Part VI : Truth
Imperilment
"It's been almost twenty minutes since Rinoa was taken into Galbadia's custody. Please tell your men to remain in their positions, Loire." Cid calmly spoke to the Estharian President.
"They've been trained well, Mr. Kramer. My soldiers always follow my command, but in times of danger, they'll make the best decision."
"Sir, we have a situation!" A voice came from the speaker of a radio placed before President Loire's seat. He looked down and pressed a button to begin communication with the voice of the Estharian soldier.
"What is the problem?"
"We've gathered all our men outside the gates of Deling, but the SeeD is no where to be found, sir. What shall we do?"
"The SeeD…" He whispered.
"Squall." Cid said and rubbed his forehead.
"Stand by." Laguna said into the speaker and looked back with a sly grin, to Cid who had been standing with the others near the office's exit. "Well…you interrogate me about my men, yet you can't even keep your own to sit still."
"Of course I can, but it's Leonhart who's the problem here."
"What would you like me to do then?" Laguna asked Cid, but Cid placed his hands on his hips and sighed.
"Tell them to remain where they are, and do not inform Galbadia of our current dilemma. I don't want them to know that Squall's missing. He's a skilled SeeD, so I believe he knows what he's doing."
"You think he's gone inside?"
"Without a doubt." The two men became silent.
"…Sir, wouldn't that jeopardize the peace we've gained so far?" Quistis asked the headmaster, breaking the silence.
"…A peace we're not even certain exists." He said in a lowered voice, which forced everyone to avoid eye contact with one another. There was an awkward silence in the room as each individual remained to him or herself.
After running to the east entrance of Deling City, Squall hid himself amongst the bushy terrain and watched a couple of Galbadian Soldiers standing guard. He was glad that night had almost arrived because the dim light provided him extra cover from the guards.
"…Just how am I supposed to get inside? They've got this place covered from every angle." He slowly looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, "…I'll just have to take them down."
Squall raised his head and took one more look at the soldiers, and then he readied himself for battle. As he stood from the ground, he saw headlights from a vehicle behind light up the pathway. He turned around and saw a few cars pulling into the city. Each car had stopped at the gate and allowed the soldiers to check for I.D. "…You're clear." The soldier announced and stepped back from the cars as they pulled away.
"Tonight's really slacking, isn't it?" He spoke to his comrade.
"Yeah. People are usually flooding in, just to go the bar around this time."
"Hey, speaking of which, we should go there as soon as our shift's over."
"Can't. I have to go home, my wife would kill me if I went out another night without inviting her."
"…Too bad."
"You could at least show a little concern for me!"
"Now why would I do that?" He looked over to his partner and saw him stumbling clumsily toward the walls of Deling City.
"You know, I'm feeling." The soldier touched his forehead and smiled, "I'm feeling a bit …sleepy…" He said as he fell facedown on the ground, and the other soldier looked at him quizzically.
"What the…" He knelt down beside his partner, turned him over, and grabbed his shirt, "Hey, what's gotten into you! You can't sleep on the job! We could lose our p-Ugh!" The man had been hit on the back of his head by some unknown force, and quickly fell unconscious.
"…Sorry." Squall said as he ran through the gates of Deling City. As expected, the dazzling lights were blinding his eyes and people were beginning to flood the streets. Not only were there dozens of civilians, but also a number of Galbadian soldiers that were currently on duty. He groaned and looked around for Caraway's Headquarters; however, he made sure to make himself appear harmless and sheathed his gunblade back onto his side.
Because there were many people around, the guards wouldn't have time to look down at anyone and everyone's hips for anything lethal.
Squall scanned the streets of Deling City, but was unable to discover Caraway's location. He did his best to appear less obvious and continued to follow the sidewalks down the busiest intersection.
"…One step at a time." He said to himself as he watched a bus pass him by.
"Woof-woof!" The sound of Angelo's barking was traceable in between the swooshing of the bus' old engine. Squall looked around and saw that up ahead was the mutt running toward him in haste, and behind her were a few Galbadian Soldiers.
Angelo, already originating from Deling City, picked up a very familiar scent, and had sought out to rediscover her home; however, the dog ignored the commands of a few soldiers calling for her to stay. Instead, she had hastily run inside the gate.
"Get back here, dog!" A young soldier cried out behind Angelo, as he was ordered to chase the dog down because of his small and insignificant rank.
