Chapter VII; "Highway To The Danger Zone"
Squall and Rinoa stood in a strange garden, completely surrounded by a beautiful gold-tainted spectrum of blooming flower fields. Just behind them there was an old house, run-down and in a bad state of disrepair. They both faced the fields, talking.
"I'll come up with something..." said Squall. "There's gotta be a way."
Rinoa said nothing, unsure of what to say even if she felt like talking about it.
"Don't worry." said Squall. "Trust me."
"...I trust you." replied Rinoa. "Well, until you find a way, maybe... Maybe I should stay in Esthar, at the memorial? Wouldn't that be better?"
Squall shook his head. "No...That'd be pointless. I'll just end up going after you again. Rinoa...Just stay close to me."
Rinoa smiled, finding Squall's words remiscent of a comforting dream she had had while in her coma. "Oh..." she gasped in recognition. "Those words!"
"What?" asked Squall.
"That's what started everything." Rinoa said, by way of explanation. Squall didnt understand at all. "What are you talking about?" Rinoa looked at him, then turned away as if in anger. "You don't remember?"
Squall looked at her. "Something I said?" he asked.
"Oh, just forget it!" Rinoa sighed. Squall sighed too. He understood now. "No, it's because of the GF. That's why I forgot."
"That's just an excuse." Rinoa dismissed. She then sighed at herself, realising how cold she sounded. Squall looked at her again. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah." said Rinoa, her voice softer now. "Can I tell you a story?" Squall nodded and listened earnestly. "I had a dream. It was a scary dream. We make a promise. We promise to see shooting stars together. I get dressed up and put on your ring. But the thing is, I can't remember where I'm supposed to meet you. I start to panic. I really want to see you, Squall, but I don't know where to go. I start running through the mountains, the desert, the plains... Through Timber, Balamb and Galbadia... When I realize I can't run any longer...I...I just want to see you so badly... So I scream, 'Squall, where are you!?' Then I woke up. I was crying..." When she finished, Squall was looking at her. She thought he looked strange this way. Was he actally caring about something for once? "...I'm sorry." she said. "You don't have to say anything. I just felt like I had to tell you."
"It was just a dream..." Squall explained, trying to comfort her. "It doesn't mean anything. Don't worry about it."
"...I guess you're right." she replied.
"How about this..." Squall offered, showing her the full scope of the flower fields. "I'll be here..."
Rinoa turned and faced him, and he did the same, so they were facing each other. They both seemed at a loss for words in that bried moment. "...Why?" Rinoa asked.
"The reason why you couldn't find me was because we haven't promised yet." said Squall.
"Promised...?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Squall opened his eyes.
He blinked a few times, clearing the morning cataracts from his eyes. Strange dream, he thought. Not at all like the others... He rubbed his face in a the struggle to return to full consciousness. He sat forward, shivering slightly. Of course, he was cold. He looked down at Rinoa beside him. Sometime during the night she had turned to face him, curling her fingers through his hair in her sleep.
Squall finally returned to the land of the waking, and looked around the cell. What he saw startled him, and he was on his feet in an instant. The door to the cell was battered and bashed to hell beyond belief, but still held firmly in place. The metal was scarred and torn, as if some colassal force had thrown all it's power at it but had still held.
Squall shook Rinoa awake in an instant. "Squall..." she moaned, sitting up and straightening her hair out with her fingers. "What is it? ...I had the strangest dream. You were there, and so was i.... and it was some place i'd never seen before, and i was talking about all these places that don't exist..."
"No time for that now." Squall dismissed. "Look."
"What? Oh my!" she gasped as soon as she saw the door. "What could have done this?"
Squall crouched in front of the door, examining it. "Hell if i know." he said. "It looks like something was trying to get in."
"Think we can get out of here?" Rinoa asked. Squall, having examined the door fully, found where a weak point had been formed. He stood and ran to the back of the cell, jumped and placed both feet up against the wall, and used his body as a spring, launching himself back across the cell. He flipped over in mid-air and brought his feet crashing against the damaged door, blowing out of it's frame and slamming it into the opposite side of the outside hallway. "Silly question." Rinoa admitted, smiling.
She stepped out of the cell and looked around. Squall was at the far end of the hallway, looking around. Rinoa could see the door to Quistis' cell was just as damaged as hers had been, but Zell and Edea's was left unscathed. How odd. She knocked on Quistis' door. "Um, hello? Quistis? Are you awake?"
"As if anyone could sleep through that!" came Quistis' voice from behind the pounded door. "What ruckus?" asked Rinoa. "I didnt hear anything all night."
The door to Zell and Edea's cell hissed open, and out flipped Zell. "Wow, your limit break must be the ability to sleep through the apocalypse!" he exclaimed. "It was like the full force of a hurricane was out here last night."
"I honestly didnt hear a thing." said Rinoa. Edea exited her cell and looked around. "Indeed, a powerful force did come through here during the night." she said. "But not one as benevolent as anything by nature..."
The door to Quistis' cell hissed open, stuck halfway, then just fell out of it's frame and clattered noisily to the floor. Quistis shrugged and stepped out. "That's amazing." she said. "It's hard to believe anyone could sleep through that."
"I'm telling you, i was dreaming so deep that i was totally worlds away..."
"Where's Squall?" Zell asked. As if in answer, Squall appeared from around the corner. "Found the room with the controls for the cell doors." he reported. "The door was beaten to a pulp but still held. I found the keycard to it on some dead body lying in the hallway."
"Dead body?" Zell echoed.
"Yeah." said Squall. "There's a lot of bodies all over the place. I think everybody's dead."
***
They followed Squall down the corridors. There was a morbid red carpet of blood draped throughout the hallways and corridors of the building. "This is crazy." Zell muttered. "Who could have done this?" Quistis looked up and down the walls. There were deep gouges and scratches, carved by claws or talons. "Nothing human, anyway." she said. Edea was quiet, even for her. She knew this was familiar somehow, and it was something she had been deeply afraid of her whole life. But she couldnt recall what. It was like waking up after a bad dream and still being scared, only you can't remember what scared you. All you know is, you were pretty damn scared of it, whatever it was, and you're not sure if you really want to remember.
Rinoa stuck close to Squall. True enough, they were without their weapons, but by now Rinoa believed Squall could easily take out an entire SeeD platoon with just his thumb. She noticed his breath forming a mist that hung in the air. "Hey, it's cold." she said, noticing it for the first time. Squall nodded. "The building's central operating computer is malfunctioning." he explained. "It controls everything, heating, doors, lights and lifts."
