Kindred Spirits Part Four: Scarred
The explosion shook the Navarre home to the foundations, shattering every window and blowing the lights out; the blast tore a hole the size of an automobile through the side of the house, scattering debris into the street. It knocked Eric, who had reached the top of the stairs, off his feet, and managed to get Aiko to pay attention to something else other than the corpse. Eric bounded to his feet, Grieving Angel in his hand; all that he could see at the end of the hallway was smoke billowing from a irregular hole to his left. "Quistis!" he shouted, sliding to a halt. A shadowy form appeared in the cloud, and Eric's blood went cold. The silhouette was not that of Quistis, and the high, vicious laugh that came to him was terribly familiar. Aileen Navarre, wearing a blue dress, stepped through the cloud, her beauty only matched by the evil in her eyes. She gave Eric an evil smile and said "The boyfriend. You're late again." She indicated the destruction behind her with a casual thumb. "You could say that she walked right into it. Poor little Quistis."
A rare fury filled Eric's soul, and he prepared to leap into battle. Aileen saw the change in his expression and laughed. "You weren't…fond of her, were you? Of that conniving little bitch?" She shook her head. "I will never understand why so many people worshipped her. What do you see in her?"
"What did she do to you that was so terrible?" Eric asked. "Why did she deserve what you did to her?"
Aileen put both of her hands behind her back and struck a pose that under other circumstances would have been terribly cute. "It wasn't so much what she did as what she didn't do. What, she didn't tell such a fine looking man what happened? Maybe I was giving her some credit. Bedroom eyes like yours, I'd tell you anything." She raised her arms over her head, energy arcing between her fingertips. "I might leave enough of you to play with, pretty boy."
With a thunderous crack, the tip of Save the Queen flashed out of the dwindling cloud of smoke. It caught Aileen in the back of her head, driving her forward. She tried to turn and the chain whip cracked again, smashing into her forehead and knocking her to the floor. Stunned, Eric watched as Quistis stepped forward, unscathed. "Nice try, Aileen. A pity that I adjusted my junctioned abilities for Auto-Shell, or I'd be dead." Eric remembered the order that she had given them before they had entered the house. She set up Auto-Shell through her junction with Doomtrain, he thought. Crafty little lady. "Give it up, Aileen. This time I'm ready for you."
"You wish, Quistis." Aileen vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing behind Quistis in a heartbeat. Eric fully expected for the same thing that had happened to him at the fire cavern to happen to Quistis, but like Aileen, he had underestimated the Head Instructor. She caught Aileen with a perfectly timed elbow to the face, leaped backward, and cast a Firaga spell at her. She did not expect it to work-Aileen had seemed rather resistant to harm-but she had a plan. "Eric!" she yelled, and the swordsman was already in motion, ducking the flames that her spell had caused and slashing at Aileen with such force that she flew the length of the hall and out the shattered window. Eric kept moving, Quistis falling into step beside of him. "You know, I thought you were dead," he told her.
"Careful, Eric. That calm façade of yours is cracking." They reached the window to find Aileen standing on the ground below, both arms raised. Quistis had time to say "Oh, crap," before Aileen began hurling blasts of energy their way. Without thinking, Eric and Quistis dove out the window, rolling as they landed. Quistis stood and used one of her odder Blue Magics, Micro Missiles. Trying to explain how she had gained the gift to imitate certain attacks-some natural, some mechanical-tended to give even her a headache. As a rain of missiles poured down on Aileen, she found that she did not care how it worked so long as it did. The impacts drove Aileen back, misses tearing craters in the immaculately groomed lawn, yet it was quickly apparent that it wasn't working. Aileen regained her footing, howled with rage, and more or less flew at them. She hurled a blast of power at them, which they managed to avoid. It soared into the neighboring home and exploded, which, had anyone not managed to notice it, awoke everyone in the area. Aileen flashed towards Quistis, faster than she could react, and punched her squarely in the jaw. Eric came up on her backside and ate a kick to his jaw that snapped his teeth together. Quistis cracked Save the Queen at Aileen's pivot leg, tripping her. Eric slashed at Aileen with Grieving Angel, which she rolled to escape. She stood and screamed incoherently, the force of her power driving Eric and Quistis back. "You two have no idea what you're up against, do you?" she snarled.
"Not really." A bolt of lightning, the sign of a Thunder spell, struck Aileen square in the chest, as the speaker, Aiko, ran out of the house, spinning her staff over her head. Aileen turned just as Aiko teed off with the staff, hitting Aileen in the head with a sickening crack. She gave Aileen a back flip kick for emphasis and landed beside of Quistis and Eric. "Did I miss much?" she asked.
