Chapter XI; "Fight The Future"
"Wrongs darker than death or night, grow in darkness but wither in the light of day"
Selphie stared at the ceiling. She lay on the bed, trying not to think, but not able to stop herself. They'd been flying for several hours now, unsure of where to go. They were probably somewhere over Galbadia by now.
Squall and Rinoa are gone.
She thought. Gone, just like that. "Gone" sure is a small enough word to describe how quickly something like that is snatched away from you without warning. Man, why does this kind of thing always have to happen to us? Why can't things just be normal? If only the world was a better place. If only there were no wars and killing. If only we lived in a world where we didn't have to say "if only"....She was jarred from her thinking by somebody pounding on the door of the sleeping quarters.
"What's the matter?" she called, trying to sound sleepy. "I'm tryin' ta sleep!"
"We got a big problem!" cried the voice. Through the bulkhead, Selphie recognised it as Quistis. If Quistis was panicked then something was definitely bad news.
"What is it?!" said Selphie, alarmed.
"The ship!" Quistis told her. "It's going to crash!"
***
Selphie and Quistis dashed onto the bridge, Selphie vaulting into the pilot's seat and grabbing the controls.
"What's the problem?" she demanded.
"When we were over Timber, headed for Deling, Quisty said we should change course and head for Garden. Then we found out that we were unable to change direction!" Zell replied.
"We tried shutting down auto-pilot." Quistis explained. "But the controls won't respond. We can't steer off our course, and we can't stop the ship."
"What can you do?" Seifer asked.
Everyone was looking at Selphie, who knew the Ragnarok inside and out. "Umm, well." she began, forming a hypothesis. "Well, the only explanation I can think of is that those fighter jet's did more damage than we thought. They must have hit the flaps on the side of the ship that control directional turns..."
Selphie looked out the window, ahead of them. In the distance, she could see the lights of Deling.
"...and the fuel line...." she said, dejected.
"We're going to crash?" Irvine said to the whole room.
"Right into Deling city..." Quistis trailed off.
Everyone fell silent, as the city began to get closer and closer, as did the ground. For the first time, they could see they were coming in at an angle, and very fast to boot.
"How long have we got?" Zell asked.
"About the time it takes to read a 'Stop' sign, Zell." Selphie replied.
"That's okay then." Irvine joked. "Zell doesn't usually get through those in one sitting."
"What are the odds of getting out of this?" asked Serene.
"About the same odds as discovering Squall saddle-stitching the hem of a pair of lemon maternity slacks." said Selphie.
"I'll admit, it's been a while since he did that." said Quistis, adding to the joke.
"I have an idea." said Selphie. "When the ships engines cut out, me and Zell could try to aim our descent along the Galbadian highway. It's pretty quiet at this time of night."
"What do you say, Seifer?" Zell shouted back. "I don't understand a woman who's in her twenties and still has a teddy-bear named 'Bobo'..." (Selphie glared at him.) "...But when it comes to piloting, she's the tops."
"I guess at a time like this, it falls to me to say something heroic..." stated Seifer. Quistis looked at him. Zell turned back to face him, as did Selphie. Serene looked at him from where she sat. Even Irvine glanced over at him, curious.
"....Nothing springs to mind, everybody take a seat." said Seifer, doing so.
"Where are you going?" Irvine asked Serene as she walked to the lift.
"To make sure everyone holds on to something." she replied. Irvine nodded and took his seat as she left.
"Buckle up." Selphie said, pulling a shaded-green combat helmet from under her seat and placing it on her head. The city was getting closer. When it was close enough to read the billboards, they knew that this was it...
***
The ship began to rattle and shake, as the engines used up the last of the depleted fuel, and the ship rode solely on it's inertia. Everyone braced himself or herself as the ship began to get lower and lower. There were shouts and cries of panic as the Ragnarok finally plowed into the ground, slicing into the concrete and leaving a clear path of destruction in it's wake.
The dragonhead at the front of the ship was scarred and dirty, but still angry and fierce as it cut a swath through the city, ripping through parked cars and taking down streetlamps and signposts.
"Once Squall and Rinoa came back, I thought things were going to get back to normal!" Irvine shouted above the din.
"We're causing massive disruption in Deling City, we don't have a clue what's really going on, what's to come next, or how all we got here in the first place." Quistis replied, trying to brace herself. "Things are back to normal."
One man saw the gigantic red ship plowing towards him, tearing up vast chunks of concrete in it's path. It was that point in his life, the soldier became convinced that he'd seen it all. "Oh naw!" he panicked, and fumbled with his keys trying to open the door to his truck. He'd just got given it an overhaul and a paintjob after the other night when some lunatic cab driver and a longhaired hippy nutcase on a bike had messed up the rig. He tried to get the door open in time. Just as it finally opened, he saw that monster was almost upon him. He yelled and jumped clear to safety as the giant ship bore forward, tearing through his truck like aluminium foil. He stood up, yelling and throwing his cap down on the ground.
"Oh crap!" shouted Seifer as he looked out the shattered window, the wind rushing into his eyes. "We're gonna hit an arch!" Just as the words left his lips, the ship powered through one of the city's massive concrete arches. Sparks showered and snaked off the hull as it squeezed through, slowing it's rapid pace somewhat. The large protruding engines, however, were ripped clean from the ship.
"According to the computer, we've just lost the engines!" Zell shouted, then grabbed Selphie by the shoulder and looked at her. "Didn't I read somewhere that can seriously affect your ability to fly?!?"
