All things considered, Leon finds himself quite surprised that it Sora holds off asking questions as long as he does. They're back in the jeep, nearly halfway to the campsite, when the Keybearer finally speaks up.

"Are you sure waiting's our best option?" the Keybearer asks, his curiosity insatiable as ever. "Because I've gone in unplanned a bunch of times, and…"

"I really don't want to hear it, Sora," Leon interrupts. He's gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather of his gloves squeak. "I had to make what I thought was the best, smartest decision. Letting emotions cloud my judgment could have been to the detriment of Radiant Garden. As its de facto leader, the city has to come first. No matter what. I know it sounds cruel, but that doesn't change its reality."

Sora can't really say anything to that. He knows being the Keyblade master is a major responsibility, but for some reason the boy suspects that doesn't hold a candle to what Leon is going through at the moment. If the choice came down to Kairi or Destiny Islands, what choice would he make? Just thinking about it sends a shiver down the boy's spine.

"You're right," Sora finally admits, all the tension draining from him. He slumps back even further in his seat. "But that doesn't, y'know, make walking away like that feel any easier."

"No," Leon agrees, staring straight ahead without expression. "It definitely doesn't."

Sora feels like he should say something. Unfortunately this seems like one of the rare situations in which he doesn't know how to help a friend. So the boy just closes his eyes, suddenly realizing just how much sleep he's lost. He drifts for a while, not necessarily asleep but definitely not aware of his surroundings.

Somehow, it seems even more restful.

But eventually, Leon nudges the Keybearer. Sora notes that the sound of the jeep's engine is no longer present, and when he opens his eyes finds himself staring at the group's tents. They're back, and no one seems to have noticed their absence.

"Don't say anything right away," Leon whispers, opening his door with extreme caution to prevent squeaking. "Just… This is something…"

"Won't mention it," Sora declares with a short nod. He opens his own door without any of his older friend's care, and the slight creaking of its hinges causes him to cringe. Leon just gives him a glare before raising a finger to his lips.

Without another word, Sora and Leon part for their respective tents. Sora waits until Leon is inside his before slipping in. It's quiet inside, just the soft sounds of Telary and Riku breathing. The Keybearer can't help but smile, always happy to be around the most inspirational men in his life.

He's just toeing one shoe off when there's a loud snort from Riku. Before Sora's heart can recover from its sudden jump at the shock, Riku is leaning up on one elbow. Even in the darkness, Sora can imagine his older friend's sleepily inquisitive glare.

"What are you doing?" Riku whispers, pushing himself up just a little more.

"Went to pee," Sora whispers back, shrugging off his jacket.

The older boy watches it fall to the floor, then lifts his eyes to track Sora as the Keybearer lays down. "Did you really?"

"Gee, Riku," Sora scoffs, pulling his sleeping bag higher up on his chest. "Even half-asleep you're a paranoiac!"

"I usually have reason to be." But apparently the silver-haired young man is too tired to pursue the matter further. He lays down again, halfheartedly swatting his pillow to fluff it.

Sora lays completely still for a few minutes, waiting for Riku's breathing to even out. When it finally does, the Keybearer allows himself to fully relax. The city of Bright Oasis briefly passes his mind, but he forces the thoughts away. The other city is a matter for another day. For now, what he really needs is to get some good rest.

KH-KH-KH

"They've stopped," Jihl Nabaat reports, straightening her posture and clasping both hands behind her back. "The rats are in their hole."

"Maybe," Vinzer Deiling says, skeptical as he looks over the display. The president sits behind the desk in his office, leaning back casually in the chair. Colonel Nabaat stands on the room's opposite side, to the right of the huge screen of his personal tactical display console. The screen is currently a grid of lines overlaid with latitude and longitude, whatever signal the resistance has been careless enough to broadcast represented by a blinking red dot.

"You have a thought, Mr. President?" Jihl asks, fighting the urge to raise her eyebrow. Even such a small insubordination would be unbecoming of an officer as high-ranking as she.

"They're awfully far outside the city," Deiling replies, scratching his chin. A fine layer of stubble covers it, adding to his overall disheveled appearance. His awakening had been quite abrupt. The sense that this is a fairly significant event (and a tankard of steaming coffee), is all that's keeping him from drifting back to sleep. "Surely they wouldn't risk the cie'th like that?"

Nabaat pretends to consider the notion for a moment. "It's apparent by now that they aren't operating from within the city. This actually explains a few things. Sir."

"Nothing good," the president says, his frown deepening into a full scowl. "If those brats can survive that far away from the city, then the Heartless problem must be even smaller than we thought. I can't keep up the fake sorties forever!"

