Ch 9 - Centra
Zell remained in a melancholy mood for the rest of the night, only speaking when spoken to and eating lightly.
The next morning his mood hadn't lightened in the least.
The door of his quarters opened, Selphie standing in the doorway. A song was playing on the CD player quietly, but someone quickly shut it off with a press of a remote.
Selphie and Irvine had walked back to the Ragnarok later on, and had found that Zell had gotten there before them. He had left early, his excuse being that he was tired. They had accepted it easily, seeing how he had gotten so anti-social after his dance.
"Zell…we're taking off now…we have to be at the Serengetti Plains before ten."
Zell lay on the bed, his back to the door. He didn't acknowledge her.
She moved into the room, the door sliding shut behind her. "Zell? Is something wrong?"
"Of course not." Zell muttered. "Everything's peachy. I've only got an assassination to stop, as well as watch my, your and Irvine's' backs. Not only that, the assassin knows who we are, and could strike at any time." He sighed. "Everything's fine."
Selphie came and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing him a little room. "Come on. What's really bugging you?"
She couldn't see it, but Zell rolled his eyes. "Isn't that enough for you?" he asked sharply, moving a little closer to the wall.
She frowned; annoyed that he wasn't opening up. "Come on! You're not worrying about the mission, otherwise you're be talking about it. What's really bugging you?!"
Zell heaved another sigh, rolled over, faced the girl, and looked her in the eye. "I think…July has a thing for me."
Selphie looked down at him, her expression deadpan – before she put a hand to her lips and giggled. "Really! I would have thought she was into the brainy types!"
Zell shook his head and rolled over again. Selphie frowned. "I'm sorry, Zell…it's just that, I wouldn't have thought that something as silly as a crush would affect you so much! I mean, you don't like her too…do you?"
Zell didn't move, but the tone of his voice gave him away. "And if I did?"
Selphie raised her head in recognition. He wasn't beating himself up because of the thought of some other girl going for him…he was worried that he might do something…out of character. "Do you love Angel?" she whispered.
Zell said nothing at first, before sighing. "I thought I did…she has this calming effect on me, ya know…like someone cast Water on the Firaga in my brain…but July just seems to draw something out of me…I tell her things I wouldn't even tell Angel…and I've known her what, a few days?" He gripped the bed sheets and balled his fist, the grip tightening. "I don't know what I'm feeling, Selphie. And I don't like it."
Selphie stood from the bed, and moved to the door, opening it. She moved out, before turning and placing her hand on the close door mechanism. She paused, before speaking. "Just follow what you're heart says, Zell. That's the best thing to do. But you must decide. You can't ask someone else for help on this one." With that, she closed the door, leaving Zell to himself.
"But…what do you do when you're heart's lost?" Zell mumbled, closing his eyes.
He slowly reached out for the CD player remote, picking in up and pressing a series of buttons, as if his fingers had memories. Eyes On Me began to play quietly, and Zell allowed his body to relax…
* * *
They finally got to the Serengetti Plains, the dry heat hitting them as they left the cool, air-conditioned interior of the Ragnarok. It was like walking into a wall of hot air, you're breath pushed out of you like a punch in the stomach.
Irvine took off his coat and threw it back into the Ragnarok, before slapping the seal mechanism, the large ramp slowly closing. Selphie and Zell were alright in the heat – they wore summer clothes, Zell in his usual black and blue shorts n tee combo, Selphie wearing her usual yellow one piece.
They had landed in the designated landing zone for all aircraft – several flying crafts sat in the boiling heat, lined up between one another – and the Ragnarok was still the best looking craft on the field. Again, the SeeDs drew stares as they walked away from it, Irvine casually aiming the 'beeper' at the giant dragon and pressing the lockdown switch, as if it was convertible. The small device emitted a 'beep-beep', and the dragon seemed to lower to the ground, the wings folding in on themselves. The SeeDs smirked as they walked on.
The fighting area was a mile or so to the west, but there was seating and refreshments to have at the area they were in now. All seating was covered, and Selphie and Irvine graciously sat down. Zell plonked into a chair next to them.
"I feel for you, man." Irvine said, wiping the beads of sweat from his fored. "You'll have to fight in this heat! Just make sure you drink plenty of water before you go out there."
Zell nodded. The heat didn't bother him that much. "Speaking of drinks, whose round is it?"
Selphie and Irvine looked at Zell with deadpan stares. "I got them at Obel Lake, and Selphie shouted us at Deling…so it's you're turn, dude." Irvine muttered, resting the top half of his body on the table, suddenly wanting a nice pair of shorts instead of the long leather riding pants he was wearing. Selphie rubbed his back in sympathy.
Zell shrugged, and stood. "Seems fair." He said. "Be back in the shake of a chocobo's tail-feather."
Walking through the food stands, Zell found a drink stand with little people milling around it. Walking up to it, he gathered the attention of one of the pretty girls behind the counter. "Uh…two Blizaga cool drinks and a bottle of water, thanks."
