FINAL FANTASY
Revenge From Beyond The Grave

By _Laguna


Prologue
Plan Of Revenge


Several years ago in Neron Continent, rebels had waged a guerilla war against a modern city named Lakoya City. The battle had been terrible. Many of the rebels of Dyenso village had perished when the Ki Ray had been used. The city commander had built the city on top of the Celestial Dragon's habitat, forcing it into hiding. The dragon had split itself up into two small statues, the Earth Dragon and Sun Dragon.
The rebels had tried many sabotage attempts. Some had worked, some hadn't. The rebels were desperate to win this guerilla war.
That changed when Duncan Skywalker had come along. He had helped them out. But the commander, Jennai, had some tricks up his sleeve. He had assembled an army of genetically identical soldiers he had designated 'the Jennai Soldiers'. They had worn black uniforms and helmet with a green blast shield.
Duncan and the village chief's daughter, Talinn had searched and found the two dragons. The actual triggering of the transformation had been accomplished by Nicky, a young boy who had been playing with the two little dragon statues.
Then, the showdown had begun. Jennai's space station, which he had designated 'Sigma Station' came into play. A brilliant energy beam had come soaring down at the village. The Celestial Dragon had agreed to help and blocked the ray with one of its own. The Dragon had had help from Skywalker who was recovering deep inside the Lifestream from a badly injured shoulder.
Jennai had been furious when he saw his station destroyed. He invaded the village and held the villagers at gunpoint.
Skywalker had come out of the Lifestream with a fully healed shoulder and together with Nicky he stopped Jennai. Nicky had sabotaged Jennai's laser weapon and had run away as fast as he could. Duncan had taken care of Jennai in an intense fight.
Now, all that was gone. Duncan had continued his journey and Talinn and Ringo had gotten married.

The woods of Neron Continent were as dense as ever. Actually, this was officially called Grandini Forest. The locals liked to call it Neron Continent. Where Lakoya City had been, no trace of it could be found. The city had been totally overgrown. On some places, patches of the city's gleaming metal were visible, however very scarsely.
One such place had a gaping hole in the ground. It led to a deep underground bunker designed to withstand an impact from Sigma Station's beam cannon. All these years, it had survived. Next to the entrance, two soldiers stood in black uniforms and helmets with a green blast shield. The two had blaster rifles and eyed the surrounding area unceasingly.
Deeper inside, the bunker was filled with soldiers, all in the same black uniform and helmet. Jennai Soldiers who were listening to someone standing in front. Behind him, filling the entire wall, hung a huge portrait of the late Commander Jennai.
« Men ! » Commander Tevarion boomed. The soldiers snapped into attention. « You are the last remnant of Commander Jennai's force. And I'm proud to have such fine soldiers under my command. »
The soldiers stood silent, taking in his every word. Tevarion had been Jennai's second-in-command. He had been away on a mission. When he had come back, he had come home to destruction, for the Lakoya City he had known was gone, along with Sigma Station. Both destroyed by the rebels who had had help from Duncan Skywalker. When Tevarion had heard about this, he had sworn to avenge Jennai's death.
« Now that I have enough men I can avenge his death. » Tevarion's gaze sweeped over the rows of soldiers. « With you guys I plan to get even ; and maybe more. Therefore we need a plan. A well-thought plan, for our enemy is to be considered dangerous. »
Someone raced up the stage and whispered something in Tevarion's ear. « Commander, the Project is progressing as scheduled. »
« Excellent. » he grinned. « You hear that, men ? Our Project is on the right track. »
The Jennai Soldiers remained silent.
« So ? Any updates ? »
« Here, sir. »
« Thank you »
Tevarion took the printout and read it completely.
« Interesting. » Tevarion smiled. He turned back to his men. « Now as for our plan »
« If I may, sir I have a suggestion. » Tevarion's second-in-command, Burke began. The commander nodded and stepped aside.
« The latest reports on Skywalker have just come in. It seems he has a wife and two kids and settled down in a seaside town named Oregonia. »
« That's all very fascinating, but what has that to do with our plan ? » Tevarion asked.
« I was getting to that part, sir. I suggest we hit him on a sensitive spot by taking away that which he holds dear. His wife and kids. When we have them, we'll lure him here and then well, I guess Commander Tevarion can have his revenge then. »
« Well thought of. » he complimented. « Get our contacts in nearby towns on the comm and order them to stand-by. If Skywalker interferes, they have to keep the plan secret at all cost. »
« Yes sir. » Burke ran off to the comm system and relayed the order. He did it swiftly and with no questions asked.
« As for you men, dismissed. Hail Jennai ! »
« Hail Jennai !! » The soldiers repeated as one man and scattered, tending to various duties until the time came to depart.
They'd go by air, Tevarion reasoned and when they got the hostages, they'd transport them over land inconspicuously to the nearest port where they would take a hovercraft.
He rubbed his hands. He wished he had them already.

The time to depart had come. Row after row of Jennai Soldiers came out of the bunker and spread out. Then, they climbed into trucks which took them to the nearest airport.
On the airport's runway, a Lakoya jet stood standing by, already fueled up and ready to go.
« All right men ! » Teverion yelled over the loud whine of the jet's engines. « All aboard ! Move, move ! »
The soldiers jumped out of the trucks and ran to the open hatchway in the back of the plane. The hatch closed and the plane took off, setting Tevarion's plan in motion.

