Quiet time, dull and monotonous time that stretched out into infinity as the hands of the clock moved so slowly. In the bleak gray walls of the prison the days passed ever so leisurely. Days, they blurred together, separated by the infinitesimal differences in their activities. Week after week the same things happened. Routine was observed religiously, all in an effort to maintain order and discipline within the prison's population. Three days of the week they worked, one day for exercise and recreation, the last three days spent in your cell. Quistis thought that she might just die from the boredom of it all.
Today was one of their down days, where they had nothing to do but stare at the walls. Work days were always more interesting, as well as more dangerous. It meant contact with other inmates, and that was a deterrent to joy. Though luck did work in their eventual favor. At first both girls had been harassed quite badly by the lonelier large women, who looked at these beautiful newcomers with lust in their eyes. The harassment was particularly bad at recreation time, when the inmates were allowed to roam more freely.
Quistis made a good decision weeks earlier to let their status as SeeDs slip. It kept all but the boldest away. There were a few stupid enough to tempt fate, and met the brick wall that was formal SeeD hand to hand combat training. The best part was, neither Quistis nor Selphie would get in trouble for it, as they'd both agreed to only use techniques that didn't leave visible marks. Selphie, as it turned out, was very good with pressure points and had reduced a three hundred pound monolith to tears with an expert jab of her finger. The girl spun around like a whirling dervish, arms and legs blurring as she struck her opponents with soft blows. None of them had taken her seriously, because the areas where she'd struck were quite painless at first. Until a few moments afterwards, when they were doubled up with pain. It painted the younger SeeD in a whole new light, as Quistis had never expected Selphie to be quite as formidable as she was. Timid, sweet Selphie kicked more ass than she did! The few fights they engaged in keep the rest of the prison populace out of their hair. It had certainly made work much easier, and recreation time more relaxing.
Their status as SeeDs also resonated with the guards and administrators. It had been noted that an upward spike in inmate trips to the infirmary had coincided with their arrival. Though, of course, there was no direct evidence. Solitary confinement had been threatened, but by that time no one was bothering them anymore. Being so dangerous, at least according to prison administration. They'd been placed in the women's laundry room, of course not with the chemicals or heavy equipment, but sorting the dirty laundry. It was icky, stinky work, that neither girl liked much. Selphie, ever the whiner, complained the loudest. However, Quistis had ceased to be annoyed by her, anyone would have complained in their situation.
In an effort to ease boredom on days off, they'd taken to pilfering the cardboard backing for shirts. Quistis managed steal a pen from a guard, and with that and the cardboard she'd fashioned a crude deck of cards to play Triple Triad with. This day, however, neither felt much like playing cards. It had been at least three weeks, if not more, since the parade. Quistis had figured that they were due for swift execution.... though she guessed that the Sorceress had something else in mind. Perhaps the old bitch was figuring on turning them like she did Seifer. Maybe she just wanted to torture and interrogate them. Whatever it was, Quistis just wished they'd do it soon and put an end to all the waiting. The boredom had really become too much to bear.
Each girl sat on their own bunks, in silent contemplation. Quistis stared blankly at the underside of Selphie's bed, trying hard to not care about what lay in the future. Selphie could be heard in her bunk, fidgeting as she threw a wad of paper at the ceiling.
"Quistis.....I'm bored....."
".....Me too....."
"Do you think Rinoa and Irvine are okay?"
"I hope so....." Quistis sighed, it had been awhile since she thought of that regret, "....If she hasn't already killed Irvine...."
"He's not that bad...." Selphie said defensively, stiffening when she heard a giggle come from below.
"Yes, he is....His charm has blinded you, my dear....."
"Meanie....." Selphie replied, with a raspberry, ".....What about Zell? I wonder how he's doing?"
"Who knows.....I bet he's as bored as we are.....worse probably. All this quiet must be driving him nuts."
Selphie smiled, "Yeah...I miss him....I miss them all." She fell silent for a moment, determined not to be weak and give into crying again, "Do you think we'll ever see them again?"
"Dunno.....I guess.....I really hope so. I miss everybody too. It's just....Not to be morbid, but....I'm just surprised we've been kept alive so long......" Quistis stopped, annoyed at herself for saying something like that in front of Selphie. She'd tried so hard to keep those worries from the young SeeD.
"Hmmmm.....I wonder why?"
