Chapter 3--Tension
"How's she doing, Quistis?" Irvine asked impatiently, taking the blond by the shoulders. They were in the medical area of the ship now, waiting to see about Selphie's injuries.
"She's stabilized for now…"Quistis replied, sitting down. "I think she'll be okay….for now."
"What do you mean 'for now'?" Rinoa asked from her seat.
"I mean exactly that," Quistis said. "For now. Until we get someone flown in from the mainland, I don't know how this is going to go."
"Then, Zell had better get his ass working on fixing this rig," Irvine replied quietly from his seat. Everyone looked in his direction. "It's time to get out of here and abort the mission."
"I'm afraid not, Irvine…" Squall interjected. Irvine jumped up from his seat.
"What the hell are you talking about?! We have to get out of here! Selphie could die!" he yelled at the Commander, surprising him.
"We don't know what we're dealing with yet," Squall replied. "We can't—"
"You're fixin' to be dealing with me here in a minute if you don't give the order to get ready to return to the mainland!!" Irvine said, grabbing Squall by his fur jacket collar.
"Don't touch me," Squall warned solemnly. "I know you're worried about Selphie, but you can't put her above everyone else." Irvine let go of Squall's jacket in disgust and pointed at Rinoa.
"What about her? We risked our lives to save her!!! Didn't we!?" Irvine hollered, stomping his boot. "Don't you ever talk to me about putting someone I love before everyone else, Squall." He looked around in loathing at his fellow soldiers and then turned back to Squall. "Hypocrite. That's what you are. The rules apply to everyone, but you, don't they?"
"I found a virus inside the blood samples I took from the dragon, Irvine," Quistis interrupted.. "I don't know what it is or where it came from. Although, it might have something to do with Battleship Island and the labs here…I don't know. All I know is, it isn't anything I've ever seen before. I'll have to go back down into the Deposit to collect more samples from different areas. Just because the host dies, doesn't mean the virus does, too."
"First the ship has to be repaired, and now Quistis wants to play scientist!" Irvine said.
"And I'll have to test you and Selphie for the same thing," Quistis said. "If this is a new virus, then we have no hope of returning to the mainland anytime soon. Getting Selphie out of here, however, is a different story. If we can figure out a way to get her off the island, provided with the grace of God she doesn't have the virus, then everything should be alright. But, you picked her up, Irvine. You bite your nails, don't you, Irvine?"
"…..yes," he replied.
"It doesn't take much. With as much as that dragon was salivating and as much of it that got into Selphie's wound, she and you could both have whatever that dragon had before it died," Quistis said.
"I don't care if I have it, whatever it is," Irvine said. "I just wanna get Selphie home."
"What we're trying to say, Irvine," Rinoa replied to him, "is that it doesn't matter what you want. And it doesn't matter what we want. We want Selphie back on the mainland just as much as you do. But, we can't do that until we're sure of what we're dealing with. If this is a new virus, then we can't introduce something like this into the world. That would be so utterly selfish and self-centered, it would be beyond imagination. We can return anytime we want to after the ship is fixed, but we have to use our own good judgement: should we? We can't risk something like that. It could turn pandemic. Look at how many deaths it caused down here, supposedly. Imagine what kind of carnage it could cause if it infected the human race….."
"I have to examine these samples…..Squall, do you want to take Zell down and collect some samples for me?" Quistis asked. "It'll speed up the process of getting things done."
"Sure. Zell?"
"I'm up for it," Zell replied.
"Let's get going, then," Squall replies, starting toward the door. The door slides open.
"Wait for me," Seifer said, following them out the door. The door shuts and the three stop.
"No, Seifer," Squall replied. "Stay here. I want you to watch Irvine. If Zell and I go, you'll be the only one here who can handle him if he gets violent."
"……I guess you're right…alright," Seifer answered. "I'll keep an eye on him."
Squall turned to leave with Zell, continuing down the hallway.
"Sure, I'll keep an eye on him….." Seifer mumbled as they walked away. While I'm at it, I'll keep an eye on Rinoa, too……….
