Yay an update! I hardly believe it myself. After exams, the beach, and going out of town for a week to work in D.C., I fell into the worst case of writer's slump ever. Hasn't happened to me before but I guess there's a first time for everything. I really hope that you guys haven't forgotten too much yet and will still read it. I admit that I am kinda scared that no one will want to read this after all this time. I've gained my inspiration back and hopefully will be coming out with a new chapter soon. It's guaranteeed to be a shocker! For now please enjoy this chapter! It's a long one to justify for all the time that I haven't updated in. It may contain minor spelling errors because the spellchecker on my computer is currently not working. Let me know, if it's too bad and I'll try to fix it. Let me know if you like this chapter!

Chapter 20

"Report, Mr. Almasy."

Cracking his knuckles, Seifer fearlessly looked up at the General.

"The guard and the prisoner are both dead. I was unable to retrieve any information from him. " Caraway stopped pacing around the room and glared at him.

"Would you care to repeat that? I think I misheard you." He breathed in heavily, the large blue vein in his neck protruding noticeably as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"The prisoner committed suicide by impaling himself on my gunblade as he was being escorted by the guard back to his cell. Mr. Kreyes was careless enough to announce to our guest that his beloved brother was lying stone cold in the next room. As you can imagine, General, that juicy piece of information was a little hard to digest for our young friend. Need I continue?"

"Are you mocking me, Mr. Almasy?" The tone of his voice was ice cold.

"No, sir," responded Seifer with feigned surprise.

"Good. Just don't foget that you are not indispensible, Mr. Almasy."

"Wouldn't dream of it, General," he said lowering his face to hide an insolent smirk.

"Did you at least get his name?"

"No, sir." There was an awful crack as the wine glass that General Caraway was holding shattered into three large shards inside his hand. Seifer looked up, amused.

"I certainly hope my skull won't meet the same fate as that poor glass you were holding. Otherwise maybe it's best for us to part our ways now, General." For a minute, Caraway looked as if he would explode, then suddenly relaxing his muscles he proceeded to clean up the broken glass.

"No matter. What happened today is a minor setback. No punks barely out of their diapers will stop me from crushing the resistance. Let me ask you a question, Mr. Almasy." He looked Seifer straight in the eyes as his voice assumed an almost conspiratorial tone.

"Have you ever heard of Crimson Rose?" Seifer's cool green eyes betrayed no emotion.

"They are a powerful anti-president resistance group here in Deling, are they not?"

"Precisely. It is my job to make sure that they are destroyed once and for all. Unfortunately their operations are very covert, and as of yet we have not been able to determine the position of their home base. But anyways, I've told you too much already. All that will be required of you is to protect me while I do my job. Is that clear, Mr. Almasy?"

"Crystal."

"Good. Glad to hear that we are on the same wavelength. "

"Just one more thing, General. What exactly does your job entail? I have no desire to play hero while Crimson Rose picks off your half competent army like newborn kittens."

"How dare you?! My men have been trained by the finest minds in the Galbadian army and…" Caraway's voice shook with indignation, and he was about dismiss his insulter when Seifer calmly cut him off.

"Save it, General. Let us instead review the three key points to our contract and my agreement to work for you. Point one, I must follow you everywhere. Point two, you will allow me to do a complete system examination. Point three and this perhaps is the most important one, while I am employed but you, your men will obey me. Now correct me if I am wrong, but according to the aforementioned terms, I have every right to know what this mission is about before I go and get myself killed on your behalf." He spoke quietly, but the steel note in his voice played on every syllable that confidently rolled off his sharp tongue. Caraway cursed himself mentally for agreeing to take orders from a spoiled child who had obviously forgotten his place before the General of the entire Galbadian Army. But records don't lie, Caraway reasoned. The insolent punk standing before him was indeed the best bodyguard on probably the entire continent, even if he was a mere child who barely hit puberty. I can't afford to fail. Have it your way, Seifer. I'll deal with you after this is over.

"Very well, Mr. Almasy. I will inform you of the plan. Just remember, if a word of this leaves this room, I will hold you personally responsible."

"Understood." Seifer could barely hide a smug smile of satisfaction that began forming at the corners of his lips.

