XV
Sharing An Ace
In his office on the third floor of Balamb Garden, Cid was working late. The
administrative work involved when running a place like this. It was stressful
work, but someone had to do it. And that someone was headmaster Cid Kramer.
He just put the last pack of forms in his desk and wanted to get some sleep
when the comm unit started beeping. Should he answer it or not ? He decided
to answer it. « Cid here. »
« Sir, Sera from SeeD Squad 1. MAJIVE is operational. »
« How operational ? »
« Fully. We've just completed a simulated shot using a star as target.
All systems check out fine. »
« Well done. Stay there till further notice. Don't worry about the Galbadians.
I've already taken care of that matter. »
« Copy that. SeeD Squads 1 and 2 standing by. »
« Good. Balamb Garden out. »
Xu, who was on her way down came in. « What was that all about ? »
« SeeD Squads 1 and 2 have achieved their mission goals. » Cid said.
« They've just activated a Galbadian complex. »
« A Galbadian complex ? »
« Yeah, we'll need it to stop that madman who's hiding in Grandini Forest.
»
« I see. And what Galbadian complex are we talking about ? » Xu
asked.
« You know I have to invoke Rule 9 for this matter. » Cid said,
eyeing her.
Rule 9 was used for very sensitive matters in which classified information was
handled. It made all cleared personnel keep the information to themselves and
not reveal it to personnel who wasn't cleared for the matter at hand.
« I do, sir. » Xu nodded.
« As of now, Rule 9 has been invoked. The complex we're talking about
is the old MAJIVE complex in the Galbadian mountains. »
« MAJIVE ? » Xu asked aghast. « As in the Galbadian directed
energy weapons research ? »
« The same. » Cid confirmed. « I was just gonna notify Squall
of the recent developments when you came in. »
« Go ahead, sir. I was on my way to the Dorm anyway. » Xu turned
and left.
Cid reached for the comm unit.
Woods of Neron Continent
The chocobos stopped in another clearing when the evening began to fall. Skywalker
dismounted and gathered some firewood while the others dismounted as well and
herded the birds together. Duncan returned a few minutes later with a lot of
firewood and made a fire.
« Gosh, what a ride. » Zell said, walking around.
« How much ground did we cover anyway ? » Selphie wondered.
« I'm not sure in these woods, but we're close to reaching our destination.
» Duncan said.
Rinoa sat down on a log and poked up the fire with a stick. The glow of the
flames illuminated the surrounding trees, making it look like they were surrounded
by a wall of green and brown.
Suddenly, Duncan bolted upright and drew his Daïkatana. « Nobody
move. »
Everyone froze.
« What's going on ? » Rinoa wondered as she saw him heading towards
her, blade raised. « Duncan ? » She closed her eyes as the blade
came down. She half expected the sword to hit her, but she felt it come down
right behind her. « What the ? » She looked behind her and
saw a rather large snake lying on the ground with Skywalker's katana through
its head.
« That was close. »
« What's that ? » Squall wondered.
« This » Duncan said, holding up the dead snake. « is
a 'two step snake'. »
« Two step snake ? » Irvine blurted out.
« Indeed. » Duncan nodded. « When this baby bites you, two
steps and you're dead. »
It got really quiet. But that was remedied by Squall's comm unit which began
to beep. « Leonhart here. »
« Headmaster Cid here, guys. There have been some developments.
»
« Developments ? » Squall asked, not really knowing where Cid was
getting to. Everyone gathered around.
« Yes, developments. » Cid said again. « Ever heard
of MAJIVE ? »
« MAJIVE ? » Zell asked. « What's that ? »
Cid wanted to clarify it but Rinoa beat him to the punch. « It's a secret
Galbadian directed energy weapons reseach project. When I was still in the Timber
Wolves faction, I had overheard a conversation between two Galbadian officials
who were talking about the MAJIVE project. It uses some other equipment called
DAEDALUS and ICARUS. Don't ask me what those are. »
« Quite right. » Cid complimented. « DAEDALUS and
ICARUS are two supercomputers which are linked to each other and the MAJIVE
cannon. The entire project is synched as one big assembly. »
« But wasn't MAJIVE shut down ? » Rinoa cut in.
« It was shut down, my dear Rinoa. We just reactivated it. SeeD Squads
1 and 2 have reinitiated DAEDALUS and ICARUS and succeeded in synching MAJIVE.
We have an ace up our sleeve to fight that crazy creep. »
« That's good to hear. » Duncan said. « And you're sure that
he doesn't suspect a thing ? »
« Not that I know of. »
« Allright. » Squall cut in. « If there's anything new, let
us know. »
« Will do. Balamb Garden out. »
The connection was severed and Squall put the comm unit back in his pocket.
« Sorry if I scared you earlier. » Duncan said to Rinoa.
« No big deal. » She waved the apology away. « If you hadn't
killed that snake I would've been well, dead. » She shivered a
bit. And it wasn't from a chill. The woods of Neron Continent were dense and
kept most of the heat from the day under the green canopy of leaves. The warmth
slowly dissipated till a bit over midnight.
Squall put his hands on her shoulders. « Relax. We owe him bad. I honestly
don't know how we can return the favor. »
« There'll be chances enough. » Skywalker said and sat down on the
log.
Squall took his beloved aside for a moment. « He seems to be taking the
situation well enough. »
« For the moment. » Rinoa added. « I hope we'll get there
in time or else I think he's really gonna snap. And it's not gonna be something
we witnessed near Esthar City. It'll be worse. »
They saw him get up when he saw something on the ground not far away.
« Yo, what're you checking out ? » Zell asked, kneeling beside Duncan
who was investigating a set of tracks.
« She's been here as well. » he smiled. « Cathy's been here.
Looks like she got in a fight with one Jennai Soldier. She managed to
get away. »
« Man, how do you see that ? » Zell couldn't quite get Duncan's
method of tracking.
« I had good teachers. » He pointed at something that had withered.
« These are the remains of an apple. She must've thrown it at the soldier
and then ran like hell. My guess is she hit him on the visor. »
« That's all very interesting. » Squall cut in. « Where do
the tracks lead to ? »
« Right to where we are heading. » Duncan got up. « I have
something to do first. You guys get some rest. »
« What are you gonna do ? » Selphie asked.
