Chapter 10- Limit Break
Author's Note: Here it is folks, the final chapter of this epic. I'd like to thank all my faithful readers who kept me going and in particular cerespallas who commented on every chapter and gave me a couple of inside jokes for the story.
This final chapter takes place over the course of a few hours, and so a representation of time is displayed over each segment to give you an idea of exactly what is going on. I hope you have had as much fun reading this story as I've had writing it.
--
0900 Hours
53 minutes O2 Remaining
The crews finished packing up and the vessel began its shot out of the dock. Nida had been warned that this carrier could (and did) travel at almost 100 knots. It was a re-outfitted military vessel designed for rapid troop deployment. If all went well they would be docking in Fisherman's Horizon in about three hours.
Jen sat next to Nida in their temporary cabin. They had been forced to abide in the brig, since there was no free room, but it was a decent place nonetheless.
"I hope the others are okay. I wish we could tell that help is on the way…" Jen sighed.
"The best thing we can do is go about our business as quick as possible," Nida said. "The sooner we get the rescue team sent from Esthar the better."
"Esthar?" Jen asked.
"Yeah. I've been thinking about it. Esthar is the only place with the proper equipment right? So instead of heading to Balamb, let's just contact Esthar from Fisherman's Horizon," Nida said.
"We can't. FH doesn't have cable communications," Jen said.
"We don't need cable," Nida said. "I've got a plan."
--
0908 Hours
45 minutes O2 Remaining
"This is Zell," Zell radioed. "I'm commencing repairs of the turbines."
Rinoa sat by the radio, not knowing what else to do. There was a lot of shouting coming from outside. The students were arming themselves for battle and squads trying regain their assembly.
--
0909 Hours
44 Minutes O2 Remaining
Squall sat on a bench beside the four members of the resistance that had contacting him. They all had their hands bound behind them with twine and Xander began another of his famous speeches.
"By the authority of my new rank as Sorceress Hunter 1st class, I hereby sentence the following individuals to die by firing squad," Xander said. "Kim Teng, for aiding and abetting the Sorceress. Sally Turner for the same crime. The two men Zone and Watts for the same crime and for the trespass of a military institution. And Squall Leonhart for the most heinous of crimes: fraternizing with the enemy."
Sally was shaking, and Zone's stomach began to hurt.
"Upon their execution, I will reform SeeD and Garden, and we will take the Sorceress," Xander ordered.
"Relax," Watts whispered to Sally. "I've got a plan."
"What's that?" Sally asked.
"Gathering information isn't my only specialty," Watts said as he pulled a hidden knife out from his back pocket.
--
0913 Hours
40 Minutes O2 Remaining
"Huhuhuhuh. That is it," Bahamut laughed. "Well done."
"So can you take us to Balamb now?" Irvine asked.
"I will take you to Fisherman's Horizon," Bahamut said. Irvine started to protest, but Bahamut hissed. "Silence! You forget who you speak to. I know much more than you humans and you will respect my wishes. And we're making a slight detour along the way."
--
0920 Hours
33 Minutes O2 Remaining
The small raft bobbed along the ocean surface slowly and unpredictably. Xu almost lost her lunch because of the swaying, but did not want to seem weak in front of her men.
"Ma'am," Patrick said looking up. "What in the world is that?"
Xu glanced skyward and saw the fast approaching beast. But something was hanging from it. She couldn't quite make it out until she heard a familiar voice shout to her.
"Xu!" Quistis shouted.
Xu laughed. "Gentleman. That is a dragon lord with a raft hanging from its stomach."
Bahamut lowered himself so that the raft was touching the surface of the water. He growled in indignity. "This is not exactly the way I planned this."
"Hey, we appreciate it, Bahamut," Irvine smiled, patting his chest.
Xu gave Quistis a big hug. "I'm so glad you're safe."
Quistis buried her head in her friends shoulder. "Same to you."
"With due respect, girls," Bahamut growled. "Time is something of a factor here."
"Right!" Xu gasped.
She climbed over into the Baha-raft and Patrick and Kevin followed suit. Bahamut rose into the air with only a barely noticeable struggle which Irvine did his best not to call attention to.
--
0930 Hours
23 Minutes O2 Remaining
"This is Zell," Zell shouted with enthusiasm. "I am about to begin to the primary turbine test. You might feel a little shaking up there."
Zell reached down and pressed the main turbine control lever and slowly, but surely the gears began to run. He shouted "Yeeeeeeeah! We're in business! The water level is starting to drain!"
