Parliament
Yaaay! I FINALLY wrote a new chapter. It's called "Parliament" because of two reasons:
1.) Parliament - as in rulers of a country - President Deling etc.
2.) A group of owls (Forest owls) are called a Parliament - I researched! hahah
Anyway - I thought it was fitting. Hope you enjoy. Read and Review People.
Selphie scratched her chin slowly as she hopped down the train steps. She was deep in thought – something unusual for the oddball SeeD. As she skipped down the steps her thoughts turned from Laguna to her mission. It was her first as a SeeD, but if it was anything like her chaotic practical examination – she would not enjoy it at all. She glanced over at Squall and Zell, who both looked as deep in thought as she was. Suddenly a man in a bandana sped towards the group.
Man: Oh, the forests of Timber sure have changed!
Squall: …But the chocobos…are still here…?
Selphie glanced at her feet in disappointment. This was the password – and Squall had said it wrong. They were failing their first mission already. She looked up to see a worried Zell staring at her in disbelief.
Man: What are you talking about, sir? In the forest there are Ow... Nothing, yeah, it's nothing, sir.
The man hurried away, his arms flailing about as though he had a monster chasing him.
Selphie turned to Squall and hesitantly began to explain the situation – she didn't feel it was her place to question his actions, but if this screwed up her first job as a SeeD – she had reason to be concerned.
Selphie: Erm…Squad Leader…
Squall:…I know Selphie…let's just…carry on…
Squall put his palm to his forehead, as if to calm himself down, before he walked onwards. Zell and Selphie glanced at each other before following. In front of them was the same man, waving his arms about, directing a yellow, near-derelict train.
Man: OK, keep comin', keep comin'.
The yellow heap of scrap metal screeched to a halt, the power of the wind knocking the password man to the ground.
Man: Ahhhhhh! Look outtttt!!!
A second man jumped out of the train and headed towards the first. The group of SeeDs watched them closely - Selphie chuckling slightly before looking at her allies. Zell was staring vacantly, and Squall was watching the floor more than the two fools in front of him. Selphie rolled her eyes. Suppose I shouldn't have expected anything more from those two, she thought to herself.
2nd Man: "What are you DOING? How many times do I have to tell ya not to stand in front of the train!? Hah!
The men appeared to be whispering, and both stared at the group of SeeDs before the first man rolled over and looked at Squall.
1st Man: Welcome to Timber...sir. Please follow me, sir.
All three mercenaries stared in bemusement. What kind of nightmare has the Headmaster got us into now, Selphie wondered.
2nd Man: Don't be so rude! C'mon, get up! Please excuse us... Come on, this way.
1st man: "Aaaaahhhh, sir... Give me a break...
The SeeDs followed the second man onto the yellow train, and the door shut firmly behind them, screeching desperately for oil as it closed. Selphie could hear the muffled screams of the first man, shouting for his friend to stop the train as it began to move.
Selphie looked around in disgust at the trains décor, before whispering to Zell.
Selphie: (How…ugly…)
Zell: (I thought you liked all trains…!)
Selphie: (Hmm…)
2nd Man: So, you guys are SeeDs?
Squall: I'm the squad leader, Squall. This is Zell, and Selphie.
Zone: Nice to meet ya. I'm Zone - the leader of the Forest Owls.
Zone walked towards Squall and put out his hand, but Squall shook his head and stared at the floor. Selphie smiled politely as Zone approached her, and shook his hand. In the corner of her eye she saw Zell readying himself to shake Zone's hand – Poor Zell, he must have to prepare himself to behave with manners, Selphie thought to herself – but Zone turned away, and walked back to the front of the group, to Zell's outrage. As Selphie chuckled and Zell punched air, the first man entered the train.
Squall: So, let's get on with it. What do we do?
Zone: Just take it easy. Here, let me introduce you. Looks like
you already met Watts. I guess it's just our princess then.
Watts: It's the princess' nap time, sir.
Selphie frowned. Princess? What the hell?!
Zone: Ahh, man... Hey Squall, sorry, but could you go get the
princess? She's in the last room, up those stairs. Some of
our other guys are in the room on the way. Ask 'em if you
get lost.
Squall: ...Were we hired to run errands? Well?
Selphie stared at the two men, infuriated. How dare they use as like little lapdogs?! She thought, frustrated at the fact that even though they were still rookie SeeDs, they'd be used for chores. Zone backed away in fright.
Zone: A-Are you angry!?
Squall: This is the last time for this kinda thing.
Selphie watched, confused, as Zone began to clutch at his stomach, as though pulling his innards out, before crawling into the far corner of the room.
Zone: OwOwOuccchhh.
