"Mi-ca-laaaa," came Gideon's voice over the public address system. "If you don't find me, I'll come find you."
There were three places in the building where he might have been calling me from. The first was the most obvious-Squall's office on the third floor, otherwise known as the command center. The second, the control room, where Garden was piloted, and the third would be the Student Activity Center, which was in Selphie Kinneas' office. He might have been in any of those places, but finding him wasn't my first priority. The first and most important thing I had to do was stop Garden from moving, whether someone was piloting it or not. The last thing I wanted was for Garden to go careening off the edge of a cliff into the sea, or worse, to crash into Balamb proper.
Instead of taking the elevator up to meet Gabriel and Maia, I took the stairs just outside the parking garage because they were closer and there were fewer places to hide along the second floor corridor. Silently, I crept up them, taking care to watch above and also below, and every few seconds, I paused to listen. The only sound I heard was that of distant gunfire and of my own heartbeat.
I hoped the gunfire was coming from SeeD's rather than from the unidentified men on the roof. Who they were, I hadn't a clue, though I was certain they were connected with Gideon, but I didn't have the time to think about that. I would have to let Syla, Hiro and the rest of Garden handle them, so that I could focus on the real threat. I prayed that everyone was all right. In the insanity that followed the two explosions, I hadn't seen you, daddy, nor had I seen Julian, so I could only hope that neither of you were injured, or worse, dead.
At the top of the stairs, I listened at the door for any sound on the other side. There was none, so I pushed it open a fraction of an inch and peeked out. The hallway beyond was dark and deserted. I proceeded along the hallway, taking care to stick close to the wall as I padded silently through the corridor, and I thought about how to tackle the situation.
Hmm. Garden was on the move. There was complete mayhem in the ballroom, and a crazed lunatic loose somewhere inside Garden. Three tasks, three people.
Once I reached the elevator hallway, I'd decided on a course of action, though I knew my companions would not like my choices. Still, I didn't exactly have a battle plan prepared for this, and I was thinking on my feet, so it was pretty much all I had to go with. "Maia, Gabe," I said in a loud whisper as I approached.
"Thank Hyne you're all right," Gabriel whispered back. "We were just about to go look for you. What the hell is going on in there?"
"I don't know, but something tells me, it's going to look like the Massacre of Tear's Point pretty soon, so we'd better get moving."
"What do you want us to do?" Maia asked.
Who to assign to what task? "All right," I whispered. "Maia, you go see what's going on in the ball room, and assist if need be. I've already got Hiro and Sy on that, but they may need some help with the evacuation when Garden stops moving."
Maia did not like this at all and her jaw clenched. "You said I could . . ."
"Maia, don't argue! We don't have time to waste, so get going if you want to help," I breathed. "Meet me in the commander's office in twenty minutes if all is well, all right?"
"Fine," she muttered and stomped off towards the stairs. She was angry with me, but I couldn't worry about her right then. What I had to do was make the best decision possible for the situation, and given Maia's abilities, she would be more help to the Hiro and Syla Dincht than she would to Gabriel and I.
"Let me guess," Gabriel said dryly. "You want me to go to the control room while you go play hide and seek with Gideon."
I nodded and pressed the up button on the elevator. "You ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be, I guess."
I looked at him in the dim light, at his torn expression. He was so tense, he seemed ready to snap. "If you don't want to do this, now's your chance to change your mind," I said gently. "I'll understand if you don't."
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped in. Gabriel hesitated a moment, then stepped in behind me. "What kind of Knight would I be if I didn't protect my sorceress?"
"This is one situation I wouldn't hold against you, Gabe," I said and I threw my arms around him, kissing him passionately on the mouth. It was as if I was saying good-bye, for I didn't know if I'd ever see him again once the elevator doors opened and we went our separate ways. "I love you," I said as I looked into his eyes that tried to hide his fear.
