C03
"...wait what? What the heck is Code Black?"
Naminé disregards Hayner's ignorant questions, focusing on Kain. He maintains his usual impassive expression, but she notes his brows furrow just a bit further.
"Update me," he says as he takes Hayner's seat.
"Yessir. Team Giraffe was sent to the field to conduct surveillance of an area just west of town, where Heartless had previously infiltrated after penetrating our border defense. Hayner is our lead operator for this mission, and I'm supervising. Approximately 26 minutes ago, our operators first noticed a flashing dot on our radar monitor. Upon further analysis, we concluded it was neither a human, animal, nor Heartless. Tech reported the radar is functioning, and given Team Giraffe's comment from just now that - just now..."
"That what?" Kain prompts.
Naminé's mind pauses for a split second before she turns away from Kain, facing the front of the room. Rushing towards the nearest stationary mic, she clears her throat and speaks.
"Giraffe, are you still there?" she exclaims. The longest moment of silence stretches on, and Naminé starts considering worst case scenarios.
"...yeah, what's up?" someone finally responds, to which Naminé sighs. Gathering her thoughts, she speaks again.
"You said that you saw one of the gray things just now?"
"Err, yeah, I did. But it kinda just...whizzed around the corner of the building. Should we go after it - "
"No!" Naminé exclaims urgently. She reminds herself to try not to alarm the field agents anymore. Her fingers dig into her palm, piercing so hard that she almost draws blood. This is what she's trained for.
Naminé can sense all the attention on her. She feels a familiar sensation of a balloon slowly inflating in her chest, squeezing out her lungs. Her eyes furtively dart around, her palms grow clammy, and she blinks furiously as if she's about to wake up from this nightmare. Unable to contain the restless energy, she starts pacing around the room.
"Naminé, you have to tell me what's going on," Kain insists. "I have to make a final call about Code Black."
"Y - yeah," she stammers, counting her quick shallow breaths and trying to quell the rising panic. Whatever you feel is only amplified in the team out there, she reminds herself. "We need to get the team out ASAP. Hayner, give me your headset."
Just as Hayner's handing over the equipment, Kain stops him with a hand on his arm. Both students look towards their instructor curiously.
"Naminé, I can call a Code Black and tell Cecil. But are you going to be the lead operator for this mission?"
She looks at Kain and meets his stern gaze. Taking a step back, she considers the implications of his words.
Are you up to the task?
"I've been supervising this entire mission," Naminé defends herself. "I did my homework, and I'm familiar with the lay of the land. I...I should be lead operator."
"So, you will?"
Naminé hesitates again. On second thought, it doesn't sound like he's challenging her capability. What's he getting at?
"...yessir," she responds curtly, giving up on reading between the lines. Surely if it were important, Kain would just tell her. "We need to get the team out of there."
Kain nods, heading towards the landline phone to contact their director. Naminé grabs the headset from Hayner and fixes it in place. "Team Giraffe, can you hear me? Repeat, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, ma'am. Uh, who is this again?"
"Naminé. I'm supervising your lead operator - Hayner - and this mission, but given recent circumstances...we had to call a Code Black," Naminé begins.
"What the hell is she talking about?" the female field agent exclaims. "They didn't teach us about no Code Black!"
"Code Black is used when there is a potentially volatile situation with insufficient information at hand," Naminé recites, feeling somewhat comforted by the ease at which she recalls the definition. "Those gray things you mentinoed...we've only had a few sitings in the last three months, and to my understanding, we still don't have a good grasp of their nature. They're at times hostile and at times neutral, of different caliber than the Heartless, and notably intelligent. They have the capability to dodge and evade our attacks, and so far, there is no sound method of defeating them. Not even with Keyblades."
"Uh, did that lady basically just say we're screwed?" one of the field agents asks worriedly.
"Shaddup, Byrn. I ain't dying out here - we still needa go home."
"No one is gonna die," Naminé says resolutely. "I told you everything we know so you'd be prepared. Standard protocol for Code Black is to avoid engagement with any hostile elements and secure the team's retreat. That is the one and only objective of the mission now."
"So, no more surveying?" the team leader - Aaron, if Naminé recalls - asks.
"Correct. Now, our main problem is that the radar is kinda glitchy and lags at picking up these gray things. Stay concealed of course, but does anyone see any of them right now?"
Naminé holds her breath as she looks at Team Giraffe on the radar monitor, huddled behind an abandoned building. A sharp intake of air later, a low voice responds.
