Chapter 16: Government
It ended about as well as expected, Illarra Varines, daughter of the new President of Esthar and the man who had just gone to war with the entire planet, thought to herself as she stepped off the Corsair aerial transport and onto the icy stones of Veronica Anderson's castle retreat deep within Trabia.
Her escort had, at Martine's direction, taken her outside of Balamb Garden by covert access ways and to a small launch that had been quietly positioned on the ocean's surface. From there, Illarra had ridden out to one of the frigates in the battle group that was to sink Balamb Garden, and had commandeered their Corsair transport for her own transit to Iceblood Prison, where the next part of the grand plan was underway.
Or at least, the next part of her plan.
Iceblood had seen an infusion of new troops recently, because of her father's plans to assault Trabia Garden as soon as the war had begun. The forward mechanized units had arrived there less than an hour ago, and she was unsurprised to see the man leading them.
"They told us you were coming," Major Eric Malachi said as she walked into the castle's front entrance. "Good to see you made it out."
"And good to see your troops are ready to attack on a moment's notice," Illarra answered coolly, and the Major stiffened. While Malachi's statement that he was glad she had survived sounded harmless enough, Illarra knew what motivated his words. Deep down, hidden inside the burly, scarred soldier's heart, probably in a place where even he denied it, Malachi had a thing for her. Not that he let those feelings in any way affect his judgment or actions. They only rarely manifested themselves in the occasional concerned comment directed at her, which she always brushed off. Illarra had neither time nor inclination to indulge in a relationship at this point . . . not while that bastard Leonhart was still alive.
Malachi fell into step beside her as she walked down the castle's halls.
"Crell said he'd prefer it if you went with the main advance against Trabia Garden," the Major stated. "And I agree with him. We should expect SeeD to intercept our assault forces before we reach Trabia Garden, and Galbadia and Dollet will be sending reinforcements too. Leonhart can be expected to be with them."
"Obviously," Illarra replied. "But there's something here I need to take care of first."
"That being?" Malachi asked, and she looked at him giving the scarred soldier a cool smile.
"Purification," she answered and the man's eyes widened, a rare show of emotion from the cold soldier.
"I see," he answered after a moment.
"What?" she asked. "Are you . . . envious?"
"Someone had to test out the Elemental mass-production treatments," Malachi replied, puffing out his chest. "I had to be the first to volunteer. I'm not unhappy at all that I am an incomplete Elemental . . . not that President Varines will approve of anyone in his command becoming a completeone in the first place." The last bit was spoken as a bit of a warning, and Illarra narrowed her eyes at Malachi.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No," Malachi replied. "I'm sure that even if I wanted to prevent you from doing what you suggest, I couldn't stop you."
"I thought your loyalty was to Crell and his ideals," Illarra replied, turning away and walking down the hallway. Malachi fell into step right behind her.
"Make no mistake, it is," he stated calmly. "But I just believe that we shouldn't simply toss aside the opportunity to create pure Elementals, simply because your father is afraid that they outclass his regular Elemental soldiers."
"He fears dissention in his own ranks," Illarra replied as they neared the main hall. "Wise, considering how fractured the Adelist movement is. But still, he can allow those who are most loyal to him the opportunity . . .and I want to show him what value a pure Elemental possesses."
She opened the doors into the main hall, and walked out into the magnificent chamber. Illarra looked over it, scowling at the collection of white-robed, painted figures, arrayed in tight lines and formations before her. At the head of the collection of white-robed warriors stood the familiar green-and-purple-clad Sorceress, Veronica.
"What do you think?" the Sorceress asked, smiling as she gestured to her minions. "Battle-ready at this very moment, and unlike human soldiers, they never tire and can move as fast on open terrain as our regular vehicles. They'll make perfect shock troops."
"Perfect cannon fodder for SeeD guns and magic, more like it," Illarra replied, and Veronica chuckled.
"I'm missing two columns," she added sadly. "Those SeeDs did a number on my minions . . . but I can always make more from the prisoners in Iceblood."
"Yes, you do that," Illarra added. I would call you a crazy bitch, but I already fill that role in our little band here, don't I?
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with the Warden," Illarra continued, and before Veronica could speak, she pushed past her and into the ranks of the white-robed freaks. The Sorceress watched her pass, and then shrugged, before turning back to her minions. With a single uttered command, the white-robed troops moved off, marching out of the castle . . .and to war.
"So, the plan here is that we get to the Undercity . . . and wait?"
Irvine peeked out the door into the hallway as Selphie was speaking. The hallway was clear, and he moved out, the others following him, continuing to speak quietly.
