The dream was always the same...she was back at Balamb Garden, looking for Watts and Zone at the Graduation Party for new SeeDs...then she spotted him, a young man about her age with intense eyes, watching her from across the room. If it'd been any other guy, she would've beaten the crap out of him, but he was different....His face so serene....serious....and when he saw that she'd noticed him, the shy look of shock flickering across his eyes....his eyes....a lovely shade of pale blue, almost like ice...When he looked at her, it was like he was looking right through her....to see all the things she'd kept hidden from everyone else...like he knew her without having met her before...
If she'd known him a little better, it would've humored her how alike they were....he was a loner, with few friends, keeping so much of himself secret...shutting out the world....Rinoa was the same, and yet in a different manner....sure she had a lot of friends, but none of them really understood her...they called her the Princess...so she acted the part...hiding behind a mask of bossy, yet fetching beauty....Both of them hiding from who they really were. He changed all that for her....She didn't want to hide anymore...The young SeeD she'd danced with....he saw her for who she really was, not who she pretended to be......She didn't want to be alone anymore, didn't want the feelings he inspired to end. A voice from deep inside told her it was right...he was the one person she could share herself with.......as if their souls had searched for an eternity to finally find each other again....Please, let me see him....if only for a moment....
Her sleeping mind went over that night's events, again and again, replaying every moment....Two and a half weeks had passed and every detail was engraved on her memory. Especially his face, that she tried her hardest not to forget, memorizing it like she would the lines of her favorite book. His face was a puzzle, a strange poem that she struggled to pull meaning from. But for all its beauty, the thing she most remembered was the dark scar that traveled across his forehead....what a mystery, I wonder how he got it?? She could remember how his hand felt in hers...the sound of his soft voice, so deep....soothing....gentle..........she wished she'd been brave enough to kiss him, a bold and dramatic move, even for her.....Her heart ached with longing every minute that went by since that moment....I don't even know his name....how could I be so stupid......
In her dream, the ending was never bittersweet, filled with regret and sadness....Zone didn't call her away to meet with Cid...she didn't have to watch as his face struggled with emotion, his heart breaking as hers....closing a door they'd opened together....No painful good-byes....no broken hearts....no nights of crying silently, burying your face in your pillow to mask the sobs....the more rational part of her mind chided, breaking into a perfectly good dream with cold reality, Grab a hold of the reigns Rinoa, you just met the guy and probably will never see him again.....Okay, yeah, I'm being overly-dramatic there but still....it'd be nice to have some adventure in my life. A little passion, a bit of heart breaking romance....anything but...my life... The large crush she had developed on the mysterious SeeD that she'd met at the dance had become a full on obsession. A wonderful fantasy that drew her away from the monotony of her own life.
Anything was better to her than what her life had become, anything. She remembered a time when her life had been more exciting and not just drudgery. It seemed like so long ago. When she first formed the Forest Owls, it seemed like such a bold move. Like somehow, she could make a difference, be like one of those people in the war movies. It was a little glamorization, but she really believed that somehow if she tried, she could change the world. What she didn't take into account, was that the world could not be changed in a day, and her small effort alone could not change all that much. The gritty, rather boring reality had soon hit her hard in the face. The day to day decisions, her basic inability to get anyone to do what she asked, she hadn't expected and the stress of essentially holding up the world by herself was too much. So she indulged her imagination, letting her little dream about the handsome SeeD take her away from all her problems. She had imagined the next moment again and again, relishing the anticipation of it. Oddly, it never seemed to get any farther than that, not that it mattered much... She imagined giving him a real kiss....
She raised her hand to trace the curve of his chin, drawing her fingers up and caressing his face gently....touching his light brown hair with her finger tips....looking deeply into his eyes and losing herself in them....his hand gliding up her bare shoulder to touch her face....and...s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-haking.....her...???? That wasn't in her dream dammit.....
"Wake UP!" said a voice, soft but firm.
"Mmmmnnnnmmm dooan wann too...gooo way....nnnmmffff..." she mumbled, still groggy and more than just a little peeved.
"Please, will you wake up..." the voice pleaded, continuing to shake her.
"mmmmNoooOOOoooooo!!" she whined, slapping at the hand on her shoulder.
"Wake up or I'll drag you out...." the voice repeated, trying the tough approach and it sounded like the person behind it just might make good on the threat.
