Chapter Three: Call of the Satellite
Troops met us as we ran up the stairs that led to the streets of Dollet. They wore gray visors with red lenses, blue loose-fitting uniforms spotted with a main silver chestplate, as well as shoulder and knee armor. They bore swords with scatterguns implemented into the handguards. They never stood a chance.
I ran at the first pair, watching Seifer slice through the first's chest, a stream of crimson spraying the once-pristine archway that acted as an entrance. I leaped and brought down Revolver on the other's jugular. I was surprised at how easy it was, then realized as we kept running, Seifer always a yard ahead, that it was probably because of the eye-concealing visors. If we can't see the eyes of our enemy go dead, we won't feel the loss. I put the self-analysis on the backburner as we came up to a bridge over our heads, and two more G-Army soldiers jumped down to meet us.
Zell ran up, almost getting landed on by one of the troopers. A flurry of movement later, I heard a trio of wet snaps. The soldier fell, his leg at an odd angle with the bone inside it broken. The other soldier brought up the scattergun muzzle even with Zell's head, his intentions obvious. I ran faster, and brought Revolver up at an angle, cleaving the gun in half at the weapon's junction with the sword. Useless, the soldier began backing away, sputtering surrenders to us. That didn't matter to Seifer. The merciless man brought Hyperion down, beheading the soldier instantly.
Seifer was in a state of bloodlust. His eyes were almost crazed as he yelled, "Hey! All you Galbadian cowards out there! Come out'n show your faces! Don't leave me hangin' now!" He continued running up ahead of us, to get the first pick of victims. If I didn't know that this was the only thing he ever did well, I would have said he'd completely lost it. I knew better, but he was treading a fine line between being a zealot of a warrior and becoming a Section Eight.
"… what an idiot," Zell said behind me. Oversimplified, maybe, but he didn't understand Seifer the way I did. We had gotten to know each other a long time, through petty Garden squabbles and duels. The fires of combat had honed us, and we wanted to be ready for anything. Despite our rivaling camaraderie, I did think Zell had a point that to push ourselves as far as Seifer was sure wasn't going to lead to anything good.
The center of the town came into view, a huge white fountain the centerpiece of the circular block, shops and apartments surrounding us. A lone brown dog was padding around, occasionally sitting down and scratching its ear with a hind leg. A few Galbadian fighters were behind the fountain, attempting vainly to hide. Their ambush was expected, the feral instincts of the Guardian Forces sharpening our senses to the point where we could hear them breathing from fifty feet away.
There were just two of them. Seifer seemed disappointed. "Is that it?" he yelled as he brought Hyperion's blade directly through one of the enemy's chests. Zell made short work of the other one, grabbing him by the arm, casting him to the ground, and then bringing his foot down on the soldier's chest, instantly sending the enemy troop into cardiac arrest.
"I think that's all of them," I observed, quickly looking down the streets to see if any remaining troops were heading towards us. The dog started padding towards Seifer, looking at him with an expression that pleaded for affection, or maybe just food. Our squad leader was trying to ignore it as he stood, looking out towards the rest of the city, knowing his duty and desires were conflicting.
"Well then, we're on standby 'til the enemy comes. Standby… how boring…" The dog whined at Seifer, who walked pointedly away from it. Further within the city, we could hear the sounds of a pitched battle heating up.
"Sounds like it's starting," Seifer observed, and his expression soured even further for a moment, before a grin spread across his face. "Bring it on," he whispered to no one in particular, as if hoping some of the fight would come our way." The dog barked, nipping at the end of his jacket. He couldn't ignore it any longer.
"Get outta here! Scram!" he screamed before swinging his fist above its head. The dog ducked away and went to a shop entrance to watch us from a distance. Seifer ran over to one of the street entrances and began swinging his gunblade around, and yelled, "Hey! Galbadian soldiers! What are you waiting for? Come show me what you got!" The dog barked, finally seeming to get how dangerous Seifer was.