The ship hurtled on, but this time it was losing it's momentum. That didn't stop it's path of destruction, however. Selphie and Zell could see the road coming to an end. The Silver Bowl, Deling's grand casino, re-opened surprisingly early. There was a full house of gamblers and tourists to celebrate it's re-opening. The death count would be hundreds.
"Brakes!" Selphie shouted, snapping her fingers.
"We haven't got any!" Zell shouted.
"No!" she said, grabbing the lever for the ships landing legs. "These kinda brakes!"
As she pulled the lever back, the legs that the ship used for vertical take-off and landing snapped out from under the ship, ripping into the concrete and earth, helping to slow the ship even more.
"Bury the nose!" Selphie ordered and tried her best to push the controls forward, the computers and monitors sparking and blowing around her. In the cargo bays, the people were safe but terrified. The ship continued to surge forward, tearing up the ground, getting slower...and slower...and slower....
Just right before the dragonhead of the ship hit the glass of the main door of the casino, the ship shuddered to a halt, throwing up a gigantic cloud of dust. The people stopped and stared at the massive red ship and the immense path of destruction it had caused. People got out of their cars, and helicopters flew overhead, throwing spotlights over the ship. Behind it lay it's long trail, like a scar cut across the main road of the city. At least they hadn't hit any buildings, and by some miracle, nobody was injured. Some people pointed out that they could see figures moving around behind the shattered glass dome of the bridge.
"You know what they say; Any landing you can walk away from." said Selphie, standing up and removing her helmet. "Is a good one."
"Whoever said that never flew with you." moaned Zell, standing up.
The bridge was totalled. The glass was smashed. The computers were burnt out, and there were several small fires burning in places. Everyone looked bad, with ripped clothes, cuts and bruises, as well as a few light burns on them. Quistis lay on the floor, barely conscious.
"There's a pulse." Irvine said to Seifer. "But maybe I should give her the kiss of life, just to be on the safe side."
"The kiss of life is for drowning, you moron." Seifer replied, picking Quistis up and slinging her over his shoulder.
"Spoilsport." said Irvine.
Quistis moaned and began to wake up. Seifer let her stand. "Is everyone okay?" she asked.
"No, I'm not. I'm really frustrated." said Irvine.
"Let's go, quickly." said Zell. "Selphie looks terrible."
"Terrible?" Selphie parroted. "Your eyes need adjusting, bud."
"He means you look good, Sefie." said Irvine. "Great, in fact. Beautiful, stylish and cooler than a cucumber in a designer suit sipping dry Martini on a schooner. But you're badly hurt."
"For a second I thought it was serious."
Seifer braced his body with his hands and kicked the airlock door open with both feet. It fell off it's hinges and clattered to the ground below. The luminescent yellow emergency slide instantly began to pump itself full of air and opened out.
"Everybody out." Seifer ordered. Selphie was the first to go, followed by Irvine, and then Zell. As Quistis slid down, she could see the other slides were open, and the Estharians were leaving the crashed ship too. Seifer slid down it and landed easily, not losing his balance. As the others walked away groggily, Seifer felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and faced a young man with spiky blonde hair, wearing the suit of one of the casino's parking valets. They'd crashed right in his spot. Seifer read the nametag; "Clay Stripe".
"What the hell is this?!?" yelled Clay. "Hey man, I get $10 Gil for cars, and I get $20 Gil for limousines. What the fudge is this?!?!"
Seifer looked up at the ship for a second, then faced Clay again. "It's a starship." he replied, satirically. He stuffed $30 Gil into Clay's breast pocket and gave him a quick pat on the cheek. "Park it next to the limo."
With that, Seifer walked away grinning.
***
It was about half an hour later. Quistis and Seifer sat in the back of an ambulance, watching the rescue workers helping the survivors of the crash. They had warm blankets draped over them, and were drinking mugs of hot coffee.
"How do you think we're going to explain this one to Tatsel?" Seifer grinned.
"Have you noticed how every time we come to this city, we end up causing a disaster?" said Quistis.
"Hmmm?" asked Seifer, taking another sip.
"Well, first time we came here, we tried to assassinate Edea." explained Quistis. "But, when Squall went to do it, Edea, or rather Ultimecia, stopped him."
"For the record, I let Squall win." Seifer pointed out.
"Sure." Quistis smiled. "Well, next time Squall and Rinoa came here, Rinoa became possessed by Alexandra. Of course, we all thought it was Ultimecia again. We don't know what happened to Squall and Rinoa next, only that Alexandra returned to Deling city and took over. We went to fight her, Seifer, you and me. And that was the mission where Squall died."
"And nobody brought a Polaroid." Seifer sighed mockingly.
"Then there was that chase through the city the other night." Quistis continued. "And now this."
"Yeah, we really get into our work."
Quistis tried to glare at him, but ended up smiling. Pretty soon, they were both laughing.
"Quistis! Seifer!" shouted Zell's voice. They turned and saw him running up to them. "It's Tatsel and Caraway. They need to see us pronto!"
They followed him over towards the Presidential mansion. Irvine and Selphie were already there, as was Serene. Caraway was there, wearing a big fur coat and looking at them expectantly.
"Aw shit." moaned Seifer. "Here we go."
"Where's Tatsel?" Quistis wondered aloud.
"SeeDs..." began Caraway, as they were all assembled. "Thank Gods you came."
Everyone exchanged glances. It wasn't exactly the first thing they had expected to hear.
"What do you mean?" Quistis asked.
"Yeah, we totally tore up your back yard, dude!" Zell exclaimed.
"Right now, that's the least of our worries." said Caraway. "Something terrible has happened."
At this, a black Presidential helicopter roared into view, flattening the grass with gusts of wind as it landed. Caraway walked towards it and motioned for the SeeDs to follow. Irvine looked at Selphie, who shrugged and walked toward the helicopter. Irvine shrugged to himself and followed.
