Part IV Alex Webb Alex Webb 3 3857 2001-11-02T01:39:00Z 2001-11-02T01:39:00Z 13 9970 46861 Vivid Horizons 997 454 69792 9.3821 6 pt 6 pt 0

The regular beeping of the medical scanner was all to be heard in one of Esthar's spacious hospital's emergency rooms. Liana lay unconscious on a long medical bed, breathing very shallowly. Alex sat silently beside the bed. The room was almost empty, only a few pieces of equipment and another four empty berths populated it. One wall consisted almost entirely of a huge window that looked out across the city in the quiet night.

Alex's head buzzed with thoughts. Emotion surged through him; anger, regret and sadness in equal measure.

"(Saved by a fallen angel.)" He mused. "(It wasn't the way things had to go. She loves life too much, why did she do this? I should be lying there on the brink of death. She has too much to live for.)"

He turned and looked at her peaceful expression.

"(But you can't die. I know you're stronger than that. There's too many people that'll miss you… I'll miss you.)"

The doctor that had operated on her said they'd arrived just in time. Any later and she would have been already dead. Nevertheless the doctor had also told them that if she doesn't regain consciousness by dawn there is little chance she will ever wake up at all.

Alex remained almost as still as Liana, hanging his head in deep thought. Outside the large window, the blackness of the sky began to turn to a deep purple colour with an aura of reddish pink. Over time the twinkling stars began to fade as the sky grew a little lighter.

"(Common' Liana. Wake up. Please.)"

The sound of footsteps came from behind him. He turned slowly to see Juri was standing respectfully at the door, her hands clasped together in front of her.

"Would you prefer I left you alone?" the Shadow Hunter asked.

"That's okay." Alex replied.

"I think you should get some sleep, Alex." Juri recommended. "You've been here all night."

"I know." The SeeD replied simply, resting his grim face in the palm of his left hand.

"How is she?"

"Not good." Alex shook his head.

"You know… I think she must have cared about you a lot to do something like that."

"Whatever." Alex replied slightly irritably. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why? I think it goes without saying." Juri sat down on the chair at the other end of the bed.

"It was probably an accident. She did it without thinking."

"Of course she did it without thinking." Juri smiled.

The gunblader looked at her oddly. "I don't get you."

"You still have a thing or two to learn, Alex Kinnhart." Juri smiled kindly.

She turned to Liana then her expression changed to surprise. Alex turned too, then noticed something. Liana's eyes were… opening! Slowly, but… she was actually waking.

"Liana?!?" Alex exclaimed.

Her eyelids flicked silently open, and she stared around her for a moment. There was a pause for what seemed like an eternity of anticipation, before a smile appeared on her face.

"Hi Alex. Hi Juri." She said weakly.

Alex gave a sigh of relief. "You made it!"

"Those Esthar doctors are amazing." Juri nodded.

Liana blinked a few times. "So this isn't heaven?" she croaked.

Alex chuckled. "No. I'm glad to see you pulled through."

"Don't lie." Juri giggled. "You're jubilant! And you aren't very good at hiding it."

Alex eventually nodded with a smile. "Okay, so maybe I am."

Juri turned to Liana with a grin. "He's been sitting here all night. Go figure."

"Really…? That's sweet of you." Liana tried to sit up a little, her face and voice still sleepy and weary.

"You saved my life." Alex shook his head. "I couldn't sleep without knowing you were alright."

"I think my memory's a bit fuzzy… all I recall was… running out in front of Almiroth." Liana explained slowly.

"Yes… Almiroth." Alex narrowed his eyes a little for a brief moment.

"He stole the Ragnarok." Juri mentioned with a nod. A short pause followed.

"The next thing I remember was a voice calling out to me, beckoning me back to life." Liana continued as they remained silent. "Like a voice in my head. I could hear Alex faintly, too. And then I found myself awake."

"The important thing is that you're alright." Alex's serious tone brought another smile to Juri's face.

"Don't worry about me." Liana grinned. "Liana's indestructible, yesh she is."

Alex chuckled again. "Guess it seems like it."

"Still hurts though." she gritted her teeth momentarily.

"I'll bet. But we may have to come back to Esthar when you're better." Alex sighed.

"No way, I'm coming." Liana protested.

"You kidding? Look at yourself." Alex shook his head.

"Hey, she can rest on the Kalevala if she wants." Juri shrugged. "It'll be a smooth ride."

"Uh," Alex scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Well… I guess so."

A tall male Esthar doctor walked in and smiled as he reached the three of them at the bed. "Good to see you awake, Miss Heartilmitt. You should be fully recovered in only days, it was merely a flesh wound and a case of heavy concussion."

"Hey, that means you can come along when we look for the Garden!" Juri smiled.

"Whoo…" Liana bounced a little, then winced slightly with the pain. "Esthar medicine is cool…"

"More Curaga than any other hospital in the world. Your toughness is even more impressive." The doctor commented.

"Couldn't have done it without ya." She replied, her eyes still low with her weariness. "You guys really are something."

"We certainly are…" The doctor grinned, before a bout of modesty hit him and he looked to his feet. "…doing our job, I suppose."

"Liana, if the recovery is good enough in three days, I'm sure we can pursuade Xu to let you come with us." Juri grinned.

"I will. Dun' wanna be sitting around in a hospital, do I?" She giggled slightly.

*                                     *                                     *

Admiral Fire Ceremony walked into the lift with grace and pride, though his mind was certainly fixed on matters elsewhere. The repairs on the hangar had been busy all day, though the Queen seemed distressed about the whole matter.

The lift reached Her Highness' Observatory floor, and Fire Ceremony gave a momentary smile as the doors of the chamber slid open and he walked in. Before him the shattered and disheartened Queen Marie sat at her desk in somewhere between musing and moping. The dim twilight of dusk shone through the large, rounded windows that surrounded the chamber.

"Your Ladyship?" He asked sensitively.

The beautiful queen looked up, her face the epitome of sorrow and frustration. The graceful glyph and dark shadowing around her eyes had been smudged by tears and fingermarks. "Admiral?"

"Your Ladyship, I am truly sorry about yesterday's events. I should have been more cautious and mobilised the fleet." He apologised, though with a firm tone.

"And dis-obeyed my orders?" Marie questioned. "No, it was my mistake, not yours."

"We all make mistakes, your Ladyship. And often far more frivolous than this." Fire Ceremony reminded her. "You should not reprimand yourself."

"Indeed no. The first thing you should do when you make a mistake is take immediate steps to correct it." The Queen smiled slightly.

Fire Ceremony strolled over to the window of the Queen's observation chamber and looked out across the shifting clouds. "What do you suggest, good Queen?" He asked with a look of deep inquisition.

