As they exited the communications tower, the trio forgot that they'd left the wounded Galbadian in blue still conscious. Painfully, he pulled out a small device from his pocket, with an arm that was broken by the cocky blonde SeeD. It didn't matter that the other three had prevented the arrogant captain from killing him. Revenge was all that was on the tired young soldier's mind. The device he held in his hand was an activator for an elite, top secret weapon the Galbadian military recently developed. It was called the X-ATM0, it's only purpose was to pursue and destroy the enemy. Top level Galbadian Generals had hoped to test run the X-ATM0 in Dollet, today they would get their one and only chance. He depressed the small red button on the side of the activation unit and passed out.
The machine rumbled to life, its heat and motion sensors burned an eerie red, like two large inhuman eyes. It slowly lifted its bulk and leapt from the top of the tower. The machine came crashing down and with speed surprising for its size, it barreled down the hill towards the unknowing cadets.
Squall and the others had been jogging down the hill at a pretty good pace. At this rate we'll reach the beaches in at least fifteen minutes, with a couple to spare...Squall thought absently. The ground beneath them rumbled suddenly. It caught all three cadets off guard and they fell to the ground in a heap. Looking around for the source, the trio tried desperately to get to their feet, with little luck. Every time one of them tried another tremor shook the earth and they'd loose their footing, falling back to the ground. The rhythmic pounding continued, shaking small stones and boulders loose from their perches on the hillside. After a moment and with great difficulty the cadets finally stood up.
Helping Selphie to her feet, Zell shouted above the melee, "What do you think it is, Squall??"
Struggling to maintain his own balance on the uneven ground, he shook his head and shrugged. The land around here was loose and quite unstable, but no earthquakes had ever been reported in Dollet. It was strange to say the least....Then, from around the corner of the hill, Squall saw the spider like visage of a monstrously large machine. The hulking mass of metal churned and with each step shook the earth. Dear lord.....
Squall's normally neutral face drained of color , "OH SHIT!!"
Zell spun around to see what Squall was looking at and almost shat himself. What the HELL!! He looked over at Selphie, who was frozen in place, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Zell socked her hard in the arm to break her from the trance brought on by panic. She took out her nunchaku and Zell prepared himself. Having only his fists to rely on, he looked to Squall. He withdrew his gunblade, the mirror-like surface glinted in the late afternoon sun. Unsure of what would happen next, they braced for an attack. The thing clanked forward with surprising speed, shooting off laser blasts as it went. The cadets dodged the blows easily, looking back as the blasts hit a large shrub that had been behind them; which promptly burst into flame. The thing came up fast, closing in on the cadets in a matter of seconds. It was close enough now to extended a mechanical claw, grabbing Zell by his uniform. The machine then began to drag him towards a mouth-like appendage with whirring blades for teeth. Zell struggled in vain, fear blanketing his face. Thinking quickly, Squall launched himself forward and with one swipe of his gunblade, cut the thing's arm in half. With Zell freed, they looked at each other and instantly decided that running was better than attempting hand to hand with that thing.
They ran down the hill with an urgency bordering on panic. The scenery of the hills whipped past them. Squall came to the realization that they couldn't keep up this speed for very long. He could hear the metal clank of the machine behind them, with the terrifying knowledge that sooner or later they'd have to face it. His mind began to toy with ways to defeat it. Their weapons were mostly ineffective....maybe his gunblade could do some damage but not enough to stop it. His guardian forces, Shiva and Ifrit, might be able to put a dent in it...and if he was lucky...someone might have a thunder spell or two attached to their weapons.
"HEY ZELL!" he shouted over his shoulder, "Do you have any thunder spells junctioned??"
"NO...WHY??"
"SHIT! Lightning would be the quickest way to short out that thing's circuits."
Selphie piped up, "My GF is a lightning elemental!!"
Squall's face brightened, the Gods didn't hate him after all... "Then summon it...now!"
The sky suddenly darkened and black clouds began to gather and swirl angrily. Lightning broke through the clouds with a burst of white hot light. With a crackle of electricity the Thunder Bird, Quetzocoatl, appeared. It glowered over the X-ATM0, which was minuscule in comparison with the legendary bird. It flapped its great wings slowly and ushered forth a terrible bolt of lightening. It hit the X-ATM0 with such force that it drove the bulky machine into the ground, leaving a large blackened crater around it. The machine chugged, jerked and then was silent.