"Wait!" Serene shouted. "What about us?"
Caraway turned back to her. "I'm afraid we can't allow civilians into this." he explained. "But don't worry. You have the word of the President of the United States of Galbadia that the Estharian guests will be well looked after, until you feel its safe to return to your country."
Serene nodded and thanked him.
"You gonna be alright?" Quistis asked.
Serene nodded. "You better go."
Quistis nodded back and headed over to the helicopter, which Seifer helped her into. It took off and raced forward, heading out of Deling City. From this airborne view, they could see the damage Ragnarok had caused, cutting a fine line through the city.
"We're heading south." Seifer observed. "What's going on?"
"Your team is to be briefed en route." said Caraway. "Your team was named and asked for specifically."
"By whom?" Quistis asked.
"Classified." said Caraway. "But all is to be explained along the way."
"What's happened?" Selphie asked.
Caraway looked mournful.
"There's been a disaster."
*~*~*~*
Galbadia Garden sailed on into the night. Even it's design was forceful, proud and bold. It was the pinnacle of Galbadia's military power, a symbol of the might of a nation.
And it fell on the shoulders Headmaster Martine to ensure that all within ran smoothly. He was proud of work, proud of his students and proud of his Garden. It was a well-oiled war machine.
Some time ago, they had been briefed of a political situation in Esthar. They had set a course across the ocean, ready to assist, but had then received a communiqué from Headmaster Tatsel of Balamb Garden that the situation had been resolved. So they had turned back. They had gone the long way, around Centra. Once they rounded the Cape of Good Hope and passed the lighthouse, they had set an open course for home.
"Dougray." said Martine, to his second in command, a young dark-haired man in his mid-twenties.
"Yes sir?" asked Dougray.
"I'm settling in for the night. I'll be in my quarters if there's an emergency."
"Yes sir. Pleasant dreams, sir." nodded Dougray.
"Are you okay, Dougray?" Martine asked.
"Yes sir, why?"
"It's just that your voice sounds a little strange tonight."
"Oh." said Dougray. "I think I may have caught a cold, sir. Bit of a sore throat too. Nothing to worry about."
Martine nodded, and left the bridge. Dougray sat down at the radar console. As it picked up a faint blip to warn of an incoming ship, Dougray clicked it off, making sure nobody saw him do it.
Nobody in Galbadia Garden noticed the small sleek jet-black stealth hovercraft approaching them. Inside were about nine mercenaries. These were non-Garden mercenaries, pure dogs of war who could do any mission for any price. Their leader, Beihn, nodded to each of them as they began their mission.
As the hovercraft approached the Garden, a small hatch opened in the side, firing a grappling moor into the ship's hull. The mercenaries opened the hatch in the roof and fired their grappling hooks upwards, locking in place somewhere on the roof. Each man taking a rope, they began to walk up the side of the Garden, until they were on the roof.
On the bridge, the SeeDs carried on oblivious to the impending attack.
The mercenaries were on the roof, using safety equipment to anchor themselves to the hull without getting blown off by the force of the wind. As they made their way across the roof, they found an access hatch, security-sealed, though.
"I've got the access cards." said Beihn, pulling out them out and inserting into the lock. After doing so, he punched in the correct code and pulled open the hatch. He rushed his men inside and jumped in after them, leaving the door closed but unlocked.
"Hey, it says there's a security bulkhead open on the roof." said one of the bridge officers.
"Ignore it." Dougray ordered. "Just a computer glitch. Saltwater getting into Garden's drive systems and all that. It'll be gone in a few seconds."
Some of the other bridge officers exchanged glances, but continued on their work.
The mercenaries rushed through the corridors, stealthily, ducking against bulkheads and avoiding detection with utmost skill. The mercenaries ducked back into their hiding places, as they heard the security patrol approach. Beihn hid behind a large directory and waited for the patrol to pass. As they walked past them, he reached for his silencer-equipped pistol and shot them both in the back.
"Clear!" he hissed to his men, and they revealed themselves again, running forward towards the lift. Beihn pressed the button for the Bridge and grinned as the men began to check their weapons.
On the bridge, the crew were confused enough as it was without even knowing what was about to happen next. Suddenly, they heard the gunfire and shouts from down the hall. It was coming from the lift and getting closer to the bridge.
"What's going on, Dougray?!?" one of the crew panicked.
"You keep calling me Dougray." he said, leaning over and grinning. "You really shouldn't."
The crewman's eyes went wide with terror. "You are not Dougray?!"
'Dougray' struck the crewman a heavy blow, clean across the chin. "No." he said, then turned as he heard a click from the doors locking mechanism.
At this, 'Dougray' leapt from his console and jumped behind it for safety. The second he hit the floor, the doors burst open and the mercenaries entered, firing wild. Their machine-guns made mincemeat of the bridge crew, and within nanoseconds, they were all dead.
'Dougray's face appeared from behind the console. He stood up and walked over to Beihn. "You're late." he said.
"You're ugly." Beihn replied. "You see me complaining?"
'Dougray' grinned and shook his head, then reached behind his hear and began to rip his skin from his head. The latex peeled away easily, as did the bonded wig, to reveal the face of a young man. His face no longer bound with freckles, but still with reddish frizzy hair on his head. Drew Gains himself, former commander of the short-lived Neo Garden. Five years older. Five years madder.
"Alright, I've locked in our course." said Drew. "They wont know what hit them. Now let's get out of here."
"No." said Beihn, stopping him as he went to leave. "We've received new orders."