"Do we have co-ordinates for that city… the one of monkey-children on Balamb Garden's database?" She pulled up a holographic map of the world.

"Indeed." The Admiral nodded, stepping over to her desk. "Esthar city. It is located… here." He pointed to it on the holographic globe.

"Then we will see to it that yesterday's losses will be paid for in blood by the people of this… Esthar." She grinned.

"A frontal assault would be harsh, dear Queen." Fire Ceremony stated. "We were last seen to the south-west, so they will be prepared for our attack on the south-west side of the city."

"True. I assume you have a solution to this?" The Queen asked slyly.

"Of course, your Ladyship. As this projection so beautifully illustrates, the planet is round." He smiled, smoothing his hand around the globe the opposite way. "If we delay our attack by two days more, we can assault from the north-east."

Queen Marie grinned. "You always know how to cheer me up, don't you?"

                   *                                     *                                     *

Dawn was about to break, a crisp haze of dim blue ready to pull back and reveal another day. The city of Esthar was at it's quietest before dawn, a tranquil yet surreal wonder to behold. Juri leant forward on the balcony of the tall hospital building and smiled, finally content to be here. It had taken a while, but she had returned here at last. The only place that resembled a home. True, she was indeed a wanderer, like Alex.

It was funny, Alex had said he knew his home, but it didn't feel like home anymore because he'd been away too long. With her, it was almost the opposite; she never really had a home but her memories of Esthar always made it feel like this wonderous city was the next best thing.

She took another long breath of the fresh morning air. Bliss. Dawn in Esthar was a vastly underrated wonder of the world. They'd been here for some days now, they were due to leave tomorrow morning.

"Juri?" Liana's tranquil voice came. She still wasn't quite back to her energetic and bouncy self just yet, and her voice was as calm and quiet as the morning. Juri turned to her as the SeeD walked out of the doorway and stepped up to look out across the city. She wore a snug white gown supplied by the hospital, though the morning was not so cold as to make her bare feet and legs uncomfortable.

"You know, I never tire of the sight of dawn in Esthar." Juri returned.

"It *is* beautiful..." Liana nodded slowly, still talking quietly. "When I woke up, you know… from the injury. It was like… I realised I never really took the time to look at the beauty of the world. The essence of life. I took it all for granted."

"Don't blame yourself, some things you can't help take for granted." Juri pointed out. "They're just always there, for them to be un-noticable is only natural."

"Maybe. But, I really think I never got down to earth sometimes. Never slowed down to listen to silence." She smiled. "Silence can be worth listening to sometimes."

"So you feel a personal change?" Juri enquired.

"Well, it's not that I'm a different person. I'll always be me." Her smile grew into a grin.

"Well, that's good. To tell the truth, I don't like it much when people change. At least, I don't if I liked the way they were. It's like the person that you knew is gone forever. You stay happy and bouncy, girl. Okay?" Juri smiled.

"I will." Liana replied. "Liana's always happy…"

"Good." Juri leant over and hugged her briefly, before re-entering the building. Liana turned to look out at Esthar again. A breeze blew her hair slightly, as she gazed over the buildings with a distant look. She felt almost as though she had grown up in the last three or so days. She had been so close to death, and suddenly life meant more. Maybe that was what Alex had meant by the need to live on the edge? Maybe he needed to throw himself at death so he didn't take life for granted. She knew she wouldn't turn a casual eye to life anymore. Not in a long while, at least.

As she turned and walked back inside the hospital building again, a memory suddenly flashed back to her…

Liana stood in a garden of beautiful flowers and short, clean cut grass. In the distance, the sound of laughing children echoed like a memory. This was Balamb. Her back garden, and her house. And she must've be no older than eleven years.

"Common, honey." A benevolent voice came from behind her. She turned to see her mother, standing so patiently and looking so gentle. "The parade is starting."

The Balamb Garden Parade! She'd loved the annual SeeD parade festival, it encompassed some of her happiest memories. She remembered this day well, the festival on her eleventh. The day she'd decided to join the Garden. At night she ran away to join SeeD, pretending to be an orphan. To this day she couldn't figure out why, but there was no denying her passion.

"Liana, you okay?" Alex waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry… I was day-dreaming or something." Liana replied. "Alex, do you have any family you know of?"

"No." he replied bluntly, after a brief pause. "My parents died fighting for Timber's independence when I was two, and I'm an only child." He walked over to the large window. "I don't know of anyone else. I once thought of those at Trabia as my family. But what I don't get is… why did *you* join Garden?" he asked, sitting down at a stylish, curved table.

Liana sat down opposite, and paused for a moment, thinking. "I wasn't seeking refuge from anything… I just wanted to be a gunfighter. I don't know why, I just wanted it so badly that I ran away from home to join SeeD." She explained. "I eventually told my parents, who were furious at first but… in the end, they were happy for me."

"I hope mine would have been happy with my decision." Alex stated, then smiled. "You know, Balamb Garden is one of the few places I really felt comfortable in. Even after Trabia, it almost felt like I had a home again."

"Let's hope we can get it back then. And get Carlie back with it." she nodded, recalling her poor friend. Liana wanted to go and get her right away, but the others would have to leave without her if they went now. And she didn't want that either. "I still don't think I understand why Carlie had to go back with the Garden."

"Neither do I." Alex shook his head. "Only the Princess knows that."

                   *                                     *                                     *

The Kalevala swooped low over the ocean south of Fisherman's Horizon. The countless tiny peaks of the waves below sped past, highlighted by the moonlight. A light rain and fierce wind ravaged the sea, and the airship even more so.

At the pilot seat in cockpit, Liana watched the display on the craft's HUD as the location of the Garden's energy signature got nearer. The small numbers to the left of the green reticle continued to rapidly decrease as she adjusted the ship's course slightly.

Behind her Xu and Nida sat in large chairs watching the ocean around them. Juri, Annie and Alex stood nearby talking quietly about something, and Kodansha was reading one of the console displays.

"Balamb Garden signature at bearing zero mark zero, distance ten kilometers and closing." She reported.

"Slow us to hover over the spot, Miss Heartilmitt." Xu said to Liana. "We need to prepare the pods for underwater exploration."

"Pods are all ready to go." Annie grinned. "I told Tim how they work, so he'll be able to tell the people going down there."

Liana pushed a control forward to bring the airship to a stop and stood up, turning to the others around the cockpit with a light smile. "That'd be us then."

"Right." Xu began. "The mission is as follows. Liana will be leading Team Juliet. She, Kodansha and Tim are to go to the Garden's lower levels and install Dr.Odine's fusion battery pack. It will give the Garden enough power to reach the surface, so the Kalevala can assist it to Fisherman's Horizon."

