Chapter 14

Plan B

Monday, May 9th 2217NE

8:10pm

Squall helped carry the last of the documents over to the makeshift bonfire to be burned. Two miles out from the city, the engines had died from damage taken during the chopper attack causing the locomotive to come to a sluggish halt. The Galbadian chopper had caused more damage than they had all thought.

Squall crumpled up one more sheet of paper and tossed it into the fire as Dylan came up behind him.

"That's the last of the crucial documents on the train. Anything else, including our contract with SeeD, is at the train house."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Train house?"

Rinoa walked up to him and crossed her arms. "It's our real base. The train was like our mobile command center. Thank God I left Angelo there."

"Where's it at?"

"It's in the next train yard over from were we kept our train."

"Then that is our next move." Squall kept eye contact with Rinoa for another moment, looking into her eyes. He saw the guilt and shame from having been wrong about this whole operation. When she saw that he had noticed, she quickly turned away from him. Squall didn't know why but he felt bad for her. Normally he might have chewed someone out for walking into such a trap but he felt no thrill or pride from having been right about Deling's train.

He switched his focus back to Dylan. "Damage and casualties?"

Dylan rubbed his temples and sighed. "The train itself is totaled. There's no way we could get it back up and running without some serious work. So it looks like were walking back into the city. As for casualties…"

Dylan trailed off as another lump formed in his throat. Rinoa's eyes were red and puffy as she walked over to him and gently rubbed his shoulder, trying to reassure him. When she saw that he couldn't say it, she turned to Squall.

"Watts and Zone are ok. Takada, Walters and Higgins also made it. Everyone else is dead. Bron, Zane, Russel, Silva, Boothe, Zahn and Rook...all dead. They got us good." As she said it, a single tear slowly fell from Rinoa's eye and rolled down her cheek.

Again a strange sting hit Squall over seeing Rinoa upset. He shook it off the best he could. "I see."

Selphie and Zell exited the train with the remainder of their gear and weapons and put them on the ground next to the equipment the Owls had managed to salvage. Takada, Walters and Higgins came out after them and picked up their gear then stood waiting for orders

"Ah Squall, that's it man. Me and Selphie are ready to go. And Selphie finished rigging the train."

Zone's eye's widened. "Rigging the train?"

All the remaining Owls turned to Squall with confused looks.

Squall looked them in the eyes. "We have to destroy the train. I had Selphie rig it with C4. It will cover up any evidence of SeeD or Forest Owl presence."

Dylan walked up to Squall. "What about the bodies of our comrades?"

Squall answered without missing a beat. "We leave them in there."

Rinoa threw her hands up in the air. "What!? You can't be serious?"

"I'm dead serious. We have a two mile hike back into the city and carrying the bodies will slow us down too much. And you may not have realized this but the Galbadians will be back up here in no time to look for us. Not to mention the fact that the city is gonna be crawling with more soldiers now that we tried to take Deling and shot down a Badian chopper. So time is critical here."

Zone stomped his foot on the ground. "This is bullshit! If it were one of you Hyne damned mercs you'd want to take the body back!"

Selphie walked up to Zone and Rinoa. "I know this is hard but leaving them behind will allow us to move faster. Plus is may trick the Galbadian forces on their way here that no one survived the train's explosion."

Zone was about to scream some more obscenities but stopped when he saw Rinoa drop to her knees. "Their right guys, we have to leave them behind…it's my fault. It's my fault their dead. I planned this out. I was so sure of myself. I, I…"

She tried to hold back the tears but they pushed back too hard. Selphie and Zell turned to Squall with looks of concern and heart break on there faces. Squall looked at the Owls and saw that they were all on the verge of breaking down.

We are not falling apart right now.

Squall marched over to Rinoa and grabbed her with both hands, yanking her to her feet. Then he moved his eyes to within inches of hers. "You listen to me and you listen well. This is war. This is what war is. You planned a strike with out proper planning and intel and walked into a trap. We can't change that now. But every military force on the planet makes bad calls so stop beating your self up. Operations don't always go the way they should and people die because of it. It's no one's fault."

Squall looked up from her to address the other Forest Owls. "You all said that you weren't amateurs and now is your chance to prove it. Professionals wouldn't let their comrade's deaths be for nothing. Amateurs would break down and quit. Now, are you amateurs or are you going to cowboy the fuck up and be professionals?"

Rinoa sniffed a few times then wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Ok."

Squall saw the other Owls do the same. He walked over to his gear and picked up his bag then slung it over his shoulders. "Ok then. Everyone get you weapons and gear up. I want everyone ready to go in five minutes. We have the cover of darkness so it shouldn't be that difficult to get back into the city. But we still have to travel quickly. Now move out."

Everyone jumped to and started getting their gear and weapons. Squall turned to Selphie. "Set the timer for twenty minutes. That should give us enough time to disappear into the forest before this thing blows up."

"Yes sir." Selphie ran back into the train to get the times on the C4 ready.

"Sargeant."

"What is it Zell?"

"Good job dude."

Squall looked at Zell for a second then nodded before walking over to the tree line to get a feel for the woods. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any Galbadians or monsters. They needed to get back to the city fast.


"Seifer, what are you up to? Why are we in Timber?"

"Well my dear instru… well, ex-instructor, you are here because you decided it was a great idea to follow me into the parking garage. And I am here to get the glory that is rightfully mine."

Seifer looked around the small dock where he'd left the boat, looking for Galbadian patrols. He checked the magazine for Hyperion then slapped it back into the gunblade. He returned it to its holster then turned back towards Quistis. "We both know that Garden has green lit Deling for elimination. So I'm gonna take him out myself and prove to everyone that I am the best warrior in Garden.

Quistis' jaw dropped. "Are you out of your mind? He's protected by dozens of Republican Dragoons. You'd be dead before you got anywhere near him. And how do you know he's even here?"

"Because that girl Rinoa, the one that hired Squall's team, told me that they had gotten confirmation that Deling would be coming to Wolfsburg. I told her not to mention that to Garden."

"Why not!? They would have sent veterans in to get him instead of Squall's team. We might have even been able to capture him."

"I told you, he's my kill. I don't need some expert team of assholes stealing my thunder. I knew Cid would send a team of rookies to help a client that didn't have much money to offer."

"Seifer, you arrogant, selfish prick! You're gonna get yourself killed or worse, captured. Then they're going to make you talk. You are putting Garden and Balamb at risk."