"What orders?" Drew asked.
"You're not to be told." said Beihn, grinning somewhat.
"I am in command of this operation." Drew reminded Beihn. "Draven came to me, and I hired you. Remember that."
"My orders are direct from Draven." Beihn countered. "And he's paying double what you are."
"Dammit, Beihn, what the hell are you doing?!?"
"You said they would never know what hit them. Draven told me Galen said he wants the SeeDs to know what hit them. After all, if you're gonna declare war, might as well do it loud enough so that the whole world can hear."
Drew was left with no time to puzzle these words, as Beihn and his men began to storm the Garden's dorms, grabbing the SeeDs from their bunks and pulling them out in the corridor, brutally marching them along like sheep, cruelly ignoring their cries of surprise, alarm and fear.
"What is going on?!" Drew demanded. "What are you doing!?"
"Shut up!" Beihn countered, kicking open the door to Martine's quarters.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Martine demanded, before Beihn smashed his nose with the butt of his rifle. Beihn grabbed the Headmaster by the collar and pulled him out into the hallway, along with the other SeeDs. They were all being ushered into the Auditorium, for reasons nobody knew. The student body, faculty and Garden Masters were being crammed in, as Beihn's men shut the door behind them. They wondered what was going on, and looked to Beihn himself, who was standing on the podium, an equally confused Drew Gains standing next to him.
"I'll ask you one more time, what are you doing, Beihn?!?"
"Relax, Drew." Beihn said, looking for all of his men to see if they were in position. "You're far too tense. You should book a colonic irrigation, sometime."
Beihn's men were ready, loading new rounds into their machine guns. And then, in that horrible instant, Drew realised what they were about to do. He tried to grab Beihn's rifle, but Beihn merely kicked him in the chest and continued loading the clip.
"Principle Martine?" he called.
"What do you want?" Martine asked, standing up.
Beihn grinned cruelly. "A target." he replied, and fired a shot into Martine's shoulder. The men took this as the signal, and began to unleash their cruel fire on the students below.
They didn't stand a chance.
Bullets sliced the air in half, the mixture of screaming and machine guns creating a nightmarish opera. It was a cruel ballet of death, which the angel figurehead of the podium was surely weeping for. Time seemed to move oh so slowly for those trapped in the hall. These were to be the last seconds for most of them.
Headmaster Martine had taken the first shot. As he fell, he pulled his personal sidearm from his belt, determined to avenge himself and his students. He screamed in pain above the din, aiming for Beihn, who just cackled and shot him through the heart.
"Cease fire!" Drew screamed louder than he ever had in his life. "CEASE FIRE!!!!" but they wouldn't listen. Oh Holy God, it's a massacre. He knew they were just supposed to put the Garden out of commission, but they made it a massacre. They were wiping them out, killing them off, and oh God they're enjoying it.
They're....enjoying....it.
Parma Kiltos was 17 years old. He had transferred from Trabia Garden years ago, along with his sister, Kei. Now he was trying to find her in the doomed crowd, as the people around him screamed and died. He saw a flash of her blonde hair and tried to move toward her. She was his sister. He had to protect her. He had to. He tried to reach out for her, but she fell to the ground, accidentally pushed. Parma reached out for her, forcing his way through once more. He grabbed her and tried to help her up. That's when he realised that half of his sisters blonde hair was matted with thick blood. She hadn't fell. She had been shot. And all he could think about, and the bullets sprayed into his back, was that he hadn't been able to do it. He hadn't been able to save her.
Mornay Fisher was just 8 years old. He had enrolled in Garden only 3 weeks ago. He hadn't even been taught how to use magic yet. He hadn't even had his first test done. He was shot eight times, once for each candle on his birthday cake. For the rest of his life, Drew Gains never forgot the look he saw on Mornay's face, as his head slowly fell to the floor. There was no anger, fear, surprise or sadness. There was just a complete lack of understanding "....Why?"
Carrie Leonis was 19 years of age, and was an Instructor. She had been branded a bit of a ditz when she was just a cadet, but nobody dared think of her like that once she had attained her rank of Instructor. Although she was fairly committed to Garden and her students, she loved her family most of all. Especially every winter solstice, when the entire family would gather in the mansion to party and just have a good time. Her father would ask her what was she doing with her life, and this year she was going to say, "Well dad, I became an Instructor at Galbadia Garden like I always knew I would. Are ya proud?" And her father would smile and say of course he was proud. She was his favourite daughter, after all. Carrie felt a million miles away, as she clutched her stomach and saw the thick red blood pumping out over her hands. She was actually thinking of her family, and that she was sorry she wasn't going to make the solstice party this year.
Luther Newton never got a chance. He was one of the first to go. It wasn't as sad as it could have been, though. His family were part of the religious order of Spectralism, and believed in reincarnation. Throughout the chaos and death that surrounded him, Luther was able to reach out in his mind and find a happy place. A beautiful valley, filled with flowers, and the rising sun coming up over the ridge. It was the most beautiful and serene thought he had ever envisioned, right before the sneering face of the devil blew his brains out.
Some of the students tried unsuccessfully to escape out of the Auditorium. The doors burst open like floodgates, but they didn't get far. Some of Beihn's men were on the upstairs balcony waiting for them, to ensure the ended up with the same fate as those trapped in the auditorium.
Within a matter of minutes, it was over. The stench of death filled the air. Smoke from the guns wafted through the air, creating an evil morbid fog. But through it all, Drew Gains could still see their faces. Faces that would want to know "why?", for the rest of his life.
"I'm sorry." he pleaded to dead ears, knowing nothing could ever justify what had just happened. "I didn't know....I could have done something....I didn't know...."
