CHAPTER 3:
OMINOUS TIDINGS
Ellone was waiting in the office, along with her usual escorts of a pair of White SeeDs, dressed in their cream-coloured uniforms. Harry sat next to her, while Cid sat opposite her. "Let's hear it then, Ellone," Cid said.
The young woman nodded. "Before she disappeared, Edea's behaviour became increasingly erratic. As if she was literally becoming a different person. When she did disappear, she left this note."
Cid read the note Ellone handed him, and frowned, before handing it over to Harry. Scrawled on it was a series of strange words and terms.
Junction Machine Ellone
Ultimecia
Time Compression
Odine
Adel
Then, a longer letter, more coherent, on the back of the same note.
Ellone, you are in danger. I cannot say what kind exactly, for I am in danger of losing myself, and speaking too much of it may hasten the process. Lay low at Balamb Garden for a while, until the White SeeDs have shaken me off. I hope I will be able to shield that knowledge from one who covets your power. I also give you a warning. I doubt you'll be able to change what happened with Laguna. I have no issue with you watching the past, but to try and change it to shape the present may risk you losing what you hold dear.
Tell my husband and son I will love them always. Warn them, when they see me next, I may not be myself, and SeeD may need to be brought to bear against me.
With love,
Edea Kramer
Harry frowned, before saying, "Ominous. I wonder what she meant by all that. Are you a Sorceress, Sis?"
Ellone shook her head. "I have…a different power. I was once nearly made into the Sorceress Adel's successor years ago. Edea spoke of the man who saved me, a man I considered…consider my uncle, Laguna Loire. My power was studied by Odine, the famous Esthar scientist. I can project people's consciousness back in time. They can watch or even influence events."
Harry whistled. "Neat. You never told me about this, Sis."
"We asked Ellone not to discuss it at the time," Cid said. "She had only recently discovered her power shortly before Esthar kidnapped her. She's also a telepath."
Harry frowned, tapping the note. "Mum said she wouldn't be herself. Is it me, or does that stink of possession?"
"That is my fear," Cid said. "You'll note that she wrote down 'Adel', the infamous Sorceress who was the dictator of Esthar. She disappeared, and Esthar has since become isolationist."
"Partly to redeem itself," Ellone said. "Uncle Laguna was all but conscripted into becoming the President of Esthar after helping overthrow Adel. She was put into stasis and shot into space. I remember it because I was there at the time. It is that that causes the worldwide radio interference: part of it is the dampening signal suppressing Adel's powers, while some is Adel's own power, reaching out."
"The Ghost Messages," Harry mused. Sometimes, if one used a TV fed through radio waves rather than HD cable, you saw ghostly images through the static of the radio interference. Sometimes, you even saw words. Ominous words and phrases. Like 'I AM ALIVE HERE', or 'BRING ME BACK THERE'. Or, even more ominously, 'I WILL NEVER LET YOU FORGET ABOUT ME'. "Those are Adel?"
"I think so," Ellone said. "She was a powerful, hateful Sorceress, one of the worst."
Cid then said, "What about these other terms? Junction Machine Ellone, Time Compression, and Ultimecia?"
"I have no idea. I thought Ultimecia might be a name. Maybe some sort of spell derived from Ultima, but I believe that a name is more likely, a place or a person."
"This Junction Machine Ellone…perhaps it's a means of artificially recreating your powers," Cid mused. "Junctioning does not always entail GFs."
"Maybe," Ellone mused.
"Yeah, but I'd put money on a possession being involved," Harry said. "Maybe Adel's managed to take a hold of Mum. Do you think we have a chance of breaking that possession, if that's the case?"
"I would hope so," Cid said with a sigh. "I don't want to have to order the death of my wife."
"Time Compression, though…again, ominous," Harry mused. "I mean, what does that mean? And more to the point, what would anyone want with your power? I mean, can you change the past?"
"I haven't tried," Ellone said, though Harry could tell that she had left the word 'yet' unspoken. Especially given Edea's admonishments in the letter.
Harry tapped his fingers on the letter. "If I'm right about the Adel possession theory, and I may not be, but it may just be that Adel wants her successor back. I mean, you did say she abducted you to act as her successor. You must have the potential to become a Sorceress, even if you don't actually have the power."