« I've got a favor to ask from an old friend. » With that, he disappeared
in the dense bush. Zell and Irvine shrugged while exchanging a look of confusion.
Squall took the first watch while the rest got some shuteye.
After the mess with Jennai and the destruction of Lakoya City, the Celestial
Dragon had chosen a new habitat. It was over the mountains, but he was hoping
he would encounter the big jewel-like creature in these woods. And he was in
luck. Just as he cleared the bushes, he met up with it.
It's been a while the Dragon said when it caught sight of Duncan.
« So it is. » he nodded.
What brings you here ? I heard you settled down.
« I have. And I have a favor to ask of you. »
The Dragon laid itself down on the ground and its head on its front legs. The
Celestial Dragon listened attentively as Duncan explained his situation.
Ruins of Lakoya City
The rescue team led by Talinn and Ringo reached the ruins of Lakoya City. They
set up camp in the bushes nearby, cautious not to attract any attention to themselves.
« What happened here ? » Cathy asked, overlooking the destroyed
city.
« Let's just say that your father took care of that. » Talinn said,
kneeling beside her and pushing a part of the bush aside. « Well, not
entirely. Jennai had fired on the city with his Sigma Ray. »
« Sigma Ray » Cathy's eyes narrowed as she tried to imagine
the effect a directed energy beam would have on this city. In her mind's eye,
she saw the magnificent gleaming buildings as Talinn had described be blow the
bits of concrete and metal. Talinn had roughly estimated that two thirds of
the city had been destroyed. Her companion Archie sat down beside her.
In the meantime, Jeb and Ringo had made a fire. Everyone sat by it, enjoying
the warmth.
« We need something to divert their attention. » Butch brought up.
« If we are to rescue her mother and brother, we need to draw attention
to us. »
« Good plan. » Talinn agreed. « How do we do it ? »
« I don't have the faintest idea. » Butch sighed.
« We make one hell of a ruckus. » Jeb said, cheery.
« A ruckus ? » Ringo asked skeptically and with one eyebrow raised.
« Yeah, as in a lot of noise. »
« Yeah right. » Alex grunted.
« Maybe that's not such a bad idea. » Cathy cut in. All turned to
look at her, expecting one half-assed idea. Instead, she explained a fact her
father had experienced on an island somewhere up north. The clans used some
kind of instrument and using the mountains' natural echo, they made it look
like they had the enemy completely surrounded. « Is there an echo around
here ? »
« Yeah, near here. » Butch said. « But we'll need to travel
half a day to reach that place. »
« We do it. » Talinn said, her mind made up. « What can we
use ? »
« I think there are still some war drums in the village. » Alex
scratched his head. « I'm not sure though. »
« Check it out. » Talinn ordered.
« Now ? It's dark for the Dragon's sake. »
« Now. » Talinn ordered. « The sooner you get back, the sooner
we can move on. »
« Right. C'mon Jeb. » Alex and Jeb got up and disappeared in the
darkness.
Tevarion's hideout
Moira and Lucas ran through the corridors of Tevarion's underground base, heading
for the location of the backup power generator. Behind them, they heard the
muffled voices of the soldiers who were investigating what they've done in the
main power room of the engineering section.
While running, they passed another computer console. Moira slid to a stop. Lucas
had noticed it too late and ran on for a short distance before stopping and
going to the console his mother was hacking into.
« Let's see what we have here. » She dug through the vast amounts
of data stored in the memory banks. « Hello, what's this ? »
She opened a small file which had been created by one of the officers responsible
for the targeting sequences. It turned out to be a little reminder to detect
the satellites in case the main detection system should fail.
« What's that ? » Lucas asked.
His mother smiled. « A way to detect that creep's satellites and to foil
his plans. » She read the words on the screen. « Triaxillating frequency
covariant bandwith signal infrared ultraviolet ... spectrum
isolation sequence 53 Gamma. »
« That's all Chinese to me. » Lucas said, rubbing his head.
« But not for me. » Moira said and sent another e-mail to Garden.
But what they didn't know was that messages would be diverted to Squall.
Moira erased her tracks, shut off the terminal and resumed their journey to
the auxiliary power supply.
XVI
Sniffing Out Tevarion's Satellites
Woods of Neron Continent
Selphie had taken the next watch several minutes before Duncan returned. Irvine
sat next to her. Zell sat on his knees a bit further, trying to make sense of
the tracks Duncan had discovered a while ago.
« Find anything ? » Selphie asked, looking up from the fire.
« You could say that. » Skywalker replied a bit evenly. «
I've met up with an ally I've made in the past. I had a favor to ask and its
help might come in handy. »
« 'It' ? » Selphie asked with a raised eyebrow. « Is this
some kind of weird creature ? »
« Not weird. » Skywalker corrected. « Powerful. »
« Time to roll out the big guns. » Irvine said with a grin.
« In due time. » Duncan agreed. « First we have to find Moira
and the kids. »
« Well, we're close to finding your daughter. » Rinoa said while
sitting up.
« Shouldn't you be getting some sleep ? » Irvine wondered.
« I can't sleep. »
« Right. »
« Catherine is close. I can feel it. » Duncan looked straight east
at something far away behind the dense foliage.
« Lunar Base still has problems locating that Tevarion guy's 'platforms'.
» Irvine brought up.
« I'm sure we'll find a way. » Rinoa said. She'd hardly said that
when Squall's comm unit began to beep. She reached out and took it out of his
pocket while Squall was still waking up from the beeping noise. « What
the hell is this ? » she asked while eyeing the message on the screen.
The comm unit had also an in-built screen and mail-program.
« Let me see. » Squall took the device from her and looked over
the data on the display. « I can't make heads nor tails out of this. »
He too had difficulties interpreting the message.
Duncan took the device from Squall and eyed the display. After a second, a smile
formed on his face.
« So ? What is it ? » Selphie asked impatiently.
