X
Escape !
Lunar Base
« Nothing, nada, zilch. » the sensor officer hit his console in
frustration. « Those things aren't there. »
« Relax, Lieutenant. » Lunar Base's commander said. « This
kind of equipment is hard to come by and has to be kept in one piece. »
« Sorry sir. »
« It's okay. » The commander waved the apology away.
The young lieutenant turned in his chair. « Permission to speak freely,
sir. »
« Shoot. »
« With all due respect, sir, we've been scanning for these damned things
for I don't know how long and we've come up with nothing. Frankly sir, I don't
think there are any 'orbital platforms' out there like you've said. »
The commander thought over that comment for a few moments, then he got out of
his chair. « Maybe you're right. »
« Sir ? » the young lieutenant didn't quite believe what he was
hearing.
« Maybe there aren't any of those platforms in orbit capable of deflecting
a directed beam of energy. Light can be bent in another way. »
« And what would that be, sir ? »
« Ever seen a full solar eclipse ? »
« I don't think I have, sir. »
« That can be arranged. » The commander went over to the lieutenant's
console and adjusted a few controls. The blazing yellow disc of the sun appeared
on the screen. From the left side of the screen, the moon closed in and began
to slide over the sun. As the twilight deepened, they saw a star wink into existence
just above and below the sun. « Do you see those two stars ? »
« Yes sir. »
« Keep an eye on them. »
The moon continued to slide over the sun until it covered the entire solar disc.
And then, the lieutenant saw something he hadn't seen before. The star above
and below the sun changed positions a wee bit as the moon eclipsed the sun.
The one above moved up a bit and the one below moved down.
« What the ? » the lieutenant stammered.
« Now if you use your brains for a second, you'll find out. »
The lieutenant thought frantically. He replayed the last seconds of the eclipse
to see the two stars shift. And then, he got it. « Gravity. »
« Bullseye. Gravity can bend light. »
The lieutenant nearly lit up with pride. But it was short-lived as the commander
torpedoed it.
« However, that possibility is probable but not very likely. »
« What do you mean, sir ? »
« For light to be bent by gravity, you need a powerful gravity source.
And this planet doesn't generate enough gravity to bend a ray of energy like
the one we've seen. The only gravity source strong enough to really influence
light is a black hole. »
« Your point being, sir ? »
« My point is that there have to be mirror equipped orbital platforms
out there. But we can't see them just yet. »
« That's the problem, sir. » the young lieutenant bounced back.
The commander merely smiled. For a kid, this lieutenant had a skeptical mind
and questioned everything until it made sense. He would make it far.
« I know that, son. I know. » the commander said. « Keep scanning
on all frequencies inluding infrared to ultraviolet. »
« Scanning on all frequencies including IR and UV, aye. »
Tevarion's hideout
In their cell, Moira and Lucas sat on the hard bench.
« When'll dad come ? »
« I don't know. » Moira said. « But he'll be here. He'll get
us out. »
Lucas got up and moved to the door where he peeked through the little gap which
was used to deliver their meals. Save for the two Jennai Soldiers patrolling
nearby, the place was empty.
« Maybe I can pick the lock. »
Moira joined her son by the door and took a closer look at the lock.
« Mom, you got a hairpin or something I can use ? »
A year or two ago, Lucas had accidently locked himself in the closet which had
been built into the wall of the second floor. He had yelled for help, but no
one had heard him. Not giving in, he looked around the closet and found a piece
of steel wire. With that, he had single-handedly picked the lock and thus freed
himself from his nasty situation.
« I don't think that's gonna help. » she said.
« How come ? »
« This is a magnetic lock. It doesn't require a key to lock it. Just a
command from a computer and electricity to power the lock. »
« Can't we trigger an overload or something ? We've got to get out of
here. »
« Well, we first have to find the cables that feed the lock's internal
mechanism. Then, I would need some tools to trigger that overload you spoke
of. But where am I gonna find tools in this bare cell ? »
« Got them right here. » Lucas took out his pocket knife out of
bottom of his boot. « I've been walking around on that thing for nearly
eternity. »
« Lucas, you're a genius. » She kissed her son on the forehead and
took the pocket knife. It had lots of mini tools including a screwdriver, a
nailfile, a pair of scissors, tweezers, a saw blade and, of course, the knife
itself.
« Gee mom, get a grip. »
They heard running outside the door. The two peeked through the gap again and
saw several soldiers run past, scientists or engineers among them.
Some ten minutes later, they felt the ground rumble as the HYPERION cannon fired
its test shot.
« What was that ? » Lucas wondered.
« Your guess is as good as mine, son. » Moira said, still looking
through the gap. « It seems that that Tevarion bastard is planning something
big. »
At first, they didn't notice it, but after several minutes they did notice it.
The two soldiers had stopped patrolling. The corridor was empty.
« Okay Lucas. » Moira said and began to search for the cables feeding
power to the door's magnetic lock. « Now or never. »
Dyenso Village
When Talinn and Ringo were looking for Cathy who wasn't in her room when they
wanted to wake her, they found her in the kitchen, munching on yet another sandwich.
Obviously, she had set her mind on conquering the food in their fridge after
such a long time of wandering in the woods.
« Gee, what an appetite. » Ringo said. Cathy took another bite as
to emphasize that.
« Why don't we all get something to eat and then we'll go see the Chief.
» Talinn suggested.
« Good idea. » Ringo agreed.
After breakfast, they went to the Chief's house.
« Archie, wait here. » Catherine instructed her companion. The wolf
laid down on the ground next to the door and put his head on his paws.
« Chief ? » Ringo looked around the main room.
« Coming. » they heard from somewhere in one of the back rooms.
After a few moments, the Chief came hurrying into the room. « Hey guys,
what's up ? »
« We have to talk to you about something. » Talinn said, closing
the door.
« And that would be ? » the Chief asked.
« Did it not strike you as odd that Catherine here showed up in our village
when she and her family live on the other side of the world ? » Talinn
began.
« Yeah, now that you mention it » the Chief mused. «
How did you get here ? »
« She was the victim of a kidnapping. » Ringo slipped in perfectly.
« My mother, my mother and myself. » Cathy added to that. «
We were being taken somewhere. I fell out the back of the truck and managed
to escape. Since then, I had been looking for this village because father had
told me about this place. »
« I see. » the Chief said.