"I hate dogs!" He yelled out. "Hey, come back!"
"…Angelo?" Squall questioned while watching the dog running. "I thought I told her to stay!"
When the light signaled the pedestrians to walk across the street, he had hope to walk ahead to try and lose the dog in the crowd; unfortunately, Angelo ran passed him and caused a collision between he and the soldier who followed her.
"I'm sorry, Sir!" The soldier said as he stood from the ground, but when he looked at Squall, his eyes caught a sparkling ray of light from a chain that hang from the handle of what seemed like a weapon. "What are you doing with that?" He asked Squall, but Squall stood silent. Without hesitation, the young soldier looked around for his comrades and yelled aloud, "It's the enemy!"
Squall quickly rose from the ground and took out the young soldier before anyone could spot him, but the pedestrians began to scream and run away from him. And shortly after the Galbadian soldiers spotted Squall in the fleeing mass, shots were fired at him. "Take him out!" A soldier posted at the street's corner yelled as he and his comrades grouped together to take down the trifling SeeD.
Squall drew his gunblade and gripped its handle tightly. He ran to the other side of the street and pointed his gunblade back, when he fired off a few rounds before disappearing behind the back alleyway of a restaurant.
He made his way through the alley and ran out quickly, but more soldiers were already headed in his direction. He gritted his teeth together and ran the opposite way to avoid a head on collision, but an even bigger party had gathered.
He stopped and closed his eyes for a second as he began to concentrate for a new battle. There's no way out of this. It looks like I'm gonna have to fight.
The Estharian Soldiers had waited patiently outside the walls of Deling City for the return of Rinoa Heartilly and the SeeD. They had pulled the vehicles to the side to avoid the complaints from any angry drivers arriving on the road.
"…How long will this take?"
"It's a meeting, and meetings don't normally end until after two hours."
"Ah…I'm just ready to go now."
"Stop complaining and keep your eyes peeled, you don't know what they could be up to-"
"There's corruption within the city, and Esthar is behind it! Attack them! Shoot to kill!" Some Galbadian shouted after tossing his radio down on the ground. The others quickly aimed their weapons at the Estharian Soldiers and prepared to fire.
"Take cover!" The captain yelled as he dove on the ground to escape the incoming bullets. "What are they doing!"
"That idiot! He got caught!" A soldier shouted from behind the parked vehicle.
"The SeeD!"
"Who else?"
"There they are, down there! Move, move, move!"
"Ahh! There's no time! Men, defend yourselves! Let's go!" The captain of the Esthar soldiers shouted and took into his hands his machine gun. The others followed and fired upon Galbadia's forces.
A few soldiers ran toward the vehicles, but were shot down by Galbadia's troops.
"No! Don't get careless! " The captain cried aloud as he fired back at the other soldiers. He saw a few of them fall down from his attack, and he fell back onto the ground for cover.
"Captain, we don't have that many men. It's impossible for us to take on their forces this way."
"Call for back up!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted as he tried to sneak into the parked vehicle. The captain sat on the ground and growled as he thought about Squall and whatever the guy had been planning to do. That idiotic kid's going to get us killed! He sighed and stood from his position, then turned back to the Galbadians who were still firing heavily upon he and his comrades, and then fired back. "We won't lose! Hold them off as long as you can!"
"Sir, yes sir!" The other Esthar soldiers called out to their leader, and continued to fight their best against Galbadia.
Squall pointed his Revolver's tip to the ground and squeezed the hilt once more.
As the soldiers neared, they drew their weapons also. They ran in a large pack searching for their enemy, when a grand wave of energy suddenly overcame them all. "What was that!" One soldier said as he stopped and looked around at his fallen comrades.
Seeing that his targets were caught off guard, Squall took advantage and charged into the remaining crowd of Galbadian Soldiers. He slashed the first soldier that came into his range and went on to attack the others that followed. As he slashed them, more soldiers seemed to appear. Squall felt his arms getting tired, and the weight of his gunblade became heavier. Fearing that he would lose his focus, he decided to wipe out the entire fleet with one magic spell. He stepped away and held up his gunblade, and the soldiers all mimicked his movement for a moment, as they were uncertain of his next attack. When they each felt a whirling of wind come about from beneath their bodies, they screamed and attempted to run away, but the spell had been cast and they were already in the air.
