Kim sighed, and plodded down the deserted alleyways of Dollet. Sighing, she looked up, at the stars, and wondered weather she was going to win this war for her country-her people, the last of an empire.
The Seed party leader, Nida, peered around the gloomy streets of Dollet, and waved his party onwards.
Kim stopped abruptly, and listened intently, her eyes darting everywhere. She wasn't sure what had alerted her, but something wasn't right…it was too quiet.
Nida however knew exactly what was wrong. There was someone in he alleyway he planned to use. Unfortunately, he or she would have to be neutralised.
Kim could hear…nothing, but she could feel them there. Waiting, just waiting. It was more than one. That was definite-seeds most likely.
Nida drew his weapon, a light, studded mace, and trotted down the alleyway, flanked by two seed rookies.
Kim pulled out two handguns and beat a hasty retreat away from the entrance to the alleyway.
Nida paused. He didn't want unnecessary loss of life, and would go out of his way to avoid it. It was one of the reasons he had been assigned with the job of piloting the Garden-but he still did missions, to keep his skills-and qualifications.
Kim pushed herself into the wall behind some dumpsters, and prayed. She hated taking human life. And she was more than apprehensive about facing off with three, fully trained and merciless mercenaries. Ballamb Garden mercenaries no less- where three of the Sorceress heroes originated.
"Who's there?" Nida called, swinging the mace and loosening the muscles in his arm.
Kim pulled herself out into view.
"Me."
"Madam, please do not be alarmed we are on a contract to inspect the alleyways of Dollet and find rebels."
"Ah… so we 'ave a problem here."
"You…belong to a resistance faction?"
"The names K.K-you?"
"I asked you a question"
"Yes…hey, if I'm gonna be put in the D-district and 'ave me brains fried, I wanna at least to know the squaddies name. Makes things easier, see?"
Nida frowned.
"Please madam, cooperate with us."
Kim senses already on edge from the Seed encounter, started going haywire, as a new much, much larger party, made it obvious. Not a sight or sound alerted her, she could feel them coming. On the warpath.
She knew if she did warn the Seeds she would be breaking every moral code in her faction's rule book, as she would be "fraternising with the enemy" as her leader called it (it was only much later that Kim was told the meaning of the 'fraternising')
However, if she didn't the encroaching mob, many who she guessed she knew, it meant certain bloodshed. She reckoned half the mob, which was a hundred strong and gaining members as it moved, would die, if they attacked the Seeds.
Tough choice.
Kim turned to Nida.
"Lis'ten, half o' yew is gonna die out here, if yew stay 'ere. Not a threat, fact. There's, like…a hundred an' fifty people marchin' up 'ere…not my doin', but word spreads fast. Run like fuck if yew value yore lives-huh? I'll escort yew to the barriers o' Dollet, if yew try an' run now, without me, yew'll get lost. I'm not doin' this fore meself, but if tha' lot try an' fight yew, a lot o' people will die. Yew WILL die, eventually, but I can see tha' yew'll take down a lot with ya."
With this Kim pushed past Nida, desperately, and ran to another alleyway.
"Yew comin'?"
Xu, one of the 'Under-commanders' appointed alongside Quistis in Squalls absence, sat at the Commanders desk and settled herself more comfortably in his chair. Who knew it would be so soft-she had always imagined it would be hard as rock, for some reason.
"…So we escaped Dollet through its back streets and 'K.K.' as she called herself, watched us leave, and went back into the alleys. That all we have to report." Nida concluded. The mission had been, for lack of better words, a failure. But, the mysterious girl had seemed to be telling the truth. Aerial photos taken by one of Esther's satellites showed mobs running rampant around the city.
Xu frowned. That was the third time this week that the Seeds had been chased of by the inhabitants of Dollet. The country had become recaptured by Galabdians, after the famous school bombings, and now was running off a 'Mob rule' system, as the Galabadians quickly lost control of the city.
Sending troops to control the rampaging hoards of angry people had only made things worse, strengthening mob connections. Territories had been defined; slums had sprung up, winding alleys increased whilst the city itself teetered on the brink of economic depression.
To make matters worse, food was running out in the city, as people looted shops and burnt farms in defiance to their loss of independence.
Every time for the past week they had send troops into Dollet, a fight between the Seeds and the citizens arose, and the results were devastating, because the Seeds always won-and the death toll was rising.
"What are the current resistance groups we have identified – whoever this 'K.K.' is, it seems we might have friends in the rebel groups, and I want to know which group it is."
Nida saluted, and paged one of the rookie Seeds, Harmel Ranner, who had accompanied him on the last mission.
Harmel strode in, dark skin shining in the light, and pushed his deadlocks more firmly behind his ear, and saluted.
"Well", Harmel began, "we only know two of the many rebel groups, because nether are bothering to hide the fact they are active, both of which are well documented rivals…"
-Three Weeks Later-
Kim tapped her fingers on the rickety desk and finished reporting to her superior.
"Yeah, Dawn, it wuz a total waste o' time…met some Seeds tho', sniffin' round tha' east-side slums."
Dawn Tallern raised a brown eyebrow.