« My father is looking for me. He's on his way. »
« How do you know that ? » Ringo asked, a bit skeptical.
Talinn hit her husband on the head. « In case you're not fully awake,
she's Duncan's daughter. She's got to have the same Lifestream capabilities
as he has. »
« Actually, my connection to the Lifestream has only recently been made.
I can feel it growing though. »
« So what do we do now ? » Ringo wondered.
« We have to warn Duncan his daughter is here. » Talinn said. «
The only question is : how ? »
« Maybe we could send Nicky. » the Chief wondered.
« Send him where ? » Talinn asked. « These woods are ominous.
Besides, we don't know where he is or where he'll arrive. »
« Good point. » Ringo said.
« Indeed. » the Chief agreed.
« C'mon, we have to do something to get my mother and brother out of those
soldiers' clutches. »
« Sodiers ? What soldiers ? » the Chief asked, getting wind of what
was coming next.
« Soldiers in black uniforms with a black helmet and a green blast shield.
I couldn't see their faces. » Cathy explained.
« Jennai Soldiers. » the Chief, Talinn and Ringo said as one.
Tevarion's hideout
Along the bare walls of the cell, Moira searched for the cables which fed power
to the internal mechanism of the magnetic lock. Lucas pointed at something small
and out of the ordinary in a corner near the door.
« What's this ? »
Moira pryed the chalk off and a red wire was exposed. « That's the one
I was looking for. » She yanked on the wire a few times, loosening it
up. « Stand back, this could get a little rough. »
Lucas moved back while Moira whipped up the knife. She held the sharp end against
the wire and turned her head away. Then, she cut the wire with all the force
she could muster. The knife slid through the wire and a shower of sparks followed
a split-second thereafter. While the two exposed halves of the power wire were
still sparking a bit, the magnetic lock clicked.
« All right. » Lucas cheered from the corner where he'd taken cover.
Moira silently pushed the door open. No one.
« Come on. » With Lucas right behind her, she kept close to the
wall and moved to the nearest intersection of corridors. There they learned
they were on level 5 below ground. And fortunatly, there was a computer terminal
there. She wasted no time and began to examine the system. Her training in SeeD
paid off once again as she began to hack into the system and methodically and
meticulously erased her tracks. Something caught here eye. A file, protected
by a Level-4 security code. Only the commander could access it.
« Hah, I had bigger fish to fry. » she muttered and bypassed the
code. Moira had once, long ago, broken Cid's personal access code which had
given her access to the entire computer network of Balamb Garden. She had done
this because everyone doubted her capabilities and she wanted to prove herself
so she had decided to break Cid's access code which was Level-7. Cid was royally
pissed off and proud at the same time.
« What the hell is this ? » she asked as the file opened. On the
screen, the schematics of a cannon were displayed. 'Schematics - HYPERION cannon'
stood in the lower right corner. « This must be what caused that rumble.
»
« What's that, mom ? » Lucas asked, looking at the screen.
« Schematics of some kind of cannon. » She opened the e-mail program
and sent the file to a safe location in the Balamb Garden computer system. She
was barely finished when an alarm went off. The sound of booted feet running
echoed through the corridor. Moira shut down the terminal after erasing her
tracks and ran. Lucas followed right behind her.
« Now to find a way out of here. »
They ran around the corner and hid in a dark place when at least twenty Jennai
Soldiers ran past them. The two held their breath, hoping no soldier would notice
them. When they were gone, mother and son ran through the underground corridors
once again.
XI
Tevarion's Declaration of War
Tevarion's hideout
In the command center, all was going according to plan. At least, that was what
Tevarion thought. He had no idea Moira and Lucas had escaped.
« Gentlemen, it is time we officially announced our and HYPERION's existence
to the outside world. Prepare HYPERION for another shot and stand-by to open
a broadband channel on all frequencies. »
« Yessir. » Several technicians go to their consoles and started
to implement changes in the cannon's angle. A few other men took care of the
broadband signal.
« Target, sir ? » the targeting officer asked.
« A stretch of open land not far from Deling City, Galbadia Continent.
We don't want to hurt any people. » Tevarion grinned. « Yet. »
« Aye sir. » The targeting officer got to work. In its bay, the
HYPERION cannon angled upward a bit and turned 27 degrees to its left, directing
itself to mirror satellite 16. From there, the ray would go to satellite 13,
then to 8, to 4 and finally, it would be sent down to its target. « Target
acquired. »
« Stand-by on the broadband signal. » Tevarion ordered.
« Ready, sir. » the comm officer reported.
« Cannon ready. All systems green. » someone reported from his console.
« Fire. » Tevarion ordered. Then he added : « Broadband signal.
»
The telltale mess of hasty status reports echoed through the command center.
« Cannon onlinepower flow stabletargeting systems synched
with satellites 16, 13, 8 and 4cannon is firingenabling broadband
signal »
Outside, the cannon fired its red energy ray into the air. The beam sped to
satellite 16, bounced off on its mirror and was relayed to 13. From there, the
ray was deflected to satellite 8 and hit 4's mirror. Mirror satellite 4 sent
the ray to its destination : the targeted stretch of land not far from Deling
City in Galbadia. The result was everything Tevarion had hoped. The beam slammed
into the ground, making an ominous crater. The people in Deling City got a good
scare when the air colored bright red and beam hit.
Just after the ray had struck, every screen on the face of the world was filled
with static. Then the impact of the beam was shown. After that, the face of
commander Tevarion replaced the image.
« People of the world. You've just witnessed our project in full action.
I, Tevarion, hereby declare myself leader of this world. Every nation has one
week to surrender to us. If there should be any resistance, we will target more
precisely. Cities and villages to be more exact. » He bent closer
to the screen. « Remember : one week and no resistance. »
Then, the screens showed static once again before going to their usual displays.
« Nicely done, sir. » Burke, his second-in-command said.
« Thank you. » Tevarion nodded. « By the way, check on our
'guests'. See how they're doing. »
« Yessir. » Burke went to a console and typed in a few commands.
The screen switched to a view of Moira and Lucas' cell. What he saw sent a shiver
up his spine. The door was wide open. « Sir, they're gone ! »
« WHAT !? » Tevarion whirled around.
« The door is open. How did they get out ? That's a magnetic lock. »
Tevarion wasted no time and summoned to him as much Jennai Soldiers as he could.
