Ehh…Sorry for not updating for two months. I have no excuse.

Disclaimer: I don't own Biggs and Wedge (unfortunately) or anything in FFVIII. Square does.

Chapter Three: New Direction

"Well, after two months, we're finally back where we started," mumbled Wedge.

"Yup…"

They stared at the city before them, dread and a certain disappointment slowly nagging at the back of their heads. "Sir… Is it just me, or does this city look less appealing every time we look at it?"

"How could you say that about the beautiful capital of our great nation! It's as appealing as… as anything appealing!" said Biggs. He paused in defeat. "…You're right, this place sucks."

Wedge sighed. "So I guess it's back to horrible jobs for below minimum wage again…"

"…No. No! I don't want to do this anymore! Let's go somewhere else! Let's be bold and daring! Let's go somewhere where we'll actually be happy!"

Wedge looked at his former commanding officer in surprise. Biggs's weakness of hotheaded incompetence was also his greatest strength. You could depend on the man to take charge when he needed to. Wedge stared at Biggs mournfully. "Where do we go? Every nation in the world hates Galbadia. We even managed to piss off Fisherman's Horizon. And I'm not walking all the way back to Winhill."

"What about Balamb?"

"We put them under siege for a week."

"Dollet?"

"Siege."

"Timber?"

"Siege."

"FH?"

"Didn't you hear me, sir? Siege!"

"Man, we are sons of bitches." He scratched his head. "Well we have to go somewhere."

"How 'bout Centra?" muttered Wedge sarcastically.

"Hey! Good idea! No one hates us there."

"I was being sarcastic! No one lives in Centra!"

"Darn… Well now what do we do?"

"Well, I suppose we could…lie," suggested Wedge.

"You mean… We're not soldiers but Galbadian refugees?"

"Yeah. All we have to do is get some new clothes and hop on a train somewhere."

"How are we supposed to afford a train ride? We're broke remember?" asked Biggs.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll get us the money," replied Wedge as he walked towards the city, unusually confident. Biggs opened his mouth to say something when he realized he was being left behind by Wedge. Feeling lost and slightly abandoned, he ran after him. "Hey! Hold on! I thought I was the one who made all the decisions!"

o—o

It was not a good day for Jordan Traxler. Most of his actors had quit, he was almost bankrupt, and now two very familiar faces were approaching him. "Hey! You're that idiot director who left us to die on that hellhole of an island! I've been wanting to get you for that!" shouted the taller man. As he advanced the shorter man stuck out his arm, knocking the wind out of his friend when he walked into it. "Mr. Traxler?" said the shorter man, whom Jordan recalled as Wedge. "We're here to claim our wages."

"What? Don't be ridiculous. You guys didn't do anything!" said the former director.

"You promised us 2500 gil each. Under Galbadian law, such a verbal agreement is legally binding," said Wedge, his calm steely gaze unnerving him. He recovered. "Maybe so, but I agreed to pay you that amount only if you got the job done, which you didn't." Jordan Traxler smiled, impressed by his own cunning intelligence.

"Very well, then, Mr. Traxler. I seem to recall you spying on Biggs as he was changing in the changing room," said Wedge.

"He what!" Biggs shouted.

"I doubt you could afford to go through with a sexual harassment charge in your current condition."

"Y-you can't prove anything!" stammered the poor cornered man.

"On the contrary, Mr. Traxler, I've investigated a few of your records and I see that you've been guilty of such assault and fraud on more than one occasion. In that case, I suppose another charge couldn't hurt that much, hmm?" countered Wedge with a wicked smile.

o—o

Biggs and Wedge walked away from their former employer 5000 gil richer. "Dang, Wedge! I've never even heard of you having a dark side before. I didn't know you could be such an evil bastard!" said Biggs, practically fawning over his friend.

"How do you think I kept us from getting a dishonorable discharge?" replied Wedge, his previously evil smirk now replaced with an innocent smile. "So where do we go now?" he asked.

"Well, Dollet seemed nice. Remember that bar we went to before we started working on the communications tower?" said Biggs.

"Yeah…Are you sure we were supposed to slack off for two hours in there?"

"We weren't slacking off. We were there to gather intelligence and to make sure there weren't enemy forces hiding there," replied Biggs with a grin, "Anyway, when we get there, we're not Biggs and Wedge anymore, got it? I'm Cliff Andersen and you're Garrett Baxter."

As the two made their way towards the train station, they were awarded one last, magnificent view of the city. "So long, hellhole! I hope you get crushed by meteors!" shouted Biggs. Passers-by regarded them with a look usually reserved for a mentally disturbed monkey on tranquilizer darts. Wedge resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. "I'm…not with him," he said to a nearby couple.

As soon as they got on the train, Biggs took advantage of its free services. They had paid 3000 gil for the ride, after all. About one third of the way to their destination, the waitress was already very irritated at the two. "Sir, this is the fifth time you've ordered a drink! Don't you think you've had enough!" she said.

"Hey, if you ask me, 3000 gil for a train ride is a rip off. I'm just getting my money's worth," replied Biggs, newly christened Cliff.

"I'm really sorry about this," said Wedge, now Garrett. The waitress sighed in exasperation and walked off, glaring machetes at anyone who would dare address her next.

Ten minutes before their arrival Cliff announced that he was going to the bathroom. Within forty seconds, a man walked in from the next car and stood right outside the bathroom door. He had a gun. "Alright! Nobody move and nobody gets hurt!" he shouted. The passengers sat frozen still. Suddenly, the man heard a toilet flush. "What the-" he started.

Cliff slammed the door open, right into the man's face, knocking him out. "Ahh! Much better. Huh? Oops. Sorry man, I didn't see you there," he said

o—o

"Are you sure about this, sir? It seems pretty risky to me," said Garrett.

"Don't worry, Gary! I heard the fishing's great here. We'll be able to pay off the boat in no time with money left over," said Cliff. And so, they were now fishermen, for a while at least.

o—o

Alright! Chapter three done! Hope you like this better than the last one. Anyway, review! And Lucrecia LeVrai reviewed me again! Thanks, Lucrecia! Yay, I have a fan!