Chapter 11
"Do you think she will be OK?" Xu asked Quistis.
"You've obviously never seen her in action." She replied.
"Obviously not."
***************************
"Town hall is this way." Said Irvine, consulting his map.
"There, up ahead, next to that shop." Spotted Zell. It was a respectable looking building, with a clock tower on the side of it. All the windows were boarded up, and the door had a large bolt on the handles. Gered looked at his watch. It had just gone past three thirty-five in the afternoon.
"Clock's wrong." He said, looking up at the tower. "It certainly ain't eight twenty-seven."
"It doesn't matter." Said Squall, mildly agitated. Of course it mattered thought Gered. No town would have a faulty clock tower. And where were all the people? It was half three on a Saturday afternoon. The town should have been buzzing. No. He didn't like it at all. His instinct was to turn around and take Yann back to the ship. Something was not right. But he kept quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was annoy Squall.
"Suppose not." He lied.
"Right, lets split up. Yannie and Gered, remember you are with me. We take the front. You three take the back. Watch out, there may be forces about." The two groups separated. Zell and co ran around the side of the building, crouched down as to avoid the windows. At the front, Squall raised his Gunblade high, and the other two stood back. He took one deep breath, and came slicing down on the padlock in much the same manner as he attacked the crate in the Ragnarok. The lock fell to the floor and he kicked the door in, prepared to fight any resistance that may follow.
************************
Around the back, Irvine had found a novel entrance.
"Zell, you think you can do it?"
"Don't be stupid all your life Irve, course I can." He crouched down on the ground, and pulled at the air vent on the wall. It wouldn't budge. He puffed and panted and used his feet as leverage against the crumbling brickwork. Still nothing. Embarrassed, he fell to the floor, dirtying up his SeeD uniform in a cloud of dust. Selphie began giggling. "Oh yeah!" he said red faced and angry. "You try better!"
Without saying a word, she knelt down next to Zell, gave him a cheeky smile, and with one elegant move of her hand, unclasped the hinges holding it to the wall. The grate fell to the floor with a gentle clatter.
"Not just a pretty face." She said as she stood up and brushed herself down.
"Not even, I think you mean." Said Zell irritated. "Did you know about that?" she nodded. "Then why did you make me try to pull it off?" she shrugged.
"Funny I guess." Irvine and Selphie giggled. Zell cracked his neck and crawled into the newly made hole in the wall.
"Are you two coming or not. We have a job to do remember."
"Keep your hair on Zell." Said Irvine, as him and Selphie followed Zell into the hole.
*********************
Squall was prepared to fight. He was prepared for Galbadian Soldiers, Estharian Soldiers, monsters of all descriptions, but what he faced he was not prepared for.
Nothing.
No soldiers. No monsters. Just a young boy, about the age of twelve sat in the middle of the floor. He had his knees up to his chin, and was rocking backward and forward. Yannie was reminded of the way that she used to be. Alone and afraid. They were still stunned by the lack of enemies, when Zell followed by Irvine and Selphie came out of a whole in the wall. They too were amazed. They saw Squall and the others on the other side of the vast hall.
"What now?" asked Gered. His suspicions were had now grown to conclusions, and he worried that this had something to do with Yannie. And he was dammed if he would let anything happen to her.
Yannie walked toward the boy on the floor. She knelt down next to him.
"Teo?" she asked in the softest voice she could. The boy nodded. "We've come to get you out of here." She put her hand on his shoulder. To her amazement it passed straight through. "Huh?" the holographic image flickered and disappeared. She looked up and saw the projector on the ceiling. Gered also looked up, and noticed something else.
"NO!" he ran towards her to push her out the way. But he was too late. Before he was even halfway there, a large metal cage appeared out of mid-air, trapping the young SeeD cadet where she stood. Yannie was trapped.
"Help!" she screamed, rattling at the bars. The other's ran to her aid as well. But before anyone could reach her, the cage, like the boy before it flickered and disappeared, this time taking Yannie with it. Her screaming abruptly stopped. Gered was the first to reach the spot where from she had vanished. He fell to the floor.
"No…" he clawed at the floor. But all traces of the girl had gone.
"What the hell just happened?" asked a stunned Zell.
"Oh Hyne!" said Selphie putting her hands to her mouth. Squall stayed silent.
"I don't know." said Irvine. Everyone was shocked.
A distraught Gered on the floor whispered, "I knew we should've gone back."