"Yes, pretty much," Nash replied. "Once the containment field around Serra weakens sufficiently, she'll awaken, and in a hostile environment, her darker side will probably emerge first. If not, it won't take long. Once that happens, she'll start causing widespread destruction and occupy the guards' attention. While they're distracted, we lead the prisoners in the Undercity and storm Lockout and the labs, free the other captives, and escape."
"And what will keep Serra from killing us?" Selphie asked, and Nash shrugged as they moved down the corridor.
"Me."
Irvine paused a short distance before they reached an intersection, and looked back at Nash.
"You?" Irvine asked, a bit disbelieving. "How can you stop Serra once she goes out of control?"
"I have my ways," Nash replied with a slight grin. He nodded toward Selphie. "I hope you can help me when the time comes. I'd need another Elemental's help to stop her." Selphie nodded after a moment.
"I'll do my best," she replied. "I'm still not sure how to control myself yet."
"It'll come naturally after a while," Nash replied. "Trust me. I've seen the power of an Elemental in action personally. Pretty soon you'll be able to use Shiva's powers like an extension of your own body." Nash looked over his shoulder, back down the corridor. "We should get moving. I don't want the Warden to find out you've escaped."
"Too late!"
Both the SeeDs and the scientist froze in place as they heard the voice, and Nash quickly stepped to the front of the group as the familiar back-clad, smilingly insane face of the Warden rounded the corner up ahead, trailed by a full platoon of red and blue armored Estharian military police. The soldiers quickly blocked the intersection, rifles and axes at the ready. The Warden looked over them, then fixed his eyes on Nash in particular.
"Nash, I knew it!" the Warden seemed to squeal angrily, jabbing a finger haphazardly at the scientist. "I knew you were a traitor this whole time! I never trusted you!"
"Yes you did," Nash responded calmly. "You let me conduct the most secret research at this installation alongside Odine. If you didn't trust me, you wouldn't have let me be the head scientist on the Elemental Project."
"Oh, be quiet!" the Warden fumed angrily. "Okay, so I trusted you a bit more than I should have. But that changes now! This ends here! We're at war right now, and Trabia Garden will be crushed by the end of the day beneath Esthar's might!"
"What!" Selphie exclaimed, and the Warden turned his attention to her, sneering.
"Yes, my dear little test subject," the Warden continued. "Trabia Garden is the first target on President Crell's list of bugs he wishes to squash. He's got his army moving there right now, and there's nothing SeeD or any of the other pathetic western nations can do about it! But none of you are going to live to see that Garden fall." The Warden raised a hand, and the contingent of soldiers behind him raised their weapons.
"Guards! Execute the traitor and the SeeD," the Warden commanded. "And dispose of the test subject. She was useful while she existed, but not anymore. Can't let a pure Elemental be running around, after all."
The soldiers behind the Warden moved forward, and Irvine quickly drew and leveled two of his pistols at them, sighting a pair of opponents. However, he held his fire as Nash began laughing quietly.
"Hey, Warden," he called, and held up a hand. "One question for you."
"I suppose I can divulge one final answer before your inevitable deaths," the Warden replied, raising a finger. The advancing soldiers stopped in their tracks.
"I was just wondering," Nash said, slowly clenching his raised hand. "Did you ever find out what happened to that vial of Ifrit essence we lost?"
"No," the Warden replied with a shrug. "I had the guard on duty that day horribly executed for his inability to keep important lab materials secured, so I never did figure out what happened to it."
The Warden's ever-present grin suddenly shifted to a shocked expression as a torrent of fire erupted around Nash's clenched hand. The scientist's own grin widened as the flames spread, becoming a fiery aura surrounding his body.
"You . . . ." the Warden stammered in shock.
"Yeah, it was me," Nash replied, and the intensity of the fires wreathing his body grew stronger, but didn't even singe his clothing. He slowly spread his legs into a combat ready stance. "I'm an Elemental, just like Selphie. Come on, Warden. You ready to face the real results of all your wonderful research?"
The Warden backed away, moving into the crowd of soldiers behind him, and raised a trembling finger.
"Kill him! Kill them all! Get the Elemental unit down here! Kill them!"
The head of the soldier next to the Warden snapped backward, blood fountaining from his faceplate as Irvine fired a precision shot into his forehead. The Warden cried out in terror and fled into the crowd as the platoon of soldiers surged forward, the lead troops closing with Nash despite the fires the engulfed his body. Two fell as Irvine dropped them with a quick pair of shots, but another pair neared Nash.
