A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the late update, you guys… The chapter has been ready for ages, but I've been having trouble with my Internet connection. For more details, see my journal… :Sigh:
Last chapter summary: The group gathers up in the Presidential Palace of Esthar, where Rinoa is decided to be escorted into space to meet up with Ellone…
A second chance
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 32: Fly me to the moon and let me sway among the stars…
- "What the hell is that?!" Zell croaked out "It's humongous!"
Selphie squinted, only seconds before her eyes opened up to full width.
- "Don't you recognize it?!" she squealed "It's that thing Rinoa set free in the ResearchCenter!!!"
Zell's eyes became very much alike Selphie's, as realization dawned upon him. Seifer felt the breath die within his throat, his eyes as saucer-like as everyone else's.
- "Rinoa set that loose?!!!" he choked out, still not quite able to comprehend the magnitude of it all.
- "Say, wasn't the city in that direction?" Irvine said with a trembling voice, in great fear of the positive answer he saw sure he'd receive.
- "Uh-oh! Dr. Odine might be in trouble!" Selphie exclaimed, gripping her face with both palms.
- "We'd better head for the city at once." Edea said, looking at Seifer "Dr. Odine might know what's going on."
All pairs of eyes rested upon the tall blond eagerly, awaiting for affirmation. Seifer raked a hand through his hair, sighing 'Not a Hynedamn moment of peace, you cruel son-of-a-bitch…' he thought.
- "Well?!" Selphie almost screamed at him.
- "C'mon, Seifer!" Irvine urged him "You're our leader… What do we do?"
Seifer smiled inwardly at the sound of these words. He was their leader for once… And it felt damned good. Although he would have preferred to hear it under different circumstances… Right now, the last thing he wanted was to have the heavy burden of such a decision weighing on his shoulders. But he shouldn't feel chickened out by that… that… thing now, should he? He was afraid of nothing… right? He sighed once again.
- "Let's go save some Estharian ass…"
You know, I was indeed in space during that time, so I never got a chance to see what happened
with the Lunatic Pandora before we fought in it later on.
Apparently some of your choice never changed. Just like in your own world, you decided to follow Squall
into space. But Seifer wasn't happy about it…
The idiot… :Chuckle: It's nice to know that he worries though…
:Laughter: I bet it is…
Squall felt a numb sensation spread all over his body, relaxing him, putting his in deep slumber. His eyelids grew heavy and before he knew it, his vision disappeared behind chestnut eyelashes. Time instantly shrunk to nothing but second particles and the next time he regained consciousness, he was still in the same pod he'd been when he left Gaia. It was as if not a single moment had passed, but he couldn't open his eyes. They were frozen shut, and his body still felt anesthetized.
- "Initiating quick-thaw. It's gonna feel a bit itchy."
The voice had resonated in his pod from above. The next thing he felt, was indeed an itching sensation. Like the feeling that overtakes a limb when it's left tranquil and suddenly 'awakens'. It slowly commenced from his toes, spread to his feet, his legs and gradually up to his head. He felt his breath get caught up in his throat momentarily, as if choking, but it came back instantly. He cracked his eyes open.
- "OK, done."
The top of the pod creaked open and a blinding light that surged within the confined space he'd been locked inside made him shut his eyes again. He felt his wet body and clothes slip out of the pod and he prepared himself for hard contact with the floor below, only to realize he was floating in mid-air.
It took a few seconds for his vision to return fully, and when it did, he found himself hovering only a few feet above the metal floor in weightlessness. A small group of technicians was standing below him, looking up at him. His gaze fell onto the view before him; a wide glass window was providing him with the panoramic view of… stars. They were indeed in space. His eyes instinctively moved to his side, were he found a similarly drenched Quistis and Rinoa, floating upside-down just like him.
Quistis threw her bodyweight forward, doing a spin on the spot, bringing her legs facing the floor. Squall followed her example, but his blue gaze was still locked upon Rinoa, who was twirling around in the air, limps hanging from her body almost lifelessly.
- "Lock on to rotation ring unit." spoke one of the technicians.
Squall felt his weight returning within his body pound by pound, as his form drew closer and closer with accelerating speed towards the floor. His boots hit the metal beneath him and he wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds, trying to get used to the feeling of gravity once again.
