Chapter Thirteen

the first answer





Selphie rolled over in bed and heard something click.

Just the wind, she thought, until her ears focused on the slight shifting sound.

She sat up slowly, an odd feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. The place beside her in the bed was empty.

"Vin?" she whispered to the darkness.

No answer. A sudden silence.

And she was suddenly petrified. Where was Irvine?

Then the shifting began again, a soft slinking sound that could have been footsteps...

Trembling, Selphie lay down again, her eyes wide open in the darkness, focused on the door to the bedroom. Her hands clenched the bed sheets under her pillow in an odd combination of anger and fear. A dark shape appeared slowly, moving silently into the room and looking around, pale eyes landing on Selphie -

"Hah!" The brunette leapt out of bed and threw on the light. "What the hell are you -"

Astra coolly held a gun out before her, pointed straight at Selphie's face. "I'm sorry I woke you up," she said smoothly.

Selphie panicked. She felt Quezacotl moving around in her head, shifting anxiously; however, she had no weapon with which to protect herself. She sat back down on the bed.

How much did Astra know? Was she the spy? What was she doing here? What was so important in their apartment that the SeeD would break and enter in the middle of the night? Selphie's head was spinning. Should she keep playing the game? Or should she just summon Quezacotl on the girl's ass, make a huge disturbance, and get out while she could? Was their cover blown? What was Astra looking for?

And where the hell was Irvine?

Selphie asked shakily, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here for me." Astra's pale face was emotionless beneath her pale eyes and odd colorless hair. "This isn't my choice."

Selphie's eyes were darting around the room, trying to remember the layout - the button to release the first cache of weapons was over there - but how could she trip the switch -

Click.

The sound of a gun being cocked.

Selphie whirled around in panic -

To see Irvine standing behind Astra, Exeter cocked and ready, planted in the back of the girl's head.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said, and it was a snarl. "Drop the gun."

Astra did as she was told, the small black shotgun making a soft thud on their carpet. Her face was still emotionless - no fear, no anger. "I'm not the one you want," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" Irvine asked, his voice still cold. "You're the one standing in my apartment pointing a gun at my girl."

"I'm not who you think I am," Astra replied, still looking unfazed by the situation.

"No shit," Irvine said, fury starting to leak through. "What are you doing here?"

The girl turned around to face him - slowly, her arms raised, hands in the air. "That was my only weapon," she said, looking him blankly in the face. "You could take your gun out of my face."

Irvine's eyes narrowed; he was frustrated beyond belief at her calmness. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Darik sent me," she said casually, as if it were the most sensible answer in the world.

"I figured as much," Irvine said. "That's why he told me to take Fee out tonight, isn't it? So that you could sneak on in here and duplicate our keys, huh?"

"That's why you weren't in bed," Astra said curiously, her hands still raised and her face still blank. "You figured it out. Which means I was right."

"I," Irvine growled, furious, "am pointing a horribly deadly gun directly into your face. You could show a little more respect at a time like this." The girl blinked. "Stop playing around and tell me what's going on."

Astra slowly lowered her arms. "It's difficult to think," she annunciated clearly, "with a gun in my face. I told you I have no other weapons."

Irvine had no idea what to do.

As soon as he had seen the video he guessed what had happened. Astra had planted the audio feed and picked up their conversation; Darik, after affirming that the apartment would be empty, had sent the girl over. Irvine had put the pieces together quickly; for a few panicked minutes he had thought that perhaps they were waiting in the apartment, but he checked it over to be sure it was empty. He had then put Selphie in bed and nabbed Exeter from its hiding place. And waited in the kitchen.

Sure enough, his instincts were right again. There was the soft sound of a key in the lock; the door had opened and Astra snuck in carefully. She had headed straight for the bedroom, wanting to ensure the couple was safely in bed. Irvine hadn't even realized she was armed until Selphie jumped out of bed; and that was almost too late.

But why had she come back? Obviously she and Darik had made short work of their apartment's security. Why had she risked getting caught?

Slowly, he lowered the Exeter, though he kept his death grip. "Tell me why you're here."

"I told you I'm not the one you want," Astra said stiffly.

