Chapter 6: The Battle of Dollet

"Brace yourself!" the pilot shouted from his position in the cockpit. Squall was almost knocked off his feet as the vessel sped up, then the ship suddenly shuddered as it blasted through some random obstacle. Squad B could hear chunks of stone or concrete scrape against the hull, and the Salamander went flying up into the air before splashing back down into the water.

"This guy nuts?!" Zell shouted, even as the vessel began to slow down.

"We're about to land!" the pilot shouted. "Prepare to disembark!" As one, Squall, Seifer, and Quistis drew their weapons. Then, the vessel slowed down and came to a stop, sliding onto the beach. In front of Squad B, the door opened, three panels spreading outwards like a blossoming flower, one up, and one to either side, while a landing ramp dropped down into the sand.

"Go, go!" Quistis shouted, and the squad ran out onto the beach. Immediately, Squall spotted several squads of olive-clad Dollet troopers ahead, charging towards a machinegun nest that was spraying gunfire at a group of SeeD vessels further down the beach. Two of the soldiers hurled grenades and the nest blew apart. With the nest eliminated, a group of SeeDs quickly advanced, linking up with the allied troops. Squall spotted more SeeDs and cadets moving out. It seemed Squad B was the last to have landed.

"Hurry!" Quistis shouted as Xu ran past her, joining with a combined group of SeeDs and Dollet troops. "Your objective is to secure the Central Square. SeeD cadet support will be behind you, and Dollet forces will be there as soon as possible to back you up. We expect Galbadian units to come through there if they counterattack us. Hold it until reinforcements arrive."

Squall nodded. The Square was the central hub of Dollet's streets, making it a critical location. He glanced back at Seifer, who turned slowly to face the city.

"Let's move out," the order came, and Seifer led the charge up Lapin Beach.

Lapin Beach probably would have been beautiful if it weren't for the smoke, fires, and dead bodies littering its length, with craters dotting the sands. Something exploded to the right as the squad continued to advance. Up ahead, Squall could see another cadet squad, their support, obviously, crouched by a staircase leading up from the beach to the city streets. The support squad seemed to be examining the wall next to the staircase, one rummaging through an access panel. Seifer charged up the stairway, which lead to a street that passed under a pair of archways. The street extended straight ahead, but where they had come up it also turned away to the right. Squad B couldn't advance down the right path, as it was blocked by a gaping hole from an artillery blast and the burning remains of a vehicle.

Seifer began to advance down the street ahead when he spotted something and fell back. He held up two fingers to his comrades behind him, and ducked around the corner of the building around which the street turned. Squall quickly grabbed Zell and pulled him to the side behind Seifer, understanding the signal and Seifer's movement to ambush. A moment later, a pair of Galbadian soldiers came charging down the street and past the hiding cadets.

The Galbadians were clad in combat uniforms and armor, consisting of a blue uniform, along with steel armor over their chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins, black boots and gloves. Each soldier wore a steel-gray helmet that covered the entire head, excepting the mouth, nose, and chin. The helmet had no clear visor or goggles, instead featuring a small trio of red sensors on the front over the soldiers' eyes that gave them full night, thermal, and electro-magnetic vision, as well as normal vision. Around their waists they wore belts with items and a few grenades. Their shoulder armor proudly displayed the white Galbadian insignia. Both soldiers carried steel swords with saber-like handguards, and also had rifles slung over their shoulders, standard issue weapons for Galbadian soldiers.

The soldiers spotted the waiting cadets too late, one spinning to face them and opening his mouth in surprise.

"Huh?" he asked in confusion as Seifer leaped upon him. The man raised his sword up in time to block an overhead swipe, but Seifer broke off and spun around low, sweeping Hyperion up under the soldier's sword, the blade slicing up into his chest, cleaving through the armor.

"Dollet reinforcements?!" The other cried in shock as he fell back, and Squall and Zell advanced towards him. The man set his teeth and readied his sword behind him. As Squall advanced, the man suddenly swept his blade forward, and a blast of fire shot out at the cadet. Squall deflected the fireball, then the man's sword as he attacked, hacking down at Squall's face. Steel met steel inches in front of Squall's nose.

