Quistis looked about the dimly lit room thoughtfully, a sleeping car on a Fedran bound train, the lights barely emitting a glow in the midst of the night, yet Quistis wasn't sleeping. She was tired, but anticipation had a way of keeping the mind awake despite its wishes. She thought about the past it had been five years ago, there adventure had started, A train much like this in fact, it had been simple then.
She cast her gaze across the compartment to Rinoa, a contented, peaceful look on her features; she didn't have any worries about meeting with everyone, well possibly everyone again. Even after all that had happened. Then again, Rinoa wasn't to be team leader on this mission, that honour had fallen to Quistis. She sighed quietly, her eyelids closing, not for sleep, but clarity, her mind casting back to early that day…
***
Quistis looked at the folder calmly. Uniform grey, she knew exactly what it would contain, a mission briefing, she didn't want to take it, she wanted to continuing instructing students, she didn't want to be in charge of a team again… even so she wasn't one to shirk her duties, she sat down her bed, opening the folder to look through it.
Mission Destination: Fedran
Once arriving make contact with the Freedom fighter movement, they have enlisted the aid of six SeeD, you are free to choose four others to accompany you, by request they wish, "A crack shot." recommendation Irvine Kinneas, details on attached sheet. The movement approached operative Zell Dincht; his presence in the team is mandatory.
If there is any reason why you are unable to comply, please report this fact, should you accept this mission, destroy all record of its orders. As usual, if you or any of your team are captured or killed, all knowledge of your actions will be denied.
Qustis had glanced to the attached sheet, she didn't need to, the information it carried she was already aware of, she knew it too well in fact.
Name: Dincht, Zell.
Team Designation: Mechanical engineer.
Weapon Specialisation: Martial arts.
Location: Sleeper agent in the town of Fedran.
- Cover: Custom Car mechanic.
Name: Kinneas, Irvine.
Team Designation: Sharpshooter
Weapon Specialisation: Shotgun, similar firearms.
Location: Timber.
Beside each résumé, a small picture of the man described, the spiky yellow haired, youth with a borad grin, and the calm detached hotshot, with a charming smile. Quistis knew them for more than that, she had grown up with them, considered them friends.
She moved towards the computer, every SeeD had one built into there room, she opened the lists of SeeD members and cycled through them to select her other three team members, she had all ready decided who she wanted, even if the choices were based on emotion rather than logical choice.
Name: Tilmitt, Selphie.
Team Designation: Pilot
Weapon Specialisation: Flail
Location: Timber.
Name: Heartilly, Rinoa.
Team Designation: Magical support.
Weapon Specialisation: Pinwheel
Location: Balamb Garden - Instructor.
Name: Leonhart, Squall.
Team Designation: Combat tactician, expert.
Weapon Specialisation: Gunblade.
Location: Unknown - freelance???
Ranked: Commander.
She sighed, as the team were alerted of their orders to travel to Fedran, it was possibly Squall wouldn't come, and that friction with the team would cause problems, but asking anyone else to accompany her mission seemed alien.
***
Zell paced about the Fedran station impatiently, his boots kicked at the ground beneath him as he waited for the trains to arrive. Waiting…. he hated waiting, he had been in a situation like this before… no forget that, thinking about that was not a good idea. He looked down to his boot, scuffed, that was all right; his dull orange overalls weren't a great fashion statement either.
They didn't match his hair, or his eyes, but they did mark his profession, or cover profession, Zid Lechtnl, your regular car fanatic, a know it all who opened his own custom garage, he smiled. The anagram of his name was terrible, even by his standards. Still know one in Fedran knew that, so what did it matter?
He turned as he heard the trains approached, and felt like punching the air, except, Zid wouldn't do that, and he had to watch out for things like that, even if he forgot them to much. Sleeper Agent did not suit Zell, not at all, he hadn't been paying attention until, he saw Selphie run at him. He barely had time to get his arms up before she had embraced him in a fierce hug.
"Hey, Sel, how's it been?" before she could answer Zell caught sight of Irvine walking calmly towards them, the Exeter slung over the back of his tan duster, cow boy hat tipped just perfectly to accentuate his eyes. It didn't take much to work out Irvine hadn't changed.
"It's better," Selphie murmured quietly, almost ghostly, she had changed, but Zell knew that and nodded with a slight smile, "It's better," she repeated as if to reassure herself rather than anyone else. Irvine wrapped his free arm about her shoulder, holding the sports bag that presumably contained their personal items.
"When are the others getting here?" Irvine asked cheerfully, his tone forced, his head barely moved to warn Zell about how much "better" things were, and that the subject was still a dangerous one to approach. Selphie looked towards the tracks as a second train rolled in.
"About now?" Zell hazarded. His gaze looking over the people as they stepped out from the carriages, there weren't many, and picky out Rinoa and Quistis had been easy, they wheeled there case over, Rinoa smiled at all of them.
"So we waiting for Squall?" Zell asked at the same time, as Selphie stepped forwards to Rinoa, "How's Ayisha?" she demanded.
"Ayisha is doing great," Rinoa replied with a genuine smile, "She's enjoying life, enjoying garden." Rinoa stopped as she heard Quistis reply.
"No, Squall… never replied, he might not be coming, we can afford to wait." They all fell silent; none of them wanted to catch each other's eyes, the uncomfortable pause continued until Zell stepped forward and hefted the second case.
"Alright then, I got are wheels parked at the back of the station, if we're going, we might as well get to it." he began to walk through the station, "You'll like this guys, she's a beauty, four wheel drive, off road jeep, suspension like you wouldn't believe…" Five years had matured Zell, he no longer obsessed over hot dogs, and food. Now, he obsessed over cars.
