Tour de Force
by Soul Hunter
Part 10
Xu sits quietly, her face bereft of expression as she watches Iris deliver a lecture on strategic positioning to a class of newly inducted Dollet army sergeants. She tries not to show it, but the veteran SeeD is admittedly impressed at the clarity and conciseness of the pigtailed girl's discussion of enemy flanking. She thinks to herself, Iris may just have what it takes to be an instructor. Why is she wasting her time with the Library Committee?
Feeling a slight bite in her stomach, Xu reaches into her bag for a cheesecake bar. Just then, her SeeD communicator starts beeping frantically. The noise is shrill, narrowly spaced, and is accompanied by a red light engulfing the entirety of the miniature device's seed-shaped face.
Xu's heart begins to race. Ever since the Priority Red distress mode was installed in the standard issue communicators, this is the first time that it actually blared into action. And it can only mean one thing: a SeeD is directly threatened with mortal danger. She looks at Iris, who by then already has the same alarmed expression in her face.
Meanwhile, the same thing has been happening around the world. In Timber, while verifying reports of stray Anacondaurs, Marcus Derlini suddenly leaves behind an officer of the Timber Wildlife Association when his communicator started sounding in the same manner. In Winhill, where SeeDs Casey Auerbach and Tifa Morrigan are assigned to stand guard in the Governor's Mansion, the same urgent signal makes the pair abandon their post to head for the nearest SeeD server terminal. In Deling City, rookie SeeD Trinity Hessloff who is currently off-duty, abruptly leaves the cashier, leaving behind the Jin Kazama signature leather trenchcoat she had just purchased.
Back in Balamb Garden, a frenzied Quistis Trepe confers with Kiros through the UHF radio regarding the emergency situation.
"What do you mean trapped inside? Can't you find any way to open the emergency door?"
"Everything is locked tight, Quistis." Kiros screeches back. "It's a safety feature. The isolator system will not deactivate until the last trace of radiation is siphoned out from the sector. But the problem is the rad siphoning array may take too long to do the job. And the reason why they got trapped is the alarm system had a glitch that brought down the steel walls even before Squall and others made it out. They were supposed to have at least half a minute before the isolator system kicked in."
"So what are you saying? That they could be dead before the radiation clears out? That's unacceptable, Kiros. We have to get in there one way or another."
"Of course." Kiros shoots back. "You don't think Laguna will just let everything come down without doing anything, do you?"
Feeling exhausted, the concerned instructor massages the bridge of her nose before coming back. "I'm sorry for my attitude, Kiros. I'm just worried about them. Anyway, can you hold for a minute?"
"Sure thing, Quistis. I'm not going anywhere."
Turning to her SeeD communicator, Quistis switches the device to Transmit All mode before speaking. "Everyone, listen up. There's very little time so I guess it'd be useless for all of us to come rushing to Esthar. So everybody stay put except for those who are already in the vicinity."
"Instructor, come in." a voice suddenly reverberates from the communicator, mildly startling Quistis.
"Who is this?"
"Nida."
"Nida, thank goodness...!" Quistis echoes in her mind before continuing. "Nida, what's your twenty?"
"I'm here in Esthar City's downtown district." Nida retorts. "And since it looks like I'm the only other SeeD in the vicinity, I suppose this is a job for me now."
Quistis' dallies, deliberating whether to allow Nida to take on that potentially dangerous situation all by himself.
But the wise instructor likewise knows that they have no other choice. She emphasizes this in her mind while coming back with her response.
"Ten-four, Nida. The sit-rep is recorded in your communicator. Access it then head for Tears Point immediately."
"Roger that, Quistis." Nida curtly acknowledges. "But if you can, please send me back up. I really don't feel too good about this situation."
There's only about 50 miles of seawater separating them from the bustling port of Dollet Dukedom, according to the proximity gauge reading that Zell checks every few minutes. He knows that Selphie is aware of this. And much as he hates it, he also knows of her silent wish to turn the amphibian personnel carrier back.