Squall frowned in disdain, and turned to Selphie and Zell, whispering quickly before leaving to go get the "Princess".
Squall: (The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can leave.)
Zell and Selphie looked at each other in hope, and Selphie sat on the steps next to her blond friend.
Zell: (What the hell?! This better be a real Princess, otherwise this is all just some…huge…)
Selphie: (Circus?)
Zell: (Exactly. What type of people does Garden get involved with these days?!)
Selphie: (I have no idea…but they're even weirder than us…)
Zell: (HEY! I'm not weird! …I'm…) I'M NOT!
Selphie: (Ssh Zell be quiet. Shut your big mouth.)
Zell: WHAT?! (Selphie why are you being so horrid?!)
Selphie: (I'm not! Oh Zell! Grow up!)
Zell: ( I could say the same to you!) TITCH!
The pair were beginning to get worried stares from their clients, and Selphie stood up, tugged her dress down, and walked away from Zell, who was watching her with a puzzled look on his face. Squall slowly walked down the steps and Selphie turned to him smiling, but frowned as she saw the "Princess". The "Princess" was a beautiful brunette, clad in tight blue clothing.
Squall: This is Zell... ...And Selphie.
Rinoa: Hi everyone, I'm Rinoa! This way.
Rinoa skipped the pleasantries and headed into another room, followed by Zone and Watts. The SeeD all stood for a moment, quick glances flickering between the group, before they walked into the next room.
Zone: Just stand anywhere you want. This is a full-scale operation.
Our resistance, 'The Forest Owls', will be forever known in the
pages of Timber's independance! Exciting, huh? It all started
when we got a hold of top-secret info from Galbadia.
Watts: I got the info, sir!
Zone: There's a VIP from Galbadia coming to Timber.
Watts: Super V-I-P!!!
Zone: The guy's name is Vinzer Deling! Our archenemy, and the President of Galbadia.
Watts: Vinzer Deling is a scoundrel!!! He's a dictator, not a
president. Not even popular in Galbadia, sir!
Selphie's eyes flashed back and forth as she watched the two men battle to dominate the conversation, before she got bored and walked over to where Zell was stood reading news clippings on the wall. She softly spoke to Zell, making sure she was quiet enough for the others to not hear.
Selphie: (Listen…I…)
Zell: (Sorry I…over-reacted…)
Selphie: (Aw…well…good luck Zelly. It's our first mission!)
She smiled – poor Zell, apologizing to her – maybe he did have some manners after all. Selphie realised she'd tuned out of the mission briefing, and hopped over to Squall, who was listening closely.
Rinoa: President Deling is taking a private train from the Galbadian
Capital.
Zone: Our plan is to...
Selphie:...Blow it to smithereens with a rocket launcher!?
Zone: Ahh...not quite...
Zell: So get to the point! Just tell us what to do!
Squall surveyed his squad, and scowled at them. Selphie gulped. It was pretty clear to her that Squall frowned upon her and Zell's impatience.
Rinoa: Shall we begin?
Rinoa pointed out the train set in the center of the room, and Selphie beamed in delight.
Selphie: (Yay! Trains…)
Zell: (This train…it couldn't get out of Timber without breaking down…how's it gonna cope with a full-scale mission…)
Selphie: (Oh…poopie…I didn't think of THAT…)
Rinoa: First, I'll go over the model. The yellow train in the top
right is our 'base'. We're riding in it right now. Right next
to it is the 'dummy car'. We made it to look just like the
president's car. Their train has three cars. First, there's the
'locomotive' followed by the '1st escort'. The red car is the
'president's car'. Deling should be inside. The last car is the
'2nd escort'. Once we get on this one, we begin the operation.
Our ultimate goal is to seize the president in his car using
our 'base'. That means, we'll have to switch our 'dummy car'
with their 'president's car'. We'll use the 2 switch points
leading up to Timber to carry out this operation. Ok, now I'm
going to explain the procedures in seven steps."
Selphie rolled her eyes and tapped her bitten finger nails on the toy train track, bored and tired. Rinoa carried on, eventually listing the team's instructions – Selphie pouted – Why couldn't she have started with that?!
Rinoa: 1) Get on the '2nd escort'.
2)Proceed across the '2nd escort'.
3) Proceed across the 'president's car'.
4) Uncouple the '1st escort' car.
5) The 'dummy car' and our 'base' move in.
6) Uncouple the '2nd escort' car.
7) Escape with the 'president's car'.
Zell: 5 minutes...? You sure that's enough?
Zone: According to the simulation that we ran, it should take only
3 minutes to complete the operation. Piece of cake for SeeDs,
right?
