Ladies and Gentlemen. The end of this chapter was something that I came to great lengths to simply try and avoid. However, in order to allow the story to flow freely, I had no choice but add it in. My condolences on anybody who likes this character, and please, no flames. I swear to the almighty Hyne that someone will pay for his death.
All great Heroes must die one day. The point is, how you go. With a whimper? Or with an almighty bang?
Michael Kenny
Ch 12 – Death Of A Hero
Selphie's blood ran cold as Squall's words sunk in. Her body seemed to follow suit, Shiva touching her spine before her limbs trembled slightly. She felt nauseous, and gripped the edge of the operating table. Zell slept on, oblivious to the shocking information.
"How…" She gasped, trying to find the right words. "How did you find out?"
Squall's voice seemed more distant with each word. "We received a brief distress signal for about an hour or so, before it was abruptly cut off. The source of the transmission came from the Sand Prison, and none of Watt's information pointed to him being there. We mobilised about an hour after receiving the signal, had the Prison under our control in two, and found Watts an hour after that."
"And…what did you find?"
Squall seemed to paused. Rinoa's voice in the background seemed more urgent that he rest, and he passed the control to her, muttering something to her before going away. Rinoa's voice rang through the speaker clearly. "Watts…isn't in the best shape right now, Selphie. To say the least, he had to go through a lot to get to the distress beacon. He was being punished as we stormed the place."
"How is he?"
Rinoa's voice trembled slightly, before she composed herself. "He's…he's blind. Permanently. He's got a few broken bones, cigarette burns…he also received some damage when we busted in, friendly fire. He's not in good shape."
Selphie felt like crying. Watts, with his gentle nature. Watts, the tag-along. Watts, who bravely volunteered to go on such a risky mission. He was a good guy, to say the least. "Will he pull through?"
Rinoa didn't reply.
Selphie nodded to herself. His injuries…they must've been too severe for the paramagic healers to work on…
Rinoa's voice rang out of the speaker. "He'll be ok, Selphie. The para-healers were able to reach him in time."
Selphie let out a huge sigh. "Well, thanks for frightening me like that!" she retorted angrily.
"I'm sorry, Selphie, I didn't receive that last transmission…" Rinoa said, the signal beginning to get weaker. "We…find…Jus…wait…" The transmission cut out completely, and Selphie looked up at Cid, who looked at her equally shocked.
"What happened to the transmission?!" They said simultaneously, before their shocked look grew to horror as a small red light began to blink on the bottom of the screen.
The message read; 'Security compromised.'
* * *
"So, what's it like living on the ocean?"
"Oh, it's ok…not much of a relationship advantage, seeing as we hardly ever meet with land-dwellers."
"Bummer, huh?"
"Oh, yeah! I broke up with this guy once, and he gave me crap for months and months…"
Irvine and July's conversation was rudely interrupted as Selphie burst out of the Infirmary, grabbing onto Irvine's arm with a tight squeeze, before bursting into a sprint down the corridor, pulling out her Flail as she went.
July watched her go, shocked, before turning to Irvine. "What's her prob…" Was all she got out as she turned to see two shotgun barrels levelled at her.
* * *
Selphie twisted around a corner – to meet a barrage of bullets, the gunfire echoing from down the corridor to ricochet around her. She squealed and ducked back around the corner, kneeling behind it as she formed a battle plan.
Ok…inside a compressed area, with about twelve guys at the end…remember, Selphie, you're inside a very expensive piece of equipment, and Laguna will kill you if you damage it…severely…ok, let's do it.
"Carbuncle!" She screamed.
A small indent formed in the floor before her, and the tiny green GF stuck it's head out if the small dimensional rip. It looked rather strange, like a dwarf with green dreadlocks and a smooth body. A red jewel with reflected the light perfectly shone on it's head. Yes? It asked her, it's tinny voice rebounding it's way around her mind.
"Don't do that, just cast Reflect on me, will you?"
You don't have to be so harsh, you know… The little green creature muttered, the jewel on it's head glowing briefly, before disappearing back down it's hole, the small circle disappearing as quickly as it was formed.
Selphie set her jaw and stood. "Right. Let's rock."
Stepping out into the corridor she began to run straight into the gunfire, screaming like a banshee as she brought her Flail down on the first opponent.
