The Following takes place between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
The light on the dashboard of the Ragnarok began to blink once more as it alerted its two passengers of another transmission. Nida immediately flipped the dial that would patch him into contact with the second party, and knew who it was even before doing so. "This is Ragnarok, over."
"I'm afraid I don't have good news to deliver." The headmaster's voice clearly stated from his end. "From the readouts that we've received from the President of Galbadia, Estharian soldiers have already arrived within the city limits. I don't know how far away from the Ground Team they are, but it could only be a matter of time before they reach the heart of the city and secure it."
Nida and Quistis both exchanged worried glances before turning their attention back towards the transmission. "But we're barely an hour away from the city!" Nida remarked. "There's no way that we'll get there in time! And I'm piloting the Ragnarok as fast as I can!"
"I just hope that Squall is able to keep away from them until we get there." Quistis said. "He should be able to. He's not incapable of stealth."
"But there's no guarantee that our people over there even know that they're there already." Nida argued.
"Nida's correct." Cid said from where he was. "Judging from what I've learned from President Caraway, they haven't been able to make contact with their team due to the fact that Esthar managed to tap into their radio feeds, so they've sent a messenger to meet with them. There's no telling how long it will take for the messenger to deliver his message."
Quistis frowned to herself as she turned her attention towards the window, watching the ocean beneath them pass them by. Squall…please get out of there before the Estharians can capture you.
Squall blinked twice before staring almost dumbly at the soldier who stood before him. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb." The soldier snapped, before shifting his head to the side. Almost immediately afterwards, the other two Estharian soldiers revealed their present locations. While one still maintained his grip on the SeeD, the other stood off to the side, his hand secured on the hilt of his own weapon. "You know what you did." The soldier then turned to his comrade. "Call the General. We've caught the target."
So they were after me the entire time… Squall thought to himself. All of this time, the reason they invaded Galbadian soil was to bring me with them back to Esthar. But why?
For a brief moment as the soldier did as he was told to do, Squall considered allowing them to capture him and learning more about their objectives, but brushed the notion aside as quickly. He already had an objective to oversee; the wellbeing of the President of Galbadia, and he couldn't allow that mission to be jeopardized by Esthar's meddling, no matter the reason.
A multiple of ideas sprung to mind as Squall brushed them aside, trying to determine the quickest and most efficient method of escape was. He would be willing to sort all of this all out once his operation was completed and once he came into contact with Garden, but in the meantime, he had a job to do.
Most likely sensing the SeeD's apprehension, the soldier tightened his grip on Squall's arms. "Don't even think about it." He snarled. "We all know that you can't use your weapon without the use of your arms."
"Who said anything about using my gunblade?" Squall muttered. The soldier apparently heard because he made a confused sound before the back of Squall's head collided with the man's nose. The soldier released his prisoner to cup at his face, blood beginning to stream down past his mouth before Squall grabbed a hold of his arm and flung him into the second soldier, who had just finished contacting his superior. The third guard immediately began to shoot, bullets flying off the rooftop as the SeeD dodged them, thankful for the enhanced speed that his junctions granted him. Within the time it took to scratch your nose, he had reached the soldier, lifting the barrel of the weapon so that it shot up into the sky before clocking him in the head with his own forehead. The soldier was immediately knocked unconscious as the bullets began their descent back towards the rooftop.
Backflipping away so that the bullets wouldn't hit him, he immediately swan-dived off of the roof and grabbed a hold of a flag pole that was attached to the side of a nearby building. Turning his attention back towards the chaos that ensued within the streets of Deling City, he began to climb down from the side of the building, intent on finding his comrades.
They had finally been able to calm the civilians down enough to direct them back inside of the hotel and were prepared to protect the perimeter. Ezack and Talle had been told to stay inside of the building, while Selphie and Zell stayed outside and tried to herd the rest of the civilians indoors. It appeared that once the Estharians made their entrance, all thoughts concerning the safety of their citizens had left their heads and the battle of blazing fire-arms ensued. The SeeDs had been at a loss as to what they were to do when Ezack had suggested they lead the civilians into the safety of the building.
But now that everyone had been moved within the building, the SeeDs found themselves back where they had started; not knowing what they should do. Galbadian and Estharian Soldiers were not pulling any stops against their opponents and, although Esthar was lacking in number, both sides seemed to be holding their own against each other.
Selphie closed her eyes, calling forth the magical energies that lay dormant within her mind and assumed her casting stance, standing on the tip of her right foot with her left leg bent at the knee, and her arms stretched in a three o'clock stance. White and pink energies surrounded a group of the conflicting soldiers and pulled them apart, white feather wings appearing on their shoulders.
Zell followed the same examples, casting shell and protect spells on each conflicting party, so as to prevent them from harming each other. Frowning as he continued this practice, he turned on Selphie who nearly fell off-balance due to the position she constantly chose to cast in. "This isn't working at all! Sure, some of them can't hit each other anymore, but these spells aren't gonna last forever!"
