Chapter 20 – Countdown…
"Has he left yet?" Her voice sounded from the entrance.
He turned to face his guest.
"Yes, a couple of minutes ago. She's trying to relax again."
"Are you going to bug her again?"
He shook his head as she sat down next to him.
"No, I don't think scaring her at this point is a good idea. What I wouldn't mind doing though, is testing those improvements you claim you've been able to make."
She glared at him, placing a data disk on the desk in the process, before sitting down.
"I don't "claim" anything. I know they'll work."
"Fine then, be my guest."
He took the disk, copied the files to his computer, and then ran the program she had provided. The upgrade should apparently allow longer control over the target, if she had done what she claims she could.
He activated the holographic interface again, and adjusted it so that her height off the floor (as the target was sat on her bed) was the same height as his guest's chair.
His guest moved into the interface, and then waited for him to link it in with the control program. At his nod, and as she saw the hologram form around her, she made herself stand up, and walk a few steps.
"That worked fine," he commented, "She's approximately four steps from her window now."
He then turned to focus on the monitor that showed what she was seeing, and watched as his guest made the target go through a routine of stretches, and a few acrobatic moves. She then made the target move every finger, and turn her head as far as she could.
"This is looking good," He told her, "It looks like we have control over her completely."
"Time so far?"
"Four minutes, just under a quarter of what was possible last time."
"We should be able to manage at least double what was possible when you made her commit a murder."
He turned to look at the hologram, and noticed something interesting.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the left ankle of the hologram.
She reached down, and acted as though she was rolling up her trouser leg, this caused the target to do the same, revealing a small knife stored in a sheath on her ankle.
"Well, well, it looks like our little assassin has more weapons than she officially carries."
His guest drew the knife, and made it so that the holographic representation of the blade was resting on her left hand, with the handle in her right. She then closed her hand over the blade, and rotated her hands so that they were opposite each other, but 90 degrees proportional to where they were before. She opened the left hand, and saw that the blade was bent right out of shape. He grinned at her, as she bent it back again, putting it the way it was before.
"I told you she was strong."
"Yeah, now we have some idea of how strong."
He frowned:
"The files we have are accurate enough, it's not like she'd be able to upgrade herself now."
"I know!" She fired back, "But I like seeing things for myself, instead of simply reading them from paper."
His guest made the target replace the knife in the ankle sheath, and then continued walking around, testing the adjustments. After almost half an hour, the computer beeped, indicating the time was running out.
"Her countermeasure protocols are activating, they've finally recognised us as a threat. We should disconnect now, so that she doesn't get suspicious."
His guest nodded, and manoeuvred so that she was sitting on her bad again. Once her eyes closed, he shutdown the holographic interface.
"Nice work, I think half an hour should be more than enough time for us to complete our goals, using her as our instrument."
She nodded in acceptance of the compliment, as he powered the equipment down again, and the two of them then left the room.
Sonnet was brought out of her meditative state by a knock on her door.
She turned to the door, and switched her eyes to x-ray, so that she could see two individuals standing on the other side of the door. The height of them gave away their identities, that, and the fact that one of them had a rifle inside his coat.
"It's open Irvine." She called.
The door then slid open, and Selphie walked into the room, followed by her husband.
"Morning Quicksilver." He greeted, tipping his hat.
"Hiya Sonnet!"
Uh oh, Sonnet thought, She sounds a little too perky. This can't be good.
She glanced at Irvine.
"Did you tell her?"
He shook his head.
"Not directly, Squall informed the four of us first thing this morning, and I then explained to her that you had already told me yourself."
"Right."
Sonnet glanced at her hand, and saw that the skin had been replaced again. She then turned to Selphie.
"I suppose you've got a lot of questions."
"Yeah, actually, but that's not important right now."
Sonnet blinked in shock, as that wasn't what she expected Selphie to say.
"We might have a problem where you are concerned." She eventually said.
Irvine took over.
"It seems like you might have left a trail, as someone has started asking questions."
"What kind of questions?" Sonnet asked.
