Final Fantasy VIII [3rd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Eight
Laguna dipped his rag into the bucket. The water was cold. Laguna took out the cloth and squeezed out the excess before putting it back onto the machine he was cleaning. He had cleaned this machine at least twice already, but the Esthar guards did not care about that.
Laguna was not the only person working in the corridor. Kiros and Ward were here too, as well as another man who had ended up a prisoner of Esthar. For that was what they were: prisoners.
It was just their luck to get captured. After making it to the Vienne Mountains that bordered Trabia and Esthar they had been forced to turn back, by bad weather and a heavy military presence along the border. Laguna had become separated from Kiros and Ward whilst fleeing the army, and ended up injured in the process.
After recovering from his injuries in a distant northern village, Laguna managed to relocate Kiros and Ward in Fisherman's Horizon. They decided to try entering Esthar again on foot. They crossed the beautiful Great Salt Lake, and after Laguna had sent off his newest article to Timber Maniacs, the trio finally managed to make it into Esthar… only to be captured the moment they arrived. All Laguna remembered was being surrounded by soldiers and then something had hit him hard in the back of the head. When he woke up… he was here.
There was one other prisoner in the area. There was a lone Moomba, who was captured by Esthar to be used as slave labour. This was typical practice, he was told, though Laguna found it abhorrent. The Moomba had to work three times as hard as the human prisoners, and even when it struggled the soldiers did not seem to care.
At that moment the Moomba was working with the other human prisoner, holding up a set of tools to pass to him as he worked. Laguna watched them for a moment when a sharp whistle drew his attention. Looking up, he saw the Esthar soldier who was guarding the lift leading out of the corridor shove a whistle into his pocket and stalk over to him.
"The skinny one and the fat one…" said the soldier, pointing to Kiros and Ward. "Get your asses down to Lunatic Pandora!" The soldier then turned to Laguna and scowled, jabbing a finger at him. "You're gonna stay here and work!" he ordered. Then, to the rest of the people in the room: "The rest of you, get back to work!"
The prisoner and the Moomba were already working, but the soldier's eyes on them they worked even harder. Kiros and Ward both looked at Laguna, before they also turned and ran off through the open door at the other end of the room. Laguna sighed and scratched his head. He then stiffened as he heard a tap-tap. The Esthar soldier was glaring at him, his fingers tapping against his armour. Laguna took the hint and picked up his cloth again, carrying on with his work. Satisfied, the soldier returned to his post, though he kept his eyes on Laguna.
An hour passed by. Laguna and the prisoner were working together to clean the rails of the walkway connecting the lift to the other side. Kiros and Ward were still missing, working for the Esthar soldiers elsewhere in the building. As for the Moomba, he was still working harder than everyone else. He had wet cloths tied to his front paws and was running across the room with those same paws pressed to the floor, cleaning as he went.
Laguna stopped cleaning for a moment. Squeezing out his cloth, he wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked up at the bare ceiling and closed his eyes. What time was it? Being in Esthar, he had started to lose track of time. Was it daytime, or was it nighttime? The Esthar soldiers made them work whether it was day or night, so he had stopped paying attention.
He looked over at the door where Kiros and Ward had gone. Are they all right, he wondered. Another soldier was posted at the door now, so there was no way he could sneak off and see how they were doing. It was impossible to sneak off anyway, for the other Esthar soldier—the one by the lift—was watching Laguna like a hawk.
His stomach gave a loud rumble. Laguna rubbed his stomach. When did he last eat? Putting down his rag, he went over to the soldier by the lift. The soldier, who was already standing at attention, straightened further as Laguna walked over. The ex-soldier paused and then held his stomach.
"I'm hungry…" he said.
The soldier stared, and then gave a grunt of disgust. "You!" he barked. "I said no talking! It's only been three days, you wimp! When I was young… I worked all day… all night… without sleep…!"
The soldier ranted on and on. Laguna was forced to listen to him, growing hungrier by the second. So, he had been here three days at least. Eventually the soldier said something about him getting back to work, so Laguna, still hungry, did as he was told.
Another hour passed by. On the soldier's orders, Laguna left the prisoner to finish cleaning the rails and went to conduct further repairs to the main console. The Moomba was still trying to clean the floor. He was having difficulty, for his claws had gotten stuck in the cloths over his paws and he was struggling to get them free. The Esthar soldiers did not pay any attention to him, or offer him any assistance. As the creature struggled, Laguna wished he could go over and help him. But he knew that would just get them both into trouble.