This shocked Quistis, it didn't seem like Selphie to be that clear headed. She expected some sort of refutation, like why wouldn't we be alive, don't be so negative!! I should just stop putting people into categories....that's my damn problem. She liked this newer Selphie much better than the scared little whiner from before.
Quistis sighed, "Well.....My guess is they're waiting to interrogate us...."
"Yeah....but....that's just stupid! What do they have to wait for? Not like we're going anywhere!"
Quistis pondered the thought for a moment, Why haven't the interrogated us? She shrugged, "Who knows..."
A moment or two of silence followed. She could hear Selphie move around above her. The constant fwish of the paper ball ceased. Suddenly Selphie's head popped down from the bunk, causing Quistis to yelp in alarm.
"GOTCHA!!" Selphie giggled, enjoying the chance to stretch out her tired muscles while testing her acrobatic ability.
Quistis didn't reply, knotting her brows and giving the young girl a look of mildly humored disapproval.
Still hanging upside down, Selphie spoke breathlessly, "What day d'ya think it is?"
"Not a clue.....Why??"
"Cus if I knew what day it was....Well, just because it'd be nice to know...."
Quistis rolled her eyes as she sat up, extending a finger to bop Selphie on her nose, "...Because if you knew what day it was, then you'd know what was on TV. Right?"
"NO!!" Selphie barked, her face struggling as she'd never been a good liar, "....Okay, yes."
This elicited another roll of the eyes from Quistis. She snorted, "Predictable! Television rots the brain......"
"I hope it's Thursday. Degrassi is on, on Thursdays....." Selphie smiled wistfully.
"Oh , You're just a sucker for compelling teenage drama.....We have enough real problems to deal with here. I hardly think it's useful to watch thirty year old teenagers with fictitious ones....It's a waste of time." Quistis said, trying not to sound too sarcastic and momentarily horrified that she sounded like Squall.
Pausing again....how easily had that thought come, like he was still alive. It was hard not to think like that. Hard for her to admit he was really gone, but he was. Both girls had struggled to stay upbeat and positive, it was all they could do to stomach their situation. She'd reopened an old wound, and with great effort kept herself from drowning in a flood of tears. Selphie didn't seem to notice, and had begun to hum to herself. It irritated Quistis a little, but she couldn't really blame the girl. It's not like I always wear my heart on my sleeve like she does.....Quistis thought, looking at the silly face of her friend....it was hard not to laugh.
She scowled bemusedly, "Hey....Could you please just come down here or I could go up there or something?"
Bopping her head from side to side with her tongue out, Selphie grinned and put on her most innocent face, "Whyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeee?"
"Because, talking to you upside down is just......disturbing and creepy....Plus, you might fall." Quistis's brow knitted as she spoke, waving her hands in the air as if that explained everything.
The locked clicked on the door to their cell, neither girl paid much attention to it. Periodic bunk inspections were the norm, more than likely just guards who felt like raiding their room. Not that they'd find much, the SeeDs had been clever when it came to hiding contraband. Though the person in the doorway was hardly who they expected it to be.
"HAAAAY BABY!!" Zell shouted, a large and decidedly goofy grin plastered on his face.
Selphie made a little squeak and promptly fell off the top bunk, nearly landing on her head. Quistis was at first quite shocked, then relieved, then curious and finally stifling a laugh at Selphie's predicament. She quickly knelt down to make sure the young SeeD was okay, finding it hard not to snicker just a little bit. I did warn her....It took less than a microsecond for Selphie to recover from her fall, she was up and running, nearly knocking Zell over with the shear force of her embrace.
Tears and laughter were intertwined in her greeting, that was basically unintelligible. "OMIGODAREYOUOKAYI'VEMISSEDYOUSOMUCHICAN'T BELIEVEYOU'REHEREWON'TYOUGETINTROUBLE!!!"
".....breathing... becoming... an... issue..." Zell choked, his face going red, but happily so.
She released him, still smiling as tears washed down her face, "Sorry, I'm just really happy to see you!!"
Zell chuckled, "That's a first! You happy to see me!"
"HAY! What do you mean by that!! Of course I'd miss you, stoopid!! Didja miss me??" Selphie said, wiping at her face, a shy smile shining beneath the spent tears.
He ruffled her hair, giving her his own gentle hug, "'Course! You're my favorite annoying little sister type! There was no one for me to tease, it was boring without you!"
