It was huge. Irvine wasn't sure if it it was machine or creature, and he didn't care. Its massive head had a sword-like protrusion on top and it's teeth dripped with saliva. A long scaly tail stuck out of the water behind it and waved slowly back and forth. Irvine didn't doubt that it could smash them to smithereens with one simple sweep of it's enormous arm. There was nothing he could do but stand there in awe of its sheer size. He'd never seen anything like it in his life time, and he doubted he'd ever see anything like it again.
The Lonely Pandora continued to rock in the swells created by the thing, and Irvine though for sure, if the creature didn't crush them, the waves would. He grabbed hold of the railing beside Seifer and Rinoa to prevent himself from slipping on the wet deck. Cowboy boots did not grip wet surfaces well.
"Hyne, what is that thing?" Rinoa asked.
"You got me," Irvine replied.
The creature-machine raised its fist into the air and brought it down into the water before the vessel, sending ever more waves in their direction. The ship tipped into the first, leaning very nearly sideways, and Irvine was treated to a horizontal view of the sea below him for several seconds before he was thrown back by the force of the water spilling onto the deck. Indeed, the water plus gravity drove them all the way back to the railing on the opposite side and Irvine slammed into it with such a force that he could not find breath for several long seconds.
Irvine gripped the rail tight and held on to prevent himself from being pinioned back and forth between the two rails. All the while, he kept his eyes on the massive thing in the water.
It opened its mouth and let out a low groan, "Wwwwwweeeeeee." Irvine thought he could feel the bass notes of its voice rattle his very bones.
"Irvine, what is it?" Rinoa asked again as she wrapped her arm around the rail and held tight.
"No clue," Irvine replied. He recovered his breath and steadied himself as the ship tipped once more. For several seconds the trio hung from the rail and were treated to an aerial view of the monster. It towered above them, the spire upon it's head glistening in the early morning sun. It appeared enraged about something and its tail lifted from the ocean and slammed down behind it as if it were having a temper tantrum.
The ship rocked back and Irvine's feet smacked the deck hard enough to make his feet ache.
"Think there's a chance it will go away?" Seifer asked. He readjusted his grip on the rail and glanced behind him as the ship rolled on its side.
"Doubt it," Irvine replied. He felt the water at his back. "Better hold your breath this time."
Less than a second later, the three were submerged in chilly salt water. Irvine squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that the ship would not buckle soon. He was sure if this continued, it certainly would. If the creature didn't eat them first, he supposed.
When they emerged, they saw the thing had moved closer, its jaw working back and forth and its serpentine eyes focused directly on the SeeDs. Perhaps it was imagining them as its next meal. "Weeeeepppppp . . . ." it hissed, then raised its enormous arm. Irvine drew what he thought might be his last breath. "It's been fun guys," he told his comrades.
"Don't you punk out, cowboy," Seifer said, but it was not said in a harsh way. He sounded as frightened as Irvine was.
The arm reached out and smashed into the bow of the ship, then swept
across the deck, crumpling the railing as it went. Before the SeeDs
had a chance to run, not that they had a place to run, they were sent flying
into the icy water of the ocean, each still clutching the railing as if
that alone would save them.
Squall Leonhart shook off the worry that had plagued him since Rinoa had hung up on him earlier and returned to his work. It was like Rinoa to be dramatic, but it was wholly unlike her to back out on even the most dangerous mission. Xu had told him that this was a simple recovery job, nothing complex or dangerous. No monsters to fight, no need for their weapons. Squall was willing to bet that she was trying to manipulate him into something, though he didn't understand what it could be. This was not Rinoa's typical M.O. She was usually less direct about what she wanted, and on the phone she had told him exactly what she wanted. To come home.
Seifer too had asked to come home, which was even more unusual. Seifer lived for danger, he fed on it and it was very unlike him to back out once he'd committed himself to something. He'd never been one for following orders, but once his mind was on a job, he completed it, success or failure, he saw it through all the way to the end. Squall found this very worrisome.
Quistis burst into the office, pale faced and wide eyed. "Squall, Laguna is on line three. He says there has been some trouble on the Lonely Pandora.
What the hell?
"Thank you Quistis," Squall replied and picked up the phone. "Commander Leonhart."
"Hiya son," Laguna said. He was less chipper than usual, further adding weight to Squall's worries.
"What's the situation?"
"We lost contact with the crew of the Pandora about ten minutes ago. We're trying to re-establish contact, but there's been no response yet."
"Could they be having problems with their radios?"
"Perhaps, but if that were the case, Commander Hijn's last discernible words wouldn't have been 'Holy Mother of HYNE!'"
Squall hesitated and tapped his pen against his computer key board, contemplating what Rinoa and Seifer had told him before they were cut off. The thing ate Jong.
"Rinoa said something about one of their team mates being 'eaten.' Did Hijn communicate anything like that to you?" Squall asked.
