Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]
Grace Barton
Chapter Four
After leaving the cell, Zell shut the door and joined the women on the walkway. "Squall should be around here, somewhere," the fighter said to them. He folded his arms. "You have any idea?"
Quistis and Selphie shook their heads. Zell then looked at the Moomba, who had also followed them out. The Moomba also shook its head and growled in response. Moombas, who were very sensitive creatures that relied more on taste and scent rather than sight, only remembered people by licking their blood.
The fighter scratched his head and walked over to the banister. They managed to escape their cell, he thought, but now what? D-District was a massive prison complex, with an uncountable number of rooms. Squall could be anywhere within this building. Without any clues as to where he might be, they would have to search room by room. It was not just Squall they had to find, but Rinoa as well, along with Irvine… wherever he was. The fighter started to groan but stopped himself and smacked his fists together. It was simple. If they had no idea where Squall and the others were, then they would just have to search room by room.
His plan turned out to be unnecessary. As Zell led the others away from the cell, a loud growl came from upstairs. The companions turned and jumped as another Moomba came running down from the floor above. The creature stopped at the bottom and jumped up and down, waving his arms.
"Laguna!" the creature cried to his companion.
Zell, Quistis and Selphie stepped back, surprised. For a moment, they thought they had misheard. Then their Moomba ran forward and joined its friend.
"Laguna!" he cried back. The other one nodded his head, and he appeared to be smiling. He then turned and ran back up the stairs. The companion's Moomba jumped and waved his arms also before following his friend upstairs.
Zell ran to the stairs. The Moombas were already gone, bounding up the steps. The fighter blinked. "Laguna!" he repeated, and shook his head. He turned to Quistis and Selphie. "I don't know why," he said with a grin, "but I feel kinda lucky! Let's just go after them, OK?" Quistis and Selphie nodded their agreement.
They were just about to follow the Moombas up the stairs when a siren went off. It was very loud and the companions had to put their hands over their ears to block out the sound. "What the…?" Zell cried. The siren went off on every floor of the prison, echoing throughout the building. A voice then spoke on the overhead PA system, barely heard over the wail of the siren.
"Warning! Escapee alert! Monsters will be set loose on each floor. If escapee refuses to surrender, you have permission to kill. The anti-magic field will be lifted."
Hearing this, Zell kicked the floor. "Tch! The security alarm!" he cursed. He looked back at the closed cell door. It must have been Lieutenant Biggs's doing. Just like he had done at the Communication Tower, the lieutenant had ensured that they would not have such an easy escape.
The PA system died out, but the siren continued to wail. With no time left to waste, Zell and the others hurried up the steps to the 8th Floor. As they ran out onto the floor they caught a glimpse of the two Moombas, still on the stairs and heading towards the 9th Floor. The companions followed them up.
On the 10th Floor, the companions were intercepted by Galbadian soldiers. The soldiers swarmed across the prison floor, armed with a combination of swords and rifles to recapture the escapees. They paid no attention to the two Moombas, who ran straight past them and up the steps to the 11th Floor. With their route to the stairs blocked, Zell and the others had no choice but to stop and fight.
Once the soldiers were dispatched, the group continued to head up. More soldiers were waiting for them on the 11th Floor, along with one of the Galbadian army's support mechs: GIM47N. This large, yellow robot was one of the army's older battle weapons and was slow in comparison to the GIM52A, its more advanced upgrade. After defeating the soldiers the companions ducked under the robot's swinging arms and ran straight for the stairs.
There was no sign of the Moombas on the 12th Floor. The battles with the soldiers had delayed them, and they had lost sight of the creatures. With nowhere else left to go but up the companions left the general cell floors and onto the 13th Floor, where they were met with the most peculiar sight.
The 13th Floor was crawling with Moombas. There must have been dozens of them, Zell figured, all of them hopping and jumping about, waving their arms in dizzying excitement. Some seemed content to stay where they were, but many more were trying to push their way forward. There was a door at the other end of the path and it was here that the throng of Moombas was thickest.
The companions carefully made their way through the crowd. As they passed, the Moombas threw their arms into the air and cried 'Laguna! Laguna!'
They reached the door. Here the Moombas were the most excited. The Moomba that had joined them in their cell was here, along with his friend. Their Moomba growled happily while his friend pawed at the door. Zell looked down at the creatures. "S'up guys?" he asked them. "Somethin' there?"