They walked up the closest stairwell to get the 68th floor, where Squall had been tortured and Edea's powers merged into Quistis. And it was there that they found Odine. He had been crucified, impaled on the roof with thousands upon thousands of scalpels, syringes and dozens of other equipment sticking out of his body. Zell summed it up in one word;
"Ouch."
Everyone else was quiet, staring up in horror."Couldnt have happened to a nicer asshole." said Zell, shrugging. "Alright! The weapons!" he exclaimed, dashing over to a security cabinet and easily breaking open the lock with his metal-knuckled gloves. "Catch!" He tossed their weapons to them, Squall catching Griever by the hilt with ease. Rinoa strapped her pinwheel back on her arm as Quistis looped the whip around a notch on her belt. "Hmmm, what else have we got in here?" Zell explored the cabinet, finding only a hand-gun, which he offered to Edea, who refused. "Sorry, i swore a vow against holding or using a weapon." she explained.
Zell shrugged and put the gun back in the cabinet. "Suit yourself. So, what now?" He looked around but no-one gave an ansewer. Rinoa was looking around, keeping her eyes on anywhere other than Odine's corpse. Edea and Quistis stared at it grimly. Quistis hung her head, smiling slightly in thanks as Edea laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. He was dead. Her abuser, the source of a million nightmares and harrowing memories of experiments was gone forever. And Zell had been most definately right.
Squall had found his t-shirt and jacket and was putting them on. When ready, he suggested they take a look around and follow the blood trail. Maybe it would lead to a way out.
That brought them up to the 69th floor. Much like the rest of the building, it was completely trashed with bodies and damaged equipment strewn about the place.
"I think it leads up to the presidents office." said Zell, pointed out the massive crimson trail on the formerly mauve carpet.
"Hey, you guys, check it out." came Rinoa's voice. She was standing in front of the large windows at the far end of the room. "What is it, child?" Edea asked, and they all stepped up to see.
About 68 storeys down, it looked like the entire Shin-Ra army was encamped, circling the building. Huge spotlights were brought flaring into life and pointed at the sinister tower. Helicopters buzzed to and fro around the building.. They could make out what appeared to be some kind of media circus, gathered in front of the sealed off entrance to the building.
"Man, what the hell is going on?!" Zell demanded. Quistis walked over to the back end of the room and looked behind one of the tables, making sure to keep her eyes from the mangled corpse that lay there. She found what she was looking for; a damaged tv, hissing with static and white noise. She picked it up and placed it on the desk, and began trying to tune it. The others saw what she was doing and walked over. She found a station just as they approached. It was a live broadcast from outside the building. The TV didnt have much sound available yet, but in front of the reporter's face was the caption; 'Crisis At Shin-Ra HQ'.
"Whoa!" Zell gasped. "Can we get sound on this?"
Quistis finally tuned in the sound. "-as of yet, all reports remain unconfirmed. So far, Shin-Ra spokespersons and people who have exited the building have said they cannot confirm or deny anything at this moment. So far, we have only been able to speculate on the events of the last few hours. Wheter a fire broke out on one of the upper floors or there has been some kind of terrorist attack on the building. All we really do know at this point are two things for certain; There are still some people inside the building who have yet to make their way out, and that Shin-Ra officials will be arriving from Junon to investigate this mystery. This reporter has also heard from a few employees that at least one very high-ranking Shin-Ra official is dead. A spokesperson has confirmed this, but refused to name the individual..."
"Who died?" Rinoa wondered aloud.
Squall immediately made his way up the stairs towards the 70th floor. The others followed him promptly, up to wear Shin-Ra had made his plans concerning the Sorceresses and the Promised Land clear. And there was Shin-Ra himself, sitting comfortably at his chair. Or at least, most of him was.
Rinoa gasped and turned away, holding back the gut reaction to vomit. Zell winced and crossed his arms. "Dang, someone seems to have saved me a load of work." Squall walked around back behind the desk. There he found the president's head, lying on the floor, a look of terror forever frozen into his features.
"So, he's dead." said Zell. "The head of Shinra, Inc. is dead. Pun unintended."
"Does this mean it's over?" Rinoa asked. "Have we won?"
Squall examined the stump of the president's neck. Only someone who had spent 85% of their life being surrounded by violence could stare at such a thing and remain calm. The wound had closed almost instantly, explaining the lack of blood. The weapon that had done this had to have been hot...or charged. Squall recognized it as the work of a gunblade. Seifer had done this.
Squall drew his gunblade and threw it past Zell's shoulder. Zell jumped to the side in surprise but the blade flew on, impacting into the wall a bare few inches away from the head of the figure Squall had seen through the corner of his eye. It was Palmer, who was practically in the process of soiling himself.
"Ah! Oh! Oh my gods, it's you!" he screamed. "You're them! Please don't kill me!"
Zell grabbed him by the collar and turned him to face his audience. "What happened? Start squealing, Piggy, or we stuff an apple in your mouth."
"Uh-uh....uh uh....uh."
"Is this record scratched?" Zell shouted in his ear. "Let's have the CD-quality version, please!"
"It was uh-Ultimecia!" Palmer panted, scared out of his mind. "Ultimecia and her knight! They were here!"
"...Ultimecia..." Edea and Quistis gasped together.
"Who's Ultimecia?" Rinoa asked. "What was she doing?"
"S-she was terrifying! She was killing everybody, saying that Shin-Ra was stealing the power that belonged to her or something like that!"
"And she's the one who killed the president?" said Zell. "Does that mean she's on our side, you know, fighting the Shin-Ra?"
"She's not on anyone's side, except her own." said Edea, suddenly. Squall looked at her. "You know who she is, don't you?"
"I....can't seem to remember." Edea replied. "But it seems you know who she is."
"S-she wasnt alone." Palmer continued. "There was this guy with her, t-tall chap, blonde hair and a grey coat. He was with her and they were killing everybody."
"...Seifer..." Squall hissed under his breath. Rinoa heard it and stared at him but said nothing. Squall didnt see it. Suddenly, they were interrupted by the humming of a helicopter flying past the building. Palmer took their distraction as an opportunity to make a break for it. They let him go. concentrating more on the Shin-Ra helicopter that was flying past the large bay windows of the office. Squall could see three people on board; the pilot, a young man in his mid-twenties not at all disimilar to Seifer, and the always recognisable Scarlet.
"That's Rufus." Rinoa announced. "Rufus Shin-Ra, the president's son."
"Guess he's the new president now." said Zell. "They say he's as tough as they come, and a chip off the old blockhead. Should we go pay our respects?" Too late, Zell realised that everyone else had already gone outside, and left him there making sarcastic comments to himself. "Dammit!" he yelled. "Wait for me!"
