Fate Wild
Chapter II: The Circus Underground
A few days later, Squall celebrated his eighteenth birthday with his family as well as the superiors of Galbadia, men whom Squall had known and loved throughout his childhood. He respected each and every part of the body of Galbadia and had found his rightful place in his world as a soldier in the army.
In the midst of the lively ballroom, Squall lost himself in the crowd. He had always been shy at large gatherings and often hid himself in the backs of the rooms that were out of sight to all. Tonight was no different though. All of the familiar faces and people he hadn't seen in years; everyone had gathered to celebrate his birthday yet he felt that he didn't belong there, that it was not his birthday, that the party did not belong to him at all. Somehow he knew something was wrong.
"…Now, now, is that anyway the birthday boy should look on his very own birthday?" He heard his mother's sweet voice amid all the other noises in the room. Her voice had merged with the sound of the sweet symphony harmonizing in the background.
"Mom…" she startled him. He turned around to find his mother in all her beauty, outfitted in a red and slim ballroom gown that complimented her hourglass figure perfectly. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," he answered. Although happy about his mother and her appearance, his eyes and voice remained saddened.
"Squall, please cheer up sweetie. You should be happy that your father went out of his way to have such a grand party for you tonight."
"…It's not the party mom. I'm grateful…I just…"
"…What's troubling you?" She asked, bringing her gloved hand to his cheek.
"…It's nothing, I'm fine," he lied, turning his eyes away from her.
"…Well if everything is completely fine, why don't you escort me to the dance floor?" she asked him, sliding her hands down to his.
"Dance?"
"You guessed it, now let's go," she said, leading him to the floor. At first he was embarrassed about being there, but when he looked into his mother's eyes, he instantly felt secure. "Squall, you're a soldier…have pride in yourself, be confident and you'll never fail. Just like you take your battles seriously, take this dance seriously… Concentrate on me," she said, starting the dance and then allowing him to lead. He watched her footing closely and soon caught on to her rhythm, as well as the rhythm of the orchestra behind them. Soon after, the young man had lost himself in his dance with his mother and before they knew it, everyone had stopped dancing around them to watch as they came to a close.
At the end of the song, the other couples had cheered and applauded the mother and son team. The young brunet swallowed his breath nervously and was led by his mother to take a bow.
"Splendid Squall, absolutely splendid," she whispered, as she rose and turned to him. "One more?"
"Sure" he said. As if on cue, the orchestra began a slower number and everyone on the dance floor fell to a slower tempo.
Mrs. Caraway rocked side to side. "…You know Squall…your father has a big surprise for you tonight. Apparently, it's a surprise to us all…"
"You mean he hasn't told you?" Squall had asked out of disbelief. He, unlike Julia, had already known of his "surprise" present; however, if she hadn't known then he would pretend to be dumbfounded as well.
"That's correct. I guess your father's caught on to our secrecy after all these years…when you somehow found out about the surprise gift for your tenth birthday party."
"…Perhaps," the young man said.
"Oh well. I'm sure it's something you'll love." She smiled, "…Squall…do you know how much I love you?"
"I know," he answered. "…You don't have to say anything."
"But I want to!" She said, stopping suddenly, "What is it with you two and those words?"
"I'm sorry," he sighed.
"Hear me now!" The general said into a microphone as he stood before the orchestra, a glass of bitter champagne in his hand. Hearing his words, the dance was broken up. Julia immediately released her son as he turned his attention to his father at the microphone. "…We're here tonight to celebrate my son's eighteenth birthday. Squall, you've proven your worth to me, son. I know you're strong enough to carry the family legacy-after all, it's in your blood."
At his words, Julia became uncomfortable.
"Squall, for your birthday, I'm going to give you something you can't refuse," he said into the microphone. Squall had looked back at his mother, who grabbed his arm and squeezed it tightly. She smiled and motioned her head toward his father. "Tonight I'll you give you your first set of orders as Commander of the Galbadian Army."
