Author's Notes: Wow! I am so happy all you liked that chapter! I was so worried that I wouldn't get any response because of the time between updates. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again! And I'm sorry about the wait! Many of you didn't leave that fact out! Hehe…so thanks…Sweet Raine, kingleby, Rikku SWiRLS, oOoDancingQueenoOo, Bulma BriefsYue Lover, and einz! Okay so here is the next part. It takes place directly after where we left off. Enjoy and please review! Smile and be happy…
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or X-2. But, I am totally fascinated and obsessed with them! Like everyone else isn't?
Chapter 6: Attacked
I waited a couple of minutes just to make sure that Gippal was gone and then I ran back into the main building, across the metal bridge in the middle and into the underground district. I followed the ruined metal halls that still hadn't been worked on since the destruction and came up to a passage that was flooded with light on the far side. I slowed down so that the echo of my footsteps wasn't bouncing off the walls and so that I could make out the dim mumble of words. I walked closer to the light until I came back to the same stone room where the meeting was. Then I snuck into one of the denser back groups and tried to blend myself in as much as I could.
Gippal stood at the front of the room and the leader who had addressed the meeting at the beginning stood opposite him. Gathered around them were the rest of the five leaders, each one's eyes focused on the pouch that the young teenager from the scout post had brought in.
"What do you think they mean by this?" Gippal said addressing the leader across from him. "Adelek, how did they know about us in the first place? Everything that we've done was handled very discreetly."
"Hmm…" Adelek murmured with one hand resting on this short blond hair. His brow furrowed and his mouth tightened as he thought. "I don't know. Things must be moving faster than we thought! Damn that Daeron! He's planning something, I know it!"
"Stet!" he said addressing the boy.
"Me?" the boy answered, one of his fingers pointing to himself in the chest. He looked up at Adelek uncertainly with his green eyes wide and still coursing with the fear he felt from the attack at the scout post.
In the orange light that was shining from the wall lamps, I could see him a lot more than I could when he first came down in the dark outside. He looked about fifteen and his face was really pale despite his tanned skin. He was tall and sort of stocky and his blond hair stuck up messily like he hadn't bothered to brush it when he got out of bed. He was wearing his beige and brown leather working jacket a-top a black sweater and a dark blue pair of denims over his boots.
"Tell us exactly what happened at the scout post and spare us no details." Stet walked from where he stood at the side and up a few steps in the front of the circular room. He stopped before Adelek and Gippal and turned nervously towards them. His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked at each leaders expecting faces until he finally cleared his dry throat and began.
'Well," he said his voice crackling uncertainly. He cleared it once more and grabbed onto his clammy hands. Everyone else around him watched with heated anticipation, waiting for an explanation to what was going on. "A couple factioners and I were assigned to keep post of anything…uh…acting up on the High Road close to Luca. It was because of the boycott that was recently put up against Al Bhed. The couple of days that we stayed there were pretty calm, just a few disturbances now and then." Stet paused and turned his head back to look at someone in the crowd. Adelek made a clearing sound in his throat to motion to him to continue
"But…um…just this night while we were keeping a look out we noticed something moving in the dark. We just dismissed it, y'know, thinking it was a fiend because there are a lot up on Mi'hen. And then…they just came at us from everywhere with their guns. There must have been at least a dozen of them…but I'm not sure because they blew out all the lights as soon as they surrounded us. I couldn't see anything…but I could hear screams by my ears as everyone else was done with." Stet's voice squeaked slightly as he continued on. He started to talk faster and faster and his words slurred together. "And I didn't know what to do so I tried to run…but then they grabbed me and forced me to the ground. They held a gun to my neck and told me if I didn't give you the pouch and a message they would…would…kill me." These last words came out in a whisper and Stet bent his head and closed his eyes tight. He stood there stunned and barely moving, as if he had only realized right then that he was lucky to be standing there alive.
All the leaders became more quiet, but the crowd standing around then in the room seemed only to grow louder and louder as they screamed out complaints and cries of anger. I stood amidst the hollering people too shocked to speak and I found it hard to believe that all these problems were taking place as I was battling my own issues. This rebellion on the other hand was so much more serious.