The girl quickly ran around to the fridge, opening the door and pulling out three bottles. Running back to him, she placed them on the counter and smiled at him. "Ten Gil, please, The water's free."
Zell, eyebrows raised, smiled at her. "Thankyou." He said to her as he reached into a pocket for some change. He frowned as he found there wasn't in that pocket, and began to pat down his pockets.
The girl watched all this, fidgeting with her apron, before she could not stand being silent any longer. "Are you…I mean, you're…I mean…you're the one from yesterday…" she paused, composing herself. "Zell Dincht, right?"
Zell, busy with finding the cash he had stashed on his person, glanced up at her. "Uh…yeah, that's me." He mumbled, finally finding a twenty Gil note stuffed into his back pocket. He reached up to her with it, to find her with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock and amazement. "What? Don't you have change for a twenty?" he asked, oblivious to her reaction.
"Oh. My. HYNE!" she screamed shrilly, making Zell jump. "You're him! Oh, wow! I never thought I'd ever actually meet you! Oh, wow! You ruled in the ring yesterday, I mean, that thing you did, it was amazing! I can't believe I'm talking to you, oh wow!!" she giggled once more and gestured for her workmate to come over. "Meryl! Guess who's here! Zell Dincht!!"
Meryl came bolting from the back of the shop, screeching to a halt as she saw who was standing, a little embarrassingly, in front of her. "Oh my Hyne!!" she gaped, clasping her hand over her mouth.
Zell smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh…" Aiyaaa, is this what it's like to be famous?
"Please, Mr. Dincht, could you sign something for me?" The first girl asked.
"Uh…I suppose…" He patted down his pockets once more. "…I don't have a pen on me…"
"Here's one."
"Oh…thanks…so, where do I sign?"
The girl leaned forward, opening her blouse a little, revealing a lot of cleavage. "Here, if you don't mind."
Zell gulped, and then shrugged. "Eh, what the hell…" he muttered, reaching forward and signing the breast; Zell Dincht. "There you go." He said with a smile, replacing the cap of the pen and handing it back to her.
The two girls turned to each other and jumped up and down, laughing hysterically. Zell scratched the back of his neck. "Uh…can I pay now?"
"Oh, yes, or course!" Meryl said, running forward and taking the twenty from his outstretched hand. She ran the Gil through the cash register, and handed him back the change.
Diligent, Zell counted the change. "Hey…you've over changed me. I have fifteen Gil here." He reached up with the extra five. "Here you go."
Meryl backed away. "No, keep it! Just talking to you is good enough."
"Well, I can't take these drinks without paying you fully. I'll just leave this five Gil on the counter, ok?" With that, he placed the five Gil down, grabbed his drinks, and walked off.
He heard the girls giggling behind him as he moved on. "Cute, handsome, and he's really nice, too! Wow! I can't believe he signed my…" Was all he heard before he moved out of earshot.
He shook his head and let out a long breath, moving back the table. Selphie was resting her head on Irvine's back, Irvine still in the same position as he was when Zell left. "Where you been, man?" Irvine muttered in an annoyed tone. "We're drying up here."
Zell shrugged, slightly lost for words. "Uh…had a run in with some fans. Huh. I actually have fans."
Selphie smiled drunkenly in the heat, taking her soda from Zell gratefully and holding the can to her head. "Wow…'Zell Dincht, fan club'…never thought I'd ever hear those words in the same sentence."
Irvine snorted. "Yeah. Before long, there'll be a whole bunch of Dincht wannabes…Dinchtettes."
Their laughter died down, however, when a looming shadow blocked the sun. Zell shifted in his seat to look up at a bus of a man, muscles on his muscles, and smirked up at him. "Aiyaaa…but you're a big'un, aren't you?"
"You're Zell Dincht, correct?" The hulk said.
"The one and only."
"I'm Sheran Timlett. I'm you're next contestant."
Zell's eyes widened as he recognised who the massive guy was. "Hey…I know you…you're one of the Galbadian guys, right?"
The massive man nodded. "That's right."
"Man…how's you're friend? How's he coping with his defeat?"
Sheran smirked. "Why do you care? You're not going to be in the tournament much longer."
Zell smiled warmly. "What do you mean?"
The bulky Sheran leaned forward and poked Zell roughly in the chest. "I'm taking you out. And when we're done, you won't walk from the arena, you get me?"
Zell's smile didn't waver an iota. "Sure. You keep thinking that, man. I'll see you soon." And with that, he turned his back on the Galbadian, taking a swig of his water casually.
His message delivered, the larger man turned and stomped away. Zell looked at Irvine with worried eyes. "He's gone, right?"
"Yeah."
Zell seemed to deflate, like a punctured tyre, his head bowing. "Aiyaaa, will the madness stop?"
"What?" Selphie asked, confused at his reaction.