Seifer swung around and grabbed Quistis by the shoulders. "So what Trepe! No one at Garden gives a shit about me so why shouldn't I do the same? And you've got some fucking nerve too. Always so concerned with Squall and his problems. I was your student too. I wanted you to…" Seifer took a deep breath and stepped back from Quistis. "You know you aren't strong enough to stop me even with the junctioning and you sure as hell can't go to the authorities here."

Seifer slung his holster over his back then put his coat on. "No one is going to deny me my destiny." Seifer turned away from Quistis and started walking towards the inner city. His first task was to get a vehicle since he needed to get deep into the city fast.

"I'm coming with you." Quistis caught up with Seifer and kept pace with him. She couldn't believe that Seifer could be this selfish or out of his mind. But she felt somewhat sorry for him at the same time. Seifer had never really had anyone to look out for him and that must have driven him to the way he was now. She had always put so much time into getting through to Squall that she never took the time to get to know Seifer or try to help him. Shaking off her thoughts she concentrated on the present. She had to make sure he didn't get them either killed or captured.


The run into the city had been a slow and quiet one and the darkness of night gave them great cover. The only sound that broke the silence had been the hollow boom of the train exploding back in the distance. Dylan and Squall had stayed up front while the others had stayed back approximately twenty yards. Several times the group had to stop and duck into bushes as Galbadian helicopters would fly over head on their way back to tracks. When they had finally gotten to the city, Watts and Zone had taken a cab back to the train yard to get the van. Now that the city was on full alert from the attack on the train, they all knew it was too dangerous for both the SeeDs and the Owls to be walking around, especially with their weapons and equipment.

The group stood in an alley way between two buildings waiting for the van to show. No one said anything. The SeeD's hadn't been hired to make conversation and the Owls where still in shock from having lost their friends and what had been their home for periods of time. Another thirty minutes went by before they saw the lights of the van appear farther down the alley. As they all climbed in, Zone switched places with Dylan, giving him the driver's seat while Zone seated himself next to Rinoa. He put his arm around her and gave it a squeeze.

"How you holding up Rin?"

"I can't believe we walked right into their trap. We lost our friends back there."

"I know Rin, I know. I can't believe they sent us a fake president."

Rinoa didn't respond, she only shook her head in defeat. She still felt guilty and ashamed from having set this whole thing up but she swore to herself that their friend's deaths would not be in vain. Squall might be one pretty big asshole, but Rinoa agreed with him that they couldn't fall apart over this.

Dylan put the van into drive and hit the gas. The van sped off down the alley and back out onto the roads heading east towards the highway. It took about forty minutes to get to the train house, which was located a few miles away from where they had kept the train. As the van pulled into the lot that the house stood on, Dylan shut the lights off. The train house was really nothing more than an abandoned train garage that had been boarded up and neglected. The large swinging doors that had allowed access to locomotive had been nailed shut. Only a single car sized garage entrance on the opposite side of the building seemed to still work. Dylan pulled the van up to it and Watts jumped out, running over to the pad lock on the right side of the door. He pulled a key out of his pocket then removed the lock before leaning over and pulling on the door. It rolled on its track and lifted right up. Watts waved the van through then walked in him self, lowering the door back down as he did so.

The inside didn't look much better than the outside. The first floor was basically used as a mechanical repair shop for the van and the train. The second floor was offices that they had turned into living quarters including bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, a break room and a strategy room.

The group left most their things in the van then shuffled upstairs into the strategy room. Inside was a large rectangular table with enough chairs to seat everyone. There where several chalk boards and large desk with a computer on it. Along one of the walls was a large map of Wolfsburg and on the wall next to it was another larger map of Timber. Leaflets denouncing Galbadia's occupation of Timber where tacked and glued along the walls next to schedules and estimated Galbadian patrol routes. Watts was busy talking to someone on a land line phone in the corner.

So they do have some planning at least.

The Forest owls took their seats on one side of the table with Dylan sitting at the head of the table on one side. Squall, Zell and Selphie sat on the other side.

"Where do we go from here?" Higgins asked.

Zone raised his hand to get their attention. "We could try contacting the other groups. The Sons of Timber and the Blue Falcons both owe us favors. They could help us to get another train."

Watts walked over to the table. "New info sir."

Dylan looked up. "Go ahead."

"I found out that Deling really did come to Wolfsburg. He was flown in yesterday. He's going to the old TV station. Security there is super tight now."

Rinoa looked puzzled. "The TV station? Why in Wolfsburg, or Timber for that matter. They can broadcast just as easily from Galbadia."

Dylan turned to the SeeDs. "We've noticed over the past few weeks that Badian presence at the TV station had tripled with lots of soldiers and technicians going in and out."

Selphie's eyes lit up. "Squall, do you think the Dollet communication tower has anything to do with this?"

No answer came from Squall. Zell and Selphie could already see he was deep in thought.

"What was that about a tower?" Zone asked.

"Dollet has a communication tower that can transmit and receive radio waves. It had been abandoned for years but the Badians got it up and running."

"We were at the battle of Chartersville. Galbadia captured a radio tower there and only withdrew their forces after Dollet agreed they could keep a small presence at the tower." Zell added.

"I get it. The biggest TV station in Timber is the one here in the capital. It's also one of the only ones still standing in Timber. Because of the GRIPH, everyone uses HD cable and other land lines for broadcasting and Internet use."

Zell threw his hands up. "Ok, so then even if they get all the towers up and running, won't the GRIPH keep the signals all screwy anyway? Radio hasn't worked for seventeen or eighteen years now."

Takada turned to Zell. "Well they have figured out how to broadcast with low orbit satellites using powerful magically enhanced signals. But even then, their range is pretty limited and is used mostly for cell phones."

"They must have figured out how to get around the interference using normal radio waves." Zone concluded.

Rinoa looked across the table to Zone. "Ok, so what does all that mean?"

"They are going to use the towers to transmit images and TV signals with out using cable."

"I know that. What I want to know is what is Deling going to broadcast? I mean why go to all this trouble to use radio waves?"

"The towers could serve several functions."

Everyone stopped and turned to Squall. "They could use the towers to spread propaganda all over the planet. They'd also have a distinct military advantage. They could encrypt the signals and use them to communicate between regions."

"Maybe they want to spread a message of love and peace!"