I could see how difficult it must have been for him to go along with me. Maia, of course, had no problem with killing her own brother, given what had been done to her. But Gabriel, he only seemed to remember the good things, and maybe because they were two of a kind, bound together in a way no one but a pair of twins could understand, maybe because of this, it was twice as hard for him to agree with what we had to do. But he'd come along, and to me, that meant he understood that there was no other way.
"I love you too," he said in my ear as his arms clutched me.
When the doors opened, Gabriel stepped out first, prepared for an ambush. When he'd determined there was no threat, he stepped cautiously into the hall. He signaled that it was safe to exit and I followed, my blade drawn, ready to attack.
"Same as I told Maia. Command office, twenty minutes," I whispered.
"You'd better be there," he replied.
"You too," I whispered back and padded down the hall to the commander's office.
I doubted Gideon would be so stupid as to 'hide' in the most obvious place, but there's a saying I heard once that I have never failed to live by. Never underestimate your opponent, and this statement has always held true, regarding both intellect and stupidity. Often, operatives on a mission made the mistake of failing to check the most obvious place simply because it was too easy, and had been blind sided. Never would I fail to check the most obvious first. If my foe was hiding there, shame on him. If I neglected to investigate, shame on me.
Before the door of the commander's office, sat Aida's ghost, cross legged on the rug. She appeared to be sorting something. "This one is from a Mako. And this one is a Lemon. And this one is a Sand. Look Kalie, I got lots of shark teefs!" she cried as she held one up for me to look at.
"You shouldn't be here," I whispered to her.
"Kalie, can I play hide and seek too?"
"No."
"You'd better hide. You're not 'it' anymore. Giddie is looking for you." she said, and then her image faded before my eyes. I can't describe what I felt at seeing her. It hurt so much I wanted to cry. But for some reason, she'd appeared, and to help me. It was strange to think that my four year old sister had come to give me a warning, as innocent as she sounded, that's exactly what it was.
Inside the commander's office, no one lay in wait for me. I hadn't expected that he'd be there, so I wasn't surprised to find it empty. After a moment's hesitation, I went to the public address system and punched the button. Searching for Gideon inside Garden was like searching for a razor blade buried beneath a pile of rubble, and I thought perhaps I could get him to come to me instead of wasting precious time. "This is Micala Almasy. I'm not playing your game anymore. You know where I am, so come and get me."
At that moment, I felt the ground shudder as Garden came to a halt. Thank you, Gabriel. With one crisis out of the way, there was now the next to tackle. I sat down at the desk and thought carefully about my next move. If Gideon showed up, would I cut him down the second he crossed the threshold or would I bide my time and try to get answers?
Did I really want answers? Likely, anything he would say would be a lie, or total madness. Was it important to know why? It wouldn't bring anyone back to know, yet my curiosity ate at me. I had to know the reason almost as much as I had to kill him. Except that stalling him like that would give him a chance to come up with a plan to counter mine. I sighed and then sat up straight in my chair when I heard the door knob jiggle.
A silhouette appeared in the darkened door frame, and I could not tell if it was Gideon or Gabriel, so I kept my silence.
"You're no fun, you know that?" he asked. "All this could have been so much fun if you'd only played along."
Gideon. Still, I kept my silence, as I gripped my gunblade, ready to attack. In my chest, my heart pounded as if it might actually leap out of my chest.
"This would have been so much easier if you'd just followed the rules," he continued and took a step closer.
"Stay where you are," I barked. "Come a step closer and I'll cut your head off, I swear."
Gideon laughed. "I'm sure you were already planning to, so what does it matter if I do?"
"Why did you do this?" I breathed. "Your grandfather's dead because of you. Your own mother, my sister, my mother. All dead because of you. So tell me why, Gideon, why did you do this?"
"Because I want to," he answered. "You can add a few to that list of yours, by the way."
"Who?!" I asked, alarmed. "Damn it, tell me who!"