"I know that!" Selphie shouted back at him. "But do you have another idea that might split them up for good?"
Zell opened his mouth to respond, but immediately snapped it shut. Selphie had a very valid point. Although temporary, it was the best bet they had. They could attempt to physically draw them apart, but that would only cause more harm than good. Looking up thoughtfully, his frown turned into a wide grin. "It's Squall!" He said to Selphie.
The Trabian SeeD looked away from the soldiers she had just sent floating up into the air to see Squall scaling down the side of the building. He was missing the Galbadian jacket he had been issued, but that didn't worry her in the least. "Squally!" she said, jumped forward and wrapping her arms around his mid section. "You're okay!"
"Selphie…" Squall sighed, frowning as he did. Zell bit back a snorted chuckle as Selphie relinquished her hold on the other boy. "I thought I said not to call me that."
"Sorry, but we were really worried about you!" Selphie exclaimed, Zell nodding to give emphasis. "And as you can see, the Estharians are here, and they're fighting with the Galbadians!"
"Yeah, I know." Squall stated. "I ran into some of them up on the roof."
Zell slammed the fist he had balled using his left hand into the palm of his right one, growling as he did. "This is fucking insane! What the hell are we supposed to do now? If we help the Galbadians protect their territory, then the Estharians'll think that we're siding with Galbadia!"
"And if we help the Estharians, then we'll be accused of working with them." Selphie finished, sighing as she did. "Normally, this wouldn't be a problem…if we were prepared for it! And we still don't know why the Estharians are here or who they're after in the first place!"
"I already know all of that. But we need to contact the President and alert him to the situation." Squall stated. "And it looks like we're not getting past very easily."
"Why?" Zell said. "And who're they after?" He instantly regretted it once Squall's expression appeared grim.
"Me."
05:19:45
The doors to the Estharian Presidential Office burst open, startling the occupants within. All eyes turned towards the brunette who marched into the room, hands balled into fists on either side of her as she stopped just in front of the desk. Her hair was short, barely reaching her chin and her light brown eyes were narrowed in anger. She was dressed in one of the Estharian robes, made from a creamy white material with a blue strip running down the center.
"Uncle Laguna!" Shouted Ellone Loire as her arms folded across her chest. "What exactly is going on here?"
Laguna blanched at the young girl as his two confidants, Kiros Seagill and Ward Zabac, merely exchanged glances among one another. Kiros Laguna and, later on, Ward had alllearned the hard way that whenever Ellone was upset or angry about something, someone was going to hear about it in the end, or the guilty party was going to get what was coming to them.
After nodding to each other, Kiros and Ward both placed their handsatopLaguna's shoulders before backing away from the both of them, Laguna whirling around as soon as he felt the contact and glaring balefully at his two best friends. "Gee thanks you guys!" Laguna muttered to them. "What ever happened to 'friends stick together through thick and thin'?"
"This is a bit too thick for me." Kiros said. Ward made a facejust asKiros looked over and returned his attention to Laguna. "And Ward says you're on your own this time."
Sighing, Laguna turned his attention back towards his livid niece and winced as she continued to glare at the three of them. "What exactly is it that you're talking about?" he asked, beginning to feel the beginnings of a leg cramp.
"I'm talking about this business with the murders that happened earlier tonight." Ellone answered. "I woke up to get a drink of water, and what happens? I overhear two of the guards stationed outside of my room talking about a murder that happened, and that they think Squall is responsible! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life!"
Laguna sighed. He had actually been hoping that he could have explained it to her in the morning when the entire mess had been sorted out, but it appeared as though luck was not on his side this time. What was worse was she found out that her adopted brother was involved and being accused of the crime.
Leaning back in his chair, Laguna took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Kiros, could you close the door? I don't want anyone else to overhear what I have to say."
Kiros nodded once before heading towards the double doors that lead out into the hall before closing and locking them. As soon as that was done with, Laguna removed his reading glasses before leaning forward in his chair once more. "Okay, Ellone, you seem to some of what happened. Someone entered the building around 2 in the morning and killed five people within 45 minutes before the soldiers were able to find him. He escaped and disappeared right afterwards."
Taking another deep breath to maintain his composure, he continued with the explanation. "The soldiers are in the middle of examining the murder weapon, a knife, that had been left behind when the killer escaped, but the guard who was stationed at the front gate identified Squall as the only person who entered the building before the murders took place."
"But you don't believe that he's capable of doing such a terrible thing, right?" Ellone asked, her voice cracking under the duress that her tone had taken on. "You know that he didn't do it."
Laguna nodded in agreement. "Of course I know he wouldn't do anything like that, especially in cold blood. But the government doesn't seem to think so and the General, without my permission, took a group of soldiers with him to bringSquall here for questioning anyway. Last I heard, they were heading to Balamb Garden, but he's not there right now, so they shouldn't find him."
"How do you know that?" Ellone asked.