"Let's get out of here." said Beihn, dropping the used machine gun to the floor. "There's a paycheque with my name on it waiting in a bar. Let's go."
As Beihn walked off the podium, he left Drew there, on his hands on knees, unable to take his eyes from the grim tapestry of death painted below him. He didn't deserve to ever take his eyes off it. It was to be his fate to see this forever, as if they were tattooed inside his eyelids.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Beihn sneered. "Get a move on."
Drew had to be carried out, back to the hovercraft and to wherever the mercenaries' next move was. He sat in the seat and looked out the window, as the Garden continued on it's doomed course.
"I'm ....sorry."
He knew it was too small a word.
***
Some of the students had survived the massacre. It was hard to tell who and how many. There was moans and crying coming from all around. One in particular, was one of the 'lucky' ones. He sat against the wall, his eyes barely taking in the sight of the carnage around him. He was a transfer student originally, but had since become faculty, forming Galbadia Garden's disciplinary committee. He was Raijin Samson, and he had been shot in the leg numerous times. His feet streched out before him, blood streaming from his thigh to his ankle. The leg was twitching, uncontrolled, and he was in shock. His breath came in ragged tiny gasps. He moved his hand around, and found the emergency button on the wall above his head. He pressed it, and didn't react as the warning alarms began to flare, and the Garden put out an automatic SOS. Sirens on the hull bellowed into the night, and SOS flares rocketed up into the air, turning the night sky crimson. The Garden itself continued to sail on, it's course automatically locked in towards Winhill.
Home of former president of Esthar, Laguna Loire.
***
Ellone walked across the cold floor tiles in her bare feet. It was nice that they were here, back in Raine's pub. Her home. The place his son had been born in. After stepping down from a 20-year term, Laguna had retired to Esthar, and bought Raine's pub. He reopened it, still under her name, and ran the business himself. It was a lot less complex than running a country. At least in this occupation, he still got time to see his son.
Laguna had been very worried about Squall. As soon as they were able to talk to each other, it seemed Squall had nothing to say. They had talked several times, but each time, Squall had become more and more drawn back into himself. Laguna knew what it was like to lose a love, but even his words hadn't been able to help Squall much.
Ellone walked up the stairs and creaked open Laguna's bedroom door.
"Uncle Laguna?" she whispered. He moaned something about the time. What was it, the witching hour?
"...mhmph?" he replied, not lifting his head from the pillow.
"Uncle Laguna, wake up." she pleaded.
"....leemee lone..." he pleaded himself, but had no choice but to enter the waking world when she began to shake him. "Elle? Yeeks. What time his it?"
Laguna reached out for his alarm clock and stared at it in surprise. "4.20 in the morning?!? I've never even seen a clock at 4.20 in the morning."
"Something's going on outside." Ellone continued. Laguna accepted defeat in that 'resistance was futile' and got up. He pulled on a coat and followed her outside, where several villagers were gathered. They were looked out across the Winhill Bluffs, to where the cliffs were. There was a strange blasting sound coming from beyond the cliffs, almost like a siren.
"There's another one!" somebody shouted, and a bright crimson streak sailed into the air, exploding and painting the clouds with its colour.
"Is that fireworks?" another person asked.
But Laguna was a soldier. He knew what they were. "Those aren't fireworks!" he shouted. He then began to gather people together. They were going to have to mount a rescue operation. On Laguna's instructions, everyone who could, dashed back into their houses and came out with items needed for undertaking a rescue. The townspeople ran across the bluffs toward the cliffs, only to stop death in their tracks. the ground beneath their feet began to shudder and shake, as Galbadia Garden found the target it had been locked on course with. It thundered right into the cliffs, it's anti-gravity ring smashing and splintering to pieces. The Garden turned on it's side and embedded itself in the cliff wall.
It was over before they even knew it had begun. The Garden stayed lodged there, as the waves beat upon it's exposed underbelly.
*~*~*~*
They walked towards the hall. With the Garden on it's side, the walls and the floor had exchanged places. Corridors had become sheer drops to nowhere, but someone had had the smart idea of placing planks over them. People had to be careful they didn't step on any of the windows.
Irvine walked at the head of the party, saying nothing. The other's couldn't even be sure he could hear them.
"...This is so bad.", Seifer, the former commander said.
"...Man, this really pisses me off!" exclaimed Zell, not helping any.
"This is terrible..." Quistis trailed away.
Irvine still said nothing. Then a body was carried past them on a stretcher.
"...Claire....no..." he gasped.
"You knew her?" Seifer asked.
"I took her out.....on a date....once...." Irvine barely managed. He stumbled a little, and braced himself against the wall with his hands. His head was spinning. His kneecaps had been replaced with jelly. Each breath was so ragged and hollow he was sure he couldn't manage another.
Selphie reached out to place her hand on his shoulder. Before she could touch him, he took off, charging down the hallway towards the Auditorium.
"Irvine, wait!" Quistis called, but he was already gone.
"He's in shock." Selphie diagnosed, remembering her own pain at seeing her Garden in ruins. Mirroring those events of five years ago, they set off down the halls to find him.
Irvine skidded to a halt and climbed down the ladder into the Auditorium. Bodies were everywhere, many of them pinned behind rubble. He saw them lifting one girl up on a stretcher. A member of the faculty, and an old friend of his.
"...Emlee..." He was about to feel relief for seeing her alive. Then one of the paramedics shook his head and removed his coat, draping it over her face. He didn't know what to feel at that moment. Nothing but loss. It was all gone. The only place he had ever called home, was completely gone. Worse than gone. Destroyed. Obliterated. Murdered.