Cruising at 11,000 feet altitude, the plane knifed through the sky like a hot knife through butter. Inside, the soldiers sat staring in front of them. Some were reviewing the recently uploaded files on Skywalker and his family on the screens incorporated in the green blast shield.
« Sir. » Burke sat down next to Tevarion. « A question, if I may ? »
« Go ahead. » Tevarion said.
« What do we really know about Skywalker, except the files we just recovered ? »
« He's dangerous, that's for sure. »
« We already know that, but I have a feeling there's more. »
« Most of the files were gone with the city's and Sigma Station's destruction. However, in some shards of files I discovered that Skywalker can use the Lifestream as he sees fit. »
« The Lifestream ? » Burke stared at his commander in disbelief. « But I thought that was just a story. »
« Then you have thought wrong. » Tevarion said while eyeing Burke. « The Lifestream is as real as you and me. And Skywalker has the ability to influence it. »
« How do you know ? »
« In the same shards of data, I uncovered that our late commander had modified the city reactors to process this energy. Power output doubled. But Skywalker interfered and put the power couplings in reverse mode. The result was that the city lost another reactor and our commander had to relocate to Sigma Station. »
« Amazing. » was what Burke could say.
« Indeed. » Tevarion admitted. « But we can't let Commander Jennai's work be forgotten. »
The plane banked and chose a new heading.
« No, we can't. » Burke amended. « We will do our best, sir. »
« I expect no less. » Tevarion smiled.
The jet went down and came in for a landing at Shenaha Airport a few dozen miles from Oregonia. There, the soldiers jumped out of the plane and formed row after row, according to the batallion they were in.
A special squad hopped into the back of a truck painted in camouflage colors and headed out. The remainder of the soldiers set up a defense barrier should there be any problems.
The truck headed up the local highway and headed for Oregonia where their target was.
Commander Tevarion had given them their orders and let them proceed when they found it was time.


I
Lifestream Insight


Oregonia
The town was quiet for this time of the year. The port however, was as busy as ever. The town stood not far from the cliffs. Near those cliffs stood a single house in the neighborhood of a small forest. Near it stood a small windmill and a cartwheel in a river. This was Duncan Skywalker's house.
Several years ago, he had helped a few people get home who had come through a portal-like phenomenon into their reality. The reality they had come from had been a parallell one to their own. Cloud Strife and some of his friends had been investigating a partially functioning Mako reactor in Midgar City when a Lifestream energy spike had been hit three times by lightning. The result was that a gap in the reality barrier had been formed through which they had been transported.
A Shinra executive had also been transported that went by the name of Heidegger. He had put the Galbadian army back on their feet and had ordered them to build the first Mako reactor because he had thought he'd found the Promised Land, which was rumored to have unlimited supplies of Mako energy. The final battle had been near Balamb Garden where they beat Heidegger and his huge robot machine. And there, in Garden, Duncan had found his second wife, Moira Luna. The two got married and had two kids : Lucas and Catherine.

Now, the kids had grown up into their early teens. There was a striking resemblance between Lucas and Cathy that Duncan sometimes had called them the 'Lifestream Twins'.
Skywalker sneaked around a bush as quietly as possible. He'd heard something behind this specific bush. He jumped around it and found no one. In his hand he held a cheap wooden imitation of a sword.
« Dammit. » he swore silently. His own kids had given him the slip. This couldn't be. He losing from his own two kids ? His own flesh and blood ? Nearby he heard silent laughter.
So, you want to play it that way ? Fine with me. He sneaked to the source of the laughs as silently as a ghost. He was nearly there when Lucas came storming out of the bushes with his own wooden sword ready to strike. Both of them had sensed each other. Duncan deflected the blow, whirled and tapped Lucas on the back of his neck.
« Gotcha. You just lost your head, son. »
« Arrgh, no fair. You always win, dad. » he complained.
« That's because I use everything I've got. » Duncan smiled. « I keep my eyes, ears and mind open. »
Lucas harrumphed. His father slapped him playfully on his back.
« Now, where's your sister ? »
« I wouldn't know. » Lucas shrugged.
« I knew you were going to say that. »
« You gonna catch her too ? »
« Yep. Watch and learn. » Duncan entered the small forest with Lucas following. Duncan let a twig snap and hid. Two seconds thereafter, Cathy came to investigate, her wooden dagger ready for anything. When she had her back towards him, Duncan jumped up and grabbed her wrist and waist and lifted her up in the air while she screamed to be put down. Duncan put her down.
« Dad, that's the umpteenth time you've won. » she complained.
« I know. He said the same thing. » Her father pointed over his shoulder at Lucas.
« It ain't fair. » she crossed her arms.
« Is there anything you two have noticed ? » Duncan asked. « Sensed anything ? »
« Not really. I heard a twig snap. »
« That's your curiosity. » Duncan said. « You're too curious and that's how I could lure you to me. I just used your own curiosity against you. »
« I didn't sense anything. » Lucas said.
« Exactly ! » Duncan whirled around to face his son. « I masked my presence within the Lifestream so you two couldn't find me. Cathy, I was this close to you. » He showed a space of about half a meter.
« Do you three warmongers have time for dinner !? » a voice yelled.
« Coming ! » Duncan yelled back and with his two kids he went back to the house.
« What's cooking ? » he asked after kissing his wife.
« Chicken. » she said. The kids cheered and ran inside. « Their favorite. »
Duncan closed the door behind him, hung his coat on the hook on the wall next to the door and went to the living room. There, on the wall hung his Daïkatana. While he looked at the oriental weapon, fragments of past adventures flashed before his eyes. The Shaolins, his training in the Western air force, the polar ice caps, Jennai's city, the Celestial Dragon and finally Balamb Garden.
Moira came into the living room and noticed him standing there.
« You okay ? » she asked when she saw him look at his sword with a faraway gaze. « What's on your mind ? »
« Nothing, really. Memories. »
« Dinner's ready. » she said and went back to the kitchen. After dinner, they watched some tv. But because there was nothing on, they went to bed early.

