Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Part Five: The Truth of SeeD

Chapter Ten

After reaching Deling City, Squall, Rinoa and Quistis caught the first train they could get to Timber. When they arrived they discovered that the international trains were up and running again, and so they took the first train to Balamb.

During the trip beneath the Palmaric Ocean, the group said very little. After a while, Rinoa started to put Angelo through some drills to sharpen his skills by making him run around the waiting room, giving him orders to stop, start, jump and attack. Quistis tried to help her by hiding treats around the room, and they made Angelo search for them. The dog appeared to enjoy this training very much, and when he found that Rinoa was hiding one of the treats behind her back he started to chase her around the room, his tail wagging in delight.

While they were busy training Angelo, Squall left the waiting room and headed into the corridor. He started to head into the SeeD's cabin, but at the doorway he paused. He then turned away from the cabin and went over to the window. There was nothing to see outside since they were now deep beneath the ocean floor. Despite this Squall remained there, looking out of the window. He leaned against the glass, watching the walls of rock as they passed him by.

"Train, train, take us away. Take us away, far away… …To the future we will go. Where it leads us, no one knows…"

Selphie… She always stood at this window, watching the world go by, and she was always singing that song. Irvine would be somewhere nearby, watching her with a longing look on his face. Then somewhere, in the background but ever present, Zell's loud voice would be heard.

Thinking about them, Squall closed his eyes. They would be at the missile base by now. He wondered how they were getting on. Would they be able to stop the missiles in time? Squall removed a glove and placed his hand on the glass, feeling its coolness. Was he wrong to send them there? He clenched his fist. No, he was sure they would do it. They were SeeDs, and that was their mission. No matter what the circumstances, they would find a way to do it.

Not long after the driver spoke over the speaker, announcing their arrival at Balamb. Squall rejoined the others and they waited for the train to pull into the station. Once the doors opened Squall and the others jumped out and hurried through Balamb towards the car rental. Unfortunately, when they reached it they discovered that there were no cars available for rent, so they were forced to make the journey to Garden on foot. They ran as fast as they could, crossing the Alcauld Plains.

At long last Balamb Garden came into view. When they saw the Garden appear over the rise the group picked up their pace. They ran up to the main gates and then stopped, looking up at the Garden.

"Hey, looks like everything's alright!" Rinoa said, jumping in joy. Behind her, Angelo barked in agreement.

Squall raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he gazed up at the Garden. The swordsman cast his eyes over the building.

It looks like they did it, he thought. Squall then turned and looked to the east. The horizon was clear for the moment. Still, he told himself, the missiles could be on their way. "We have to report to the headmaster," he said to Quistis and Rinoa. He walked past them and stopped inside the gate. "Come on."

The women nodded and then followed Squall through the gates. They entered the Garden's outer courtyard. There they stopped again, and stared ahead.

The scene they were met with was far from what they had expected. Normally, the outer courtyard was a quiet area with maybe one or two students walking around. Yet now, as they entered, they saw that the courtyard was full of students. Dozens of students were running around in a frantic state, shouting and crying out to one another. More students could be seen in the outer gardens, running across the grass and flitting between the trees. It was chaos.

A member of the Garden's Faculty stood in the middle of the courtyard. He had a whistle in his hand and he was barking orders at the students in a sharp fashion.

"Fine the headmaster!" he shouted, and he gave a toot on his whistle. A group of nearby students saluted and then ran off into the gardens.

Squall, Quistis and Rinoa stared around at the courtyard. What's going on? Squall asked in confusion. Are they evacuating?

"Seize him!" the Faculty roared, almost shrieking. "Kill him if you have to! Go!"

What! Squall turned to the Faculty, his eyes widening. Kill the headmaster! Why would the Garden Faculty order the students to kill the headmaster!

The Faculty member paid no attention to them and continued to shout orders at the students. Squall motioned to Rinoa and Quistis, and they ran past him and headed down to the main courtyard.

Everything was just as chaotic in the main courtyard. Students were running along the path, shouting at one another. Others jumped over the walls and into the gardens. They appeared to be searching for something. They moved in and out of the trees, checking under bushes and even the ponders. Whatever they were searching for, they were in a hurry.

Squall put his hands on his hips and shook his head. What the hell is going on?

Another member of the Garden Faculty was standing nearby. When he saw Squall and the others standing there he ran over to them and stood before them.