Once the repairs were completed, Laguna closed the panel and let out a sigh. Leaning back his head, he looked up at the ceiling. Somewhere, up there, was freedom and fresh air… and food. Laguna licked his lips, thinking of all the delicious foods he was missing… the Balamb Fish, and the delicious Wind Cacti with its sweet-tasting pulp… Thinking about food only made Laguna hungrier. Trying to distract himself, he turned his thoughts back to his friends. He looked over at the door, where the other soldier was still standing guard.
"I wonder if Kiros and Ward are workin', too…?" he said in a quiet voice.
Despite his attempts to be quiet, the soldier heard him. "No talking!" he shouted, spinning around to face Laguna and raising his gun. "How many times do I have to…"
The soldier's lecture was interrupted when a bell rang overhead. Laguna blinked in confusion, and then a wide smile spread on his face. "Oh… Mealtime!" he exclaimed, delighted, and raised a fist into the air. "Alright, it's time to eat!"
He started to run towards the lift, but before he could reach it the soldier there stepped forward and thrust out his hand, forcing him to stop.
"You keep working!" he ordered with a smug smile. "That's what you get for your big mouth!" Laguna's face fell. The soldier ignored him and then turned to the Moomba, who was still trying to get the wet rags off his paws. "That beast over there, you too! No meal until your work is done!"
The Moomba gave a low growl in reply, and he hung his head low. Laguna recalled the list of tasks they had been given when they started work. The Moomba had several more tasks than he did, or the other prisoner for that matter. They weren't easy ones, either.
"Hey…" Laguna said, and the soldier turned back to him. "You can't be serious! I'll be done in two or three hours, but… His job won't get done for days!"
The soldier stared at him. He then turned his back on Laguna, and he was sure that the soldier was smiling. "He just won't get fed for a few days," the soldier said with a chuckle. "If he wants to eat… he should work faster…"
Laguna clenched his fists. These Esthar soldiers… how could they be so heartless? The Moomba was going to starve to death if they kept this up, if the immense workload did not kill him first. Laguna was not a violent man, but even he felt angered by the cruel injustice the Moomba was subjected to at the hands of the Esthar soldiers. He would have given anything to put that soldier in his place, but he knew that he could not. He was unarmed, his gun confiscated. Taking on the soldier alone would help no one, and would likely get him and the Moomba killed. So instead he swallowed his concern for the Moomba and turned his eyes away.
The Esthar soldier turned back and jerked his gun at the other prisoner. The prisoner obediently went over to the lift. Before he got on he paused and looked over at Laguna, whose eyes were fixed at some point on the wall, his face overcome with worry and concern. The prisoner's eyebrows drew together, as though he was thinking something over. Then he got into the lift and headed up.
More time passed by. The prisoner returned after a while and was put straight back to work on the main console. Laguna was finishing off cleaning the rails for the third time. As for the Moomba, he was on the rails behind Laguna, standing on a ledge on the outer side, tightening the bolts. A hundred-foot chasm yawned beneath him. The ledge he stood on was far too narrow for his large feet. If he slipped, it would be a long fall to the bottom.
The old Esthar soldier was still by the lift, keeping a close watch on his prisoners. The other soldier had left his post, called away to deal with a disturbance in another part of the building. After a few minutes this soldier ran back into the corridor. He was out of breath and Laguna observed that he had some scratches and dents in his armour, as well as a large crack in his helmet from what Laguna presumed to be a well-aimed fist.
"Come give me a hand," the soldier said to his companion. "I can't handle the big guy alone." Without waiting for an answer, he ran back through the door.
The old soldier hesitated, reluctant to leave his prisoners alone. Realising that he had no choice, he grunted and left his post. He crossed the bridge and stopped by Laguna, who had ceased working to listen in on their conversation.
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," he warned Laguna in a low whisper, not turning to him. "The camera is watching you."
With that he ran out of the corridor. As soon as he was gone Laguna threw down his cloth and stretched his aching muscles. Laguna was not unfit, but all this hard work was taking a toll on his body, ex-soldier or not.
He turned away from the rails and looked over at the Moomba. Even though the soldiers were gone for the moment, the Moomba continued to work hard. It was hard to tell by looking at his face, but Laguna guessed that the creature was starting to feel fatigued. Laguna looked at the creature's large paws, fumbling with tools that were made for human hands. Were they shaking out of fright, or from hunger? Laguna scratched his head. He went over to the Moomba and leaned his elbows on the rails, watching the creature work.