Kicking the engine to level 10 overdrive, Zell subsequently recalls the scene that transpired just over an hour ago. Making possible a thirty-minute trip from Garden to Balamb town via a highspeed hovercar, the two of them made a quick trip to the town's Public Census office to use its extensive database in searching for a clue that he feels will unravel the subtle mystery surrounding the current crisis. They have just completed their inquiry when the Priority Red alert started sounding.
He looks at Selphie, and notes her serious demeanor. The Trabian lass must have sensed him looking at her because she returned the gaze with a smile. He feels a drop in his stomach; he knows that to some degree, that smile is somewhat forced. Not holding back his thoughts, Zell utters words that effectively changed her expression.
"They'll be fine. I'm certain of it."
Why didn't he just say 'He'? Zell knows quite well that Selphie is worried about Irvine above everyone else who are involved in that mishap. He tries to shake off the depressing realization and subsequently focuses on their destination.
"What's the situation here?"
Kiros turns to the newly arrived Nida and begins to explain the current state.
"We've been trying to do everything we can to open the emergency door to section RF1. But I'm afraid we're not making any headway. The engineers who designed the isolator system did too good of a job."
Pondering intently, the raven-locked SeeD surveys the extent of the challenge before him, then issues a subsequent request.
"Clear the area and let me handle this."
"Are you sure? Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Kiros returns with concern.
"I don't mean to sound condescending, Kiros. But these people with you are engineers, not soldiers."
"Well excuse me." Kiros bellows with a slightly arrogant tone. "I used to be a soldier myself, just in case you don't know." Nida gawks at him with a somewhat baffled look, especially when Kiros turned to the other technicians to issue them a rather unexpected order.
"Leave us and call for some troops. And inform Laguna about the situation here." The technicians complied, running off to the elevator and leaving Kiros and Nida behind. Turning back to the SeeD, the former Galbadian soldier smirks in anticipation of the coming struggle.
"Well, this should be interesting. What do we do next?"
"We take this door down, that's what." Nida retorts. "Hey, are you sure you're up to this? I mean, no offense but you do look like your at least 40 years old."
"Young uns'..." Kiros quips back. "Do you always have to equate everything with age?"
"Ah, never mind that. Here..." says the SeeD before meditating briefly to transfer one of his two junctioned servitor spirits to the presidential advisor. "You do know how to use GFs, right?"
"Been quite a while since the faeries invaded my head," Kiros chuckles. "... but it's just like riding a Chocobo. You never really forget."
"Good. Let's do this, then!"
Two staggering Meltdown bolts blast out from the pair, bombarding the two-yard thick obstacle with debilitating non-elemental magic that effectively changed its shade from dark gray to bright blue. Nida was just about to strike on the metal plate with his katana when another deafening siren starts to blare.
"Arrggghhhh! Friggin' noise, hurts in the ears!" the SeeD hollers. A short distance behind him, similar metal slabs start falling into place, effectively blocking the corridors leading to the elevator and likewise trapping the two of them inside the dimly lit hallway. "Holy crap, what's happening now?!?"
"Nida! Nida! Can you hear me?" Quistis' voice tears through the din. Though his head is hurting from the loud, screeching noise, Nida tries nevertheless to respond to the instructor's hail.
"Quistis, we're a little busy right now!"
"Nida, what's that noise?"
"How will I know? All I know is we were trying to break the door open when this alarm started!"
"My fault!" Kiros interrupts. "I totally forgot about the intruder alarm! We set it off with that magic attack on the door! We're about to have some really nasty company!"
As if taking his warning as a cue, two menacing security droids suddenly emerge from a portal hidden at the end of the corridor. Sizzling pulse laser cannons whirl from their backs before mounting on their shoulders, as the droids start their way to face the two figures reeling from the earsplitting siren. Not wasting any time, the mechanized sentinels begin to fire pulses of burning light toward their direction.
