Rufus threw open the door to her office and stormed inside, slamming it shut behind him. He stood there, framed in the doorway, seething audibly, but she did not look up at him, focusing instead on the papers before her.
"Am I," he said, tired of waiting for her acknowledgement, "or am I not president of this company?"
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded, still not paying attention to him.
"No, seriously," he pressed, coming further into the room. "Was I not hand-picked by our employer to be the sole executive authority of Videlic Arms?" He placed a hand directly in the middle of her documents. She looked at it a long moment before responding.
"Actually," she said, "you were given the position on a temporary basis, with the possibility of retaining it based on the success of the WarMech project. And, you aren't the sole authority here. Some of us," her dark eyes traveled from his hand up the length of his arm and to his face, "aren't even remotely accountable to you." She flashed him a dazzling smile that seemed at once charming and predatory. He removed his hand and she returned her gaze to the papers. Rufus felt his jaw starting to clench.
"I ran across one of the receptionists escorting a group to the secure area. She says they have an appointment with Odine."
"And?" She dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair.
"And I expect that, given my position, I should be kept informed of such things. If he's sending someone to meet with Odine, I want to know."
Scarlet leaned forward, locking her hands together.
"May I remind you that Odine is not a part of your project. He is my concern. I have kept you informed according to my orders. No more, no less."
He glowered at her, but she didn't seem to mind. Part of her mouth turned up in the ghost of a smile that faintly mocked him.
"Is that really what you came here to discuss?" she asked.
"No." She'd seen through him again, and once more he felt the sting of humiliation creeping up his neck.
"Good," Scarlet answered, pushing her chair away from the desk and rising in one easy motion.
Her raven hair seemed to absorb the light striking it as she watched him from across the desk. Something about her – her lightly olive skin or her easy, disinterested movements as she crossed the room – suggested ancient nobility.
One arm reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him towards her.
"Watch the tie!" he said, slapping her hand away. "It costs more than some people make in a year."
Her mouth twisted into a snarl as she grabbed the tie again. He heard a click, and then felt his shirt splitting up the middle. Rufus glanced down to see a switchblade cutting its way towards his face. She did not stop until she had sliced his tie off, exposing his chest. He heard a clatter as the buttons struck the floor.
"Those buttons were ivory!" he exclaimed. "Not just ivory-colored. Real ivory."
She seized him by the hair and tugged him forward, kissing him savagely on the mouth. As she did so, he felt the cold steel of her switchblade tracing a path down his chest.
"Shut up," she sneered, breaking the kiss, "before I decide to slice off something you can't afford to replace."
"Bitch," he hissed. She smiled again, all predator, and no charm. She leaned towards him, and Rufus could just feel her hot breath on his face when he heard the intercom beep.
"Damn," he swore as she broke away. "Ignore it."
Her eyes, dark pools of liquid night flashed at him as she pressed the speaker button.
"Uh, Commander?" came the voice on the other end. "We seem to be having a situation."
"Let them handle it," Rufus said.
Her eyes seemed to drill holes through him. "Don't interfere with my mission. Sit down and shut up." Then, back to the phone, "How serious is this situation?"
"We aren't sure, Commander, but we may have a breach."
She nodded. "I'm on my way. I'll meet you outside the lab. Continue as normal until then."
"Understood." She switched the phone off, then started entering the combination to open her weapons locker.
"A breach?" Rufus exclaimed. "We're under attack?"
"Be quiet," she instructed.
"But I've got to evacuate my teams!"
"As I understand it, your project is largely completed. Furthermore, my mission takes priority, and I won't have you ruining it with your panic."
"But if we're under attack... what if they come for me?"
"You're a disgusting coward," she spat, swinging the safe open and withdrawing a large rifle. "Here," she said, throwing it to him. "If you're so afraid, hold on to this." She pulled a pistol out of the safe and deposited it in the holster at her side.
"What... what's his?" he asked, struggling with the massive weapon.
"Idiot," she said from the door. "At least learn your own damn products."
* *
"What's the situation?" Scarlet asked, meeting two of her subordinates outside Odine's lab.