An officer of higher ranking witnessed his men falling to the ground from some unimaginable height, and crashed into the street, their cries no longer heard; he charged toward Squall in haste and vengeance.
"Stop him!" The captain called to the soldiers under his wing as he ran toward the chaotic scene taking place on the busy streets; of course, the crowd of pedestrians had manage to flee before any serious damage affected them all.
In the midst of all the fighting, Squall happened to spot Angelo running further down the street, he groaned angrily and began to follow her.
He fought off two soldiers who approached him from behind and turned around to run, but when he did so, he saw the hilt of a Galbadian shotgun coming into contact with his face. Before he knew it, he was knocked unconscious, and taken away by the Galbadians.
"What do you mean they're attacking!" Both Laguna and Cid's voices shouted back through the radio.
"Yes, sirs! The SeeD caused trouble within Deling City, so now they've begun attacking us as well. We may need back up, sir!"
"Very well. Be careful out there." Laguna responded to him confidently.
"I will, sir!" The soldier immediately discontinued to conversation and ran back to the captain who was breathing heavily on the ground.
"Captain?"
"I'm not hit! What did he say?"
"They're sending back up!"
"Good! Let's go men, not too much longer now!"
Cid had scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I don't think your backup will make it in time."
"Even so, I'll still have them try."
As the two leaders talked to one another, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, and Irvine had nodded their heads together and Quistis turned away from the group with a brilliant smile.
"Sir, if we may be of any help?"
"…Quistis?"
"I know we'll be able to get to Deling City before Esthar, even if they do have the extensive equipment. Sir, let us handle this."
"Yeah!" The others said in unison.
"…Well, you all are trained for missions like these, so I suppose it isn't a bad idea. But still, this is a very dangerous situation we're in-"
"Sir, with all due respect, we're soldiers and have been so for many years now. There isn't anything we can't handle." She said confidently, and Zell punched his fist into his hand with a delightful smirk. Selphie had winked to Cid and revealed her Nunchaku with a grin of her own. Irvine touched the tip of his hat and bowed his head to the headmaster slowly.
"…Please hurry, and be very careful. You're going to Galbadia's turf. Who knows what kind of tricks are waiting there for you all?"
"Thank you, Headmaster. We'll be on our way now." Quistis said while saluting him, and the others saluted him also which each his own unique salute, then they exited from the office.
Cid turned back to Laguna and nodded to him, "Have you notified for your backups?"
"Yes. I do have high hopes of those people that just left the room, but we aren't sure just how many soldiers are over there. I figure they will need the helping hand also."
"I'm glad you're so concerned for out safety."
"…Mr. Kramer, I'm here to end a war, and put an end to Galbadia. It's about time those innocent people find peace."
"I agree entirely."
I hate this place. It's like a maze, and all these weird statues are beginning to freak me out. What does this man want with me? I'm about to lose my mind in here.
Rinoa was led around the mansion by one of Caraway's guard. It seemed the old man had relocated his office over the years, and Rinoa also realized that most of his house had been renovated. She looked down at the floor and sighed heavily, her body taking on the toll of all the events happening so swiftly. It was only natural that she would need a nap at that time.
She stopped walking and touched her forehead, "…I think…I think I should lie down."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the General wants to see you right away."
"…Tell the 'General' he will have to wait." As much as she wanted to get the meeting over with, her body felt as if it would shut down. "Please, I need to lie down now. I'll be in my room."
"…But." He said while she turned away from him and headed toward her room. He ran behind her and called out to her. "Ma'am!"
"Look! I don't need a bodyguard to guide me through my own house. I know my way around here, now leave me alone!"
The soldier stopped and gulped nervously, it was best not to get on a woman's angry side, and with that in mind, he left her alone.
Rinoa walked until she reached the stairwell and headed downstairs. Her room was located on the first floor, but all the way to the back of the mansion, and was well hidden from strangers.
As she entered, she took a moment to stop and remember what it felt like to be in her old room. Memories flooded back to her mind, causing her to stumble toward her bed. She took a seat on her bed and lied back, smelling the old scents that remained the same after so many years. To her surprise, the room was left exactly as it had been when she fled that faithful night. Well, it was not exactly like the state she had left it in: someone had come behind her and picked up all the papers she threw on the floor from her dresser while in a mad fit.
