Disclaimer: Square-Enix is too busy filing a lawsuit against their own characters for intillectual rights to worry about me writing about said characters.
Time for chapter 7! Thank you to everyone for your reviews.
The vid-phone rang. Seifer reached over and picked it up out of habbit. He had been sleeping before it rang, and was not pleased with being woken up.
"What?" Seifer said a bit nastily to the screen.
"Seifer?" Squall's face appeared on screen.
"Whaddya want? It's......Hyne.......5:30......" Seifer growled.
"Well I was trying to reach Quistis, but I see she's still asleep." Squall smirked. It was then that Seifer realized he had answered Quistis's phone.
"Shh.... don't wake her up. She'd rip my head off if she knew I answered." Seifer pointed to the sleeping figure next to him.
"Well then," Squall lowered his voice a bit, "when she wakes up, tell here that.......ah......YOU need her to go over some tactical info about Garret." Squall saluted and hung up. Seifer cut the phone's power and rolled over in bed, draping one arm across Quistis. Hyne...she sleeps like a bear he thought, and fell asleep.
On a train bound for Dollet:
Garret allowed himself a moment of mirth despite the boring train ride. The Balamb kids had survived after all. He had watched from his submersible as they had been picked up by their ship, and taken back to Garden. He had been angry, of course, but then he realized he was glad that Almasy had survived. He was surely a kink in the hose of Garret's project, but nothing more. He would be disposed of when the time came.
Garret looked down at his laptop and reviewed his map for the tenth time that trip. Esthar was a huge continent, larger than Galbadia. Damn...she could be anywhere... he thought for the tenth time. All of his attempts to penetrate Esthar had resulted in defeat or embarassment, but that would soon change. His team of scientists and his spies in the Esthar network were going to get him in. Then he would find her....and when he found her, she would recognize him as her savior, and give him the dreams once again........
Back at Garden:
"Good morning Quisty." Seifer said through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"Morning Seify." she smiled.
"Quisty....please....don't call me that." he stopped brushing his teeth to speak, then resumed the task.
"Fine.... good morning Seifer." she poked his ribs.
"Thafsh better." he sloshed.
"By the way, I meant to ask you why you answered my phone this morning...." Quistis crossed her arms.
"What do you mean?" Seifer spat out the toothpaste.
"I checked my log and it said Squall called." Quistis raised an eyebrow, "at five thirty."
"Look. I'm sorry......it's just a force of habbit, and I was half-asleep. I didn't even think about where I was." Seifer apoligized.
"Seifer...it's okay. I wasn't mad. I was just joking... but what did Squall have to say?" Quistis came up behind and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"He said he needs you to go over some of the tactical information on Garret." Seifer leaned his head on hers.
"Well, go get dressed and report for duty, and I'll be out after a shower." Quistis nodded towards the shower stall.
"Sure you don't want me to join you?" Seifer grinned.
"No Seifer... I'm quite worn out after last night." Quistis patted his chest.
"I never thought in a million years......" he was cut off by Quistis kissing him. After they broke their kiss, he got dressed and left her room, locking the door behind him.
Dollet Pub
"So did you get the information I asked for?" Garret inquired.
"I sure did." the Estharian guard, now out of his uniform, answered.
"Give me the disk." Garret held a hand up.
"Give me my money!" the guard snapped.
"Here." Garret reached into his cloak pocket and produced 3,000 gil.
"Here." the guard said, and handed him the disk.
"Nice doing business with you." the guard said, and strutted out of the pub. Garret made a mental note of the man's face for later extermination. Rude people shouldn't exist. Then again... he could be a rude person once in a while, so that made him a hypocrit. No matter, that was all the world was full of these days anyway, so why couldn't he be one?
He popped the disk into his computer's drive, and opened the information file. Schematics of Esthar graced the computer screen. He carefully examined the entry point recommended by the guard and pulled out his comm phone. After pressing a button, he sat back in his booth.
"Hello? You're not going to believe this." Garret spoke into the comm.
"Yes... I've got our entry point. Our drill specialists are prepared, correct? Excellent. The boats are prepared as well? That's more good news than I hoped for..... what?......yes...of course you'll have your precious possesion back.......NO...... Listen.....when I make promises, I keep them.............Keep doubting me and you'll pay for it NORG...."
Balamb Garden, floor 3:
"What have you got Squall?" Seifer entered Squall's office.
"Just a recording of our conversation with Garret...." Squall answered.
"He say anything useful to us?" Seifer pulled a chair behind Squall's desk and sat down.
"He said something about when he finds what he's looking for.... you'll need help." Squall pressed a button and played the discussed portion of the taping.
"What could he be looking for that's so important?" Seifer rubbed his chin. A beard was beginning to grow, and he had no intention of shaving it off.