"Why is it that whenever a tournament, or a sports game, or whatever…why is it that there is always someone who thinks he's the best?" He said, annoyed out of his mind.
"What?" Irvine asked. "There's always someone like that. Just don't let him get under his skin."
"He's not under my skin!" Zell spat. "Its just…why can't we get along?"
The three SeeDs looked at each other for a second, before bursting out in laughter, the tears running down their faces as the words sank in. They needed to lighten up. The events that had happened in the past few days had taken their toll on them…it was good to laugh at each other for a change.
* * *
Ladies and gentlemen, the first battle is about to begin. If you wish to view the fight, please move to the general seating, or go to you're private booths. Thankyou, and enjoy the fight.
"Who's fighting?" Irvine asked Zell as they moved to the viewing centre, a branch out from the eating stands and parking areas. Irvine had his arm draped around Selphie's shoulder. She was wearing his wide-brimmed hat, shading her petite face from the harsh sun. Sheen's of sweat adorned all the SeeD's faces. Growing up in the tropical climes wasn't the same as growing up in a desert.
Zell looked over to Irvine over Selphie's hat. "Uhhh…Grey and a Centraian called…Dol…Dolomi…Dolomatia Grenertia." He wiped a palm full of sweat from his fored and flinged it away, watching as it dampened the sand. "I wanna see the fight. I need to take a bead on how strong Grey actually is."
"Why?" Selphie asked, looking up at Zell from beneath the wide brim of the hat.
Zell shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets. "He…he just…seems like the kind of guy I need to keep my eye out for…that's all…"
"Zell…what has he done?"
Zell squirmed slightly. "Well…I mean, we were all feeling pretty angry after the selection…but, he said that Justice ought to watch his back a little more closely now that he was in the tournament…"
"Are you saying he threatened the President's life?"
"That's what I figured."
Irvine shook his head, his face twisted into a grimace. "Stupid…" He muttered, before looking down at the ground. He seemed to struggle for something to say, then gave up, looking up at the grandstands. "Hey, look at the size of that screen!"
A gigantic TV screen sat in the sunlight, masses of wires and cables running away from it to a makeshift generator, hidden behind. Several small and large satellite dishes lined the top, pointing in varied directions. The screen ran advertisements right now – soda commercials, food commercials, soap opera commercials.
"Wow…" Selphie gasped.
"That's the second biggest TV screen I've ever seen." Zell joked with a smirk.
They walked around the grandstand and mounted the steps, looking for some free seats. Someone called out their names. "Zell! Irvine! Selphie! Over here!"
Zell looked over to see July standing next to the wheelchair-bound Sam, waving them over. He turned to Selphie and Irvine, his face paling slightly. "I…I'll meet you guys later…I need another drink." Before they could object, Zell walked briskly away, moving back into the throng of people.
"What's eating him?" Irvine muttered, wiping sweat from his fored.
"I'll tell you later." Selphie replied, watching as the fighter melded with the crowd.
* * *
What are you doing? Are you afraid of this girl? A dark voice muttered deep in his mind.
Kiss my ass, Diablo. A demon like you would never understand. Zell replied angrily.
Ah, but in that, my master, you are wrong. I do have a semblance of feeling – hate, anger, jealousy, revenge.
All of which are irrelevant in this situation.
So why do you run so? What are you afraid of? Of beginning a relationship with this girl? Or is it something more…physical?
Zell suddenly stopped in his tracks, next to a vending machine. "Just shut up, Diablo! Shut up!!" He screamed, smashing his fist into the machine, the metal frame buckling easily under the sudden attack. Cans of soft drink spewed from the opening in the bottom, and several fell from the damage sustained. Zell found himself breathing heavily as Diablos' laughter rang darkly in his mind, and he pulled the fist from the machine.
Blinking several times, Zell looked up to see almost everybody in the street staring at him, as if he was crazy. He frowned, wiped his face, and began to walk down the street once more. He heard the mutters as people passed him.
"Must be the heat…"
"Gone crazy…"
"Maybe one of those blows to the head knocked a few screws loose…"
He began to run, ducking and weaving through the crowd, the areas he could pas on foot, he simply jumped over, until he ran out of the set-up area, out into the desert. He continued to run, his mind ablaze with a fury he couldn't contain, and an torn feeling for two people.
His feet beginning to dig into the sand, he stopped, skidding to a halt, and fell to his knees. Selphie was right… he thought to himself wearily. This is something I need to figure out for myself. I've always known myself inside and out…and anything new that pops up, I simply shove away. But I must, stop, doing that!!!
"Zell?"
Zell turned to see July run up behind him, panting slightly. She wore a pair of white shorts and a white blouse. Sweat covered her heaving chest…
Zell turned away. "What? What do you want, July?"
"Hyne, excuse me for breathing." July muttered, walking up to him and sitting down beside him. "I just wanted to know why you ran off like that."