- "Lock engaged. Generating artificial gravity." said the same technician.
He watched as a couple of men approached Rinoa, bringing her down carefully, so that she wouldn't get hurt. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught another man offering his hand to Quistis, to gently pull her down. Quistis nodded at him as a 'Thank you' and looked over at Squall. A woman dressed similarly as everyone else approached them and handed them a small blanket each. Quistis covered her shoulders and wiped her face dry, walking closer to Rinoa, to check if she was alright. Squall grabbed the blanket given to him and slipped his hand inside his pocket.
- "Here's the letter of introduction from Esthar's ambassador." he said, handing out a folded piece of paper to the woman.
His eyes fell upon Quistis and Rinoa again, only this time he spotted a man crouching next to the fallen girl as well. He held her arm and examined her with great interest and curiosity.
- "Wow…What is she, 17, 18…? Is she dead?" he asked, looking up at Quistis.
Squall narrowed his eyes.
- "Don't touch her." he growled, making the man instantly drop Rinoa's arm.
The doors behind them split open, and a grey-haired man entered, clad in a white uniform. He walked towards the group and cast a fleeting look at Rinoa.
- "Hmmm…" he murmured, rubbing his chin "I see…" He turned and looked at Squall "I'm doctor Piet." he said. Squall simple nodded "I understand the situation. Let's get her to the med lab and we'll talk there."
Squall stepped over to Rinoa and bent down, scooping her up in his arms. He tightened the blanket around her damp body, wrapping her up well.
- "Please follow me." said Piet, walking back towards the doors he came through.
Squall followed right behind him. Quistis quickened her pace, catching up with them, standing next to Squall. She sniffed audibly, wiping a trickle of moisture away from her face.
- "Are you alright?" she asked Squall. He merely nodded "Rinoa?"
- "We'll see in a bit now, won't we?" Squall replied.
- "YOU TRYIN' TO KILL US OR SOMETHIN'?!!!" Zell screamed at Seifer.
He was sitting in the back seat of a car, cramped between Irvine and Selphie, a seatbelt hastily wrapped around him.
- "Trust me Chicken-Wuss," said the tall blond –"SEIFER!" Edea yelled at him- turning the wheel abruptly "Nothing would give me greatest pleasure than to see you splattered in my front windshield, but that would mean we'd all have to crash right now… Let's hold on to that idea though, shall we?" Seifer sneered, eyes always focused on the road in front of him.
The wheels of the car screeched as the vehicle took a sharp turn to the right, leaving a great cloud of dust on its wake.
- "You didn't have to steal that car though," Edea scolded, gripping onto the sides of the passenger's seat "That poor man will not be able to- AHH!"
Their car sped away, passing only inches away from another vehicle approaching for the other direction. They barely heard the sound of a horn and an oh-so-not-complimenting adjective escaping the other driver's lips. Edea clutched her racing heart.
- "That man," she repeated firmly "Will not be able to go back to Esthar now!"
- "I did him a favor." Seifer growled "He'll be safer in the Lunar Base than back in the city."
- "Oh yes!" Zell sneered in sarcasm from behind "I'm sure this is exactlywhy you did it… Your total lack of respect towards any other human being certainly had nothing to do with it…"
Seifer narrowed his eyes at Zell, glaring at him through the mirror above his seat. A Mephistophelian smirk spread on his lips and he stepped hard on the gas, taking the next turn as sharply as he could. Another round of screams greeted this move. Zell clutched his stomach and filled his cheeks with air.
- "I think I'm gonna be sick…" he mumbled, making Irvine and Selphie inch away from him as far as possible.
- "Motion sickness anyone…?" Seifer said in between chuckles.
- "Goodness me…" Edea said disapprovingly, eyeing Seifer austerely "Are you two always fighting like this?!"
- "Yes." Irvine and Selphie said in unison, in a worn-out tone.
- "Haven't you resolved your differences ever since the orphanage days?" Edea asked again, still glaring at Seifer.
- "No." Selphie and Irvine piped in again.
- "Chicken-Man back there knows I love him though, don't you Zelly-boy?" Seifer said mockingly, resting one hand on the wheel while turning to look at Zell, grinning.
- "SEIFER!!! KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!!!" all other passengers of the car yelled immediately.