The Moombas turned and looked up at him. They growled and then stepped away from the door. Zell and the others shared a glance. The same thought ran through their minds. All of these Moombas gathered here were shouting Laguna's name… Was this the same Laguna from the 'dream world'? Was he waiting for them on the other side of this door? There was only one way to find out.
The door opened, and the companions ran in. It was darker inside the room but their eyes adjusted quickly. They looked around. They were standing inside what appeared to be a torture chamber. There were more Moombas here, gathering around a man lying against the far wall. Zell and the others stared, unable to believe their eyes. It was not Laguna, as they had wondered, but Squall.
Forgetting Laguna in an instant, Zell and the others ran over to him. "Squall!" cried Zell. "You OK!"
Squall looked up. He was a bit pale and looked a bit worse for wear, but he was alive. He did not seem surprised to see them here. "It was hell…" the swordsman replied. He pushed himself away from the wall. He staggered and for a moment it looked like he was going fall. Quistis extended her hand but Squall managed to regain his balance. The swordsman waved his hand to tell her he was okay. He then forced himself to stand upright. He did not sway and kept his balance. Seeing that he was not going to fall, Quistis lowered her hand.
"Let's just get the hell outta here!" Zell said, impatient. He then remembered Squall's gunblade, which he had been carrying. He lifted it. "Catch!" he said to Squall, and threw the gunblade over to him.
Squall caught the gunblade and hooked it back onto his belt. Its familiar weight against his side gave him reassurance—he had felt almost naked without it. He also felt his strength return to him as he held it, another bonus.
Squall stepped away from the wall. The Moombas around him bounded out of the way, allowing him to pass. Their large eyes followed him as he walked behind his friends to the exit. When he reached the doorway Squall paused and looked back at the Moombas. His eyes met theirs. He frowned.
You know… Laguna? he asked in his thoughts. The Moombas, of course, did not reply. Squall turned from them and followed the others out of the chamber.
"Didn't you come here as Laguna in the 'dream world'?" Zell asked him as he joined them. The Moombas gathered outside the room had gone.
"…No," Squall replied after a moment.
"So Squall doesn't know how to get out, either," said Quistis.
"Well…" Zell scratched his head, thinking. "Either way, we kept goin' up and up. I think we better head back down."
"It'd be a pain to go down every floor," Quistis said. She spread her hands and shook her head. "The alarm alerted monsters and security guards everywhere."
"By the way," Zell interrupted, turning to Squall, "how the hell did they carry you up here, Squall?"
Squall turned and pointed. The others followed his gaze and turned around. The crane was in the middle of the floor, dangling over the gap in the centre of the walkway. The solitary cell in which Squall had been confined was still resting inside it.
Zell jumped in surprise. "Whoa! What's this!"
"It's like a crane that can carry a detachable cell from downstairs," Squall said.
Selphie walked to the banister and looked down. The twelve levels of the prison seemed to spiral down beneath her. It got darker the further down it went, and she could not see the bottom. "Oh, so this big hole goes all the way to the bottom," she remarked. "So if we jump ALL the way down, we're outta here."
"Go ahead," Quistis told her, "if you want to be squashed like a pancake." Selphie blushed and scratched her cheek. Quistis sighed.
"Oh yeah!" cried Zell suddenly, and smacked his fist into his palm. "I remember now. We can move this arm by using the panel above and the control room. I remember Ward doing this." The fighter paused. "But we need to operate them both at the same time. Someone needs to stay upstairs and control the panel…"
Selphie turned from the banister and looked over at Quistis. Quistis looked back at her. Both women smiled. Then they walked over to Zell and put their hands on his shoulders.
Zell looked at Quistis. He then looked at Selphie, who continued to smile. When he realised what their simple gestures meant, his eyes widened. "…Me?" he asked. The two women nodded. Zell started to protest but then sagged, giving in. "F-Fine…" he mumbled. "I'll give you instructions from upstairs." The fighter sniffed, rubbed his nose, and then raised his head. "Everyone get inside."
A narrow platform connected the walkway to the crane. Squall and the others headed over there while Zell ran up the steps to the 14th Floor.
The door to the crane control room was open, so Squall and the others went inside. It was a small room and was very cramped; there was little room to move about. Quistis and Selphie piled in. Squall squeezed past them and stood by the main console. He laid his hand on his hip as he looked down at it. Now what…?