"Everyone," he murmured with a half smile. "They're all gone, Micala. Julian, Elle, Seifer, all dead. I made sure of that. And guess what? I killed the rest of my family too. Your Knight is dead, and my sister too."
Beneath me, my knees buckled. No.....no it couldn't be. They couldn't all be dead. It had to be a trick of some times. My face crumpled and I fought like hell to remain calm, but I couldn't.
I couldn't stop the sobs that started deep inside my chest, I couldn't stop the tears that flowed down my cheeks as I fell back into the chair. His words hit me hard, as if he'd kicked me in the stomach, and I let out an anguished scream. I cried out every curse word I could think of, as grief ravaged me.
I didn't want to live with out them, damn it. There was no point in fighting for what was already gone, and my blade slipped to the floor as I pressed my face into my hands and I didn't even try to squelch the tortured screams that ripped from my throat.
It was over, and I'd lost.
"So how does it feel to have everything taken away from you?" Gideon asked as he seized a handful of my hair and pulled me to my feet.
"Just end this," I whispered. "Please."
"Oh, not yet. I still have a few surprises for you."
I couldn't imagine what else there was. There was nothing left to hurt me with, nothing else he could say to me that would make it any worse. But I was wrong.
Dead wrong.
He dragged me by the hair to the window and I didn't resist. At hearing the news of my family's demise, all the fight had gone out of me. I didn't care what he did to me, I just wanted it to be over with. I knew he'd eventually kill me, but eventually didn't seem soon enough.
"Look," he demanded and shoved my head towards the window. Below, I could see the roof of the ruined ball room, tongues of fire licking up to the sky through the shattered ceiling. "Your friends and family are down there. Some of them died in the blast, but most of them were caught in the flames. Do you know what it feels like to burn alive? To feel your skin melting away in the intensity of the flames? I've heard it's a painful way to die, Micala."
I shuddered at the thought of those I loved dying this way. I could almost hear their screams as a mental picture engulfed my mind. I shook it off. "What do you want from me?" I asked as I noticed a gathering of people to the north.
"I thought you'd never ask," Gideon said and smiled at me with pride. "You are going to take the heat for all of this."
"Hah!"
"You'll be even more notorious a killer than your own father. Imagine the headlines, Micala!"
I had no idea what he was planning, but It didn't sound good. Whatever I was going to take the fall for must have been enormous, for I could imagine little that could top my father's reputation. "I'm not taking the blame for anything," I said slowly. "My family may be dead, but I'm not going down as a killer."
"It's a little late for that, Micala. Everything's already set up. All I have to do is push the button."
"What button?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"
He pulled from his pocket a small detonating device and gently fingered the red button in the center. "When I push it, the whole world is going to see fireworks. There are bombs planted in every major city, in every part of the world, and at the touch of a button, BOOM!" he said and added a laugh. "It's genius! And you know what the best part is, Micala?"
I didn't want to know the answer to that question, but I had to ask.
"The best part is that all three Gardens go up in smoke too! Isn't it beautiful?"
"No, it isn't," I said. "You're forgetting something. You're standing in the middle of Garden. If you detonate that, you die too."
"I have a special button for Balamb Garden," he said and revealed a second detonator. "This one is just for Balamb. I'm not so stupid as to get blown up by my own bomb, Micala. Give me some credit."
I felt sick. Really, really, terribly sick. If there had been anything in my stomach, I would have expelled it. He'd outsmarted me, once again. Not once had I beaten him at his own game, and now there was no chance of that happening. I had failed miserably, yet . . . I still wanted him dead, despite the fact that my family and friends were gone. I still wanted the satisfaction of seeing him bleed, and whatever self pity I'd allowed myself to feel vanished. I might not have anything left to live for, but I'd be damned if he was going to blow up half the world in my name.
Rage replaced my grief and I swung on him, my right hand balled into a fist. It connected with his nose, and he let go of my hair. "Fuck!" he swore and I took advantage of his surprise.