That night, Moira's head lay on Duncan's shoulder. « When will our kids come into contact with the Lifestream ? »
« I have no idea, but I think it'll happen real soon. »
« What kind of an effect will it have on them ? »
« Well, they'll gain insight in the totality of the panet and all life on it. That's about it in a nutshell. »
« That's good. » Moira said before she drifted off to sleep. Duncan kissed her lightly on the forehead. She was sleeping like a log.
In their rooms, the kids were also sleeping like logs. If one knew where to look, that person would notice a similarity in the Skywalker family : their eyes. All four had the same blue-green eyes. When Duncan had rescued Moira from Heidegger's robot machine, the rings he had came into contact with Lifestream energy. When he had married her, she'd gotten the same kind of eyecolor as her husband. The kids had the same eyes when they were born.
Everything was silent in the house. But that was going to change.
Only Lucas and Catherine heard it.
Lucas Catherine come to me.
As if possessed, the kids opened their eyes and got out of bed. Both of them had a distant look in them. They went downstairs as silently as ghosts and out the front door.
The two went to the small forest. Just outside it, a Lifestream energy pool appeared. He kids jumped in and the hole closed. In his bed, Duncan smiled. The time had come.

The kids descended deeper and deeper into the Lifestream. At the right time, they were released from whatever grip was holding them. The two seemed to come out of some sort of trance.
« What happened ? » Lucas asked, looking around. « Where are we ? » They heard Lucas' voice echo.
« I think this is the Lifestream. » Catherine said. « But I'm not sure. Father has never shown it to us. »
You are correct, Catherine a voice said. It seemed to come from everywhere and all around them.
« Who's there ? » Lucas asked in a demanding voice.
I am the force that governs the life-bringing energy. I warned your father of dangers to come in the near future.
« Really ? » Lucas asked.
Yes.
« I wonder what dad's previous wife looked like. » Catherine wondered.
An image resolved in front of them. The image looked exactly like their mother.
« They're they're identical. » Catherine gasped. The image wavered and disappeared.
Indeed. It's a rare occasion to find an identical person who looks like the one Duncan had lost.
« Why are we here ? » Lucas asked.
I brought you here so you'd gain insight into life and the planet and its totality.
A blue-green halo surrounded the two kids. Both of them closed their eyes as, in their mind, they soared across green meadows, past high mountains, down deep valleys and over cities. When they opened their eyes again, they felt something different. The force of the Lifestream.
« That was great. » Lucas smiled. « What a ride. »
« We must've seen the entire planet in an eyeblink. » Catherine said.
Time for you to go back.
Lucas and Catherine ascended and resurfaced near the small forest close to their home. Lucas yawned. The two went back to the house and got back into bed.

The next morning, the kids were out of bed before their parents. They got dressed and stormed down the stairs to the kitchen.
« They're lively today. » Moira noticed when she woke up.
« So I hear. » Duncan amended. « We'd better go down too before they break something. »
They got dressed and went down to the kitchen and found out that their kids had already set the table.
« So, what's the occasion ? » Moira asked.
« Nothing. » Cathy said with a smile.
« Nothing ? » Duncan asked. « Something tells me you've got something up your sleeve. »
« Nope. » Lucas said.
Breakfast was made. After that, Moira cleaned the dishes. Duncan went out the back door. The kids went with him as well. Catherine and Lucas ran past him. Lucas turned back and tapped his father on the leg.
« Tag, you're it. »
« Bloody » Duncan swore silently with a grin and chased them. The kids ran into the forest and did their best to mask their presence within the Lifestream. To their father, it seemed their patterns were fading in and out like a strobe light. Then they were there, then they weren't.
« Where are they ? » he asked himself silently.
In the meantime, Lucas had found out how to keep his pattern in the Lifestream hidden. He sneaked around his father and, at the right time, charged at him with his wooden sword. Duncan whirled and got hit in his midsection. If it had been a real sword, it would've been a killing blow.
« Gotcha, dad ! » he cheered.
« Now, how on Earth ? » He couldn't finish his sentence because Catherine dropped from a tree onto her father's shoulders.
« Yeah, gotcha too. »
« How did you two do that ? »
« We were in the Lifestream last night. » Lucas said.
« Yeah. » Catherine added. « Some voice called us. »
« I knew this was going to happen some time. » Duncan said.
« You did ? » Lucas asked.
« I even sensed it last night. »
« It was great. » Lucas said. « We were like flying over the ground, past mountains, down valleys. »
« Well, you've been granted the force of the Lifestream, just like me. » Duncan said. The two kids gave each other a high-five. « But you need to work on your stealth technique. »
« But we got it good enough to fool you dad. » Lucas grinned proudly.
« Yeah, you did. » Duncan slapped him lightly on the back. « Let's go back home. »
As the three went back home, they didn't see three figures spying on them from behind the trees at the other side of the forest.


II
The Plan Proceeds


Oregonia
« Duncan, could you go get some groceries at the store ? » Moira asked when they got back home.
« Yeah sure. What do you need ? »
She wrote down what was needed and handed it to her husband. « Be back in a flash. »
« Take your time. » she said. « Visit your friends at the bar for a change. »
« If you say so. » he smiled and went out the door.