The scientist pointed a hand at the pair, almost lazily, and a torrent of fire erupted from his hands, instantly engulfing the two fanatical soldiers. They stopped in mid-stride, crying out in agony, and more soldiers rushed around them, brandishing plasma rifles and shotaxes and roaring challenges. Several closed in with Nash, while others rushed down the corridor at Irvine and Selphie.
The sharpshooter quickly drilled a pair of shots into each of the foes advancing on him, puncturing their throats, and whirled, firing on the soldiers attacking Selphie. One spun around as his bullets caught the man, but the second drew close to the tiny SeeD, who instantly snapped out her nunchaku. The iron bar slammed into the man's forehead, and snapped his head backward, pulverizing his neck and sending his head out at a sickening angle. Selphie blinked in shock at the power behind the hit; she had never been that strong, even with junctions. She had no time to consider the situation, however, as another group of Estharians leveled plasma rifles at her and opened fire, blue light slashing toward her.
Nash faced off against three foes, but did not seem perturbed in the slightest, and for two very good reasons, both of which were nowsmoldering ash piles behind their charging comrades. He took a step back almost lazily as one of the MPs took a swipe at him, and then the scientist stepped forward with a right cross that trailed blazing fire. The flaming fist smashed the soldier across his faceplate, and the man was sent hurtling backward, his head bursting into a pyrotechnical display of light. Nash ducked low, fires wreathing his body again as the Estharians hacked at him, and snapped the fingers of his other hand. One of the two men attacking him simply erupted into flames, and the scientist snapped his left hand up and caught the chopping axe of the third soldier. He spun around into a kick that took the man in the chest, and at the instant of impact, a fireball exploded against the soldier's chest, instantly turning his torso to char and floating ash, which was cast over the men right behind him.
"Come on, assholes!" he shouted, as more Estharians advanced fearlessly, and gestured with his right hand, launching a discus of flame that melted a foe's armor and set him ablaze.
Plasma stuttered at Irvine, and he dove low tot he ground, flying forward as he emptied his pistols at his attackers. Two Estharians fell to tightly clustered rounds that penetrated their chest armor, and the sharpshooter cast his spent pistols aside, and drew both heavy revolvers against his chest. He came up in a roll as plasma cut past him, and fired a quick barrage, sending another foe spinning to the floor, and spun aside as more Estharians pumped fire at him. Flaring energy cut past his white coat as it flew out wide, and Irvine threw himself on his back, firing as he did so. Another enemy soldier fell, leaving only another pair as he dropped the spent revolvers and grabbed the MP5Ks belted to his waist. He pulled them up out of their holsters, raised them slightly as his back hit the floor, and fired both guns at his foes. Ten rounds from both weapons later, both Estharians were down.
Energy flew at Selphie, and she reflexively raised her hands, casting a spell out of pure instinct. However, instead of a warding Protect spell, however, a wall of ice formed directly in front of her, catching a dozen plasma bolts. She blinked, and then suddenly smiled. With a single mental command, the ice shattered and sharpened into a hail of icy spears, which she sent flying down the corridor at her enemies. The Estharians had only an instant to gape before they were shredded by over twenty frozen blades.
A cyclone of flame whirled around Nash as he dove into a half-dozen soldiers, who fell back, but not before half of them were caught in the flames and set ablaze, screaming as Nash's fires ate them alive. The scientist dismissed the flames and leapt into the midst of the remaining three soldiers, leading with a low sweep that took one man down, and rising up into an uppercut chased by raging fire, that cut into one man's gut and immolated the man. Nash spun around, his other hand launching a torrent of fire over the third soldier, blasting him into char and ash, and as the last man tried to stand, Nash quickly grabbed him and hurled him against the corridor walls, hard enough to shatter the MP's skull and crack the concrete.
Thirty seconds, and the entire platoon was dead, shot, skewered, bludgeoned, or burnt to death.
"Holy shit," Irvine gaped, shocked at the corpses in front of him. While he was used to the presence of piles of enemy bodies while he was among his comrades, he wasn't used to the victory against so many foes to have come so effortlessly. He looked at Nash with newfound respect as the fires around the scientist faded away. It was as if he had been playing with the enemy, not actually fighting them.
"We have to hurry," Nash stated, shaking his head. "The Warden won't wait long to sound the-"
A blazing klaxon sounded across the prison, and Nash looked up.
"-alarm. Let's move!"
"Good idea," Selphie added, and Nash turned, leading them down the corridor at a full run. He paused only long enough to look quickly down the other path, before rushing on at full speed down the passage.
Ragnarok's troop bay was filled to capacity. A hundred SeeDs were gathered in the main bay, along with an equal number in the secondary hangars and passenger compartments. It was a bit tight, but the SeeDs, especially those who had been with Garden in the days before the final battle with Edea and Galbadia Garden three years ago, were accustomed to the cramped conditions.