***
Squall and Rufus stared at each other, eye locked with eye, neither blinking despite the furious maelstrom the helicopter was kicking up. A rope ladder was flung from the side of the chopper, and the young man in white began to climb down, followed by Scarlet. He hopped off the ladder and stood facing the balcony, his eyes taking in all of Midgar. All the lights and noises of millions of lives all under his control.
"So." he said, speaking finally. "At last. King of all I survey." He turned and faced the group finally, looking at them in turn with his deep eyes. Strange, those eyes seemed too old for the body that beheld them, signifying the wisdom beyond his years. "And all I survey is a world of people stumbling around with blind loyalty and obedience to an empire my father built."
"Poor guy." said Zell. "Born with a silver spoon up his butt."
Strangely enough, the new president smiled his appreciation for the joke. "Ah yes, and what I also see are the enemies my father made, who through death then made mine. Just who are you, anyway?"
Squall crossed his arms, saying nothing. "Well i know who you are." said the new president, looking at him. "I never forget a famous face. One of the prized graduates of the Generation; NeXus project, if i'm not mistaken. Proclaimed defective, right? Well, i'd rather make up my own mind and not follow blindly what i read in reports, thank you. The rest of, ...hmm, refresh my memory?"
"Quistis Trepe, Sorceress." said Quistis. "My own person, and never the property of the Shin-Ra."
"Rinoa Heartilly, resistance fighter." said Rinoa, sounding not the least bit polite. "And very much Anti-Shin-Ra."
"Zell Dincht, former SeeD cadet turned resistance fighter." said Zell, baring his fists. "And damned if i'll ever give up fighting snobbish would-be dictators like you and your old man!"
Rufus turned his eyes to the eldest of the group. "Edea Kramer." she said. "Of the Order of the Sisters of Hyne."
"What a crew." said the president. "Well then, please allow me to introduce myself, i'm a man of wealth and taste. Rufus Shin-Ra, and since the presidency of Shin-Ra Inc is hereditary, i am now the new president."
"You got here pretty fast." Rinoa observed. "Your father's body isn't even cold and already you can't wait to push it off the throne to make room for yourself."
"Well, anyone who tries to ignore their own flesh and blood and pretend they don't exist should understand that what goes around comes around turnabout is fair play." Rufus explained. "I would love to say i was just paying a visit when i saw all this carnage, but the fact is that myself and many of my father's associates saw this carnage hours ago in Junon via live feed of the security cameras. And i've only just arrived."
Scarlet finally spoke for the first time. "You know," she said. "Somebody may have to be held responsible for the events that happened here, while also keeping a lid on the truth about some of Shin-Ra's dirty little secrets."
Rufus looked at her, intrigued. "I think i see where you're going with this."
Squall could see it too. As Scarlet and Rufus continued to talk, he slowly and descreetly moved a hand behind his back and plucked two silver-colored spheres from one of his belts.
"We have five rebels right here." Scarlet continued, drawing a small pistol that she had kept discreetly in her garter belt and pointing it at them. "And the story is simple. They attacked Shin-Ra headquarters directly, and successfully assassinated the president. Now, there story can go two ways here. Should they be held for trial, or were they shot trying to escape?"
"Just like his father to build an empire on lies." Rinoa stated. This obviously provoked a reaction from Rufus, used to stepping out from his father's shadow. "It's not like that at all." he said. "While it's true that there are three basic things that can be used to control society; Money, Fear and of course, Lies, i don't do things quite the way my old man did. Lies do no credit to you or the ones you control. What's the point in trying to control someone if they don't know it was you that could rule them so easily? No, lies are not the way to control people. It's the cowards way."
Just like his pops Zell thought. In love with the sound of his own voice.
Rinoa listened to the speech, looking over Squall's shoulder. At first she believed he was listening intently, then she glanced down and could see he was silently cupping and twirling two small spheres in his gloved hand like two stress-reducer Chinese grinding balls. He clutched them to his palm with his thumb and extended four fingers. After a few seconds he closed one, leaving three out for her to see. Then she understood; Squall was counting down, signalling her to be ready.
"Money is another way to manipulate people." Rufus continued. "My old man's way. A very ineffective way, too. He tried to control the world with money, and for a while, it seemed to work." He walked up to Rinoa, not even looking at Squall. "The population thought that Shin-Ra would protect them." He walked past Quistis over to Zell, looking at her as he continued talking. "Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you." He stressed the world, delibrately meaning it for Zell, who stayed uncharecteristically quiet. "It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man." He walked back to the railing, standing next to Scarlet. "A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."
"Fear?" Edea echoed. Squall tucked another finger into his fist, leaving two.
"Fear." Rufus repeated boldly. "Fear is my ally. Fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak, the innocent, the corrupt. Money can't buy you the respect of your enemies, but Fear will make them afraid of you. Money can't stop a rebellion, but Fear can stop one ever happening. Fear can rule the world better than money. Watch me prove it."
Squall tucked one more finger down. Rinoa braced herself, building tension in her nerves, her reflexes ready to snap at whatever happened.
"This is a big mess here, no matter how much it benefits me." said Rufus. "Scarlet was right, somebody will need to be held responsible." Scarlet clicked off the safety of her pistol. "Does anyone want to go back to their cell or be shot trying to escape?"
Squall made a fist and swung into action, throwing one of the spheres to the ground. It smacked into the concrete and exploded, setting off a pulse of light and releasing a disorienting gas. As everyone around him coughed and spluttered, Squall, seemingly impervious, jumped over and kicked the pistol out of Scarlet's hand.
He instantly opened out the other orb, pulling out a length of strong high-tension cable with a loop at the end. Squall punched Rufus several times, disorienting him, then took the cable and wrapped it around Rufus' arm before dumping him over the side of the building. Scarlet saw what was happening, and instantly fumbled around for her gun. She found it and pointed it directly at Squall. "Let him go!" she ordered.
"You sure you want me to do that?" Squall replied, holding on to the cable with both hands, bracing himself against the wall with a raised foot. He was the only thing that stood between Rufus and a long drop to the ground. Scarlet looked around for options, her gun still trained on Squall. The others watched intently.
"Let them go." Squall ordered. He let Rufus drop a few inches more, showing he had no qualms about dropping him all the way. Scarlet pressed her gun to the back of Squall's ear, proving she was prepared to blow his brains out. One of them would have to cave first.
"Go!" shouted Squall. "Get out of here!"
Edea and Quistis took off, running back into the president's office and heading for the lifts. Rinoa didnt move until Zell grabbed her hand. "What are you waiting for?" he yelled. "Let's book!"
As Rinoa began to run, she looked back at Squall, still in his stand-off.