"OKAY!...nnmmmgawd...juscht wanna get saam sluuueeeep..."
Several minutes later, Rinoa forced herself awake, her eyes still bleary and muddled with sleep. If it was Zone or Watts, so help her she'd cold cock 'em. She rubbed her tired eyes, clearing her vision. Looking over to see who woke her from a perfectly good dream her initial anger dissipated....it wasn't Zone, Watts, or anyone else she knew. It was a young man, he had his back turned to her and was dressed almost head to toe in black. What in the..? she thought, ...........OMIGOSH!! SeeD must be finally here!! Only a moment ago she was near comatose, but now she was fully awake and alive. Giddily, she pondered whether or not he'd know the young SeeD she'd danced with at that graduation party. It was funny that Cid didn't seem to know. You'd think that someone with a scar slashed across his forehead would be someone you'd remember....she mused....I suppose I could ask this guy...
With that in mind, she coughed lightly and said, "Um....excuse me....I wonder if you might know someone...who..."
Hearing her voice, the man in black turned around to face her. Her words caught in her throat...Rinoa's jaw dropped....It WAS the SeeD she'd danced with! Absolute joy overtook her and before he could even react, she launched herself off her bed. Rinoa leapt into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could.
Her arms draped around his neck, she exclaimed, "IT'S YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!! I THOUGHT I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!!"
Quickly she released him, wanting to really take a look at him...to make sure he was really there and not just a dream. He's here....he's really here....Her heart leapt with happiness, finally things would get done. She'd make a difference, and maybe even find love at the same time. Way to be shallow Rinoa....she thought to herself, but she couldn't help indulging her girlish giddiness for one moment. Apparently, he was just as surprised to see her, his face immobile with shock... His pale blue eyes as wide as saucers, mouth agape in a wide O of alarm.
"Yuh-Yuh-Y-y-you....." he stammered, his voice breathy and low.
His entire face flushed bright red, a trembling finger raising to point at her. Rinoa suddenly became aware that she was still dressed in nothing but the tank top and shortie P.J. bottoms she'd put on the night before. She could feel herself blushing, the color spreading to fill every part of her body.
"Oh! I....um...uh...I'll go change...", tripping over herself on her way to the bathroom.
Reappearing moments later to grab some clothes, she smiled sheepishly and dashed back into the bathroom to change. The door slammed and Squall was alone, still shaking....Good God...He'd comforted himself so many times after that night with the idea that he'd see her again. Now here she was and again he found himself loosing control again. Squall breathed in deeply, calming his rattled nerves.....he could handle this, no big deal.....So this girl I fell...I had a silly crush on with shows up again...that was then, this is now. Get a hold of yourself... He regained some composure and sat on the bed to wait for her.
They'd been in Timber for all of an hour, having arrived at the train station around noon. The ride over had gone smoothly, besides the weird shared dream the day before and Zell and Selphie arguing back and forth while playing cards the ENTIRE night....other than that, it had been a pleasant trip. Like a trip to hell, without the beautiful vistas...When they arrived the expected resistance member was there, the code was given and they were driven to the super ultra secret hide-out of the Forest Owls. Their guide was a guy named Zone, funny name considering he probably did just that on more than one occasion. Zone introduced them to the rest of their motley crew....Another member, named Watts, asked Squall to go and wake the princess....When Squall had asked what he meant by waking the princess....
Zone had answered, "Well....uh.....our...uuuuuhh...leader, we like call her the princess and stuff...Noni's kinda, sorta hard to wake up and junk and like she sorta kinda is really like grumpy and all scary and stuff and we like all figgerd you bein' a SeeD n' all you could like uhhhhhhh wake her up and stuff...."
Squall had reluctantly agreed to do so, getting directions to the princess's abode he strode on in. Not knowing that he'd be greeted by the ghost of depressions past. How'd he get into a situation like this......Zell had been right when he said that the first mission sucked....NO SHIT it sucked, damned understatement of the year....he thought glumly, impatiently tapping his boot on the floor.....God! What's taking her so long!! A wet nose nudged his hand lightly.....a dog?? A brown and white sheltie sat at his side, looking at him with gooey dog eyes that begged Squall to pet him. Having nothing better to do, he pet the dog, noting the golden name tag attached to a red collar around its neck.