Selphie beamed, hugging him tightly for a second time before letting him go, though keeping an arm around his shoulder. All the while, Quistis watched with contemplative joy. It was like watching a family reunion from far in the distance. Zell turned his gray eyes to her, the light that sparkled within them clear and effervescent. This whole thing hadn't changed him, his spirit hadn't been dragged through the mud. It had only made him stronger. In a way, I think it's made us all stronger.....
He spoke softly, taking the edge off his normally jovial tone, "Hey Mama Jama....How ya hangin'?"
"That's not proper the proper way to address your superior." Quistis replied blandly, immediately smiling to let him know she was joking.
"AW! I'm sorry Teech!!" He grinned, letting Selphie go and bending down to hug her, "Nice to see you, Trepe Sempai..."
"That's Quistis to you......Nice to see you as well."
Quistis accepted the embrace, closing her eyes in relief. Finally, she was in on the reunion, not merely watching from afar. All three laughed, and though genuine, it had a tinge of bitter sweetness to it. For the first time Quistis got a good look at Zell. She was puzzled, noticing the subtle bruising around his face and arms that she hadn't seen before; mostly because she was just happy to see him period.
Selphie asked before she had a chance to, "Hey, what's the deal with you bein' out and all?"
Quistis nodded, gesturing at his injuries, "Yes, and it seems you had something of an adventure...."
Zell grimaced, scratching the back of his head with a hand, "Well.....Let's just say.... Me and one of the guards had something of a disagreement about the treatment of prisoners. Over this guy...." He stepped back, revealing a mid-sized cat-like creature....its fur a bright fire red, "I'm not sure what he is but, he brought my block all our meals. This one guard was always beatin' on him. Said he was too slow and I just couldn't take it anymore. So I pounded an animal rights lesson into his skull, literally. Seeing as I was in trouble for kicking a guard's ass I figured I might as well try escaping too. And here we are, all caught up! I named him George...."
George made a noise that was somewhere between a bark and a meow. His large blue eyes gazing up in adoration at his savior. The little cat-creature trotted up to his new master, nuzzling a leg affectionately. Zell smiled softly, scritching the back of George's ear, a contented purr coming from the animal.
"AWWWWWWWWW!! THAT'S SO CUUUUUUUUUUTE!!" Selphie squealed, she kneeled down, holding out her hand, "Hey, George......Come to Auntie Selphie....."
The little animal looked at her cautiously, creeping up to her with slow careful steps. Sniffing and backing away a few times, until he felt it was okay to give her hand an experimental nuzzle. Sensing it was okay, he became friendlier, much to Selphie's delight. Quistis looked on, rather unimpressed and eager to move on with things. If they were to escape, it was no time to be petting stray...cat... things.
"Zell....I'm curious....I have about a million questions....but foremost, How in the world did you find us?? This place is huge....We could've been on any floor..."
Zell looked nervously at Selphie, "Um.....Selphie......Did you tell her?"
"'Bout what?"
"You know....the dreams......"
"No....Why? Should I have?"
"Well, didn't you have one?!"
"No....did you?" Zell nodded, garnering a look of puzzlement from Selphie, "Hmm.... So how's Laguna and the crew?"
"Don't know. I was in Ward.....Saw Kiros briefly but....."
Quistis listened in on the conversation, at first not understanding what in the hell they were talking about. The minute they began mentioning those names, her mind went rocketing back to that strange dream she'd had. A dream that had seemed entirely too real.
Quistis interrupted their conversation, "Wait.......These dreams......Those names......I've dreamt them.....Are you saying.....I mean, I dreamt about that Kiros. I went to Winhill......I met a guy named Laguna.......What the hell is going on? Explain, NOW!"
"Don't know where to start...." Zell began, shifting from foot to foot, "Well, it was on our way to Timber. We got on the train and were about to get settle in, when Selphie said she didn't feel well. Then this headache thing happened.....only worse. Like you were being ripped from your body. When I "woke-up" I was in someone else, least that's what it felt like. After awhile the whole scene faded and I was back in my own body. And....." He trailed off, looking at Selphie for help.
Selphie continued for him, gesticulating as she explained, "And when we all woke up for real, we found out the three of us had the same dream. Like we shared it or whatever. We talked about what to do and ....Squall, he said that..."
"We should save it for later, just concentrate on our mission. Things happened, and I guess we just all forgot because it didn't happen again. Until now....."
