S.E.E.D.

Chapter 3 : Long Goodbyes

Squall was on his way back home. Well not for long anymore. He would soon leave the place for good. He was thinking about it. The old orphanage had been his home as far as he was able to remember. He had been an abandoned child, probably one of many in Midgar. The only parental figures he had ever had were Edea Kramer, or Matron as the children would call her, and her husband Cid, the director of a close by school at the time. Thanks to him they had been able to get an about correct education up to high school. Then it was up to the closest one which was full of gangs. Seifer and him were quick to form a protective gang around the orphanage children. They were considered easy prey to gangers. Seifer, Squall and the others were glad to prove them wrong. The gang was nicknamed the Disciplinary Committee back at school because it was doing that job. How ironic, school had done its job to teach them their future calling, vigilantes. They never had the money to do studies and hadn't managed to get grants due to their origins. Most of them did either mercenary jobs or whatever small jobs they could find, that cumulated to the Disciplinary Committee. It wasn't really a job, cause it didn't pay, but was as demanding as one. They had to constantly fight off other gangs the most problematic one being Don Corneo who was on a campaign to annex all of Midgar's slums. And frankly, none of them wanted the 'progress' he was bringing. Racket, drugs, prostitution, gang law, they were fighting that. Sector 7 was the last haven of piece in the slums.

He finally arrived at the old building. He entered it. Selphie was guarding the entrance. She was happy sort of girl who could never seem to lose her smile whatever happened. She had a positive effect on morale with her parties and things despite always soliciting help for them. Her yellow dress, green eyes and brown hair made her look like an innocent girl but her nunchaks had left more than one in agony.

- Hi Squall! Everybody was wondering where you were gone all day. You have a habit of disappearing.

- I was at a job interview.

- A job. Tee Hee! Did you get it?

- I chose to take it. But it implies a couple of things. I need to talk to Seifer about that.

- He's in the office. He looks worried. Things are looking hot.

Squall walked towards the office room. Rajin was guarding the entrance of it.

- I need to see Seifer. I've got a job but there are a couple of things I need to discuss with him before.

- You can go in. Seifer's annoyed ya know. Be careful.

He went in the office and found Seifer going through maps and photos. He was a tall blond man with short straight hair. He wore a white trench coat with red crosses on it. It gave him a crusader look. He also had like Squall a scar on the top of his nose. A gunblade fight they had when they were both drunk. They had a friendly rivalry but one knows how alcohol could make people do dumb things.

- Ah puberty boy, you're here.

- Yes, I've got a job.

- Good for you, always brings money to repairing that place.

- There is however one problem.

Seifer lifted his head from his plans slightly worried.

- What is it?

- It's for the army. They're forming a new special force and they recruited me. It involves leaving this place.

- Oh fuck! So you're leaving us. Listen Squall, as painful as it is for me to say that, you are quite indispensable to us. Corneo's getting cocky and we need all the manpower we can get.

- It's not entirely bad. They're paying big bucks for the job. And the old agreement still works, half of what I get goes here.

- Better be big for us losing you.

Squall casually showed Seifer the pay slip. Seifer's jaw dropped in view of the some. He then took a fake critic look.

- Well, it's not like you're that necessary. You can go but the money better come in!

- Monthly transfer. Hope you don't blow it all quickly.

- You know me, ale and whores.

Squall knew Seifer was kidding. Despite being rivals they were friends. Squall knew he would be missed.

- On a more serious note Squall. I have a last favor to ask of you.

- The least I can do. Name it.

- Don Corneo is having a big assault planned for this night. He's hiring mercenaries from all over town. He wants to take us out and by that I mean not at the zoo.

- I'll be there. There is no way Corneo is settling here. We fought for that place and we're not giving up.

- That's the Squall I like to hear.

xxxxxxxx

Meanwhile at the Love Planet:

For the first time of his life, Dante was at the VIP zone of the Love Planet. The drinks were better and the girls were more friendly. This is the life, Dante thought. A few years in this army job and he would be rich enough to afford that kind of stuff every day. Hell, he could even move to the pizza. In the luxury. Goodbye slums! Goodbye gangs, goodbye.. Enzo!

Enzo Ferino called him entering in the room.

- Yo Dante, got a job for you and your snob bro.

- Sorry Enzo, I'm out of business, found a good contract.

- Not as good as this, Don Corneo is hiring for a job. Wants to derat one of the sectors. He doesn't like competition. He pays big for it.

- Not interested. This is my last night of freedom and I'm going to enjoy every bit of it.

- Night of freedom?

- Yeah, I got recruited to join an army crack squad.

Enzo started busting in laughter.

- You, in the army! Come on Dante, you gotta be kidding me!

- Look at the pay slip.

His eyes almost came out of their orbits.