"Medical related mainly, as it seems that you always eat the same sort of food in the Cafeteria, and get similar results from your physicals, and one of the students has noticed, and started asking around. Even the Infirmary staff have been asked questions, but they obviously can't say anything."
"Doctor/patient confidentiality." Sonnet realised.
"Exactly, but that's not stopped an unofficial investigation being started. Luckily for you, someone who understands the desire for privacy informed Quistis, and she's put a stop to it, for now anyway."
Selphie spoke up.
"The thing is, your being under house arrest now might only increase the suspicions of the person who was asking the questions."
"How does he know my physical results?" Sonnet asked.
"She," Irvine corrected, "She apparently had a friend on the Medical staff. A very persuasive Rin found out about that, and the medic is now out of work, for breaching that confidentiality."
Sonnet processed that information, and then thought about the immediate situation.
"Is there any way I could be removed from the Garden? Cut off the reason for snooping? I'm sure Garden has at least one safe house in Balamb Town?"
"Possibly, but that could have the opposite effect."
"The inquiring student wouldn't have access to the source of their curiosity though, correct?"
"I suppose so."
"What about letting me talk to this student?" Sonnet then asked, "I might be able to… talk her out of checking into me."
Irvine raised an eyebrow, and Selphie looked startled.
"How?"
"I'm not sure," She admitted, "I was going to think on that part."
"In that case, no," Irvine declared, "Unless you can provide a thought out plan for talking to Cadet Wells, you're not talking to her."
Selphie looked at him, and he realised his slip.
"And, I want you to promise that you won't try and go and see her anyway."
Sonnet nodded:
"Of course, I won't go outside of this room without armed escort."
Although that might not be much good if I can be controlled. Whoever it is clearly does not have the same ethics as I do, and would break a promise within seconds if it suited him or her.
"Thank you. Now, I'll mention your relocation idea to Squall, but beyond that, there's not much I can do."
"However," Selphie said, "I would like to get a little information from you, regarding food. Are there only certain things you can eat…"
She glanced at her husband:
"…As Cadet Wells seems to think?"
Sonnet nodded, and gave her a list of what she could and couldn't eat, primarily due to some of the ingredients in certain foods having a negative effect on the cyborg technology in her body.
"Right, thanks. I'll make sure your meals don't contain anything 'harmful'."
"I appreciate that. Could you tell me if the Commander has been able to contact Torigai Shuuichi?"
They both looked confused, before Irvine answered.
"Yes, actually, he has. He and President Loire are on their way here using the Ragnar, a prototype, upgraded, version of the Ragnarok."
For some reason, Sonnet turned cold on hearing that:
"Why the President as well?"
"It seems that Squall believes that he can tell us something about the project that lead to you being as you are, so he's coming along as well."
"Ok." That answer didn't help her nerves, as she didn't think that Laguna Loire would remember minor details, especially about something that had taken place decades ago.
"They will probably be sent here after they arrive, or, knowing Squall, a more secure area will be found, where they can get more protection."
"He doesn't trust me, does he?"
"I don't think he does anymore, but do you blame him?"
She looked at Irvine.
"No, I suppose I don't. I wouldn't if the situation was reversed."
"Do you need to sleep?" Selphie suddenly asked.
"No, but I can. Why?"
"I was curious, sorry."
"That's ok, I'll answer questions I can, but don't go overboard."
"I'll try not too."
The next hour or so was spent with them asking her various questions about her abilities, and skills. What she learned as an assassin, and what was programmed into her. Also, what had happened to make her suspect that someone was controlling her, and that she was also hearing voices in her head.
After that, the couple left, and Sonnet lay down on her bed, hoping to get some sleep without any more voices. While trying to sleep she wondered if Bird could have done something to her that makes her hear the voices.
Rei entered the Balamb Garden grounds, feeling exhausted, and very worried. Asuka had managed to contact her the previous day, and explain what Sonnet had done for (she believed) everyone else's safety. She was also worried what the Commander would say about it, as Asuka had also mentioned that she had been cautioned for withholding information, which could happen to her as well.
