Chapter II: Biological Weapon in Ultimate Form
He had never come to love his Guardians. . . and it was due to the fact that most of them still couldn't stand him.
He never wondered why. . .
Figured it was their nature.
Oh sure- he'd junction whatever power Squall decided was best and had no qualms about it. But he'd never been able to blend with them the way the others could and never harnessed any of their powers properly.
He'd be the first one to admit that he was wary of them- he'd always been uncomfortable with the idea. And, yes- he did resent the fact that they'd consumed his family's memories. But that was part of the Guardian-Use- Fine- print, wasn't it? They still continued to have relationships with the a temporal forces despite the side effects.
The guardians were paid in thought and memory- in stories. How this could possibly sate the appetite of an intransient being was beyond his comprehension. Perhaps it was BECAUSE they were intransient and a temporal that they needed the memories- as if the ability to absorb the memories made them more human. . .more mortal.
Or something like that.
Irvine sighed and shifted in his seat. Then, after letting loose an obnoxious yawn, he stretched and put his feet on the control panel. He flicked a switch to his right and sank deep in the captain's seat.
"Do you want me to take over?"
He turned his attention to his co-pilot and shook his head. "Naw, don't worry 'bout it Quisty-girl- It's just water from here on in. 'Radar says we'll be at the facility in about fifteen. Just figured I'd kick back for a few minutes. Auto-pilot's a wonderful thing. . ."
"You're so lazy sometimes. . ."She wagged her finger. " But, I'll be the first to admit that it's both tedious and hypnotic flying over this much ocean. It's hard to handle- especially with all this buzzing. . ."
Irvine raised one arched eyebrow. She frowned.
"Bahamut's buzzing in my head."
"Good buzzing or bad buzzing?"
". . .It's a little hard to distinguish with him."
"Well. . .sometimes when he buzzes it's low and scary like this. . ."Irvine let out a nasal growl reminiscent of a steamer whistle. Quistis giggled and rolled her eyes. Pleased with the reaction he'd garnered from his audience, the sharpshooter continued with his demonstration. "But, at other times, when he starts-a-buzzin', it's all high and whiny- like so. . ." He burst into a strident, high pitched whine. Quistis slapped him upside his laughing head.
"You sound just like him, too. . .like a child screaming upon waking from a nightmare."
Quisty was always good at analyzing things.
"Yeah, he used to whine a lot in my head. . .he doesn't like me all that much. . ." Irvine scoffed and shrugged. Quistis missed the wistful undertone.
"How did he usually buzz in your head?"
"Uh. . .the high one usually. But he would buzz real low and loud if I said something stupid. . ."
"Huh. . .and you said he used the other one more frequently? He must've been constantly making noise. . ."Quistis quipped. Irvine took it with a good-natured grin.
"Yeah, actually he did. I told you- he don't like me."
"Well. . .I don't know how you dealt with it- the sound's infuriating. I think I'm going to let him off junction for awhile."
Quistis closed her eyes and Irvine watched her go through the strain and fatigue of unjunctioning the powerful guardian. Her childhood friend could read her perfectly, and caught her the moment her power was diminished.
She adjusted quickly and compensated by junctioning Diablos, with whom she had a less than stellar relationship. Shivering, she thanked Irvine and rubbed her arms.
"It's hard adjusting to that. . .Bahamut's so loving. Diablos is just. . ."
"Evil incarnate? The anti-Hyne? Devil spawn?" Irvine offered nonchalantly. Quistis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Diablos doesn't like me much either. . ."
"Oh Irvine- stop being so bloody melodramatic. I don't know how you can tell whether they like you or not. Hyne, you're so paranoid. . ." Quistis huffed and slowly rose to her feet.
He didn't answer. She'd never understand. They all loved her.
There was a bar of rest in their rhythmic exchange.
"Hey, Quisty- thanks for being my sponsor." Irvine murmured sincerely with a shy smile. She turned her pacific eyes on him and nodded- if he hadn't known better he would've sworn there was a little pain in that gaze.
"I promised you over a year ago that I would- that you'd become a SeeD. Nothing would make me renege on that. I. . .owe you that."
"Still. . .thanks, girl."
The tension was nearly tangible as it passed from cerulean to violet eyes and back again. There was too much hurt and far too many memories. . .so both parties were more than relieved when Squall decided to enter at that exact moment.
". . .Kinneas, get your feet off the pilot dashboard."
"Yes sir, commander sir." Irvine pulled off a lazy salute and rose to his feet. Quistis stood stiffly beside him.
"We'll arrive at the deep-sea research centre in three minutes and twenty nine seconds, commander."
Squall rose one naturally groomed eyebrow at Quistis but said nothing. Irvine snickered but maintained his blasé façade.
"Old habits die hard, eh Quisty-girl?" He muttered just audibly.
After Squall had moved past them to stare out the cockpit window, the blonde instructor jabbed the unsuspecting cadet in the gut and casually moved to stand with her commanding officer.