"Because I contacted Garden to try and warn him, but the Headmastertold me that he's on a mission somewhere in Galbadia. They couldn't possibly find him before Cid warns him what's going on."
Just as he finished speaking, the panel next to the door beeped in response to someone entering the correct passcode and keycard required and the door was once again pushed open. This time, the figure entering the room was one of a short stature, barely reaching five and a half feet. He was dressed in the Estharian robes as well, only they differed from the civilian style by being purple in colour with a black stripe running down the center. He also wore the hood up over his head, nearly shielding his face from view. In one of his arms he held a clipboard and appeared to be gripping it rather tightly as he stormed into the room. As Kiros tried to bar him access, he was pushed aside and the short man approached Laguna's desk as Ellone moved over towards Laguna's side, still weary of the Estharians in general.
Laguna understood her feelings about them. He knew that she held no grudge towards the populace of the technologically advanced city, but the fact was that Estharianshadmurdered her parents in an attempt to kidnap her while she was still so very young, and she would never forget that it had been the council (under Adel's command of course) who had ordered the constant raids in Winhill. He didn't blame her, and grasped her hand in his reassuringly as he prepared to hear what the man had to say for him.
"Sir." The man in purple spoke curtly, and Laguna had a sudden sinking feeling that something was very wrong. "I just came in here to reveal to you the results of evidence team's inspection of the weapon. Instead, I overhear that you willingly gave warning to the people who are harbouring theperpetrator that the Estharians knowhe killed those people. I honestly don't know what to think."
Laguna rose from his seat, surprising Ellone in the progress, but maintained his grip of her hand, for reassurance purposes. "First of all, he's my son. I think I would have the right to at least let him know what is going on. Secondly, how do you know that he even did it? How do you know that the guard wasn't mistaken when he identified him?"
"He appeared very convinced of who the man entering the presidential residence was." The man argued back.
"People aren't perfect." Laguna said. "They make mistakes."
"As I can see that you have already, with all due respect, sir." The man argued back, and just before Laguna could protest the comment, the man placed the clipboard down on top of his desk. "Those are the results of the examination. I'd say that there was no mistake, as the team themselves checked over the murder weapon three times, and came up with the exact same conclusions."
Laguna picked up the clipboard and looked through the report, flipping the page over when he was finished reading that portion. When he was done, his eyes widened, and he returned all the pages in order, re-reading the documentation over again.
"I assure you, Mr. President, there hasn't been a mistake." The man said. "That is the result of the examination. The weapon is of SeeD origin, and, if I recall, only SeeD personnel are authorized to use such a weapon."
"How do you know it was really him though?" Kiros spoke up. "How do you know that someone didn't just use it so that we'd pit the blame on him?"
"With the witness's testimony as well as the weapon, I'd say that it's very unlikely that such a thing happened." The man explained. "I highly doubt that anyone who has not been fully trained as a SeeD can fake the movements of one. Security detail said it themselves. The man they were pursuing knew exactly what it was he was doing, as well as how to go about it without being spotted or detected. And as the president so kindly stated, 'People aren't perfect; they make mistakes'. It just so happens that tonight was his time to mess up, and thus he was caught sooner than he probably expected. Not surprising, in my opinion."
Turning around, he headed back towards the door before turning to stare at the president of Esthar once more. "And, if I may be so bold, sir, I believe that you need to set your priorities straight. Although family is very important to everyone, if a member of that family, regardless of who they may be, does something wrong, then they must suffer the consequences of their actions."
With that said, the man in purple exited through the doors, leaving the four alone.
Squall, Selphie and Zell had, for the most part, managed to keep from being detained by the brawl that the Estharian and Galbadian soldiers were currently involved in. More than once did they have to dodge the blade of a sword or a blast of magical energy that was shot astray. Squall had told them exactly what had occurred up on the rooftop once the bomb had been dealt with, and neither SeeD appeared to be too impressed. Zell had even gone so far as to comment how ungrateful the Estharians were, since it was Squall who lead the charge and saved the world from Ultimecia's time compression, but Selphie had been adamantthat Laguna would never allow any of this to happen without a good reason.
As much as Squall had hated to admit it, he had to agree with. Laguna may not have appeared it, but he did know what to do when a situation called for it, even if it meant putting his family second. The people of Esthar needed his guidance and that had been a priority to him since the end of the first Sorceress War, up until he was reunited with Ellone.
After Ultimecia had been defeated, Laguna had approached Squall and told him everything. The reason behind Ellone's sending him to the past as Laguna every single time, and through all the cryptic messages that had been tossed the teenager's way ever since it had happened. Unfortunately, it had also appeared as though Laguna had been 17 years too late. Squall was already considered to be an adult, and both were two very different people with very different views. While Squall preferred to go by the book and factual evidence, Laguna was more of an instinctual person, who preferred the ride by the seat of his pants. They disagreed far too much on far too many things and, in the end, they had had a falling out. Neither had spoken to the other since then, and Squall had accepted that they were just far too different to ever get along outside of business.