She had also learned that there was a change of plans when, an hour or so before she was due to leave, Seifer had turned up at her loaned apartment, and gave her a message from Kiros, which had come from Balamb Garden. It was instructions to find out everything she could about Colonel Fletcher, including his career, where he had lived, and as much of his past as possible. The message also contained a notice that she would be travelling back to Garden a little later than usual, and not on the Ragnarok either. That ship had been sent back to Balamb for some reason, but "alternative arrangements" had been made.
The day after that, not long after she had phoned Asuka, and been brought up to date on happenings in Balamb, Seifer had turned up again, and this time escorted her to the Presidential Palace, where she had bade him farewell, and boarded a smaller, sleeker, version of the Ragnarok, called the Ragnar. President Loire had been on board, but had stayed in a private cabin for the whole flight, which had included a detour to Trabia, where an acquaintance of hers had also boarded, looking worried.
She now turned to the two men who had got off the ship with her, one carrying a large case, and simply said:
"Follow me please." As she escorted them to the Commander's Office, for her inevitable debriefing.
After this is done, I'm going to talk to Asuka, and find out everything that has happened. She thought to herself, making a promise at the same time.
As it turned out, there were more people than the two Commanders in the office when she got there with her charges. She could see Asuka sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk, while the Commanders were sat behind it, and Selphie was in the chair next to that.
The three vacant chairs suggested that she, President Loire, and Bird were all expected, but what really surprised her was Sonnet's presence, sat in another chair off to the side, with her wrists shackled together.
"Welcome back Miss Ayanami," Commander Trepe said as she approached the desk, "All of you, take a seat please."
As she slid into one of the vacant seats, she spotted Irvine leaning against the back wall, his Exeter in his hand, and a finger on the trigger.
"I believe you've all been briefed on what this is all about," Commander Leonhart said, once everyone was sat down, "However, let me summarise, just so we're all up to speed."
He looked in Sonnet's direction:
"Miss Baji approached me a couple of days ago, and told both myself and Commander Trepe a lot of things that were hard to believe. But, to summarise, she is the victim of a project carried out in Esthar during the reign of Sorceress Adel, a project that resulted in her being saved from a life-threatening cancer, but becoming a cyborg, and Adel's personal assassin at the same time. Now, due to recent events, she is worried that someone has found a way to control her, like Adel used to do, which is why you two are here."
"Mr President, according to Miss Baji, you were aware of the project that took place 23 years ago. And you, Mr Shuuichi, you were instrumental in completing the project in question, and then taking care of Miss Baji after she was liberated from Adel's control via something you set up when building the cyborg copy of her body."
Torigai spoke next:
"You're well informed Commander. Now, may I assume that the reason I've been brought here is to see if she is being controlled, again, and if there is a way to free her?"
"Correct assumption sir," Commander Leonhart replied, "For the most part."
"What do you mean?"
"I also want you to come up with a way of containing Miss Baji, should she be controlled again. I'm very certain that the doors in Garden will be no match for her strength."
"Correct Commander. I considered the possibility on the way here, and I think she should be taken to the Sorceress Memorial in Esthar, where she can be contained safely."
"No." Sonnet suddenly spoke, causing everyone to look at her.
"I would escape from there with little difficulty, as Adel provided me with a series of special access codes for that facility, that can shut the whole place down." She explained.
"Where would you suggest then, Miss Baji?" President Loire asked, still studying her closely, as he had started to do when he sat down.
"I can think of one place, but it will require a lot of help from Galbadia."
"Where?" The Commander demanded.
"The D-District Prison in the Galbadian Desert. From what I recall from our mission there, the three towers can be separated from each other and controlled independently."
"That's right." Commander Trepe frowned as she recalled her experiences there five years previously.
"Separate one of the towers from the other two, and evacuate the prisoners in it to the other two towers. Then lock me in one of the lower level cells, and submerge the tower into the desert sand. That will contain me while you investigate how to free me, again."
"It sounds feasible Commander." President Loire stated, having apparently remembered her now.