Quistis looked from face to face, her mind working fast, "Right. So if I had a dream and you did...who was the third? The last time there were three of you....Why didn't Selphie have one?"
"Dunno. Not like there's some kind of precedent for this kind of thing...."
"So how does this all relate to you finding us?"
"Ward, he worked here awhile back. I don't think the dream world and ours are in sync. I think what we're seeing is the past. Anyway, he was the janitor here. I spent what seems like a coupla weeks with him. Got to know this place like the back of my hand. Galbadian security sucks ass, they haven't even changed some of the codes since Ward's time. It was easy to find you using his access codes, and the guard's keycard."
"Clever....Can you figure a way out?" Quistis asked, her azure eyes locked on him.
"You betcha!" Zell piped happily, "But whatever we're gonna do, let's do it now. Ain't got no time to plan....Sooner or later, they'll find that guard. I'm thinkin' we go up. "
He handed Quistis the service pistol he'd stolen from the guard, he preferred his fists anyway. She examined the gun, pleased to find it was a Desert Eagle. SeeDs were expected to be able to use a variety of weapons in combat. She'd taken the required fire arms courses, and the Desert Eagle had been one of the hand guns they'd used.
Zell looked at Quistis, the normal hyperactive exuberance dissolving into the resoluteness needed for battle. She returned the gaze and quickly turned away to check the clip, relieved to find it full. Flipping the safety off, she sidled over to the door and laid flat against the wall, holding the weapon tightly at the ready. Selphie and Zell were at the other side of the door, waiting for her signal. She nodded and Zell cautiously opened the door. Spinning out, she brandished the gun, looking from left to right all the while training the gun on possible targets. Nothing. She flipped the safety back on, and waved her compatriots out.
Zell was out like a shot, immediately taking point as he ran down the empty hallway. The little cat creature he'd saved padding softly at his side, intuitively anticipating his savior's motions. Zell hugged the wall, moving swiftly towards the stairs at the end of the circular hall. Pausing, he waited for Selphie and Quistis to catch up. Quistis came up behind him first, slipping past to prepare for her next sweep.
Zell whispered furtively before she made her move, "We're heading up one floor to the control room. It'll be on your right as you exit the stairs, wait for me before you enter….."
She nodded silently, darting towards the staircase with feline grace. She held the gun out in front of her as she ascended the stairs, her grip firm yet relaxed. Taking each step confidently, her eyes cold as she glared at the empty stairwell. The entrance to the next floor loomed, she pressed herself against the wall. Shifting her grip on the gun so she held it upright, ready to strike, yet hard to yank from her hands. Inching towards the entrance, she whipped out, extending her arms as she scanned the area with gun raised. All was safe. Clear.
He led them over to the control room door. Punching in codes quickly, he ran the card through the reader. Hopefully, this code had remained unchanged as well. As the card left the strip, screaming klaxons blared and the overheads were cut off, emergency lights blinking on in warning. Metal barriers whirred over the exits, as the automatic defense systems came online. Quistis spun around, facing a large yellow robot with a painted on face glaring menacingly at her. God, do they even know how creepy that is? She squeezed the trigger, trying her best to aim at what she thought might be vulnerable spots. Meanwhile, Zell struggled with the reader, cursing a blue streak as he tried different combinations. Selphie pushed him out of her way with surprising strength for her small size. Cracking the case open, she manipulated the wires with nimble fingers. The doors whooshing open at her command.
Quistis had begun counting off her rounds, annoyed that the machine hadn't gone down yet. It just kept ambling towards her, the same goofy grin on its face. Damn thing hasn't even fired. Sudden warmth flowed from her shoulder, the ping of metal reverberating in her ears. It had come close enough to her to target and fire. Fuck. Two more shots and I'm out. Ignoring her wounded shoulder, she aimed and squeezed. The bullet connecting with one rounded eye, the satisfying sound of pierced metal came shortly after. An internal gear exploded and gray smoke belched from the hole she made. The machine chugged, and fell over like the useless two ton paper weight it was. She smiled, though it faded as another robot took its fallen brother's place. Selphie grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her towards the control room.