Squall and the others just stood there quietly for a moment, staring at the dead machine. Trying to come to some kind of conclusion about what had happened. What the hell was this thing? Obviously it was Galbadian, you didn't have to see their logo, which was etched on it's side, to know that. But why build such a thing? What a waste of time... Squall thought dimly. His plan had worked, he shrugged and walked away.
"WOW! What a piece of junk!" exclaimed Zell.
"Yeah, kinda scary though..." Selphie added as they joined Squall.
The trio got less than three feet away from the smoking wreckage before it sputtered back to life. Squall began to wonder if he was wrong about the Gods not hating him..
"Oh hell no!"
"NO fucking way...we trashed that thing!!" Zell exclaimed, looking over his shoulder
"LIKE IT MATTERS! RUN!" Selphie shouted and took off running.
X-ATM0 hauled itself up and began pursuit again, though this time, its circuits fried, it wasn't as fast or maneuverable. Squall and Zell ran after Selphie in blind panic. Like bats out of hell, the trio scrambled down from the hill and into the square they'd been guarding minutes earlier. The machine followed, toppling one of the larger shops and scaring away the stray dog that had made its home in the square. The cadets ran like hell, not looking back, they headed for other side of Dollet. Making it to the bridge that connected one part of Dollet with the other, they charged over it without thinking. The machine tried to corner them, leaping in front of them to try and block their way. Thoroughly convinced that fighting it was a waste of time and effort. All three cadets skidded to a stop, quickly turning around to run the other way. The machine followed, leaping back the other way to once again block their path. Selphie quickly summoned her GF again, knocking the machine out long enough for them to cross the bridge and make it to the other side of Dollet. The damnable thing started up and once more began the chase, catching up with them as they ran past a tiny little coffee shop. It came crashing through the intersection, turning the quaint coffee shop into a pile of rubble. Squall ran like hell, his chest heaving in and out, sweat pouring from his brow. Zell and Selphie had pulled a bit ahead of him, not having to lug a large and heavy gunblade around with them. They barreled down the narrow streets of Dollet, gradually nearing the beaches, with the machine never far off their trail. It followed them, destroying anything in its path. They fled through the final street that lead to the beaches. Squall looked back briefly and watched as the hulking menace crushed a car with one of its heavy feet. Shit.....that could be me...he thought.....Squall could see the beach just ahead, it seem so far to his mind...he could feel fatigue sneaking in. Selphie and Zell had really gotten far ahead of Squall, he was lagging badly and began to wonder if he'd make it. They tore through the covered walkway that lead to the beach. Ignoring the stairs entirely, they jumped off the barrier around the beach entrance and landed on the soft sand. Hitting it with a thump, Squall continued to run, his pace slowing with every step..... Zell and Selphie pounded the ground, sending puffs of sand whishing behind them. Selphie was the first to dash onto the deck of the waiting ship. Zell turned to see Squall wasn't with him. He watched in horror as the machine burst through the overhang and ran towards Squall. Showers of rock and rubble littered the mostly deserted beach. It had completely destroyed the overhang.....nothing could stop it..... The machine paused momentarily to lock on to its target. Spotting Squall, it took off and made a beeline for the young cadet.
He could hear the metallic scream of the machines gears behind him. With each step he took, he could feel the heavy mechanized legs pounding closer. Squall could see Zell...he was shouting for him to jump, waiving him on and on...but the boat seemed so far to his tired eyes. The machine came closer, it's gears screeching...In an adrenaline induced panic, Squall made a desperate leap towards the boat, landing hard on the cold floor of the cargo bay. Zell helped him up and ushered him into the belly of the boat, the machine still pursuing. It leaped into the air, to crush the escaping ship and its occupants, in a single minded effort to destroy its foe. A turret on the top of the boat turned around quickly and opened fire on the air-borne machine. It was Quistis, manning the high powered machine guns mounted on the turret. She mercilessly fired round after round into the X-ATM0. The shots tore through the machine's hide easily, riddling it in a hail of bullets. It shook sickly with each round that was plugged into it, convulsing epileptically in mid air. The constant barrage of bullets took its toll on the machine and it slowly began to disintegrate as it lost more parts than it could replace. Finally, one of the shots hit the machine's fuel line and it erupted explosively into smoking chunks of metal. The husk of the once powerful machine dropped limply to the sand, its many parts littering the beach. Squall kicked himself for not being able to watch the thing blow up. In any event, it wouldn't be getting up from this one.....Amidst this chaos, the boats sped back to Balamb.