"With all due respect, sir," Jihl says, her tone carefully neutral, "we should focus on dealing with one problem at a time, hm? Right now, these rabble are our problem. This is our chance to solve it."

Deiling leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers and taking some time for deep thought. After a minute, he sighs. "I suppose you're right, Colonel," he says, leaning forward again and resting both hands on his desk. "But I don't want much noise made of this, alright? Enough of the newer recruits are suspiciously amenable to this resistance movement, and we can't let the public know that it could be safe outside the city. Only take as much as you think is necessary."

"I suppose that won't be a problem," the colonel says agreeably, though there's an undeniable tightness to her voice and posture. The president doesn't seem to notice, of course. "They are such a pitiful little group of unruly children."

"Right." Deiling lets out a yawn, shaking his head. "Just see to it that Caraway's daughter doesn't live to spread her 'lies'. She's the only one we really need to worry about."

Jihl nods and offers the president a stiff bow, before marching out of his office. Once she's out in the hallway, the colonel can't help but let out a low growl. How that buffoon has managed to stay on top for so long is beyond her. Her superior or no, sometimes that oaf can irk her like no other.

"Colonel Nabaat! Jihl, hey!"

Well, almost no other. Fighting the urge to gnash her teeth, Jihl turns to face the man coming down the hall; a tall, lanky fellow with shoulder-length brown hair. He's dressed in blue armor, a cheery smile on his face. Behind him follows a blonde woman in white, his aide-de-camp.

"Colonel Laguna," Nabaat greets, a tight smile forced on to her face. Of all the times for this moron to pop up, why now? "Up so late?"

"Late?" Laguna replies, still smiling annoyingly. "How about early! I only got here a few minutes ago. Was just on my way to the break room with the really good coffee. Celeste here was filling me in on some stuff. Why are you still here?"

After a moment of debate, Jihl replies, "Special assignment, afraid I can't talk about it."

Laguna nods understandingly. "Sure, sure. Life in the military, huh?"

She only nods, absolutely sickened by all this cutesy small talk. To think that this fop is of equal rank with her! It's mostly a PR move, considering how the inexplicably charming the moronic masses find him. It helps to keep up a good public face, though Jihl would honestly be perfectly content with complete and total martial law.

Despite his fellow officer's chilly response, Laguna laughs again. "Okay, well… See ya around?"

"I'm certain." Not that the thought gives Jihl any joy. The perfunctory social interaction completed, the colonel turns away and begins planning the upcoming operation in her head. The thought of removing such a persistent thorn in PSICOM's side soothes her, until she can hardly even remember that worm daring to speak to her.

KH-KH-KH

A sharp kick, dulled by two sleeping bags but nonetheless forceful, knocks Riku right out of his peaceful rest. Grumbling in the dark, he turns to see that Telary has rolled over onto his side. Apparently the kick was some sort of counter-balancing. Good for the wizard, bad for Riku.

Still moaning a bit to himself, Riku turns over to look at Sora. The younger boy is dead asleep, tiny snores emanating from his form. Something is going on with him, something he'd been reluctant to tell earlier. Riku would bet his life that the Keybearer hadn't just slipped out for a bathroom break.

It can probably wait until morning, whatever it is. What time is it anyway? There's no light filtering in through the tent's canvas, but Riku's confident that he's gotten at least a few hours shuteye. He's gotten into the habit of at least six hours of snoozing, a marked improvement from the scant one or two he'd managed to live on for most of last year.

Speaking of peeing, the silver-haired young man is suddenly aware of his need to do just that. Grimacing, he unzips the sleeping bag enough so he can wiggle out. All that wiggling doesn't do much to help his current bladder situation, but what are you gonna do? Being quiet as possible, he carefully steps over Sora and out of the tent.

This really is a rather nice night, Riku notes once he's in the open air. A half moon shines down to provide some meager illumination, the few clouds drifting through the sky are wispy and nonthreatening, and it's a perfect temperature. Now, he just needs a perfect spot to relieve himself.

He finally wanders over near the opening of the entrance crevice, a corner that is hopefully discreet enough. A minute later, he turns back to the tents and heaves a sigh of relief. He makes his way back slowly, able to better enjoy the night air. The stillness and quiet.

Well, relative quiet. Riku stops, frowning as a low, persistent noise pricks at his ears. It sounds like a mixture between chattering insects and a strong wind. And as the seconds pass, it seems to only grow stronger. Within moments, the Keyblade wielder's instincts are calling for trouble.