"Just the warm up," Quistis answered. "I think we're about to see the main event."
Aileen rose to her feet. "Three SeeDs against pretty little me. The odds are getting nearly even." She waved an arm at the wrought iron fence and it blew out into the street. "Catch me if you can, Quistis," she cried, and bolted out the gap in the fence. Quistis swore to herself and followed. "Kai, we're under fire! Any response from the RMP yet!"
"You're lucky that I hacked into their commo. You've got emergency services and RMP tactical inbound."
"Damnit." She sprinted around the corner and found that, as she had feared, that the streets were filling with people, wondering what has going on. Aileen whirled on her and unleashed a blast of energy that her Shell spell absorbed. This makes things more complicated, she thought.
Behind her, Eric was preparing to join the fight when Aiko took him by the wrist. "Eric, it's time to stop sandbagging. You can't beat her as a SeeD."
"Had to happen sooner or later," he said. He bounded out into the street and was amazed to see Quistis easily dodging Aileen's blasts, moving in nearly a blur. She adjusted her junctions to favor speed, Eric thought. A doubly crafty lady. "We need to clear the crowd, Aiko. When Quistis gives you a shot, summon Quezacotl-a GF should drive most people to cover."
"Right," Aiko did one more thing to prepare herself, then waited for the opening. Disdaining spells or Blue Magic, Quistis attacked Aileen physically, mixing kicks and savage punches with shots from her whip. Aiko could not figure if Quistis was trying to keep the battle on a physical level to prevent Aileen from using her power or just because she was mad. Aiko guessed it was a bit of both. For thirty seconds, Quistis held the advantage, until she missed a kick. Aileen blasted Quistis aside with a beam of power that sent her crashing into the windshield of a parked car. Well, there's my opening. Aiko ordered her mind and called out "Thunder Storm!" the name of the attack used by Quezacotl. For a second, she felt the crackling electrical force of the GF in her mind-and then all she felt was pain. She screamed and dropped to her knees, Eric there at once. "Aiko-what's wrong?!"
"Don't know…I can't contact the GF."
"Kai!" Eric called. "Something's wrong with Aiko!"
"Man you keep me jumping!" Kai was able to monitor the biological functions of SeeDs in the field via the incredibly versatile earbeads, and he quickly determined the problem. "Let's see, her brain waves indicate that something is interrupting the summoning process. She needs to stop summoning the GF."
"Already did that," she gasped. "Eric, go get her…I'll catch up."
Eric looked up and saw that Quistis was still struggling to stand while Aileen was building her power around her, enough to make the ground shake. Distantly he heard sirens wailing, far away. He had a decision to make, and quite frankly he did not see that he had much of a choice. I hope you're happy, Father, he thought.
Quistis tried to blink away the double vision that her collision with the car had caused, faintly aware that the left side of her rib cage burned with pain. She stood unsteadily, realizing that whatever Aileen was building; it was more than her Shell could withstand. Aileen lifted her hands above her head, and shouted, "I see you're going to die on your feet, Quistis. Goodbye!" She unleashed a monstrous bolt of power that tore the cobblestones free and seared the very air, and Quistis wondered if her number was up.
Eric Alfredsson had other ideas.
Appearing from out of nowhere, he held Grieving Angel vertically in front of him, Aileen's bolt striking it and stopping dead. Eric dug his feet in for a second, then, howling, he slashed with the sword, sending Aileen's attack skyward. It raced into the clouds and exploded with a thunderclap that echoed for miles. Aileen sneered at Eric, her hands clenching and unclenching. "The boyfriend. Won't you just get out of my way?"
"I'm not her boyfriend," Eric replied calmly. "Yet. You ready to dance?"