The two hundred SeeDs were rapidly donning coats, fitting body armor to their chests, arms, and legs, and donning helmets. Others checked their weapons or focused, junctioning their magic and preparing themselves for battle. They had already been briefed: Esthar's advancing mechanized columns would be practically right on top of their landing zone, and they'd have less than a few minutes to form up and intercept the enemy. They would need to be in perfect fighting condition to get the drop on the enemy, especially considering they were badly outnumbered. The two Ragnarok airships carrying the four hundred SeeD combat force had left the Dollet and Galbadian cargo planes behind several hours ago; it would be a while before any substantial reinforcements arrived to defend Trabia Garden. The SeeDs were going to be isolated.
"Five from drop!" called Mike from the cockpit of the Ragnarok, and Squall finished tightening the straps of the goggles that would slide over his eyes. The white and gray camouflaged ninja mask that went over his face was already in place, and the rest of the camouflage uniform, consisting of white coat, gloves, trousers, and boots, was already donned. Squall turned back to Rinoa, who was dressed in a similar outfit, but instead wore a white helmet instead of a mask.
"How do I look?" Squall asked, smiling faintly under the mask.
"I'd prefer it if you were wearing armor," Rinoa commented, tapping the front of his chest. Squall shrugged, as he felt her fingers hit the thick, warm coat and the conspicious lack of body armor underneath. Squall had made it a rule that all SeeDs wear armor in combat situations, junctioned or not. He'd seen too many good fighters die because they relied on junctions too much.
"Need to remain light and mobile," Squall replied. "Even a light flak vest might be too stiff. It's comfortable enough as is." He sighed and lifted his goggles off his head, and then took his mask off, before rubbing his short beard. "But the mask makes it hard to scratch."
"At least I get to see your face before you drop in," Rinoa added. She reached up and put a hand over Squall's face, and he clasped it with his own gloved one. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead, and stepped back, before turning back to the rest of the troop bay. As he did so, Zell emerged from the throng of SeeDs, moving into the little bit of open space Squall and Rinoa had gotten. He, like they, was clad in winter camouflage, though he still hadn't donned his helmet.
"Still no word, man," the brawler said, shaking his head. "Trabia's been trying to contact Irvine and Selphie's team, but they've disappeared. No reports on whether they're alive or captured, or whatever."
"We shouldn't assume the worst just yet," Rinoa suggested. "They probably saw the enemy advance and took cover."
"They wouldn't know Esthar is the enemy yet," Squall replied, shaking his head. "I'm not sure what's happened to them. I'll try to tap into their data network inside the prison, see if I can come up with anything." He looked across the troop bay. "Where's Quistis?"
"Right here," she called, moving through the crowd, and stepping into view, also clad in her combat gear, rante ready by her side. "It looks like everyone's ready for combat, or will be in a few minutes. We'll be ready to hit them the second we touch down. I've also been talking with General Randolph and President Caraway. They've got combat-ready battle groups running along the coast of Trabia, complete with aircraft and long-range cruise missiles. We'll have some decent air support and can give them targets for missile strikes."
"That's good news," Squall said with a nod. At least they won't be without backup.
"Don't worry about us!" Zell added with a wide grin. "We'll whip their sorry behinds for thinking they could mess with Garden! But . . . You sure about this? You're going to be by yourself, man. Is this really necessary?"
"Trabia's just a prelude," Squall said, shaking his head. "Iceblood Prison is where this war is going to be decided."
"If the information Laguna gave us is right, then you should be dropped right on top of it," Quistis added, and Squall nodded.
This was going to be a precise drop, low altitude, with no parachute, relying entirely on the snow and Squall's junctions to get him down alive. Ordinarily they would have done a HALO (high altitude, low opening) drop to get past sensors, but Esthar's tech was too advanced, even for a covert deployment like that. They had to go for an even riskier drop to get him in undetected, by flying so low that the Ragnarok melded with the terrain.
"Squall!" came a shout over the intercom, from Mike. "Approaching the LZ! Get to the ramp!"
"Acknowledged!" Squall shouted back, and looked to his comrades, and then at the SeeDs in the bay as they all turned to face him. He quickly stood at attention and gave them a salute, which the entire bay returned instantly.
"Good luck!" he called to his troops, and then moved across the bay, into the small forward cargo bay with the main loading ramp. Squall hit a panel next tot he ramp, and he heard the hissing of hydraulics as he pulled his mask back down and donned the goggles. He glanced back, to see Zell, Quistis, and Rinoa had followed him into the bay to watch him drop.