We waited. Hours passed. Zell took to pacing, since Seifer once warned him about his shadowboxing, even to the point of bringing Hyperion's blade to his neck. I had to break it up. Now they were separated, and I kept the space between them. The dog padded over to me, panting with the apparent smile on its face. Seifer stood over by a wall, tapping the back of Hyperion's blade against his shoulder, staring off into space and brooding.
"Still keeping us waiting…?" Seifer said to no one in particular. Something snapped in him, and he swung his gunblade around again in a dramatic fashion, yelling, "That's it! I can't take it anymore! What is this, some kind of dog training?" I thought he was about to go storming off, either back to the ship or into the battle, which seemed to have died down from what we could hear. The dog began howling, before ducking into a shop's entrance and I heard footsteps approaching us. Zell and I ducked behind the fountain and saw two familiar blue uniforms heading quickly through the edge of the town center.
"It's the enemy," I said quietly. "Where the hell they goin'?" Zell wondered aloud. Looking in the direction of the street the two soldiers had exited in, we saw a hilltop rising above the buildings' peaks. On top of the hill seemed to be a tower of some sort.
"Hey? What is that up there?" Zell asked, repeating the obvious question on both of our minds. Seifer pointed his gunblade down the street and said, "Our next destination," a cruel grin on his face. Zell's eyes widened and he walked right up to Seifer, blurting, "But that's against orders!"
"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer asked coolly. Zell looked at me with an exasperated expression, knowing he had talked himself into a corner. I kept apart from those two. I knew what we were supposed to be doing, but some part of me yearned for combat. After the brief clashes with the initial Galbadian troops, waiting around seemed like it crashed my energy. Perhaps it was just the fires of Ifrit stoking this temper, but I wanted that battle high again.
"I stand by the captain's decision," I said. Seifer turned, a surprised look on his face. "… Captain's decision?" he asked, as if waiting for an explanation. He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder, saying knowingly, "You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" I brushed his hand off with my arm, explaining, "It's a good opportunity to test out my training. Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone, even if they do fight dirty, like you." The duel from the last night was still crystal clear in my mind, and my resentment for his tactics hadn't faded.
"You'll thank me when the time comes," Seifer said. This elicited a curse from Zell, who came up behind us.
"What the hell… I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like, all buddy-buddy now. Listen. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders," Zell said, the voice of reason. Seifer leveled him with a glare, saying, "Then stay here. I don't need any boy scouts." Zell exploded, "What was that?" curling his hands into fists. The dog began barking, sensing the conflict. I shook my head and said, "Don't take him seriously, Zell." I thought it was a little ironic, considering his first words to me earlier today, but he seemed to take Seifer's words closer to heart than I did.
"Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry," I urged. Seifer nodded and gave us our next orders: "The enemy is headed for the facility. We, Squad B, are to secure the summit. Move out!" He started running towards the city limits as Zell cursed again and the two of us began following him. We crossed a long, narrow bridge heading out of the city, and began making our way up the hill. Dollet soldiers in armor similar to the Galbadians', wearing green colors instead of blue, lay injured on either side of the pass.
As we began making our way up stair imbedded into the hill, a soldier crawled out of some bushes and screamed upon seeing us.
"W-w-who are you?" he asked, alarmed. I tried to calm him, "Don't worry. We're SeeD candidates. We've been dispatched by Garden." Seifer jerked his head towards the summit, asking, "So what's going on up there?" The soldier replied, "The Galbadian soldiers have entered the Communications Tower. On top of that… that place has always been a nesting ground for monsters. If you guys are goin' up there, be caref-"
His words were cut off sharply as he began getting dragged back into the bushes. He screamed for help, one of his hands extended. I rushed over and grabbed it, trying to help with my enhanced strength. My own hands were almost bitten off as a set of razor-sharp fangs jerked forward, and the mouth of a serpentine monster completely engulfed the Dollet soldier. I let go and unsheathed Revolver, preparing for battle.