Rinoa pulled down a box of MREs. Meals Ready to Eat. She had heard rumors about the things, but had never actually eaten one. Some said they were good. Some said they weren't.
" 'Chicken with cavateli noodles'…. 'beef stew and rice'….. 'Lasagna'…" Rinoa read off, picking up the small boxes and setting them in her small "shopping" basket. Looking through these MREs was about like shopping. Of course, they had milk and cola in the refridgerator, but these were old MREs and had to be eaten by someone. They couldn't go to waste. She giggled as she remembered Squall's saying for the freeze dried meals for soldiers.
"Food with a five-year shelf life…"
This sounds okay….she thought, picking up the box that said 'chicken with cavateli noodles'.
"Find anything you like?" a voice said from the doorway. It startled her and she dropped the box, along with her basket. She looked toward the door and it was Seifer. Well, she knew that in the first place. There was no other person it could have been. He was back in his usual clothing: his gray trenchcoat with the crosses on the sleeves and the thick, rippled collar and his blue vest. He had adopted a diamond earring in his left ear, as well. He grinned his own crooked grin as he stood in the doorway that led back to the hangar.
She rolled her eyes and bent down to pick up her basket and the other food boxes that she had dropped. Seifer shrugged.
"Didn't mean to scare you, y'know," he said to her, leaning against the doorframe. "Those MREs are nasty. Take my word for it. No matter what ya pick, they're all nasty. Had 'em before on the exams. You got hungry, you ate those things."
"Squall says they're not that bad," Rinoa replied, standing up. "He says it depends on which one you get."
"Squall also underestimates everything," Seifer retorted. "Do you believe everything he says? It could come a monsoon outside and he'd say that it wasn't that bad. I've known the guy for years. He's like that. Nothing is ever 'that bad' for him. He's always had it easy."
"How so?" Rinoa asked, continuing through the MREs to find two more. One for Quistis and one for Zell.
"Well, I hate to sound immature about it, but he always has had that spot with the Headmaster," Seifer answered, looking at the floor. "Favorite, I mean. The Headmaster likes to play favorites."
"Maybe it's because Squall actually follows orders," Rinoa replied. "And doesn't rebel against everything he hears."
"Squall doesn't 'rebel' against anything," Seifer said, turning his chin up slightly. "Right or wrong. He's a robot, Rinoa. He's like a dog. He does what he's told and he gets a treat. He saves the world, he gets an army. You think he's really modest and humble? He loves the power he's got, do you know that? He just doesn't show it. He doesn't show emotion like other people. He can hide it."
"I don't think he's like that, Seifer. He talks to me about hating this responsibility that Cid thrust upon him and that he wishes things were back the way they were."
"And you believe him? What would you do with this kind of power, Rin?" Seifer asked.
"Don't call me that," Rinoa said absently as she picked through the boxes on the metal shelves. They creaked a little as she pulled the boxes out so she could look inside. Some contained blankets, others contained medical supplies. She threw an MRE containing 'beef stew and rice' into her basket.
"Why not? It's your nickname," Seifer questioned.
"You called me that when we were dating," Rinoa replied, looking at one of the MREs. This one said 'hamburger and noodles'. "Do you think Zell would want this? His mom makes it all the time. He should like it." She tossed it in the basket.
"How am I supposed to know what the chickenwuss likes? And that's still your nickname, Rin," he answered, getting back off the doorframe and shrugging.
"Don't call him that. And don't call me 'Rin'," she said, walking toward him and through the door.
"It's what I've always called him. He knows it's a joke," Seifer said, following her out into the hallway.
"Well, maybe you should stop," she replied. "With what happened last year, you'd think that you'd have learned by now."
"That was last year, Rinoa," Seifer replied. "He's better, now."
"He still has his times," Rinoa said, letting the door to the hangar slide open to let her pass. "You know that. Even with his medication, he still has his times. It's a Godsend that he hasn't tried it again. He just had another spell last month. Your picking on him doesn't help."
"What am I supposed to do? Treat him like he's glass?"