Squall countered, slashing his gunblade low, forcing the Galbadian back. Before either could move to continue the battle, Zell came up beside Squall and closed in on the Galbadian. The martial artist struck with a single, quick blow, a flying roundhouse kick that landed a solid blow against the soldier's temple. There was a wet crunch of shattered vertebrae, and the force of the impact sent the soldier flying away with its Guardian Force-enhanced strength.

The area secured, Seifer gestured down the street.

"Come on!" He charged ahead, not waiting for either of his companions to follow. Squall heard the sound of feet clanging on the staircase behind them, and spun to face whoever was there, gunblade ready in case they were more Galbadians.

He lowered the blade when he saw that they were just the SeeD cadet support. Immediately, they looked down and around, examining the nearby phone and HD cable lines.

"There should be an info-net cable around here somewhere . . ." the cadet remarked.

"Whatcha looking for?" Zell asked the cadets.

"Info-net cables, so we can hack into the Dollet mainframe, or at least get some intelligence," another cadet replied. "We gotta do what we can without the use of radio waves!"

"So, unlike you guys, we use our heads!" the first cadet said, tapping his temple and smiling superiorly.

"Backup duty," Squall muttered, shaking his head. He had never liked the idea of being support. "Sounds boring."

"Yeah!" Zell shouted, agreeing. "We're going to be the heroes on the front line!"

"Yeesh," the second cadet muttered, shaking his head. "All you meatheads are the same, flexing your muscles and waving your swords. Get to your station, will ya?" Squall nodded, realizing they'd waited too long, and moved out down the street. Seifer was waiting for them, and frowned at their delay.

"Hurry your asses up! Squad C is up ahead!" he ordered before resuming the charge.

Squad B continued advancing, alert for an ambush. They passed numerous shops and stores, and were surprised this area hadn't been as badly hit as the other sections of Dollet. It was as if no one had used these streets during the battle. There was no one out on the streets now, not even any dead bodies. Squad B certainly didn't encounter any threats as they advanced towards the Central Square. The streets were eerily empty.

"Where the hell are they?" Squall asked, looking around. "Xu said there were more Galbadians inside the city, but there aren't any here." Seifer shook his head unhappily.

"Just our luck, we got the route with the fewest enemies," he hissed. "The Galbadians are probably all over on the other side of the city, fighting the rest of the SeeD force." Seifer and the rest of the squad paused in front of a tavern, featuring a neon sign that read "The Shining Bomber" above its door. "They get to have all the fun while we're stuck on the back streets!"

"I'm fine with that," Squall responded, shrugging. "As long as we get done with this exam." Seifer snorted but said nothing. Then, the captain froze. He quickly looked up, Hyperion rising into a ready position.

Squall followed his gaze and spotted a squad of Galbadians directly overhead, standing on a walkway that led from the tavern's second floor to across the street. Already the Galbadians had spotted the cadets, and more than half of them drew swords and leaped down to the attack. The remaining soldiers unslung their rifles and pointed them down at the cadets below.

Two of the dropping men didn't make down unscathed, as Seifer slashed one open before he'd even hit the ground. The other man was surprised as Zell ducked right beneath him and grabbed one of his legs. The martial artist spun, redirecting the momentum of his opponent's fall and hurling him like a rag doll through the glass window of another shop.

Squall blocked a dropping slash aimed for his head, and his left foot shot out in a snap-kick that caught the Galbadian in the stomach. As his opponent stepped back, knocked off balance by the kick, Squall sent the Revolver across to block another slash from a second foe, and then sliced across with his gunblade, the blade tearing through the first man's chest armor and biting at his lungs. Squall spun to face his other foe, in time to see two more enemies charging after Seifer, and another pair of soldiers going after Zell. And there were still at least three or four more men above with rifles aimed down at them. The odds didn't seem that great.

That was, they weren't great for the Galbadians.

