Chapter Six: I Spy
Author's Note: Some of you may have noticed that Chap One looks a little different, though the content is basically the same. Just thought that solid block of words scared potential readers away..whatever, on with the story!
(Note: Time is two days after the Festival) Edwin Darwell was unusual among the Balamb SeeDs in the fact that he had actually lived to see his twenty-fifth year. Many never even survived the harsh and often dangerous field tests or missions long enough to enjoy more than two decades of life. That was proof enough of his more than exceptional abilities. Also, though he was a Balambian through and through, he had been raised in Deling and therefore knew more about it and its citizens' ways than almost everyone in Garden, a valuable knowledge that had proved highly useful at times.
And now, Edwin Darwell was about to prove his worth yet again.
Edwin listened carefully to his commander as he related the details of Ed's new mission. It was risky, more so than any other he had been sent on. But he would do his duty, as he must, for he was a SeeD. If there was anything he held above his own life, it was his love of duty. Since he had joined Garden twelve years ago, he had been practically married to his work.
"So, will you do it?" Squall finished, gazing at Edwin's freckled, tanned face intently. He hoped that Edwin survived. They were all good men, Hyne, most of the people he had lost had been good men. Edwin was already nodding, his decision obviously made the very moment he had stepped into Squall's office.
"Sure," he replied with a shrug. "Why not? And, honestly, sir, I am honored that you would even consider me, much less entrust me with such an important mission. The most I can do to repay that is to do the best I can."
Cid, who in the meantime had been lurking in the background, spoke up. "If you are truly firm in your course of action, Darwell, take care of yourself. There are too little people like you in Gaia."
"Thank you, sir," Edwin said gravely.
Tre came forward now, clutching an envelope in her hands, a crooked smile on her lips. "Your new identity, Graon Rowan," she smirked. "Best of luck."
"I swear, Tazakin, you make up this names for the exclusive purpose of annoying me," Edwin quipped, smiling at the Head of Intelligence.
"How did you guess?" she teased back with a grin.
Squall cleared his throat, causing them all to look at him. "Sorry to break up the bantering, but this is serious. Business before pleasure, you know. Darwell, you are to meet Miss Tazakin at the foyer at 0630 hours tomorrow, where you will be driven to Balamb. Take the earliest available train to Galbadia. Your contact will be waiting for you at the station. Got that? After that, you're on your own."
"I won't fail you, sir," Edwin said with a steely determination that impressed Squall. He made a mental note to promote the man if he got back alive and successful.
"Don't forget to give us a ring whenever you need us, okay? But be careful. Dismissed."
"Always." He threw a salute, then spun around and marched out.
Tre watched Edwin go with a haunted look in her eyes, having dropped the joking façade she had worn for Edwin's benefit. "I hope we haven't just sealed his fate," she whispered. "I know we aren't supposed to let our personal feelings get in the way, but I wish it had been someone else.."
Squall and Cid nodded somberly. After a few minutes, they filed out one by one.
*** Travis looked up to stare at a mouthful of sharp, gleaming white teeth coming closer and closer. Its fetid breath wafted into his nostrils, causing him to gag. Mentally he reminded himself to buy himself a gas mask next time he went out here.
The T-rex opened its mouth and roared. Who said not even monsters had a flair of the dramatics? The big dino here probably had an ego the size of Balamb and Galbadia combined. Soon, though, it was going to have more problems to worry about besides the wounding of its fragile ego.
He grinned fiercely as he steadied his sword, an old, archaic two-handed weapon that few used rarely anymore. When the T-rex had extended its head far enough, its intended victim, which moments ago had been 'paralyzed with fear', ducked easily beneath the massive jaws, cast Blizzaga on his blade, and carried out Phase Two.
He cast Aura on himself, and felt the familiar surge of energy flare up within him. He welcomed it, bending him to his will.
For him, time seemed to slow down. For the watchers, he sped up, dancing around the infuriated T-rex with the speed of light. He had fondly named his Limit Break 'Silver Shadow' , and now all knew why. The two-handed sword-he called it Dragon's Flight-darted around so swiftly that it only registered as a silver blur as it slid in and out of the T-rex's innards. The T-rex snapped at him with its cruel jaws, but never once did it come close. Travis leaped back, so fast he seemed to fly. His feet left the ground completely as he glared at his staggering foe, his sword spinning faster and faster in his hand until it was just a circle of flashing steel. His rapt audience watched and wondered at his actions.
Travis decided that there was enough momentum, so he threw it-threw the sword like a boomerang. Blinded and weakened, the T-rex was easy prey, and Dragon's Flight sped true with deadly accuracy. With its speed, it carved a straight, clean line through the T-rex's thick hide, namely its neck, and went on spinning, right back into its master's hand.
