Chapter 7: Homeward Bound
Aidan stood on the brow of the hill as the sand and dust from the ship's exhaust whirled around him like a miniature sandstorm. Slight bits of fused sand pelted themselves against his face as he wrapped his robe tighter around him, so much that he could only carry on staring at the 'Rok for a few seconds at a time before he had to turn away.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place and his mind was already trying to justify his actions. Deep down he knew that what he had done was not only stupid, but dangerous and the last thing he wanted was for others to come looking for him, especially after what Zell, Squall and Seifer had seen. Things couldn't change back to what they once were, no matter how much he may want them to. He was a exile and nothing could change that.
He didn't want anything to change that. He was content where he was, wasn't he?
Aidan's shoulders shrugged in resignation. There was nothing he could do now. It was far too late.
Inside the 'Rok Squall, Zell and Seifer were checking consoles frantically trying to stop the imminent explosion. None of the former screens were on fire or sparking, but the shudders that were running through the damaged ship were causing small pieces of glass to dislodge and shatter on the floor.
Zell and Seifer moved from display to display while Squall simply stood there, focused on the main console trying to repair the damage and stop the sequence. However the system had no way of being bypassed once lift-off had started and there was no way for them to get out of the landing mode.
"There's no way to bypass the systems in here,' said Squall, his voice slightly raised to make himself heard over the sound of the engines running at full capacity, 'and there's no chance for us to release the…"
There was a sudden thud the reverberated through the entire ship, attracting the attention of both Squall and Zell.
"What was that!" Zell asked.
"You ain't gonna believe this, but the landing systems just deactivated. It was all programmed in, the computer had complete control all the time." Seifer said in disbelief, as the ship started to hover gently above the ground.
The pounding throughout the ship gently drifted into the background and became nothing more than a subtle vibration. Gently at first, in an almost imperceptible way the battered ship started to lift off the ground leaving, in it's wake, a storm of dust and sand pushed upwards by the force of the engines.
Squall crossed the bridge and sat at the pilots seat.
"Give me manual control." He stated, emotionlessly.
"Not possible,' Zell replied with strain and tension in his voice, 'it's locked out."
Squall turned around sharply.
"Can you unlock it?"
"Not a chance, the ship's been programmed to fly in a straight line north. We won't have manual control until we hit the polar regions, which is a gonna be pretty nasty because the heating generators were wiped out in the crash." Zell replied.
The ship shifted slightly to the left as it struggled to get above the lip of the gully into which it had dug itself, the result of which sent Zell and Seifer stumbling slightly across the room. Seifer was able to steady himself on one of the consoles whereas Zell was caught by Squall.
Zell looked at Squall, silently thanking him for the catch and caught the questioning look in the taller man's eyes. Almost as if he wanted to know what had happened between him and Aidan while Seifer and himself were down in the engine room. Zell silently promised to answer that question, but until then something needed to be done about the ship.
Gently extracting himself from Squall Zell headed to another holographic command display, trying to find out what had been done.
As the 'Rok rose higher and higher into the air, finally clearing itself from the crater. Squall looked out of the viewing window. He could scarcely see Aidan amid the mixture of smoke and sand, but silently Squall made a promise. One he made with his whole heart and soul.
This was not over. Not yet.
The 'Rok manoeuvred itself so as to be in a better position to start it's northward trip and the engines yet again made an ear splitting sound as power built up in the bowels of the craft.
The flecks of sand and the chocking gas of the smoke were almost too much for Aidan as he remained on the ground, trying his best to stay till the very end when he would see the famed ship and it's even more famous crew head back to their home.
And for what was the first time in Aidan felt something beneath the surface. An emotion long buried and forgotten.
Regret.
Aidan tried to take solace in his conversation with Squall earlier that morning as he felt the heat of the engines bare down on him like a blanket.
"I'm my own man now Squall,' Damn right he was. He was free. 'I can't change who I am."
He hadn't wanted to be a warrior. It was never like that, I was just a mould that he had been cast into as a child. He simply wanted to be loved, to be liked.
But he had become a warrior, a fighter. A fighter for life, for his friends and his family even though he'd had none of those.
'You're running away from who you are.' Squall had said.
No he wasn't, he was simply trying to break free.
'You're SeeD, we always will be and nothing can change that.'
No he wasn't. He was trained and forced to be that. That wasn't his nature. He was different.
'None of us can change who we are, but we can refuse to face ourselves, which is exactly what you're doing.'
It was never like that, was it? All of the best moments of his life had been taken away because he was SeeD. He'd met Zell and fallen in love. But Zell had never wanted him and he'd forgotten because of the guardian forces. Then there was Katrina, the happiest day of his life was when he married her, but then she'd been taken away from him, because of the war, because they were both SeeD.
