Chapter 21
Decision
"That was way too dangerous, wasn't it…?"
Rinoa looked up at Squall with concern. He'd nearly been killed by the earth-probing towers. Now all that remained was the three rusty tower tops. The rest of the towers were locked tightly in place, underground, along with the Galbadian prison guards.
"Yeah." Squall replied plainly. The day had been filled with nothing but utter pain and stress, and now it just seemed so calm… it was a bit disconcerting.
Irvine scratched the back of his head.
"I thought the arms were movin' kinda slow. They had the submerge system on."
They were all standing inside the tower that Selphie and Rinoa had crossed over to, before the spires had delved into the ground. Irvine, Zell and Quistis had made it as well. After the spiral pillars had drilled into the earth, they simply crossed the desert to the opposing section.
They were in some kind of garage now. Two cars were parked there, ready to go.
"Let's just get going." Squall replied.
Squall shook his head at how quickly their situation had changed. It was a bit disturbing.
"If it can go from near-death to an easy escape like this…" he thought. "What's to prevent it from getting bad again?"
No one seemed to share his skepticism, though. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"I wanna ride the yellow one!" Selphie said, pointing to a vehicle.
She walked over to it and climbed in.
Quistis shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll take that one, too." she said, following Selphie.
Rinoa looked around.
"Okay" she said. "me, too."
Rinoa ran over to the yellow car. Now it was all filled.
"Hey, hey, hey! Ladies?" Irvine began, disappointed.
Zell rolled his eyes, and pointed to the other vehicle.
"Let's go, Irvine." he said.
Squall, Zell, and Irvine all piled into the dark, gray, Galbadian military vehicle, and pulled away, along with a brightly colored yellow one following behind them.
************************************************************************
After about 45 minutes of diving, they reached a fork in the desert road. Selphie signaled for Squall to pull over.
Selphie ran out of the transport and climbed atop a rusted old car frame. They were still in the middle of a harsh desolate atmosphere, and the sandy wind blew in her eyes. She looked around the desert, trying to figure out where they were.
"What"? Squall said as he dismounted their vehicle.
Everyone had come out now. They all looked up at Selphie, except Quistis.
"The sorceress is about to launch missiles at Garden!" she yelled.
"That's what Rinoa heard from Irvine!" Selphie cried back anxiously.
Everyone grimaced. Squall suddenly remember that Seifer had informed him of this as well.
"The only thing we can do now is go back to Garden as soon as possible and warn the students." Squall announced.
Everybody looked at the ground. Nervously.
"Alright, let's get in the car and go." Squall commanded.
Selphie jumped up and down excitedly atop the broken frame.
"They're targeting both Balamb and Trabia Gardens!" she squealed. "We have to interfere with the launch! We have to stop the missiles!"
No one knew what to say or do. The loss of one Garden could mean disaster for just the remaining two…But two Gardens?! That would be catastrophic for SeeD to say nothing of the other students.
Irvine sighed.
"So like… I understand how Selphie feels, but…"
He seemed reluctant. Irvine wasn't even a SeeD, and he'd already played a part in a major jailbreak. What if their luck ran out, and they got caught…? Could he handle the pressure? Irvine was sure that he couldn't.
Quistis glared at Irvine.
"This isn't just about Selphie." she said.
"…This affects all of us… you included…" Quistis thought.
Zell spoke up, and stomped his foot to the ground.
"…I'll do whatever Squall decides!" he said.
Squall looked at the ground uncomfortably. What was Zell talking about?
"…I was the commander for the sorceress' assassination… not this…" he thought.
Rinoa put her hand to her chin, thinking.
"Hmmm… stop the missiles…" she said. Rinoa looked over to Squall. "You should talk to Selphie about it."
Squall sighed with frustration. He knew that something had to be done to stop the missiles, probably an invasion of the missile base. He didn't like Rinoa ordering him like that, but nodded and approached Selphie. As he mounted the car frame she was standing on, she became edgy and distraught.
"I just transferred from Trabia Garden!" she cried. "I can't just sit around knowing that Trabia Garden is in danger! So Squall, please! Decide who's gonna go to the Galbadia Missile base, before it's too late!"
Squall folded his arms. Apparently, he was still in charge.
"It's easier said than done… What if something happens to the party members I choose…?" he thought.
After a moment of silence, Rinoa spoke up impatiently.
"…I'll prove to them that I can help out too…" she thought.
"Let's take a vote!" Rinoa proposed. "Squall will decide on the party… and Squall will return to Balamb because he's the leader. Anyone against this plan, please raise your right hand!"
