Finally arriving at the small dorm room he shared with Zell Dincht, Squall breathed a sigh of relief. He was in his own space at last, a safe house where he could be on his own without other people to pry into his business. As he entered, Squall noticed that Zell was gone, another stroke of luck! Presumably Zell was off at the cafeteria being loud or waiting in line for hot dogs or...whatever it was Zell did on his free time.
He kicked off his boots and prepared for total relaxation. Flopping down on the small bed in his sparse bedroom, he picked up the novel he'd been reading. It was an interesting story that dealt with the goings on near the end of the Sorceress war, which had ended around the time Balamb Garden was finished being built. One of those types of novels that took fictional characters and positioned them against actual historical figures. The story took a broad license with history, though well constructed from a purely literary point of view.
He lay on his bed and began to read, letting the quiet effort of it relax his mind. It lulled him into a light sleep, the novel slipping from his hands onto the floor. He might have missed his own final if it hadn't been for his roommate.
Zell entered their small dorm, waking Squall quickly by banging around and cursing like a drunken sailor on a three-day bender. An elephant in a china shop, Zell wasn't the kind of person you could ignore. Worst of all was the singing..... for whatever reasons Zell was under the impression he was some great vocal talent in the making. What he was...was earsplitting and atonal. Unfortunately for Squall, Zell was singing... loudly....gee, was there any other way?? During all of this, Squall got ready quickly and silently, all the while listening to Zell's own non-so-private drama. Hey have you seen my....what happened to my...I can't find....OW! I stepped on that....endless and pointless ranting, that would have been solved if he just cleaned his room, Squall thought to himself, patiently waiting for it to end...Zell continued to rummage around the small dorm, making ass loads of noise as he went. Trumpeting all the way into his room he changed and popped his head into Squall's room. Finally... He supposed he could have a worse roommate than Dincht...at least he was funny in his own unique way.
"Ready?" Zell asked, having a slippery grasp of the obvious.
"....hmmm....uniform, gunblade, battle face......Nope, not ready!......Ass...."
"Ooooo...." Zell replied, making a face and flopping around the apartment like a retard.
They left the dorms together, hitting each other and making disparaging comments about each other's lineage. Arriving a bit early, they had to wait for their squad designations. Squall paced to pass the time, wishing he'd waited a bit longer. At least then he could've finished up more of his book instead of waiting here like an ass. Ten minutes passed and finally Lieutenant Commander Xu Li Xian, Quistis, and Headmaster Cid Kramer arrived with the assignments. Xu Stepped forward and spoke first, she was direct and to the point.
"We have been contracted by Dollet, a small city in Northern Galbadia. Recently, the West Galbadian military has been irrationally hostile and has begun attacking outlying villages and bases near Dollet, as well as other locations throughout North Galbadia. Our job in Dollet is to eliminate invading Galbadian forces from the southwest. The real SeeDs will be doing most of the fighting. You cadets will be brought in to hold key positions or as clean up patrols to make sure all invading soldiers are dealt with. You will never engage in a full out and out battle. There will be six squads consisting of three cadets, of these three, there will be one designated as captain. A team of senior SeeD members and instructors will be observing all squads. Professor Trepe will announce the teams but first Headmaster Cid would like to address you."
Cid stepped forward, slowly adjusting his glasses, with his hands clasped behind his back. He was a pudgy, middle-aged man with hair that wasn't quite gray and sparkling deep-sea blue eyes. He breathed in deeply and began, " Twenty years ago I created this school with the hope of giving some young people in need a chance to get an education. Over the years I've been lucky enough to know all the students that have come through these halls. I've enjoyed watching you all learn and grow into the fine young people I see standing before me. Today's exam will be hard, and some of you may not pass. However, I hope that you all will be up for the challenges ahead. Be aware that you will be on an actual battle field....think before you act...be responsible and most of all be careful and good luck."
After Cid had finished, Quistis began to announce the team assignments. She had gotten to Squad A and B, Squall hadn't heard his name yet and began to kick the ground with the toe of his boot out of boredom. I wonder where Seifer is....he mused, not really caring if he ever got the answer. Zell had also gotten bored and was practicing various hand-to-hand techniques with an invisible partner. Squall spotted Seifer hiding behind a large potted plant...he'd come in late, as usual...Squall thought as he watched Seifer primp and preen like an over-sized rooster.
Quistis loudly rattled off Squad C's team members, jolting Squall from his daydreaming, " SQUAD C, SEIFER ALMASY, CAPTAIN, SQUALL LEONHART, AND ZELL DINCHT."
