[Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VIII, All Final Fantasy
characters belong to Square/Squaresoft.]
(Authors Notes: This story takes place exactly where the game cuts off, and this is going to be an extremely long fan fiction. At least that's what I have planned for it. I hope you enjoy, please review it, if you could, flames are welcome if they have a basis. Please enjoy!)
* - denotes shifts in perspective, location, etc.,
~ - denotes changing in time.
*
Chapter II: Close Encounter
Zell took in a sharp intake of air as he flew past several different cliffs. He looked ahead, noticed his first target, and quickly began to ready himself. "Three...two...one!" Zell leaped from his T_board as its power shut off, and fell down the cliffs, about twenty feet below them. He latched his arms around the missile, and pulled himself on top of it. The heat was excruciating. "Who cares, I've been through worse," Zell thought to himself, trying to focus his mind on the objective before him.
He opened the small panel on top of the projectile; swiftly studying it for a moment, he began to press a series of numbers and letters on the control terminal. It made a loud beeping noise, and he stood up, keeping his balance, jumping toward the next missile. "That was easy enough..." He murmured to himself in an almost inaudible voice. He was quickly brought back to the reality of the situation as he failed to clear the jump–he reached up instinctively, scrabbling for a grip on the projectile. He felt a soft metallic surface under his hands, and hurriedly tried to secure himself.
Zell pulled himself up, despite the strain in his arms and his feverishly pounding heart. He took a deep breath, almost choking as the air rushed into his lungs. A large explosion was heard somewhere behind him, and he openly let a smirk play across his lips. "Damn, I'm good!"
Shaking his head, he looked down at the panel. He tried to pull the latch off the top, and noticed it was jammed. "Oh, shit..."
*
"It looks like he's having trouble with the second one." Squall forced his worries from his mind and tried to concentrate on the situation at hand.
"Nida, get over here, and move the Garden out of range as fast as you can. I don't think Zell can take care of the second missile," Squall said grimly.
"Yes, right away!" Nida said, saluting, then quickly making his way up the ramp.
"What? What's wrong?!" Quistis questioned, stifling a sob.
"Seems like the panel latch is stuck," Squall explained. "If he doesn't neutralize the missile, it would be best if we were to take precautions to make sure the target doesn't find its mark." He ended, his voice trailing off at the end, lapsing into unspoken thought.
*
Zell quickly skimmed through his mind looking for different possibilities. The last remaining missile was quickly approaching the Garden, and he just happened to be on it. "Great..." he thought to himself. "From what I can tell, it looks like it's going to hit the near the control center." His mind began to light up with various different possibilities, but was soon cut short as he noticed he was around twenty meters away from the Garden. "Damn!" he shouted, his eyes opened wide, as his life flashed before his eyes.
Without knowing what he was doing–the adrenaline inside his body was rushing far too much by now–he stood up and leaped as far and high as he could. He landed on a cold smooth surface, apparently the section just above the Garden Festival area. "I should be out of the blast zone, but I need something to hold onto!" Thoughts were coming rapidly now. Try as he might, he couldn't move much at all, and the more he tried, the more his body cringed in pain. He looked up from his location, and noticed a window rail just above him. In a desperate attempt, he put all his energy toward trying to reach the rail.
There was a huge explosion under him, like nothing he had ever experienced before; the smooth metal was quickly beginning to heat up, and the Garden shook violently under him. Zell's body was tossed around like a doll, and suddenly he was thrown over the edge. He grabbed desperately at the rail, but it was gradually bending under his weight, and the strength of the tremors.
*
Squall groped for the railing that aligned along the side of the raised platform, as he tried to see through the thick darkness; the power had been cut off by the direct hit they had just received from the missile. The emergency lights began to activate, but it wasn't until five minutes later that they received the backup power for the emergency system. The Garden's backup lights were dim and did little to help see. Soon his eyes adjusted to the lighting, and he looked around the room that had once been the control center.
It was torn upside down. He couldn't see all of his friends' forms, but he was worried, specifically about Rinoa. "Rinoa..!" he thought desperately to himself, as he made his way down the ramp to the lower section of the room. He stumbled over someone, heard a groan of pain, and looked down to see Irvine's prone form.