"Y -yeah, they're here alright. Two of 'em, in fact, right in front of us. They look all twisty and bendy, real scary shit y'know - "
"Just tell her what she needs, Byrn, and then stop blabbering!"
"Stop telling me what to do, Leanne, if you're just gonna cower in a corner!"
"I'm not a coward!"
"I said 'cowering,' you - you know what? You coward!"
Naminé sighs helplessly. It's been awhile since she's led a team of rookies. Spats and arguments are to be expected within any team, but that's exactly why they should have an elected leader.
"Both of you, keep quiet if you don't want those things hearing us." Aaron speaks with a stern voice, softly but surely. Surprisingly, the duo quickly ends their conversation, and Aaron continues, "What's the plan, ma'am?"
"...okay, in front you said?" Naminé stares at the radar monitor, and then a map of the area. "Okay. So we have two confirmed in the east - that's likely this." She points at the pair of flashing dots in the general direction of where Team Giraffe had indicated. "And that means...shit."
"What's goin' on?" the female field agent snaps.
"...I think we have a few more blocking your return," Naminé explains slowly, hoping the panic isn't palpable in her voice. "Hayner, pull up the return route on the map."
With a few hasty clicks, Hayner has the return route plotted in red on the map. Naminé studies it carefully, noting the geographical features nearby. "Okay. You can proceed on the return route. Remember the lake you passed by on your way out?"
"Lake? Not sure how's your vision, but pretty sure that was barely a creek," the female agent comments.
Naminé figures that given the situation, she has the right to sound testy. "Head around it instead of passing by. You should be able to completely avoid the things blocking your return route."
"'Should'?" the low gruff voice of the other male agent repeats. "We need ya to do better than 'should.'"
"It's not like she can control them," Aaron points out. "C'mon, we gotta trust the operators. Let's hurry."
And with that, Team Giraffe's end goes dead. Naminé falls quiet too. Now, all she can do is monitor the situation and wait it out.
On the screen, dots representing the three agents of Team Giraffe proceed along the route as planned. Meanwhile, Naminé's eyes keep flickering towards the flashing dots representing the grey things, as her anxiety slowly mounts.
"...they're almost there," Hayner comments. Indeed, Team Giraffe has almost reached the city border, inside which their defense system should provide adequate cover. Naminé forces herself to stay on alert, because experience has taught her that until the very last second -
"...shit!"
"What? What is it?" Naminé exclaims. "Who said that? What's going on?"
"We're stuck!" the male agent exclaims. "There's the ones you told us about, right between us 'n the border. We've ducked behind a hill for now!"
"Pull up the topographic map," Naminé exclaims as one of the operators works the controls.
"There's also a group of them following us," Aaron reports. "I think...we're trapped."
"What the hell happened to 'completely avoid,' huh?" the female agent hisses.
Dread runs through every nerve in Naminé. Is this just bad luck, or...did the things actually plan this flank? Reports had indicated the gray things exhibiting a higher level of self-awareness than Heartless, who are mostly like mindless bugs operating independently. But she hadn't thought that meant this new enemy would have coordinated attacks and formations. How are they supposed to get around something intelligent and undefeatable?
"What do we do? Naminé?"
"Hello? Say something, woman!"
"My god, this cannot be happening…"
The wayward voices of Team Giraffe distract Naminé, and she knows she can't afford to waste another second. She tries blocking out the noise, knowing she can't provide reassurance and strategize at the same time.
"How many of them are there in front of you guys?" Hayner asks, speaking into a free mic.
"Just three!" the female agent exclaims. "Dammit, if they were Heartless, we could just kill our way through!"
"Yeah, you do that, Leanne. You'll get torn into shreds."
"Great to know you've got my back, Byrn. If you're not gonna be useful, then shut the fuck up."
"Well, what about the second pack coming after you?" Hayner interrupts. "Can you see 'em?"
"No, they're not in sight," Aaron reports. "Maybe we shook them off?"
"Though the radar says they're heading in your general direction, I doubt they know where you are specifically…"
Hayner and Team Giraffe's conversation serves as adequate white noise while Naminé thinks. Enemy blocking the way. Said enemy can move, movements unpredictable. Radar spotty at best. Protocol is to avoid enemy at all costs. Enemy intercepted alternate route, and time running out with reinforcements incoming. In conclusion…
"You need to engage the enemy," Naminé says aloud.
"Wait, you said protocol is to avoid engagement," Aaron points out.
"I know, but you guys are close enough and there's no cover in your area. They'll likely spot you before you get to another route."
"Well, what's your plan for fighting an invincible enemy?" the female agent asks.