"You think it will work?" Kodansha asked.

"The Garden?" Tim responded. "Hope so. I'm sure if there's any life left in it, I'll get it back to the surface." He assured them. "I'm a bit of a grease monkey, y'see."

Xu nodded. "Alex will take Team Romeo. He, Juri and the Princess will take Carlie to the computer center and return her mind to her body. Nida, Annie and I will keep contact on the Kalevala. Any questions?"

"This part of the ocean's pretty deep. Surely we won't be able to transmit too far down?" Alex asked.

Annie turned to explain to him. "The Pods will be attached by a cable to the Kalevala. Inside each pod is a radio relay, so even when you leave the pod you can radio us via the link."

"Be careful when docking," Nida warned, "the slightest disturbance could alter water pressure in areas and cause extra flooding. We know that there must still be at least some air pockets, as the computer is still functioning. Which also means Carlie should still be alright."

"Ok. Team Romeo, let's get underway." Alex and Juri headed for the door. As they left, Xu nodded to Kodansha and her group.

"Team Juliet, don't forget Carlie is our priority. Make sure the other team get their job done, even if it means leaving the Garden behind. It might be our home, but we can't risk people's lives for it."

"Understood." Liana said. The thought of losing Balamb Garden suddenly hit her, like a twist in her stomach. It was just a machine, but she couldn't help thinking it meant more than that. It was a symbol. It was a home. And it was even more than that. Even Alex had once expressed his likening for it. But to Liana, it was the only place she felt truly comfortable. "We'll try our best." She added.

"You do that. Come back safe Liana. We've nearly lost you once already, let's not go through it again." She smiled kindly.

"No problem, ma'am." The SeeD gunfighter grinned.

                   *                                     *                                     *

"Go on, Alex. She's probably expecting you, I'll wait here a sec." Juri smiled.

Alex shrugged, then walked across the corridor and tapped at the door.

"Um… Princess?" He called out awkwardly.

"Come in." She replied lightly.

Alex opened the door slowly, and stepped in. "Hello?" He looked to one side, then turned to see the Centran standing patiently. Instead of a dress she wore a very short purple Esthar tunic, with her hair tied back in a long ponytail.

"Oh…" Alex began.

"What?"

"I see you found something to wear that's a little, um…" He stopped to look for the right word.

"Shorter?" The princess chuckled.

"Um, yes, that too." Alex squirmed slightly. The Princess chuckled again, finding Alex's discomfort highly amusing.

"I couldn't very well go deep sea exploring in a dress, eh?" She explained.

"Obviously." Alex nodded. "Anyway. We're-"

"Going, yes, I know. Lead on." The Princess gestured the door.

As they left, Juri picked up Carlie from the medical bed in the nearby room and headed toward the lifts, meeting Liana and Team Juliet as they arrived.

The six mission participants made their way to the sub-pods, hurrying down the narrow corridor to the submersible-vehicles at the lower rear. As they reached the dim compartment with the entrance to the two subs on each side, the two teams turned to each other.

"Good luck." Liana said . "Take care of Carlie." Her heart was racing with the adrenalin rushing through her.

"I will. You look after yourself, okay?." Alex replied, meeting her gaze before turning to his team. He suddenly felt anxiety within for some reason, it had never reached him before.

"Common, let's get going." Kodansha hurried.

"Yeah, not a moment to waste." Liana nodded to Tim, who pulled back one of the hatches on Team Juliet's sub.

Opposite them, Alex did the same as Juri and the Princess exchanged a glance. The two teams turned and waved to each other before entering their subs.

Liana sat down in the middle seat of the submersible, reaching up to flick a group of switches on above her. "Check oxygen and life support."

"Check." Tim replied.

"Guidance and piloting systems online." Kodansha grunted as she grappled with the controls.

"Right, I have the commander position, Tim keep your eye on the other stuff and Kodansha can do the steering." Liana smiled, bouncing childishly.

"So effectively you do nothing?" Kodansha smirked.

"Commanding stuffs is hard, you know." Liana sounded mildly offended.

"I'll be honest, Alex. I haven't got the pinkest idea how to drive this sub." Juri sighed. "Do you?"

"…Not really." Alex said after a moment.

"Dammit." The shadow hunter cursed. "Now what?"

"Princess, can you drive this sub?" Alex asked.

"I'd like to think so. It's an Esthar one right? Should be a lot like a Centran craft." She nodded.

"Princess' are allowed to drive subs in Centrotia?" Juri asked.

"Not exactly." The Centran winked deviously.

Alex smiled, turning to Juri. "Okay, I'll take care of Carlie and monitor radio, you keep an eye on the engineering display for me."

"Gotcha." Juri clicked a few switches on the board and tapped a button. "According to the displays, air flow is stable, and pressure control engaged."

Liana came across the radio. "This is Team Juliet, all ready to go. How're you doing Romeo? Copy." Alex could hear the smile in her voice as she finished her sentence.

"Team Romeo here." He replied. "Prepare to release hydraulic clamps and hold onto something. Over."

"Why's that?" Her voice came back.

"Because we're about to plummet out of the bottom of the Kalevala on cables into the ocean. It might get rough." Alex informed her, fastening a belt around him. The other two copied as he secured Carlie.

"Right. Juliet out." Liana said before the radio cut.

"Okay guys, hold onto something." Alex smiled slightly.

The wind-swept rain howled across the sea like a mob of angry ghosts, wailing against the shiny, metallic surface of the Kalevala. On the underside of the huge hovering aircraft two small plates jutted out slightly from the fuselage before suddenly the two submersibles detached and plummeted toward the tempestuous waves below. The storm ravaged at them for a brief moment before they hit the surface and sank into the dark, quiet depths. Everything inside both subs was silent for a few seconds.

"Whee…" Liana said eventually. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Nyes, and we're still okay." Kodansha nodded. "Controls responding. Starting descent now."

Alex's voice came over Team Juliet's radio. "We made it. How're you? Over."

Liana grinned. "Feel like my stomach is in my head." She replied. "Apart from that, everything is fine over here. Descending now. Copy."

"Roger that, beginning descent at a depth of thirty five meters." Alex replied like a computer. "Maintain radio contact." He added lightly.

"Gotcha." Liana nodded.

The two submersibles sank into the depths of the sea, the thick blackness growing darker and darker. The powerful lights shone out, cutting a cone of light into the abyss. They continued to descend silently for some time, watching specks of dirt and ocean debris drift past.

"Depth at one thousand meters." Tim reported finally.

"Continue." Liana nodded slowly.

"Computer estimates another two thousand three hundred meters, approximately."

