Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Nineteen

Squall ran the last few steps and stopped at the top of the sun dish. He looked around, confused. Did he hear right? Galbadian soldiers in Fisherman's Horizon?

His question was answered when a loud explosion rocked the city. Squall turned to the east, where a large plume of black smoke was rising. There came the distant sound of gunfire and magic, along with the clunk of heavy machinery—Galbadian artillery. These sounds were followed by the terrified cries of the citizens of Fisherman's Horizon, who ran away in fear from the source of the gunfire. Squall shared glances with Rinoa and Quistis, standing behind him. He was about to ask whether they should go and see what was going on when an angry voice called out to them from down the stairs.

"Wait!"

The group turned back to see Flo, the mayor's wife, hurrying up the stairs. She had a cross look in her eyes as she stomped up the steps, her shoes clacking loudly with each step. When she reached the top she looked around and them stormed right up to Squall, her grey eyes blazing.

"The Galbadians are here because of you, right?" she demanded. "They're after you."

Maybe, thought Squall, but he was not so sure. After all, they had not been in Fisherman's Horizon for very long, and there was little chance the Galbadians could have found them so fast. Perhaps they had managed to find out, somehow, and were lying in wait for them… Squall frowned, lost in thought.

Not willing to be ignored, Flo stepped even closer to him. "You'd better take full responsibility!" she scolded him, shaking her finger in his face. "It's your fault!"

Squall could not see how it could possibly be his fault the Galbadians were here, but he could see that there was no use arguing with the woman. Fine, we'll take care of them, he thought to himself. I don't like the sound of her tone, though.

"We mustn't rely on them," said another voice, and Mayor Dobe came walking up the steps, his arms folded behind his back. He stopped beside his wife and said: "They won't be able to do anything without fighting."

Squall stared at him. Don't tell me he's going to try to reason with them.

He watched the mayor as he passed him by. The old man took a few steps along the road and then stopped. He looked down and frowned in thought. His lips pressed together. He then nodded, coming to a decision.

"I'll go talk to them," he announced, and he walked off down the road.

…He's dead, Squall thought.

He looked back at Rinoa and Quistis. They both looked grim, same as him, and they nodded. Whether the mayor or the people of Fisherman's Horizon wanted them to or not, they would have to go ahead and help them. The mayor was a fool if he thought he could reason with the Galbadians. The Galbadians would not be interested in talking peace. The only way to defend Fisherman's Horizon was to drive the army out—by force.

They turned back to the path, preparing to catch up with the mayor and plead with him to let them deal with the army.

"Don't you interfere!" said Flo behind them. She still had that fierce look in her eyes and scolding tone in her voice. "We've no need for your brutalities here."

Rinoa turned to her. "Don't you understand!" she asked, her own eyes blazing. "He's going to die if he goes to them."

But Flo would not listen. "Any matter can be resolved through discussion," she said. "There is no need for violence!"

"Unfortunately all the Galbadians know is violence," Quistis said, trying to reason with Flo. "They won't listen to discussion—"

"Forget it," said Squall, and Quistis turned to him. The swordsman closed his hand around the hilt of his gunblade, but did not draw it. "We need to catch up with the mayor." Then, recalling the headmaster's warning, he added: "But don't fight unless it's necessary. If they want to try to reason with them, let them try. We'll just stand by in case we're needed. Now, let's go."

They hurried off in the direction the mayor had walked off. Mayor Dobe was nowhere to be seen, so they followed the road right into the heart of Fisherman's Horizon's shopping and fishing district. A large number of people had gathered here, drawn by the sounds of the army's arrival. Each person had worried and fearful looks on their faces as they looked around them, wondering what was happening in their peaceful little town.

One young woman saw the group approach and turned to them, her face angry.

"I saw the mayor walking toward the station alone," she said to them. "Did you guys have anything to do with it?"

"Where is the station?" Squall asked her.

The woman turned and pointed down the path. "Just keep going straight and you'll run into it," she told them.

Squall did not waste time thanking her and ran down the street. Now that he thought about it, the smoke he had seen before had come from this direction. Yet there was no sign of the army's presence in the street, which was strange. If the army was here to invade, shouldn't they be forcing their way through the town?

The citizens of Fisherman's Horizon watched them closely as they ran by. When they saw the weapons they held and the battle-scar on Squall's face they frowned in disapproval and muttered amongst themselves, but no one made a move to stop them. They retreated into their doorways, keeping out of the way.