"Damn!" Nida blurts out while jumping clear of the barrage. "This is not good! Quistis, we need help right now!"
As he falls to the floor, Nida catches sight of Kiros pulling off his obstructive Estharian traditional gown, revealing the familiar form clad in his old battle attire. Though still lanky, it's obvious that Kiros has gained a few extra pounds from the lack of action. But it didn't deter him from confidently unveiling his razor sharp Katal blades.
"Hhh! Never thought I'd find the need to use these again!"
Kiros attacks. But close to twenty years of absence from the warpath doesn't exactly make for a well-conditioned combatant. Not being able to call forth the blinding speed that used to be second nature to him, the former Galbadian soldier was stunned with a repelling strike from the droid's metal arm. He recoils from the blow before assuming his battle stance.
"This is not going to be easy." he mutters.
He checks to see if there's another pending item in his itinerary. Relieved to see nothing listed after the luncheon meeting that has just concluded, Ulyard Earl Kipman leisurely stretches his legs over his elegant glass desk. Whistling with pleasure, he begins to look forward on the one event he has been anticipating for the last week. It won't be long now before he fulfills his goal of glory.
Then frantic knocks reverberate from his door. Barging in frenziedly, the diminutive secretary alights with two SeeDs right behind her.
"I'm sorry, sir. They demanded to be let it. I couldn't stop them."
The shrewd executive raises his left eyebrow upon setting eyes to Zell and Selphie. Waving his secretary off, Kipman straightens his spiffy business suit before facing the two Balamb mercenaries.
"Ahh, my youthful face-savers. This is quite a surprise. What can I do for you two?"
With a stoic face, Zell comes back to Kipman with a curt question. "End of the line, Mr. Kipman"
"Excuse me?" the executive replies, somewhat puzzled. "I don't think I understand you."
"Well understand this." Selphie joins in. "You planned for all of this to happen. From the VY-1 being stolen by terrorists to hiring SeeDs to recover it, and making sure that the recovery operation gets done successfully."
"My dear lass, I don't have an inkling of your accusation. Now if you please, I am a very busy man. You can either step out of my office of your own accord or I can call security to have you escorted out."
Deeming it useless to confront the man with mere accusations, Zell opts instead to land the bombshell.
"Last week you filed a request for Balamb Garden to send in SeeDs to retrieve your VY-1 prototype bomber from a group of terrorists. Now this should be no problem except for the fact that the terrorists knew that we were coming. That shouldn't be a big deal either. But how the hell did they know that we were SeeDs?
"So we accomplished the mission, took the bomber to Esthar as YOU requested, and went home after learning that the terrorist base was destroyed by an explosion. What caused it? We didn't know at the moment but it was pretty logical to blame it to your bumbling 'terrorists'."
Kipman starts to fiddle with his coat's side pocket, which Zell takes note of while continuing.
"Post-case investigation revealed that aside from the destruction of their base being too systematic to be attributed to an accident, the terrorists have also been storing Mako element in that base. Maybe they were just using it to produce TSL for providing power to their headquarters. But... what is a dozen crates of Gyro War doing in that base? Perhaps they need it to further their activities? Nooooo!"
As the SeeDs expected, Kipman's face starts to assume a dark hue.
"The process of converting Mako element to Gyro War bombs is a lost art, last practiced by the old Dollet warlords during the last Incognito Wars. So I ask myself, who could possibly know how to do it now? What we did is we checked census records, hoping to find the answer. And guess what."
A heavy stillness permeates through the room.
"The most vocal proponent of the use of Gyro War was Overlord Vader K. Wullrof. Vader... Kipman... Wullrof. And you, Ulyard Kipman, is his last surviving descendant. And I guess the only question remaining now is: what's in it for you?"
"You have nothing on me." Kipman blurts out, his face already contorted in a cornered scowl.