Selphie: Of course! Too easy!
Squall: ...
Selphie yawned as the Forest Owls began discussing the mission again. She listened, tuning in and out, her eyes flickering around the shabby little room and the diverse mix of people in it. After what seemed like hours of instructions, Zell spoke up.
Zell: ...So exactly how do you avoid 'em?
Watts: Umm...basically, run or stop, depending on which guard is
below you.
Rinoa: That's about it for the sensors. Next, let's talk about how
to uncouple the escort cars.
Selphie: Question...! How can you uncouple the cars from a moving
train?
Rinoa: Umm...we can't uncouple the cars directly.
The instructions continued, and Selphie could tell Zell was tiring of them too. Selphie decided to begin to psyche herself up for the mission, after all, she knew the basics.
Rinoa: You got it? In the real thing, there's a strict time limit
leading up to the switch point. Don't forget that. Umm...that's
all.
Selphie: By the way...this model's nice but the president's car looks
kinda shabby. ...Why is that?
Watts: Yeah, Rinoa made it. That's why. We bought everything else at
the gift store.
Zell: Oh... I thought some kid made it. The paint job sucks, too.
Selphie sniggered. For some reason The Forest Owls had annoyed her, and she wasn't very happy being employed by people who didn't seem to be very serious.
Rinoa: Oh, shut up! I made it look like that on purpose. It
represents my hatred towards Deling.
Zell: Hatred, eh...? Yeah...right.
Selphie: It's one of the...ugliest things that I've ever seen in
my life. You must really hate him.
Squall: ...
Rinoa: Are you guys finished!? Enough about the model! Can we get on
with it now!? Do you understand?
The group nodded in affirmative, and Rinoa sighed almost as if she was preparing herself.
Rinoa: Let's decide on the party!
Watts: Gathering information is my specialty, sir!
Zone: OuuuucHHHHH...My stomach!
Zone crawled into the corner and Watts ran out of the room – Selphie was unimpressed by these two "men's" inability to face danger. Selphie had always been under the impression that real men stared danger in the face and laughed. Selphie smiled as she heard a young boy's voice saying that to her in her mind. The voice sounded so familiar, it was almost like a memory – but Selphie couldn't recall from where.
Rinoa: We're moving again...I'll go take a look. Talk to Watts when
you're ready. The sooner the better.
The group left the room, and met Watts in the corridor.
Watts: Have you seen the dummy of the president, sir? If you haven't, please take a look-see! It's like a piece of art! I know the kidnapping plan must be tough, but best of luck to you, sir! Are you ready, sir!?
Squall pushed his hair back, and muttered "yes".
The group were led to a small ladder, and Selphie felt a rush of adrenaline take over her as she followed Squall up the ladder. The wind in her hair as she stepped tentatively on to the roof of the train was spine-tingling, and excitement filled her as she ran forwards.
Rinoa: Squall, over here! We'll catch up with the 2nd escort soon. Let's get ready. We should time our jumps well after we catch up with them to save some time. From now on we have exactly...5 minutes to
complete the operation. Let's try to use every second.
Selphie remembered jumping down the cliff to chase after Seifer on her examination day. She smiled as she remembered Zell and Squall's shocked faces. She took a deep breath, and leaped over onto the President's train.
Rinoa: This is the president's car. After we get across, we'll
proceed with the first uncoupling.
The group ran forward, and Selphie gulped as she realised she was a SeeD, taking part in her first high-risk mission. She smiled, but suddenly a feeling of worry overcame her. She did her best to fight it.
Rinoa: This is the 1st escort. We're gonna uncouple this first. Like Watts said, there should be 2 guards on this car. Selphie and Zell, you guys keep an eye on the guards. Let us know early if you see them coming.
Zell: Alright. I'll watch the blue guard.
Selphie: I'll take red.
The next few minutes were a blur, Selphie watched the guard intently, but felt faint, and held on to the roof of the train, feeling as though she was clasping onto life.
Rinoa: Squall, this way! Selphie, Zell, go ahead, onto our train!
The group ran forward, Zell and Selphie running further, and the trains began to move, Selphie didn't feel as confident as she had done previously, and reached for her squad members, but they didn't notice.
Zell and Selphie held onto the yellow train, and Zell attached the cable. Selphie rocked back and forth, feeling sick, her face turning paler than usual. Zell began to lower himself down the side of the train, and shouted up at his friend.
Zell: Selph! You ready?
Selphie: I…I…
She began to feel faint and her grasp loosened - her hands too sweaty to hang on. She was blown back by the wind, and she began to slip down the side of the train.
Zell: SELPHIE!