« The prisoners have escaped. Your mission is to find them. However, don't
hurt or kill them. The first one that does so, will pay with his life. Find
them and place them in another cell. Understood ? »
« Understood. » they all acknowledged as one.
« Good. Move out ! »
The soldiers turned and hurried out the command center to find the two escapees.
Elega settlement, Neron Continent
The hovercraft reached the harbor and moored to its designated pier. All passengers
disembarked, including our seven friends. The ride to this continent had taken
all day and now night was creeping in. Selphie scratched the back of her head.
« Gosh, night already and I don't feel tired. »
« We'd better get some sleep or else our internal biological clock will
be confused. » Duncan said.
« Let's go, people. » Squall took the lead to the Elega Inn. When
they entered, they were confronted with a mess. All the people present sat huddled
near the television set in a corner of the main room.
« What's going on ? » Rinoa wondered. She'd just asked this, when
Squall's comm unit started beeping. « Leonhart here. » he said
after taking the comm unit out of his pocket and switching it on.
« Squall, headmaster Cid here. We've just got confirmation of a strike
on Deling City in Galbadia. No injuries. We've got a message stating this attack
is merely a warning. This guy who calls himself Tevarion has declared himself
leader of the world. All nations have one week to surrender. No resistance or
else he'll target more precisely. »
« Surrender or die. » Squall slipped in.
« You could say that. Anyway, if there's any resistance he threatened
to blow up cities and villages. »
« That sucks ! » Zell shook with frustrated rage.
« I know Zell. » Cid agreed. « And something else
: we've received an e-mail from Moira. »
When he heard that, Skywalker's heart leapt up. « From Moira ? »
« Yes. There wasn't any text. Just blueprints or something. In the
lower right corner something is written : schematics - HYPERION cannon.
»
« That must be that cannon they're using. » Duncan wondered. «
Thank you, Moira. » he added silently.
That was the ultimate proof she was still alive and okay. Duncan felt relieved
beyond words. However, that went down a little because he didn't know about
his two kids.
« We have to assume that that is indeed the case. » Cid said.
« Be careful guys. » he added.
« We will. » Rinoa said.
In the meantime, Squall had gone to a public computer terminal and had gained
access to Garden's computer system through remote access sequences using a superuser
account he personally had set up some time in the past. He took the comm unit
from Rinoa. « Where's the file ? »
« In the schematics subfolder of the mail program. »
Squall opened the mail and accessed the schematics.
« Holy hell. » Zell said for all of them.
« Indeed Zell. » Cid agreed once again. « Holy hell.
»
Dyenso village
In the early morning, everything was being prepared for the rescue of Catherine's
mother and brother. Every able-bodied warrior ran to and fro with weapons and
other stuff and supplies. Some ten men were al set and ready to go. Catherine
watched them with awe. What seemed like a regular village had seemed to have
transformed into a military installation.
« Gosh, you guys sure kow how to stack arms. »
« We do, don't we ? » Jeb asked with a grin.
Talinn joined them. « We're all set. We set out in ten minutes. »
« I'm coming too. » Cathy said. Archie, her wolf-friend, leapt up.
He wanted to come along as well.
« You'd better stay here. » Talinn suggested. « Where you'll
be safe. Let us handle it. »
« Stay here and miss all the fun. » she pouted. « No way.
»
« Come on. » Jeb cut in. « What can you do in a situation
like this ? »
« This for instance. » She grabbed Jeb by the wrist and threw him
over her shoulder. He went flying through the air and landed a few meters further
flat on his back. « And that's not all. » she added.
Jeb got to his feet and charged at her. « Why you little »
That was all he could say when Cathy sent him flying again. This time into the
open door of a nearby cabin. A lot of noise was heard when the unfortunate Jeb
crashed into the kitchen.
« I rest my case. » they heard him moan. « She can come along
for all I care. »
« I think she could be of some use. » the Chief said with a smile.
« Yeah, perhaps. We'll see. » Talinn said and moved off to the waiting
warriors. « Come on. » Cathy followed close behind.
The group left the village and disappeared in the woods. Ringo and Talinn took
point, followed by Cathy. The rest of the men followed close behind. They came
into a clearing from where the barrel of the HYPERION cannon could be clearly
seen.
« That thing must be huge. » one of the men said.
« Yeah, it's huge alright. » another agreed.
« Don't fall behind back there. » Talinn said, looking over her
shoulder.
After some fifteen minutes of walking through the woods, they ran into a patrol
of fifteen Jennai Soldiers. Their orders had stated that if they saw Catherine
they should capture her and bring her in. However, now there were twelve people
from Dyenso Village with her who were fighting the soldiers. Cathy defended
her as well of course, but the villagers kept the soldiers away from her.
Suddenly five of them broke through the defense line and went for Cathy. Archie
growled beside her, ready to jump in and attack. She was outmatched. Five against
one. What would father do ? she wondered. It wasn't fair. Then, she felt
something deep down inside. A sense of control.
« Stay away from me ! » she yelled and unwillingly released a burst
of raw Lifestream energy. The energy wave shot up from the ground and killed
the five soldiers and a handful of other Jennai Soldiers nearby. The others
were dealt with by the villagers.
« And that's that. » Ringo said while sheathing his sword.
Talinn knelt beside Cathy who was staring in front of her, shocked beyond words.
« You okay ? »
« I I killed them. » she stammered and looked at Talinn.
« I killed them. »
Archie sat down beside her and looked up at his mistress.
Talinn laid her hands on hers shoulders and felt she was shaking all over. «
It's okay. » she said reassuringly. « They were the enemy.
We had to defend ourselves. »
« Yes, but »
« Let me tell you about these soldiers, Cathy. » Talinn looked Cathy
straight in the eye. « These soldiers are merciless and ruthless. They
carry out their commander's orders without hesitation or questions asked. Killing
them is the only way to stop them. »
« It is ? »
Talinn nodded. « It is the only way. They first Jennai Soldier was built
gene by gene and the other soldiers are copies of the first. »
« As in clones ? » Cathy asked, feeling better. She had stopped
shaking during Talinn's explanation.
« Clones, yes. »
« How do you know all this ? »
« Because I've seen it. I was there when Jennai sent forth his new soldiers.