"I dunno, but apparently it's something big." Squall turned off the monitor of his laptop. "Come on, we're going to Dollet."
"Why Dollet?" Seifer inquired.
"While we were in Garret's lair, I noticed a train ticket purchased in Timber that ran from Winhill to Dollet. I hadn't thought about it before, but I realized this morning when I called that Winhill is near the coastline. If Garret had a submersible of some sort, he could have piloted it to shore and after ditching it, taken that train to Dollet." Squall explained.
"Yeah, but if he was in Dollet yesterday, wouldn't he be gone today?" Seifer scratched his head.
"I thought of that. The ticket was a round-trip. The second ride, from Dollet back to Winhill, was scheduled for 2:00 today." Squall said, opening the door to his office.
"Well it's 11:00 now, so I think we should get the hell outta here before he can get on that train." Seifer stormed out of Squall's office, Squall close on his heels.
Dollet Beach, an hour later:
Squall descended from the ramp first, followed by Seifer and Zell. They had run into Zell on their way out and he'd volunteered to go. They had left the women behind because battles got confusing when everyone was involved. A small and efficient team could handle this job.
"Allright. Let's split up," Squall began giving orders, "Seifer, you take the Town Square. You're familiar with it.... and Zell, you take the Comm tower. If the Galbadians give you trouble, you have my permission to........er.....incapacitate them. I'll take the pub. We meet at the Town Square in an hour. Keep your comm units on, and if one of you spots him, radio it, and wait for backup. Got it?" Squall finished.
"Yessir Commander Puberty." Seifer mock saluted, then sauntered off. Squall chuckled at this.
"You got it... BOOYA!" Zell took off running towards the Comm Tower.
With Seifer and Zell gone, Squall had some time to call Rinoa and explain why he left her behind.
"Hello?" her voice came over his comm.
"Hi Rin.......it's me....Look, I'm sorry I left you behind......but......"
"I know Squall. It gets confusing when everyone is mixed up in the battle. I'll see you when you get back. And Squall? Stay safe......." Rinoa cut the transmission. Squall was relieved she wasn't angry. He replaced the comm link on his belt and headed for the city.
The Dollet Town Square:
Seifer laughed as he entered the Town Square. It had been a long time since he'd last been to Dollet, during his third field exam. Everything looked the same as it had 8 months before. He was enjoying the sound of the fountain when a dog walked up to him and barked.
"I remember you...." Seifer knelt down and patted the dog. Before, on the mission, he hadn't had patience for the animal, and had nearly killed it with Hyperion. I've done some growing up since then.... he thought as he ruffled the dog's hair. He stood up, thinking where to look first. Then he realized he should call Quistis and tell her why he left her behind. He took his comm link from his coat pocket and sent a transmission to Quistis's.
"Hello Seifer..." was the answer.
"How'd you know it was me?" he asked.
"I knew you'd call up and apologize for leaving me behind. Don't worry though, I'm not mad. I'm actually in no condition to fight. That was sweet on your part to not include me." Quistis giggled over the comm.
"Uh....okay....I was just thinking of that when I left, and I didn't want you to get hurt." Seifer repaired what he had been about to say.
"Well, be careful and come back in one piece. By the way... how's your eye?" Quistis asked, concerned.
"It's fine I guess. I could take off the bandage." Seifer answered.
"No! I don't think you should for a few more days." Quistis chided.
"Okay Quisty. Well I'll see ya when I get back. Keep it warm for me...." Seifer teased.
"You pig! Allright....I will......" Quistis replied mock-angrily, and ended the transmission. Seifer put his comm link back in the pocket and began unwrapping his bandage.
"Ah.......that's better." he said, seeing out of his hurt eye for the first time in a few days. He tossed the bandage in a nearby trash bin and walked over to an electronics store. The window was polarized, so it acted as a mirror for him. He examined his face and found to his satisfaction that the swelling had gone down, and there was only a dark red wound where he had been hit with the baton. The blood had dried and the wound was beginning to heal. It would leave a scar, though not as prominent as the one on his forehead. His examination complete, he walked into the Dollet Hotel to check the guest list.
The Comm Tower:
"Hold it there son. This Communications Tower is Galbadian territory and is restricted. You can't pass." a Galbadian soldier blocked Zell's path. Zell hated the prissy G-Sol's in the red uniforms. They always had a bad attitude about them, and were, like, totally uncool.
"I'm a SeeD bro! I'm in Dollet on an investigation and I just need to take a quick look around." Zell tried the diplomatic approach.