The T-rex actually looked confused at first. Then its head fell off, smashing onto the ground with a tremendous bang that could have been heard fifty miles away. The body stayed upright a little longer, then toppled over on slow motion. In a flurry, students hurried to get out of its way.
BOOM!
There was an awed silence for a few moments. Then someone called, "Timber!" and as though a switch had been turned on, there was an excited babble of voices.
Travis accepted the praises and gasps of awe with good grace. With a twinkle in his eye, he said in his stern taskmaster voice, "Remember, this is only a demonstration. Do not attempt to try this at home." His class, which totaled up to a grand number of five, nodded or laughed their agreement. Glancing at his watch, he added, "I believe it is lunchtime. You are dismissed." With yells of goodbye the students ran off.
"Show-off," a familiar female voice commented from behind him.
Travis' hand had tensed on the hilt of his sword, but relaxed as he recognized the voice. "What are you doing here, Instructor Trepe?" he queried without turning. Forcing himself to act nonchalant, he sheathed his sword and tried to maintain a semblance of calm. In truth, he had been seriously shocked for a second there.
"Watching, and commenting," Quistis answered. "You're quite good with that sword. And, please, call me by my first name. Instructor Trepe just sounds so..old."
Travis shrugged. "As you wish, Instruct-Quistis." She hadn't fooled him one bit. He knew why she was here, to make sure that he was firmly on their side. The thought angered him slightly, but he mastered his temper and decided to play along. "So, what do you want?"
Quistis chuckled as she approached him. "Stop that. I know you aren't fooled. You're a terrible liar."
"You have mortally wounded me, In-Quistis," Travis drawled, pretending to clutch his chest in mock hurt. Quistis smiled at that. "Ha ha. " Growing serious, she said, "The students seem to like you, and you genuinely have a love for this kind of thing. I'm thinking..." She stopped and bit her lip in thought.
"Well, go on," Travis prompted. "You were at the 'I'm thinking' stage. Not good.." An evil glare from Quistis effectively silenced him. "I want to know, why did you come to Balamb? You would have fit in better back at your old Garden."
The other instructor was silent, pondering his answer. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone I said this. Got to maintain the tough guy image, you know. Anyway, it's because, we attacked Balamb, rammed the Garden, were under the control of a madman under the control of an evil sorceress, people tend to look at us and say, hey, he's a Galbadian, and they remember, so subconsciously they start to distrust us. A tad unfairly too, I might add. We just followed orders, to us, you were the enemies, an obstacle blocking our path that we needed to remove. And don't think we haven't suffered losses either. My sister, she was killed when the two Gardens crashed into each other and she fell overboard.." His voice faltered slightly, then regained strength. "The point is, we suffered too. You mourned for your dead, we buried ours, loved ones you had killed. Just because we were Galbadians didn't mean that we were unfeeling machines. We loved, we despaired, we rejoiced too. We were human. It was war, and it was war and the ambition of a crazed Sorceress that led to all this. It's not like our commander pointed to a specific someone and said, "Kill him." You were all faceless foes that we were fighting and we needed to defend ourselves. It was kill or be killed."
His voice was rising, and Quistis flinched with the intensity of it. Noticing, he lowered his volume and continued, "You want to know why I'm here? To give myself a second chance. To give Galbadia Garden a decent shot at forgiveness. To let others understand that we aren't just emotionless robots. We mean something too, and we are sorry."
He stopped, looking almost embarrassed. "Sorry, got a little carried away," he muttered, turning away and walking off. Quistis winced a little. "I'm sorry about your sister," she said softly.
She heard his laugh, bit it was cold and mirthless as the Trabian icelands. "Never mind about it, Instructor, I probably killed someone you knew too." Acknowledging this, she allowed him to vanish from her sight before exiting. He needed some tome to himself.
Her mind was reeling. She'd never, not in a hundred years, imagined. Was this how most Galbadians felt too? Did they deserve the stares, the whispers, the bitterness?
She didn't know. But Travis certainly didn't.
***
Travis' POV
My mind was in turmoil. It had been a long time since I had blurted out my soul like that to anyone, much less a total stranger whom I'd only known for a couple of days. I wished I could take the whole conversation back, but the words had been spoken, in a fit of unexpected passion. I had truly wanted her to understand at that moment, but now, looking back, I groaned mentally. What was I thinking of? Why should I even try? She was like all the rest of them. Anyway, if the assignment was carried out successfully, I would soon be leaving.
My duty took precedence, my desire for peace second. SeeD rule no. one stated 'Never let your Own feelings get in the way of what you have to do.'
That didn't mean I had to like it though. Author's Note(Yes, another one!) : Some of you too dense to figure out what Edwin's new mission is are kindly advised to take a look at the title again for a hint. Got it? Hope so. Now...R & R TIME!!!