"You three," he said. His face was fierce. "Which side are you on?"

Squall stared at him. Huh?

Not getting an answer immediately, the Faculty scowled. "Answer the question!" he demanded, and the pitch of his voice caused Angelo to whine and duck his head. "Are you with the Garden Master, or are you with Cid!"

Squall glanced back at Quistis. The instructor shook her head. "I don't understand what you're talking about," Squall replied, turning back to the Faculty.

"Do you swear your allegiance to Garden Master NORG?"

Norg…? Was that even a word? Squall shook his head. …I don't get it, he thought. Choosing to ignore it, he asked: "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm the one asking the questions!" the Faculty spat, and specks of saliva flew from his lips. "You're just supposed to follow orders!" Seeing the frown on Squall's face, the Faculty's lips grimaced. "Hey! What kind of attitude is that!" he demanded. His eyes widened and he stepped back. "You're with Cid, aren't you!"

The Faculty reached for his whistle. He put it to his lips and blew a short, sharp note.

There was a pause. Then the bushes in the gardens rustled and two monsters emerged from the undergrowth. One was a Caterchipillar and the other was a Grat, one of the monsters native to Balamb Garden's Training Centre. Seeing the two monsters, Squall, Quistis and Rinoa turned and raised their weapons.

The Faculty, meanwhile, just smirked and slipped his whistle into his pocket. "NORG is the true rule of the Garden!" he called, and then he turned and ran off across the courtyard, leaving them behind.

The Caterchipillar and Grat made their way across the Gardens. The Caterchipillar reached the wall first and began to climb over, using a sticky substance secreted from its belly to stick itself to the wall. As it was about to cross Rinoa fired her Pinwheel. The weapon sliced across the oversized caterpillar's torso and knocked it from the wall. It fell back into the gardens, its legs writhing.

Next, the Grat reached the wall. It grabbed onto the wall with its long, tentacle-like arms and heaved its large body over. Despite its large bulk and the apparent frailness of its arms, the monster lifted itself over with ease and then dropped down into the courtyard. Its large jaws stuck out of the top of its body, pointing upwards. They opened to reveal large sets of teeth, dripping with poison. The Grat shrieked and then shuffled forward, heading towards them.

Squall and Quistis ran forward. The Grat whipped its arms through the air at blinding speed, so fast they could barely be seen. Squall and Quistis both dived out of the way and then jumped back, keeping out of reach. When they charged, the Grat thrust its arms forward again. This time Quistis was ready for it and she cracked her whip. The tail snapped around one of the arms as it came towards her and Quistis pulled it tight, immobilising it.

As the other arm sailed towards him, Squall swung his gunblade. The sword's edge sliced through the arm with no problem at all, severing it. The dismembered limp landed on the floor at Squall's feet, still wriggling even when severed. The Grat screeched in agony, and its wounded arm flailed in the air.

With the pain diverting the monster's attention, Rinoa put her fingers to her lips and whistled a high note. At once, Angelo bounded forward. The dog leapt and caught the flailing limb in his jaws. He bit down hard and landed next to the Grat. At another whistle from Rinoa, Angelo pulled on the arm, pulling it taught and straight. Now both of the Grat's arms were trapped and it was unable to move.

The Grat's head thrashed as it tried to free its arms. It closed its mouth and moved it from side to side. When it opened its jaws again, the ooze in its mouth had thickened and was leaking from its mouth. The Grat spat, forcing the liquid out of its mouth. The poisonous liquid splashed onto the floor at Squall's feet. The swordsman stopped and stepped back as the liquid began to hiss and bubble, melting into the ground.

The swordsman jumped over the ooze and thrust out his sword. The blade sank deep into what he guessed to be the Grat's chest. The monster stiffened. When Squall withdrew his blade, it was covered in a thick, dripping green liquid. This liquid leaked out of the Grat, which thrashed its head from side to side before it fell limp. Its body dissolved, melting, until it was nothing more than a puddle.

During this time, the Caterchipillar had gotten back onto its 'feet' and was now climbing over the wall again. It rolled off the wall and landed on the ground with a heavy 'splat', causing its plump, gelatinous form to wobble. The monster started to shuffle towards them.

It did not get far before Squall ran in and swung his sword. A second later the Caterchipillar's head landed on the floor beside its body. The headless body shivered from top to bottom before it stiffened and then fell limp and, like the Grat, it melted into the floor.