« It's another message from Moira. » Duncan said. « Send it
to Lunar Base. » He turned to Rinoa. « We've just gotten our way
of sniffing out those 'platforms'. »
« Finally. » Selphie cheered. « Send it. Come on. What are
you waiting for. »
« Selphie, relax. » Duncan held up his hand.
Quistis sat up. The noise Selphie had made had woken her up. « What's
all the fuss about ? »
« Tell you later. » Selphie said in her usual happy way.
« If that's the case, then let me sleep for pete's sake. » She turned
back in.
« What a grouch. » Zell whispered.
« I heard that. »
« Yikes ! » Zell got a scare and shut up.
Lunar Base
The sensor officer had fallen asleep at his console. The recent search actions
had brought up nothing. Only the two directed energy beams : HYPERION's test
shot and the warning shot. The officer nearly fell off his chair as the console
beeped. Still nothing. He rubbed his eyes and banged on the console in frustration.
« Go easy on that, will ya ? » the commander said, breaking the
silence.
The Sensor officer sighed and turned to face his commander. « Permission
to speak freely, sir. »
« Go ahead. »
« With all due respect sir, we've been scanning for these 'platforms'
of yours and come up with jack-shit ! As far as I'm concerned there aren't any
! » the young officer flared. Lunar Base's commander merely sat in his
chair, listening to the heated arguments of the sensor officer. « This
is all just a waste of time. »
« Possibly. » the commander said. « But how do you explain
the fact that a ray of directed energy was fired from Grandini Forest and hit
an area near Deling City ? »
With that, he had the young officer stumped.
« I don't know, sir. »
Then, the comm officer turned. « Sir, incoming transmission. Audio only.
»
« Origin ? »
« Somewhere from within Grandini Forest. I can't pinpoint it exactly but
it is originating from a location a few miles away from the origin of the two
energy rays. »
« On speaker. » the commander ordered. A beep was heard, indicating
the speaker was on. « This is Lunar Base. Who's this ? »
« Squall Leonhart from Balamb Garden. I hear you've been looking for
hidden platforms in orbit. Am I correct ? »
« Yes, but we've had no luck so far. »
« Well, we might have something that'll change that. I'm sending some
command sequences that will be of help. »
After several minutes, the comm officer reported : « Got them. »
« Squall, stand-by. We're gonna try them out right now. »
« Acknowledged. Standing-by. »
The commander read the sequences on the screen. « Triaxillating frequency
covariant bandwith signal infrared ultraviolet ... spectrum
and isolation sequence 53 Gamma. »
« Here goes. » the sensor officer said, having found his enthusiasm
again. He used the triaxillating frequency sequence first and came up with scratch.
« Nothing. »
Next came the covariant bandwith signal with the same result a few minutes thereafter.
They were beginning to lose hope once again. Then, isolation sequence 53 Gamma.
Same effect : nothing.
« Squall, we're getting nothing on the read-outs. »
« That's impossible. » they heard Duncan say on the background.
Some scratching was heard as Skywalker took the comm unit from Squall. «
Are you sure, commander ? »
« Positive ? May I ask who I'm talking to ? »
« Duncan Skwyalker. »
« Ah Mr Skywalker. We've witnessed your heroics in Grandini Forest several
years ago. »
« Thanks, but that's beside the point now. Have you tried everything
there is ? »
« Yes. »
It was silent over the open comm link.
« Have you tried using all the sequences at once ? »
« I don't think so. We'll give it a shot. Stand-by. »
Several other officers took part in this effort to detect Tevarion's mirror
satellites.
« Engaging triaxillating frequency. » someone reported.
« Adding covariant bandwith signal. » the sensor offcer added to
that.
« Overlaying infrared and ultraviolet part of the spectrum. » another
said from his console. The view of space and the visible part of the planet
switched from normal view to a view in which space had a chemical green color
and the planet bright purple.
« Initiating isolation sequence 53 Gamma. » the sensor officer finally
said. All eyes turned to the screen. On the green image with purple planet,
several static filled patches with the distinct contours of satellites became
visible. Cheers went up as the commander switched the comm system back on.
« We have them on our sensors. »
Selphie cheered. « Yes. »
« I'm notifying Garden. » Squall said. « Keep an eye on those
satellites, commander. »
« Will do. Lunar Base out. »
The link was severed and Squall punched in the frequency that would patch him
through to Cid's office.
It took a while, but after several minutes Cid responded. « Cid here.
»
« Sorry to wake you sir, but Lunar Base found the satellites. »
« They did ? How long ago ? »
« They just sniffed them out. » Squall said.
« Bloody marvelous. I'll notify SeeD squads 1 and 2 to stand-by on
MAJIVE. Well done. »
« Thank Moira for that. » Duncan said. « She supplied the
sequences. »
« I will. Cid out. »
MAJIVE complex, Galbadian moutains
The mood in the command center of the MAJIVE complex was relaxed. However, several
SeeD cadets kept an eye on the displays of several consoles.
« I really hope we can spring into action soon. » one of the cadets
flapped out.
« That'll come. Rest assured. » Sera said. « It all depends
on Lunar Base to sniff out those 'platforms'. Then it'll be our turn. »
« Status of the MAJIVE project ? » Jack inquired.
« ICARUS fully operational. » the cadet seated at the ICARUS console
reported.
« DAEDALUS also fully operational. » the cadet at the DAEDALUS console
added.
« MAJIVE is fully synched and good to go. All systems on stand-by. »
the cadet at the main console read off the screen. « Cannon is ready.
No abormalities. »
« Well, now we wait for updates. » Sera said with a small sigh.
« Yeah, and it better come soon. » Jack amended. « I'm tired
of waiting. »
« Didn't anyone tell you that patience is a virtue ? »
« I think I heard that line somewhere before. »
« You know, Jack, sometimes you're » Whatever Sera wanted
to say was cut off by the beeping of the comm unit. « MAJIVE team here.
»
« Oh, is it MAJIVE team now ? I thought it was SeeD squad 1 and 2.
» Cid said, a bit amused.
« Sorry sir. We just came up with it. We thought it would sound better.
