Chapter Ten
Connection

Jade stared up at the man standing before her and she uttered a small cry as his features became visible in the dim light. His face was a mess of scars from hairline to chin. Some of them looked like burns, others like claw marks. Part of his left nostril was missing and the corner of his mouth was turned downward by a crescent shaped scar that extended to his chin. The man was hideous and deformed looking. He looked like some kind of monster.

Terror made Jade push herself even further into the corner and her arms tighten around herself. She had nowhere to go, but she didn't want him anywhere near her.

"Good evening, Jade," he said. He had a pleasant voice. Too pleasant. "I am Doctor Mikas Deling."

Jade tried to keep from screaming. She knew who he was and what he'd done. She knew what he wanted and why she was here. It all made sense now, and Jade wanted to kick herself for never taking her parents warnings more seriously. She'd just thought they were being overprotective and that things had changed since her mother was a girl.

"What do you want with me?" she asked in a small, trembling voice.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that, my dear. The question is, are you going to cooperate with me or will I have to make you?"

"What do you want?" she repeated.

Deling crouched down in front of her. She could see his scars more clearly now. They had a kind of sheen to them, and where he wasn't burned, he was pock marked and gouged. Had Tempest done this to him? Jade hoped so. She hoped Tempest had made him suffer.

"I want you to help me find Julia."

"I don't know where she is," Jade said. "I haven't seen her since we were children. I can't help you."

The doctor smiled, revealing a mouth full of broken teeth. He placed a hand on her knee. It was not an innocent gesture of comfort, but a threat. Jade may have been weak, but she was by no means stupid. She could see it in his eyes and it made her want to run screaming from the room. His touch made her skin crawl.

"You can and you will, or else."

Help me, mom! If you can hear me, please . . .

Tempest woke up screaming. She didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there, but she felt trapped and she wanted to run. She fought back the plush comforter and sheets that tangled around her legs, panicked and shrieking and trying desperately to get out. If she didn't get free, they were going to find her and put her back in her cell and she'd never get another chance to escape.

Ellone and Laguna burst into the room, both faces alarmed. Part of Tempest recognized them, but part of her saw them as a threat and she had to get as far from them as she could. She wouldn't go back in a cell. She would rather die than go back.

"Stay away!" she shrieked and scrambled from the bed.

"Tempest, it's okay," Ellone said softly. "It was just a nightmare. I promise, you're safe."

"No!" she pleaded. "Please, no!"

Without warning, a bolt of lightning erupted in the center of the room. The scent of melting carpet and ozone filled the air and Tempest realized she'd been the one to cast it, though she hadn't wanted or meant to. It had come out of nowhere and had vanished just as quickly, leaving a singed spot on the ceiling and the carpet.

The sight of her grandparent's stunned faces was enough to bring her out of her nightmare induced panic. She sat down on the floor beside the window and let out a choked sob instead in lieu of an apology. She'd meant to apologize for the damage she'd caused but the words wouldn't come out.

When Ellone sat beside Tempest and put her arms around her, Tempest began to sob in earnest. She tried to fight back her tears, but once she'd started, she couldn't stop. She didn't know what had made her feel so afraid, or even why she was crying.

"I knew we shouldn't have told you everything," Ellone said. "I knew it would be too much."

Tempest shook her head. Telling her the truth had been the best thing they could have done. No matter how tough it had been to hear.

Once Tempest had calmed down, she pulled away and leaned back against the wall with her face in her hands.

"If you want off this mission, we'll understand," Laguna said.

"No," Tempest said.

"We're afraid that telling you the truth is going to bring back a lot of...trauma," Ellone said.

"It was just a nightmare," Tempest said flatly.

"What just happened...it's a lot like what happened after we brought you here after you escaped," Laguna said. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"I'll be fine," Tempest said. "I can handle it."

"Sweetie..." Ellone began but Tempest cut her off.

"Stop treating me like I'm delicate," she said. "I can handle this, as much as I hate the fact that I was lied to my entire life, I can handle it, okay? I'm not going to turn on anybody. I just need to work through it and I'll be fine."

Ellone and Laguna exchanged glances but didn't say anything.

"You said it yourself, it was just a nightmare."

"If you're sure..." Laguna said.

"I'm sure."