She crooked a finger at him. "You lead, pretty boy." As she did, her flesh seemed to ripple, and grey plates rose out of her forearms. She held a hand out at her hip and a sword, which seemed to be a living thing, the blade twisted, organic tendrils twisting from the blade to the grip, appeared out of thin air. What is she? Quistis thought. Is she Aileen? Eric did not seem to care; he just lifted Grieving Angel and charged, moving faster than anyone, even Squall, that she had ever seen. Aileen met him with a slash of her sword; Eric parried the strike and they went at it in a clash of blades. Eric forced Aileen back, feinted low, then went for her heart. She blocked it with the plate that had grown out of her right arm and responded with a strike meant to disembowel Eric. He moved aside in a blur of movement and went for Aileen's unprotected back; she managed to parry the attack by throwing her sword over her shoulder. Completing the motion, she turned and fired a ball of energy at point blank range at Eric-and he dodged it. The ball soared down the street and had the great misfortune of hitting the first RMP vehicle that blew around the corner, destroying it. Eric kicked Aileen in the jaw, sending her soaring. Where the hell is he getting his power from? Quistis wondered. She had watched Eric for all of his time at Balamb Garden, and while he was easily the strongest cadet during his time there, his power was not all that great even compared to hers. Even Selphie should be stronger than him, just based on her junctions, she knew, and Selphie wasn't known for her power. Where does it come from?
Her questions turned to confusion as Eric crossed his arms over his chest, concentrating, and a blue-white aura appeared around him. The roadway beneath him cracked and shook as Eric built a force that Quistis was in awe of. She cast a Scan spell on him and was stunned to find that his power level had increased five times above the level that he normally demonstrated. Aileen got to her feet and actually smiled, as if she had found a worthy challenger. Eric held both of his hands in front of him and a beam of blue-white energy exploded from his hands and raced toward Aileen. It hit her square-on, waves of force washing past her and knocking parked cars over. That's on the level of some of Squall's special attacks, Quistis thought, and I get the feeling he's just getting warmed up.
An explosion rocked the street, now breaking every window for a square mile and nearly deafening everyone within earshot. Aiko had reached Quistis and cast a Cure spell on her, easing the pain in her ribs. "Aiko, how'd he do that?" she shouted over the tumult, not expecting an answer.
"Ask him when we win," she replied.
Eric still stood in a combat stance, watching smoke and fire billow into the skies, and so was not surprised when Aileen stepped forward, revealing herself. The dress she wore was tattered, a tear revealing the better part of a slender leg, but otherwise she was unharmed. "That was fun," she sneered. "I knew you were hiding the bulk of your power, swordsman. If that was your best, though, you're in trouble."
That was the most I could throw at her without causing too much collateral damage, Eric thought. The attack that his father had drilled into him for years before his death burned in his mind, and he disregarded it. Even if he was willing to use it, he did not think he could control the Nova Maelstrom yet. Aileen lifted the sword that she had created and smirked at him. "Are you ready to die?" she asked.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" Eric responded. He tightened his grip on Grieving Angel and rushed to meet her. Aileen blocked his attack with an upward thrust, then went on the offensive, her weapon nearly invisible to the naked eye. To Quistis' amazement, Eric parried every strike, then, after gaining an advantage, mounted a counterattack, actually driving her back.Quistis knew that it would not last; whatever Aileen had become, she did not seem to tire. And Eric, bless him, was only human. "We're going to have to do something," she said to Aiko.
"Well, I have a plan," Aiko replied. "You're going to hit her with the best spell that you have stocked."
"Under these circumstances, that would be Ultima. What kind of plan is that?"
Aiko laughed. "Sorry, forgot my part. Straight out of Instructor Trepe's course on Tactical Usage of Support Magic." She concentrated and cast the spell that she had drawn from Quistis, just before she had tried to summon Quezacotl, on Quistis. "And you thought that I was sleeping in class," Aiko chided her. Quistis smiled and waited for a chance.
Aileen gave her that chance by knocking Eric aside with a brutal blow that he deflected with his sword, the impact still causing him to fall to the street and slide nearly thirty feet away. Quistis stepped to the fore, shouting Aileen's name in a challenge. "Yes, Quistis? Am I hurting your man?" Aileen snarled.
"No. Just my friend." She concentrated on the second most destructive spell that she knew, and cast Ultima at Aileen. A blast of emerald power flashed at and around Aileen, the force making the very ground beneath them shake. Aileen fell back, visibly shaken for the first time in the battle. She looked up to say something, and that was when the Triple spell that Aiko had drawn from Quistis and cast on her took its effect, hammering Aileen with the Ultima spell two more times. Green light filled the skies, and finally, Aileen fell to the ground, crashing to her hands and knees. "Very sneaky, Quistis, very sneaky. Tripling up an Ultima spell," Aileen coughed. "Ultima works very well on me."
