Yeeeah I'm reposting this chap because I kinda didn't edit at ALL last night...Yeah...It was sub par in spelling and that bugs me, I'm a grammar nazi...Ok, so chap 6 the mission I dont own ffviii etcetc thank you to my reviewers I heart you so very very much.
Chapter 6: The Mission
Bad things,
Dead things,
Sad things have to happen...
Sometimes.
The mission had been important, but seemed simple. The Garden system was the most skilled fighting force in the world at the moment. Sure, they couldn't take on a whole army but that was solely due to their numbers. A single trained SeeD could take on a Galbadian soldier in less than a minute by themselves, with others it was merely a nuisance. That is why this mission didn't particularly frighten the highly trained group, especially not Quistis. At the moment, she had too many things going on in her personal life to spare too much concern for the matter at hand. She wasn't losing focus mind you, she was just doing her job.
Fifteen SeeDs had been dispatched to Timber on that brisk April day. It was a nice time to be outside at least; the world was just beginning to show signs of Spring, but the crisp chill of winter tinged the air in an almost comforting way. Fifteen fairly high level SeeDs; Three Instructors; three squads of five. Each of the Instructors had been made Squad leaders by Cid himself, which some people questioned…It wasn't so much that they were bothered by this leadership except for in the case of Quistis…The girl had just gotten her license in November, and here she was not five months later attempting to lead more experienced mercenaries than herself. While some her peers felt it a tad unfair, they had to respect the woman for her skills and tact. In short, nobody was going to mess with Instructor Number 14 Quistis Trepe.
There was only one objective of this mission really: stop Galbadia from gaining occupancy. Timber was a vital neutral territory because it was, in short, one giant train station. The small town was the one place that connected every major city and so if Galbadia claimed control, well, it would be a hell of a problem for the rest of the world. Those trains were key in trade you see, this means food, supplies, hell even weapons. If Galbadia was threatened by any one place, they could cut them off as leverage.
Ancient civilizations used to use this tactic when it came to control as well. There were several incredibly long rivers that would span through entire continents. Whoever was closer to the rivers source held the most power. If they wanted, they could blockade the river with a dam which would cause massive droughts for the cities below. Massive droughts mean massive crop failure…Which meant famine…Which ultimately meant death.
This was the same basic principle. The oldest tricks are the best. Timber was lucky though, they had managed to receive leaked information on this little invasion ahead of time. If there was one thing to be said for the town, it was that they loved where they lived and did NOT want a dictator controlling it. So, they banned together and some how managed to scrounge up quite a bit of money to hire Balamb Garden.
"Alright troops, we know why we're here and we know what to do," a gruff man named Sparks growled. He was the martial arts and self defense Instructor…Had been for a good seven years. While rough around the edges, he was highly respected due to the fact he was the oldest living SeeD to date.
"Right," Quistis took over, "Squad A headed by Instructor Sparks will make its way to the main entrance of the city here just past the hotel and weapons shop," she pointed at the map of the town by one of the main trains. It always made her feel like this was more of a mall than an actual habitable place.
"Squad B with Instructor Aki will position itself around the perimeter of the main station," again she pointed, "And finally Squad C, including myself, will be located in the main square right where we are now," she took a deep breath, so far so good.
"Look, we don't want to kill anybody if possible," Instructor Aki pushed her black hard over her shoulders, "we want them to retreat indefinitely. We're trying to scare them, not massacre them."
"But they're going to resist," Sparks somewhat contradicted, "and when they do you take them on, don't hold back because that's what gets people killed."
"Right, make sure you're junctioned to your fullest and be ready for anything…I hear Galbadia can get pretty ugly when push comes to shove," Quistis added to her colleagues orders.
"They get more than dirty…You hear about that D-District Prison they got?" one of the younger SeeDs asked. "It's bad…Real Bad."
"Look, its not going to come to that," Aki sighed exasperatedly. It was funny, even though they were all SeeDs it was hard for the teachers to treat others as equals and not as students. It was just the grove you got into.
"The invasion should begin incredibly soon…Too soon for my liking, but…Don't worry about it," Quistis gave her best smile to those around her. "Okay, everyone to your posts!"
Squads A and B nodded and grunted in agreement and headed out to their respective areas. Squad C stayed put for the moment.
"Alright, fan out but stay within eyesight of everyone," she motioned for her team members to move out.
She had gotten lucky with her group, they were good in various ways and that would help tremendously. It worried her though that they were so good…Everyone on this mission was top notch…And that meant it was dangerous.