Up ahead the path swerved to the left. Squall and his group followed it round and found themselves just outside of the station, just as the woman had told them. A sloping path ran up alongside the station, heading up to the Horizon Bridge that stood next to it. It was on this path that Squall and the others stopped, and looked down into the station.

There he is, thought Squall.

In front of the station was Mayor Dobe. He had a Galbadian officer with him, and it looked like they were both deep in discussion.

"He may not want our help," Quistis said, walking up beside Squall, "but we might as well."

Squall surveyed the scene. From what he could see, it was the mayor who did most of the talking, making ardent motions with his hands as he talked. The officer, on the other hand, did not appear to be paying him much attention. His gaze kept shifting to look around the station, as though he was looking for something. Squall frowned. What was the officer looking for?

He cast his eyes around the station. There did not seem to be anything of interest here. It was just an old train station—an abandoned one, from the looks of it. Squall noted a small path adjoining the one he was on, leading right into the station. Good, he thought. They could make it down there quickly if there was any trouble, and they could escape that way as well, if need be.

He turned his eyes back to the scene in front of him. The mayor was still talking, with the officer still feigning attempts at listening. Squall's frown deepened.

Why are they wasting their time with the old man if they're after us and our Garden? Squall folded his arms and tapped his fingers on his arm. I wonder what they're talking about.

He knelt down on the path, keeping out of sight. Quistis and Rinoa glanced at each other before they did the same. Angelo kept close to Rinoa and, after a moment, lay down beside her. He put his head on his paws, but his ears stayed up, alert to the slightest sound. The group kept their attention on the mayor, listening as the breeze carried his voice over to them.

"I already told you," Dobe was saying. "I've never heard of this girl Ellone. There is nobody here by that name."

Ellone? Squall raised an eyebrow. The girl from Winhill; the woman who had until recently been in Balamb Garden? The Galbadians were looking for her?

The officer sighed. "Fine," he replied. "We'll just have to torch this city."

Dobe jumped. "Wait a minute! I'm telling the truth! I've never seen this girl."

At this the Galbadian officer put his hands on his lips and gave an amused laugh. "It doesn't matter, old man," he said. "We're gonna burn this place anyway. Edea's orders." He laughed again.

The mayor's face went white. He fell to his knees and grabbed hold of the officer by his waist. His eyes filled with tears, which then began to spill onto his cheeks as he pleaded with the officer.

"No, please! I beg of you!" he cried. "Don't!"

The officer looked down at Dobe. His laughter faded and a cruel smile flashed across his lips. "I'll start with you," he declared, and he bent down and grabbed hold of the mayor by his collar. He twisted, causing the mayor to choke. He then lifted the mayor off the ground and held him up in the air. Mayor Dobe kicked and struggled, grasping the officer's arms and gasping for breath.

Squall, on seeing this, narrowed his eyes. Maybe we'd better go now, he decided, and got onto his feet.

"Phew," Quistis sighed, and she stood along with Rinoa. "I thought you were never gonna go."

They ran down the path and into the station. When the Galbadian officer saw them his smile vanished, and he threw the mayor aside. Dobe hit the ground and yelped in pain, clutching at his elbow. The officer ignored him and faced the trio, who had lined up in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Squall laid his hand on his sword. "We're SeeDs," he replied.

The officer jumped back in alarm. "SeeDs!" he cried. He turned and called up to a group of soldiers standing on the Horizon Bridge. "Get the Iron Clod over here!"

As the soldiers ran off Squall turned to Mayor Dobe, who was still on the floor. He knelt down and gave the old man an apologetic nod.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but we have no choice."

"Squall!" cried Quistis.

The swordsman stood and turned around. Two more soldiers had run up behind them, their weapons drawn and ready. Squall frowned as he drew his gunblade from his side and held it out. He was truly sorry that he had to violate the mayor's wishes for a forceful resolution, but there really was no other choice. The Galbadians had made their intentions clear. In order to save the town, he had no alternative but to force them out.

The officer raised a hand. "GET THEM!" he shrieked.

At once the soldiers dashed forward and headed towards Quistis and Rinoa. The two women were forced back as the soldiers swung their swords. They dodged the initial blows and spread out, taking on the soldiers one-by-one.

