Chance or Choice?
Chapter XIV
"Side by side
We fought like heroes
Statues in the light
Our weapons
Become our tools of justice
As we led our team to war"
"…And above all, please remember to stay in your assigned Squad" Xu finished her speech with a few nods of approval from the audience of cadets and received quite a few worried glances. I stood behind her, with Cindy at my side, in the undercover tent that had been set up by a few Estharian volunteers. Xu dismissed the SeeD hopefuls and spun around to face us.
"Tough crowd" Cindy commented.
"I agree. It's like they've never even been on one of these things before" Xu replied, running a hand through her hair.
"If I may comment" I asked, "They actually haven't"
"Quiet you!" Xu laughed, "I've had quite enough of your cheek for one day. Any more and you can join them on their exciting monster hunt. Now I think there may be some assessment papers in Tent A for you to pick up so get a move on!" She waved us both out.
"Oh, I'm trembling with anticipation" I droned.
It was exactly four hours until the beginning of the exam. Nearly all cadets were getting themselves organized and equipped. Numerous SeeD stood on the side, watching over them, so Cindy and I grabbed our paperwork and stood on top of the scaffolding. We were placed right next to the main warehouse, where seven vicious Behemoths were caged. Waiting to be let loose. I closed my assessment book with a sigh and looked over the 'battlefield'.
"I don't think we should be too hopeful" I mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Cindy asked.
"This isn't going to work out. It should be live action battle, with a real life crisis. Not a monster hunt. How is this supposed to show their skill?"
"Unfortunately, the world can't always be riddled with war at the exact times you need it to be, Squall. So terribly unfortunate" Cindy giggled, and patted me on the shoulder in mock sympathy.
"Yes yes…" I sighed. "I suppose it was just coincidence Dollet just happened to be at war with Galbadia when I had my Exam…but that made it all the more realistic! It was an actual event that we would normally be required to assist in as SeeD. It just made more sense"
"So perhaps instead of doing this, the cadets should be out helping the Shumi Village with its insect infestation and protecting their crops from giant snails. That's a real life crisis, right?"
I looked up, half shocked and half amused, "You're making fun of me?"
"No darling", she sing-songed, "I'm mocking you"
I sighed and decided to give up. Women. Too difficult at times. So instead, we sat down on the railing, our papers in our hands and looked over the edge. No one was in sight. Everyone was at their designated areas, all ready to go. I could already hear the monsters rattling in their cages. My radio crackled, by my side.
"Squall…you all set?"
"As set as I'll ever be"I replied.
I placed it back by my side as more radio checks were done. It seemed the exam was to start three hours early, which was a relief.
HE COULD almost here a loud 'thud' as his sweat drops hit the pavement.
"Stop worrying Tim…" A strawberry blonde girl behind him was saying, "It'll be fine. They chose you because they know you can do this! Have a little faith" She placed a hand on his shoulder, in an effort to comfort him. He wiped his forehead with a shaking hand. He had never been so scared and excited before. In actual fact, he wasn't sure if it was possible to have the two mixed feelings at once.
"I'm trying….I really am. I'm just a little nervous. I can't let him down"
"Who?"
"The Commander. Squall. He's the one who convinced me to come, and made me squad leader. He thinks I can do it"
"If he thinks you can do it, and we think you can do it…then by all means you can! All you need to do is believe it for yourself!"
"I will…I will" He breathed. The exam hadn't started yet, but he could feel the eyes of the assessors staring at him already. Watching him for his every mistake. He was partly in charge of the life or death of his squad. And they knew it. He closed his eyes as a gun shot sounded. Its blast echoed around the base, and resounded in the open warehouses, where numerous monsters had been let loose on a rampage. Their thundering hooves, claws and feet came in the form a thousand pounding rhythms.
It scared the hell out him even more.
"Move out!" He yelled, his voice suddenly clear of any panic. Two other squads had begun moving into the center, where a collection of Blobra's, Buel's and Funguar had gathered. The real fighting began.
"Kill what you need! Don't dawdle on the useless ones!" Tim yelled. His squad members split, heading for their own personal kills. He looked around him for something to show off his skill. Two cadets were in the corner, killing off a few Grats and another two were running from an Imp. These were too insignificant, he needed a real test. A real fight.
Challenge yourself. That's where greatest likes to come out from hiding.
"Your right Squall, I need a challenge" He spotted a Grendel. "Perfect"
"CHALLENGE yourself…come on" I whispered. So far I had failed eighteen people. Facing a grat or an imp and then running away was not SeeD material. We had purposely put easy monsters into the mix, to help us sort through the brave and the weak.
An Adamantoise lay by itself, behind a corner. No one had noticed it yet. It was famous for its 'lay and wait' tactic. A group of female cadets, who had recently been victorious in defeating six Glacial Eyes, had begun to run around the side of the building. In a few moments they would come face to face with the Adamantoise. I was hopeful, that they would fight it and come out successful. Not enough to pass yet, but they would be close.