Other than the lingering terror of the dream she didn't remember, and the dull anger inside her, she felt completely sane. Then again, she'd nearly set the carpet on fire in her panic, so she couldn't be entirely sure she wasn't on the verge of a major freak out. The truth was, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't willing to admit how heavy the truth weighed on her mind. She hoped the dream and the consequent panic-magic was just a symptom of stress and nothing more.

"Look, if you don't believe me by the time we're ready to start our search, you can detain me or send me back to Garden."

"Okay," Laguna agreed. "But Tempest, if you have doubts, any at all, about your ability to control this then it would be best if you stepped down. The last thing we want is for you to put yourself at risk. We can take you somewhere safe if need be."

"Say what you mean," Tempest said weakly. "The last thing you want is for me to go into full on crazy mode and destroy the whole world, and if that's the case, you rather I were Adel's roommate on Moonbase II."

"I was trying to be diplomatic, but yeah that's the gist of it," he agreed. "Forgive us for being concerned. It would be irresponsible not to consider it."

Tempest rubbed her eyes and wondered if maybe it was the best course of action. If some other teenaged sorceress with SeeD training was running around out there, Tempest knew she would see that girl as a threat and would want her locked up somewhere safe where she couldn't cause any harm. Yet, she couldn't help but feel if that were to happen in her case, there would be no hope for Jade, the pseudo-sorceresses or anyone else for that matter. She didn't know why she felt that way, she just did.

"The only way out of this is through it," Tempest said firmly. "It's too late for anyone to change their minds about this. You wanted me to do this and I'm going to do it or die trying."

"All right," Laguna said. "If you're sure, then you have to promise us something."

"What?"

"You'll need a knight," Ellone said. "As soon as possible."

Syrus stood before the Presidential Palace in Esthar, marveling at the massive structure. He'd heard that Esthar was a place like no other on earth, but he hadn't quite imagined he would be so impressed. The Palace was huge. While he knew the Presidential Residence was only a small part of the structure, he could only imagine the opulence and wealth that must surely be inside.

His suspicions were verified as soon as they entered the family wing. Every convenience had been built into the place and it was tastefully and expensively decorated, though to his surprise, it wasn't over done. Rather, the style was simple and comfortable and it seemed there was a lot of glass. Glass tables, glass cabinets, decorative bottles, vases and lamps all made of glass. This troubled Syrus, since he'd heard Laguna Loire was a rather famous klutz. He wondered if Loire was forbidden to ever enter the common room, restricted only to the rooms where he couldn't cause any damage.

"Welcome to the Presidential Residence," a tall, dark skinned man greeted. "I am Kiros Seagill, Laguna's adviser and long time friend. If you'll follow me, please?"

They were lead to a large, comfortably furnished lounge where Benji Dincht and Cedra waited, looking bored, but obviously working. They had a plethora of maps spread out across a glass coffee table and were studying it with mild interest. Syrus noted that Tempest wasn't there.

"Sy!" Cedra cried as she flew off the couch and nearly tackled him as if she hadn't seen him in months. "I'm so glad you're here. Things are so weird. And we're sooo bored!"

"And hungry," Benji complained. "Mr. Kiros, I don't mean to be rude, but are we going to have breakfast soon? I'm starving!"

"Breakfast will be served shortly," Kiros promised. "We were waiting for the second team to arrive."

"Thank Hyne!" Benji cried.

Syrus rolled his eyes and extracted himself from Cedra's vice-like grip. How someone so small could be so strong was beyond him. It was something Cedra had inherited from their mother, though. Nobody could crush a man's ribs like Selphie Almasy, and Cedra had been in training for it since birth.

"What do you mean things are weird?"

"There's stuff going on and nobody's telling us anything," Cedra said. "Last night, Tempest and her uncle got drunk and Ellone and Laguna were walking around looking all nervous and scared and we haven't seen Tempest since."

"Drunk?" he asked.

He'd never seen Tempest drunk, though on a couple of occasions, she'd had half a glass of wine with dinner at his parents house, but that had never been enough to even make her tipsy. He'd always hoped he'd be the one to get her drunk for the first time.

"Drunk! Her uncle said it was 'client's orders.' Orders or not, I don't think she should be drinking on the job, especially not right now. I mean, the longer we wait, the harder it's going to be to find Jade, isn't it? The trail's already cold. We don't have any witnesses, no ransom, no evidence of any kind. It's like she just disappeared off the face of the earth."

Syrus cut in before Cedra could truly start to rant. He knew his sister well enough to know that if she was given the least little opportunity, she could go on for hours.