"I take it you do recognise her then sir?" Torigai spoke.
"Yes, and I saw her in the hallway here when I came to hire SeeD a couple of weeks back. It's remarkable, the likeness to her flesh and blood body is too exact."
Commander Leonhart cleared his throat, which had the desired effect of turning all attention to him.
"So, are we in agreement? Miss Baji will be contained in the D-District Prison while you, Mr Shuuichi find a way to free her. If possible, find out how she is being controlled, and where from, so that we can eliminate that source."
"What do you want me to do?" President Loire asked.
"Help me deal with the Galbadian Government, and get one of the three towers evacuated. Esthar has a lot of political and military muscle that might be needed here."
"Understood."
"Wait a second."
The words had escaped Asuka's mouth before she realised she was thinking of saying anything.
"Am I the only one who doesn't like this?" She demanded, realising that what she said would probably cost her later, but not caring, "You're all talking about Sonnet as if she were a lab rat, to be examined and then put down."
"No, Asuka," Rei said, "I don't like this either, but I can't see any alternative right now. Sonnet herself has said that while she can be controlled, she is a danger to anyone around her."
"It's true Asuka," Sonnet threw in her support of the situation, "I can remember a lot of what I did under Adel's command, as Bird here showed me what he had freed me from after he adopted me. That included some of the victims of her orders, killed by my hand. No matter how advanced the security, I was able to get through it, and kill whoever she wanted dead."
Asuka was surprised that Sonnet kept her face like a stone mask as she said that, before remembering that Sonnet was a lot older than she appeared. She was almost the same age as her parents, which was a strange thing to realise. Due to that, she had probably had a lot of time to dull herself against the emotions that resulted from her learning of her actions under Adel's control.
That caused her to realise that Sonnet was correct, and that this was the best thing to do for now. She lifted her head, and looked directly at Commander Leonhart.
"Ok, I agree sir, this is the best thing we can do for her for now. Besides," She stated, looking at Sonnet, "It'll only be temporary, so you'll be back among the ranks of SeeD soon enough."
Sonnet smiled brightly:
"I certainly hope so."
Bird cleared his throat:
"If that is all, Commander, may I leave and get started on this work? The sooner my daughter is free, the happier I'll be." He requested.
"By all means. Commander Trepe, escort our guest and Miss Baji to the Infirmary, where he can work, and return here once you are done. SeeDs Ayanami and Sohyru, you two are free for now, but do not leave the Garden. Mr President, please stay, as we need to talk."
Asuka and Rei, by mutual agreement, headed to the canteen, as it was close to dinnertime, and both were hungry. They gained a few curious glances by the people near to the doors when they entered the canteen, but were not distracted while they got themselves something to eat.
However, once they sat down at a free table, a couple of the students approached.
"Excuse me, can we talk to you for a few minutes?"
Having a pretty strong suspicion for what this was about; Asuka put her knife and fork down, and pushed out one of the free chairs with her foot. Once the two students were sat down, they immediately asked questions:
"Could you tell us what's going on with that silver haired friend of yours?" One asked, who looked remarkably similar to Sonnet's friend Alicia.
"What do you mean?" Rei asked, trying to get more details from them.
"She's not been seen in Garden for a while, and the last time we did see her, she was in the company of Mr Kinneas."
"And what's that supposed to prove?" Asuka chipped in, trying not to glare at the female student.
"It seems odd, that's all. We've seen you two working with her, so we were hoping you might know something more."
Rei shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but all we know is that she has spoken to Mr Kinneas about a personal matter, one that he can apparently help her with. She wouldn't tell us what though."
"Ok, what about…?"
"Did Lucy Wells put you up to this?" A deeper voice suddenly asked, which Asuka recognised as Irvine's.
"N…no sir. We were curious."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to back off on this. The silver haired lady's personal concerns are none of your business."
"R…r…Right. Sorry sir."
"Don't worry, just don't let me catch you again."
The two nodded, and left Asuka and Rei alone. Irvine slid into one of the now vacant seats after approval from Rei.