* * *
Irvine's face had gone from pleasant to a fearful blank. His arms were like steel rods, his hand encased in concrete as he continued to point the shotgun at July's face with one hand, his aim wavering not one iota.
July looked at him with confusion and shock. "What – what's going on?" She began to wave her hands in frustration, but Irvine moved forward a little more, pressing the gun to her forehead, forcing her to rest her head against the wall.
"No talk. And if you move you're hands once more, I'll blow you're brains out."
His normally relaxed voice was like a baseball bat to the face – blunt and to the point. July began to sweat, blinking away tears as she looked at him. "I…I just want to know what's going on…"
The door to the infirmary opened, and Zell walked out, now dressed in clean clothes, a blue tee and clean shorts. July turned her gaze to him, pleading with a look, but he returned the look with a blank stare. "Everything alright here?" He muttered to Irvine, his voice equally deadpan as his comrades.
"Sure, now that you're up." The sound of gunfire echoed through the corridor once more, and Irvine's gazed wavered slightly to it as he heard yet another battle cry from Selphie. "Can you see what's going on down there? I got everything covered here."
"Sure." Zell began to move past, before stopping and turning to July. "I almost trusted you, July…almost." With those words hanging in the air, he broke into a run, disappearing around the corner.
July slipped down to her knees and buried her face in her hands, weeping for all she was worth.
Irvine allowed it, but continued to hold the gun to her head without moving an inch.
* * *
Zell turned the corner, which looked like Shumi-cheese – bullet holes adorning the walls and floor. Screams of the injured or dying came from around the corner, as well as Selphie's battle cries.
Yells of "Hit her! Hit her!!", and "Stay back!! Fuck! Noooo!!", ripped through Zell like a chainsaw, and he turned the corner to see horror.
The walls were stained with blood, a pile of corpses lying on the floor and trailing down the corridor. One guy had his head smashed into a wall, another had his helmet crushed. Another looked like someone had beaten his to death with a lead pipe, whilst another was smoking quietly in a corner, fried beyond redemption, blue static the only remnants of a Thundaga attack.
Zell ran through the bodies out into the loading bay, and looked down at it from the higher doorway, standing on the landing of the stairs leading to the living quarters.
Selphie stood in the middle of a group of soldiers, bullets pinging around her as she jumped and flipped around them. Stopping before one, a single swing of the Flail killed him, before she cart wheeled in front of another. A soldier, mad with panic and frustration, turned to her, blasting wildly with a shotgun. She moved out of the way at the last second, the soldier before her having his head blown off by his crazy companion.
She moved like a ribbon through the air, with grace and fluidity – before stopping and dealing out punishment violently, like a female wolf guarding her cubs, striking devastatingly and leaving her prey either dead or dying very, very painfully.
It was when a rifle shot clipped her shoulder, her red glow fading rapidly as she fell twisting to the floor, that Zell sprang into action.
The soldiers began to surround her when Zell flipped off the railing of the doorway and landed behind them on his hands and feet, like a cat.
That gathered their attention, and they turned as one to see Zell pick himself up slowly, an evil grin spread across his tattooed face. "Hey, boys…" He muttered, cracking his knuckles. "How about picking on someone your own size?"
He guessed twenty men, all levelling projectile weaponry at him as he rolled his neck around the base of his spine, the cracks echoing in the vastness of the near-destroyed loading bay.
Their guns went off as one, round after round pounding into the metal wall behind him as he jumped high in the air.
Oblivious to his obvious escape, they continued to pump bullets into the wall, until they finally stopped, the only remnants of the attack the echoes of gunfire and the last of the shells hitting the floor. Gun smoke filled the room, and they popped spent clips and slammed in fresh ones, ejecting spent shells from shotguns and feeding new ones into breeches. Reloading finished; they stood with their weapons aimed, waiting for the smoke to clear.
Finally, their sight unobscured by the gun-smoke, they saw that they had been shooting at an empty wall. He was gone.
A soldier, frowning in confusion at the emptiness of the area before him, felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see a grinning tattooed boy, before his neck twisted sharply, breaking like a twig, the snap more then audible.
All the soldiers turned to the sound as the soldier with a broken neck fell to his knees, then to the floor. Zell stood there behind him, hands on hips. "That's what's bad about guns. Too unreliable."