The silence blazed through the morning air, harsh and unwelcoming. It was the kind of quiet where if a sound were to be made, even the tiniest pin drop, the world would seem shattered. It was wrong. Something was wrong. Now, Quistis wasn't really one to believe in psychics or anything, but she could just feel something in the atmosphere today. Call it a soldier's intuition.
For a moment she couldn't help but think of the peace of mind it would give her if Seifer were here with her…Then she promptly remembered that she was unbelievably angry with the arrogant bastard. Just thinking about what had happened between them made her want to fight.
Lucky for her, she didn't have to wait long at all. Within five minutes there was a peculiar humming in the air…So familiar…But what was it? Helicopters…Lots of them. Too many for a small invasion. This was undoubtedly going to be hell.
"Stand your ground!" Quistis shouted over the roaring engines. "We don't pull out until I got the order got it?! We might have to split in groups so be ready!!"
Suddenly the flying mechanical monsters were right on top of them and soldier after soldier began to jump down. There were at least five of these transports she saw, each of them holding ten men…Maybe more, hell she didn't have time to calculate it, all she knew was that she had to fight.
They pounced on her, sending magic and bullets and swords to mow her down. She was lucky she was so well equipped though, the damage wasn't so bad. She was able to quickly take out three of them just with her whip which gave her "the feeling."
"The feeling," is something only a true warrior can describe really. It's that rush of adrenaline pumping through your heart and brain and all through your system at once. It made you keep going, but it also made you feel powerful…Invincible…You couldn't make that mistake though, you do and you'll die.
Wave after wave of Galbadians ascended upon the otherwise quiet little town. This was NOT right. She kept hearing more and more helicopters coming and going, carrying more and more human weapons. They knew SeeD would be here, they had to.
It then dawned on her that this was no longer a mission, no, this was about staying alive. Aki had been right, they weren't making this a massacre, but the enemy certainly was attempting to. Luckily as far as she could tell, all her squad still stood.
"PULL OUT," She screamed, but was silenced by a harsh fist to her stomach. Quistis fell to her knees, the wind knocked out of her. Nobody had heard her order…Nobody would be able to. She was dead unless she thought of something quick.
Shiva…Hurry.
Her worry was put to rest for the moment as the GF's HP covered her own, giving her a moment to catch her breath. She wished she could cure herself, or grab a potion but she couldn't, not while she summoned. An unusual onslaught of attacks came then…Incredibly unusual actually. They were knocking Shiva's HP low…Too low…But she was summoned despite them and was pissed.
The icy goddess broke free from her cold prison, relishing the feeling of this human plain of existence, and knowing what she must do. With a graceful fury Diamond Dust overtook half a dozen men. Quistis was grateful for her protector's attack surely it would give her time to—
There was no time. She was going to heal herself but they weren't letting up. There was no time to grab a potion or cast a spell. She had to attack or die, and they just kept coming and coming. It was then that she realized they had figured out how to overtake SeeDs. If SeeDs didn't have their Guardian Forces and faced with a never ending attack, they couldn't heal themselves and would fall.
Hyne they were falling…She looked around desperately and saw her Squad being surrounded and covered like locus by the invaders. She had to keep fighting though, she wouldn't be overtaken…There was too much left undone…
But Shiva didn't last.
Her limit breaks didn't save her.
Gloved hands were reaching out to here and then the world was gone.
Something wasn't right with her when she regained consciousness, she could feel it right away. She felt very vulnerable at first before she registered what else was wrong. She was thirsty for one, hungry, tired, and she hurt all over. A sick feeling seeped throw every pour, every muscle. In short, Quistis Trepe felt something terrifying…She felt weak.
Slowly her eyes opened and she was actually able to focus to an extent. Her glasses were gone so everything was a little blurry, but her vision was never terribly bad. It took her a moment to register everything. Then she remembered what had happened at Timber, how they had been, in a way, ambushed. How had they known? Maybe that was the whole point, to lure out SeeDs and dispose of them…But then if that was the case why was she still alive at this very moment?
With a little groan she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and take a good hard look at her surroundings. It was grey, dank and smelled of death; old death. It was a jail cell, and that could only mean one thing:
D-District Prison.
"Instructor Trepe, are you okay?" She hadn't even noticed the other people…It was her squad along with Instructor Sparks and a few stranglers from the other two.
"I think so…What happened? Where's everyone else?" Quistis saw a look of sorrow on her fellow SeeD's faces.
"They knew. It was a set up," Sparks was leaning against the wall across from her and looking harder than usual, "they take away your junctions too I'm guessing?"
Oh, so that was the weak feeling…He was right, all of her magic was gone, not to mention her GF's. That definitely was not a good sign. Sure, those trained specifically in hand to hand combat stood a chance if they were to try anything, but most of them carried weapons.
