Legacy Rewritten
C01
LOCATION: Operations and Tactical Support (OATS) Room 3, Darkness in Zero Academy
DATE: Thursday, November 15th 2X60
TIME: 0755 hours
"What are you doing?"
Naminé doesn't even look away from the monitor to interrogate the unnamed boy shuffling in the back of the room. He responds shamelessly.
"Packing my stuff. My shift's almost over."
"Your shift ends in…" Naminé glances at the clock, "...five minutes, so you can leave then. Anything could happen."
"Or nothing," the operator returns. "We're just doing surveillance. It's almost 8 AM, and we've been here for six hours."
"Well, maybe pack a snack next time," Naminé suggests, tuning out his subsequent unimportant protests. Her attention returns to the central monitor in the room. Despite years of training, Naminé always feels on edge listening to the radar's intermittent beeping. It's like a countdown to the moment something inevitably goes wrong.
"Look, I literally have like two minutes left. I mean, are you really gonna hold us till the last second? I've got class at 9 AM."
The young operator's voice floats in one ear and out the other. Naminé's focus shifts towards the status of the on-call team. Maybe a check-in call is in order.
"You know, everyone says you got to be the youngest lead operator at our school because you're insane. You have this crazy tunnel vision, it's like you're so focused on the mission that you don't even care about anyone else—"
"Hey," another voice cuts in, "either shut up and sit back down, or we can go chat in the head instructor's office."
Naminé glances at Hayner who shoots her a supportive thumbs-up gesture. She's about to voice her appreciation when a familiar sound fills the room.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP
Instantly, the room comes alive with chatter and action. Naminé adjusts her headset to speak with the on-call team.
"WINNER, can you hear me? This is Naminé, please report in."
With a crackle of static, the other end of the line comes to life.
"Hey—ugh. What's up, Naminé?"
"Hey Xion. Nothing confirmed yet, but you've got incoming at 10 mph."
"15 mph now!" Hayner exclaims, and Naminé corrects herself.
"Alright, I know, better safe than sorry," Xion mumbles. "Lemme wake them...AXEL. ROXAS. GET YOUR LAZY ASSES OUTTA BED."
"Ugh, seriously, Xion?" Naminé identifies the low voice as Roxas. "I just fell asleep, and this post is always super windy at night."
"What he said!" a loud voice—Axel's—joins in. "Plus I just managed to block out Roxy's snores!"
"What? First, don't call me Roxy. Second, I don't snore!"
"You so do! Want me to record it next time—"
"YOU GUYS!" Xion hollers so loudly that Naminé winces at the volume. "We're not here to sleep! We're on-call, which in case you idiots forgot, that means we get our asses moving when Naminé tells us to!"
"I'm sure there's a 'that's what she said' joke somewhere."
"AXEL!"
"Yes ma'am! Man, it sure doesn't feel like I'm older than her…"
Naminé's attention returns to the OATS room as she supervises the operators trying to identify the target and when they'll come in contact.
"Maybe it's just deer or something," one girl murmurs wistfully.
"Dammit, there's literally one minute left of my shift!"
"Naminé totally jinxed it."
Naminé knows they're just taking their frustrations out on her. She's an easy target: the uptight OATS lead operator with no life outside of school, according to the rumor mill. And despite her best efforts, she's learning that it's near impossible to change people's minds. A long time ago, she'd decided that if she's known as the overachieving perfectionist, then she'd better be damn good at what she does. At the very least, she's not gonna let anyone accuse her of incompetence.
"WINNER en route," Roxas reports in. "Status update?"
"Still identifying the target, but you're due for contact in 20 minutes."
"So you've got nothing."
Naminé swallow a sarcastic response. Roxas always has a way of riling her up.
"Chill," Xion pipes up, "Naminé always lets us know the moment they figures things out."
"Well, she better figure things out before we make contact."
"Is he always so antsy?"
