BLACK RAIN
Chapter 8 – The meeting of the minds
"We need to find a room where we can have some privacy," said Squall, as he led the others down the corridor, looking for a room that was empty.
"Why Squall?" asked Selphie who dashed up alongside him"
"From what Irvine said in there, I'm pretty certain that both he and you have also been having strange visions. Am I right?"
"Yeah" Selphie answered "both of us had…"
"Held each others hands, to get a better 'picture' so to speak?" Squall asked, cutting off Selphie.
"Yeah." She said quietly, watching as Squall stopped at a door that was ajar. He opened it further, peered inside, and then opened it fully. He motioned for the others to come in, then closed the door behind them. He walked over to where the others stood.
"OK" he said, breathing out heavily. "You all heard the briefing in there. Also I just heard from Selphie here that both she and Irvine have also been having visions of a situation yet to take place. Also, after hearing the briefing, I can only say for certain that this mission and the visions are linked together, though why we're experiencing them, I still don't know. But I think I have an idea as to how."
"Um, Squall?" Rinoa asks, cutting in "Quistis told me about these dreams you all seem to have, but I haven't experienced anything like it before. Not yet anyway"
Squall looked at her seriously, along with surprise. "Honestly? No visions at all?"
Rinoa shook her head "None."
"Have you tried holding someone's hands?"
"No" she answers "Is that how it worked for you guys?"
"No, because we were seeing things by ourselves to begin with, before we joined hands." Quistis said. "You could say that the other person acted as a 'receiver' and vice-versa for the other person"
"That's why we're here," said Squall. "I figure… that if we all stand in a circle and join hands, maybe we will be able to see all of the 'dream': witness it in it's entirety. We seem to be experiencing these visions at different periods, and from our own viewpoints. I think if we do this, we might be able to put it together, so to speak."
No one spoke. All of them nodded their heads in agreement. Within a few minutes, they were standing in a circle.
"OK" said Zell "Let's go."
They linked hands at the same time.
They all saw their respective visions.
Selphie piloting the Ragnarok.
Irvine inside the Ragnarok.
Zell outside, witnessing the explosion.
Rinoa again saw nothing, but she wasn't the only one.
Quistis also, for some reason, saw nothing this time, only blackness
Squall, however, saw something. Something else.
(The joined vision – Squall's POV)
…The room is white. VERY white. A pure white. There seems to be nothing there, apart from three doors, in a triangle formation. In the middle there is a man, facing one of the doors, he is standing upright, his hands are behind his back, standing as if he is waiting for… something. Squall tries to study his features, but is suddenly pulled away, just as the man looks at him…
…The man moves his lips, as if speaking, but no sound comes out…
…Chance…second…if you choose…
…Suddenly he is inside the Lunatic Pandora. Dr Odine is there, fiddling with an instrument that is unknown to Squall. There is a machine nearby. It is about three feet tall, and with a helmet-style extension, as if it was designed to sit on someone's head…
…Bah…I wonder…receiving…images…if any?…
…There is a woman standing nearby, her back is to Squall…
…She turns around…
A spark with such ferocity rips through the group, flooring everyone apart from Quistis and Rinoa, who are still standing.
"What the…" Rinoa opens her eyes "are you all alright?"
"Damn!" Zell exclaims "that was SORE!"
The others give a thumbs-up.
"I still didn't see anything," says Rinoa. "But you guys certainly did. You were moving slightly, as if someone was trying to push you away, trying to separate you."
"I also didn't see anything, and I also felt it too." Quistis said, "did any of you see it?"
Irvine looked at her "Nothing? I though you saw a vision earlier."
Quistis turned to him. "I did, but this time I didn't"
"When was the last time you saw something?" he asked.
"Aboard the Ragnarok, before I picked you guys up."
"How? I saw my vision!" Zell said
"And me!" Selphie adds.
"Squall?" Irvine turns to him "what about you?"
Squall is staring at the floor. He looks up.
"I saw something… different."
They all stare at him, their eyes widen as he tells them what he saw.
"This seems to be getting worse," says Quistis "This man, the machine, the woman. Just what exactly are we up against?"
"We know the answer to the third one" answers Rinoa. "She is a sorceress, the man I don't know, but the machine, I hope it's not what I think it is."
"What?" asks Selphie "what do you think Rinoa?"
"That machine… could be the time machine Odine was talking about that time he gave us that briefing before we fought Adel. I don't know how I know, but something inside me is telling me that that machine is the time machine he 'bragged' about building."
"And what of the three doors?" Irvine asks out loud. "You sure you cant remember anything else Squall?"
"I'm sure" he answers sternly "It.. the vision, or the person, wouldn't let me see his face, but I know he was a man." He took to staring at the floor again.
…Second chance…
"So, what do you wanna do?" asks Zell, looking around the room.