"Yes…Yes they did," it was then that she noticed the glances she was getting. It was almost like people were avoiding her while wanting to make her feel watched at the same time. "Where's everyone else?" she asked again.
"They got away…As soon as Aki and me saw more than two of those copters coming our way we ordered a retreat…" he didn't say anything else but his face screamed "and you should have too!"
"I…I didn't realize…"
"No you didn't and look where it got us!" Gates, a man about twenty three and a specialist in guns spoke up harshly.
"I…"
"Just don't."
It was quiet for a long time after that. Nobody wanted to say anything because it would only cause a ruckus. Plus, it was one of those situations where you'd like to be left alone with your thoughts. Things didn't look good, there was a chance that Garden wouldn't get to them on time. Hell, Garden didn't even know where they were…Although, you'd half to think that this prison would be pretty high on the list of possibilities.
A soldier fights. A soldier takes orders. A soldier kills. A soldier prepares for the worst possible scenario. A soldier lives alone and dies alone…But they weren't just soldiers…These were people. They had lives, friends, families…They had something to live for. Yes, they knew what they were getting into, but after years of training it just comes second nature.
It was at this point Quistis found herself wondering…As long as she could remember she had wanted to be a SeeD, it was her lives goal and purpose. What if that wasn't true though? What if that cardinal desire had just turned into habit? Why had she wanted to be a mercenary anyway? What if she had wasted her life?
Maybe Seifer had it right, this was his goal but he didn't give up his life for it. He understood that there was more than this and he took advantage of that knowledge. Seifer was at the Garden because he truly wanted to be, he never doubted it…But he didn't compromise who he was for it.
Hyne knows he wouldn't be in this situation, and if he was he's be doing everything under the sun to escape.
"What's going to happen know?" she asked quietly.
"I think they're going to move us," Sparks sighed, "they know Garden will send troops here, and Galbadian's aren't as stupid as we thought apparently."
"Yeah," another said, "they haven't been in here once…I'm guessing they'll move us soon to avoid getting pinned down by Galbadia Garden," (it was the closest Garden to they're location).
"So what do we do?" her voice sounded like a child as she spoke…It made her feel ashamed.
"We wait."
So they did…They waited and silence fell again. Her head and heart ached from the extraction of magic. It was weird, being faced with death like this. What else would they do, hand them back over to Balamb? Highly unlikely. She was seventeen…Just a babe to the world and yet she had been through so much, most of it bad. Hyne, it wasn't fair at all. Again her thoughts found their way to Seifer…
What could have happened between them? There was a spark, as much as she hated to admit it there was that little bit of electricity that would normally make her smile then scowl at her foolishness. It was new, it was passion, it was something so scary. Quistis had never even been in a real relationship before. Oh sure, there had been those early teen "things" but nothing that could be for life. Seifer would have been her first real potential thing…
They wouldn't kill them would they? Yes…No! They couldn't! It was just all so frustrating, almost as frustrating as the fucking waiting.
Then someone came in and grabbed Sparks without a word…He returned an hour later unconscious and twitching…It scared her. On their way out they grabbed another and this became a cycle. They were being audacious and taking their time…Maybe the Garden's thought they were dead?
This went on for days.
Then came Quistis's turn.
She was taken to a chamber with a lot of old machinery in it. They say the old ways are the best…In front of her on the far wall was what looked like a control panel. On her right was something frightening…It was metal…It had straps…And it ran to the machinery…They grabbed her harshly and she began to thrash and cry out "NO!" not even knowing what this machine did…But that mercenaries instinct kicked in and said it was BAD.
Quistis couldn't hold them off though and within minutes she found herself strung up like she was on a crucifix…Oh Hyne.
"So SeeD you decided to meddle in our affairs hmm?" it was an officer dressed in red. "President Deling doesn't approve of such actions."
"Vinzer Deling knows about this?" her fear was replaced by pure rage.
"Of course."
"He'll pay," that was all she had to say because she meant it. Somehow she'd get out of here and she'd get that bastard.
"No, you will," he snapped his fingers and a lowly cadet flipped a switch. For a moment nothing happened, but then she felt electricity flow through her body…She couldn't breath…The pain she felt would be unparalleled by anything she would ever experience in her life…They knew how to hurt people…And they were doing it. Shocking her then hitting her then shocking her again on a higher voltage…They try to warn you about this but you're never prepared.
For three hours this went on. Three excruciating hours…It was longer than the others. Why? Was it because she was the only woman? Because they got off on seeing her squirm? Either way it was because they were bastards.