But even Squall had to admit that Laguna knew how to run his own government effectively (hell, he'd been doing it for the better part of twenty years now) and he knew that there was no way Laguna would call an invasion with such a small amount of soldiers for no reason at all. This made him suspect that this whole attack was done outside of his consent and that whatever it was that they suspected him of doing wasvery serious. They would have to figure out a way to contact Caraway and the Headmaster and make the necessary preparations in order to resolve the situation with as little damage as possible, what with the upcoming Confederation.
Just as Squall was about to suggest that they head back to the Presidential residence, he heard someone calling the group of three. When they turned their attention towards the sound, they noticed that three Galbadian soldiers and a sandy haired male with hazel eyes approaching them. He was dressed in a sort of business casual fashion, with a pair of black dress pants and a simple looking light green dress shirt. He also wore a pair of running shoes, which looked out of place with the rest of what he was wearing. Just as the man was about to reach them, however, the three Galbadian Soldiers jumped right into battle against a couple of Estharians who were prepared to take the man down.
Squall instantly recognized the man as Paul Dobs, the man in charge of the air space section of the Presidential Residence's technical team. But why he was running towards them in the midst of a battle was beyond him. Finally, Paul stopped a mere few feet in front of them, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "Hyne…I…hate…running…" he said through his huffing and puffing.
"Paul?" Selphie asked, curiously. "What're you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be tracking our location."
"The President called me in and asked me to send a message to you guys." Paul explained after he finished catching his breath. "He said he got a call from your headmaster saying that Estharians were on the way." Looking around, he took in his surroundings. "Man, he wasn't kidding…"
"Paul!" Selphie shouted, in an attempt to bring him back on track.
"Oh, right…sorry…the details." Paul said sheepishly. "Well, he told me to tell you," he directed his glance towards Squall. "to head for the city limits on the western side to meet up with the Ragnarok, which should be there at 3pm. The pilot will take you to Garden so that you can sort out what to do after that."
"Garden knew about this already?" Selphie asked. "When did they hear about this?"
"Just after 7 p.m., Balamb Time." Paul answered. "The Ragnarok should arrive within the hour, so you should probably get moving already."
"But we don't even know why Squall's being targeted." Selphie protested. "The Estharians told him something about him doing something, but we have no idea what it was."
"Oh that?" Paul said. "The President told me to fill you in about that. The Estharians' think –"
There was a cloud crack in the sky that interrupted Paul's explanation, which also diverted all of the fighting soldiers' attention from one another, and even the SeeDs looked up to see what it was. When they didn't see anything that would cause that sound right away, Selphie looked back down and her expression turned to one of horror. "PAUL!"
Squall and Zell turned their attention away from the sound and looked to see Paul collapse onto the ground, blood seeping through the material of his shirt in the back. Selphie immediately rushed to his side, checking his pulse as quickly as she could. "He's still alive!" Selphie shouted at her comrades. "But he needs help fast!"
Something suddenly caught Squall's eye and he glanced up, watching as a man running along the rooftops struggled to get away, carrying something that appeared to be shifting his weight. The SeeD quickly grabbed a hold of the binoculars that still sat around his neck and looked through the lenses, hoping to make out the object. When he zoomed in on the retreating figure, he instantly recognized the object and mentally identified it as a custom sniper rifle, like the one Irvine had been given during the assassination attempt at the start of the recent Sorceress war.
"Squall, whatcha lookin' at?" Zell asked, in barely repressed rage.
Pointing upwards Squall directed Zell's attention towards the rooftop. "Sniper. Up on the roof!"
Zell followed Squall's line of vision and watched as the sniper jumped over onto another rooftop. The blonde's eyes narrowed intently and he balled his fists together.
"We need to catch up to him…" Squall stated. "He may lead us to the contact. No matter what, we've still got a mission to complete."
"With pleasure." Zell growled before he rushed through the massive mob that had been, a mere moment prior, fighting amongst themselves. This made things easier for the brawler as he quickly pushed and shoved his way through the masses, jump up onto top of a roof cover and began scaling the building in pursuit of the sniper.
Squall went to follow him, but was stopped when Selphie rose to her feet and barred his path. "What are you doing? You heard Paul! You need to get to the Ragnarok and meet up with the team to head back to Garden."
"What about the mission?" Squall argued.
"The mission can wait, and Zell is more than capable of catching that freak." Selphie said. "I can deal with Paul until I get him to the hospital. But in the meantime, we can't let the Estharian's grab you. You have your orders, now go on!"
Squall took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He had a mission objective to complete, but on the other hand, Selphie was absolutely right. Checking his watch, he realized that the Ragnarok was going to be there in a little over twenty minutes and he needed to be there when they showed up. Those were the orders that the Headmaster had set up, and he would be damned if he were going to disobey them, even if it did mean leaving his team behind.