"What can we do?" answers Quistis almost immediately. "It seems, by the look of things, that we will go there and do this mission regardless of what we do."
(Lunatic Pandora – Seifer Cell)
She was done with Seifer. Done 'preparing' him.
"Now you know" she says to him "I trust I can rely on you now."
Seifer is standing there, straight up, arms at his sides. His eyes are blank, and are staring straight ahead, staring into nowhere.
"Yes, my sorceress" he replies "it will be done. I will remove the knight, leaving you to access the others." He spoke without emotion.
"Good" she says her smile suddenly falls. "Do not fail me Seifer. Unfortunately I do not know the outcome of your battle, but I know I win in the end. The wheel of destiny has already decided. This will be a stroke of good news for you."
Seifer says and does nothing.
"But for now. Rest. Prepare. They will be here soon."
She smiles at him again, before closing the door behind her.
She walks quietly across the corridor, stopping only briefly to examine the machine that two of the Doctor's assistants are working on. She nods at them, then proceeds through to the vast room that was once Adel's chamber. She walks over to the machine standing in the middle, not caring for the doctor right now, who is busy fiddling with some piece of equipment. She stands there, studying the machine, which is about three feet tall. There is a strange, helmet-shaped device extending out from it. She picks this up, and examines it. She is not amused when Dr Odine reaches up and grabs it out of her hand.
"Beg your forgiveness, Mistress Luic, but zat iz not ready yet."
"Not long now, I suppose?" she asks the scientist.
"No, it iz almost complete, but ze configurations are still ze wrong way round. I vill fix it last." He picks up another device, and begins to fiddle around with it also.
"Bah…but I wonder, if anyone is still receiving images? According to this they are.. if any?" he checks the readout. "Bet they're freaked out" he sniggers.
"Images?" Luic asks him, a hint of alarm in her voice "To whom? Who is receiving?"
"I don't know, zat is what I'm working on" he says gruffly.
Fool, she thinks oh well, maybe I can find out for myself, maybe I find out… later. She closes her eyes. Her mind is just about to 'travel' when suddenly, she opens them. Something tells her to turn around, as there is something there. She turns around. There is nothing. Now there isn't.
I could have sworn I felt something she muses. Never mind. Everything is going as I have seen, no need to worry. The wheel of destiny cannot be changed.
(Esthar – Palace)
Squall and Rinoa are in a room by themselves, as everyone else has turned in for the night. Rinoa is seated at the end of the bed. Squall is sitting in a chair, hunched forward, staring at the carpet, and telling Rinoa about the visions he himself has been having, since they started that night on the balcony.
"So" she says after he is finished. "You and Seifer are fighting in the roof of Lunatic Pandora, though you don't know the outcome of the fight, or, more importantly, how you came to be there, on the roof in the first place."
"That's right" Squall replies But if what Quistis says is true, why bother thinking about it? It will happen eventually. The only thing that bothers me is the way Seifer looks."
"What do you mean?" She enquires/
"He didn't look… normal. Himself. Normally he has a 'cocky' way and look about him when he fights. But this was different. He looked psychotic, never mind cocky. He was fighting without mercy."
Rinoa looks at the floor, then at Squall. She is shocked to see a look of concern on his face. Almost worried. She jumped on this.
"You look worried. Is it bothering you this much?"
Squall looks straight at her and smiles. "Yes" he says in a dreamy fashion "So much, I don't know what to think anymore."
"How?" She asks further, dreading the answer.
"Because it feels that this battle may be the last one I take part in. And certainly between us."
This got Rinoa up. "Don't you say that!" she says, louder than she should have. "You get that thought out of your head right now!" she felt tears coming to her eyes. Why am I crying? She thinks, he's just saying that, he won't lose. She tries to hold the tears back, but she can't and the tears roll down her cheeks.
"I…I'm sorry Rinoa" Says Squall, immediately positioning himself from his chair to in front of her. He kneels down and takes her hands in his. "You… you're right. I'm just being stupid. I'm sorry." He hugs her.
"I'll be fine."
"No, I am sorry" she replies, no longer crying. She smiles, and kisses him.
Later that night, They are lying in bed. Rinoa was fast asleep, but Squall was not. He stares at the wall, all sorts of thoughts running through his head.
Get that though out of your head he thinks, recalling Rinoa's words, if only I could.
Rinoa moves and cuddles into Squall.
If only you knew Rinoa. If only you knew. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I was going to, but when I saw how upset you were, I changed my mind. I won't tell you now. It was about the ending of the fight. I don't know who wins, but then again, I don't think there is a winner.
He closes his eyes
That 'white light' I seen. It wasn't a spell, it was an explosion.
He falls asleep.
Rinoa opens her eyes.
Note: The way I am going with this, coupled with the way it is going to end, I'm making it into a two-part 'saga'. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and my apologies for the long delay to update. Remember – all CC and reviews welcome. Thank you.