Zell yelled, and caught her quickly. He lifted her up onto the roof of the train, and climbed up beside her. He placed a gloved hand on her freezing cold shoulder, and stared into her sparkly green eyes.
Zell: Selphie, what's wrong?
Selphie: I…I…I don't know…I was…fine…but then…but now…I…I'm SCARED! I'm scared Zell!
She began to sob, and fell forward. Zell wrapped his arms around his friend and held her tight beneath his coat.
Zell: Listen – don't be. I know this is our first mission, and it's…it's dangerous as hell…oh…damn it…that's not helpful…um…what I mean is…We have to focus Selph – it's our job, to face our fears. I was scared, but now, I'm just dealing with it.
Selphie: You were?
Zell: Yeah! And I'm even more scared now I'm holding on to this train for the both of us! BUT! That doesn't matter. Selphie – I stare in the face of danger, and I laugh!
He clenched his fisted and looked to the sky. It was so melodramatic that Selphie had to laugh. She smiled – it was just what the boy had said – in that memory…if only she could remember more about it.
Zell: So Selph – we gonna do this thing?
Selphie: YEAH!
She too clenched her fists, and smiled at him as he lowered down to type in the codes. She grinned as she shouted down the numbers, and when Zell pulled himself up, they stared at each other contentedly. Selphie lowered herself into the yellow train, and was followed by Zell. They'd reached an understanding, and Zell had really helped her. As she watched Zell jump down from the roof and land beside her, she breathed "Thank you" to him. Squall and Rinoa lowered themselves into the train shortly afterwards, and Zone and Watts waved at them, grinning in triumph.
Zone: Finally...We've waited so long for this encounter with Vinzer.
Watts: Was that perfect, sir!? Amazing, sir! You're the best, sir!
Rinoa: Well then...
Watts: Leave the intelligence up to me, sir!
Zone: OwOwOuccchhh.
The two men ran off and cowered together. Selphie nodded to herself, maybe they weren't that bad – she'd needed Zell to help her overcome her fear – maybe they just needed someone to help them.
Rinoa: You 3! Tell me when you're ready to go. As soon as you're
ready, I'll begin 'serious negotiations' with the president! Ready?
The group walked through another door, following a jubilant Rinoa. Selphie was happy for The Forest Owls – they'd successfully got their desired encounter with President Deling…but…did they really know what they were doing?
Rinoa: ...President Deling! As long as you...don't resist, you
won't get hurt...
President Deling: And if I do resist... What would you do...? Young
lady?
Rinoa backed away, as the President began to rise from his chair.
Squall: What's wrong?
President Deling: Boo-hoo... Too bad... I'm not the president. I'm
what they call...a body double. All these rumours about the many resistance groups in Timber...You pass along a little false information and they fall for it... How pathetic... Seems like there are only amateurs around here.
Rinoa: Ama...teurs...!?
Selphie backed away, and Zell stepped in front of her as the President stepped forward, shaking uncontrollably as though he was mutating.
Fake President Deling: Ahh... My butt hurts from all this sitting...
Young...LADY... Ahh... So what did you have in stORE for me had I resiSTED...? Why doN'T you teLL mE... QuiTE aMUsing thouGH... For being such amAtEurs...!!! HoW daRe YOU InSUlt tHe presIDent!!!
The president ran towards them, and the group recoiled in fright. Who was this…person? Was it even a person? Selphie put all questions to the back of her mind and swung her nunchaku at the fake President. Squall and Zell continued the attack, as Selphie began to summon Shiva.
Fake President Deling: YOu...fEll...FOr...iT! aMusINg... tHIs iS AmuSinG!
Squall: What the...?
The body double began to shake, and smoke clouded Selphie's vision. Suddenly the smoke cleared, and Selphie could see a skeletal zombie like monster. It rocked back and forth, as though it wished to move but was glued to the spot. She shivered, this creature had brought a dark atmosphere to the room, and she hurriedly summoned Shiva. After Ifrit and Quezecotl were summoned, and all three GFs attacked the monster, it fell backwards and began to disintegrate into a black cloud of smoke. The room filled with a foul smell, which Selphie struggled to identify. It was the smell of the dead – a smell which over time the SeeD team would grow to be accustomed to.
Selphie looked down at her feet and hastily walked to the exit. She looked up at the disintegrating corpse, and wondered if she could ever get used to this life.
However, when she looked up and saw her friends Squall and Zell each raise a protective arm and wrap it around her to encourage her to leave, she realised she could get used to it, and she would. She'd laugh in the face of danger…For them. To be with them.
Yay. So please, Read and Review...Um...don't be too mean to me! heheh!
Hope you liked it.