"Angelo...hmmmm, didn't see you when I came in....hiding under the bed, eh?" Squall said, while scratching behind the dogs ear. The door opened and she stepped out, the dog immediately leaving his side for hers.
"Hey Giji! HOW"S MY ANGELO! How's my boy!?", ruffling the dog's fur as it jumped up to meet her. She stopped and looked at Squall, smiling she whispered, "Hi...."
"h-h-huh-Hi...."
"Sorry about before....Um...Well, we've never been properly introduced....My name's Rinoa Heartilly." , she stuck out her hand for him to shake.
"Squall Leonhart...." he said softly, lowering his eyes. Stepping forward, he took her hand gently, his heart pounding, and shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Squall.....Shall we go?"
He nodded, praying that this stupid mission would be over and he could go home. Home, where things were normal and he didn't feel like every minute his heart would give out. Where he could fricking breathe without his chest tightening with every breath. Just when things had fallen into place and the world made sense again, the fates seemed to mock him at every turn. Just get it over with.....he hissed inwardly. Being a gentleman, he stepped back, letting her exit the small cabin first. She walked forward, smiling as she went....it was when her back was turned to him that he noticed the pattern on the back of her sleeveless blue duster. His face drained of color as he walked behind her like a zombie, barely able to keep himself moving. A pair of stylized wings, white angel wings on her back .....god, it was the dream again....It was her that he saw in his dream. What did it mean, if anything? It means that I'm seriously fucked up in the head...that's what it means...This thought played with him as he entered the small meeting room in the Forest Owls base. He shook himself, breathing in deeply again to regain some semblance of normalcy and composure.
Rinoa stood up at the head of the table, propping her hands on it. There was little room on the table itself, as it was covered by an enormous model train set. At the moment Rinoa was conversing with another member of the resistance, turning her attention away from the task at hand. He could see Zell and Selphie sitting near the head of the table. Zell had saved him a seat and as he sat down, Squall noted the surprised look on Zell's face. Gee, that was me a minute ago...
"DUDE! It's her! You know, that chick you danced with..." Zell whispered.
"So it is....your point being?" Squall hissed back.
Zell's eyes opened wide, waggling his eyebrows goofily, "SO!? Aren't you gonna...you know...work your magic on her? At least ask her out or something!"
"Oh, whatever...."
"I think you're crazy if you don't...."
"They're about to start...." Squall replied quickly, completely annoyed.
The lights dimmed a bit and Rinoa began, "For those who don't know, a few weeks ago we received some information that Vinzer Deling would be traveling via train through Timber. Our plan, at its basic level, is a kidnapping operation. We've managed to get our hands on an almost exact replica of one of the two escort cars traveling with the car carrying Deling. We're going to switch our dummy car for one of the escort cars... hence, kidnapping Deling and hopefully forcing some negotiations...either that or we go to jail!....just kidding. I've constructed this model to help everyone understand how it should go. Being that we are rather short handed, we've managed to secure some help from Balamb Garden....could you three please introduce yourselves..."
The next few moments were spent on introductions, formal titles were given and there were handshakes all around. After everyone got a small chance to get to know each other, they all sat down to officially begin the meeting. As Rinoa began, the other Forest Owls regarded the three SeeDs, unsure of how to take their presence. On one hand, having the extra help would be good, especially since they were professionals. On the other hand, how could you trust them? It's not like they really shared the same goals, they were only doing it for the money and could care less about Timbers independence.
Rinoa pointed down to the small model mock up, briefly explaining what they were to do once they met up with Deling's train. She finished up and asked the room if they had any questions. Zone raised his hand and Rinoa nodded at him. "Yes, you've got a question?"
"Yeah, the paint job on the model sucks..."
Rinoa scowled at Zone, "Oh shut up....It was really late when I painted it...AND that's not even a question."
"That's no excuse!! Looks like a two year old painted it.."
"OOOOkay.....It symbolizes my hatred for Vinzer Deling and his unjust government... So shut up about it already...."
"WOW!" Selphie exclaimed, innocently, "You must really hate him!"
Exasperated, Rinoa shot back, "Alright already! Enough about the stupid paint job, like it matters anyway....any REAL questions?"
"Yes, Who's going the sneak aboard the train?" Squall asked.