As Rinoa dived aside, Angelo leapt past her and snapped his jaws on the arm of the soldier who had tried to strike her. The soldier cried out in pain and he dropped his sword, wrestling with the dog. Angelo thrashed his head from side to side, tugging and tearing at his flesh and clothes. In an attempt to fight back the soldier struck the dog in the face. But Angelo held firm and would not let go.

Rinoa got back onto her feet. When she saw Angelo attacking the soldier she put her fingers to her lips and gave a long, slow whistle. The dog's ears pricked and he opened his jaws, releasing the soldier's arm. He bounded back to Rinoa and stood at her side, his fur trembling as he growled.

Now free, the soldier clutched at his wounded arm. Blood soaked his clothing and dripped down his hands. In anger the soldier glared at Rinoa and then snatched up his sword. He charged at her with murder in his eyes.

Raising her Pinwheel, Rinoa set it free. The soldier was so enraged with pain and fury that he did not even notice it until it slammed into the side of his helmet. He staggered, stunned, and while he was off-balance Rinoa ran in and shoved him hard. The soldier staggered back, nearing the edge of the platform. One more well-aimed shove from Rinoa sent him flying over the edge, and he fell into the ocean water below.

On the other side of the platform Quistis dodged a swing from the other soldier's sword. She cracked her whip, and the tail latched around the soldier's calf. The whipmaster tugged and she pulled the soldier off his feet. She used Blizzard to send an array of ice pillars shooting out of the ground, but the soldier recovered quick and rolled out of the way. Picking up his sword, he swung it and shattered the pillars. While the ice was still falling he charged through and ran at Quistis, thrusting out his sword.

The sword's tip clanged against a barrier and his blow swerved away from her. Quistis lowered her Protect barrier and brought her fist down on the soldier's outstretched elbow. When his arm bent she grabbed his sword by the hilt and yanked it from his hand, throwing it out of the way. Before the soldier could respond Quistis stamped her foot on his and, when he keeled over, she smacked her hand against the front of his helmet.

"Fira!"

Flames burst around her palm and swept around the soldier's head. In response the soldier gave a yell and pulled away from her. He clawed and batted at his face and helmet, trying to put out the flames. At Rinoa's command Angelo charged and body-slammed the soldier, forcing him further back. He also reached the platform's edge. He fell over and landed in the water below.

While they were dealing with the ordinary soldiers, Squall raised his sword and swung it at the officer. The officer raised his arm and caught the downward blow, blocking it with his armour. The blade scraped across the metal, creating sparks.

Squall grunted and pressed down on his sword. The officer was strong and pushed back, but steadily his arm started to go down. When the blade was close to officer's shoulder, Squall pulled the gunblade's trigger, firing a Thunder-charged round. Electricity swept over the soldier, who stiffened and made a warbling cry.

He stepped back away from Squall. With his guard down the swordsman swung his sword, but the officer recovered in time and dodged to the side. He shook himself free of the electricity and raised his gun-arm. Squall started to lift his gunblade to shield himself, but then he stopped when he saw the officer smile. The Galbadian thrust his arm out to the side, aiming not at Squall but at Mayor Dobe, who was still cowering on the floor.

"Enough!" he commanded, and the gun barrel clicked as it loaded. "Surrender! If even one of you moves, I will kill this old man. On the other hand," he added with a grin, "if you choose to surrender to me peacefully, I'll spare his life and kill you instead. It's a better fate than being turned over to Sorceress Edea, if you ask me. So, which will it be!"

Mayor Dobe flinched under the sight of the barrel. His white face turned whiter, and his lips trembled.

Seeing the mayor's ever-weakening constitution, Squall frowned. So much for principles and mutual understanding, he thought. He gripped his sword and raised it. "Sorry," he said aloud, "but I don't make deals."

He charged at the officer. His gamble worked. The Galbadian was so startled by Squall's sudden charge that he hesitated, unsure of what to do. By the time he realised what was happening and thought to open fire Squall was already on him. An upward swing knocked the officer's gun-arm up, sending his shot flying into the sky. As for the gun-arm, it was sliced cleanly in two. The two halves clattered onto the floor a moment later, landing at the officer's feet.

The officer stood frozen, his arm still up in the air. He looked at his arm and then over at Squall. His eyes widened as he saw that the tip of Squall's gunblade was just an inch from his face. The officer raised his eyes and met Squall's gaze.

"Now, let me give you a choice," the swordsman said to him. "Get out of FH, or I kill you right now." His laid his finger on the trigger. "What will it be?"