Laguna had had some experience with Moombas. Before being captured by Esthar, he had spent time in a village where the creatures were highly revered. They were unable to talk, except for the growling noises they made, although they understood the human language just fine. Yet before leaving that village, Laguna had managed to teach some of the Moombas to talk, or at least to say one word: Laguna. It was his one achievement, and one for which he would always remain proud, even if Kiros and Ward had only shook their heads.
"You all right?" Laguna asked the Moomba. "You look exhausted… Do they feed you all right? Got a fever or something? Or you just scared of heights?"
The Moomba stopped working and raised his head. His eyes—large and golden—fixed on Laguna's. Unlike the Moombas in that village (was it Shumi Village, or Shoobi Village?) this one did not know how to talk. Instead he gave a growl, which sounded almost like a purr.
Laguna tilted his head. "Your stomach's goin' grrr?" he asked.
He heard a laugh behind him. Laguna stood up from the rails and turned to see that the other prisoner had stopped working and was watching him, laughing.
"That's funny," the prisoner chuckled. "I think that thing's 'Grrr… Grrr…' means 'thank you.' Putting down his tools, the prisoner walked over to Laguna. "Know what? You're the first one to care about his well-being. These Moombas get worked to death for no reason. They only get half the food and sleep compared to us humans."
"That's terrible…" said Laguna, shaking his head. He turned back to the Moomba. "You need to get outta here," he told the creature. An idea then came to him, and he slammed his fist into his palm. "When we get outta here, I'll feed you all the food you want. And you'll get to nap all you want! How's that?"
The Moomba gave another growl, which Laguna took to be an agreement. The Moomba closed his eyes, and he could have sworn the creature was smiling. Laguna was just about to ask the prisoner how he had ended up captured by Esthar when the speakers overhead crackled, and a peculiar, high-pitched voice with an odd accent rang out.
"Experiment! Experiment! Let's just do this!"
Almost at once, the entire corridor shuddered. There was a groan from somewhere deep below, as the building shook to its foundations. Laguna could not hear what was going on, but a moment later that same voice came through the intercom again, cursing in anger.
"Bahh! This iz a failure!"
The prisoner, looking up at the ceiling, smiled and shook his head. "Sounds like Dr. Odine's up to something again upstairs," he guessed. He returned his gaze to Laguna. "That Odine… I don't think he knows we're here. Those scientists are all the same. All they think about is their research."
Laguna had to agree. He had been here for three days already, and he had yet to clap eyes on the infamous Dr. Odine. He did not know much about the doctor apart from his name and that he was well known for his research on the sorceresses. Kiros had tried to explain it to him once, but Laguna just couldn't follow it. All that stuff about sorceresses and their magical powers just went over his head. He knew that Esthar was ruled by a sorceress. After all, it was because of this sorceress that he had come to Esthar in the first place.
His thoughts were interrupted when the Moomba gave a low growl. Laguna turned to him. The Moomba jumped up and down and banged his fist on the rail he was fixing. He then looked at Laguna with his large eyes.
"Huh? What's up" he asked the creature. "You need a tool?" The Moomba stopped jumping and nodded. "I'll go get it. Wait right here."
The Moomba did as he was told. Laguna left him and went over to the toolbox next to the elevator. There were a few scattered tools that he recognised, and others that he had never seen before, all of Esthar design. Laguna began to root through the toolbox, trying to find the one he was looking for.
"I think there was one here…" he muttered to himself, sifting through the pile. At last he found the tool, lying at the bottom of pile. He lifted the tool out of the box and was just about to stand when a sharp voice shouted out to him.
"Hey, you over there!"
It was the old Esthar soldier. Laguna jumped to his feet and stood as stiff as a post. Even though he had not done anything wrong, he made no movements.
But the soldier did not seem to notice. "Yeah, standing next to the elevator," said the old soldier. "Go get the guards upstairs! Tell them there's an emergency!"
Laguna turned and saluted. "Roger that…" he said. An emergency… Maybe the guys are… up to something?
"Go now!" the soldier snapped, and he ran out again.
Laguna sighed, tapping the tool against his shoulder. "Alright, I'm goin'," he said. He started to head for the elevator, then stopped and turned back. "Oh… I almost forgot. Here, catch!"