Zell looked down at her, her big blue eyes looking up at him… "Why are you here?" he muttered, before realising that he said it out loud.
"I told you! I wanted to see what's wrong!" She frowned, suddenly angry. "If you didn't want to talk, you should have just said so, you big jerk!" Standing suddenly, she began to stalk off.
Zell, suddenly feeling very selfish, sprang to his feet and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Hey, wait a second…" Was all he got out, before she span around and kissed him on the lips, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull him closer, their bodies pressing together in one brief moment of passion…before he slipped an arm up between their hot bodies and pushed her away, his palm shoving her in the chest.
She fell to the ground, and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He blinked, looking down at her with wide eyes, not knowing what to say or do. They remained like that for a few seconds, before Zell scratched the back of his neck.
"Ah…that…that can't happen again…" He muttered, mostly to himself.
"Why not?"
Zell looked down at her with amazement in his eyes. "Well…it…it just can't, ok! I've got to many things going on right now to…" he stopped himself suddenly, clapping a hand over his mouth. Hyne! Watch yourself, Dincht!! You almost pulled a Timber again!
"What?" July asked, jumping to her feet and running up to him, pushing her face into his. "What's going on? Do you have a girlfriend, or something?!"
"Well…yeah…"
July took a step back and looked Zell up and down. "Does she do to you what I do?" she asked, her voice as seductive as a mermaid, stepping up to him once more and running a hand down his chest.
"No…" he admitted, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from him. "But that's why I like her. She's sensitive…loyal…smart, capable…able to do anything…"
"In other words, she's everything you're not."
Zell's hand seemed to have a life of it's own, the blow over in less then a second, July sprawling to the sand with a cry of pain. Zell, horrified at what he did, ran to her and helped her up. "Oh Hyne! Oh Hyne, I'm so sorry, July! Really, I don't know what came over me…"
July looked up at him, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. "Don't worry…I understand." She allowed herself to be helped up, before patting her clothes down and looking up at the blond haired warrior. "I'm used to getting what I want…it's a bad habit…" She smiled again. "This doesn't change anything between us, Zell. This only makes the relationship stronger."
"I…I love Angel." Zell said firmly…yet hesitantly.
"Does she love you?"
"Of course!"
"…Then I'm sorry for what I did. It was a stupid thing to do. I thought…you know…" Her voice trailed off, her sight falling down to the sand. Little droplets fell from her face, and Zell could tell by the heaving of her shoulders that it wasn't sweat.
Zell awkwardly pulled her into a hug, her quiet tears turning to sobs as she clutched at his chest pitifully. "I'm sorry, July…maybe if we had met a few years ago…but Angel makes me happy. She makes me feel at peace. If you met her you'd like her, believe me."
"…Uh-huh…." Was the reply sobbed into his chest.
"And you'll find someone else! Hell, you'll probably find someone in the tournament, just like with you and me…but it'll probably work out." He pulled her away from him and lifted the hem of his shirt, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Right?"
"…Yeah…(hic)…you're right." She said, her shudders subsiding. "Your girlfriend…she must be really special to you…"
"More then you could believe." He patted her on the shoulder and sighed. "Now, lets get back to the fight! I bet Grey is probably wiping the floor with this guy!"
July giggled and wiped her eyes, before turning and setting off for the grandstand in a run. Zell watched her go and sighed. Angel…I hope you realise some of the things I have to go through for you…
"Come on, silly!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming…"
* * *
Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting Grey the White SeeD, and Dolomatia from Centra!Zell and July sat down with Irvine, Selphie and Sam just to see the fight just begin. Grey and Dolo faced each other off, staring at each other's stances, looking for any weaknesses. July leaned close to Zell. "This ought to be good!" she whispered, Zell rewarding her with a smile.
Grey wore the White SeeD uniform, the white clothing seeming to give the coldness of his face a mysterious quality. The boy's face seemed devoid of moisture – as if, even in the long sleeves and slacks, the heat didn't bother him. One cool individual… Zell thought to himself, staring at the stance. Flawless.
Grey held his stance for a few seconds, before standing straight. His voice rang out through the speakers rigged periodically around the stands. "You're no contest. I'll defeat you with one punch." He said coldly, the surveillance bee flying around the fighters fluttering closer for a closer shot of his face.
The Centraian snorted. "Come on, then."
One punch, three broken ribs and a punctured lung later, Zell tried to keep his jaw from hitting the ground as he watched the Centraian hit the sandy ground with a gurgle, Grey turning to the surveillance bee. "Call a medical unit over. Now."
"How the…one punch…he was so…how the…" Zell could only mumble as Grey began to trudge back to the stands.
The commentator's reaction wasn't much different to Zell's reaction. Ah…that was Grey the White SeeD, folks. In all my years in commentating, I've never seen a fight…finish so quickly. So, without further ado, lets get the second lot of contestants on the field!
Zell frowned, lost in thought. The surveillance bee picked up everything. What did I miss? Is he that fast?