Julia lost her smile immediately, but Squall sighed in relief at the confirmation. Finally, he was finally going to be able to prove himself to his father.
Julia was displeased and faked a smile as she ushered her son toward his father. Making his way toward the General, Squall extended his hand and shook hands with his father before being pulled into an embraced.
"I'm proud of you Squall. Happy birthday, son" he whispered into Squall's ear.
After the party, Squall met with the general in his office to receive the details of his order.
"I want you to lead a group of soldiers into the current battle on the outskirts of our city. Be sure that every one of the rebels is destroyed and if there are survivors who are able and willing to talk, bring them in for questioning. If you manage to lead the men well, Squall, you'll be on your way to taking my place sooner. That is all."
"Thank you sir."
"Squall, you're my son. I want you to be careful. Think before you act, it's vital to your survival, and don't make any unnecessary moves."
"I'll be careful."
"Good. You'll leave at the first light tomorrow for the campground stationed outside of Deling with fifty men. The soldiers already stationed there will accompany you as you battle the rebels whom I have heard has grown to well over forty men. Once these threats have been vanquished, return here with the first wave of troops who are now posted at the grounds. The men you arrive with will be their relievers. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, you are dismissed."
With a strong salute to the general, Squall had turned away from the man's desk and exited, now a fully fledged galbadian officer.
By the next morning, Squall had begun to travel with the other soldiers to the outskirts of Deling to meet the other troops stationed at the campground as per orders. Squall split the fifty men into five galbadian fighter trucks, ten soldiers to every car. The men sat across from one another on either side of the vehicle. Being their commanding officer, his vehicle was marked with a special flag and led them across the rough plains up the road toward the campgrounds far out from Deling City.
"How much longer..?" One of the others soldiers whispered into the quiet truck uncomfortably. No one felt that they could talk in his presence, not that he minded them. He was not the type to converse with anyone aside from those he trained with, his superiors, and his immediate family; that is of course, unless he was giving them orders.
"We're halfway there, give it about thirty minutes till then," another soldier answered in the same whispered voice.
"Sure is a nice day," some other soul braved the silence.
"Wish we didn't have to go into battle so soon," the guy seated beside him spat, elbowing his arm in agreement.
Squall sat with his back against the wall, eyes closed, and arms folded. One could easily mistake him for being angry, but he was quietly in his own world of thoughts, focusing his mind on his current objective. There was no time to be distracted with idle chatter, especially when someone had the gull to speak of delaying an important battle. It was a coward's choice of words.
"Concentrate on the mission, we're almost there," he said finally, and immediately ended all the random chattering.
Nearly forty minutes later, the group of trucks reached the campground and was greeted by the top officers. The campground was planted upon a grassy field. If it weren't for the scattered weaponry stations around, it could've passed for a family outing event. Squall climbed out with the other soldiers and watched as the trucks behind had followed in as well.
"Sir, the reliefs are here!" a private called out to his commanding officer as they were walking toward Squall who immediately recognized because of the weapon equipped at his side.
"I can see that, Fibbs." The top officer said, with his eyes still fixated on Squall. "I am Lieutenant Martine, leading my men to a victory against the rebel army sir," Martine said, extending his hand as he stood at Squall's front. Squall returned the gesture.
"I'm-"
"No need, I already know you're the general's son. It's an honor to serve with you, sir. I hear you're quite the gunblade specialist," he spoke, saluting the young man of higher ranks even though he had never set foot into the soil outside of Galbadia; however, rumor of his skills labeled him as being one who was by far the best in class. "Fibbs, show these men where they can put their things. We've already set up the spare tents so your men can rest."
"These men are your reliefs," Squall motioned his hand behind him to his fleet. "When our mission is complete, I'll take your old platoon back to Deling City."