"SeeD huh? Tell me why I should let a SeeD by. You wanna sabotage our equipment? Huh? I don't think I'll let you pass. In fact, I think I'm going to arrest you on suspicion of terrorism." the G-Sol reached into a pack on his belt and retrieved some energy cuffs.
"If you really think you can get those on me... BRING IT ON!!" Zell hollered.
"You little shit! You asked for it!" the guard advanced on him, only to find himself on the ground, staring at the sky as his vision faded to darkness.
"Booya! Zell one, enemies ZERO!!" Zell congradulated himself. As he approached the tower, two G-Sol's in blue uniforms emerged from the entrance.
"Hey you! Are you supposed to be here?" one of them asked.
"Yeah! I'm a SeeD on an investigation and I just need to take a look around." Zell explained to them, careful not to mention that their commander lay in a heap down the path a bit.
"That sounds suspicious...." the other guard said to the first.
"Yeah it does....... it sounds like a sabotage attempt." the first said.
"No guys... Look, I'm lookin for a dude named Garret... ok? He's been causing some trouble lately in Balamb, and SeeD has reason to believe that he's here in Dollet, so I just need to take a small tour and see if he's hiding out here." Zell held up a hand.
"Oh! Sure! C'mon this way. I'm pretty sure there's no one here named Garret, but we'll give you a little tour. Be aware Mr. SeeD, if we see you doing anything suspicious, we'll take you down!" the first guard gestured towards the entrance to the tower.
"I promise I'll be on my best behavior! Oh!......and uh.......I kinda had to knock your commander out back there. He wouldn't let me pass." Zell had to brag.
"You wha? Oh well, Commander Zim is an asshole anyway......." the first guard chuckled, and the other nodded in agreement. "C'mon, we'd better show you around before he wakes up."
Dollet Pub:
Squall found the entrance to the pub, and walked in. He immediately ducked behind another patron, as he had spotted Garret in a small booth towards the back of the bar, apparently engrossed in something on his laptop computer.
"Er.... can I help you sir?" the girl behind the bar asked.
"Yeah.... that guy over there is a felon, and I'm a SeeD here to arrest him. I need you to keep it cool while I call for backup." Squall said pointedly.
"I didn't know SeeD's were like cops!" the girl said in amazement.
"Well, we're not actually going to arrest him. We're going to beat him up and take him to Garden for trial." Squall told her truthfully.
"That's cool. He's kinda creepy anyway, and he's been snapping at me all day. I shoulda known something was wrong with him. Hey!.......Bear!" the girl called over a bouncer.
"Yeah?" the bouncer leaned on the bar. He was huge. Easily twice Squall's size.
"Can you cover this guy while he makes it upstairs? He's a SeeD on a manhunt!" the girl said in an excited whisper.
"Sure." the bouncer said, and snatched Squall in one arm. The bouncer had him in a headlock, and led him upstairs, careful to keep him on the opposite side from Garret's field of vision. When they reached the casino, the bouncer let him go and said, "Go get him boss." and walked back downstairs. Squall rubbed his neck. The bouncer hadn't needed to be so rough. Guess he'd thought to make it a little more realistic. Squall sighed and activated his comm link.
"Zell, Seifer... he's at the pub. I need you two here...now." Squall spoke into the comm.
"Roger Squall!" came Zell's voice.
"Dammit Squall, I was trying to eat here!" came Seifer's voice.
"You what!?" Squall was taken aback.
"Never mind. I'll be there before Chicken-Wuss." Seifer cut the comm.
Squall put the comm on his belt, relieved that Seifer would be here first. Zell was a notorious hot head. Then again... so was Seifer. But Seifer knew when to keep his cool, and now was one of those times. Squall couldn't think of a plausible way to apprehend Garret without causing civillian casualties. He rubbed his eyes in frustration. Wait.... he thought.......Maybe that would work.......
Thugstra- I do tend to describe many things in detail. Considering Seifer is my fave character, I wanted to make him hot.
sulou- I know that Squall and Seifer made up a little quickly, but you've gotta understand that it's 4 months after FF8.... and Seifer's had a LOT to think about.
Unity-Song- I always viewed Squall and Rinoa's relationship as a cute one.
Thanks all! Keep reviewing!
I decided to re-write a fic I started on a year ago, The Happiest Moment. I've decided that Storm Before The Calm will be the first part in a trilogy set after the events of FF8. The Happiest Moment will be the second in the trilogy, and I'll finish it off with a fic I've been juggling about for some time. The Trilogy will be as follows: Storm Before The Calm: 4 months after FF8; The Happiest Moment v.2: a year after FF8; and Twilight of Destruction: 2 years after FF8. I hope you people enjoy all three. When I'm done with this fic, I shall release the second in the trilogy, since most of it's done anyway, and then I'll wrap it up. R&R in the meantime!