Looking up and noticing that the Estharian soldiers were currently distracted, he nodded quickly to Selphie before darting into the Alley, easily climbing up and over the dead end that barred him entry and heading straight to the west as quickly as his GF enhanced legs could carry him, leaving Selphie behind to tend to Paul.
To say that Zell was pissed would have been an understatement. He was downright livid and the only colour the brawler could see was red. To a degree, he knew that the enemy was probably trying to assassinate the SeeDs hired to protect the Galbadian President, but he was a man of honour. Although he understood that, just a little over four months prior, his team had conspired to snipe off the Sorceress during the parade, but at least they hadn't waited for her to have her back turned to them. He considered the act cowardly and he was itching to make them pay for it.
Having finished climbing the side of the building and landing on the rooftop, he heading in the direction he had seen the sniper run in, thankful that he was currently junctioned with his Guardian Forces. Thanks to his enhanced vision, he was certain that the sniper wasn't going to be getting away from him, and his enhanced speed ensured that he would be able to keep up if not catch up with the assailant.
Leaping over the edge of the first rooftop and landing on the second, he continued his pace as he kept his sights on the sniper. He would be damned if he was letting the coward get away from them and since Ezack and Talle were busy inside of the hotel, Selphie was tending to an injured Paul and Squall was heading for where the Ragnarok was waiting for him, he knew that he was on his own this time. As much as he would have appreciated the backup, he was more or less relieved that he was alone on this one.
Jumping onto the next rooftop, he was suddenly struck by a stray lightning bolt cascading down from the sky. Having been caught unaware, he managed a tumble onto the upcoming rooftop and landed, albeit gracelessly, onto the ground in a crouch. Rising to stand at his full height, he inspected the area around him quickly to see where it was the thunder attack had come from, considering that it was mid day, the sky was bright and there was no sign of any ominous clouds in sight.
Just as he was about to continue tailing the sniper, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and, flipping so that he was upside down, landed onto his hands before rotating his entire body in a 360 degree spin, satisfied when he felt his feet connect with someone on either side of him. Jumping back up, he somersaulted into the air and landed gracefully on his feet, clapping his hands together as he did to dust them off. As he turned around, he noted that the two men who had attacked him were completed dressed in black, masks protecting their identies (not that Zell who recognize who they were, mind you). They were currently lying on the ground, having either had the wind knocked out of them or clutching at their stomach from where Zell had attacked. "Not much of a sneak attack guys. But I can't deal with you just yet. I'm a bit busy." Just as he was about to continue his pursuit, however, something latched onto his right leg and, with the sudden pull he hadn't been expecting, he was set colliding with the ground that was the roof.
Pulling himself up into a sitting position, he rung out his left arm to see if it was broken, and, relieved that it was, began to rise to his feet. But just as he was doing this, anotherfighter dressed completely in black appeared and placed the bottom of the palm of her right hand over the middle of the palm of her left. Zell immediately recognized the magical energies that gathered through it and cursed as he leapt into the air at the same time as the stranger placed his palms into the ground, causing the roof top to split apart.
Looking back down, Zell sighed in relief that he had pretty quick reflexes but when he looked up, he cursed again as another man in black suddenly appeared behind him. The stranger flipped himself upside down and, before Zell could properly block the attack, sent a heel slamming down onto the top of Zell's skull, forcing him to fall back down towards the rooftop. Thinking fast, he grabbed a hold of his left wrist and bent his fingers and thumb at the knuckles before pushing forward, magical energy also appearing in the palm of his own hands.
With a resounding whoosh, the aero spell did what it was supposed to do, using the force of wind to propel his body back up into the air andpreventing the brawler fromslamming through the ground below. Flying back up towards his now descending opponent, he grabbed the man in a headlock and propelled the both of them back down towards the broken slabs of stone and brick. Bracing himself for the pain that would certainly come from such a maneuver, both males slammed through the debris, landing unceremoniously within the bathroom of the apartment owner. The woman, who was currently taking a shower, screamed as Zell and his assailant landed onto the tiled floor hard and reached for a towel to cover herself up. However, if she had taken thetime to look, she would have realized that the blonde brawler was stunned by the impact, while his opponent was knocked unconscious.
"Um…" Zell murmured in his dazed state. "Can someone get me the license plate number of the bus that just ran me over?"
05:40:04
Selphie had managed to convince a couple of Galbadian soldiers to help her bring Paul to the hospital, and the group of four were currently trying to avoid the massive mob that had resumed their fight after the sudden interruption. While the two soldiers carried Paul, Selphie managed to keep him awake and cure his injuries with her curative magic. It wasn't going to help much unless they got to the hospital and got him the proper treatment there.
Having arrived at the hospital, the soldiers had handed Paul over to the doctors and nurses who had, soon after, wheeled him into Emergency, to try and remove the bullet from the wound and the keep him in stable condition. The soldiers volunteered to stay nearby and to let the girl know if anything changed.