"Indeed," Martine said, motioning for Fibbs to take his order while Squall turned to the other soldiers and dismissed them. When the men took their charge, he faced Martine with a stern look and cleared his throat.
"I'd like to know where we stand in this fight. What is your strategy?"
"Yes, right this way commander," Martine ushered him ahead. Squall followed him through the campgrounds until they reached a tall tent at its center. Stepping inside the green tent, he found a table in the middle with an area map covered in scribbles of X's and circles. It mapped out the campground's location and possible hiding places of the rebels they had been fighting.
"We are here," the lieutenant said, pointing an index finger to the circled area. "Lately, my scouts have noticed suspicious activity from three villages near Deling. There's another town a little ways from these three villages that has also played a role in these suspicious activities. They are the sole providers of information. We've engaged in several battles up to this point, and in each battle we've noticed an increase in the enemy's men as well as supplies. From these occurrences we've concluded that they are being supplied from yet another source that we have yet to confirm at this time. We have reason to believe these fighters are definite correspondents of Timber and its surrounding villages. As you and all of Deling already know, we are now preparing to take charge against these rebels this time to end their attacks against Galbadia as a whole. With your men supply, we are confident in our victory against them. I was careful to have the men destroy our targets with as little weaponry as possible to be certain we wouldn't run short of supplies. I'd hate to have to ask the general for anymore."
"Good, I understand."
"Here's my plan: Tomorrow we are planning a sneak attack. I believe that if we set fire to the enemy's camp, it'll destroy the entire first wave of fighters who reside. Immediately after their main base is destroyed, the other rebels will come out from their hiding places and charge directly for us. At that time, we'll release the cannons onto their troops and penetrate deep into their territory. With the hostile rebels out of the way, we could easily ply through the remaining men and end this battle once and for all. It's a flawless plan that will surely lead us to victory."
"Yes, it's a good plan, but it still has its flaws. For example, if we charge through at once, we'll all stand out like a sore thumb. I've heard reports that the enemy's weapons have been improving lately. With such a large target, we would easily be defeated."
"Excellent Squall, you're the general's son after all. In reality, the previous plan would never work. The enemies we're facing carry heavy firearms and have tunnels underground that could lead to any soldier's death should they fall inside. We've got to watch for landmines and other explosives as well. They've got bombs set up in various places too. Because we've been battling them for a while, they know about this base, but I'm not certain they know our exact location. It won't be long until they've found this campground," he moved in closely to Squall. "I'm beginning to suspect that there is an informant among us. We failed a couple of our previous battles due to some tip off. My sneak attacks were sabotaged. The enemy knew of our strike beforehand. When I realized there was a spy, I sent for backup from Deling as soon as possible. I am honored that the general has dispatched his very own son. We've faced more tragedies than victories here, and I'm glad to see we've finally got help. This will surely be a victory that Galbadia will proudly remember."
"Yes, it will."
From that point on, the commander and lieutenant revised the plans until they both found satisfactory with it. Afterwards, he found that the lieutenant had some previous experience battling beside his father, and after a few more stories, it was off to sleep for all the men of the camp.
Squall, however, found that he couldn't sleep. He rose from his bed and got dressed in his regular clothing, taking along his gunblade and sheathing it to his side, and then left his camp tent behind. Everything had happened so fast.
Just two days ago he was standing in his room trying to figure out a way to get outside and see the world for himself, and now he was here— standing as a commander and about to face just a fragment of the rebel army. He had been trained to be a fit soldier, and a killing machine if necessary, but he wondered if he was ready for the upcoming battle.
The air was crisp and tranquil. He figured it was a nice night to be out and to take advantage of the solitude. He put the camp behind him and then came across a clear pond in the middle of the grassy plain. From the surface of that pond, he saw the reflection of the sky but found that it was too dark to see his own image. By then he realized the sky had claimed most of this pond's attention and there was no question as to why. Looking up at the sky he noticed how intense it was, being lit up by the heavens. The greatest star of the night flaunted her full bosom in its true glory, stealing all the attention away from the other stars that tried their best to outshine her but to no avail. Squall had never seen the moon so large and bright as he did on this particular night. All at once the night insects were out and about with a resonance of alien-like chatter. Even with their added melodies it was quite peaceful, contrary to his thoughts within.
