"He's what?"

"He's gone ma'am, and Nida too. The gateman says they left on a 'training mission'. Clothing and weaponry was missing from their rooms and records show they went into Headmistress Trepe's room, but we don't know if they took anything."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to erase some of the tiredness she felt behind them, as she listened in. The dusty and polluted air around Galbadia combined with the city's towering architecture and leagues of metal made the connection jumpy as hell but the last lines had come through loud and clear. Xu Tyynes prayed for many things, varying them on what aspect of the world was troubling her that day, and today she prayed Odine would stop fiddling around with whatever project had diverted his time and turn the clunky wardrobe-sized communicator into a real working technology. Her one tour of the Esthar facilities after the Second War had told her that for all Esthar's technological sophistication, far too much f it balanced inside the mind of that tiny unhinged man. And now this. "Do we know where he-" she stopped herself. "I'm sorry of course I know where they went. Thanks." She signed off from the eager young SeeD on the other end of the line and laid back in the recliner. Fujin had been as conscientious as she could and her quarters were as nice as she could have hoped for. For all that though in the Galbadian winter they seemed cold and empty.

She didn't waste her time getting angry. Not at Zell and not at Nida. Xu had always taught herself not to react to what she couldn't change and the feeling inside her now wasn't anger or surprise. It took her a moment before she realised that she envied the hot-headed young man. She had wanted to scream and claw at the walls of that stuffy palace, tear out the smug self-satisfied persona of the duchess and stamp it all over the floor. Instead she had walked out of the city and taken her job and her comrades halfway across the continent. But that's how she had always been, years of keeping her own emotions and wants down under lock and key, subsumed to the dream of Garden. The perfect subordinate, attentive and oh so clever. Always knowing what the commander needed, often before they did themselves, she had quietly made herself indispensible, made herself needed by Garden. Cid had been as genial a superior as anyone could have asked for and Squall was simply grateful for help. Norg had been beyond intolerable and she had bent over backwards (in one humiliating case literally) to avoid interacting with the wretched old Shumi.

Then finally she had let herself go, simply opened up and let it all pour out, and her reward had been absolute bliss. Somewhere deep in her heart she suspected she didn't deserve this, and that any minute the universe would notice its colossal mistake and snatch it away, never to be seen again. She had felt that ugly concept raise its head when Quistis had been led away from her and she shivered at night at the thought of it.

Get past it.

The thunderous knocking on the door heralded the dawn of a new day in the gloomy city. In that instant, looking out of the window at the snow covering the mansion grounds that still somehow managed to be a nasty shade of gray as they fell, she could have packed it in right then. Walk back to Dollet, find Zell and Nida on whatever stupid dumb hero-quest they thought they were on and start doing some damage.

Instead she took a deep breath, swallowed her anger and opened the door.

"Mornin' Ms Tyynes," Raikin said genially as she stepped out of her room. "Anything planned for today?" The huge man had attached himself as a bodyguard since the attack upon himself and Fujin. Even back at B-Garden before the War Xu had only known Raijin as a looming shadow poised behind Seifer Almasy. Even with the awkward glances she sometimes got as they travelled through the city she could see the appeal. XU knew she could fight, knew she could fight off anything the dank city could throw at her, but nobody looking at her ever seemed to believe it. Raijin on the other hand was a giant danger-sign that followed her around like a tame shark.

"More of the same," she replied curtly as she walked. For all of his penance she could never quite, never quite bring herself to entirely forgive what he and his partner had done, why they had followed Almasy's half-mad dream. One day, she promised herself, she would ask. "Just more of the same."

Wait.

"Wait."

Raijin turned as Xu halted mod-way down the corridor. He looked at her nervously. "Yo?"

There's no way they were…

They wouldn't.

Nida wouldn't. She had worked with Nida for years and knew him as well as anyone else in Garden, knew his morals and his limits. But Zell… "I need to go back to the comm room." She was already walking fast as she left Raijin standing there, looking at her receding figure with a confused look on his face.

Zell definitely would.

Nida shivered in the sea air as Zell almost bounced of the small boat and wondered whether it was pure energy or some special kind of obliviousness that allowed the man to jump around the cold dock in summer clothes.

"Hyne, finally! Man but no wonder this city is so crazy if they spend their time so close to the sea."