Sighing, the Trabian SeeD pulled her hair out of the elastic band that kept it in its ponytail before raking her hands through it and resetting the ponytail once more. She didn't know what she was going to do, nor did she have any idea why this was all happening. First, her childhood friend was being accused of something that hexouldn't possibly have done (dispite the fact that she had no idea what he was accused of doing), and now a co-worker of whom she had grown accustomed to being around was slowly bleeding to death and would soon die if the doctors didn't get him back up and running.
Just as she was about to dwell on her thoughts even more, she suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle coming from the main entrance and the waiting room where she knew patients were waiting to be seen by the doctor. Running over towards the doors, and ducking behind them, she recognized the new arrivals as Estharian men, all armed with their guns and axes.
They must've followed me here… Selphie thought to herself, taking the moment to watch her surroundings. Well then, they can follow me right back out, because there is no way in hellthat those people are gonna become targets.
Jumping out from behind the door, she raced into the room, folding her arms across her chest much like Quistis normally would before shooting miniature fireballs at the soldiers, who backed off in alarm more than in pain. Vaulting overtop of the soldiers and racing out the door, she mentally cursed herself for forgetting that the Estharians wore armour that protected themfrom magical attacks. Looking back behind her, she also realized that the soldiers were following her, which confirmed her suspicions that they were after her.
Finally finding a spot where she knew she'd be able to fight properly, she jumped and turned back around, pulling her nunchaku from its holster on her back. She landed in a crouch, one leg tucked underneath her while the other was outstretched to the side to balance her. Her nunchaku was held out just in front of her, both sticks pointing downwards and the metal chain attached to either end stretched out as far as it could go.
The soldiers appeared to be less than impressed, standing where they were and blocking the path that would lead her back to the hospital. Selphie was just fine with that; as long as they weren't fighting in the building she was alright. Hearing footfalls behind her, she inclined her head to see Estharian soldiers coming up from behind her. She just stared at them as if they were beneath her before directing her gaze in front of her.
"We know you know where your comrade is." One of the soldiers spoke. He wore slightly different armour than the rest of his comrades and it appeared to have some sort of emblem on the chest. Selphie figured that he must be either the commanding officer or some sort of high ranking soldier. "So just tell us where he is and we'll leave. It's as simple as that."
"On what charges?" Selphie asked point blank. "You want to arrest him, but he didn't do anything. He's been over here for the last two months, not that it's any of your business. I suggest you leave now before you make a bigger mess of things than you already have."
"First of all, that information is none of your business. Second, if you don't tell us where he is, we'll just have to assume that you're harbouring a criminal and will retrieve the information by force."
"Go ahead and try." Selphie dared, standing upright and holding her nunchaku in a battle stance. "But I doubt you'll get anywhere. Considering I'm a SeeD with junctions and all you have are your armour that just reflects magical attacks. Hate to break it to you, but SeeDs aren't just trained in magical offense and defense."
"Alright men, she's not listening to reason." The Estharian soldier said. "Looks like we'll have to teach her a few things."
"Bring it on!" Selphie shouted as she prepared herself for battle. As long as she was protecting the hospital and keeping the Estharians from finding Squall, then she was prepared to go head to head against the Estharians. And if she died fighting them off, then so be it.
A group of Estharian soldiers were keeping an eye on the perimeter a few minutes away from the City limits. Just in case the target tried to escape through there, they were ready. Their ship may have been stationed on the Eastern side of the city, but they had a feeling that if reinforcements for Garden were going to show up, then they would appear from the western coast.
But as they continued to patrol the area, they failed to notice someone hiding within the shadows and watching their movements, keeping their eyes open for a chance to get by them. Squall was very few things, and a fool was not among that list. He figured that someone would be guarding the area, just in case he figured that his chance of escape was around that area. The only problem he saw was getting past them when the Ragnarok touched down. If the situation called for it, then he was prepared to fight his way through. Still, he thought that he should figure out another way. Fighting against the Estharians would only fuel their belief that he committed a crime he couldn't possibly have.
Frowning to himself he allowed himself to fall into a sitting position, his knees propping up his arms as he hung his head trying to think of what he could do. Sighing to himself, he knew that if this whole situation continued to escalate, then another war might break out, one that would trump the previous Sorceress Wars, and he wasn't prepared to be the cause of such a thing. People had only just begun to restore peace in their lives and the last thing they needed was more chaos thrown at them because of an alleged act (one of which he still had no idea what it was).
Allowing the back of his head to touch the wall behind him, he wondered if this was the right course of action. Granted he had never really disobeyed an order before, and the times he had the situation had called for it. Nevertheless, it was still a foreign concept to him, and he couldn't help but question the orders he was given currently. It was against his nature to run away, especially from the enemy, but he also understood that the situation called for it.
…right?