Eric closed the distance between him and her in a heartbeat, Grieving Angel held overhead, all his strength behind the blow that he intended to swing at her neck. At the last instant, Aileen's power flared around her, deflecting the blade of the sword. Eric darted aside as Aileen leaped to her feet and soared towards Quistis, hovering inches above the ground She stopped at an arm's length from Quistis, arms crossed, a wry smile on her face. "It works well for a second or two, I'll grant. And you have gotten stronger since I died. It almost makes for a fair fight when you throw in the pretty boy."
Quistis resisted the urge to strike at Aileen; that had not worked very well thus far. Perhaps if she tried to understand why Aileen had come from beyond the veil of death to try to kill her, she could figure out how to stop her. "Eric asked you something, Aileen, when he thought I was dead. He wanted to know what I had done to you to deserve this. You died on a mission, taking the kind of risks that all SeeDs are supposed to."
(she's hurt Quistis you have to do something!)
(the difficulty will be overcoming her guilt. Part of her wants to be blamed…needs to be blamed….)
(this is it the kind of decision that they trained me for this is what I was born to do)
Aileen's head cocked sideways, as if she had heard the tumult of voices that raged inside her head. Perhaps she had. "The mission…the mission…I wonder if you really remember the mission, Quisty. Or the choice you made. Maybe killing you now would be unfair." Aileen began to fade away, turning transparent in front of their eyes. "Perhaps you need to learn a bit before you die." Aileen faded completely away, leaving a brief afterimage in the air and a taste of cold fear in Quistis' mouth. She realized that she could not answer the question that she had asked Aileen because she had no real idea of what the answer could be.
Eric walked over to where she and Aiko were just as a convoy of RMP cars rolled around the corner, passing their fallen comrades in the car Aileen had destroyed; Allin Fullar was clearly visible through the windshield of the lead car. His expression was best described as being irked. "Well, now what?" Eric wondered.
Quistis had no good answer.
Fullar had pitched a perfect blue fit over the destruction of one of Dollet's most upscale neighborhoods, which, under other circumstances, would have been amusing to watch. He had then more or less arrested them, insisting that the three of them go in separate police vehicles to RMP Headquarters. He had mentioned something about them surrendering their weapons, but a single burning glare from Aiko had put an end to that idea. They had been driven down to the headquarters building, a low, three story brick building that matched the local architecture yet hardly looked intimidating in a law enforcement sense. Aiko had amused them, or at least had tried to, by broadcasting her conversation with her driver over the earbeads. They had been marched to an interrogation room, complete with the classic mirror that was, of course, one way glass, and were left to stew there for an hour. Aiko had propped her feet up on a table, made a rude gesture at the "mirror" and had closed her eyes. Eric had gone in a corner and had started reviewing the battle, doubtless finding fault with the fact that they hadn't won, Quistis knew. That had left her, with the mystery of Aileen, and one that had leaped into her mind as she had been driven down to the RMP HQ. Namely, where had Eric, a Level 10 SeeD with only the "starter set" of GF junctions and abilities, gotten the power he had displayed. The beam attack, especially, was a mystery: unlike most SeeDs, Eric had never developed a special attack. Neither had Aiko, come to think of it. Quistis knew from the amount of time that it had taken her to master Blue Magic that you just did not learn a special attack overnight. She would ask Eric later, if she got the chance.
Fullar stormed into the interrogation room, trying his best to look indignant. He slammed a fist down on the table beside of Aiko and shouted "What the hell happened out there?!"
"We met the enemy and she kicked our asses," Aiko remarked.
Fullar turned a deep shade of red. "Do you have any idea the amount of property damage that you caused, the injuries?! If I had known what would happen, I would have sent the army with you!"
"They would have been worse than useless," Eric said. "Our enemy possesses more power than anything short of a sorceress-perhaps more. Her powers aren't like any SeeD has ever faced before. Your RMP or the military would have been slaughtered."
"Be that as it may, you engaged that power in a heavily populated neighborhood…"
Quistis cut Fullar off. "She killed her family and anyone else in her home, Commander. She would have killed me and the others if we hadn't fought back. Our responses were designed to do minimal damage to the surroundings and to limit if not eliminate the number of causalities. Your men who died-she killed them."
"Who is this monster? Who are you fighting, Miss Trepe?" Since Quistis hadn't introduced herself, she was taken aback by this. "When I reported this incident to Balamb, the Combat Master indicated that his Head Instructor was among the combatants. Why is a teacher in the field?"
"It's none of your damned business."
