Chapter 12: A Failed Attempt
Searching for the control room, Maechan traced his way outside, and entered the Bevellian maze. From corner to corner, he investigated carefully, but also hastily. Every moment counted; the fate of the summoners was in their hands. Finally, going to another corner, he found a mechanical sliding door.
"This must be it…" He murmured.
Examining the motionless door, he searched for a method to open it. He saw a small computer device beside it as he moved his hands against the wall. He realized he needed an I.D. card to enter the control room. Suddenly, he saw a soldier walking towards him. The soldier stopped as soon as he saw Maechan, and was suspecting his character.
"What are you doing here?" The soldier asked.
"Errr… It appears that I've lost my key to enter the control room." Trembling, Maechan replied.
"Hmmm… Really now?" the soldier crossed his arms across his chest and his faced formed a sarcastic look.
"You don't believe me, do you? I'm a forgetfull old man. Please pardon me." Cunningly, Maechan acted.
"Fine fine! I'll let you go this time."
With that, the soldier took out his I.D. card as Maechan ecstatically waited behind him. Finally, the door opened. Maechan entered it and saw a room full of computers and analyzers. As the soldier left him, he grinned.
"Never underestimate an old man." He said in his breath.
He closed the doors as he entered. Quickly, he searched for the security alarm and checked all cameras if everything were in place. He saw Shuyin waiting impatiently in one of the cameras. After a while, he finally found the security alarm. Nervously, his hands closed in the button. With a push, the whole room went red and a deafening siren could be heard.
He went out of the control room and quickly exited the area to avoid anymore encounters from the soldiers. From area to area, fork to fork, soldiers were running back and forth as if they were panicking. On the other hand, Maechan went their opposite direction to check Shuyin.
The alarms were ringing in Shuyin's ears. This was the signal for him to move in. The soldiers did not notice him going to the other direction, the path to Vegnagun. Heart pounding, He was running faster than ever as he tried to beat the closing entrance to Vegnagun. With a slide, he successfully entered Vegnagun's abode; he was alone. It was a vast dim lit room with a path going to the center. Slowly, he walked deeper as he explored the area. Reaching the center, he finally saw a gigantic demon headed machine with sinister eyes. Dormant, it lay there like a sleeping monster. At last, he saw Vegnagun with his very own eyes; the ominous machina that could save the summoners. He smiled as he thought that finally, he could save Lenne.
[1]"You know you're all I can count on to save Lenne." He told the sleeping machina.
Vegnagun was in his grasp. In a matter of time, he would be able to control it and destroy Bevelle in a blink of an eye. He was about to climb up to its cockpit when suddenly the doors behind him opened. The room went red, and the alarms began ringing. He looked behind; he saw a group of soldiers pointing their rifles at him. He tried to escape, but he was surrounded. He saw Maechan, handcuffed, at the back.
"Hands up! Drop your weapon! You're surrounded!" The captain shouted.
Giving up and dropping his weapon, he raised his hands into the air. They walked towards him and grabbed him from behind, and pushed him towards Maechan. The soldiers reformed and led them into prison…
…
[2]"No I'm not sorry! I haven't done anything wrong! I know your listening! If she was your girl, what would you do!? How can you blame me for trying to use your weapon!? It was the only way I could save the summoner! What would you do if you were me? I want to see her…"
Inside a dark prison room in Bevelle undergrounds, a man was shouting at someone. He was trying to break open the cage as he tried to grab the soldier watching him. Soon, he realized it was useless to even fight, and knelt down…
[3]"The only reason the war's dragging on because Zanarkand refuses to surrender!" the officer shouted.
"You're wrong! If you'd stop attacking, there wouldn't be a war!"
"We're not falling for that!"
"Someday… You're precious weapon will end up destroying you…" Shuyin threatened as he shook the cage.
A woman, Lenne, from the other side suddenly woke up. She was panting and perspiring, because of the nightmare she had just experienced. She went out of her camp and looked at the fields. It was still dark… The war had not started yet…
"Shuyin… Where did you go?" She thought.
Suddenly, she realized something. Her eyes began to widen; Shuyin was inside Bevelle, and there was only one reason why he had gone there, Vegnagun. Lenne rushed quickly back inside her camp and prepared to head towards Bevelle. She did not care if she would die in the journey. She had to stop Shuyin from using Vegnagun, and at the same time save Shuyin from the hands of Bevelle. If she would still wait for all of them to move, it would be too late for her. After she had finished packing up, she quickly headed out of their area. Suddenly, Belgermine caught her.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.
"Well… Ummm… I have to go… He's in danger."
"You mean Shuyin?"
"Yes. Please let me go… He doesn't have much time left to live.
Belgermine thought for a moment. It was a double-edged decision. Either way, she knew Lenne would die… All of them would die. This was their final blow against Bevelle. This was all that they had. Finally, Belgermine nodded.
"Hmmm… I guess I can't talk you out of this, can I?"
"No…"
"Well then… It's useless to even stop you. Go now. Time is running short! I bid you farewell! Good luck!" Belgermine exclaimed.
Lenne smiled as she hugged her for one last time. She jumped at the back of one of their chocobos and fled into the vast green fields of the Undying Lands. She hurriedly drove all the way to the Bevellian borders.
She got there soon enough to see the soldiers forming. She hid behind the tall grasses as she waited for an opportunity to arrive. They were more than a thousand battalions readying to attack Zanarkand. Lenne gasped as she saw them marching away. From the west, she saw a big cliff connected to the Bevellian camp; that was her only way to get in unnoticed. She had to climb up without using herAaeon; it will make a big commotion if she would use it. Without relying on it, she began climbing the steep cliff.
After hours of climbing, she finally reached the top. She was panting and was on her knees as she rested. Her hands were bruised, because of the sharp chunk of rocks that she was clinging on as she climbed the cliff. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards her way. She quickly ran to the small bushes to hide.
"Have you heard? There's a guy who actually got inside Bevelle without being seen!" A soldier from the slope said.
"Yeah. Heard that… But they caught 'im. They say he tried to control Vegnagun." Another replied.
"Really? Good thing! He got caught… It's all over for us once he takes control of Vegnagun."
The two soldiers faded as they went deeper into the next area. Lenne went out of the leafy bush, and walked cautiously into Macalania forest, a place she is not very familiar with. She delved deep into the forest, but as she got deeper and deeper, she did not know that she was getting lost. Fork to fork, curve to curve, they were all similar, and without a navigator to assist someone who dared to go in Lake Macalania, he would surely be lost.
Soon, she realized she was going in circles. Inside the area, she figured out that there was the same exact tree as before. She was trembling in fear. Her life could end inside the forest, but she was not giving up. She would not waste her efforts just to save him.
"I'm coming for you… Shuyin… Just hold still…" she thought.
Suddenly, she saw a blue butterfly prancing around the area. The butterfly flew in the northern area. As it slowly flew away, Lenne followed it; that butterfly could be the only way to figure the exit to the mazelike forest. Soon enough, after she had followed the winged insect for an interval, she finally saw a light illuminating the area. She quickly followed that light, and in no time, she was on the Bevelle city borders. Hoping to find Shuyin soon, she wasted no time, and went up the icy slope.
*Footnotes*
[1] This was taken CGI when Shuyin first saw Vegnagun in FFX-2
[2] This is taken from the "Journey Started" Treasure sphere.
[3] The whole dialogue is taken from the "Gaol" Treasure sphere.