- Wow, but still. I wished I could see that. You in the army, that's gonna be funny.

xxxxxxx

Quistis was clearing her stuff from the locker room. Up until now, she fought becoming a doctor was the best way she could help people. Healing and treating them had being her calling so far. She had never understood those who joined CSI or coronary. The people there were already beyond help, they were dead. She wanted to save lives to make the world a better place. The army was the LAST place she expected to find a job. They killed and thought, despite the sweet talk of protecting piece and all that. The army's job was to kill for whatever power was over them. And yet, she had elected to join it. How paradoxal!

But the presentation had convinced her. The rise in ''supernatural'' threat was costing many lives, and if what the soldier had said was true, then that force would be able to help against that. They would save lives. Still, a part of her felt like she was betraying her oath. Never harm anyone, that was the oath she had undertaken. But then, as she understood it, she was one of the ''experts'' of the force. She wasn't actually going to do the fighting. Yet, her conscience kept nagging her.

xxxxx

Windows and doors shut as the crowd of gangers made their way through the street. Everyone could guess what they were here for. They were here to take the place for Don Corneo. They were armed with a variety of weapons: guns, clubs, baseball bats. Any normal person who stood in their way was in for a world of pain. But then, the Disciplinary Committee were hardly normal people. They grew playing rough.

They came too, the whole team: Seifer, the leader with his Hyperion gunblade, flanked by Rajin and Fujin his most trusted lieutenants. Behind him were the rest of them: Squall holding his revolver gunblade, Zell with his fist cuffs, Selphie with her nunchaks, and Vivi, with nothing but his spells to protect him. He seemed like the most harmless of the troop, and yet, his spells had wrecked havoc more than once.

The two groups faced each other, each defying the other to dare move. The scene could of looked like a suspense scene from a bad western but their staring contest was broken by the arrival of someone.

- Yo! Does anyone know how to get to Agni street from here?

The voice indicated well that whoever said that was quiet drunk. One had to be not to run away from the street.

- Oh! Hey…. Damn, what's your name, guy in black?

Squall turned to look at the drunk person and recognized him. It was one of the twins who was now part of this force, the one in red. Obviously the man remembered Squall. Seifer turned to him.

- WTF?

- He's one of the others who is doing what I told you about.

The leader of the opposite gang wasn't happy of the interruption.

- Get out of here punk, if you know what is good for you.

- Huh.

It apparently took him a few seconds to realize what was about to happen. Squall could see him registering the weapons carried by both sides.

- Ohhhhh, I get it. "Come out and Play". Hey blacky, need a hand with them?

One of the gangers tried to aim him. It didn't do him any good. His head got pierced by a bullet. Squall only realized now the man had a gun hidden behind his back. His expression now was focused and alert. The drunk think must have been a lure.

- OK guys, time to go to work!

The red man took out a second handgun and started spraying bullets all over the place. Both gangs dived for cover in face of the lead storm that had just been unleashed. Squall started to understand how he got selected.

- Friend of yours Squall?

- Future colleague actually.

The comity jumped out of their covers and raced towards the pinned gangers. The man in red understood and hold his fire. The onslaught was deadly efficient, the opponents rose up only to be met by ready weapons. One got cut by Fujin's shuriken while his companion received an ice shard from Vivi. Squall and Seifer both arrived in the middle of the confused gang and reaped their way through. Squall did his kata, the Renzokuken in the middle of them, taking one out with each blow, pulling the trigger at the exact moment the blade hit causing far bigger damage than a normal blade. Meanwhile, Selphie and Zell were bludgeoning the hell out of two other gangers and Rajin was beating senseless a heavy gunman.

By the time it was over, the comity had barely received a scratch. On the other hand, Corneo's cronies were good for eating daisies from the roots. The guy in red walked towards them, apparently happy with himself.

- That was one good party.

Squall looked down and suddenly realized he had saved their lives, the gangers were four times the comity's number. Hadn't it been for the bullet cover, things would have gone very ugly. Seifer advanced to the man.

- Well ,I have absolutely no clue who you are…

- Call me Dante.

- Ok, Dante, you were quite a big help in this. I'd like to thank you. I take it you and puberty boy know each other.

- Not a lot. We only met this morning. Were at the same job interview.

Squall thought it was time to shut him up before he divulged something top secret.

- Enough info Dante. I remind you everything about the job is "need to know".

- Ah yes sorry. I'll keep my big mouth shut. Just one question before I find home, what's your name, apart from puberty boy?

- Leonhart, Squall Leonhart.

- Looking forward to seeing you at the job.

And with these words Dante left them heading for his place, wherever it would be.

They also walked back to the orphanage. Zell made an interesting remark:

- Well, Corneo wont be annoying us for some time. When it'll be known we've beat the crap out of so many guys, the volunteers for his next rip here will be little.

Seifer just burst out laughing at Zell's remark.

- Hey, puberty boy, way to leave with a bang hey!

xxxxxx

Stay tuned for the next episode: Training day. How will our heroes cope with the hard life of the army?

See next episode to know.