"A perturbing thought indeed," Cid said.
"And one I don't think is correct. I agree that it may be possession, but the way Odine spoke about the process at the time, Adel is impotent, reduced to shrieking her anger in the radio interference," Ellone said.
"Doesn't mean Odine can't be wrong," Harry said. "Besides nothing's infallible. Jormungand said he laughs at such words, like 'unsinkable'." Privately, he thought that Jormungand thought himself infallible, despite evidence to the contrary.
"What's wrong with 'unsinkable'?" Cid asked.
Harry shrugged. "Nothing, said the iceberg to the Titanic. Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug(1)…" A joke Jormungand told him. The others wouldn't get the joke.
After a moment's silence, Harry decided to change the subject. "By the way, has there been any more news from Dollet? Why the Galbadians are attacking? I mean, other than Vinzer Deling's hard-on for building his own little empire."
"The truth is, we don't know. However, the last reports suggested that the G-Army have considerable interest in the Communications Tower on the edge of the city. It's one of the few facilities capable of breaking through the radio interference, but hasn't been used for years," Cid said.
"The Galbadians want a big ol' radio transmitter?" Harry asked.
"Possibly. Even so, Dollet didn't send much funds. It's not like they could send much anyway given the conflict, but the Garden Faculty and Norg refused to send more than the four Exam Squads and nine SeeDs. Oh, that reminds me!" Cid said. "Later, I would like you to go and pick up this woman from Balamb Train Station. She should be arriving from Timber in an hour." He handed over a picture of a cute girl, about his age or maybe a little younger, with long dark hair, dark eyes, and a mischievous expression. "Her name is Rinoa Heartilly, and she's a key member of the Timber Owls, one of the resistance groups of Timber."
"This is the one you were thinking of sending me to help," Harry said.
"Yes, though the Garden Faculty have overridden me since our meeting this morning. I'll only be able to send a rookie SeeD squad instead. I'm also under increasing pressure to revoke Quistis Trepe's Instructor licence. Knowing Norg and his lackeys, they'll do so behind my back after the Field Exam is over. They'll probably use whatever happens to Seifer as an excuse. I just hope that neither Squall nor Zell get dragged down with him." Cid scowled. "Damn Norg and his money-grubbing ways!"
"Dad, surely we've come to the point where we can tell Norg and his cronies to fuck off?" Harry asked, Ellone gasping at the expletive. "SeeD is already generating enough profit that Norg has gotten back his investment and more."
Cid scoffed. "It's not that simple. Norg and his lackeys would turn on us in a heartbeat. They'd mount a hostile takeover of Balamb Garden. And the Faculty have excellent abilities in summoning and controlling monsters. Nominally to act as extra security in times when Garden is attacked, but…"
"They can turn it on us," Harry said bitterly. "Along with anyone supporting you."
His father nodded. "And Norg feels extremely proprietorial towards Balamb Garden: he thinks it is his, and his alone."
Harry groaned. "I thought the Shumi were meant to be nice guys. How did we end up with the Grade-A douchebag as our financier?"
"Your mother would be so ashamed to hear such language," Cid chided Harry, albeit half-heartedly. Harry knew that his father agreed with the assessment, in sentiment if not in wording. "And saying such things in front of Ellone, too!"
"Come on, Dad, Ellone lives on a boat. I'm sure at least one of the White SeeDs has a vocabulary like a sailor."
"Yes, but I strive not to emulate her language," Ellone said.
Harry laughed. "And if I recall correctly, not long before Mum took you away and founded the White SeeDs, you let rip into Seifer in a right old fit of anger, calling him a 'no good son of a bitch' when he nearly drowned Zell at the beach. And after that, he said that he never knew you were his mother until you said that. Edea smacked his sorry arse until it was redder than a Winhill tomato for that comment. Clearly it didn't take."
Ellone blushed, embarrassed. "I…had actually forgotten that."
Cid chuckled, despite himself. "I remembered that." His face fell. "Sadly, I believe I am failing him. I value independence of thought, true, but there are times to obey orders. He only dances to his own tune."