The whole point of him finding this home and taking it over was to remember her and what he was.
But somehow, somehow he'd forgotten what he was. He'd given in to rage, to anger, hate and despair and he'd run away when he couldn't take anymore.
And he was still running away.
He'd forgotten that the best moments of his life had happened BECAUSE he was SeeD. Because of who he was, because of who they were.
Aidan twisted around to look at the hovering ship. He could tell that the engines were almost at full capacity from the heat and the sound they were giving off. His chance to remember his identity was about to leave and there was nothing that he could do. He'd once again forgotten what he was and convinced himself to send the others home as fast as possible. He was a fool.
Suddenly Aidan was startled out of his reverie by a massive roar in the distance. As he turned suddenly he saw a black shadow in the distance, one that was moving at a tremendous speed, but against the wind and with a sinking sensation realised he'd been more of a fool than before. Unhooking his sword from it's scabbard on his back, Aidan braced himself.
Roused by the sound and feelings of the engines the Onyx Dragon was coming back for its prey. Aidan had not only killed his past, but now he had killed his friends as well.
The cry of the dragon had not gone un-noticed by the crew of the 'Rok and a sudden rush of energy followed the startled silence as each member tried desperately to find someway to abort the lift-off sequence and land the ship. Suddenly Squall had an idea.
"How far above the ground are we?" Squall asked.
"Not too far,' was Seifer's reply, '11.75 feet."
"Are we out of the crash site though?"
Seifer glanced down at the display in front of him and manipulated several controls until the relevant answer appeared.
"Only just, the exhaust from the engines has put us just clear of the gully."
"Fine. Zell I need you to get down to the main power supply box below the elevator and cut the power." Squall ordered.
"What? If I do that she'll plummet to the ground!"
"And if you don't that dragon thing will tear the ship and us to pieces, now do it!" Said Squall, raising his voice slightly to get his point over.
Zell ran across the bridge and down the lift, following Squall's orders. After sending the lift back to the bridge Zell jumped into the main power conduit underneath it. His mind raced as he tried to remember which of the delicate junction boxes in front of him would cut the power to the engines alone and not the whole ship.
Mentally following the connections running through the very heart of the ship he found the correct casing and with all the grace of a charging T-Rex, ripped the cables out of it.
The gentle hum that Zell had barely noticed stopped and then the ship dropped like a stone through the air as gravity took hold. With a crash the Ragnarok yet again hit the Centra desert, sending clouds of debris into the air.
Squall and Seifer left the bridge and met Zell at the bottom of the lift shaft, all three were shaken and jarred by the crash, but their senses were as alert as ever and they were soon overloaded by the dragon's roar.
"Think it's gonna come back?" Said Seifer in a sarcastic tone.
"We've got to fight it this time,' stated Squall, 'if we don't then it's going to take apart the 'rok and we're going to be stuck here permanently."
"And if we do fight it, it's gonna kill us anyway. So I guess either way, we're staying. Great.." Zell said as the three of them headed toward the hatch.
With little more than a whoosh the door opened and hot stale air , mixed with sand and dust hit all three. Rock and heated sand crunched underfoot as Seifer, Zell and Squall left the fallen ship yet again and with yet another fearsome and ear-splitting roar the dragon set down before them.
It was, if anything, more fear inspiring than the last battle they had with it. The dragon was huge and seemingly recognised it's prey from their previous encounter. Letting it's head back the dragon roared again trying to scare the three friends in front of it to running and from there easily pick them off.
But SeeD, especially THE SeeD, never ran, from anything.
Learning from the previous fight all three immediately took up a defensive stance making it easier to block and avoid any physical attacks that the dragon could throw at them. The tension and pressure on all three of the fighters was apparent from the expressions on their faces, the focused intensity that made even Zell stop bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Instinct took over and Zell attempted to charge and cast an ultima spell on the dragon, before his conscious mind took over and he realised that neither Seifer or himself could use the magic that they'd become so accustomed to, only Squall could. Yet again the lion was their only hope to survive.
With a cry Zell jumped forward and attacked the dragon with all that he had. For him it was like hitting a solid titanium wall without his gloves on and yet, through the pain, he kept on attacking, leaving a minor dent in the gigantic beast's armour.
Seeing the limited effect that Zells powerful attack had on the beast Seifer decided to opt for a different tactic and instead of attacking the monsters body attempted to slash at a sensitive spot on the creature, its glowing eyes. Seifer's Hyperion only managed to make a slight scratch on the creature, from their perspectives the fight looked grim.