"So you haven't seen Tempest since?" Syrus asked. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She wasn't at dinner last night, and I'm pretty sure I heard screaming coming from the family wing this morning," Cedra said. "Benji and I were put up in the guest wing, so I'm not totally sure, but it sounded like Tempest screaming. No one's told us anything, Syrus! I'm starting to get really worried that something really bad is happening and we're not going to be able to stop it because they keep leaving us out of everything!"

Tempest was screaming? Syrus' hope that she wouldn't freak out at the news was starting to crumble. Then again, maybe what Cedra heard was just a loud television set somewhere in the family wing. He wouldn't know for sure until he saw Tempest himself, and he calmed himself with the fact that the palace was still standing.

"They'll tell you when they're ready," Syrus promised her, turning his face away from her so that she wouldn't see that he was in on it. She could read him like a book and could be relentless when she wanted information. Not that he'd tell her anything, but he also didn't want to deal with the annoyance of her constant pestering.

"I want to know now!" she whined at him. "Seriously, we're bored!"

"And hungry," Benji chimed in. Again.

Syrus wanted bang their heads together. He realized then that his team had been silent through this whole exchange, which seemed strange to him. He looked over his shoulder to make sure they'd followed. Remy had taken a set on a lounger near the door and appeared to be taking a nap. Quenton, though was thoughtfully examining a map laid out on the table behind him.

"D-district?" Quenton asked Cedra. "Is that a possibility?

"Who knows?" she asked. "Everything's a possibility right now because we don't know who took Jade, or why, so we don't know where she even is."

"My money's on Galbadia," Remy said without opening his eyes.

Syrus took a seat on a couch while Cedra and Benji caught him up on what they'd found out so far, which amounted to nothing. The lack of information was concerning. Without anything to go on, Syrus didn't think there was much hope of finding Jade.

A half an hour later, Tempest entered the room alone. Her face was pale and she looked exhausted. She glanced around at the two teams, but said nothing. Syrus got to his feet and stared back at her as her eyes came to rest on him. He expected her to pull the tough girl act on him, but she didn't. All he saw was the weariness in her eyes and an unexpected vulnerability.

"Thanks for waiting," she said softly. "And for your patience."

"Do you have a new lead?" Cedra asked.

"Maybe," Tempest said. "For now, my grandfather asks that we join him for breakfast and we can discuss the rest after everyone's eaten."

"Thank Hyne," Benji said. "I'm starved."

Tempest gave him a harassed look and rubbed her eyes. Syrus noticed they were red, as though she'd been crying.

"You guys go on ahead. I need to be alone for a while."

Though Syrus was hungry, he was reluctant to leave her. She looked like hell and he was sure that she was drained from all the surprises she'd gotten in the last 24 hours. He needed to know that she was all right before he left her to her thoughts.

As the other's filed out of the room, chatting amongst themselves, Syrus stayed put. He watched her face for any sign of anger and saw only exhaustion and what might have been grief. He could sense how distraught she was. Syrus had always been able to read her, even when it didn't show. It pained him to not be able to comfort her or let her unburden herself. He wanted to go to her and take her in his arms, to hold her and tell her it was going to be all right. But she wouldn't let him do that, so he just stood there, watching her.

"You're going to miss breakfast," she said.

"I can wait," he said. "I just wanted to be sure you're all right."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"There's a lot on my mind."

"How about we take a walk?" he asked. "I saw a courtyard on the way in. Some fresh air might do you good."

Tempest stared at him.

"What are you trying to do, Syrus?"

"I'm trying to be a friend. Is that wrong?" he asked. "Cause it looks to me like you could really use one right about now."

Tempest pressed her face into her hands and shook her head.

"Please, Sy," she said. "I don't want to fight with you right now."

"Who said anything about fighting?" he asked gently.

"I need to be alone right now. Can you please just give me that?"

Syrus put a hand against her cheek and tilted her face up to his so he could look her in the eye. It took everything he had in him not to grab hold of her, wrap her up in his arms and promise that everything would be okay. It took everything he had in him not to tell her he knew everything.

"If that's what you want," he said. "But if you need me, I'll be there, okay?"

He could see Tempest struggle with that. He could see she wanted to tell him she didn't need him, but instead, she just nodded.

Then, she turned and walked away from him without looking back.