"I unjunctioned Bahamut." She announced. "You probably won't agree with the decision, but he seemed to be really affected by the setting and it was, in turn, affecting me. I. . .wouldn't've been able to fight with my full capabilities if I'd kept him screaming in my brain. I hope this is acceptable. . ."Quistis trailed off. Squall nodded.
"That's fine- it happens. Have you compensated for alteration?"
"Of course." Quistis responded, relieved.
"Then there's no problem"
Squall turned around and met Irvine at the control panel. Reaching into his jacket , he withdrew a small leather pouch from one of the garment's many secret compartments. He dropped it Irvine's unsuspecting hand. The Gunslinger was first perplexed, but his expression slowly turned to one of astonishment.
"Is it.. .what I. .Hyne. . .where'd you get them?" Irvine asked in a reverent tone. Quistis noted Squall's face as it was momentarily masked with his 'whatever' expression. But the cold persona melted slightly.
"I asked Ifrit to refine some before we left. Just in case. . .you do remember what we encountered last time we were here, don't you?"
"I hate ruby dragons."
Both Irvine and Quistis announced the fact simultaneously. They exchanged a guilty look and all three chuckled- even Squall. . .slightly.
Taking a quick glance out the tinted window, Squall motioned to the lever on Irvine's right side.
"We're here. Set the ship down- I'll meet you in the hangar."
He left- walking with the ever-present purpose that had latched itself onto his dutiful psyche.
"Hey, Squally-boy- Thanks for the present!"
Squall stopped, tensed up, then escaped the room. Irvine chuckled.
"Whatta guy. Well, Quisty-girl- take a look at all this sexy pulse ammo." He opened the pouch and took a whiff, grinning. "Oh yeah. That's the stuff. Just gets me goin' every time. . ."
"Guns and women. . .in that order." Quistis teased. He replaced the bullets in his famous gun and unlatched the safety mechanism.
"Well . .I've gotta admit that fair ladies such as Seffie and Rin and, of course, yourself, often make me forget my priorities."
Winking, he sauntered off in search of Squall and adventure.
She paused a moment before joining Squall and Irvine.
Squall and Irvine. . .they were probably the two men who'd impacted her life the most.
One had always been unwilling to do so.
And the other. . .had been far too willing.
And that was fucking dangerous.
Quistis didn't allow herself to watch Irvine leave the room- she found herself doing it far too often these days.
She had been doing it unconsciously since Ellone had helped her retrieve those precious summer memories. Now she was conscious of it- of the way she stared at him when he was distracted or heavily engaged in a conversation or jest. She tried to force herself to at least appear disinterested- especially since Selphie was always there.
Always.
They were attached at the hip in the most precious, sickening way.
Not that she was upset by that- she loved them both. They were part of her family. They were two of her best friends and she desperately wanted to wish them well.
But she couldn't. At least not yet.
She couldn't stop herself. She watched him leave.
The flood of memories that came from seeing him in a cadet uniform threatened to drown her. Sure, this uniform was Black and gold instead of navy and grey, but it didn't matter a bit to the part of her brain that triggered the associations. He looked different, of course- they all did. Older, wiser, sadder- they'd lived and died through too much to continue through life unscathed. After a year, Irvine had aged tremendously- he had both stress-wrinkles and laugh lines at the tender age of seventeen. He'd matured too- he was more grounded than he had been. He'd even physically matured since she'd last seen him. Quistis couldn't help but chuckle at that. Only three days ago Irvine had announced to the world that he'd grown an inch and a half since leaving Galbadia. He meant it as a compliment to the Balamb country and it's clean air, but the silly remark had turned into a fiasco when Rinoa started to remind Squall that 'he was beautiful to her, no matter how petite he was.'
It was funny. And they hadn't even mentioned poor, little, stunted Zell.
Her laughter came out in a sigh.
It was hard now and not right.
He'd had ten months to come to grips with it. . .
But what hurt more was the fact that he had accepted it.
She regained her composure and, leaving her worries with the Ragnarok, proceeded to the hangar.
"So, like, Xu said that the GF was IN the deep sea research centre? So it was there when we got Bahamut?"
"Apparently." Squall answered Irvine's question with one of his famous one word replies. Irvine seemed to accept the answer since he spoke no more of it.
Quistis was oddly calm as they traipsed up the hill to the mouth of the abandoned facility. But Irvine didn't think it his place to comment on it.
Squall stopped just before the doorway.
"Alright Irvine- your test will begin when we enter the laboratory. Since we haven't any information in the files pertaining to this location, this will not be a timed exam. However, Quistis will be grading you on your abilities throughout the exercise. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: Weapon proficiency, magic proficiency, problem-solving, guardian usage, resourcefulness, personal strategy, and your ability to function within the group strategy. Do you have any questions?"
'Um. . .gulp? Hyne, Squall. . .easy does it with the stone-face. . .'
"Uh. . .no, sir."
"Let's proceed then."