Squall, fully charged and now ready to fight charged at the creature and used a combination of attacks to at least try and breach the monsters defensive armour which yet again failed.
Squall, Zell and Seifer were surprised by what happened next. Aidan struck at the monster from its rear, using a series of quick slashes on it's back. Roaring in pain the dragon snapped its head round trying to catch the annoying stinging creature in it's jaws.
As the dragon was distracted Squall and Seifer attacked it's neck while Zell pummelled the upper body attempting to create a point that they could all attack.
Bellowing, the dragon was able to send Aidan flying onto the ground and slashed out at the trio of insects in front of it driving them back. All four of them now stood side by side facing death in it's most horrific form.
Squall knew as well as any SeeD that during battle there was no time for conversation, no time for sentiment or compassion, it was a fight for survival. A fight Squall intended to win and after he would speak to Aidan, probably using the tip of the Lionheart to make his point, no pun intended.
The dragon before them, the creature that had bested the three heroes of time once before made ready it's first attack. In a disturbing parallel to what had happened only a few days before hand the creature due back it's head and prepared it's lethal breath attack.
Something in Squall snapped and he attacked with all his courage and heart. To the others it looked like a limit break attack, but it felt different. Squall's attacks were more savage and faster than Zell or Seifer had ever thought possible and had more strength behind them than seemed remotely human. Seeing Squall slashing and hacking at the dragon in front of them was a sight that all three would remember for the rest of their lives.
The attack lasted far longer than any normal limit break which gave the others time to duck in between Squall's slashes and get in a hit but Squall was pretty much taking the dragon on solo.
And was winning.
The Dragon opened it's mouth to roar but Squall, without missing an opportunity, hacked at the creature's jaws sending blood and detritus over the sands. The Dragon screamed in pain as Squall moved onto the creatures eyes, continuing where Seifer had left off, and the remaining trio fought together hacking at the great beast's underbelly, ripping at the thick amour while trying to dodge its spasms of pain.
Zell opened a gash in the Dragons exposed belly, pink and sensitive skin exposed to the harsh elements of the desert and, without missing a beat, Seifer plunged the hyperion deep into the monsters flesh and pulled the trigger on the gunblade.
The scream that the dragon let out deafened each of the four causing them to fall back to their original defensive positions. The dust and debris stung their eyes as they looked at the sight before them. The Dragon that had only moments before seemed indestructible was writhing and screaming on the desert floor, its stomach ripped open making it weakened, but still powerful in its rage and pain. A foul smell was on the wind drifting towards the warriors and they knew with every fibre of their being that something was wrong.
"What the fuck is that smell?" Zell said, breaking the uneasy silence that seemed to follow them through every battle.
"It's not dead yet, maybe it's a natural reaction to having the crap beaten out of it." Chipped in Seifer.
The look on Squall's face was grim and stony as his hair whipped around his elegant and set face.
"It's a natural reaction alright,' he began, 'I think it's a pheromone being released. We need to kill this thing and kill it fast or we're in serious trouble." Squall paused for a moment, considering the options that the foursome had.
"We go for the chest cavity that's been opened and its head too. Seifer, you go for the eyes, I'll go for the neck. Zell and Aidan, rip it apart."
The look in Zell's eyes could only be described as feral, the prospect of tearing apart a creature of that size that had inflicted such damage upon his friends would be a pleasure.
The small, but powerful, group of humans charged the writhing screaming monster silently, their weapons raised and determined looks on all of their faces. Determined that each one of them would survive.
Zell and Aidan started to hack at the exposed flesh of the dragon while Seifer and Squall took on the head to try kill it quickly. Squall knew, somehow, that this creature had to die fast for them to have any chance, but at the rate they were going there was just no chance that they were going to do it.
Awake My Sleeping Lionheart
Squall froze with his gunblade poised in the air, causing Seifer to cast him a concerned look. That voice in his mind…
Awake From Your Dreams
Squall needed more power to finish the Dragon, power that was being offered to him in abundance and without a seconds thought he took it. The rush that went through his body was incredible, the air seemed to be liquid around him as he moved gracefully but with a savagery that he'd never before known he had. Each blow seemed to last an eternity to Squall giving him chance to cause as much damage as possible with each hit. He found himself moving around the monster, instinctively knowing its weak points and exploiting them. To him it seemed like a limit break but stronger than anything he had felt while performing his Renzokuken, the golden aura that normally accompanied his limit break was instead blue and it felt like power was being pumped into him, almost as much as he could take, in fact it felt like he was being boosted.