Naminé glimpses at Hayner, who has slid off his headset and is shooting her a deadpanned look. She makes sure her mic is muted before responding.
"Usually, he's worse."
"Worse? He's said like three sentences, and I'm pissed."
"Status update?"
"Nothing, Roxas!" Naminé hisses, slowly losing her temper as well. "Are you gonna ask every 10 seconds?"
"Just checking, cause it sounded like you were chatting."
"I assure you, I am 100% focused! You need to trust that I'll do my job."
"I know. I'm just risking my life out here, that's all."
"Making me repeat myself isn't gonna help you guys."
"Oh-kay," Xion interrupts with a placating tone, "maybe we can hash this out after we get back. For now—"
"Yeah Roxas, stop flirting with your girlfriend!" Axel chimes in. "We're on a mission!"
"I'm not flirting, and she's not my girlfriend," Roxas mumbles in a tone that suggests he's familiar with Axel's provocations.
"Let's not get distracted," Naminé reminds them. "We're due for contact in 10 minutes."
"Exactly my point, Naminé! You can never let your guard down. Don't listen to what Roxas says, cause he says the same thing to all girls."
"Except me!" Xion unexpectedly joins in. "Cause I'd kick his ass to tomorrow!"
"Just tomorrow? Weak, Xion."
"To next month!"
"Seriously Xion," Roxas lets out an exasperated laugh, "you should start with kicking Axel's ass."
"Ain't nobody touching dis ass!"
"Is that a challenge?" Xion prompts. "You know I'm always down for a challenge."
The operators finally identify the target, and one of them quickly informs Naminé. Reluctant to break up the playful atmosphere, she clears her throat to deliver the news.
"Sorry to interrupt, but confirmed pack of Heartless about 300 feet north of you guys. Approximate headcount of 20."
"Team huddle!" Axel announces, his voice lowering with the urgency of the situation. "20's pushing it, but let's start with each their own. We'll regroup if OATS says there's more. Watch each other's backs, and don't chase'em out too far. Also, Bossman asked to watch for abnormal behavior. Naminé?" he prompts at the end.
"Sounds good. I'll keep you all posted."
Naminé tunes out the rest of Axel's pep talk, focusing on the operators in the room tracking the movement of the Heartless. The radar displays WINNER along with a flashing red dot steadily approaching their location.
"Establishing contact," Naminé announces, "in three...two...one—"
"I see'em," Axel declares. "Alright, let's act."
Gone is every trace of WINNER's lighthearted banter, replaced with battle cries and terse commands. Despite the lack of visual surveillance, auditory cues and radar positioning give Naminé an idea of how the battle is proceeding. The OATS room falls quiet, wholly focused on the fight and Naminé's orders. This is the Heartless after all, and a single mistake can be fatal.
"Xion, behind you!"
"Dammit, Axel, a little help here?"
"What the hell, Roxas? What part of 'don't chase them out too far' do you not understand—"
"LOOK OUT!"
Naminé holds her breath, listening to the loud shouts coming through her headpiece. She can't help the nervous racing of her heart as the battle unfolds. She quickly reminds herself that WINNER is one of the academy's oldest and experienced teams. They operate largely autonomously and sometimes even shoot down her strategic suggestions. Nonetheless, she recognizes the innate trust they place in her, evident in the way Roxas moves based on Naminé's suggestion without even thinking, or how Axel scolds the team for not listening to her. That just reminds her how important her job is to keep them safe.
She's studied the Heartless since she was born, and sometimes, she wonders if the threat will ever end. No one knows where they come from, and for centuries, her world has lived in constant fear of these monsters breaching their border defense. But what Land of Departure lacks in technology, they make up with manpower. That's why every kid is required to contribute to the war effort, even minors like Naminé and her classmates. Darkness in Zero Academy (or DiZA, since no one has time for their principal's attempt at symbolic imagery) is really just a nominal placeholder for military boot camp. Students only participate in simple missions like surveillance, but that hardly eases the emotional turmoil every time Naminé oversees a field team. She knows she's responsible for their wellbeing and making sure they return home.