The group looked at him, shocked, before one man rushed the SeeD, a combat knife in hand. Zell slapped the weapon to one side and his hand flashed out, taking the soldier in the throat.
The soldier dropped his gun and gripped his throat, making little choking noises as he sank to his knees. Zell pushed him over with a sneaker to the chest, and walked forward. "But if there's one thing I hate about guns…" He muttered, moving into a man beside him, smashing his elbow into his stomach before right-angling his forearm, his fist hammering into the man's nose, killing him instantly. "…It's the fact…" He jumped and kicked one man in the chest, sending him flying back into a wall, the metal denting for his body to hold him, a plume of blood spurting from his head. "…That they're so noisy." Zell twisted on the spot suddenly, grabbing a man's head with a hand, the gloved fist smashing straight through the helmet and crushing his face with a simple squeeze.
He let the soldier drop and turned to the remainder of the group, fifteen men strong. His look said it all. Leave, now, and I'll let you live a little longer.
They took a step back as one; their eyes blinking uncertainly as each man weighed their loyalty to their cause to their lives.
One man stepped forward, his demeanour cocky, his voice brash. "C'mon, guys! He's only one man…" His shouts of confidence quickly stopped as Zell picked up a body by the leg and threw it at the man, knocking him to the ground and out cold.
Zell's gaze could have frozen molten lava as it fell on the remaining fourteen men. "Anybody else feeling stupid?"
The men traded looks, some tentatively taking steps back towards the exit – before breaking into a run, dropping their weapons as they ran screaming for the ramp, falling over each other to escape the blond, tattooed monster after them.
Nine men remained, looking a little weary but still confidant. Zell smiled a small smile. "More balls then brains? That's ok." He lowered his head so he looked even more menacing. "Nobody leaves here alive." He growled, his voice guttural as he took his position, one leg back and pinned, one arm raised high above his head.
The remaining soldiers all raided their guns as one, blasting him wildly, bullets screaming through the atmosphere around him as he moved through the barrage, dodging the bullets before they reached him – to come up in an uppercut to the first man he met, launching him into a comrade, knocking the both of them down, killing the first and knocking out the second.
Zell then ducked, swinging his leg out and knocking the man next to him down, causing him to fall on his back. Zell promptly broke his sternum by rolling open top of him and elbowing him in the chest, the resulting breakage shattering the tough bone, sending small shards into the soldiers lungs.
He didn't suffer long, however, as the soldier next to him turned and blasted him, aiming for Zell but missing by a few second. He looked up to see Zell standing before him, and didn't see anymore.
The soldier behind that one watched him fall, and watched as Zell removed the two fingers he had used to poke the soldier in the eyes, stabbing his brain in the process. He took a tentative step back, dropping his gun in the process – before running for it.
Zell watched him go – before ducking as the sound of a gun being cocked emitted from behind him, rolling out of the way as the rifle went off. The fleeing soldier mistakenly took one for the team and fell to the floor dead, his face strewn out before him.
Zell saw this – and went berserk, twisting around and ripping the rifle out of the man's hands, before backhanding the man, making him fall to his hands and knees. Zell kicked him in the stomach, launching him into his comrade behind him, propelling the both of them into the air – before being blasted into atoms by a furious Firaga, the sudden burst of flames scorching the walls as ash trickled down from where two men once flew.
Turning on the spot, Zell threw the rifle at another man, catching him in the chest and causing him to stagger back – before running up to him and smashing his fist into the man's chest, his back bending outwards as guts and bone were pushed back into the cavity created by Zell's massive punch. Zell followed through with the attack, lifting the man up by the stomach and twisting him over his shoulder and down to the floor, the metal ground denting down as Zell crushed the soldier down.
His eyes wild, he turned to the last soldier, his breaths laboured as he stalked towards the man, his fists balled so tight he could heard the knuckles cracking underneath the adamantine armour.
The man, terrified out of his mind, sweat dripping off his face and out from beneath his helmet, popped off a round at the mad tattooed boy before him.
Zell saw the bullet coming for him and didn't slow down, didn't even dodge – he simply deflected the bullet with his glove, his hand moving so fast he didn't even see it as he instinctively slapped the hot lead away from him to ping into the ceiling.