The ramp shuddered open, and frigid Trabian air poured in as the Ragnarok decelerated. Squall turned around to his comrades, and gave them a quick nod as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes. The SeeD Commander took a step back, out onto the ramp, and gave them a thumbs up before stepping off. His feet touched nothing, and the Ragnarok flew overhead as Squall dropped toward the ground only fifty feet below.
He was in free fall for a split second before he slammed into a snowdrift. Instantly, Squall stood up, brushing the snow off his body and putting a hand on his gunblade. In his ears, he heard the roar of the airship's engines as it rocketed away, instantly disappearing over the horizon. Squall looked in that direction, watching his transport and comrades vanish, and then turned, casting his gaze over the landscape before him. The Commander oriented himself as he identified the environment.
Snow. Trees in the distance. More snow. No Estharian battalions rumbling over the hills, enemy commandoes leaping out of the snow drifts, or screaming fighter planes dropping bombs on his position. Good.
Squall Leonhart quickly moved out of the snow drift, trudging across the plains. He knew where he was going, and the approximate location of Iceblood. Now all he had to do was get there alive.
-
"What the hell is going on here?" Illarra demanded as she walked into the circular control center for Iceblood prison. She glanced around the room, at the dozen soldiers manning the consoles and shouting into communications gear, none of whom were paying any attention to her as alarms sounded in the distance. After several seconds, she snarled and grabbed one of the men, yanking him out of his chair and turning his startled face to see her.
"What the hell is happening?" she demanded. The man gaped for a second, shocked by the sudden question, and finally stammered a reply.
"Prisoners have escaped!" he said quickly. Illarra blinked. Prisoners . . . escaping in Iceblood?
That doesn't happen. Something odd is going on here.
"Who!" she shouted.
"SeeDs!" the soldier said quickly. "SeeDs . . . and I think one of the scientists, Nash! they said something about Elementals, and . . . I don't know! We're trying to find them!"
Illarra tossed the soldier aside, her junction-enhanced arms flinging him like a rag doll, and she turned toward the accessway leading deeper into the prison. As she walked toward it, the door flew open, and in stumbled a gasping man in black attire, who quickly straightened as he saw Illarra.
"Ah!" the Warden said, smiling, though his expression was obviously forced. "Illarra! My dear, your timing is perfect. We're in a bit of a crisis, two of my prisoners have escaped, and one of my head scientists has turned out to be a traitor who also turns out to be an insane, fire-wielding Elemental. Who'd have thought?"
Illarra blinked at the candid explanation, and then shook her head.
"In all honesty, I don't care about what the hell is going on now," she replied. "I need to get to the labs. I have something important to pick up."
"That being?" the warden asked, but Illarra didn't answer as she walked past.
"Will you help us with the SeeD problem?" he asked hesitantly, and she glanced back at the Warden.
"Who are they?" Illarra asked.
"Ah, two important ones. Tilmitt and Kinneas, have you heard about them?"
"Squall's friends?" Illarra asked, and she suddenly laughed, before turning away and moving into the main prison complex.
If you're holding those two here . . . will Squall show up? Fate tends to arrange such meetings. And if Squall does show up . . . then my vindication will come so much sooner. I just need those vials . . . .
-
A hastily fired bolt of plasma cut over Irvine's shoulder, and he whirled around, leveling his rifle at the offending Estharian soldier. The rifle cracked once, firing two bullets that slammed into the man's chest and sent him to the floor.
Behind Irvine, there was a rush of frigid air and cry of shock as Selphie froze an enemy soldier in his tracks, and then slammed him with her nunchaku. There was the sickening crunch that the sharpshooter had recently come to associate with her attacks, and the Estharian was doubtless in some sickening and fatal position thanks to her strike.
On the tail end of that was an agonized scream, and Irvine turned in time to see Nash lift up another enemy soldier with one hand and set the man ablaze. The scientist tossed the burning soldier aside and thrust his arm forward, loosing a gout of fire that immolated another pair of the enemy as they dove for cover.
"Move, move!" The sharpshooter urged, cutting past his comrades and rushing ahead.
"The accessway to the Undercity should be up ahead!" Nash shouted. "The guards use it to go down there, but I think it's going to be well-defended. We open it up and we can get inside!"
"Let's not waste any time!" Irvine replied, and they rounded another bend in the passage, and descended a short flight of steps, rapidly moving from industrial concrete walls to hewn stone tunnels. They moved down another corridor, ending in a wide sliding set of hydraulic double doors. They opened as the group approached, and Irvine skidded to a halt, raising his rifle as he spotted a half-dozen soldiers standing in the short corridor beyond, before another set of doors.
