Rach rewound the tape and replayed it over the screen on the transport. "So," he said. "Er... who's going to be writing the report?"

"Do we really want to write a report for this one?" Irvine asked, wincing as his breath stretched the cut across his chest. "It's not exactly one of our shining moments."

"It's SeeD protocol to complete a report for any mission," Squall growled at Irvine, face invisible behind the hand clamped to his forehead.

"Yeah, but isn't it SeeD protocol to complete missions successfully, too?" Rach said.

"Yeah," Selphie put in. "I mean, this mission was really weird."

"Traditionally the task of writing the report falls either to the junior SeeD or the commanding officer on the mission," Squall said. He thought about that for a moment. Me or Irvine.... "...I'll write the report."

"So, does this mean we just go back to Garden, or what?" Irvine asked. "Are we supposed to stay here and try to kill the girl anyway?"

"I think the task is beyond our ability," Squall said darkly. Now, that wasn't something you would want to hear from the group that killed Ultimecia.

"If we can find her again I could snipe her," Irvine said. "I'm sure that she can't outsmart a bullet."

"Irvine, your rifle was sliced in half," Squall pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Anyway," Squall continued. "Poji was kind of noncommittal. He didn't want us to stay, but he didn't really want us to leave, either."

"So...." Selphie started.

"We contact Garden for instruction," Squall said.

"You want to do that?" Rach asked, wincing.

Not really, Squall thought.

"Hell. I'm not," Irvine said, shaking his head. "I sure as hell don't want to try to explain this to Xu."

Squall felt a sudden pang of vindictiveness. They sent me out here with this circus, he thought, and they can suffer for it. "Selphie, you make the call."

"Er... me?" Selphie asked meekly.

"I have a headache."

"Um... okay...."

Selphie stood up and moved into the other room. Irvine and Rach exchanged glances.

"Uh, Squall, man?" Rach asked.

"Shut up."

"No, really, do you think--"

"Shut up."

"I think he wants you to shut up," Irvine pointed out.

"Man...."

There was silence for several minutes. The tape finished, and Rach rewound it again.

"Just a bit of clarification," Rach said, starting up the tape again.

"What?" Squall growled.

"This isn't the way your missions normally go, is it?"

Shut UP shut UP shut UP.... "Would you like a negative commendation on your record, SeeD Nives?"

"Oh, hey, that's hardly fair--"

"Be quiet."

Rach shut up.

"Uh, Squall?" came Selphie's voice from the next room.

"What?"

"I can't raise B-Garden," Selphie said. "It keeps giving me a message like the comm system is down."

Oh, to holy hell with it. "Let's just go."

"Okay!"

The ship shuddered and took off almost immediately, cutting across the water and away from the Estharan shore.

"ETA fifty-six hours," Selphie called.

I NEVER want to hear the phrase "fifty-six hours" again, Squall thought, hoping that he had left enough Sleep spells for the return trip.