It's one thing when you lose something dear, but it's another when you find that somebody planned this. The existence of something you loved displeased another, and so it had to be snuffed out. It was just too cruel and unfair.
"I'm picking up another lifesign." said one of the paramedics, just on the edge of Irvine's hearing. "It's coming from behind this pile of rubble."
Irvine dashed forward and began to tear the debris away with his bare hands. Strength he never knew he had flowed right from his heart to his arms. He lifted the large chunks of concrete and pulled them clear away, one by one.
This was how the others found him. They climbed down the ladder and rushed over to him. Irvine continued like they weren't even there. Seifer and Zell stepped forward to help him, pulling the rubble and debris from the pile, until they found the survivor. Coughing and wheezing, but alive.
"Raijin!!!" Seifer exclaimed.
"...Seifer..." Raijin groaned in relief. "...I knew ya'd come man, ya know... I knew you'd come for us..."
"Let's get him out of there." said a paramedic. Zell and Seifer helped Raijin out and placed him on the stretcher.
"....I just kept saying, Seifer will come,.....ya know?" he said groggily.
"He's in shock." said the paramedic. "Let's get him out of here."
Raijin continued to dazily moan his relief at seeing Seifer as they slipped the oxygen mask over his face and carried him out.
"I don't understand." Quistis said sadly. "Who could have done this?"
"Evil doesn't need to be understood, Quistis." said Seifer. "Believe me, I know. This is like something Ultimecia would do."
"Don't even say it!" moaned Zell. "Ulti's dead. We kicked her butt."
"So's Alexandra, right?" said Selphie.
"Right." nodded Quistis. "But remember Squall and Rinoa told us they've been having these dreams about Alexandra's brother, Galen."
"So this Galen guy is behind this attack?" Zell concluded.
"Don't see how." Seifer shrugged. "Not like he can time travel like Draven."
"SeeDs?" asked a voice. It was one of Caraway's aides. "It's time. The President is ready to brief you."
They nodded and began to follow him. Selphie stopped when she saw Irvine was still sitting on the ground, holding his head in his hands.
"Irvine?" she asked. He didn't give a reply. She crouched down beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He felt her arms like two hot ribbons of fire, wrapping around a sculpture of ice. He looked up at her for the first time. She attempted a brave smile to cheer him up. He smiled back through a mask of sorrow. They sat their for a few minutes more. They were closer now, sharing the same pain. For just one instant, they let their Private Emotions touch.
Selphie was sad for him. She knew what it was like to lose the only place you could go back to. when they place you could always fall back on, "Home", was destroyed, taken from you in an act of senseless violence. She'd be here for him. When it had happened to her, although they hadn't been this close, she knew Irvine had wanted to do something to help her. Maybe she could do something for him. He had fought so hard for her in Esthar, and she swore to herself that she wouldn't make it count for nothing.
Irvine was lost in a swirling tornado of emotions. His world had been spun around, flipped upside down, shaken from side to side, and finally smashed over his head. He had nothing now. Nothing. Even if Selphie was to run into the arms of another man before he got the chance to tell her how he felt, he would still have been able to come back to Galbadia Garden. But now it was gone. Forever. As he felt Selphie's arms around him, he knew would never let it happen to her. He'd fight for her. She was all she had left. All he loved.
"We have to go." Selphie said, quietly.
"Just hang on." Irvine said, reaching up and placing his hand on hers. "I... need to remember this."
So they waited.
*~*~*~*
A tent had been set up on the cliffs, amongst the ambulances and medical tents. It had the Galbadian symbol on it's side, indicating it to be the presidential tent of President Caraway.
Seifer and Quistis entered, followed by Zell.
The tent was a hive of activity. Aides and analysts were rushing about, setting up equipment and monitoring reports from listening posts around the globe.
Tatsel was here, and so was another familiar face. Seifer was awe-struck.
"Laguna Loire?" he gasped.
Laguna blinked at the sight of the starstruck young man before him. Zell was pretty surprised too. Quistis wondered how Laguna was involved in this, but the thought of Seifer about to beg for an autograph was too amusing to ignore.
"You know Laguna?" Zell asked.
"Know him?" Seifer exclaimed. "This guy is one of my all-time role models."
"Um, Hi." helloed Laguna. "Seifer Almasy, right?"
"Oooohhh, he knows your name." Quistis joked.
"I've got all the articles you wrote." said Seifer, ignoring her. "I even have your movie on a disk in my quarters. I've followed your career. We met once before in Deling, on the Alexandra mission."
"But you were too damn nervous to say anything." Zell grinned.
The role-reversal between them was too hilarious for Quistis to bear.
"Well, it's nice to have fans." Laguna smiled, shaking Seifer's hand.
"Hey, Laggie." said Zell, trying to sound as casual with Laguna as possible. Seifer glared at him.
"Where are Miss Tilmitt and Mister Kinneas?" Caraway asked, breaking it up.
"They'll be along, shortly." said Tatsel. Sure enough, the tent flap opened and in stepped Selphie and Irvine. Everyone was glad to see Irvine was looking better. Selphie ran forward and hugged Laguna, then Ellone.
"Heh. Popular guy today." joked Laguna, scratching his head.
"Right." said Caraway, sitting down. "Let's start the briefing."
Tatsel nodded and began.
"As you can see." he said. "At 0420 hours last night, Galbadia Garden was attacked and destroyed. We're interviewing some of the survivors. From what we've been able to gather, the terrorists were mercenaries, being paid to do this job. We believe they were also non-Garden mercenaries. While we're relieved that this wasn't an inside job, it makes finding their identities and bringing them to justice that little bit harder. We're leaving that to SeeD Intelligence."