"Thank you for that," Rei exclaimed, scratching her chin, "I wasn't sure I could stay on my verbal feet with them."
"You're welcome, and that's something you may wish to practise. Now, I have some news for you, but I don't want to talk here. Meet me in the Diplomatic Office at 1500, and I'll explain everything you need to know."
"Understood sir." Rei replied for both of them, as Asuka still had a mouthful of her cake desert.
"So, are we agreed on this?" Squall asked, looking at the three people in his office, and then at the phone.
"We're agreed Commander Leonhart," The voice of General Caraway said over a speaker, "But we want a SeeD from our Garden present, to represent the Galbadian Government."
"Of course sir, I'd insist on the same if the situation was reversed."
"Your sense of diplomacy has improved Commander, I guess my daughter was a positive influence on you after all."
"Whatever...sir." Squall rolled his eyes, and then glared at President Loire as he sniggered at the comment.
"We'll leave Balamb Garden on the Ragnar at 1800 tonight, Balamb Time, that should get us to the Prison by about 2000 your time."
"Understood. Oh, and Commander?"
"Yes sir?"
"If it's not too much trouble, could you ask my daughter to come with you as well? I would like to see her again soon, if possible."
Squall checked the work schedules on his computer monitor, and then replied:
"I don't think that will be a problem sir. But, she and I will have to leave the following morning."
"I understand. Thank you. Farewell for now."
"Farewell sir." Squall reciprocated, before hanging up the phone.
"Well, that was surprisingly easy." Laguna stated.
"I agree, that took a lot less time than I thought it would."
Squall looked at both men, and then at Irvine, who was still hanging around near the door.
"Irvine, find her friends, and bring them up to speed."
"Yes sir!" Irvine said, before saluting, and leaving the office.
"Are you serious?" Rei demanded, before sheepishly adding, "Sir."
Irvine nodded, and Instructor Leonhart looked a little saddened, although neither Rei or Asuka could see a reason why she might be.
"Yep. We've got approval from Galbadia to use part of the D-District Prison to contain her for now, while that scientist…"
"Mr Shuuichi." Instructor Leonhart interjected, which told them that she was in the loop, probably through her husband.
"…Mr Shuuichi works on a way to completely and permanently free her. It wasn't very easy, but Laguna sent along information about her specifications, which seemed to convince them."
"However, the only one from Galbadia who knows the truth about her is General Caraway, and I know he will keep it under wraps. As far as the G-Garden SeeD is concerned, Sonnet is just a dangerous prisoner that we can't keep in any Garden brig."
"That's a bit ambiguous, ma'am." Rei stated.
"I know, but it's the best we can come up with on such short notice. But, to complicate things for them, Sonnet will have her head covered, so that the SeeD won't see her face. Once she's free, he or she shouldn't be able to recognise her in the future, as her face was initially hidden."
The optimism in her voice encouraged Rei a little, as it meant that she and Asuka were not the only ones concerned for Sonnet.
"We'll be taking her to Galbadia at 1800 tonight, so if you wish to say anything to her before then, now is the time." Irvine stated.
"What about…?"
"I can get you into her room, but you'll only have a few minutes."
Both women nodded, and were then dismissed. Irvine followed them, and took them towards Sonnet's dorm room.
"I'll wait out here." Irvine said, pulling the card from his coat pocket, and nodding at the second pair of SeeD guards that were nearby.
"Wait," Rei quietly said, before tapping on the door, and talking through it, "Sonnet? Can we come in?"
"Of course."
Rei then nodded at Irvine, who had clearly heard her reply, since he had the card over the reader already. He swiped it, and then gestured that they could go in.
Rei took a couple of steps in, and then stopped at the sight in front of her. Only Asuka walking into her back made her move forwards again.
"Have you ever wondered what the inside of a cyborg looks like?" Sonnet asked, beckoning with her hand, "Come here, and take a look for yourself."