The creature slithered out, revealing its form. Its snakelike body was tipped with spikes, and its neck frilled out beneath its head into a hood. It rapidly slithered towards Seifer, trying to wrap him in its coils, but he jumped over its curling body. Zell brought his fists down on the monster's midsection, but was quickly whipped off by the beast's inhuman strength. I tried taking its head off, but it spat a blackish-purple liquid that temporarily blinded me. I could hear grunts and hisses through the haze, keeping Revolver close to me.
When my ailment lifted itself, I saw Zell looking very proud of himself, a foot atop the monster's death-mask. Seifer looked irritated, but quickly redirected his gaze to the top of the tower, an expression almost hopeful on his face.
"Monsters, huh?" he said, grinning.
"That sucks," Zell said, as if the effort to subdue this latest one was more than he was used to. Seifer gave us that cruel grin of his before saying, "More fun for us. Come on…" Zell scoffed, but still followed regardless. I wondered how Zell was going to hold up against the rest of the monsters, given his given choice of combat. Regular soldiers like the Galbadian Army were one thing, but there were all sorts of monsters with nasty abilities that were dangerous to get too close to. However, having witnessed that Zell could take down the snake-like creature, I had enough confidence that we wouldn't need to carry him out on a stretcher.
We continued upwards until we came to a small plateau above the tower's entrance. Our squad ducked behind some boulders, and we watched one of the Galbadian troops come out of the tower, talking to the two guards outside the door.
"The generator is up and running!" he reported, the guards saluting him when he joined them. "No problem with the boosters!" another said as Seifer and I exchanged quizzical glances. "… the hell they doin'?" he whispered. "Cable disconnection confirmed!" the last Galbadian of the trio reported, "Beginning exchange process!" The series of statements the Galbadians made could only mean one conclusion.
"Repairs?" I couldn't help but voice it. It didn't make sense. The Galbadian army invaded… to repair Dollet's satellite tower?
"Who cares?" Seifer was on his feet. I stood to meet him, wary of the dangerous tone in his voice. "This must be your first real battle," he chided, "You scared?" After everything I had seen so far, everything I had done and felt… I didn't know how I was supposed to feel.
"… I don't know," I told him, "I try not to think about it." It was as close to an honest answer as I could get. Seifer waved his hands dramatically, "I love battles. I fear nothing. The way I look at it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream." I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but the last bit threw me off balance.
"What? Your dream?"
"You have one too, don't you?" he asked, as if sincerely wanting to pry. I turned away, "… sorry, but I'm gonna pass on that subject." This conversation was getting way too close for comfort. Zell, however, seemed like he wanted in on the camaraderie.
"Yo! Let me in on it, too!" he pushed me. This seemed to annoy Seifer, "Mind your own business." Zell cursed and punched at Seifer, who merely leaned back very little to avoid him. Zell got in a combat stance as Seifer looked smugly back.
"What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?" He laughed, and started down the path towards the tower door. "Damn you!" Zell muttered as he crouched and punched the ground as he did so.
"There you are!" a familiar voice called out. From atop some rocks above us, the girl that ran into me in Garden earlier today waved to us. She was in a female uniform, which was very much like ours, with a short skirt instead of pants. As she started working her way down the rocks, she quickly lost her balance and tumbled head-over-heels to the plateau we were standing on. She quickly dusted herself off and stood back up with a giggle and wink to show she was okay.
"Are you… Squad B?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm… a messenger," she continued, "Name's Selphie, from Squad A. The squad captain's Seifer, right? Where is he?" At that moment, Seifer came to the entrance of the tower, within sight, and I pointed him out. He yelled back to us, "One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" Laughing, he entered the tower, gunblade drawn. Selphie sighed, "This sure is tough…" Backing up a couple steps, she yelled, "Captain! Wait up!" and jumped off of the cliff towards the tower. She called back to us, "What are you waiting for? Come on! Come on!" waving energetically.
Zell and I decided to take the route that Seifer had. It may not have been as short as simply jumping off of the cliff, but we weren't going to have time to climb the cliff on the way back to the transport, and I wanted to know the area before we left. It was a simple, curving path, and it didn't take too long to traverse. Selphie was a little irritated when we finally reached her, "What took you so long? It would've been much quicker if you'd just jumped." Zell scoffed, "… much quicker? Pu-lease… You wouldn't normally jump off a cliff, OK? Ain't that right, Squall?" I didn't lend my opinion on the subject.
