Secrets of the Future
Dawn of the End
"It seems to be a weapon, sir. A bomb, perhaps."
"Very good, lieutenant. Did they say what it was called?"
"…Yes, sir, but, uh, well…"
"What?"
"It's, um, not fit for your ears, sir. They're calling it Nucellular. They said it had the force of a thousand GFs. Maybe more."
"This is a powerful weapon indeed, then."
"Yes, sir. Truly it is."
She fell to the ground, bending in half as the pain rolled through her, multiplying and shattering all it touched. The heat from the impossible blow scorched her skin as her heaving sides struggled to reach air through the thick smoke. Oxygen deprived lungs gasped and reached desperately as her body already started to collapse from lack of air. The second shockwave rolled over her tortured skin as the greatest man-made agony device roared its fury. Closing eyes watched the area surrounding dissolve into fire and heat, as her simple life, as simple as the prodigy of a famous hero ever came to be, was slashed at the seams, then tossed into the inferno of this ultimate hate and horror. Almost relived, long lashes moves down to cover pain racked eyes.
Goodbye, Meira. I'm sorry that you never got your dream car, or that bracelet you always wanted. Danial, I hope that the shelter your father always raved about has stood up to this. Jaime, don't worry, you're forgiven, even if I didn't get to tell you. Father… I'm sorry… I've… failed…
Her active mind slowly slowed, slower, slower…. Stopping…
A bright light enveloped her, but not the warm, golden glow she had heard of. This was pale and tinged with a light blue, hinted with a soft smell of roses and a field somewhere, that she remembered…
~Young three-year-old eyes take in a pasture of green and gold, the sound of the sea roaring in the background. Bright sky-like orbs raise up the warm hand that was gripping hers so tightly, up to warm, smiling eyes and waves of chocolate streaked ebony hair.
"Look! See, that's the place where your father lived, and here's where we first made our promise… oh, those days were so nice… and now you can see them." Cheery smile, then darkness as the memory fades.~
"Come, Ananda. Your time is not now. There is still so much you have to do, my little Ananda, my precious little girl…"
"Mother?" A hoarse whisper sounded from the parched throat, to nothing but a joyful flash of light and a bright field. The shock overtook her, and she drifted off to sleep.
Alex had a very normal, very boring life. Sure, there was a Sorceress War going on, but no, he had to stay home. Cursing under his breath, the muscular 18-year-old hobbled back towards the barn.
"Watch your language, young man!" a stern voice from his left sounded.
A sigh escaped from thin lips. "Yes, Aunt Merda."
"Don't 'Yes, Aunt Merda' me, boy. You'll never get a good wife with that personality," the older woman noted, regarding the tall adolescent. With his stature, golden hair, and striking green eyes, he should have had at least a girlfriend by now, she reasoned. If only for that leg, though. She shooed him away. "Get back to the house."
The only resistance was a nod and slight grumble as he headed off that way, away from the hated, mocking town and the chocobo pastures that were much too open and alone. Time to go back to his boring life. It was no surprise that it shocked him to no end when suddenly something large and heavy appeared out of the sky, landing directly on top of him.
The wind was knocked out of his lungs in a quick whoosh and he gasped in pain. "What the hell?…" He tried to push the unyielding load off of him, but at all the wrong angles so that his leverage was completely off.
He began to panic; air was getting short in there. He struggled again, until the thing on top of him moaned and shifted slightly. What'd they do, drop a CHOCOBO on me?! He struggled upwards again, this time managing to remove whatever it was completely. With a slow movement, he rolled it over, starting in surprise.
It was a girl, dressed in what could have been a highly scorched uniform he didn't recognize. Despite the inferno her apparel was in, her pale skin was not touched in the least. This strange, almost fire-like flickering that covered her entire body did not attain wild dark hair that would reach almost to her waist had it not been tied neatly up. The light died in a few moments, but still left him very much in shock. He noted that at her belt she carried some strange, glowing sword like weapon that he could only guess at.
"…The heck?" a familiar voice said behind him. He didn't even have to turn around to see the gold-red headed town gossip, Marissa, bending over the mysterious girl.
"Don't ask me," was the sullen reply. Marissa was surprised; usually you couldn't get more then two words out of his mouth under any circumstances. Her friends would be surprised to hear that. But for now, this newcomer was much more interesting.
"Well, she looks like she needs medical help. I think. Look at how burned her clothes are, and she still smells like ash! But she's not charred one bit! Weird!" she kept up her constant chatter. "And look at that sword thing!"
At her bellowing tones, a small crowd soon formed to surround them. A majority agreed to at least look the girl over- certain more responsible people needed to stress in a hospital to those more swayed by her looks then welfare. They soon dispersed, leaving Alex sitting in the dust, an almost common scene. He struggled upward with a sigh, wondering who the heck that girl was. And why it should mean anything to him.