Tempest found a quiet spot in the courtyard Syrus had mentioned and took a seat on a hard concrete bench facing a small fountain.. The fountain was an abstract configuration of looping and jagged bands of copper that could have been either a flower or a spider. Tempest wasn't sure which, if either, but she found the sound of the trickling water soothing.

The morning was cool and pleasant and the breeze carried with it the scent of roses and jasmine. Overhead, the sky was clear and the rising sun bright, though not as bright as a Balamb morning. The color of the light was different, but it didn't matter. It peaceful, and that was what she needed most. Stress had worn her down. The weight of her past made her weary.

She was perilously close to breaking down. Never in her life had she felt so emotionally raw, nor so confused. Her life had been built on lies, and she couldn't help but feel betrayed. They'd deliberately kept the truth from her. Some of it she could forgive, but not the part about keeping Julia a secret. She understood that they'd tried to do what was best, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth to know that someone else had been making the decisions for her.

After speaking with her grandparents for a while, Tempest had been given a few more details. Supposedly, she was able to connect with Ellone, Jade and any living Sorceress, whether they'd met or not. Technically, she was able to possess others, but Tempest didn't know how to go about either connection or possession. She didn't know if she wanted to, but she understood that if she wanted to find Julia and Jade, she'd have to give it a shot.

But, Ellone hadn't been able to contact either of them, so Tempest wasn't sure if she was doing it wrong, or if they couldn't be contacted.

As Tempest stared up at the sky, she wondered about Julia. What was she like? Was she still the outgoing twin, or had years of being in hiding made her cautious and shy? Was she safe and happy or was she lonely? And did she ever think about Tempest? Did she ever miss her?

There weren't any answers. None that Tempest could come up with on her own. The only way to know for sure was to be reunited with Julia. Some day in the near future, Tempest would go to Cid and demand to see her. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

Tempest sat there for a long time, thinking. It didn't help the situation, nor did she come up with any grand schemes to help find Jade, but at the very least, she sorted through her feelings about everything she'd learned. She found that she could accept the deception, for Cid and Laguna truly had her best interests in mind. She wasn't sure what else they could have done, given the circumstances. After all, had she not been taken to Garden and junctioned, there would have been no hope of controlling her fear or rage at what had been done to her. Tempest didn't like it, but she understood.

But more worrisome than all that, Ellone had insisted that Tempest find a knight as soon as possible. They were concerned that without one, Tempest was in danger of devolving into the paranoid, terrified girl she'd been when she'd escaped from Deling's lab. Ellone had said that the nightmare this morning was just a small taste of what it had been like when Tempest was a child. It had been far worse than those few minutes of confusion and fear; Tempest had been like that all the time. According to Ellone, the right knight would help keep her grounded, her emotions balanced and her head clear.

Tempest didn't want to contemplate the idea of even having a knight. It seemed so melodramatic and silly. Worse, it meant that she would have to tell everyone the truth, and she wasn't ready for that. She didn't want anyone to know. Not even Syrus. She wasn't even sure why she wanted to keep it a secret, except that she wasn't sure how any of them would react. They might not care, or they might consider her an enemy. Syrus might decide he wanted nothing to do with her, given what his father had gone through, and she couldn't blame him. The last thing the Almasy family needed was to be associated with another sorceress scandal.

Then again, she knew Syrus well enough to know that accepting the role of her Knight wasn't even a question. She wouldn't even need to ask.

No, it was best to keep it all to herself for now. She would tell them only when there was no other choice.

From the other side of the fountain came an odd rustling sound. Tempest stood, wary of anything out of the ordinary, even in a secure location like the Palace. The sound continued and Tempest approached slowly, regretting the fact that she'd forgotten to bring her blade with her.

After a moment's hesitation, Tempest plunged into the bushes, ready to fight with her bare hands if she had to.

There was a soft, but familiar chuckle from inside the stand of foliage.

"Syrus, what the hell are you doing?" Tempest demanded.

"Just checking in," he said. "You missed breakfast."

He pushed past her and stood looking at the fountain. He cocked his head at it and circled, as if admiring a piece of art in a museum.

"What's this thing supposed to be?"

"I thought I said I needed to be alone."

Syrus glanced at her, but ignored the statement.

"It looks like . . . a spider?"

"Syrus," Tempest said. "Why are you here?"

Syrus could sense Tempest's anxiety as he stood looking at the strange fountain. He knew she didn't want to be disturbed, but the fact remained, they had a mission and they were going to have to pick a direction and go with it before they lost any more time.