Every strike Squall inflicted on the Dragon caused it to howl louder and louder with the pain it was feeling. The great predator it had believed itself to be was suffering immeasurably and, as if sensing this, with one final, ultimate blow and an earth wrenching sonic boom that flung the other three fighters out of the way, the great warrior Squall Leonhart ended its life with such force that the indefatigable Onyx Dragon simply disintegrated away and faded into nothingness.
The three fighters picked themselves up and brushed themselves down while Squall stared into space, waiting for his body to return to normal after the rush of a limit break. Normally this happened within seconds, but this time it was taking longer, this time it was all because that fool had put them in danger by starting up the ship to soon, this time he wouldn't get away with it….
With these thoughts Squall focused all his energy and powers on Aidan, charging him with all the force of his limit break that was still energising his body. With a feral look on his face he picked Aidan up by his throat and, even though the two men were about the same height, held him into the air. For the briefest of moments not only anger, but also hate shone through the normal stoic stormy eyes of Squall.
"S….Squall…" Aidan choked out.
"Squall, put him down!" Shouted Zell from behind. As waking from a dream the rage in Squall's eyes dissipated and he dropped Aidan unceremoniously onto the desert surface.
Shaken by his own actions Squall took a step back a look of surprise and shock evident for the briefest of moments on his face before it was replaced back under the icy mask that he'd worn for so many years. Coming up behind him Seifer knelt down to try and help Aidan, whereas Zell tentatively placed a hand on Squall's shoulder in support.
The look on Aidan's face spoke for its self, a look of shock and horror, but like Squalls it disappeared. Seifer started to help him up but was shrugged off by Aidan.
"It's ok, I'm not hurt just a little shaken."
"Well you should be, you could have killed us with that little stunt." Seifer whispered harshly in his ear.
"What the fuck were you playing at Tiger!' Burst out Zell, 'What were you thinking!"
An emotion flashed across Squalls face at the mention of Aidan's nickname by Zell. It was unnoticed by anyone except Seifer who was unsure how to interpret it and so decided it better to say nothing.
"I wanted you out of here, I thought I wanted to be alone, I…." Aidan trailed off, hanging his head breaking the brief eye contact he'd had with Zell.
"That doesn't matter now,' said Squall filling his voice with authority, 'Lieutenant Aidan Tygerson, for endangering the lives of SeeD troops while in a battle situation and for desertion and dereliction of duty I am placing you under military arrest to be court marshalled at such time as we can return to Garden."
Aidan met the steely grey of Squall's gaze and for just a moment there was only the two of them, one with courage beyond measure and the other a broken man because of what he had gone through.
And just as quickly the understanding and connection between the two was broken.
"As SeeD I will return with you to Garden and face whatever action you feel is necessary. Sir."
"Good,' Replied Squall nodding his head once in assent, 'Seifer and I will return with you to get your things, Zell you get the ship ready for take off again. Make sure there are no other surprises waiting for us in the systems"
Zell looked at Aidan, his sapphire eyes shining, whether it was joy because Aidan was returning with them or because they were finally about to get underway none could be sure.
"See you all in a minute." He said and then started off toward the ship.
"Well, shall we go?" was the mocking suggestion that came from Seifer.
After a hasty repair job by Zell in the Ragnarok and when Seifer, Squall and Aidan returned from the house at last they were ready to leave and return to civilisation.
"What's up Squall?" Asked Zell as the three men walked back into the cockpit of the ship, noticing the more than usual sour look on the brunette's face.
"Li'l pussy cat here's a little pissed off Chickie." Said Seifer, with the usual smirk plastered over his face.
"Aidan destroyed his computer systems before we could get at them. There's nothing left" Stated Squall flatly, with just a touch of steel in his voice.
Zell glared at Aidan, who simply shrugged his shoulders. His chocolate eyes sparkled with mischief though, a look that stirred forgotten memories within Zell, a look that was clearly meant for him alone, but something that Squall noticed also.
"Whatever,' Squall continued, 'The ship's all ready for takeoff Zell?"
"All checked and ready." He replied.
"Fine. As long as there's no other surprises waiting for us,' Squall accompanied this statement with a pointed glare at Aidan, 'we can finally get going."
Seifer, Zell and Squall took their respective positions on the Bridge with Aidan hovering in the background, an outsider to the lead trio. With a roar the ships engines came to life and, with a slight shake and rattle, the fallen Ragnarok lifted off the ground.
Aidan stared out of the main window as the ship lifted higher into the air, silently saying goodbye to what had been his home for the last 5 years. As the ship turned his eyes followed the ramshackle building until it disappeared from view, he didn't look for it after that. His past was settled, and his eyes looked to the horizon and his future.
For the others in the cockpit, they were just glad to be going back home with their prodigal son and their lost comrade.