Selphie was sitting on the bed, slowly recovering her composure; Irvine came to sit beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. She sighed and rested her head on him, a little shaken up.

"I didn't understand the last time you told me," Irvine said, "I'm unlikely to understand now."

"I know what you're after," Astra said. "And it's not me."

"What do you mean?" Irvine asked, unwilling to give away the game.

Astra looked him straight in the face. "Darik sent me," she said. "He only suspects what I have confirmed. We went on your computer."

"And what did you find?" Selphie asked.

"Not much," the girl said, and Selphie smiled a little triumphant smile. "But I didn't need much. Darik suspects you," Astra continued briefly.

Irvine shook his head. Maybe it was the late hour - but this conversation made no sense. "What's going on?" he asked the air.

"You found my camera," Astra said shortly. "I figured that out. Darik sent me back to get it."

"You came all the way back here to get the camera?" Selphie asked. "Couldn't it have waited? Why risk getting caught?"

"Darik told me to," the girl replied.

Irvine blinked. "Why do you - why do you work for him?"

Astra paused. "Because - he is a leader," she said finally. "He is someone to follow. We are partners - we work together." She looked at each of them in turn. "You should understand."

Selphie paused; but she did understand. She remembered Seifer's "posse" and Fujin and Raijin's undeniable loyalty to their friend. She figured that Astra's relationship was much like that with the arrogant and overbearing Darik. Poor Astra looked like she needed someone to follow.

"Why should we understand?" Irvine asked slowly, and Astra actually laughed.

"Because you're the same as us," she said succinctly. "I've figured it out. But I haven't told - I'm not your enemy."

Irvine glanced down at the gun. "Could have fooled me."

"Trust me," Astra said, a strange strength in her voice. "I don't wish you harm."

"But you would have shot," Selphie asked, "if you had to?"

"For defense," the pale-haired girl said. "Defense only. You had nothing to harm me with - so I paused."

Irvine sighed. "I'm going to send you home now, aren't I," he said to no one.

Astra stood up, picked up her gun, and tucked it away in her hidden pocket. "I should return before Darik begins to suspect things," she said.

The girl's bizarre behavior made no sense. Whose side was she on?

Irvine stood up. "I don't know what to do with you, Astra. I still don't understand a whole lot of the things you said tonight."

The pale-haired girl looked up at him, her face entirely serious. "You need to watch Darik and..." She paused. "Make sure you protect yourself. He is a good person, but his intentions aren't always ...the best."

"And yet you'll still stick by him," Selphie said quietly.

Astra nodded. "We are teammates. I have to watch his back as he watches mine. He is the commander."

Irvine shrugged, disgusted. "Go home, Astra."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," the girl said as a farewell, and left, closing the door behind her as quietly as she had entered.

There was a pause, and then Selphie said: "Well, she's an odd one."

Irvine turned around. "Did you understand a single one of her sentences?" he asked, collapsing on the bed - "Ouch." He moved Exeter's solid length and curled up.

Selphie picked up the gun and turned it over, admiring its smooth sides. "Were you up all night?" she asked softly.

Irvine nodded. "After I remembered Darik saying what he did - I was sure they were going to do something. And - I didn't want to risk our safety again." He shook his head, chestnut hair falling into his face. "But I have no idea what just happened."

"I bet Astra's having a good laugh," Selphie said bitterly. "She comes in here, waves a gun around, spouts some cryptic sentences, and then leaves."

"Whose side is she on?" Irvine said. "I mean - there seem to be sides now, us versus them. But - I'm confused."

Selphie shook her head. "We can't do this mission," she moaned softly. "I don't know what I'm doing. Irvine, I'm scared."

"We can do it." He sat up and put his arm around her. "Don't be scared. I'll protect you - not that you need it, Seff. Silly girl. You're tough as nails."

She snuggled into his warmth and safety and Irvine was more than content to just hold her. "I'll never be able to sleep," she said eventually. "You can go to bed if you want."

"No way," Irvine said. "Let's just sit here a while and think things over."

And so they did.

Irvine pondered what Astra had said again. She claimed to have figured things out - did that mean she knew they were SeeD? Or just that she knew they were more than they claimed? Or that she was bluffing?

And Darik? Was he the bad guy? Was that what Astra was trying to tell them - without actually telling and being disloyal?