The whole room went dead silent as everyone turned to Selphie with perplexed looks on their faces.

Selphie's shoulders slumped. "Or not."

Rinoa shook it her head. "Anyway wouldn't it be great if the first real broadcast where to be a declaration of Timber's independence."

Dylan chuckled. "Or better yet, what if some group declared Timber's independence then captured Deling on live TV. That would set the Badians back for some time."

The Owls all laughed for a moment than suddenly became silent as the idea popped into all their heads at the same.

Squall sighed and dropped his head into his hand. "Ah man, he we go."

Zone stood up excited. "Ya know, that might be possible."

Rinoa joined him in standing. "Well, let's plan it out then. They'd never see it coming."

"If we're gonna do it then it has to happen tonight. A spy working for the Sons of Timber told them that Deling is leaving for Galbadia tomorrow morning." Watts said.

All five remaining Owls stood and walked over to one of the chalk boards before huddling around it, quietly discussing amongst themselves. All three SeeDs stood there with their jaws gaping wide. They couldn't believe what they where seeing.

Zell slumped down into his chair. "They got to be joking dude."

"I don't believe what I'm seeing." Squall added.

Selphie leaned over to Zell and Squall. "An operation like this would take at least a month to plan. Their just…writing a few things down on a chalk board."

Suddenly, Rinoa looked up to address the SeeD team. "Can you guys give us a few minutes? It's pretty simple so we'll have something ready to go soon."

Zell looked horrified. "Holy shit Squall, that's their strategy meeting. We're gonna die."

Selphie jumped into the conversation. "Can't we go home now!? I mean what were the details of the contract. Maybe we already fulfilled it?"

"Ok, I've had just about enough of this." Squall stood up and walked over towards the group.

Rinoa saw him walking over out of the corner of her eye and stopped talking to the others. The rest of them stopped and also turned to Squall. "Give us another five minutes would ya Squall?"

Squall closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Hyne, give me lots of strength.

He let go of his head and turned back to Rinoa. "Um, before we get into another one of your great plans, can I see your contract with Garden?"

Rinoa eyed him up venomously for a moment then walked over to the desk with the computer on it. She knew what they were thinking and she couldn't believe it. They want to leave. I cannot believe Squall. I was so wrong about him. God, he is such an egotistical asshole. She pulled out what looked like a blank CD and handed it over to Squall. "There ya go captain."

"It's Seargent." Squall snapped as he yanked the disk out of her hand.

Rinoa whipped her head around and marched back to the group while Squall, Zell and Selphie positioned themselves around the laptop they'd been issued by Garden. Squall popped the CD in and waited for the document to come up.

Selphie leaned in. "What will be on the disk?

"Not much. It will have a confirmation code and a small detailed description of our task. Only a SeeD computer can read the encrypted files. It never mentions the term Garden or uses our names. This way, if it were ever to be captured it doesn't incriminate Garden."

The file loaded and Squall clicked on it to open. He checked out the confirmation code then moved on to the paragraph detailing their task. After taking a minute to read it he closed the window and pushed his chair back in frustration as he stood.

Selphie looked at Squall quizzically. "What does it say?"

"It basically says that we are to stay with the Forest Owls until Timber reaches a strong enough state so that they can at least go to the GCN for aid or until the Owls are satisfied enough with the state of the country to let us go. But we'd have to get that in writing from them. It also says that we are to protect Rinoa and Dylan directly and follow their orders."

Zell looked stunned. "What!? It could take years for them to reach independence. There must be some exception to the rule in Garden codes and laws?"

"Not unless the group asks us to commit what is recognized by the GCN as a crime against humanity or to take action against Garden. If we leave now we could be expelled or jailed by Garden."

"The contract is so vague!" Selphie exclaimed.

"You're professionals so start acting like it. I don't care what you think about our cause, we paid for your services so cut the shit."

They turned to see Dylan standing there with his arms crossed and a pissed off look on his face.

Rinoa walked up besides him. She was really pissed and disappointed with the SeeDs so far. Yes, they had saved their lives twice already but they had also complained about their cause and insulted the group's competence. Rinoa had given Balamb Garden good money for their help. It wasn't a lot of money but it was good money none the less. "I don't want to hear anymore bitching or moaning from any of you. We are doing our best and we just lost some of our best friends. I know you've saved our lives already but that doesn't mean you can blow us off. From now on you will do as ordered with out question."

Squall was seething with anger. Not only because was he being talked down to by some half ass group but because he knew that they were right. Even if they had no idea what they were doing, he still had to follow orders.

"Then what are your orders Rinoa?"

"We've come up with an idea on how to get into the tower. But first we need to get into town so get back into the van, we are leaving now."


The TV tower was located across town behind the Timber Maniacs building. The van pulled into the parking lot of the building. Watts, Zone, Walters, Higgins and Takada stayed in the van while the rest of them marched into the Maniacs building. Rinoa waved hello to the receptionist who nodded back to her the group walked by. "She's a resistance member too," she had whispered to Squall. When they got to the top floor and looked out the window over toward the tower they couldn't believe what they saw.

"I count at least fifty Galbadian regulars outside and one MA-41 main battle tank. There is no way we are getting in through the front. I also see two Dragoons walking on one of the balconies five stories up."

The Republican Dragoons had different uniforms then regular Galbadian military personnel. It consisted of black BDU's with red and silver armor and helmets that covered their entire face and heads.

"Zell's right. I also spot two MeW-5 Hunters off to the right side." Selphie added.

Squall turned to Rinoa. "The Hunters are medium sized mechanized walking tanks. They stand about forty feet tall and have jump jets too. With that kind of security Deling is sure to be in there. I'm assuming you know another way to get in."

Rinoa grinned. "I do. The Timber TV Station is actually several large buildings clustered together. Watts talked to the other groups and found out that there is an entrance to an old service tunnel behind the Aphora Pub next door that leads right up to the back of one of the TV buildings. There's a set of stairs that lead all the way to the top. From there we can take a catwalk bridge over to a roof top access point. That is our way in."

"They'll have this stairway covered. Even with the cover of night fall we'll still need a distraction."

Rinoa's grin widened even further. "Already thought of that. We called in a favor with the Blue Falcons. They will set up rocket teams and snipers to attack the front and draw out the forces in back so that we can sneak in."

Rinoa turned back to the others. "We're done here. Let's get back to the van."