She was laying facedown on her bed, as she tucked her free hand under her head, so both arms acted as a pillow for her head. Her hair was to one side, and a large seam had been cut into her back, down the spine, and was being held open by a clamp. The shirt and bra she had been wearing earlier were on her desk chair.
Asuka looked hesitant.
"If this is…"
"Don't be silly, you know the truth about me, so you might as well see everything."
Rei approached, looking at the mechanical and electronic components she could see inside her friend's back. It was hard for her not to wince in pain, as what she could see Bird doing looked painful to her.
"And how often has this been done to you?"
"At least 10 times over the last 23 years." Sonnet replied to the redheads' question.
"How come you're here? I thought the Commander had said go to the Infirmary." Rei asked.
"He did," Bird chipped up, "I requested here instead, as it's actually easier to work in here. Plus, it's more comfortable for her."
"What exactly are you doing?" Asuka queried.
Bird didn't reply, too focussed on checking out whatever was located in her back, close to her spine, so Sonnet answered:
"He's checking my energy storage unit, and the settings for it and the conduits. The control node is located just below one of my ribs. I can't remember which."
"Can't you access this yourself?" Rei asked.
"Usually, yes, but this is making sure the cyber links are working correctly. One of the possibilities here is that the links have been damaged somehow."
"Ok." Rei didn't completely follow what Sonnet was saying, but she got the gist of it."
"We're here, as we've been allowed some time to talk to you before you're…"
"Locked up?" Sonnet offered.
"That's not what I was thinking." Asuka countered, hoping she hadn't offended her friend.
"No, but it's as good a word as any right now," Sonnet stated, focussing on the redhead, "So, what's on your mind?"
"Other than how unfair this is?" Rei demanded, looking very angry, "You've suffered long enough, and were starting to get a life for yourself, and now some heartless person is trying to put you back to what you were before."
Bird took the clamp out as they were talking, and started packing his tools away as Asuka observed Sonnet's back closing up again.
"It is unfair," Sonnet agreed, nodding as best she could, given her position, "But, sadly, the world isn't a fair place. It never has been."
Asuka mumbled something, and Sonnet glared at her.
"Pessimist! You have no right to call me that! My life, as it has been, has taught me quite a lot, and that simple fact is the one thing that stands out the most. No matter what you do alone, the world always will be an unfair place."
"Or maybe you're so used to looking at things the way that you do that you've never considered that there might be more to the world than what you see." Asuka shot back, her voice getting louder.
"Yes," Asuka continued, "The world isn't fair, but, the way you talk about it, you sound like you consider everything in the world to be unfair, and unkind. That's why you're pessimistic. There are some kind and fair things in this world!"
Rei had moved out of the direct line of sight, but Asuka still noticed her:
"Take Rei for example. Even though she's been an orphan for most of her life, she's found family again, and they are willing to take her in, no questions asked. How is that anything but fair?"
"It's not. It's considerate. Besides, there were questions asked, otherwise how else would they have found out that Rei was related to them?"
"That's a technicality, and you know it!"
There was silence for a few seconds, while Bird continued his examination, this time cutting a thin line down the length of her bicep muscle, stopping at her elbow.
"I think you're looking at this completely the wrong way," Rei interjected, "You seem fixed on the view that the world isn't a fair place. If you keep thinking that, then that's all you'll see. You need to realise that fairness can often be attributed to individual point of view. A good example here is what's happened to you recently. Even though, against your own better judgement, you've revealed what you are to the Commanders here, they've not judged you on your past, but have agreed to help you deal with your concern now."
"Would they have done so if I hadn't been concerned that I could be a threat to the Garden?" Sonnet shot back.
"Yes."
The simple reply had come from Bird, who continued speaking while examining her arm.
"I've been keeping tabs on this place for over five years now, and I know for a fact that Commanders Leonhart and Trepe, even though they seem cold, do care about the people here. It doesn't matter if they are SeeDs, Cadets, or Garden staff, they care about everyone here no matter what they're pasts involve. Remember that you all swore an oath to Garden when you joined as Cadets. That oath, if nothing else, places you as part of Garden, and therefore under the protection of SeeD."
