"Ultimecia is here?" Laguna Loire asked in disbelief. "How?"
They were sitting in the presidential suite, up in the highest floor of the largest building in Esthar City, smack in the middle of the entire metropolis. Laguna was standing next to a very large window that overlooked the expanse of the city. It was late, and the city's glimmering lights shone in the night sky like fireflies. Squall sighed. Laguna knew full well Ultimecia's capabilities, but now he seemed to lack understanding of the situation.
"Yes, and so is Irvine," said Squall. "Laguna."
"Okay, okay," Laguna said, turning from the window and raising his arms. Although over the age of fifty, Laguna was still quite handsome, and had a certain charm around him that made him a very likeable person. Squall had thought him a loser in the past, but Laguna had since then made up for his insipidity.
"So," Laguna said, crossing the room next to the couch where Rinoa sat, "Ultimecia has been born, and Irvine is out to destroy her, correct?"
"Yes."
"And if he succeeds, that could bring about another war? Or the end of the world? Or nothing?"
"Exactly," Squall said, a smile forming on the edges of his mouth simply because of Laguna's sudden confusion. "It's possible that nothing could happen, but it's even more likely that another war will start, one that could be ten times as destructive as the previous."
"I see." Laguna's right elbow rested in his left hand, and his right hand scratched his chin. He was in a thinking pose.
Standing in the corner of the room were two of his advisors, Sora Garington and Tunis Jayaud. They were both quite young, serving as replacements for Laguna's regularly assigned advisors, who both had vacation leave. Neither advisor was much for words, and so they stood aside, allowing the president of Esthar to learn of the situation undisturbed.
"And there's something else," Squall said, sighing deeply as though saying that one sentence were a great effort. "Griever is searching for her."
"What?" Laguna's head flicked up, his eyes meeting Squall's. At first he thought it was a joke, but he could tell from Squall's hardened gaze that he did not mean to be humorous.
Griever was the most powerful Guardian Force, or "GF", as they were most widely called, in the world. His legends spanned numerous cultures, but he was always known as the "Legendary Beast". Guardian Forces were, essentially, guardians of magic. They controlled it within the world, utilizing its existence and regulating its use. Every person born with magical abilities was paired with a Guardian Force. Not by choice, of course-the Guardian Force itself chose to whom it would swear loyalty. Squall had always wondered how Griever and Ultimecia had been paired, but when he saw Fisherman's Horizon, he knew. Griever, sensing her enormous power, had chosen her from the beginning.
Rinoa gaped at Squall. "You mean it was there? At Fisherman's Horizon?"
"Yes, probably. And since Ultimecia is here, it's coming here."
"Didn't you say Fisherman's Horizon-" Laguna began.
"Was wiped out, yes. I suggest you evacuate the city. Tonight, if possible."
Garington stepped forward. "Laguna, sir. there are billions of people living here in Esthar. It would take days, weeks, to even coordinate an evacuation. I don't think Mr. Leonhart realizes the difficulty of such a quick action."
Laguna, instead of silencing the young advisor, listened intently. When he replied, it was a plain statement, perhaps meant to test the young advisor's decision-making. "Griever is no simple matter, though."
"But what Mr. Leonhart is saying is impossible, sir!"
Now Laguna raised his hand. "Your point is taken into consideration." He turned to the second advisor. " Tunis, what do you have to say?"
"I believe an immediate evacuation is possible. Esthar is always prepared."
"I agree. Sora, go to the chief of security and explain the situation. Tell him to sound the alarm and commence emergency evacuation of the city."
Garington, resisting the urge to make a rebuttal, gave a slight bow and said, "Yes, sir." He strode from the room.
Laguna turned to Squall and Rinoa. "We have to find Irvine, don't we?"
"Yes, that's extremely important," Rinoa stated. "Irvine was in Fisherman's Horizon, tracking down Ultimecia, and-"
Squall's head perked up. "That's it."
They turned to him. "What?" Laguna said.
"That's why Fisherman's Horizon was demolished. Ultimecia was born there. I think Irvine went there, attempting to kill her. Griever destroyed the city to protect her, but somehow she was taken from there. She was brought here, and Irvine followed. Which means."
Rinoa stood up. "Griever is already here."
A siren wailed outside. The evacuation had begun.