"What we must find out." said Caraway. "Is who hired them to do this, and why?"
"There's nobody stupid enough to commit a terrorist attack on Galbadia Garden. All world governments would be over them like mustard on a hot dog." said Zell.
"We found the Garden's Black Box." said Tatsel. "It seems the bridge crew were the first to be killed. The course was locked in with the Winhill cliffs. Then there's some dialogue that indicates maybe there may have been more than one faction of terrorists employing the mercenaries."
"Let's hear it." said Laguna. One of Caraway's aides produced a tape recorder and placed it on the desk. They listened to the last few minutes of dialogue recorded from the bridge.
You keep calling me Dougray. You really shouldn't.
You are not Dougray?!
No
[Gunfire]
You're late.
You're ugly. You see me complaining?
Alright, I've locked in our course. They wont know what hit them. Now let's get out of here.
"I know that voice...." Quistis mused out loud.
No. We've received new orders.
What orders?
You're not to be told.
I am in command of this operation. Draven came to me, and I hired you. Remember that.
My orders are direct from Draven. And he's paying double what you are.
Dammit, Beihn, what the hell are you doing?!?
You said they would never know what hit them. Draven told me Galen said he wants the SeeDs to know what hit them. After all, if you're gonna declare war, might as well do it loud enough so that the whole world can hear.
"That's all we've got." said Caraway, clicking off the tape. "Does anyone have any idea what they were talking about?"
"An idea, yeah." said Quistis.
"Like what?" Laguna asked.
"Like it's a good idea to do something about this before it gets out of hand. And a bad idea to just sit here on our butts."
"With all due respect, Miss Trepe. We can't divulge the entire resources of the Galbadian government against one terrorist attack."
"But can you divulge it to a war, sir?" asked Irvine, standing up.
"Explain?" asked Tatsel.
"This wasn't a terrorist attack, sir." explained Irvine. "This was a declaration of war."
"By whom?" Caraway asked. "We're a unified nation, in Galbadia. Balamb is a neutral country. Centra and Trabia don't have the resources for a war effort, and Esthar is in no shape to even think about attacking us without provocation."
"Not by who, sir. By when." Irvine continued. "When I was in Esthar, I was the only SeeD agent operating from inside the Presidential Palace. I learned a few things there."
"Like what? Speak up, boy, we're all ears." said Caraway. Irvine was a little nervous. He'd gone from lone gunman to a shipwreck to a holocaust and now into a high-level discussion with the Galbadian head of state. It's an interesting career in SeeD.
"Well, President Veneres was just a patsy. A pawn, a stooge, you know what I mean. He was working for a man named Galen."
"Galen. That's one of the names on the tape." Tatsel pointed.
"I'm sure I recognise one of those voices." said Quistis, trying to remember.
"And the other is Draven, someone we've bumped into a few times." remarked Seifer.
"Right." agreed Irvine. "Mister President, Draven is not a normal terrorist. I doubt that term even applies. Draven is a time traveller, able to jump from point to point in the blink of an eye. He's working for Galen, who reliable sources inform us is the son of Sorceress Ultimecia, who tried to conquer Time all those years ago."
"Wait." said Caraway. "Headmaster Tatsel showed me the reports of that incident, plus the following one that involved the second Sorceress. I thought Ultimecia had a daughter, not a son."
"It seems she had both." said Selphie. "Alexandra never told us. Wonder why?"
"I'm sorry, did you say Galen?" Laguna asked.
"Yeah." confirmed Selphie. "Why?"
Laguna shrugged. "Naw, it's nothing. Forget it."
Ellone looked at him. She knew that Raine's favourite uncle had been named Galen. Still, no matter. It was a common enough name, anyway.
"Anyway, this son, Galen, seems to have his own sights set on power." said Irvine. "He lives 700 years from now. We saw what the world looks like then. It's dark, diseased and dying. And with Ultimecia as the ruler, it was what he inherited. Think about it, President. You're ruling the world, but the world is coming to an end. What do you do to save your people?"
Caraway thought about it for a moment. "You lead your people to a new world." he concluded. "A better world, a cleaner and safer world."
"Our world." Seifer summarised.
"An invasion from the future?" Laguna gasped. "We wouldn't stand a chance."
"Galen has the advantage of a time traveller so he can control events here." Quistis pointed out. "Thanks to the previous efforts of Ultimecia and Alexandra, Galbadia is without a long-range missiles program, Trabia is without a Garden, and now, thanks to Galen's plotting, Esthar is at odds with itself, without a government, and there's no longer any Galbadia Garden. He's bringing the world governments to their knees, then he's going to invade when we're at our weakest."
"Don't forget." pointed out Selphie. "If Rinoa went through that TimeGate, that means Galen's managed to remove the Sorceress, the only being powerful enough to stop him from this point of time."
"Dammit, Balamb Garden is probably his next target." Tatsel concluded.
"But he didn't count on us being onto him." said Seifer. "We've got that advantage, so we should use it."
"Damn, you mean everything that's been going on for the last five years has been part of his plot?" Laguna thought aloud. "My retirement? The Estharian civil war? Everything?"
"Everything." Irvine nodded. "He's played an entire world, an entire timeframe for saps, leading us around by the nose, manipulating us until we're at the weakest point in our planets history. And then he'll probably use some of that fancy century technology to lead his armies back here and whoop our asses."
"Then we need to stop him, and stop him now." said Caraway, placing his elbows on the desk and his fingertips together at a point just under his chin. "Any suggestions?"
"Not like we can plant a bomb and set it to go off in 700 years." dismissed Selphie.
