Authors Note: A big thank you to Vivi 26, without who, this arc may have never made it this far and who co-wrote this chapter in the story with me. His own works also inspired the appearance of Sonnet in The Nightmare Legion.
I need to warn you all now, that this chapter involves a character death.
Episode Five: Chaos Theory.
"…ope?"
"Hope…?"
"Heeeyy..."
The female voice seemed to echo all around him, but when he looked all he could see was a white fog. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on the voice and determine which direction it was coming from.
"Light?" He called after several seconds of silence.
"Are you serious?" The voice was clearer now; he could hear an accent this time.
"Not Light," He whispered to himself, "Is that…?"
"Come on Hope, you're the only one I can talk to."
"Hope, wake up!"
"What, what are you…?"
"HOPE!"
Forest green eyes shot open, and looked into blue ones. He nearly called out Light's name, before he realised that the owner of those eyes had brown hair. Lifting his head, and feeling his neck complain at the movement, he reached his hand up and tried to message out the muscles there. It didn't work.
Moving just his eyes, he looked to Squall, crouched in front of him.
"We crashed." It wasn't a question, but Squall answered anyway.
"Yeah. The pilot kept us upright though."
Looking down again, he unfastened his seatbelt, and tried to stand. Instead he slid onto his knees on the floor.
"Easy kid, we all took a knock from the landing."
"I'm not…" the retort died in his throat as the voice materialised in his mind for a second, and then faded, "How's everyone?"
He dismissed the female voice as his mind playing tricks on him.
"Zell's hurt bad." Suddenly Hope realised why Squall had been so insistent for him to come too. Without needing to be asked, Hope dragged himself back to his feet and with Squall's help, stumbled through the now cluttered isle to the cargo area.
Everyone was vacating the craft and the crew were helping to lift out any injured, the worst of which was Zell who was laid deathly still, a state anyone rarely witnessed of the energetic youth.
During the crash a piece of the interior had crashed down into the seat Zell was occupying part of which embedded itself into Zell's abdomen. The sheer volume of blood pouring out of the teen made Hope's stomach churn and he froze for a second.
"Hurry!" Quistis begged and it was enough to snap Hope out of it. With shaking hands he knelt by Zell and used his most powerful healing magic, but it was draining. Hope could almost feel his own life being sucked out of him and pulled down in an attempt to keep Zell's quickly diminishing life force from fading away completely. Hope's head spun wildly but now that the spell had been unleashed it had to run its course, he just hoped he would live through it.
…
Irvine paced impatiently behind Quistis who was knelt supporting Zell's head while Hope attempted to all but resurrect their friend. He was torn. On one hand one of his oldest and dearest friends was fighting for his life while the love of his life was lost some where in these frozen lands. He wanted to leave, he knew Squall and the others would care for Zell and he could make a start searching for Selphie, but the landing hadn't been planned and for the moment, he had no idea where they where.
Irvine looked from the scene as Rinoa came jogging back from inside the Ragnarok with yet more injured, none of which were as severe as Zell. The light from the magic caught Irvine's eye and he turned back, squinting through the glare trying to focus on Hope who seemed to be having a much harder time than anyone had considered. They all just assumed he could fix this, they all just assumed his magic was as powerful as it was limitless and yet it was clear they were wrong.
The lad whimpered, still hunched over Zell's prone form hands focusing the magic's healing energy directly into the gaping wound in the teens mid section. Slowly the wound began to pull and tug close and he bled no more but all the colour had drained from Hope's face. . .
Squall, Quistis and Rinoa remained silent and edged closer to their fallen friend no one save for Irvine, noticing the state Hope now found himself in.
The sniper shot forward as Hope attempted to stand and then back away in a feeble attempt to hide just how weak the effort had left him. The lad stumbled against his own feet and toppled back hitting the rocky floor hard. Irvine knelt by him as the other three SeeD glanced over their shoulders, hearing the scuffle.
"Hope?" Squall got up and came over as Irvine helped the young l'Cie boy into a sitting position.
"I. . .I'm okay."
"You don't look it." Irvine pointed out as Squall knelt by them.
"I am. That just. . .it was like a free fall. I couldn't feel the ground." Hope shook his head as he obviously struggled to explain what he'd felt. "I'm okay now but, I don't know if Zell is." Hope's voice broke as he explained. "He was in such a bad way. . .I think he was dead. I don't know if I. . .pulled him back in time. . ."