Squall wiped his blade clean with a cloth and then sheathed it at his side. He turned to Quistis and Rinoa.

"What was that all about?" asked Rinoa, patting Angelo on the head.

"Something is going on," said Quistis. "I wonder what it could be."

Squall put his hand on his hip and looked at the dissolving remains of the monsters. What had the Faculty said? Something about 'NORG' being the true ruler of Garden. Just what had gone on in Balamb Garden while they were away?

"There's no point in standing around thinking about it," he replied, lifting his head. "We need to find the headmaster and warn him about the missiles."

Quistis and Rinoa nodded in agreement. They left the remains of the two monsters and hurried inside Balamb Garden.

At the turnstiles, Squall spotted one of the students lying wounded on the ground. When Squall and Quistis helped him over to the wall, the student opened his eyes and looked up at Squall.

"Hey, Squall," he said in a hoarse voice. His lips were singed, burned from fire. "The Garden is in chaos. The monsters from the training centre are everywhere. The members of the Garden Master's faction set them free." He reached out and gripped Squall's arm. "Watch your back, man."

Squall nodded, heeding his warning. They made him as comfortable as possible and then hurried inside the Garden.

The inside of Balamb Garden was just as chaotic as it was outside. The group stopped and stared as the lobby swarmed with students, all of them shrieking in their search for the headmaster. None of them paid any attention to Squall and his friends as they entered, and just ran on by. Many of them, Squall noted, were chanting that name 'NORG' again. Squall frowned. Just who was this 'NORG'?

They headed down the lobby until they reached the directory. Two familiar figures were standing next to it. It was Raijin and Fujin. The two were standing in front of the directory, looking around at the chaos in confusion. As they approached, Raijin turned towards them. His face split into a broad grin.

"Hey, you're back!" he greeted, spreading his arms.

Squall and the others walked up. "What's going on here?" Squall asked Raijin.

The big man scratched his head and then shrugged his large shoulders. "I dunno," he confessed. "At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up all the SeeDs, ya know! Now, everyone's either sidin' with the Garden Master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, ya know!"

"DISTURBING," Fujin remarked, shaking her head in pity.

Raijin put his hands on his hips. "Disappointin' for the disciplinary committee," he grumbled. "All our work for nothin', ya know!"

Squall tried to take all this in, but for some reason he couldn't. "Why are SeeDs being targeted?" he asked. "And where's the headmaster? Is he safe?"

"We got no clue," Raijin replied with a shrug.

"We need to see him right away," said Squall. "It's important. Galbadian missiles may be heading this way."

"WHAT!" roared Raijin. He turned to Fujin. "We gotta get outta here!"

Fujin turned to him. Without saying a word, she kicked him hard in the shin.

"OOOUUCH!" cried Raijin. "Geez, alright!" He hopped on one foot, clutching his injured leg. Fujin folded her arms, smirking to herself. Raijin finally stopped hopping about and turned to Squall. "We'll warn everyone about the missiles," he said. "Man, this is no time to be fightin', ya know!"

Squall nodded. "We'll go look for the headmaster," he said.

Turning, Fujin gave him a fixed stare. "CAUTION," she warned in a low voice.

"Yeah," agreed Raijin, "the fightin' is intense everywhere! And watch out for those Garden Master goons, ya know!"

"Hey, who do you support?" Rinoa asked them.

"Are you with the headmaster, or the Garden Master?" asked Quistis.

Raijin and Fujin shared a glance. Fujin said nothing; she just smiled to herself and looked away. Raijin, on the other hand, flashed them a broad smile. "Hey, jus' like Fujin said, ya know! We're with Seifer. Always have, always will." And with that, the two ran off towards the library.

Squall watched them go. Seifer… He's sided with the sorceress, he thought. You guys alright with that?

"So what now, Squall?" Quistis asked him.

Squall turned to her. "We need to locate the headmaster," he replied. "No matter what."

"But where could he be?" asked Rinoa.

Squall folded his arms. That was a good question. He turned and looked over at the lift in the middle of the floor. A member of the Garden Faculty was standing guard in front of the lift doors, preventing anyone from going up or from coming down. The headmaster must have fled his office when the chaos started, Squall realised. Otherwise, why would the Faculty members make a search of the lower floor? The headmaster must have taken refuge somewhere on this floor.