They ran down the carpeted stairs, running towards the elevators. Zell skidded to a halt when he saw Rinoa stop in her tracks and turn back. "What is it?" he called.
"I can't let Squall handle this on his own." she said. "He'll be killed. He's going to need help."
Zell crossed his arms and gave her one of those looks. "Try to get Quistis and Edea out of here any way you can." Rinoa told him. "Try to get out of Midgar. Squall and I will meet you outside the city."
Zell stopped frowning, and began to see her side of things, and understood. "Awright." he said. "But you two take care of yourselves, okay?"
"Good luck." said Rinoa.
"You too."
And they ran off in opposite directions.
***
A gust of wind caught Squall's hair, whipping it around in the breeze. He didnt even dare blink. There was no sound up on the balcony, aside from Rufus, grunting in pain from below.
"He's starting to get heavy." Squall said suddenly.
"Then pull him up." Scarlet replied.
Squall let the cable go in one hand, now only holding it with the other. Scarlet almost gasped, but kept her resolve. Squall shifted away from her, still holding the cable, but now facing her straight on. The rushing wind began to pick up, and another Shin-Ra helicopter hovered into view. "That's an entire armoured battalion, Squall!" Scarlet cackled in glee. "They'll be landing any second."
"Then in that case," replied Squall, as the helicopter began to set down. He swung his hand, knocking Scarlet's gun away. It went off. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to him, thrusting the cable into her fist. "You hold him!" he shouted, let go, and ran, picking up her gun as he went and running back into the presidential office.
Scarlet was practically pulled over the side, her grip on the cable already slipping. "Help!" she called for the soldiers. "Help me!" They rushed over and began to help her pull the president back over the edge of the balcony. "Where's Squall?!?" he snarled.
"He's gone!" Scarlet cried.
"Find him!" Rufus snapped, clutching his arm in pain. He and Scarlet then made for the helicopter as the guards began to shout orders and instructions into their radios. "All squads, All squads! Rebels are in the building. I repeat, rebels are in the building. Orders are to shoot on sight!"
***
Squall tucked Scarlet's gun into one of his belts as he slid down the banister of the grand staircase, hopping off halfway down. He was surprised to find Rinoa there waiting for him. "Where's everybody else?" he asked, not breaking his run as they dashed for the lifts.
"I told them we'd meet them outside the city." Rinoa replied. "It would be better if we split up, i thought."
Squall nodded and skidded to a stop in front of the elevator, pressing the call button urgently. "Did you kill Rufus?" Rinoa asked. Squall shook his head. "Not if I wanted to make it out of there alive. He's not like any Shin-Ra executive I've ever known. This is going to be tough."
The door 'bing!'ed open. Squall grabbed Rinoa and pulled her inside just as a pair of soldiers rounded the corner and fired their weapons at them. The heavy lift doors slid shut just in time, however, as good as bulletproof.
"How do we get out of here?" Squall asked.
"If Zell's smart, he'll head for the second floor basement." Rinoa replied. "Shin-Ra has a garage there. He'll try to grab a vehicle and get out of the city."
"Then we better do the same."
***
The lift doors opened, and Zell relaxed his fists. Security was minimal down in the basement. That was to say, there wasnt any. Not with everyone's eyes on the upper floors, anyway.
"Try to find a car or something." he said. "Something we can use."
They looked around. Most of everything was just armoured cars and bikes. Either too heavy and slow for a getaway, or something that would'nt fit three people.
"Zell?" Edea called from a corner. "Is this what you're looking for?"
Zell and Quistis ran over. Edea was standing in front of a jeep. It was slick-black, with the Shin-Ra logo on the doors. "A supply jeep!" exclaimed Zell. "This'll do perfect!"
Zell pulled himself into the drivers seat, whilst Edea and Quistis jumped into the back.
"Let's go!" Quistis called. "What's the problem?"
"No keys." Zell replied, not wanting to sound angry, but it would be obvious nobody was stupid enough to leave the keys in a vehicle like this. Some things are just too convienient. "Do you know how to hotwire?" he asked.
"Of course I know how to hotwire." said Quistis, reaching through the large hole where a window should have been and placing her hands on the steering wheel. "The only problem is," she gripped the wheel and her hands glowed. A wave of energy swept over the wheel, then the dashboard, until finally the engine rumbled into life, and the lights came on. "It takes too long."
Zell put his foot down, shifting up gears quickly. "Hold on!" he shouted, and gunned the jeep towards the ramp and the barrier that stood there. Quistis stood up and hurled a bolt of energy at it, exploding it into splinters. The jeep rushed up and out in front of the Shin-Ra building.
"Anyone see anything that looks slightly like a way out of this place?" Zell asked nobody in particular.
***
"All units, all units." said Rufus, grabbing the helicopter's radio. "I want the Midgar roads locked down. I want you all to form a gauntlet throughout the city. Nobody gets out, is that clear? I want the Shin-Ra building inescapable and I want the roads barred, and I want it done 10 minutes ago!"
The Shin-Ra troops went into action, setting up roadblocks and barriers, preparing themselves and following Rufus's orders to the letter. Any and all citizens and bystanders were removed, in most cases, forcibly.
The president's helicopter touched down on a bridge that overhung the main road that led directly away from the front of the Shin-Ra building. The other executives were here, along with a large battalion of troops and assorted military vehicles.
"Mister President!" said a high-ranking SeeD, saluting. "The front gates have been sealed off, sir. They're not going anywhere."
Rufus nodded and looked back towards the building, hearing the screeching of tires.
***
Zell skidded the jeep to a halt. "Come on!" he moaned. "There's got to be some way out of here!"
"Why don't we try the front door?" Edea suggested.
"No way!" said Zell. "Shin-Ra have got it sealed!"
"Don't worry." said Quistis. "I've got a key."
Zell grinned and started the jeep again, jumping up gears.
"Look!" shouted Heideggar, on the bridge, having seen the jeep come racing around the side of the building through a set of binocular's. "They're going to ram the gates!"
"Impossible!" said Scarlet. "They're solid concrete!"
Zell pushed the jeep up to it's highest gear and floored the accelerator. "Sure hope you know what you're doing, Quistis!" he yelled, heading right for the concrete gates.
"Piece of cake!" she yelled, and threw back her fist, concentrating until it began to glow, and then flung the poptent spell towards the gates like a baseball. The blew bolt shot out ahead of them and obliterated the gates in a white-hot explosion. The jeep roared through the fire and out the other side, the occupant's protected by Quistis' magic.