Once everyone had gotten back into the van it had been time to get ready and decide who was doing what. The SeeDs readied themselves with their weapons and gear, putting all their things into duffel bags. Squall packed his G34 pistol, M416 carbine, a few spare mags, a fighting knife and Revolver. Zell grabbed one of M4's the Owls had along with Selphie's G17 pistol and throwing knives. He'd lost his pistol on during the train attack. Selphie readied her M249 Saw with one 100 round drum and had one spare ready to go then holstered her nunchuck. She took out six frag grenades she brought and gave two each to Squall and Zell. The plan was to gear up after they made it into the tunnel. The Forest Owls grabbed the M4's and G36's they had at the train house along with spare mags and body armor. Dylan and Rinoa decided that everyone except for Watts and Zone would go with the SeeDs to get Deling. They would keep the van running in the parking lot of the pub.

The van pulled into the pub parking lot around quarter to ten. As everyone got out of the van Watts got Rinoa's attention.

"I just got off the phone with the Falcons. They're all in place. They will commence their attack in exactly fifteen minutes. They say that if we can actually pull this off every resistance group in Timber is gonna owe the Forest Owls big time."

"We'll be waiting off to the right of the bar. Just make sure you guys get your asses back here." Zone added.

Rinoa smiled and pulled both of them into a tight hug. "Wish us luck guys…for Timber, and our fallen comrades."

Zone and Watts hugged her back. As Squall pulled his duffel bag out of the van he looked over at the group embrace. He found himself wondering for a moment what it was like to have real friends to rely on. To have someone there to pat you on the back when you've done well and hold your hand when times get tough. Rinoa seemed to have such a positive outlook and free spirit even with the Galbadian occupation. Even after everything that happened, she remained hopeful for a better tomorrow.

Rinoa looked up and noticed Squall looking deeply at the sight of the three of them. However she didn't see any annoyance or impatience in his gaze as she normally did. She instead saw loneliness and even…jealousy. Rinoa couldn't figure this Squall Leonhart out. He comes off as such a stand offish know-it-all, showing nothing but disrespect and negativity towards her and the Owls. Yet she's caught him several times looking at her with intrigue. Squall looked away real quick and walked over to the others. Rinoa let go of Zone and Watts and smiled one last time at them then grabbed her own duffel bag and caught up with Squall.

She didn't know why but he seemed to be able to stay on her mind. Somehow, Leonhart was different. He had the same strength, courage and determination that she'd seen in Seifer. And she'd seen first hand just how tough and well trained Squall was. But Squall didn't have the ego that Seifer had. Rinoa had only been involved with Seifer for a short time before she realized that he was about as self-centered as they come and saw women as pretty objects to be played with when he felt like it. She didn't want to admit that Squall was right about Seifer the last time he'd been brought up at the market. The relationship hadn't lasted long but the two had remained on friendly terms. And he did arrange the meet between her and Cid.

But Squall was different from Seifer in that sense too. When Rinoa caught Squall checking her out, she saw a look of wonder and astonishment on his face, not some look as if Rinoa was a play thing. And even though Squall's social skills were none existent and he could be disrespectful jerk, he was never arrogant about it. He simply told them how it was and why he believed it was that way.

Not to mention that he's cute as hell and has one nice body Heartilly.

Rinoa shook off that train of thought. The shit was about to hit the proverbial fan in a few minutes and she knew she had to focus on that. As they walked across the parking lot to the pub, Rinoa was half startled by Squall's voice.

"So, you seem to be real close with Watts and Zone."

Rinoa looked over at him as they continued to walk. "We are. I ran away from my father in Galbadia at the age of fifteen. When I got here, I had no money and no where to go. Watts and Zone took me in, got me a job and let me stay with them for free. After a while the Galbadian occupation got worse. All around us, city started to crumble financially and culturally. We knew of resistance groups fighting against the Badians and decided to start our own. That's when we met up with Dylan. We started recruiting and the rest is history."

Squall didn't answer back, he only nodded. He opened the door and held it for Rinoa who nodded back in gratitude and walked in.

The Aphora Pub was a small building. Off to the left of the entrance was the main bar itself. Bottles of different liquors lined the shelves behind it while beer taps came up through the floor from the basement. To the right was a grouping of tables and booths and a large flat screen TV suspended from the ceiling. It was crowded and dimly lit and had the smell of stale beer and cigar smoke. Definitely not the type of place Rinoa liked visit.

Everyone moved off to the right of the entrance while Dylan walked over to the bar tender and whispered something into her ear. She nodded to him and pointed to a door on the other side of the room.

Rinoa leaned over to the SeeDs. "The bar tender is a resistance member. She's a good friend of Dylan's."

The SeeDs nodded and waited for the next move. Dylan finished talking to the bar tender and waved the group over to him. They made their way over to the other door and exited out through the back.

Outside there was a long narrow stone pathway that had a stone wall on one side and the backs of apartment buildings and town houses on the other. Cardboard boxes and wooden crates were stacked up, full of empty bottles and other garbage.

Rinoa pointed forward. "The stairs are way down at the other end of the path."

Squall saw that the path appeared to be several city blocks long but was clear of security for now. He held his hand up to get everyone's attention.

"Ok, lets gear up. Leave the duffel bags here though. We'll grab them on the way back. When we get to the other side of the service path, we'll hide at the bottom of the stairs using the cover of darkness and wait for the attack to commence."

Zell looked up at the building that was at the far end of the path. "Hey, look at that huge TV on the building up there."

"That's one of the TV station buildings," Rinoa replied. "It's the one with the stairs we'll be using.

"What's with the red lines on the screen? It looks like static." Selphie asked.

Squall looked up. "That's the global interference signal. It's just line after line of red code. If they want to broadcast that's the signal they're gonna have to get around it."

Takada walked over to Squall. "There's a few large TV's like that scattered over different parts of Wolfsburg. Usually every one of them is off or powered down. This is the first time I've seen one on in quite some time."

"That's gotta mean they're getting ready to try something." Dylan stated.

Squall leaned over and unzipped his bag. "Let's get ready."

Everyone looked around for a moment then got right to unpacking their gear. The SeeDs unpacked their duty belts and put them on then holstered their weapons, grenades and spare ammunition. They also put their body armor, masks and helmets back on. Selphie slid her nunchuck into a special case on the back of her belt. Squall decided he would use the belt holster for his gunblade instead of the back holster.