Squall and Irvine shared a concerned look before the later helped Hope to stand.
"We need to organise a base camp." Squall stated suddenly, a natural leader he was now prioritising but digging in wasn't something Irvine wanted to do, he wanted to move on. "Give me an hour." Squall added that last part to Irvine as he seemed to read the snipers mind, but then Irvine had to remember, Selphie wasn't just special to him.
…
It had taken some hard work, but Squall had his base camp. The Ragnarok crew had managed to secure the cargo bay of the ship; they cleared out the broken parts of the hull and debris from the rock wall they had slammed into. Most of the damage was surface but because of the interference none of the Ragnarok's systems were functioning at all. Because of this, it was like going back to basics. The two medics they had were using basic first aid supplies and had constructed crude cots for the more severely injured, Zell included.
Squall only now realised just how much they as a society relied on both magic and technology and without either, they struggled. If it hadn't been for Hope they would have been at this much longer. The l'Cie had helped heal the more seriously injured, protected the crews from potential disaster when part of the rock wall crumbled and spilled towards the Ragnarok as the injured were being moved back in all that and he was still prepared to travel into the unknown to seek out their friend, someone he had never met.
It was just over the hour when they were ready to move, Squall leaving Rinoa in charge of base camp, that and she had no intension of leaving Zell alone while he recovered. The youth in question, despite the obvious weakness was all for getting up and marching out to help Selphie, no one took him very seriously, least of all Squall.
"You just stay there and get better. I need you fighting fit." Squall stated as he knelt by the make shift bed Zell occupied.
"I'm fine right now." He protested and attempted to get up once more, but the blankets had been packed round him tight enough that the injured lad couldn't even muster the strength to get them loose. "Who the hell tucked me in, the Terminalator? Prisoners of war aren't even treated like this." Zell's bottom lip protruded.
"Quit your whining." Squall stated with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, you can't go anywhere till they've refilled you." He indicated the IV line attached to a blood-bag. "Seriously, Zell…you almost lost this time." There was a genuine concerned tone in Squall's voice which seemed to convince Zell that maybe rest was the better idea.
"Alright!" He conceded finally. "Just get going, no telling what kinda trouble Selphie's got herself into."
"Exactly. We'll be back before you know it." Squall patted his friends shoulder and got up, zipping up his weather proof jacket. It wasn't the most fashionable thing, but when the choice was looking good and alive, the later won every time.
Irvine, Quistis and Hope were all kitted in a similar fashion, hoods up, bags packed with food, water and medicine, it was time to go.
…
The crash, while a little inconvenient and almost deadly, proved to be a blessing in disguise. It was only after they had gotten clear of the fallen Ragnarok that they realised they were already in the crater itself. The ships descent had negated the need for a three day hike, which pleased Irvine no end.
He felt a pang of guilt for being grateful for the mechanical failure, especially when it almost ended badly for his friend, but it was a short lived pang when he realised that Zell would no doubt think the same and was also very much alive.
It was a mere two hours hike into the very depths of the worlds scar when their some what unreliable equipment started to pick up a signal.
"I've got something, it's very weak though." Quistis said, shouting to be heard above the wind. "I can't get a clear fix, but I'm definitely picking up a SeeD tracer signal."
"Selphie's?" Irvine asked.
"I can't tell. All I can say for sure, is someone is here."
It was better than nothing and even if it wasn't Selphie's, chances were the expedition would still be together and ultimately they could trace it back to her anyway.
They walked another few feet, all of the time heading deeper into the ground, some of the time they faced sheer drops and only working together as a team could they make it down. Briefly Irvine wondered how they would get back up and out again, but for the moment his primary concern was finding his girl.
No, not his girl anymore…
But he still loved her all the same.
Once they got so far below the surface, things became easier as the weather no longer hindered their progress and eventually the decline evened out. The rock walls were no longer rugged and uneven, slowly they became smooth with edges, the deeper they got the more it appeared they had stumbled into some long forgotten system of hallways. Every surface depicted an unheard of tale. Battles fought long ago, tales of fallen kings and the Sorceress' they courted. It was almost like looking at a history no one had ever heard of before.
"This is…strange." He heard Quistis say and Irvine had to agree.
"Why has no one ever found this before?" Squall asked as he studied one of the pictures. It had faded considerably, but it seemed to appeal to their leader.
"D…does anyone else feel like…we're going round and round?" Hope asked and Irvine had to admit there was a slight curvature along the path.
