'Even after all these years,' Squall thought to himself as he walked off
the ramp of the Ragnorak, 'Timber hasn't changed a bit.' He stopped at the
bottom, then looked around the town, trying to find his contact.
"Just out of curiosity, do you actually know what this contact of yours looks like?" asked Jace as he followed Squall off the ramp.
"Umm, possibly," replied the older man.
"He doesn't," said Zell as he jumped off the ramp. Squall ignored Zell and walked into the town.
"He said he'd be here soon. Lets just take the time to get some rest." Squall then turned and sat down on a park bench in the middle of the town square. Zell stood in the street, practicing his signature martial arts moves, while Jace started pacing around like a caged Torama. After a few minutes, an annoyed Squall grabbed Jace by the arm.
"Will you calm down?" he demanded. Jace glared at him with his unnervingly glowing eyes, and pulled his arm out of Squall's grasp.
"Until I find the bastard who took Sonya, I will not calm down!" he hissed.
"Jace, he took my daughter, AND my wife. But look at me, I can calm down," said Squall.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. A far cry from the great warrior, though," said Jace as he sat onto the bench.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Squall as he sat down next to Jace.
"When I was younger, I used to idolize you."
"Oh, so you don't anymore?" asked Squall with a little smile. Jace laughed.
"Nah, I know the real you now. But anyway, when I was younger, I used to imagine what it would be like to meet you. I could just identify so much with you." Squall shook his head.
"You came from Galbadia Garden at fourteen, and before that you lived with your parents in Esthar. How could you identify with me that much?" asked Squall, a little confused.
"Because when I first enrolled at Garden, I lied on my application form."
"Lied about what?"
"I have no clue who my parents are. I never knew them," he replied. Squall gave him a puzzled look.
"But when we first let you come to Garden, we called your parents. How could you not know them?" Jace laughed.
"They were a couple of homeless people from Deling City I bought a Cell Phone for. I promised I'd send them some of my paycheck every week. I've been doing it since I became a SeeD."
"How come? Why go to so much trouble when we would've accepted you anyway? Taking homeless people, especially people with your potential, was something we try to do a lot." Jace laughed.
"Bob and Marie, they were the two homeless people, they took care of me since I was born. When I first got an enrolment form, I offered to set them up for life. But they wouldn't take money off me for nothing, so I made a compromise. If they posed as my parents for whenever the people from Garden called, then that would be tem doing something that I could pay them for."
"Well, if it works," replied Squall. "So where are they now?" Jace laughed again.
"Well, now they are respected residents in a Deling City condo."
"How long has it been since you last saw them?"
"About a year," replied Jace.
"You know something? When we get the girls back, you should go see them."
"I think I will. I might even take Sonya with me," he replied. He then turned away from Squall, with a happy yet slightly sad look in his eyes. Satisfied that he had gotten Jace away from the anger, Squall turned to keep a lookout for his contact. After a few minutes, Squall closed his eyes and leaned back against the hard wooden seat, and tried to focus his aggravation at the not-showing contact by picturing Rinoa and Sonya safe and sound.
"That him?" asked Jace, breaking Squall out of his reverie.
"Who?" he asked, looking around.
"Over there," said Zell, pointing over to a corner of the square, where a man dressed in black leather watched them.
"Let's find out," said Squall, as he pulled his gunblade and started o run his finger along the blade.
"What are you doing?" asked Jace.
"This is the signal for him to come forward. If that guy's our contact, then he should pull out two hand guns, drop the clips out, then make a show of putting more in." Jace turned and watched the man in the corner. Sure enough, he grabbed out two weapons, dropped the clips to the ground, making a huge clattering noise, then twirled the guns around while he grabbed two clips out, threw them into the air, then slammed them into the guns while thy were in mid-air.
"Impressive," said Squall, getting up from the bench. "Lets go." As the three men walked over to him, Jace remembered a man who had that much skill with a weapon, but he couldn't recall who that man was.
"Glad you could make it," said the man as they reached him. "Nice to see you again, Thompson." The voice triggered something in his memory, and suddenly, Jace remembered who the man with the gun skill was.
