Chapter 20 Rescued vs. Rescuer
"I've had enough!" Selphie's hand thumped down on the table top, making Zell's hotdogs jump. "Oy, easy there!" Zell grabbed his hotdogs and eyes Selphie mutinously. Other people in the cafeteria were also staring but was cut short by Irvine's stare. "Calm down, Seffie. You're not the only one stumped."
Selphie fumed harder. "I just wished I knew what the hell happened in Eshtar! Why in Hyne are the two so strange?!"
"They slept together?" Zell suggested tentatively. Selphie cried out loud. "Oh please! Ellone told me the two kept away from each other the night after they went to the dinner! Unless you're telling me telepathy - "
"Shhh." Irvine frowned. He was just as perplexed as Selphie, but there was nothing he would do. They knew better than to force anything out of the two icebergs once they made up their mind to stay shut. The thing is, they've been acting really strange. Quistis would start working before dawn and retire just as late. She seemed desperate to have something to do and nearly blasted Xu out of the office when the woman told her to take another vacation. "I'm gone a week and look what's on my desk!" She had screeched, gesturing to the mountain of papers. Indeed, Xu hadn't a clue as to distributing assignments - it was normally Quistis or Squall who did it. And Squall had taken himself to follow all cadet missions, monitoring them so closely that some cadets have reported nervous breakdowns. In plain words; when one is out, the other is in. That's what's driving Selphie so mad. Whenever she tries to find either one, she ends up on the PA System after several unsuccessful tries of finding them on foot. Quistis and Squall seem to be in ten places at once, but never in the same place together. Somehow they had managed to avoid getting on missions together (Squall can get away with anything).
"I tried to get Quistis to come lunch with me," Zell began, sighing. "But all she said was - "
".I have my lunch here, there's so much to do," Selphie mimicked, sighing too. "She said the same thing to me."
"Three weeks back and sliding downhill," Irvine mused. 'Something big must have happened. I don't think just any small rift can cause this."
"That's it." Selphie declared flatly. "I'm going to get her to tell me if it means locking her in detention room!"
"No good, she has a skeleton key of all the public access in Garden."
"Then I'll lock her in my room!" Selphie was on the warpath and nothing would deter her. "I - "
"She won't spill." Zell sighed. "You should know her. All she'd do is stamp her foot down and wait until news gets round - or she'll blast her way out. There's not much that can stop Quisty."
"What about Squall?"
It was Irvine's turn to laugh. "He's just Squall. He won't say a word. If you aggravate him enough he might give you a nice scar."
"Where is he anyway?" Selphie asked curiously. "I haven't seen him since morning."
"He went on a cadet mission, exterminating a nearby village of pests." Irvine shrugged, and them frowned. "He should be back, but - "
"Attention to Quistis!!! Return to the bridge immediately!!!" Xu suddenly yelled over the PA. Irvine winced, but something struck him as odd. Normally Xu would get steamed over her absence, but this time, there was obvious panic. A gut instinct told him something big is happening. "Why don't we go and see what's going on?" he got up, followed by Selphie and Zell.
Quistis arrived at the bridge and stopped dead. A cadet was talking to Xu, but the cadet looked horrible. Blood ran down his face, but he seems to be okay. Xu turned to Quistis, ashen and pale. "this is the Leader of Squad A, today's mission." Xu spoke rapidly. "Apparently they got attacked, and were prepared to fight, but the monsters were only aiming for Squall - " She couldn't finish because Quistis had gone at a running sprint. "Quistis!!!"
Seconds after she disappeared out, Irvine and the rest came in. "Yo, Zu, what's up with her?"
"Stop her!" Xu shrieked, jumping up and down. "She's going after Squall!!! Oh, oh," She ran up to the command bridge. The three heard her shouting to Nida, and they felt the Garden begin to move. "Where's the Ragnarok?" Irvine turned to Selphie. Before she could answer, they heard a familiar roar and the saw the Ragnarok speed away.
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Quistis piloted the Ragnarok, heart pounding. She had arranged the cadet mission, and she knew what Xu didn't say - they were supposed to exterminate Red Dragons. In a platoon, it should be easy, but when all of them focus on one individual only -
Squall jumped away and dived behind a tree, only to find the top branches fried to a crisp. Cursing madly, he wondered why didn't he bring his transmitter, and nearly grinned wryly at the answer in his mind. He was running out of Curaga spells, and Elixirs - He only hoped the cadets managed to arrive in time. He was shocked enough when he saw there were more than expected, but when they started to attack him alone, he knew something was wrong. Some of the cadets tried to help him, but were badly injured. Now it was him and a hundred ton of scaly hides and fiery breath.