"You don't need to defeat them, just incapacitate them," Naminé points out. "We'll use their strategy: a flank. First, a bait will get their attention, so the others can ambush them from behind - "
"No, no," Aaron speaks up, sounding assertive for the first time. "We are not splitting up in a situation like this."
"We don't have time for an open discussion!" Naminé exclaims. "Unless you have a plan right now, you need to trust me."
She gives the team a good three seconds to speak up. When no one does, she takes their silence as consent to listen to her.
"One person will backtrack a bit and lure them over from across the water. They shouldn't be able to cross the lake, so they'll come around the waterfront. Two of you remain behind the hill, and once they've passed, attack them from behind."
"Just a normal attack?" Aaron asks. "Will that work on them?"
"They are sentient beings. We have reports that they do suffer injuries. It's just their pain response can be erratic."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning...whoever's bait needs to have quick reflexes."
"Okay, then I'll do it," Aaron says, volunteering himself. "Let's do this," he exclaims, likely more to himself than anyone else.
"Aaron - " the female agent begins but then cuts herself off.
Naminé inhales sharply through her nose, feeling her heart racing as she tries to remain calm. Just another mission, just another team…
Just three people I have to bring back home.
"Wait, what's that? Watch out - AARON!"
Location: Training Room 2, HBRC
Time: November 19th, 4:17 PM
"Look out! Got your six."
Sora ducks to narrowly dodge a haphazard Fira aimed his way. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he senses a familiar presence behind him.
"You okay?" he asks, supporting Kairi's petite frame as she leans on him.
"Y - yeah. A little tired," she confesses. Exhaling deeply, she swings her Keyblade in front of her a few times and gives a loud grunt. "Let's do this!"
He smirks at the usual spitfire in her voice. "Let's go! Those two are so going down!"
"Seriously? You guys look like you're done for."
Sora smirks, raising his Keyblade to meet Tidus' attack head-on. The two weapons clash, and both lean in to push with their weight. "That's all you got?" Sora exclaims, deflecting Tidus' Keyblade and quickly doubling back.
Tidus smirks, flexing his fingers. "That's cause you can't handle more."
"Fucking try me."
Tidus points his Keyblade at Sora. "You said it. Wakka!"
"You got it, brudda!"
Sora watches amusedly as Wakka gives Tidus a boost into the air. The fluorescent bulbs overhead momentarily blind him, and belatedly he wonders if that's part of their strategy. Straining to see clearly, he hastily retreats a few steps, forgetting about Kairi until he bumps into her.
"...moron," he hears her mumble. A hand rests on his arm and gently pushes him aside. While going along with the force of momentum, he also thinks to drop to the ground and minimize his exposed weaknesses.
When the white in his vision goes away, he looks up to see what's happened. To his surprise, Tidus is sprawled on the floor, struggling to rise to his feet. Wakka's got a hand on his stomach, laughing his guts out. And Kairi…
Kairi's glaring at him?
"Ohmigawd, Tidus, this is like an all-time low for us, ya?" Wakka stammers out between laughs. "She owned you!"
Tidus grits his teeth and glares. "Shut up, Wakka, you tossed me up too high!"
"Your own fault for showing off while in air, brudda!"
"What? Why, you - "
Sora laughs as the two teammates digress into their own debate. He assumes the mock fight is over, at least for now. It takes him another moment to notice Kairi hovering over him. Looking up, he returns her frown with a likewise expression. "What's up?" When she doesn't respond, he jumps to his feet and watches her closely. "Huh? What's wrong? Kairi?"
After an extended staring contest, Kairi finally averts her gaze and sighs. "Nothing. Ignore me," she says dismissively, heading towards the exit of the training room.
Enough is enough - she's been acting strange for awhile, and maybe it's time to just ask her about it. Sora chases after her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Kairi, is something - "
He doesn't get the chance to finish his words, because Kairi abruptly flings his hand away when he makes contact. Pausing, he stares at his hand confusedly. Had he somehow hurt her? What's going on?
He looks at Kairi and notes her shaky smile. "Sorry, I don't - I'm sorry, Sora."
"...no, it's okay," he says lamely. He then reconsiders his statement. "Wait, no, that's not right. You don't have to say sorry - you didn't do anything wrong. Is it...did I screw up? You know I'm an idiot, Kairi, so you just gotta tell me."
He smiles at little when Kairi laughs. "No, that's not it." After a moment of deliberation, she grins at him. "I just have a lot on my mind. Sorry for taking it out on you."