The ride home was smooth and thankfully quiet. When they got back to C's compartment Seifer was noticeably absent, which was a good thing. Squall managed to sleep a little, resting his tired body. Selphie had followed them back to their quarters and talked quietly with Zell. In a light half sleep, Squall's tired mind wandered back to the dream he'd had that morning. What did it mean? Was it some kind of weird premonition or just the random misfires of his subconscious? The girl...who was she? He didn't know anyone who even remotely looked like her...She had said she would be waiting for him. Don't count on me lady....I won't come....he thought, and yet he toyed with the idea of finding this girl. There was something about her that had drawn Squall in, like a puzzle without an easy solution. You knew you might never solve it, but the answer was much too tempting to stop fiddling with it. Probably just stress, he mused casually, letting the world fall away for the darkness of sleep. All in all, it had been a rough day for all three cadets and the ride home seemed far too long to wait, at least to Zell and Selphie. The boats sped for home, in record time they were back in the peaceful waters of Balamb. The boats gently glided into Balamb harbor and docked at the River City Shipyard. For Squall the ride was too short, the nap had done some good but he could use another few minutes. He stretched and exited the boat shaking the remnants of sleep from his limbs. Zell was waiting for him outside, a broad smile gracing his jovial face.
"Hey, nice jump...I give you a 9.0" he said, slapping his hand on Squall's shoulder.
Squall nodded, a faint smile on his face, he wasn't in a mood for joking. He was tired and his day wasn't yet over. All the other students had exited the boat, except for Seifer. As Zell and Squall were about to get into one of the waiting cars taking students back to the Garden, Xu appeared with Seifer in tow. She escorted him into another waiting car, separate from the rest of the other students. Xu looked decidedly unhappy and Seifer wasn't looking too peachy either. Squall and Zell looked at one another and shrugged. His ass was grass and neither one of them really gave a damn. Quistis exited the boat, jogging over to Squall and Zell.
"Great job, both of you!....OH! I'm supposed to inform you both that you have free time until eighteen hundred. At a quarter past you're to go to your home rooms and we'll announce who passed . See ya!"
Both boys nodded and saluted their teacher, and then hopped aboard the next transport to the Garden. They made it back to Balamb with forty five minutes to spare. The exhaustion of the day finally catching up, Zell went into his room and collapsed in a heap. Squall had gotten enough rest on the way home and headed for a much needed shower. He stepped in and turned on the shower head, letting the water pelt him softly. He just stood there for a moment, allowing his mind as well as his body to recover from the day's labors. The water felt good as it cascaded over his flesh, tracing its way down his body and flowing into the drain. Every bone and muscle on him ached, god I'm tired..... The day had been full, so much had happened since morning and like some sick joke it wasn't over. He could only hope that the results were in quickly, maybe he could go back to his room and sleep for a week....yeah, like that'd happen. The newly healed scar on his forehead still hurt a little, Squall rubbed his wet face to help remedy the pain. Then he quickly washed up, scrubbing away the dirt and the smell of Dollet from his body. Finishing up, he turned off the shower and exited, covering himself with a towel.
Squall felt a little better, the shower had been good for him, releasing some of the tension and fatigue left over from Dollet. He felt human again, less like a sweaty, smelly beast. Squall toweled off and slipped into a clean pair of black jeans and a simple white t-shirt. Black was his favorite color. Most of his clothes were black, with the exception of a few shirts and his uniforms. Black like my soul, he thought to himself with a snicker. Peering in at the clock by his bed he noticed it was almost time to go. That's the way his life seemed....nothing but go...go...go ....no time to really breathe or relax. He went to get Zell up from his nap, which had always proved to be quite a trial. Zell apparently slept like the dead and it was near impossible to wake him. Squall had decided to be nice, and shook him gently, hoping that he'd wake up right away. Zell gurgled, ignoring Squall completely he turned over and began to snore.
"ZELL....WAKE THE HELL UP.." Squall barked impatiently, socking him on the arm.
"NNmmmfffffff...ya...fuuu..."
"Dammit....bloody jackass...WAKE UP....WE GOTTA GO..." Squall socked him again, contemplating kicking his ass out of bed if he didn't wake soon.
"MMmgaaaaaaa..."
Squall blinked twice and then pulled back his arm as far as he could. He let loose and hit Zell full force on his shoulder, "WAKE UP.....ITS TIME TO GO!"