The Communications Tower loomed over us, possibly one of the biggest buildings I'd ever come across. "Sure is big…" Selphie muttered as we got closer. The sounds of screaming emanated from inside and drew closer. Two Galbadian soldiers burst out of the tower and Seifer followed, trying to slash them. He gave up at the entrance and watched them run off, muttering, "Cowards." Selphie tried getting Seifer's attention, but he acted like he didn't see her, receding back into the tower, probably to continue fighting Galbadians.
We followed him inside the tower, just to be attacked by several more monsters that had found their way in, probably due to the Galbadian intrusion. A lone Galbadian soldier, mouth twisted in a desperate expression, launched himself at us. Zell brought his fists back, eager to meet the new enemy Seifer had obviously missed. I brought back Revolver to swing, should he try to attack me with his gun-sword. As the soldier raised his weapon, a black rod hit the side of his helmet, sending him tripping to the side. He barely muttered a confused syllable before Zell put his fist into the man's stomach hard. The Galbadian crumpled with a sigh, and Selphie twirled a weapon she now displayed more openly, a pair of steel nunchaku. Zell high-fived her and she danced in a celebration of their minor victory.
After the brief fracas, we saw an open elevator come down empty. I wondered aloud if Seifer had gone up, but seeing as he wasn't on the bottom floor, the assumption seemed safe. All three of us stepped onto the small elevator that barely gave us enough space to stand comfortably without falling off of a side. As the lift started ascending, Selphie said, "Wow, this lift is pretty cool!" Zell grinned sidelong at her and said with a snarky tone, "Don't get too excited, or you'll fall!" Selphie rolled her eyes and retorted, "Like I'm really going to!" Zell and I exchanged a knowing look, both very aware that less than five minutes ago, she had tripped over some rocks just walking to meet up with us.
As the lift reached the top, we found ourselves looking down over the entirety of Dollet. From several stories high, it appeared that the majority of the combat was subsiding, as the explosions and gunfire were becoming less and less apparent. To our right, a Galbadian Major – identifiable by his red uniform, compared to the regular blue – was waist-deep within the Satellite Tower's innards. A click and a hiss, a final clanking sound, and we heard him exclaim, "There, it's complete!"
The entire structure seemed to shudder under our feet. A wrench fell between some rail and clanked against a part of the tower beneath us. The entire structure shuddered under our feet, as if it was becoming alive. I suddenly felt a whoosh of air behind me and heard something shoot into the air. Where the main satellite dish should have been was empty, until a steel pillar shot through the middle of the structure, turning on its side to point out at the sky. The pillar extended, first becoming a plate, then curving, becoming the iconic main satellite dish from the past that used to be plastered on Dollet posters and cards. The main receiving array extended from the center of the dish as it seemed to pick up a signal of light from the sky. Somehow, the Galbadian had repaired the dish, which had been infamously malfunctioning for decades.
"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled, turning to face the Major. He turned, extracting himself from the panels he had been buried within. He turned his optical visor towards me, the four receptors on it burrowing into my eyes.
"Huhhh? Likewise, MISTER! What do you think you're doing?" he retorted, his tone dropping to a drill-instructor-esque growl. He suddenly seemed to realize how we got up here, unable to stifle, "H-HEY! What happened to all the soldiers down below?" The thought struck me – for a Major, this guy was a moron. He motioned towards us, yelling at some unseen backup, "WEDGE! Take care of these twerps!" No one responded.
"W… Wedge?" he called, his tone shaking. Zell cracked his knuckles against his hips, grinning fiercely at the Major. The Major's optics swung from Zell to Selphie, who simply smiled and giggled, which would have disturbed me slightly more if she hadn't been on my side. "I… ah…" the Major seemed to stutter as he was trying to decide on a course of action. "Well…. Ah… I seem to be done here, so I'll just be on my…" he tried bluffing his way out of the corner he found himself in. We weren't buying it, or moving, the latter probably intimidating him more as we stared him down.