"Working in conjunction with President Deling's special forces we were able to exert significant pressure on the resistance. A few weeks ago, my men have destroyed the underground arms network set up by the Crimson Rose in order to have a constant supply of munitions for their operations. They're desperate and there's nothing better than desperation to lead the prey right into the mouth of the hunter. We have intel that Colin Brezner, the leader of Crimson Rose, is going to attempt a dangerous mission in which he and his men will try to unload a munitions ship from Dollet at the tiny, inconspicuous harbor not far from the Tomb of the Unknown King. Our objective is to stop the arms transfer and capture Colin Brezner, preferably alive. With him in our possesion, the others will not see a point to continue."

"Crimson Rose isn't the only resistance group in Deling. Even if you do capture Colin Brezner alive, who is to say that he won't simply be replaced?"
"There's always that possibility, but Crimson Rose has strong ties with the entire resistance network in Deling. Without Brezner's genius, it will fall apart."

"I am assuming you're planning to hide out at the Tomb of the Unknown King and then make a surprise attack just as the transfer is in progress."

"Precisely," responded Caraway, looking extremely pleased with himself. "In addition, a fully armed warship will be waiting in the cove on the opposite side of the harbor. There's no way they are getting away."

" For your protection, I insist that you equip yourself with a full stock of magic in addition to conventional weapons. Also, I want to personally oversee all preparations. It is imperative that I am familiar with our strengths and weaknesses."

Realizing that arguing was pointless, Caraway nodded his head and promptly dismissed Seifer, not wanting to make any more concessions. Free at last, Seifer decided to go see Rinoa to inform her of what he had learned from Caraway. He found her sitting on her bed, pouring over a detailed map of the Galbadian coastal waters.

"Rin. How're you feeling?" She looked up, startled by his voice.

"Seifer, come in. I hope that you have something good to tell me. Watts talked to Colin last night, and he absolutely refuses to use an alternate landing spot until we can verify that father knows their current position. Anywhere else would either be too conspicuous or too far from Deling to safely deposit the supplies there."

"Oh, he knows," said Seifer with a sour smile. "He is planning to put a team of his men inside the Tomb of the Unknown King and the rest on board a Galbadian warship that will be awaiting instructions in the cove on the other side of the Tomb." Rinoa looked dismayed.

"Look on the map, Seifer," she said pointing to a small cove about 30 miles to the southwest of Deling City. "This is the only other landing spot that they could possibly use and even there they would be in extreme danger of being discovered."

"Not if Caraway's men and the warship are on the opposite side of the coast. We don't have much choice, Rin. We must notify Crimson Rose immediately because if we don't there is no way any of them are getting out of there alive.He is after Colin. If I were you, I'd tell him not to come."

"Ugh, Colin is the most stubborn man I've ever met, but I'll try."

"If worse comes to worse, can we deflect the attack?"

"No, we only have a few men and practically no weapons. Most of our work is intelligence. If Colin doesn't take our advice, it will all be over. If father succeeds in bringing down Crimson Rose, not only will it lead to an eventual collaspe of the entire resistance, but also it will put father back in good favors with President Deling and who knows what he'll be capable of then." She shivered and threw aside the map in frustration.

"Everything will be ok, Rin. I promise you.," he assured her as he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. She leaned into the warmness of his embrace. How badly she wanted to believe him yet she could not shrug off the feeling of impending doom that seemed to weigh down on her like a block of concrete. Suddenly Seifer pulled back as if remembering something.

"Rin, when I was questioning Vin, he told me that I should search the black cabinet in Caraway's office. The code to open it is 17 23 19. Do you know anything about that?"

"No," she responded, her eyes immediately lighting up with excitement. "This could be just what we need. Of course, how exactly are we gonna lure my father out of the office in order to have enough time to find what we need and to get out of there unnoticed?"

"Don't look at me, princess. I can't afford to blow my cover unless you plan on making me invisible."

"No, listen. No need for that. We just need some sort of a diversion. I am gonna let you in on a little secret. There is another way out of my father's office that leads to the Deling sewers. It's a bit dangerous, but I figure a brave warrior like you would be able to handle a couple of monsters, especially with these strong muscles," she continued, gliding her fingers along the side of his arm. Without warning, Seifer tackled her and held up her arms way above her head.

"Ok, Rin," he purred into her ear. "I'll do it. You'll owe me big time for this though, and don't think I don't plan on collecting," he smirked at her. "Now tell me how to access the sewers."

"There's a painting of my mother holding a glass that is hanging on one of the walls in my father's office. There you will also see a statue that resembles her. Take the glass from the shelves by the door and then place it into the statue's hands. After you do that, the doors will open and close right behind you."