»
« Was my father there too ? »
« He was. » Talinn replied with a smile. « They didn't stand
a chance against him. »
Cathy smiled. « He's great, isn't he ? »
« Indeed he is. » Talinn smiled back.
Ringo approached the two. « Why don't we take five ? She can come to her
senses while we dispose of the soldiers. »
« Good idea. » Talinn agreed. « What do you think ? »
she asked Cathy.
« Great idea. » she said. « I could use a bit of rest. »
« Okay then. » Ringo turned back to the ten villagers who had come
along. « Okay boys, get rid of those soldiers and then take a break if
you want to. »
Some of them had been injured and were being treated by the others.
As they got rid of the dead soldiers, Cathy sat down on the trunk of a fallen
tree and stroked Archie over his head.
She wondered if they would find her mother and brother in time.
Someone gave a yell and pointed to the barrel of the HYPERION cannon change
position. A few moments later, it fired.
Cathy took the control card out of her pocket. « Guess my little sabotage
attempt was not successful. »
« Where'd you get that ? » Ringo asked.
« I took it when I was on my way here. The soldiers were gone for a moment.
I took advantage of that and snatched this control card. » Cathy explained.
« And they managed to bypass it. » Talinn said. « Damn. »
XII
Movements
Elega settlement
When Talinn and her team were preparing themselves, Skywalker opened the door
leading to the balcony. From there, he had a view of the surrounding area and
the woods beyond the walls protecting the settlement. He leaned on the railing
while looking over the treetops, wondering what his wife and kids were doing
now. Or something far worse. However, the feeling was vague. Somewhere out there,
he could vaguely sense the presence of those loved ones he was seeking. He had
to assume they were okay. Moira could take care of herself. And Lucas and Cathy
too ; especially when they were working together as he'd experienced back home.
A hovercraft departed for a destination somewhere in the west. The noise from
it's propellor engines could be heard from the relatively distant harbor area.
Sighing, he went back inside, put on his coat and equipped his Daïkatana.
Duncan went downstairs and found the others already waiting for him.
« Took you long enough. » Selphie said, being her usual cheery self.
« Selphie, give the man a break. » Irvine said, seeing that Duncan
was still worrying about his wife and two children.
« Sorry. » she said, a bit disappointed. « Just trying to
have a good time. »
« It's okay, Selphie. » Duncan said. « You be your usual self.
I don't mind at all. »
« See ? » She hit Irvine right on his shoulder. « Don't be
such a grouch. »
« Okay okay. » Irvine complained.
« Let's just grab a bite to eat. » Rinoa said and moved off to the
main room of the inn. Squall shrugged as if saying « She's got a point
» and followed. The rest followed as well, getting some breakfast and
after that, looking for a way into the dense forests of Neron Continent.
« You know these roads better than we do. » Squall said, turning
to Duncan. « How do we go in there ? »
« I went in on foot. » Skywalker replied. « But it would be
better for the girls if we could use some transportation. » He looked
around, searching for something. His eye fell on a chocobo farm a bit further.
« Like chocobos, for instance. »
« Yay, chocobos. » Selphie cheered. « Let's get going then.
»
They made their way to the farm and got five chocobos which would take them
into the woods of Neron Continent.
Duncan got on his chocobo and spurred it. « Yah ! » The chocobo
sped forwards at almost full speed.
« Hey ! Wait up ! » Selphie yelled and spurred her own. Irvine had
his arms around her waist, hanging on for dear life as Selphie let te chocobo
race after Duncan's. The others followed.
« Duncan sure doesn't waste any time, does he ? » Rinoa asked, holding
on to Squall.
« Nope. » the latter agreed.
« Do you know where to go ? » Selphie yelled ahead at Skywalker.
« If my hunch is correct, yeah I do. » he yelled over his shoulder.
He brought his chocobo alongside Selphie's. « But it'll take some
time to get there. »
« How long ? » Squall asked.
« Two days at the most. »
« So where is it we're going ? » Rinoa wanted to know.
« If my gut feeling isn't playing tricks on me, we'll be able to find
out a whole lot when we reach Dyenso Village. »
« Let's get moving. » Quistis suggested.
« Hold on. » Squall cut in. « If we start racing, we'll exhaust
our rides. »
« Yeah, we'd better take it easy. » Zell added.
Everyone slowed their chocobos down to half their usual speed.
Tevarion's hideout
Lucas and Moira were still racing through the underground corridors of Tevarion's
base. Not so long ago, she'd mailed the cannon's schematics to Garden. She could
only hope that headmaster Cid was smart enough to warn Squall and maybe in doing
so, alert her husband as well.
She rounded a corner and saw a door open further at the end of the corridor.
« Back. » she hissed. The two crept back into a dark corner and
held their breath. Ten Jennai Soldiers ran past them, not one of them looking
at the place they were using as hideout. But then Lucas accidently kicked a
can. It made one hell of a ruckus as it clattered across the concrete floor.
« Dammit Lucas. » Moira swore silently.
« Sorry. » Lucas tried to apologise.
One of the soldiers came back to investigate. With a flashlight, he illuminated
the location from where the noise had been heard. The beam moved across the
wall to the two escapees' hideout. Moira wasted no time when the light beam
reached them and kicked the soldier clear in the face. It happened so fast the
soldier didn't have time to react. He spun around several times before landing
hard on the concrete floor. Dazed, he tried to get to his feet but Moira's foot
connected with his jaw again and sent the soldier sprawling. Taking advantage
of the situation, she lunged out, grabbed the knife that was on the soldier's
belt and rammed it through his chest. Lucas stood gaping at his mother who'd
just killed that soldier. « Mom, you'd » he tried to say.
« I know, son. » she reassured him. « Just returning the favor.
»
She hauled the now dead soldier into the dark area they had been hiding in moments
before. Then, she stripped him of everything they could use. The submachine
gun, for starters, Moira hung over her shoulder. She also took the radio and
the field rations. The knife she gave to Lucas.
« Whereto now ? » Lucas asked, taking the knife.
« I'm not sure. » Moira looked around the deserted corridor. «
But we have to sabotage the cannon. I didn't get a good look at the map though.
We had to bail pretty fast, remember ? »
« Yeah. » Lucas nodded.
« Come on. »
She took point again, running through the underground corridors that formed
the maze which, in turn, formed Tevarion's hideout under the remains of Lakoya
City.