"Well, Commander," the first answered.
"Quiet, Lieutenant Biggs," she replied. "I was addressing your superior. Wedge?"
Biggs cursed under his breath as Wedge opened his mouth to speak.
"Biggs," Scarlet snapped. "Cease your muttering at once or your already sorry career will suffer yet another ignominious setback. Proceed, Wedge."
"Thank you, Commander," Wedge nodded. "Gate Team failed to check in with their regular report. Rather than disturb you, I sent out Dispatch to investigate. They have not, as yet, reported in. A few minutes ago, the noise generators went down."
"Do we have signals coming into the building?" Scarlet asked.
"We're looking into that, but I haven't been able to get a definitive answer either way."
Scarlet's mind flashed back to something Rufus said – a receptionist escorting a group to a meeting with Odine.
"Too many coincidences," she proclaimed. "I'm declaring a level one lockdown. Phone it in, Biggs."
Biggs snapped open his phone, a connection to the security center already established. The three of them proceeded into Odine's lab.
"Your attention please, everyone," she called to the team of researchers. "I'm afraid your services will not be needed for the rest of the day. You are free to return to your quarters. We will notify you when this project returns to active status."
The researchers quickly shut down their computers and filed out of the room. Odine gasped in horror, closing in on Scarlet.
"What? What are you doing?" he cried. "You can't barge in here and..."
"Can and did, Doctor," she replied, her gaze traveling over his head to the prototype of Junction Machine Adel. She expected to see a thick series of security doors blocking the way but, instead, the machine stood unguarded. "Biggs, why isn't that security door down yet?"
"I can't get the control room on the phone. There's no answer."
"Damn," Scarlet swore. She crossed the room to a still-active computer and started typing at it. Screens scrolled past her rapidly. "Damn," she said again. The speed of her typing increased. "Damn!" she cursed a final time, slamming a fist down on the keyboard.
"Commander?" Wedge asked.
She looked up at him. "They've locked out most of the security controls, which means they've taken the control room. Data is being siphoned off at an incredible rate, so I assume they've taken Archives and Records as well."
"Why would they want Archives and Records?" Biggs pressed.
Scarlet looked at Odine for a long moment, then shifted her gaze to Biggs. "It's where we store the complete set of building schematics, including the underground areas... and this lab." She nodded, slowly. "That's it. Take the doctor to the evacuation chamber."
"What?" Odine shrieked as Biggs and Wedge closed in on him. "No! You can't! There iz work to be done!"
"Take him. Wedge, you have your orders. I'll join you shortly."
Wedge flashed Scarlet a quick salute. "Doctor," he said to Odine, "please accompany us."
"I will not! There iz no time for delay!"
Wedge gestured to Biggs, and both men grabbed Odine by the arms, frog-marching him out of the laboratory. Scarlet turned in the opposite direction and headed back towards her office.
* *
Rufus sat in Scarlet's office, hanging on to the rifle for dear life. He tried not to think of the breach, the impending danger, the fear of reprisals from his employer.
"Okay," he whispered, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and forced his mind to wander. Soon enough, he found his mind replaying the events of his meeting with the group en route to see Odine – the invaders, most likely. Something about that meeting troubled him, danced at the edges of his frazzled consciousness, but he couldn't nail it down. Somehow, the blonde woman seemed familiar, but the answer eluded him.
The door opened and Scarlet pressed through, her movements a blur.
"Well?" Rufus asked, standing up, still holding the rifle. "What's going on?"
"Sit down," she snapped. "Shut up."
"It's true!" he screamed. "A breach, I knew it! I'm getting out of here."
He barely started for the door before finding himself on the floor, Scarlet on top of him, her pistol jammed between his teeth. The barrel tickled the back of his throat, and he had to fight to keep from retching.
"Stay here and you have a chance of living. Go outside and you'll probably die. Bother me again, and I'll shoot you where you stand."
She stood up, removing her pistol, and crossed to her wall safe, working quickly to enter the combination. Rufus stood, slowly, and sat in one of the chairs, rocking slowly back and forth.
Scarlet withdrew a large file folder from her safe and left the room without further comment.