"How long to the village?" Xu demanded, but Nida pursed his lips. 'It's a good ten miles, Xu. It would take me 30 minutes at least."
Quistis sighted the village - or rather she saw a tall column of smoke and several jets of Breath shoot into the sky. 'Auto-pilot," She clenched her teeth. She needed to find him, fast. Landing nearby would not be an option, since she didn't know if the dragons would smash the Ragnarok. Finally she set the Ragnarok to land on the nearest plain field, and she herself opened the hangar. With the wind whipping in her face, she scanned the mess below. It was just low enough to avoid hurt. "Float!" She cast and jumped off just as the Ragnarok swooped above.
She landed right in the circle of Red Dragons. For a moment they paused, confused at the new intruder, but then made up their mind. Quistis narrowly avoided Breath, and stared up at the gigantic dragon. It was then did she notice - the dragon looked strangely blank, and kept charging on at Quistis despite the numerous injuries. It was as if it had been programmed -
"Quistis!"
A figure knocked her over and out of the line of fire from a Dragon. She screamed as a sharp blade tore into her arm and looked into the face of a pained Squall. "Please keep it down. They can hear you loud enough."
She muttered a grumbled apology and scrambled after him as he lead her into the forest surrounding the village. "What happened?!"
"Beats me." He grunted and looked over head as they tore through the bushes. "Where's the Ragnarok?"
"Somewhere to the east," She hissed as the shadow of a Red Dragon flew overhead. "It was on autopilot. I didn't have much choice."
"They're not natural," He grit his teeth and then suddenly stumbled, bringing Quistis down with him. Without hesitation she pulled him into a thicket and clamped her hand over his mouth to stop him from crying out. At a glance she could tell he had sprained his ankle - not a normal occurrence, but this wasn't just any mission. "Here," She handed him a vial of Elixir. "We need to find a way to throw these things off our track."
"They can smell us." He said breathlessly, leaning against the tree that hid them. "Got any ideas?"
Quistis bit her lip. They can smell the blood on him, and now they've seen her, they'll track her too. "Take off your jacket." She said suddenly. "And that shirt."
"Now's not the time, Quistis," he said patiently as if humoring a child, but received a slap on the shoulder as she tugged his jacket off. "Shut up if you know what's good for you."
She grabbed the bundle and ran out of the bush. She only hoped this works. Throwing her arm back, she threw the jacket and shirt as high and as far as she could go, and almost smiled when she saw several jets of fire burn those things to a crisp. In a matter of seconds several dragons came colliding, each fighting to tear the bundle to pieces. She rushed back and made him stand up. "Just a little walk, come on."
They hobbled as fast as they could, because there was still a chance of the dragons smelling them. Her aim?
"Oh no." Squall started to say as they came within sight of the river. "Quistis."
"Shut up." She said and threw him in with some difficulty. The river ran eastward and hopefully, they'd get to the Ragnarok in one piece. She jumped in after him and grabbed him so he wouldn't drift too fast. The current took them all the way, and she desperately tried to keep her head above water, and Squall's. She scanned the surroundings flashing by and presently saw the gleaming hull of the Ragnarok. She had never been so pleased to see anything in her life. Grabbing some shrubs at the side, she managed to pull the both of them up and out of the water. Squall was shivering - whether in pain or cold she couldn't tell. "Don't give up now," She urged him and pulled him to his - er - foot.
Nida came to the site. "All SeeDs deployed!"
At least fifty SeeDs, including Irvine, Zell and Selphie jumped down and began killing the dragons, but Xu scanned the scene anxiously. "Where are they?"
"The Ragnarok is spotted some way off," Nida reported. "It's stationary."
"Let's hope nothing happened."
Quistis pulled him into the Lounge and looked around the room. There was nothing that could keep him warm. "I'll turn up the heaters, but you'll have to hang in there," She told him, and he only remained silent. She returned later with several vials of Elixirs, bandages and ointments which Squall was sure gonna hurt. "What's going on?"