« I wonder where we are. » Lucas broke the silence.
« I don't know either. »
« Unit 615, rendez-vous with Team 65 on Level 3. » crackled
out of the radio. Moira stopped running and turned the volume up a bit. «
Unit 615, respond. » Several seconds passed. « 615, come
in, dammit. » Then the vague report to someone was heard on the background.
« Trouble. »
« What's up, mom ? »
« They just found out one of their soldiers is missing. Now they'll come
looking for him. »
« Then we'd better put as much distance between us and that dead soldier.
» lucas said.
« Spoken like a true survivor. » Moira smiled and took point once
again.
Woods of Neron Continent
« Okay people, let's get moving again ! » Talinn got to her feet.
« Question. » Jeb said.
« Shoot. »
« What's the plan when we reach that place ? »
« I guess we do some good old-fashioned sabotaging, like in the old days.
»
With 'the old days' Talinn meant their struggle against Jennai and his city.
Duncan Skywalker had provided them with the necessary tactics and had helped
them take down Jennai.
The team was on the move again. Cathy was walking close to Ringo with Archie
by her side. « I'm scared. »
Ringo didn't quite belive what he was hearing. « So are we. Stay close
to us and no harm will come to you. » he reassured her.
Jeb caught up with Talinn and Ringo. « Say, any idea when Skywalker'll
arrive ? He's on his way right ? »
Ringo noticed Cathy stare in front of her with a distant look. « He's
on his way. With backup. » She'd just sensed Squall and the others' patterns
within the Lifestream. All living things had a distinctive pattern which enabled
the Skywalker family to sense and distinguish them.
« Backup ? » Jeb asked.
« Yes, six people. » The distant look was replaced by her usual
clear eyes as she lost the sense.
« Where are they now ? » Jeb asked impatiently.
« I lost it. » she said.
« What ? Argh, c'mon. »
« Jeb, give her a break. » Talinn barked. « We know he's on
his way and bringing backup. We just have to wait and see. »
« Yeah. » Ringo agreed. « In the meantime let's get Cathy's
mother and brother out of there. »
Grumbling, Jeb went back to his position as the team moved on to the remains
of Lakoya City. Sticking out of the treetops, the barrel of the HYPERION cannon
could still be seen.
Lunar Base
The sensor officer rubbed his eyes. Scans in the infrared and ultraviolet band
of the spectrum of the planet's visible hemisphere had revealed nothing. Not
one single platform popped up on the sensors. The officer went to get himself
some coffee. Perhaps that could clear his head and drive away the fatigue.
Lunar Base had been scanning continuously for these 'orbital platforms' for
the past seventeen hours. And still nothing came up. He sat down again at his
console and took a sip from his coffee. The screen still showed the visible
curve of the planet and the moon in the distance. But no positive contacts that
would indicate there were orbital platforms capable of deflecting rays of directed
energy.
Annoyed, he set the scanning sequence on a sidetrack and redirected some of
the sensors to the planet surface. Almost immediately, the HYPERION cannon became
visible on his screen.
« Maybe if I set the sensors to scan for the same metallurgic composition
of that thing. » he murmured and implemented the changes. The sensors
went to work, trying to detect the elusive platforms.
The crew of Lunar Base had also seen the red ray shoot up from a certain location
within Grandini Forest. The sensors had immediately detected the energy release.
The beam had bounced off of on unseen objects and hit the ground not far from
Deling City. Then, the screens on Lunar Base had also shown Tevarion's message,
or his declaration of war to be more exact. His ultimatum for every government
on the face of the planet to surrender to him before the week was out. The sensor
officer wondered how president Laguna would react to that.
The console beeped. No positive contacts.
Presidential palace, Esthar City
« Never ! » Laguna flared and banged on the desk. « This jackass
can send up as many energy rays as he wants but he'll never lay his hands on
Esthar City. »
« We still have a bit less than one week. » Kiros said. «
Surely Squall is on the case. »
« Let's hope so. » Laguna sighed. He went to his desk and made a
comm link to Balamb Garden. When he got through to headmaster Cid, he asked
if Squall had found out what all this was about. Cid told him that he hadn't
received any updates yet. Alongside Duncan Skywalker, Squall and his team were
still spitting out this situation. Esthar's president thanked him and closed
the link.
« Well, that's one good sign. »
« Indeed. » Kiros agreed.
Every screen in the city had shown the impact of Tevarion's ray and his ultimatum.
Because of this, the people got scared. A handful of them had stated that he
should surrender to Tevarion. Laguna had merely said that they were overreacting.
« They'll find out what's going on. » Kiros said as Laguna sat down
behind his desk and swiveled his chair around to look out the window across
the city. « Besides, Skywalker's with them. They can't fail. »
« No they can't. »
He sighed and turned back o his desk and got up. « Better ready the Esthar
soldiers. You might never know when it may come down to a showdown. »
« Right. I'm on it. » Kiros left to notify the soldiers they were
on stand-by.
XIII
Moira's Plan
Tevarion's hideout
Moira and Lucas raced through the underground maze of concrete corridors. A
hailstorm of bullets ricocheted over their heads. The two ducked behind the
corner. Moira took the submachine gun she'd taken from the dead soldier. «
Blasted. » she cursed.
She peered around the corner and saw a handful of Jennai Soldiers standing further
down the corridor. « Damn them for all eternity. » she hissed and
readied the submachine gun. The safety was flipped off and Moira leaned out
and fired a short burst. When she took cover behind the corner again, she heard
at least one body hitting the concrete floor. One down, several more to go.
« Can't we take another route ? » Lucas asked.
« Nope. » she replied and checked the clip. Still enough bullets
to make a reasonable stand. A burst of bullets from the patrol chipped off the
concrete of their corner. The two ducked away. « This is the only corridor
that gives access to the engineering section of this hellhole. »
« So what do we do ? »
« I'm not sure yet. » she peered around the corner once again and
examined the layout of the corridor. Aside from the bare concrete walls, there
were several conduits which lined the walls. She was looking for one specific
color : green. That color represented a flammable carbon-based gas. It had been
discovered not so long ago and had proven to be a useful source of energy. But
as for every combustible energy source, it wasn't going to be around indefinitely.
Sooner or later, centuries hence, it would be gone.
She leaned back, a plan ready in the back of her mind. « Better take good
cover. »
Lucas crawled back, until he was well away from the corner they were using as
cover. Moira leaned out once again and fired a round of bullets at the conduit.