Zell had already entered and grabbed the nearest guard. The man's companion in the control room went for his gun, aiming at Zell. Lifting the weapon, his hands suddenly went slack, gun clattering to the ground. Blood trailed dismally from the gunshot wound to his head. Quistis…Zell took a moment to look back at his wounded leader, as Quistis and Selphie quickly closed and barred the door. The first guard tried for his weapon, something he'd forgotten to do when the SeeD grabbed him. Cold steel greeted the back of Zell's head. Zell turned around and with a quick twisting of his hips, he grabbed the man's wrist. The movement so fast, the guard barely even had time to be surprised. The SeeD unbalanced him, bending his hand outward and thrusting him to the ground. Zell now had the man's face flat on the ground, and with a final twist, the young SeeD broke his arm. The gun popping from the guard's grip harmlessly. Selphie picked it up, switching on the safety and stuffing it in her waistband, she went to the computer terminals. Working quickly to disable the prison's defenses as fast as possible.
The sounds of Selphie's rapid fingers tacking away at the keyboard, and the moaning of the wounded guard were all that filled the room. She'd managed to disarm the robotic guards on floors five, six, and seven, but was having trouble with the rest of the floors. Selphie suspected that there were smaller computer stations on one of the lower floors that acted as a fail safe for just such a situation. Though it didn't matter, once she deactivated the magic field not much could stand in their way. She was now working on the firewalls that protected the stairwell gate protocols. It was taxing work, and the guard's constant moaning didn't help her concentration.
"Can you gag him or something??" She asked, not looking to see if they did.
A moment later the guard's voice became muffled, and then quit altogether. Finally able to concentrate fully, Selphie's eyes narrowed as she poured her entire being into her work. While she worked at the computer, Zell had begun to minister Quistis's wounded arm. He'd scrounged up a first aid kit, and tenderly cleaned and wrapped the abrasion. The bullet had luckily just grazed her arm rather than puncture it. He didn't have the equipment to properly dig it out if it had.
"You know, you could have really been hurt. You should have aimed more carefully." Zell chided her, packing up the first aid kid to take with him, just in case.
Quistis gave him an angry glare, "Hey, I'm no gun expert. If I had my whip, that thing would've been in pieces. I aimed as well as I could. All things considered, I think I did pretty well."
"I'm just saying, we have to be careful. If one of us really gets hurt bad….."
"I know….Will I still be able to shoot?"
"Probably. Likelihood goes up if Selphie gets that field down. One good curaga and you'll be as good as new."
Quistis briefly wondered if they might interrupt the girl to ask how she was doing. The intently serious look on her face said no. She'd tell them when she was done. They would just have to wait until then.
Quistis looked over at Zell, "You think she'll be able to do it?"
"Yeah. She's pretty amazing. I saw some of the stuff she did in Timber. Had no idea what she was doing….but it was still pretty amazing stuff."
Quistis nodded as she got up to look for more supplies. Zell had turned his attention to the bound guard. Giving him an injection of some sort while he worked on the arm he just broke. George followed him over, curling up near Zell as he continued to tend to the guard's wounds. Quistis dug through various drawers, and became increasingly frustrated when she found nothing of real use. She came to a large locked drawer. Staring at it quizzically, she wasted no time on thought. This was what she was looking for.
"Zell, check his belt for keys."
He did as he was told, unclipping a jangling key ring and tossing it at Quistis. Hand extended, she caught the keys without blinking. The next few minutes were spent trying keys that looked like they matched the keyhole. She turned over key after key until she found the right one. Her hunch had proven right. Inside was a map with the emergency exits and computer terminals highlighted and a nice big shot gun, plus scads of extra ammo. It was true with the fields down they didn't have to use weapons. But one of the things that they'd always been taught was not to rely on magic and Guardian Forces alone. If you could use your weapon and save your spells for later, you'd be better off in the end. Having an extra punch when you really needed it, instead of blowing your load on the little guys.
She readied the ammo bag, pulling out some dry ration packs that had also been stored. It had been awhile since any of them had eaten and it'd be a long way on the road. Slinging it over her shoulder, Quistis turned to Zell and tossed her pistol at him.
He caught it, giving her an oddly frustrated glare, "What's this for?"
"Just in case." She answered firmly, carefully loading slugs into the shotgun.
Selphie suddenly piped up, "Magic field's coming down. Hold onto your butts!"
Quistis was overcome with nausea, a dull thickness that overwhelmed body and mind. She reached out for the wall, using it to support her weight as she stood there dizzily. After a moment or two, the worst had subsided and she inhaled deeply to help speed up her recovery.
"Ready?" She asked, a wavering note of uncertainty in her own voice.