***
The ride had been torturous in its silence, not on of them had even tried for conversation, each lost in there own thoughts, Quistis had realised what a difference years could make to there friendship, still those five years had been hard, harder on some than others.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Zell spoke the first words of the journey, "We're nearly there guys," he murmured almost too quietly for the rest of them to hear, but the words had a startling affect on those within the vehicle, now given a definite objective the uneasiness seemed to disperse.
"Anything we should know about them?" Quistis ask, her voice calm, normal.
"Perhaps," Zell replied, but Quistis knew what he meant, that question should have been asked a lot sooner than near arrival, he hardly had the time now. "They seem pretty desperate to me, they want an Independent Fedran real bad. I'm not sure if they have the resource to pull it off though."
He began to slow down, for the first time Quistis noticed that at some point they had entered a woodland area, she hadn't been paying much attention to there direction or surroundings. Then her eyes went to a man, he had a bandana wrapped about his head, blue, green orange stripes, the only distinctive thing he wore, presumably to designate his faction.
He stepped slowly towards the jeep, a pistol held out in front of him, cautious of who they might be. "Step out the Car, now." He couldn't have been older than any of them, his crystal blue eyes held an insecurity to them, it worried Quistis, but then, that was why they had hired SeeD.
They all got out the Car slowly, the guy with the gun seemed to relax as he saw Zell, "Zid! Great, you've got the hired people, hey yeah, you guys can go through." That was it? no search, no check for weapons, he just assumed they wouldn't kill him because he knew one of them… this wasn't confidence inspiring.
Zell grinned, and then began to walk through the trees, the others Followed, with Irvine protesting that he had to carry both bags, but no one paid too much attention to this. Quistis was more concerned with where Zell was leading them, a hastily erected wooden building, it didn't look very secure, and there didn't seem to be any security measures.
Quistis sighed quietly, and stepped inside, the interior wasn't much better, no carpet to speak of, no equipment, just a map pulled over a table, a currently unused lamp hung from one of the support beams, that meant no electricity, which meant High-Tec equipment couldn't be used. Three people were whispering a conversation the two men seemed to be arguing, how they could manage that in hushed and still be as forceful as they seemed to be, Quistis didn't know.
The woman hooked a raven lock behind her ear and stood, walking towards them, amber eyes looked them each other in turn, judgingly then she turned to Zell, "We asked for six…"
Quistis opened her mouth to reply, Rinoa's words cut her off, "He'll be here!" The conviction in her words amazed Quistis, this was a man none of them had seen much in four and a half years, no one had seen him much in all that time.
The women nodded excepting this assurance and gestured towards the map, the two men were both standing now, leaving enough room for them all to look at the surrounding area. "I'm sure you are aware that we mean to liberate Fedran in the same way Timber has achieved. Unfortunately, a corps of Galiban soldiers have other ideas. Now the part you play is this, the man in charge of these soldiers, is receiving orders and equipment and so here."
She tapped the map, the region she indicated was a grassy plain, a few hills nothing startling, "We want you to kill the commander of the Galiban troops, that's your primary objective, secondly we want you to take what equipment you can since we lack many things, as I'm sure you can tell." Quistis' eye roamed over the map, considering the possibilities, she bit her lip thoughtfully, this was why they wanted Squall, even with all his problems, he was a combat expert.
Irvine pointed at one of the hills, "There," he remarked, "Is where you want me, from there I should be able to snipe this guy." Quistis nodded her agreement to that, then wondered how she could get Irvine out to that point without his being detected.
"We have Galiban uniforms," the women said quietly, "It shouldn't be hard to fit you with them." Zell clicked his fingers as if coming to a conclusion.
"I could drive Irvine there, if we're both disguised as soldiers it shouldn't be too hard. I have just the trick for a vehicle, a quick re-spray, little body work perfect for mocking one of there troop transports, she'll suit the part a dream…"
"Alright Zell," Quistis said swiftly, cutting off a tirade on the car in question.
"Why have you got a car that could look like a troop transport?" Rinoa whispered without thinking.
"Well you see, I saw it, and I just had to renovate it from the scrap heap, couldn't let a vehicle like that go to waste in a junk heap…"
"Thank you Zell." Quistis hissed with finality, Rinoa gave an apologetic smile and they turned back to the map, "After the shot is fired, Rinoa will provide cover for you escape, think you can do that?"
"Her?" One of the men almost exploded, "What's she gonna do? Wink at 'em?" Rinoa grinned, and winked. The women stamped on his foot, "Hush, there trained for this sort of thing, don't ask them questions and they won't ask us questions."
Quistis nodded and then looked back to the map, "Selphie, Rinoa and I will take advantage of that jeep out there as a second vehicle, I think a hasty retreat will be in order once the commander has been neutralised. I think everything's ready… remember to improvise if anything goes wrong."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hazel eyes regarded the figure afore him with a delightful enjoyment, he was the epitome of beauty, there was no mistake about that, his visage had been a shock at first, that was true, but he hadn't seen it for what it really was at first, such a disfiguration wasn't to be reviled but revelled.
"It is imperative you take the gunman down, you must remember." His voice, even his voice was improved, how wonderful the transformation would be, the soft sibilant tone had taken subtle undercurrent of delightful power, and intrigue.
"Of course I will," he replied, before taking another sip of red wine from the crystal class in his hand, "You are sure HE will be there? I would not like any mistakes in the transformation…"
"I remember correctly, but tomorrow is of little consequence on such events as that, I warned you only so as to ensure are safety, HE, may be able to stop us, if you are not careful."
"I am flawless."
"Achieve this," he stretched his frame, the blue pigmentation of his skin shimmered in the half-light, he purred. "Perfection."
He blinked, when his hazel eyes opened his companion was gone, it didn't matter, he knew what he needed to know, "Perfection," he repeated, with a cold smile.