Rinoa, Dylan, Walters, Higgins and Takada loaded their M-4's and G36's and slung them over their shoulders. Rinoa strapped on her own duty belt, holstered her P226 then slipped her crossbow onto her wrist.

Once everyone was geared up Squall turned to the Forest Owls. "Look, before we go in there I should tell you that me, Zell and Selphie can't be seen on TV. Even with the gear on. They could still figure out that we're from Garden. We'll destroy the cameras before we let that happen."

Dylan and Rinoa nodded. "Fair enough, we all talked it over and I decided I'll be the only one to take off my mask and go on camera," Dylan said. "Rinoa can't do it. It might get her dad killed back in Galbadia."

Squall walked over to the ladder. "Alright, let's move."

The SeeDs and Owls quickly and silently made their way forward, passing the back lots of apartment buildings and the back yards of town houses. Some had high fences and others had fencing that was only waist high. And some of the properties were well lit while others were totally dark. The group made sure to move extra fast past properties that were lit with lower fencing. Luckily, only three properties had that exact set up. When they got to the final apartment building before the TV station building, Squall signaled for the group to stop and hold position momentarily. It was pitch black and there wasn't a single sound. He quickly surveyed the immediate area and saw nothing. He turned back to the others.

"Nothing. No guards, no cameras."

"But Deling has got to be up there. There is too much military presence for this to be another trap." Dylan said.

Squall nodded. "I agree. They probably just ignored these stairs and more than likely simply have the roof covered. Whatever the reason, we should move now."

Squall ran over to the gate at the end of the path first and pushed it open. Zell and Selphie were next followed by the Owls. They all huddled into a tight circle, keeping an eye out in all directions.

Rinoa checked her watch then leaned over to Squall. "The attack should be starting in exactly five minutes so-"

Rinoa was cut off as the screen above them started to flash and turn to black and white static before a picture cut in. It was a podium with the Galbadian banner on it with Galbadian flags off to the right and the left. Behind it was fancy red curtain with yellow trim. Suddenly a blonde man in a dark blue suit walked into view and stood at the podium.

"Ladies and gentleman, I am Rictor Thorn, Presidential Spokesperson for Galbadia. This is no prerecorded address on cable, it is an actual TV broadcast over the air. It has been seventeen years since a live broadcast was possible. Only the great strength and wisdom of the Galbadian people could have overcome the global interference. And now, we would like to bring you a message from the lifelong President of Galbadia, Vinzer Deling."

"Holy shit dude, they did it," Zell said to Squall.

"Well, would ya look at that," Dylan whispered out loud.

Squall quietly watched Rictor Thorn walk off and an older looking man with dark hair walked into view. Squall recognized him immediately.

"We got Deling. Now we know he's in there. The second the attack starts we rush in and get him then you can make your announcement. Then we get out quick."

Deling tapped the microphone then cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentleman, I am Vinzer Deling, President of the mighty nation of Galbadia. Today I come with a very important message for all the world's citizens. The people of this world have the power to end all wars. Unfortunately, there are some trifling problems between Galbadia and several other nations, and they must be resolved. I plan to convene new meetings with the Global Confederacy of Nations and meet with the leaders of these nations to resolve our differences. At this time, I would like to introduce my new ambassador that will accompany me to the GCN peace talks. That ambassador is the Sorceress Edea!"

Squall's jaw dropped. "What?!"

Edea was currently the only known living Sorceress in the world. Rumors of her existence had first surfaced in Kadia and Galbadia years ago through several photos of her that got out to the media. She had up until now, remained hidden from the public eye, opting to stay in the shadows. No real information was known about her, including where she came from or when she received her powers.

Squall continued to remain glued to the screen; he wanted to get a good look at her.

"And now ladies and gentleman, the Sorceress-"

Deling's words were cut off by a ruckus heard in the background. The camera showed Deling back up in fear and a white coated individual run into view, knocking the camera over as he did. Several guards grabbed him but he wrestled and punched his way free then drew a gunblade and grabbed Deling. Putting the blade to Deling's throat, he turned to the camera.

Squall's blood ran cold and he stood to zoom in on the attacker.

"Seifer," Squall and Rinoa exclaimed simultaneously.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Zell exclaimed.

"What's he doing!?" Selphie yelled.

Before they could come up with an answer, the SeeDs watched a woman with a bandanna tied around the lower part of her face run onto the screen lashing at several elite Dragoons with her whip. She knocked the rifle out of one's hand then used the spell push to throw him across the room. The other one rushed in and nailed her in the back with the stock of his rifle dropping her to her knees.

"Thats gotta be Quistis," Squall stated in a dead tone. "What the fuck is going on?"

Quistis couldn't get up fast enough before the Dragoon ran in and kneed her directly in the face. She flew back and rolled to her feet then shot a magic bolt of lightning from her hand. The Dragoon blocked it with using shell magic then raised his rifle. Quistis, thinking fast, jumped over to where Seifer was standing. The Dragoons wouldn't risk firing if they thought they might hit Deling.

Quistis turned to the camera. "Wolfsburg team, if you can see this, get over here right now, I need help!"

Squall turned to the entire group. "New plan. We go in and rescue Quistis. Seifer is to be either killed or captured. We can't let him blab to the Badians that we're all from Garden."

"You're going to kill him? But he helped the Owls out, he's my friend! And what about our air time?" Rinoa questioned.

"Seifer is a direct threat to Garden and that means he is priority one to any Garden soldier. I suggest you Owls go back to the van and wait there."

"No." Dylan said. "We are going in with you. You guys deal with him while we grab Deling and get our message out."

"Fine, whatever, let's go!" Squall commanded.

The group took off up the steps as fast as they could. When they got to the top the stairs ended and a long metal bridge led from the smaller building they were at now to the larger main tower of the TV station. There was another set of stairs on the far end that led up to a large open roof top area. They regrouped by the start of the bridge and waited for Squall's signal.

"The entrance is at the far end of that roof top," Dylan said as he pointed.

"Stay low and move fast, Go!"

As the group moved across the bridge, Rinoa's watch beeped. "It's been five minutes."

Right as she finished the sentence the building in front of the TV station lit up. Several dozen rocket and sniper teams opened up on the garrison that was guarding the front entrance. Absolute chaos broke out. Several of the rockets hit one of the Hunters throwing it back, crashing into the building. The soldiers on the ground scrambled for cover while being picked off by sniper fire. The Galbadians returned fire on the cluster of buildings. The other Hunter left its position by the side entrance to help out with the fighting. This left the bridge open for the group to slip inside unnoticed.