"See! See!" July cried with glee. "He kicked that guys ass!! I told you he was good!!"
"That's Grey." Sam muttered with a grin. "Never one to put on a show."
Zell smiled. "Yeah…he's good alright." He looked over at Irvine and Selphie, who recognised the look, and they all stood.
"Where are you guys going?" July asked, stand with them.
"I think I'll get ready for my battle now…" Zell said, his voice suddenly serious. "We're going back to the Ragnarok."
"Can we come?" Sam asked, rolling his wheelchair out of the disabled zone into the walkway.
"Sorry, dude…this is something I need complete privacy for." Zell replied, not addressing Sam, but looking at July straight in the eye. She narrowed her eyes slightly…before nodding.
"Don't worry about them, Sam. We have to wait for Grey anyways."
Sam rolled his wheelchair over to Irvine, nudging him gently and looking up at him. Irvine rolled his eyes and pulled a ten Gil note from his pocket, handing it to the White SeeD, who stuffed it into his own pocket with glee. "Great doing business with you, Sorceress Slayer."
The Balamb SeeDs walked away, Zell moving to walk next to Irvine. "You bet against Grey?!"
Irvine looked sheepishly down at Zell, the taller man shrugging. "What? The other guy looked pretty tough!!"
Zell shook his head with a look on his face that said This isn't a game. "When we get back to the Ragnarok, we'll talk." He said, his voice deadpan.
"Hyne, Zell, what's with the bug up your ass! You're not my mother! If I wanna blow ten bucks on a fight…"
"Not about the bet!" Zell cut in sharply. "About Grey…"
* * *
"What would his motive be?" Selphie asked, picking at her boots as they sat in the conference room.
"Who knows?" Zell replied, stopping his pacing up and down the room. "Personal vendetta? Or maybe the White SeeDs have been given a mission much like our own…"
Irvine looked up at Zell from his seat. "Wait a second. Are you telling me that Ellone received a mission from the Galbadians, asking the SeeDs to assassinate Laguna?"
"It's possible, you must admit." Zell said. "SeeDs are basically mercenaries. Who's to say that the White SeeDs have gotten into a spot of trouble lately, much like our own Garden, and have had to take an opportunity that they usually wouldn't take?"
"Ellone wouldn't do that…would she?" Selphie asked timidly, the emotions radiating from Zell a little overwhelming for her spiritually.
"Who knows? When was the last time we saw her? Two, three years ago? People change."
"No way. I refuse to believe that." Irvine muttered, slamming his fist onto the table. "There's no way Ellone would want to kill Laguna. She's infatuated with him. And anyways, if she was ever in any trouble, Laguna would drop everything to find and help her. What reason would she have?"
Zell sat down in a chair with a thump, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "There's only one possible way for us to find out…"
* * *
"Hey, it's Zell! Rinoa, get over here, it's Zell!!"
Squall smiled down at Zell through the vid-screen, Zell frowning slightly in confusment. Squall Lionheart, happy to see Zell Dincht? Next I'll look out the windows and see Gruels falling out of the sky…wait, I've already seen that…stupid Lunar Cry… "Uh…hi Squall! How's everything at Garden?"
Squall smiled once more as a pair of slim arms with long blue sleeves wrapped themselves around his neck. "Everything's going just fine down here, Zell. We've gotten a few new Oilys, and they're breeding successfully."
"That's great!"
Rinoa looked down over Squall's shoulder. "Yeah! And as soon as we can convince Cid, we'll be heading your way!"
Zell sat back in the chair, surprised. "What, the entire Garden?"
"Well, why not? It's time the students had a vacation anyways…even if it is for a week or so." Squall said.
Zell shrugged. Funny…he was so against us using the Garden…. "What the hell. It'd be nice to see you guys around here. It'd be a hell of a lot less stressful, that's for sure."
Rinoa looked past Squall's shoulder to look at Zell. "What do you mean, Zell?"
Zell looked down at his lap, still angry at the opportunity had presented him. "The assassin…he spoke to me."
Squall's happy demeanour sudden took a nose-dive, his face and voice suddenly turning neutral. "What?"
So Zell told them. About how he had used too much energy in the first fight, and had gone into Limit Arrest. About the attack on the Ragnarok by President Justice. And, finally, about his confrontation with the assassin himself. "He was so close, Squall…so close, I could feel his breath on my face…and I was helpless…" He looked down at his lap once more, feeling as if he had just admitted to murder.
Rinoa, now sitting on Squall's lap, leaned a little closer to the screen. "It's not you're fault, Zell. You were injured. What could you have possibly done to stop him?"
"I dunno…actually tried to stop him…actually done something…"
Squall leaned closer too. "There would have been nothing that you could have done, Zell. Let it go. You've checked the Ragnarok security tapes. Have you also gone through the usual procedures?"