This is war, and losing is an unthinkable option.
LOCATION: Training Simulation Room 5, Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee
DATE: Thursday, November 15th 2X60
TIME: 0902 hours
Sora grips his Keyblade, easily slashing down another Heartless. The simulated monster pixelates and disappears, leaving him alone in the dimly lit room.
"Should we wrap things up?" Kairi speaks through his earpiece.
"Yeah," Riku's voice chimes in, "I wanna grab some food."
"Are you going to the cafeteria?" Kairi asks.
"Probably. I was gonna grab something to-go."
"We can eat there together. Sitting down to eat is an important part of a healthy diet…"
Sora tunes out the rest of Kairi's ramblings because it's just her mother hen tendencies speaking. After taking out a few stray Heartless, he picks up the pace heading back to their rendezvous point. Through his peripheral vision, he notices Kairi and a Heartless tailing her a little closely. Is he too far from her? Always up for a challenge, he crosses his fingers and aims a long-range Fira.
Fzzz
Hey, so his accuracy's still on point.
"So, you watching my back too?"
The deep voice startles him. Sora whips his head around so quickly that he thinks something in his neck cracks.
"Don't scare me like that," Sora complains, calming back down. "And stop sneaking up on me."
"What's got you distracted?"
"Are you fishing for something?" Sora laughs, shoving his best friend playfully. The two meet up with Kairi, who's bent over catching her breath.
"I'm exhausted," she complains as they approach. She brushes off some dirt from her legs. "And I have a ton of bruises again."
"Get the new guy at the clinic to patch you up," Sora suggests with a wink. "What's his name again? Everyone says he's real hands-on—oww, OWW!"
Kairi effectively ends the conversation by stomping on his foot, hard. "Let's go," she announces, placing her hand on the wall. Riku quickly mimics her actions.
Meanwhile, Sora is crouched over clutching his foot. Hell, Kairi's boots are no joke. Seriously, does she not realize she can cause pain?
"Get up," Kairi murmurs, "before I step on your other foot."
"Yes ma'am," he responds quickly, jumping to his feet and resting his hand against the wall near theirs. A bright light envelops their vision, and when they open their eyes, they're surrounded by the plain walls of the tiny simulation room.
"I'm grabbing food with Selphie," Kairi says on her way out. "You wanna come, Riku?"
"Hey, what about me?" Sora cuts in.
"You're not invited," Kairi states. Sora's eyes widen and he gasps dramatically, his hand clutching his chest to convey the pain of betrayal. "Cause it's your turn to go to check-in, remember?" Kairi finishes.
Oh. That's right.
"I hope the tater tots are soggy and the orange juice is even more sour than usual."
"Wow, Sora, how petty." Kairi rolls her eyes. "Riku?"
"Now that I think about it, I'm not that hungry right now. I'll go to check-in and grab something with Sora after."
While Sora cheers at the display of bromance solidarity, something feels amiss about Riku's brief pause.
"Well, alright. See you guys later," Kairi says before dashing out of the room.
Leaning over, Sora elbows Riku in the ribs. "Eyy. Thanks for being a true bro."
Riku snickers, returning the playful jabs. "I owe you one, don't I?"
"Huh? For what?" Sora asks as the two of them exit the simulation room to strip their protective gear in the changing room. "But I mean, right! Totally."
Riku chuckles. "Last week. You covered for me with that girl in the lobby."
"Oh, that? Seriously. You have all these girls flocking towards you, but you just turn them all down."
"It's distracting. I mean, we're technically at work."
"Now you're complaining that you're popular? Seriously, man. The only reason girls ever talk to me is to talk about you."
"Not Kairi."
"Kairi? Oh, right." Sora laughs. "If she starts asking about you like that, I'll be sure to let you know."