* *
Biggs and Wedge dragged Odine into the evacuation chamber, a large room deep inside the tunnels beneath Videlic Arms.
"Here we are, Doctor," Wedge said, as they released Odine. The doctor looked around, glaring. Wedge gestured with his right hand. "If you would be so kind as to restrain your movements to the carpeted area."
He'd pointed to a long stretch of carpet in the middle of the room. On it, Odine saw all the furnishings of a modest apartment. A sofa, chairs, television, a small kitchenette, even a bathroom area, partially closed off by a collapsing screen.
"You see?" Wedge smiled. "All the comforts of home."
Odine whirled on the man.
"My home iz an enormouz apartment over my laboratory. My home iz in Esthar. Thiz iz not my home!" His words dripped with venom.
"Your home, sir, is wherever the General tells you it is. And right now, his desire is that your home be in the evacuation chamber. The carpet, please."
"Just do it, man," Biggs sighed, in no mood to deal with a research scientist turned prima donna.
"And if I will not?"
Wedge leaned in, gripping Odine's arm. "I have two orders. The first is to return you to Balamb Garden alive. I am prepared to do this at the cost of my own life. The second order only activates if I find myself unable to complete the first. Do you know what that is?"
Odine shook his head, cowed by the menace in Wedge's voice.
"It is to kill you on the spot. Now," he released Odine's arm, "the carpet. I will not ask again."
Nodding, Odine mutely took a seat on one of the chairs. Wedge moved to the end of the living area, which terminated abruptly and converted to a stainless steel computer room. Biggs took a seat next to the doctor.
"Look, man, I know how it is," he said. "I feel bad for you getting kicked out of Esthar and everything. Me, I was on the fast-track in the Galbadian Army until these punk kids showed up and ruined my life. This guy," he jerked a thumb in Wedge's direction, "used to work for me."
Scarlet swept into the evacuation chamber, moving at once to Wedge's side. "Any problems?"
"None so far. The doctor was a trifle uncooperative, but he's reconsidered."
Scarlet crossed to Odine. She stood before him for a moment before her left hand lashed out, grabbing his ear and twisting viciously. He howled in pain, dropping out of the chair and sinking to his knees. She retained her grasp on his ear as she leaned in to him.
"Listen very carefully, Doctor. You either do what we say, or you die here. Personally, I don't care which you chose, but my primary goal is to return you to Garden. Rest assured that should you defy me, I will make your death very, very painful indeed."
She released him and returned to the computer area, setting to work immediately on the device before her. From here, she could at least access the security cameras, despite the fact that the invaders had shut down the system at large.
She flipped rapidly through the rooms of the building, confining her search to the secure areas.
"Found them," she whispered, studying the screen before her.
It showed Odine's laboratory, now emptied of its researchers and occupied, instead, by the invaders. She studied their faces, smiling in recognition, and pressing the screen capture button as necessary. Some members of the group knelt near the Junction Machine, placing explosive charges around it. They rose, and started to file out of the room. The small brunette with them glanced up as they left the room, looking directly into the camera. She stuck out her tongue and then jumped up, smashing the device with her fist.
"Phone," she commanded, extending her hand. Wedge handed her his phone, and she dialed without taking her eyes off the screen.
"Sir?" she said, once it rang through. "This is Scarlet. The company is under assault. I've got images of the intruders, and I think you'll want to see them. Transmitting now."
She pressed a button on the computer before her, and the images wound their way through the either to Balamb Garden.
"Yes, sir," she replied. "I noticed that as well... As you command, General."
She snapped the phone shut and turned to her subordinates.
"Gentlemen, the General has given us permission to withdraw. Please make final preparations." She flashed a glance in Odine's direction, "Doctor, remember what I have said. Stay seated."
Biggs and Wedge joined Scarlet in the computer area. Both men reached into their jackets and produced key cards on chains. They simultaneously inserted the cards into slots on the side of one computer. The machine lit up, springing to life under their touch. The glass covering its main console receded.
Next, they reached for a set of switches, continuing to act in unison. The floor beneath them started to vibrate.