Squall's single opponent came in with a slash, which he quickly blocked and countered. A wide, arcing cut with the Revolver knocked the Galbadian's blocking sword aside, and Squall came in right behind the opening that had presented. The cadet slammed his body, shoulder-first, into the enemy soldier, hurling him back and down. He kicked the prone Galbadian in the stomach so hard he went rolling down the street, coming to a stop about fifteen feet away, no longer interested in combat, or even in standing up. The cadet did not forget about about the armed men above, and now that he was no longer engaged in close combat, Squall knew he was a clear target.

Seifer was fast and cunning, and his two foes found their blades couldn't get past the cadet's defenses, and could barely stop his own counters. Inevitably, one of them was knocked off-balance by one of Seifer's strikes, and then Hyperion drove home.

The other soldier backed away quickly as the highly-skilled cadet came in at him, only to take the blade of the Revolver in his back. Squall grabbed the dying soldier's armor and spun him around with one hand, using his GF-enhanced strength to easily prop the soldier up as he ducked under the body, putting the man between him and his foes above. And it was just in time too, as bullets struck Squall's impromptu shield. Seifer, meanwhile, took a more direct approach to evading the enemy bullets, ducking under the walkway and getting out of his enemies' line of fire.

Zell's opponents came in with wide grins, expecting to take out their unarmed foe easily. The grins vanished when Zell ducked under the first slash, grabbed that man's extended arm with his right hand, and slammed his left fist into the soldier's elbow, shattering it. The unfortunate Galbadian cried out in pain and dropped his sword. The second soldier came in, sword slashing, and Zell pulled Squall's trick, spinning his first foe into the path of his second, using the man's body as a shield. The second soldier's sword buried into the first man's back, to both Galbadians' shock.

The second soldier spent a moment too long gaping at what he'd done, and even as he was drawing his sword free, Seifer sent a spell his way, a fireball exploding and blasting the remaining Galbadian to the ground, leaving him badly burned and in no condition to fight.

Squall, still holding his human shield, dropped the Revolver and focused. His free hand gestured towards the Galbadian snipers, and a mighty lightning bolt blasted one of the quartet away. The other soldiers were surprised by Squall's magical fury, and hesitated for a brief moment as Squall tossed his human shield aside, snatched up his gunblade, and dove underneath the walkway.

"Did you see that?" one of the soldiers said in shock, looking at his dead comrade.

"SeeDs!" another soldier said, realizing who their foes were. "Elite forces from Garden!" he leveled his rifle at Zell, the only cadet still out in the open. Zell spotted the man and dove under the walkway, bullets marking his path. At the same time, Squall came out from under the walkway, gesturing at them and hurling a bolt of lightning, another Thunder spell. The first soldier was blasted off his feet. The survivors opened fire, but Squall was already gone, back under cover.

However, Seifer wasn't. He took advantage of his opponent's distraction and ran out under the other side of the walkway. Before the Galbadians spotted him, Seifer launched another Fire spell their way, dropping another soldier.

"They're just kids!" the last one protested as he dove below the walkway's solid metal railing and out of Seifer's lethal line of sight. He reached down to his belt and drew a grenade from his belt. ". . . but now, they're dead kids," the Galbadian whispered, smiling. His thumb hooked under the pin, when the door leading into the tavern from the walkway swung open. He looked up in time to see a pair of SeeD cadets come out, both carrying rifles.

A few seconds and a couple of gunshots later, one of the cadets leaned over the railing.

"Squad C's in charge here!" the cadet shouted down to Squad B. "Leave the rest to us!"

"What the hell took you so long!?" Seifer shouted angrily, obviously perturbed by their poor timing.

"We're fire support, not front line!" the cadet responded. "Plus, we're short-handed, one of our members is sick."

"Yeah," the other cadet added, appearing over the railing. "We weren't about to go charging out, guns blazing, against that many!"

" . . . cowards," Seifer muttered. He turned back to his own squad. "Come on, Central Square's just ahead!" Seifer charged on, leading the other two members of Squad B down the street.

The three-man squad continued down Dollet's streets, Seifer leading, and encountered no more Galbadian enemies. As with before, the streets were eerily empty. And of course, this made Seifer understandably unhappy.