"Everyone's done eating," he said. "They're waiting on you to come inside and figure out where to go from here."

"Oh," she said and glanced at her watch. It had been over an hour since she'd come to the courtyard.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I"m fine."

"You keep saying that," Syrus said, reaching out to touch one of the copper blades of the fountain with a fingertip. "But I don't think you'd be out here if you were."

Syrus stared at the fountain, baffled by what it was supposed to be. It was weird and out of place and strangely violent in the otherwise tranquil setting.

"I guess you don't understand what the word alone means."

"I understand it," Syrus said. "I just don't think it's a great idea to get too wrapped up in your own head for too long."

Tempest turned her back on him and covered her face with her hands. Syrus was surprised to see her body begin to shake with silent sobs. In all the time he'd known her, he'd never known her to cry. Now he'd seen it twice in one week. It tore at his heart and he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest. To his surprise, she didn't resist his embrace.

"Shh," he murmured in her ear. "It's going to be okay."

"I didn't think this would be so hard," she whispered.

Syrus kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter. He'd missed this feeling, though he regretted the circumstances. Undoubtedly, she was referring to finding out the truth, rather than her missing aunt. Syrus played along, as if he thought Jade was what Tempest meant.

"Syrus, let me go."

"Not on your life kid," he said and pressed his cheek against hers.

Now that he had her here, he didn't want to let her go. She felt so right in his arms, and she fit so perfectly against him, as if they'd been made for one another.

"I mean it," she growled as she wrenched away from him. "I don't want to hurt you."

He wasn't sure if it was a threat or a concern. Was she afraid she might accidentally level him with magic, or was she promising a well placed punch in the sternum if he didn't back off?

"I wish you would trust me enough to tell me what's bothering you," he said, taking a step back.

"Right now, I don't trust anyone," she said softly. "Not you, not my family, maybe not even myself. So if you know what's good for you, you'll walk away and not look back."

Syrus didn't want to leave her there alone, when she was so clearly distraught. He knew the source of her pain, but wasn't at liberty to disclose what he knew and it was killing him. He wanted to tell her he had her back, that he'd be there no matter what she was or what the Gods threw in their path.

It didn't help that while her words conveyed her desire to be alone, her body language and her eyes said otherwise. Not to mention, he sensed she needed to unburden herself, she just didn't know how. He didn't know how he knew, but there was no question that a part of her wanted to tell him everything. He could feel it.

He stared at the fountain again and saw a small plaque at it's base, naming it a piece of Moonbase that had survived the Lunar Cry. Someone had turned it into a piece of questionable art. Syrus wondered if it was mere coincidence that Tempest had chosen the one place in the courtyard where she might be closest to her family. Both her grandparents and parents had been on (or near, in Rinoa's case) Moonbase when the last Lunar Cry began. In a way, this very artifact was a fragment of their history and their legend. Was it just by chance that she chose this spot?

He sat down on the bench and watched her for a moment. Hyne, she didn't know how beautiful or special she was to him, did she? He wanted to pour his heart out to her, to tell her how much he needed and wanted her back, but he didn't want to sound like Quenton.

"I miss you," he finally said.

She turned around and looked at him. The pain in her eyes broke his heart and he held out a hand to her, hoping she would come to him and let him give her whatever comfort she needed.

"Please let me in, Tempest," he said. "I'll be whatever you need me to be, just don't shut me out."

Her complexion turned deathly pale and she swayed as if she was about to pass out. For a moment, he thought she was angry with him until her eyes rolled back into her head and her knees buckled. He got up and moved to catch her, fearing what had happened during the exam was about to happen again.

Gingerly, he lifted her into his arms and moved back to the bench, where he sat and gathered her against his chest. She was limp in his arms, and he wasn't sure what was happening. Was this just exhaustion or something else?

"Tempest, wake up," he commanded and shook her lightly. "Come on, wake up!"

When she didn't respond, he kissed her between the eyes and carried her inside, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

Jade closed her eyes and allowed the doctor to pull her to her feet. Inside she was screaming for her mother, trying with every ounce of energy she had left to connect with Ellone. It was doing no good, but the fighter in her wouldn't give up. There had to be some way to get through, some way to contact her and let her know what was happening.

Suddenly, she felt a pull from somewhere in her mind. Someone was drawing her in, and Jade wanted to cry out in her joy, but she kept it inside. She didn't want the good doctor to know anything special was happening. Her legs grew week as the connection was made, and the doctor was forced to support her weight.