"Not that I recall. He said the mission was right on track and that there were four bodies left to retrieve. We discussed arrangement for transport early tomorrow morning," Laguna said.
Squall found this news strange. Everything was right on track. "All right. Contact me if you hear any news, sir."
Laguna was quiet for a minute. "You think you'll ever find it in your heart to call me dad?"
"Sir . . . now is not the time to ask me that question," Squall said. "We'll sit down and talk one of these days."
Truth be told, Squall had been putting off that particular discussion for a couple of years now and it was still difficult to think of Laguna as his father. He supposed he should accept it, but it was hard.
He shook off these thoughts and said his good byes. In his chair,
he leaned back and a look of worry crossed his usually stony face.
This was not adding up . . . .
Tifa Lockheart sighed as she locked the door of the bar behind her and stepped out onto the wide patio that surrounded the building. After Meteor, she'd decided to go as far away from Midgar and Nibelheim as she could get. There were too many painful memories associated with both places, so she had decided to go to Mideel and start her life over. Mideel had seemed like the perfect location for this, and thus far, it had been a paradise set apart from the rest of the world. Business was good, now that the town had been rebuilt and she'd made plenty of new acquaintances but she did miss her friends.
They'd barely escaped with their lives when the airship crashed, and poor Barrett flirted with death for days following the incident but he'd pulled through, much to everyone's relief. After that, however, nothing had been the same. Yuffie returned to her home town, as had Barrett, Cid and Nanaki. Cloud, on the other hand never stayed in one place long enough to keep track of him, and Tifa had not heard from him in about eight months now. She knew that he was on a quest to destroy what was left of the Mako reactors, as if erasing their existence would also erase the damage that had been done to him by the Shinra over the years. Shinra didn't even exist any more, so Tifa felt that Cloud's obsession with destroying what was left of them was something of a wasted effort. Tifa new better than to try to change his mind, though. As much as she worried, she knew he was a big boy and could take care of himself.
She hadn't heard from Vincent in more than a year, nor had she received any communication from Reeve in that time but she'd heard that he was the head of a prestigious 'intelligent toy' company that produced playthings that were capable of learning from their owner. This news hadn't surprised Tifa at all.
She walked down the path, taking in the fresh morning air, which was cool and held just a hint of the briny scent of the sea. Every morning before she opened the bar for lunch, which had become very popular thanks to her spectacular, ever-rotating buffet, Tifa enjoyed a walk down to the beach and back. She enjoyed the time alone and she did it more for peace of mind than she did for the exercise. She often took the opportunity to think about problems and solutions, to reminisce on things past or simply to clear her head. This morning, as she strolled out of town, taking care to check that she was equipped with the proper materia, she thought about how lucky she was to be self sufficient, successful and well in health. Her establishment was listed in all of the tourist guide books as a hot spot one should not miss when visiting Mideel. Money was no longer an issue, and it didn't look to be an issue for a long time to come.
But Tifa was alone in Mideel. She was well aquatinted with the townspeople, and she had several regulars that made good conversation, but it wasn't the same as having her friends close. This morning, the idea occurred to her to have a reunion, but she doubted everyone would be able to come. Yuffie was making waves in her home town of Wutai as a top rate instructor in the ways of the Ninja, and was probably booked solid for the next year. And Cloud could be anywhere in the world. The others would come, Tifa was certain, and that might be enough, but it was Cloud that she really wanted to see.
Tifa had been jealous of Cloud's feelings for Aeris for a long time, but it had been a while since the bitter emotion had crossed her heart, and Tifa was glad for that. Cloud was her friend, and she had long ago accepted that a friend was all he would ever be. That didn't mean she didn't miss him.
The land sloped downward towards the beach, and Tifa paused to inspect the horizon. The news broadcast at dawn had said to expect high winds and rain to begin some time after noon, but Tifa saw no clouds in the distance, just a clear, heavenly blue expanse from one horizon to the other.
"Well, there's a sight for sore eyes," a familiar voice said behind her.
Tifa didn't need to see him to know who he was. She spun around on the heel of her boot and cried, "Barrett!"
"Good ta see ya," Barrett said and swept her up into a bear hug so tight, Tifa thought he might crush her by accident. "How ya doin'?"
"Never been better," she replied. "What are you doing here?"
Barrett shrugged. "This guy I know, asked me to come down here an' find him some chocobos. Payin' a thousand gil apiece."
"Sounds like a pretty good deal," Tifa said and nodded her approval. "Will you be staying a few days?"
"S'pose I am."
"You know you're welcome to stay at the bar any time," she told him. "How is Marlene?"
Barrett grinned. "She's gettin' big. And so smart. Reminds me more of her mother every day," he said. "Oh, I saw that spiky headed smart ass, Cloud 'bout a month ago at the Gold Saucer."
"The Gold Saucer? What was he doing there?"
"The usual."
"Visiting Dio?"