"What was the message?" Gippal asked Stet as people calmed and the initial shock faded. Stet looked up Gippal as if he had been abruptly woken from a haze and then took a long deep breath.
"The man said three things….'The Thunder Plain,' 'Three days,' and 'Don't hold back.' That's it." All the leaders sucked in their breaths when they heard this. There wasn't much said in the message, but each one knew right then that the rebellion had turned into open war and that Daeron Maroon had been the one to initiate it.
"But that means open battle and could lead to our exposure," Gippal whispered through clenched teeth. He sat back on the table behind him and raised one hand to his chin, tucking the other arm beneath it.
"We are already exposed," Adelek replied. "So, there is nothing to do but to meet our enemy and show them how wrong they have been!" As Adelek finished this statement the whole room burst into a frenzy of cheers. No matter what was going to happen, everyone supported this cause one hundred percent and would go to the end to defend their race. I wasn't as sure as everyone else was and stood quietly among the surging people. I looked up at the faces of the leaders and noticed all of them looking reassured. All…except one.
A leader on the far side of the room in the front looked more satisfied then reassured. He was sitting on the edge of the table in a content manner with one of his hands up by his mouth with his first two fingers resting on his lips. His head was bowed forward and his swirling eyes looked up as if from underneath. His hair was sort of short but was spiked so that it fell around his face. He wore black pants that puffed over the edge of his dock boots and a suit jacket and matching tie that was also black with thin vertical white lines on it.
The man stayed this way for only a minute or so and then he stood up and his face changed to the same comforted look as the others. It was like his whole demeanour was different because he didn't look the same the rest of the time I was in the underground room. He held himself different and talked nothing like I expected him to. I came to the point that I believed that I had only imagined him looking so duplicitous. But I was so sure that he had been…smirking?
-oo-
The meeting quieted down quickly and the ending was soon called. The leaders told everyone that they would discuss the message and the attack of the Mi'hen scout post and then send word for another meeting in the next two days. As everyone filled out, I waited to see if I could talk to Gippal but he was already in a deep conversation with Adelek. I decided it was best to talk to him later so I tiredly trudged off to my tent to collide nicely with my pillow.
I fell asleep right away despite the fact that my mind was still focused on Gippal. I could still feel his touch on my cheek and hear his words escaping from his lips. And each time I thought of him my stomach felt as though I were flying through the sky and my spine shivered with the happy memories. But there were other times that I would be able to think of him, and at that moment I really needed to rest.
Surprisingly enough, I slept for quite along time. And let me tell you, my body really enjoyed it.
The next morning I woke up, the sun was shining brightly against the beige cloth of my tent and ray's of it's light were pouring in a little window on the far side.
I opened my eyes and squinted in the morning light. They blinked rapidly and slowly got used to the change. Then I lifted myself from my bed and stretched my sore arms that had gotten limp from being slept on. I smiled as I walked over to my dresser so I could get ready and go outside.
What to wear, what to wear? I asked myself in my head as I opened up the metal doors. I looked in and shuffled through a couple of different outfits, but I saw nothing that really suited my mood today. Hmmm…maybe my Thief dress sphere would be good! I bet Gippal wouldn't mind too much if I wore that. I laughed at my own thoughts as I pulled out my belt that had my Treasure Hunt garment grid on it. Then I pushed the Thief dress sphere into one of the little holes and I was changed into the bright yellow bikini top and the olive green miniskirt that I knew so well. My scarf that changed from red to yellow fell lazily around my neck and over my shoulders and the satin bows twisted around my arms. It hadn't been that long a time since I wore this outfit but it felt as if it was ages ago. I could barely remember being a sphere hunter with Yuna and Paine and yet it had only been a month since we defeated Vegnagun.
I looked down at it and frowned. Nope! Not the one, I thought to myself as I took the garment grid off and I was changed back into my pajamas. I turned to look in my dresser once again and sorted through my cloths. I finally pulled out my working cloths. These I had worn in the desert most of the time I was here. It was light green, sandy orange, and brown and was sort of like a body suite. It had a leather torso that buckled up until it reached the neck and the limbs. The arms were cotton sleeves that were tucked into fingerless gloves. The legs were leather as well and buckled along the thighs. It was a really comfortable working outfit…but again, not the one.