Now insane with terror, the man switched his gun to full-auto, holding his finger down on the trigger, spraying the SeeD with bullets, the shells from his gun tinkling to the floor as he held the rifle with shaking hands.
Zell simply deflected them all, his hands moving so fast he couldn't even see them, still moving slowly towards the solider until he finally clicked on empty.
The soldier dropped the gun and let out a tiny sob, his back now against a wall as Zell moved right into him, getting right in his face.
Zell seemed to get an interested look on his face, as if he was seeing a new move or technique from a student. He ran his hand over the helmet of the terrified soldier, looking at it as he spoke, his voice infinitely quiet. "You know what happens when you enclose a tomato in a metallic ball, then crush the ball suddenly, in two equally pressured spot?"
The soldier, now hyperventilating with fear, shakily shook his head.
Zell smiled. "This."
He suddenly and ferociously slapped his hands on the two sides of the helmet, exactly where the soldier's ears would have been. The resulting uprise of pressure in the enclosed area blew the soldier's head to smithereens with a wet splat, but didn't compromise the integrity of the helmet. Zell stepped out of the way, and the man's corpse fell to its knees, the helmet rolling off where the neck should have been, bouncing twice before rolling to a stop. The body followed suit, finally collapsing.
"That's what you get for fucking with SeeD." Zell muttered to the group of corpses around him.
Zell turned to a pile of bodies and picked one man up, tossing him to the side.
Beneath him lay Selphie, her yellow dress still stained with Zell's blood, and now stained with several more men's blood. She was out cold.
* * *
Irvine and July sat in silence as the last gunshots echoed throughout the corridor. They had remained in that position for several minutes, Irvine still like a statue with his gun levelled to July's head, July now with her arms wrapped around her knees.
Irvine's gaze shot to the left quickly, before flicking back to July. "It sounds like they've finished."
July sniffed, having cried for the last ten minutes. "Who do you think won?"
"Did I tell you to speak?"
Silence grew once more, before the sound on footsteps began to echo down the corridor. A figure turned the corner holding something in his arms, and Irvine's free hand flicked up, a Vincent Valentine in his palm and aimed at whoever it was.
"Hey, Irvine, lower it a bit will ya?" Zell said in an annoyed tone, carrying an unconscious Selphie in his arms.
Irvine looked at her with fear. "She's not…"
"Nah, she's too good for that. She's just knocked out, that's all." Zell placed Selphie down on the floor beside Irvine and patted him on the shoulder. "And you can lower the shotgun too. I don't think July will try anything now the soldiers are down."
Irvine seemed to pause, before slipping the handgun back into its sleeve and allowing the hammers of the shotgun to be levered forward. He turned to Selphie and kneeled next to her, picking her up in his arms and cradling her to his chest like a child.
Zell walked forward and knelt before July, looking down at her. She still sniffled slightly, and Zell wiped the tears away with a gloved finger, making her look up at him. "What's going on, Zell?" she whispered, exasperated.
He looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. "I think you know what's going on, July. I think you know why Galbadian soldiers attacked the Ragnarok during a sandstorm. I think you know why I told Selphie to tell Irvine to guard you." He lifted her head with a gentle finger under the chin, making her look him in the eye. "And I think you know why we're here."
She looked up at him, her eyes watering once more, a single tear trickling down her cheek, unable to break Zell's sad gaze. "I'm so sorry, Zell…but we had no choice."
Zell nodded, his face collapsing from sadness to a version of defeat. "Which one of you told the Galbadians why we were here?"
"…Grey. He said…that you would…compromise our mission…and that we should deal with you…without getting our hands dirty…so he leaked that it was…Irvine that shot at the President, not you…"
"And what is your mission?"
July looked up at him, the tears now streaming down her cheeks. "I told you, to raise money for the Ship…"
Her words were cut off abruptly as Zell rammed his fist into the wall beside her head, embedding it in steel. "Don't give me that crap, July!" The Sorceress Hunter yelled into her face, little droplets of spit hitting her as he screamed. "Now answer the question!!"
She cried harder, sobbing uncontrollably as her idol, the man she had had a crush on for as long as she could remember, forced her to speak. "We…we were…we were to…"
"Today, July! I need it today!!!"