»
« Well, in a way it does. I like it. Keep it for now. »
« Sure. What's up, sir ? »
« Lunar Base has detected the platforms. I'm sending you the sequences
necessary to detect them. »
« Acknowledged. Standing by. »
After a few minutes the cadet at the comm reported he had them.
« We have hem, sir. »
« Good. I want MAJIVE on stand-by and pointing in the general direction
of Grandini Forest. »
« Consider it done. »
« Carry on. Balamb Garden out. » The comm unit beeped, indicating
the connection had been severed.
« You heard the man. » Sera raised her voice. « Heading for
MAJIVE : bearing 6-5-4, mark 1-6-5. No specific target, just point it in the
general direction of Grandini Forest. »
The command center was filled with reports being shouted through one another.
« DAEDALUS standing-by. »
« ICARUS standing-by. »
« MAJIVE synched. Aiming the cannon in the direction of Grandini forest.
»
« Implement the sequences Cid sent us and put the image on screen. »
Jack ordered.
The cadet at the main console implemented the changes while the dish-shaped
cannon aimed itself at Grandini Forest. The screen switched to a view of the
sky which had changed to chemical green. The clouds here and there were black.
And beyond they could see patches of static.
« There are at least a dozen in view. » Sera said, looking at the
screen.
« Yeah. » Jack agreed and got an idea. « Who has got a lot
of computer knowledge ? »
« I do, sir. » a cadet by the name of Josh said while standing up
and snapping into attention.
« Think you can hack into those satellites' systems without anyone noticing
it ? » Jack asked.
« I have to do a few test runs, sir. To see what kind of firewalls they
have installed in those birds. »
« Then get to it. »
« Yessir. » Josh sat down at a computer console and got to work.
After half an hour, he stood back up. « They've got some heavy firewalls
installed but I think I can punch through with a Type-Delta attack barrier to
crack its ice. Once in, I've got a little program that'll allow me to take over
the entire grid. »
« Every satellite ? » Sera asked.
« Yes ma'am. Every single one of them. »
XVII
Help Arrives
Woods of Neron Continent, near Tevarion's hideout
Jeb and Alex returned a few hours before sunrise, each carrying two big war
drums. Alex put his on the ground and sat down, leaning against one of the drums.
« Argh, I'm beat. I think I need to rest for a few minutes. »
Jeb put his down as well and sat on a rock to catch his breath.
« All right. Now that they're back we can work out some strategy. »
Talinn said.
« What did you have in mind ? » Ringo asked Cathy.
« Once we reach the part where the mountains echo, just start banging
on those drums. The echo will make sure the sound will be coming from everywhere.
» Cathy suggested.
« Right. » Talinn nodded. « While they are making a ruckus
a few of us will go in and try to locate our two targets. If it gets too messy,
we pull back on the double. Questions ? »
No one said a thing. It was all crystal clear.
« Okay, move out ! »
The group got up, gathered their stuff and got underway. The journey took them
over ridges, past steep cliffs, over squeaky bridges and through the dense bush.
Finally, after five hours walking did they reach their destination. A place
where there was an echo and from where they could see parts of the gleaming
remains of Lakoya City.
« Okay boys ; once we are in, start drumming. » Talinn ordered with
a smile. « Alex, Butch, you're with me. »
The three sneaked through the bushes towards the dark opening in the rockface
which gave access to Tevarion's underground base. When they looked to their
left, they could truly see just how big the HYPERION cannon in reality was.
« That thing's enormous. » Alex whispered.
« Yeah. » Talinn agreed. « That's beside the point now. Keep
to the matter at hand. »
« Right. » Alex nodded.
« You got it. » Butch added.
Talinn motioned for them to stop when they were a handful of meters away from
the opening. There were two soldiers standing guard. She readied her crossbow
and took aim. From one moment to the next, she took out the soldier with an
arrow clear through the blast shield. Before the other knew what was going on,
two knives came his way and robbed him of his life.
« Ouch, through the visor. » Alex said while making a face. The
arrow had gone through the blast shield and hit the soldier in the eye.
« Let's hide the bodies in the bushes. » Butch suggested.
« Good idea. »
The dead soldiers were moved to the nearest bush and hidden from view.
« Now, let's get in there. » Talinn took out a small device and
sent a single beep, the she went inside.
Commander Tevarion was walking circles, clearly frustrated.
The plan he had put together was losing its integrity. It was falling apart
bit by bit. Gasps were heard as a rumble went through the ground and the lights
and consoles died. Tevarion looked around as the backup generator took over.
« What the hell was that ? »
« The main power system failed. » someone reported. « This
entire base is running on emergency power now. »
« Oh no, it's not. » he hissed. « Get a repair crew down there
and get that power system back on-line ! HYPERION cannot afford to function
on backup power. »
« Yessir. » Within minutes, a repair crew was underway accompanied
by a squad of Jennai Soldiers.
Then, one of the officers couldn't make sense from what he was hearing. He put
off his headset and stood up to face his commander. « Sir, I'm detecting
strange noise. »
« What kind of noise ? »
« I'm not sure, sir. It sounds like drumming. »
Tevarion was by the officer's console in two steps. « Put it on speakers.
»
The officer manipulated a few controls and the sound of the war drums Talinn's
rescue team had brought along echoed through the command center.
« Where is it coming from ? »
« I have no idea, sir. It's as if they're everywhere. »
Tevarion manipulated the controls on the console to see if he could detect the
source of the sound. But he too couldn't find it. Annoyed, he straightened his
back. « Try to find the source. »
« Yessir. »
« What news on the two escapees ? »
« None, sir. » Burke, his second-in-command said. « They're
on a rampage through the base. »
« Find them ! I want them stopped, but alive ! » he raged. «
I don't care how you do it ! »
Within the next second, a squad of Jennai Soldiers was sent to find the two.
When the sun peeked just over the horizon, Squall and the
others were on their way again. The chocobos took them faithfuly through the
bush, evading obstacles as they ran on.
« So, today we reach this village of yours, right ? » Irvine asked.
« Yeah. » Duncan replied.
« Then we'd better get a move on. » Squall said and spurred his
chocobo, bringing his right behind Skywalker's chocobo. The leaves of the trees
were a blur as the big yellow birds ran with their passengers through the forest.