"I see you had a bit of plastic surgery, Hernandez," he said as he pulled his sword out and held it at the man's throat.
"Just out of curiosity, do you actually know what this contact of yours looks like?" asked Jace as he followed Squall off the ramp.
"Umm, possibly," replied the older man.
"He doesn't," said Zell as he jumped off the ramp. Squall ignored Zell and walked into the town.
"He said he'd be here soon. Lets just take the time to get some rest." Squall then turned and sat down on a park bench in the middle of the town square. Zell stood in the street, practicing his signature martial arts moves, while Jace started pacing around like a caged Torama. After a few minutes, an annoyed Squall grabbed Jace by the arm.
"Will you calm down?" he demanded. Jace glared at him with his unnervingly glowing eyes, and pulled his arm out of Squall's grasp.
"Until I find the bastard who took Sonya, I will not calm down!" he hissed.
"Jace, he took my daughter, AND my wife. But look at me, I can calm down," said Squall.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. A far cry from the great warrior, though," said Jace as he sat onto the bench.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Squall as he sat down next to Jace.
"When I was younger, I used to idolize you."
"Oh, so you don't anymore?" asked Squall with a little smile. Jace laughed.
"Nah, I know the real you now. But anyway, when I was younger, I used to imagine what it would be like to meet you. I could just identify so much with you." Squall shook his head.
"You came from Galbadia Garden at fourteen, and before that you lived with your parents in Esthar. How could you identify with me that much?" asked Squall, a little confused.
"Because when I first enrolled at Garden, I lied on my application form."
"Lied about what?"
"I have no clue who my parents are. I never knew them," he replied. Squall gave him a puzzled look.
"But when we first let you come to Garden, we called your parents. How could you not know them?" Jace laughed.
"They were a couple of homeless people from Deling City I bought a Cell Phone for. I promised I'd send them some of my paycheck every week. I've been doing it since I became a SeeD."
"How come? Why go to so much trouble when we would've accepted you anyway? Taking homeless people, especially people with your potential, was something we try to do a lot." Jace laughed.
"Bob and Marie, they were the two homeless people, they took care of me since I was born. When I first got an enrolment form, I offered to set them up for life. But they wouldn't take money off me for nothing, so I made a compromise. If they posed as my parents for whenever the people from Garden called, then that would be tem doing something that I could pay them for."
"Well, if it works," replied Squall. "So where are they now?" Jace laughed again.
"Well, now they are respected residents in a Deling City condo."
"How long has it been since you last saw them?"
"About a year," replied Jace.
"You know something? When we get the girls back, you should go see them."
"I think I will. I might even take Sonya with me," he replied. He then turned away from Squall, with a happy yet slightly sad look in his eyes. Satisfied that he had gotten Jace away from the anger, Squall turned to keep a lookout for his contact. After a few minutes, Squall closed his eyes and leaned back against the hard wooden seat, and tried to focus his aggravation at the not-showing contact by picturing Rinoa and Sonya safe and sound.
"That him?" asked Jace, breaking Squall out of his reverie.
"Who?" he asked, looking around.
"Over there," said Zell, pointing over to a corner of the square, where a man dressed in black leather watched them.
"Let's find out," said Squall, as he pulled his gunblade and started o run his finger along the blade.
"What are you doing?" asked Jace.
"This is the signal for him to come forward. If that guy's our contact, then he should pull out two hand guns, drop the clips out, then make a show of putting more in." Jace turned and watched the man in the corner. Sure enough, he grabbed out two weapons, dropped the clips to the ground, making a huge clattering noise, then twirled the guns around while he grabbed two clips out, threw them into the air, then slammed them into the guns while thy were in mid-air.
"Impressive," said Squall, getting up from the bench. "Lets go." As the three men walked over to him, Jace remembered a man who had that much skill with a weapon, but he couldn't recall who that man was.
"Glad you could make it," said the man as they reached him. "Nice to see you again, Thompson." The voice triggered something in his memory, and suddenly, Jace remembered who the man with the gun skill was.
"I see you had a bit of plastic surgery, Hernandez," he said as he pulled his sword out and held it at the man's throat.