"Of course," Riku grumbles, picking up his pace towards the tents. "What the hell were we thinking, trying to have a trip without battling against the forces of evil. Clearly that just isn't a possibility in our universe." Reaching his tent, he throws open the zipper with as much force and noise as he can. "Hey, get up in there! C'mon!"

Sora, predictably, grumbles. The boy turns over on his side to face Riku, but refuses to open his eyes. "Riku, what the heck?"

"Morning already?" Telary blurts, sitting up straight as if he were sleeping on springs. "Should I make breakfast?"

"We'll be making something," Riku says, kicking Sora in the stomach. The Keybearer groans again, but at least it gets his eyes open.

And apparently his ears. Sora sits up, frowning. "That noise?" It has indeed gotten louder. In fact, if Riku had to guess he'd say it was right about on top of them.

"Throw me my shirt," Riku demands, holding his hand out as Telary obliges. He shrugs it on with a single quick motion, quickly zipping up the front. Sora pulls his fairy-made jacket on as well.

"I'll get Leon up," Sora volunteers, springing to his feet. "I'll get everyone up!"

"I can handle Donald and Goofy," Telary volunteers. Looking at Sora, he grimaces. "And maybe pants first, Sora?"

Riku doesn't bother to call anything, instead turning his gaze upward to scan the sky. The half-moon isn't the most luminous source, but if there's anything Riku trusts, it's his ability to see clearly in the dark.

Sora is just yelling into Leon and Cid's tent when Riku first spots it. An object flying through the sky, growing larger but not quite enormous. In its wake follow another pair. With an application of will and grunt of effort, Riku casts out a purple-tinted fireball. It strikes the leading UFO, sending it drifting toward the ground with a trail of smoke behind it. Empowered by the small victory, he fires off two more at the remaining objects. One fireball merely grazes its target, the other missing entirely when the flying thing swerves out of the way.

The remaining UFO finally gets close enough for Riku to make out its shape. The thing is obviously made of metal, but vaguely humanoid in shape. Glowing green tubes extend from the torso like arms, metal pincers attached at the other end. With any luck, those are their primary weapons, which means they'll need to get close enough to use them. The persistent whining noise (mostly likely the UFOs method of flight) increases again, as another half dozen robotic units come into view.

"Damn it!"

The sudden outburst startles Riku, so focused had he been on the incoming problem. Turning, he spots Leon standing at his side. The man grips the hilt of his gunblade tightly, its tip bobbing up and down as he quivers in anger.

"So, it is them," Sora says, frowning as he stops beside Leon. Like the Restoration Committee leader, he has his weapon in hand. "Looks like all that being careful was for nothing."

Riku scowls at the pair. "What are you talking about? Do you know what this is?"

"The explanation could get a little long," Sora says, speaking quickly and ignoring the hard stare Leon sends his way. "Short version, we might have to fight an army."

"What kinda shit…?" Cid mutters, crossing his arms and giving the night sky a stern frown.

The first UFO arrives, swooping down with its pincer claws swinging. Its straight lunge for the group's center isn't the best opening gambit, however. Sora, Riku, and Leon easily sidestep the attack, and three blades slam into the machine and crush it into scrap metal.

"What is taking Tel so long?" Sora wonders aloud, throwing an irritated glance to the Disney Castle staff members' tent. There doesn't seem to be much activity going on inside of it.

"They can join us when they're ready," Riku says, his voice flat as he draws back into a fighting stance and pulls his focus in. "For now, we deal with this."

"Spread out," Leon orders, taking a few steps away from the rest of the group. "Let's give ourselves some room here, and split their focus."

"I'm still holding out for that explanation," Riku declares. "And it had better be damned good!"

The rest of the drone swarm swoops in a moment later, splitting up just as Leon said they would. Riku again uses a dark fireball to take down one of them, dodging aside as it crashes to the ground in a smoking heap. The next one swings a claw at him, but he bats it away with his Keyblade. Ducking under the next swing, he brings Way to Dawn up and bisects the machine in half. It falls in two sparking heaps.

A head goes rolling across the ground, and Riku follows it back to Sora. The Keybearer stands over a sparking, decapitated drone. Leon's sword is thrust through another one's torso, and the third lies before Cid, clearly not functional despite bearing minimal damage.

"I'm just going to say this one more time," Riku begins, stalking toward the others with purposeful steps. "Tell us what is going on. You know what those things are, right?"

"Some kinda attack drones," Cid says, apparently unaware that the question wasn't directed at him. "As to where they came from…"

"There's another city on this world," Sora blurts, surprisingly nonchalant given the nature of the information. "It's got this whole military dictatorship ship thing going on, and Leon's ex-girlfriend is leading the resistance or whatever. They asked for help, but we said no."

