Replies -

Mog: wow you really went out and bought BR 'cause of my story:blushes: It's only loosely based around it, but it is a great movie. Mitsuko rocks!

To all reviewers - when you review try not to give too much away, okay? Yes we all feel sorry for poor, hideously mangled Zell but try and keep it on the hush for the sake of future readers k? LOVE YA GUYS!

Chapter five
– Pulling the trigger

They had spoken for a while about what to do next, partly because they were at a loss of where to go now there was no escape pod and partly because they wanted to respectfully brush the subject of Zell under the carpet. Quistis said that she didn't think the danger was over – even though Natala was dead and the explosives had been detonated. This statement had unnerved Selphie probably because she wasn't sure what could be left that was a threat, and probably because she felt that the danger was right in front of her, dancing before her eyes, yet should couldn't quite reach it. She thought that Irvine must of felt the same way because he hastily suggested that they try and get answers out of Cid before anything else happened.

Currently, they were inside the elevator. The camera and its unblinking eye stared at them with an intense fascination that was difficult to ignore, like when you see someone staring at you from the corner of your eye. Quistis was pretending to fiddle with something on her arm though Selphie knew she was trying to distract herself. Rinoa had turned her back on it and held an upright stiff composure that betrayed her uneasiness at being watched this close. Irvine however, was not taking to the confined situation so well. Beads of sweat glistened on his brow and stained his hat dark around the rim. He kept glancing to the camera and at the floor and at the camera and at Quistis and at the camera and at the wall and at the camera and at his hands until finally he turned to Selphie – who had been watching him with an apprehensive stare – and ordered, 'Give me your axe.'

All of a sudden Selphie found herself back in the same position she had found herself in – what? – a few hours ago? To Selphie, it had seemed like years ago that Aya, herself and Moeru stood in that very elevator and debated about whether to smash the camera and here she was again, in the same situation. And just as it had the previous time the same feeling tugged at the corners of her mind, shouting to be heard and acknowledged.

'No,' Selphie said.

Irvine looked shocked but didn't have a chance to press his request further.

Ting

Quistis left her sleeve alone and Rinoa turned around eagerly.

The camera didn't move and neither did the doors.

They waited a little longer, Selphie gripping her right arm nervously. Nobody said a word.

The doors still didn't open.

Irvine pushed through the girls and stood in front of the door, wiping the back of his hand across his brow. He pushed a button but it made no difference and all of a sudden the space was a lot smaller than Selphie had originally thought. The walls seemed to breathe, to close in on her. She closed her eyes and took long deep breaths.

'What's up with these doors?' Irvine cried in frustration. He banged on the thick, metallic sheets before him. 'Fucking open!'

'Irvine-'

'Don't 'Irvine' me! Why the hell wont the doors open? Who's idea was it to get in the fucking elevator in a time like this? It could be a trap! They could gas the elevator any moment or they could cut the chords and we go plunging to the ground – Wham! Smack! Fuck this! Get me outta here!'

'The elevator wouldn't reach the third floor last time I used it either. Perhaps Cid blocked access to it?'

'Why didn't you tell us then?' the cowboy screamed at his girlfriend, 'we wouldn't be stuck in here otherwise, would we? Was this your bright idea?'

'Irvine, we all agreed to visit Cid-'

'Oh so it was yours was it, Trepe? Well just give yourself a pat on the back because-'

'Will you guys…just stop arguing? You're like a bunch of children!'

'Listen Rinoa, was I talking to you? No, so just stay-'

'STOP IT!' Selphie cried, 'you're wasting oxygen! No, the doors aren't opening. No, we can't get out. We'll have to find an alternative. So why don't we…' She jumped up and unlatched a trap door. '…climb up the ladder to reach the third floor instead?'

For a moment her friends and the camera stared at the girl then seemed to agree soundlessly.

Their metallic footsteps bounced eerily off the walls. They scrambled clumsily up the ladder because there were no external lights outside the lift, so the group had to feel very carefully for each rung, keeping a steady pace so no one would bump into each other. Clink, clink, clink, their echo was harsh and the darkness was pressing. Selphie took lead, nervous and afraid, expecting to reach up and the soft flesh of someone else above her. Or for the clink, clink, clink to fade until she would realise in horror that the others were gone and she was left alone in the awful, musty, dark elevator panel.

Sweat dripped down her face and her breathing became abrasive.

They came to a light grey door, shut tight and barred by thick, black panels. Selphie was directly beside it, where the ladder ended. She it with the palm of her hand and, unsurprisingly, it didn't even shudder. She heard Rinoa sigh impatiently from the darkness below.

Closing her eyes, she let an aura surround the area, lighting it dimly, then let this summoned magic explode from her fingertips in the form of Fire. The door was blown into the room behind with a crash that made Selphie cry out quite suddenly. A cloud of dust bellowed from the gaping opening and white light streaked the wall opposite, illuminating the long drop beneath them.

'Alright Selph,' she heard the sniper urge, 'keep going. There's no point in being quiet, the whole Garden probably heard that blast.'