Squall realized he had never seen the sky so clear, so brilliant. All the lights and the pollution of the city choked up this scenery. If there was one thing he could take back with him to share with his mother, it was the view of this night sky. He was finally able to sustain a faint smile. Perhaps that was all that was the matter, why he took the walk in the first place. He had just needed to get his mind under control, talk himself into victory for the future battles; however, he was struggling to accept the realization that his father had actually entrusted him with him such a task. It was with great respect that he accepted his orders for both he and his father. It showed just how much faith the man had had in him to trust him with such a great deed. Squall would honor it and return home with his victorious tale.
At this thought, the brunet smiled.
"IT'S THE ENEMY!" one his fellow soldiers yelled from within camp, others marched out on cue to attack the intruders who were darkly clothed and carrying rifles and swords. They charged through, a group of men, and into Squall's sight. He drew his gunblade and charged into the fray. He saw the enemies wearing strange looking masks over their faces and heads. The masks depicted vicious animals such as bears, tigers, and snakes.
Squall's eyes met with his troops as he gave his command, "Attack!"Gunfire broke out across the camp. The night sky was soon challenged with manmade light coming from the earth. There was crossfire between the rebels and the Galbadian soldiers. He and most of his men lacked the proper armor for this battle, it was a bad move, he thought, but there was no time to focus on flaws. He was pleased to see some of his men run in to be suited and returned ready to defend.
Aside from the constant crossfire, the light from the full moon was the only light that shone now. Some of the rebels took it upon themselves to put out the flames of the individual fire stakes that were hung at each of the tents, channeling them completely useless now. The most the Galbadian soldiers saw of the rebels were their masks and shadows. The rebel troops fought brilliantly, as if having experience before, as if having expected the new soldier's arrival. Still, Squall went through, striking at them to the best of his might and as fast as he could. He had decided to make his way back into camp to locate Martine who had apparently vanished from the grounds.
In nothing more than the moonlight, it was hard to distinguish friend from foe. Two of the rebels charged his way, one firing a rifle but just missing the young commander as he dropped down out of the targeting range. The other man flung a dagger at him, but Squall quickly rolled to his left, rising to his feet and running forward readying his trigger finger and sliding through them with a whirl slash. This move struck both men and left them bleeding to death on the cold grass.
Squall continued until reaching the heart of the campground. He couldn't hear the lieutenant's voice anywhere. Assuming the worse, he decided that it was up to him to lead their troops to victory. He noticed that his men were forcibly pushing the rebels back into the wilderness and driving them off the campgrounds. The brunet grinned at their progress and joined them in their victorious struggle.
"Keep going!" He commanded, yelling to the stragglers who were chasing after the main platoon as they ran the rebels off their ground.
"Commander, they've got nowhere else to go! We can finish them off right now!" A soldier who had been on the frontline had returned to him to speak of the good news.
"Good, but what about the lieutenant?" Squall asked him, gripping the handle of his gunblade and lowering at his side. "Has anyone come across him yet?"
"No sir, but we believe he's up ahead as he was among the first to respond to this attack. Should we continue to assist him sir?"
"Yes. Continue with the extermination. This will all be finished soon," the young man took a deep breath and stared ahead as the remaining troops the battle. The other soldier saluted him and ran ahead, leaving Squall to follow after him and deep into the enemy's territory where they found more Galbadian troops fighting the rebels.
Gunfire poured in, forcing him to dive to the ground for cover. He should've suited up, but there was no time. While on the ground, he had a moment to study the area around. The rebels had a row of gun wielders standing together and taking aim at his troops. Those who charged into battle foolishly were shot almost instantly. He could not stand to remain hiding while his men died by bullets alone. Squall stood to his feet, bent on making a difference in this battle.