The centre was just as murky and sinister as it had been two and a half months earlier. Demons and dragons and other evils prowled about the compound, using the darkness as a shadowy shroud. It had changed, though.
"Something's. . .different." Quistis murmured. Squall nodded.
"Bahamut's light pillar's gone." He spoke quietly. The bladesman squinted in the darkness. Irvine took the moment to glance around as well.
"And some big trunk-like-thing ripped through the floor over there." He pointed ahead. His partners followed his finger.
"Are you sure it wasn't like that before?" Asked Squall suspiciously.
"Yeah, believe me, it wasn't like that. That's exactly where the pillar was located."
"Then let's check it out." Quistis murmured, cracking her whip in warning at an approaching shadow.
"Did you ask Diablos to. . .?" Irvine started.
"Of course I did." Quistis interrupted. Snapped, more like it. Squall raised an eyebrow. Quistis sighed. "Diablos is sending out his warning pulsation, so none of the monsters will attack us. It was good of you to remember, cadet." She smiled a pathetic 'sorry'.
"I apologize for not having enough faith in your memory, Instructor Trepe."
Quistis' eyes widened, then hardened, and she pushed past the two men to view the gash in the wall.
'Oh shit. I didn't mean. . .' He'd meant it sincerely, totally unaware of the potential connotations and insinuations. Squall threw him a pointed frown.
"I'm not sure what's going on, but you both need to get over it. It could get us killed in a place like this."
They joined Quistis at the hole.
"It appears the facility has an underground component. When we broke Bahamut's Sealing device, the floor underneath- brittle and unstable from age- must've given way. This subterranean plant may've put pressure on the ground as well."
"Well, at least we won't have to take the stairs." Irvine joked.
"I'm not sure if this is stable, though." Quistis pointed out, ignoring Irvine's attempt to lighten the situation. But she did address him.
"What do you think, cadet?"
Damn. He'd forgotten that he was on trail. Scratching his head, he fell into his old patterns, conditioned from years of intense training.
No matter how much it had changed, Irvine Kinneas was NOT going back to Galbadia Garden.
"Well-we've been up here before." He motioned to the aboveground centre. "So we, like, know there's no guardian up here. Also, our guardians would be buzzing around in our brains like lil' neurological flies- and mine aren't. So. . .I'm pretty sure we're gonna have to go down there. Now- I think this thing is sturdy enough for us to climb down, but we should have some float spells readied just in case." He paused to gauge his superior's reactions. Quistis accepted it with a small smile and Squall nodded decisively. "I'd offer ta go down first, but I think havin' Instructor Trepe lead the way would be our best bet, since she's the lightest and has Diablos Junctioned. Commander, you can go next and I'll bring up the rear. It's most likely that, bein' the heaviest an' all, I'll fall, so be ready to throw yourselves underneath ta cushion me."
He chuckled and was rewarded with one of Squall's faint smiles and Quistis' infectious giggles.
Squall and Irvine held the vine still as Quistis shimmied down the trunk-pole. It was thick and compliant, so the safety issue was stricken from her mind. As she descended, the space around her grew brighter until ,finally, she found herself in an illuminated room. Sliding down the rest of the way, Quistis leapt from the pole, took up a stance with her whip brandished, and surveyed the scene.
The research centre was a symbol of dystopic decay. Ceiling high machinery lit the massive compound with a pale blue luminosity and steam gushed from various jets along the elaborate piping system. Pillars and various underground flora kept the ceiling from crumbling. On the whole, this subterranean level looked like a undersea technology graveyard. . .without the water and fish.
"Imagine. . all of this technology lying wasted for so many years." Squall came up behind her.
"I wonder what they were researching . . ."Quistis trailed off, searching the location for any clues.
"It was primarily during and after the war, wasn't it?" Irvine asked, hopping off the vine rope. "Probably some project designed to help with offence, or maybe it was a secret sealing project or something. . ."
"Biological weapon, I'd say."
Quistis and Irvine both turned to stare at their fearless leader who's flinty expression remained stagnant. "The fact that these vines have continued to grow in these harsh conditions is a clue- the researchers may have tested on the plant life before beginning their main project. But more pertinent is the fact that the lab was constructed in a totally anonymous area, even though the cost of undertaking such a venture would be phenomenal. Citizens can handle technology and weapons- but when humans start to meddle and pervert life people suddenly start to have morals and rebel against technology. It's only a speculation, though. We don't have any records to prove anything." Squall withdrew Lion Heart and began to search the area.
"Pretty educated guess. Figure he knows something he's not sharing?" Irvine asked. Quistis chewed on her lip.
"I'm not sure. You're better at reading him than I am." She glanced around. "I wonder what's keeping those few lights on. They're faint, but. . ."
"They must have a pretty efficient generator, or some scientist's kid is going to inherit a pretty heft hydraulics bill. There's something up with those steam pipes too- though, they might simply be pressurized by a systematic manipulation of the seawater." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Quistis stared at him. He blushed. "Hey, I can be smart sometimes, y'know? Galbadia Garden used some of the same principles and Mama Red used ta take me down into the bowels of that place and she'd show me. . ."