Zell began his swift retreat towards the elevator shaft, and didn't notice the dark figure making its way towards him in the water.
--
0931 Hours
22 Minutes O2 Remaining
"Ready," Xander said as the firing squad aimed its rifles at Watts. "Aim."
Watts had undone his binds and was waiting to duck out of the way. He needed a good distraction or it would all be for naught. He grabbed his knife and prayed.
And suddenly, a merciful God heard his request and the station shook fiercely. The firing squad knocked each other down and Watts ran towards the other prisoners. They had also cut their binds.
Watts passed Sally and Kim two of the squads rifles. Squall grabbed his gunblade from the side of the hallway where it had been set and Zone had enough time to duck behind a crate as the bullets began to fly. Squall cast a protect spell over the entire resistance side of the hallway.
"It's a futile stand," Xander laughed. "We outnumber you. Sabres! Attack them up close!"
--
0934 Hours
19 Minutes O2 Remaining
"This is Zell. I'm almost at the elevator shaft. I should be clear of the vacuum's force in a few moments," Zell explained.
Suddenly a slimy tentacle caught his leg. He was yanked back several yards and turned to see a massive squid. He blasted it with a fire spell, trying hard to hit any of the machinery. He was released and began to swim towards the elevator. He took one glance back and saw that the squid was interfering with the turbines. He knew that there was no other choice but to blast the squid with a thunder spell. It would affect the machinery positively, but adversely affect the squid and himself.
"This is Zell," Zell radioed. "I've got the situation under control."
He focused his energy and blasted the squid with a thunder spell. He saw the squid rise to the surface of the water, dead and then saw black.
--
0940 Hours
13 Minutes O2 Remaining
The Garden rocked back and forth as the resistance members ran towards the elevator shaft. They were trapped between the empty shaft and a horde of enemies.
"Well Squall. Any other plans?" Xander asked.
--
0945 Hours
8 Minutes O2 Remaining.
Zell awoke with a start. The room was still filled with water, but it was draining fast. He swam up towards the shaft and prayed that the elevator was still there. He shut the shaft and suddenly saw the metal cave inward. The water drained almost completely from the lower deck. He had narrowly escaped the vacuum.
Zell glanced at his O2 meter. "And with time to spare!"
--
0950 Hours
"Let's try this again," Xander said. "Ready, aim…"
Suddenly the elevator rose into the hallway and the doors opened. Zell threw his oxygen tank into the air above the enemies and shouted. "Fire!"
A bolt of fire struck the container and a massive explosion knocked the traitors to the ground. A massive gap was now dividing one side of the bridge from the other. The only enemy left on the resistance side was Xander, and his sword had fallen to the level below.
He backed up against the non-existing edge as Squall approached him with his gunblade.
"Get up," Squall ordered. "Get up!"
Xander was no longer the cocky savior, but the cowering traitor. Tears ran down his face as he pleaded Squall for mercy.
--
0955 Hours
The elevator doors opened. Squall dragged Xander to the commander's room an threw him down before Rinoa.
"Who's that?" Rinoa asked.
"This is the nutjob whose been stirring up trouble downstairs. It's your call," Squall said.
Xander bent down before Rinoa and begged her for mercy. Rinoa kicked him to the side and walked over to Squall. She embraced him and smiled.
"Don't kill him," Rinoa said.
Xander's cowardess suddenly shifted and a grin swept across his face. He grabbed a dagger from his belt and plunged it into Rinoa's back.
"No!" Squall shouted.
Xander ran out the door and leapt onto the lift up to the control panel. Squall pulled the dagger out of Rinoa's back and Selphie ran in the room. She gasped at the sight of the blood but dutifully grabbed bandages and began to patch her up.
"Rinoa! Stay with me!" Squall shouted.
--
0957 Hours
The lift stopped at the control panel. Xander looked down and saw only an injured student barring his way. He stepped over the wounded soldier and started to smash the controls.
Suddenly he felt something clutch his leg. The Brawler awoke.
"Get off of me!" Xander shouted.
"Zell? That you?" The Brawler asked weakly.
"I said get off of me!" Xander kicked the Brawler in the stomach and he groaned in pain.
Suddenly Xander felt another hand, but this one was on his shoulder. Xander turned to see Zell.
"You know kicking a guy when he's down is just rude," Zell said. He punched Xander dead in the face, breaking his nose and sending him falling over the railing to the bottom of the lift.