For a moment it seemed as though the officer's confidence had crumbled. Then his gaze shifted left, and he looked over Squall's shoulder. His confidence returned in a flash. He looked back at Squall, and he grinned.

"Now you're in for it!" he said. "You won't be talking so tough once you've faced the Iron Clod!"

With that he shoved Squall aside, knocking him onto the floor. He ducked and dodged a fireball, cast by Quistis, and then ran for the edge of the platform. Following his comrades before him, he ran and dived off the platform. The last they saw of him was a flash of red before he hit the water, vanishing beneath a blue spray.

Quistis ran to the platform's edge and looked down into the water. She could see the officer in the water now, swimming away from them.

Rinoa started to go after Quistis, but she then stopped when she felt the ground beneath her tremble. Even Angelo felt it, for he shifted nervously at Rinoa's side.

Rinoa looked around her. "Something's coming," she said, and she looked up.

The others did the same. On the Horizon Bridge, a large vehicle rumbled along the tracks. They could barely see it, but they could just make out a large, block-like machine, with two towers rising from either side of it. The vehicle drove until it was above the platform. Then it stopped, turned, and jumped off the bridge.

Its shadow fell on the station. As it grew larger Squall ran in, grabbed hold of Quistis, and pulled her out of the way. The vehicle slammed into the ground where she had stood, causing the entire platform to tremble. Angelo growled and barked, and the fur on his body rose in dislike. Rinoa knelt down beside her companion and laid her hand on his back, keeping her eyes on the vehicle.

To the vehicle's left, Squall sat up. Quistis sat up beside him, brushing dirt from her clothing. She looked at the vehicle, recognising its block-like shape, its six engine towers, and triangular machine-gun barrel set into the front.

"Galbadia's latest weapon," she said to Squall.

The swordsman grunted in reply. He stood up and raised his sword. "Let's destroy this thing!" he said and with that, he ran at the vehicle.

The Iron Clod was slow to turn. Squall ran in as close as he dared and swung his gunblade, pulling its trigger for an added boost of strength. The sword sliced through its metal plating, severing the fuel tank of one of the towers. Squall then leapt back, expecting fuel to come pouring out. Yet nothing did.

Before Squall could think, the Iron Clod opened fire. The swordsman moved out of the way, and felt one of the bullets as it skimmed across his jacket. The machinegun barrel firing the bullets was bent and cracked, almost smashed beyond repair. This made it impossible for the Iron Clod to fire straight, and the shells came out at a downward angle. They hit the ground and bounced off, scattering across the platform.

A few stray rounds headed towards Mayor Dobe, who was trying in vain to crawl away from the scene. He did not see them coming. The bullets reached him and then stopped as a protective shield flashed in front of him. Mayor Dobe looked back in alarm and saw the rippling glow of a Protect barrier. The shells fell onto the floor, flattened by the impact.

Rinoa lowered her arm, and with it the barrier she had cast to protect the mayor. She ran in front of him and then fired her Pinwheel. The weapon wheeled around in the air and sliced across one of the frontal towers. It cut through and a thin trail of smoke came out, but nothing more.

The Iron Clod turned on the spot, continuing to fire. Bullets fell in a haphazard fashion over the platform. Quistis, now on her feet again, ran around to the far side of the Iron Clod, thinking that there she would be safe from the bullets. Yet to her surprise the Iron Clod continued turning and she was forced to duck and dodge. What surprised her more was that instead of stopping and beginning to turn back, the Iron Clod kept on turning. It turned away from the group, still firing, and fired rounds into the bridge behind.

Meanwhile, Mayor Dobe watched with wide eyes as the SeeDs battled with the Iron Clod. With every moment that passed, he could feel the peace that had been the foundation of Fisherman's Horizon for so many years slipping away, as the train station became a station for destruction and violence. With every bullet fired, every clash of weapons, and the crack of a whip, Dobe felt that peace slip further away, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Why? Why did these people have to fight? Why couldn't the Galbadians have just listened? Why did they feel the need to destroy his beloved home, even when what they were looking for was not there? Another stray bullet pinged close to him, and the mayor shrank back.

A wall of ice rose in front of Rinoa as she summoned the GF Shiva into the battle. The maiden's image flashed inside the wall before she burst through the ice and landed in front of Rinoa. The shards of the wall floated around her in a thick cloud. With a wave of her hand, Shiva sent them flying towards the Iron Clod.