"And we're still heading down, though gradually." Quistis observed. "Like…we're on a set path."
"Wonder where it goes." Squall mused.
"I don't care where it goes." Irvine snapped. "All I wanna know is; will this take us to Selphie?"
"The signal has gotten stronger, but given the amount of interference here, that doesn't necessarily mean we're closer." He could tell Quistis wanted to give him good news, maybe wished she could even lie, but he knew she respected him too much to do that. He nodded sadly, but grateful. Not many people still respected him enough to do that anymore. "Let's just press on. Selphie came here to find the cause of the interference; I'm betting she found it."
"And the fact this place is here, can't be a coincidence." Squall took the lead again and Irvine followed. They both had a point they had to admit and while any other time this stuff would have interested him a least a little, today, he only cared about one thing.
…
Hope couldn't tear his eyes away from the walls of this place. Every inch was like discovering a mystery, long forgotten just begging to be understood. Each window triggered different thoughts and feelings, some of which confused him.
One such image was of a large beast, feline yet whose head and neck were adorned in a fiery mane, worn like a crown and its sure and proud stance made the creature itself seem, regal, important, powerful…
Hope felt himself sway and he shut his eyes trying to process the information that suddenly filled his head and soul.
"Emperor…" He muttered the word before he could stop himself and his three comrades turned with questioning gazes'.
"Did you say-"
"No, nothing." He answered quickly and he knew Squall would be suspicious, but despite that, he pressed on.
Hope followed trying not to loose himself in the strange sensations, but the deeper they went the more he felt…the history of the place.
Each image provoked an assumption; each assumption led to a question, each question bore an answer and each answer left Hope open to a whole range of emotions and sensations. It was almost like he could understand and process the information stored in this strange place, like he was a receiver for its signals and suddenly he understood what this place was, and what the markings truly represented.
"I…it's a tomb…" He muttered to himself, his eyes drawn to a particular image. A small girl in a flowing sheer gown…smiling at him…holding out a flower…
He reached to take it…
…
"Gotcha!" A familiar accented voice squeaked and Hope felt someone grab his hand as he was about to topple backwards over the edge of a very tall cliff. He yelped as his feet slipped on the dew covered grass, but the hand that held him, tugged a little harder and he was soon on solid ground. He glanced back and over the edge of the sudden drop, gulping as he watched the waves below break on the jagged rocks, rocks he had very nearly became affixed to.
"Thanks." He said on an exhale, turning to face the young red-headed girl. "Vanille?" Without warning the excitable girl had thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a warm embrace.
"Hope, I've finally got you!" She squeezed him really tight, so much so that he found himself struggling to breathe.
"Urgk…Van…eek!" She seemed the get the hint and let go.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Hope sucked in a few desperate breaths. "It's just so good to see you." He couldn't stay mad at her, even if he hadn't been lost for a life-time and missed her terribly. Vanille was just too nice, too…sweet.
"I feel the same, but what happened, where are we?" he looked around. They were on a grassy peninsula. It looked like Pulse…
"I wish I could explain, Hope, but we don't have much time. I don't how long I can keep the connection open. It's taken both me and Fang three day's just to find you. I can't let you go back." She took his hand. "Come with me."
"Wait, what connection? Where are we going?" He asked as he was dragged along.
"Please, Hope. Just keep running okay?"
"But…what about the others?" He huffed and shielded his eyes with his free hand, the sun was so bright up ahead and in the distance, he could see something sparkling. "Light…Sazh and Snow? What about Squall and Irvine and-" He stopped pulling his hand free. "Vanille please tell me what's going on." She came to a stop and huffed looking ahead at the sparkling objects a moment before turning to face him.
"You're having a nightmare, Hope. I didn't think it was possible to have a nightmare when-"
"When what?" He asked cautiously, something inside told him he wouldn't like the answer and he guessed that's why Vanille changed the subject.
"Wait, I've been trying to talk to you for ages, how come you answered this time?"
"Huh?" He blinked and shook his head.
"Don't you remember the last time we spoke?"
"I thought it was a dream…"
"Look, all you have to realise is that all that back there isn't real. That's the dream, a very bad dream." She indicated the cliff, the sky beyond was beginning to grow dark. "Please, just trust me and-"
"But you were there." he interrupted. "You and Fang and I…"
"Yes, you woke us from it. We were all in the same nightmare."
"But how is that possible?"