Barrett nodded and gazed around. The beach held his attention for several seconds before he spoke. "Hey Tif, the hell's that?" he asked, pointing. Tifa followed his gaze and cocked her head at the figure laying face down in the sand. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but she had not looked directly at the beach; she'd been looking for the storm clouds, not mysterious bodies on the beach.
The pair began to walk down the beach, curious. Tifa hoped it was just a piece of drift wood that had washed up, an illusion cast by shadows.
The closer they drew, however, the more certain Tifa became that it
was a body.
Selphie sat cross legged on the stage in the Quad flipping through a catalogue of party decorations. She was thinking of going with a tropical theme this year but didn't have the funds to spend on elaborate decorations. That meant she was stuck with last year's lame decorations for the equally lame toga theme the student committee had chose. Perhaps Cid would approve a small budget to purchase more appropriate decorations. It was summer, after all. Summer needed summer type decor. Now, to choose the colors . . . . yellow of course, and . . . . . .
"Selph," Zell called out and cut off Selphie's train of thought. His expression was grave, his eyes concerned.
"Everything ok?"
He shook his head. "Bad news from Esthar. Selph, they think Rinoa, Seifer, Irvine and Nida are dead . . . ."
Selphie stared at him, blank faced, not understanding what he meant. "Dead."
Zell nodded, his eyes tearing up. "The boat they were on . . . in pieces when they found it. No bodies . . . no one found yet. They don't think they will find anyone . . . . not alive anyway . . . ."
"No." Selphie whispered. "No. No, no, no."
Zell took her by the hand and nodded.
Selphie's wail of grief could be heard throughout Garden; it sounded
as if her soul had shattered.
Seifer was dimly aware of approaching footsteps, but he didn't have the strength to lift his head from the sand. He was aware that there was sand in his mouth, but he didn't bother to spit it out.
He didn't know where he was and he didn't care. He might have died and been sent straight to hell and it wouldn't have bothered him. What did bother him was the tremendous ache in his legs and lower back. He was certain that he'd broken bones, but he was unable to move to do anything about it, he was simply too weak and too tired.
"Goodness," a woman's voice said, soft and silky against his sun burnt ears. "Do you think he's dead?"
"Ain't got a clue," a second voice replied. This one belonged to a man, and where the woman's voice had been gentle, his was as coarse as sand paper, heavy with an accent Seifer could not place.
A hand touched his neck, feeling for a pulse, and it lingered there for a few seconds before pulling away. "He's alive," the woman said. "Barrett, help me get him back to Mideel. He probably needs medical attention."
"Sure that's a good idea, Tif?" The man said. "Don't know nothin' 'bout him. Might be one of them con artists or somethin'. Heard 'bout them pretendin' to be hurt an' then stealin' the silverware in the middle of the night."
"You'll be there, right?"
"Yeah, but . . ."
"Come on Barrett, have a heart."
"That's your problem, Tif. You got too big a heart."
Seifer felt himself lifted off the ground and the pain intensified. Despite himself, he moaned. It felt as if someone had stuck a knife in his back, right between the hips. He was blinded by the pain and he was close to unconsciousness. He realized with sudden clarity that he could not feel his feet. He willed his toes to move inside his boots and was horrified to find that they did not, and if the had, he couldn't feel them move.
Was he paralyzed? How had that happened?
How did he get here, and who were these people?
He couldn't remember anything except that his name was Seifer Almasy and he was a SeeD at Balamb Garden.
"Barrett?" the woman said. "Look at this."
"The hell's that?"
"A sword of some kind," the woman said, sounding perplexed. "A sword with a gun attached."
Seifer willed himself to speak then, wishing to communicate to them that the weapon belonged to him. At first his mouth would not take the form of any words. His mouth was dry and gritty with sand, his lips cracked and blistered from exposure. "M.....m....mi...mine," he managed to hiss. "Guh.....hun....bu....bu....lade."
A second of shocked silence followed, then the woman spoke. "Mister, are you all right?"
"Huh....hurt."
"I know. We're going to get you some help. There's a hospital in the town where I live, we'll take you there," she said. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Ss.....sei....ff...fe....r."
"Seifer?"
"Yuh...."
Seifer opened his eyes. His lids were sore and the light burned. Nevertheless, he forced them to open so he could see who he was speaking to.
She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Huh....huh....hi," he croaked out as their eyes met. They were a most unusual shade of amber, a colour that he had never seen before in human eyes.
Humiliating to be in this position, injured and unable to walk on his own, especially in front of her.
"Shh. Don't talk," the woman said.
He struggled to say something brave, tried to laugh away his injuries.
Then, Seifer Almasy lost consciousness.
A/N: I apologize for any mistakes in the first two chapters. That would be a combination of changing from first person to third and the fact that English is not my first language. I think I speak and write very good English, but occasionally I make mistakes in translation or syntax. If you find any errors, you will have to forgive me. Thanks to Pod Sara, my beta reader for this chapter. She has been my sounding board on all things for this story, most especially the dialogue. I still have some trouble with that, especially with a character like Barrett.....
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