"As ready as ever…." Selphie answered, sounding a little urpy herself.
Zell staggered over, stopping to steady himself, he reached Quistis. George gave a nudge to one of his hands, licking his palm gently in encouragement. Zell smiled weakly, patting George on the head appreciatively. Thanks buddy…His hand gently reaching out, engulfed in bright green light as he healed her wound completely.
Quistis smiled at him, it was so like him to help someone, even if he was suffering. She'd have to remember to tell the headmaster that when they got home. Still struggling with the effects of the downed field, the trio made ready to leave the control room. Selphie positioned herself on one side of the door, gun drawn and ready, Zell the other, while Quistis stood in front. Zell opened the latch to the door, notably not touching the pistol Quistis had given him; leaving it in the waistband of his pants. With a swift kick, Quistis opened the door, shotgun raised. She marched out into the corridor, taking point while Selphie and Zell trailed behind her. They made it out of the 7th floor with little trouble and not one guard.
Descending to the sixth floor, a bullet hit the wall right in front of Quistis. She hastily ducked, cocking the shotgun, she popped up hurriedly and took aim. Corking an elite soldier right in the chest, ducking down as they fired back. Selphie did the same, only more rapidly, lighting off two or three shots and taking two more soldier's lives with them.
"How many?" Zell asked, still refusing to fire a shot. He hoped Quistis would understand his aversion to guns.
"Least six more…." Selphie answered, her voice strained as she shot and talked at the same time.
Zell closed his eyes and concentrated. Eyes snapping open as he released a green cloud of poisonous smoke that closed around the soldiers. Screams of pain could be heard, and one lone soldier stumbled out, clawing at his skin. The SeeDs left the Galbadians in agony, running down the hallway towards the next set of stairs. The fifth floor was more of the same, they ran for the next floor. Klaxons were still blaring on the fourth, and Selphie had to stop to find the remote access to disable them.
As they descended the third floor, and feeling quite confident; they were stopped by a contingent of eight more soldiers and a least a dozen of those machines Quistis had fought earlier. They exchanged fire rapidly, wasting round after round with little effect. Only managing to take out two of the mechanical guards. After twenty minutes they'd run out of ammo, and Quistis was about to just give up and use a spell. An unexpected explosion cut her effort short, and the trio braced for the shockwave. Robot and human parts, blackened from the fire, blasted past them, hitting the walls around them. Selphie was the first to open her eyes, looking herself over first and then the area around her. Miscellaneous shrapnel and torn body parts lay all around them, black smoke smearing their faces.
Quistis opened her eyes, and regarded Selphie, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm alright….you okay?"
"I'm fine….what about you?" Quistis turned to Zell, her dirty face knotted with worry.
"Just great…." He answered, eyes opening as his face scrunched up in disgust. He rubbed the back of his neck, he'd been hit with a piece of shrapnel. Nothing serious. He checked to make sure George was alright. Reaching down, he pet the creature's soft fur, and it meefed in response. Relieved, Zell inquired, "What the hell happened?"
Quistis shrugged, shocked to see Selphie peeking over the barrier without reservation, "Wait, Selphie…"
"WHAAAAAAAAT!" Selphie interrupted loudly, "Not like anything's left to shoot at me. Look for yourself. Everything's 'sploded."
Quistis carefully peered over the barrier, eyes widening at the vast amount of destruction in front of her. Smoking bodies laying on charred floor. The trio stood up, dazedly walking towards the blast area. All three too amazed to speak, wondering briefly what had happened. Perhaps one of those machines malfunctioned. I took one of 'em down with just a hand gun. Shoddy Galbadian craftsmanship. Quistis thought, looking over the mess on the floor as she passed it on the way to the stairs. Thick black smoke still belched from the ruined machines, as fires within their broken shells still raged. She squinted as she walked through the smoke, hold her hand up to her face as she strode into the vortex of ash. Engulfed in the smoky ruins of their enemies, it had become harder and harder to breathe.
