CHAPTER 9:

MOTHER AND OTHER

The first thing that told Harry that, despite his fears, he wasn't dead, was when he opened his eyes, and found himself in a familiar void, cradled by Ellone. "Harry? Are you all right?"

"Well, considering I just got a fucking lance of ice through my torso, I'm guessing I'm still alive enough to see someone else's life pass before my eyes. Unless either you are dead, or else you're some sort of psychopomp. Either way, if that's the case, then death is pretty disappointing, as I was expecting something better on the other side(1)."

"Well, you're not dead," Ellone said. "It seems that you keep getting caught up in my usage of my powers now."

"And Ultimecia using her Junction Machine Ellone," Harry muttered. "I must have some weird affinity with your powers. Like, I can't quite use them, but I can be affected by them in weird ways."

Ellone shrugged. "I don't know." She looked down at where they could see Laguna and Kiros talking to a young woman and a young girl in a pub. "Hyne, I look so young," she murmured.

"That's you, the young girl," Harry mused. "The woman, that's Raine, isn't it? Squall's mother?"

"Yes. This is Winhill, while Adel was still in power. That was when I first met Uncle Laguna," Ellone said. "And Uncle Kiros, of course. At the time, Uncle Ward was working as a janitor in the D-District Prison, already beginning to be populated by Deling's political opponents. Zell's junctioned to Ward."

"…Do you have any idea where we are? In reality?"

"Ultimecia has captured you all," Ellone said. "You are being held within Galbadia Garden, along with the others."

"Shit," Harry muttered. "So, not dead, but almost certainly going to wish that was the case."

"Think positive!"

"What? I'm the prisoner of a Sorceress from the future with a big chip on her shoulder and who wants to see Garden and SeeD wiped from the face of the world. Oh, and she's wearing my mother's body like you would wear a dress, and has made herself the ruler of Galbadia, presumably as a stepping stone to the rest of the world."

"You sound like Squall."

"Don't be ridiculous. Squall is almost never that melodramatic."

Ellone chuckled. "True. You're still alive. So are the others. And while it's clichéd, while there's life, there's hope."

Harry scoffed, even as the void began to fade. "Great. That's all I need. A cliché. Don't suppose you can junction me some lockpicks or something?"

Ellone's reply was lost as Harry regained consciousness…

…And found himself with his mother…no, Ultimecia looking at him with an expression of concern. It was that very expression that had Harry mistaking Ultimecia for the woman whose body she was controlling.

The fact that Ultimecia actually felt any concern towards him was astonishing.

That she leant down and kissed him on the lips was even more so.

When she straightened back up, Harry stared up at her. "You just kissed me. With my mother's mouth. That is wrong on more than a few levels, you know."

"I was curious to see what it felt like, to kiss while junctioned to your mother," Ultimecia said. "I have not kissed anyone for a long time. And nobody has ever kissed me."

"Why kiss me, then?"

Ultimecia looked down at him, before saying, "You are the first person in a very long time to even bother to try and reach out to me. Your foolish attempt at saving Squall nearly robbed me of the one person I have been able to talk to about anything. I was…relieved that you survived. I healed you of your wound." She touched his torso, the rent in his clothing still there, but the rent in his flesh not. There was a faint scar, but little else to make the lance of ice's passing. She gently traced the outline of the scar in a disturbingly sensuous fashion. "Do you know how much it means to me, to have someone who even remotely sympathises with my plight? An enemy, yes, but…you came at me not with blade or gun or Para-Magic or Guardian Force, but with words and diplomacy, truly dangerous weapons indeed. And not the hollow offers of Deling and his sycophants, but someone who wants to save his mother. You hated it when they ordered your mother's death."

Harry nodded, reluctantly. He was in some sort of throne room, gauzy drapes hung everywhere, and a throne decorated like a massive flower in the middle. He was lying on some sort of couch, Ultimecia sitting on a chair next to it.