The jeep zommed under the bridge, making for the Midgar highway. "Get them!" Rufus shouted. Scarlet nodded and immediately began shouting orders into a radio, ordering all available vehicles into a persuit. "Wait." said Rufus. "Squall hasnt come out yet. Seal the entrance to the building too!"
Heideggar nodded and waved to the drivers of four jeeps to move in and block the flaming exit of the building.
***
Squall ran throught the front doors of the building and out in the courtyard, looking around for a way out. Rinoa followed him out, then stopped abrubtly. "Squall!" she shouted. Squall turned and saw two Shin-Ra soldiers on motorcycles come racing around the corner towards him.
They bore down on him. Squall side-stepped the first one, feeling the rush of wind as it flew past, then flipped his body over, bringing his foot crashing up into the face of the second bikeman, who was sent flying in the direction he had come. His bike fell, clattering the ground. Squall ran over and picked it up, started it and kicked the engine back into life. He got on and looked over at Rinoa. She grinned and ran over, getting on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, not exactly the most unpleasant feeling for either of them.
"Didnt know you could ride a motorcycle, Squall." she giggled.
Squall shrugged and looked around. "Everyone's gotta have a hobby."
Squall tweaked the accelerator and moved the bike around to where the fire was. The exit was in flames, a blazing inferno, and behind it was flanked a series of jeeps, completely blocking the exit. Rinoa pointed, and Squall followed her gaze. Up on the bridge was Rufus and the other Shin-Ra members.
"We've got them trapped now!" Heideggar cackled.
Squall looked behind him, back towards the Shin-Ra building, then back at the flaming barricade again. "Hang on." he warned running, and skidded the bike into a turn, heading back towards the building.
"Just where does he think he's going?" Scarlet wondered aloud.
Squall drove the bike through the wide-open doors of the Shin-Ra building and across the lobby, heading for the steps up to the first and second floors. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" she asked, her voice comically beaten and the bike raced up the steps.
"You want to stay here?" Squall asked sarcastically, driving the jeep across the first floor and heading for the next set of stairs.
"Well, I don't want you to think of me as the spoiled little rich girl," said Rinoa as the bike thundered up the second flight of stairs. "But I just prefer coming out of a building in the same amount of pieces as I was when I went in."
Squall gribbed the brakes, skidding the bike to a halt, the wheels scuffing up the polished tiles of the Shin-Ra floors. "What do you think the odds are of that happening if you stay here?" Squall asked.
"Good point." said Rinoa. She looked towards the huge glass windows they were pointed at. She grabbed Squall even tighter and put her head down. "Okay. Go for it."
Squall took a deep breath, and revved the bike up until the noise of the engine hit a cresendo. The back wheel skidded into life, throwing up whisps of grey smoke from the friction burns. Squall releases the brakes and the bike lurched forward, gaining speed with each second it neared it's target.
Squall threw his head down and Rinoa buried her face in his shoulder as the bike smashed through the glass windows and sailed through the air. Rufus and the others stared in amazement as the bike flew over the flaming barrier and narrowly missed the assembled jeeps before crashing back down to Earth in skids and sparks. Squall didnt waste a second, redlining the accelerator as Rinoa looked back in amazement, unable to believe they had actually made the jump.
Rufus and the other Shin-Ra executives had been unable to believe it too, but they too were already in action. "What are you waiting for?" Heideggar bellowed at the soldiers around him. "After them! Get them!" He turned back and looked at Rufus, who gave him a dark look that said Heideggar would be responsible for all that happened here tonight.
Scarlet grinned, knowing that the new president had her approval over Heideggar's, and also knowing that even if Squall and the others did escape, she still had a trump card she knew Rufus would not hesitate to use. Smiling to herself, she followed Rufus, Heideggar, Palmer and Deling over to the helicopter that was starting to take off.
The soldiers scrambled for their vehicles, beginning the persuit. All except for two, who stood standing in amazement at the spectacular feat they'd just witnessed. It was a lot more than that, though, as they were also familiar with the two occupants of the bike. "Ward!" gasped the smaller of the two. He was slim and black, with a series of dreadlocks on his head. He was only half the size of his companion, a towering giant of a man with a scar down the left side of his face, who was also mute. "Ward, did you see that?!" Kiros repeated. Ward nodded and took out his notepad, frantically scribbling down a note he tore off and handed to Kiros. Kiros read it and looked back at him. "Yeah, I know she was Caraway's kid, but did you get a look at the guy in black in front of her? He looked just like Raine!"
Ward went wide-eyed, then scribbled down another note. "Yeah." said Kiros after reading it. "I think it's him alright."
***
The jeep raced down the Midgar Highway. Zell gripped the wheel, trying to keep the jeep steady as the Shin-Ra vehicles on the road with him began to slam into them repeatedly. Quistis was trying to deflect them with magic, but they still kept on coming.
"There are too many of them!" Edea yelled.
"Goddamn!" Zell shouted, slingshooting the jeep around a treacherous curve. Quistis and Edea fell to their knees in the back, being thrown around by Zell's jerky driving. Not hesitating, Quistis reached over to the driver's seat and tapped Zell on the shoulder.
"Hey, Zell, did your mother teach you how to drive?" she asked.
"Hey, yeah! She did!" Zell replied. "Wow, you really are psychic, huh?"
"No, it just explains why you drive like an old lady." said Quistis, moving forward. "Move over, I'm driving."
Zell tried to protest but soon saw it as a waste of breath. He and Quistis hurridly exchanged places. As soon as she got into the driver's seat, she shifted up a gear and slammed her foot down on the accelerator. She felt movement next to her, and saw Edea climb into the passenger seat.
"It's safer here." said the elder Ex-Sorceress by way of explanation. Quistis nodded and concentrated on driving, slamming two Shin-Ra soldiers off their bikes while she was at it.
Zell was fumbling around in the back, looking for something he could use as a weapon. All there was however was some electrical tap, a world map, some road flares and a spare tank of gas. "Damn, where's a good bat or at least a heavy lead pipe when you really need one?" he moaned. He then looked quizzically at the sight in front of him. A Shin-Ra soldier was crouching on the hood another Shin-Ra jeep that was rapidly picking up speed and aiming right for their rear. Zell frowned in annoyance. "So they wanna board us, huh? That's a new one."
The other jeep picked up an extra burst of speed and rammed into them. The soldier seized the moment and lunged at Zell before the Shin-Ra jeep fell away, but still kept up the pace behind them.
The soldier tried to strangle Zell, who just simply got madder and broke away, striking him with an uppercut and then bashing his head repeatedly against the floor of the jeep. "We-are-not-in-the-car-pool-lane!" he growled and flung the dazed the soldier out of the back. He hit the road and rolled under the wheels of the second jeep.