Is he angry?

The brunette shifted herself into the third floor room apprehensively, heard the soft thunk of he boots meeting the carpet. She walked forward a little. She hardly heard them enter behind her, hardly heard the string of curses Irvine whispered, hardly heard Rinoa's strangled sob, hardly heard Quistis drop to her knees.

She only saw.

He obviously hadn't been there long. Maybe he did it when the door was blown off. A mixture of brain, blood and fragmented skull was splattered up the wall to their left. Crimson drops trickled down the paintwork like rain down a window, leaving neat, red trails in their wake. The mahogany desk was pooled with blood, oozing down the wooden legs and staining the cream carpet.

Headmaster Cid sat behind the desk, his body slumped onto its surface, face pressed into his own blood, a pistol in his right hand.

Selphie's heart pounded heavily and her breathing felt laboured. The press of the axe against her back increased as death throbbed like a living thing in the air.

Why? Why is this happening? He…he was the only one who knew…the only one who could explain! Damn him! Damn him…

And now she could drag her eyes away, she realised that that wasn't it. The entire room was plastered ceiling to floor with surveillance videos – the link to the cameras.

Hyne there's so many, Selphie thought dumbly. There must be at least two to every room.

The tiny screens blinked in unison, each portraying their own section of Garden. Selphie saw the bodies in the library and flicked her eyes to another. She saw the blood soaked needle in the infirmary. She saw her friends' bodies in the Quad. She saw Zell – oh Hyne Zell!

Her legs gave way and she stared at the carpet.

They were all surprised because Quistis was the first to step forward. The instructor hesitated, avoided looking at the old headmaster, and leaned forward very abruptly to snatch a piece of paper from the desk Selphie had failed to notice earlier.

Quistis gagged before she turned back to them. 'It's a letter,' she told them quietly. 'Cid's handwriting.' She paused then, held it away from her and turned her head. 'I-I…can't…can't…'

Irvine took it from her trembling hand. He opened his mouth to speak but a cracked sound came out instead. He coughed before beginning to read. 'To my SeeDs,' he began, 'I do not know who I am addressing but I can make my own valid guesses. Currently, I am in no position to justify or even explain your situation. All I can say is that I was deeply opposed to the entire idea, and yet all my secret attempts to resist and reason ended in vain and thus, your predicament occurred. Believe me though; I tried my best to prevent this from happening. I was a fool. I should have seen this coming a long time ago, as soon as the second sorceress war ended. Perhaps I did, but that is not relevant now.

'I know that some of you reached the escape pod. As you found out the hard way, it was a faux, just another way to exterminate you. You see, none of you are meant to survive. The only person who is is me. How? There is another escape pod. One that isn't littered with explosives, I hastened to add. It was meant for me, as I said, but I know that I would not be able to live with myself if I left you all behind.

'I take my life because I am afraid of you. But, I see it as a life for a life. I have given you another chance to get out of this place. A bit of hope, if you will. Use it wisely because-'

Irvine stopped reading suddenly and flipped the paper over.

'And…?' Quistis inquired.

'That's it,' he concluded with a shrug. 'Perhaps he couldn't finish it 'cause we came in.'

There was an awkward pause and a familiar tension embraced the room.

Rinoa had her hand over her face. 'So there's another one?' Her voice sounded muffled. 'But where…?'

'Oh come on! Can we actually trust him?' Irvine laughed acidly. 'He was probably a raving lunatic by the end – I mean, look at him for Hyne's sake!' He pointed at the dead man. 'He shot himself in the fucking he-'

'That's enough!' Quistis shouted and sobbed suddenly.

Selphie was at a loss. Another pod? Images of Zell burned in her mind. What if Irvine was right? And last time everyone argued, their friendship being stretched and twisted to its limits. Now it was like a rubber band that was being pulled in opposite directions, taut and under immense strain, ready to snap at any time. Would another escape pod break that rubber band once and for all? And what would the consequences be if that happened?

Yet…there was also a dark feeling that blanketed part of Selphie's mind. It spread quietly, lapped at her thoughts and festered like a disease across her sanity.

Why do I need them anyway? she thought darkly. They're only holding me back. I could escape and find the pod by myself…but what if they come after me? I should get rid of them while my chances are good…get them swiftly…no time to retaliate…and then-

'Oh my…!' Rinoa exclaimed suddenly. She was pointing at one of the screens. 'Squall!'

Selphie's thought dispersed and she was horrified at herself. She shook her head and turned to look at the screen. And so it was. Commander Squall Leonhart, strolling idly through the cafeteria as if it was a normal day in Garden. He glanced in an apathetic manner at the camera, as if he was looking right at the foursome, then jumped over the bar and entered the kitchen beyond. They all began desperately scanning the screens to find him again but it was as if he had disappeared.

'Oh my god!' she said again. 'Oh Squall! He's alive! He's…he's…oh Squall wait there! Come on, we have to go and get him! Everyone go back down the ladder, quickly, while he's still in the cafeteria!'