"Irvine!? Help me get the others!" Squall shouted, apparently not caring about his emotional barriers at this moment.
"Yeah, help me get up," Irvine said with an uncharacteristic seriousness. Squall noticed that Irvine's left leg was trapped under a large piece of sheet metal.
"Right," he mumbled under his breath, bending down he and getting a firm grip on the object.
"One, two, three!" Squall pulled up as hard as he could, and Irvine swiftly removed his leg from beneath the metal.
They began to search through the room for the rest of the group, and soon discovered Quistis. She lay limp and unconscious on the ground, blood dripping from the right side of her head. Irvine carefully picked her up and put her over his shoulder, not skipping a beat as he continued to search through the mass of rubble that had once been the most decorated office in the whole Garden.
Soon after the discovery of Quistis, they spotted Selphie's frail form, and next beside her Rinoa, who was still half-cradled in Selphie's embrace. Squall quicky went over and picked her up, carrying her in front of him. Irvine picked up Selphie, and placed her over his other shoulder.
"Yeah, just leave me with all the hard work," Irvine said, obvious trying to lighten up the mood.
Squall shot Irvine a look that could kill.
"I was just joking, man." Irvine retreated back to his serious tone, not wishing to provoke Squall.
"Let's go find Zell," Squall began, "or at least his remains." Squall finished with a deathly serious tone.
"I'm right behind you."
*
Zell awoke with a start. He tried to sit up, but pain overwhelmed his body. When he breathed, he felt an uncomfortable pang in his chest, which he suspected to be a few broken ribs. Trying a second time, he managed to pull himself into an upright position. He clenched his teeth in pain as he examined his surroundings.
"I must've pulled myself up on the window railing," he murmured to himself, looking around. Quickly he turned his thoughts to the task at hand, and tried to stand up. He only made if halfway there before stumbling, falling to his knees, and collapsing face first against the metal as he lapsed into unconsciousness.
*
"Irvine, any sign of Zell?" Squall inquired.
"Not yet; still looking. I'm about to head up to the railings on top of Garden. There's not too many places left that he could be at." With that, Irvine walked off, climbing through the rubble to return to the control center.
"This isn't looking good," Squall remarked to himself as he watched Irvine go.
(Authors Notes: This story takes place exactly where the game cuts off, and this is going to be an extremely long fan fiction. At least that's what I have planned for it. I hope you enjoy, please review it, if you could, flames are welcome if they have a basis. Please enjoy!)
* - denotes shifts in perspective, location, etc.,
~ - denotes changing in time.
*
Chapter II: Close Encounter
Zell took in a sharp intake of air as he flew past several different cliffs. He looked ahead, noticed his first target, and quickly began to ready himself. "Three...two...one!" Zell leaped from his T_board as its power shut off, and fell down the cliffs, about twenty feet below them. He latched his arms around the missile, and pulled himself on top of it. The heat was excruciating. "Who cares, I've been through worse," Zell thought to himself, trying to focus his mind on the objective before him.
He opened the small panel on top of the projectile; swiftly studying it for a moment, he began to press a series of numbers and letters on the control terminal. It made a loud beeping noise, and he stood up, keeping his balance, jumping toward the next missile. "That was easy enough..." He murmured to himself in an almost inaudible voice. He was quickly brought back to the reality of the situation as he failed to clear the jump–he reached up instinctively, scrabbling for a grip on the projectile. He felt a soft metallic surface under his hands, and hurriedly tried to secure himself.
Zell pulled himself up, despite the strain in his arms and his feverishly pounding heart. He took a deep breath, almost choking as the air rushed into his lungs. A large explosion was heard somewhere behind him, and he openly let a smirk play across his lips. "Damn, I'm good!"
Shaking his head, he looked down at the panel. He tried to pull the latch off the top, and noticed it was jammed. "Oh, shit..."
*
"It looks like he's having trouble with the second one." Squall forced his worries from his mind and tried to concentrate on the situation at hand.
"Nida, get over here, and move the Garden out of range as fast as you can. I don't think Zell can take care of the second missile," Squall said grimly.
"Yes, right away!" Nida said, saluting, then quickly making his way up the ramp.
"What? What's wrong?!" Quistis questioned, stifling a sob.