He rose and gave his command to halt the direct attack. He had his gunmen aim for the heads of all the other shooters across the plains, and told them to keep firing until each of the gunmen was dead. With the gunmen picked off, his ground troops took charge and went after those carrying swords and lesser weapons while his shooters remained in the back firing upon those who tried to retreat to call for help.
Finally, Galbadia showed signs of victory. He knew that there was no time to relax though, for the moment one's mind went at ease, something of the worse occurred right then and there. He decided to charge deeper into the enemy's ground, leaving his troops to continue to exterminate the rebel army.
And he ran, gunblade gripped in his right hand and flung across his back. At the end of the wide open plains, the field interceded with a forest. He witnessed some of the rebels running into it before the rest of his men could catch them. They were signaling one another with silent language and animal calls. Did the lieutenant go this way? …Is he in danger?
As Squall reached the forest area, he met up with other troops who had been scattered and asked about Martine, but they mentioned losing sight of him after this point. Squall decided to go inside to find him. He had those troops continue to secure the perimeter and capture the straggling rebels for later interrogations at the camp. Because Squall had been rumored a great swordsmen and was the son of Fury Caraway, no one dared to think little of him or ask if he needed their assistance. Besides, Squall knew he could handle the situation on his own anyway.
He charged through the dark forest with nothing but the silent muffles and fading footsteps trembling ahead of him.
The rebels ran through first, communicating with various techniques from animal sounds to tree shuffles. He knew he was close, and he was certain they knew he was following them. How far could Martine have gone on his own? He hoped the lieutenant was fine. Finally, Squall reached a break in the forest. At its center there was an area void of trees. The ground was completely consumed by tree roots and puddles of swampy water eluded the broken plain. It was quiet, much too quiet. He felt eyes upon him. Perhaps it was a bit too dangerous to travel alone.
Squall looked around slowly and took a step backward.
A glimmer from across the waterway caught his eye. Upon closer observation, he realized it was a body. Squall immediately went forward to see a masked man breathing softly, possibly injured. He saw that the man was wearing a Galbadian uniform and was clutching a rifle in his hand. The mask appeared to be a reflection of an animal, a rodent probably. Squall took a knee in the muddy ground beside him, startling him at once, but he stretched his hands out and touched his head. "It's alright, you're not in danger."
"Commander," it was Martine's voice from beneath the mask. Squall gasped immediately. What were the rebels trying to prove by this act? He immediately removed the mask from Martine's face and looked down into the man's eyes.
"What happened to you?"
"They were everywhere…"
"You should've waited for the rest of us. That was a bad move."
"…" Martine closed his eyes slowly. At this, Squall gasped and pressed his fingers to the lieutenant's neck to find a faint pulse. His heart was still beating, but barely. He needed medical attention immediately.
"Don't worry, sir, I'll get help."
Then without warning, there was a sudden snap behind him. It was the sting from the butt of a pistol cracking down at the back of his head. He reached his hand to touch his neck, but was struck once more. Before he could register any of that pain, he was out like a light. His vision failed him and he lost consciousness with someone's voice fading out around him, "I'm sorry it has to be this way. You need to hear the truth from them."
It was close to midnight. The house was dark and quiet. Rinoa was sure her parents had finally drifted off to sleep. They bought her story about her being too tired to do anything after hanging out with her friends all afternoon, and they allowed her to rest after supper all night without question. When a tiny rock tapped against her window, the girl sat up with a jolt and ran to the window. She saw a person standing outside with a mask covering his face, and another masked person standing beside him waving. When the rock thrower realized his friend was waving, he turned to him and slapped his mask making it swing around to the back of his head. "Ouch sir," he screamed before being slapped again and told to be quiet. "But I can't see, sir!"