Mom?

What?

Who are you? I'm trying to reach Ellone Loire.

Jade?

Yes! It's me. Who are you?

It's your niece...Tempest.

I don't understand.

That makes two of us. Are you ok? Any injuries?

Just my pride. Can you get a message to my mother?

Of course. What do you want me to tell her?

That I'm okay, I guess. I'm alive at least, but I don't know what they want with me yet. And tell everyone that I love them, very much. Can you do that?

Sure. Where are you?

I don't know! A lab of some kind, I think. There's a Doctor Mikas Deling here. Does that help?

More than you know. Do you remember how you got there?

All I remember is being on the platform, going home, and then waking up here. I think I'm underground, though. There aren't any windows and the walls in my cell drip water from the cracks, and it smells kind of earthy.

Good. That's good. Anything else that might help us?

I can't connect with anyone while in my cell. It might have an anti-magic barrier.

So you're outside your cell now?

Yes. The doctor is taking me somewhere. Cells on one side, labs on the other. Labs with big glass windows so that you can see into them from the hall. Lots of strange looking equipment in them. Oh. There's a little girl in one of them! Tempest...when you come to get me, can you take her too? Please? It isn't fair...

Jade, focus.

Tell me you'll take her.

If I can, I will.

Thank you. And tell everyone I love them.

Jade's strength waned and the connection broke. She found herself lying on the floor in the brightly lit hallway. Carefully, she got to her feet and peered into the lab where she'd seen the little girl. The child was around age ten, with a head of shining dark hair that appeared coppery under the lights. The exact same shade as her own, come to think of it.

Poor little thing. She must be terrified. Don't worry. Tempest will save us. I know she will.

Hope swelled in Jade's breast and she had to fight back the smile twitched at the corner of her lips. She didn't want the doctor to know she'd connected with someone, for he might decide to change the location so that they couldn't be found, as he'd done with Tempest a couple of times while she'd been in his custody.

Then it occurred to her that Julia might be here too. She hoped not, but she couldn't help the flutter of terror in the pit of her stomach at the thought of being made to junction to her niece and childhood friend. At that moment, she began to devise a scheme that might buy Tempest a little more time.

"Doctor, I don't feel so well," she said as she slid to the floor again.

When Tempest came to, she found herself in Syrus' arms, which was exactly where she'd been trying not to end up when Jade had contacted her.

"Put me down, Syrus," she said. "I'm all right."

"What the hell, Tempest! You scared me half to death."

"I need to talk to my grandfather," she insisted. "Put me down."

He set her on her feet and she impulsively threw her arms around his waist, thinking about what he'd said before she'd connected with Jade. "I miss you." She'd almost lost her resolve to keep her distance, right there and then and it was hard to let him go.

There was a reason she had to stay away. Even now, she wasn't sure if she could trust him, and even if she could, she didn't want him to think she did. It would be easier that way. It was as much for him as it was for her that she could not allow herself to be lured back in. It was the only way to protect herself. It was the only way she could protect him.

She pulled away from him, leaving him confused by her behavior, and sprinted down the hall to the family room. The sooner they got the ball rolling, the more likely they'd reach Jade before anything bad happened. Unless, something bad was already in progress.

Tempest wouldn't think about that. She had to believe that they'd reach her in time.

And the little girl Jade had mentioned. Was she one of the clone sorceresses? Ophelia, perhaps? Or one of the others? Or a different girl all together?

She burst through the doors of the family room, where the teams were halfheartedly examining the maps and documents on the table. All except Benji, who had taken a to-go plate from breakfast and was busy wolfing down an omelet. Probably his second or third helping, if Tempest was to judge by the empty plate beside it.

Everyone looked up at her in surprise, startled by her abrupt entrance.

"Dr. Mikas Deling," she managed to get out before Syrus appeared behind her, out of breath and clearly annoyed with her.

"What the hell are you doing, Tempest?" Syrus scolded. "You should be resting, not running all over the Palace like a crazy person!"

"I didn't faint, you idiot. Jade connected with me," she said. "She's alive, but Deling has her. She say's there's a little girl there, too."

Laguna got to his feet, the maps forgotten.

"Is she all right? They didn't hurt her did they?"

"She says she's fine."