"Yeah, we've gone through it all…" Zell mumbled. After checking to see if the assassin had shown up on tape, the SeeDs had activated the bug location system built into the Ragnarok, designed to stop any unwanted surveillance after a compromise of the ship's interior. The scan was done automatically every time someone went in or out of the Ragnarok anyways, but just to be extra sure, the SeeDs had gone through the rooms that the assassin might have entered or used with a fine tooth comb. They hadn't been able to find anything.
"Then there's nothing you can do about it. You must now act like everyone except Irvine and Selphie are suspects. Don't trust anyone." Squall leaned even closer. "Has anybody been acting oddly lately? Or, should I say, has anybody been extra nice to you or the others – anything distracting, anything unordinary besides what a stranger would do?"
July… "No, not really. Everybody seems to accept us for who we are – SeeDs who think they have a chance at the prize money."
"How about threatening behaviour? Has anybody, besides the assassin, threatened you or anybody else in your presence?"
"Well…my next opponent said he's wipe the floor with me…but I think that was bravado talking…"
"And?"
Zell hesitated. "There are White SeeDs here…three of them. And one of them lost a leg during the selection process." He saw the look of confusion on both Squall and Rinoa's faces, and held up a hand. "I'll tell you about it later…the point is, one of the White SeeDs told me that President Justice ought to watch his back a little more closely now that one of their team is injured…he specified to look out for a Flare attack."
"Could the message be interpreted as a warning of some kind?"
"No way. It was definitely threatening."
Squall leaned back in his chair, the arm not curled around Rinoa's midriff rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Then…and I don't like to say this…you must treat these SeeDs as the highest on your suspect list. I want you to watch them closely…really closely, as in try not to let them out of your sight, got it?"
Zell heart sank as he thought of what July might interpret this to be. "I understand, Squall." He mumbled.
"I highly doubt that Ellone would accept an assignment like this, however…she loves Laguna too much."
"That's what we thought. And that's kinda why I called. When was the last time you talked to her?"
"About three months ago. She wanted to find out…" Squall's voice trailed off.
Zell leaned forward a little, playing with the volume. "What was that, Squall? I didn't hear that last bit."
Squall had a look in his eyes. A distant look. A shocked look. "She wanted to know if we were sending anybody into the tournament. That's how I found out about it..."
Zell sat back in his chair. He's stomach felt like it had just done the tango with a Marlboro. Ellone…no, no way… "What's her frequency?" he asked, his voice deadpan.
Squall sent it to him, typing it in with one hand. "Listen…Zell…" He muttered, ignoring Rinoa's questioning and concerned stare. "If she seems…a little off balance…like Edea was…you know what to do."
"I'll contact you right after." Zell terminated the conference with a cold press of the button and leant back in his chair.
If Ellone was behind all this, then they would have their hands full. Not only did she have the ability to mess with them in a magical perspective, transporting them into the bodies of anybody she wished, before killing them in the real world, but she was also a master tactician. She hadn't wasted her years protected by Laguna, using the time to study and adapt fighting and magical techniques, in order to create the best Sorceress defence team in the world.
When the Sorceress didn't show for a full decade, the Estharians became bored and a little edgy about the project, and Laguna had been forced to terminate it. It was then that Ellone formed the White SeeDs, the original travelling mercenary agency, and went solo. Obviously, Cid and Edea formed their own Garden, but Ellone had been the perpetrator – the originator. Her project started when she was only ten – now in her late twenties, it had grown to four travelling Gardens, all of whom have their own personal agendas, their original mission lost in a mist of costs and budgets.
And now, it seemed, something or someone had decided to make Ellone do something against all logic – hurt the man she had come to think of as her father.
Zell tapped the frequency number into the vid-screen and pressed send. There was a few minutes of wait – satellite information sent up into space, exchanging security details, before information was sent to the proper destination. There was another brief moment as the two frequencies shook hands, before someone picked up.
"Who is this? How'd you get this frequency?" A boy, no moire then fourteen, said roughly into the screen. A White headband adorned his head. It's correct… Zell realised. Something for the 'Ellone didn't do it' bin. If she was against Laguna, she wouldn't have given out her frequency. It would be too easy to trace.
"This is Zell Dincht. I need to speak to Ellone. Now."
His tone would have frozen Shiva, but the boy only wavered. "Uhhh…she isn't seeing anybody right now."
You're not making this easy for you, Ellone. "Tell her who it is, and I'm, sure she'll want to speak to me."
The boy looked off the screen for a second, before the view went from live to standby. Zell waited patiently, before Ellone's face came on screen.
She looked…tired. The usually pretty face was haggard, big bags under her grey eyes. Her long, black hair was brushed, but was hurriedly tied back in a ponytail. Zell looked better then her…and the stress of the tournament and the mission hadn't been affecting him in a positive way.
"Zell!" Ellone said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing calling?"
"Ellone…it's good to see you." Zell had to say it. This was the girl he had grown up with…had looked up to as a big sister figure. When he moved to the Dincht's, the hardest thing to let go of, besides Matron, was Ellone.