"You're supposed to act civil to him and to everyone else!!" Rinoa snapped, turning around sharply and surprising the blonde. "That's what you're supposed to do. That's the entire reason I broke up with you, Seifer! You couldn't seem to treat anyone decent and without sarcasm except me! I couldn't stand that and that's why we aren't dating anymore."
"Squall was like that," Seifer responded. Rinoa started to walk again.
"Squall changed. Unlike you," she said. "You're still the same as you were three years ago."
"Is that my fault? I can't change on the spot like everyone else can," he said, hanging back for a moment and continuing behind her. "I was brought up different than you were." Rinoa rolled her eyes.
"My God, Seifer, you are so egotistical," Rinoa said blandly, turning into the kitchen. The door slid open and he still stood in the hall. She put the packages down on the counter so she could fix them when Squall and Zell came back. She opened the small refridgerator and took out a Mello Yello. She opened it. "Nothing is your fault, is it? Everyone has been great to you and you know it. Headmaster Cid was great, Edea was great, you're just a shithead." She said the last sentence with such incredible sweetness, it seemed impossible. It was like she was talking to a puppy dog that had no idea what she was saying, as if the simple tone of her voice could somehow tell it that it was being praised when it was actually being soulfully degraded.
Seifer Almasy stood in the hallway alone as the door shut, unable to move. His mouth stood open.
"Yuck!!" Rinoa said, spitting out the first spoonful of her chicken with cavateli noodles.
"Told ya so," Seifer said, taking a spoonful of his own canned soup. He had opted to leave the MREs to the brave people in the group. "You eat that mess and you won't crap for three days."
"Hey, Rinoa, are you gonna eat your after dinner mints?" Zell asked. Seifer grinned as he asked this. Squall almost choked on his beef stew and rice.
Rinoa held up the little packet with two round white things that looked like mints.
"These?"
"Yeah, those. Those are great," Zell said. Seifer tried his best not to snicker. Rinoa looked at Zell innocently, opening the small plastic and putting the two mints into her hand.
"No, I love mints," Rinoa replied. Seifer was about to have a seizure holding his laughter in. Squall covered his mouth. He was smiling. It was a simple joke played on newbies. Rinoa had never eaten MREs before and she had no idea what the 'after dinner mints' actually were. The trick had been played on all three boys and Quistis. It was a tradition.
Rinoa put one of the mints in her mouth.
"This doesn't taste like a mint….." She looked around and saw that everyone was doing their best to keep from laughing. "This isn't a mint, is it??"
Seifer finally just leaned back in his chair, letting a full-throated bellow escape his lips. Zell joined in with his own hyena cackle and Quistis with her own giggle. Even Irvine's bad mood had been swayed by the practical joke.
Rinoa pulled the 'mint' out of her mouth and held it between her thumb and forefinger.
"Guys, what is this?"
"That trick has been played on every SeeD that has ever eaten an MRE, Rinoa," Squall laughed. "That's not a mint, hon. Remember what Seifer said?"
"'You eat that mess and you won't…..'" Rinoa said and trailed off. "This isn't what I think it is…….is it…?"
"Yep," Zell replied, still cackling his head off. "It's laxative, baby."
"Oh, my God!!" she yelled, throwing it to the floor and sending a new round of laughter throughout the room.
Yes, they were all laughing and having a good time. It would be their only chance to do so for the next few days. Trapped on Battleship Island with a new disease, this could prove to be their ultimate challenge, yet. They had to deal with each other, with no possible route of escape except to swim back a good near 1,000 miles to the mainland. In shark-infested waters, no less.
Putting up with each other wouldn't be the only thing they'd have to deal with, either.
Alright, guys. Love it or hate it, review!!! That last part is based off a true story from last year when I was at Tennessee Wing Encampment 2000. It's a good thing I don't like mints. J Heh. If anybody finds any mistakes in this, let me know at phoenixcadet112@hotmail.com . My brain is kinda fuzzy from school and idiodical government actions. I'm not working at full capacity right now.