"Becky!" I heard one scream. "Run!" As soon as they made contact, a strawberry blonde pig-tailed girl stopped in mid stride and bolted back around the other side into the safety zone. Two others stopped and looked at each other, contemplating their chances. The one supposedly named 'Becky' joined her retreating friend. Only three were left. Enough to face it together, and a great amount of points if they won.
Another ran. Still, they had a good chance with two people. It wasn't impossible.
Then the fourth ran.
I put my papers down and sighed.
"Just run…" I whispered, "It's over"
The last girl left from the original five, spun around to join her friends. I instantly failed the first two girls that had decided to bolt. Leaving your team mates was no exception. It lessened their chances and put more pressure on them to forfeit and destroys their chances of getting a high win.
"Makes you wonder why they bothered coming hey" I said, sitting down on the side, with my legs dangling over.
No answer. I looked to my side, expecting to see Cindy.
No Cindy.
"Uh…Cindy?" I looked below me but she wasn't down on the ladder. Not behind me or anywhere along on the rails. She had vanished.
"I'm here!" I heard her call. She was standing on top of the warehouse roof. I walked over, hearing the iron sheets groan with the added weight.
"What are you doing up here?" I asked.
"Getting a close look at Tim. He's fighting a Grendel"
I looked on with sudden interest. "Good on him"
We both looked down. Sure enough, there was Tim. Winning his fight so far. He was alone too, which earned him more points. We both looked on, amazed. All thoughts of my Adamantoise had vanished. I was intently focused on watching as Tim placed his finishing blows.
That's how I knew it was my fault.
We both heard it. Like a loud thunderous roar. The sound came first, then the sudden vibrations and the rocking of the iron beneath out feet.
The Adamantoise had been challenged, and like so many do, it thrust its tail upon the warehouse, sending the entire building into a shaking frenzy. We both lurched back and fell onto the mid section of the roof. The plating had become loose and spaced from the sudden movements. We tried to steady ourselves, but it was hopeless as a hole seemed to form right before our very eyes. The internal frame had collapsed and the roof caved in. I reached for the scaffolding and I expected Cindy to do the same. The iron sheets gave way and I simply hung in mid air, before hoisting myself up onto the scaffolding rail. I turned around to help Cindy up.
But she wasn't there.
She was gone.
I panicked.
"Cindy!" I yelled, "Cindy!" My voice was so quiet, as the rage of fighting continued down below. It was if no one could hear me. I couldn't radio for help as it had come off during the fall. A gaping hole stood in the center of the warehouse roof, where I knew Cindy had fallen. I stepped onto the remaining section and looked in. Sure enough she lay there, unconscious on top of a pile of rubble. Not knowing what else to do, I dropped myself in, praying that all the Behemoth had been let loose already. I crawled over to her after landing. She stirred slightly. A patch of blood and matted dirt lay on the side of her face.
"Squall…I think I hit…" She trailed off, as her head lobbed to the side. Her eyes fluttered a few times before closing completely. I placed both my hands on her shoulder and shook her slightly. She groaned but said nothing.
"Cindy? Stay awake. Come on, come back" I begged, "I need to get you out of here okay? So don't fall out on me. Open your eyes, say something" I held her hand, and squeezed it, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of her. But she refused to move. She was blacked out cold.
"Damn" I placed a hand under her head and lifted her up so I could hold her gently in my arms. I inspected her wounds more closely. She was bleeding from a few scratches on the side of her face and her arms seemed bruised. I tore a piece of material off my shirt and wrapped it into a ball to stop the blood flow. She flinched as I pressed it down.
"Hey, it's just me" I whispered, and her eyes snapped open.
"What? I…ouch" She tried to lift her arms but stopped as she realized how much pain she was in. Her face tightened in agony and she let her body relax slightly, trying to let the injuries settle. Holding the shirt piece with one hand, I used the other to clear her hair away from her face. She looked back up at me.
"Thanks" She muttered. It clearly hurt for her speak.
"Just…doing a days work" I chuckled, "Besides, there's plenty more for me to do. It's not actually as boring down here as you think"
"Sure, what else…is there to… amuse you?"
"Dust…mothballs…spider webs and dirt. You name it" I was trying to keep her occupied. I needed her to stay awake for as long as possible. She just smiled and pulled her hand up to mine, where it was busy clearing the blood from her face. She linked hands with me and sighed.
"I'm getting a head-ache…I'll blackout again soon"
"No, I'll keep you awake" I reassured her, "I can be interesting when I need to be"
"Thanks but I'm…so tired"
"Don't sleep! Just…talk to me" I lifted her hand and held it with both of my own. I squeezed it lightly to emphasis my point. Her head began to lob back and I held her closer to me.