Nida stared off into the distance of the city as Zell waxed eloquent on boats and his dislike of them.

Boy you don't know what you're doing here. Did you really want to get out into the air that badly?

Nida sighed as he stared out over Dollet. You could get lost in the maze that was the city, the palace the only real unique building. Centuries of building and re-building on the side of a hill had erased the others and turned the city into the brick-paved labyrinth. Where do we start looking? Somehow Nida didn't think they could walk into the nearest bar and magically overhear what he needed. "Just be grateful we're on solid ground again."

Zell noticed the way idea was looking around and mistook it. "What, expecting a welcoming committee?"

No, just stalling, he didn't say. He was nervous, and he knew why.

He had never been a member of the field team, or a practical instructor. Nida knew he had found his niche early on in his SeeD career and while he loved his job it left little time or inclination to get his hands dirty. Most of his contact with the outside world came from staring at the scenery from the Garden's windows, and while the bird's eye view was gorgeous it was hard to experience the world from hundreds of feet away through reinforced glass. Now here he was, in a place he wasn't supposed to be looking for someone who definitely wasn't supposed to be found, and even if he found her what was he supposed to do?

"You still thinking?" Zell asked.

Nida gave a small shrug as he realised they were still standing on the dockside on their own, and he started moving in the general direction of the crowd. Zell followed close enough to be heard over the noise of humans crushed together. "Thinking about our first step."

"First step is find a way into the palace. Second step is to find Quisty. Third step is to run like hell."

And there it was, the problem he had been dwelling on since he had thought, really thought, on the boat-ride over and his brain had asked him: do you really comprehend the seriousness of this situation? We're sneaking into a technically friendly country to infiltrate their government. Do you have any goddamn idea how pissed they are going to be? "Zell I don't think-"

"You think too much Nida." Zell's voice didn't change an octave as he talked, but Nida could almost feel the intensity that radiated from the man. "You know me, I don't give a damn about politics or any of the crap Quisty and Xu deal with. They have my friend, they have my sister. I knew she doesn't show it but I know Xu's tearing her hair out on the inside over this. I'm getting her back."

A knight in dusty leather. "And when we do find her? Then what? It's not like we're extracting some hidden spy, they damn well know they have her. I think they'll notice when she's gone."

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it."

"Cross. Not burn."

"I prefer my version."

Nida shrugged and resisted the urge to laugh. Away from the dockside and the sea the air was almost breathable and he wondered whether spending all that time up in B-Garden's cockpit was doing something unsavoury to his lungs. "We'll need to find some bridges first. Any ideas?"

"I got at least one, but no way you're gonna like it." Zell refused to explain as he led Nida towards air that smelled considerably less like saltwater and considerably more like another kind of water, much thicker. "A bar?" His request for an explanation was cut off as Zell

He was right.

"So there's nothing I can do here?"

Fujin shrugged as she replied. "Nobody to shoot yet." This annoyed Irvine Kinneas slightly and Fujin saw it. "Sorry."

"No problem," he said shortly.

The two were nervous. Irvine's training had been at Galbadia Garden before the war, and after it the cold winds had taken him away to Trabia where he worked with Selphie. Fujin's life at Balamb and then Galbadia had kept them from interacting too much; just two more people working in different branches of the same organisation. But the woman made him nervous. Selphie and Rinoa were both cut from the same cloth, an optimist's soul that wanted to believe the best of people and looked out on life with a smile. Quistis was a warm heart when you finally got close enough to crack the ice. Even Seifer had had his dreams, and with all the shit that dream had put them through the man had at least had fire in his blood. With the younger woman though Irvine always found himself off-put. Just standing there against the window in her blue jacket and trousers Irvine was always put in mind of some predatory bird. When G-Garden had invaded Balamb he had been assigned to defence, but he'd caught Zell as the teenage martial-artist had come back from their encounter. Forget the big lunk, she's the dangerous one, he'd said as he limped off to the infirmary. Standing there now in the same room, if things turned out badly again, somehow, Irvine wasn't sure how things would go down.

He coughed nervously and tried to push the thoughts from his head. "So what's your view on all this anyway? You believe all this crazy stuff?"