As cool and collected as ever, Seifer turned his focus back to his front almost in boredom, only to see that they had already passed the City Gates and where headed straight for a solid wall between two other cars, parked within the great parking lot of the city borders. Seifer turned the wheel to the far end, making the car perform a one-eighty turn, while switching it to reverse. A deafening silence of terror filled the car as it spun on the spot. Swiftly turning around to watch his rear, Seifer stepped hard on the brakes. The car came to an abrupt stop, shoving all passengers deep into the seats, only to bring them rocking forth once again gently.
- "He's crazy…" Zell spoke in a choked whisper "He's frickin' crazy…"
- "Well, would you look at that?" Seifer gloated, beaming "Right between those two cars…"
- "Show off…" Zell mumbled, as Irvine opened the back door and stepped outside.
- "Not a bad bit of parking, huh?" Seifer went on, ignoring Zell, as he switched the engine off "Y'know, sometimes I amaze even myself…"
- "That doesn't sound too hard…" Zell muttered, loud enough for Seifer to hear him, as he too, stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
Seifer locked the car once everyone had come out, glaring at Zell who brushed by him, towards the entrance of the City. The tall blond slipped the car keys into his pocket and followed everyone, quickening his pace. He brushed by Zell, landing a hard slap on the back of his head.
- "Ow-hey!" Zell protested, rubbing the back of his head.
Seifer chuckled and went on, only to feel a sudden sting on his ear; Edea had rushed forward and had grabbed him by the ear, marching towards the entrance of Esthar.
- "We have a serious matter in our hands, and you're acting like five-year-olds!" she hissed.
- "He started it!" Seifer whined, wincing, trying to break free.
Behind them, Irvine and Selphie chuckled. It was quite the sight to watch Seifer being whipped to place by Edea, who was much more than a foot shorter than he was, and certainly less towering. It was, however, very strange to see the always collected and calm Edea lose her temper. It seemed as if Ultimecia's demeanor had rubbed off on her the slightest bit…
- "Oh suuure…" Zell scoffed "Go ahead and tell mommy on me…"
- "Zell, shut it!" Edea hissed at him as well, making him shut up at once.
She released Seifer's ear, who clutched it and began rubbing it in comfort, while both he and Zell sulked. Seifer stared up at the sky, turning around. The gigantic black structure was behind them. Setting all childish issues aside, he frowned, deciding to take matters into his hands.
- "We made it first…" he said, still looking up at the sky "But it'll approach the city soon. Come on…"
And with those words, he broke into a sprint, closely followed by his four team members.
:Laughter: Oh, Hyne… I haven't witnessed such moments between Seifer and Zell ever since the orphanage days…
Oh, trust me… Even now, it's daily routine. I was hoping that in this world we'd all be
spared of the childish conflicts, but they're still here.
Oh, Quisty… Some things never change… You should realize that by now…
What I'm more intrigued about, is whether people ever change…
Squall made his way down the corridor, following Dr. Piet and a couple of men accompanying him, Quistis always on his side. They soon reached the end of the hallway, where one of the men stepped to the side and motioned to the door in front of him.
- "Right through this door, please." he said.
Squall, Quistis and Piet walked through the door. Squall looked around his swiftly. This was apparently the 'med lab' Piet had mentioned before. A desk, as well as many high-tech equipment stood around him. A few feet ahead stood a metal door.
- "Take her inside this room and have her rest." Piet said, pointing at the door Squall had just noticed.
The brown-haired Commander approached the door which instantly slid open, granting them access. Squall stepped over to the bed, gingerly laying Rinoa upon it. He and Quistis pulled the sheets underneath her and covered her. The blonde brushed Rinoa's damp strands away from her face and caressed her forehead gently, looking down at her very new friend with utmost concern. Squall was till fumbling with the sheets, trying to make sure that Rinoa wouldn't feel at the least bit cold. As he'd already noticed, space held none of the familiar warmth of Gaia, and his damp clothing had begun to make him feel uneasily cold. Quistis seemed to share the same thought, as she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders tighter.
Piet stepped inside the small, glass-walled room.
- "I've talked to my crew. Everything will be alright." he reassured them "Come, let's go to the control room."