"Someone spirited us away. I don't know how and I don't know who." Vanille touched the centre of her brow briefly, like she was suffering a headache of sorts. "Please, just keep run-"
"But what about the others?" He asked. "Can you get them out?"
"Y-yes." She answered too quickly and her tone…
"You never were a very good liar, Vanille."
Silence.
"I have tried." She finally spoke. "But they can't hear me, not like you. I don't know why you're so different."
Once more, silence and Hope felt the wind rush in from behind him.
"I guess…it's the masks." He mused. He looked up from the ground and smiled at her. "I can't leave yet. I'm the only one who can remove the masks."
Vanille smiled sadly and glanced up at the sky which had turned dark, promising a storm, Hope however was too concerned by what was now happening to Vanille…
A shimmering light emerged at her feet and began to swallow her petit form. As the glow passed over her long slender legs, her skin turned a silvery-blue and became semi-opaque. The light changed not only her form, but her clothes were wished away. She was turning to crystal…
"Vanille!"
"Don't be afraid, Hope." She let a single tear fall as the transformation reached her neck. "I'll keep trying…" Her words echoed into faint whispers, drifting off into the ether. Hope stood, gawking at the crystallized effigy of his friend and shook his head.
Was that his fault? Should he have gone with her?
He had no time to second guess his actions as a great gust of wind blew in hard and fast. Without any further warning he felt the ground collapse from under him and down he fell…
…
"I got you."
Hope never felt so…relaxed in his life. It was almost like every muscle in his body had just hit the off-switch. Including his brain.
He lent heavily against who ever had hold of him and as he was coaxed along, Hope quite feebly hung onto the arms supporting him.
"I…I feel odd…" His speech was slurred; even his tongue seemed to have abandoned him. "V…Vanille?" he lifted his head trying to find her, but his head just lolled back against the man holding him up.
"Quistis, hand me the water." He heard Squall speak and as Hope was laid down, he got a better look at the SeeD Commander.
"Is it Friday…feels like Friday." Hope had no idea why he had asked that. "I feel odd…"
"Yeah you said." Squall said dryly. "Here, have a drink." Hope couldn't lift his head at all and relied on Squall to do it for him as he held the canteen to his lips. The water was cool and cut a way down his dry throat. "What happened?"
Hope opened his eyes, not that he realised he had closed them. He tried to focus on the face hovering above him and frowned.
"This place…" He began but the trouble was; he wasn't sure how he could finish. "Never mind. I'm fine…" He shook his head and sat up with Quistis supporting him. They both looked worried but he couldn't tell them more that that. In reality he could tell them about the conversation with Vanille, but there wasn't time. Hope cast a glance towards Irvine, who was looking on, obviously concerned, but it was clear by the way he was further ahead than them; he wanted to keep pushing on. "I'm fine." Hope called out and Irvine dipped his head in response.
"Are you sure?" Squall asked and Hope, who was now on his feet, cast a glance at the pretty flower girl who seemed to smile at him.
"Y…yeah." With a little breath he walked away from the walls and made a point not to look at any more of the pictures. Some how, he knew, they were more than just decoration. It was almost like they were, or at some point had been, alive…
…
Irvine was glad they were on the move again; he felt a little bad for rushing them, especially Hope. Was it wrong to want to keep going, despite anything that happened?
He shook thoughts like that away, all Irvine wanted to focus on now was getting Selphie back anything else could be dealt with later including apologies. He rounded the next corner having picked up the pace to a jog. The slight decline in the ground had levelled out and the walls took on a strange red glow, like they had arrived at the very centre of the world, but it was cold…
The path ahead wove suddenly to the left and Irvine spotted figures wearing a familiar dark blue uniform…they weren't moving…
"Here!" He shouted so the others could hear, not realising till right then that he had jogged a fair distance ahead. He knelt by the fallen man and his blood ran cold. Dead…
He heard Squall approach and his silence said more than his words ever could. He was angry.
"Oh heavens no…" Quistis turned from the mangled corpse. The wounds were precise.
"His throat…" Irvine tried to hide the cause of the man's death from Hope as did Quistis who ushered the lad a little further along the corridor while Irvine and Squall spoke. "It's Gunver." Irvine stated running a hand through his hair. "Selphie's fiancé…"
"I didn't realise things had gotten so bad between you two." Squall said carefully broaching the subject that had been on the tips of everyone's tongue.
"Yeah, well now you do." Irvine left it at that and closed the eyes of the dead man.
