Well, I'm back from holidays, so let the fic continue. Did ya miss me?
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Fifty Days
Chapter 12: False Alarm
"Hi Quisty, you OK?" Ellone asked.
Quistis waved the question away, but then smiled and nodded, figuring she had better get used to that question. Ellone smiled back, and started walking towards Odine's lab as Zell climbed from the Ragnarok's cockpit window and settled down to catch some rays, forgetting, as usual, to put on any sunblock, and that Esthar's camo-shield focussed sunlight. Ellone and Quistis had the exact same thought as he dropped off on top of the 'head' of the airship, and giggled.
"He's gonna be cooked by the time we get back though," Ellone said seriously.
Quistis shrugged. "Serves him right. It's only the fifth time."
Ellone grinned. "Did Odine tell you about what he found out?"
Quistis shook her head, psychically buoyed by the younger girl's enthusiasm. "No, but he sounded pretty happy on the phone." As she walked she resisted the urge to skip. "Did he tell you?"
Ellone shook her head and sat down on one of the small HoverTeacups. "Nope, but I'm just gonna tag along, if that's alright with you."
Quistis nodded, looking outside as the never-boring scenery f Esthar city glided past them as if they were on a large conveyer belt. Which they were, sort of. "Sure."
A few minutes later the flying device Esthar used as public transportation drew up at the small raised dais outside of O-Lab, and the two woman walked into the building. Quistis looked up at the architecture, and for the first time looked at it with affection instead of trepidation.
Doors slid open soundlessly, and Quistis and Ellone were instantly greeted by a loud and expressive collar, with Odine hiding under it.
"Mizz Trepe! How nize! We were waiting for yoo!"
Quistis smiled at the short man. "Doctor. You said you had something…?" she asked quickly.
Dr Odine's ego seemed to be in danger of taking off. "Yezz! Odine haz been looking, and he haz found vhat iz going on!"
Quistis' heart stopped. "What?" she said quietly. "Really? Are you sure?" Don't be joking please don't be joking.
Odine raised one finger. "We are thinking so!" He ran over to one of the myriad and seemingly identical control panels on the walls of the roomy lab and started pushing buttons, drawing up diagrams he dismissed about as quickly. Quistis fidgeted as a pair of figures appeared on the screen.
"Eet iz in ze DNA!" Odine proclaimed triumphantly.
He was met by polite and impatient passivity. "What?" Quistis asked unsubtly.
Odine stared at her for a few seconds, and then an invisible person seemed to wind him back up, and he sprung into life. "Zis illnezz zat you havv is not only yours, it izz yours! It hazz been tailored to specifically to attack your DNA!" he turned away, and Ellone shivered slightly as a familiar glint ran into his eye. "If zis could be adapted to be changed too somezon elzes DNA, ze pozzibilities are endlezz!"
She had had enough. "Odine, what the hell are you talking about?" Quistis asked angrily.
"Do not hurry Odine! I waz getting to yoo!" He mashed a button with his fist, and the display disappeared. "Zis technology doez not exizt in zis time. It must have come from ze future!"
Quistis sat back down in her seat. "What?" she asked quietly.
Odine did not notice. "Zees izz impozzible with even Esthar's devizes. Zere iz only one place it could have came from!"
Quistis felt Ellone rest an arm on her shoulder, and she grabbed It, grateful for any human contact. "Ultimecia," she whispered.
Odine misinterpreted her tone for a question. She izz ze only pozzible source. Odine remembers when yoo came back from ze future."
"So… you can't do anything?" Ellone asked, as Quistis just stared at the floor, and the girl felt her flinch as she said it.
Odine shrugged. "Zis ees early dayz yet. Zee first step iz always ze diagnosis. Next comes ze cure."
"Is that it?"
Odine turned. "Eh?"
Quistis looked up. "Is that what you called me here for? Just so you could tell me what you know?"
Odine shrugged. "Vhat else vould I kall yoo here for?" Without warning, Quistis moved, and Odine was hanging in the air.
"Telling me you could fix me would've helped!" she screamed at him.
Ellone's eyes went wide, and she jumped up and tried to drag Quistis away. She didn't have to bother. Quistis dropped Odine and fell to the ground in front of him, and started coughing and gasping for air.. Ellone's eyes went wide and she draped an arm around her and helped her up, glaring at Odine. "You bastard," she hissed.
Odine just looked confused. "Vhat? I told her vhat I know," he coughed, massaging his throat. "She attaked me!"
Ellone looked up. She started to say something, but then checked herself, and just glared. We'll talk later. She slowly levered Quistis up from the floor and helped her outside the lab.
Odine turned to the silent assistant. "Vhat did I do?"
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Quistis closed her eyes and brushed away the tears, sitting down outside the lab. "I'm sorry about that," she said quietly.
"He was a jerk. He deserved it," Ellone said venomously.
Quistis smiled. "Thanks. I shouldn'tve blown up at him though."
Ellone moved around and sat next to her. "Hey, I thought it was gonna be more than that too. I can't imagine how all this must feel."
Quistis chuckled slightly. "It's not all that bad," she said, and coughed again.
Ellone patted her on the back until it stopped. "You don't mean that," she said.
Quistis shrugged. "It's… not what I had expected," she said simply.
"Quisty?" Ellone asked.
"Yeah, Sis?"
"What is it like?" Ellone asked quietly.
Quistis leaned back and looked at the ceiling and sighed. "It… It's not like I'm looking damned forward to it or something. It's just…" She clicked her fingers in irritation, looking for the right words. "I know I'm gonna die now, and nothing else matters," she whispered sadly. "I don't want to, Hyne knows I don't want tom but if there's nothing that anyone can do, then why fight it?" she asked rhetorically.