"Come here."
Squall saved Quistis from Irvine's nostalgic digression with a sharp call.
"Access to the lower levels is trigged by a reserve steam pressure system. A certain amount of pressure is needed to release each of the doors." The SeeD commander pointed to the only visible door on the entire level.
"Because of that control system, this place has been able to survive without collapsing. Based on a pressure balancing principle, right?" Quistis asked. Squall nodded. "So how much RSP are we allotted?"
"These directions say twenty units. And, unless this is a security feature as well, it should suffice."
"Well. ..we'll just have to make sure we're real efficient with our RSP units." Irvine announced. "Which, I guess, means that we don't open any unnecessary doors and the like." He knocked on the door lightly. "But, since we don't really know where we're going, that might be kinda tricky."
"If we do waste our RSP we can come back to this location to neutralize the pressure system." Squall joined Irvine at the door. Quistis followed hesitantly.
"He's right, though- this place is significantly larger than we anticipated." Quistis bit her lip. "I'm wondering if we should come back later, Squall. I. . .don't have a great feeling about any of this."
And that was the watered down truth.
"Maybe if we had a map or a guide, but. . ."
"Hey! We might!" Irvine announced with a finger snap. "Quisty, what about Bahamut? Do you think he'd know? I mean- it wouldn't hurt to try, would it? I'm not saying that you should fully junction him or anything- just pull him into your consciousness to ask him then pull him back out." The Galbadian turned to Squall. "It's an idea, right?"
"Quistis, if you can handle it, I think it might be a worthwhile idea." Squall offered. Quistis frowned.
"I. . .I'll ask him. I'll try. I can't promise he'll reply. But. . ." She trailed off lamely and looked to the ground. "I'll try."
She quieted her mind and pictured Bahamut's essence. It was nothing like the Guardian's physical manifestation- the towering dragon god who was so full of righteousness and arrogance. No, a glimpse of a GF's essence was a present that a guardian bestowed on it's host mind. It was, truly, the greatest gift one could receive from such powerful creatures. The entire orphanage group-plus Rinoa-had seen Bahamut's beautiful essence. The Guardian King, the other entities had entitled it and paid homage to it. Unlike the fierce physical manifestation, Bahamut was generally gentle and supportive.
Though he did have a violent wail.
Quistis clutched her head in pain as Bahamut entered her consciousness. The previous experiences she'd had with the cry were now magnified and intensified ten fold. There was a sorrow and terror in the wail.
'Bahamut?' She was trembling. He was so afraid- so sad and terrified.
'Quistis-blue lady-. . .do not. . .' His reply was soft and weak. . .unlike his regular, complacent voice.
'Do you sense another guardian? Can you tell me where it is?'
'Lady. . .you mustn't. . .'
'I mustn't what?. . .'
'Do not go to her. . .do not. . .'
Bahamut broke out in a fearful wail. Quistis found herself trapped in the sound, and a mirroring scream ripped through her body and burst from her mouth.
Squall lunged forward and caught Quistis' shuddering body as she collapsed to the floor- still awake, but hardly conscious.
'God damn Guardians. . .' Irvine cussed bitterly and blamed himself for suggesting the plan.
He was beginning to understand what Quistis had said earlier. He was starting to get a bad feeling about it all too.
And his instincts were never wrong.
Well. . .once in awhile. But not usually.
He closed his eyes and sensed the air a little- trying to block out Quistis' whimpering scream.
Brothers and Leviathan were unusually placid in his own mind- he wondered about that. Sacred and Minotaur suffered from a form of GF ADHD, and he often suffered from migraines that were due to their constant bickering. Even their essences were annoying.
But they'd been silenced. . .somehow.
And. . .in amongst all the peace. .. he could almost swear he heard a voice.
'Venite.'
Was there a whisper? A hiss? Irvine looked to Squall, who was busy with his own awkward attempts to calm Quistis. It really was more Irvine's department. But. . .the voice . . .
Was it just the airstream? Was it the pressure of the compound or the hiss of the steam?
Irvine breathed in deeply.
And then he heard it.
"Ruby Dragon!" He hollered, as the death-beast emerged from the shadows.
A strain of muttered curses spewed from Squall's mouth as he traded Quistis for his gunblade.
"Unjunction Bahamut now."
His directions were always so simple.
Irvine flicked the safety switch and began the deadly dance.
Cock. Shoot. Imbed.
It was always a sexual experience with Exeter.
Before he knew it Squall was at his side with a blood-thirsty Lionheart in his hand. The dull blue light hit the gunblade just right and burst into a cold fire, licking it's way up the blade. The commander moved with deadly clarity- each move was perfectly machinated and inhumanly efficient. Irvine loved watching Lionheart in action- in it's master's hands the blade was both a weapon and a well-tuned violin.