"What's going on?" Quistis called from the drivers seat.
"Oh, nothing." said Zell. "Caution; Assholes in rear-view mirror are closer than they appear!"
Quistis shook her head and swerved to the left, taking out the biker that had been trying to attack them. Zell turned back to face the second jeep, that was coming at them again. Zell put his fists up, ready for action. The driver leaned out the window and swung his fist at Zell. Zell looked puzzled, then felt a clattering at his feet.
He went wide-eyed in terror as he recognised the live grenade lying at his feet. Not even stopping to think, he picked it up and flung it back at the second jeep. It smashed through the windscreen like a stone and buried itself in the driver's cab. The driver screamed and frantically tried to find it, only for the entire jeep to suddenly explode in a fire rose of heat and shrapnel. Zell looked, both amazed and impressed with himself at the same time.
***
Rinoa hung on tight as Squall brought them speeding around a dangerous curve. The two bikers behind them weren't as adept as Squall, however, and ended up crashing right into the highway barrier.
"How many behind us?" Squall shouted over the wind. Rinoa tried to crane her nack to see behind her but remain hanging on tight to Squall at the same time. She turned her head, only for the wind to catch her hair, whipping it round into her face. "I can't see!" she said, turning back. "Wait, hang on a sec."
Without warning, she climbed around Squall and sat on his lap with her arms wrapped tightly around his back. He shook his head, getting her hair out of his face before looking at her strangely. She smiled up at him. "Don't get any ideas." she said, slyly.
"I wasn't planning on it." Squall replied, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "There's lots behind us!" Rinoa reported. "Two jeeps, a lot of bikers, and two helicopters."
"The front one will be Rufus." said Squall. "Hang on!" Rinoa held on tight as Squall abruptly turned right and took the bike up an off-ramp and onto the Midgar Highway. Rinoa yelled out as Squall brought the bike ducking and weaving between oncoming traffic. Several of the bikes following them either crashed themselves into cars or barriers or the drivers got off, realising they loved their lives a lot more than their jobs. The two Shin-Ra jeeps still followed, however, with Rufus's helicopter and a second one not far behind.
"We have to loose those choppers!" yelled Rinoa. Squall nodded and put on an extra burst of speed, gunning the bike towards a tunnel up ahead.
"He's making for the tunnel!" growled Hiedeggar.
"What do you want me to do?" asked the helicopter pilot, uneasiness in voice. He was a little worried they just might ask him to follow them in. "Fly around to where this tunnel opens out, land and block him off." Scarlet ordered.
"No." said Rufus, cancelling her order. She looked at him. He was listening to a frantic voice on the other end of the radio he clutched next to his ear. "Zell Dincht, Edea Kramer and the Sorceress are further down the road. I want us there now."
The pilot nodded and changed direction, aiming for a part of the highway further down. Rufus looked at Scarlet, thinking about her idea. It was sound enough, in theory. He picked up the radio again. "Rufus to Chopper B." he said. His eyes met with Scarlet's as he gave the order. "I want you to fly around to where the Caraway Tunnel opens out. Then I want you to land and block off the renegade's escape route."
Scarlet smiled. This blossoming rapport with the president was looking sweeter all the time...
It was dark in the tunnel. Blackness, interspersed only by nauseous yellow lits that lit the tunnel in an eerie glow. Rinoa hated the dark, but there was no time to think about that now. They had pulled ahead of the two jeeps only for them to start gaining upon them again.
Rinoa looked around to the front of the tunnel and gasped. A helicopter was landing, directly in their path. "Damn!" grunted Squall and clamped a hand down on the brakes. He immediatly switched of the motorcycle's headlight, rendering them practically invisible to the helicopter in the tunnel's darkness.
"What do we do?" Rinoa asked. Squall looked back at the two jeeps coming through the tunnel behind them, then back at the helicopter. He formed an idea, and reached for Scarlet's gun. He aimed for the front jeep's headlights, firing the last three shots left in the clip. The second missed, but the first and third took out the jeeps headlights no problem. Squall dropped the gun to the tunnel floor and started the bike up again. He looked at Rinoa and opened his mouth to speak, but she got there first. "Let me guess." she said, frowning. "You were gonna say 'hang on', right?"
"...Whatever." said Squall, and Rinoa held on as he revved the bike up and made straight for the helicopter. Rinoa gasped, seeing that the front one of the jeeps was almost directly upon them. With it's headlights shot out, the driver was having difficulty seeing them in the night darkness. Squall leaned forward and Rinoa held on tight as he gripped the both the brakes and the accelerator at the same time, causing the back wheel to throw up a blanket of smoke that cloaked the tunnel behind them. The driver swerved, trying to see but trying not to lose his quarry at the same time.
"Duck!" shouted Squall as they shot out of the tunnel and rushed under the helicopter's tailfin with inches to spare. Rinoa coughed and opened her eyes, and saw the helicopter pilot look at them, amazed. He turned back and looked at the smoke filled tunnel, and screamed as a jeep came racing blindly out of the mist and crashed into the helicopter, engulfing them both a white-hot explosion. The fire formed an inpenatrable barrier, blocking off the second jeep and any following Shin-Ra cycles.
"That wasn't Rufus's chopper!" Rinoa shouted over the wind. Squall didn't hear her. "Hey!" she yelled in his ear. "Will you slow down?!?" Squall relucantly eased up on the accelerator. "That's better." said Rinoa. "I said, that wasn't Rufus's chopper, and I can't see it anywhere."
Squall looked around. She was right, Rufus's chopper wasn't there anymore. "They must have gone after Zell and the others." he said. "What?!?" Rinoa gasped. "Then what are you driving like it's Sunday for? We gotta go after them! Will you speed up?!?" Squall rolled his eyes and clamped his hand down on the accelerator. They sped on down the highway as fast as the bike could go.
***
"Hey, we're winning!" Zell shouted. "I think they're giving up!"
Quistis looked in her rear-view mirror, seeing Zell's grinning face and an empty road behind her. "I think he's right." she told Edea, who looked around, uneasy.
"What is it?" Quistis asked.
"Helicopter!" Edea cried suddenly.
"Where?!" shouted Zell. As if in ansewer, a Shin-Ra helicopter came rushing down out of the sky towards them. A soldier leaning out the side let spray a volley of machine-gun fire at the jeep. Zell dived for cover, or what little cover he had in the back. Edea put her head down and prayed whilst Quistis screamed and tried to drive and dodge bullets at the same time. She swerved, but couldnt lose the helicopter not matter what she could think of trying.
Zell rolled around in the back. He hit his head against something hard and plastic and looked at it. It was a spare fuel tank. He then immediately remembered what else there was in the back of the jeep, and a spark of ingenuity ignited in his head.