"Wait a minute!" Cid says, holding a hand up. The old engineer's eyes glaze over for a brief moment, and when they've focused once again he seems twice as alert as before. "Well, I'll be damned. Bright Oasis, of course! How could I…?" Out of nowhere, he gasps again. This time, he throws a look at Leon. "That Rinoa chick!"

"Who, or what?" Telary asks, coming into the conversation with Donald and Goofy in tow. Both members of the Disney Castle staff are dressed in knee-length, blue-striped nightshirts. The Guard Captain still looks vaguely out of it, and Donald is unsurprisingly pissy about having his rest disturbed.

Leon gives a quick rundown of the night's events, everyone not previously in the know reacting along the gamut of surprised to rather angry. Except Riku, who just looks smug throughout the whole thing. Call him paranoid, would they?

"And theses drones are attacking us because…?" Cid demands. "You said you told Rinoa no."

"We were using a device to get the coordinates to the meeting point," Leon says, scowling at every word. "It probably had a signal that PSICOM's technology could track." He kicks viciously at the ground, a rare display of raw emotion. "I'd have thought Rinoa would have thought of that!"

"Okay, so apparently this huge-ass military force knows we're out here," Riku interjects, arms crossed. "But all they sent after us was the easily-smashed-robot-brigade. What does that mean?"

"Well," Goofy chimes in, surprising pretty much everyone, "probably that was just the first wave. I'll betcha they were using them machines there to study us before the real soldiers show up."

"Probably with bigger guns," Donald adds. For whatever reason, he doesn't exactly seem displeased by the thought.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sora asks, frowning. "I've faced bad odds before, but not a lot of literal armies. Well, not particularly technologically advanced armies, anyway."

Leon knows everyone is looking to him, in both the literal and figurative senses. For a long moment he says and does nothing, simply going over the options in his head. He reaches one conclusion every time he tries. It isn't the one he'd prefer.

"This is too big for us," he says, noting how everyone leans in toward him. "We need to get to Rinoa and her people. They've got resources we don't."

"And that plan against PSICOM!" Sora chimes in. Despite all peril involved, at least he no longer has to feel guilty about leaving Bright Oasis behind.

"What a night," Telary grumbles, arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Didn't even want to go camping in the first place."

"Hurry up and gather what you can to the jeeps," Leon continues to order everyone. "I'm surprised we had this much time. We've got to move before…"

The loud whining/wind-scattering sound rises up again, louder and stronger than before. Everyone moves double time, casting worried glances into the night sky. They've all barely gotten to a jeep, sans any extra equipment, by the time the PSICOM troop carrier is visible in the night sky.

KH-KH-KH

"What about the time with the janitor and those birds?" Wedge whispers to Biggs, leaning close to his friend so no one else on the bridge can hear. "She was super pissed then."

Biggs just shakes his head. "No man, not even on that day have I seen the Colonel so pissed off. Seriously, she looks like she's ready to rip out that console and throw it at somebody."

"Probably us," Wedge mutters with a defeated sigh.

Up at the main tactical monitor, Jihl Nabaat watches as whoever it is that they've stumbled upon go about retreating to a nearby vehicle. Her expression is passive as can be, at least on casual examination. A closer look, such as Sergeant Piett has the occasion to see from his position in front of the computer, reveals perhaps a dozen tiny twitches of rage.

"Um, ma'am," Piett begins, after looking around at his fellow technicians and determining that they certainly won't be speaking up. "Colonel Nabaat, ma'am, what should we do?"

"They look like they're about to flee," Jihl says after a few moments, fighting down even the minor signs of her momentary disarray. "A pair of missiles is all it would take, and they'll be smears on the canyon walls."

"So, we should arm the…"

"No, you cretin," she snaps, cutting the man off with a devastating glare. "Whoever these people are, they aren't resistance rats. Those weapons they used, their technology… For spirits' sakes, one of them is a goddamn duck! There's a story behind this, and I want to know what it is. Pursue them. Let's see where the rats go running to hide."

KH-KH-KH

"They're following us," Sora yells, looking over his shoulder as the large flying vehicle moves to come after them. "Probably they'll try to shoot us!"

"Not once we're in the crevice," Leon yells, sharply pulling the wheel and sending the jeep hurtling to the faintly glowing gap in the wall. "Any more drones?"