Ellone was shocked. Quisty? Have you given up already?
Quistis glanced upwards, and must have seen the look in her face. "I'm not giving up. Sometimes though I wake up and everything hurts so bad and I wonder what the hell I did to deserve this. Why me? Why not someone who actually did something, like some Galbadian or someone like that!"
Ellone stared down at the despairing woman. "You did nothing to deserve this. You heard from that insensitive idiot Odine this was that sorceress-bitch. If they're trying to kill you, then you know you're doing something right."
Quistis snorted. "Well, she got it right."
Ellone's hands flew to her mouth. "Ohmy- You know I didn't mean that."
Quistis looked up. "I know you didn't Elle. It's OK.,2 she said encouragingly.
"None of this is fair," Ellone said.
"Saying it won't change the fact that it's happening." I wonder whether you'll be this calm when you're hacking your guts out and lying in the infirmary hooked up to an IV tube.
"Quistis, are you OK?" Ellone asked quickly.
Quistis broke out of her morbid thought-train and stood. "I'll be fine." You're saying that pretty often now… "I really have to get back to Balamb Garden, there are things I need to finish."
Ellone walked out with her as far as the hovering seats and watched her. "Come back and visit will yoy, before- Well, just visit, please," she asked.
Quistis nodded. "Of course I will. I'll see you again." Then the public transport was zipping away, and Quistis lost sight of the young girl after only three seconds. She sighed and turned back to face forwards. She felt a dull ache in her head, one that had been getting steadily worse since Odine had ruined her entire day. She reached into her pocket for the small bottle of painkillers, and then cursed silently and slapped the seat when she realised she had left them back at Garden. She was going to have to life with it for now.
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Zell looked up groggily from his nap as a he heard footsteps from across the Airstation, and sat up as he saw Quistis walking towards the Ragnarok. He winced as he slid down from the top of the ship. "Heya Quisty. Do what you needed to?" he asked.
Quistis nodded, and wiped a hand across her forehead. "Yeah. I'm sorry about dragging you out here again Zell," she said sympathetically.
Zell waved it away. "Nah! I get to work on my suntan!" he said cheerfully.
Quistis looked him up and down. "Sunburn more like," she said wryly.
Zell shrugged and smiled, trying not to cringe or run around to find the nearest body of water and jump in. "Doesn't bother me," he lied.
Quistis smiled. "Sure." She hesitated for a few seconds. At least, she seemed to. "Listen, can we get back to Balamb?"
Zell shrugged again. "Sure, what's up?" he looked a little closer at her, and Quistis batted his face away. "You still look a little peaky. You're not gonna collapse again are ya?" he asked in concern.
"No, Zell, I am not going to collapse on you, but I just need to get back to Balamb Garden. Please," she said quietly.
Zell turned and headed for the open bay, Quistis following him. "Sure," he said.
Zell ran ahead to the cockpit, and by the time the elevator stopped he was already powering up the engines. She collapsed into a chair and tried to cushion her head with her hands. Still the noise and vibrations hurt like nothing else. She closed her eyes against the window and tried to nullify the pain by way of sleep.
Zell looked over his shoulder at Quistis and smiled as he saw she had dropped off to sleep. He turned his attention back to the window in front of him, and levelled the Ragnarok and set the primitive autopilot for the trip back. He then reached under the control panel and brought out a blanket. Standing, he threw the woollen article over Quistis and made sure she was covered. She shifted under it, and frowned I her sleep. Zell noticed she was still sweating, and laid a hand on her forehead. He hissed and drew it away. Damn woman, you're burning up. He sat back down in the pilot's seat, and drew a dog-eared novel from under the seat, and settled down to finish reading on the trip back to Balamb.
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She awoke with a pounding headache, and Zell shaking her awake, which didn't help. She shook a hand in his direction. "Stop that," she said weakly.
Zell stopped. "Sorry. We're back though. Hey, you sleep pretty heavy you know, even through all that turbulence over the ocean you didn't move a wink. Wish I could sleep like that."
Quistis slowly made her way down the ramp back into the hanger, trying to make as little movement as possible. "Zell?"
"I mean, I can sleep, but-"
"Zell."
"An- oh, sorry. Yeah?"
"Could you keep it down a little?" she asked politely
as she could under the circumstances.
Zell stopped. "Uh, sure," he said, much quieter.
Quistis smiled. "Thanks," she said, and heard the doors slide open. She turned to see who had just come in. She raised one eyebrow when she saw who it was, and smiled slightly as Seifer leaned against the doorframe.
"Back so soon?" he asked calmly.
Quistis inclined her head slightly. "There wasn't much to say, so I'm back," she replied.
Seifer scratched his head. "Did you find? I mean, you know, anything?" he asked.
Quistis debated the various responses, and then just shook her head, ignoring the pain it caused. "No, but thanks for asking." Seifer's facial expression changed, very slightly, and he looked… disappointed? Worried? She couldn't tell, but she needed rest. "Seifer, I need to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. Lessons as normal."
Seifer nodded. "Fine. See you then." He walked away, leaving Quistis to walk in the opposite direction to her own room.
Even when he's not trying to be he still seems… confrontational. I wonder why? It would wait until tomorrow. She quickly flicked the door open and reached across for the small container she had forgotten to take to Esthar, and gulped one down. She then fell onto her bed as the soothing feeling washed through her, chasing away the pain, and she fell asleep, as one more day was ticked off.
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"Ein Coathanger?"
"Ya."
Enough! Sleep now!