The SeeDs and the Forest Owls bolted across the bridge, trying to get to the side roof entrance. Several Dragoon snipers on the roof top that had been shooting towards the building noticed the Seeds sprinting across the bridge and turned their fire on them. The SeeDs immediately used protect spells to provide cover while the Owls reached around the SeeDs and returned fire on the sniper positions. Two of the three snipers were hit and went down. The third disappeared out of sight.

Suddenly Squall noticed the tank come into view. For a moment he thought that the tank had seen them and that the gig was up. No spell they could cast would protect them from a tank shell. But the turret on the tank turned to the buildings. A thunderous roar exploded through the air as the tank went off. The round punched through one of the buildings before going off, bringing the entire building to the ground. Half of the fire coming from the resistance groups stopped and the Galbadian forces on the ground advanced towards the resistance positions.

Everyone watched in horror as the troops entered the buildings, killing everyone in their path.

Squall turned to the group. "They've got their attention, nows our chance."

The group scaled the second set of stairs to the roof and ran for the set of double doors up ahead. Several guards were on the roof but their focus was on the front entrance were the firefight had broken out. The SeeDs and Owls used the opportunity to shoot them dead from behind. Past that Squall opened fire with his assault rifle, shooting out the look on the door. Squall ran up to the doors and used his GF enhanced strength to kick the doors in. As the group entered, the remaining sniper popped up from behind a large AC unit and opened fire. The SeeDs where already inside and couldn't get back out fast enough. One of the rounds caught Takada right in the lung causing him to let out a blood gurgling moan as he crashed to the ground in mid-stride. Dylan and Higgins saw the sniper and returned fire, nailing the sniper several dozen times in the chest. The Dragoon sniper continued to fire as he dropped to the ground then became motionless.

Dylan covered Higgins as he made his way over Takada who was rapidly bleeding out. He grabbed Takada's ankle and dragged him into the building. Rinoa and Selphie ran over to him as Squall and Zell ripped railing off the wall to secure to doors with. Walters covered them. They were in a long corridor that led to the main studio

"Ah Tak," Rinoa began.

Selphie used a cure spell on him and applied pressure to the wound but it was no use. Before Selphie could get the rest of her medical stuff off her duty belt, Takada took one last labored breath then went limp.

Dylan walked over to him and gently pulled his eye lids down. The SeeDs stood back for a second to let Dylan pull Rinoa away from him so that they could keep going.

"We have to go Rin, he'd want us to keep going."

Rinoa eyes started to well up with tears again. Then she saw Squall looking at her and immediately sucked it all back in, willing herself not to break down.

Squall walked forward to address the group. "Down the hall is the entrance to the studio I'm guessing. I want you Owls to guard that entrance while we go in and get Deling and Quistis and if we can, Seifer. Once we are out, we'll give Deling to you and get Seifer and Quistis out of here."

Dylan looked up. "Ok, sounds like a plan. We'll…we'll leave Takada here. We have no choice."

Just then a bang was heard at the door. The group heard shouts from outside the doors. "I saw them go in here! Get reinforcements over here now! We don't have enough people covering Deling."

Dylan turned to Squall. "Go! We'll cover these doors!"

Squall nodded then signaled for Zell and Selphie to follow him. They ran down the hall to the doors to the studio. Squall signaled for Selphie to open one of the doors while Squall and Zell went in, sweeping right and left. Selphie nodded then walked over to the door and counted down from three with her fingers. She yanked the door open the Squall and Zell rushed in. At the center of the studio was Deling, Seifer and Quistis. Two armed soldiers had them backed to the wall. Zell and Squall fired their weapons killing the two guards instantly. Then they approached Seifer. Quistis ran over to Zell's right side and holstered her whip. Seifer continued to hold his blade to Deling's throat.

"It's about time you guys got here."

"Traffic," Zell replied.

Quistis looked over to Squall. "We need to restrain him."

"Or kill him," Squall suggested. He turned his attention to Seifer. "What the hell are you doing?"

Seifer sneered. "Isn't it obvious? What were you planning on doing with this lump of shit? Now I'll get the credit and the glory"

"How did you know…?" Then it hit Squall. Seifer had been Rinoa's connection to Garden. She probably had told him what they had planned to do.

Zell chimed in. "I get it Seifer. You were trying to play the boyfriend role like your some kind of hard ass."

"Shut the hell up Dintch, you chicken shit nobody!" Seifer hissed.

Suddenly gunfire could be heard from farther down the hall. Quistis and Squall looked back towards the doors then each other. "He broke out of the brig then knocked me out when I tried to stop him."

Zell was seething from Seifer's treachery. "Seifer, you stupid, fucking shit!"

"Zell, chill out." Squall commanded

But Zell was already speaking. "Wait till we get you back to Garden asshole!"

"No Zell!" Squall thundered. He immediately turned and shot out all three cameras.

But it was too late. Deling started to chuckle and shake his head. "Ah, I see, you're all from Garden. But which one I wonder? No matter, if anything happens too me, all three Gardens will be destroyed by the might of Galbadian military."

Deling chuckled again as Zell let his shoulders drop dejectedly. He knew he had just screwed up. If anything happen to Garden because of him he'd never forgive himself.

Deling turned slightly to Seifer. "You can let me go now you arrogant little shit."

Seifer shook his head and looked over to Zell. "Nice going chicken shit. You and that mouth of yours."

Outside, the sounds of gunfire got closer and louder. Seifer pulled Deling in close and cut into his neck slightly. "Ok dick head, you're coming with me. Squall, why don't you and the gang stay and clean up this mess? It sounds like the Badians will be here any second."

Seifer dragged Deling along as he walked backwards into an adjacent hall that led to a second, smaller studio. Squall and the others kept their distance. Once back there, Seifer pressed the blade against Deling's throat. "Ready to die?"

"What?! Y-You can't kill me, I know you're from Garden. I-I'll…"

"You won't do anything once I lop your fucking head clean off you're shoulders!"

Suddenly a chilling laughter erupted from within the room. Seifer looked up and watched as the wall in front of him started to morph into a liquid form. Then a figure walked through it into the studio.