Squall Leonhart was a god-damned virtuoso.
Quistis found her way to the fray just as Squall sliced and shot. A blood-curdling scream reverberated through the chamber. Incensed, the mighty wyrm lashed out with it's poisoned tail, in hopes of snagging a victim.
But these three heroes functioned as clockwork- each knowing how the other would move and react to the attack.
The ruby dragon roared it's frustration.
"Irvine, cast aura on. . ."
"There's no need."
Squall met Quistis' eye and nodded. Stretching her lean body, she held her hand out before her and fell into a berserker trance. The ancient Centran words fell from her lips like a sonnet spoken in her native tongue.
"Degenerator." She finished the spell- the air crackled around them.
Irvine sometimes forgot just how powerful she was. . even if she still wasn't able to do the spells on command. They were now a hundred times more powerful than they had been a year ago.
'Fuck me, this woman's a beautiful monster.'
Degenerator was a horrible spell- he almost felt bad for the monster.
Then again. . .it WAS a ruby dragon.
As the portal grew, it gave them a glimpse into the darkness. Squall always seemed to stare straight in front of him- he never watched the black hole as it consumed. Irvine always stared up in horror and rapture- he was never sure why. Well. .. he knew why it was horrifying.
Lunarimanum. . .
Irvine shook slightly as he watched the black hole devour the Ruby Dragon and send it hurling into the outer dimension.
Even though it frightened him, he always loved it when she used that spell.
Quistis fell to her knees gasping for air. Her companions gave her room to breathe and took a moment to recuperate themselves. It wasn't that the battle had been hard- it was simply the fact that they hadn't expected it.
"W. . .what happened? Why did that thing attack us?" Irvine stammered slightly, still a little disoriented from his glimpse of the outer dimension.
"I don't know." Was Squall's gruff reply. He wiped Lionheart clean and grimaced. "But we'll have to be on our guard from now on."
"Diablos is still junctioned." Quistis pronounced breathlessly. "I. . .I'm sorry. I don't know why his warning pulse didn't scare that dragon away. . ."
"It doesn't matter- but we need to be aware that there's something askew with the guardians. This compound seems to be affecting them negatively. . ."
"Then I suppose we can't rely on them too much in here." Irvine finished the thought
'Suits me just fine. . .'
"We should probably get going- the less time we're forced to spend in here the better." Squall announced, helping both Irvine and Quistis to their feet. They followed him to the door, where the SeeD leader took the initiative and punched in an interval. He suddenly looked a little guilty.
"I should probably let you do this, Irvine. This is your exam."
"Well. . .I can't say that I mind. But where are we goin', Squall?"
"To the basement."
Irvine turned and put a hand on Quistis' shoulder. Squall put his hand to his head and rubbed his temple.
"Well. . .I had simply planned to explore the next floor down, but. . ."
"I'm almost positive the guardian's on the bottom floor." Quistis announced. Irvine gave her a funny look.
"Honey, you okay?" He asked softly and very seriously. She nodded.
"Just listen- I know it's down there. Dungeon stereotypes be damned- when I just cast my spell I. . ." She paused and looked at the ground. Squall tapped his foot.
"What?"
"I. . ." She faltered and wrung her hands. "I heard a voice. . .I think. Softly. Telling me to come to the basement. But it wasn't a limit-inspired hallucination!" She exclaimed. "It was a moment of clarity. Look. . ."She fell into her didactic 'instructor' voice. "Why don't we just go down to the basement and check. If I'm wrong, we can just come back up and reset the pressure system, right? Besides, it's most likely in the basement anyway, knowing this type of place. . ."
Squall appeared fairly indecisive, so Irvine decided for him.
"Sounds good, Quisty-girl. Let's go!"
"Mutiny." Squall mumbled. Irvine bit his lip.
"Will I get points deducted for that?" He hissed in Quistis' ear.
"I give you the points, dummy- he's just here for the ride." She whispered loudly, so not to deny Squall the pleasure of their conversation.
"Will you give me extra points because I'm charming?" He asked with a pout.
She wasn't sure how she kept a straight face while she was giggling so madly inside.
"My grading system cannot be swayed by puppy-dog eyes, Mr. Kinneas. . ."
"Not even by truffles and roses and love poems on paper airplanes?"
"No. . .not even by. . ."
"Input the RSP."
Quistis blushed and programmed two units of pressure into the system. She suddenly felt very guilty. Squall's critical grey eyes seemed to see everything.
And she didn't need anyone else to know this secret.
They progressed down two more floors simply by inputting the RSP units into the machines they found near the lifts.
The journey was done silently -the air was so thick with fear and tension it was smothering.
Squall plugged in another code.
And was rewarded with an obnoxious beep.
"What the fuck?!?"
Commander "stone face" cursed and typed in the RSP selection again.
The ceiling high machine groaned and hissed.
"Shit."
"What's wrong?" Irvine asked calmly. Squall was hunched over the control panel.
"It's not working." Squall replied in an thin voice.