He threw the tool. The Moomba caught it, but his large paws meant that he could not get a firm grip on it. He fumbled with the tool as it threatened to slip out of his grasp. Just as he managed to get a hold on it, his foot slipped off the ledge. The Moomba wobbled back and forth, trying to keep his balance. In doing so he lost his grip on the tool, which landed on his other foot. The Moomba gave a pained yelp and then lost his balance entirely, falling off the ledge. He grasped the edge with his paws, hanging on for dear life.
Laguna's eyes widened. "Whoa!"
He started to run, but he was too late. The Moomba's hands slipped from the ledge. With a shriek the Moomba plummeted down the side of the bridge. There were no handholds for him to grab onto. He fell, his shriek fading with him.
Laguna stood frozen, his hand still outstretched. He looked at the ledge, where the tool he had thrown still lay. A cold fear washed over him as Laguna realised what he had done. After everything he had promised—setting him free, giving him food, letting him sleep all he wanted—it was he who had been the eventual cause of the Moomba's demise. Now the Moomba was sleeping the eternal sleep, and it was all thanks to him.
Laguna turned away from the rail. Grief and shame overwhelmed him and he sank to his knees. His fingers grasped at his hair, tugging it hard.
"Oh… Sorry…" the ex-soldier moaned. "I feel… so… horrible…" He shook his head, but the image of the Moomba's terrified face as he fell was etched into his mind. Squeezing his eyes shut, Laguna threw back his head and cried: "… I'm sorry!"
The prisoner watched Laguna as he shouted out his grief. He had been observing the ex-soldier very closely the whole time, ever since Laguna had first spoken up about the soldier's misconduct. Now he appeared to be coming to a decision, and he nodded in confirmation to himself.
Laguna let out another anguished yell. His mind made up, the prisoner went over to Laguna and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Ah," he said in a gentle tone, "I don't mean to… interrupt or anything, but…"
But Laguna was not listening. He shoved the prisoner's hand away and then forced himself onto his feet. "What?" he snapped. He clutched at his hair again. "I am just so… ashamed of myself right now." The shame welled up in him once again. Laguna dropped to his knees and punched the floor with his fist, thankful for the pain.
Beside him, the prisoner gave a small cough. Laguna raised his head and turned.
Standing right next to him… was the Moomba.
Laguna blinked. Then he gave a terrified yell, and he fell back onto the floor. He pointed a shaking finger at the Moomba, his whole body trembling in fright.
On seeing his reaction, the prisoner folded his arms and laughed. "Don't worry, it's not a ghost," he assured Laguna. He knelt down beside the Moomba, whose face was split into a wide, furry grin, his eyes sparkling in amusement. The prisoner lifted the Moomba's right ankle, where a thick table had been securely strapped. "They might be treated badly," the prisoner explained, "but they still put safety cables around them for a job like this."
Laguna blinked again. His face turned hot, and he jumped back onto his feet. "Why… didn't you tell me that first!" he demanded, embarrassed.
The prisoner let go of the Moomba's leg and then went over to Laguna. The Moomba looked down at his ankle and patted the safety cable, as though reassuring himself that it was still there as well.
"You're such a… nice guy," he said. "Not many guys like you these days. You seem like you'd be a good candidate to be our leader."
Laguna crossed his arms. "A leader?" he asked.
"That's right," said the prisoner, nodding. "A lot of us are dissatisfied with the way Adel's been ruling Esthar. We may be disorganised now… But someday we'll gather our forces to remove Adel from power. We're overthrowing the ruler of a country. A sorceress, far beyond our powers. A half-baked plan would never work. We're waiting for the right time, now… Most of us involved in the Adel resistance are specialists. It's easy to research ways to fight Adel, but… There's no one to lead the movement. That's our situation right now. We've been looking for someone like you… Someone who's strong and righteous…"
Laguna was about to ask a question when the old soldier from before came running back into the corridor.
"Hey, did you go tell them?" he asked, addressing Laguna.
The old soldier then paused as he surveyed the scene before him. "What are you doing!" he demanded sharply. He stalked over, shoving the prisoner to one side and knocking him against the rails. He stopped by the Moomba, glaring at Laguna. "Up to no good again, aren't ya…!"
Laguna scratched his head. The Moomba then gave an indignant growl. The soldier looked down at him. He scowled, and then raised a fist to strike him.