Dammit...Squall's heart sank with the announcement. What a team to be on....Seifer was an egotistical jerk and goaded Zell, and sometimes even Squall, into arguments neither couldn't win. Quistis had done this on purpose, that much Squall could see. Something his companions probably didn't have the foresight to realize. It was a test.....a damned awful test to see if three students with nothing in common, could get along and co-operate in a difficult situation. Teamwork as well as basic battle skills and tactics. Clever but annoying.
After a few moments of initial chaos, the squads assembled in tight rows and marched to the parking garage. Loaded into cars, they were driven to Balamb City, the small town from which the Garden took its name. The cars stopped at River City Shipyard, Balamb's one and only port. Students and teachers alike disembarked and packed themselves into the cramped confines of the awaiting battleships.
Squall flumped into his seat in Squad C's compartment and prepared for a very, very long boat ride over to Dollet. Quistis and Zell came in next, discussing the details of the upcoming battle. A few minutes later, Seifer arrived "fashionably" late, swaggering into the small compartment like a bad actor in a western movie. Squall narrowed his eyes and wished for an act of god to smite Seifer where he stood. Seifer stared back at Squall, probably thinking much the same thing as he had been...Squall couldn't be sure, he didn't think monosyllabically and was fortunate enough to have a useable neo cortex. Never the less, he was sure that this would be the longest ride he'd ever have to endure, at least until the ride home.
Xu popped into their compartment quickly and gave them a second brief before they reached Dollet, "I'd like to talk about what is expected from you at the exam. Conduct is of extreme importance...Follow your orders, stay at your post unless otherwise instructed...the only other time you may leave your designated post is if you witness suspicious activity by the enemy. . You will be allowed a minimal amount of individual judgment on this issue but not much. You may follow but do not engage...notify your instructor or a senior SeeD if you see anything out of the ordinary. Lastly, the order to withdraw overrides any other order that has been given. Once it has been given you have a maximum time limit of a half hour to reach the landing site and board the boats or they will leave without you. SO be sure you leave as soon as you get that withdraw order...I can't stress that enough. Good Luck!!"
After she left, an uncomfortable silence hung over the room. Squall could feel the unrest and realized that sooner or later something would happen. Trying to put his feelings behind him he turned to Quistis.
"Professor Trepe, did you see a girl in the observation booth at the infirmary when you came to get me?" Squall asked, it had bothered him the entire morning.
Her brow furrowed in thought, she stopped for a moment, "No, at least I don't think so. I wasn't really looking."
"Great!" Seifer snorted, motioning to Zell and Squall, "I've got Zell, the girly little chicken shitting gutter bitch on one hand and Squall I just got my pubes Leonfart on the other."
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME!!??" Zell shouted, jumping to his feet, his soft gray eyes flashing.
Seifer looked at Zell like a cat looks at a caged bird, a twisted smile cracking across his face cruelly. Seifer replied, pronouncing each word slowly, "CHIC-KEN-SHITT-ING.......GUT-TER BI-TCH..."
"YOU BASTARD!" Zell screamed and lunged towards Seifer, "TAKE THAT BACK YOU SON OF BITCH!"
Seifer stood up quickly and deflected Zell's blow with little trouble, spitting back, "MAKE ME YOU PANSY!"
Quistis stood up and said in a surprisingly authoritative tone, "ENOUGH! Both of you sit down and cool off. I'd like to remind you that you'll be graded on your conduct. I suggest you both knock it off and act more professional for the sake of your grades. Especially Seifer, you are the captain, it would behoove you to loose the attitude. Act like an officer of the Garden and not a child having a tantrum. "
"Sure thing tuheecher..."
"Hey....I have an idea....Let's TRY acting your own age for once...unless you really enjoy failing. Wait, how many times HAVE you had to retake this test? I've lost count." She shot back, allowing herself a bit of a self-satisfying grin.
Both boys sat down and were quiet for a time. Zell quietly stared into space, cursing himself silently for loosing control and letting Seifer rattle him. Seifer sulked like a big baby and glowered at Quistis, who didn't really care what Seifer did...because she knew he'd fail anyway.
Squall had watched the entire event with a cold, dispassionate eye. A quiet kind of serenity had washed over him. There was nothing that Seifer could do to break his composure now. He'd already realized the stakes involved in this test. His whole career with the Garden hinged on this exam and he was determined to pass no matter what. As if to test this commitment, Seifer turned his attention to Squall. Apparently the events that had just transpired had little effect on Seifer, who was a notoriously slow learner...that is if he learned anything at all...Squall thought.