"Are you sure?" Quistis, disregarding Squall's manly pride, pushed him out of her way and immediately began to explore the computer.
"Quistis. . ."
Her efforts were rewarded with a loud thud and a sickening crunch.
"Um. . ."
Squall glared.
"Well. . .I guess It's my turn. Say- why don't we do what Seffie does? She's the technological master. . ."
Squall and Quistis both seemed to concur.
"What does Selphie do?" Squall asked patiently.
"Uh. . this, I guess."
He immediately started to pound on the control panel.
"Irvine. . ." Quistis gasped.
The machine grunted and sputtered and groaned and heaved and whimpered..
"Ah, hell. Well, maybe we should do what Zell does. . ."Irvine offered, scratching his head.
"I don't think. . ."Squall started.
Irvine made his way over to the steam machine and ripped open the casing.
"Irvine. . .you're going to get electrocu. . ."
The Galbadian cadet began fumbling with the wires and checked for any hardwiring glitches or shorts.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Squall glared.
"Ah,no. . .but. . .I'm problem solving! Yeah. . .if this works, I get graded on it. So. . . Squall- don't be so damned strop-py, my friend, I. . a hah!"
A thick burst of steam erupted from the machine.
The lift began to descend.
"Quick! Let's catch it." Quistis pointed and dragged them over to the platform.
Quistis was glad it was dark for Irvine's sake, for-had Squall noticed the cocky grin on the cowboy's face-the commander would've surely pitched his friend out off the lift and into oblivion.
The temperature had dropped several degrees by the time they reached the floor. The basement was a wide, curving tunnel that had been dug out of the ocean floor itself. Unlike most of the other rooms, this place was reinforced rock taken from the earth's crust. It was dimly lit with an uncanny glow. The origin of this light source was unknown.
"I suppose we should walk toward the not-so-metaphorical light, eh?" Irvine offered.
Squall merely nodded.
Unsure of why she did it (and would later be very embarrassed.) Quistis took a hold of Irvine's hand.
He didn't say anything.
He was kinda relieved.
"Stay close."
Squall spoke with infinite untapped wisdom.
"You okay?" Irvine whispered.
"I. . .really don't like it down here. . .there's. . something in here. . ."
"Yeah, a fucking triface." Squall growled as the four-legged beast jumped down on them from one of the stone ledges. Poisonous goo leaked from it's oily maw- the scent made Irvine wretch.
"Let me at. . ."
"No. Let me."
Quistis calmly strode toward the oozing fiend and jetted out both her hands.
"Shockwave Pulsar."
She finished her spell with a smirk on her face. The smouldering body shuddered and collapsed to the ground, smoking and secreting.
"Uh. . .thanks Quisty." Irvine spoke first.
"Let's just go so we can get out of here. This place scares the hell out of me." She spoke quietly and produced a flashlight from her side pouch. Then she ventured toward the light.
"What the hell was that?" Squall asked.
'That? That was the old Quisty. My Quisty.'
"This place is setting off her trance, man."
"Since when did she have Shockwave Pulsar in her battle memory? She didn't take a break after Degenerator- I always had the impression that she could only have one readily available."
Squall was sharp- Irvine had to give him credit for that.
So the sharpshooter didn't reply and chose to follow.
They moved forward- down a spiral staircase and past a knightly statue wielding a spear.
'Venite'
Irvine froze.
"Did. . .uh, anyone else hear that?"
"Behemoth." Quistis stated sharply and cracked her whip.
'No. . .that's not what I heard, but. . .'
They'd battled many behemoths. This one fell like any other.
"Since when do Behemoths and trifaces and red dragons share one domicile?" Squall posed a very good question. A good question that left Irvine completely baffled.
"It's down here. . .I can feel it. The guardian force. . ." Quistis whispered.
"Yeah. . .I know." Squall murmured, searching the perimeter. The took the only path available to them, and degenerated a couple more ruby dragons in the process.
"Quistis- I think you need to cool it. It's not healthy to be going off like that every battle."
'Squall's concerned. I guess I am too. . .' Irvine shivered.
'Salvatorem angelicum memorius. . .'
The voice was louder now- a lilting hiss on a non-existent breeze. The sharpshooter cocked his trusty companion.
"Did you guys hear that? You had to've. . ."
"I heard something." Squall announced. "The guardian, maybe?"
"Something's down here. . . ." Irvine murmured.
Gentle, delicate music filled the air- neither human, nor inanimate- and filled the air with preciousness. The timbre was almost mechanical- metallic and shimmery- but too plaintive to be non-living. The lilting hiss moved over top the accompanying tune.
'Salvatorem angelicum. . .Non pie tolerat. . .Venite leoni filium. . . .De profundis clamavi ad te. . . .Come. . .Venite Memorius. . .Venite.'
"What language is that?" Squall asked harshly. The voice had set him on edge.
"Centran. Old Centran."
Quistis and Squall both turned on the Galbadian, who swallowed noticeably and shrugged.