He was suddenly aware of a beeping sound coming from the connecting headset that he still had. Frowning in thought, he wondered why they were continuing to use the radio frequencies when the Estharians were able to hack into it when it suddenly dawned on him that there was an emergency line just in case something like this were to happen. The only reason no one had even thought about using it had been in case the Estharians still needed to hack into their systems.
Pressing a button on his head set, he patched himself into the connection and waited to see who it was that was trying to contact him.
"Squall, can you hear me?" the voice of the Galbadian President rang into his ear.
"Yes…loud and clear." Squall answered back.
"How far away from the rendezvous point are you?" Caraway asked.
"Approximately a few minutes." Squall answered, checking his watch as he did. He still had approximately eight minutes before the Ragnarok showed up and if he made it past the soldiers guarding the perimeter quickly enough without being spotted, then there was a good chance that he could make it there before the others did.
"Good. It looks like you're ahead of schedule." Caraway commented from his end. "One of the technicians is tracking your current location through the headset. According to his readouts, it looks as though there are some Estharians within the vicinity."
"Sir that is correct." Squall looked back over towards where the soldiers were and backed further into the shadows, so as not to be seen. They still had yet to realize that someone else was there.
"Then it's going to be difficult getting you past them then. How many do you see?"
"Five or six." Squall said, taking another look. Indeed, six soldiers stood at the ready, as if they were waiting for something.
"Then we'll have to alter the plan somewhat." Caraway stated. "I'll have to contact Headmaster Kramer and tell him of our current predicament. Then we'll figure out what it is that we are going to do about it. Possibly make it so the SeeDs he's sending will come and escort you to the Ragnarok."
Squall frowned. It wasn't that he didn't like the odds that were stacked against him, but he didn't like where this whole situation itself was going. Regardless of the Estharians obvious interest in bringing him with them to Esthar, with the Galbadians and SeeD interfering with their plans, the situation may escalate further. The short term effect may be the scrapping of the World Confederation project, but the long term effect could end up destroying them all…
Caused by a war the likes of which no one has seen.
This time, the war wouldn't merely involve the two most powerful countries in the world, but every single nation would be at arms against one another. SeeD and Garden would not be aiding one side or the other; they would be acting on their own, as would Galbadia and Esthar. Not only this, but Timber and Dollet may be dragged into the conflict, since their own nations closely resided within the Galbadian continent and there was no telling what would happen if either Galbadia or Esthar invaded either one to gain a strong hold. The whole world would be up in arms; fighting for what they believed would be justice. And the epicenter of the entire conflict would have begun right there…in Deling City…
With him.
Squall himself understood that he was no martyr,but hedidn't wish for a war to break out solely because the Estharians wanted him to pay for a crime of which he did not commit, and the Galbadians had interfered by defending him. He didn't wish people to die just for the sake of protecting him; he could protect himself if the need arose. But the fact of the matter, aside from his own wishes, was that the world had merely just recovered from the onslaught of the Sorceress of the Future, and another war would destroy everyone not only physically, but mentally and economically as well.
"Squall?" Caraway's voice managed to bring the teenager out of his thoughts, redirecting him towards the situation at hand. "Are you still there? Is there something wrong?"
Deciding not to side-step the question in his answer, he nodded to himself once before speaking. "Yes sir, something has gone wrong. The Estharians are currently in the heart of the city, fighting against Galbadian soldiers, and someone, presumably working with the contact that wants you dead, has just shot the man who was supposed to direct me to the meeting area. Right now, as the situation stands, we don't have time to be worrying about all of that. But something has been bothering me about this whole situation, and I need to ask you for your honest answer."
"What is it?"
Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Squall hoped that Caraway would not try to reassure him; just tell him the truth. His honest opinion; just so he knew that his fears were either justified, or that he was taking things way out of proportion. "…If I escape from here today, with the Galbadians help and get away from the Estharian soldiers…do you believe that it would end all of the peace talks and start a war?"
There was silence on the other end, and Squall closed his eyes as he realized the President was stalling in answering him. He didn't need reassurance or nice words trying to calm him down; he needed to understand the direty of the situation before the damage was set in stone.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Caraway's voice came back over the feeds. "Squall, I really think that it is in everyone's best interest if you just concentrate on getting out of Galbadia and we'll figure out what is to come—"
"Caraway…" Squall interrupted. "Will it or will it not start another war?"
Squall heard the elder man sigh on the other end and another moment passed before Caraway spoke again. "Yes Squall…I do believe that this might ignite another war. But the governments of the respective countries involved will deal with it if or when the subject arises."
Squall let out the breath he had been holding and allowed his head to droop before tapping it lightly against the wall he was sitting at. Closing his eyes, he directed his attention back towards the ground. He had been afraid that Caraway would have agreed with him, but it was better than being lied to in the end. At least now he wouldn't be surprised if a war broke out on either side.
"Squall…I know what you're thinking…" Caraway said. "And you shouldn't consider actually surrendering to Esthar. You didn't do anything wrong, and you shouldn't be made to pay for someone else's actions. You're not a martyr Squall; no one is expecting you to throw away your freedom to avoid any of this. Think about those who don't want to see you get hurt. Think of Rinoa."