The two were sat – well, one sat – in the warn room, the fireplace blazing with heat as outside the snow continued to fall. He knew that the others were outside in it but somehow he couldn't find it within himself to care. Much. Fire was a premium back home – so Trabia is 'home' now eh? – and he intended to enjoy the warmth while it lasted. He'd even gotten to take his coat off and the chair he lay in was so comfortable he could have gladly sunk within trace into it.

Fujin glanced over at Irvine. "No," she said, her words barely carrying across the room to the man. "You?"

Irvine shrugged. "I was brought up Galbadian, before the war. Only Sorceresses we ever saw were in fairy stories and that dumb movie Laguna made." He chuckled at the thought. "Poor guy never lived it down once they realised who he was." He shrugged as Fujin's facial expression told him exactly what she thought of his mental derail. "The only Sorceress I know is Rinoa."

"Ultimecia. Edea."

He thought for a second before he shrugged. "That's a different thing." Edea to Irvine would always be Matron. Ultimecia… "First time we really met was inside that old castle." He gave an involuntary shiver at the memory that place; a twisted nightmare of architectural magic and broken creatures stuffed with the power of the old witch, set against a dead and timeless world.

His reverie was interrupted as a knock sounded at the door. He tried to lever himself from the depths of the armchair and eventually gave up and just shouted for whoever it was to come on. The door swung open to reveal a nervous-looking young man dressed in what was undeniably a Galbadian dress uniform. Irvine heard Fujin sigh as she caught sight of the man.

"Begging your pardon ma'ma, but-"

With a dismissiveness and curtness Irvine had never seen in the woman – she might have been cold but Fujin had always been polite – she nodded and simply waved the boy away. The event ended as the young men shut the door carefully, and if he didn't know better he would have taken Fujin's expression for a sneer. "Who's that guy?"

"Aide."

"Of?" Irvine felt like a fool as Fujin almost visibly bit back the reply they both knew she was about to make: Didn't you read anything before you jumped in here? "Of, of course."

Fujin stood and grabbed her coat. "Tell them I'm gone."

"Going where?"

Irvine turned as Selphie walked in through the door. She chucked off her greatcoat with a heartfelt sigh as she stepped over to the fire. "Ooooh that's nice."

"To meet the generals." Fujin slipped out of the door without another word.

Selphie harrumphed as she fell back onto sofa next to Irvine. "What's she – hey that's nice – what's she up to?"

"Nothing important. Feeling at home yet?"

Selphie laughed. "First time today I've not been able to see my own breath. People outside are acting like this is some huge snowstorm." The inch of cold flakes that covered Deling City would have been called a mild summer fall by Trabians. "How're you doing?"

"Feeling a little like a fifth wheel," Irvine admitted.

Selphie leaned across the gap between the chairs and kissed him gently. "My poor bodyguard."

"I didn't even bother taking my pistol out with me today."

"You must have felt naked."

"Hey, you know I prefer the shooting to the talking. Speaking of which; Squall's out there looking at leads? Is Xu so desperate he'd have Mister Monosyllable himself helping out"

"You know he isn't like that anymore." Selphie tried to shrug as expressively as she could while buried in the soft leather. "Him and Rinoa volunteered to pitch in since Quisty's out of bounds."

"Wonder how the big man's surviving without the golden guiding hand," Irvine mused, and dodged Selphie's playful punch. "Last time I checked Xu had him chasing doctors."

"That's his own thing."

"Oh?"

Selphie sat up and her eyes glinted with curiosity and interest. Gossip, in other words. "He's trying to find his parents. Apparently Cid gave him something that pointed him here and he thought hey; why not?"

That brought Irvine up short. His upbringing had been different from his adopted brothers and sisters. Galbadia Garden hadn't had access to the beyond-powerful beings known as GFs, and his few experiences with the creatures had kept his memories intact as he had grown up. He could still remember back to the first few days with the rest of the gang; their arrival at Galbadia Garden on the assassination mission

that you failed

that had gone wrong, the walk across the world and the final journey into deep time. He remembered his surprise and joy at realising who these people were, friends and siblings he had once grown up with. He remembered too his utter, utter shock at realising they had not remembered him. Late at night once and in his arms Selphie had asked him what it had been like. What was I supposed to say? Was the answer he had given. What he had left out was the crushing worry that dogged him; the fear of failure and the what if that had stopped him from shouting outwho they all were, for fear that they would turn to him and reply; so what? "Why not, huh?"