"You wanted to save her. But I could see in your eyes…empathy towards me. The very Sorceress you are destined to destroy," Ultimecia said. "How strange it must feel, to have any kind of feelings other than rage and hate towards an enemy. I certainly feel strange. Those six with you, you were said to be the ones who defeat me, and yet, you seem so ordinary. Eccentric, yes, and combat-experienced…but ordinary. Children, barely adults, shaped to become the soldiers of Garden. All for the purpose of defeating me. Why do you feel empathy for me, Harry Kramer?"

"…When we first met, you said 'I did not start this war, no matter what you think, but I will finish it. Remember, it was SeeD who forced me to do this.' Having been raised in Garden, having trained as a SeeD, and knowing you were some sort of Sorceress, I had to wonder. I was lucky, my parents loved me, shielded me from those who fear and hate Sorceresses. But I'm not ignorant of their plight, either. People fear Sorceresses with good reason, especially with what happened with Adel, but…not all of them are like Adel. You only have to look at my Mum to know that! She was the kindest person I have ever known. But she got persecuted, even though her parents were well-off, and decent people. My Dad had to rescue her from a mob once. You'd know this if you looked through her memories."

"I can see but few of them," Ultimecia said. "She shields them from me, because she knows I seek someone in this time for my plans. Which is part of the reason why you are here. SeeD needs to be wiped from the face of the world. Galbadia Garden is my base of operations. Did you know the Gardens were built on old Centra shelters? And the Centra made their shelters mobile, in order to avoid the Lunar Cry. I haven't made Galbadia Garden mobile yet, but I soon will. And soon, Galbadia Garden will be the only Garden left. I regret the necessity, but the other Gardens must be destroyed, Trabia and Balamb. Even as we speak, the missiles are being prepared."

"You can't!" Harry yelped. "Hundreds of students and orphans, most of them not even SeeD, will die! This is mass murder and a war crime!"

"As I said, I did not start it. I will finish it. And from what I have heard, Balamb Garden is tearing itself apart even as we speak."

"What?!"

"I was contacted by Balamb's financier, Master Norg, who is offering me your father's head on a platter in exchange for no retaliation. Garden Faculty and SeeD are engaged in a pitched war across Balamb Garden. As I said, Balamb Garden is tearing itself apart as we speak. But you have a chance to save your friends, Harry," Ultimecia said quietly. "I have a single question that must be answered. Answer it promptly and truthfully, and your friends' lives will be spared, along with yourself. If not, I will execute all but Heartilly, as examples of SeeD treachery. The question I want to ask is this: where is Ellone?"

Harry wasn't quite expecting this, but he eventually asked, "Why? What does she mean to you?"

"I need her power for my plans. The machine based on her only goes so far back in time."

Harry blinked, remembering a phrase his mother had scrawled on the back of that letter. "Time Compression." On seeing her startled look, Harry looked at her. "What is Time Compression? I'm guessing that's what you need her for. My mother wrote about those things while she was trying to defend herself from you taking her over."

Ultimecia was silent for a time, before she said, "Imagine a single moment, lasting forever. All of time and space, compressed to a single area. A never-ending now where everything happens at once. At the centre of all of this, a single Sorceress with the powers of all the Sorceresses in history. The ultimate power. The power to make sure peace is achieved. No more strife or battles or hatred. Just peace. A never-ending paradise free of conflict. That is Time Compression. Worth any price to pay."

Harry scowled, even as he saw the fervour in her eyes. "Any price?"

Ultimecia scoffed. "I have already answered your question, Harry. Answer mine. Where is Ellone? Tell me, or I will bring the SeeDs in one by one and have Seifer behead them, starting with Irvine Kinneas, and ending with your Lady-Knight, Quistis Trepe!"

It was a surprisingly easy decision for Harry. While it meant betraying Ellone's location, it also meant potentially sparing Balamb Garden from her wrath. And his friends. "Balamb Garden," he said quietly after a brief hesitation. "I don't know exactly where, but she was in Balamb Garden when I last saw her."

Ultimecia's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she seemed ready to name him a liar, until something in his face told her he was telling the truth. She then yelled, "Seifer!"

Seifer stormed in. "Yes, Edea?"