As he spoke, in completed his inspection of her arm, and put the scanner and other tools into his bag.
"I just need to check your neck now." He stated.
Sonnet nodded, and he moved so that he was level with her neck, as she placed her hands under her chin, looking at her two friends.
"He's right, you know. SeeD should protect you for that reason." Asuka stated.
Bird then spoke up, having inspected her neck already:
"Well, I'm afraid I can't see anything wrong anywhere. You're exactly as your…specifications say you should be," he looked at Rei and Asuka, "Would you two please leave? I'd like a little private time with my daughter before she gets taken away. I'll let you know when I'm done, so that you can come back."
Asuka looked like she was about to object, but Rei simply nodded, squeezing Sonnet's shoulder, before dragging Asuka from the room.
As they left, Bird sat down in her desk chair, and waited until she had dressed herself again, before turning to face her.
"How long do you think it will take you to find out what's wrong with me?" She asked, her tone containing a slight trace of worry.
He tried to ignore the pleading tone that he could hear, and answered her question, looking her in the eyes:
"I don't know. Using the data I've just gathered, and from what you have relayed to me, I hope to find whatever is causing these gaps in your memory to occur. As for the belief that you're being controlled, I have no idea on that. With the exception of myself and Laguna, and Dr Odine, there are no survivors from the original…project. Adel executed them all after you were successfully tested. Since Odine wouldn't reveal his knowledge to anyone, and we know the President wouldn't remember the details anyway," He returned her smile at that comment, "I don't know how anyone could have re-created the control technology."
"I appreciate your honesty, father, but you're not making me feel any better."
"I'm sorry. I imagine that this is hard for you to take, but you know I don't sugar coat anything. You're the only family I've ever had," if Sonnet still had any tear ducts, she would probably be weeping now, "I don't want to lose you now."
"I have faith in you, you'll find the answers. Do you have any ideas about these voices I keep hearing in my head?"
"No. I don't recall anything that could make you, and only you, hear voices. The only thing that could do something like that would be a sub-dermal communicator, but they were…."
He practically dived off the chair to get his bag, and pulled out the data obtained from the recent checks. He glanced at a few pages, tossing them aside as he read the contents, and then focussed on one page in particular. A slow smile spread across his face.
"How the hell did I miss this?" He turned it around, but Sonnet could only shrug when she saw the contents, as it was beyond her understanding, "Look there, it's the cochlea of your left ear."
"I don't see anything."
"Ok. There's a little shape just below here. Can you see that?"
Sonnet focussed her eyes, and zoomed in on where his finger was pointing.
"Yes, it looks to be cylindrical."
"Can you describe it a little more?"
"It's probably about half a millimetre across, and just over two millimetres in width. I can see very fine lines coming from it, and disappearing inside my ear canal somewhere. I can't really tell you the shape, but it's partially cylindrical, and partially spherical. There appears to be a dome on one end, which is where the wires originate from."
His face didn't change, but she could hear his heartbeat increase as she described what she could see.
"What is it?" She demanded, turning her glare back to him.
"It sounds like an infolink. It was another of Odine's crazy projects: a small communicator that was meant to be fitted under the skin, and could be used to relay messages to soldiers without being detected, or heard by anyone but the intended recipient. It was intended to be a way of providing secure and private communications."
"And there's one in my head?"
"Yes, and it wasn't in your original…design specifications."
He couldn't say that easily, as it made her sound less human.
"So…someone else fitted that on the sly?"
"Apparently, I have to admit…"
Faster than his eyes could track, Sonnet appeared to vanish from his sight. A second later, as his brain caught up, he became aware of a strong pressure on his neck, and that his vision was blurred due to something impacting on the back of his head, and that his back was touching a wall. The only thing he could see clearly was her blue eyes.
"How convenient that you only find this now, when something is going wrong. Tell me, 'father', how long have you been using me, like Adel did?"
"I've not…I wouldn't…use…" He tried to say as the air escaped from his body, but was unable to take in any fresh oxygen, as her hands were closing around his throat.