"You ever thought the same thing?"

Irvine looked at Selphie in surprise and saw her eyes staring back into his, wide brown pools he could become lost in. "Nope," he replied, glibly, and cursed himself. "I mean…not really." Technically true.

Selphie could see something behind that reply, but she could see something else too and gave him space. "Not really. I'm happy the way I am." Almost faster than Irvine could follow Selphie picked herself up from the couch and threw herself into his, landing with a soft thud across his lap. "The boat back isn't for another week. You know, while Squall and the gang are off fighting crime we'll need a way to occupy ourselves."

Irvine tried to squirm into a more comfortable position. "I'm sure Raijin or Almasy could find something for us to do."

"Oh? No ideas yourself?"

"Well, at least one."

"You've lost your mind," Nida said with an intensity he was desperately trying to get across to the other man as the two walked towards the building. A squat brownstone structure that only differed from those on either side by the sign scrawled very faintly by the door. Painted brown on brown, impossible to see from a distance; a pair of wings, encased on a rough circle.

"Trust me."

Nida did and he didn't. Zell's plan was somehow both simple and complex, and had all the hallmarks of Zell himself; utterly self-confident and incredibly reckless. They had left the bar full on information but little on plans. Zell had picked their clothes with more care than Nida would have thought and they had blended in to the rest of the bar patrons flawlessly. A few drinks and a few questions had done the rest. The attack on the 'SeeD brat' was still top news in a town were very little happened, and Zell had returned to the table he and Nida were sharing with a smile and…this idiocy/genius.

Item: Headmistress Trepe was being held within the Dollet palace.

Item: The attack on Squall and Rinoa carried out by Sorceress cultists.

Item: Sorceress Cultists took great pains to know about the 'enemies' of their church.

Item: The Orphanage Gang were persona non gratis to Sorceress Cultists.

Solution: Find a Sorceress Cult and dig out what they knew.

"If you think you're the chosen of God, you make damn sure you know what the devil is up to. Let's liberate some information."

It would be pulled off, Nida thought, as either the most daring undercover operation in Garden history, or their headstones would become warnings to generations of future SeeDs on how not to do it. And that wasn't the worst part of it.

"Of course it won't work. Everyone knows who I am." Not bravado. Simple fact. Already the man had received some second glances and shocks of recognition.

Nida let out a breath of relief as Zell spoke the words. "So, let's-"

"But yours isn't."

Nida realised now why Zell had taken a table near the back of the smoky bar, and insistence on entering separately. "No way."

"Nida…"

Nida knew he wasn't a coward. He'd served Garden faithfully and well since he had joined, and those who knew him – a small pool admittedly – had never been given cause to doubt his dedication. He had no doubts of his own courage, only his ability. "You're asking me to find and join a Sorceress Cult to find out what's happening with the headmistress."

Zell sipped happily on his drink. "Yep."

"Assuming they know anything."

"They do." Zell nodded and when next he spoke it was with much more venom in his voice. "Believe me they do. Those people hate SeeD, and they hate us especially. If one of the Gang is here they're going to be crawling up walls trying to figure out a way to get to her, especially these new guys." For a second Nida was amazed as something very resembling fear lashed across Zell's face. "It's not like it was. They're getting crazier, this new leader has them riled up and organised, across three whole continents."

"Bad?"

"Bad enough Laguna is worried they might try something. Something big, and we don't even know who they all are. These are people who saw Ultimecia as the saviour of the goddamn world. The Aftermath just made 'em more 'devout'. You want people like this in charge of an army?"

Nida nodded. "You think someone inside the palace is influencing the duchess?" He blinked. "You think they're trying to take over the government?"

"I'm pretty sure." Zell shrugged. "She was always a little nuts but she was never crazy. Keeping a national leader hostage is pretty good sense if you're thinking about makin' war on that nation. SeeD isn't a nation but I think the result would be the same." He stared hard at Nida and the other man met his gaze. "Let's get to work."

Nida looked up. From the back of the bar he could see out onto the street, and up the hill towards the palace there. In one motion is drained his glass, stood up and nodded. "Yeah."

"Hello?"