***
Rinoa couldn't keep her arms from shaking as they ran down the long flight of stairs. It would be a long way down, seeing as the presidential suite was located on the tenth floor. The high-powered elevators weren't available simply because they were programmed to automatically shut off in emergencies.
Laguna's advisors, Garington and Jayaud, took the lead, rushing down the stairs like there was no tomorrow. Laguna and Rinoa were behind them, Squall taking the rear. He felt weak and useless without his gunblade, much less any weapon.
Suddenly there was a deafening roar, like a dam had burst open, and the wall to their right exploded. Garington lost his balance as fragments of the wall showered down on them, and he fell, rolling the rest of the way down the stairs and slamming against the landing's wall. Jayaud stumbled back into Laguna and Rinoa as two glowing eyes peered into the gaping hole, searching for something.
Squall stood transfixed, his own eyes never leaving those evil yellow pupils that haunted the room in that instant. Nobody moved a muscle as the eyes turned this way and that, looking at one person for a moment, then moving on to the next. They could hear shallow breathing, and Squall could imagine the Legendary Beast's chest heaving and falling as it searched for its master.
Suddenly it backed off, and now Squall could see its entire body.
Griever was a beast that looked like a bipedal lion, floating upright. It had a red crest upon the top of its head that extended upward, almost like a horn, and its tail, long with a spiked head at the end, whipped back and forth furiously. The beast was black and had pure evil in its eyes as it gazed at them while their hearts thumped frantically.
"She's not here!" Squall shouted, and those eyes flicked in his direction. He gulped and stated again, clearly, "She's not here."
The breathing picked up, more heavily this time. Griever turned and vanished from the dissected wall. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
"We need to get out of here now," Rinoa said, her voice still shaky from the encounter. Garington stood up and continued down the stairs. The others followed.
They had just reached the ninth floor when all hell broke loose. Griever erupted into another roar, and again the wall nearby shattered, sending chunks of the building flying inside. Squall threw his arms upward, shielding himself from the blow, then pulled Rinoa back to him. Laguna jumped down the stairs to the landing below, where Garington stood. Jayaud froze, clutching the rail.
A brown arm, ending in sharpened, outstretched claws, darted in. Jayaud had no time to escape his fate as three of the five black claws punctured his chest, sliced through his internal organs, and exited through his back. He didn't even scream as blood spurted from his mouth and the claws lifted him into the air. The advisor's face twisted, mixed with pain and confusion. The others watched, mouths agape in horror, as the arm shook Jayaud's body free of the claws and sent him tumbling down the stairs. They heard two metallic clangs, then a roar from Griever, thirsting for a second kill.
Rinoa screamed as the arm reached for her. Squall pulled her back, running up the stairs.
"Run!" he shouted to Laguna and Garington, whose eyes were wide as they watched the unspeakable befall Jayaud. They turned and ran down the stairs.
Squall looked behind him, at the eyes that were again looking through the wall. He shouted to Griever, "If you want us, you'll have to come up here!"
He then turned and darted up the stairwell, Rinoa by his side. Tenth floor, eleventh floor, twelfth floor.
The entire building shuddered. It wouldn't be long before Griever brought it down. Squall only hoped that there was some sort of personal transport awaiting them on the roof.
They were back in the presidential suite overlooking the city.
"I can't see it, where is it?" Rinoa said as they stopped, gasping for breath. "Nowhere."
"Come on," Squall said, heading for the hallway leading out of the living room. Where the hallway ended a flight of stairs began, leading up to the roof. They climbed up, but before stepping onto the roof, Squall checked outside for any sign of the beast.
Seeing nothing, he pulled Rinoa out with him slowly. The roof was adorned with equipment for all kinds of leisure activities. Games, sports, a swimming pool-Laguna had it all up here. Most important, Squall noticed, was the landing pad located on the far side of the roof. And sitting on the pad-
"I don't believe it," Rinoa said.
The Ragnarok sat there peacefully, as if waiting for them. Squall refused to stop and stare at it, wondering how it had gotten there. Instead, he quickly surveyed the sky, then grabbed Rinoa's hand and ran for it.
She stumbled after him, still stiffened by the shock of the Ragnarok's sudden appearance. But she managed to keep up, even as Griever solemnly floated up above the roof, its monstrous wings flapping gently.