"Ready, Commander," Wedge said turning to Scarlet. She took up a central position at the console, and started to enter the final data strings. The door to the evacuation chamber exploded, fragmented into scrap metal at the force of an external blast. Biggs howled in rage as the invaders stormed into the room.
* *
"Odine!" Quistis screamed. "Shoot him!"
The First Team dropped into firing positions, unloading their pistols in the doctor's direction. A woman standing to one side of the room slammed her fist on a button and the room erupted into chaos.
A set of thick metal bars, prison-style, shot from the floor and ceiling, cutting off the living and computer areas from the rest of the room. A heavy layer of bulletproof plastic came next, followed by thick metal walls.
"Shit!" Quistis swore. "Irvine, pulse ammo!" Irvine, on one knee, immediately started reconfiguring Exeter, but Quistis had the sinking sensation that she'd already lost.
The rumbling sensation increased, and the closed-off area within the evacuation chamber – bars, plastic, metal and all – pulled away, with an unmistakable sound. A train on its tracks. The entire assembly had converted into an impenetrable train car and started out of the building where, no doubt, it would rejoin the network of train tracks leading back, inexorably, to Balamb.
Quistis closed her eyes, mind reeling trying to think of a new solution, a way to pursue them. She felt a tugging on her sleeve and reopened her eyes.
"What?" she snapped.
Nida continued tugging, staring into a corner of the room, his jaw slack. He pointed, and Quistis followed his gaze. He looked longingly on some sort of small airship, with a needle nose and crescent-shaped wings, constructed of a silvery metal that shone with iridescent colors.
"Can we?" Nida pleaded. "Please?"
Quistis looked at the ship, which seemed large enough to accommodate them all.
"Can you fly it?" she asked.
Nida didn't answer, but nodded, jaw still hanging open – the glint in his eye, though, told Quistis exactly what she needed to know.
"Let's do it," she said. "Selphie, you take shotgun. Transmit the tunnel system schematics to Xu, and have her check them against diagrams of the train system. Let's figure out where we're going first."
Nida slid into the cockpit, running his hand quickly over the console before him, seeming to absorb the ship's specifics by touch. He studied the buttons arrayed in front of him and whistled in appreciation.
"This thing is really advanced," he murmured.
"Don't care," Quistis shot. "Make it fly."
His hands started working the controls, running on sheer intuition. The ship started to hum, and levitated off the ground in response.
"So far, so good," Nida grinned, warming up along with the ship.
Suddenly, it died. The humming stopped, and the ship lowered itself to the ground once more.
"Hmph. Didn't see that coming."
Quistis barely opened her mouth to comment when Zell sprung forward. "On it!" he chirped, wriggling in the space between Nida and Selphie and working his way underneath the pilot's legs.
"Screwdriver!" Zell called out from the vicinity of Nida's ankles. The pilot reached into his jacket pocket and produced a screwdriver, passing it down to Zell.
A few moments passed, and a panel dropped down. Zell passed it up to Nida, who handed it into the rear passenger area.
"Holy shit!" Zell breathed, looking at the vehicles' innards for the first time.
"Zell?" Seifer ventured.
"You guys remember Tear's Point? All the crystals and the Lunatic Pandora and everything? It's like that in here. Wow..."
"Make it fly!" Quistis commanded.
"Sure thing! Wire cutters!" Nida dutifully passed down a set of wire cutters to Zell. A few seconds passed, and Zell called up again. "Okay, try it now."
Nida resumed his work on the controls once more. The humming resumed and the ship started to hover once more. Zell extricated himself from between Nida's legs.
"Wow," he said. "It's bright down there."
"Okay, guys," Nida said. "Hold on, because we're ready to..."
The humming faltered once more and the ship started to drop, the left wing brushing the ground. Zell, still perched between Nida and Selphie, growled, striking the control panel with his fist. The wings evened out, and Zell moved back to his seat.
"Let's hit it!" Nida exclaimed, pressing the control stick forward. The ship lurched forward, rocketing from its berth at an incredible speed.
"Wall!" Irvine exclaimed. "Wall!"