He shifted his weight, leaning back into the pillows. Maybe he could understand it better with his eyes closed?

No, it didn't make any more sense. But at least it felt better.

Selphie sat, lost in her own thoughts. Astra had been so cruel and emotionless - and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was on their side somehow. It reminded Selphie of watching Fujin and Raijin with Seifer, honestly; the two lesser members of the posse always wanted the best for their leader, even when it went against his 'wishes'.

She couldn't shake the horrible feeling of having the gun in her face and feeling helpless. She felt her GFs stir in her mind, protesting. That's not it, she said reassuringly, touched by their concern (though much of it was due to the fact that their existence was linked to hers); I have to be able to defend myself. Luckily Irvine had been prepared to protect her. She could have done it herself; but he had been so insistent that she go to bed ...

She glanced over at him. Irvine had fallen asleep, collapsed on the pillows, his mouth slightly open. His bangs were falling into his face, his long ponytail spilling onto the gray shirt he had worn last night. He looked so peaceful lying there that Selphie had to stifle a giggle.

Silly Irvine. She gently reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from his mouth. He had been so fiercely upset earlier - and here he was, sleeping like a baby. He had so many sides - a sweetheart one moment, a deadly assassin the next.

Selphie gently stood up and arranged the covers around him. He rolled over slightly, but didn't wake up. Summoning her courage, Selphie gave him a brief kiss on the forehead - she wouldn't have dared otherwise.

"It's my turn to protect you," she whispered.

Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she shut the door softly behind her. The sun was coming up, faint light coming through the windows. Selphie headed to the computer room to tap out her thoughts without keeping Irvine awake.

There was a brief message from Quistis: Glad to see you're alright - Selphie, you dumb hacker, you could have just waited for the transmit. She smiled at the screen. Good old Quistis. You guys hurry up and come home. I'm going out on mission in a couple days and Zell is gonna be pissed if he has to teach everyone's classes.

Quistis - off on mission? Selphie pondered this for a little while and then shrugged. She could do whatever she liked, and she wouldn't let them send her off somewhere she didn't want to be. Quistis was no one to bully around; you could try, but you usually ended up kissing the pavement.

Selphie tapped into her Internet diary, checking the updates and comments. The online system had been a hit at Balamb; nearly half of the students had signed up for their own. For a small fee - one most SeeDs could afford - they could get a little space on Selphie's server and host their own online journal. Hers was still the most popular; Selphie was just amazed that her idea had been such a hit.

The sun was almost the whole way up; she had been reading online for quite some time, poring through entries from some of her students. She was engrossed in the way they spoke of Balamb, the Headmaster, the Commander, and some of their Instructors; she had never quite seen Garden in this light, and realized that this was a valuable resource for Garden.

She stood up and stretched and headed into the kitchen to make coffee.

There was a knock at the door.

Without even thinking, Selphie opened it.

She was hit in the stomach by something hard and thrown backward. The door was thrown open and slammed into the wall; Selphie tried to collect herself from the floor, Quezacotl raging in her mind, demanding to be let loose - but something heavy pressed against her chest, keeping her from moving.

Darik loomed above her, a large and particularly evil-looking staff pressing into her chest directly beneath her throat - so hard that she was having difficulty breathing. A twisted smile spread over his face as he peered down at her. "Well, hello, Fiona," he said, his voice low. "Fancy meeting you here."

And then Vanesa peered her head around him, a deadly crossbow in her hands. The redhead was ready, poised for action, a horribly evil look spreading over her face. "Good," she said briefly, looking down at Selphie, held captive by the weight of Darik's staff. "Where's the other one?"

Vanesa?

Selphie gulped; she struggled against the staff, trying to dislodge it from her upper chest. Quezacotl and Carbuncle were both screaming rage in her mind as she panicked; but Darik, literally, had the upper hand. Selphie was furious in her fear - she had been caught totally off guard, and she had to protect -

Irvine.

She felt a surge of determination sizzle through her like thunder - whether it was hers of Quezacotl's she could never know, for the thunder bird chose that moment to rearrange her junctioning. Selphie felt strength flow through her muscles - unexplainable strength - and in one mighty channeling of all her power she gripped the staff with both white-knuckled hands and pushed, hard, flinging the staff away from her. Darik stumbled backwards and Selphie rolled to one side, leaping to her feet.