"Right?"
'descendit, Venite stella et leonit'
"Yes." Quistis announced. "And it is old- about the same period as my spells- they use the same dialect- not that I can speak the language, but the syntax and prefixes are identical. . ."
"It's. . .beautiful."
Squall continued on, slightly mesmerized. His SeeD subordinates followed wordlessly.
The song was. . .powerful.
Powerful enough to take out the two iron giants that stood in their way.
Powerful enough to draw them down. . .down. . .
Down the stairs into the final cavern. This was where the path lead and where the journey ended.
It was darker and colder here- colder than Trabia and darker than the sky 'round Ultimecia's castle. The stone walls shone faintly of condensation from the delicate hovering mist.
The room centre piece was a crystal- massive and cloudy, but pulsating with a faint blue light.
It was to this spot the three gravitated.
"Is this. . .?"
Irvine carelessly stroked the crystal wall- it was smooth and burning cold. He snaked his hand away like a reprimanded child.
"It must be." Squall replied, studying the thing intently.
"I wonder how we break the seal." Quistis mused and glanced over at an awed Irvine. "Well, cadet?"
He stared back at her with bug-like eyes.
"Quisty-girl, you can't be. . ."
"That's Instructor Trepe to you, cadet." Squall inserted robotically as he searched the crystal perimeter for clues. Irvine mimicked Zell's famous pose of dejection and sighed.
"You guys are ganging up on me. . ."
"Well. . .what would Selphie and Zell do at a time like this?" Quistis giggled. "You invoked their spirits last time and got us out of a pickle- try it again. . ."
". . .You want me to blow up the crystal?" Irvine scratched his head. "I'm not sure how well that'll go over, 'Instructor Trepe'."
"Well, you best think of something, your SeeD rank is diminishing by the second. . ."
"Come here."
Squall barked and the two promptly returned to their commander.
"What's up?" Irvine asked casually. Squall glared.
"There's a pressure lock mechanism here- It most likely controls that sealing device."
"Do we have enough RSP to trigger the release?" Quistis asked, quickly understanding the notion.
"Yeah- exactly enough."
"Well. . .aren't we. . .lucky." Irvine got out.
". . .whatever."
That particular 'whatever' was oozing with doubt and suspicion. Squall was staring hard at the crystal.
"Should we. . ." Quistis wrung her hands nervously.
There really was something not right about all this. Irvine couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something. . .
'Venite memorius. . .leonit et stella. . .'
Something other than that. Something really wrong about the situation.
"Yeah. Let's do it."
Squall plugged in the last code.
With the final lock dismantled, the steam streamed violently from it's caged state. It flooded the room and turned the cold air to a dizzying, wet haze. The pipes groaned and creaked from the release and superfluous air shot through the pipes, wailing in inanimate sorrow.
All three pulled their weapons from their sheaths. . .on instinct. Perhaps it was due to the fact that their sight was now impaired, or perhaps it was a simple reaction to the mechanical chaos that had ensued, but, for some reason, they themselves back to back with their weapons drawn.
Then. . .
Thud. Hiss. Hummm.
Thud.
"Squall?"
Humm. . .Drone.
"Irvine. Quistis."
Thud. Hiss.
A great howl burst into conception. It flooded their ears and minds and tore at their hearts from the inside. The mist sea parted and their darkest fears were manifested before them.
"Holy fuck. Weapon."
'Moritura'
They scattered as a great pillar of light descended from the heavens and destroyed the sealing mechanism. Quistis hit the far wall with a sharp cry and ducked just quickly enough to escape the massive creature's swipe. She jumped to her feet, magic ready.
She opened her set with meltdown- the strategist's first choice.
She'd learned that from Evana. . .a year ago in Galbadia.
Quistis stood her ground before the towering unnatural giant.
Squall joined her, glowing red. His blood was boiling.
Yes, he'd wanted this for months. His soul ached and body demanded a battle of this calibre. He'd felt idle and weak without the intensity. Letting loose a primal cry, he burst into overdrive. His innate power flung him into a position of godhood. Each holy swipe of Lionheart cut deep and true.
But it left him nearly incapacitated afterwards.
Irvine caught him as they both found their way back to Quistis, who instantly cast curaga on all three soldiers. Weapon shrieked and countered with it's own magic.
The dark magic tore them apart- stretched them and manipulated their bodies in a hellish bout of torture. Back and forth they were flung- in and out of dimensions.
To hell and back again.
None of them could suppress their screams.
But their senses were so baffled they couldn't hear the other's anyway.
They all landed, battered and breathless and dying, on the frozen, stone floor.
"Fucking gravija. . ." Squall cursed and forced himself to his feet like the perfect warrior he was. Enraged, he took a swipe at Weapon and fired deep in the monster's belly. It screamed it's indignation and swept him from it's path with a massive appendage. The gunbladesman slammed into Irvine and they both landed hard on the floor.
"Quistis. . .cast. . ."