He pushed a button, making the thick, metal cover close up above the bed, securing Rinoa's always unconscious form. Squall followed right behind Quistis and the doctor, walking inside the med lab again. Before leaving the room, he glared at one of the men; he was the one who'd been examining Rinoa only a few minutes ago.
- "You better not do anything to hurt her…" Squall threatened, pointing his index finger at him.
- "Alright, alright." the man said, putting his palms up in exasperation "You're her knight in shining armor. Got it."
- "Come on, Squall." Quistis muttered, as she exited the room.
Seifer skidded to a halt, a trail of sweat running down his forehead. He looked around him apprehensively, among small groups of people staring at the sky behind the city in terror.
- "There it is!" Selphie exclaimed, pointing at a sign "The sign says that way!"
She broke into a run, following the path the sign reading 'To Dr. Odine's Laboratory' indicated. Right behind her followed the small group comprised by Seifer, Zell, Irvine and Edea. The bright sunlight and the great distances in between the city's characteristic sites had worn them all out, but they were drawing close to their primary destination. Dr. Odine was considered the greatest scientist of their times and would surely have a say in this urgent matter.
The quintet stopped before the gates of the building that stood in the end of the path. Seifer stepped up, approaching one of the two sentries standing guard before the entrance. Before he even had a chance to speak, the guard beat him to it, apparently expecting what he was about to say.
- "Dr. Odine is in the lab." he said "You may pass."
Nodding in response, Seifer rushed up the stairs and in through the double doors. He was greeted by the sight of a man, pacing back and forth the corridor, before a pair of doors that were sealed shut. The man looked up at Seifer and the group of people gathered behind him.
- "Are you here to see the doctor?" he asked.
- "Yes." replied Seifer "We have something very urgent to talk to him about."
- "Dr. Odine is in a good mood right now." the man said matter-of-factly "He hasn't been this cheerful in quite a while."
- "How come?" Seifer asked, frowning.
- "Through the doors if you please…" the man said, avoiding replying Seifer's question.
The tall blond complied and moved forward, pushing the doors open. He stepped within a vast room that held… nothing at all. Puzzled, the young Commander looked around him. The was indeed nothing inside, except for a small elevator, identical to the one they'd used to enter the Palace a few hours ago. Seifer looked up, towards the ceiling. There was a second floor visible from down here, separated by the rest of the chamber by a sheet of glass.
Zell walked up to Seifer's side and kneeled down, inspecting the elevator-like device.
- "I guess we're supposed to take this." he said, looking up at Seifer for affirmation. The tall blond shrugged.
- "Be my guest…" he said.
All five of them moved over to the circular contraption, getting seated upon the tiny couch. Immediately, the elevator rose up and moved towards the 'second floor' Seifer had spotted only seconds ago. It seemed as if they were headed straight for the glass curtain, and Seifer instantly feared they'd done something wrong, as they were going to collide head-on with the glass. However, he was more than surprised to feel his skin make contact with a gelatinous substance, the moment they approached the glass. The elevator slipped right through the 'curtain' separating the two rooms, carrying along all five of its passengers. It hovered in mid-air for a split second, before lowering down to the floor, coming to a stop.
Somewhat apprehensively, all five of the stepped down, standing before yet another pair of metal doors rising in front of them. Seifer turned and looked at everyone, who merely shrugged, urging him to proceed 'Here goes nothing…' Seifer thought, pushing the doors open.
Inside the newly visible room, they came across two men conversing, among a flurry of high-tech electronic equipment. Seifer caught glimpse of one of the numerous screens on the panels, showing different sites of the city. A short, weird-looking man was talking right now, dressed in a forget-me-not outfit that the blond would have only thought to be suitable in a circus.
- "Why iz Lunatic Pandora here now? Who iz moving zat thing?" the man said.
- "Probably Galbadians, sir." replied the other one "We must sound the alert in the city now!"
- "It will not attack us." the weird man went on, seemingly oblivious of the small group that was standing only feet next to him "This city iz not ze target."
- "I hope so… I hope you're right."
- "But Tear's Point… Hmm?"
- "Ahem…" Seifer cleared his throat audibly.
The two men turned around abruptly, only now noticing the presence of other people inside the room. The weird man cast a fleeting look among the group, his eyes stopping upon Edea.