Hidden in the foliage, three figures spied on the Skywalker family.
« Target sighted. » the first Jennai Soldier said, peering through electrobinoculars.
« Proceed ? » the second asked.
« Not yet. » the first replied.
He saw Duncan leave the house and head to town. They waited five minutes, then they went on with the plan.
« Proceed. »
They sneaked to the house. All three were armed with stun guns. Commander Tevarion had ordered them to get the hostages alive. The kids were playing outside. Two precision shots and they went down, stunned. When Moira didn't hear them for quite some time, she got worried and went to check on them. When she stepped outside, she felt a pinprick in her neck. Reacting on instinct, she yanked it out. It was a dart. She could feel it take effect. Her vision blurred and a few seconds later, she collapsed on the ground.
The three Jennai Soldiers took them away to the waiting truck.
The first put a note on the table. « Target acquired. » he said into his helmet comm system and followed the two other soldiers.

Without knowing what was happening back at his house, Duncan Skywalker strolled through town. He entered the grocery shop where he got the stuff Moira had asked for.
« Hey Duncan, how's it going ? » Roger, the shopkeeper asked with a sheepish grin.
« Life's great. » Duncan replied with an equal grin.
« So it seems. » Rog said. « How are the wife and kids ? »
« No trouble there. » he smiled. « My own kids beat me in a game of hide-and-seek. »
« No way ? They got you ? »
« I'm afraid so. » Skywalker admitted.
« They sure are growing up fast. »
« Yeah, too fast if you ask me. » Duncan laughed.
« Yeah. » Rog sighed. « Time sure flies these days. »
« Well, I gotta go. » Duncan said, paid Roger and went to the door.
« You take care of yourself, you hear ! » he yelled after him. Duncan waved and went out.

His next stop was the local bar, 'Jack's Joint'. Moira had told him to visit some friends of his so that's what he was doing. He opened the door and was confronted with dim twilight. Only a few customers were present at the time.
« Dammit Jack, you should hang some lights in this dump. »
« Duncan ! My main man. » Jack bolted upright from behind the counter. « What brings you here ? »
« Visiting a friend, possibly get a drink too. » he smiled.
« You got it. » Jack placed a cold beer on the counter as Duncan took a seat.
« So. » Jack leaned on the counter. « What's up these days ? »
« Nothing much. Teaching my kids the basics of self-defense, the way of nature, that sort of stuff. »
« I see. By the way, if you call my bar a dump again, I may have to hurt you. » Jack grinned. Skywalker grinned back and took a gulp of his beer.
« Sure you do. »
« Come on Duncan. I couldn't win from you. You'd probably send me flying through the bar with some ninja throw or something. »
« I'll keep that in mind. » Duncan said, still grinning.
Jack sighed. « Yeah, of course you will. Everything okay with the wife ? »
« Life's just beautiful. » Duncan said with a wide smile. He took another gulp, downing almost all of the beer.
« Kids grow up fast these days, don't they ? » Jack asked while cleaning some glasses.
« Yeah, Rog said so too. »
« Rog ? You were at Rog's ? »
« Yup. »
« How's the old bugger ? »
« Fine as far as I could see. Still lively. »
« That's good to know. »
« Well, I'd better be getting back home. » Duncan finished his beer, paid Jack and went out.

Skywalker walked home. Along the way, he tried to determine where his winged buddy Shirrah was. After a few seconds, he had pinpointed the falcon's location : in the top of a tree almost in the middle of the forest near his house. Now the bird killed his time by mostly sleeping and sometimes hunting to quiet his hunger. The falcon had made the small forest his home and hunting grounds. He decided to leave the bird alone and continued on.
At last the forest opened up and his house came into view.
« Home sweet home. » he said to himself and walked in. « Honey, I'm home ! » He went to the kitchen and put the groceries in the fridge. Then, he noticed the house was eerily quiet. Too quiet to his liking.
He went to the living room. « Moira !? Lucas !? Cathy !? » He looked around. Nothing. « Where are they ? » he muttered and took his Daïkatana which had been hung on a hook on the wall. He went to the rooms upstairs and found no one. « Cathy !? Lucas !? C'mon, this ain't funny anymore ! » He drew the sword out of its sheath.
He'd searched the whole house and still hadn't found them. He went back to the living room and found the note the first Jennai Soldier had left there. He took it and carefully read it. On it was written in letters cut out of a newspaper:
'We've got your wife and kids. No cops or federal police and no harm will come to them.'
Duncan felt ice coarse through his veins. Who would want to kidnap his wife and kids ? The list of possible antagonists was long. During his journeys he'd helped a lot of people and had made a lot of enemies along the way. He stormed outside and found three empty casings near a bush. He picked them up and examined them closely.
« Tranquilizer darts. » he said silently. That meant that what the note said was true ; they were still alive. The question was for how long. He sheathed his sword. Duncan ran back in, grabbed the note and put it in his pocket. Then, he locked the door and ran into the forest.