--
0958 Hours
"Rinoa! Can you hear me?" Squall asked.
"I need some help in here!" Came Zell's voice.
"I'll stay with her!" Selphie said. "Help Zell!"
Squall opened the door and saw Xander back on his knees, which had been broken from the fall. Xander looked up and saw Squall. He screamed: "The Sorceress will take you all down!"
"Thank you for the warning," Squall replied coldly. "You're dismissed."
And with that note, he plunged his gunblade into Xanders back and pulled the trigger. Xander's corpse fell to the ground.
--
1000 Hours
"Is Rinoa okay?" Squall asked.
Rinoa lay on the bed and smiled. "I'll be fine. You forget, I'm a Sorceress right?"
Squall smiled. "Save your strength."
Selphie and Dr. Kadowaki pulled Squall aside.
"She's got internal bleeding. She needs sutures in the next six hours or so or she is going to die," Dr. Kadowaki said.
--
1200 Hours
The boat landed at Fisherman's Horizon and Nida's team disembarked eagerly.
"What's the plan?" Jen asked.
"Very simple," Nida replied. "We just send up a Flare spell. Laguna knows that's our sign of distress."
Jen sighed. "That's your big plan? He probably won't even see it from here!"
"It's worth a shot!" Nida said.
He raised his arm to the sky and shot out a flare spell. Suddenly a terrible laugh echoed over the town.
"Huhuhuhuhuh! You'll need to do much better than that!" Bahamut shouted as he lowered the raft to where Nida's team was waiting. He then bit the supporting ropes off with his fangs.
"Bahamut!" Nida shouted. "Quistis! Irvine! Xu!"
Quistis jumped out and hugged Nida. "You guys are okay!"
Nida shrugged. "Well… some of us are."
Quistis nodded and turned to Bahamut. "Bahamut! You're the fastest flier in the world. Please send a message to Laguna at Esthar!"
Bahamut nodded his head. "You order the king of Dragons?! Huhuhuhuhuhuh! I admire that tenacity. It's why I traveled with you to begin with. Very well consider it done!"
--
1300 Hours
Laguna lay back in his presidential chair. He sipped on a Mai Tai and watched a broadcast of the Triple Triad Tournament. Suddenly he heard a crash. He ran outside to see Bahamut waiting for him in the center of the lobby (whose roof he had just torn in).
"Damn, Bahamut, you know how to make an entrance," Laguna chuckled. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
--
1400 Hours
"Things aren't looking too good," Selphie said, trying not to cry. She won't last but another hour.
Squall walked in the room and shut the door. He knelt beside Rinoa and put his hand on hers.
"Rinoa," Squall said. "In spite of everything that's happened you've always been behind me. I need you now more than ever. So please, Rinoa. Don't leave me."
Zell walked in. "Squall. We're back above sea level. We might be able to get some mobility back to the Garden. I'm gonna pilot her for Balamb when that happens, okay?"
"Okay, Zell," Squall nodded.
Suddenly they heard a voice over the radio.
"This is Falcon GH6-SYS 'Free Bird', do you copy me? This is Falcon GH6-SYS 'Free Bird': Search and Rescue Team for Balamb Garden. Does any Garden staff copy?"
Squall ran over to the radio.
"This is Commander Leonhart of Balamb Garden! Call sign BA1-SYM," Squall said.
"Roger that Garden, we've got 6 talon-equipped carriers flying over your position right now," Free Bird replied.
"Roger that Free Bird. Do you have a medical carrier?" Squall asked. "We have a lot of injured here who need treatment now!"
"That's a 10-4 Garden. Prepare for boarding," Free Bird said.
--
A few months later…
"Quistis, you've gotten so big," Rinoa smiled.
Quistis ran her hand along her front. "I know. I can't believe how big this baby is gonna be."
Rinoa smiled. "What does Zell think?"
Quistis laughed. "He can't believe he's gonna be a daddy."
"How did it happen?" Rinoa asked.
Quistis sighed. "It's a long story."
Squall walked into the bedroom at the hotel. He collapsed into bed.
"Hey, Squall. Are you okay?" Rinoa asked.
"The reconstruction of the Garden is coming along nicely. I got the FH Mechanics to help us out again," Squall sighed.
"It's gonna be awfully quiet with all those students gone," Quistis said.
Squall nodded. "Well I'd better get back to work." Squall got up and Rinoa stole a kiss from him. "Well, I don't have to leave right away."
Quistis smiled, and took her leave.