The shards swept around the vehicle. The crystals that fell on its body grew larger and spread out, forming an icy layer that grew thicker with every second. The ice crept into its engines and into its towers, and the Iron Clod creaked and groaned to a stop. As the ice grew over its gun barrel the bullets also stopped, frozen over. A few bullets tried to fire, cracking the ice but not breaking through.

The Iron Clod groaned, heaving against the ice. The painful roar of its engine could be heard as it tried to turn, but the ice held it in place and it could not move anywhere.

Shiva extended her hand. Before she could snap her fingers to shatter the ice, two shadows leapt over her. Minotaur and Sacred slammed into the ground in front of Shiva and then charged at the Iron Clod. They ran together at first but then split up, coming up alongside the vehicle. They swung their maces, smashing them into the towers. The impact caused the ice to splinter and break, and the metal walls of the vehicle were bent inwards.

The Iron Clod shuddered, and its engines gave another painful heave. Smoke began to pour from one of its two remaining towers, along with the glow of flames inside. The vehicle began to move forward now, scraping slowly across the floor. It then stopped and turned left, and then right, and then turned left again.

Squall watched the Iron Clod. It was acting strangely, and had been since it first attacked. This was Galbadia's latest weapon; it should be coming at them with everything that it had. Yet its movements were slow and jerky, its attacks poorly aimed and out of control. Just who was controlling this thing?

He cast another look over the vehicle and he noticed what, in the heat of the battle, he had failed to notice before. The Iron Clod was covered in large dents and scratches, and much of its body was charred and blackened. Four of its six towers were already destroyed, including the one he had hit earlier, which was why nothing happened. Even its machinegun was damaged, which was why the shots were so badly aimed.

With all of those thoughts in mind, Squall came to one conclusion: this vehicle had been in a fight already, and was still not fully repaired. If that was the case, then it would take only a little more to take it out of commission. If they could just short-circuit the vehicle, its engines would likely fail.

He looked over at Quistis and Rinoa, who stood nearby. He nodded at them, and they nodded back. It seemed that they had also figured out the problems with the Iron Clod. Squall signalled to Quistis and then to Rinoa. They both nodded again, understanding his silent commands.

Squall charged at the Iron Clod. Quistis ran with him. Only Rinoa and Angelo stayed behind, standing guard over Mayor Dobe.

The Iron Clod at last seemed to regain some control, for it then turned and opened fire at Quistis. The bullets were now even more off-course than before, and Quistis dodged them with ease. She ran out of the way and came up alongside one of the vehicles unbroken towers. She stopped and placed her hand on its wall. On the other side of the vehicle Squall ran to the other unbroken tower, and he did the same. Their palms began to crackle, and with Thundara magic they sent an electric charge shooting through the towers.

There was a whoosh as Rinoa's Pinwheel shot through the air. It slammed into the front of the Iron Clod, embedding itself in the metal. The projectile was also crackling, charged with magic.

As the magic intensified, Squall and Quistis jumped back. The electrical charges exploded, and a deafening explosion ripped through the station. A shockwave followed, and Rinoa threw herself over the mayor to protect him from the blast.

The shockwave passed, and the sound of the explosion died away. Squall got to his feet where he had fallen and looked over at the Iron Clod.

As he expected, the vehicle was now powerless. The three-way Thundara blast had caused its engines at last to fail, and it could no longer attack. Squall started to approach the Iron Clod, but he then stopped as it began to tremble. Several explosions occurred both within and outside. Its two towers exploded, sending black smoke into the air. In-between the explosions Squall could hear the panicked cries of the soldiers inside.

The Iron Clod's engines gave one final heave. The vehicle retreated, making its way back to the edge of the platform. It fell over the edge and into the water—where the Galbadian officer and his two soldiers were floundering.

Squall looked around the station. He could not see any more soldiers. If the Galbadians were only here for Ellone and not for the Garden, then that was probably all the force they had sent. With any luck they would retreat now, and leave Fisherman's Horizon alone.

He sheathed his sword. He started to turn away and rejoin the others, but then he stopped and turned back to the station's edge.

People were beginning climb up onto the platform. There were three of them altogether. Squall at once reached for his gunblade, but his hand froze before he could touch the hilt. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened.

The three figures crawled onto the platform and got to their feet. They were worn and a bit worse for wear, but they were alive. One of them raised her head and stared at Squall. Her jaw also dropped, before it then split into a wide, cheerful, familiar grin.

"Squall!" cried Selphie in joy.