Rinoa giggled and immediately thought. That's definitely Watts and Zone.
She opened her window and waved to them, and then grabbed the mask that was at the side of her bed, one of which they had given to her earlier that day, a specialized owl mask, and then she grabbed her shoes. She would make a quick exit from the window of her room, as she had envisioned it in her mind all day long. Their home was near the railroad tracks, and often a cut off from the main town, an area the soldiers were rarely seen in. She remembered hearing Zone say that it would be the perfect hide out for the head leaders of their rebel group. Rinoa thought that was highly impossible though. Her parents were too whacky to think of something as serious as rebelling against the government itself. Her dad, maybe, but her mother was downright against it.
Before she knew it, she had made it down to where they were standing, and Watts had finally managed to fix his mask properly. Zone quickly motioned for them to run quietly. Right as they had begun to run, a group of soldiers began their patrol of the streets, and Watts began signaling for Rinoa to follow him. With less than a second of being spotted by the troops, Zone quickly slid into a wide drainage that allowed for greater water flow during rainy days. It was rectangular and on the curb of the street.
"This way, sir, they'll hear you!" He whispered loudly, dashing toward familiar territory Rinoa followed him until they were further down the dark street and approaching a circular drain. Watts quickly slid the top drain from its full circle and then allowed her to head down to find Zone panting like an injured dog on a long run. He had crawled toward the ladder on his knees from such a long drop down. Rinoa smiled when she saw him.
Watts finally managed to slide the top closed just before the soldiers past that particular dead end. He took a deep breath and would've wiped the sweat from his forehead if the mask wasn't in his way.
"Alright, let's move, move!" Rinoa was left no choice but to follow in his lead, and Zone finally gathered his breath from the ground. His knees suddenly felt better and he shot up from his crawling position on the ground.
"Escaping is my specialty! Yeah baby!" Zone roared, and then followed behind them.
The soldiers who were walking patrol stopped momentarily before ever reaching the drains up ahead, looking between one another and finally asking, "Did you guys hear something?"
"No," the others answered, until a moment later someone erupted, "Sounds like Johnsons' stomach is rolling again."
"Yeah man, must've been the sushi from that diner…"
"I told you, man, I'm not eating from a place that obviously doesn't like us snooping around here," the other soldier said, and they all continued their patrol with laughs.
Down below, Zone had caught up to Watts and Rinoa and dropped down to his knees to catch his breath again. "Man, I've never seen that many at one time!"
"They're taking this watch thing way too seriously, sir!" Watts answered, putting his hands on his mask to straighten it out, "I can't imagine what would happen to us if we get caught."
"Right, that means we'll need to be extra careful when the meeting's over tonight," Zone said, finally standing to his feet. "Hey princess, you're free to turn around if this is too much for you, you know?"
"What? Turn back now?" Rinoa grinned beneath her feminine owl mask, "This is more exciting than I ever thought it would be!"
"Relax girly, this ain't half of what we go through! Thank goodness we're almost there," Zone sighed. "Besides, it's not some game…"
"Who said it was," Rinoa questioned while folding her arms. "Look, this is really important to me too and that's why I want to join. You can't talk me out of it because my mind's already made up. I want to help out too!"
"Guys!" Watts cut in, "I understand both of your points, but we need to hurry up or else our little escapade back there will have meant nothing. Let's go, sirs!"
"Right!" They both agreed and followed behind Watts, who led them through the maze of underground Timber.
When they finally reached a large door made of damp stone, Watts outstretched his hand to knock, but Zone pushed him out of the way.
"Leave this to me!" he said as he began a series of knocks and then was answered with a knock, after which he then knocked again, and finally it opened up. Before they entered, he turned to Rinoa and whispered, "There's no talking beyond this point and the speakers are using voice changers….at least, that's what we think, but the guy's voice is really freaky. I don't even think he's from here. Anyway, there's a sound screen all around us so if you really need to say something, your voice will sound different. And Watts sounds like a chipmunk," he added.