"Well…it's good to see you to, Zelly." She said with a tired smile. "I hear that you've entered in the World Martial Arts Tournament. How have you been going so far?"
"You should know, Ellone. Your own people have been competing as well."
Ellone looked left and right, as if to say what? My people? "I…I have no idea what you're talking about, Zell."
"Come on, Ellone. Grey, Sam and July, those are their names. All experienced at hand to hand, all have elite training in para-magic…and they're all White SeeDs. They didn't even deny it when I asked them!!" Zell leaned a little closer to the screen. "Level with me, Sis. Please."
Ellone looked at Zell with tears in her eyes. "You know…you've gotten so much more serious the last time I saw you…"
"I've got a lot to think about Ellone. I almost didn't survive my fight yesterday, and someone had the opportunity to kill me to further themselves in the tournament while I was injured. So tell me. Why are White SeeDs at the tournament?"
She continued to look at him, a single tear trickling down her cheek, the sight cutting into Zell's soul like a hot knife through butter. Zell's stony face couldn't hold out much longer. The macho-bravado act he was portraying wasn't going to hold out under the emotional strain. He was going to cave – he wasn't going to get anything out of her – he was…
She suddenly buried her head in her hands, weeping loudly. "Oh, Zell…(hic)…we haven't gotten any money in the past two years…(hic)…oh, sure, Uncle Laguna helped out every now and then…(hic)…but, I want to run things b myself! I'm not ten years old anymore! I'm a woman, I'm' independent!!" Her words seemed to tumble out of her mouth, the push Zell created seeming to open a floodgate. "And then, I heard that this tournament will be held, and two million Gil is a lot of money! Do you know I can sustain the ship, all the orphans and the students for a good decade with that kind of money! Not only that, but the publicity would work wonders for our business! We've already gotten calls asking for protection jobs – small stuff, I know, but it's a start…"
Zell interrupted by holding up his hand. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you entered the competition just to get at the money? No other reason?"
Ellone grabbed a small handful of tissues from off screen and wiped the tears from her eyes and face, still sniffling slightly. "…Yes." She said, like a child with her hand caught in a cookie jar.
Zell leant back in his chair, astounded. "If you were in such trouble, Ellone, you should have asked for help! That's what we're here for! I mean, I'm sure that Laguna would have been more then happy to help you until you got some more missions! You can't go through life depending on others, I agree, but you just can't plough on without accepting help now and then. That's how you got into this mess in the first place!"
Ellone sniffed again. "I know…"
"So next time you decide to do something like this, make sure you're well prepared for it. And also, make sure that you have something to fall back on." whoa…did I just say that?
Ellone smiled warmly, looking at Zell with new eyes. "You…you've grown up, Zell."
Zell smiled. "I know…" He frowned. "When was the last time you're SeeDs contacted you?"
"They ought to be calling us anytime now. This is their check in time. I like to make sure that they're safe. That's…kinda why I was hesitant to take your call."
"That's ok…but have any of them been acting strange lately? Like they're entering the tournament for some other reason besides the money?"
Ellone shrugged. "Well, Sam – he's such a sweet heart – he was all for helping the ship…but Grey and July had their own reasons." She paused.
"Such as…" Zell coaxed.
"…Well, Grey is the kind of guy who's out for a challenge. He wanted to fight somebody 'worthy', as he used to say. And July…well…" She hesitated once more. "She wasn't all into going…but when I told her that you'd be joining, she couldn't want to go any faster." She shrugged. "She's always been an admirer, Zell. I suppose she wanted to meet you…and from the sounds of it, you've done a lot more then that."
Zell grimaced. I'll bet July's report wont be all that Ellone would be hoping…oh well. "Look…there's something really big going down right now, and I can't have them interfering when push comes to shove…so make sure to tell them to keep their eye on the goal. The money."
Ellone leaned forward, interested. "Why? What's going on, Zell."
"I…I cant tell you."
"Oh! Why not!?" she said, the old Ellone resurfacing. What do you mean it's only a boys game! I wanna play with you guys too!!
"Lets just say that less people that know, the better we'll be able to do our job."
"Tch, fine…"
"And you can't tell July and the others that I called."
Now Ellone was really interested. "What's going on, Zell. Come on, you can tell me."
Zell shook his head firmly. "No. I can't. I promised Squall."
Ellone sighed. "Ok…I won't tell the others. But they'll begin to wonder that something's up if I tell them to ignore you guys."
"I didn't say to tell them to ignore us! Just tell them to pull their heads out of their asses and keep the orphanage on their minds. OK?"
"Ok Zelly. I'll do that. I won't tell them in your words, but I'll tell them." She tilted her head to the side, smiling. "You know, it's been really nice talking to you, Zell. It's good to get those things off my chest."
Zell nodded with a smile. "Well, I'm glad you did."