Author's Note: Some of you may have noticed that Chap One looks a little different, though the content is basically the same. Just thought that solid block of words scared potential readers away..whatever, on with the story!
(Note: Time is two days after the Festival) Edwin Darwell was unusual among the Balamb SeeDs in the fact that he had actually lived to see his twenty-fifth year. Many never even survived the harsh and often dangerous field tests or missions long enough to enjoy more than two decades of life. That was proof enough of his more than exceptional abilities. Also, though he was a Balambian through and through, he had been raised in Deling and therefore knew more about it and its citizens' ways than almost everyone in Garden, a valuable knowledge that had proved highly useful at times.
And now, Edwin Darwell was about to prove his worth yet again.
Edwin listened carefully to his commander as he related the details of Ed's new mission. It was risky, more so than any other he had been sent on. But he would do his duty, as he must, for he was a SeeD. If there was anything he held above his own life, it was his love of duty. Since he had joined Garden twelve years ago, he had been practically married to his work.
"So, will you do it?" Squall finished, gazing at Edwin's freckled, tanned face intently. He hoped that Edwin survived. They were all good men, Hyne, most of the people he had lost had been good men. Edwin was already nodding, his decision obviously made the very moment he had stepped into Squall's office.
"Sure," he replied with a shrug. "Why not? And, honestly, sir, I am honored that you would even consider me, much less entrust me with such an important mission. The most I can do to repay that is to do the best I can."
Cid, who in the meantime had been lurking in the background, spoke up. "If you are truly firm in your course of action, Darwell, take care of yourself. There are too little people like you in Gaia."
"Thank you, sir," Edwin said gravely.
Tre came forward now, clutching an envelope in her hands, a crooked smile on her lips. "Your new identity, Graon Rowan," she smirked. "Best of luck."
"I swear, Tazakin, you make up this names for the exclusive purpose of annoying me," Edwin quipped, smiling at the Head of Intelligence.
"How did you guess?" she teased back with a grin.
Squall cleared his throat, causing them all to look at him. "Sorry to break up the bantering, but this is serious. Business before pleasure, you know. Darwell, you are to meet Miss Tazakin at the foyer at 0630 hours tomorrow, where you will be driven to Balamb. Take the earliest available train to Galbadia. Your contact will be waiting for you at the station. Got that? After that, you're on your own."
"I won't fail you, sir," Edwin said with a steely determination that impressed Squall. He made a mental note to promote the man if he got back alive and successful.
"Don't forget to give us a ring whenever you need us, okay? But be careful. Dismissed."
"Always." He threw a salute, then spun around and marched out.
Tre watched Edwin go with a haunted look in her eyes, having dropped the joking façade she had worn for Edwin's benefit. "I hope we haven't just sealed his fate," she whispered. "I know we aren't supposed to let our personal feelings get in the way, but I wish it had been someone else.."
Squall and Cid nodded somberly. After a few minutes, they filed out one by one.
*** Travis looked up to stare at a mouthful of sharp, gleaming white teeth coming closer and closer. Its fetid breath wafted into his nostrils, causing him to gag. Mentally he reminded himself to buy himself a gas mask next time he went out here.
The T-rex opened its mouth and roared. Who said not even monsters had a flair of the dramatics? The big dino here probably had an ego the size of Balamb and Galbadia combined. Soon, though, it was going to have more problems to worry about besides the wounding of its fragile ego.
He grinned fiercely as he steadied his sword, an old, archaic two-handed weapon that few used rarely anymore. When the T-rex had extended its head far enough, its intended victim, which moments ago had been 'paralyzed with fear', ducked easily beneath the massive jaws, cast Blizzaga on his blade, and carried out Phase Two.
He cast Aura on himself, and felt the familiar surge of energy flare up within him. He welcomed it, bending him to his will.
For him, time seemed to slow down. For the watchers, he sped up, dancing around the infuriated T-rex with the speed of light. He had fondly named his Limit Break 'Silver Shadow' , and now all knew why. The two-handed sword-he called it Dragon's Flight-darted around so swiftly that it only registered as a silver blur as it slid in and out of the T-rex's innards. The T-rex snapped at him with its cruel jaws, but never once did it come close. Travis leaped back, so fast he seemed to fly. His feet left the ground completely as he glared at his staggering foe, his sword spinning faster and faster in his hand until it was just a circle of flashing steel. His rapt audience watched and wondered at his actions.
Travis decided that there was enough momentum, so he threw it-threw the sword like a boomerang. Blinded and weakened, the T-rex was easy prey, and Dragon's Flight sped true with deadly accuracy. With its speed, it carved a straight, clean line through the T-rex's thick hide, namely its neck, and went on spinning, right back into its master's hand.