Horrible memories arose in Squall's mind. He had once fought this beast, in his past, Griever's future, and defeated it. But that didn't mean it couldn't kill him now. "Run," Squall whispered
They bolted for the Ragnarok. There was no way they were going to reach it, being on the other side of the roof. Griever leaned forward and rushed to meet them, claws extended to catch them as they ran.
An instant before those claws closed around them, there was a loud crack, and a silvery flash of light shot toward Griever, plunging into its right side. Blood spilled; it roared in pain and swooped upward, losing track of Squall and Rinoa.
Squall's head whipped back and forth as he scanned for whatever it was that struck Griever. He and Rinoa sprinted for the Ragnarok as Griever circled around for another attack.
The loading ramp was down, and standing next to it, shotgun in hand, was Irvine Kinneas.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted. "What the hell are you doing?"
"No time to talk!" Irvine yelled. He waved them in. "Get inside!"
Griever plunged forward, readying its claws so as to tear them to pieces. Squall and Rinoa, both without weapons, scurried up the ramp. The first thing Squall did was grab his gunblade, and immediately he felt safer. Rinoa jumped into the pilot's seat and started up the engines.
Squall rushed down the ramp as a second stream of light flared from Irvine's shotgun, headed straight for Griever's face. The beast dodged left and the beam of light passed it, harmless. Irvine swore loudly and ran up the ramp and past Squall.
"Come on!"
The ramp raised up and Squall darted back inside as the Ragnarok lifted off the roof. Irvine rushed to the cockpit, Squall behind him, and punched out one of the side windows. Quickly he raised his gun and placed the barrel through the window.
"Give me a good shot, Rinoa," he said, squinting his right eye and lining it up with the scope on the top of the gun. The Ragnarok turned, and there was Griever, only several meters away from ripping the Ragnarok apart.
Irvine didn't have to aim. Griever was so close that any shot out of that window would have hit it. And it did, square in the chest, causing it to roar in pain and plummet to the roof of the presidential palace.
"Go!" Irvine shouted to Rinoa. "That pulse ammo will keep in down for a bit-we might be able to lose him in the clouds."
Rinoa throttled the engines and the Ragnarok surged forward.
"Wait!" Squall said. "Laguna, Garington! We have to go down."
Irvine was breathing heavily. His light brown trench coat waved softly as the wind rushed through the open window, and he brushed aside some of the hair from his face. "No," he said. "Don't worry about them."
"What?" Squall asked, shocked.
"Griever's coming for us now. Esthar has nothing for him."
"Why do you say that?" Rinoa asked, her voice slightly trembling. Her knuckles were white from grasping the controls.
"I have what he wants," Irvine rasped.
Rinoa turned and looked at him, her eyes filled with fear. And in that instant, Squall heard the cries of a baby.
The crying stopped, and suddenly there was silence, save for the whooshing of the air through the opened window.
"Please tell me I only heard the wind rushing through the window," Squall muttered. He was in a state of disbelief. Never had anything caught him so off guard.
"No, it's not," Irvine replied. "You know what it is."
"Irvine, do you know what you're doing?" Rinoa asked, her voice still shaking slightly. "Do you know what could happen?"
"You've talked with Cid, haven't you."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Rinoa asked.
"And he told you I'm going to kill her."
"Yes," Squall said.
"Well, maybe I am. Either way, I understand the possible consequences of my actions, and I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens. I knew Cid wouldn't understand when I told him. I knew it."
"What did you tell him?" Rinoa steered the Ragnarok slightly to the left, and the lights of Esthar were no longer beneath them. Now they could see nothing but a murky substance, which in the darkness Squall could only presume were clouds. Griever wouldn't be able to find them now, which gave him time to figure out what exactly was happening here.
"I only told him I was thinking of killing her, but I wasn't sure what to do."
"Irvine, how did you even manage to get a hold of her?" Squall asked, the anger rising in his voice. "What makes you think you can change the future, or the past? That baby is the future, no matter how horrible it may be! And getting rid of it may bring about an even deadlier future, have you thought of that?"
A smile played on the edge of Irvine's lips. "Neither of you completely understand. If you were in my position, you might. But you can't. You can't even begin to imagine."
"Why don't you try explaining?" Squall said, crossing his arms. Rinoa saw the gesture and recognized it as one of authority and deviance. He used to use it a lot when he was younger.
"That baby back there is my daughter."
Immediately Squall's arms dropped to his side. "What?"