"Good. How's it going Team Romeo?" Liana leant over to the radio.

"We're just fine." Alex replied. "The Garden's signal is growing stronger."

"Well, guess we'll just have to wait. Anyone got Triple Triad cards?" Liana asked.

"I do." Alex's voice came, followed by a chuckle. "I'll play."

Liana sighed. "Typical, the only other person with cards is on the other sub." She laughed slightly, pausing for a moment to think of another way to liven things up. "Well, we could play a different game."

Kodansha sniggered. "How about 'I Spy'?" She said sarcastically.

Giving up, Liana rested on the back of the chair and began to twiddle her thumbs in boredom.

Occasional passive conversation broke up the hour as the subs continued to sink deeper. It felt like they were going into the center of the planet.

Juri watched the featureless expanse of water, fascinated by it, in between checking the dials on pressure and depth. The Princess gazed out of the porthole nervously, anxiety of the mission eating away at her as she steered the craft's path. Alex sat dully, occasionally looking at Carlie's sleeping form, organising the thoughts in his mind.

As the silent and slow descent continued, Liana leant forward and tapped on the arm-rest of the chair restlessly. Tim read the depth guage, thankfull that they were almost there. Kodansha calmly guided the machine down ever closer to the seabed.

Suddenly the lights of the submersible caught a tall shape. As they got closer, it became apparent: a tall and elegant tower. As the subs backed away slightly, the outline of the huge Garden could be seen embedded into the ocean floor.

"This is the wierdest thing I have ever seen." Liana muttered slowly, gazing at the Garden she had only stood on a few days ago. As an ancient wreck.

"Gotcha, Team Juliet. Looking at it right now." Alex confirmed. "Proceed with docking to the airlocks on the port side."

 "Alrighty, docking at Airlock 2. Copy." She replied.

"This is Kalevala." Xu announced. "Well done, guys. The storm up here is getting stronger, so be as quick as you can."

"Oh, I'm sure we won't be playing chess while we're down there." Kodansha muttered to herself sarcastically.

The two subs split apart to encircle the colossal wreck, that sat at a very slight angle, so only the four docking areas on the port side were accessible. As Team Juliet's sub approached the barnacle-encrusted Airlock 2, Team Romeo's sub arrived at the equally weathered Airlock 8.

"Beginning docking." Alex spoke softly.

"Pressure stable." Juri reported. "Currents are negligible."

"Slowing to point two throttle, course adjusting thrusters are responding." The Centran Princess smiled.

"You know this kinda stuff pretty well." Alex complimented, still looking at the docking camera like everyone else.

The Princess smiled silently, and continued to cautiously edge the sub closer to the clamps.

"This is Team Juliet." Liana's voice came. "Docking complete and ports are sealed. Copy."

"Good job Team Juliet. This airlock's looking a little unreliable, we're taking it slow." Alex filled in.

"Okay!" Liana said brightly.

"Good luck, we'll see you there. Team Romeo out." Alex said warmly, before switching off the radio.

They watched as the sub glided into the clamps and there was a groaning clunk noise, distorted by the ocean around to become more of a ghostly grinding.

"We're in." The Princess stated.

"Okay, close the clamps." Alex said to Juri quietly.

"Closing." As she spoke, she pressed the switch to activate the clamps that would hold the sub to the airlock. Suddenly there was a screaching sound of protesting metal.

"Clamps are secure, but I really didn't like the sound of that…" Juri looked behind them to the docking hatch.

"Let's hope it's nothing." Alex said, moving over to the hatch and beginning to turn it. As he did, Juri thought of a terrifying question:

"How do we know that the Garden isn't flooded on the other side?" She looked at Alex with wide eyes.

"We don't." Alex replied simply. "We just have to damn well hope it isn't."

She helped him carry on turning when suddenly the hatch flung open. A sudden light gush of sea water flowed in. As they looked out into the dim corridor beyond, lit by lights from the inside of the sub, they could see a split in the side of it that was letting water flow in.

"Let's get the hell out of this sub." Alex said in a calm but urgent voice, activating the twin torches perched on his shoulders.

"And fast!" The Princess agreed, wincing slightly as the freezing sea water crawled up her bare leg. She fastened on a set of twin torches and activated them too.

The three companions dragged themselves and Carlie from the sub, crossing the flooding and slightly tilted corridor to the stairs at the end that led to the infirmary. Alex turned around, Carlie on his back, and inspected the gash in the walls.

"Must've been a pressure imbalance caused when we docked or something." He hypothesised. "Unless we can contain it, it'll flood us before we can even reach the surface."

"What about the sub?" The Princess asked as they headed up a short set of steps to a dry room.

"I guess it's screwed until we can reach the surface and drain the garden." Juri assessed, looking back down the stairs to see the water rising up the bottom.

"And we'll be counting on Team Juliet for getting us outta here. Anyone get the radio?" Alex looked between the other two.

"Yeah, I grabbed it." Juri nodded. "We can still contact the other sub, right?"

"Hopefully. Juri, inform them of the situation. Their mission is now top priority."

Juri nodded, and picked up the radio to talk into it.

"Can't we just use their sub?" The Princess asked innocently. "I know it might be a bit of a squeeze, but…"

"Not really possible. There wouldn't be enough oxygen in one sub for the six of us, plus Carlie would hopefully be revived. That makes seven." Alex shook his head. "We're going up on the Garden or not at all."

"Oh man." Juri closed her eyes. "This is deep."

"Well we haven't exactly been going upward the last hour and a half." Alex smiled slightly, stepping into another dark corridor that lit up in the torch beams.

"No, I mean there's no response from the radio." Juri sighed. "I think it's got water in it or something, I dunno. It just isn't working… so now what?"

"One of us should go find them." Alex said eventually.

"Well, I think you should be able to take care of that!" Juri announced with a spark of enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" The Princess nodded. "Juri and I can go get Carlie to the computer center on third level."

"Right, that's fine by me." Alex handed Carlie over to Juri. "I'll meet you on third level." He said with a nod, before disappearing down the nearby corridor toward the center of the Garden.

"Good luck." Juri called lightly as he went.

Liana, Tim and Kodansha crept carefully through the remains of the Training Center. A set of steps led up a short rockface to the old part of the training center, which was at base level with the lobby. The metal shell of the huge Garden creaked and groaned with the slight disturbance of their presence. It was clear from the look on their faces that a large portion of their attention was fixated with the idea that, sooner or later, the water would find a way in.

"So where abouts would the generator have to go?" Kodansha asked as they began to ascend the stone steps to the upper area of the training center.

"The core; basement, level three." Liana replied with clear certainty.

"And where exactly is that?" She enquired further.