"Well, acting as your CAPTAIN...I order Squall to go above and see how much longer we have till we get to Dollet.." Seifer said, and then waited to see what Squall would do.
The entire room froze, waiting to see what would happen. Would Squall loose it and go off on Seifer...Would he ignore him...Refuse to follow his orders??? Turning his icy glare on Seifer, he simply stood up and answered, "Yes sir." With that, Squall left the befuddled room to contemplate his actions on their own. He'd had enough of the entire affair and left the room happily. Standing on the deck of the battleship, Squall took in the fresh sea air. The wind whipped his hair back and forth; little beads of water slapped his face delicately. He closed his eyes and took in all the sensations of the moment. Letting them surround and penetrate his being...this small moment of time to himself did Squall a world of good. He thought about the strange girl of his dream again...and the girl he thought he saw in the infirmary......Who were they?? The whole subject perplexed him. It was like some crappy romance novel...two mystery women and one man....hachaaa... He shook his head, realizing how inappropriate the thought was. He was about to go into battle and he was thinking about girls.
On his way back to the hell that was his squad, Squall stopped in at the helm and asked the navigator for an ETA on Dollet. Walking back into the still stunned and silent room, he gave Seifer his report. They'd be there in twenty minutes, big friggin' whoop... The moment Squall had reentered, Zell had eyed him with something that could have been suspicion.
Although they'd been roommates for almost four years, Zell and Squall knew very little about each other. Zell was a lively and popular student. He had a large group of friends and was very involved in the Garden's various extra-curricular activities. Squall, by contrast, was quiet and kept to himself. He had few people he'd even consider acquaintances much less friends and made a conscious effort to avoid any extra-curricular activity of any kind. Zell was the president or a member of several clubs, including the Martial Arts club, the Drama Club and the Garden festival committee. He spent any extra time playing cards in the cafeteria or going out with friends. Squall spent all his time reading at the library or practicing in the training center, alone. The two young men had very little in common indeed.
Zell grew up in Balamb City and when it came time to choose what high school he would go to he decided to enroll at the Garden. Squall was the first person he met and from the start he made it clear that he wanted to be left alone. Zell had entered his dorm room to meet his roommate.
"Hi, I'm Zell Dincht, your new roommate..."
Squall had been reading a book, as always. He looked up briefly and said slowly in his soft but deep voice, "Congratulations! You know your name....anything else?"
Zell was dumbstruck; he'd never met anyone who was that brusque. He frankly had no idea how to answer Squall's question and began to stammer dumbly.
Squall blinked a couple of times and then added, "No?.....Well then, I guess I'll read some more."
At first, Zell disliked Squall's attitude and had found it hard to share a room with him. He'd always try to trick Squall into talking about himself, with no results. The whole situation drove both young men up the wall. Then one day Seifer was picking on him and Squall stepped in. Seifer and Squall fought, it ended with Seifer on the floor with a black eye, crying like a whipped puppy. Squall had helped Zell up, and he was about to thank him when Squall stopped him. No thanks needed was what he'd said...punk deserved it, he's always picking on the new students. Someone's gotta look out for you all. The incident had changed Zell's mind about his reclusive roommate. Squall had terrible interpersonal skills and liked being alone, but he wasn't a bad guy. He stopped trying to pry into Squall's world, respecting his need for privacy. Squall reciprocated in kind, he didn't even say anything when Zell decided to get a tattoo on his face. Hell, everyone had an opinion on that...his Aunt Anna called it a freakish mutilation...his friends thought it was cool...one teacher thought it was shameful and tried to throw him out of class...Dr. Kadowaki clicked her tongue and told him he'd regret it when he was ninety....Squall just grunted, said Good for you, and went back to reading his book. They existed happily this way, living in two different worlds. The only thing that united them was their mutual dislike for Seifer. That's why Zell had been so alarmed by Squall's reaction to the order given by Seifer. As soon as Squall sat back down, Zell leaned over to ask him a few questions. Squall was known for being evasive when it came to personal matters, but Zell wanted answers.
"What the HELL was that?" he hissed.
Without even looking up Squall answered, "What?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Seifer's order....acting like an arrogant dickhead and you just say Yes Sir...hello...What the hell!?"