"Cindy come on, just a little longer"
"But how long…can you stay…with me?"
"As long as it takes"
TIM WATCHED with a smile on his face as the Grendel writhed in pain, rolling around on the ground a few times before perishing into a pile of ashes. He sheathed his blade and ran a hand through his hair. There was no doubt in his mind that maneuver would have earned some nice points. SeeD didn't look so far away after all. He was about to head back out into the field, away from the warehouse, when all hell literally broke lose. He almost lot his footing as the entire structure of the warehouse's tin frame began to wobble and its roof caved in, like a massive cake, with its center gone soft. He ran back, as dust blew up in his face causing him momentary blindness. When the vibrations ceased he waited until all had settled.
"Shi-" He pulled himself up. "Hey…what about the…?"
The Behemoths.
He knew all too well how they had been caged in that very warehouse. Only three had been let loose out of a possible seven.
"Cindy!"
Tim looked up as he heard his Commander shrill voice cut through the air. He sounded far away and very high up. He tried squinting but he could see nothing. What could have happened? Fallen perhaps? He noticed how large a dent had been made in the roof. It did after all look pretty massive…
I NOTICED the disturbing feeling of an unknown presence coming from all around us, telling me that we were most certainly not alone. I placed Cindy's hand down and looked her in the eyes. She blinked a few times and frowned, her expression asking me: What's wrong? I simply stared at her, completely silent and still. She looked behind me and I saw her eyes widen. I then knew my worst fear at that present moment had been confirmed. Four Behemoth, disturbed and angry from the sudden and violent vibrations began to tromp towards us, closing in like their circle of prey. I gently lay Cindy back down and stood, standing over her protectively. I unsheathed my Gunblade and prepared myself. Unless I was due for a miracle, we couldn't survive this. Not alone.
In what I thought to be complete control, I waved my Gunblade around in front of me, trying to intimidate them. They heaved and growled, steam bellowing from their nostrils. Two of them looked lazy and unprepared to do any full launched attacks, but the other two were psyched and ready to go. They were the ones that stomped their hooves and dug into the ground with their horns, all the while keeping their eye on us. Beneath me Cindy stirred, her eyes flickering open and shut.
"Don't move Cindy…" I whispered, "Just stay down" I bent down low and placed a hand on her forehead, trying to calm her. She stiffened at the touch but then slowly rested and became still.
I wasn't sure if she had heard me, perhaps she had, but she stopped moving completely and kept her eyes closed. I knew how hard it must have been. Her injuries weren't serious but it was enough to put her through a significant amount of pain. The gap in the roof aloud a stream of sunlight to filter down on us both, creating a sort of spotlight affect. While we were doused in light, the monsters creeped in from all sides out of the darkness. I tried to focus on them all but I had too much to concentrate on. From outside I could gunfire, roaring, yelling and the sudden explosion or two. It was small and it was no war, but it was enough to divert my attention. The warehouse door was open but the Behemoth blocked my view of the outside and anyone peeking in would see nothing but darkness and dust. Of course no one was, for they were around the other side, out of the way of so many large warehouses. They were out in the action, getting themselves as many fights as possible. On top of that I needed to keep Cindy safe. She was out of action and no help here. It would definitely take a lot to get us out of this mess…
"Squall!"
The advancing monsters stopped dead in their tracks.
I looked past them and through the darkness I saw a figure, silhouetted in the sunlight. He held his arm up and crackling sheet of sparks appeared above my head. They exploded into thousands of fluorescent flames, biting and nipping at the heels of my attackers. Outraged, the Behemoth charged with their heads down and their eyes aimed directly ahead. My blade pierced through the belly of one and a lightning strike appeared out of nowhere and threw another down to the floor in an eruption of dust and dirt. I triggered and jumped back as the Behemoth I had sliced repelled back and fell to the floor with its insides literally blast out into nothing. The remaining two had escaped through a gaping hole in the side of the warehouse. I rested the tip of my blade on the ground and waved at Tim, my rescuer, who was still standing at the entrance.
"Are they gone?" I heard Cindy whisper from behind me. She was sitting up leaning on her arms.
"Yeah" I replied, looking up at the person walking towards us both, "All Thanks to Tim" I nodded in his direction and grinned.
It's alive!
I'm back to full health, my broken finger is healed (due to a door jam, yeouch!) and I have school holidays. Not to mention plenty of time off work. Thanks for reading this chapter. Please take the time to review and let me know if you're still interested in reading and what you think of it so far, I love hearing from everyone! See you all in my next update (currently in the works already). P.S - Shatteredade, continue Loaded Dice, the starting chapter was great!
Hanging in there - Karla
Special Thanks to Seth8 for the encouragement.