"That sorceress in there is my daugh-ter," Irvine said slowly, just in case Squall had missed a part.
"Wha.? How?" asked Rinoa.
Irvine sighed. "I was on a business trip to Fisherman's Horizon. There was a young woman on the outskirts of town, trying to get in, but the way stations wouldn't let her pass. So I let her in my car. Over the next few months we got to know each other."
He shook his head.
".and?" Squall prompted.
"Well, to make a long story short, I lived in Fisherman's Horizon for a few months, Susan and I got married, and she gave birth to. to."
"What did you name her?" asked Rinoa, trying to stray the subject a little bit and ease Irvine's conscience.
"Marian." He sighed again. "Marian Rinoa Kinneas."
Rinoa couldn't help but smile at the name. However, the smile soon faded once she realized the most evil sorceress in the world was named after her.
"We instantly knew there was something about her," Irvine said. "We weren't sure what, but I did know that she would be highly skilled in magic. She had that look in her eyes, like she knew more than she ought to have. Even though she was just a baby, I could see it."
Squall nodded. "Go on."
"And then I knew, I just knew what it was. It was her, and it took a while to finally admit it to myself. I contacted Cid, asked him what I should do about it. I told him I was almost thinking of ending her life-killing my own child."
"And Cid thought you were really going to do it," Rinoa said.
"Yes. It was a thought, but I hadn't truly considered it. That was before Fisherman's Horizon was destroyed."
"Your wife." Rinoa began. "Did she."
"Susan was killed in the attack. I hid, holding onto Marian. Somehow Griever couldn't find us. When you two came. well, listen, I'm really sorry about that."
"No problem," Squall lied.
"I had to find a way to contact Laguna. I figured he was the only other person who could help me. Once I saw the Ragnarok, I knew that you two were here and you had already talked with Cid, meaning you would try and stop me."
"I understand," Squall said. "But Irvine. We would have listened to you."
Irvine's head dropped. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I got kind of paranoid."
"That's all right. Let's just figure out what we're going to do now."
"I think we had better head back to Garden," Rinoa said. "Cid and Edea will know what to do."
"Agreed," Squall said. "Don't worry, Irvine."
Irvine nodded.
They were sitting in the presidential suite, up in the highest floor of the largest building in Esthar City, smack in the middle of the entire metropolis. Laguna was standing next to a very large window that overlooked the expanse of the city. It was late, and the city's glimmering lights shone in the night sky like fireflies. Squall sighed. Laguna knew full well Ultimecia's capabilities, but now he seemed to lack understanding of the situation.
"Yes, and so is Irvine," said Squall. "Laguna."
"Okay, okay," Laguna said, turning from the window and raising his arms. Although over the age of fifty, Laguna was still quite handsome, and had a certain charm around him that made him a very likeable person. Squall had thought him a loser in the past, but Laguna had since then made up for his insipidity.
"So," Laguna said, crossing the room next to the couch where Rinoa sat, "Ultimecia has been born, and Irvine is out to destroy her, correct?"
"Yes."
"And if he succeeds, that could bring about another war? Or the end of the world? Or nothing?"
"Exactly," Squall said, a smile forming on the edges of his mouth simply because of Laguna's sudden confusion. "It's possible that nothing could happen, but it's even more likely that another war will start, one that could be ten times as destructive as the previous."
"I see." Laguna's right elbow rested in his left hand, and his right hand scratched his chin. He was in a thinking pose.
Standing in the corner of the room were two of his advisors, Sora Garington and Tunis Jayaud. They were both quite young, serving as replacements for Laguna's regularly assigned advisors, who both had vacation leave. Neither advisor was much for words, and so they stood aside, allowing the president of Esthar to learn of the situation undisturbed.
"And there's something else," Squall said, sighing deeply as though saying that one sentence were a great effort. "Griever is searching for her."
"What?" Laguna's head flicked up, his eyes meeting Squall's. At first he thought it was a joke, but he could tell from Squall's hardened gaze that he did not mean to be humorous.
Griever was the most powerful Guardian Force, or "GF", as they were most widely called, in the world. His legends spanned numerous cultures, but he was always known as the "Legendary Beast". Guardian Forces were, essentially, guardians of magic. They controlled it within the world, utilizing its existence and regulating its use. Every person born with magical abilities was paired with a Guardian Force. Not by choice, of course-the Guardian Force itself chose to whom it would swear loyalty. Squall had always wondered how Griever and Ultimecia had been paired, but when he saw Fisherman's Horizon, he knew. Griever, sensing her enormous power, had chosen her from the beginning.