"Seeds?"
K.K. nodded. "Yeah, they found me, an' I had ta lead 'em outta tha city tho', I didn't want 'em to go up against Tha Freedom Fighters, damn mob jus' had ta come along."
Dawn, the leader of the 'Rebel Phoenix's' gritted hr teeth.
Suddenly, a rookie rebel, called Ixl, bounded in followed by a white and brown cocker spaniel, and skidded to a stop in front of the desk. "Dawn!" She yelped, whilst the gun dog ran round her in circles, "In coming enemy, detected coming from the east side!"
"What?" said Dawn quietly, but urgently, "Since when? Who? What are they doing?"
"Scout n' Alph, say it's the F.F.- they've only just arrived-their all out in force."
"How many?"
"Hundred strong in the open, and at least that number waiting as reinforcements-what we gonna do?"
"Rouse the rest-this is a siege. If they wanna play the waiting game…we'll take them."
The rain poured down, soaking the Freedom Fighters throualy. Cal, the leader of the unruly mob that had assembled, noted to his dismay that his troops were getting dispirited-very dispirited…
Dawn waited, leaning on a windowsill that looked out at the amassed people. Time to find out their demands. If there were any, of course, the leader of the F.F. group was not known for planning ahead.
A howl of rage hit her ears. Dawn grinned, a reckless feeling stampeding through her body. She was about to do something stupid. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
"Tallern! Dawn Tallern!" Cal screamed into the pouring rain. "Answer me! Meet my demands or we WILL attack!"
"What if I don't like those demands?" replied a figure to his left.
"Wha- how'd you get here?"
"Wouldn't you like to know…" Grinning, Dawn answered. In reality, she had simply gone through the several back alleys of Dollet and across the sewer network that lead to the river and then circled back. Which is what the residents of her hideout were doing to escape.
One lesson a great leader must know is always having several backdoors. Another is to memorise everyone else's backdoors.
Cal stamped his foot down, and drew his weapon, a large axe.
"Fine. Have it your own damn way, bitch. We'll finish it here an' fuckin' now"
"Really. Careful with that axe, it weren't designed for people with less than three brain cells."
"Fuck you!" yelled Cal, ever the eloquent one, swinging his over grown hatchet from side to side. "I'll cut off you're damn hair and use it as a belt! Than we' ill see how damn cocky you are!"
Dawn had extraordinarily long brown hair, that snaked itself down her back in a plat, that finished at her knees. It was her pride and joy.
"Over my dead body." Dawn growled.
"Can be arranged."
With a horse shout the man leapt, bringing the war-axe down with stupendous force. Dawn side-stepped, and brought out a large thin blade, thicker than a rapier, but almost with the same length, perhaps slightly longer, thinner and lighter than a gun blade, but with the afor mentioned swords gun barrel. She twirled it over her head and backed away, rainwater burring her vision.
They clashed again, this time Cal forcing the young woman to jump to one side ungracefully. However, as she did so she brought her blade up, slicing his leg. The man, whimpering slightly, clutched the wounded limb, whilst Dawn pivoted, using the momentum from the last hit to bring her round. His back while he hunched over this leg was horribly exposed, but a sense of honour prevented her from striking him down like that. It did however, have no qualms about kicking him in the face.
Dawn waited for her rival to pull himself to his feet. As her did she slapped the ground with her gun-sabre, using the whippy blade to draw a line on the cobbled street.
"Come on, I was expecting a challenge here, you know."
In actual fact, Dawn was worried. She needed to buy more time for her friends to escape, some of which were to young, or too injured to fight the horde.
As if some tainted answer to her unspoken plea, Cal raised his axe over his head.
"You want a challenge! Try THIS bitch!"
There was a pause, in which Dawn's blood had just enough time to run cold.
"ATTTAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"
The reserves that Kim had pointed out earlier came pouring into the enclosed space, screaming in anger.
Dawn saw them coming and within three seconds, she was surrounded by street fighters all intent on removing her presence from the earth.
Oh holy mother of…Jabbing her blade forward, she impaled a fighter in front of her. They were inexperienced fighters-one thing she had in her favour. Ripping the whippy knife out, she kicked another in the face, whilst swinging diagonally downward, opening the stomach of a woman beside her.
"Fuck-" ssswwiishhhh-thunk "-you-" ssswwiisshhh-thunk "-Ass-" swish-thunk "-HOLE!" She screamed, adrenaline pulsing through her veins like a drug, gun sabre cutting through the air with a hissing noise.
Dodging, yet again, this time a home made staff (a splintered pool cue) she took off up an alley, running fast in the opposite direction, away from from the amassing mobs, running for her life.
Skidding round another corner, a deafening whine filled the air. Flicking her head up she saw a telltale flash of dusky red in the sky, the legendary Raganok owned by the Ballamb SeeDs. The crowds and the fighting must of attracted them.
As if, Dawn thought bitterly, my day couldn't get any worse…
Wheeee! Lots o' writing…Review - please?
I'm gonna go write the next chapter, its starting to really hot up now…
Tune in next time for – heck, wait and find out!