"Not at all," Sora insists. "But you know, you can talk to me. We're teammates - we're friends, Kairi."
Her expression hardens a little at the use of that label. "Right, friends…" he hears her mumble. She nods at him. "I'll talk to you later, Sora."
Watching her leave, Sora still feels a little unsure with the resolution (or lack thereof) of their conversation. Just as he's about to grab his stuff and follow after her, two people ambush him.
"Wha -!"
"Gotcha!" Tidus exclaims as he and Wakka hold him down from behind. "You wuss! Hiding behind a girl and letting her do all the work!"
"Ahh - what, wait, that's not what I - DUDE YOU KNOW I'M HELLA TI -TICKLISH! AHAHAHAHA!"
He has no control over his laughs and flailing limbs as Tidus and Wakka poke him everywhere around the stomach. The three boys are a mess on the floor, rolling about for minutes.
"Okay, let's cut him some slack," Tidus proposes.
"Let - lemme just breathe - " Sora inhales deeply, trying to sit up straight. After settling down, he glares at the two people in front of him.
"Seriously guys? You almost suffocated me!"
"That's cause you're weak," Tidus jokes.
"And you made Kairi cry, ya?" Wakka adds with a frown.
"I'm not weak - hey, wait a sec. I didn't make her cry! She wasn't crying!"
"Sure looked like she was 'bout to," Wakka comments with narrowed eyes. "Whatcha do to her, huh?"
"Seriously? You're not even gonna ask for my side of the story?"
Tidus and Wakka glance at each other quickly. "With you two? I'd say it's your fault 99% of the time," Tidus points out.
Sora sighs but concedes to Tidus' point. "Okay, fine. But this time, I swear I didn't do anything. At least, not intentionally. Not that I know of." He tries to recall Kairi's last words. "Agh, I don't know! I probably just have to wait till she tells me, huh?"
"That's where you're wrong, brudda." Sora perks up at Wakka's words. "Girls hate it when they have to tell us stuff, ya? They want us to figure it out for ourselves."
"What? How do you know?"
"Believe it, he knows." Sora pauses to consider Tidus' knowing tone. He then quickly gives all his attention to Wakka.
"Okay, brudda, here's what'cha gotta do…"
Location: 1st floor gym, HBRC
Time: November 20th, 8:03 AM
"I still can't believe I'm up this early. Even before Riku," Sora mumbles, taking a long sip of his coffee - "Oww!"
"Don't be so loud, you're gonna give away our positions!" Tidus hisses.
"If anything, your disguise is giving us away. Who wears a fedora in the gym?"
While crouched by the water fountain area, Sora gives Tidus another lookover. While the all-black clothing isn't too out of place, the hat, sunglasses, and combat boots really stand out.
"What do you know? I told you to disguise yourself but you're literally wearing what you usually wear!"
"That's cause what I usually wear blends in perfectly at the gym!" Sora gestures at his simple hoodie and shorts combo. "Can't we just ask her already? We've been hovering for like the past ten minutes - "
"I'm here, bruddas!" Wakka exclaims, dashing towards them with a cup of hot coffee in hand. Sora gives him a second look.
"Seriously? Wakka, that's a really bad disguise," Tidus points out.
"My outfit's bomb! Don't I look like just another HBRC recruit?"
"Uh, yeah, cause your shirt literally says 'HBRC Trainee.'"
"And no one actually wears the free shirts they give us," Sora finishes. "Also, what's up with the coffee? If you had time to get that, you shouldn't be late."
"Coffee? Oh no, young Sora, you are mistaken," Wakka says very seriously with wide eyes. "This isn't just coffee, ya? This is holy sustenance we provide to appease our temperamental goddess specifically at this hour of the day."
"What?"
"Believe me," Tidus says, "we need it. It was worth waiting the 10 minutes for Wakka. Alright, boys! Are you ready?"
"Yessir!"
"Hell yeah! ...uh, for what? Aren't we just gonna talk to her?" Sora asks again.
"Young, naive Sora," Tidus says with a condescending grin. "You still have much to learn."
"And you still need someone to shove a stick up your - "
"She's coming!" Wakka exclaims, cutting off their conversation.
Dimly, Sora wonders why this fuss is necessary. Tidus and Wakka had seemed eager, so he'd just gone along with it. But wearing disguises, purchasing coffee slash 'holy sustenance,' and timing their encounter just to talk to her -
"Boys," she greets with a smile, raising one hand to wipe away the sweat by her forehead. Sora's surprised she's so diligent, working out at this hour in the morning. Despite her apparent fatigue, her eyes slowly rove over each of them one by one, until they settle on… "And Sora. I wonder what you're doing here?" Though it's phrased as a question, her words sound like anything but.