"I would've been able to figure that out…if I had some time." He smiled at her. "Ok, then, now that we know what I am gonna do, how're you gonna divert your father's attention?"

"Simple. I'll pretend to have some…side effects from the medicine they've been forcing down my throat these last couple of days. Trust me, he'll buy it."

"Sounds good. Let's do this really quick before you have to contact Crimson Rose. Maybe we'll learn something useful."

"Ok, ready when you are, my brave warrior. Oh and there's something I think you might need." She reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a small, digital camera." Just in case there's something we may wanna document."

"Thanks," he said pocketing the tiny object.

"Now then. Time for me to take my medicine, hehe." She jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom. "Be right back," she said with a wink.

Seifer lay on her bed, his mind feverishly playing out possible scenarios for the upcoming mission when Rinoa finally emerged from the bathroom. He gasped in surprise of what he saw. Rinoa's face was paler than a ghost's, her bloodshot eyes were unfocused, and her normally rosy lips had an unnatural bluish color. Seifer turned away remembering the last time he saw Rinoa like that.

"You like it? Nothing like a little make-up and a bit of soapy water in the eyes."

"You look positively horrible. He'll love it. Come on." Rinoa left the room first, taking small unsure steps, swaying from side to side as if she was about to faint. As she reached the top of the stairs in front of Caraway's office, she suddenly collapsed just as she was about to open the door. Alarmed by the commotion, Caraway carefully opened the door and peered out.

"Oh dear Hyne! Someone get her a doctor! He picked up Rinoa's lifeless body and started walking down the stairs as fast as he could. Nailah, call the doctor!"

Seifer quickly opened the office door and swiftly moved across the room to the file cabinet. He had no time to waste. Working with great precision he turned the dial, stopping on the numbers 17 23 19. He heard a little pop and then the cabinet door slowly opened. Let's see… what have we here… Papers.. a bunch of papers.. He picked up a folder and started flipping through it. Well, well… hope I never become one of Caraway's prisoners… Looks like none of them get a trial before being committed to prison for the rest of their lives. He opened another folder. Blank presigned execution orders.. Just write in the name and conventiently get rid of pesky prisoners. How convenient… He took out his camera and began snapping pictures of the parts that interested him the most. In the back on the folder, he found two photographs glued to a piece of paper that seemed to give some biographical information on the people depicted. Joshua Holtser and Laine Ingrid.. says here they've been prisoners for two years… held in rooms 5 and 9. Seifer tried to remember the set up of the prison. The middle door… it must lead to more cells… Bastard… I thought he was only holding Vin and his brother. Who are these people? They are definitely part of the resistance.. no doubt about that… but what organization do they belong to? Only one way to find out… After taking a few more pictures, Seifer was ready to close the cabinet when something caught his eye. The back wall of the cabinet had two symmetrical slits on either side that had no apparent functional purpose. Secret compartment? Seifer put his fingers in the holes and tried to take off the cover. At first it wouldn't budge, but then suddenly as if responding to something Seifer did, the back cover easily slid off, revealing a small compartment. Lookie here.. you don't fool me, Caraway. Glancing at his watch, Seifer quickly took out the big red folder contained within there. He whistled softly as he began flipping through the pages. I don't believe it! Looks like Caraway is even less chummy with Deling than he lets on. Contained within the folder were letters of correspondence between the General and Deling in which Deling repeatedly threatened Caraway's life and the well-being of his family if he did not carry out Deling's orders that were filled with cruelty and hate. In addition, there was a transcript of a phone conversation between Deling and one of his aides, telling him that perhaps the time has come to eliminate Caraway for his has grown too soft and was no longer of service to them. A game of cat and mouse… But wait, that means Deling has absolutely no intention of replacing Caraway with Lt. Bhatt… What is going on here? Seifer opened a small brown envelope contained within the folder. Again he whistled, this time, with even more surprise. Inside the envelope were pictures of Deling engaged in suspicious activity around the Sorceress Memorial. If word of this gets out… and the people find out that Deling has a link to the Sorceresses… The Sorceress War is still too fresh in the minds of many… Quickly Seifer took photographs of the incriminating information and replaced the folder in the secret compartment. It was time to get out of there. He thought he could hear footsteps coming up the stairs so after shutting the cabinet, he quickly grabbed the glass and put it into the statue's hands. The secret passageway immediately opened. Placing his Hyperion between the wall and the door, he took the glass out of the statue's hands and replaced it where he had found it. He barely had time to slide into the opening as it closed behind him.