"We were sent to guard President Justice!!" She blurted out through the tears.
* * *
July stumbled down the ramp of the Ragnarok, falling to the sand outside by the push that sent her out. The sandstorm had subsided considerably, and she looked up at Zell standing in the entrance with sadness in his eyes.
"Go on." Zell growled, pointing his finger to the fighter's living area. "Go back to Grey. And tell him from me, the next time he tries something like this, even as a joke, he's going to get dead. Understand?"
She began to crawl forward up the ramp. "Zell…"
Zell stepped back off the ramp and into the Ragnarok, pressing the seal stud beside the ramp opening.
The ramp began to lift, causing July to slip off. She tumbled down into the sand, and picked herself up. "Zell! Please!!"
Zell simply looked down at her.
"Zell! You have to understand! I didn't want to do it this way! I want to work with you! You have to believe me!!" July's cried, but her words began to drown out as the Dragon's afterburners kicked into life.
Zell didn't even try to wave. He simple turned and walked away from the opening, allowing it to shut behind him, shutting out the heat, shutting out the sadness…shutting out the temptation.
He sank to his knees as the Ragnarok took off, shaking horribly as it flew up high into the air, and slammed his fist into the floor.
Angel…I need you now more then ever…* * *
Now far from any attacking foes, the SeeDs decided that enough was enough.
Getting back on the line with Cid, Zell promptly asked for permission to go to the Sand Prison to see Squall in person.
"Well, you can if you want, Zell, but we lost transmission with them a little while ago…you'll be flying in blind."
"It's better then flying in with no idea what was going on." Zell muttered harshly, cutting transmission with a stab of a button.
When they reached the prison, it had been put into lock-down mode, burrowing deep into the sand around it. Selphie managed to land the Ragnarok a safe distance away from the Prison, in case it raised itself unexpectedly, and they piled out of the red dragon, making their way to the prison quickly.
Reaching the place where they had exited during the Sorceress missions, they saw several SeeDs trying to establish an uplink with a military radio.
Zell crept up to one of them and tapped him on the shoulder. "Bang, you're dead!" He yelled. The SeeD jumped with a start and swivelled on the spot, a staff swinging for Zell's head – which he deftly slapped to the side and tapped the SeeD on the temple softly. "Hyne, Jon, if you were any slower you'd be horizontal."
Jon let out a breath and rubbed his head. "Hyne, Zell, don't do that to me!!"
"What's going on here?" Irvine asked, walking up behind the Sorceress Hunter.
"Hey Irvine…we captured the Prison, but the safety devices kicked in a little earlier then expected, so half the team, including Commander Squall and Miss Rinoa, are buried under the sand…"
A large explosion rocked the area, and the wrought-iron door from which Zell and the others had escaped from before flew out of the car hanger and into the desert, never to be seen again. All the SeeDs turned to see Rinoa float out of the doorway, her Sorceress powers in full swing. Large white wings, like that of an angel, adorned her back, flapping slowly with great power, keeping her off the ground. Her eyes glowed a brilliant white, and excess energy smoked out of them.
When she saw sunlight, however, the glow faded, as did the wings, and she dropped to the ground. "Phew, finally." She muttered, dusting off her blue jerkin and black shorts, picking some white feathers off her back. "Hyne, I hate it when that happens…"
"Moulting again, Rinoa?" Zell called out, looking around the wall from where he ducked to dodge the flying door. "Maybe it's you're diet."
Rinoa perked up when she heard who it was. "Zell!!" she squealed, running up to him as he walked out and crashing into him, smashing the both of them to the ground. She picked herself up and beamed happily down at him. "wow! Thank Hyne you're here!!"
Zell, winded, simply nodded. "…Uh huh…"
Irvine waved from behind the wall. "Hiya Rinoa."
"Hi Irvine! Hi Selphie! Wow, we've really missed you! And what's it been, a week?"
Irvine walked out from behind the wall and helped Zell up. "Yeah, something like that…" He muttered as he got to his feet.
"Well, come on! You've got to see Squall…that s why you're here, right?"
Zell narrowed his eyes. "Well…that and another thing…"
* * *
They moved through the cold Prison, led by Rinoa, who happily chatted to them in the bleak environment. The place hadn't changed since the last time they had been there – cold, gun-metal grey walls, boring to a tee.