Riku chuckles in response, grabbing a towel and heading towards the communal showers.
Sora follows suit, hopping under a showerhead and letting the hot water pellet down his back. Slowly, the tension in his muscles washes away too. Forgetting about his sore toes, he puts a little too much weight on one side, whining in pain.
"What's wrong—oh, your foot?" Riku glances at him. "By the way, you're gonna apologize, right?"
"What? To Kairi?" Sora scoffs. Thinking about it gets him worked up again. "Why do I have to apologize? I mean, why'd she get so mad?"
"You always mess with her."
"Exactly! Always! Why's she overreacting all of a sudden?" Sora shuts off the water and grabs his towel. "I joke around with you just as much as I do with her. What's the big deal?"
Riku opts for silence. The conversation fizzles as they quickly change and head up the stairs. Sora smiles at the sight of windows and the outdoors. It's a welcome change after being stuck in that stuffy basement simulation room. As third years with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, both Sora and Riku know the place like the back of their hands. They quickly find their way to their boss's office in the admin wing. Eager to get this over with, Sora barges into the room without knocking.
"Have a seat, boys," Squall murmurs without even looking up from his computer monitor.
"Take your time. It's not like we're starving after clocking in a full hour of training simulation—what?" He looks down at Riku's elbow jabbing his side. "Just being honest."
"We're early, and Captain's busy," Riku points out.
"Aren't we all?" Squall says, looking up from his work. "So. Check-in, right? How come both of you are here?"
"Ha, I knew you'd ask!" Sora exclaims.
"Technically, you're all supposed to show up. Not that any of you do," Squall mutters, eyes glancing back to his computer screen. "Moving on. Looks like PAOPU's doing well. Decent patrol reports, above average simulation hours, and no missions while you guys were on-call, huh?"
"When's the last time we actually went on a mission?" Riku wonders aloud.
"Hollow Bastion's defense system is top notch, so it keeps most everything out," Squall comments. "They keep tinkering with it and making upgrades too. I know it helps me sleep at night."
"Yeah, at least we don't have graveyard shifts." Sora shivers. "You know LOD? Apparently they have students man shifts around the clock! Talk about paranoia—and child labor for that matter."
"I guess surveillance is relatively low-stakes," Riku ponders. "But having students running missions is a bit overkill. They're just kids."
"And so are all of you," Squall points out.
"Hey, I'm 21!" Sora protests with all the dignity of a barely legal adult. Obviously, Squall is unimpressed, so Sora continues. "I also heard people there are super serious all the time. I mean, makes sense if their childhood's all about missions and Heartless and rawr, rawr! They're like little robots functioning under an authoritative dictator."
"Remind me to never bring you to any diplomatic events," Squall mutters under his breath.
"I can't imagine growing up somewhere like Land of Departure," Riku chimes in. "At least we chose to join HBRC. Over there, everyone's just...drafted, as kids? I mean, how's that even legal?"
"These are difficult times. I'm not saying I agree with Land of Departure but...I'm sure they have their reasons."
"Way to be politically correct, Captain."
Squall shrugs. "I mean at some point, you realize everyone's just doing their best to survive."
LOCATION: Operations and Tactical Support (OATS) Room 1, Darkness in Zero Academy
DATE: Friday, November 16th 2X60
TIME: 2045 hours
The mission is simple enough: surveillance of an abandoned post town recently terrorized by a Heartless invasion. At most, Naminé expects easy elimination of a few scattered Heartless. Still a little thrown off by the graveyard shift yesterday, she hopes the mission will wrap up soon.
She gets a bad gut feeling when the first operator speaks up. "I'm picking up something weird…" he says, and Naminé leans over his shoulder to examine the monitor. "The radar is responding to something, but I can't tell what." He points at a dot flashing intermittently on the screen.