"Oh, okay. Wait, what?" Rinoa answered, laughing first but then gulping down when she saw the wide gathering space before them. She followed her friends inside. The door was locked shut behind them. The room was wide and stretched out, seeming to have been some abandoned underground water pumping station. It was enough to house hundreds inside. She was expecting a group of twenty people at the most, but it was filled with what looked like most of the townspeople inside. If it weren't for wearing masks, she was pretty sure that she'd recognize them all, but the masks and clothing made it difficult to distinguish male from female. It hadn't occurred to her that so many people were involved in wanting a change. Rinoa was relieved to know that they were all on her side, and they would all stand up to the government together.
She stayed close to Zone and Watts as they made their way into the crowd, pushing to be at the very front. If it were up to her however, she would've stayed at the back. The people were whispering amongst themselves so far. The sound was full of weird voices. She realized how incredibly quiet the outside had been, to store in all these voices and not spill a single trace of any of them anywhere in the city.
When they reached as far as they would go, Zone and Watts stopped. They had just enough view of the front. Rinoa ran into the back of them as she was too fixated with the others and their masks to pay attention to where they were taking her. Zone looked back and pushed Watts over to make space for her. Watts would've retaliated but shook his head and faced forward instead, sliding to the side to let her in. Rinoa giggled underneath her mask and paid attention to the front of the room where a man stood tall, making worn out parts of pipes his throne over the crowd and he was wearing a golden owl mask.
When he spoke, silence came about the room. "People!" Zone was right, his voice was extremely otherworldly. It was almost creepy in a sense, being very deep and unfriendly like some ghoul. Rinoa remembered that they had to be careful and keep the secrecy of their identities. Should there have been any spies among them, their voices would be heard, recorded, and sought out among the town. When remembering that the sound screen was still in effect, her heart was put at ease, and she heard the man's words carefully. "Have you seen the news? Have you read the papers? This is outrageous! The government is striking at our hind legs! Without those districts, how will we spread our message of the new revolution? How will we continue to receive funding! They've found our best weapon makers' hideout, and have destroyed their base. This will not do. It means that our beloved plan of resistance has been postponed. We need more weapons. We need to gather them quickly before Galbadia strikes us again. However my friends! Do not despair! If Lechku does not despair, then neither should you!"
"Who's Lechku?" Rinoa asked Watts quietly.
"It's what he goes by down here, that's all sir," Watts answered calmly, sounding just like a chipmunk as Zone mentioned before. She would've laughed at him had they been anywhere else.
"Oh…" She mouthed beneath her mask and thought to herself: An attack sounds so brave and what we really need, but…a battle? When he says "resistance" it sounds more like a defensive strategy. I wonder. Would we really attack first...to have the initiative over the unsuspecting enemy? It'd be better to strike them when their guard is down I guess, but you'd better have great weapons in order to do so. Still, I'd rather we didn't have to fight at all, but how else are we supposed to fight the war of oppression?
"They will not sense our tears! They will not break us! You see how they've doubled the soldiers stationed here, treating us like prisoners. You can't go to the market without a soldier hounding you down for identification. We are tired of it! Aren't we? We're tired of being treated like criminals in our own home, aren't we?"
"Yeah!" The crowd answered, including Rinoa's trio.
At the back of the facility, the guards had opened the door for another person, and Lechku continued to preach in the background. This wolverine masked man walked inside slowly as the doors were closed behind him. He faced the guard standing at the door and whispered, "How long's this meeting been going on for?"
"Started like five minutes ago, you're not too late this time," The guard answered, obviously knowing the man by his particular mask.
"Yeah well, there was a bit of trouble, and they brought back an injured kid."
"Who is he?"