"I saw the Garden on the radar," She said briskly, drying his wounds. The river had done the cleaning, but now that they were exposed, they looked rather gory. "They'll track us soon."
He laid back and let her dress his wounds. He wanted to say. but there was too much, and there was no beginning. So he kept quiet.
She finished and looked at the wound where Lion Heart had cut her. "I seem to be a gunblade attraction," She muttered. "Hyperion, and now you too.'
"Accident," He grunted. "if you weren't daydreaming - "
"If you didn't go with those cadets none of this - " She interrupted but he was getting angry too. "You drafted such a dangerous mission to cadets and expect me to sit still?!"
"They could handle it without your interference and you know that!" Her voice rose and she was practically shrieking. "Even if I gave them a mission of protecting Winhill you would've gone, wouldn't you? Anything to get away from me!" She drew a deep breath at the flash of truth in his eyes. "Well Commander, here's some good news - I quit! I'm tired of being a SeeD. You'll find my letter on your desk." She nodded. "If it wasn't because I had to come here, you won't see me again." She started to get up, but his next words stopped her dead.
"Then why did you come?"
Squall didn't look at her. "You could have just let the rest come and get me."
"Xu called me."
"That's no reason for you. If you wanted to quit you would have told Xu to find somebody else."
She looked at him for a moment, feeling that he had her trapped. But Quistis Trepe won't be a rabbit. "I'm still a SeeD. For the moment. Be grateful that you're still alive."
She left, leaving Squall. Minutes later Irvine, Selphie and Zell burst in through the hangar. "Squall?! Quistis?!" Selphie screamed.
Irvine burst into the Lounge and nearly laughed as he saw Squall, sitting motionless. "Damn you! We thought you'd died." He thumped Squall on the back as Selphie hugged him tearfully. Zell was looking sheepish. He was holding Lion Heart and Save the Queen. "Where's Quisty?" he left the Lounge.
"When we saw your jacket and gunblade we thought you were a gonner." Selphie was saying blubberingly. "And then we saw Quisty's whip."
"Where is she?' Zell stormed into the room again. "I can't find her in the Ragnarok!"
Silence as the three looked at Squall. He was still staring blankly at the opposite wall.
"She's gone."
Author's note: A rather difficult chapter, but I needed a base for the next plot!
"I've had enough!" Selphie's hand thumped down on the table top, making Zell's hotdogs jump. "Oy, easy there!" Zell grabbed his hotdogs and eyes Selphie mutinously. Other people in the cafeteria were also staring but was cut short by Irvine's stare. "Calm down, Seffie. You're not the only one stumped."
Selphie fumed harder. "I just wished I knew what the hell happened in Eshtar! Why in Hyne are the two so strange?!"
"They slept together?" Zell suggested tentatively. Selphie cried out loud. "Oh please! Ellone told me the two kept away from each other the night after they went to the dinner! Unless you're telling me telepathy - "
"Shhh." Irvine frowned. He was just as perplexed as Selphie, but there was nothing he would do. They knew better than to force anything out of the two icebergs once they made up their mind to stay shut. The thing is, they've been acting really strange. Quistis would start working before dawn and retire just as late. She seemed desperate to have something to do and nearly blasted Xu out of the office when the woman told her to take another vacation. "I'm gone a week and look what's on my desk!" She had screeched, gesturing to the mountain of papers. Indeed, Xu hadn't a clue as to distributing assignments - it was normally Quistis or Squall who did it. And Squall had taken himself to follow all cadet missions, monitoring them so closely that some cadets have reported nervous breakdowns. In plain words; when one is out, the other is in. That's what's driving Selphie so mad. Whenever she tries to find either one, she ends up on the PA System after several unsuccessful tries of finding them on foot. Quistis and Squall seem to be in ten places at once, but never in the same place together. Somehow they had managed to avoid getting on missions together (Squall can get away with anything).
"I tried to get Quistis to come lunch with me," Zell began, sighing. "But all she said was - "
".I have my lunch here, there's so much to do," Selphie mimicked, sighing too. "She said the same thing to me."
"Three weeks back and sliding downhill," Irvine mused. 'Something big must have happened. I don't think just any small rift can cause this."
"That's it." Selphie declared flatly. "I'm going to get her to tell me if it means locking her in detention room!"
"No good, she has a skeleton key of all the public access in Garden."