"THANK YOU...at least someone here is an adult. I will, seeing as this is my plan.... In any event, we will need at least three other people to help out. Two look-outs and the person who'll be repelling off the train" Rinoa said with an uncertain smile, "Any volunteers?" Looking at the dead silent room, Rinoa knew none of the rest would ask to go along, unless she made them. Their lack of enthusiasm aggravated her often and it seemed to her sometimes they only cared about independence in theory not practice. They wanted Deling out of Timber, but not enough to actually work at it. They act like I'm a bossy bitch and yet I manage to get things done.
Squall solved her problem immediately and stood up, "I'll go..."
"WELL...there's one...." Rinoa said, looking around again. God, I don't know why I even try sometimes.
"Me and Selphie will go too....I mean, you hired us and all...so we can do the dirty work no one else wants to, right?" Zell said, smiling pleasantly...knowing full well that Selphie would hit him once she got the chance. He could see it in her eyes.
"Thank you...all three of you...Well, I guess we have our train party. The rest of you will have to stay here and make preparations." Rinoa said, gritting her teeth. Figures the only people to volunteer would be those we've paid for. She wondered if she could go back in time and tell herself not to start this stupid group, "We'll rendezvous with the President's train in a half hour. So let's get moving."
The meeting then came to a noisy and unproductive end. Squall was wondering what in the world possessed Cid to assign them to this mission. He remembered what Cid had told them, that this mission was about building character....Damn tests....Hey Squall, being miserable builds character, YEEHAW!! Gee thanks dad...He sulked darkly. Zell tapped his shoulder, motioning for him to lean over.
"What do you think about all this?"
"........It doesn't matter what I think. We just have to follow orders."
Zell frowned, "Still, don't you think they're....well..... kinda disorganized. More than just that, NONE of their members volunteered for this mission.....besides Rinoa I mean. It's almost an insult to work for these people. They don't seem to even want to work on this mission at all."
"Yeah," Selphie whispered, " And did you see the way they looked at us when Rinoa introduced us? It's like they don't even want us here. Maybe you should check our contract, Squall. If they can't use us, maybe someone else can."
" I suppose you're both right....I'll check our contract, but we should at least to attempt to fulfill our half of the agreement." Squall replied, a bit too sternly. He was momentarily horrified to realize that he sounded like Quistis.
He walked over to where Rinoa had been since the end of the meeting, if you could call it a meeting. She was squatting on the floor with Watts, going over the schematics for the President's train, making annotations and addendums to it regarding the security.
"Isn't it odd that there seems to be such lax security?" Rinoa asked, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah, but my info came from a reliable source, are you thinking it's a set up?" Watts said, answering her question with one of his own.
"Could be, but I suppose this is the best chance we've got. Even if it is some kind of trap or double cross, it's all we have. Contact your source at Timber Maniacs magazine, at the very least whether we succeed or fail we can make some news." She replied, brightening at the thought of some press for the resistance.
"Ahem..." Squall coughed, "Sorry to interrupt.....May I please take a look at your contract with the Garden?"
Rinoa's eyes narrowed. Why would they need to review their contract? Dollars to donuts they were going to see if they could back out. Cid told her this might happen, so he fixed it for her, to make sure that no one could try and quit. She replied slowly, "Sure, but Cid had to give me two contracts. One has all the lawyer mumbo-jumbo in it that only they can understand. He gave me another one that was much simpler."
She handed him the two contracts, one a mere slip of paper, the other a large clutch of documents. Quickly scanning through both documents, his heart sank into a seemingly bottomless, snake filled pit. The language was extremely vague, it stated that they were to help out Rinoa and the Owls in their efforts to liberate Timber for as long as it takes. The one and only way the contract would terminate was when Timber was recognized as a free country. Which could be today, tomorrow, or twenty years from now! Yeah...we're your best students so send us on a freaking mission that very well may NEVER end....God DAMMIT all to hell....he ruminated angrily. Why in the world would Cid do this? That was the one thing that boggled Squall's mind. It's because the gods DO hate me and mock my very existence...I knew I should've refused this stupid mission.... dammit... Resigning himself, he realized that they had to abide by the contract. The stupid thing left no maneuvering room for them to squirm out of their obligation.
"Thank you..." He said quietly, handing her paper back and skulking back to Zell and Selphie.
"Well, what'd say?" Zell inquired, anxiously.