"Seems like the panel latch is stuck," Squall explained. "If he doesn't neutralize the missile, it would be best if we were to take precautions to make sure the target doesn't find its mark." He ended, his voice trailing off at the end, lapsing into unspoken thought.
*
Zell quickly skimmed through his mind looking for different possibilities. The last remaining missile was quickly approaching the Garden, and he just happened to be on it. "Great..." he thought to himself. "From what I can tell, it looks like it's going to hit the near the control center." His mind began to light up with various different possibilities, but was soon cut short as he noticed he was around twenty meters away from the Garden. "Damn!" he shouted, his eyes opened wide, as his life flashed before his eyes.
Without knowing what he was doing–the adrenaline inside his body was rushing far too much by now–he stood up and leaped as far and high as he could. He landed on a cold smooth surface, apparently the section just above the Garden Festival area. "I should be out of the blast zone, but I need something to hold onto!" Thoughts were coming rapidly now. Try as he might, he couldn't move much at all, and the more he tried, the more his body cringed in pain. He looked up from his location, and noticed a window rail just above him. In a desperate attempt, he put all his energy toward trying to reach the rail.
There was a huge explosion under him, like nothing he had ever experienced before; the smooth metal was quickly beginning to heat up, and the Garden shook violently under him. Zell's body was tossed around like a doll, and suddenly he was thrown over the edge. He grabbed desperately at the rail, but it was gradually bending under his weight, and the strength of the tremors.
*
Squall groped for the railing that aligned along the side of the raised platform, as he tried to see through the thick darkness; the power had been cut off by the direct hit they had just received from the missile. The emergency lights began to activate, but it wasn't until five minutes later that they received the backup power for the emergency system. The Garden's backup lights were dim and did little to help see. Soon his eyes adjusted to the lighting, and he looked around the room that had once been the control center.
It was torn upside down. He couldn't see all of his friends' forms, but he was worried, specifically about Rinoa. "Rinoa..!" he thought desperately to himself, as he made his way down the ramp to the lower section of the room. He stumbled over someone, heard a groan of pain, and looked down to see Irvine's prone form.
"Irvine!? Help me get the others!" Squall shouted, apparently not caring about his emotional barriers at this moment.
"Yeah, help me get up," Irvine said with an uncharacteristic seriousness. Squall noticed that Irvine's left leg was trapped under a large piece of sheet metal.
"Right," he mumbled under his breath, bending down he and getting a firm grip on the object.
"One, two, three!" Squall pulled up as hard as he could, and Irvine swiftly removed his leg from beneath the metal.
They began to search through the room for the rest of the group, and soon discovered Quistis. She lay limp and unconscious on the ground, blood dripping from the right side of her head. Irvine carefully picked her up and put her over his shoulder, not skipping a beat as he continued to search through the mass of rubble that had once been the most decorated office in the whole Garden.
Soon after the discovery of Quistis, they spotted Selphie's frail form, and next beside her Rinoa, who was still half-cradled in Selphie's embrace. Squall quicky went over and picked her up, carrying her in front of him. Irvine picked up Selphie, and placed her over his other shoulder.
"Yeah, just leave me with all the hard work," Irvine said, obvious trying to lighten up the mood.
Squall shot Irvine a look that could kill.
"I was just joking, man." Irvine retreated back to his serious tone, not wishing to provoke Squall.
"Let's go find Zell," Squall began, "or at least his remains." Squall finished with a deathly serious tone.
"I'm right behind you."
*
Zell awoke with a start. He tried to sit up, but pain overwhelmed his body. When he breathed, he felt an uncomfortable pang in his chest, which he suspected to be a few broken ribs. Trying a second time, he managed to pull himself into an upright position. He clenched his teeth in pain as he examined his surroundings.
"I must've pulled myself up on the window railing," he murmured to himself, looking around. Quickly he turned his thoughts to the task at hand, and tried to stand up. He only made if halfway there before stumbling, falling to his knees, and collapsing face first against the metal as he lapsed into unconsciousness.
*
"Irvine, any sign of Zell?" Squall inquired.
"Not yet; still looking. I'm about to head up to the railings on top of Garden. There's not too many places left that he could be at." With that, Irvine walked off, climbing through the rubble to return to the control center.
"This isn't looking good," Squall remarked to himself as he watched Irvine go.