"Negative," Riku barks back. He's turned entirely around in his chair, ready to let loose some dark fires if necessary. They'll most likely be far less effective against the massive ship than the human-sized drones, but it's what he's got to work with. "But if that thing doesn't have at least one really big gun, I'll eat my Keyblade."

"They're not going to be able to shoot us," Leon repeats, sounding understandably frustrated. As he does, the first jeep zooms into the crevice. For some reason, it seems wider than when he last made the trip. The power of fearful suggestion, most likely. It's still quite unlikely that the ship will be able to open fire with any reliable aim.

"They sure are keeping on our tail, though," Cid shouts through the dash-mounted radio. "Pretty soon we're gonna run outta crevice!"

Leon had thought of that, but it was hardly the greatest plague on his mind. He knows of only one place to go for shelter, and it doesn't sit well with him. Leading PSICOM right to Rinoa's doorstep is hardly a smart move. Whether they'd come looking for outsiders or not, there's not a chance the military would pass up taking the local resistance in. They'll have to shake this ship before any decision can be reached.

"I'd imagine our chances of knocking that thing down are pretty slim, though," Sora comments, appearing quite calm despite the circumstances. Benefits of experience, Leon guesses. "Unless Tel's obsessive packing included any missiles?"

"Didn't think that far ahead," the wizard replies, regretful. "Silly me, I imagined a bachelor party camping trip wouldn't require heavy armament."

Sora grins. "Uh, have you been paying attention to our lives for the last few years, Tel?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Telary responds through the com, frantic but seemingly happy about something. "I think we've got this covered. Master Donald's got something cooking here. Just give him a second…"

"The duck?" Riku practically spits, breaking off his vigil on the pursuing ship. "What's he supposed to…?"

The skies above glow with a fierce light, illuminating the blue rock like a spotlight. Lances of lightning flash through the air, surrounding PSICOM's ship and injecting millions of volts into it. The vessel veers wildly to the side, practically tipping over as it begins to descend. Luckily for those inside, it seems to have enough power to deter an outright crash, drifting slowly but inexorably down to the surface below.

"Holy shit!" Cid screams with such volume the radio crackles nearly loud enough to obscure the words. "How in the…?"

Donald loudly declares something, but of course no one not used to his odd speech understands a word. "He said," Telary translates, amusement evident in his voice, "that he didn't get to be Royal Wizard by collecting pins."

"Note to self," Riku mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. "Never piss off the duck."

KH-KH-KH

As soon as the aftershocks of their crash have settled, Jihl Nabaat throws the safety harness off her body and springs to her feet. All around her, crewmen are making their own recoveries. None as quick as the colonel, however. They aren't being fueled by the pure rage that burns in her gut.

"Someone call engineering!" she demands, yelling to make her voice heard over the moans and groans of her crew. "I want a status report on the engines as soon as possible. And the first one to tell me what hit us gets a promotion!"

"Going over the readings now," a crewman sitting aft reports, staring furtively at the screen before him. After a moment, the instruments power on.

"Well?" Nabaat demands, moving almost inhumanly fast to stand over the man's shoulder. He jumps a little, but remains on task.

"It looks to be some sort of power surge," he says, frowning at the last reading the system had taken. "Look at that huge spike. Honestly, my best guess is that we took some kind of lightning strike. Most likely several."

"A mage, then," Jihl says, pursing her lips thoughtfully. Though rather uncommon, skill in mystical arts is not unheard of in Bright Oasis. Most of the serious spellcasters work for a specialized PSICOM squad. The others had done so until retirement. If any had joined the rebels, their talents have not yet been displayed publicly.

"Colonel," the voice of Biggs says to Jihl's right. Her gaze swivels to meet him. The man takes a step back before continuing. "I, uh, I think I saw on the monitor what might have happened. But, well…"

"No use stammering and stuttering. Out with it, Vicks."

Biggs wisely decides not to pursue reminding the officer of his actual name. "Yes, ma'am. Well, just before the attack struck, I think that the… Well, I think the duck was the spellcaster. I saw him sit up in the vehicle and do, I dunno, something with his hands. Then boom, lightning."

"The duck is a wizard," Colonel Nabaat repeats, though in a surprisingly thoughtful tone. This assignment, while not the satisfying victory she'd imagined, is turning out to be rather intriguing, if nothing else. "Very vigilant, Sergeant. It seems you do have some use after all."

"Thank you very much, Ma'am!" Biggs replies with a swift salute. A few yards away, Wedge rolls his eyes.

A loud, harsh beep alerts the bridge to an intercom transmission. Once again using nigh-superhuman quickness, Jihl Nabaat moves to answer it. "Go ahead, Engineering."