"Alright." he said, grabbing the fuel canister in one hand and the electrical tape in the other. "So I'm not a good driver," He grabbed a road flare and pressed it to the side of the fuel canister. "But there are some things..." he continued to himself as he taped the road flare to the canister, biting the electrical tape away with his teeth. "...That I am good at!"
"The hell are you up to, Dincht?!?" Rufus wondered aloud, looking at what the former SeeD cadet was up to. When he realized what it was, he frantically grabbed the pilot's shoulder. "Pull us away now!" he bellowed.
"EAT THIS!!!" Zell roared and pulled the tip off the top of the road flare, the red fire burning into existance. Zell swung the impromptu petrol bomb over his head and aimed it at the helicopter's windscreen. It struck it full-on and exploded. Everyone inside panicked in alarm as a sea of hot orange flame washed over the front of the helicopter. "Take us down!" Rufus shouted over the meleè.
The pilot struggled with the controls, trying to bring the chopper in blind. Somehow he managed it, and all of the occupants leaped away from the bumpy landing, running to safety as two Shin-Ra soldiers with fire extinguishers struggled to put the flames out.
Zell punched the air in victory, proud with himself. One of the first things Rinoa had told him was that he could use the very skills Shin-Ra had taught him in SeeD against them. He was proud to have remembered this, and known that it had come in handy.
"Damn!" Scarlet screamed. Rufus remained silent, walking out into the middle of the road with a mask of anger on his face. He pulled a hunting pistol out of the folds of his jacket and aimed it after the jeep. Rufus pressed the trigger slightly, turning on the laser targeting sight.
Zell, who had turned back to tell Quistis and Edea about his MacGyvered solution the helicopter problem didn't notice the shining red dot of a laser sight imprinted on the back of his head. Rufus squinted his eyes and squeezed the trigger back another fraction of an inch...
...right before Squall and Rinoa on the bike came rushing out of the smoke from the flames of the burning Shin-Ra heliopter. They sped past the astonished soldiers and Shin-Ra executives. Squall aimed to just brush past Rufus, and Rinoa snatched the pistol out of his hand as they sped past. Rufus stared in astonishment and anger as they sped on down the highway. Rinoa waved back at him and grinned, then threw his gun far off the side of the road.
Rufus turned and walked back to the executives.
"They got away." said Deling, not quite smiling but looking like he wanted to. "They broke through your gauntlet."
"They're not out yet!" snapped Scarlet and grabbed a radio. She was about to order another persuit when Rufus simply reached over and switched the radio off. She looked at him, but he didn't look back at her. He was looking back down the Midgar highway towards the Shin-Ra building.
"Let them go." he said, finally.
"What?!" snapped Heideggar. "Sir, we can still get them! We can order the Turks into a persuit, or even get SeeD to–" He stopped when saw Rufus looking at him angrily. "They're not important to us right now." said Rufus, in a tone that stated he was not used to explaining his plans, especially not to a total idiot and he wasn't very happy with it. "We let them go today and pick up the pieces tomorrow. Besides, they're not the ones who ransacked Shin-Ra HQ, are they? We have, as the saying so aptly puts it, bigger fish to fry. I'm not going to celebrate the eve of the New Age for Shin-Ra by going on a snipe hunt. There's still the Ultimecia issue to investigate, isn't there? We have much work to do and less time to waste chasing after a band of pitiful little rebels we can round up tomorrow."
He waved for another helicopter to land and collect him. As he walked away towards it, Scarlet looked at Heideggar and grinned, showing disdain for her rival. She followed Rufus to the helicopter. "Mister President!" she said, taking his arm. "I have something that may be of use to you, sir. A way we can keep tabs on Squall's little band. Something I like to call the 'secondary protocol'..."
"I'm all ears." Rufus said, and closed the helicopter door behind her.
***
It was much later, over on the opposite side of the city. A figure in a dark grey trenchcoat was sitting on the roadside, with the night sky and the distant ocean ahead of him. He was ritualistically running a sharpening knife along the length of his gunblade. He had managed to wipe the blood off of it, and was now in the process of sharpening it as he listened to the news report on the radio next to him.
"...which ended in a spectacular chase through the streets of Midgar. Shin-Ra have refused to confirm nor deny whether they have apprehended the renegades or whether they are still at large. Shin-Ra has also refused to comment on speculation that the high-ranking Shin-Ra official who was killed was the president, and that the renegades resposible for tonight's mayhem on the city streets were the guilty party. All we can confirm is that an unknown assailant breached the security all the way to the president's office, and left a man's decapitated body lying on the floor next to his own severed head. A head which at this time, has no name."
"I know his name." said the figure, grinning, and switched off the radio. He then felt a cold breeze blow from behind him. "Kome," said a dark voice, blowing past him. "This is only the beginning. There is still much work to be done..."
***
Rufus sat at his desk, the comfortable chair now not showing a trace of his father's blood. He was looking at the computer screen, clicking on the files in front of him and reading them thouroughly, one by one. He didn't even bother a word of thanks as a cup of hot coffee was placed next to him. He continued reading intently. Palmer stood in front of the desk. Next to him stood the Turks, the entire squad; Tseng, Reno, Rude, Raijin and Fujin.
"I'm going to give your men full autonomy on this mission, Tseng." said Rufus, not looking at them. It was clear from the way that he talked that he was speaking without thinking, too interested in what he was reading on the screen. "Yes sir." said Tseng, regardless.
"You may have to expand your force." Rufus continued. "I'd recomend a new member or two."
"Yes sir." Tseng repeated. "I have a good candidate in mind." Rufus didn't hear him, taking a sip of the coffee and clicking open a new file. "Who's this?" he asked Palmer. Palmer looked at the image on the screen. "Ah, that would be only person the world qualified to the pilot the Shin-Ra #26, sir."
"The what?"
"The rocket, sir."
"Oh yes." said Rufus, recollecting another of his father's budgetry wastes. "Let's see, my we do keep a lot in intel. Interests, blood type, hmmmmm. Ex-girlfriend?"
Without turning his head, he glanced over at the Turks. Fujin didn't flinch, but he saw her one eye look at him for a moment, then straight ahead again. Rufus grinned. He was a firm believer that knowing everything about your enemies was important, but so was knowing everything about your allies, too.
"You sent for me?" asked Deling as he entered. Unlike the others, he didn't bother trying to show respect to the new President. Rufus, unlike the others, didn't care.
"Yes." said Rufus. "You were good friends with the former head of the Shin-Ra military, General Caraway, weren't you?"