The door to Zell's quarters opened, and Selphie poked her head in. "Zell! You're fight starts in ten minutes!!"
Zell looked back at Selphie and nodded, before turning back to Ellone. "I gotta go, Sis. Remember, don't tell them I called!!"
"I won't, Zell. You can trust me!"
He smiled at her, before executing the transmission and grabbing his Ehrgiez gloves from the dresser, pulling them on as he left his room.
* * *
Walking through the desert sand, Selphie rained questions down on Zell. How did Ellone look? Why did she look tired? What was she wearing? Did she look like she was eating right? Zell had enough willpower not to turn and ask her to shut the hell up. Instead, he cracked the knuckles in one hand by balling his fist tightly.
It was a sign that the others knew meant that he was in serious mode. His game face was on. This wasn't round one. This was round two. Tougher opponent. Tougher conditions. Tougher odds. And Zell wasn't going to screw up like he did yesterday.
When he got to the designated waiting area, a small tent with the sign 'warm up' hung outside the doorway, the Galbadian was already inside. His tight clothing that he wore before had been replaced with some baggy pants and soft-soled sandals, with no shirt, his upper body rippling with muscles. He stretched slowly, taking his time.
What is it with these tools and showing off their pecs? I mean, who are they trying to impress? Zell wondered as he stretched in silence. I mean, there must be a million other guys here with better looking chests then that. Telling the truth, it's kinda gross, having such big muscles. At least I'm not going to knock things over, or be able to fit into small spaces, unlike this big lug. He probably wouldn't be able to fit through normal sized doorways.
"What you staring at, punk?" Sheran muttered, seeing Zell's stare.
Zell shrugged before touching his toes. "I was just wondering why you're muscles are so big."
Sheran stood tall, flexing his pecs and abs. "Jealous?" he asked.
Zell stood straight too, looking at Sheran as if he had sprouted a hand form his nose. "Not really." He lifted his shirt, showing Sheran his chest. "See, I've got em too!"
Sheran snorted and said nothing.
A small man walked into the warm-up tent. "Oh, you're here, great. All warmed up?" Both fighters nodded. "Ok, follow me."
The three men waked out of the tent and a little to the left, onto a wide circular thing half buried in the sand. It looked like an upside down spinning top, a pointy bot sticking up into the air. "Hey! I know this thing! This is one of the transporters from Esthar!" Zell exclaimed.
"Yes, you're correct." The small man said with a smile. "The Esthar government allowed us to borrow a few. Quite generous, really…" He gestured to the round thing. "Ok, hop on."
The fighters got on board, sitting on the round seat in the middle, and the little man held out his palm to both of them. "Please put these in you're ears." He said, showing them four little pill-like devices
"What are they?" Zell asked, taking the little electronic device from the man's hand.
"They're input-output devices. This is how you're voices will be carried out to the big screen, and how we'll be able to contact you to begin the fight."
"Cool." Zell muttered, grabbing the devices and putting one in each ear. "But why will you want to know what we're saying?"
"It's just a precaution, in case something goes wrong…and, the crowd goes wild when you cast magic and do the whole 'Limit Break' thing." The man waved his arms in a circle excitedly. "I mean, 'Meteor Barret!'…its just, you know…wow."
Zell looked at the guy like he had a third eyeball, and nodded. "Uh-huh…can we go now?"
"Sure." The man walked over to a small podium beside the device and pressed some buttons, the buttons lighting up on the panel as he let his hand go. The device on which the fighters sat suddenly glowed a bright purple, and began to float, levitating slightly into the air.
"Obviously, there is a para-magical barrier around the device, to keep monsters and stuff from flying in, but remember, stay on the device! It'll keep things out, not in!" the little man said. "And you'll be transported exactly one mile west, so, good luck to the both of you!"
The man pressed a final button, a sharp whine emitting from the bottom of the device – before it shot off west at a blinding speed.
Zell watched the landscape below them flash past, the sand giving way gradually to rocks and flat granite, before turning to Sheran. "Well, for what it's worth, good lu – "
His words were cut off as Sheran grabbed him by the head and threw him out of the device, the barrier around it doing nothing to stop him as he flew from the device, head first, towards the speeding ground.
* * *
Author's note: Hey there, Zell fans! Someone reviewed FF8 Tournament and said that they thought they knew who the Assassin was…of course, this chapter ought to give you a few more ideas, but here's what I propose…
You send in a review, saying how much you like the fic etc, AND who you think the Assassin is. Whoever guesses right (or pushes me into the right direction for a culprit) will…
…wait for it…
…be put in the final chapter as a key player in the story!
Remember the no-name commander in the first two chapters? Well, hopefully, the no-name commander will actually get a name!! All you have to do is guess the Assassin's name right. It could be Clara, Galbadian hardass, or Grey, mysterious White SeeD. Or July! Or Irvine! Or President Justice! Or Sam! Or whoever the hell you want it to be!!!
Thanks, and remember, keep reading!!