I scrambled for the desk to retrieve my gunblade. It lay upon the floor, and I picked it up, cocked the hammer back and prepared to strike him down, fueled by pure anger. But before I could make a move, Aida appeared before me again.
She skipped around the floor of the office, singing and twirling in her prettiest dress. "Liar liar, pants on fire," she sang and pointed to Gideon, "He's not telling the twuth, Kalie."
"About what?" I asked, not caring if Gideon heard me or not.
"Daddy's not dead," she said, and then resumed singing her childish song as she faded into the background.
Not dead. Not. Dead. Her words gave me hope. Hope that maybe Gideon had lied about the others as well, though you were the only one she mentioned daddy. Still, the thought of you still alive gave me so much hope, and it gave me a reason to fight back. Even if only one survived, it would be worth it to keep going, to see it through. And I wouldn't take the blame, I refused to be indicted on false charges.
I didn't allow myself to hope that Gabriel and Maia were all right,
to hope and not have it come true would have hurt too much to find out
they had died. It was enough to know that you were alive, daddy.
It was enough to know that I still had a piece of my family still with
me. "Thanks, Aida," I breathed, and focused my attention back on
Gideon.
Gideon must have noticed my distraction, though he probably didn't understand
what it was I was staring at, and it spooked him a little. He charged
me, leapt over the desk and tackled me. I fell into the massive book
case behind the desk, and I felt the back of my head strike one of the
shelves. The fall had knocked the wind from my lungs, and sent bright
spirals of pain through my head and neck. Despite this, I seized
a handful of his clothing with one hand and swung at him with the other.
"It'll be easier if you don't fight back," he said, and he pressed a white cloth over my face. Noxious fumes filled my nostrils, entered my lungs, and I began to feel dizzy. I grabbed at the cloth, yanked it, but could not free it from his grip, so I was forced to breathe in whatever solution he'd put on the rag. I decided then to use the gift Rinoa had given me. Magic.
"Go to sleep and this will all be over soon, Micala."
With one hand, I patterned out a 'firaga' spell, but before I could complete it, my arms grew weak, and the fell limply to the floor. My eyelids grew heavy and the blackness of unconsciousness engulfed me.
I thought, as I slipped into the black of sleep, Gideon's won. Hyne, how could you do this to me?
Help me, please dear Hyne, help me.
***Notes***
Sooo....the long awaited chapter finally arrives. This story is almost finished, dear readers. It may not end up as dismal as this chapter sounds, so don't think I'm completely evil. I let some of them live, but you'll have to read and find out who lived and who died, won't you? There are a few more chapters, and quite a bit more action coming up. I'm pleased with the ending, and I hope that you'll enjoy it too.
I doubt I'll do a sequel, but....I am already working on a 'prequel' of sorts, which I think is pretty good. It's called 'Take a Look At Me Now' and it begins two years after the events of FFVIII take place. I would like to write it so that it covers the years between FFVIII and the beginning of this story, but that's ambitious to say the least. Likely, it'll be pretty pedestrian compared to this, but I think I might be able to work in some interesting plot twists and action along with the romance. There's only one chapter posted for TALAMN, but if you're interested, please read and review.
Lestatsdarkrose.....please don't cry! Laguna was an old man. He lived a long and interesting life.....by the way, when are you going to update "Tainted Blood?" I can no longer review stories here, but I can still read them, and I want to read more of yours. I never found out if you killed off Quisty or not! Damn it! Update soon? Please?
Refugee.....turn pro? Maybe. And I could say the same about you. You're incredibly talented. If you could pull off a book of the same caliber as your writing here, I'd bet you could get it published. Looking forward to more of BOTH your stories by the way.
Babyrose....thank you! You've been such a faithful (and understanding) reader, and I appreciate that you've stuck with me....
Firestarter.....*L* There's no tape, so just use your imagination, hunh?
Wow...my notes are getting waaaaay too long....*L* I wish my review
button worked. *pouts*