She looked around as the man approach and shivered. Not from looking at him. Since the incident with the red dress she had taken to wearing her old suit again, and while comfortable they were made for a warmer climate. The Dollet salt-air clung to her skin and made her clothes heavy. She knew she was probably coming down with a cold from staying in the outer gardens so long but it was such a joy to be outside the palace walls (if not their iron gates girl, don't forget it) again that she ignored it. "Yes?" She turned as she answered to see the man standing there, nervously poised in the small doorway that led outside, as if afraid to come out into the light. He reminded her of someone, and it took her a second until suddenly she realised he reminded her of Zone. The young revolutionary you could have walked over and he would have apologized for the marks on your boots. The man before her seemed to give off the same aura of broken-down pity. "Can I help you?" Help you find your way elsewhere, her tone said. She knew it was rude, knew he probably didn't deserve it but didn't care anyway. She wanted to be alone in the gardens, free of the whispering asides and glances from the palace workers whenever she passed.

"Are you alright Ms Trepe?"

She nodded curtly as the man finally stepped from the shade of the doorway out into the afternoon light, and she got her first good look at him. In the light his resemblance to Zone vanished, and stood before her was a well-built man with a shock of dirty auburn hair and a nervous smile. She put the smile down to knowing who she was and ignored it. Quistis didn't think she was vain, but she knew what she had and while she didn't often flaunt it she didn't hide it either. "I'm sorry, are you…"

He reached out a hand and out of habit she shook it. "I came in with the children."

She remembered talking with Alec and the others in the rose gardens, and as the memory came up she realised she didn't remember how long ago that had been. She could imagine herself trapped her in the palace grounds, forever a prisoner of some malicious force that controlled everything around her.

Is this how Ultimecia thought, in the end?

"I was just…You seemed upset, was all," the young man managed to mutter out. He was cute, and she managed a smile.

"Thanks, but I'm just tired." Hyne knew that was true enough.

"Anything I could help with?" the man asked, and she realised she hadn't even asked his name as an idea flashed through her head.

"Actually you could, mister…"

"Liard."

"Mr Liard, I-" she cut herself off as she realised she was still holding onto his hand, and she jerked it away before she could catch herself. "Sorry, sorry. I'm afraid you caught me at an awkward time."

"Alen, please. It's fine, this place does that to you."

Maybe it was the unthreatening posture after weeks of being surrounded by eyes that ears that reported her every move back to that rat Nerva, or maybe it was just being able to talk with someone her own age who seemed like a normal human being. She smiled. "Quistis."

"So what can I do for you?"

She didn't know why she had asked. She was aware of her own training, sitting back there with the rest of human instinct that said don't trust strangers, but sat there in the cloying air she simply couldn't work up any distrust for this man. Her SeeD training perked up as it realised what she was about to do but was shouted into silence by a small part of her that she had always had, but kept locked down as much as she could. What the hell woman, you've spent your whole life weighing options and picking out the correct path. Roll the dice, just this once. After all, what do you have to lose?

"Can you deliver a letter?"

"Can you please check? Right now?"

Xu stood in the room again, a sinking feeling in her gut and threatening to sink even lower as the SeeD custodian went to check on what she had asked. She had never liked using the machinery, trusting more in meeting someone, the real and immediate presence of a person looking at her that she could measure and quantify, than she did in Esthar's satellite technology. Unfortunately as teleportation para-magic had never been successfully attempted before she had to stand there, staring at a metal bank of lights and switches, as leagues away a man or woman she barely knew went down and checked on a certain door in a certain room

Her room

and made the trek back to-

"Ms Tyynes?"

Xu had never given herself a title. She had never been an instructor and Squall's position as commander was inviolate. She took a deep breath and readied herself for the worst. "Here."

"The…I'm sorry but I have to say…"

You did it. You did it, you dumb son of a bitch. "They opened it up." Such was the cold anger in her voice the underling at the other end of the connection could only manage a fast yes ma'am. "Were they…were any…"

"Only one ma'am." The man said a name.

If the device had had a handset she could have slammed on the machine to close the connection she would have done so. As it was she settled for merely pushing a button. Leaning back and staring at the ceiling she tried to think though exactly what it meant, and how much of a disaster it could be. Would he use it? Would he be dumb enough or reckless enough to think it could possibly help? She could look outside and see the ice on the window, and as she looked her brain kept going back to one thought.

Of all the ones he could have chosen to steal away with, why her?