"That's it!" Nash shouted as he saw the other pair of doors, and then raised his hands as the enemy soldiers advanced. Irvine fired a hasty shot that struck the first enemy in the neck, but the soldier only took a step back, maroon blood gushing from his wound.
"Elementals!" Nash declared, and Irvine dove to the side as two of them fired plasma bolts at him. Selphie rushed in front of the sharpshooter, conjuring up an icy shield in front of Irvine to protect him from plasma bolts, while Nash dove into the battle.
"These guys are tough," Irvine muttered, and switched his rifle for his twin pair of Calicos.
"Not in my eyes," Selphie replied, and Irvine glanced at her, to see her making a quick gesture with her hand. The icy shield instantly transformed into a shard of ice, which she sent hurtling down the passage at the prison's elite soldiers. Two of the men dove aside with shocking agility, but a third caught the icy spear in the gut and was sent flying back, impaled by the frozen projectile.
Irvine leveled his Calicos at one of the two men who had dodged the icicle and fired, holding down the triggers. Purple blood exploded as his bullets ripped into the man, but the elemental rose and charged, seemingly oblivious to the bullets. Irvine stood still, keeping the triggers depressed as his Calicos emptied their magazines into the man, ripping apart the Elemental's armor and flesh, sending purple fountains into the air. Finally, after several seconds of continuous fire, the Estharian soldier's steps faltered, and he fell to the floor, shredded.
Beside Irvine, Selphie quickly made another gesture at the third soldier, and the man was instantly incased in a shard of ice. She twisted her wrist slightly, and the ice shattered, taking the frozen Elemental with it.
Nash, on the other hand, was being much more up close and personal with his opponents. A right cross sent one Elemental spinning around, not even the inhuman strength of his treatments saving him from the force of Nash's punch. As the soldier was spun around, Nash planted a hand on his back, and a gout of flame vaporized his spinal column. A second Elemental soldier chopped at the scientist with his axe, but Nash quickly caught the swinging blade and redirected it with his left hand, while his right caught the soldier by his neck. Nash squeezed, and there was a flash of white light, and the soldier's neck was transformed into ash.
The scientist hopped back as the last Elemental hacked at him with his axe, and then shot forward, inside the soldier's reach. Nash led with a fierce uppercut that knocked the man back and up into the air, and fire cascaded around his other arm as it shot forward in a devastating punch. And inferno blossomed where the fist met the soldier, and charred chunks of the man were hurled against the inner doorway an instant later.
The dust and ash had not even settled when Nash ran to a control panel near the inner door. He touched a holographic symbol, and the doors groaned open. hissing on hydraulics as they slid apart. The yawning expanse beyond opened to reveal flickering lamps lighting a long stone passage, coated by a very thin layer of ice.
"The Undercity lies beyond," Nash explained, and he touched another symbol on the panel. "Let's hurry, this door will shut in moments!" The trio moved through the meter-thick concrete door and into the corridor beyond, and the portal closed seconds later as they stepped into the suddenly much more frigid cavern.
Irvine found his boots sliding along the ice, and his hands flew out wide. Selphie quickly caught him and held him up, somehow not even budging on the ice. Irvine steadied himself against her.
"Thanks," he said, and she smiled and nodded, before crouching and touching the ice.
"Strange," she whispered, tracing her hand along the ice, which seemed to ripple like water to her touch.
"We're beneath the permafrost," Nash explained. "The caverns are coated with thick layers of ice down here. For most people, it will be uncomfortable, but I think for you, Selphie, you'll feel right at home." She nodded and stood up, and moved ahead of the other pair as they advanced down the cavern.
"What's to keep the Warden from sending an army after us?" Irvine asked, and Nash chuckled.
"We have our own army down here," he replied. "Plus, down here is the Governor, and even the Elementals will think twice before coming down after him."
"Why would they let them form an army?" Selphie asked, and Nash shook his head.
"The Undercity was intended to be a place where the prisoners are dumped and forgotten. There's no food, no heating, nothing down here . . . but the people have managed to scratch out an existence among the ice somehow. Melting ice to create water, clearing a patch in the main cavern with magical fire to grow food . . . they've even managed to bribe some of the guards to bring down furs and equipment, too, to generate heat. They're tired of being shunted down here, and they want freedom." Nash grinned.
"Myself and the Governor are their biggest hopes for freedom."
"Who is the Governor?" Irvine asked.
