When we entered, Odine was typing information into a large computer. I could see a picture of President Loire on the screen. Apparently, he was so engrossed in his work that he never heard us come in. "So it was you!" Irvine exclaimed.
The scientist jumped in shock and then spun around to face us. "What are you doing here?! Where are my assistants?!" he shouted, outraged.
"They're…out for the moment," Michon said.
"You have no business in here! Get out!"
"'Fraid we can't do that, Doc. We know you're the one behind President Loire's attempted assassination, and we gotta take care of it," Irvine said.
"So you plan to kill me then?" Odine asked, not appearing intimidated at all.
"No, we're just gonna hand you over to Esthar authorities, so you're gonna come with us."
"I'm afraid I cannot let that happen."
He quickly pulled a small object from his pocket and tossed it on the ground in front of us. Before we could react, it exploded, releasing large plumes of smoke that filled the room. We began to cough, choking on the smog. "A smoke bomb…Move for the door! We gotta get out!" I said between coughs.
We hurriedly tried to find the door and managed to get out. We saw the doctor scurrying away straight in front of us, and we chased in hot pursuit of him. He wasn't very fast, so we were able to gain ground on him as we ran. However, he was far ahead of us already, and constantly turning and moving down many of the paths, making him difficult to catch. We had to run at top speed just to avoid getting lost. I was getting frustrated at our inability to catch such a slow-moving man.
After a short while, I realized that he was heading for the Presidential Palace. (Why would he be going that way? He'll just get caught there, too.) Then I thought back to the little device he had concealed from us when we first came to his laboratory. (It doesn't seem likely, but could this guy actually be planning to blow the building up? Could it be like a last resort for him if everything else failed? If that's the case, I definitely gotta get him before he makes it!)
"Hey Cowboy, he's headin' for the Presidential Palace!" I shouted at him.
"I figured that out, too! But why?"
"I think he's gonna try to blow it up! He's on a suicide mission!"
"Are you serious?!"
"I'm not sure, but we better stop him before he gets there, otherwise there might not be any Presidential Palace left!"
We put all we had into chasing after him, and we were gradually closing in on him, but Odine was getting closer to his destination as well. Then it began to come into sight, and I realized we couldn't get to him before he got inside. He was too far ahead still. Irvine couldn't shoot him because he might accidentally detonate the bomb, if there was one.
I had to take a chance. I dove at Odine, hoping to be able to grab him. Luckily, I was able to grasp the back of his garment and drag him to the ground roughly. I breathed heavily, immensely relieved. Then I saw him reaching into his pocket. The scientist pulled out the little gadget, but a firm boot stomped onto his arm before he could push the button. He dropped it on the ground. I looked up to see that it was Michon. "I don't think so, pal," she said between breaths. Then she gazed skyward and sighed. "It's finally over."
Then the Esthar guards dashed over to us and picked up the device. "What's this? A detonator? What are you doing with this, Doctor Odine?" one of them inquired, perplexed.
Then the two presidential aides, Kiros and Ward, came out of the building in a hurry. "We heard some noise out here. Is somethin' wrong?" Kiros asked, and then he laid eyes on the scientist and his detonator. "So…they were right. It was you…"
I still had a grip on Odine to make sure he couldn't get away. As the guards knelt over to apprehend him, I let go. Irvine extended his hand out to help me up, but I ignored it and stood up myself.
"Why'd you do it?" Kiros interrogated.
"He didn't give enough support to my research! He is a bumbling idiot who will never understand the power of science! If I could not get rid of him with an assassin, I decided I would kill him myself and take the rest of you with me. I didn't care what it took…If I could not get the funding I desired, I did not want to live anyway," Odine explained.
(What an idiot.) I thought.
"Thank you so much for all of your help," Kiros said gratefully. "Is there anything we can do to reward you?"
"Nah, we couldn't take anything from you," Irvine declined.
"We're done here. Let them take care of the rest. Let's go," I said.
We headed back to the Ragnarok, and boarded. Xu was standing at the entrance. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Case closed," I said.
"I didn't hear anything about it," she said.
"It's over. Let's get outta here."
"Is this true?" Xu asked Irvine and Michon. They nodded in confirmation.
I never got to meet the president while he was there, but it didn't matter much to me. Once everyone had been called back, we returned to Balamb Garden in peace. I was exhausted, and relieved to know that it was finally over. Despite what I had originally expected this field exam to be, it was the most trying one I had participated in. It was actually a challenge.
When we made it back, my loyal posse was waiting for me. "How was it, Seifer?" Raijin asked.
"SAFE?"
"Yeah…I'm tired though."
"Everybody report to the second floor to await your results," Xu said.
The three of us headed for the elevator and rode it up to the second floor. We strolled out, and waited for someone to come and declare who had successfully passed. The other candidates where pacing around the hallway anxiously, but I remained calm and still. Irvine approached me and stuck his hand out. I simply stared at it blankly, and then looked at him.
He smiled courteously and said, "Good job, Seifer. I have to admit, you did well. We may not like each other much, but we could definitely use someone like you around here."
I grinned and shook his hand. "I know."
A short while later, Xu came out with a small list and a large smile on her face. I didn't like that. It made me feel like my name wasn't on it. "When your name is called, please step forward," she said. "Croy, Auron…Krown, Michon…Mirano, Delia…Kinneas, Irvine…That is all."
I couldn't help sighing. I looked at the ground and shook my head slowly. I couldn't believe it. (Not again…The other two pass, but I don't.) My two teammates gazed at me momentarily, and then followed Xu.
Fujin and Raijin placed their hands on my shoulder. "You okay, Seifer?"
"Me? Oh yeah. Of course," I lied. I suppose I wasn't shocked that I hadn't passed, considering how I had gone against orders again. It was still painful though. I was never gonna see this place again. I attempted to maintain a straight face without giving away what I felt. "Come on, Fujin, Raijin. Let's just leave now."
We walked over to the elevator slowly and stepped on. We rode down in silence. We walked down the steps and headed for the front gate. Once we came to it, I turned around and took one final look at Balamb Garden. I wasn't ever going to see it again. Then we began to walk out.