The truck had driven a long way before reaching the harbor of the next town where a Lakoyan hovercraft was waiting. Commander Tevarion wasn't present at the time. He was in a nearby room taking a nap. Someone went over there to wake him up. A few minutes later, he stood beside the truck.
« Well ? » he asked.
« Mission accomplished. » the first Jennai Soldier reported and opened the back of the truck. The three hostages were tied up and still out.
« Put them in the hovercraft. » Tevarion ordered.
« Yessir. » Each of the three Jennai Soldiers took a hostage on his shoulder and went to the waiting hovercraft. Two minutes later, they were strapped in and weren't going anywhere.
After they had been strapped in, Lucas and Catherine were the first to wake up.
« Where are we ? » Cathy asked, looking around.
« A hovercraft, I think. » Lucas said, still a bit woozy.
Commander Tevarion boarded the craft just as Moira woke up. She noticed him and the small army of Jennai Soldiers.
« Hey, why are we tied up and who the hell are you ? » she spat when Tevarion took a seat near them.
« Mommy, I'm scared. » Catherine said, eyeing the Jennai Soldiers with a frightened eye.
« It's okay, just stay calm. »
« A wise suggestion. » Commander Tevarion said. « As for who I am my name is Tevarion. But you can call me Commander Tevarion. »
« Why are we here ? » was Moira's next question.
« Let's just say that your husband and us have some unfinished business to settle. »
« Unfinished business ? »
« You three are our bargaining ticket. A reason to get Skywalker to crawl. »
« He won't. Just you wait and see. » Moira flared. « He'll whoop your asses so hard you won't know what hit you and your army ! »
« Yeah, you tell 'em, mom. » Lucas said.
Tevarion merely laughed. « My dear Moira Luna. Do you really think I'd let Skywalker walse right over me ? Think again. He won't do anything stupid while I have his beloved wife and kids. »
Moira's eyes were wide. « How do you »
« How do I know who you are ? Well, it's pretty simple. We know all about you. »
She had a look of defeat in her eyes.
Tevarion got up. « Prepare for departure ! »
« Sir, yes sir ! » echoed through the hovercraft and from outside.
Fifteen minutes later, the hovercraft inflated its cussion and left the harbor after receiving clearance.

While running through woods and over roads, Duncan Skywalker wondered who could be behind this.
Were it the Yakuza ? No, he'd whooped their butts so hard they'd learned their lesson. Or was it the ANG faction, the group who had opposed to using nanotechnology in medicine. That was also a dead end. The Anti Nanotech Group had accepted nanotechnology when he had made clear that not everything was bad about modern technology.
He sighed. It was indeed a very long list.
It also couldn't be the Constructors Union who had wanted to build all over Neron Continent. They had abandoned their plans when he had caused every machine of the Union to be overgrown with plant life.
But then, a distant memory flashed through his mind, triggered by the memory of the overgrown machines of the Constructors Union.
It was a memory of a gleaming city commanded by a madman. A madman who had the control of a space station which could incinerate anything.
Aside from the adventure with SeeD, that was the most recent memory. But it was also a dead end. Jennai had been dealt with. He was gone, blown up with his ship.
He picked up the pace and headed for the Oregonia train station.
He had to get help and fast. And he knew just the place and the people for the job.
Five minutes later, the train sped away. It crossed the green meadows and then entered the tunnel which would take it to a nearby island.
Balamb Island.

Tevarion was nothing if not meticulous. He had posted Jennai Soldiers in covert places in villages where Skywalker would be most likely to pass through. One was in Oregonia, where he saw him get on the train.
He took his radio. « Target sighted in Location Oregonia. Target boarded train. Destination unknown. »
« Acknowledged. » came the reply. « Stay put. Contact me if anything changes. »
« Copy that. Out. »



III
Looking For Help


Balamb Island
Balamb Garden looked like an anthill. SeeDs were all over the place because it was the time of the annual maintenance overhaul Garden needed to keep functioning as it should. As usual, Squall was coordinating the entire overhaul along with Quistis, Xu and headmaster Cid.
« Status on the electrical systems ? » Squall inquired.
« Just finished on them, sir. » a SeeD reported. « Everything checks out fine. »
His words were barely said or the entire system that powered the lights in Garden failed.
« They check out fine ? » Squall asked skeptically. « It doesn't look that way. »
« Must've been a misalignment. » the SeeD wondered.
« I don't care. » Squall bounced back. « Fix 'em. »
« Right away, sir. » He ran off.
« Where's Moira when we need her ? » Cid wondered. « Things were working way better with her around. »
« I know. » Quistis said. « But she left SeeD, went off with Duncan Skywalker, got married and settled down. »
« Ah yes, Skywalker. » Cid covered his eyes to shield them from temporary blinding as the lights came back on. « I wonder how he's doing. »
« Don't we all ? » Xu asked and turned back to the data on the screen of her portable datacube. « Never did get the chance of meeting the guy. »
« Maybe you will. » Quistis said. « It's been a while since we last heard from them so they're bound to stop by anytime. »
« Yeah, who knows. » Xu agreed.
A rumble ran through Garden and alarms went off.
« What the hell ? » Squall stormed out of Cid's office and took the lift to the third underground level. Rinoa was already there, taking care of the situation.
« What the hell happened here ? » Squall asked when the doors opened. What lay before them was a warzone. Pieces of a conduit and other debris lay scattered across the floor. Several SeeDs lay on the ground, some badly injured, some lightly.
« A conduit blew up. » Rinoa reported. « No casualties but serious injuries. We've got to get them to the Infirmary, fast. »
« Right, the worst cases in the lift and to the Infirmary. » Squall ordered. « Move ! »
The most badly injured were put in the lift until there was no more place. It soared up to the ground level where Doc Kadowaki was already waiting. She ordered the first batch to be taken to the Infirmary while she waited for the next. Everything was done by the SeeD book. The situation was under control in under twenty minutes.
« I think we've just set a new record. » Squall said, checking his watch.
The lift came down and out stepped Zell. « Hey Squall, there's someone who wants to see you on Ground Level. »
« Who ? »
« Someone we all know very well. »
They left the repairs up to the repair teams and took the lift to Ground Level.