"It's really vague....." Squall replied, rubbing his temple in frustration, "I read BOTH documents that Cid gave to her....and they say pretty much the same thing. We're stuck helping these people until Timber is freed...."
"You've got to be joking! Timber might NEVER be freed! God dammit! So, we're fucking screwed.....is that it?" Zell snarled, crossing his arms in contempt, he shot a look over at Selphie, "Told you our first mission would suck.."
"Oh, don't rub it in.....and this is for volunteering me..." she snapped, hitting him on the arm, "So....what do we do now?"
"We follow our orders.....that's what. Anything they ask of us, we do...without complaint." Squall answered, turning his back on them and walking over to join Rinoa.
She finished up with Watts and turned around to look at Squall, his eyes had turned cold....not at all like they were when she first met him. Something had changed between them, and it hurt her deep down to see it. "Can I help you?"
"Yes....what are your orders?", his voice flat and colorless.
"My orders? Well....I'm sorry.... I'm just used to people picking up the slack without having to be told....um....We don't really give too many orders around here....I'm not really sure what you want me to do......"
"We're all going on the train, right? What jobs do you want to assign us to?" He asked again, losing patience a little. We're just hired hands.....not like we have any choice in the matter....why even pretend, he thought bitterly.
"Gee....I don't know....Why don't you pick which jobs do you want to do?"
"It doesn't work that way, you tell us what to do.....That contract with the Garden in effect makes you our commander. We have to follow your orders completely and to the letter. What we want is irrelevant."
"Oh.... So...I tell you to jump and you say how high....is that how it works? Well...You look like the strongest here, I guess you can be the one to jump off the moving train...and Selphie and Zell can be the look outs. Happy now?" He didn't answer, continuing to stare at her with those cold, indifferent eyes. Is this what he's really like? He'd been quiet and a bit sullen when she first met him, but now....he was being a total flaming asshole, "I assume that means yes....or doesn't it matter?" she said, an edge of sarcasm entering her voice, "Fine then.....We leave NOW. Let's go...Watts has our radios and the repelling equipment. We'll use the radios sparingly, don't want to tip anyone off."
The four of them left the meeting room, and into the small entryway where Watts was waiting. The SeeDs took their equipment, a couple of radio headsets and Squall's climbing gear. Rinoa silently began to pick up her equipment, irritated by the holier than thou attitude all three SeeDs had been exhibiting. Just because they had some musty old professor babble on about tactics didn't make them military geniuses. Check the damn contract my ass....You can take the thing and shove it...she thought, seriously beginning to wonder if this was such a great idea. The door to their train opened, the wind whipping her hair around so violently that it got in her eyes. She quickly tied it back and took off her long, blue duster, handing it to Watts.
Rinoa grabbed onto the small handles near the open door, easily lifting herself on to the rungs. Shimmying up the ladder and onto the roof of the train, she looked forward, past the nose of the engine....in the distance, not too far away, she could see the President's train. Who cares if they're a bunch of jerks....if they can help us, I guess I can put up with them....The SeeDs followed close behind, Squall coming first then the two others. She motioned him through, then Zell came, and finally Selphie, who almost fell off the stupid ladder. Rinoa caught her arm quickly, and helped her up on the train. Looking like a pretty big IF....she mused. The Forest Owls train sped towards the President's at light speed. At least that's how it seemed to Rinoa, who momentarily reveled in the sensation. She made it up to the front of the train, pushing in front of Squall. Soon the last car on the President's train lined up with theirs.....Taking a moment to prepare herself, she knelt down and pushed off the top of the train with all her strength. Leaping gracefully into the air, she landed on the President's train with little trouble. She backed up a bit, turning around to motion for the SeeDs to follow.
Once everyone was onboard, they quickly made their way up past the last two cars towards the Presidential car. The Forest Owl's train sped up, passing the Presidential train. Rinoa watched as it went, trying to keep her balance as the wind lashed her small form. The wind was their enemy, wickedly lashing and whipping at them with unseen fingers. They had to hunker down low, to reduce the wind's resistance, so they wouldn't be thrown from the train. After a few moments, they made it past the Presidential car and then to the first escort car.
Rinoa clicked on her radio, "Selphie and Zell, position yourselves at the far end of the train. Look down....you can see through the low windows...keep an eye out for guards on that side....there should be at least two...call if anyone comes so we can get Squall up before they see him." She clicked it off and began to position an automated winch above the door and the locking mechanism. Attaching the slim cord that would be hoisting Squall up and down. She looked up and motioned for him to come over. Rinoa handed him the business end of the cord, and he clipped himself in. The other two watched the windows for a sign of the guards.