"I don't believe you! You're no better than Adel! I guess I have been living a lie, haven't I, 'father'? This whole time, I've been a puppet for Adel, and now you. I might as well have died during the supposed treatment, at least then I wouldn't have had to go through this!"
"You've got it…"
He felt a rush of air against his face, before he heard a thud, and everything went dark.
She looked at the crumpled body of the man who she had blindly considered family for so many years, now feeling disgusted with herself for allowing herself to trust anyone. After she had learned the truth about herself, she should have simply vanished.
There's no time like the present! She decided, pulling her maintenance kit from under her bed, and sliding it into the custom pocket on her knee length coat. Her guns had been confiscated, but she was sure she could escape without them; especially if she used her abilities to the maximum potential.
She paused, and took a brief look around her room, and realised that she probably would miss Balamb Garden, as it had felt like a home to her, for a time.
Time for me to be truly free! I won't have to rely on, or trust anyone again!
After checking the window, and spotting the newly fitted wires that alarmed it, she figured that it was the only window that would have been fitted with an alarm, and picked another exit. Turning her attention to her door, Sonnet balled her hands into fists, and concentrated for a second, as that was all the time she needed, and she then punched the door, hard! Her other fist impacted in the exact same spot less than a second later, causing a fist-shaped dent to appear in the normally sturdy metal. A double repeat of this action caused the door to break from the tracks, and fall onto the floor. Switching her vision to infrared, she scanned the corridor, and spotted the two guards at the end of the corridor, who had clearly heard the commotion, and were heading towards her.
Idiots! She thought, turning the other way, SeeD is supposed to be a military organisation, and they overlook something as basic as guards at both ends of a corridor! Even if one end is a wall with a window, it should be guarded.
If she still had possession of her pistols, she would have shot the window a few times, and then dived through. Since she was lacking them though, she stopped in front of the window, and repeated her actions from the door, easily shattering the reinforced glass.
Her enhanced hearing, linked to her cybernetic brain, informed her that the two guards were close, but not close enough to be able to catch her. Resisting the temptation to wave at them, she angled her body, and dived out of the window, landing in an ungraceful heap on the grass outside.
It only took her a few seconds to get her bearings, before she ran off in the direction of Balamb Town.
They may fall for my ruse, but they can stop me from leaving this island easily, since Balamb has the only port, and all they have to do is blockade it. Plus, I can't pilot one of the boats, and it's not likely I can 'convince' someone do to so without killing them, and I don't want any innocent blood on my conscience. I'm not going to be able to swim from here either. I'll sink!
She was so caught up in her doubts, that she didn't notice the edges of her vision turning silver as she changed her direction, heading away from the town.
One of the guards had stood close to the shattered window, and observed her running away. His teammate had gone to report to Security, and it wasn't long before the Acting Security Director showed up.
"She ran off towards the town ma'am."
"She's not as smart as I thought she was then," the woman commented, "The port can be blockaded with little trouble. I need to contact them, and get our assault boats away from the docks. Once that's done, she's trapped, as she can't exactly swim to the next nearest island."
"What is she ma'am? It looks like she broke down her door using just her hands. How can she be so strong?"
Rinoa Leonhart looked at the guard, and told her a half truth, as the six of them had agreed to keep the truth about Sonnet under wraps, due to the fact that she had had enough complications in her life.
Once she's ok, she'll have some explaining to do, but this is better than the full truth.
"Her arms are artificial, taken from an Esthar cyborg solider, as she was born without working arms."
"That must have been rough for her." The guard commented.
"Probably," She agreed, "Now get moving! Contact the docks and get the boats out to sea. Also advise all civilians to get indoors."
"Yes ma'am!"
Rinoa looked out of the shattered window, and hoped that Sonnet was acting of her own free will. Squall's reading of her was that she kept her word, although she had attempted to escape, but she was hoping that she wouldn't attack the civilians of the town.
If whoever could control her took over, Rinoa was terrified about what she may do then. The gloves would have truly been off, as she doubted that whoever had been controlling her recently clearly had no conscience.