"Then I'll lock her in my room!" Selphie was on the warpath and nothing would deter her. "I - "
"She won't spill." Zell sighed. "You should know her. All she'd do is stamp her foot down and wait until news gets round - or she'll blast her way out. There's not much that can stop Quisty."
"What about Squall?"
It was Irvine's turn to laugh. "He's just Squall. He won't say a word. If you aggravate him enough he might give you a nice scar."
"Where is he anyway?" Selphie asked curiously. "I haven't seen him since morning."
"He went on a cadet mission, exterminating a nearby village of pests." Irvine shrugged, and them frowned. "He should be back, but - "
"Attention to Quistis!!! Return to the bridge immediately!!!" Xu suddenly yelled over the PA. Irvine winced, but something struck him as odd. Normally Xu would get steamed over her absence, but this time, there was obvious panic. A gut instinct told him something big is happening. "Why don't we go and see what's going on?" he got up, followed by Selphie and Zell.
Quistis arrived at the bridge and stopped dead. A cadet was talking to Xu, but the cadet looked horrible. Blood ran down his face, but he seems to be okay. Xu turned to Quistis, ashen and pale. "this is the Leader of Squad A, today's mission." Xu spoke rapidly. "Apparently they got attacked, and were prepared to fight, but the monsters were only aiming for Squall - " She couldn't finish because Quistis had gone at a running sprint. "Quistis!!!"
Seconds after she disappeared out, Irvine and the rest came in. "Yo, Zu, what's up with her?"
"Stop her!" Xu shrieked, jumping up and down. "She's going after Squall!!! Oh, oh," She ran up to the command bridge. The three heard her shouting to Nida, and they felt the Garden begin to move. "Where's the Ragnarok?" Irvine turned to Selphie. Before she could answer, they heard a familiar roar and the saw the Ragnarok speed away.
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Quistis piloted the Ragnarok, heart pounding. She had arranged the cadet mission, and she knew what Xu didn't say - they were supposed to exterminate Red Dragons. In a platoon, it should be easy, but when all of them focus on one individual only -
Squall jumped away and dived behind a tree, only to find the top branches fried to a crisp. Cursing madly, he wondered why didn't he bring his transmitter, and nearly grinned wryly at the answer in his mind. He was running out of Curaga spells, and Elixirs - He only hoped the cadets managed to arrive in time. He was shocked enough when he saw there were more than expected, but when they started to attack him alone, he knew something was wrong. Some of the cadets tried to help him, but were badly injured. Now it was him and a hundred ton of scaly hides and fiery breath.
"How long to the village?" Xu demanded, but Nida pursed his lips. 'It's a good ten miles, Xu. It would take me 30 minutes at least."
Quistis sighted the village - or rather she saw a tall column of smoke and several jets of Breath shoot into the sky. 'Auto-pilot," She clenched her teeth. She needed to find him, fast. Landing nearby would not be an option, since she didn't know if the dragons would smash the Ragnarok. Finally she set the Ragnarok to land on the nearest plain field, and she herself opened the hangar. With the wind whipping in her face, she scanned the mess below. It was just low enough to avoid hurt. "Float!" She cast and jumped off just as the Ragnarok swooped above.
She landed right in the circle of Red Dragons. For a moment they paused, confused at the new intruder, but then made up their mind. Quistis narrowly avoided Breath, and stared up at the gigantic dragon. It was then did she notice - the dragon looked strangely blank, and kept charging on at Quistis despite the numerous injuries. It was as if it had been programmed -
"Quistis!"
A figure knocked her over and out of the line of fire from a Dragon. She screamed as a sharp blade tore into her arm and looked into the face of a pained Squall. "Please keep it down. They can hear you loud enough."
She muttered a grumbled apology and scrambled after him as he lead her into the forest surrounding the village. "What happened?!"
"Beats me." He grunted and looked over head as they tore through the bushes. "Where's the Ragnarok?"
"Somewhere to the east," She hissed as the shadow of a Red Dragon flew overhead. "It was on autopilot. I didn't have much choice."
"They're not natural," He grit his teeth and then suddenly stumbled, bringing Quistis down with him. Without hesitation she pulled him into a thicket and clamped her hand over his mouth to stop him from crying out. At a glance she could tell he had sprained his ankle - not a normal occurrence, but this wasn't just any mission. "Here," She handed him a vial of Elixir. "We need to find a way to throw these things off our track."