They finally let her black out and dumped her back in the cell…
No sooner had she regained consciousness the fateful door opened up and light poured in like blood from a wound. Galbadian soldiers entered, at least a dozen making the room fairly cramped. They pushed everyone around, trying to make them feel small, and for some reason nobody fought back. What was the point of fighting a losing battle? One grabbed her arm and yanked her up to her feet. His touched burned on her skin and standing was almost impossible, but somehow she did.
They gruffly pulled these disgusting brown bags with drawstrings over their heads and tightened the rope. The sack smelled like rotten potatoes and dirt while the rope cut into her tender flesh making it hard to breath. They continued to tie up her hands for good measure. A gun behind her back pushed her forward and a voice told her to "fucking move it bitch," so she did.
Quistis had no idea where they were going…a turn left…a few stairs…A right…It went on like that for a good fifteen minutes until they were abruptly stopped. She slammed into the person in front of her, which must have been a G-fighter because armor crushed her cheek. There was a loud metal sound that echoed all around them, followed by a creaking…A door…A rush of hot air hit her hard, making the bag all the more uncomfortable.
And they walked.
And walked.
Thirst began to drive her senses insane. She had heard that it was a torture technique…Keep your victims unconscious enough for them to become dehydrated and then let them slowly die from it. Give them a little water there and there to make it even worse…Not to mention the torture she had endured was making her want to pass out, vomit and die all at the same time. Yet she kept on moving, maybe it was because she was used to following orders…She wanted to die though.
Several times along the way to wherever the hell they were going, everyone would stop and the Galbadian's would rough them up…
They walked for what seemed like hours until once again they stopped, but in was only to be pushed down to her knees in a kneeling position. One of those bastards tore the bag off from her head. The sun struck her in the most awful way. She wasn't sure if she could take the brightness. When her senses got used to it she looked around and saw everyone else was kneeling too, they were in a line. Everyone looked just the way she felt.
"Hands behind your heads!" the leader shouted, making sure they knew he meant business.
Quistis felt herself shacking despite the blasting heat…She prayed it wasn't her body going into shock but she felt sure it was. Sweat poured down her face and drenched her hair. They were in the middle of the desert, nothing around as far as the eye could see.
"You are all here for treason," treason? What a stupid excuse, "Against the great land of Galbadia, its government, and its president. Treason is punishable by death."
"Torture too?" Sparks said in a way that reminded her of a certain blond haired student of hers.
"Shut your fucking mouth!" he jabbed the butt of his gun into Spark's stomach causing him to double over. A soldier behind him forced him to sit up straight and keep his hands up…
Her arms hurt…Her stomach hurt…Her head hurt…She couldn't really think anymore…Everything was kind of going into this semi blurry kaleidoscope…That is, until there was a gunshot and Gates fell down into the sand with a hard thud.
Dead.
They killed him…Blood stained the sand making a blackish color…She couldn't take her eyes off the gapping wound in his head…Would that be her head soon?
The soldiers let them sit there for a good while before the next kill…Anton…He was twenty five with a three year old little girl.
BANG.
Dead.
It was her fault. She should have pulled her squad out and now they were dying. Her breath quickened partly from the torture and partly from the situation. Tears were running down her cheeks but she didn't even notice it.
A soldier bent down and examined her…This was it.
"She's awful young to be a SeeD," he off handedly commented. Others were now looking at her too, curious.
"Doesn't matter, she's a SeeD, and she's got to go," the leader held out a gun and pressed it to the back of her head. Quistis shut her eyes tightly and waited for the end.
"WAIT!" it was Spark's voice…Surprisingly they did wait.
"What?!"
"She's…She's not a Seed," huh? The leader took the gun off her scull and got in the eldest SeeDs face.
"What did you say?" he growled viciously.
"She…She's not a SeeD…She's…A student…A cadet….You can't kill her because that is killing an innocent girl, not a mercenary…You can kill us with just cause, but she's a minor you kill her and you're done for," it would have been a justified statement if it had been true. Killing in battle is one thing, people died all the time, but if she wasn't officially a SeeD then it would be a high offense that could mean incredible lawsuits and problems.
"Why was she with you?"
"This was her exam asshole," good cover…
"How do I know you're telling the truth?!" he grabbed Sparks by the hair and gave it a yank.
"Look at her…" he did, "she's too young to be a SeeD…Besides are you willing to risk it?"
"Good point."
With that he shot Sparks in the head. Quistis thinks she remembers screaming at this point; crying hysterically….Trying to speak but the words wouldn't come out.