Quistis was stunned beyond belief to hear Eric say that. Aiko, yes-it was in keeping with her sarcastic way-but not Eric. Fullar's head snapped, as if on a swivel, towards Eric. "Your concern is our activity here in Dollet, not the reasons behind our assignment of personnel," Eric continued. "In fact, the manner in which you have treated us is reprehensible. We are SeeDs, not common criminals. We risked ourselves to defend the citizens of Dollet from this threat, and we are not to blame for this incident." Eric gave him a moment to digest this, then went on. "Furthermore, while we are not on contract status, the behavior of the RMP in this manner could very well cause Garden to re-evaluate Dollet's account standing. In fact, there is a high probability that Garden might very well classify Dollet as a bad risk for accepting contracts from. And given the current civil unrest in Galbadia, I dare say that would be foolish."
Fullar looked as if he had been kicked repeatedly in the groin. He probably thought he was dealing with children, Quistis thought. "You-you can understand my concerns, can't you?" he whined. "We weren't expecting so violent a battle in the middle of Dollet, and I did lose men."
Quistis decided to play the peacemaker. "Commander Fullar, we understand perfectly. In fact, you can be of great help to us. The enemy- her name, by the way, is Aileen Navarre-did commit multiple homicides within Dollet. The RMP has jurisdiction over those murders. Any forensic evidence that you can find on the site could help us understand what we are fighting."
"Agreed. But from now on, you will not pursue this Navarre entity without the RMP. I will have to insist on that." Fullar let out a deep breath. "I will have someone drive you to where you'll be staying. There will, of course, be an RMP presence there."
"Oh, glory," Aiko muttered under her breath.
If Fullar heard her, he gave no sign of it. "Tomorrow, we will begin a coordinated effort to locate and destroy this enemy. You will, of course, cooperate fully."
Quistis pretended not to hear Aiko, even if she did agree with her. " We will do as you say, Commander Fullar. However, I can not promise you that we can protect your men."
"My men are capable, Miss Trepe. Now, who is Aileen Navarre? Why are you fighting her?"
Quistis thought about it for a moment. "She used to be a SeeD. We aren't certain where she got her power from, and we are still figuring out her motives. That is all we know." Quistis stood. "I would like to contact Balamb myself, Commander. Can you have your driver take us to our lodgings?"
Fullar looked as if he wanted to tell her no, but Quistis did not exactly look like she was going to take no for an answer. As was becoming customary for him in this business, he surrendered. "Very well. I only request that you make yourself available at any time should your enemy attack again."
Quistis doubted that Aileen would attack in such a fashion that the RMP would notice it. She felt rather tired, and she wanted nothing more than to rest, before the end of their struggle. She locked eyes with Eric, who had apparently already been watching her, and in his gaze she saw that he was not about to let her rest that easily. He had a great many questions to ask her, she sensed. Which made them even. She also saw concern in his eyes, and that brought confusion welling up in her. She was tired of most of the confusion that had her life had filled with since the night of the inauguration party-mostly. The last she thought she could deal with.
Squall was going through the roof in a way that Rinoa had never quite seen before.
Ever since the Dollet Royal Military Police had contacted Balamb Garden, telling him of a pitched, brutal battle involving Quistis and her little band, he had alternately raged at Quistis, for managing to back him into a corner and let her go in the first place, at the RMP for questioning the authority of SeeD, and at Headmaster Cid, who remained out of contact in Esthar. Rinoa knew that the fields that protected Esthar from sight made communications with the SeeD contingent there difficult, and she knew that Squall did too. His frustrations were getting the better of him. He punched the desk in front of him, hard enough to shake it, and said, "I should have gone with her, Rinoa. Should have tied her up and let this monster come here and fight all of us."
"Well, maybe you should have, honey. C'mon, Squall, you trusted your friend-our friend-to do what's right. Don't second guess yourself." She tried a smile and it failed miserably. "Uh-oh, complete relapse. You're back to your old gloomy self."
Squall ignored the joke. Rinoa was not exactly overwhelmed by shock. "One of my closest friends is fighting a monster that wants her dead for some reason from Quistis' past and I don't know what it is, Rinoa. And I let her go like an idiot!"
Rinoa thought about it for a moment. "You know, I know all of you guys pretty well, some more than others-but Quistis is a bit of a blank. She really doesn't talk about herself to me. I used to think that she was, you know, jealous of me. I hear all the rumors about her and you, y'know. What do you really know about her?"