"Hmm. Call tech to check if the radar's malfunctioning," Naminé commands, and one of the operators leaps for the phone. She runs on the assumption that the radar is picking up on something. It can't be the field team, based on their last check-in that they're 20 minutes out. "Given what we know, let's figure out if it's a Heartless or something else."
Meanwhile, she waits. There's not much she can do until they have more information. She considers notifying a teacher, but what would she say? 'Sorry, something's wrong but we have no idea what exactly'? No, she can't do that. She has a reputation to uphold. If she's going to concede ignorance, she needs to at least know what she's ignorant about.
"We've excluded the possibility of Heartless based on density analysis," one of the operators reports. "Also unlikely to be human nor animal."
Great. Not useless information, but not very helpful either.
"Hey, we're here," a voice speaks through the comms. "What do we do?"
"What? Is this...err, Team Disciplinary Committee?" Naminé speaks into her headset. Why's their name so long? It's a mouthful and potentially a hassle to say during fast-paced missions. Likely newbies, Naminé guesses.
"Yeah, aren'tcha the lead operator?" a brash voice speaks up. "You're supposed to know this stuff, y'know?"
"Sorry I was, uh. Double-checking something." She turns to glare at the team of operators. "Why wasn't I updated on Disciplinary Committee's ETA?"
The operator in charge sweats visibly. "Err, you told us to focus on identifying the target, so—"
"That doesn't mean you drop your assigned duties!"
Her exclamation comes out louder than intended. The room falls silent with all eyes on her. Belatedly, she wonders if the field team also heard her.
Panic strikes her to the core. The situation is getting out of hand. She can feel her heart rate elevating and a knot churning in her stomach. She doesn't have control—doesn't have information. And for better or worse, everyone's looking towards her now.
An operator hangs up the phone. "Ma'am, tech says no problems with the radar on their end!"
Naminé's mind whirls, realizing that amidst this process of elimination, she still has no idea what's going on. The fact of the matter is, she has no clue what she's supposed to do. With every textbook scenario, she can follow protocol to a tee but outside of that—
Outside of protocol...technically there's a protocol for that too.
If you encounter any situation outside of protocol, ask for help from a superior.
Naminé's a level three operator, the highest rank a student can achieve at DiZA. Her superior would be…
She swallows a groan. She definitely should've done this at the very beginning, and she knows she's gonna get scolded for putting it off. As she dials the phone and waits for Kain to pick up, she eavesdrops on Disciplinary Committee's conversation.
"Hey," one of them speaks up, "what's that weird, grey thing over there?"
"Looks sketchy, y'know? Let's take it out!"
"Eliminate."
Naminé freezes. What in the world are they doing? Are they newbies? Yes, they must be, because she's obviously witnessing the blustering belief of invincibility that belongs to newbies and newbies alone. Who blindly charges in on an unknown enemy without a plan or backup?
Conveniently, the call goes through seconds before she speaks. "Yes, this is Kain—" is all she hears before she exclaims,
"If you don't wanna die, then STOP!"
"Haa? What are you saying—ack, what's it doing? Yo, Rai!"
"Gotcha, Seifer, y'know—whaa—"
Naminé's heart stops as an anguished cry pierces the room.
A/N: Hello, and welcome to my new and improved repost of Legacy! Lol the title, cause this is literally a rewrite of my old fic BUT it also sortakinda makes sense as a title. I think. We'll see.
For new readers, I've been meaning to write a more action-packed story for the KH fandom. For old readers, this first chapter probably looks pretty similar to my original draft. My main goals with this rewrite are to pick up the pace and have our main leads meet sooner, so stay tuned for those changes. I'm still going back and forth on world-building details, so I'd love to hear comments about anything you think!
Also, given how crazy everything is in the world right now, it'd be remiss for me to not say I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and channeling positive energy towards productive tasks—whether that's supporting others, checking in with loved ones, or self-care. For me, writing offers a unique escape from reality, and I hope this story can be a break for you too!