"Nnefffud YAH! NINJA ROBOTS!" Zell said with a start, he looked blindly around the room for his attacker and whined, "nnnmmm......Why'd you do that?"
"Cus you wouldn't wake up the first fifty times I did it. Now get up...we'll be late."
"Yeah, yeah....." Zell kvetched, "Didn't hafta hit me so hard tho..."
"Don't bitch...I half thought about dumping your ass outta bed...Lets go..."
Zell and Squall left their dorm and made it up to their class just in time. They entered their crowded and lively homeroom together. Zell was still a bit groggy from his nap and flopped down in his seat tiredly. Squall sat down in his own seat and glanced over at Seifer, who still looked less than pleased. Bet he got his ass reamed out by the headmaster...Squall thought. Looking away he noticed the entrance of Seifer's shadows, Fujin and Raijin. They were Seifer's fan club and the only people who could stand to be in the same room with his bloated ego. Why were they here anyway? The sad truth about Fujin and Raijin was that they'd never qualify for the SeeD exam, much less graduate at all. Perhaps that's why they hung out with Seifer, who also had little hope of leaving the Garden with a diploma.
Raijin noticed that Squall had been looking at him and strutted over to him. Leaning down he sneered, trying to sound menacing, "Whatcha lookin' at, ya know?"
Squall sighed deeply, he didn't have the patience for dealing with these two. In fact, they were hardly worth his attention at all. He could beat their asses blind folded, though he never even entertained the idea. Can't prove anything by beating up feebs. They both tried so hard to be intimidating, when in the end all they did was grate on the nerves.
"Not much..." Squall answered acidly.
"ANGER!" Fujin cried, hitting at the air with her hand.
"Yeah, youse got an attitude, ya know. I should knock that outta you...I heard 'bout what happened at the exam and if Seifer fails 'cus of you...well, you'll be sorry, ya know." , said Raijin with a dumb grin.
"If he fails it'll be his own fault!" Squall countered, his eyes narrowing.
"QUIET!"
"Yeah! Don't say that about Seifer, ya know. He'd..."
"Fujin, Raijin...back off..." it was Seifer, his eyes were closed and his feet propped up on his desk.
Seifer wasn't quite sure why he decided to stop his friends. Sure, Squall was probably asking for it but he wasn't in the mood. In truth, he was a little impressed by Squall's performance on the exam. The boy managed to come out not looking like a total wuss. That was the thing that had always bugged him about Squall. He was so weak, in mind and body, it irritated Seifer to no end. Squall could be so much more, he saw in the boy a potential to rise above mediocrity....but he short sheeted himself by being a limp dick who followed orders like a good little android. Squall never thought for himself, he always played by the rules and never took a chance. Worst of all, Squall didn't have a lust for life, he didn't dream, didn't believe in anything....typical Garden robot.
Seifer thought back to their fight on the beach that morning...Yeah, technically Seifer had cheated, he knew it and he knew Squall knew it...That wasn't the point. Seifer did it to get a rise out of Squall, to see the real him....the warrior...the knight he could be. If only he'd push himself more he'd be the perfect rival. Then he might actually challenge me...Squall made a gallant effort, he struck Seifer back in revenge, giving him a scar to remember him by. Then he went back to being a wet bitch and passed out.
It was lucky that Fujin and Raijin had followed along to fish while he fought Squall. With his head bleeding profusely from his new scar, Seifer had carried Squall over his shoulder the entire way back to Balamb Garden. Fujin and Raijin had helped out, carrying both their gunblades. There were times on his way back that Seifer felt like he might pass out, but he didn't. He fought it the entire way and only collapsed once he made it to the infirmary. You don't quit, you don't give up, you don't stop fighting until the job is done....any true hero should have a burning passion inside and a deep devotion to what he believes in his heart is right. Sometimes a true hero doesn't follow the rules all the time....he has a mind and a will of his own, standing up for his principles no matter what.....these were lessons Seifer had tried to teach him. Loser that Squall was, he never learned and he doubted he ever would. Bitch'll get all the awards and he'll probably graduate and I won't....but at least I have values I believe in. That thought comforted him a little, but it still nagged at him that Squall got all the kudos and he got squat. Seifer opened his eyes, snapping his fingers beckoning Fujin and Raijin away from Squall's desk. Like dogs, they obeyed but before Raijin rejoined Seifer he looked back at Squall.
"Youse got off lucky, ya know"
"Yeah, Whatever..."