Duncan was pacing back and forth near the entrance to Garden. If there was anyone who could help him find his wife and kids, it was SeeD.
The lift stopped at Ground Level and out came Squall, Zell and Rinoa.
« Hey Duncan, how's it going ? » Rinoa asked when they met up.
« Bad. » he said. « Can we talk somewhere ? »
« The Cafeteria. » Squall simply said.
« Better call the others. » Duncan said. « This is serious. »
« Okay. » Squall nodded to Zell who ran off to get the others.
« You'll have to excuse us for the mess. It's the annual maintenance overhaul. » Squall pointed out as they went in.
« It's okay. »
They took a large table and waited for the others to arrive. Within five minutes, Selphie came storming through the Cafeteria's entrance.
« Heya ! » she greeted. But then she saw Skywalker leaning his elbows on the table, holding his head with both hands and staring down at the tabletop. « What's the matter ? » she asked Squall.
« We'll know when the rest gets here. »
The others came in and sat down at the table.
« Well Duncan. » Squall said, breaking the silence. « You've got our undivided attention. »
« They've got them. » he said.
« Who ? » Rinoa asked. « Who's got who ? »
« They've got Moira and the kids. » Duncan looked up.
« Oh no. » Quistis gasped.
« That's terrible. » Rinoa added.
« Who did it ? » Squall asked.
« I don't know. » Duncan said and put the note on the table. « This is all that they had left behind. »
Squall read it and passed it around. « That's not much information. »
« You sure it wasn't a solo operation ? » Irvine asked.
« No, definitely not. » Duncan said firmly. « I've been teaching Lucas and Cathy martial arts. It would take at least eight men to take them away. But they were tranquilized. There were more of them. While running to the train station, I saw several tracks leading to or coming from an airport. »
The others couldn't believe it. Who for pete's sake would want to kidnap Moira and Lucas and Cathy ?
« Can you guys help me out ? »
« I don't know. » Squall admitted. « We're still stuck with the maintenance overhaul. »
« Delegate. » Duncan said. « I don't know who else to turn to. And the cops ain't an option. »
« I'll see if I can squeeze us out. I'll be right back. » Squall ran to the lift and rode it to Cid's office. Some ten minutes later, he returned. « Okay, we can do it. »
« Thanks. »
« So, where do we start ? » Zell asked.
« Maybe the airport the tracks lead to. » Selphie suggested.
« If they're still there. » Duncan cut in.
« It's better than nothing. » Squall said. « We check out those tracks. »
« Right. » They got up and went to the Parking Lot and took a SeeD van to the train station.
They boarded the train heading to Oregonia Train Station. It left Balamb Station and soared through the tunnel to Oregonia. The train stopped at its destination a good half hour later.
« Okay, lead the way. » Squall said once they had disembarked.
Skywalker took the lead and guided them across the meadows to the dirt road the truck had taken.
« This is the first time I'm in Oregonia. » Selphie said. « Nice and quiet. »
« Sefie, don't get too distracted. » Irvine said, bringing her back to the present.
« Over here. » Duncan kneeled down and pointed at tracks in the muddy soil, which had hardened some time ago. « They seem to go that way. » He pointed along the road.
« Let's follow them. » Quistis suggested.
Duncan took the lead once again, followed by Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall.
« Where do they lead to ? » Selphie asked, refreshing her memory.
« To a nearby airport, I think. » Duncan replied. « At least in that direction. »
They followed the tracks in silence. After a good hour Duncan signaled them to stop. « There it is. » He kneeled behind a bush ; the others followed suit.
Squall took a pair of electrobinoculars and scanned the airport. A jet was standing on the runway, engines shut down.
« Here, have a look. » He gave the binocs to Skywalker who also scanned the airport runway. When he saw the jet, he zoomed in. He'd seen that specific design somewhere.
« There's something fishy about that jet. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think I've seen that design somewhere before. »
« It looks busy. » Rinoa said when she took a peek through the binocs.
« It seems that way. » Duncan said. « Or else they're trying to make it to look that way. »

Ederad harbor, Neron Continent
The hovercraft carrying Tevarion, his small army of Jennai Soldiers and Moira and the kids fluently slid into the harbor, landed on the beach and deflated its cussion.
« In-between stop. » Tevarion said. « Now we continue by truck. »
Moira and the kids were unstrapped and herded to a waiting truck, standing on the beach near the hovercraft.
« Where are you taking us ? » Moira asked.
« To our base, my dear. » Tevarion said, then pushed her in the back of the truck. As she was sitting in the back, Moira got a split-second glimpse of her husband kneeling down to inspect some tracks. He was coming. When he would rescue them was still a big question mark. But at least she knew not to give up hope.
The truck rode over a bumpy road to whatever destination the Commander had in mind. Even the soldiers had to grab onto a handhold. Another hard bump and Catherine, who was sitting in the back, fell out.
Moira saw it and wasted no time. « Run, Cathy, run ! »
Cathy got to her feet and saw her mother get a jab in the face from a rifle butt. Lucas just sat there, trying to figure out what was happening. Several soldiers jumped out as the truck stopped. Cathy turned and ran as hard as she could into the woods with her mother's urgent plea to run like hell in the back of her mind. As if guided by some leading force, she zigzagged between the trees and didn't fall. The soldiers, however had more trouble as she saw when looking back for a second.
Back at the truck, Tevarion swore as hard as he could. Then, his hateful grimace turned into a grin and grabbed his radio. « Get back here. » he ordered the soldiers who'd gone after Cathy. « No one can survive in those woods for long. »
Idiot ! Moira said in the back of her mind. If you believe that, then you don't really know everything about us.
She silently laughed when the truck rode on. If Cathy could make it to her father, then everything would work out just fine.