"Hey! All you Galbadian cowards out there!" he challenged suddenly and loudly, brandishing his gunblade. "Come out'n show your faces! Don't leave me hanging here!" When no response came, Seifer shook his head and charged on. "If you're not coming out, I'm coming in for you!"

"What an idiot," Zell muttered as he and Squall ran after their captain. They rounded a corner and came within sight of the Central Square. Seifer had already arrived there, and was looking around angrily for targets.

The Central Square was more of a large circle, surrounded by restaurants and hotels, with a tall, exquisitely sculpted statue topping a beautiful fountain in the center. Roads ran from the central hub out to various locations around Dollet, though some of these were blocked off by damaged or destroyed cars or rubble. As Squall and Zell arrived, Seifer turned around and looked back at the two.

"Having fun yet?" Seifer asked them, smiling. Then, behind the captain, a figure moved.

A lone Galbadian leaped out from behind the statue and slashed his sword down at Seifer's head. In a single deft motion Seifer spun away from his attacker, then spun back and sliced his blade down on the man's chest. The threat eliminated, Seifer surveyed the area.

"There may be more . . ." he warned Squall and Zell. "Alright, I want you two to scout the surrounding area for any more enemies." Squall and Zell nodded and fanned out, checking for any more distinctive blue uniforms, while Seifer watched the surrounding area, including a pair of streets that were not blocked off.

Squall did not find any Galbadian soldiers, but a shout, a clang of steel on stone, and a grunt from the area where Zell was checking alerted both gunblade-wielding cadets. They charged over to where the sounds had originated, weapons up and ready.

Both weapons dropped as they saw Zell standing in front of a group of destroyed cars, over the dead or unconscious body of a Galbadian, his sword several feet away. The martial artist flashed them a thumbs up.

"It's clear."

"I think that's all of them," Squall said, nodding. "I didn't find any in my area."

"Well, then," Seifer said, walking back into the Central Square. "We're on standby until the enemy comes." He shook his head as he reached the statue, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Standby . . . how boring." He began pacing, like a caged lion. Both Squall and Zell relaxed, but remained on their guard, watching the intact streets for any coming Galbadians.

They waited a good twenty minutes, with nothing to interest them, save for the occasional staccato of gunfire in the distance. Suddenly, a deep explosion sounded in the distance, the boom catching the attention of Squad B. The explosion was followed by higher-pitched gunfire, and more explosions.

The counterattack had begun. Dollet and SeeD forces were now engaging the Galbadians returning to the city, which meant the enemy should be passing through here eventually.

"Sounds like its starting," he remarked. Seifer grinned in anticipation.

"Bring it on," he responded, gripping his gunblade. He ran across the Square to the street leading to where the general sound of the battle could be heard. "Hey! Galbadians! What are you waiting for!?" Seifer challenged again, gunblade slicing through the air angrily. "Show me what you've got!"

Apparently, the Galbadians didn't hear him, for no one came. He stood there for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, waiting for any sign of the enemy, but in the end, Seifer turned around, disappointed. He leaned against the wall of a nearby restaurant, gunblade bouncing impatiently on his shoulder. Zell began to pace in bored tension after a while. Another half-hour passed, marked by distant ringing of an old clock tower somewhere in the city, and even Squall became tired of waiting.

Where were the Galbadians?

"Nothing," he muttered. Zell glanced his way, clenched his teeth, and pounded a fist into the asphalt.

" . . . the HELL!" he yelled, frustrated. "Now this is what I call boring!" Zell looked up and around, then back in the direction of the battle. "This ain't right man," he said, shaking his head. "You'd think we would have heard or seen something!" Zell resumed his pacing.

"Hmph," Seifer said, watching Zell. He glanced up in the direction of the battle, down the street he'd been standing impatiently at. "Damn Galbadians. Still keeping us waiting . . ."

Squall was about to reply when all three cadets noted the sound of boots running in their direction. Lots of boots.