"Come on…" Squall said finally and Irvine heard the sentence finish in his own head but he refused to pay it any interest. Selphie was fine, just because they had found one dead, it didn't mean she was.
Irvine took the lead, he and Squall jogging further into the maze of hallways, each time they found another member of Selphie's expedition dead his hope that he would find her unharmed slowly dwindled. He appeared cool and calm, but inside he was starting to panic and his pace increased because of it.
"Irvine, wait…" He heard Quistis say as they finished inspecting yet another fallen SeeD. He ran on rounding that final corner and froze…
The cold hit him like a physical wall and sent a chill creeping along his skin. The hall opened up into a large circular room, in the centre a large red glowing orb sat within a cage of sorts, the iron bars wrapped around the energy field it encased. A single opening, like a door of sorts was below it.
The ground was littered with bodies and only one moved, but it was no one Irvine knew.
The creature stood, its long legs holding up a body that was both powerful and sleek. The skin was pale, almost grey with a strange red tendon like exoskeleton that protected its vulnerable parts. A pair of leathery wings, tattered and immense stretched out behind it. It face was partially concealed under a horned crown, made with the same red bone, and amber eyes shone from behind it. Despite its demonic appearance, it held a weapon, a triple barrelled gun and as heavy as it no doubt was, the creature wielded it like it was made of nothing but air…
The demon stood above the body of a girl, whose pretty green eyes gazed lifelessly up at the demon a single tear still trailing down her cheek. A smouldering crater in the centre of her abdomen the cause of her death. She was by far, the smallest body there almost childlike…and Irvine choked back a scream as he realised…they were too late.
…
Something primal drove the trio of friends. They rushed in, facing the unknown entity that had managed to massacre an entire expedition of their comrades, where their friends had failed in numbers nearing a hundred; they couldn't possibly hope to succeed as a three-some. Yet, they did not care.
Irvine led the charge, a call to arms that sounded both chilling and heart-breaking as he launched himself at the demon like a man possessed. Squall followed suit, as Irvine charged in, raising the butt of his heavy rifle right at those bright amber eyes. The blow was hard and as accurate as any bullet that Irvine would have shot, but he didn't stop. The creature stumbled and Irvine followed the attack up with three successive shots of the rifle at close range. Each shot hit a vital organ; Irvine was playing for keeps...
Squall slashed high, missing the top of Irvine's head as the marksman ducked, the pair working in complete synchronisation having spent many a day fighting along side one another. The blow was halted as the creature raised a heavily armoured left hand, but Quistis came rushing in using the little Junction she had in her possession, that was only ever meant to be used in extreme situations. This counted it seemed as the ball of fire hit the intended target and the demon reeled, temporarily blinded.
Irvine driven on by sheer hate got a little too close as he attempted to bisect the demon with his knife having expended the ammo in the clip and was too enraged to even consider reloading the weapon. Instead it was cast aside, like it had failed him in his quest for revenge.
The demon growled, obviously angered by the constant barrage of attacks and it grabbed the enraged teen by the wrist and squeezed forcing the lad to drop the blade. Squall acted quickly, bringing his blade down hard, prepared to decapitate the arm if necessary, but despite the strength he had behind the move, the grey and red beast caught it in his hand, stopping it so completely it felt like Squall had struck solid rock. The SeeD Commander grimaced as the shock-waves rebounded into his arms, causing considerable pain and a moment was all the creature needed as it removed the weapon from Squall's hands and cast it aside.
Quistis was about to cast again but the eerie amber eyes glowed more ferociously than before and with purpose. All at once Quistis was hurtled back by shockwave just as Hope came rushing into the room, having been left behind by the older teens in their bid to help Irvine.
The lad froze as he laid eyes on the creature; its wings unfurled casting them all in shadow. Squall could do nothing more as it stood to its full height after being beaten down by the party, Irvine's legs flaying wildly as there were a clear three inches between his feet and the floor. Irvine was six foot, so to leave him that much clear of the floor just bared testament as to how tall this thing was.
It fixed Hope with its cold stare and spoke, every word cloned by an echo, a distant whisper that made understanding its words difficult. Squall imagined it to be angry, but the almost wistful sound of its voice suggested nothing of the sort…
It threw Irvine aside, the lad rolling before stopping hard against the wall. Squall contemplated attacking again but in that instant those huge wings beat down hard lifting the beast from the floor. The wind picked up as they pounded the air, getting higher but its sight was still fixed firmly on the l'Cie.