The dense foliage moved aside for a bit, gradually changing into a path which
led to Dyenso Village. Then, the front gates came into view. The five chocobos
charged through the open gates and slid to a stop on the central plaza. Duncan
hopped off his chocobo and ran to the Chief's house. He ran in while the others
were dismounting and running after him.
« Well, Duncan. It's been a while. » the Chief said as he saw Skywalker
charge through the door.
« Sure is Chief. My wife and two kids have been »
The Chief didn't let him finish. « kidnapped and taken to a place
near here. »
« Right. » Duncan couldn't believe it. « How do you know ?
»
« Your daughter is fine. Catherine managed to escape and ended up here.
»
« Thank goodness. » He let out a sigh of relief. The tracks were
hers. « So, where is she ? »
« Away with Talinn on a rescue mission. »
« On a rescue mission ? » It caught Duncan by surprise. Then, a
smile formed on his face. « That's my Cathy. »
« Looks like she inherited your determination. »
« She sure did. » He ran back outside. « Where did they head
to ? »
« Monida Canyon. They said something about using the echo. They left yesterday.
»
« Thanks Chief. » With the others in tow, he left the village while
the Chief was wondering who the other six were.
Driven by the fact that he was going to find his daughter, Duncan moved through
the bush like a whirlwind. The others had trouble keeping up. But they didn't
complain. They understood well enough what it felt like to be reunited with
someone. Following Duncan's relentless march, they covered more ground than
Talinn's group.
« What's that ? » Irvine asked as he heard the drumming in the distance,
seemingly coming from everywhere.
« It's the echo. » Rinoa said.
« We're almost there. » Duncan kept going.
« How about we take a break ? » Jeb suggested.
« We've been drumming for the past half hour. »
« Okay. » Cathy agreed.
« Take five, guys. » Ringo said to the two drummers.
« I hope they find them fast. » Jeb said, eyeing the remains of
Lakoya City.
« Me too. » Cathy added. « I wish my father was here now.
He'd know what to do. »
« You got that right. » came a voice from behind.
Everyone whirled around.
« Skywalker. » Jeb said for all of them.
« Daddy ! » Cathy ran to her father who lifted her up in a tender
embrace. The tears she had held up inside now found a way out.
« It's okay. I'm here now. » Duncan soothed her. Squall and the
others stood a bit further behind him. Rinoa's hand took Squall's.
« I thought you'd never come. » Cathy said when he put her on the
ground again.
« Well, I'm here now and that's the most important thing. »
« Yeah. » Cathy agreed.
« Hey Jeb, been working on your musical skills ? » he asked with
a grin.
« Me ? No. » Jeb said. « Who are they ? » he asked when
he caught sight of Squall and his team.
« They're from Balamb Garden. » Duncan simply said.
« The mercenary unit ? » Ringo asked.
« We call ourselves SeeD. » Squall clarified and introduced himself
and every other member of his team. « And indeed we are soldiers
for hire. »
« Right. » Jeb nodded.
« So what do we have here ? » Skywalker looked down at the remains
of Lakoya City.
« Talinn, Butch and Alex have gone inside to find them. » Cathy
informed her father. « We don't know what's going on in there. »
« I'm going down there. » Duncan said with narrowed eyes.
« What ? » Cathy couldn't believe what she was hearing. «
What if they capture you too. »
He kneeled before her to talk to his daughter at eye level. « No they
won't. They'd have to do a lot more than send a few Jennai Soldier squads. Besides,
I've got something to settle with this Tevarion. » He gave her a light
kiss on the forehead. « I'll be fine. »
« Be careful. » she called after him.
« I will. »
« Okay, guys. Let's give 'em some more goosebumps. » Ringo ordered.
The two men started to drum once again, making this part of Monida Canyon echo
with their sound.
Skywalker sneaked to the entrance to Tevarion's underground
base. No guards outside. While he thought of that as being strange, he saw the
two soldier's legs between the bush. He smiled as he moved on. The two had been
taken out by Talinn, Butch and Alex. No doubt about that. The precision shot
said it all. That was definitely Talinn's signature.
He went inside, wary of everything.
The sound of footsteps sounded in the corridor up ahead. He pressed himself
against the wall in a dark spot and held his breath. It turned out to be four
scientists talking about the recent developments.
« The main power supply isn't back online yet. » the first said.
« I think it's got something to do with those two who have escaped. »
the third brought up.
« Possibly. » the second agreed.
« My guess is they're sabotaging this place. » the fourth guessed.
Whatever else they were talking about was lost as they rounded the corner and
disappeared from view.
Right on, Moira he said in the back of his mind as he peeked around the
corner, looking for possibly more dangers.
A Jennai Soldier came ouf of a nearby room and headed his way. Skywalker vanished
again inthe shadowy place and waited for the soldier to pass by. When he did,
Duncan lunged out, grabbed the soldier and snapped his neck. The soldier slumped
to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Skywalker hid the body in a dark room
and moved on.
XVIII
He's Here
Tevarion's hideout
Moira peered around the corner and saw several Jennai Soldiers in the corridor.
Lucas stood against the wall a few paces behind her. Despite her cunningness,
they had the two surrounded.
« Dammit. » Moira swore and checked the clip of her submachine gun.
One quarter was still available, which meant she had some twenty bullets left.
She took one of the other machine guns and gave it to her son. « Here.
You'll need it. There's too many of them. »
Lucas took the weapon and looked around. The sound of running feet seemed to
come from everywhere. « Mom, I don't like this. »
« Tough it out, kiddo. Let's just focus on staying alive. »
« Right. » Lucas looked around once more and saw something worth
mentioning. « What if I sneak to that corridor and when the soldiers come
your way, we can catch them in a cross fire. » He pointed at the corridor
he had in mind.
« Excellent idea. » she smiled. « Stay close to the shadows.
»
« Right. » Lucas sneaked to his corridor using the shadows as cover.
Moira had explained how submachine guns worked. Now was the time to actually
use it. When he reached his spot, Lucas waved inconspicuously. His mother gave
a thumbs-up signal and threw a can into the corridor as a distraction.