No one moved. Everyone seemed to think that it was a good idea.
Rinoa gazed up to Squall.
"I don't mind which team you put me on." she said, trying to sound mature.
Squall looked at her oddly for a moment.
"But you're an outsider…" he thought.
Quistis looked up at Squall as well now.
"You're the leader, Squall." she said. "What are the teams?"
Squall frowned and looked into the distance.
"Leader? I never asked to be the leader" he thought.
Suddenly, everyone jumped at the sight and sound of streaming smoke flying through the sky. The sound of missile engines roared furiously through the open sky.
Everyone gazed in shock. The rockets had come from an area, just barely visible, down the road. Selphie gasped as she realized that they were but only a few miles away from the missile base…They could've made it there earlier… but now it was too late… at least for one Garden.
"I… heard they were hitting Trabia first, and then Balamb." Irvine sadly informed them after a long silence.
Selphie sat down, her bottom lip shaking intensely. The desert wind sounded much louder now. No one said a word.
"Is that sorceress for real!?" Zell finally exclaimed.
No one replied. Everyone seemed lost in thought.
"Oh… The soft side of me is coming out…" Irvine said quietly to himself.
"…Poor Selphie…" he thought.
Quistis finally looked up at Squall. Even if it was too late for one Garden, they could save Balamb. A missile base team was still needed.
"Squall, you decide. It's part of a leader's responsibility." Quistis urged.
Rinoa chimed in.
"Yeah… everyone's pretty much decided…" her voice trailed off, sadly. "We have to do something…"
Squall continued to gaze at the missile base in the distance. How could they have missed it? It was right there, staring them in the face. Squall frowned at the building.
"Trabia… I'm sorry… I couldn't stop it…" Selphie lamented. "Please let everybody be all right. Please…"
Selphie pulled her self up and turned to Squall.
"That was a miss… right…?" she asked, hopeful. She shook her head, and leapt down from the frame without allowing Squall to respond.
"Squall, we have to report to Balamb! Who are you taking?" Selphie demanded to know.
"C'mon, Squall!" Zell urged.
Everyone was getting impatient.
"You have to decide, Squall!" Quistis said.
Even Rinoa kept putting in her thoughts.
"Squall, think carefully now!"
Squall put his hand on his hip. He wished that for just one moment, they would stop relying on him.
"I've had it up to here with this leader thing… Alright, alright… I'll choose."
"I'm on the missile base infiltration team!" Selphie announced. "I have to be! They launched missiles at MY Trabia!"
Squall nodded his head, considering who to take… and who to send.
"Selphie'll need someone with experience to help her… so I think Quistis should head on to the missile base… And Irvine is Galbadian… he could help Selphie keep a low profile around the soldiers… hopefully…"
Squall weighed the options in his mind. If he sent Quistis and Irvine…
"Then I should take …Rinoa and Zell with me to Balamb…" he thought. He considered this carefully, and then announced his desicion.
"Quistis…. Irvine…" Squall began. "You two go on with Selphie to the missile base. Me, Zell, and Rinoa will go to Garden and notify headmaster Cid…"
Everyone nodded and began separating into their groups. Selphie, Quistis and Irvine gathered near the yellow vehicle.
"This mission is unlike any other," Squall began, nearingn the gray Galbadian vehcile. "It's not an order or a request from anyone…"
Squall looked at Selphie. She was a talented fighter… but he doubted her battle skills at times. Her personality was usually so capricious… Could she handle this?
"Selphie, do you have some kind of plan?" Squall asked.
Selphie looked back at Squall, slightly nervous.
"I think if we take this Galbadian army vehicle, we should be able to make it inside the base. But… that's about it. I'll have to think about the rest once we're inside." she replied.
Squall looked at her, unsure.
"Do you think that'd be ok?" Selphie asked, quite unsure herself.
Squall rolled his eyes.
"Asking my permission? …How much does a leader have to decide…" he thought. "I'm getting really sick of this…"
Selphie saw his irritation and blushed, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry…" she said. "I mean, thanks."
She looked down towards the base. They needed to hurry.
"There isn't much time! You better hurry to Balamb Garden!"
Squall nodded, satisfied.
"See you at Balamb Garden." he said.
Selphie turned to walk towards the army vehicle, but she turned around and smiled.
"Squall! Hurry!!!" she cheered.
************************************************************************
Squall, pulled into an old train station, just minutes away from the spot where they'd separated from Selphie's team.
It was a small station, meant only to transport Galbadian soldiers and some equipment. There was a somewhat worn-out train parked right next to the covered platform.