Flipping on the radio again, she spoke quickly, "Jerk the cord when you want to get up...the lock's a bit sticky....so you might have to yank a little, instructions are on the side......good luck."
Squall nodded and readied himself, putting on a pair of gloves, so his hands wouldn't be shredded by the sharp metal wire. Steadying himself and testing the strength of the cord quickly, he carefully walked down the side of the car. His hands were sweating inside his gloves, as he lowered himself so slowly it hardly seemed like he was moving at all. It was difficult going, the train traveling so fast that the wind constantly threatened to unbalance him and send him flying off the side of the train. Squall could hear the click of the metal wheels on the track. One good gust and that was all she wrote. He reached the switch, grabbing the small handle with one hand and holding the wire with the other, he pulled....stupid thing wouldn't budge. Rinoa had been right, the switch was quite heavy, and gave more resistance that Squall had expected. He yanked the switch again, this time pulling it almost all the way out. Squall stopped for a moment and repositioned himself , jerking it suddenly, he forced the switch out all the way. Turning it over, he could hear a barely audible click, with that he shoved it back into place. Looking up, he yanked the cord to let Rinoa know it was time for him to go up. The wire went taught as the winch slowly wound up the cord and Squall made his way back up. Moments later, he was on top of the train with Rinoa again. She waived them all on and they ran down the length of the train, stopping on the Presidential car.
The Presidential car detached from the first escort car and began to slow down. Once they reached an intersection in the rails, ahead of the slowing Presidential car, the tracks underneath their train quickly switched. Now traveling on the same tracks, the Forest Owls train began to carefully back up to reach Deling's car. They allowed their hitch to bump into the Presidential car's hitch and quickly engaged the locking mechanism. There was a small jolt, as the cars latches locked and then the train smoothly began to move forward. Rinoa and the others snuck down the remaining length of the Presidential car, stopping at the end of it.
Everything went like planned AND there were no guards. It was a little weird but, anything you can walk away from was good, Rinoa thought. Making a snap decision, she flipped her radio on, "Zell, Selphie...I think they could put you two to better use in the control room, go back inside the train and help them out....Squall and I will be okay.."
"You sure?" Zell's asked, his voice crackling over the head set.
"Yup..."She answered, clicking off her headset and moving down to the end of the Presidential car.
Zell and Selphie winded their way back over the Presidential car and towards the Forest Owls train. Rinoa stopped to watch them go, making sure they made it back on the train. Then she repositioned the winch, replaying the same steps they'd taken on the first escort. Wasting no time, Squall began his descent, and he was halfway down the side of the train when the radio crackled to life.
"Squall...I'm pulling you up...get ready!"
Before he could ask why, the winch began its work and he had hardly any choice but to follow. He looked to his left, through the windows he could see a guard turning the corner....SHIT! ...Scrambling up the side, Squall barely made it to the roof of the train before the soldier walked far enough down the hallway to see him from the low windows. The guard peered out a small observation window set into the door. Rinoa and Squall waited for a moment, with baited breath, while the wind whistled in their ears. Seeing nothing unusual, the guard left, satisfied that all was well. Looking at each other, their faces pale and shaken, both relieved that they hadn't been caught. Rinoa made the okay gesture, her eyes questioning him. He nodded and taking up the wire, walked down the side again. This time he hurried through the steps, and disengaged the lock as quickly as possible. Jerking the wire, he ascended with all speed. They ran the length of the car and jumped back onto the roof of the Owls train. The second escort car was now uncoupled, without anything to give it forward momentum, it slowed radically. The Forest Owls train leaving it in the dust, riding off to a secluded and long forgotten set of tracks. Once they were in protected territory and the train was stopped, they'd begin the negotiations.
When Squall and Rinoa made it back into the train, they went directly to the small control room. Zone, with loads of assistance from Selphie, had managed to hack into the computer system that secured the locks on the doors to the president's car. The rest of the Forest Owls had suited up, arming themselves with whatever weapons they'd been able to get their hands on. They had assumed that there would be a ton of security on the car itself. Rinoa strapped on her blaster edge, a compact weapon that was much like a crossbow combined with a boomerang. The Forest Owls walked over to the entrance to the Presidents car. Squall stopped Rinoa before she could join the rest of her crew.
