden. He wanted to personally thank them for the role they had played in the defeat
of Ultimecia. Wedge had also heard a rumour that someone had successfuly infiltrated the city, and
the army were finding it impossible to track down the offending party. Wedge knew what this meant.
Seifer was here, and this road the most obvious oppourtunity for him to strike. Biggs had agreed
to help on the condition that they tried to head back to Winhill afterwards. Wedge had agreed, after
all he intended to kill Seifer this time around so he would have no reason to stay.
Laguna, accompanied by his two companions, the large mute guy and the tall, somewhat skinny guy, came
into view. Laguna always refused to have armed guards, despite the warnings of his advisors. He trusted
everyone too much - that was his biggest problem. As they passed the spot where the duo were hiding, two
tranquiliser darts could be seen hitting the necks of the two other men.
"Kiros! Ward!" The President let out a surprised cry. A dark figure in a tattered coat dropped from the
skyway above. Seifer.
"What the hell?" Laguna was fixed to the spot. Seifer raised his gunblade to strike - when the sweep
was blocked. Wedge had leapt from his hiding place and was now positioned between Laguna and Seifer.
"You?!" The expression on his adversary's face told Wedge that he hadn't expected to see him again.
"I'm your shadow, asshole. So long as you still take in air, I'll be here to make you suffer."
Seifer grinned.
"I'm gonna do the same to you as your buddy did to that slut in Deling.....
That tore it. Wedge was already seething with rage, but that comment made him snap. He swung his sword
round in a mighty arc, before slashing Seifer's arm. Seifer dropped to the floor.
"You're gonna pay for that. You're gonna PAY!" Seifer leapt back onto the skyway with supernatural force,
narrowly missing the blow from Wedge that would have been fatal had it connected.
"You're gonna PAY!" Seifer ran along the skyway and out of sight. Wedge returned his sword to its sheath.
"I'll be waiting......."
Laguna returned to life from his frozen state.
"Y....you saved my life. W....who are you?" Biggs started to say something, but Wedge cut him off.
"I'm nobody sir. Just think of me as a venegful soul........"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Crowds of Estharian citizens had gathered at the city entrance to see the ceremony. The two heroes that had
saved the life of their beloved President were going to be decorated for bravery in a large ceremony. The
President himself was going to present the medals, along with his grateful son. The crowds parted as they
official procession approached the platform where Wedge and Biggs were standing. First came President Laguna,
followed by his advisors, Kiros and Ward. Next came the nationsl hero Squall Leonheart, son of the
President. He was accompanied by two of his closest companions - Rinoa Heartilly and Zell Dincht. After them
came the official staff from the presidential palace, with the official Estharian military band. As Laguna
approached the platform, a huge cheer went up from the audience. Then, as he was about to present Biggs
his medal, a lone voice was heard.
"HOLD IT!!" One of Squall's companions, Zell, vaulted onto the stage.
"I know these two! They're from Galbadia! They were in the Galbadian army during all that 'Lunar Cry' and
'Lunatic Pandora' stuff! They were ON Lunatic Pandora dammit!" A low murmer emerged from the crowd. It
started as confusion, then changed to rebellion. They surged forwards. Laguna tried to stop them.
"Wait! They still saved......" He was drowned out my the noise of the mob. Wedge turned to look at Biggs.
"Run sir."
The two ran towards the city entrance, heading for the car rental. Wedge leapt into the waiting car, closely
followed by Biggs. As the hovering platform took them out of the city, Wedge could hear the crowd at the spot where
their transport used to be. They burst out of the city, speeding across the desert. All that Wedge could think of was
getting as far away as possible. Biggs turned to look out of the back.
"Uh.....Wedge......." Wedge turned briefly to see what had got Biggs' attention. He let out a surprised gasp.
Following them was what looked like the entire Estharian army in cars similar to their own. Wedge turned back
and pressed his foot down hard. They were in a wide open desert? How the hell were they gonna get out of this
one? A bullet shot through the back windscreen. Damn, thought Wedge, this is all I need. There was only one
way to go now, there was only one way that wasn't completely closed off by the Estharians. South. The pursuing
cars were gaining fast. It would need some pretty fancy moves on Wedge's part to ensure their escape. They
approached a large cliff, which had a small gap, car-width, through the middle. Despite the screams of protest
coming from Biggs, Wedge went for it. They burst out the other side, a lot of cars still following. The odds were
better now, however, as most of the cars that had dared to follow them had crashed into the sides. Then Wedge
screamed. The wall of transparent plates that protected Esthar from discovery was looming in front of them.
There was only one thing to do. Wedge put his foot down to the floor. The plate in front of his shattered, as
did the plates that ther pursuers drove through. But up ahead was theor largest problem. The ocean. Wedge looked
around for a soulution, which came to him when he saw the shape of Cactuar Island on the horizon. The Estharians
had been planning to research rumours of a giant cactuar on the island, and had begub to construct a temporary
bridge. Wedge swerved towards it. As they reached the halfway point, he realised the flaw in his plan. The bridge
was incomplete. There was only one thing to do. Biggs fainted with terror as he realised what his companion was
planning. As the car sailed off the end of the bridge, only two chasing cars dared to make the leap with them.
Wedge and Biggs landed on the island, still accelerating. One of the other two cars landed safely, but the other
plummeted the 30 feet into the water. The one remaining driver allowed himself a self-stisfied grin. They were
on a small island. There was nowhere to go.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The sand in front of the fleeing car began to be displaced. Wedge sighed. Quicksand. They were doomed. He
closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were flying through the air. He looked back and say a huge
cactuar with a posh looking moustache standing where the supposed quicksand had been. It must have surfaced
and sent them flying. Wedge let out a laugh as he saw theire last would - be captor drive straight into the leg of the
giant and explode in a huge pillar of smoke. Wedge and Biggs landed in the middle of yet another desert, still
accelerating. Wedge tried to press down on the brake, but it refused to have any effect. He looked at his fuel
gauge, half full. All he had to do was keep steering until they ran out of fuel. Over the next few hours they drove
through a mountain range, past a large yellow -looking ruin and nearly falttened a forest full of chocobos. As the
car ground to a halt, Wedge and the now recovered Biggs stepped outside. Opposite them was an old, run-down
building near a lighthouse. Wedge turned to look at Biggs. His face was in the same expression it had been in
during the flight in the Ragnarok. Did he recognise this place? Biggs walked slowly towards it, old memories
trying to surface.....