"The leader of the prisoners in the Undercity," Nash explained as they descended deeper into the caverns. "The former Governor was a vicious, hulking brute of a man, who took anything he wanted by force and kept the others in line through brute strength. But a few months ago another prisoner was added, a young upstart who refused to obey the Governor's commands. They had a fight, and the new kid killed the old Governor in two moves. Ever since then, he's been the Governor, and has brought hope back to the people."
They came around a corner, and without warningran headlong into a half-dozen men clad in shaggy, thick, dirty furs. The men recoiled, but only for an instant, and lowered their crude metal spears and knives.
"Nash," one of them said, laughing. "What brings you down here? We heard alarms, and the doors opening and voices, so we came to investigate . . . ." the speaker trailed off, looking to Nash's armed companions. "What's happening?"
"Revolution, Ed," Nash said to the man, and the leader of the group suddenly sported a wide, exhilarated grin. Ed turned to his comrades, who looked equally excited, and they quickly spoke among themselves.
"You're serious?" Ed asked looking back at Nash, and the scientist nodded.
"In less than twenty-four hours, we'll all be on our way to freedom." Nash glanced at Irvine and Selphie. "All of us."
"And who are your companions?" Ed asked, looking at the two SeeDs.
"SeeDs, from Balamb Garden," Nash explained. "Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas." Both SeeDs gave polite nods to the prisoners, who nodded in turn.
"Garden?" one of the prisoners in the group echoed. "You think the Governor will want to see them?"
"He will," Ed replied. "He should be in the main cavern. Come!" One of the furred-prisoners turned and ran down the corridor, while the others quickly flanked the newcomers and led them down the passage. They ambled along the icy corridors, lights reflecting off the lamps strewn along the passage. Ed led them past other knots of prisoners, who were apparently already talking about the news of the newcomers and the even more exciting notion of freedom.
"Word travels fast in prisons," Ed commented as he led them through the Undercity, cutting through several large, ice-covered chambers filled with more furred prisoners. "Not a bat squeaks in the Undercity without the whole place hearing about it in moments!"
They moved down another corridor, and then suddenly turned off, down a shot passage that opened into a massive, wide chamber of black and gray stone, stretching for hundreds of feet before them. They found themselves on a wide balcony overlooking the vast cavern, which was capped by ice at the ceiling, and the floor of which consisted of a wide, shallow lake of melted ice water, with hundreds of green plants growing around it in small, tilled plots below, where denizens of the Undercity worked the soil and grew food. The chamber was a shock to the group who had been traversing icy passages moments before, but an even greater shock was the man standing on the edge of the balcony, overlooking the great cavern.
"You have got to be kidding me," Irvine muttered as she saw the man. His coat was in tatters, and stained black and bloody dark red in some spots, and his hair was dirty, shaggy, and unkempt, but Irvine recognized the man just fine. He turned around, blonde hair dropping into his blue-gray eyes. His shirt was gone, leaving his bare, muscled chest for all to see, criss-crossed with a half-dozen scars and gunshot wounds, including one deep slash along his flank that had been inflicted a long time ago. The sleeve along his right arm was rolled up, to reveal the thin grayish line along his forearm where the mechanical portion of his forearm met the biological portion of his body.
And along the front of his face, half-obscured by the shaggy blonde hair, was a scar, cutting from his lower right to his upper left forehead, the same scar Squall Leonhart had inflicted upon him over three years ago.
"Now, now," the Governor of the Undercity, Seifer Almasy, former SeeD cadet, general, and Sorceress' Knight, stated with a pleasantly surprised chuckle. "Who expected this, of all things, to happen?"
-
And its revealed! The Governor is Seifer! Though I don't think any of you are actually very surprised by that revelation. :P
Anyway. This chapter is more or less a prelude to the battles coming up in the future. There's going to be one hell of a fight to save Trabia Garden, and what's going to happen when Squall and Illarra meet? And what of Serra, Irvine, Selphie, Seifer, and Nash?
RAGING SHONEN SHOUT-OUTS!
Daniel Wesley Rydell: Galbadia and Dollet can't get to Trabia fast enough because their cargo planes and helicopters are slower than the Ragnaroks Garden uses. It has nothing to do with scrambling, just the speed of their transports.
Yes, Squall should be leading the garden forces, but you have to keep in mind, Illarra is there at Iceblood Prison, and Squall is suffering from a desire for vengance . . . not to mention that, as Alucard said, what's going on in Iceblood is more important than what's happeningat Trabia Garden.
Chris Ganale: Well, Esthar may not have Stormie-stylewinter combat armor, but you never know about Dollet and Galbadia . . . .