"Yes, I was." Deling replied, his tone showing both his confusion at what this meant, and his indignation that his personal business mattered to anyone else.
"Good." said Rufus, then turned the screen on his desktop around so that Deling could see. There was a file photo of Rinoa filling the screen. "Rinoa Heartilly." said Rufus. "The leader of that little band of brigands. You know her, don't you? Well, I want to know everything about her. Strengths, weaknesses, vital statistics, friends, family, pets, where she likes to go on holiday, how much sugar she takes in her coffee. I want to know everything about her, you understand me?"
***
It was an hour and a half after the chase.
Zell streched and cracked his knuckles as they he stepped out onto the freeway. They were are at the very edge, the end of the road, where it must have collapsed some time ago and never rebuilt, only added warning lights. The jeep's hazard lights blinked on and off, with Squall's bike parked behind it. The purple mountains of the eastern continent were visible in the distance, and the starry sky hung over them.
"So, what do we do now?" Zell asked nobody in particular.
"I'm going to go back to what I was doing before." said Squall. He was standing on the very edge, facing the mountains, with his back to the others. He had his hands crossed over his chest, and his toes were only a few inches from the almighty drop. He looked back at them. "I'm going after Seifer."
"And this Seifer guy is in cahoots with this Ultimecia chick?" Zell asked.
"Seems so." said Squall.
"Then we're coming with you." said Rinoa, speaking for the first time.
"R-Rinoa?" blurted Zell. She looked at him. "I'm sorry, Zell, but I'm going with him. One thing's for certain; we can't stay in Midgar. It wouldn't be safe for us, and it would be even more dangerous for the people we care about. You don't have to come if you don't want to. I won't make it an order."
Squall frowned internally. He hadn't even asked them if they wanted to go, and now it had already been decided. Strangely enough, he noticed, he was glad that Rinoa wanted to come along. In fact, arguing about her coming was the last thing he would do. Strange, that.
"Hey, I'm going anyways." said Zell. "I've got nothing for me here, but out there, there's an entire world that needs saving from the Shin-Ra! You couldn't teat me away!"
"Alright." said Rinoa, smiling.
"What about our magical friends?" Zell chuckled.
"Hey, I'm definately going." said Quistis. "I always promised myself i'd escape Midgar one day. I can't come this close and turn away now."
"But what about your home and stuff?" Zell asked.
Quistis sighed. "What home? The Shin-Ra found out where I live when they caught me, remember?"
"It's okay, Zell." said Rinoa. "I called my mom from a payphone a while ago. Xu and Adel are going to stay with her for a while."
"Oh." said Quistis. "That's very nice of her. I really hope she doesnt mind."
"Nah, of course not." said Rinoa, smiling. "She said she'd be glad. It's been a while since she had company, so it'll be a breeze. She was just a bit sad that she won't get to see me before I leave..."
The way she trailed off indicated just how close to her mother she was, and just how equally sad she was too. Quistis was also close to her adoptive mother, and felt a heaviness in her hearty that she wouldnt see her before she left either.
"Hey, don't worry, Rin." said Zell, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll come back when this is all over, right?"
"You betcha." said Rinoa, trying to smile.
"And what about the quiet one?" Zell asked, looking over at Edea. She was sitting over by the side of the road, looking at the night sky. A cool night breeze blew her long hair, trailing out behind her.
"There's somewhere I need to go." she said, looking over at the group. "I can't remember much, but I know that I came here to find you, Squall, Quistis and Zell ...and the others. There's a place I'm supposed to show you, only I can't seem to remember it. Some place across the ocean, far and away. I must to try to find it, and hope that my memories return."
"Hojo's mind-scan wears off eventually." said Squall. "They'll come back, just as mine slowly are."
"Would this place be the place where my mother sent her letters to you?" Quistis asked. "You are my Aunt Edea, aren't you?"
"Yes child, I am." Edea replied. "But where we must go is very far. Are you prepared for the long journey?"
"Been waiting all my life." Quistis replied, smiling.
"So, we're all going." said Squall, finally.
"This little group of ours is going to need a leader for the journey." Quistis stated. Everyone's eyes fell on one person. "Forget it." said Squall, flatly, in a tone that said if he was elected, his first act as leader would be to make his group take a long march off a short pier. Rinoa giggled at his reaction. "Guess it's me, then." she said.
"Well, you've been doing a good job so far." said Zell, grinning.
"So, leader, where do we go now?" Quistis asked.
"Oh, please don't call me that." Rinoa moaned, already starting to wish the group were all democrats at heart. "Um, there's a village northeast of here." she said. "Place called Kalm. It's probably as good a place as any to go."
"Aaaaaalrighty then." said Zell, already having found a long piece of chain that looked like it had been part of a contruction crane once that ran all the way down to the ground. "Shall we?" he said, and began to climb down.
In the distance, the sun was beginning to rise.
"What do you think we'll find out there?" Quistis asked anyone who listened as she looked at the sun slowly moving up over the mountains. "Simple." said Zell. "The world." and slid down the cable.
"Home." said Edea, and began to climb down after him.
Quistis looked at Squall and Rinoa. "Truth." she said, and started to climb down the chain.
"I don't know what I'll find." said Rinoa, honestly. "Maybe one of those things you were always looking for without really even knowing you were looking for it? Do you know what I mean, Squall?"
"Yeah." said Squall. "I think I do."
She smiled at him and thanked him as he helped her climb down.
And so they began their journey as dawn broke over the mountains, the sky beginning it's morning hazy glow. The sun began to shin weakly, breaking through the clouds and shining over the mountains, rivers and fields as they walked across, ahead on their way. Before long, the sun was fully up, and they had left Midgar's barren plains behind and were walking across the grassy fields of the overworld for the first time. With a cool breeze behind them and the warm sun on their backs, there was no doubt that this was a good omen to begin their long journey on, and that it was going to be a beautiful day, in this beautiful world.
"Heartland"
See the sunrise over her skin
Don't change it
See the sunrise on her skin
Dawn changes everything
And the delta sun burns bright and violent
Mississippi and the cotton wool heat
Sixty-six, the highway speaks
Of deserts dry, of cool green valleys
Gold and silver veins - shining cities
In this heartland - in this heartland's soil
In this heartland
Heaven knows this is a heartland
See the sunrise over her skin
She feels like water in my hand
Freeway like a river cuts through this land
Into the side of love, like a burning spear
And the poison rain brings a flood of fear
Through the ghostranch hills, Death Valley waters
In the towers of steel, belief goes on and on
In this heartland - in this heartland's soul
In this heartland
Heaven knows this is a heartland
Heaven knows this is a heartland
– Bono
Author's Notes;
Author's Notes;