Tempest related everything Jade had told her while the connection held, which wasn't much, but enough to give everyone hope. Especially Tempest's family. They were reinvigorated by the news that Jade was alive and mostly unharmed. Even Tempest found herself caught up in the mood. Jade was alive, and they might just have a shot at finding her.

Obsidian watched Tempest and the other SeeDs as they spread out the maps of Galbadia on the board room table. He was impressed with his niece and her ability to think on her feet, even after being blindsided with the news the day before. Somehow, she was able to put all that aside and focus on the mission, and there was a lot to be said for that. He owed her his gratitude and his respect. It really was too bad that they'd never gotten to know one another over the years. Obsidian had a feeling they would have gotten along really well. He would have enjoyed her company and it might have been fun to spar with her and find out first hand how good she really was.

Once the maps were on the table, Tempest studied them for possible locations for an underground lab, either in the city or out of it.

"Any thoughts, guys?" she asked.

"I heard that an entire floor of D-district has been dedicated to scientific research, using prisoners as test subjects," Benji said. "Like, illegal stuff."

"Good," Tempest said. "Can someone find us a more detailed floor plan of D-district?"

"That will be hard to get a hold of," Obsidian said, "but maybe we can find something online."

"I brought my laptop," Quenton volunteered.

"Get on it, then," Tempest said. "Any other ideas?"

"The missile silo?" Syrus asked, looking over Tempest's shoulder at a map of Galbadia.

Obsidian could tell by the way Syrus hovered that he cared very much for Tempest. While the depth of their relationship wasn't clear, Obsidian got the feeling that there was more than just friendship between them. Perhaps Syrus would make a good Knight for his niece. Obsidian made a mental note to bring it up with Tempest when they got a moment or two alone.

"You and Remy take the desert map," Tempest told Syrus. "See if you can find something. Maybe an outpost or something that might stand out as odd."

Obsidian went to stand beside Tempest, who studied a map of Deling's underground.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I'm thinking it's somewhere under Deling City," Tempest admitted.

"Why?"

"Laguna found me in the city," Tempest said quietly so the others wouldn't hear her. She didn't take her eyes off the map. "Plus, there was something Jade said. About the walls leaking in her cell. That means she's near a water source, underground."

Obsidian silently agreed with Tempest's logic. There was a curious system of waterworks, secret passages and chambers beneath the city. Subterranean Deling City was the most likely candidate for the lab's location, based on that tiny bit of information.

""D-district and the silo are both in the desert, but it's possible an underground location out there might be near a water source," Obsidian said. "There's a system of natural aquifers that run between the two, though they're pretty deep and I doubt the area is stable enough to support anything built underground. Sink holes are pretty common. That's why D-district was built the way it was. Well, that and to make it damn near impossible to escape from."

"I think we should rule out D-district for now," Tempest said. "You're right. Nothing's escaped that place since my dad and the others busted out of there twenty years ago. Nothing's gotten in that wasn't supposed to, either. We'll go back to it if we don't come up with something elsewhere."

Obsidian studied the map of subterranean Deling City carefully. The sewer system was fairly complex, and he knew from experience that there were passages that lead to various locations around the city. They had been designed that way to keep important officials out of harm's way and provide them with escape routes if necessary. It also made movement from one location to another without detection possible.

"What's this?" Tempest asked, placing her finger on a rather large rectangle of space that seemed to have no definite purpose.

"Master control center?" Obsidian guessed.

"Hmm."

"That little square next to it looks like it might be a stairwell or an elevator."

Tempest nodded.

"There's nothing else on D-District other than what we already have," Quenton informed Tempest. "Everything's been blocked or comes up as a bad link."

Obsidian wasn't surprised by that. Galbadia was notorious for trying to hide information or keep details from public knowledge.

"Quenton, look up a geographical map of the area around the silo and the prison. Something that gives both above and below ground water sources. I want to see how close the aquifer is to both."

"On it," he said.

"You're good at this," Obsidian told Tempest.

"It's what I was trained to do," Tempest said with a shrug. "Besides, I want to be absolutely sure the Deling City waterworks is where we need to look. There's too much at stake to be wrong."

Obsidian wondered if she was afraid of confronting Dr. Deling again, or if there was a bit of vengeance in her. He wouldn't blame her if there was. He would want some retribution if he was in her shoes.

"I'm just glad she was able to connect with you," Obsidian said. "We've been fearing the worst since she disappeared."