"Two floors down the central elevator shaft, which is in the lobby beyond the training center." The gunfighter pointed in the general direction.

"Hang on a sec, guys." Tim held up a hand to halt them. "Do you hear that sound?"

"I hoped the noise of running water was just my imagination, but yeah, I hear it." Kodansha said dryly.

"Doesn't that bother you? I know we might feel like we're in a comfy building, but we're still under about two miles of ocean."

"It's probably just the stream that runs through the training center." Liana pointed out.

Tim sighed and continued to ponderously climb the steps. "Well, I hope you're right. This wreck has remained undisturbed for nearly a thousand years, but the slightest movements inside it could cause it to flood."

The three of them jumped slightly to the sound of a shriek fairly close to them.

"What the blue hell was that?" Kodansha asked, her tone almost annoyed.

A large writhing vine-like tentacle appeared from the leaves, groping at Liana's leg. She immediately recoiled from it, and drew both her pistols as it disappeared again. The three ran around the rocky foliage outcrop into a clearing, to see Alex stood face to face with what looked like a gigantic grat.

"Hey Al, looks like you could use some help." Tim called out.

"Do as you wish, I won't need to depend on anybody." Alex replied as stubborn as usual. He took a sharp step backward as the Giant Grat swung a massive clawed tentacle at him. It passed him and headed for Tim, who lept aside, leaving the clumsy large radio where he'd stood. The tentacle went smashing into it.

"(Oh great.)" Alex thought to himself.

"Hold on, we're going in." Liana announced, drawing her two pistols. She let off several shots at the creature, that seemed to have little affect despite piercing it's flesh.

Suddenly, in a plume of sticky fluid and spores, the Giant Grat spat several pod-like seeds into the air that landed such that they encirled the four of them.

"What the hell are those things?" Tim asked nervously.

"Small grats are hatching out of them!" Liana pointed out.

"I'll handle it!" Tim called, running toward one and unleashing a furious fist combo at it.

Striking out at Alex and knocking him backward, the Giant Grat took the opportunity of the distraction to grope out with another tentacle, grabbing Kodansha by the legs and dragging her toward itself.

"Er, not today, plant." She said in an annoyed tone, drawing her short sword and sawing at the thick botanical limb.

"Hang in there!" Liana called out, running toward her friend. "Whoo, look at me, plant guy!" She ran past the SeeD ninja and shot at the Giant Grat from close range. It continued to slowly reel Kodansha in, unabated by the bullets that had lined its flesh.

"I don't think the bullets are cutting deep enough!" Liana suggested, cursing beneath her breath.

"Never mind that! Shoot the tentacle!" Kodansha called out, in an understandably impatient tone.

"Oh yeah!" Liana smiled a little as she swung her guns around and poured shots into the vine-like tentacle. Each bullet carved chunks from it until the creature immediately let go of the SeeD and withdrew it's wounded limb.

"Yeah, take that." Liana taunted, twirling her weapons and stepping over to Kodansha.

"Don't bother asking, let's just kick the rest of these grats shitless." Kodansha grunted as she got back on her feet.

Alex approached them with his gunblade drawn. "I think Tim's got them sorted, I'd worry about the big one. It's not dead just yet." He nodded in it's direction.

The two girls turned to see the Giant Grat had grown two more tentacles and began edging toward them.

"I've finished off the Grats." Tim announced.

"Nice." Kodansha nodded, keeping her eyes on the final creature.

"I may have to resort to a Limit Break." Alex muttered.

"What Limit Break do you have anyway?" Liana asked him quietly.

"Dark Shivalry. I learned it from an instructor in Trabia, a few other Trabian gunbladers might know it, but otherwise it's fairly rare." Alex replied, his voice calm and fast.

"Do you reckon you could pull it off?" Kodansha asked in a similar tone, taking a few steps backward as the large plant drew closer.

"Possibly." Alex said, as he and the other two began to copy Kodansha.

"I never really got what was wrong with Limit Breaks…" Tim asked.

"They're very unhealthy, because of the power you have to harness to perform one." Liana informed him.

"Well, we'll all be dead if we don't kill this thing." Kodansha pointed out.

"Actually, perhaps not. We can outrun it easily." Alex suggested.

"Yeah, but what about when we come back for the sub?" Tim asked.

"We won't." Alex announced. "Look, I'll explain later, but for now let's just get outta here."

"Gladly." Liana grinned, as they turned and ran for the training center exit. As they passed through it, Kodansha hit a button and a large steel door sealed the training center behind them.

"Ok, you got some explaining to do…" Liana turned to Alex with an expectant look.

"Romeo's sub is down. When we docked the airlock must've caused a leak and now the Garden is beginning to flood." He beckoned them around the corner and pointed to the water that was pouring out of the infirmary section and beginning to flood the ground of the lobby. The long-dry bed of the pool that's normally beneath the walkways was beginning to fill again. "We probably don't have a lot of time, but if we can reach the upper levels, we should make it. I came to inform you as our radio is out, meanwhile Juri and the Princess have gone to revive Carlie."

"Then our team's mission is now of most imporance." Kodansha summarised.

"Yes, if we don't raise this Garden soon it's gonna flood." Alex nodded.

"Well, we'd better get a move one. If the water reaches the elavator shaft it'll pour into the basement levels where the generators are. I don't think they'll be able to handle that." Liana said worriedly.

"The generator will be fine, provided it's fitted and running when it gets flooded." Tim said. "Odine's generator is prepared for it, but you won't be able to fit it if the basement get's flooded."

"Then let's get the hell over there!!" Liana urged.

Juri and the Princess walked into the third level section. The large dome viewscreen presented a view of the deep darkness of the ocean. As they entered the room, a sensor light on one of the consoles activated and a voice echoed around the room. What it said was not clear, but it sounded like a question.

"Carlie… ?" Juri enquired carefully.

There was a brief silence. Suddenly the voice came again, it's word just about recognisable:

"Release." It said monotonously.

"That's not Carlie's voice." Juri commented.

"I know, but they're Carlie's words." The Princess stated, before turning her voice to the room. "Carlie, is that you?"

"Release." It repeated.

"Let's just get her out of there." Juri said eventually.

"Right." The Princess nodded. Standing in front of the command console, she gestured Juri to bring Carlie's body over. The shadow hunter placed the un-conscious body of her friend before the Centran and stepped back to observe. Slowly the Princess began to chant some kind of Centran phrase, a long string of awkward syllables spoken so softly that if they were any quieter she would not have said anything at all.

In a sudden and bright flash several glowing globes of energy flew from the computer console and into Carlie, like the spectacle of a 'Draw' from something. As they shot inside her, she flinched slightly, all the muscles in her body momentarily activated. Slowly she rolled her head to the side and opened her eyes sluggishly.