The conduit breached and one bullet ricocheted off a metal ring and made a spark
which ignited the released gas. The result was that an enormous explosion killed
the remaining soldiers. But the downside was that a raging flame was blocking
the corridor.
But Moira was counting on the safety mechanisms strewn throughout this underground
facility. That maniac could be crazy, but he surely would have installed safety
measures. And he had done so. A few seconds after the blast, a siren wailed,
the gas supply was cut to this part of the corridors and fire extinguishers
in the walls spewed out white foam. This choked the roaring flames and put them
out.
« Let's go. » Moira took the lead again with her son close behind
and ran through the corridors again. They had to get out of there before more
soldiers would come along with a repair crew. But before they ran on, Moira
stripped the soldiers of their gear. Several submachine gun clips were taken
as well as the knives and rations. She also took another submachine gun to be
on the safe side should the one she was carrying now, jam. Lucas looked at the
soldiers lying on the ground. They were all charred and burned. One of them
had lost a part of his helmet in the blast. A part of his burned face was visible
and one lifeless eye stared straight at him. The boy backed away.
« Relax. » his mother said calmly. « He's not going to do
any more mischief in this lifetime. »
« He's dead ? »
« Of course. No one could've survived that blast. » She put the
last of the clips in her pocket and got up. « Come on. Let's keep moving.
»
The two ran again while the commander tried in vain to reach the squad in Corridor
32 Beta.
Woods of Neron Continent
The chocobos slid easily through the foliage of the forest. It was as if they
were made to run around in there. Already the sun had climbed to its highest
point in the sky, indicating it was a bit past high noon.
« I think I need to take a break. » Rinoa said.
« I agree. » Squall amended and relayed the message to Duncan.
« Okay, we take five. » He let his chocobo stop in a clearing and
dismounted. The others dismounted as well and stretched their sore muscles.
« Man, riding chocobos is fun. But not something to do for nearly all
day. » Selphie said rubbing her back.
« You'll get used to it. » Duncan said. « It's not that bad.
In the beginning, I had trouble as well. But now, I can ride them all day if
I have to. »
« You're not gonna do so with us around, are you ? » Quistis asked.
« Of course not. » Skywalker smiled. « I'll go easy on you
guys. »
« Oh good. » Zell sighed. He noticed Irvine walking around rather
awkward. « Hey Irvine, what's up ? Why you walking so weird ? »
« I kinda sat on the edge of that saddle. » he complained with a
slightly painful grimace. Selphie couldn't help but giggle. Irvine paid no attention
to her and slowly sat down on a fallen tree.
« Well, I'd never thought of being in Grandini Forest in my lifetime.
» Zell said, looking at the ominous trees surrounding them.
Duncan walked around, putting the parts of the puzzle they had found out in
their place. His wife and two kids had been kidnapped by a group unknown. They
had taken them to a hovercraft port and set course for Neron Continent. Where
they were he didn't know, but he was getting close. Skywalker had a gut feeling
that he was getting near and if he ever found the one who had kidnapped Moira,
Cathy and Lucas would have to answer to him. He took a deep breath, held it
for a moment and let it out slowly. He looked down at the ground and noticed
something. Footprints. Footprints of a child. His heart lept up. These specific
prints looked familiar. They were Cathy's. He'd recognise them at once.
« She's okay. »
« Huh ? » Zell asked, turning around. « Who's okay ? »
« Cathy. » Skywalker said with a smile. « These are her footprints.
I recognise them. Somehow, she must've found a way to escape. »
« That's all very interesting. » Squall said. « But these
woods are ominous. Duncan, no offense but she could've perished in there. »
Everyone thought that Skywalker would flare up but he merely smiled. «
Not Cathy. She's a survivor. And so is Lucas. They're like me. They'll find
a way to stay alive. »
« Let's hope that she still is. » Rinoa said. « And time for
us to move on. »
With one last look at his daughter's footprints, Skywalker got on his chocobo.
The others were also ready. Duncan took point and the group vanished in the
foliage again.
Tevarion's hideout
Tevarion laughed as he heard the report that Squad 132 had pinned down the two
escapees in Corridor 32 Beta. « Send in an additional squad to 'escort'
our guests back to their cell. »
« Yessir. » the officer at the comm station saluted. But before
he could relay the order, the underground bunker rumbled when a part of the
green pipeline Moira had fired on, exploded.
« What was that ? »
« We've got a breach in gas line 543 in Corridor 32 Beta. » one
of the techs reported. « Safety measures active. Gas supply cut, fire
extinguished. »
« Squad 132, come in. » Tevarion activated his radio. No response.
« Squad 132, this is Commander Tevarion. Come in ... Respond ! »
Still nothing. « Status on the systems in Corridor 32 Beta ? »
« Most of the systems are offline, however a few of them are still functioning
at fifty percent. Readings are inconsistent, but it looks like the squad's dead.
»
« Damn them. » Tevarion swore under his breath.
Upon leaving Corridor 32 Beta, Moira took a left turn to
the engineering section. Hopefully, she could use her SeeD training to sabotage
some of the systems. Namely those of the HYPERION project. When she rounded
the corner, Moira froze and pushed Lucas against the wall while pressing herself
against it as well. Standing next to one another with their backs to the wall,
Moira pointed up at a piece of machinery near the ceiling not far from their
postion. « Camera. Looks like they've got this place scoped out to the
max. »
« What do we do now ? » Lucas asked.
Moira didn't reply at once, but kept an eye on the camera. When it turned away,
she took her son's hand and ran to a position right under the camera. When it
turned away in the other direction, the two ran on and disappeared around the
corner. They passed a door on which was written 'Power supply HYPERION project'.
« Well well. » Moira grinned. « How convenient of them. »
Opening the door to a narrow slit, she peered inside. No one was there. She
opened the door and went inside, Lucas following close behind. He closed the
door behind him and looked around. Massive machines were producing massive amounts
of power for the HYPERION cannon to use. This energy was used to make the cannon
move and fire its red energy ray. And possibly, it produced power for this entire
facility as well.
The two passed a machine which was responsible for distributing the power to
different areas of this underground hellhole, as Moira liked to call it. It
was fairly big with a lot of cartwheels. It sort of looked like the inside of
an old-fashioned clock. She turned to her son. « Ever seen one of these
? »
« No. » Lucas admitted. « What are you gonna do ? »
« Sabotage. » his mother merely said.