"Do you think, if something happened to her, you'd know without being told?" Tempest asked softly. "Would you feel it?"

"Our bond isn't as strong as...as with most twins, but maybe I would," he said. "I can't really say for sure."

He'd almost said, "as yours is with Julia." Obsidian realized that he'd have to be careful of what he said around the SeeDs. Tempest hadn't told them anything about her past, and it seemed she wanted to keep it that way as long as she could. Perhaps she was afraid they'd shun her once they knew. Perhaps she didn't trust them with the information. Whatever her reasons, Obsidian understood and he vowed to protect her secret until she was ready to share it.

"I think I found something," Quenton said.

Tempest moved to peer at Quenton's laptop screen. Obsidian followed, wondering about what Tempest had just asked. He had never experienced any kind of extra senses when it came to his sister. Jade had lived a charmed and easy life and there had never been a moment when she'd been in any kind of danger until now. All he had was his fear and his worry, the same as everyone else.

He knew that Julia and Tempest had been different. That had been clear from the start, when Julia had screamed in sympathy for Tempest as a child. He wondered if, after such a long separation, it still worked that way. Would one know if the other was hurt or in danger? Would they feel it in their bones?

On the laptop screen was a 3-D map of the burned out hole that was once a missile launch and storage site.

"I tracked this through a satellite GPS system," Quenton explained. "All we have to do is input a map co-ordinate and it will give a thermal image of the area above and below the location. It's only able to show us about a hundred feet or so into the soil, but that should be good enough."

"Let's see what we've got," Tempest said.

The image showed very little, in truth. There was part of collapsed bunker twenty feet into the ground, but nothing else. No water. No evidence of anything being hidden in the depths of the earth.

"Zoom out," she told him.

The image came up on screen and Obsidian could tell just by looking at that they could rule out the silo. The aquifer was a good fifty miles from the silo, and nothing came up on the thermal display anywhere close to it.

"Hmm. Try pulling up Deling city, co-ordinate 15.346 north by 37.2214 west," Tempest instructed. "That's about where that large area on the waterworks map was located. If there's anything below it, we should be able to see it."

Quenton typed in the coordinates and the screen filled with a complex map that was difficult to interpret because of all the layers of substructure beneath the city. It was hard to tell what they were looking at.

"Zoom out a little."

Quenton did as instructed and Tempest nodded to herself. She was obviously seeing something they weren't. There didn't appear to be anything beneath the area she'd chosen to see.

"This has to be it."

"I don't see anything," Obsidian said.

"Look closer. Just below this room," she said, pointing to an area on the screen. "There's a very faint area of something below it. See? It's just a little lighter than the area around it. It's hard to see because of all the other stuff in the way, but it looks as if they've designed it to give off all but the barest amount of energy. There's something down there."

"Oh, yeah," Quenton said. "I see it now. It's bigger than the room above it. Looks like there's a level below that, too."

Obsidian still wasn't seeing what they saw, but he trusted Tempest and that was good enough.

"Okay," Obsidian sad. "There's something there. The question is, is Jade there?"

"That's the million Gil question, isn't it?" Tempest said. "Won't know until we look, will we?"

"Anyone else got any theories they want to throw out?" Obsidian asked.

No one spoke up.

Obsidian looked at Tempest and nodded. Deling City sounded like the best place to start until they had information otherwise.

"Would you mind if I go with you?" Obsidian asked. "She is my sister, after all."

"Do you have any training?" Tempest asked.

"I'm a Captain in the Esthar Army," Obsidian informed her. "I think I'm pretty well prepared for anything that might come our way."

That was the truth. Obsidian had earned his rank, though he could have coasted through on his name alone. Son of a President or not, Obsidian was regarded as an rising star in the Army, based on his performance as an officer. He had the respect of his subordinates and his superiors, and he truly enjoyed his job.

Tempest eyed him with genuine regret in her eyes, and Obsidian thought she was about to say no.

"I just realized that I don't know anything about you."

"We can change that," Obsidian said. "If you let me come with you."

"I should say no," Tempest said. "Our contract doesn't cover you."

"I'll take my chances."

Obsidian saw Tempest's hesitation as she glanced over her shoulder at her teams. They were all looking at her, some of them skeptical, some of them unconcerned, but only Quenton looked as if he might have a problem with it.

When she looked back at him, Obsidian had his answer.

"Get your gear together," Tempest told him. "We're leaving immediately."