"Br… b-bright." Carlie stuttered.

The Princess turned off their shoulder-torches, so only the red emergency lighting illuminated the room. Carlie slowly sat up dazed.

"Carlie… are you okay?" Juri asked her.

"Why do you call me by telephone? What is Carlie? It sounds familiar…" She replied slowly.

"It's alright." The Princess assured Juri. "Amnesia and temporary confusion is very common with this procedure. She's been asleep for a thousand years inside a computer and she will feel very disorientated for a while."

"Liana." Carlie said hopefully. "Liana is my friend. Are you Liana? You don't look like her, she is ten foot tall."

"Can you even hear me?" Juri shook her head sadly.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, forgive the turtles for their rudeness. You must be Alex."

"How long will she be like this?" Juri turned to the Princess. "It's like she's been hit with a confuse spell."

"Only an hour or so, then she'll feel better." The Centran replied.

"It's best we stay here anyway, the water will flood third level last." Juri nodded.

The Princess grinned slightly, then chuckled. "I've noticed humans have a talent for stating the obvious."

Juri laughed. "Well, I guess it's not always obvious to us."

"Heeey… aren't the marshmellow trees getting smaller?" Carlie interrupted.

The elevator reached the depths of the Garden's lower levels, and as the doors slid open Liana, Alex, Kodansha and Tim stepped out into the dark chamber. In the middle of the room was a large machine with a seat at it's center. A deformed and weathered skeleton was entrenched into it. The skeleton was clearly not human; it was much bigger and it seemed the creature had died on the chair.

"What's that?" Alex asked, repulsed.

"The old Garden Master, Norg. When Cid and Norg fought each other three years ago, Squall and his party ended the conflict by defeating Norg." She informed him. "I remember I sided with Cid at the time."

"Lucky for you, I guess." Kodansha nodded.

"The skeleton is obviously over a thousand years old now, though…" Liana added, gazing at the web-infested remains.

"The mission, people?" Alex said expectantly, hurrying past.

"Well, you were the one that asked." Liana smiled, following after him in a slight skip.

They reached a large circular hatchway in the floor. Like many of the Garden's hatchways, it had a water-tight sealing mechanism controlled by a large wheel protruding in the middle. Alex stooped over it and, gripping the wheel with both hands, began to try and loosen it. It failed to budge.

"Kodansha, help me with this." He grunted.

With a nod the SeeD ninja grabbed the wheel firmly and heaved at it. With a slow grinding sound, the wheel began to turn.

"That's it, you're doing it!" Liana said excitedly, pressing her finger against the wheel occasionally in an attempt to increase the effort. "Common, Tim, help us too."

Tim obliged with a nod, when suddenly the hatchway made a clunk sound. Alex and Kodansha lifted the door to reveal the dark, dry interior.

"Whew, I'm so glad it's not flooded!" Liana sighed happily.

At that very moment there was a loud crash and the sound of running water came from behind them. Turning to the direction it was coming from, they saw water pouring down the elevator shaft and through the glass elevator doors.

"Let's get that generator fitted and get the spooney out of here." Kodansha urged.

                   *                                     *                                     *

"Laguna!" Kiros cried out. "I've got some bad news…"

"What?" The Esthar president turned to his friend and aide.

"It's that Centrotia island. We fortified the south-west side of the city, but they're attacking us from the opposite side! Esthar's Airfleet scouts spotted them approaching, they'll reach the edge of the city in about thirty minutes."

"Damn! That's not nearly enough time to move our defenses across a city this huge. Get them going anyway, and recall the 22nd division to the Palace!"

"Understood. Do you want me to send a distress signal to Kalevala?"

"Just tell them our situation." Laguna nodded. "We'll also have to suspend the Esthar Council under cause of emergency."

"Got it."

"Oh, and make sure the citizens take shelter. This could get very deadly…"

                   *                                     *                                     *

Annie sighed in frustration. There was no response from the radio once again, and Xu's concern was filtering it's way down to her. The two sub teams ceased contact after the docking, and worries were building up over the safety of the people that had risked their lives taking this mission.

"We've lost contact with all radio units." Annie reported.

Xu nodded, assimilating the information slowly. "Still no response from Team Juliet?"

"None." Annie shook her head.

"It's most likely that team Romeo are still fine and simply lost their radio unit." Nida suggested, resting his chin on his curled hand thoughtfully. "And possibly Team juliet at a later time."

"Let's hope that is the case." Xu stood, putting a hand on her hip.

She suddenly turned to see a young man that had just walked into the cockpit.

"Oh, Amardus? What are you doing up here?" Xu asked curiously.

"I want to organise a rescue mission. They could be trapped down there." He replied passionately. "We've gotta act."

"Y'know, Amardus is right; they might not be able to get back without our help." Annie added.

"That's not the issue." Xu reminded them. "We have only one more sub, and it requires at least two people to operate it. If the teams truly have lost the subs then the rescuers will need to take up a total of nine people. Our sub's have enough space and oxygen for four. It's simply not an option."

Nida sighed. "She's correct. We don't exactly *have* any options."

"Can't this thing… um, sink?" Annie asked, exasperated.

"Submerging the Kalevala isn't a good idea, Esthar ships don't take to it too well." Nida explained.

Kiros' voice abruptly came over the radio. "Kalevala this is Esthar. We are under attack from Centrotia, and request any assistance you can give."

Annie looked to Xu, who hesitated for a moment. She had to make a very difficult choice. Kalevala was Esthar's greatest aircraft, and to have it sitting over the ocean in vain hope of six lost people when it is most needed to defend thousands would be foolish. But if the Kalevala left for Esthar, it would be dooming those six people, and Esthar could possibly survive without them. Besides, Carlie's answers will be worth many more lives if what the Princess says is true.

"Kalevala, do you copy?" Kiros said again.

Xu stood and hit a button on a panel just above her to activate the radio. "This is Xu, currently in command of the Kalevala, reporting negative. We are unable to respond."

"Understood, Esthar out." The disappointment in Kiros' voice was apparent even over the radio. Xu pressed the button again to de-activate it, then looked around the airship's cockpit.

"We aren't going to give up on them yet." She said firmly.

                   *                                     *                                     *

Tim cursed slightly, shaking his hand in the pain.

"Wassup?" Liana asked.

The soldier grimaced, looking back into the depths of the generator coupler. "Just sliced my finger on the power drive coupling matrix. That thing's sharp." He grunted.

"I see." Liana stared blankly.

"What do the instructions say next?" Kodansha asked.

"Uh…" Alex looked at the datapad. "It says 'Reconnect ze first port into ze relay socket, then ze generator should activate'."