« How ? »
« What can cause a machine like this to malfunction ? »
« I don't know. » Lucas shrugged. « Decay over time, I guess.
Or something happens to it, like something gets in there that doesn't belong
there. »
« Close. » Moira said and took a monkey wrench out of a toolbox
she had found in the meantime. « Watch. »
She threw in the wrench and backed away. The room instantly was filled with
screeching noises and cracking metal as the wrench fell in between the wheels.
The machine stopped and in most sections, the power was cut off.
« What easily causes a machine like this to malfunction, »
Moira explained.
« is throwing a monkey wrench in between the cartwheels. »
Lucas finished.
« You got it. »
« Power failure. » a computer voice echoed through the base.
« Initiating backup power supply. » The lights came back
on.
« Damn. Backup generator. » Moira swore.
« Are we gonna sabotage that too ? » Lucas asked.
« That might be a good idea. » his mother said, thinking. «
But we'll have to move fast. Now that we've managed to sabotage the power system,
they'll be warier. »
The two went back to the door. Moira opened it and peered in the corridor. No
one. But the faint sound of running was getting louder. « They're coming.
We'd better get moving. »
Presidential Palace, Esthar City
Laguna was reviewing files on special projects which had seen the light of life
in the past few years. Several were deemed useless to deal with this situation.
The next file was also a dead end. Nothing they could use to stop this bastard's
cannon.
Kiros came in, carrying a can of coffee. « Thought you could use a cup.
» He set the can on the desk and cast an eye on the screen. « What're
you doing, anyway ? »
« Trying to find a way to stop that asshole's energy ray. Lunar Base still
hasn't found those 'orbital platforms' they spoke of. We need a line of defense
here or we'll be wiped away by that ray. For what it takes, the next target
could be Esthar. »
« Indeed. » Kiros agreed. He seemed to be lost in thought for a
moment, then his eyes became alive again. « I just remembered something.
»
« Like what ? »
« Remember that project in Galbadia ? » Kiros asked. Laguna called
up the data on projects in Galbadia.
« MAJIVE ? » Laguna read off the screen.
« That's the one. » Kiros smiled. « It's roughly the same
concept as that madman's cannon. But the downside is that it wasn't completed.
Lack of funds. »
« Or the unwillingness of the government to supply them. »
« That's also possible. » Kiros agreed.
« Complete or not. » Laguna said, overviewing the data on the Galbadian
MAJIVE-project. « Now we've got something. »
XIV
The Activation Of MAJIVE
MAJIVE had been HYPERION's predecessor. The Galbadians had conducted some research
in the direction of directed energy weapons. The output system, namely the cannon,
was built as a large satellite dish to mask its true purpose. The Galbadian
scientists had discovered that MAJIVE worked best when it was linked to two
supercomputers, designated ICARUS and DAEDALUS. Both computers had enough processing
power to take care of all the sequences involved when firing a shot. The complex
in which the MAJIVE-project was housed, was located somewhere in the Galbadian
mountains. Its exact location was, of course, classified and known only to a
strictly select group of Galbadian officials.
However, when Duncan and Squall and his friends had fried Galbadia's Lexan supercomputer,
they couldn't porceed anymore with the classified MAJIVE-project. Thus, it was
shut down and filed in the archives where it faded from the minds of the people.
Little did they know that the project would be dug up again sometime soon.
A handful of SeeD cadets were on their way to the complex
which had been located during one of the Ragnarok's expeditions. The location
had been recorded but deemed useless and was stored in the memory banks of Garden.
Until now.
Eight SeeD vans stopped near the entrance of the MAJIVE complex. The occupants
stepped out and overlooked the cracked walls of the place.
« What a mess. » one of them said. His name was Jack.
« Yeah. » a girl, Sera, agreed. « Typical of the Galbadians
to let this place go to waste when they don't need it anymore. »
These two had been temporarily assigned to be the squad leaders.
Sera turned to face her squad. « Okay, people. Let's move. »
Jack relayed the same order to his squad. Both squads went inside the building.
« Do you figure we could stop that deranged guy with just a satellite
dish ? » Jack asked, having some doubts about the orders they had been
given.
« Beats me. » Sera replied. « Cid said we'd get our data when
we were on site. Let's go to the center point of the complex where all the commands
are given. »
« Sounds good to me. »
The two SeeD squads moved deeper within the complex. Headmaster Cid had sent
them to Galbadia to check out the status of the MAJIVE complex after he'd gotten
a message in which Laguna had explained his idea. Cid had immediately dispatched
two squads.
They arrived in the central command center. On all the consoles lay years worth
of dust.
« Well, we're here. » Sera said and took her comm unit. «
Balamb Garden, SeeD squads 1 and 2 are on site. »
« Acknowledged. » Cid's voice came back. « See what
you can find out on the operational status. »
« Yessir. » Sera acknowledged. « But what are we specifically
looking for, sir ? The only thing we've seen so far is carcked walls, dusty
consoles in the command center and a huge satallite dish nearby. »
« I guess I should tell you guys. Right now, you're standing in the
central command center of the forgotten Galbadian MAJIVE project. Your mission
is to ascertain the operational status of the entire project. »
« Right. We're on it sir. » Sera signed off.
« MAJIVE ? » Jack could hardly believe it. « Did he really
say MAJIVE ? »
« He did. » Sera nodded. « Let's get busy, people ! »
The squads spread out and the first thing they noticed was that there wasn't
any power available.
« Power's out. » someone reported.
« Take two others with you and see if you can get main power back online.
» Sera ordered.
« Gotcha. » The SeeD cadet ran off with two others in tow. Jack
and Sera went to the main console which incorporated the directing and firing
controls.
« Let's hope we can get this baby online before that madman starts to
shoot accurately. » Jack said, looking at the big black main viewscreen
on the wall.
« Yeah. » Sera agreed. « I'd hate to see Balamb Town be shot
to bits. Not to mention Winhill. I've been there on vacation once. »
« You never mentioned that. » Jack smiled. « I've never been
to Winhill. What's it like out there ? »
« There's lots of flowers in the fields outside the town. Last I heard,
Laguna had stayed there for a while. »
« No way. » Jack couldn't believe his ears. « Laguna ? The
president of Esthar City ? »
« The same. »
« So wanna go out to dinner sometime ? » Jack asked but when
Sera wanted to reply, she was cut off by the beeping of her comm unit.