"What should we do?" he asked, managing not to make eye contact with her.
"Just follow us.... You brought weapons, I hope?"
Zell suddenly popped up, handing Squall a large black case of some kind. He knelt down and opened it, taking out the weirdest weapon Rinoa had ever seen. It looked like a big hand gun with a sword blade attached. On the shimmering sliver blade there was an engraving of a lion, breathing fire.
She stared at the weapon, fascination overtaking her, she said dreamily, "Wow....what is it?"
"A gunblade...."
"Wait....yeah....Now I remember....I first heard of you guys last summer, when I met another cadet at a party at my father's....his name was Seifer, he said he used a gunblade....kept bragging about how he and one other student were the only ones that used them... He must've been talking about you.......boy, I haven't thought about him in ages."
At Seifer's name Squall visibly stiffed, his eyes hardening again, "Whatever....shouldn't we go?"
"Yeah...I guess...." Rinoa said, lost in thought.
Seifer had been one of the first guys she'd ever dated. She wasted an entire summer on him. In truth, she wasn't sure if she was angry with Seifer or herself for being so naive and gullible. Seifer was handsome, in a macho kind of way, not her usual pick for a boyfriend. It was his confidence that impressed her, that and his passion for life. The way he talked about everything, adding a stimulating edge of excitement and romance. It had been fun hanging out with him at first, but after awhile his personality grated on her nerves. Seifer was an arrogant child with a HUGE attitude problem. They argued constantly, everything they liked about each other became everything they hated. It became obvious to both of them that they were different people...too different to get along with each other. She had really loved him and thought that he had felt the same, but she was wrong. He wanted a romantic relationship without the attachments, she wanted more. The end came rather anticlimactically, no shouting....no argument....He simply left and she never saw him again. No note, no warning, she got up one morning, went to his hotel room and he wasn't there. It had been more devastating to her than anything else he could have done. No chance for her to say good-bye, no way for a small reconciliation, not even a promise that they'd still be friends. He just left, leaving her alone to deal with her feelings, much like her father had done many years before. Seifer knew about her father leaving shortly after her mother died, knew that his leaving had made her feel painfully alone and worthless. She was terrified of being abandoned, and he used it, purposefully leaving without explanation to hurt her. He was such an ass....should've known that the people he'd gone to school with would be the same.
They joined the Forest Owls who'd gathered around the closed door to the President's cabin. With a signal, Zone pushed a button and the door to the cabin opened. Rinoa and three other Forest Owls members rushed in, weapons at the ready. One lone guard scrambled up, raising his weapon nervously. ONE GUARD? Rinoa was surprised and disturbed. The president wasn't here....it had been a ruse.
"HALT!" he shouted, shaking like a leaf.
Rinoa cocked her head, and with a derisive look, cracked off a shot with her blaster edge. It grazed the guard's helmet, hard enough to knock him unconscious. She stepped over him, looking up she could see the president. He was sitting with his back turned at a small table. It couldn't be him.....It had been too easy....if the president was really here there'd be more guards. She knew it had been too good to be true. Dammit! Probably hired some poor community actor to pretend like he was the President. She was angry, not just at the dumb bastard who had to play President, but at herself for not being more careful. Rinoa wanted answers....if the President wasn't here where the hell was he? She'd be damned if she didn't find it out, this asshole was going to talk, like it or not.
"Who are you?", aiming her weapon at the back of the fake president's head. He didn't answer right away, "ANSWER ME! Where's the President?"
"Right HeRe..." the fake President answered, it's voice gurgling unnaturally, "YouNG LADY....You'Re...AlL goinG TO Die!!"
The president lurched up from his seat. It wasn't the President or even someone posing as the President, it wasn't even human. Its face was a contorted mess of flesh and bone, its features oozing into each other. Rinoa stared at it in frozen horror, while the other members of the Forest Owls backed up, dropping their weapons and running back into the car. She couldn't move, she'd never seen a real monster before. It lumbered towards her, with every step loosing the features that distinguished it as human.