In an act of desperation, he pointed his right arm at us, several small gun barrels popping out of his gauntlet. As he made his way towards the lift, he yelled, "I-I'm leaving! Move it! Move!" I heard the lift slide up to our level behind me, and I soon saw the blade of Hyperion swing past me, slicing off a panel of the Major's armor. Seifer's cool voice chuckled, "Sorry to crash the party."
The Major was now in a total breakdown, screaming "Ah… AHH… AHHHHH! Are you CRAZY!" Anger seemed to take control over him, pushing him past the fear of having to shoot teenagers, the strict Galbadian training kicking in. I raised Revolver into a fighting stance as Selphie took her nunchaku out of its sheath at her side and Zell got into a boxing pose. Seifer said something, but I missed it as I fell into the familiar heat of battle.
"Prepare for the worst, you brats!" the Major shouted as he raised his gauntlet again, firing rapidly from all of the barrels on his weapon. Bullets separated us, but we had enough wits about us to surround him. Zell jumped into the air, intending to jab an elbow into the Major's neck. Unfortunately, he barely missed, instead bringing his funny bone against the Major's back plate. Wincing as he retreated, Zell barely seemed to evade a bolt of lightning from the Major's other gauntlet. Selphie stepped to the side as I launched myself at the Major, swinging down with Revolver. The Major brought up his left gauntlet, blocking my blade, as he brought his right up to my face.
I had only a moment to blink before the gauntlet's gun barrels went off. However, it seemed to fire into the air above my head, and shock slowly drained away as I realized what had happened. Selphie had snuck up behind him, snaking the chain of her nunchaku around one leg and dragging him backwards. The Major yelled in frustration as he fell on his rear. I leaped back, soon joined again by Zell and Selphie at either side.
As the Major stood back up, a blue Galbadian soldier appeared at his side. "Major Biggs… have you finished the repairs, sir?" the soldier said in a calm tone, as if curious about the state of their mission. His optics seemed to take a moment to focus on us, before he realized the situation, drawing his gunsword. "What is the enemy doing here?" he asked the Major, his tone becoming panicked. "WEDGE! Where were you?" the Major yelled in a disapproving tone, "No pay for you this month!" The soldier winced as he said to himself, "… should've stayed home…" While their antics bordered on comical, we stayed vigilant, knowing that they could attempt an attack at any moment.
Wedge ran at us, his sword over his head as he screamed a war yell. Zell intercepted him, grabbing both of Wedge's arms, dropping to his back and flinging him across the platform in one fluid move. Biggs brought up his gauntlet again, peppering the platform with bullets, but Selphie's nunchaku were a whirl, deflecting most of them with relative ease. With a frustrated groan, Biggs launched himself at Selphie, his arm outstretched to pummel her face. I interceded, blocking the side of the gauntlet with Revolver, pulling the trigger as I connected, the additional force shearing off several mechanisms that allowed the gauntlet to fire.
As Wedge ran back to the Major, who was gripping his arm in pain, a rush of wind came up around the tower, shaking us slightly. Moments later, a gale of wind blew against us, and us SeeD candidates braced ourselves, keeping our footing on the platform. The Galbadians, however, did not expect it at all, and flew into the other side of the platform, screaming in defeat until they collided, hard. We knew, however, that this was no victory, as a shadow fell across the platform. What descended from above is a creature unlike anything I had ever seen.
Enormous crimson batlike wings sprouted from the back of a vaguely humanoid creature. Where legs should have been, a giant, intimidating brown stinger ended, floating just above the platform due to the wings that allowed it to hover. Twin horns the color of ochre curved up towards the sky, and a matching-colored beard covered the creature's mouth. Its arms pulsated with purple muscle, arms that ended in sharp, black claws. "What the hell is it?" Zell exclaimed next to me. I shook my head, my mouth slightly agape in awe.