Hope was staring back similarly unafraid, defiant.
The four could do nothing but watch as the demon rose up before vanishing in a streak of red and black, only to reappear once again further from their reach and continued on up to what appeared to be day light up above…
…
Irvine spun to Hope, and grabbed the front of his shirt:
"You've got to help her!"
"I can't. She's…"
"Don't tell me she's dead. She can't be…not after…kid please, please help her!"
Nodding, although unsure if he could, Hope knelt next to Selphie's prone form, opposite Irvine, and looked at the triad of bullet holes in her stomach. While the sight disgusted him, he was somewhat used to gun shot wounds due to Light's handiwork during their travels, so didn't feel the need to empty his guts. He placed one gloved hand over the triad, and concentrated on the healing aspect of his l'Cie power. He felt the brand glow by the heat on his hand, and the warmth of the magic as it jumped from his hand to her stomach.
The holes did close, but barely. Irvine shook his head as he checked for her pulse. Again Hope cast the strongest healing magic he could summon, but to no effect.
"Come on Selphie! You can't leave us!" Irvine's voice carried a note of fear mixed with despair.
At the edge of his vision, Hope could see Squall and Quistis stood close by. They had clearly checked the other bodies, and found no signs of life. Squall's hands were clenched into fists, while Quistis seemed unable to look in their direction. Their faces said what Hope thought for himself: their friend was gone, and nothing he could do would bring her back.
Casting for a third time, and a fourth, Hope felt the light headedness and vertigo he had felt when healing Zell, warning him he was at his limits for the moment, before he looked at the surprisingly peaceful face of the brunette girl, before lowering his hand and shaking his head at Irvine.
"I can't…I can't help her Irvine. She's been dead for too long. If we'd…"
"Don't give me that! You have the strongest magic power I've ever seen. You must be able to help her! She can't die here, not before I could…" Irvine shook his head as he gazed down at her pale face, his hand stroking the blood soaked hair away from her face, leaving a slight red smear.
Hope felt tears slide from his eyes, but he repeated:
"I can't help her. I'm sorry Irvine, I am…"
Tears, I trained you better than that. You did your best, now leave her alone.
The voice in his head could have belonged to Lightning, but Hope didn't care at the moment. Reluctantly, he shakily stood and moved away from Selphie's body as Irvine closed her eyes.
Quistis' hand went to her mouth as tears rained free from her eyes while Squall was looking off at some point beyond the scene. They had lost one of their oldest friends…
Selphie Timlitt had died.
…
"Something's not right," Squall stated as he, Hope and a still teary Quistis searched the area for survivors. It was slow going as well as difficult. "Except for…Selphie, everyone else has been taken down with a blade…"
Noting his hesitation, which said more than words ever could about his present feelings Quistis crouched next to the body nearest to her, and ran a critical gaze over it, before moving to another, and another.
"I didn't see that thing carrying anything other than the gun..."
"It must have been fast," Hope noted, "None of them have weapons drawn."
"Not all of them were SeeD's or Cadets," Quistis stated, "Some were civilians and didn't have a weapon."
"They knew what they were doing," Squall mused aloud, "One wound per body…death-blows, everyone of them…"
A cough was heard, and all present turned towards the source as they drew their weapons. All except Irvine, who was still knelt by Selphie's body. To Hope's amazement, one of the bodies moved its arms and pushed itself up from the ground, moving into a sitting position.
The body was quickly revealed to be a woman in a SeeD uniform, with bright blue eyes and long silver hair.
"Commander," She coughed again, "Good to…"
"SeeD Baji, I guess you still being alive shouldn't be a surprise." Squall relaxed but not completely so, given what they had uncovered it was clear that the creature had not been alone in his blood-bath.
"Wait, you're injured!" Hope exclaimed, noticing the cuts and tears in her uniform.
He began to charge his magic, having recovered from his earlier effort, but Squall's voice cut through his concentration:
"Hope, stop!"
He did so on reflex, and then looked to the SeeD Commander.
"She's injured, shouldn't I…?"
"Hope," the woman looked to him, "Interesting name kid. Even more…interesting is that you somehow…have magic. But he's right; you…can not heal me."
"Why not?" Hope demanded.
"It won't work on me…kid."
He was about to protest, but Squall shook his head:
"She's telling the truth Hope. Magic doesn't work on her."