Settinghis jaw, he balled his hands into fists and clenched his eyes shut tightly. He didn't want to hurt anyone because of his own actions, but he also didn't want them to suffer because he didn't do anything. He was at a crossroads, and, much like when he chose to allow Rinoa to go with the Estharians, he had no idea what it was he was supposed to do.
Just as Squall was about to say something, he suddenly heard what sounded like Caraway speaking with one of his technicians. A moment later, Caraway returned on the line. "We've just received contact from the Ragnarok. The passengers wish to speak to you."
Squall nodded and waited patiently as another transmission was activated via the headset he wore. Technology in Galbadia had advanced further since the war against Adel, and even more slightly during the peace talks when Esthar sent over some of their own technical devices for the Galbadians to base their upgrades on.
Finally, the other communication was established and Squall could hear a familiar girl's voice on the opposite end trying to get a hold of him. "Quistis? You're there too?"
"Of course. I thought that the information we needed to get to you would have been better received from someone you knew and trusted."
"Does Rinoa know about any of this?" Squall asked.
"No she doesn't. The headmaster didn't want to upset her until this whole mess was sorted out. I just called to let you know that we are only a few minutes away. Just hold on; we'll be there shortly!"
Squall hadn't even been listening after his former instructor had answered his question. He had no idea how she would react if she found out that this was all happening, nor did he know what she would think to do given the circumstances. He couldn't help but put himself in Rinoa's position when she was told to go to the Sorceress' Memorial in Esthar.
Suddenly, Squall realized that he was receiving another transmission from someone else, so he connected to the source, and immediately, Selphie's voice came through the speaker. "Squall, you'd better get the heck outta here! I'm keeping them busy, but I don't know how long I can hold up against them!"
Frowning, Squall began to think of ideas as to what to do. He knew that the others were merely stalling until he was far enough away from Galbadia and away from the Estharians, but he also understood what the long term effects of running away would cause. In his mind, he could only see one option that would bring all of this to an end. No one was going to be very happy about it, but for the most part, it was his decision in the end. He didn't see any other way out and time was slowly running out.
"Squall?" Caraway's voice rang on the other end of the communication. "Are you still there? Squall? Do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear." Squall finally answered. He knew what he had to do, and he also knew he would be upsetting a lot of people doing it. Whether or not they would understand the reasoning behind his actions, only time would tell. "Selphie, hang tight. You won't be fighting for very much longer. Quistis, I have new orders for you. You are to land in the same spot that was originally planned, but you will be bringing Selphie and Zell with you back to Garden. The rest of the SeeDs are to remain here under orders from the Galbadian Government, and I don't want to hear any arguments about it whatsoever."
"But Squall?" Quistis protested, but Squall didn't allow her the opportunity.
"Next, I want you to contact the Headmaster and to alert him to the situation. I understand why you're keeping this from her, but I want Rinoa to know what's going on. She has a right, after all."
"But what about you?" Selphie asked.
"Don't worry about me; I'll be fine." Squall assured her. "I know what I'm doing, so, please, just don't try to stop me."
"Squall, don't do it!" Caraway said on the other line. Squall was positive that the President had more to say on the matter, but by then he had already removed the headset and let it fall onto the ground before rising to his feet. Taking in another deep breath, he moved forward, leaving his hiding spot and heading towards the city limits.
One of the Estharian soldiers spotted him and leveled his weapon, alerted his other comrades and Squall watched as they did the same before stopping where he was. Closing his eyes and letting out the breath he had taken, he raised his arms above his head, awaiting the reaction that the Estharians were sure to have.
Each one appeared to be shocked, and Squall couldn't be certain since their helmets blocked their facial expressions. After a moment, two of the soldiers approached him, their firearms aimed at him. "Disarm yourself and then move your weapons towards us!" One of them ordered.
Squall immediately did as he was told, pulling out the .9mm gun that he had holstered on his left leg before removing the .6mm gun he had holstered onto his belt prior to discarding the over jacket he had previously been wearing. Next, he detached the holster he had secured on his back and placed it with his gunblade inside onto the ground with the rest of his weapons.
One of the soldiers approached the weapons and began picking them up, one by one as Squall watched, while the other, his weapon still raised, walked over towards him and patted him down, making sure that the youth wasn't concealing any other weapons. When he was satisfied, and his partner went back towards the others with the weapons, two other soldiers came towards them as the lone solider left instructed the SeeD to lie down on his stomach on the ground, his hands behind his head. Squall complied to the order, dropping onto the ground and placing his hands behind his head as the two soldiers who had been approaching came to a stop in front of him, their weapons leveled at his head while he felt the third soldier move his right arm behind his back before he felt cold metal being attached to his wrists. His left arm was soon pulled behind him before both hands were tied together.
The Time is now 6 a.m.