Then she looked at her dresser and saw her old jewelry and immature girly gadgets, which she had purposely left behind. It was all the things her father had ever bought for her, and she abandoned them to have him aware that she couldn't be bought into happiness. It was her message to him, and it rang loud and clear. All those gadgets and clothes he would buy her were a waste because he was never actually the one to purchase them for her.
Rinoa was escorted by a maid and a few soldiers, and taken to stores with a card loaded with money privileges once a month where she bought accessories. All she ever wanted was for him to be there with her, showing her a great time; even if it weren't the most perfect day with her father, she still wanted him to be there. Her stomach cringed at the old thoughts and feelings about her dad; she sighed at her unhappy adolescence and closed her eyes once again. She wished only to let the things of the past go, and focus on her present, making things better for the people who deserved everything they might want.
With her mind flowing from topic to topic, she grabbed a pillow and squeezed it tightly in hopes that her worries would ease. I wonder what kind of plan he has for me? She embraced her pillow and closed her eyes when she thought about the upcoming date with her father. Try not to think about it, Rinoa. Just get some rest for a moment or two, besides I'm sure Squall and the others won't mind if I do so… Won't you, Squall?
Somewhere deep within Caraway's Headquarters was a small room used to lock inside prisoners that had attacked directly at the mansion in order to take down Galbadia; unfortunately, Squall was locked inside this room with two Galbadian soldiers. Squall was behind bars, seated on a bench, and had leaned his head against the wall in deep silence. His manner was beginning to disturb the two soldiers, as they had never witnessed a prison so silent, especially since this man was unconscious when was first brought inside.
The two soldiers had finally overcome their fear and sat at the desk, trying to make conversation in order to forget about the mad man behind the bars.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"No, what?"
"They're fighting out there right as we speak!"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Someone said after he was captured, every person stationed at the gates was ordered to kill off Esthar's troops." He said while motioning his head toward Squall's direction.
"Geez, why wasn't I aware of this?'
"We're patrollers of the inside, nothing will ever happen to us."
"…I think that's good. I'm tired of this job anyway."
"Whoa, you better not say that too loud, or you'll lose a paycheck."
"I could care less about the pay. This is my life we're talking about…"
"But that paycheck will support you and your life…"
"This isn't about the money, moron."
"Whatever you say."
Squall had been listening in to their conversation, and had gone into deep thought about making his next move. …I'm responsible for this outbreak, aren't I? I should've stayed where I was…but then…what about Rinoa? I wonder how her meeting with Caraway is going, and what he has in mind. Speaking of Caraway, it seems that I've been taken to his Headquarters after all. They saved me all the trouble of having to find it, now all I have to do…is raid it. He smirked a little and opened his eyes.
He slowly stood from his seat on the bench and walked to the bars. He quietly studied each bar and placed his gloved hands on them.
"Hey, what are you doing?" One of the guards said while standing up, but Squall ignored him and continued to study the bars.
"Answer me!" He shouted to Squall, and Squall finally looked up at him giving the guard his full attention, only, his eyes weren't so peaceful. Squall glared at the man, and watched as the soldier flinched nervously, but tried to shake off his fear. "Hey, you! You better not try anything stupid!"
"Like you really have what it takes to stop me." Squall spat at the soldier, obviously aware of his own cockiness. Before the man could move, he was struck by lightning and the other was frozen stiff by Squall's experienced spell casting. He smirked and once again placed his hands onto the bars.
"These bars are weak…I bet if I tried another spell I could remove them completely." He said while sliding his hands across the bars. After a few moments, he had focused enough mental power to cast the Break spell onto the metal bars. They were instantly turned to stone, and Squall kicked down the petrified bars to release himself from the single cell. Once out, he searched the bodies of the fallen guards to find a cardkey, which was used to lock and unlock the door.
He took the cardkey into his hands and sighed in relief. Now, I have to find-wait a minute…I can't just walk around like this, it's too risky.
"She's laying down!" Caraway asked the soldier who had been walking with Rinoa.
"Yes, sir. She said she needed to rest first, and I do believe she wasn't feeling well at all."
Rest? It's just an excuse. She's going to try and avoid me for as long as possible, right? We'll just see about that.
"Your orders?"
"You're dismissed."
"Thank you." The soldier said while saluting his General and exited the room. Caraway sat behind his desk and rubbed his chin softly.
"Rinoa…"