The spike they were in spiralled down, like a gigantic screw, making them walked all around the grounds and down the stairs. They would have used the elevator, but Rinoa said "We broke it during the fighting! Teehee!" The trip would have been a mite easier without Rinoa talking their ears off, but they knew it was a defensive manoeuvre for her – something she did when something troubled her.
They finally reached level twelve, where Squall and Watts were, and Rinoa stopped outside a door, hesitating in her ramblings for the first time since they met her. "Uh…you guys go ahead…I kinda…you know."
Selphie placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know." She looked up at Irvine and Zell. "You guys go on. We'll catch up later."
Zell nodded, but Irvine hesitated. "Uhh…I think I'll wait outside too, man." He said to the martial artist, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm not so sure I wanna hear Watts…you know."
"Ok, man." Zell said, understanding perfectly. Watts…you almost destroyed all of us…but it wasn't you're doing. We have to remember that. He patted Irvine on the shoulder and pressed the door's stud, the rusty door opening for him.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
* * *
The room was more or less dark, with a single flickering light bolted to the ceiling. Moisture dripped from a corner in the roof, making tiny 'plik' noises as it dripped into as puddle. It was oppressively cold inside the cell, with none of the usual prison equipment – no chairs, no beds, no toilet, no nothing.
Someone was laid out beside the far wall, and another person crouched next to him. The crouching person looked up, and Zell could see cold grey eyes peering from the darkness. "Zell." Squall's icy voice rang out. "Come over here. And watch you're step."
"What for…?" Zell got out, taking a step forward – before slipping on something slick on the floor, causing him to fall forward. He threw out his hands to stop his fall, and managed to stop himself completely. He felt like he put his hand in a puddle of sticky water, but the smell of iron filled the air when he picked himself up, and he looked at his hand in the poor lighting.
It was wet with a red liquid. Zell guessed it wasn't cherry soda.
"For that." Squall muttered.
Zell stepped cautiously over the pool of blood and walked over to where Squall sat, next to the man laid out. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, Zell saw that it was Watts. "Oh, you poor bastard…" He muttered, looking at the damage he had gathered.
Watts was, for better words, naked, a military blanket thrown over his body to cover him. His chest was peppered with cigarette burns and long, sharp gashed, probably done by a Galbadian field knife. His face looked pulpy, like an orange that had been squeezed before it had been peeled, and two horizontal slits came from his eyes, his eyelids mercifully held shut by the coagulate blood.
"Z…Zell?" Watts croaked, his voice a shadow to the one Zell had heard not seven days ago. "Is…that…you…?"
Zell knelt down to the Timber Owl, taking his hand in his own. "Yeah, man. I'm here."
Watts grimaced in pain, and Squall batted Zells hand from Watts'. "They broke all his fingers, then slashed the tendons in his hands." Squall whispered in his ear. "They beat him almost to death. It's amazing that he's still alive and talking. So look, but don't touch, ok?"
Zell, eyes wide with horror, nodded his head. Squall leaned back, and Zell leaned forward, fighting for words. "Um…so…how you feeling, Watts?" He asked, before suddenly realising how stupid the words were in this situation.
He heard Squall face-palm, but Watts managed to croak out a chuckle. "Heh…heh…ow…don't…make…me…laugh…"
"Sorry, buddy."
"Don't…mention…it." Watts paused for breath. "You…know…that…you…are…the…first…person…to …ask…me…that?"
"Cool. I suppose I get a cookie, right Squall?"
Squall punched him in the shoulder and muttered something like 'grow up', but his whispered words were drowned out by Watts' pained chuckles. "Its…good…to…hear…you…sir…"
"It's good to hear from you buddy." Zell said with meaning. "What's it been, two years? We haven't seen each other in ages."
"Well…at least…one…of us…will…see…the…other…for one…last…time…"
Zell frowned. "No. Don't say that, buddy. You'll pull through. You'll see." He turned to Squall. "He'll pull through…right?"
Squall shook his head in the darkness.
Zell blinked. He looked down at Watts, who gulped painfully, then looked up at Squall once more. Why not?
"His injuries are too severe. We tried to use Cure, but it caused more damage then good. All we're doing now is waiting…waiting for him to die."