- "So we meet again." he said, addressing Edea "This iz exciting."
- "You know each other?!" Seifer said incredulously.
- "This is Dr. Odine, Seifer." Edea informed the blond.
Seifer continued to stare at the short man with a rather rude expression of surprise plastered on his face 'This is Dr. Odine?! The renown scientific genius?! Him?!!!'
- "It's been a long time since I last saw Lunatic Pandora." the doctor said matter-of-factly.
- "Luna whaaaat?" Selphie piped in, frowning in bewilderment.
- "Lunatic Pandora." Odine repeated firmly.
- "That Lunatic… whatever, that big thing!" Zell interrupted "What the hell is that?! What the hell is going on?!"
- "Easy, wuss…" Seifer said, pushing Zell aside "Let the grown-ups do the talkin'… Seifer Almasy, Commander of the BalambGarden SeeDs." the blond introduced himself.
Everyone standing behind him groaned and rolled their eyes.
- "Show-off…" Zell said under his breath once more.
- "So what's the deal with that… Lunatic…Pandora?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms, obviously not having heard what Zell had just muttered.
- "Oh! You vant to hear my story?" Odine exclaimed in glee "Zat iz nice. I would be happy to tell you. I've been investigating ze Pandora since it was excavated. So we serviced it…" he began rambling.
Irvine slapped a hand on his forehead, dragging it down his face. This was no time to be listening to that whacko's stories; they had to take action…
- "And investigated…" Odine went on.
- "We don't care about that!" Zell piped in, almost exploding.
- "Zell…" Seifer growled, then turned back to Odine "We're kinda in a hurry here, if you don't mind…" he said, sighing.
- "Vat do you vant?" Odine asked, sounding offended that he was interrupted.
- "We want to know what we can do!" Selphie exclaimed.
- "Zat iz what I'm about to say…" Odine protested.
- "Well hurry on, man! Make it short!" Irvine urged him.
- "Short, eh? Are you sure about zat?" Dr. Odine asked, arching an eyebrow at Seifer.
- "Yes." the blond said firmly "This is urgent."
- "Zat is too bad. Yes, this could be very bad. You vant to go inside to stop it? Then look at zis." the doctor said, walking up to one of his contraptions.
He placed his fingers upon one of they keyboard panels and began typing in thunder-like speed, until an image appeared on the screen. The man he'd been conversing with earlier, approached and began explaining.
- "This is a map of the Esthar region." he said. "Lunatic Pandora's current location is here."
He pointed at a red dot on the map apparent on the screen, steadily moving towards the city grounds.
- Lunatic Pandora's expected course:" he went on "It will undoubtedly pass over the city. Zoom in map." Immediately, the sound of his voice triggered the machine, causing the map to zoom in to a closer look of the city "The city has one outer skyway and two main inner skyways, all leading to the Palace. Lunatic Pandora will head east, from the vicinity of this lab toward the shopping mall. The time it will take to cross the city is estimated to be 20 minutes. Boarding Lunatic Pandora is possible at the following three contact points:" the man continued "The first contact point is at the center of the city."
A new image appeared on the map, indicating the location Odine's assistant was talking about. Seifer vaguely remembered catching glimpse of it during their brief entrance into the city.
- "It will arrive there five to eight minutes after it enters the city." the man said. "The second contact point is unknown. We believe it is where the two skyways cross." A second image appeared on screen in a new 'window' offering view of two crystal-blue skyways in a junction "Lunatic Pandora will arrive there ten to fifteen minutes after it enters the city. The third contact point is north of the shopping mall."
The third and last image that appeared, indicated a road similar to all the previous ones, located next to a grand building, which Seifer assumed should be the Shopping Mall.
- "It will arrive there seventeen minutes after it enters the city. End of briefing." the assistant finished up.
- "Zat iz how it goes. I give you this." Odine added, handing a map to Seifer "Ze problem iz…"
- "Alright, alright!" Zell yelled "We gotta get goin'!"
- "I vant to talk some more…" Dr. Odine said stubbornly, crossing his arms.
Seifer sighed and ran a hand through his hair 'We just had to bump into Dr. Won't-shut-the-fuck-up, did we?' No matter how much they were in a hurry though, what Dr. Odine had to say might as well prove to be useful…
- "OK, fine…" Seifer said "What was it you wanted to say?"