Attracted by the noise, the soldiers advanced, not knowing what was waiting
for them. When they reached the T-shaped intersection of corridors, Moira sprang
out of hiding and fired her submachine gun. Lucas did the same from his spot.
The weapon rattled in his hand as he fired almost half his clip. The squad had
been dealt with.
The two met up.
« Well done. » Moira complimented. « If you have more of those
ideas, don't hesitate. »
« Let's keep moving. » Lucas suggested.
« Yeah. » Moira took point again.
In the command center, silence reigned.
« It stopped. » someone noted.
« For half an hour at least. » another corrected.
« As if they can scare me with some noise. » Tevarion snorted. «
Keep searching for those two. »
« Yessir. » The officers went back to their consoles. They were
barely working or the sound of the drums echoed through Monida Canyon again.
« It's driving me crazy. » one of the younger officers banged on
his console.
« Get a hold of yourself. » Tevarion barked. « They're just
doing it to scare us. And for what you are concerned, they're doing a great
job. »
« Sorry sir. »
Tevarion ignored him and eye the main display. « Prepare HYPERION for
another shot. »
Skywalker passed the main power section. Normally, this
part would be filled with noise from the machinery that produced the necessary
power for this facility to function. But now, all was silent.
Intrigued, he silently opened the door and saw a handful of engineers working
on the main power generator. When eyeing the generator, he saw the problem.
Sabotage. Meticulously done with a monkey wrench. He could see it through the
wires and cartwheels. Definitely Moira's work. Smiling, he closed the door and
moved on.
If Moira had sabotaged the main power generator, she was going for the auxiliary
generator. It was the logical thing to do. If you wanted to slow down someone's
organisation, you'd go for the power generators.
He took the corridor which led to the auxiliary power generator.
In Monida Canyon, Cathy couldn't stand it anymore. «
I'm going in there. » She got up and ran down to the entrance.
« Catherine, wait ! » Rinoa tried to stop her but she was already
on her way.
« Damn. » Squall ran after her, followed by the others. Ringo informed
Zell they were heading back to the village.
While the members from the Dyenso rescue team packed their stuff, Cathy ran
through the entrance into the underground base. Archie went to the village.
Just as she charged around the corner, a Jennai Soldier just reached that corner.
Acting on instinct, she grabbed her dagger, jumped up and sliced him just below
his helmet. The soldier dropped like a dead weight.
The others caught up with her.
« What the hell do you think you're doing ? » Selphie asked.
« I'm going to help my father. » she said determined.
« Well, now that we're here we might as well move on. » Squall said
and took point.
They wandered through the corridors until they met up with Duncan.
« I thought I told you to stay put in Monida Canyon. »
« I know. But I wanna help you. »
« She took out one of those soldiers. » Zell added.
Skywalker's eyebrows went up. « Really ? »
« Yep. And some others a few days ago with a Lifestream burst. »
she said proudly.
« Let's keep moving. » This time Duncan took point and led them
through corridor after corridor. Then, as if by magic, they found themselves
in the open bay where the HYPERION cannon stood.
Duncan asked Squall for his comm unit and punched in the frequency which would
connect him to Cid's office. « Headmaster, it's time for MAJIVE to come
into action. »
In the command center, everything was being prepared for
HYPERION's next shot. All systems were functioning as they should. The lights
shone brighter as the main power generator came back online and the auxiliary
generator was shut down.
« Main power back online. » came a report.
« HYPERION online and standing by. » the offcer at the HYPERION
console reported. « All systems green. »
« Good. » Tevarion nodded. « Synch HYPERION with satellites
2, 5, 32, 39 and 59. Target : Oregonia. Time to obliterate our foe. »
« HYPERION synching with designated satellites power flow stable
systems nominal satellites responding HYPERION cannon redirecting
itself cannon ready. »
« Fire on my command. » Tevarion said, eyeing the main screen on
which the Skywalker home was displayed.
« Sir ! » the targeting officer turned in his chair. « Someone's
tapping into the satellites. »
« WHAT !? » the commander boomed. « Block him. Kick him out
whoever it is. »
« I can't. They're overriding my commands. »
« Signal source ? »
« Can't triangulate. They're taking over the entire satellite control
system. »
Tevarion swore his lungs out.
« Sir. » the chief engineer turned to face his rage-filled commander.
« I'm reading a massive buildup of energy underneath the HYPERION bay.
»
« Just what the hell is going on !? » he asked no one in particular.
MAJIVE complex, Galbadian mountains
Every member of the MAJIVE team was anxious to see this piece of machinery in
action. So far, all systems were functioning normally. Josh was standing by
to hack into the satellites' systems. The program had already been loaded and
was ready to be activated.
Jack's comm unit beeped. « MAJIVE team, go ahead. »
« It's time for MAJIVE, guys. I'm patching someone through who'll provide
you with the necessary coordinates. »
« Acknowledged sir. Who is it, if I might ask. »
« You'll know when I make the link. Stand by. » The comm
unit beeped twice when the link was made.
« Skywalker here, MAJIVE team. Stand-by for targeting coordinates.
»
« THE Skywalker ? » Sera asked. « Duncan Skywalker ? Everyone
in Garden is talking about your involvement in the parallell universe incident.
»
« Let's talk about that later. »
« Of course, sir. » Jack said. « We've got something interesting.
One of our people, Josh, can hack into the control system on board the satellites
and take over the entire grid. »
« Excellent. Go for it. »
Sera nodded and Josh started up his program.
« Here are your coordinates : 5-6-2, mark 6-5-4. »
« Coordinates received. » Jack reported.
« Don't miss. »
« We won't. »
« Good. Skywalker out. » The connection was severed.
« Okay, Josh. » Sera stood beside his chair. « Talk to me.
»
« I've hacked into the satellite control system and I'm trying to take
over. Those guys on the other end know what they're doing. » He typed
in another series of commands. « C'mon, sweetie. » he murmured.