Airport near Oregonia
« So, what's the plan ? » Zell asked while Squall took another peek at the airfield through the electrobinocs.
« I'm working on it. » Squall said, still sweeping over the runway and the control tower. « It's not going to be easy. »
« We'll work it out on the way. » Skywalker said and sneaked through the bushes to the airfield's perimeter. The others silently followed. They progressed in silence to the fence where Duncan cut a hole into it. Then, one by one, they crawled through.
They sneaked along the fence to the shadows of the control tower.
« Well ? » Zell asked impatiently. « What's the plan ? »
« To find the flight plans of all the planes that have departed here today and yesterday. » Duncan said.
« Okay, let's go. »
« Hold on. » Skywalker stopped him. « I'm going. You guys stay on the lookout. »
« I'm coming along. » Squall said in a determined voice.
« Me too. » Rinoa added.
Duncan nodded and moved off to gain access to the control tower's systems with Squall and Rinoa in tow.
« No fair. » Zell complained.

The three got access to the control tower. There were no flights scheduled for at least five hours so the tower crew had gone out for lunch. In other words : the tower was unmanned. But there was security on the airfield. Duncan raced up the stairs and into the control room. Squall and Rinoa came a few seconds later, out of breath.
« Don't they have a lift in here ? » Rinoa asked.
« There is. But activating it would draw the guards' suspicion. » Duncan clarified.
« I see. » Rinoa said as Skywalker began to search through the computer files. Squall and Rinoa also started to search for the flight plans of the planes that had departed here today and yesterday.
« Got them. » Squall said.
Duncan came over to look at the screen. All were regular flight plans to various destinations. But one caught his eye. A certain schedule which stated a jet from Neron Continent had arrived here yesterday. But no plan for departure.
Skywalker swore silently, erased all tracks, shut off the computer system and ran back down to the others.


IV
Finding A Friend


Cathy wandered through the woods of Neron Continent. Her father had told them about the vast woods of this continent and of the myriad villages and towns. One such town, her father had said, was Dyenso Village and right now, she was trying to reach that specific village. But she had no idea where it was. Catherine had absolutely no idea which way to go and her connection to the Lifestream had just been made. It was still in its early stage.
After she'd escaped, Tevarion had ordered his soldiers to be on the lookout for her. Why did he want to kidnap them ? Cathy wondered. Did it have something to do with something her father had done in the past ?
Her stomach rumbled. She was getting quite hungry from all that running earlier. She found an apple tree and picked a few apples. Two were eaten in an eyeblink, the remaining two she saved for later. She picked another one just to be on the safe side.
Suddenly, a Jennai Soldier charged out of the bushes to grab her. Catherine wheeled and threw the apple she'd just picked at the soldier. It hit him clear in the visor, spladdering pieces all over the green blast shield. The soldier wiped off the pieces of apple, but Cathy was already gone. When he was wiping off his helmet's blast shield, Cathy had already disappeared in the bush. In the woods, every sound heard seemed to come from everywhere. The Soldier had lost her.
A bit further she kneeled behind a bush, breathing heavily from the running. Her heart was racing. That was a close call. She'd have to be more careful and to stay off the roads. Maybe she could travel on the local roads, but at any sign of trouble she'd have to hide. That's what she was going to do.
Cathy got up and moved to the nearest road. She looked both ways. All was clear. But what way ? She flipped a coin she'd found in her pocket.
« Heads, left. Tails, right. »
The coin landed on the ground and showed tails.
« Right it is. »
She picked up the coin and took the road going east.

Airport near Oregonia
« Well ? » Zell asked when they got back.
« All schedules check out fine. » Duncan said. « But there's one which says that a plane from Neron Continent arrived here yesterday. »
« Neron Continent ? » Selphie asked.
« Grandini Forest. » Squall clarified.
« Oh, right. » she scratched the back of her head. « But that's all woods. Looking for your wife and kids ain't gonna be easy. »
« I know. » Duncan said. « But I have a few friends there. »
« Really ? » Quistis asked.
« Remember the story I told you guys once of my adventure in Neron Continent ? »
« Yeah, some geek wanted to crush a band of rebels. » Zell slipped in perfectly.
« That's the one. » Skywalker explained all about Jennai and his Jennai Soldiers. Of how they'd searched for the two little statues that would bring forth the Celestial Dragon. And of course the Sigma Ray implemented in a space station called Sigma Station.
« Man, you pulled off some big-ass hero stuff out there. » Zell said, slapping Skywalker playfully on the back.
« The city had to go. It was a menace to the surroundings. » Duncan said.
« Whatever. » Squall cut in. « We'd better get going or else security'll find us here. »
They crawled back through the opening they'd made in the fence earlier.
« Whereto now ? » Rinoa asked.
« I don't know. » Duncan admitted. In the west the sun was setting. « We'd better get some sleep. »
« We go back to Garden ? » Irvine wondered.
« You won't make it before dark. » Duncan said. « We'd better go to my place. »
« Okay. » Squall agreed. « Lead the way. »
Skywalker ran ahead to his house with the others in tow.

Woods of Neron Continent
Cathy still wandered through the dense woods. Now and then, she came into a clearing where she rested for a few minutes. In this one she'd found some peaches. Three she had eaten and another three she kept for on the road.
Now, she was sitting on a rock in one such clearing. High above, the sun shone down on her. She'd been wandering for quite some time now. This road had to lead somewhere. In the bush, she'd found a lengthy dagger. When she held it up, it almost looked like a sword in her hand.
Time to go. Cathy got up and moved back to the road. She looked both ways to check if the coast was clear. When she saw no sign of any danger, she followed the road again.