"Contact the missile bases! Tell them to abort the launch preparations against both enemy Gardens for the moment! Have the coordinates on stand-by, though. And prepare to open a channel to Master Norg! I will tell him that in exchange for clemency, I will require Ellone, alive and unharmed and unmolested." After a moment's thought, she added, "I also want Cid Kramer in the same condition, as a good behaviour bond for his son. Once they're delivered to us, we will wipe both Gardens out."

Harry got to his feet. "What?!" he demanded.

"I am far from the only one in this world who fears SeeD, Harry Kramer," Ultimecia said as Seifer sprinted out of the room. "There are as many who view you with fear as much as awe. Through my government, we will spread the tale that SeeD had intended to launch a coup d'etat against Deling and I, collaborating with General Caraway. When I achieve what I wish, you will be my honoured guests, seeing peace happen in your time, and my time, and all time. No more need for SeeD or Garden or armies or war. Just peace."

"People are going to die!"

"I can bring them back to life, if that bothers you," Ultimecia said. "Once I have the power of a goddess, far above even Hyne himself, I will become the arbiter of life and death over all creation. Can you comprehend the enormity of such a concept? Even I barely can. There will be no future, no past, just a present. You should thank me. Come. You would want to see your friends, yes?"

He was brought down to the reception room, where the others were waiting under armed guard. "Harry!" Quistis yelled, clearly relieved. So did the others. Even Squall looked relieved.

As Harry noted the large window, Ultimecia said, "You have had a stay of execution. It may even become a pardon, should you remain well-behaved."

"She wants Ellone," Harry said.

The protests on the others' lips were cut off when Harry glared at them, then looked at the window meaningfully. Squall, however, stood, and glared at Ultimecia. "Haven't you done enough to hurt him?"

"Hurt him? Soon, there will be no hurt," Ultimecia said. "Stay here, as my guests."

Harry chuckled bitterly. Then, suddenly, green orbs with a fire within them circled his body, before disappearing. Suddenly, a massive snake, pale, with blood-red eyes smashed through the window. "I'm going to have to decline, Ultimecia," Harry snarled. "Jormungand! Eitr Flood(2)!"

Jormungand seemed to smirk, before opening his mouth. Ultimecia dodged to the side, while a Galbadian soldier behind her wasn't so lucky, hit with a blast of poisonous liquid, and began screaming as his skin and uniform began to melt. As Ultimecia struggled to her feet, Harry yelled, "Onto him! Go, go, go!"

I'm not a bloody hippogriff! Jormungand protested as Squall and the others clambered on.

Harry clambered on, boosting the short Selphie on, before clambering on himself. "Come on, go!" Harry yelled.

Jormungand, his passengers clinging on for dear life, writhed down to the ground, and slithered out of the grounds of Galbadia Garden. "We'll have to Apparate to Trabia Garden first!" Harry yelled, "get them to evacuate. Then, we'll have to get to Balamb Garden! We have to stop her from getting Ellone!"

"How are we going to do that?" Squall demanded.

"I have no idea! But Ultimecia seems set on destroying Trabia and Balamb once she gets Ellone and my father! We need to evacuate Trabia before Ultimecia decides to launch the missiles!"

Selphie agreed with that well before the others did, and they rode Jormungand away, ready to Apparate once they had gotten far enough away from Galbadia Garden. The thing was, was it going to be good enough?

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

The next chapter will be a while. In any case, I hope you liked this one all the same. That scene of Ultimecia kissing Harry (with his own adoptive mother Edea's mouth) was a twisted little notion I had, partly to showcase Ultimecia's distorted morality, as well as her genuine concern for Harry's welfare. She does threaten the life of his friends, yes, but even so…

If you think Harry caved in too easily, keep in mind that he hoped Balamb Garden would be spared, and he could buy enough time to escape and warn the other Gardens. He doesn't want to see his friends get killed, either.

1. I cribbed this from a similar line in Doctor Who: Terminus.

2. Eitr was the name of the venom of Jormungand/the Midgard Serpent in Norse mythology.