"So, this is the arm control room," said Quistis, looking around.
On the console, the intercom crackled. Zell's voice boomed through the speaker.
"Yo, can you guys hear me?"
Selphie jumped and clapped her hands. "Hiya Zell, loud and clear!" she cried.
"So, what do we do?" asked Squall.
"Press the red button on the main panel."
Squall looked down at the panel. There was a whole host of buttons and switches, all with different names and colours. For most of them, Squall could not even begin to guess their use. In the lower right part of the panel was one large red button. Assuming that this was the button Zell was talking about, Squall pushed it down. A small red light flashed above it.
"I'll take care of the rest," said Zell. There was a pause, then: "…There!"
The crane gave a shudder. It then started to descend at a steady, even pace. The group went over to the window and looked out. The crane dipped below the 13th Floor and down towards the 12th Floor. It did not stop there but continued to head down floor by floor. With nothing left for them to do, Squall and the others sat down and waited for the crane to reach the bottom.
A few minutes later the crane reached the bottom of the prison. The crane gave one last shudder and stopped a few metres above the ground. The door opened and Squall peered out. After making sure the way was clear he jumped out, followed by Quistis and Selphie. The three gathered beneath the crane.
"Heeey," said Selphie, "so what are we going to do now?"
Squall looked around. There was hardly anything here, which was a bit unusual. The floor was empty; even the lights were turned off down here. Squall was not familiar with prisons, but even he knew that something was not right. There should be guards, support mechs, or even monsters down here. Not… nothing.
"Well, there's a door over there," the swordsman observed, pointing to the only door to be found on the whole floor.
"And?" asked Quistis.
The swordsman shrugged. "…Let's check it out," he replied.
They headed through the open door. It led into a long corridor that was just as empty as the floor. As they headed down this corridor, Squall once again could not help but feel that there was something very, very wrong here. For the ground floor, it was far too quiet down here. There was not a person in sight and there were no sounds at all except for those they made themselves. The floor was also covered in a fine layer of dust and some dull, golden-brown substance.
The corridor came to an end a little further down. A large metal doorway marked the exit, but for now it stood closed. When they neared it a light flashed on the wall. The door hummed and then slid open.
A wall of sand on the other side of the door tumbled into the corridor. Squall, Quistis and Selphie ran out of the way as the sand poured inside. The sand spread across the ground before coming to a stop. They looked back at the spot where they had stood. If they had not run when they had, they would have been buried beneath the sand.
Squall looked down at the sand and shook his head. "Sand…?"
"…Buried…?" Quistis breathed. "You mean we're underground?"
Of course, Squall realised, folding his arms. Now everything made sense. The D-District Prison was buried underground, beneath a desert by the looks of it. That was why there were no soldiers. There was no escape for prisoners down here. Going down only meant that they would become trapped by the sand. They would be forced to turn around and head back up. The soldiers had only to wait. When the escapees to come back up, as they knew they must, the soldiers would capture them then. Squall cursed himself for not realising their mistake sooner.
"In any case," Quistis said, "we can't get out from here…"
The group turned from the door and headed back down the corridor. Before they could reach the door, a sound from above made them stop. It was a faint sound but gradually growing louder. The three looked up at the ceiling.
"What was that?" Selphie asked.
"Gunfire?" asked Quistis.
"Sounds pretty bad…" Squall said.
The three shared glances. The sound of gunfire was coming a few floors above from where they were right now. It was probably the Galbadian soldiers, they realised, firing at some prison escapee. A prison escapee who was trying to make his way down towards them…
"ZELL!" cried Quistis and Selphie together.
Quistis ran forward and stopped by the door. "Let's get back, quick!" she said to Squall. The swordsman nodded, and the three hurried back into the prison.
"There he is! Over there! Seize the escapee, dead or alive!"
Tch! Too many! I'm outta here!
Zell got to his feet and ran. He was on the 8th Floor of the prison, almost halfway down. With the crane gone, Zell was forced to take the long way down. He ran down floor by floor, trying to catch up with the others.
Not long after he left the control room, the Galbadian soldiers had come out in force. They were armed to the teeth, backed up by their powerful mechs, and they were gaining fast.
Knowing that he stood no chance fighting against the soldiers alone, Zell had no choice but to make a run for it. The soldiers were relentless. At times Zell was forced to stop and fight, but as soon as he found an opening he fled and continued to head down.