"We can't even defend ourselves." added Quistis. "We'd never see the attack coming."
"They'd know our battle plans before we've even drawn them." said Tatsel, sounding a bit angry.
"I take it we can't use the same plan we used against Ultimecia?" Ellone asked.
"No." said Laguna. "That plan required Ultimecia achieving her goal. We cant do that now. We need some other way."
"I recommend we send a reconnaissance team into the future." stated Caraway. "What they report back to us will give us some clue as to what the future forces are like. The only problem is how we do that, though."
"We know it's gotta involve time travel or time compression." said Quistis. "What about that TimeGate thing?"
"Forget about it." Tatsel said. "Esthar recovery crews crawled through the rubble of the palace with a comb and a magnifying glass. The TimeGate was completely obliterated. And there's nobody alive in this time period who knows how to build one either. Also, they found no sign of the bodies of Squall or Rinoa. They weren't in the building when it went down, it seems."
For some reason, Seifer noticed this strangely relieved the great Laguna Loire. Yeah, right. he thought. Knowing my luck, they're probably poker buddies.
"Wait a minute." stated Quistis standing up. "While it's true that there's nobody alive here who knows how to build a TimeGate, there is somebody who knows how to achieve time compression."
"Nope, sorry." replied Seifer, shaking his head. "Ultimecia never filled me in on what's what, or how she done it."
"And you can forget about Odine." said Irvine, crossing his arms. "He's dead."
"How do you know?" Laguna asked.
Irvine looked at him. "I just know." was all he said.
"Wish I could say I was sad to hear it, but...." Laguna trailed off.
"No, I wasn't talking about Odine or Seifer." Quistis continued. "I meant Matron. Edea Kramer."
"Who?" Caraway asked.
"Of course!!!" Zell shouted, leaping up. "Ulti was in her head!!! If Matron knew about Alexandra, then she obviously knew about time compression."
"And how it's done." Quistis finished for him, grinning.
"So what are we sitting her on our asses?" Selphie exclaimed. "Time is a luxury we literally don't have!"
"Selphie's right." Irvine said, pressing his fists together. "We need to get a move on if we're to stand any chance. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to pin this Galen bastard to the floor and stitch him one for every student and faculty member in Galbadia Garden."
"Too right!" yelled Seifer, uncharacteristically agreeing with Irvine. "This is one family we need to put out of our misery! I'm gonna personally make sure he doesn't have any cousins, uncles, aunties, or even a mother-in-law we don't know about. This family is history."
Zell cracked his knuckles and done a backflip, signalling he was ready for action. "If Balamb Garden's his next target, he's going to have to go through me first!"
"He owes me a ship." stated Selphie. "And I'm gonna use his ass to cash the cheque."
"I doubt that's legal tender, Selphie." Quistis laughed. "But you're right. I'm not going to stand idly by while he tries to take our world apart. It might not be perfect, but it's our world, and I'll fight to protect it."
"It looks like you've got volunteers." Caraway laughed to Tatsel, who grinned in reply.
"Alright." he said. "I'm about to go official."
Tatsel straightened himself out and stood in front of Seifer, Quistis, Selphie, Zell and Irvine. "I take it you're all volunteering?" he asked.
Irvine loaded his gun and spun it around on his fingertips, Selphie whipped out her Shinobou and flipped them around like a gymnast, Quistis cracked her whip, Zell shadowboxed and Seifer slung Hyperion up against his shoulder. "What do you think?" he asked.
"Alright, Seifer." said Tatsel. "This is your mission, should you choose to accept it. Should y–"
"Ah!" said Seifer, jabbing a gloved finger up in Tatsel's face. "I'm taking the bloody mission, okay? And if any of these twerps get caught or killed, I'll be expecting a rescue operation and back-up, loaded to the teeth, ready to help us literally kick Galen's ass into the next century."
"Oh, okay." said Tatsel, sounding a little disappointed. "Your mission is to travel to Centra to learn all you can about Time Compression from Missus Edea Kramer, then use this knowledge to launch a reconnaissance mission to the future world. You are not to give any actions that indicate who you are and what time period you come from when you get there."
"I've got a ship that can get you to Centra in no time at all." offered Laguna. "You'll need a good pilot, though."
"No problem." said Tatsel. "They've already got Miss Tilmitt."
"What I mean, Tatsel." explained Laguna. "Is that that I'd like to accompany them. I'm an old friend of the Kramers. They raised my son, as a matter of fact."
That's funny.
Seifer thought. I don't remember any kid named 'Loire' at the orphanage. Oh well, who cares?"Understood." said Tatsel. "You are also to allow Laguna Loire to accompany on this mission. Strictly as an observer. I will stay here and co-ordinate Garden's movements with President Caraway."
"Galbadia and Balamb Garden working together." said Quistis, shaking her head. "Somehow I never thought I'd see the day."
Seifer stood, his arms crossed, as if waiting for something. "That's it?"
"That's it." Tatsel finished.
"Somehow doesn't sound the same without all that cheesy stuff." Zell joked.
"Shoulda let him do it, Seifer." Selphie giggled. "We were kinda hoping he'd self-destruct in 5 seconds."
"Dismissed!" ordered Tatsel.
"Not that's more like the good ol' Cid days." Irvine grinned, then walked out of the tent, as the others followed.
It was time to do it, they realised, as they walked towards Winhill and Laguna's ship. It was time to Fight The Future.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Notes;
Special thanks to RaichuTec, who's profiles on Irvine's past were helpful to me in writing this chapter. Also thanks to Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, who's sweeping score, "Injection" emotionally inspired and aided me in writing certain parts of this chapter.