Rinoa gaped at Squall. "You mean it was there? At Fisherman's Horizon?"
"Yes, probably. And since Ultimecia is here, it's coming here."
"Didn't you say Fisherman's Horizon-" Laguna began.
"Was wiped out, yes. I suggest you evacuate the city. Tonight, if possible."
Garington stepped forward. "Laguna, sir. there are billions of people living here in Esthar. It would take days, weeks, to even coordinate an evacuation. I don't think Mr. Leonhart realizes the difficulty of such a quick action."
Laguna, instead of silencing the young advisor, listened intently. When he replied, it was a plain statement, perhaps meant to test the young advisor's decision-making. "Griever is no simple matter, though."
"But what Mr. Leonhart is saying is impossible, sir!"
Now Laguna raised his hand. "Your point is taken into consideration." He turned to the second advisor. " Tunis, what do you have to say?"
"I believe an immediate evacuation is possible. Esthar is always prepared."
"I agree. Sora, go to the chief of security and explain the situation. Tell him to sound the alarm and commence emergency evacuation of the city."
Garington, resisting the urge to make a rebuttal, gave a slight bow and said, "Yes, sir." He strode from the room.
Laguna turned to Squall and Rinoa. "We have to find Irvine, don't we?"
"Yes, that's extremely important," Rinoa stated. "Irvine was in Fisherman's Horizon, tracking down Ultimecia, and-"
Squall's head perked up. "That's it."
They turned to him. "What?" Laguna said.
"That's why Fisherman's Horizon was demolished. Ultimecia was born there. I think Irvine went there, attempting to kill her. Griever destroyed the city to protect her, but somehow she was taken from there. She was brought here, and Irvine followed. Which means."
Rinoa stood up. "Griever is already here."
A siren wailed outside. The evacuation had begun.
***
Rinoa couldn't keep her arms from shaking as they ran down the long flight of stairs. It would be a long way down, seeing as the presidential suite was located on the tenth floor. The high-powered elevators weren't available simply because they were programmed to automatically shut off in emergencies.
Laguna's advisors, Garington and Jayaud, took the lead, rushing down the stairs like there was no tomorrow. Laguna and Rinoa were behind them, Squall taking the rear. He felt weak and useless without his gunblade, much less any weapon.
Suddenly there was a deafening roar, like a dam had burst open, and the wall to their right exploded. Garington lost his balance as fragments of the wall showered down on them, and he fell, rolling the rest of the way down the stairs and slamming against the landing's wall. Jayaud stumbled back into Laguna and Rinoa as two glowing eyes peered into the gaping hole, searching for something.
Squall stood transfixed, his own eyes never leaving those evil yellow pupils that haunted the room in that instant. Nobody moved a muscle as the eyes turned this way and that, looking at one person for a moment, then moving on to the next. They could hear shallow breathing, and Squall could imagine the Legendary Beast's chest heaving and falling as it searched for its master.
Suddenly it backed off, and now Squall could see its entire body.
Griever was a beast that looked like a bipedal lion, floating upright. It had a red crest upon the top of its head that extended upward, almost like a horn, and its tail, long with a spiked head at the end, whipped back and forth furiously. The beast was black and had pure evil in its eyes as it gazed at them while their hearts thumped frantically.
"She's not here!" Squall shouted, and those eyes flicked in his direction. He gulped and stated again, clearly, "She's not here."
The breathing picked up, more heavily this time. Griever turned and vanished from the dissected wall. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
"We need to get out of here now," Rinoa said, her voice still shaky from the encounter. Garington stood up and continued down the stairs. The others followed.
They had just reached the ninth floor when all hell broke loose. Griever erupted into another roar, and again the wall nearby shattered, sending chunks of the building flying inside. Squall threw his arms upward, shielding himself from the blow, then pulled Rinoa back to him. Laguna jumped down the stairs to the landing below, where Garington stood. Jayaud froze, clutching the rail.