OniRazz: Well gee, I think this chapter, and the flying, charred chunks of Estharian soldiers,answered the question as to whether Nash is a capable fighter :P
DBZ Fanfiction Queen: Oh, trust me, the first Mindfuck Bomb will be dropped eithe rnext chapter or the one after it. Heh . . . and I seriously doubt ANYONE's going to see the twist coming.
Heh, yeah, Alucard is a bit too tough for Squall to just chop him in half :P it would just grow back, too. there's more of Alucard in Alucard than just his name. XD
Platonic1: Thanks for the compliment! And yeah, its about time we finally met Seifer. Trust me, he's going to be hardcore, too. And if you think Governor Seifer is badass . . . well, wait until you see him later in the story, when he becomes what I like to call "Holy Order Seifer." Hee. And no, no one is getting any further clues regarding that, no matter how much you ask. You'll just have to wait and see.
Leonhartilly: I'm cryptic because it makes my readers angry, and it gets them even deeper into the story. XD
Solid Shark: Trust me. . . . "fascinating" won't begin to describe the reasonwhy Nash and Squall look alike.
Angel of Apocalypse: Yeah, I love Selphie too. Part of the reason why I'm actually kind of mean to her. Its strange, but when I like a character, I tend to abuse them, because they will pull out of it and become stronger because of it.
Doom18769: Never fear: this isn't getting abandoned.
JadeAlmasy: Huh. I always paired Squall with Queztoctl, personally. The lightning GF fits with his name and all, and I've always viewed the hero of any FF I've played as being closely linked with lightning as their "element" so to speak.
And yes, the next few chapters will definitely be Hoth inspired. Hee.
Spikestrife: I was a bit worried that the Irvine and Selphie bit was cheesy, but I guess it does work out, doesn't it? And yeah, Squall's gonna get pissed, but not because anyone dies. I will say that in the next few chapters something will happen that will be extremely important to the progression of the story.
TainShairi: I love it when people get excited by my work XD
JJFireBrand05: Nothing shall make me divulge more hints! NOTHING! Unless you ask really, really nicely.
One of the two GFs Serra is infused with is not from FFVIII. The other, however, is.
Requiem . . . it looks like how I described it :P Sort of like an exoskeletal armor, partially dragon-like, partially futuristic. i'm not sure how else to describe it . . . at least not without spoiling something.
Johnny: I love Resident Evil too, mayself. I was partially using the idea for GFs and viruses, too, as inspiration.
Junctioning GFs weakens a person's memory, but injecting them like an Elemental does not. Junctions allow GFs to inhabit your brain and interfere with memory, while Elemental treatments cause you to essentially connect, body and soul, to that GF, which is far different. Essentially you become a conduit for its power, like a Sorceress is a conduit for magic.
Solarious: What! Uhh, no, Serra is not a Dizzy-like rip-off character. Same as Alucard isn't a rip-off of Slayer, or Nash isn't a blatant rip-off of Sol Badguy . . . . XD Erg, yeah, this story is surprisingly inspired by Guilty Gear. A lot of it is very Guilty Gear-ish in many places (like how the Elementals are a lot like Gears) If you look closely, you'll actually see Nash pull off Sol's Tyrant Ravein this chapter. XD
E: I like huge reviews . . . .
Yeah, I know. I know I got the idea for Requiemfrom somewhere, but I'm not sure.
Red Eyed, Divine Dragoon: Well, yeah, that is a lot like my ideas. In Gunblade,I basically explained that Garden graduates and wash-outs could join other nations' militaries, and that Galbadia Garden ran a program to train Galbadian officers and elite troops.
Imight update Synthesis soon, just not right now. I'm heavily inspired for Chimera at the moment.
Silver-Nex: Dang right, you should feel sorry for Squall. You're going to feel even more sorry for him as this fic progresses :P
Snowecat: hanks! XD I update weekly, unless I'm tired or real busy.
Elachim: Do you, like, wait until I'm about to post a new chapter before reviewing, because dang! That review came just before I got done with this :P
Agh! "Thick metallic band" was supposed to be there. I need to fix that. :P
Yeah, I wonder how they will save Trabia Garden? Its likely going to be an intense, harrowing battle with an unlikely hero arriving from left field, probably leading an army of green undead soldiers to overrun the charging Mumakil:P
Yes. "Oh no!" definitely describes what's going to happen over the next few chapters. Along with "Holy shit!" "Oh, crap!" and "Ow..."
Nashw as the one injected with Ifrit. Or rather, he injected himself. As for Serra, well, you'll find out what's in her when . . . well, you'll see. :P
Green goggles? Check. Knife and scary voice? Check.Ironic sense of humor? Check. Fat guy constanty whining about objectives? Nope :P
That everyone? Great.
Until next chapter!