The creature attacked with a fierce speed, attempting to rake us with its claws. We separated to different parts of the platform immediately, trying to give it separate targets to follow. It followed Zell first, and the martial artist attempted to punch it down by climbing a bit of the tower before jumping off, yelling as he brought down his fist. A bat of the wing sent Zell off course, and he slid to the platform's edge, barely managing to grip it in the nick of time. The creature followed, the wicked-looking stinger rising as the creature flew higher before attempting to plummet right on top of Zell, copying his tactic.
From the creature's right side came Selphie's nunchaku, and the creature refocused, looking towards the interloper and howling with an ethereal tone. Selphie cocked her head for a moment, before she said, "Heeey… you hear that?" She seemed to sway for a moment, as if something in the creature's voice had caught her attention. She barely seemed to snap out of it before the creature swiped at her, and she ran to the side. I could hear Zell groaning as he lifted himself back up.
I had stayed still, for I was observing the creature. I remembered an analect from one of my earlier studies, Should you come across an unknown monster, observe and defeat. Do not assume and be killed. I had never seen anything like this, and I wanted to study its fighting style before I decided on a course of action. The wind at the platform, so high in the air, whipped my hair back as I observed its patterns. The wings could bat away a falling combatant, and those claws were deadly to any in front of it… but there was a small window, as the wings came up to flap back down. I had to take it.
As I ran towards the creature, coming in from below and to its right side, Revolver dropped to my right side, I heard a faint sound as the creature howled again. This time, it was clearer, like the melody of a woman in distress. Although barely perceptible in my ears, I could feel her message in my mind, Release me. It caught me off guard, and my steps became louder as I lost focus. The creature looked back, its malevolent gaze burning into my eyes. It brought a fist about, almost connecting with my head, but I brought up Revolver just in time, and it caught the blade against a finger.
"Selphie! Buy me some time! I think there's a Guardian Force within it!" She yelled an affirmation as she whipped her nunchaku about, clanging it against the platform, making noise that distracted the creature. I receded into myself as I focused on finding the energies within me necessary to free the Guardian Force. Zell launched himself back from above, this time his foot coming down on the creature's head. As he jumped off, the creature swiped at the air with his claws, barely missing the legs of the kickboxer.
I found the necessary force within myself, and I focused on Drawing from the creature. I could sense several powerful magics within it, but I kept searching. I could feel it howl as it felt my magical intrusion, and it started flying towards me, claws extended to put me in a death grip. I saw a light shine from its center, a light that radiated outwards, and soon illuminated the entire platform with blinding light. Time had seemed to freeze, the creature still in mid-air, as I soon was able to focus on a figure within the light before me. A beautiful woman, all but naked, due to some well-placed golden feathers, stepped out of the light. Her eyes shined with an otherworldly golden hue, and her blond hair ended in two large celestial wings. Call me Siren, I felt within my mind, and call upon me when you wish to hear my song again.
She nodded a silent thank-you before taking a harp that manifested from nowhere and strumming it lightly. The tune that passed from that harp soon faded from memory, and she glowed brightly again, her form reducing to a small chunk of perfectly rounded amber. I grasped it, and Junctioned her immediately. A wave of calm spread through me, as though I had just had a relaxing massage. The scene before me soon brought me back to the present, and the battle anxiety cancelled out the relaxation. I dropped to my back as the claws raked the air where I had been standing. The stinger drew back slightly, as it positioned itself over my torso.
I swung Revolver around, pulling the trigger as I chopped off the tip of the stinger. The smell of gunpowder invaded my nostrils as I saw the creature's blood spill onto my white undershirt, staining it green immediately. The creature howled, a sound of pain that was cut short by another barrage of kicks and punches. I saw Selphie's nunchaku hit the creature's face once, twice, and a third time before it began to back off. I stood up, gripping Revolver with more strength, walking the creature to the edge of the platform. As I raised my gunblade, the creature turned, as if to fly away from the prey it found it could not kill. I brought Revolver down, pulling the trigger as it sliced into the creature's wing, severing it completely from the monster's body. The creature howled as it fell into the mountainside below, the unearthly scream cut short as it impacted with the gruond. Our group stared where it had fallen as we regained our breath.