"Oof!' Darik hit the wall behind him with a thud. Vanesa whirled around, shock obvious on her face, her crossbow trained on Selphie.

"What the hell?" the red-head snapped violently. She took three furious steps and faced Selphie; the brunette was standing, her hands in defense position like Zell had taught her, the energy of her GFs brimming along her blood.

Then Vanesa closed her eyes. "What the hell are you?" she asked - and Selphie felt the horrible pain of a foreign person clawing among her mind. Vanesa was attempting to Draw from her! Selphie took two panicked steps backwards and ran into the kitchen counter - shit, trapped. She was trying not to wail in anguish - it was never pleasant to be on the targeted end of the Draw command. Not that she was afraid of the red-head stealing either GF; but her head was aching, she was slowly losing her vision...

"No way!" Vanesa hissed; Selphie felt a cold hand painfully clench itself around Quezacotl. A brief image invaded all her senses: the awesome thunder creature lashing out in defense, its razor-sharp claws lashing out - and then she came to, cowering on the floor, whimpering, head clasped in her hands.

This won't do. Selphie shakily got to her feet over the din of Quezacotl screaming a challenge in her mind. Vanesa had turned to Darik.

"She has a GF," the red-head snapped. "Two of 'em. I can't get them out, either - they're so compatible I think they've Bonded." Vanesa turned back to Selphie, baring her teeth. "Where did you get those GFs? Where are you from?"

"Look," Darik said, shoving Vanesa out of the way. Selphie dodged the first stroke of the staff, but she was out of maneuvering space, and she had no other advantage to use against Darik . The staff caught her directly in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her completely. Coughing and hacking, Selphie collapsed to the ground, only to find the staff three inches from her face.

All she needed was a second to concentrate, and she could call up Quezacotl and end this. But it didn't look like she'd have that second any time soon.

"Look, bitch," Darik growled. "You guys are here to frame us, aren't you? You're playing us for fools. And there's no way we're fools."

Selphie was wheezing, trying to catch her breath. She was dizzy and in pain, but she managed to gasp: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Shut up, bitch!" Darik prodded her with the staff; its heavy end returned to hover inches from the bridge of her nose. "Tell us what's going on, or I'll bash your ugly head in."

"That's no way to talk to a lady," a low voice said. "Especially mine."

Irvine, unnoticed in the bedroom doorway, took careful aim at the staff in Darik's hands and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the tiny apartment; the staff twisted out of Darik's hands with a snap and clattered to the ground. Darik drew his hands to his chest in pain; they had been caught in the recoil of the shot. Vanesa's eyes narrowed; she leveled her crossbow at Irvine.

And Selphie leapt to her feet and finally unleashed Quezacotl.

The brunette threw her hands wide, letting the bird completely take over; she felt her body fade as Quezacotl took physical form. She was inside the great thunder bird, spreading her wings high as thunder and lightning rained down upon her enemies - for once, Selphie in Quezacotl's mind, not the other way around. All of the rage and anger and power they had been saving up were released in one massive burst of energy that dropped Darik and Vanesa to their knees.

Quezacotl withdrew, and Selphie felt her body re-materialize. Both SeeDs were incapacitated, crouched on the floor in pain; she glanced at Irvine, who grinned as he tossed her nunchaku over. She grinned back and advanced on the two SeeDs on the floor, weapon at the ready, knowing Irvine was watching her back.

Vanesa coughed, looked up. "Who the hell are you?" she croaked.

"We're the Balamb Team," Selphie said with pride, and cast Stop.

Darik and Vanesa were frozen in place on the floor, their bodies stopped in place by the magic. Selphie looked at them critically - and then sighed, the first of the tension and adrenaline fading from her body. She felt a warm hand on the small of her back, and looked up at Irvine. His eyes were full of concern.

"Good job," he said. "Are you alright?"

Selphie winced. "I'll be sore," she admitted. "But I'm fine for now."

"Poor girl." He rubbed her back. "I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner."

Selphie then looked down at Vanesa and Darik. "Alright, you two," she said. "Time to talk."