Selphie thought, Something's wrong…

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was – unsurprising – deserted. From somewhere amidst a bustle of over-turned chairs and table, stacked clumsily upon one another like there was desperate struggle to reach the ceiling, a faint drip-drip-drip could be heard – the dripping of blood perhaps? Or was that the uncertain and suspicious voices tingling in the back of Selphie's mind convincing her so?

Glancing over at an overturned tray dripping congealed mashed potato onto the tiled floor with sickening squelches, Selphie concluded that it was indeed the voices in her head.

'What happened here?' Quistis inquired, taking in the wrecked Cafeteria with her arms wrapped around her slender torso.

Selphie shrugged, felt the reassuring bite of the axe against her lower back. 'A struggle?'

Rinoa called out into the empty space Squall's name. It echoed appallingly, bouncing off the walls as if the word were rubber.

They waited in silence but there was no reply.

Irvine cocked his hat and walked over to the counter. 'C'mon,' he said, 'you saw him, didn't you? He went over here.'

'Irvy…' Selphie began tentatively, but the others were already approaching the counter, eager to locate their missing leader.

All right, she thought, why are ya getting yourself worked up this time Selphie? We should find Squall; he's bound to know something about what's happened. Then we can find this escape pod together. He's probably looking for us anyway…

Once past the counter, they walked across the serving area and through double silver doors that swung open easily. Everyone held his or her breath, each praying that Squall would be there.

But he wasn't.

The metallic kitchen surfaces were shiny and clean. The white tiled floor gleamed in the overheads and plates – dirty and clean – were stacked neatly on the tables that ringed the oblong room. Stinking mounds of food lay rotting on some plates; a bottle of water lay on its side like a fallen tree, spewing its contents over the side onto the floor. It was eerily quiet.

'S-Squall?' Rinoa called quietly.

They lingered by the door gingerly, positive they had seen Squall enter only minutes before hand, and they had definitely not seen anyone exit the cafeteria on their way in.

'Well that's a major bummer,' Selphie commented, crossing her arms.

'We can't leave without Squall!' Rinoa exclaimed, as if someone had brought up that possibility. 'He has to be around here somewhere, and now I know he's alive I'm determined to find him!'

'Oh c'mon, Rin, I'm desperate to get outta here. Squall's capable of handling himself. Why don't we find the escape pod and then –'

'I'm not leaving him!'

It was then that Selphie noticed it, and it was quite surprising that she did because it wasn't very blatant. A gap in the knife rack; one was missing. The black knife handles went up in size, little ebony fingers pointing out of a wooden block, their shiny blades hidden from view. And the biggest one was missing.

Selphie's stomach knotted. A coincidence, surely? 'Um…guys. Can we…err…leave now…please?'

Irvine adjusted his hat. 'What?'

'There's a knife miss –'

She lunged out from behind a tall cupboard, her face a mask of fury and insanity, her uniform torn and bloodied. Her hair was matted against her face, eyes so wide the white around them showed. In her hand she wielded a long carving knife: the missing one.

'Xu!'

And there was hardly any time to react because she upon them so fast and her attack was so unexpected. Selphie whipped out her axe and breezed to the right as the knife whistled past her left side. She turned quickly and arched the axe upward at the same time, clipping the crazed Xu's left arm. Blood splattered along the shiny surfaces as Xu gave a scream.

Quistis and Irvine had dived to the back of the room – a foolish thing to do in Selphie's opinion because now they were trapped – and Rinoa had thrown herself though the double doors into the serving area out of sight. Selphie was very aware of the fact that she was the only one armed.

The mad SeeD flung herself at Selphie, stabbing madly at the air like a machine, and Selphie was thrown back against the centre table. Using the axe she blocked the knife and it became lodged in the wooden handle. Xu struggled momentarily to get it free then leapt off the girl, staggering like a drunken monster across the kitchen to retrieve another one.

In Selphie's haze of adrenalin she heard Quistis shriek: 'Xu stop it! What are you doing, we're your friends!'

But it was no use. Selphie hurled herself at Xu's turned back and stretched around her body to knock the knife block away from her reach. It went skidding across the counter and landed on the floor with a heavy thunk.

Irvine leapt upon the dark haired girl now, pinning her thrashing arms to the counter and avoiding her kicking legs, he screamed something to Selphie.

But Selphie couldn't hear him. Once again, something inside her had clicked and she felt more strongly the weight of the axe in her hands, saw more vividly the splashes of crimson blood and sparking of light off the axe's blade. She rushed at Xu and with a sickening crunch plunged the axe into Xu's chest. The former SeeD gave a horrific howl and fell to the floor, gurgling on her own blood.

She was dead within a minute, the axe planted in her like a deadly flower.

DEATH TO ALL MWAHAHA! err...anyway...on a serious note...

I'm very sorry but don't expect the next chapter any time soon. It's not that I've lost interest but not only am I juggling another 2 fanfics, but I'm editing someones story as well. I guarantee though that in the next instalment there will be an unexpected murder and the team go 'Scooby Doo' style and split up…. not to look for clues mind you…

Reviews are helpful and needed, so please do it. : )