Squall looked up, his cold blue eyes gazing at Zell so intently that it was hard for him to keep eye contact. He replied quietly, "Is he worth it?"
Zell furrowed his brow in confusion, "Worth what?"
"Worth failing the exam?"
Zell scratch the back of his head and sighed. Squall was right; if he failed because he'd disobeyed his captain he could never forgive himself. Seifer was an idiot but he'd be a bigger idiot letting Seifer goad him into failing.
"I know you're right but it's gonna be damn hard not wanna wack his ass. Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and he'll step on a land mine..." Zell said, a broad goofy grin spreading across his face.
Unable to help themselves, they snickered...trying desperately to keep quiet enough so they didn't attract unwanted attention from Seifer. The announcement bell chimed and Xu's voice blared over the intercom.
"ATTENTION ALL SEED CADETS. WE WILL BE ARRIVING AT DOLLET'S BEACHES IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES. PREPARE YOURSELFS TO DEPART AS SOON AS WE LAND. THAT IS ALL."
Quistis looked up at her students and smiled, "This is it! Good luck!"
Seifer snorted, jabbing his thumb towards Squall and Zell, "Save that for the students who need it."
The boat shuddered and a sudden jolt rocked the craft as it came to a stop. Squall and all the other candidates began to rush off the boat.
"Head towards the square," Quistis shouted as Squad C's turn came to leave the boat. She smiled like a beatific angel and added, "Good luck...SEIFER."
SeeDs, cadets and instructors swarmed the tiny beaches that lined the outer walls of Dollet. Seifer had run way ahead of Zell and Squall. He'd taken out a fair number of Galbadian soldiers, leaving Zell and Squall whatever might be left. They fought well but were in constant fear of losing track of their leader.
Near the town square the tiny town of Dollet was eerily quiet. The square itself was deserted or so it seemed. The solemn facades of the bullet riddled shops stared at the trio; their windows open, empty sockets. Seifer stood in the middle of this chaos with his slim, black gunblade resting cockily on one shoulder.
"Took you two long enough!" he said, taping his boot impatiently against the cobbled surface of the street. "Scan the perimeter of the square. There has to be at least one squad of Galbadian scum hiding somewhere."
They split up, each taking a section of the square. Scanning the area all Squall could see was overturned cars, burning garbage, and rubble...tons and tons of rubble. A quick flash of movement from behind an abandoned vehicle caught Squall's eye. He froze for a moment and then quickly, silently he moved towards the car. Three Galbadian soldiers were hiding out behind the car. The fact that he was outnumbered three to one didn't bother him in the least. Squall withdrew his gunblade slowly and leaped over the car, landing on his feet with little effort. The surprised Galbadian soldiers had little time to react. With the grace of a dancer Squall weaved, bobbed, slashed and cut until all three soldiers were taken out, in only a matter of seconds.
The few scraps that were to be had amounted to a hill of beans. All three met a few minutes later at the large, empty fountain in the middle of the square. Minutes ticked by and the only thing of note was a stray dog that ran through the square barking like crazy. Squall could hear the high-pitched whistle of missiles and the sound of distant fighting. Boredom began to set in and took its toll on the three young men. Seifer finally couldn't take it anymore. It was maddening, the stillness, the quiet...he needed action...to be doing something ...anything. Zell had amused himself by practicing martial arts, he seemed to do that a lot, but it kept him quiet. Squall was silent, meditating morosely with his back against the wall of a small potion shop.
"I can't take this anymore!" Seifer said in a low growl.
Just then a contingent of four Galbadian soldiers snuck through towards a small road near the left hand side of the square. They hadn't seen the cadets, who were concealed by the large, ugly fountain in the middle. Squall watched them, confused...if he'd remembered correctly, the road they were on only lead to an abandoned communications tower.
That particular tower hadn't worked in years; it had been abandoned because of faulty design. There had been a big disaster when it was first erected years ago. The power cables on the tower had malfunctioned and lead to several energy leaks throughout the entire structure. The leaks had attracted several Elvorets, bat-like creatures common to the rocky hills and plateaus in North Galbadia. Elvorets liked dark, warm places and the tower had proved to be a perfect place for them to rest. They'd nested in one of the out of the way conduits and support structures that were essential to keep the tower working order. All factors combined and one section of the tower had exploded, killing several workers and damaging a few of the local shops. Lawsuits were filed and the communications tower was left to become another derelict building. Dollet officials ended up erecting another more modern tower, farther away from town, that was up and working for the last five years.