"We believe he's one of ours. He was wearing mask when we found him, looks like some type of cat," the man answered calmly. "The boys have taken him to a local's house to treat his wounds, but he's not showing much response to anything though. It's terrible, really."
"What the hell," the guard groaned. "These attacks are happening closer and closer to us. I wonder what's going on back in Deling. Think they've finally figured out that this is the main base?"
"Maybe so, but we're almost ready," he pointed to the front of the room, "And every time I make it here, there are more people in here."
"Yeah, we've been multiplying like rabbits down here, and that's good. We need all the helping hands we can get," The guard smiled beneath his mask.
"Right, that is, if these aren't all kids who are still wet behind the ears…"
"I guess you have a point there. Oh well, better listen up to what the boss has to say then. Maybe something new is underway?"
"Yeah, maybe," The other masked man answered and they listened intuitively at Lechku's words.
"This attempt at our allies' lives isn't something that we should simply ignore. It is an attempt on ours as well. Our sole purpose is to create ways to provide for our struggling economy, and since the government is in charge of coming to our aid, we don't really get the attention that we deserve. If it had not been for this policy that forbids any outside help, there wouldn't be a need for our organization, but because these things are in effect, it yearns for our action even if it is not in agreement with our government. We need to give a donation to those villages that have had loss and are in need as of now, thanks to our active government and military. We need to show them that we care about them. We care about their efforts for us. Many have died in this attack. We need to heal their broken hearts as best as we can, but more importantly we need to prepare to defend our homeland as quickly as possible."
"…Tomorrow, the government will announce a signup sheet for all those willing and able to help restore the farmer's lands which we all rely on here. It will help to ensure that the crops that were destroyed in the attack are put back in place and supplied with the proper care. Any of you are free to sign up, but do not engage in any talk of what goes on down here. Treat the enemy with respect. In doing so, we might be able to get closer to their projects and gain the upper hand if they are planning to strike at us again. We will do what we can in gathering the resources and information about our future here in Timber. I have spoken over my allotted time. I look forward to seeing each and every last one of you at our next scheduled meeting. With that, I conclude our meeting. Be safe in your journeys back home, and speak of nothing to no one else. Let me here you say it-"
"For the pride of Timber, Hurrah!" Rinoa was a confused by their rush of words at first, but then she joined in the cheering from there on.
When Rinoa finally made it home that night, she sneaked back into her room and closed the window, then changed into her night clothes. She hid the owl mask between her mattresses, and left the room for the bathroom down the hall. She heard Laguna's snoring from their closed door, and sighed softly to herself. I guess I made it back in time. I'm wiped out though, I better get to sleep soon otherwise they'll know that I was up late. Still, I wonder if I made the right choice…it felt really different than what I was expecting. It's a little scary knowing that I can be killed just for attending a meeting like that. …What kind of world are we living in? I just want to be able to walk through Timber without the presence of all those soldiers. The wall surrounding the city is so tall and makes it feel like a prison here. I wish it would be the first thing to go, that damn wall. I want to do my part to make a difference in making sure that happens someday. Yeah, maybe this is the perfect thing for me. I wonder when Timber, along with all the other towns nearby, will finally see our true independence.
Notepaper:
I'm keeping this story moving along because I can't stand to have a single chapter wait around like a princess for her prince in fairytale land. I'll most likely edit the next one and post it up either tomorrow or sometime this week. It's just one of those summers...and while my action story isn't completely done yet, I'm really hoping to have the action come up in this one pretty soon. Oh…I should tell you, my stories all have a hint of romance in them, so like the others, this one will probably have it down the line. I'm tired of writing "Squinoa" in my summaries, that, and the fact that I didn't have the space for it, lol. So, read, browse, whatever it is that you do. Thanks for Faving it or adding it to your alerts, it pays to know that someone's reading, let me tell you. But I'm going to finish everything I start, and even though I'm on a long hiatus away from Eternal Breath, it will be done. Alright, have a great day and thanks,
StardustRay