"Why not?" He repeated as Quistis passed the guys to help Sonnet up.
"Aren't you a…nosey one," she quipped, reminding him of Fang for a second, "Well, since you…have magic, an ability I'm guessing you…don't want too many to know about given our…situation, I'll answer your question. Call it…collateral as I have a secret I don't want too…many to know. I have an allergic…reaction to magic. It either has the opposite…effect to what it's…supposed to do, or it does nothing."
Hope was stunned, and his face must have shown it:
"Yep, that's right, I'm different. My name's Sonnet by the way."
"Nice to meet you." Hope managed before Squall interrupted:
"Did you see anything of who did this?"
Sonnet nodded:
"Yes…sir, most…of it."
Hope frowned as Sonnet seemed to be having more and more trouble in concentrating.
"Commander, please, help me." She suddenly blurted out and Quistis quickly caught the young woman as she seemed to loose her balance and it was clear to Hope that she had been through a lot.
Squall nodded: "I understand. Quistis, we're moving back to the ship."
She didn't reply, and Hope was intent on watching Sonnet, trying to determine what was wrong with her. Squall's sudden order to fall back didn't help in the slightest, just made him even more curious. He also missed Quistis talking to Irvine, before the sharpshooter stood, picking up Selphie's body.
"I'm not leaving her here!" Was all he said before moving back the way they had come from.
"Can you walk?" Quistis asked Sonnet.
"For the moment. I'd appreciate support though."
Squall closed his eyes for a second:
"We can't do anything for the others now, but we'll return," He vowed, "For now, we need to get back to the Ragnarok and hear your report. Hope, you and I will take point and clear any obstacles that present themselves. Quistis, help Sonnet. Irvine…never mind."
It was clear even to Hope that Irvine cared deeply for Selphie, so his carrying her body wasn't surprising. He couldn't figure out what made Sonnet so special though: how had she survived?
…
It took a lot longer getting back to the Ragnarok than it did getting down into the halls, mainly because of the burden they carried and not just in the form of Selphie and Sonnet. Each carried the weight of loss and of guilt. The latter Irvine felt more than most and as he looked down at her, her expression peaceful, his tears threatened to fall all over again.
I'm so sorry. I pushed you away…I pushed you to…this…
He shook his head and strode on, as the journey became more of an uphill climb, he was really starting to struggle but there was no way he was ever letting her go. Never again…
…
The weary band of SeeD trudged into camp slowly and the Ragnarok crew sent calls into the camp to inform the rest. Rinoa smiled at Zell as she heard the announcement and stood patting his hand.
"You stay put, I'll go see." She said sweetly. He didn't look happy about still being confined to bed-rest, but he had little choice when he barely had the strength to lift his little finger.
Rinoa came running from the craft spotting the band easily but…something was wrong.
Where was the hero's welcome? Where were the flocks of relieved friends and comrades rushing to aid them? Why did everyone keep their distance, and bow their heads silently as Irvine placed one heavy foot in front of another?
And why did her friend not move at all, in those strong, shaking hands…
…
Irvine placed Selphie's body down in the ship's cargo hold while Quistis got close to the lift before stopping and helping Sonnet to the floor, but leaning against a wall. Hope took a moment to catch his breath as did Squall. It had been one of the longest trips of his life. To his surprise, Sonnet appeared to be asleep.
"She'll need a few minutes," Quistis reported, "I better let everyone-" her words were stolen from her as she noticed the figure who's gaze was drawn to that of her lifeless friend.
"Oh Selphie…" Rinoa breathed her name and covered her mouth trying to fight back the tears.
Irvine, who had remained silent for the entire return trip, removed his hat and placed it on Selphie's stomach, below her folded arms.
"There you go…only this time, you can keep it…" He whispered his head lowering while his hand remained on her quickly cooling limb.
The silence was suddenly broken.
"Thank you Commander. I'm feeling much better now." Sonnet announced, causing most pairs of eyes to look in her direction.
"No offence, but what's up with you?" Hope demanded, "You seemed like you were going to collapse back there, and couldn't speak too well either. Now all of a sudden you're ok?"
"What did you see?" Squall spoke, giving Hope the impression that he was trying to deflect the attention elsewhere. Hope's curiosity couldn't be sated that easily though:
"Are you part machine? The interference or whatever caused this," he gestured around the cargo hold, "wouldn't be as strong here as where we found you." Hope had posed the question, but he already knew the answer. Ever since Alexander came into his life, being essentially mechanical in nature, Hope had a way with machines. Light had bore witness to his peculiar gift, being able to sense when anything mechanical was near; it helped them avoid the PSICOM and their toys on more than one occasion…
The look she cast in Hope's direction wasn't lost on either him or Squall.