The leader strode over to her, telling her to "Shut the hell up!" And when she wouldn't she saw his gun come down towards her, striking her hard on the head and everything went black
She woke again…Not in a prison or a desert…Alone…But not alone. Looking up she saw leaves and sticks about four feet above her…That didn't make sense. It sparked her curiosity and she kept looking at it…It looked divided? Cross hatched was more like it...The leaves and greenery was held up by a net…A net! That's what it was.
A little sense of accomplishment filled her up for a moment. This prettiest little rays of light were poking through that barrier above…Beautiful…She was tired and didn't want to think, in fact her brain wasn't letting her really…It was then she realized she was on something soft…Soft but with pokey ends and wet parts…What the hell was that?
Her throat caught in her chest and her heart stopped from a moment. She was on the top of a pile…A pile of bodies…The remains of what used to be her squad.
The smell hit her next, how could she not have noticed? It made her sick…Literally…She threw up to her side on what used to be August Jiles…SeeD rank 22 and rising…She began to move around frantically, trying to get away from the bodies, scurrying over them just to be on top of more. What was worse is that some of them had been…Chopped up…There were pieces all over…
With a growing sense of panic and hysteria she managed to climb out of the whole…Covered in was once was her team.
"What happened then?" he asked gently…They had been sitting on his bed for a good hour…She talked, quickly and at times incoherently…He just listened, shocked.
"I…I…I…walked and and it was a f-forest," she was shaking again, "b-but I didn't have weapons or magic s-so I was running b-but I was weak…I couldn't run…Monsters attacked…I don't know how I got away…" she was crying again too.
"Hey its okay…Take a deep breath," he put his hand on her's, expecting her to flinch but she squeezed it tight. For a second he thought he could feel her pain through that touch.
She did as he said and it seemed to calm her down a little bit.
"I'm okay…I umm…I woke up and I was in a SeeD medical transport…I don't know how they found me…Cid was there…I thought I must be dying if he came out here…B…But apparently I was in Balamb…They brought us here purposely…So we…So we'd be found."
"Mother fuckers…" it made him mad…REALLY mad that ANYONE would hurt her like this…He wanted to kill all Galbadians right about…Now. "They didn't make you go to the infirmary?"
"Kadowaki was there…I was in that ambulance for a long time…She said…I'd be fine with rest…"
"Doctors don't know shit." What else was he supposed to say? His sort of girlfriend was sitting next to him, covered in cuts and blood and dirt and they said she'd be fine with rest? Bullshit.
"Seifer?" she asked quietly. "Do you think….I could stay here…For tonight…"
"Of course," he replied without hesitation…Shit what was he doing? Since when was he Mr. Nice Supportive Guy? He was supposed to be an asshole to everyone…Even her…Even after all this.
"Could I use your shower?" it was more like she looked at herself in his mirror and saw what a train wreck she was…That or THEIR blood.
"Sure…I'll find you something to wear…" he got up and started rifling through his closet. Seifer only managed to come up with an oversized wife beater and a pair of boxers….He had a VERY limited wardrobe. "This work?"
"Yeah…" she took it gratefully and unsteadily made her way to the bathroom.
He worried whether he should be afraid she might pass out…She was strong though and surely just had some magical treatment…She should be fine though right? Still…
"Quistis?" he said to the door.
"Yeah?"
"Don't lock the door…Just in case," in any other event he might have said this jokingly with sexual innuendo, but not tonight. There was no reply though, just the unclicking of the lock.
When she came out she looked much better, not great, but better. Her skin was scrubbed clean of everything that had violated it and she no longer wore her SeeD uniform…He doubted whether she ever would again.
"Feel better?" He questioned…She just nodded. "Right then…Umm…I guess I'll sleep on the floor…"
"Seifer?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you just…" she looked at him then the bed, not having enough strength to put it tactfully. "sleep…with me for a little while?"
He thought about it, he really did. The smart part of him told him not to, that it wasn't a good idea and that it would make him attached…The dumb part just wanted to hold her and tell her it was okay…The dumb part always seemed to win. He nodded at her and she climbed onto the comfortable bed.
Seifer followed suit and lifted the covers onto both of them before turning out the light. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her close, his head touching her wet one.
"Quistis?" he asked quietly.
"Hmm?" she was already falling asleep.
"I will never let anyone ever hurt you like that again," he felt her stiffen and then her a few sharp intakes of breath…She was crying again…He just held her close and let her fall to sleep in his arms.
Silent now,
No one beguiling,
Lost in the woods,
I will always hear her crying,
in the summer...
Ok, and that is the mission…Yeah….its 1:05 am…R/R pppllllleaaase. I'm proud of this chapter. Oh, and the song lyrics used are from Dead Things by Emiliana Torrini and Lolita by the Sneaker Pimps