- "Ahh, so now you vant to know…" Odine said, smirking "You know zat monsters come falling from ze moon."
- "Yes. That's how monsters appeared in Gaia in the first place." Irvine said matter-of-factly.
- "Not very often that it happens." Odine went on "Pandora has an effect on ze moon."
- "What kind of effect?" Seifer asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.
- "It draws ze monsters from ze moon. Zat may be ze immediate problem, rather than Galbadia." Odine replied"Tear's point and Lunatic Pandora together vill maximize their effect."
- "What's this 'Tear's point'?" asked Selphie.
- "An ancient site, outside EstharCity." Edea replied, frowning.
- "So we have to stop Lunatic Pandora from reaching Tear's Point and drawing the monsters down from the moon." Seifer said.
- "Zat iz correct. Just remember zat you can get aboard in ze three contact points I told you about." Odine said.
- "Alright… Better get goin' then…" Seifer said, rushing towards the door.
- "Good luck!" Odine's assistant yelled at them before they disappeared through the doors again.
Quistis followed Dr. Piet along the corridors of the Lunar Base, Squall right behind her.
- "Are you two alright?" Piet asked "You're soaked wet and it's very cold up here. We were so preoccupied with your friend, that we didn't take good enough care of you."
- "It's alright, we're fine." Quistis replied "We just want to see Rinoa up and about again."
- "All in due time…" Piet said reassuringly "Through this doorway if you please."
He motioned at the threshold of a pair of wide open doors, leading inside the main control room of the base. A great amount of personnel was gathered within the control room, working vigorously above complex panels. Quistis stepped inside first, looking around her bewildered.
- "My goodness!" she exclaimed, sprinting towards the glass windows that allowed the glorious view of the moon to show "Look at how close we are to the moon!"
- "This is no time to be impressed" said one of the controllers "Look at the monitor there." he added, pointing at the one right above his seat.
- "This monitor?" Quistis asked for affirmation, stepping closer to take a look.
Squall looked at the monitor Quistis was examining from afar, suddenly interested to what it was that Piet and his co-workers had been so intent on showing them. Reading the curiosity in Squall's eyes, Piet gently pushed him towards the same monitor.
- "Look at the surface of the moon." he urged Squall.
Squall did as he was told and approached Quistis, looking right above her shoulder and onto the screen.
- "Quite something, isn't it?" the girl whispered in awe.
- "It's really a rare phenomenon." said one of the controllers "You know that huge crater on the Centra continent? It's from the Lunar Cry that occurred over a hundred years ago. It supposedly wiped out the city there."
- "The monsters' behavior becomes abnormal when there are irregularities in the moon and the planet's gravitational forces." spoke another one "I guess they're affected just like the tides are affected by the moon. See them clustering at one point? Eventually, they're going to drop down onto the planet. This is called the Lunar Cry."
Squall moved over to a pair of binoculars situated right next to the monitor, pointed towards the same direction the screen was showing. Wanting to take a closer look, Squall pressed the 'Zoom' button. Immediately, the view before his eyes became much clearer and what stood out, was a gigantic red cluster, slowly forming upon the surface of the moon, pointing straight down to Gaia. The young Commander pulled away, a bewildered expression plastered on his face 'The hell is this?!'
- "Monsters…" Quistis replied to his unspoken question "The lunar world is filled with monsters, Squall. I taught you all that, don't you remember?" she asked, grinning.
- "Oh, right…" Squall mumbled, frowning.
- "Did you see Ellone?"
Both Squall and Quistis turned to face Piet who had spoken just now.
- "No, not yet." replied Squall "Where is she?"
- "Her room is on the second floor. You can go see her anytime." replied Piet.
A/N: Most of this chapter was stuff you already knew, so I tried to insert a scene of comic relief between Zell and Seifer :-p Don't you just love reading about those two arguing? I know I love writing about it…
Anyway, since the next chapter deals with things that are already known again, I hope you'll forgive me if I take a small 'detour' in the scene between Squall and Rinoa inside the Ragnarok (Chris, this is for you and all the Squinoa fans)
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
Squall and Quistis finally meet up with Ellone…
Meanwhile, back in Esthar, Seifer gets acquainted with someone…