Squall was about to tell her a dozen stories about Quistis, each of them designed to tell Rinoa a great deal about Quistis, when it occurred to him that all of them were from the point in time where she had become his instructor. She had to be a SeeD while I was at Balamb Garden, he thought; she was a SeeD for two years before she got her Instructor's license. Why don't I know anything about her career as a SeeD? Why didn't Quistis ever tell me about it? "You have a point, Rinoa. She doesn't talk much about herself. And I thought I knew her." Squall leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Rinoa, I have to do something that you might not like." He touched a button on the intercom system on his desk, the one that allowed him to contact anyone in Balamb Garden. "Communications. Get me Kai Hallen."
Kai hated having a reputation.
Now, if that reputation had been for being a lover of beautiful girls, Kai would be willing to rescind that opinion. Being that his reputation was for being a hacker, a top flight datajack as the wired underground of Balamb liked to say, however, made his life sometimes problematic. If there was any computer crime at Garden, Kai was always on the short list of suspects. It was that reputation that had to have drawn Squall Leonhart's attention to him when Quistis had submitted the squad list after the briefing the day before. Squall had summoned him to the Combat Master's office - which had given him a chance to stare unabashedly at Rinoa as she had left the room-and had told him that he was unable to gain access to certain sensitive records that pertained to their mission. It certainly was not beyond the ability of a datajack like Kai to bypass a lock that granted only the Headmaster and the Garden Masters access to the files. Kai was certainly capable of doing that…the question was, would he without telling Quistis?
The answer to that had been, reluctantly, of course.
Kai liked Quistis, not to the extent that the Trepies did, of course, yet enough to get by. He liked her intelligence and she was very easy on the eyes, naturally. All of this was part of the reason why he had hesitated when Squall had given him his assignment; he was not the sort of person that stabbed his friends in the back. Lying to Eric and Aiko, who were far closer to him than he was to Quistis, was a part of it as well. That had contributed to the guilt he had felt as he had hacked his way into the databases of Balamb Garden as Quistis and the others had driven to the Navarre residence-he had felt guilt, yes. Not enough to stop him. Primarily because he was the best datajack at Balamb Garden, and the challenge of cracking Master-level encryption appealed to him. He had other reasons, true, but fundamentally, it boiled down to the challenge. Accessing the files had been child's play; the difficulty was decryption. The files were in a rather complex code, none that Kai recognized immediately. Kai had set a codebreaker program loose on the files and had turned to monitoring the battle with Aileen Navarre. Afterwards, he had listened in on both Fullar's communication with Balamb Garden, and, through the earbeads, his failed attempt to intimidate Quistis, Aiko, and Eric. He had been amused by Fullar's antics, knowing as he listened in that the hammer was about to fall on him.
As Quistis and the others had been taken to the Dollet Inn, the hammer had hit him between the eyes.
Squall contacted him, voice only, as he has looking through a few other pertinent files that weren't under Master-level encryption, and judging by the sound of his voice, the Combat Master was none too happy with him. "Hallen! What the hell is taking so long?" Kai imagined that Rinoa was with him, most likely rubbing his shoulders and telling him to calm down. (In actuality, she was sitting on the other side of the room, staring at him in puzzlement.) "I need to know what happened when Aileen Navarre died ASAP. I needed that last night."
"I'm aware of that, sir. And I have the files in hand. However, without the encryption key, it's going to take a little longer to translate them."
"How much longer?" There was more than an edge of frustration to Squall's voice.
"Depends. This is a serious code-my programs usually can crack most stuff quick." Kai checked the monitor of one of the consoles; a sprawl of information scrolled up the screen. To most anybody, the data was meaningless. To Kai, the screen told him a great deal about the behavior of his program. "Maybe another hour."
"Hallen, listen to me. We have to discover if there's a reason that Navarre wants Quistis dead. Time is running out. Do what you can to crack those files, fast."
"Yes, sir." What the hell do you think that I'm doing, he almost shouted, dancing a jig? He barely acknowledged Squall as he signed off, returning to the files that he had accessed to along with the coded files, losing himself in thought. For some reason, he believed that the key was not in the files that Squall was interested in, but rather in the patient records of Casey Wellon. He just wished that he could put his finger on what was bothering him…other than guilt.
The Dollet Inn, for it's modest name, was a full sized hotel that rivaled the one in Deling City, a bit more rustic in décor yet still plush enough for the wealthy to feel comfortable. The RMP had given Quistis, Eric, and Aiko three single rooms on the fifth floor, with RMP officers standing guard at the elevator and the fire stairs. All three rooms were identical in size and furnishings, and for some reason, Quistis could not help but think that she was back in the dorms at Garden, in the paralyzing boredom of the institutional, the world of designed comfort. She was not normally this introspective-she could brood over her own faults, true, but not the world's-and she chalked it up to the stress of the moment. She stood by the window, arms crossed, working her way through the violent events of the past forty-eight hours, trying to make sense of it all.