"Ma'am," the chief engineer, a man named Janson, begins. "That hit got us good, ma'am. Engines two and three are half-fried, but the other two remain functional if bruised. I can have us back in the air in thirty minutes easily. Twenty if you need me to push."

Jihl thinks it over. On the one hand, standing around in a downed ship is hardly a dignified way to spend ones morning. On the other, it may take some time to formulate what exactly it is she's going to report to the president.

In the end, haste triumphs. "Go ahead and give them the push. If we're in the air before twenty I may just make it worth your boys' while."

"Understood, Ma'am. Engineering out."

With little else to do but wait, Colonel Jihl Nabaat settles down into her command chair. For all of the disappointment and strangeness, she can't help but also feel excited. Years of fending off a mindless Heartless horde had grown to be an exercise in boredom, and the resistance were annoying but ultimately harmless, but facing a new, powerful, and possibly intelligent enemy will perhaps prove more stimulating.

At the very least, she's looking forward to hearing the sound of a sapient duck's scream.

KH-KH-KH

For some reason, Leon isn't surprised when they run into Fang and a few other resistance fighters a few yards out from the spot where they'd first met hours ago. He can't quite tell yet whether that's a good or bad thing.

"Long time no see, eh?" Fang greets them, perhaps a smidge to jovially. She scans the faces of the rest of the crew, only stumbling momentarily when it comes to Donald and Goofy. That's certainly an experience the pair will have to get used to.

"It seems you've made even more friends that we realized, huh Sora?" Riku says, leaning over his friend's shoulder to get right up in his face. "Must have been one hell of a potty break, huh?"

The Keybearer just shrugs, unsure what to say to that. Looking over to the next jeep, he sees that Telary is regarding him with a certain amount of contempt as well. There's a reason Sora tries not to lie whenever possible, and this is it.

"I told Sora to keep them from you," Leon says, holding up a hand placatingly. "If you want to be mad, then be mad at me."

Riku leans back in his seat, arms crossed tightly. "No problem there, Chief."

"Anyway," Fang says, easily ignoring the sudden tension, "we picked up PSICOM activity just a bit ago. Took time to get enough people organized to ride out."

"They must have tracked our locator device," Leon posits, his mouth set in a grim line. "The one I had been reassured was being covered."

Fang shrugs. "Not my department. Maybe our tech heads ain't the geniuses they advertise to be, hm?"

Leon lets it go, though it's clear to everyone that won't be the case for long. "As you can imagine, we're a bit more willing to throw in with your plan now." He bites down the urge to point out how convenient that is. "I assume the offer's still on the table."

"If Rinoa says it is," Fang says casually, "then it is. C'mon, lets get outta here in case more PSICOM cronies show up. By the way, and just to settle my curiosity, how exactly did you…"

"Magic duck," Sora explains simply, nodding his head over to the grinning Donald.

"I see. Let's be on our way now, hm?"

The trek doesn't seem as long to Sora now that he's riding in the jeep and not clutching at Leon's back on a bumpy chocobo. They follow much of the same routine as they did the first time, with only the added step of stowing both jeeps in an old garage before proceeding to the underground base.

No one says much, but it's clear from the looks on everyone but Leon and Sora's faces that this place is not what was expected. All the while, Sora can feel contained anger practically radiating off Riku. Even Telary is looking a bit pissed. Probably not the weekend he had in mind, this whole excursion.

Rinoa and Snow are waiting on the steps up to the command room. The woman looks at the arriving group with a kind of saddened empathy. "Squall," she says, moving down the steps once her former lover is in sight. "Sora. I… this whole thing is… I don't know what to say. Somehow they must have penetrated our interference, or…"

Leon holds up a hands, and the woman immediately ceases her apologies. "It happened. That's all we can know. From here we move forward."

Her eyes widen noticeably, and Snow steps forward with a look of interest. "Squall, look, you don't have to…"

"No choice now," he interrupts, scowling. "Looks like you managed to get your wish, Rin."

Sora can't help but suck in a breath. Apparently Leon isn't quite as willing to move forward as he'd said. There's a definite accusatory tone to his words, not lost on anyone in the hall. Well, maybe on Goofy.

"I'm sorry it had to happen like this," Rinoa says, looking genuinely sad. Or at least convincingly so. She regards the rest of the group. "These are your people, hm."

"My name's Telary, Ma'am," the human wizard blurts, holding out a hand. Rinoa shakes it, smiling softly at the redhead. Whatever his actual emotional state, Telary has enough innate decorum to at least smile back.