"Easy." Tim smiled slightly, suddenly looking worried as the sound of running water grew closer. As if from nowhere, a gush of seawater swept across the floor, engulfing their feet. With haste Tim clicked the plug in and without a moment's delay, Odine's backpack-sized battery generator sprung to life.

"That's allowed the fusion reactor to restart." Tim stated, as lights around the Garden began to come on. "Which'll give us enough power to reach the surface and maybe a bit more."

"Okay, now all we have to do is get to third level!" Alex said urgently.

Juri rushed over to the computer which had suddenly sprung to life. "Look, the other team have restored the power!"

"Nice!" The Princess nodded happily.

"What does that mean?" Carlie, who had by now recovered from most of her muddled thoughts, was still somewhat bemused.

"It means we finally have a chance of getting out of here." Juri informed her with a beaming smile. She looked over the control console, and her expression quickly changed to uncertainty.

"Hurry Juri, begin the Garden's ascent!" The Princess urged.

"I, um… I don't know how." She shrugged. "It's all Shumi to me."

"The Princess ran up to it and looked over the controls." Well I don't know either, I don't wanna hit the wrong button. Gyah, if only Fire Ceremony was here, he's probably the only Centran I can think of that could pilot a Shumi vessel."

"It's easy." Carlie smiled, walking up to a large fin-like lever on the main controls, pushing it slowly upward. A deep rumbling grew louder in co-ordinance with the higher Carlie pushed the control. Eventually it reached it's peak and from the main viewport they could see the Garden was levelling off from it's slight tilt and had begun to rise. The seabed disappeared into the murky depths as the machine began to make it's way slowly to the surface.

"See?" She smiled brightly.

Alex waded through the water that had reached his waist and turned at the end of the corridor to see the other three approaching.

"Quick, through here." He indicated a sloped doorway at the top of a few steps.

With a nod Kodansha and Tim passed him and hurried up through the hatchway to the stairway that led to the upper levels. Alex turned to see Liana making her way toward them through the cold seawater.

"Wait up, guys!" She called out.

"Sure, we're not going anywhere." Alex smiled. Without warning there was a shudder and the Garden levelled off from it's tilt suddenly.

"The Garden must've lifted off the seabed at last." Tim said, looking up to the sudden sound of a crash. "Uh-oh, Alex, there's water pouring in up here from the-" His voice was cut off completely as the huge steel door of the hatchway slammed shut, sealing Alex and Liana inside it.

"Tim? Kodansha?" Alex called out as Liana reached him. "Hey, open the door!" He called, pressing against it. "Damn, they probably can't even hear me through this thing."

"What the hell is going on?" Liana asked.

"I don't know or care. Right now, we've just got to get out of this corridor." Alex replied, pressing against the walls as the water continued to rise.

"Eeegh, it's soo cold…" Liana said, rubbing her hands together.

"Quick, head back down the corridor and turn right, I think there's a passage that leads to the elevator shaft. From there we should be able to climb the maintenance ladder to the third level." Alex explained.

"Right, let's go then!" Liana had already begun to make her way back through the water that was creeping ever further up. As they turned the corner, a door at the end of the passage was slowly closing automatically.

"We won't get to it in time!" Liana shook her head, pointing at it.

"You're right. We're running out of options here." Alex slammed his fist into the wall, as he often did when frustrated.

"Wait…" Liana waded over to the side of the corridor. "The water is flowing out of the side of this passage, but I can't see where. Look, watch the current." She suddenly dipped underwater for a moment, re-emerging a moment later. She took a breath and brushed her wet hair from her eyes.

"Did you see what it was?" Alex asked curiously.

Liana nodded. "There's a small entry to the air ducts. Water's flooding it fast, but I think it's probably the only way out now."

Alex exhaled deeply. "I didn't want to have to go underwater, as I'm useless at swimming and can't see underwater for shit. But I guess we don't have a choice."

"Guess not…" Liana affirmed. They both took deep breaths before disappearing into the dark seawater.

                   *                                     *                                     *

The storm outside the Kalevala seemed to have gotten impossibly worse. It was causing the radio to play up more, and Xu was using the event as an excuse to herself and everyone else that there might still be someone alive down there.

A flash of lightning illuminated the cockpit for a split second, lighting up the tension and concern in the faces of it's occupants. Xu cleared her throat to respectfully attract attention.

"They have been down there for almost three hours now…" She said. "Annie, has there been any change in radio or radar situations?"

"Still nothing." She sighed.

Xu hung her head. "We leave for Esthar in half an hour, unless we have reason to believe they're still down there."

"…yes ma'am." Annie said eventually, turning back to the radar screen. "(Come on, guys!)" she pleaded silently.

                   *                                     *                                     *

Liana broke the surface and took a sharp breath, shaking her head to get some of the water off. She looked around, suddenly realising Alex wasn't here.

"Alex?" She said quietly.

There was a splash as Alex reached the surface, gasping for air.

"There you are! Don't scare me like that…" Liana smiled, happy to see that the water around them was only waist deep.

Alex caught his breath, blinking several times to clear the water from his eyes. "How inconsiderate of me." He smiled slightly.

Liana grinned, before suddenly exploding with happiness as she spotted something. "Look! It's the maintenance ladder!!" She cried. "We're outta here!"

"Excellent!" Alex cracked his knuckles together.

The mood was suddenly dampened as the low rumbling sound of more water grew closer.

"What's that?" Liana asked in a tone of equal bemusement and irritation.

"Water." Alex said dryly.

"Headed this way?"

"Sounds like it."

Without a word more, they both ran straight for the opening into the elevator shaft. As they reached it, Liana turned to see a wave of seawater churning down the corridor ferociously.

"Hurry, up the ladder!" Alex urged. Liana rounded the corner and grabbed onto the ladder. As she started to climb the elevator shaft, the flow of water reached the hatchway, pushing Alex through. He grappled the ladder desperately, dragging himself up as the water level in the shaft began to rise slowly.

"What the spooney was that noise?" Kodansha asked.

"It's coming from the elevator shaft." Tim responded. "Sounds quite a way down. Some kind of heavy water flow."

"I'll take a look." Juri responded. "You guys stay here with Carlie." She quickly hurried to the entrance room for the third level, taking a look out of the windows into the huge main hall of the Garden. Water lapped against the walkway between the elevator and the classrooms on second level. As the shadow hunter reached the entrance to the shaft, she peered down it to see Liana and Alex climbing the ladder with water sloshing around far beneath them. Suddenly, Juri noticed something which caused her eyes to widen in alarm.

"Hurry!" She called. "The glass wall of the shaft is gonna get crushed by the water in the hallway!"