"Huh?" Nida turned in his seat to face the sharpshooter.
"We're going to hit the wall!" Irvine screamed.
Nida whirled, and pulled on the control stick, jerking the ship hard to one side before righting it and following the train tracks Selphie started issuing commands to Nida, instructing him on the correct path through the winding network of tunnels.
* *
The building-wide PA system activated, broadcasting a message Rufus didn't even know existed.
"Thank you for your hard work on behalf of Videlic Arms," came a woman's voice, calm and even. "Your efforts have been appreciated, but we are under attack, and your services will no longer be needed. Essential personnel have already been evacuated. If you remain to hear this message, you have been deemed non-essential, and should already be aware that you will not be considered a hostage should the situation arise. While Videlic Arms has a profound concern for your wellbeing, the cost of insuring all employees would be far too prohibitive. For more information regarding Videlic's emergency policies, including hostage situations, wrongful death and survival benefits, and assaults on the building, please consult your employee handbook, or the pamphlet entitled 'So We're Under Attack,' available from your HR representative..."
Rufus listened to the message with an increasing sense of dread. He could feel it in his stomach – the moment to jump ship had arrived. He could go to Odine's lab, pull the project data, and report in at Balamb Garden. If he saved the Junction Machine, the General might not kill him.
"Screw it," Rufus said, leaping from the chair in Scarlet's office and running through the halls. Chaos surrounded him. The soothing form of the message did nothing to dampen its substantive impact. Employees trampled each other in their mad dash to safety. Only Rufus proceeded deeper into the building.
Before long, he arrived at Odine's lab, moving inside. He sat down at the nearest terminal and started to call up the project files. A blinking light from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked up to see Junction Machine Adel, surrounded by plastic explosives. The light he noticed – attached to the timing device – glowed like an angry wound.
Holding his breath, Rufus stepped forward, nearing the device.
5.
4.
"Shit," he said, too paralyzed to run.
3.
2.
Suddenly, his memory jogged. The blonde woman, the one from the elevator. He knew where he'd seen her face before. Get rid of the sunglasses, change the hair color...
1.
"Son of a bitch," he whispered.
Boom.
* *
"We keep this up, and we'll catch them in no time," Nida grinned, pleased at the ship's speed.
"Yeah," Selphie said, "but there's a three-way split coming up, and we don't know which way they went."
"Left," Quistis murmured.
"Huh?" Nida asked.
"Go left," Quistis nodded, more sure of herself.
"You sure, Quisty?" Selphie pressed.
"No. Yes. Not really. Call it a hunch."
At the intersection, Nida swung the ship to the left, and Quistis bit her lower lip in hopeful anticipation. Sure enough, the train car slid into view.
"Not bad, blondie," Seifer grinned, slapping Quistis on the back. "How'd you know?"
Quistis shrugged. "It's what I would have done."
"What now?" Nida asked.
"Stay on their tail," Quistis instructed. "Selphie, see if you can warm up the weapons systems."
Selphie started work on the control panel in front of her. The group heard the massive cannons under the wings heating up, as the brunette worked the buttons. She flipped a series of three switches and then pressed a large green button, prompting the ship to lurch. The left wing dipped dangerously again, scraping the wall of the tunnel. Nida fought to retain control and Selphie sat back, looking at the control panel in wide-eyed fear.
"They must still be working the bugs out of it," Irvine said.
"Nida, forget about chasing them. Just get us aboveground in one piece. We've done all we can today," Quistis commanded, no small amount of regret in her voice.
"You sure? I can still get this thing under control."
"Yeah!" Zell chimed in. "I'll work on the power, and Irvine can get the weapons online. We can still catch them."
"No," she shook her head. "No. We did good work today, but... it's over."
Nodding, Nida eased the ship back, lowering it gently to the ground, as Zell slid forward to rework the wiring. Quistis slumped forward, holding her head in her hands.
"We did fine," Seifer said. "We know what they were up to, we destroyed that... apparatus, and I'll bet you ten to one that Mallis doesn't let Odine live through this."
"Yeah," Quistis smiled. "So why do I feel like we lost?"