"Move it, move it!" a shout came from the direction of one of the blocked streets. Squall glanced down the street to see Galbadian soldiers, lots of them, scrambling over the destroyed vehicles. Many carried equipment or heavy backpacks, and some looked to be technicians, judging by the extra equipment built into their armor.

"It's the enemy," Squall warned quietly. Quickly, he dropped back, pulling Zell down behind the fountain statue and out of sight. There were a lot of them, maybe too many to challenge without thinning their ranks using Guardian Forces. Reaching into his mind, Squall contacted Quetzocotl and Shiva, preparing to summon them if need be. The cadet glanced back at Seifer, expecting the captain to brashly attack their foes, but apparently he didn't like the odds either, and had slunk back out of sight around the corner of the building.

The lead soldier came into the Square, and looked around. Squall tensed, preparing to unleash a GF upon them if they were spotted . . .

. . . but the Galbadian simply turned back to his fellow soldiers and waved his hand, indicating for them to hurry up and follow him. The whole force, a half-dozen squadrons at least, ran down another street, this one leading across a bridge into the mountains north of the city.

"Where the hell they going?" Zell asked as soon as the enemy was out of sight. "Nothing up there." Squall ran the maps of Dollet through his mind, recalling if there had been anything of value up in those mountains. Nothing was there, except . . .

Squall looked up, scanning the cliffs towering over the city.

"There," he said, spotting the tall, unused tower he had seen on the maps.

"What's that?" Zell asked. Seifer stepped past them, and Squall noted that his grin had returned.

"Our next destination," Seifer explained, pointing his gunblade up at the tower. Predictably, Zell balked.

"That's against orders! We can't leave the Square!"

"Weren't you just saying how bored you were?" Seifer asked the martial artist. Zell shook his head and turned back to the other member of Squad B.

"Squall!" Zell pleaded, seeking his support. To his surprise, the cadet simply shrugged.

"Orders are orders. My orders are to obey my squad captain. I stand by the captain's decision," he responded. Seifer spun around, smiling at Squall's vote.

"Captain's decision?" he asked, walking towards Squall. He suddenly reached up and roughly slapped Squall on the shoulder, as if he were a longtime comrade. "You want to wreak some havoc too, don't you?" In response, Squall quickly brushed the hand away, and turned, looking Seifer dead in the eye.

"It's a good opportunity to test out my training," Squall replied honestly. "Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone." Squall's eyes hardened, and he glanced at the scar running between his rival's eyes. A scar mirrored on his own face. "Even if they do fight dirty, like you."

Seifer shrugged and looked away.

"You'll thank me when the time comes," he responded quietly. Zell had been watching the exchange, surprised at how the two rivals were interacting. He'd never seen this kind of behavior between them before. It was like they were war buddies or something.

"The hell?" he asked, stepping up towards them. "I thought you guys didn't get along? You're like, all buddy-buddy now." Seifer turned his head and glared at Zell, but said nothing in response.

"Look," Zell continued, "We can't just go off on our own without authorization. We have to hold the Square. This ain't no ordinary battle. It's an exam, an important one. I'm tellin' ya, we have to stick to orders!"

"Then stay here," Seifer snorted, shaking his head. "We don't need any boy scouts." Zell, predictably, took offense at Seifer's insult.

"What was that!?" he demanded angrily. Squall quickly stepped over to Zell and put a hand on his shoulder, to calm the volatile cadet down before he did something both he and Seifer would regret.

"Don't take him seriously, Zell," Squall muttered, then he used the advice the martial artist had given him earlier that day. "Just ignore him." Zell glanced back at Squall, and after a moment calmed down.

"Tch . . . Fine," he growled. Squall turned back to the captain.

"Seifer, if we're gonna go, let's hurry," he said. The captain nodded, and turned to face the street that led to the mountains.

"The enemy is headed for that facility," he ordered. "We, Squad B, are to secure the summit and determine their intentions. Move out!" That done, Seifer took off down the street, Squall right behind him and Zell, reluctantly, following.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

Yeah, in case anyone was wondering, I did get rid of the dog in that scene. Seemed stupid to me.