"Do you think she will be OK?" Xu asked Quistis.
"You've obviously never seen her in action." She replied.
"Obviously not."
***************************
"Town hall is this way." Said Irvine, consulting his map.
"There, up ahead, next to that shop." Spotted Zell. It was a respectable looking building, with a clock tower on the side of it. All the windows were boarded up, and the door had a large bolt on the handles. Gered looked at his watch. It had just gone past three thirty-five in the afternoon.
"Clock's wrong." He said, looking up at the tower. "It certainly ain't eight twenty-seven."
"It doesn't matter." Said Squall, mildly agitated. Of course it mattered thought Gered. No town would have a faulty clock tower. And where were all the people? It was half three on a Saturday afternoon. The town should have been buzzing. No. He didn't like it at all. His instinct was to turn around and take Yann back to the ship. Something was not right. But he kept quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was annoy Squall.
"Suppose not." He lied.
"Right, lets split up. Yannie and Gered, remember you are with me. We take the front. You three take the back. Watch out, there may be forces about." The two groups separated. Zell and co ran around the side of the building, crouched down as to avoid the windows. At the front, Squall raised his Gunblade high, and the other two stood back. He took one deep breath, and came slicing down on the padlock in much the same manner as he attacked the crate in the Ragnarok. The lock fell to the floor and he kicked the door in, prepared to fight any resistance that may follow.
************************
Around the back, Irvine had found a novel entrance.
"Zell, you think you can do it?"
"Don't be stupid all your life Irve, course I can." He crouched down on the ground, and pulled at the air vent on the wall. It wouldn't budge. He puffed and panted and used his feet as leverage against the crumbling brickwork. Still nothing. Embarrassed, he fell to the floor, dirtying up his SeeD uniform in a cloud of dust. Selphie began giggling. "Oh yeah!" he said red faced and angry. "You try better!"
Without saying a word, she knelt down next to Zell, gave him a cheeky smile, and with one elegant move of her hand, unclasped the hinges holding it to the wall. The grate fell to the floor with a gentle clatter.
"Not just a pretty face." She said as she stood up and brushed herself down.
"Not even, I think you mean." Said Zell irritated. "Did you know about that?" she nodded. "Then why did you make me try to pull it off?" she shrugged.
"Funny I guess." Irvine and Selphie giggled. Zell cracked his neck and crawled into the newly made hole in the wall.
"Are you two coming or not. We have a job to do remember."
"Keep your hair on Zell." Said Irvine, as him and Selphie followed Zell into the hole.
*********************
Squall was prepared to fight. He was prepared for Galbadian Soldiers, Estharian Soldiers, monsters of all descriptions, but what he faced he was not prepared for.
Nothing.
No soldiers. No monsters. Just a young boy, about the age of twelve sat in the middle of the floor. He had his knees up to his chin, and was rocking backward and forward. Yannie was reminded of the way that she used to be. Alone and afraid. They were still stunned by the lack of enemies, when Zell followed by Irvine and Selphie came out of a whole in the wall. They too were amazed. They saw Squall and the others on the other side of the vast hall.
"What now?" asked Gered. His suspicions were had now grown to conclusions, and he worried that this had something to do with Yannie. And he was dammed if he would let anything happen to her.
Yannie walked toward the boy on the floor. She knelt down next to him.
"Teo?" she asked in the softest voice she could. The boy nodded. "We've come to get you out of here." She put her hand on his shoulder. To her amazement it passed straight through. "Huh?" the holographic image flickered and disappeared. She looked up and saw the projector on the ceiling. Gered also looked up, and noticed something else.
"NO!" he ran towards her to push her out the way. But he was too late. Before he was even halfway there, a large metal cage appeared out of mid-air, trapping the young SeeD cadet where she stood. Yannie was trapped.
"Help!" she screamed, rattling at the bars. The other's ran to her aid as well. But before anyone could reach her, the cage, like the boy before it flickered and disappeared, this time taking Yannie with it. Her screaming abruptly stopped. Gered was the first to reach the spot where from she had vanished. He fell to the floor.
"No…" he clawed at the floor. But all traces of the girl had gone.
"What the hell just happened?" asked a stunned Zell.
"Oh Hyne!" said Selphie putting her hands to her mouth. Squall stayed silent.
"I don't know." said Irvine. Everyone was shocked.
A distraught Gered on the floor whispered, "I knew we should've gone back."