A brown arm, ending in sharpened, outstretched claws, darted in. Jayaud had no time to escape his fate as three of the five black claws punctured his chest, sliced through his internal organs, and exited through his back. He didn't even scream as blood spurted from his mouth and the claws lifted him into the air. The advisor's face twisted, mixed with pain and confusion. The others watched, mouths agape in horror, as the arm shook Jayaud's body free of the claws and sent him tumbling down the stairs. They heard two metallic clangs, then a roar from Griever, thirsting for a second kill.
Rinoa screamed as the arm reached for her. Squall pulled her back, running up the stairs.
"Run!" he shouted to Laguna and Garington, whose eyes were wide as they watched the unspeakable befall Jayaud. They turned and ran down the stairs.
Squall looked behind him, at the eyes that were again looking through the wall. He shouted to Griever, "If you want us, you'll have to come up here!"
He then turned and darted up the stairwell, Rinoa by his side. Tenth floor, eleventh floor, twelfth floor.
The entire building shuddered. It wouldn't be long before Griever brought it down. Squall only hoped that there was some sort of personal transport awaiting them on the roof.
They were back in the presidential suite overlooking the city.
"I can't see it, where is it?" Rinoa said as they stopped, gasping for breath. "Nowhere."
"Come on," Squall said, heading for the hallway leading out of the living room. Where the hallway ended a flight of stairs began, leading up to the roof. They climbed up, but before stepping onto the roof, Squall checked outside for any sign of the beast.
Seeing nothing, he pulled Rinoa out with him slowly. The roof was adorned with equipment for all kinds of leisure activities. Games, sports, a swimming pool-Laguna had it all up here. Most important, Squall noticed, was the landing pad located on the far side of the roof. And sitting on the pad-
"I don't believe it," Rinoa said.
The Ragnarok sat there peacefully, as if waiting for them. Squall refused to stop and stare at it, wondering how it had gotten there. Instead, he quickly surveyed the sky, then grabbed Rinoa's hand and ran for it.
She stumbled after him, still stiffened by the shock of the Ragnarok's sudden appearance. But she managed to keep up, even as Griever solemnly floated up above the roof, its monstrous wings flapping gently.
Horrible memories arose in Squall's mind. He had once fought this beast, in his past, Griever's future, and defeated it. But that didn't mean it couldn't kill him now. "Run," Squall whispered
They bolted for the Ragnarok. There was no way they were going to reach it, being on the other side of the roof. Griever leaned forward and rushed to meet them, claws extended to catch them as they ran.
An instant before those claws closed around them, there was a loud crack, and a silvery flash of light shot toward Griever, plunging into its right side. Blood spilled; it roared in pain and swooped upward, losing track of Squall and Rinoa.
Squall's head whipped back and forth as he scanned for whatever it was that struck Griever. He and Rinoa sprinted for the Ragnarok as Griever circled around for another attack.
The loading ramp was down, and standing next to it, shotgun in hand, was Irvine Kinneas.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted. "What the hell are you doing?"
"No time to talk!" Irvine yelled. He waved them in. "Get inside!"
Griever plunged forward, readying its claws so as to tear them to pieces. Squall and Rinoa, both without weapons, scurried up the ramp. The first thing Squall did was grab his gunblade, and immediately he felt safer. Rinoa jumped into the pilot's seat and started up the engines.
Squall rushed down the ramp as a second stream of light flared from Irvine's shotgun, headed straight for Griever's face. The beast dodged left and the beam of light passed it, harmless. Irvine swore loudly and ran up the ramp and past Squall.
"Come on!"
The ramp raised up and Squall darted back inside as the Ragnarok lifted off the roof. Irvine rushed to the cockpit, Squall behind him, and punched out one of the side windows. Quickly he raised his gun and placed the barrel through the window.
"Give me a good shot, Rinoa," he said, squinting his right eye and lining it up with the scope on the top of the gun. The Ragnarok turned, and there was Griever, only several meters away from ripping the Ragnarok apart.
Irvine didn't have to aim. Griever was so close that any shot out of that window would have hit it. And it did, square in the chest, causing it to roar in pain and plummet to the roof of the presidential palace.
"Go!" Irvine shouted to Rinoa. "That pulse ammo will keep in down for a bit-we might be able to lose him in the clouds."
Rinoa throttled the engines and the Ragnarok surged forward.
"Wait!" Squall said. "Laguna, Garington! We have to go down."