They had made small talk for the next little while, until the time came for Harry to go and pick up Rinoa Heartilly from Balamb. Driving one of Garden's cars into the small town, he got out and walked to the station. He soon found Rinoa, who was looking around, curious. "Miss Heartilly?" Harry said. "Cid sent me," he added when she turned to face him. "I'm Harry Kramer."
"Ah, the Serpent Sorcerer of Balamb Garden!" Rinoa said with a smile. She certainly had Selphie and Zell's enthusiasm, but turned down several notches. "So, you're taking me to Balamb Garden?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Hop on in."
As she did so, and they began driving, Rinoa said, "I'd only been able to send emails by HD cable. Cid invited me here to go to the Graduation Ball that is being held here. I haven't been to a ball for ages. You're actually kind of cute, you know."
Harry chuckled. "I've also got a girlfriend."
"Ooh, she's lucky. Don't worry, I won't get you into trouble with her," Rinoa said.
"Better not. She's currently at the Field Exam for the SeeD cadets, and a friend of mine is hoping to graduate. He's a prodigy with a gunblade."
"Oh, is his name Seifer?"
Harry blinked, before shaking his head. "No, no, Hyne no! Seifer and I are most definitely not friends."
"Oh. What a shame. I used to date him for a while, when he was on holiday in Timber last year, actually," Rinoa said. "Nothing really serious, but he was the one who suggested I try contacting Garden to hire some SeeDs. It's taken us a while to scrape the money together, not to mention get any attention from anyone. It was only when I found Cid's email that I got any correspondence with him."
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, well, good luck. I don't think you're going to be able to win Timber's independence overnight, really, but you never know. Dad was going to send me over, apparently, but Garden politics got in the way. What can you do?"
"Dad? Oh, right, your father's Cid, isn't he? I forgot he was Cid Kramer. I can't stay for long. Angelo gets antsy without me, and Watts and Zone don't really know how to deal with her." On seeing Harry's look, Rinoa clarified, "My dog, Angelo. Zone and Watts are my comrades in the Timber Owls."
"Ah. Just remember, though, if you do get a squad of SeeDs, they're seasoned operatives, even the rookies. Don't waste them."
"I know that!" Rinoa snapped almost petulantly. After a moment, she asked, "That friend of yours, what's his name?"
"Squall Leonhart," Harry said. "He's a bit cold, but he's a decent guy, and a good SeeD."
Rinoa shrugged. "Maybe I'll see him later tonight. If he's cute, I'll give him a dance."
Harry cackled. "Oh, I am SO going to be taking pictures. I think he's a decent dancer, but he's pretty anti-social. He doesn't do dances. If you can drag him out to the dancefloor, I am taking photos. And maybe video."
"I thought he was your friend," Rinoa said with a giggle.
"Yeah, but sometimes, he needs to loosen the ten-foot stick up his arse," Harry said. "As I said, he's a decent guy, he just needs to lose the emo act every once in a while. A bit of the unexpected helps. I sometimes play a prank on him. Not as much as Seifer, though. Seifer doesn't like pranks. He has no detectable sense of humour known to human science."
Rinoa pouted, albeit lightheartedly. "You're mean to him."
"Reciprocation, Miss Heartilly. There's nothing I do to him that he hasn't done to me."
"Just call me Rinoa. I hate being called 'Miss Heartilly'. Makes me think I'm back in Dad's mansion and being called 'Miss Caraway'," she said with a scowl.
"Okay, Rinoa." They fell into silence then, while Harry drove the car back to Balamb Garden. Harry wondered how much trouble Rinoa was going to be, though. He hoped not. She seemed like a nice girl. He just had to wonder what she would do with the SeeDs she managed to get on her mission…
CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:
And there you have it. Now, Harry's theories about Adel possibly possessing Edea are wrong, for those of you versed with the game's lore, but I think that, given the information he has, it's not an unreasonable theory. He'll learn that he's wrong, though, and sooner than you'd think.
While writing this chapter, I had an idea for a pure Final Fantasy VIII fic, an Ultimecia-centric fic. It's tentatively titled La Vita Nuova. Go give it a shot. The first chapter or so should be ready by the time this is posted.
1. The Fourth Doctor makes a similar joke in his debut story Doctor Who: Robot.