Seifer also spotted the fleeing soldiers and he narrowed his eyes. Those soldiers were suspicious and may prove to be a threat to other cadets and SeeD members. A perfect excuse to leave the all too quiet square. Squall eyed Seifer...he could see the gears in Seifer's head working...he was of a mind to disobey orders, or at the very least bend the spirit of the orders to suit his own will. Seifer started in the direction the Galbadians had gone. He stopped, realizing his charges weren't following. Infuriated, he spun around and glared at Squall and Zell.
"Are you fucking wussin' out! Come on...we gotta follow those guys."
"Our orders were to remain at this square." Zell answered, arms crossed.
"Well, Chicken shit...I'm giving you new orders...You two are coming with me and we are going to check out what those Galbadians are up to....and if you don't you can go home and tell your mommy about how big a pussy you are. Oops...sorry Squall your mommy didn't love you enough to keep you around...I guess you can try and find someone who might care."
Zell's face blazed with anger, his face turning various shades of red. Somehow he kept it reigned in enough to answer.
"Fine, let's go..." he answered through gritted teeth.
Zell looked over at Squall, who was still leaning against the wall, eyes down. He just stood there, all the time knowing that his non-reaction was driving Seifer mad with fury. Seifer strolled over to him, his chest puffed with machismo and his usual air of superiority. He stopped in front of Squall and planted a hand by Squall's head. Leaning over so that he was right in Squall's face, he stared at him with half closed eyes. The threat was obvious. Seifer was much taller and bigger than Squall was...he'd always used this advantage against supposedly "weaker" opponents. Seifer was a brute and a bully... and that is all he'd ever be. Squall was less than impressed and voiced this opinion silently. He ignored Seifer completely, continuing to stand at the wall, quietly meditating.
"Got a problem Squallie?" Seifer said, oozing with contempt...how I'd love to wipe the floor with your ass...passionless bastard. Squall looked up at him slowly, his face an emotionless mask.
"No Sir"
"Then move out."
Another time, Squall's reaction would have more than tempted Seifer to continue to persecute him, until he finally got under Squall's skin and little girly boy lost his temper. But, Seifer just wasn't it the mood. He wanted to get the loser moving so he could go and kick some ass. The wuss should be grateful; they'd be heroes if they pulled this off. Besides, he could pound a lesson into him any old time...he was more excited about finally distinguishing himself in battle. To become a white knight....
They made their way down the small side street. Eventually the street ended and turned into a rocky, weed strewn path that obviously hadn't been used in awhile. The path winded around the rocky hills that surround all of Dollet. The Comm. Tower was at the top of one of the tallest hills in the area and the small path was strewn with large weeds and boulders, making the going really slow. The Galbadians had a head start and a sizeable lead on the cadets. The trio arrived at the tower in time to see some of the soldiers dragging equipment into the dark maw of the defunct building. They hid out behind a large outcropping of rocks and watched for several minutes until all the soldiers disappeared into the tower.
"What do you think they're doing up there?" Zell whispered.
Squall shrugged, "It doesn't make much sense. That tower hasn't worked in years, and Dollet has another one that's perfectly operational not twenty miles from here. The new tower is far more advanced.... This one's an older communications tower, uses radio waves...what could they possibly want with it?"
Zell nodded, "Could they fix it...get it up and running again?"
"I suppose but why? No one uses radio waves anymore...newer systems have digital cable receivers installed.....why would they need such outdated equipment?"
Seifer stood up, irritated by the whole exchange, "Who cares! Let's just go and fuck them up."
He jumped off the rocky outcropping and landed at the base of the small hill. Seifer ran to the entrance and looking back at Squall and Zell, he smiled.
"You two coming?" not really caring either way.
Squall rose to his full height and said slowly, "I think you were right about the suspicious nature of the Galbadian's activity. However, our orders specify that we are to pursue but take no direct action. We all should go back and inform our commanding officers."
"Yeah, Squall's right. This is way over our heads...." Zell piped up.
"Mutiny...figures...Well you two can wuss out if you want. I'm going in....take all the glory for myself..... later.." just before he entered the tower, Seifer turned and looked directly at Squall "Maybe someday I'll tell you about my romantic dream."
"Romantic dream?!" Squall repeated, confused by the strange comment.
"Yeah...even a emotionless freak like yourself has to have a dream. Everyone has one and someday I'll tell you mine." he looked down with a wistful smile and entered the communications tower.
"Oh goodie...."
"Well, what now?" Zell asked, cocking his head to one side as he watched Seifer leave.