It was a woman. She was pale skinned and dressed in a tight back gown that covered her entire body, showing off her devilish curves. Her hands were covered with long gloves that went up to her elbows. A long slit in the front of her gown left a large V-shaped area of skin exposed on the front of her. From her shoulders down to almost her naval was open, showing off her flat stomach and ample cleavage. Her head and face was covered by some grotesque-looking red mask and a large head dress that had horns running out of it. Only her mouth showed through. She was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Seifer felt genuinely spooked and turned on by this woman. Was this the Sorceress? He'd never been intimidated by any man in his life and yet he was intimidated by a woman that couldn't have stood over 5'7. But Seifer wasn't about to drop his guard so easily.

She walked forward and spoke. "Poor, poor boy."

"Stay the hell away from me lady!"

"Such a confused little boy. Are you going to advance? Retreat? You have to decide."

"Stay back!"

Quistis and Squall ran into the room followed by Zell and Selphie. The woman in black held her hand up and used a powerful shift spell to throw all four SeeDs back, slamming them into the wall. She ignored them then continued her barrage on Seifer.

"The boy in you is telling you to come forward but the adult in you is demanding that you stay away. You can't make up your mind. You don't know the right answer. You want help don't you? You want to be saved from this predicament."

Seifer's grip on Deling had relaxed and his hand holding Hyperion was shaking. "S-Shut up!"

"Don't be afraid little boy."

"I'm not…s-stop calling me a boy."

She walked closer to Seifer, within close range for him to strike her down with his gunblade. "You don't want to be a little boy anymore?"

"I'm not a boy!"

Squall shook his head. "Seifer, she's mind fucking ya! Kill the bitch-"

Squall was silenced again as the woman raised her hand and slammed Squall into the wall again. She smiled then looked up to Seifer and widened her grin. She gestured for Seifer to walk over to her. Seifer had a catatonic look in his eyes and let go of Deling who quickly ran off.

"Come with me to a place of no return. Bid farewell to your childhood and open your arms to my eternal darkness."

Seifer turned to the SeeDs and waved to them. Squall noticed that he looked like he was hypnotized. Then he turned and followed the woman through the wall as she cast another form spell. The wall solidified again, leaving the SeeDs alone in the room.

Zell threw his arms up. "What the fuck was that?"

Quistis used the wall to help her up. "That must have been Sorceress Edea. She's the only living active Sorceress on the planet and it looks like she's venefica."

"She's what?" Selphie inquired.

Squall slowly got to his feet. "It means that she's become dark and insane from her powers. It's an old Centran term for an evil sorceresses. A witch."

The term witch was used as a vulgar, derogatory slang term used to describe an evil sorceress. It was also used as a general insult toward any sorceress called it.

"Hey guys!"

Everyone turned and ran back into the main studio to find Rinoa looking around. When she saw them she noticed that the female who'd rushed in with Seifer was with them now, probably another SeeD.

"We held off the first wave of Galbadian regulars but I think their coming in with Dragoons next."

Squall waved everyone forward. "We have to get out of here now. Back out across the roof and then across the causeway."

Just then Dylan, Walters and Higgins ran in to get the others. "Hey, we held 'em off but we got to get outta here."

The group turned to leave but before they could Dragoons kicked in the door in the other studio and poured in. Five elite Dragoons ran through the studio and into the main studio where the SeeDs and remaining Owls stood. They caught the SeeDs by surprise as they rushed in. Squall turned to raise his rifle but one of the Dragoons armed with a sword used enhanced speed to rush in and slice it right down the middle. Squall dropped it and used his own enhanced speed to draw Revolver out and swipe at him simultaneously. The elite soldier parried the attack and tackled Squall to the ground. The rest of the SeeD's slung their rifles and drew their melee weapons then charged the group of Dragoons. Zell pulled one of his knives and charged into the group, leaping into the air and jump kicking the first Dragoon he saw. Quistis and Selphie charged into the group swinging their weapons.

Meanwhile a group of charger regulars charged in through the other entrance. Dylan and Rinoa, along with Walters and Higgins, ran to the hall and opened fire.

Back inside, Squall lunged at the Dragoon with his blade. The elite soldier swiped it away and rolled behind him then turned and swung his blade, nicking Squall across the back. Squall clenched his teeth from the pain and spun around. Casting a shift spell, he caught the Dragoon off guard and pushed him to the ground. Squall wasted no time and rushed in for the kill, ramming his blade straight through the soldier's neck. He immediately went limp. He looked up and saw that his fellow SeeDs had finished off their opponents and stood breathing heavily. Banged up, bruised and cut, he called everyone to regroup. They turned to see the Owls return, rushing back into the room.

Dylan put a fresh magazine into his rifle. "It's clear for the moment, but we have to get out of here now!"

Squall nodded and holstered Revolver then picked up one of the rifles on the ground. As they began to leave the studio, Higgins ran back in to grab another rifle. His M-4 had run dry and he had no spare ammo for it. He ran over and picked up one of the rifles on the ground then started to run back.

"Hey, wait up!'

Dylan and Zell turned to wait for him. Suddenly Zell spotted one of the Dragoons on the ground moving slightly, reaching for his side arm.

"Higgins, behind you!" Zell went to pull his side arm.

Higgins spun around to find his target but the Dragoon was faster. He pulled his side arm and fired one round off, shooting Higgins directly through the side of the head. He was dead before he hit the ground. The Dragoon then turned to fire on the others but Zell had him lined up. He fired three rounds, nailing the soldier in the chest and head, killing him.

The others ran back in and found Zell standing over Dylan. Dylan had knelt down next to the body of Higgins.

Zell shook his head. "One of the Dragoons was still alive and got a shot off."

Rinoa put her hands to her mouth. "Oh my God, this can't be happening."

The group was jolted by the sound of more soldiers coming through the smaller studio. Squall grabbed two grenades off the belt of a dead Dragoon and flung them into the next room. Two loud explosions shook the room followed by painful screams.

"We are leaving."

The group made their way down the hall and out through double doors onto the roof top.

Squall turned and saw that most of the Galbadian forces were still fighting with resistance members in several buildings across from the TV station. More rebel groups must have joined in on the fight. "It's clear, let's go. I want the Owls to stay behind us. SeeDs stay upfront. We have the two primary Owl members to protect."