A knock came on her door, and Quistis called "Come in," without asking who it was. She was not all that shocked when it was Eric; he had become almost a constant since the night of the inauguration party-lord, was that only two nights ago? she wondered. She addressed his reflection in the window. "What do you need, Eric?" she asked him.
"To clear something up so we can get to the bottom of a few things," he told her. "You-well, I'm sure you noticed that I have been hiding a great deal of my power."
"I did. You've been using something like twenty percent of the power you showed in the battle. Where does it come from?"
Eric walked closer to her, looking down at his booted feet. She could tell that he was having difficulty talking about this subject. "It comes partly from Grieving Angel and partly from me. My father trained me with the sword before he died. He showed me how to access its power and use it to amplify mine."
"Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"
"I have my reasons," he replied. "I-I don't really think of it as being my power, Quistis. I don't like to rely on it. And my father told me before he died to hide it while I was being trained as a SeeD. He never explained why."
"Oh. Eric, is your mother still alive?"
He stepped over to the window beside of her and looked out. Across the city, the sun was setting in a glorious orange fireball. "I suppose so. She was alive when I left with Aiko for Galbadia Garden. I haven't heard from her in five years. So I really don't know-I feel she is, though."
"I hope she is, Eric. So many of us are orphans." She turned to face him. "You want to know how Aileen died, don't you?"
Eric nodded. "I don't want you to tell me, Quistis. I can see how much all of this hurts you. I have to know, though, if we're going to win."
"I know. And I wish I could tell you. But I don't remember, Eric, not completely. I…I see me and Aileen on a mission, under attack, I think we got ambushed. There's someone in danger- I hear someone telling me to help somebody-and I know Aileen died, shot twice. And that's all, Eric. Except…" She scowled, thinking about the voices that weren't part of the battle. Something about them danced at the edge of memory, then was gone. "No. It's gone now." She clenched her fists, frustration rising in her voice. "Why can't I remember? I need to remember, Eric."
"It's all right, Quistis. Don't push yourself."
"I have to, Eric! " She whirled on him, fear and confusion warring on her beautiful face. "She's going to kill all of us and I don't know why, Eric. She hates me and all I remember is our friendship. I'm afraid I'm losing my mind and I'm afraid I'm going to lose, period." She resisted the urge to cry; she had cried enough for a lifetime last night. "I'm afraid that she'll kill you and Aiko and it'll be my fault," she whispered.
Eric was not certain what to do. He was a fighter, a soldier, a lifetime of training going into turning him into a finely honed machine, reflexes wired for battle. He was not built for empathy, for sympathy for that matter, and the few friendships he had forged had been created largely by the other person. He was out of his arena trying to help someone in an emotional crisis. And yet he wanted to help Quistis, wanted to protect her in fact, whether or not she wanted or needed his protection. He lifted a hand to put it on her shoulder and she stepped into the circle of his arms. For some reason, he heard Aiko say, wryly, sarcastically "Well, hotshot, that didn't go as planned." He put his arms around her waist and told her "It will be all right, Quistis. I promise."
She smiled. "That's about what you should say, isn't it? How do you mean to keep your promise?"
"Haven't a clue, actually. I was raised not to quit, though."
"I had noticed that." She let her head fall against his chest, part of her still mystified at how he made her feel. What is happening to me? she wondered. "Uh, sorry if I presumed here. Guess I needed a hug."
"So far this has been the only duty as a SeeD I've enjoyed." He decided to let this go wherever it wished, and see how it ended. He had his suspicions, however. Quistis chuckled at what he had said. "Whatever happens here, Quistis, you don't have to worry about me and Aiko. We'll do just fine."
She stared up into his eyes, a very short distance given their relative heights. "I know, Eric. I know." Silence fell over them as the inevitable began to assert itself. Eric raised his right hand to her face and she let him, her heart pounding as if she'd been touched by an adult, not this boy scarcely grown to manhood. Eric bent his head, clearly meaning to kiss her, and that was when she surprised herself by stepping back. "No. No. That's a bit sudden, Eric. For both of us." Eric blinked, as if he had been on auto-pilot. "I mean, I'm attracted to you for some reason-that sounds really bad, I know-it's just that we're going through a rough situation here. I don't think either one of us needs this."