Several miles further, three figures kneeled in the bush. The first was adjusting some sort of binoculars.
« Well ? » the second asked.
« Got it all scoped out, Butch. » the first replied. « Clear sight. »
« Let me see. » the third said and shoved the first figure aside.
« Sure thing, Alex. Knock yourself out. »
« Quit whining, Jeb. » Butch said, rolling his eyes.
« Okay, okay. » Jeb held up his hands.
These three men were three former rebels of the Dyenso Resistance Faction. The one which had sabotaged some of Lakoya City's reactors many times and had driven Commander Jennai up the walls with rage.
« What do you see ? » Jeb asked. Just recently, he'd gotten a promotion to Scout First Class, or 'Sneak' as it was nicknamed.
« Nothing yet. » Alex said, peering through the binocs at the gap in the rocks.
« And to think we thought this city was done for. » Butch added. « There's still something going on there down under. »
« Yeah, luckily there's no more Jennai to worry about. » Jeb said. To this, Butch and Alex had to agree. Commander Jennai had dealt them a few heavy blows with the Ki Ray cannon in the past.
Right now, the three were checking out an opening which seemed to lead to an underground shelter of a sort underneath of what remained of Lakoya City. « All's quiet in there. » Alex said. « We've been keeping an eye on that opening for nearly all day. Nothing. No activity. »
« Let's head back. » Butch said.
« Right. » Jeb gathered the binocs and the rest of their stuff. When that was done, the three went back to Dyenso Village.

« Well ? » Boras, the village chief, asked. Everyone called him 'Chief' or 'the Chief'.
« Nothing. » Jeb shrugged. « No activity. Nada. »
« That's impossible. » the Chief rubbed his chin. « Nicky was certain he saw something there. »
« Well, maybe he was daydreaming. » Alex suggested.
« Don't think so. » the Chief cut him off. « If Nicky saw something down there, he did see something. »
« It's not like Nicky to be daydreaming. » Butch added.
« Why don't we ask him ? » Jeb suggested.
« Good idea. » the Chief agreed. « Nicky !? »
A few minutes later, a head poked around a corner. « What's up ? »
« Get over here, would ya ? »
Nicky, grown up to his late teens, scrambled around the corner and stopped near the Chief.
« Did you see something out there ? No matter what ? »
Nicky scratched his chin as he delved in his memories. « Yeah yeah, I did see something. It was quite dark at that time, but I definitely saw something move. People going into a cavity or an opening to a cave or something. »
« We've been there all day, scoping out that opening of yours and came up with nothing. » Jeb complained.
« Give me a break, Sneak. » Nicky shot back. 'Sneak' was Jeb's new nickname because of his promotion to Scout First Class. Not that he liked it, because when Nicky called him that, he turned red-hot with rage.
« Why you little »
« Settle down ! » the Chief snapped. « Both of you. »
The door of a nearby house opened and a head poked around the corner. « What's all this ruckus ? » Talinn asked. She gotten back from her honeymoon a few months ago. Her husband, Ringo, was currently at the blacksmith, getting his blade sharpened.
« Just a difference of opinion between Sneak and Nicky. » the Chief said when his daughter came over.
« For the last time don't call me Sneak. » Jeb hissed.
« Okay, lighten up. » Talinn rolled her eyes, then silently added : « Sneak. »
« Goddammit ! » Jeb swore out loud. « Oh, I get it. It's a conspiracy, right ? Right !? »
The others merely laughed.
« Come on, Jeb. » the Chief said. « There's no conspiracy. Besides, who would want to conspire against you ? »
« Hm. You guys got a point there. »
« Tell you what. » Talinn suggested. « Why don't I and Ringo take a look tomorrow and see what we can find out. »
« Be my guest. » Jeb said and handed her the binocs and the rest of the stuff.
« Can I come too ? » Nicky asked.
« Well, it'll be a good chance for you to get some experience in stakeouts. » the Chief said, smiling.
« Yeah, allright. » Nicky was ecstatic.
Talinn went back to her cabin just as Ringo came back from the blacksmith.
« What was that all about ? »
« Oh, nothing. » she said. « We've got to do a stakeout tomorrow. »
« Not something Nicky saw. » he complained.
« Yep. » She closed the door.

Cathy sighed and sat down on the roadside. She'd been following this road for quite some time now. Surely it would lead somewhere, but she was losing hope of finding this village her father had once mentioned.
She heard a cry coming from above. Cathy looked up and saw a few vultures circle overhead. In the distance came the howling of wolves. Night was approaching. She'd been following this road for quite some time now.
From behind her, she heard growling. Whirling around, Catherine grabbed the long dagger and faced the threat. Five wolves came out of the bush. Fear seized her and she ran. The wolves wasted no time and sprang after her.
But no matter how hard she ran, the wolves were catching up. Then, Cathy remembered something her father had said about wolves and such in one of his many lessons. 'If you run into wolves, don't run. They'll catch up when you're tired and then you won't be able to make a stand.'
She slid to a stop, turned around and faced the wolves, dagger pointed at the nearest wolf.
The five predators eyed her and growled. One of them sprang at her. She jumped aside and lashed out with the dagger. The blade hit the wolf clear in the side and the animal fell to the ground wailing in pain. The other four wolves hesitated. Another decided to attack. Cathy ducked and the wolf went over her. She got up as fast as she could and kicked the wolf on its behind. Two of them bailed. The two others followed shortly thereafter. They wouldn't go after a snack they couldn't beat. Cathy let out a sigh of relief.
But what about the one she had wounded. She kneeled beside the wolf which was lying in a small pool of its own blood.
« Lessee now. How did dad do this ? » she asked herself silently. She held her hand over a clear patch of soil where a small Lifestream energy fountain appeared. Then, she applied small portions of the energy on the wound. The wolf wailed at first, but while she kept treating the wound the wolf became more quiet. After some ten minutes, it was done.
« There. »
After a while the wolf jumped to its paws, fully healed. But it didn't attack. Instead of attacking, the wolf went to Cathy and sniffed at her.
In these dangerous woods, Catherine Skywalker had just made a friend.