The door to the classroom whisked open and Xu walked in accompanied by Quistis. They headed to the front of the class together and without much ceremony, Xu began to read off the names of those students who passed.
"Aya Akihino, Terra Brandfort, Dane Caroliss, Zell Dincht, Aeris Dunborough, Sou Kishuku, Squall Leonhart, Kaiya Lleowny, Koran Mufuda, Nida Tarkin, Selphie Timlett, Baird Wallace. Congratulations, class of '93....To those who did not hear their names, better luck next semester. Quistis...."
"I'd like to extend my congratulations to all the new SeeD members. I'll also take this opportunity to remind you of tonight's party. This is a special dinner and reception for recent graduates and all of you are required to attend. This is a chance for you to socialize with senior SeeD members and prospective clients of the Garden. Be on your best behavior and remember to have fun!...See you all tonight at eight o'clock sharp!", as she made the last remark, she stared at Squall with a sparkle in her eye, "You're all dismissed."
Students filed out of the classroom in groups. Squall waited till everyone had left and then quietly picked up and went himself. He was walking towards the elevators when he stopped. Seifer and the twins geeks blocked the entrance to the hallway that lead to the lifts. All the students who just left had been stopped as well and waited with baited breath. Squall froze, waiting for Seifer to move first. He didn't feel like fighting at the moment but if Seifer pushed him to it, he would. Zell and Selphie had been walking together when they were stopped. He also expected some kind of retribution from Seifer and was on edge...waiting for an attack. Zell stepped in front of Selphie, shielding her from any danger. Selphie shot him a look, annoyed at his show of chivalry, she could take care of herself. The roomed was filled with tension...everyone waiting for the fight to break out. In a totally unexpected move, instead of attacking, Seifer raised his hands and began clapping. The entire room was stunned, including Fujin and Raijin, who slowly joined their boss and began clapping themselves. Seifer smiled amiably enough, for him anyway, and stepped aside to let Squall and the others through. As Squall walked past Seifer, he smiled weakly, still confused by the entire display.
Zell jogged up and joined Squall, "What the heck was that all about?? WEIRD!"
"Like I care...."
"Well, at least he's being nice...sort of..." Selphie chimed in, "You guys excited about tonight's party!!??"
"I am...but Squall's not much of a party animal...right Squall?"
Squall mumbled something and shrugged, a pall of unease had overtaken him and he fell silent.
"Gee...that's too bad..." Selphie said, a genuine note of sadness in her voice, "mmmm.....Hey....Squall, Zell, I'd like to invite you both to be a member of the Garden Festival Committee. I know Squall probably won't join but the invite's open. You know...cus you helped me out and all."
"Thanks" Squall answered quietly, his light blue eyes softening a bit...a shadow of sadness falling over his pale face. He began to wonder if he was that predictable. Zell and Selphie barely knew him....and yet they both assumed that they knew enough to not even try very hard to include him. Not that he wanted that, but it still stung a little.
"The Garden Festival....hey...I thought they cancelled that," Zell asked, pouting a little in confusion, "because the head of the committee transferred to Galbadia Garden."
"Nope!" Selphie chirped cheerfully, "When she left I went to Cid and asked if I could head the committee and he said yes! Wanna join, I need more members!!"
"WULL YEAH! I was in charge of music before Donner left!"
"NO WAY!" Selphie exclaimed, jumping up and down, " If you could plan the music that'd take a load off!! Hey! Let's go get something to eat and we can discuss your ideas...teehee...coming Squall?"
"No, Thanks"
Selphie was about to say something but Zell put his finger to his lips, cutting her off. She nodded, understanding his non-verbal gesture and they parted ways with their reserved companion. Today, Zell had spent more time with his room mate than he had in the four years they'd shared a room together. He'd always given props to Squall for being a quiet roomie...he was never nosy, judgmental....never ate Zell's food or played music too loud...Hey, he'd heard horror stories about other people's roommates and he considered himself one lucky SOB. Zell never pried into Squalls business because he took Squall's reputation on its word and because Squall never pried into his. Common courtesy really....but Zell had never really thought about how lonely Squall had been. Looking at him leaving...he really saw it for the first time what an isolated individual Squall was. Sure, He sometimes acted like that's what he wanted, but was it really? Zell didn't think Squall was happy with that at all...he began to think about how to reach out a little, without freaking him out.....maybe he'd talk with Professor Trepe...she'd probably be able to help..