I looked in my dresser once more. This has got to be the last time. I stuck on arm into it and pulled out a crimson red and fiery orange shirt and a black pair of short shorts. I put them on and looked at the full body mirror on the inside of one of the doors. It looked kind of like my Warrior dress sphere. The top covered my bust and sides but then opened up in the stomach revealing my belly button. The shorts hugged tightly to my bum and around my waist hung a loose brown belt the fell to one side. I wore flat-bottomed knee boots and my arms were covered in different layers of belts and fabric.
Yep! This is it! I thought as I smiled to my reflection in the mirror. Not bad! Pops must have given me this one because I don't remember buying it! I grabbed onto my hoodie and slipped it over my head and then left my tent.
I stepped out into the sun and smiled widely as its rays showered down on me in a large bath of yellow. I closed my eyes and looked up towards the sky and let the warmth of the morning wash over me, sending a tingling sensation through my body. I sighed happily and then continued to walk across the sand.
Before long I reached the dinner tent. I pulled the fabric covering the opening aside and stepped in. Everyone was eating their breakfast and talking to the people who were close to them. I turned my head from side to side in the hopes of finding Gippal. I really wanted to talk to him about some things that had entered my mind about the rebellion and such. But he was nowhere in the tent. So, I made my way along the table until I reached the one where Buddy and Brother sat as always.
"Hi guys!" I said as I sat down in the seat next to Brother. "How was your night?" Both Brother and Buddy stopped eating their ham and hash browns and looked at me as if they had just seen a ghost. Buddy was so surprised that he even dropped his fork into a big glob of ketchup on the side of his plate. I looked at them with a odd questioning look, "Nice to see you too!"
"Where have you been?" Brother finally asked in a sceptical voice. I looked over at him with my brow furrowing as my eyes squinted.
"Where have I been? Um…sleeping!" I replied sort of sarcastically, the expressions on their faces still not changing. "What's wrong with you guys? I saw you yesterday at work, remember?"
"Yesterday?" Buddy asked disbelievingly. "We didn't see you yesterday. In fact, we didn't see you the day before that either. And the day before that too, we only saw you once in the morning if I can even remember the incident."
"What? I don't get it? I went to sleep last night after the me—" I cut myself off quickly before saying anything. I hadn't seen Brother or Buddy at the meeting so I wasn't really sure if they knew or not. "I mean…after work and I woke up this morning."
"Well then you must have gone to bed two nights ago." Brother said as he chomped into his hash browns again. "Today is the thirteenth and the last time we saw you was the eleventh."
Hmmm…I thought. I guess I must have slept for two days, No wonder I fell so rested. But I am starving!
I got myself breakfast and had a long talk with Brother and Buddy. It had been a bit since I really talked to them and it was nice. It turned out that Buddy really did like one of the cooks that worked in the dinner tent. Nienna was a really funny girl and someone I wouldn't have guessed would be the right girl for Buddy. But he was happy and she was too and all that's all that really mattered.
As everyone eventually finished, I got up and walked towards the entrance to leave and find Gippal. As I walked out into the sun once again, I passed a small group of people talking quietly between themselves.
"Has everyone heard yet?" one of the men whispered to the others. I stopped for a second, pretended to fix something on my shirt, and cocked my head in their direction. "The meeting is taking place tonight at ten. This one has got to be it. There's not much more planning to do, especially with the message that that kid brought two days ago." Everyone around him nodded their heads in consent and leaned in closer making it more difficult for me to hear them.
"Do you think they are actually going to go through with it?" Another girl with a low toned voice asked.
"Of course," the same man replied haughtily. "Gippal's really angry about that attack. Apparently all the scouts there, other than that kid, were factioners. His men were the one's that got killed by those Bevelleian asses."
"What was even in that pouch anyway?" A different man asked, his voice sounding rough. "Everytime any one of the leaders looked in there they all grimaced."