The two SeeD looked around them to see the cracks appearing in the glass. Around them the water that filled the main hallway up to the classroom level was still a dozen or so meters higher than they were. Without a further moment's hesitation, they continued climbing up the ladder as fast as possible. Slowly the cracks in the glass grew as Kodansha and the others ran up beside Juri.

"Damn, can't we do something?" The Princess said desperately.

"Like what?" Kodansha shook her head.

"They're not gonna make it!" Juri said nervously.

Both SeeD continued to ascend the ladder as quickly as they could. Liana reached the outside water level and continued to climb, turning to the sound of cracking glass. A jet of water sprayed into the shaft, pinning Alex harshly against the ladder. Ascending a few more rungs to safety, Liana reached down with an open hand.

"Grab my hand, quick!" She yelled.

Under the onslaught of gushing seawater, Alex reached up as more glass gave way and the flow increased. As their hands almost touched fingertips the entire glass wall of the elevator shaft collapsed, and water engulfed the gunblader. In a furious swirl Alex's hand disappeared, dragged down by the water's merciless grasp.

"Liana, get out of there." Tim called.

Liana looked at the water cascading into the shaft. Could anything possibly survive it? The walls had collapsed letting several tons of seawater break in, and surely anything inside would be crushed. She sat holding onto a rung with one arm, watching intently.

Sure enough, a trembling hand broke the surface of the water flowing in, grasping the rung above the water level with a determined grip. Alex dragged himself back up the ladder slowly, and clasped Liana's outstretched hand.

"Let's move." He barely managed a smile, as she helped pull him out of the water flow.

As the two battered SeeD reached the top, the seven of them sat down to take a short rest.

Juri caught her breath. "Glad to see you made it."

"What's the situation?" Alex asked, reverting to the subject once again like a true SeeD.

"The extra water we're taking on is slowing our ascent." Tim sighed. "At our current rate we won't reach the surface before we're flooded. We need to buy some time, somehow." He pondered.

Liana turned her head to them. "We sealed off the training area, right? It might still be dry. There should be enough volume in there to slow the flooding a lot, don't ya think?" She suggested brightly, wiping water from her brow.

"Nice idea… but how do we open the doors?" Alex pointed out. "Manually?"

"There's no automatic switch." Tim stated, being the present authority on the structure and layout of Balamb Garden. "So that would be the only way, yes."

"You telling me some fuckwit has to dive all the way to the bottom of the flooded hallway, open the training center doors and somehow get away before the suction drags them through it?" Kodansha ran over the plan that seemed to be forming in the minds of her companions.

"Well volunteered." The Princess smiled.

"What?" Kodansha protested. "What about you, you've got gills, don't you?" The SeeD ninja pointed to the frilly openings beneath the Centran's ears.

"They *aren't* gills…" The Princess scowled. "They're the precise reason Centrans are completely terrified of water! It's like having a mouth you can't close…"

"Well, Liana would know how that feels." Kodansha smirked.

"Hey!" Liana objected.

"Look, we're gonna drown here if someone doesn't do this!" Alex interrupted. "And you all know I'm a useless swimmer." He added.

"What about the getting-dragged-in problem?" Juri asked.

"There's a small stash of weapons and explosives near the bridge, for boarding emergencies." Tim said thoughtfully. "We could lay explosives on the door and set them off from up here."

"Right." Juri nodded. "Well I'm a reasonable swimmer, I believe I could do it." She announced confidantly.

"Then let's get to it." Alex nodded, standing.

"Um…" Carlie said, having kept silent so far. "Can I just say something?"

"Yes?" Liana encouraged.

"It's great to be back again!" She smiled tearfully.

Everyone, even Kodansha, smiled warmly.

Juri broke the surface of the water elegantly, her long hair straightened and wet. She blinked the water from her eyes, gasping for air.

"It's ready." She panted as she made her way to the rope the others had dangled from the third level.

"Got it." Tim nodded. As Juri grabbed onto the rope, he pressed a button to activate the explosives. A deep rumble was followed a moment later by the shuddering of the entire Garden. A plume of water rose from the corner of the hallway some distance from them, and suddenly the water level began to drop drastically. Juri clung to the rope as the others dragged it to the top. As she got there, she fell to the floor in relief and exhaustion.

"Whoo, you did it." Liana grinned.

"Nice." Tim nodded.

"Cool. So… how long now?" Kodansha asked.

"Well, we'll be reaching the surface in twenty minutes or so." Carlie reported.

"That's a relief." Alex sighed, pausing to take everything in. Eventually he smiled and looked up. "Anyone for cards?"

                   *                                     *                                     *

Annie glumly banked the Kalevala to change it's heading to Esthar, ditching the two cables that attached to the team's subs. If only it wasn't now. Why did they have to need Kalevala now? She wanted to stay, make sure every last hope was seen through. But it was a luxury they could not afford.

Suddenly her attention was drawn to something. A large blip appeared on the radar, directly beneath them and rising quickly.

"Xu, ma'am. There's something rising! It has to be them!" She cried out happily.

"Give us a good view." Xu requested. Without a moment of deliberation Annie pivotted the gigantic airship around to look at the sea it had been sitting over. Suddenly a grand blue spire broke the waves, rising like a pheonix. It pushed itself wholey out of the water, and the sea ran from it's insides like a bleeding heart, pouring back into the ocean. The rain swept across the sea around them more peacefully now. Balamb Garden hovered before them, as the azure sunlight of the dawn lit the horizon gloriously.

"They made it! Alright!!" Annie beamed.

"Get us over there, they're gonna need support to get back to Fisherman's Horizon." Xu instructed, her relief written in her expression.

"Aye ma'am!" Annie affirmed cheerfully.

                   *                                     *                                     *

Alex could see Carlie was about to speak, but intervened a moment before she did.

"…And *then* you can get rested and tell us what this was all about. And not a moment sooner." He smiled, watching the Kalevala approach them through the huge viewing dome of the Garden's bridge.

Carlie grinned. "Alright, I'll let you have it your way. I feel in debt to you all."

"What you did was very special Carlie." Liana commended. " We are all in your debt for the sacrifice you made."

Alex nodded, and quiet fell as he inspected his Twin Mithril. "Hmm, this seawater has really screwed my gunblade up." He noted.

"My pistols don't seem to healthy either." Liana added, clicking the triggers with a disturbing grinding noise. "They'll be better when they dry out, right?" she asked optimistically.

"No, the parts need to be individually cleaned." Tim verified. "We can stop by at the weapons shop in Esthar later."

"Not for my gunblade." Alex shook his head, then smiled. "Looks like I might be going back to Trabia after all. You see, there's only one person who can fix a Twin Mithril, and that's Deux…"