"They can smell us." He said breathlessly, leaning against the tree that hid them. "Got any ideas?"
Quistis bit her lip. They can smell the blood on him, and now they've seen her, they'll track her too. "Take off your jacket." She said suddenly. "And that shirt."
"Now's not the time, Quistis," he said patiently as if humoring a child, but received a slap on the shoulder as she tugged his jacket off. "Shut up if you know what's good for you."
She grabbed the bundle and ran out of the bush. She only hoped this works. Throwing her arm back, she threw the jacket and shirt as high and as far as she could go, and almost smiled when she saw several jets of fire burn those things to a crisp. In a matter of seconds several dragons came colliding, each fighting to tear the bundle to pieces. She rushed back and made him stand up. "Just a little walk, come on."
They hobbled as fast as they could, because there was still a chance of the dragons smelling them. Her aim?
"Oh no." Squall started to say as they came within sight of the river. "Quistis."
"Shut up." She said and threw him in with some difficulty. The river ran eastward and hopefully, they'd get to the Ragnarok in one piece. She jumped in after him and grabbed him so he wouldn't drift too fast. The current took them all the way, and she desperately tried to keep her head above water, and Squall's. She scanned the surroundings flashing by and presently saw the gleaming hull of the Ragnarok. She had never been so pleased to see anything in her life. Grabbing some shrubs at the side, she managed to pull the both of them up and out of the water. Squall was shivering - whether in pain or cold she couldn't tell. "Don't give up now," She urged him and pulled him to his - er - foot.
Nida came to the site. "All SeeDs deployed!"
At least fifty SeeDs, including Irvine, Zell and Selphie jumped down and began killing the dragons, but Xu scanned the scene anxiously. "Where are they?"
"The Ragnarok is spotted some way off," Nida reported. "It's stationary."
"Let's hope nothing happened."
Quistis pulled him into the Lounge and looked around the room. There was nothing that could keep him warm. "I'll turn up the heaters, but you'll have to hang in there," She told him, and he only remained silent. She returned later with several vials of Elixirs, bandages and ointments which Squall was sure gonna hurt. "What's going on?"
"I saw the Garden on the radar," She said briskly, drying his wounds. The river had done the cleaning, but now that they were exposed, they looked rather gory. "They'll track us soon."
He laid back and let her dress his wounds. He wanted to say. but there was too much, and there was no beginning. So he kept quiet.
She finished and looked at the wound where Lion Heart had cut her. "I seem to be a gunblade attraction," She muttered. "Hyperion, and now you too.'
"Accident," He grunted. "if you weren't daydreaming - "
"If you didn't go with those cadets none of this - " She interrupted but he was getting angry too. "You drafted such a dangerous mission to cadets and expect me to sit still?!"
"They could handle it without your interference and you know that!" Her voice rose and she was practically shrieking. "Even if I gave them a mission of protecting Winhill you would've gone, wouldn't you? Anything to get away from me!" She drew a deep breath at the flash of truth in his eyes. "Well Commander, here's some good news - I quit! I'm tired of being a SeeD. You'll find my letter on your desk." She nodded. "If it wasn't because I had to come here, you won't see me again." She started to get up, but his next words stopped her dead.
"Then why did you come?"
Squall didn't look at her. "You could have just let the rest come and get me."
"Xu called me."
"That's no reason for you. If you wanted to quit you would have told Xu to find somebody else."
She looked at him for a moment, feeling that he had her trapped. But Quistis Trepe won't be a rabbit. "I'm still a SeeD. For the moment. Be grateful that you're still alive."
She left, leaving Squall. Minutes later Irvine, Selphie and Zell burst in through the hangar. "Squall?! Quistis?!" Selphie screamed.
Irvine burst into the Lounge and nearly laughed as he saw Squall, sitting motionless. "Damn you! We thought you'd died." He thumped Squall on the back as Selphie hugged him tearfully. Zell was looking sheepish. He was holding Lion Heart and Save the Queen. "Where's Quisty?" he left the Lounge.
"When we saw your jacket and gunblade we thought you were a gonner." Selphie was saying blubberingly. "And then we saw Quisty's whip."
"Where is she?' Zell stormed into the room again. "I can't find her in the Ragnarok!"
Silence as the three looked at Squall. He was still staring blankly at the opposite wall.
"She's gone."
Author's note: A rather difficult chapter, but I needed a base for the next plot!