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

"Rinoa? Talk to me," the General said in a coarse whisper. Slowly Rinoa opened her eyes and looked around.

"What happened? I must've fainted."

"It's ok. I've called the doctor. He'll be here any minute."

"No. No more doctors. It's this medicine that has been making me sick to begin with. I am just gonna go lie down. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? You sure scared me."

"I am fine, father. Just a little weak, that's all. I'll have Nailah escort me to my room."

"Ok, but call me if you start feeling worse, you hear?"

"I will."

Glad that she would avoid a doctor after all, Rinoa made her way back to the room and sat on the bed, impatiently waiting Seifer's return." About half and hour later, he walked in, bringing in with him the awful stench of stale water.

"Ugh, someone needs a shower," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"Sorry, princess, didn't have time to stop and change," he answered sarcastically. "But I do think you're gonna wanna hear this." With every word that came out of his mouth, Rinoa grew paler and paler, and this time the effect could not be attributed to the make- up.

"Oh Hyne! I don't believe it! I had no idea my father and Deling were on such poor terms. I always thought he enjoyed being Deling's lapdog. Dear Hyne! What are we going to do? If we carry out the mission, Deling might kill father if he doesn't prove himself to him. If we let him continue with the mission, then we will forever destroy any hopes of further resistance. Oh why did this have to be like this?!" She buried her head inside her pillow and for a few minutes, Seifer could hear nothing but sobs escape her throat. Oh no, please don't cry. I hate it when people cry!

"Rin? We'll think of something. Deling is not going to kill your father. Think about how suspicious that would look. Plus I am sure he knows that Caraway has incriminating information on him which is likely to get out in the event of his death. I wouldn't worry too much. The worst that can happen is that he gets fired with no paycheck."

"You really think so?" She looked up from the pillow, her eyes puffy and red.

"Yeh, I do. Now come on. You gotta contact Crimson Rose."

"Ok, you're right. I can't let the resistance die."

"There's more."

"More?"

"There are two political prisoners that Caraway is holding in his prison. Here, look at this." He handed her the camera.

"They are members of the resistance. We must free them."

"Or at least find out who they are working for."

"Well, since I can't go oversee your mission, I guess the best thing for me to do would be to try to free these prisoners while father is preoccupied with trying to figure out what happened to Crimson Rose and why they didn't show up."

"Now you're talking."

"Ok, let me call Zone. I'll have him contact Crimson Rose immediately.

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

"Kona, everyone's here, and they are waiting for you."

"Ok, Jed. Let's do this." They walked into a fairly large room that housed a big wooden table that seated at least twenty men and women who stood up as soon as Kona entered the room.

"Everyone, sit down. Let us begin. I'll make this short and to the point." The others nodded in approval.

"Thanks largely to Jed, we have been able to determine that Caraway's daughter, Rinoa Heartilly is also a member of the resistance." A murmur of surprise circulated around the table.

"Quiet. Rinoa's objective is to peacefully remove her father from power in the hopes that Deling will replace him with the senile Lt. Bhatt. Now as you know, Caraway is still holding Joshua and Laine inside of his prison where they have been rotting away for the last two years. Until now we haven't been able to do much for them, but if Rinoa does succeed and Caraway is removed from power, Laine and Joshua, along with other members of the resistance will be transported to Deling's central prison where they will rot in obsurity for the rest of their lives or worse off, will be publicly executed. Now, Rinoa's plan is pretty straightforward. Notify Crimson Rose that in order to avoid Caraway's forces that intend to interfere with their tranfer of munitions, they will need to land a few miles southwest of Deling. The message will be sent out, but what Rinoa doesn't know yet is that we plan to intercept and jam her communication signal to Crimson Rose and instead send a message of our own using their line." Kona looked around the room to see heads nodding in approval.

"So we don't arouse suspicion, we will tell Crimson Rose to dock at the exact same place that Rinoa had picked out for them which happens to be about the only good landing spot on that side of the coast. There I will personally oversee that everything goes according to plan. If we succeed, Caraway stays in power long enough for us to come up with an escape route for Laine and Joshua…and just enough time for me to kill him. Sirun, I will avenge you yet. I swear it!

TO BE CONTINUED

Thanks to Psyjester for helping me get back my inspiration! Everyone else, thank you for being so patient!