Pain. The pain was everything, overtaking her, life flashing before her like they always said it would, then… nothing. Just dreams of blue light, and of falling, and now… nothing.
"I wonder who she is?"
"Nice looker…"
"He-ey! Ander!"
"Just kidding, Melina."
"I found her first!"
"So what Marissa? Besides, I thought you said that Alex kid found her!"
"Well, I'm the first sensible person to find her."
"Who ever she is. Did they find any identification?"
"Yeah, but it was all burned up. It said, um, A. Lion. Or something strange like that."
"A. Lion? Her parents must have been slightly off, you know?"
Darkness again.
"How's she doing?" a rough voice, shy and unused.
"She's in some kind of strange sleep, we don't know…"
Sometimes there were visions of sorts. A blonde haired, scowling man. Worried, harassed country doctors. A group of younger people that gave her ridiculous impressions of her numerous godparents. A vaguely blue glowing shape that her fevered mind ached for. Sometimes, in the background, a hovering black shape, so familiar… but she couldn't remember. Days passed, or maybe just minutes.
"They found some new identification! Something that had Seeo all over it. Except it was spelled with a capitol O. SeeO?"
"SeeD," a voice well unused muttered from the bed in correction. Large sky eyes slowly blinked open.
"She moved! She moved! Quick, get Dr. Karywolls!"
Not Kadowaski? "Wha…? Where am I?"
"Oh come on, we're a small town, but we're not that small!" A petite, red crowned young woman told her haughtily. The still hazy girl thought for a brief moment that she was Daniel, but that was ridiculous, she obviously wasn't a guy. How odd.
"Who are you?" a black haired girl, who looked rather like herself, asked.
"Where are you from?" A boy with wild gold-brown hair added.
"What's SeeD?" The red haired girl questioned.
"Come now, leave the poor girl alone!" An official looking man who was dressed in the tradition doctor's outfit shooed them away from the bed. He bent over the strange girl curiously. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," was the reply. She then jumped, looking at him with new eyes. "Uncle Z?…"
He looked vaguely amused. "I think you must've hit your head on that fall you took. Let's see what you remember. What's this SeeD?"
Her report was automatic. "An organization of mercenary fighting forces designed to keep peace, specializing in Sorceress extermination."
The man gasped in surprise. "Sorceress extermination? Hmm… now, where are you from?"
"Student #664721, Balamb Garden sector 503."
"Balamb, you say? I thought that place was uninhabited, strange. Ah well, we get very little gossip here, what with the radio waves being blocked."
She didn't even have a second to processes that before the next question. "By the way, what's your name?"
The warrior stifled a yawn. "Ananda, um…" Blackness overtook her once more.
Marissa practically squealed in excitement. A newcomer! A mysterious one, too. And she had found her. Well, mostly. But it didn't matter. Besides, this girl- from Ander's opinion at least, which was all the reference she needed- was very pretty. Instead of becoming jealous like most girls would, she saw this as an opportunity- more guys! It's too bad though that SHE isn't a guy. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.
In a few days of flickering consciousness, Ananda had her normal visitors sorted out. Marissa, who was hopelessly ditzy and boy crazy, with such a physical, if not mental resemblance of Daniel it was shocking. A fresh pain fired in her heart at any thought of him- most likely, he had been killed in the blast. SeeDs were prepared to face hardships and death, and being in this place with residents so alive helped ease her mind a bit. She couldn't help wishing she were still back in the Garden with them. A constant ache accompanied her as she missed them all; Meira, who was so like one of her visitors, the rather object oriented Melina. And Jaime, her wild, carefree comrade who was Daniel's sister and opposite, who seemed to be just like a teen who was either named Ander or Lee, she was never sure which.
Daniel…
She faded into unconsciousness again.
~"Mayday! Mayday! We've been hit!"
"Com'n Starn, we've only just lost an engine, no biggie. You're hanging on back there, right 'Nanda?"
"With you flying, Daniel, who wouldn't?"
"Aww, that cut deep girl…"
"…Meanie."~
The blonde haired young man leaned thoughtfully against the hospital registration desk, watching the doctor intently. "So, you said you found more registration on her?"
Dr. Karywolls nodded. "Yes, in addition to what she told me, I found this." Handed him a singed piece of official looking paper. "It has her name, and some other things that I don't understand or are too burned to read."
The other squinted at the tiny, burned writing. "Mmm. So, what is her name?"
The doctor moves around behind him. "It says here, see. Ananda. Ananda Leonhart."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Disclaimer: No, I don't own SquareSoft, not even stock. Did you like Ch.1? Tell me what you think! Please? Ch.2 coming soon! Oh, and look for some more action coming soon.