The thing began to transform in front of her, one of its arms shaking and bubbling as the flesh remolded itself. Its guts spilling out from its torso, claws bursting out of its skin where fingers had once been. The stench of death filling the small cabin. She dropped to her knees, not knowing what else to do, her mind paralyzed with fear. What the hell?.....Lifting its arms out, it reached down to grab her, but before it could, a sudden burst of fire drove it stumbling back. Rinoa's paralysis broke and she looked back to see who'd saved her. It couldn't have been one of her people, para-magic was hard to get a hold of. Most civilians could never get their hands on the stuff, she knew...they'd tried, it was only used by the military and....SeeD. Her heart thumped, her eyes went wide....it was Squall, standing at the door with his hand outstretched. The thing made a run at him, screaming with inhuman rage. He sidestepped it, stretching his hand out again. With little effort a gout of flame gathered in his palm and shot out towards the charging monster. The zombie shuddered with pain, turning again to charge his attacker. Squall didn't have enough time to react, he stumbled as the monster lurched towards him.....from her place on the floor, Rinoa quickly fired the pinwheel from her blaster edge. Hitting the thing in its side, distracting the monster long enough for Squall to get up. It whipped around, attacked from all sides, it became confused and rushed towards Rinoa. She rapidly reloaded, firing shot after shot, the thing rattling and shaking with each hit. It roared in pain and raising its arm, it swiped at Rinoa. She screamed, realizing her weapon wasn't working, and covered her head. Squall jumped in front of her, slashing the monster's belly with his gunblade. From behind, another huge blast of fire engulfed the zombie. It was Zell and Selphie, who'd combined their efforts and began to buffet the thing with blast after blast of fire.
"You alright?" Squall asked, holding out his hand.
She took it, letting him help her up, "Y-yes....Thanks.."
"We'll take care of this....you better get out of here..."
"No....I...." she stammered, watching the continuing battle rage over the entire room.
The creature whipped out a tentacle, striking Selphie hard on her arm, leaving a sickly looking welt on her skin. She staggered and fell to the ground, the toxins in the monster's skin had quickly begun to worm their way through her system. Zell noticed this and momentarily halted his attack to cast Esuna on her to flush the poison out. This gave the monster a chance to strike out at him, but he shortly returned his attention to where it belonged. He wasn't quite fast enough, the creature took this chance and struck again. This second attack was deflected by a quick slash from Squall's gunblade, slicing a tentacle in half before it could reach his teammate. Zell continued to cast spells and Squall kept the thing from landing any more blows, his sword flashing and arcing gracefully as he hit blow after blow. Watching the spinning blade was dizzying, each swing was deliberate and precise, and his knack from anticipating his enemies next move was uncanny. Even stranger was the way he worked out an easy rhythm to support his teammate, his movements and actions coordinating with whatever Zell was doing. After a moment or two to recover herself, Selphie cast a quick cure spell on herself and jumped up to help Zell. She raised her hand up in a dance like motion, and without blinking, a jet of fire appeared from her palm. It spread outwards, joining Zell's own flame as it hit the target. This motion was repeated, the individual pulses of flame register as one larger, constant stream of fire. Rinoa watched the battle with awe, they were good, much better than her, much better than anyone she had ever seen, though she knew it was due to their professional training. How could she compare, she fought because she had to, not because she chose to. She had experience, a lot of experience and yet she couldn't help but feel so useless...what could she do? She didn't have magic, and her weapon was ineffective against the thing. She knew she should leave but, it seemed too much like giving up to just go. This was HER operation, as leader it would be not only wrong but irresponsible to leave.
She was resolved, pulling herself up off the ground, "NO....I got myself into this...I'm not about to give up just because the odds aren't stacked in my favor."
"Rinoa...." Squall said, trying to reason with her. Before he could go on, she rushed forward, towards Zell and Selphie.
The monster staggered around the room, its body smoking from all the blasts of fire it'd endured. It would only take a few more hits before the thing would go down. In a last ditch effort, the monster raised a meaty arm, letting tendrils of undead flesh whip towards its merciless attackers. In a flash, Rinoa lifted her left arm and shot at the decrepit skin whips, slicing them in half. This gave Zell enough time to rip off one last lick of flame, casting the highest level fire spell that one could learn, firaga. He raised his hands and pushed forward with all his will, sending an impressive blast of fire that broke over the zombie like a wave. The zombie began to scream again, its entire body covered in fire....its flesh melting and blackening until there was nothing left but a pile of ashes on the ground.