"The other Keyblade wielder?"

"No," Riku says, practically grunting out the word. He offers no hand, keeping his arms crossed tight against his chest. "That would be me. Glad the word has spread this far out." He spares a look at Sora, eyes narrowed.

"You're gonna be the man around here," Snow declares boisterously, thrusting his hand almost into the silver-haired young man's face. "Name's Snow Villiers, leader of NO… Of Avala…" He sighs, shaking his head with resignation. "Of the Bright Oasis resistance."

Riku shakes, but in the wary way an oft kicked dog smells a new person. That little name game hardly fills him with confidence.

Cid, meanwhile, is regarding Rinoa with one of his signature smirks. "Been a long time, Kid. Seems you've grown up nice."

Rinoa smiles at him, glad to see the old man again despite circumstances. They'd never been particularly close, but any familiar face is a welcome one. As long as it isn't giving her anything like the look Leon's currently wearing.

A few minutes later, everyone is seated at the conference table in the middle of the command room. Except Rinoa, standing at the head of the table. Everyone listens in closely, varying enthusiasm on display.

"The plan, with the help of our friendly Keyblade wielders, is actually fairly simple," she explains, smoothly and with the confidence of command. She gestures to a screen behind her, currently displaying the facade of PSICOM headquarters. It's an absolutely massive building, minimalist architecture making it look basically like a concrete slab with windows. Other structures surround it, each as solid and drab as the base. "PSICOM keeps its main data servers somewhere within this complex. Obviously the whole thing is under lock and key, but that doesn't seem so much of a problem anymore, does it?"

"Always happy to be part of the solution," Riku mutters to Telary, leaning close to the wizard. He could have easily leaned the other way and spoke to Sora, but apparently he's still not over it. It backfires a bit when Telary shushes him, though.

"The main difficulty is getting in the building itself," Rinoa continues. "As you can imagine, security is rather extensive, especially that front door. Our man is waiting on the inside, but the team will actually have to get there. Our techies have dummied up some IDs, but the infiltrators will need to look the part as well. That's where our enemies will come in handy. Two man teams do a fairly regular perimeter sweep, including a few of the nearby alleys."

"Knock 'em out and steal their clothes," Riku says, this time loud enough for the room to hear. "I guess there's no beating the classics."

"I assume, then," Leon chimes in, leaning back in his chair and regarding Rinoa coolly, "that our team will also need to be two man?"

Rinoa nods. "Yes, unfortunately. That is why stealth is imperative in this. There'll be no fighting your way out once inside."

"Me and Riku can go!" Sora says, raising his hand almost on reflex. "Easy peasy!" Riku nods, apparently not opposed to the idea despite any animosity he feels.

Rinoa, though, shakes her head. "I'm afraid that isn't an option. I'll need at least one Keyblade with me. Preferably the most personable."

"There's me out," Riku declares blandly, accepting the simple fact of his friendliness versus Sora's.

"That blade of yours could be a powerful symbol," Rinoa continues, a bit of excitement creeping into her voice. "Not to mention your story of saving Radiant Garden. With someone to rally behind, a real hero who can stand up to hardship, to oppression and darkness, the people may just shock themselves out of apathy."

"And the military will be so moved by this display that they drop their weapons and decide dictatorships are lame?" Cid calls out, sniffing disdainfully.

"Most of PSICOM's militia is used to fending off faceless hordes of Heartless, not their own people," Rinoa patiently explains. "And besides, once we're able to get out Deiling's classified data, what little morale they have left will crumble easily."

"What is this so-important data anyway?" Donald asks, Telary hastily providing translation.

"The Heartless are no longer the threat they were," Rinoa says. "PSICOM tactics division will have reports to that effect. Plus, anything that can be dug up surrounding the murder of my father. If the rank-and-file know Deiling and his higher-ups are that corrupt, they won't be too willing to keep them in power I'd imagine."

"I don't know crap about computers," Riku says. "How am I supposed to find this supposed data, hm? I'd imagine they keep the real incriminating stuff protected with, uh, protection things."

Rinoa nods, a small smile on her lips. "You don't need to worry about that. We've got it covered." She turns to look behind her, focusing on the small blond head that Sora had notice was remarkably gifted at tuning the rest of the room out. He displays that skill again, not reacting in the slightest to Rinoa's cue. After a long moment, she sighs and loudly declares, "Mid, we're talking to you!"

The blond head jumps momentarily, before spinning around to reveal a very young boy. His face has a mildly pinched look to it, freckles on his cheeks, and big round spectacles over his eyes. "Oh, oops. Sorry."