« Bart to Sera. You got your ears on ? »
« Yeah Bart. Talk to me. What's up ? »
« Bad news. The relays are all worthless. And on top of that, the jump
start batteries are totally drained. »
« Great. » Sera muttered. « See what you can do to get main
power online. »
« Copy that. »
Bart Maxwell turned and examined the fried relays. «
Okay, let's try and get these babies online. »
« Anyone got a bike ? » Simon, one of the two technicians asked
with a playful smile.
« A bike ? » Maxwell asked. « What for ? »
« Maybe we could hook it up and try to activate this joint by pedalling.
»
« I think it's gonna take more than a bike to start this place up. »
the other tech, Jeff, corrected with a look at Simon.
« Like what, Mr Smartass ? » Simon shot back.
« A high power flow or something with a lot of voltage. » Simon
simply said.
« High voltage. » Maxwell muttered and looked around the dimly lit
engineering section of the MAJIVE project. He took his flashlight when he thought
to have seen something that might come in handy. And he saw well. Several large
Argonium batteries stood nearby. « We're in luck guys. »
« What are those ? » Simon asked.
« You're a technician and you don't know what these are ? » Bart
asked while tapping on one of the batteries. Simon shrugged. « These are
Argonium batteries. These babies almost last a lifetime. They're based on a
mixture of lithium and argon gas which allows the battery to absorb loads of
power when charged. »
« All right. » Jeff cheered. « Let's hook them up and see
what happens. »
The three techs rolled the batteries to the drained jump start batteries. They
hooked three up, cleaned up the relays and Simon pressed the 'Activate' control.
Nothing happened.
« Three more. » Maxwell said.
Three more batteries were hooked up and Simon pressed the control once again.
The lights came on and some other machinery, but that was all that could be
powered with this much power.
« Let's hook 'em all up. » Simon suggested. The remaining seven
Argonium batteries were hooked up and Simon pressed the 'Activate' control one
final time.
This time, the consoles hummed to life, the lights shone brighter and the machines
started to work.
« Okay. » Bart said. « Power's up. » He took his com
unit while he transferred power to the other parts of the complex.
« How come we've never heard of this Tevarion character
before ? » Jack wondered, leaning against the main console.
« You got me there. » Sera said. « Maybe some guy who holds
a grudge or something. Or maybe he is indeed mad enough to think he can take
over the world. »
« Anyway. » Jack changed the subject. « You didn't answer
my question about dinner sometime. »
« I don't know, Jack. » Sera said with a small sigh. « Maybe
in the near future. I've got a lot on my mind right now. »
« Women problems ? »
« Yeah. » Sera nodded. That was exactly the word she had been looking
for. « Women problems. »
« I see. » Jack said, clearly disappointed.
Sera's comm unit beeped while the consoles and other machines and screens hummed
to life. « Sera here. »
« Maxwell here. You've got your power. »
« Excellent work. Get back here on the double. »
« We'll be there in a jiffy. Maxwell out. »
Sera switched her comm unit off. Within five minutes, the three technicians
were back in the command center.
« Okay people, let's see what we can dig up. » Jack ordered his
squad. Sera's order was roughly the same.
The main viewscreen was filled with data on the status of MAJIVE. The satellite
dish-shaped cannon was currently out of backup power. One order from Jack and
the backup batteries began to receive their power. Slowly, maneuvering capability
was being returned to the cannon.
« A little bit more. » Sera said under her breath.
When the backup batteries were fully charged, one of the Balamb techs let the
dish make one full lateral turn. Then, came the vertical alignment sequences.
The dish made a full 180 degree sweep, as if tracking an object which was coming
directly overhead.
« Status on DAEDALUS and ICARUS ? » Sera inquired.
« ICARUS is currently at 78 percent efficiency and improving. »
a tech reported from the ICARUS computer console.
« DAEDALUS at 86 percent efficiency and rising. » the tech seated
at the DAEDALUS console reported.
« So within the next fifteen minutes we'll be able to synch the entire
MAJIVE project. » Sera estimated, eyeing the data on the huge main screen.
Two bars which were respectively labeled 'ICARUS' and 'DAEDALUS' slowly filled
as their processing power was being restored.
Outside, night was creeping in and stars emerged from the twilight. Around 19:00
hours, both supercomputers had their usual processing power restored.
« DAEDALUS fully active. » the tech reported.
« ICARUS active as well. » the other added.
« Synch MAJIVE. » Jack ordered.
Everyone began to input commands, prepping the system for the synching of the
entire MAJIVE project.
« DAEDALUS ready. » the DAEDALUS tech reported.
« ICARUS ready. » the ICARUS tech added right thereafter.
« Synching MAJIVE. » another technician announced. He was sitting
at the main console which held the directing and firing controls. The complex
was filled with a humming noise as DAEDALUS and ICARUS linked and then linked
themselves to the dish-shaped cannon assembly. All checklights on the screen
switched to a soft green as the synch was completed.
« MAJIVE synch completed. »
« Well, that went well. » Jack smiled.
« Now, we test the thing. » Sera said.
« What ? » Jack stammered. « You mean fire it ? »
« Of course. »
« Then they'll find us. That Tevarion creep will then know we've got an
ace up our sleeve. »
Sera thought it over. « Hmm. You're right. Last I heard he's got 'orbital
platforms' as Lunar Base once had reported. If we fire this thing, he'll surely
notice. »
« Hey boss, maybe we could simulate a shot. » the DAEDALUS tech
suggested.
« Great idea. »
« How do we do it ? » Jack asked the next important question.
Sera looked at the time. 20:30 hours. « We target a star. » She
turned to the main console and gave her first real orders. « Heading for
MAJIVE : 2-3-5, mark 1-5-8. Vigo in the constellation Libra. »
The dish-shaped cannon aligned itself with a star in the sky.
« Target acquired. No abnormailties. »
« Fire. »
« Firing. » MAJIVE went through its simulated sequences and fired
the simulated shot. « Sequence complete. Direct hit. »
Smiling, Sera took her comm unit and made a comm link to Cid's office. «
Sir ? MAJIVE is operational. »