"Stop!" shouted Laguna.
He had had enough watching. He charged and rammed into the soldier. He knocked the soldier off-balance and forced him back. Before he knew what he was doing, he lifted the soldier off the ground and carried him over to the rails. The soldier struggled, but Laguna was younger and stronger, and difficult to overpower. Laguna shoved him against the rail and then, with a heave, pushed him over the edge. The soldier screamed as he fell. Unlike the Moomba, he had no safety cable to break his fall. He fell all the way to the bottom. Laguna heard a thud and then a groan, and nothing more.
Laguna turned away from the rail. The prisoner and the Moomba were staring at him. They both looked awestruck. Laguna scratched his head, embarrassed that he had let his anger get the better of him. The Moomba then jumped and clapped his paws together, and the prisoner gave him an approving nod. Laguna grinned, aware that his face was turning red.
At that moment the lift hummed into life. The doors slid open and another Esthar soldier came out. When he saw the three prisoners standing there he drew his gun and aimed it at them.
"Don't move!" he ordered.
Laguna let out a sigh. "Damn it…" he said. "I did it again…" He put his hands on his hips, shook his head. Kiros would chew him out for this, for sure. "Well," said Laguna, rubbing his nose. "Too bad!"
He charged. He caught the soldier off-guard, rammed his arm up against the soldier's throat and pushed him back. The two slammed against the wall. Laguna pinned him there, keeping his arm pressed against the soldier's throat just firmly enough to make him gasp, just a little.
Turning his head, Laguna looked at the prisoner and the Moomba. "Just get on and go!" he told them, nodding his head at the lift.
The Moomba ran over to the lift, bounding inside. The prisoner, however, hesitated, not wanting to leave Laguna to face the soldiers alone. But one look into Laguna's strong-willed eyes made him change his mind, and he also ran into the lift. The doors slid shut and the lift went up, taking them to safety.
With those two gone, Laguna turned his attention back to the soldier. He was just wondering what to do with him when he heard the sound of running footsteps. A smile spread on Laguna's face as he saw Kiros and Ward run through the door.
"Kiros. …Ward!" he exclaimed. "Great timing!"
Even as he spoke, he knew he was wrong. An Esthar soldier came running through the door after Kiros and Ward. His armour was beaten and battered but he was still armed and able to fight.
Kiros glanced back at the soldier. "Or should I say… bad timing?" he asked.
The Esthar soldier who had just run in drew his gun from its holster and aimed it at them. "Stop talking and just keep walking!" he ordered.
Ward looked at the soldier and then held his head. Laguna, who had become quite adept at reading Ward's facial expressions, knew at once what the big man was trying to say.
"It's not so bad…" the ex-soldier said, waving a hand. "Two is better than one. Four is better than two, right?" He grinned.
Kiros folded his arms. "So, who's the fourth one?" he asked. "Geez… Are you… starting to hallucinate?"
Laguna dropped the soldier he was pinning. The soldier sank to his knees, coughing and holding his throat. Laguna ran to Kiros. There was a feverish look in his eyes, but it was a feverish look of hope.
"Yeah… I can see it!" the ex-soldier said, grasping Kiros by the shoulders. "Oh… My sweet Elle… You make your uncle so happy." He then pulled Kiros closer so their heads were almost touching. "Hey…" he whispered. "Now's our chance! You know what? Let's just finish 'em off and get out of here!" Laguna looked around him. "Before we do that… Are we all geared up?"
A sly smile spread on Kiros's face and he pushed something into Laguna's hand. Laguna peered down and saw his machinegun, already loaded. Laguna returned Kiros's smile as he closed his fingers around the weapon, glad to have its familiar weight back in his hands. Then he stepped away from Kiros, his smile widening.
"Alright…" he said, lifting his voice. "Let's go!"
At once Laguna spun around and opened fire. The Esthar soldier he had pinned to the wall did not even have a chance to respond before he was hit with a volley of bullets, and he slumped to the floor.
Behind him, Ward turned and punched the other soldier in the face with his fist. The soldier reeled, dropping his gun, and the moment he did Kiros leapt in and slashed with his Katals. The soldier clutched his neck and then dropped to the floor, blood slowly pooling around him.
Laguna sheathed his gun. That was easy enough, he thought. Turning to his friends, he raised a fist into the air.
"Jaaaaaaaail break!"