"We'll need to conduct a search of the floor," he said, without turning. "The headmaster has to be somewhere around here. That's why they're searching." He turned left and pointed down the hall. "Let's start with the Infirmary," he said. "We can ask Dr Kadowaki. She should have some idea where he is."

He looked around at the floor. The entire floor was crawling with students. All of them were hunting for the headmaster as well, under the command of the Garden Faculty. Searching for the headmaster amidst all of this chaos would take time. Squall clenched his fists. They didn't have time for this! Of all the times for this to happen, why did it have to be now? And where were all the SeeDs!

They headed towards the Infirmary. When they entered the corridor Squall spread his arms, making Quistis and Rinoa stop. They looked down the corridor.

Just ahead of them was another member of the Garden Faculty. He had two students standing on either side of him and they were facing the Infirmary.

"Looks like Cid has some decent pawns," the Faculty remarked.

The doors to the Infirmary opened and two SeeDs walked out. The SeeDs were armed, with swords hanging at their waists. They stopped in the corridor and drew their swords, holding them ready in the face of the enemy.

The Faculty member shook his head. "This is getting nowhere. Call the monsters," he ordered. At his command the two students nodded and started to advance. The Faculty smirked and blew on his whistle.

Outside the corridor, in the gardens, something rustled in the treetops. A gigantic insect flew out of the trees and started to fly towards the corridor. Squall and Quistis recognised it at once. It was a Granaldo—one of the larger monsters inhabiting the Training Centre. One of the SeeDs turned to face the monster, holding his sword ready.

Squall drew his gunblade. "Let's get in there," he said, and he ran in.

He forced his way past the Garden Faculty. The Garden Faculty hit the wall. He stared at Squall in alarm.

"More SeeDs here!" he exclaimed. He turned to look down the corridor. When he saw Rinoa and Quistis he cursed and ran down the corridor, shoving his way past the women on his way out.

Quistis started to go after him, to get some answers about what was going on, but she stopped as a loud crash sounded from behind her.

The Granaldo had entered the corridor, scraping past the wall. The two SeeDs guarding the Infirmary turned and swung their swords. The insect easily dodged their swings and then dived at the students, its jaws wide open. Unlike the SeeDs the two students were unarmed, and they stood frozen at the sight of the monster coming towards them. The Granaldo slammed into them and knocked both of the men off their feet. One student fell and hit his head on the back wall. He slumped to the floor, holding his head.

The Granaldo dodged another swing from the SeeDs' swords and flew up over the corridor. The insect shrieked as it turned and dived once again. The other student tried to scramble out of the way but he could not get away fast enough. The Granaldo's claws closed around his shoulders, digging into his flesh. The insect lifted the student off the ground and held him in midair.

Seeing the student in the monster's grasp, the two SeeDs hesitated. Squall ran in front of them and turned to face the monster. Flames swept across his blade, and when Squall swung the sword the flames released in a long, fiery arc. It hit the Granaldo in its face, and the monster shrieked. It dropped the student onto the floor and began to claw at its face, trying to put out the flames.

Squall looked back at the two SeeDs. "Protect the students," he told them. "We'll deal with the monster."

The two SeeDs nodded and drew back. One took up a defensive position in front of one of the students. The other—a tall, dark-haired young man with a somewhat unremarkable face—hurried over to the wounded student and knelt at his side. He grabbed hold of the student and dragged him back, away from the battle. He stood in front of the student, holding his rapier in one hand, all the while keeping his eyes on the enemy.

With both the SeeDs in position, Squall turned back to face the Granaldo. Rinoa and Quistis ran beneath the flailing insect and stood at Squall's side.

At Squall's signal, they began the attack. Quistis swung her whip over her head and cracked it. The tail wrapped around one of the monster's legs and snapped tight. Quistis then cast Thunder into the weapon and sent a current of electricity shooting along the weapon and into the monster. The Granaldo shrieked once more as its body became a flickering mass of electricity.

While the monster was being electrified, Rinoa raised her Pinwheel and released it. The projectile cut through the electricity and sliced across the monster's wings. It pierced its delicate membrane and the Granaldo started to drop onto the ground. It slammed onto the ground. It shook off Quistis's whiptail, and the current ceased. Shaking itself down, the monster leapt into the air again.

Squall lowered his gunblade. He drew his fist towards him and began to channel Fire magic through his body. He kept on concentrating, drawing more and more energy into his hand. The flames circling his hand grew stronger, transforming into the secondary level Fire para-magic: Fira.