Shirts were pulled over their noses, filtering their air and making breathing a bit easier. It was a long walk for such a small distance. Unable to see, trying to navigate obstacles in pseudo-darkness, the few feet to the stairs seeming much farther away than it was. Zell had scooped up George and stuffed him under his shirt as well as he could. The little creature was heavy, but Zell was proud to admit he was stronger than he looked. Still, it was a tiring effort and he hoped the end was near. George squirmed, as if agreeing with Zell's sentiment. I can't take much more….Zell huffed, his pace faster than that of his companions. Selphie, being the smallest, had the most trouble, he small lungs finding it harder to deal with the dust. Quistis lagged behind to help her, Zell would stop…. feeling like something of a beacon to the two girls. He pushed them as hard as he could, the longer they stayed in this mess, the harder it would be to get out of it.
Coughing as the smoke choked theirs lungs, going from just walking to a light jog towards clearer air. Zell made it out first, setting down his charge as he let out a series of hacking coughs. Another series of coughs ensued, little tears squirted out the sides of his eyes from the effort. His chest heaving up and down, Zell wasn't aware of much with the exception of his burning lungs. The Martial Artist was so intent on his own recovery, he didn't notice the Galbadian Cowboy sneaking up on him. He made the mistake of tapping on Zell's shoulder, jokingly. Zell grabbed the hand, twirling around and pulling the arm down. His opponent swinging around, in his complete control. As he was about to lock the wrist, in total victory, Zell's face dawned with recognition. He let the Cowboy go, the tall man flopping on the ground, clutching at his wounded hand.
"HOLY SHIT! KINNEAS!" Zell exclaimed, helping Irvine to his feet, "So sorry….Didn't know it was you."
"S'okay. I should have known better than to sneak up on you like that…Good to see you're alive. Though I wasn't expecting you to already have escaped…."
"Thought I'd save you the trouble….Good to see you too Buddy…." Zell actually smiled, and clapped the Cowboy on the arm. He was impressed. Never figured Irvine for the loyal friend type. It was a shock to be sure, but one he gladly embraced.
The girls had finally caught up, taking time to sit down and collect themselves. Still hacking and coughing, breath coming in hard gasps. Selphie got up, wheezing, and staggered over to Zell. Bleary eyes barely recognizing the man Zell was talking to.
Selphie's eyes widened, a beaming smile spreading on her face, "IRVY!!!"
The Cowboy winced as he rubbed his wounded arm, unprepared for Selphie's own sneak attack. Tiny arms encircled his neck, her body striking his and nearly knocking him over. She hugged him as hard as she could, until he made mock gasping noises to get her to let go. That only seemed to encourage her to squeeze harder.
"Seff…. choking…bad…breathing good…yes?"
Selphie withdrew, tears of joy cascading down her face, "Sah-rry…."
"Aw, it's okay….." Winking as he cocked his head, his wide blue eyes inquisitive, "Hey, what's with the tears?"
"I'm happy to see you, you big dummy!" She laughed, swiping carelessly at her face.
"So don't cry, goofy….Glad to see you too by the way.." He grinned, ruffling her hair affectionately.
Selphie smiled widely, giggling and blushing girlishly. Quistis frowned, turning disapproving eyes from Selphie to Irvine. She felt the beginnings of a lecture coming on. Having almost choked to death from whatever spell that damned Cowboy had cast.
"So I take it, you were our savior…." She said, gesturing to indicate the devastation behind them, "Little over dramatic don't you think? I don't know what they teach over in Galbadia Garden, but at Balamb….displays of power like that are frowned upon. You could have done the same thing with less….and did you even think to try a spell that wasn't as destructive? I mean really…."
Before Irvine could give her an irritated reply, they were all nearly knocked off their feet by a sudden jolt. All looked around wonderingly. Another jolt came, sustaining itself in even vibration. The party grabbed for the nearest wall or guardrail to steady themselves.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Quistis shouted over the din of noise that went along with the vibration.
Irvine shrugged, his face knitted in consternation, as if he knew more about what was happening than he acted. From the other side of the room came a figure, gaining speed as it came closer to the huddled party. It was Rinoa, wearing Squall's jacket and quite out of breath.
She made a beeline for Irvine, ignoring the looks of shock from everyone else, "This place is going into lock down. We have to get out of here now!"
Author's Note--
Alrighty, I hope that the fight in the first part was good enough. I toiled over it and bugged a couple of people until they cried to get it just right. Um, this is the most boring author notes ever. I have nothing else to say apart from I hope you like this. The next few chapters focus entirely on Irvine and Rinoa. So don't be confused when I don't continue with the time line set up here. I'm gonna do some back tracking first, to show what Irvine and Rinoa were doing up until this moment. Then we'll go back. Just an FYI.