Squall dismounted the Galbadian vehicle, followed by Zell and Rinoa. He looked around, keeping an eye out for soldiers or guards.
"Let's take that train." he said.
Squall motioned for Zell and Rinoa to follow him, and they moved quietly behind the locomotive. They overheard some men talking behind the train, so kept low to avoid detection.
"This is cakewalk…" Zell thought as they approached the engine car.
A guard dismounted the car, onto the opposite side, as they came closer.
Squall quietly led them up into the car, and started the engine. The train gave a loud whistle, and the engine began to chug determinedly.
Zell looked behind them as the train slowly started to move. The formerly oblivious soldiers were now enraged and confused as the locomotive gained speed, the engine roaring and chugging along loudly.
One soldier started running after the train. But it was too late. They were moving away too fast.
"Hey! STOP!!!"
"Yo Squall, some dork's comin' after us." Zell informed him.
Squall kept silent. There was no way for whoever it was to catch up, so he just cranked the engine for more speed.
Rinoa spoke up, sounding concerned.
"Squall, he's coming after us!"
Squall just shrugged his shoulders.
"S-Stop the train!!' the soldier yelled, becoming exasperated.
"Hey… This guy's not bad." Zell commended.
"ERAGGHHHHHH… !" the soldier screamed. "C'mon!"
"Sorry." Rinoa called out, feeling somewhat sympathetic towards the soldier. "Sorry. It's an emergency!"
The train sped up, faster and faster along the tracks.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!" the soldier yelled as he fell to the ground. The train sped off, leaving the soldier in its wake.
Zell laughed, shaking his head.
"…Later, sport."
************************************************************************
"C'mon! To the missile base!" Selphie cried.
The Missile base was actually across a large river, as they found out after driving up to the body of water. So Selphie had to find a way around it to get near the base that they assumed was so close. She drove about the area until their surroundings started to become familiar.
"…We're almost to Deling city…" Selphie thought with surprise.
She quickly oriented herself, and soon found her way around the river. The Missile base came in sight immediately.
"Here we go…" Selphie thought, crossing her fingers. "…Oh, but how are we gonna get inside…They'll be suspicious of us for sure if we look like this…"
"Hey Selphie… " Irvine started. He was rummaging around in the back of the car. "These might come in handy, right?"
Irvine suddenly held up three galbadian uniforms.
"What on earth…?! Oh, Irvine that's perfect!" Selphie cried excitedly. She pulled over to the side of the road for a moment.
"…heh heh heh… Chalk up one 'love point' for the sharpshooter…" Irvine thought.
"Okay… " Selphie began. "We have to get changed into these uniforms, now! Hurry!"
"…Hey, All right…" Irvine said in a suspiciously interested tone.
Quistis gawked, wide eyed and open mouthed at Selphie. Surely she didn't expect them to undress in front of Irvine… Did she?
"Selphie…" Quistis began hesitantly.
"What?"
Quistis nodded her head back towards Irvine, grimacing as she did so.
Selphie looked back at Quistis Trepe, confused for a moment. But the young SeeD giggled as she realized what her companion was worried about.
"Quistis… I didn't mean get naked!" Selphie cried, giggling uncontrollably now.
Quistis blushed and put her head in her hands.
"…Selphie…" she thought with irritation.
Irvine was taken aback at this, half-surprised at Selphie's outspokenness, and half-disappointed at her objection.
"These are loose enough to fit into with our clothes on, Quistis …" Selphie said, lifting up one of the uniforms to illustrate how baggy they were. Quistis lifted her head and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well…at least for you and me they are…" Selphie continued. "Irvine on the other hand…"
Selphie and Quistis glanced back at Irvine, smiling mischievously. The sharpshooter looked around nervously.
"…uh… Hey, hey, hey…Ladies…?"
************************************************************************
Selphie pulled up into the base. She looked around somewhat nervously at the huge concrete barricade before them.
As they approached the gate, a security guard came out of his booth and up to the car. Selphie held her breath.
He took a glance at the three galbadian troops and shrugged.
"Alright, go ahead."
"Really?" Selphie thought. "Phew…"
The security guard lowered the vehicle barrier, and opened the large gate on the base perimeter. Selphie drove in cautiously.
"OK…" Selphie thought. "Here we go…"
************************************************************************
End Chap 21
Boring, I know. The next chapter should be very exciting though. This chapter is shorter I think, than the past few… Which is a good thing, other wise I would've had this HUGE chappy that no one would've read…
ne way. Next up is chapter 22, infiltration.
************************************************************************