Just as they made it halfway across the roof back to the stairs, a large group of left over Galbadian regulars came through the double doors behind them and immediately opened fire. The group scattered in all directions. Squall rushed at Rinoa and shoved her to the ground just as one of the soldiers opened fire in her direction. They hit the ground together but Squall rolled to his feet and returned fire, hitting his opponent several times in the chest. The soldier spun around and crumpled to the ground but not before a burst of rounds struck Squall in the chest armor and the shoulder. He fell back and ran to Rinoa's position. Rinoa had recovered her footing and started launching explosive arrows.

Zell grabbed both his grenades and pulled the pins then lobbed them both over to the location of the Galbadian soldiers. The resulting explosions sent one soldier flying backwards and shredded another three to pieces. Then he took cover next to Walters and they both began firing. Selphie rolled over to her right and braced the SAW against and exhaust fan then opened up on the Galbadians, dropping two that didn't make it to cover. Quistis had set up next to her and grabbed one of Selphie's grenades off her belt and pulled the pin then threw it far off to their left flank. The grenade went off, killing a sniper. Another soldier with a machine gun opened up on their position. A bullet struck Selphie on the outside of the quadricep of her right leg. Selphie yelped then gritted her teeth and casted a protect spell. She then returned fire, emptying the remaining rounds of her drum magazine in his direction. The rounds didn't hit him but pinned the G-army soldier down, giving Selphie the time to lob her remaining grenade in his direction, blowing him apart. She ripped the empty drum mag out and began loading the spare one in.

The group had managed to push the Badian soldier back but then a group of Dragoons came through he same double doors and immediately opened up of the SeeDs and Owls. One of the Dragoons had a revolver style grenade launcher and emptied all six rounds into the groups position.

"Shit!" Dylan yelled.

The rounds went off and sent the group flying back in all directions. Shrapnel and debris flew everywhere and not a single member of the SeeDs or Owls managed to weather the explosions with out injury. After the explosions went off the the shooting stopped and a silence set in for a moment. Squall, his ears still ringing, recovered quickly and looked around him. Everyone was cut and bloodied but the SeeDs all hand signaled over to him that they were ok. He looked over to Dylan and Rinoa but their focus was on Walters. He was slumped over against a large ventilation fan which was shredded from the blasts. Walter's right arm was gone and he'd been impaled on a large piece of shrapnel. It was clear that he was dead.

"Shit! This is a Hyne damned cluster fuck," Squall gritted. He got the attention of the SeeDs and hand signaled to them to launch a volley of their strongest magic attacks on his word. The Dragoons continued to slowly advance on the SeeD's position, unable to see exactly where they were due to the amount of dust that had been kicked up. As soon as they moved into a clearing with no available cover, Squall gave the signal. Selphie and Zell jumped up and let lose fire ball attacks, Squall shot out his strongest lighting attack and Quistis launched large ice spears. The Dragoons, unprepared to block magic attacks, were instantly destroyed by the magic strikes. The fighting finally ended and the roof top of the TV station looked like a blood bath with bodies scattered everywhere.

Squall addressed the group. "We are moving. Now."

Just as the got to got to the stairs and began descending a single remaining G-army sniper popped out from the double doors and opened up on them. One bullet struck Zell in the back armor and flung him forward. Dylan raised his rifle and fired back. Rounds from both weapons hit their marks. The Galbadian was shot through the head and shoulder and was killed. Rounds from his rifle nailed Dylan through the lung and stomach. He collapsed to the ground and yelled out that he was hit. Rinoa ran over and slid down next to him. He gave her his hand and Rinoa took it. He was bleeding profusely and a pool of blood started to encompass him. Zell got back on his feet and ran over to join in with Selphie. They worked frantically on the wounds while Quistis kept an eye out for anymore enemy forces. Squall knelt down next to Rinoa, watching Dylan die right in front of him. Squall had been hired to keep this man alive and he had failed. And Dylan would lose his life because of it.

"Rin," Dylan said weakly.

"Yea buddy," Rinoa replied. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Not when it was Dylan. They had been friends and comrades for years. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Don't give up hope of a free Timber. Keep fighting. You have more strength and courage in you then you realize. I will miss you my friend."

"I won't give up Dylan. I swear it to you."

Dylan turned to Squall. "Squall, promise me."

Squall leaned in close to Dylan and looked up to Zell. He and Selphie had stopped working on Dylan and now sat quietly listening to Dylan's last words.

"What is it that you ask of me?"

"I want you to continue to protect Rinoa. You're our soldiers and we need you. Promise that you won't give up on Timber and that you will keep Rinoa safe." Dylan took Rinoa's hand and gave it to Squall. Rinoa and Squall touched and looked into each other's eyes then back down at Dylan.

"I promise."

Dylan smiled before his eyes glazed over and closed one last time. Rinoa leaned and cradled his head against her, giving her friend one last hug.

Squall took Rinoa by the arm and pulled her away from Dylan. They weren't home free yet. They had to make it down to the van. Squall then switched up and grabbed Rinoa's hand and ran with the rest of the group down the stairs and then across the bridge.

"Hunter!" Quistis screamed. The group turned to see one of the walking tanks coming around the building.

The Hunter opened fire but the group was already around the corner of the other building. They made their way down the first set of stairs and sprinted through the service tunnel, grabbing the bags as they flung the back door to the bar open. However, the bar was empty. They raced through and went out the front. When they came out through the front entrance to the bar, they found everyone standing in the parking looking up and over at the TV station and the smoke rising from the buildings next to it. More and more people poured out of their homes to see what was happening. They slipped through the crowd and ran to the van. Several people looked at them and gasped and began to point. They were in battle gear and covered in blood and wounds. Watt's opened the side door and helped everyone in then yelled for Zone to take off. Zone hit the gas and the van took off. Watt's looked at the group. They were dirty, bloody and battered looking and they had a new female with them.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We failed." Squall replied.

Zone turned back and looked over to Rinoa. He saw the look in her eyes and knew but still had to ask. "Where are the others?"

New tears streamed down her face and she looked away from him. "They're dead."


Notes

Well that didn't go so well but I think its a realistic take on how things would have played out. Obviously I killed off several characters including almost all the Owls but I felt that was necessary to drive home the visceral feeling of real urban warfare and guerrilla tactics. I also wanted to make sure the SeeDs got banged up and didn't make it through the fight with out a single scratch simply because they are main characters. In my stories, I beat the shit out of everyone.