"This is Mid Previa," Snow explains, smiling at the kid with a certain fondness. "Don't let the looks fool ya, this kid is ten times smarter than me."

"I should hope not,'" Mid replies, his high-pitched voice a bit nasally. "A number multiplied by zero is still zero."

Snow just lets out a loud belly laugh. "Oh man, he is always like that. One zinger after another, that's my boy!"

"Mid," Rinoa says, sparing a brief look of utter disbelief at Snow, "mind telling everyone about that program you cooked up?"

"Not a problem," the kid says with a smirk. Reaching back, he taps a few buttons on his keyboard. A moment later, a window opens in his console.

Sora leans forward as a humanoid being appears. He's instantly reminded of his good digital friend Tron. The program on screen has the appearance of a young teen, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. He wears a black coat with white lines running down the sides, and similarly patterned shorts. His white face glows, separated from the white hair on his head by a strange black mask that covers his eyes.

"Am I on?" the program asks, frowning out at its audience. "Mid, are you displaying me right now?"

"Yes, 9S," Mid says, as though he was talking to a good friend and not a near sentient being he had created from scratch. "9S, tell the good people of the purpose for which I designed you."

"Right away," 9S responds cheerily. The program is even smirking a bit. "I am 9S, a data scanning program created by Mid Previa, my User. My primary function is breaking network security and sifting the data within to find whatever is necessary for the completion of my mission. As of ten of your User seconds ago, I have been online and fully functional for precisely seventeen cycles. In that time I've engaged in ten scans of PSICOM automated systems, successful every time."

"Thanks to your programmer," Mid reminds the digital personality. Reaching into his pocket, the boy pulls out a black object. "This is a data storage unit for 9S. All the team has to do once they infiltrate the server room is insert this into a port in the main server, and 9S will find whatever information is pertinent to the operation."

"So, just plug and play," Riku says, one eyebrow quirked thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that's not outside my capabilities. Still," here, he looks to Telary, "I wouldn't mind having someone with me who at least knows a little less than squat about all this digital stuff."

The wizard grimaces momentarily, but ultimately sighs and nods. "Okay, sure. If you insist."

"Well, I suppose that's everything really pertinent," Rinoa says, looking quite satisfied. "I think we'd all agree that it's best to wait until tomorrow to push forward. Until then, there should be plenty of space to accommodate our guests. I suggest sleeping as much as possible. In a few hours Snow and I will have worked out everything with our inside man, and then we'll give everyone information on when we make our move." She pauses, becoming more somber. "I'm sorry that you all had to get involved like this. But perhaps, together, we can turn this negative into something positive. Thank you."

Everyone sort of mutters their responses to that, before becoming concerned with where they'll be resting. Fang cheerfully offers to get them all set up. Rinoa and Snow stand together, watching the group go.

"Well, it looks like we've got our chance," Snow says, smiling brightly. "Who could've guessed it would be like this, huh?"

"Yes," the resistance commander responds quietly, her eyes fixed on the back of Squall's head as he moves away. "Who could have guessed." after a moment, she shakes her head. This is endgame, now. Time for sentiment and regrets later. "When Ardyn checks in, let me know immediately. This isn't over yet."

Back down the hallway, Leon steps up close to Cid. His expression is drawn in tight, reserved. The engineer immediately notices. "Something wrong, Kid? Y'know, except the obvious? You and Rinoa…"

"No," Leon responds sharply. "I decided when we first met again that… We have different priorities now. I wouldn't even be here by now if it weren't for our being tracked." He sighs, dropping his voice even lower. "Cid, I want you to stay here tomorrow night."

"Uh, okay," Cid responds with a minute shrug. "I guess I don't kick quite as much ass as I used to, but… That the only reason?"

"No," the Restoration Committee leader says, his expression becoming stormy. "If you see the opportunity, take a look around their systems for me. Something tells me it was more than simple bad luck that got us into this situation."

I told you I'd be working faster. I'm still kinda meh on this whole plotline, but a lot of the stuff here will be important to KttK III so... whatever I guess. I did enjoy getting a little reminder in this chapter that, minus Yen Sid, Donald Duck really is incontrovertibly the most good guy powerful wizard around. In my head, he doesn't have quite as diverse a spell set as Telary does, but what he's got packs a punch.

Uh, yeah. Shoutouts, as usual, to Bezerker21, DJ Scales, and Nightwing2013 (I see you.) Until next time. Probably soon, since I got wise finally and did an extensive outline for the next few chapters instead of my as-of-late go to method of "have a general idea and just write whatever". See you next time.