"I heard that it was a burnt flag that had the rebellion symbol on it , y'know the ancient one that means 'Liberty.' And, get this, the cut off hair of one of the factioners and an eye ball!" Everyone in the little circle sucked in their breaths and made weird sounds of disgust in their throats. My own stomach had started to turn as well because of what the man said. From what I heard here, I could tell that Daeron and his men were serious about their hate of the Al Bhed. "I think they did that because they hate our distinct features, like out green eyes and blond hair. I can't wait to get my hands around that Daeron's throat!"
The rest of their conversation was nothing of real importance, just odd murmurs about so and so on the west side of "Home." But what I heard first was really important and likely something I wasn't soon going to forget.
I continued my way over to the main building, which was surprisingly making it's way to completion. Soon enough we would be given our own little apartments in districts. The underground was all that was left to fix. "Home" this time around was much larger and secure. It still had those tall spires that attached to pulleys on the centre tower. But now the centre tower was much taller and more well built and could house three times the amount of people that it used to. On the south side of the building was the hanger that Pops' airship used to be in. Both the hanger and the airship were currently being restored to their former glory as well.
To any eye the Al Bhed would look like a peaceful and happy race, but underneath the surface bubbled the inevitable rebellion that was soon to take way and define the Al Bhed in an entirely new way. I sighed as I looked at the sight in front of me. From the large buildings being built and the people happy that they would finally have a home again, no one would ever have guessed what was happening.
I walked across one of the bridges looking over a district and up a small flight of metal stairs. Across the hall from the stairs was an office that Pops had given to Gippal. I walked up to his door and rapped my fist against the hard metal. Inside I didn't hear anything from within so I waited a bit and then knocked once more. Again…nothing.
"Gippal?" I called, trying to see if I could hear any movement at all. "Are you in there?" There was still no answer.
Hmmm…I guess he really isn't in there, I thought as I took one step back and leaned to one side. I looked at the door in a questioning way with my head coked to one side and my eyes half-opened. Damn! I really need to talk to him before it's too late! I looked at the door once more and moaned in exasperation.
Wait! Maybe his door is open. He won't mind it I wait inside for him! I stepped forward so I was against standing in front of the door. Then I placed my hand on the long handle and pushed on it. Surprisingly it opened.
I peaked my head around the edge of the door and peered inside. The room was rather large and intricately decorated. In each of the four corners of the room were tall spiralling pillars that had several Al Bhed symbols on it. On the far right was a big steel desk and directly opposite me was a mini bar.
Gippal must have put that on in himself! I thought as I opened the door wider and stepped in. Pops would never have it there! I chuckled lightly and then turned my attention back to the desk. It was covered completely in papers that were strewn in all directions. Some piles even spilled onto the floor. I could see that some were blueprints for the re-construction but others looked as if they were letters. I knew that I shouldn't go in and look at his personal stuff, but my curiosity got the better of me. I quietly snuck over to the desk and treaded on the tan sea grass carpet as I made my way there.
I shuffled through a couple piles of paper but saw nothing really interesting until I came upon a letter that was hastily scribbled and signed by Adelek. I picked it up from the desk and ran my eyes over the blue ink.
Call the meeting for ten and make sure that everyone gets the word. We don't have much time left if we are going to make the deadline. Someone is making sure that all the airships are ready and that all the pilots have our co-ordinates. Other than that, there is not much to do but to prepare our minds. This is our time, my friend, and if we come to our end then so be it. We leave at mid-night.
Adelek
It was really going to happen and the time was coming soon when everyone would be tested. All I knew was that I had the duty, just like the others here, to defend mine that was being threaten.
I knew it then; I knew that I had to join the rebellion.
So there you go…I don't know if I really like how this chapter turned out. I'm undecided! But if you like it could you please review! And tell me if there are things I can improve. I hope that wasn't too long an interval between updates. The thing is, I can usually write a chapter in just a couple days or so but it takes a long time to get around to writing them! Anyways…I can't wait until everything gets more ploty! Please REVIEW!