« Don't fail me now. » It looked like he was fighting a small war
over the privilege to control the satellites in geostationary orbit. While he
was trying to take over the entire satellite grid, Tevarion's people were trying
to prevent that. But they were steadily losing it. Josh had proven to be a true
genius. All of a sudden, he flashed a triumphant smile, called up the password
encryption program and typed in the new password : SCYLLA 24. « Gotcha
! »
Tevarion's hideout
Tevarion himself had sat down at a console and was eyeing the screen. On it,
the percentage of men he had left was shown. It wasn't promising.
While he was doing that, reports echoed through the command center stating that
the satellites were slipping out of their control. He didn't pay much attention
to it and wondered what to do next.
Obviously, the two prisoners who had escaped wouldn't be taken prisoner again.
He sighed and took his comm device. « Burke, come in. » Only static
could be heard on the other side. « Burke ? Are you there ? Burke ? »
Then the comm device crackled. When Tevarion wanted to scold him, another voice
came through. « Attention, attention jackass. Burke just checked
out. »
« Who is this ? » he barked.
« Guess. » came the reply, then static again.
« Guess » he muttered as he pondered about where he'd heard
that voice before. An ice cold hand closed around his heart as he figured it
out.
« He's here ! »
« Sir ? » one of the officers eyed him with a worried look.
« He's here. » he said again. « Skywalker's here. In the base.
»
Everyone in the command center had the same look of fear in their eyes. All
had seen the reports and pictures of his actions. Lakoya City, once so majestic
had been reduced to an overgrown scrap yard. Jennai had been slain by his, Skywalker's,
hand. And now, his second-in-command had found the same end, although in different
circumstances. Jennai had been killed with a knife. But Burke had found his
end at the edge of Skywalker's Daïkatana.
« What do we do now ? » someone asked.
« Fire HYPERION. »
« Are you sure, sir ? » the cannon operator asked. « The satellites
are »
« I know they're out of our control ! » he raged. « Fire HYPERION
or I'll do it myself. »
« Yessir. » the cannon operator got to work.
Meanwhile, Tevarion had other plans. He activated the system on the wall. A
clear alarm sounded through the entire base.
« Warning. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once.
Thirty minutes till detonation. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate
at once. »
XIX
MAJIVE's Two Shots And Tevarion's Escape
MAJIVE complex, Galbadian mountains
« They've targeted a seaside town named Oregonia. » Josh read off
his screen. « Isn't that the place where Mr Skywalker lives ? »
« Yeah. And from what I've heard it's pretty tranquil there. » Sera
said.
« Hey, do you guys remember Moira Luna ? » Jack asked.
« Of course. » Josh nodded. « She was the one who always took
care of the optical links in Garden. »
« True. » Jack said. « But she also married Skywalker and
settled down in Oregonia. »
« We know. » Sera cut in, then turned to Josh. « What can
you tell me about what they're using ? »
« From what I've managed to scrape together, our enemy is utilising a
project named HYPERION. It's roughly the same as MAJIVE, but more advanced.
» The console beeped. « Satellites 2 and 5 are picking up an energy
buildup. I think it's HYPERION. They're going to fire. »
« Realign satellite 69 and take out the delivery satellite. » Sera
ordered. « That beam mustn't reach its destination. »
« Yes ma'am. » Josh went to work.
« Heading for MAJIVE : 5-6-2 mark 6-5-4. » Sera announced. Outside,
the dish-shaped cannon aligned itself with satellite 69 as Josh typed in the
coordinates.
« Ready. »
« Fire. »
The MAJIVE cannon spewed out a bright purple ray just as HYPERION fired. The
purple ray had a split-second head start and destroyed satellite 59 just before
the red ray could be deflected by it. The result was that the red energy beam
simply disappeared in the interstellar void.
« Delivery satellite destroyed. HYPERION beam vanished in space. Nothing
hit. » the cadet at the main console reported.
« We did it. » someone cheered.
« We sure did. » Jack agreed. « And now we're gonna deliver
a crippling blow to HYPERION. »
« What are you up to ? » Sera wondered.
Jack went over to Josh's console. « How accurate can you aim with this
thing ? »
« To the meter, sir. » Josh replied. « Why ? »
« I want you to target the HYPERION cannon itself. The regulation systems
to be more exact. »
« I'll see if I can. » Josh manipulated some controls and transferred
the image to the main screen. On it, they could see a targeting crosshair right
over the barrel of the HYPERION cannon.
« A bit more to the left. Jack said.
The crosshair slid left by a few millimeters and came over the rear part of
the cannon.
« That's it. » Jack grinned, then nodded to Sera. « You may
do the honors. »
She didn't know whether to think he was being a genius or just a pain in the
neck. « Target lock ? »
« Yes ma'am. » Josh reported.
« Then by all means, cadet. Proceed. » she nodded at the cadet at
the main console. On the screen, everyone could see the purple ray impact on
the rear end of the HYPERION cannon, disrupting the power flow and destroying
essential systems.
« Direct hit. » the cadet announced.
« Sir ! » one of the engineers whirled to face Jack. « We've
got a short circuit in the main prefire chamber of MAJIVE. It's triggered a
buildup and there's nothing we can do about it. »
« What now ? » Sera wondered.
« HYPERION can't fire ? »
« According to my scans, no. » Josh announced.
« Good. Trigger the self-destruct charges on the satellites and then the
auto-destruct sequece on MAJIVE. We're clearing out, people ! »
« Yessir ! » echoed through the command center.
He turned to Sera. « We'd better let Cid know. » The latter took
her comm unit and updated headmaster Cid.
Josh let Tevarion's satellites self-destruct and activated the auto-destruct
sequence of the MAJIVE complex.
« Warning, auto-destruct sequence acivated. Attention, energy buildup
in MAJIVE prefire chamber. Auto-destruct in fifteen minutes. Evacuate at once.
Auto-destruct sequence acivated. Evacuate at one. » echoed through
the MAJIVE complex as the MAJIVE team cleared out.
Tevarion's hideout
« HYPERION is firing. »
On the screen, they could see the telltale red ray shoot up into the sky to
be relayed to its destination by the orbiting mirror satellites.