"Hope, step back please. This isn't something you need to know."
"Excuse me? I'm involved in this just like you are! I'd say I need to know."
"Not this you don't," Quistis called, where she was crouched near to Irvine and Selphie, "Trust me, she'll tell us what we need to know. But if she has to tell you everything, you'll be at risk."
"I'm already at risk due to this!" Hope cast a weak Fire spell at the deck near to Sonnet, and was shocked when she seemed to flash out of his vision, and an arm appeared around his neck.
"Maybe so, but do that again kid and I'll take it personally." Sonnet's voice sounded from behind him.
"I'd step back Hope," Squall reiterated, "This is something that she told us in confidence, and no one else is to know. I gave her my word on that."
"Who else?"
Quistis waved:
"I gave my word too. Hope, please, move away for the moment."
Reluctantly, he joined Quistis and Irvine, the former cleverly keeping herself between Hope and Squall, blocking his line of sight and preventing him from seeing anything he shouldn't.
"Ok," Squall called a few minutes later, "Its like we thought, the demon wasn't alone, the other was wearing a blue, silver and white uniform, including a white & grey cloak, white gloves and had black hair."
Something in Squall's description struck a chord in Hope.
"No…it can't be him…" He muttered, but Quistis heard him:
"You know who did this?"
"I…I think so…" Hope was concerned now, as Cid Raines was one of the toughest opponents he remembered fighting with the others, and the terrifying truth that he had revealed about their Focus, that they had to…
"Hope! Now is not the time for silence! Explain what you're saying!"
"Did he carry a sword that could…trans…trans…; change into a gun and back?" He asked Sonnet who nodded, "Then yes, I…know him. His name is Cid Raines, and he was a General of my world's military. He was also a…l'Cie, like me, but with almost as much power as any two of our group."
"Your world?" Sonnet queried.
"Did you see anything else?"
"Yes, the demon… he threw me aside like I was nothing an inconvenience. He shot Selphie as the other guy, Raines?" Hope nodded, "Grabbed her as a shield."
"So he was aiming for Raines?" Squall kept his voice down, not wanting to provoke a reaction from Irvine who was still sat very still beside Selphie.
"Yes, but Raines was fast. Really fast. He took out everyone else before anyone even knew he was there. He said something too: "Defy your Focus at your own peril mortal!""
"For someone who got knocked aside, you noticed a lot." Hope almost sounded bitter, but couldn't quite bring himself to hate her. She had survived, and given them some important information.
Hope shook his head as he realised he was sounding like Light. Her soldier mentality seemed to have rubbed off on him more than he thought.
He looked back at Sonnet, who had now moved and was crouched near to Selphie's body.
"I'm sorry Commander, I failed in my objective."
"You tried though."
As they spoke, Hope noticed something odd: he could see unbroken skin under the cuts and gaps in her uniform.
"How did you heal if magic doesn't work on you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your uniform has tears in it, but I can't see any injuries on you."
"Sharp kid. Tell you what; I'll answer that if you tell me what you meant about your world."
Hope looked to Squall, remembering what he had been told about a magic shortage, but saw a nod from the older man.
"I'm from Cocoon, which is part of Gran Pulse. My magic works because it comes from a different source than your world."
"Interesting, how did you get here?"
"Your turn first," Hope shook his head, "How did you heal?"
"Potions. While not as effective on me as they would be on anyone else, they do work to a degree."
"I see," Hope was a little disappointed by the answer, "And I don't know how I got here. We were in a fight, there was a bright light in the sky, and then I was in a new place. I found out later it was near to Balamb Town."
"Did this Raines person have a mask on his face?" Quistis asked, getting concerned looks from everyone else.
"No." Her simple answer both relieved and concerned Hope. Relieved as that meant Cid wasn't part of the Legion, but concerned as that meant he couldn't defeat him as he had Fang and Vanille.
The last time he had faced Raines was with Light and the others and even then it had been hard going, throwing everything they had at the guy. Now he was alone and in a world where magic was not as easy to come by anymore. What was worse…Cid had killed one of Squall's friends already, and Hope knew, he would rather die himself, than see another of his new allies die again…