The T-rex actually looked confused at first. Then its head fell off, smashing onto the ground with a tremendous bang that could have been heard fifty miles away. The body stayed upright a little longer, then toppled over on slow motion. In a flurry, students hurried to get out of its way.
BOOM!
There was an awed silence for a few moments. Then someone called, "Timber!" and as though a switch had been turned on, there was an excited babble of voices.
Travis accepted the praises and gasps of awe with good grace. With a twinkle in his eye, he said in his stern taskmaster voice, "Remember, this is only a demonstration. Do not attempt to try this at home." His class, which totaled up to a grand number of five, nodded or laughed their agreement. Glancing at his watch, he added, "I believe it is lunchtime. You are dismissed." With yells of goodbye the students ran off.
"Show-off," a familiar female voice commented from behind him.
Travis' hand had tensed on the hilt of his sword, but relaxed as he recognized the voice. "What are you doing here, Instructor Trepe?" he queried without turning. Forcing himself to act nonchalant, he sheathed his sword and tried to maintain a semblance of calm. In truth, he had been seriously shocked for a second there.
"Watching, and commenting," Quistis answered. "You're quite good with that sword. And, please, call me by my first name. Instructor Trepe just sounds so..old."
Travis shrugged. "As you wish, Instruct-Quistis." She hadn't fooled him one bit. He knew why she was here, to make sure that he was firmly on their side. The thought angered him slightly, but he mastered his temper and decided to play along. "So, what do you want?"
Quistis chuckled as she approached him. "Stop that. I know you aren't fooled. You're a terrible liar."
"You have mortally wounded me, In-Quistis," Travis drawled, pretending to clutch his chest in mock hurt. Quistis smiled at that. "Ha ha. " Growing serious, she said, "The students seem to like you, and you genuinely have a love for this kind of thing. I'm thinking..." She stopped and bit her lip in thought.
"Well, go on," Travis prompted. "You were at the 'I'm thinking' stage. Not good.." An evil glare from Quistis effectively silenced him. "I want to know, why did you come to Balamb? You would have fit in better back at your old Garden."
The other instructor was silent, pondering his answer. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone I said this. Got to maintain the tough guy image, you know. Anyway, it's because, we attacked Balamb, rammed the Garden, were under the control of a madman under the control of an evil sorceress, people tend to look at us and say, hey, he's a Galbadian, and they remember, so subconsciously they start to distrust us. A tad unfairly too, I might add. We just followed orders, to us, you were the enemies, an obstacle blocking our path that we needed to remove. And don't think we haven't suffered losses either. My sister, she was killed when the two Gardens crashed into each other and she fell overboard.." His voice faltered slightly, then regained strength. "The point is, we suffered too. You mourned for your dead, we buried ours, loved ones you had killed. Just because we were Galbadians didn't mean that we were unfeeling machines. We loved, we despaired, we rejoiced too. We were human. It was war, and it was war and the ambition of a crazed Sorceress that led to all this. It's not like our commander pointed to a specific someone and said, "Kill him." You were all faceless foes that we were fighting and we needed to defend ourselves. It was kill or be killed."
His voice was rising, and Quistis flinched with the intensity of it. Noticing, he lowered his volume and continued, "You want to know why I'm here? To give myself a second chance. To give Galbadia Garden a decent shot at forgiveness. To let others understand that we aren't just emotionless robots. We mean something too, and we are sorry."
He stopped, looking almost embarrassed. "Sorry, got a little carried away," he muttered, turning away and walking off. Quistis winced a little. "I'm sorry about your sister," she said softly.
She heard his laugh, bit it was cold and mirthless as the Trabian icelands. "Never mind about it, Instructor, I probably killed someone you knew too." Acknowledging this, she allowed him to vanish from her sight before exiting. He needed some tome to himself.
Her mind was reeling. She'd never, not in a hundred years, imagined. Was this how most Galbadians felt too? Did they deserve the stares, the whispers, the bitterness?
She didn't know. But Travis certainly didn't.
***
Travis' POV
My mind was in turmoil. It had been a long time since I had blurted out my soul like that to anyone, much less a total stranger whom I'd only known for a couple of days. I wished I could take the whole conversation back, but the words had been spoken, in a fit of unexpected passion. I had truly wanted her to understand at that moment, but now, looking back, I groaned mentally. What was I thinking of? Why should I even try? She was like all the rest of them. Anyway, if the assignment was carried out successfully, I would soon be leaving.
My duty took precedence, my desire for peace second. SeeD rule no. one stated 'Never let your Own feelings get in the way of what you have to do.'
That didn't mean I had to like it though. Author's Note(Yes, another one!) : Some of you too dense to figure out what Edwin's new mission is are kindly advised to take a look at the title again for a hint. Got it? Hope so. Now...R & R TIME!!!