The words were spoken clear and loud from Squall, as if he didn't need to whisper anymore. Zell looked at him, dumbfounded. "How…how can you say that?! There's got…got to be some other way!!"
Squall shook his head.
"No…" Zell muttered, looking down at Watts, not wanting to believe it. "No, there's got to be another way…"
"…There…is…no…other…way…sir…"
"Shut up! There's always another way!!"
Watts was silent for a moment, composing himself, before croaking once more. "I'm…sorry…sir…for…all…the…hurt…I've…caused…you…"
Zell reached out with a hand, feeling the tears running down his cheeks as he realised that he couldn't stop him from speaking – any touch might kill him. He could only sit and listen.
"I…told…all…I…could…to…Commander…Squall." Watts paused to gulp air, like a beached fish, before continuing. "…I…only…hope…it…helps…somehow…"
Zell balled his hands into fists, shutting his eyes to kill the vision of the man lying before him. "…Shut up…" He choked, the tears pushing past his closed eyes. "Stop talking like you're already dead."
"I…already…am…dead…sir…"
Squall looked at Zell. "We're just waiting for Zone to arrive."
As if on que, a loud voice emitted from the room outside. "Where is he!? He's in here?!" The door slid open, revealing Zone, blustered from the train and car ride from Timber. His false bravado and cocky attitude melted, however, when he saw Watts lying on the other end of the room. He seemed to choke on his air, before walking in.
He stumbled over to where they all sat, slipping once when crossing the blood-covered floor, but not falling. He plonked himself down next to Watts and looked down at him. "Hyne…Watts…" he gasped, looking at the injuries.
"Hello…Zone…"
"Oh, Hyne, Watts, Look what you got yourself into." Zone said sadly, reaching out with infinite care and brushing the sweat from Watts' black and blue brow.
"Anything…for…the…Owls…right…Zone?" Watts whispered.
"Anything but my magazine collection." Zone said down to him with a smile. "You know if they threaten my mags, they've got me."
The two freedom fighters shared a chuckle, an old joke from the good old days, when they were simply teenagers fighting for the same cause. Neither would have thought that one of them would end their life like this – but neither of them actually thought they would see the end of their fight. "Justice just declared Timber independent, Watts." Zone whispered, wiping a bit more sweat from his friend's brow. "We did it. We won."
"…Cool…"
The door opened once more, and Zell, Squall and Zone looked up to see Rinoa standing in the doorway. She stood there for a minute, silhouetted in the light, beautifully hesitant, before Watts coughed violently. "Whoever…it…is…come…inside. You're…letting…a…breeze…in…"
Rinoa walked inside, the door sliding shut behind her. She moved around the blood and sat down in between Zell and Zone. "You know I wasn't raised in a barn, Watts." She said softly.
Watts smiled slightly. "I…thought…I…smelled…something…beautiful…" He coughed violently, and Zone wiped a little blood from his mouth. "I…don't…even…need…to…see…you…to…remember…you…princess."
Rinoa looked down at Watts, the tears running down her cheeks as she spoke. "Justice declared Timber independent, Watts. We won the fight. We won the war."
"…I'm…just…glad...I…got…to…hear…it…from…my…friends…before…I…go…"
Zell couldn't take it anymore, and he stood, moving to the other side of the cell, his tears infuriating him more then his helplessness in the situation. He wiped them away viciously, as if the action would wipe away the entire scenario, but more tears replaced them.
"I…I can…see…my…father…" Watts suddenly coughed, and Zell turned, wide eyed, to see Watts reaching for the ceiling, at something he couldn't possibly see, reaching with a broken arm. "I…I…won for you…father…" He paused, before a great smile adorned his beaten face.
"He's happy, you guys."
And his arm fell.
* * *
Squall and Zell moved out of the room, leaving the weeping Rinoa and Zone to their mourning. The door slid shut behind them, and Squall looked at Zell, and through his own tears Zell could see Squalls grey eyes shining.
"We'll give him a proper burial…a SeeDs burial." Squall muttered.
"But…he wasn't a SeeD." Zell said, trying desperately to wipe away his tears.
"I know…but he deserves a Hero's burial."
With that, Squall brushed past the martial artist to walk down the ramp, his hand moving to his face as he went.