"Hey Selphie," he greets, deciding to forego Tidus' prepared script. He'd rather just cut to the chase. "Can you tell me what's up with Kai - ayy, what're you - !"
Tidus hastily slaps a hand over his mouth and drags him back a few steps. "Sorry about that, Selphie. C'mon, Wakka!"
"Yessir! Here you go, Selphie," he says, holding out the coffee cup. "One extra hot tall soy latte, with an extra shot and cream, plus half a packet of sugar. Did...did I get that right?"
"Hmm." Selphie accepts the cup graciously, uncapping it and catching a whiff. "Don't tell me...Neku wasn't there?"
"Eek! How did you know?"
Selphie sighs. "The latte art's just a heart. Neku can do better than that. Ah well, I guess you can't help that my favorite barista wasn't present." She takes a long sip of her drink, and it feels like they're all waiting for her verdict. "Alright, boys. I'm appropriately caffeinated for 8 AM in the morning. What is it?"
"We have a question," Tidus begins but quickly backtracks. "Actually, Sora has a question. Right, Sora?"
Sora responds to the not-so-subtle nudge in his ribs - that hurts, Tidus. "Oh. Yeah. What's up with Kairi?"
"Sora! Didn't I tell you to be specific?" Tidus hisses.
"What Tidus said," Selphie says, tilting her head in his direction. Her omnipresent smile is starting to get on Sora's nerves - it's like she knows something that he doesn't. Which is likely true.
He racks his brain for something specific to ask. The problem is, without any context of the situation, he doesn't know where to start. He isn't sure exactly when Kairi started acting strange, or even what's so 'strange' about her behavior. All he has is his gut feeling: something is off, and he's concerned.
"Just - is Kairi okay?"
Selphie pauses for a moment and looks at him incredulously. "Huh. Good question, actually."
"Selphie doesn't have an answer?!" Wakka exclaims.
"Hush, I didn't say that," she snaps and sends him a sharp glare. Wakka instantly freezes, forcibly grinning as he inches back a few steps. "Where was I?" Selphie muses aloud. "Ah, right. You asked if Kairi's okay." Sora nods, waiting patiently for his answer. Selphie remains pensively quiet for quite some time, but finally, she speaks.
"She'll be okay."
"So she's not okay now?" Sora instantly keys in on Selphie's specific word choice.
"She's...got some things to figure out."
"Well, how can I help?"
"Honestly? There isn't much you can do. In fact, you might just make things worse."
Selphie's non-response isn't very useful. How can he just stand by while Kairi's going through something obviously very distressing?
"Sorry I can't help much. I'm meeting someone in a bit, so I have to go. And boys: make sure you're on time to training today at 11 AM sharp. Our team really can't rack up any more tardies. Or else - "
"Yes ma'am!" Tidus and Wakka quickly exclaim.
Sora's still watching Selphie's back figure as she walks away from them. Her words float around in his mind: 'she'll be okay,' 'got some things to figure out,' 'you might just make things worse'...
"AGH!" he exclaims, clutching his head with his hands. "What the hell is going on?"
"Actually though, ya?" Wakka rests a hand on his shoulder. "This is pretty serious if Selphie can't even help."
"You guys said she knows everything about everyone in HBRC!"
"She does!" Tidus insists. "I don't know how, but homegirl's got ears everywhere! I mean, it sounded like she knows something about Kairi but can't tell you."
"Why not?" Sora complains. "I'm literally going crazy trying to figure things out. People should know that I'm not that smart! Kairi and Riku are the ones who...shit, that's right! How could I forget?"
Without another word, Sora dashes off, leaving Tidus and Wakka in his dust. He's running out of options at this point, but this lead's his best yet. If this doesn't pan out...a confrontation might be next on the table.
Cause one thing he knows for sure, regardless of what other people say: the worst thing he can do is to do nothing.
A/N: I tried really hard to post on-time (by the end of Saturday PST), but I'm sorry this is one day late. I'm really hoping I can do a super regular update schedule this time round.
So. More stuff happens! As you may have noticed, there's a balance of more plot stuff and more character-oriented scenes. The contrast is also really distinct - these are two very different worlds I'm trying to craft. Also, you can ignore the random OC's of Team Giraffe - I just didn't want to waste canon characters on those roles.
Anyways, I'm enjoying myself, and hopefully you are too! As always, I would love to know what you think about the characters / plot / worlds in a review!