With a cry, Squall unleashed the magic. A large fireball shot from his hand and hit the Granaldo. As the flames engulfed it, the monster began to shriek once more, and thrashed wildly in the air. The gruesome stench of burning flesh wafted through the corridor, making their noses wrinkle. Despite its attempts to put out the flames the Granaldo was failing, and soon the insect was nothing more than a burning shadow.

In one last attempt to bring down its prey, the Granaldo surged forward. It flew over Squall and the others and headed straight to where the SeeD guarding the injured student was standing. The SeeD ran forward and thrust out his weapon, plunging the blade deep into the insect's burning body.

For a moment it looked like he had managed to stop the insect's advance, but then the momentum driving the insect forward overcame the SeeD. His rapier was torn from his grasp and the SeeD fell back.

The insect kept on moving. It headed straight to where the injured student was lying. The student's eyes widened and he tried to move out of the way, but like before he was not fast enough. The Granaldo crashed into him and pinned him against the wall, smothering him in flame. The student screamed.

Hearing his cry, Rinoa ran forward. Using Blizzard magic, she encased the Granaldo in a thin layer of ice. The ice put out the flames, and the Granaldo ceased moving. Rinoa then clenched her fist and the ice shattered into crystals, as did the body of the Granaldo.

The student lay unconscious on the ground. Rinoa ran to the young man's side and checked him over. His clothes were black and charred, and he had suffered minor burns to his face and hands, but he was still alive. When Rinoa touched him he groaned. The woman helped the student to sit up and then cast Cure on him, trying to heal his injuries.

The SeeD who had tackled the Granaldo got to his feet. He cursed and then picked up his rapier, which lay forgotten on the ground. Quistis went over to the SeeD and patted him on the shoulder, commending his bravery.

The door to the Infirmary opened, and Dr Kadowaki peered out. When she saw the destruction and chaos in the hallway, her eyes widened. She came out at once and hurried over to the injured student.

"Oh my…" she said. "Can you stand up?"

The student opened his eyes. He looked at Dr Kadowaki and then at Rinoa, who was holding his hand. He pulled his hand away from hers and rubbed at his injured shoulder, his face sullen.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. "I'm with the Garden Master…"

"Stop being ridiculous," the doctor told him harshly. "I don't care whose side you're on. We need to take care of those wounds now, you hear?" When the student said nothing, Dr Kadowaki turned to Squall. "Squall, don't just stand there," she said. "Give me a hand."

The swordsman nodded and came forward. With Rinoa's help, they got the injured student to his feet. They followed Dr Kadowaki into the Infirmary, and when they were inside the two SeeDs retook their positions outside the door.

Following Dr Kadowaki's instructions, Squall and Rinoa lay the student down in one of the rooms. After tending to the student's injuries, Dr Kadowaki came out of the room and stood behind her desk.

"What is all this faction mumbo jumbo?" she asked, shaking her head. "It's ridiculous."

"Dr Kadowaki," Squall said, interrupting her, "is Headmaster Cid around?"

"You're looking for Cid?" asked Kadowaki. She spread her hands and shook her head. "As you can see, he's not here."

"Do you have any idea?" Squall asked her.

"Hmm…" Dr Kadowaki folded her arms and rubbed her chin. "Xu might know," she answered, after some thought. She sat down in her chair. "I have no idea where she is, though. Why are you looking for him anyway?"

"I need to inform him that there may be missiles heading this way," Squall told her. "You should get out of here, too."

Hearing this, Dr Kadowaki's eyes widened. She got up out of her chair. "Are you serious!" she asked him. "Then I'm definitely gonna have to stay." She sat back down. "If anybody gets hurt, who's gonna look after them?"

Following this, Rinoa and Quistis both did their best to make Dr Kadowaki change her mind, but it was no use. The doctor was adamant, and she would not change her mind. If the Garden was hit then dozens of students would be injured, she argued. She needed to be here, where she could treat them best.

Growing tired of their pressing and insisting that she needed to get back to her patient, Dr Kadowaki then ushered the group out of the Infirmary.

After they were gone, Dr Kadowaki did not check on her patient but returned to her desk. She sat down in her chair and drummed her fingers on the table. Then she got up again and went over to the window. Her gaze drifted up to the sky.