His lungs burned, and his muscles ached with each step. He was tiring, and fast. Zell spared a glance back and saw at least two Galbadian soldiers coming up close behind him. Grunting, the fighter pushed his tiring body harder, trying to outrun them. It was no use—the soldiers continued to close in on him. Realising they he could not escape, Zell stopped and turned back to face them.
Seeing their quarry stop, the soldiers sheathed their guns and drew their swords. Zell cast Fire. The fireball struck the nearest soldier and sent him flying back. The other soldier dodged his flying comrade and ran in close to Zell. He raised his sword and brought it down. Zell crossed his arms and blocked the blow with his gloves. The blade sliced through the leather, and Zell winced as he felt the blade press against his skin. The warmth of blood followed, running down his arms.
The soldier withdrew his sword and raised it, preparing to strike him again. Instead of blocking it, Zell dived out of the way. Rolling back onto his feet beside the soldier, Zell brought up his leg and kicked him in the stomach, beneath his diaphragm. The soldier gasped and fell to his knees, dropping his sword. While he was down Zell turned and kicked him in the head. The soldier toppled to the floor.
Without even waiting to see if the soldier was still conscious, Zell took his chance and ran. He looked back over his shoulder, but neither of the soldiers moved. Zell smirked and turned his head back to the front—
Something hard smacked him on the side of the head. Zell groaned and sank to his knees, stunned.
The prison warden stepped over him. He had a gun in his hands, and was aiming right at Zell's head. "You bastard…" the warden cursed. "DIE!"
He started to pull the trigger. Before he could fire, a figure jumped up and landed behind him. There was the flash of metal and something long and sharp sliced across the back of the warden's legs. Crying out in pain, the warden dropped his gun. He then fell to the floor, thrashed for a moment, and then fell unconscious.
Squall got to his feet. Wiping the blood from his sword, he looked at the warden.
"Didn't think he'd go down that easy," the swordsman remarked.
Zell opened his eyes. He looked up at Squall in amazement. "Squall!" he cried. He felt his eyes fill up. Overcome by emotion, he got up and ran over to Squall. He dropped to his knees again and flung his arms around Squall's waist, holding him tight. "Thanks, man!"
"W-What!" stammered Squall, shocked by this sudden display of affection. "Let go." But Zell ignored him and instead tightened his grip. Squall grabbed Zell by his hair and tried to forcefully pry the fighter away. "I said, let go!"
Still Zell refused to let go. Growing annoyed as well as uncomfortable, Squall hit the fighter on the head with the hilt of his gunblade. At this Zell finally took the hint and let go of Squall. He got back to his feet and wiped his eyes, still moved.
"Squall! Zell!"
The two men turned as Quistis and Selphie came running down from the floor above. In their rush to find and save Zell, they had actually run straight past this floor and had gone to the floor above. Only when they heard the sounds of battle below did they realise heir mistake and head back down again. When Quistis saw Zell and Squall and the warden at their feet, she sighed in relief.
"I'm glad you're all right," she said to Zell.
"Squall, why did you go on your own?" Selphie cut in, turning to Squall. She smirked. "Is Zell that important to you?"
Zell blushed and rubbed the back of his head, both embarrassed and flattered. Squall, on the other hand, covered his face with his hand. Before anyone could say anything further, gunfire suddenly began to rain around them. The companions dropped to the ground. Two soldiers bearing machineguns stood on the other end of the floor, firing at them.
The women crawled across the ground to rejoin the others. "There's no way we can get outta here!" Zell shouted over the roar of the gunfire.
No one replied. Squall frowned. What should they do? There was no other way out. If they tried to go up, the soldiers would gun them down before they could make it past the first step. If they headed down, they would only find a dead end beneath the sand. The swordsman's fist clenched. There had to be some way out!
The soldiers were relentless. They did not let up their fire even for a moment. Squall and the others could do nothing but crouch beneath the rails, waiting for a chance. As they waited, two different shots rang through the air. These were louder and heavier than the machineguns, and were followed by the loud groans of the soldiers. The machinegun fire ceased. With the air clear, the others dared to peer over the banister. The soldiers were slumped over the banister.
Their eyes turned to the stairs. A man was standing there with a shotgun in his hands, which was aimed at the fallen soldiers. The man was dressed in a familiar brown coat and had a large, brimmed hat, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. One of the soldiers started to get up, but the man quickly fired another shot and finished him off. The man tipped his hat to them, his blue eyes sparkling.