« Sir, I'm detecting an release of concentrated energy in Galbadia. »
the sensor officer announced. « It just destroyed satellite 59. »
« What ? » Tevarion called up the sensor data and saw that satellite
59 was indeed destroyed. « Skywalker if you're behind this, I swear to
all that's precious that you'll be sorry. » he murmured.
« Incoming energy ray ! » someone yelled. Everyone held on to something
as the base shuddered.
« Damage report ! » Tevarion barked.
« Sir, that one shot took out the regulation systems. They're completely
shot to hell. » the Damage Control officer reported. « The energy
buildup underneath the cannon is still increasing. » He bent closer to
his screen. « And the satellites just self-destructed. »
« Warning, auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Fifteen minutes
till detonation. Evacuate at once. »
« We get the hell out of here. » Tevarion said. « All personnel
to the escape vehicles. Senior staff with me to the Regalia. »
The base shuddered again as the buildup of Lifestream energy reached its peak
and destroyed the entire HYPERION cannon.
With his senior staff close behind, Tevarion went to the lowest part of his
underground base to a small harbor where a submarine was waiting.
History was repeating itself. Like Jennai before him, he had to abandon his
facility.
Moira and Lucas were pinned in a section of a corridor again.
They were defending themselves for what they were worth. Little did they know
that help was closeby. Lucas fired a short burst which killed three soldiers.
« We're sitting ducks. » he said.
« I know. » Moira agreed. « We have to get out of here, pronto.
» She threw a fragmentation grenade in the other corridor. It lit up like
dawn as the frag grenade exploded, sending pieces of shrapnel in every direction
and killing a dozen soldiers in the process.
« We don't stand a chance. » Lucas shook his head. « And we're
almost out of ammo. »
She checked their gear and noticed he was right. « Damn. If help doesn't
get here fast, we're toast. »
« Warning. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once.
Thirty minutes till detonation. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate
at once. » The base's imminent destruction warning echoed through
the corridors. The two escapees heard a ruckus coming from the corridor behind
them and pressed themselves close to the wall behind a barrel, ready for anything.
When she saw the young woman peek around the corner and say « Clear. »
to someone they couldn't see yet, Moira noticed they weren't with Tevarion's
men.
« Who the devil are you ? » she asked while getting up and keeping
her submachine gun aimed at her. « I'm warning you : no funny stuff. This
baby has a sensitive trigger. »
« Mrs Skwyalker I presume ? I'm Talinn. We're from Dyenso Village. We've
come to get you out. »
« Thank heavens. » she sighed and leaned against the wall.
« Let's move. » Ringo cut in. « This place is gonna blow.
»
When they wanted to get underway, Squall's team rounded the corner. Cathy ran
ahead to her mother.
« Cathy ! » She took her in her arms. « Thank goodness you're
safe. »
« Squall ? » Lucas asked. « What are you guys doing here ?
»
« We're here to get you guys out. » Zell said.
« You too ? » Moira asked. « They came to get us out as well.
» She pointed at Talinn's team.
« Where did they come from ? » Squall wondered. His hand went for
his gunblade. The rest went for their weapons as well.
« Relax, they're friends. » came a voice. Duncan stepped around
the corner, holding his bloodied Daïkatana. « They're from Dyenso
Village. »
Moira put Cathy down and ran to her husband and hugged him for all he was worth.
Everyone let their weapons alone. Duncan rubbed Lucas over his head. «
How've you been doing, kid ? »
« I managed to knock out a few of those creeps. » he said proudly.
« Let's move, people. » Ringo said again.
« Okay, you heard the man. » Talinn said to her team. « Let's
mosey ! »
Skywalker flicked the blood off his sword and put it away.
While they were running through the corridors, they saw Tevarion with his senior
staff running to the lower parts of the base.
« There's that creep. » Moira pointed ahead.
Tevarion urged his men forward. « Move, dammit, move. He's right behind
us. With backup. »
When they heard that Skywalker was on their heels, the senior staff picked up
the pace. It was like they were an animal which got a good dose of primordial
fear. That caused people to do things which they didn't think possible. As in
this case, they ran faster than they ever thought possible. Fear sometimes does
strange things to people.
A set of bulletproof double doors slammed shut when Tevarion and his senior
staff ran through.
« Damn ! » Moira swore. « We lost them. »
« What's behind this ? » Zell asked.
« I don't know. » Duncan said. « I haven't been to this part
of the base. »
« Warning, auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Fifteen minutes
till detonation. Evacuate at once. »
« It's a docking space for a submarine. » Rinoa said. She had activated
a computer terminal a bit further down the corridor.
Cathy laid her ear against the metal of the door and heard the faint bubbling
of water as if it was boiling. But in reality, it was the sound of ballast tanks
filling. « I hear something. »
« What do you hear, sweetie ? » Moira asked.
« Bubbling water. »
« They're diving. » Duncan said. « Let's get out of here.
»
Everyone picked up the pace and made for the top levels of the base before it
would blow apart and they with it.
« We need a sub if we want to catch the bastard. » Selphie said.
« As a matter of fact, there's an old naval base near the village. There's
a sub on which we used to play when some of us were young. If my recollections
are accurate, it should still be in decent condition. » Talinn brought
up.
« Then that's where we're going. » Duncan said. Down below, they
could feel the effects of the self-destruct devices already. The auxiliary power
generator had just blown itself to pieces. The main power generator was next,
so if they didn't get out of there A.S.A.P, it was game over.
Just as they ran out and the Regalia submerged and left the confines
of the docking space, Tevarion's hideout self-destructed.
« Talinn, you and your team head back to the village. » Duncan said
as they reached a fork in the road. One led to the old naval base and the other
to Dyenso Village. « This is our fight. »
« Okay. Take care. Farewell. »
« Farewell and take care. » Skywalker replied.
« We're coming too. » Squall said. Duncan nodded. Right now, he
could use all the help he could get.
« We're coming as well. » Moira said. When Duncan wanted to protest,
she held up her hand. « We want to catch that rat bastard too. »
« Yeah. » Lucas said.
« Catch him and sink him. » Cathy added.
Their father found himself pressed to agree.