Squall looked at Zell, bewildered...who made me the friggin' leader...he sighed, "You go back and report what's happened to the instructors. I'll stay here and wait for Seifer."
Before either of them could do anything a commotion from the patch of brush and boulders behind them caught their attention. A female cadet had tumbled from the embankment and landed on the rocky path, knees first.
"OOOOOWWWWWWW!!!" she yelped, rubbing her wounded knees through her uniform.
"You okay?" Zell asked, trying not to laugh. "You know...jumping from that ledge wasn't the best of ideas."
"YAH!...but it did save some time. You from C?" she asked, still rubbing her knees.
"Yes" Squall answered, squinting his eyes....the girl seemed familiar.
The girl looked up to see who'd addressed her. She hadn't noticed the other student, who'd been quietly waiting in the background. Staring at Squall, the cadet broke into a wide grin.
"HAAAAAAAAAYYY!! You're that guy who helped me out before!!" she giggled, "Thanks a bunch! Now I don't get lost anymore!!" Stopping suddenly, her brow knitted together in thought.
"OH! I almost forgot!" quickly saluting them, "Selphie Timlett, Squad A Lieutenant Second class."
"Zell Dincht, Lieutenant second class."
"Squall Leonhart, Lieutenant first class." Selphie turned and saluting again, addressed Squall.
"I'm looking for Captain Almasy. I have a priority message for him....hey....where is he??"
"He's gone inside the communications tower over there." Squall answered, pointing to the defunct building behind them.
Selphie's large emerald green eyes widened and she stuck out her lower lip. How irritating...she thought as she pouted, "Well, we better go and get him. I may as well tell you, Squall...the order to withdraw has been given...we have to be back to the boats at sixteen hundred."
Squall quickly checked his watch and grimaced, Crap....that's twenty minutes from now..."Oookay...we have less than a half hour to get to the boats. Let's go in the tower and retrieve Seifer. Move out"
Zell and Squall began to walk down the path that lead to the steps of the defunct tower. Selphie jumped off the outcropping and nearly fell again. Rubbing his temple all Squall could think was...why me?? The cadets entered the communications tower together. Inside it was almost black but for the small light on the elevator lift. In the dim light they entered the elevator and ascended to the top of the tower. From the relative darkness of the bottom of the tower, the bright sunlight on the top of the tower disoriented the cadets. Squall's eyes adjusted and he spotted Seifer. He was standing over a cowering Galbadian soldier, dressed in blue. It looked as if he'd either killed or knocked out all the other soldiers. At the side of the one dressed in blue was another prone soldier, dressed in command red. He looked knocked out but not dead...He'd beaten them all pretty badly and from the way Seifer was lifting his gunblade, he intended much more. Squall wasn't sure what Seifer was trying to accomplish...it looks like he's trying to interrogate them but...god is he awful at it. That's good, he'd used the beat senseless, ask later method of interrogation. There was no way those soldiers could have answered his questions adequately....He'd beaten them with the false intent of interrogation; an excuse to thrash them until they passed out or he killed them. Seifer could blow off any loss of life and call it an accident during interrogation. Asshole... becoming a SeeD meant you wanted to help people out of situations like this, not an excuse to maim and murder..... He quickly pushed the thought aside, getting back to the boats was all that mattered.
"SIR!" Squall shouted, hoping to momentarily distract Seifer from his "kill".
Seifer flinched and whipped round to face him. He glared at Squall with real menace and open contempt.
"WHAT?!"
"She has a message for you, Captain." Squall answered, pointing at Selphie.
Selphie stepped forward timidly and saluted. "Selphie Timlett, Squad A...um...I have a message for you s-sir. I'm to inform you that the order to withdraw has been made and we're all to assemble ASAP on the beaches at sixteen hundred."
"SHIT!" Seifer exclaimed and looking down on his prey, he kicked the blue soldier in the stomach, "So sorry...I gotta go and we were almost done with our little chat. Too bad." He looked over at Squall and the others, and before pushing his way through them, said "Later losers." He started up the lift and left without them, waiving as the elevator descended downward.
"HAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! WAIT!!" Selphie shouted, running to where the lift had been, "WHAT A JERK!!"
"Figures he'd screw us..." Zell snorted and then added, " You know, it's not the insults that piss me off, it's the arrogance. Well, what now Squall?"
Squall thought for a moment. He was almost loath to answer such a redundant question. However, time didn't permit for such flights of emotion. "We leave."