Eric was not sure that he agreed. However, the attraction that had risen between them from seemingly nowhere was dubious enough that following it to a conclusion could be a mistake. He took a step away from her and said, "I know. Well, maybe we need it, but not now."
She nodded agreement. "Eric, I'll try to remember what happened, okay? I know it's important, that we know why she hates me." Eric decided to leave before he did something silly, like try to convince her of the error of her ways as far as the kiss had been concerned. Once in the hallway, for the first time in his life, Eric Alfredsson actually blushed.
Aileen Navarre, at the base of the communications tower, waited for Urizen to come to punish her.
That her lord and master would was inevitable-she had failed him once again-and she was ready for it. She had to have a chance to kill Quistis and that pretty boy, not to mention the bimbo that had aided them, and she would accept any punishment to be granted one last chance. Something was nagging at her, though, and it was not her failure. Rather, it was the fact that Quistis did not remember the fact that she had wronged her. It was not enough to kill Quistis for her crimes if she did not recall them, after all; her shame would be complete when she understood the depth of her crime. "I'll just have to educate her first. It's only fair, after all."
She had no warning, no sense that Urizen had arrived; his cold, taloned hand came from behind, wrapping around her throat, and lifted her from the ground. She did not need to breathe anymore, yet the sensation was exactly like strangulation. "YOU HAVE FAILED ME AGAIN, AILEEN!" Urizen's voice boomed.
"My-my lord Urizen, I can explain…" she choked.
"YOU CAN EXPLAIN FAILING ME, LITTLE MONSTER? IT WAS MY POWER THAT ALLOWED YOU TO ESCAPE THE VOID, MY POWER THAT GRANTED YOU THE RIGHT TO ATTEMPT YOUR VENGEANCE! TELL ME WHY I SHOULD NOT RETURN YOU TO THE VOID?"
"Because…because she has to know why she dies. And she does not. You-you can return me to the void regardless of whether or not I defeat her this time. Just allow me the chance, dread lord."
Urizen's voice was silent, his cold force still hovering at her ear. Finally, after an eternity, he spoke, his voice a whisper more malicious than the thunder of his shouts. "That is an offer I cannot refuse, Aileen. Destroy her, then. Oh, and there is the matter of the swordsman. I find his weapon to be…interesting. Kill him and bring his sword to me. Farewell." Urizen's force was gone, and she fell to the ground, her hand at her throat. She could care less about Urizen's last order; he had granted her the chance she had wanted. Now she would focus all her power on Quistis-once she knew the truth. Without a word, darkness enveloped her and she was gone.
Squall and Rinoa were still waiting for word to come from Kai in his office, Rinoa sitting in his lap, when Dr. Kadowaki entered, her face filled with concern. Rinoa got to her feet as Squall said "What's wrong, Doctor? Is it the Wellon girl?"
Kadowaki took the chair in front of Squall's desk. Her eyes, he saw, were filled with sadness, and worry. She wrung her hands nervously before she said " Squall, I should have told you this yesterday, and I let Quistis go because of so many reasons. You see…you see…I know what happened on that mission where Aileen died-and what it did to Quistis."
Kai was nearly asleep when the code breaker file completed its work and the computer announced, in a flat feminine tone "Files decrypted, Kai."
Kai sat up, rubbed his eyes, and went to the monitor. Listed at the top of the page was an index of the documents, which he scanned in passing, meaning just to dig in and start reading, when one filename caught his eye. "Psycho-hypnotic therapy reports on SeeD Level 13 Trepe, Quistis. Authorization by Garden Master Norg. " Kai clicked on the link provided, and the report appeared. He read just enough to be scared. "Oh my god. What did they do to her?"
Quistis sat on her bed, thinking about Eric in all honesty, when she felt eyes on her back, from the side of the room that had the window. She knew instinctively who it was. "Hello, Aileen. Are you here to kill me?"
Aileen shook her head, long hair flying. "Not yet, Quistis. Not until you remember. Do you want to know what you did to me?"
Quistis rose to her feet, picking up Save the Queen from where it lay on the bed. She turned and regarded Aileen, her best friend, the girl who had once known every secret that she had, and decided that it was fair for her to reveal this secret to her. "I'm tired of the mystery, Aileen. I'm sick of not understanding why you hate me. If you know what happened, then by all means tell me."
Aileen extended a hand to her. "Then come with me, Quistis."
Quistis wished for a moment that she had let Eric kiss her, then she took Aileen's hand. "Let's go," she told Aileen.
To Be Continued…