There was a playful smile on Irvine's face as he walked leisurely down the steps. He rested his gun against his shoulder as he walked, taking his time.
A woman walked down behind him. Her face was not smiling, like Irvine's, but was cross instead. "Come on…!" Rinoa snapped. "Stop trying to act so cool!" She kicked him in the back, and Irvine fell down the stairs. The gunman rolled until he reached the bottom. Rinoa sighed and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Gee, if only you had agreed with me earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess."
Irvine responded with a groan. Rinoa shook her head again. Seeing the two of them, Squall and the others got up and ran over to them. Rinoa looked up, and when she saw Squall her eyes widened.
"Squall!" she exclaimed. Her face flooded with relief. Rinoa sank to her knees and let out a heavy sigh. Squall's alive! she thought to herself in joy. I knew he would be. Squall's ok! "Yeah!" she said aloud. She stood up and walked down the steps, stopping in front of Squall and the others.
"Rinoa, you're all right!" said Quistis. She looked just as relieved.
"Uh huh." Irvine groaned and got to his feet. He adjusted his hat. "Of course. Courtesy of my escort."
Zell scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"Ah…"
"My father pulled some strings with the military," Rinoa explained. "He told them to get me, and only me, out."
"Then…"
"So this guy here…" Rinoa said, cutting Irvine off. "He came and got me!" She put her hand to her forehead and shook it. "Just me! Knowing you were all captured!"
"Ahh, that's…"
"Isn't that horrible?" Rinoa asked Squall.
Irvine grunted and threw up his hands. "Alright, alright…!" he said. "I said I was sorry. That's why I'm here to help!"
Rinoa turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "After I scratched you to death," she hissed.
Seeing the fierceness of her eyes, Irvine flinched. Squall took a closer look at Irvine's face. The gunman's face was marked with faded pink lines, evidence of a fierce struggle. Knowing Rinoa's stubbornness and her temper, Squall could only imagine the fight she put up. The swordsman resisted a smile. Poor Irvine…
"Uh…" Irvine scratched his head. "A-A-Anyhow, now's our chance."
Squall nodded, accepting the chance to change the topic. "The basement door is buried in sand," he said.
"Of course it is!" replied the gunman. "This place is buried underground."
"Buried?"
"That's right. This prison is…"
"There they are! It's the escapees!"
Everyone dropped to the ground as gunfire started to rain around them once more. Only Irvine remained standing, hiding against the wall of the stairs. Irvine peered out. A number of soldiers had emerged from one of the side rooms and were gathering at the other end of the floor. There were more of them this time and just as heavily armed. The gunman opened the barrel of his shotgun.
"Squall!" he said, as he pushed two rounds into the barrel. "You choose two more party members and head on up. I'll hold 'em here."
"Up?" repeated Squall, looking confused.
The gunman clicked the barrel shut. "Don't have time to explain now!" he said. "The exit's up there, trust me."
Squall frowned. Though he did not like the idea of them splitting up again, there was no other choice. "…OK," he agreed.
"I think I know the way!" Rinoa said.
Squall nodded and then turned to Selphie. "Selphie, you come up with us," he said to her. He turned to the rest. "Zell and Quistis, you support Irvine and then follow us up, understand?"
Zell and Quistis nodded. They shuffled over to stand by Irvine. The gunman opened fire, and across the floor there came the loud groan of a wounded soldier. This caused the other soldiers to hesitate, and Irvine motioned for the others to go on ahead. Squall and his team broke out from beneath the banister and ran up the stairs. Gunfire rained after them as the soldiers recovered from their shock. The bullets clanged against the stairs, but the group were already gone.
When they were safely out of the way, Irvine reloaded his gun and took aim.
"My turn to boogie now," he said, and he opened fire.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
This is just a quick note to say that I've opened up a new poll on my profile. The poll is for the scenes at the Garden Festival. Readers can vote on which scene they would rather see: the Eyes on Me rendition, or the Irish Jig one. I usually go for the Irish Jig when I play, but I felt it was better for readers to decide which one they want to see. Obviously we're still a ways away from that scene, but that leaves plenty of time for people to vote. Whichever one wins will be the one I write when I get there, so it's all up to you guys!
Get voting!