"Really?" Selphie says, taking her turn in the revelation. "Hmm, I wonder if you can still pretend to be innocent after the Dollet police finishes shaking up that man they caught this morning for making those calls to Governor Markkon."
"W... What?"
"Governor Markkon went to a charity convention in Trabia Garden two weeks ago. Ever since coming back, he had been receiving death threats. Is it because of something he saw in Trabia while he was there, something that he wasn't suppose to see? Then it later turns out you couldn't do anything about it anymore because he hired SeeDs to protect himself. So you probably thought, why not hire SeeDs yourself to arrange an assassination attempt in the form of a bomb that can create an underground chain reaction strong enough to hit Esthar City?"
Selphie pauses, her face turning dark with indignation. "You evil, evil man. You're willing to murder millions of innocent lives just to get to your objective?"
Just then, the intercom on Kipman's desk starts beeping, followed by the shaking voice of his secretery. "Uhh... Mr. Kipman? There are some police officers here to see you. Should I... let them in?"
His hands trembling, the now evidently guilty executive presses the 'off' button of his intercom. He lowers his head, unsure of what to say after the grim discovery of his vile scheme. But after a few moments, Zell and Selphie were taken aback when Kipman looked up to them with a dark grin.
"I made Kramer make sure that he assigns his best men for this job." he begins with a raspy tone that would have been familiar to the pair had they managed to spy on the terrorists' monitor room. "Perhaps... he did hire the most competent ones. Too competent for their own good."
"Keep your hands where we can see them!" Zell hollers when the baneful schemer reaches for his coat pocket. But it was too late as Kipman had managed to pull out a small device resembling a remote control box.
"Do you see this?" he growls. "This is a long range transmitter. It works pretty much like your SeeD communicators, able to send narrow-band signals across great distances, even to the other side of the planet. And one itty-bitty pressure on this red button and you can kiss Esthar goodbye. Not Esthar City. I'm talking about the entire width of central Esthar continent itself."
They didn't know what to do next. Their smug facades instantly disappearing, Zell and Selphie suddenly come to a realization that one false move they make can and will mean the end for the lives of their friends. Squall, Irvine, Rinoa, Laguna, as well as the entire Esthar populace; all face the immediate threat of instant extinction. And it all depends now on what they will do in the next pressure-laden moments.
"You're actually wrong about one thing, though. Yes, I did plot on assassinating Markkon after he discovered the supposedly clandestine shipments of Mako element, bungled by that incompetent Motumba. And yes, I wasn't able to carry it out because of his arrogant SeeD escorts. But... do you think I would go through all this trouble only to assassinate your precious governor at this point? NO!
"My ancestors believed in the glory that was Dollet's back in the old days before that insufferable pretender Esthar usurped us of our rightful inheritance. And what do we have left for us? Relegated to a mere dukedom, with nary a force strong enough to resist even the measly Galbadian army. In the olden days, we could have easily wiped the continent clean with their faces. But now... what's left? Nothing!"
"And... you're doing this to reclaim something that was lost a long time ago? Something that is hardly remembered at all?" Selphie questioningly snaps back.
"I remember it quite well, that's all that matters." Kipman scornfully remarks. "And in retrospect, it was going quite well, if I might add. I would have waited for the summit to end, with everyone paying an audience to all the delegates who participated in that lavish ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at Tears Point. But you arrogant youths had to figure out my plans. What do you think you accomplished except prompt me to carry everything out a day earlier? You think you had me foiled after all the years I spent establishing my relations with those self-aggrandizing Estharian generals just to get this far?"
"You son of a..."
"Go ahead, young lad." Kipman cuts into Zell, his evil smirk growing wider while his fingers hover dangerously close to the red button. "You think you can take me? Go ahead! But know this. You may have found me out and uncovered my plans. But I am NOT going down alone!"
- end of Part 10 -