Irvine was breathing heavily. His light brown trench coat waved softly as the wind rushed through the open window, and he brushed aside some of the hair from his face. "No," he said. "Don't worry about them."
"What?" Squall asked, shocked.
"Griever's coming for us now. Esthar has nothing for him."
"Why do you say that?" Rinoa asked, her voice slightly trembling. Her knuckles were white from grasping the controls.
"I have what he wants," Irvine rasped.
Rinoa turned and looked at him, her eyes filled with fear. And in that instant, Squall heard the cries of a baby.
The crying stopped, and suddenly there was silence, save for the whooshing of the air through the opened window.
"Please tell me I only heard the wind rushing through the window," Squall muttered. He was in a state of disbelief. Never had anything caught him so off guard.
"No, it's not," Irvine replied. "You know what it is."
"Irvine, do you know what you're doing?" Rinoa asked, her voice still shaking slightly. "Do you know what could happen?"
"You've talked with Cid, haven't you."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Rinoa asked.
"And he told you I'm going to kill her."
"Yes," Squall said.
"Well, maybe I am. Either way, I understand the possible consequences of my actions, and I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens. I knew Cid wouldn't understand when I told him. I knew it."
"What did you tell him?" Rinoa steered the Ragnarok slightly to the left, and the lights of Esthar were no longer beneath them. Now they could see nothing but a murky substance, which in the darkness Squall could only presume were clouds. Griever wouldn't be able to find them now, which gave him time to figure out what exactly was happening here.
"I only told him I was thinking of killing her, but I wasn't sure what to do."
"Irvine, how did you even manage to get a hold of her?" Squall asked, the anger rising in his voice. "What makes you think you can change the future, or the past? That baby is the future, no matter how horrible it may be! And getting rid of it may bring about an even deadlier future, have you thought of that?"
A smile played on the edge of Irvine's lips. "Neither of you completely understand. If you were in my position, you might. But you can't. You can't even begin to imagine."
"Why don't you try explaining?" Squall said, crossing his arms. Rinoa saw the gesture and recognized it as one of authority and deviance. He used to use it a lot when he was younger.
"That baby back there is my daughter."
Immediately Squall's arms dropped to his side. "What?"
"That sorceress in there is my daugh-ter," Irvine said slowly, just in case Squall had missed a part.
"Wha.? How?" asked Rinoa.
Irvine sighed. "I was on a business trip to Fisherman's Horizon. There was a young woman on the outskirts of town, trying to get in, but the way stations wouldn't let her pass. So I let her in my car. Over the next few months we got to know each other."
He shook his head.
".and?" Squall prompted.
"Well, to make a long story short, I lived in Fisherman's Horizon for a few months, Susan and I got married, and she gave birth to. to."
"What did you name her?" asked Rinoa, trying to stray the subject a little bit and ease Irvine's conscience.
"Marian." He sighed again. "Marian Rinoa Kinneas."
Rinoa couldn't help but smile at the name. However, the smile soon faded once she realized the most evil sorceress in the world was named after her.
"We instantly knew there was something about her," Irvine said. "We weren't sure what, but I did know that she would be highly skilled in magic. She had that look in her eyes, like she knew more than she ought to have. Even though she was just a baby, I could see it."
Squall nodded. "Go on."
"And then I knew, I just knew what it was. It was her, and it took a while to finally admit it to myself. I contacted Cid, asked him what I should do about it. I told him I was almost thinking of ending her life-killing my own child."
"And Cid thought you were really going to do it," Rinoa said.
"Yes. It was a thought, but I hadn't truly considered it. That was before Fisherman's Horizon was destroyed."
"Your wife." Rinoa began. "Did she."
"Susan was killed in the attack. I hid, holding onto Marian. Somehow Griever couldn't find us. When you two came. well, listen, I'm really sorry about that."
"No problem," Squall lied.
"I had to find a way to contact Laguna. I figured he was the only other person who could help me. Once I saw the Ragnarok, I knew that you two were here and you had already talked with Cid, meaning you would try and stop me."
"I understand," Squall said. "But Irvine. We would have listened to you."
Irvine's head dropped. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I got kind of paranoid."
"That's all right. Let's just figure out what we're going to do now."
"I think we had better head back to Garden," Rinoa said. "Cid and Edea will know what to do."
"Agreed," Squall said. "Don't worry, Irvine."
Irvine nodded.