She managed to get a curaga out before the beast delighted them again with it's spell casting abilities.
They'd encountered ultima several times.
It was always. . .a pleasant experience.
What exactly was ultima?
It was the process of being blown up in slow motion.
First paralysis, then the shockwave, then the actual force of the blow that could sear the flesh off a behemoth.
It was lovely.
Irvine and Quistis both cast curagas on the group while Squall lashed out with another amazing trance.
'He's going nuts with his limit. .. just like Quisty was. He's gonna have a fucking heart-attack. . .'
Irvine shot out with Exeter and saw Quistis glow blue out of the corner of his eye. Her stance and countenance told him everything he needed to know about her train of thought.
Shockwave pulsar surged from her heightened magical presence and crackled through the thick air.
It was a beautiful spell.
Irvine was suddenly overcome by the immense raw power his compatriots exhibited.
Squall with his physical power and flawless swordsmanship- an immortal knight of the highest order.
And Quistis. . .with her manifested magic that could bring a country to it's knees. . .
Bring Hyne to his knees.
'Aren't you forgetting something, little hero? Libera. . . '
'Huh?'
The voice. Again. There was a teasing patience in the voice.
'The reason you came here in the first place, little hero. . .'
'The reason. . .?'
He took another shot at Weapon just before it rained meteorites.
'Fucking meteor. Fucking Weapon. Fucking head ache. . .'
Quistis cast her healing spell- Irvine remembered the trigger name being white wind. Squall raged and hacked again, now on his fourth intense trance.
He didn't feel particularly enraged- he was. . .slightly distracted.
'Libera, memorius. If you don't set me free, you're going to fail your exam, little hero. . .'
"Oh shit, the guardian!"
His exclamation drew both Squall and Quistis' attention for a moment.
"Draw the fucking Guardian, Irvine!" Squall growled as he dodged the monster's physical attack..
Wordless, Irvine nodded foolishly and shut his eyes.
He hoped to God he'd live through this draw.
He'd never been very good at drawing- which was the reason Cid had made him go through this particular exam.
God damn Cid and his fruity decisions.
Irvine focused his mind and reached out toward the monster, searching and probing. He'd undergone years of intense mental training to learn this particular skill, like all SeeD candidates.
He sent out his consciousness and reached into the monster's magical reserve.
Even though he wasn't very good at drawing, he understood the logistics of the probe- it was something that affected him greatly. He was tapping into a portion of memory- the unprotected area that stored magic.
It was similar to what Quistis had done. . .so many nights ago. . .in stealing the time kompression spell. . .
But this was less like rape.
He immediately recognized a guardian essence- shimmery and pulsating in amongst the spells and vague images. It almost seemed to laugh.
He spoke the entreaty that all humans asked of their potential guardian companions.
'If I give you my mind, will you give me your strength?'
'. . .I want to go with you. Take me with you, little hero.'
Her essence flowed into his mind- the shock propelled him to the ground with a force that left a permanent indentation in the rock. Her essence was beautiful- so beautiful his eyes began to well up with tears. Never- never had a guardian been so willing with him. Never had he felt the power and love of this guardian. She was a goddess. A sudden rage surged through him- his limit flashed. He replaced his ammo.
But the sudden shudder and movement drew Weapon's attention. It turned it's lifeless gaze on him and Irvine suddenly saw his life flash before him.
'Holy fucking Hyne. . .'
A pillar of light shot down from on high.
He swore he saw the face of Hyne.
But it was just his senses overloading as he collapsed- unconscious.
'Irvine.'
'Hmmm?'
'Wake up, Irvine?'
'huh? Uh, no. . . please no. . .oblivion suits me just fine. . .'
'Silly boy. . .open your eyes. .
'No. . .'
"Irvine."
'There you go. . .'
"Irvine!"
He opened his eyes and saw death. . .
In Weapon form.
In dead Weapon form.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Quistis was grinning ear to ear beside him, and Squall was crouched at his feet. They were bloodied and bruised and boy, were they tired, but they were all alive.
Except for Weapon.
"So?" Was Squall's one word reaction. They were waiting with baited breath.
Irvine grinned and winked.
"Break out the cigars. It's a girl and her name's Eden."
They all collapsed in giddy exhaustion.
Author's Note: This was a particularly hard chapter to write because, as an author, I feel it's my duty to fully research my subject matter. However, I have not done this dungeon in years, and, when I went to upload my game to go about getting Eden for the sake of research, I realized that it had been deleted. So, all of the details are from my foggy memory. If you notice anything that is especially wrong (ie. The walls were actually neon pink, or there were no R. Dragons in the whole flippin' area) please email me so I can rectify this. Nothing anal and stupid. So- I'll be posting regularly- I'm hoping to get most of this written by July. And, while I won't write for them, I will post for reviews. Give me feedback so I know what you're picking up on and what you aren't. Man, this chapter was bugger long. Thank you my lovely readers for putting up with me.-B.e.